Silver woke to several knocks on his door, not hard, but just loud enough that it woke him up. He thought he heard a voice followed after the knocks, but it sounded muffled as he wasn’t wide awake. He picked up his head only to smack it against something hard, the pain made him groan and only disoriented him further. After rubbing his eyes and a few long yawns, the earth pony recognized exactly where he was.
“Under the bed?.....again?” Silver crawled out from under the wooden bed and shook his head gently, further waking his senses. “Man I’ve got to see a doctor about this crazy sleep walking I must be doing.” Silver’s thoughts trailed off as he heard the knocks at his door which was once again followed by a voice.
“Sir Silverlight, it’s time for your lesson with the princess,” the earth pony recognized the stern tone of the guard, also, who else calls him ‘Sir Silverlight’? “I don’t mean to alarm you sir, but I think your behind schedule.”
It took Silver a few moments before what the guard had said registered in his mind. “Wait, what!? Quick, what time is it now?”
“It’s currently 9—”
The door to Silver’s room slammed open and hit the guard directly in his muzzle, causing him to stumble back. “Darn it, I overslept and now I’m late! Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!” Silver bolted down the right hallway, not even letting the thought of him not know where he was going cross his mind.
“But sir..…” the guard moaned weakly as he lay downed on the floor from the door incident. “The princess’ throne room is……….the other way.” The guard closed his eyes and blacked out from his injury.
******
“Great, first day as Celestia’s official student and I oversleep.” Silver rounded a corner. “Come on Silver, you gotta get your act together. I wonder what my first lesson is gonna be? Levitating objects?; teleportation?; Duplication spells?” Silver stopped his galloping and came to a halt as an idea crossed his mind and filled his head with excitement. “Or maybe even…time travel?”
“Sir Silverlight,” the earth pony turned around and faced a guard. “Are you perhaps looking for the princess’s throne room?”
“Didn’t……didn’t I hit you with s door?” Silver questioned, he quickly shook his head and rephrased his words. “I mean, yeah. I’m kinda lost.”
“I can see that sir, the throne room is actually in the opposite direction.” The guard turned to point Silver in the opposite direction of where he was going. “If you continue down this hall and make a left you’ll come to a narrow passageway, continue straight ahead and you should come to a hallway which splits in two; from there, go down the right hallway and enter the first hall on your left, it should be a straight shot to the throne room from there.” Silver stood frozen with a deadpan expression as he became confused with the guard’s directions. “Would you like me to show you sir?”
“Huh? No, no, I got it,” Silver lied with a nervous smile and a laugh to match. “Besides I gotta learn my way around here eventually.”
“If you say so sir.”
“Well, thanks for the directions. I have to get going, I’m already late as it is.” Silver had turned around and began galloping once again, hopefully this time, in the right direction. He continued down the seemingly endless hallway and made a left. Just as the guard had said, he came to a narrow passage; the hallway had no visible exit points, it just went straight ahead. "Okay, so now I should come up here and make a…….right? No, left! Or was it right? Dang now I can’t remem—”
“Silver? Are you lost?”
The white haired earth pony quickly spun around to face the sound of a familiar voice. Standing before him was Princess Cadence and another younger, smaller Alicorn. Her coat was a light violet with her mane being a moderate sapphire blue with violet and brilliant rose streaks. She stood at a smaller height than Cadence and was about as tall as Silver himself.
“Me? Lost? Hahahaha of course not………..well, maybe just a little.” Silver took notice of the young Alicorn standing next to Cadence. “So who’s she?”
“Oh, of course, you two haven’t been acquainted yet. Silverlight, I’d like you to meet my sister-in-law, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
“Nice to meet you Silverlight,” Twilight said as she gave him a forced friendly smile.
Silver gazed long and hard at Twilight, his eyes narrowing as he examined the mare. “So you’re a princess?” he asked, sounding rather doubtful in the process. “You don’t really seem like a princess.”
“Excuse me?” Twilight questioned with a raised eyebrow. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“Well, Princess Celestia is kinda, ya know, Princess of the Sun; Princess Luna of the Moon; and Princess Cadence of—” Silver paused and tapped a hoof on his chin, he didn’t have the answer to the last princess. “Actually, I don’t really know. Cadence what exactly are you the princess of?”
Cadence gave the earth pony a soft chuckle at his curiosity. “Well I’m the Princess of Love, and Twilight here is the Princess of Friendship.” Silver gave a nod as though he knew what the princess was talking about though Cadence could tell he wasn’t exactly hanging on every word. “Silver, weren’t you on your way somewhere?”
“Oh crap baskets! How could I have forgot already?” Silverlight face hoofed himself several times at the error of his mistake. “Cadence quick, which way is the throne room? I’m already late for my lesson as it is.”
“Lesson?” Twilight asked as her face contorted into an expression of confusion.
“I’ll do you one better,” Cadence laughed as her horn began to glow brightly. “This may tingle just a little bit.” Silver was surrounded with an aura which matched that of Cadence’s horn, and in a quick flash the earth pony vanished. “There, that should do it. If I had given him directions he more than likely would have just ended up lost again.”
“Cadence,” Twilight began as she tried to make sense of what Silverlight had said to her. “What exactly does he mean by ‘late for his lesson as it is’?”
“I’ll tell you later, but right now we better hurry.” Cadence and Twilight turned and walked down the hall. “Your brother is waiting for us at the donut shop.”
Silver had closed his eyes when he felt the tingling sensation that Cadence spoke about. He wasn’t exactly sure what she did, there had just been a bright flash of light before he closed his eyes; when he opened them, he found himself in a large room with a pinkish-red rug that led to a large regal throne. Upon it, sat one of the rulers of Equestria and also Silver’s new teacher.
“Practicing teleportation spells already?” Celestia laughed softly as the earth pony galloped her way in a hurry. “It’s best that you take filly steps with magic or you could hurt yourself or those around you.”
“Yeah sorry I’m late princess, I overslept…..like, I really overslept. And then I got lost on the way here and ran into Princess Cadence and she helped me get here.” Silver stopped talking and allowed himself to breathe before he let out a sigh and cleared his throat. “Now that I’m here, what’s my lesson? Levitation?; speed acceleration?; teleportation?; how about time control?”
“Your lesson for today is rather a simple one,” Celestia spoke with grace and Silver listened intently as he watched the princess’s smile linger. “Seeing as this is your first time in Canterlot, I want you to explore the city for yourself and see what it has to offer.”
“Come again,” Silver deadpanned as he lost his eager smile. He gave himself a quick slap and brought back his hopeful smile, hoping he could convince his teacher to teach him something magic related. “I get it, Canterlot is Equestria’s capital and all, but I thought you were going to teach me something having to do with magic.”
“Much like you and Canterlot, a good wizard learns to open their mind and explore everything it has to offer.” Celestia rose from her throne and approached Silver, she placed a hoof gently on his shoulder before she continued. “Opening your mind gives you near limitless possibilities for you to explore, both in magic and in the real world.”
“I….I guess I kind of understand.” Silver was silent for a few moments as he allowed his mind to process the words of his teacher. “Alright, I’ll open my mind and see what awaits for me in Canterlot.” Silver turned to leave when the princess’s voice beckoned his name, which in turn caused him to face her once more before he left.
“Silver, there is also one other requirement for this lesson.” Celestia waited until her student was intently listening before she finished. “I want you to make yourself a new friend out on your exploration today.”
“Alright,” Silver gave the mighty Alicorn a salute with his hoof, “you can count on me Princess, I can make friends easy.” Silver continued out of the throne room but stopped and lingered in the doorway; he turned back and gave Celestia a nervous smile followed with a laugh. “Hehe, this may sound crazy, but is there any chance that you can have a guard escort me out of the castle?”
The streets of Canterlot were lined with ponies with well combed manes and outfits which displayed their vast wealth and social standing. Every building looked pristine and yet each seemed to shine in its own way; not to mention the streets practically glistened with cleanliness, not a single piece of stray trash was in sight. Silverlight trotted down the pavement of the bustling city with eyes of wonder with a toothy grin to match, smiling at each pony he happen to pass by.
“Whoa, this place is more upscale than I thought it was,” the earth pony stopped and rolled his eyes for a minute. “Then again my school was supposedly the most prestigious and private school in all of Equestria.” Silver shook his head as he remember he was here on a mission, “Okay, if I ask somepony for directions, than that’ll give me a reason to strike up conversation. Than I’ll have a new friend to tell Princess Celestia about and I’ll get somepony who knows the city to give me a tour; I’ll be able to kill two birds with one stone.” The white haired pony trotted up to a crowd of passing ponies to begin his questioning, which in turn didn’t go the way he had hoped. “Excuse me, can you—?”
“Terribly sorry, I’m rather busy right now,” a well dressed light gray unicorn with a finely combed mane responded before trotting off without so as much as a glance in his interrogator’s direction.
“Hey, I’m new around here,” Silver began as he moved down the line to a white long haired pink earth pony mare. “I was wondering if—”
“Sorry but I must be on my way,” the mare replied before briskly walking off and disappearing into another crowd of ponies.
“Third times the charm I guess,” Silver sighed as he continued his questioning. “Hello, I—”
“I have errands to run.”
‘Somepony will offer to help me.’ “If I could just~”
“Very busy.”
“I need just a moment of your time—”
“Well my time is far to valuable to be spent on an out of town tourists like yourself,” a black suited stallion said before a large regal carriage appeared and carried the stallion away.
“What the hay!? The city sure is nice but the ponyfolk around here sure don’t match it.” Silver sat on a curb as he let out a sigh of irritation. “At this rate I won’t have anything to tell the princess, how am I ever supposed to make any friends with these stuck up ponies. What does Princess Celestia think? That a friend is just gonna fall right out of the sky—?”
Fate is a strange thing, it can be cruel, sad, happy; or any other word on the emotional spectrum; in the case of a mare falling on an innocent earth pony, it was hilarious. Silver let out a groan of pain as he felt something laying on top of his stomach, he was on his back when he felt pressure being applied to his midsection; followed by a sweet and apologetic voice.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry. I’ve been trying to practice my landing but I don’t think it’s improved much.”
“I—you—midsection—pain—please,” Silver wheezed through gasps of breathe as he struggled to form words.
“Oh, oh my goodness! I didn’t know,” the pegasus pony exclaimed with surprise as she stepped off the earth pony who exhaled deeply. “Are you alright?”
“I just had a pegasus crash on top of me and then stand on my groin, I think I’ve had better days.” As Silver managed to stand he took notice of the pegasus’s features: her mane was a pale blonde and her coat was a light grayish-blue, but what Silver noticed stood out the most was her eyes, each going in a different direction. “Hey, what are these?” Silver picked up several envelopes from the ground. “Mail?”
“Yup that’s me, I’m Derpy Hooves the mailmare of Ponyville. Nice to meet you.” Derpy gave a cute quick salute to Silverlight who couldn’t help but let out a giggle as she did.
“I'm 1st Class Academy Student Silverlight, oh and I'm the protege of Princess Celestia herself," Silver replied with a smug grin, happy with the title he had given himself. "Anyway, nice to meet ya."
"Oh! Your Silverlight? Hold on." Silver watched as Derpy stuck her head into a mail bag she had been carrying around her neck. He watched as she rummaged around before pulling out a rather large tan colored box and holding it in her mouth with a grin. "Dis if fur you," she tried to say but the box muffled the pegasus's words.
"For me?" Silver took the box from Derpy and placed it on the curb before him as he gave the sender address a glance, "Manehatten? Hey! This must be from my parents!" Realizing who had sent the package, Silver quickly began to tear into the box with his teeth and as he flipped open the flaps; after some digging in the styrofaom 'peanuts', he found a letter which would hopefully make more sense of what his parents had sent him.
"Dear Silver,
Your father and I can't even begin to express how happy and proud we are that your now the student of a Princess! That means your in Canterlot right? Oh you should really take the time to explore there when you get a chance, the town is just gorgeous oh and don't even get me started on the castle architecture it's simply to die for. Ahhh, I still remember the night your father proposed to me at the Grand Galloping Gala, he looked so handsome in his tuxedo that he bought.
Anyway sweetie, I'm getting off topic, your friend Astral told us about your exciting move and told us where we could send a letter to you; but we didn't get a large box just for a letter. In this box you'll find a scarf, it was Light's, I knitted it for him myself. He wore it all the time, never once took it off, said it brought him good luck wherever he went. We just know he would’ve wanted you to have it. Sweetie, please be careful on your journeys, and don’t forget to write.
With much love, Mom and Dad.”
Silver dug into the package even more to pull out a large green scarf which appeared to be in good condition. He grinned happily at the piece of clothing, without hesitation, he threw it over his shoulder and wrapped around his neck. He didn’t care that it was nowhere close to being winter, nor did he care that the scarf drew aghast stares from the ponies around him; the scarf was memorial of his older brother and he cherished it so.
“Wow, that’s a nice scarf,” Derpy commented as she placed a hoof on Silver’s shoulder. “Did somepony buy it for you as a gift?”
“Actually, it belonged to my brother,” Silver placed a hoof on the scarf and smiled softly. As he stared at the scarf in admiration, he felt something stir inside him; he began to notice himself become enveloped in a light green aura which matched the color of the scarf. The aura was faint and surrounded every inch of his being, it soon faded as quickly as it came, leaving Silver in a state of shock. “Uhh, Derpy, did you just see that?”
“See what?” she asked, her muzzle scrunched up as she stared in the earth pony’s direction.
“Um, nothing. Must have been seeing things. Anyway, it was nice meeting you Derpy, but I gotta find somepony who can show me around town and—”
“Why didn’t you say so?” Derpy exclaimed with a cheerful crooked eyed smile as she took Silver by the hoof. “I’ve delivered mail all over Ponyville and Canterlot, I know my way around both of them.” Derpy was now practically dragging Silver behind her as she hovered above the ground and made her way down the street. “Come on, I’ll show you one of the best places in Canterlot.”
Twilight sat across from Shining Armor and Cadence in their booth as she struggled with something on her mind. Each pony had a multicolored milkshake in front of them which matched each of their color pallets specifically and a large saucer of donuts sat in the center of the booth’s table.
“Twily, you haven’t even touched your shake. Is something wrong?” asked Shining Armor as he raised an eye at the young princess, it was not like his sister to turn down her favorite donuts or milkshake.
“No, I’m just….thinking.”
“Are you still stuck on what Silver said?” Cadence asked, her tone saying she had hoped the mare had put the thought out of her mind.
“What did Silver say?” Shining asked, upon doing so, Twilight’s eyes lit up and grew wide.
“You know him?”
“Well yeah, he’s—” Cadence gave her husband a nudge with her wing, her expression made it clear he was about to make a mistake; however, Cadence forgot how observant Twilight was, and observe she did.
“What was that?” Twilight asked, "Is there something you two aren't telling me?" Cadence and Shining exchanged nervous glances, Twilight had been Celestia's student for so long and even though she was now a princess herself with her own student; it still didn't change the fact that Twilight always admired Princess Celestia, she was practically a second mother to her. If she found out Celestia had a new student, how would she take it? Could she take it?
"Twilight, Silver is......" Cadence was hesitant, she didn't want to see Twilight distressed, if she heard this news, that's all she would be, nevertheless, a comforting hoof being placed on hers by Shining was a sign that it was okay to tell Twilight about Silver. "Twilight, I know this may sound hard for you to believe.....but Silverlight is.......Silverlight is Celestia's new student." Twilight's eyes widened as her pupils shrank to the size of pins, she was indeed surprised by the news.
"So that's why?.....and the lesson?.....and why we saw him at the castle?......." Cadence waited for the inevitable, she waited for the tears to pour from Twilight's eyes like rain; she imagined her and Shining Armor trying to comfort her as she did, saying whatever they could to calm the young princess from being hysterical, that never happened though. Instead, Twilight's face lit up with a wide smile from ear to ear. "Of course! How could I not have figured that out? He's obviously a student from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns who decided to visit the castle and receive a lesson in pony. But what I don't understand is how he got into a unicorn school when he's an earth pony."
“I still wonder that sometimes myself.”
The three royal figures cocked their heads to see the familiar face of an earth pony, though this time he was wearing a green scarf around his neck. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he let out a chuckle.
“Though at this point in time I just chalk it up to determination, guess that can get you anywhere,” Silver finished his statement before facing Twilight. “Hey, Twilight, sorry about what I said earlier, you seem pretty cool.”
“Oh it’s alright,” Twilight began as she smiled at the pony. “I didn’t know you were one of Celestia’s students. You know, I went to the same school as you when I was younger.”
“Really? I thought it was a really exclusive private school?”
“Well, kinda, but my parents got me in. But I’ll admit, the entrance exam was a bit tricky,” an embarrassed blush crept onto Twilight’s face when she said this.
“Right!?” Silver exclaimed with a laugh, “To be honest with you, I didn’t necessarily pass the first time around, but I kept trying and I guess that’s what got me in.”
“You didn’t pass the first time either?” Twilight hadn’t thought about her question, of course Silver wouldn’t pass because he’s an earth pony. But she wasn’t giving it much thought, she was just happy to know someone who went through the same tribulations that she did; or so she thought. “I thought I was the only one.”
Cadence and Shining Armor watched on, neither of the speakers knew that their conversation was all a product of miscommunication; but they still rambled on as though they were speaking of the same school. Shining and Cadence wanted to correct the two ponies, but Twilight and Silver were genuinely enjoying their conversation; on top of that, Twilight wasn’t distressed as they had feared, they decided to allow the charade to go on a bit longer.
“But yeah, school has been more bearable with the help of my friends, but I’m always looking to make more.” As Silver said this, Derpy returned with a saucer of donuts balanced on her nose, Derpy not being the most well coordinated pegasus probably shouldn’t have been doing that. “Speaking of which, I met Derpy today. She’s showing me around Canterlot.”
“They may not be muffins but these donuts sure are the yummiest ones in Canterlot,” Derpy placed the saucer down on the table in front of Twilight and gave a crooked smile. “Would you like one princess?”
“Actually, me and Cadence have to get going,” Shining Armor commented as he and the his wife rose from the table. “Don’t wanna miss our train back to the Crystal Empire.”
“I’ll walk you guys,” Twilight chimed in as she brushed past Silver and Derpy. “Sorry Silver, we’ll have to talk again some other time. You should stop by Ponyville sometime, it’s just a train ride down the mountain from here.”
“Sure, I think I will,” Silver returned Twilight’s smile as he watched her exit the donut shop along with Cadence and Shining Armor. He then sat down in the booth and motioned for his pegasus tour guide to do the same. “Well, can’t let these donuts go to waste,” Silver reached for a donut and took a bite, his mouth began watering once the donut touched his tongue. It was soft, warm, sweet, and delicious all at once. “Now I see why this is your favorite place in all of Canterlot, this is the best donut I’ve ever eaten.”
“Maybe when you go to Ponyville I can show you Sugar Cube Corner, they have the best muffins in all of Equestria.” Derpy sat down and took a bite out of a donut as well, seeing that the trio before had left milkshakes at the table, the two decided not to let the sweet beverages go to waste.
Principal Solar Wind finished sorting a large stack of papers that were on her desk, she had been working all morning and decided she needed a break. She reclined in her chair as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the quiet silence which fell over her office, she felt her eyes grow heavy, but just as she did there came three raps at the door.
The Alicorn let out a sigh, ‘So much for peace and quiet’, she thought to herself. “Come in!” The door was practically slammed open by an orange unicorn with a grin on his face.
“Well, well, your still just as hard a worker as ever,” he laughed before slamming the door shut behind him.
“And your just as obnoxious and annoying as ever,” Solar replied as she rolled her eyes and let out another sigh. “What do you want Ignis?”
“Well you’ve been really working hard lately and I figured I could take you someplace nice as a reward; plus, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“Ignis, I’ve told you, for the umpteenth time I will not go out with you.” Solar Wind sat up and began to continue going through the large paper stack on her desk. “Besides, I’m too busy for that sort of thing, I have to review every student’s recent assignment completion and check to see if there are anymore 1st class candidates, these ponies are the agency’s future. So if you have something you want to talk about then say it.”
“Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Ignis changed his expression to that of a solid stern face, he looked as if he were facing down with the most fearsome criminals in the deepest depths of Tartarus itself. “I’m sure your aware that the agency is under a considerable amount of stress lately, with the recent passing of Director Goodwing, the EAA will be looking for a new director to take charge.”
“Let me stop you right there,” Solar began as she raised a hoof toward Ignis, she then began to levitate a quill to her muzzle and started chewing on the tip. “I have no interest in becoming the Director of the EAA, I have far too much on plate with the academy as is.”
“Solar, your one of the best candidates to become the new director: you’re an Alicorn, a former student of Princess Celestia, you know what its like to be in a position of power and can handle the responsibility. If you don’t choose to be the Director, then naturally you know that Frostbite will try to seize the opportunity.”
“Then let him, Goodwing was his brother, besides, he actually wants the position.”
Ignis walked over to Solar’s desk and took notice of a framed photo. In it was Solar Wind cradling a small colt in her hooves, frozen expressions of playfulness and glee on both their faces. “Hard to believe he actually smiled at some point in his life huh?”
“He used to smile all the time,” the Alicorn began as her magic died down and she stopped sorting papers to look at the photo. “Now, all he does is glare at me, resenting me, hating me.” A tear snuck it’s way out from Solar’s eye but she quickly wiped it away before Ignis could notice. “Sure, he may seem like he isn’t fazed by it anymore, but I know, deep down, he still hates me.”
“And it’s the agency’s fault right?” Ignis made a large chair materialize behind him before plotting down to sit. “In all fairness to the agency, they told you Solar, they gave you fair warning and Goodwing was always very lenient with you. But he’s gone now, you can change everything that’s happened to you, everything that’s happened to him, you can get back your son.” Ignis turned his voice to a whisper as he leaned in closer to the principal. “You can discontinue Project Umbra Corde for good.”
“SHHHH!” Solar hushed Ignis by leaning up and placing a hoof over his mouth, silencing him immediately. “You know full well that we’re not to talk about the project outside of the agency HQ!”
“Then,” Ignis’s words were muffled until he removed the Alicorn’s hoof from his mouth. “You can end it,” Ignis returned to a whisper. “We know about all the shady acts that Frostbite has performed under his brother’s nose, we can bring them all to the light but only if you become the director.” Ignis watched as Solar reclined in her chair and looked down, avoiding his gaze. “I understand, you barely see enough of Shadow—”
“Midnight!” Solar corrected with an angered snap.
“Sorry, Midnight. You barely see him as it is and if you were to become the director then you’d see little to none of him anymore.” Ignis rose from his seat and made it disappear he made his way to the door and paused as he looked over his shoulder back at the Alicorn. “He’ll have to learn the truth eventually, you won’t always be there to protect him.”
“I know,” Solar mumbled to herself as she watched Ignis exit before lowering her head slightly and continued working. “I know.”
"Well, it's been fun Silver but I'm still on the job. Maybe we can meet up in Ponyville sometime?"
"Sure thing Derpy, thanks for giving me the tour, I mean, even if we didn't cover every thing," Silver replied with a smile as he waved and watched the pegasus take to the air. "Be safe on your fly back."
"Don't worry about me," Derpy laughed as she waved back with a crooked smile that made the earth pony giggle. "I'm like a professional Wonderbolt when it comes to flying......well, except when I have to land."
Silver chuckled as he watched the pegasus mare disappear out of sight, he then turned his attention back to the direction of the castle that he now called home. "Lesson number 1: aced it! Better get back and report to the princess." Silver began to trot down the street, making sure not to bump rudely into any of the higher class pony snobs who roamed the town; doing so would net him a rude remark and possibly an insult about how out of season his scarf was or how it didn't compliment his coat. While keeping his eyes transfixed on the road Silver caught a glimpse of a pony struggling to move a package inside of what he assumed to be a clothing store; the poor mare looked as though she was having a minor setback due to the weight of the box. Feeling something inside him tell him to do it, Silver decided to see if the mare needed a helping hoof.
"Need any help?" he asked as he approached the mare who Silver could now see was a pale white unicorn with a well curled dark purple mane which seemed to compliment the beauty of her eyes and features; while his eyes don't normally look there he could see that her flank sported three diamonds which served as her cutie mark.
"Oh but of course, I mean if its no trouble?"
"Even if it was I'd still offer to help," Silver placed his head against the box and began pushing it through the store doorway; it was heavy, but bearable. He stopped when he had pushed the box in the center of the store room, he took notice of the surrounding dresses and other outfits and confirmed in his mind that this was indeed a clothing store. “Man, that thing sure is heavy for just clothes.”
“They're not just clothes,” the unicorn chimed in from the doorway. “They're everything I need for my spring lineup, I have an idea for an ensemble that I know will just—” She stopped when she eyed Silver’s scarf and rushed over to his side. “Goodness darling! What are you doing with such a thing around your neck? It’s nowhere near Winter to be wearing such an attire.”
“Yeah, yeah I know. But this isn’t—” Silver stopped and took a step back, a serious glare forming on his face as the unicorn tried to reach for his scarf. “What in name of Celestia do you think your doing!?”
“I was just going to get you another scarf that complements your eyes. You can’t possibly want to wear such a—”
“This isn’t just any scarf, and yes, I do want to wear it.” Silver placed a hoof on the green attire around his neck and began stroking it, as he did, his intensity calmed. “It’s very special to me,” he locked eyes with the unicorn once again, “I’m sorry but I gotta go. You're welcome and everything.” With that, he exited and continued on his way to see his teacher.
Silverlight entered the throne room accompanied by two guards as he did, he spotted two figures standing in front of Celestia’s throne. Hooded cloaks of pristine bright white with golden lining and stars spotted over the cloaks. The earth pony watched as Celestia spoke a few inaudible words to the two figures, then they made their way toward him for the exit. As the figures walked by, one of the hooded unicorns glanced over at Silver. Though their faces were obscured by the darkness of the hood blocking away light, Silver could feel this unicorn staring at him, hard. The figure’s partner turned to him and motioned for it to follow, the hooded unicorn eventually did but not before letting a whisper slip as he exited.
“Sorry………You just look so much like him.”
Silver stood frozen at the word’s of the cloaked pony, he knew exactly what the stallion was talking about just from that simple phrase. It was obvious that they knew of his brother, and their outfits brought back memories of when Silver’s brother would leave for a mission and sometimes be gone days at a time. They were from the Equestrian Arcane Agency. Silver was about to ask them several questions but when he whirled around he quickly noticed the two ponies were gone, like silent ghosts that flee in the wind. Silver turned around and made his way back to the throne where Celestia was waiting for him with her usual smile, warm and inviting.
“You were gone for quite some time, it’s almost dusk.” Celestia raised a brow at her student and gave a soft chuckle. “I hope you weren’t wandering around town lost this whole time.”
“Not at all,” Silver laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck with a tooth filled grin. “I completed your lesson just as you asked, while I didn’t necessarily get to see every inch of Canterlot, Derpy showed me quite a bit around town.”
“Derpy Hooves? The Ponyville mailmare?”
“Yup, she was dropping off this scarf that my parents sent me,” Silver now gesturing to his winter ware wrapped around his neck, he rested a hoof on it and gave Celestia an even bigger smile. “It used to belong to my older brother Lightray, mom said that it always brought Light good luck so I’m sure it’ll do the same thing for me.”
“I see, I’ll have to have your parents visit sometime, I’d like to see the parents who raised two of Equestria’s best wizards.” Celestia’s comment made Silver blush as they both let out a laugh.
“Oh that reminds me princess, I met one of your old students earlier today.” Silver witnessed something he didn’t think was possible, he witnessed Celestia, the princess of Equestria, express a look of worry and concern. It only appeared for a brief second, but Silver was sure that he saw it. “Twilight Sparkle, the princess of Friendship. She seems pretty cool, she even invited me to come visit her in Ponyville sometime.”
"Perhaps I'll consider sending you there for a lesson in friendship, I'm sure you could learn a few things from Twilight," Celestia watched Silver give her a nod in response to her statement. "Now then, it's almost time for me to lower the sun," an idea formed in the alicorn's head as she placed a pondering hoof under her chin, "Silver, how would you like to get a first hoof account on the raising and lowering of both sun and moon?"
"That sounds awesome!" Silver exclaimed as he hopped excitedly in the air, "Can I really?"
"Of course, follow me," the earth pony practically bounced behind his teacher as he followed her out of the room, excitement taking over every fiber of his body and making him act like Pinkie Pie with a little too much sugar.