Nefertari slumped back in her chair. It had been a long day. She eyed her new jar, filled with angry red energy. Perhaps it wasn't entirely without merit...
A loud knocking on her door made her sit up sharply. With a flick of a finger, the drawer with the jar slid shut, hiding it from sight. "Who is it?"
"It's me."
It was Night Watch, her st... no, student was no longer the right word. "Enter."
Night stepped inside and closed the door behind herself. "We need to talk."
"We do." Nefer leaned forward in her seat, slumped a little with fatigue. "Today has been trying for us both, has it not?"
"It has," agreed Night as she settled on the small carpet. "I won."
"You did." Nefer raised a brow. "You did not come here to trumpet your victory to me, I hope?"
"No." Night sat up. "What you did was wrong. Do you argue that?"
Nefer flashed her deadly teeth. "Testing my pupil is wrong now? You have learned more today than many other single days combined."
Night smiled. "I was certain you said that, but you said a few other things."
"Hmm?"
"I am not your student." Night snorted softly.
"You aren't." Nefertari rolled a hand. "You could learn on your own now, peeling back the many layers of the mysteries without help or company."
"But I won't."
"I thought you wouldn't." Nefertari smiled toothily. "My peer, what wonders will we discover together, I wonder?"
"Oh, I wasn't speaking of you." Night turned her head. "Princess Luna is ready to learn beside me, and has exotic tomes she's eager to share with me."
Nefer felt a fist ball without her command. "She is no shaman!" She almost barked. "Why would you even bring her up? She's a unicorn and uses unicorn magic without shame."
"She is curious to see what I've learned." Night cast an eye on Nefertari. "As my wife--"
"What!?" Nefertari rose to her feet entirely. "Since when do you even tolerate her? What will the ponies of this nation think?"
Night mostly turned from Nefertari. "She has made her mistakes, but they were mistakes, and she has learned from them. She knows remorse, unlike some."
"And the people?" Nefer sneered. "They will revolt at the idea of one of their perfect princesses marrying another mare."
"Which is why she will not marry me." Night waved a wing lightly. "She will marry our herd, and become part of it. Celestia as well." She glanced over her shoulder. "I will be over you, politically speaking."
She clenched her teeth a moment. She was being riled, and she knew it. She was being manipulated and toyed with. The worst part was that it was so effective. She hadn't felt blinding anger like that in some time. She was in a bad place, and she had to let go. This battle would not be won, not this way. "I see. Well, you must be terribly busy."
"Never too busy to thank my former teachers." Night dipped her head, then moved for the door. A wing grasped it and began to turn it, only to pause. "How's your ancestor doing?"
"She's fine," growled out Nefertari, forcing her voice to be even. It had been a long and trying day. "And yours?"
"Still sore, but happy to be there." Night turned the knob and the door swing half an inch, still not quite open. "Shame you won't get a human spirit to examine..."
Nefertari smiled at that. If only Night knew... No, it was better she didn't. "I will have other opportunities."
"Perhaps." Finally Night opened the door and she was gone through it. "I have to check on my family." The door closed behind her and Nefertari felt and heard her leaving.
She was alone. No, she wasn't. Nefer pulled open the drawer, revealing the angry human spirit in a jar. "Hello, my dear. Oh the things we will learn..." She carefully hefted the jar into view and turned it around, eyes sparkling with possibilities. "The spirits said the key was around Silver, and not one, but two, hmmm. Patience is a virtue, and you're much better than that passive spirit ever could be." She tapped the top of the jar. "Almost too aggressive."
Grinning with rejuvenated glee, Nefer tucked the jar away and closed the door, promising to herself she'd devote time to it. In the meanwhile, she was exhausted from a day of battle, both with her student and her prize. "Mad spirits are so difficult to contain," she grumbled to herself as she settled for a nap.
"I'm home!" announced Night as she opened the door and discovered the rest were gathered around their dining table with Silver serving up food for Samantha and the foals. The scene struck her as odd. "Did I miss something?"
"I made pork chops," declared Silver as he slapped down what was clearly mashed potatoes and something green was on the plates as well. A dancing nose revealed it to be string beans to Night. "Come and sit and join us."
Night did climb into a seat, but her eyes were on Silver, and Samantha seemed subdued. Something had happened while she was away, besides... "When did you make meat? I mean, you don't usually, and for Samantha?"
Samantha tapped the table. "My mother was a human, so she was omnivorous. I want to try some meat. Is that bad?"
"No! No no." Night shook her head in firm denial. "I mean, I like meat." She sniffed softly at her proposed dinner and decided Silver had prepared it passably. She sank her fangs into one of the chops and gave a contented mmm. "Where did you find any pig?"
"Small griffon shop?" Silver held up one hoof awkwardly before he remembered to bring up another hoof to make the small space between. "Kind of out of the way, but they had everything I wanted and some I didn't recognize. I figured griffon pigs were less smart."
"They just care less." Night shrugged a little before she took another large bite. Silver looked stunned, and she figure out why quickly. "Oh! Yeah, they're probably dumber."
"I'm eating a sapient..."
Night swatted herself with a wing. "I don't know! You should ask the griffons, not me."
"I already cooked it!" Silver pushed his plate away with a sudden loss of appetite. "I don't want to eat anything that could theoretically ask me nicely not to."
Samantha peeked at them and down at the foals that were eating without heavy thought of morality. Her horn glowed to Silver's sight as she raised her chop into easy range and took a bite out of it. Unicorn teeth were less suited for meat rending, but she managed. "Are human pigs different?"
Silver almost said a few things, but they died in his throat. He'd never met an Earth pig. Maybe they were quite clever animals that he never got a chance to... He eyed the meat and sighed before he looked to Night. "Tell me fish aren't smart."
"Dumb as nails so far as I know." She cleaned the last easy part of meat from the bones. "Nice food, by the way. You shouldn't let yours go to waste. It's not like skipping it will bring it back to life."
As Silver got to eating his food, Night smiled a little. It was as good a time as any. "So... Celestia stopped by." Silver tensed. Night was pretty sure he knew before she said anything, but that was proof. "Luna too." Night leaned forward a little. "They want to join our herd, imagine that..." She enjoyed watching Silver squirm, but she didn't intend to keep him hooked for long. "I think I'll accept them."
Silver sagged with relief. "Really?"
"I have a condition."
Silver perked an ear at Night.
"Fast has to be in. All the Canterlot royalty. She deserves this..."
Silver tilted his head. "Did you talk to them about that?"
"No, but it's not up to them." She pointed at Silver. "What do you think of it?"
Silver gathered himself and sat up. "I would be delighted, to have her back that is."
"Then it's settled." Night nodded. "Samantha and the foals will be the youth of our herd, which will consist of me, you, Fast, Luna and Celestia. We will announce this to the world at the coronation and make it clear that you're not seeking others and I shall not be nominating any others."
Samantha tilted her head. "Are there laws concerning breeding and 'youth'?"
Silver blinked at the question. "Yes, of course. Foals shouldn't be messed with that way. They're too young."
"Oh! No!" Samantha shook her head. "No foals involved, I mean, not in the act of breeding."
Night raised a brow faintly. "It doesn't become alright after they're adults, not with their parents. That's incest and has..." She paused to make it more scientific. "Dramatically increased chance of genetic malfunction."
"Oh, yes that makes sense." She silently ticked a box. She was not related to her foal's father, so that was not an issue, nor was she a foal, so there was nothing to be worried about. "This is very good." She enjoyed the pork and everything with it, but she liked the company even more.
Night looked to Silver. "We can't just let them in improperly."
"Hmm?"
"We should do this right." Night sat up. "I want to greet them as First Wife, and then you can approve of my nomination, or not, properly as stallion. Let's get off to the right hoof and follow the proper rituals."
Silver rolled a hoof. "Do you know the proper ceremony?" She nodded with certainty. "Then show me." He hopped down from his seat, wings flapping on their own a little before settling. "If we're being formal, we should both be playing our parts, so show me what I should do."
Night hopped down beside him and went with him to the living room to practice.
Samantha looked to the two foals, who looked back at her. "They're doing complicated social ceremonies," she said and they nodded as if they understood completely. "How about we have ice cream while we wait?" They cried out in joy at the idea and she began to collect the plates and things to prepare for dessert.
None of them got to sleep quickly, but none of them retired unfulfilled. Thoughts of the future danced in their heads, though not all were of the same future and the same hurdles they would have to overcome.