Silver awoke and immediately knew that it was for real. The dreamworld was gone for the time. He was across a bed with soft linens over him. He looked around as he sat up, only to regret it. His head pounded furiously and the room span and jerked more than being on a boat warranted.
"Hey, take it easy man." It was David. "Feeling alright?"
Silver pushed himself back and up until he was perched on his haunches. "Yeah, well, you know me. I'd say I was until I was dead."
David flashed a thumbs up. "I hear that, but, really, doing alright?"
Silver held out a hoof to David, who met it with a fist. The brohoof was enough to settle the question. Silver looked around. "Where's everyone else?"
David shrugged. "Shei and Bottom are in the infirmary, or what they're calling that room now. They're getting a crash course in their magic. Celestia's with Fiddah, Nefertari, and the others on the deck with most of the dogs. A lot of the sailors were hurt in the attack, and everyone else is pitching in to keep things working smoothly. I don't know shit about sailing, so I figured I'd be here when you woke up."
Silver gave a slow nod. "I appreciate that, even if I think you just didn't want to do the work."
"Am I that transparent?"
Silver grinned. "Like a mirror, really. So, how about you? Unless you're that different from me, that had to be crazy."
David shook a hand lightly. "Crazy does not even begin to describe it. What the hell man? We made it, and that's the important part, but don't expect me to understand what the hell. Did we really end the fight with a musical number? Is that a real thing?"
Silver slid from bed and stood up on wobbling legs, but standing felt better than sitting by a small margin. "It was. So far as I know, humans are immune to song magic, but animals and people of this world, including humans in their form, aren't. I can see when it's happening, but get swept along for the ride. The rest? Don't even know it's going on."
David frowned. "That explains a lot. Celestia thought I cracked from the pressure."
Silver tilted his head at the human that was his distorted reflection. "It's nice having you around. You remind me of a lot of things I'd otherwise forget. Sorry for having you involved in that. I really would have rather you weren't."
David waved it off. "It wasn't your choice." He patted Silver on the cheek and Silver burst into laughter.
"You're a lot touchier than I remember being."
David pulled the hand back. "Is it bothering you?"
Silver shook his head. "No." He frowned a little. "Actually, I might be wrong. I did pet the hell out of Rough Draft, and a few other ponies while I had fingers. Always got permission first."
David's brows raised. "Rough Draft is a real pony? I thought I, er, we? We just made him up, on the spot."
Silver nodded. "He is. He's married to Trixie Lulamoon now."
"Lucky bastard," laughed David. "Or is she being a bitch?"
Silver softly kicked at David. "Don't talk that way about her. She's my adoptive mom, and she's fine. Last I heard, they're expecting a foal together."
David looked surprised. "Seriously? Well, cool, I suppose. Does that make Rough your dad?" Silver nodded. "Far out. You'll introduce me to them I hope?"
Silver flashed a bright smile. "You'll scare them both at first. They know what I used to look like." Silver moved to walk past David, but was halted by a hand on his shoulder. "What?"
David shrugged lamely. "Alright if I ask a few awkward questions?"
Silver raised a brow. "Go for it." He tried to think of what the most awkward question could be.
David gestured over Silver as a whole. "So, what's it like being a pony, from the perspective of someone who used to be human. I mean, a pony couldn't tell me, it doesn't know what being a human's like."
Silver turned to face David as he considered. "It's like walking on your toes and fingers. Your palms are up off the ground. With practice you can learn to hold things with them. Your toes and fingers though, they're stuck where they are. Your face is odd, pushing out like that. I can always see my nose, taking up a lot of visual real estate. My nose is sensitive, not so much smells, but that too, but when something touches it." David reached out and gently pet Silver over the bridge of his nose and Silver shuddered. "Yes, like that. There's a reason ponies rub noses when they're friendly."
David gently touched an ear. "And these?"
"Expressive." Silver nodded. "They're not hugely improved, but they're also focused. They turn towards sounds, and what they're pointed at, I can hear better than a human could. So if I don't notice something at all, it's worse than a human, but once I notice something, it's better. Kind of odd, but that's how it is." The questioning hand wandered over his wings. "That's complicated. It's... like having another set of arms, on my back. It's a feat of magic as well as brawn to get me into the air, but I'm told native flyers don't even think about the magic part."
"So, which is better?"
Silver frowned at the question. "Easier asked than answered. They're different, very different. I've gotten used to being a pony, but I also cheated. Unicorns can grab things as easily as any human can, with practice. I mean... you're asking a damn alicorn."
David wobbled a hand. "If you did it, I could too?"
Silver tensed. "Oh please tell me you're joking. Look, sit, please." He gestured with a hoof to the ground, but David didn't sit, but he didn't flee either, and Silver accepted it. "Let's go through my story. I became a young unicorn. I had to learn how to use my horn. It was slow and boring and hard. I learned not all ponies are nice all the time, but forget that, we'll skip to the important parts. I was forcibly turned into a mare by a very angry Celestia and an all-too-eager Twilight."
He sat on his haunches, facing David. "I ended up gathering magic, both in knowledge and in just raw... stuff. Then, they killed me. Bam, Twilight magic bomb, right on the head. Gone. Then I was a princess, yay." He wobbled his hooves in faux celebration. "Please tell me you're not seriously considering trying to follow me. The Text is listening. If you even tempt it, it will provide that path for you to suffer through. I don't want you to go through that. I care about you... me? You. Definately you. I already went through it. This is about you."
David leaned back against the wall he was beside. "You really care about me." It wasn't a question.
Silver nodded a little. "Of course I do. It's my fault you're here, and you're kind of me. I want to make you happy. I want to be everything for you that I didn't get when I first came here?"
David hiked a brow. "Even a mate?"
Silver flushed. "D-dude, we're both guys, and, at best, brothers, at worst, twins."
David wobbled a hand. "And yet?"
Silver twitched an ear upwards. "And yet?"
David rolled the hand at him, almost accusingly.
Silver watched the hand as the blush grew worse. "Why do you even want to be with... you?"
David reached and stroked across Silver's chest and neck, petting through the smooth fur. "I don't know... I think... the idea of a partner that cares that much about me..."
Silver swallowed heavily. He was stepping in it again. "Wait... David, serious question, but what are you?"
"Hmm?"
"Straight, gay, bi?" asked Silver as he looked David over.
David shrugged. "Whatever. I never got with anyone, so untested? It all looked fun to me, but I never got the chance."
Silver grunted. Of course the Text would send him to a copy of himself with looser desires. "And ponies are alright, I gather?"
David pointed at Silver. "It obviously wasn't a problem for you. I bet you were chasing a pony around before you became a pony. I bet you even had thoughts about Rough Draft, but never went through with it."
Silver went warm as he was called out. His silence was more than enough of an answer. David pushed off the wall and moved towards the door. "I'm not forcing you, that would be fucked up. I'll tell everyone you're awake."
With a quick flick of the head, Silver stopped David with his silvery magic and nudged David closer. "Wait! You're not... I'm not angry with you, this just feels incredibly wrong." He spread his wings wide. "I'm a damn prince! I'm literally in a position of power over you."
David shrugged. "You didn't chase me. I don't think that applies. You've been telling me to buzz off, in the nicest way, since I got here."
"I have not!" cried Silver. "You're completely welcome, just... not like that? I mean, thank you. You were very brave, jumping in there with a sword like that? How the hell did you get the bravery to do that anyway?"
David rubbed behind his head. "Would you get too awkward if I said I didn't want to look pathetic in front of you?"
Silver groaned, but it turned into a laugh. He raised a hoof in the air. "Come here, you deserve a hug, then please don't jump at zombies with a sword to prove anything to me."
They hugged gently, and things went quiet between them for a moment.
A soft clopping came from the door before Celestia pushed into the room with a smile. "Ah, you're awake." She glanced between the two curiously. "Getting along?"
Silver lowered his hoof and David backed off, neither speaking, which provided more information to Celestia than either needed to say. "I see. Silver, how are you feeling?"
"Better." Silver shook himself out. His headache had largely faded. "How's the ship? How are you?"
Celestia dipped her head. "We managed to defeat it. When you collapsed, your wives were sent home, but I remained, as well as Luna. By the time that happened, the task was well in hoof, and we returned to the boat. The creature was put back to rest, but I'm afraid I can't say it's defeated or changed in the long term. Still... You did well. We're alive, which is more than I admit I feared for a time there."
Silver pushed to his hooves and rejoined the activities of the ship. Equestria awaited them.