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// 60 - Wisdom of the Moon 
// Story: The Silver Stars 
// by David Silver 
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Silver turned away from Twilight's dream door with an aggravated sigh only to be face-to-face with Luna. She hopped back in surprise and Luna moved with her. "I thought," said Luna, "you would not be so fast to return to Twilight Sparkle's dreams after being so rudely evicted last night. What draws you to her so soon?"

Silver recovered from her surprise then flopped on her haunches. "You promise to speak... No, that was almost a stupid request. This involves love and pain."

Luna shrugged her shoulders. "I am familiar with both. Speak, Silver Stars. I will hear your story."

Silver nodded slowly. "Twilight is torn apart at... killing me. I'm not dead, obviously."

Luna gestured at Silver's belly. "Your foal was not so lucky."

Silver spread her wings out as she glared at Luna. "You didn't help."

Luna shook her head. "If you are angry at me for not solving that puzzle, you may do so. I did try, but fail to see how your foal may have been saved. I think your 'Text' may have lied, or spoke of things so obscure as to not be worth mentioning, and yet mention it did."

Silver sagged with a loud sigh. "I'm angry at a lot of things, but Twilight wants me to be angry at her."

Luna wobbled a hoof. "That should be easy. It is she that catapulted you to the astral realm."

Silver pawed at the ground. "But I could have saved it... I failed."

Luna leaned in close. "That does not absolve Twilight. If you cannot feel anger, I will help you."

Before Silver could ask questions, Silver was back in the darkness of the cage that Starlight had put her in. Silver could feel the old fear return to her. She wanted Twilight to come and save her. She trembled in fear before she heard a sudden flapping of wings. She looked up towards it  just before everything became bright. 

Her mind was not thrown into the astral. She could feel her body dissolving under the assault, painfully coming apart. She fell through the burning cage bottom, getting out a strangled cry as the pain became overwhelming. The light faded, and Silver collapsed to the bottom of the crater, somehow still alive despite feeling like she should be ten times dead. Twilight landed at the edge of the crater, glaring down at Silver.

Silver couldn't remember how it had gone down before. All she knew was this act of betrayal. "Why?"

Twilight slid down easily across the crater. "Because it felt like the right thing to do. Because I thought I had all the answers worked out. I had it all under control."

Silver bared her fangs, climbing to her charred hooves and grabbing for Twilight but only succeeding in flopping against her. "You... Twilight... I trusted you! I... wanted to be your wife, and you killed our foal!" Silver shook Twilight impotently. "You killed us! Was I that horrible?"

Twilight's eyes filled with tears. "I... I had a plan. You were supposed to be safe."

"I'm not safe!" Silver sunk her teeth into Twilight's shoulder, channeling the fury and agony before she drew back. "You were the only good part of being a mare..."

Twilight recoiled in surprise. "What? I... I'm sorry Silver."

Silver swatted at Twilight's comforting hoof with a wing. "You don't even want to look at me like that. You're scared to even look at me like that. You're disgusted. Is that why you killed it? You didn't want any evidence of your moment of weakness?"

Twilight shoved the weakened Silver to the ground. "That's not why! I made a mistake..." She approached the weeping Silver and wrapped herself over her, hugging close. "I'm so sorry."

Silver whimpered in her grip. "You're just saying that. You didn't want to be a parent in the first place. You didn't... have to do that. If you didn't mean to do it, you... Why? You were... more powerful than the unicorns here. You could have thrown them around."

"I could have!" Twilight clenched all the tighter. "I should have... I was wrong... Silver, I am going to turn myself in. I will submit to the justice of the land for my crime."

Silver turned to face Twilight, forgiveness bubbling to her lips, but the feeling drained as a flash of the pain swept through her, the strangely specific sensation of the foal within her burning away to ash. She grit her teeth firmly. "That is... good of you, Twilight. I am... I am..." She punched at Twilight weakly. "I don't know what to do!"

Twilight pressed her nose to Silver's throat. "You still have a favor..."

Silver perked her ears. "Give me our foal back. That is my request. Give me our foal back!" She started punching at Twilight, battering at her with limp buffeting. "I was ready to be a mother! I was ready to be a mare! Give it back, Twilight!"

Suddenly Silver remembered everything, the astral plane, the Text, all of it. Silver shuddered violently as the anger remained, drawn out from her depths, it now remained exposed.

Luna nodded at the two from the side. "Nightmares are not the only thing dreams might accomplish."

Twilight blinked softly at Luna. "Is she just a dream?"

"Nay. You are both dreaming, but your words are your own."

Silver nodded and slid up to her haunches, no longer ashen and destroyed. "I... Wow..."

Twilight tilted her head at Silver. "So... did you mean all that?"

Silver quickly nodded. "Yes. I... want our foal back so bad. You destroyed 'us'... Your... distance just hurt more. You cut our tie and then hid away from me."

Twilight spread her wings. "I abused my magic and killed you and our foal. I deserve to be punished."

Silver nuzzled one of those feathery wings before biting, pulling harshly at the sensitive flesh. "You're making things worse. I will stand by your side, Twilight." 

Twilight reached and rubbed Silver where it hurt before, but Silver felt anger, not pain. Silver swatted at her hoof with a growl. "Don't do that unless you plan to make good that favor."

Twilight folded her wings back and nodded. "Very well. Do you not want me to help other mothers now?"

Silver perked an ear. "I... that would still be a lovely thing to do... but it doesn't give me our foal back... Tell me the truth. Did you want that foal? Were you accepting it out of obligation?"

Twilight frowned a little. "I was angry at first, then scared, but I learned to look forward to it. Silver Stars, I will give you that foal, one way or another."

Silver smiled gently. "Good... I don't like being angry with you. This feels awful, but I was angry the whole time."

Luna nodded quietly from the side. "You were denying that anger. You are quite skilled at burying your emotions so deep you cannot find them again." She reached out a wing to poke Silver. "Perhaps one night I will find your true feelings for me?"

Silver snorted softly. "You first. Don't even try to say you aren't repressing things."

Twilight let out a slow breath, flopping back onto her own haunches. "Thank you. Both of you. I feel better, just a little. Will I remember this when I wake up?"

Luna made a soft wave, and Twilight vanished. "There, she has awoken. Sh--" Silver vanished. "Or she will awaken you. My work here is done." Luna departed off to resume her patrols.





In the waking world, Twilight shook Silver awake and peered down at her. "Did you mean all that?"

Silver gave a slow nod as Twilight came into focus. "Do you still want to be judged?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes. I might have killed other ponies. I don't even know for sure, and that itself is horrible. Will you help?"

Silver snorted softly. "I already said I'd do that." She reached to Twilight and brought her down, laying belly-to-belly. "Will you get me that foal back?"

Twilight tilted her head. "I can't promise it will be the exact foal... I'm not even sure that's possible, but a foal... our foal? Is that good enough?"

Silver gave a hesitant nod. "Try your best. You rarely fail when you put your heart to something." She leaned in, pressing nose-to-nose. "You do get rainbows."

Twilight looked baffled at the words. "What?"

Silver frowned a little. "Hard to explain. You're blessed to have the right thing happen, in the end. No matter how horrible it is in the middle, it will work out somehow in the end. If you want to get my foal back, you'll figure it out, eventually. There's a good chance rainbows will be involved."

Twilight looked like she was struggling to hold back laughter, but it faded off as she thought back. "Oh... I think I see what you mean. Do you think rainbow power would actually... work? I don't even know how to summon that."

Silver wrinkled her nose. "Cute idea, but I don't either. Don't try for that." Silver snuggled up against Twilight. "Stupid unicorn..."

"Hey!"

"Stupid sexy unicorn." Silver nipped softly at Twilight's closer cheek. "Magic isn't the cure for everything."

Twilight poked at Silver lightly. "So you'll just say no when I say I want to do an experiment on you in the morning that involves a whole lot of magic?"

Silver bared her teeth. "Dirty pool! Have you been talking to Fast Change?"

Twilight gave a wan smile. "I may have. If you still have that trust in me, I think it's past time I did lay you out completely, to learn you inside and out, and maybe undo some of the harm I've done."

Silver huffed. "Just don't do anything rash... I want to trust you Twilight."

"So do you want it or not?"

Silver nodded and closed her eyes. "I'm getting the rest of my sleep. Rest, Twilight. Plenty of time in the morning."

When Silver's breathing became soft and even, Night turned to regard Twilight with her slit eyes. "That sounded good. What changed?"

Twilight jumped a little. "Oh! We... we talked."

Night shook her head. "You talked before. What changed? She sounded like she was actually upset at you instead of everything else under the moon."

Twilight stepped off of Silver and settled to the sheets on her own belly. "Luna helped. She made us forget the extra parts, so we could focus on just what happened between us."

Night nodded softly. "You did bad, Twilight, but you are not bad. We'll get through this."