//------------------------------// // Forest of Illusion: Part 2 // Story: A Place to Call Home // by starshine_dash //------------------------------// I made my way back into the woods, following the path laid out before me if only because every time I tried to squeeze through some of the trees that barred my way, the gap would close until I was nearly crushed. This place didn't seem to want to actually harm me, just mess with me. I found my way to another small clearing with a small river running through it. The water was crisp and clean and sated my thirst that had begun to build, another sign that maybe this forest wasn't so bad, just annoying. I was lounging by the river, debating if I wanted to eat more grass or wait and see if I could find some kind of berry when I was tackled by a shade of purple similar to my own. I ended up on my haunches, dizzy, while my attacker was getting to her own hooves. She was basically my pony form only adult, with a streaking comet cutie mark. "Whoa, hey, sorry about that squirt. Never have been good at landings... Wait a minute, you're me! Hey! Why are you tiny?" "Discord." "Oh, that clown's around is he? Start of season 2?" she nodded and moved around, looking at the forest, "One minute I'm flying around, wondering if ponies can breathe in space cause I wanna see the stars closer and then bam, I'm saying hi to myself as a filly. Though I've never been a filly. I don't even know why I'm here really." "Do you ever breathe?" I asked impatiently. Apparently, this version of me could ramble like Pinkie. "What? Oh, sorry, comes with the territory, everything moves fast. Metabolism, muscles, mouth. All the major Emms." "Right... So why are you here?" "Oh, right! The forest. Now it tells me. I'm here to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of staying a pegasus! Well, mostly the advantages. I have yet to find a disadvantage other than the lack of fingers, but hey, that's what wings are for!" She said, wiggling her primaries. I was highly confused, and rolled my eyes. She just grinned and went on and on about how great it was to be a pegasus, sounding for all the world like she'd taken too many lessons on being awesome from Rainbow. I waited as patiently as I could. Tonight, you will be visited by three spirits... Pfft! You really think the forest is going to show an earth pony you and a unicorn you too? If it didn't, I would be disappointed. Where are you anyway? The forest won't let me in. Apparently I'm not allowed to help. Figures. "So what do you say, squirt?" "Look... whatever name you chose... I'm going to withhold my decision for now. I don't even know if the harmony nuke will just change me back to human by default anyway, so." "Harmony nuke? Oh! Right, that." "Yeah, so, I'll be on my way..." I mumbled as I started back towards the trees, intent on forgetting that I could ever get that annoying. I really hoped that if I did choose to be a pegasus, I wouldn't be an off color clone of Rainbow. I'd rather be me, just with wings. That is, if I had the choice to begin with. I made my way through the tangle of trees, humming Smile, Smile, Smile to myself. I couldn't wait for Pinkie's live performance. I turned a corner and found myself at a dead end, "Aw, Come on!" I shouted to the air. I turned around only to find that the route had closed behind me. I grumbled and sat down, staring at the impenetrable wall of foliage. I turned my stare into a glare and willed the trees to burst into flame. I failed miserably, but I did start to hear a thump. The rhythm was off but I recognized the pattern from somewhere. S... T... A... N... D... Huh? It's Morse code! New word... B... A... C... ... K... Stand Back? "Stand Back!?" I barely managed to duck before a cloud of wooden shards and splinters blew into my little chamber. Standing on the other side was a massive earth pony stallion with a slate grey coat and bright blue mane. "Don't ye know a jail break when ye see one?" He asked me in a badly affected Scottish accent. "Who the buck are you?" I asked, standing up slowly, shaking the sawdust off my coat and wings. "Terra Shell. Third strongest bucker in Ponyville!" he said proudly. I facehooved and sighed, so, this would be my stallion form if I ended up that way. Well, at least then Pinkie and I could have foals. I blushed a little at that. "So, you're here to show me what's good about being an Earth pony?" "And a stallion! Pinkie and I would have the absolutely cutest and most awesome foals in Ponyville, at least until Rainbow Dash settles down. If she settles down," he chuckled, a deep rumbling sound, "Anyway, listen. I know you wouldn't like to be a stallion, but you saw how happy the twins made Pinkie. Can you imagine how happy she'd be with her own foals?" "Yeah, I can, actually. I've thought about it a lot, but..." "Plus, with being an Earth pony, you can actually get AJ to like you, since you'll finally have something resembling stamina and she'll probably let you work on the farm to earn your bits since you won't really be Pinkie enough to help in the bakery. I still don't know how the Cakes do it." "I bet they're hiding horns under those hats and that hair." He shrugged, "It wouldn't surprise me. Anyway, sorry it took me so long to bust you out of here, kiddo. Give me some thought if you get the choice, would ya?" "I'll think about it. You're at least more down to earth that pegasus me." He snickered as I realized what I said. I groaned and dodged between his legs to get past him and continue on my way through this mess. If my calculations were correct, I had one more pony self to meet. I waited until I was well out of sight of my last little encounter before I picked a tree at random and stared it down, "Look, forest, spirits, whatever you are, I understand. I really do. I have choices, I have a past, and if you can actually see into my head you know that I think about it constantly. I have regrets, I have all of that. I don't need your little show to understand it. If there is somehow a spell that can transform me, I will weigh the options before I pick a form, otherwise, I'm perfectly fine being stuck as a human." The tree shifted and a new path opened. I followed it a while until I entered a clearing. It was similar to the first one, though the tree was older and the boughs wider. Beneath sat an alicorn I had never seen before. She was similar in stature to Princess Luna, though her coat was a deep purple and her flank adorned with a field of stars, as was her mane and tail. I approached slowly and cautiously, "Hello?" "Ah, you've arrived. It appears you missed an option when you were revealing that the forest need not put you through its paces." "Alicorn is an option?!" She nodded, "Indeed. Though, one must understand the responsibilities that come with being the culmination of all three races. You would be looked upon as royalty, despite your wishes. Royal duties would come to you whether you want them or not. Being timeless is also a problem. Pinkie will die, one day, and unless you take your own life or are killed, you will live on forever. There are also the risks of succumbing to jealousy, or power..." I looked down thoughtfully, standing near the mare, "I... don't mean to be insulting but... I don't want that kind of power. Besides, it would be too cliche." She laughed, "Yes, yes it would. It is an option though, one which you may need to take if something happens. You never know. I don't even know if I will be an option for you. It may be left to the roll of the dice should you even have the opportunity to remain a pony. I honestly couldn't tell you why the forest is doing this. It didn't reveal that to me when it created me." "You know, for illusions, you all have been rather forthcoming about the fact that you don't really exist." A smile crossed her lips. "Well, it can at least tell you're too smart to fall for it easily." "At least there's that. Anyway, if I may? I do sorta kinda need to get to Canterlot." "I'm aware. The path is open to you," she said before vanishing, the clearing being replaced by more tunnel. I followed it along for a while before eventually coming to yet another clearing. This one was filled with a ruin, however, instead of a single tree. I walked close to a half-buried stone and noticed words on it. "Here lies Ozymandias, King of Kings, Look upon his works, ye mighty, and despair. Heh, close, but not quite. Why's this here?" I asked, looking around. I moved into the ruins slowly, examining the stones for some clue as to the cause of their destruction. I found very little and was about to move on through the forest when a shadow descended over me and the world exploded. I flew through the air, again not of my own accord, and slammed against a stone pillar. Thankfully, foals in this world are surprisingly durable, so I was only slightly dazed by the blow. I looked around for my attacker and saw a beautiful, winged, human, female land on top of a ruined archway. "Now who... or what... are you?" I asked as I staggered onto my hooves. "The end of everything that is ill to the world. A choice. That which lies buried. Pick one, for I am all of them, and you will be, or you will die here." "I... what? Are you mad!?" "Some say that." "Look, whoever you are, I just want to get out of this forest, get to Canterlot, find Princess Luna, and find this 'it' that the old coot kept talking about." "I know what you wish to do. I am part of you after all. The part that embraced the powers given to you by the unsealing of the vault, instead of sundering yourself and sending the destructive magics away." I tilted my head so far I was almost looking at her upside down, "Say what?" She sighed, "Very well then, I'll just have to get to the point. The forest created me as an illusion of what could have been and what could still be. The problem with tampering with non-native powers is that I became so much more. All I need is a physical form to leave this place, and it so happens that what should be rightfully mine is standing right there, as a weak little filly! I am Seraph and I will have my freedom!" I blinked and started looking around for someplace to run, maybe hide, but at the very least get some distance between me and the mad illusion. I didn't get much of a chance before I saw power begin to crackle around her, coming to a bright point in one outstretched hand before it flew in my direction. I rolled to the side and was caught in the cloud of dust that it sent up. I made a beeline for the ruined wall behind me, ducking behind it as she fired again and again. I chuckled and looked around. If I was quiet, I could sneak around behind her and get the drop on the loon. I picked my way around carefully as she stood staring at the cloud of dirt that was slowly settling. Spotting a rock about the right size, I tried my throwing arm, winding up and heaving it toward her head. I must have gotten lucky because it nailed her right in the temple, "See, if you were really me, you'd know not to fire blindly into dust clouds! I've watched enough anime to know that!" She turned toward me with a glower that could put Fluttershy's stare out of business and reached behind her, pulling out a sword that was essentially my tattoo given physical form. It began to glow with crackling blue light as stones shot up out of the ground around me. I tried to escape, but my options for egress rapidly diminished until I was sealed into a very small corner, and then nearly crushed as several massive bricks pinned me place. "No more running. I will have what is mine." The finality in her words was chilling and the last thing I saw was her sword flying straight at me. I felt the cold steel embed itself in my forehead before the world around me shattered like a piece of glass and I tumbled into darkness.