//------------------------------//
// 226 - What We've Learned 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
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Silver landed with a ruffle of his wings as he settled. The plan to pursue his would-be daughter had been interrupted by Rainbow Dash, as fate had decided. He nodded at his flight instructor. "How'm I doing?"

She smiled as she began prodding him with a hoof, making minute changes to his posture. "Not bad at all, just don't forget to practice it. Like I said before, tomorrow we start on flying etiquette." She narrowed her eyes and fluttered her lashes a little. "Then you can hunt for mares." Chancy, perhaps.

He blinked at the suggestion. "I have plenty around me, thanks. I'm married, for Pete's sake."

Rainbow blinked. That was not the response she expected. "I was just joking," she said unconvincingly. "I mean, what, you've got some of the best around you, huh? I guess all the rest of us seem... less?"

Silver caught it. So many balls had been tossed by him, but finally he put a mental hand on it. "Rainbow, are you jealous?"

"W-what?! No!"

Silver put a hoof on her shoulder. "You are a lovely pony, a fine sportspony, a terrific flier, and a good friend. I admire you on basically every level except what you're packing between your hind legs."

Rainbow became more scarlet at his words and closeness. He was puncturing her coolness! "I didn't ask that!"

Silver drew his hoof back. "Tomorrow, we'll go over those flying rules. Thank you, RD, for showing me all this, and being there for me."

She advanced on him and kissed his cheek without asking before taking off in a dart. He was left to crash to his haunches with a blush that she saw over her shoulder. "Still got it..." Her coolness was intact. As horn dog stallions went though, Silver really didn't rate.

Silver shook his head to clear it and rose back up. He glanced at the retreating form of RD, then turned to head inside. RD would make a fine wife, someday, long after the series ended and she was allowed. "Thanks," he spoke to the Text, which he assumed could hear him. At least he was allowed to find family and love despite his troubles. His own story didn't have those limitations.

He didn't find Samantha. But he did find Night and the foals. Night was happy to see him and moved in for nuzzles and to casually hand him the foals as he came close. "There you are. I need a little decompress time and it's your turn to play fo--"

"--Hold up there. Let's go somewhere, together, all of us." Silver nuzzled her cheek. "Our foals are part of the family, not a burden. Let's go to your favorite place."

Night nodded a little. "You're right, of course, but you get to hold them a moment." She quirked a smile. "So. where have you been all day?"

They began to talk off together towards dinner, chatting about the day's events. No matter how stressful the day had been, being with one another made it all seem manageable.





Luna stepped quietly into Celestia's room. "Sister?"

"You look troubled." Celestia sat up fully. "Did he repel you somehow?"

"He was prepared, but I pressed on." She licked her lips softly. "He... He has faults, but lives and feels. He is not a pure monster, but he is perilously close. I don't think even he realizes how close he is to that."

Celestia opened a wing. "Sit beside me. You look very shaken."

"I'm fine," protested Luna even as she took the offered space and leaned against Celestia. "He knows much, and is willing to use it. He wants to claim all he was denied in the human world."

Celestia perked an ear. "He has bits, he could find a wife easily enough. What more does he want?"

"I don't think he knows." Luna frowned a little. "He will keep grabbing until his hands are full, then take some more, balancing it all precariously until it, and he, falls over."

"Did you spy on his dreams then?"

"I took part in them."

"Oh? What did you do?"

Luna knew that what one did in a dream was just a dream, but still, telling that to Celestia... "We... talked..."

"Be truthful, sister."

Celestia could see right through Luna. Having a larger sister came with positives and negatives. "I mated with him, as a human female."

"Luna! You were not sent to do that! Whatever compelled you?" Despite her words, she drew Luna closer, hugging her with a wing lovingly.

Luna could not doubt she was cared for. "Things got out of hoof, and he turned my interest into passion, and there we were. I let him, and we did it. I... showed him being a pony, but he reacted very poorly, and the dream ended."

"I should think so." Celestia shook her head. "Just because some accept such things doesn't mean they all do. Of the humans that arrived, many are still quite happily human, living among us as they were born, and we should not press them, only redress their crimes, when that comes up."

Luna flipped her ears back. "I have Silver's thoughts with me, but it was my decision, and I accept that. With his mind, being transformed seems an opportunity to learn and see, not horror. The look in his eyes when he realized what I had done... He is not the same, and I did wrong by him." She frowned a little. "I wish he was not so set on this destructive path against us, or I would apologize."

Celestia rolled a hoof. "You could anyway. Whatever he decides, you are beholden to yourself and your own sense of right and wrong. He may spurn your words and send you away, but that doesn't mean your words don't need to be said."

Luna gave a little nod. "I will be the better then. I will apologize to him." She rose, separating from the wing embrace. "It seems unlikely he is unaware of my presence. I will admit my actions and apologize, even if he is likely to--"

"It just occurred to me."

"Hmm?"

Celestia smiled gently. "You often act recklessly around humans. Will you marry this one as well?"

Luna went red, her wings shooting out. "Sister! That is an extremely low blow and uncalled for!"

Celestia shook her head. "It was beneath me, I'm sorry. Go, see how he reacts. Know that I'm with you, and love you, despite my teasing."

Luna snorted softly and trotted from the room, riled up.





“NOOO!!!”

John sat up in bed as he yelled, wide-eyed and panting. For a moment he looked around wildly, before catching sight of his hands…human hands, rather than hooves. As he reached total wakefulness, he let out a sigh, relaxing at the realization that it had all been a dream.

As far as dreams went, that had been one of the better ones before it had suddenly turned horrific at the end. While he felt almost no attachment to his old life, that would have been a very different story if he’d met a woman like that before coming here. As it was, he had clearly been in Equestria too long.

But it’s not like there was anything he could do about that now. He was stuck here, notwithstanding the Equestria Girls version of Earth, and heading there now would significantly derail his plans. He’d just have to endure it.

Laying back down, John smiled to himself as he thought about what would happen once everything fell into place. Once he had what he needed, he’d be able to…able to… His thoughts trailed off as he glanced back at the wall behind his bed. He’d hung Zecora’s dreamcatcher there before going to sleep, but now, in the dim glow of the streetlights shining through the curtains, all he could see was a scorch mark where it had been.

For a moment he just stared at the black spot on the wall in horror, feeling his blood turn to ice water in his veins. Then he vaulted from the bed, switching on the closest lamp as he moved to examine it more closely, hoping that further investigation would lead to a different conclusion.

It didn’t. If anything, it confirmed what he feared, as there were a few sticks and pieces of string mixed with a small pile of ashes – all that remained of his dreamcatcher – on the ground. The reason for that was obvious: something had overpowered the dreamcatcher’s magic enough to destroy it, and that meant…

Luna had been in his dream.

The feelings that arrived on the heels of that realization could only be called complete and utter humiliation. To have had someone else rooting around in his head, to see him at his most vulnerable and unguarded…it was a violation of irreducible proportions. It was enough to make him sink to his knees, head in his hands as he struggled to process what had happened.

For long moments, he stayed that way, curled up and shaking in an effort to control himself, to suppress what he felt the way he had done ever since he had arrived in Equestria. But for the first time, it was more than he was capable of doing, and with a snarl he shot to his feet, grabbing the nearby lamp and flinging it against the opposite wall as hard as he could, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

He didn’t stop there, proceeding to destroy anything he could get his hands on. Anything that caught his eye was smashed, torn, or overturned in blind fury. He was staying in an expensive long-term hotel room, and knew he’d pay a price for what he was doing, but at the moment he couldn’t bring himself to care.

It was only after thoroughly trashing everything he could that he sank into a corner, feeling not at all better for his tantrum. If anything, he felt even worse, unable to stop remembering the intimate moments he’d unwittingly shared with the mental intruder. Luna was probably sharing what she’d learned with Celestia right now, the two of them having a laugh at his expense!

I swear, I will rip that little whore’s horn off and stab it through that shriveled organ she calls a heart! That, and similar dark fantasies, played out in his head as he tried to come to grips with what had happened. He wanted to go out and make good on them right now, and only the absolute certainty that he’d fail, and probably die in the attempt, kept him from attempting to do so.

He sat there for a long time, just trying to piece himself back together. Intellectually, he knew he had little right to complain about what had happened. He had struck first after all, and he had known even before he had that it was only a matter of time before the princesses counterattacked. But he had badly underestimated the sheer magnitude of their retaliation, and now...now he was paying the price for that.

As his rage slowly settled, John felt his resolve waver. While he knew that Luna had gained no real information from him during their encounter, that was purely due to luck. If she tried again…

Lurching to his feet, John stumbled to the nearby closet, rooting around in it until he found the single remaining dreamcatcher in the back of it. He’d had Zecora make two for him, just in case something had happened to the first one. But now, the utter futility of his preparations was fully apparent. A second dreamcatcher would fare no better than the first.

Luna would be back, of that John was absolutely certain. And with his having no way to stop her, it was only a matter of time before she found out what he was trying to accomplish. And once that happened…a shudder ran through him as he thought of what she and her sister would do to him then.

He stood there for long moments, weighing his options, before finally admitting what he already knew: that he had no options, except to cut his losses and retreat. It would mean losing all of the ground he’d gained up until now, but without a more reliable method of defeating Luna’s dreamwalking, there was no other recourse.

Sighing in resignation, John moved to write a quick letter, explaining to whoever read it that he’d needed to go “abroad” for sudden health issues, and that the Lunar Benefit Fund should be managed by…John paused for a moment before writing Silver’s name, mostly because he felt sure that the Human Ambassador was weak-willed enough that reclaiming the organization at a later date, if he felt like doing so, would be no trouble.

Getting dressed, John quickly checked out – leaving a large amount of bits to pay for the damages – and headed for the Canterlot train station. He could be at Ponyville before noon, and since Princess Twilight had no guards at her castle, he’d likely be able to break in and find the mirror portal without anyone even being aware of it.

As he boarded the train, John took one last look at the castle, towering about the rest of the city. Luna, and through her the rest of the ponies, had won this round. But as he was slowly spirited out of the city, “John Smith” swore to himself that this wasn’t over. He’d find a solution, regardless of how long it took, and when he did then he’d pick up where he’d left off.

This setback, as monumental as it was, wasn’t the end, he vowed silently. It was only the end of the beginning…