Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

110 - Between Sisters

Luna nodded quietly. "I'm glad they're both doing well."

Celestia rolled a hoof. "Now would be a fine time to speak to them."

Luna hesitated at the idea. "They're busy entertaining Silver's parents. I would not wish to be a burden."

Celestia sipped from her tea lightly. "Now is exactly the time you should be involved, Lulu. As a friend, preferably, if you can't stand the thought of further..."

Luna frowned with a heavy thought a moment before her face brightened. "I know exactly what I can do!"

Celestia smiled. "That's good. Will you share?"

Luna shook her head, but the motion aborted. Trying to play coy and secretive with Celestia hadn't helped one little bit so far. "We were thinking to retrieve Night Watch's parents."

Celestia considered that, a hoof at her chin. "A lovely thought, but how do they get along?"

Luna leaned forward a little. "They got along well, if distantly."

Examining the angles, Celestia took a bite out of a slice of cake. "Do they approve of her choice in partner?"

Luna blinked softly. "We hadn't considered that." Perhaps there were advantages to throwing ideas past one's sister. "How can we be certain?"

Celestia's own expression brightened, even as Luna's become more inquisitive. "I'll gladly help. Let's just write them a letter informing them, and of the great things they've both managed. With any luck, they'll be overjoyed. If so, then we can invite them, if not, perhaps best to leave that hornet's nest alone."

Luna bobbed her head firmly as a parchment and quill appeared beside her head. "Let's do that. They deserve to, at least, be told what a hero they've raised. She flashed a bright smile that put her older sister's worries partially to rest. "Thank you, Tia."

They got to work, crafting a letter between them to send to Night's parents.

---

Silver still had the book of slime magic and was reading it with a thoughtful expression.

Trixie settled beside him and leaned over his shoulder to see the arcane words. "Trixie thought you were done with this magic? Why are you still reading this book?"

Silver perked his ears and looked aside at his mother. Was he always approaching her size? He wasn't her little colt anymore, was he? She was still his mother. "I won't try to summon and control my own little pet slime, but there are a lot of spells in here, and I could combine and mix spells. My cutie mark's practically itching to try that with these. For instance..." He flipped back to the start. "I had an idea about the slime summoning. It could be a sneaky attack or a lifesaving measure."

Trixie raised a brow. "That is a unique talent you have, as befits any foal of Trixie's. How would this spell work?"

Silver pulled his out own book in his magic and writing began to appear on it. "In theory, if I crossed it with the tracking spell just so, and with the pony already present, I should be able to summon someone else's slime, which means I'd have it, and having someone else's aetheric slime means I can affect them with magic easily, even at a distance, and maybe even heal them. Wouldn't that be something?"

Trixie tapped at the aging book of magic. "Be careful with it. Trixie has learned her lesson with old magic. It rarely works exactly the way you have intended."

Silver leaned in and kissed her cheek on a whim. "If I can save someone, that'd be nice. Let's keep to positive uses and good karma, right?"

Trixie smiled gently. "Yes. Magic seems to listen to that. Good intentions help make things work better, but it isn't any guarantee."

Across the room, Night and Rough sat across from each other. Rough smiled and inclined his head towards the arcane ponies. "Does he get like that with you a lot?"

Night smirked. "Does she?"

Rough nodded without hesitation. "They both love magic. With his tail like that, it's become even harder to imagine he's not her foal."

Night poked him in the chest. "You made him."

Rough jerked upright at that, stunned a moment before he nodded. "I guess that's true." He smiled a little. "I didn't imagine my little human would become a unicorn though. I liked him as a human..."

Night rested a hoof on her swollen belly. "Our foals often grow beyond our expectations, for good or bad. I hope mostly good, in this case?"

Rough raised a hoof to Night's shoulder. "Is my daughter-in-law consoling me? I'm not sure how I should feel about that. But, yes, he's done alright for himself. After all, he found you."

Night darkened in her cheeks. "I'm not that special."

"Pfft." Rough prodded her in the chest. "Don't even try to hide behind modesty. We've heard at least parts of the amazing things you've gotten up to and helped Silver accomplish. The guards here are very talkative if you ask the right way." He indicated towards her flank. "Do you still play?"

Night glanced back at it, then remembered who she was speaking with. "I didn't play Humanway very much, but its parent game, sure."

Rough dug out a pouch and let it fall to the ground, where it rattled with the tell-tale sound of many dice. "We could play now if you like? I have an adventure that could use some testing, and it's fun either way." His tail began to wag with excitement.

Night smiled. "On one condition." She pointed with a wing at the two engrossed in their magic. "Get them to join in. This isn't a game meant for one pony to play by themselves."

Rough accepted silently, rising to approach them with a determined look on his face.

---

"You do have a point..."

Samantha smiled brilliantly, seated beside the doctor as they reviewed her findings about Night Watch. "See? They're whole new types of ponies. She seems barely aware of the magnitude of what's going on inside of her. A lunar earth and a lunar unicorn? Fantastic!"

He held up a hoof. "I've seen one lunar unicorn, in the care of the Royal Sisters, but she was created, not born naturally."

Samantha waved it off. "That's cheating. This is the real deal. Do you think they'll be fertile? They could start whole new lines." She clopped her hooves excitedly. "What innate magic might they have? There's so much to learn."

The doctor put a hoof before her. "Calm yourself. Our first priority is not that."

"It isn't?"

He shook his head, but he tried to be patient with the eccentric scholar. "They must be born, and the mother kept safe and comfortable." Playing with her way of thinking, he posited, "What good would this all come to if she came to harm, or Celestia forbid, died before giving birth?"

She paled at the thought. "That would be awful!" Samantha slumped against the table they were beside. "We'd lose so much... We should have her under constant supervision!"

He held up that hoof. "Calm yourself. That's what her stallion's for. If she becomes distressed, he will bring her here. I presume you've set up a schedule for visits?"

"Oh, yes." Samantha nodded firmly. "And she's been a great subject and always sho--"

"Patient."

"Mmm?"

He smiled with forced patience. "Never call a pony a 'subject'. It demeans them. They want to be treated with respect. You wouldn't want to be a subject, would you?"

Samantha tilted her head a little to the left, then to the right. "Is there something to be learned from me?"

He put his hoof to his face. "Maybe there is, but you'd still be a patient, under our care, not a specimen in a bottle for our education."

The nurse trotted over behind the two. "I don't think she understands."

Samantha frowned at the nurse. "I do understand!" she hotly protested.

The two medical ponies shared a glance. Neither believed it.

Samantha brought down a hoof with a soft clop. "I'll treat them nicely so that they stay calm and happy."

The doctor sighed a little. "Close enough for now."

Samantha levitated up her next gathering of papers and set them heavily on the table. "You think I don't have any tact, and you're both wrong. Look at these findings about her partner, and he doesn't even know I've been studying him."

He blinked in surprise. "What's so strange about him?"

She tapped at the thick collection of paper. "It would be far easier to explain what isn't strange about him. While, physically, he appears to be a perfectly standard unicorn, just below the surface everything is subtly wrong. I'm certain he wasn't born that way."

The doctor knew this for a fact, but speaking about patients idly to others was considered rude at best. "And what have you determined?" He gently questioned Samantha, hoping to not reveal any of his own cards.

"Isn't it obvious?!" She began to clop her hooves. "Whoever did this wasn't very subtle at all. His adoptive father is the creator of Humanway, and his wife has a game die for a cutie mark?"

When had she pulled up that information? The doctor didn't know, but he nodded softly, encouraging her to continue.

"Somepony was trying to pull off a huge publicity stunt."

He suddenly relaxed as she went from dangerously accurate to off-target instantly. "To what end?" he asked with a faintly raised brow.

"Oh, I don't know that." She waved a hoof dismissively. "Marketing is not my specialty. The fact remains, that pony is badly contaminated with somepony's clumsy idea of what a human might be. It amazes me that he isn't in discomfort, but he seems quite well adjusted. The pony mind is an amazing thing."

The nurse quirked a smile. "It most certainly is." She met the doctor's eyes a moment, swirling a hoof behind her head briefly before cantering off to continue her business.

Samantha stood up. "But, see? I've been collecting data about him without him even knowing about it. I know how to be subtle when the case calls for it. Night Watch came to me, so why should I hide from her? Silver didn't, but he needs me, so I did it quietly."

The doctor rested a hoof on Samantha's shoulder. "You did fine, but perhaps you should bring this to his attention and let him decide? It is a pony's right to accept, or refuse, treatment if they so wish."

Samantha looked baffled at the very notion. "Why would he say no?! Doesn't he want to get better?"

"Maybe he's happy the way he is." The doctor stood up. "It's not up to us to decide. It's his decision, and we should respect that. He's not a danger to himself or anypony around him, so there's no reason we should force ourselves into the situation."

Author's Note:

Oh, hello there, Samantha. Thought we forgot about you, did you? We can't have that.

Luna and Tia are working together. Silver should be so very afraid.

The only thing more terrifying? Typos. And they may create a few writing that letter!

Comments

[Dravkwn]

Sam sneakily studied Silver while slacking in social structure is seriously special if not specifically so.

[Bernkastel988]

7028612 NEVER!!!

[Booster Spice]

Maybe if Celestia meddles any further, Discord should see she gets a baked bean chocolate and chili cake. And maybe Luna some pickle and mustard custard. with the pickles in the shape of sharks. Give them a better idea of what the mortal population is going through, such as pregnancy cravings?

Latest version of PCGen is out, 6.0.6.0 with some agreed on values from Ponyfinder I hope they are, but Griffon are still so many class levels and hit dice due to the core engine still being essentially human race centric. I still think there should be race levels as well as class, skills, ability etc levels, so you can easily handle hybrids etc.

Hmms, needs more reverse look up and bidirectional requirement checking and description, which makes GMs all the more impressive in their ability to handle such insane amounts of info.

Be very careful with Samantha, theres quite a few human scientists and others that decided to use themselves for extreme subjects because they couldnt bring themselves to subject anyone else to the tests and effects. Such as Newtons experiments on his own eye.

I dunno. High Int, low Wis, High Con, Low Str, High Dex, Low Cha. Othewise average scores, even if hero based? I think it explains why most GMs dont like me.

[Boulder]

Oops I did spoilers didn't I? sorry

[Boulder]

7029317 Or specially serial?

[Boulder]

7029350

Be very careful with Samantha, there's quite a few human scientists and others that decided to use themselves for extreme subjects because they couldn't bring themselves to subject anyone else to the tests and effects. Such as Newtons experiments on his own eye.

Why does Jeff Goldblum in 'The Fly' suddenly spring to mind?

[Not so New Brony]

"Is isn't?"

This typo almost slipped past me.

Well, looks like the doctor and nurse are finding some common ground with Samantha at least...yay?

Also, I'm getting a severe case of deja vu concerning misunderstandings of Silver's 'true form' Also, nice little nod to the Alicorn Amulet back there.

[DJ_Arashi_Rora]

Congratulations on 110 chapters completed!

Now Sam... Follow me... *pulls out a club* you know too much to be dangerous but not enough to help.

[David Silver]

7029491 Oops, typo banished to the moon for good measure.

Hey, Samantha's learned to not lock them up in a closet. She can grow! A little kindness can guide even damaged souls towards better places.

[David Silver]

7029510 Be careful, unless you like being a study buddy.

[harts fire]

O so much to think about. Samantha is close but so fare away with Silver.
she / Samantha is trying to be a good pony she just needs to be rained in a little bit.

[Booster Spice]

7029457

Becasue the movie was a better story than how the device actually works. Telepods are ose Einstein condensate walled containers, which means when you teleport the single quantum object, there is no sampling or intermixing. Theres apparently some research into decoherence interference through gravity effects and other functions of general relativity which possibly puts a limit, without extra research, on only being able to teleport on the level. So you would get travel along canals between locks, then craned over th locks etc.?

Oops.. sorry.

[DJ_Arashi_Rora]

7029518
7029703

You're right Mr. Silver....

Come over here Sam *pulls out MGS tranq gun* I want you to test this device called a Fulton....

[Boulder]

7029741 Well that was a few levels above a response I'd expected, as RD says " Yeah nice going there egghead"

[Morphy]

7029517

I just get a nagging feeling that Samantha might try to undo something and turn him back into a human... for his own good. The road to hell is paved with good intentions after all. Something he could teach her before she starts meddling in things she should not.

[David Silver]

7031073 Ah, but she thinks he's a messed up pony, not a messed up human.

[Morphy]

7031086

And if she figures out the truth? It's all going to end in tears, I just know it.

[Daremo]

the thought of further. - the end of this sentence feels incomplete. Maybe an ellipsis to indicate she trailed off and left things unsaid?
sister's worried partially - sister's worries partially
Silver pulled his own book - Silver pulled out/over his own book
In theory, crossed it with - In theory, crossed it with -or- In theory, if I crossed it with
Night rest a hoof - Night rested a hoof
Rough rest a hoof - Rough rested a hoof

*****

Interesting developments in this chapter, I'd say things are just simmering at the moment before the slings and bows of chaos begin to harrow Silver once more.

I likes seeing Luna and Celestia talking and developing on a plan together. Perhaps working on a solution instead of running from the problem will be a little more constructive for Luna.

I should be able to summon someone else's slime, which means I'd have it, and having someone else's aetheric slime means I can affect them with magic easily, even at a distance, and maybe even heal them.

He would not have any way of knowing the condition of the person whose aetheric slime he was summoning and if they were sick or injured at best he would be able to return them to that state or hold them there until they can be rescued and get proper treatment, but there is the potential to prolong suffering inadvertently. Unless there is some way to determine the condition of the target ahead of time, it would be more useful as an offensive spell.

[David Silver]

7031427 Keeping somepony from dying is a pretty powerful trick, even if it's just a holding action while scrambling in a panic to the nearest hospital. The typos were sentenced to ten years dungeon for their insolence!

It's Silver's destiny to make up interesting spells. He hopes to never have need, but how often does that come true?

[tsaukpaetra]

And then the slime entities would be combined into one massive slime with interconnecting links, giving telepathic capabilities and shared resource pooling to the assimilated!.... Oh, was that out loud?
Keep going! ;)

[Vutava]

"You do have a point..."

Well, of course she does! She's a unicorn, silly.

I'm sorry, I had to.

[Typist Gray]

Well that's going to be an interesting conversation between Sam and Silver.

[lainverse]

The only thing more terrifying? Typos. And they may create a few writing that letter!

They literally can't. :P
That could be a slip of pen, erratum, parapraxis or lapsus or something else entirely, but the typo it can't be.
BY THE POWE... ahem, definition of typo.

[Alvsecret]

Silver pulled his out own book in his magic and writing began to appear on it. "In theory, if I crossed it with the tracking spell just so, and with the pony already present, I should be able to summon someone else 's slime, which means I'd have it, and having someone else's aetheric slime means I can affect them with magic easily, even at a distance, and maybe even heal them. Wouldn't that be something?"

??