//------------------------------// // Chapter One: Feeling Not Myself // Story: Landing Silver Side Up // by kwr2k13 //------------------------------// Landing Silver Side Up Chapter One Feeling Not Myself         Sylvia Spencer did not enjoy working at her parents’ jewelry shop. This much was obvious whenever she would snap at the customers or shirk her duties. Though naturally, she did not see herself that way. Despite this, she did her best to help out, since at the age of 20, she still had yet to find a job outside the family. “Well, you gonna buy something, or what?”  Silvia had rudely snapped at a potential customer when they said they were just looking.           Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were not too happy that their daughter was acting so rude in front of the customers.  They waited until they closed up shop to address her behavior in a family meeting.         At the family meeting, Silvia was reprimanded by her mother for being so rude to the customers who were “just looking”.  She was sent to her room to think about her future after supper.  A good night’s rest would make all the difference, according to her mother’s recommendation.  “Fine, Mother.  I’ll go think about what I did.”  Silvia sarcastically said to her parents.  Perhaps her mother was right.  If she went to bed at a decent hour, she would be more alert for work.         Sylvia ate her food in silence, still reeling from the reprimand her parents gave her at the family meeting.  She had a lot of things to think about in her bedroom.               Shortly after dinner, Sylvia excused herself from the table and went upstairs.  She was really tired and went to bed early.  This morning was going to be the new sale on custom jewelry, so she had to be up and ready to open the store by herself as a fitting punishment for her behavior. Sylvia’s body underwent some changes while she slept that evening. She became smaller and her ears migrated to the top of her head.  Her hair grew out and turned a metallic silver/grey color.  A tail of the same color sprouted from her tailbone and her toes and fingers became hooves.  The final changes took place as grey fur grew all over Sylvia's body, face and legs.  A Cutie Mark of the pony she was going to become appeared on her flanks.  These changes to her body came on slowly .The alarm clock blared to life as the radio woke the lone occupant of the bed. Silvia slowly awoke the next morning, her vision blurry.  She rubbed her eyes as the sunlight streamed through the bedroom window. She felt something hard against her face as she reached out to turn off the alarm.  She did not know why she suddenly had no hands, but she was too groggy from sleep to notice any more changes to her body. Throwing the pink comforter off herself, she rolled out of bed and fell over on her face. “Like, Ow! That. like, totally hurt!”  Her voice sounded more high-pitched than normal.  She soon discovered she was a lot smaller than she was the night before, or maybe the bed was bigger by comparison.  As the girl reached the dresser, her blurry vision caught a glimpse of a pair of light blue glasses and some jewelry.  Silvia fumbled around and was able to discern a grey blob where her hand would be.  When the glasses were placed on her eyes, she saw the grey blob came into focus.  Her hands had become hooves!         “Like, What the..why do I have hooves?!”  Silvia stammered as she went to the bathroom.  As she turned stared into the mirror, a grey-maned filly with light blue glasses and a silver spoon Cutie Mark stared back at her with light purple eyes.         “Silvia, honey, time for breakfast!”  Mrs. Spencer called from the hallway.  “If you don’t get up, you are going to be late for work!”         Silvia did not know what to do in her current state.  She attempted to shower the best she could, as her smaller statue and equine anatomy proved a challenge. She even fell on her face, landing on her new snout.   “Ow!  Not again!”  Silvia rubbed her short muzzle and got up to turn the water off after she had washed her mane and tail, as well as her silver grey coat.  The towel she had placed around her was twice as big as her, so it covered her entire filly body. Silvia brushed her mane into a manageable braid as best she could, as well as finding a white pearl necklace where her glasses were on the dresser.  After she put on her light blue glasses and the pearl necklace, the new little filly attempted to head downstairs.         Walking on all four hooves presented a new challenge for Silvia/Silver Spoon, but the filly somehow made it down the stairs, but not without tripping and falling over her back hooves, and losing her glasses.          “My glasses!”  The filly shrieked in fear of losing her most distinctive accessory.      Mom and dad are not going to be happy!”   She dreaded the thought of what her parents would say if their daughter was a little colorful pony from that children’s television show.  She gulped and decided to show her parents her new look after fumbling around for her glasses.  She composed herself, and entered the kitchen, where her parents were fixing breakfast.. “Mother, Father, I’m here.”  Silvia/Silver Spoon entered the room, sticking her muzzle up at her parents, lowering her glasses to check out their reactions.                  Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were in shock.  Standing before them was a metallic silver filly with a grey mane and tail, wearing a white pearl necklace and a light blue pair of glasses.  The most distinctive feature of the filly was a silver spoon mark on her flanks.           “Silvia, is that you?  What happened?”  The mother stammered, kneeling down to the level of the filly, picking her up and giving her a hug, tears streaming down her face.  Despite the fact the little pony in her arms was not human, Mrs. Spencer still could look into the eyes of this filly and see her beloved daughter, Silvia.           Silvia felt her mother’s embrace had a calming effect on her nerves, which by now had been frazzled by the sudden transformation from human adult to little filly. “I dunno, Mother.  I wasn’t like this when I went to bed.  I’m now in the body of this filly. I’m not sure who I am any more.  What is this strange mark on my flanks?”  Silvia turned towards her parents to show them a silver spoon Cutie Mark.   Her father looked at her Cutie Mark, examining it closely. “Indeed.  What is that strange mark on your hips, Silvia?  And, what does it mean?”         Silver Spoon then spoke into Sylvia's mind. “Psst! Silvia. I’m known as Silver Spoon.  Like, I remember Miss Cheerilee talking about Cutie Marks in class!  They appear on a ponies’ flanks when they discover their special talents.  Of course, some ponies don’t have a Cutie Mark.  My best friend, Diamond Tiara and I call them, Blank Flanks!”         Sylvia nodded after zoning out, acknowledging Silver Spoon’s lesson. “Silver Spoon just told me about the Cutie Marks, father.  They, like, represent a ponies’ special talent.  She mentioned a pony named Diamond Tiara.  I think they went to school together and teased other ponies for not having Cutie Marks. By the way, the pony who I am sharing my body with is named Silver Spoon.”         Sylvia's mother helped her daughter up to a chair and poured a bowl of cereal for her. “I guess you are going to eat salads and fruits. How about some oatmeal and apple slices?” Her mother suggested. Silver Spoon licked her lips, smiling. “Like, how did you know that’s my favorite breakfast?”         Silvia/Silver’s mother smiled back, “Because, dear, your favorite breakfast is maple brown sugar oatmeal and apple slices, a side of caramel dipping sauce with some apple juice to drink.”         The young filly was served her food and she ate it with gusto.  After wiping her mouth with a napkin, Silver Spoon let out a polite burp.  “Oh, like, excuse me.  May I please be excused?  I cleaned up my breakfast, see?”  The filly showed her human parents her clean bowl and empty cup.         The parents excused their new filly daughter and thought how they were to raise a daughter who wasn’t human.  They debated whether to sit Silver Spoon down and explain about the strange pony phenomenon, or of the dangers they heard about from gossipy neighbors about the anti-pony groups who would harm any pony, whether they be a filly, foal, colt, mare, or stallion.         Meanwhile, Silver Spoon was in Sylvia’s room, looking at the stuffed animals on her bed. “Nice place you got here.”  The filly commented, climbing onto the bed.         Sylvia nodded, admiring the stuffed animals.  “Yeah, mother and father provide me with good things; a roof over my head, food to eat, and clothes to wear.  Well, I guess ponies usually don’t wear clothes.”         The grey filly thought about her future and wondered about finding other ponies like herself.  If her classmates were out there, they could come over for a visit or a sleepover.  Of course, no blank blanks allowed!         Then, Silver Spoon saw the laptop that Sylvia had on her desk.  It had a webcam and the latest software.  “What is that thing?  Looks expensive.”  The filly said, pointing a front hoof at the device, adjusting her glasses as she examined the laptop with curiosity. Sylvia nodded, “It’s called a laptop.  You can communicate on it and do homework, as well as play games. You can take it with you and talk to people, or ponies.”  Silvia heads over to the chair and uses her hoof to click the mouse to the correct webcam application.         Silver Spoon blinked at the webcam and her face appeared on the screen.  “Wow, is that really me? I look really cute.”  The grey filly said in astonishment.           Silvia chuckled, “Well, anyway, let’s reach out and find your school friends.  Do you know them?”         Silver Spoon thought about the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Diamond Tiara.  “You think we can, like, find Diamond Tiara?  She’s like, one of my bestest friends.”         Silvia nods and searches for any humans who claim to have become a pony, starting with Diamond Tiara.  Sadly, no one or no pony had came forward to stake that claim.  She then decided to send out a message with a video through Twitter.  She used a pencil and created her user handle, Silvia Spoon, a portmanteau of her name and Silver Spoon’s. She then sent the following message to the Twitter community:         “Attention, ponies!  My name is Sylvia Spencer...or it was until this morning.  I’m now, like, in this filly’s body.  I think she calls herself Silver Spoon.  It’s, like Marsday, or something, and I’m like, needing help in finding my friends from school, like Diamond Tiara and those ponies who joined that club….what do they call themselves?  The Cutie Mark Crusaders?  Well, beggars can't be choosers, and I’m all alone.   I am leaving my email address in the contact info, so contact me as soon as you can.” The grey filly posted the video message with trepidation and waited for first contact.           Silvia sighed, “Now we wait.  Now, how’s come you are talking in my head?”  The girl turned filly asked her pony friend.         Silver Spoon grumbled. “Like, don’t you get it?  You are in my body.  Look, Silvia.  We are going to merge sooner or later, so you’ll be getting my memories.  After that, you and I will be one.  I’m sure Diamond Tiara’s going through the same thing.  If she or any pony contacts us, let me do the talking, like, okay?” Silvia sighs. “Fine, Silver Spoon. Now, we wait.”  Silvia hoped her initial Tweet would garner some responses from ponies.