Thirty-six hours later, and I'm still hanging my head, cradling it in a pair of shivering hooves.
Every breath is a shuddering thing, especially in this cold, tan place.
Then—out of nowhere—I hear hoofsteps... accompanied by the rattle of armor.
Amber breaths ripple along the stagnant brick walls, and it startles me awake.
I look up from where I sit on a lone bench. I adjust my shades as my eyes focus.
An officer shuffles up to the jail cell's door. His keys rattle—making golden percussion—and at last he opens the clattering gate to reveal Flash Sentry on the other side, standing with cold blue eyes and an even colder deadpan.
I gulp.
"You're free to go, Miss Scratch." It's the elderly police stallion who says this, not Flash Sentry. "Per Her Highness' royal request, this fine young stallion has come to escort you to the Castle."
I nod. Slowly—on stiff limbs—I stand up and trot out of the cell.
The officer gives me a friendly look and a fatherly pat on the shoulder as I make my exit. Flash Sentry pivots about, accompanying me closely as we exit the Ponyville Police Department. A few clerks and secretaries glance at us warily, their eyes darting and full of questions.
Nopony speaks.
At least... not until Flash and I are outside... and more than two blocks away from the jailhouse.
"Please understand, Miss Scratch," Flash Sentry drones, looking straight ahead. "This is not a royal pardon." He clears his throat and speaks between each marching step. "Opulence Von Melody has deliberately chosen not to press charges against you."
I turn, blinking at him in mid-step.
"What's more, he has relocated all of his servants and resources. They're all Trottingham-bound as of this morning." A deep breath. "Miss Melody, in the meantime, is fully awake. The treatment has worked quite well. As a matter of fact, Lyra and Bon Bon escorted her home hours ago. They have her set up all nice and comfy in her bedroom. So... you needn't be worried."
I feel a crimson shudder from my beating heart. An elated spark ripples through my being, but even still it's not enough to make me smile. I just feel... exhausted. My shoulders slump as I hang my head, controlling my deep breaths so that the magenta doesn't knock me out.
"Needless to say, there's still the matter of you openly and wantonly assaulting another Equestrian citizen in open public," Flash Sentry says. "So far, there's been no word from the staff of Ponyville Central wishing to press charges... but I don't think you need me to explain to you how much of a concern this is to the Princess." He gulps. "After all, you are a Royal Minstrel of the Friendship Court, and a representative thereof."
I bite my lips, gazing down at the grass beneath us.
"It is my job to see to it that you're escorted safely to Princess Twilight's Throneroom. Once there, she wishes to have a discussion with you. That... is all I'm at liberty to say," Flash remarks. "Or know, for that matter."
I nod quietly. It is about ten steps later that I realize I am trotting alone. Confused, I scuffle to a stop and turn around, blinking.
Flash Sentry stands in place. His armored horseshoes squirm against the soil, and I see his muzzle tightening... untightening... searching for something to say. At first, I expect a brown-colored breath. Instead, what I receive is pure gold.
"Miss Scratch... Vinyl..." He clears his throat and looks at me. "Off the record." His blue eyes narrow. "If I was in your position... and Mr. Von Melody was saying the sort of stuff that the witnesses testify him as saying..." He slowly nods. "I can easily see myself doing the same exact thing that you did. Even... even if it risked my own career." He grimaces slightly, but stuffs it away. "I'm not allowed to excuse what you did as acceptable... or even sane... but..."
I gaze at him.
"We... are all here because of Friendship. Be it the Court of Friendship or just... Ponyville in general. And... and while what you did was shameful as a citizen of Equestria... I do believe it's what a good friend would do... or at least a good friend who knows when and how to stand up for her roommate's integrity." He adjusts his helmet, avoiding my gaze momentarily. "I... very much doubt that Her Royal Majesty will frame these recent events in the same words that I have, and that's fine. You don't even have to listen to me. I'm just a guard in the Royal Court, and... and I-I was very... very worried for Miss Melody for a while there because... well... y-you know..."
My head nods. I continue gazing at him.
Eventually, he makes eye contact with me once more. "I believe that everything has to start at friendship. And friendship is about... respect." He gulps, his eyes slightly glossy. "And honesty. And... and without that..." He shakes his head. "...it can't grow into anything else. Or—at least—if it does... then it doesn't have a snowflake's chance in Tartarus of being healthy." A shudder. "I... I didn't realize that until just recently, and... and I'm thankful for... for being shown the light."
My muzzle hangs open slightly.
He clenches his eyes shut, breathes, then mutters forth: "I believe in what you and Octavia have, Vinyl." He reopens his eyes, smiling delicately. "And I hope—with whatever happens, with whatever Her Majesty says... or decides—that you remember that. That you remember what you have... and what it can grow into. Because... n-not all of us have a chance to enjoy something so... awesome."
There is silence between us... and yet there isn't. After a mutual nod, we pivot from the cold gasp of the moment and continue our serious trot towards the black bastion around the bend.
These Flash feels. THESE DAMN FLASH FEELS!
Skirts, I can't believe you managed to do this, but you made me like Flash Sentry—at least your version of him. That's quite the talent, and I like how you showed the consequences of Vinyl's actions, even if many of us would've done the same thing if given the chance. There's a reason why this story is one of my favorites. Excellent work!
last chapter reaction: WOOO GO VINYL
this chapter reaction: d'awww
I can only assume he means in reference to his own potential relationship with Twilight. I feel like I'm missing something though. Aside from that one morning where she woke up and had that heart-to-heart with Vinyl... had there EVER been any evidence that their relationship wasn't going well?
Maybe I missed a chapter, or something...?
Welp, I'm fairly sure that damn near everyone saw that last chapter coming. Any kind of mental break/physical harm that could have come to Opulence was imagined, and thus came to be due to Vinyl being relatively easy-to-anger.
Awesome Flash is awesome.
Also, I wonder what Twilight's take on all this will be.
This is going to be an interesting talk. Although given that Tavi's back up and around, and in control of her own faculties, with a couple witnesses V could probably make a case for preventing a kidnapping. :p
Even flash ships it.
Flash Sentry ships it so fracking hard.
Awesomeness! :D
So does this mean no chapter tomorrow?
I don't know how, but you made Flash likeable
Again...
Dangit Skirts...
My god how Flash redeems himself in this chapter.
I mean, he already pounded an evil griffin into the ground earlier, but this? This is awesome.
Also, he's clearly shipping TaviScratch like the Royal Equestrian Postal Service.
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You pretty much had Vine beat, Op. Way to go to Spoiled Rich and beyond of extremes before flopping helplessly like a magikarp an inch away from the goal line. The only pain Vine will have to live with is knowing what Octi has for a father apparently. He could have had her locked up something fierce by now and Octi would be halfway to Trottingham by now . And the hospital would send cops and dogs after a pony stealing a book from a hospital, yet not one would press charges for practically trying to kill a pony IN A HOSPITAL in PONYVILLE? Laws are getting pretty laxed now that Twilight's in charge it seems. :P
6693312 Well, there's the fact that Flash always had a brown voice, which means lies or dishonesty while twilight had a grey voice, and we learned recently that it shows the mask she puts in public. And with that chapter, we can assume that Flash was either basing their relationship on a lie, or dissimulating what he really felt.
A relationship based on lies and masks isn't exactly healthy. So while we didn't really see any evidence of it, the work of SSE with the voices and the hints along the chapter can help us understand and feel some events rather than witnessing them.
That's why it's such a good story.
Wow. Didn't expect that. Reputation saved!
Stop making Flash Sentry likeable! Stahp!
6693773 Heeheehee xD I bet she has a tazer somewhere :P
And it shoots wubby wubs!
I bet that the Ponyville sheriff's office and possibly any other investigators have been completely stymied by the fact that every single sentient in that corridor was either looking the other way, distracted, blind, deaf or suffering from short-term amnesia. What Flash is saying that, in similar circumstances, he would have done the same thing and taken the consequences and I think that he was in a very large majority in feeling that way.
That doesn't make Twilight's situation any easier. Vinyl is her servant and she needs to be seen to keep her house in order in some way. She can't ignore this, excuse it or in any way be seen as condoning it. Add on top of this incident Rarity's feelings about Vinyl's self control and violent proclivities, then Twilight may end up dismissing Vinyl from the Court or may even have Vinyl committed to psychiatric care, at least for a while.
Meh. Still don't really have any feelings for Flash Sentry. He just feels kinda shoehorned in. Maybe it's just me, though.
Flash Sentry with 'Words to Live By' everyone!
I do wonder how Twi is going to handle it. I can see it going either way - she won't be too shaken up by Opulence getting bucked in the face, having talked to him for more than five minutes, but she also has political responsibilities and presumably disapproves of violence.
Is Vinyl going to offer her resignation? Is Twi going to demand it?
And how is Rarity going to react? Will she take it as confirmation of Vinyl's dangerous impulsiveness, or as a sign of loyalty?
6693424 The double-update is making up for a day's hiatus that Skirts took the other day.
So, likable Flash Sentry (AKA, Flash Sentry with character traits that aren't "Twilight's boyfriend"), Opulence basically can't do anything to ruin Vinyl's reputation (Royal Minstrel doesn't matter, she's still a touring DJ), and Tavi is okay.
On the flip side, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle are about to team up and either fire the mentally unstable musical genius, or commit her to psychiatric care. Put simply, no matter how much it hurts, neither of these two punishments will actually hurt Vinyl.
Tender, fragile moments — and a lot of them. The plot at this point feels like a timeworn ship at sea riding the edge of a storm, never drifting too far one direction or another. I'm never at a loss for excitement to see what happens next.
More awesome music from the House.
I haven't commented on Flash's involvement in this story yet, mostly because I have the luxury of reading this story years after it's writing, and looooooong after Skirts'... fixation on the character has become quite apparent. So, I've been waiting to see what kind if role he actually played here.
I've never really cared one way or the other about him, simply by virtue that he was barely a character to begin with, and his pretty boy high school love interest deal meant the Fandom wasn't too keen on elaborating his personality the way they have so many other one more characters (the way, say, a certain pair of musicians have been given).
But this chapter, I think I can definitively say:
He's alright, that Flash Sentry. Maybe still a bit bland, but there's a good heart under all that un-salted puff pastry.