With it being an option, Silver decided he wanted to see what court was all about. "I don't have to bring up anything," he told his herd, "I just want to see how it works."
Fast rolled her eyes, "Sounds dreadfully boring. Have you seen the kind of ponies that enjoy court? Don't become one of those."
Night nodded her head, "While I disagree with the why, I agree that court is no place for you. You will crumple like a house of cards when a noble starts with the pressure."
Silver raised an ear, "Is it that bad?"
Night wobbled a hoof, "One-third will want to chase you away from 'their' turf, one-third may want you, for pleasure or their personal ends, and another third will be glaring at you to make sure you don't get influenced and used by the other two thirds." She smiled, "You know one of them, nice enough stallion named Fancy Pants. Ah, and his wife, Fleur. They're practically saints of the elite, but even they don't regard lower-class ponies as the same as them."
Silver shrugged, "It can't hurt to watch, can it?"
Night huffed softly, "If you must, go at night. You and Luna may have rough patches, but she is clearly more ally than not. Celestia rarely intercedes when it comes to the elite, and if you get crushed under them, she won't help."
With agreement reached, they spent the rest of the day being together and working on his school assignments. As the sun dipped, a messenger knocked on the door. He surrendered a letter to Silver, who quickly opened it, "Huh, Jake sent a letter."
Hey Silver!
Twilight insisted I write 'my' ambassador a letter. Just because she had to do friendship reports doesn't mean I should have to. Anyway, Ponyville is great! All the ponies are here. Odd thing, I saw Bon Bon at her store, but no Lyra anywhere? Was that just in the show? Pinkie threw me a party and it was pretty crazy. Uh, Twilight's giving me lessons on managing books and etiquette. It's a bunch of... shit, she's watching me write and she doesn't look happy.
So! What was your human name, before you went Silver Lining? Or was that your name? Kind of an odd name. You know you didn't have to go full-pony to live here. They barely seem to care. I used to be a huge Fluttershy fan, but Pinkie is awesome! Rainbow's pretty cool too. I have a 'hoof ball' game scheduled with those two tomorrow.
Best Wishes,
Jake
Silver folded up the letter with a smile, "That's nice. Jake is really fitting in over at Ponyville."
Fast tilted her head, "Same human? How has he not started a riot?"
Silver shrugged as he fetched a fresh piece of paper, starting his reply, "Twilight must be a good influence on him, and he's probably starstruck around the Elements. He sounds like he's really enjoying himself though, so I'll mark it as a success." He quietly sketched his reply, explaining the extreme basics of how he arrived and eventually became Silver Lining, as well as wishing good luck to his fellow human. He folded it up, ready for sending. "Wonder if Twilight will send one."
"Straight to Celestia," replied Night. "She has no obligation to share her research with you. She probably forgot you were involved, outside of being an ambassador."
Silver frowned a little, "I really would like to know what pulled him, and me, into this world."
Fast shrugged, "Why, you want to go back?"
Silver shook his head quickly, "No! Heavens no. Leave you all behind?"
Fast frowned a little, "You've danced around the topic enough times. When you get back from your court-watching, you're going to tell me about your parents, the originals. You won't dream of leaving us, but your birth family? Pfft, not even a regret."
Silver frowned in return, but the expression washed away, "That's not true... I wonder about my mother, and my niece. I left an income stream, if they have any idea how to get to it. Even if they don't, it'll automatically pay some bills for... How long has it been? I bet it's still doing its thing. Hell, if I'm declared dead, there's a saving's account automatically growing over time they could, and probably will, plunder. I'd be shocked if that didn't happen."
Night tilted her head, "Do you have worries that aren't money related? You don't even consider money on this side."
Silver moved towards the door, "They didn't let me worry about too much else, besides, my niece is a genius in school, and artistically gifted. She'll make it. My only fear for her is her ability to self-start." He nudged the door open with his magic, "Want to come with me?"
Night wrinkled her nose, "I only visited night court to give a report, if I had to." Silver left Night and Fast behind, trotting through the halls towards the courtroom. The ponies were all quite well-dressed, and seemed to look him over with a clear disdain. He heard a soft whisper about his utter lack of fashion. Amusingly, none called him obscene for being nude, just... boring and blase. He slipped in with the crowd and looked around for a good spot in the amphitheatre-style seating. Luna stepped out and everypony rose for her. Taking the first seat he saw, Silver stood in front of it with the others. When Luna settled, they all sat back down.
Luna's eyes swept over the audience, seeming to notice a few particular ponies, one of which included Silver. He smiled at her, she frowned. He wondered if he had made a mistake. Court passed slowly, with most matters being... banal. This pony makes too much noise at night. That pony shines their lights too brightly for stargazing.
A familiar mare that Silver couldn't quite place stepped up to speak, "Your majesty. There is an uncouth barbarian in the hall."
Luna raised a brow, "Verily? Would thou kindly point them out?"
The mare pointed directly at Silver, making him go rigid. "That one accused my filly of scandalous activities, and we have yet to be redressed."
Silver suddenly remembered who it was. That crazy unicorn's mother. She had a name, and it had entirely fled him. He bemoaned his terrible recall, wondering how he could forget the name of the unicorn that tried to rape him.
Luna struck wood with a hoof with a loud bang, "Will Ambassador Silver Lining please step forward."
Silver rose up and trotted towards the front of the court amid surprised whispers and unabashed stares. Luna gave a faint smile, directed at the crowd, "We see this one has yet to be introduced. This is Silver Lining, ambassador of the humans."
The mare staggered back with wide eyes, "What's a human? What nation is this?" She clopped a hoof down, "I demand justice!"
Luna raised a brow lightly, "He is a diplomat, fully recognized by the crown. Would you have us cast him from Equestria?"
"Yes!" shrieked the mare, shaking with a naked fury.
Silver wasn't sure what he should do other than stand there, so that is exactly what he did.
The mare suddenly closed the distance. It was over in a bright flash, he had been struck across an eye by the incensed mare. Stunned gasps rippled through the court.
Luna was as calm as ever, "Would any argue that the lady has struck a diplomat without provocation on his part? This is a most serious crime." She leaned forward, "One that carries severe penalty."
The mare staggered back from Silver, who was rubbing at the bruise quietly. She stammered uselessly before she took a shaking breath, "I'm sorry."
Silver almost said it was alright, it was basically hardwired for him to say that to anyone that apologized, but Luna's voice whispered, ~She does not deserve your mercy. She has caused you and your parents grief. Let her suffer the error of her own making.~
Silver glanced about, then at the quivering noblemare. The gravity of her crime was clearly settling on her, and she was breaking down. "Why do you hate me?" asked Silver
The mare blinked at the unexpected question. "You accused my little girl of such terrible things!"
Silver shrugged, "And what if she did them? What if... I'm not lying? You are ready to throw me from my new home, and to hit me, for what? The court agreed with you and your foal, is that not enough? I have been denied whatever justice I sought, but that gives you leave to ch--"
"Enough," said Luna. "You are hereby banished from court for a duration of one month. You will pay the diplomat a standard recompense for striking him, and you will apologize. Such behavior is not suited to any pony elite."
She looked like she was ready to start seething, but she sank, "I'm sorry..." she slunk away back into the seats, only for a guard to direct her the rest of the way out of the room.
Luna nodded, "Will the next petitioner step forward?"
Silver got the impression he was dismissed and slipped back to his chair. A mare had moved to occupy the seat beside him. The unicorn mare smiled at him as he settled. The tension of the event must have caught up with him as his chest went tight, and he felt as much like crying as attacking something. Abruptly, parts of him started reacting in a wholly inappropriate way. He snapped his hindlegs shut and curled in place a little, trying to look small and hide the sight of anything wrong from everypony else.
Court passed torturously slowly as Silver wondered why he hadn't listened to his lovely wives and stayed away from it all. Eventually ponies began to filter out as Luna called the court adjourned. Silver waited patiently, still indecent, and hoping the rest of the noble ponies would leave, but that mare just... sat there. Eventually there was no one there at all but two night guards at the entrance, Silver, and that mare. The mare rose from her seat suddenly, and the anxiety doubled. His breath became rapid and his heart thundered in his ears. What was this? She stepped over him despite there being nopony else in the other direction, "Excuse me..."
Silver shook his head, "S'alright..." Oh god why couldn't she leave faster? What was that? He felt something brush-- It was her tail. She was doing it on purpose! The two remaining brain-cells he had in good repair banged against one another. This mare was in heat, or at least stunk like it, and she was coming on as heavy as a... metaphors failed him. "What do you want?"
She smiled at him, "I own significant holdings on the local mineral market. Wouldn't it be lovely if we combined our political capital?"
Silver's jaw fell. She was proposing a power play while suggesting something much more intimate with her body. "Uh, I'm... already married."
"Oh," she said, and she moved on as if nothing had happened at all, just primly walking away.
Silver slunk back to his room, darting from cover to cover. He confessed what happened to his wives the moment he got in. They were merciful, and the tension was soon released, at least after they got him to promise not to go to court again.
If the cards are stacked, then they wouldn't crumple. This should be changed to "house of cards."
Both instances of "one third" should be hyphenated.
I'm not sure if "hoof ball" is supposed to be the local version of football or not, but if so then it should be one word.
The seating is "amphitheater-like."
They shine their lights too brightly for "stargazing."
When referencing his title specifically, rather than talking about it as just being a job in general, "ambassador" should be capitalized.
There's a stray quotation mark at the end of that sentence.
There's no need for the "a" in her sentence, since "holdings" is plural.
5758276 All fixed up! What did you think of Silver's little visit to the courts, and Jake's friendship report?
5758364 I suspect that the prudent thing for me to do would be to reserve judgment, since how this chapter shapes up will largely depend on what, if anything, happens as a result of Silver's trip to court. However, my instinct is that nothing will come of this, making this chapter into something of a wasted opportunity.
On a brief aside, I'm slightly critical of the fact that things kicked off with Silver just deciding out of nowhere to go to court. Things happening on a whim fly in the face of narrative structure; it would have been better if there'd been some sort of impetus behind his decision beyond it being a lark. Rather ironically, this lack of continuity is blunted by (of all things) the letter from Jake - while I have no particular desire to see him come back, that does help to establish a sense of connectedness to the greater narrative. Though I'm a bit curious why Spike didn't send the letter; Jake was apparently right there with Twilight when he wrote it, which must mean that Spike is likewise close at hand, and there's no special requirement for receiving a "sending Spike" letter, so why not?
Insofar as the court scene itself went, I really feel like this could have been an excellent opportunity for laying groundwork for many chapters to come, instead of what seemed like a minor interlude. I'll admit to being biased in this regard - I'm a sucker for political dramas/thrillers, so the idea of that happening here had quite a bit of allure for me. As it was, the scene with Mrs. Plate was a nice call-back to earlier in the story, but she (like Tumble's parents) seems to be afflicted with a shocking lack of self-control; her scene has her vacillating wildly between rage and terror (the latter after she realizes the trouble she's in). Rather oddly, despite Luna's pronouncement of a "severe penalty," what happened to her seemed altogether minor - without knowing the amount she has to pay, or what the practical implications are for being kicked out for a month, it's hard to see how this is anything more than a bit of humiliation for her.
The issue with the unicorn mare hitting on Silver was a nice nod in the direction of the seedy underbelly of court politics, but again felt like it was underdeveloped. While the idea of using seduction to cement a political alliance felt genuine, the fact that she was in heat and clearly offering sex seemed like a short-sighted plan, since if Silver had accepted she'd be having his baby in order to accumulate political power, which seems like one hell of a commitment on her end. Maybe Equestria has contraceptives? Also, it felt a little odd that she'd give up that easily just because he was married. She's willing to trade sex for power, but an affair is a bridge too far?
I wish a lot more had been done here (though again, I'm biased).
5758373 Oh, she wasn't. She smelled like it, but she wasn't. Everything about her was fake, except being female. She would have given Silver a fine evening with nothing to show for it but being manipulated.
Dem perfumes...
I try to play Silver true to himself, and wanting to see the court, even just once, is something he'd want to do. His wives reacted with appropriate reservation, but he still wanted to see. How bad could it be? (Silver, it's bad, it's always bad. Hide under your covers with your mares and never come out)
As for Spike, who's to say he didn't whisk it off to the palace? Someone still had to carry it from Celestia or wherever it lands to Silver, as it's never been shown Spike can send messages to other arbitrary ponies. Similarly, Silver has to get his letter to someone who can send it back to Ponyville.
ok silver did not enjoy his night in court to say the lest but the mother of the mare that tried to rap him got some of what she deserved.
and I thought mars when in heat ware suppose to stay in side and away from stallions hear is one using it to try and get him to throw his legal weight around. hum
Harts Fire
5759804 That particular mare was a faker mc fake. She was no different than a prettied up human.
extra comma (or perhaps you meant it in the sense of : "It's a bunch of...oh s--t, she's watching me write!")
5771581 Typos put down.
Sat.
MUST I DO EVERYTHING?!()
5782461 Fixed!
5782464 Author's Note:
Silver wants to see what court's about!
It's a trap. There's nothing but typos in there.
i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--aaYYbXXb--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_320/866489614735163280.jpg
Court always sucks
6228022 Not always, but often.
Wait. Its a trap? That mare was both genders? Woah o-o
6661455 The failed seductress? What gave that impression?
5758628
He didn't wear pants, that was an issue there.
5758628 Maybe when in court he should be wearing pants. Courting in court, who would of thought¿
The court is not bad at all! Just full of a bunch of snobby nobles wanting to get as much benefit to them as the princesses will allow.
Totally not a trap.
There's a stick ready to hit somepony and the irony is killing me.