Trinity of Time Scene 4 Act 2 Part 3

I had already asked him what happened last night and how he found me. After all, he left well over eight years ago. Still, I remember everything there was to know about him; all but his name, which he never told me. He explained that yesterday, he came back from a long voyage across the world, and realized he had some spare time on his hands before the next errand. So, gramps told me he went into the forest to pick some lavender plants (oh the irony...), and weave a crown out of them as a gift to me. Suddenly, he heard cries in the distance, and found me collapsed by a nearby tree. I asked him about the timberwolves, but he swore there were absolutely none. It was just me, covered in my own blood and sweat, passed out on the chilling grass, very sickly and weak, perhaps even a hint of hypothermia.

"But no timberwolves?" I asked. He shook his head. "Nothing; just you, and the ground." I scratched my head, puzzled. How could that be? I'm convinced I had a fight last night. Then again, my surprising lack of injuries... "So," he asked, "you never got to finish that story, did you?" He looked into my sparkling eyes. At this point, I was unable to hold back my gleeful smile. Teary eyed, I jumped into his open hooves. After all these years away, having seen everything there was to see, and yet he still remembers my story... I just couldn't hold myself back anymore. He remembers my story...

"Of course I'd remember," he whispered into my ears, stroking my mane. "How could I forget such an ambitious child like you?" I tightened my grip around him. We sat there for quite some time. "Gramps," I finally muttered, "what's your name?" I heard a chuckle, before he burst out laughing. "Over the years, I've been known under many names. You can call me whatever you want, my dear." I tightened my grip even more. "Hmph! Please... Loosen up a little..." I let him go, looking up at his face. He dismissed all my worries with a simple smile. "Silver..." I whispered. "Can I call you Silver?" He turned away for a mere moment, already lost in thought.

"Silver, huh? Hmm... That's a very nice name! It's pretty easy to remember, isn't it?" He winked at me. I have no idea just how old he is, or what he has seen over the years. Yet, despite my dire lack of knowledge, I still trusted him. I would trust him with my life, if I had to. All those tales you spoke of, along with all those places you carved into my imagination; you were the only doors to the outside world. I wanted to see them all as a foal. I wanted to explore Equestria with my own two eyes. I wanted to live. In the end, it looks like I'm the one who forgot...

"So, what was it again? Ah yes! When you were just a little filly, you used to tell me you wanted to be an Alicorn all the time! Now, at least ten years later, mind I ask why?" He read me like an open book. Almost, if not probably more than ten years have passed, yet now more than ever, I realize I haven't changed a bit. I now understand why I wanted to be an Alicorn, why I told him the stories I spoke.

"You've figured it out, huh?" I replied, unable to look up. "Looks like I haven't changed at all..." There was a brief moment of silence. I took a deep breath, and resumed my response. "I always thought Alicorns were special; that they were greater than most of us. Somehow, my subconscious would relate to Celestia and Luna, even at such a young age." He put his hoof beneath my chin, and pushed upwards, staring me in the irises. I chuckled as he let go. "The Alicorn is just a metaphor, Silver. I thought having both a horn and a pair of wings would make me special. I honestly believed I was above anypony else. Whether that was childish innocence, or foul arrogance, I did not know. Nowadays, when I look back at those doodles I drew for you, I realize it was the latter."

"I've been a selfish bitch all along. I've shut myself in, determined to be the very best. I always wanted to be better than The Great and Powerful Twilight. Every passing day, all I ever aimed for was the top. But now... With all that the Princess has said... Once you've reached the top, what else is there to aim for?" I rocked my head backwards, staring straight at the bright sun of mid-day. "Do you believe in Angels?" I asked. Silver merely laughed, and brushed off my question like it was nothing.

"I believe in many things," he finally replied, "and Angels are only part of it. I've seen it all, young lady!" He sporadically spread his hooves wide open, letting the sunshine rain upon his mane. Finally, I saw his right eye. Either he had some sort of white eyeliner on, or he really was that special. In fact, I never noticed the white eyelid before. Was I just that blind?

"What do you think it takes to become an Angel?" I dared to ask. He smiled at me, his eyes still shut tightly. Something about his expression indicated content beyond words; a sort happiness beyond what the mortal spirit could feel. "Many things, my dear Lavender! Many things!" The silver threads on his hair danced in the breeze. It almost seemed like cords of a harp, strumming a delicate, yet familiar tune to my ears. A certain chill filled my eyes: tears, lots of them, rustling down my pure, untouched cheeks. There was no makeup, no nothing; just me in my own skin.

"Are you willing to make sacrifices, Lavender?" His question caught me off guard. "Are you willing to toss away everything you've lived for, just to become something greater?" No answer. "Well?" he added.

"I've got nothing worth living for so far. Becoming something beyond mortality seems like a viable option right now." It was the first time I ever heard Silver snicker.

"Oh really now? Tsk. Ah well! What can you do? Even the most delicate, well bred of roses has to have come from a seed. I'm sure your answer to that question shall change someday. Until then, carry on with your journey, my dear little protegee!" He waved me off, tossing me a candy cane.

"I really haven't change, haven't I?" Silver shrugged from afar, packing up, and cleaning up my mess. I grabbed my backpack, and went along on my journey.