Prologue- Roll call
Prologue
"Dad?" I said with endearing eyes.
"Yes?" Father replied with soft affection.
"What's that group of stars?" I asked as I snuggled up into his orange mane ever so warmly. "You told me about the Big Dipper and the one about about Draco the dragon, but what about that one?" I pointed with haste.
"That one is Cygnus," He pointed out. "He was a great warrior who was punished for not honoring the god, Dionysus."
"What happened to him?" I responded with worry.
"Well, he was transformed into a swan and put next to a lyre." He answered bluntly.
"What's a lyre?" I asked with a dumb, innocent kid voice.
He chuckled at the sight. "A smaller harp, kind of."
"Oh."
An awkward silence came until there was a rustle in nearby bushes. My father had sprang up into action, putting himself in front of me.
"What was that?" I cowered in fear.
"I don't know, get behind me." He said protectively.
The tension was getting higher. I was trembling behind my dad's legs and he was nervous as to who or what would come out of those bushes. The rustling got louder and transformed into growling and we saw the sight of multiple red, glaring eyes. The suspense was rising fast and I didn't know what to do, I had only wished for it to be over with. Mere seconds that felt like an eternity and the feeling was as if thousands of spiders were crawling inside your skin, then not more than a second later black spikes shot out of the bushes and lunged at father. He bucked one spike, but the the others had grazed his face and his legs, shielding me from any harm. Father had quickly recovered from his cuts and boltered himself for the monster that was trying to kill us.
"Hawkeye..." The monster said with a raspy voice. "Hawkeye..." It said again more menacingly.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Father demanded.
"You must pay for your crimes, the price of treason," The monster answered. "A price that cannot be bartered. A price that you will pay for...WITH YOUR LIFE!" The monster screamed, then shot its spikes like a cannon.
Hawkeye's pupils widened. It was too late. The damage had been done. Hawkeye's mangled body was presented to his son as it were a statue at a museum.
"Dad!" I cried with agony in my voice.
"Run Silver." Father had let out a weak breath for air.
I stumbled trying to run away from the horror. With tears in my eyes I had ran. I ran as fast as my filly legs could take me, but to no avail.
The Voice screamed out, "None will escape from the penance of their sins!" The monster's spikes were gaining speed, quickly coming towards me.
As I was being chased by this demon, everything went fuzzy and bright. It was if I was heading towards the end of a tunnel. To me that could only mean one thing. Sweet safety and freedom. The adrenaline was coursing through my veins as I was approaching the light's sweet embrace. Then for a second, I was stopped immediately in my tracks. The sight of the bloody, would-ridden corpse that was my father was in front of me, blocking the sweet embrace of freedom.
"No...No...No." The words creeped out my mouth as I was backing away on the soft grass.
The monster that was chasing me overshadowed me, spikes ready to kill.
I was crying my eyes out as my father was approaching me with a sword in his hooves.
"No." I begged as tears fell down my cheek.
"Yesssss," The monster eagerly responded. "Kill your son and your sins will be forgiven. Send him to Tartarus."
Father didn't respond. He had only raised his sword which was enough to fill my eyes with tears and the monster with an evil laughter.
I closed my eyes not wishing to see my coming fate. "Please...don't." These were my final words as fathers sword then came down.
I opened my eyes for a split second to see that the monster was Nightmare Moon. Then I was awoken.
I gasped for air. I saw my pegasus friend Ace Fire aside my bed with worried looks.
"You alright there Silver?" He still had a worried look on his face.
"Yea...Yea. Just a nightmare. That's all" I said sheepishly.
"Might wanna get yourself ready. Shining Armor's about to take roll call." He pointed outside the window.
"Th-Thanks. I'll meet you outside." I stuttered then clumsily got out of bed.
"Alright. See you out there." Ace said as he left the room as I was putting on my glasses.
I had left my dorm and proceeded out the door to be fully awakened by the cold breeze passing through my blue and orange mane. I was by far not a stranger to the cold had being grown up in Stalliongrad, but this day I felt a chill in my spine. A chill that would make an average filly just sick by breathing in the air. This cold was different. I left the dorm and out the Castle gates to be greeted by familiar faces in the Royal Guard and the other mutterings of scholars and students, but then I was confronted by Princess Luna.
"Oh! Princess Luna! A thousand apologies. I hadn't seen you there." I bowed my head in secluded fear.
"At ease soldier." Luna replied with dignity in her voice and then proceeded.
What seconds felt like days before Luna passed me on. With fear slowly rising into my heart I quickly trotted towards the mess hall to get something to eat.
Luna had felt estranged by this pony. She had felt he had resentment and fear towards her. She sensed this though her shift at night. A negative energy emitting this pony's dream and had a little, but noticeable effect on her magic. She had shrugged off this feeling of negativity and went about her day, but she still wondered; Who was that pony?
Chapter 1- Debts and Rebuttals *EDIT
Chapter 1- Debts and Rebuttals *EDIT
Chapter 3- Debts and Rebuttals
I was scanning the mess hall for any familiar faces and any signs of Ace Fire. I briskly trotted down the aisle to search for nourishment to clear my troubled mind and to subdue the hunger from the pits of my stomach. I had only been in Canterlot for about a week and I was already cast out by those of higher rank or what you may call 'meatheads'.Usually, being the new guy, I had thought I would be disregarded for my lack of experience, but no, everypony looked at me with disgust. They would glance at me or turn around to look at me as if I were a changeling in disguise. I was disheartened by this, but I ignored it being the anti-social pony that I was, but I've always wondered why this was.
I had taken my seat with my plate of strawberries and milk and was soon greeted by higher ranked Royal Guards.
"Hey! Four-eyes!" One of them exclaimed. "Where's your little buddy Ace Fire?" He asked mockingly as I twitched in annoyance.
"Not here," I deadpanned. "Don't you have anything else better to do than bother me?" I said with an attitude.
"I don't like your tone Four-Eyes," He gleamed at me. "I am your superior and you will treat me as such."
"Yes, sir." I muttered.
"What was that Four-Eyes?" He put his hoof behind his ear. "I couldn't hear you... Say it one more time."
"Yes, sir." I muttered more loudly.
"I can't hear you Four-eyes," He said schemingly. " I think he needs some...encouragement." He eyed his henchmen.
The two other guards grabbed me by the mane, threw me out of my seat and pushed me against the floor, crushing my diaphragm. The others in the room stood up to see what was happening. Most stayed silent, but some spoke out.
"What the hay are you doing to him?!" One mare yelled.
"Yea! Let him go!" Another added.
"This doesn't concern any of you," He said menacingly. "Anyone interferers and it's five demerits and bathroom duty." The crowd went fully silent.
"Urrgg." I grunted in pain.
"You're going to need to say it louder and more clearly, so that everyone in the room can hear you." He said with force in his voice.
"Y-yes, Sir." I replied weakly.
The other guards crushed my body with the strength you'd expect from two Royal guards. They crushed my lungs and I could barely breath. I grunted in pain.
"You should have stayed in Stalliongrad, friend," He threatened. "You don't belong here, you don't deserve to breathe the same air as the princesses, let alone guarding their home"
"Yes, sir." I muttered with anger in my voice.
Seconds later a blur of heat made its way across the room and tackled the two guards that were on my body. I headbutted the one threatening me and bucked him onto the table.
The blur of heat was none other than Ace Fire. It was always him to come and save my sorry hide even back then when we were just young foals, but he wasn't always like that.
After my father had disappeared I was sent to live with Ace Fire's family who gladly let me in. Ace's father and mother treated me as if I were their only son and Ace Fire treated me like a little brother, I'd suspected he was more than glad to have another foal in the house. Ace was about two years older than me and he had an orange mane with yellow fur. He was always quick on his wings and wanted to prove the world that he was the best. Me? I was a little, scared and chubby foal with glasses. I didn't know what in Celestia happened to my father, but I'd always pray he returned.
We were in Ponyville. A nice town next to a dangerous forest that went by the name 'Everfree' and was deemed 'filled with adventure' by Ace.
"C'mon Silver!" Ace exclaimed with glee. "Don'tcha wanna get your monster, butt kickin', cutie mark?"
"Not like this." I said with worry.
"Aww, don't be a scaredy foal," He reassured. "Nothins' gonna happen to us."
"Alright." My voice descended.
We were approaching the entrance of the Everfree forest. I was worried out of my mind and Ace was flying around as if he were about to get a present by Celestia herself. Suddenly a blood curdling scream of a filly filled our ears.
"What was that?!" I said with distress.
"I don't know, but whatever it is, it needs our help." He then rushed off like Daring Do to save the day.
"Wait! Shouldn't we get help?!" I presented the option.
"It'll be too late before help will arrive," Ace stated. "Also this is our opportunity to save the day and get our Cutie marks!"
"Seriously?!" I nearly choked. "We going to save somepony from...Celestia knows what! Some ponies gonna get hurt and you're worried about Cutie Marks?"
"This pony will get hurt if we don't do something!" Ace said valiantly. "If we don't have the courage to save somepony then we'll never be able to get our Cutie Marks." He pointed out.
I was going to keep arguing, but the screaming got louder and more closer. The adrenaline was pumping in our veins as we rushed to save this unfortunate filly when suddenly a shock wave emitted from the sky. I had looked up to see that is was a rainbow explosion in the air. It pierced the sound barrier and left a rainbow explosion in its path. Distracted by this phenomenon I tripped and hit my head on the side of a boulder. I'd blacked out.
"Woah!" Ace exclaimed as he was flying at max speed.
"What's happening?" he said in fear as he spun out of control.
Ace's wings started to spark up and then went aflame. Startled by this he started going faster, in fear that he would be charred by the massive flames. Ace was on fire and was spiraling out of control, before he knew it he accidentally tackled into the two timberwolves that were circling the dangered filly.
"Huh?!" The filly gasped as she opened her eyes.
Ace thrashed his body into a tree and landed on the ground with a thud. Ace opened his eyes to reveal that the filly that was screaming for help was a young bat pony about his age.
"What? A Bat Pony? What're you doin' here? In the Everfree forest?" he questioned her as he recovered.
"I'm..." The Bat Pony was interrupted as five timberwolves surrounded the two fillies with hunger in their eyes.
The two ponies trembled at the sight. They had only braced themselves for what was to come.
I was groggily waking up and was quickly remembering what I was doing.
"Ace!" I gasped as I tried to get my bearings. My vision was blurred and I had a sharp headache. Everything moved so slow and everything felt different, as if all time had decreased its pace. It was all a blur, all I could remember was a an awesome explosion of colors, Ace being engulfed in flames and spiraling out of control.
"Need...t-to...find...Ace." I thought loudly. I kept a brisk pace and was following Ace's fire trail while trying to keep from falling from my injuries. I had arrived to the scene to find Ace and a Bat Pony trembling in fear while one of the five timberwolves was in mid-air, lashing out at my friend.
"NO!" I shouted as I rushed towards the time slowed timberwolf.
I bucked the timberwolf in the side of the shoulder with all of my might and fragments of wood and sap came from it. Time came back to normal and I was standing in front of two trembling fillies.
"Silver?" Ace's question filled with relief.
I glared at the timberwolves who were just gray blurs with yellow piercing eyes and gave them one response.
"Leave." I demanded coldly.
The timberwolves backed off slowly and growled. The one that I had bucked was limping towards the pact and was glaring at me with its cold, carnivorous eyes. They slowly backed off feet by feet and tailed off into the trees, shadows concealing their wooden tails. My vision was blurred, the adrenaline was wearing off and I was about to collapse from the exhaustion. I had turned around to see Ace and the Bat Pony looking at me with worried eyes.
"Silver...You all right?" He came closer. "You don't look so good. We should take you to the hospital."
"I'm fine," I objected. "We need to... t-to...get back..." I fell onto the soft dirt, kicking up dust into the air.
"Silver?! Silver!" Ace panicked. "C'mon! You have to help me bring him to the hospital!"
Their voices were fading as my eyes were slowly closing to a full shut.
"Oh...um, ok," She hesitated. "Will anypony notice that I'm a...?" She trailed off.
"Doesn't matter now," Ace told. "If we don't do something Ace could be seriously hurt."
She nodded her head in agreement. All I could remember before I blacked out again was a shift in my body and we had begun moving. Moving out of this Celestia forsaken forest.
Again I had awoken, not in the unforgiving forest of the Everfree, but in a soft warm bed in Ponyville Hospital. I could hear the muffled, and worried words of Ace. His worried words were comforting to say at the least, but it was as comforting as comfort would get if you were in a hospital bed with a raging headache while your friend's rant can be heard from the visitors lounge. I was in no state to complain, Ace had saved me, or so I thought and I owed him. I couldn't remember much when I woke up, it felt like a giant tree had hit me upside the head while someone was screaming in my ear.
One of the nurses walking by noticed my current state of consciousness and quickly entered the room.
"Oh goodie, you're waking up," She checked the papers. "A few bruises and a slight concussion you have."
"Mmnnhph." I grunted as I sat up.
"A foal like you shouldn't be exploring the dangerous Everfree," She scolded slightly. "Good thing your friends were there when you blacked out."
"Yeh... Sorry." I muttered weakly.
"Do you want your friends to come in? You do need rest." She said with care.
"Yes. Please. Send them in." I responded almost immediately.
The nurse had left the room and gave muffled words and motions to the two ponies. Ace almost broke the door barging in clearly worried about me while the bat pony raised her eyebrow.
"Silver!" Ace yelled. "You all right?"
"Jeez. Ow. Not if you're going to barge in through the door and yell in my ear like that," I countered. "Yea, just peachy." I was rubbing my mane.
"Oops. Sorry," He apologized. "I was just... just worried about you man. I thought I lost you there for a second." He put his head down in shame. " It was all my fault, if it weren't for me you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I was just... really scared." He was on the verge of crying.
There was a moment of silence.
"Hey..." I tried to get his attention. "Don't be such a scaredy filly, and don't let me catch you crying either," I punched his arm. "Not really settin' a good example for your brother by goin' all baby on him, isn't it?"
"Shut up." He chuckled while wiping the couple tears in his eyes.
It wasn't an awkward silence that filled the air. It was more of an embracing silence, the silence that you would bask in once you'd accomplish something or got over something. It felt good, but a silence no less and somepony had to break it.
Me and Ace glared at the bat pony. She was getting uncomfortable and was looking around her as if she needed an escape route.
I decided I needed to break the silence. "So...What were you doing in the Everfree that had you being attacked by a group of Timber wolves?"
"Ummm..." She darted her eyes eyes back and forth. "Hide and go seek?" She hesitated.
"Seriously?" Me and Ace said simultaneously.
"Oh. Ok," She gave up. "My family sent me to check out Ponyville. They told me to see if Ponyville was a nice enough place to move into." Ace and I were still skeptic, but we didn't push it.
"Good enough." I replied with doubts in my mind. "You got a name?" I asked.
"Yes!" She responded immediately. "Shadow Strikes the name. You?"
"Ace Fire."
"Silver Shield."
We replied without thought.
"Look. I'm...I'm sorry for putting you two in danger." She said with regret. "I truly am. I didn't think I'd make it out of that one." Her head perked up. "Also, I think you dropped these when you coming for us." She had my glasses in her hooves. The rim of the right lens was slightly cracked.
"Oh! Thanks." I took the glasses out of her hooves reluctantly and wiped them off. "I didn't think I'd get these back."
I put on the glasses and noticed something on Ace's flank. It was orange and white and resembled what was a pair of wings surrounded by flames.
"Ace!" I called to him. "Is that a cutie mark on your flank?"
He quickly looked at his flank and went as giddy as a school mare.
"Oh yes! Celestia yes!" He squealed in glee.
Out of curiosity and hope I moved my robes aside to confirm what I thought I had. The mark was bold and obvious. It was a silver star within a shield. I chucked at the relation between my name and my mark.
"This is awesome!" Ace exclaimed.
"Yea, can't believe it was you who got us our cutie marks." I replied.
He scoffed and punched me in the arm. I returned the favor harder.
Back to reality. Two royal guards glaring daggers at me and Ace Fire and the other guard under my hooves. We were at a stalemate until the guard that I was on top of headbutted me and threw me with his magic. Three on two. An unfair advantage if you asked me, but I liked odds. Gives you a challenge. It was me and Ace, back to back, surrounded by three royal guards, an earth pony, pegasus, and a unicorn. It was about to get ugly.
"STOP THIS MADNESS!" a voice demanded.
It was none other than the knight in 'Shining Armor' here to save the day, but with no damsel in distress at his side and no dragon to slay either.
"Captain Shining Armor!" the guard exclaimed with worry in his voice.
"Not another word Storm Spear," he said condescendingly. "I want you, Lightning Star and Sky Piercer in my office."
"But..." The Storm Spear objected.
"NOW," Shining Armor said with force. "That's an order."
"Yes sir." the three replied.
Strom Spear budged into me as he was walking. Shining Armor was looking at me and Ace with a piqued interest.
"Silver Shield, Ace Fire." Captain stated.
"Full apologies Captain," I started. "It was my fault this fight started." I bowed.
He scoffed and let out a chuckle. "You stood up for yourself against these guys and you're taking the blame?" He inquired. "How noble."
He nodded at Ace Fire as if they were talking in morse code.
"Stay out of trouble boys, and don't be late for roll call." He trotted away and dispersed the curious crowd.
I blinked. "What the hay just happened?" I turned my head to an intrigued look on Ace Fire's face.
"I'm...not sure," Ace said hesitantly. "I'm not sure."
We both proceeded to the exits of the mess hall until the growling of my stomach stopped me in my tracks.
"Whew, almost forgot these." I said with relief as I mosied on over and picked up my strawberries and milk with haste.
