Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

290 - I Can Do This

Twilight took slow breaths, moving her hoof away from herself with each exhale. "I have this under control. I am surrounded by ponies that are not here to judge me. They want me to succeed. They will help me. Delegate, delegate, delegate. It is not a failure to not take on everything."

Spike rolled over on his smaller bed. "So why was so much of her teaching you making you do what she didn't do?"

Twilight shot him a sour look. "I had to know what it was like to do these things, not as a detached ruler that doesn't understand how difficult it is. Celestia didn't want somepony that would ever put another pony in danger, unaware of what that's like. I... am thankful for the perspective." She let out her breathe in a loud woosh. "I can do this."

She trotted from the room, headed to start her day as the princess of Equestria.

---

Silver was a deep sleeper. Snuggled into bed to rest for the next night, he was unaware of what was going on around him.

It was thus easy for Spike to casually enter his room. There he was, but he wasn't alone. In the same bed, one of Silver's hooves resting on her side, was Night Watch, his wife, one of at least two Spike knew. He tensed at seeing her, creeping slowly closer.

"I don't remember you," he muttered to himself. "I at least recognized most of the nobles of the castle, but who are you?" His eyes were largely on Silver, peering at the only male alicorn he knew to exist. A mystery of mysteries. "Was Celestia raising you at the same time? Why didn't I see--"

He was suddenly knocked flat on his back, a lunar pony perched atop him. Night hissed at him, baring her sharp teeth. "Princess Twilight's brother? Why are you here?"

"Woah! Uh... nice teeth?" He smiled nervously, displaying his own draconian variety.

"Mmmf." Silver rolled over, but was still quite asleep.

Night glanced, but kept most of her attention on Spike. "You're lucky he could sleep through a detonation." She leaned in, nose to nose with Spike. "Why are you sneaking around our room?"

"Promise you won't be angry?"

Night blinked softly, sitting up. "You're creeping around our room while we sleep. I'm not sure I can make that promise."

"Guess that's fair." He shrugged his shoulders with a little laugh. "I was just... I don't get it. Who is he? He wasn't here when we used to be around the castle all the time."

"You said it yourself." She reached with a wing, snatching glasses to pop on her snout, sharpening her view of things. "Celestia loves to plan. This one involved her sister as well, if that makes you feel better."

"That... kinda makes sense..." He tried to sit up, but her hoof was on his chest, preventing it. "Uh, can I get up now?"

"I have questions for you, now, and you will answer them." A predatory smile spread over her face as she settled in atop him, some of her weight moving to her hooves that slid off of him, but her warm body kept him pressed, more comfortably, but just as certainly. "Let's chat."

---

Fast wasn't asleep, or in a bedroom. She was busy teaching! "Thank you all for coming." Her class had shrunk noticably, but it was after hours, and only those curious enough and driven enough to show up for extra credit were there. "Today we're going to start a new project. My husband started it, and I'm refining it." Her horn glowed as her translucent wings buzzed with excitement.

The blackboard behind her flipped, revealing the magical alphabet, kirin letters at the end. "You all know what this is."

The class became a chorus of positive noises, heads nodding in an almost wave.

"Great, it's very useful, as you also know, but it's incomplete." She pulled another board over, its wheels squeaking with the movement. "For instance." She drew the rune of force (pull) and envelope (force) together. "What does this spell do?"

The noises were far less certain then. "Confused? You should be. It's not enough to tell the universe what you want, so this spell probably does nothing." She began adding words, erasing force and redrawing it in the middle of so many other runes. "There we are, how about now?"

"Oh, a fetch spell!" declared one student, waving their hoof excitedly in the air. "Spring Rain showed me that."

Spring Rain was there, her cheeks warming as she sat up, the kirin's cloven hooves working against one another.

"Correct." Fast pointed to the board. "But we're not here to enjoy Kirin words, as lovely as they are. What if I told you this spell is awful?" Confused and shocked noises rippled. "Not 'bad' as in you're bad to use it, but it could be so much better." She grabbed an eraser in her magic. "By doing less. Every magic word is energy. Every magic word continues to be fed while you do the spell. The more words, the more complicated your message, and the more it will drain you."

"What we want is a small spell, but one that still gets across perfectly what we want. For instance." She tapped her eraser against two words. "What do these two mean? Motion, through the air. Isn't that a bit redundant?" She brought down her eraser and what was left wasn't quite an erased rune, but the first with a little hanging off of it. "Motion, with a hint of flight. It's shorthand. Best part, the universe understands it. And that is our challenge."

The crowd was starting to look doubtful. One mare raised a hoof. "Miss Change, how are we supposed to figure that out? If we just try random... things, creatures could get hurt."

"An excellent question!" She sprang forward towards her seated students. "One, this is why the entire class isn't involved. Two, the first step will be figuring out what we already know." She looked to the side as her magic grabbed sheets of paper and began to dump them on her students' desks. "Behold, the list I've managed so far of contractions. Each one shows what runes they came from, and what they shortened to. Your task is to review this. Some of it will even look familiar! Written spells use these a lot, but the ponies of the past didn't express why they were done. They didn't know either, and we're done with that." She waved it away. "It's time to trot with purpose."

A stallion leaned forward enough he was close to falling over forward. "We're gonna find new... contractions?"

"That's the idea." Fast bounced in place, her giddy energy growing. "It will take time and effort, but that's why I'm not doing it alone. Are you ready to not only learn magic, but push it forward? The entire world will thank you."

Excited noises began, but also some less certain. Some students rose and departed with nervous looks, but the others were too busily gabbing about the possibilities to even notice them. Fast did, watching them go and making notes. Still, she had enough for what she had in mind. "Alright! You are now my official lab assistants. That is worth extra credit, if you didn't figure that out already."

A cheer erupted as hooves raised into the air.

Spring Rain raised a hoof. "Ma'am. You called me out specifically. Why?"

"Because I have next to no kirin spell books to work with," admitted Fast without delay. "And if a pile suddenly landed on my head, I'd be at square one understanding them. You, on the other hoof, likely have seen kirin spells already. You can help us understand and find those contractions. Will you help us?"

Spring Rain ran her hooves across one another, rocking in place a little. "Will you use this for good?"

"That was honestly a heavier question than I expected." Fast inclined her head to the left. "But I hope so! We are unearthing tools, and we will encourage ponies, and all other creatures, to use them for good things." She turned her hoof towards herself. "As I said yesterday, no global domination schemes allowed. Princess Twilight has enough on her plate, yeah?"

Soft murmurs of agreement rippled, and Spring Rain remained with them. Her launch was a success.

---

"It's... you." Starswirl frowned at Silver, the two standing in a hallway of the castle. "I thought you were a delusion brought about by my extended stay in the void."

Silver inclined his head left then right. "Starswirl? Where are your bells?"

The elder wizard frowned at that. "I am 'getting with the times' as they say. Am I less of a spellcaster for a wardrobe change?" His eyes fell from Silver's face to his wings. "And here you stand... You weren't part of the plan at all."

"Plan?" His wings fidgeted softly. "Sorry?"

"I want to know more." Starswirl pointed at him directly. "Where are you from, and what road did you travel that ended here?"

"It hasn't ended, I hope." Silver began to trot past Starswirl. "Walk with me? We can get a bite to eat, talk?"

"My appetite is minimal." He did follow Silver, walking at his side. "The male form is far less suited to handling the forces of all three tribes. Have you experienced any confusion, pain, or difficulty using whatever magic you started with?"

"All three, at different times." Silver softly shrugged mid trot. "But not directly because I went alicorn, I don't think. I can do all three. I can feel the air, the power of the earth, and magic, uh, force? Up here." He pointed up at his horn, a louder clop when that hoof struck the ground, resuming the stride.

Starswirl suddenly came in quite close, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially. "Are you attracted to other stallions?"

Silver's ears danced atop his head. "75% hetero, but did you literally call me gay for being a guy alicorn?" His tone was more of amusement than being appalled. "Also, you haven't done your homework."

"I have no home in need of work," countered Starswirl. "Speaking of that, isn't it the wrong time of day for you to be awake? You assumed Luna's position, did you not?"

"It's evening." Silver casually pointed to a window as they went past. Even through the painted colors, it was clearly darker on the other side, only the reflected light reaching them. "I was going to ask if you were having trouble sleeping."

Starswirl blinked, realizing he had lost track of the time. "Nevermind that then. What work are you implying I didn't do? Is this another new saying?"

"Sort of." Silver willed a door open leading into one of many sitting rooms Celestia had favored. The table had a light repast of snacks on it, steam lifting from its teapot, ready for any that came in. "Have a seat," he bade as he stepped inside. "I meant that I am married, to mares."

"Mares? More than one?" He hiked a brow. "That had been going out of favor even before... my trip. The 'modern stallion' was happy with one mare." He sank down beside the table and poured himself a cup of tea, floating in his magic. "Sometimes less than that."

"Long story," summarized Silver, even he not aware of just how many words were in that tale. "But I am, and have two children. I love them and the mares I half belong to thoroughly. So--"

"--Not that then," he finished, nibbling a floating cookie. "Stand still." Not that Silver had been standing in the first place. Starswirl swept a magic beam up and down Silver's form, then left and right. "It's not right. Not... quite right. There's something off, and I can't quite put a hoof on it."

"Have I done a poor job?" Silver willed a cookie over of his own. "Even if I am unusual, is that so bad? I'll try my best to be a good prince for everyone."

Author's Note:

What did Night interrogate Spike about? What does Starswirl see and what does he plan to do about it?

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Comments

[Dravkwn]

How curious that ending bit is...

[Booster Spice]

Nights only got one dragon assistant of a royal princess to work with, she is going interrogating Extremely thoroughly?

Spikes best hope now is that he doesnt get drafted into the Princess Guard program?

If only a small part of a rune extention remains gives a hint of direction of energy flows, then does that alteration give different effects in different locations on the same rune, and effects in the same locations on other runes, such that runes can be broken down into a collection of standard subsections, that could carry enough intent that when carved into materials, could then be assembled together and pressed onto a page with a simple interfacing header rune and a generic magic source stimulating that header to make the printed runes viable? Even go towards laying down the underlying framework of what runes are?

[Well Geboren]

{...} What does Starlight see and what does he plan to do about it?

Really? not one error thru this whole chapter, and yet in your notes you call Star"swirl" Starlight.

[David Silver]

10269895
I have to keep you all on your toes.

[David Silver]

10269734
The trick there is that the runes reflect actual flexes of magical muscles. The runes, themselves, have no power.

[Booster Spice]

10270004

You cant define any active part of an entity in runic form, that interact with ambient magic for self activation, just like microwave strip line resonant circuits?

[GrumpyKitten]

10274019
Thank you kindly for showing me the path.