//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Dreaming // Story: Shadow and Silver // by silversoul //------------------------------// I looked around me, the environment unfamiliar. I was in what looked like a cave, the kind you might find the side of a mountain. Light came in through an exit around the corner, proof of a beautiful day outside. Aside from that, all I see is grey stone and rocks over the ground. How I got here is a mystery, since I don't remember anything before this. My ears perked up at a sudden noise near the entrance, the sound of two sets of tiny hooves clopping against the rock. I watched from my spot in the shadow of the rocks, seeing two young foals come inside. But what surprised me was who they were. I was looking at myself and Shadow as foals! We looked rather young, maybe only in school for two or three years by this point. But there was no mistaking either of us. I watched, curious, as Shadow and I galloped closer, the former hovering occasionally with a bust of energy to her still tiny wings. I couldn't help but smile a bit at the sight of us as children, so young and clearly care-free. I watched as the two of us went up to a stretch of wall, across from where I stood. They didn't seem to notice me. Maybe they couldn't even see me. But I watched as we each grabbed a small, white rock in our front hooves and sat in front of the wall. It was only then that I realized the wall was covered in drawings of everything from scribbles to actual pictures of ponies and objects. I watched as the younger versions of me and my best friend took the rocks and began to scrape them against the wall, talking as they worked. "So, what're you gonna draw today, Silvy?" Shadow asked. My younger self let out a groan of embarrassment, his cheeks turning pink. "Come on Shadz, you know I don't like that nickname," he said, looking at her with a small glare. "But if you really wanna know, I was gonna try and draw the princess since she visited the school today." "But Silvy, she visits your school every week. I mean, it's called 'Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns' for a reason, right?" Shadow asked, stopping her own drawing to look at him. "So why now of all times?" "Well, she had this filly with her today," he said slowly, scratching out his best likeness off the solar monarch, "Some new personal student of hers, she mentioned. She didn't really talk much, though; she looked kinda shy. I didn't really get a good look at her, either, since she kept hiding behind the princess. But I thought she looked cute." His cheeks went red as he went on, "And so I figure trying to remember what the princess looks like lets me think of her and that filly." Shadow giggled, "Wow, you can be real sappy, Silvy. But I gotta admit, it's cute that you got yourself a fillyfriend." Silver finally stopped his work, turning to face his friend as his face went a deep red, "W-what!? She's not my fillyfriend! I don't even know what her name is!" Shadow wasn't listening, though, teasing her friend as she sang out, "Silvy's got a fillyfriend, Silvy's got a fillyfriend…~" The colt growled a bit, standing up, "Shadow, if you don't stop that right now I'll… I'll… I'll tell Meadow Dance that you think she's cute!" That got the desired effect, the young Alicorn quickly ceasing her laughter as she gasped, "What!? But you promised to keep that a secret! If that got out, everypony'd think I'm weird…" "Then stop teasing me, silly filly," he said with a small smirk. "Now, what're you drawing, huh?" Like most kids, Shadow had already forgotten about what just happened, a grin on her face as she grabbed her rock, "Well, I was gonna try and draw that big explosion that happened last week! I can still see it in my mind, it was so cool!" I chuckled a bit at her eagerness, only wishing she could know she'd get to do more than meet the pony who made that amazing display. However, before I could watch her attempt to draw the Sonic Rainboom, a loud ringing bore down on my ears, piercing them like a drill and making my eyes go wide as the sound echoed all around me... Silvers eyes shot open as his alarm clock went off at exactly 7 AM. Sunlight was coming in through the crack in the window curtains, leaving a line dividing his bed in half. Barely even thinking, he magically silenced the infernal device on his bedside table and slipped out of bed, not bothering to tuck the covers in as he opened the curtains, waking more as the sun hit his face. That dream… was it really a dream at all? "It felt so real…" he muttered to himself as he looked out at the village below. He could hear shuffling from the next room over, Shadow waking up now as well. No time to really dwell on it, as it was his turn to make breakfast, as Shadow would be so happily reminding him of any minute now. "Maybe I should go for some fresh air after breakfast," he muttered to himself as he headed for the washroom, "I need some fresh air to think about this…" **************************************************************************************************** Fountains were an interesting sort of thing. Not only fashionable in the landscape, but functional if they were made right. The sound of flowing water could serve to relax ones head during a bad day. Heck, some were even designed to shoot water for entertainment. But of course, the fountain in Ponyville Park wasn't along those lines. It was pretty simple; three platforms above the main pool, each getting smaller with the top one shooting water over the edges. It was a pretty normal, everyday sight, so most ponies didn't pay it much mind, especially with fall setting in now. The cold winds weren't exactly encouraging ponies to hang out around the water. But today, one stallion sat at the base of the fountain, passersby paying him little mind as he listened to the steady sound of water falling. Silver hadn't bothered to dress much for the weather; he found he didn't get cold as easy as most, and unicorn magic could easily keep him warm in this weather if needed. Still, if only to stop Shadow from chewing him out about the risks of a cold, he'd darned a gray and gold scarf, hoof-made by Rarity, before leaving. Why he'd gone out, he hadn't really explained, saying he just wanted some fresh air and to enjoy the weather. But no, the reason of course was more than that. The stallion did want to clear his head, but only because he felt it was full to the brim of stuff he didn't understand. The dream… it had been simply one of several he'd had over the last two weeks. But where the others were mostly foggy images and garbled speech, this one had been rather vivid, and played out almost like a memory. Like it was trying to force itself to come back by playing itself out for him, but it just couldn't. He didn't have any recollection of the incident from this newest dream. He hadn't told Shadow much about the dream, really just that he'd had it and she seemed to be in it; best not to let her worry about it when she had plans with Rainbow later that day. Still, he would have liked to tell somepony about it. His only worry was that they might think him slowly going crazy. After all, he still had no clue on where he and Shadow were from, or anything on their pasts, and it was starting to get him a bit upset. He sighed, turning and looking down at his reflection in the water. "Four months, that's how long I've been here. Four months and still no clue about who I was or where I'm from," he said to himself sadly. He stared right into his reflections eyes, "Who am I? Who is Shadow? I just want to know, and then maybe I can get a decent night's sleep for once!" He hit the side of his head a few times, "Come on brain, you got my memories in there. Just make them clearer for me!" "You know, they say it's a sign you're going crazy when you start talking to yourself." Silvers ears perked up at the familiar voice. He raised his head and turned around, coming face-to-face with Twilight, her saddlebags on her back and a small smile across her face. She came up closer, "You're not going crazy on us are you Silver?" "No, don't think so" he said with a small, forced smile. He turned back to his reflection in the fountain, Twilight coming up to next to him. "You feeling okay?" the lavender mare asked. "It's been a few days since you came by the library, and I was getting kind of worried. I saw Shadow and she said you came to the park," she explained, looking up at him. Silver didn't turn his gaze away from himself as he spoke, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I've just been kind of… well, down the last few days." "You want to talk about it? It always helps when you tell friends about your problems. At least, that's what I've read," Twilight said, putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Thanks Twilight, but I think I'd rather be alone right now. I just have to think…" "And keep hitting yourself?" she said, her tone a bit harsher now. "Come on Silver, you clearly have something on your mind, and it's not good to keep this kind of stuff bottled up. Take it from somepony who knows from experience…" her voice trailed off and she shifted around a bit at her memories. But she still went on, "Now come on, let's go back to the library. I bet you could use some warm cider as well as a good friend right now, right?" Silver thought it over for a few seconds. Twilight was probably the only one besides Shadow who would sit and listen to everything he had to say, and actually listen the whole way through. Plus, how could he say no to warm cider on a cool day like this? Finally, he looked up at her, a small but real smile on his face, "Sure, I'd like that. Thanks, Twilight." She smiled back, "That's what friends are for, Silver. Come on, then." The two turned and started for the exit. One short walk later, the two were in Twilight's kitchen, sitting at the table with steaming mugs of cider in hoof. "So, care to tell me what's been going on with you?" the lavender mare asked, taking a sip of her drink. "Well, things were going okay until last night, actually," Silver answered, looking down into his own drink. "See, last night I had this real odd dream…" he was quick to go over what he'd seen, Twilight listening intently the whole time. Though he was quick to cut out what his foal-self had said about what he could assume had been her. When he finally finished, he looked right at her, "So tell me, do you think that was a memory, or just a crazy dream of mine?" "Well, I'm honestly rather hard-set to say it was a memory," Twilight answered, rubbing a hoof on her chin. "You've been living with your amnesia for some time now, so it would make sense that your mind might be trying to tell you about your past. But, I don't seem to remember ever seeing you, though, and we seem around the same age. Then again, I admit I wasn't exactly a social butterfly." Her cheeks went a bit red as she continued, "A cave, huh… maybe you lived in Canterlot? I know the mountain had a few caves within trotting distance…" "Yeah, maybe…" he mumbled, sipping his cider. Honestly, he'd already figured that out by the conversation in the dream. Which, if it had been a memory, was proof he'd gone to the School for Gifted Unicorns, and if that was true… His eyes suddenly lit up as a thought passed through his mind. "Hey, Twilight." "Yes?" she looked up at him, a bit surprised at the sudden shine his eyes had gotten. "Twilight, if that was really a memory, and I went to Celestia's School, wouldn't they have me on record?" Silver asked. A second later, Twilights eyes lit up as well. "Oh, of course, how didn't I think of that!? Of course they'd have you on record if you went there; they have the record of every single pony that ever attended in the student archives," she said happily. "If there's any way to check that you did go to the school, it's to see if they can pull your file." "Great! So then you can send a request to the school with Spike, right?" Silver asked. Twilight suddenly lost her smile, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof, "Yeah, in a few days…" "What do you mean by that?" "Well, there's a reason Spike wasn't here when we got here, you know. He had to go to Canterlot for some royal business. He won't be back until the day after tomorrow." Silver felt his own happiness quickly disperse at those words, his ears drooping slightly. "Figures, find a possible breakthrough in my past, and I have to wait to see if it's legit," he groaned, putting his head down. "Why can't I just get a break and learn about who I was…" Twilight frowned at the sight of the stallion before her. Usually he was rather high-spirited and relaxed, but this… well, this wasn't a side of him she saw much. And frankly, she didn't like it much. Quickly, she tried to think up a way to cheer him up, "Well, ummm… well, I know it's not exactly helpful to your situation, but how about some lunch?" Silver looked up at her, cocking an eyebrow, "Really? How is that supposed to help me?" Seconds later, he heard his stomach growl slightly, his cheeks going red as Twilight giggled. "Well, for one, you sound like you could use some," she answered, "And two, they say a good meal can help lighten anypony's mood. So, what do you say?" Silver really didn't need to give it much thought now that he felt his stomach running on empty, "Okay then, sure. Thanks. But can I at least help you so I can take my mind off all this?" "Uh, sure, I guess," Twilight, the two of them finishing their drinks before standing up. And it was with that that the two prepared a rather average meal of sandwiches and juice. **************************************************************************************************** Meanwhile, above Ponyville, a single cloud floated lazily by, it's two passengers enjoying the slow ride above town. Rainbow Dash and Shadow sat on the cloud, the latter leaning on the former slightly with their tails wrapped around each other's. The two had spent a good part of the day racing and playing around with each other like usual before Rainbow had treated Shadow to lunch. After that, the two grabbed a passing cloud to just enjoy each other's company as they digested their meal. "Man, I'd never had thought I'd enjoy going this slow until I got with you," Rainbow said with a chuckle. Shadow smiled, nuzzling her marefriends neck. "Really, you mean I'm the first pony to ever get Rainbow Dash to slow down, huh?" Shadow asked playfully, giving Rainbow a quick kiss on the cheek. She winked, sticking her tongue out, "Do I get some kind of reward for that?" "How about the pleasure of still being able to date me after today if you get that look off your face?" she asked. She couldn't help but laugh as Shadows face fell immediately, "Oh relax, I'm just kidding around." "Heh, yeah, right…" Shadows ears drooped a bit, making Rainbow look at her. "You okay? What's the sudden flip in attitude?" she asked, looking down at Shadow. "Well… sure you wanna hear it?" Shadow asked, looking up at her in return. "Shad, you're the only pony I'd ever let talk her head off to me," Rainbow said with a grin, putting a foreleg around Shadow and pulling her in closer. "Now come on, tell your super awesome marefriend Rainbow Dash what's got ya down," she encouraged. "Well, it's just… I think this whole 'not knowing our pasts' thing is really getting to Silver," she said after a second. "Like this morning, he just seemed really… out of it. Real down and depressed like. He told me he had a real vivid dream last night that he though could have actually been an old memory of his. Not that I couldn't guess he was dreaming; I could hear him tossing around last night. But it really helped to remind him that we don't really have any leads as to where we're from or who we really are. And now that I'm thinking about it, I'm getting kinda down myself I guess…" "Really now? Well then, let's solve the first problem and get you cheered up. And I know just how to do that," Rainbow said with a smirk. Shadow looked at her, seeing a familiar glint in Rainbows eyes, making her own go wide, "Oh no Rain, don't you dare…" But it was already too late, and her own speed was nowhere near Dashes. In seconds, the Pegasus had pounced on her, leaving Shadow pinned on her back. She squirmed around, trying to get her legs out from under Dash's own, "Come on Rain, seriously, don't do it!" But the chromatic mare wasn't listening as she bent her head down, still smirking as she took a deep breath before burying her snout in Shadows belly. The Alicorn's eyes went wide as they could, her pupils shrinking a bit before she burst into laughter, wiggling and struggling under Rainbow as the Pegasus gave her raspberry after raspberry. "R-Rainbow, s-stop! P-Plehehease, no mohohore!" she squealed, trying to dodge and suck her gut, neither method working well. Finally, after several long minutes of tickling, Rainbow stopped, grinning down at her panting marefriend. "Feeling any better now?" she asked, finally letting Shadow go, only to yelp as she felt herself pulled down on top of the mare by her magic. "Much, actually," she said, wrapping her hooves around Rainbows back, "Thanks for the pick me up, Rain. Don't know how you do it, but you always seem to be able to cheer me up." "And yet you tell me to stop?" Rainbow chuckled. She leaned down and whispered into Shadows ear, "I told you this is our little secret. Didn't I? No need to be shy when we're alone." The red stripes over Shadows cheeks went redder at the words, but she smiled nonetheless. "Right, well then…" she rolled over, leaving her on top of a surprised Rainbow Dash, a grin on her face, "I guess we can try things this way." "Heh, guess we can," Rainbow said, grinning back, "I know I've said it before, but I'm glad I got to know you." "Same here," Shadow said, dragging a hoof down Rainbows side. "In fact, I think you're the reason I haven't been as upset about all this as Silver…" she said slowly. It didn't take Rainbow long to get the idea behind Shadows words, and she laughed a bit when she did. "So what, you think the reason Silver's been so down is because he needs a special somepony of his own?" she asked. "Well, in a way, I guess," Shadow said, "Maybe somepony to distract him would help get his mind off of this a bit. I mean, it looks like it's definatly helped me." She smiled, leaning down and kissing Rainbow on the lips. After a minute or so, the two pulled away. "Well I hope he finds somepony as awesome as you, then," Rainbow said slowly, "But I can't help but think, who out there could possibly be the pony for him…" Shadow face-hoofed, surprised at what the Pegasus couldn't seem to notice. "Rainbow?" "Yeah?" "Stop thinking about this for now and just kiss me, and I can answer that afterwards." "Uh, ok- mmph!" **************************************************************************************************** "And so then I said, 'Okay everypony, we have to build an exact copy of Ponyville right over there! We have less than a minute!'" Twilight and Silver both laughed at the mare's story, now sitting in the main library. Lunch had led to the two starting to talk, mostly to try and break the awkward silence that had overtaken them. And that had eventually led to Twilight going into stories of some of her and her friend's times together. "Seriously, you thought the Princess would actually buy that?" Silver said after he finished laughing. Twilight's cheeks went a bit red, "Well, I wasn't exactly thinking right at the time. I mean, my magic had only things made worse so far. It was only thanks to Pinkie Pie the Parasprites didn't totally devour the town." "Pinkie Pie?" Silver raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious. She got all these instruments together and made up this one-mare band. As it turns out, Parasprites are hypnotized by spirits," Twilight explained, "She used the instruments to get them back in the Everfree Forest." "Wow, after all that chaos, Pinkie's the one who came through, huh?" "Yeah, I'm still a bit surprised about that one." The two laughed again, Silver standing up after looking at nearby clock. "Woah, is it seriously 4 already? Guess time does fly when you're having fun," he said happily. He looked back at Twilight, "I better get going before Shadow gets home and wonders where I've gone. But we should do this again, sometime. We never really sat and talked before. Kind of funny, I mean with me coming around here every other day or two." "Yeah, it is kind of funny. We should do this again," Twilight said, waving as she watched the stallion leave. However, just as he was about to step out, he turned back and grinned at her. "Okay then, it's a date." And with that, he walked out and closed the door. As soon as it closed, however, Twilights cheeks went pink. "Date…" She knew it was just a saying, but a new thought came to mind at those words, the thought of her and Silver sitting together somewhere and enjoying themselves over a meal and idle chatter. A thought she rather liked, but quickly shook out of her mind. No, no, you can't think silly stuff like that, she told herself. I mean, he was just being casual, and a friend. A casual friend, that's all. It's not like he actually wanted to go on a date with me or anything. Of course she had no clue that, as he walked home, Silver's own cheeks were a shade of red, clearly visible against his coat. A date, why did I even say that? he thought to himself. I mean, it's not that I wouldn't date her, she is a nice mare. Great personality, real smart, and not that bad looking… wait, what am I thinking!? She wouldn't go for me. What could I offer the student of Princess Celestia, anyway? She has the knowledge of literally a whole library and amazing magic, and I don't even remember who I really am… He grunted suddenly, crashing into a solid barrier. Looking up, he realized that he'd walked all the way home while wrapped in his own thoughts, but was now met with a locked door. Muttering to himself to pay more attention to his surroundings, he unlocked the door and headed upstairs to the apartment. Not even a minute after he'd stepped in, he saw Shadow fly in through the window, landing gently on the floor. "So, you have fun today?" Silver asked as he headed into the kitchen, opening the fridge to try and find something to make for dinner for the two of them. "Do you even have to ask?" Shadow asked back, grinning as she went over to him. "But how about you? You seem happier then you did this morning." He smiled at her, "I am, actually. See, after I went out, I happen to come Twilight in the park. We went back to her place, and we think we might have found a lead to finding out to some of my past." Shadow looked at him, "What, just yours?" "What? Oh, don't look at me like that, Shadow. I mean, they found us together, so we must be connected. In other words, we find out something about one of us, we're sure to find out something about the other soon after," he explained. "Well, maybe… but how'd you even find the lead? Was it that dream you said you had?" she asked. He nodded, taking some cheese out of the fridge. "Yeah, long story short, I might have been in Celestia's School, so as soon as Spike gets back from Canterlot, she'll send a request to have the school see if they can pull a file on me. If they do, it's a start to figuring out where we came from. Remember, I did say you were in it, too," he explained. "Right," she smiled slightly, "Well, glad we finally might have something after all this time." "Yeah, so how do you feel about grilled cheese with tomato for dinner?" he asked. "Sounds good to me." She turned and started back towards the living room, "So, am I gonna hear exactly what this dream was about, or what? I mean, it's only fair you tell me if you told Twilight." "Of course," he said with a chuckle. But when she walked out, he quickly muttered, "But I'll be darned if I tell you about everything. I'd never hear the end of it otherwise…" Suddenly, Shadow popped her head back in the room, "Oh yeah, by the way Silver, have you ever thought of having Twilight over for dinner some night while I'm not here?" The bread knife Silver had been using to cut the loaf of bread suddenly came down fast, embedding itself in the cutting board as he looked at her in surprise, his cheeks red. "H… H-how did you know!?" was all he could manage. Shadow couldn't help it; she fell out of the doorway laughing.