//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: A Father's Footsteps 
// by Alex Silvermane 
//------------------------------//

It was a warm spring day in Ponyville, and many ponies were out enjoying the day. The sun was shining brightly through a cloudless sky, and a light breeze was blowing through town. Silvermane was no exception, as the guardspony trotted through the town. Stopping to greet the occasional pony, the green stallion was on his way home from picking up some groceries. 

As he approached his brightly painted house, the breeze picked up slightly. Pausing to enjoy the breeze, a sense of nostalgia ran through the stallion. Today was almost exactly like the day he got his cutiemark. Grinning, Silvermane headed inside. 

Once inside the cozy house, Silvermane carefully set the groceries down on the counter, and began to briskly put them away. He was about halfway finished, when he got tackled from behind. Spinning around swiftly, and feeling adrenaline rush through him, he saw Silver Blossom. Smiling, she said innocently, "Surprise..." Grinning back at her, he nuzzled her and replied, "You're a dork, you know that right?" 

Suddenly, with a loud staccato of hooves, his little filly ran in from playing outside. In an excited rush, the first one said, "Dad! Dad! I got my cutie mark Dad!" Glancing up, Silvermane saw that it was true. Right there, on her caramel colored flank, was a chessboard. Nutmeg was so excited, she couldn't stay still, and was currently flying around the room at warp three.

However, his other foal, Silver Oak, was far less excited. In fact, instead of heading into the kitchen to grab a snack like he normally would, the young colt stormed off dejectedly to his room, obviously upset about something. Leaving Nutmeg to talk to her mother, (still at warp three), Silvermane headed upstairs, and knocked on his colt's door. "You mind if I come in?"

"...... Go ahead." Came the miserable reply.

Opening the door, Silvermane walked in quietly. The orange colt was curled up on his bed, facing the wall. Sitting down, Silvermane said, "What's wrong Silver?" Not hearing a reply, Silvermane eventually said, "Wan't me to take a guess?" The young colt merely shrugged. Nodding slightly, Silvermane continued, "You're upset that your sister got her cutie mark first, even though you two were born at the same time...... Right?"

".......Right." Silver Oak said, clearly frustrated. Before Silvermane could begin to comfort his son, the young colt continued venomously, "I don't get it! We were born at the same time, We get the same grades, we go on the same adventures........ Why does she get her's first!?! When did she get better than me?"

Tears of frustration began to flow down Silver Oak's face. Wrapping a hoof around his son, Silvermane said quietly, "It's not a case of better or not.... she just found her special talent first that's all." When his son stubbornly continued to glare at the wall. Leaning over confidingly, Silvermane said, in low tones, "If you promise not to tell anypony, I'll let you in on a secret." For a moment, the young colt, only looked confused. Then, Nodding, he leaned in, to better catch any whispered details.

"I was the last one of my friends to get the cutie marks.....and I was much older than you are now." The stallion said, with a confidential air. "R-really.....?" Silver Oak said with an awed tone. "Yup." Silvermane said with a slight grin.

After a long moment of silence, Silver Oak looked up and asked quietly, "Hey Dad?... How did you get your cutie mark?"

Chuckling, Silvermane replied, "It's a long story, you sure you want to hear it?" Silver Oak jumped up on the bed, practically shouting with excitement. "Please dad? Pleeeeeeeeeease?" the young colt begged. 

Laughing, Silvermane said quietly, "okay, but sit down first. You don't want your mother to come up here and yell at us, do you?"

When the excited foal finally settled down, and curled up on the bed again, Silvermane began.

"Well, It wasn't too long after Winter Wrap-Up......."