Night tossed a small bundle of papers onto one of the beds. "Results are back. Neither is poisoned."
Silver felt a blush rising. "Better safe than sorry, right?""
Night circled him silently before nipping his shoulder. "I'd say I understand, but I'd be lying." She threw a leg over him. "Still, I do understand that you've been strongly affected by this... by her scheming, so I forgive and I'm not angry." She waved a hoof at the basket. "Shall we?"
Silver let out a little breath. "We should, but don't get bitter about it. It's done and done." He trotted towards the basket where they had abandoned it. "A lot of what I saw has been very relevant in its strangely skewed way." He inclined an ear towards Night. "Instead of poison, my supposed fans just attacked us in the streets. Prophecies are hard."
Night moved alongside him, eyes darting between him and the basket. "Look, I know you're not the kind of pony to do the 'grudge' thing, and I'm trying... I don't want to dislike her... But the facts..." She thrust a hoof at Silver. "She changed you. She snatched away the pony I used to know and returned another that looks like him." She brought the hoof to her head. "But different in so many ways."
Silver's approach halted in a rough stop. "W-what? Night, we all change. I'm still Silver." He sat slowly, facing her. "I love you, but that's just so many words." He raised his forelegs wide. "I know you're having a hard time right now. I want to be there for you, every step. What can I do?"
Night smiled wanly. "I suppose nothing. You're right, of course. Ponies change. For the longest time... I didn't. I was Night Watch. I did my job and tried to do it well, and that was the sum total of most of my life, then some little unicorn wandered into it and knocked me right off that course." She smooched his cheek gently. "Thank you." She wandered past him, closing the distance to the basket. "By the way, that human. He was almost certainly not telling the whole truth about almost anything he said."
Silver scrambled to his hooves, joining Night at the basket. "He's scared, confused, and probably embarrassed at everything fouling up. I'd be more surprised if he was telling the whole and complete truth. Hopefully Celestia will take my advice to heart and keep him in view, for his sake and those around him." He reached with his new tactile magic and began rummaging through the gifts curiously, only to find there was something small and sharp attached to a shred of paper. It was so small, he was certain he wouldn't have noticed it without the magic enhancing his senses through his silvery field. What was it?
He pulled the paper free of the pile and turned it left and right in the air. "Don't touch this one..."
"Again?" Night sounded a little perturbed.
Despite that, he quickly scanned over the letter. There were no words, just a photograph Prince Blueblood. On the backside was one little sentence. "Welcome to the upper crust."
Silver stuck out his tongue a little. He didn't want to believe Blueblood would attack him. If his dream had even a shred of truth, there was goodness in Blueblood. His magic felt over the letter, brushing over the sharp little bit. He pried it, rubbing against the source until it popped free of the paper and lifted the tiny sliver of metal into clear view.
"Are you going to be suspicious of everything?"
Silver blinked. "What, no. Please, go ahead. I think this is the only thing in there." He placed the shard aside carefully. "Who did you use to get things analyzed?"
With the danger set aside for the moment, Silver sat beside Night, who was already stuffing her face with a few sweet treats. "I'll introduce you to her after I get a few more snacks."
The treats were many and varied. Rough and Trixie arrived as they sampled various boxes and packages and soon the entire family was enjoying a sugary treat fit for even a Pinkie celebration.
Rough picked out a letter from the dwindling basket. "There are some nice thoughts in here with the candy. Oh! Here's one from Fancy and Fleur. Remember them?"
Trixie nodded quickly. "They provided that lovely house when you were just learning to be a colt. We really should reply to that one." Trixie's magic wrapped around the letter and drew it closer even as she popped another candy into her mouth. "It's good to see my colt is so welcome in Canterlot."
Silver let out a sudden little breath he wasn't aware he was holding. "You know... maybe you're right."
Trixie raised a brow. "Of course she is right. Why would you think otherwise?"
Night jabbed Silver in the side. "He's running from visions in his head."
Rough sat up and clopped his forehooves together. "It's like Merlin in my stories!"
Silver blinked slowly. "Merlin? Really?"
"What?" Rough tilted his head. "Is that a bad human name? I made it up. I mean, I made up David too and that worked out."
Silver raised a hoof a moment, then slowly let it fall. "Oh, you have no idea how amazing that is."
Rough joined in prodding at Silver. "I won't until you tell me! My creation, speak and tell me how amazing I am!"
Silver put a fetlock over his face. "Merlin is a very popular myth in my world, about a druid slash wizard that lived in our middle ages and helped shape the future of a country, not as a king but as an advisor to said king."
"Oh, he wasn't the king?" Rough tilted his head. "Guess I got it a little off, but close enough!" He clopped his hooves with renewed joy.
Silver smiled at his joyful OC. "I used to always think that imagination was just us tuning into other realities, seeing what could be and may actually be, somewhere else. Meeting you has made that so much more real."
Rough threw a leg over Silver and squeezed him close. "You too!?"
Trixie leaned over towards Night. "Stallions..."
Night flashed a fanged smile. "We love them anyway."
Trixie reached for a candy, only for Night's wing to ward her away. "Hey..."
Night gave a hiss of an angry cat. "Mine."
Trixie clopped lightly on the ground. "We're both heavy mares. Split it in half or Trixie may split other things in half!"
Silver looked towards the candy that had become the center of ire and felt over it with his magic before he tried to will it in two in a feat of spontaneous magic. It went about as well as anyone could have hoped.
Rough blinked softly, covered in fragments of sugary confection. "What was that?"
Night and Trixie looked to Silver as one. They glanced at one another, then rose to their hooves.
Silver swallowed audibly and shrank back. "I'll buy you some more?" The next thing he knew, he had been thrown bodily from the room, and the door slammed behind him. His mission was clear. "Pregnant mares..." He smiled though as he stood. He couldn't feel much ire towards his wife or adoptive mother. Sure, being thrown out was a bit annoying, but it meant he could take a walk, and all that sugar was ready to be used.
He broke into an energetic trot even as his magic felt around him. He was still getting used to being able to feel through it so keenly, and it was an exciting ability. It was also one he needed to have down in memory, and one he was eager to do so with.
"Watch it!"
Silver stopped just before crashing into a mare. Carrot... something? "Oh, hello again. Feeling better?"
Carrot raised a brow at him. "What do you look so happy about?" She glanced left and right. "Look... sorry. I wasn't trying to be snippy."
Silver waved it off. "Already forgiven. Do you know a candy shop?" While Surprise surely had the baked goods down, candy was another thing. "I need to get something specific."
Carrot looked intrigued. "Sure, I know a few. So... you're really not mad?"
Silver offered a hoof. "I'm willing to put it behind us if you are. Let's meet again. I'm Silver Watch. Nice to meet you."
Carrot hesitated a moment before she rose her hoof, meeting his with a soft clop. "Carrot Plate. You're a big shot around here, somehow, I heard?" She began to lead the way. "How'd that happen?"
"That's quite a story." Silver laughed a little. "But, basically, I'm one of the few ponies that understands a new phenomenon and Princess Celestia trusts me to help handle it. I like helping her, and the ponies caught up in it."
Carrot swiveled an ear back at him. "What kind of thing is it? How do you know about it?"
Silver frowned faintly at the questions, but they weren't unreasonable. "Do you know what a human is?"
Carrot tapped at her chin as she moved along with her other three legs. "Tall, two legs, naked skin? I've seen one or two in the castle, I think."
"Great." Silver smiled. "That's what I'm in charge of."
"You're in charge of the humans?" Carrot raised a brow. "How does a little colt like you get in charge of that, uh, no offense."
Silver saw little reason in hiding his past. It was likely spreading slowly via rumor already. "I was one."
Carrot came to a sudden halt. She turned in place to look Silver up and down. "You're pulling a leg..."
Silver put a hoof to his chest. "I swear I'm telling the truth. I'm a pony now, but I was a human before. I try to help both sides meet in the middle, as friends."
She suddenly clopped her forehooves, seated back on her haunches. "You're the new Ambassador everypony's talking about! Oh Celestia, I feel so slow right now."
Silver shook his head quickly. "Don't even start to be worried about it. Uh, to be truthful, I might have forgotten your name at first... I'm glad we have a chance to meet properly this time." He smiled. "How are you doing, really?"
She rose to her hooves and they resumed their journey. "Good and bad... I'm an adult now, but I don't..." She trailed off, glancing at him. "How can I know I can really trust you?"
He smiled gently. "Just my word. I'd rather a friend over an old enemy any day. I don't think you're bad, or ever were. Maybe I can help?"
"Maybe..." She trotted ahead. "I was so busy being a queen bee as a foal that I never really figured out what I want to do now that I'm an adult. Since I was working for Celestia, I just kind of kept doing that, but that's not what I want to do. Do you get it?"
Silver nodded quickly. "I can understand that completely. The, uh, first time I grew up, what I thought I wanted to do turned out to not be the path for me." He hurried to get up to her side. "But maybe with a friend or two, we can help find your calling?"
"You think it's that easy?" She had a little smile though.
There was hope.