Chapter One: Cracks in the Ice
Back at home, things were hard, alright? You've gotta understand that. It wasn't always that way, but once you cross that line, there ain't no going back. My family lived in the suburbs. Y'know, the poor part. Police sirens every night, gangs all over the place...you get it.
I was 11, dead middle of winter. Up to my haunches in snow, greasy and black. Good old Manehattan. Ain't the best way to live, but we managed. Better than the Strykes. That's what caused the whole thing - I ain't blaming anybody, but they had it tough. Just the two of them, Storm and Flare. One's a kid never up to any good, the other a washed out man on the run. Never figured out from what, cuz it wasn't like you'd see his face up on the news or nothin'. He even had a little job, or a dozen. Keeping a kid like Storm healthy and happy couldn't have been easy, I know that. He had issues, I'm sure you know that all by now. He didn't give a damn about anybody back then and I wouldn't trust him with a blade'a grass to this day, cuz he knew just what to do with it when your back was turned.
I didn't trust him then, either, but for some reason me and him were close. I'd always help him out with whatever he was doin', long as it didn't hurt nobody. Sometimes it did and I had to tell him off for it, scared as I was of the bastard. Anyway. I was 11, he was...16, 17? Somewhere around there. Dead winter, like I said. I was a good kid, it was 9 and I was snoozin' like no tomorrow. Even though it was Saturday, no school to worry about or anything. I was just tired, cuz that was the schedule in my body. I'm sleeping like a baby and outta nowhere I hear this knock. Woke me up, it was so loud. I held real still, and I heard it again. Mom went to answer the door, I didn't even know it was the door. Sounded like it was coming from the roof, but that don't matter. I heard his voice, Storm. And his dad. His dad sounded worried, but he was like always - like he was bored, y'know? I figured just this once I could get up, see what was the matter. So I walk out there and ask, "Ma, what's going on?" And Storm's just staring at me so I wave. And Mom says "sweetie, your uncle Flare's got no place to live, they ran out of money."
Poverty I knew about, it was all over the place in school. Me and my family were...well, we were alright. We weren't rich or nothin', but we made it through better than most, and I was good with that. Ma was always on about how we should praise Celestia, but Celestia didn't give no damns about us, I knew that from day one. So Mom, Dad and uncle Flare were all talking together about how they could help one another, see if they could get him back on his feet. Fuckin'...40 years old, and he was at his sister's house beggin' for help. Couldn't have felt good, I know. But they're talking and me and Storm are just kinda listening together, and I got no clue what's happenin' but he's talking with'em sometimes. Saying he might be able to help his dad with a job he'd found. All of'em seemed to like that idea, but they still needed a place to stay for a while, so Ma and Dad said they could stay at our place for a few months, but they couldn't be living free forever. Storm 'n' Flare were just fine with that, thanking us and all. Storm was fakin', just copying his dad, but they ate it up anyway. What else could they do, he had his brain problems and we figured he was trying. We all go back to bed, but I gotta share mine with Storm. And, er...that didn't make me too comfy, sleeping around a guy like that, but I toughed it out. Didn't have no reason to be messing with me anyway.
'Bout a week goes by. Storm spent most'a his time with books 'n' shit, and I was cool with that. Me, I played a little baseball and tried to hang out with him. He was one of those "dangerous but cool" guys. You know that, I guess. He knew all kindsa stuff. Taught me a few things about swords even I didn't know back then, told some weird but funny jokes. Long as he was in a good mood - or what passes for that guy - I had nothing to worry about. Uncle Flare was alright, wasn't messing stuff up, tried not to take more than he needed. Storm...Storm just didn't eat. Still wonder how the hell he lived that long like that. But anyway, didn't take long for us to end up like brothers. I swear I saw him crack a smile once at a few of my jokes and all that, so I figured it was all good. I even started to miss'em a little when he went off to work. He never told us what it was, though. Always said it was just business or a fundraiser. No one asked anything, though, cuz sure enough we started to get a little extra money on the side. I think he told his dad at one point, cuz he stopped asking and just took his side when we got curious.
Didn't matter none. Like I said, we were brothers. I'd tell ya about the time he scared off a couple'a jerks who were picking on me this one time in his own horrifying way, but that's another story. But after a week he doesn't come home one night. Flare's worried sick but he won't tell us why, I figured it was 'cause he was scared for his son, but whatever. We were all a little scared he'd gotten in trouble or something, but we didn't want to make a scene so we gave him till the next afternoon. Well, he came back alright.
Came back through the goddamned window at two in the morning. I figured he was pissin' around, cuz he did shit like that because he felt like it. Woke me up somethin' fierce, I came close to whipping him with my old foil cuz I thought we were gettin' robbed. But no, he said he had a good reason. Said he was bein'...bein' watched or something. I dunno, it was 7 years ago, the hell d'ya want from me? But anyways, he tells me not to worry, and I figured in that messed up head of his, he was going more crazy than usual. So I said "whatever, man" and fell back asleep like a log. Felt like he was watchin' me.
Mornin' came and I feel alright, everyone including Storm was already eating breakfast. Said he'd already explained everything and didn't feel like telling the story again, so I just let it be and nagged on him for waking me up like that. Well. It was snowing real bad a few hours after, couldn't hardly breathe it was so thick. And I never seen Storm look...look fuckin' nervous before. Kept glancing out the window, like the snow was out there insulting his ma or something. I said "hey, Storm, what's the matter with you?"
'N' he just says "nothing, I just don't like snow."
"Storm, snow's been around Manehattan for a while now."
"I know, don't like it."
Freaked me the fuck out, cuz usually that guy wouldn't have breathed different if a goddamned hurricane blew through. So I left him alone for a bit, till the snow stopped late that night. 11 on a Sunday and that bastard went straight out the door the second the last flake fell. Said he had work. Well, after how weird he'd been acting, I figured I may as well find out just what the hell was irking him so bad. So I slip out right behind him, cuz I was a stupid kid and maybe even thought I could help. God...damn, I wish I'd stayed behind.
Okay, so. Back then I knew he was dangerous, I knew he had issues and he freaked me the hell out, but I didn't know what he was really capable of. That guy...he's not like us. He's not like you or me. No one man should have all that brainpower, it'll drive him nuts. Well, it did, obviously. So no fuckin' way I would have known that's what he wanted, for me to follow. No fuckin' way I knew he heard my every breath like I was standing right next to him. So don't think for a minute I was with him on this fucked up thing he was going out to do. I followed this seventeen year old sociopath for what felt like days. Felt like we were walking all the way to Canterlot. Good thing I ran as often as I did, I'd have fell over before we made it halfway there. Wherever "there" was. Freezin' my ass off even though I brought half a dozen coats. Stark naked and he didn't even fuckin' shiver. I hated him for it at the time. Thought that was the worst of my problems. Then it started to rain and that's when I got really pissed.
It was when we got out of the city limit I really started getting worried. Where the hell was he going? I didn't know, and I was damn close to trying to find my way back when he stopped outside this big white fence. Then...oh, man...then I got real scared. He had a fuckin'...ergh...fuckin' pistol. Loaded, safety off, big-ass pistol. And he hopped the fence. I didn't follow, I'm just sitting there stock still even though it's thirty degrees and I'm sopping wet, cuz I was fuckin' scared, y'know? Fuckin' cousin, no, my brother just pulls a gun and busts into a fence like nothing else. Course, that was how he did everything.
But I can't have been out there more than five minutes, wondering what the hell to do, when I heard this big boom coming from way out over there. And I just...gah, fuck...I just fuckin' take off after him, cuz I know that fucker's gone and hurt someone now. Hopped the fence and ran that way, and I find out he was in some house near this big old barn. I'm 11, swearing enough to make a sailor blush, cuz i just heard a gunshot and ponies are screaming now. I don't know how I got there so fast, but it couldn't've been more than twenty seconds that I heard another gunshot. Blood's pumpin', heart's racin' and I'm this close to screaming too. But I bust down the door, dunno where that little burst of strength came from, and there's...
...
There's a body. On the floor. Blood, fuckin' everywhere, and I see him. Cold. I see him, for once, as the real danger...the real demon that motherfucker was. He's got a gun on a little filly not much older than I was. And he turns around, nothing to say, and he just gives me this look. Like 'yeah, I know you're there, what of it?'
That pissed me the hell off. Just anger, hot magma in my veins. I don't think he expected me to jump up at him, cuz I've never seen him look surprised till then. And...damn, that fucker hit hard. But I kept at it, I kept trying to get the gun away from him. 17 year old, just crushing an 11 year old, trying to kill a lil' filly who's just screaming her head off. I don't know how I stayed on, but after a while it stopped hurting so much, and I just...I don't know how, I busted his lip and grabbed the nearest thing I could see. A fucking fire poker, clocked him over the head a couple of times...might've got his temple once or twice. He was out, bleeding pretty bad. And I had all these cuts and he'd definitely broken my leg, so all I could do was toss the gun away and roll over on my back. It started to get dark. Real...real dark. I was dizzy as all hell.
Last thing I saw was my mark. Didn't know it was there at all till just then. Then it was all gone. Woke up...they told me two days later. Said Storm had been arrested but he was gonna live. I didn't want to talk about it. Hell, you come that close to killing your flesh and blood, and you wouldn't either.
