With care and comfort, Silver was gently coaxed back from exhaustion and injury. When he was awake, he was greeted with smiling faces and warm greetings. Everyone went out of their way to be kind. While that was nice, it made Silver wonder. He put out a hoof in front of Shei as she tried to flee. "Did something go wrong? Why is everyone wearing these smiling masks?"

Shei perked an ear. "Masks?"

Silver pointed at her. "I know you're not going to be a hundred percent until we're... done, and we're not done. Why are you so happy?"

Shei smiled gently. "Be that as it may, it's being taken care of, and I've pouted enough, for now. The ship's crowded with the jackals you saved. We're a little worried about how to care for them all, or how well they'll adjust, but you did a good thing, and we're proud of you." She leaned in and kissed his cheek gently. "You were brave, and won."

Silver wrapped his forelegs around her and pulled her in for a brief kiss before letting her slip away, her tail swaying a bit before she was out the door. A soft knocking on the door came before Celestia as she let out a sigh. "Your guests, some of them are very gentle, almost all of them are broken in their own way. I will do my best for them." She trotted to the bed and leaned in to nuzzle at Silver. "Tell me, what happened with her, their leader?"

Silver sat up slowly. "Nefertari?"

Celestia nodded. "Yes. I've put her--"

Silver tensed with surprise. "She's here?"

Celestia canted her head. "Yes, as I was saying, I put her away from the others. It's an inconvenience, but I don't think it'd be a good idea to have her with the rest."

Silver nodded hesitantly as he sank back into the bed. "Yes, that is a good idea. She's their leader, or was, and she claims to speak to spirits."

Celestia ran a hoof along Silver's side. "And what did you do with her?" She hastily added, "you're not in trouble. I just want to know."

Silver told the tale of their battle, and how he mounted her, and how the pegasus was delivered, and he was declared a warrior of the Anubians.

She frowned thoughtfully. "I see, that does explain much. The pegasus we left in the hooves of the Saddle Arabians. There wasn't any room left, and they were quite sympathetic with her plight. She'll be well cared for. As for... her, she's quite insisting that she is with your foal, maybe more than one." She sat before Silver. "But I don't know if I believe her. Your track record for foals, as a prince, has been... lackluster."

Silver's ears fell as he was reminded of his painful impotence when it came down to it. Celestia softly kissed him beneath his horn. "Don't you see? You are like us. You will not get foals from normal ponies. But that's what I'm getting at. She may be a powerful fighter, but she is not a princess. Her foal may very well be a lie."

He pushed upright and started to slide towards the edge of the bed. "Then why are you taking her in?"

Celestia lifted her shoulders. "It isn't obvious?"

Silver frowned a moment. "You want to keep an eye on her, and see what she really wants." Celestia nodded. "Do you want me to talk to her?"

Celestia shook her head. "Not until you're better, and with me at your side. She's being treated well, even if I'm keeping her shackled in my magic."

Silver hadn't noticed before, but when she brought up magic, he could see the faint glow of her horn. She was working magic. "You overpowered her?"

Celestia lifted her shoulders. "She wasn't that hard to subdue." She lifted a hoof quickly. "That is no harshness on you, Silver. I've had more--"

Silver snorted. "You're being too confident. You're only holding her because she's letting you hold her." He shook himself off and started towards the bath. "I think I should talk to her today, once I'm clean and dressed. She's too clever, and too powerful, to underestimate."

Celestia casually got the water flowing as she helped Silver up into the tub. "She seems to have her eyes set on you, Silver Stars. I don't think this is right. She isn't good for you, at all."

Silver sank into the heated water with a happy sigh and lifted up a brush with his magic, working at himself. "O-oh! I just thought of it, if you went to get her, did you get my things?"

Celestia floated over his book and Silver broke into a wide and genuine smile. "That's a relief. Thank you. Where was it?"

She pointed off somewhere in the ship, likely where Nefertari was held. "She had it near her, in her tent. I recovered it and her at once."

Silver submerged in the water a moment before coming back up. "She's planning something. If I don't go see what that is, she'll lose patience, and it'll become a huge mess."

Once he was cleaned, dry, and dressed, Silver stepped out of the room with Celestia behind him. He felt better, a lot better. He was back in friendly territory, and he hadn't gotten himself killed visiting the Anubians.

Celestia asked as they went through the hallways, "Do you plan to reform so many of them at once?"

Silver turned an ear back at her. "Personally? No. I'll start the ball rolling, but it will be something a lot of ponies will have to work towards, and be worth it, ultimately. I have enough ponies waiting on my attention, but I will get things moving, as best as I can. How are they all doing? This boat wasn't made to move that many people I imagine."

"I should think not." Celestia sighed softly. "Many of them have taken to spending most of their time on deck, where there's a little more room. Some of them even practice on the ropes between the masts, which looks dangerous, but keeps them out of other's manes, so I shouldn't complain."

Silver paused and turned to Celestia. "It's just like the pirates, just more of them. These Anubians need a chance, and a path. They'll become good people, worth being neighbors with, if we give them that chance. They're... They have something in them, that I don't know much about. They're part human I think, and I don't even start to understand how that can be."

Celestia looked skeptical. "It's normal to see a bit of ourselves in those we encounter, but don't let that get the best of you. I'm sure they're a very interesting people, but they're not humans."

They arrived in the small holding brigs, and were let in to see Nefertari, who was seated calmly on a stool. When Silver came into view, she hopped to her feet, the golden bands around her shattering like so much tissue paper. "My warrior! You've come at last. I feared you would hide away somewhere, or they'd keep you away."

Silver held his head up high. "I have nothing to fear from you, Nefertari, now start telling us the truth."

She placed a paw on her belly. "Did I not already? You were quite the stud, leaping on me and filling me with your essence."

Silver flushed softly. "Be that as it may, it's not been long enough for you to even know, and even if you did, there's a good chance, a depressingly huge chance, you won't hold it to term. Is that theoretical child the only reason you're here?"

Nefertari moved to close in with Silver, but Celestia's wing intercepted. "That's quite close enough. You can speak, but no touching."

The shaman frowned at Celestia before shrugging. "We can settle that later. Warrior, you saw it for yourself. We are closer than you give credit for. I want that. The pony warrior's cub, that, in here." She rubbed her lower belly gently. "It is only through the warrior spirit that our tribes can truly be united. You were a warrior when you bested me, and now I pray that a warrior's child will come to me."

Celestia clopped a hoof on the ground. "That isn't the first time I've heard this. What is this 'warrior's spirit' that you keep talking about? Is it just some belief you value?"

Silver snorted softly. "Celestia, that was rude. No belief is 'just' a belief. That aside, no, I've seen what she's talking about, and felt it. I've been a warrior before, but it seems to be a code name for human."

Nefertari smiled. "Who taught you that word? The spirits are singing in pleasure at hearing you say it. That word is sacred to us. You should not invoke it lightly."

Celestia pointed at Nefertari. "Show me."

Nefertari grinned, exposing her omnivorous canines. "The warrior spirit only emerges when we are ready to battle. Are you sure you want me to show that to you?" She brought up a paw with deadly claws at the ready. "I'll gladly fight you, queen of the sky, but I don't spar. We will battle until one of us yields, and it will hurt. I expect both of us to bleed by the time it is done."

Celestia pointed out of the cell. "Silver, wait out there. I will see the truth of her words personally."

Silver wasn't sure on the wisdom of this course. "I don't want either of you getting hurt showing something that I already know is true." Celestia wouldn't budge though, and Nefertari was stretching slowly while staring at Celestia, seemingly ready to fight. With a little sigh, Silver left the cell and closed the door. "There, do what you want, just don't kill each other."

Nefertari laughed softly. "Very well, my horse warrior. I'll subdue this queen and make her yours, as a gift, but I won't kill her."

Celestia brought down a hoof and golden light began to flare up around her. "I am not a stranger to battle, despite my desires. I've overseen many a war, and lead most from the front. Come, if you dare, and face the wrath of the sun."

Nefertari brought her fists together in a ball before throwing them aside. "The spirits have spoken well about you, queen of the sun, ruler of the day. Oh no, I won't kill you, you are a part of the world. I'm not even sure if I could, physically, but you can bleed." She vanished, only to blink in beside Celestia, running past her and running her wickedly sharp claws along her hide in bloody lines. "Oh yes, you can bleed."

Author's Notes:

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Even the typos are lining up to see this play out.