Ask Silverhoof: First Level Mage.

[Silverhoof 2,844]

Through this magic logbook, I can communicate with my trusted friends. Ask me anything and I will answer to the best of my ability. Silly questions might get silly answers.

 

The name is Silverhoof. I’ve never been to a magic school, so I had to learn spells on my own. My family has been in Canterlot since the city’s founding. We run a very popular shop, “The New You.”

 

Silverhooves run in the stallion side of my family. That condition normally refers to a grayish hoof. In my case, I was born with what appears to be a pure, polished silver hoof: hence my name. Canterlot papers freaked out, but after a few years no one really remembers my name anymore.

~~You can read an abbreviated back story in the link below

 

My current spell list.

The New You

This spell can change the color of anything, reverting back to its true colors 24 hours later. If cast on a pony, it will reinvigorate the skin, cleanse the coat and mane, and refresh the recipient. It can make any color, even luminous colors. Silverhoof can make colored lights bright enough to read by. It has a range of 300 feet, and can cover a 40 foot radius area in a single spell. Duration: 24 hours.

Celestian Bolt
A Celestian Bolt fires darts of pure sunlight. Against the living they can only stun. Against inanimate objects they can destroy. It makes a "Pew Pew" sound as it fires. Against the undead, including the immaterial undead they can kill (again)…Big surprise for ghosts and wandering spirits used to being immune to mundane weapons.
Since this is a damaging spell, I will try to translate it into a numbers:
A normal pony takes two hits to go unconscious. He would have to hit a manticore four times for it to go down.
A lock will shatter with this spell. Heavier objects such as doors and walls need multiple hits.

Teleport
The classic and useful spell. He can port 3 times his weight. Useful for evacuating a fallen comrade. Further he can port without regard for relative velocity...In other words he can port from a moving train to the ground without suffering the effects of inertia. This is magic and it overrides physics.

Cleansing Gaze
This is a spell all unicorn cadets learned 800 years ago (today, the cadets use elbow grease). It can clean everything in a 10’ cubic area, and can be used to sweep whole rooms. It removes all filth, stains, liquids, and leaves a sparkling luster. Against the living, it cleans as well, even removing offensive smells. Manes and tails are brushed and groomed until they shine. Hooves are polished. Even teeth are white and clean.
~~insects and the like vaporize into little puffs of smoke. All manner of vermin are forced out of the area and unable to return for 12 hours.
~~The royal guard considers this spell too soft and doesn’t teach Cleansing Gaze anymore.

 

This is me trying to look all tough. If you've seen my spell list you'll know its mostly bluster.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Silverhoof

[Valynne 2,731]

Chatterbox: good morning Mr. Silverhoof! am a journalist that Works for the Canterlot Times Newspaper! i wouuld like an interview if you dont mind!

 

 

First of all i would like to know about your abilities, how you learned them?

[Silverhoof 2,844]

Certainly. Always a pleasure to chat with a fellow Canterlotian.

 

I learned the "New You" spell from my mother in the back of our shop. It came very easy to me. My other spells are self taught. This is a family spell and a trade secret. Counting myself, only seven ponies in the world know New You, and two are retired.

 

After the Changling invasion I got very serious and took lessons to improve my telekinesis while I searched for spell books. I found an ancient Academy primer for the Royal Unicorn Guard in an old book store. These spells are no longer taught by the guard and are free to use if you can find them. The book was old and missing many pages, I sometimes think I may be the only one who knows these spells, so I wrote them down in new book (kept safe in the family vault). 

 

I used to go camping in the foothills of Canterlot mountain. There I spent hours practicing my spells, so I'm pretty good with them.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Silverhoof

[Valynne 2,731]

Chatterbox *Cleaning her glasses* i see, so the "New You" is a spell you learned from your mother and the rest you learn it yourself, thats really interesting, that's what i call creativity!

 

 

Anyways, i've noticed you have a silver hoof, based on your profile you born with it, have you investigate about that unique feature you have? somepony of your family have something similar?

 

[Silverhoof 2,844]

All the men in my family are born with one or more silver hooves, Its a genetic thing, a white or grayish hoof. My front right hoof looks different as it appears to be metallic silver, see? (Holds up hoof) When I was born it was a big thing and all the papers went nuts.

 

Apart from the baby pictures, there were no special investigations. My mother always said I was destined for great things, but up to now my life has been rather normal.

 

~~ Now that I think about it, the only odd thing about my hoof was that it stomped in front of an old bookstore. This was right after the Changeling invasion. I was looking for an attack spell. I was tired and about to give up for the day, when suddenly my hoof stomped. Startled, I stopped. Expecting a pothole, I looked down. My hoof seemed to have a stepped  towards an old book store. That's where I found the old Academy Primer with the very spell I needed.

 

Is my hoof special? I don't know, Nothing else unusual happened before or since.

[Valynne 2,731]

hmmm... i never hear it before, it sounds like the hoof itself was telling you what to do, maybe your destiny....

 

in your personal opinión, what is your most powerful spell?

[Silverhoof 2,844]

Celestian Bolt. (see the description above)

800 years ago, every Unicorn cadet learned that spell. Today far more devastating spells are available to the Royal Guard.

Still, this is good enough for me. I can't kill with it, but I can knock out a bad guy. I really don't understand why the Guard doesn't teach this spell anymore. I wonder if I'm the only one with a nonlethal attack spell.

 

The New You is a great money maker, but only in Canterlot. I try to support myself with spells in my travels. Outside of Canterlot, Cleansing Gaze makes the most money. Here I am, son of a well-to-do Merchant family, and I make my money as a magical janitor. But hey, if it gets me free meals and lodging, then I'm OK with that.

[Valynne 2,731]

Celestian Bolt. (see the description above)

800 years ago, every Unicorn cadet learned that spell. Today far more devastating spells are available to the Royal Guard.

Still, this is good enough for me. I can't kill with it, but I can knock out a bad guy. I really don't understand why the Guard doesn't teach this spell anymore. I wonder if I'm the only one with a nonlethal attack spell.

 

The New You is a great money maker, but only in Canterlot. I try to support myself with spells in my travels. Outside of Canterlot, Cleansing Gaze makes the most money. Here I am, son of a well-to-do Merchant family, and I make my money as a magical janitor. But hey, if it gets me free meals and lodging, then I'm OK with that.

 

 

800 years!? wow!

 

you mentioned you can knock bad guys with those powers, you are a fighter?

who was your most powerful oponent?

 

[Silverhoof 2,844]

Please understand I'm just starting out. I've only had to defend myself twice. Once was against a bear when I was camping. I don't know what made him mad. But after three hits he went down. I got brave enough to check on him, and he was breathing just fine. He was unconscious for about 30 minutes, then he got up and groggily stumbled away.

 

The second time was on my first trip, and it was real live bad guys. I went to Appleloosa. (It was really more of a tourist trip, but I told my mother I was seeking adventure.) I got mixed up with a band of Diamond Dog bushwhackers and a renegade buffalo named, Steelhorn. The gang had been raiding local homesteads.  Finding their hideout in an old abandoned mine I knocked out about a dozen bushwhackers and made off with a couple of barrels full of gems. Apparently most of the gang was out on another raid. They were rather upset to see the mess.

 

Meanwhile I had returned to town, reported the mine's location to the sheriff, and had just settled down in the saloon with a nice mug of sarsaparilla. That's when the screams began. Steelhorn had shown up. Now he's a renegade buffalo, that means he did something really bad and got kicked out of the tribes. The tribes were so upset they even broke off his horns. The Diamond Dogs took him in and forged a new set of great big, nasty looking, steel horns. With these Steelhorn can smash through walls, knock over carts, and I'm told he even derailed a standing freight car at the station.

 

So this renegade was on the street wrecking mayhem and calling out my name. I went outside to see what the fuss was, when the street emptied. Suddenly it was just the two of us. Steelhorn turned, took one look and charged! All I could do was to keep firing, until the big guy collapsed at my hooves.

 

Everyone told me I was brave, fearlessly facing down Steelhorn. But truth was I was too scared to do anything else but stand and fire. I could have teleported away, but it never even crossed my mind. I went back to the saloon and finished my sarsaparilla. Thank goodness for levitation, otherwise the locals would have seen just how shaky my silver hoof really was. Real heroes are made of sterner stuff most likely.

 

Steelhorn's gang is in the territorial prison. I donated the bounty to the town (Steelhorn had wrecked the place). The gems went back to Canterlot and paid off all my family's debt. Only later did I realize I could have bought new spells!

~~ But I did wind up with a few souvenirs. I have a pair of steel horns mounted over my desk, and one of the tribes made me a dream catcher.

 

But that's the sum total of my combat experience. Not much really, no dragons slain or maidens saved.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Silverhoof

[Valynne 2,731]

Nice story! you beat Steelhorn and the Diamond dogs band, thats a good start like you said

of course you will face more powerful creatures until you have experience enough to be a warrior and also learn new magic, also may i said that was a noble thing to help the town with the bounty you earned

 

 

 

Now, returning to the fight with the bear, what were your toughts when you see him knock by your hooves?

 

[Silverhoof 2,844]

The bear? When he went down, I was afraid to approach him. This was my very first test of Celestian Bolt. I was afraid it wouldn't work.

When the adrenalin wore off, and he still wasn't moving-then I was afraid I had killed him. Suddenly I wondered if the Guard abandoned the spell because it didn't work as advertised.

 

I snuck close enough to hear it breathing. and then I grew brave and placed my ear over it's heart. To be honest I really should have used the time wisely and left the area, but now I had to know how long he would be unconscious. So I backed off to a safe distance and waited for him to wake up. When the bear did, he was in no mood to fight.

 

It took three hits to put the bear down. I figure he was out for around 30 minutes.

 

Bottom line: this is a great spell!

[Valynne 2,731]

well thats a very brave thing you did! for being honest i would run for my life *giggles*
 

after that event, have you start to look more spells?

[Silverhoof 2,844]

Yes, I'm planning an expedition right now. There is a ruin in the middle of the Everfree forest. Well I can't say too much. The locals don't like the idea of strangers poking around places like this. The ruin is intensely magic, and may be directly connected to the creation of the Everfree. 

 

That much magic might be dangerous, but it also might preserve things like books or libraries...or curses.

I got the distinct feeling that I'm not the only one asking about the ruin...there may be another expedition underway. So I plan to leave shortly.

 

I did pretty good with old magic before. I might luck out again. Maybe my hoof will point the way. We'll see.

[Valynne 2,731]

hmm... your hoof really is interesting... it may tell you your destny like a compass... you need to prepare yourself good for any expedition

 

now, i would like you to answer this, if you can créate your own spell what it would be and why?

[Silverhoof 2,844]

Hmmm. Write my own spell. Divination, something that would help me find things. Never heard of a generic "Finding" spell. All such divination spells (that I've heard of) are specific to one kind of item, like water of precious gems.

 

Spell Creation.

Now that is a good idea. Once I get a divination spell, and understand the basics involved: I could alter it to find something I want.

 

Darn it. Now I want to haunt the book stores again for Spell Theory 101 books. Maybe for some light reading on the trip.

Edited May 9, 2014 by Silverhoof

[Valynne 2,731]

101 books?what's in those books?

[Silverhoof 2,844]

They are not spell books, but rather they explore the spell theory itself: How spells are put together and why they work in the first place.

Its basic education for students in any magic school, and it's the class they all hate.

 

I never went to such a school, so I never bothered with the theory, I just jumped a few years ahead and went straight to spells. Now of course I'm wanting to read up on the subject. It shouldn't be a problem to find an old textbook here in the bookstores of Canterlot.

But I'll have to hurry, I leave tomorrow for my secret "trip."

 

You can keep in touch with me through this magic log book, but it is likely I may be unable to respond for hours at a time. There will be a lot of walking, and the Everfree can be very dangerous.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Silverhoof