Silver meandered the tower. The other girls awoke one by one, and she gladly saw to each of them. "Thank you, for helping. Twilight appreciates it, I'm sure. She's still recovering."
Fluttershy slid from bed and looked Silver over. "There's something different about you."
Silver tilted her head. "Something bad?"
Fluttershy seemed to consider that quite intently a moment before she decided against. She shook her head slowly. "No, something good. You seem... better."
Silver offered her hooves and they gently hugged. "If you need anything at all, just ask. I know we haven't really ever gotten to know each other, but maybe we should change that? It's kind of bad on my part to not be familiar with my wife's friends."
Fluttershy colored lightly with timidness as she drew back. "Oh, if you think so... You know where I live?" Silver quickly nodded. "Then yes... Come by when you, um, feel like it." She slipped away, both nervous and yet happy.
Silver watched her go before moving on. Pinkie awoke next and tackled her to the ground. "Silver! You're back!" Silver gently nuzzled her cheek, which made Pinkie giggle. "It's so nice to have my stallion back, uh, mare? I guess that's mare now. Gosh, what are we going to tell the foal?"
Pinkie began rambling about her future foal and how happy she was to have Silver, but much of it was lost on Silver. She had another foal coming? That was fantastic news! But what kind of sexual monster was she? Why did she have another mare? "Pinkie?" Pinkie paused and looked at her. "Did we get married?" She shook her head. "Then... how?"
"You don't remember?" Pinkie tilted her head. "We totally fell in love with each other, or at least in lust with each other. You did all kinds of amazing things with me, and I kind of... Well I was a very naughty Pinkie, and we made a foal."
Silver scowled, trying to put it together. "If we did that without being married, while I was married, shouldn't everypony be upset at us?"
Pinkie tilted her head. "You'd think so. I was super worried! But Twilight's the best friend ever and she calmed me down and then basically asked to marry me on the spot." She threw up her hooves. "We're herd sisters now!"
"No, we're not." Night Watch stood there in the doorway, a little better for her nap, but clearly still run ragged. "We have no stallion, so we can't, technically, be a herd."
Pinkie looked confused a moment before shrugging. "So?"
Silver glanced between them. "Married or not, herd or not, I want to be there, for my friends, and my foals."
Pinkie thrust a hoof at Silver. "Good attitude!" She bounced up to her hooves and pronked towards the door. "We're still friends, herd or not, and we'll help each other out, just without the fancy titles." She didn't seem upset at all, and was soon gone.
Night sagged a little. "Right now she makes me feel so immature..."
Silver moved over and kissed Night between her eyes. "You should be sleeping. I'm taking care of things, I promise. You worked so hard for me, it's my turn." Besides, she felt ready for much more. Not a trace of fatigue had caught up with her yet. She nuzzled up under Night and hefted Night carefully onto her back, using her wings to cradle and secure as she trotted slowly back to their shared bedroom. Night Watch seemed to try to complain, but the softness and warmth sent her back to sleep, to be tucked in gently beside Twilight.
"Silver?" Silver turned to find Applejack had risen. "That you? Shoot, near forgot what ya looked like as a mare. Let me have a gander." Applejack slowly circled around Silver and gave a soft whistle. "Ya gonna have to beat them off with a stick. How do ya feel?"
Silver considered this. "I feel fine, good, but a little confused. How are you? Still tired?"
Applejack waved it off. "Ah'm fine, sugarcube. What's got ya confused?"
Silver pointed at herself. "Every hint I come across says I was a sex-addled stud of a stallion, ready to hop up on any mare that stood still long enough. Was I that bad? How did Twilight and Night put up with it? Why doesn't any of that sound remotely appealing now?"
Applejack raised a brow. "Now see here. Ya weren't that bad. Sure, you'd bed a filly that asked nice or made moves, but ya weren't huntin' them down. Hay, you usually bent over backwards tryin' to be polite."
Silver smiled gently, feeling relieved. "Did we? I mean, no offense intended."
Applejack flushed red. "Ya really forgot so much? We... considered... But no, we never did get together like that." Applejack was a clever pony in her own right, and pieces came together. "Wait, did you say right? You don't want to be with ponies?"
Silver's ears went upright. "I want to be with ponies, just not... that way. I want to be around friends. Hugging's nice enough, or a nuzzle or two... Just not... that." She waved a hoof lamely. "Thinking about that doesn't do a thing for me."
Applejack nodded slowly. "Do ya mean, you know, as a stallion, or?"
Silver frowned a little. "As anything. I don't see the point. I have enough foals, so why should I?"
Applejack turned away, flushing again. "Ta feel nice with yer mates?"
Silver looked entirely lost. "I already feel nice with my mates. Having them close by is... It's wonderful." Silver stepped closer and gave Applejack a little nuzzle in the cheek. "And my friends."
Applejack bumped noses lightly. "I don't see nothing wrong with that. Being with friends and family is a wonderful thing." Though the seed had been planted, and Applejack excused herself even as she wondered if everything was truly alright with their recently revived friend.
Silver made it up another floor before being bowled over by an excited Rainbow Dash. "Aw yeah! You're back!" She squeezed Silver tightly. "I knew we could pull it off! There was way too much awesome involved."
Silver nuzzled her gently and sat up. "Good to see you, Rainbow. How are you feeling?"
Rainbow snorted softly. "I'm fine, what about you? Look at you. You're all mared up again. At least you still have your wings." She reached out and pulled one of Silver's wings out. "I was afraid you might come back as a unicorn. You still feeling ready for a race?"
She seemed ready to go right that moment. Silver smiled at the exuberance on display. "I'd love to, but I really should keep an eye on things until more people wake up. At least Twilight or Night. Who else is going to foalsit?"
Pinkie appeared beside Silver with no warning. "I could do it!"
Silver hopped back with surprise, chest pounding. "Oh! Pinkie... I suppose you do have foalsitting experience." She could remember that episode. Pinkie had managed it, and took the job seriously. "If you'd like, but if it gets hard, gather them up and come to me. I'll take the job back over."
Pinkie snapped a salute before bouncing off. "You just leave it to me and have a good time."
Silver smiled at Rainbow, who returned the smile for a silent moment before Rainbow rolled her eyes. "No more excuses. Let's fly!" She grabbed Silver by the hoof and pulled her up into the air. Soon they were flying together up and out of the tower and soaring in wide circles.
Silver felt the wind rush, and it all came back. Flying was fun, and exhilarating. She could remember how to move the things around her, to focus on her flying magic, or pour power into her lungs and heart and away from her magic-greedy horn or earthy hooves, neither of which were needed while flying. Every powerful flap of her wide wings made her smile deeper.
"That's the spirit," shouted Rainbow before pointing to a tree in the distance. "Last one there has to buy snacks." She was off without further preamble. Silver rushed after her. The focus became more and more intense as she tried to keep up with Rainbow. Her flight became erratic, wavering dangerously as her wild flying magic was brought beyond its safe point and she struggled to keep straight. She was barely keeping up. With a final reach, she tagged the tree, then soared past it, and crashed into the ground. Her flying magic inverted on herself, cushioning her from the fall as many pegasi do instinctually so as to not kill themselves the first time they tried something foolish.
She sat up from the long furrow she made in the ground. She hurt a little everywhere. Actually it was more of a lot. The shock of it was passing, but she was alive, and nothing felt broken, just roughly abraded.
Rainbow landed beside her. "That was a wicked crash! You alright?"
Silver shook herself out and forced herself to stand. "I need more practice... But I'm alright." She offered a hoof and Rainbow met it with a loud clop of a brohoof. The force made Silver wince a little as she chided herself for her silly mistake.
They flew together in a lazy circuit around Ponyville as Rainbow went on and on about how she'd get Silver into shape. Something tickled at Silver and she flew in closer. "Say, Rainbow, a question. Did we ever... do anything?"
"Like?"
Silver shrugged. "Apparently I was some kind of stud?"
Rainbow flushed quickly. "Hey now! We didn't do anything like that..."
Silver let out a sigh of relief, which Rainbow took the wrong way. "What's that supposed to mean? You tried to get some of this." She cracked a smile at Silver. "But I managed to get away from you."
Silver paled. "I tried... I'm so sorry!"
Rainbow looked confused. "What?"
"I tried to rape you! Why are you even hanging out with me?"
Rainbow snorted into a laughter. "Celestia no! Hay, I was the one that called it off, and you were alright with that." She thumped Silver's shoulder lightly. "You were a cool stallion, and you're still a cool mare. Stop freaking out."
Silver relaxed as it became clear she didn't do something awful to her friend. "Sorry, about freaking out. I'm still... It's like I have a really close past life. So close I can't just ignore it. I'm trying to learn about myself. My old self... I mean, I'm not exactly him. I guess I am him, but I'm not too?" Rainbow started to look confused. "Alright, let's try this another way. Are you the same Rainbow Dash that graduated flight school?"
Rainbow shook her head. "Hay no!"
Silver smiled. "Exactly. You've made new friends, learned so many things, suffered great trials, and become an even more... awesome pony for it. You're not that Rainbow, but she's still part of you, right? You didn't stop being Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow gave a hesitant nod. "Sure, that makes sense, kinda, so... Stallion Silver is like a past you?"
Silver nodded. "And I don't want to forget him, or pretend he wasn't there, because he was, and he is a part of me." She put a hoof on her chest. "I want to remember, but I'm not him. Am I making any sense?"
Rainbow drifted in and wrapped her forehooves around Silver, hugging. They said nothing, but it felt like the perfect answer.