I cannot tell you how long I ran for. I just seemed to keep going through the crowds that thronged the streets of Sratusburg. Although my wings were free thanks to the cut of my garments, I didn't think to use it. In my state, I couldn't have flown safely through the sky. My mind was simply too clouded.
My foalhood, growing up, meeting Vapour, becoming a Wonderbolt, falling in love, living in Stratusburg...
It was all a LIE!
I couldn't process the sheer amount of pain this revelation was causing. I was an outcast, a nothing, a total freak amongst these beings, these 'ponies'. The truth was clear now, and if that was the case, then what could I trust? I felt so much anger, so much rage, that I was on the verge of exploding, and the adrenaline coursing through my veins was the only thing keeping me going on my path. I just ran and ran and ran, until I could run no longer, and I collapsed onto a wall, my energy spent, breathing heavily and surveying the scenery. All the bright colours, the happiness, the beauty- it was driving me insane. All I knew was that I didn't belong. I couldn't stay up, and lay there babbling to myself about Faust knows what.
I was broken from my broken state (see, I did internal rhyme! Of the same words) when I heard a familiar voice. "Sky? What's going on?"
I looked over to see Vapour staring at me, concerned. Why wouldn't she be? She hadn't even noticed how mucky her gown had got. She never was the sort to worry about that sort of thing.
"Great," I said. "So nopony but me knows I'm a freak. Absolutely bucking fantastic."
"You're not a freak," Vapour answered, putting her hoof out. I batted it away, visibly shocking her.
"Don't you get it?" I asked, and promptly launched off into a long rant. "I'm not even from here! I'm human! I'm not even an American, for Faust's sake! Buck this! I was British! It was that Damned package that did this and dumped me here-"
I didn't get another word out as Vapour reached out her hooves and took my muzzle. "Sky! Calm down!" Once I looked into her eyes, I set about doing my usual routine for this sort of thing. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Deep breaths. That got my mental state at least level enough to have a logical conversation. Vapour then asked me some questions.
"Sky, can you explain what you mean? I won't judge you."
I looked confused. "Really?"
"What kind of marefriend would I be if I did?"
I sighed at that. As ever, her logic was flawless. "All right. I'll tell you everything. But this may take a while."
She sat down on the ground, and I began. "I'm not from this world. I'm not even Sky Stinger. I was a thing called a human, called Tom..."
An entire world away, I was travelling to the United States on a short trip. After a series of adventures with a few of my American friends, I had decided to go and see them again. As such, I had flown into Norfolk Airport to get a hire car and drive to Manteo, North Carolina. I had so much catching up to do with Jimmy, and I hadn't seen him in a while.
My flight touched down and I got to my car pretty quickly. I wanted to set off before the jetlag hit me like a tidal wave, and so hit the road to travel north to Manteo, getting to Roanoke Island several hours and multiple cups of iced coffee later.
When I arrived, Jimmy was out, and his house was empty. I hadn't visited him at his new home as his old one had been blown up during an incident at Halloween and hence was no longer livable. The town had got him a new one, and I stepped up to the door to see a notice taped to the door.
Hi Tom!
I hope you made it to Manteo safely. I will probably be out when you get here (something about a Kirin wandering around the town square), but I left you a spare key and some food to warm up. Enjoy!
Jimmy
I took the key from under the flowerpot, and put it into the lock, sliding the door open as it engaged in the lock. It was fairly nice in there, and I wandered around a bit. Feeling a little bored, I chose to walk into the living room and then I saw two boxes sitting there on the ground. One of them had a symbol of a lightning bolt attached to the top, and the other had what looked like a jet exhaust attached to it. I picked up the box with the lightning bolt on it, and out of interest opened it, assuming this to be some sort of delivery Jimmy was awaiting.
The box was completely empty.
Why would someone deliver an empty box? Just then it hit me, and I was hurled back by an explosion of light and energy. I crashed into the bannisters and fell to the ground, looking on in horror as I knew what was coming next.
As I watched, my shoes fell off, and I could feel my feet shrinking back into hooves. Both my legs snapped backwards, leaving me howling in agony as my kneecaps were torn to pieces, and an intense pain built up in my butt. A light green tail suddenly burst from my backside, emerging with such force that ripped my jeans open. My elbows snapped forwards, and my hands hardened up and closed of their own accords, changing to fleshy blobs that were now hooves. My neck pulled upwards, and I was forced onto all fours as my neck elongated upwards like a giraffe. My head tipped forward, and I probably looked like something out of an old horror movie, a human face attached to a pony head. Well, whatever this was soon got to work on that, as my nose and mouth merged into a muzzle, growing forwards out of my face in a strange triangular shape. As odd as this was, this at least confirmed whoever this was was male. My eyes grew in size and turned green, whilst my hair changed to a lime green mane formed in a buzzcut.
Then I felt as though I had just been pulled out of a pressure chamber. My entire body began to expand in size, my legs like tree trunks and my barrel swelling in size. My socks had been destroyed by the hooves, and as I looked about in abject terror, I heard tearing sounds as threads burst and seams gave way, my clothing falling down in a tattered heap on the floor.
Turquoise fur sprouted all over my body as a pair of bony constructs emerged from my shoulders, folding back against my sides as they become covered in skin, fur, and feathers.
Was it over? I moved forward, not used to all of these extra muscles, and then screamed in agony, in a newer, different voice, as my memories were progressively wiped and replaced.
Wait, what am I talking about? I'm Sky Stinger. I always have been.
"That's what the flashes were," I finished. "Echoes of my old life."
Vapour had a look of realisation. "I kinda have a confession to make too..."