This time he dreamed that he was walking along a corridor with a pony who he didn’t know. The pony was leading him to a door that was guarded by two Pegasus ponies who were dressed in gold armor with blue plumes and light blue stars on the chests.

“I’m sorry about forcing you into this mission Storm Shadow.” the pony in front of him said.

“It’s just that we need as many good soldiers as we can get so we can get rid of the dragon, and you’re one of the best I know.” he continued.

“I could probably be of better use if there was a storm.” Storm Shadow replied.

“Yes, you and your sister Aerial have that odd ability whenever a storm occurs.” he replied.

“I’m not surprised you didn’t put her in the mission as well. She is a great flyer and all but unless there was a storm she wouldn’t be able to dodge a dragon for long.” he said.

“Yes and that is especially important in this mission. While others distract the dragon we need someone to get close enough to use shrinking powder on it.” he replied.

The guards opened the door for them and they walked into a room that was lined with armor. There were already a few ponies in the room that were helping each other get their armor on. The pony in front of him led him into a side room where there were only two sets of armor that were both a dark grey color. The other pony helped him get his armor on and he found that the armor fit perfectly and almost matched his coat and mane.

As the last piece of armor was being fitted, Storm Shadow jerked back to reality to the sound of thunder outside the window. He looked out the window and, sure enough, there was a storm outside. He galloped out of his room and went outside. The second he was outside he could feel a surge of strength. His coat and mane darkened in color, and his wings became noticeably larger. He thought that this must be the ability that he and his sister possessed. He spread his wings and took off. Smiling at how much faster he had become thanks to the storm around him. He inspected his coat and, instead of its usual grey and black coloring, it had become a very dark grey that matched the storm clouds above him. He looked back at the house and saw Rainbow Dash fly outside looking around frantically. He smiled and flew down to her.

“Miss me?” he said when he was right above her. She started to say something but froze when she saw him.

“What happened to you?” she stammered. He smiled and simply replied by saying.

“This is my special ability.” She simply gawked at how his wings had grown and his much darker coat and mane.

“I also remembered my name finally.” he said when she calmed down a bit.

“Really? What is it?” she asked.

“Storm Shadow.” he replied. She didn’t have to think about why he was named that. His coat and mane matched the color of the storm clouds exactly. If he had been farther away she doubted she would have seen him.

“Let’s go see Twilight and see what she thinks.” he said with a smile.

“Okay. I’ll race you there.” Dash replied, thinking that she could still beat him. She was wrong. He had been fast before but when a storm hits? There’s no getting past him. He rocketed past her with ease, and it still seemed like he could go even faster. He let her catch up, and smiled at her as the wind whipped his hair back.

They arrived at Twilight’s house shortly after, and knocked on the door. Twilight opened the door and started asking questions almost the instant she saw Storm Shadow. He calmly answered the ones that he could, and before long she was satisfied, and they went inside. When Storm Shadow got out of the storm his coat and mane changed back, and his wings became normal again.

Twilight gasped and said, “so you ARE a storm pegasus!”

“What’s a storm pegasus?” he asked.

“A storm pegasus is a pegasus who has special abilities when the weather is stormy. They are usually identified by their cutie marks, which always involve storm clouds. I thought they had died out.” she explained.

“Well apparently not because my sister and I are alive.” he said

“But you don’t know if your sister is alive.” she replied with concern.

“Yes I do. She must’ve been the one looking for me in the Everfree Forest.” he said as he remembered the thing that had been flying over the forest.

“So that’s why you were up there so long.” Dash said, remembering yesterday when he was gone for over an hour. When Storm Shadow got around to mentioning that he was some sort of guard, Twilight instantly thought about the Summer Sun Celebration.

“Maybe we should take you to the Summer Sun Celebration next week.” she said as soon as she could.

“Why? What would be there?” he asked with curiosity.

“Your sister might be there. Princess Celestia always has guards nearby during the celebration so there is a possible chance that your sister could be one of them.” she explained.

“Really?” he asked with a smile.

“Ya, it’s never the same guards two years in a row. They always rotate.” she replied.

At the time, Twilight had no idea how right she was.

Aerial was just getting back from her patrol when one of the captains beckoned her over. She went over to him with an impatient look on her face.

“The commander wanted me to notify you that you will be one of Celestia’s guards during the Summer Sun Celebration.” he said.

“What!?” she exclaimed. “I can’t be one of her guards! I need to be looking for my brother!” She continued. He sighed and explained something to her.

“Aerial you’ve been searching that forest for over a year with no success. Storm Shadow is gone and you have to accept that.”

Her eyes started to tear up at the thought of her brother. He had been missing ever since the battle with the dragon. She had been searching for him above the forest every day after they came back with only his armor. She believed that if they found no body then he must still be alive somewhere in the forest. She finally sighed and replied.

“Fine. I’ll go to the Summer Sun Celebration and do my job, but I’m looking for him again as soon as it’s over.” He only sighed again and let her go on her way. She got to the armory and went into the room where they kept her armor. She looked to the right and saw her brother’s armor displayed in a glass case. It had been fully repaired and placed back in this room. She calmly took off her own armor and placed it where it belonged before walking over to the case. The armor was a dark grey color that was supposed to match his coat during a storm, when it would turn dark and blend perfectly with the clouds. Her armor was the same way though she didn’t need it for the additional camouflage. She knew that she and her brother were a rare kind of pegasus called a storm pegasus. That was why they had special abilities whenever there was a storm. Celestia had helped raise them when their own mother had left them at the castle. Nopony had been able to find their parents so they could only assume they were the last of their kind. With one last look at the armor, she left the armory and went back to her room to get some rest.

Storm Shadow stood outside Rainbow Dash’s house, looking at the mountains that rose out of the forest in the distance. A memory had flashed into his mind of a fight with a dragon. He had managed to get shrinking powder into its mouth but it had clubbed him in the head with its tail before it could get too small. He thought that this must have been the cause of his memory loss. He tore his gaze from the mountains to look at Canterlot. He imagined seeing his sister again and the thought made him smile.

He looked up to see some pegasi clearing the sky. His coat and wings returned to normal as the storm slowly died down. He looked back down at the forest, wondering if he could regain any of his memories by going in. He decided to give it a try and flew to the edge of Ponyville as quietly as he could. He landed on the path and started to walk through the forest. He wandered through the forest until he came to a river. He looked to his left and was surprised to see a large sea serpent with a moustache calmly eating some sort of stones. He quietly flew to the other side of the river so he wouldn’t disturb the serpent. He continued walking and eventually came upon a bridge that looked as if it was over a hundred years old. He decided not to test its strength and instead used his wings to cross to the other side. He looked up as he landed and was surprised to see a very old castle looming up in front of him. The battlements were crumbling and vines were slowly conquering the walls. He flew up to one of the towers to see how big the castle was. As he flew he noticed a light coming from a different tower nearby. He flew over to investigate. He hovered just outside the window and peeked in.

A unicorn with a dark purple coat and a dark blue mane lay inside, reading a book that looked as old as the castle itself. He managed to spot the mark on the unicorn’s flank. It was a black wand with a fireball coming out of it. Suddenly the unicorn whipped around. Storm Shadow froze as the pony looked at him with startling royal blue eyes. He must have blended in with the remaining storm clouds because the unicorn simply frowned and went back to his book. After a few moments a light blue pony came in through the open door.

“What is it?” the unicorn asked impatiently.

“We haven’t been able to find the storm pegasus sir.” he said.

“Well you must keep looking.” he replied calmly.

“Yes sir.” the pony said and walked out of the room.

“I need that storm pegasus. If that dragon knocked him unconscious then there is a possibility that he is suffering from amnesia and I could use that to my advantage. The powers of a storm pegasus are unrivaled by all but the princesses or another storm pegasus.” the unicorn muttered silently to himself as he read. Another pony then came into the room, this one being a dark red color.

“Any luck on finding the storm pegasus Arcane?” she asked.

“No, and I would rather you address me by my full name.” he replied, fixing her with a stare.

“Well sorry for going with an easier name, Mr. Arcane Darkness sir.” she said without trying to hide her sarcasm. He simply smiled a little as his horn began to glow and lifted the other pony into the air.

“Is my name really that difficult? I would think so with the amount of sarcasm you put into that statement.” he said, still smiling as the pony thrashed about in mid-air with a look of terror on her face.

“I’m sorry! Please just put me down.” she pleaded.

“Very well, but watch what you say next time.” he said as he let her crash to the floor. She quickly got up and dashed out of the room, and he just kept smiling, and chuckled to himself as she left. By the time Arcane returned to his book, Storm Shadow was already halfway back to Rainbow Dash’s house.

He arrived at Dash’s house breathing heavily. She hadn’t even come back yet so he could rest and think about what he had seen. The unicorn was obviously looking for him, but why? He kept thinking about it until Dash came home.

“Where have you been?” she asked when she spotted him.

“Oh I just went for a little bit of a walk.” he lied, hoping that she wouldn’t question as to where.

“Oh, okay,” she simply replied, and went to bed. He breathed a sigh of relief before heading to his room. He was exhausted from flying back so quickly. As he climbed into bed he thought about the Summer Sun Celebration. If his sister did attend as a guard then he would have to keep an eye out for her. He smiled at the thought of seeing her again as sleep took a hold on him.

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