Silver Spoon Adopts a Naga

by Halira

Chapter 15: Hurts and Friendship Lessons

After seeing Sisstet slither rapidly off towards the bathroom, and then hearing the bathroom door slam, Silver turned and leveled an accusing glare at her wife. “That was too harsh! He's just a kid!"

Twist blinked then narrowed her brow. "I wasn't going to say anything to him about it. I was going to chew you out for not going to the doctor like you said you would."

Silver pointed a leg down the hall towards the bathroom. "You were staring right at him!"

Twist scrunched up her nose. "I can't help it! You could have lost a leg! A leg! Although part of that is your fault, he is the one that injured you. Forgive me if I'm a little concerned about you trying to mother a type of creature you don't know much about, one that can seriously hurt you. This isn't your classroom; you can’t control everything here; it's our home."

Silver wanted to say that a classroom was more like controlled chaos, but saying that would be like saying she didn't have full control of her class. Instead, she stomped a hoof. "Do you have to be so negative about everything! You're right; I didn't take the bite as seriously as I should have—that is not Sisstet's fault."

"His bite was what could have cost you a leg!" Twist fired back.

"How was I supposed to know it was going to be that bad!"

"Um- where I'm from, if something bites me, and especially if it breaks the skin with the bite, I would probably need to go see a doctor to ensure there wasn't an infection," Luster added in helpfully.

Silver gave the unicorn a dirty look. "Nocreature asked you, and Sisstet is not a thing!"

There was a blinding flash of pink light. "ENOUGH!"

They all blinked to clear their eyes and turned to see Flurry seething with anger. "Maybe it's just me being the daughter of the Princess of Love, but I can't stand when creatures that love each other fight like this."

Silver snorted. "Well, tell her to stop being so hard on Sisstet, and angry about what I had no way of knowing about."

Flurry looked Silver in the eyes. "I think your wife has some valid concerns."

Twist smirked. "Thank y-"

Flurry rounded on her. "As does yours! You're not without fault. So, sit your flanks down, both of you, and listen to me."

Both of them connected their rear ends to the ground in unison, not wanting to make the alicorn angry.

The young alicorn looked back and forth between them, before taking a deep breath and then sitting down as well. "I don't know what all the circumstances are, but I gathered you two are taking care of that foal, and neither of you are educated about nagas. Ponies are perfectly capable of raising naga; my mother has proven that. You do need to take time to learn what you are doing, though. Red-maned pony, you need to try to show more optimism about being able to care for Sisstet. White-maned pony, you need to admit you need to learn more and to take more care of yourself. You aren't doing Sisstet any good by losing one of your legs out of negligence."

"Who are you, and what did you do with the big oaf?" Luster asked in confusion.

"Shut up, blood-sucking fiend!"

"Oops, there she is," Luster replied with seeming relief. "I was afraid you were a rogue changeling for a moment there."

Flurry gritted her teeth. "Where exactly are you from anyway, where foal bites make you need to go to the doctor?"

Luster took a nervous step back. "Uh, Canterlot…"

"No, you're not. I know accents, and you don't have a Canterlot accent," Flurry replied with a grimace.

Luster sighed. "Okay, you got me. I'm originally from the other side of the mirror portal, but I've been in Canterlot most of the last two years, except for a few trips home to see my parents before moving here."

Flurry grinned. "Ah, ha! That's why you're so weird. I'll get back to you and your interdimensional conquest plans later." Luster started to splutter as Flurry turned back to the two earth ponies. "Anyway, white-mane-"

"My name is Silver Spoon, and that's Twist."

"Sorry, Silver Spoon," Flurry replied while bowing her head. "You need to learn more about nagas if you are going to care for Sisstet properly. I'll send a letter to the Crystal Clutch to make arrangements for you to visit and talk to the caregivers there." She then turned to Twist. "And while you are very right to be concerned about your wife's health, you need to do a better job of making Sisstet feel welcomed. Do you really dislike or distrust him?"

Twist frowned. "I haven't gotten a chance to form an opinion about him yet, but I trust he is well-intentioned. I just worry about him hurting one of us by accident- like he already has."

"That's part of the nature of family. They can hurt you unintentionally, although it is typically emotionally," Flurry replied. "You're accidentally hurting your wife and Sisstet emotionally, and it needs to stop. Sisstet seems like a good kid to me, and even more timid than most of the naga I know. I'm sure he is going to try to be extra careful not to bite. The Crystal Clutch can give you advice on how to help him with those impulses. He isn't some unthinking beast that is at the complete mercy of his instincts. Bites might still happen there, but that's because they're a bunch of emotional kids who are still learning self-control, and bites aren't that common even then."

"What are you the princess of again?" Luster cut in with an arched eyebrow.

Flurry blushed. "I'm the future empress of the north."

"That doesn't answer my question," Luster remarked. "I don't recall learning what you ended up being the princess of. I remember learning about some of your mistakes. I recall something about the Princess of Lust-"

"We don't talk about that!" Flurry said, turning a deep shade of red. "That was an error on my part, a big one, and we're just going to forget that I ever considered that, or that anything ever happened. In fact, I don't even know what you're talking about. That's how forgotten it is. Stop villainously spreading slander about me!"

"Well, I only bring it up because you seem more in your element now than when you're being all Princess Blast them all and let Faust sort it out," Luster replied.

"I'm going to be a great alicorn warrior, and you will not distract me from my destiny, you interdimensional blood-sucking fiend!"

Luster fluttered her lips. "Whatever."

"Evil unicorn, always looking for blood, and now embarrassing me," Flurry muttered as she turned away from Luster. "Anyway, you owe each other an apology, and you both owe Sisstet an apology."

Silver gaped. "Why do I owe Sisstet an apology?"

"You haven't properly educated yourself about nagas, and your negligence could have left him with a load of guilt for costing you a leg. He doesn't need you making him feel any more guilty about that than he already does," Flurry explained.

"You made a big deal about my leg right in front of him!" Silver snapped.

"She's got you on that one, oh future empress of the north, " Luster said snidely.

The alicorn gave the unicorn a dangerous glare, and Luster hastily ducked back behind the still overturned couch. Silver wondered why Luster Dawn hadn't left yet. She was at least a little bit fearful of Flurry Heart, possibly with good reason, and she wasn't contributing anything useful to the conversation. Maybe it was just the unicorn's academic curiosity overrode good sense. Yet Luster kept on antagonizing the alicorn- heh, and Luster accused Flurry of being foolish.

"Alright," Flurry grumbled. "I could have shown my concern about your wound in a better way. I apologize for that- and I apologize for breaking down your door, and for terrifying Sisstet."

Luster peeked out from her shelter behind the couch. "And for trying to blast me into oblivion?"

The alicorn sneered back at Luster. "I'm still on to you, invader. You will never get to work your foul blood magic while I'm around."

Luster came out from behind the couch, looking incensed. "It is not blood magic; it is genetic research on blood that I just happen to use magic to conduct. You're positively medieval."

Silver had heard enough. "Hey, can you two take your friendship problem somewhere else, other than our house?"

Twist nodded. "Yeah, I don't think you're accomplishing much by fighting in our living room, and I'd like to keep it from turning into a battleground."

Luster perked up and grinned for some reason. "Friendship problem? This is a friendship problem, isn't it? This is great!"

Flurry looked baffled. "Huh?"

Luster started happily cantering to the front door and opened it. "Come on, Princess Blasty, we need to resolve our friendship problem. Princess Twilight will be thrilled!"

Flurry just looked around in confusion as Luster left the building. "Okay… um- right then. I guess my job is done here. I'll be in touch after I get a reply back from the Crystal Clutch. I'll get going now, I guess. I need to find out what that fiend is up to."

And without further ado, the alicorn exited the house and closed the door behind her.

Silver let off a sigh of relief. "Well, that was interesting."

"They could have put the couch back in place before they left," Twist grumbled. She then walked over and flipped the couch back into an upright position.

"I'm going to go check on Sisstet, do you want to come, or do you want to wait?" Silver asked as she started walking towards the bathroom.

Twist considered it for only a moment. "I'll let you deal with him by yourself for right now. When you've gotten him calmed down, I can apologize, and we can talk to him together about what happened. It gives me time to think about how to express myself without upsetting him again."

Silver turned and smiled at her wife. "I appreciate you taking the time to do that. I love you."

"Love you too," Twist replied while smiling softly. "Go take care of him, and I'll get out here back in order."

Silver silently crept down the hallway and knocked on the bathroom door gently when she reached it. "Sisstet? It's Miss Silver Spoon. Can I come in?"

"No."

She hung her head. "Is it because you're using the potty?"

There was a moment of silence before he replied. "I already usssed the potty- I fell in. I'm sssorry; I never used a regular toilet before."

She blinked and thought back to whether she had ever seen him go to the restroom while at school. Oddly, she couldn't recall him ever asking to use the restroom, and he was usually one of the first students out when she escorted them all to the restroom. It only now occurred to her that she wasn't sure how some creature with a snakelike body used the toilet. She wasn't even sure he had a butt. This fell under the category of information she'd never needed or wanted to know before but now seemed pertinent to know all about. It was too personal a detail for her to ask him about, and it would have to be on her list of things to look up later that night.

"Are you hurt? Is there a mess?" She asked, focusing back on what was critical at the moment.

"I'm not hurt. I jusst got pee-pee water on me and the floor," he sniffled.

"I can help clean that up. You don't need to feel embarrassed about it," she said as soothingly as she could. "So, can I come in now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

He started sobbing loudly. "Be-becaussse, I hurt you, bad. I don't want to hurt you."

"That wasn't your fault," she replied firmly. "You were terrified and angry. It's already fixed."

"I don't wanna hurt any creature, esspecially not you."

She put her hoof on the door handle. "And I trust you. I'm just going to come in and make sure you are alright."

"No!" He screamed.

A hoof grabbed Silver's shoulder, and she looked back to see Twist shaking her head. "Silver, listen to the kid. He's telling you that he's agitated, doesn't want to hurt you, and that he doesn't want you to come in. Remember what Flurry Heart said about how the naga back in the Crystal Clutch will separate themselves if they get upset enough to bite? Put your instincts on hold and take him seriously. If this is going to work, you need to listen to him when he is telling you important things."

"I've had him near me before when he's upset and was never bitten then," Silver objected. "He hides under my desk from time-to-time."

"And did you pull him out right away, or did you give him time to calm down first?" Twist asked.

Silver hung her head. "I gave him time to calm down."

Twist gave a knowing nod and stepped up to the door. "Sisstet? It's Miss Twist. I'm going to get you some towels and put them right inside the door. I won't come in. You can take a bath if you want, and when you're ready, you can come out and talk to us. I'll even make us all some candies while we wait for you. Is that okay?"

"Are you m-mad at me?" Sisstet asked in a trembling voice.

Twist chewed on her lip for a moment before replying. "I'm not mad at you. I do want to talk to you about what happened, but I want you to feel safe when we do. I was just very worried. You understand, right? Wouldn't it feel awful if something terrible happened to Silver Spoon? I was scared, just like you are right now, but we can figure out together how to make it so that doesn't happen anymore."

"You mean it? You're not mad?"

Twist snorted. "I'm mad, but I'm not mad at you. I'm angry at Silver Spoon because she promised me she'd go to the doctor and she didn't. She and I are going to have a long talk about that later, just the two of us. You don't need to worry about that."

"I got Misss Silver Sspoon in trouble?"

Trust sighed. "She's not in trouble. I'm sure she's learned her lesson. I'm still upset about it, but it's because I love and care about her very much. Which would upset you more; her losing a leg, or you getting in trouble?"

"Her losssing a leg."

Twist smiled. "And it's up to us to make sure she doesn't do anything foolish like not go to the doctor when she knows she needs to. Can I count on you to help me do that, Sisstet?"

"Yess."

"Good colt," Twist replied. "Now, run yourself a bath and relax. We'll put a few towels just inside the door in a few minutes. Come out when you're ready."

"Okay, Misss Twist."

Silver gave her wife a happy smile as she blinked away tears. "Thank you," she whispered.

Twist grinned and shrugged. "You aren't the only one who has to deal with kids regularly. Have you ever tried being diplomatic with a foal who isn't getting what they want in a candy shop? You don't stay in business long if you don't learn how to deescalate things. Come on; you can help me make some candy canes."

Silver kissed her wife before Twist could start walking back to the kitchen. Things were looking hopeful again, after a disheartening day.

Comments

[Darksoul85]

Such a heart warming chapter

[Boopy Doopy]

I hope this is a one-time argument for them because I can see a scenario where they separate over this which would make me very sad

[Alaborn]

Interesting development for Luster Dawn. Did she swap with her pony counterpart?

[Javarod]

10420920
My impression is that Luster Dawn always was from the EQG universe. Honestly it's an interesting take on the character, as the show of course didn't have time to tell us anything about here, and while the speculation has leaned towards her being the spawn of Starlight and Sunburst (where is he during all of this anyway?), this is a far more interesting idea, and also begs the question of who are her parents.

[Revanius]

Just going to guess here Luster is Sunset's kid, sun-based cutie mark, inquisitive, from the mirror world, magic prodigy, all signs point to Sunset.