Angel cuddled against Silver in the back seat of the chariot, where they were being taken to a secluded spot to teleport to Earth. She had been absolutely against the idea from the beginning, preferring Equestria over most places. But Silvers gentle coaxing that they would be completely isolated had weakened her argument, and she'd gradually relented. "Are you absolutely sure it's safe?" She was asking, her head craning up to look at him. Out in front, the stallions pulling the chariot kicked up ground under their hooves, making quite impressive speed.
He smiled, they had talked together a lot about Earth. The shock of learning how dark human history must have been rough on her. Angel, he considered, was innocent even by Equestrian standards. He was going over a speech now he had planned a lot of times before. "Yes Angel, the island is surrounded by water for dozens of miles." Earth was far larger than Equestria, even this must have been a shock for her, he thought. Nazi Germany hadn't spanned more than a fraction of the globe, yet it was a bit bigger than all of Equestria put together, even with the Crystal Empire thrown in. "I spent weeks there to make sure no ships came close while I built the hut. There's no signs that anyone has been there. No poisonous animals, but if there were you'd know how to deal with it. You'll be safe. We can always teleport back to Equestria if something happens, we're just a blink away."
Angel still looked unsure, but her resolve was admirable. She wasn't about to back out now, especially not in front of Silver. And if she did for whatever reason change her mind, she'd likely have a damn good reason for doing so. "I trust you, Silver." She said in a tone that indicated her hesitation. She nuzzled him though. Alicia had promised to watch over them both, out of sight of course, just in case any ships did approach, she'd know about them. The chariots pulled to a halt, they would be safe here to come and go as they pleased. Angel had insisted on a secluded jumping point, not wanting Earth revealed to any other Equestrian. Including the stallions who pulled their carriage.
He stepped out of the chariot with her. To all intents and purposes the guards would probably think they they would be picked up by someone else and this was just a ruse to get rid of camera happy ponies. Which was true. The risk of there being someone present, magically inclined enough to tell that their teleportation was unusual and at the same time be able to tell where they had gone, was unusual. Silver waited for Angel's lead. This would go at her pace. He had brough things for their honeymoon, and she had as well he was sure. All packed into some saddle bags strapped to him. He enjoyed the sight of her against the twilight sky. His white wholesome princess, looking radiant in her dress. His wife.
Angel waved away the chariot. The guards gave pause, but she insisted that they'd be on their way momentarily. When the guards had left, Angel pressed her horn against the horn of her husband. Needing only the briefest encouragement, they jumped. From Equestria to Earth. The ground fell away beneath them, but both had teleported so frequently now that it was hardly noticeable. They stood now on the front porch of the small hidden cottage. Things looked different here. The colors were not as bright, subtle changes blended them into this world. Longer muzzles and necks, less pronounced coloration, Angels udder was a bit bigger. The mare pushed the door open with her nose, giving Silver a soft nudge. "Stallions first."
Playing the part of the loyal husband, who's wife was including her new hubby into her house hold he stepped ceremoniously across its threshold. It was very simple built, a little summer home. Levitation and magic had helped with its construction, though he couldn't say that he had designed it. Just followed some unicorn instructions. He stood in the middle of it, tables and beds in the same room. A porch overlooking a white sandy beach. Turning around he saw the subtly changes in her appearance. To say that she looked like a horse, was to say that a human looked like a chimp. She was still very much a pony, she had a short muzzle, and a face rich in expressions, large eyes and wings, she was recognizable albeit different. "Thank you for letting me in." He completed the ritual, expressing gratitude of being invited into the mare's household.
Angel was about as beautiful as they came, and she knew how to make an entrance. Her large feathered wings extended, the setting sun casting its rays across her feathers as she entered, and sealed their weekend getaway by planting a kiss upon his muzzle. She had run their finances since they moved in together, being more experienced in the exchange rate and tax policies of Equestria. She worked, Silver could have stayed at home if he liked, but Novaria kept him busy. "Why wouldn't I let you in?" She asked. "You're the most important thing I have, aside from these." She teased, flexing her wings. "Come, you said there's a beach nearby, can we run in the waves, can we?" She pleaded, almost like a filly again, already racing out the door, her dress being flung onto the sofa as quickly as she was able.
He watched her dress practically fall off her in its myriad of pieces that danced in the wind. Far less elegantly he undid his vice like suit. They were carefree here. No duties to be done, no ponies to ask questions, no quests, just the two of them. He trotted out of the door and went into a gallop, speeding across the ground down towards the beach. He was not a racer, and she was an alicorn, he was already beaten, but still he gave chase with a wicked grin. He had advantages of his own, and teleported ahead of her.
By the time they got back from the beach, the sun had set, without assistance from anyone. Though the colours were less vibrant in this world, there were so much greater fine-structure in the colours. As the night sky slowly and imperceptible changed through various blue transitions, to a deep orange glow and finally to the soft blues of the night sky, Angel realized that this world had beauty that could rival Equestria. The star sky beat theirs by a long shot. For reasons he wouldn't tell her yet, he had insisted on taking her to grass field. Trees must have once been here, but had been cleared away. There were two small shovels nearby, two baskets. It was illuminated solely by the moon and the glow of their horns. Silver went over to one basket and opened it. There were many small paper bags inside, looked up at her expectantly. "Angel, do you remember the first time you realized that I could see through your disguise and how I couldn't believe what I was seeing?" He asked. "Do you understand why it was so hard for me to believe it?"
Angel was quiet for a moment, and sat right nearby him. She understood now that this world didn't have ponies, at least not in the sense she was used to. One of the first times she encountered a real Earth horse, she'd spent almost ten minutes lecturing it on refusing to answer her, leading to Silver being in fits of laughter. "I still don't understand how a world can function without magic, it's depressing." She admitted. "Would it really be that bad if this world suddenly developed the ability to do such fantastic things?" The thought of using magic for evil here simply didn't occur to her, she didn't think that way. But bless her, she tried to understand. "You thought I was a hallucination for quite a while, I remember that."
"Don't look down on humans, Angel. They don't have magic, but they or rather we have built buildings taller than anything in Equestria. We've, well they, have traveled to the moon. There's plenty of things we've done that you would find very magical. In fact... half the time I'm not even sure what magic really is in Equestria. All I know is that its something different from what is on Earth." He opened a bag with a hoof and levitated it up. It was filled with tiny round seeds. "I went with you on a journey by your invitation, and ended up staying there. You plucked me from this world and planted me in Equestria." The moonlight seemed to give the seeds a dull blue glow. "I promised Luna that I wouldn't have humans be in Equestria, but I never promised her that something from Equestria couldn't be planted here... these are seeds. This is poison joke, but there's also nightshines, whistle berries and I've got a single sapient sage tree sapling that may one day grow up to be an ent. They're all magical so they have to be planted during a full moon. Would you like to give something back to this world?" The island was secluded, hardly anyone cam here. Obviously he had more than one reason for them to stay in this place.
Angel had been many places that mankind would never see, and many places still that mankind would never even know about. She came from a different world, a world that she wanted to remain secret. Angel gasped at his revelation, and if he'd asked her just a few months ago, she would have reported him for carrying dangerous substances across interdimensional borders. But now, now she had lightened up, and a soft giggle escaped her lips. "I'd sure like to see the look on the face of whoever discovers this place first." She said. "Are you sure its not dangerous?" She asked, then quickly answered her own question. "Heck with it, I don't need to ask permission for everything, let's do it!"
The levitated shovels dug the first few holes. "Who knows, you taught me that you can't know everything ahead of time. These plants might grow up to be typical mundane plants.. only not from this world. Or they might retain their powers. We can set up some spells to warn us if something very strange happens on this island.. but I don't think it will. Magic has many mysteries that even the regal sisters don't understand. I don't get it nearly half as good as you do." And Angel not nearly half as good as those two. The magic of these plants were silly as with poison joke, or benign as with night shade. The sapient sage tree would not have a desire to harm anyone. It was a good kind of magic. Angel had once been a beacon of light to the Evodians. The alicorn who had arrived out of nowhere. A shining light showing that the Evodians hadn't been forgotten and that extraordinary things could come from them. Standing in the background with the unicorn leader who had adopted her. A symbol of hope. Then eventually working with the healers. So many soldiers had wanted to reach out and touch her wings to get her blessings. Simple knowing that they weren't suffering for a country without a destiny. Perhaps these plants could be something like that for this world. The humans needed something to remind them that this world wasn't all there was to it. Carefully levitating the seeds Silver planted the poison joke. Occasionally some of the seeds would give off a blue aura, or catch sparks. The magic was still in them, working under the new conditions of this world.
Angel picked up a shovel with her own horn, and began to emulate her predecessor. Magic COULD exist her, the whole reason of Silver being here at all was from Angels presence, if magic couldn't work, she would never have been here in the first place. "I wish we could test this under more controlled conditions, but this will have to do for now." She admitted. With the two of them working together, the holes were soon filled, and the roots of the poison joke stretched into the ground. Angel smiled, giving a knowing smile. "I love you, Silver. More than anything in both of our worlds combined." She flicked her tail. "I have two wedding presents for you Silver, would you like them?" She was practically glowing, not hard for a pony with white fur.
Leaning over he rubbed his horn affectionately against hers. The gesture seemed less than it was. They could feels each other's magic run through their beings, amplifying each other, like two bells vibrating next to each other. "I'd love too Angel. Its your feathers... and the wings they're attached to. In fact, when I have to be honest the wing arms as well, and the joint where they meet your back. Only to be overshadowed by the back itself, and the rest of the torso which completes the packages. And your legs.. and neck, and all of that is superseded by your head, and everything else." He kissed her.
Angel returned the kiss, and her horn glowed with excitement. Rubbing horns was a special gesture, normally it had no effect. But a mare and a stallion who stayed around each other long enough tuned into each others frequency, just as Angel and Silver had long since tuned into each other, and could feel each other vibrating. "Your first present is in the bedroom, I had it specially brought here just a little before we got here." This was presuming of course that Silver had told her where the cottage was, during his trying to convince her to return to Earth. "Go on and look."
"I wonder if my present has white fur and a golden mane?" He asked her in jest as he walked back to the cabin. For once he had no idea what would wait him. It could be anything from something simple but heartwarming, to fairly exotic. She was a capable unicorn, and could enchant things that usually weren't capable of doing anything on their own to do the extraordinary. The bedroom was just inside the cabin. He went in.
Angel always knew how to surprise him, and he could expect the unexpected with her. Angel followed him, and nudged the door open as he reached it. A tiny, sleeping baby dragon was curled up on the bed. Immediately recognizable, both from the hospital and the wedding. "You remember Flint, don't you Silver?" Angel asked sweetly. "We can't keep him, but I've made donations to the Hatchery in your name. We can visit him whenever you like."
Silver didn't say anything for a while. Slowly approaching the bed, careful not to make any noises that might disturb the little youngling. It had been so long for him before he had seen this dragon. Yet he remembered how much Flint had meant to him. "He's beautiful." Silver whispered finally. With a little levitation he picked up Flint ever so carefully and put him down on a pillow pulling a sheet up around him. "Thank you Angel."
Silver didn't say anything for a while. Slowly approaching the bed, careful not to make any noises that might disturb the little youngling. It had been so long for him before he had seen this dragon, at least prior to the wedding. Yet he remembered how much Flint had meant to him. "He's beautiful." Silver whispered finally. With a little levitation he picked up Flint ever so carefully and put him down on a pillow pulling a sheet up around him. "Thank you Angel."
Angel cracked an even bigger smile, she hadn't told him of the second present yet. It started out subtle, waiting for him to catch on. "He is beautiful." She agreed. "We can babysit him now and again back at our home, once the four of us get home from our honeymoon," she said casually.
"Four..." It didn't take Silver long to figure out this puzzle. A smile played on his lips and he looked up at Angel with a great pride. Walking slowly over to her, and pulled her into a big deep kiss. There were happy tears in his eyes. "How.. far along are you?" He asked, and stole a few glances towards her belly.
Angel wasn't showing, he'd never have been able to guess just by looking at her. She was as beautiful as ever, and pulled herself closer into the kiss, her wings springing into an outward, stiff position. "A few weeks."
Silver was no more than nineteen in human years. On Earth having children would have been something far ahead in the future. As an Equestrian, he was long since a full grown stallion. Yet he wasn't scared of being told this now. He knew he was ready for it. "I feel like I'm dreaming Angel... you've become a mother."
"No." Angel shook her head. "Everything we do, we do together. I haven't become a mother, we've become parents. I don't know if its a colt or a filly yet, what if its a colt? We could name him... um... what's that film you like so much? Blade Runner? That sounds cool." She teased.
Silver just smiled.
"We'll think of something."