Hurricane Trinity

by Lovesick-Ded

Seeking Answers

HURRICANE TRINITY

An MLP Extended-Universe Story

Written by M.J. Hopper

CHAPTER SIX

“Psst…hey.”

The pup’s small ears tilted toward the whisper that appeared to come from behind the walls. Only three years old, Prince Stormbreaker had already developed quite an acute sense of hearing, most likely from both sides of his heritage. He had been lying on his bed eyeing a picture book, but the interest was waning the second he heard the voice. Tilting his head curiously, he wriggled off of the bed he currently shared with his mother and crept toward the wall.

“I hear you. Come closer, I wanna show you something cool.”

Stormbreaker approached the wall cautiously upon all fours, sniffing a small area of the wall curiously; he could sense something on the other side, but there appeared to be no opening of any sort. How…?

“SURPRISE!”

The pup squeaked in terror and fell backward as a young Caprinian ram sprang forward out of the woodwork, through a small hatch that had been meticulously carved into the wall so it was near-entirely hidden. He landed on his back, his white fur bristling on all sides, his blue eyes open in pure shock. The little ram eyed him and his excitement quickly became a frown.

“S-sorry…I didn’t mean to scare you.” The side of his mouth twisted into an anxious grin as he plodded over to the pup and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, pulling him onto his feet. “This room has a hidden passageway from mine to yours. Mother doesn’t know about it, so, I figured I might as well use that to my advantage.”

“Who are you?” Stormbreaker could not vocally speak that well yet, but he was still able to properly form phrases, of sorts. He looked at the ram curiously. From a standpoint, he appeared to have Grogar’s fur, but it was clear that hints of purple were visible when the moonlight hit it, and he had the beginnings of two small, brown horns growing from his head. His eyes were a brilliant orange and had a certain elderly warmth, even for one so young. The little ram grinned in response.

“My name is Gallyen.” He reached out to ruffle the fur on Stormbreaker’s head. “I’m your big brother…sort of. Rivvon is my mother.”

“Brother?” The pup blinked in response, as if uncertain or surprised. The little ram, Gallyen, nodded, still smiling.

“Yeah. We have the same father, so, we’re brothers. I was really, REALLY excited on the day you were born.” His eyes shifted to the side and he looked down, frowning. “Sadly, Mother forbade me to see you. She said something I didn’t quite understand…something about you being a ‘dirty mongrel,’ whatever the heck that means.”

Stormbreaker looked even more confused than before. “What’s a mongrel?”

“Heck if I know.” Gallyen shrugged and shook his head. “Whatever though…you’re my little brother, and…I know you look different from me, but that’s really not a reason for Mother to act so silly.” The smile returned and he wiggled his docked tail a bit. “I have ALWAYS wanted a brother though! I can’t believe Mother attempted to keep me from you for, like, forever. I’m gonna attempt to talk to Father; see if he can’t get her to let me play with you more often.”

“I’d like that.” Stormbreaker smiled in return and his own long, fluffy tail curled a bit.

“I would too.” Gallyen reached out a hoof, touching Storm’s hand with it. “Hey…let’s do something fun, for our first meeting as brothers. Let’s…like, make a pact or something.” When the little pup only cocked his head in response, Gallyen continued: “It’s like, a really important promise, I think. But, the promise I want us to make, is…”

He nuzzled Stormbreaker’s nose. “I want us to be friends. Like, BEST friends. Forever and ever.”

The pup’s eyes widened when he heard this, and he looked up at Gallyen. “Really?”

“Yeah!” Gallyen flicked out his tongue to affectionately lick the bridge of Stormbreaker’s short muzzle. “We’re gonna go on lots of adventures, and have lots of fun together. And the whole way, we’ll be with each other always. We’re never gonna let anyone get in our way of having fun and becoming really important heroes.” He grinned. “Maybe one day, when I’m the ruler of Tambelon, I’ll make you a king too.”

“A…a king?!” Stormbreaker seemed awestruck by this, and his eyes sparkled like stars at the thought. Gallyen nodded again.

“We’ll rule together. And we’ll be there for each other.”

“Forever?” Stormbreaker smiled and reached out to hug his brother around the neck. Gallyen nuzzled his shoulder and closed his eyes.

“Yeah. Forever.”

*

“Ugh…I…don’t leave…please…”

The goat-creature fidgeted violently with his legs and his eyelids trembled before he finally came to his senses; something wet and cold immediately slid down onto his nose and he reached up to remove it, only to discover that it was an incredibly damp rag that had been placed on his forehead. He attempted to sit upright but immediate dizziness fell upon him and he collapsed back onto the bed he was currently lying on, grunting in pain.

“So y’all are finally awake.” Capper sighed and approached the side of the bed, fiddling with the rag a bit as he placed it back atop Storm’s forehead. “You suffered some serious heat stroke back in the desert, man. Plus you bruised one of your ribs when y’all fell. I would take it easy, if I were you.”

“I…what…guh.” Storm exhaled painfully and shut his eyes for a second before looking over at the young Abyssinian. “What…what even happened out there? I remember…I passed out in the desert, and there was this…this wyrm thing—“

“Yeah, there was, and I had to risk my neck and kill it to SAVE yo’ sorry ass!” Capper’s tone immediately turned from concern to irritation and he jabbed a finger in Storm’s direction. “You had better thank the GODS that I had arrived when I did, otherwise you’d be in the small intestine of a friggin’ Sand Kraken. What were you even thinking, goin’ out there by yourself?!”

“Wait, you killed it?” The goat-creature looked genuinely surprised. He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “How did you manage to do something like that?”

“With those babies.” The cat-being pointed to the daggers, which had since been cleaned of wyrm blood and were lying atop the table; their ebony color took on a peculiar sheen in the sunset warmth. “I really dunno why, but, they seemed to, somehow…how do I put this without it soundin’ all weird and such.” He shut his eyes for a moment, gently tugging at a whisker in thought. “They were literally like the first pair of daggers I grabbed back in Shade Alley, where we found out about what y’all were doin’. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but…for some reason…”

Capper’s eyes traveled back to the daggers, and the pupils of his eyes literally seemed to emanate a strange glow for a moment, before it faded just as quickly as it had appeared. He shook his head slightly. “I know this sounds really weird, but…holdin’ ‘em, they gave me…some sort of weird feeling. Like, they felt good in my hands. And not only that…I was somehow able to wield them without any trouble, sorta.”

Storm eyed him before shrugging a shoulder in apathy. “You’ve probably just wielded similar daggers before. It’s nothing to really—“

“This was DIFFERENT.” Capper emphasized the last word immensely, and an almost nervous look crossed his features. “I may not look it but I have never touched anything beyond a standard hunting knife in my LIFE. I only grabbed the daggers as a self-defense purpose in case I did end up having to save y’all…which I did…” He sneered a bit and looked off to the side for a second. “But, anyway, for some weird reason, when I was fightin’ that wyrm out there, everything seemed to come to me NATURALLY. Like, I knew what I was doin’ the second I did it. And, the whole time, I kept feeling this, like, strange energy coursing through me…like, somethin’ was controlling my ability to fight.”

“That’s…” Something within Storm’s memory seemed to flicker briefly, but, yet again, it was snuffed out. He cast his gaze toward the daggers. “They’re…quite admirably made, I have to say. I hardly ever see that type of material used in modern-day weapons, if at all.”

“Material?” Capper raised a brow. “You mean y’all have a clue as to what this is?”

“No, but…” Storm attempted to shift into an upright sitting position but his bruised rib flared violently and he clutched at his side, sucking in a breath through his teeth and wincing. “Ah…but, I do know what that type of material is. I’d recognize that texture and sheen anywhere.”

“Do fill us all in,” Capper encouraged, as he approached the table and picked up one of the daggers, admiring the pale green runes etched into its hilt. Storm explained:

“The material has a more…intricate nickname, but, it’s normally referred to as ‘Argosteel.’ Strong, sturdy, and when properly sharpened, it can slice through anything. It’s, kinda…well, like diamond, but a tad more commonplace. I, uh…used to use it when, I was, you know…still making weapons and such. The thing is…well…” He chewed his lip nervously and looked off to the side. “…There’s…really only one place you can get the material for it, and one place only.”

“And what place would that be?” Capper asked, folding his arms.

Storm sighed heavily, rubbing at his injured rib again. “The…the material for Argosteel to be properly forged…it comes from volcanic rock fragments surrounding a certain area. One that is no longer accessible to mortal souls, for reasons that are…”

Argon

“…Er, let’s just say that…it’s not really…an active volcano anymore.”

“Uhhh…” Capper seemed genuinely befuddled by the entire explanation that had just been given, but he decided not to prod any further and instead held the dagger up to the window, letting the sunset’s rays strike its surface. He grinned as he turned it in his paw. “So, this thing must be pretty valuable, huh? No wonder the merchant was so angry with me for takin’ it. Ah well…I did promise him half the gold from my next shipment, anyway.”

“I really don’t understand, though.” The goat-creature shook his head, almost as if he were in disbelief of some sort. “I haven’t seen a weapon forged from Argosteel in years, let alone in the northern areas. And the only dagger-type weapons I have ever seen, or heard of, forged from it are—“

He stopped then, as if coming upon a realization, and his eyes widened greatly before he whipped his head in Capper’s direction so quickly that the cat-being thought he was going to dislocate his neck for a second.

“Capper, the merchant or whatever. Do you remember him at all?”

“I just know he works in Shade Alley…and that he’s some kinda sheep-thing. Think he goes by the name ‘Baalade’ or some ridiculous shenanigan-type name like that.”

“We need to see him.” Storm began to shift to his feet. “I need to know more about—OH GODS, OW!”

The sudden shift had irritated his injured rib, and he recoiled back onto the bed, clutching at it and kicking his leg slightly in agony. Capper rolled his eyes and approached the side of the bed, placing a paw on one hip and placing his weight on one leg a bit.

“Y’all aren’t going anywhere,” the cat-being chided him. He nodded toward Grubber, who was currently in the back immersed in a storybook of some sort. “Grubber and I will take care of the info-gettin’. You need to rest that friggin’ rib before it kills ya.”

“Don’t order me around—“

“Whose place is this?!” Capper retorted irritably, waving a paw as if to set an example. Storm eyed him with an angry look and muttered something under his breath before lying back down on the bed, rolling to one side in order to keep pressure off of the injured rib. The cat-being gave an irritated grunt before turning his attention to the back of the room. “Oi, Grubber.”

“Huh?” The little gray hedgehog managed to tear his gaze away from the book and meet Capper’s gaze. “What’s up?”

“Y’all gotta come with me.” The young Abyssinian knelt down to pop open the hatch that led to the outside. When Grubber gave him a strange look, he replied only with a coy grin, and added:

“We got some mutton to grill.”

*

“I swear, I dunno where they came from.”

Baalade, a strange creature with a stocky build and a sheep-like appearance, held up his front hooves and took a step away from Capper and Grubber; Capper was eyeing him with incredible intensity and determination and this unnerved the dealer for whatever reason may be. His yellow eyes nervously shifting from side to side, the strange sheep pressed his head into his neck slightly and tapped the tips of his hooves together. “I…I take it that’s not gonna be a good enough answer for ya.”

“Damn straight.” Capper raised an eyebrow, then withdrew the daggers, which he had decided to keep with him, in case something arose. He held them up in Baalade’s direction, and the sheep whined and winced a bit. “A…well, an ally of mine, kinda…he claims that these are forged from some kinda metal that is no longer on the market, and hasn’t been for YEARS. I want to know if these things hold some kind of strange significance, or if they’re just knockoff items.” He scoffed and looked to the side. “Y’know, like the ones you usually sell ‘round here.”

“No, no, no knockoffs!” Baalade smiled weakly and approached him, clasping his hooves. “I would never sell anything like that in my shop, Sir Capper. All the items I possess are genuine relics of great history!”

“Then explain the history of these to me.”

“I…” The sheep-creature bit his lower lip and shied off to the side, eyeing the cat-being with a mix of regret and fear. “You…you probably wouldn’t believe me, if I told you about them.”

“Try me.”

“Ugh…I…” Baalade shut his eyes for a moment. “They’re…I got them from some weirdo at Mount Aris, after the return of the Hippogryphs. He—he said something about how they’re apparently the blades wielded at the battle of The Titanfall. Like, the actual ones.”

Grubber’s ears perked and he brought both paws to his chest in excitement. “Really?!”

Again with this Titanfall stuff? Capper’s ears flicked in irritation but he was happy that Baalade was cooperating with him, at the very least. He leaned forward slightly. “Tell me a little more about this.”

“W-well, um…” Baalade flattened his ears against his skull and shrank back. “I…I can’t dispose any names, but, I can explain a little bit about the blades themselves. You see…the two blades that you currently hold, were wielded by a champion who lived centuries ago.” His eyes flashed with excitement ever so slightly. “Not much is known about this champion…except that he was a rogue-like creature of great skill, and that the two daggers, apparently those exact ones, were the ones he used during the great battle itself.”

“So…they were wielded by some warrior?” Capper looked at the blades with interest, then frowned and shook his head. “Doesn’t really give me a lot to go on, though. Like, I know legit nothing about this Titanfall thing y’all keep mentioning. It was probably long before my time.”

“You don’t know?” Grubber looked surprised. “Oh, but it’s such a good story though!”

“The Titanfall is merely a legend, but there are far too many renditions of it for me to give you a proper telling of the tale, sadly.” Baalade frowned and turned his eyes down. “The only ones amongst our current world that would know the truth, are the Hippogryphs…apparently in one version of the tale, their kind were amongst the fighting races. B-but Mount Aris is a long way away, and going there just to hear a simple folktale would be ridiculousness in its entirety.”

Capper eyed Baalade for a moment, then looked down at the blades he currently held within his paws; they seemed to vibrate slightly and the familiar sensation pulsed through him again…the strange, yet welcoming presence of something powerful.

Go.

The whisper was a hoarse, rattling echo inside his skull, and he shivered a bit as the energy overwhelmed his senses for a brief period of time, before fading again as if they had never existed. He shut his eyes and drew in a breath, before looking over at Baalade.

“We got any trade routes headin’ to Mount Aris anytime soon?”

The sheep’s jaw went slack and he shook his head slightly. “You…you can’t be serious.”

The young Abyssinian grinned. “Then you really don’t know me all that well, do ya?”

Baalade gave him a slightly cynical look before answering. “Well, we have ONE trade route going there, but, Celaeno’s crew was put in charge of the delivery. I have absolutely no idea how that’s gonna go if you end up with her on board. She’s a pirate, after all, during most of her days...I swear, so reckless.” He shook his head in disapproval.

“Feathers is in charge of this one, huh?” The cat tapped his muzzle slightly in thought, before shooting the sheep an incredibly cocky grin. “Sounds alright to me. I mean, I hired her for a reason, after all…she’s reckless, yeah, but she gets the job done and done GOOD.” As Baalade continued to eye him with mild irritation, Capper turned his attention down to Grubber, who looked as bright-eyed as a young kitten in a candy store.

“Hey, Grubber, what say we go back and tell Storm the good news?”

“Are…are we headed there? To Mount Aris?” Grubber’s eyes were so wide with glee and wonder that for a moment Capper thought he had just seen something magical; he sighed and reached down to ruffle the little hedgehog’s fluffy fur.

“It appears…well, yeah, we are I guess.” Capper shielded his ears for the shout of glee that erupted from the little creature, then proceeded to prod slightly at one eardrum. “Ah…well, we’re only goin’ there for a visit, mind you. I know Storm has some real important business to take care of, but…”

He looked down at the daggers again, eyeing the runic patterns etched into each one; a whisper, in a language he could not fully understand for the life of him, caressed his ears, and he twitched them slightly in response. A strange look, one of both worry and determination, formed itself into his features.

“…Apparently, so do I.”

Author's Note:

Filler chapter is filler. :B Ah well. At least we got some interesting tidbits, didn't we?

Stay tuned; also PLEASE leave feedback if you have any questions and/or comments. I'd rather have a captive audience than a silent one.

Thanks in advance and more to come soon <3