Silver crawled out of the water and shook himself, making sure to quickly dry his fur with his wind magic to ensure that no pony could see his...wolf-hood. He gave the bag around his waist a good shake as well before tying it back on.
“So, how are we getting down there?” Aerial pondered. She walked towards the surface of the water and peered into it in a failed attempt to see the bottom, “It's too deep to try and swim. Princess Twilight, do you think you could create a magic bubble to protect us?”
“I could try, but my magic can only handle so much pressure. If we go too deep, the water pressure might break through the barrier and we would drown.”
Wow...morbid.
“It's okay,” Silver said stepping forward, his fur little more than damp, “I can do it. Just gather around.”
Every pony moved closer to Silver, then the wolf spread his wings and the wind began to form around them in a large sphere.
“Stay close,” he instructed and the group went into the water.
It was strange being under water like that. The feeling of walking along the muddy lake bottom and seeing the water flow all around you but yet not getting wet by it's fluids. It felt...incomplete.
As the group ventured further and further to the bottom of the lake, the light from above slowly disappeared, going from a murky blueish gray and darkening until there was only black.
“Um...could we get some light please?” Silver asked.
A violet glow came from a lavender horn, bright enough to illuminate the path about ten feet in front of them.
“Well, it's still hard to see, but much better than before!” Silver chirped, earning a small scowl from the alicorn. It was the best she could do after all, since the water blocked out all of the light.
The underwater trek continued for a long time, at least forty-five minutes. They reached the point where the heat from the sun no longer warmed the water, and the air inside the bubble became cold and frigid.
“S-shit, it's f-fuckin freezing down h-here,” Ruppy shivered.
“Sorry, I didn't think we would be going this far,” Silver excused, “But for it to be this cold, we'd have to be somewhere around 4,000 meters below the surface.”
“That can't be right,” Twilight interjected, “We haven't been walking long enough to reach that deep.”
“No, not unless the path is steeper than we think,” Silver looked down to the mud he was walking in. The darkness made it impossible to see, but Silver could definitely feel a slope in the ground. He let out a shiver as he realized just how dark it was. There was no sound either, or rather any lack of ambient sounds, which made the atmosphere all the more eerie.
Aerial moved up and poked Silver in the side, “How can you be cold with all that fur?”
“I'm not; it's this place. My senses are useless down here. Not only is it pitch black, but I can't here a thing, there's no smell except water, and the mud makes it hard to feel vibrations. It makes me uneasy.” The ringing of the white noise in his ears had plagued him since the moment the sunlight disappeared, and it was something he wasn't comfortable with hearing.
For as long as he could remember, his hearing had always been one of his greatest senses, rivaled only by his sense of smell. And now, not only were two of his greatest natural assets rendered useless, but so were all of his others.
The terror of this lake laid not only in it's natural depth, but also in it's able to strip you of your ability to observe.
To isolate you by taking away the things you'd known for all your life.
To make you bare and...exposed.
Silver attempted to shake the uneasiness away, but it clung to him like the mud on his paws, making sure to stain him with fear and panic.
He needed to get out of this lake soon. While he could hold onto his sanity, the conditions made him jumpy, and a jumpy wolf is dangerous, especially one as powerful as he.
He tried his best to push the fear to the back of his mind and the trek continued for another hour and fifteen minutes, the conditions holding steady. The silence was all the same, as was the smell and blackness that enveloped the group. The cold began to pierce even his fur thanks to the dampness from his earlier swim, causing his body to become numb. Silver could feel his fear slowly creeping back into his heart.
*THUD*
Silver whipped his head to inspect the source of the sound. It was Onyx.
She collapsed to the ground, balled up and shivering. The others quickly moved around the mare in worry.
“Onyx!” Ruppy called as she dash over and brought the mare up in her hooves. Silver stood by her side and watched.
The unicorn cracked an eye open, her voice trembling as the shakes ran through out her body, “I can't do it Ruppy. This feeling, not knowing when the bottom will come; not seeing, or hearing or anything! It's...it's...” her voice cracked as she shut her eyes tight once more, and burried her face into the chest of her friend. Ruppy sat and stroked her mane, whispering shushes and trying to comfort the mare.
The wolf beside her felt like a fool.
No, fool wasn't a word to describe the depths of his stupidity. Of course he wasn't the only one who was feeling the effects of loosing his senses. Every pony else probably felt it too, and were probably scared out of their minds. Rightfully so too.
The wolf moved and placed his paws on the trembling Onyx's cheeks, “Hey, hey, hey,” he said softly, “It's gonna be fine.” He slowly moved a paw down from her cheek to the spot where her neck and jaw met.
“Just close your eyes, breathe slowly and count to ten,” Onyx did as he suggested, “There you go. It's just like taking a nap.”
Silver applied a small amount of pressure to the spot where his paw was placed, the pressure point slowly knocking the mare unconscious as she counted. By the time ten came around, she was asleep.
“Ruppy, can you carry her?”
The pegasus nodded and slung the unicorn onto her back. Silver stood and looked around to the mares around him. Each one expressed worry and concern in their eyes, but behind that was a flicker of fear and regret, thinking that it was only a matter of time before they ended up like Onyx, too terrified to continue.
They were all scared of dying at the bottom of a lake, and the wolf became riddled with guilt for dragging them all into this mess. Silvers description of the lake earlier seemed to fit their current situation.
They were walking down the slope of a black, bottomless pit.
…Wait...bottomless pit...
The idea itself is unnatural, both scientifically and magically impossible. The planet wasn't large enough for this lake to have no end, and to make it endless using magic, one would have to have an endless supply of magic.
So how is it that this lake could appear to be bottomless.
“Twilight,” Silver began, “How long have we been walking?”
“Um...about two hours, I think.”
“But you're not sure? You don't have a watch or something?”
“Well, no Silver, I didn't think I'd need to know the time!” the alicorn snapped back, “Why do you have some where you need to be?” The tolls of the environment were already showing.
Silver sat and thought for a moment. His mind scanning over the possibilities.
“We've been walking for what feels like two hours, but somethings not right. We've been surrounded by the same darkness, the same silence, and the same mud for an hour and fifteen, with the same freezing cold...that's it.”
“It's still cold!” Silver exclaimed.
The others exchanged confusing looks at each other, “Well, yeah. We've been freezing our asses off for a while now,” Ruppy retorted.
“No, I mean it's the same cold. The temperature has changed. If we've been walking down a slope, then we should've hit a point where the cold is unbearable, but we haven't! So why?!”
“Because we're not on a slope?” Twilight offered.
“Exactly! We've already hit the bottom,” Silver lifted a paw and pointed to the surface “Now, all we need to do, is go up.”
“Ehh, I don't know Silver, seems kind of iffy to me,” Aerial protested, much to his surprise.
The wolf thought for a moment, then moved over to the edge of the wind sphere and placed his paw on the wind. Concentrating, he read the status of the sphere.
“I knew it!” He exclaimed once more, “Aerial, come here.”
The mare moved and placed her hoof onto the wall for a few seconds, then opened her eyes wide, “...Oh.”
“'Oh' what?” Ruppy questioned.
“The pressure exerted on the sphere by the water hasn't changed either. If we were really going deeper, then I would have sensed the pressure building up on the shield, but it hasn't. It's stayed the same since we first reached the cold zone,” Silver explained.
“So why didn't you notice before?” Twilight asked.
“For the same reason none of us realized we've been moving in the same spot. My sense were out. I can't see, hear, smell or feel anything, which is how we observe change in our surroundings. I didn't notice because I was too distracted by my lack of ability to observe.”
“WAIT!” Ruppy said in a frustrated voice, “You mean to tell me, we've been in the exact same place this entire time?! How!?”
“Take a look at the mud,” Silver indicated to the ground with a paw and all the ponies followed the claw to the spot where it was pointed. They quickly caught on to what he was pointing out, as the mud was still moving even though they stopped walking.
It was going backwards.
“We were on a slope to reach where we are now, but I suspect that the current feeling of the slope was actually our hooves and paws being slid back by the mud. My guess is that there are currents in the deeper part of the lake that shift the mud as well as the water, pulling it along even if they aren't touching the ground. They're also probably what kept Aerial from touching the bottom on the lake when she was swimming. While we were stepping forward, the mud was moving backward, like on a treadmill. That movement, coupled with the lack of senses, made us feel as though we were moving downhill.”
Ruppy gritted her teeth with annoyance and frustration, “Can we just get the fuck out of here, before I loose it like Onyx did?”
“Sure,” Silver said and flicked his tail. The sphere began to pull away from the ground and lift, rising slowly to the top.
It took about a total of ten minutes until the top of the wind bubble broke through the surface of the water, placing them in a cave with a ceiling littered with beautiful multicolored crystals.
“Well, I'll be damned,” Ruppy mumbled out.
The bubble landed and dissipated on contact with the ground of the cave. The crystals illuminated the the tunnel with enough light for every pony to see clearly, giving it a beautiful rainbow radiance.
Upon landing, Ruppy immediately placed Onyx on the floor.
“Onyx! Onyx! Wake up!” she begged to the unconscious mare. She quickly turned her attention to the wolf who put her in her state in the first place, “Undo it! You knocked her out, now wake her up!” she demanded.
“Are you sure you want me to?” Silver replied, “We're still stuck in a cave, and I don't think that would really make her feel much better.”
“I don't care!” the sandy pegasus screamed. Her voice echoed down the tunnel and rang for what sounded like miles, and was more than loud enough to startle the others, “...I just want to make sure she's okay. Silver, please. I'm worried about her.” Her face formed a heart wrenching frown and made Silver regret putting the mares in this situation in the first place, even if he was just looking out for her.
Silver looked over the agitated and anxious mare. It would seem that being stuck down here was taking it's toll on her too, and he couldn't help but wonder when the other two would break. He needed to move quickly, but didn't want to push them past their limits. Perhaps waking Onyx would show that their situation wasn't as dire and bleak as it seemed. Maybe it could restore some peace in their minds.
Maybe...
Silver nodded and moved to stand over Onyx's body. He took a paw and place it over the center of her chest, then took a deep breathe in and back out.
A blue light formed and flickered around his paw, and little white spots twinkled in the air around it. The lights seeped into the chest of the unicorn, then died down. Silver stepped back and waited.
A few seconds later, Onyx groaned and slowly opened her eyes.
“Huh?” she mumbled. She glanced around the cave and noticed the change in scenery, then slowly propped herself up with her fore hooves, “What happened?”
“Onyx!” Ruppy shouted with glee and dove, rapping the newly risen unicorn in a crushing hug.
“Where are we?” she asked slowly.
“Well,” Silver began while rubbing a shy paw behind his ears, “You see, there's good news and bad new. The good news is we're not under water anymore! The bad new is that now we're in a cave...I think.”
Onyx slowly turned her head and looked at the wolf. At first, her eyes were half lidded and seemingly tired, but then shot wide open with anger and her magic erupted from her horn, blasting Silver in the chest and knocking him to the ground.
“YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!” she shouted as Ruppy attempted to hold her back.
“Okay, yeah,” he groaned as he rose back up, “Totally deserved that.” He dusted the dirt off of his wings and back.
“You deserve to get the shit kicked out of you!!” she hollered once more, though luckily no shots were fired.
“Look, what did you want me to do?” The wolf defended, “You were freaking out and I couldn't think of a way to calm you down. So, I put you to sleep. It's not like I actually hurt you or anything.”
Onyx simply glared at the wolf with spite. The memories of the fear she felt from the darkness had only just come back to her right after she fired her bolt, and while she saw Silvers actions as reasonable, she was still angry.
She huffed and turned her head away, “I can understand why, but I'm still gonna kick your ass for this later.”
“Fair enough,” he replied.
While the scuffle went on, Twilight and Aerial sat astounded. First, they didn't think Silver could be knocked down so easily, but what really threw them for a loop, as well as every pony else, was the amount of emotion Onyx was showing. She wasn't one to express her opinions or her feelings very often, so this out burst of rage was more than a surprise.
Twilight shook herself out of her confusion and cleared her throat, “So, now that that's...settled, are you good enough to move on?”
Onyx donned her normal expressionless face, “Just give me a few minutes to rest, and we can continue.”
Twilight nodded and sat, the other ponies doing the same.
The wolf, on the other paw, took an immediate interest in the crystals that jutted out from the wall. He strutted over and looked them over.
“Hmm...” he hummed while examining them. He took a paw and swiped down on one of the crystals, breaking it off from it's perch. He held it up and inspected it, slowly rotating it as he looked.
“Silver, what are you doing?” Twilight asked as she stood and walked over.
“I think these are Black crystals. They're multicolored while in the darkness, but turn black in the sun light,” he explained. He paused for a moment to think, then continued, “Yep! I'm gonna take some.”
“For what?” she asked once more.
“I can infuse the magic of the crystals into the weapons I make and give them...unique attributes. Magic and enchanted items tend to sell for a pretty penny.” Silver continued to break off a number of crystals and stuck them in his bag, “There we go, that should be enough.”
Twilight could only stare at the wolf in confusion.
There were stuck in a cave at the bottom of a lake that was more than likely dangerous and possibly had no way out, and he was thinking about how he could make a profit.
She honestly wasn't sure if she was mad at his antics or impressed by his calmness. In the end, she figured it be best to just let it go. If Silver was this calm, then maybe he knew there was a way out. It'd be nice if he shared, but as long as they all made it out alive, it was of little consequence if he kept a secret or two.
Once Silver tied off his bag of crystals he continued to poke around the cave. First he trotted a few steps ahead, earning a warning from Twilight to not wonder too far. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air.
There was little of it, but he could smell fresh air mixed in with the water vapor from the lake. He walked back over to where they had emerged and took a quick sip of the water.
...Muddy.
He then turned and put his ear to the ground. No vibrations from what he could tell.
“Silver, what are you doing now?” Twilight groaned, this time not bothering to get up from her spot.
“Dunno. But, I can smell fresh air mixed in with the caves air, so there's definitely a way out.”
Every pony sighed in relief at his statement, only causing the guilt to build inside of him.
“Look, I know you're all tired and annoyed, so if you want, I can lead you directly to the exit, but I'll have to come back for the bracelet, or what ever the hell is hidden in here.”
“Silver, can you even still be sure that there's something here?” Twilight questioned. All this journey seemed to do is scare her, and she doubted that there was anything to actually find in the first place.
Stupid wild goose chase.
“Pretty sure there is,” he stated with certainty.
“How can you be sure?” Aerial spoke up.
Silver moved over to the wall and gave the crystals a tap, “If I can make magic weapons from these crystals, then that means that there must be magic in them. But crystals can't produce magic, only store it, unless there is a near by source which the crystals draw magic from. So even if it's not the bracelet, there must be some source of magic near by that is fueling the growth of the crystals. And judging by the number and size of the crystals in the cave, it must be a fairly large source.”
Twilight sat and flatly stared at the wolf. For once in her life, she was tired of magic. She just wanted to go home, take a hot bath, eat and nap for a week. Maybe she could even convince Silver to join her. Of course, this little lesson she learned would prove to be something useful.
The lesson being is to never follow Silver on a trip. The crystal lecture was nice, but this information was far more valuable. Next time he found something potentially dangerous, he could have all the fun he wants with it...by himself.
Twilight looked over to the others for their opinion. They all shrugged and agreed.
“Fine,” the alicorn said, “We'll tag along and get the bracelet or whatever.” She rose to her hooves, “We'd best get moving. We don't want to be here any longer than we have to.”
The others all stood and followed suit, following Twilight as she moved through the tunnels. The cave was quiet, but not nearly as quiet as the lake was. The alternating colors of the crystal lights made it more bearable and less stressful on the mind.
Silver eventually began to lead since he was the one who could smell the fresh air.
“Silver, how do you intend to find the magic object anyway?” Twilight asked. “Sniffing the fresh air is one thing, but you can't smell magic. Or at least, I don't think you can.”
“It's all about the crystals,” He stated matter-of-factually, “The closer we get to the object, the large the crystals will be. The closer ones will be bigger since they get a higher dosage of the magic.”
Twilight looked to the wall and noticed the large size of the crystals, ranging from one to two feet in length, and about eight inches in diameter. They must have been getting close.
The walk continues for another ten minutes until the group reach a large open area in the cave. It had a dome shape to it, and in the center was a pedestal with... a book?
“Huh...well, could've been worse. It could have empty.” Silver said as he crossed into the dome room.
Upon stepping inside, he felt a powerful shiver run through out his body, making his fur stand on end. This didn't go noticed by the others.
“Heh, you getting the chills there big guy? What? Afraid of a paper cut?” Ruppy mocked as she entered behind him, the others following behind.
“I..uh..I'm not sure what that was.” Silver said in a very uncertain tone, “Don't touch the book though.”
“OW! Damnit!” Ruppy yelled.
Too late.
Silver sighed and walked over to the mare, who was holding her fore hoof while wincing in pain. There was a bad burn on it, like it had been shocked.
“What did I say?” Silver scolded. He took the burned hoof in his paws and examined it.
“Shut up,” she snapped back, “You weren't loud enough. Anyway, how are we supposed to get the book if we can't touch it?”
Silver reached over and grabbed the book in a paw, then stuffed it in the other side of the bag.
“What the hell!? How come you didn't get shocked?!”
“It's a grimoire. You need to have a certain amount of magic to touch it, other wise, you'll just get hurt.” Silver ran a paw over the burned area, making Ruppy flinch with pain.
He gave a brief sigh of relieve, “It's not as bad as it looks. When we get back we--”
*CRACK*
The noise came from behind Silver, followed by a pulling feel from around his waste. His bag was ripped from his hip, causing the crystal pouch to fall off and hit the floor while the book pouch was yanked from him.
He quickly followed the bag to the source of the pull, a whip, which lead up to an all too familiar dark yellow pony.
“Hiya Silver sweetie.” the thief called down from a ledge. Silvers bag landed neatly in her hoof while she let a smirk cross her muzzle.
“D.,” Silver growled, “What are you doing here?”
“I here for the same reason you are,” she held up the bag and gave it a rustle, “Thanks for getting this for me. I couldn't touch the book itself, but the bag that holds it is another story. But I must say, I didn't think the rumors were true; that you'd ended up as the pet dog of the Princesses.”
“Wait a sec, are you...” Twilight stepped forward and squinted at the pegasus above. Her coat was a dark yellow, and her mane was monochrome, various shades of gray. “You can't be. Are you...Daring Doo?”
The dark yellow pegasus lifted her head proudly, “That's right! Adventurist, archaeologist, historian and treasure hunter! I'm no other than--!”
“I think you left out thief-for-hire and tomb raider,” Silver interjected. Daring shot him a glare, and Silver gave one back.
Twilight followed the intense stares, “What? What do you mean?”
“Daring Doo isn't just a real pony, Twilight,” Silver spoke with out looking away from the pegasus, “She's a criminal. One with a level 3 bounty on her head at that. The adventures you've read are all real, although they leave out the bit saying that what she does is illegal.”
Daring huffed, “Ha! Like you're one to talk about being a criminal. I might have a level 3 bounty, but that's nothing compared to you, Shinning Fang!”
Silver stepped forward and bared his fangs, “Call me that name again and I'll see to it that you choke on the tongue that uttered those words.”
Twilight froze. She'd heard that name before, or rather, read it, and dread the reputation that came with it. “Silver what does she mean?” Twilight asked, voicing her worry.
“It's not important, Twilight.”
“Not important!” Daring laughed, “Princess Twilight, when you get the chance, ask Silver about his pack, more importantly, it's history and origins. I'm sure he'll tell you the truth. After all, he's been so up front about what he really is so far.”
“QUIET!” the wolf hollered.
“Ooh, scary,” the pegasus mocked, “But, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut our little reunion short. I do need to get back and hand this over to my employer. But first,” Daring stuffed the covered book into her own saddle bag and produced a small switch upon bringing her hoof back out, “All little farewell firework show.”
Silvers eyes shot open when he realized what she was holding, “Every pony, move now!” The wolf bent down and grabbed his bag in a quick movement.
CLICK
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of explosions erupted from the ceiling, causing a large hole to be blown in the roof and rubble to come crashing down.
It took only moments for Daring to slip out from her exit, while Silver and the others bolted for the entrance they came in from.
“Keep moving! This cave is coming down!” Silver yelled as he dashed through the tunnels. The mares behind him followed closely as the cave shook and rocks tumbled. The group continued to run, barely out maneuvering the falling debris as they darted through the cave.
Left, then right, then another right, then left. Silver weaved through the labyrinthine tunnels as the mares blindly followed, attempting to not get crushed.
With each turn, even the mares could feel the change in the air. It was getting cooler and fresher, until eventually, they emerged on a cliff side of one of the mountains, looking out over the dark valley. Night had fallen, and the stars accompanied the moon in the sky.
As they all pushed out of the cave, the exit collapsed, allowing the group pass just in the nick of time. They all collapsed once they safely reached the outside. Silver looked to the sky and let out a long sigh of relief, “We made it.”
“I...wouldn't...celebrate..just yet,” Twilight huffed out in exhausted breathes. She took a moment to steady her breathing before speaking again, “Daring still has the book, and we still don't know whose it was or what it did. We're right back at square one.”
“No,” Silver corrected, “We know that Daring was hired to get the book, so now all we have to do is find her employer.”
“And how do you plan to do that?” Twilight asked skeptically.
Silver gave her a cocky smirk, “Don't worry, I have my ways. For now, we should head home.”
“Finally!” Ruppy groaned as she rose to her hooves, they others doing the same.
Ruppy carried Onyx on her back, while the others flew down, Aerial using her newly found wind magic to support her. Twilight still wondered about her abilities. As an earth pony, she shouldn't have any magic like that, so where did it come from?
...Oh screw it. Right now, she was tired, and decided it was a mystery for another time.
Once back on the grassy plains of the valley, Aerial led the way back as she knew how to navigate it in the dark. The group slowly made their way back to station and awaited the train.
It was an hour before it arrived, but luckily it was the last one to Canterlot before the trains stopped running for the night. They all boarded and moved to their seats, in the same spots they had before.
Silver promptly rested his head on the window and took a quick nap, Twilight and Onyx doing the same. The only two still awake were Ruppy and Aerial.
“So...” Ruppy began once the others were all sound asleep. Aerial tried not to make eye contact, and her eyes kept flicking between the mare and the floor. Ruppy took notice and rubbed a hoof behind her head, “Look, I know I've been a bit of a bitch to you lately, so I wanna say I'm sorry.”
Aerials eyes stopped flicking between spots and focused on the pegasus across from her as she continued talking, “It's just, you weren't really what I was expecting, and...I don't know. I just feel kinda shitty for the way I treated you. It wasn't right, and...I'm sorry.”
Ruppy hung her head in shame, and a moment of silence passed.
Then, she felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked up to see a smiling Aerial in front of her, “Don't worry about it,” she said soothingly, “To be honest, I was a kind of being a bit of a bitch also, so I'm sorry too.”
Ruppy returned the smile, gazing into the warm light brown eyes of the mare in front of her.
“Huh. She's actually kinda cute, ya know, when she's not about to be crushed under a rock and all.”
“I guess one of us should stay awake to make sure we don't miss our stop,” Aerial suggested and removed her hoof.
“You sleep,” Ruppy offered, “I'm still a little shook up, so I don't think I'll fall asleep anytime soon.”
Aerial donned a worried look, “Are you okay?” she cast her gaze down to the burned hoof.
The pegasus waved a dismissively, “I'm fine. I'm a lot tougher than I look. Don't worry about me, just sleep.” She poked Aerial back to her seat.
“Well, alright then,” she reluctantly replied, “Just make sure to wake us if you need some thing.”
Ruppy rolled her eyes, but smiled while doing so. She found Aerial to be a kind mare. It would seem her life was becoming filled with kind ponies. Maybe she could actually find some ponies she could call friends, other than Onyx.
Maybe she actually be happy for once.
The group wearily stepped off the train and yawned. It would seem the nap only served to remind them of just how tired they really were.
“Aerial, do you think you could make it back to your place by yourself?” Silver asked, half asleep.
She nodded lazily, then turned and left the station.
“Come on, let's go.”Silver motioned with his head to leave the station, “Twilight, you can stay with us for the night.”
The alicorn made no protest. She wanted to talk with Silver anyway. The name Daring had called him still worried her, and his response to it didn't help in the least. She knew nothing of the pack Daring mentioned, but she figured that would probably play into the mystery some how as well.
The four of them roamed through the midnight city and reached the castle at around 11:00. The guards allowed them to enter with out issue, and they all made their way to the door Silver used to enter his home.
They all came in and went to wash themselves of the dirt in their coats. Ruppy and Onyx bathed in the same bathroom, one in the tub and the other in the standing shower, while Twilight used the other bathroom. Silver made food for every pony while they were cleaning up.
For the ponies, salads. For Silver, ramen noodles, his childhood favorite.
Onyx was the first to come out, then quickly scarfed down her food and went straight to bed. Ruppy was the next and did the exact same. When they'd gotten out and Silver finished eating, he went to shower as well. All that was left was...Twilight.
Silver slightly regretted offering to let her sleep over, though he knew he'd still end up having to explain everything. He knew he shouldn't have let her read that book.
It was a mistake, and one that would cause him to spill the secrets he'd rather keep locked away. But even if she didn't read it, she would have asked about the name anyway, and he would still have to spill. He had no intention of lying to her, nor did he wish to keep secrets. He just didn't bring them up so long as she didn't ask.
But he knew she would.
Silver turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, drying himself off with both his towel and magic, then left the bathroom. He went back into the hall and, as if called by his thoughts, Twilight sat at the table, her bowl polished of it's salad, and her coat a little damp from the water.
Their eyes met for a moment, then broke contact. No one spoke for a moment, and an awkward silence filled the air.
“Silver...I...I want to know. What did Daring mean?” Twilight asked eventually, but gently.
“Twilight please...” Silver begged, “It's late, and we're both tired. Can we talk about this in the morning?” He eyes showed honest exhaustion, and Twilight found herself nodding in agreement.
Silver turned and began to move down the hall, “But...” she called after him. Silver paused and turned around.
“Where am I gonna sleep?”
“You can take my room. I'll just take the couch.”
Silver turned to begin walking again only to stop when he felt a hoof against his back. He turned around once more and saw a fiercely blushing Twilight, whose eyes kept darting around, looking everywhere except for at the wolf.
“It would be wrong of me to kick you out of your own bed. Can't we just, ya know...share?”
She continued to not look at him, the red in her cheeks holding steady, or if not, increasing in color.
Perhaps it was the exhaustion, but Silver made no argument against the notion.
“Sure,” he said and then led the way to his room. As it turned out, it was in the other hall that was in the living room. The hall went forward a short way, then turned left and ended with a door at the far end.
The door opened up to a large room, occupied mostly by the bed. It was fairly larger than any bed she'd seen, and was pushed in the center of the wall opposite off the door. To the left of the bed was a cluttered desk with papers and a journal and to the right was two book shelves, with half of it books on the floor below it.
The bed itself was raised on a one step platform, making it feel more like a throne than a bed. Silver stepped on to the bed and plopped down into the springy goodness, causing the blankets to fly up. Twilight hesitantly stepped onto the bed after him and laid down, making sure to keep her limbs tucked to herself.
That was until she felt a thick warmth fall on top of her. She looked over to find Silver had tossed the blanket over her and was now offering a pair of pillows for her.
Laying on the bed while seeing the wolf next to her reminded her of the warmth that accompanied his presence. The tingling feeling she'd come to adore filled her stomach and she was lost in her infatuation.
The mental exhaustion of the cave, secrets and confusing emotions had clouded her thoughts, and Twilight found herself in full dive toward the wolf.
She threw her hooves around his neck and pulled herself into his fluff.
“Twilight, what are you--?”
“Please...” she begged, “After everything that's happened today, please just let me have this.”
Silver, while shocked, had no intention of denying the mare any form of comfort she may have needed. The bottom of that lake certainly did do a number on her, and while he was glad it wasn't physical damage, he still knew that was damage dealt to her mind.
Silver laid the pillows he offered under her, then gently place her head on them. He slid a paw through her arms and took her cheek.
“Twilight,” he whispered in her ear, “I'm sorry I put you through this today. I shouldn't have taken you out there, much less hidden the things I have. But I swear to you, if I've hurt you in any way, please tell me so I can make it right.”
Twilight's hooves lessened their grip and her head slid back to look Silver in the eyes.
“You didn't do anything. I insisted I join you when you said you were going to the valley, so any effects I may have because of that lake is my own fault, not yours.”
“But I still didn't protect you like I should have. I failed, and now your mind has been upset because of it.”
Twilight waited for a moment to think, “If you want to make it up to me then explain everything Daring mentioned earlier. I want to know tomorrow. I know I'm prying, and it's none of my business, but please. I want to know. ”
Silver nodded.
“Thank you,” she took her hooves down from his neck and to his chest, wrapping them around him once more, “Now, like you said, my mind's been a bit jumpy thanks to that lake, so can we sleep now?”
Silver let out a light chuckle, “Of course.”
He planted a small kiss on her head, then wrapped his paws around her. Twilight was either too tired to notice or had already fallen asleep because she didn't seem to react to the kiss.
Or maybe, it was something she wanted.
“Silver...”
“My Princess...”