IntroductionView OnlineShadows FadeIntroductionSociety is a deceiving rumor-spreading machine. We are stereotyped based on our homes, backgrounds, and jobs. And that seems to be ok. It's the norm. And if you happen to have the perfect combination of these three things, you might as well be royalty. Anything below that is looked upon as if they were no more than rotten garbage. And many ponies just accept what they are born into and mold themselves to fit the stereotype. If you are willing to listen, every pony who has ever lived anywhere other than the higher districts of Canterlot tells of how much better life would have been had they had only lived among the riches and glory of the upper class. They tell of how they wanted nothing more than to have middle class lives in the very least. These ponies think that by living in a better house that everything would have been perfect for them and their families. They will speak to you of how awful their lives were. And I'll agree, they were pretty awful lives to be living. No pony deserves to be treated that way, to be that scared all of your life. But not everything in this life is made up of diamonds and gold just because of where you live or how wealthy you are. Money can't buy happiness, it can't buy friends, it can't buy fairness. Money can buy you out of the lower class. But it can never buy you respect. My name is Silver Dawn. And this is the story of how my "perfect" life almost killed me. My story begins in a pretty little hospital room. I came into this world with shimmering amethyst eyes and a light heart of innocence. My parents absolutely glowed with pride every time some pony cooed over just how perfect and beautiful of a little filly I was. My silver coat shimmered and my pink mane flowed like water. I was the gem of the neighborhood. All my neighbors knew my name from the moment I was born. I grew up a total momma's pony. This due to the fact that my mother didn't work after I was born. But she never truly needed to. She had her degree. But my father had one of the best paying jobs a pony could ask for. He was a messenger for the Royal Court. He was often away traveling during the day, but he was back in time to put me to bed most nights. I grew up in a very happy home. My parents never fought and they loved me very much. However, by the time I turned four I had two sisters, Wild Clover and Cherry Blossom. I hated the sudden lack of attention the siblings brought, but loved having someone to play with. Before my sisters came along I was the only filly on the block. Naturally, Cherry Blossom, the youngest, got the most attention as a filly. Mom spent the most time with her doing whatever she wanted to. I had already gotten old enough to care for myself. This lack of attention from my mom turned out to be both good and bad. I grew much closer to Wild Clover, but the older we got the less she wanted to be around me, which hurt rather badly. But I adjusted and learned to entertain myself. Anyway, as I said before, my family was extremely rich. We basically bled money. We were at the very top of the economic ladder. So growing up, I heard nothing but smack talk about the quote on quote "slums". Being the "perfect filly" I was never directly told about it by the adults. They were too afraid of corrupting me. But I overheard plenty of the adults gossip about it and I heard stories being told on the streets as I passed by. Stories about what the Royal Court had told them when they had gone once again to complain about the beggars who were unfortunate enough to live in the Slums. Stories of crime and murder and trials. But I couldn't fully wrap my head around what could possibly be so bad about living a different lifestyle. I knew that the criminals were bad, but not everyone in such a large area could possibly be a criminal. But I knew better than to question the views of my parents. After all, they had made it in life. My family hated every single aspect of the place. It seemed that all of Canterlot did. Even the thought of it made them cringe. So naturally, all three of us fillies were sent off to school with the other rich little fillies and foals to make sure we got good jobs and didn't end up filthy beggars. I was never allowed anywhere close to the center district, but I knew plenty about it. But somehow I always found myself wondering why Celestia would allow such terrible things to happen in our town. The fillies at school told me stories. They told me about how giant rats swarmed the streets every night. They spoke of how the only ponies that lived there were dirty thieves and murderers. I often heard them talking about the high crime rates and how dirty and rotten all the buildings there were. Thinking about living that way hurt me deep down inside. I never was able to understand why I felt physical pain for ponies I didn't know. But at school, it became a joke. We would threaten to send each other to the Slums if we didn't do what we were dared to do. We would laugh and joke about the center district all the time. We would find cardboard boxes and pretend to beg for food in them while the other kids pretended to beat us with stick and throw stones. I had no reason to doubt their stories and gossip. I had grown up thinking that it was ok to do these things. That it was alright to mock other ponies because of their lifestyle. I trusted the ponies around me because from the time I started my schooling, I had managed to keep the same group of friends. We were the closest group of fillies you would ever meet. We loved each other. They were my second family and I was theirs. We did everything together as a group. Because we did everything together we trusted each other completely with everything. Including our deepest, darkest secrets. Well at least... That's what I thought....
Chapter 1View OnlineShadows FadeChapter 1"I heard that if you do something that's against the rules, Princess Celestia will send you to live in the Slums!" Sun Spot exclaimed. All the fillies around me gasp quietly in disbelief. " Then what does she do about the ponies in the Slums that keeps breaking laws?" Faded Willow ask. The soft green filly seemed a little too curious lately. I was kind of worried about her sudden interest in such an awful topic. She wasn't the type of filly to ask about sensitive topics like this unless she had a good reason. My hunger for knowledge of what or who she knew was growing with rapid speed. After all, that was the way Willow worked. She never seemed to care unless she knew something or some pony to interest her. And once she was interested, she didn't let it go until she had what she wanted, or she was horribly rejected. Sun Spot looked over at her briefly before stating with confidence and superiority to the entire room, "She forces them to sleep with the rats! For the entire night! They are provided nothing more than a run down cardboard box, if that. And that's why so many stallions go missing you know... The rats get them. They catch the stallions while they are fast asleep them tear them apart, limb from limb, and they are never heard from again!" Willow collapsed onto her flank in utter horror. I felt my fur stand on end as I processed what I had just heard. I couldn't begin to imagine what it must feel like to sleep on a dirt floor, listening to rats the size of my hooves scampering around me. Just waiting on me to lower my guard so they are to strip me to my bones. I shuddered softly before turning my focus back to the sleep-over at hoof. Willow, a few other ponies, and myself were all staying the night in Sun Spot's house for her 14th birthday. She was the last of us to have a birthday in the year so she was ecstatic to finally be the same age as the rest of us again. She always had a problem with being below any pony in any way. We all attempted to overlook it as best as we could. That was just the way she was. I was very excited for what the night would hold for me. The girls and I had been rather distant as of late. Many of the ponies at the party were mere acquaintances of mine, but either way I was glad to be included. Even if it was just another sleepover. I decided I needed a drink and maneuvered my way to the kitchen. Left over plates sat all around and cups cluttered the room. Searching through the mess on the table, I listened to the sound of happy chatter from the other ponies. Maybe, just maybe, I was wrong about their opinions of me, the hateful looks in their eyes. Maybe they really were my friends, even if it did seem that most of the time they wanted rid of the burden that I seemed to be. Standing at the kitchen counter, I became aware of the sound of unsure hooves shuffling behind me and an odd lack of chatter. I turned to see that almost every pony was shuffling around and staring at the ground like it was a sixth grade dance. They must have finally run out of things to gossip about. I could very obviously tell that they were racking their brains for some idea of a good party game or some activity to fill the dead air. I couldn't help but think, If only we had some sort of party pony around. Sighing to myself, as I knew that this would end up a bad idea, I tossed my mane softly and did a quick scan of the room. "Who wants to play Truth or Dare?" Every pony lit up with anticipation and fear at the same time. A varying chorus of agreement followed. Willow and several others cleared a large space and we all circled up. The game started off as innocent and stereotypical as any other teenage pony's birthday party. Asking who adored which colt, daring each other to do simple yet insane tasks. Naturally, some gossip of some of the ponies at school cycled through the group every so often. Perfectly normal for the bouncy, happy bunch that we were. But I felt something in the atmosphere of the room shift midway through our game. The look in Sun Spot's eyes turned almost... evil. I attempted to shake the feeling, but I couldn't. Her tangerine eyes flashed under her violently orange mane. Her cutie mark seemed accusingly bright all of the sudden. My neck tingled and I started to shake ever so slightly. Our game had taken a very dangerous turn. I was most definitely sure of that as soon I said made the mistake of telling Sun Spot that I would take a dare this time. "Okay Silver...I dare you," Spot pointed a commanding hoof at me. I noticed the slightest smile flick across her lips. "To spend a full night in the Slums.... Alone!" I fell back onto my flank, splaying my ears back. I heard several snickers but mostly shocked murmurs. I couldn't believe it! She couldn't be truly serious about this.... Could she? Author's Note I hoped to cover some of Silver's background in this chapter. Hope tis enjoyable!
Chapter 2View OnlineShadows FadeChapter 2I can do this. It's just one night. What could possibly go wrong? But... Why me? What did I do wrong? I had decided to do it. I couldn't risk losing my only friends. As far as my mother knew I was going over to My aunts house for the weekend. She trusted me enough to not question it and she was not on speaking terms with her so I had no reason to worry. I had nothing with me but a faded crimson blanket with several holes. I was hoping that by leaving behind anything that looked even remotely valuable or fancy I could blend in. The sound of birds faded as I walked down the beaten dirt road. I was becoming more and more aware of the sound of my hoof hitting the path with each timid step. The dying trees around me blocked the sunset from my view as I officially entered the Center District. The houses, if you could even call them houses, were worse than any pony could ever describe. Entire walls were missing, mold grew on the rotten wood, shattered glass lay everywhere. I continued to make my way down the path, hoping that no pony would see me there. As the night began to take over, the shadows seem to come to life. I could here scratching all around me and hear whimpering fillies in the distance. I twig cracked behind me and my heart leaped into my throat. I bolted directly forward towards the nearest light I could find. A street lamp in a run down playground. I thought I heard some pony galloping after me. I pressed my wings tightly against me, begging my legs to carry me faster into the safety of the light. I flew towards it rapidly. Suddenly, I was skittering across the pavement, rolling and tumbling as pain shot through my hind leg. Shaking, I lifted my head. A tall, crimson stallion was getting up off the ground several feet away. I scrambled to get to my feet before he could reach me. But as I attempted to move my hind leg seemed to burst into flames. I squealed in pain and instantly regretted it. I heard gravel crunch as the stallion whipped around to face me. He noticed I could not stand and smiled a smile I had never seen anyone with good intentions use before. "P-please.. I'm sorry, I.. I thought someone was chasing me." I whimpered as he knelt down beside me. A glance toward the dark where I had come proved that no danger lurked there. I could tell that the stallion was studying me. He looked me up and down before rising back up. He held himself with a superior poise. His frosted white eyes flashed. It was apparent that he had the upper hand. I feared for my life, I had never been so afraid in my entire lifetime. Thoughts ran rampant through my head. Oh please let some pony save me. Don't let me die here. He stared down at me with narrowed eyes. "Why are you here? What do you want with folk like us?" He spoke with a heavy accent I did not recognize. I had met plenty of foreigners. But none ever had an accent like this. "W-what? I-I live here!" It wasn't a lie. I just lived in a different part of town. The anger in his eyes flared. He lifted me off the ground without ever touching me. I was dangling mid-air by the time I realized he was a unicorn. He held me there as he spoke again, "You lie! It is apparent to me that you are a very wealthy young lady! And this," he reached out and ripped out a hair comb my grandmother had given me to remember her by. I had forgotten to remove it before I left! "This proves it! If you cannot obey the basic laws of life, then you are not worthy of keeping it! Why are you really here? To mock us? Beat us? You lie about who you are. Well, I'm about to make sure every pony knows exactly what happens when you lie.. MONEY WILL NOT PROTECT THE WEAK!" With that, he flung me. I slammed heavily into a large tree. My mind muttled as pain flooded my body. My mane flew around me as I crashed to the ground. He walked toward me again, this time a large rock was suspended above his head. He brought it crashing down on my body. I don't hear anything break, but I still felt electric pain racing through me. I screamed in agony as he lifted it again. Instead of hitting me with it again, it tumbled to the ground next to me. I heard a muffled voice and a large Pegasus emerged from the shadows. He blended in well with the darkness. I was losing consciousness, my vision blurred as I tried to process what was happening. Is.. Is he fighting for me? Who... Who is.. He? Then the shadows faded. ******************************************* Later ************************************************ A sharp pain in my flank was the first thing that my regaining consciousness earned me. I allowed my eyes to flutter open and barely lifted my head off the ground. Suddenly, as if my mind were being hit by a train, memories came flooding back. I could picture my assailant clearly. His crimson fur and glassy eyes were burned into my memory. I shook my head hard, hoping to shake out the images I decided to take note of my surroundings before something actually did kill me. I examined my body first. I needed to know just how broken I was. As I craned my neck to look behind me, I noticed that my hind leg was no longer twisted in the sickening angle it was when I passed out. But, it was crudely wrapped in the blanket I had brought with me. In my confusion, I remembered the jet black stallion that had emerged from the shadows. I had never seen any pony like him. It had been hard to distinguish what was his fur and what was just darkness. But his electric blue mane and tail was stunning. His wings had been flared and his ears splayed as he approached the unicorn who had intended to kill me. Was he the one who wrapped my leg and moved me into the grass? I was positive I was alone and I started to panic. I couldn't move and mother would start looking for me if I was still gone by this time tomorrow. Besides the fear of what had happened the night before. There was no sign of either one of the stallions I had seen last night. My hope for survival were diminishing as I attempted to stand several times. I found the pain of moving to great to bear and collapsed down onto the matted grass. " Well good morning. I wasn't sure you were going to make it. You know, you shouldn't be running around getting beat up like that." I yelped at the sound of someone talking behind me. The voice was deep and soothing. It had to be a stallion. Before I could attempt to turn to face him, the stallion was standing in front of me. I timidly looked at the hooves in front of me and stopped short. They were jet black. "P-please... I'm sorry.. I-it wasn't my fault! They—" I was cut short when he reached out and put a hoof to my mouth. "I won't hurt you. I'm going to help you. Now, how is your leg?" His tone was gentle, soothing. I was comforted by his voice. I knew I should be afraid. This place was known for violence. But his demeanor showed that he was not violent at all. Quite the opposite actually. He set to work on my leg, unwrapping it, applying some odd mixture I had never seen before, then wrapping it again. I blinked back tears as I thought of my friends back home, because I knew they wanted this, I knew they were hoping I would be driven away. It hurt me to think that a stranger looked down on by my society could be so much kinder than those I had grown up with. "Hey, are you alright? What's wrong? I didn't hurt you did I?" He sounded sincerely worried about my well being but instead of sharing my thoughts, I smiled weakly. "I'm ok. I'm scared, I don't even know you but you care so much." "Oh! I can fix that! My name is Shadow. Well... Shadowbane to be exact. But you can call me Shadow. And what about you?" He looked at me with shimmering emerald eyes that told a completely different life story than what he was trying to convey to me. "I.. My name is Silver Dawn. I.. I'm not from... Here." I choked out the words, preparing to die when he realized I was of the upper class. Instead, he chuckled softly. "That is quite apparent. But you have a beautiful name. And I believe this is yours?" He placed my comb at my hooves and laid down in front of me. My face flushed red as I put it back into my mane where it belonged. I couldn't bring myself to say anything. He was by far the nicest stallion I had met. Not to mention his looks. By that time it was almost night again. I decided I needed to at least try to head home so I forced my hind legs under me and slowly worked my way into a standing position. Shadow noticed my actions and stood just far enough away to where I didn't feel awkward, but could catch me if I fell. The pain was fading, but not completely gone. I staggered forward and he took a step beside me. I glanced over shyly, I was concerned about his reaction to what I was about to do but it hurt to bad to try and make my way alone. I didn't even know where I was anymore. With a deep breathe I began to gravitate towards him with each step until I was against his flank, leaning on him for support. Shadow glanced back with a brash smirk on his face but did not stop walking. "I know you like me and all, but let's not get too excited now!" My mouth fell open I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. "What?!? I never—" he silenced me with a teasing laugh. I couldn't help but hope that this meant he was becoming more comfortable and we could be friends... Yeah.. Friends. I let him lead me through the district, lost in my own thoughts. It wasn't until we reached what was supposed to be a home that I realized where we were. I looked at Shadow with confusion on my face. "You can't go home like this! You're staying with me. No arguments. I'll escort you home tomorrow." I blushed slightly and stared at the ground bashfully. I scraped at the dust on the ground, a nervous habit. I was overwhelmed by a sudden fear. But the passionate look in his eyes and a soft nudge coaxed me in the door. He lead me to a little blanket on the floor and told me to get some rest. He sat next to me, keeping watch I assumed and I drifted off staring up at his firm expression and captivating mane. "Silver, hey. Silver Dawn. Get up." I drowsily became aware that Shadow was attempting to wake me. I sat up quickly. " Get up ya lazy bum." I reached out and playfully pushed him to the ground. "I'm not a bum! Lazy, yes. But not a bum." My leg seemed to have magically healed overnight and my bruises had faded to a normal size and color. Shadow chuckled as he stood up. He reached out to knock me over gently, but I countered him quickly and darted across the room. We wrestled like that for several minutes, before my lungs started to hurt. "Now, if you don't mind, I was TRYING to feed you. Here." Shadow nudged some berries towards me. I looked at him, how thin he was, and knew instantly what I would do. I nudged them back, refusing them without being rude. "You need to eat. I have a home full of food waiting. Please. Just eat them." He looked at me with a mix of jealousy and thanks. He quickly gulped them down before motioning for me to follow him. It was time to head home. We walked slowly, chatting about whatever random topics we could. His sass surprised me. But at the same time it was funny. I told him about how I ended up in the slums. Of course plenty of teasing came along with it. We reached my front door faster than I would've liked. I turned to him before entering and hugged him tightly with tears brimming my eyes. "Thank you Shadow. You saved my life. I hope to see you again someday." I couldn't understand why I cared about someone I was supposed to hate, but I did. He smiled at me and turned to leave. As he walked down the path he turned, " Hey, it's no problem. But do me a favor rich girl. Don't take dares!" And with that, he took off into the air and disappeared among the clouds. Author's Note Whew! Long chapter eh? Apologies lovelies. It was worth it, right?
Chapter 3View OnlineShadows FadeChapter 3Chapter Three By the time school rolled around again, there was no evidence of the events that had taken place over the weekend. Well, not physically anyway. I told my friends that it had been uneventful, which lead to much disappointment on their part, but I couldn't keep my mind off of it. Everything played back in flashes. School dragged on, each day seemed like it took a thousand years. I was aware of the danger that was contained in that district, but Shadowbane had been so kind and welcoming that I couldn't resist the temptations. As soon as the weekend came, around I headed for the Slums once more. However, this time I was ready. I left all my valuables at home, making sure to tousle my mane and tail and dirty my fur. I grabbed the blanket I had filled with food and headed down the path. I had no idea whether I would encounter Shadow, but I remembered very clearly where he had taken me. It was early morning, but the atmosphere as I entered the tree line reminded me of a dreary winter night. I recognized the eerie silence that lingered in the disheveled district. My ears were pricked, listening for even the slightest of sounds as I continued on my journey. I was about halfway there when I heard a snap. I froze, whipping my body towards the sound. I scanned the area intently several times, but I didn't find. I continued on with my journey, my heart speeding up as I came close enough to see Shadow's home. Suddenly, it felt as if everything exploded. I was slammed into a tree by what seemed like empty air. As I staggered to my feet, my assailant made himself visible. As he appeared from the air in front of me, his glowing horn and screaming red fur brought back memories of fear and pain. Hoping he wouldn't recognize me, I turned to face the tall stallion. He spoke to me in the odd accent once again, "I see you return, did you not learn your lesson? You try to hide as a commoner here? YOU ARE FILTH! A LIAR! I gave you a chance... But no more will you receive. Now, YOU DIE!!!" His eyes flared as he sank into an offensive position. I noticed the magic swirling around his body like a smoke. My heart was racing, but I knew what he was capable of and that I couldn't buy his mercy or out-run him. So I was left with one option. To fight. So I made myself as tall as possible, flaring out my wings and puffing out my chest. As I made eye contact I could feel the hatred and turmoil that swirled in the milky glaze of his eyes. The smoky essence of his building magic was being drawn upward, forming a hazy ball. I knew he was about to send it crashing into me, so I braced myself and forced words to leave the knot where they had gotten caught in my throat. "Who are you? Why are you here?" The words seemed harsher than I intended, but it was enough. The stallion in front of me looked over sharply. "Who am I? A liar like you does not deserve to know a name as honorable as my own! You wish to know why I am here, and I shall grant you that. But only that. For you see, I am here to kill scum like you!" A small smile flitted across his face. "Well," I thought, " If I'm going to die, I may as well go down with a fight." "Scum like me? What about you, huh? At least I don't spend my time in the poorest district in all of Canterlot just to antagonize those who try to HELP!" I took a step towards him, "Maybe you're the liar. Pssh. Claiming to be honorable. HONORABLE IN WHAT PONY'S EYES?" His breathing became noticeably heavier as his anger grew. He reared onto his hind legs. As his front hooves slammed back onto the ground, the murky ball finally rushed my way. I braced my body once more, but it never made contact. Instead, an explosion of crackling red light swept me off of my feet. The stallion was cackling, looking at a blurry figure to my left. I stood up, shaking my head to clear the fogginess. Lifting myself into the air, I flew as fast and hard as I could at the stallion, knocking him over. I heard a crack as he used his magic to drop a tree branch down. I leaped to the side just in time for it to miss me, leaving it to land on his head. A sickening snap resonated as it made contact. The stallion wailed in pain as the branch fell to the side, with half of his horn still in it. I watched his legs turn to smoke that worked its way up his body until nothing remained but the horn embedded in the tree. While the sound of his agony faded, I remembered the figure I had seen before attacking the stallion. Fearful of what I would discover, I turned towards it. There was a midnight black body, covered with what appeared to be electrical burns. Panic made itself manifest when I saw the color of the other pony's mane and tail. Electric blue. I rushed to his side, screaming and wailing in agony. His body was still warm, but I found no signs of life. The stallion was gone, having given his life for mine. I laid on the ground, a little scraped and bloody, but no physical wound could match my mental pain. I was finally able to pull myself off of the ground around dusk, I used the blanket I had brought with me and covered Shadow's body carefully. I carried him into his home and laid him gently on the floor. I sat in front of him, silently paying him tribute for saving me twice. As I sat there, I became aware of a sound other than the deafening silence. It was small, but in a place as quiet as the Slums, any sound was easy to detect. It was a small whimpering and it seemed very close. I began to search through the house, what two rooms there were of it. As I crept into the back room a small movement in the far corner caught my eye. I froze, watching what appeared to be a silver lump. I heard the whimpering again as the figure shifted slightly. It shifted in such a way that I could see terrified emerald eyes staring up at me. Upon the realization of what it was, I softly approached the whimpering infant. The arrangement in the room was what appeared to be a makeshift nursery, on the wall, written in mud, I could make out some very faint letters. Getting closer allowed me to determine that they said "Silver Bloom". I spoke them softly and the young pegasus met my gaze. At this point my mind was swirling. I sorted carefully through my tangled thoughts and decided to try saying his name, if she responded positively I would know for certain that she was Shadow's child. I softly whispered his name and her tiny ears flicked forward. My heart kept into my throat. Suddenly, the fresh dirt I had caught a glimpse of had a much larger significance. Memories flooded my mind of tales Shadow had told me about his mare friend. They had been friends since their childhood but I never heard any talk of a filly or a colt. I was startled by the discovery, but I knew what had to be done. She was barely a year old, she would die if I left her there even for the night. The filly didn't seem to be as afraid of me, so I decided to try to pick her up. As I reached for her, she tensed, but did not protest. I took it as a sign of trust and took off as soon as I reached the beaten path. The journey home felt extremely short, so I was grateful to find that nobody was home. But as for the morning...that would be an adventure in itself. So, with the filly tucked under my wing, I allowed sleep to finally take over. Author's Note Sorry for the wait! Life took me by the mane for quite a bit.
