How to Disappear Completely

by shortskirtsandexplosions

Almost

The Midnight Oil's flight north was far faster than Flash Sentry had witnessed from the airship before. If nothing else, it matched the undeniable enthusiasm of Fancy Pants and the other business partners in charge of that fortutious expedition. They had got what they had long desired out of the meeting with the Diamond Dogs, and now they were devouring the remaining distance between them and their imperial destination.

The vessel moved like greased lightning, and Flash felt himself hunching tightly behind the port and starboard railings, as if afraid that the high altitude winds might kick his feathery body clean off the deck and toss him into the great blue yonder.

And yet, as he looked around the edges of the ship's swaying gondola, he spotted the figures of Spitfire and Soarin and other members of the Wonderbolts gliding in midair alongside the craft, fearless and determined. Rather swiftly, Flash detached himself from any scant remaining ego concerning his own aerial prowess. Derpy Hooves was a far better teacher than she let on, but Flash was still a three-day-old pegasus at best, and he was swiftly reminded that he was within the presence of masters. It somehow made all of his chummy conversations with Soarin... all that much more flattering. Soon, the trepidation over the speed of the Midnight Oil's flight diminished, and Flash felt himself enjoying the moment yet again.

As he strolled back and forth across the deck, he occasionally caught the sound of Prince Blueblood and Filthy Rich conversing rather sharply with one another along the starboard deck. They appeared to be arguing. Over what? As far as Flash could tell, they were at odds with one another over who to hire for various services for the celebration to come. Prince Blueblood appeared to be insisting that they reel in the Royal Sisters' Personal Catering and the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra. At the same time, Flash heard Filthy Rich calling Blueblood out on a "cultural bias" and suggested that they ask Princess Cadance and Shining Armor to hire services from within the Crystal Empire.

At some point, Fancy Pants stepped into the conversation and suggested neither of those two options, proposing instead that a far humbler solution would be to choose from the general populace of Equestria—so as to welcome the Crystal Empire to the Union with sincerity and the "good ol' fashion spirit of Equestrian friendship." Filthy Rich seemed warm to the idea, but Flash could already hear Blueblood scoffing at it. The three rolled into an even deeper argument. Something told Flash that—perhaps, given his lucky streak—he could trot into the room and suggest some other solution to pacify matters...

But he chose to keep his distance instead. He strolled lonesomely across the deck, pondering his thoughts amidst the clouds blurring by the Midnight Oil. He had accomplished a lot since he arrived in Equestria, and now there was a new age of opportunity to be had by the fanciful occupants of that land. Part of that was his doing—he admitted—but mostly it was just felicitous happenstance. Perhaps acknowleding such was what kept him from feeling overtly cheerful about the matter. For some reason or another, a cloud of ennui was plaguing him suddenly.

It wasn't until the second dream with Luna that Flash realized that he was... subconsciously guaging everything by his own actions. Had he really struggled so hard to win the favor of the Hawkeye Pack just because he was desperate to 'do good' for Equestria? Was all of this some crazy attempt to win the favor of Princess Luna? A Royal Monarch of that land had spotted him... called him out for being a foreign element. It was no big secret that Flash felt intimidated by her... goaded on by her... and yet—based on their second meeting—she wasn't expecting something from him at all. Or, if she was, it wasn't the same thing he was expecting.

Flash felt confused. And he felt bad for feeling confused. It was a cycle of sighs that he was used to being weighed down by. He just didn't expect for it to catch up to him here. The teenager longed for the chuckling words of Soarin or even the elegant hum of Octavia—but neither of them were available to chat with him at the moment. For the first time since arriving in Equestria, Flash felt... imprisoned by his own thoughts, and he didn't like the conditions of that cell.

So—in an effort to distract himself from... thinking... he wandered close to the airship's bow and peered out onto the morphing horizon.

The mountains gave way to wide, expansive, rolling hills. These weren't like the plains that surrounded Ponyville. Here, there weren't any forests. Instead, there was a neverending sea of waving grass and scattered bushes. Instead of rivers and streams there were sporadic lakes and ponds. It was mostly unobstructed emerald earth... stretching far and wide as the eye could see.

Perfect for herds and stampedes, Flash ventured.

And that's how he learned to smile again. In such a spontaneous moment, Flash remembered—he cherished—the fact that he was a colorful winged horse in a magic pony land, riding a goofy airship out of Super Mario Brothers Three... preparing to celebrate a business transaction between talking dogs and crystal quadrupeds.

All of it—in fact—was a dream. For all Flash knew, Luna could pop up anytime. He could either stress about the matter... or do what he had been so good at up until that point and beyond.

He could just roll with it. Like those hills. Like the wind hissing past his ears... silly, soft, fuzzy ears.

Funny how quick it was to get used to being cute... and to allow the plague of cynicism to set in.

"Almost," he muttered to himself, ever so briefly victorious. It was enough. "Almost."

And he resumed his stroll, absorbing himself once again in the breeze and color of that lofty flight...

And smiling because of it.

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Midnight Oil.

Beds are burning.

Burning through the sky,
200 degrees,
thats why they call him Mr Farenheit
He's traveling at the speed of light,
We're gonna make a superpone out of you.

[Mix-up]

Well he is doing good so far and I think it helps him to try and please Luna to make himself look good. I am guessing that he might just be playing a guitar solo over there that will rock the crystal Empire... literally.

[Bookeater_otaku]

We can see some progress from Flash on that one but he is not there yet.

Is it selfish of me to hope this story continue for a long while? I don't really want that meeting is double will give him an epiphany and he will be cured. Yes meeting his other self could be interesting in many ways but I kind of think it could be also a source of conflict for EG Flash. I hope it will just be a one of the numerous steps of is recovery.

[Cpt Creampuff]

8768764
I'm kinda hoping that Princess Twilight found out he's in equestrian and have sent word everywhere to find him and send him back. Then it all turns into a witch hunt adventure type.

[ProjectRabbid]

8769602
I hope not. Poor flash

[Architect Ironturtle]

Ok, does anyone else think that the Midnight Oil is going to go down in flames? I can't imagine any reason for it to have that name unless it was leading up to a bad pun about burning the midnight oil, because prophetic pony pun names.

[Detsella Morningdew]

8792545
I've been confused why it hasn't already. And there haven't even been amnesiac workaholics riding it. Something is up.

[berrytone]

The vessel moved like greased lightning,

One on my favorite lines of figurative language that you've written. right under the whalebone remains of an airship described in the Austraeoh.