//------------------------------// // 78 - You've Got Mail // Story: The Silver Stars // by David Silver //------------------------------// Using her silvery hands, Silver pulled up a web browser and went to gmail. Minsŏ was already logged in, and Silver quickly logged out. Minsŏ asked as she watched. "What's it like, in pony land?" "Equestria?" She quickly logged into her usual account, or tried. It claimed a message was being sent to her phone, which was back in Equestria. Crud. Minsŏ pointed at Silver. "Wait, you know how to use a computer? You've obviously used one before." Silver tensed, then sagged. "I do, but I'm realizing more and more this idea wasn't well thought through..." She pushed away from the computer and tapped her chin thoughtfully. A few minutes later, Minsŏ returned. Silver hadn't even noticed her leave until she got back. She had a tray of little cookies that suddenly seemed quite appetizing. "It's still very strange to come back to a doll in my chair every time you go quiet." "Oh, sorry." Silver hopped from the chair and snatched a cookie in her magic. "Thank you." It was a delicious as it smelled, and the situation seemed just a tiny bit less appalling. "I hope I'm not getting in the way of your work?" "It's the weekend." Minsŏ pointed to a calender on the desk, announcing that it was Saturday. "Would you mind terribly if I invited a friend over?" Silver frowned in thought. "Are they... also a fan of the show?" She nodded. "I figured. If they aren't going to panic about it, I guess there's no harm. I think I'm stuck here for now. Sorry." Minsŏ didn't seem too upset at the idea of playing host to a magic pony princess. With a gentle ear petting, she departed elsewhere. Silver could soon hear a muffled conversation, likely on a phone. Silver sank to the floor and considered her situation. The Text wouldn't have thrown her out of the game entirely forever, right? There had to be a way to get back to Equestria... The ground fell away from her. She was being gently carried along like the doll she must appear to be. She was placed on a soft couch and the television was turned on. For maximum awkwardness, ponies were playing. It was an episode she hadn't seen before. Had season 5 begun? It wasn't very long before the doorbell rang and snapped Silver out of her episode watching trance. She could hear Minsŏ and some younger voice talking animatedly a moment before smaller feet rushed into the room. "Awesome!" A young boy, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, apparently approved of the large alicorn doll that was draped over the couch. "When'd you get that?" Minsŏ entered from behind him. "I bought it from a traveling gypsy. They say if you pet her ears just right and say something nice, she might come to life." "Aunt, I am not that young." He crossed his arms, then approached Silver, who remained still. Despite his unbelieving words, he reached out a hand hesitantly and gave a little scritching at an ear. "I don't recognize her from the show, but it's well-made." "Thank you." Silver smiled at him. Panic welled up and he lashed out on instinct. She intercepted the fist with an open-palmed silvery hand, catching it. "Careful with that. I'll start to think you don't want to be friends." His moment of panic ebbed from reactive to a more normal sort of panic. "Jesus! It's talking! What's holding my hand?" Minsŏ set one of her own hands on his shoulder. "Calm down. She's very friendly." He withdrew his hand carefully and shared an even gaze with Silver. "Who are you?" Silver raised a hoof to point at herself. "I am Princess Silver Stars. And you are?" He imitated the gesture, pointing at himself. "Won. Minsŏ's nephew. You said Princess? Oh yeah, wings, horn, huh, weird. Well, I have to get going." Minsŏ looked quite surprised. "That's it?" "That's what? You told me I should finish my homework before anything else." He threw a hand in the air. "Don't blame me for following your advice." "No no... Of course not. Thank you for visiting." They exchanged a brief hug and he was gone in a hurry. Silver slowly tilted her head. "Did he just run off for homework rather than talk with a magic talking pony?" Minsŏ nodded. "He is a good student, but not that good." Silver looked over Minsŏ quietly a moment. "And yet, you can't seem to get enough." This brought a blush to the woman's cheeks. "You're a magic pony princess. I think that warrants some attention." Silver sat up on the couch. "What if it's like the doll magic? He isn't supposed to see me, so he lost interest quickly? Is he a fan of the show?" Minsŏ looked less certain this time. "I thought he was..." Silver wobbled a hoof. "Maybe not as much as you." Silver could almost feel the click as inspiration hit. "Minsŏ, if I offered you a way to go to Equestria, what would you say?" "Where do I sign?" Silver nodded. "I thought so... Before you agree to that, you should know more about the place, if I even can get you there." She shuffled off to the side of the couch, making room for Minsŏ. "Sit. Listen. Decide. Then we get to figure out how, either way." After Minsŏ settled on the couch, Silver began describing Equestria in all its glory. She spoke of its colorful people, its classism, its monsters and its issues. She held nothing back in her descriptions, trying to give an honest view of the world. "It is not heaven, but it's... nice. I like it there. But this world has its own nice points." She spread a lone wing out. "Do you really want to run away from humanity?" Minsŏ seemed to give it serious thought. "Would I have to be a pony?" Silver shook her head. "There's a human named Jake already living in Ponyville. He gets along with just fine. I think he has a crush on Rainbow Dash, but she isn't interested that way in him. They're good friends despite that. I've heard rumors others have shown up, but I haven't met them, besides a girl who did go pony almost immediately." She pointed at herself. "For a while, I was Ambassador of the humans, so this feels like a proper conversation to have." Minsŏ raised a brow. "Are you a human expert?" "You could say that." Silver smiled gently. "You won't surprise me with any silly human habits." The petting resumed. Silver had little objection to Minsŏ's gentle scritching along her jaw and over her snout. "This is nice, but not really an answer. Oh, what do you do for a living?" Minsŏ sighed softly. "Secretarial work. It's hard work, and keeps things running smoothly, but when you're at your best, you're invisible. I wouldn't miss leaving that behind." Silver pointed towards the entryway. "What about Won? He can't come visit you in Equestria if you go there." That seemed to seed more doubt than the other questions. "No... but he's a good boy, and he has a family besides me. I'm just an aunt he visits once in a while. I can leave him and everyone else a note." Silver perked her ears. "Good idea, actually... So... are you sure?" Minsŏ rose up to her feet and pulled a pen out of a pocket before starting to scribble on a pad. Silver nodded slowly. "I'll take that as a yes. You... might actually be just what I need." Silver spread her wings. "Hey, Text? I have someone here that wants to talk to you. We both want to. You can hear me, right?" The darkness returned. Minsŏ and Silver stood side by side. Silver flipped her ears back. "Oops. Did you finish that letter?" Minsŏ nodded, but said nothing, just grabbing Silver's shoulder a little fearfully. 'Where do you want to go?' Silver huffed at the words. "I already talked to her. She wants to go with me. Put us both in front of Twilight's castle." 'Do not presume to command me. What will you bring with you?' Minsŏ looked to Silver. "What does it mean?" Silver gestured at the words. "You can bring any one thing you want. Make it small and harmless." Minsŏ considered a moment. "May I have my laptop bag?" 'Very well. You will be penalized in starting location for the nature of what you bring and its amount.' She vanished, leaving Silver behind. Silver unfurled her wings out. "Where do you send her? Jesus, she's a harmless lady. Don't kill her!" 'Her fate is not your concern yet. Have you made your decision? To which alicorn will you bind yourself?' Images appeared of Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. 'Embrace your selection.' Silver clopped a hoof impotently on the pitch night ground. "Why are you being like this? I thought we were becoming friends. Everything's coming together, just let me live." 'You agreed to be under my power when you accepted my help. Your path is mine to watch, mine to sway. Make your choice, or be cast forever onto your blighted homeworld. Perhaps you will find some use to a lonely soul there.' Silver bared her fangs as she looked over the hazy images. She didn't want to pick at all... "It is my hooves that decide what path I will walk, not you. I'm very happy with the path I found for myself." Silver was suddenly pressed to the ground flat from above, breathing becoming quite a chore against the pressure. "You are being a poor sport. Roll over and accept what fate has in store for you like the good little pony I know you are." Silver hissed and scrambled at the ground. "Never! It's my life. I'm... not letting it go! I'm not rolling over! You're just... angry I don't need you anymore. I don't need any rainbows. I don't need any deus ex. Just let me go home to my herd and begone!" 'Perhaps you are correct. I have no further use for you.' Silver fell through the void, and landed in the plush bedding of her room in Twilight's castle. She was home. She sat up, shivering a little. "I'm home..." She realized she meant it, truly and deeply. She had found her path, and she was walking it, and she had no more business with the Text anymore. She trotted quickly through the castle, finding her herd-mates and tackling each one-by-one, hugging and reaffirming her love for each. "Everything's going to be just fine." Twilight looked at Silver oddly at that, shivering. "I said that once. There was a lot more to be done... but I wasn't wrong. Things are working out." She smiled gently. "Now where have you been hiding? We were worried sick." Silver began to tell the tale.