The flaps of Silvers wings filled Twilights ears along with the whistles of the air. She flew along side him as they headed towards Rainbows house, giving the occasional glance over to her wolf-friend. She could still see some of the bruises and scratches left on him from the earlier sparring, if that's what she could even call it.

After all, when two ponies, or in this case wolves, spar, they're supposed to pull their punches. Black Wing and Silver seemed to have forgotten that concept as they tried to kill each other. Their little exercise was supposed to do them some good, and while Twilight wasn't sure if it did work, she did know that it caused her to worry. Not only because she didn't want Silver to get into fights like that on a regular basis, but it was also the way he behaved while he fought.

Sure, Star Shine said that the warrior gene caused aggression, but was that really what she had seen when they fought? The look on their faces wasn't just hostility, it was...insanity.

“You okay?” Silver asked, having taken notice of the disheartened look on Twilight face.

“Huh?” the mare snapped out of her thoughts and looked to meet his gaze, “Oh, yeah. I'm fine.”

Twilight sighed and hung her head, “It's just...I'm just a little worried about you, okay? But we can talk about it later with Luna. She's a part of our herd too, so I think she should be there. For now, we need to get to Dash.”

The wolfs look remained unchanged before he nodded and resumed his previous pace. It took only another few minutes to reach the cloud house.

The couple landed on the front step and Silver knocked, “Rainbow!” He called, “Wakey-wakey!”

For once since he'd been to her house, she actually opened the door for him, “Silver?” she greeted with bright smile on her face, then turned to see the lavender alicorn at his side, “And Twilight?”

The second name was spoken with less joy and more confusion. It wasn't bad, and was actually expected by Twilight, but it still stung a little.

“Hey Rainbow. Sorry to drop by unannounced, I just wanted to see how you were doing,” The alicorn excused.

“Oh no, that's totally cool,” the pegasus replied, stepping the side and opening the door wider, “Come on in guys.”

The two entered and followed Rainbow to the living room where they all plopped down onto the couch, the pegasus of the three sitting in the middle.

“So Twilight, what do ya need?” She asked. She seemed bright and cheery, just as normal and confident as always.

“Oh, well I was wondering how you were feeling after...you know. What you saw,” Twilight couldn't form the words. It was just too hard to ask how some one was feeling after experiencing death.

The pegasus's eyes went wide for a moment, then turned she around to face Silver, “You...you told her?”

Silver shook his head, “She already knew that you were hurt, she just didn't know how badly.”

“It's true Rainbow,” the alicorn interjected, “Silver only told me you were having nightmares and trouble sleeping. I thought you were a little better after that first day, but...I was wrong.”

“Come on Dash, don't be like that,” Silver said as he leaned over and cupped her cheek with a paw, “Twilight was worried about you, honestly. You and I both know she cares about you, just like every pony else does.”

The pegasus sighed and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder, “I know...I'm sorry Twilight.”

Twilight sat and watched as Rainbow fell onto her wolf-friend. Had they always been so...close? She couldn't deny the twinge of jealousy that snaked its way into her heart when they came into contact. Knowing Silvers....habits, the second thing that sprung to her mind was just how close he'd gotten with her, physically and emotionally.

After a few moments of sitting like that, the wolfs head perked up, “Oh yeah,” Silver said as he leaned out of the pegasus's reach and grabbed the bag with the medicine, “I got Star Shine to make you something to help you sleep. Let's see...,” he trailed off as he began digging through the small bag. He pulled out four little pots, two blue and the other two read, along with a note.

For Rainbow Dash,
The medicine in the blue bottles will help you sleep and the supply should last about a month. Just simply mix in two teaspoons of the powder into a glass of water about ten minutes before you go to bed.

However, due to the herbs I used in the medicine, I'm not sure how effective these will be on a pony. Therefore, I cut back the dosage and supplied you with another medicine. The red bottles contain a powder that should give you an energy boost, and that I know will work on ponies.

I hope you feel better soon!

Silver finished reading the letter out loud and set it back on the table before picking up the bottles. He popped off the cap of the blue one, then gave it a small sniff.

“Whoa...okay,” he announced with wide eyes, “Yeah, I remember this stuff. It'll work, no problems.”

Silver nodded, “Back in Houndland, before Star Shine and Black Wing were here, she used to slip these into our drinks when we got too rowdy. It's what made me start sniffing everything before I ate it.”

Both mares sat in surprise. Star Shine would drug her friends when they got a little crazy? That was....well crazy.

Silver waved a dismissive paw, “Meh, it never hurt anything. And I do have new friends. You guys!” he reached over and wrapped them both in a hug, Rainbow groaning as she was the one stuck in the middle, “Besides, she's always tested her potions and stuff on us,” he said as he let them go, “A little sleeping powder is nothing to fret about.”

“Seriously, you need to stop hanging around her. She's going to kill you one of these days,” Rainbow added. Silver just rolled his eyes and looked at the red bottle.

Before he could grab it, Twilights magic had encased it and floated it over to the bag, “That's enough of that Silver. These are for Rainbow, not you,” she scolded.

“It's not like I was going to use them. I just wanted to see what they were made from,” the wolf clarified.

“It's still not yours. Now leave it alone,” the alicorn finished. Silver simply stuck out his bottom lip and pouted.

The pegasus in between couldn't help but giggle, “Honestly, you're like a couple.”

Both paused and looked at the mare, then to each other, then to the mare again. Rainbow caught the glances and began looking between the two of them, the pieces falling into place.

Twilight chuckled nervously, “Umm...yeah. We started a herd just yesterday actually. With Luna too.”

Rainbow kept looking back and forth between the wolf and the alicorn, silent as her jaw hung wide open. Twilight continued her bashful expression, and Silvers expression soon came to match it. But something was a little different about his. It was more pained than it was shy.

“So...I guess I was a little slow, huh? Never thought I'd see the day when I admit that.”

Rainbow hopped off the couch and turned to face the couple, “That's cool, I guess. Honestly, I wasn't really seeing it, but I haven't seen much of any pony these past few days. Oh well, I hope you guys are happy,” She reached over and grabbed the bag on the stand next to the couch, “Thanks for this and for coming to see me. I feel a lot better already now that I got some good sleep, but I got to get going soon. I have work in about thirty minutes.”

“Oh, okay. Well, we'll see you later Rainbow,” Twilight replied and removed herself from the couch, stepping forward to hug the pegasus. Silver followed after and moved to do the same once Twilight let go.

“Come on Silver. We should go, Rainbow needs to get ready for work,” the alicorn reminded, not catching a word of their whispers.

“Coming,” he said, the followed her to the door. It open and then shut, leaving Rainbow alone with herself. After sitting for a moment, she left the living room and went up to the second floor to shower.

She turned the knobs and the water ran, filling the bathroom with the sound of running water as she put the medicine away in the cabinets to find later. She paused and sat on the floor, waiting for the water to get hot.

“So...Twilight and Silver huh? I'll admit, I didn't see it coming. And there's Princess Luna too. I wonder how he manged to make that happen...I'm sure they're all happy, though.

It doesn't hurt as much as I've heard it does though. All of those sappy break-up songs are kinda over exaggerating, I guess...

Rainbow moved a hoof up to her cheeks, wiping the liquid off and looking at it as it ran off her hoof. She sniffled and wiped her cheeks again, and again and again.

Eventually, she gave up and allowed for the tears to run freely as she sat on the bathroom floor with her head down, her only company being the sound of the running water.

The flight back to the library was silent. Both the wolf and alicorn had terrible thoughts plaguing their minds.

Silvers was warped with the guilt of having to break Rainbows heart. On top of the stress of the nightmares, he was worried about how she might cope. But trying to be there for her would only cause her more pain, and that applied to Twilight as well. He would need to have some pony else go in their place, at least until she felt better. Honestly, he hated having to do it that way, but he refused to leave her alone while she was hurting.

The worried thoughts running through Twilights mind were concerning the same mare, though the issue was vastly different. She couldn't help but think about the relationship between the wolf and the pegasus. While it wasn't full blown jealousy, there was a small twinge of insecurity.

“NO! I WON'T THINK LIKE THAT! It's just...Silver after all. He's always sweet to mares. I don't have anything to be worried about. And I doubt Rainbow would be attracted to him. She's never really been one for romance.”

Her insecurities now shallowly buried, she came out of her thoughts and turned her attention to the wolf flying beside her. His pondering expression only served to make her worry once more.

Her wolf-friend shook himself from his thoughts, “Huh? Oh, it's nothing...” he lied. And Twilight knew it too.

Amid their flight, Twilight suddenly grabbed the wolf by the paw and dragged him over to a cloud big enough for the two to land on. Forcing him to sit, she turned and face him.

Twilight stepped forward and took both of his cheeks in her hooves, “Silver, I'm worried too. But we can't keep suffocating her. She said she's feeling better and it seems Luna helped her last night. Now that she has her medicine, she'll be back to her old self in a few days. We just need to give her a little time.”

Silver shook his head, “It's not just the nightmares I'm worried about anymore.”

The wolf looked at her with guilty eyes, then down to the cloud they sat on, “You couldn't tell? I think Rainbow...may have had feelings for me...”

The alicorns eyes went wide for a moment, before she ended up making an face similar to Silvers, “I...I knew...” she said as she moved her hooves down from his cheeks and around his neck, wrapping her arms around him in a hug while she buried her muzzle into his fur, “I was...jealous at first. I thought you might have had some...special moments with her. But I pushed them aside because I wanted to be there for her when she needed me. But when she found out about us...”

It was here that she shuddered and let out a hard breath, “Silver...I was happy. I was glad because I knew it would keep her away from you...I w-was happy to b-break her h-heart....”

Twilights grip tightened considerably as her shudders became chokes and cries, “I'm a terrible friend...I don't deserve to have friends or even be with you...I can't call myself the Princess of friendship anymore...”

“Twilight, that's not true,” Silver cooed as he wrapped his paws around her, “It's okay that you were little jealous, any pony would be. But that doesn't make you a bad friend, that just means you want me for yourself. And in a relationship, that's the way it's supposed to be. I'd feel the same if it were you and Black Wing. Hell, I would have tried to kill him by now.”

“But Silver, I was happy!” she exclaimed, “I was glad to know that I hurt her! I...”

“I know...but there's nothing you can do now. Rainbow will get over this, I know it. So don't worry, and just keep being her friend. That's about all you can do...”

“Because Twilight, I know you. You're one of sweetest mares in Equestria and the best friend any pony could ask for. Sure, she might hurt for a little while, but she'll get over it. She'll get over me and learn to move on. I know you'll find a way to make it up to Rainbow somehow, and when you do you'll make her smile brighter than ever, because that's what you do.”

Twilight remained silent, giving the occasional sniffle every once in a while. After a long moment, she finally looked up to her wolf, “Do..do you really think I can make it up to her?”

Silver smiled gently, “I know you can. You're the Princess of Friendship, after all,” he leaned down and gave her a gentle peck on the head.

The alicorn nodded and wiped her eyes, “I'll find a way,” she promised to herself.

“That's my girl,” he said as he slipped under her and lifted her onto his back, “Now let's go back home. I still need to get somethings done.”

Twilight shuffled and shifted until she was comfortable on his back, “That reminds me, I still want to have that talk with you and Luna later,” she added after they began their flight, only an occasional sniffle recurring from her bout.

“It's about that warrior gene Star Shine mentioned. I'm a little worried about how it may affect you.”

The wolf chuckled once more, “Well, we can finish this later. And don't worry Twilight. I'll explain everything to both of you.”

The rest of the flight home was simple chatter, save for when Silver made a stop by Sugar Cube Corner and picked up an abundance of ice cream. Twilight couldn't help but wonder what the occasion was, but hey, she was getting free frozen treats, so who was she to argue?

Once they reached the library, Silver went back to his home first while Twilight went to go wash her face. Tears don't exactly leave your cheeks feeling clean after all.

When the wolf entered his home, he found a cuddle pile of Ruppy, Onyx and Aerial on the couch watching T.V. The pegasus sat in the corner of the L-shaped couch, while the earth mare laid against her side and the unicorn against the other.

“Enjoying yourselves?” he asked as he leaned over the back of the couch. All three looked up to see him simultaneously, while Onyx raised a hoof and booped his nose.

“Boop,” she added with the notion. Silver wiggled his nose as her hoof tickled it.

After fighting off a sneeze, he brought up the bag of goodies from behind the couch, “Hey, so I picked up a ton of ice cream a minute ago, so you girls can help yourselves. Just make sure to leave at least three tubs of different flavors. Otherwise, Luna might kill all of us.”

Silver shrugged nonchalantly, “Eight tubs. It was on sale, so I figured why not?”

All three mare burst out into giggles, “Honestly, you're going to make us fat,” Aerial added.

“Only cause I know I'm going to make you burn it off later in training,” he replied.

“Chocolate please,” Onyx requested while floating over three spoons from the kitchen. Silver fished out the tub and giving it over while the other two pondered for a moment as to what they wanted.

“Hmm, I'm feeling” the pegasus hummed, “....OH! Do you have pineapple?!”

“Only because Twilight made me get it,” he informed, but gave it to her anyway. Really, the only reason she made him get it was to make sure they covered all the flavors. Neither of them were sure what Lunas favorite flavor was, so they figured why not get them all? “Alright, I'm going to put the rest of these in the fridge. If you need me, I'll be on the second floor. Just call for me.”

“Kay,” the all answered at once, turning their attention back to the screen.

Silver tucked the treats into the fridge and made his way down the hall and to the second floor. He strolled forward and stopped at the end of the hall, opening the door on the right.

It was shortly after that when Twilight came into the home. Noticing the mares on the couch but no wolf, she moved over to ask them.

“Hey girls,” she greeted, causing all three to look up once more, only this time with spoons in their mouths, “I'm guessing you saw Silver?”

All three nodded, “He's downstairs on the next floor. Just yell for him,” Ruppy informed. Twilight went down the stairs and paused at the end of the staircase, noticing the empty hall with no open doors.

“Umm, Silver?!” she called. After a moment or two of waiting, the door on the far right end opened and the wolf stuck his head out.

“Oh, Twilight. I'll be out in a minute,” he called back before pulling his head back in before she could ask what he was doing. The mare couldn't help but wonder what he was up to, but since there was no way for her to open the doors once they were shut, there wasn't much else she could do but wonder.

“I'll be in your library!” she informed to the wolf, not bothering to check to see if he heard her. Chances were he did. He had impeccable hearing after all.

Trotting down the staircase once more, she swiftly made her way to her favorite room in the home. Strolling over to the pillow pile she normal laid in, she plucked a few books off the shelves along the way before making herself comfy to begin reading.

Today's material was on Elemental Magic once more, though Twilight decided to focus on the Lost Elements. Black Wings lightning intrigued her and sparked her curiosity.

What was it? Where did it come from? Why was it “lost”? What made it different from normal lightning magic?

It was only when she was finished with the first page of her reading that Silver had finally strolled into the room.

“Hey, whatcha reading?” he asked as he set down a hefty bag of something on the floor and took a spot next to her.

“Just some research on Lost Elements,” she informed, “I was curious after seeing Black Wings lightning, but I haven't gotten very far into it,” it was then that she saw the bag sitting in front of them, “What's that?”

Silver lifted the bag and made it jingle, the sounds revealing that it was filled with bits, “I intend on making a hefty purchase today.”

“So that room you were in was where you keep all of your money?” she inquired.

Twilight was about to ask why before remembering his...“profession”. It made sense, seeing as how he would know how difficult (or in his case, easy) it would be to break into one.

“A grimoire. It's the last one we need, since apparently one of the other sellers didn't have it.”

It was then that Twilight paused and closed her book. Calmly, she looked up and asked, “You could have bought the books?”

Silver froze with fear. He'd completely forgotten to tell her about it. That he ended up killing the pony who owned the Fairy Wisps grimoire needlessly.

A frown quickly formed on his face as his ears and head dropped, “I'm..I'm sorry. I meant to tell you earlier, but I just kept forgetting. I didn't think about just buying the books, and...because of that...I...”

His voice trailed off as his head touched the floor. He crossed his paws over his muzzle to shield himself from Twilights stare. The silly wolf didn't even realize there was nothing to hide from.

Twilight gently wrapped her hooves around his neck for the second time that day, “Silver, it's okay. I'm just as responsible as you are. After all, I knew you were going to steal the book, and didn't think of another way to get it. So if you think I'm upset, then I'll tell you now that I'm not.”

She leaned her head over and placed a gentle kiss on his head, “It's okay. We made a mistake. Let's just be glad we didn't do it twice.”

Silver nodded and lifted his head, turning to face his mare friend, “You're right. It could have been worse.”

Twilight smiled and peck his lips, “There's my wolf. Now help me understand this Lost Magic thing,” she requested.

“Hmm,” the wolf hummed as he looked over the books, “I feel like it'd be better just to have you ask Black Wing himself,” he pointed out.

Silver smirked, “He hasn't left yet. There's also some pony else I think you'd like to meet.”

Twilight beamed, “You mean I can actually ask him myself?!” While researching from a book is always a good source of information, finding out first hoof is always the best.

Twilights grin only grew, “Yay!! But, whose the other pony you want me to meet?”

As it turned out, they only had to wait an hour or so until Ruppy bounded into the library.

“Hey Silver, one of the guards said Princess Celestias waiting on you,” she informed, before turning right back around.

Both the wolf and the alicorn raised from the pile of pillows and left, making their way straight to the conference hall. It was where they'd all met before, so it was obvious where they were.

“We're here!” Silver exclaimed as the entered the hall. Black Wing, Celestia and Radiance all turned to see the pair walk in.

The smaller alicorn rubbed a hoof behind her head, “Honestly, I wasn't exactly expecting to come either. I was just hoping for a chance to speak with Black Wing.”

The mentioned wolfs head perked up before he came over to talk, “What can I help you with?” he asked.

“I was hoping you could tell me more about Lost Elements,” she requested, “I understand the story of how you obtained yours is a secret, so I won't ask you to tell. I was more hoping for a general explanation as too what they were.”

The black wolf nodded, “Certainly. Though, could we first settle the other issue here,” he said while gesturing a paw to the fox behind him.

Twilight stared in fascination, “A vixen?” she awed as she brushed past Black Wing and to the fox, “I've never met a vixen face to face before. Were you born in Equestria, or the Foxan Islands? Or was it somewhere else? If you were born in Foxan, then what's it like there? How different are foxes from ponies? What about wolves? And grif--?”

The rambling alicorn was silenced by a paw over her lips, “Twilight, you're being pushy,” Silver scolded.

The shushed mare stepped back and gave a sheepish smile, “Sorry. I'm just a little excited.”

Radiance giggled, “It's alright. It's nothing worse than what Black Wing has put me through.”

The black wolf had just then stepped forward to the group with Celestia behind him, “Of course I was. I'm always naughty.”

Silver chuckled at the confession, “True. I can't even begin to imagine the effect you're going to have of on the Crystal Empire now that wolves have been made public.”

His friend face-pawed, “Sweet fucking Empress. You're off your leash for one day, ONE DAY! How do you even have sex that many times in one afternoon!?”

All three females in the room blushed. They could feel the heat radiating off each others cheeks as they realized what the number meant.

“Well for one,” Black wing began, “I never said it was one by one. And two, it wasn't in one afternoon. More like the afternoon, and through out the night until dawn.”

Silver stared dully, “You're a whore,” he replied flatly, “A cheap, dirty whore.”

Black Wing simply nodded in agreement, “You sound like the mares from yesterday.”

Finally, the other three managed to get their cheeks back under control and decided it would be best to move the meeting along.

“Silver, do you have the money?” Radiance asked, in a somewhat rushed manner.

The fox took the sack of bits into her grasp, “Yeah, that should do it. Alright, I'll go get the book and be back in a few days.”

“Before you go,” Celesta said stepping forward, “I think you should know that Duke Little Horn is looking for you. He came by the other day asking where you went, and insists he'll find you.”

The fox gave pause as the words hit her. Would she ever be rid of him? “Thank you, Princess Celestia. I'll be able to avoid him now,” she finished before heading to the door.

“Don't forget about my offer!” Black Wing called back to her. She paused for another moment, but didn't say anything and continued to leave.

“Awe, I didn't get any answers...” Twilight pouted, before remembering the wolf of her initial interest had still been in the room, “But you're still here!” she exclaimed while zipping over to Black Wing. With a flash of her horn, a pad and pencil appeared before her while sh eagerly waited.

The wolf chuckled and turned to face the mare, “Alright. What do you want to know first?”

“Lost Elements are forms of Elemental magic from long ago. Some are in the form of elements that don't naturally occur in the world, like Sky Magic. Others, like mine, are a variation of the normal elements. My Black Lightning is a more powerful form of normal Lightning magic.”

Black Wing waved a hoof in a so-so fashion, “Yes and no. It also depends on the user. If a newbie tried to use my magic and went against an expert Lightning magic user, then the normal would certainly win. But if some one of my level went against me with normal Lightning, then yes, I would win. So I suppose in a way, yes, the Lost Elements are more powerful if put into the right paws.”

Twilights pencil scribbled down the information as fast as she could, “Okay, now why are they called Lost Elements?”

“They called that because they were lost to time. Over the centuries, they were no longer used, due to many different reasons such as being outlawed or they were too hard to control. In any case, they weren't practiced anymore and therefore, lost. We still have documentation about them though, so we know what some of the Lost Elements were, and are trying to recreate them.”

“Well, I can't tell you my story, but the other Elements we know of seemed to be pure, in a way. They were perfected forms of the basic elements. We have our mages study and train in one specific element their entire lives, learning to use them in all fashions of manner. The only hard part is figuring what it takes to master it.”

Twilight paused for a moment and hummed while chewing on the eraser of her pencil, “I don't suppose I could take a look at some of your data?”

Black Wing shrugged, “Well I'm not the one running the test, Star Shine is, so you'll have to ask her. But if she does agree, then your more than welcome to look at my personal data. I'm sure she has plenty of research material around her place as well.”

The lavender alicorn beamed, “Thank you!” she exclaimed, squeezing the wolf in a tight, quick hug before dashing out of the room.

The New Guy

by SilverWind102

Breaking Hearts and Lost Magic Arts