Ponyville.
Silver stepped out onto the train platform and felt a wash of alienness, and it came from within, not the happy little town he was in front of. He was large, intimidating, and wielding a coffin of all things. He did not belong. The sense of isolation became an overwhelming thing until Shei gently nuzzled into his neck. "You look lost. Is being home that overwhelming?"
Silver wasn't certain what to say, but appreciated Shei's presence, supplemented with Fiddah sliding in beside his other side. "I took the liberty to announce our arrival."
Everything went tense again. Silver darted his gaze around in time to hear a soft thump in front of him. Rainbow Dash had landed. "Yo! What's with the new jewelry?" She raised a hoof and tapped at Silver's dangling band. "Welcome back!"
Fiddah glanced between Rainbow and Silver, but before she could ask a question, Nefertari appeared behind Rainbow and grabbed the pegasus by the wings. Rainbow squawked in surprise and fury and the two began to wrestle immediately. Silver knew Nefer was holding back. A strong swipe of taloned fingers could cause terrible damage to pegasus wings. She was holding back, at least with her claws, and the two were getting acquainted in a way that both seemed to approve of. It figured that Rainbow would understand the Anubian way.
David hopped off the train with a dramatic jump, despite the gap being nowhere large enough to require such a thing. "Huh, so this is Ponyville? Looks different in person, doesn't it? Flash animation only goes so far versus the real thing."
Silver smiled gently. "Sorry about that. I was being stupid. It's passing." This was his home, as much as anywhere else, more so in a lot of important ways. "Dash, is everyone waiting for me?"
Rainbow kicked Nefertari off of her. "What? Oh yeah! I'm supposed to bring you and your crew back to the castle."
David pointed to the towering structure. "Twilight's castle?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "As if there were other ones in Ponyville." She kicked up to her hooves and darted up into the sky. "This way!"
Shei leaned in towards Silver. "I don't want your reunion colored this way..."
Silver looked back at the ornate wooden box he was still holding up. Rainbow hadn't even noticed it. Patty clopped a hoof on top of it, reared up to reach the floating platform. "Go on, I'll take care of setting this aside. I'll meet you all up there." She pointed up at the tower. "Hard to miss."
After thanking Patty Windsong for her help, they left the train station, following in Rainbow's wake to arrive at the castle that dominated the sky above them. Rainbow vanished inside, only for two figures to rush out past her. Night Watch and Fast Change. Silver frozen solid as they bowled into him, and all three began to laugh almost manically. The joy of seeing one another burst all dams as they held and nuzzled and kissed. There were no good words to be said, so they said nothing but cling and savor the moment.
Twilight coughed softly into a hoof, getting their attention. "Silver, welcome back. I'm certain you have a long story to share with us, starting with your new friends." Her eyes wandered to Nefertari, Shei, and Fiddah. "Please, all of you, come inside and be welcome."
They started to filter into the castle. As Silver reached the door, he stopped and turned to Twilight. "I need to do something first."
Twilight perked an ear at him quizzically and silently. Silver leaned in and kissed her nose. "I missed you so much, aren't we going to get a kiss too?" Twilight's stoic face broke, and soon they exchanged a much softer and longer kiss. They pressed into one another, hoofs drawing one another in as it become fiercer by the moment.
Fast Change whistled shrilly in approval. "That's my boy! You did learn something!"
Silver drew back from her, panting and blushing with pleasure. "What was that surprise? You sounded so excited."
Twilight glanced away. Was that nervousness? Guilt? "That can wait. Please, I really do want to hear your stories." She led Silver into the castle and the doors were shut. Silver's journey was completed, even if the next leg of his life promised quite a bit of its own excitement and trials.
The mystery could wait until next time, but even the Text needed to know sooner than that.
As they relaxed and talked, the question nudged upwards into Silver's thoughts. "Is now a good time? There's no reason to hide it, Twilight. I'm sure it's fantastic."
"Fantastic..." Twilight glanced away again, then strode towards Silver. A box made for a ring popped out beside her. "I have a present for you, something very precious. I had to prepare it very personally." She popped open the box, revealing a platinum band with a silvery gemstone set prominently in it. "It holds a memory of mine. If you wear it, you can experience that memory, as if you were me at that moment."
Silver perked his ears with intense curiosity, then dipped his head forward to offer his horn. "That's beyond thoughtful. What moment did you capture?"
Twilight lifted the ring in her magic and slid it snugly over Silver's horn. The moment it clicked into position, Fast Change began to laugh in quivering fits, falling to the ground. Silver paled in fear, but fell limply himself, carried away by the dream. Twilight did answer, though Silver couldn't hear. "It's from when I gave birth."
Silver felt fat and full. Gazing in a mirror, she could see the ring she had purchased. It was recording her every thought. Her every feeling. She turned this way and that, looking over her rotund purple form. She hoped Silver would like it. But what if he didn't? What if he hated it?! What if he hated her for giving it!?
She began to work herself up when two legs came around her and she was drawn into Night Watch's embrace. "Shhh. He'll love it, I promise it. If he doesn't, he can blame me, right now. He can hear and see all of this, right?"
Silver nodded, or was that Twilight? He was Twilight. He couldn't separate the two out. He was she. He got to experience Twilight living out much of her day in quiet study and peace, and the little blisses and pains of being so far along in pregnancy. It was everything he had missed, being forcefully aborted as he was. This gift... This gift was truly thoughtful, if overwhelming.
The sun was just touching the horizon when the first pain hit, sharp and insistent. It was a signal, a warning. What was inside of her was preparing to come out. Somehow, she knew this. Somehow, Zecora also knew this. The zebra came swiftly and ushered Twilight into a bed. Under the zebra shaman's guidance, she began to push and heave. It was hard. It was work. It was the reason labor is called labor, but it didn't hurt, not like some stories say. It was work.
She had done everything Zecora had suggested, and she felt ready. Her body felt ready. Each push moved things further along as she cried out. It was a lot of work. Fast Change was there, so was Night Watch. They said encouraging things, and never left her side. There was a snout, then a head, then little shoulders. After that, it almost fell from her. The relief was huge. She considered a moment taking off the ring, but Fast Change set a hoof on her shoulder. "Not yet. Behold your son."
Twilight turned her attention, and Silver could hear the soft sounds of a newborn foal. He had brown fur with lavender mane and tail. He smiled with fanged teeth. He looked Twilight in the eyes. He looked Silver in the eyes. Somehow, Silver felt the foal could see him. The little lunar unicorn wagged his lavender tail back and forth before going in for a meal from Twilight.
Silver awoke, tears streaming down his eyes. Most of the others had left during his vision, but Twilight was there, leaning against him quietly. Tucked in a bundle at her side, that brown-furred, lavender-maned foal. His foal. Their foal. He leaned in and kissed Twilight under her horn, then leaned in and nuzzled at the foal gently.
He awoke and stared at him that same way Silver had been looked at in the vision. "Da."
Silver smiled goofily. "That's right. Da. I'm so happy to see you, son." The child didn't have more words for him, but the warm feelings seemed to be returned, and they nuzzled together until the foal faded back to sleep.
Hooves touched the floor. Night Watch had arrived quietly. She had her own pouch strapped to her side. Silver took a soft breath. "I am twice blessed. Are they healthy? Are you?"
Night nodded softly and turned to show off the foal. She was drowsy and had her eyes mostly closed. She had the dark blue fur that matched the night sky, with little streaks of silver in her mane and likely her tail. She was adorable. Silver slipped to his hooves to close the short distance and begin nuzzling at Night and the child. "What are their names? They're both so perfect! I... I can't even get words, just... so perfect. Them and their mothers."
Night gently rubbed noses with Silver. "Neither of us wanted to settle on a name until you came back. It will be your first act, as a father, to give them names with us. Look at them, and let Destiny itself speak through you."
That sounded distinctly religious to Silver, and he thought about it. Destiny... It couldn't be... "Text? Are you watching this? Are these your names to give?"
Silver could see the words in his mind, silently blazed, 'What if it is?'
Silver smiled gently. "You're the godfather of my children, my foals. Come on, let's give them nice names." He sat down and regarded his two perfect little bundles of fur, and names began to rise in his throat. "She will be called..."