Rock Hero

Stepped in it big time. That's  the best way the situation I am in can be described. An unpleasant gash on the shoulder that slowed me down, magic burned horn, blood loss from the gash effecting my ability to stay focused and moving. All around me the trees of the forest obscured the location of my pursuers. It was almost like one of dad's stories....

For as long as I could remember dad'd always tell his stories or play his music for mom and I. Said my name even contained a little bit of both. He'd compromised with mom that she'd get to choose my name if I was a boy and he'd get to choose if I'd been a girl. Either way it was going to be geologically related with the last name "Hero". Personally I prefer rock to gem as my name any day.

Mentally, I cursed my genetics for not allowing me to inherit dad's long alicorn legs. Born from a unicorn-Alicorn pairing and yet denied any alicorn dna. Instead, I'd inherited mom's unicorn genes.

That's not to say I didn't inherit anything genetic from dad. My brown coat and the brightness to my blue eyes is from dad. The purple mane and depth to my blues eyes came from mom.

Dad wasn't in my life for that long. Most say it was because his last noble act was his down fall. Others say power went to his head. Either way they're all right about some part of how it happened. They were there when it happened though, what would they know about it?

It happened when a day of family fun turned into another of his stories. Scary monsters attacking, him defending others from said monsters, typical day for dad. At least, it was until mom and I became too easy of targets. It was after taking an injury for his idiot son that dad was lost.

Black flames had covered every inch of his alicorn body. Marbled skin seemed to replace fur and thinning feathers. He had claws and some kind of scythe growing from his back hooves. His teeth had taken a similar form to some of the monsters he'd talked about. The worst part was that his eyes were glowing slits with wisp like tears flowing toward his back.

In a split second he'd disappeared. In his place was scorched ground that looked like a quake had occurred where he'd been standing. After that moment everything fell apart.

Mom had become depressed and after a few weeks took off with her friends to find dad's other family. I was left to stay with my aunt until mom came back. The only good news was that I didn't have to leave my home. Everything else was just pain, pity, and whispers of concern for the "so upset about his dad he went delusional" foal. The only reliable thing at that time was dad's old music stuff.

I was nothing like dad as far as I could see. I had natural skills in some of the more mundane things he'd taught me but none of his abilities. in fact, other than a love for mom the only thing I'd inherited from his was his size changing ability and the weird energy drain when I'd over done things.  Dealing with the size thing was the first lessons dad had put me through.

Music was the subject I held dear, though. It was always hilarious watching dad and my aunt argue when it came to teaching me to sing. Dad was always picking on my when it came to guitar practice, fake arguing with me over the guitars until mom broke it up.  When it came to music between those two it always seemed like some unspoken back and fourth battle. Dad'd always whispered that music had it's own kind of magic but he also said that about a lot of other things.....

I clear my thoughts with a shake of the head and a hissed "Running for your life isn't the time to be reviewing your life, idiot". Ironically it was more life flashing before eyes than anything. Putting a positive spin on my busy mind, I turned my thoughts from grim to strategizing.

I now find myself blocked in on three sides and barely any energy to move. In times like this dad would always face the enemy head on and fight to the end. I don't see how well I can do that since I've got no abilities to use and only one of dad's old music players to pass the time with. I'd be doomed if that got wrecked.

Without warning it just came snapping at me from in front. Luckily I barely dodged but dad's music player was ripped from me. To my despair the earbud cord is ripped from the socket, hanging from the creatures jaws as the device falls, seemingly in slow motion...

"Don't let your mom know I stole this back from her, this is her favorite player." Came dad's whispered secret about that very player. " The memory then swallowed me whole. "This one's most precious to her because she's been stealing this one since the first time I stayed over after a fight for her to tend my wounds" He'd laughed. "She'd always played so innocent but I knew she loved my tunes as much she loves me."......

The player hits the wet earth and with a sharp rapport begins playing a song. The sudden sound is distraction enough for my attacker to stare curiously at the noise maker while for me the world seems to shift with a blinding light, probably from blood loss induced hallucinations.  As an attention getting call sounds from the machine I reopen my eyes and stare straight into the eyes of my would be killer. The moment of decision is now and it will forever be marked by a fall out......