//------------------------------//
// Chapter III: Flaming Thunder 
// Story: Cutie Mark Confusion 
// by Sky Blue CMC 
//------------------------------//

	"How did this happen?" I asked myself. I tried to change back, and it was actually possible again. I was afraid I would be stuck in my pony form forever. "And who is that pony in the mirror behind me?" I looked into the mirror and I saw my sister. "Oh... that's right. Vivian?"

"Yes, sister Sky?" Vivian asked me. "You were dreaming with your eyes open again. Not daydreaming, since it's half past one in the morning, but... dreaming. With your eyes open. There's somewhere I want to take you in six hours. Meet me in the Cloudsdale Skyfield at seven."

"What's so important at seven-thirty that I have to be there a half hour early for?" I asked my sister. I hope it has nothing to do with Lia. That pony scares me. I thought to myself. "Is it a special mission?"

"Nope. I just wanted to introduce you to my friend." Vivian told me. "In the waking world... a different pony this time. He's very nice."

"He?" I asked. "A colt, perhaps? I don't wanna meet him. This night, it's too dark, don't you let me go. I'm horror-struck, and I'm not leaving home, I'll spend forever, wondering if you knew..."

"No time to sing..." Vivian said to me. "you can do that when you meet him."

"No. I'm not falling in love with some stranger. If you just want me to befriend him, fine. But I'm not gonna be set up with one of your friends."





After the allotted time passed, and seven-thirty arrived, Vivian and I had arrived at the Cloudessium, inside the Skyfield. She wanted to introduce me to Lucian Flash, a unicorn with gifted magical prowess. He was able to cast the cloud-walking spell and the levitation spell both at once. It was pretty impressive of him, but not exactly crush-worthy.

Then... I saw... zooming past me three times in one minute, like a lightning bolt on fire... a Junior Wonderbolt. "Who..." I started to ask Vivian. "Is that mysterious blur of flaming thunder?"

"You just said his name, Sky." Vivian told me. "Flaming Thunder. Champion of fourteen Junior Wonderbolts Derbies in a row, one for each of the moons he was on the team. Only one year since he joined, and he's already the captain's wingpony. If he wins the next one, he'll become the next captain."

"Who's the current captain?" I asked. "Isn't it one of the Phoenix twins?"

"Phoenix Blaze." Vivian clarified. "Fifteen time champion of the Junior Derby. His brother's not quite as good. Phoenix Swift only won thirteen times."

I wasn't really paying attention to what my sister had to say. All I could focus on at the moment was how Flaming Thunder flew... quickly but also gracefully. He was the best flyer in Cloudsdale, and possibly all of Equestria. Maybe even all over Equus. I just had to introduce myself to him. I flew next to him, careful not to give him a boost or a hindrance... I didn't want to get him disqualified for cheating... or banned from the Junior Wonderbolts.

"Haylo, Flamie." I said to Flaming Thunder, though I wasn't sure if he liked nicknames. "How you doin'?"

"Doing well..." Flaming Thunder replied to me. "Who are you, sky blue pony?"

"That's my name. Sky Blue." I told him my fake name. I was in my pony guise, and I didn't want him to think I was evil... and him seeing me as a Changeling would make him think I was the enemy. "I'm not exactly a sports fan, but you're quite the impressive flyer!"

"Yeah. I'm known for being on fire when it comes to flying. My flying's so hot, it's electrical!" Flaming Thunder replied. "They don't call me Flaming or Thunder for nothing."

"Hey, sorry to leave so soon, Flamie..." I told Flaming Thunder, "...but I hafta say something to my sister's friend or else. Stay fly, my friend. Sky out!" And with that, POW! I was gone. The real reason I had to go wasn't to chat with Lucian, but because I was a bit nervous talking to Flamie. As soon as I met him, I felt a strange feeling I never felt before, and I knew exactly what it was. The last thing I ever expected to have, what with me being a Changeling and all: A crush. I blushed just thinking about him. My first crush, and after only two days of being in a normal-ish pony body with a normal-ish pony life.

Anyway, enough of that. I gotta close this journal before one of the Phoenix twins reads it... or worse: my sisters. I actually wouldn't mind if Flamie read it... it'd be less embarrassing than telling him in person. Except that I wouldn't want him to know I had only just heard of him today. But if somepony else knew about that... somepony that I didn't tell in person, nor want to let know at all, then I would kill myself. Well... first I would have to give up the Ring of Fire. Then I would become mortal again.

What I really don't want others finding out is that I'm a Changeling. I erased Midnight's memory of that fact already, because Vivian is the only one I can trust with that knowledge. Well... maybe Lucian... but only since he understands dreams better than I do and could potentially help me solve my Lucilia conundrum. Remembering that I still hadn't talked to Lucian, I flew slightly downward to his altitude. I was legitimately impressed that he was able to hold a cloud walking spell for that long... but he was still just a potential friend if anything to me.

"Hello." I said to Lucian. "Vivian tells me you're a skilled mage. Seeing your cloud-walking spell, I don't doubt her... or you."

"Thank thee." Lucian replied to me in Old Equestrian. "We are Lucian Flash, apprentice of Princess Luna. We are studying magic under her tutelage... we hopeth one day to learneth about the magic known as Dreamwalking."

"Ambition is the enemy of plight." I told Lucian. "Shakesmare wrote that. Do you know the rest?"

"And yet so many souls remain the same. Defiance is the enemy of light, and yet there is no darkness we can blame." Lucian recited. "The moon knows not what sunlight tends to hide, within her shadows and her starly night. But time alone can showeth us the tide, upon which we depend for heaven's light. The shadows only rise when light pervades, so rest not when thou makest harmony. A luminary cast in our crusades, shall light the way through illucidity. Ambition is the enemy of plight, defiance is the enemy of light."

"Impressive. Most impressive." I complimented Lucian on his recital of the sonnet. "But thou art not a Dreamwalker yet." I spoke to him in his preferred tongue, as a sign of our friendship. "Meet me tonight at my cloud home, and you can study my sleeping patterns. I want to introduce you to a few of my friends in the Dreamscape... old and new." Did I just invite this pony over to my house? I thought to myself. What is wrong with me? If I was gonna invite anypony it shoulda been Flamie! Well... whatever. What's done is done. I'd like to introduce him to Lucilia, Discord, and a couple of other dreamy ponies anyway. And maybe Midnight as well.

"We shall be there when the stars cometh into the midnight sky... at twilight." Lucian gave a chuckle that was a little bit out of character for an alleged student of the beloved Nightmare Moon. "We hopeth to see thee then... in thy dreams." Lucian began to grin, but stopped as he was about to show me his teeth. For the brief second I saw them, they looked sharp and unclean.

For a brief second, I coulda sworn that Lucian's eyes glowed red... but I told myself I was just imagining it. There's no way any friend of my sister's is evil... I wouldn't believe it if it were true. Either that's not the real Lucian, or I'm just losing my mind.





By twilight that night, Lucian, Vivian, and I were alone at my house. Midnight was working late in the Factory, so she wouldn't be home for the next nine hours. I've come to realize that "late" meant "all night" to Midnight. And I knew why: She had to make sure that the Cyberponies never came back. Hate Seed caused too much damage, both collateral and emotional, to be trusted anywhere, even though he was trying to redeem himself, it was gonna take some time.

Anyway, with Midnight gone, I was free to assume my true form. Even though I didn't trust Lucian completely, I certainly trusted him enough to see my true form... he was gonna see it in my dreams anyway, so I might as well have shown him in the waking world. Anyway, I believe the time is ripe for me to close this journal... for good this time. I'll continue my life story in a new journal... whenever I feel ready to do so. I feel it might be best not to mention the dream I'm about to have anyway.