LOCATION: Ponyville
DATE: April 19th
[Perspective: False Front]
Today is important.
That was the first thing I thought when I woke up. The next thing I thought:
...wait, why is it important?
I shook my head and just got up, stretching my body before heading off to shower. About fifteen minutes later, I stepped out into the sunlit town of Ponyville.
Arrell had taken us back to Ponyville after we were finished in Stalliongrad, and since then, he was constantly either here or at Smooth Grove. Sometimes he'd bring one of us along, sometimes not. I didn't have to watch him anymore, yet for some reason, I was still hanging around him. I didn't know why. Probably because I had nothing better to do.
Anyway, he had come back from another trip out just last night, but he seemed really tired, so he just flew up to a cloud and fell asleep after saying nothing but a hello to me. Ever since he discovered how comfortable clouds were, he stopped using benches or couches on the nights where he didn't have a bed. I have to admit, with the way he talked about them, I was a bit jealous that he could sleep on them and I couldn't.
He must have gotten up early this morning, because I saw him walking around when I stepped out. Something seemed off about him, though. If a pony approached him, he only nodded to them, sometimes showing them a slip of paper. He never stopped to chat.
I raised an eyebrow. This was odd, but didn't exactly seem important to me. I just shrugged and started looking for Asylum. She had been with Arrell when he went to Smooth Grove, but I didn't see her come back with him. I assumed she went to find a hotel as soon as she got back. Even though Risk and I kept offering her a place to sleep in our home, she always refused. So did Nimble, but from what we knew, he barely slept anyway.
With mild curiosity as to Arrell's odd actions still lingering, I continued to search.
I finally found Asylum near Twilight's library. She was sitting on a bench, playing with some familiar object. I walked over to her, and as I got closer, I recognized it. It was that weird thing Arrell made that he played games on. He called it the "DevIce" or something. I don't think anypony laughed at that pun.
Asylum looked up and waved at me. I raised an eyebrow again. I was right in front of her, not twenty feet away. She could've just said "hi".
She must have noticed my confused look, because before I could ask anything, she turned the DevIce off and held a note out to me. I briefly recalled Arrell doing the same thing earlier. Sitting beside the pegasus, I took the note and looked over it.
Today is the Day of Silence.
The Day of Silence is a human tradition that Arrell told me about. It is a day for all the gays, lesbians, bisexuals, pansexuals, and transgendered individuals that have been bullied because of the way they are. On this day, supporters go the entire day without speaking, to symbolize the "silencing" of these types of ponies.
I have elected to take part in the Day of Silence. As such, I will not be talking for all of today.
I just stared at the note, surprised. Now I knew what Arrell was doing and what that paper he had was – he was taking a vow of silence based on a human tradition.
But why did he make Asylum join in? Why is he forcing human habits onto her?
Looking over at the pegasus, I saw that she had a look of joy on her face. I narrowed my eyes, but she didn't react. She only turned back to facing forward, still smiling, and began playing with the DevIce again. I blinked, surprised.
I read over the note again. And a few more times. Why go quiet just to protest bullying? Aren't there other ways to do it? Going quiet doesn't do anything! Nopony's gonna notice if...
My train of thought was derailed when I noticed something. Or, rather, a lack of something.
Noise.
I looked up, thinking the place had been deserted. I was wrong. Ponies were still trotting about, but as if hit by some spell, they were all...quiet. Only the sound of hoofsteps penetrated the air.
Some ponies were nodding at each other, making motions and gestures with their hooves and head. Some were writing on paper and showing the notes to each other. Some were even communicating in Morse code by tapping the ground or other objects with their hooves.
But not a single word was spoken into the air.
Another piece of paper entered my vision. Asylum was holding another note to me. I took it and looked at it. It was much shorter than the last one, only being three words long.
They DO notice.
I looked back at her. She smiled again, seeming both joyous and...proud?
I just stared down at the ground for a while. Eventually, I got up and began walking home.
[Perspective: Risk Reward]
I yawned as my eyes opened. I had woken up late once again.
Sighing, I crawled out of bed and went for a quick shower. I was stopped in the hall, however, by False.
I opened my mouth to say hello, but she held up a hoof, silencing me. She then held out a note...