Looking Through Windowsby ShadowThePonyChaptersProloge: ArrestChapter 0: FlashbackChapter 2: Sharp Knives, Moral Drives, and Multiple LivesChapter 3: Daring CapturedChapter 1: Verdicts and LockpicksProloge: ArrestTwilight flapped her wings irritably. She had been sitting in the empty inspector's office for what seem like an eternity. She had heard that a colt that had recently moved from Trottingham had beaten another colt to death with a heavy stone. She was drifting off into a reverie when the door creaked open. "Sorry to keep you waiting miss," said Inspector Penworth, "we have just apprehended the suspect." Twilight walked out the door and into the hallway. At the end of it was an unconscious colt. Her eyes flitted over him. He had a black mane with a white bar down the center. His coat was a dark blue. His eyes were closed, but she could see that his face was badly bruised. "He tried to jump over a fence, but landed on his muzzle." Twilight looked to her left and saw a guard. He bowed politely. "I would recommend sending him to a treatment center, but it's your choice madam." He said monotonously. "By the looks of it he probably knew what he was doing. I think we should just put him in the prison. Do you have any open rooms?" Twilight looked over the official. "W-we to, but it is the bottom one. The last person almost died in there." The officer stuttered. "Fine, it's the best we could do." Twilight looked at the colt one last time before Inspector Penworth escorted her out. "Are you sure? You know how many physiological problems that can happen from that room." Inspector Penworth said quietly. Twilight nodded. She had attempted to cure the last person, Sugartwist, of the insanity she had developed. She had eventually threw herself off a bridge and drowned. .:<::=::>:. Back at the stations the colt's cinnamon-colored eyes opened, and he grumbled "My name is Sliver Ocean." Before closing his eyes again. The stallion dragged him roughly down the stairs and tossed him into the room. He locked the door and walked away, hooves clicking on the cobbled floor. After about an hour Silver Ocean's eyes opened again. He scanned the room and panic started to creep into his veins. shoot Shoot SHOOT! What have I done? He thought. He saw the last remnants of light shine through the windows. He positioned himself against the far wall and watched Bon Bon's shop grow dark as night fell. He watched, reminiscing about his felony. Eventually, but very slowly, he fell asleep. Dawn awoke him as well as a jab in the back. He rolled over and found himself blocking the food slot. He watched as the trencher of food slid though the slit. In the newfound light he stood up and looked around. A simple cot and a bucket for restroom use were the only things he could see from his position. Shrugging, he ate the food quickly. He then kicked the trencher through the slid and listed as it clanged across the far part of the hallway. He estimated that the hallway was five hooves across, and he scratched that onto the wall with a stone. Panic started to creep into his mind again, but he forced it down. He was partially used to this. He remembered when he was grounded at his house for a week during summer break. He had only been allowed to used the bathroom and eat. "This is much different!" He yelled. He covered his mouth with his hooves. He had not meant to should, but he had. The panic came rushing back up. Am I going insane? the wondered. To take his mind of his imprisonment he converted the five hooves into every single measurement he knew (trots, sprints, hooftips, etc.). He wrote and wrote and wrote until his rock was dull and his teeth hurt like hell. He sat down and inspected the wall. it contained 300.7 bricks. He had filled up only 20. His neck had a very bad kink in it, so he stood up and collapsed in the cot, staring at the ceiling. A tapping sound started to fill the room. Silver Ocean awoke. He looked down and found that he had rolled off the bed and had been shaking ever since by the look of his bruises. He paced around the room, collecting loose objects and dropping them onto his bunk. He inspected what had found; A shard of glass, fourteen bent nails, a broken broom handle, and numerous pebbles. He sat and stared at the little treasures until he noticed voices. At first he thought they were from the hallway, so he rushed up to the iron-clad door and pressed his ear to the slit. There was nothing but occasional squeaks of rats. He then turned the only other source: the window. He jumped up and clambered onto the narrow windowsill. He teetered dangerously for a second, then steadied himself. He gazed out the window and found himself looking at the main market. People were bustling about. He yelled, which turned into a shrieking scream. However, no one seemed to hear him. Tears wet his muzzle as more panic brewed in his stomach. It's so hard being so close, but no one can hear you...He grabbed a hoof full of pebbles and scattered the through the bars. Instead of the expected rattle of stone on stone a defining bang was emitted, and he was thrown backwards into the wall. He gasped as the breath in his lungs was pressed out from the unexpected explosion. Damned magic a voice said in his head. He suddenly grasped his skull. He had not thought those words, the just appeared. Hello? he asked apprehensively. Hello there the alien voice replied: I am your inner demons. The ones that make you commit evil. There is no hope. No hope. No hope. No hope. The voice repeated that, growing fainter and fainter. Damn it shut up! Silver Ocean knew the was insanity. He smashed his head onto the wall. Dizziness overwhelmed him, and he collapsed to the ground. Look through the windows and learn from what you see, or forever insane you will still be, Force down the inner demons inside, and push your past sins far aside, redo your mistakes, do whatever it takes, to fix the knot you've done. Fix now your setbacks, fix the break-backs, Just look through the window, and learn. Author's Note This is a first timer, so I can use some help in grammar and conventions. I also am very busy, but I will upload as much as I can. Thank you for the support and special tanks to sweetapple_fireplume for the tips. Chapter 0: FlashbackThe rhyming verses played melodiously until Silver Ocean woke up, or what he thought was “waking up”. Everything was blurry, as if he was looking through teared-up eyes. He wiped his brown eyes with a hoof and looked down. His body was sharp-looking. He looked up to find himself in the old Ponyville schoolhouse. “This is where it happened…” whispered Silver Ocean, “...and the time too.” He spotted his past doppelganger talking to the Trottingham colt. A few golden bits were scattered among the green grass. He remembered this time. It had been the first time he had confronted him. He had jabbed his pen into Silver’s bag and cut it open. It was during recess, and a filly named Woodwind was being disciplined by Cheerilee, so she wasn’t there. “Nice bits youze got there,” guffawed the colt. Silver turned and saw the slitted bag and swore. “Youze talking to me little boy?” The colt grabbed the bandana that Silver usually wore and pulled him in close. Muzzle to muzzle, he whispered menacingly: “My name is Red Glory,” he smiled a twisted grin, then continued, “and they don’t call me that for powdered drink mix.” Silver Ocean was bewildered, both the past and the future. The past Silver was thinking how this pony, completely unprovoked, could suddenly snap at him. The future Silver was almost in a headache trying to comprehend his flashback. He had only gotten this once before. He had fallen off a bridge and got a concussion. He had seen his older brother, Golden Skies kill himself. A month later Golden Skies was found, dead, by an overdose of pills. “Does this mean anything?!” future Silver yelled out. It comforted him to hear his own voice, almost like a lifeline to reality. He turned back to the fight; Red Glory had teeth marks on his neck and past Sliver’s hooves were bleeding. “CHILDREN, DAMMIT!” Cheerilee stumbled out of the school house. She had been excusing Woodwind outside after the disciplinary note when she witnessed the brawl. She grabbed both of them by their ears and sat them down inside the school building. After the tongue-lashing the bell rang, and they both were seated as far away as possible from one another. Future Silver followed. He had noticed that no one could see him when Twist looked straight at him. He also discovered that nopony could touch him, for Twist proceeded to run through him and talk to Apple Bloom. He sat down at an empty desk, but just as he did that the world suddenly spun. He felt bile rise to his mouth, and he pitched forwards. The blurs of the outside world changed color, and he found himself, still in a flashback, on a dark road. “I remember...I remember!” Silver circled around. He had waited here for the plan to take action, and just as he was thinking the rustling of bushes alerted him. He spun around and found him looking into two mahogany-colored eyes. “You...me?” He knew that his past clone couldn’t hear him, but he whispered the words anyway. He heard the clop of hooves on the road, and he instinctively hurried into the bushes. He had rigged a tripwire to a tree, which led up a branch and fastened itself around a stone. He had thought he planned it perfectly. Red Glory would trip the wire, causing the stone to fall. The falling stone would make a string, also connected to it, pull taut. This pulled a bucket of water over, but the stone would fly up and hit the branch, stopping the heavy basin from injuring the Trottingham colt. The horrible memory had played out as he ran from the crime, but now he was in the middle of it. Red Glory hit the twine and stumbled, causing the stone to fall. The soft, pleasing whistle of the string running on the bark echoed through the night. The basin emptied its contents from above, causing it to splatter over Red Glory. “WHAT THE ****!!” Red Glory shrieked in surprise and anger. However, the unexpected was still to come. A creaking sound, followed by the snapping of a branch caused Silver to look over. The branch which was used to stop the stone from going too far up snapped. This sound not only echoed through the night, but through Silver’s soul. The basin fell, but Red Glory managed to sidestep it. The heavy stone, pulled by the bucket’s momentum, whisked over the branch and towards Red Glory’s head. CRACK! resounded through the dawn. This was the sound of a 3 hoof by 2 hoof stone colliding with a colt’s skull. Both past and future Silver yelled as blood splattered onto the path. Sliver ran, but a mare already heard and saw the victim. Silver sprinted as a few Ponyville’s Guards seem to materialize from shops and alleys. Silver, both of them, ran until they spotted the fence up ahead. He jumped, a leap of faith, and cleared the fence, but not quite. Silver’s tail caught on one of the fence posts and he plummeted toward the ground. His past clone’s face hit the cobblestones with a dull thud. Future Silver, however, had jumped clean over the barrier. He watched in helpless horror as the guard unhooked his tail from the fence’s spike and dragged him into the street. He wasn’t too far from the investigator’s station, nor was anypony out. Silver followed head hung low, but he noticed something peculiar. The place where his future cell would be was gone, the entire lower wall was featureless. As they walked through the door, Silver only managed to get a glimpse of Twilight and Inspector Penworth for the ground suddenly gave way. He saw a glimpse of a hat and a black and white mane, but it was all gone in a flash. .:<=>:. Silver Ocean regained consciousness on the cold prison floor. He was greeted by a trencher of food and voices outside. “You think he’s going to eat da food?” Apparently the man was talking himself, for there was only one set of hooves visible through the slit. “HELP ME I’M GOING INSANE!” Silver screamed through the slot. The man chuckled in his deep voice and replied, “At least I’m not starven’ ya yet. Yet. They need yah alive fer da trial.” Author’s note: Don’t get Silver (Silver Ocean) and Silver Spoon mixed up. She’s not taking place in this story. Author's Note Criticism is needed, not flaming. Chapter 2: Sharp Knives, Moral Drives, and Multiple Lives"...guilty." Silver sighed out of sadness where everypony else of relief. He already knew his sentence would be greater than thirty years, so he let the rest of the verdict subconsciously drone on. The wrongfully convicted murder, the feeling of panic, fear, and insanity, and the darkness the seemed to shroud everything danced in his mind. Something stood out. The feeling of “just let life go”. He didn’t care about what would happen, he simply didn’t, but now he was distressed, and his mind was in a different state. He moved from his uncomfortable position and something rattled. He looked down and remembered his hoofcuffs. His hooves were bound by chains that chafed and clinked whenever he moved. He hated them. As he agian shifted in his seat he heard a crinkling of paper. Furtively looking between his legs he spied an envelope. From: Somepony who knows To: The innocent one He knew it was for him, even if it was vague. He felt it instinctively, and with some hesitation (because of the guards and their ruthlessness) he quickly snatched it up and hid it in between his hoof and the shackle. Something was inside of there (besides a wad of thick paper). It was heavy but thin, getting thicker at the bottom. Before he could decide what to do due to his newfound discovery he was roughly yanked up a walked to the jail. His awkward misstep caused by his manacle’s secret letter seemed to stand out, but no pony noticed. When he was in the jail and no patrollers were around he slid out to envelope, read it again, and tore it open. Inside was a knife and a letter. Silver was shocked somepony would do this for him after all he did, but curiosity burned inside him. He emptied out the folded note and opened on a level cobblestone. Hello innocent one, I know what happened, and I will later regret this decision, but I will save you. This has happened before. An invasion at the roots. The home. Hang in there. Remember I WILL HELP YOU. Sanity. Kin~ Silver didn't know what to think. Somepony more devoted and insane using the name Kin to send him a puzzling letter, or the previously knife enclosed had appeared to move seven hooftips from where he had dropped it. He wrapped up the letter with the envelope and hid it in his pillow, then inspected the dagger. It didn't look like a fighting knife that one of his comic book heroes hold, but more so of kitchen knife. On the blade he could make out a carefully, mechanically etched note USE ONLY IN DRASTIC TIMES That wasn't so bad, but the other one, clearly imprinted by hoof , was much more chilling AIM AT THE EYES, VISIBLE CLINKS IN ARMOR AND BLIND SPOTS The last one, barely legible, was cryptic and confusing. IN TIMES OF DECISIONS, FIGHTS, AND FRAY THIS KNIFE, THE TELLER, WILL POINT THE WAY Silver was starting to think that something was seriously wrong with the sender. "When someone gives you a knife, instructions for cold-blooded murder, and a half-insane half-frantic note what do you do?" Silver muttered. He laughed as he imagined a crazed stallion drunkenly staggering around, dropping horror letters onto public places. He hoped that this was a mistake, a mess-up, but something in the back of his mind nagged him. Kin, or so they say their name is, called him “the innocent one”, and it seemed too much of a coincidence to be found at a courthouse. From their field trip there to study public buildings Silver had learned the opening and closing time of the court. They were the first ponies there, so somepony had to sneak in between court opening and the janitor cleaning time. His mind wandered and ambled along his imagination. He made lists of possible suspects, than feasible ponies who would be his enemy if he ever got out, and practical explanations to Red Glory’s horrifying accident. The sun fell and Luna’s domain started. He noticed “dinner” and grabbed it, for he had forgotten how hungry he was. He ate quickly and slid the tray through the slot. He glanced around the room and his eyes settled on the knife. It seemed to have moved again, and now rested in between the mattress and wall, pointing up. “Keep that up and you’ll kill me.” He chuckled, and then noticed he was talking to a knife. “I really am losing it, am I?” He again remembered there was no one listening. He sighed and plucked the knife up. He set it, wrapped up in an extra blanket and stuck it under his bed. He wondered about the knife’s riddle. He seemingly got it when a metallic grind echoed from the hallway. He peered under the slot and saw somepony stepping out from the opposite cell. “FREEDOM!” the ex-prisoner yelled happily. She bounced up the stairs and out of the guardhouse (a dull thud sounded when the jubilant mint-colored pony’s head collided with the top of the doorway, but she seemed to brush it off) . “We got one open.” A guard muttered before trotting off. He remembered his supposed answer. He was supposed to end his own life, before he went insane, felt more pain, did bad things. He shuddered at the thought. Is there life after death, did he really want to? He fell into a troubled sleep. Coming He woke up to groaning and grunting the the recently vacated cell. Curiosity overtook his logical sense and he peered through his food slot and into the other cell’s broken, open one. Silver spotted a light olive coat and a black, gray-striped mane. Something seemed all too familiar. He swore he heard this name before, one of the elements of harmony went crazy over her. The rainbow weather pony was the one, but this pony...he just couldn’t put a name on. A spark seemed to jump in his head as a gray-green jungle explorer’s hat fell into view. “You are…” Author's Note Finished! Can you guess the mystery pony? Chapter 3: Daring Captured“...that one pony from the book that rainbow twerp keeps dropping on my head? Dary Lo? Or was it-” “Daring Do, alias A.K. Yearling.” She said somewhat flatly, as if she had already repeated it hundreds of times. “Ah yes, I remember now. Now how did you, a wild, tomboyish jungle adventurer come into this hellhole?” “Well. I guess I should tell you. I got nothin’ better to do. So what’s your name?” “Silver Ocean.” “Nice to meet you. Anyways…” Daring lept out of the jungle canopy, the Flowstone of Fire, Sapphire of Stone, Amethyst of Air, and the Wernerite of Water safely tucked in her saddlebag. She flew high and aimed for the closest town: Ponyville. The flight was long and tiring, and as she neared the settlement she spotted a rainbow mare lounging on the clouds. She bolted to the ground, hastily wrapped her cloak from her bag around her, and adorned herself with thick, wide-rimmed red glasses. She lastly folded her explorer had inside-out, revealing a floppy, summer one. She put on a casual but humble attitude, and strolled into town. Not a glance lingered for longer than needed. No one stopped her. No one thought she was a wild adventurer. Suddenly, somepony bumped into her. The pony, Carrot Top, fell onto her. The extra weight caused the strap of the saddlebag to snap, and the Sapphire of Stone skidded to Carrot’s hooves. “Hey watch it -- wait...isn’t this the stone from the museum?” Daring was generally confused. Carrot, from what she heard around town, was a nice, non-inquisitive pony. Also, Ponyville was an extremely small town to have a museum. “No...I...um...found it...on the ground…with dirt...so...yeah.” Daring fumbled the sentence, but it would have to do. She trotted over to reclaim the precious stone, but Carrot snatched it up. “Thief!” Even though her voice was slightly muffled by the gem in her mouth it seemed to resonate throughout the marketplace. Ponies turned to look at her, and suddenly then ran towards her, clearly aggressive. Her survival instincts kicked in, and she bucked at the nearest pony, which appeared to be Berry Punch. Her hooves came in contact with something hard and glossy. It was then followed by a green, smoky flash, and the smell of sulfur. She tried to glance behind her, but it the body was covered with more ponies. She ran, but there were too many. She managed to “kill” a few more, using ways like smashing them with curtain poles, or using wagons to collide with unsuspecting assailants. There were too many, and she was pinned to the ground. Twilight and some guards trotted over. “Twi, ya gotta help me-YAHHH!” Twilight Sparkle, the famous, nervous alicorn had just yanked Daring up by her neck. “Gargahhahah...helppppdgag...gaggag…” Twilight, still stone-faced, nodded to her companions. They approached Daring with hoofcuffs and a bridle. “Buck you, you Celestia-mpph mpph mpph!!” Twilight smiled, a cold cruel sort of smile as the guards forced the bridle of Daring’s yelling mouth. Daring kicked and struggled, but a loud purple flash enveloped her vision, then everything went black. “Sleeping spell.” Silver muttered. It was a code of law that all royal staff had to know this last resort knockout spell. Twilight probably knew it, but everything had seemed under control, but Twilight had used it. “This food sucks.” Daring announced out of the blue. “I agree...I think...yeah. There is a thing floating in my water. It’s...ugh! I think it just hatched!” They both laughed at Sliver’s little skit, and did a failed attempted at a toast to “I hate Twilight”. “Ahhhh…This place is so much easier with people around.” “Yeah. When I’m adventuring in Celestia-knows-where I don’t exactly have friends. I have acquaintances, clients, and a few contacts, but no friends.” Daring rolled over in her bunk, and pretty sure in a few minutes she was fast asleep. Silver Quill Ocean however was wide awake. He had gained a friend, but more importantly a large batch of information that confirmed his hypothesis. There is something weird going on in Ponyville, and I’ll get to the bottom of it. Ocean fell asleep. Usually his dreams were of his past, or just some kaleidoscopic nightmare with something to do with clowns. Now it was something different. Silver first thought it was of his erstwhile times, but this time there was no younger double. He was alone, and he was floating. Freaky...I like it! He tested how he could move around, and found it was extremely. Floating through a wall, he came to what seemed like a heated argument between Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “You said the feed was going to come in today! Now it’s more than a week late! Our people are starving!” Rainbow yelled. “What am I supposed to do about it! I’m not Celestia for pony’s sake!” “But you’re close!” “I don’t give a bucking damn! I can’t do manure!” “Look at this!” Rainbow raised her wing, and it seemed frail. Suddenly, it shimmered. Half dragonfly, Half pegasus. If ghosts could be scared to death, he was past that. By a lot. Rainbow turned to Twi. “My veil is failing Twi. I can’t-” At that moment. Twi swung a stray stapler at Rainbow’s face with her telekinesis. Instead of a dull smush a loud crack like the sound of a watermelon breaking came from Rainbow, accompanied by a ear-splitting scream. A large webbed impact point now adorned her face, and it was leaking a gray-green fluid onto the stapler, which was on the floor. A large glob landed on the metallic adhering device, and it started to hiss. Before Silver knew it, the stapler was nothing more than a burned puddle of acidic metal. “Somepony’s watching us!” Twilight hissed. She suddenly turned to Silver, even though he was sure she couldn’t see him and blasted his face with magenta light. Silver woke up in the middle of the night with cold sweat on his coat and a splitting headache. He felt something warm trickle down his head, and blood came off on his hoof. He was seriously burned, right where Twilight had hit him. Author's Note FINALLY. This was finally finished on a boring rainy day. But I'm happy with myself. Enjoy! Chapter 1: Verdicts and LockpicksAfter few days later of slowly deteriorating sanity, Silver was roughly grabbed and carried out the cell door. He was grateful to see the outside again, even if that meant being slung over a vexated guard with hooves shackled. He cracked a smile as the mid-morning sun flitted along his face. He was carried to the familiar building that was town hall. He remembered the gruff voice of the prison food deliverer talking about his trial. He was brought into the courtroom and manacled to the chair. Mayor Mare was already on the judges stand, and one of his classmates, Wind Snarer, was doing an interview. “...and Red Glory was...um…violent, I guess. Silver, he was angry at him for...I don’t know.” Silver grinned. Wind Snarer and always been a snitch, but the growing pressure from the audience was pushing her to the breaking point. “ That would be all Snarer. Will Red Glory’s family please step up to the stand.” Silver snapped out of his stupor and looked up. Mayor Mare turned towards him and smiled. Her eyes were icy daggers, and there was no familiar glimmer of consciousness. It seemed her pupils were pits of pain. Silver shuddered. He then turned to the family, who were at the stand. “Red Glory was a nice colt who cared…” Silver put his head down in disgust. Naïve parents were common in Ponyville. During the midterm conferences over half of the mares and stallions objected to the sliding grades and bullying reports. Diamond Tiara’s father, Filthy Rich, looked close to blows while heatedly defending his filly. Silver observed that Diamond was the equivalent of Red, but she used words to snipe at ponies. A group of fillies took the blunt, but they seem to handle it better than him. He hated those kinds of ponies: the bullies and the naïve defenders. “...and we wish that Silver Ocean is proved guilty, that son of a…” “That is enough.” Mayor Mare cut off, seemingly reluctantly, “The jury will now decide the verdict.” Silver shook his head. It had seemed that he had fallen asleep and missed the last few interviews. He watched Princess Twilight Sparkle step down from the stand and walk through a door in the back, deep in conversation with Mayor Mare. The guard pushed him off the chair and walked him to the door. The occupants of the courtroom shot him dirty looks as he was pushed out of the room. Whatever was said in the last hour of two had changed the outlook. He was walked back to his cell and sadly said goodbye to the nature around him as he walked into the desolate room. Silver had managed to straighten out a nail he had found, and with the ambition achieved from the small glimpse of the outside, he attempted to use it as a lockpick. After hundreds of unsuccessful tries (which include almost swallowing the nail) the door creaked open. He ran down the hallway and bounded up the stairs. He slowed as he rounded the desk where the visitor attendant usually resided. He sneaked pasted him as he refilled his coffee cup. Silver sprinted toward the door, but to great disappointment he was hit in the head by a hoof. Looking up, he saw a guard bring the iron-clad hoof onto his skull for a second time. This time, his vision faded, and hopelessness covered him. When his vision cleared, he found himself back in his cell, a stolid nurse tending his aching cranium. She finished wrapping the bandages and left. Silver sighed and rolled over, ignoring his head’s complaints. He remembered his flashback of the view of the cell window. A magical barrier covered the space in between the bars and prevented anyone from seeing, hearing, or overall interacting with the inhibitant and vice versa. Silver concluded that the isolation was causing his insanity, and it was happening fast. Silver woke up in the courtroom. His fetlock was slightly bloody, and Silver inferred that someone and tranquilized him and brought him here. Mayor Mare clearing her throat got Silver to look up. He suddenly snapped to attention realizing what this was: his verdict. “On behalf of the jury we hereby pronounce Silver Quill Ocean…” Author's Note Cliffhanger! Sorry for the wait and short chapter. Thank Blossom Lily for the cover!
Prologe: ArrestTwilight flapped her wings irritably. She had been sitting in the empty inspector's office for what seem like an eternity. She had heard that a colt that had recently moved from Trottingham had beaten another colt to death with a heavy stone. She was drifting off into a reverie when the door creaked open. "Sorry to keep you waiting miss," said Inspector Penworth, "we have just apprehended the suspect." Twilight walked out the door and into the hallway. At the end of it was an unconscious colt. Her eyes flitted over him. He had a black mane with a white bar down the center. His coat was a dark blue. His eyes were closed, but she could see that his face was badly bruised. "He tried to jump over a fence, but landed on his muzzle." Twilight looked to her left and saw a guard. He bowed politely. "I would recommend sending him to a treatment center, but it's your choice madam." He said monotonously. "By the looks of it he probably knew what he was doing. I think we should just put him in the prison. Do you have any open rooms?" Twilight looked over the official. "W-we to, but it is the bottom one. The last person almost died in there." The officer stuttered. "Fine, it's the best we could do." Twilight looked at the colt one last time before Inspector Penworth escorted her out. "Are you sure? You know how many physiological problems that can happen from that room." Inspector Penworth said quietly. Twilight nodded. She had attempted to cure the last person, Sugartwist, of the insanity she had developed. She had eventually threw herself off a bridge and drowned. .:<::=::>:. Back at the stations the colt's cinnamon-colored eyes opened, and he grumbled "My name is Sliver Ocean." Before closing his eyes again. The stallion dragged him roughly down the stairs and tossed him into the room. He locked the door and walked away, hooves clicking on the cobbled floor. After about an hour Silver Ocean's eyes opened again. He scanned the room and panic started to creep into his veins. shoot Shoot SHOOT! What have I done? He thought. He saw the last remnants of light shine through the windows. He positioned himself against the far wall and watched Bon Bon's shop grow dark as night fell. He watched, reminiscing about his felony. Eventually, but very slowly, he fell asleep. Dawn awoke him as well as a jab in the back. He rolled over and found himself blocking the food slot. He watched as the trencher of food slid though the slit. In the newfound light he stood up and looked around. A simple cot and a bucket for restroom use were the only things he could see from his position. Shrugging, he ate the food quickly. He then kicked the trencher through the slid and listed as it clanged across the far part of the hallway. He estimated that the hallway was five hooves across, and he scratched that onto the wall with a stone. Panic started to creep into his mind again, but he forced it down. He was partially used to this. He remembered when he was grounded at his house for a week during summer break. He had only been allowed to used the bathroom and eat. "This is much different!" He yelled. He covered his mouth with his hooves. He had not meant to should, but he had. The panic came rushing back up. Am I going insane? the wondered. To take his mind of his imprisonment he converted the five hooves into every single measurement he knew (trots, sprints, hooftips, etc.). He wrote and wrote and wrote until his rock was dull and his teeth hurt like hell. He sat down and inspected the wall. it contained 300.7 bricks. He had filled up only 20. His neck had a very bad kink in it, so he stood up and collapsed in the cot, staring at the ceiling. A tapping sound started to fill the room. Silver Ocean awoke. He looked down and found that he had rolled off the bed and had been shaking ever since by the look of his bruises. He paced around the room, collecting loose objects and dropping them onto his bunk. He inspected what had found; A shard of glass, fourteen bent nails, a broken broom handle, and numerous pebbles. He sat and stared at the little treasures until he noticed voices. At first he thought they were from the hallway, so he rushed up to the iron-clad door and pressed his ear to the slit. There was nothing but occasional squeaks of rats. He then turned the only other source: the window. He jumped up and clambered onto the narrow windowsill. He teetered dangerously for a second, then steadied himself. He gazed out the window and found himself looking at the main market. People were bustling about. He yelled, which turned into a shrieking scream. However, no one seemed to hear him. Tears wet his muzzle as more panic brewed in his stomach. It's so hard being so close, but no one can hear you...He grabbed a hoof full of pebbles and scattered the through the bars. Instead of the expected rattle of stone on stone a defining bang was emitted, and he was thrown backwards into the wall. He gasped as the breath in his lungs was pressed out from the unexpected explosion. Damned magic a voice said in his head. He suddenly grasped his skull. He had not thought those words, the just appeared. Hello? he asked apprehensively. Hello there the alien voice replied: I am your inner demons. The ones that make you commit evil. There is no hope. No hope. No hope. No hope. The voice repeated that, growing fainter and fainter. Damn it shut up! Silver Ocean knew the was insanity. He smashed his head onto the wall. Dizziness overwhelmed him, and he collapsed to the ground. Look through the windows and learn from what you see, or forever insane you will still be, Force down the inner demons inside, and push your past sins far aside, redo your mistakes, do whatever it takes, to fix the knot you've done. Fix now your setbacks, fix the break-backs, Just look through the window, and learn. Author's Note This is a first timer, so I can use some help in grammar and conventions. I also am very busy, but I will upload as much as I can. Thank you for the support and special tanks to sweetapple_fireplume for the tips.
Chapter 0: FlashbackThe rhyming verses played melodiously until Silver Ocean woke up, or what he thought was “waking up”. Everything was blurry, as if he was looking through teared-up eyes. He wiped his brown eyes with a hoof and looked down. His body was sharp-looking. He looked up to find himself in the old Ponyville schoolhouse. “This is where it happened…” whispered Silver Ocean, “...and the time too.” He spotted his past doppelganger talking to the Trottingham colt. A few golden bits were scattered among the green grass. He remembered this time. It had been the first time he had confronted him. He had jabbed his pen into Silver’s bag and cut it open. It was during recess, and a filly named Woodwind was being disciplined by Cheerilee, so she wasn’t there. “Nice bits youze got there,” guffawed the colt. Silver turned and saw the slitted bag and swore. “Youze talking to me little boy?” The colt grabbed the bandana that Silver usually wore and pulled him in close. Muzzle to muzzle, he whispered menacingly: “My name is Red Glory,” he smiled a twisted grin, then continued, “and they don’t call me that for powdered drink mix.” Silver Ocean was bewildered, both the past and the future. The past Silver was thinking how this pony, completely unprovoked, could suddenly snap at him. The future Silver was almost in a headache trying to comprehend his flashback. He had only gotten this once before. He had fallen off a bridge and got a concussion. He had seen his older brother, Golden Skies kill himself. A month later Golden Skies was found, dead, by an overdose of pills. “Does this mean anything?!” future Silver yelled out. It comforted him to hear his own voice, almost like a lifeline to reality. He turned back to the fight; Red Glory had teeth marks on his neck and past Sliver’s hooves were bleeding. “CHILDREN, DAMMIT!” Cheerilee stumbled out of the school house. She had been excusing Woodwind outside after the disciplinary note when she witnessed the brawl. She grabbed both of them by their ears and sat them down inside the school building. After the tongue-lashing the bell rang, and they both were seated as far away as possible from one another. Future Silver followed. He had noticed that no one could see him when Twist looked straight at him. He also discovered that nopony could touch him, for Twist proceeded to run through him and talk to Apple Bloom. He sat down at an empty desk, but just as he did that the world suddenly spun. He felt bile rise to his mouth, and he pitched forwards. The blurs of the outside world changed color, and he found himself, still in a flashback, on a dark road. “I remember...I remember!” Silver circled around. He had waited here for the plan to take action, and just as he was thinking the rustling of bushes alerted him. He spun around and found him looking into two mahogany-colored eyes. “You...me?” He knew that his past clone couldn’t hear him, but he whispered the words anyway. He heard the clop of hooves on the road, and he instinctively hurried into the bushes. He had rigged a tripwire to a tree, which led up a branch and fastened itself around a stone. He had thought he planned it perfectly. Red Glory would trip the wire, causing the stone to fall. The falling stone would make a string, also connected to it, pull taut. This pulled a bucket of water over, but the stone would fly up and hit the branch, stopping the heavy basin from injuring the Trottingham colt. The horrible memory had played out as he ran from the crime, but now he was in the middle of it. Red Glory hit the twine and stumbled, causing the stone to fall. The soft, pleasing whistle of the string running on the bark echoed through the night. The basin emptied its contents from above, causing it to splatter over Red Glory. “WHAT THE ****!!” Red Glory shrieked in surprise and anger. However, the unexpected was still to come. A creaking sound, followed by the snapping of a branch caused Silver to look over. The branch which was used to stop the stone from going too far up snapped. This sound not only echoed through the night, but through Silver’s soul. The basin fell, but Red Glory managed to sidestep it. The heavy stone, pulled by the bucket’s momentum, whisked over the branch and towards Red Glory’s head. CRACK! resounded through the dawn. This was the sound of a 3 hoof by 2 hoof stone colliding with a colt’s skull. Both past and future Silver yelled as blood splattered onto the path. Sliver ran, but a mare already heard and saw the victim. Silver sprinted as a few Ponyville’s Guards seem to materialize from shops and alleys. Silver, both of them, ran until they spotted the fence up ahead. He jumped, a leap of faith, and cleared the fence, but not quite. Silver’s tail caught on one of the fence posts and he plummeted toward the ground. His past clone’s face hit the cobblestones with a dull thud. Future Silver, however, had jumped clean over the barrier. He watched in helpless horror as the guard unhooked his tail from the fence’s spike and dragged him into the street. He wasn’t too far from the investigator’s station, nor was anypony out. Silver followed head hung low, but he noticed something peculiar. The place where his future cell would be was gone, the entire lower wall was featureless. As they walked through the door, Silver only managed to get a glimpse of Twilight and Inspector Penworth for the ground suddenly gave way. He saw a glimpse of a hat and a black and white mane, but it was all gone in a flash. .:<=>:. Silver Ocean regained consciousness on the cold prison floor. He was greeted by a trencher of food and voices outside. “You think he’s going to eat da food?” Apparently the man was talking himself, for there was only one set of hooves visible through the slit. “HELP ME I’M GOING INSANE!” Silver screamed through the slot. The man chuckled in his deep voice and replied, “At least I’m not starven’ ya yet. Yet. They need yah alive fer da trial.” Author’s note: Don’t get Silver (Silver Ocean) and Silver Spoon mixed up. She’s not taking place in this story. Author's Note Criticism is needed, not flaming.
Chapter 2: Sharp Knives, Moral Drives, and Multiple Lives"...guilty." Silver sighed out of sadness where everypony else of relief. He already knew his sentence would be greater than thirty years, so he let the rest of the verdict subconsciously drone on. The wrongfully convicted murder, the feeling of panic, fear, and insanity, and the darkness the seemed to shroud everything danced in his mind. Something stood out. The feeling of “just let life go”. He didn’t care about what would happen, he simply didn’t, but now he was distressed, and his mind was in a different state. He moved from his uncomfortable position and something rattled. He looked down and remembered his hoofcuffs. His hooves were bound by chains that chafed and clinked whenever he moved. He hated them. As he agian shifted in his seat he heard a crinkling of paper. Furtively looking between his legs he spied an envelope. From: Somepony who knows To: The innocent one He knew it was for him, even if it was vague. He felt it instinctively, and with some hesitation (because of the guards and their ruthlessness) he quickly snatched it up and hid it in between his hoof and the shackle. Something was inside of there (besides a wad of thick paper). It was heavy but thin, getting thicker at the bottom. Before he could decide what to do due to his newfound discovery he was roughly yanked up a walked to the jail. His awkward misstep caused by his manacle’s secret letter seemed to stand out, but no pony noticed. When he was in the jail and no patrollers were around he slid out to envelope, read it again, and tore it open. Inside was a knife and a letter. Silver was shocked somepony would do this for him after all he did, but curiosity burned inside him. He emptied out the folded note and opened on a level cobblestone. Hello innocent one, I know what happened, and I will later regret this decision, but I will save you. This has happened before. An invasion at the roots. The home. Hang in there. Remember I WILL HELP YOU. Sanity. Kin~ Silver didn't know what to think. Somepony more devoted and insane using the name Kin to send him a puzzling letter, or the previously knife enclosed had appeared to move seven hooftips from where he had dropped it. He wrapped up the letter with the envelope and hid it in his pillow, then inspected the dagger. It didn't look like a fighting knife that one of his comic book heroes hold, but more so of kitchen knife. On the blade he could make out a carefully, mechanically etched note USE ONLY IN DRASTIC TIMES That wasn't so bad, but the other one, clearly imprinted by hoof , was much more chilling AIM AT THE EYES, VISIBLE CLINKS IN ARMOR AND BLIND SPOTS The last one, barely legible, was cryptic and confusing. IN TIMES OF DECISIONS, FIGHTS, AND FRAY THIS KNIFE, THE TELLER, WILL POINT THE WAY Silver was starting to think that something was seriously wrong with the sender. "When someone gives you a knife, instructions for cold-blooded murder, and a half-insane half-frantic note what do you do?" Silver muttered. He laughed as he imagined a crazed stallion drunkenly staggering around, dropping horror letters onto public places. He hoped that this was a mistake, a mess-up, but something in the back of his mind nagged him. Kin, or so they say their name is, called him “the innocent one”, and it seemed too much of a coincidence to be found at a courthouse. From their field trip there to study public buildings Silver had learned the opening and closing time of the court. They were the first ponies there, so somepony had to sneak in between court opening and the janitor cleaning time. His mind wandered and ambled along his imagination. He made lists of possible suspects, than feasible ponies who would be his enemy if he ever got out, and practical explanations to Red Glory’s horrifying accident. The sun fell and Luna’s domain started. He noticed “dinner” and grabbed it, for he had forgotten how hungry he was. He ate quickly and slid the tray through the slot. He glanced around the room and his eyes settled on the knife. It seemed to have moved again, and now rested in between the mattress and wall, pointing up. “Keep that up and you’ll kill me.” He chuckled, and then noticed he was talking to a knife. “I really am losing it, am I?” He again remembered there was no one listening. He sighed and plucked the knife up. He set it, wrapped up in an extra blanket and stuck it under his bed. He wondered about the knife’s riddle. He seemingly got it when a metallic grind echoed from the hallway. He peered under the slot and saw somepony stepping out from the opposite cell. “FREEDOM!” the ex-prisoner yelled happily. She bounced up the stairs and out of the guardhouse (a dull thud sounded when the jubilant mint-colored pony’s head collided with the top of the doorway, but she seemed to brush it off) . “We got one open.” A guard muttered before trotting off. He remembered his supposed answer. He was supposed to end his own life, before he went insane, felt more pain, did bad things. He shuddered at the thought. Is there life after death, did he really want to? He fell into a troubled sleep. Coming He woke up to groaning and grunting the the recently vacated cell. Curiosity overtook his logical sense and he peered through his food slot and into the other cell’s broken, open one. Silver spotted a light olive coat and a black, gray-striped mane. Something seemed all too familiar. He swore he heard this name before, one of the elements of harmony went crazy over her. The rainbow weather pony was the one, but this pony...he just couldn’t put a name on. A spark seemed to jump in his head as a gray-green jungle explorer’s hat fell into view. “You are…” Author's Note Finished! Can you guess the mystery pony?
Chapter 3: Daring Captured“...that one pony from the book that rainbow twerp keeps dropping on my head? Dary Lo? Or was it-” “Daring Do, alias A.K. Yearling.” She said somewhat flatly, as if she had already repeated it hundreds of times. “Ah yes, I remember now. Now how did you, a wild, tomboyish jungle adventurer come into this hellhole?” “Well. I guess I should tell you. I got nothin’ better to do. So what’s your name?” “Silver Ocean.” “Nice to meet you. Anyways…” Daring lept out of the jungle canopy, the Flowstone of Fire, Sapphire of Stone, Amethyst of Air, and the Wernerite of Water safely tucked in her saddlebag. She flew high and aimed for the closest town: Ponyville. The flight was long and tiring, and as she neared the settlement she spotted a rainbow mare lounging on the clouds. She bolted to the ground, hastily wrapped her cloak from her bag around her, and adorned herself with thick, wide-rimmed red glasses. She lastly folded her explorer had inside-out, revealing a floppy, summer one. She put on a casual but humble attitude, and strolled into town. Not a glance lingered for longer than needed. No one stopped her. No one thought she was a wild adventurer. Suddenly, somepony bumped into her. The pony, Carrot Top, fell onto her. The extra weight caused the strap of the saddlebag to snap, and the Sapphire of Stone skidded to Carrot’s hooves. “Hey watch it -- wait...isn’t this the stone from the museum?” Daring was generally confused. Carrot, from what she heard around town, was a nice, non-inquisitive pony. Also, Ponyville was an extremely small town to have a museum. “No...I...um...found it...on the ground…with dirt...so...yeah.” Daring fumbled the sentence, but it would have to do. She trotted over to reclaim the precious stone, but Carrot snatched it up. “Thief!” Even though her voice was slightly muffled by the gem in her mouth it seemed to resonate throughout the marketplace. Ponies turned to look at her, and suddenly then ran towards her, clearly aggressive. Her survival instincts kicked in, and she bucked at the nearest pony, which appeared to be Berry Punch. Her hooves came in contact with something hard and glossy. It was then followed by a green, smoky flash, and the smell of sulfur. She tried to glance behind her, but it the body was covered with more ponies. She ran, but there were too many. She managed to “kill” a few more, using ways like smashing them with curtain poles, or using wagons to collide with unsuspecting assailants. There were too many, and she was pinned to the ground. Twilight and some guards trotted over. “Twi, ya gotta help me-YAHHH!” Twilight Sparkle, the famous, nervous alicorn had just yanked Daring up by her neck. “Gargahhahah...helppppdgag...gaggag…” Twilight, still stone-faced, nodded to her companions. They approached Daring with hoofcuffs and a bridle. “Buck you, you Celestia-mpph mpph mpph!!” Twilight smiled, a cold cruel sort of smile as the guards forced the bridle of Daring’s yelling mouth. Daring kicked and struggled, but a loud purple flash enveloped her vision, then everything went black. “Sleeping spell.” Silver muttered. It was a code of law that all royal staff had to know this last resort knockout spell. Twilight probably knew it, but everything had seemed under control, but Twilight had used it. “This food sucks.” Daring announced out of the blue. “I agree...I think...yeah. There is a thing floating in my water. It’s...ugh! I think it just hatched!” They both laughed at Sliver’s little skit, and did a failed attempted at a toast to “I hate Twilight”. “Ahhhh…This place is so much easier with people around.” “Yeah. When I’m adventuring in Celestia-knows-where I don’t exactly have friends. I have acquaintances, clients, and a few contacts, but no friends.” Daring rolled over in her bunk, and pretty sure in a few minutes she was fast asleep. Silver Quill Ocean however was wide awake. He had gained a friend, but more importantly a large batch of information that confirmed his hypothesis. There is something weird going on in Ponyville, and I’ll get to the bottom of it. Ocean fell asleep. Usually his dreams were of his past, or just some kaleidoscopic nightmare with something to do with clowns. Now it was something different. Silver first thought it was of his erstwhile times, but this time there was no younger double. He was alone, and he was floating. Freaky...I like it! He tested how he could move around, and found it was extremely. Floating through a wall, he came to what seemed like a heated argument between Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “You said the feed was going to come in today! Now it’s more than a week late! Our people are starving!” Rainbow yelled. “What am I supposed to do about it! I’m not Celestia for pony’s sake!” “But you’re close!” “I don’t give a bucking damn! I can’t do manure!” “Look at this!” Rainbow raised her wing, and it seemed frail. Suddenly, it shimmered. Half dragonfly, Half pegasus. If ghosts could be scared to death, he was past that. By a lot. Rainbow turned to Twi. “My veil is failing Twi. I can’t-” At that moment. Twi swung a stray stapler at Rainbow’s face with her telekinesis. Instead of a dull smush a loud crack like the sound of a watermelon breaking came from Rainbow, accompanied by a ear-splitting scream. A large webbed impact point now adorned her face, and it was leaking a gray-green fluid onto the stapler, which was on the floor. A large glob landed on the metallic adhering device, and it started to hiss. Before Silver knew it, the stapler was nothing more than a burned puddle of acidic metal. “Somepony’s watching us!” Twilight hissed. She suddenly turned to Silver, even though he was sure she couldn’t see him and blasted his face with magenta light. Silver woke up in the middle of the night with cold sweat on his coat and a splitting headache. He felt something warm trickle down his head, and blood came off on his hoof. He was seriously burned, right where Twilight had hit him. Author's Note FINALLY. This was finally finished on a boring rainy day. But I'm happy with myself. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Verdicts and LockpicksAfter few days later of slowly deteriorating sanity, Silver was roughly grabbed and carried out the cell door. He was grateful to see the outside again, even if that meant being slung over a vexated guard with hooves shackled. He cracked a smile as the mid-morning sun flitted along his face. He was carried to the familiar building that was town hall. He remembered the gruff voice of the prison food deliverer talking about his trial. He was brought into the courtroom and manacled to the chair. Mayor Mare was already on the judges stand, and one of his classmates, Wind Snarer, was doing an interview. “...and Red Glory was...um…violent, I guess. Silver, he was angry at him for...I don’t know.” Silver grinned. Wind Snarer and always been a snitch, but the growing pressure from the audience was pushing her to the breaking point. “ That would be all Snarer. Will Red Glory’s family please step up to the stand.” Silver snapped out of his stupor and looked up. Mayor Mare turned towards him and smiled. Her eyes were icy daggers, and there was no familiar glimmer of consciousness. It seemed her pupils were pits of pain. Silver shuddered. He then turned to the family, who were at the stand. “Red Glory was a nice colt who cared…” Silver put his head down in disgust. Naïve parents were common in Ponyville. During the midterm conferences over half of the mares and stallions objected to the sliding grades and bullying reports. Diamond Tiara’s father, Filthy Rich, looked close to blows while heatedly defending his filly. Silver observed that Diamond was the equivalent of Red, but she used words to snipe at ponies. A group of fillies took the blunt, but they seem to handle it better than him. He hated those kinds of ponies: the bullies and the naïve defenders. “...and we wish that Silver Ocean is proved guilty, that son of a…” “That is enough.” Mayor Mare cut off, seemingly reluctantly, “The jury will now decide the verdict.” Silver shook his head. It had seemed that he had fallen asleep and missed the last few interviews. He watched Princess Twilight Sparkle step down from the stand and walk through a door in the back, deep in conversation with Mayor Mare. The guard pushed him off the chair and walked him to the door. The occupants of the courtroom shot him dirty looks as he was pushed out of the room. Whatever was said in the last hour of two had changed the outlook. He was walked back to his cell and sadly said goodbye to the nature around him as he walked into the desolate room. Silver had managed to straighten out a nail he had found, and with the ambition achieved from the small glimpse of the outside, he attempted to use it as a lockpick. After hundreds of unsuccessful tries (which include almost swallowing the nail) the door creaked open. He ran down the hallway and bounded up the stairs. He slowed as he rounded the desk where the visitor attendant usually resided. He sneaked pasted him as he refilled his coffee cup. Silver sprinted toward the door, but to great disappointment he was hit in the head by a hoof. Looking up, he saw a guard bring the iron-clad hoof onto his skull for a second time. This time, his vision faded, and hopelessness covered him. When his vision cleared, he found himself back in his cell, a stolid nurse tending his aching cranium. She finished wrapping the bandages and left. Silver sighed and rolled over, ignoring his head’s complaints. He remembered his flashback of the view of the cell window. A magical barrier covered the space in between the bars and prevented anyone from seeing, hearing, or overall interacting with the inhibitant and vice versa. Silver concluded that the isolation was causing his insanity, and it was happening fast. Silver woke up in the courtroom. His fetlock was slightly bloody, and Silver inferred that someone and tranquilized him and brought him here. Mayor Mare clearing her throat got Silver to look up. He suddenly snapped to attention realizing what this was: his verdict. “On behalf of the jury we hereby pronounce Silver Quill Ocean…” Author's Note Cliffhanger! Sorry for the wait and short chapter. Thank Blossom Lily for the cover!
