45 - Silver Meets a Firecracker
Silver sat on a balcony, the soft warm breeze of the afternoon wafting through the pelts of him and his wife. "This is nice. We should do more interviews out here."
Night waved a hoof. "Maybe for a change of pace, but there are proprieties to uphold, so, no, we won't be doing this every day." She thrust a hoof out over the city of Canterlot below. "Besides, do you really want to be in view all the time?"
"I suppose not. So who are we seeing today?"
Night lifted a clipboard into view. "Well, it seems they declined to give out their names, citing personal reasons. They should be waiting just outside."
Silver tilted his head a bit. "Really? I hope they haven't already been harmed." His tone got a bit worried. "Well let's not keep them waiting, let them in."
Night saluted with a wing and trotted to the door, pulling it open with a deft twist. "Do come in, the Ambassador is ready for you."
The voice that came in reply sounded terribly unsure, and, if Silver was honest to himself, somewhat wrong. “D-d-thanks.”
Night kept her face schooled and stepped aside to give Silver a grasp of the newcomer. As he did so, his eyebrows rose a touch. This was the first person he met that had accepted being turned into a pony.
The young stallion smiled uneasily, brushing his flashy orange mane before taking a few steps in. “Err… where?” He motioned a purple hoof to the desk and chairs.
Silver hopped down from his seat, regarding his visitor intently. "Hello and welcome. I'm Silver Lining, the Ambassador Night mentioned, but Silver, or Lining, Mister Lining, Ambassador, whatever you prefer." His eyes stayed on the stallion, watching for reactions. "Please, come and relax."
The visitor kept up the smile, though it strained on the corners of his mouth. His ears twitched, the tuft of fur at the ends standing straight up. “Err… Silver, d-that’s fine?” he asked without meeting either ponies’ eyes. “You help… anyone?”
Silver bobbed his head. "I'm here to be helpful, but are you… Or were you human?" He tilted his head a little.
Night nudged Silver and pointed at the newcomer's eyes as she made a soft click, trying to get his attention with mixed success.
The purple stallion sighed and hung his head. “Used to.” His face scrunched up, and his lips moved against, but the words that he uttered weren’t any either Silver or Night knew.
Silver took a slow step forward, only to be kicked in the side. Night leaned in with a harsh whisper, "his eyes!" Blinking, he looked back from her to him and noticed it at last, those slit eyes.
"Oh, well, that isn't so important." He smiled brightly. "I didn't catch that? I'm sorry, Night distracted me a little. I don't think I introduced her." He waved towards Night. "This is Night Watch, my wonderful wife."
At first, the stallion jolted, as if surprised to have been heard. His cat-like eyes, as orange as his mane, darted between the two, before his expression softened a bit. “Nice to meet you.”
Night nodded. "A pleasure." She glanced sidelong at Silver. "As much as he thinks it means nothing, I have to ask…" She rolled a hoof slowly. "Are you lunar?"
Silver coughed softly. "You're assuming he even knows what that is."
Instead of the reply they expected, they saw the stallion’s cheeks turned a purple so dark it seemed nearly black. He shrunk on himself, and groaned as he brought a hoof to his forehead. “Can you explain… slowly? I’m… not a native speaker.”
Silver put up a hoof in front of Night. "It's alright," he started slowly. "We didn't mean to hurry you." He sat then, trying to make himself a smaller presence. "What do you talk, besides English?"
“...French. I didn’t think ponies wouldn’t speak it...” He pulled a bitter grimace. “Didn’t think a lot… So, huh, lunar?”
Silver smiled. "I wonder how similar Prench would be… Let's put that aside. Lunar means ponies that belong to Luna." He pointed to the sky. "The moon princess. Have you heard of her?"
He kept a neutral face. “I watched the show.”
Silver bobbed his head, looking quite relieved. "Oh good. Then you know where you are? This is Canterlot."
“Figured.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s just… not quite the same, right? On the way… someone called me bat-pony.” A nervous laugh rang in the room. “The way they said it though...didn’t sound like a compliment.”
Night scowled at the mention and advanced. "Who said that? Don't ever let a pony tell that to your face." She flashed her fangs in a low rolling growl. "Describe them--"
Silver gently pulled her back. "Easy there. We're here for him, not to punish would-be racists."
The stallion’s eyes widened. Something flickered in his gaze, like a switch turned off, and he looked down. “Damn it… Just… great. Just what I needed on top of...”
Under their eyes, the stallion’s mouth clamped shut. The words had slipped past him.
Silver reached out, but didn't dare touch the stallion. "Please, you're safe here, and among friends. Don't be scared or upset." He tried to think of something witty to say, but just gave a little smile, which would have to suffice.
It seemed to have, for the lunar pony’s shoulders slumped as the tension left his muscles. “Yeah.. okay… Can you help me?”
Silver quickly bobbed his head. "I'm going to try my best. I've been where you are, lost and afraid and alone, and it's not fun." He ran a hoof along his snout. "Did I miss your name?"
The stallion tore his orange gaze away from Night Watch, then scratched the side of his face. “Err… no… I just… my real name felt weird... ” He motioned to his ears and his tail swished. “For this. A-and I was trying to, huh, fit in.”
His weak chuckle died out on his own, and the stallion sighed again.
“No clue what to pick though.” His hoof ran across his mane. “Been stuck on ‘Halloween’ since I saw the colors.”
Silver considered that a moment. "Halloween isn't a holiday here, so you may confuse some, but how about… Autumn Colors?"
The stallion looked deadpan. “A bit blunt, no?”
Night lifted a hoof. "Pumpkin Spice. You're like a spice, interesting and exotic. Nothing wrong with that."
For a second, the still nameless pony mouthed the words. “Spice? Well...” He blew out a strand of orange mane out of his face. “Can’t deny the pumpkin part. I… I guess that’d be fine… Would it be… like… absolute? Err, forever?”
Silver pointed at himself. "It's your name, you get to decide. I was David Silver, and took the name Silver Lining after becoming a pony. Speaking of which…" He leaned in a little. "How did it happen? Did you want it to?"
The newly-dubbed Pumpkin shifted on his hooves. “W-w-w-well… It kinda fascinated me… a-a-and I figured… it’d be easier this way,” he stuttered. “You know… I don’t like sticking out.”
Silver's expression softened. "I know that feeling. We're like brothers." A little chuckle escaped him, almost a giggle in tone. "Please, I mean it. I ran to ponydom too, and it's worked out well for me, so far. It's had its pains, no doubt… I'm happy with it now."
“Brothers? C-cool...” Pumpkin rubbed his front legs together. “So, huh, hypo… hypothetically, you wouldn’t throw me out if I...”
Pumpkin swallowed, and his breath shuddered. With a sniffle, he fell onto his rump. A choked sob blocked the way for any more words and made them more like whinnies.
Silver's expression collapsed with worry and sympathy as Pumpkin fell. "Oh, no no. It's alright." He stepped forward with uncertain steps. "It'll be alright, really. We're not throwing you out, promise."
Night tilted her head a little, looking questioning, but not moving to action, just watching.
The snort Pumpkin made sounded bitter, and the scowl on his face betrayed his inner feelings. “Happened last night...” He bit out a word, with such venom the two others could only think of it as a swear. “Last thing I expected. Maybe a rejection, but not actually...”
Silver threw caution to the wind and reached around Pumpkin, trying to gather him up in a bit of a hug as he moved in as close as two ponies could be. "Shhh, I'm so sorry you've had to go through this, but you came to the right place. No more of that. None."
Sighing, Pumpkin rested his chin against Silver’s shoulder. But when he opened his mouth to talk, he suddenly stiffened, and tried to get out of the embrace. “C-cool, lemme go… please...”
Silver stiffened and blushed softly. "If you want…" Some past experiences kept his reactions at bay, even as his mind whirred with what he noticed. "It's alright, I mean it. You're safe here."
After wrenching his way out, Pumpkin sat back a few hoof lengths away from Silver, his front legs now firmly set before his chest and his lower belly. If possible, the stallion would have shrunk and disappeared. He spoke with a tiny, ashamed voice, “N-no, it’s not. They threw me out.”
"Who?" Silver reached and put a hoof on one of those guarding legs. "Tell us, if you feel alright with it. Do you need… time?" He tilted his head a little, worry painted on his features.
Pumpkin kept his eyes firmly on the ground, and his legs as closed guarded as possible, even to his obvious discomfort. “I tried to go to a bar, last night. Got told it was friendly.” His mouth twisted upside down. “Maybe I didn’t heard right… I figured, litteral new world, s’now or never… Drank three drinks before I got the guts to try that cute guy.”
Silver hissed with a breath in a sudden gasp.
Pumpkin laughed at that, but it was nothing of joy.
“Yeah. I lasted two lines. Slurred them real bad. Called me a cow and a colt cuddler.” The tears were rolling freely on his cheeks. “G-guess… I was lucky... ” He sniffed again, shaking. “Didn’t hit me first. Pavement hurt like hell still...”
Silver curled on himself a little. "Ugh." At first, just that word. "Damn it. Of all the… Not you! Not… not you. You're fine. You get to love whoever you want to love, no matter what they have between their legs." He cracked a smile, but it faded instantly. "This is a very pretty world, but it has a few ugly spots, and they're so ugly…"
Night sighed gently. "He means he's sorry you ran into that. It's not the best Equestria has to offer by far."
To their relief, Pumpkin chuckled. “S-sorry, didn’t get half, but it sounded real cheesy. Helped a lot too.” He hesitantly moved a leg to bump hoof with Silver. “T-thanks...”
Silver smiled at the acceptance. "I mean it. You're welcome here. Oh! Colt cuddler is what they call gay people." He blinked. "Homosexuals, in case?" Did Pumpkin know the word? Heck if he knew. "It's an ugly word, from ugly ponies."
“Thought it was fanon...” He inhaled deeply. It came out shaky, though less than seconds earlier. “It’s fine. Wasn’t exactly a first. Just didn’t expect it in Equestria. Sucker punched me.”
Then, Pumpkin bit his lips, and tapped his hoof against the floor. His gaze alternated between Silver and Night.
“I’m just… should I be afraid?” They strained to hear him. “A few ponies d-there lived near the ponies that gave me a place a few days ago.”
Silver shook his head. "No. You should live how you want to, just not…" He rolled a hoof slowly. "There are places for you. So, you remember America, right? Do you know how things work there?"
“Sort of?” Pumpkin snorted. “I wasn’t American. Why?”
Silver sighed. "It's sort of like there. There are places where gay ponies gather, and there are ugly people that think picking on them makes them… better." He frowned. "It doesn't."
Pumpkin raised one eyebrow at that. “I know.” Sighing, he waved a hoof. “Sorry, just… you sound more offended than me… it is a bit like a big bro.”
The thought pulled a smile out of him.
Silver put a hoof on his shoulder. "Would you believe me if I told you I was a big brother before I came here?"
Pumpkin’s smile seemed to freeze, but the impression did not linger, as he nodded quickly, and pulled Silver into a hug. “Y-yeah...”
Silver returned that smile and nuzzled the male, to the raised brow of Night. "It'll be alright. Now, you have a home?"
Pumpkin, his neck a bit stiff from the unexpected touch, shivered and blushed. “An old couple let me stay in their basement for now. I’m not alone there.” He looked sheepish. “Might be shelter, but didn’t get what they said. I… I don’t know how long it’ll last.”
Night rolled her eyes, "I can see the writing on the wall. Yes, he can sleep over, no, you can't keep him. Yes, we'll get him a place of his own. No, I'm not reading your mind. Yes, I heard that." She flashed her fangs at Silver.
Silver burst into a sudden fit of laughter. "Did I mention she's the darling of my life?"
Chuckling, Pumpkin tilted his head to one side and the other. “Yeah. You did.” After a few moments of amusement though, the young stallion grew sober. “T-thanks for letting me stay. And, huh, the talk. It helped.”
Silver nipped his ear in almost blind affection. "Come on, I'll show you where you can rest. No more hurting, I promise."
Night stalked after them. "We'll get you set up in a place of your own, and help you find a job." She tapped a hoof on the ground. "Boundaries."
Pumpkin mechanically rubbed the tip of his ear, his cheeks flushed and his gaze questioning Night silently. With a hoof, he gestured from Silver to her, uncertain. “I thought he was… He’s not…?”
Night let out a little laugh. "He's a big softy is what he is." She raised a brow. "I thought he was more scared of colt cuddlers, but, it's odd. He isn't scared of you at all."
Pumpkin’s eyes trailed after Silver. “Straight guys usually are…” His smile slipped. “You think he’s forcing himself ‘cause of me?”
Night shook her head, watching Silver's swaying tail. "No… He has a certain look when he's forcing himself. He really isn't afraid, and now I'm a little curious if it's you, or him." She waved her hoof as she referred to each pony.
Pumpkin’s ears flattened on top of his skull. “Sorry. Don’t mean to… huh, come in between you two?”
Night waved it off. "What? No. It's not that. I'm just worried about him." She leaned in closer to the strange stallion. "He's been through a lot. Even I'm not sure exactly how he's been affected by it. I'm worried for him, that's all. You're fine." She smiled behind her glasses. "I'd tell you if not."
Silver turned dark in the cheeks at the talk close enough to him to be hard to miss, but had the decency to keep his head forward. His step wavering a little, he kept going.
Just behind him, Pumpkin mulled the thought, and the lingering warmth of the nuzzle and nip on the ear he had received. That wouldn’t make this any easier to understand, but maybe it would be alright. It wasn’t that he liked Silver that way… but it felt good not to be looked at with scorn for once.
Silver hastened, but not unreasonably so, leading them to the rooms reserved for officials and the like. "This one's ours." He nudged a door open with his magic, glowing silver. "You're welcome here."
Slowly trotting inside, Pumpkin’s eyes widened as he took in the sight. “H-holy crap...” He looked back to them. “Serious? I… you’d really let me stay in a place like this…?”
Night moved suddenly before Silver. "He thinks you deserve it." A little smile tugged at only half her mouth. "More importantly, that it'll help you, so, yes." She waved a wing inside. "Come in, lunar cousin. Did I mention I'm also a lunar pony? A lunar pegasus, to be specific."
“Actually,” the purple stallion began with an amused pout, “still no clue about that.”
They all retired to the room, with Night going into more detail about what it meant to be a lunar pony, and starting to gush about some places to go where other lunar ponies would be found. "They will eat you right up. You're the first lunar earth pony I ever saw before." She quirked an ear. "Most of them aren't too fazed by colt cuddlers either. We get enough flak for being lunar, like we need another wall between us."
The night was well spent.
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New pony!!!
And they are Earth, Lunar and a colt cuddler, you sir have just won the story chapter of the day.
Hello Punkin Spice, welcome to the Brave New Silververse.
And yes, I'm going to call it that from now on. 
now this chapter is interesting in many ways so many new things to look at .
I like this guy!
Yay! We had another lunar pony in this world! Can't wait to see when we see more lunar ponies.
Definitely a spectacle, the Text's interest in chaos rears its head again!
Night's suspicions rise even more! Eagerly awaiting their talk (hopefully) soon...
Keep going! ;)
tuff - tuft
Night Watcher - Night Watch
looked with scorn - looked at/upon with scorn
*****
A little darker in the beginning but back to warm and happy territory at the end.
Welcome to the SIlver-verse Pumpkin Spice!
6813684 Typos fixed!
I eagerly await what the next chapter brings! :)
These chapters have a dearth of wizardry.
Unless Night parted her legs to reveal this newcomer or popped open like a fursuit to reveal 'em (twist!) then "stepped aside" might be better.
accepted being turned
fazed
6903962 Fixed!
His
weird..."
literal
Extra space here.
Man, they're just showing up left and right.
7366125 Fixed!
Lunar earth pony? Good going Silver, you only dreamed about being a lunar unicorn, and now the earth ponies are beating you in the census!
I have to say, the chapter Silver wakes, we know that some time has passed, while he was coma'd. Obviously not too much since Night isn't really showing. Long enough for things to change by a large enough margin. I may have missed it, but how long was he out?
10911458
In my mind, some handful of weeks? 3-8'sh? Time in Equestria is funny.