Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

143 - Too Many!

Bravely venturing forth, Silver nudged the door open with his magic and the music from within raised in volume sharply like a demon let loose on the world. Within, bright lights swirled and danced in sync to the festive tunes. Surprise was in there, and she was far from alone. Applejack was at the counter, looking a bit baffled.

On the same counter was Surprise who had a hoof around the withers of Pinkie, who had a hoof thrown around Surprise's wither in turn. They were dancing in step, side-by-side while standing on two legs. Also in the room were other ponies cheering and shouting at the two. Silver could recognize several of them as Surprise's friend. Colg--No, Minuette, she was there. Sugar was thick in the air, and there were plenty of snacks scattered about for anypony to enjoy in the party.

Surprise was kicking her legs up high with each step until she was twirled by Pinkie and squealed with delight before she came to a smooth halt. "Wow! Who knew I'd make such a good dance partner."

"I know!" Pinkie grinned at Surprise. "But you're not me, silly. You're almost-me."

"And you're almost-me." Surprise pointed at Pinkie. "And those are two of my best friends." She thrust a hoof at Silver and Night as they entered.

Pinkie leaned off to the side. "Oh! I know those two! Hiya!" She waved energetically.

Applejack turned her head towards the point. "Aw shoot, howdy pardners. We never got much chance t'say thanks kindly fer yer help up north." She pointed over her shoulder. "Well shave me bald and call me a diamond dog, are those yer foals?!"

Night colored faintly as eyes fell on her, but this wasn't the first time she was out in public with the foals, and other ponies began to speak up in the affirmative.

Silver looked around the festive room curiously. "So, uh, met your other self, I gather?"

"Yep!" both chorused without delay. They turned to each other. "Jinx!" They burst into giggles at their shared timing.

Surprise hopped down from the counter to all fours and trotted towards Night and Silver. "I don't even know why I was so worried about it. I mean, sure, Pinkie thought I was an escaped clone at first, but once we were past that--"

Pinkie threw a leg over Surprise's withers as she came up beside her. "We're not clones, we're more like sisters. It's great to have another sister!" She blinked with a sudden new thought. "Hey, you haven't seen the sisters, or ma and pa in forever! We've gotta fix that!"

Surprise flinched back with sudden worry. "But I'm not you. They're not my family. They're you--"

Pinkie put a hoof over Surprise's mouth. "Stop overthinking it, silly billy. If we're sisters..." She brought the hoof back and pointed between herself and Surprise. "Then yes, you are part of the family. See? Simple logic."

Night tilted her head a little. "I can't argue that logic, if you accept the first part."

Applejack shook her own head. "Yer overwhelming the both of 'em. Go on and git back t' dancin'."

"Aye aye!" proclaimed Pinkie, who grabbed her new sister and whisked her away.

Applejack approached with a smile. "So, what brings ya both here? Trying to get somethin' tasty?"

Silver shook off his confusion. "Oh yeah! Trixie just foaled. It's--"

Suddenly there was Surprise to the left, and Pinkie to the right. Party cannons slid out from underneath either and they rang in jolly unison, spraying the area in confetti.

Silver rolled his ears back at the loud noise, flinching at the pincer attack.

Applejack simply nodded at it. "Ah reckon yer message was received, nice and clear-like."

Pinkie pointed at Surprise. "This is already your party here. Let me go celebrate with Trixie."

Surprise pouted. "But I've been waiting to celebrate this!"

It was the first conflict between them, as small as it was. Pinkie conceded too quickly to call it an argument. "Alright, I'll watch your store, go on." She made a shooing motion with her forehooves. "And don't forget the birthday cake!"

"Roger!" Surprise was gone in a streak of cheerfulness.

Applejack tipped her hat forward. "Y'all going back t' Trixie? Say, how'd ya get involved with that showboatin' mare?"

Silver felt a flush of anger, but shoved it aside quickly. Trixie could be a showboater... "She's my mother."

Applejack's ears went down. "Aw shoot, there goes m'hoof right into m'mouth. Ah didn't mean nothin' by it."

Night shook her head. "I doubt he plans to be much angrier for longer than the time it took him to say it." She looked left and right. "Where'd the foals go?"

Silver raised his head with a start, noticing both foals had given them the slip. An excited coo brought their attention to where Clear and Morning were attacking a plate of cookies left on the counter.

Applejack was on the case, snatching up Clear in her hooves even as Silver grabbed up Morning in his magic. "Little ones, they'll run ya ragged if ya give 'em a chance. Now who have I got here?"

Night pointed at Clear. "This is Clear Twilight, and this is Morning Glory. You're Applejack, correct?" Applejack nodded. "Hard to forget an Element of Harmony, friend of Princess Twilight, etc. etc." She offered a hoof. "I do think we've met before, if briefly. I'm Night Watch."

"Well howdy do, Missus Watch." Applejack tossed Clear right up onto her own back before she met that hoof with one of her own. "Yer no stranger t' the limelight, the way ah hear. Champion of the umbrum, husband of Silver Lining, who is savior of the changelings."

Silver pointed at himself. "I go by Silver Watch these days."

Applejack paused, then a bright smile spread on her face. "Aw, that's just too adorable. So that..." She reached out and tapped Silver's titular silver watch that peeked free of his vest. "must be yer silver watch, fittin'."

He leaned to the left a little, looking past Applejack to her flank. "You have yours on proud display. My cutie mark doesn't really 'say' Silver Watch."

Applejack glanced back at the trio of apples. "Huh, guess ya have a point there, but it don't always work that way anywho. Ah mean, look at Pinkie." She pointed at the bundle of joy that navigated the room. "Her cutie mark ain't got nothing t'do with her name, and there ain't a dang thing wrong with that."

Night nodded in agreement. "A cutie mark is a sign of our desires, destiny, and self, while our names..." She shrugged softly. "It's nice when it ends up matching, but it doesn't always work out that way. Just often. What does Trixie have to do with magic?"

Silver lifted an ear. "She's 'tricky'. She does tricks. Magic tricks?"

Night blinked. "How did I miss that? But she doesn't do tricks. An earth pony might do tricks, because they don't have magic. Trixie does real things, with her magic."

Silver squinted before it hit him. "Oh! So you only call, what, legerdemain tricks?"

Applejack tilted her head a little. "Ah heard magic called tricks before."

Night pointed at Applejack. "You're an earth pony."

Applejack raised a brow. "Are ya implyin' somethin'?"

Night nodded. "I am, that to an earth pony from an earth pony traditional town would see all magic as 'tricks', whereas a place like Canterlot sees magic as everyday and getting something done without magic as a trick."

An idea bubbled in Silver's mind and he looked around before spying a pencil tucked behind a pony's ear. "May I borrow that a moment?"

The pony blinked at him. "Oh, sure. Just be careful with it. I didn't bring spares."

"I promise it'll be fine." He lifted the pencil and brought it between his two conversational partners. "Behold, a perfectly ordinary pencil."

Applejack raised a brow at the floating pencil. "Are ya goin' somewhere with this?"

Silver contracted his grip so that he was holding it at the center of the pencil and began to shake it up and down gently, creating the illusion of the pencil bending and flexing in ways wood was not meant to go. "Behold as I turn wood into rubber, and back again!" He held the pencil still and it went back to appearing solid. "Ta da!"

Both Night and Applejack peered at the minor illusion. He could see Night was already working out how the trick functioned, but Applejack tilted her head. "Was that there a magic trick or a not-so-magic trick? Ah reckon it could be either, what with ya being a unicorn n' all."

With a bit of a grin, Silver floated the pencil back to its ear holster. "I swear no magic was used besides lifting the pencil, promise." What was a silly little trick to humans, would be just a tiny bit more mysterious to a race without fingers to fiddle with things.

Night reached over and nudged Silver. "We should get going. Missing Trixie's party would be rude."

Silver grabbed Clear off of Applejack's back, which was apparently not what the filly wanted. She reached for Applejack as she floated away, sniffling and looking sad. Silver hesitated. "It seems you've already had an impact on her without any words."

Applejack sat on her haunches and reached out for the foal. "Aw, just like m'brother." She squeezed the foal gently. "Now ya be good fer yer folks, ya hear?" Clear nodded and there were no sniffles when Applejack surrendered the earth filly to Silver's care.

Trotting side-by-side, they left Just Desserts and returned to the castle, to find the infirmary was festooned in confetti. Surprise had long since beaten them back. Trixie seemed pleased, being the star of the party alongside her little foal. Even the doctor was chewing on some, much fresher, cake. The original cake had been abandoned, sadly wilting on the counter where it had been left.

Samantha was nibbling at the edges of a cookie. "Are you certain you're not a unicorn?"

Surprise tilted her head. "What? No silly! I don't have a horn." She pointed up at her wildly maned head. "See?"

Samantha tilted her head then reached out, patting at Surprise's mane softly. "You could be hiding it under all that hair. Your cooking tastes magical to me."

Surprise burst into giggles. "And here I thought you couldn't make jokes." She hugged Samantha tightly. "Thanks. Eat up, there's more where that one came from!"

Trixie beamed when she saw Night and Silver enter. "Ah, there are my first foals. You'll be pleased to know Sapphire made her first flap. Just you wait, she'll be a star flyer in no time at all."

Night flashed a bright smile. "It takes more than a flap, but it's a good sign."

They joined in the celebration, and the day would be remembered as a mighty fine one.

Author's Note:

Surprise!

Pinkie approves. I asked her to look for typos, but she got distracted.

Comments

[No one is home]

[Booster Spice]

Just as long as Pinkie typos cake to coke and brings soda, everythings ok with the world.

Until someone confuses the cheetos for mentos and you end with the CMC making bottle rockets.

[Daremo]

there was plenty - there were plenty
turned at each - turned to each
angrier than than - angrier than than
lime light - limelight
where as - whereas
ordinary pen - ordinary pencil(?)
not-so magic - not-so-magic
to humans would - to humans, would

*****

...and the universe didn't stop simultaneously and explode at the speed of light. Cool!

The original cake had been abandoned, sadly wilting on the counter where it had been left.

Aww... now I feel bad for the cake.

[David Silver]

7130769 Plenty of typos for the typo pony to devour it seems. What think ye of the chapter? You were so busy feasting on the grammatical smorgasboard to give much thought on it.

[Daremo]

7130976
I thought it was a fine chapter. The interactions between Surprise and Pinkie seemed natural enough. It's clear that they are, at the fundamental level, the same pony, but Surprise has experienced a darkness that Pinkie has been spared, which affects her in a significant but not debilitating way.

The foals seem not to be frightened by loud noises as long as there are no negative emotions flying around with them, very fortunate for Silver and Night Watch.

The down to earth conversation with Applejack and the Watches was fun, and the overall feeling was very happy and sweet.

Calm before the next storm?

And finally, I've used that magic trick myself, and I've had grown adults accuse me of lying when I tried to explain what was really happening.

[Typist Gray]

7130483 Just the whole of the conflict resolution. This big bad enemy set up in the comics and built up over several chapters just seemed to resolve itself with minimal conflict.

[David Silver]

7131002 I'm told I handle Applejack's speech patterns fairly well, but I'd love a secondary opinion. I have basically no experience with that accent outside of Applejack. I do like her though. She's a good pony with a good heart.

One fragment of Silververse canon was shot in the face today. Did you spot it?

[Daremo]

7131080
Hmmm... is it that Night Watch knew Applejack is an Element of Harmony? I can't recall if that's common knowledge in the Silververse. It could be renaming Colgate to Minuette as well. I re-read the entire chapter a third time, and if it's not either of those, then you stumped me.

There's so much Silververse 'canon' now that it's practicably impossible to keep it all in mind.

[David Silver]

7131101 There may be, but only so much was shown in today's episode. A pony referred to their magic's glowyness.

[Daremo]

7131136
Oooohhh... I haven't seen today's episode. I thought you meant your story.

[Daremo]

7131136
Anyway, I seem to recall that it's Silververse cannon that a sufficient use of magic is visible to the naked eye. Apparently Rarity's magic on a previous visit crossed the threshold, she was probably carrying a huge basket or a bunch of smaller ones at the same time, to being visible in an inky dark cave, filled with light sensitive bats.

[David Silver]

7131204 You carry truth. Silver Verse canon lives on!

[Daremo]

7131292 ad hoc, post hoc reasoning is the best kind!

[David Silver]

7131303 I did like the episode though, even if it contained Twilight forgetting she's Twilight for sake of plot.

[Istaran]

Ack. Too sweet!

Right in the diabetes!

[tsaukpaetra]

Non-magical magic is best magic!
Well, at least surprise trusts herself, that's good!
Keep going! ;)

[Mortefleur]

Night flashed a bright smile. "It takes more than a flap, but it's a good sign."

Explains the Wonderbolts

[Vutava]

"Well howdy do, Misses Watch."

Missus

[Cobalt Comet]

Your cooking tastes magic to me."

tastes magical.

[David Silver]

7288834 Fixed!

[Amos Anon]

"Yep!" both chorused without delay. They turned to each other. "Jinx!" They burst into giggles at their shared timing.

This... This is a nightmare.