//------------------------------// // 38 - RUN!!! // Story: Storm Of Secrets // by Beware The Carpenter //------------------------------// Cadance fidgeted uncomfortably beside Shining Armor; "Maybe Storm came to visit you and left it behind by accident?" Shining Armor shook his head, "Storm isn't one to forget something important, and even if he was, I don't think he'd visit me." "Why not?" "Storm's... complicated," began Shining Armor, choosing his words carefully. "A lot of things have gone wrong in his life, a lot of things; and he blames himself for letting them happen. He stays in the forest to punish himself; hoping that maybe if he kills enough terrormongers, one day his successes will outweigh his failures." "Does it work?" "No. Since confining himself to the front lines he's only felt worse and worse; and he wouldn't come to visit me unless he thought it would be another way to punish himself." Shining Armor twisted to stretch out an agonizing cramp in his gut. "...He sounds like a very unhappy pony." said Cadance after trying to imagine meeting such a stallion. "He is," nodded Shining Armor, "But he used to be far worse. When I first met him, it was only two years after his foster father’s death, and he was still struggling hard against the loss. He felt angry at the world: angry at the doctors who couldn't save his father, angry at the ponies who had stolen his inheritance, and angry at anyone he didn’t think understood what he was going through, (which was virtually everyone). But most of all, he was angry at himself for not being able to do more. He was so, so angry, and he took it out on everyone he met for a long, long time. He came perilously close, to going down a very dark path. He'd started to see the world as a place where violent and deceptive ponies were the only ones who got what they wanted; and that those who clung to useless morals became nothing but victims to be robbed and trampled on, over and over again. The world had done so much to him that he wanted to make it pay. With his physical, mental and magical aptitudes, shaped by years of training under Straight Hack and Zecora, Storm had the makings of becoming a monster. Storm had begun thinking that as soon as his first tour with the Rangers was over he'd quit, go his own way and use what he knew to take whatever he wanted from whoever he wanted." Shining Armor stopped, thinking back with abhorrence to the pitch black fantasies Storm use to entertain as he lay awake at night; murdering for money... or fun, ravaging innocent mares, savagely torturing and murdering anyone who challenged him, dealing in whatever trade brought him the most money, gathering others around him and becoming some kind of bandit king. Those teenage fantasies were another chain that had kept Storm locked in the forest. Of course, Storm would be dead by now if he had gone down that road; Shining Armor may have even been the one who was sent to hunt him down, but he would have destroyed a lot of lives before then. Shining Armor smiled, "Something changed him, someone pulled him back." "Who?" "Denorious." "The mare who became the Ranger's leader?" Shining Armor nodded, "After Storm and I finished our training, Zecora put us in a small, elite unit which was Denorious' first command. Back then, my only goal was to gain experience and earn my next promotion. Sparring with Denorious taught me a lot, but I think Storm learned two things from her that were far more important, he learned why to fight, and he learned how to live. Denorious was able to reach him in ways no one else could. She helped him see the world as a place where almost everyone loved only themselves, and hated each other because everyone else was doing the same thing; each trying to be the master of their own little world. Abused children became abusive parents, never forgiving their own parents, yet justifying their own actions. People everywhere lying to each other, defending their own actions, yet hating those who lied to them, as if the universe should have rules for everyone except themselves. The insanity that most people seemed to live in; trying to make themselves gods, and in the end causing nothing but mutual misery as the world endlessly tramples itself, striving to obtain something it can never achieve. Although she never said it directly; Storm knew that Denorious had guessed at least some of what he had been planning. She helped him see how he was becoming the very thing he hated; and that if he continued, and if those he hurt went on to hurt others, the cycles of death and pain would go on until judgment day. If that wasn't what he wanted, then he needed to change it, and to do that, he needed to start with himself. She also inferred that if he did try the things he was thinking of doing, she would stop him, even if it meant killing him. The threat was playful in its delivery, but Storm knew she was serious and he respected her for it. It proved her sincerity; and showed that she really did care about protecting innocent lives and doing what was right, even if it meant going against… a friend. Zecora had been trying to tell him the same thing for over two years but hadn't been able to make an impact. Even when she dropped her rhyming to make herself more relatable, Zecora was simply too alien; her background too different, for Storm to believe that she had any idea of what he was going through. He couldn't deny that Zecora had been through some difficult trials, but since they weren't the things he had been through, he didn't care; and he wasn't about to try seeing things from someone else's perspective. That... and he thought she was about the same age his mother would have been if she was still alive, and the last thing Storm wanted at that stage was to get close to another parent figure so they could also die on him. Denorious was different: she was about his own age, she was his own kind, and she had been through some of the same things he had been through. She was an orphan you know; her father had been a police marshal in Manehatten who'd made some headway against the Spikehoofs; then one night they broke into her family's apartment and killed her parents. Denorious survived by hiding in the air ducts, but she saw everything. She was just a kid at the time, even younger than Storm had been when he lost his parents. Thankfully she had grandparents who took her in. What amazed Storm was that Denorious didn't run from the things that had happened to her. She faced them; knowing that in time suffering produced perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. Denorious had a hope for a better world; this hope spread to many others when she led the attack on the Spikehooves, and to even more when she led the Rangers, but I don't think anyone was more inspired by her then Storm was. What amazed him the most was when she told him her campaign against the Spikehooves hadn't been for vengeance. It had been brutal; it had been systematic; but her motivation had been to stop the Spikehooves from killing more ponies and abducting more fillies. Storm had heard about people who acted selflessly before, but hadn't really believed it before now. Even when he was adopted, he realized that he was fulfilling some need in his new father's life. But Denorious didn't just talk about selflessness; she lived it, every day. The times that he spent with Denorious, were the only times since his foster father died that Storm felt truly happy." "Did he love her?" "...I don't know. I'm not even sure if he knew. Many Rangers had superficial crushes on Denorious that didn’t mean anything; from stallions who had never even spoken to her, but Storm... he knew her well and treasured everything she ever said to him. He wanted to love her; and in his wildest dreams he would let himself imagine that, one day, she would love him back and they could be together; but he told himself that he wasn't worthy of her and to even ask would be unfair to her, an insult. He forced himself to forget thinking about her except as his commanding officer." A second flurry of wing beats echoed down the chimney, louder and closer than the first time. "How did Storm take it when Denorious got wounded?" "Very hard... some of the Rangers wouldn't accept that Denorious could be gone and tried to get into the palace to see her. Storm was by far the most persistent, and he couldn't believe it when I sided with Celestia and cast my energy shield over the palace to prevent any Rangers from getting in. I got my lousy promotion. I got lots of promotions after that; Celestia was grateful to me for having defused a potentially volatile situation, and ever since that day I was on the fast track to promotion. But that day I also lost a friend, and I still remember standing at the top of the steps of the palace with Celestia behind me and my shield in front of me, and beyond that Storm ramming himself against my barrier, over and over as he shouted things I'm glad I couldn't hear. It was the last time that I ever saw him. He survived, but only just; he remembered what she taught him and that let him get through losing her and even..." "Even what?" Shining Armor paused at the painful memory, "He had a younger sister who he would have done anything for, but in he end he screwed up her life as well. She was the only person he had left and wanted to make sure that he didn't lose her too." "That's... understandable." "But he went too far!" shouted Shining Armor, trying the impossible task of making Cadance understand the depths of Storm's mistakes, and why they could never be forgiven. "He barely let her out of her sight; if it wasn't for him she might have had a chance at a good life. She was beautiful and intelligent and kind and hard working... there were a lot of Rangers who had eyes for her, but Storm was so afraid of losing her too that he kept chasing them away. He prevented her from ever moving on to something better and having a family. The only reason she wanted to become a Ranger was so she could be like her big brother, and he let her become a Ranger! Right after Forest Jaws when Storm had broken his partnership with me, Silver came of age to hunt in the forest, Storm became her partner so that he could protect her; but he failed her, and she died!" Cadance drew back, startled by Shining Armor's sudden outburst of emotion, "I'm sorry." "If anything Storm should have been encouraging her to have a coltfriend. If she had gotten pregnant she would have been relived from active duty and then she might still be alive. She could have had a family and a life!" "...with who?" "I don't know; some guy who'd treat her decently." Cadance stared at him indignantly, "So you think Storm should have encouraged his younger sister to get pregnant to, 'some guy', just so he could keep her out of danger?" Shining Armor shrugged, "I guess anything's better then what did happen to her." When Cadance didn't say anything, Shining Armor tried again to explain; "Silver was a good judge of character, she wouldn't have run off with just any colt, and some of the Rangers trying to talk to her were more than just 'decent'. But Storm watched anyone who got close to his sister and with the way he usually treated other Rangers, everyone thought he would kill anyone who got close to Silver or broke up with her or something and so casual talking was about as far as anyone ever got. He didn't mean to, he was just trying to protect her, but he made it almost impossible for her to make any other relationships. Some Rangers even started a sick rumor the reason Storm was acting so jealous of her was because they were engaged in incest, and so now even her memory is ruined because of him!" That was another reason Storm kept to himself; the more contact he had with other Rangers, the more he thought about finding whoever started that rumor, and hanging them by their entrails. "After his sister died, Storm didn't want to get close to anyone ever again. He refused taking another partner and has hunted alone ever since." "Where is he now?" "...I don't know ...I think he's dead." Cadance's face fell, "Dead? Why would you say that?" Shining Armor thought for a minute, trying to find rational for the feeling in his gut, "Storm almost never leaves his house except to go hunting or to Uthraig to resupply. We've been here for four days, and he hasn't come back, that means he's dead." "Don't say that... maybe he finally decided to take a holiday and go see the ponies he's spent his life protecting." "It's a nice thought, but I doubt it. Storm's hasn't-" "Maybe he'll find a nice mare and fall in love." Shining Armor chuckled, "Come on, this is Storm we're talking about." "But-" "Cadance. Don't ask, because I don't know how I know... but I'm almost certain; Storm is dead." "Then... aren't you upset? He was your friend." Was he? ...He wasn't. Cadance was upset, and he knew he should be to, but no matter how much he tried, Shining Armor couldn't feel anything but apathy towards Storm's death. Shining Armor couldn't share her pain, but still couldn't help wondering how Storm would have felt if he'd thought even one person would actually care that he’d died. The other Rangers had a lottery in Uthraig, betting on when Storm was going to die or go crazy since most Rangers usually went within a month. Whoever won that lottery was probably celebrating right about now, or else would be soon. The changelings were probably celebrating too, ecstatic that Death Walker was finally slain. There would probably be a team of Rangers that would be moved to patrol Storm’s sector of forest, they would care that he’d died, but only because of how it affected them. Cadance was probably the only pony in the world that actually felt like Storm had a right to live, and she’d never even met him. That was probably the reason; if she had ever met him she would probably hate him just as much as everyone else. Then again; Cadance cared for a lot of ponies she'd only heard about or met once and so this didn't really mean much... but it meant something. A third set of wing beats echoed down the chimneys. Several minutes passed and Shining Armor had thought that whoever was out there had moved on; then suddenly a shudder passed through the entire burrow, and the north wall swung open, pouring a cascade of daylight through the open hole. Shining Armor blinked once and saw Silent Storm standing in the opening, holding a rope in his mouth, looking as surprised as they were that the burrow's door had opened. His surprise lasted only for a few moments before his lit up with instant jubilation, "You're alive!" he called, breaking out in a canter through the doorway. "Thank goodness, you‘re alright!" Something was wrong. The pony in the doorway was almost bursting with excitement, Storm... didn't do that. Controlled by instinct he couldn't explain, Shining Armor lunged with his telekinesis to grab one strand out of a snarled knot that hung beside the door and pulled with all his might. A migraine exploded from inside Shining Armor's head from using so much magic so suddenly; the knot came undone and a cluster of boulders that had been tied to the roof, came crashing down and the door snapped shut like a bear trap, catching Storm in the middle. Pandemonium erupted on him from all sides; first came the roar of rocks hitting the floor, followed immediately by an unearthly wail as Storm got caught; then came the resounding boom as the door slammed shut, echoed by Cadance's scream as one half of a changeling corpse was hurled into the burrow. Each new sound sending the agony inside Shining Armor's head soaring to new extremes. When Shining Armor was able to open his eyes, he saw the changeling's head and upper torso in the middle of the room, pouring it's blood into a rapidly expanding pool. Cadance was on her hooves; emanating a frantic whimper as she tried to stay as far away from the blood as possible, wings flexed in case an airborne retreat was necessary. The important thing though was that the cable connecting the door to the outside rope had been severed, meaning the door could only be opened from the inside. They were safe... for the moment. Shining Armor, braced himself and managed to stand up by himself, leaned against the back wall, and tried to steel himself for what came next. On the other side of the door he could hear frantic banging, and Twilight's panicked voice began yelling out in terror, "Let me in! Let me in! Cadance, please, it's me, Twilight! Help!" Twilight's pleas were cut off by a heart wrenching scream, followed Storm's voice yelling out, "Get behind me Twily!" there was the sound of some blasts of magic and then a moment later Storm's voice shouted, "Cadance, it's us! We're here to get you out, but the changelings have found us and we can't hold them for long! OPEN THIS DOOR!!!" Cadance had turned nearly white, but after she heard Twilight's voice unfroze her muscles and taken one step towards the door when Shining Armor bit down on her mane and pulled her back. "No!" he rasped. "It's not them!" "But if it is-" "If it was them then all the changelings would be attacking them." Shining Armor managed to use what weight he had to push Cadance against the wall opposite to the door so she could feel the rhythmic vibrations coming from the other side. "That's three changelings digging, the voices are just distractions." Even with that, it took everything Shining Armor could do to keep Cadance from throwing herself at the door, as the screams of Twilight and Storm came again, even more frantic then the first time; but were soon drown out by a third voice Shining Armor couldn't recognize, "Storm! It's me! The changeling's are everywhere! Please, you have to let us in; PLEASE!!!!" The changeling's weren't making sense. Why would the changelings imitate the voice of a stranger, on top of that, why would they ask Storm to open the door from the inside, while they were imitating his shouts coming from the outside? Most of all, why were they making Storm call his sister 'Twily'? He was the only one who did that. Why didn't matter; the changelings were digging and it was only a matter of time before they got in. "This is it," whimpered Shining Armor, "This is where we die. I'm sorry." Cadance looked madly around the burrow and then back to him, tears streaming down her own cheeks. She hesitated and then, with shaking wings, drew Shining Armor in for one final embrace, as the screams grew louder and louder and dirt began shaking off the far wall. "I love you." …............................................................................................................................................................ Shining Armor galloped headlong into the forest, barely seeing straight as he failed miserably to keep sight the pegasi who had long since passed him. By now he hardly knew where he was, and hadn't the faintest idea where he was going, but kept galloping for the one frantic thought that burned in his mind; to find Cadance. "B.B.!" The voice came from behind him. Unwilling to slow down, Shining Armor turned his head and as he did he lost his balance and came crashing to the ground, flipping over and skidded several yards before coming to a halt. Shining Armor was dazed; the flash of a teleport snapped his eyes open and found himself looking up into the concerned eyes of Twilight. He cast a revealment spell instantly, but Twilight remained Twilight, and he felt some of his anxiety melt away. "B.B" panted Twilight as she helped him back to his hooves, breathing even heavier then he was. "Are you... OK?" Shining Armor took a brief stock of his body; grazed side, possible fractured rib, no bleeding. "I'm fi-" Shining Armor's defense was cut in two as he looked past his sister, saw where they were, and panicked. Shining Armor pushed past Twilight and began spinning wildly, casting the revealment spell on everything he saw, but every detail of the glade remained exactly the same: four redwoods, forming the shape of a crooked smile; two maple trees, standing in his left field of vision; one lonely rock, ten paces ahead of him. An owl's hollow built into the trunk of the third redwood; claw marks from where a manticore had marked its territory and a small oak tree with a twisted branch stretching out like a claw giving the griffon sign for peace. "Shining Armor?" Twilight sounded scared. She did not know the meaning of the word. Refusing to believe his eyes Shining armor kept casting and re-casting until his hind hoof knocked something metallic. Shining Armor froze, and tried not to look down, but as if being possessed by some other force he turned and came face to blade with a pair of swords, stuck half way to the hilt at the base of the nearest redwood; waiting for him; waiting, for Twilight. "Shining Armor, are you alright?" He was most certainly not alright. Shining Armor turned very slowly to face Twilight, his heart and lungs bursting with trepidation, as he drank in the sight of her one last time. Behind her, echoed the combined cry of several terrormongers. They were only a few minutes away. They were coming for him. Twilight had ignored it; "B.B.?" she whispered. "Get away from me Twily. Run. Don't stop. Don't look back." Twilight took a step forwards. "GET AWAY FROM ME!!! RUN!!! RUN YOU FOOL!!!!" When Twilight just stood there Shining Armor grabbed her in his telekinesis and hurled her as far as he could in the opposite direction of the approaching terrormongers. He kept her low to the ground and when he reached the end of his telekinetic grip he sent her off galloping with the strongest push he could muster, and the last word he would ever say to his sister. "RUN!!!!" …............................................................................................................................................................ Twilight galloped through the foliage as her brother's command echoed through her ears; but her gallop turned to a canter, and then a trot as the echo died away. What was she doing? Shining Armor had always been there for her, in the last few days alone he had saved her life twice, and now he needed her. If she turned her back on him, then no matter what happened, she would never be able to forgive herself. Twilight turned and began galloping back the way she had come; she didn't know what her brother was going through, but she would not let him face it alone.