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// 133 - Those Left Behind 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
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Silver roused with a purpose, or at least a remembered one.

His motion caused Sunny to open her eyes and watch him silently a moment as he slid from the bed. She was the first, but hardly the last as the gentle disturbances stirred Celine and Night from their respective slumbers.

Celine sprang to the floor and began trotting towards the nursery. "I'll check on the foals."

Night reached with a wing for her glasses and slid them into place. "Thanks, but I'll be in to say good morning to them shortly."

Sunny slid down beside Silver. "You look like you have something on your mind."

Trixie ran a brush through her mane as she regarded Silver. "Are you looking forward to the next lesson that eagerly? Trixie would like to try it as well."

Silver lifted an ear at his mother. "Yes, but that's not what Sunny's thinking of." He turned to Sunny fully. "In the dream, I was pretty involved with a pair of sisters."

The strike of a wing upside his head was swift. Night frowned at him as she stalked past him. "At least pretend it's embarrassing."

Silver blinked softly. "I got one of them killed, which one is a bit blurry. They were Saddle Arabians, being given a hard time for being what they were with their feline neighbors. If they're real, I'd like to lend a hoof. A letter or two, a few bits?"

Sunny got that little smile she liked to get. "That sounds lovely. Do you know their names?"

Names were not Silver's strength, but those two had been special. "Shai and Aila Windsong, if I recall properly. They have an aunt, Patty Windsong. Can you find them?"

"Personally, no." Sunny rose and moved towards the small kitchen the suite had. "But there are others I can call on. What did they do for a living?"

Night raised a brow at the two. "You're seriously going to go through with that? How do we know they aren't figments of his dream?"

Sunny lifted her shoulders. "How can we say they are or are not? Let us assume they are not until proven otherwise. He's been accurate enough."

Silver put a hoof behind his head. "Night, I'm not trying to get involved with them like that, not at all. They're a country away and I don't plan to visit, but a few letters and well wishes won't hurt them or us."

Rough woke with a thunderous yawn and half rolled out of bed. "Morning everypony. Waking up with so many ponies around is still kind of new." He smiled despite it. "I think I like it."

Trixie poked him lightly. "Don't get too used to it. The Great and Powerful Trixie likes having some quiet time between her bedazzling appearances before her adoring crowds."

Sunny began gathering ingredients to prepare a breakfast. "Silver?"

Starting, he nodded quickly. "Oh, yes, they had an inn."

"Ah, that should narrow it down. Windsongs, Saddle Arabians, owned an inn in Anugypt. How many of those could there be." Sunny went quiet then, focusing on making breakfast.

Night nudged Silver's shoulder with a snout. "Let's check the foals." He easily agreed and they walked into the nursery to find Celine seemingly juggling the two in her magic, apparently to their delight as they squealed and giggled.

Silver tilted his head with some confusion. "Isn't that a bit rough to start the day with?"

Celine snorted softly. "Tis not my magic that holds them aloft. Foals can be quite unpredictable. My magic keeps them from fleeing me. Morning Glory is holding himself and his sister up."

Night reached with her wings and carefully drew the two squirming foals to herself as she sat. "That's enough roughhousing for one morning, you two. Don't you worry, we'll do something fun today." They cheered despite not being able to speak, leaving Silver wondering just how pony linguistic development worked.

He reached out a hoof and Clear Twilight broke off from her feeding to approach him. She was noticeably larger than Morning Glory. "Just how much larger will you become, my wonderful daughter?" He grabbed her up and nuzzled her as his magic grabbed for the bottle and brought it over, resuming her breakfast.

Night smiled a little, watching Silver and Clear Twilight. "You're pretty cute when you're focused on being a father."

Celine bobbed her head. "It is not a bad look for him. Methinks Lady Lulamoon is eager to begin the day. She's watching you quite carefully."

Silver knew a hint when he heard one. He carefully set Clear down and nuzzled the top of her head. "Want to see daddy mess up and throw himself around?"

She gave a loud cry that may have been affirmative and began following him. Not to be left behind, Morning vanished from Night's arm and appeared beside Clear, accompanying her to see what Silver was up to.

Night rolled her eyes as she trailed behind. "So what exactly are you practicing today?"

Trixie clopped her hooves with joy when the party emerged. "Excellent! Today we begin lessons in internal telekinesis."

Night raised a brow sharply. "I will not have Silver reaching inside his innards with his magic."

"Not like that." Trixie waved it off. "From an early age and throughout most of our lives, unicorns focus on applying their force to other things. Lifting, opening, using, but the book is crystal clear on the idea that the unicorn her or himself is as valid a target as anything else. Lifting, for instance." She pointed to the book. "The spell is written there."

Silver lifted an ear at the book as he approached it. "Why do we need a spell at all? There's no spell to grabbing things and picking them up."

Trixie lifted her shoulders. "You are welcome to try, my Brave and Foolish student."

The challenge was given. He nodded and focused his magic, imagining the silvery hand beneath himself just as he'd tried once to flee with as a foal. It lifted up and he rose with it, but it was dizzying. Its relation to himself changed in subtle ways trying to focus on something that moved in that particular configuration with himself. The hand listed to the side a little and he began to slide before he countered it quickly. It was working, but it wasn't graceful. "See, I'm flying."

Trixie nodded. "You're doing quite well, but the spell makes it much more graceful. If she reads it correctly, you'll focus on where you want to be instead of on the magic you're using on yourself." She reached up and poked the magic beneath Silver.

He had interwoven the spell that let him feel through it without thinking about it, just as he had practiced. That was less than ideal in this situation as he became distracted and came crashing to the ground. "Ow." He was more embarrassed than hurt and quickly got himself upright. "Alright, I get the idea. Let's get to--"

"Breakfast." Sunny approached, plates of food hovering around her as she went. She set one down before every pony in the room. "I don't get to cook that often, so I hope it's alright."

No complaints were had as conversation and learning were paused to enjoy the home-made food.

Morning popped out of existence just to land on Night's head with a delighted little coo as he grabbed hold of her from above. Night reached with a wing, petting her son gently. "You be good up there. You had your breakfast, mommy's turn."

Clear waddled up to Rough Draft and gave him a prod. Despite being a little foal, she made him sway dangerously before he  recovered and laughed. "My, uh, oh wow it's still weird thinking I have a grandfilly, but here she is." He reached for her, plucking her up and hugging her, only to get a tight hug in return. "Oof! Foals, they're something else..."

Sunny looked distracted a moment, a little frown marring her generally positive features. Night noticed it quickly. "Something wrong?"

She waved it off weakly. "It's... Silver, are you certain they were Windsongs?"

He perked his ears. "Pretty sure. Sisters. Why?"

She let out a little breath. "The only report we have of Windsongs is over a thousand years old... They have long since passed on. Their inn is still standing, at least. It's become something of a monument to the city of Catro."

He felt a chill run through him. "Were they... happy at least?"

Sunny gave a tiny smile. "They fought long and hard for their right to live and prosper in the city. Their work paved the way for others to come after them and the country is far more diverse and lively for it, but they were not much loved while they were alive, and suffered many setbacks."

Silver deflated a little. "Still, they stuck to it... They both would have been proud, to know the legacy they left behind."

Night fidgeted a little. "I don't really understand this, not from your perspective, but I do understand it means a lot to you." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Maybe we could send something, to their inn? Do their descendants run it?"

Sunny tilted her head. "I'll have to check, but that's a lovely idea."

With a loud squeal, Morning appeared atop Silver's head and gave him a bop. Silver smiled at the strike after an instant of frowning. "Even my foals are telling me to buck up." He lifted his son in his magic and nuzzled that exposed belly. "Message received. Enough wallowing in the past. The far past... apparently... Let's get back to magic."

Trixie smiled brightly. "This she can agree with. If you're done with breakfast, let's get to work."

He rose, placing Morning in Night's ready hooves. "Let's get to it."

It was work, but it was enjoyable work.