Deflated and exhausted, Celestia had insisted Silver stay overnight at the castle. She was sent to a comfortable room and settled at a writing desk there. Sleep was far from her mind, and she tapped her hooves thoughtfully before she pulled out some paper and a quill, getting to writing.
Hello Shei Windsong,
You don't know me, and that's fine. This is not a solicitation. You don't owe me a thing, and never will. Please accept the money sent with this as a gesture of goodwill, from Equestria. If it helps, I had a vision of sorts, and saw much of you and your situation. I hope you use this to do what you want, be it learning Saddle Arabian magic, securing your business, or anything else. You owe me nothing, and do not need to reply, but I won't be upset if you do.
Respectfully,
Princess Silver Stars
Silver stared at the paper, considering it before a new thought clutched at her heart with icy fingers. She held up a hoof, shaking before it settled on the letter. "What... if it was the other sister?" The fiery sister may have survived, and stayed to fight, while the more meek one had died, instead of the other way around, where Silver had taken the meek sister away. One change... One change had swayed so much. Either could have died. Either could have eaten that lethal candy and fallen...
Pushing the paper away, she grunted, new tears trying to force themselves free. Rising from the desk, she walked to the bed with shaking legs and collapsed on it, trying to control her breath. Her entire world felt upheaved, but she struggled against it. Crying about it wouldn't solve anything. Moping about it wouldn't solve anything... What would solve anything? She looked up towards the window, where the moon hung high in the sky. Luna, perhaps?
She closed her eyes and wished for dreams to take her, thankful that her lunar nature swept her to sleep with ease. The physical world abandoned, she appeared lightly on a lillypad that supported her despite looking so delicate. "Luna?" No response came. She focused on Luna, and a the pads around her changed, one looming larger than the others, beckoning her. She stepped to it, and the dreamworld was banished.
She landed heavily before a great mare with almost black fur, armor of pale blue, wings and horn on display. It was Nightmare Moon, and she looked down at Silver with a raised brow. "What is this? What little creature dares to approach us?"
Silver rolled her ears back, wondering if this was a dream, or a nightmare, for Luna. "I came to ask your help."
"Our help?!" She stood tall, looming all the more over Silver's prone form. "You are wiser than you appear, to consult with us for your trifling matters." With a wicked smile, all her teeth filed to dangerously sharp points, she leaned in. "What troubles you, little mare?"
Silver sat up onto her haunches slowly, looking up at Nightmare Moon. "It starts with time trav--"
"You know of this?!" She lashed out a hoof, knocking Silver to the ground and stepping over her. "Reveal to us the secrets of time travel! We may even reward you."
"L-Luna, enough. I don't know that." Silver caught the next incoming hoof and a powerful ripple went out from where their hooves had touched.
Nightmare's grimace softened, then went gentle. "Silver? Oh!" She became Luna in an instant. "I'm terribly sorry. Haven't I warned you not to come into my dreams uninvited?"
Silver rolled up and nuzzled at her softly. "Worth it to be with you."
That got a smile from Luna. "Tis good to see you as well. Now what weighs heavily on you? You look terrible."
Silver nestled into the wing that fell over her. "One moment... I'm so happy to be with you right now, to know you're still part of things at least. That's one more thing I haven't lost."
"Lost?" Luna canted her head. "Please, begin explaining. You have us at a loss." She raised a hoof, putting it under Silver's chin and lifting until they were looking into one another's eyes. "I am here for you."
With a little sigh, Silver nodded as much as the hoof below her chin allowed. "Twilight and Starlight messed with time. Its ripples washed over my life and removed ponies from it. They're gone, off to entirely different things. They don't even remember me. I'm not even sure why I remember them... It would be far kinder if I didn't..."
Luna developed a quick scowl. "Time magic is no trifling affair. Who knows what other changes have been wrought that we simply can't see? What possessed them to perform such an act of madness?"
"I didn't get all the details..." Silver rolled a hoof. "Starlight tried to get revenge, Twilight tried to stop her. They worked it out eventually, and that's good, but the damage is done. Twilight's friendships are intact, but mine weren't so lucky." She brought up an image of Rough Tumble as a child. "A bully never met me, a bully that would have changed how I grew up however subtly. He had to face his demons alone, and I moved on past that. Perhaps I was feeling bolder... I fed the meeker of two sisters a candy, thinking it'd cheer her up. I bet she smiled... Then she died... Her fiery sister stayed in Anugypt, crying against the fates, and me, for taking her sister away, instead of the other, who would have come with us, to find redemption and healing among new friends and old family... Because I only had a lone servant with me at the time, the king of Saddle Arabia didn't give me one to manage over them, so that friendship, also destroyed, simply never happened. All from one... little change."
Luna had kept quiet through the entire explanation, allowing Silver to come to her own pause before Luna drew Silver in for a firm hug. "That is truly a sad tale. Tis as you described, I remember your telling of the tale of the Windsong sisters. To think there was another time, where some good had come from the event... Still, to wish death on one or the other seems most cruel. Were I to wish for a way, I would prefer neither feel the sting of a death most foul and terrible."
Silver raised her forehooves, both trembling. "That's exactly how I feel right now. Do I wish for my friend back, if it means her sister has to die for it, if that was even possible? But that means my friend died. There's no right answer here... The bully I referred to, he came out alright. He found his destiny without me. I hope he found a loving partner, but he's beyond me. Just walking back into his life would be confusing and troubling at best."
Luna nodded slowly. "I should think so. Imagine if some prince or princess simply came up to you, claiming to have known you."
"Right, I know." Silver took a slow breath. "I know. I didn't see anyone new around the house. It wasn't a trade, I just lost, though I don't know what I'd do if I had gotten friends I don't really know. That would have been beyond difficult. Poor ponies wondering why I'm not looking at them the same way."
Luna tapped her chin. "At least you were spared that. Putting them to the side, you still have many ponies, myself included." She smiled gently. "I know 'tis poor consolation, but there is very little we can do."
Silver swelled to match Luna's size and bumped noses. "I'm glad we're still together."
"As am I." Luna slowly rubbed muzzles. "I hate to even broach this topic at this time, but have you spoken to your wives?"
It took a moment for it to click before she sighed. "I was hit with this the moment we got home. We didn't talk about anything like that." She raised a brow. "Please tell me we're talking about the same thing?"
"Your becoming a mother?"
"Right." Silver let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Right... I'll talk to them, promise. I'm not tryi--"
"Enough. I don't doubt you." She reached with her wings and wrapped up Silver. "Such a horrific thing. I can scarcely imagine it. I can't be angry at you for being distracted, to say the least, by it."
"Distracted..." Silver giggled softly. "I passed that line a while back. Look, thank you." She leaned in to rub her snout into Luna's neck. "Even as Nightmare Moon, you tried to help me."
Luna perked an ear. "Did I?"
"You did." She spread her wings. "There's a new mare around the castle, by the way, Starlight."
"The one you studded?" Luna tilted her head.
"The one that aborted, and who had a feud with Twilight, and erased friends out of my life, that's the one." Silver huffed. "They've made up, and I think she really wants to get closer. She's accepted Twilight's lesson plan on friendship, and she's in no hurry to rush off anywhere for the moment."
Luna raised a brow. "You feel she has feelings for you."
Silver rolled a hoof wildly in the air. "I'm almost certain. She looked at me that... That way. She wants to be friends, close friends. She looks scared to let someone in that close, but she's ready to try it, and she wants to try it with me."
"Are you ready for this?" She tilted her head. "Do you like her?"
"I think she's wickedly smart." Silver smiled. "I think she's bold, and charismatic. I think if I let her stay around, she'll roll me over, climb on top, and convince me it was my idea from the start, and I don't even know if that sounds like a bad thing."
Luna tilted her head. "She must be made aware you have certain responsibilities, and an image to uphold. Royalty cannot be led around by the nose in public. 'Twould be most unseemly. She may not interfere with Twilight's duties as well. If she wishes to be with you, then she must know what she is getting into. Neither of you are fully available."
Silver put a hoof over her heart. "I doubt she'll say no after that warning. She'll think I'm trying to turn her down gently, and get hurt. I don't want to turn her down. Even at her scariest, there was... a certain allure there. Christ on a stick, why am I talking to you about a crush?"
Luna snorted as she sat up. "Because you trust me enough to share this with me? I am pleased and honored to have such a position. Do you fear I will grow offended?"
"Why wouldn't you be?" Silver raised a brow skeptically.
Luna waved a hoof. "'Tis but a distraction. You will not give her what you have offered me, far greater in scope and magnitude. When you were torn and frightened, you came to me, and trusted me. You have spoken without words how close we are, and for this I am grateful. Now, sleep."
The gentle word became an irresistible command. Silver sank to the soft ground, long grass reaching up to caress and hold her. The moon was somehow warm and welcome. All was fine, for a time, and she slept at the hooves of Luna.