An Anubian male gave Mert a light shove out the way. "Why are you wasting your time with her? Come. The others want to greet you properly. It is only proper that men greet men, just as women greet women. You're a part of our tribe now, warrior."
Silver frowned but quickly fought the expression and nodded instead. He reached for Mert and squeezed one of her hands. "Hang around. I'll talk more with you later, alright? Don't let people get you down."
Silver followed the jackal away. The Anubian looked over his shoulder as he walked, his tail swaying stiffly. "You don't have to stay in war form so long. Who are you ready to fight? You'll make people nervous that way."
Taking stock of his altered form, Silver felt powerful, ready to fight, and ready to fuck. His artifacts felt more out of balance than before and he focused on them as he walked, trying to find where it was failing. His necklace was drawing power as normal, but the shoes only on his hooves weren't doing their part to pull as hard as they were before. Their pattern was broken.
He drew their energy up and tried to express them back into his hands where they used to be, and the slumbering power emerged. With the sensation of parting flesh and searing pain, he grew a bloody set of iron bracers over his wrists. He hissed in pain, but the balance began to correct itself.
The jackal was confused at the noise and sight when he turned. "You are full of surprises, new man. Do you need help?"
Silver slapped the jackal on the back. "No! I'm fine. Better than before, actually." He no longer felt stupidly aroused, and his erection began to go soft. He idly noted that he was still horse cocked, even if much of him was human shaped. He was a horse-person, an anthro horse. "Where are we going?"
The jackal pointed to a tent they had arrived at. "You really should drop the war form now. Unless you want to challenge all the men in the tribe to battle at once?" He burst into laughter at the idea. "Or do that. I haven't seen a tribal brawl in half a year. It would be an honor to battle you."
Silver decided he didn't want that, but how... "So, how do I turn it off? I don't remember turning it on in the first place."
The jackal examined Silver from top to bottom before shrugging. "You're the first horse warrior. Try thinking of peaceful things? When you're not ready to fight, you'll stop looking ready for it."
Silver imagined Night Watch and her soft wings and fierce hugs. He imagined Fast Change and Twilight Sparkle. In his mind, they comforted him and he felt the knot of anger fading away. He had to open his eyes quickly as he fell forward onto all fours. His hooves danced over the sand as he quickly got used to having four hooves again. "There, all better, right?"
The jackal smiled. "Much, go on." He pointed to the flap of the tent. "They're waiting for you."
Silver nodded to the jackal before slipping through the flap. He nudged it aside with his snout to find a tent full of Anubians. The collection of males let out a rough cheer on spotting Silver and he was soon pulled forward and struck with eager slaps across the shoulder and withers. It stung a little, but they were smiling and he felt genuinely welcomed, if a bit overwhelmed.
The largest of them grabbed Silver by the shoulders. "Come here and tell us your name, new warrior. Shout it out so we can all hear it, and defend it."
Silver staggered up onto a little stage and looked around at the eager faces directed at him. He took a little breath before he shouted as clearly as he could, even if his voice did hitch a few times. "I am Prince Silver Stars, of Equestria, and I will fight for my people!"
The Anubians let out a roughly collaborative cheer even as one of them hopped up on the stage with his claws on display. "Fighter of Equestria?" he challenged. "Let's see how well you can defend yourself. Just because you suckered Nefertari doesn't mean you know how to fight."
Silver still felt sore and battered from his last fight, but that turned to rage more than desperation. As the Anubian closed in, he grabbed one of the jackal's paws out from under him with magic and yanked it backwards, sending the jackal to the ground in an unexpected trip. He brought down a hoof quickly and crushed his back. Fortunately, his blow was to the left of the spine, bruising ribs and organs, but not crushing the spine.
The other Anubians cheered at the display. He tried to say something, but they were far too loud, and they were pleased at the show. They dragged off the challenger. The leader stepped up and slapped his chest. "You're welcome to our tribe. While Nefertari reigns, it is her tribe. She is one of the great leaders of our nation, so you should be proud. There are--"
He was cut off as another jackal fiercely cried. "We're better than those Fat Paws! The only thing worse than their fighting is their name." His comments prompted a round of jeering laughter in the tent.
The leader slapped Silver on the shoulder. "Ignore him, even if he is right. We're Nefertari's dogs, and proud of it. Don't like that? You'll have to beat her, and winning a mating dance isn't near enough for that."
Another jackal spoke out of turn with a leer. "How was she? She needed a good fucking!" His comment was met with laughter, but also a solid punch in the side that brought out more laughter. His comment was rude, but mostly accepted as good-hearted ribbing.
Silver sat down on his haunches and tried to address the crowd. "I'm glad to be welcomed. As the first horse member, I want to learn much more about you, and to be a good member."
The leader snorted softly before laughing. "You are still a horse, warrior or not. So gentle and polite. Tell you what though. What do you say, men? I think having a nice badass as part of the crew won't hurt anything, right?"
They responded with a chorus of ayes and Silver found himself swept up in a sudden group hug that felt out of place. They weren't ribbing, punching, or otherwise abusing him. He felt genuinely welcomed, and relaxed under their presence.
One of the scrawnier men stepped forward. "I've prepared a sleeping place for him."
The leader frowned. "What? He should sleep with the rest."
"S-sir, he has t-two bitches an--"
"I don't care how many bitches he ruts," shouted the leader, clearly furious before slapping Silver across the withers. "He's one of us. He'll sleep with us, live with us, and die with us, like anyone else." He cocked a brow at Silver. "You think just because you're hung like a horse all the bitches will be waiting in a line? Ha. Don't get full of yourself just yet."
Silver followed the crowd as they showed him to a communal tent for the male jackals. They tried to show him where to train and where to wash and other places, but his wounds and fatigue were becoming more and more insistent on being paid attention to. They had mercy on him, and soon he was allowed to collapse onto a cot, and he faded into sleep.
When he entered the dream world, he thought of Celestia and quickly entered her dream, but she was awake, and it was mostly empty. He left her a note reporting he had won a place among the Anubians, and that things might work out, and he asked her to be patient with his efforts.
Just as he was about to exit, he paused, remembering the mare he dropped off. He returned to the parchment and explained where the pegasus had come from, and asked Celestia to take gentle care of her, but to try to make sure she didn't get attached to him. Leaving her with the Saddle Arabians might actually be the best course of action, or so he thought.
He stepped from Celestia's dream to find Luna. She looked worried and haggard. "Silver! Speak to me."
Silver smiled at her. "I'm right here, Luna. I'm alright."
She shook her head. "You are, but you are not. I felt my magic being undone even from this far, especially when it involves you." She sat and let out a soft sigh. "Foolish once-human. I invested some of myself when I made you young again, don't y--"
Silver cut into her dialog with a surprised, "What? I thought it wasn't beyond your basic magic."
Luna frowned. "Age magic is never a light or basic anything." Her horn glowed and she pushed Silver to the ground gently. "Are you completely alright? What has happened?"
Silver felt irritated a little, but she moved over him and gently felt over him. Her face was a clear picture of worry and sincere care. He let the anger go and instead leaned in to rub his nose against hers. "My lovely princess, I'm fine, but they did do something unusual."
"What?" she asked, an ear cocked and curiosity built quickly. "Please, tell me."
Silver rolled up to his belly and sat on his haunches before her. "The Anubians have some kind of relation to humanity. I don't know how, but they have it. When they get angry enough and focus right, they become even more human than they already are. It's... amazing, and scary a little."
Luna snorted loudly as she leaned in. "I shall assume you took part in this?"
Silver nodded quickly as he flashed a smile. "I did. Not by my choice, mind. She beat the hell out of me while demanding it come free, until it did. I was human shaped, but horse shaped too." Being a dream, Silver imagined himself as his 'warrior' self and rose to his full height as a well-muscled horse-man.
Luna recoiled at the sight of it. "You are an abomination, neither human nor pony."
Silver rolled his eyes at her words. "And you are neither pegasus nor unicorn. You're something else, something wonderful."
Luna pursed her lips as she rose a hoof to her chin. "Touche, Prince Silver Stars." She circled around him and pressed her snout against his tail, lifting it and letting it fall, nosing his hooves, and giving his member an idle nuzzle. "Some parts of you haven't changed at all."
Silver grabbed her at the head and began rubbing over her ears with his human fingers and soon had her calmed and happy under the careful attention. "Other parts are quite human. When I'm awake it seems to only come out when I'm angry enough. I've gotten used to being a pony, I'm not sure I need to be a human anymore." Suddenly he was a pony again, and he nuzzled her gently. "But I'm still learning about them, the Anubians. They welcomed me, as a fellow warrior."
Luna shook her head slowly. "If their warrior spirit is that of the human soul, then you are. I eagerly await word of what you will do with your newfound kinship."
They met in a firm hug, and Silver retreated back to his own dreams to rest for the next day.