Fast hooked a leg around Night's neck. "Let's get to making that dinner." Soon they were descending the stairs. "Night. I need your honest opinion."
Night followed along beside Fast. "On?"
Fast swiveled a red ear towards Night. "Twilight. Alicorn Silver. Everything. Break it down."
Night frowned in thought as she went. "Twilight is an idiot. She nearly cost herself the one pony in Equestria that would do anything for her, loves her to a fault, and carried her foal. I want to scream at her until the sun comes back up. There was no good reason for her to use that much force, even if Silver wasn't caught in it. If she didn't look like she'd been kicked in the belly repeatedly, I'd be tempted to do it myself."
Fast nodded hesitantly. "Alicorn Silver?"
Night shook herself out, wings flapping. "Undeniably sexy."
Fast raised a brow.
"You asked for honesty. Everything attractive about her before is larger and bolder. I may be a horrible pony, but I'm hoping she firms up a little, personality-wise."
Fast shook his head a little. "You want a replacement Luna."
Night's wings flared wide. "I!... I thought you couldn't see things so clearly now?"
Fast leaned over and bumped into Night. "I don't have your vision, but I love you, which means I try extra hard to get in that adorable head of yours." He pressed in closer as they arrived in the kitchen. "Are you hoping Silver will spread those big wings of hers and start commanding you, her deepened voice bellowing with authority? Perhaps, if you were good, she would sink her teeth into you, hold you down, and do as she wants with your pinned form."
Night shuddered powerfully, almost stumbling. "Stop that! By the moon..."
Fast nodded lightly. "If it makes you feel better, I would not be opposed to that, but I love Silver the way she is. Soft or hard, so long as she's Silver." He frowned softly "Which brings to the next point. Silver was really looking forward to being a mother. Silver is not getting that anymore. Thoughts?"
Night sagged against the frame of the door leading into the kitchen. "She has to be hurting inside so much... I don't even know what to do with emotions like that. I just want to be the best friend, lover, and wife... I don't want to make it worse. Above all else, I don't want to make it worse."
Fast stiffly nodded as he started to get the pots together and begin dinner preparation. "I felt the same thing. I wanted to yell at Twilight. I wanted to yell at Silver! I wanted to just yell and yell and kick and scream... It wasn't my foal, not directly... but I made room in my heart for it. I was going to be an uncle, and that... that's gone."
Night swiftly advanced and wrapped a wing around Fast, squeezing him tightly. "You will still be an uncle. I know that's not a cure, but it's still true."
Fast smiled gently and leaned over, sharing a brief kiss with Night. "What do you think they're doing with us down here?"
Night considered a moment. "Crying. They are probably curled up together in a ball and waiting for us to call them down."
Fast stomped the ground before pulling the pasta free. "I hate this. This is a lot easier when the pony responsible is a jerk I can aim a hoof at. Twilight's not a jerk, just an idiot." He busied himself around the kitchen, focusing on the task.
Night took a slow breath before letting it out. "Your turn."
Fast perked an ear. "For? Oh... I think Twilight... was trying to do right, and did it the wrong way, big time. Did she murder somepony? I mean, besides Silver. She should have found us. We should have gone together. We should have fought together, like a herd. I would have caved in the faces of any pony in the way, and nopony would..." He dumped the pasta in the pot in an angry toss of magic.
Night slowly nodded. "And yet..."
Fast rolled his eyes then sagged a little. "And yet... I probably would have done the same thing. I would have rushed to help without thinking it through. I might have made things worse. I might have gotten us both killed or captured... I feel like a huge hypocritical jerk for every bad thing I think or say about Twilight, but that doesn't stop the thoughts."
Night moved up beside Fast and began helping to prepare the food. "I think we should forgive her. It was a mistake. A terrible... awful... mistake. It was a mistake that cost her so much. That was her foal." She turned to look at Fast. "I saw her eyes. She was warming to being a father. She wanted that foal. She wanted to be a parent." She shuffled a little. "That's probably half the reason she reacted the way she did. She thought of losing Silver, who she bonded with, and their foal... She went a little crazy. You know that feeling, don't you?"
Fast clenched his teeth, nodding even as a few tears forced their way free. "I do... I really do... I can't stop myself! I want her to suffer, but I know that's exactly what she's doing right now. I want her to really understand the horror of what she's done, but she knows even deeper than I ever could... I want to hurt her, but she's hurting herself better than I could..." He spun on Night. "It's not fair."
Night leaned in, stealing a kiss. Fast suddenly shoved forward, and they fell to the ground. The kiss was not one of love. It was an angry and desperate exchange between two hurt souls. Night squeezed Fast gently before pushing him back to his hooves. "We have to be the big ones this time. Please don't make me be the rock alone in this. Please..."
Fast's ears fell instantly. "No! No... I'll be strong." He bumped against Night gently. "I'll be kind. I'll take on that burden with you. I will forgive... Even if my heart sings for blood, I will." He pulled the pasta free and strained it. "Thank you, Night. I feel a lot better."
Night moved to assist with the sauce. "Good... Let's see if we can't make them feel better. Silver has a lot of change coming at her, and Twilight will be beside herself with grief."
Fast pointed at Night. "You should show Silver how to fly starting tomorrow. You have more experience with lunar wings."
Night flashed a bright smile. "That should be fun, if she gets into it. I will be gentle with her, but I know she learns by doing."
Fast tapped his chin. "She's a princess, does she get a crown or anything? That makes me a royal consort, right?"
Night rolled her eyes at that. "Yes, and yes. Congratulations on your promotion. Now do your duty and bring them some food."
Fast saluted before lifting up two plates and vanishing up the stairs.
Upstairs, Twilight and Silver lay on the ground, though Silver had mounted Twilight, belly-to-belly. They gazed into one another's eyes quietly, as if they could reach a deeper understanding if only they waited long enough.
Twilight reached up and ran a hoof slowly over Silver's ribs. "Do you hate me?"
Silver recoiled. "That is a question I admit I'm tired of hearing. No. I very much feel the opposite you. That's called love." She frowned a little then. "Sorry... that came out way snappier than I meant it to."
Twilight brought up the other hoof, rubbing both sides of Silver's barrel. "You should. I killed your foal, our foal. I killed everything... I'm a killer... We took away your stallion bits for that without a second thought, snip... What do I deserve?"
Silver frowned at Twilight. "Let me scan you for imbalances." Silver shot a light at Twilight, sweeping the silver light across her face. "Ah yes, it's clear now. You have a severe lack of hugs." Silver squeezed Twilight, drawing a groan from her at the poor joke. "Stop beating yourself up. It was... my foal, inside me... If I can forgive that, you should too. Don't do that again."
Twilight perked an ear. "Silver... We both know you'll forgive almost anything if the other pony looks apologetic. It means nothing! I mean... Ugh... I don't mean you're worthless... I mean... I don't know what I mean..."
Silver sat up on Twilight and focused intently, becoming more male. The magic required felt less than before, drawn from a much larger well within her. Silver rubbed down against Twilight, making the adjustment known. "Perhaps you're right, Twilight. You can't be trusted with dangerous stallion urges."
Twilight darkened to red quickly. "The timing's wrong for what you likely have in mind."
Silver moved against her, threatening to turn it into more than snuggles. "Then we'll just have to do it again and again until it sticks. That's the human way. I know you better than ever before, Twilight, and you know what I feel right now. I want you. I want you in every possible way."
Twilight suddenly replicated the spell, and Silver flushed darkly. Some small part of her wondered if this was gay, then decided the entire situation was so alien that trying to slap such labels on it was futile at best. "What's this? You dare defy me, Princess Silver Stars?" Silver spoke with her best authoritative tone, rising up over Twilight imposingly. "I will have to discipline you, whelp, and drive the foul taint from your body."
Twilight tried to keep a straight face, but ultimately failed, bursting into loud giggles underneath Silver. It felt like the miserable pall around them had broken just a little, and they smiled at one another warmly. The wound was still fresh and sore, but they had each other, and that felt enough, at least for that moment.
Fast suddenly appeared, ascending the stairs with floating plates. He paused, looking at the two alicorns rubbing against one another with tear-stained faces. The combination of sad and lusty bounded around in Fast's mind before he shook his head and set the plates down beside them. "For you. We're here for you, Night and I. Silver, tomorrow, you're learning those wings of yours from Night."
Silver extended those wings, giving them a testing flap as she slipped down off of Twilight. "I... OK? I guess I really should."
Twilight smiled gently. "I had to learn from Rainbow Dash. She's a good girl, but I don't recommend it for you. Thank you, Fast. It smells wonderful."
Silver pointed at the two plates. "Where's yours? And Night? Go get her, please. I want to eat with everyone I love tonight."
Fast warmed from deep within. Hearing Silver say that felt good, like a tiny balm on the burning ache inside him. "I won't deny you that. Be right back." He quickly fled, to return with Night and two more plates.
They ate together, cleaned the dishes together, and ultimately retired together. Silver was quite feisty that evening, but Night called her out on it. "You're coping with sex."
Silver frowned a little. "So... what if I am? I want to be with my lovers, my herd... I want to feel life all around me right now. Is that bad?"
Fast rolled over, pinning Silver down. "No."
Alicorn smex is the best smex. So says the agents of S.M.E.X.
5888659 What about geeky roleplay alicorn smex?
5888697 That is number 3 on the list, number 2 gets you assassinated if you mention too many details, but its kinky and does involve books.
I approve of Alicorn Silver. sorry for the last couple of posts. I have had bad experiences with Alicorn OCs. really well done chapter! Keep up the good work!
Just hope they don't try the one type of magic that require strong will, strong mind and many other qualities to use including great understanding like
Silver has a lot of change coming at her, and Twilight will be beside herself with grief."
change is a harebell thing , change is a good thing.
this is a sharp sward, change is part of life.
now we all need to accept changes.
Harts Fire.
I'm pretty sure that "personality wise" should have a hyphen.
There are two spaces between "moved" and "up."
The two of them have "tear-stained" faces.
5889680 Fixed!
Okay, now this chapter felt much more honest in terms of the characters' reactions. This was them grappling head-on with the fact that this situation was truly, utterly horrible, and desperately trying to listen to the angels of their better nature rather than succumbing to their demons. It still strikes me as a little trite that they all succeeded, but in this case I chalk it up to the nature of the ponies in Equestria, for whom harmony is the highest virtue. That we saw them engaging in the struggle is enough.
I found the decision to primarily focus on Night and Fast to be the correct one. Twilight and Silver are simply too busy reacting to what they've just been through for anything really coherent to get through - Twilight is almost drowning in guilt and self-loathing, and Silver is distracting herself from her own pain by focusing on soothing Twilight's. That said, I did like that Twilight called Silver out on how hollow her forgiveness felt; if you're unable to hold a grudge, then being forgiven lacks meaning, and without meaning it's not giving Twilight the absolution that she desperately wants so badly. While Silver's love might take the edge off, if it's not going to be the cure-all that Twilight wants, I suspect that we'll see her going to the one other pony that Twilight regards as a moral authority - Princess Celestia - and beg to be judged for what she did.
In that case, I'd almost be worried; to paraphrase Dostoyevsky, anypony that can appease a mare's conscience can take away her freedom. This is going to put Celestia in a position where she can make Twilight do anything she wants, with regards to Silver (or anything else, for that matter). Were it not for her deal with Luna, and the fact that Celestia really is benevolent (albeit in a tyrannical way), I'd worry what she'd tell Twilight...but that's a little too Machiavellian, even for this story's version of Celestia. As such, I'm having a hard time seeing how this could help to build drama, which is a shame since it's such a good chance to do so.
Returning to Fast and Night though, their conversation felt refreshingly honest. Both acknowledged that in this situation what they wanted to do was rage and lay blame for what happened, even as they knew intellectually that this would only make it worse. Just because you know something is a bad idea doesn't mean that you won't want to do it, after all. It's the same with Night saying that they should forgive her - of course that's what they should do, but few are the people that can master their emotions, especially in such a strong situation. You can want to forgive someone all you want, but that doesn't mean that the anger will just vanish. As such, I don't see Fast learning to truly love Twilight for a long time to come; even if Silver has forgiven her, it's not hypocritical on Fast's part if he can't bring himself to do so as quickly.
I was rather tickled by how Night apparently wants Silver to be more dominant. It was quite some time ago when I proposed that Night wanted a mate that was stronger than her, and I'd largely given up on that theory, since she'd never showed that particular desire outright. It's amusing to see my original hypothesis about her vindicated.
As for Silver herself... Night was right to call her out for using sex to cope with her grief; there's probably also an element of "when near-death, reaffirm being alive, and that means sex" going on as well. She's probably also working under some sort of impression that the loss can be reversed if she can just get pregnant again, a thought bolstered by her insistence that she can reincarnate the same soul if Twilight knocks her up a second time (something that I think is denial, even if the soul is real, that doesn't mean it'll be the same one). Given that, I'd almost expect her to be spending the next few days doing nothing but rutting with her wives...I imagine that Fast will be the first to realize that Silver is trying to bury her pain with physical ecstasy rather than facing it, since that sounds like how Fast was living before Silver met her.
Beyond that, I worry about Silver having the power of an alicorn. Any headway she'd made with being more self-assured seems to have been lost, and you can't possess that level of power without the requisite internal fortitude to handle it...at least not without invoking disaster. Power requires strength to wield, and Silver doesn't have that. She's still afraid of her own anger, which speaks to her being afraid to confront others out of fear that she'll be rejected, and if she's afraid of rejection, then that means that she doesn't value herself very much (hence the need for so many lovers all at once).
Alicorn Silver might seem interesting now, but I don't think everything will go well when she faces her first major challenge.
5889761 Third time's the charm, eh? You incited a powerful rage in me, which I turned into words, and then more words! I was quite determined to get this 'right' as it were. I am happy with the end result. Here's your fancy muse hat, wear it with pride.
5889787 Who's that in the muse hat? Why, it's me!
Night sagged against the frame of the door leading into the kitchen. "She has to be hurting inside so much... I don't even know what to do with emotions like that. I just want to be the best friend, lover, and wife... I don't want to make it worse. Above all else, I don't want to make it worse."
You repeated that twice.I think this will work better.
Night sagged against the frame of the door leading into the kitchen. "She has to be hurting inside so much... I don't even know what to do with emotions like that. I just want to be the best friend, lover, and wife...Above all else, I don't want to make it worse."
Silver recoiled. "That is a question I admit I'm tired of hearing. No. I very much the opposite you. That's called love."
I think this will work better...
Silver recoiled. "That is a question I admit I'm tired of hearing. No. I very much feel the opposite towards you. That's called love."
Twilight brought up the other hoof, rubbing both sides of Silver's barrel. "You should. I killed your foal, our foal. I killed everything... I'm a killer... We took away your stallion bits for that without a second thought, snip... What do I deserve?"
Silver frowned at Twilight. "Let me scan you for imbalances." Silver shot a light at Twilight, sweeping the silver light across her face. "Ah yes, it's clear now. You have a severe lack of hugs."
LOL
6618968 Some typos fixed. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pall
6618980
Oh okay
This should be beared, but if that seems too awkward you could also go with carried. The word you used means, bared as in taking off your clothes.
7414788 Fix'd.
7414863
Technically it should be bore. Beared is past simple tense of the endure form. Bore is past simple tense of the carried form.