Chapter 9: Friendship Meddling
When Twilight came to pick him up, she screamed exhaustion without saying a word. Some of her hair stood out at odd angles (was that a magical thing?), and her whole body sagged. And this was after she fell through the clouds immediately upon arrival, giving Silver something of a heart attack, but she teleported back quickly enough, cloud-walking spell in place. That the adrenaline from that experience didn't offset her fatigue said more than words ever could.
"Are you okay?" was what he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"I'm fine," said Twilight. "Just a little startled."
"I meant in general," said Silver. "Well, I mean, it's good you weren't hurt, of course, but... you don't seem like the kind of pony who forgets to cast a cloud-walking spell. Is something going on?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes," she said in a tired voice. She teleported them to the library, to the scene of five ponies in various states of surprise. "This is going on."
"Hi Silver!" said Pinkie Pie, "Hi Twilight! Guess what? I've thought up even more party ideas for the GGG! Wanna hear?"
"The GGG?" Silver asked.
"Grand Galloping Gala, silly! It's the biggest party in Equestria!"
Silver, though he was currently focused on Pinkie, was peripherally cognizant of the four other ponies pestering Twilight.
"Uh huh..." he said slowly. "Remind me what that is, again?"
The white unicorn in the room, upon hearing that someone didn't know about this particular aspect of pony culture, immediately swooped in, swapping places with Pinkie. "You know, the Grand Galloping Gala?" She intoned it as if asking about a bird or a tree, something literally everyone should know about. "Held in Canterlot Castle? Hosted by the princess? Surely you've heard of it, darling. Why, everypony in Equestria is dying to get in. It's been the talk of the town all day."
Gee, I wonder why, Silver thought, his brain beginning to put the pieces together. "I've been at school all day," he said aloud, even as he formalized the logic.
Twilight is Princess Celestia's personal student.
Princess Celestia hosts the Grand whatever.
He's overheard the phrase 'extra ticket' multiple times by this point.
Extra Ticket.
Not Tickets.
One extra ticket.
Five friends.
Therefore...
"I take it this is why Twilight forgot to cast the cloud-walking spell when she came to pick me up?"
"She/You WHAT?!" shouted the white unicorn and cyan pegasus in unison. The other three just gasped.
"I'm fine," Twilight said after the ensuing injury inspection. "It was just a simple mistake. No harm done."
"It is not simple, darling. You could have been seriously hurt falling from that height, perhaps even killed. You must be more careful."
"It's okay," said Twilight. "Really."
"Unless I miss my guess," said Silver, "she normally is that careful. For some reason or other, she was extremely distracted. To the point where it harmed her mental health." He narrowed his eyes at the culprits. "Would someone care to explain how, exactly, that happened?"
What followed was, in the opinion of Silver's Inner Critic, an extremely clichéd scene of sorrow, apologies, forgiveness, and a humble ending of self-sacrifice. Not that returning tickets to a party was much of a sacrifice.
Shut up, thought Silver. 'Clichéd' and 'bad' aren't the same thing. The emotion is there, it's positive, and it's genuine. That's all that matters. Do you WANT to end up like Mr. Book?
What followed was, in the opinion of Silver's Inner Confessor, an extremely wholesome scene of sorrow, apologies, and forgiveness, in which Twilight Sparkle chose her friends over the country's biggest and most renowned party. A significant sacrifice, by pony standards.
Better.
Brief note: Historically speaking, the term "Devil's Advocate" describes the guy that was supposed to find the flaws in potential pope candidates. Most of you probably know that. What some of you might NOT know is that there was also someone who did the opposite. The one who pointed out the pope's VIRTUES was called the "Confessor of Faith". Or at least, that's one of the modern translations of the title.
That's where the term "Inner Confessor" comes from. It was either that or "Inner Fan" to oppose the Inner Critic. I haven't decided if it'll be a repeat inner-voice or not. I've already fallen behind on his inner Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw voices, so who knows. Still, "Inner Fan" didn't sound right, and I couldn't think of anything else.
History lesson over. Proceed.
"Have you tried asking for more tickets?" Silver suggested long after the other five Elements of Harmony had left. He'd timed it carefully, asking the question just as Twilight wrote her letter to the princess.
"More tickets?" Twilight asked, almost appalled. "No, Silver. Even two is too much. Most ponies go their whole lives without attending."
"And some ponies go every year," Silver countered. "Twilight, think about it. Celestia is the princess and the host. She has to have more. If she doesn't, she could make more. I bet if you explain the situation, she'll let all your friends go. In fact, I'm surprised they aren't already invited. You know, being the Elements of Harmony and all."
Twilight's quill came to a stop. Her face seemed surprised, then considering. "That's... actually... no. No. I've already decided. I'm not asking for any extra tickets, and I'm returning these two."
"Then just add the question as a post-script?" Silver asked. "Say it wasn't your idea. Say that you're not asking for extra tickets, but if there happen to be four more lying around, there are a few ponies who would be very appreciative if the tickets happen to find their way to Ponyville..." Silver trailed off.
Twilight looked at the letter for a long moment.
The quill continued writing.
"Okay, Silver. I'll ask. But only because my friends really want to go."
Later that night, Silver was startled out of reading by a tap on his shoulder. He spun around, wondering who on Equus had snuck up on him so quietly.
"It's for you," said Spike, holding a letter in his claws.
Silver looked at it, wondering if letter-bombs were a thing here.
"Um..."
Then he wondered why his paranoia was activating now of all times. Then he noticed that he was finally getting mail from someone other than his parents for the first time in ever. Then he realised that his mail was no longer being prevented from reaching him by a protective mysterious old wizard. And then...
"Do you want it?" Spike asked.
"Who's it from?" his mouth asked automatically.
"Princess Celestia."
Silver continued staring at the letter.
Why would a country's ruler want to contact him less than three days after she knew about him? Then again, Dumbledore, the closest thing Magical Britain had to a ruler, did set up a hero/wise-old-wizard meeting on the fourth day of school. And that was after mentioning him the night of his sorting.
"Uh... you want me to open it for you?" Spike asked.
"I can do it my-" Silver stopped short. Remembered where he was. Remembered he had hooves. "Actually, go ahead. But please don't read it."
"Twilight lets me read hers."
"I'm not Twilight."
Fourteen seconds and one disgruntled Spike later...
Dear Silver Wing,
Please accept this as my thanks for your suggestion about the Gala tickets. In the future, however, please do not attempt to influence Twilight's decisions about friendship. The lessons that occur in Ponyville are important for the future of Equestria, for the Elements of Harmony, and most importantly, they are important for Twilight.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
Silver looked at the letter, trying to understand it. Trying to understand the reasoning. The motive.
Why would Princess Celestia take time out of her probably busy schedule to send this? Why was she writing an eleven-year-old colt and telling him to stay out of Twilight's 'friendship' business? Was Twilight Sparkle this world's equivalent to the boy-who-lived? Did the Element of Magic have some big, prophesied destiny or something?
When an immortal monarch went this far, it made you wonder. When the Supreme Mugwump of the Wizengamot had taken an hour out of his day to meet and mess with the boy-who-lived, it should have made Silver wonder about motives then. He wasn't about to make that mistake this time.
Silver left his chair in search of that book about prophecies, the one Twilight used to predict Nightmare Moon's return. It might mention something about the destinies of the Elements of Harmony. He didn't have his hopes up though.
The "GGG" ticket that had come with the letter laid mostly ignored on the table.
Twilight Sparkle looked at the package which had just been put in her mailbox, but not by the typical cross-eyed gray mare responsible for Ponyville's mail.
Express delivery from Cloudsdale?
She took the envelope inside, opened it, and quickly skimmed the attached letter.
Salutations Twilight Sparkle,
These are the test results and school schedule for Silver Wing, the colt under your care.
Sincerely,
Superintendent Flight Formation
Silver's test results?
Twilight couldn't help herself.
But vegetables before sweets.
Schedule first.
Beginning Next Week:
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM Flight and Weather Tutoring
10:05 AM – 10:55 AM Social Studies
11:00 PM – 11:30 PM Lunch
11:35 PM – 12:25 PM Creative Course (Art/Music/Gym/Library/Free period)
12:30 PM – 3:00 PM Independent Study
This... didn't make much sense. Where was math and science and language?
Twilight didn't look forward to calling up the school over a clerical error, but that had apparently just been added to the top of her to-do list.
Well, almost the top.
She opened the rest of the package, careful not to tear anything.
She felt her jaw fall lower and lower as she read Silver's test results, first in confusion and anger (who could have let a pegasus go flightless for so long?), then in a disbelieving and speechless sort of shock.
Flight Class – 1st Grade Level
Weather Class – 1st Grade Level
Social Studies – 6th Grade Level
Reading – 12th Grade Level
Language – 12th Grade Level
Math – Above 12th Grade Level
Science – Above 12th Grade Level.
The last one in particular produced a warm feeling in her heart. There was a note from the teacher that one of his answers had impressed a Manehatten Tech professor, and that was ON TOP of a perfect score.
Even though she wasn't his actual mother and shouldn't be proud of something she hadn't helped him to accomplish, she couldn't help it.
"Silver?" she called out, hoping Silver wasn't in his room.
"Yeah?" came a voice from behind one of the library's shelves.
She shouldn't feel proud about that either. She wasn't the one who taught this young colt to have a love for knowledge and books.
"I'm going to Sugarcube Corner. Would you like to come with me?"
But she felt proud nonetheless. He deserved some sort of reward for a job well done.
"No," said Silver.
Her heart suddenly sank. "Why not?"
"I've been reading up on proper nutrition. Apparently, pegasi need to avoid sugar if we want to build up strong wing muscles."
Her heart lifted again when she realized it wasn't her he was avoiding, it was the bakery. "Okay, how about Paneighra Bread?"
"Actually, I should be avoiding carbs in general. Raw fruits are fine. Vegetables are preferred. But bread and sweets are a no-go." She heard a groan. "Optimising my diet is going to take all the fun out of eating. But then, I guess that's the point."
Twilight Sparkle sighed. Once again, she had to remind herself that she wasn't dealing with an ordinary colt... or even much of a colt at all.
So, if food was off the table, how could she reward him for his performance?
Again, she felt that maybe she shouldn't be thinking that way. They were only placement tests. But this would be a good exercise for the future, for her own skills as a caretaker.
How could she congratulate a colt who couldn't be tempted by sweets?
Come to think of it, why were sweets the first thing that came to her mind? That'd be a bad precedent to set. She should reward him with something he can use. Silver would appreciate that much more than a cupcake.
Many ideas came to mind when she thought along those lines... but most of them weren't good.
She couldn't really offer him books; everything she could think he might like was already in the library.
So how about...
Dear Rarity,
Do you remember Silver? He did really well on his placement tests for school, and I wanted to get him something special. Could you help me?
-Twilight
P.S. High Rarity! -Spike
Meet me at the spa at 3:00. You are going to tell me ALL about it. Hi, Spike!
-Rarity
"Clothes shopping?" asked a young voice with only a very slight sigh.
Rarity had gotten good enough at reading young colts to know that he probably felt a lot more disappointment than he was letting on.
"No, darling!" said her dramatic voice from behind a curtain, which soon parted to reveal a row of useful accessories. And herself, of course. "Saddlebag shopping!"
"Oh," said Silver Wing, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of the many different sizes, colors, and shapes of backpacks. "I take it back. That's actually interesting."
"Then clothes shopping."
Silver groaned.
Twilight and Rarity exchanged giggles. Even if Twilight says he rarely acts like it, it seems he is a young colt after all.
"Pick whichever you like," Rarity gestured to the display.
"Are they bigger on the inside than on the outside?" Silver asked politely, opening the main compartment of one of the bags and peeking inside.
"Beg pardon, darling?"
"Nevermind," said Silver, closing the pouch and examining another one.
"Bigger on the inside than on the outside," said Twilight Sparkle, eyes distant. "Bigger on the inside than on the outside," she said again.
"Oh now you've done it."
"Done what?" Silver asked, only to be met with the sight of a purple pony who was practically vibrating in place.
"BIGGER ON THE INSIDE THAN ON THE OUTSIDE?! Silverthat'sBRILLIANT! I'mborrowingthisoneRaritythanksbye!"
And she zoomed through the store's front door, a saddle trailing behind her in a purple glow.
"That mare," sighed Rarity. "I swear."
"Um... should I go with her?"
"Oh no, darling. I have no doubt she'd like you to keep shopping."
Silver looked at the price tags. "But I don't have any money."
"Twilight's already taken care of that, dear. Just pick whichever one you like."
"Okay..." Silver glanced at the display again, walked forward, and pointed a hoof. "I like this one."
"You didn't take any time to look at the others," Rarity tutted. "And that's one of the smallest bags. Don't you want more space for your school supplies?"
Rarity did NOT mention that she hadn't gotten around to decorating it, the project forgotten under a swamp of orders. She'd unthinkingly put the unfinished product on display, and only now realized her mistake.
"It might be the smallest, but it has plenty of pockets, and I like the utilitarian design."
Utilitarian?
"Besides," Silver looked at the still-open door through which Twilight had fled. "I get the feeling size won't be a problem soon enough." His gaze returned to Rarity. "Now..." he sighed. "We may as well get this over with."
"Darling, I assure you it won't be as bad as you think."
Rarity hadn't been wrong.
It hadn't been as bad as he thought it could be.
But that was only because he had an extremely pessimistic imagination.
It was still pretty bad.
And the worst part was that the end result didn't really make up for it, since ponies didn't need to wear clothes. He'd gotten used to that no-maintenance lifestyle.
In the end, he would get two sets of clothes – a flight suit with some wiggle room so he could grow into it, and a crisp outfit "that will just look so smart on you."
Thankfully, after a bit of inquiry, he learned that ponies only wore outfits on special occasions, or if they had cash to spare for tailor-made clothes. Go figure.
Just as he was ready to leave the boutique, Pinkie Pie burst through the door, exuberant as always.
"Rarity! I've decided on my dress idea!"
Rarity's smile, Silver could tell, became extremely fixed. Silver had gotten good at spotting them after months of getting to know Professor McGonagall.
"That's wonderful, dear."
"Pinkie, d'ya have ta run so fast?" asked a voice from outside the boutique.
"You've decided too, Applejack?" Rarity asked, still wearing that fixed smile.
"Not jus' me, sugar."
Two pegasi followed the earth ponies into the store, one blue, one yellow.
Silver was tempted to leave, since this wasn't really his business, and it had to do with clothes shopping... but he was a curious Ravenclaw. Rarity was acting outside what he'd thought was her 'character', the fashionista who loved the prospect of making clothes was now upset at making them. Nothing wrong with a bit of harmless investigation.
"What's going on?" he asked politely.
"We're all getting fitted for our GALA DRESSES!" Pinkie shouted, bouncing around the boutique.
"'cept Twilight," Applejack muttered, meandering around the mannequins. "Wonder what that mare's up to. Said she'd be here."
"Oh, she was," Rarity reassured. "But something came up."
Again, Silver was tempted to leave. His curiosity had been sated and his desire to avoid clothes-fitting was still at the forefront of his mind. And he would have left, except...
Except that for whatever reason, Rarity herself seemed even less enthusiastic about the upcoming dressing session than he was, and he still hadn't figured out why. So, he stuck around.
A few minutes of eavesdropping revealed the answer.
Four excited and anticipatory friends.
Four ridiculous design suggestions.
One apprehensive designer.
One idea to help. And maybe entertain himself along the way.
"Are dresses mandatory for the Grand Galloping Gala?" Silver asked.
"Of course, darling," Rarity said, seemingly glad for the temporary distraction. "Well, they are mandatory for the mares. The stallions shall wear suits, of course."
Silver suppressed a grin. "In that case, since I'll also be going to the gala, now would be the perfect time to suggest my own suit design."
Four pony heads turned to him.
"OH MY GOSH!" Pinkie practically apparated into his personal space. "You're going TOO?!"
"Yup," said Silver. "Celestia gave me a ticket, and I've got a great idea for a gala suit. In keeping with the theme of making over-the-top and garish requests," he declared, "I'd like a dark and tattered cloak that distorts my voice and obscures my body in shadow, like I'm an undead king, and that's my grave shroud."
Fluttershy and Applejack seemed suddenly embarrassed, having gotten the point right away.
The other two...
"That's so cool!" shouted the rainbow-maned pegasus. "I shoulda thought of that!"
"Oh, me too, me too! Can you make an extra grave shroud, Rarity? That would make a GREAT Nightmare Night costume!"
"Ah..." Rarity seemed at a loss for words, like she was 95% sure he was joking, but there was that 5% chance that he was serious. "Are you... sure that's what you want, darling?"
Silver paused to think.
Please do not interfere with Twilight's friendship lessons.
He'd been told that by the ruler of Equestria, who may or may not be manipulating the Elements of Harmony into learning certain lessons.
What he wanted to do was come right out and solve the problem with open and honest communication. Unfortunately, he had to do the best he could under the problem's constraints.
"Let me put it this way," he told Rarity. "If you do end up making all those... interesting dress designs, I don't want to be left out of the fun. But if you end up going for something more mundane, just make a normal suit for me."
Stats
Page generated in 0.026 seconds
Total duration
649 users online
841,560 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
He should bonk Celestia on the head, because he's Twilight substitute friend as well.
10810465
Yes, some time after composing the scene, I realized it was slightly OOC for Celestia to ask that, even if, theoretically, she thought she had to. I adjusted the wording when I first noticed. "Do not influence Twilight's friendship decisions" is not the same as "Do not get involved in the lessons." But yeah, sorry. Can't do much more than that, especially now that it's posted.
Maybe Philomena bonked with a wing while she was writing it.
Celestia asking the hero not to spoil friendship lessons is a surprisingly new idea. Authors usually give their OCs right to teach Twilight, to help her, to show how to do this simple things right... and here the Princess herself forbade it... :-)))
So, Celestia is a Slitherin, able to determine who did what from the evidence in the outcome.
I love it.
Ahh yes. The colt that has demonstrated enough ability to get the attention of the ruler of the country ... gets the attention of the ruler of the country. :-).
"I want to make sure I see you in the future".
Now, giving Twilight an idea for a spell ... makes me think of giving Agatha Heterodyne the idea for a coffee machine :-)
That's it, Harry. Point out directly how much the others are being ... what they are, and don't bother with their feelings. Yep, true to character, and solves the whole "excessive demands" before the gala happens, before all the scenes at the gala.
And, when Celestia is expecting a blast of fresh air and silliness, and will instead get well-behaved "fit-in"s? She will surely realize it's "That Colt", and attract even MORE attention.
11318738
Well, she IS a politician who's lived over a thousand years. And since she's basically the Head of State, it's not JUST kind, honest ponies she's had to deal with.
Wizengamot
In Reaper Man (one of Pratchett's Disc World novels)
"How bad could it be?"
Death "What's the worst thing you can imagine?"
"That bad?"
Death "Far worse. You're not very imaginative."
Only Celestias hypocrisy is allowed
Fuck that... unless they discussed it more. He's a child, she is a adult, time for adulting!