//------------------------------//
// 7 - Good Morning 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

Silver's head whipped around the room and settled on a pair of piercing eyes. "Good morning," said Luna from the darkness.

Silver threw off the covers with a mental shove and scrambled to his hooves, falling over in his hurry to be upright. "Luna? Where is Celine?"

"No hello?" asked Luna, then nodded slowly, "I understand. Your visions have proven true, as random and inconsequential as they seemed. I was able to help the one called Sweetie Belle as a result."

Silver managed to right himself, an ear perking, "For Whom--"

"--The Sweetie Bell Toils," finished Luna. "That was some time ago. We have watched, and the trials of Twilight Sparkle and her friends have come to light, though you missed a few." She shrugged softly, "This surprises us not."

Silver gave a slow nod, "That's good, mostly, but what about Celine?"

Luna gave a faint smile, "She has returned."

Silver looked around the room again. He could see the slumbering lump of Fast Change, and the dozing form of Night Watch, propped against a wall. "Returned where?"

Luna raised a hoof and tapped herself, "From where she came."

Silver's eyes went wide, "What? No! You lied! You said she would be with me until I died!"

Luna shook her head slowly, "I said until you were no more. Silver, the pony, must go away for a time. David, the human, must return."

"Why!?" shrieked Silver before he caught himself. He tried to marshal his rapid breath. He swallowed back another cry as moisture began to build in his eyes. "Why? Did I do something wrong? Haven't I been good?"

Luna extended a wing to slowly pet over Silver's head, "You have been very good."

"Then... why? Rrrg, I don't mean to sound like a broken record," said Silver, stomping the floor, "But I'm dying here. Why would you just stab me like this if I don't deserve it?"

Luna let out a slow breath, "Would that you had not woken so suddenly. I planned to show you there. In your vision, Tirek is stopped, but before that, we must surrender all faith and magic to Twilight."

Silver bobbed his head, "Then rainbows and everyone's happy."

Luna gestured vaguely with a wing, "But Celine is a part of my magic. If I do not take her back now, Tirek will rip her from me and consume her. If I do not give it to Twilight, she may not be strong enough to hold him at bay until the true solution comes to light. A whole life, even a false one, is no small feat." She leaned in closer, "It was a sacrifice, one that you have shown worth it."

Silver shuddered in place, "But... there wasn't another way? This is freaking Equestria! There's always another answer."

Luna placed a jeweled hoof on Silver's head, gently rubbing, "And sometimes, there is not. You have my sympathy."

"You have my love," said Silver as he trembled like a leaf. "Give her back..."

Luna shook her head, "I cannot. She is gone. We are v--"

She was interrupted by Silver throwing himself at her. He flailed his hooves at her, lightly buffeting her larger form in an impotent rage. He hadn't become any better at a brawl, and his strikes did little but tire him out. He sank against Luna, wailing muffedly. "I will speak to my sister," promised Luna, "Though your first change was outside the law, I am certain she will grant you a second, given the situation."

Silver jerked back, scrambling back towards his bed, "Don't take that too! Why are you taking everything from me?"

Luna advanced with him, "It is for your own good. When Tirek finds you, and we have no reason to assume he will not, he will consume the spell that gives you this form. You will not return properly to human, yet you will not be a pony. You will suffer terribly. Now, be still." She frowned, "Do not make me regret fulfilling your desire."

Silver blinked, "Desire? What desire? You're taking Celine, you're taking my body."

Luna held a hoof up, "But you will remain conscious. We did not forget this wish." A wave of her magic fell over Silver and he felt the body he had grown to adore be pulled apart. He tried to summon the silver hands, to ward her away, but they fell apart as his horn melted away. He fell to the floor, a strange, hairless version of Silver. He had but a nub of a tail, and his muscles felt weak. Everything felt wrong. "I will return when Tirek is defeated." And she was  gone.

Silver cried quietly on the floor. It was still a week until the Games, then who knows how long before Tirek arrived? Why couldn't this wait until after Tirek first arrived?

Night was suddenly beside him, "Silver, what happened to you? Are you alright?"

Silver blinked and focused on her, "Luna..."

Night tilted her head, "What'd you do to get her to do this?" She made a face, then reached to heft him up in her wings. Her wings were as warm as they looked, and their fur tickled his exposed skin. She placed him back on the bed with a frown, "You don't even have a horn. I'll inform the school you went and got very sick." Night Watch gently tucked in Silver as he sniffled and squirmed. "Is this what you looked like when you first got here?"

Silver shook his head quickly, "No! I had hands, remember, and straight long legs. I'm a deformed pony, not a human." He squirmed under the sheets lightly, trying to move them with magic he no longer had, "I feel worse than naked."

Night gently pet over his mostly fur-free head, "Well it's still my job to watch you. You're not alone."

Silver gave a gentle smile, but the expression didn't last. "Celine, she's gone. Forever."

Night winced like she bit into something especially sour, "Forever? I... Sorry. Just, sorry... Are you OK?"

Silver raised a brow at her.

"Stupid question," admitted Night, "but I'm here. I'm going to get you a drink." She raised and trotted from the room lightly, leaving Silver to his dark thoughts.





Silver eventually fell back to sleep after getting his water. He dreamed of nothing, and awoke to find the room mostly empty, save Night Watch. She was rolling some dice on the ground gently, letting them tumble. Silver slowly rolled over himself onto his belly. He tried to snatch one of the dice with his silver hand, but he had no more silver hands. He reached out a naked hoof instead, "Can I see?"

Night lifted a die with a wing and brought it up to where Silver could get at it, and Silver began rolling it on the bed. "Good morning," said Night, "Feeling any better?"

"No," said Silver simply.

"Too bad," said Night. "You made a promise, and I'm holding you to it." She looked up at Silver's sour expression half-hiding under the covers. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not letting you hide under there forever. You said you'd run a game of Humanway, and you still have two players, three if we invite Lyra. She plays right?"

Silver nodded lightly, "She does. She..." He sighed softly, "No wonder Celine wanted me to get mares so quickly..."

Night twitched an ear lightly, "Well, you're not in a herd anymore, I guess?" She fidgeted, wings rubbing against one another, "That came out poorly."

Silver reached out, barely brushing one of Night's wings with a swat, "Welcome to the doofus club." His eyes closed, "I should have guessed. Celine wasn't a dork, she didn't... really belong."

Night looked increasingly uncomfortable for a moment before she sat up, "Let me get you another drink."

Silver tilted his head, "I'm fine. Sit." He pointed to a spot in front of his bed.

Night hesitated a moment, then sat, looking at Silver, "You're a sorry sight. You look like a pony recovering from a terminal illness."

Silver snorted weakly, "If it was terminal, you don't recover from it. Do I look that bad?"

Night raised a brow, "No offense, but yes. You look awful. Is this forever?"

Silver shook his head a bit and batted at the die, "It sounded like the Royal Sisters would reconsider after the, uh, event. Until then, I get to be a shadow of a pony, with no magic, no strength." He snorted gently, "No fur. I'm sorry to ask, but could you get some food? Thank you for staying with me."

Night flashed a light smile, "I'd say it was my job, but that would be a lie."

Silver tilted his head, "Huh? What do you mean? Isn't this Luna's direct assignment?"

"Was," said Night.

Silver glanced left and right, "I... don't understand. I'm not complaining. You're nice to have around, but why?"

Night gave a sad little smile, "She said, 'My guards are not seen in the upcoming trials. Flee and be safe. I will call for you when the time is right.' And most fled. I already told my family, but I'm not running."

"Why not?" asked Silver. "I mean, it may be a stupid question, but... I would, if I thought I could... if... I had someone to run with."

Night reached up with a wing, softly patting Silver on the head, "You're awkward, but I'm staying. Somepony has to watch over you, and that somepony is clearly  not... her, so here I am."

The door swung open suddenly as Fast Change sauntered in wearing the skin of a griffon. He kicked the door shut, "Hey Night! You seen Silver around?"

Night pointed under the blanket where Silver was hiding. "Fast, I presume? You're doing better with the griffon form."

Fast quickly nodded, then looked over Night before moving quickly up to the bed and rearing up, flexing his talons, "Rawr! I'm hungry for little unicorn meat!"

Silver looked up at her from his blanket cave and snorted, giving half a giggle, "You can go back to your usual self."

Fast huffed and became her red self again, "Why are you hiding under there? And what's up with the super close shave?"

Silver's eyes fell a bit, "She's gone, forever. Luna took her, and most of what made me Silver."

Fast shook her head, "You look like Silver to me." She reached out and batted at Silver's dangling heart crystal, "Still glowing, still Silver. What do you mean gone though? I didn't think Princess Luna foalnapped people."

Night frowned, "She does not. Celine..." she wobbled a wing, "She and Luna were the same pony, mostly? Don't ask for specifics. They're one pony again."

Fast raised her brows as one, then scowled, "Well, dang." She suddenly hopped up onto the bed and squeezed Silver through his sheets, "You poor thing! How'd that get your horn cut off though? They find out you're a war caster?"

Silver tensed, but slowly relaxed into the hug. Being hugged was... "Thank you, but no. She said it was for my own good, until things settled down."

Night nodded her head, "So he's mostly bedridden until then."

Fast flashed a bright smile, "We'll keep you company." She looked to Night, "Is the game still on?"

Night nodded at Fast, "I made sure of it." She produced a slip of paper from her pouch, "I have your character ready."

Fast snatched the paper in her magic, "Lemme see." She looked it over curiously, "I don't know what all of this means, but it looks good to me."

Silver sat up and Fast glanced at him before bursting into loud laughter, falling off the bed with amusement about something. Silver tilted his head, "What? I didn't say anything."

Night stepped over and put her forehooves on the bed, rising up to see whatever Fast had looked at. Her face began to darken, "You're... exposed." She fell back down and turned away. Silver quickly drew the blanket tighter around his truly naked form, blushing brighter than he ever could with the brown fur in the way.

"You're both being a bit..." He bit the words back. He didn't want to dwell on Celine either. He said quietly, almost under his breath, "No one likes a whiner." He fidgeted a little in place, "I'll need some paper, big paper. I have some maps to make."

Night's expression brightened as she turned back to face Silver, "That's the spirit." She glanced away, then back, "I know it hurts."

Silver flinched, not expecting the topic change. Night continued, "I mean it. I lost my brother a long time ago... I had my parents, you have us, and your parents." She sat up on her haunches, "You should visit them."

Silver gave an uncertain smile, "I'm not sure either of them would really... understand? Rough's first love is who he just married. Trixie is... Trixie. I love them both, but..."

Night waved a wing, "You're being silly. They love you."

Silver smiled gently, "And I love them, which is why I won't bother them with it. This is practically their honeymoon, with me out of the house. I won't bring it crashing down with bad news."

Night slowly nodded, glancing at Fast. Fast nodded back at her, then turned to face Silver, "Well we already know about it, so don't be shy, right? You can whine and complain all you want, no hard feelings."

Silver winced, "I don't want to be a whiner."

Fast rolled her eyes. "Whine, go on. Night told me about you, how you run around trying to fix everypony's problems like you were Celestia herself. This time, shut up, and start whining."

Silver smiled gently, "I can't do both of those at once." He was softly bopped by one of Night's wings as Fast burst into laughter. 

Fast put her hooves up on the bed, "Good to see you're not all out there. We're serious though, super serious. You want to talk? You need a hug? You got two mares." When Silver and Night began to flush dark, Fast tilted her head before it hit her, "Not like that! Unless you want that?"