Prologue
Storm Walker trotted through the dusty, winding hidden, passages of the old stone manor with the only light being the low lit hooded oil lantern in his muzzle. The electric green pegasus came to the secret door hidden with the hidden passage and kicked the right lower left corn with his left fore-hoof six times before tapping the area on the right just above his head with his right just above his head three times with his right fore-hoof, the door slid to his right, and he entered the passage. The new tunnel was so tight that his saddlebags were half squeezing him and giving him a sense of claustrophobia. Finally he came to newer, far much obvious door composed of what looked and smelled like old oak.
After taking a deep breath he rapped on the right side of the door with his left fore-hoof three times before doing the same on opposite side of the door with his right fore-hoof then clopping his hind legs six times. A soft, almost airy, cool voice said, “Enter.”
He did just that. Inside was a room that was 60 feet to the ceiling with somewhere between 40 and 50 feet between all the walls, there were no windows. The only things in the room were a what looked like a pure white griffon with a hindquarters like a pony and a set of pure white griffon armor that looked like it had been redesigned for a female griffon, with gold trim next to all the digits. There were also a series of 12 magical light producing orbs floating around the room in a manner that looked like it was meant to not interfere with movements of the room's occupants.
“Hey Snow,” said Storm Walker as he closed the door behind him, “I got that thing I promised you.”
The griffon fronted mare looked at him with her piercing dark blue eyes and said, “you found an image of,” she paused for a few seconds, “the one my mother said is my father.”
“Yeah,” said Storm Walker tousling his sky blue mane, “took some work, especially since I had to keep it a secret from everypony,” He reached into his right saddlebag and pulled out a parcel that had been gingerly wrapped in brown cloth, “it took some doing since I had to find one that wasn't him in his iconic armor doing something.”
The mare reared griffon took the parcel from the electric green pegasus. Carefully pulling the coverings from the parcel, almost as if she was afraid she was having a dream and would wake up soon. After several minutes that felt like days to her she finally reached the point where she removed the cloth covering the item inside. She beheld a paw sized painting of a dark brown griffon male standing proudly next to a set of pure white armor. She gave a smile before saying, “it's nice to finally see my father, I never got to know him.”
“From what I read about him,” said Storm Walker, “Razor Wind was a griffon with an inner nobility that is rare these days, there are a few cases of him defying rules only to explain that those rules were getting in the way of doing his job effectively. Remind you of somepony?”
Snow laughed before smiling and saying, “thanks Storm, this means a lot to me. Mom hasn't been doing so well, it's a shame I can't bring this to her. She would like to see him just one more time, even if it was just a painting.”
“I'll tell Gentle Wind I brought you the painting,” said Storm Walker, “oh and Snow Feather, the twins are making preparations for that thing we were talking about, we'll be ready to go next month.”
“I'll see about making things easier for you,” said Snow Feather, “I just wish I was going with you, I want to go somewhere I can actually practice my special talent,” she turned a lamenting gaze to her flank which showed a red paintbrush overlaying a black book that was in the state of mending and both were next to a brown cracked statue that looked like it was being mended.
“I know what you mean,” said Storm Walker taking a look at his cutie mark of three platinum pendant shields that were next to each other, the right shield held the silhouette of unicorn lifting it's leg in an elegant manner, the center shield held the silhouette of a pegasus taking a defensive stance, and the the left shield held the silhouette of an earth pony bucking, “the two of you really do deserve to come with us, but you know why you can't.”
“Yeah,” said Snow Feather, “after waiting a few months I'll arrange for us to follow you, when the three of us meet up again we can go and do what we're meant to do. I want to go out and actually show my talent, not hide here and pretend to be somepony else out of fear for everypony I care about. Are you going to see Forge later?”
“Yeah,” said Storm Walker, “after I run some errands for her ladyship,” saying 'errands' and 'ladyship' with contempt.
“She still won't officially acknowledge you as her foal I see,” said Snow Feather as Storm Walker turned to leave, “at least you don't have to hide yourself away for fear of everypony you know being executed the moment you step outside a wall.”
“The mare is more concerned with her own image and that of the clan than anything resembling maternal intent or concern,” said Storm Walker with huff before opening the door, “I'll see you a week before we leave, same with Forge, you both deserve that much, and Snow, at least you know your mother genuinely loves you with everything she is,” with that he closed the door behind him.
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Two hours later Storm Walker was escorting a black unicorn filly with a white mane and tail that had an emerald streak through them and White unicorn filly with a black mane and tail that had an indigo streak through them. Storm Walker liked these moments, even if they were brief, since it meant he could spend time with his little sisters. After arriving in manor's library, which was expansive enough to host a party and still have room to find a place of seclusion, he walked over to the window and watched as the earth pony servants outside tended to the yard.
Storm liked observing the other ponies when they were at work, it made him feel like he was watching for dangers to keep them safe. As he was watching a bright yellow unicorn mare with a dark orange mane and magenta eyes came over to sit next him. The two just sat there, the only sound being that of the twins as they leafed through the books before them.
After a half hour of the two hour mandate Storm Walker heard the unicorn say in a sweet and friendly voice that was trying to emulate a joyful tone and failing (hard), “I know you care for them, but when mother finds out what you've been discussing with your 'friend' she'll throw her in the dungeon for a few months with strict orders to only feed you a single meal a week.”
“I appreciate the concern Sunshine Bottle,” said Storm Walker, “you're a good sister, even if you do get wrapped up in your attempts for genuine praise of who you are from her.”
“And I'll keep at it for a few more months, my birthday is in four months and if she hasn't legitimately acknowledged me as an individual I'll stop, I'm not a little filly desperate for attention anymore, in fact that mindset started to change when you came along. She might not acknowledge you as her son, but the twins and I acknowledge you as our brother and in my opinion that's all matters now. Hopefully that will change before her life nears its end.”
“I seriously have my doubts about that,” said Storm Walker, “this nation hasn't changed how anything is done in thousands of years. Earth ponies still make up the hoof-soldiers, griffons get no respect despite being the main power of the aerial forces, pegasi are nothing more than scouts in the military, and the unicorns command despite have little to no combat experience and maybe a small hoofful of spells designed for a battlefield. And that's just the military. Earth ponies that aren't in the military are forced to either work agriculture, the mines, the smithies or produce clothing. And among those mares are only allowed to make cloth and clothing. Pegasi are only permitted to be messengers when not serving in the military, and only the stallions then, if they're lucky the mares are permitted to tend a unicorn noble's garden. Unicorns that weren't born to a noble house are only permitted be cooks or gardeners. Seriously, why do we even have cutie marks anymore in this country, they're supposed to be our way telling ourselves and everypony else what we're meant to do. My best friend is a mare and her cutie mark shows that she's meant to do something mares are barred from doing. Where's the justice in that?”
“So you've said a few times before,” said Sunshine Bottle, “but everypony that's pushed for even the slightest change of policy has been executed, I'm just glad you haven't tried.”
“I've entertained the thought a few times,” said Storm Walker, “but then I remember if I'm gone nopony will be around to keep the twins safe, I may not be able to do things for the greater good in this nation, like my cutie mark has told me I should, but doing things for their greater good is just as important to me. Do you even know what that is supposed to mean?” They both looked at her insignia of a smiling sun in crystal blue bottle.
“I don't know anymore what it was supposed to signify, grandmother doesn't like me or the twins, she keeps saying we aren't what she needs.”
“That old mare would only be happy with somepony that's exactly like her, I've heard he saying that our mother isn't what she needs a few times.”
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After escorting the twins to the in manor classroom at the end of his 2 hours looking after the two he made his way to the manor smithy. Once he arrived he came to the sight of mare that towered over the others (she was almost twice the size of the largest stallion in the manor) and smiled as she approached with her dark blue fur gleaming and her docked copper colored mane and tail giving a little sway and a cutie mark that looked like a metallic purple anvil with a jade hammer striking sending up golden sparks from where it was hitting. “Hey, Storm,” she said in a deep, ringing feminine voice, “what brings you here?”
“Hey, Forge Hammer,” said Storm Walker, “I just came to for a personal reason,” with that he reached into his left saddlebag and pulled out a small platinum orb before saying, “no matter what anypony does this thing keeps returning to an orb, nopony thought to bring it to the forge, let your dad work on it for a few days and if it returns to being an orb maybe you should give it a try. Your special talent is creating things nopony else can after all.”
“Yeah, I'm the creator while Snow's the restorer and your the protector. You're still planning that thing with the twins, right?” Storm Walker nodded, “I wish you luck, and wish I could join wish I could join you, but if I disappear they might be on you faster.”
“And if Snow were to join us none of us would make it before we were executed,” said Storm Walker, “she's working on a way for you both to follow us without raising suspicion.”
“I wish you luck.”
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It was a month later and Storm Walker and the twins had just spent two weeks at sea only to come to port in the one place where four nations had their boarders (he wondered why Eclipse Touch, the black filly, had decided to come with a set of old large saddlebags that were clearly too big and looked like they were loaded on both sides). They began the trudge towards what they were told was the boarder of Equestria. When they arrived a the boarder an ivory alicorn and umbra alicorn were waiting for them and greeted them before the twins collapsed at the umbra alicorn's hooves. The white alicorn smiled warmly and said in a gentle motherly voice, “welcome to Equestria, we were aware of your arrival and I have seen fit to preparing everything for you and the fillies.” The black alicorn just smiled with the gentle radiance of a full moon at the fillies sleeping at her hooves.