CMC Changeling Protectors

by contodaslasganas


Life as a Pony

“So, this is where you will be sleeping.”

Silver Flame was quite surprised when he found out that this Twilight lived inside a tree, but he was even more astonished when he was shown his room. It was a simple guest room, true, but the fact that it was neatly furnished and inside of a living tree still bewildered him.

“It looks really nice, Miss Twilight.”

“Please, just call me Twilight. Now, if you need anything, I’ll be up on the second floor. Please don’t be too loud or you’ll wake up Spike.”

“Wait, who’s Spike?”

“That’s right, you haven’t met him yet, have you? Well, tomorrow I’m sure you’ll meet him. Now, is there anything else you need?”

“I don’t believe there is. Thank you so much, M— I mean, Twilight.”

“Ha, don’t thank me just yet. Magic class starts tomorrow, taught by yours truly! See you at 0700 sharp!” The small grin upon her muzzle was not exactly comforting to the young colt.

“But… isn’t tomorrow Sunday?”

“Well, we can’t lose any more time. Almost all foals your age already have a firm grasp over basic magic, and you can’t even levitate anything yet. We have to start as soon as possible if you want to catch up.”

“Okay, I believe you’re right. Tomorrow I start, then.”

“Now that’s the spirit! Good night, Silver!”

“Good night, Twilight!”

The door closed slowly and quietly, leaving Silver alone in his new room. Small portraits of what Silver could only assume were important ponies hung from small pins in the walls. A small bookshelf and a dresser were the only other pieces of furniture apart from the bed, and curious as he was, Silver walked over to the former. Some book names required him to jog his memory in vain (very few changelings were given the privilege of accessing the hive library), but one in particular drew his attention. The book itself seemed quite old— possibly written a couple hundred years ago— but it appeared to have been restored to near-perfect condition.

Written by the late Willneigham Shakespeare, the book was titled Romeo and Juliet.

While scanning through the book, he came across a small synopsis on the second-to-last page. Unfortunately, he was unable to read most of it as his eyes started closing slowly. The only words that latched on to him were those near the end, something about “love” and “death.”


A memory long forgotten. Something that instilled fear that penetrated his very core…

And it was playing right in front of him.

“We have figured out valuable information. This will serve us greatly in our takeover of Equestria.”

Two black figures stood at hoof’s length away from each other, speaking softly enough that no regular pony would have ever guessed what they were saying.

“We should go tell the Queen. She will be most p—”

“Wait.”

One quick use of magic later, and Silver was immobile.

“Eavesdropping is a punishable offense, as is missing training.”

The hold around him quickly constricted, and Silver was unable to even make a noise as the world faded to black, as all heat escaped from his body…

“Ah!”

Silver sat up, unable to comprehend his surroundings. The moon shone brightly outside the open window, and a cool breeze suspended the curtains like ghosts wanting desperately to leave this place. The familiar chill woke him up a bit more as he walked over and shut the window.

Just… a dream?

But unfortunately, the more he thought about it, the more the image grew blurry, the more he began to forget…

And soon the entirety of his nightmare was erased from his memory, although the fright it instigated still crept up within his veins.

That was when he felt something was missing.

No, not something, but someone.

Two someones.

Two people who could tuck him in at night, who could turn anything wrong to right.

His parents.

How he missed them.

And he held not even a picture, barely a memory. Minute tears threatened to form in his eyes, so he tried his hardest to think on something positive.

Something white and fluffy.

Sweetie Belle…

And his mind drifted to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, to Twilight, and to his current form. In front of him now lay a bright future, something every parent always longs for a child…

And he smiled.

A new life. That’s what I’ve always wanted. That’s what my parents would have wanted. I shouldn’t be sad, not with this opportunity.

That reassurance was all he needed as he pulled the sheets over himself. A peaceful sleep would be sure to follow: a great preparation for the chaotic day that lay before him.


“Silver! Hey, Silver!”

“Ughhh…”

One eye opened half-way, and then the other followed suit. Drowsiness plagued Silver as he tried to focus on the origin of the voice. A couple seconds of screwing up his eyes and he noticed the clock right on his bedside.

It read 6:00 AM.

“Ugh, time to train…”

The first rays of sunlight beamed in through the window and struck Silver square in his right eye. At that moment, his brain decided to function in full as the various scents and sights overloaded his senses. He rapidly held up a hoof and looked the other way…

And then he noticed the small purple-and-green figure next to him.

Oh, it’s just a dragon.

A DRAGON!

Silver jumped off the bed and took a defensive stance, horn at the ready…

Until he realized he could not perform magic. Looking frantically around for something to grab or an escape route, he almost didn’t process Spike’s next words.

“Whoa, Silver, it’s okay! I’m Spike, Twilight’s assistant! She sent me to wake you up for breakfast!”

At that, the colt slowly calmed down, though he still had some doubts about this new creature.

“Spike… I think that name sounds f—

“That’s right! Twilight mentioned your name yesterday! So… you are her assistant?”

“Well, one of them. But let’s talk about that later. I’m getting hungry, and you’re probably starving as well.”

A small grumble from Silver’s stomach acknowledged Spike’s statement.

“Alright, let’s go eat then,” Silver added sheepishly, and right outside he bumped into something purple and soft.

“Oof!”

In front of him stood Twilight, a small worried expression on her face.

“Oh, there you are, Silver! Come on, the food’s getting cold!”

With that, she walked back into the kitchen as Silver shook his head to clear the imaginary birds flying around it.

“So… Spike. Any reason why a dragon like you would be staying in Ponyville? I mean, most of the dragons I’ve heard about live far away from here.”

“Well,” Spike responded as they made their way towards the living room table, “Twilight is the one who hatched me, so there’s no way I’d just leave her. After that one time…”

Spike’s eyes glazed over as if he were remembering some distant time, some distant place…

“But yeah, I’ve been with Twilight ever since, and I’ll always stay by her side!”

“In other words, Twilight is like your mom?”

“We- I-I mean… I guess so. I never really thought of it that way…”

“Who?”

“Twilight.”

“Who?”

“I already said, Twilight!”

“That wasn’t me.”

Spike and Silver looked at each other, and soon the dragon understood the origin of that question.

“Oh, it was him. Come here, might as well show you.”

Spike led the colt towards the noise, and on a tall perch there stood a small brown owl, wings open as if performing morning stretches.

“That’s Owlowiscious. He’s Twilight’s number two assistant.”

“Owl… Owli… Owlishus?”

“No, Owl-ow-i-scious. Don’t worry, you’ll learn it eventually.”

“Spike, Silver, breakfast!”

“We’re coming!” The two of them sat themselves down at the table, and Spike spent no time in waiting any longer: he began to loudly scarf down the gems Twilight had set out for him. Only after watching Spike eat so gluttonously did Silver pay attention to the odors wafting from the food.

This smells…

“This looks really good! What is it?”

“Well, it’s this recipe Rarity gave me called ‘Boloneighse B—’”

BURP

“Spike, manners! Remember, Silver’s a guest here!”

“Oh, lighten up, Twi. He’s going to be staying with us for a while. Might as well get used to it.” Spike continued to eat his gems, albeit a little more slowly.

“So, Silver, I already told Spike everything you told me about yourself. We also agreed that you can become our third library assistant! We have to get you a library card and everything, but first, finish your breakfast because magic class begins in fifteen minutes!”

“Right.”

Silver’s mouth had never eaten something quite so succulent as this meal. The tender, delicate touch to the daisies and the fine crisp of the hay was something out of this world, much different from the standard ration cubes he had grown up with all these years. So delicious was that soft dressing that added just the right amount of flavoring to the t—

And just like that, it was gone.

“Wow, seems like you were really hungry, Silver!” Twilight chuckled and levitated everything to the kitchen. “Okay, so you have five minutes left before class starts. Feel free to go to the bathroom or do anything else, but be back in exactly five minutes. Wouldn’t want you to be late for school! And Spike, please wash the dishes when you have time! Thanks!”

“Five minutes?”

“Yeah, and I would advise you not to be late,” Spike replied. “Last time she was late, she freaked out and almost destroyed all of Ponyville.”

“Y-You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. I’m sure if you ask her about it, she’ll tell you. Buuut I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“O-Okay…”

Well, it does seem like she has the magic to do so…

“Spike!”

“Coming!”

And Silver Flame was left alone with very little to do.

So I basically have school every day now to try to get back my magic. Well, it’s not like I haven’t experienced this before, but it is a bit annoying.

He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and found a silver toothbrush with his name on it.

Wow, did she plan on everything?

What normally would have taken him two minutes took more than twice the time. His toothbrush fell inside the sink ten times as he tried to position the object just right to reach his back teeth.

That’s it. I need to get my magic back. I’d forgotten how horrible it was to brush my teeth with hooves.

After the twentieth time, he finally decided to give up. Drying off his face and his hooves, Silver opened the door to find Spike right outside.

“Silver, what are you doing here? Twilight’s waiting for you!”

“What, it’s time already?” Remembering Spike’s sage advice, he galloped out and found Twilight in the main room in front of a chalkboard with four legs.

“I can’t believe it, Silver. The first day and you’re already late! 37 seconds late, in fact!”

Oh, this is going to be fun…


Gibberish. That’s what all this is.

Silver was twirling his pencil with his hoof as Twilight began to explain the symbols on the board, trying his best to pay attention… slightly dozing off… wait, what was she talking about?

SLAM

“Ah!” Silver sat up straight in his chair, the sight of a ruler on his desk making him cringe.

“So, Silver, can you please summarize what I’ve said so far?”

“We-Um… You were saying that these symbols are how pony magic works?”

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

“You’re right.”

Whew, disaster averted.

“If you can tell me the correct sequence of symbols for a levitation spell.”

Drat.

A knock at the door saved Silver in the nick of time.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Sweetie Belle! I wanted to talk to Silver!”

Sweetie Belle! Silver’s heart began to pound, and whatever sleepiness had possessed him immediately dissolved. Twilight walked over to the door and opened it slightly to reveal a small white unicorn.

“Sweetie Belle! Oh, but he’s in class right now. You’ll have to come back later.”

“Please, Twilight?”

“I’m sorry, b—”

“PLEASE?”

Oh no, Silver thought. She’s not going to use… that?

Seconds dwindled away, and soon the inevitable occurred.

“Fine, Sweetie Belle, but only a ten-minute recess for him. Then he has to continue.”

“Okay, Twilight!”

She did. She used those eyes.

One second later, a small overjoyed filly was bounding up and down right next to the colt.

“Hey, Silver!”

“Hey, Sweetie Belle! What brings you here?”

“You, of course!” A small blush began to form on Sweetie’s face as she continued to talk. “Rarity told me she wanted to talk with you later today.”

Hmm… Rarity… I believe that’s Sweetie’s sister. She was staring at me funny back at the castle…

“So… when should I go?”

“She did say as soon as possible, but I guess you have class with Twilight…

“Wait, what is she teaching you?”

“Pony magic. Yeah, I can’t do magic like you can, yet.”

Sweetie Belle’s face lit up even more as an idea arose from the depths of her mind.

“I know! What if I teach you, too? I could ask Twilight to see if she’ll let me teach you! I could earn my cutie mark in teaching! I could even get Scootaloo and Apple Bloom… but they can’t teach you magic… but they can find something else to teach you! Twilight!”

The filly galloped all throughout the library calling out Twilight’s name. It took twenty-three times until she received a response.

“Ugh. Yes, Sweetie Belle?”

“Would it be okay if I teach Silver magic?”

“WHAT?”

Sweetie Belle leapt back as Twilight’s shout frightened her.

“I’m sorry, I mean, what? You don’t even know how to perform magic well!”

Morosely, Sweetie Belle averted her gaze towards the floor, small inklings of tears beginning to form under her eyes.

“N-No, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that I know more about magic than you, so I would be better… suited… to…”

“I know, Twilight. I j-just thought y-you would understand… I know enough to get him started… but I guess it’s just never enough, is it?” Sweetie Belle quickly placed a foreleg in front of her eyes. “I guess I’m just not g-good enough…”

“N-No, of course not! Y-You know, I just remembered I had to… um… to organize these books again! Yes. Oh, I guess I won’t have time to teach Silver today. Ooh, now that’s a bummer. Say, Sweetie Belle, I don’t think you would be able t—”

“I’d love to!” Sweetie Belle returned to her normal, cheery self and galloped towards the perplexed colt still seated at his desk.

“Come on, Silver, let’s go!”

“B-But wh—”

With strength unlike anything Silver had ever seen from Sweetie Belle, she dragged him away by the hoof off into the distance.

And Twilight?

Stupefied, jaw halfway down to the floor.

W-What has Rarity been teaching her?

“Twilight! TWILIGHT!”

Spike’s yell broke the trance Twilight had found herself in, and she trotted over to the small dragon.

“What is it, Spike?”

“I just got this. It’s from Princess Celestia.”

“Let me see.”

Indeed, the seal upon the parchment was the Royal Seal, but something was a bit… off. Princess Celestia rarely sent her any letters anymore; most of the time, the princess was on the receiving end. What troubled her most, however, was that this wasn’t Princess Celestia’s handwriting. No, this writing was much more flowery, reminiscent of times long past…

Miss Twilight Sparkle,

We write to theeyou to inform you that Princess Celestia will be having a small period of rest. WeI shall be in charge of most of her duties, so do not hesitate to ask me for anything. And yes, there is no reason to… how do you say, freak out? Yes, we believe that’s it. No, we did not tell thee to write that d freak out. She is but only a bit tired. In addition, my sister has agreed to mine opinion that thouyou should be able to continue thy research regarding arcane magic and adaptations for ponies to use it. We feel that it shall prove to be useful in the near future. Please forgive us for the multiple words scratched out. We are still learning all the eloquences of modern Equestrian.

At the bottom, in grandiose regal lettering, was inscribed “Princess Lunaria.”

“No wonder the handwriting looked so different. I wonder what happened to Princess Celestia, though… But I guess she does deserve a break every once in a wh—

“Wait, did she say…

“Yes! Now I don’t have to hide it anymore! Spike, we’re starting experiment E!”

“B-But you said it would be too con… conspi… conspicu—”

“Don’t worry, I have Princess Luna’s permission, and I need a test subject!”

Spike cringed internally and managed to pull out a weak smile. There was not much use in arguing.

Ugh. This won’t end well.


“Hey, Sweetie Belle, have you ever tried out acting? You know, for your cutie mark?” Silver began to take in all his surroundings, noting the colorful buildings and stalls around him.

“Yeeeaah, that didn’t work out too well. I almost destroyed my sister’s life, and I didn’t even get a cutie mark.”

Um… What?

“Come on, slowpoke! You can gallop faster than that!”

Silver looked ahead and noticed Sweetie Belle was already five pony-lengths ahead of him.

“Come on!”

However, something had caught Silver’s eye: two small foals were happily running around in circles, one chasing the other.

That’s when the idea struck him. “You know, Sweetie Belle… I bet I can get there faster than you!”

Silver bent his back legs in preparation, and before Sweetie Belle could even respond, Silver had begun to gain on her. Those quick hoofsteps soon overtook hers, and a small blur of aquamarine zoomed past her.

“Wait, you don’t even know where to go!”

Sweetie Belle took off after him at high speed, and unfortunately for Silver, she was fast. Very fast. Or perhaps it was him who was slowing down.

So… tired… Ugh, I’m not as fast as I used to be, not in this pony body…

But there’s no way I’m going to lose!

The wooden planks and tall apple groves were nearing into view. The scarce amount of passersby ignored them for the most part, except for maybe a small, disapproving glare. All this melted away as the colt felt the need to do something fun, something exhilarating after having spent so many seconds in that dreaded desk. The destination was close, and Silver’s legs were starting to grow sore. Sweat was already clouding his vision, but he as he turned back, he could still clearly spot Sweetie Belle getting closer, one hoofstep right behind him.

“I’m going to get you!”

Silver smiled back, and that’s when it struck him.

Wait a second…

Where exactly am I going? The clubhouse was d—

That distraction was all it took, just enough for him to not notice the small rock right in front of him.

Ahhhh!

He tumbled forward almost endlessly, it seemed. The outside world became a colorful blur as sound and light blended together into a heap of unfiltered information.

“Silver, are y—”

By then, it was too late for Sweetie Belle, who tripped on the same rock and tumbled right behind him.

“Oof!”

A conveniently placed bale of hay halted their motions, and soon they lay sprawled on the mess they had created, both of them out of breath.

“Sweetie Belle… *pant* Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m… *pant* I’m fine…”

“Then that means… *pant* I win… doesn’t it?”

Sweetie’s face popped up on top of his. “You wish!”

“H—”

The next words would never find their way out into the world, for Silver was lost in timelessness. The sun was at the perfect position, and all he could see was Sweetie’s face surrounded by a halo of warmth and beauty. His heart was beating in a frenzy, his mind blank except for the image that lay before him…

And Sweetie herself could not pull away. Something in her mind clicked— but it couldn’t be in her mind: it made too little sense. She had seen him and talked to him many times before… Then why was this one instance, one in which neither pony’s life was in danger, chosen to provide such fleeting emotions?

But she could care less for explanations. All she cared about was that the colt she liked was right there, and the moment was right.

Their lips slowly met, yet the kiss itself was quick… quick yet powerful enough to fill each one of them with immense warmth, perhaps incomparable even to that of the sun.

But the only indications were the slight blushes on both colt and filly as they struggled to contain their joy.

“Hey, you two loveponies ready?”

Sweetie almost jumped out of her fur at the familiar voice, and Silver’s mane stood on end.

“A-Applebloom! W-We were just g—”

“Oh, I know what you two were doing, but now’s not the time! We only have two hours before Ah have to go help ma big sis, so let’s get moving!”

Apple Bloom bounded away, Sweetie Belle and Silver Flame attempting to recover as best they could before galloping right behind.


“It’s about time you three got here!”

The clubhouse was still in shambles, and because of the changeling threat, the new “Crusaders Headquarters” was off-limits. What alternatives remained? So far, a small room in Applejack’s barn had served as a makeshift working area for any small attempts to get cutie marks.

“Hey, don’t go blaming it on me, Scoots,” Apple Bloom replied. “These two were the ones taking their sweet time!”

“Yeah, whatever. So, what’s the plan?”

“We could try to get our cutie marks in teaching!” Sweetie Belle ecstatically pulled out a chalkboard, twenty different colors of chalk, and a small desk…

Wait, where did she even get that?

“Twilight is going to let me teach Silver magic!”

“Alright, that sounds like a plan… but what about me and Apple Bloom? We don’t know anything about magic.”

“Oh, yeah… Well, Apple Bloom, you could teach him about working on the farm, and Scootaloo, you can teach him about… scooter repair! Right, Silver?”

How could he possibly say no in this situation, even if he didn’t really care much for those last two things?

“But I don’t think he wants to learn ‘bout ap—”

“Why not? I would love to! Why wouldn’t I want to learn all about those glorious things?” His wide grin was perhaps a smidgen too wide, evident by the way Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged uneasy glances before looking back at the colt.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course!”

“Weeeell, let’s try it out, then! We won’t know until we try!”

The four of them extended a foreleg towards the ceiling, and Silver prepared his ears for the inevitable.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS TEACHERS!”


The two hours were almost up, and Silver felt somewhat good about himself. He now knew how to fix broken axles and the correct time of the day to buck apple trees with maximum efficiency, the right tools necessary for a paint job and how to position one’s back legs just right for maximum power…

But pony magic was going to take more time, much more than the two hours Apple Bloom had. Scootaloo herself soon grew bored, and after acknowledging her failed attempt at finding her cutie mark and spotting Rainbow Dash, she went off to ask her for more tips on how to fly.

Only Sweetie and Silver were left, but no teaching cutie mark had appeared.

“Now, Silver, what does this symbol mean? And no peeking at your notes this time!”

“Was it… Amaro?”

“No, Amaro has a small squiggly thing on the top right corner.”

“Then is it… Foira?”

“No, no, that’s the wrong shape entirely!”

“Ugh, at this rate I don’t think I’ll ever get the hang of pony magic!” Silver, downcast, looked back at the writing he had scrawled on the paper before him, searching for that one symbol…

Dang it, it was Imoro!

“Don’t worry, Silver,” Sweetie Belle reassured him as she walked towards the desk. “It took me a while to figure this out, too! Now, can you tell me what spell starts with this symbol?”

“Umm…”

Come on, I just saw it five seconds ago!

“The… um… the teleportation… spell?”

Sweetie furrowed her brow as she tried to remember. “I don’t remember the teleportation spell, buuut I don’t think so.” Noting Silver’s frustration, Sweetie took out a blank piece of paper and placed it on the desk. “I find it’s easy to think about what the pictures look like.”

A quick second later, she had drawn three symbols: the necessary prerequisites for performing one of the most basic spells.

“See, this first symbol, Imoro, looks like a bent hoof. Do you see it?”

Silver leaned his head to one side a slight bit, a smidgen confused.

“I… I guess…”

“And this second symbol looks like a piece of fabric. See? The fabric is being stretched. And the last symbol has… Silver?”

As much as the colt wanted to pay attention, something else was distracting him. Yes, his mind was somewhere else completely…

It smells like… like daisies…

“Silver? SILVER!”

“Wha-Yes, of course I was paying attention! I heard everything you said!”

Sweetie Belle smirked. “Oh, yeah? Then what was I just saying?”

“Um…”

“See? You weren’t even paying attention.” Sweetie Belle sat down on the floor and pouted. “I guess I’m just not a good teacher. I’ll never get my cutie mark like this.”

“No, Sweetie, it’s not that! It’s just that I don’t really get this material…”

But something else was wrong, and Silver knew it.

“Don’t worry, Sweetie! There are other ways to get cutie marks…”

“I know. It’s just…” Sweetie’s voice lowered and developed a small, barely perceptible quiver. “I always wonder if I’m ever going to find my cutie mark… It took me so long to figure out how to use magic…

“It makes me wonder if I’m good for anything.”

The tiniest of droplets arose in the corners of her closed eyes. No matter hard she tried, the images of previous failures were slowly creeping back up from those dark recesses in her mind, and there was no way to s—

A warm hoof on her shoulder stopped her mind cold.

“Don’t ever say that, Sweetie Belle. Just because you don’t have a cutie mark does not mean you are not good at anything.”

Silver slowly wiped away those premature tears still clinging to Sweetie’s eyes and continued.

“I don’t have my cutie mark, and neither do Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Do you really think we are not good at anything? Changelings do not have cutie marks, and they do not need them to feel like they are good at something, so you should not, either. Remember, your cutie mark does not govern who you are…”

The colt stretched out his other foreleg and lightly touched Sweetie’s head.

“What makes you who you are is in here…”

His hoof traveled down to the center of her chest.

“And in here. Don’t forget that, okay?” Silver smiled softly at the filly. “After all, didn’t you convince Twilight to let you teach me? I doubt any other pony could have done that so easily.”

“Well, I did learn a bit from my sister!” A petite smile poked through, and the sadness slowly drifted away.

“See? And don’t worry about your cutie mark. I’m sure you’ll get it before I get mine. I can’t even use magic yet!”

“Well, then, we’ll have to fix that, won’t we?”


“Now I think it’s time for you to try it!”

Another hour had passed, and Sweetie and Silver seemed to be making some progress.

“Alright, I’ll try. The spell is… Imoro, Argento, Fideris.”

“That’s right! Do you remember the symbols?”

“I think so.”

“Then just picture them on the base of your horn and see if it works! Let’s try something simple… like this piece of chalk!”

Sweetie Belle broke the chalk she held in her hoof in half— more or less— and set one of the parts on the desk.

Alright, I can do this!

As Silver closed his eyes, the images took form in his mind, and he poured all his concentration onto his horn. Tiny wisps of what could only be described as blue embers began to arise from the appendage’s base, and Silver could feel it, the power rushing through his veins, all convening at one point…

And he opened his eyes. Spotting the chalk, he focused the accumulated energy onto it. The entire room was still, without the sound of even a single breath: Sweetie feared that any sound she could emit would break his concentration.

And then the wisps slowly arose around the object. They were barely visible, and even Silver himself was unsure whether his eyes were truly seeing them, but he did not break his focus.

Just a little more…

Magic slowly began to take form around the chalk, and Silver’s eyes stared long and hard at the writing tool with all his might.

“Come on… C—”

He didn’t quite remember passing out, nor waking up a minute later.

“Silver! Silver, are you okay? Silver, speak to me!”

“W-What… Sweetie Belle, what happened? I… I was using the sp—”

“Oh, Silver! You can’t concentrate too hard or you’ll tire yourself out! Do you feel fine? Is your head hurting? What about your horn? Do y—”

“Sweetie, it’s okay. I just feel… a bit woozy. I guess I just need to take it slow.” Silver smiled sheepishly as he attempted to calm Sweetie down.

“Well, if you say so…”

“Don’t worry! Here, let’s see if we c—”

GRUMBLE

“Oh, see? That’s why you couldn’t do it! You were too hungry! In fact…” Sweetie Belle quickly began to pack up everything and stored all the items under one of the floorboards.

So that’s where she had them…

“I think it’s time for lunch! How about we go over to my sister’s place? I’m sure she’ll have no problem cooking for one more, and remember, you still have to talk to her!”

“That sounds like a great idea! Although… I don’t know if Twilight’s expecting me for lunch…”

“Oh, don’t worry about that! Rarity and Twilight are the best of friends! I’m sure Twilight will understand!”

Sweetie Belle trotted out gleefully, and Silver followed right behind.


“Why, hello there, Mister Silver Flame. How do you do?”

“Rarity, you don’t have to be so formal, you know!”

“Oh, Sweetie Belle, don’t you know that one must be very courteous with guests? Now, Mister Flame, I do believe we have some things to talk about...

“But first, let us eat! I had a feeling we might be having some company, so I made enough for one more! Oh, but I forgot the drinks! I’ll be right back. You two can start eating. Make sure to wash your hooves first!” Rarity quickly left before Silver could even speak, so he simply asked Sweetie Belle where the bathroom was. A quick trip later and he returned, sitting down at the prepared table.

To say that the food looked mouth-watering would be an understatement. Even the food Silver had eaten at Twilight’s paled in comparison to this masterpiece.

Although… to be honest, he had no idea what to do. Before him lay an immeasurable amount of utensils, and he had no idea what to do with the hoofkerchief.

“Um… Sweetie Belle?” Silver’s voice was no louder than a whisper. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Oh! Um… Let me see… I think…” Sweetie Belle began to explain as much as she could to him…

“I think I’ll just use these, then.” He picked up the utensils, but he stopped before touching them to the food. The goods were there, so tantalizing, just begging to be eaten… but he knew better.

“Okay, let’s wait until your sister comes back so we can eat.”

“You can eat now, Silver! Rarity even said we could start eating!” Sweetie Belle quickly picked up the fork in her telekinetic grip and was about to eat that first morsel…

“Yeah, but… isn’t it bad manners to eat when somepony’s not at the table? Back when I lived with the apothecary, we always waited for everypony to be seated before eating.” Silver put down his silverware and stayed seated quietly, all while Sweetie Belle internally scolded herself for her behavior.

He’s right. Rarity would throw a fit if I did that when guests are here…

Little did Silver know the reason why Rarity was taking so long. She was quite adept at one spell, one that she had even hid from Twilight and her other friends. This spell allowed a pony to to hear even the slightest whisper from one end of the room to the other. After all, how else could a lady ever hear the latest gossip?

“Hmm… Rarity has been gone a while,” Sweetie pondered aloud. “Maybe I should g—”

“I’ve got the juice! Oh, you two waited for me! How nice.”

Rarity sat down at the table, and the three of them began to eat. Silver was so hungry he finished in about half the time it took for Sweetie Belle to eat her last morsel.

“This was really good, Miss Rarity! Probably the best food I’ve had here!”

“Oh, you’re too kind, Silver.”

Hmm… he didn’t get up yet. Is he waiting for us to finish? Maybe he does know a bit more about table manners than I thought…

Sweetie Belle’s voice derailed her sister’s train of thought. “Psst. Silver!”

“Hmm?”

Sweetie Belle only giggled as she pointed to the right side of her muzzle. Silver stared at her, dumbfounded.

What is she d—

Rarity began to stifle her own soft giggles as she looked over at Silver.

“Um, Mister Flame…”

“Silver is just fine, Miss Rarity.”

“Oh, if you insist! Silver… You have a… little…”

Rarity continued to move her hoof awkwardly over her muzzle, and it took a good three seconds for the colt to finally understand. Slowly, he raised his own hoof to his muzzle and felt the sauce staining it. Sheepishly, he used his handkerchief to wipe his muzzle clean, and there he waited until Rarity and Sweetie Belle finished.

“So, Silver… All I know about you is what Sweetie Belle and Twilight told me. Is it okay if I ask you a couple… questions, in private? Great! Just go wash up and we’ll go upstairs.” Rarity levitated the plates and utensils over to the sink and began to clean up.

O…kay? Something about her tone wasn’t exactly welcoming, but Silver decided to ignore it for the time being.


“Thank you again, Miss Rarity, for everything, for helping me have a new life.”

“Oh, Silver, dear, I would have helped you under any circumstances. You did save my dear Sweetie Belle, after all.

“But…

“Silver, if I may cut to the chase here, you are Sweetie Belle’s coltfriend, right?”

“W-Well, I believe so. We, um, we haven’t, um, called each other like that yet, but yes.” Silver’s cheeks slowly gave rise to faded red splotches.

“Hmm… You seem like a nice pony, but one can never be too careful. While her parents are away, Sweetie Belle is under my care. Now… I believe you’ve seen the power Twilight holds, right?”

“That one time, when she stopped the attack from my f—” Silver’s voice faltered for a second. “The attack from my father.”

“Yes, Sweetie Belle told me about that… My deepest condolences.

“Now, imagine that power times… oh I don’t know, times ten. That is probably how much magic Twilight has. I may not have as much magic as her, but I like to believe I have at least a quarter of that amount.”

“That… That is quite a bit.”

Rarity’s eyes focused on his, the glare delivering total seriousness and instilling fright in the small colt.

“If you hurt Sweetie Belle in any way, shape, or form… let’s just say you will not like me when I’m angry. Is that understood?”

“Y-Yes, Miss Rarity.”

“Oh, you can just call me Rarity. I’m sure that we’ll get along splendidly…”

Rarity brought her face closer to Silver’s, just enough so he could not escape that cold glare.

“But remember, you treat Sweetie Belle like the princess she is, or you’ll be wishing Twilight were there to save you. Understood?”

“Y-Yes, of course!”

“Now, then, it was glad to have you over, but I think Twilight might get a little worried if she notices you’re gone for too long. I take it the teaching cutie mark scheme didn’t work?”

“Yeah, it was a fl— Wait, how did y—”

“Sweetie Belle told me. Now, come on, let us go. It’s not that I don’t want your company, but I’m sure Twilight is very worried right now.” Rarity led Silver out back onto the first floor. “Sweetie Belle, I need your help with something. Could you come upstairs, please?”

“Okay! Just let me say goodbye to Silver!”

Sweetie Belle trotted over to the colt just as Rarity walked up the stairs.

“Silver, are you free tomorrow?”

“Well, Twilight has me on this very rigid schedule… so I’m not sure.”

“Oh. I guess I’ll just drop by again tomorrow to check. Well, see you tomorrow, Silver!” Sweetie Belle gave him a kiss on the cheek, and blushes painted both of their faces as the colt exited.

I should probably hurry. I don’t want Twilight to get worried.

Only a couple minutes after did he notice something crucial:

Drat. I don’t know how to get back to Twilight’s. I should have asked Rarity or Sweetie Belle…


After thirty minutes of walking and asking around, a gray pegasus mare had been kind enough to give Silver directions to the library. He knocked on the door, but there was no response.
The door itself was ajar, and so he let himself in.

“Twilight! Twilight, where are you?”

As he walked around, he noticed a green light through the floorboards.

That’s strange…

And what’s this th—

Unwittingly, Silver hoof had opened up a latch, and a slow creaking revealed a hidden entrance.

Maybe Twilight’s down there…

Silver slowly walked downward, and soon surrounding him were various trinkets and objects he knew nothing about. None of them seemed even remotely recognizable, but what really caught his attention was the scene developing before him.

Twilight and Spike. Spike was surrounded by a green glowing shield, and a strange circle with different symbols of the same color lay below Twilight.

“Okay, Spike, tell me if you feel anything. Ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

“Good.”

Twilight’s horn, which was enveloped in the same green glow as the shield, began to show wisps of purple as a small ball formed atop it. In an instant, a beam of magic struck the shield, and Spike almost yelped at the impact…

But it didn’t obliterate him, as Silver thought. Instead, the purple magic dispersed all along the shield, powerless against the green sphere. Both the purple and green died down as Twilight began to pant.

“So… Spike… Did you feel… anything?”

“Nope. I haven’t got a scratch on me.”

“Then… I declare this experiment… a success. Just let me… catch my breath a bit…”

Twilight slowly walked towards the exit to the first floor, and only then did she spot Silver.

“Hey, Silver! You’re back already?”

“W-What was that? It seemed… a bit familiar, some reason.”

“Princess Luna gave me permission to study and experiment with arcane magic. It’s the same magic changelings use…

“Wait. I just got an idea. Why didn’t I think of this earlier? Silver, come with me.”

“Okay…”

The colt followed Twilight over to the living room, and out of nowhere she pulled out a small notepad and quill.

“So, Silver, could you please describe to me, in detail, how you used to do magic? You know, as a changeling?”

“Well, I would just think it, and it would happen.”

“Think it and…

“Wait. You’re telling me you didn’t have to learn any spell symbols or anything?”

“Not really. It would just come naturally.” Silver sat down in a nearby chair as Twilight continued to speak.

“I see. This makes sense if we think about the holes that changelings have in their horns. Those could have embedded symbols in them that allows them to perform all sorts of spells. This could act as a dictionary for all possible spells a changeling can perform. Hmm…”

“Twilight.”

“Yes, Silver?”

“Um… What exactly was that weird green circle that appeared below you? I haven’t seen anything like it before.”

“Oh, that’s an arcane magic circle. Arcane magic can only be done using certain glyphs, which I believe are inscribed in every changeling’s horn. Ponies can’t use this magic because they don’t possess these patterns… at least, most ponies. By using my own… magic to create the symbols below me, I can… can harness arcane magic and possibly use other… more powerful… spells… One second…”

Twilight plopped down in the chair next to Silver and closed her notepad. She levitated the items back to their respective places, but this simple task was taking a considerable toll on her. Twilight’s breath quickened, and she had started to tremble slightly.

“Twilight, are you okay?”

“Yeah… I’m fine… Arcane magic just… it took a… a lot of energy… to make that magic circle… Yeah, I just need to… rest… for a bit…”

Not even a second later, Twilight began to snore loudly.

Wow, she must have been really tired.

“TWILIGHT! TWI—”

Silver quickly galloped over and smacked a hoof onto Spike’s mouth, pointing with his other hoof at the sleeping mare.

“Oh, sorry,” whispered Spike. “That must have taken a lot out of her. Oh well, there’s still a couple hours until dinner. If you want, you can go read a book until I finish preparing the meal.”

“You don’t need any help?”

“Nah, I can do it myself. Just make sure you return the book where you found it when you’re done. Twilight hates it when a book is shelved in the wrong place.”

“Got it.”

Silver walked over to the nearest bookshelf, only to find that all the books were written in a different language.

Maybe there’s an adventure section…

And then he found that one book that caught his eye: Daring Do. Those were the only words he could make out from the other side of the room, but for some reason he singled it out of all the others.

Well, let’s see how this book goes.


Come on, Daring! You can do it! You still have ten seconds until th—

“Dinner’s ready!”

“Ah! J-Just a minute, Spike!”

“The food’s already at the table!”

Therein lay the dilemma. Before Silver lay one final chapter, the end of the story, the answer to all his burning questions…

But he couldn’t just keep Spike and Twilight waiting.

But it was only one little chapter…

GRUMBLE

At times like these, Silver was glad to have a second opinion, even if it was from his stomach.

Hmm… I don’t want to lose my place…

A quick look around and he found a small bin labeled “Bookmarks. Take One.”

Wow, Twilight really does think of everything!

He chose one bookmark at random and placed it in the book, which he quickly stashed away back in its place. Speeding up to a trot, he reached the table and sat down next to a drowsy Twilight. Granted, the food this time around didn’t look as magnificent as Rarity’s or even the previous breakfast, but there was no reason to complain about the taste.

“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking,” Spike told Silver. “It’s not as good as breakfast was, but I do say I can cook pretty well. Don’t you think, Twilight?

“Um… Twilight?

“TWILIGHT!”

“Waah! I mean, yes, Spike?”

“Your food? You do need to eat, you know, especially after using that much magic.”

“Yeah… You’re right…” Twilight let out a tremendous yawn, one that shook the tree to its very core, and started to eat. In the middle of her third morsel, she began talking to herself. “You know, maybe that’s why changelings need to constantly feed on emotions. Magic is closely linked to feelings, and arcane magic is very demanding in energy cost…”

Silver stared at her inquisitively, to which Spike replied: “Yeah, she does that a lot. She likes to think aloud.” Spike sat down and started to eat, and Silver followed suit.

Dinner was over in a flash, it seemed, and finally the energy toll of the day’s events was slowly seeping through to the colt. But no, he would not be defeated by drowsiness when he still had a chapter to read!

Walking back to the bookshelf, he stretched out his hoof to retrieve the book…

When another hoof touched it at the exact same time.

The two ponies looked at each other, then back at the book, then back again.

“Hey, pipsqueak, I touched it first!”

Granted, Silver was a bit cranky, and the mare’s comment didn’t exactly alleviate his mood.

“No you didn’t!”

“Yes I did!”

“Come on, I only have one chapter left!”

“Well, so do I!”

“B—”

“What is all that racket?” Twilight rushed in, her energy seemingly restored. “Rainbow, Silver, you know better than to fight over a book!”

“Rainbow?”

“What, you haven’t heard of the legendary Rainbow Dash? The fastest and most awesome pegasus in all of Eq—”

“Oh, you’re Miss Rainbow Dash!” Silver internally rebuked himself for not noticing that unique mane, and Rainbow mentally cringed. “Thanks again for everything!”

“Huh? Have I… met you before?”

“Rainbow, it’s Silver Flame!” Twilight retorted in Silver’s defense. “You know, he was a changeling, we use the Elements to turn him into a p—”

“Oh, Silver Flame! Now I remember! Um…” Rainbow sheepishly apologized for forgetting about him. “It’s just that I see so many ponies every day, and sometimes…

“Well, whatever. Here, you can take the book today, Silver. I’ll just read it tomorrow.”

“No, of course not, Miss Rainbow! You can take it! I am in your debt.”

“Ugh… Listen, pal, please don’t call me ‘Miss.’ It gets on my nerves. And I insist, you read it first.”

“No, you read it.”

“No, you!”

“No, y—”

“ENOUGH!” Twilight shouted, leaving both Silver and Rainbow dumbfounded and frozen in their spots. “Why don’t the two of you quietly read it together? The library is still open for an hour, so there’s plenty of time left. Just please, stop yelling!

Twilight left the room and walked upstairs.

“Y-Yeah, I’m down with that. What do you think, squirt?”

“I think it’s a good idea.”


“That was one of the best books I have read so far!”

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until you read the next seven books.”

“There’s more?”

“Yep, a lot more. You know, if you want, I can come back here every Sunday evening and we can get you up to speed on the entire series. But don’t tell anypony else, or I’ll deny it. Got it?”

“Sure, I think I’d like that.”

“Well, I’ve got to go. I still have some weather duties to finish. See ya!”

Rainbow Dash sped off out the door, and Silver easily noticed the rainbow streak she left behind.

Wow, she really is fast…

YAWN

So tired…

Groggily, Silver clambered up the stairs to Twilight’s room.

“Twilight, I’m going to go sleep.”

“Okay, I’ll make sure to tell Spike. And remember, class resumes tomorrow!”

Silver barely managed to stifle a groan as he walked back down and entered his room. He didn’t even remember getting into bed: it all just turned black as he was carried away on the carefree waves of dreamland.