Stormy hovered above the concessions, deciding what to do next. In his excitement to go on all these rides, he had already forgotten what Cozy and Scootaloo said earlier about changing himself back. He flew towards the rides zone, ignoring the guard pegasi that wouldn’t allow him to fly there.
“Alright, I guess I’ll do the Leviathan again and then maybe the Griffon Glider,” he said, as he got closer to the rides. “I’m enjoying this adult form way too much. There’s no way I’m changing back into a kid right now. Actually, if I do change myself into a kid again, it doesn’t mean I have to stay that way forever. I might as well just take that hourglass for myself. I can use it any other time to-”
“There he is! That’s the guy that flew into the rides zone right past me!” said a voice nearby.
Stormy turned around to see the pegasus guard he disobeyed earlier with several security officers behind him. Stormy looked around as if they were talking about someone else.
“Uh…are you talking about me?”
“Sir, we’re going to have to ask you to return to the ground right now,” said one of the officers.
Stormy was scared at first but then grew angry over hearing this.
“Hey, watch it! I’m an adult, you know!”
“Sir, this is your final warning! Anymore arguments will be met with a ban from this fair!” barked the other officer.
Stormy and turned around and flew away from the officers, as they chased after him. As he flew, he couldn’t believe how much faster he had gotten as an adult. He might have been nearly as fast as his mother. The effect of the hourglass’s spell had made him more athletic. It gave him a rush and made him enjoy the chase. The guards had a hard time keeping up, but Stormy still needed to get rid of them. Thinking quickly, he led them down to a nearby tent and then took a sharp turn upward, sending one of the officers crashing into the tent and bouncing off to the ground. The other officer barely missed the tent and was still behind Stormy, continuing the chase. Stormy then came to a halt and shot backwards, flying right past the officer. He flew so fast; the officer spun around uncontrollably and was too dizzy to go after the speedy stallion. Stormy looked back and stuck his tongue out.
“HA! Let that teach you to mess with-UGH!”
Not paying attention to what was in front of him, Stormy flew into a flagpole. He was flung backwards and bounced off of several tents. Finally he was thrown towards the Leviathan. He hit the car at the end of the ride with the tail and ricocheted into the large wooden backgrounds depicting mountains, knocking them over. He stayed on the ground for a few seconds, groaning as he tried to get up. Dust had been kicked up in the air from the crash, so he was able to make a quick escape without anyone seeing him, but several workers already started complaining.
“HEY! Who was that?!”
“Somepony’s flying around the rides!
“SECURITY!”
Stormy hid between two nearby tents and backed up slowly.
“Phew! That was a close one,” he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“Stormy?” asked Flurry behind him.
Stormy turned around to see Flurry, Pound, Pumpkin, Chip and Annie staring at him. Pumpkin was holding an ice cream cone with her magic, which fell into the dirt, as she stood with her mouth hanging open. Pound buried his face in both hooves and shook his head back and forth. Stormy could do nothing but give a blank, nervous stare.
“Stormy, what did you do this time?” Flurry asked, angrily.
“And how are you an adult?!” Pound added.
“Hey guys…hehe. Funny thing: I found this magic hourglass and…well, it turned me into an adult,” he said.
“You mean you turned yourself into an adult on purpose using the hourglass?” Chip corrected.
“Uh…well, yeah. Yeah, I did.”
“Stormy, look at all the damage you just caused! We saw the whole thing from here!” Flurry barked.
“Okay, maybe I’m taking it a bit far, but it could’ve been worse, right?”
“Could’ve been worse? Stormy, you’re going to get yourself into lot of trouble!” Annie joined in.
“Yeah, can you change yourself back before you get arrested or something?” Pumpkin asked.
“Well yeah, I can go back and touch the hourglass again. Maybe it’s time I did it.”
“What is this hourglass anyway?” Flurry asked.
“It’s called the Hourglass of Kronos. Discord told me it’s some powerful artifact that a villain could use, so he’s been looking for it to keep away from them.”
“Discord told you that? Did he tell you not to touch it I hope?”
“Yeah, but it’s not like I was gonna listen. I really wanted to ride the Leviathan. Come on guys. You saw how mad I was back there.”
“Yeah, but we didn’t think you’d go this far. Let’s get the real Storm Streak back, pal,” Pound said, crossing his arms.
“UGH! Alright, fine! I’ll go turn myself back! For real this time!”
Stormy walked past them but then shimmied up against the tent as some officers flew overhead. He knew they’d be looking for him.
“Oh shoot,” he said.
“Are you really surprised they’re looking for you after all that damage you caused?” Chip asked.
“It’s okay, I’ll just turn myself back and they’ll never find me again.”
“Well, you’d better hurry up, Stormy. We don’t want you getting caught,” Annie warned.
“Just don’t tell Daddy. I don’t want him to know. Or Mommy…especially Mommy.”
Before any of them could respond, Stormy had already left. He slowly crept behind the tents to avoid detection. All five of his friends were left shaking their heads and groaning.
“I know he’s only seven years old, but that kid’s gonna get himself hurt one of these days,” Chip said.
“I mean he really was mad about not being able to ride on the Leviathan,” Pumpkin said before finishing the cone she was able to salvage.
“That Hourglass of Kronos really intrigues me though. I’ve never heard of such an artifact,” Flurry said, stroking her chin.
“You guys think maybe we should have gone with him?” asked Annie.
“Maybe, but this is his responsibility. He needs to own up to this and he should apologize to all those security officers after he’s done,” said Pound.
“Kids!” shouted Thunderhead behind them. “Hey, where’s Stormy? I thought he’d be with you guys!”
All of them looked nervously at Thunder, trying to find a way to answer his question.
“Stormy?” asked Flurry. “He’s…uh…”
Pumpkin nervously tried to back Flurry up.
“He went over to the…um…”
Chip rolled his eyes and then finally spilled the beans.
“He got mad about not being old enough for some rides, so he went off and found some crazy magic artifact to turn him into a stallion.”
Flurry, Pumpkin and Pound all looked at Chip as if he said something wrong.
“What? You guys do know my mother is the Element of Honesty, right?”
“My son turned himself into an adult?!” Thunder shouted.
“Yeah, we just saw him earlier. He’s been causing a lot of trouble and now some of the guards are looking for him,” Flurry said.
Thunder put his hoof over his forehead and grunted angrily.
“What was he thinking?! I told him to wait until he’s an adult, not make himself an adult!”
“To be fair, we tried getting him to go on the Griffon Glider and that one also has the age limit. Must’ve made him extra mad,” Pumpkin pointed out.
“Everything okay?” Spike asked as he, Butter, Lightning Flash, Tex and Mr. Cake all arrived on scene.
“Daddy, what happened? Where’s Stormy?” Lightning Flash asked as he walked up to his father.
“Flash, we’ve got a situation,”
“Uh oh. Stormy did something bad, didn’t he?”
“Yup.”
“Stormy’s an adult now, everypony,” Pumpkin told them.
“An adult?! How did he grow up all of a sudden?” Buttercream asked.
“He used magic,” Flurry said, flatly.
“And if you combine being an adult with being Storm Streak, well, you get a recipe for disaster,” Pound added.
“Is that why those officers are patrolling the skies?” Mr. Cake asked as he looked up.
“Yeah. He said he’d go change himself back and he’s on his way to get the hourglass right now.”
“He used an hourglass to do it?” Tex asked.
“Stormy called it the Hourglass of Kronos,” Flurry replied. “I’ve never heard of such a thing, but I guess Discord warned him not to touch it. It must be something from thousands of years ago that only Discord knows about. Unfortunately Stormy got to it first.”
“Yikes. Not being able to ride the Leviathan really had that bad of an effect on him, did it?” Buttercream asked.
“Guess so.”
“Well whether he changes himself back or not, he’s in big trouble. Excuse me one minute, guys,” Thunder said as he walked over to a pay phone.
“What are you doing, Daddy?” Lightning Flash asked.
“Calling in the big guns.”
“Oh boy. Stormy’s in for it,” Spike said.
Thunder put a bit in the phone, dialed a number and waited a few moments until there was an answer.
“Yes, can I get Rainbow Dash on the line? Tell her it’s urgent.”
Everyone else waited as Thunder continued to speak once he heard Rainbow Dash was on the other end.
“Thunder, what’s going on down there? What’s this I’m hearing about Stormy?”
“You knew?”
“I just got off the phone with Scootaloo earlier and she said he’s an adult now or something. What the hay is going on down there?!”
“Oh, so Scootaloo already saw him. Well yeah, apparently the Leviathan changed the rules and he has to wait till he’s eight. He got all mad and then found this thing called the Hourglass of Kronos and turned himself into an adult so he could ride them.”
“Wonderful.”
“It gets worse. He’s caused a ruckus and now security’s looking for him.”
Thunder instinctively covered the upper half of the phone in preparation for what would come next.
“STORM NIMBOSTRATUS STREAK, JUST WAIT TILL I GET OVER THERE!!”
Stormy slowly walked through the lower meadows. There was less commotion there, and the officers weren’t looking for him. He decided it was time to disguise himself, hoping he would go unnoticed. He wore a red clown wig and two stickers on his flanks that he found lying on the ground. So far no one had noticed him.
“Dangit! I really wanted to try the Leviathan one more time, but I guess I’ll have to come back later this week. After I’m done with the hourglass, I’m gonna keep that thing at home under-”
He then bumped into somepony, causing the wig and stickers to fall off.
“Oh! I am so sorry, sir!” said the mare in front of him.
“That’s okay, Miss. I’m just...”
Stormy looked to see the mare was in fact Somnambula wearing her old nemes headdress she was known for. He still had feelings for the Element of Hope and was very happy to see her. Even better: since he was an adult now, he had stallion charm. In all his excitement over the rides, he hadn’t realized he would be closer in age to his crush. He was instantly smitten just like when he first met her several weeks ago.
“Som…Somnambula!” he said, as hearts floated out of his head.
“Storm Streak? Is that you?” Somnambula asked, shocked.
“Yeah, it’s me. As you can see, I’m a little more grown up than when we last met.”
Storm Streak put his hand behind his head and moved his eyebrows up and down. Somnambula was perplexed but knew right away what happened.
“You…you used the Hourglass of Kronos, didn’t you?”
“Ah, so Discord told you about that too, did he? Yeah, I used it. Pretty handsome, aren’t I?”
Somnambula rolled her eyes and covered her face as she blushed.
“Storm Streak, I know you have feelings for me, but was it really necessary to turn yourself into an adult?”
Stormy’s love-dazed expression quickly changed to a shocked one.
“What? No, I didn’t do this to impress you…er…not that that’s a bad idea. I did this so I could ride the Leviathan. It’s one of the rides at this fair and they said I couldn’t go on because I’m too young.”
“So that is why you did it. Well Discord said that artifact is not to be toyed with. Did he tell you the same?”
“Yeah. I didn’t listen.”
“I can see that. Storm Streak, look, I know it is hard to deal with such rules, but that is part of growing up. Adults are not free from having to follow rules themselves.
“That’s what everypony else keeps saying, but why are rules so dumb?”
“Rules are there for a reason. Perhaps it is not a great rule, but there are still other good things in life you can enjoy.”
“But it’s so much easier being an adult.”
“Oh really? Then why are you wearing that wig and covering your cutie mark?”
“Uh…well, let’s say I might have caused some trouble over by the rides earlier, and now I have to wear this disguise so they don’t find me.”
“Well you just proved yourself wrong. Adults have to still follow rules and now it has gotten the best of you.”
Stormy’s ears slowly dropped. He looked down and drew circles on the ground with his hoof as Somnambula spoke.
“I mean…yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“You have to change yourself back right now.”
“I know. You’re the fourth pony to tell me that. I guess it’s time.”
“Show me where the hourglass is. We will use it to turn you back into a child.”
“Alright. It should be somewhere over there between those tents.”
Somnambula turned to walk where he pointed. Stormy put the wig and stickers back on and walked up closer to her. He did his best to flirt while being respectful.
“So…did I make a good impression this time?”
Somnambula nodded her head back and forth while smirking.
“Storm Streak, you may have the body of an adult, but you still have the mind of a child. You are still young and were not meant to grow up this quickly. I will admit you are quite handsome for a stallion, but I don’t want any harm to come to you and would like to see you as you truly are.”
“Sorry.”
Somnambula giggled and patted him on the back.
“It is all right. Come now. We will get you back to normal.”
“So what are you doing here in Ponyville anyway?”
“Pinkie’s wedding is in a few days and I am one of her bridesmaids. We are preparing, but I decided to come to the fair to experience Ponyville culture.”
“Ah yes…the wedding…that makes sense…”
Stormy followed Somnambula to the hourglass as hearts continued to float above his head. They reached the hole and he pointed it out to her. Looking around to make sure no one could see them, Somnambula flew down the hole first with him following after. Once they got to the bottom, she couldn’t help but observe the cave.
“Interesting. I wonder how old this cave is. It is a wonder no one ever found this when the fairgrounds were built,”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing when I fell down it,”
“In any case, where is the hourglass?”
“Right over there, above that…rock…”
Stormy pointed to the rock in the middle of the water, but the hourglass was nowhere to be seen. He stared for a few seconds and then flew above the water to see if the hourglass had fallen into it.
“Where…where did it go? It was right here floating above this rock!”
“Did you see it after you used it?”
“Yeah, I think I saw it, but I was too busy looking at myself and then I flew away to get to the Leviathan.”
Stormy landed in the water and waded around, looking for the hourglass as Somnambula looked around the cave for any traces of it. She noticed the hat on the ground that Stormy left behind.
“Where is it?!” Stormy said, frantically.
“We will find it, Storm Streak. Is this your hat?”
“Somnambula, forget the hat! I need that hourglass!”
Stormy got out of the water and started zooming around the cave, which caused his wig and the stickers to fall off. He landed back in the center near the hole and started freaking out.
“WHERE DID IT GO?!” he screamed.
“Storm Streak, calm down!” Somnambula told him as she grabbed him by his cheeks. “You didn’t notice anything different about it after you were transformed?”
“No, it was right there! It was still floating above the rock! I didn’t see anything happen to it! Oooooh, I should have stuck around a little longer or brought it along with me or something!”
“SHHHH! Listen!”
Somnambula put her hoof over Stormy’s mouth. They both heard voices above the hole. Stormy instantly recognized them as the officers from earlier.
“Did they see him anywhere around here?” said the first officer.
“Somepony said they saw a blue pegasus wearing a red, curly-haired wig but it fell off and he fit the description of the one we’re looking for,” said the other one.
“Well when you catch that guy, arrest him. We got reports that the exact same stallion was picking on some colts earlier.”
“Yes, sir.”
After the talking stopped, Somnambula gave Stormy a stern look. She did her best to whisper so the officers would not hear them.
“Storm Streak, is that true?”
“No! I wasn’t picking on them! They were bullying Cozy Glow, so I stepped in and told them to bugger off!”
“Well I believe you, but I am not the one you will need to convince.”
“I can’t do it now! The hourglass is gone! I can’t change myself back! I’m gonna be stuck like this forever!”
Storm Streak was already hyperventilating as Somnambula had her arm around him, trying to calm him down and fan him with the hat.
“Hey, is everything alright down there?” asked a voice from above.
Stormy yelped and zoomed out of the hole, forgetting the wig and stickers. He flew far away from the lower meadows and out of the fairgrounds. The ponies above the hole were so surprised; they didn’t even see which direction he went in.
“STORM STREAK!” Somnambula called back as she took off to go after him.
Carrying the hat, she ascended from the hole, but Stormy was already gone.
“Lady Somnambula? What were you doing down there?” asked one of the officers.
“Officer! We need to find that pegasus that flew out of here just moments ago!”
“You mean the blue pegasus stallion that’s been trashing the place? Yeah, we’ve been looking for him!”
“Sir, he is not a stallion!”
“He’s…wait what?”
“That is Rainbow Dash’s son, Storm Streak. He found a magical hourglass in a cave down this hole and turned himself into an adult.”
“Rainbow Dash’s son? I could’ve sworn he looked familiar. Why would he do that?”
“A ride he really wanted to go on would not allow children under eight years of age. He is very young and it has clearly gotten to his head.”
“I’ll say.”
“Well we can’t arrest the poor kid, but he’s caused a lot of trouble here,” the other officer stated. “How do we turn him back?”
“That is just the thing: we looked for the hourglass in the cave and now it is gone. I suggest we keep an eye out for Discord. He was around here earlier and told me about it. If anyone can help, I am sure he can.”
“And what about those kids he was bullying? That doesn’t sound like Rainbow Dash’s son.”
“That is because he would never do that. He was simply standing up for a friend of his that they were bullying. I know the boy. Storm Streak is naïve and brash, but he is a kindhearted little colt deep down. I promise you.”