A Night for Vindiction

“And how is it that you would even begin a story like this?”

Silver glances over at the journalist sitting across from him. The mare has a light gray coat, with a black and white infused mane. With such bland colors, it looks surprisingly lively. I’m sure she’s got plenty of other ponies to keep that look up for her.

“Well” She explains, “In the years that i’ve done this, usually I start by asking the ponies I interview some questions, just like we talked about. Then I’m going to see what I can from your answers and write about what’s happened to the best of my ability!”. She smiles at me warmly, and it’s sickening that somepony could look at me like that. I can’t look her in the eye, so I’m just going to keep on staring at this nice padded wall. I’m not sure I really have a lot to say to her anyhow, so i’ll just wait until she talks first.

“Silver? Are you ready to start?”

“...Yeah, anytime”

I look over for half a second, then it’s back to staring at such an intricate display of padding all over the wall, Somepony sure did a nice job with it.

Most nights were uneventful. I would wake up in the evening, eat, then find some new way to waste the hours until I went back to sleep and started all over, just as the sun rose up. I guess it wasn’t so much to other ponies but it was all I really needed. I had a few friends, but just a few. I had liked to stay away from most other ponies, I thought that I might have hurt them. And the ones I did talk to, I wasn’t even so familiar with. They were all just shapes in some abstract form of life that I skated by. My mother was nice though. She protected me, fed me, and kept me in check. I guess it really doesn’t matter now though, seeing as how it’s all gone. And how quickly it went, too.

I think in retrospect, the night was just more comforting than the day. Maybe it’s because I could hide better in darkness? Or maybe it was the relatability that I somehow felt with Princess Luna? I guess she also knows how it feels to be alone for long. I’m distracting myself.

“So you’re saying that you just didn’t like society?”

“No. I’m saying that society didn’t like me, and I thought it would be safer if I gave them what they wanted…”

“I see…” She spoke softly, as she jotted something down on her notepad, out of my sight. She sure did seem to have a way with ponies. I wanted to hate her for coming in and acting so condescending. She wasn’t the one who lived like me. She doesn’t even know me! She probably has a nice life. But she was just so gracious and warm, and I couldn’t hate such a charismatic face. Maybe it’s the sway of good reporters, forcing us to unknowingly tell them everything, for one last possible chance at public redemption. Who knows...

“Tell me about that night. How did it start? Were you home alone?”

It was silent. I just did what I always did. It was maybe 1AM, and I was at my desk writing… or was I reading? It doesn’t really matter… And out of the silence, a sound. Somepony fumbling at the lock. Probably my mother, right? Right enough to put me right back to my task, so apathetic to whatever it was.

But something was off, the door fumbled around just a little too much. This is too much effort for putting a key in. Was she alright?

Just before I could turn my head, the door seemed to burst open, wood splitting around it. I jumped up to see what could have happened now. But the door was completely open, and in the living room, as I crept ever so cautiously, a mare. Blue fur, I think. A darker shade of it. I stumbled up and in my naiveness, I thought the only option was to ask her who she was.

She froze.

I was frozen still.

In the confusion, she tried to back away, and I tried to approach her, but I tripped. Stupid. I tripped and gave her the upper hand. Fucking stupid. Just enough of the upper hand to restrain me with some linen she saw by the sofa. Incompetent. I couldn’t move. Why didn’t she just strangle me to death? What was her goal here? I asked her, and she said something along the lines of, “I'm sorry, but I need to do this”. And ran into another room. So in this time that I was disoriented, she came back with a bag of my mother’s jewelry and my gold lockette. Incredibly stupid. She’s taking my gold lockette. The thing you’ve had since you were a foal. The only thing you’ve had to protect and you’ve lost it you idiot!

“So…. this is the end of it? She just got away with your things?” The journalist asks.

I snap back to reality. How long was I out for? The mare across from me seems to be content with something I had said, she’s writing away a storm. I must look stupid right now.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah.. i’m fine.”

I took a second to compose myself and look her in the eyes for the longest that I could, which amounted to a total of four seconds, before I had to return my gaze to something else.

“This was a few nights before it happened.”

“No. I’m saying that society didn’t like me, and I thought it would be safer if I gave them what they wanted…”

“I see…” She spoke softly, as she jotted something down on her notepad, out of my sight. She sure did seem to have a way with ponies. I wanted to hate her for coming in and acting so condescending. She wasn’t the one who lived like me. She doesn’t even know me! She probably has a nice life. But she was just so gracious and warm, and I couldn’t hate such a charismatic face. Maybe it’s the sway of good reporters, forcing us to unknowingly tell them everything, for one last possible chance at public redemption. Who knows...

“Tell me about that night. How did it start? Were you home alone?”

It was silent. I just did what I always did. It was maybe 1AM, and I was at my desk writing… or was I reading? It doesn’t really matter… And out of the silence, a sound. Somepony fumbling at the lock. Probably my mother, right? Right enough to put me right back to my task, so apathetic to whatever it was.

But something was off, the door fumbled around just a little too much. This is too much effort for putting a key in. Was she alright?

Just before I could turn my head, the door seemed to burst open, wood splitting around it. I jumped up to see what could have happened now. But the door was completely open, and in the living room, as I crept ever so cautiously, a mare. Blue fur, I think. A darker shade of it. I stumbled up and in my naiveness, I thought the only option was to ask her who she was.

She froze.

I was frozen still.

In the confusion, she tried to back away, and I tried to approach her, but I tripped. Stupid. I tripped and gave her the upper hand. Fucking stupid. Just enough of the upper hand to restrain me with some linen she saw by the sofa. Incompetent. I couldn’t move. Why didn’t she just strangle me to death? What was her goal here? I asked her, and she said something along the lines of, “I'm sorry, but I need to do this”. And ran into another room. So in this time that I was disoriented, she came back with a bag of my mother’s jewelry and my gold lockette. Incredibly stupid. She’s taking my gold lockette. The thing you’ve had since you were a foal. The only thing you’ve had to protect and you’ve lost it you idiot!

“So…. this is the end of it? She just got away with your things?” The journalist asks.

I snap back to reality. How long was I out for? The mare across from me seems to be content with something I had said, she’s writing away a storm. I must look stupid right now.

“Ah, right! So what happened after this, then?”

“Well, the equestrian guard wasn’t so receptive to my mother and I, they probably looked right away and noticed that we weren’t so well off. They told us to keep cautious, and that they’d run an investigation as soon as possible.”

We didn’t hear from them.

It was a few days later, I was at the market with my mother. It was early in the evening, early for me to wake up. I saw her. It couldn’t be anypony else. It was the same coat and mane, Dark blue fur and a gray mane. It was her, I knew it. Without a second thought, I ran as fast as I could towards the stand she was at, looking at some product. Celestia knows what somepony like that would be buying. I didn’t really even know what I was trying to accomplish by running at her.

You’re 15, for Celestia’s sake.

I know

You’re not strong, you’re not amazing at flying

Shut up, I know! But I needed to do something. And of course, she started to run. I had a feeling she was going to do that. She knew that I was coming for vindiction, even if it meant using violence. Of course she ran. But when I caught her I swear I-

“You swear you what?” The journalist looks taken back.

“I… i’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- I didn’t mean to do what I did...”

Of course you did!

Of course you meant to kill her!

“shut up..” I mumble under my breath

“I’m sorry?” The journalist asks

“Nothing.. Sorry…”

“It’s alright, let’s just try to continue?” She looks more reserved now.

Well look, you’ve scared her now. Of course she looks more reserved! This is EXACTLY what you didn’t want to happen if you told anybody else about this. Just try to get the rest out and don’t fuck up again.

“You said you were chasing her through the market?” The journalist inquires, and she still seems a little uncomfortable.

“Well I was. I ran as fast as I could until she got to a house and slammed the door behind her.” I say back, trying to sound as innocent as possible. It’s a shame i’m not innocent though, but I can try, right? “The house looked abandoned, and I didn’t want to bang on the door. I think I might have regained some sense at the time, because she would have killed me if I went in then. I needed to come back later and take what was mine.”

In the meantime, I walked back to my mother, who was worried sick about where I had ran off to. I laughed it off, and told her that I thought I saw a rabbit or something. And that night, I planned it out. I was going back to that house, and I was going to take what was mine. I’ve had that lockette for longer than I can remember, and I was going to get it back. So I snuck out, trying my very best not to wake anypony. I made it out without fault, and it was a cold night. Silently, I crept through the shadows that I have known for so long, and made them my facade in my short but tense journey. My heart was beating faster than it had ever before, and I was scared. I was so scared.

Would she kill me?taking my gold lockette. The thing you’ve had since you were a foal. The only thing you’ve had to protect and you’ve lost it you idiot!

“So…. this is the end of it? She just got away with your things?” The journalist asks.

I snap back to reality. How long was I out for? The mare across from me seems to be content with something I had said, she’s writing away a storm. I must look stupid right now.

“Ah, right! So what happened after this, then?”

“Well, the equestrian guard wasn’t so receptive to my mother and I, they probably looked right away and noticed that we weren’t so well off. They told us to keep cautious, and that they’d run an investigation as soon as possible.”

We didn’t hear from them.

It was a few days later, I was at the market with my mother. It was early in the evening, early for me to wake up. I saw her. It couldn’t be anypony else. It was the same coat and mane, Dark blue fur and a gray mane. It was her, I knew it. Without a second thought, I ran as fast as I could towards the stand she was at, looking at some product. Celestia knows what somepony like that would be buying. I didn’t really even know what I was trying to accomplish by running at her.

You’re 15, for Celestia’s sake.

I know

You’re not strong, you’re not amazing at flying

Shut up, I know! But I needed to do something. And of course, she started to run. I had a feeling she was going to do that. She knew that I was coming for vindiction, even if it meant using violence. Of course she ran. But when I caught her I swear I-

“You swear you what?” The journalist looks taken back.

“I… i’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- I didn’t mean to do what I did...”

Of course you did!

Of course you meant to kill her!

“shut up..” I mumble under my breath

“I’m sorry?” The journalist asks

“Nothing.. Sorry…”

“It’s alright, let’s just try to continue?” She looks more reserved now.

Would I kill her?

How do I even know it’s her house?

What if there are other ponies there?

Most of all, what if I just went back home and continued my uneventful nothing of a life, forgetting this ever happened?

No, she wronged you and you need to right this.

And before I could protest, my luck landed me around the corner from the desolate house. The one story, run-down cottage with hay falling off the roof and wood rotting and peeling was certain to be my death. It didn’t matter, I needed to stop thinking, and just do. Of course the door was locked, followed by the windows too. So of course there was only one option.

“And what was that?” the journalist asks, just as invested in the story as I was. Her notepad is off to the side and she is just listening.

“I reared up and slammed myself into the window, breaking through it” I say, still staring off into the nice upholstery of the padded walls.

The mare was home… I could feel it. The house had some presence in it. And as I took a look around to survey my setting, I could see what a dump it was. Eviction notices laying off to one side of a counter, while the rest of it was covered in a combination of clothing, grime, food wrappings and papers. It smelled horrible. She was here, and she knew I was too. I started to scour the shelves thoroughly, looking desperately for my lockette. And this was when I noticed the corridor. Some small light had appeared at the end of it, faintly. She was coming. So I peered in and saw another door, which I jumped into, hoping for a closet. This room, very similarly to the other, was filthy. Obviously this mare didn’t have a very organized life. Here, I gathered that it was some kind of study, at some point, seeing the large desk in the middle with papers covering it.

What the hell are you doing? You need to focus! Get out there and take what’s yours!

Right. Of course. I turned around and crept to the door, opening it ever so slightly to see her. She looked alone, and scared. She held up a knife with her magic in front of her. Yet my eyes were drawn to her neck, where I saw it.

That bitch has my lockette.

The only thing i’ve had for years. I’m going to take it. I- need- to.

I’ve stopped talking for a minute now, and the journalist is looking at me intently, waiting on every breath I take. I look over at her again, and we just sit there for a minute or two before she breaks the silence.

“Well, what happened Silver?” She asks me

After fumbling around, I can’t really think to say anything.

What happened? You murdered a pony. You killed her in cold blood for what? A lockette that could have been replaced?

“I… don’t really remember much about what happened after that”

Of course you do! Stop lying! You jumped on top of her and-

”SHUT UP”I yell, “JUST STOP IT”.

The journalist jumps back, surprised i’ve said something this loud for the first time in the conversation.

“...I’m sorry. I… I don’t want to scare you. It was just a long and confusing night.” I say, reduced to a whisper by this point.

“Silver, i’m sorry. It’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it-”

“No, I…. Jumped after her and my body.... took over. I couldn’t handle it. I remember screaming, and blood. A lot of it. After a while, I was taken back by what I had done. I had the gold lockette in my hoof, and I was staring at it intently while this… poor mare was all dead.” I stammered.

This is the truth.

“And all of this for a gold lockette?” She asks me, so lost for words that those she’s gotten out seem like a blessing to her.

"When you say it like that..it really does seem like something an insane pony would do.. But even then..that lockette was a part of my life, the only thing I had when my mother--”

“I..” The journalist pipes up, still not knowing what to say.

But by that point, I was already tearing up.

“...It’s just important to me.” I say.

“I understand” The mare across from me is already judging me, like everypony else, right?

Maybe you just shouldn’t have murdered that mare and you’d be alright.

Maybe.

“Well then I guess our story is wrapped up, yes?” She asks, almost scared of an answer

“I’d just like you to know that I never meant to do what I did.” I blurt out

“I never said you did”

But you’re thinking it….

“Well if this is all, then I should go… I’ve got a lot to write about. Thank you for your time, Silver.”

I don’t bother looking at her. It’s not going to change anything. I’m a murderer and a psychopath. Vindiction and anger got the best of me, and here I am.

This is the real Silver Ekko, folks. Not even a quarter of the way into his life and he’s already murdered a mare, and stuck himself into a mental hospital!

I hope you’re proud of yourself.

Maybe this mare will make you seem nicer, and if you’re lucky, you can hope that everypony doesn’t hate you.

“Maybe…” I whisper to myself.

Fin