How to Disappear Completely

by shortskirtsandexplosions

Refreshing

Clink! Mrs. Cake placed a glass of water down on the table behind where Flash Sentry was sitting. "Sixteen?!" she remarked, her eyes wide.

"Uh huh..." Flash lifted the glass in his opposable wingfeathers and brought it to his lips. A refreshing sip later, he exhaled. "Ngh... does it show?"

"Well... honestly..." Mrs. Cake exchanged blinking expressions with her spouse, then looked at Flash again. "No! It doesn't!"

"Figured you were just another adult stallion passing on through," Carrot Cake added. "But we had no idea you were that young on the other side of... uhhhh..."

Flash shrugged. "Well..." He took another sip and placed the glass back down before leaning casually into his seat. "...maybe some of the magic in hopping over changes stuff up a bit."

"Like how do you mean, my boy?" Fancy Pants asked. He, Filthy, Lyra, Bon Bon, and the rest of the group had formed a loose circle—utilizing chairs and stools dragged over from all across the banquet hall. "Do you think you become older when you make this... trans-dimensional passage?"

"Maybe? I dunno." Flash shrugged. "I certainly don't feel older."

"Coulda fooled me." Soarin sat on a chair beside him. He smirked. "Until you opened your mouth."

Derpy giggled.

Flash rolled his eyes. "Sorry for being a decade less than you."

"Dude..." Soarin squinted. "A decade?"

"Well, am I wrong?"

"... ... ..."

Derpy looked at Soarin.

"I'm... uhhh..." Soarin cleared his throat. A sly smirk. "...well-traveled."

Derpy giggled again.

"A lot of things make sense," Octavia spoke, trotting over from the stage along with Vinyl, having finished packing their instruments. "In hindsight, of course." Vinyl floated two chairs over and the two mares sat down. "Such sharp memory and an almost religious interest in music. Of course you're young in years."

Bon Bon arched an eyebrow. "How do you know all that?"

"Because our good Flash Sentry told me," Octavia said. "Along with his name and the nature of his being—to a degree." She looked across the way. "I trust that's no longer a secret."

"Eh..." Flash waved a hoof. "Screw it."

Lyra gasped. "You knew he was a monkey person the whole time?!"

"I felt it was best to keep the matter secret as an emotional confidant," Octavia calmly said. "And I do believe the term is 'homo sapien.'"

Lyra's muzzle scrunched. "What's the difference?"

Octavia adjusted her bow-tie casually. "It's a monkey that wears clothes."

Filthy Rich laughed. "What I wouldn't pay to see your kind in person, Bra—er... I mean Flash!"

"You are seeing his kind in person," Soarin said. "Just... y'know... the nerdiest, wimpiest crust of it."

Flash hit Soarin in the shoulder.

Soarin hit him back.

"Ow!" Flash winced, smiling crookedly as he rubbed his withers. "Gotta learn to horse-punch."

"Let's hope you never have to."

"In your dimension..." Bon Bon blinked, fighting confusion. "...to teenagers rule the world?"

"No, they just think they do," Flash droned. "Look—I know it sounds stupid. Maybe even made-up. But—honest to God—the portal opens up to a high school. Canterlot High School. And—like—we've got many of the same names for places and things as you ponies do. We've got a city called Canterlot. We have a Crystal Prep run by Principal Cadance. There's even an Everfree Forest. I've camped there before. Good rock-climbing."

"That's so bizarre..." Mrs. Cake blinked. "I wonder what could be the reason for such a place existing?"

"I would have said the same thing about Equestria, once," Flash remarked. "But... y'know... there's waaaaaaaay more to your world than I can even dream of at one glance. Same can be said about my place. I think all the naming stuff is just the surface of it. Why that's the way it is...?" Flash shrugged. "I don't know."

"At least there aren't other versions of us," Filthy Rich stated.

Flash bit his lip.

Filthy blinked. "There are?"

Fancy Pants leaned towards him. "How do you think our fine fellow got jailed, ol' chap? His Equestrian double is a 'guard' under Shining Armor!"

"Well I'll be..."

"They thought poor Flash was a changeling! Hah! Could you imagine?! The sower of Equestrian Unity—a changeling?!"

"He's cool though," Flash said. "The other me, that is. He's..." A gentle sigh as he stared off. "...he's got things together. What I wouldn't give to find a place like that."

"In your world..." Bon Bon began. "...do you know our doubles?"

"Our monkey doubles!" Lyra emphasized.

"Heheh... yeah..." Flash bore a genuine smile. "Some of you."

"You mean us? Really?"

"Uh huh." Flash nodded. "Most of you live in the town I'm from. A lot of you even go to my school."

"As teenagers?" Carrot Cake remarked.

"Erm..." Flash fidgeted slightly. "Not all of you."

"Oh."

Vinyl waved her hoof.

"Vinyl wants to know if you've met her... human self," Octavia asked.

"Heh..." Flash nodded. "Oh yeah. Vinyl's pretty... pretty cool in all dimensions."

Vinyl smirked.

Soarin leaned in. "Lemme guess, you used to date her."

"What? No!" Flash hissed.

"You sure?" Soarin waggled an eyebrow. "Was there a Girl One-Point-Five?"

"No there wasn't a Girl One-PointFive!" Flash turned red. "Now shut up or you'll get your Ass-Kicked-In-True-4k!"

"Hahahahaha... your threats are cuter when I don't understand them." He looked in Derpy's direction.

She was already finished with giggling. "Have you met me over there?"

"Uhhh... yeah, actually," Flash said with a nod. "I still have the burn mark on my shoulder."

"Your what?"

"Er... never mind."

Filthy Rich leaned forward in his seat, smiling innocently. "What am I like over there?"

Flash raised his hoof. "... ... ..." He lowered it. "Rich. Very rich."

"Woohoo! Looks like my father taught me right on both sides!"

"Heheheh..." Flash sank a bit in his seat. "...yeah."

"What about me?" Soarin asked.

"Eh... you're probably some old greasy janitor, mopping up a Wal-Mart restroom someplace."

"Ew... really?"

"Pffft. How the Hell should I know? I haven't met you!"

"Dude!"

Derpy laughed again, leaning over to give Soarin a side-hug.

Comments

[IceKitsune]

Yep time for all the questions in the world. Its fun sharing

[JetstreamGW]

Quadrupeds have shoulders.

[Mix-up]

Nice, the whole team now knows about Flash now what's next?

[djthomp]

"Heh..." Flash nodded. "Oh yeah. Vinyl's pretty... pretty cool in all dimensions."

Vinyl smirked.

Heh.

[FloydienSlip]

The Filthy Rich lines made me laugh pretty hard.

[Guirdann]

8886261
Horses don't. Their front legs are not attached with bones nor joints but only muscles.

[AppleTank]

8895931
Good thing these are magic horses, eh?

[Orphan]

8886255
Withers