Silver felt a nuzzle and opened an eye to find Luna standing in his old room. He quickly decided he must be unconscious. "Hello Luna."
Luna smiled gently. "You refused to respond at first. I feared you had passed into a coma. What has happened?"
Silver sat up. Everything felt sore, despite being asleep. Was it some sign of his mental state? "I was attacked, stabbed a few times... the usual."
Luna snorted loudly. "Far from 'the usual'. Why did you not use your magic and show them the fury of the night?"
Silver slid from his bed only to collapse across it, world spinning dizzily. "I tried! Look." He managed to get himself flat on his back, and Luna's attention focused on his exposed bangle.
"What manner of trinket is this?" Her hoof softly tapped at the golden bracelet.
"First, don't try to remove it, please. I've had that yanked on enough times. Second, it's... inverted... things. My magic is messed up." He snorted softly and wriggled. "Everything is confusing and sore." His nose twitched softly. "I don't get it... It was given to some cat a long time ago because he was too horny, but it's only made things worse in that regard."
Luna raised a brow. "Legends are told by the survivors. What if the cat was not... lusty... until after the bracelet was put on him? Depending on how severe its effects, the feline could have been chaste before he... what did he do?"
Silver perked an ear. "Sired the baastians, supposedly."
Luna's eyes twinkled, licking over her lips. The bracelet hardly seemed entirely as bad. "How... is it affecting you?"
Silver saw her cunning expression and frowned a little. "Luna, focus. I've been robbed of my magic, and that is my destiny, not fathering your tribe."
Luna raised a hoof and set it down gently on Silver's furry balls, rubbing slowly. "You never told me what happened with Tia? Is she heavy with a lunar foal?"
Silver squirmed, pleasure exploding in soft shudders and chasing away the pain. "I, mmm, don't know. She seemed happy, but I'm not sure."
Luna tilted her head. "I'll ask her personally when I may, but you are the only tie I have to that part of the world. Do you think that ruler was involved?"
Silver shook his head. "I don't think so. The assassin said something about Celestia thinking I'd caused my own death."
Luna lifted a brow. "What did you do that would do that?" She stared at Silver, into him. "Our connection is too coarse to let me see for myself. Tell me."
Silver considered that. "I tried to cut off the advance of this... curse... I made a lot of cuts in my aetheric net."
Luna frowned. "That is very dangerous! You could have killed yourself, foolish stallion. Are you planning to always act without thinking?"
Silver shrank back a little at Luna's scolding. "I... Sorry." His ears folded lightly. "I think I'm suffering enough for it?"
Luna rolled her eyes before stepping up onto Silver and settling on him, belly-to-belly. "Your foolishness does tend to police itself, it's true. My poor stallion... You received this bangle from where?"
Silver sighed. "I'm fairly sure that's what they were banking on. Amenti slipped it onto me."
Luna nodded. "For you to be found dead in your clumsy attempt to limit its effect. Your death would be Amenti's fault quite directly, but something does not add up."
Silver perked an ear. "What?"
Luna poked Silver in the belly. "How did they know you had done anything?"
Silver had no answer at first before it came. "Thrice Cooked! He knew what I did, and it wasn't even that long after he left that I was attacked."
Luna gave a gentle nod. "You will have much to discuss when you awaken."
Silver sat up sharply, forcing Luna to slip off of him. "Wait! There was another cat that just showed up and told us how to find Thrice Cooked indirectly."
Luna gave a slow nod as she stood up, descending to the floor. "You are being conspired against perhaps, but learn more before deciding for sure. How is Amenti doing, as pharaoh?"
"Well, this aside..." Silver looked around his room. "I think she's doing much better now. Things are on the right path."
Luna smiled gently. "Then perhaps the best course would be not to pry, but simply to accept the victory you have earned and leave before more trouble arises."
Silver returned the smile, a hopeful expression growing. "Does that mean we go home?"
Luna shook her head. "Neigh. You must visit the Saddle Arabians before you can return. You will be pleased to know that they are much more intimate and long-lasting allies, and are ponies beside. They will welcome you warmly." Luna moved to depart from the dream room. "I have to return to my duties, my prince. Please be mindful of yourself."
When she was gone, Silver slid to the floor without immediately falling over. He pushed his uncomfortable computer chair out of the way and.... realized his horn magic didn't work even in dreams. He frowned, staring at the defiant monitor before he reached with a hoof and clumsily groped around before he managed to power it on. He could see there was plenty of new mail, but browsing it was quite the chore with only hooves to work with. He saw one from Fast.Change@Ponyville.Equ and struggled until he could pull it up.
Hi Silver!
How are things? I have no idea if this will get to you or not, but after I had a crazy dream where you sent me a message like this, and missing you so much, I had to try to do one myself and hope for the best. XOXOXOXO if it works. How's my favorite stud doing? You knock up half of Anugypt yet?
You wouldn't believe it! There was a wedding and Luna asked me to go along as her sister. It was great! I even got to argue with her, and she let me hold her hoof for a while. I won't bore you with what we did afterwards. I'll just let you know it was sexy. That mare has a flame for you know who. Don't tell her I said that!
Twilight and Night miss you, you big lug. I do my best to keep them 'company' if you know what I mean, but they really want you, not just a random stallion, even one as awesome as I am. Oh, other news. I invited one of the changelings down from Canterlot to see the wedding and he didn't cause a bit of trouble. I was so proud of him, and I think it made a great impression on the crowd.Hope Everything's Going Well,
Fast Change
XOXO
Silver smiled at the message, then grunted, looking in dismay at his hooves. There was no way he could type a reply with these things! He'd have to remember to do so as soon as he got himself sorted out. Silver felt himself starting to rouse and went with it, carried away to the waking world.
The first thing he saw was Shei smiling down at him. "He's awake!"
Celestia quickly replaced her, looking down at Silver with concern. "Are you in pain?"
Silver tried to sit up and pain exploded right through his lower belly where he had performed crude magical surgery before, like a ring of sore flesh. "A little... I'm glad to see you, and I spoke to Luna."
Celestia smiled gently. "Did you? Did she have any observations?"
Silver nodded slowly. "I really did almost kill myself trying to stop the jewelry. Thrice Cooked is either in on it or spoke to someone who is, and the cat that told us to look for the military cat, same deal, but probably the most important part... It doesn't matter much..."
Celestia frowned noticeably. "How does it not matter? They are the worst kind of... people."
Silver wobbled a hoof weakly. "We did what we came for. We should just go, heads held up high and triumphant."
Celestia looked far from certain, so Silver continued, pointing at Shei and Aila who were watching quietly. "They need to be brought to safety, which is not here." He let the hoof fall to the floor. "How bad were the, you know, stabbings?"
Celestia gave a firm nod. "You are no longer bleeding, but you won't be in any shape to move on your own for some time, less if you get your magic working again." She pointed a hoof. "I had briefly considered a little... surgery to get it off of you, but some experimenting showed it adjusted to fit whatever you had, so it isn't coming off that easily."
Silver cringed, glad he slept through that kind of experimenting, and yet... "You wouldn't just cut parts of me off without asking, I hope?"
Celestia smiled thinly. "I merely explored options. I would have asked. Well, are you happy now?"
Silver blinked and tilted his head. "I'm not happy at all, but what in particular do you mean?"
Celestia pointed at Silver. "You saw it. I did what I... chastised you for..." She grunted softly. "Go on, get it out now."
Silver sat up bit by bit until he was propped upright. "Celestia, come here." He held out his hooves. "Please."
Celestia looked uncertain, but slid closer. Silver wrapped his fore-legs around her and drew her close with a soft sigh. "Thank you for saving my life. Thank you for caring about me. Thank you for being willing to put aside your own moral code just to see me safe."
Celestia's ears sagged. "You're very welcome, but I shouldn't have done it. That cat had many answers we'll never get, and killing wasn't the right answer to begin with. Killing is too easy an answer with too unfulfilling a result. I must ask... why were you... Why were you mounting your assassin?"
Silver gave a short painful bark of a laugh. "That wasn't the goal, I promise. The bangle finished warping my net and I think I drugged her with a huge blast of sexual energy in the form of, you know, perfume."
Shei approached with curious eyes. "A smell can't make someone that ready that they'd do that in the middle of fighting to the death, can it? That sounds like something out of a legend. This is real life we're talking about!"
Aila followed after her sister. "With the master? I can believe it. No wonder a whole new tribe was studded with that... thing."
Celestia let out a gentle sigh. "Perhaps you are right, Silver. Perhaps we should simply leave and try to forget all of this unpleasantness. The Saddle Arabians would provide a safe place for you to recover." She rose to her hooves and nodded to all three present. "I will consider this. Watch over Silver for now."