TWICHAT
by GeodesicDragon
"I'm sorry, I've never really done this before." Twilight said, addressing the stallion in front of her, "You just seem like a nice pony, and seeing you makes a welcome change from all the other... strange individuals whom I've met today."
The stallion laughed heartily and smiled.
"It's good to see a female here." he said, "The sheer number of guys was, quite frankly, worrying me. A lot. And you're right about the strange individuals. I saw a guy earlier who was neck deep in jelly, for Celestia's sake!"
Twilight giggled.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle." she said, eager to change the subject and get the conversation moving, "What's yours?"
"I'm Silver Stomp." the stallion replied. "And I already knew who you were, Miss Sparkle. Everypony knows you and the other Elements of Harmony. It is an honour to be in the presence of somepony so spectacular as yourself."
A small blush crept onto Twilight's cheeks as she shied away.
"Now, now, Miss Sparkle," Silver said, "accept the compliment."
"I'm sorry," Twilight replied, "it's just that I'm still not used to the idea of my name being known to so many ponies. I guess I'm not cut out for the 'celebrity lifestyle'." She made quotation mark gestures to emphasise the last two words.
"Well then," Silver said with a smirk, "if you don't like it, then stop saving Equestria. That'll soon solve your problem."
Twilight looked shocked. She stared at Silver sternly. The stallion returned her gaze with one of his own, before he eventually burst into laughter.
"I'm kidding!" he said, almost falling over from laughing too hard, "You can never stop saving Equestria. It's what you do best."
Twilight's glare faded and was replaced with a sheepish grin.
"You know so much about me." she said, "Yet I know so little about about you. Care to help me out with that?"
Silver nodded and took a breath.
"Well, I was born in Manehatten. My family moved to Ponyville when I was a few months old. Truth be told, I was a bit of a jerk to the other foals. I bullied a few of them, and grew up as somepony who was feared. One day, I insulted somepony, and they snapped. In his rage, he nearly killed me. Waking up in the hospital, I realised that I was heading down a dark path, and set out to better myself. I soon discovered my talent for singing, and got my cutie mark. Since then, I've made a career out of it, touring across Equestria, doing gigs at various clubs."
Twilight's expression had changed from a smile to a scowl, and then back to a smile as Silver finished his story.
"It's good that you bettered yourself." she said, "Bullying somepony just because they're different is just wrong."
Silver nodded.
"If I could go back in time and tell myself that, I would." he said solemnly, "In fact, I'd change a lot of things about my life."
The two of them sat in silence for a moment. Turning to face the window, Twilight saw Luna's sky in all its glory, the full moon casting its soft glow upon the small town of Ponyville.
"I take it you can see something more interesting than me?" Silver asked. Twilight turned back to look at him and smiled, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.
"Sorry," she said, "it's just that I really enjoy stargazing, and the sky is full of them tonight."
Silver turned to look at the sky. A shooting star streaked across it, and he smiled, turning back to face Twilight.
"I enjoy a bit of stargazing as well." he said, "My favourite constellation is Orion."
Twilight gasped, prompting Silver to raise an eyebrow.
"You seem surprised." he said, "I'm guessing I'm the first pony you've met who also enjoys stargazing?"
Twilight nodded.
"I tried to get my friends into it, but they didn't really enjoy it." she said, "Rainbow Dash called it an 'egghead' thing to do, and complained about having to be up so late."
Silver snorted.
"Sounds to me like Rainbow Dash is a fool." he said, "She must be, if she refuses to accept that the night is a beautiful thing."
"It is." Twilight replied, "By the way, my favourite constellation is the Ursa Minor."
Silver laughed.
"I remember when one of them came to town." he said, "And I heard about how you dealt with it. Very well done."
Twilight blushed again.
"Now, now, Twilight." Silver said with a chuckle, "What did I tell you about accepting compliments?"
"I know, I know." Twilight replied, "I should accept them. And I do, so... thank you."
"You're welcome." Silver replied, "I got into stargazing as a colt, after the incident that landed me in hospital. I needed a hobby to keep me off the streets and away from my peers. Sitting up late one night, I found myself counting the stars, and attempting to draw the constellations on paper."
"That's how I got into it as well." Twilight replied. "Do you still partake in stargazing?"
Silver shook his head, as a smile appeared on his face.
"I stopped doing it once I got into my teenage years." he said, "I found a hobby that was much more relaxing than looking at the sky through a tube with a lens on the end."
Twilight scoffed.
"You found something that's more enjoyable than stargazing?" she said, "I find that very hard to believe. But please, enlighten me."
Silver's smile turned into a sly grin.
"I was hoping you'd say that." he said, "I've always dreamed of showing one of the Elements of Harmony my new hobby..."
Silver rolled onto his back, out of Twilight's line of sight. As she waited for him to reappear, something else caught her eye.
Leaning in closer, Twilight saw that the object was long and smooth... and had a hoof wrapped around it which was moving up and down at an increasing rate of speed.
Twilight's eyes widened as realisation hit her. Screaming in terror, she leapt from her seat and pulled the power cord from the wall.
As she stood there with the cord in her hooves, a single thought entered her frazzled mind.
I am never going on Chatroulette again.
