The Silver Stars

by David Silver

21 - Gone Home

Silver woke up with a start. Everything smelled wrong. A quick glance around revealed she was... in her room, her old room. It was like nothing had changed. A quick glanced showed she was still a unicorn, still female. She hopped off the bed and reared up in front of her computer. Didn't she take this with her? And yet, here it was... She conjured her silvery hands and swiped the mouse before clicking the power button on the monitor and poking around. The Internet was up! Oh, she had mail, a lot of it. She squinted at the date. Not nearly as much time has gone by as she previously thought. This was all getting too odd... but it was full of details, including the writing, that wouldn't fit a dream. She was a pony on Earth.

OK, no time to panic, or so Silver thought to herself. She fueled her horn and cast her silver light over the room. "Magic, check," she said to herself. She went back to the computer and poked at it. Oh hey, there was a convention the next day, a pony one! She already paid for a table and everything, and she had all her stuff right there... She could pass herself off as a publicity stunt or something for her game company. That'd work!

... No, that was stupid... That didn't get her back to Night Watch, or even find out what happened. She plopped down on her haunches with a frown, trying to think of a more direct answer, but few were coming. All she could do was pass the time, and hope, no, pray, that she would fall back into Equestria the second time as smoothly as she had the first time. She pulled out her book of spells and flipped through it a moment.

"Uncle?" came a young voice before the door opened an instant later. A young girl of thirteen years of age peered at Silver, and Silver peered back.

"Hello, Jazmine," said Silver, "Please don't freak out."

Jazmine didn't freak out, but she didn't move either, just looking at the talking unicorn a moment before she asked, "Do you know where Uncle Dave is?"

Oof, that hurt. Silver considered her answer frantically. Did she tell the truth? That would be confusing! A comfortable lie... "Yes. He's safe, and... he sent me to check on you. He said you like unicorns."

Jazmine looked confused, "A little, I guess. Not as much as Uncle Dave." She approached then, reaching out and grabbing Silver's horn without asking, though Silver couldn't muster the will to be angry at her own niece. Curious hands confirmed that she was real and not glued together or some other trick, then she backed up a step, looking uncertain.

"Are you well?" asked Silver, "Getting good grades still?"

Jazmine nodded quickly, "All A's."

Silver detected the faint odor of garbage from the other side of the house, "You forgot the trash again."

Jazmine looked hesitant to do much about it, "I guess it's too late to apologize."

"It's too late," sung Silver on instinct before she shut her mouth.

Jazmine pointed, "Uncle Dave!"

Silver shrank a little, "Jazzy, I can't stay."

"Why not?" she asked, getting excited, "Where were you?"

Silver glanced off, then back at Jazmine, "I have to get back. Keep being awesome, alright?" She pushed to her hooves and moved to escape the house, but got hugged by Jazmine on the way past her.

"Don't go," she said.

Silver quivered. If there was one person that could make her hesitate... "I... have to. I can't run again, and I left important things behind." She sucked in a breath, "You're doing alright. Your uncle has to do stupid super-hero things, like out of a movie."

She released Silver's neck, "Will you come back?"

Silver shrugged, "I really don't know... but I can't promise that." Silver stepped in and gave Jazmine a kiss on either cheek, "Pretend I was never here."

Silver turned and departed, but before she even got halfway down the hall, the scene skipped like a case of bad editing. Was this a dream after all that? Silver tried nipping herself on the leg but it hurt as it should. She looked around. It appeared to be a hotel. There were many people milling around her, but few seemed concerned that a pony was parked right there. "The heck," she said, and it was as if the spell was broken. Eyes turned towards her. Silver spotted a registration table. She was at the convention. Alright! "I forgot to pick up my badge," she said dramatically. "Anypony going to the con should get their badge."

She trotted towards the registration area. The line fell to confusion as she moved to join it, and most stepped aside to let her go past. The few that didn't were shamed into it by those ahead and behind them, and soon she was at the front with only a few dozen hands stroking over her back along the way. She would have been lying to herself if she denied the attention wasn't nice on some level. She reared up at the table and smiled at the con staff behind it, "Hello! I am David Silver, with Ponyfinder, here to get my badge."

The con person tapped at the computer, though his eyes wandered back to the pony he was talking to constantly, "Uh, do you have ID?"

Silver shook her head, "I left it in my other... saddlebag."

There was a polite chuckle from those in earshot, and soon she had a badge dangling around her neck. It was a vendor badge, but she didn't bring anything to vend... oh well. No matter, she ambled off to look around, though could feel the eyes of many following her as she went. She took a moment to thank the universe in general for the fact that ponies were pretty furry bunches, and little was on display when not being actively used. It was as if Equestria itself wanted to be child safe. Not to say someone wouldn't see something if they lifted her silver tail and checked, but with it in its default position, she wasn't giving too bad a show.

Just as she thought this, a new set of hands descended. She looked up to see a group of bronies had surrounded her while she was thinking and were talking about her as if she wasn't there. "I don't know what pony she's supposed to be," one said.

"She's obviously an OC," replied another, a skinny white male. He crouched down and read Silver's badge, "Ponyfinder huh? David's a weird name for a girl pony."

Silver tilted her head, "I do talk," she pointed out.

They startled. One, an overweight white male, laughed, "Crazy! We thought you were a doll or something. Is that a suit? It's crazy!"

Silver licked the back of her teeth before nodding, "Yes, a suit." Easier than the truth. "Do you like it?"

A heavier-set male gave a huff, "Yeah, I'd like to see how realistic it is, if you know what I mean."

Silver's tail lowered protectively, "No thank you. Enjoy the con!" She quickly trotted away from the group, frowning. She took a moment to unfurl the con guide they handed to her, considering where would be safest, and most interesting, to go. Ugh, none of these options got Silver back to the Crystal Empire, but she couldn't think of anything she could do to do that. The ground lifted away suddenly. She was being carried away by someone! Their hands wandered where it should not, seeming surprised that she had all the required parts of being a mare under the fur. "Watch those hands," she hissed, and the human dropped her instantly.

"Oh! I thought you were a display," said the startled man, who made himself scarce.

Silver tapped her chin. Maybe some magic was in effect here? She trotted quickly to a panel room and sat on her haunches and went still. Only a moment later, a small girl rushed up and hugged her around the neck. "Mom! Can I have this one!?" she cried out to a larger woman walking up behind her.

"Not for sale," said Silver, startling the girl, who was soon guided away. Silver gave a soft hmm of thought. If she was still, everyone thought she was a doll or something. This could be exploited perhaps. Silver began bouncing from room to room, until she ended up in the tabletop room. She found a group rolling familiar dice, and saw they were playing Ponyfinder. Well, at least something would outlive her presence on Earth.

She flashed a bright, fanged, smile, "One of my favorite games."

One of the players glanced at her, then did a double-take, "Uh."

Silver nudged her badge, "I'm with Ponyfinder, sent to make sure this game has sufficient ponies in it."

It was stupid enough to break the ice, and a laugh resulted. Silver watched the game play out, then wandered off. As she wandered up some stairs, a sudden nudge sent her tumbling, but she never hit the bottom, instead landing in darkness. "Oh here it is," she said to herself, picking herself up, "What is this?"

Words appeared silently. 'Your time is up. You had one chance to contact any you wished to.'

Silver tilted her head, "Wait, what? Why didn't you tell me that before I freaked out? That was pretty jacked up."

'I am under no obligation to do so.'

Silver frowned, "I suppose not..." At least she got to say goodbye to her niece. That was good. "Did you have another question for me?"

'Do you regret this venture?'

"Which? Going to Equestria, or this side trip?" asked Silver, "I don't regret my time in Equestria... I have a question. What are you?"

'...'

"Did you literally just write an ellipsis?" asked Silver with a cocked brow.

'Yes.'

Silver flopped onto her belly, "Am I amusing you?"

'Yes.'

Silver tapped on the empty floor a moment, "Did I survive?"

'Yes.'

Silver nodded, "I get the idea you're waiting for me. I won't hold it against you if you give me a hint."

'Do you wish to go back?'

"To Equestria? To Earth?" asked Silver.

'Yes.'

Silver clopped her hooves together. "I said I wouldn't run anymore. Send me back to Night Watch, please. If you feel up for it, warn the next person through before you dump them back on Earth with a day's time and no clue."

Silver awoke in bed, her proper bed. Night Watch was curled against her. Everything seemed calm. Silver snuggled in quietly to Night. If they were tucked in, things must have gone well enough that they could wait until the morning to get the details. Silver sat still and listened to the sounds. She could hear Night breathing softly, their heartbeats working together. She could hear a servant somewhere in the castle cleaning something. The pony world wasn't quiet, she decided, Earth was just so loud.

Author's Note:

Now it's time for the real David Silver to go to that convention. I can't promise any words at all for the next three days, as I'll be busy at BABScon. Are you going to BABScon? Hope to see you there!

Unless you're a typo...

Comments

[harts fire]

dang I forgot about BABScon hope you have a blast David Silver.

this chapter was a real blast twisted but a vary fun read.
Harts Fire.
if you see Sparky Brony say hi for me.

[Istaran]

Well, that was sudden. :) Seems.. uninfluential. Like nothing that happened here has much chance of impacting the rest of the story to come. I look forward to how you will surprisingly prove me wrong. ;)

(one obvious potential seed, I guess, would be a new storyline picking up from one of the con attendees, and their eventual run-in with the Text. But that sounds more like an opportunity for a new writer for the group rather than something you have time to really expand on.)

[David Silver]

5815936 Learning her computer hadn't gone anywhere was a tidbit, if nothing else. She was clearly gone, not copied out or dead, also time moves slower. There are a lot of things to be found!

[Istaran]

5815945 True facts!
So it does give us some interesting world building, which seems more relevant for tying in additional side stories. Silver didn't expect a way home anytime soon, and still doesn't. Though perhaps the most influential tidbit would be that she now had a (second, the first being Clueless in Equestria ch 1) option as to which world to be in and has essentially committed to being in Equestria. (Does this mean she will decline if Twilight can offer a way home? Particularly if it is likely to be one way? I would expect so.)

But:
On Earth side, we get some kind of confirmation that Silver won't be going back to Earth in the future, at least not via the Text. (Doesn't preclude Twilight Ex Machina in the future, of course.) Which means any changes she affected on Earth seem unlikely to loop back into the story.
On Equestria side, nobody even noticed anything happened except Silver, who is postponing mentioning it to anyone. For the most part, it seems unlike to change many of her choices going forward.

Except for one: in my estimation, the likelihood she would accept a one-way ticket back to Earth (presumably from Twilight) has dropped substantially when she was confronted with the choice of which world to live in and chose Equestria.

The 'veil' effect was interesting to read, and seems like it could be played with a lot more if the story allowed for free travel between the worlds, but that doesn't -appear- to be in the cards at this point.

[David Silver]

5816033 Just imagine if somepony, perhaps a former human, was sent to earth without the time limit, but with the veil in effect. What trouble could they get into?

[Istaran]

5816083 Indeed!
Though that brings up some interesting questions for hypothetical future chapters to answer. For example, is the veil a natural phenomenon of how ponies exist on Earth? (if so, what else is the veil hiding?) If it's not, and it's part of the Text's power then would that mean Silver will be un-veiled during any Twilight-arranged visits? (I'm assuming Twilight, mainly because she is actively researching the humans, but there are a few other sufficiently powerful beings that could be involved obviously.) Had Silver chosen to stay on Earth, would she simply be a veiled pony on a human world for the rest of her life?

I just see this chapter as seeming to more deny future episodes of Silver on Earth than hint at them. But all of the above is plenty to work with for another story, or a future arc of your own. Time will tell!

[David Silver]

5816178 It would seem excessively cruel to me to yank the story right there into a pony-on-earth arc that lasted any longer than this one did.

[Istaran]

Very true!
I do hope there will be more lead in than that before such a transition (if it comes at all).

Suddenly terribly amused by veiled Lyra on Earth.

[Snowfyre]

dang you and your extended cliffhanger!

[candyman20XX]

Not really to excited with the gender change, but I'll keep going for a bit to see if you throw in another of your twists.

Hope you know that this series has cost me quite a bit of sleep these past few days.
You should be ashamed of yourself. (joke, don't hunt me down pls)

[David Silver]

5816908 Huh, you're not the first to express 'meh' at the gender change. Is it Heck, two ponies marched off in a huff, leaving -1s behind.

[candyman20XX]

5816923 I'll give it a chance. Just because I find that facet less than appealing, doesn't mean the story can't still interest me on the whole.

Heck, I may keep reading just for more author's notes. I find those unreasonably amusing.

[David Silver]

5817740 Welcome aboard! Have any favorite parts?

[The Psychopath]

5817874 I've said it once and I'll say it again: It is not necromancy.

[David Silver]

5817886 It doesn't help that necromancy is a very vague word.

[The Psychopath]

5817899 Then luckily for you, as I explained with all the rules, it is not necromancy. The only time it can be conceived as such is after the time limit. Until then, it's literally giving life back to the deceased being. They're given a second chance, essentially. They're fully alive and tied to no one but themselves (and whatever dark secrets they've been hiding).

Now, if you want necromantic sigils, that can be arranged.

[Alzrius]

Not nearly as much time has gone by as she thought had.

You don't need the "had" at the end of this sentence.

... No, that was stupid... That didn't get her back to Night Watch, or even find out what happened."

The ending quotation mark can be eliminated.

Jazmine nodded quickly, "All As."

There needs to be an apostrophe in "As."

She sucked in a breath, "You're doing alright. Your uncle has to do stupid super hero things, like out of a movie."

Traditionally "super hero" would have a hyphen, though the compound form "superhero" has become ubiquitous as well.

One of the players glanced at her, then double-taked, "Uh."

That really should be "then did a double-take."

[David Silver]

5818087 Fixes for the fixing god! Good morning.

[Alzrius]

5818090 I hope you're having fun at BABSCon!

This chapter felt like, well, exactly what it was: an interlude. Other than the fact that we got to see more of the rules that The Text plays by (a one-day trip home at a certain point), there wasn't much development to be found, beyond the details of relative time between the dimensions and the fact that apparently the battle in the Crystal Empire ended well.

That said, I was somewhat amused by Silver's interaction with the con-goers. That she noted the issues with walking around naked, and that some of the con-goers were rather forward with her, all felt very forthright without getting bogged down in sordid details. The idea that she could pass herself off as a doll was also mildly amusing. Other than that, it was a nice hat-tip to the Ponyfinder games that are doubtlessly about to be run!

[David Silver]

5818104 I haven't quite escape to it yet, but I will be going soon. I do hope the chapter didn't overstay its welcome and was fun to read. I'm going to see if I can't squeeze out a chapter before I go.

[tsaukpaetra]

Yay BABScon!

[Luckyfanisaac]

"Crazy! We thought you were an doll or something. Is that a suit? It's crazy!"

Correction: "Crazy! We thought you were a doll or something. Is that a suit? It's crazy!"

[David Silver]

6502522 Fixed