//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Everwinter Badlands // Story: A Secret's Revenge // by Wayofthepen //------------------------------// When the two reached Ponyville, they trotted through the streets. Fire couldn't get the horrible picture of his dead mother out of his mind. He cried openly, drawing more attention to him. "Hey, it's gonna be alright." Dash whispered to him, trying to cheer him up. He looked at her with his red eyes, then back at his hooves. All around, ponies were staring at him in awe, amazed that another alicorn existed. "Can't you see he needs space?" Shouted Rainbow Dash. As she shouted that, some people dispersed, but most stayed still. When they reached the library, a crowd had followed him. Dash slammed the door and shut all the blinds. "You're back! What's wrong?" Twilight asked to him in a semi-cheerful voice. Dash shook her head at Twilight. "Oh...That's where he went..." Mateo said from above. Fire went upstairs to the balcony, and just laid there, crying. "Where was my dad...Why didn't he save her..." These were the thoughts that wouldn't stop running across his brain. "Everything I knew...Gone..." He put his hooves over his face and cried. Mateo came up to comfort him. "I know how you feel." He said, putting a forearm around him. "Do you? My own mother was...How could you know what this feels like!" Fire shouted at Mateo. Mateo sighed, "I know how it feels because we all thought Nightmare Moon killed your dad. I was torn up. You're not alone." He said trying to make him at least tell what he saw. "I am alone..." Fire said, looking up at Mateo. - - - - - - - - - It had been four days from the night where his mother was murdered, along with every innocent life at the Inn. Twilight had sent her letter to Celestia informing her of the new alicorn. She had her reply within minutes, saying to bring him to her castle in Canterlot. They were gathering their items when Fire spoke for the first time. "I'm going to Celestia, aren't I..." He said it in a low, yet excited voice. Twilight smiled at him and nodded, happy that he finally spoke. "There is a chariot outside for us. I'm sure you'll be fine." He lifted his hood and threw his bags onto his back. They boarded the chariot and left for Canterlot. Fire had never seen anything but the snowy road outside of his inn, but the sight of the castle brought his mood up. Royal guards could be seen outside of every entrance, wearing their signature golden armor. They landed right outside the main entrances doors. They moved hastily to the throne room. Both princesses sat at the other end of the room, looking down at both Twilight and Fire. "What you say is true then, my student. There has been another alicorn born to our world. Twilight wouldn't tell me anything besides what you are." Fire looked up at Celestia, then to Luna. "I am the son of Skyward Flame. I have been for the last fourteen years in secret." Luna looked at him closely. "That is not all of the story." Fire went to speak, but closed his mouth and his eyes. "His mother and the guests at his inn were murdered." The princesses looked at each other with horrified expressions. "Thank you for bringing him here. We will take over, since an alicorn at a young age can be a lot of trouble." Celestia said, thinking back to what happened with her younger sister. Twilight looked back at Fire, who still had his eyes closed. "They'll take good care of you." He opened his eyes and looked to her. "It's not that. I just miss my dad..." She wrapped her forearms around him, and took her leave. As soon as she had left the room, Fire spoke up. "You know more than you let on, too." The princesses looked at him. "How did you know?" He gained a glare. "No matter how straight a face may be, the truth will always remain in their eyes." Luna could have sworn she had heard that before. "You will learn what we know tomorrow. Luna, can you take him to his quarters?" Luna nodded, and motioned him to follow. After a few minutes of wondering, she led him to his room. It was much similar to hers, but the room was more bare. "Thank you..." He said to her as he went to the balcony. She gave him a sad look, and left. He scanned the sky as the sun set, hoping to see a trace of his father. When nothing could be seen, he went to his bed. A note was placed on the nightstand. "Fire, I am sorry of what happened to your mother. Don't look for me, or else you could end up like her. Stay with the princesses, Luna has always known you existed. You can tell her anything. -Dad" He laid down in the bed, staring at the ceiling. He was too tired to think. - - - - - - - - - He had woken up in the middle of the night, his mind wouldn't let him forget his mothers death. He walked to the balcony and unlatched the doors, stepping out and breathing the crisp, cool winter air. When he opened his eyes, he saw Luna at her balcony. She looked over at him, and beckoned him over. He flapped his wings a few times before soaring to her. "You can't sleep either?" He said to her. She nodded in response. "I have to tell you something." She said to him, in a hushed tone. "You know I existed, but you also know I wont stay here long." She looked surprised. "How did you know?" He gave her a quick smile. "My father. You also know that I am going to need equipment." She nodded once more. "You can go to the barracks tomorrow morning. The captain will train you at my request. It will take time." Fire closed his red eyes, and took a deep breath. He opened them, determination filled them now. "I'm ready." - - - - - - - - - For the next six years he trained, finding more and more information about his mother's killers. His dad had left many notes begging him to stay put, but he rejected them all. He was no longer the helpless foal, but a strong willed warrior. His room in the castle had been filled with memories of his friends that he gained through training. Private Nero, Private Flash, and Corporal Tango. He smiled at the picture the four had on graduation. "So, your getting ready to return to the inn?" A voice called from behind. He turned to find a pegasus with purple eyes, black coat, and a blue mane. "Yeah, Nero. I heard they rebuilt it...I want to see if the grave I put is still there." Nero shot him a smile. "Get goin', it will take you less time if you fly since your wings are bigger than any normal pegasus. Good luck." Fire smiled back at his friend, and put his armor on. He put his sword through his sheathe, and then took off. It would take at least twenty minutes to reach the inn at his new flight speed, but he enjoyed the quiet. He landed outside, shaking at how cold it was. He nudged the door open and was amazed at how much bigger it was. "What can I do you for?" Asked a unicorn from behind the counter. "I wanted to know if there is still a grave out back." The innkeeper looked at him funny. "Yeah, it's there. The last owner was buried there. Her husband is still missing, and I heard that they had a child of their own." Fire smiled at the bartender, who again gave him a weird look. "Is there a locked room upstairs?" The bartender nodded. "Show me it." The bartender lead him upstairs, even though he knew the way. He put his head to the door, used a small amount of magic, and it unlocked. He pushed the door aside, and found all his belongings. "How did you? I have been trying to get that open for a long time." Fire turned around. "I lived here, this was my room." The bartender entered, looking around. "Your a little young to be the mare's husband...You're the..." Fire nodded. "I just came to check on things. Keep this place locked...If anyone asks, I was never here." The bartender nodded as Fire locked the door. As he left, something caught his eye. An note was lodged in a tree by a knife. He took the knife out and read the note. "You are walking a dangerous path, my son. I can't promise you that I can help. If you want to find me, look for a old ruin inside the Everwinter Badlands. -Skyward Flame" Fire didn't like the way that the note was written, it gave him an uneasy feeling. He decided to check it out anyway, because if it was his dad, he wanted answers. - - - - - - - - - He spent the past hour flying around the badlands, and the snow storm wasn't helping. He thought he saw something like a building and decided to touch down. He shivered as he walked inside the old building. "Brr...Maybe this is where my father is..." He said lighting his horn to see in the dark. Walking through the endless hallways, he thought he heard a voice. He trotted faster until he reached a main chamber with one lit fire in the middle. He thought he heard a whimper, and started looking around. "Now!" A voice rang out as bars closed all the entrances. From above, three ponies dropped down. "Look here, boys. The legend is true, he did have an alicorn son. Tobias will be pleased." Fire looked at the three ponies. "Who's Tobias? Where's my father!" He shouted out at them, his red eyes beaming at each one of them. "Firstly, Tobias is Shade's brother. Your father and his friend are on his list. Secondly, if we take you, then your father will show up. Third, we enjoy having prisoners, like those over there." The bandit leader pointed a forearm in the direction of a cage. Two ponies and a filly were shivering in the cage. "You really don't know who I am, other than Skyward Flame's son, do you?" The three shook their heads. "Good. Let me give a demonstration..." He pulled the knife from earlier out and let it fly straight into the minion to the left's head. He fell almost instantly, blood flowing from the wound. "He was my brother!" Shouted the other minion. "Get a better line of work then, but you had your chance." Fire took out his sword and readied himself. The minion grabbed his sword and charged at Fire, whom counter charged. The two were in a stalemate, with the leader watching. Fire's horn lit up a shade of red as he launched the other ponies blade into the air. The pony closed his eyes as the blade came down on his neck. The head slid off and rolled around as the body collapsed into a limp form. The leader looked in horror. "That was unfair, even bandits have a code of honor!" Fire lifted the blade from his mouth with magic. "You went beyond honor a long time ago." Fire said as he launched his sword into the bandit leader's throat. Fire walked over to the cage where the family sit in fear. "You'll be fine now." He gave them a smile, but the filly was the one to speak. "T-Thank you..." He looked at the lock, thought for a moment, then turned and kick the lock off. The door slid open slowly as Fire regained his sword from the bandit's neck. "I'll get the gate open and take you home as soon as I find out where he came from." The three nodded, still shaking from a mix of cold and fear. He searched through the leader's bag and found a map of the area. Fire put it into his own bag, and turned to the three ponies. "Take what clothes you can find, it will be a long trot to Ponyville." They spread out and began to search for heavy clothing. After a few minutes they gathered enough clothes to make the trip. The filly came over to him, wanting to ask a question. He leaned down to her level. "Can you carry me please?" He looked at her closely, and saw her legs had been beaten badly. He lifted her up onto his back, and then began their journey home. - - - - - - - - - They spent four hours in the cold of winter to reach Ponyville. Through the entire trek, Fire had to put his wings around the little filly to keep her warm. He heard wings from above as he entered the border of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash had flown next to him and began talking. "Finally decided for a visit? Wait...Why are you covered in blood?!" Fire rolled his eyes at her. "Dash, I will explain it to you later. Take these ponies to the hospital." He placed the filly on Rainbow Dash's back and turned to them all. "If you have any family between here and Canterlot, let me know. I can arrange for them to meet you." The mother looked afraid, but got calm and answered him. "Our eldest son goes by Nero. We last heard from him when he was in training. That was before we were raided." He nodded to her, happy to have an excuse to leave to see him. He outstretched his wings and took off for the castle. He landed on his balcony and walked into his room. As he took off his armor and other equipment, Nero walked in. "Oh, it was you. Thought someone tried sneaking in again. You really have to start closing those doors." He smiled at Fire, but the smile faded. "What's with the blood? Are you hurt?" Fire finished taking off his armor, and trotted to his friend. "It's not my blood, and your family can vouch for that." Nero's purple eyes lit up and his wings twitched. "What did you do?" Fire explained the situation as they were walking down the main stairway. Nero jumped on top of his friend and they fell down the stairs, laughing. When they stopped laughing and stood up, Nero thanked him. "Their in the hospital, I think you sister was hurt pretty bad. Dash should be looking after them until you arrive." Nero asked if he would go with him, and Fire agreed. They began flying to the hospital, when he heard someone call his name. Nero turned around, but Fire told him to keep going. "Up here." The voice came from his balcony, so he flew to his room. "You're a fool, but some say that if you weren't they would most likely be dead." He recognized the voice, and a tear fell down the side of his cheek. "Dad?" A figure inside the room walked forward and hugged him. "Why did you leave me?" His dad smiled and let out a small chuckle. "I never left you. I've always been here, but I know what you plan on doing. I won't help you take out Tobias." Fire looked at his father in disappointment. "Why? He deserves whatever comes to him! He killed mom..." Skyward Flame shook his head. "He's just too strong. I won't aid you in your death, son. You're all that I have." Fire looked away from his father. "You may watch me, but you aren't going to stop me." Flame let out a sigh, and hugged him once more. "I must leave now, but remember. You're never alone." That was the last thing before his father flew out of the room. He watched his father fly off at the speed of light, leaving nothing but a black and red trail. Fire trotted over to his bed and got comfortable. He turned his head to the nightstand on his left, and stared a the picture of his mother. "I'm one step closer to finding your killer, mom. When I find him, I swear to you he wont hurt another pony ever...Ever again..." He said silently as he fell asleep.