Shippy: SilverHammer - At the Gala

  "Okay, chin up..."
  Silver slowly took her first step into the ballroom, taking special care not to stumble. Scanning the crowd with her eyes, only a handful of other guests looked at all familiar; the conversation, it seemed, would be kept to a minimum. She did not mind, however, as she thought back to the previous year. As a professional pianist, she had been asked to perform a few songs in the ballroom by personal request from the princesses, and her nerves ended up getting the better of her. The resulting fumbles of nervousness put a bit of a damper on the show, prompting a quiet murmur among the crowd. While she couldn't hear them, she knew what they were saying.
  Perhaps that is why she chose to attend the gala as merely a guest, as opposed to a performer. She was asked to appear again, but she felt her skills - and nerves - weren't up to the task. As she strolled across the polished floor, doing her best to maintain a stiff posture, she cast a glance up at the stage for a glimpse of the small band playing atop it. For a moment, part of her wished she had accepted the offer to play, but the rest of her paid the idea no more mind.
  Only seconds later, as a grey and purple Longma strolled up behind her, she would begin to realize how bad an idea that would have been.
  "So you came after all?" Dusk gave her a playful nudge in the side.
  "Almost didn't... I really don't want to relive that fiasco."
  "Oh, come on. Worse things have happened than looking silly in front of ponies you don't even know. By the way, have you seen Luna yet?"
  Silver gestured out the door she just entered through. "Last I saw, she was still with Celestia in the main hall."
  Dusk groaned, rolling her head back. "They've been out there for hours! How long does it take to greet some snooty jerks that only show up because of the reputation?"
  "Dusk, please!" Silver growled into her ear. "You know their duties are the most important thing, even if they don't entirely make sense. Wouldn't it be just as good to spend some time out there?"
  "That's where I was up until about half an hour ago. There wasn't even time to start a conversation before somepony else walks up for a how-do-you-do."
  The pair trot across the floor to the refreshment table. Feeling a bit more comfortable, Silver takes a glass of a beverage she doesn't recognize and passed it to her companion. "What are you so eager about? You two see each other all the time."
  Dusk casually tilts her head away, eyes narrowed slyly. "We've been working on a new spell that I wanted to practice."
  "What kind of-"
  "Guess I should have seen this coming." Dusk continued, not letting Silver finish her question. "Everypony here is so boring and uptight. Par for the course around here, but it would be nice if at least one other guest here was interested in having a real party. One of these days, they're going to just break down and finally let Pinkie manage one of these things..."
  "Dusk, you're rambling."
  "Right. So, what are you up to?"
  "Well... nothing, I guess. I've only been here a few minutes."
  Tenting her claws together, the mischievous Longma casually led Silver toward a corner of the room. "By the way... you remember last year?"
  "Ugh... of course."
  "Aaaaaaaaand you remember how I bailed you out afterward?"
  Silver stopped, glaring down at Dusk. "... Yes..."
  "Well, I'm cashing in that favor. It's right over there!"
  Sighing, the pale blue unicorn had no idea what to expect as her eyes drifted away from her friend to the far corner; to her surprise, her gaze was met with a lone stallion, standing by himself. Something about his appearance was sorely mismatched; despite the handsome black tux he was sporting, his mane and tail were scruffy and rather unkempt, with the exception of his forelock that had been styled up into an amusingly out of place pompadour. A short but thick beard buried his lower jaw, completing the image of somepony entirely out of his environment.
  Silver stammered, "I... don't think I follow."
  "You owe me for saving your flank, so now you have to go talk to tall, dark and awkward over there! C'maaahhhn, he's new in town so I asked Luna about him, and I think you'll like this." Dusk stands up on her hind legs, tossing one front hoof over Silver's shoulders and gesturing dramatically with the other to compliment the heroic tone of her following words. "Apparently he used to be a royal guard, but received an honorable discharge due to injuries and now works as a blacksmith under commission of the guard, bringing everything full circle so he can once again serve the good citizens!"
  Both fell silent for a moment, Dusk basking in her own showmanship, and Silver at a loss for words.
  With no response seeming to come, Dusk shakes Silver vigorously. "You can-NOT tell me you aren't even a LITTLE interested! Come on, he's cute, hard working, got some sexy scars, what else do you want!? You should tell him about your alchemy, those are kinda the same!"
  Fidgeting a hoof, Silver gave him another look. As anxious as the thought made her, she wanted to at least try and talk to him. "I suppose..."
  "There you go, now go get 'im!"
  "I haven't even met him yet, I'm not going to 'go get 'im.'"
  "Psh, relax. You two are perfect!"
  "Have YOU met him?"
  "... Well, not exactly."
  "Then how do you know he's not a complete tool? I wouldn't even know what to say."
  "Say 'oh, Sarge! Take me!' and swoon dramatically into his hooves! Ipso facto, the royal garden gets a beast with two backs!"
  "DUSK!"
  "Seriously, he could be the stallion of your dreams! Get. Over. There. NOW! Don't make me drag you, you know I will."
  Rolling her eyes, Silver takes a step forward. "Fine, fine. I'll humor you for a while."
  At first, the walk was effortless and casual; just going to meet someone new, no big deal. However, every step she took brought them closer and closer together, each clack of her heels reminding her that she had never even seen him before, and here was Dusk trying to set them up. Silver silently ran through every conversation starter that came to mind, from uncomfortable elevator talk to grandiose proclamations of love and destiny, none of which seemed appropriate for the situation-
  *thump*
  "O-oh, sorry..!"
  Without even realizing it, Silver walked face-first into the side of the stallion's head, the two's eyes meeting for only a second before awkwardly turning away. Prodding the floor with a gloved hoof, she forced herself to maintain eye contact.
  "No, it's fine..." Although Silver didn't notice, he seemed to be feeling just as uncomfortable. Several minutes passed as neither of them spoke, unsure where to begin. "So... what brings you here tonight?"
  "I... heard you're not from around here, so I thought I would, y'know, come say hi."
  The stallion smiles. "Hi, then."
  Forcing a quiet chuckle, Silver continues. "I, um, also heard you're a blacksmith for the royal guard."
  "Sorta. I do jobs when they need something, but I work for anyone that needs it."
  "That's cool. You know... I... sorta do stuff like that too."
  "Smithing?"
  "Well, kind of. I dabble in metalworks a bit, but it's probably not like what you do... I mean, it's similar, but it's mostly sculptures and such, with the occasional weapon."
  "Huh. Where do you work? I don't remember seeing any other smiths around."
  "Oh, it's mostly just for fun. I don't really need equipment anyway, since I use alchemy. With some patience and calculating, I can make metals into anything I want, even other metals... o-oh, sorry, I'm starting to ramble."
  She could see him stifle a chuckle. "I don't mind."
  "I completely forgot to ask for you name."
  "Oh, right. They used to call me Sergeant Hammer, but just Hammer will do."
  "Okay... Hammer."
  "What about you?"
  "Silver... Silver R-Romance."
  His right eyebrow twitched up for a moment. "So, Silver, about that alchemy stuff... I always heard it was a dead art. Where did you learn it from?"
  "The Canterlot library, in some old book. I always had trouble with magic before, and it helped me keep up with the other unicorns when I was younger. After a while, I was able to use it to replicate a lot of major spells."
  Hammer's ears perked up. "I'd like to see that. Maybe sometime we can-"
  He was interrupted by a sudden gasp. In her anxiety, Silver had raised a hoof in an old habit; absently jingling the round bell that usually hung from the large, black collar she wore everywhere. However, as her hoof hit nothing but air, she fell into a panic. "My bell..! Where's my bell?"
  Taking a step forward, Hammer quickly scans as much of the floor as he can. "Must have fallen off when we bumped earlier."
  Silver lowered her head in disappointment. That bell had much sentimental value for her; it had no meaning behind its existence or how it had come into her possession, but it had been a part of her image for so long that she could hardly imagine no longer hearing its gentle jingle as she walked.
  "I have an idea." Silver's head raised at the sound of the stallion's voice. "How about you come by my shop sometime and I'll make you a new one?"
  Her mouth immediately widened to an ecstatic grin. "Really? You would do that?"
  "Sure, it's the least I could do."
  As the pair's nerves dissipated, finally letting themselves fall back down into a comforted stance, they were completely oblivious to the fact that they were being watched; nearby, hiding behind one of the many ornate columns surrounding the ballroom, a grey and purple Longma smirks in satisfaction. "Time to see if this new spell works..."
  She signaled a tall, dark blue mare near the door, and the room suddenly fell dark as the lights went out. Dusk's face contorts in concentration, horns fizzling with magic energy. A bright purple orb formed high in the air, bathing the room in a subtle hue. Moments later, the spell is complete, and the orb fires down a wide cone of color over Silver and Hammer, creating a dazzling spotlight.
  The two nearly jumped in surprise. Hammer was utterly clueless as to what was happening, but one look at the color made it all to clear to Silver. "Dusk..!"
  "Huh? Who turned this light on?"
  "Um... sorry, it was my friend Dusk. She seems convinced we're... well... soul mates, I guess."
  A string quartet took the stage, filling the air with their romantic sound. The two looked around, and sure enough, everyone was looking at them and waiting, as if they knew this was going to happen. Slowly, they turned back to each other, both gasping at the other, not expecting to see a face just as red as their own.
  "Sorry about this... uh, Dusk doesn't really have boundaries..."
  "Well, let's not get hasty... I mean, we're quite literally on the spot here, and it seems like she went through a lot of trouble."
  "Then... you're not mad?"
  "Mad? Nah. I mean... we could... could dance, or something, if you want..."
  Silver struggled to hold back an excited squeak. "I would be glad to."

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Raver1357 made this image in all of his greatness, so if you'd like to watch someone for this image, you should watch him!

T'is official! SilverHammer is now a thing. X3 It wasn't officially before because we hadn't came up with how they were to meet yet. ;w; And yes, Silver's new bell that you saw on her collar in her Rainbowfied image is to be made by Hammer once I draw that picture. ;w;

THEY ARE PERFECT TOGETHER~ <3 AFJKHADKFHDKFHDF I LOVE IT. I wrote the story and he edited the shit out of it to make it perfect. ;w; All of my feels.

_{Yes, someday there will be a set of foals between these two, the one and only time we'll be breeding them. ;w;}

In this image you can find my Ponysona Silver Romance (or Silver Pone as I call her) (silverromance.deviantart.com/a… ) and Raver1357's Ponysona Sergeant Hammer (silverromance.deviantart.com/a… ). Background created by Wild-Hearts.