Hooves of silver, a mane of gold.

by Geezer-of-Destiny

Chapter one: A night stained by ink; black an' red alike.

One lonesome candle spread its light upon the dark desk; made out of oak it was and old beyond most ponies memories. It had been passed down in the family since long before Celestia's reign made its mark on history. A fond companion, inanimate yet always ready to lend its services, ever waiting for its master to return. It wouldn't reject him; regardless of his fickle ways and the violent mood-swings, which sometimes came upon him. Many moons had passed since the last time the prince had entered this room, or the east side of the castle at all, for that matter. Too many painful memories lingered.

The tip of a quill met the blank surface of ink, to proceed towards the parchment that yet lay bare on the oak body. Swift movements spread the black substance across the fibers, words soon covered next to the entire surface. Prince Blueblood reached for his seal and began heating the wax above the candle. A tear found its way from his leftmost eye, to his surprise. He came to remember a time when he used to write letters together with his old teacher in this very room. Stroking a hoof along the old drapes behind the desk the prince chuckled halfheartedly and said, "few things remain as they were, now do they? I wonder what you would have had say about this whole affair? Would you have cursed me, or perchance endorsed me in my ambition?".

The wax had began to drip down below, staining the white candle in beautiful pools of red. The prince simply stared at the spectacle, as the red defiled the white yet further and black smoke rose up above. "We might never know, old one... We might never know", said the prince, in a manner that the words slowly died out towards the end; almost becoming a whisper. Scrolling the parchment and thereafter sealing it, the prince then tread across the room and let his eyes sweep over yonder, far beyond the castle walls. The forest below Canterlot, whose upper peaks almost shimmered silver against the a dark background, was what he beheld with such vigilance. The time drew nigh, he thought to himself.

Standing in front of the mantelpiece Blueblood wrapped himself in a cloak, black as night, except for a single golden pin that adorned the crude attire. Walking slowly through the halls, seemingly lost in thought the prince did not immediately react when another shape joined his serene procession.
"I see, so you came after all, old friend", the prince said without making pause. The shrouded shape hid its features to a greater extent; wearing a mask under the cowl.

After walking along for quite a while the uncanny fellow finally spoke, "You left me little choice, your grace".

They left the castle through a gate mysteriously devoid of guards, a fact which eased the masked pony's mind slightly. This had been a dangerous gamble and the slightest mishap could come to cost them all they had toiled for. Princess Celestia would not take kindly to this malicious scheme, should it reach her ears, nor would princess Luna. Terrified that her gaze would fall on them from the tower up above the figure made every effort to maintain calm and a graceful demeanor.

"Can we truly pull of a stunt such as this, your grace? Even if we manage to get our hooves on the goods and escape without being recognized, well... The entire kingdom is bound to be in an uproar and I can almost guarantee that the guardsteeds will turn every single rock in Canterlot in their search. I mean, honestly, this is as close as it comes to social suicide. We'd be better of polishing hooves for a livin' than rottin' away in a dungeon, wouldn't we...?!".

"As per usual you are talkative beyond all reason, not to mention fairly annoying", prince Blueblood replied in a calm voice.

Tossing an eye towards the Canterlot sculpture gardens the prince's eyes lingered, for he saw a lone filly walk slowly between statues and shrubberies. The lone child meekly, as if crestfallen, approached one distant statue. There was something about the scene that brought forth compassion; a sort of sorrowful disposition.

"Worry not about tomorrow, my friend...", the prince said and once more eyed the faraway scene. The masked one met his gaze, questioning. A smirk clad Blueblood's face and he spoke but one more sentence; a sentence that came to instill everlasting fear in his companion, "Chaos is brewing". The prince let out a dark, crackling laugh as the two ventured onwards.

Traversing the dark, foggy streets of Canterlot it almost seemed like the shadow and mist danced to their every step. As they passed through the old Watchmaker street prince Blueblood suddenly froze up and remained motionless. He stared at the end of street, where it ramified into a crossroad. All of a sudden the fog dispersed and revealed the fiend from his vision, brazenly making his way towards them along with a blazing fire; black and encased in emerald green; following in his wake.

"Your grace, why have we stopped?", a voice suddenly asked. The prince stood bewildered and looked around them. A smile cleaved the handsome face of the royal stallion, who stroke his mane and resumed their journey without uttering a word. Skulking about in the night, encountering phantoms no one else could see... This little adventure was just getting better by the minute.

The outer wall came into sight. Hidden in the shadows they waited quietly, motionless. Two pair of eyes focused on the metal arms that steadily crept 'round the clocks before them. At the stroke of one o'clock they mounted the city walls.
"Who goes there?!", a deep voice rumbled. Stuck by surprise they turned, only to be met by a guardssteed brandishing his halberd towards them.

"Wait... Prince Blueblood? My pardons, I didn't realize. What brings you ou... Wh... What... Wait!", the guard's calm voice turned into a short scream before coming to an end. It was unfortunate. Nopony was supposed to be here. A sword, imbedded in the poor soul's neck was pulled out and wiped clean of the blood on a handkerchief before it slowly became transparent. "Oh my, do take care of the mess, will you...", the prince ordained, appearing to place little importance to the murderous hoofiwork. The masked one dragged the lifeless cadaver down the stairs and into a small, windowless alley. The guard's own halberd was used to modify the cut, adding several more in the process as well as sullying the weapon with blood. Afterwards the macabre scene was hidden away with nearby rubble and one barrel, which had originally been placed just a few meters further down the cramped passage.

They left the scene of carnage and climbed up the wall once more. Having walked back and forth a few times the prince then pointed towards a cliff below them and reached into his cloak. He pulled out a simple rope and a four metallic clutches for their front hooves. They descended with haste and reached the ground. Both of them ran through the thick fog towards the slope above the cliff. A tedious climb began, much too tedious to concern ourselves with, actually.

Down by the foot of the mountain, where cold and lifeless stone was succeeded by the vivid forest. Moist, lit up moderately by the distant moonshine, yet awash with ever thicker fog; much thicker then it had seemed up in the city. Not too far away howled the timberwolves, alas the prince began walking in the very same direction from which the howling could be heard. A lone timberwolf rushed towards them through fog and dew. "It's coming for us!", the masked one cried out.

"No", said the prince heartily, then he turned and smiled in a fatherly manner before clarifying, "It's fleeing towards us".

A heavy hoof came down upon it from behind; crushing the wolf's right hind-leg with a horrifying sound, as wood being split mingled with the creature's painful whimper, emerging a grotesque serenade of suffering and violence intertwined. The pitiful animal tumbled straight into a tree and tried desperately to crawl away, broken as it was, to no avail. An enormous earthpony towered up over the wolf. No hint of hesitation could be noticed as the humongous one placed his right front hoof on the prey; pressing it down upon the head of the waling beast, until a dull crackling sound signaled the end of its life.

"Pardon the sight, your majesty... They were starting to get on our nerves", said the monstrous shape. Another voice entered the fray, "Brother, have you forgotten your manners? We stand before royalty!".

The owner of the voice stepped forth and bent his knee elegantly, a bow fit for a court. "We are at your service, my liege. Allow me to express our..."

The prince interrupted him blatantly, "Spare me the pleasantries, Mace. Neither of you have been summoned for such social shenanigans". The stern face loosened up slightly, the prince closed his eyes and sighed before he resumed to speak, "... I called you here because I trust you". In truth the prince did harbor a liking for these brutes, perhaps one could say that they were the only real friends he had. The Ironhoof brothers were simple, savage, yet always honest in their violent ways and akin to himself recluses of their own choosing. The best sort of tools to carve the first steps of his ascendance, ones who would not hesitate to dirty their hooves nor would they seek to confide any uncertainty among his enemies. Whatever disputes would emerge were bound to remain among the few.

"Well then, now it begins... No turning back now, my friends.", the prince proclaimed. The three other lined up in front of him. A meager crew, the prince thought to himself, but nevertheless this slim number might well be ideal for the task at hoof. The dark bejewel sky was truly beautiful this night, a spectacular sight. It was a perfect time for a tumble with fate's vanguards.

"Gentlecolts, we shall now commence the operation... Do try to survive, thank you", Blueblood said and turned his gaze towards the night-clad concave once again. Truly, this was a wonderful night.

Author's Note:

Hmm, I can't actually think of anything worthwhile to say... Meh, how about "hope you enjoyed it", or something along those lines? Guess that works.