//------------------------------//
// 52 - Echoes of the Past 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
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Waiting at the station with Night at his side, Silver looked left and right across the sea of ponies. "The Crystal Empire was very nice when I visited it."

Night twitched an ear at him. "In your dream, or vision, or whichever it might be. Even for a human, you are a strange pony." She nudged Silver in the side with a hoof. "You're lucky I love you."

“You’ll see, Stick, they won’t cause any problems for you.” Another lunar pony, this one without wings but plus horn, was walking past with a changeling at her side.

The changeling nosed the other mare’s dark-colored neck. “You keep saying that, but the Elements weren’t treated well by us....”

Silver's ears trained on the curious couple, blinking in confusion. "Um, excuse me?" He rose from where he was sitting. "Sorry, don't mean to be a pain in the ass, er, flank…"

The mare’s own attention shifted and the odd pair turned to face the unicorn. “It’s okay!” The lunar unicorn grinned wide, showing no offense but kept her extra ‘mouth-cutlery’ out of view.

“You going to Ponyville too?” The oddly chittering voice of the changeling dripped with curiosity. “Oh, manners! I am Stick.” She thrust a hoof lacking in holes out to Silver.

Silver offered a hoof in kind, seemingly not terribly frightened of changelings, though he helped save them. "Hey, one of Fast's Oh, um." He looked back to the lunar unicorn. "I don't mean this in any bad way, but lunar ponies are rare, and lunar unicorns are basically not existent, and there you are."

Night strolled up beside him. "My husband, the Ambassador, master of the spoken word." She put a hoof over him. "This sly-tongued stallion is Silver Lining, who is happy to meet you both. I'm Night Watch, and we're headed up north."

Stick practically started vibrating in place. Her wings twitching she bounced once. “The Silver Lining? You helped save us!” She was halfway in an attempt to dive in and hug Silver when the lunar unicorn put a foreleg over her withers to slow her down.

“Glad to meet you, Silver Lining, Night Watch. We,” Penny looked to Night with a hopeful smile, “are a little rare, although from what I understand Princess Luna hopes to have more of us around.” A deep blush is seen through the dark fur of the mare’s face. “Oh, I am Penny Farthing.” She offered her free hoof to Silver and Night as well, promptly falling over and almost pulling Stick with her.

Silver went stiff. His dream, a new angle? "She has you…" he said in a loud whisper before he caught himself. "I mean!"

Night slapped him in the side, sharp enough to catch his slip even as other ponies may have just missed it. "Luna is a very kind pony, mother of us all." She spread her wings as if in a bow of respect.

Silver wasn't having it and thrust a hoof at Penny. "Are you a human?"

Penny started picking herself up from the platform. “Uh, yeah.” She managed to get a hoof out to Silver after rising, tapping his and giving a little shake. “My hooves work great, as long as I don’t think too hard on where they are going.”

The changeling looked a little surprised by something, not saying any words but helping Penny rise with her hooves.

Silver bobbed his head quickly. "I know that feeling." He wagged a hoof at Penny. "Have you learned how to use your horn yet?" His own glowed with magic, too dimly for ponies to see, but to human eyes, or once-human, clear as the day itself.

“Sorta? Princess Luna arranged for me to have a tutor, but so far we have only had one lesson and she is getting me to make light and keep it steady.” Penny relaxed, her body back under control. “If it’s not, well, a secret, where are you off to?” Small talk, usable no matter what universe you are in.

Silver wobbled a hoof. "It's the opposite of a secret. Being an Ambassador means having your business thrown around. I'm being sent as a gift to help Cadance's kingdom. They're having a variety of problems that I really want to help with." He glanced away then leaned in real close, violating personal space. "I won't tell, and you can not answer if you prefer, but were you a man or a woman?"

Penny didn’t blush one bit at this. “Princesses Celestia and Luna found an odd ripple in my aura… thingy. Said it was odd but I could be either. I figured changing sides would be a good plan.” The mare was keeping her voice low, she was pretty sure this was all fine, but didn’t want to take chances. “I would say it took some getting used to but, things happened in a way that made any change a good one.”

Being a little left out of the more private conversation, Stick leaned toward Night. “Are you a human too?”

Night shook her head at Stick. "'Fraid not. Somepony normal has to keep an eye on him, and I was as close as he got to normal." She gestured at herself before adjusting her glasses suddenly. "He's alright though, I'm just teasing."

Silver nodded quickly. "It's… just like it. I mean, wow. Still, good to meet you, seriously. You do know us humans, and once-humans, have a place to go? I'm the Ambassador to humans. Why didn't you come say hello to me?" He flashed a bright smile. "I like helping out."

“Didn’t even know we had an ambassador just for us.” Penny looked up at the sound of a train pulling in but a loud voice called it as the express to Manehatten. “I might just come say hello… well, when you are back.”

The chittering seemed to have mostly left Stick’s voice as she had relaxed a bit. “Tell me about it. I think, uh once-humans, biggest headaches ever. Would you believe Penny is dragging me to Ponyville? She is taking a changeling to meet an Element of Harmony!”

Night perked her ears up. "I imagine that'll come as a surprise for them, but a good one. It'll be nice for them to meet a nice changeling or two after their ordeal, bring some balance to things."

Silver rose to his hooves and circled around the lunar unicorn. "I've been avoiding Ponyville, truth told. I keep getting worried I'll crash into the show and ruin the whole thing, somehow… I feel better on the periphery at best." He swallowed softly, thinking of his time with Twilight. "Not that I'm not tempted at times. Anyway, oh! We're humans, we may want to at least offer our real names? Real as they are anymore." He extended a hoof. "David Silver was my birth name, given by father and mother. I kept half of it at least, eh?"

Penny was smiling and nodding as she listened but just as Silver got to his human-name a look of absolute shock passed over the mare and her legs folded under her!

“Penny?” Stick reached down with a hoof, her horn also lit as she tried to rouse the mare from the shock she had suddenly gone into.

Silver squeaked in dismay, a silvery hand popping into being just before its twin appeared and both gently scooped up the lunar unicorn. "Are you alright? Everything okay?"

Eyes wide, the fallen unicorn looked up at Silver. “David Silver? The Davi… Ponyfinder, you made Ponyfinder?” The words were softly spoken, sounding almost scared as to what the answer might be.

Silver set Penny down carefully, testing to see if she could support herself even as he began to root through one of his bags with a snout. He pulled out a familiar green keychain, hanging by its metal ring from his teeth. "That's me. You played it before?"

“Played it? David I damn well made some of it with you!” Penny seemed somewhat restored, Stick was leaning against the dark unicorn, not using magic anymore but offering support nonetheless. “Byron… I’m Byron. Damn it I thought you were gone forever!”

Silver went stiff a moment before he threw his hooves up in the air. "Byron! Damaged! Hey, there's a name… a mare? You went with a mare?" He moved in with new eyes. "I thought you didn't even care about that kind of thing in the real world, but the moment you get a chance, boom, mare. You sure you don't care?" His voice was interrupted by constant little escaping giggles, overwhelmed at that moment.

The mare in question blushed a bit more. “Well, that’s the thing. Didn’t really care but, you seen many stallions who aren’t attached to a mare?” She couldn’t hold back any more and dove in, forehooves wrapping around Silver’s shoulders. “You just left, I was so damn lost. The world… any world, is a boring place without you.”

Stick was left with her mouth open, cute little fangs on display. “You knew each other?”

Silver returned the embrace, drawing the strange, and yet so familiar, mare close. "I'm sorry. I wasn't given much of a warning. I went out for a walk, I think I mentioned it on the computer, and on the way, poof, ambushed by The Text, and basically gone forever." He nuzzled into an available neck. "I was winning this game of Hide and Seek, and you still found me! You're fucking good at this game."

Night bonked him on the head. "Language!"

“The Text? Yeah, I guess as good a name as any. Asked where I wanted to go.” Penny blushed a little at the attention but didn’t rebuff it. “I told it I wanted to be where you are. Wasn’t even sure if you were dead or what. Got me pretty close though.” 

Picking up her jaw, Stick looked oddly surprised at something. “Different taste… Nice.”

Silver's ears twitched. "To me? Well, you got the city right?" He patted her down suddenly. "You're in one piece too!" Those giggles kept escaping, as if the very idea that something could just go so right for a change. As if to disillusion him of the idea, a whistle blew out.

"Northbound, boarding. Please make your way to the train on dock three!"

Silver shrank instantly. "Dang it… We have so much to... We have to talk more."

Penny drew back, after giving a little squeeze. “We really do. Duty calls though and I need to deliver some things… you staying up there? Maybe we could come visit after I get these to Rarity.” Something suddenly made her tilt her head. “How long have you been here and… how young are you?”

"Physically or otherwise? I'm losing track of both really."

Night tilted her head at Silver. "I'd put him around eighteen to twenty summers? Of course, magic is involved, I could be really far off."

Silver waved at Night. "Right right, well, that's as good as I'm getting. I'll be in the Crystal Empire for a little while, hopefully not too long, then I'll come back to Canterlot."

Penny grinned. “Not losing you again, Da- Silver. I might just take a trip up there myself after this. At the very least I want to see the empire a little.”

A soft chittering was heard from Stick. “Your train is starting to move…” She gestured with a hoof to the platform in question as the big locomotive started to strain against the carriages. “Go, I will make sure Penny finds you again.” Her voice was a little harder to follow, with a tint of excited chitter in it.

Night suddenly grabbed Silver by the scruff, taking to the air as her hooves wrapped around him. Not the gentlest way, but certainly speedy. Like an arrow, they launched for their train without time for further goodbyes to be exchanged.