//------------------------------// // Silvers Reviving and Strange New Writings // Story: The New Guy // by SilverWind102 //------------------------------// Silver saw nothing; felt nothing. The realm around him was an abyss. He couldn't help but wonder, was there really simply nothing to observe, or was it that his senses were entirely cut off? Either way, the situation didn't bode well for the wolf. “Did I die again?” It was a silly question, especially for him. After all, if he were dead, how could he question if he was? That being said, it was a perfectly natural first assumption. What else would one think in that moment? Just as the thought rang through his mind though, a world came breaking through. The abyss he floated in vanished in a flash and bright light, and the wolf found himself laying on his back, looking up at an azure sky littered with the occasional fluffy, white cloud. Turning his head, he noticed the floor he was laying on was not actually a floor, but a solid body of water. “Oh joy.” He knew exactly where he was. It was the place where he buried all of his secrets. Where he kept his deepest desires and oldest memories. The wolf now laid in his own conscious. It wasn't the first time Silver had entered his own mind. He did it quite often actually, usually when he was meditating. It would also happen on occasion when he fell into deep sleeps. This time, it would be the latter reason for his mental visit. Slowly, Silver flipped over onto his stomach and raised himself with a wobble and shake of pain. He might have been in his mind now, but that unfortunately also meant he could feel the hurt of his wounds. He had actually wished for the abyss to come back now. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with the aches. With a grunt and a sigh, Silver began to wander his mind. It was still cluttered with doors, each one different from the next, symbolizing the particular memory behind it. It was then that his eyes fell upon one door in particular. One he despised with every fiber of his being. It was large and a cold, steel gray. Unlike the others, this one was actually a set of double doors, it's handles a deep red. And also unlike other doors, this one had thick, heavy chains locking it tight. And for good reason too. There was no need for him or anyone else who may journey into his mind to visit that moment. Too much pain. Too much hate. “Reminiscing, are we?” a voice came. One all too familiar. Silver looked down, staring at the reflection grinning back up at him. “Hey laddy,” his mirror greeted, the sickening smile he wore never fading, “You know, I've missed you and the little talks we used to have.” Silver just sighed and took a seat, “I suppose it has been a while. There hasn't really been much reason to bring you up.” “Well gee, I dunno', laddy. That little bout you had with that shade got me fairly riled.” “That was nothing. Just some shit luck.” “Shite luck, you say?” It was here that that mirror crawled out of the water, taking on the full form of Silver. His image was exactly the same, though his colors were a bit darker, and he spoke with the old Houndish accent Silver had way back when, “In case you haven't noticed, we're close to dead. We've lost a lot o' blood, and for what? Some lit'le princess?” It was here that Silver glared at his counter part, “You know full and well how we feel about Twilight. And it wasn't just her. If we'd gone all out, the others would have been caught in the crossfire, even if they weren't in the castle. Besides, it was just a Shade. No need to go crazy.” “Yes, I know how we feel about the mare, laddy. And that's what bugs me. Since when do we bow down to anyone?” “We don't bow down!” Silver growled, the water beneath him beginning to shake, “We're not! Everything we do, we do because we chose to. Not because someone else made us!” “You say that and yet here we are, chasing a book that has nothing to do with us. Getting hurt for a country we don't even belong to. Tell me laddy, doesn't that sound an awful lot like submitting?” “We chase that book because we don't want Twilight getting hurt trying to do it herself! We don't give a damn about the rest of Equestria! As long as the ones we like are okay, then the rest of the country could burn.” “Now, you say that but if Twilight or Luna asked us to help save it, then would we?” “Yes.” “Then we're submitting!” “No. We're doing it to make them happy. We don't submit to anyone.” The counter part sighed, “Honestly laddy, I can't tell if we're confused or just stupid.” “The latter. My mind is clear.” “Oh really? Then why am I here?” “Because I got hurt. We both know how this works.” “Is that really all, or is there something you're forgetting? Afraid of even? Have you forgotten what's to come next? Our own little hell?” Silver remained silent, turning his head away. “You can sit in silence all you'd like laddy, but remember where we are,” the counter part said, pointing a paw behind his other half, “Even if you don't say a word, you can't hide the truth from yourself.” He didn't want to look. He knew what was behind him. It was always there, lingering at the back of his mind. Most times, it's forgotten. Silver can live his life in peace and serenity without worry. That is, until winter comes along. It's the snow that does it. He could still remember laying in it as his blood pooled around him, the dark crimson standing out like ink on paper, dying the white powder red as his life poured out of his body. The image was burned into his mind along with the same realization he had when he laid there. He was going to die. Despite every fiber of his being screaming at him not to, Silver turned his head and looked. There it was. The heavy red door. It looked plain and simple. It was one you would pass by while on a stroll through town, innocent in it's appearance. That is, until you look behind it. The world it holds would break the most strong willed of warriors. And it indeed broke Silver. “Please....not again....” he begged, “It can be different this time. We have Twilight and Luna. We're happy.” His counter part just shook his head, the smile he wore faded into a frown, “If this was something I could control, then I would do something. Sorry laddy. I'll see you again soon though. But before I go, I think you should know. It's because we've been slacking that we wound up in this mess. I suggest we fix it.” And with that, he disappeared, leaving Silver to stare at his impending, personal hell. Silver knew exactly what his counter part was referring to, and it was something that they both agreed on. He'd been far too relaxed during his stay in Equestria, becoming complacent in the peaceful environment. He'd gotten lazy, his senses dulled. He was no longer the wolf he used to be. But now he'd have to change that. Another fatal incident was a clear indicator that he'd taken things too lightly. It was time to step it up. “Goodbye, Saber. And as always, thank you.” The room was quiet, save for the rhythmic beeping of the machines attached to the wolf laying on the bed. To his side, there was a purple mane resting on the comforter and two small lavender hooves wrapped around his arm. Twilight laid with her muzzle resting a top Silvers paw. She'd been allowed to see him when he was finally out of surgery, which took a full eight hours. Star Shine had explained that while the punctures were deep, they were clean cuts, which made them easier to repair. There were a few spots that were difficult to reach and fix, but at the end of it all there were no complications. Now all they had to do was wait for him to wake up. After losing over a third of his body's blood, Star Shine had suspected he'd take a while to recover, even with blood transfusions. Which is currently why the youngest alicorn of Equestria has spent the last three days in the room with the wolf, in case he were to wake up or if there were some other issue with him. Now Twilight laid with her head down, sleep threatening to take hold over her. Since she'd been allowed entry into the room, she'd slept very little, and with the previous exhaustion of the study session she'd had researching The One Who Wanders, her fatigue was beginning to show. “Just a little longer. He'll wake up soon, and everything will be okay.” Despite her constant efforts to remain awake, her eyelids continued to grow heavier and heavier. She felt her shoulders fall and her ears droop. Sound seem to vanish entirely, and the light of the room slowly grew dimmer and dimmer. Just as sleep had grabbed a hold of her, the rattle of the door knob knocked it away. “Twilight?” the familiar voice of Luna called gently as her head poked through the doorway, “Dear, are you still here?” “I'm here Luna,” Twilight answered lifting her head, her voice a little hoarse, “Is there something you need?” The midnight mare walked into the room, closing the door behind her, “No, I just wanted to come see you and Silver is all. I've finished everything for the day, but I'm afraid I have a Night court session to attend tonight, so I won't be able to stay with you for long. Sorry.” She pulled up a chair and placed it next to Twilight before sitting down. “It's okay,” Twilight smiled and leaned over to peck Lunas cheek, “One of us has to keep with our jobs. I'm just glad Celestia hasn't given me many royal duties yet.” Luna couldn't help but giggle, “Don't worry. I'm sure once your guard is built and you have a castle, she'll begin introducing you to running the country. Soon, you'll be meeting with diplomats and officials, striking deals and managing foreign affairs.” Twilight could only groan, “Nooo...” While she would be more than happy that Celestia believes she can handle such important tasks, she has also gotten into the rhythm of spending her days doing simpler things, like reading, interviewing, or just staying with her herd. Luna laughed lightly before nuzzling into Twilights neck, “There there. It won't be all bad. We'll all be here with you to help you along.” “Thank you Luna---” Twilight was cut off by a small groan coming from the only non equine in the room. “Ooooh...” Silver moaned. Both mares stopped and silently watched the wolfs face as his eyes flickered open, “Where...?” “Shh..” Twilight hushed, “You're in Star Shine's medical room at her house. You were hurt, remember?” Silver turned and found his mares staring at him, tears filling their eyes. He slowly nodded, “Yeah. Did everyone make it out?” “Yes, we're all fine. Don't you worry,” The lavender mare assured before turning to her marefriend, “Luna, could you go get Star Shine and let her know he's awake?” Luna quickly nodded and left the room, leaving the other two alone. Twilight turned her attention back to the wolf, leaning over and pecking his cheek. “You scared us, you know,” she said, tears beginning to run once more, “We thought that you might not make it for a moment.” Silver actually wheezed out a laugh, “Like a Shade could kill me.” “It almost did,” Twilight retorted, a certain firmness in her voice, “Star Shine said you lost over three and a half pints of blood. Anymore and your heart would have stopped.” The wolf simply sighed, “So I guess I'll be out of commission for a little while?” It was then that the door opened and Star Shine walked in with a clipboard in paw and Luna following just behind her. Through the open door, Silver could see Onyx and Ruppy waiting outside, the former pacing around in circles. “Yes, but not for long,” Star Shine said, answering his previous question and snapping the wolfs attention back to her, “While your wounds were serious, the stitches I've used are enchanted and have been soaked in healing herbs. It may not be as powerful as the Restorative potion, but it'll definitely speed up your recovery. Honestly though, I regret letting you take that the other day. If I hadn't, I could have given it to you now and be done with the whole thing.” “When will I be good to leave?” he asked. “Well, to leave the bed, it should take about a week. For a complete recovery, it should be about two and a half weeks total,” She informed, “So as long as you don't do anything stupid between now and then, you'll heal fine and I can keep my floors clean of your blood.” Silver rubbed a paw behind his head, “Hehe...sorry?” Star Shine simply rolled her eyes, “It's fine. I've been meaning to clean them anyways. But for a change of topic, how about some visitors? Your pupils are waiting out in the hall, and Princess Celestia said she wanted to speak with you about what you found in the library.” Silvers ears perked up, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Did you tell them what we found?” he asked, turning to Twilight. The mare nodded, “Everything we found about the different versions of the The One Who Wanders. Celestia said she'd check the Archives for more information, but unless the legends had to something to do with Equestria, then we doubt there would be information.” “That's fine,” Silver said, “If she doesn't turn up anything, I might be able to ask a friend a favor.” This caused the female wolf in the room to tilt her head in confusion, “Why wait? Why not just go ahead and ask.” “Because like I said, I'd be asking this friend for a favor,” Silver explained, “While this situation is certainly important, I'd like to save that favor until I'm sure we need it. He's very old and powerful, so there's a lot of things he can do and plenty he knows.” Star Shine hummed suspiciously, “Hmmm....I get the feeling I won't like this guy.” Silver rolled his eyes, “You don't like any of my friends outside of the pack.” “Well that's because you have terrible taste in friends,” she retorted. “Okay first, you're one of my friends so that's makes you terrible. Second, my marefriends are considered my friends as well, so you just insulted the Princesses. And third, maybe they're not terrible. Maybe you're just a bitch.” Star Shine opened her mouth to respond, but paused and thought for a moment, “Hmmm...yeah, I guess you have a point there. But you really do need some more normal friends. The majority of us have tried to kill you at one point.” “It's very special bonding experience. Almost a ritual really.” The two mares in the room simply sat and watched the conversation. They'd never really seen the two interact for very long, so a discussion like this was pretty much a first time for them. However, amid their talking, the door to the room resounded with three knocks, followed by a voice. “Hello?” Ruppy called, “Can we come in yet?” “Ruppy don't!” the voice of Onyx hissed, “They might be in the middle of something!” The occupants of the room all paused for a moment, then laughed laughed lightly at the two mares ramblings before Star Shine called them in. “It's fine. Silver's awake and he can see you.” The door opened and instead of two mares walking in, three did. Ruppy, Onyx and Aerial. “Oh, Aerial. I didn't know you were here too.” Silver said. She nodded and trotted over to his bedside opposite of Twilight, giving him a gentle hug, “I've been worried about you.” “Yeah, I'm sorry. I kinda messed up and got skewered like a kabab. But, the good doctor here says I should be able to leave in a week.” Aerial released her hold on the wolf, “That's great!” she cheered before taking a step back. It was now Ruppys turn to give hugs, though hers were not quite as gentle. “Ruppy!” Silver gasped as his lungs were crushed, “Need....to...breathe!” Finally, the mare loosened her hold and glared him in the eyes,, “Well that's what you get for scaring me!” she scolded, “Do you have any idea how hard it is to sleep when your Papa is in the hospital?” “Well, I don't know my dad, so...no. Also, this isn't a hospital.” “That was rhetorical! It's incredibly—wait a sec, you don't know your dad?” Silver simply shook his head. “Huh...” the tan pegasus hummed for a moment before letting go, allowing Onyx to step forward. Her hug, unlike the last, was gentle like Aerials. But also unlike the earth pony's, the coal black mare had a slight tremble in her arms. “Hey,” Silver cooed, pulling back so he could cup her cheeks. Looking closer, he could see the tears forming in her eyes, “You okay?” Onyx fell back into the hug, “I'm okay. Just scared.” “Aww...” Silver said, giving her back a gentle stroke, “There there. I'm gonna be fine. It'll take a lot more than this to kill me.” Onyx pulled back once more, wiping the tears away as a smile formed on her lips. Her ears then suddenly perked up as she remembered something. “Also,” she added on, “I was wondering....would it be okay I messed around in your workshop a bit?” “My workshop?” Silver asked, “What are you doing in there?” “I bought some gems with the money I had and I kinda wanted to get back into jewelry making,” she explained before raising her flank to show her cutiemark, “It's my special talent.” “I'd always wondered what yours meant,” Silver smiled, “Well if that's the case, then you most certainly can. There should be a few manuals laying around for the machines if you need to use them. Also, in the top right drawer of my dresser in my room, there should be a black journal in there. It has everything I learned about smithing.” Onyx's smile widened and became giddy. She couldn't help but be excited, and couldn't wait to surprise Silver. “Also, speaking of the girls and my journals, Star could you watch over their training for me?” the wind wolf pegged on. “Uh, sure,” She replied, “Anything special I need to do?” “I was going to add in some new exercises soon depending on how far they'd come. It should all be in another journal in the same drawer. It's green.” Star raised a brow, “Why do you have so many journals?” “To keep track of everything?” Silver retorted, as if the answer were obvious, “I mean, I have ledgers and shipping list and contacts and a ton of other things I need to keep up with. I don't have a super computer to cram it all into like you do.” “Well then I suggest you invest in one,” she responded. Silver just sighed, “Just get the book. Also, you may need to work double duty since I'm injured. You'll have to protect Twilight, Luna and Celestia.” “Not quite,” Star Shine corrected, “I knew you'd be out for a while so I went ahead and filled your spot. Not that I don't trust your skills girls,” She said to Ruppy and Onyx, who took surprisingly little offense, “But Silvers place as a Houndland guard must be filled by someone of equal or greater power.” “So then who'd you get?” Silver asked. “Me,” a voice came as the door opened. In it's threshold stood an ever so familiar fox with a brilliant golden coat and snow white underbelly, “Hello again Silver.” “Radiance?” Silver questioned, “What are you doing here? I thought you'd have been in the wind by now.” “Well, for a moment, I thought about it,” she explained as she entered the room. Honestly it was beginning to get a bit crowded in there, “But I figured drifting from place to place like I was before was what got me in trouble in the first place. So I decided to settle down for a little while.” “That's great!” Silver exclaimed, “Where are you staying?” “The Crystal Empire. Remember how Black Wing offered me a spot in the Crystal Guard?” “So you took it?!” The fox simply nodded, “I've been enlisted for the past week, and this is my first assignment. Although, it's safe to say that there are some guards who are a little upset that a new recruit like me gets to be Princess Celestias personal guard right off the bat.” Silver just laughed, “Meh, let them be jealous. I'm glad this is all worked out now though.” It was the discussion at time that made something occurred to the wolf. Something that didn't quite add up. “But I'm curious, if you're this strong, then why did you need my help getting the collar off before?” “Oh, that,” the fox sighed, “I'm honestly a little embarrassed about that. Do you remember how I told you that the collar could track my position?” Silver nodded before she continued, “Well that was because it was using my magic to operate. This means that if I tried to use my magic to overload it like Black Wing did, it would only increase the voltage. It worked with Black Wing because it wasn't my magic pouring into it.” “Ahh...” Silver awed, “Well then, I guess having you fill my spot is no issue at all.” “Just leave it to me,” Radiance said with a giggle, “Oh, which reminds me. Princes Celestia will be here soon to speak with you, Star Shine, Princess Twilight and Princess Luna.” “Aww, so we gotta leave?” Ruppy pouted. Silver just rolled his eyes playfully, “Don't worry. You can come visit me anytime you like.” The pegasus mare grinned and wrapped Silver in another hug. Soon after, the three mares were escorted out of the room and a little while later, Celestia entered. “Hello Silver,” She greeted, “It's nice to see you're awake. How are you feeling?” Silver simply shrugged, “Meh, I've been worse. So what's up? What did you need to speak with me about?” Celestia walked over to his bedside, again the opposite of the one Twilight and Luna sat on. It seemed as if a meteor wouldn't make those two budge from their spots. “It's about what you found in the old library,” the ivory alicorn began, “It would seem that our Archives don't hold records of any of the names you all found in while researching in the Everfree, and with a Shade that's capable of putting you in such a condition, I would much rather avoid sending anyone else to retrieve the materials. In essence, I'm afraid we've become stuck once again, but Twilight tells me that you've heard of one of the stories from the Feline Republic?” Silver nodded, “The Hallow Road is older than the Republic itself, and goes way back. It's a phantom street that appears to those who've lost their way in life, and sets them on an endless path. They continue walking for the rest of time. But the story we found in the library was different. It was about the first one who walked down the Hallow Road. We assume that must be The One Who Wanders.” “Is that all you know of the legend?” Celestia asked. Silver nodded once more. “That's all I know, but I do know someone who should know more.” The eldest alicorn raised a brow, “ And just who might that be?” “Ugh! I can't believe he's actually going to ask that ass-hat for help!” Star Shine groaned as she walked down the halls of Canterlot Castle, Twilight trailing beside her. The only reason she was away from the bed was because Silver asked her to watch over the training as well and make sure Star Shine didn't get them killed. Luna said she'd stay with Silver until she had to leave, so Twilight was at ease, or at least a little. “Just who is he though?” the lavender mare asked. “He's a little creep that enjoys spouting ridiculous riddles and rhymes just to confuse everyone!” Star vented, “More importantly, how the hell does he owe Silver a favor?! I mean really?! Did he lose something in his litter box and Silver found it for him?” The two rounded the corner and came to a stop in front of the door they used for Silvers home. Opening the door, they made their way into Silvers room to retrieve the book he told Star Shine about for the mares training. “Don't you think you're getting just a little too upset?” Twilight tried, actually earning a flat stare from her wolf companion. “If you met the guy, you'd agree,” Star Shine replied before pulling open the drawer of the desk. Inside, she found a total of eight books, each one a different color. Looking over her shoulder, Twilight had also found the same little blue book she'd flipped through the other day. As their eyes scanned over the journals, both pairs fell to the blue one. “Huh?” Star Shine said, picking it up, “What's this?” “Star Shine!” Twilight scolded, “Put that down! It's Silvers personal stuff!” The wolf simply waved a dismissive paw, “Pfft. I've dug through his stuff a thousand times and he knows it. I've always known where he keeps his journals. But I've never seen this one before.” She flipped the book open, despite the constant nagging of the alicorn behind her and scanned the writing inside. “....Huh...” she huffed, “That's weird....” Twilight stopped her reprimanding and looked down into the book, her curiosity getting the best of her, “What's weird?” In truth, she already had an idea of what caused the confusion. The arcane symbols were foreign after all, but if anyone could read them it'd be Star Shine. Maybe they were from some lost language or something? “It's just....I can't read this....” Twilight paused and processed the information for a moment. Star Shine, the wolf who had been said to be one of the smartest creatures alive, couldn't read a language. “I....I don't recognize this writing,” she continued, “It's not like anything I've ever seen. There no common dialects like most languages have. It has no root to any previously existing writings or hieroglyphs. It's....new? I think? Or maybe just beyond ancient? And this spell work is completely different from anything I've ever seen.” “So what?” Twilight questioned, “This isn't ours, so we should just put it back and get the right book.” The alicorn had now decided to use her magic and plucked the book out of Star Shines grasp and set it back into the drawer before retrieving the proper one. “Now let's go,” the lavender mare instructed and turned to leave. As she went to the door, she noticed the wolf wasn't following and turned back to face her. Star Shine still sat there, staring into the drawer at the little blue book. “Star Shine, I'm not going to let you go through Silvers things. I don't care how long you may have known him or how many times you've done it before. Now let's go.” Finally shaking herself from her daze, Star Shine closed the drawer and went to Twilights side, earning a “thank you” from the mare. But the wolf still had a confused look on her face as they walked out to the living room. Twilight rolled her eyes, “What is it?” The wolf remained silent for a moment, but then spoke, “Don't you find it odd that Silver knows a language I don't?” The alicorn raised a brow, “Not really. He's told me you're incredibly smart and all but I can't expect you to know everything.” Star Shine shook her head, “I mastered dialects and languages by the time I was five. I can speak, read and write any language without issue. It would be one thing if Silver has come across a language I've never seen before. Then could just break it down, analyze it and learn it that way. But I couldn't with this. It's structure was literally unlike anything I've ever seen.” “Well maybe it's a language Silver came up with,” Twilight suggested, “Maybe it's his way of making sure no pony could steal his spells.” Star Shine hummed, “Well that's certainly a possibility. That wolf can be incredibly crafty when he wants to be, and if those are spells he created then I imagine they would hold great power.” she paused and continued to think for a moment longer before shrugging, “Oh well. I'll just ask him about it later.” Twilight's expression quickly melted into fear when the statement reached her ear, “If you do, please make sure to leave me out of your story. I don't want Silver thinking I was snooping or something.” “Very well Princess. If you insist. Now, it's time to go whip those mares into shape.”