Silver shook out his form as he walked down the hallway of the castle. It had been a long day of work, but it was satisfying. He had helped see some foreign diplomats, which had been frightening, but left him feeling happy with himself. He didn't embarrass himself or Equestria, and he'd learned some things.
He was Prince Silver Watch, ambassador, and he was sublimely happy with his role in life. Things had turned out well.
Not curious anymore?
Silver blinked at the words just floating there in front of him. None of the other ponies that wandered past seemed to see them. "Text?" he whispered softly.
Ah, you do remember me! How flattering. Not that I truly thought you had forgotten me. I have a question for you.
Silver frowned gently. "What could you want to know that you don't already know."
It's not obvious? Your choices, of course. I don't like predetermining that. Life becomes so intensely boring when I do. No, you're free to choose as you wish.
Silver took a slow breath. "Right, can you wa--"
The hallway faded away. He was suddenly in his room, alone, seated on a pillow. "That... works?"
I thought it would. Now, your old life. Your human life. You do remember it, do you not?
Silver could remember his old life, but it was like a book he'd read long ago, rather than being something he'd lived. He wasn't that rattled by that. Even as a human, the life of the year before was hazy at best. He never had a strong chain of memory that some people seemed to have. "What about it?"
You likely don't realize, or maybe... you do? It's still proceeding, without you, or at least, this you.
Silver sat up, confused. "There's more than me?"
You saw it once, in the nightmare. There are countless 'you's' in the fabric of reality. No one is that particularly special. Still, I did not rip a hole in that fabric. You went for a walk, and finished the walk, and kept right on living. I simply took a copy, like a clay pressing, and placed it here, in Equestria.
Silver wasn't sure he liked where it was headed, but he was also curious.
I thought you might be. Do you want to meet him?
Silver blinked. "What?"
Meet him. I can bring him here, for a short while. You can talk, catch up.
Silver's ears danced atop his head. He wondered how he had done in the human world. Was his game still running? Did he continue writing Ponyfinder? Was he homeless on the streets? He doubted that, but who knew? Well, one person knew. Silver pointed a hoof at the floating words. "Will it hurt him or I?"
I just want to see what you talk about. Neither of you will be harmed. I won't even leave any missing time for him. Heck, he probably won't remember being here. Shame, he'd probably like visiting.
Silver gave a slow nod. "Alright... Well, sure. I don't see the harm in that. Go ahead."
Marvelous! Now wait a moment.
Silver saw a hazy image. A human was seated in a kitchen chair at a computer. He recognized the desk, but not the specific phone that was playing some kind of jrpg music beside him, or that chair. Where was his uncomfortable chair? The computer also seemed new, but the monitor, wow, that was unchanged.
Was that really David? He'd grown skinnier. "Hello?"
The human turned sharply, blinked, then grinned like a loon. "Holy shit! Is that you, Silver?"
Silver bobbed his head as he rose and stepped towards the human. He wasn't fuzzy anymore. They were perfectly real to one another. "Wow... How, you know, how are you?"
David reached out a hand with uncertainty, but Silver stepped forward and pressed his muzzle into the hand. He knew he'd want to pet a magic pony that showed up and decided to not begrudge himself. He chuckled with nervous giddiness as he scratched along a fuzzy ear. "Are you really me?"
"That question goes both ways." Silver sat on his haunches. As an alicorn, he was almost even with David, though still a bit shorter. With them both seated, it seemed to work well. "Do you know who I am then?"
"How couldn't I?" David suddenly seemed to realize something. "I shouldn't say."
Silver blinked at that. "Why not?"
"Spoilers."
Silver squinted faintly. "Seriously? Oh wait! Is the show still on?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, for sure. I watch it every week."
Silver rolled a hoof. "You can say what season you're up to, right?"
"I guess a number wouldn't hurt. 6." David rolled a hand. "I've... I mean. Alright, so I've seen pretty far ahead of what I think you're, you know, up to?"
Silver reached out a hoof and rest it flat on David's belly. "Why are you so much skinnier? Walking worked out?"
David chuckled. "You could say that, yeah. I shed about fifty pounds and kept it off. Yay for that."
Silver glanced past him and saw one of those medicine trays for holding pills for a whole week. "Why do you have one of those?"
David tensed a moment. "I... wasn't as lucky as you."
"Yeah?"
"I have multiple sclerosis. Do you know what that is?"
Silver frowned a bit with thought. "Really nasty disease, about all I remember. Are you dying?"
"Not much faster than most people." David shrugged. "But my immune system has called an APB on the lining of my nervous system, so I may end up a cripple. Isn't that ironic? Start walking, nature starts robbing you of your ability to walk." He waved over the tray. "Some of these pills are medical. Most are supplemental. You know mom, a supplement for every occasion, especially terminal illnesses."
A chill ran down Silver's spine. Had he avoided that by becoming a pony? He supposed he had. With his whole immune system and nervous system practically re-written, little catches like that would have been reset. Still, the idea that this human. Himself... "I'm sorry."
David shrugged lamely. "Thanks, but not much we can do about it." He tapped the side of Silver's horn. "Unless you can magic it away. I wouldn't object."
The idea of just reaching into David and trying to perform whole-body neurosurgery with magic sounded quite terrifying. He could kill David, or much worse.
David pat Silver on a cheek. "S'allright, I figured not. Still, fucking cool."
Silver had to smile at that. "Surprise!"
David's expression went somber. "Are you mad?"
Silver blinked at that. "Mad at what?"
David clenched a fist a moment. "Your trials. Your... journey. I..."
He faded away abruptly, leaving Silver in darkness a moment before he was back in the palace, in his room. "Text?!"
An excited squeal came from the next room before Morning Glory and Clear Twilight came scampering in with Samantha directly behind them. She came to a stop when she saw Silver. "Oh, you're back." Even as she smiled, the two foals leaped up and tackled Silver.
He couldn't help but hug them tight, flooded with gratitude for having them, and Samantha, and everything else he'd gained in Equestria.
Part of him wondered what David was getting at, in the end.
His journey? His trials? Silver was sure neither was finished. He was an alicorn, for better or worse. He had many many years to find new challenges and continue growing. "If you're not growing, you're dying," he muttered to himself even as he cuddled his foals.
Author's Note
A somber little thing. What fate had Silver avoided by taking a step to the side just in time to avoid going down the path his earth-bound self had?
The Text claims to be above typos. I don't trust him.
