The loading was complete and the boat was deemed fit for the journey. With nothing else standing in their way, they left the docks and the Eastern world behind, with a course set for Equestria. Silver sat on the deck, watching the shore recede when he felt someone approaching and glanced to see David stand beside him. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't say it. Silver knew the feeling all too well. He smiled at the curious reflection of his past self. "Hello, David. I would really have preferred you stayed home, you know."
David gave a nervous chuckle, though no joke had been said. "And miss all of this?"
Silver nodded slowly. "I suppose I said yes too. Given the chance, why wouldn't you? You don't really see yourself, do you?"
David got all the more frightened. He shuffled in place and looked around and gave all the signals except actually talking.
Silver reached with his magic, pulling David to sit beside himself. "I'm like you, I don't get angry very easily, so stop being so worried. I can't think of many things you could do that would really piss me off unless you suddenly decided stabbing me was fun, which wouldn't be very like me to do. I think we need to talk, about a lot of things."
David let out a sigh. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be a doofus about this, but you're claiming you're actually me, and I'm not sur--"
Silver put a hoof on David's shoulder. "Our father... let's not talk about him, our niece is a darling girl, born of our brother who I have wondered at times if he deserves her, but he got out and bred, and we never did, so that's how that works, isn't it? She's an A student, and she has some quirks, but I think she can do well."
David nodded slowly. "What's her name?"
Silver perked an ear. "In my world, Jazmine."
David chuckled. "We're not exactly the same. That's spelled the same, but they always said it like 'yasmeen'. You know, it's actually kind of a relief to know we're not exact clones, just close."
Silver curled around David. "Close, like brothers. Which moves right along to a few things bothering me. You don't talk to anyone but me, so far, and those looks, I'm not blind... I wasn't gay when I was human, why are you staring at me like that?"
David seemed to collapse, bottling himself up instantly.
Silver snorted gently, working through his own hangups. "You don't know, do you? You don't even know how to react to being attracted to a male, if you're like me, you're terrified of it in a lot of ways." He smiled. "The people of this world are very gentle, by and large, with some exceptions."
David shook his head. "Let's not talk about that, what about you? You seem to be surrounded by women, living out some kind of harem fantasy."
Silver smiled with amusement. "That's not an unfair summary, though I had to suffer to get there, and I still struggle for--" He drew a sharp breath as David suddenly began exploring his jewelry, quickly finding his cursed necklace would not come free. "That is relatively new. Look, I think we need to set some boundaries. If you want a friend? That's fine by me. I'm happy to be your friend, talk, and help you adjust." He reached out and poked David in the side. "And I know you want a friend, so don't try to act like you don't."
David wagged his tail and pulled it up into his lap carefully. "Why a tail?"
Silver perked his ears. "I didn't think it over very hard at the time. It just seemed right, so I did it. Are you angry? It's alright to be angry." He offered his nose. "Just bop me right there on the snout and tell me you don't appreciate it."
David reached for that nose and softly pet over it instead of striking it. "Nah, I'm OK with a tail I guess. Does being here turn you into a pony? Will I be a part of your family, or herd?"
Silver flushed lightly in his cheeks. "My herd is large enough, and you're a stallion, or man. Friends, OK, lovers, can we not? I mean... really, we're practically brothers by our own logic, we shouldn't be doing that kind of thing."
David shrugged a little. "You didn't answer the main question."
Silver flicked an ear back. "Being here doesn't mean you have to be a pony. Jake, a human, has been here a long time, and is still human. I don't know, I think people who are ready to do that tend to be the ones drawn here, but that's just me guessing. Even Jake was ready at one point, but he got over it, and is quite well-adjusted to being the token human of Ponyville."
David raised a finger. "So it can be done, or happen, but it doesn't have to be."
Silver knew the sound of scheming and consideration and he squirmed. "David, please. Please. Can we just be friends? As a pony and a human. You're just fine as a human, you know."
"You didn't think so," countered David, making Silver wince again. David reached up and pulled at one of Silver's leathery wings. "They're a lot fuzzier than I would have guessed from the cartoons." Silver squirmed a little. Gentle contact with them felt nice. "Can you actually fly with them? They don't look large enough to get you off the ground."
Silver grabbed David in his magic and lifted the human up onto his back carefully. "Hold on and I'll show you. It's as much magic as it is physical effort." When he felt those hands grabbing into his fur, he spread out his wings wide and took off from the ship. David was quiet as Silver did a slow circuit around the boat and came in for a landing.
The moment they were on the ground, David slipped off with a loud 'woo!'. "God damn, that was amazing! You can just do that whenever you want? That has to be so useful."
Silver smiled. "It took practice, but yes, I do like flying a lot."
"And magic," added David. "When you picked me up, that was magic, right?"
Silver nodded. "This horn isn't just ornamental. Didn't you see the magic?"
"The silver glow?" David reached up and poked Silver's horn before examining its spiral. "I saw a haze that wrapped around me like a fog and picked me up. Very like the cartoon."
Silver drew back and focused on the mental hand he hadn't been using as much lately. "I started with this, to imitate my old hands, but after a while, it just sort of became force, the fog."
The demonstration was suddenly interrupted as Nefertari appeared seemingly from nowhere, standing between Silver and David and staring at David. "Are you looking for a fight? Is this a duel? You two aren't behaving properly for one? Is this love?" She raised a brow. "I would say you're not acting right for that either. Explain, reforger." She glanced at Silver, but her attention was still largely on David.
David was startled, but clearly curious about this new being. "Hello there."
She perked an ear at him, then smiled. "Hello. Well, which is it? Are you looking for fighting or sex?"
David stiffened. "Uh, of the two, I'd vote sex?"
She snorted softly and leaned towards David, sniffing at him. Silver tried to move around her, but she avoided him easily. "Nefer, he's a guest, and he's not here for either of those things."
Nefertari gestured up and down David. "He is clearly in war form. He wants something, let him say what he wants." She exposed her fangs in a wide smile. "Well, David, what is the truth of it?"
David looked uncertain. The canine girl in front of him was built in a pleasing way, but she was also aggressive and gave off a sense of obvious power, and Silver's actions were obviously nervous. "Huh, how about we get to know each other first?"
Nefer blinked. "Really? You can think about that in the war form?"
Silver sighed loudly. "He's not in any war form, that's his normal body."
She spun on Silver with claws at the ready. "Don't lie to me! You've been very honest so far, it would be a shame to ruin the trust you've earned for such an obvious deception."
David rubbed behind his neck. "He isn't lying, really. This is what I am, minus the tail, that's new."
Nefertari turned slowly to regard David, licking over her lips in silence. "This explains far too much... Where did you come from, David. Are you truly... human?"
David patted himself down as if to prove it. "That's what I was born as, and still am, so far I know."
Silver nodded. "I was too, though I've been through far more."
Nefer backed up to get both of them in view. "Do you jest? The words of the spirits become more clear as I come to new understanding. Where? Where are you from that humans can hide from all the world so easily? Perhaps I was a fool in the end, though I suppose we all are in the eyes of the spirits."
David made a vague wobbly gesture with his right hand. "Not here, this world, any of it. Another world, or reality I could say?"
Nefer crossed arms across her chest. "Then how did our people come to be? We were once jackals, just as ponies were horses and Anugyptians cats, but we rose to two legs and gained the war spirit. We gained humanity." She placed a hand directly over her heart. "It became part of us. Where did that come from? There is much to consider..." She turned away. "As for your offer, I will decline. I'm already holding Silver's cub."
Silver rolled his eyes. "That's unconfirmed."
David laughed a little. "Have you slept with everything?"
Silver's head sank at that. "It feels that way sometimes... I really want to cut back on that. I have wives, real wives."
"M-more than one, I gather?"
Silver grunted. "Yes..."
David shook his head. "You sound upset for what sounds like a good deal."
Silver moved up to David, who shrank back fearfully. Silver leaned in and gently nuzzled him. "Dear god, I forgot I was quite that timid. We're friends, remember? I don't hit friends for saying something cheeky." He glanced off towards where Nefer had gone. "By the way, if you get her to warm up? Have fun. Just be clear you're not interested in fighting. She probably won't be interested in the other thing without it, but it'll save you a lot of pain."
David glanced where Silver had. "She isn't one of your wives?"
Silver groaned softly. "No, and hopefully it stays that way. I have enough, thank you. Now go, relax, make friends. I am your Princess Celestia, commanding you to make friends!"
That made David burst into laughter. "Should I write some friendship reports?"
Silver stomped once. "Yes! I expect one by tomorrow evening, and it better be good." Silver vanished in a burst of silvery light, leaving David to his task.