• Published 3rd Mar 2015
  • 7,751 Views, 1,387 Comments

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining - David Silver



After deciding to stay in Equestria and learn its ways as a unicorn colt, Silver Lining now faces Canterlot and learning how to be a unicorn with his former-OC and Trixie to watch over him. Will he master magic, or discover the cruel side of foals.

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13 - Order in the Court

It had all happened so quickly. Silver sat, glancing around with worry at all the stone-faced ponies around him. Trixie and Rough were to either side of him, and wore no friendlier a face. Silver took a soft breath and channeled his inner stoic, his face becoming passive as he hid deep inside. This would all pass, one way or the other. There was no purpose to making a big fuss about it, or being a baby.

The royal sisters stood side-by-side, and the red-furred mare stood before them in heavy chains. She looked miserable. Celestia looked out over the witnesses. There were about two dozen ponies in attendance, and five golden-armored guards. "Mares and gentlecolts. We are gathered to find the truth, and determine just punishment." She lifted a hoof just high enough to indicate the red-furred unicorn, "Carrot Plate stands before the court accused of a crime most heinous."

Carrot struggled against her bindings with low rattling sound, "I didn't do anything wrong! Father! Mother!" She glared over her shoulder into the crowd. Silver followed her gaze to two well-to-do unicorns that looked quite nervous, but also angry. "Help me..."

Luna spread her wings, "The accused will be silent until it is her turn to speak."

Celestia looked directly at Silver, "The court calls the victim forward."

Silver took another light breath before he hopped down to his legs and trotted up slowly to the podium that seemed to be in the right spot. He remained standing, fearing his head would sink below the level of the wood. "I'm here."

Celestia nodded at Silver, "If you would speak of your experience with the accused?"

Silver pinned his ears back a moment before he restored control over his form, forcing it into a neutral position, "She... invited me to her place... She..." He glanced towards Carrot and saw she was glaring at him with burning venom. "It was dark. She held me down, with magic."

"It wasn't me!" cried Carrot, thrashing against the chains again, "Anypony could have held him!"

Luna brought her hoof down as she boomed in the royal voice, "The accused will be silent!"

Celestia never stopped looking Silver in the eyes, "Go on."

Silver took another little breath, "When the lights were turned on, I was tied up. Each of my legs to a pillar. She was talking... about her boyfriend being damaged, uh, coltfriend, sorry. She sounded like she wanted me to be her new boyfr--coltfriend. She used a short flexible stick to sting me."

Luna lifted one of the riding crops Silver remembered seeing. It wasn't the one that had struck him, but was similar enough, "Was it this?"

Silver shook his head, "Like that, but not that exact one. She had a more blue one at the tip. She hit me a few times while she was speaking to me, then Rough Draft showed up, and I went home."

Celestia nodded softly, "Very well. Please return to your seat." Silver was glad to get off the stand and return to the bench. The stares of the ponies were not entirely friendly from the crowd, and he had no desire to suffer it longer.

The court proceeded, with each pony getting a turn. Rough Draft spoke his part, and then it was Carrot's turn. "Will you tell us what happened, in your words?" asked Celestia.

Carrot scowled before she nodded, "I took pity on that colt. He looked lonely, and he was being picked on in school. I invited him over to play pretend, and that's what we did. We were playing guards and vandals. I was the guard." She gave a bright smile, "We barely got started when a big earth pony smashed in the door and scared the muffins out of me."

Luna asked, "And what did you do then?"

Carrot shook her head, "What else do you do when an angry pony just bursts in? I ran! I was never so afraid in all my life." She turned her head to look at Celestia, "I didn't hurt him. He's just a little colt. I don't need a coltfriend that tiny."

Carrots parents stepped up next. The two unicorns pleaded that she was a fine young mare of upstanding moral fibre, who had never been arrested for anything else in her young life.

Celestia looked to Luna next, "Do you have evidence against the accused?"

Luna shook her head, "Nay. The scene of the crime was quite clean. The various tools were missing." She levitated the crop she had held before, "I had to secure this elsewhere, as the original was missing."

Rough Draft raised a hoof into the air. Celestia nodded towards him and he stood, "When I first arrived, Silver was wearing a horn blocking ring."

Celestia nodded at this, "Do you have the ring?"

Rough shuffled a little, "I spat it onto the ground. It wasn't there when we returned..."

The gallery seemed to be growing hostile to the offense, murmuring about the lack of any physical evidence. "He was just playing a game and got caught being naughty with a crop," came one whisper.

"Little low-born colt thinks he can run the Plate family name through the mud! Who does he think he is?" came another harsh whisper.

Celestia raised an ear before she spoke, "There is little concrete proof in this matter, but the treatment of a foal is a very serious affair." She extended a wing to point at Carrot, "Are you saying Silver Lining was never tied up, or hit?"

Carrot shook her head, "I did both of those things. It was just part of the game. He was going to break out afterwards and get revenge on the guard." she shrugged, "Just a foal's game, no harm."

Luna flared her wings violently, "You said that anypony could have done those things to the victim. What did you mean?"

Carrot shook her head, "I didn't hold him with magic. I asked him to sit, and he did. If he felt magic, he was just scared of the dark. I know better than to hold ponies down with my magic." She turned her nose up at Luna.

Celestia glanced towards Luna, who was scowling most deeply. Celestia cleared her throat, "The court finds that insufficient evidence is presented, but would ask, Miss Carrot Plate, that you stay away from Silver Lining."

Carrot snorted, "Gladly." Her chains were removed and she trotted primly to her parents' side, sitting down beside them.

Justice was served.


Silver stood in a hallway in the castle, beside a fuming Rough and Trixie. Trixie threw her hat to the ground with her magic, "The injustice of it! That little harlot got away, with nothing!"

"We agree," spoke Luna's voice as she stepped closer to the family gathering. "Times have changed, and we do not like it. Before our departure, we would have seen her to the stockade without wasting time and energy on such a charade."

Silver looked from one displeased face to the next, "Uh, did I mess up? I told the truth."

Rough shook his head at Silver, "I know you did..."

Silver frowned then, "Different world, same thing."

Luna raised a brow, "We do not understand."

Silver perked up his ears, "You heard that? Sorry."

"Do not be sorry, explain," beckoned Luna.

Silver shrugged, "The justice system is pretty skewed where I came from too. A lot of innocent people in jail, a lot of guilty people unpunished. You can send an entire neighborhood to homelessness illegally and face a few years of jail, but get caught with a drug they don't like and you may go away forever."

Luna shook her head, "Tis a strange world you lived in." She smiled, "We are not that bad, are we?"

Silver shook his head quickly, then shuddered, "You're not going to banish me, right?"

Luna, Trixie, and Rough all looked confused all at once.

Trixie leaned forward, "Why would she do that? What did you do wrong? Did you lie? Was this all a ruse?"

Silver shook his head faintly, "No! God no... It's, you know..." He looked up at Luna from his hung muzzle, "I'm broken."

Warm feathers settled on Silver and he was pulled into Luna. "You are a good pony," she assured, "Too good, perhaps, but good. Trust in your guardians." She nudged him away, towards Trixie and Rough. "You have broken none of Equestria's laws. There is no reason to banish you, Silver Lining." She rose to her hooves, "I must speak with my sister." She turned away and strode off, making quick distance on those long legs.

Trixie picked up her hat in her magic, paused, then set it down on Silver's head. It was comically oversized and hung down across his eyes partially. He smiled though. He could smell Trixie from the hat, and, "Thank you. I didn't think you'd let anyone wear this."

Trixie held up a hoof, "For a star pupil, exceptions can be made. Now..." She rose up, looking ready to move, "Let us salvage the day."

The trio walked together through the city. Trixie's hat was not the most practical thing for Silver's smaller form, but he still liked it, and even liked the way it bounced around on his head. His simple amusement was catchy, and soon all three were walking with less sadness. When they arrived at home, Silver dashed forward. He hopped over to the computer and pointed at it, "I forgot all about it. It works! Come, look." He hopped up into his chair and looked over the choice of games a moment with a frown before he decided on... oh this was hard.

"So what does it do?" asked Trixie.

"Show us," beckoned Rough.

He didn't want to pick a game that put an immediate bad view of humanity. Ah ha! He loaded The Stanley Parable. The image showed poor Stanley working at his own computer, and the ponies were immediately captivated. Trixie shook her head, "Such a detailed drawing. Trixie's never seen a videogame of that quality. How does it work?"

Silver ran them through the office space walking simulator, as the game's narrator droned on and on. Rough tilted his head, "It's like a story book, that you play?"

"It gets better," said Silver with a smile as they arrived at the first intersection. The announcer said clearly to go left. Silver flashed them a grin, then went right.

Trixie blinked, "You're going the wrong way! You'll lose the game!"

But the game went on, with the narrator grumpily complaining about Silver's decision.

Rough suddenly burst into laughter, "That's amazing! Are there any wrong ways? Can you lose?"

Silver piloted poor Stanley to the room with a sharp drop, and ran off the edge, dying on the floor below even as the announcer warned him not to do that. The game casually restarted back in Stanley's office as if nothing had happened and the narrator started over again. Silver released the mouse and keyboard, then reached into the drawer and pulled out a joystick, which was still plugged into the machine, "You can also play with this."

Rough took the controller up in his mouth at first, then set it down and began pressing it carefully with his hooves. It took some experimenting, but he soon had Stanley running around the office in a drunken haze.

Silver smiled at him, "There is a mini-game to this game. There are many ways you can reach an 'ending'. Can you find them all?"

Rough directed his virtual human forward, "I can try!"

Trixie shook her head and reached with her magic to reclaim her hat, soon gracing her own head. "Trixie will make dinner while you play with this. Tell her if you win." She trotted off towards the kitchen. Silver glanced between her and Rough, then settled a bit more comfily into the chair. Showing Rough this game was infinitely more satisfying than dealing with Carrot Plate.

Author's Note:

Objection!

There are still typos. I find all Typos in contempt of court! Bailiff, escort them away...