A shrill scream came before one of the cats burst out from below deck. Celestia frowned at the sight of the cat being where she shouldn't have been. Even as the worker hyperventilated and tried to explain what she saw, Celestia approached purposefully but with a carefully-managed smile. "Good day there. You look quite upset."
"Of course I am!" she cried, pointing below deck. "There's... Anubians!"
Celestia tilted her head. "Of course there are. How else am I going to bring them in for trial?"
The nekomata's expression became that of confusion. "W-what? Trial?"
Celestia nodded. "Why else would they be on my ship? Haven't you heard?" She smiled gently. "The Anubians have been routed. Those on my vessel await royal judgment to determine their future fate. Please be kind to them."
"Kind... of course... Are they safe? They aren't even shackled."
Celestia extended her wings. "I give my word, as princess of Equestria, that you are safe. They are under our control."
She flashed a nervous smile at Celestia. "Right, um, sorry for all the noise. I'll get back to work, your majesty..." She slipped away, and the excitement began to ramp down.
Silver came up alongside Celestia. "That was a lot of mostly-the-truths there."
Celestia swiveled an ear at Silver. "The whole truth would have been difficult to understand." She turned to Silver and kissed him under the horn. "Are you disappointed?"
Silver smiled at the kiss. "No, just noting. That was fast thinking." He twitched his ears. "Is our, uh, humanity a secret?"
Celestia looked thoughtful about that. "Let's not share that with anyone who isn't already aware of your own. If you wish to inform Luna in your dreams, you may, and your wives will surely figure it out on their own in time, so there is little purpose there. Most of my little ponies don't need to be confused with such things. Let their princess remain as she is."
Silver slowly nodded in agreement. "It would be a big panic over nothing." He moved in and nuzzled with her carefully before stepping back. Sharing a secret with Celestia, something the two of them held together... It felt good, and Silver began patrolling the boat with a content smile.
Silver came across Fiddah, who bowed her head to him. "Have things been better, m'lord? You seem in good spirits." Her smile was genuine, and one Silver returned. "It's nice seeing you in a good mood."
Silver gently nuzzled against Fiddah's soft and black neck. "You remember that odd form Celestia was in? I was once like that all the time, without even the touches of pony."
Fiddah looked surprised. "Truly? What is that thing called, m'lord?"
Silver pointed at himself. "I was a human. Keep that to yourself, Fiddah. Celestia is not advertising that little adventure."
Fiddah glanced towards where Celestia was conversing with an official. "Of course not, m'lord. Are you happy? I mean... You were that, now you're a pony, a prince, m'lord. Do you like this better?"
Silver sat on his haunches. "I am content with my life. I am looking forward to returning to my family and catching up with all of them, but that is a temporary thing. Everything is in order. I have lovely servants, loving family, and everything is working out."
Fiddah gave a gentle smile and raised a hoof to press on Silver's chest. "I'm glad to hear that, m'lord. Do you need anything?"
Silver considered that, then darted in and stole a kiss. "That will be all. Make sure the other girls don't wander off the ship. We should be ready to go in not too long."
He parted from her and moved to the side of the boat. He rested his forehooves on the rail and looked out over the city. It seemed like a nice enough place for any Anugyptian city. He didn't notice he was being approached until Bottom gently nuzzled against his side. "Sir? Please don't be angry, but we haven't played in a while."
Silver perked an ear. "Darts? Get the board. We can play some now."
Bottom flushed in her face. "Not that kind of playing, sir... I'm still... attractive, right, sir?"
Silver pushed off the rail and slid to his hooves. "Of course, Bottom. You're literally what I thought was sexy, shaped into perfect pony form." His words brought a smile to her face. But was he in the mood? He gently sniffed over her. She wasn't in season, but she clearly wanted to be with him, season or not. "Come with me." He led her away and found a small room that was more a closet than anything else, but large enough for them to come together and reaffirm their bonds. He assured her she was pretty and wonderful, and once he got into the act, he found it quite easy enough to become more enthusiastic. She was built for him, inside and out.
When they snuggled together, Silver draped over Bottom's back, he nibbled at her ears. "If you never bear me a foal, will that upset you?"
Bottom turned an ear back. "I want to, because I know you want it... I want to be the mother of your foals, not just a lover. I want to be as close to you as I can be."
Silver felt himself jump in the mare. Her words were stimulating on a basic level, and frightening on another, considering this mare had once been a stallion. "There is a stallion, my head of guard in fact, he's a colt cuddler."
Bottom looked over her shoulder. "That's nice. Have you ever?"
Silver shook his head. "I wasn't ready for him, when we tried. You were the first stallion I let that close. You weakened that wall with your gentle harmlessness, your eager affections." He snorted. "Your skilled tongue. I couldn't imagine shoving you away, so I surrendered, and you didn't make me regret it. You occupy a special part of my life, you know, being that first male to not scare me like that."
Bottom carefully extracted herself and turned to face him. "I could still do that, if you want, sir?"
Silver shook his head. "You're missing the point. You're a mare now. There's no fear between us, or hesitation. You scared me, Bottom." Bottom looked worried and Silver chuckled. "I needed to be scared. It's alright..." He leaned in and nuzzled along her snout. "You should meet him, when we get back. Rough Tumble is his name. He's a good pony."
Bottom suddenly frowned. "Are you trying to get rid of me, sir?"
Silver tilted his head a bit. "No. I plan to give him a proper chance, even if I don't want him, or any stallion, on top of me, all the rest has stopped bothering me so much. It's just... not that big of a deal, I guess, so long as the other person is alright with it."
Bottom got a look of subtle planning that Silver caught up on. He caught her face between his hooves and pulled it up. "Put that idea away, please. If you want to become his friend, say hello and see what kind of pony he is. If you don't, well, don't. Don't do anything underhanded. He isn't a threat to you. He had a sad childhood too. Not yours, but we each have our own story, where we are the star."
Bottom flashed a smile. "Yours is Silver." Silver chuckled at that, and Bottom gently nuzzled in. They relaxed for a moment, then finally separated, the air a little clearer than it was before, though Silver made a note to keep an eye on Bottom when they got back.
A thought came to Silver and he meandered the ship until he could find Shei. She was with Patty, playing darts with Bottom's set and some of the Anubians. The jackal's fingers gave them a bit of an advantage, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves greatly. Silver slid up beside Shei. "Just to make sure, Bottom's OK with this?"
Shei nodded. "One of them asked her nicely if they could borrow it, and Bottom said OK. They're being careful with it. What brings you this way, m'lord?"
Silver smiled. "You, actually. Weren't you learning magic? How did that go? Did that old stallion stop when I went off to face the Anubians?"
Shei nodded. "We didn't get that far, but enough that I feel I can learn some on my own. He directed me to a book for beginners, and Celestia purchased it for me." She pressed nose-to-nose. "Thank you for checking on me. Did you know Bottom's practicing too? She's better at some of it, and I'm better at others. It has a lot of nuances, just like unicorn magic I suppose. I... I think I want to master healing magic, so other people don't have to suffer what I did. That feels like it would honor my sister, to turn that selfish request into one that will banish sorrow and bring joy where there was darkness. Do you think that's silly, m'lord?"
Silver quickly shook his head. "No! No, that's wonderful... That kind of magic can heal?"
Shei nodded slowly. "If you have a talent for it. I feel some affinity. I won't be the best, m'lord, but that's enough to perhaps save some from that dreadful cliff. That was the worst part, seeing her slide towards it, and not being able to grasp her, and keep her from falling. Every person I can pull back from that cliff..."
Silver gently nibbled at one of her ears. "It's not a contest, or a direct balance. Do it for love, not out of regret. Regret... It can chew you up and leave you always wanting more, but love, love can build you. Your sister would be so proud of you right now."
Shei sank against Silver, and they were quiet for a time. She perked up suddenly. "When I get a bit better at it, I'll show some to you, m'lord. It's not like unicorn magic."
Silver nodded. "I would like to see that from someone not as grumpy as that old stallion. I don't think Saddle Arabian magic is part of my 'thing', but it's fascinating and amazing, and I look forward to it." He departed from the room as an Anubian managed to hit center circle, earning the cheers of her peers. It was a game of violence in a way, but a much kinder one than most of the games he'd witnessed in the camp. He'd have to thank Bottom for letting them play with the darts.
"Prince Silver Stars?" Silver looked towards the guard that had spoken. "We're almost done loading, is there any other business you need within the city? This would be the final opportunity for it."
Silver considered that before ascending to the deck and moving for the gangplank. There was a little something he could do.