• Published 14th Mar 2015
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Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat - David Silver



Silver Lining, now wielding a cutie mark and an insatiable desire to learn and codify magic, has graduated from grade school and now faces the challenges of a magic academy as a young adult. This former-human is learning his place in Equestria.

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60 - To the Library

Silver walked along with a literal leash dangling from his neck. "This is more than a little degrading. I'm not going anywhere without your permission."

Night gave the lightest pull. "It wasn't my idea, but think of it this way, if somepony wants to snatch you away, they're not doing it quietly."

Silver twitched an ear at her. "I didn't hear you arguing it that strongly. Is this about the foal thing?"

She pulled more firmly and frowned.

"You just have to give the word and I'll give it up. I'm your stallion. Yours." He shrank a little and huffed as he walked.

"So I can watch you pout and mope around forever?" She advanced on him, side-by-side. "Tell me about this dream foal. Tell me about mine, in theory."

Silver flashed a soft smile. "They're both perfect... She was full of happiness, and he had sharp eyes that looked like he could have been an adult for how heavy they were, but they both were full of love. Playing with the two of them completed me." He put a hoof on his chest. "I never really put a lot of thought into being a dad. Closest I got was being an uncle, but I did enjoy that... And I enjoyed being a father, in that dream." He suddenly nipped at her cheek. "With my wife."

She grunted softly. "You seem to keep slipping around the fact that the only sane way to do this involves having more than one wife."

"We don't have to..." Silver backed away a step. "They're both mares. I can give a surrogate to them, and let them be their own thing. We can be friends, instead of a herd. Herd or not, you are my wife. You are the holder of my heart, and my literal leash." She snorted at it. "How long does this stay?"

She pulled gently. "At least until we're inside the library you wanted to visit so badly and then again until we're back in the castle." She reeled him in just to kiss his cheek. "You know I love you, right?"

Silver smiled, much of the tension in him fading on the words. "It's nice to hear it. We're a team, right?"

They nuzzled gently, their bond reaffirmed. She nuzzled into his closer ear. "I really am worried for you, for us. Not of you, for you."

He returned the gentle touches and nips at her. "We have to win through this, with Sombra, or the consequences could be dire for everyone, us included. I scared him off from trying to take me directly, but that hardly makes a difference on its own."

"You're just one pony." She raised a brow behind her thick glasses. "What do you plan to do?"

He pointed up to the library as they arrived at its steps. "First, learn. I won't be the sword that cuts down armies, but maybe I can help ponies with the strength find that sword. Maybe I can find the shield, even if I won't be the one holding it." He began stepping towards it. "I'm not here for glory anyway."

Inside, she unclasped the leash, freeing him. He rushed for the front desk with a smile. "Hello, do you have a section for the nature or history of shadows?"

The librarian seemed baffled at the request, shaking her head. "Why would we want anything like that?"

Silver would not be so easily dissuaded. He approached a desk and set down his spell book and got to scribbling fiercely.

"What are you working on?"

"I'm cheating."

"Cheating?" She peered at him and his work. "Unicorn cleverness?"

"I'm using the foal-finding spell I learned from Twilight... in the dream. I'm tweaking it based on my visitation."

"Visitation?" Night circled around to his other side, looking down at his arcane scrawlings. "Do you think there--"

"Got it." Silver plucked up the book in silver hands and began to play the spell over his horn. A bright mote leapt from his spire and zipped off into the library, and he ran after it, with Night trailing only steps behind. "Don't let it get out of sight!"

The glittering spark jumped upstairs out of sight as if to defy him, but it wasn't hard to find where it had gone. An entire row of books were knocked over forcefully. One of them glimmered faintly and Silver moved for it, only to be cut off by a frowning crystal pony caretaker. "Did you do this? You'd better pick up all these books and put them back, in order."

Night slipped before Silver. "Of course, ma'am."

Silver brushed past her. "I'm on it, sorry for the mess." He grabbed the one that was fading from its glimmer and set it quickly aside on a table before getting to the longer task of setting the other books back on their shelf.

"What are you looking for that has you in such a rush?" The librarian peered at the both suspiciously.

Night grabbed a book with a wing and set it gently back on its shelf. "Silver thinks he can find some information on the shadows."

"Here?" She shook her head. "Good luck, looking in the foal's section." She turned away and left them to their cleaning.

Regardless of her dismissive words, Silver eagerly grabbed up the book once the others were tucked away. Night didn't look quite as eager. "How much faith can we put in a foal's book?"

Silver flipped it open to the first page. "It's our first clue. Let's enjoy it for what it is and see where it leads us."

It was a book of scary stories to tell naughty foals, and spoke of many strange horrors that could lurk in the dark, ready to gobble up disobedient little children and spirit them away. Most of the stories felt like classic boogeymen he'd read and heard before, but one captured his interest. He tapped at the open page. "Look at this."

Night leaned over his shoulder and read with him of an ancient and powerful crystal that would gather and focus all the bad thoughts of the world and give them shape. The Shadow Crystal, it was called. Night raised a brow. "So you should be good, to power the Crystal Heart instead of the Shadow Crystal. Are they two sides of the same thing?"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Silver folded the book shut and tucked it away. "They're linked. If we could find the shadow crystal, we'd really be onto something."

Night tapped at her chin softly. "And how do you plan to do that? The frozen north is a large place. If we just start looking randomly, the city'll be razed to the ground before we find a hint of the thing."

"I... could use the spell again?"

Night rolled her eyes. "Cheating is fine until you get caught." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "We're not rushing out into the snow, trying to find a mote that doesn't want to slow down, that may not even go the right way. You don't have a link to this one. It didn't come into your dreams to say hello. No, this time? We seek professional help, like adults."

Silver perked his ears. "But who... Oh."

"Yep, those." She held out a hoof, and he met it with a loud clop. Unified in purpose, they left the library with heads held high, until the soft click of the leash being slipped back into place was heard. "Sorry, outside, you have to wear it."

Silver gave an annoyed little grunt. "Then we should inform Cadance we'll be stepping out a few days. At least Damaged--"

"Penny." Night rolled her eyes. "For the mare you want to carry your foal, you can at least remember her name."

"Right, Penny." Silver smiled sheepishly. "I remember them from online, so that name stuck."

Night rolled a hoof. "Online?"

Silver rubbed his forehooves together. "Right, remember my computer." As she nodded, he continued. "Now remember that, where I came from, all those computers were tied together, and you could communicate to other people sitting at other computers. He was across the world from me, but with computers, we talked easily. Hell, he helped me write. Imagine that, someone in another country helping you as if they were sitting beside you."

Night shook her head. "And she was a he back then? And that doesn't bother you even a tiny bit?"

"Why should it?" Silver raised a brow at her. "She's a she right now, and my friend, and everything lines up so well I find myself wondering more if the Text is behind it all, which I guess he is, since without him, D--Penny wouldn't be here."

Night nudged him. "And you're willing to go along with his plans then?"

Silver tensed a moment. "If it means I get my foal back, yes." He leaned in towards Night. "I'd jump through burning hoops to protect you and our foal just the same." He reached, brushing a hoof gently along her belly. "I just want my family."

She sighed and leaned in, kissing his nose. "You're a romantic. Now let's get to the castle. We have a princess to confuse."


"No."

Night raised a brow. "I wasn't aware we were under arrest."

Cadance shook her head. "You're mine for now and I refuse. I don't want the warlocks here. They are dangerous, to put it mildly, and they don't obey any rules."

Silver shook his head. "But they know darkness, and have more experience and knowledge. If anyone can help us, they can."

Cadance waved it off. "Out of the question. If they get involved, somepony is getting hurt, or they don't get involved. It's fine that Auntie likes having them around, but this is my kingdom."

Silver tapped his hooves softly in thought. "Alright, so, they're off the table."

"They are." Cadance gave a gentle smile. "I'm not angry at either of you, but no is no on this."

Silver nodded. "Right. I have another idea." He turned to flee, but a bright pink wing descended before him.

"And that idea is?"

Night snorted softly. "I want to hear this as well. What's the idea?"

Silver looked between the two dominant females. "I'm just going to ask Luna."

Cadance raised a brow. "How do you plan to do that? She typically does not visit unless you're mid-nightmare, and only at her discretion alone."

Silver waved it off. "I know how to get her attention."

Night rose to her hooves. "I don't doubt this. I'll make sure he stays in the castle, Princess."

"See that you do..." She tilted her head curiously. "Do... Nevermind. Be well."

They left her as she frowned. "Where is that new line going?"

Author's Note:

What typo could result of this plan? Are they headed the right way?

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