Selena was anxiously preparing the mental room to be comfortable for her guests. It was still a plain white room, but there were a few more comfortable chairs than when Dax had visited. The two sets of doors formed as the mental connection was established, Selena waited with a nervous excitement for them to enter.
When Silver finally manifested in the dream world, she was even lovelier than she was in reality - which, considering what Illiad already thought of her, was quite a feat. She almost had a sort of glow about her, like she had just completed a good workout jog. Her eyes were bright, and her sense of wonder at everything around her was infectious and wild.
"Oh, wooooooooooooooooooooooow..."
Strangely enough, there was something a bit different about her: Silver had what looked to be the outlines of multiple gears faintly traced upon her coat. They glowed with a soft, silvery light that was barely visible at some angles, and stood out starkly at others. If Silver knew they were there, she gave no open indication - visually or mentally.
She was gazing around at... well, she wasn't sure, but it was unlike anything she could ever recall seeing before; naturally, she was so lost into looking about that she hadn't even noticed if she was alone or not...
She found herself in a small white room much like Illiad had described, with a large electrical switch on one side and a double door on the other.
Selena looked towards the mare a tad strangely. "What is it with these ponies and their strange outlines?" She could of course see her despite her being in the join room as it was part of her small domain.
Illiad was not far behind Silver in his arrival, his mane quite tidy here despite his usual appearance. When he exited his join room he was slightly surprised to see that Selena had not entered the room yet. He went over to her doors and decided to knock.
Silver jumped when Illiad knocked, and turned to face the doors as well, laying eyes on his DreamForm for the first time.
"OH!" Then, a softer, more interested, "oh..."
She stepped over to him and was somewhat staring... but her own DreamForm turned what would have been an awkward gawk into more of a look filled with longing and desire; it seemed as if Silver was more collected and together here.
"Illiad, you look absolutely radiant!" She placed a hoof on his shoulder, almost as if she were making certain he was 'real', so to speak. Then, she noticed the doors, and gave a soft giggle.
"I guess I've just never really dreamed so... lucidly before. I probably should've gone inside already, shouldn't I?"
Regardless of her current DreamForm looks, she was still sweetly scatterbrained, it seemed.
Illiad laughed a little back. "I'm sure our host appreciates how wonderful you find this whole experience. Speaking of which, you should meet her. Our host that is." Reaching in, he grasped one of silver's forelimbs in a gentlecoltly fashion, and carefully led her out into the main room.
Selena smiled as the two returned to the room she had prepared. "Hello Silver, it's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face, in a way of course. I'm sure you have many questions about this place and what's going on and I'd be happy to answer them."
Silver's eyes widened at the sight of the exquisite mare in front of her.
"Oh... oh, my..."
She then bowed her head, and gave a slight curtsy. "My name is Silver Studs; it is a fine pleasure to meet you." She gave a hesitant smile, then leaned close to Illiad and spoke sotto voce.
"Is this... your Mother, Illiad?"
Illiad looked aghast, and for a moment was at a loss for words. Selena on the other hoof found the question in quite another fashion. She started to laugh, quite a bit in fact as she reverted her form to something a bit more casual, when finished she looked like a mare about the size of Cocoa Pommel with hair like Luna when she was freshly treated by the elements of harmony. "Oh no no no," she said with a face full of mirth. "It's nothing like that."
Illiad took a bit to regain his composure, "It's more the opposite actually, she's like a younger sister to me though technically my daughter."
Selena took the opportunity to come up and shake Silver's other forelimb, "I'm Selena, Selena Diamond. The sentient consciousness within this gem, the embodiment of karma, and a piece of Luna's soul fused with a piece of Illiad's. In that way I am his and Luna's daughter. And it is a pleasure to meet you too."
Illiad was happy to see Selena be so open around someone other than himself, even with Dax she had been a mite reserved, but here she was practically her true self for Silver. He smirked over at Silver, "I guess this might answer why Luna gave me the diamond, though I suppose it opens another gearbox of questions for you." He gestured over to the chairs. "Why don't we all take a seat and talk for a bit?"
Secretly both Selena and Illiad were worried that Silver wouldn't take the revelation well and accidentally eject herself from the dream.
Her face turned a fetching shade of crimson as she gave a sheepish grin that beat Dax's by a landslide.
"I am SO very sorry - I just thought that with the way Illiad was being so careful and secretive, it would have been something precious... but there's no WAY I could have forseen anything like the explanation you just gave me!"
She smiled merrily; no getting this one down, that was certain!
Silver followed them to the chairs, and took a seat. "It's so strange - I KNOW I'm dreaming... yet it feels so real; I can't even begin to think of HOW my mind could interpret something like this! Yet here I am... and with TWO others present! OHH! I could write a paper on this! I could set the ideas forth of-... of..."
She closed her eyes, gave a rueful smile and shook her head gently.
"... of course, I can't talk about something like this, can I? I mean, the assumptions alone would be..."
Looking back up, Silver sighed. "No need to worry, Selena - mum's the word. Well, not insomuch as the word is 'mum'; more along the lines of 'hush', to be honest." She grinned, not a cloud in her personal sky.
"So, okay - the secrecy I understand, of course... but is there a scientific explanation for who - and respectfully what - you are? I tend to think better in those kinds of terms; I DO like you, and I tend to think I'm a fair judge of character... I'm just having to do a bit of mental hoofwork to put it ALL together. Maybe you already have a classification, or at the very least a scientific possibility or two that would help me piece the whole picture together?"
Illiad looked over at Selena, who nodded, before looking back towards Silver. "I guess the explanation would make the most sense if you knew the whole story. Unfortunately secrecy is indeed key, if you were to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you it would have dire consequences for all of Equis."
Illiad settled, getting comfortable in his chair before he spoke.
"It all started back at the end of Discord's reign, your princesses were searching for a way to liberate their kingdom and the world. They eventually found the tree of peace, which granted each of them powerful artifacts to defeat Discord. To Celestia it gave what you now know as the elements of harmony, and to Luna it gave the tenants of balance, four powerful gems that granted their wielder the ability to affect the four key balances. Namely: Good and Evil, Wisdom and Strength, Rain and Shine, and Sickness and Health. Together the princesses used their gifts to defeat Discord and seal him in stone, and they resumed ruling their now liberated kingdom.”
“They soon realized that the responsibility of the artifacts was not one that could be born alone, so they each formed groups to share in their burdens, Celestia as the element of magic and her elements of harmony, and Luna as the balance of Good and Evil as well as her order of balance. For a few years this went fine, there was much peace in the land, but good things can't last forever.”
“As the balance of Good and Evil, Luna had to ensure that bad things would periodically happen to keep the world in balance, but Celestia forbade her to fulfill her duties. Eventually the balance required a truly bad event to restore the world to balance, but Luna was too kind to do it, so she split her soul, placing the best parts of herself and her memories into her balance gem, this cloud diamond. She became Nightmare Moon, and was banished for doing what she had to to save the world from a state of perfect balance.”
“The remaining members of the order of balance went into hiding, but not before sending off their gems, each with a copy of their own consciousness inside, to the moon to save Luna. They each retained a single piece of their gems so they could continue to bring balance to the world, but over the generations these fragments were lost. The gems that had been sent slowly grew in energy, until they shone like stars in the night sky around the moon, eventually aiding in her escape.”
“When she returned her halved soul was restored by the new elements of harmony, and thus the soul that remained in the diamond could not be returned to Luna as she had originally intended. In addition, Celestia had found the gem first and locked it away, blaming it for her sister's deeds."
He paused and looked over at Silver, "I hope I'm not going too fast for you,"
He then resumed his speech,
"A year or two later, Luna selected me to be the next balance of good and evil. I liberated this gem from Celestia's captivity and was granted its power and responsibility. The parts of Luna's soul within the gem had formed a consciousness over the thousand years in space, but it was incomplete. As the new wielder, the soul within copied parts of my own soul to fill in the gaps, resulting in a full sentient consciousness that was not quite me nor quite Luna, but a fusion of the two that named herself Selena.”
“To answer your questions more specifically now that you know the background, Selena is a disembodied fusion soul bound to this gem, allowing it to store more energy than a cloud diamond of similar size, and be more magically responsive. The official classification would be a gem pony like the other three, though she is the only soul based one of the group, the rest are only conciousness, unable to operate unless magic is constantly provided them, Selena can live forever given the energy her soul and the gem produces for itself, but she cannot affect the outside world without additional energy added, thus a wielder is necessary."
Selena looked over at Silver, "Hopefully that answers some of your questions, but we would be willing to answer more if you'd like."
Silver was astounded; it was obvious to anyone who looked at her that she was simply stunned by the revelation of Selena's true origins.
"... so that would mean... Celestia has been lying to us, all this time? There were other elements - elements that could have saved Equestria just as much as the Elements of Harmony - and she forbade them? Simply because she wouldn't allow Luna to maintain a balance?"
She looked confused... then sad.
"Then... everypony in Equestria has been living under the rule of a tyrant who exiled her sister because she wouldn't allow her to maintain her side of the equation? And from what you've said, she is well aware of what's she's done... and feels justified in such? Oh... oh, my..."
Silver's face fell like a star. "I... I thought Celestia was supposed to be the kind and benevolent Princess we all assumed she was... but she's... she's..."
Tears began to track down her muzzle; Silver's emotions were wrought with sadness, confusion... and betrayal.
"... she's been LYING to us? Why? Why would she do that?"
Illiad was surprised, scared, and deeply saddened by the fact that he had made Silver cry. In a moment he had wrapped himself around her in a hug. "Please don't cry, I know it's quite a bit to take in but it isn't really quite so bad as you've said." Then he whispered. "I can't believe I'm about to defend Celestia"
He took a deep breath and began.
"From the very beginning of her reign Celestia saw all her subjects as her children. She loved their adoration and would do all she could to keep them safe and happy. In this way she spoiled them by not allowing them to experience many trials or hardships. She couldn't willingly allow bad things to happen to her ponies so she forbade Luna to act no matter the consequences. But the consequences ended up more dire than she thought. In addition, one of the plights of immortals is the fear of being alone, to be unwanted. Celestia can't bear the thought of being unnecessary, so she will do anything she can to keep herself relevant and important to her ponies, including taking sole control of the sun, and moon in Luna's absence. Being a staunch protector against any non-equestrians, hiding and ignoring the evils of the past so she would appear infallible, and disregarding any and all evidences that any form of government other than hers could work well, thus the hiding of Troy. In the end? Celestia is scared, scared of being left behind and forgotten, yet forced to continue living. She can't tell anyone without appearing fallible."
Illiad sighed, "I suppose that doesn't justify her actions, but perhaps you can understand now. To address your points more specifically, that balance and the elements are separate, each designed to handle different parts of peace and different situations. The balance would not have been nearly as effective as the elements against Discord, or Nightmare Moon as the elements were. Further, the balance isn't whole yet. We've only found two of the gems and wielders, we won't be at full strength until we have all four. I would still say Celestia is kind and benevolent, but kind and nice are different than good. She goes out of her way to prevent hardships among her ponies, and as a result she has hindered your technological and social development to protect you from the unknown or from deprecation. Can you imagine what it must be like to have a talent that is no longer useful? When what your good at has been replaced by something better? She's lied to you to keep you safe in her mind, safe from discovering bad things. From discovering that the world could go on just fine without her, that she herself is no longer necessary."
Illiad pulled back from the hug so he could look at Silver's face more clearly. "I can't say I find her actions entirely justified, but I do see why she did them. But in the end she is powerless to stop your progression, eventually she will fade into myth, like she caused her sister to, but she wants to delay it as long as she possibly can."
Silver clung to Illiad for a bit, crying softly against his chest; it was heartbreaking to imagine Silver weeping in reality - her DreamForm crying was an absolute tragedy. After a few minutes, her quiet sobs ceased. She remained against him for a moment more, then sat up and regained her composure, wiping her eyes and fussing with her mane for a moment before closing her eyes. The look on her face was quite serious.
"I think... I do understand."
Her eyes opened, and they were locked onto the Trojan's.
"But no... it's a reason, but NOT an excuse. The idea that she's doing... what she's doing... because she's afraid? I... I can't accept that. A good leader is HONEST with their followers... and a parent's greatest gift to their children is teaching them how to survive without them."
The look in her eyes went from one of acceptance to stony resolution.
"This... this changes so much, Illiad. I used to have faith that Celestia and Luna were taking care of us all, always with the best of intentions at heart... but, Celestia..."
She looked as if she might start crying again, but instead she simply gave a great gust of a sigh.
"Then... what can we do? What IS THERE to do? Hearing this just makes me... makes me... well, I don't want to say what it makes me; I don't want you to think any less of me, Illiad. But really... what can we do against this? How can this be made right?"
Illiad sighed, to be honest he didn't really know what to do. "A parent teaches their child to survive without them because they know they won't always be there, but Celestia will never die, so she wants her ponies to need her for as long as she possibly can. She has needs too you know, she needs to feel loved just like we do. Fear is a complex feeling, it can be unfounded and still prevent you from doing something. As to what we do about it? We simply wait. We keep on despite her, to spite her. Show her this isn't the way to earn love and respect."
He looked over at Selena, "We could start to praise Luna instead, show our appreciation for what she does. Maybe Celestia will get jealous and change her ways? Who knows?"
He looked back to Silver. "The best thing we can do is to live better than her, to be better than she was. In the end she'll still be here when we're long gone. But maybe we can help her to change for the better, give some future generation a better Celestia than ours."
Illiad shrugged and looked down. "I guess I'm just ranting a bit. To be honest I have no idea what can be done. I was always resigned to the fact that Celestia simply was the way she was and there was nothing we could really do about that, so I left her behind."
He looked up and over at Silver. "Science! That's something she's been dampening, you can fight back by pushing the boundaries of science and not letting her stop you. Start a scientific revolution, an era of discovery, TrUST has the resources and you have the brains to really make a difference, you might even become the next Tesla Tower."
Her eyes widened. "Tesla Tower? Oh, I don't think I'm THAT good; I just make machinery... but..."
She stood up, a thoughtful look on her features.
"... but what if you're right? What if the easiest way to turn things around is to simply start making innovations? Maybe if she sees that we're all hungry for something better, something more - and that we have the means to do so - then maybe she'll see that it might be time to let us grow up? Maybe she's just been waiting for PROOF that we can handle things on our own!"
Now Silver was excited, and the gear outlines on her flank began to glow brighter as she paced.
"Of COURSE! Once she sees that we have what we need to make it on our own, there will be no reason for lying anymore! We'll be able to handle the truth at last! And if we do this right, there might STILL be a place in Equestria for her... yes! THAT has to be the answer!"
She swiveled to meet Illiad and Selena's gaze.
"This is... well, it's LIFE-CHANGING! This is something I would be willing to do, if it meant an end to the deceptions - and my parents would be SO proud of me! OH! This is INCREDIBLE! I'd just have to-..."
She stopped mid-sentence, and her features began to fall again.
"... but what about Mr. Blackwater? And the quarry? I couldn't just leave them; they mean so much to me. Besides, I don't know if there's anypony in all of Equus that would be able to fix anything that broke there - the plumbing system alone would take a team of well-trained ponies to properly maintain without the proper knowledge! Don't you know it NEVER rains at the Blackwater Quarry? How in the wide, wide world of Equestria would the quarry get its water?"
She looked at the two of them. "How am I going to do this?"
Illiad smiled at her enthusiasm, though her concerns were valid they shouldn't be too hard to solve.
"It sounds like the quarry would be in quite the predicament if anything ever happened to you that prevented you from doing your job. I think the first step is ensuring that the quarry has a means of moving forward if that ever happened to you. I'm sure Mr. Blackwater would understand the value of a backup system in regards to your very important position here. TrUST can provide you with the resources you need to work here, they may require that you take a few trips away now and again, but otherwise you would be free to invent from the comfort of the quarry until you feel ready to leave."
"Well, I still feel like I owe Mr. Blackwater for all he did for my parents; it wouldn't FEEL right to simply leave him high and dry like that... and I'd have to find somepony who's got the knack it takes to keep the quarry running..."
She frowned. "That'll be the hard part; I don't know of many ponies who have the patience or the skillset to fix anything that might go wrong... and at a gem quarry, a LOT can go wrong, believe me! But... maybe if I speak my concerns about a replacement to TrUST, they might be able to help me find somepony able to do so, couldn't they?"
She pondered the thought for a moment, before shaking her DreamForm head.
"Not yet - I'll send a scroll to TrUST, first thing tomorrow... but I think maybe I should get to know them before I go asking for any favors like that. I wouldn't want to put them out, or seem rude by asking for something like that so soon. Yes. I'll see what I can do from the quarry, and then after the correspondence has gotten well underway, I'll pop the question... well, not insomuch as POP a question, as more like I'll send a scroll with the question ON it. Still... if this scientific gathering is as astute as you say they are, then I'm sure I'll be happy with what comes from it."
She smiled at Illiad, radiant as a full moon. "Oh, so much to THINK about! Illiad, I think it's quite possible that THIS might be what I was destined for, you know? Oh sure, it sounds silly, but... well, I've spent a good portion of my existence pondering my purpose - why am I so gifted with machinery, yet I never seem to be able to find ANYTHING to do with this talent, except for working here? I used to think the quarry was my destiny, but..."
She looked down for a moment, then looked back at him.
"... well, it still felt like something wasn't... THERE. Like I was missing something... now? Illiad, just the IDEA of going into my workshop and constructing even the first few pages of my idea notebook has my heart racing! I haven't felt this kind of excitement since I was a filly! And... and I owe this opportunity to you, you know."
Silver stepped closer, and gave his left cheek a gentle nuzzle, leaving a lingering scent of jasmine and machine oil drifting across his nostrils. She stayed close, and slightly leaned against him as she sighed softly. Eventually, she leaned upwards and planted a soft, simple kiss directly on his jawline, then stepped back from him reluctantly.
"You have no idea how happy I am to have met you, Illiad Easle - and I have no idea how a stallion I met so recently has managed to take hold of my heart like you have. My mother would say this was insane... but my father would laugh and tell me to 'take it to the limit', as he likes to say. He'd like you, I'm sure of it."
Illiad smiled as he returned the nuzzle and kiss as well. Before today he had never really been fond of the idea of kissing, he much preferred hugs as they had a greater sense of closeness, but he was starting to like kisses now. "I'm glad I was able to help you find something so fulfilling for your life. I'd be happy to help you in any way that I can. Though this lack of rain here is quite odd."
Selena looked… odd, she spoke almost as if to herself. "What do you mean it never rains here? That shouldn't be possible, it even rains... well, precipitates, on the frozen poles, how could this area never get rain?"
At Selena's question, Silver turned to face her.
"Well... it hasn't rained ever since I started working there; that's part of the reason for so many bilge pumps and pipes at the quarry - if you actually look, they're everywhere. I have to maintain the pumps and the filters that keep the water flowing to the Gem Refinery because there's no off-flow from rain; it NEVER rains at the Blackwater Quarry."
She shrugged. "I used to question it myself, but none of the soil samples came up with anything out of the ordinary; neither did anything else I tried. Maybe it's the angle of the mountains? I thought the buffeting winds would have kept any storms away... at least, that's what I came to assume."
Selena pulled a sheet of glass from seemingly nowhere, this was a dream after all, which was covered with words and ever changing diagrams, like a projector movie of sorts. "I'll look into it, it seems that someone might be manipulating the weather here, it could be just a simple rain shadow effect of the mountains, but the wind and storms should be coming from the other direction. Nevertheless, if it hasn't rained in that long this place is due for one crazy storm in the near future."
Silver gave a slight nod.
"I even sent a letter to Cloudsdale about it - they never wrote back, so I simply assumed it had been dumped into an In Pile somewhere, or that there wasn't a problem in the first place. The weather ponies take their jobs pretty seriously, so I just... sort of... thought it was okay..."
She seemed a bit embarrassed by this revelation. "To be honest, it simply slipped my mind to look into it further - with so much to keep track of, the less-immediate issues get priority. Sometimes, that means things... well, slip." She shrugged a bit; the stallion could feel the slight shame she was experiencing.
"But now that it's come up, it actually might be a GOOD thing to find out what's causing this - after all, if the quarry would get annual rainfall, we could do away with roughly a THIRD of all the pipes! Oh, with the maintenance I usually have to give those pipes cut out, why I might actually get time to breathe!" She giggled at the statement, then looked back at the Trojan, a more serious look on her muzzle.
"If I undertake this thing with TrUST, we'll have to keep it quiet for now, won't we? I mean, if Celestia really is suppressing technology, then I could be in serious trouble if I were caught doing this, wouldn't I?"
Illiad had a bit of a conspiratorial look to his face, "Actually, you should do the opposite. Be a public figure, make inventions and get them to the public so everyone knows who you are, and when Celestia offers to make you part of the research team at her school, you turn it down. That's how she sidelines unsuspecting researchers, she puts them in her school and keeps them busy on inconsequential research that she is the sole director of. You can of course keep the involvement of TrUST quiet, just don't let anyone keep your work quiet. If ponies know about you it will be much harder for Celestia to disappear you, and with TrUST you'll have a way out if she issues any ultimatums, which she might if you get too close to what she doesn't want. If you stay quiet you may get further, but you'll be very easy to disappear."
Selena slid the glass back into nothing with a shrug. "Odd's what it is, but Luna should be able to sort it out, if you have a good handle on it then we wont worry about it too much just yet."
Silver's eyes bugged nearly out of her head. "GO PUBLIC!? Illiad, how in the wide, wide world of Equestria am I supposed to DO that? I mean, I'm pretty sure the things I can build just bumming around the quarry for parts, but... but you're talking about... about ME being in the..." she gulped, "... spotlight?"
Illiad could feel it rolling off her in small waves, held in check for now but turbulent nonetheless; Silver apparently had Stage Fright.
Illiad could understand that, he still dreaded when he would have to speak before the general citizenry of Troy. "You don't necessarily have to go full public, just get you name out there in a way that ponies would notice if you ever went missing. Through if you do fear being public, perhaps within Equestria isn't the best place to try to incite an industrial revolution. Start small and work with TrUST for a bit, when you feel ready to go on to bigger things then do so, I wouldn't want to make you do something you weren't ready for."
Silver blinked. "Wait... an Industrial Revolution..? Then we would need... an industry..."
She gasped (a rather fetching sight in her current form), then her eyes (and mood) brightened.
"We could ask Mr. Blackwater for help! We could speak to him about trying to get the patents for some of my mining equipment done through the quarry as a company; that way, instead of trying to pass it through from pony to pony, word will get around about how efficient my machines are through Mr. Blackwater's business - and I might not be able to handle public pressure, but I don't think it would be any problem for him!"
She grinned. "So we just need to convince him that investing some of his capital into my machinery would be a good idea, and I can get right to work! Oh, it'll be perfect!"
Then, Silver paused... a slight feeling of hesitation and worry floated through her. She gave Illiad a puppy-eyed look - which had double the effect in DreamForm.
"Would you be willing to help me speak to Mr. Blackwater about all this? He's... well..." She shivered a bit. "...intimidating."
Illiad looked a bit unsure, "Well, when I said I'd do anything to help you... You see...." He hung his head, looking up sheepishly at Silver. "He intimidates me too."
He looked back up at Silver, "But for you? I'd be glad to help you talk to Mr. Blackwater. I think it's a great idea and he'll probably see it that way too."
Silver's eyes widened at Illiad's confession... then a quick ripple of concern, and a bit of relief.
"Thank you so very, VERY much; there's NO WAY I could do this by myself... well, not that I couldn't do it alone - more like I wouldn't want to... he IS scary. But, he helped my parents, so he's not a passionless stallion."
She turned to Selena. "Maybe you've got some knowledge on how we could increase our chances - after all, if half of you was Luna, then you might know something about talking business with other ponies... or just... other things that pertain?"
Selena shook herself away from the slight smile she had been watching the pair with to be a bit more attentive. "Sorry, you two are just so cute together. As to Mr. Blackwater, from what I've seen the best way to talk to him would be to emphasize how your plan would be good for him and the quarry in a factual and clear way. He has a fondness for efficiency, thus when talking with him you should just state simply what your plan is and clearly how it will benefit him to support it. The hard part would then be to simply construct valid arguments as to why your plan is worthwhile. For instance if the quarry were to patent your machines then the quarry could produce additional revenue by selling the machines to other businesses."
She nodded. "Yes, of course... he's always so efficient; he doesn't even waste words! If we talk to him about this, we just have to be direct and straight to the point - no beating around the bush. If he likes what he hears from us, then he can arrange the capital where it needs to go... he has to be good with numbers, as the quarry's records are second-to-none - at least, that's what I've heard."
Actually, if Illiad thought about it, Luther may have been the head of the quarry... but it was someone else entirely different who controlled the bits that went through the company's coffers.
And Illiad knew who that someone was, of course.
Illiad remembered that it was Mrs. Blackwater that managed the books, but they still had to talk to Mr. Blackwater first. It was his quarry after all, to go straight to his wife for the money might make it seem like they were going behind his back and could possibly cause a divide between the Blackwater parents.
Illiad nodded, "Well then, we'll talk to Mr. Blackwater in the morning then, I have a few things I need to tell him anyway about some of the happenings on the quarry. I guess now I no longer have a reason to put it off."
Silver nodded. "Then tomorrow, it is! Plus, it gives me a reason to stick around YOU after we wake up." Her smile was soft and sweet, and she moved up closer to the Trojan.
"Well... now that all of THAT business is out of the way..."
She couldn't help herself but to gaze into his eyes again. "I kinda think we're being a wee bit rude to Selena; maybe we should try to come up with something the three of us could do together here? I mean, if this is a Dreamscape, then what ELSE can we do?"
Her curiosity was piqued; it was somewhat refreshing that the previous issues didn't weigh on Ms. Studs enough to warrant their constant worry. She looked lovely, and was quite happy to simply enjoy her time here with the two of them.
Illiad was happy because Silver was happy. He looked contemplative for a bit. "Well... This is a fully lucid dreamscape, we could really do anything we want to in here. Since this is your first time here we'll let you decide. I'm sure you can come up with something when the limit is your imagination."
Selena seemed excited by the idea of something new. "When Dax was here he wanted to go dancing, while it wasn't exactly unique it was a nice change of pace. Even this room can be changed to suit whatever we need it too. Besides, just watching you two is all I need to have a good time."
Silver looked thoughtful for a minute, then her emotions and her muzzle both lit up like small suns.
"I know! Selena, if you know the stars as well as Luna would, then I KNOW what I want to do!"
A sparkling smile poured out from her, eyes wide and shining.
"I want to go flying among the stars... with Illiad." She blushed. "... and you too, of course!", she added hastily.
Selena gave a slight smile as she nodded. "That is certainly a fun experience, when done correctly."
The room darkened until it was all pitch black, then the stars began to appear all around them, first in a sort of distant sphere surrounding them, then more appeared in the surrounding space. Selena too changed in appearance, becoming large like Luna, though her whole body seemed to be the same as Luna's starry mane. "Now real stars, other than me, are very far apart, hundreds of thousands of times further than most things you could conceive of. They look so small because they are actually really big at these far off distances, but that is hardly romantic, so I arranged this star-field to be a bit more dense with much smaller stars. I hope you like it."
The pair found themselves floating in a veritable sea of stars, hundreds of thousands of stars in every direction they looked. They were floating a bit, though it only took a thought to send themselves floating in any desired direction. Illiad wound a foreleg around one of Selena's so they wouldn't be separated.
A faint music began to play in the background:(<=Link right there)
"Ohhhhhh..."
Silver's eyes threatened to devour her face as she slowly turned in a small personal orbit, looking everywhere at once.
"... it's more beautiful than I ever imagined..."
She looked at Illiad, the gears on her coat shining clearly and brightly, as if she were her own star.
"... come on - let's FLY!"
With a lurch, they both began to move forward through the floating spaaaaaace around them, points of light in every direction; each one reflecting in Silver's irises. She began to laugh, at first a soft sound... then slowly building to the laugh of a pony in sheer bliss, without a care in the galaxy.
The two of them drifted onward. Silver turned to face the handsome stallion next to her, and slyly grinned.
She blurted out, "Akissifyoucatchme!", then she let go of his hoof and took off like a shot ahead of him, laughing like a filly at play.
Illiad looked intrigued by the offer, "A kiss you say? I may just have to catch you now." With a whinny he too shot off into the star-field, a bright smile on his face as he did so. If only due to his experience in this zone he was slowly gaining on her.
Selena laughed softly as she watched the two frolic in her stars. This was the kind of enjoyment Luna had always wanted to instill in the ponies of Equestria, and Selena had finally done it. It was a nice feeling to be so thoroughly appreciated for what she could do.
Illiad got his kiss.
And countless numbers more.
They played among the stars like children, and played amongst each other like starstruck sweethearts. It felt like an eternity passed, time having no true meaning in a dream, and they seemingly shared lifetimes doing nothing more than being in wonder with existence itself... and each other.
Eventually, having nearly mastered moving through space like this, Silver did a cute little pirouette into Illiad's embrace, wrapping her hooves tightly around him, nuzzling into his neck and giving his ear a gentle nibble.
"I could stay here forever, as long as you're here with me... I have NEVER had so much fun... or felt so very adored..."
She spoke breathy whispers into his ear, tendrils of honey-coated affection across his eardrums.
"... I love you..."
The kiss she gave him now was no mere peck, nor a lingering roll, but a long and passionate connection between her soul and his own; feeling her hungry desire with his Empathy made it twice as deep for the focus of Silver's affections.
In a dream that kiss could last forever, but as much as Illiad wanted it to he knew it would be time for them to get up soon. He was content to remain here with Silver for as long as he possibly could, but physical interaction was much preferred. In a dream things never felt quite the same as they did in real life and he was already beginning to miss how her fur felt against his own. Eventually he managed to pull himself away from the kiss to stare into Silver's eyes. "I would go almost anywhere to spend time with you, this night has been the best I've ever had, better even than the one I met Luna and Selena on. Silver, I love you too."
Small tears sprang to her eyes, perching on her long lashes like dew on a leaf.
"I never thought... th-th-thought I would ever find a Special Somepony... but it's you... it HAS to be you..."
She hugged him fiercely, as if her entire being would shatter if she were to let go for even a moment. The tears never fell; those drops of pure joy ended up rubbed into Illiad's robes as she nuzzled him again and again, her heart near bursting with joy at the prospect of something in her life other than the quarry and its machinery.
"I've really gotta thank you, Selena, for allowing me to come here, meet you, and find... well... and find love. This is absolutely the most magical moment in my life - and I'm a unicorn!"
She smiled at Selena, wishing her the best. This said, she turned back to face her love.
"And YOU should thank Dax; this would never have happened without him plotting it! He came to me earlier in the day, and it was a bit of a whirlwind for us to arrange everything: digging up the light poles out of my storage shed, finding the right spot, getting the Ons to whip up some food... OH! I should thank them, too!"
Silver was simply pouring her thoughts right out of her lips; she was so absolutely overcome with emotion that she seemed to have lost any sort of filter to her stream-of-consciousness chatter.
"Oh, I'm just... just..."
Her breath had gotten away from her, and she leaned on Illiad for support for a moment... then let out a soft, rueful chuckle.
"... I need to stop getting ahead of myself; we have plenty of time to get closer - it doesn't need to be all at once, right?"
She still couldn't help but steal another kiss.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but... I can hardly wait to wake up; I'll see you soon... oh, so soon..."
She settled against him, gave a large yet gentle sigh, and closed her eyes as she cradled her muzzle against his neck.
"... mmmmmm... just... like... this..."
Her smile was sweet and happy; her emotions followed suit.
Illiad decided the best move at this point would be to simply stroke her mane as she moved herself into his embrace.
"I was starting to think I'd never find someone who would want to share their life with me. It's a good thing Dax and I got paired together and stuck out this exchange long enough, otherwise we may never have met. Every moment I spend with you is one of the best moments of my life, the slower we take things the more moments like this I get, so let's not rush it too much."
Selena could hardly contain herself with how cute the other two were acting, but Silver was correct and it was just about time for them to wake up. Slowly the room dissolved, the stars fading slowly away as Selena disconnected the pair of ponies from her mental room.
Just as it had started, it ended with her sitting alone, with nothing but her memories, now a few more pleasant ones, to pass the time.