Silver looked up as a knocking came from his office door. "Come in!"
In came a guard with a familiar cyan pony behind him. "Rainbow Dash here to see you, sir."
Silver blinked in confusion to see her even as she launched herself at his desk and started looking him over. "Nice flight feathers, complete coverage, acceptable flight muscles. We'll have you flying in no time."
The guard left silently. Silver was left alone with RD peering at his every feature. "Are you who Samantha was thinking of?"
"Huh? Oh yeah!" Rainbow produced Sam's letter and offered it. "She wasn't pranking us, was she?"
Silver shook his head quickly. "No no, she's a bit eager, but she wouldn't do that. So, here's the deal." He pointed back at his wings. "I know how to fly. I can get off the ground, I can land, and I can even turn. But here's where it gets strange."
"Try me." She raised a brow. "I've seen it all when it comes to flying."
Silver spread his wings wide to either side, showing off the brown plumage to Rainbow. "First--"
"You're terrible at preening." RD raised a brow and stepped in closer to prod at the more obvious places. "Look, you take time to comb your mane, take time to preen your wings. One'll keep you in the air, and one just looks nice. One guess which is which."
Silver darkened at being called out. "That's one thing, but not the main thing. I know how to fly like a lunar pony."
RD blinked softly. "I have to see this. Come on, let's see you use those wings." She slid open the window and hopped onto the sill before she vanished into the air beyond before poking her head back in. "Come on!"
Silver hung a 'out' sign on the door with his magic and closed it before hopping out after Rainbow. He hovered there, flying in the awkward way that used wings not his own.
RD whistled softly. "So close... so far. You're going to have to forget all that. You're a pegasus, not a lunar." She rolled her eyes. "How did you even learn the other way?"
"Long story," murmured Silver as he remembered how the dream affected Rainbow. Was she? Did he even dare to bring it up at all... "Let me just say thank you. I'm sure you have a thousand things to do."
RD waved it off. "You're a friend of Twilight's, and a prince, so I'll squeeze it in. Just listen when I tell ya something, alright? Alright." She pointed to the ground and they both landed lightly on the plush carpet of grass near the castle. "It'll probably be faster to just pretend you don't know how to fly and go over it from the bottom up. Now spread those wings."
He did so quickly, but she snapped a hoof in the way and guided his wings along in a way that felt better. Silver had been shown once before, but he had to make a habit of it. With a nod, he gave an uncertain flap.
"Already itching to taste the sky, huh?" Rainbow circled around him. "Good! I like eager cadets." She poked him in the barrel. "You think you'll be taking me on, huh?"
"What? No!" He flushed a little.
"After I'm finished with you, I'll be upset if you don't give me a good race." She leaned in, violating Silver's personal space entirely. "Now let's go over stances." She started shaping the way he stood and even how much air he held in his lungs as she got him into an acceptable flying stance. "One advantage we have is I don't have to worry about fear of flying, or landing. You got those ideas down pat, right?"
"Right." He gave a little flap. "Is it alright to take off?"
"Almost." Rainbow turned to the side and slowly spread her wings. "Watch me first. I'll show some basic moves to get you going, then you make like a changeling and copy me." She hunched down and launched into the air, her powerful wings easily holding her aloft. Silver watched the way her wings moved as she did a slow circle and came for a landing. "See, easy? I took it nice and slow for you."
He jumped into the air with a push of earth pony magic, gaining good altitude before his wings took over just as he saw Rainbow do. He tried to forget, or at least ignore, what he already knew of flying to do a slow circle as she instructed.
Rainbow was not entirely pleased. She flew along beside him, correcting the small mistakes she saw and keeping him from slipping into bad habits, but they both landed and she nodded. "Very good. A start..." She twirled a hoof in the air. "When you can do five of those without me spotting anything wrong, we'll be ready for the next step, so get right back up there." She pointed to the sky.
Silver offered a salute and took to the air, only for Rainbow to call out the mistakes. He had a lot of work ahead of him...
As he worked, Night settled beside Rainbow in a smooth landing. "So you're who Samantha sent?"
"Yeah, she made it sound like Silver's idea." She looked Night up and down. "Did you teach him how to fly?"
"Hmm? No. I can't say I did."
"Huh..." said Rainbow with obvious doubt. "Where'd he learn to fly like a lunar pegasus?"
Night considered silence a moment, but that had rarely worked for her. "I will trust you, since you are a national hero."
Rainbow perked right up. "Oh? Juicy gossip? Do tell."
Night raised a brow. "This is a secret. Do I have your oath?"
"Yeah yeah, I wont't tell nopony." She made a funny gesture that ended with a poke in her eye. "Except for Twilight, if she really needs to know."
Night hesitated a moment before she nodded. "He visited another world through Luna's magic. He was a prince there too, but a lunar alicorn prince. He met another me there, another you..."
"Another me?! I bet that was awesome." Rainbow smirked as if amused by the idea.
Night had less reservations about Silver's potential embarrassment. "He attempted to serve as stud for you."
Rainbow went a dark red in her cheeks. "What?! He didn't call me out here for that did he? Because I'm not looking to become a mother." She snorted derisively. "Besides, we barely know each other."
Night raised her eyes to Silver making slow circles. "He didn't call you at all, but he's learned to accept serendipity. He will never whisper a word of that to you, he's too shy, and loyal. I am his first wife."
She looked Night over a moment. "I bet there's a story there too." She whistled sharply, summoning Silver from the sky. "You did good for your first day. I want you to keep practicing that. I'll be in the castle. I doubt Celestia will be that upset to see me."
Silver watched her go and looked over at Night. "You look thoughtful."
"You think she's still with the apple farmer?"
Silver went dark quickly. "I'm trying to not even consider it. It's none of my business if they are, or aren't. So... you remember?"
Night pointed to the castle with a wing. "I still have the book." She rose to her hooves. "You led quite an active life there... Do you ever miss it?"
"Miss it?"
"Come off of it, stop being entirely innocent." Night rolled her eyes. "Some part of you enjoyed it, or you wouldn't have done it. All those mares..."
Silver darkened deeply but said nothing.
Night nudged him. "So, which was your favorite?"
That was easy. He jumped at her and knocked her down as he squeezed her tight. "I'm still married to her."
She sank needle-sharp teeth into his willing throat, speaking around it, "Correct answer." She rolled over to press him into the grass and sat up, releasing him from her pointy grip. "Is she treating you right?"
"Hmm?"
"Rainbow Dash. She has an ego to rival the size of this castle. Does she have the temperament to be an instructor?"
Silver sat up, or tried to. Night was perched on him, warmly but firmly. "She's been good so far. I swear she's taught before. She tells me what's wrong, but I don't get the idea she's coming down on me for making mistakes."
"Good." Night nodded and hopped off of Silver. "Show me. I was busy chatting with her and didn't get a chance to watch you go."
So he did, showing off his stance and circular flight path that brought him down beside her. "That's all we went over today, but we just started, what..." He looked up to the sky. "Maybe an hour or three ago?"
Night kissed his cheek. "I wasn't trying to make you feel defensive. You're making great progress for one day's effort." She tilted her head at him. "So... do you miss it?"
"The mares? No!"
"Not that, not that I think you're being entirely honest with yourself." She snorted softly. "Being lunar... If you could, would you?"
Silver considered that a moment, looking over his wings. "I am what I am, and I like that. If I woke up tomorrow and I was lunar, I'd try to do that well, but I'm not, so I'll make like a bird instead." He flapped his wings before folding them in tight. "Which reminds me! I want to see about lunar ponies."
"All of them?" Night raised a brow. "What for?"
Silver stood up tall. "Some of them are getting along fine, but others are put upon severely, some by others, and some by themselves. they are a disenfranchised minority, and I know how that feels. Hell, even that question you just asked..."
"Which?" Night raised a brow. "About you becoming a lunar, or the mares?"
Silver grunted at that. "The lunar one. I'm a pegasus, lunar or not. The different comes down to cosmetics, functionally, but there are years of social, I mean, cultural differences. I want to learn what it means to be a lunar pony, including the downsides of it, and see if I can't make it a little better."
Night shook her head slowly. "Good luck with that... I'll tell you what I know, from experience, but I'm one pony. To get a cultural view is hard to say the least."