We sat in silence, save for the steady ba-dump ba-dump of the train's wheels on the runners. Granted, that's probably because my companion had fallen asleep. He wasn't normally talkative anyway, but he was never quite that quiet unless he was unconscious. My brother Stormbreaker and I were headed to Canterlot to see our father, who was, as far as we could tell, practically on his deathbed.
I wasn't sure how to feel about this. This was the stallion who'd practically kicked me out of the family's home when I was six years old. Granted, I know now why it happened. My mother had been trying to groom my brother and I to be some sort of magical strike team with her mind-affecting magic, but for some reason that I have still yet to fathom it had never worked on me.
When she realized it, she took steps to remove me from the equation; through my father. She didn't think that I was capable of surviving at such a young age on my own in Canterlot. See, this is why I have issues, ponies. Well, one reason anyway. I still have a lot of resentment over being kicked out of the house at such a young age, and all of it was, until recently, aimed at my father whom I believed responsible for it. Now, though, I know the truth. One thing they don't tell you in school, kids, knowing the truth doesn't always make life easier. I don't want to hate him, but that kernel of anger is still there, even though I know he's dying.
I glanced over at my brother as he slept and silently marveled at him. He, like our father, had been swayed heavily by our mother's mental tinkering, but through years and years of mental rebellion had been able to break free, and he recruited me to help him stop our mother's assassination attempt on several key political ponies. Once upon a time, the idea of teaming up with my brother at all would have been the same thing as putting on a red shirt and volunteering for the away team, but it turned out that this time, he'd been on the level with me.
Our mother had become a... ah crap what had 'Breaker called them... Oh right, Shadowborne. Shadowborne are ponies who've let the anger, bitterness, and despair in their hearts grow to the point of allowing darkness into their souls. Kind of like Nightmare Moon, only generally they don't have god-like powers and are a lot less epic and terrifying.
We fought her with everything we had... but we didn't have the elements of harmony. We had to make do with what magic we had and whatever mental shielding I could give my brother. 'Breaker's a much better evocator than I am... evocation is the quick and dirty type of attack magic... gouts of flame, lighting, ice shards, you know, the big loud flashy stuff. Yeah. We ended up having to kill her. I'm not happy about it, and I'm not proud of it, but there it is.
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as all of my emotions welled up into my throat and congealed into a tight lump. My breathing became a bit shaky, but I got that under control really quick. After all, we're not alone on this train, and I'm supposed to be a hardflank private investigator now. I let out a long breath and turned my attention back to the window, watching the scenery fly by as we rode along the mountain cliffs. I let out a long breath. We'd be in Canterlot soon, and I would be forced to confront one of my most painful memories. I was really, really not looking forward to this.