91 - It's Full of Stars
Silver rested her head on the pillow, with a sleepy Twilight snuggled up close. Rainbow and Spike had their own beds, and were sawing logs loudly. Silver inhaled Twilight's soft scent and nestled in close, drawing a sleepy but happy murmur from her fellow alicorn before sleep brought an end to their fatigued snuggling.
Silver landed lightly on a lily in a grand pond full of other lily pads. Luna stood watching, waiting. She was not looking at Silver at first, but quickly turned when she appeared. She smiled, waving at Silver before sitting. "I had hoped you would appear. I visit for two reasons. One, I hear you and Twilight were assaulted, and wished to be certain you and she were both well?"
Silver hopped across the lily pads, soon arriving in front of Luna and sitting before the larger alicorn. "We are fine. I captured two of our attackers, slew another, and one escaped."
Luna frowned delicately. "Always one to escape. It seems almost as if destiny decided it so." She reached with a wing, brushing against Silver's side. "Do you remember, long ago, I said I favored that warrior's spirit within you, however deeply buried? That has not changed. Tell me of your victory."
Silver flushed softly, and soon found she was a he entirely, shaped as a stallion by Luna's whimsies in the dream world. "Luna, really?"
Luna smiled, "Are we not bound? I will stop if you desire it."
Silver looked himself over, standing up to do a full inspection. "I can deal with this, for a dream."
Luna poked Silver on the nose. "Was this not your dream not long ago? Have you entirely abandoned the thought of being male once more?"
Silver spread his wings wide. "But I am an alicorn, a princess."
Luna shrugged. "You have done nothing but defy expectations. Why do you so quickly dismiss the idea that you could be the first?" She leaned in. "Would you not fancy the title of Prince of the Night? We would rule side-by-side, not as student and teacher, or queen and vassal, but as king and queen... Now, tell me. Tell me of your battle, and how you proved your worth on those who thought too little of you."
Silver drew a soft breath before he began to describe the confrontation. Luna stopped him as he got to smashing small-purple against the roof of the elevator. "How did you accomplish this? Your legs are not especially powerful, as well-proportioned as they may be."
Silver tilted his head. "You too?"
"What do you mean?"
Silver began to explain how he saw magic, as a stream through the body that could be diverted, gathered, and controlled. Luna shook her head with disbelief. "When I wish to be stronger, I must push harder. None of this 'stream' business. It sounds slow and cumbersome."
Silver nodded. "It is, but it is also powerful, and it is my way. They gave me time to work it up, and I crushed him against the ceiling with it." He continued the story, but Luna interrupted again as he stunned the diamond dog with a bite.
Luna lifted a hoof. "Were you trying to kill him, as you did the pegasus mare?"
Silver shook his head. "I just wanted him out of the way a moment, and it worked. So I jumped for Twilight and knocked the ring free, and broke her horn while I was at it."
Luna winced with sympathy. "I have had my horn broken before. It is a unique agony that I wish upon nopony."
Silver continued the tale, leading up to the diamond dog's assisted suicide against her retributive barrier, and her hasty pursuit of the small unicorn. Luna seemed pleased at the description of the pegasus daring to cross the ring of fire, and the quick punishment levied for the act. When the story was over, Luna set her hooves on Silver's shoulders. "Your story inflamed me with memories of old times, when a pony's worth was measured in valor and skill, not like today. I was a fool to not face my sister and battle her to the death to keep you."
Silver cringed back. "I don't want either of you hurt."
Luna snorted. "Instead you ran away from me, fled beyond my reach and left me with a freshly-shattered heart. I should have fought her. But that is in the past." She leaned in, pulling Silver closer. "Can you love me now?"
Silver answered with a kiss, and found himself growing against her, expanding in stature to fit her needs. This was her realm, and she shaped him effortlessly, fashioning for herself an alicorn worthy of being her partner. "Luna." Luna tilted her head a little. "You know this is a fantasy. When we wake up, I will be smaller, and female."
Luna prodded Silver in the chest. "Then use that clever mind of yours. Figure out the loophole I haven't, and become my prince. Twilight will thank you as well. She does not say it, but I have seen her dreams." Silver moved to object to hearing it, but Luna would not listen, silencing him with a hoof to his snout. "We are mates, you deserve to know. She burns with the desire of a mare, and you have been sorely lacking in this regard. She has fantasized about you climbing on her instead of making her do it. She wishes to be a mare, not a stallion."
Silver shrank with guilt. "Have I been forcing her?"
"Nay." Luna snorted. "You have requested, and she has accepted. This is her responsibility. I tell you simply what she lacks the bravery to do. She is quite pleased as a mare, as I am." She tilted her head a little. "Not that the thought has not occurred to me, to take you as a stallion and make you submit to me entirely. There is some romance to be had in the thought, but I would not be true to myself." She waved a hoof. "Come now, surely you have some burning flame left in you."
Silver sat up straight with a huff. "What about Cele--"
"Do not speak of her." Luna frowned. "Not here, not now. Here we are alone, together. I will speak of us. You are a princess, act like it. What do you think?"
Silver frowned with thought. "I met many lunar ponies today. They were quite happy to meet their lunar princess. I think it would hurt many of them if I threw it aside and demanded they know me as their lunar prince instead."
Luna grit her teeth. "To think of your subjects is indeed a noble sentiment. I cannot find fault in the basic thinking, but I do believe they would adjust. Moreover, you would become inspiration double more to all males of Equestria. No longer would they be told to be quiet and accept their fate to never even dream of rulership. Even if you never use the way you find, find it, for somepony else."
Silver circled around Luna, tail swaying. "Why are you so certain I can do it?"
"Why are you so certain you can't?" Luna let him circle, eyes looking forward. "You have been nothing but constant in your ability to surprise, to innovate, and do what others say you can't do. This would be something... Your spells so far are novel, but small. This would be history in the making."
Silver hopped up on Luna from behind, and talking stopped as they coupled. Silver enjoyed the act, and thought back to his times with Celine, though it felt like ages ago. After both were sated and warmly snuggled in one another's grasp, he bit gently at her neck with his fangs. "Does it bother you that the lunar ponies seem to regard me as 'their' princess?"
Luna shook her head slowly. "Nay. You are their princess. I am their queen. Though we don't use the term aloud, I can see it in their eyes. I must depart, my prince of the night. Think on what I have said, and watch over yourself. I would not wish to hear you were injured by your lessers."
Luna was gone, and Silver surrendered to his own dreams, feeling in dire need of true sleep, but instead of finding his own dream, he found Twilight's, and fell into it to find Twilight snout-deep in a book, studying frantically. "There must be a way..."
There was a chalk board by her, covered in wild scrawled notes. Through the magic of dreams, Silver knew it was a half-formed spell meant to somehow take the essence of what made a princess and make it a prince. Was Luna telling the truth? Was this something Twilight wanted so badly? Silver approached the board and looked it over up and down before he felt his talent taking hold. A few mistakes seemed clear, and he reached out, smudging out a few things, adding a few other things. The spell 'felt' right, and Silver nodded with satisfaction before yawning widely with fatigue.
Twilight turned to the sound, but didn't see Silver. She did see the formula and squinted at it. "But... of course... Why didn't I see it before!" She awoke suddenly, and Silver was hurled onto a lily pad roughly, whimpering in pain. He slowly crawled to his hooves and dragged himself to his own dreams, managing to collapse and get the rest he desperately desired.
Silver awoke to Twilight shaking her vigorously. "Silver! Wake up! You have to see this."
Silver sat up with a sharp headache and blurry vision as a book was shoved into her view. "I had a flash of inspiration while I was asleep and, look!"
Silver shook her head a little. "I'm too tired to look. All I see are a lot of arcane symbols. Give me the short version, Twilight, please."
Twilight pouted a little, though it turned into an irritated frown. "Ugh, fine. If this works, I could maybe turn you into a stallion. I could undo what was done to you, without taking away your princesshood."
Silver tried to shake out the mugginess as she thought back. "I... oh... Are you sure it'll work?"
Twilight shrugged. "How can I know until I try? You're the only alicorn I can think of to try this on. I don't want to be a stallion, and I don't think Luna, Celestia, or Cadance is in a rush."
Silver flopped against Twilight. "Alright, well... let's think on it. We shouldn't be trying this here and now anyway. We're at a convention, not safely at home." She drew up the covers and hid under them. "Don't wake me up until it's time to go sign things."
Rainbow perked an ear. "Would that work on anypony? Is it reversible?"
Twilight snorted. "No, it's intimately bound to the way magic works in alicorns... why?"
"No reason." Rainbow looked away. "Just curious."
Twilight tilted her head at Rainbow. "There are easier ways for a mare that's not a princess."
"You don't say? Fascinating..." Rainbow affected boredom, trying to sound uninterested, but failing to throw Twilight off.
"Isn't it? Silver showed it to me, and she learned it by watching Fast Change, along with a few educated guesses and intuitive leaps."
Rainbow rolled onto her side. "Well, how would a not-unicorn do that, you know, out of curiosity..."
Twilight frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose the easiest way would be an imbued heart crystal. If the spell was put on one, then whatever mare wore it, bang."
Rainbow tapped her hooves together. "Oh, huh, that sounds kinda complicated."
Twilight shook her head. "Not at all. I could do that."
Rainbow waved a hoof at Twilight. "Nuh uh. I bet you couldn't do that, especially without your castle full of stuff."
Twilight ruffled her feathers. "I could too! Get me a heart crystal and I'll prove it to you." She puffed her chest out. "As if I need a full laboratory for a basic enchantment."
Rainbow rolled over onto her hooves and trotted towards the door. "OK, well, if you want to make yourself look silly..." She slipped out and a grin split her face. Maybe Applejack would forgive her letting Twilight go after all...
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Did Rainbow just play Twilight into solving the AppleDash issue without having Twilight in on the details?
5972859 Maybe!
Rainbow playing Twilight was the best part of this chapter.
Remember that time you got Rainbow to prove she could clear the clouds in 10 seconds flat? This is payback for that.
hum it is looking as if Twilight may find her stallion after all or sort of in that Silver kind of gave her the right push in her dream.
R D just who are you thinking of riding hard and putting away wet. would you be thinking of one apple farmer?
Harts Fire
Silver "rested her head on a pillow."
There are two spaces between "stop" and "if."
A specific title like this should be capitalized, "Prince of the Night."
As "well-proportioned" as they may be.
Her heart was "freshly-shattered."
5973150
If it's anyone else, we're in for quite the twist!
5973250 Dreams are no excuses for typos! Fixed.
I'm terribly amused by Luna overthrowing Celestia so she and Silver can be King and Queen and rule with an iron horseshoe. :) Though I expect it will be a much more friendly process than all of that.
i wood like to say how much I am enjoying this story. You have a new chapter every day. I do like the direction this story is going.
When Rainbow Dash git her enchantment, will she be able to impregnate Applejack and did not Princess Celestia not want this spell to be use by the normal pony's?
Dragonfox
5973357 She didn't. But she told Luna that, not Twilight. She thought (incorrectly) that Twilight wouldn't spread the word of that kind of spell much and was relatively harmless. Not that Twilight is shouting it from the rooftops, but one pair of mares did hear.
5973287 So the issue of Silver's physical sex - and attendant gender identity - are suddenly back in play. The major issue I have with this isn't that it keeps getting rehashed without any resolution (though that is a bit tiresome at this point), but that we honestly have no idea what Silver thinks of this.
That, more than anything, is my bone of contention about this entire issue, from day one. I simply can't assume that transcending issues of sexuality and gender identity is done as quickly, or as easily, as Silver seems to have done. The only hints of pathos that she's had in this regard are with being "gay" - that is, feeling attracted to, and having sex with, stallions - and while that part was handled comparatively well, everything else has largely been shrugged off in a manner that all but defines "too easy."
The consequence of this is that I don't have a very good idea how Silver feels about the idea of reclaiming her manhood. Luna even asked Silver point-blank what she thought of this, and Silver avoided answering, speaking instead to what it would do to her subjects' view of her. It's easy to see why Luna was gritting her teeth even as she (begrudgingly) praised Silver's consideration for the public's feelings on the matter; that's an evasion, as much as it is a legitimate concern.
To summarize, in terms of her sex/gender: what does Silver want?
This is all leaving aside the sheer plethora of issues that this is going to bring up. For one thing, what will this do to Tumble? He just got over Silver because he had to, not because he wanted to, and started a romance with Fast. But that's all going to change, because if Silver is an alicorn male, I can guarantee you that the entire impetus that made Fast want to be a stallion in the first place - that there were so many attractive, pregnant mares around brought out Fast's masculine side - will be undercut. With that gone, Fast will likely revert to a more feminine mindset, and body, which means that Tumble will be bereft again...unless, of course, Silver can maintain having "evolved beyond" caring about what's "gay" and what's not, and is finally willing to start a male/male romance with Tumble.
Oh, and remember what I just said about "pregnant mares"? Has Twilight considered what this will do to the unborn foal that's living within Silver? It's entirely possible that this won't affect that at all, but somehow that seems unintuitive - male bodies simply aren't built to house another life, and it seems natural to suppose that that restriction extends to the metaphysical aspects of masculinity as well. Hopefully Silver will be very sure to take that into account.
I'm also slightly nervous about how this will change Silver's relationship with Celestia. That's because she tipped her hoof with regards to wanting children before with her comment to Twilight, but we know from her dream that Celestia's at least somewhat heterosexual, even if she does want Twilight physically as well. Throw in Celestia's distaste for that "stallion bits" spell, and I'm suddenly curious if Celestia will start wondering about whether or not Silver (whom she is technically "married" to thanks to their circle) would be willing to stud for her and Twilight. Heck, while it's not likely, Cadance might even consider this, since otherwise she can't have any children of her own. When you're the only male of your kind - or at least the only fertile male of your kind - you're suddenly going to be a lot more popular with the women.
Of course, Silver's already popular with Luna as it is. It was nice to see that call-back to how Silver's battles turn Luna on, and especially nice that she was the one who brought up that she misses Silver's masculinity. However, there was something else that she didn't say, but that I was very cognizant of: for all her talk of having put aside any machinations regarding Silver, I can't find it within myself to believe that Luna has overlooked that Silver's role is to be a progenitor of lunar unicorns, and being a male with a herd is the perfect way to do that. In other words, this is her chance to revive her original plan...revive and expand on it. After all, any progeny that she has with Silver would be lunar alicorns, to say nothing of getting Twilight (or even Celestia? Though I doubt Luna wants that) pregnant.
It's also nice that Luna pointed out that Twilight is, at her core, cisgendered and heterosexual. Poor Twilight would never have said so herself, even when she was pushing that "return to being male" spell, and Silver isn't quite as empathetic as she wants to believe she is. As such, it was good of Luna to speak up in that regard.
Having said all of that, there's another aspect to this entire twist that I like quite a bit, which is the idea that Silver has taken the long way to get where she's supposed to have arrived at. In other words, that Silver's entire adventure in femininity was always leading to this, to her becoming the first male alicorn. If you look at this in the light of being one long, incredible journey to finally reach this destination, then the entire thing takes on a very epic light, rather than being a series of chaotic happenstances.
Insofar as Rainbow playing Twilight goes, it was amusing, but also easy to believe. After all, Twilight has no idea whatsoever that Rainbow would be interested in this for anything other than idle curiosity, so her naivete is eminently plausible. That said, it's also going to cause trouble; does Twilight not realize that this spell is illegal now? I know Silver does, and yet she's not speaking up, which is arguably even worse. Twilight may not get in trouble for casting this spell - as was mentioned when she insisted she be tried before, alicorns have sovereign immunity - but Rainbow Dash isn't going to be so lucky, especially since ignorance of the law is no excuse. Celestia will not stand for her laws being flouted, especially since that would severely undercut the symbolic importance of having a male alicorn to begin with!
Another big change is upon Silver...what will she do?
5973364 Ha ha! I see a typo! You put Twilight twice instead of Rainbow the second time.
OK, moving right along past that. Twilight is not aware of its illegality, and neither is Rainbow. Silver you're being harsh on because Silver hid under the covers and went back to half-sleep with a splitting headache and was not part of their chat that brought it up.
Hint: Someone nudged Silver into Twilight's dream, and her name may or may not rhyme with woona.
Spoilerific hint: This is much closer to Silver's true 'kingdom', much like Twilight is the princess of friendship and Cadance has love.
What does Silver want? It's a good question. What if Silver wasn't sure what Silver wanted? It's time he/she looked deep in a mirror and decided. But you are right that, in either event, they would not proceed until their foal was assuredly safe from harm. Father or mother, that foal is not to be neglected or harmed.
What about Tumble, and Fast? Oh the drama it could unleash indeed. It's unlikely Fast would be upset. She enjoyed being plowed as much as doing the plowing, even if she still has little interest in baring foals, but she may be a little pouty that she never gets to put one in Silver. She'll likely recover if this road is gone down. Tumble is a far stickier mess to deal with. If Silver embraces Tumble as a male, that would be the last barrier they have left in that arena, putting Silver up there with Fast for pansexuality.
Phew! And to think, nopony got hurt today, yay! Well, mostly. Silver's head's a bit achey.
5973430
D'oh! Fixed now.
5973446 Congratulations on being caught up! Did we ever think this day would come?
5973430 Silver may have been asleep when Twilight and Rainbow were conspiring to make a heart crystal that can "equip" a mare as a stallion, but she's going to find out eventually. Even if she's not there when Twilight casts the spell, Silver is too close to both of them for it not to be mentioned in her presence, especially since both of them don't know it's a criminal act. When that happens, Silver's going to have to bring the hammer down.
I would question why that spell's updated legal status wasn't made more public...but that does make sense. After all, the best way to rein something in is for most people not to know that it exists in the first place. Hence, it makes sense for Celestia not to post flyers all over Canterlot saying "anypony caught with a spell to turn a mare into a stallion will be arrested," since that'd create a black market incredibly fast.
On another note, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that if Silver does become a male alicorn, it will be inevitable that he'll end up impregnating all four female alicorns. It simply can't be helped. Luna and Twilight already want it, and Celestia has dropped hints (albeit one very subtle one) with wanting to be a mother...she might still want that with Twilight, but circumstantial evidence is that neither of them would be completely comfortable with that, even if they might still do it.
Most intriguing to consider, however, is Cadance. I mentioned before that she might want to have Silver stud for her and Shining Armor, but the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that she will, even if that does put a strain on her marriage. The reason for that is that Cadance is the Princess of Love, and (to hear it said) there's no greater love than that of a mother for her child. While I expect that Cadance is trying to sublimate those feelings into her work (e.g. "all of the crystal ponies are my children"), that's not the same, and I think that she would know that.
More than any other alicorn, I think that Cadance would want to be a mother. Feeling her child growing within her, bringing it into the world, feeding it her milk, watching its first steps, hearing its first words...watching it grow up. That's the one kind of love that Cadance won't be able to get any other way. Moreover, as a mortal, she's on a limited time-frame. Even if her alicorn status keeps her physical in the prime of her life before she passes away, that's still not very long (especially if she wants to watch her child grow). If it doesn't, and she experiences senescence, then she probably has a decade or so before her fertility begins to decline.
(EDIT: Even more so, come to think of it, when Cadance sees Luna, Twilight, and even Celestia experiencing that with their own foals.)
The more I think about it, the more likely it seems that all of the alicorns are going to want what a (hypothetically) male Silver is going to be packing.
There is hope.
5973556 there is ALWAYS hope.
5973262
in the words of bigmack eeeyyyyeeeepppp
5973364
I find this issue an amusing contrast with my own protagonist, though not well enough portrayed in my own writing. As Daniel Holden has changeling magic and a changeling partner, the ability to switch genders physically, especially just temporarily in the bedroom, and I know he would be tempted to experiment. Changing his gender identity publicly would be a challenge, but as someone who frequently changes his public identity anyways, and has access to changeling mentor(s) to guide him on some of the finer points of shifting from male to female behavior, he is uniquely situated to pull it off.
But he won't even attempt it. Why? Because he is a "changeling king", a role he more or less made up, and is very cognizant of his need to differentiate himself from a changeling queen. He worries that the slope from fooling around in the bedroom to being pressured to spawn a sizeable brood might be a bit too slippery. So he holds onto his male identity with an iron grip, even though that means skipping out on some tempting experimentation.
Silver seems to be struggling a bit with the inverse, being a bit locked into her identity as a 'Princess', and uncertain about going down the path of being a 'Prince', something probably a bit less defined in their culture. But in its own way, that Prince role carries the same baggage as Daniel's Queen role: the expectation to produce children.
Never been a fan of Rainbow Blitz, but Applejack (R63 version) I would find interesting.
Let RD give a surprise gift to AJ without telling her it would make her a he. Commence hilarity!
rested
5973430
There's enough magical shenanigans going on in this story that Silver injecting that pseudo-spirit foal back into Twilight would not be a problem...
I mean, the question is really "why not?", and there's no good denial that I can think off. It would, in my opinion, be entirely appropriate.