//------------------------------//
// 57 - Restroom Break 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
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Silver followed Shining through the halls of the castle. They all seemed familiar, and yet none of them matched with his internal radar of his last visit. He prided himself on having a fairly good memory of the space of places, even if he couldn't remember a street name very swiftly.

"Here we are, check it out." Shining waved a hoof slowly across an opulently appointed room. "Bathroom's the second door on the left."

Silver hurried past. "Trixie thanks you." He stiffened as he spoke, voice cracking midway through. His spell was in shambles and failing rapidly. He rushed into the bathroom and slapped the door shut with a blue hoof that cracked on impact, bits of blue fur falling free, revealing brown beneath it.

"Everything alright? You didn't sound very good," came Shining's concerned voice from beyond the door.

Silver licked over still-blue lips. "I'm fine, please, a moment." Only afterwards did he realize he forgot to do it third person, and it still sounded off, of course. He looked into the mirror and saw Trixie looking back with mismatching eyes. He was still a mare, for the moment. Last time she had been in the Crystal Empire, things had gone... both poorly and so very well, and she left it... "Morning Glory..." He put a hoof on the mirror.

His thoughts strayed to Shining Armor, standing outside. If Silver could assume a true mare form, would he be close enough to recreate that foal? "Christ, why am I even thinking about that?" There were so many ponies involved that would be hurt by such a thing. Night would be furious, and for good reason. Cadance and Shining Armor were married! Did he want to be the wedge between them? Hell no.

His hoof slowly slid down the mirror. "I'll have to make my own rainbow, and those don't come easy. Maybe this one just... isn't in the cards..."

He thought of the bright eyes of the son he never actually had, and his own began to brim with fresh tears. He wasn't the best son, but maybe he could be a good father... mother... whatever. What he saw...

"Everything alright?" repeated Shining.

Silver shook himself, the left side of his mask just flaking off into dust. The spell was failing. He was suddenly afraid to speak, lest his voice give it away. In a state of panic, he brushed at the still clinging portions of Trixie, trying to get back to normal before launching the spell again as quickly as he could.

"Trixie?" A soft clopping came from the door. "Are you sure you're alright?"

With a final shake, Silver rapidly inspected himself in the mirror. All brown, eyes included, mane already looked shaggy, and his cutie mark returned all suggested he was as baseline as he could get. His horn glowed as he played the spell, and immediately he felt something go askew. His tail twitched and throbbed and he looked back at it, spell still playing. It was silver, but it wasn't wild. He still had Trixie's tail. The spell was done. He was Trixie again.

The door opened suddenly. "Trixie?"

Silver recoiled in surprise. Shining blinked softly. "Oh, there you are. Is everything okay? You didn't answer."

Silver forced a smile. "Do you always force your way into bathrooms with mares inside?"

He blushed with shame and was soon gone, the door closed behind him.

Silver let out a rough sigh before he turned around on himself, looking at his tail for any damage. It seemed fine, for Trixie's tail. He felt around under himself. Still a stallion, if concealed. Nothing seemed to have gone wrong, despite the mistake. He nodded at the reflection of his pony mother. "They say you can thank your mother for your good looks, guess I just made that more true than usual."

He quirked a smile, then moved to emerge, only to find there were more ponies present, namely one Cadance.

Cadance quirked up a brow at the supposed mare emerging from her bathroom. "Oh, hello Trixie?"

Shining Armor smiled oddly. "She was waiting in line for the public one and it wasn't going anywhere, so I offered her ours."

Cadance's brow somehow turned to him before she looked at Silver. Her vision switched and she saw no love between them, sparing Shining Armor from a new hell on Equestria, but saw a strong line running from 'Trixie' to herself, deeply admiring. Its texture and taste was different from that of her subjects, in fact it was fam-- "Silver?"

Silver shrank back. How had he been spotted? He could outright lie, but doing so to Cadance of all ponies... "Yes?"

Cadance shook her head slowly. "What on Equestria possessed you? Why do you look like that?" She waved a hoof up and down at his blue form.

Shining looked baffled. "Wait, what's going on?"

Cadance approached suddenly. "Is something wrong? We're in private, you can talk to me."

Silver flinched at the first touch of her wing, but began to relax. Cadance was so understanding... "I'm sorry for the deception. I just had to get something from outside the castle, and I learned some things on the way that are very troubling for everypony."

Cadance started brushing Silver along with her wing, guiding him towards their bed. "Tell us all about it. You're not in trouble, I don't think. There's no law you're breaking, unless you were defaming Trixie or making deals on her behalf?"

Silver hopped up and turned to face Cadance and Shining. "No! No, of course not. God, she's my mother. I'm not trying to make her life harder." He couldn't help but notice how odd the voice of Trixie sounded talking from Silver's perspective. "I bought something, with bits, no contracts. But that's not the important part."

Shining Armor shook his head slowly. "So she's not Trixie?"

Cadance smiled patiently at Shining. "No, dear, this is Silver Lining."

He waved a blue leg. "In the fur."

Shining Armor blinked quietly a moment. "You really should meet my little sister. I'm sure she'd like to compare magical notes."

Despite his attempts to hold it in, he winced with memories of what could have been and never was. Cadance spotted it and raised a brow again. "Have you run into her before?"

Silver sat up. "Actually, I have, but nevermind that. Twilight's a good pony, and also beside the point. Sombra is coming, without a doubt. He is preparing for a second attack, and he doesn't plan to do it alone this time."

Cadance stiffened, but nodded. "You mentioned this before as a possibility, but you sound much more convinced now. What's changed?"

Silver considered how to explain it. "He tried to reach me, and I made him talk, and we talked. He still wants revenge. He still feels hurt, from all that time ago. I don't blame him for--"

"You don't blame him?" Shining stood up, frowning a little. "He's a murderous despot that's terrorized this nation!"

Cadance raised a hoof. "Easy there, Shiny. Please, Silver, finish what you were saying."

Silver gave a slightly shaking nod. Shining Armor was larger than he was, as Trixie or Silver, and wielded far greater political power. He was intimidating to see angry, especially directly at him. "R-right, so, I don't blame him for being angry at what caused him to be what he is now. I... It's time to move past it. There was a good pony there, once."

Cadance leaned forward slowly. "You know Sombra's origin?"

Shining Armor looked equally as baffled. "Nopony knows where Sombra came from!"

"I've already said too much..." Silver looked away, purple eyes darting around the room. Suddenly something came clear to him. "Wait, I didn't know that."

Cadance cocked her head a little. "You just said it."

Silver shook his head, neatly brushed mane tumbling about. "I thought I saw it, but I can't remember what..." He remembered what he was about to say. "I just know. I must have pulled it from Sombra directly. I don't think he wanted me to, but he set himself up for it. He dared me to prove I knew him, and he was thinking of it, so it wasn't hard to let his own dream guide it." Silver put a hoof to his head. "I was seeing from his perspective, remembering his memories..."

Shining rose to his hooves. "I don't understand half of this. How can we be sure Sombra wasn't just duping you into thinking whatever he wanted?"

Cadance smiled gently. "This must have been exhausting for you. For now, why don't you go back to your room. If you remember something, call for one of us." She reached out and poked Silver on the nose. "And take off that ridiculous disguise. Trixie would be beside herself if she knew."

Silver blushed through blue cheeks. "Right." No longer in a state of panic, he reached for the magic and gently unraveled it, allowing the disguise to fall free, except for his tail, which remained finely brushed and smooth. "That's probably going to have to wear off on its own." As mistakes went, it could have been far worse than a smooth tail. "I'll get back to my room for now, but I want permission to come and go."

Cadance raised a fine brow. "You just gave us an excellent reason to deny that. Why should we, for your own sake?"

Silver clopped his hooves nervously. "For one, I don't think he'll come back, not for me at least. He didn't like playing in my head. For two, I want to investigate this. I can't fight off his army alone, but if I could find something that'd make him not attack in the first place?" He raised a hoof. "Important question, if he really did put this aside, if he was willing to emerge from the darkness, would you accept that?"

Cadance gave the gentlest of smiles. "I doubt that would ever be the case, but I would be a sorry princess to turn away an offer of peace. If he is willing to put his anger aside, then I will return the favor. Now go. I'm sure your wife is worried for you. Does she even know where you are?"

Silver laughed at that even as he hopped from the bed. "As if I could escape her without her noticing? She's Night Watch, she sees everything, and I love her all the more for it."

Shining Armor moved to follow after Silver. "Good, then maybe she can keep you from wandering off."

"W-what?" Silver looked over his shoulder.

Cadance nodded. "We'd rather you stayed right here, in the castle. You're just one pony, even if an unusual one. As an ambassador from Canterlot, we can't have you getting hurt."

Shining Armor escorted Silver back to his room and clopped on the door.

"Silver's not available right now, come back later," came Night's voice from beyond.

Shining sighed. "Open the door, kindly. I have your husband here."