Horse of a Different Color
After a life-changing accident, a pair of young outcasts form an unlikely friendship.
Prologue
A little fire never hurt anyone, right?
A nervous lie thought up by a young unicorn as they watched the smoke rise from the place one of their books previously had been. Bolden Brash wasn’t bad at magic, per se, they simply had trouble properly controlling it. That’s what school was for, right? Their parents had moved there, to Canterlot, just so they could properly hone their magic. And, of course, they wanted to prove to their parents that they could! What else could they do?
Bolden trotted around their room, dusting up the ash from their recent accident and tossing it out. They had to do something impressive, something that would blow their parents and teachers away. And so, they got to studying and practicing. The fruits of their labor would be rich and sweet!
Many months of preparation later, Bolden stood before their parents, teachers, and classmates. It was simple, right? Just create something from nothing. That would show everyone. It couldn’t be too hard. It’s not like they’ve never done it before..!
That’s what they’d told their parents, at least, in order to get them interested. Usually, Bolden’s parents wouldn’t give them the time of day, too busy with their own jobs, or with arguing with each other. But seeing them in the audience before themself, it was motivating!
And nerve wracking.
But this was Bolden’s only chance to prove themself. And they couldn’t back down now!
They took a deep breath, as sparks flew from their horn in a grand show of light.
Bolden focused hard, more sparks flying out. It was almost blinding, and the crowd gasped in awe.
Gasps that soon turned to shouts of fear and worry as Bolden’s horn let out a burst, a shockwave of light and heat and uncontrolled magic.
The smoke cleared soon enough, the crowd chattering with fearful remarks as they looked back to the front of the room.
All that was left in the spot Bolden had been standing was a scorch mark and a pile of ash. Bolden Brash, as far as the onlookers could tell, had flown too close to the sun, and consequently burned up.