Silver stepped back into the small room and the door sealed behind her. She spotted Twilight busily working on the formula on the wall. "Twilight, we have to talk."

Twilight perked an ear towards Silver. "One moment, I think... No..." She slumped. "I don't have your talent. This new spell is going to take months, at least, maybe years. I'm sorry, I--"

Silver put a hoof to Twilight's lips. "Shhh, Twilight. Everything is OK, for real."

Twilight brushed aside the hoof with a frown. "I thought we went over this. I'm not taking any idle forgiveness. I made this mess and I'll fix it!"

Silver shook her head. "You didn't kill anypony. My foal's alive, sorta."

Twilight arched up a brow. "Is this more soul nonsense?"

Silver lifted her shoulders. "Sort of? Not really... Celestia said my foal wasn't destroyed, it was taken out of me, then put... into me, all of me. My foal is in me. It explains what I felt, what I heard... I heard her, or him? They giggled when I ascended." Silver advanced on Twilight. "You didn't kill anypony."

Twilight shrank back a little. "How can I just believe that? Can you prove it?"

Silver closed her eyes. "I can try?" She let the magic within her loose, starting to warm up. She built the flow higher and higher as she reached down deep, trying to find the new source of power. She heard Twilight gasp and opened her eyes. She was wreathed in silvery magic, wisping off of her in bands of power. The surprise of it cut her concentration and it began to fade but she grabbed that feeling back and resumed fueling it. Her mane and tail began to waft on a breeze that wasn't there, sparkling with stars from within as she drew up the power higher and higher without letting it free.

She heard a giggle in her head, and her concentration snapped. The bands faded and her hair fell back to normal. She slumped against a wall, exhausted. "I heard... I heard them again... She wasn't lying."

Twilight tilted her head. "I... didn't hear anything..."

Silver sat on her haunches, breathing deeply a moment. "Well, I did! Take this thing on faith, this time, not forever. I'll figure out how to get my foal free eventually, but right now." Silver reached out. "Twilight, you are not a killer. You didn't take my foal away."

Twilight squirmed in place uncomfortably. "I still forced this on you. How am I better than Celestia? You wanted me to be angry at her. You should be just as angry at me."

Silver clopped a hoof on the ground. "You didn't manipulate me into ascending. You've been there every moment. You are a great friend, Twilight, and I hope even more than that. Nopony died from this. Please... This isn't even about forgiveness anymore, at least, not from me. Forgive yourself. You're a wonderful pony, Twilight."

Twilight's wings ruffled on her back. "But... what if I..."

Silver reached to put a hoof on Twilight's snout. "We'll be there, for each other. We'll keep our power safe for everypony, and use it for good. Stop running away from me."

Twilight looked at Silver silently a moment, then stepped in, and they embraced quietly. For a time, there was quiet peace between them.

Celestia sat across from Luna over lunch, sipping from some coffee for a change. "I spoke to Silver Stars."

Luna restrained the hope within her. "Oh?"

Celestia nodded as she sipped. "Perhaps you were not entirely wrong."

Luna's heart lifted. "Have you released her?"

Celestia waved a hoof. "I asked her to help Twilight, and she agreed. It was her choice. She obviously cares deeply for her."

Luna tapped her chin. "Yes, I think that is true... But Twilight is the killer of her foal. Even if she buries that feeling deep, there must be some hurt there."

Celestia set her cup down gently on a saucer. "About that. Silver Star's foal is well, if unusually." She explained the nature of it to Luna. "Until Silver learns more mastery over her magic, the foal will remain a part of her."

Luna tilted her head one way, then the other. "This news changes much..." She perked up with an idea. "Perhaps we could draw her free in the dreamscape, if it is mature enough to form thought?"

Celestia smiled gently. "An excellent idea. What makes you think it is female?"

Luna drew back a little. "I presumed. I suppose Silver's foal could be a filly or a colt."

Celestia gestured at Luna. "This should not be so surprising for you. Have you not split off before? I seem to recall that being your first relation with Silver."

Luna winced a little, thinking back on those happier times. "Silver was a fine stallion. I still think it was wrong of you to take that away from her so callously."

Celestia lifted some cake in her magic and nibbled on it quietly a moment. "Is she not still? This reminds me. That spell must be expunged from public circulation. Think of the damage it might cause. Silver is quite dangerous with her spellcrafting talent, but..." Luna held her breath, waiting for Celestia to finish. "I think we can guide her." Celestia smiled. "In the open. I will give your way a chance, dear sister."

Luna sagged a little. "Do you mean that?"

Celestia nodded lightly. "I was using the wrong approach on her. She respects earnestness. If I impress on her what I say is for the greater good, she will comply without further manipulation."

Luna waved a hoof in a circle. "You have described most ponies, Tia. Silver wishes to do good, not be evil. You trust your little ponies to govern their cities, trust in your fellow princesses to govern themselves."

Celestia softly snorted. "Luna, know your place. I will handle matters of governance. For now, see to Silver's continued training. They have much to learn about your world, do they not?"

Luna gave a resigned agreement, and lunch resumed quietly.

Silver peered into a pool. The doors hadn't appeared that time, but the pool worked much the same way. She looked around nervously for Luna, but no one came to bar her progress. She thought of Twilight, and the pool began to show Twilight seated in a desk much too small for her. She was in magical kindergarten, awkwardly sitting through class.

Silver snorted softly and slipped into the pool's waters. She suddenly became tiny. She was an adorable little alicorn foal instead of a teenager. She landed in a desk beside Twilight and the class proceeded. Silver wondered how she had changed like that and glanced at Twilight, who was staring intently at the chalkboard. "You have a very powerful mind, Twilight."

Twilight's head jerked to find Silver beside her. "Silver? Oh Celestia you're adorable!" She snatched up Silver and began snuggling her and Silver giggled in delight. Being hugged like that by a huge Twilight made her feel great. "What happened? Why are you so tiny?"

Silver waved a hoof at Twilight. "This is your dream. You made me like this to fit in."

Twilight tilted her head. "I did? Well, I did a good job..."

Silver buzzed her little wings. "You did. I feel so... cute."

Twilight suddenly looked thoughtful. "If I can do this to you in my dream..." She put Silver down on her desk and put her hooves on the foal before pulling apart as if trying to split Silver in twain. Being a dream, this worked better than it would in the real world. Silver squealed in surprise as she split apart like a banana. Inside was a small ball of silvery light. Twilight tilted her head at the ball and reached for it. When her hoof brushed its surface, a soft giggle rang out in both their ears. "Oh my..."

Silver perked her ears despite being split open. "I heard it again!"

Twilight nodded. "I did too... OK, I believe you." She gently closed up Silver, then willed her into being her usual teenaged self.

While Silver was delighted to be normal again, her mood was tempered by the fact that Twilight was crying. "What's wrong?"

Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. "Nothing... It's just... I thought I was a killer... I thought I did something so horrible... I didn't deserve forgiveness."

Silver leaned forward. "You almost did, but you didn't... This is a lesson, for both of us. Let's grow from it."

Twilight smiled tearfully at Silver. "How do you smile all the time like that?"

Silver shrugged. "Years of perfected denial. But I really am happy right now. I know, for a fact, my foal is safe and alive. I'll figure out how to get them free of me, eventually... That... That's something I can work towards. That's something concrete. I like concrete. Dead foals are a lot harder to work towards fixing."

Twilight made a face, then nodded. "I can see that. Can I trust you to be honest, with yourself?"

Silver shook her head. "If I said yes, you would know I'm already lying. I can't change who I am that quickly. So I'm going to have to ask you to prod my sore points. Hound me, Twilight. If I'm hiding from myself, I want you to find me and shake me until I come out of that dark cave."

Silver sat up on her haunches and took Twilight's hoof, placing it against her lower belly. "This was a gift, from you to me. You reminded me I could be sad, or angry, especially that latter one."

Twilight pressed against the spot, but the discomfort was fading from Silver. With her foal alive, she had much less reason to grow to despise the emptiness. Silver leaned in and kissed her nose. "I love you."

Twilight smiled gently in return. "I..." She glanced away suddenly and Silver's ears fell. "I don't know how I feel. I know I want you close. Is that enough?"

Silver nodded softly. "I would... be a jerk if I demanded you rebound to love after all that so quickly. Let's settle with you not being a killer, alright?"

Twilight nodded. "Alright... I'm... not a killer." The class vanished, replaced with Twilight's old room/library in Canterlot. "Oh, I haven't been here in a while."

Silver looked around, "Huh, I never saw this past the first episode. You lived here a long time?"

Twilight nodded and moved around to explore. While the details of the room were limited to her own memories, they were buried memories that she eagerly explored.

Silver stretched out slowly, wings pumping. "I'm glad Luna didn't chase me out of the dreamscape this time. We needed this talk."

Twilight perked an ear and turned to face Silver. "We were speaking while awake just fine... But I'm still glad. I needed to see that, or hear that. Our foal..." She put a hoof to her own chest. "Our foal."

Author's Notes:

Things are moving in the right direction I think.

Don't let the typos throw off the positive momentum!