Silver snuck back to the tower and scurried to bed, thankful that nopony got in her way. She hid under a blanket and was soon asleep. Her dreams were not to last long. Luna stood there, as if waiting for her to nap.
"Hello," said Silver, defaulting to her usual response to unexpected guests.
Luna nodded, "Greetings. We are aware that you are aware of our interference."
Silver tilted her head, "First... how? Second, does that mean you'll stop?"
Luna wrinkled her nose, "I reserve the right to not speak on the first, and I will not on the second. It is for your own good."
Silver frowned, "I've heard that a lot. Your sister used it like a club when she declared my masculinity against the law."
Luna sighed softly, "Silver, you are not my lover, but you are still loved. I would think of you as my child, and I am looking out for your interests."
Silver shook her head, "Not following. What interest of mine is served by making sure I grow into a perfect little brood mare? That sure sounds like you being selfish, working with what you have, instead of helping me become a stallion again."
Luna waved a hoof, and Silver was suddenly bloated and round. Silver collapsed under her own weight as pain began firing in agonizing spasms through her abdomen in clenches of muscles powerful enough to make her vision swim with dots. "I thought... dreams, no pain?"
Luna leaned over Silver, watching the agony passively, "You are in my realm. If I wish you to not awaken for a time, it is well within my power. You are experiencing labor with your original form. Is it pleasant?"
Silver grunted and began to kick out her hind legs, but no amount of wriggling made the pain settle, "No! It really isn't!"
Luna reached out, placing a hoof on the tense dome of Silver's belly, "Your hips are too small, your... I will spare you the anatomy lesson. You have this foal. I will not let you hurt yourself carrying it to term."
The pain vanished as Silver returned to the form she went to sleep in. She panted for breath as she flopped over onto her side. "On one hoof, that was a really brutal lesson... on the other I don't imagine I would have gotten it otherwise."
Luna moved the hoof from Silver's belly to her cheek, "Do you hate me?"
Silver crawled back up to her hooves, still wobbly from the pain, "I'm really bad at hating people. If you're really doing it for me, then I should say thanks." She hiked up a brow, "But is it just coincidence that it makes me prettier? Are you hoping to keep me going on and on?"
Luna lifted her shoulders, "Fertility is one of the most primal signals of attractiveness. If we are speaking of my... goals... you would still serve better as a stallion." She snorted, "I fear Tia will never allow you that, especially since you have given every sign of improving as a female. She watches you as I do, in her own ways. It... amuses and alarms her to see you flirting with her precious little Twilight Sparkle."
Silver frowned, "What does she think about the fact that I carry Twilight's foal?"
Luna cocked a brow, "She seems of two minds. She does not favor thinking of Twilight in that light but in some ways, she defeated and reformed you as she has so many other dangers in the realm. The foal within you is a symbol of your reformation, so Tia is happy with it."
Silver sagged, ears falling, "I don't think I like being the monster of the week, to be beaten and tamed by Twilight."
Luna pet over Silver's head with a hoof lightly, "When you have delivered your foal, we will speak on your future. You deserve agency. You have yet to abuse your power, despite temptation. You have been deemed a hero of the Crystal Empire. That was you, not your womb, nor your old gender. You."
Silver smiled a little, cheered by Luna's encouragement. "I do hope you find someone who can be your peer."
Luna made a dismissive wave of a hoof, "That is unlikely..." She drew Silver closer with soft wings, "But thank you, for not spurning me as a mother."
Applejack, Twilight, and Night Watch sat around a dimly-lit table. Applejack looked to Night, who looked back, then they both looked to Twilight.
"Yes?" asked Twilight, looking back and forth between the two, "Why are we here?"
Night tapped the table, "You're hurting Silver, and she doesn't deserve it."
Twilight frowned, "What? I'm giving her room, shelter, food... everything!"
Applejack looked at Twilight flatly, "Sugarcube, Silver could get that stuff from anywhere. She didn't agree t'come with you fer that."
Night rolled a hoof, "She loves you. Stupid mare only knows full-throttle love. She doesn't love a lot of ponies that way, but she doesn't give them up easily."
Twilight spread her wings wide, "And that means I should just take her?!"
Applejack shook her head, "No. Ahm not asking you to do nothing you don't want ta do, but you need to make a choice, and be clear." She raised one hoof, "On one hoof, ya give her a chance, go out on a date or somethin', see how it goes." She lowered the hoof and raised the other, "On the other, you tell her straight that you're not interested."
Twilight sagged in place, "I... don't know."
Night gave a soft huff as she played with her glasses, "Then give her a chance, a real one. Don't be like Luna was. She's not your toy, or your pet, no matter how willing she is to roll over and let you step on her if you smile while you're doing it."
Twilight cringed, then clopped her hooves on the table, "I am not stepping on her!"
Applejack cocked a brow, "Alright, so how'd tha last time ya spent with her go?"
Twilight looked upwards as she thought back, "I was examining her for anomalies and studying her special talent. We made a small breakthrough, and a discovery."
Applejack waved a hoof, "Did ya ask her how she's doing?"
Twilight shrank a little, "No?"
Applejack nodded lightly, "Did ya ask, or even care, what she did after ya finished what ya wanted wit' her?"
Night spoke, "What did you do when she expressed her feelings, again?"
Twilight wilted into her chair, "What if I'm not ready to be... married?"
Applejack wobbled a hoof, "Ah reckon she'd be right pleased if ya just gave her a hug or a kiss once in a while. She's not hunting for yer hoof, just..." she looked to Night.
Night nodded quickly, "All she wants is a chance, not a wedding. Are you willing to give her a try? If you feel bad, tell her. If you don't know what to say, tell her. She's... so not judging." She flashed her fanged teeth, "When she starts judging, you know you're really getting to know her and moving forward."
Twilight drew a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh, "Fine. I'll ask her how she's doing, then invite her to read with me." She flashed a bright smile, "That's a nice thing to do together, right?"
Applejack clopped the table, "Twi... yes, ya do that. If she likes it, ya done found somepony right fer ya."
Night raised a hoof, "Silver used to be a writer, long ago."
Twilight raised her brows, "What, really? She was? Not just spells?"
Applejack smiled broadly, "See, now we're talking. Ya should encourage her t' write something. Who knows?"
Twilight nodded with a thoughtful expression, "You're right. I should be talking with her more. If nothing else, we should be comparing notes." She pushed up to her hooves, "Thank you both. I think I can handle this..."
Luna nodded to Celestia across the table. "Have you heard the report from Cadance?"
Celestia sipped from her tea, "Of course. I'm glad they weren't harmed, the ponies of the Crystal Empire, and Cadance."
Luna waved a hoof, "And of their savior?"
Celestia raised a brow, "I did say she would make a fine mare. She has become so much more than she was before."
Luna snorted softly, her look on Celestia turning flat, "This is the same pony that struggled for days tending to the ponies of this very city, and who surrendered his wife for the betterment of Equestria. I dare say her actions are entirely in line with their past behavior."
Celestia softly sipped her tea as if in protest, "Her destructive urges have been turned entirely to protection. You can see her glowing with maternity, and it suits her brilliantly. I am certain she will be a very caring and doting mother."
Luna nodded softly, "Of this I have little doubt. She will love the life within her no matter her gender, with all of her heart..."
Celestia nodded, "I'm glad you agree. She is much happier now."
Luna heaved a light sigh, "Will you not reconsider allowing her to claim her masculinity?"
Celestia frowned delicately, "There would be no purpose to that." She waved a hoof, "Besides, I am perfectly aware of the little spell he shared with little Twilight." She wore an expression of distaste for a moment, "That's as male as either of them needs to be."
Luna shook her head, "This isn't like you, dear sister. When did you decide you dislike stallions."
Celestia raised a brow, "I do not!"
Luna bit into a cookie, chewing a moment, "Then why so insistent she never become one?"
Celestia narrowed her eyes a moment, then let out a breath. "You deserve the truth, Lulu. She scares me."
Luna tilted her head, "She is as dangerous as a beaten puppy. How does she scare you?"
Celestia made a slight wave of a hoof before sagging in her seat, "If she... he... were to turn to hatred, there is little that would prevent them from competing with Sombra for the harm they could inflict."
Luna snorted loudly, "And you prevent this by snatching away his tool and mocking him? He could be a Star Swirl instead, but you deny him the chance. It is a true testament to his benevolent nature that he still dreams of your forgiveness."
Celestia frowned sharply, "You jest."
Luna shook her head, "It is a recurring dream. He stands at your hooves, looking up at you like a tower of pony perfection, and he begs quietly for you to forgive. In some dreams, you crush him mercilessly beneath your hooves, and in some, you gently pet him, and he is happy. In either, he weeps, wishing he hadn't made you hate him so."
Celestia clopped a hoof on the table, "And what, pray tell, does he dream of you, dear sister?"
Luna smiled a little, "He dreams of our time together. There is a sense of longing. He wishes he could have me, as an equal, for all titles and formalities to be thrown aside and true love could bloom." Luna leaned forward, "Impossible, of course, but I am touched by the fondness of it."
Celestia snorted softly, but managed to calm herself with a soft sip of her tea, "You are making it sound more dramatic than it likely is."
Luna waved a hoof, conjuring an image of Silver. He was a he, and on his back. "This dream is less common," spoke Luna as it played on. Silver was crying and wriggling. The view changed, showing a leering Twilight with a scalpel floating beside her in glimmering magic. Celestia was to the left, watching on impassively. Twilight began to cut away at Silver. Silver looked to Celestia, begging and pleading, but Celestia just watched on until the deed was done. When the surgery was complete, Twilight pranced away with a smile and an unseemly jar held in her magic.
The dream-Celestia stepped up beside Silver and looked down at the neutered pony. "You are a bad pony. This is what you deserve. You disgust me."
The vision ended. Celestia trembled slightly as Luna spoke, "What you say varies from dream to dream. Sometimes you get quite long-winded about his failures, other times you just glare."
Luna conjured another dream, the one she hinted at the first time. Silver cowered at the seemingly titanic hooves. She was a she, and she said soft apologies at the hooves. The words were meaningless, just a jumble of dream apologies and desperation. "He really is quite sad. Is this the Sombra that you fear? You are making it so, if that be the case. Desperation turns eventually to resentment, then to anger, then to hatred. Why are you so set on turning him away from harmony?"
Celestia hissed loudly, "You turned him away from harmony when you took his light soul and plunged it into the night!"
So... Celestia is jealous? I can totally see it happening between regular folk, but Celestia? She doesn't trust the Lunar ponies?
5842269 Silver said, in no uncertain terms, that he was turning away from the day and embracing the night, that it suited him better. Celestia is not above feelings, she just generally hides them well. This rift between the sisters has been present and a very blatant plot point for some time. They have things to work through.
Part of me likes this, but the other feels it should say "I thought... dreams had no pain?" Meh. This is an opinion not a correction.
Good Chapter!
This actually becomes an if...then statement. so than needs to be then.
5842292 The rift, yeah, but to go as far as to take his masculinity? Petty, petty, Pretty Sun Princess.
(I find it cute that Luna calls it his tool)
5842299 She was not in the correct mindset for good grammar.
5842310 Thanks! Any fave part?
5842320 Emotions do not work like that. She did not decide 'You spurned me, I will hurt you!', but did it impact her decision-making, likely not on a conscious level? Luna and Celestia's conversation had a lot of simmering feelings dredged to the surface.
Oops. 3 commas. Anything between two commas should be able to be deleted and still form a complete thought. One comma is just a pause.
She does not favor thinking of Twilight in that light, however she can defeat and reform you as she has so many other dangers in the realm.
I can't do Applejack-speak. Sorry. I see what could be issues, but I can't touch that.
I love your Celestia: a brilliantly written good-guy antagonist against a non-evil protagonist, brought repeatedly into conflict by differences in philosophy while neither is totally in the wrong.
Celestia vs Harmony! Round 1: fight!
5842351 Tweak applied! Thankee.
5842342 I suppose it's part of the risk of treating powerful ponies like regular ponies. The closer you get to their hearts, the more you risk getting burned...
5842409 That is indeed a risk Silver has taken on herself, trying to treat the powers of Equestria as equals. It's worked out well with Discord... There's a definite irony in that it's worked best with him and with varying degrees of fail with the princesses.
That is... heavy. I don't think I could ever picture Twilight or Dusk (male name) stooping to that level. You were talking about Twilight? Right?
Edit: Hmm, not really. But it does bring up an interesting point.
5842421 She is speaking of Silver. Twilight is pretty well indoctrinated to love Celestia.
5842428 Twilight is. But would "Dusk" be?
On a side note, I caught a lot of stuff today. Probably from my walk to the grocery store. I should do that more often.
5842441 I'm glad you liked the chapter.
5842371 Nopony, except maybe the shadow stuff, is just evil to be evil. Everyone wants to be the good guy. Celestia cares deeply for her ponies and her country. She is a good pony, but that doesn't mean she can't do cruel things or make mistakes.
5842334 Not particularly. I just really enjoy this story.
5842474 While that's true in your story, and generally true in RL as well, the show has occasionally had otherwise, and throughout fiction there's a -lot- of examples of villains who lack any reasonable motivations, in addition to those with simply selfish motivations.
For a violent conflict story, there's some value to having an irredeemable monster as a punching bag, in order to avoid the implications of beating up someone who has a good point. But in general it's much more satisfying (especially when the conflict isn't of the violent type) to have more relatable adversaries.
Even in your own story, the nobles and their lackeys who kept trying to beat up on Silver from his early days in school on just come off as pure evil punching bag villains, with nothing that comes off as justifying them. But Celestia always comes across as having good reasons even when she does the 'wrong' thing.
5842620 I would say the nobles are lesser characters for it, less compelling or interesting for being flat, and that is a failing on my part.
5842624 That is true, though there's a limit to how much you can develop every minor side character. The one he took to court could certainly have been expanded out into a more whole character, much as Rough Tumble eventually was, but it's not obvious how you would get there from here. The thugs are probably doomed to being permanently flat.
5842320 I wonder if the use of the 'tool' word comes from Luna's reading of Silver's memories way back when.
I'm not sure the "but" belongs in there, since it's usually meant to present an opposite point, whereas what follows seems like it reinforces the preceding point given.
"Pain began firing in painful spasms" is awkward to read, since you're using "pain" twice. I'd change that second pain to a synonym, such as "agonizing" or "excruciating."
The table is "dimly-lit."
What's the difference between "room" and "shelter" here? Because it sounds like two different ways of saying the same thing.
Silver only knows "full-throttle" love.
5843759 Tweaks applied, and shelter in this case can mean a lot more, considering Silver is trying to avoid being kidnapped or harmed by theoretical foreign agents. A room does not do that.
dam it Luna I was wrong but at lest you are helping with silver she will need the pelvic of a mare to pass the foal.
as to Celestia have you ever wanted to just bitch slap some one. Celestia it is time you get knocked off that dam thrown for the betterment of all your my little pony's you are bucking up big time agene.
Harts Fire
5843837 Luna is a helper, though she's learned what she already suspected, that she is not good at being a wife.
5843774 Quite a bit of drama here! So much so that I hardly know where to begin!
First, I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get to "see" (that is, have an in-depth description of) post-makeover Silver. Particularly with the new artwork on the way, it would have been amusing to see her prettied up as an attractive mare. Ah well, hopefully the spa treatment will survive a nap.
Insofar as Silver's conversation with Luna, it was surprisingly heartfelt, but I can't help but be suspicious of it. Luna was clearly telling the truth, but I'm of the opinion that she wasn't telling the whole truth. Other than her concession that she'd prefer Silver to be male, she danced around questions of what she wanted insofar as breeding lunar ponies went. While it's clear that she loves Silver, she also has grand expectations for her, and is clearly not going to allow those to be easily derailed - her comment about how fertility was a primal source of attractiveness was the perfect example of her being two-faced in this regard; it was a true statement, but it allowed her to elude saying what she wanted for herself.
This isn't to say that Luna's being completely selfish in this regard, just that she's claiming a level of selflessness that she honestly doesn't seem to feel. This is not entirely for Silver's own good. Rather, it's more of a "win-win" situation, with Luna pretending that she has nothing to gain from her actions. In that regard, there's a degree of Machiavellian manipulation going on that puts a darker edge on Luna...especially since she's been mum as to why she wants more lunar ponies to begin with. Self-interest, even when (or perhaps especially when) it's cloaked in the guise of generosity, tends to be disturbing to others.
That's not even getting into Luna's sudden schtick of "love me as a mother." That sentiment strikes me as manipulative, and somewhat twisted. One does not have a long history of aggressive love-making with their mother (and that'd characterize Silver's relationship with Celine as rather incestuous as well). Worse is the fact that mothers are understood to have a protective, but also authoritative, relationship with their children. Luna is basically saying "I only want what's best for you" here, even as the words "as I decide" are left unspoken. The entire thing reeks of manipulation via a soft touch. I'm not sure that Luna even realizes that she's going so far - as I said, I do believe she's acting out of love for Silver - but she hasn't changed; she's still moving him around like a piece on a chessboard.
The intervention that Night and Applejack had with Twilight was more straightforward. It was nice to see them come out and say flat-out that Twilight was stringing Silver along. Twilight doesn't seem to understand that there's nothing wrong with not wanting to have a relationship, but there is something wrong with not making that abundantly clear. In her case, this seems to be because Twilight's stuck in an "all-or-nothing" way of thinking - she seems to have gotten it into her head that it's a choice between detachment and married life, with no middle ground. Admittedly, impending parenthood might have pushed her into that, since "casual parenting" is very much considered to be a vice, but she needed to be reminded that exploring her relationship options with Silver are just that, an exploration. Dating is the process of figuring out if you're compatible, after all.
Coming back around to Luna's conversation with Celestia...the intrigue hit a really high note there, and it was great to see. To reuse an earlier metaphor, this really felt like there was a chess match going on between the two sisters, and Silver was currently one of the major pieces on the game board. Celestia's insistence that Silver's femininity is the reason that there haven't been any further violent incidents was a major case of post hoc ergo propter hoc, largely due to her apparent belief that masculinity has an inherent predisposition to violence. It's notable that - Star-Swirl notwithstanding - every powerful male figure we've seen in the show has been at best highly disruptive (e.g. Discord), if not outrightly evil (e.g. Sombra, Tirek), whereas powerful females tend to be evil only due to some sort of corruption, be it outward (e.g. Nightmare Moon) or racially-inherent (e.g. Chrysalis, the Sirens), so her prejudice in this regard is understandable.
To put it another way, powerful females are typically benevolent, with a few exceptions that prove the rule - this is exactly the opposite for males. In that light, Celestia's prejudice suddenly makes a whole lot more sense. It's still prejudice, and unfair to Silver (as Luna said, he could very well become another Star-Swirl), but it's a prejudice that's not formed out of nothing.
What was far more striking, however, was Celestia's final statement. Leaving aside that it was a very abrupt way to end the chapter - and in the middle of a conversation, no less - then this showed a markedly bitter side to Celestia. Does she regard the lunar ponies as having tainted souls of some sort? She clearly holds Luna as having done something bad with having made Silver into a lunar pony (even more so than how unnerved she was when she changed First Star), but it's unclear as to why. My guess would be that she's put together exactly what killed that pegasus mare that Silver bit, and holds Luna to be indirectly responsible for that death...rightly so, to my mind, since Luna never told Silver about that power before she used it as a deadly weapon. But I can't help but wonder if there's something more to it - Celestia's reaction seems vehement enough that I'm not entirely certain. Perhaps she fears Luna's creating a new race of ponies? Currently the solar ponies seem to outnumber the lunar ponies many times over, and not-coincidentally Celestia is held above Luna. Does the Princess of the Day fear that dynamic being reversed? Is she worried that this is Luna's second attempt to become the dominant princess of Equestria, done much more subtly?
If so, I can almost see Celestia's next move: to offer Silver her masculinity back (and "prove" to Luna that she doesn't hate stallions; and besides, it's what Silver wants, so it can't be wrong)...but only if Silver becomes a solar pony again (which Celestia could doubtlessly do, though I suspect it'd involve something other than blood), which would immediately check Luna's ambitions of breeding lunar unicorns. After all, just exchanging blood doesn't make another pony a progenitor; they apparently need to semi-impregnate Luna, and then have that essence returned to them. That's not impossible to recreate, but I suspect that it's something Luna wouldn't take lightly, either.
Of course, that'd be a very blatant rebuke to Luna on Celestia's part, and quite possibly the start of an out-and-out cold war between the two of them, but if Celestia thought she could get away with it (e.g. "this is your punishment for your part in the death of one of my little ponies: I'm cancelling your 'project.'") I can see her moving things in that direction.
...after all, turning Silver female slowed down the rate of new lunar ponies quite nicely, didn't it?
5843931 It certainly became a dense chapter, and I wasn't entirely planning it that way from the start. As usual with these things, it just kinda happened, and I'm pretty happy with the result. Luna has shown herself to be the controller in the relation between herself and Silver, but she's dialed back a lot of the outright bossiness. She can learn!
Silver has said things to Celestia in the past that isn't helping the current situation, that it led to the death ultimately is the true nail in the coffin, as it were. The rift between sisters is alive with strife, though, for the moment, the two want to be sisters. In a perfect world, they could set aside their squabbles and be happy, but Equestria isn't perfect, and neither are they.
In the meanwhile, Luna gently nudges Silver around. Silver may be her chess piece, but it is one she favors. It doesn't speak too highly of Silver's self-view that the idea of it isn't that repulsive, if Luna truly does hold her in high view. Silver never really wanted to leave Luna and only did so when things became intolerable for a while, and that was mostly Celestia.
Twilight, on the other hoof, is largely without malice, and is just a little clueless. Hopefully a timely intervention will steer that in healthier directions for everypony involved.
5843978 The one thing that did seem to get through to Celestia was Luna's showing her Silver's dreams. Celestia seems to have little stomach for anything that smacks of horror, cruelty, or violence, and seeing herself portrayed like that clearly caused her to become upset. However, I'm not sure if that actually changed her point of view - blatantly contradicting someone's self-image seems more likely to make them defensive than to cause them to re-evaluate themselves.
We work in the shadow to serve the light! We are the Assassin! Celestia has been marked! She has proven unworthy! Death will set her free!
Oh no! Cannon balls have been rolled onto a hamster village!
and there goes my hope of david ever turning male again, pretty much down in flame.
5919000 The plot ball is just gaining steam!
I have forgotten about this story. The wolf gods are displeased with me.
Silver blood has turned on me.
5948433 Welcome back. We saved you a seat.
Going to be honest, I feel like Celestia is a bitch. Luna isn't no saint, but at least due to her inexperience of having companions, she has somewhat a excuse, Celestia doesn't.
5842292
should be the other way around. Attractiveness is one of the most primal signs of fertility.
6033999 yeah, celestia is a bit of a dick in this 'verse. i like how he is treating twilight in this 'verse. twilight is like a small child who gets handed a gun and is told to help people with it. she is well meaning, but she is still a child who has never had to learn restraint and who happens to hold the cosmic power of the universe. luna is a dick as well, but a well meaning dick. she at least tries to make silver happy, in her own antiquated way.
6529528 I'm pretty sure of this? Appearing fertile is one of the simplest ways to be attractive.
Being attractive has no effect on your fertility.
Poor poor deluded Celestia... She seems to think that just because something is dark that it can't be harmonious. That would be like saying that chaos is evil! Chaos is change and random happenstance not evil and the dark (or the night, whatever) is not unharmonious. Besides I don't think, Luna's fall aside, that being's of Luna's night are anymore evil than being's of Celestia's day. Like I said, poor poor deluded Celestia. I pity you not.
Well. Shit hit the fan hard. Ladies and gentleman, we have a turning point here.
yer
this, I feel, will end badly
6902738 How deep does this hole go?
How to start this..... uhm.... ok so I get that this is a dream he is having. A dark dream. I want to stop now, but I can't. This nightmare is keeping me in so bad. I want to wake up, but it has me in it's mean but warm hands. This, this dream gos deep. I want to turn back to the light, but the dark is so warm. By the time this is reared I will be down the bunny hole more. I hope I can come back in one piece and wake up. For I have no one to help me out.
Celestia help me.
7388383 I know the feel. There is an end, I promise.