A Silver Sky: Four Little Ponies

---Chapter 6: Prisoners---

Ponyville’s prison sat on the outskirts of town, at the edge of one of the far borders of the Everfree Forest. The facility had no proper name; when locals spoke of it, it was simply referred to as “the prison.” This was not accidental: the mayor preferred that the facility not draw attention to itself. On the rare occasions when a high-profile crime was committed, the citizens of Ponyville were glad to know the prison was there to keep the guilty locked away. At any other time, it was just far enough out of sight that it could be easily forgotten.

The prison was not a large one. It had never needed to be. Crime was not a widespread problem in Ponyville. There were the occasional issues with graffiti and littering, and sometimes a pear or two would be stolen from the local fruit stand. Serious crimes were rare. Violent ones were almost unheard of.

There had not been a murder on the books in Ponyville in fifty years. The last one was the stuff of local legend.
A stallion named Bumper Crop had been working the fields of a local farm. He had worked there his entire life.
A fellow worker had made a joke at the stallion’s expense. Bumper Crop kicked him. The other pony fell to the ground.

Bumper Crop continued kicking him.

The killer and the victim had not been particularly close, but they had worked side by side for years. It was not unusual for the two of them to trade light-hearted insults while working. In fact, there had been nothing unusual about that day at all, up until the moment of the kick.

No one was quite sure why Bumper Crop did it. At his trial, he offered no explanations. He pled guilty, and went to his fate in silence.

This only added to the legend. Some ponies believed they had been fighting over a mare. Some ponies believed the victim had been secretly bullying the killer for years. “Something had to give,” they would say.

The most popular theory, however, was that there was no rational explanation for the crime. That the stallion had simply decided, in one swift and terrible moment, to take his co-worker’s life. Because he could.

A popular newspaper editorial of the time summed up the public feeling. “It is a mistake to try to place the actions of Bumper Crop in any sort of rational context,” it read. “Evil heeds no reason. Evil simply is.”

As Rarity was led through the gates of Ponyville’s prison, she found herself wondering what the newspapers would say about her.

No one spoke to Rarity as she was led into her cell. The guard ponies in the prison were not used to this level of criminal. They weren’t quite sure what to make of her.

For her part, Rarity also remained silent. She was determined to retain the air of silent dignity she had left her home with. Her leg restraints had been replaced with a magical tether for the long walk to the prison. She had made no attempt to resist it.

She was led down a long, dark hallway. At the end of the hall was a door, which appeared to be made of steel. It offered no view of the outside, aside from a small slot through which food trays could be pushed. Rarity walked through the door as if she were being invited into someone’s home. There was no hesitation in her stride.

She found herself inside a small white room. There was a single barred window, too high to properly see out of. A light hung from the ceiling. On one side, next to the wall, was a simple cot. A commode could be found against the opposite wall. Other than that, the room was empty.

Rarity surveyed her new home and then turned to the guard. Finally, for the first time since she had been led out of her boutique, she spoke.

“When can I see my sister?”

She received no answer. Without a word, the guard closed the door. Rarity could hear a series of locks sliding into place, and then nothing.

She was utterly alone now, perhaps more than she had ever been. There was no longer any need for the charade.

All at once, Rarity collapsed on the floor and began to shake uncontrollably.

The second half of her newly composed motto echoed in her head:

Let them say, “She went to the gallows with her head held high.” Wear the mask until your final breath.

Never give them the satisfaction of seeing how terrified you are.

She was not sure how long she remained on the floor. But when her legs finally had the strength to lift her again, she rose to see that it was evening. The small sliver of sunlight coming from the high window was nearly gone.

Rarity had wondered earlier why anyone would bother to install a window that was too high up for most ponies to look out of. Now she understood.

The window was a small mercy. It was the only thing allowing her to mark the passage of time.

The unicorn began to pace. She couldn’t help it. There was nothing else to do, no other way to release her nervous energy. She found herself walking back and forth in her cell, like a caged beast.

Questions flooded her mind, none of which she could possibly hope to answer.

When will I be formally charged? Am I to stay here until I am brought before a judge? What sort of evidence could they possibly have against me? Can they even charge me when there’s no body? What sort of favors did Fancy promise to get me charged with this? What’s going to happen to my sister? Was it wor-

The last question almost sped through her mind like all the others had, but at the last moment, it decided to remain. It sat at the center of Rarity’s thoughts, refusing to be dismissed.

Was it worth it?

“I…” Rarity stammered, surprising herself by speaking aloud. But then again, she mused, why not? Anything to cut through this unbearable silence.

She contemplated the question for a moment, before offering her response:

“I could not have lived any other way. Not after what was done to me as a filly. Not with my urges, my hungers. It’s more than just desire. I need foals.”

Rarity stopped pacing. She found herself facing the far wall of her cell. It was as good a place to face as any.

“How could one ask a pony to give up her life’s passion? How could I possibly live my life unsatisfied, unfulfilled? If other ponies only knew the exquisite joy foals have brought me, they would never judge me. They would join me. But no one else is worthy of such pleasure. No one but…”

Rarity stopped herself before she could say the name, but it was too late.

An image of her sister entered Rarity’s mind. Sweetie Belle smiled happily up at her.

And then, once again, the question hung in the air.

Was it worth it?

Then Rarity heard a voice, so clearly she almost thought it was real:

“Sis…it’s not too late to stop.”

Sweetie had said that to Rarity the morning of the Gathering.

“You were always so wise for your age, my love,” Rarity responded to thin air.

She stared at the wall.

“How difficult would it be for them to put a mirror in here?” she said. “I haven’t fixed my mane in hours. I must look dreadful…”

In her mind, the question remained. It would not be dispelled by something as simple as a change of topics.

“I won’t apologize for what I am,” she said. “I did not choose to be plagued by these urges. Did the wolf choose to subsist on the rabbit? Of course not. But since he must, why shouldn’t the wolf enjoy his meal?”

Rabbits.

Rarity found herself remembering a rabbit, trapped in a magical bubble. She remembered the way it had looked at her in the last moment before its air ran out.

In her mind, the rabbit’s eyes were still staring at her. Had they ever stopped?

Then, in a single instant, the image changed. It was still a memory. Those eyes were still there. But now, they belonged to Sweetie Belle.

Rarity shook her head.

“That’s not true…” she said. “It’s not the same. I love her. She’ll understand one day. Why I had to hurt her. It’s not like the rabbit. That was childish, stupid sadism. Sweetie and I…we have a bond…”

In Rarity’s mind, two eyes were still staring at her. She could no longer tell if they belonged to the rabbit, or to her sister.
And the question yet remained.

Rarity fell to the floor, grabbing her head with her forehooves.

“Stop it…” she said. “Stop looking at me! Stop it, Swee-“

BANG BANG BANG BANG

Rarity looked up in the direction of the sound. It had come from the metal door. Someone was knocking.

The sudden shock of being in the presence of another living being had caused the images in her mind to vanish.

“YOU AWAKE?” yelled a voice from the other side.

“Um…yes! Yes, I am!” Rarity said collecting herself as best she could.

“Food time,” said the voice. The slot at the center of the door opened, and a food tray slid into view. Rarity took the tray and placed it on the floor.

“Push the tray back in the slot when you’re done,” said the voice.

She heard a set of hooves starting to walk away.

“Wait!” Rarity shouted. The hooves stopped.

“What?”

“What’s going to happen to my sister? When can I see her?”

The voice chuckled.

“Lady, with what you’re charged with, do you really think we’re going to let you near a foal?”

All of a sudden, Rarity felt as if her cell had become much smaller.

“You...you can't do that! You bring her here, dammit! YOU BRING HER HERE!” she screamed. “I HAVE A RIGHT TO SEE MY SISTER! DON’T YOU DARE TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!”

She could hear the hooves walking away again.

“WAIT! DON'T DO THIS! I’VE ALREADY LOST THE OTHERS! BUT NOT HER! PLEASE, NOT HER!”

Rarity paused, hoping for a response. But she heard nothing.

She was alone.

The unicorn hung her head.

“Not her…” she said softly.

For what seemed like hours, Rarity stood there, with her eyes closed. The cell was consumed by utter and complete silence, as the unicorn pondered the question.

Finally, Rarity turned away from the door. She slowly walked to the small window, allowing a tiny sliver of moonlight to touch her face. It was then that she broke the silence.

“No,” she said. “No, it wasn’t.”

*******

Silver Spoon was proud of herself. It was not common for her to feel this way, but she felt she had earned the privilege.

When Fancypants had told her that Rarity had been arrested, she did not betray a hint of the anger she had been feeling. Instead, she leapt up and kissed the stallion on the mouth. She found this was proving a successful tactic for distracting him when she needed to hide her emotional state.

When Fancy had followed up by telling her that Rarity had been charged with Silver’s own murder, the filly burst out with laughter. It seemed to her that this was the reaction Fancy was looking for, and he had seemed pleased. It was a few minutes before she could excuse herself, on the pretext of needing to use the restroom.

It wasn’t a total lie. The filly felt sick to her stomach.

While in the restroom, she whispered a quick but passionate apology to Miss Rarity. It didn’t matter to her that her mistress could not hear her. What mattered to Silver was being a good slave.

“I know you disowned me, but I will never be disloyal to you, Miss Rarity,” she whispered. “I’ll find a way to free you. And then you’ll take me back. Then I can belong to you again…”

Who do you want to be?

Since noticing its resemblance to Diamond Tiara, Silver had begun paying more attention to her inner voice. But that did not mean she agreed with it completely.

“You asked me that before. I guess what you’re really asking is if I want to go back to Miss Rarity, or if I want to help other ponies, like I did with Sweetie,” Silver said. “Well, here’s my answer: I’m going to do both.”

Silver looked in the bathroom mirror, and turned on the faucet above the sink.

“I’m meant to be with Miss Rarity,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t help other ponies, too.”

It felt good to save Sweetie Belle, didn’t it? It felt right.

“Yeah. Yeah, it did,” she said. “I…I like to help, you know? Like I used to help Diamond. Like I helped Miss Rarity. And yeah, like I helped Sweetie. I just want serve other ponies. Make them happy. When I do that, I feel like…”

Silver placed her front hooves under the cold running water, and splashed the water over her face.

“I feel like I matter,” she said.

“What I did to Diamond was wrong,” Silver continued. “I don’t deserve to go back to Miss Rarity until I fix that. And there’s one other pony I left behind. I think I can help her, too.”

You’ll be putting yourself in danger.

The voice did not sound discouraging. It seemed more as if it was testing Silver’s resolve.

“Yeah, I will,” said Silver. “But this is who I want to be.”

Silver’s days in Fancy’s mansion began to take on something of a predictable routine. In the morning, she would wake in Fancy’s bed. He would usually be gone by then, tending to the demands of his various businesses. Though Silver theoretically had her own room, in practice, she never spent any time there. She didn’t like the look of the place. It was too familiar, too much like her old home. And she hated the dolls. She couldn’t stand the way they all seemed to look at her whenever she walked into the room. Their expressions never changed, and they always seemed to stare at her with such intensity. They reminded her far too much of Gaze.

She would see Fancy various times throughout the day. Typically a servant would appear and announce that her presence was requested. These occasions had a certain rhythm to them: she would chat with Fancy, joke with him, flirt a bit. He usually did not have much time for her during the day, which suited Silver just fine.

Her nights were spent in Fancy’s bed. This was the most important part of her performance. Her hope was that as long as she kept him satisfied and happy, his guard would remain down. Luckily, Silver had developed a talent for keeping stallions pleased over the last few months, and in her mind, Fancy was just another stallion, no different from the anonymous vagrants she had serviced during her time in the alley.

Only once had Fancy inquired as to what Silver did during the day when he was not around. Silver had paused for a moment, masking her surprise with a feigned cough. It gave her time enough to concoct a response.

“I like to read,” she had replied. This was close enough to the truth.

Fancy’s mansion boasted no less than two massive libraries. Either one was large enough to put Ponyville’s own Golden Oaks Library to shame. They were each located on opposite wings of the mansion.

The East Library was for literature. It was dominated by the great works of Equestrian fiction, with special places set aside for the rare first editions which Fancy coveted. Silver had not spent a tremendous amount of time there. It didn’t have what she needed.

The West Library was for nonfiction. Unlike its counterpart, which was almost exclusively dominated by books, this library was also filled with scrolls.

The library was primarily concerned with the study of magic. It was just as Silver had hoped.

“All I have to do is find it,” she had said upon entering the library for the first time. “Just find one little spell, and a Unicorn to cast it. Then I can save her, and bring this place crashing down on Fancy’s head at the same time.”

For three days, she spent her free hours poring over books and scrolls. On the fourth day, she finally found the one she had been looking for.

She had been so excited, she hadn’t noticed the grey unicorn watching her from across the room.

Half an hour later, Silver was reading up on magical theory when she had heard a voice whisper softly into her ear.

“Ah, so this is what you’ve been up to while I’m at work.”

Silver yelped with shock and reflexively slammed her book shut.

Fancy raised an eyebrow. “Have I made you uncomfortable, dear?” he asked.

“Oh, no, Sir Fancypants! Of course not! I just…I’m sorry, I guess I’m still a little jumpy from living in the alley. I had to be on my guard all the time there, you know…there was no telling when I might be snuck up on…I’m just lucky you came along when you did!”

Silver wasn’t sure how convincing that had sounded.

Fancy tapped the cover of the book Silver had been reading. “A book on magic theory, eh?” he said. “What unique reading material for an Earth Pony…”

Silver chuckled nervously. “Yes, well, I’ve always been um, fascinated by Unicorns and their magic. Even if I can’t do it myself, it’s so interesting to read about! Ponyville’s an Earth Pony town so there was never much to read on the subject there, but here…”

Silver pushed the book aside. It was time to try flattery.

“…here there’s this magnificent library! It’s easily the biggest I’ve ever seen. It must have taken you ages to collect all of these!”

Much to Silver’s relief, Fancy smiled.

“Oh my dear, you have NO idea!” he said, with such enthusiasm that Silver felt taken aback. “Some of these tomes date back to before the founding of Equestria! Take this one for example…”

Fancy’s horn lit up, and a book, which had been sitting on a nearby pedestal, was levitated toward Silver, hovering in front of her.

“Would you believe that this was once housed in the main library of the long-lost Crystal Empire? I obtained it from a professor of antiquities at Canterlot University. He hated to part with it, of course, but he owed me a favor. And over here, I have…”

Silver sighed quietly, mentally tuning Fancy out as he prattled on.

She tapped the scroll she had hidden underneath the table with her hoof, just to confirm that it was still there. She silently thanked the Princesses that he hadn’t seen it. If he had, he would most likely have realized her deceit immediately.

“…but, of course, the duchess was more than happy to let me have the volume after I showed her the photos I had of her with-… I’m not boring you, am I, my angel?”

“Not at all!” Silver said, lying through her teeth. “Do go on!”

“That’s quite all right,” Fancy replied. “My time here is limited. I actually just stopped by to look up a spell, at the request of a business partner.”

Not far away, a scroll levitated out of its compartment and came to rest on the table.

“Here we are. Well, then, I hope you enjoy your studies of Unicorn magic, my dear. Perhaps one of these days I shall return the gesture, and read up on carrot farming.” Fancy chuckled.

An Earth Pony joke. Charming, Silver thought. She responded with a painfully forced laugh.

As Fancy began to leave, Silver once again touched the hidden scroll with her hoof.

What are you waiting for? You have what you need. Ask him!

Silver nodded. The sooner she was done here, the better.

“Sir Fancypants, wait!”

Fancy stopped and turned around.

“Um, the truth is, while I do enjoy reading like this, I rather…miss you when you’re working,” Silver said.

“And I miss you, my dear. But it wouldn’t look right for me to have a foal with me in my various meetings. You understand.”

“Oh, of course. But that’s not what I mean. I mean I miss you…physically,” Silver said. She had Fancy’s full attention now.

“I get so pent up during the day, Sir Fancypants…” Silver said, slowing her voice down a bit so she sounded just the slightest bit seductive. “You called me insatiable once, and it’s true. I need it all the time…”

“Silver, please…” said Fancy, looking rather flustered. “I have important clients waiting…”

“Oh, I understand that you’re busy,” Silver said. “I’m just so aroused right now, I don’t think I can wait until tonight. And I know you don't mind sharing me, right?"

"Quite the contrary," said Fancy. "I insist on it. I find monogamy to be so painfully dull. And most fillies your age still naively cling to the concept of finding 'one true love' and other such hogwash. But you never had such delusions, did you, my dear? Do you even know how many ponies you've been with?"

"No," Silver answered truthfully. She felt strangely embarrassed. "I lost count a long time ago..."

"Such a beautiful little whore," Fancy said, in a deeply excited tone. He approached Silver and began to kiss her, then remembered himself and forced himself to back away.

"We shall have to continue this later tonight," he said. "But please don't deny yourself any pleasure because I happen to be occupied. Now, what were you going to ask me?"

"Do you remember how you said that the whole mansion was open to me?”

“Yes?”

“Does that include the Gallery?” Silver asked with a smile.

[NEXT: Happy Tune/Twenty/countdown]