Harry Potter and the Prancing of Ponies

by The Guy Who Writes

Chapter 7: Plans for the Future

"How did it go?" Silver Wing asked the instant Mr. Book appeared in the room with a pop.

"Whoa!" Spike said, clapping his hands. "Great trick! How'd you do that?"

"Obliviate," said Mr. Book, wand aimed at an open eye after a circular movement.

Spike shook his head slightly, getting rid of the standard feeling of disorientation, then said, "Ugh... the bat pony? When did you get back?"

"Just now," said Mr. Book, lowering his empty hoof to the ground. "To answer your question, Mr. Silver, it was extremely cliché, with a storybook ending. A children's storybook ending."

"You don't sound all that upset about it," Silver observed.

"I may have discovered a thing or two of interest along the way," Mystery said mildly. "And made one of three. How went your research?"

"Terrible," said Spike. "We didn't find anything on Nightmare Moon!"

"Somnium," said Silver Wing. "It went well. I read a lot about this world, and some of it hinted to what's really going on."

"Such as?"

"The unofficial pegasus capital city is called Cloudsdale. The unofficial earth pony capital – that's what they're called, by the way, 'earth' ponies – is a city called Manehatten. The whole planet is called Equus. 'Earth' here is just synonymous for soil. And the unicorn capital, which doubles as the Equestrian capital, is a city called Canterlot."

"I agree that Canterlot and Manehattan are too contrived to be coincidence," Mr. Book pointed out the unsaid inference. "You think this hints to our predicament?"

"I think the mirror brought this world into existence as a strange reflection of ours. It would explain why they speak English here, rather than some horse-like language, like Equish or something. You said the mirror can create worlds, right?"

"I said it is theorised the mirror can create worlds," said Mystery Book, levitating the sleeping form of the dragon to a nearby couch. "Even if it can, I do not see how a world like this could possibly fulfill either of our wishes. Unless..." the thestral's eyes narrowed. "Unless, deep down, you've always wished to live in a world full of colourful ponies."

"Can't say that I have," said Silver Wing said, taking the rhetorical accusation seriously, just in case. "Maybe a super-advanced world of galaxy exploration, or a comic book world with super-powers, or a fantasy world with magic... but I already got that last one when I got my acceptance letter, and I don't think this qualifies as one of the other two. My imagination never had much interest in ponies. Well, perhaps ponies as pack mules, but that was the most they mattered to any of my fantasy worlds."

Mystery Book sighed. "What else did you discover?"

"You remember that mountain where you built our hideout?"

A raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, Canterlot is on top of that mountain. We couldn't see it from our perspective, but it's there, on the other side."

Mystery Book brought a hoof to what would have been the bridge of his nose if he were human. "Naturally."

"Other than that, I mostly read up on pony magic. Unicorns are the only ponies that can cast spells, like you guessed earlier. Pegasi can magically interact with the air and weather, like I guessed earlier. And earth ponies have magic that help them grow plants. Only... that last one might not be right. The books don't mention anything about seers or a 'sixth sense'. It could be that we just got unlucky, that the three earth ponies that sensed us were anomolies... but I've been noticing a trend in these books, which were all written by unicorns. Most of the authors tend to subtly or not-so-subtly put the other races down. It wouldn't surprise me if the scholars of this world – who, again, are all unicorns – completely failed to research the magic of earth ponies, who they put down the most. At least with pegasi you've got some obvious magic going on, so unicorns were interested enough to investigate, and not be too disrespectful. But with earth ponies, it's entirely possible they don't even have plant magic in the first place. There's no proof offered, no experiments, just the basic assertion that all farmers are earth ponies. There aren't even any recorded examples of unicorns or pegasi trying to become farmers, so the 'plant magic' thing could just be a massive assumption that nobody... nopony questions."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Mr. Book agreed. "Did you find anything on thestrals?"

"Very little," said Silver Wing. "I saw a single diagram in the anatomy section of a medical book, but that didn't say anything about culture. The most useful book I found described thestral diets, sleep cycles, and social habits. You're omnivorous, nocturnal loners. I learned Hollow Shades is the only known thestral town from an atlas. But that was it, really. Thestrals normally stick to themselves, so there isn't that much information on them. Your race is really rare, apparently. Less than one percent of the overall population. On that note, earth ponies compose the majority of the pony population at sixty percent, unicorns come next at twenty-five percent, and pegasi come in last at fifteen percent."

"Locations and likelihood of encounter?"

"Your typical earth pony city will have enough pegasi for a weather team and a post office. Other than that, they rarely leave Cloudsdale. And unicorns can be found everywhere. Just... not as often as earth ponies."

"How big is the country?" Mr. Book inquired. "As big as Britain?"

"Bigger." Silver thought for a moment. "I don't know how big, exactly. I think it's somewhere between the size of central Europe and the US."

"And the planet as a whole?"

"Unknown," said Silver Wing. "The world isn't fully explored. Manifest destiny isn't a pony priority. They're content to live out their lives where they are. 'Peace and Harmony', and all that. If you're asking for the planet's literal size, at a guess... actually, no. I'm not going to guess. I don't have a reference frame to guess. It's not like I can measure anything in meters. They use feet as measurements here, but it would be ridiculously lucky for their feet to match our feet, and there's nothing from our world I can use to compare-"

"One moment." The thestral summoned his wand. "Thirteen and a half inches, yew, with a core of phoenix feather. Will this do, Mr. Silver?"

"No," said Silver Wing. "I already thought of that. If my cloak was mirror-modified to cover a pony form, our wands might have been adjusted to fit our new sizes too."

The thestral dismissed his wand. "I suppose."

"Anyway, the important thing is the planet's unexplored. If we can't find a way out of the mirror in Equestria, we might have to kickstart the industrial revolution and get the ball rolling on satellites and a space program so we can get a good and proper look at the rest of this world."

"Do you have enough knowledge to do that, Mr. Silver? Your books did not come with you."

"True," Silver shrugged, "but I do understand the fundamental thought patterns that led to those discoveries being made in the first place. I understand the methods of rationality, and I understand the general principles behind the biggest advancements. I don't have to do everything myself, I just need to get the ball rolling, like I said earlier. Which means going down one of two routes."

Mystery Book listened curiously.

"Business is the direct route: make practical advances by creating products, selling them, and letting the competition of the market take over after that. We could amass a good amount of bits – this world's currency – by selling successful businesses, then we could reinvest those bits in other promising businesses. Problem is, I don't know this world's rules. If it follows different physical laws, I might be out of luck. It's possible not even a hundreth of the ideas that worked for humans will work for ponies."

Mr. Book nodded. "Indeed. Your other approach?"

"The education system. But it would be... indirect. And annoying. I don't think the unicorn professors would take a pegasus or a thestral all that seriously. And even if they did, I'd have to publish 'discoveries' and hope that eventually a business or the government sees it and finds practical applications."

"I take it you are considering entrepreneurship over scholarship?"

"That's the other problem," sighed Silver Wing. "I'm only a child- er, a colt. Oh, and Spike didn't bat an eye when I said I'm eleven, so ages might be comparable. Anyway, I don't have any starting capital, so I can't fund myself, and just like unicorns won't take a pegasus seriously, investors won't take a colt seriously, especially a penniless one."

"Is this really all that important, Mr. Silver?" Mr. Book asked. "Revolutionising this world's technology will, in all likelihood, not be a prerequisite for our release from the mirror." Then the thestral's tone darkened. "And considering what advanced technology can bring about, do you truly think it wise to pursue it?"

"As wise as pursuing ancient, lost magic," said Silver Wing with a shrug. "Which can ruin entire countries, according to you. Nuclear weapons only destroy cities."

"...Fair point. In that case what are the benefits to pursuing nuclear weapons?"

"It's all how you use it," Silver answered confidently. "The scientists who fueled fission bombs also fueled the economy that built the pioneer probes. There's nuclear bombs, but there are also nuclear power-plants."

"I see," Mr. Book said, seeming to accept the argument. "But the point is mostly moot. If you do not believe your approaches will work at your age, what will you be doing in the near future?"

"Researching until the local summer break ends. If there even is summer break here. Long breaks are bad for learning, and ponies might be sufficiently smarter than humans to realise that and design their education system accordingly. If there isn't a summer break, I'm going to Cloudsdale and learning how to be a pegasus, probably. At least for a few months."

Mr. Book's eyebrows furrowed. "Why? That is not conducive to your goals."

"I need to get my feet- er, my hooves off the ground somehow, and the self is usually a good place to start when it comes to discovery. Pegasi have magic, and it won't raise any red flags if I ask about it. I would have gone straight into researching unicorn magic, but..."

"But you are looking for powerful magics," finished Mr. Book. "And even the restricted section on the other side would not have contained the secrets necessary for you to achieve your ambition. It might have contained a hint, if you were lucky. The odds that this library will suffice are slim to none, and a child... a colt won't be allowed access to more powerful knowledge."

"Pretty much," Silver nodded. "On that front, my best bet is actually right here; Twilight Sparkle might let me read some advanced material if I ask politely."

"Why go to school at all when you would prefer research?"

"Twilight probably won't let me stay in the library all day. She'll ask why I'm not in school."

"Correct. Why not pretend to go to school?"

"I could lie," said Silver, now realising it was Socratic inquiry, not just curiosity on Mr. Book's part, "but that's bound to fall through eventually. I figure I can bite the bullet and attend public school for a few weeks. Or months, depending on how long it takes you to get the stone to work, or find a plausible alternative."

"And why Cloudsdale? Why not the school here in Ponyville? A shorter commute would guarantee more time to research."

"I'd rather go somewhere I have a chance of actually learning something," Silver said with a hint of frustration at his memory of public school. "I'll let you know if I encounter anything interesting about pegasus magic. I'll leave the unicorns to you."

"In that case," said Mr. Book, "I have placed a trace on your wand. Cast Mahasu if you wish to speak with me about our mutual endeavour. Cast a green Lumos if you are in deadly danger. Cast a red Lumos if you otherwise need urgent help. Having even a rudimentary form of instant communication will be helpful. For lessons, come to our base during my office hours. You still remember them, yes?"

"Yup," Silver Wing nodded, then hesitated. "Actually, could you write that alarm system down?"

A paper flew off a nearby shelf, and letters began appearing on the page.

When he received the note, Silver said, "So I've told you my plan. What's yours?"

"First, I am taking your broomstick rods and pouch for temporary safekeeping, lest the Element of Magic discovers them."

"Element of Magic?"

"Further, I am charming Miss... Book would have been a more fitting name for her than me. I am charming Ms. Memory's current form, such that transfiguration sickness shall be less of a factor if our efforts take longer than suspected. Thiss iss not a lie. No trickss. Cassting sspellss to give her besst chance of revival and further ssurvival. Nothing more. What material did you choose for her stasis form?"

"Tungsten."

"Well chosen," Mr. Book said in a complimentary tone. "Even a force great enough to break your leg will likely not damage that. Nor should it warp under ordinary heat, or rust after rain."

"You know about Tungsten?"

"You mentioned that metal as one which could contain a dementor. You did so in January. I began researching science mid-April. It is now mid-June."

"Ah... right... but wait, you still haven't answered my question. What's your overall plan?"

Mr. Book's eyes darted to the library door. They returned to Silver. He grinned. "Magic."

He vanished.

"That's not an answer!" Silver Wing said to the empty space where the thestral had been.

"Spike!" The oaken door slammed open. "Spike! You'll never guess what happened!"

Spike, asleep at the moment, did not respond.

Twilight Sparkle paused when she saw Silver staring at her. "Um, where's Spike?"

"Sleeping on the couch," he answered honestly.

Twilight went to the couch. "Stayed awake all night trying to help, didn't he?"

"Yup," said Silver, still not lying.

"My little helper," she whispered with a smile. She used her magic to lift him on to her back. Then she turned to face Silver Wing, walked over, and gave him a nuzzle. "You too. You were a big help."

He tried not to recoil in discomfort. From the brief interactions he'd seen thus far, ponies were big on 'physical affection', and not just between family members. Not surprising from an evolutionary perspective, it just wasn't easy for a human mind to adjust so rapidly to the culture shock.

"I didn't do much," grumbled Silver Wing.

"Didn't do much?" Twilight asked, using her magic to nudge Silver. "Let's see. You stayed up all night looking after Spike."

She used her magic to help him walk up the stairs, which is something he never practiced in his new pony body. Luckily, Twilight just seemed to think his stumbling meant he was tired.

"You guarded the library."

When nudging didn't work, Twilight simply levitated him onto her back and continued walking.

"And you researched Nightmare Moon. I'd say that was a pretty big help."

"I know when I'm being condescended to, Ms. Sparkle," Silver yawned, too tired to bother with more careful wording. "The only thing I actually contributed was my correct guess that Nightmare Moon would return to the place she was defeated."

Twilight's eyes widened.

"And even that might not have mattered," Silver muttered. "You were probably going to go there anyway, since that's where the Elements were." He yawned again. "I need to raise the level of my game."

"You are a very silly colt," said Twilight in a motherly voice. "You don't need to worry about any of that. It's the grown-ups that need to worry. You should just be enjoying your colthood."

"Hard to do," said Silver Wing, eyes drooping closed, the full force of the all-nighter weighing on his consciousness, "when I don't have one."

---

"Is he asleep?" asked a voice from the library's central space as she descended the stairs.

"Yes," Twilight answered. She looked at the thestral who had claimed to be Silver's mentor. "We need to talk."

"About?"

"About Silver."

The thestral said nothing. He just stared at her, as if waiting for her to continue.

"You're his guardian, right?"

"For the time being."

That wasn't a promising answer. "Then would you mind explaining why he thinks he doesn't have a colthood?"

"That's private."

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "If you're doing anything to him-"

"I'm not," said the thestral. (Not anymore, he thought. My manipulations have mostly run their course.)

"Then why does he think he doesn't have a colthood anymore?" Twilight demanded. "I'm not letting this go without an answer."

The thestral frowned. "It is not time which matures a pony, Ms. Sparkle. Mr. Silver has experienced and overcome a great deal of tribulation – more than most adult ponies will ever face in their lifetimes. Those hardships have matured him beyond his colthood."

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "What kinds of hardships?"

"Mostly intellectual, but also some political, some military, and some emotional. Nothing sexual, nor anything physically damaging, if that's what you're asking."

Twilight took a few deep breaths. "And why did he have to face them?"

The thestral shook his head. "The answer to that question is directly related to the deaths of his parents."

Twilight gasped.

"And now you see why it is private. I suggest you do not bring this up with Mr. Silver, and in particular do not attempt to pity him. He would not take it well."

"But..." Twilight protested, "But there has to be something I can do to help!"

"There certainly is," said the thestral. "He wishes to go to Cloudsdale in the near future, Ms. Sparkle. Or at least attend school there. He might not mind sleeping in this library overnight. I suspect he would also appreciate the company of an intelligent unicorn who does not look down upon the other pony races."

Twilight's mouth opened, but her mind hiccupped and she faltered on what to say.

The thestral continued speaking. "For reasons that are once again private, he does not have any records. A bureaucrat's worst nightmare. But I understand that you have the ear of the monarch. If you wish to help, you could ease the annoyances that lie between him and his goals."

"O...kay..." said Twilight slowly. "Is that what you've been doing?"

"More or less," shrugged the thestral. "Look after him, but do not coddle him, and you will be surprised by what he can do."

"Um... okay..." said Twilight. "But why do I have to look after him? You're his-" and then Twilight's mouth snapped shut.

She finally understood where this was going.

"I am his mentor," said the thestral in a tone that might have been pride. "I am his equal, but also his superior. I am, perhaps, the only pony in the world who truly understands him, just as he is the only one who truly understands me, for the two of us are very similar in many ways. But I am not his parent, nor technically even his guardian. He had no one else, so I looked after him for a time. But I am not guardian material. Now that you are here, I can take my leave."

The thestral turned to do just that.

"Wait!" Twilight shouted. "You can't just- I can't just- I'm not a..."

"Yes, Ms. Sparkle?" the thestral said over his shoulder. "Wielder of the Element of Magic, student of Princess Celestia, vanquisher of Nightmare Moon. What aren't you?"

Twilight was speechless, her thoughts scattered and scared.

Such was her state of mind that she did not notice the door open obligingly, then close of its own accord, as if guided by a non-existent horn. All she perceived was the fact that Mr. Book had left. Probably for good.

"I'm not a mother," Twilight whispered to the empty library.

Sleep was hard to come by that night, despite the all-nighter. She busied herself with letters to the princess until she was too tired to write. And the small amount of sleep she did manage to get was interrupted by the hoof and voice of a colt.

"Twilight?"

"Mm?" she asked. "What? Who's there?"

"Silver Wing."

And all the memories of the previous night came rushing back.

"Silver!" she gasped, stood up, hugged him, and froze. She wanted to offer comfort, or at least her condolences, or something, but Mystery said Silver didn't like pity.

Unfortunately, she didn't know how else to handle what she'd learned. When a pony was hurting, you sympathized. That was just... the way things were. It was with a great sense of wrongness, then, like it was going against deeply-ingrained instinct, for her to say what she said next.

"Um... how did you sleep?" she asked, breaking the hug, but not broaching the most important thing.

"Well enough," shrugged the pegasus. "Do you know where Mr. Book is?"

"He-" Twilight's voice caught in her throat. "He didn't say where he was going."

"He didn't tell me, either," said the pegasus with a frown. Then he sighed. "I guess I can ask him during his office hours."

"Office hours?" Twilight tilted her head. "Is he a teacher?"

"He's my teacher," Silver said. "Or he was... well, I don't know. It's complicated. Long story short, he set up a way for us to meet and continue my lessons."

"What are you learning from him?"

"Magic," Silver said simply.

"Ah, pegasus magic," Twilight nodded. "And thestral magic too, I guess. Wait, is there a difference?"

"Don't know," he shrugged.

"But wait, didn't you want to learn pegasus magic at Cloudsdale?"

"Huh? How do you know- wait, he told you, didn't he?" Silver sighed. "That was... nice of him, I guess, to give that heads-up."

"He also said you don't have documentation?"

"Nope. Aren't I just a bundle of joy?"

Twilight's throat caught again.

"Something wrong?"

"No, Silver," she said, trying to steady herself. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Sure."

---

"You know," Silver Wing said as he munched on his pancakes. "When you offered breakfast, I thought you would be making it."

"Please," said Spike, apron around his waist. "She burns everything she touches."

"Spike!" said a scandalised Sparkle. "I do not!"

"Do too. You couldn't cook a meal if your life depended on it."

"I'm not that bad."

"Nope," said Spike. "You're worse."

"Spiiiike!"

"Twiliiiight!"

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!"

The dragon, chin thrust upward, returned to the kitchen.

Silver's thoughts were a bit scattered.

"So... is he your... um..." Don't say slave, don't say slave, don't say slave. "Your pet?"

"Who, Spike?" Twilight asked. "He's like my little brother. I hatched him from an egg when I was a filly, and we've been best friends ever since."

"You... hatched a dragon... from an egg..." Silver echoed. "Did... um..." you take that egg from- "what about his parents?"

Twilight's fork, encased in her horn's glow, paused mid-air. "You know," she said in a strange voice, "I never thought about that. I'll have to ask Princess Celestia what happened to them. I'm certain she wouldn't have stolen his egg."

"The princess was the one who had you hatch him?"

"Oh no, it was the proctors who did that."

"Proctors?"

"On my entrance exam."

Twilight's food was now forgotten on the table- a common symptom of first-year Ravenclaws who had not internalized the 'no talking at meal times' house rule. Silver made sure to eat his own as he listened.

"When I was trying to get into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, they had me hatch it for my entrance exam. Well, they had everypony try to hatch it. I was the only one who did." This was said with a touch of pride. "Since it's her school, I'm sure she knows where his egg came from." Twilight pulled a parchment from the top of a nearby shelf, already inked in with a dense message. She scribbled something at the bottom with a quill encased in her magic. "Spike, can you send this letter?"

"Sure, Twilight."

---

Dear Princess Celestia,

I didn't tell you about it in my first friendship report, but there are two other ponies who helped me during the Summer Sun Celebration. Before Nightmare Moon appeared at the town hall, they were the only ones who took me seriously. One was a thestral stallion, Mystery Book, the other was Silver Wing, a pegasus colt.

Mystery helped the most, but Silver helped too. Mystery told me to send that letter to you asking about the Elements of Harmony, and he went to the Castle of the Two Sisters to try to find them while I watched over the festival. Silver guessed that Nightmare Moon would return to the place she was vanquished, and he was right.

I don't know how to explain this... I'm still having trouble understanding it myself, but Silver isn't a normal colt. He talks like a unicorn professor, and he can read books WAY more intense than any colt his age, or any age, should be able to read, and the worst part is that he doesn't think he has a colthood anymore. Mystery said he had to grow up when he lost his parents.

Mystery also said he was acting as Silver's guardian because Silver had nopony else to look after him, and then Mystery told me he can't look after Silver anymore, and then he just left. He said I should be his new guardian. Well, I guess he didn't say it outright. He just said he's not guardian material. And honestly, I don't think he's wrong. I don't know how to put it, but I'm not sure if Mystery is a good pony or not. I can usually tell, but not with him.

Oh, but the important thing is that I'm going to become Silver's new guardian. I'm going to be a MOM! Sort of. Can you believe it? I can't believe it! But I'm also a little excited. Silver's a really good colt, Celestia. I talked to a few ponies at the party who were talking about 'that little colt who played along with Pinkie Pie's nicknames', and of course it was Silver.

Anyway, Silver wants to go to school in Cloudsdale, but he doesn't have any documents. Could you help?

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

P.S. Silver just asked me a good question. Do you know where Spike's egg came from?

Comments

[josue]

Need more

[Greenhorn]

This story is intriguing.

[Bobbles]

Fun fact: It was when I read this story's description that I finally said "oh why not?" and read through Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. That was quite a ride. You're doing a pretty decent job of emulating the original work's style, so I have no complaints there. I should point out though, that Twilight Sparkle idolizes Princess Celestia, and would never be able to bring herself to call her anything but Princess Celestia, at least not as a unicorn. If she'd shorten the address in an "informal" way, she would be Princess.

[keybounce]

More to love.

The whole "You know, I never asked where Spike's egg came from, I should ask that." bit.

The whole "We're unicorn supremacists, and we're just going to declare that earth ponies are plant magic, with no evidence other than small amounts of observation."

The very believable discussion between Mr. Book and Ms. Sparkle.

And of course, the friendship letter.

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

P.S. Silver just asked me a good question. Do you know where Spike's egg came from?

The show never really gets into that. In her origin (S6 Gauntlet of Fire) it is shown that the owner of the Dragon Sceptre controls all dragons. Later seasons it is revealed that the head dragon gathers all dragon eggs & hatches them in lava. No heat, no hatch.

Presumably, the current dragon lord (Torch) had control of the egg & gave it to the ponies (or it was stolen).

Also, male dragons (except Spike) are Total Jerks.

[isheepzu]

11597302
to be fair most of the Male Dragons shown are the equivalent of Mid-Teens(a stage that lasts a lot longer for dragons)...and let me tell you...Teen males are absolute Jerks...

[Poparakelis]

"I'm not a mother," Twilight whispered to the empty library.

Become one then

[Black--Soul]

This story has me booked, I am booked to read it next

Magnificent character developments and storylines.