Chapter 43 – A Walk Down The Lane

"Ugh," I said as I set the white marker down with my claw. I had felt miserable from the lack of magic. From what I was told, I had been goat-ed once again to play as one of Nightmare Moon's pawns. This time, however, she was able to escape with a magical boost thanks to me. This pissed me off to no end, especially when even trying to levitate something caused me to go weak in the knees. Top of that, it seems that Shadow decided to take my body on a bit of a joy ride. Well if the princesses were anypony to go by.

But to top all that I now found out that because of my own stupidity that I let the bitch into my head. All because of Luna's fucking old helmet. Seriously how the fuck was I suppose to know that Nightmare tainted the Moon Helm like that? It was about four days after my little bout with Drakon and his brothers that I woke up. I had found out that Twilight and the rest of the girls had to use their elements on the armor to remove any trace of Nightmare left on it.

Course that didn't stop the princesses and Shadow playing a small prank on the girls. Celestia told me that they made it look like Shadow had taken over the castle by himself. With everything else that happened, I honestly thought this was a bit cruel to do at a time like that. I had said as much to the Duchess of the sun and all I got for it was.

"Shadow could be very convincing when it came to that." She had said with a shrug.

"Still didn't make it right." I had shot back. After that, I had been giving a few magical tonics to help restore my magic enough that I was about to do something other than grown about even being up. It had help with a massive headache that had radiated throughout my whole head. That and the pain in my chest from what Twilight had blasted Shadow, even with Luna's healing spell. It still felt a little off, she must have put a lot of force behind it. Lucky enough she didn't frag me good with that shot.

Other then that, I had spent time with both Heartshy as well as the castle Alchemist trying to help get me back on my hooves. Since they figured it was safer to have me back as a pony instead of the satyr. Which I was honestly fine with, well for the most part. I just wish I could at least levitate something other than dust mites. So I was pretty much doing it the griffin way with my prosthetic claw. My right ear twitched slightly at the sound of the door to room I had commandeered to work on my little mystery. I turned to see Luna slowly trotting in with the next tonic fix that I had to drink. Honestly, I would drink more of these if it wasn't two unfunny facts of them. One, that I had to pace myself otherwise I would get what I was told called 'Mana Sickness'. Which pretty much was too much magic trying to work its way through my system at one time and in my weakened state. It could induce a magical coma, which wouldn't be fun and two. They tasted completely and utterly nasty. Just one small smell of it almost induces vomiting and after the first time. Lucky for me that Luna was there with the save sliding the basket in front of me. So I had asked the alchemist to work on a way to make it taste a little better without diminishing the effects. That was after the third one. Currently, I'm on number twenty-three of these potions since I had to take them regularly.

"I was told this one should be more palatable than the last," Luna said floating over the mug to me. I reached up with my claw and saw that normally acidic green goop was not a pale blue. This didn't fill me with confidence about the taste, as it reminded me of one of my old friends from earth's concoction of Barbecue Soda. Just the thought of it sent shivers down my spine as I could still remember the slimy chunks that took a few minutes to slide down my throat. Never again.

"What flavor is it suppose to be this time?" I asked as I tried to slosh it in the cup to no avail. It just slowly oozed to the left and the right may be a centimeter at most.

"I believe its suppose to be blueberry." She said not even sounding convinced herself. "Regardless of taste, you still need to drink it."

"I know, how else am I going to get any of my magic in a timely manner," I said as I felt like I was in front of a firing squad with hoses of pure garbage slush. Honestly, I would rather take that and have to spend a day in the special baths getting clean then drink this... gunk. "In for a penny, in for a pound" With that I tried to drink it, honestly it was more I choked the damn thing down and dear god, that didn't taste anything like blueberries. Unless the thing was seven months old, squeezed with a bunch of other rotten fruits after mold had grown on it to make penicillin and I got the remainder. Luna winced as I began to gag on it pretty hard.

"Still bad?" She asked tentatively as I had rushed over to the trash can just in case I had to vomit in it.

"You have no idea!" I said with a slight echo from the can. "That was supposed to be fucking blueberry?" I got my head out of the about a few minutes later. I turned to see Luna looking at the remaining gunk in the cup with disgust. Lucky for her she didn't have to drink it.

"I'll let the alchemist know to work on it." She said setting the cup off to the side as she turned to look at the whiteboards I had set up. For the last two days I had gotten fourteen different files with traces of Nightmare Moon, but nothing more. So I was trying to profile her so I could possibly figure out where she would go in her new form. Which was not fun to find out happened because of the potion I drink just to be a satyr. "Nothing definite yet?" Luna asked as she saw my interlaced information with theories and possible locations base off of her history.

"Nothing yet, seriously how hard is it to find one Anthropomorphic pony in Equestria? I mean she stand out literally among ponies." I said as I trotted back to look over the files again.

"Nightmare Moon had time to perfect her craft at hiding. So there is no shame in somepony not being able to find her right away. It's only been four days Storm, you need to rest." She said as I left my head droop with my ears.

"I know, I know. But I can't really just lazy about when that monstrosity is out and about. I have to do something otherwise, I'm going to lose my mind all over again." I said as I used my hooves to run through my mane in frustration.

Luna came over and gently placed a wing on me. “Storm sometimes there isn't anything we can do about things. It's right now out of our hooves.” I just lowered my head slightly in defeat. As much as I didn't want to admit it, she was right. I didn't have the power or strength to really do anything about it right now. With my magic pool on the near-empty side of things. Just added insult to injury.

“I get that Luna, I'm just tired of being so... useless right now.” I said a little dejected.

“Storm your not useless.” She said trying to comfort me.

“But, I can't do anything I use to. I had to ask a guard to get me a book from one of the high shelves because I can't even fly right now. The most I can do is walk and times, not even that.” Luna looked at me with worry before she gently nuzzled next to me.

“We will get through this Storm... together,” Luna said as she continued, and I just let her. I wasn't really feeling so comforted, to be honest. Twilight and the rest of the girls had to go to the Crystal Empire to help with something about the Equestrian Games. From what I was told it was Equestria's version of the Olympics. So I was without Twilight the whole time, she had to get back to Ponyville after that for something for Celestia. So I didn't have my marefriend to help me through most of this self-doubt that I had been pledge with. I think Luna sensed that her words weren't really comforting me for the fact that I wasn't really feeling right. She let out a sigh and I turned to look at her. “Storm, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure...”

“Why didn't you tell me you were still having nightmares?” She asked and I looked at her confused.

“How did-”

“Shadow told me.”

“Oh...” I said a little dejected. “I just... deal with them.”

“Storm,” Luna said a little disappointed. “No pony should have to deal with nightmares, especially you.” She was looking at me with more worry.

“Sorry, just... I've been used to having bouts of repeating nightmares since I was a kid. It's just something that I don't think about really.”

“How do you not think about it, if they keep waking you up?” She asked looking at me.

“Because they don't, they are repeating nightmares. It just repeats over again and I just sleep through it. My body when I do sleep gets its natural Rem sleep. Even if it is a little mentally tiring.” I said with a shrug.

“That's not healthy, from what I have seen and from what you're telling me. Then a pony subjected to this should have a damaged psyche and... oh.” She said shutting up when I gave her the best 'no shit' look I could muster at the time. I knew I wasn't in my right mind, something that I had to deal with since birth. “You know that does explain a lot.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence there Luna, really helps,” I said giving her a sarcastic thumbs up.

“Storm, that's not what I meant. It just goes to show how different you are from everypony else.”

“Besides not being a pony but a drony, or the fact that I have a split human soul, or is it the fact that I'm missing a hoof. I mean it can't be just my broken fractured mind to show how different I am.” I shot back a little annoyed, I may be a little salty with everything that's been going on.

“That's not what I meant either. I'm just saying that we've all questioned your leaps in logic at times.” She said as she tried to back peddle a bit. Honestly, I wasn't as angry as I had appeared to be. With everything going on, I just felt a little defensive at the time. It was worse than I didn't have Twilight here with me while I recouped. “But right now, I have something of more pressing matters to talk to you.”

“And what's that?”

“Twilight.” That got my brain to jump to red alert.

“Is she alright?” I asked as I felt my heart start to jump in tempo.

“She's fine, but I want to come clean with you about what's going to happen in the near future.” She said before a folder popped into existence next to her. She set it down on the table and I walked over to it and opened it with my claws. “A few minutes before I came here, we sent this book to Twilight.” It looked like a brown leather bound book with Starswirl's cutie-mark on top of it. The binding of the edge of it reminded of me old string bound journals I had saw once.

“What about it?” I asked a little confused.

“The last page of the book held a spell that Starswirl abandoned and never finished. From what we hope Twilight will be able to finish it, but...” She said biting her bottom lip.

“But?” I asked not liking where this was going.

“But... we know it's going to affect the elements of harmony.” She said and my eyes widen as my brain figured out Luna's trepidation.

“Your worried since I'm tied to the artifacts that made them, that the spell will affect me.” I finished her thought and she confirmed with a nod. “Then what's the plan?”

“We are going to place you in a special room with your Captain to watch over you till we know for sure what's to transpire. We hope that you come out of this unscathed” Luna said and I could see the worry on her face.

“And what about Twilight or the others?”

“The effects on them are minor since they are all connected to a single element,” Luna explained. Which I guess it makes sense.

“So because I'm connected to all six artifacts that it may or may not even affect me,” I asked and Luna nodded at this.

“Which is why we are taking the precaution and have you in a secure location.” I couldn't help but sigh and nod at this.

“Alright, let's go.” I said using my right hoof in a 'may as well' gesture. The two of us left with and walked down a serious of halls all the way into the door the left to the dark side of Canterlot. Upon passing through the door my captain joined us silently in her uniform. Luna looked focused while I was a little on the worried side, as I wasn't sure what to expect. Even more so where we were going, that last one to be answered rather quickly. The door itself was made out of a black stone with silver runes laid into the stone all creating a sort of tribal moon in the center. Luna's horn lit with the runes following suit in a wave-like pattern starting at the top. Then the door opened to show a very dark room that matched the door in stonework alone. Unlike the door, this one didn't have silver runes all over it. Just carved in lines that spider web the room. "What is this room?"

"This was one of the large channeling chambers that unicorns use to use to move the moon before my sister and I took over. The stone that made up this room is used to help focus the magic itself. We are hoping if there is an effect that the room will help contain it inside." Luna explains as we walked in to see a pillow was set down for what I could assume was me to sit in the middle of it. So without much thought, I did just that.

"So how long do I have to wait to find out if I get affected or not?" I asked as I wiggled a bit to get comfortable. Lucky for me they got one of the really poofy cloud pillows that I began to enjoy when I visited Canterlot. I needed to have somepony remind me to order one of twelve of these for the library.

"We will know by the morrow." She commented before turning to Nightling. "Captain, please inform my sister and I if anything happens."

"Of course your highness," Nightling said with a bow before Luna left with a flick of magic. I watched as my captain turned her gaze towards me.

"So... um... how's things?" I asked a little awkwardly.

"Fine." She commented flatly.

"Still angry with me after denying you about the dragon fight?" I ask as my ears flattened back.

"Eeyup." She commented just as flat as before.

"Look, you understand that I had a good-" I said before she cut me off with a very flat.

"I know."

"I can't be the only pony that's given you orders you didn't like before." I shot back now a little annoyed myself.

"You aren't"

"Then what's the real reason your angry?"

"Because you don't trust me."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't trust me to do my job." She shot back with a bit of anger in her voice.

"I do trust-"

"Bull, if you trusted me then I should have been out there with you instead of taking Twilight back to the castle." She said as she got up into my face.

"Let me explain something to you captain," I said as I poked her in her chest with my claw. "I trusted you to protect the one thing I care about the most in this world and to put it on a short list. Number one is Twilight, Two is my family which includes three princesses, two princes, and the girls. Number three is my friends, and four is my life. So take a guess the pony I trusted to guard them hmm?" I shot back as Nightling jerked back.

"Do you seriously put yourself that low?" She asked.

"I'm not Blueblood damn it!" I shot back as I'm getting a little sick of being compared to him at times. I get it, he has a bad rep when it comes to a prince but to put all of us on the same pedestal was just insulting at this point.

"I never said you where!" She shouted back.

"But you're comparing me to him!"

"Only because you both have your heads up your flanks most of the time."

"Excuse me? When the fuck do I have-"

"Do you want them in alphabetical or chronological?" She said with a smirk.

"Fuck you too Nightling. If you're so up with everything. Then hows the whole picking out the guards going?" I shot back.

"Paperwork is already in transit as we are waiting for the heads to reassign them since you got the files to me." She said that caused me to pause.

"I never-" was all I got out.

"That was me, I got tired of the nitpicking" Shadow said interrupting.

"Never mind," I said annoyed with a small snort. "Just... how long before I have to deal with them?"

"Once the barracks are set up, they will be officially transferred. The Royal Blacksmith is already working on their armors now." She said going back to her open.

"Thanks," I said with a sigh and ran my claws through my mane.

"Your welcome your highness." She said with a smirk.

"Nightling I said-"

"I know, but I still have to respect titles."

"And your doing it to screw with me aren't you?"

"Eeyup."

"I hate you," I said in a huff. There were a few moments of silence, where nothing could be heard in the room other then Nightling shifting in her armor as she made rounds around the room that was probably close to the side of a small auditorium.

"From one to another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone. Fulfilled." Could be heard echoing around the room. I glanced about not sure where it was coming from, but it sounds a lot like Twilight.

"Did you hear that?" I asked as Nightling stopped in stop and turned towards me.

"Hear what?" She asked now on guard.

"It sounded like Twi-" was out of my muzzle before the door swung open and six beams of magic prismatic magic struck me. The world turned white as I think I may have screamed in pain.

***---***

"Did anypony get the number of that donkey cart?" I groaned out as I felt like somepony had tossed me out a window, down a cliffside, over two miles of terrain and back over the same two miles before they dropped me in the middle of some carpeted floor.

It didn't take look for me to get my bearing and see I was in one of the few places I really wish I was. I was back in an old church, not like a Notre Dame kind of church. This was an old church from my time on earth, namely one that held a few painful memories. Part of the reason this one always stuck in my mind was that this was one of those diagonal styled churches that felt like an auditorium to me with the main pulpit being in the corner instead of it being against one wall. The large red carpet covered the floor and the old wooden setting was just as I remembered it. Even the little choir back off to the right was just as I had seen it before. Granted I never sung up there, but I had played hide and seek as a kid in here after church the few times my great-grandmother had taken me. The more I look at it, things weren't as one for one as I had originally thought they were. The stained glass was different, namely instead of the more mundane random pattern that the church had. These held images, namely images of the element bearers from Equestria.

Something in me told to make my way to the pulpit as I couldn't shake this odd feeling that I needed to be here. The feeling was confirmed by the time I reached it to find that sitting on a table was a casket that wasn't there a few moments before. My heart stopped for a second as a white flash blinded me. I turned trying to avoid a source that was more around me than anything. When I was able to see, I saw the once empty room filled with twenty or so people. All of the family and friends that I had known when I was a kid.

“He's not taking this well.” Said a voice that sounded like my mother. I turned to watch her talking to my grandmother. One that I was still on good terms with before I died on earth. She both turned to see a young kid maybe in his early teens. But I remember that outfit, the dark blue shirt with jeans. One of the few outfits I had that looked nice that I could fit into without having put off my gut not stick out from under it. But I knew what they this was, and its one that I never wanted to relive. The distant look in my eyes, that left this emotionless color to them. The slump in body language as he leaned forwards slightly. I knew that look and it was a problem I had for most of my life on earth. I was just dead to emotions or just that they were shut off. It was hard to see myself like that as I knew both sides to this now.

It was something that only happens when I took to much of an emotional hit. In this case, it was when my great grandmother had died and at this point, it had been less than a week since it happened. She went peacefully in her sleep thing those above, but I was the one that found her. And for a kid who was at the time not emotionally ready for something like that. It was like taking a cannon to the heart and mind at a point blank range. I remember hearing those around me talking about me, and at the time I didn't care. The few weeks that past it held a lot more pain. One of my friends at the time got sick and tired of my 'moping' and tried to beat it out of me. When I came home that night I was covered in bruises and had a bloody nose. But that didn't matter at this moment. I slowly walked passed the adults there at the time as I made my way to my younger self. When something I didn't remember happening, my younger self got up and left to go outside. Slowly I followed as I saw the outside was just a small bit of sidewalk and grass but it faded into a purple haze, like a spotlights edge. Sitting on the edge of the sidewalk was my younger side facing away from the church.

“Who are you?” My younger self said which surprised me.

“Ah, I'm Firestorm. But you can call me Storm.” I offered not sure if I should use my full name as I made my way slowly up to him. He hadn't looked at me when I walked out. He was just slumped at the end of the stoop. He turned to look at me and jump in surprise. “Trust me, your not the first one to jump like that.”

“What the fuck are you?” He said and I jolted back in surprise. I had forgotten that I was cursing back then.

“Drony.” I said with a rolled eyes when I saw his still surprised look. Even more so when his left eye twitch watching me talk.

“Da fuck is a drony?”

“Dragon pony.” He looked at me like I was fucking with him. With my internal heat radiating around me, my bright orange fur quickly turned into my vibrant red scales. That was followed by a snort of smoke coming out of my nose. My younger self just raised up a finger with his mouth open like he was going to say something, before nodding.

“Alright, that's pretty cool.”

“Yeah, I thought so myself,” I said with a light chuckle. He reached over carefully before I felt his hand on my face. Just watching a younger version of myself reach over, was extremely weird and to feel his hand being right there. Just a level of surreal that I never thought I would experience was happening right there. After a few moments, both of us turned at the sudden tune that started to play off in the distance. At first, I thought it was one of the memories cell phones going off, but I was extremely wrong by that. We both turned to see an old carnival that reminded me of the local one that would show up from time to time around the mall. “Want to go?” I said turning back to my younger self.

“Do you think they would allow you there?”

“I don't think it would be a problem, I mean they allowed me here.” I said with a shrug. “Do you want a ride?”

“Can I?” He asked a little nervous.

“As long as you don't mind me picking you up.”

“Pick me up?” I couldn't help but smirk as my horn lit up and he began to float a few inches off the ground. “Woh!” He pulled his legs up looking down in surprise. “Cool!” I slowly put him on my back and I realize he was a little bit bigger than I thought. Nothing too big just I forgot I had such long legs. He pulled his legs up as I slowly trotted over to the carnival. For it is in sight, it was rather far away. Like every step, it would have normally taken, it was more like ten for me. Between the two areas was just this massive expanse that was void of purple haze with a small patch of light under us. “Hey Storm... can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” I said turning my head to look up at him.

“How do you handle... things like that?” He asked motioning his head behind him. I looked at him for a moment before turning my gaze away from him to watch where I was going a bit more.

“Every... one handle a loss like that differently. Some let all the feelings out of the sadness and anger out. Others hold it in and bury it deep inside just so no one can see them hurt from it.” I sighed quietly. “Some just shut down because they are unable to process the emotions right away, and when it does hit they are just a mess afterward.”

“Is that what you do?”

“Most times, yes.” We continued as the walk felt so much longer then it should have taken us. “I know a few that prefer to think of the brighter side of things. To remember the good times instead of the bad. Just to remember them for who they were and not what has happened. Tell stories or crack jokes, maybe even a pun or two.”

“How could you make a joke out of something like this?”

“Depends on what your joking about. I mean the person was into gardening then you could be rooted to planting puns, but I be leaf that could be hard.” I said cracking a small smile turning to look at my younger self.

“Did you just-?” He turned down to look at me and groaned. “Those were some bad ones.”

“Well, I may need to branch out into some new jokes, but I guess I'm barking up the wrong tree aren't I?” After that one he thumped me on the back of the head. “Ow”

“Bad pony!” He said crossing his arms and looking away from me.

“What? At least they weren't bear puns. I mean some of them are of good koalaity. It's quite pawsible that some of them are unbearable.” I said grinning now before I felt another thump to the back of my head, but at least my younger self was smiling only a little. So I couldn't help myself, the rest of the way to the carnival I was just making really bad puns. This after a while got my younger self to smile and enjoy himself a little. Which in a way made me feel a lot better about being stuck somewhere weird.

The carnival itself was pretty tame considering this was just a few rides and mostly games. Which we tried most of them, the first one we tried was the strength game. Which watching my younger self trying to lift the hammer was pretty amusing. To watch him finally get it off the ground on his shoulder, for it almost make him land on his ass. Lucky for the both of us, magic seemed to still work here. So I kept him from toppling over. With all of his might and a look of determination, my younger self managed a three on the game. I couldn't help but chuckle watching my younger self, who in turn crossed his arms.

“I want to see you do better!” He huffed out looking away annoyed. I couldn't help but lift it up in my magic with ease. With a slam, the bell rang at the top of the game. “Without magic, cheater.”

“Alright, alright.” I said using my right prosthetic to wave him off as I brought the hammer over to me and then grabbed with my claws. I then slammed it down rather hard, granted it wasn't as strong as I did with my horn. I only scored a seven without using momentum to add more force to my slam.

"Ugh, seriously?" My younger self groaned, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, explain to me how a pony is able to do that?"

"You think that is crazy. I know a mare that if she wanted to, could but a tree miles away. Roots and all." I said as I watched my younger self just look at me like I was feeding him nothing but bullshit.

"Prove it?"

"Can't take the words straight from the-"

"Horse's mouth, haha. Very funny, now tell me something original?" He shot back cutting me off.

"Okay, then how about this. I can breath fire." I shot back with a smirk and I watched him own his mouth before I pointed my muzzle up and let out a gout of flames higher then the strength testing game.

"Point made." He said with widening eyes.

"Don't feel bad, I had about the same reaction when I saw my first Phoenix," I said with a chuckle as we walked down the row of games, with us ending up at a shooting gallery.

"Seriously? Next, you're going to tell me you live with a dragon."

"Baby Dragon, but yeah."

"And he hasn't torched your home how?"

"He's a baby in dragon standards but he's closer to well, your age give or take a few years," I said before reaching up and using my claws to grip the familiar pellet pistol. I watched my younger self join me on the next gun over. We watched the little ducklings scroll down the little conveyor belt. Man, Fluttershy would have a heart attack if she saw this game. One thing I still had from my youth was my really good shot when it came to games. With a few rounds between the two of us, I think we only missed two or three ducklings. Enough to score a medium prize. So with a flick, I pulled down one of the knock-off dragon plushies that was hanging. Something about this was just eating away at the back of my mind like something wasn't adding up.

"Hey, how about we try some of the attractions?" My younger self said before running off heading towards that rather large funhouse. While myself just slowly trotted behind him as I couldn't help but feel like a kid myself. The two of us entered it and to be honest, the rather plain looking outside didn't give enough away about the rather wild inside. The outside was large box blue building with bright red and yellow sign that said 'Fun House'. While the after the first door it looked like Pinkie Pie had loaded up her party cannon with paintballs of every color and fired non-stop covering the wall and the spinning tube we were trying to walk through. Yeah, trying to walk straight when the walkway was trying to spin to the right wasn't easy. Well till I cheated a little and used my wings to glide through it.

Next up was a bit of a ball pit, with those wobbling punching dolls set up throughout it. It was pretty interesting to see the standard clowns, fake monsters like the Wolfman, Frankenstein's monster and mummy, not to say a few crash dummies. After that, we found ourselves in the hall of mirrors, and that's when things took a sharper turn for the strange. Normally most mirrors were distorted so who ever looks into them seems funny looking. Which was true for most of these, as some of them made look I had a big head, some had me extremely short, and others had me wide to no end. Which was fine, as I watched my younger self shoot forwards and after a few turns. I had lost sight of him completely.

"H-hey, you still there?" as I asked. For some odd reason, I began to feel really nervous. Like this thick blanket of unease began to cover me and with each turn. It felt like someone covered me with another similar blanket. It was enough that I stopped looking at the mirrors directly that for a moment, I thought I saw something other than me in a refection. I turned back to look at the mirror to see an almost normal looking me. This place was really screwing with me, and I need to get out of here fast. It was a few more turns and twists that I found my younger self standing in front of a mirror looking at his own reflection. "Oh thank god, I found you. Hey, let's get out of-"

"Tick tock goes the clock." My younger self said turning his head to look at me with a childish grin on his face.

"Huh?" I said a little confused before alarm bells began to go off in my head. The younger me stepped forward into the fucking mirror itself as if he was some Alice in fucking wonderland. He turned around grinning at me like he had a secret waiting to be shared. Slowly I stepped forwards into the larger icosagon room. Each of the nineteen mirrors filled up with a different version of me. Some of me older then my younger self if I was still human. Some of them younger, I saw the same but if I was aways a pony, and one of my as a satyr. I turned around thinking it was time for me to leave to see that my path was blocked by another mirror completing the twenty-sided room with an image of me as if I was always was a dragon in the rough younger years, like garble but maybe off by a few inches give or take and not such a big mouth.

"I see the coward finally decided to show himself." The dragon version said from his mirror cell.

"Shame he hasn't learned his place yet." The satyr version of me said next.

"It would be funny if it wasn't so sad." The younger me from before said in a taunting tone.

"Stop it!" I said back, not wanting to hear this.

"Or what?" Said a larger drony version of me from another mirror. He was close to Celestia's size but was a lot bulkier then she was.

"No wait don't tell me you're going to cry?" Said a mare version of me next as I turned to see her with a venomous smirk on her face.

"No!" I shot back.

"I bet he can't wait for it all to be over." Said three of the youngest versions of me said in unison.

"N-no!" I said as I felt fear grip me.

"Not like he had much of a chance here." A female satyr me said as she leaned against the side of the mirror as her tail flicked back and forth. "He just going to do what he did with his old friend. Leave them all behind for new friends."

"It wasn't my fault!" I shot back trying to find a leg to stand on.

"Oh, of course, blame Grimwand for your crappy luck." The male satyr said this time before he began to do a fake child's voice. "Oh woe is me, I was taken away from my family and friends because of some pony when I decided to stand up to a gunman like a moron!" He mocked before growling towards the end as I flinched at that. They continued one after another mocked and belittled me for every choice I made. Each one felt like a blow to my inside that I began to drop to the ground with my wings tightly pressed to my side.

"Regardless of what has been said or done, Firestorm I will always love you." A voice said that was almost hard to hear out of the symphony of belittlement. "You are a lot stronger and brave then you give yourself credit for. Don't listen to those thoughts and listen to me." The voice continued to say as the sound of those in the mirror began to fade away as the voice got louder to the point I could tell it was Twilight's voice. "Everypony deserves to be happy Storm, even you."

"She's right," I said softly as I began to pick myself up off the ground. "I deserve to be happy." I felt a warmth in me as it began to show outside. My fur slowly turned into scales as a felt my tail get longer till I slammed the ground with it causing it to crack. "I shouldn't listen to ponies like you. You may know what I did, but you don't know one important thing." I continued as I was now on my hoofs and spread out before I roared out my next words ending in a real draconic roar. "You don't know who the hell I am!"

I watched one by one as the mirrors began to shatter and fall to the ground in a pile of glass before I watched the whole funhouse begin to crack as it too was made of glass. As shards began to fall, out of habit my wing swung forwards to cover my head from the debris. However, nothing struck me.

When I pulled my wing back, I found myself back in Canterlot castle only different. This looked like the stain glass hallway that normally has key points of history depicted in the windows. This time it had moments of my life, both human and drony. I looked around to see the hall ended with large walls of white light at either end about a good ten to fifteen yards away. My attention was taken when I heard the voice of somepony clearing his voice, and I swear I almost had a heart attack when I turned to see the human depiction of the grim fucking reaper behind me. The only thing I couldn't see was his face. But he stood almost taller than Celestia as he held his scythe in his skeleton grip. His eyes or I should say the glowing red orbs that were the only thing that could be seen in the dark shadowed hood of his cloak.

"You have two choices before you. Return home, to a time before that fateful day." He said as I watched his breath come out as if it was for anyone or anypony else on a whole day, as he pointed to the left. I turned to see all of my old friend and family standing there. My grandmother, mom, dad, sister, Ghost, Viper, and Knives just to name a few. "Or" The reaper continued as his arm dropped and his right one with his weapon in hand pointed the other direction. "You can return to Equestria. To those that you now know and will forever know." To the right stood Twilight, Spike, The girls, the Princesses, Shining Armor, Gaia, Lyra, and even Derpy. I looked back and forth at both groups and I felt torn. For the longest time, I had wished I to return to the easier time. To when I had my leg again and felt whole for the most part. Even with the spell from Grimwand's journal, I knew I could never go back to the way I was before.

Even had dreamed about it from time to time about going back before it turned into a nightmare with my being stuck as either a drony or satyr their. It was one of the few reasons why I was so scared of going back with Luna, Twilight, and Lyra. Them having to deal with the same things I dreamt about. Here, I had a choice to go back to how it all was... before. I looked over the faces of my old friends... and family. All I saw there was the pain, with a few moments of fun and joy. The nights of being in my room alone to read or to isolate myself between fights with my parents. Even at the times my friends and I were at odds.

Then I looked at my new friends and family. Ones that I have grown to love during my almost year of being here. I had found love again with Twilight, and a sense of home that had felt lost to me since I arrived. Out of everything with Celestia, I still enjoyed our time together. Even if at times she would either get under my skin or push the wrong buttons. The awkward moments between the girls and I were even enjoying looking back on it. Even if I wasn't in the right mind.

I nodded to myself before I turned to my old friends and family. "I miss you guys with all my heart, even when we were at odds at times. I wouldn't trade a moment of it for the world." I began with a smile before it slides down to a frown. "But that time had come to an end with the sound of the reaper's bell. No offense." I said turning to the reaper as he held up his hand.

"None taken."

"I want you all to continue living your life, and enjoy the time you had with me in your memories. While you may never really hear this, I just want you to know." I said before turning my head back to look at all of them. "I still love and care for each and every one of you, and nothing is going to change that." When I finished I turned to the reaper. "I want to return to Equestria and it's my final answer," I smirked lightly when I said that as I felt something ignite in my heart as I turned for a few moments to look at Twilight who was smiling at me.

"Very well." The reaper said as he reached up to pull it back. I had never seen what was under it, as soon as it was started to be pulled back. A blinding light engulfed it to blind me when the spots cleared. I found myself in a star-filled void. The whole area reminded me of being in a space in films from earth. Even to the point that the pathway I was standing on was just a star road. The weird part is that the road itself felt... off. As in there wasn't a feeling, to begin with. I lifted up my left hoof and tried to bring it down to make some sound, but nothing. It didn't even feel like a floor. Like there wasn't even a floor there, just like something was pressing back on my hoof to act as a floor. Looking around I could say this would be very relaxing if I wasn't already done with everything. The wisps of colors around this place in tones of the blue ranging from midnight blue all the way to a few shades darker than sky blue.

It felt like maybe an hour before something different happened. Different windows began to appear around me of points in my life. From the time I first appeared and faced a timberwolf to the point of facing shadow after my small party in Ponyville. When I was facing Grimwand in the dreamscape to when Dash was trying to teach me how to fly. That one time with Twilight when we would just lay together reading the same book, to when Twilight was teaching me in that rather sexy teacher outfit of hers. Just moment after moment in my life, but they were all in the third perspective. Even the fight with Drakon leading up to Nightmare moon's re-release. That one I couldn't help but focus on for a little while till a noise behind me caught my attention.

Turning my head, I noticed Luna fading into existence behind me. She was looking like she was trying to find somepony. When she fully materialized and her gaze caught me. She ran up and gave me a rather strong hug. Which I was a little surprised but I welcomed it after this weird day.

“Storm, I'm so glad you're alright. When Captain Nightling said you disappeared, we began to worry.” Luna said before she pulled herself away slowly.

“Disappeared? Is that what happened?” I asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“Well... yes and no. At first, it was reported that you were engulfed in a sphere of prismatic magic. It wasn't till early this morning that it and yourself disappeared.”

“Wait this morning? How long have I been in here?” I asked as my eyes widened looking at her.

“About a week.” She said not looking me in the eyes.

“A week!” I exclaimed with my left eye twitched. “You are seriously tell me that one little spell knocked me out for a fucking week?”

“Storm, we weren't sure how the spell was going to affect you,” Luna said trying to calm me down.

“Magic here seems to have the same principals as science. So a spell like that shouldn't have kept me indisposed for so fucking long.” I said before something got caught in the throat as I began to cough to dislodge it. As I did, a ruby red fireball landed on the ground that began to float up. “Oh what the fuck now?!” I said a little annoyed as Luna and I watch it began to swirl around me and split off till it was enough to piece that it engulfed me in its flames. I felt hot, like warmer then I did before when I first changed into my stormed state. I felt places all over my body burn hotter than before. My hooves, my wings, even my back, flanks, and my horns. It was all over, but not everywhere. The fire around me grew brighter before in a flash everything was gone. Luna, the windows of my past, the stars, whips, and the following seconds myself.

***---***

Can somepony or someone, hell I would take anyone at this point to not make everything do the sudden disappearing act... please? That would be great. Where was I? Oh right...

***---***

“God... why does my head feel like someone detonated a two-ton bomb in it?” I said rubbing after I noticed I was somewhere... different. Well not different as it was the lookout where Twilight and I held our dance quite some time ago. I get I wasn't going to show up in the castle because I disappeared from there, from what Luna told me. Out of all the places I could have appeared at, I preferred here or Ponyville. Looking around, I could tell I was being stared at from the windows around. That was short lived by getting tackle hugged by my marefriend.

“Firestorm!” She yelled as she flew at me and pinned me to the ground as she nuzzled into my chest.

“Ah... hi?” I said blinking in confusion, partly from what was going on and the fact that my marefriend had wings. Not even butterfly wings that she had made appear on night when I tried calling her out on the best young flier story. I mean pegasi wings, or I should be more precise Alicorn wings.

“I was so worried after I was told.” She said pulling back and looking at me directly in the eyes.

“Sorry, I didn't plan to worry you like that.” That's when I noticed an odd tint over things. Not overpowering but something I more noticed on the edge of my vision. Adding to it, the tint was a bright ocean blue close to the same color as my natural eye color.

“It was my fault, I didn't know the spell would have affected you too.” She said as her eyes welled with tears.

“Twilight, I'm alright. This isn't the worst to happen, so I was whisked away and brought here.” I said with a shrug for a moment, before a grin crossed my muzzle. “But my question is, what's a princess doing out at this time of night.” Twilight looked at me a little confused, even going as far as blinking a few time.

“Oh no, not you too.” She groaned as her ears flattened back. “I keep getting it from everypony-”

“Especially Rarity” We both said at the same time, which we couldn't help but laugh a little at that.

“Are you going to be calling that too?” She asked looking worriedly.

“Depends, did you rib me a few times with my title?” I said with a smirk looking down at her. Her eye widened for a moment before her head sank and she dropped down on me.

“I'm doomed.” She said in a muffle as she had her face pressed into my chest, and I couldn't help but chuckle at this.

[End of Chapter]

Author's Notes:

Well... Twilight has finally earned her wings... The question next is how is this going to affect everything else in her and Storm's life?