Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

115 - Midnight Revelations

The room was quiet. There was little playing. The idea of playing with your parents, adoptive or not, in the same room was a bit too far for either Silver or Night to entertain above nestling close and fading to sleep in one another's embrace.

Silver awoke in his human bed, shaking himself out before hopping to the floor. He was asleep, this he knew. "Well, today's been interesting." Nopony was around to hear him talking, but if he couldn't talk to himself in his own dream, when could he? "Why did she do..." He frowned as he hopped up onto his chair. "It's like Night said. There are patterns. We're just..." He rolled a forehoof in the air as he sifted through his thoughts, then it came to him.

With a wave, he conjured the dream. He moved his forehoof left and right like a remote control, quickly flipping through the increasingly disjointed memories. It was already starting to fade into the ephemera of the past, making him quietly grateful that he had taken the time to write it down, not that he could refer to it while sleeping.

There.

The letters of The Text hovered before his dreaming self, captured in memory. It taunted him. It had opened the path, and he had walked down it. In the end, becoming a princess, destroyed by one he loved and primed by the Royal Sisters.

A chill ran down his back and he began to glow. The glow was a dream, he knew it, but it wasn't a comfort. He held the power of the sun. How long would that last? Was he already blindly walking down the same path again? Was he ready for that consequence if he was, and what would it do to Night Watch? He scowled at the hovering, slightly flickering, image.

He hopped down from his chair and threw open the door to the dream world. With barely a thought, he conjured his shield around himself. It was far more intricate than it used to be but more practiced. "Thanks, mom." Trixie had been drilling him. He liked having her around. It was nice having another unicorn close by that also sought to perfect and refine their casting techniques.

Striding out of his personal dream, he saw the dream world was in its hallway of doors mode that night. That was one of the easier ones to navigate, which he was quietly grateful for. With a soft sigh, he held the thought of Luna in his mind, and her door slid closer. Before he could even reach the door, she appeared.

"Ambassador Silver Watch, I thought these meetings would come to a halt." She offered a hoof. "Is there an emergency perhaps?"

Silver shook his head. "Not exactly. Luna, did you get a chance to read my journal?"

Luna frowned. "Nay, we did not. Our sister did not see fit to reveal its contents to us, nor is it our place to demand it from you."

Silver considered quietly a moment even as Luna watched him. "Alright, well, in the dream... may I tell you part of it?"

"You may."

Silver nodded. "I was infused with the power of both Royal Sisters, yourself being part of that of course. Pregnant with that power, Twilight Sparkle destroyed me in one terrific smash of magic. I was thrown free of my body, which no longer existed. That was when I ascended."

Luna raised a brow gently. "The way you say that, it's as if you had experienced it more than once." She leaned forward, her deep eyes boring into him unblinkingly. "Just what have I done to you?"

Silver waved it off with a flush of anger, though it passed quickly. "Luna, we're past the blame game on that. You want me to forgive? Fine, as soon as you remember we were friends before this all started."

Luna tilted her head faintly. "Are we still, after our conflict?"

Silver sat up and grew, becoming Silver Stars. His wings flapped before folding tight to his back. His cape billowed around him in a breeze that wasn't there. "I'm worried I'm on a troubled path."

Luna's vision raised with Silver's growth, keeping level with his eyes. "I will not try to... coerce you to my path again."

Silver waved it off with a hoof. "That's beside the point. Equestria doesn't need me."

Luna raised a brow. "My sister would say Equestria needs every pony, for they have a place to play in it, big or small."

Silver's serious expression broke into a smile. "Your sister would say that. What do you say?"

Luna raised a hoof to her chest. "Me?" Her tone implied she was still surprised he would ask of her opinion. "Well... If Destiny has decided for great things for you, then you should not turn from it. You should rise." That hoof reached out and she brushed Silver's wings gently. "Leathery or feathered, we can't imagine you didn't enjoy these."

Silver extended those dreamed limbs. "They were great... But you don't get to just 'be' an alicorn."

"You are, perhaps, overstating the inevitability of this." Luna shook her head. "There are ponies that dream of reaching such heights, but few do. Most who do, are not among those that do dream of it." She smiled gently. "Those who want the position are typically least suited for it."

Silver drove a hoof to the ground, splintering the hallway though it mended itself quickly. "I don't hunger for this. I'm happy as a unicorn." And he was one again. "There's nothing wrong with me just as I am."

Luna smiled gently. "Good. It is important you realize that." She reached and placed a large hoof on his nose. "If you are truly fine as you are, then you will continue to be fine as you grow, be it simply as a magician, an ambassador, or even a prince." She inclined an ear at him. "May I see your birth form?"

Silver blinked in surprise at the request. He thought back, but how human was he anymore? He hadn't seen his human self in what felt like ages. With a frown, he took on the general form of a biped with dark skin and fluffy hair.

Luna shook her head. "You've forgotten the small details." She inclined her head. "Does this please you, or upset you, to have embraced ponykind so thoroughly?" With a twinkle of her magic, a mirror appeared to show Silver what he had become.

He scowled at his image. With the mirror's help, other details began to fill in, but it wasn't perfect. It could never be perfect again. He wasn't David anymore. David was dead... Silver looked down and away from the cursed mirror.

"Tell me what you are thinking."

Silver became a unicorn again, running his hooves along the smooth floor of the hallway. "The old me is dead."

Luna nodded. "To sleep is to die." She raised a hoof, showing a pony in bed, covers drawn up to their head. "I believe Winneigh Shakespeare said it. We all suffer a little death, and a new birth. We grow. Are you sorry for what you've grown into?"

Silver considered that and his old life. He sat up, meeting Luna's gaze. "I'm sure whatever I might have been, as a human, would have been... good, fine. I would have found a way, but that isn't me." He put a hoof at his chest. "I came here, and I'm not sorry I did. I found purpose, and love, and friends." He began to smile. "I found new pains and trials, but the bravery to face them too."

Luna inclined her head faintly. "What then will you do, should the destiny you fear come to pass? Will you tremble and hide?"

Silver rose to his hooves. "I'll face it."

"Will you?" Her wings seemed to encompass all of his sight. When they drew away, he was an alicorn, but clearly a day alicorn, like all the princesses he'd seen so far. "This seems far more likely if any such thing were to be in your future. By what means did I bring you to the lunar tribes?"

"Would you believe an exchange of blood?" He brought his feathery wings into view, turning them one way and the other in a slow examination. "Feathers have to be preened don't they?"

Luna smirked at that. "A gift I gave all my lunar ponies. Leather wings are easier to grow and easier to upkeep. Still, a blood exchange? Methinks that would be insufficient. Dreams can be fickle in their logic." She extended one of her own wings. "Servants see to some of my needs, but I am a grown mare. I know how to tend to them."

Silver tried to fold his wings, but folding them like lunar pony wings wasn't right. Luna slid in beside him and nudged them into place with feathery soft touches of her snout until he had them properly folded. He shook his head a little. "Who taught Twilight how to care for hers?"

"Who else?" Luna raised a brow. "Her athletic friend, Rainbow Dash. Now, enough of this. You speak of distant possibilities, but they are unproven. What even makes you think it could occur?"

Silver rolled a hoof limply. "Celestia recently filled me with magic. In my dream, you two did just that before it happened."

Luna raised a brow. "You will not receive my magic then. Problem averted." She smiled smugly. "See, that wasn't difficult."

Silver awoke. Sun was streaming in on him. It was easy to lose track of time while sleeping.

"Hey!" Surprise suddenly landed on him. "You got a present!"

Silver blinked in surprise up at the cheerful green pony. "What? Who from?"

Surprise shrugged. "Found it in front of your room." She hopped down from the bed.

He sat up and looked around. Night was watching him. Trixie and the rest were nowhere in sight. "Morning Night, Surprise. How late is it?"

Night adjusted her glasses as she spoke, "It's much later than you usually stir. I'd place it around ten."

Silver hopped to the ground, shaking himself out along the way. "I was having a--"

Night held up a hoof. "You don't have dreams."

"Not true." Silver wrinkled his nose. "Just because I knew they are dreams doesn't mean I don't have them. I was speaking to Luna. She helped settle a few thoughts I was having."

She raised a brow. "You've already forgiven her?"

Silver moved for Night quickly, only for Surprise to appear around the corner of the bed. "Hey! You gonna check out that package?!" She thrust a hoof at a large basket at the door, festooned with ribbons and with a card dangling clearly in sight, awaiting inspection.

He grunted softly. "I will, promise. Night, we need to talk."

"Do we?" She squinted at him before she let out a hot gust through her nostrils and moved for him instead. "Of course we do. Sorry. I'm feeling especially out of sorts today."

Surprise suddenly looked sympathetic. "Misses Cake went through that a lot when she was, you know?"

Silver reached carefully for Night and soon they were hugging. "I'm here for you, even if that means you want to spend a day biting me until you feel better again."

Night flashed her fangs. "Don't make promises like that, or I might take you up on it." She parted from the hug and moved for the basket. "Well, let's take a look at this before Surprise explodes."

"It's true, I've done that before." Surprise bounced along towards the mystery basket. "Come on! Let's see what's in it."

Author's Note:

Sometimes sleep is just what one needs, but is the person who went to bed the same that rises the next morning?

Oh the typos of our lives!

Comments

[Daremo]

moved for Fast quickly - moved for Night quickly
*****
A curiously calm and satisfyingly informative conversation between those two. But it's not the one that needs to happen. That conversation requires that Night Watch be present, though in her current state of mind that could be difficult at best.

I liked this chapter, there was a substantial amount of plot to appreciate.

[Daremo]

Oh, and another mystery basket. If it's filled with fruit and sweets... well I wonder if Silver ever learned or created a spell to test food for... adulterants.

[David Silver]

7044729 A shameful typo! Fixed.

Foalsteps, eh? They had a nice conversation without issues. They operated as friends without extra drama thrown in, which is a step up.

[Bernkastel988]

There you see him
Sitting there across the way
he don’t got a lot to say
But there’s something about him
And you don’t know why
But you’re dying to try
You wanna kiss the colt

Yes, you want him
Look at him, you know you do
It’s possible he wants you, too
There is one way to ask him
It don’t take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss the colt

[harts fire]

wow this chapter is deep there is so much Silver needs to think about, at lest he want's to talk to his wife Night about it.

[Booster Spice]

Noone expects the Milk Tray Delivery Box.

[tsaukpaetra]

I was hoping he would invite Night in but that wasn't for this session we guess.

Most days I myself need to look on a mirror to know what I look like...
Keep going! ;)

[Vutava]

"Misses Cake went through that a lot when she was, you know?"

Missus

[Cursed Quill]

Misses Cake

Missus

[lainverse]

Did Twilight had blessing of the moon princess when she ascended? Who knows, one might be enough to make it possible or there might not be a way around one.

[Amos Anon]

"It's true, I've done that before." Surprise bounced along towards the mystery basket. "Come on! Let's see what's in it."

But did she do it twice?