DustStorm experiences flashes of memories. What are they? Sequel to Foal Games. It is advised you read Foal Games before reading this. ALERT: FOAL GAMES (Not this fanfic) CONTAINS DIAPERS/REGRESSION. IF YOU ARE NOT INTO THIS, DO NOT READ FOAL GAMES
Cancelled. It just wasn't working for me, I just couldn't do it. Sorry.
ALERT: FOAL GAMES (Not this fanfiction) CONTAINS DIAPERS/REGRESSION. IF YOU ARE NOT INTO THIS, DO NOT READ FOAL GAMES.
You can still read this without reading Foal Games, but it may get confusing at times.
Years have passed since DustStorm was left under Corona's care. Once again, he is in the Royal Guard and serves as a Magical Combat Technician and Researcher.
However, he feels strange flashes of memories. Are they his memories? They can't possibly be, right? Then why are they so familiar?
Twenty years had passed since the incident of Foal Games. DustStorm had been recruited into the Royal Guard once more, and served as one of the Magic Researchers of Canterlot. A spell was cast over him by Torrent, to make him appear as a different pony, along with a different name, ‘Arcan’. For if anypony found out the truth, there would sure be a Royalty-level investigation into Corona. The spell was refreshed every few nights, as DustStorm slept, to prevent him from finding out about his true self. The SIU investigation was closed, after FlashRain reported that he and DustStorm had found the suspect, and handled him accordingly. FlashRain then filed for a request for a leave of absence for DustStorm and himself, which the SIU head complied with. And now…
***
“Memories are never fully forgotten. They cannot be erased or overwritten. They leave a permanent imprint on our being, an impression in our brain. When we say a memory has been forgotten, it has simply been pushed to a dark corner of our minds. It quietly sits there, waiting for us to find a way to access it again. With the proper trigger, the memories can come back into the light, and be rediscovered. The mind is truly a wonderful thing.” ~ Silver Scroll, Researcher
“Arcan?”
I jumped, nearly dropping the book. I turned to see one of my Royal Guard friends, Swift, standing at the door.
“The Unit’s about to go grab some drinks at the Old Mare. You coming?” he asked, giving a short flap of his wings.
I sighed, looking down at my book. “No thanks.” I answered. “Why don’t you guys go without me?”
“Oh come on, you bookworm.” Swift trotted over to me. “What’s so interesting that you can’t spend time with a few buddies?” He bent down, examining the cover of my book. “Mysteries of the Mind: Decoding what we thought we lost.” Swift gave me an odd look. “Interesting read, I guess?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you guys.” I set the book down. “Just… going out isn’t really my thing. I’m sorry. Maybe some other time.”
“That’s what you say every time. Just one drink can’t hurt, right?” Swift pressed. “One drink with friends. That’s all I’m asking.”
I considered it, looking down at the book again. I probably spent too long staring, as Swift spoke up again.
“All right, something’s bothering you.” He sat down on the bed across from me. “What is it?”
“It’s nothing.” I slid the book under my pillow. “I was just thinking about what I read.” Moving my eyes back to Swift, he was regarding me imperiously, easily seeing through my lie. “Fine.” I said. “I’ll tell you, but you’ll think I’m crazy.”
Swift settled back a little more, folding his front hooves. “I’ve thought you were crazy from the first day I met you.” He chuckled. “There’s not much that you can tell me that’ll change that for the worse.”
Taking a deep breath, I began. “Recently, I’ve been having weird dreams. Not just at night, but at day, too. It’s like flashes of images, rushing across my mind. I can only usually pull the tiniest bits from it, but… I can’t explain it. I’ve never seen those images in my life- well, not that I can remember. But the flashes are so familiar. I feel like I’m forgetting something. Memories that happened a long time ago.”
Swift was giving me another odd look, and I trailed off, looking down at the ground.
“That does sound crazy.” He admitted. Swift pushed himself off the bed, landing on all fours. “You’ve probably been overworking. I mean, you go home every night, even after a full day of training and research. That’s got to be hard on a pony. You need some time to rest.” He started to leave, then turned back. “So, are you going to join us for a drink?”
I paused, then nodded, giving a short smile. “Just one. I have time for that.”
Swift grinned. “Great. Meet you there. Fix yourself up a little, okay?”
I pulled on my cape, slinging it over a shoulder, the silver and blue material swirling around my legs. The Royal Guard crest glittered on a corner of it. A simple garment, but my favorite, nonetheless. I glanced in the mirror, making sure I looked decent enough to go out to public. My mess of a dark gray mane, with streaks of blue contrasted well with my pale gray body. My Cutie Mark of crossed swords was covered on one side by the cape. After brushing my mane a few times, I followed Swift outside.
***
“Nice of you to join us, sir!” chortled one of the guards in my unit.
“Look, Captain Bookworm is here!” Another raised his glass of hard cider. “Have a drink on us, eh?”
“No need.” I settled down at the table. “Drinks are on me tonight. And I told you many times, there’s no need to call me ‘Captain’.”
The bartender slid over a glass of frothy amber liquid to me. I nodded my thanks at him.
“That’s what we like to hear! How about a toast to Arcan then?” Swift raised his glass, the others following. “To Arcan!”
I gave a small smile as we clinked our glasses and drank. For the first time in a long time, I felt truly happy, enjoying the lively energy of my unit. No, just not my unit- my friends.
“You’re home a bit late.” My mother, Corona commented, smiling.
“Just went out for a drink with friends.” I slid off my cloak, hanging it on the coat rack.
“Want some dinner?” Mother asked, trotting over to me. “I made some fresh apple cobbler.”
“Not tonight, Mother. I’ve got a lot of research to do.” I answered. “I appreciate it anyway. I work better when my stomach isn’t filled.” She sighed, shaking her head. “All right then, dear. Be sure to go to bed at a reasonable time. If you change your mind, it’ll be on the dinner table.”
I headed straight for my room, meeting Talon along the way, one of her servants. His Griffon body was always well-groomed, and his tone friendly. “Evening, Master Arcan. Would you like some tea? I’m sure it’ll help you focus on your studies.”
I gave him a small smile. “I told you many times before, Talon. There’s no need to use that title.”
He chuckled. “I’ll use it as I see fit. I feel it would be disrespectful otherwise. Now how about that tea?”
“Just one cup.” I nodded. Talon gave a short bow as I entered my room.
The walls were lined with hundreds of books, stacked and piles of papers scattered around the room. Arcane symbols dotted the walls, and a set of potions equipment bubbled in the back corner. I gave a soft sigh and settled down at my desk, unfurling my newest piece of research. I picked up a quill, dipped it in the ink, and began writing.
The candle burned lower as the minutes passed, then there was a knock at my door.
“Master Arcan, your tea. May I come in?” It was Talon.
“Door’s open.” I didn’t look up from my writings.
Talon came up behind me, and set a steaming cup on my table. “Spiced Apple Chai, with a touch of milk and a scoop of sugar.” He bowed. “Just the way you like it.”
“Thanks, Talon.” I lifted the cup to my mouth with my magic, and blew on it, taking a small sip. Perfectly brewed and flavored, just like always. “It’s flawless, as usual, Talon. Thank you.”
Talon bowed once more before exiting. I worked late into the night, the papers in my room growing, before yawning. I laid my head down on my desk. Just a little time to rest, then I would go right back to my work. Before I knew it, the blanket of sleep had covered me
***
“Come on, little bro, you can do it!” The green Pegasus shouted up at me.
“I really don’t think so.” I called back, giving my small blue wings a gentle flap. “Promise to catch me if I fall? Again?”
“Of course! But I know you’ll do fine!” He flew up a short distance. “Go for it!”
I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes to calm myself. My hooves started moving into a trot, then breaking into a gallop. Spreading my wings, I flapped them hard and leapt off the cloud. First, there was the terrible feeling of falling. But then, a burst of wind caught in my wings, and I soared higher into the air. I was flying! I laughed along with my brother as he flew up next to me. “I told you so!” He said, as we glided across the sky, climbing even higher.
The feeling was exhilarating. The entire skies were ours. The endless expanse stretched on, and was our domain. It felt like freedom.
***
“Gah!” I woke up with a start. The candle had dripped hot wax onto my nose. Picking it off, I looked around. I was in my research room, and it was just as disorganized- if not more- than it was before. I closed my eyes again. What was that dream? It was like the flashes of images I got, but it was never this defined before. It had never been a complete sequence. I groaned and leaned back in my chair, looking out the window. To my surprise, I saw the sun rising. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I left my room to start my day. When I reached the kitchen, Torrent was already up, cooking up some pancakes.
“Breakfast, Master Arcan?” he asked. “You know what Miss Corona says, it’s the most important meal of the day.”
“No time for a full breakfast.” I answered, grabbing an apple and taking a bite. “See you later.”
“Master Arcan, I must insist, please have at least something more than an apple.” I heard him call after me.
“I’ll eat something when I get there!” I shouted back.
***
“So you had a dream… about flying?” Swift asked, as he polished his armor. “Big deal. A lot of non-Pegasi have those kinds of dreams.”
“I told you, it didn’t feel like a dream.” I insisted. “It was so real. It wasn’t like a dream at all. I felt the wings, the wind current, the feeling of flying into the open air… It was like I was in another pony’s memory or something.”
Swift frowned as he turned to me. “And what time did you say you went to sleep? Did you do it on an empty stomach again?”
“You’re not taking me seriously, are you?”
“Nope.” He pulled on his armor. “It’s hard to take somepony ‘s dream seriously. It was just a dream, Arcan. Nothing more.”
I followed him outside to the training grounds. My unit was already waiting.
“Morning, sir.” A female pink unicorn, named Blossom, had her spear stuck in the ground.
“Looks like you’ve got something on your mind.” A yellow Pegasus added. “Want to talk about it?” he spun his halberd expertly.
“He never talks about anything, Spark.” Chuckled a deep blue unicorn, firing her two small crossbows into a target, reloading quickly and firing again.
“Quiet, Ocean Mist.” Swift leaned his longsword against his shoulder. “Let him make his morning brief.”
They turned and faced me, Swift taking his place amongst them.
“All right, everypony. We’ve been training very hard for the past few days. I’m proud of all of you. We’ve increased our combat power by almost two hundred percent. Let’s keep at it. Everypony, partner up.” Swift and Ocean Mist joined up with each other, while Blossom and Spark trotted off to the side to continue their training.
I watched them spar for some time, giving them pointers here and there. The clash of weapons rang through the air, as the magically shielded blades and bolts struck each other. It was Ocean who developed that spell. Even if the weapons made contact with another pony, it would leave no more damage than a bruise.
Suddenly, my vision swam, and I fell to my front knees, as dizziness took over. I could hear my unit clamoring over to me, shouting. But their words melted into obscurity as I fell to the ground, falling into an abyss.
“Hey there, Cloud.” I looked up from my book. One of my friends, Cayenne, flew over, his bright red Pegasus body, and fire-orange eyes glowing well in the sunlight. There was the usual strong smell of hot sauce around him. Making it was his special talent, after all. His wings flapped as he hovered, fluttering the pages of my book. “Class isn’t for ten minutes and you’re reading?”
“Of course.” I closed the book, leaning back in my chair. “We have a test today, you know.”
“Huh? We do?” He looked shocked, taking a step back.
“You don’t pay attention in class at all, do you, Cayenne?” Another friend, Luster, fluttered down next to me. Her neon-yellow body was always shining, and her gleaming necklace cutie mark stood out. Her candy-like perfume, was excessively sweet, in my opinion, but it was something she loved.
“It’s so boring.” He yawned. “Hey, Cloud, let me look at your test when-”
“No.” I said firmly. “You’re my friend, but I won’t help you cheat.”
“Then-“ he turned to Luster who also shook her head.
“Maybe if you paid attention in class, you wouldn’t have to do this.” She said, a smile on her face. “Good luck.” She said mischievously before taking her seat.
I slid my book back into my bag, pulling out my pencil bag.
“Can I at least borrow a pencil?” Cayenne asked, landing back to the ground.
Sighing, I passed him over one of mine. “Keep it.” I said. “I don’t want a spicy pencil back.”
“You’re the best.” He gave me a light punch on the shoulder before returning to his seat, just as the teacher, Miss Sonrisa walked in.
“Morning, children!” She said. “Now I hope you all studied for the test today!” Miss Sonrisa pulled out a stack of papers, placing them heavily on her desk, to collective groans from the class. She gave a small laugh. “I know, nopony likes tests. But I have to know what you’ve learned so far!” She started passing out the stapled papers. Once I got mine, I quickly began writing my answers out, finishing the test in only a few minutes. I turned my packet over and looked over at Cayenne. He had his face down on his desk, having only filled out “Name” and “Date”. I couldn’t help but give an amused smile as I sat back in my chair, closing my eyes.
***
“I couldn’t answer a single question on that test.” Cayenne sighed, opening his lunch container. The sharp smell of vegetable chili wove through the air.
“Who’s fault was that?” Luster uncovered her salad. “And keep that away from me, it reeks.” She turned to me. “Not eating anything, as usual?”
“I don’t really eat much.” I replied, pulling another book out of my bag. “It’s fine.”
“Words are all he needs for nourishment.” Cayenne joked, as he began eating.
“And apparently for sleep, too.” Luster raised an eyebrow at me. “You look exhausted. The flight to the lunchroom wasn’t that long.
“Wake me up when lunch is over.” I used my book as a pillow, resting my head on it. “I studied all night.”
“Bookworm.” Luster smiled at me. “Get some rest, we’ll wake you when it’s time.”
***
“Hey! Arcan!” a voice came through my sleep. “Wake up!”
“Don’t poke him like that!” another voice snapped.
Slowly opening my eyes, they focused on my unit, all standing over me.
I sat up, a little too quickly, my vision swimming again.
“Easy.” I felt a hoof steady me as I got to my hooves.
“You all right?” Swift asked me.
I nodded. “Just…” I shook my head. “I’ll be fine.” I answered.
“Fine? You just collapsed for no reason!” Blossom frowned. “You should go see a medic.”
“I’m fine.” I insisted, dusting myself off. “I just didn’t really sleep much.”
I could see Swift watching me out of the corner of my eye. “Can I talk to you?” he asked. I reluctantly walked off to the side with him. “Did it happen again? Your- dream, vision, whatever you call it.”
“Yeah.” I was troubled by the visions. They were steadily becoming more clear and intense.
“Go home, take the day off.” Swift urged me. “You’ve really been overdoing it lately. I’ll take over for now.”
“Thanks, Swift.” I sighed. “I’ll do that.” I quickly headed home, deciding to bring this up with my mother as soon as I got there.