All Silverhoof really wanted was to be left alone. That wasn’t too much for a pony to ask for was it? After weeks of putting up with the daily taunting and occasional bruising from a few of his classmates the small unicorn colt believed he had finally found a place remote enough to offer a few hours privacy at least. He had to climb half way up Diamond Peak mountain but the small cave he’d found was well worth it. Cool and quiet, perfect for reading.
“Finally…” breathed Silverhoof in relief, laying himself down on the granite floor that was just a few shades darker than his own coat. Feeling relaxed and relieved he turned his head and nosed open his saddle bag, withdrawing the old book he’d borrowed from the library. “On The Origins Of Pony Marks”, read the title. Now he finally had a place to read it without being interup-
“Hey Dullhorn! Watcha reading?” -ted. Again. How in the hay did these three find him this time? It’s not like there was anything that anyone would want up on Diamond… oh, yeah. Diamond Peak was not idly named, and Silverhoof’s tormentors had filly friends to impress. Groaning in exasperation the colt nosed the book shut again to place it back in the saddle bag, pointedly ignoring the trio of ponies that were blocking the cave entrance.
“Hey Dullhorn! You deaf as well as dull?” sneered Brighthorn, the jet black unicorn that had spoken earlier. Dullhorn was a taunt drawn from Brighthorn’s own name and mark: a shining unicorn’s horn on his black flank that proclaimed his talent with unicorn magic. Silverhoof was a unicorn as well, but try as he might his horn would not work magic.
With a toss of his head and flowing pale white mane Brighthorn’s horn shone and the book flew out of Silverhoof’s bag and into the air. “Heh, looking for tips Blank Flank?” taunted Brighthorn as he read the title before flicking his horn and causing the book to fly off to the side of the cave, half open with the pages down.
Silver’s green eyes flashed a dark look at Brighthorn contemplating for a moment telling the bull-headed mule what for, but the colt thought better of it. Biting back his quip Silver trotted over to retrieve the book, carefully lifting it up by the spine so that the pages stayed flat and placing it back in his saddle bag. This time he quickly secured the buckle as well.
“Hey! We’re talking to you here!” shouted another of the trio, Boxer, as the oversized earth pony head butted Silver in the side, knocking the much younger and smaller colt onto the cave floor. Boxer was built like a tank even for an earth pony, with an image of a boxing glove on his tan brown flank.
Silverhoof clenched his teeth and lifted himself up off of the cave floor. His coat would need cleaning and he probably bruised a rib or two, but he’d live. Still ignoring them Silver lowered his head and made a dash for the exit, only to be blown back by a biting cold wind blown by the beating wings of the third and final member of Brighthorn’s gang.
Chillgust was an icy blue pegasus with a flurry of snowflakes on his flanks. His talent for whipping up the winds into a chilling blast was extremely valuable when it was time to put the fields to rest and usher in winter. Right now during spring though, Chillgust most often put his talents to use chilling Silverhoof right to the bone.
“Dang it, not again,” groaned Silver as the bruised and battered colt tried desperately to press forward through the chilling wind. It wasn’t much use though, the wind having already been knocked out of him by Boxer it was painful enough to try to breathe without the added weight of so much cold burning into his blood and his lungs. Silver ended up collapsed on the ground in front of Chillgust, shivering and gasping for breath.
“Heh, never learn do you welp?” sneered the victorious Chillgust, kicking a forehoof out and into Silver’s side, shoving him towards Brighthorn. “He’s all yours boss!”
Brighthorn chuckled darkly as he loomed over Silverhoof. “Thought you could run for ever Dullhorn? Not a chance!” he shouted down as he picked up Silver with his magic, a sparkling white aura dazling the colt’s eyes as he stared defiantly back at Brighthorn. “Time for this little pony to learn a lesson, a lesson in respect!” cried Brighthorn, and with a toss off his head sent Silverhoof crashing into the back of the cave.
Silver collapsed in a tangled heap of hooves and saddle bags, his eyes closed against the pain. “Heh, that’ll teach you listen when your betters are talking to you, Dull… wha?” Brighthorn was cut off as a sharp and ominous cracking an up the cave wall from where he had slammed Silverhoof into it. The crack started forming slowly as a jagged line in the rock, then quickly spread like so many bolts of lighting up the wall and across the ceiling.
“Boss, RUN!!!” Boxer yelled and he Chillgust and Brighthorn all dashed off and down the mountain. Silverhoof forced himself up on shaking hooves, blood matting his mane and muddling his sight from a cut to his head. “Curse it…” he spat, taking one painful step after another as the cave around him began to shudder, pebbles and dust now falling from the cracks in the ceiling above. “If I just… had a little… magic!” Silver howled in frutration at the perilous situation he was trapped in, just as with a terrible roar the cave collapsed on top of him.
Down bellow in the town of Crystal Valley ponies looked up at the noise to see a cloud of dust an debris rolling down the side of Diamond Peak in a landslide, a terrified Brighthorn and Boxer running before it, and a not-as-helpful-as-he-could-be Chillgust flying above shouting at his friends to run faster before the landslide catches up to them.
Most of the town just stopped and started, wide eyed and open mouthed at the spectacle coming down the mountain. Two ran headlong towards it. A large black draftpony on thundering hooves and a smaller slight white unicorn. Silverhoof’s parents.
They reached the bottom of the mountain at about the same time Brighthorn’s gang and the landslide did. The former only just narrowly escaping being crushed by rocks, to find themselves in peril of being crushed by the hooves of Nightsong and Daybreak; two very angry parents who were well aware their son had sought quiet up on the mountain that morning.
“Where is Silverhoof!” bellowed Nightsong in the deep baritone voice he was famous for, stomping down a hoof that was easily twice the size of Brighthorn’s head as he stared down at the trembling leader of the gang.
“He… he…” Brighthorn stuttered, back peddling along with Boxer towards the rubble. Chillgust tried to take flight, Daybreak pointed her horn at him and brought him gently down to earth again. “You too Chillgust, where is our son?” Daybreak spoke in a voice that was quiet and gentle, yet colder than Chill’s own biting winds.
“Well… that is… he…” Chillgust started to explain, shuddering and trying to shrink himself back into his wings.
BOOM!!!
Everypony ducked as rocks and dirt exploded from the rubble in all directions accompanied by a bright flash of light. When they looked up there in the rubble was Silverhoof in the middle of of a shining dome. Silverhoof blinked a few times looking about himself at the dome of light, at the rubble, at his parents starting wide eyed in surprise up at him, and at Brighthorn’s gang cowering at the bottom of the heap. “Well, this is different,” said Silverhoof matter of factly as he turned from the scene to examine himself.
A few bruises, a few “Ouch!” yelped Silver as he tried to twist about, finding something in his chest was strained or broken. “Hey, what’s that?” he spoke, still talking to himself as he stared back at his own flank. There where it was blank just this morning was a pale colored shield just slightly brighter than his own gray coat. “Well, that really is different!” Laughed Silverhoof happily as he began to climb up out of the rubble.
“Silver! Don’t move, wait for me to get there!” Cried Daybreak worriedly as she began to climb up to her son. Nightsong gave one dark look to Brighthorn and his gang and the trio fled back to town while the big stallion climbed up the pile to join his wife.
“Huh? What for?” Silver asked as he shakily stepped from from rock to rock over to his parents. “I’m fine mom really I…” said Silverhoof before the dome surrounding him vanished and he fainted.
