The Black Wish of Silver Letter

by Silver Letter

Embarrassment

A light chill floated in the ancient air of the far north. Even in summer, the distant mountains stayed frozen. Silver too felt cold. His heart would stop beating from time to time, skipping and broken like Nate’s toy train. Keeping the stone close kept Silver alive to walk another mile until the Empire began to rise in its gleaming glory, filling the sky with light.

Everything Silver had was ragged from the wagon to the ticket in his saddlebag. Pulling over at the edge of the city, Silver slept in the wagon, alone and cold. He cradled the black stone in his hooves. He kept a book about black magic nearby which he had read well and heavily notated. In his dreams, Silver saw Misty live her own life, full of friendship and love. Ponies around Misty cared about her. The world celebrated her existence. Her life had beauty.

Entering the city, Silver felt self-conscious. He hadn’t showered in days. His matted mane drooped in front of his face. Calluses grew on his hooves. Not so much a good impression to give to Misty but few options remained. He hadn’t heard from her in a long time. The same envy as before blocked Silver from thinking things over.

Misty lived on the third floor of a crystal apartment building. The stone knew the location of her room. The memories brought him to Misty’s front door. Knocking, Silver waited with mixed feelings of dread and anticipation. His saddlebags shook. The stone stuck out the side like an errant pet.

A pretty mare wearing designer perfume opened the door. She was laughing as though somepony had told a joke, turning casually over towards Silver Letter.

“Uh…who is this?” she said with some astonishment. Misty could smell him. That alone was clear.

“You don’t recognize me? From the letters? Maybe, um, this will jog your memory.” Silver pulled out a wadded piece of paper from the bag using his magic. It was a drawing of one of the trains.

Misty offered a strained smile. “I’m sorry. I have so many ponies helping me out these days. Every day is just nerve wracking.”

“I’m Silver Letter from Manehattan.”

Misty seemed to recall the name but looked put off. “What are you doing at my house?”

“I kind of wanted to hang out for a bit as your friend, you know. I mean, I have something for you that I hoped you would like.” Silver cringingly removed a gift wrapped in paper and handed it over. Misty reluctantly took it then, seeing Silver’s crooked grin, opened it. It was a brooch made of crystal. Misty’s favorite kind of accessory.

“Please come in,” Misty offered. Silver didn’t notice the slight fearful inflection in her voice.

Silver took in Misty’s lovely house, all the paintings on the wall and rows of photos with her standing beside many loved ones.

“Misty? What’s going on,” a mare inquired from another room.

“Nothing, sweetheart. I got a surprise guest.”

The steps of hooves echoed on the marble floor. “Don’t tell me that pool boy is back again,” she said with a giggle. Upon seeing Silver, the mare stopped in her tracks, her eyes sinking slowly in disappointment. “Uh, what is this?”

Silver could tell that the mare wished to spit her words out like poison but didn’t want to look even worse.

“Uh, Silver Letter, this is my friend who is going with me to our conference tomorrow.”

The three ponies sat in the dining room where tea had been set earlier. Silver loved talking with those ponies, getting to know so much about them. So exciting and pleasant at the same time. To imagine that these halls were where an artist dwelled. Misty’s friend got up a couple times. Silver didn’t care as he didn’t come to talk with her anyway. Then when she returned, she was accompanied by a police officer.

“This is him!”

Silver stood up quickly like a scared mouse. “What is going on?” he protested.

“Sir, calm down,” the officer said sternly.

“This guy has been stalking my friend. Arrest him and make him take a bath too!”

Silver couldn’t believe it. “No, please. Not like this. I just…”

Misty looked saddened and just stared at the floor. The officer approached Silver. He had a baton on his belt. Before he knew it, the officer cuffed his neck and led him to the door.

On the street, the police were confiscating Silver’s wagon. They think I’m a stalker, Silver thought painfully. Overwhelming anger clouded his judgment. Black magic rose from his horn, shattering the weak restraint and paralyzing all the police officers around him. Crystal ponies saw what was happening and ran away. Taking only the stone, Silver fled the scene, going anywhere he could in the Empire to be alone and safe. Alleyways took him to a canal where water drained out of the city. There, a few drifters walked on by, homeless by the looks of it. Seeing Silver huddled by the stone with a horn caked in sinister looking blackness, they left in fear.

They didn’t matter to Silver. No pony did. In the dark of night, the stone glowed with a ribbon of pale orange. Silver had never felt such embarrassment before like he was the most hated pony in the world. Of course, Misty rejected him. Anypony would. What a disgusting pony he had become. Something about him didn’t meet Misty’s standards. He didn’t qualify.

Only one solution remained. He could beg to become this but there would be no going back. Then again, Silver knew that this wish had already been decided long ago. The pain was inevitable. The black lightning coursed through his veins. Steam rose from his body. When he opened his eyes, the orb blossomed with the pale pink of vanity.