Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

282 - Triumphant Return

Silver and his retinue took up several cars on the train for themselves and their cargo. Others would be delayed making room for him, and the price in bits that would be bills would be significant, but they were on their way to Canterlot. "This is your capital?" asked Sheba as she gazed out a window. "Larger than the towering place we are leaving?"

Silver shook his head softly. "I'm glad you came back, but it's... complicated. Canterlot is actually less populated, and its buildings aren't so tall, but it has Princess Celestia and Luna in it, which makes it very much the capital."

Maribelle leaned forward in her seat. "Your wives," she sang out with a smug grin. "I cannot wait to meet them and tell them of what their husband has been up to. Would you tell us the full list of your harem?"

Whiskers prodded Maribelle in one of her thick legs. "Don't be rude. I doubt he refers to them that way."

"I don't," agreed Silver with a faint reddish tint. "They are my wives, and they own me far more than I own them. And... one of them is dead." He cast a glance towards the cargo train where she rested, returning with everything else. "The others you'll meet there, but... things have changed while I was gone."

"You sound worried." Maribelle slid to her feet. "Do you need a hug?"

His first urge was to deny her, but the dread of what might have happened in his abscence was only building. "I... think I do."

As it turned out, he would not be getting one hug. Most of the servants in the area crowded around him from various angles, giving all of his body a hug and leaving him laughing gently. "Is this going to be a habit? It's not... a bad thing... I do feel better, thank you all."

A ticklish sensation reached him from a sensitive place and he looked over his shoulder in time to see many innoncent faces. "I'm not in that mood..." Though, he reasoned, if he were, it seemed many of them would be perfectly fine with him playing with them as adults could do. "I still have to talk with my wives about... those boundaries. I may be entirely off limits."

He lifted an ear. "If you can believe, where I come from, that is just the default. One male, one female, and that's it, no touching outside that. But... I'm already in a herd, so the rules are obviously different. I will err on the side of safety until I speak to them."

Maribelle casually threw an arm around his neck. "Even if this is true, we will still be fond friends, Too Kind Prince. Though would that mean we do not have to keep ourselves chaste for you?"

Silver quirked an ear towards her. "Would you normally?"

"Of course," cut in the vixen, setting on a chair. "If the sultan discovered one of his personal servants were... entertaining others without his specific order to do so, that would likely be the end of them."

Silver shook his head quickly at that. "I do not own you. What you do when not working for me is your business. I only ask that you remain safe. In fact... I would be delighted to hear good news, should you... find others." A wane smile spread on his face. "I would like that, hearing you all were finding things outside of this."

Whisker's ears perked as she rubbed behind her head. "Begging your forgiveness, though I doubt you'll be too mad, but most of us are pretty much the only of our kind for many miles. Do you think we'll find sudden love with ponies?"

Maribelle poked her right on the nose. "And why not? If they are as kind as our master, I could see it."

Still let out a soft breath, on her belly, still as her name and having not joined the hug. "There are two possibilities."

Silver quirked an ear towards her. "Which are?"

"I am hideous in the eyes of ponies, or I am exotically attractive." She opened her eyes, looking Silver over. "I will place you in the second, but I refuse to fetishize differences."

"Too late," noted Maribelle with a smirk. "I hope you don't mind that terribly."

Silver peered at her. "If you want to fetishize something you can't have. That sounds..." He trailed off, realizing it was a thing he did all the time, and he aborted the argument. "Whiskers, what most do you want to see when we reach Canterlot?"

"I should think..."

---

The train came to a gentle stop, stirring those that had fallen asleep. The cabins became full of activity as servants got to their feet and started getting things unloaded without prompting. Silver started for the exit, a voice speaking clearly in his ear, "Welcome home! I mean, technically not home home yet, but within close enough proximity that I said it anyway."

He smiled at the unseen voice. "It's good to hear you clearly."

"It's good to be heard, Dad. Things have been... changing around here. Tell me you haven't changed too much. Scans show you are physically intact and within an acceptable amount of stability, at least body wise." He could hear her typing on something, working her mad science?

"Samantha, I see you haven't changed," he said with a laugh interrupting it. "I'll be glad to see your face."

"About that... I have suffered a dramatic physical alteration. My thaumic network is beyond recognition, but I trust you will still accept me as your daughter."

He frowned softly, his good mood fading. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"It's not bad! In fact, I think it's amazing, and I think maybe you'll like it too? Come to the castle." Her voice faded away with no further sounds.

Silver licked over his equine lips, wondering what else might have changed in his absence. The city appeared to be in one piece. The ponies that wandered looked the same as ever they had.

Still gasped, a shrill sudden noise, accompanied by a box she had been holding falling from her fading magic grip to crash to the ground, spilling its contents in a rush of grains.

The pony, no, kirin, she had seen blinked softly. "Hello there." The other waved gently, their horn glowing as they helped gather up what had fallen. "Did I surprise you?"

"I... You talk?" Still crashed to her haunches, but her horn was glowing, helping in the gathering of what she dropped. "And you're here... What happened?"

It was, perhaps, strangely comforting to know that it was not only his own view that was being challenged. "I didn't know kirin were in Canterlot?"

"There weren't," agreed the new kirin. "But then I got here. Oh hey, what's your name? I'm Spring Hail!" She brought down a cloven hoof, closing the box back up tight. "There we go, all back to normal."

Still accepted the box in her magic. "Still... water. Are you... also a renegade?"

Spring inclined her head, ornate ears going askew. "What? Oh Oh!! You ran away? Oh wow... You should go home. Everything's changed. We're not silent anymore." She put a hoof to her chest, then reached out and poked Still right in the middle of hers. "We're better now."

Still did not have an answer to give, standing there stunned as Spring turned away. Silver was there though, intercepting Spring. "Excuse me." He dipped his head towards her. "Spring Hail was it?"

"That's my name," she cheerfully admitted. "And you are... Prince Silver Watch, right? I saw you in one of the windows." She pointed up towards the castle. "Looked nice, but you're better in person I say."

"Thank you... So... What is, I mean, the kirin. You are both kirin, right?" He looked between them. They both had scaly backs and ornate horns and tufted tails and ears. "You two are the first I've met, but do tell me if I'm being rude."

"Just a little," she admitted with a smile. "Thank you for giving me that space. I'm sure we'll meet again." She danced off at a trot, leaving Silver behind with his questions unanswered.

He let her go, letting out a slow sigh. "I don't know what's going on."

"Nor I," admitted Still. "So much has changed while we were away. "For now, let us see you home."

One of the last things coming out of the train was a box that looked deceptively mundane. Just a wooden box.

It held the deceased. Silver felt his chest tighten seeing it, knowing that Nefertari's physical remains were contained.

"Dad, you alright?"

He twitched an ear, blinking away a few tears. "I forgot what it's like having you over my shoulder at any given moment."

"Your heartrate became abnormal and your readings imply emotional upheaval."

Silver rolled his eyes as he turned away, starting to march with the procession up towards the castle. "You read that like the weather report for the day... I'm escorting Nefertari home."

"That is physically impossible," noted Samantha. "She has expired. On the positive side, I found a willing womb donor."

Silver stumbled, almost tripping on the street. "You did?! How? Was there another jackal nearby that would--"

"--Pony," she interrupted. "A real nice mare that listened to me explain what happened and got all misty eyed. She volunteered, so I accepted, and now the child is growing in her. I'm monitoring constantly, of course." There was a pause. "Yep, all nominal... A few strange interactions, but within acceptable deviations. This is a cross-species transplant. You can't expect it to be entirely without incident."

"Y-yes, of course..." He rubbed behind his head softly, wondering what mare would step up for that call to action. "Sudden thought, but why not you? You were obviously close at hand, and knew what was going on."

"You would trust an unborn child to me?" asked Samantha in a fit of intense self awareness. "I sometimes forget to eat for days at a time. As an adult, this is not ideal, but I manage. Were I pregnant, I would be posing a very serious risk to their health with my self-negligence. No, I am not an ideal brooding target. My child, my adopted son, is old enough for my lapses to not cause him harm." He could hear her smiling over the voice connection. "He even raises my self care considerably. I am thankful for him."

Silver felt the smile spread to his face, a warm expression. "I'm sure he loves you just as much."

"I didn't say I loved him, but I do, of course. I care for him very deeply. Oh, I should go." Just like that, she went silent.

They were arriving at the castle. The guards were peering at the procession of strange creatures, looking quite uncertain as to what to do. Silver hastened his steps to get to the front and they relaxed on seeing him. "They're with me. Help them get this all put away." His wings ruffled on his back fitfully a moment. "That long box there--" He inclined his head towards it. "--It has... a body, see it is placed somewhere safe until it can be properly handled."

Both guards jerked back at the news, but the one on the right saluted sharply. "Yes, Your Highness. Uh..." He hurried to the box, the other accompanying him and both grabbing, one with their horn, the other getting under it and walking it along. They hurried it away without further words.

Other guards were arriving, guiding the servants to where what they held had to be. "See that they are given quarters," he explained as they went. "They're working for me. If one wants to leave, that's their decision."

Maribelle suddenly thumped into him from the side. "As if you could be rid of me that easily. When do we meet your wives?"

Author's Note:

Welcome home! But is it the home you left?

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Comments

[Sigmacipher]

I'm personally waiting for Grogar to do the stupid decision of trying to use Nefer's corpse for something only for it to suddenly sit up and glare him and the legion of doom to near death.

Then go back to canterlot and scream, "I'm back bitches!!!" and Silver being like "Why'd the hell did I show you DBZA why??!!!"

That would be both hilarious, anti-climatic, and show just how damn committed to Silver Nefer really is.

[Morphy]

Didn't Silver get a little teaching in spirit talking... or whatever it is when you summon a soul for a chat and possibly ordering it around? I strongly believe this is not the last we will hear of Nef'. As for his servant-harem menagerie, the shenanigans, they shall be glorious!

[David Silver]

9864266
Not for a year and a day, if one is being at all respectful.

[Well Geboren]

*Checks the time stamps* Mmmhm, on time just as planed, wonder if will have a double or triple post for nightmare night.

[David Silver]

9864436
Who is planning and scheming?!

[Well Geboren]

9864642
Well now that depends on who the writer is, I'm sure that he or she would be quite happy to get chapters out on time along with maybe gifting their readers with some surprise posts, no?

[Booster Spice]

Pinkie not there with the crooning verion of Welcome Home?

Wish I couid remember the artist, but at least Samantha hasnt quantum inverted herself into her mirror universe atill.

[harts fire]

a grate chapter and we are home now.
but at the same time there are sad and happy times heading our way.

[HoneyBadgerr]

Welcome home, Silver.

[chibilink]

"You would trust an unborn child to me?" asked Samantha in a fit of intense self awareness. "I sometimes forget to eat for days at a time. As an adult, this is not ideal, but I manage. Were I pregnant, I would be posing a very serious risk to their health with my self-negligence. No, I am not an ideal brooding target.

I thought for sure... Did I misunderstand this from Chapter 214?

Samantha quickly bobbed her head. "I am, and I plan to continue to grow, as a person that is. My size is established." She looked down over herself. Yep, she was an adult. Growing much was unlikely. "Oh! I have news!"
"News?"
"Something that should be told to a mother first." She flashed a smile. "I'm expecting a foal."
The ghost started. "Congratulations... but who with? Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Well don't tell, um, mom #2 but my calculated risk went awry."

[David Silver]

10779180
She will be a mother, but not in the way first proposed.

Edit: I replied long ago, but in the wrong place, oops.

[David Silver]

10779180
PS: Samantha tells you the sad truth right there. I know exactly what happened. Read between the lines.