Landing Silver Side Upby kwr2k13ChaptersChapter One: Feeling Not MyselfChapter Two: Marsday - First Contact - Babs SeedChapter Four: Camping TripChapter One: Feeling Not MyselfLanding Silver Side Up Chapter One Feeling Not Myself Sylvia Spencer did not enjoy working at her parents’ jewelry shop. This much was obvious whenever she would snap at the customers or shirk her duties. Though naturally, she did not see herself that way. Despite this, she did her best to help out, since at the age of 20, she still had yet to find a job outside the family. “Well, you gonna buy something, or what?” Silvia had rudely snapped at a potential customer when they said they were just looking. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were not too happy that their daughter was acting so rude in front of the customers. They waited until they closed up shop to address her behavior in a family meeting. At the family meeting, Silvia was reprimanded by her mother for being so rude to the customers who were “just looking”. She was sent to her room to think about her future after supper. A good night’s rest would make all the difference, according to her mother’s recommendation. “Fine, Mother. I’ll go think about what I did.” Silvia sarcastically said to her parents. Perhaps her mother was right. If she went to bed at a decent hour, she would be more alert for work. Sylvia ate her food in silence, still reeling from the reprimand her parents gave her at the family meeting. She had a lot of things to think about in her bedroom. Shortly after dinner, Sylvia excused herself from the table and went upstairs. She was really tired and went to bed early. This morning was going to be the new sale on custom jewelry, so she had to be up and ready to open the store by herself as a fitting punishment for her behavior. Sylvia’s body underwent some changes while she slept that evening. She became smaller and her ears migrated to the top of her head. Her hair grew out and turned a metallic silver/grey color. A tail of the same color sprouted from her tailbone and her toes and fingers became hooves. The final changes took place as grey fur grew all over Sylvia's body, face and legs. A Cutie Mark of the pony she was going to become appeared on her flanks. These changes to her body came on slowly .The alarm clock blared to life as the radio woke the lone occupant of the bed. Silvia slowly awoke the next morning, her vision blurry. She rubbed her eyes as the sunlight streamed through the bedroom window. She felt something hard against her face as she reached out to turn off the alarm. She did not know why she suddenly had no hands, but she was too groggy from sleep to notice any more changes to her body. Throwing the pink comforter off herself, she rolled out of bed and fell over on her face. “Like, Ow! That. like, totally hurt!” Her voice sounded more high-pitched than normal. She soon discovered she was a lot smaller than she was the night before, or maybe the bed was bigger by comparison. As the girl reached the dresser, her blurry vision caught a glimpse of a pair of light blue glasses and some jewelry. Silvia fumbled around and was able to discern a grey blob where her hand would be. When the glasses were placed on her eyes, she saw the grey blob came into focus. Her hands had become hooves! “Like, What the..why do I have hooves?!” Silvia stammered as she went to the bathroom. As she turned stared into the mirror, a grey-maned filly with light blue glasses and a silver spoon Cutie Mark stared back at her with light purple eyes. “Silvia, honey, time for breakfast!” Mrs. Spencer called from the hallway. “If you don’t get up, you are going to be late for work!” Silvia did not know what to do in her current state. She attempted to shower the best she could, as her smaller statue and equine anatomy proved a challenge. She even fell on her face, landing on her new snout. “Ow! Not again!” Silvia rubbed her short muzzle and got up to turn the water off after she had washed her mane and tail, as well as her silver grey coat. The towel she had placed around her was twice as big as her, so it covered her entire filly body. Silvia brushed her mane into a manageable braid as best she could, as well as finding a white pearl necklace where her glasses were on the dresser. After she put on her light blue glasses and the pearl necklace, the new little filly attempted to head downstairs. Walking on all four hooves presented a new challenge for Silvia/Silver Spoon, but the filly somehow made it down the stairs, but not without tripping and falling over her back hooves, and losing her glasses. “My glasses!” The filly shrieked in fear of losing her most distinctive accessory. Mom and dad are not going to be happy!” She dreaded the thought of what her parents would say if their daughter was a little colorful pony from that children’s television show. She gulped and decided to show her parents her new look after fumbling around for her glasses. She composed herself, and entered the kitchen, where her parents were fixing breakfast.. “Mother, Father, I’m here.” Silvia/Silver Spoon entered the room, sticking her muzzle up at her parents, lowering her glasses to check out their reactions. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were in shock. Standing before them was a metallic silver filly with a grey mane and tail, wearing a white pearl necklace and a light blue pair of glasses. The most distinctive feature of the filly was a silver spoon mark on her flanks. “Silvia, is that you? What happened?” The mother stammered, kneeling down to the level of the filly, picking her up and giving her a hug, tears streaming down her face. Despite the fact the little pony in her arms was not human, Mrs. Spencer still could look into the eyes of this filly and see her beloved daughter, Silvia. Silvia felt her mother’s embrace had a calming effect on her nerves, which by now had been frazzled by the sudden transformation from human adult to little filly. “I dunno, Mother. I wasn’t like this when I went to bed. I’m now in the body of this filly. I’m not sure who I am any more. What is this strange mark on my flanks?” Silvia turned towards her parents to show them a silver spoon Cutie Mark. Her father looked at her Cutie Mark, examining it closely. “Indeed. What is that strange mark on your hips, Silvia? And, what does it mean?” Silver Spoon then spoke into Sylvia's mind. “Psst! Silvia. I’m known as Silver Spoon. Like, I remember Miss Cheerilee talking about Cutie Marks in class! They appear on a ponies’ flanks when they discover their special talents. Of course, some ponies don’t have a Cutie Mark. My best friend, Diamond Tiara and I call them, Blank Flanks!” Sylvia nodded after zoning out, acknowledging Silver Spoon’s lesson. “Silver Spoon just told me about the Cutie Marks, father. They, like, represent a ponies’ special talent. She mentioned a pony named Diamond Tiara. I think they went to school together and teased other ponies for not having Cutie Marks. By the way, the pony who I am sharing my body with is named Silver Spoon.” Sylvia's mother helped her daughter up to a chair and poured a bowl of cereal for her. “I guess you are going to eat salads and fruits. How about some oatmeal and apple slices?” Her mother suggested. Silver Spoon licked her lips, smiling. “Like, how did you know that’s my favorite breakfast?” Silvia/Silver’s mother smiled back, “Because, dear, your favorite breakfast is maple brown sugar oatmeal and apple slices, a side of caramel dipping sauce with some apple juice to drink.” The young filly was served her food and she ate it with gusto. After wiping her mouth with a napkin, Silver Spoon let out a polite burp. “Oh, like, excuse me. May I please be excused? I cleaned up my breakfast, see?” The filly showed her human parents her clean bowl and empty cup. The parents excused their new filly daughter and thought how they were to raise a daughter who wasn’t human. They debated whether to sit Silver Spoon down and explain about the strange pony phenomenon, or of the dangers they heard about from gossipy neighbors about the anti-pony groups who would harm any pony, whether they be a filly, foal, colt, mare, or stallion. Meanwhile, Silver Spoon was in Sylvia’s room, looking at the stuffed animals on her bed. “Nice place you got here.” The filly commented, climbing onto the bed. Sylvia nodded, admiring the stuffed animals. “Yeah, mother and father provide me with good things; a roof over my head, food to eat, and clothes to wear. Well, I guess ponies usually don’t wear clothes.” The grey filly thought about her future and wondered about finding other ponies like herself. If her classmates were out there, they could come over for a visit or a sleepover. Of course, no blank blanks allowed! Then, Silver Spoon saw the laptop that Sylvia had on her desk. It had a webcam and the latest software. “What is that thing? Looks expensive.” The filly said, pointing a front hoof at the device, adjusting her glasses as she examined the laptop with curiosity. Sylvia nodded, “It’s called a laptop. You can communicate on it and do homework, as well as play games. You can take it with you and talk to people, or ponies.” Silvia heads over to the chair and uses her hoof to click the mouse to the correct webcam application. Silver Spoon blinked at the webcam and her face appeared on the screen. “Wow, is that really me? I look really cute.” The grey filly said in astonishment. Silvia chuckled, “Well, anyway, let’s reach out and find your school friends. Do you know them?” Silver Spoon thought about the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Diamond Tiara. “You think we can, like, find Diamond Tiara? She’s like, one of my bestest friends.” Silvia nods and searches for any humans who claim to have become a pony, starting with Diamond Tiara. Sadly, no one or no pony had came forward to stake that claim. She then decided to send out a message with a video through Twitter. She used a pencil and created her user handle, Silvia Spoon, a portmanteau of her name and Silver Spoon’s. She then sent the following message to the Twitter community: “Attention, ponies! My name is Sylvia Spencer...or it was until this morning. I’m now, like, in this filly’s body. I think she calls herself Silver Spoon. It’s, like Marsday, or something, and I’m like, needing help in finding my friends from school, like Diamond Tiara and those ponies who joined that club….what do they call themselves? The Cutie Mark Crusaders? Well, beggars can't be choosers, and I’m all alone. I am leaving my email address in the contact info, so contact me as soon as you can.” The grey filly posted the video message with trepidation and waited for first contact. Silvia sighed, “Now we wait. Now, how’s come you are talking in my head?” The girl turned filly asked her pony friend. Silver Spoon grumbled. “Like, don’t you get it? You are in my body. Look, Silvia. We are going to merge sooner or later, so you’ll be getting my memories. After that, you and I will be one. I’m sure Diamond Tiara’s going through the same thing. If she or any pony contacts us, let me do the talking, like, okay?” Silvia sighs. “Fine, Silver Spoon. Now, we wait.” Silvia hoped her initial Tweet would garner some responses from ponies. Chapter Two: Marsday - First Contact - Babs SeedLanding Silver Side Up Chapter Two: Marsday - First Contact It was Marsday, and Sylvia Spencer woke that morning to find herself in a body she was not familiar with. The light blue glasses, a matching blue pearl necklace, and her grey mane and coat, as well as a silver spoon Cutie Mark belonged to a filly named Silver Spoon, a classmate of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and a best friend of Diamond Tiara. Silvia and her parents discussed over breakfast what to do about the strange calendar and the new filly in the house. Silver Spoon kept regaining control of her body from time to time, indicated by the way she adjusted her glasses and her facial expressions. Eventually, Silvia would be merged with Silver Spoon in both mind and body. The video message Silver Spoon left was sent in hopes some pony who knew what was going on would respond. Eventually, a video response appeared on Sylvia's laptop. A brown filly with the reddish colored mane and short bobbed tail appeared on the video. The filly had light green eyes and some freckles on her cheeks. @ColtonMpony: Hello Sylvia, My friend, Colton Miller, has been turned into some background filly. This sucks because before he got turned into a pony, he was male. Anyway, if you need any help, any help at all, just message me. Oh, I almost forgot. If you're coming through Oklahoma, we can travel together. Hope to speak to you soon. One last thing, if you're going to the airport in Oklahoma City. Look for the brown filly with red hair and the woman next to him/her who also has red hair. I’ll try to wear something that will make me stand out. Silvia then sent the following message: @SylviaSpoon - Sylvia here. I cannot imagine what he is going through right now, changing genders. But I used to be an adult and ran my parents’ jewelry store. I guess I cannot help out in my current state. As for coming to travel with you, I would like that. I need to get my parents’ to give me permission. I live in Portland, Oregon. Just then, Silver Spoon took control of her body and adjusted her glasses. A new tweet appeared on the brown filly’s Twitter account. Silver Spoon then appeared on the video message. The grey/silver filly with glasses and a silver spoon Cutie Mark left the following message: @SilviaSpoon: It’s me, Silver Spoon! I’d like to hang out with you, if it’s okay with you. I cannot find Diamond Tiara, so I guess we have a lot to talk about without her causing trouble. She then added a second message. @SilviaSpoon: Silvia’s been telling me some of the stuff Diamond Tiara and I were doing at school, y’know, like teasing ponies who don’t have their Cutie Marks. I’m not a bad pony, you see. I’ll ask my parents to let me go on this adventure and we can, like, work together! Silver Spoon sighed, and sent the message, hoping that the human who became that brown earth pony would accept her friendship. She had to tell her parents she found a new friend she needed to go see. “Mother, father! I’m really sorry about not being able to run the jewelry store, but I found a friend on the Internet! A human named Colton ended up as a brown filly with red hair, light green eyes, and freckles. She needs my help, but she lives in Oklahoma. I need a plane ticket to Oklahoma City, like pronto!” The filly stomped her front hoof in protest. This was a pony emergency! Mr. and Mrs. Spencer shook their heads in astonishment at their daughter’s brashness to make this journey by herself. “Now, honey, we will help you as much as we can. It’s really great you found one of your pony friends!” Mrs. Spencer said as she patted her daughter’s mane and then went up to help Silvia pack. While Sylvia and her mother went to pack for the journey to Oklahoma City, Mr. Spencer waited until his filly daughter was out of earshot, and then secretly dialed a number. The number he called was a local chapter of PAPA, or People Against Ponies Association. While Mrs. Spencer was more caring for the filly, Mr. Spencer was worried about his reputation as a businessman. The PAPA supervisor had guaranteed Mr. Spencer immunity from public scrutiny for his cooperation in turning his pony daughter in. He was essentially a traitor to his family, but sacrifices had to be made. Once Silvia and her mother were packed, the father admitted what he had done. Somehow, Mr. Spencer decided at the last minute that the safety of his daughter was more important than the immunity that the PAPA agency offered him. “Silvia, I am so sorry...you need to be careful. I called the PAPA agency. They’ll be swarming the airport, looking for her.” He pointed to Silver Spoon. “I can stall them as long as I can. Long enough to get her some spending money and some clothes for a disguise. She’ll need some snacks and a pre-paid cell phone.” Eventually, Sylvia and her parents left the house later in the afternoon and found themselves at the airport terminal. Silver Spoon’s disguise, which consisted of a yellow sunhat and a replica of the cute-ceañera outfit she wore in Call of the Cutie, was able to fool most of the staff and potential passengers, although some bronies, fans of the show, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, took pictures of Silver Spoon or asked about the whereabouts of Diamond Tiara. Silvia was able to avoid the majority of the questions aimed towards her and Diamond Tiara being mean to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and answer questions pertaining to her friendship with Diamond Tiara and her pony classmates from school. However, the filly’s silver/grey mane, tail and coat gave her away to the PAPA agents. The agents wore blue jeans and black shirts with black tennis shoes. The shirts bore the image of the PAPA agency in white. They stood out of the crowd and made a lot of racket, asking airport security if they had seen a grey filly with glasses. . As Mr. and Mrs. Spencer nervously got their daughter situated with her boarding pass and luggage, they said their goodbyes and Mrs. Spencer gave Silvia/Silver Spoon a pre-paid debit card and a pre-paid cell phone to avoid attracting too much attention. “Say hello to your friend for us. Where are you two headed to anyway?” Mr. Spencer asked Sylvia. Silvia shook her head, “I dunno. I will find out when I get to Oklahoma City and meet up with Colton. I love you, mother, and dad...you did a bad thing by calling those PAPA goons. I’ll be safer with my pony friends. I’m still sorry you did what you did.” Silvia began to shed tears. She was so worried about not being able to see her parents again or trust her father. Mrs. Spencer picked up her daughter and gave her a very warm hug and kiss on the forehead to comfort her in her time of need. She then placed her on the ground, knelt down next to Sylvia, brushed her daughter’s silver/grey mane, fixed her braids, lifted Sylvia’s glasses and cleaned them with a white tissue from her purse. After cleaning the filly’s glasses, the mother brushed away the tears from the little filly’s eyes. “There, there, Sylvia, it will be okay. Please call me on your new cell phone the moment you make contact with your friend. Stay strong and be a good girl.” Mrs. Spencer then placed the blue glasses back on her daughter’s face. Sylvia nodded, looking up at her mother, “I will, mother, and thank you for understanding. I’ll call you once I get to my destination. What about dad? What he did was not cool.” Mrs. Spencer nodded, “I will take care of that, honey, now get on the plane before those PAPA agents show up at the airport.” The mother stood up helped pay for her child’s boarding pass and ushered her through various checkpoints to get to the boarding area. With tearful goodbyes, the silver filly boarded the plane headed for Oklahoma City in first class, wondering if she would ever see her parents again. After boarding the plane and settling in first class, the disguised filly’s plane ride from Portland International Airport was smooth and efficient. Soon, the plane landed and Sylvia disembarked among the human passengers who could not help staring and taking pictures of the grey filly. Some asked if Diamond Tiara was on the plane, and Silvia had to allow her inner pony to answer that she couldn't find Diamond Tiara. She hoped that the two would be reunited. Silvia got her luggage at the baggage carousel claim with some comedic moments, since she had to use her mouth to pull the luggage to her and through the waiting room to get a seat where she would be able to see where Colton would be coming from. She was at the Oklahoma City International Airport, and wondered where the brown filly was going to make an appearance. Meanwhile, the PAPA members at the Portland International Airport began to ask Mr. and Mrs. Spencer where their daughter went to. The Spencers played dumb and told the PAPA members they did not know anything about any pony fitting that description, despite the heavy picture evidence that showed Mrs. Spencer and her daughter in a tender family moment.. The parents gave the agents a cover story that they were sending their daughter on a vacation to meet a friend. The PAPA members’ demands to produce the filly under threat of physical violence alerted some alert TSA agents, who had began to move in and arrest the PAPA agents for disturbing the peace and enticing a riot. The PAPA agents were eventually escorted from the premises by the Oklahoma City airport security and the Federal Airport staff. The Spencers were given compensation for their troubles by the TSA; travel vouchers for their family and friends on any participating airlines. This would come in handy for their daughter’s future travels with her friends. Meanwhile, Sylvia received a message from the filly formerly known as Colton. The reply on her phone said look for a filly with a brown coat, a reddish mane and short bobbed tail, as well as light green eyes. She waited the looked around for the new filly to arrive. Sylvia sent a reply telling Colton to look for a filly who was wearing a yellow sunhat and light blue glasses, a white pearl necklace, and a silver mane in a tight side braid. She hoped that Colton would get the message. Silvia/Silver Spoon waited at the airport waiting area, looking for a filly that matched the description Colton gave her. She took off her sun hat and wiped the sweat off her brow with a forehoof. She then saw the woman with the red hair and the small Earth pony filly with the reddish mane and freckles. That must be that new pony. Silvia said to herself as she placed her sun hat back on her heat, adjusted her glasses, and picked up her luggage with her mouth. After dropping her luggage, she waved a hoof to Colton. At this moment, Silver Spoon took control. “Colton? Like, is that you? I came all the way from Portland, Oregon! My parents got stopped by some really bad people who don’t like ponies like us. We can talk over lunch.” Silvia then adjusted her glasses and her facial expression changed to reflect the personality shift to the pony she was now sharing a body with. Her expression turned to match Silver Spoon’s snobbish attitude. “Like, who are you supposed to be?” Silver Spoon asked the new filly, lowering her glasses to get a better look at her new potential traveling companion, then looking at the blank flank of the filly before her. “You’re one of those Blank Flanks, aren’t you?” The filly before her brought her short bobbed reddish tail around to cover her flank in embarrassment. “What’s it to ya? So what if Ah don’t have a Cutie Mark?” The brown filly blew a piece of stubborn mane out of her face. Silvia took control of her pony body, temporarily silencing Silver Spoon’s inner bully before she could retort.. “It’s Silvia, sorry about that. I’m stuck in Silver Spoon’s body and eventually, we will be merging. I’ll get Silver Spoon’s memories and possibly her attitude. What about you, Colton? How are you holding up?” Colton took off her backpack and set it on the ground. She began to rummage through it, looking for her wallet. She indicated that she was faring okay, despite the current circumstances, then asked about the merging. She then indicated that the pony she was sharing a body with didn’t tell her about merging! Silvia sighed, “We have much to catch up on, friend. Let’s go get something to eat. I’m getting hungry. Is there a place that serves vegetarian meals? I cannot stomach meat anymore. I don’t want to make Silver Spoon, er, me sick.” Colton took note of Silvia’s adjustment of her glasses and the personality shifts. She indicated that she knew of a place in downtown Oklahoma City called Teddy’s Garden Burgers that served vegetarian options. Silver Spoon licked her lips, “Sounds like that’s where we are going for lunch. Can you, like, carry my bags? They are way heavy.” The silver filly was able to successfully able to manipulate the new filly into carrying her bags. Diamond Tiara would be so proud! The fillies walked together with their luggage in tow. “Looks like you got the hang of trotting. How much further to this place?” The people at the airport could not stop staring and whispering about the two little ponies in the airport. Silver Spoon was about to tell the people off, but an adjustment of the glasses later, and Silvia was temporary controlling the body. Eventually, the group made it outside in time for Silvia to talk more frankly to Colton. “Okay, according to Silver Spoon, your human host and your pony body will eventually join minds. You will gain all the memories of the pony you turned into, and you will adopt the mannerisms and accent, if any, of that pony. You have a distinct Bronx accent going on. You have family in New York?” Colton indicated she woke up with the accent and that she had an older sister who resided in New York. “That’s wonderful!” Silvia said, smiling. “Is there a way we can reach her before those PAPA agents show up? I saw a couple of black shirted guys and a girl in sunglasses questioning some people who took pictures of us. What are we going to do now?” The new filly saw the agents show up and swarm the airport, looking for two fillies who matched the descriptions given by those who took pictures of them. “They know what we look like, Colton. Let’s get out of here before they catch us!” Silvia yelled as they quickened their pace. The silver maned filly with glasses hastened her pace to a canter and then a gallop to keep up with Colton. Soon, they reached the airport parking lot.. “Where is your vehicle at?” She asks her filly companion.. The brown filly indicated where she had parked and directed Silver Spoon to not track her muddy hooves all over the back seats and floor. After loading Silver Spoon’s silver luggage into the trunk, the fillies climbed into the back seat and buckled in. Sylvia smiled, “Thanks for saving us back there. Not bad for a blank flank.” Just then, Sylvia's head began to hurt. “I think either I have a headache, or something else is starting to happen.” Colton placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder in support of Silvia. She also admitted she started to feel a headache coming on as well. Sylvia smiled, looking out her window, seeing the reflection of Silver Spoon staring back at her. She then turned to Colton, “I guess the longer we stay as ponies, the closer we become the real Silver Spoon and I’m not sure what to call you. If I start to call you “Blank Flank”, it’s not coming from me.” The next thought raced through Sylvia's mind, “Uhm, Colton, how are we going to drive, if we don’t, like, have a driver?” Chapter Four: Camping TripLanding Silver Side Up Chapter Four Camping Trip Liz slowly pulled the van up to a rather secluded wooded area after a few hours of traveling to the camp site. The camping ground signs say that the area is closed for the winter and also that the area is known to have wolves, coyotes, and bears. She turns to face the two fillies, “Hey, we’re here. You two still awake back there?” Colton pokes his head up over Silver. ”I’m still up….somehow.” Sam opens the back side doors. “Can you wake Silvia up? We need to hurry up and set up the tents and get a fire going.” He nods.”You got it chief.” he smiles and pokes Silvia.”Hey, we’re here….wherever here is, I don’t really know.” Silvia yawns, and stretches up on her hooves, adjusting her glasses. “We’re here, already?” She gets up, “What do you want us to do?” Sam opens up the trunk doors and wakes Fritter up before calling to the front. “Can you and Colton help me set up the tents, Noah and Liz, can you get some firewood or something?” Colton hops out of the van and stretches his newly found limbs.”I hate road trips, its always the sitting down and waiting that I just hate.” “Well we’ll get to do plenty more in the morning, come on, let’s go.” He tosses a bag with a tent in the general direction of the two fillies. Liz and Noah head off into the brush to search for firewood. Silvia picked up the bag off the ground and held it in her mouth as the trotted over to Colton. She placed the food near the campsite area, ready to lend a hoof to help Colton set up the tents. Colton looks down at the tent for minute.”I’m no expert but how are we going to set up this tent? I doubt hooves are very useful for this.” Sam grumbles a bit to himself before replying, “Just thread the metal poles through the holes in the tent. You two work on doing that while I put down the tarp.” Colton nods and shortly gets to work. Silvia helped as best she could as a filly could to get the tents set up for the other ponies, Fritter, Red Delicious, and Colton. “Okay, so we just put the poles up through the holes like this?” She attempts to put a pole in her mouth and then set it up with her front hooves, “It’s kinda hard to do this with hooves, ya know.” She says to Colton and Red Delicious. “You could say that again.” he says after getting one of the poles set up. “Just use your mouth, and try not to choke on the poles.” “That’s not going to happen, I can promise you that much.” Eventually, Silvia got her poles set up as best she could. “Okay, the poles are set up. Now what?” “Put the ends of the poles into the holes in the tarp.” Sam replies like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, which it isn't. Silvia nods, and then pulls on the tarp, falling hard on her rump. “Oof! That’s not funny! Help me up, will ya?” She holds up a hoof towards Colton to help her off the ground and fix the tarp. Colton laughs a bit at this.”Here let me help you.” he pulls on the tarp. Silvia finally got the tarp set up for the first tent. “Like, now many tents do we need?” “Just the three.” By the time Noah and Liz return, all but one of the three tents is set up. “We, like, got some firewood, and the tents are set up.” She looked back at the tent. “Uhm, at least one tent, anyway.” She lowers her head, hoping that her hosts would see she at least tried her best. “Uhm, Noah, are we going to cook something on the fire to eat?” Silvia asked, wondering what kind of vegetables they would be eating for supper. “We should have some vegetables in the boxes, if you really want, when I get the fire started we could try and heat something.” he leans down and begins trying to use a match to light the fire. Colton walks over and sits down next to Fritter. “Need any help with that?” he pauses, soon realising that he still has hooves.”If...I can help that is.” He struggles to speak around the match in his mouth. “No, I should be good, let me jusht…” she strikes the match and lets out a string of Swedish profanities as it pricks his nose. He laughs a bit, quickly hiding it though. probably not a good idea to laugh at the pony who is much bigger than him.”You okay there?” He nods, but continues rocking back and forth rubbing his muzzle. “Liz, can you do this for me!?” Liz heads over and helps Sam and the other ponies set up the fire pit and the stew ingredients. Sure enough she was able to get the fire lit. After adding the water and the vegetables, Fritter begins stirring the stew slowly. Colton watches as Fritter stirs the stew. “Anything I can do to help? I could probably...I don’t know, help cook or something?” “I think I might be good. Not much to do other than stir it, I guess.” Fritter continued to stir the stew, tasting it on occasion to make sure it was just the right texture and flavor. Silver Spoon licked her lips in anticipation of sampling the stew. “Mmmm..like, that stew smells delicious. What’s in it?” She asked Fritter with a curious glance over to tonight’s cook and her chosen dish for the evening. Fritter thinks for a moment before shrugging. “No idea.” He smirks.”Well, when you find something, let me know...and nice job answering both of us.” Fritter is too preoccupied to really hear the jest and she continues stirring the stew with a serious expression on her face. Silver looks over at the assembled ponies and the human, Liz. “I am beginning to miss my parents and I think Silver’s been asking about her friend, Diamond Tiara.” She sighs,, “I keep telling her we will find her when the time is right. Man, she’s bound and determined to find her pony friends, isn’t she?” This was Silvia talking, not Silver Spoon, the spectacled grey filly among the group. Liz speaks up. “I’m sure we’ll find her soon, she doesn’t need to worry.” Silvia nods and looks over at Colton, “You seem to be holding up okay, despite you becoming a filly. Do you feel any different?” He sits down on a nearby log.”Besides the change of a few…’parts’ and you know, the whole pony thing. I guess I do feel pretty different, both in a good and bad way.” Silvia smiles a bit and heads over to Colton, “How so? What do you mean in a good or bad way? You and I are about the same size, except you’re a little bigger than me. We are both Earth ponies, so that’s a plus.” Colton blinks.”Bigger? Are you calling me fat?” Silvia shakes her head and puts her fore hooves up in a defensive manner, “No, I mean, bigger as in, compared to me, you are a little taller.” He sits there for a bit before laughing.”Sorry, I just had to do that one. Anyway by good and bad, I mean...I get to live a few years longer now, which to me is a good thing...and the bad is...the whole gender change, sure being this way isn’t that bad, but later on...I really doubt that this body is going to be...I really can’t think of the right word for it.” Silvia looks over at Fritter for her input on this sensitive issue. “Uhm, you mean, when you mature, you’ll be going from a filly to a mare, right? Right now, we are considered fillies.” Colton looks embarrassed about this subject. “Yeah...all of that. I’ve been through that before...but that was with a different gender and...um...race.” Silvia nods and decides to change the subject. “I hope we get to learn the filly’s name you are in. I wouldn’t mind being friends with her, eventually. Another thing about the filly is she doesn’t have a Cutie Mark. That means she hasn’t discovered what she’s good at yet.” “Oh yeah, I forgot about the butt tattoo thing. I guess that’s not really a problem right now...though if I knew what she was good at, that would be helpful. As for the friend thing...sure, go ahead, but I already thought we were friends...or something like that.” Colton says, his, or her Bronx accent coming in strong as he/she talks. Silvia nods, and gives Colton a side hug, “We are friends. We are in this together. I’m not a bad pony...you know, the way Silver Spoon is portrayed in the show. I used to be so...snarky and inconsiderate of others before my connection to Silver Spoon. I think our personalities are so similar.” He smiles.”We are in this together, and that’s great thing. As for you and Silver, that’s great that you two are getting along. I hope whenever I get farther along this...journey, I’ll...get to talk to my pony...and hopefully become friends with her.” Silvia was about to respond when her stomach growled, making her blush in embarrassment. “Is dinner almost ready? I’m getting hungry. I guess we have to make sure to take care of our ponies’ bodies, since they are technically ours now.” He smiles.”We are in this together, and that’s great thing. As for you and Silver, that’s great that you two are getting along. I hope whenever I get farther along this...journey, I’ll...get to talk to my pony...and hopefully become friends with her.” Silvia was about to respond when her stomach growled, making her blush in embarrassment. “Is dinner almost ready? I’m getting hungry. I guess we have to make sure to take care of our ponies’ bodies, since they are technically ours now.” Colton nods, getting up.”We might as well go check if it is.” He walks back over to Fritter, waiting on the stew she was preparing. Silvia heads over to the fire camp site and waits with Colton on dinner preparations. “Uhm, Miss Fritter? Is dinner ready? Colton and I are hungry.” Silver Spoon spoke up, adjusting her glasses. Fritter stares down into the abomination that she has just cooked. “Uh… yeah I guess? Eat up…” Silver Spoon got her bowl and spoon ready and watched in anticipation as her portion was ladled into her bowl. “Thanks, Miss Fritter. Colton, you can sit with me and eat.” Colton grabs his bowl.”Thanks, Noah...and Fritter, that’s something I’m still having a hard time figuring out.” He soon sits down next to Silver. “Yeah me too…” Fritter gives a small smile and prepares some of the stew for himself and goes to sit next to Sam. Meanwhile, Silver Spoon blew on her soup to cool it down and takes her first taste of her food. “This stew...is it vegetable stew? I mean, we are ponies and we cannot have meat, right?” Fritter/Noah admitted she/he had overcooked the soup and confirmed it was vegetable. This made Silvia giggle as she tasted another spoonful, “It’s not that bad. Could use a pinch of salt, though.” She turned to Colton, “How’s your stew? You think it could use a little bit of salt to flavor it up a little?” Colton took a bite of his stew and made a face.”It’s...not that bad, salt would help...boost the flavor.” “If there was a flavor.” Sam grumbles and Fritter gives him a friendly natured Gibbs-slap to the back of the head with her hoof. “Ow!” Sam/Red Delicious rubbed the back of his head with his hoof, and avoided making any remarks about Fritter’s cooking for the rest of the evening, lest he got another hoof-slap from the cook. Silvia nods and tried to change the mood of the evening meal, “Did you bring salt from the restaurant or from home? I doubt anyone’s going to be happy seeing a group of ponies doing grocery shopping.” The rest of the evening carried on, and Silver Spoon soon felt sleepy. Whether it was because of her full belly or the exhausting day she had with her travelling companions, or a combination of both factors, she yawned. "I think i will be going to bed. Which tent am I , like going to be sleeping in tonight?" Author's Note Time for a camping trip, which will lead into Colton discovering his pony, Babs Seed while he sleeps.
Chapter One: Feeling Not MyselfLanding Silver Side Up Chapter One Feeling Not Myself Sylvia Spencer did not enjoy working at her parents’ jewelry shop. This much was obvious whenever she would snap at the customers or shirk her duties. Though naturally, she did not see herself that way. Despite this, she did her best to help out, since at the age of 20, she still had yet to find a job outside the family. “Well, you gonna buy something, or what?” Silvia had rudely snapped at a potential customer when they said they were just looking. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were not too happy that their daughter was acting so rude in front of the customers. They waited until they closed up shop to address her behavior in a family meeting. At the family meeting, Silvia was reprimanded by her mother for being so rude to the customers who were “just looking”. She was sent to her room to think about her future after supper. A good night’s rest would make all the difference, according to her mother’s recommendation. “Fine, Mother. I’ll go think about what I did.” Silvia sarcastically said to her parents. Perhaps her mother was right. If she went to bed at a decent hour, she would be more alert for work. Sylvia ate her food in silence, still reeling from the reprimand her parents gave her at the family meeting. She had a lot of things to think about in her bedroom. Shortly after dinner, Sylvia excused herself from the table and went upstairs. She was really tired and went to bed early. This morning was going to be the new sale on custom jewelry, so she had to be up and ready to open the store by herself as a fitting punishment for her behavior. Sylvia’s body underwent some changes while she slept that evening. She became smaller and her ears migrated to the top of her head. Her hair grew out and turned a metallic silver/grey color. A tail of the same color sprouted from her tailbone and her toes and fingers became hooves. The final changes took place as grey fur grew all over Sylvia's body, face and legs. A Cutie Mark of the pony she was going to become appeared on her flanks. These changes to her body came on slowly .The alarm clock blared to life as the radio woke the lone occupant of the bed. Silvia slowly awoke the next morning, her vision blurry. She rubbed her eyes as the sunlight streamed through the bedroom window. She felt something hard against her face as she reached out to turn off the alarm. She did not know why she suddenly had no hands, but she was too groggy from sleep to notice any more changes to her body. Throwing the pink comforter off herself, she rolled out of bed and fell over on her face. “Like, Ow! That. like, totally hurt!” Her voice sounded more high-pitched than normal. She soon discovered she was a lot smaller than she was the night before, or maybe the bed was bigger by comparison. As the girl reached the dresser, her blurry vision caught a glimpse of a pair of light blue glasses and some jewelry. Silvia fumbled around and was able to discern a grey blob where her hand would be. When the glasses were placed on her eyes, she saw the grey blob came into focus. Her hands had become hooves! “Like, What the..why do I have hooves?!” Silvia stammered as she went to the bathroom. As she turned stared into the mirror, a grey-maned filly with light blue glasses and a silver spoon Cutie Mark stared back at her with light purple eyes. “Silvia, honey, time for breakfast!” Mrs. Spencer called from the hallway. “If you don’t get up, you are going to be late for work!” Silvia did not know what to do in her current state. She attempted to shower the best she could, as her smaller statue and equine anatomy proved a challenge. She even fell on her face, landing on her new snout. “Ow! Not again!” Silvia rubbed her short muzzle and got up to turn the water off after she had washed her mane and tail, as well as her silver grey coat. The towel she had placed around her was twice as big as her, so it covered her entire filly body. Silvia brushed her mane into a manageable braid as best she could, as well as finding a white pearl necklace where her glasses were on the dresser. After she put on her light blue glasses and the pearl necklace, the new little filly attempted to head downstairs. Walking on all four hooves presented a new challenge for Silvia/Silver Spoon, but the filly somehow made it down the stairs, but not without tripping and falling over her back hooves, and losing her glasses. “My glasses!” The filly shrieked in fear of losing her most distinctive accessory. Mom and dad are not going to be happy!” She dreaded the thought of what her parents would say if their daughter was a little colorful pony from that children’s television show. She gulped and decided to show her parents her new look after fumbling around for her glasses. She composed herself, and entered the kitchen, where her parents were fixing breakfast.. “Mother, Father, I’m here.” Silvia/Silver Spoon entered the room, sticking her muzzle up at her parents, lowering her glasses to check out their reactions. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer were in shock. Standing before them was a metallic silver filly with a grey mane and tail, wearing a white pearl necklace and a light blue pair of glasses. The most distinctive feature of the filly was a silver spoon mark on her flanks. “Silvia, is that you? What happened?” The mother stammered, kneeling down to the level of the filly, picking her up and giving her a hug, tears streaming down her face. Despite the fact the little pony in her arms was not human, Mrs. Spencer still could look into the eyes of this filly and see her beloved daughter, Silvia. Silvia felt her mother’s embrace had a calming effect on her nerves, which by now had been frazzled by the sudden transformation from human adult to little filly. “I dunno, Mother. I wasn’t like this when I went to bed. I’m now in the body of this filly. I’m not sure who I am any more. What is this strange mark on my flanks?” Silvia turned towards her parents to show them a silver spoon Cutie Mark. Her father looked at her Cutie Mark, examining it closely. “Indeed. What is that strange mark on your hips, Silvia? And, what does it mean?” Silver Spoon then spoke into Sylvia's mind. “Psst! Silvia. I’m known as Silver Spoon. Like, I remember Miss Cheerilee talking about Cutie Marks in class! They appear on a ponies’ flanks when they discover their special talents. Of course, some ponies don’t have a Cutie Mark. My best friend, Diamond Tiara and I call them, Blank Flanks!” Sylvia nodded after zoning out, acknowledging Silver Spoon’s lesson. “Silver Spoon just told me about the Cutie Marks, father. They, like, represent a ponies’ special talent. She mentioned a pony named Diamond Tiara. I think they went to school together and teased other ponies for not having Cutie Marks. By the way, the pony who I am sharing my body with is named Silver Spoon.” Sylvia's mother helped her daughter up to a chair and poured a bowl of cereal for her. “I guess you are going to eat salads and fruits. How about some oatmeal and apple slices?” Her mother suggested. Silver Spoon licked her lips, smiling. “Like, how did you know that’s my favorite breakfast?” Silvia/Silver’s mother smiled back, “Because, dear, your favorite breakfast is maple brown sugar oatmeal and apple slices, a side of caramel dipping sauce with some apple juice to drink.” The young filly was served her food and she ate it with gusto. After wiping her mouth with a napkin, Silver Spoon let out a polite burp. “Oh, like, excuse me. May I please be excused? I cleaned up my breakfast, see?” The filly showed her human parents her clean bowl and empty cup. The parents excused their new filly daughter and thought how they were to raise a daughter who wasn’t human. They debated whether to sit Silver Spoon down and explain about the strange pony phenomenon, or of the dangers they heard about from gossipy neighbors about the anti-pony groups who would harm any pony, whether they be a filly, foal, colt, mare, or stallion. Meanwhile, Silver Spoon was in Sylvia’s room, looking at the stuffed animals on her bed. “Nice place you got here.” The filly commented, climbing onto the bed. Sylvia nodded, admiring the stuffed animals. “Yeah, mother and father provide me with good things; a roof over my head, food to eat, and clothes to wear. Well, I guess ponies usually don’t wear clothes.” The grey filly thought about her future and wondered about finding other ponies like herself. If her classmates were out there, they could come over for a visit or a sleepover. Of course, no blank blanks allowed! Then, Silver Spoon saw the laptop that Sylvia had on her desk. It had a webcam and the latest software. “What is that thing? Looks expensive.” The filly said, pointing a front hoof at the device, adjusting her glasses as she examined the laptop with curiosity. Sylvia nodded, “It’s called a laptop. You can communicate on it and do homework, as well as play games. You can take it with you and talk to people, or ponies.” Silvia heads over to the chair and uses her hoof to click the mouse to the correct webcam application. Silver Spoon blinked at the webcam and her face appeared on the screen. “Wow, is that really me? I look really cute.” The grey filly said in astonishment. Silvia chuckled, “Well, anyway, let’s reach out and find your school friends. Do you know them?” Silver Spoon thought about the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Diamond Tiara. “You think we can, like, find Diamond Tiara? She’s like, one of my bestest friends.” Silvia nods and searches for any humans who claim to have become a pony, starting with Diamond Tiara. Sadly, no one or no pony had came forward to stake that claim. She then decided to send out a message with a video through Twitter. She used a pencil and created her user handle, Silvia Spoon, a portmanteau of her name and Silver Spoon’s. She then sent the following message to the Twitter community: “Attention, ponies! My name is Sylvia Spencer...or it was until this morning. I’m now, like, in this filly’s body. I think she calls herself Silver Spoon. It’s, like Marsday, or something, and I’m like, needing help in finding my friends from school, like Diamond Tiara and those ponies who joined that club….what do they call themselves? The Cutie Mark Crusaders? Well, beggars can't be choosers, and I’m all alone. I am leaving my email address in the contact info, so contact me as soon as you can.” The grey filly posted the video message with trepidation and waited for first contact. Silvia sighed, “Now we wait. Now, how’s come you are talking in my head?” The girl turned filly asked her pony friend. Silver Spoon grumbled. “Like, don’t you get it? You are in my body. Look, Silvia. We are going to merge sooner or later, so you’ll be getting my memories. After that, you and I will be one. I’m sure Diamond Tiara’s going through the same thing. If she or any pony contacts us, let me do the talking, like, okay?” Silvia sighs. “Fine, Silver Spoon. Now, we wait.” Silvia hoped her initial Tweet would garner some responses from ponies.
Chapter Two: Marsday - First Contact - Babs SeedLanding Silver Side Up Chapter Two: Marsday - First Contact It was Marsday, and Sylvia Spencer woke that morning to find herself in a body she was not familiar with. The light blue glasses, a matching blue pearl necklace, and her grey mane and coat, as well as a silver spoon Cutie Mark belonged to a filly named Silver Spoon, a classmate of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and a best friend of Diamond Tiara. Silvia and her parents discussed over breakfast what to do about the strange calendar and the new filly in the house. Silver Spoon kept regaining control of her body from time to time, indicated by the way she adjusted her glasses and her facial expressions. Eventually, Silvia would be merged with Silver Spoon in both mind and body. The video message Silver Spoon left was sent in hopes some pony who knew what was going on would respond. Eventually, a video response appeared on Sylvia's laptop. A brown filly with the reddish colored mane and short bobbed tail appeared on the video. The filly had light green eyes and some freckles on her cheeks. @ColtonMpony: Hello Sylvia, My friend, Colton Miller, has been turned into some background filly. This sucks because before he got turned into a pony, he was male. Anyway, if you need any help, any help at all, just message me. Oh, I almost forgot. If you're coming through Oklahoma, we can travel together. Hope to speak to you soon. One last thing, if you're going to the airport in Oklahoma City. Look for the brown filly with red hair and the woman next to him/her who also has red hair. I’ll try to wear something that will make me stand out. Silvia then sent the following message: @SylviaSpoon - Sylvia here. I cannot imagine what he is going through right now, changing genders. But I used to be an adult and ran my parents’ jewelry store. I guess I cannot help out in my current state. As for coming to travel with you, I would like that. I need to get my parents’ to give me permission. I live in Portland, Oregon. Just then, Silver Spoon took control of her body and adjusted her glasses. A new tweet appeared on the brown filly’s Twitter account. Silver Spoon then appeared on the video message. The grey/silver filly with glasses and a silver spoon Cutie Mark left the following message: @SilviaSpoon: It’s me, Silver Spoon! I’d like to hang out with you, if it’s okay with you. I cannot find Diamond Tiara, so I guess we have a lot to talk about without her causing trouble. She then added a second message. @SilviaSpoon: Silvia’s been telling me some of the stuff Diamond Tiara and I were doing at school, y’know, like teasing ponies who don’t have their Cutie Marks. I’m not a bad pony, you see. I’ll ask my parents to let me go on this adventure and we can, like, work together! Silver Spoon sighed, and sent the message, hoping that the human who became that brown earth pony would accept her friendship. She had to tell her parents she found a new friend she needed to go see. “Mother, father! I’m really sorry about not being able to run the jewelry store, but I found a friend on the Internet! A human named Colton ended up as a brown filly with red hair, light green eyes, and freckles. She needs my help, but she lives in Oklahoma. I need a plane ticket to Oklahoma City, like pronto!” The filly stomped her front hoof in protest. This was a pony emergency! Mr. and Mrs. Spencer shook their heads in astonishment at their daughter’s brashness to make this journey by herself. “Now, honey, we will help you as much as we can. It’s really great you found one of your pony friends!” Mrs. Spencer said as she patted her daughter’s mane and then went up to help Silvia pack. While Sylvia and her mother went to pack for the journey to Oklahoma City, Mr. Spencer waited until his filly daughter was out of earshot, and then secretly dialed a number. The number he called was a local chapter of PAPA, or People Against Ponies Association. While Mrs. Spencer was more caring for the filly, Mr. Spencer was worried about his reputation as a businessman. The PAPA supervisor had guaranteed Mr. Spencer immunity from public scrutiny for his cooperation in turning his pony daughter in. He was essentially a traitor to his family, but sacrifices had to be made. Once Silvia and her mother were packed, the father admitted what he had done. Somehow, Mr. Spencer decided at the last minute that the safety of his daughter was more important than the immunity that the PAPA agency offered him. “Silvia, I am so sorry...you need to be careful. I called the PAPA agency. They’ll be swarming the airport, looking for her.” He pointed to Silver Spoon. “I can stall them as long as I can. Long enough to get her some spending money and some clothes for a disguise. She’ll need some snacks and a pre-paid cell phone.” Eventually, Sylvia and her parents left the house later in the afternoon and found themselves at the airport terminal. Silver Spoon’s disguise, which consisted of a yellow sunhat and a replica of the cute-ceañera outfit she wore in Call of the Cutie, was able to fool most of the staff and potential passengers, although some bronies, fans of the show, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, took pictures of Silver Spoon or asked about the whereabouts of Diamond Tiara. Silvia was able to avoid the majority of the questions aimed towards her and Diamond Tiara being mean to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and answer questions pertaining to her friendship with Diamond Tiara and her pony classmates from school. However, the filly’s silver/grey mane, tail and coat gave her away to the PAPA agents. The agents wore blue jeans and black shirts with black tennis shoes. The shirts bore the image of the PAPA agency in white. They stood out of the crowd and made a lot of racket, asking airport security if they had seen a grey filly with glasses. . As Mr. and Mrs. Spencer nervously got their daughter situated with her boarding pass and luggage, they said their goodbyes and Mrs. Spencer gave Silvia/Silver Spoon a pre-paid debit card and a pre-paid cell phone to avoid attracting too much attention. “Say hello to your friend for us. Where are you two headed to anyway?” Mr. Spencer asked Sylvia. Silvia shook her head, “I dunno. I will find out when I get to Oklahoma City and meet up with Colton. I love you, mother, and dad...you did a bad thing by calling those PAPA goons. I’ll be safer with my pony friends. I’m still sorry you did what you did.” Silvia began to shed tears. She was so worried about not being able to see her parents again or trust her father. Mrs. Spencer picked up her daughter and gave her a very warm hug and kiss on the forehead to comfort her in her time of need. She then placed her on the ground, knelt down next to Sylvia, brushed her daughter’s silver/grey mane, fixed her braids, lifted Sylvia’s glasses and cleaned them with a white tissue from her purse. After cleaning the filly’s glasses, the mother brushed away the tears from the little filly’s eyes. “There, there, Sylvia, it will be okay. Please call me on your new cell phone the moment you make contact with your friend. Stay strong and be a good girl.” Mrs. Spencer then placed the blue glasses back on her daughter’s face. Sylvia nodded, looking up at her mother, “I will, mother, and thank you for understanding. I’ll call you once I get to my destination. What about dad? What he did was not cool.” Mrs. Spencer nodded, “I will take care of that, honey, now get on the plane before those PAPA agents show up at the airport.” The mother stood up helped pay for her child’s boarding pass and ushered her through various checkpoints to get to the boarding area. With tearful goodbyes, the silver filly boarded the plane headed for Oklahoma City in first class, wondering if she would ever see her parents again. After boarding the plane and settling in first class, the disguised filly’s plane ride from Portland International Airport was smooth and efficient. Soon, the plane landed and Sylvia disembarked among the human passengers who could not help staring and taking pictures of the grey filly. Some asked if Diamond Tiara was on the plane, and Silvia had to allow her inner pony to answer that she couldn't find Diamond Tiara. She hoped that the two would be reunited. Silvia got her luggage at the baggage carousel claim with some comedic moments, since she had to use her mouth to pull the luggage to her and through the waiting room to get a seat where she would be able to see where Colton would be coming from. She was at the Oklahoma City International Airport, and wondered where the brown filly was going to make an appearance. Meanwhile, the PAPA members at the Portland International Airport began to ask Mr. and Mrs. Spencer where their daughter went to. The Spencers played dumb and told the PAPA members they did not know anything about any pony fitting that description, despite the heavy picture evidence that showed Mrs. Spencer and her daughter in a tender family moment.. The parents gave the agents a cover story that they were sending their daughter on a vacation to meet a friend. The PAPA members’ demands to produce the filly under threat of physical violence alerted some alert TSA agents, who had began to move in and arrest the PAPA agents for disturbing the peace and enticing a riot. The PAPA agents were eventually escorted from the premises by the Oklahoma City airport security and the Federal Airport staff. The Spencers were given compensation for their troubles by the TSA; travel vouchers for their family and friends on any participating airlines. This would come in handy for their daughter’s future travels with her friends. Meanwhile, Sylvia received a message from the filly formerly known as Colton. The reply on her phone said look for a filly with a brown coat, a reddish mane and short bobbed tail, as well as light green eyes. She waited the looked around for the new filly to arrive. Sylvia sent a reply telling Colton to look for a filly who was wearing a yellow sunhat and light blue glasses, a white pearl necklace, and a silver mane in a tight side braid. She hoped that Colton would get the message. Silvia/Silver Spoon waited at the airport waiting area, looking for a filly that matched the description Colton gave her. She took off her sun hat and wiped the sweat off her brow with a forehoof. She then saw the woman with the red hair and the small Earth pony filly with the reddish mane and freckles. That must be that new pony. Silvia said to herself as she placed her sun hat back on her heat, adjusted her glasses, and picked up her luggage with her mouth. After dropping her luggage, she waved a hoof to Colton. At this moment, Silver Spoon took control. “Colton? Like, is that you? I came all the way from Portland, Oregon! My parents got stopped by some really bad people who don’t like ponies like us. We can talk over lunch.” Silvia then adjusted her glasses and her facial expression changed to reflect the personality shift to the pony she was now sharing a body with. Her expression turned to match Silver Spoon’s snobbish attitude. “Like, who are you supposed to be?” Silver Spoon asked the new filly, lowering her glasses to get a better look at her new potential traveling companion, then looking at the blank flank of the filly before her. “You’re one of those Blank Flanks, aren’t you?” The filly before her brought her short bobbed reddish tail around to cover her flank in embarrassment. “What’s it to ya? So what if Ah don’t have a Cutie Mark?” The brown filly blew a piece of stubborn mane out of her face. Silvia took control of her pony body, temporarily silencing Silver Spoon’s inner bully before she could retort.. “It’s Silvia, sorry about that. I’m stuck in Silver Spoon’s body and eventually, we will be merging. I’ll get Silver Spoon’s memories and possibly her attitude. What about you, Colton? How are you holding up?” Colton took off her backpack and set it on the ground. She began to rummage through it, looking for her wallet. She indicated that she was faring okay, despite the current circumstances, then asked about the merging. She then indicated that the pony she was sharing a body with didn’t tell her about merging! Silvia sighed, “We have much to catch up on, friend. Let’s go get something to eat. I’m getting hungry. Is there a place that serves vegetarian meals? I cannot stomach meat anymore. I don’t want to make Silver Spoon, er, me sick.” Colton took note of Silvia’s adjustment of her glasses and the personality shifts. She indicated that she knew of a place in downtown Oklahoma City called Teddy’s Garden Burgers that served vegetarian options. Silver Spoon licked her lips, “Sounds like that’s where we are going for lunch. Can you, like, carry my bags? They are way heavy.” The silver filly was able to successfully able to manipulate the new filly into carrying her bags. Diamond Tiara would be so proud! The fillies walked together with their luggage in tow. “Looks like you got the hang of trotting. How much further to this place?” The people at the airport could not stop staring and whispering about the two little ponies in the airport. Silver Spoon was about to tell the people off, but an adjustment of the glasses later, and Silvia was temporary controlling the body. Eventually, the group made it outside in time for Silvia to talk more frankly to Colton. “Okay, according to Silver Spoon, your human host and your pony body will eventually join minds. You will gain all the memories of the pony you turned into, and you will adopt the mannerisms and accent, if any, of that pony. You have a distinct Bronx accent going on. You have family in New York?” Colton indicated she woke up with the accent and that she had an older sister who resided in New York. “That’s wonderful!” Silvia said, smiling. “Is there a way we can reach her before those PAPA agents show up? I saw a couple of black shirted guys and a girl in sunglasses questioning some people who took pictures of us. What are we going to do now?” The new filly saw the agents show up and swarm the airport, looking for two fillies who matched the descriptions given by those who took pictures of them. “They know what we look like, Colton. Let’s get out of here before they catch us!” Silvia yelled as they quickened their pace. The silver maned filly with glasses hastened her pace to a canter and then a gallop to keep up with Colton. Soon, they reached the airport parking lot.. “Where is your vehicle at?” She asks her filly companion.. The brown filly indicated where she had parked and directed Silver Spoon to not track her muddy hooves all over the back seats and floor. After loading Silver Spoon’s silver luggage into the trunk, the fillies climbed into the back seat and buckled in. Sylvia smiled, “Thanks for saving us back there. Not bad for a blank flank.” Just then, Sylvia's head began to hurt. “I think either I have a headache, or something else is starting to happen.” Colton placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder in support of Silvia. She also admitted she started to feel a headache coming on as well. Sylvia smiled, looking out her window, seeing the reflection of Silver Spoon staring back at her. She then turned to Colton, “I guess the longer we stay as ponies, the closer we become the real Silver Spoon and I’m not sure what to call you. If I start to call you “Blank Flank”, it’s not coming from me.” The next thought raced through Sylvia's mind, “Uhm, Colton, how are we going to drive, if we don’t, like, have a driver?”
Chapter Four: Camping TripLanding Silver Side Up Chapter Four Camping Trip Liz slowly pulled the van up to a rather secluded wooded area after a few hours of traveling to the camp site. The camping ground signs say that the area is closed for the winter and also that the area is known to have wolves, coyotes, and bears. She turns to face the two fillies, “Hey, we’re here. You two still awake back there?” Colton pokes his head up over Silver. ”I’m still up….somehow.” Sam opens the back side doors. “Can you wake Silvia up? We need to hurry up and set up the tents and get a fire going.” He nods.”You got it chief.” he smiles and pokes Silvia.”Hey, we’re here….wherever here is, I don’t really know.” Silvia yawns, and stretches up on her hooves, adjusting her glasses. “We’re here, already?” She gets up, “What do you want us to do?” Sam opens up the trunk doors and wakes Fritter up before calling to the front. “Can you and Colton help me set up the tents, Noah and Liz, can you get some firewood or something?” Colton hops out of the van and stretches his newly found limbs.”I hate road trips, its always the sitting down and waiting that I just hate.” “Well we’ll get to do plenty more in the morning, come on, let’s go.” He tosses a bag with a tent in the general direction of the two fillies. Liz and Noah head off into the brush to search for firewood. Silvia picked up the bag off the ground and held it in her mouth as the trotted over to Colton. She placed the food near the campsite area, ready to lend a hoof to help Colton set up the tents. Colton looks down at the tent for minute.”I’m no expert but how are we going to set up this tent? I doubt hooves are very useful for this.” Sam grumbles a bit to himself before replying, “Just thread the metal poles through the holes in the tent. You two work on doing that while I put down the tarp.” Colton nods and shortly gets to work. Silvia helped as best she could as a filly could to get the tents set up for the other ponies, Fritter, Red Delicious, and Colton. “Okay, so we just put the poles up through the holes like this?” She attempts to put a pole in her mouth and then set it up with her front hooves, “It’s kinda hard to do this with hooves, ya know.” She says to Colton and Red Delicious. “You could say that again.” he says after getting one of the poles set up. “Just use your mouth, and try not to choke on the poles.” “That’s not going to happen, I can promise you that much.” Eventually, Silvia got her poles set up as best she could. “Okay, the poles are set up. Now what?” “Put the ends of the poles into the holes in the tarp.” Sam replies like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, which it isn't. Silvia nods, and then pulls on the tarp, falling hard on her rump. “Oof! That’s not funny! Help me up, will ya?” She holds up a hoof towards Colton to help her off the ground and fix the tarp. Colton laughs a bit at this.”Here let me help you.” he pulls on the tarp. Silvia finally got the tarp set up for the first tent. “Like, now many tents do we need?” “Just the three.” By the time Noah and Liz return, all but one of the three tents is set up. “We, like, got some firewood, and the tents are set up.” She looked back at the tent. “Uhm, at least one tent, anyway.” She lowers her head, hoping that her hosts would see she at least tried her best. “Uhm, Noah, are we going to cook something on the fire to eat?” Silvia asked, wondering what kind of vegetables they would be eating for supper. “We should have some vegetables in the boxes, if you really want, when I get the fire started we could try and heat something.” he leans down and begins trying to use a match to light the fire. Colton walks over and sits down next to Fritter. “Need any help with that?” he pauses, soon realising that he still has hooves.”If...I can help that is.” He struggles to speak around the match in his mouth. “No, I should be good, let me jusht…” she strikes the match and lets out a string of Swedish profanities as it pricks his nose. He laughs a bit, quickly hiding it though. probably not a good idea to laugh at the pony who is much bigger than him.”You okay there?” He nods, but continues rocking back and forth rubbing his muzzle. “Liz, can you do this for me!?” Liz heads over and helps Sam and the other ponies set up the fire pit and the stew ingredients. Sure enough she was able to get the fire lit. After adding the water and the vegetables, Fritter begins stirring the stew slowly. Colton watches as Fritter stirs the stew. “Anything I can do to help? I could probably...I don’t know, help cook or something?” “I think I might be good. Not much to do other than stir it, I guess.” Fritter continued to stir the stew, tasting it on occasion to make sure it was just the right texture and flavor. Silver Spoon licked her lips in anticipation of sampling the stew. “Mmmm..like, that stew smells delicious. What’s in it?” She asked Fritter with a curious glance over to tonight’s cook and her chosen dish for the evening. Fritter thinks for a moment before shrugging. “No idea.” He smirks.”Well, when you find something, let me know...and nice job answering both of us.” Fritter is too preoccupied to really hear the jest and she continues stirring the stew with a serious expression on her face. Silver looks over at the assembled ponies and the human, Liz. “I am beginning to miss my parents and I think Silver’s been asking about her friend, Diamond Tiara.” She sighs,, “I keep telling her we will find her when the time is right. Man, she’s bound and determined to find her pony friends, isn’t she?” This was Silvia talking, not Silver Spoon, the spectacled grey filly among the group. Liz speaks up. “I’m sure we’ll find her soon, she doesn’t need to worry.” Silvia nods and looks over at Colton, “You seem to be holding up okay, despite you becoming a filly. Do you feel any different?” He sits down on a nearby log.”Besides the change of a few…’parts’ and you know, the whole pony thing. I guess I do feel pretty different, both in a good and bad way.” Silvia smiles a bit and heads over to Colton, “How so? What do you mean in a good or bad way? You and I are about the same size, except you’re a little bigger than me. We are both Earth ponies, so that’s a plus.” Colton blinks.”Bigger? Are you calling me fat?” Silvia shakes her head and puts her fore hooves up in a defensive manner, “No, I mean, bigger as in, compared to me, you are a little taller.” He sits there for a bit before laughing.”Sorry, I just had to do that one. Anyway by good and bad, I mean...I get to live a few years longer now, which to me is a good thing...and the bad is...the whole gender change, sure being this way isn’t that bad, but later on...I really doubt that this body is going to be...I really can’t think of the right word for it.” Silvia looks over at Fritter for her input on this sensitive issue. “Uhm, you mean, when you mature, you’ll be going from a filly to a mare, right? Right now, we are considered fillies.” Colton looks embarrassed about this subject. “Yeah...all of that. I’ve been through that before...but that was with a different gender and...um...race.” Silvia nods and decides to change the subject. “I hope we get to learn the filly’s name you are in. I wouldn’t mind being friends with her, eventually. Another thing about the filly is she doesn’t have a Cutie Mark. That means she hasn’t discovered what she’s good at yet.” “Oh yeah, I forgot about the butt tattoo thing. I guess that’s not really a problem right now...though if I knew what she was good at, that would be helpful. As for the friend thing...sure, go ahead, but I already thought we were friends...or something like that.” Colton says, his, or her Bronx accent coming in strong as he/she talks. Silvia nods, and gives Colton a side hug, “We are friends. We are in this together. I’m not a bad pony...you know, the way Silver Spoon is portrayed in the show. I used to be so...snarky and inconsiderate of others before my connection to Silver Spoon. I think our personalities are so similar.” He smiles.”We are in this together, and that’s great thing. As for you and Silver, that’s great that you two are getting along. I hope whenever I get farther along this...journey, I’ll...get to talk to my pony...and hopefully become friends with her.” Silvia was about to respond when her stomach growled, making her blush in embarrassment. “Is dinner almost ready? I’m getting hungry. I guess we have to make sure to take care of our ponies’ bodies, since they are technically ours now.” He smiles.”We are in this together, and that’s great thing. As for you and Silver, that’s great that you two are getting along. I hope whenever I get farther along this...journey, I’ll...get to talk to my pony...and hopefully become friends with her.” Silvia was about to respond when her stomach growled, making her blush in embarrassment. “Is dinner almost ready? I’m getting hungry. I guess we have to make sure to take care of our ponies’ bodies, since they are technically ours now.” Colton nods, getting up.”We might as well go check if it is.” He walks back over to Fritter, waiting on the stew she was preparing. Silvia heads over to the fire camp site and waits with Colton on dinner preparations. “Uhm, Miss Fritter? Is dinner ready? Colton and I are hungry.” Silver Spoon spoke up, adjusting her glasses. Fritter stares down into the abomination that she has just cooked. “Uh… yeah I guess? Eat up…” Silver Spoon got her bowl and spoon ready and watched in anticipation as her portion was ladled into her bowl. “Thanks, Miss Fritter. Colton, you can sit with me and eat.” Colton grabs his bowl.”Thanks, Noah...and Fritter, that’s something I’m still having a hard time figuring out.” He soon sits down next to Silver. “Yeah me too…” Fritter gives a small smile and prepares some of the stew for himself and goes to sit next to Sam. Meanwhile, Silver Spoon blew on her soup to cool it down and takes her first taste of her food. “This stew...is it vegetable stew? I mean, we are ponies and we cannot have meat, right?” Fritter/Noah admitted she/he had overcooked the soup and confirmed it was vegetable. This made Silvia giggle as she tasted another spoonful, “It’s not that bad. Could use a pinch of salt, though.” She turned to Colton, “How’s your stew? You think it could use a little bit of salt to flavor it up a little?” Colton took a bite of his stew and made a face.”It’s...not that bad, salt would help...boost the flavor.” “If there was a flavor.” Sam grumbles and Fritter gives him a friendly natured Gibbs-slap to the back of the head with her hoof. “Ow!” Sam/Red Delicious rubbed the back of his head with his hoof, and avoided making any remarks about Fritter’s cooking for the rest of the evening, lest he got another hoof-slap from the cook. Silvia nods and tried to change the mood of the evening meal, “Did you bring salt from the restaurant or from home? I doubt anyone’s going to be happy seeing a group of ponies doing grocery shopping.” The rest of the evening carried on, and Silver Spoon soon felt sleepy. Whether it was because of her full belly or the exhausting day she had with her travelling companions, or a combination of both factors, she yawned. "I think i will be going to bed. Which tent am I , like going to be sleeping in tonight?" Author's Note Time for a camping trip, which will lead into Colton discovering his pony, Babs Seed while he sleeps.
