With the whispering droning in his ears, Silver hurried out of the way of the street. ~You made a critical error.~
~Oh? We think not. Surrender yourself to us, and we can both know true power.~
Silver sat down with a soft sigh from his female form, crossing his legs and assuming a meditative stance. ~Come, we'll talk, like adults.~
He fell into his own dreamworld, landing lightly on his bed. He was Silver Lining.
A set of spectral eyes appeared before him. "You would surrender your dreams to us? We thought you were determined to--"
Silver clopped his forehooves together, and the eyes were encased in crystal. "Shh." The crystal fell to the floor limply. "I may not have magic pouring from me, but I know how to control my head, and I know when I'm dreaming." He leaned forward. "Now, about that conversation?"
Elsewhere, changelings were sent scurrying away from the imposing and huge figure that marched past them. "Where is your so-called Queen? Bring me to her and I might let a few of you return to my good graces."
Cowed and trembling, a few drones bowed before her, prostrating themselves. "She should be on the third floor, Queen."
"Very good, show me there." Chrysalis smiled wickedly. "We have things to discuss."
"That's quite far enough." A changeling stepped forward, larger than the drones, but smaller than their former queen. "This isn't your hive."
"You don't get to tell me what is or is not my hive!" Chrysalis stomped the ground, fury etching into her face. "Traitor. Step aside and I might not rip you in half! Stand In, I expected better from you."
Stand In sneered. "Just one more mistake to add to your tally."
With a roar of fury, Chrysalis' horn glowed with a fierce green light, and they met in a violent clash for supremacy.
Returning to Silver, the shadow would not be subdued so easily. It shattered the crystal around itself, only to find itself in a bottle, which it broke as the door to a safe closed. "We can do this all day." The safe began to melt, only to reform into an iron ball. "All day... We'll, at best, waste time."
"Very well," echoed the voice from within the iron. "What would you speak?"
Silver smiled. "Like adults." With a soft clop, the eyes were released. "Now, tell me why you hate the crystal ponies so badly."
"Hate?" The eyes scowled. "I suppose that may have been true, once..."
Silver rolled a hoof. "Do you want to conquer the world?"
"That would not be displeasing, but I do not like your tone of voice."
He shrugged softly. "You can leave, or talk. I told you to go away, now we talk. I am not your, or anyone else's puppet. I've had enough of that, Christ."
"What manner of pony are you?"
"The human kind." Silver hopped off his bed. "I've experienced true death, and here I am. You just annoy me." His words were perhaps a little bolder than he felt, but standing proud and confident seemed proper for the time. "This world is ruled by many powers. You could make one hell of a mess, but you would eventually, eventually, be spanked back to the ground. What do you want?"
There was a quiet moment between them. "You speak as if you know me."
"I think I might."
"Prove it."
Silver waved a hoof. The crystal heart appeared, pulsing with light that shone through a window, showing a young grey pony that cried with pain. "For what it's worth? She was wrong for not telling you sooner."
The eyes glowered. "How? How can you know this?"
"Does it matter? Am I wrong?" Silver raised a brow at the eyes as the vision faded back to his room, both across from one another, back on his bed. "You were wronged. You were viciously wronged."
"Then you agree! Join me and let us--"
"Easy there. You've punished them. They equate your face, your name, with terror." Silver gestured to the closed door to his room.
"Sombra!" Clip clops quickly receded from the door.
"The mere mention of you is enough. You have had your revenge. It's time to move to the next step, if you have one. Whipping them forever changes nothing."
"Enough!" The eyes glowed with malignant power. "If you will not help me take this place, I will do it without you. You are not nearly old enough to think you can lecture me."
Silver awoke, his mind clear and thoughts unburdened. The shadow had passed, but the threat... "He's coming."
He rose and strode out onto the street just to almost run into a crystal pony going perpendicular. "Oh, sorry ma'am." The crystal pony perked an ear. "Oh, did I spill something on you?"
Silver glanced back to see Trixie and Silver's cutie marks were bleeding together on his flank. The distraction of the dream perhaps? "Oh, no, ha ha, pay that no mind at all. Trixie really must be going. Good day!" He hurried into the jewel shop, a bell above the door jingling cheerfully on his entry.
The shopkeep was a portly mare crystal pony with jewels dangling from her every portion. Her ears went to him, jingling from the various gems it brought with it. "Welcome! You look like a mare who can appreciate a little bit of jewelry in her life, hmm?"
Silver smiled with relief. "Oh, yes. You see, Trixie left her heart crystal at home."
"Like the Crystal Heart?"
"Much smaller." Silver held his hooves out, then paused and tapped at the purple sphere around his neck. "Here's one. She needs another."
The mare approached Silver and examined it a moment. "I have a few gemstones that could qualify, but something tells me the one you wear is magic, from the glow?"
Silver nodded quickly. "Oh yes. You don't have any enchanted?"
She shrugged. "Sorry, not many crystal unicorns. Will the stone work by itself? Maybe you could enchant it."
Silver sank a little. "It will have to do. Show me what you have."
She walked leisurely towards the back. "I'll be right back with that. Why don't you have a look around? You may see something that catches your eye."
They weren't his eyes, or so he thought to himself as he did glance at the various bits of exotic gems that the store had to offer. Deep purples, bright blues, vibrant greens, and so many other shades teased him. They were all magnificent in different ways, but he hadn't come... He paused and she found him staring into a case. "Oh, you like those?" She came up. "You're a mare with fine tastes."
She reached right past him and undid the lock, bringing out a pair of silver horseshoes, much like the steel ones he wore in his dream. Were they also magical? He had to know. "I'll take those, in addition to..." Silver looked over the selection and picked the one that felt most round and smooth. "This one." His magic plucked free his bag of bits. He paid for his purchase and tucked it all away into that 'pocket'. It all felt odd and new, poking him gently from the inside. "Thank you."
"You really should put them on." She smiled gently. "I'm certain they would look divine on you."
Silver gave a feminine titter that he had meant to be a chuckle. "I'm certain they would, but there's a right time for all things."
"Can't argue that." She sat. "Enjoy them, and your stay in the city."
With mutual well-wishes given, Silver slipped out onto the street and hurried for the castle, only to be flagged down by another crystal pony. "Excuse me, who are those for?" She pointed at Silver's midsection. Could ponies see inside pockets?
"Oh, they just caught Trixie's eyes." He smiled at her, forced and eager to flee.
The mare tilted her head. "Oh, do you know what they are?"
That caught her attention, and she took a step towards the mare. "No, what are they?"
"Well I can barely make them out, but they look like--"
Silver pulled the set free, hovering them up to where the mare could clearly see them.
"Yes! They're exactly what I thought they were. They're marriage shoes."
Silver blinked softly. "Marriage shoes?"
She nodded quickly. "Oh yes. They look like one full set, and they are, for a bachelor pony, but once you find that special somepony you give them the back pair and you both wear them until you're married. Why I've heard some ponies just never took theirs off." She reached up towards them, brushing one. "They look so nicely made, too. Do you have somepony in mind to give them to?"
Silver shook his head. "Oh no. Trixie did not even know that's what they are, though Trixie supposes she does have a special somepony to give them to." He flashed a smile. "If Trixie can be talked away from them."
The mare's expression fell a little and she started looking confused. "Did you have mismatched eyes the whole time? I really should start paying attention. Oh! I don't mean anything bad, they're quite dazzling, really."
Silver stiffened. His magic was unraveling further, he guessed. "Thank you, but Trixie really should go now." She crammed the shoes away. "Good day!" And off she went, not even looking back as she galloped through the streets. As he went, he tried to feel for the spell woven through his own heart crystal. It was dim and fading. He tried to pour more energy into it, but it seemed only to slow its descent rather than halt it.
When he arrived at the castle, he slowed his trot to a stately walk, trying his best to look like he belonged there as he wandered past the guards. Amidst other visitors, they didn't seem interested in him. The bathroom wasn't hard to find, but pressing on its door yielded nothing. He knocked on it lightly.
"Occupied!"
Silver spotted a mirror and moved to inspect the damage. His eyes had indeed gone off balance. His left eye shone with Silver Lining's eyes, brown and rich, and the right, Trixie's, purple and vibrant. His mane was starting to become spikier and wild, though he supposed he could reason that away with why he needed to get into that bathroom.
A sudden thought made him giggle at the reflection. "Mother, would you be disgusted or proud of me failing to live up to your Great and Powerful image?"
"You don't look that bad." Shining Armor suddenly sat down beside Silver. "Waiting for your turn too?"
Of all the ponies! "Oh, yes. Trixie needs to touch up." He looked down, fearing he'd see his mismatched orbs.
"Rough day, huh?"
"Yes, you could say that." Silver inspected his spell, seeing it slip further towards darkness. "They sure are taking their time..." Perhaps he could re-cast it? What would that even do while he was already in disguise, failing as it was?
Shining Armor nodded. "That's the bummer with public facilities. Hey, why don't I show you mine?"
Silver looked up at him sharply. That sounded so... wrong. "Shining Armor!"
"That's my name! Helping mares in distress is one of my games."
Silver took a soft breath. Maybe accepting would give a chance to do... something, anything. "That's very kind of you, lead the way." He stood up on blue legs, even as he worried how long they'd stay blue if nothing was done for them.
I realize this is a mostly-dream chapter, so some confusion is probably due to the dreamlike state but... I am rather lost because I have no context on Chrysalis, the "shadows", Sombra's name is dropped out of nowhere...
6851335 Chrysalis' scene was entirely elsewhere, and not a dream.
Big nasty shadow eyes. Silver assumed it was Sombra. He didn't argue it, nor the evidence provided.
Was it that badly portrayed? Sorry.
6851356
Well, also you said something about a "grey pony crying" and Silver talking about "She should've told you." Which presumably is Chrysalis's backstory, told in the dream almost-future that Silver lived in, but I have no idea what it means... and I get the feeling I should. That's the most jarring part.
6851380 It was a bit of comic canon. That was young Sombra. 'she' was the Queen of the Crystal Empire of the time. He didn't say a lot of details, assuming Sombra knew what he was talking about. He didn't argue any of it, which was as close as he was likely to get to saying it was true or close enough to the truth.
crystal hears - crystal heart
that had meant - that he had meant -or- that was meant
slowed his walk to a stately walk - slowed his gallop/gait(?) to a stately walk
*****
If it's not too spoiler-y is there a canon source for Silver's knowledge of Sombra's past or is this something from another story?
I sense the hand of fate behind his encounter outside the gem shop, but no idea what it could be leading to.
And seeing Silver squirm is more entertaining than it should be. Perhaps next time he should simply run his needs past Princess Cadance who could have saved him some troubles... but then it would not have been nearly as fun - or funny.
A young Sombra and a female who should have said something sooner...is it a reference to Fiendship is Magic?
6851456 You are correct!
6851447 Typos fixed! The loose canon is from Fiendship is Magic, the comic series that touched on Sombra's origins.
6851356
You forgot to put in an indicator that the scene had switched making it confusing for the readers. Usually it's nothing more than a Horizontal Rule tag (HR in brackets), a mess of dashes (which is a mess) or a fancy inline graphic that may or may not work for the reader.
Poor Fast, can she handle her own? Can hybrids even Ascend? Where did Chrysalis regain her power? Things will definitely be interesting when they return... Hopefully not too much damage.
6851653 this. It was a little distracting there was no visual cue.
Keep going! ;)
6851653
6851723 Added!
This chapter is a bit odd to me, but I can't find any typos! I don't know why it felt weird reading it, but I guess it's that Trixie might get some awkwardness, should she ever visit the Crystal Empire, due to Silver's actions.
If Cadance catches "Trixie" and Shining go into the same bathroom, Silver's legs aren't the only things that'll be blue ;)
6852028 WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!
Silver> I... just want to use the bathroom, please?
6852047
My dear Silver you wound me, you should know by now that I'm here to make your readers draw the most incriminating conclusions of the situations you find yourself in.
Why were you not earlier reminiscing of being a mare? And now we find you about to enter a bathroom as invited by a rather handsome stallion, what other conclusions were we to draw you adorable little miscreant
6852085 Silver's trying to be a good pony, he is!
6852104
We all try many a thing, but we always fall back into old haunts and habits after one too many failures. His emotion driven actions will always lead to his downfall into paths of darkness.
Read, read,read,read,read,read,read,read,read,read,read,BONK.
Ow.
Blast. I think even with taking both diversions over the last few days, Ive finally caught up.
Yup. Definitely not applying here. With my background? definitely OP Stu class. And Im including Silver Sky.
Whatever you do when visiting The Shed, dont press the Big Red Button.
this chapter is interesting has silver found one part of the armor he wore?
6854214
Maybe so, but love be a more selfish emotion than even greed
NOoooo!
I like this chapter. It's good to see Trixie in this new light, even though it is not really her but still it's good. It kept me smiling to the end.