//------------------------------// // Mistakes of the Past - 2 // Story: Old Wrath // by Wooden Entity //------------------------------// Storming grabs the vials and the book and puts them somehow into one the pockets of his coat, which actually should be way too small for something like that. "Transdimensional pockets - I needed a way to stay mobile after hundreds of years of collecting magical stuff." Storming explains before he teleports us back to the portal and drags me through it. On the other side we almost stumble over Twilight and Applejack who were standing before the portal together with Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. "So this was indeed a portal." Twilight says curiously. "Was this the reason that you almost crashed?!" "Yeah, what was this stunt? Yah could have seriously hurt someone!" Applejack continues. "And what is this for a terrible peace of fabric you're wearing? This is against all laws of fashion!" Rarity complains. "Uhhhh! What is on the other side?" Pinkie ask. "I hope its an ocean made of chocolate with islands of cake!" "NOW SHUT UP!" Suddenly Storming screams before he approaches Twilight and grabs her on her shoulders. "Twilight do you know where I can find the flower of Liguacum retusa magica?" "Liguacum retusa magica?" Twilight repeats confused. "You mean nirnroot?" "YES I DO! WHERE CAN I FIND IT?!" He yells while shaking her. "Hey, hey, enough of that!" Applejack shouts as she goes between them and tries to drag Storming on his arm away from Twilight. Storming lets go of her and moves a step backwards. "You're right, you're right. I'm ... I'm sorry." He says looking to the ground. "So, what is yah problem and what in tarnation happened to yah hands?" "Nothing if we can find the flower, otherwise I will soon be the servant of queen Crysalis." "What?!" Applejack asks confused. "Does that mean you are turning into one of these bugs?" Rainbow Dash asks. "Yeah, I'm turning into a changeling. Now can we please get this flower? I'm running out of time!" "The only place I know, where the flower grows is the Everfree Forest. Maybe Zecora has got some samples, but she lives directly in the forest." Twilight says finally. After a flash we stand before my cottage. "Huh?" Storming says confused as he notices my cottage. "I planned to bring us closer to the forest." "The Everfree Forest is a magical place. Some things don't work there as expected." Twilight explains to him. "Huh, great... well let's go. You lead the way, Twilight." "Okay, follow me." We march into the forest. The leafs of the trees doesn't let pass much of the light through to the ground making it, even though its only just noon, dark like in the evening. The sounds of the animals in the forest just add to the creepy mood. "Well..." Rainbow Dash says eventually flying next to Storming before her gaze wanders to him. "... how is this even possible?" "It's the consequence of a failed experiment from a long time ago." He answers without meeting her gaze. "What kind of experiment?" "I tried to create a potion that would give me the ability of shape-shifting to ... well ..." He points with his hoofs at his body. "... you can probably see why. So ... yeah ... it didn't turn out as expected. Now I turn every 30 to 50 years into a changeling and have to take -" Before Storming can finish the sentence, he suddenly stumbles and falls to the ground, causing us all to stop. "Are you okay?" I ask him concerned. Storming turns around and sits himself up while holding his knees. "No." He answer before multiple holes appear on his legs. "Oh my..." "Can you move?" Twilight asks. "Yes, yes, I'm fine again." Storming answer while he, supporting himself on his right knee, stands up with the help of me and Rainbow Dash. We are about to continue our way as Storming notices something on his leg and looks down, where he is greeted by Pinkie Pie, who is pushing a twig in and out of one of the holes in his leg while letting out a happy "Uhh!". "Could you please stop that?" Storming asks her slightly confused and surprised. "Okaydokeylokey!" She answers him happily before she removes her twig and bounces off deeper into the forest followed by Twilight, Rarity and Applejack while I and Rainbow Dash stay a bit behind with Storming. "That was ... strange." Storming says as Pinky is out of earshot. "Don't be mad at her. She ... she's just Pinky." Rainbow Dash tries to explain. "Yes, I'm sure she didn't meant to harm." I say. "Uh-huh." He says before suddenly three big timberwolves jump out of the bushes to our right. Before they can even land on the ground, they are surrounded by a black aura and shortly after thrown back into the forest. I and Rainbow stare with wide eyes at Storming. "I don't have time for stuff like this." He says before he moves on. "Did something happen?" Twilight asks after we are united with them again. "I thought I heard something." "It was nothing." Storming answers. During our further trip we run in more ambushes by the flora and fauna of the Everfree forest. At first Twilight and Storming are fighting them off together but the further we move into the forest the more Twilight seems to take over while Storming is becoming more and more exhausted and kind of absent-minded. As eventually the alicorn-magic in his tail and mane vanish and its colour changes to a dark blueish green he doesn't even seem to care about it. Some time later we are attacked again, this time by a carnivorous plant, but Storming just keeps walking like he doesn't even noticed it. After we finally have fought it off, we run after him. "Storming!" Twilight shouts as we reach him before she takes his left roof and drags on it so he turns to us. "Oh Celestia..." Storming is showing symptoms on his face. His right eye has a slit-shaped pupil and its usually black iris has got a greenish tint. "What?" He asks. "Your ... your eye!" Twilight says pointing with her hoof on it. Rarity pulls out a mirror and hands it over to Storming. "Huh, seems like I overestimated my time." He says almost uninterested as he looks into the mirror. "That doesn't seem to bother yah very much." Applejack says to him. "Well I'm currently too busy with fighting off Crysalis to care about my appearance." He answers while he gives the mirror back to rarity. "What do you mean with fighting off Crysails?" Rarity asks. "I mean that it becomes harder and harder for me to disobey her commands." Storming walks over to a big stone and sits down on it. "You know what? I'll do now, what I already should have done in the first place." He grabs in one of the pockets and pulls out a scroll, a feather and a glass with ink. "I'll warn the princesses." "What do you mean with warn?" Twilight asks concerned. "Girls ..." He looks up to us and shakes his head. "... We won't make it in time and that means ..." He starts writing on the scroll. "...I will soon become a thread for all Equestria." After he finishes his letter, he rolls it up and casts a spell that creates a seal on it. "We have only two options now." He holds his hoof before his chest, but then looks disappointed at it. "Oh, yes I don't have fingers, so this won't work." He takes the hoof down again. "Well, first, I move back to my library and use the Ichor I've got there to resist Crysalis a bit longer with the disadvantage, that when I eventually fall into her hooves, I will be extremely powerful. So not very good. Second option, I stay here, remove as much Ichor from my body as I can and let Celestia, Luna and Discord imprison me, when I loose control." With the last word the scroll disappears in a flash. Shortly after the two princesses and Discord appear in a flash next to us. Princess Celestia and Luna run immediately to him while Discord, visibly uncomfortable, stays behind. "Oh, no, it already this far." Celestia says examining his face. "Yeah, nice to see too, your highnesses." Storming answers. "Twilight, take this here." He grabs in one of his pockets and pulls the book with the recipe together with the two vials out of it and levitates them over to her. "You'll need this. Its page 238." After Twilight puts the book into her bag, Celestia turns around to her, a serious expression on her face. "Twilight, you and your friends should go now. We will take care of him from this point." Twilight nods. "Yes, we will hurry." "Wait!" I shout for the surprise for the others. "I ... I think I should stay here. He really could use a friend in this situation." Twilight looks over to Storming who is still sitting on the stone with his gaze on the ground and then back to me. "You might be right ... Okay, stay with him, but if anything happens ... please be careful, okay?" I nod. "I will." Twilight and the others are almost gone as Storming suddenly calls for them. "Girls ... thank you." They all nod in response before they move on. Suddenly I hear Storming chuckling behind me. "What is so funny, Storming?" Celestia asks him. "I just realized, I forgot to apologize to Applejack." He says with a weak grin on his face. "Me and Rainbow Dash raided her cider stash some days ago." "I'm sure she will forgive." I say to him. "Yes, Storming calm down. You have other problems to worry about." Suddenly a distorted female voice says. Storming eyes widen in fear and he covers his mouth with his hoofs. "Was that she?" I ask him concerned. Storming nods with his eyes still wide open before he slowly takes his hooves down. Ohhh, afraid that I might babble your secrets out? "SHUT UP!" He shouts at her angrily while I walk over to him. As I reach him I sit down next to him on the ground and lay my hoof on his. "Its okay, Storming. You are stronger than her, don't let her control you!" I say to him. Suddenly his eyes start to glow green and he turns his head to me with a sly grin on his face. "Oh my little pony, I'm afraid that he is more concerned of all the things he didn't tell you than me taking over." As the green glow vanishes Storming covers his mouth again with his hooves and turns his head away from me. His eyes are even more widened than before and and wander nervously over the ground. "Don't..." I hear him whisper to himself before the green glow in his eyes returns and he takes his hooves down. "Don't be so afraid, my dear Storming. I'm sure they will forgive you. After all they are your friends and didn't your last friend forgive you, too? Oh my, I forgot, you scared her off. Hahahahahahaha! After Crysalis is gone Storming grits his teeth and stands up. "HOW DARE YOU! I swear to you, when this is over, I will find you and DESTROY YOU AND YOUR HIVE!" He screams. "Hahaha, what an empty thread. You had more than 400 years since you broke free from my control and you didn't do anything. Angrily he sits down on the stone again. Celestia walks closer to him and lowers her head so that their eyes meet. "Storming what does she mean? Did ... did you serve her once before?" She asks him. He turns his head away from her and does not respond but after a moment Crysalis takes over again. "Oh how cute - the brilliant mind that even achieved immortality doesn't know a good excuse. Maybe you should just tell them the truth. Crysalis turns his head to Celestia and looks her directly in the eyes. "Does your highness want to know how we first met - me and her former counsellor?" The green glow in his eyes vanishes as Storming takes over again. With panic in his eyes he covers his mouth again and looks away from us. I lay my hoof on his again and look to him. "You can tell us - really. It is okay." He isn't reacting and so I turn my head to princess Celestia. "It is okay, Storming." She says to him. Slowly he turns his head to us. He has tears in his eyes as he takes down his hooves. "No, it ain't ... it was all my fault!" "What? What was your fault?" Celestia asks him calmly. "THE HOLE GODDAMN CHANGELING-INVASION!" Storming screams before he lowers his gaze. "I studied the changelings in hope to find a away to turn back to my old form. This got me the attention of Chrysalis. She offered to help me, give me knowledge and changeling ingredients in exchange for my services. She asked me to take out other Changelings. At first it were single rogue ones but over the time the targets changed to the queens of other hives. After I ... liquidated them, she took over their hives. And after I thought I finished my potion ... I fell into her hands. She needed me to continue my research, so that she could conquer Equestria without having to fear Discord, and for ... worse things." Princess Celestia and Luna have both blank expressions on their faces and don't respond. "So, yeah ... I made Crysalis what she is today and I am responsible for her invasion." Storming looks up to princess Celestia and Luna with tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm sorry ... I really am. I was such a fool and thought in my hubris that I could handle - ARGH!" Suddenly he screams in pain and falls forward to the ground. "Oh my god, Storming!" Celestia says to him as rushes to him, but he stops her with a wave of his hoof. He supports himself on his left hoof and holds his forehead with his right hoof while slowly his horn deforms gnarly. After a while the process is completed. "We need ... to start ... the preparations." Storming says panting heavily as me and princess Celestia help him on the stone again. "But before that, I want to do this one thing. Step back." We do as he says as suddenly out of nowhere a blueish flame grows around him and forms a circle before a pillar of fire shoots out from it into the sky. After the fire has vanished it reveals a blue unicorn with a short maroon mane and black crystalline wings sitting on the stone. He is examining his fore hooves with a weak chuckle. "This was all I wanted." He says looking me in the eyes as I and princess Celestia move closer. His right eye is purple while his left remained black. "Is ... is that you ... Storming?" I ask him. "This is who I was." He says. "We should begin." Storming holds his right hoof before his chest and closes his eyes. Hovering over his hoof appears a small black point that quickly grows in size. It becomes bigger and bigger while Storming's wings slowly disappear. After it is finished, he opens his eyes, which are now both purple, and slowly walks with the black crystal in front of him over to Discord who is leaning against a tree. "Hey, Discord." He says as he approaches him. "Hey, Storming." "Am I right, that you are the one, that brought the princesses to this place?" "Yes, I am. Somehow even their alicorn magic didn't allow them to teleport to this place." "Would you be so kind to make this crystal disappear? The farther away the better." "I take care of it." Discord says before he snips and the crystal disappears. "Thank you." Storming takes off his coat and hands it over to him. "I'm afraid this trick won't work on this thing, but you should be able to teleport away from here together with it." With a flash Discord vanishes and after some seconds he reappears. "Thank you. I've got enough stuff in those pockets to arm a small country." "No problem." What has happened to you? Discord - the lord of chaos, the one who ruled Equestria once - is now helping the one who tried to kill him. After Chrysalis disappeared again everyone is silent for a moment. "I probably really have to thank you for coming here, Discord." "It's okay, Storming." "Well, then there is only thing left, I can do." Storming says before he stands up on his hindlegs. A black aura surrounds his horn as his right hoof is covered in bright light creating a white flame on its end. He strikes out with it while pointing on his chest with it. "What have I done to you, that you would go so far to escape from me?" We all share concerned gazes. "You might want to look away." He says to us. "What are you doing?" Celestia asks him with wide eyes. Storming looks her directly in the eyes. "Do you know what 'scorched earth' means?"