The Journals of Silas Sombra

by DreamWings

Chapter 1- Diddy's Arrival

Silas clasped the pen he was holding and looked down at the words he’d just written. He could feel his head burning in anger but fought against his embedded feelings. There was no way he was going to lose control; he was the pony in charge of his own body.

A pattering of hooves could be heard running down the corridor near to his room. A voice shouted through the area, “Slow down right now!”

Silas tutted and slid off his seat. He shut the book on the desk and slid it into the specially designed draw, ready for the next appointment. A knocking came at his door and a hoof turned the handle from the outside. A large mare, more rotund in figure than she’d care to be told, slid her body through the large gap. Her voice, loud and clear, sounded into the young unicorn’s ears: “Silas, it’s time to go to the living space.”

He smirked towards her and she clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“It’s good to see you too, Nurse Temple,” he said, his voice polite and his body-language careful and clean. She, he knew, was not the pony to get on the wrong side of. However, despite how kind he had tried to act, she only saw it as one more reason she and Silas would never see eye-to-eye.

“No sauce from you, young colt. Get going.”

His smile drooped and he wandered with the rest of the crowd slowly making their way out of their rooms at the same time. Along the way nurses and doctors stood around watching them with their eagle-hawk eyes, checking for any signs of trouble from the young patients. Silas just about caught a glimpse of the hateful suitcase holding, no doubt about it, many forms of tranquilisers to attack them with at any moment. He had a sudden memory of a few of his last stabs and grimaced before hurrying on into what the hospital called’ the living space’.

It was ironic that its title suggested such a thing as happy as life, because nothing in there matched that image. A drab dull grey colour clung to the walls, made of a material that Silas knew was unbreakable, no matter how hard you tried to escape. The tables and chairs were wrapped up in a material which was also unbreakable and soft for landing on, but unfortunately it too had that clinical ‘death’ sort of feel to it. Even the patients themselves seemed to lose their lives when entering the area. Seeing the contrast between the corridor and this one set of rooms in the young colts and fillies, was always startling to anypony new at NEMI.

You soon got used to the dismal atmosphere and became one of them, no matter how hard you tried to fight against it. Each one of you a slave to the existence enforced upon you. But you all knew that you had to be there in order to protect, not only yourself, but all those around you. It was one of the saddest but truest facts every patient in the institution knew.
Over in one corner Silas spotted the ponies he spent most of him time with. They were laughing and giggling as if put in a spell. This wasn’t something usually seen in the space so Silas, his intrigue growing, walked over to the small crowd.

“Hi guys. What’s happening here?”

“Ne na nor ni nora,” came the reply. Silas smiled at Nana and she giggled.

“Nice to know,” he said. The others gave a laugh and Silas was surprised to see the twinkle in their eyes. “Seriously, what’s going on here?”

His eyes swivelled onto a young gryphon, about a foot taller than he was. The great hybrid stood above him with small eyes and a drooped mouth. “Petie?” he questioned. His friend gave a chortle, though his mouth remained a straight line.

“It’s nothing, Silas,” he was told, “it’s just that a new pony’s coming today and we’re all making estimates on who they’re going to be.”

“And?” Silas raised an eyebrow and crossed his two front legs, balancing in a dramatic fashion.

“I think it’ll be a colt with OCD,” said a blue-coated foal in the corner. His newly-washed mane stood up in a perfect fashion, not a hair out of place. Even his smile was symmetrical in every way. Silas nodded.

“Ruff,” stated a mare next to him in a custom-made hospital gown. Her eyes darted round, peering everywhere, whilst her nose quivered with all of the new smells she’d entered into. Silas turned to her translator, the pristine colt who had spoken before. Siren shook his head and smiled.

“She says that she thinks it’ll be a puppy that’ll play fetch with her.”

Again Silas acknowledged this with a nod.

“I hope it’ll be a gryphon with a bad past. Don’t get too many of those round here,” Petie said, and grimaced as he peered round the room. Every time he saw a pony he sighed before turning back to his group again. Silas gave him a pat on the back and an encouraging grin.

“What about you Nana?” he asked the other mare stood before him. Her eyes darted, as did her friends, but in a much more disorderly manner. She flinched, rather than scanned, yet still noticed what was happening with her close group of ponies. “Ticwala mi nacotier,” she stated with a serious expression.

“Well, if you’re lucky you might just get that,” Silas told her. She laughed again, clearly one of her favourite past-times.

“What about you Silas? What do you think it’ll be?”

His friends looked expectantly at him. He could have said so many answers at that point, but he didn’t want to; it wasn’t as exciting to him when another colt or filly moved in. It only meant another pony was in serious trouble and would come here to have some of their lives taken away too.

“I don’t know, Siren. ‘Suppose all I’m looking for is a new friend and a good laugh.”

It was a few hours later that the arrival came. By that point most of the residents had been sent to their own rooms again, but Silas had remained out, though he didn’t understand why. The Nurse that had so rudely barged through his door stared at him from the far end of the room, her suitcase ready should the time come when it was needed. He tutted and clicked his tongue against the top of his mouth. The chair he sat on creaked violently, his skin sticking to the horrible plastic chair-cover. By now he had become very bored and longed to be anywhere, even in his room if need be (although, he’d still have preferred to be outside in the green grass).

“Is there any reason I’m here, Nurse Temple?” he asked at his most polite.

The mare put a protective hoof over the top of the medical case. “No sauce from you Silas. Just sit there and wait for the doctor to come.”

“Which doctor, Nurse Temple?”

She appeared to become more stressed each time he spoke. “He’ll be here soon,” she answered sharply, and consulted the hourglass on the desk nearby her.

She doesn’t want to be here, thought Silas; can’t blame her really, neither do I. A loud thudding could be heard outside and both he and Nurse Temple jumped, the Nurse grabbing the case violently as she did.

Just as Silas was about to question again a large headed stallion with a white overcoat walked in and shouted in his booming voice,
“Ah Nurse Temple, glad to see you have brought the colt here as promised.” The Nurse in question curtseyed humbly to the Doctor and blushed.

His voice even startles Nurse Foghorn, thought Silas with a grin.

The Doctor turned to him and he let his mouth drop again into a straight line. “Good afternoon young Silas,” he said to the colt, briskly walking over to where he sat.

“Good afternoon, Doctor Dove.”

“You remember Enderstorm right?” He pointed to a stallion in a red jacket beside him—the uniform of the orderlies in charge of the general care of the patient’s medicine etc.

“I do indeed. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mr Enderstorm.”

Enderstorm shrugged and carried on staring into space with a roguish smirk. Silas tried to hide his fear but as he knew that Enderstorm was the main pony brought in to tackle a disturbed patient he struggled slightly with his nerves.

“Ah, he’s a good colt is Silas. Isn’t he Nurse Temple?” Dove didn’t give her time to speak before carrying on himself. “Yes, well Silas, we’d better get down to the crux of the matter. You’re such a good colt that we’ve decided who better than you to be in charge of looking after the newbie. A young colt he is, sort of, and he’s going to need somepony to take him by the hoof and lead him in the right direction in his treatment. You remember your own helper?”

“Foxglo—“

He was cut off by the stallion. “Ah yes, Foxglove was a good patient. Always trying to be helpful to all of the other ponies in care, very attentive. It was a shame the day that he—well—“

“The day he went insane and had to be put down for his own good, sir?” Silas added. Dove tugged on his collar and looked awkwardly about the room.

“Erm—yes—unfortunately.”

“Don’t worry, sir; I’ll happily help the new colt fit in.”

Enderstorm walked backwards out of the room whilst the Doctor gave a resounding, yet fairly out of place, cheer. Nurse Temple smiled at him in a way that could have made Silas physically ill.

“That’s great news my colt. Well, you can meet him straight away.” He heard a cough behind him. “Ah here he is; come along in young Dandelion.”

Silas turned to look at the entrance and no shock appeared in his eyes about what he saw. Dandelion was quite surprised when the young colt stood, walked over and shook him warmly by the hoof with a polite hello. This wasn’t something the young draconequous was used to. Most ponies didn’t quite know what to make of him at first, yet Silas seemed quite happy to treat him as if there was no differences between them at all.

“Well, we’ll just give you time to get to know one another. Enderstorm, why don’t you help Silas show Dandelion to his new suite, eh?”

The placid orderly nodded and lead the two colts out of the room and down the corridor. The Doctor shut the door behind him and Silas heard a giggle appear from Nurse Temple’s throat; something not often heard by the inmates.

As they walked Silas couldn’t help but notice, through the silence, the upset that appeared to be in the other creature’s eyes. He didn’t like seeing him so upset, though he was used to seeing the same thing when any other pony joined the asylum. It was a common sight for tears to be in the eyes of even the oldest, most experienced inmate, let alone a newbie.
“I’m Silas by the way.” He held out his front hoof for the other colt to shake but it was left untouched. Dandelion merely gave a sob and turned away.

“Yes,” Silas continued, “I’ve been here for about a year now. There are some good ponies here. You’ll get to meet Petie, and Siren, and Nana, and Bow Wow—oh, and Rainbow Dragon, you’ll love him. He’s always up for a laugh is RD.”

Dandelion remained silent.

“So, Dandelion, where are you from?” he asked as nonchalantly as he possibly could muster. A quiet whisper answered in return.

“Diddy.”

“What was that?”

The other colt raised his head and spoke more clearly. “I’m Diddy, not Dandelion.”

“Okay, Diddy it is then. Nicknames are fun; I always wished I had a nickname.”

“Do you want one?” came the voice of the innocent new victim.

“Nah, I get called too many things as it is. Silas is about the nicest one I can ask for.” Silas gave him one of his famous grins and the other seemed to relax a little.

“I’m from Canterlot,” Diddy told him. Silas nodded.

“The capital, eh? Good place, great food. I’m from near the mountains originally; not really a good place unless you like to be lonely.”

Diddy smiled at Silas and the colt smiled back. A cough came from in front of them and they stopped walking. Enderstorm glowered at them from above and pushed open the door, leading to a small compact space very much like Silas’ own room.

Diddy stared at it in horror. “What’s this place?” he asked.

Silas noted his look and could see he wasn’t used to the bare minimal. It was always worse when they’d had so much before coming. “This is your room Diddy,” he told him, seeming much more happier than he felt. “Don’t worry, once you’ve made yourself at home you’ll feel a lot better.”

The other colt did not seem convinced, but before Silas could speak again Enderstorm gave another cough. “Oh, looks like the alicorns have spoken. I have to go back to my own abode now.”

Enderstorm tapped the draconequous on the back and pushed him into his room. Diddy looked timidly at Silas, who then shook his head in reply. “Don’t try to leave Diddy, it’s not worth it. I’ll see you again tomorrow and we can have a nice, long chat. I promise.”

Enderstorm didn’t wait for them to finish their conversation; as far as he was concerned it was already over. He slid the door shut and locked the new patient inside the safe room. Silas then had to follow him down the corridor to his own room, or else a punishment would have been waiting for him.

That night, it wasn’t just Diddy that couldn’t sleep—Silas too lay awake in the dark, pondering over the day’s events. He just hoped, beyond hope, that he could help the timid creature in some way. Yes, he hoped that he could.

Comments

[Calden]

Imagine a therapy session with Diddy... It would be so Brutal with its twists!

Great chapter btw

[Enderstorm]

Sounds like me alright!