"Silver." A new voice, a familiar voice. Silver felt his blood run icy cold a moment as hooves came closer. There was a mare, not at all special by the look of her, but he knew that voice. "David, where have you been hiding?"
"Fast..." He glanced away and back. "I'm so sorry."
"For not saying hello faster?" She suddenly smooched his cheek. "No... something else. What happened? I heard about... Nefer, if that's what you mean."
"In all of this... everything--" He waved a hoof around wildly. "--I forgot I had a lovely changeling wife. That is--"
"--We barely began that before you left," cut in Fast, ears falling. "I can understand..."
"You deserve better." He touched noses with her, ears lifting. "How did things go for you during this chaos?"
"I was living in the background, mostly." Fast returned the touches gently. "Without you here, I didn't much feel like I belonged anyway... Thorax is leading the changelings, what use am I? Nice fellow, a bit odd upstairs, but nice."
Silver's ears danced, but he started to walk, inviting her to walk alongside him. "You aren't queen of changelings anymore, we settled that. You were there when they needed you. You're a hero, and my friend."
"And now they're rebuilding a broken castle," she spoke as if she hadn't heard Silver, though she was walking alongside him. "Not my specialty."
A thought tickled Silver. "You're all whole, and not the only changeling around, I bet. Why not lend a hoof, or whatever else they need?"
"Guilt?" She thumped against his side. "Indecision... Stupidity? Look, alright. I'll do that. Night is overseeing some of the construction. I'll go to her."
"Me too." He veered off where she had turned. When she was suddenly in the air with wings she hadn't had a moment before, he launched to follow her. "All of my mares deserve a hello."
"You haven't seen her yet? No, we should fix that." She darted ahead, leading.
Night gestured with her wings, shouting commands at the workers and coordinating them. At her leadership, the injuries of the castle were being healed. "Become a shaman," she sighed out. "You'll have magic..." Magic wasn't what was needed at that moment, and her shamanic tricks would complicate the repair process. She used her sharp mind instead, leading.
Fast landed beside Night. "Hey..."
"Out of hiding?" Night twitched an ear towards the mare with changeling wings jutting out of her back. "Welcome back."
"He's right--"
Silver landed with a few clops. "Night!"
The two forgot everything else for a moment. They rushed each other and met in a warm embrace. There were no awkward feelings between them, and no startling announcements to make either. There was just one big hug and soft nuzzles to get out.
Fast watched with a little smile. "Celestia told me she already backed out."
They stopped. Night looked to Fast first. "That was supposed to be in theory. I thought we'd discuss this, as a family, before she ran off like that. I swear, be a monarch for enough years and you start just doing things."
Fast lifted her shoulders softly. "I was thinking of doing the same."
Night released Silver, freeing up a hoof to boop Fast on the nose. "Denied," she stated flatly. "You may request again in 13 moons."
Silver's ears danced. "I'd rather know why. Was it because I was away?"
Fast took a slight step back, perhaps hearing the hurt in Silver's voice. "Your story has... moved on, in some ways."
Night rolled her eyes. "Time does that. Your story has too, mine has." She waved a wing up at the sky. "Every creature up there is a different creature than they were even one year ago. That's not the real question. Do you want to be a part of this story?"
Silver nodded firmly as he closed with Fast. "You are welcome. Oh! There's a changeling among them."
"Them?" Fast looked up at the workers. "I see a few, why do you bring that up?"
"No, my new servants. I rescued them. One is a changeling, I think unreformed." He looked around without luck to find them.
"Unreformed? Poor thing must be starving..." Fast lifted into the air, bright wings fluttering. "I'll find them. This I know how to handle."
Night set a hoof gently on Silver as she flew off. "Good thinking. She's at her best when she's helping somepony. This may be just the thing for her." She turned to him directly. "The children are safe and growing like little furry weeds." A smile touched her face. "And missing their poppa. Do be sure to say hello to them too."
"I missed them too." He smooched her on the forehead, inhaling her scent along the way. "Along with their incredible mother."
"I'm not leaving," she stated in certain tones. "If you're worried."
"I wasn't going to say anything..." Just worry about it silently. "But I am glad to hear you say it. I still have to check in with Luna, and the kids."
"It's getting close to when she'd be waking up. Go say hello to the children first." She pointed the way. "I will be here. Your rock."
"My rock." He gently rubbed his cheek to hers. "My sexy, smart, wonderful rock that is so full of talent and life..." He began nibbling into her neck and she laughed, pushing him away.
"Not on duty. We'll get our snuggles in later." She flashed her sharper teeth, fangs displayed. "We have catching up to do, later. For now, get."
They touched noses before she turned back to her job, shouting at people to get where they needed to be. Silver moved past her, gently lashing her once with his tail along the way. At least that felt secure.
"Where are we going?"
Silver jumped, his magic pouring free rapidly to locate the disturbance. There was a mouse riding him. He knew that mouse. "When did you get up there?"
"That's a secret." He could feel her changing positions, straddling his withers. "Visiting your children? I want to see them."
"That was the plan." He turned an ear back to Whiskers. "Do you have experience with children?"
"None personal, if that's what you're asking." She coughed softly into a balled fist. "The sultan was a bit large to do... that with, and I wouldn't have wanted one of his anyway. I've cared for others though; mostly his, come to think."
"Were you... a toy to him?" He glanced over his shoulder. "A pretty little thing for him to look at?"
Whisker's whiskers sagged a little. "That's a fair summary... You have a lot more magic than him. Do you plan to do something tawdry with it?"
His cheeks warmed instantly. "I have a family! You know that..."
"I met Night." She leaned against the back of his neck. "Nice mare, though a bit bossy, but still nice. You two love each other, I felt that..."
"Are you jealous?" He could hear it in her tone, then feel her go rigid. "You're not fired for saying yes. I'd rather you be honest."
"Too-Kind Prince," she spat, digging her heels in at him a little. "Yes I am jealous! You give much to be jealous about. Even losing wives, you have others just behind them. You have a family, wealth, power, and still a soft heart and a kind smile. Of course I am jealous!"
He constricted his magic gently, squeezing her. "And I am a friend, I hope, though I have so much more to learn about you. Now, here we are." He came to a slow stop in front of the door to his suite. "It's been a while..." He turned his magic to the door, gently opening it. "Anyone awake?" he asked gently, hoping to not wake anyone if they were sleeping.
A duo of excited squeals emerged from the darkness as two pairs of slit eyes seemed to open, glowing brightly. Clear Twilight and Morning Glory tackled their father with great cries of joy. He sat in place with a laugh, raising his hooves to support them and hold them close. "I'm home," he breathed out, a wave of relief and joy sweeping through him. "I'm sorry I left for so long.
"Oh wow," came Whiskers' voice atop him. "What cute little--" She didn't get further as the two foals scaled Silver without hesitation to get at the new voice they had heard. They were foals, but they easily knocked Whiskers over and began snuffling and examining her without a shred of propriety. "Ack, help! I'm being attacked by adorable."
His magic glowed soft silver around all three of them, plucking them apart from one another and bringing them around in front of himself. "Clear, Morning, this is Whiskers. She will probably help me watch over you."
Morning's little horn glowed as he resisted his father's magic, not directly, but somehow creating a layer of his own magic to slip along it as if he were oiled, popping free to the ground. With a joyful cry, he repeated the trick on Whiskers, freeing her.
"Oh, thank you," allowed Whiskers, looking confused. "Did your son just show you up?"
"I'm used to it," gently laughed Silver, pulling Clear Twilight over for gentle hugs. "Now, Morning, play nice with Aunty Whiskers."
"Aun Aun," came his eloquent response, tackling her and giving her a big hug, clearly approving of his newest friend.
She tickled his sides suddenly, making Morning squeal with laughter and giving her the chance to scramble to her feet. "I've dealt with children larger than you, Morning. Is that his whole name? Ponies usually have two, don't they?"
"Some do, some don't." He bounced the filly in his grasp. "This one is Morning Glory. That one is Clear Twilight."
"Nice to meet you, Clear--ahhh!" She fell back a step, bursting into laughter. Clear had turned her trick against her, tickling her wildly with his magic.
"Are you getting their names wrong?" Fast was there at the door. "Classic Silver."
Silver paled in his ears and nose. "I didn't!"
"You did." She pointed at the little unicorn. "Morning Glory. You're holding Clear Twilight."
Even as Silver buried his face in his free hoof, Whiskers was doing her best to assert her dominance, or at least avoid being tickled to death by the colt, whatever his name was.
"Father." That voice was in his ear. "LuLu has awoken and is ready to receive guests. I informed her of your presence."
Silver sat up, passing Clear to Fast almost without thought. "Does she want to see me now?"
"No," came the flat response. "You should see her anyway."
"I'm... going, but explain that thought as I do? Fast, Samantha's whispering in my ear that it's time to visit Luna, so I'm going to do that. Can you--"
"Watch the foals? Go. Whiskers and I have this." She made a soft shooing motion with her hooves.
He fled, but barely made it a step before he vanished in a burst of silvery light. Fast sat down beside Whiskers and set a hoof on her head and a hoof on Morning's, Clear on the ground next to Whiskers. "Now we're all going to play nice. Which means no tickling, for now."
Morning stuck out his tongue in defiance, but stopped his tickling attack, to Whiskers' obvious relief.
Clear gently snuffed at Whiskers, then sat down next to her. "Well, you're a little calmer, aren't you?" Whiskers wrapped an arm around the filly. "Now then, it seems my duties include foal sitting."
"It just kind of happens. Been there." Fast shook her head slowly. "So, you two do anything?"
Whisker's round ears rose quickly. "As a trained servant to a sultan, I know that is a question I can only give one answer to, and you are likely aware of that."
"Silver isn't a sultan," retorted Fast with a smirk. "And I'm his dirtiest wife, so spill all the details."