Samantha returned home, without Moonbeam. He was a member of that school and having his first day of class. She couldn't help but smile at her victory. She was being a good mother figure, and her son would grow up to have all the opportunity to be what he wanted to be. Filled with positive energy, she bounced up the steps towards the castle, past the guards that would have ejected her once upon a time.
She saw Celestia moving along with a crowd of guards and raised a hoof. "Hello, future mother-in-law."
Celestia darkened faintly, her marriage plans far from public yet. That had to be remedied... "Samantha, how fare your new duties?"
"I have initiated several projects that should improve the lives of many ponies at once," reported Samantha with a smile. Everything she'd done lately was turning out quite well so far she could see. "They will take time to result in measurable consequences, but the ponies involved are already improved from working on them. It is a pleasure to have this position. My other new position also is turning out well."
"Oh?"
"My son is enrolled properly and is again attending school. I am very proud of him and look forward to seeing his academic progress." She nodded firmly as she spoke. "I don't know what he will pursue as an adult, but I will endeavor to be sure he is prepared to do so."
"That is a very mature stance for any parent to take." Celestia gave a gentle nod in kind. "That's what school is for." One of the guards whispered to her and Celestia nodded. "I have to be going. Samantha, please take care."
"Goodbye." Samantha dipped her head and moved on, smiling radiantly. Even her chat with Celestia went well.
She opened the door to their communal living suite and... something was off.
Night was there. She nodded towards Samantha. "Ah, there you are. Are you busy?"
"No." Samantha raised an ear, and her readiness. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't put a hoof on it.
"Would you like to speak to Nefertari?"
Samantha blinked. "Is she ready to apologize for her many infractions of the Golden Rule? I would like to discuss that." She turned right back towards the hall. "Let's go."
Night glanced towards her bedroom before following after Samantha. "Let's go."
They went across the hall, Nefer's room not that far away. Samantha reached the door first and knocked softly. "Nefertari? Can we speak?"
The door slid open, revealing the biped peering at Samantha curiously. "I would think you have very little to say to me."
"Why would that be?" Samantha tilted her head. "I liked having you as a friend. I would like to return to that, but you have violated the Golden Rule."
"Hmm?" Her eyes darted past Samantha to Night. "Was this your idea?"
"It was," admitted Night. "But I just said the idea, the rest is Samantha."
"Very well, what is this 'Golden Rule'?" she asked with a roll of a paw-like hand.
"Do to others as you would want them to do to you." She tilted her head. "You wouldn't want me to kidnap your parents, would you?"
"I should think not." Nefertari dropped into a squat, on Samantha's level. "Very well. I failed in that task, and it was one I should not have taken. Accept my apology."
"Accepted." Samantha came forward, smiling brightly. Could that day get any better?!
They met in a hug and Samantha hugged her renewed friend eagerly. "We have so much to catch up on," gushed Samantha.
Night rolled a hoof. "Nefertari, why was what you did wrong?"
Samantha blinked and turned back to Night. "It's not obvious?"
"I want it in her words." Night gestured with a flick of her head towards Nefertari.
Nefertari snorted softly. "If I wanted a spirit, or to test you, a spirit not quite so related to either of you would have been wiser." She got her spirit, and hurt neither of them. That was certainly better and less difficult. "Samantha, you forgive me, hmm?"
"I do," agreed Samantha. "You are NefNef again." She kissed her friend on the cheek and backed up a step. "NefNef, how are you? It's been a while."
Nefertari rose to her full height. "I shall call you Sammy."
Samantha's eyes went wide. She had been nicknamed. She began to giggle, overwhelmed with how well the day had gone. "I will proudly be your Sammy. Did you know I have a son now?"
"Do you now? You didn't even appear pregnant, though I have not been around ponies that long..."
Night shook her head with a wry smile. "She adopted a colt under our nose. They're getting along at least."
Samantha bobbed her head. "I'm doing the best I can to be a good mother. I'll bring him to meet you. You'll like him!" Not that she was any authority on who would like who, but why would her son not like one of her first friends?
Nefertari looked past Samantha to Night again. "Have you come to speak on our... last conversation?"
Night grimaced faintly. "I do need to talk to you, about that. May I come in?"
"With or without Sammy?"
Samantha blinked in confusion. "I thought all three of us were having a conversation."
Night clucked her tongue. "With Sammy, she's involved too, even if she doesn't know it."
All three retreated inside and Nefertari closed the door. "Very well, what do you wish to say?"
Night pointed at Nefer with a hoof. "Even if we accept you, I don't think you understand what you're getting into. We are a family, all of us. Even Celestia and Luna know this, and are ready to be part of that family. That means we all care about each other. If Celestia has a rough day, she can turn to Silver or I and vent and expect us to listen and care. If Luna wants a hug, she's getting a hug."
"I'd hug her," reported Samantha with a happy smile.
Nefertari gestured at herself. "And if I have a troubling day?"
"Then we'd want to hear about it, and to offer comfort. That's what a family does, because we love one another. If this is entirely for politics..."
Nefer sneered faintly. "Silver and Samantha would show me love just the way I am. Why would that change?"
Night flared her wings out a moment. "They are not the only members of this family. Celestia, Luna, and myself, are not ready to love anyone who doesn't really love us back. You don't love me. I'm not even sure if you tolerate me, currently."
"Why should I?" Nefertari raised a brow. "I served well as your teacher, and you threw that away when you were slighted. I did all that I was asked to do, and you are a fine shaman, as I doubt you will argue."
Samantha looked back and forth between the two as they discussed heavy things. "Night knows about spirit things, like you, NefNef. That gives you two something to talk about. I don't know much about them...."
Nefertari crooked a finger at Night. "The ball is in your court on this, night pony. It is not I who cast you out."
Night scowled softly. "You're the one that broke that bond!"
"Did I? I challenged you, and you met it. You succeeded over it and grew for it. Is that not what any teacher should hope from their student. I have apologized for making it too... personal, but you cannot argue the results."
Samantha flashed a bright smile at her renewed friend. "Are you joining the herd?"
"That would be the idea, Sammy. I would stay apart and out--"
"No." Samantha shook her head. "That would make you my mother-in-law as well. We would do many things together." Samantha clopped her hooves with building joy. "You should show me some interesting spirits and I could show you some reports I've written up and we could share lunch and talk about Moonbeam and--"
"Moonbeam?"
"That's the name of my son," explained Samantha patiently but excitedly. "We'll be a family!"
Night gestured at Samantha. "You can pretend you're just adding to your resume, but it's not that simple. Are you ready for this challenge, that can't be shouted at, beat up, or otherwise intimidated? Is this what you want?" She raised a brow. "If you want to back away from this, that's fine. I'm willing to let it go entirely. I'll even let our past... differences... go."
Silver slept. He knew this as fact. He was always aware of when sleep held him. Adrift on his wings across a great open gulf of nothing at all, he tried to cross the void that was the ocean, to see the dreams of those who lived across the world. The water, alas, was a buffering agent and slowed his trek the further he went, and he found himself snapped back to Equestria. He would visit no Anubians that day.
He heard soft flapping and turned to see Luna landing beside him. "Greetings. I expect my sojourns to be lonely, but here you are. Will you accompany me this evening?"
Silver blinked in surprise, but rose to his hooves. "I'd be glad to help, but you know I'm not tied to dreams, not like you."
"Talent and skill are two separate things." She wobbled a hoof. "You have chased me in this realm with enough skill that I would not question it. Come, we will see to the needs of the ponies of our kingdom, and perhaps talk."
Together, they chased away nightmares, and brought comfort and advice to ponies that needed it, but she also had words for him. "Are you truly happy?"
"Hmm?"
"About me, joining you. You clearly have some physical attraction... but is it mental? I can't... peek at your dreams and see."
Silver flushed faintly. He was a mystery to Luna, and he wondered if that didn't enhance his appeal to the mare of dreams. "Luna."
"Yes?"
"I'm looking forward to publicly welcoming you to my herd, to hugging you, both in public and private." His wings spread just to wrap around her as he nuzzled into her neck. "We both fought hard to reach this place. We both made mistakes, but we're here, and I couldn't be happier."
She quirked a faint smile. "You're holding back something."
He licked over his dreamed lips as he nodded. "There is another that wishes to join us."
"Oh? Are they a friend of yours perhaps?"
Silver thought back to all his pony friends, but they were not the issue. "Not quite. Nefertari, ambassador of the Anubians."
"That carries heavy political consequence. Turning her down or accepting, both could sway the tide of diplomacy with their people." She frowned faintly. "That would make her my herd-sister as well, would it not?"
"It would," admitted Silver, surprised that Luna was looking at it from that angle without many personal hangups about it. "Are you alright with it?"
"Should I not be?" Luna tilted her head. "If we hit it off, great, if not, I will avoid her, and she will do the same, but we will respect the institution we are part of. Being able to drag her people into the fold, to show them that peace is a fine way of dealing with things, that would be lovely... No, I won't stand in the way, if you wish to move ahead."