//------------------------------// // Chapters 20-26 // Story: Summary of Storm of Secrets // by Beware The Carpenter //------------------------------// Chapter 20 – Comes the Reaper Shining Armor, Twilight and Rainbow Dash are found by Pyromite and a large company of Rangers led by an alicorn named Reaper. They are the actual rescue party sent by Celestia to recover Storm and Cadance; Shining Armor was never meant to leave Ponyville, nor was he meant to draft the Wonderbolts. Shining Armor and Reaper argue, Shining Armor clearly acting irrational, insisting that he can’t do nothing while Cadance is in danger. Reaper questions them about the group of ‘Rangers’ they encountered in chapter thirteen; Shining Armor forgot to scan them for being changelings and the squad Shining Armor describes was confirmed dead last week. Shining Armor realizes that he told the changelings about Storm and Cadance, and let himself be mislead to a false location. He’s devastated. The squad that patrols the sector next to Storm’s knows the exact location of his burrow, but finding them may take as long as searching for Storm’s burrow to begin with. Rainbow Dash does the sonicrainboom; the signal Denorious had used to assemble the Rangers and a small army gathers. They ascertain the exact direction of Storm’s burrow; Reaper heads off with the pegasi, but Dash takes Shining Armor’s portgem and pulls ahead. The remaining unicorns and Earth ponies are meant to organize into three companies, but Shining Armor doesn’t wait and goes dashing off into the forest alone. Twilight follows him. Chapter 21 – Ignorant Bliss Storm believes he’s Shining Armor, and dreams one of his first meetings with Storm as they were both being trained by Zecora. Storm beats Shining Armor to a pulp, insulting and spitting on him as Shining Armor considers him psychotic. Zecora gives Shining Armor a healing potion and commands them to fight again, Storm demands a stronger sparring partner and Zecora offers to fight him next, Storm backs down and obliterates Shining Armor a second time. Silent Armor wakes up, and kisses Cadance. They discuss wedding plans and Cadance tells him that in order to get her mother to agree to the marriage, she’d blackmailed Blueblood into vouching for Shining Armor by threatening to assist Blueblood’s obsessive ex-girlfriend, Trixie, in stalking him. Cadance asks how deep in the forest they are, and Storm admits that he doesn’t know. Cadance is surprised as she’d assumed that this was his outpost, Silent Armor realizes that this borrow is Storm’s outpost and wonders why he had a portgem that led here. Chapter 22 – RUN!!! Cadance asks who Storm is and Silent Armor describes him, saying that Storm stays in the forest, hoping to redeem himself for his mistakes, but has only felt worse as time goes on. He says Storm used to hate the world, and had considered becoming a marauder, stealing, killing and raping as he pleased; but meeting Denorious had inspired him to be different. He’d loved her. Silent Armor concludes that Storm must be dead. He feels relived but Cadance is upset and Silent Armor wonders how Storm would have felt if he’d thought that just one person would actually care that he had died. Changelings find the burrow, and begin digging through the roof; Shining Armor and Cadance profess their love, and prepare for a final stand. Shining Armor gallops through the woods, but swerves from his course due to exhaustion. He trips over, Twilight catches up and Shining Armor realizes that they are in the glade from his dreams where he kills Twilight; with the two swords from his dream stuck into the ground. He can hear terrormongers close by and coming closer. Shining Armor screams at Twilight to run and uses his magic to push her as far away from him as he can, but Twilight only runs a short distance before turning back, unwilling to abandon him. Chapter 23 – Shadows of Death Shining Armor is convinced that Twilight will run; he takes the swords to defend himself. There is an extended fight which parodys Shining Armor’s nightmares, causing him to hesitate several times resulting in him being wounded. Rainbow Dash finds the burrow, and attacks the changelings who are digging through the walls. Dash and one changeling crash through the roof and into the burrow. Silent Armor kills the changeling, Cadance tries to attack Dash, but Dash disarms her, gives her the portgem and tells her to use it. Just as the portgem begins to activate, another changeling lunges at Silent Armor. Dash tackles it, but moves too far from the portgem and is left behind when Cadance and Silent Armor disappear. Dash fights the remaining changelings, the last of which transforms into a young pegasus colt which looks like a mixture between herself and Storm. Dash hesitates and the changeling attacks. Chapter 24 – Blood and Fire Twilight arrives to help Shining Armor. After convincing him that she is real, the two of them fight several terrormongers, in which they are both wounded. Chapter 25 – Recovery Rainbow Dash wakes up in a hospital in Uthraig; a diamong dog fortress city in the forest which acts as a base of operations for the Rangers in exchange for protection. Twilight and Shining Armor visit and tell her that when Reaper and the other pegasi reached the burrow, Storm and Cadance were gone and a changeling was drinking her blood. Reaper saved her and medivacted her to Uthraig, but she will need several weeks to recover. Shining Armor apologizes for his behavior to Dash and Twilight. Shining Armor and Rainbow Dash discuss her becoming a Ranger. Silent Armor and Cadance arrive via teleport back in Canterlot. They are concerned about Rainbow Dash, and Twilight, but begin planning their wedding. Chapter 26 – Crossroads Twilight explores Uthraig and learns more about the Rangers; in particular she becomes fascinated by an abandoned super-weapon program called the Manehatten project. She also sends a letter to Cadance telling her that everyone is alright and will be back in Equestria in a few weeks. Eventually the party joins a large group of Rangers and heads back to Equestria; when they reach Zecora’s hut- The other Rangers halted about a hundred meters off, not daring to approach, but Shining Armor had no choice and went to face Zecora alone.”I once had a student," began Zecora after Shining Armor had stood silently before her for five agonizing minutes which seemed like five years, "Who from the first time we first met; knew I'd met someone to whom I owed a great debt. To train them and teach them in the way they should go. To share with them knowledge, that in time they might grow; into a hero; a patron of light, whose mighty talents, could aid in the fight. The student advanced and became a dear friend; my love for them grew, as their path I did wend. With many great gifts, this student was blessed. It was not very long before they were one of my best. For strong was their body, and keen was their mind, their discipline sure, their courage refined; and noble the heart that led all of these, with the work of my student, I was very well pleased. But though sometimes their wisdom did leave me beguiled; more often by far; it was that of a child!" "Zecora, I never meant to-" CRACK! The point of Zecora's hoof shot like a lance into Shining Armor's jaw, dislocating it as his mouth swung limply open. "Do not interrupt." warned Zecora. "My thoughts you disrupt.” She cleared her throat, “In noble folly, my student sought to usurp, responsibility for the entire universe. They sought to save everyone, from forest to sea; from this crushing burden, they were never free. They denied they had limits, they denied themselves rest, addicted to struggle and to their endless quest. They drove themselves to exhaustion and then kept on going. Day and night they went madly on, never once slowing. Then, when those whom they cared for were lost deep in the trees, they did not wait or ask for help, not even from me. So overconfident in their own earthly power, they refused to show patience, for even an hour. They went out alone to rescue their friends; and that is where, sadly, my story must end. For this was the last of their lauded acts, from this final folly, they never came back. The rogues of the forest, broke her mind without mercy, she now lives in Ponyville, and calls herself, Derpy!" Shining Armor lifted his head in confusion, and was met with Zecora's gaze as anger; sorrow and disappointment huddled together in the cold recesses of her eyes. "I lost one student to selfless, thoughtless, hubris, folly. I do not wish to lose another, not in mind, not in body. You were shown grace where Denorious was not, but if you follow her path, you deserve what she got! I fear you've learned nothing from the fall of this mare, but your paths and your fates you must surely compare. You think her a leader? An example to all!? Despite her many fine traits, her pride was her fall! To push yourself further then what you can possibly do, these are not ideals to aspire to! Long was I grieved that after a year in my care, your training complete, you left like a hare. Not once returning, unless to seek aid, yet far greater errors I now see you have made. Shunned not only your teacher, but your future wife! Is this how you plan to live out your life?" Zecora touched Shining Armor's chest with her hoof and looked him silently in the eye for a long moment. He hadn't previously thought it possible, and never mentioned it afterwards, knowing no one would believe him, but he could have sworn he saw one lonely tear trickle down Zecora's face. “Now get out of the forest and do not return; until the face of his father, your firstborn has learned." Zecora grabbed his hanging jaw, wrenched it back into its socket, turned, walked into her hut and closed the door behind her, without giving him a chance to respond.