Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

155 - Sister to Sister

"Sister?" Luna glanced aside at Celestia. "You are usually better at guarding your feelings. What troubles you?" They were perched, bringing the moon to rest as the sun was just coming above the horizon. It was a daily chore, but an energizing one as it brought them closer to the powerful bodies that rooted them to the world.

Celestia smiled thinly. "Sister... It is something I cannot speak of."

Luna frowned faintly. "I may be younger, but we are peers. Whatever you are facing, I will face it at your side."

She raised a brow before shaking her head as her eyes closed. "If I tell you, then your hooves will be as tied as my own. As you are, you are free to make your own decisions."

"Another vision?" Luna snorted softly. "Sister, you are controlled by these, and control others at their behest. Does it not trouble you?"

"I do what I must." Celestia sat up tall. "I have protected Equestria for many years, and I hope to do so for a while yet longer. Do you disagree with the country I have made? Of the peace I have ensured and guarded?"

Luna shook her head quickly. "Sister, no, you know that is not the case. Equestria has blossomed under your rule, envy of most of the world. That doesn't mean your ways are flawless. I worry for you, sister. I am at your side, as an ally... As a sister..." She smiled gently. "Can you not have some faith in me?"

"I do." Celestia smiled in kind before she turned away from the heavenly bodies. "It is my hope in you that gives me hope that things may work out in the end. It is that hope that keeps my mouth closed. My hooves may be tied, but yours are not."

"How can I act without knowing what I respond to?" Luna turned to stalk after Celestia. "You have done nothing but imply something, somewhere, is occurring, but this is true every day and every night. One cannot act on that alone."

Celestia sat at a low table and pulled over a tin of tea with her magic, going about the process of making herself a pot instead of letting another handle it. "It is all I can offer. You know how it is by now. What is seen cannot be changed by those who see it. Their actions only encourage it forward to where it must be." She licked her lips as she set the pot to steeping. "I have seen what the future may hold in store. If I thrash against it, I become its tool. If I work towards it, well, then I am still its tool, just a willing one." She smiled gently. "Often, it reveals hints of how to reach the future I desire, and I become its tool, reaching for it."

Luna gave a slow nod. "I trust that is not the case this time."

"Those affected... I fear they will not be happy. From some angles, it is a good thing, neigh, something to be celebrated..."

"Is this why you trusted Silver in a course of action that sets us on a course of potential doom?" Luna raised a brow at Celestia, but no response was given save to pour out the tea created at Celestia's magic into two cups, and one of them was offered to Luna. She sighed as she accepted it, balancing it on the end of a hoof. "You were not following his vision..."

Still Celestia was silent, but in silence, there was meaning.

Luna scowled in furious thought. "You are not alone, dear sister. Please never forget that." She sipped from the offered teacup gently. "Even if you feel it. I have experienced that sensation, but it is a lie. We are sisters. In your darkest hour, don't forget I am here."

A smile broke through the overcast of Celestia's expression for just a brilliant moment. "I am glad to have you, Lulu."

No more words were shared between them, but the tension between them become an acceptance. Luna rose to her hooves when their repast was complete and strode to her room, nominally to sleep, but she had other things on her mind that weighed more heavily than the need for rest.

---

Silver looked out of his office window and tilted his head. The well-dressed ponies of Canterlot had clearly been swept up in some new fashion. Purples and blues dominated the view as well as faux wings. It was as if the entire populace was working to imitate the royalty. "Huh..."

"What's wrong?" Night was near the door, seated with the foals. "You look like you just saw something odd."

Silver pointed out of the window. "Practically half the ponies seem to be wearing the same outfit. It's just kind of funny how many are trying to look like alicorns."

Night raised a brow, but didn't have much to say on it besides keeping the foals from hurting themselves in their endless quest to explore the world around themselves. A knock brought her head up sharply and she reached a wing for it. "Come in."

A human entered, a familiar one. The one Silver had seen at the summit. He nodded to Night, but his attention quickly moved to Silver. "They say you're in charge of all Equestria-Human relations."

Silver smiled. "I was hoping you'd come." He leaned forward, forehooves on his desk. "Please, come in. How are you?"

"I'm as fine as I can be..." The man came closer slowly. "First, a question. You said you visited America, but you speak Portuguese very well."

Silver blinked softly. "I'm from America, and speak English, I thought?" He frowned a little. "Though your words make me think none of us are speaking anything other than native Equestrian." How odd that it didn't seem to work as well for every person that came.

"From America?" The man started with surprise at the notion. "They have ponies?"

Silver waved his hooves. "No no! I'm... Look. I used to be human."

"Oh..." The man became downcast, looking at the floor. "I was hoping you knew some way home..."

Silver shook his head slowly. "Afraid not. If I did, I'd share it, promise. It's not an awful place to be though, right?" He smiled a little.

"Easy for you to say." The man frowned a little. "You became a horse. You became one of them. You're not trying to be a human anymore in this not-human world."

Silver's ears fell. "That's true, I did, but not for any dislike of humanity. There's a lot to be said for it, and I want to help my fellow men, and women. So, tell me about yourself?"

He settled in the seat provided with a soft sigh. "So, what's it like?"

"What's what like?"

He pointed at Silver. "You should know, being a horse. Being an animal. Having a tail and big ears and--"

Night frowned faintly. "We are not animals." As if in response, Clear stuck out her tongue at the human.

Silver disagreed. "We're all animals, humans, ponies, griffons, all of them. It's about accepting and becoming more than that part of ourselves." He rubbed at his snout. "It's odd in a lot of ways. I've learned to enjoy the extra parts. I like having ears that can express better than I ever could with my face. I like my tail for much the same reason. It's like my soul is closer to the surface. The fur comforts and protects me, and feels great when--" His words trailed off as the human reached over the desk and gave him a scratch on the top of his head, running through his mane. It was a gross violation of personal space, but it felt kind of good, and the human seemed to be relaxing a little, so Silver allowed it with a gentle smile.

"Sorry," he muttered as he drew his hand back. "I've wanted to pet one of these horses since I got here, but I always figured it was rude."

Silver nodded softly. "It is, unless you know the pony involved. Fortunately for you, we're introduced, mostly. What's your name?"

"Gabriel." He rose and offered a hand across the desk.

Silver rose and offered a hoof, which seemed to confuse Gabriel. "It's alright. You can either ball your hand into a fist and bump it, or take the hoof lightly and shake it. Either is an acceptable 'shake'. The bump is less formal and acceptable with ponies you don't know."

He tried it, forming a fist and bumping it against Silver's offered hoof. "Is there really no way to go back the way we came?"

Silver lifted his shoulders. "There may be, but I haven't found it. If you do, well, share it before you go. Other humans would appreciate the opportunity. Until then--" Silver spread his forehooves "--welcome to Equestria! Do you have a place to stay? A job?"

"Yes... I do busy work at a fancy place in town. They seem to appreciate my height and..." He wriggled his fingers in answer, which was well enough for Silver.

"And you have a place to stay then?"

"I stay upstairs from where I work." He shrugged. "It's not a bad place, not really... It's just not home. I have family, and they must be so worried for me."

It wasn't a new story for Silver, and he felt some sympathy, but he couldn't send Gabriel home. "Well it's part of my job to make your stay here comfortable, for you and the ponies around you. It's great that you got a job and a home already, that's more than a lot of people manage."

"Look, sorry." Gabriel folded his hands. "For being angry at you before. If you don't know, fine. I shouldn't be so rude."

"That's alright." Silver felt happiness, not anger. "I'm glad we got a chance to meet properly. You can always come back here for help, for even small things. Is a pony giving you odd signals you don't understand, ask me about it." He gestured to Night and his foals. "By the way, you know me, but that's Night Watch, my wife, and those two little scamps are my foals, Clear Twilight and Morning Glory."

He smiled and gave a little wave. "You really have taken to the whole horse life..."

Author's Note:

Stuff! Things! Exposition! Conversations! Typos!

Comments

[No one is home]

Expositions and conversations of the awkward variety.And soehow it's still not NOT show-cannon until the changelings come back.

[Morphy]

I'm a little surprised Gabriel wasn't corrected by now that horse is not a welcome term in Equestrian society when everypony would want you to call them a pony instead. I don't want to say it's derogatory, but the connotations it carries are not the most flattering either-- from what I've seen in the show and other "official" resources.

[Booster Spice]

Human needs job in ponyland.

Massage Parlour.

YEAH.

[harts fire]

. "If I tell you, then your hooves will be as tied as my own. As you are, you are free to make your own decisions."

"Another vision?" Luna sorted softly. "

for some reason this one is scaring me.

[No one is home]

'Brazilian" means Portuguese, I killed that typo single handed. Brazilian is no more a language than "Mexican"

[David Silver]

7174447 Fixed!

[No one is home]

7174506 I have to credit Candy's kids. If they didn't troll me so much I would miss such language based things.

[Daremo]

Luna sorted softly - Luna snorted softly

Those effected - Those affected

wriggles his fingers - wriggled his fingers

which it was well enough - which it was well enough

*****

Some excellent character time between the two sisters. Celestia has her poker face on and fully leveled up so there is nothing to hang any speculation upon. Instead we can just enjoy the moment of warmth between Celestia and Luna.

I choose to believe that Celestia is a good and kindhearted pony that practically breaks her back to make sure that Equestria is a good home for her little ponies, so when Luna inadvertently poked a sore spot I believe her reaction was an honest one. She has seen something truly troubling. I hope that once it has passed that she confides in Luna what happened.

However, I can also hope that, in another universe, one sister comments that Nefertari has petitioned to join Night and Silver's herd to get the other to spit-take.

[David Silver]

7174641 Typos fixed. No thoughts on the second, larger, half of the chapter?

[Daremo]

7174661

seemed to confused Gabriel - seemed to confuse Gabriel

*****

The meeting with Gabriel was nice. Gabriel received more information than he gave in return, and Clear doesn't like him, which could be reason for reasonable caution until Silver learns more about him. Can't think of anything else to say about it right now. Funny how it's the humans that I'm feeling most wary of.

Overall, there's a lot of interesting things happening in this chapter, but vexingly little information to use for inferring what remains to be revealed, both from Gabriel and Princess Celestia.

[Daremo]

7174661 Oh, and regarding the odd pony fashion fad, the only thing I can attribute that to would be Cadance's pregnancy, but I'm not sure where we are in the timeline since the episodes seem to be happening out of broadcast order in the Silververse.

[David Silver]

7175027 Silly pony. A fashion pony is clearly at work here.

[terrycloth]

7175027 It's the Princess Dress.

[David Silver]

7174923 Clear showed offense at not being called a not-person. I'm not sure that's a clear sign of general dislike or not.

[Hawkx1]

7174153 Unless it's an expression (S1E14's lesson)

[tsaukpaetra]

Wait a minute, Celestia hasn't told Luna about the Starlight prophecy yet??? Or is there something new on the horizon? We thought Luna knew, but if not...
Keep going! ;)

[Cursed Quill]

I feel that now, again, you cut off the Princess/princess segments short with tell-not-show. It feels like bad writing.

Not warning Gabriel about surprise return Earth-visits? A shameful ambassador.

[Shachza]

"I can't tell you about my prophetic visions, Luna, because they involve you, and I can't risk swaying you in any direction."

Was that so hard, Celestia?

[Well Geboren]

7174132
A typo sneaked into your comment near three years ago, my condolences for it not being caught in time.