By the time Rainbow Dash deposits me on Lyra’s doorstep, Celestia’s sun is already well on its way down toward the horizon. Thankfully, there’s no sight of Lyra on the lawn, so she’s probably done giving birth by now. If she’s done foaling, she’s probably not going to be inclined to do anything absurd or terrifying with her damn magic. Nah, this is Lyra I’m talking about; if anything, she’ll be conked out in the living room with the foal.

At least I’ve regained enough strength to stand on my own four hooves now. It’d be asking too much to ask Dash to carry me inside after having her listen to everything I said, and it would probably be awkward as hell for her to see Lyra after the lunacy she witnessed earlier. This time, if Lyra goes looney, I’ll have a means of escape before she can snatch me up in her magic and contaminate me with her crazy.

Strangely enough, I can’t hear any sound coming through the door. There’s no sound of crying, ponies moving around, talking, or cooking; there’s just absolute silence. Is everypony out right now? Maybe Lyra and Bon-Bon took the foal for a check-up. Then again, there might also have been complications in the birth. Surely if they went anywhere, they’d leave a note for me.

Well, I don’t suppose they’d mind if I waited inside. Hell, I’m supposed to be their guest, so it’s not like they’d really expect me to sit outside until they get back from wherever they’ve gone, right? Besides, nopony locks their doors in Equestria, as if the possibility of a burglary cutie mark—shit, don't tell the Crusaders!—never crossed anypony’s minds.

Placing a hoof on door, I sigh inwardly and thank my lucky stars—as few as they may be—that doorknobs in Equestria are more for show than anything else. Even as recovered as I’m feeling, which is to say not very, I don’t think I have the stamina to rear up and tweak a knob with my hooves. If anything, I just want to find a place to curl up and fall asleep. I don’t even feel that hungry, despite not having eaten in two days.

As I push the door open, I’m assaulted by a sudden increase of volume and noise. Blinking in surprise, I watch as a little piece of parchment floats to the ground, the glow of the inscribed runes already fading away into the ink. With only a moment’s confusion, the answer quickly enters my mind—a sound-proofing talisman. In a way, it’s perfectly understandable given the loud crying coming from inside.

Of course, first you have a distraught looking Lyra cuddled up her crying newborn—a cream coated little thing with a minty, two-toned mane to match that of her mother—on a pillow. On the opposite side of the room, Bon-Bon looks absolutely miserable, trying to cover her ears by hiding her head beneath a cushion appropriated from the couch. Probably worst of all is Ice Blossom. She looks absolutely lost, caught between comforting or helping Lyra and her foal, and wanting to hide.

I just stand in the doorway for a few moments, assessing the situation. Nopony has really noticed that I’m here yet, and I’m more than content to let it stay that way for a bit. It gives me time to steel myself for spending the remainder of my stay with a crying baby, a sound of which I’ve never particularly been keen on, even as a human.

Maybe it won’t be so bad here though. I mean, back on Earth, I disliked children with a passion, but here as a mare, I feel... compelled to comfort that foal, almost as if it’s instinct. I suppose having an instilled mothering instinct isn’t all that far-fetched, seeing as my first instinct during estrus was to go find a stallion of good genetic stock and... never mind. That’s completely stupid, because most of that was hormonal, and I certainly shouldn’t have the same brain chemistry as a mare who just gave birth, right?

Well then, enough of that. Stepping inside, I push the door shut gently with a back hoof. My first thought is to go inside and say hi before bumbling up to the spare bedroom, but as my eyes alight on the talisman once more, common courtesy wins out. It’s simple enough to re-affix to the door once I get it off the ground, and once it’s on firmly, the runes begin glowing in a vibrant amber once more. The silence that follows is a bit more confusing. Did I do it wrong and somehow manage to soundproof my own ears? Given my past experiences with magic, nothing really surprises me, but—

“Oh thank Celestia, she’s stopped crying!” I hear Bon-Bon’s voice behind me. “What did you do, Lyra?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Lyra’s answer comes a little too quickly. “She just stopped when—”

“Silver!” That keening sob is all I hear before I’m unceremoniously swept off my hooves into an almost crushing hug by Ice Blossom. “I was so worried! When you said that weird thing, I froze, and then that Rainbow pony took off with you and I thought maybe she was still angry with you and might not be gentle despite your injuries and—”

“It’s fine,” I croak, wincing as pain lanced through my chest and side once more from being hugged too hard. “It’s okay Blossom! Dash and I are cool now! Ow, my wounds!”

“Sorry!” she squeaks, gently releasing me back onto my hooves. Just as quickly, she begins nuzzling me. “Everything’s just been so overwhelming!”

Returning her nuzzle, I smile gently. “I know.” My attention is quickly diverted by the clopping of impossibly tiny hooves on the hardwood flooring, and upon turning to assess the ruckus, I’m greeted by the sight of two beady little amber eyes staring unblinkingly at me. “We can talk about that behind closed doors later,” I continue, smiling down at the tiny pony before me. In a softer tone, childlike tone, “What’s your name, little one?”

The little filly tilts her head and burbles in curiosity. “You know she can’t talk, right?” Lyra chortles, drawing my attention to the mare lying on her side on a cushion on the opposite side of the room. “Honeydew, sweetie, come back to momma. It’s time for your feeding.”

Bon-Bon covers her face with one hoof in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. “Lyra, she’s three hours old. She doesn’t understand Equish yet. Just get over there, and she’ll get a whiff of milk and get the picture.” She shakes her head as Lyra mutters some condemnatory oath regarding the pain in her plot. “Silver, this is our daughter Honeyd—Lyra! Don’t levitate the baby like that! What if you were to drop her?”

To nopony’s great surprise, Lyra—rather than simply getting up—has her newfoal wrapped up in a blanket of glimmering amber magic. Honeydew, for her part, looks thrilled at this new mode of transportation. Granted, being only a few hours after her foaling, I kind of doubt Lyra’s reserves are very high, and I’d be far more comfortable if she at least sent a cushion along the floor beneath the baby as a back-up.

“Relax!” she answers, tiredly placing the filly before her exposed and engorged teats. The filly, forgetting the new addition to her surroundings, eagerly latches on to Lyra, drawing an unfocused expression of relief and discomfort. “You can’t deny I’m better than I was earlier.”

Watching little Honeydew greedily suckle away at her tired mother, I’m reminded of the gift I passed off to Lyra before my disastrous—or fruitful, depending on how you look at it—venture into the Everfree. “So Lyra, did you and Bon-Bon ever open that gift I left you?”

Bon-bon shakes her head, giving me an apologetic smile. “We thought about it,” she replies softly, “but we didn’t want to be rude by opening your gift without you here.”

“Yeah!” Lyra chips in, causing little Honeydew to flinch at the sudden loudness of her mother. “When you ended up in the hospital, it didn’t feel right!”

“Perhaps now would be a good time, then?” Ice Blossom chips in, leading me to a cushion not far from Lyra. “Maybe they could open it while we get some food in you.”

With a bit of a yawn, I shake my head, curling up comfortably on the pillow. “It can wait ‘til morning.” My mumbled words probably don’t inspire a lot of confidence, seeing as I haven’t eaten in days, but I’m certain that eating wouldn’t settle too well with me right now. Not after loosing my fears and problems upon Rainbow Dash. “I’ll only be sick if I eat right now.”

Through half-lidded eyes, I catch Lyra’s frown. “Sorry... I was, you know...”

Before lowering it to rest on my forehooves, I give my head a gentle shake. “Meh,” is all I can manage before my eyelids close firmly over the blue orbs. I yawn again burying my muzzle in the fur of my legs. “Dun wanna talk about it.”

Some time elapses in heavy silence before the pitter-patter of tiny hooves on the hardwood fills the room, and I then hear Lyra saying something before I feel somepony prodding at my side. “Honeydew, baby,” she croons in a beckoning tone. “Let your auntie Silly rest! She’s all beat up and tired.”

In response, the little filly coos happily, prodding gently at my wing. Just as I’m about to voice my own protest, though, I’m met by a surprising sensation: the little cream filly curls up on me, resting her head on my stifle. To say I’m caught off guard is an understatement, given that the ability to make babies cry by looking at them runs in my family. More so, instead of feeling put off being so close to a baby, a part of me feels... content.

“Kid, I’m sure this would look a lot cuter if I wasn’t covered in bandages,” I whisper, draping one wing over the sleepy foal. Needless to say, this completely natural reflex draws a few muffled sounds of “aw” from the other ponies in the room. “Enjoy the blanket while you can.”

Morning comes very quickly, accompanied by crying fourfold. Blinking away the sleep crusting my eyes, I look around, momentarily confused at the sight of multiple little crying little fillies draped over various parts of me. There’s Honeydew curled up right where she curled up last night at my side, and bouncing on my back is a minty little unicorn—how could I forget little Lyra? Then there’s little Bon-Bon sitting on my hooves, staring at me with tearful, pleading eyes.

Concern that one is missing momentarily fills my heart, but the feeling of somepony gumming my ear quickly dismissed that concern. There’s only one place a filly could get to in order to gnaw on my ear, after all. “Blossom, get down from there, sweetheart! It’s feeding time,” I croon, gently shifting my body to allow little Lyra to roll down to join her daughter at my side.

“Wait, daughter? Lyra’s her sister, you silly filly,” I mutter, rising to my hooves. As I dismiss my own sleep addled thought-processes—gently shaking my head so as to not dislodge the little white filly riding atop my head—I wryly note that my center of balance seems a bit off, as though I might be larger than I’m supposed to be. For the life of me, I don’t know why that is; I carried these four to term without any problem at all! Surely a smaller mare wouldn’t be able to claim such a feat.

Trudging out of the living room—a terrible place to fall asleep covered in fillies, to be sure—I lead my adorable little herd into the kitchen in order to get the bottles ready. “Eh, chalk it up to sleep loss. Four newborns will do that to you,” I say dryly to nopony in particular, removing two bottles from the refrigerator and placing them in a pot of water on the stove.

A knocking on the door distracts me from my now completed task. A glance at the clock tells me it is far too early—or late—for visitors, so who could it be? Prepared to berate the would-be visitor on appropriate visiting hours, I stomp my way across the kitchen and into the front hall. The three little ones stick close to my side each step of the way, determined to lay claim to one of my two milk-laden teats. Obviously, more than once I find myself tripping over a hungry filly.

It occurs to me that twin births are uncommon enough, and by all rights quadruplets should have killed me, but hey, this is Equestria, right? Magic can do wonderful things! Sure, feeding all four of them at the same time is a chore, and Lyra—the only unicorn in my little herd—fancying herself the alpha among the others leads to some playful little dominance fights with Bon-Bon, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Reaching the door, I extend one hoof to block off the possible escape route as I pull it open. “Do you have any idea what time it is P-p-bhwa?” I gawk in surprise at the visage of my guest. “Princess Luna! It’s so great to see you, your highness!” Beckoning my daughters—at least, the one who isn't greedily taking advantage of the situation and having breakfast early—away from the door with one wing, I pull open the door to invite my royal guest in. “Please, come in!”

As the princess enters, I lead my grudging little devourers back into the kitchen in order to feed the other two. “You’ll have to excuse the mess,” I say, shooting the princess an apologetic look as I fish out the now warmed bottles of milk with a pair of tongs. “Taking care of these four doesn’t leave much time for busywork.”

The princess raises her eyebrow, giving my appearance a once-over. “I would comment on the fact that you appear to have a filly on your head, but that much is obvious, I think,” she notes off hoof. “Rather, I am... unused to seeing you so large.”

Passing one bottle to the filly atop my head, I smile. “Yeah, I suppose I have put on a few pounds since we last saw each other,” I reply with a giggle. “You should have seen me while I was pregnant!” Passing little Honeydew the other bottle, I sigh. “They’re quite the hoof-full. Sometimes I ask myself ‘Why can’t I hold all these fillies?’ when they’re particularly rambunctious.” As if to emphasize my point, one of the two nursing foals—Lyra, if I had to guess—releases her grasp on one teat, and begins trying to nose the other out of the way. Groaning in discomfort, I ask, “What brings you all the way out here?”

The princess shakes her head, frowning. “I only just received word, and I was hoping to come by to congratulate you,” she laments. “It would appear that I mistook your dream for a lucid one.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness!” I reply with a wince as I feel a tugging at the teat now being fought over. “I didn’t catch that last part. Still, I would have loved if you’d been able to come to the baby shower.”

For some reason, my comment causes the princess to cover her face with one hoof, muttering beneath her breath. When she finally removes her hoof, her eyes begin to glow and her horn shimmers with magic. “Silver Script, listen to my voice,” she commands, placing her horn beside my head. “When I finish speaking, you will become lucid. It is of the utmost importance that you do not panic at your surroundings. We have much to discuss, and now very little time to do so.”

What is she—

I look down at the two foals fighting over my milk-laden nipples. Why are Lyra and Bon-Bon fillies, and why am I nursing them? Looking up at the princess, I blink repeatedly before mentally dismissing the forms of Lyra, Bon-Bon, and Honeydew, removing them from the dream. “Let us never speak of this again.”

“Quite,” she replies dryly, tastefully ignoring the single infant that remains atop my head as the dream becomes formless. “As I was saying, I only recently received word of your exploits,” she continues, smiling slightly. “I wished to commend you on your heroic feats.”

Feats, as in plural? What? “I’m a bit confused here, Your Highness,” I answer honestly. “Sure, I saved a filly, but what other heroic acts have I done? I don’t think accidentally propositioning my mare-friend in public for some highly bizarre and incredibly lewd behavior is all that heroic.”

Smiling wryly, Luna shakes her head. “There’s no need to be modest, Silver,” the princess answers dismissively. “An overgrown lamia is no small feat.”

I stare at the princess in wonderment as I try to figure out where she gets her information, covering my face with one hoof. “If getting eaten alive by the biggest monster I’ve ever seen is all it takes to be declared some sort of hero, I’d have jumped down Aqua Regia’s throat ages ago.”

If Luna knows anything about what happened between Aqua and myself, she certainly does a very good job of hiding it. Maybe she doesn’t have spies watching me, but if that’s the case, how did word reach her at all? Well, I think if she really wanted to, she probably could probe my thoughts like she did before, but as long as I keep those issues away from the surface, she shan’t get anything from me.

But why shouldn’t I just come clean? If I face my fears, Aqua could be dealt with quietly, and with no risk to myself or my friends. I mean, Aqua’s only a member of a prominent family that calls itself royalty. Princess Luna is the goddamn Princess of the Night! If Luna tells them to jump, they’d have to ask how high! Then again, does Aqua really care about any of that? If the crown comes down on her, she might just snap and use her family’s power and money to put a hit out on me.

Raising a brow, she gives me an appraising look. “Regardless of your quarrels with Princess Aqua Regia, please remember that she is still a member of the royal family.” Her statement isn’t condemnatory; instead she sounds pained having to admit it. “It would not be wise to speak of her like that where the wrong ponies might hear.

“Enough of that though,” she says, sparing me the need to come to a decision on whether or not to speak up. “Regardless of whether or not you have issues accepting the title of hero, many ponies in Ponyville believe you to be.”

“Oh great, and I just recently came to terms with my hero complex.”

“Yes, I do understand that,” she answers apologetically. “Still, be warned that you may have a parade or award ceremony in the immediate future. You’ll see plenty of friendly and familiar faces during the remainder of your stay, regardless of what happens.”

“Thanks for the warning, your highness, I—”

“Yeow!” I cry out at the painful sensation of something biting down on my ear. With some certainty, I can say that the skin isn’t broken. The offending whatever-it-is is far too soft, and is rather slimy. If I was pressed to make a choice, I would put my money on a certain newborn foal somehow getting ahold of my ear. “Stoppit!”

Now that I think about it, why is Honeydew sleeping in my bed? For that matter, it feels like besides Honeydew, there’s at least three other ponies in here. Please tell me I didn’t somehow end up in Lyra’s bed again. How did I get here again?

Shifting uncomfortably beneath the weight of somepony’s head draped across my flank like a pillow, I think it’s safe to say that this is not a bed—a living room cushion maybe. Cracking one eye open reveals that yes, I fell asleep in the living room, and yes, I am the centerpiece of some sort of impromptu pony-pile, and there is most certainly a filly standing on my withers gnawing on my ear.

“What is it with foals, real or other, and chewing on my ears?” I mutter, shifting Lyra’s head off of my flank. Ugh, I think she’s been drooling. Seemingly content that I’m awake, the creamy little foal jumps off of my side—not understanding that I’m injured—and begins trying to move my hind leg. “Kiddo, you got the wrong mare.” Smirking, I gently grab the filly with one hoof and place her by her mother’s belly. “Those are yours, Honeydew.” Thankfully, she doesn’t think twice before tackling her mother’s mammae and serving herself.

With the hungry filly out of the way, I’m free to stand up and move around. It’s certainly nice to be able to extricate myself from the pile of ponies here in the center of the living room. Being kept warm by the body-heat is nice, and it’s wonderful feeling like I’m part of a herd, but why did everypony decide to just curl up around me? Is there some sort of instinct to protect the young and wounded that I don’t know about? Maybe seeing Honeydew curled up with me simply gave them the idea that this would be a great place to sleep.

Looking down at Ice Blossom in the big spoon position, and Lyra—the positional yang to her yin—and foal, I notice that somepony is incredibly conspicuous by her absence. The tell-tale sounds of cooking are nowhere to be heard, and there’s no real sign that Bon-Bon’s anywhere in the house. It’s kind of strange, given that her love gave birth yesterday. One would think she’d have breakfast in bed—or the living room, as the case may be—ready for Lyra.

Unfortunately for me, I can’t bring myself to just walk into Lyra’s kitchen and serve myself breakfast. Call it politeness or being awkward if you will, but some habits you grow up with stay with you, even if it’s something silly like refusing to take food unless explicitly being told to help myself. Maybe I can find something else to do until the others are awake. Hell, if Bon-Bon ain’t back by the time the other two wake, I’ll serve everypony breakfast just as an excuse to eat.

With eating momentarily out of mind, I trot over to the window, making sure Honeydew is always within my line of sight. If anything happens on my watch... well... I won’t have the option of being a part of Lyra’s herd. Still, I’d like to see what sort of day it’s going to be. Who knows? Maybe if it’s nice out Lyra might take Honeydew out to make new acquaintances.

Looking up at the checkerboard sky, I’d like to think all of my color would drain from my face if I had any. This is such a bizarre, discordian sight that only one thing really goes through my mind. “Well shit,” I whisper beneath my breath, turning from the window. “This looks like a wonderful day to stay inside and pretend not to exist.”

Author's Notes:

Again, sorry for the delays. Really easy to get distracted these days, especially having gotten a Dead Space 3 key from my good friend DarkxRedemption. Blasting Necromorphs is fun, but it definitely does nothing to help with not getting anything done. Of course, Dead Space hasn't been the only thing hijacking my attention. Payday 2 has been doing a good job of that too.

I know some of you have already figured out what is going on at that last paragraph, and I'm sure a few of you are probably tearing your hair out, wondering why I would choose to work THAT into my story, or worse, ready to rage-quit, the story. Needless to say, I want to assure you that while I am choosing to acknowledge show canon, I am NOT going to be giving the whole Twilicorn business that much of a focus. It's more of a nod towards continuity, implying that Silver could 'technically' exist in the canon universe if I so chose to work her in.

All that out of the way with, I need to thank E3gner and Vilcor for the help editing on this one. Hopefully I'll be able to have DarkxRedemption and NightmareKnight available on the next one.

Cheers.