Twilight opened her dizzy eyes against the harsh light, frowning sharply at the hazy impressions she got of ponies around her. "Who are you? Let me go!"
"We think not, princess. You've been in his presence far too long." The voice sounded female, and was suddenly accompanied by a riding crop propping up Twilight's chin to face into the light. She could see nothing but an outline of the mare glaring down at her. "This is for your own good, your majesty. You've been corrupted and turned. He's filled you with nothing but base desires and ruined what made you great."
A mouth grabbed at Twilight's left wing and pulled it out and taught before it was clipped into something. "We're going to return you to where you once were, a better time. Don't you want to be pure, princess?"
Even as they moved for her other wing, Twilight began to squirm. "I'm just fine the way I am, thank you. She hasn't done anything to me!"
The leader of them leaned in a little. "That's where you're wrong, princess. One does not live with, or marry, somepony without things rubbing off in both directions. It's just a fact of life. That human is a corrupting influence, like all of their kind. They don't know the pony way. It's not their fault, not really." Twilight winced as the clip bit into her wing and held it extended, but the leader talked on, "They're simply not ponies, even when they try to emulate us."
A hoof settled on Twilight's right cheek. "When to know fear. When to run. When to hide, and when to find the comfort of your herd. What would a human know of this?"
Twilight closed her eyes and focused. Her horn was blocked, so that was out... Silver had talked to her, tried to impress on her the other magics of being an alicorn. Wings had magic, hooves had magic. The magic of the other tribes. She had never proven them, or learned how to use them, but Silver had sworn by them. Somewhere, Silver was probably breaking free with them, and there she was, tied up, helpless... No! She wouldn't be a mare in distress.
Twilight was startled out of her thoughts as the crop slapped across her face. "What?"
That same mare, shrouded in the lightness, smiled. "There you are. We need your attention, your majesty. This is for your own good. Your own reformation... Now, will you be a good princess?" she stepped aside and an image appeared on the wall behind her. "Watch this. Do it willingly. We would hate to have to use force on a princess, of all ponies."
Twilight kept her eyes on the image, but didn't look at what it was. Her mind was whirring with how to escape. Earth pony magic. The strength of Big Mac. The stubbornness of Applejack. The fecundity of their clan, widespread across Equestria. Steadfastness, solidarity, dependability and... a stone. They were solid, like a rock. They were the very archetype of all the powers of earth ponies she knew of, except for Pinkie's family. Tightly bound, insular, intensely powerful, sheltered... It was another aspect, another angle of earth. Both were the same root force. Surely, she could use that force. She was an alicorn! Alicorns were all three! She tried to move a hoof and found her forehooves weren't very secured.
"Oh, don't worry, we're still here," came the sweet voice from behind her. "You can move. We are not barbarians."
Twilight would make them regret that decision, but... she would only get one chance at it. She slowly put her forehooves on her belly as if she were getting comfortable. Touching the hooves together, she tried to focus, to bring in the feel of earth pony magic that Silver had washed over her face that one time. It was so tantalizing! She would pin Silver to the ground until she got another taste, but that was later.
The crop slid under her chin, raising it back to the moving image. "Please focus, princess. It's for your own good."
Twilight felt a hot itchiness in her forehooves. Was it working? She grit her teeth, trying to get that emotion back. It was like trying to flex a muscle you never knew you had! Like when she got her wings, come to think of it. That had been a disorienting time, but she could at least see her wings, and knew when they bent one way or another. What could she see to the inner workings of her hooves? Instead she focused on sights. The powerful snap of Applejack's legs against the trunk of a tree. The passive but incredible strength of Maud Pie as she sent a rock flying, or pulverized a boulder to save Pinkie. That strength. She needed it!
The itchiness had built to an almost unbearable throbbing heat, and Twilight was sure she had it as well as she was going to. She'd find out, and there was only one chance... She lashed out her hooves back at the clips on her wings and they shattered as if they were made of paper instead of steel. She thrust a hoof down against the belt at her waist and it snapped violently. She was free! Even as she rolled off the table, the ponies began to move towards her.
"Naughty naughty pony. Now you lay back down and we'll forget this ever happened."
Twilight scowled as the pony came into faint relief. She could almost make them out. Were they familiar. "Wrong way. Let me go, or I'm making my own way out. Last chance."
"My my my, so violent. Did you learn this from him?"
Twilight struck a hoof on the ground, shattering the tile. "I taught him how to be angry. Last chance."
A stallion that looked like an orderly in a hospital lunged at her and she thrust up a hoof in a sudden uppercut, catching him under his chin and sending the pony stumbling to the side before collapsing. Sure, she couldn't use her magic, but she felt... incredible. She was like one of Spike's superheroes. "I'm leaving!" She spun away as she brought a forehoof to bear and crushed the wall, sending chips of stone everwhere in a loud bang that left a huge gaping hole where it had once been solid. "Goodbye."
Another stallion tried to push past the mare, who held up a hoof, stopping him. Twilight fled out into the night on her quickly flapping wings.
She turned to the other stallion. "Clean up. No evidence. Meet back at the usual place." She turned and departed without another word, leaving him to clean up the mess.
Later, at the castle, Silver emerged from the infirmary where she had dropped off two critically injured mares. The doctors looked scared of her. Of course they would. "Here I am, showing up with more injured ponies." She grumbled softly as she trotted into the main hallway and paused by a guard. "Is Celestia or Luna in?"
The guard tilted his head. "Luna should be overseeing court right now. Celestia is getting some well-deserved rest."
Silver nodded in agreement and turned to begin trotting towards the court, only to be suddenly tackled by a familiar presence. "Silver! You should have seen it! I did it! I broke myself out and I didn't use one bit of magic to do it, well, not one bit of unicorn magic. That reminds me, get this off of me." She tilted her head towards Silver.
Silver leaned in and kissed Twilight at the base of her horn, then slowly slipped the ring up and off. "I'm glad to see you're safe." Silver put her hooves at Twilight's hips and hugged close to her. "I was just going to report our 'encounter' to Luna."
Twilight bobbed her head. "Good idea, but let's get her out of the court. I don't feel like going over this with a bunch of strangers staring at us." She kissed Silver's cheek then hopped up to her hooves and trotted to the nearest guard, whispering something in their ears that sent them scurrying. She returned with a satisfied smile. "Every once in a while, I remember it's good to be princess."
Silver rolled up to her hooves and shook herself out. "I was kidnapped, like you were--"
Twilight set a hoof gently on Silver's snout. "Explain it when we're with Luna. This way." She led the way at an energetic trot. "No need to explain everything twice. I have a story to tell too, and don't you worry, I'm going to tell it."
Bumping gently against her side, Silver smiled gently. "You're very energetic for being attacked."
Twilight waved it off. "Inconvenient, sure, but a whole new field of magic! I can't even wait to get back home and to start studying this. Oh! Night has your horseshoes of earth pony magic. Do you think she'd let me borrow them?"
Silver perked an ear at Twilight. "I actually don't think she'd want to, but you could ask her to show you their effect."
Twilight nodded quickly. "Great idea! Oh, do you think she's worked out how they work?"
Silver nuzzled into Twilight from the side. "Entirely? Doubtful, but she is learning. While the artifacts might elevate one of us alicorns to a new level of power, it brings her up to our level. I think she really likes being on our level, as our wife. She doesn't feel inferior anymore."
Twilight paused, then frowned sharply. "Was it really that bad?" When Silver nodded, her frown turned into a bit of a pout. "Doesn't she know how much I envy her analytical power? She's no ordinary pony."
Silver smiled brightly. "When's the last time you told her that? Just walked up to her and said you loved her for her mind, and how amazing that mind was?"
Twilight raised a hoof as if to counter, but it hovered there as she slowly frowned. "I... I guess I should do that more often. I really am envious. I mean, I'm magic, but she literally is analysis! It's an amazing talent, on par with any other I've seen, and better than a lot, when you get down to it."
Silver gently rubbed noses with Twilight. "We all forget to say how much we appreciate things sometimes. When's the last time I said how much you bedazzle me when you get that wild look in your eyes. You're so eager to learn more about the earth pony magic. I can see that fire burning in you." She leaned in a little. "It excites me a little, but more importantly, I adore it. I adore you." She tapped Twilight's nose with a hoof. "Never stop seeking, Twilight."
Twilight turned uncomfortably red. She was spared trying for a comeback as they came up to Luna's quarters. The lunar pegasi stationed there nodded to them. They let Twilight past, but put up a hoof in front of Silver.
The guard on the left glanced away, then back at her. "I... tried what you suggested."
Silver started back. So quickly? "How'd it go?"
The guard smiled a little. "She said... We could go star watching this weekend."
Silver clopped her forehooves together. "You stud!"
He went dark at her words. "That... that means a lot, coming from you, um. Thank you."
Silver moved past him towards the room. "Treat her well and gently. Under that rough exterior is a mare that deserves to be loved."
"Oh, I will!" The door closed, and they awaited Luna's arrival.