//------------------------------// // Meet The Flash's // Story: Royal Rebirth: The Life and Times of Prince Dusk Star // by Grey Ghost //------------------------------// Twilight hummed softly as she took a moment to relax with a good book. It had been two days since Ember and Thorax’s visit and Spike was still out in the dragonlands. She was a little worried for him but she trusted Ember to ensure nothing happen to him. Dusk was playing with Flash in a corner of the room. It seemed to involve soldiers if the little snippets of the dramatic sound effects her husband made were any indicator. She was just about to call it the perfect relaxing day when her reading was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” she said, marking her spot in the book as she got up with a sigh. When she opened the door the mailpony greeted her and handed her a letter. “Thank you!” Twilight beamed, walking back into the playroom. She paused, glancing at the name on the letter. “Hey Flash, looks like your mom sent you a letter.” Flash looked up from Dusk to glance at the letter. “Knowing her, she’s either announcing that she’s visiting to finally see Dusk, or she’s telling us to come to Cloudsdale.” He stood up, trotted over to Twilight, taking the letter. His eyes scanned the piece of paper for a few moments. “Yup, she wants us to come to Cloudsdale. It literally just says ‘Come see me’.” “Well, she’s certainly very direct,” Twilight replied, fluffing her wings. She turned her attention to Dusk and smiled. “What do you think, Dusky, do you wanna go see your other grandparents?” “Kweh!” Dusk cooed, hopping to his hooves. “Kweh! Kweh!” Twilight giggled, patting his head. “Sounds like he’s excited to go visit them.” She looked back up at Flash. “When should we go?” “The sooner the better.” Flash set the letter down, scooping Dusk up. “You know how she is when it comes to this sorta thing.” “Good thing we didn’t have anything planned for today,” she replied. “I’ll go grab my saddlebags and we can head right out.” She turned and trotted out the room. Flash glanced down at Dusk, tickling his belly with a wing. “We’re gonna see where daddy grew up. It’s high up in the clouds, and a lot of pegasi live there.” “Cwou?” Dusk repeated, tilting his head at his father. “That's right, Cloudsdale is a city of clouds.” Placing Dusk on his back, Flash slung the diaper bag around his neck. “Lucky for us, you’re an alicorn, which means we don’t have to do anything extra for you.” Dusk seemed to understand, settling on his father’s back after a quick babble. Flash stepped out into the hall, making his way to the foyer. “Hey Twi! We’ll meet you at the front door! Starlight! Don’t throw any parties while we’re gone!” “What’s that?!” Starlight called back. “I can’t hear you over these plans I’m making for this sweet party!” “And tell Trixie to knock it off with that tea cup spell!” he added, a smirk on his face. “I can’t hear you~!” Starlight replied, giggling. Flash rolled his eyes, coming to a stop at the front door. “Now all we gotta do is wait for your mom.” A few minutes later and Twilight trotted down the stairs with her favorite saddlebags slung on her back. She stopped in front of  Flash and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Ready to show off Dusk to your family?” “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Flash smiled, pushing the doors open. The two took to the skies, Twilight turning her head to give Flash a smile. “Try not to brag to your sister too much.” “Me? Brag? Perish the thought!” Twilight giggled, rolling her eyes at her husband. The two chatted as they flew, Dusk cutting in every once in awhile with a semi-coherent comment of his own. Twilight filed away another few almost words, nodding at Flash. She was almost done some experiment ideas, all she had to do was set them up. Hopefully, in a few days she could figure everything out before the trial. The trip to Cloudsdale didn’t take them very long, and soon they were walking to the Flash family home. Dusk was besides himself in wonder, talking his head off, watching all the pegasi go about their day. Flash chuckled at his reactions, he had been the same way when he had made his first trip to a non-cloud city. Their trip eventually led them to a pair of gates With an ‘F’ insignia on them that guarded a cloud mansion. Slipping a key out from under his wing, Flash undid the lock. “After you.” He bowed his head, gesturing with a wing for her to proceed. Twilight bowed her own head, stepping through the open gates and towards the mansion. She gulped, her nerves starting to rise. She tried to reason that Flash Freeze was her family as much as her husband’s. The older mare was far more intense than her own mother. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she had dealt with far worse things than a slightly intense mare. Walking up to the door, she knocked, giving a few moments before knocking again. Stepping back she marveled at the manor. Whether or not Flash Magnus’s story was accurate, the Flash line had cemented itself as one of the premier families in Cloudsdale, and many of their members were famous in the Royal guard. She was snapped out of her train of thought by the sound of the door opening. She looked down to be met with Flash Freeze herself. Freeze had Flash’s coat and eye color while her short bob of a mane was an icy blue in color. “Good, you’re here.” Freeze stepped aside, allowing Twilight to enter. “We weren’t exactly going to ignore your letter,” Twilight assured, thanking her quickly as she entered the manor. “We left as soon as we got it.” She left out how they had been no obligation too, but she bit her tongue. Flash smiled as he stepped inside. “You should’ve seen it, Mom, Dusk’s face lit up when we told him that we were coming to visit his grandparents.” He picked Dusk up off his back and held him out to Freeze. Dusk on his part babbled happily at his grandmother and held his hooves out toward her. “Kweh!” the little pony cheered, buzzing his uninjured wing. Freeze let a small smile grace her lips as she took Dusk and placed him on her back. “Good to see the latest member of the family is happy and healthy despite the nasty incident.” She looked between Twilight and Flash. “Parenting comes with all sorts of trials, sorry to hear that one of yours will be the literal kind.” “Dusk has actually been really quiet,” Flash replied, closing the door behind him. “He’s only cried twice since we brought him home, and one of those times was from a nightmare.” A snicker escaped his lips, as he watched Dusk bat at Freeze’s mane. “Sounds like you’re rather lucky in that area,” Freeze replied, letting Dusk do as he pleased with her mane. She turned, leading the pair into a sitting room. “You cried a fair amount when you were Dusk’s age,” she added, glancing back at Flash. “And you were such a little attention hog.” Twilight snickered. “So, it seems like not much has changed then, huh?” Taking a seat, Twilight glanced around, noting the various pictures of famous Flash members. There were one or two unicorns, but the majority were pegasi. She idly wondered if they’d add Dusk up to the line or not due to not having Flash in his name. Freeze turned her head to Twilight with the same small smile she had given Dusk. “I blame myself for that, I always indulged his need for attention whenever I was on leave.” “So...” Flash took a seat next to Twilight, putting a wing around her shoulders. “Why’d you summon us mom? Gonna chew me out for not doing my job better?” There was an edge to his voice, and he pulled Twilight closer to him. Freeze frowned a bit. “I would think you’d know me better than that. I’m not going to criticize you for your performance in a situation I wasn’t there to witness,” she countered the edge in his voice with an even tone of her own. “No, I simply wanted your son to see the rest of his family.” “Bo da?” Dusk asked, climbing onto Freeze’s head. “Be wa wo!” Freeze’s look softened and she stroked Dusk’s head. “Your father will be home from the factory shortly. It’s been a nightmare of paperwork to make sure all the machinery gets back to proper working order.” Twilight chuckled awkwardly. “Right, the weather factory. Ah ha ha ha...” The group was distracted by the sound of the door opening and a few moments later an older looking stallion stepped into the room. His coat was a dark grey coat and a white mane that was swept back neatly. He took notice of Flash and Twilight with a smile on his face. “Son! Glad to see you could respond to your mother’s letter so quickly.” Giving Flash a quick hug, he turning to Twilight. “And you’re looking as lovely as always, Twilight.” He gave Twilight a hug of her own before turning to his wife and spotting Dusk. “And this must be my grandson!” He picked up Dusk and held him up. “He’s definitely got the good looks the Flash clan are famous for! He’s gonna have to beat mares off with a stick when he’s grown.” “Stiw fo coz,” Dusk replied, reaching out and booping the stallion on the nose. Flash’s father chuckled, putting Dusk back on Freeze’s head before taking a seat next to her. “Handsome and smart as a whip? I think the little guy’s gonna be a real lady killer. Getting comfy, he putting his back legs on the table. “He seems happy.” Twilight nodded, looking at Dusk as he made himself comfortable on his newfound perch. “We feel very lucky in that regard.” She let out a content sigh as she looked back at Flash’s father. “One look at his smiling face instantly brightens up our day.” People’s heads used to be my favorite place to be. Grandma Freeze’s was no different. I glanced around the room, taking in the faces of my important ancestors. I never knew a lot about the history of my human family, but the Flashes keep their family history well documented. I was always fascinated by learning it. The family easily could’ve rested on Magnus’s accomplishments but many of the members went on to do great things of their own. Grandma Freeze was one such member. She was famous in Equestria’s aerial forces. ‘I’m glad I can brighten everyone's day,’ I reply, letting a hoof hang down in front of Grandma’s eyes. ‘I am sort of a freeloader at the moment after all.’ Grandma responded by poking at the joint where my wing met my back, causing me to let out a small ‘eep’ at the ticklish sensation. “Like father like son. He’s only been here for ten minutes, and he’s already made himself at home.” Dad smiled brightly at me before looking back at Grandma. “I think it’s a good omen that he feels at home here. Means he’s in touch with his roots.” He nuzzled Mom’s neck, muttering something to her. ‘Oi, love birds get a room!’ Grandpa chuckled, glancing at me. “He may not cry, but Dusk sure is a little chatterbox.” Mom nodded, still wearing her smile. “He’s one of the most talkative foals I’ve ever met. I was exposed to a lot of time magic during the early days of my pregnancy. I think it may have accelerated Dusk’s mental development.” Grandma quirked a brow at Mom’s comment. “He hasn’t shown any adverse effects has he?” ‘I’m fine,’ I assured her. ‘I’m just a human in the body of a foal. Nothing wrong with that.’ “I haven’t seen anything wrong with him,” Mom commented, glancing at me for a moment with an unsure expression. “The doctor also didn’t seem to find anything wrong with him besides his broken wing.” Her smile then returned. “I just think that Dusk’s mind is developing a bit faster than other foals’.” ‘I gotta do better about this whole thing...’ I muttered to myself, laying my head down. “If that’s all it is than consider me relieved,” Grandma said, nodding her head to Mom slightly. “There are worse fates than having a leg up on your peers like that.” “Mom! Dad! I’m home!” A younger pegasus colt bounded into the room, tossing his bag onto the floor. “Sentry!” his eyes lit up when he spotted Dad. “I didn’t know you were coming!” “Hey there Baby Bang,” Dad greeted, getting up from his seat to tousle the colt’s  blue mane that was a shade darker than Dad’s. “This was sort of last second. Mom gave me a letter.” He chuckled before continuing, “can you guess what it said?” Uncle Bang snapped into a straight posture, putting on a scowl. “Come to Cloudsdale right now!” Unable to keep up his act, he burst into laughter; only to stop when he noticed Grandma looking at him. “Heh...” he laughed sheepishly. Dad chuckled again and patted his little brother on the shoulder. “Close, it was just, ‘Come see me.’ But I think you may have taken your act a bit too far.” Pointing to me, he continued. “Well? Aren’t you going to say hi?” Bang’s eyes lit up when he noticed me. He fluttered his wings and hovered up so that he was level with me. “Hey there,” he greeted, barely able to contain himself. “I’m your uncle, Flash Bang.” A bright smile burst across his face. ‘Hi Uncle Bang,’ I replied, a little jealous over his flight. ‘I’m Dusk Star.’ “This is your nephew, Dusk Star,” Grandma said. “Do try not to be rough with him, Bang, one of his wings is healing at the moment.” Uncle Bang planted his hooves on the floor, smiling at me. “Can I hold him? Promise I won’t drop him or anything!” Dad smiled, picking me up off grandma’s head and looking down at me. “What do you think, Dusk, want to let your uncle hold you?” ‘Sure, not like it’ll hurt all that much if he drops me.’ Dad smiled and held me out to Uncle Bang. “Sounds like Dusk is okay with you holding him. Just be careful, little bro.” Placing me in Uncle Bang’s arms, Dad proceeded to show him how to properly hold me. “Just remember, don’t try to hold onto him if he wants to get down.” “Okay, Sentry,”  Uncle Bang replied, sitting on his haunches while he cradled me. He looked back up at Dad with a smile. “It’s so cool your baby’s an alicorn colt!” ‘The only one too!’ I added throwing my hooves out. ‘I’m a real special snowflake alright.’ Mom giggled from her seat as she looked at Uncle Bang. “Your brother was excited by that too. He was doing flips when we got home with Dusk the first night.” Winking at Dad, she continued. “I catch him trying to teach guard techniques to Dusk every now and then.” Uncle Bang giggled at that. “Can’t you at least wait until he’s out of diapers, Sentry?” Dad rolled his eyes, puffing his chest out. “I want my son to be prepared for anything! A lot of crazy stuff happens in Ponyville, as you know.” Holding his head up, he huffed. “Is it so wrong i want him to be able to defend himself?” Uncle Bang giggled again. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll be ready if his stuffed animals revolt.” Bouncing me, Uncle Bang smirked. “Your dad used to think he was the coolest guy around. I caught him posing in front of his mirror once.” Mom giggled a bit, holding a hoof in front of her mouth while Dad’s feathers ruffled. “Hey, I keep telling you that I was just making sure none of my feathers were messed up!” Dad snapped. “Is that why you were hyping yourself up in a girl’s voice?” Uncle Bang asked, sticking his tongue out. Mom nearly fell out of her seat, bursting out laughing as Dad’s chest puffed out slightly. I joined in, kicking my legs as I laughed my head off. That little revelation is still something we rib Dad about, much to his annoyance. Oh well, his fault for not locking his door while being a massive dork. “Not even my brother did anything that dorky!” Mom hugged her sides, trying to control her breathing. “And he used to dress up in full costume for O&O games!” ‘O&O?’ I repeated, tilting my head. ‘Is that like this world’s version of D&D? Are there Beholders and Mindflayers? Can I play a kenku!?’ Uncle Bang tilted his head, looking between everyone. “Why do you think Dusk seems so excited all of a sudden?” “Maybe he knows how much of a lame-o his dad is?” The last of my father’s siblings stepped into the room, a sly grin on her muzzle. “I still can’t believe he snagged himself a princess. I mean really, Sentry, which demon did you sell your soul to?” Dad returned her grin. “None, I just grew up. Unlike a certain mare.” He gave her a pointed look. “Ha!” she threw her head back. “You growing up? That's ridiculous.” Peering down at me, she hummed softly. “Well look at we got here, you actually made a cute kid. Though, I gotta ask wasn’t the Flash name good enough?” Dad flinched at that, glancing over at Grandma to gauge her reaction to that question. Lucky for him, Mom came to his rescue. “We actually had a long talk about that,” Mom cut in. “We ended up deciding that if our foal was born with the trademark Flash coat color, then we’d use the name.” Looking over at me, she shifted a bit. “It’s also a bit of a tradition in the Twilight family for the mother to pick the name.” “So it seems there was a bit of clash of traditions,” Grandma noted, a hard to read expression on her muzzle. “I suppose since Dusk is technically not a pegasus it doesn’t go against the tradition.” ‘That’s a relief, I didn’t want Dad to get disowned over me.’ That probably would have messed with my head a lot. “Well, there’s always the next one,” Dad’s sister pointed out with a smirk. “Or is the princess of friendship a one and done kinda mom?” Dad came to Mom’s rescue, saving her from rattling off a platitude. “We’ve decided to let Dusk grow a bit before trying again. He might be a chill foal, but the next one might be a little Tartarus raiser, especially if they’re an alicorn too.” Grandma nodded. “That would be a wise course of action. Your father and I waited a few years between your sister and you.” ‘I dunno how I feel about siblings.’ I wriggled around until Uncle Bang set me down. I coo as my hooves touch the clouds. Cloudwalking has always been a surreal experience. Clouds are both solid and spongy at the same time. Adults can actively choose to cloudwalk or not, while thankfully foals cannot. ‘Mom and Dad seem to get along with theirs though. It might not be so bad.’ A smile wormed its way onto my face. ‘At least I wouldn’t be the middle child.’ “So, Miracle,” Dad began, taking the offensive. “You find a special somepony yet? Or are you going to let me carry on the family legacy?” ‘Wait, my aunts name is Miracle?’ I giggled, buzzing my wing. ‘What’s next? Do I have a cousin named Gordon?’ On a roll, I decided to put on a show. ‘Flash! Ahah! She’s a miracle! Flash! Ahah! Queen of the impossible!’ Mom giggled, watching as I tried to dance around. “I wonder what’s gotten into him all of a sudden?” ‘Savior of the universe!’ I giggled to myself, beaming up at my family. ‘I’m totally writing that down I’m older. Queen wrote our theme song, and they didn’t even know it!’ Aunt Miracle scooped me up, giving me a nuzzle. “Thanks for the distraction, nephew. Did not want to have relationship talks with the folks today,” she whispered to me, patting my head. I returned her nuzzle, settling down in her grasp. Dad smiled, looking at me. “Haven’t seen him this energetic in a while. I think it’s safe to say that this visit was good for him.” Turning to Grandma, he slicked his hair back. “You should be happy to know, Twi finally agreed to let me form her own guard division.” A proud smile spread across Grandma’s muzzle. “Very good, it’s about time you became a full-fledged captain. If you need help requisitioning training equipment, don’t hesitate to ask me. Can I assume you have recruits in mind for your new division?” “A few. I was actually hoping to get your input on a few of them. You do have more experience than me.” “I’d be more than happy to lend a hoof,” Grandma assured, bowing her head. “Have to make sure the new guards are the best they can be.” I checked out of the conversation at that point, climbing up onto Aunt Miracles head. I perched there, spreading my wing. I puffed my chest out, trying to add to my look. ‘I hereby claim this mountain in the name of Princess Twilight!’ Aunt Miracle chuckled, looking up at me. “Uh oh, looks like a certain prince is claiming a perch.” She picked me up and booped my nose. “Sorry little guy, but that property’s already been claimed by your favorite aunt.” Smiling, she started to tickle my stomach. ‘Gah! That’s not fair!’ I kicked  my legs, squealing at the top of my lungs. She didn’t relent, tickling until tears started to form in my eyes. ‘Mercy! Mercy!’ I beg, flailing my limbs around. Sensing my discomfort, she stopped tickling me and sat me back down on her head. I released a sigh of relief, making myself comfy. “You sure seem pretty good with Dusk,” Dad commented, watching her with a smile. “Seems like you’d be a great mom.” Aunt Miracle’s feathers ruffled and she shot a look at Dad. “Can you not bring that up?” she whispered to him. “I really don’t need Mom and Dad to get on my case about that.” Dad’s response was cut off by my yawn. ‘Yeah... I’m about due for a nap...’ I cover my mouth, yawning into my hoof. Mom got up, scooping me into her hooves. “I think somepony needs a nap.” She smiled and looked at everyone. “I’ll put him down in Flash’s old room.” Mom carries me out of room, holding me close to her chest. “You know sweetie, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” ‘I love you too, Mom,’ I told her, nuzzling her chest. ‘You’re the best.’ Petting my head, Mom stepped into Dad’s old room. Placing me on the bed, some climbed on with me. Laying down, she raised her wing, offering me a place to cuddle.  I couldn’t resist an offer like that and scooted in close to get embraced by her wings. I buried my head in her chest, doing my best to wrap my hooves around her. Wrapping her wings around me, she laid her head down next to me. “Sweet dreams, Dusk.” I yawned, the familiar warmth from her wings seeping through me as I drifted towards slumberland. Glancing from the door to his mother, Flash shrugged. “Looks like Twilight’s decided to take a nap with Dusk.” It was rather common for them to use Dusk’s nap times for their own relaxation. It was the perfect excuse to ditch duties for an hour or two. Freeze nodded, turning her attention from the hall to her son. “I believe we had certain matters to discuss.” “Welp.” Iron got to his hooves, stretching his limbs out. “Dinners not gonna make itself. Come on, Bang, we’re cooking for two more tonight.” Gesturing towards his youngest, he trotted out of the room. “Okay, Dad!” Bang trotted after his father. “What’re we cookin?” A bright smile spread across his face. “Can we have fish tacos tonight?!” Smiling at his brother's enthusiasm, Flash took out a notepad. He and Freeze got into the details of what he called the 'midday guard’. Every so often, Miracle would chime in, the three of them talking well into the night. A few days had passed since the family visit and Flash was watching as he had his new recruits run drills. He had picked a few cadets that were ready to have started training with the day and night guard. At the moment, they weren’t impressive, but he was hoping to turn them into some of Equestria’s finest. Blowing into his whistle, he watched as the cadets scrambled into a line in front of him. “Good timing recruits,” he praised, walking along the line, eyeing each pony up. There were a good mix of ponies, including a strix and even a griffon. “I’m sure you’ve heard rumors that the first week of guard training is called Tartarus week. Well let me assure you that those rumors are absolutely,” he paused, letting his statement hang for a couple seconds, “true. I am going to push you past limits you didn’t even know you had. You’re going to call me every name in the book and hurt all over, but at the end of it all you’ll be the finest guards in Equestria.” “Ponyville has never had much of a guard presence, and even with us it still doesn't.” Walking back along the line, he recalled his own time in training, which wasn't that long ago. “Our main duty is to protect Princess Twilight, her son, her brother and her student. Everything else is secondary.” The recruits all gave a quick affirmation. “Now, I want to see you complete those courses in three minutes!” Flash blew into his whistle, sending them scrambling. The recruits all struggled, but most of them were able to complete the courses within the allotted time. Flash glanced out the corner of his eyes, spotting Twilight walking over, Dusk perched on her head. “Attention!” Flash called out. “Royal family members here to see you maggots!” “Hello everypony.” Twilight took a position next to Flash. “I thought I would come see some of your training for myself. I hope you’re giving Captain Sentry your all.” “Yes, princess!” each of the recruits replied, giving her a salute. Dusk babbled softly, saluting them back. Flash chuckled. “Well recruits, you’ve managed to earn the respect of a baby, good job.” He noted Dusk’s eyes were locked on the gryphoness, his gaze full of wonder. Something to keep in mind for later, but he couldn’t stop the training to let Dusk get a good look. “Alright, drop and give me fifty, recruits,” he barked. Twilight kept silent, trusting Flash to his job. While she still had some reservations, knowing there would be ponies around to keep Dusk safe eased her mind. Of course, she’d look into getting Dusk a caretaker. Putting an ad in the paper was out. Considering the job was to watch a royal foal, she’d likely never be able to interview all the applicants that would show up. No, she’d have to go out and find somepony herself. “Edo horu,” Dusk commented, watching a fully armored mare running through a series of rubber rings. “Think the recruits are gonna be good guards?” Twilight asked, glancing up at her son. “When your father is done with them, they're gonna be the best guards in all of Equestria.” “Garo!” Dusk cheered, pumping a hoof into the air. “Eho woduw!” Twilight smiled and nodded. “Yup, just remember to be nice to them, Dusk. They’re going to put their lives on the line for your sake, so always show them the respect they deserve.” “Ewo!” He chirped, thrusting his hooves into the air. Twilight patted his head, a proud glint in her eyes. “That’s my boy.” cooing at him, she looked over at the guards. “Hopefully, they won't ever have to see action.” She continued to watch the guards for a little while, silently hoping that she would never have to deliver terrible news to the families of her new guards.