The new combatant stepped in, clad in glittering armor and concealed largely from sight save for their large floating sword, also a unicorn, but their horn was covered by their armor. "This one is mine, knave. Another mare for our collection!"
Silver stepped backwards away from the battle with confusion, but found her eyes riveted on the stallions. Did Equestria ever have such a brutal period? Did that pony, fiction or not, think of her that way? She thought mares were in charge.
The fully armored warrior proved to be the better warrior, or at least magician. With a burst of purple-pink magic, the other unicorn was sent to the ground and a blade swung down. "Run, and tell your masters we are coming." The chivalrous stallion was sent scurrying, and Silver realized she should possibly have run instead of watching.
The victor stepped towards her. "Such a fine slice of mare, mine by right of victory. You'll serve well in my herd. You should be hono--" He, no she, burst into loud giggles as she pulled off her own helmet with magic, revealing Twilight. "Sorry for teasing you, Silver. When I saw the exact moment you appeared in the story, I couldn't help myself."
Silver snorted with a bit of annoyance and relief combined. "Twilight, this isn't helping me learn, but I am glad it's you. Are we really in the book?"
Twilight gestured to the side, turning Silver's attention away from the page. Suddenly she could perceive she was a pony on the page, instead of being lost in the book itself. "Here we are. I know it can be a little overwhelming at first, but that's part of how it works so well. When you focus on the book as a world to itself, it comes alive for you. When you focus on the outside world, you're just a drawing in the book. You can even talk with other ponies that happen to be close by, if you wanted. It has its niche uses that way, but being in the book is when you can get the real learning done." She smiled at Silver with an almost childlike excitement. "Like it?"
Silver nodded quickly. "But what is this? An adventure novel? Romance?" She hiked a brow. "Is this book safe for foals?"
Twilight gave a nervous little laugh. "I read it early enough and I turned out alright... Anyway, I just wanted you to test it, and you made it in just fine." She tilted her drawn head at Silver. "Shall we proceed to the real lesson?"
Silver let go of the spell buzzing in her horn and popped out beside the book, with Twilight appearing a moment later. "Let's." Silver nuzzled her cheek. "Thank you for showing me that spell. It's extremely cool."
Twilight smiled as she quickly fetched a book and flipped it open. "Here we are, and you're welcome, but don't get too excited yet. This is a book on basic unicorn grammar, and I think you'll appreciate the approach. It doesn't just go for the rote memorization path, but really delves into why each shape came to be and some mnemonics to help internalize them. It's not written for foals in mind, but you're not a foal."
Silver slipped her own magic around it eagerly, drawing it closer. "That sounds great!" Twilight was beaming at Silver's excitement. "I can't wait. Can I do it now?" Twilight rolled a hoof at the book and took a step back. Silver needed no further encouragement and set the book down carefully before pulling up the spell and carefully running through it before she vanished, off to a world of floating symbols and crackling horns.
Each horn seemed a master of one particular unicorn letter or snatch of grammar and not only wrote it out in lights but showed how they looked while being used in a spell right on the horn. A soft peaceful voice spoke about the symbol as Silver watched it be used over and over. It was like a very patient, and thorough, tutor for each letter, and Silver settled down to correct the gap in her education from so long ago. She was a princess, it was far past time for her to have overcome a foal's handicap.
The next several hours were an expansive learning festival, interrupted by being thrown out of the book and having to reweave the book-diving spell to get back in. On the plus side, she was gaining mastery of the spell, and the individual letters felt a little less alien each time. They weren't English, but they were becoming known, like exotic friends.
She stopped when called to dinner by a familiar voice and popped out of the book to appear before Fiddah, who nodded at her. "This way. The Princess wishes to speak to you as well, and will be joining dinner." She turned and led the way as Silver wondered which 'princess'. Probably Cadance, or so she surmised. Twilight wouldn't wait to tackle her and say what she wanted to say, and the day and night princesses were busy and away.
Silver entered the dining hall to find Nefertari suddenly ahead of her, blocking the way. "You have a strange magic around you. Even the spirits find it curious and bizarre. They whisper of you being between worlds, a state I fear is becoming quite standard with you." She leaned in. "Tell me."
Silver turned away from Nefertari. "I don't have to, and I won't."
Nefer seemed surprised, then laughed. "You still have the most fickle little flame, rushing up when I least suspect it, but I expect that from you." She licked over her snout and reached for Silver. Silver gave her a hard glare, which only seemed to amuse Nefertari all the more deeply as she set her hand on Silver's snout but didn't pinch. She gave Silver a single pat. "You'll tell me." And she was gone.
Silver sighed gently. "Silver, how did you get involved in so many females at once, and why on Earth did you think it was a good idea?"
Cadance spoke gently from where she sat at the dining room table, "Do you regret it?"
Silver felt her wings extend on their own as she jumped in surprise. "Cadance! Hello..." She licked over her lips lightly. "Regret it? It's... That feels unfair. I was only half there."
Cadance shook her head. "No, today we need to talk about that. Please sit."
Silver circled around the table to settle beside Cadance. "Did Twilight tell you about her spell? I've been practicing with it."
Cadance gave a gentle nod. "She did, and I'm glad you're attacking that project eagerly, but this isn't about that either. Memory loss or not, are you or are you not Silver Stars, once Silver Lining, once David Silver?"
Silver flickered her ears, considering the question with obvious confusion. "Well, yes? I am all of those..."
Cadance held up a hoof. "Be more clear. Please say who you are and have been."
Silver gave a slow nod. "Alright. I am Silver Stars." The statement made her pause. Was she Silver Stars? The image of her previous body, the stallion, the one that made so many hearts strung to him, with the wild adventures, who died, who...
Cadance watched her and the emotions running over her face. "Silver, do you not remember your old self, or are you running from it? Do you regret what you did before?"
Silver licked over her lips. "I..." She remembered something clearly. "I won't run away." Silver sat up with renewed determination. "Cadance, I don't want to turn any of them away, it's just confusing." Silver raised a hoof to her chest. "I did it. Even if I forgot, I did it. I'm not blaming anyone, uh, pony."
Cadance smiled a little. "You do know you don't have to say anypony. It's cute listening to you try to get it right every time. Silver, I'm sure this is very confusing and more than a little frightening, but I want us to be clear. Do you look at that part of you as someone else? Someone shameful?"
Silver took a slow breath, and heard the sound of approaching hooves. She turned to see Shining Armor coming in to settle on her other side, hedging her between himself and Cadance. "Hey, Silver. Mind if I join you?"
She glanced around with surprise, but couldn't think of a reason to deny Shining. "No, please. What brings you here?"
Shining gestured at Cadance. "Beyond my wife?" Silver flushed lightly. "I'm joking, but only in part. You are, or were, the only stallion to have legal right to her, you know. You never came to take advantage of it, but you had that right, to be her stallion."
Silver paled with horror. "I would never! You're her chosen. Not me, not today, or before, or anytime."
Shining set a hoof on Silver's chest. "You have made my sister very happy... I know you are, and have always been, a very good pony. If you weren't a good pony, I wouldn't let you stay with Twilie. She is very precious to me, and you are very close to her, be it for good or bad. Do you understand?"
Silver bobbed her head. "I try my best, Shining, but that doesn't translate into making advances on your mare. She's yours. You're hers. You two are a perfect couple."
Shining went quiet a moment before he raised a hoof towards Cadance. "There was a time... We thought she would... It was trust another to come close, to..." He seemed to have trouble continuing, and Cadance slipped back into the conversation.
"What he's saying is, we thought I would have the same problem Celestia and Luna had, and when you became part of 'the circle--"
Shining suddenly found his ability to continue, "We thought maybe it would be worth it, at the time."
Silver gasped loudly and threw a hoof over her own snout. "Wait, I didn't?! Did I?"
Cadance leveled a gaze that seemed to pierce through Silver to the core. "If you had, would that be another regret you add to the pile?"
Silver felt the room spin wildly a moment. Had she put that foal in Cadance? Did her deprav... No... Cadance was a princess. It was her idea. Her husband was right there. If... If they did that... "If we did, I imagine Shining Armor would be very closely involved the whole way, right?"
Cadance smiled. "Of course he would be. No matter what, he is my husband, my one and only. I am quite happy with that arrangement, even if I encourage others to find their own way, be it 'traditional' like mine, or 'traditional' more like your herd, or something else. So long as everypony involved is consensual, loving, and happy, then it is a good thing."
Silver nodded slowly, numbly. She struggled to put the pieces together without what felt like the vital missing piece of knowing what she was missing, but logic began to win the day. "Then... nothing. I didn't do anything wrong."
Cadance reached out and set a hoof on Silver's shoulder. "You didn't. But only you can forgive yourself for these crimes, real or not."
Silver took a slow breath. "The mares that approach me, none of them sound like I forced them. They must have agreed, and they... I... I must have agreed. I'm still not sure how responsible that was, but I wasn't a monster."
Shining moved around and sat beside Cadance. "You're not a monster. I've seen you when you were at some of your lowest times, trying to find a way out, but still trying to help wherever you could. You saved us, remember?"
Silver did remember. "I never had so much practice with my fireball... A frightening night to be sure."
Cadance nodded lightly. "To put your mind at ease, no, this foal is not yours, and I apologize if it caused any undue harm, but I wanted you to face that. I would like you to be part of our family, and to recapture a love for yourself, all of yourself. You weren't bad, as a stallion, or as a mare." She suddenly smiled. "You're actually rather charmingly at home as either."