Flash’s Demon 13 - Flash’s everyday life
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Flash turned and tossed as his alarm blared. It took a stray hoof to turn off the alarm. The stallion groaned, as he slowly awoke..
“Flash? You up?”
Flash quickly realized that his hoof had not turned off the alarm.
“Big Bro?”
First Base did.
“You’re awake! Good morning!” exclaimed Flash’s little brother as he hugged Flash tight.
Flash chuckled. “Good morning to you too you, little squirt,” he said, hugging his brother back.
“Welcome back home, Big Bro,” First Base said. “I really missed you on your trip! Why didn’t you tell us you were going somewhere?”
It confused Flash for a moment. “Trip?” Oh, right. Cover story. “Sorry bro, things kinda happened last minute and I was hoping mom was gonna tell you.”
“It’s fine. I had a bunch of fun anyway,”
“Fun without me? Awwww.” Flash feigned insult.
“Yep! Aunt Dust came by and Mom said I could spend the whole weekend in Cloudsdale. I had to wear that cloudwalking amulet the whole time, but it wasn’t a problem and I had a ton of fun!”
Flash chuckled. “That’s cool of mom.”
“Oh! Mom said that she’s got breakfast ready for you.”
“Cool. You gonna join us today, little bro?”
First Base tried to nod, but yawned instead. “I don’t know how you do this. The sun’s not even up.”
“You get used to it,” Flash answered. He nuzzled his brother. “Come-on, let’s go get some grub.”
Ember Glow wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead.
“Mom! Flash is up!” her youngest shouted.
“Just in time—” Ember muttered to herself, as she set the last dish on the kitchen table, and just in time to watch her sons walk through the doorway.
“Good morning dears!” Ember Glow greeted her children with a big hug.
“Good morning mom!” The boys each said to their mother.
“Oh, I’m so happy to see both my darling little angels again,” Ember said.
Flash chuckled. “Mom, you have no idea how happy I am too.”
First Base squeezed himself out of his mother’s iron-clad embrace. “We weren’t gone that long mom, just a weekend!”
Ember let go of her oldest and giggled. First was first to hop into his seat. “Come on, let’s eat!”
Flash and his mother then slid into their own seats. After his ordeal yesterday, any sense of normalcy was a welcome change.
Plain oat cereal, same as always.
“Oat cereal,” Flash muttered and began to munch the bland wad of sticky oats.
Flash shifted a glob of oats from one cheek to the other before swallowing. Health, his mother had told him, was why she always had that for breakfast. Figuring he had been eating nothing but sandwiches for the past few days, for once it actually tasted mediocre.
“You ate something else?”
“Well, pretty much all the food I had until then was a few sandwiches. Then we ran out. It... was ‘fun’.”
First spoke up and said “really-ohh.” and then realized the tone.
“Um, how much fun?” First Base asked.
“It was an experience you’ll never be able to forget…” no matter how much you try.
“Oh my,” Ember muttered. “Well, you’re done with that now, right?”
“Um…”
I wish, thought Flash.
“Well big bro got promoted or something? Right! Of course he is!” First exclaimed, nearly jumping off his seat.
Good timing, little bro. “Yep!” Flash borrowed his enthusiasm. “I’ll be running night shifts from here on out, but it’ll be a welcome change.”
“You’ll be sleeping when I get home from school through,” First Base said.
In a flash, Flash was first to turn and answer First, first. “You’re normally doing homework anyway, right? Don’t worry, you and I will still have our brother time, okay little bro? I promise.”
First smiled as wide as he could.
“In a matter of fact, we can today before you have to go to school. You got school in a couple of hours, right?”
First nodded, then asked, “But I thought you had your school today?”
“Not today, the guard told me I could take the day off.” Flash leaned back in his chair and stretched his wings. “I can stretch my wings while we go out and play a game or two. Then I’ll bring you to school.” Flash scratched his chin, thinking ahead after that. “And after that I can nap before that college music band tryout, so I’m all ready for it. Then I’ll have to take a straight shot to work though, and I should be home just in time to wake you up before you go to school and I got my classes. Yeah, that sounds like that’ll work.”
First smiled, which led Flash to smile as well… until he saw his mother’s look of disapproval. “You’re... not going to college today?” Ember was looking square at her oldest child.
“The guard said I should rest up today for tonight, and contacted the college to let them know that I wouldn’t be there.”
“But you could.”
“Mom I’m-”
“-Dear, you need to go to school.”
Flash turned away. “I’m not twelve mom. It’ll be okay if I miss a day. And I really, really want to get some sleep for the other stuff going on today. Besides, I’m gonna be spending a few hours with First before school.”
Ember frowned and looked at her youngest. “First, dear, would you be okay with postponing your brother time to another day?”
“Well, only if we get a chance later,” First said.
“Perfect,” Ember smiled. “I’ll help make some time for you two, and you can go to your classes today, Flash.”
Displeasure was an understatement for how Flash felt.
Flash felt so upset.
“Mom, I don’t want to go to school today.”
Ember wagged her hoof. “Nonsense, Flash, you’ll fall behind if you skip. I’m sure you’ll be fine-”
“-fine number two pencil, make sure you pull it out, and mark in each answer. Keep your sheets face down until the test begins.”
The horn of Flash’s professor lit up and he closed the classroom door. He then walked behind his desk, levitating a stack of papers. The professor walked down the rows of desks passing out tests to each student. He spoke to Flash when he passed by the young pegasus.
“I’m surprised you’re here, Mis-ter Sentry. I was told by the guard you needed time to prepare for today’s test; an error, I suppose. I assume your time away has given you some time to study.”
Flash told him “Well, I had a change of heart.”
The professor smiled. “Very well, let’s hope you made a good choice,” he said as he gave Flash his test.
When he was done, the professor walked back to his chair, sat, magically took hold of the test sheets, and flipped them all upright.
“Remember now students, this test is multiple choice. Match the specimens and species names using the images and descriptions provided.”
Yes! Flash smiled. His memories of the subject matter were sketchy, but multiple choice was his favorite type of test.
“On the first sheet are all the choices you have. A, B, C, D and E.”
A one in five chance. Well, at least this might not be too…
“AB, AC, AD, AE, BC, BD, BE CD, CE, DE, ABC, ABD, and ABE. Each segment of the test will have a new set of what each of the choices means.”
Flash’s coat went pale.
“Remember, not all answers may be used, and some answers may be used multiple times. There are 100 questions overall, 10 points of extra credit, and you have until the end of class. I hope you’ve spent the past few days studying. Good luck to you all.”
Flash headdesked.
“Celestia damn it ….”
Before the test had even begun, Flash knew he had failed. Again.
Flash groggily lifted his head from the desk as the rest of his classmates were filing out of the hall.
Well, the shit show’s finally over, I guess. Flash thought to himself. Time to bail
“See you all tomorrow, class. I’ll have your grades ready for you as soon as you come. We’ll move onto the next chapter then.”
Flash gazed at the stack of test papers, and that the professor was already starting to grade them. It only reminded him of his own impending failure… again. He grabbed his book bag and tried to slip out as fast as possible.
“Oh well, at least I can slip out of here before—”
“Mis-ter Sentry,” called the professor. Flash winced and stopped short. “Could I speak to you for a minute?”
Oh crap.
Flash spun around. His fellow students were leaving the room quickly. The last one took a glance of pity at him and shut the door behind him, leaving Flash alone with his teacher.
“Mis-ter. Sentry,” Flash hated how he said that. “Have a seat, please.”
Flash held his tongue and obeyed Like a dog...
“While you were resting your head after completing my exam I did you the favor…” the professor began to say as he turned around and grabbed a sheet off his desk.
Favor my ass.
“The favor of grading your test while you slept in my class, a fact which I will overlook for more pressing matters,” the professor said as he lay the sheet down on Flash’s desk.
It was an F after all. Twenty-one out of one hundred.
The F was drawn in red, accompanied by a cross on each wrong answer. The correct ones, that Flash had missed, were circled, too. Nearly the entire sheet was daubed with red marker. The more Flash looked at it the more he begged his mind to pull away.
You fucked up. Again.
“You failed, again, Mis-ter Sentry. Do you enjoy flunking my class?” the professor asked.
“No sir,” Flash couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact.
“Then why did you only manage a grade of twenty-one percent? That's rather low on the ‘F’ spectrum, Mis-ter Sentry.”
“Because I…” It’s not like I can actually tell you why, right? But that wouldn’t be right anyway. If I stayed home, maybe I could have studied… but...but I did anyway...and even if I did, could I have even done it? Probably n...
Flash did not look at his professor. His eyes locked on the map of the continent. “I don’t know, sir.”
“Why did you do this to yourself again? Look at me, boy! Stop gazing elsewhere!” With a simple command, he forced Flash to face him. “You’re tormenting and making a fool of yourself. Why do you persist in this Sisyphussery?”
“Because I have to pass the biology prerequisite, sir.” Don't know why it’s required, I’ll never use this knowledge outside of this box of a classroom.
“And you are quite far from that goal, from where you are standing.” Flash’s wings folded in tightly against his back.
Unaware, the unicorn professor continued on. “The path you are on Mis-ter Sentry, is in fact one of absolute failure, and you are on the verge of crossing the point of no return.”
I know that...
“Do you understand what will happen if you fail again, Mis-ter Sentry?” The professor looked inquisitively at Flash. “Your GPA is currently at 1.35. I have talked with the dean about this. You and I both know you are about to flunk out of this college. One more F, Mis-ter Sentry, and this college will no longer waste its time or your…well, Canterlot’s money on you. Not only will you be booted from this college, but you will be mandated to pay back the government the money you wasted.”
I’m trying! You’re acting like I want this! I don’t fucking want this! I just want to god-damn play music, but I have to take your damn class first!
“As a matter of fact, you have passed this line of failure with today's test. If I wished, I could go to the dean and this would be the end of your petty college venture.”
Flash closed his eyes. Flash would not explode.
“Do you wish for me to do that? Do you want to fail, boy?”
And that was it.
Flash’s eyes cracked open like shattered glass, his pupils burning yellow. With a hoof he swatted away his desk like if it was straw. Flash rushed to the professor, grabbing his head with a hoof. With a flap of his wings, he drove his head into a wall.
“I’M ONLY FAILING BECAUSE OF YOU!”
He lifted his head from the wall, only to slam it back in deeper.
“YOU BASTARD! YOU HATE ME BECAUSE YOU HATE HIM!”
“That’s it! You fail! You’re out!” The professor screamed. It only drove Flash to continue to pound his head against the wall.
“DON’T YOU DARE TAKE MY FUTURE FROM ME!”
“You did that to yourself!”
“SHUT UP!”
Flash’s hooves became draconic claws. One claw grabbed the professor’s snout, the other his horn. Flash hovered behind and jammed his hind legs into the professor’s back, who screamed in agony screeching “Failure! You’re nothing but a failure!”
Claws gripped the professor’s horn as the demon pulled with all his might, the professor screamed as blood dripped from the horn’s base.
Flash closed his eyes, smiling as if all that existed in the world was the professor’s scream. Then a sickening snap resounded.
“Are you listening to me?” The professor tapped his hoof on the desk.
Flash opened his eyes. His professor was right where he was, untouched and unharmed. The pegasus fidgeted in his seat as his mind returned to the real world.
“Dear Celestia, boy, please tell me you wish to continue,” asked his professor.
Flash would not explode.
“I wish to continue,” Flash calmly said.
“Just the response I was hoping for!” the professor smiled and turned around, levitating a small set of stapled papers off his desk and to Flash’s desk.
“This is the practice test you missed when you were out on royal service. 50 questions. Multiple choice, just as the one you took today. Mis-ter Sentry, you were not the only one who was supposed to have missed this test. I will be holding a make-up exam this Thursday. Come and take it, and I will substitute the test you just failed with the make-up test.”
“What?” Flash questioned.
“You are lucky I am a merciful instructor, Mis-ter Sentry, or this would have been a very bad day for you.”
“Thank you sir…” Flash felt small. His fantasies of a moment earlier dragged him down.
“The military life is not an easy one, but I am always willing to do my part to help those who serve our Goddess, especially when one of them makes a poor decision. You are young, you need to learn from your mistakes before you make one that cannot be undone. This is going to be your last chance, Mis-ter Sentry.” The professor turned and levitated his briefcase and papers. “Now, I need to be heading to my next class, and you to your duties.”
“Yes sir,” was all Flash could bring himself to say.
“Also, I heard you were going to the college music tryouts later in the afternoon. I would advise you to study instead. This is your final chance to turn this grade of yours, as well as your future, around. I retain optimism that you can. Have a good day Mis-ter Flash.”
Flash slung his bag over his shoulder and opened the door to leave.
Flash closed the door behind him.
Home… finally. He thought to himself.
He saw his guitar next to the doorway, exactly where he had left it before. Untouched by his mother, ready for him to pluck and head out the door for the music tryouts.
“Flash? First? Is that you?” a voice called from deeper inside.
Mom.
“It’s me mom.” Flash called out. “I’m back from my classes.”
“Oh, perfect timing,” Flash’s mom shouted back “Can you help me move the couch? These bones of mine aren’t what they used to be.”
“Um, just give me a minute, mom,” Flash replied. “I need to set my stuff down first,” the stallion said as he stayed airborne, putting his bags at the bottom of staircase next to where he had left his guitar case.
“That’s fine, honey,” Ember said from across the living room. “How was school?”
Flash landed gently on the floor. “Uh, it went well. Have some studying to do,” he told her. Technically, it was good luck...
“That’s great, honey! I told you things would be okay if you did.”
Flash couldn’t burst her bubble, especially without telling her the full story of his failures.
Flash walked through the kitchen and into the living room, giving his mom and wave and a quick hug.
“Good to see you in good spirits, honey,” Ember told her son.
“Thanks mom,” Flash said back.
“So, where do you want this couch?”
“On the side, just near the loveseat, I wanna see if it looks good. I’ll be fast so you can still make it to your music thingy you told me about before. I glad you’re able to juggle your hobbies with your school and work. I was so worried you’d be having trouble.”
Flash was glad his head was pushing the couch, so his mother couldn’t see his face.
"Thanks mom,” Flash lied.
There was no way that could ever be true.
“So, honey, when are you going to be going to your music thing?”
If there was one thing he could do…
“Actually, I’m not going tonight.”
“Aww, you seemed so eager to go. Did something happen? Wasn’t the school band trying to find a new guitarist? I thought you wanted to try out?”
Yes but..."It’s fine, it’s not a big thing at all. It’s okay mom. I need to study tonight before work anyway. It’s more important.”
“I see. well, if you say so, son.”
“Thanks. Alright, let’s make this quick. As soon as we finish moving this stuff around, I’ll give my guitar a quick retune, and then I’ll study…”
“-while I’m on duty tonight. I didn’t get much studying done today,” Flash said to Steel Wings. The two pegasi decorated in royal armor walked through canterlot castle’s courtyard.
“Why?” Steel asked, despite knowing the answer.
A million little distractions. Well…“Mom needed some help and I kinda got sidetracked from there.“ You know, the usual...
“Really?” Steel had known enough to read between the lines when it came to Flash. “That so?”
Flash replied, “I thought the guards weren’t suppose to give people sass.”
Steel chuckled. “I think childhood friends are the exception. If you do get any studying in, make sure you don’t neglect your job. Just because you’re on a salary now doesn’t mean you can slack off.”
“Yes mom,” Flash rolled his eyes. “Speaking of work, why are you here? I thought we used to work the same shifts.”
“We did, One of the night shift guards caught the flu. It was bad enough they sent him home, and then they asked if I could cover his shift. Unlike you, I don’t have stupid early school hours, so I took the extra money. You did get some rest in before you left, right?”
Up, then down, Steel didn’t need that to be answered. “Course you didn’t. Just ride out tonight okay? I know your stuff is top secret and all, but if I can help just send for me, okay?”
“Thanks, you’re a real bro, Steel.”
“Hey, what are friends for? Besides, I owe you for the whole petrification thing. Still can’t believe we teleported into a cockatrice cage. If it wasn’t for you not getting petrified as soon as we dropped in there and you sending for help, it would have been forever before they found us.”
Oh right, the cover story...
“I’m sorry Flash, but like I said, nobody can know about the demon of Canterlot. Unfortunately, we can’t let your friends remember what actually happened in there. Just stick to the cover story, okay”
“Yeah, I sure lucked out not getting turned to stone, huh? By the way, where are June and Jun? I kinda thought they’d be here?” Flash quickly changed topics.
“The Twins? What am I, their keeper?”
If was Flash’s turn to return Steel’s glare at him.
“Well, they thought you were gonna be at the tryouts you’d been telling us about since last month. June left the moment she realized you weren’t gonna show, and Jun and I stayed till halfway. Couldn’t stay in that shitshow any longer. You really missed a big opportunity, Flash- woulda been a cakewalk for you.”
Don’t remind me, Steel.
“Nah, I’m sure I would have been beat,” Flash tried to assure himself.
“Believe what you want, but you would have probably won if you went.” Steel changed the subject; “The twins would have showed, but I think they’re either busy studying or they each found somepony to bring home, you can never tell with them. Tomorrow before you head out let’s meet up for some drinks, okay? They and I wanna know what this special job of yours is now, Mister Pink Guard.”
Flash chuckled. “It feels weird wearing pink.”
“It actually looks good on you, somehow.”
“I look like a overpriced beach cocktail.”
“If you went to the beach like that, I’m sure you’d pick up a girl or two. Mares love strawberry-mango coltladas.”
“I’m not Jun.”
“I’m not either, but If Jun’s taught us anything, girls love colorful fruit drinks and stallions in uniform. You should try going out there and see what happens, you might find someone nice.”
“Maybe later...”
“We’ll go to the twin’s usual spot tomorrow. Like said, we wanna share some drinks and find out what you’re about to do today, okay?”
A pony yelling from a guard tower above put an end to their conversation.
“Halt!” a guard shouted. A second guard began to shout “Who goes there,”, until a third unicorn pushed between the pair and shouted down to Flash. “Good! Glad to see you’re on time!” The unicorn turned to the two guards and said, “Don’t worry boys, he’s with me.”
They heard a faint “oh,” before the unicorn in the tower leaped down to greet Flash and Steel. To cover the drop distance, the unicorn shrouded himself in a gray aura, gently floating down to the ground. It was Seymour.
“It figures the captain ought to be the one who greets the recruit,” Said Captain Seymour.
“And this is as far as I can take you it seems,” Steel said to Flash, as Flash’s new boss walked up to them.
“I’ll take it from here, thanks for bringing him to this wing, as well as filling in on such short notice. the Night Guard captain also fell sick, so I’m running double duty tonight. I appreciate you doing the same.”
Steel bowed his head. “No problem, it’s what I do,” Steel said.
“Come now, it’s time we get inside. I’ve already shown you our barracks, so it’s time to get to your new post,” Seymour said, signaling the stallion to follow.
“Good luck Flash,” Steel said as he gave one final goodbye, taking to the air.
“Thanks Steel! See ya later!” Flash and Steel waved to each other before the stallion took off.
Seymour wrapped a hoof around Flash.
“You ready, Flashy boy? It’s time for your first night at Laplace’s.”
Chapter 13 - end