Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

40 - Before the Queen

Silver nodded to the guards standing outside the sitting room. Celestia had concluded court, but the word had come swiftly that she would see him.

With Night at his side, he trotted into the room. "I've been here so many times, but I've lost track of how many were in my head, or for real, and how much difference that makes."

Night raised a brow, but paused to dip her head. "Your Majesty."

Celestia waved gently. "Rise. Silver Lining, you're looking bright and cheerful today. It warms my heart. To think we almost lost you to such tragedy..."

Silver flipped his ears back, remembering that had been so short a time ago, not the years it had felt. "It was a stupid... stupid mistake of mine. I want to live, for sure. In fact, I want to get right back to work." He took a step forward, smiling at Celestia. "If I can help humans who are lost, I want to, or any ponies I can help too."

Celestia floated over a cookie, held in her golden aura. It hovered right before Silver's snout and he looked cross-eyed at it. "What?"

"You're a good pony. Good ponies get cookies." She had a playful look on her face.

Silver let out a noise between a giggle and a chortle before he snapped it out of the air and chomped it down. "Gladly accepted. I..." How could he even bring up the nightmares he'd endured. Should he? "I'm not sure how much of what Luna showed me were my own dark thoughts, or if I saw snatches of the truth in it."

Night twitched an ear up. "She said it wasn't true."

"Not now, obviously..." Silver shook his head. "It's hard to explain." He looked back at Celestia. "I'm sorry, I must sound a little nuts."

Celestia shook her head. "You have received a dubious honor. To have your mind laid out bare for you to explore and find the truth within yourself is not something done lightly, and reserved for the most troubling of circumstances." She raised a hoof. "Luna obviously cares for you. Please, sit."

Silver hopped up onto a pillow quickly, with Night moving a little more reservedly. She looked to Silver. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Silver bobbed his head. "I really do, I think. It's a lot to take in, but..."

Celestia set a saucer with a cup of tea before each of her guests. "You have the look of a pony ready to face his life. Tell me, do you know what life you plan to pursue?"

Silver licked his lips, thinking. "I want to help lost humans, or lost ponies. May I take my Ambassadorial title back?"

Celestia rolled a hoof. "It will not be a ceremonial badge you're asking for. I will not name you ambassador of the human world. It's an empty title at best, no. Instead, I would name you our ambassador to humanity. You would serve the crown." She placed a hoof at her chest. "Does that please you?"

Silver felt the urge to just say yes, but curbed it. He looked instead to Night Watch. "My beloved wife, what do you think? My life is your life, as I rudely forgot."

Night sat up, ears upright and twitching. "Would this make you happy?"

"It will be a challenge, I'm certain of it." Silver nodded swiftly. "But I'm ready to start earning my favors."

Night gave a gentle smile and leaned over, nuzzling her unicorn mate. "Then I'll stand at your side." She looked to Celestia. "May I make a request?"

"That's one."

Night went stiff a moment as the joke washed over her. "Let's go for two... May I be his guard? Officially, that is."

Celestia clopped her forehooves together. "A wife serving as guard to her husband? Now that's a romantic idea I'm sure Cadance would be tickled at. Please, I think it would make you both happier." She turned to look at Silver more directly. "I trust this meets your approval? As your guard, she has the right to be present at all times, even when others would be asked away."

Silver nodded quickly. "But I'll put you off duty when you're too large." Before Night's expression could become too sour, he leaned in. "I'll be taking it with you. We'll greet our daughter to the world together."

Night jerked back. "How can you know it'll be a filly?"

Silver bit his lips a moment. "I guess I don't, sorry, forget that."

Celestia raised a brow lightly. "Don't be quick to dismiss the dreams of your mate. He may know something. Regardless, rise, Ambassador Lining."

Silver scrambled to his hooves, still towered over even while standing.

She reached across the table and tapped her horn against either of his shoulders. "Welcome back to the court. May your duties find you well." She settled back where she had begun and nodded. "Will you resume your studies when you're able?"

Silver raised a hoof suddenly. "Oh god! You reminded me. I have to check something." He practically ripped out his spell journal, the original, not burned on some... No. He shook his head quickly, banishing that thought and getting to scribbling with a quill. He spun it around at Celestia. "Please, is this valid?"

Celestia tilted her head slowly. "It's backwards."

Silver blinked, turning it back to look at. It looked fine to him, but... "Backwards as in the letters are in the wrong order, or like someone held it in a mirror?"

"The latter."

Silver winced. He had the alphabet down backwards?! Still... it was better than not knowing it at all?

"How did you come to learn the unicorn alphabet in such a curious way?"

Silver tapped at the book. "I learned it in the dreams."

Night nudged Silver, almost knocking him over. "Silly boy. You can't read in dreams. You're lucky it's just backwards."

Silver recovered himself and folded the book shut. "It's still a major step forward from where I started. I'll untwist it with practice. Knowing them on my horn is the more important part." He rose and quickly moved to a clear area of the room before he conjured up his flaming shield with motions that felt familiar to him along his horn.

Celestia's eyes widened a moment. "Where did that spell come from?"

Silver would have answered, but found young unicorns had far less power in the waking world. The spell taxed him to exhaustion almost immediately, and he crumpled in place, the flame fading away impotently. He could dimly hear alarm in their voices, then felt someone picking him up, but he couldn't focus, or hear anything in specific. Sleep seemed more important, and he faded away.

Author's Note:

Silly Silver Lining, just because you could go all Super Saijin in your dreams doesn't mean you can do it while awake. And look at that, his magic writing? All typos. It was meant to be.

Comments

[Gargon94]

Wow, that was cute. Poor Silver Lining, you can't do that as a unicorn.

[harts fire]

this is a interesting start now silver needs to learn his reserve of magic he has in side his self.

[Daremo]

so short ago - so short a time ago
snapped out out - snapped it out
Silver recover - Silver recovered

Silver felt the urge to just say yes, but curbed it. He looked instead to Night Watch. "My beloved wife, what do you think? My life is your life, as I rudely forgot."

Good evidence that at least some of the wisdom gained in the dreaming has carried over to the waking world.

I'll untwist it with practice.

I should think he had better get on this with all due haste, even if he never faces a single threat as serious as those he did in his worst nightmares.

I'm really liking this turn of events, I was half expecting to feel cheated, but that is not the case in the least.

Opposite of feeling like Silver has lost something with this recursion back to the original-original narrative, this portion of the story has a brighter and more hopeful vibe to it, even more-so when it seemed like he was putting things back into order at the end conclusion of Silver Stars.

[Snow]

Jumping around with updates in previously completed fics, or those with sequels already out, makes keeping track of the story somewhat difficult.

[David Silver]

6796700 Then don't jump. It's not meant to be jumped. You're cheating!

[David Silver]

6796692 Typo fixed, and I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'm enjoying writing it. After all this, it's actually really nice to come back down from orbit and return to the slice of life roots that this started in.

Looking back on it, it all makes sense. Silver did sort himself out. He was cured, and he woke up, ready to live. He encountered many broken parts of himself along this journey. His lust, his fears, his insecurities, his powerlust, his...

It was a big list.

[Amethyst Blade]

ARGH! Get me away from all the typos!

[David Silver]

6796692 PS: I am You.

Consider that statement. There have been a lot of hints.

[tsaukpaetra]

Interesting, reminds me of a story involving the fourth-directional-movement dimension. Apparently you're normally faced Ana, but if you flip Kata (probably butchering the made up names lol) everything you do would appear reversed to everyone else, despite you doing it normally.
Anyways, gotta question the chapter title, did we come before a queen here, or did I miss that part?
Keep going! ;)

[David Silver]

6798161 She is the Queen that refuses the title.

[Wind of the Skies]

Well well you just can't be happy with the stories you make. Retconned is the term I believe. Still I'm happy,I get to read great stories with unpredictable twists.

[Cursed Quill]

Your majesty."

Majesty."

To think we almost lost you to such tragedy."

To think we almost lost you to such tragedy…" else it seems that this thought warms Celestia's heart!

a romantic ideal

you mean idea here

Ah. I wondered about dream-learning. Also, I read in dreams.

[David Silver]

6879327 Fixed!

[Midknight Defender]

Ok, now you're on a roll. Good scene!

[Magical plane]

Dang it now he's a flea to be kicked around again

[Detsella Morningdew]

6879327
Dream-learning only really works when you are lucid all the way through, or there is a significant emotional impact. Often both.

(Since my dreams are only ever things that come from my own head, it's kinda useless.)

Though... I once had a dream when I was about seven years old. It was an incredibly detailed twenty-four hours, from waking up to fitfully going to sleep and everything in-between, including a detailed argument with my brother that got broken up by my mother. Time perception was exactly the same as real life.

I only realized it was a dream when nobody in my family remembered the conversations, and the date didn't change.

So I guess hyper-realistic dreams where you learn things could be true, especially if the subject matter is already in your subconscious.

[David Silver]

9098553
I see you didn't dive into the dream, perhaps for the best.

[Luna is back]

Becoming OP 101. Sleep an night, but live a whole life...

[Comet_Chaser]

I know you went with the whole "turn back now" bit, but reading further here just makes me want to read the dream stories

[David Silver]

11370526
It's a dark and twisting tunnel. Many have shied away from it.