//------------------------------//
// Friendships Restored 
// Story: Flash Sentry Chronicles: EQG 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

The next morning was something very unpleasant for Flash. Stiffness combined with pain racked his body as he got up, the soldier soon doing a series of stretches as he got off the floor. "Urgh...miss my bed. Note to self, when traveling to weird other...whatever this world is, bring pillows." Flash grumbled to himself as he took a quick trip to the bathroom.

Twilight woke up an hour and a half later, a long yawn following as she ascended from the bed. This was followed by a laugh from Flash as he commented on her twisted bedhead hair, "No offense Twilight, but you might wanna go fix that." She gave him a glare before getting a good look of herself from a window's reflection. Seeing this, she went to the bathroom next, taking about half an hour while Flash went and read a few more automobile magazines, "Dang, I still really want one of these. Maybe I should get some kind of book on making one before we go back home...though I wonder if Princess Celestia would be okay with that?"

The princess soon returned, a pen and paper in hand before sitting down and writing down a list. Flash rolled his eyes at the sight, as Twilight was still using her mouth. By the time she was finished, the school day was beginning as Celestia's voice suddenly echoed through the air. "Good morning students, and happy Thursday. Just a reminder to pick up your ballots for the Princess of the Fall Formal today. They are due at the time the dance starts tomorrow night, so don't forget to turn them in and make your voice heard."

"So we have right up until the dance to make a good impression. That's good."

Twilight nodded as they started making their way towards the library exit, "Fluttershy said I'd need to win over all those different groups if I wanna become Princess of the Fall Formal. As such, I've compiled a list of talking points."

Spike snorted at this. "You made a list? That's so unlike you!" He then started giggling, only for her to glare at him before pointing at her open backpack. He gave a nervous chuckle as she stepped inside. "Uh...sorry. Please continue."

Once Twilight had him zipped in and on her back, she did. "I'll start by introducing myself, sprinkle in some things I learned about their world into the conversation, and show them how I fit in here!"

"Do we have a plan B?" Flash piped in, getting a glare from the princess as he continued, "Twilight, you do know its possible to muck this up."

"I know, but we can't fail here!" Twilight growled back as they entered the hallway, "Now, we need to make a good first impression on the students. The whole world sorta depends on it after all."

"So no pressure," Flash joked as they started down the hallway. But as they did this, they quickly noticed that everyone around them was laughing. Blinking at this, Flash growled before yelling, "Hey! What's the big idea?"

However, the yell quickly changed the tunes of the people around him, all of them flinching at his yell. Seeing this, Twilight started concentrating, only to realize she had no magic, so she used her hand to grab Flash's ear. "Flash...stop it. This isn't helping, and its definitely not what we want when making friends."

"They're the ones who started it," Flash grumbled back as he swatted her hand away. "And that hurts even more in this form..."

"It doesn't matter," Twilight barked back as they took another corner. "But I would like to know-whoa!"

Twilight let out a yelp as she was suddenly pulled inside a nearby classroom. Flash's instincts kicked in instantly, his feet blazing him after Twilight as he hopped into the classroom as well. The door behind him was slammed as he took a very pony-ish battle stance. "HEY! What's the big-" he was about to yell, only for his eyes to go wide at the next sight.

"Rarity?!" Twilight squeaked as a girl zipped around Twilight, constantly pulling on a measuring tape as she spun around the princess. "What the-what are you doing?!"

The girl didn't answer as she zoomed over to Flash, quickly taking his measurements before nodding. She then reached into her bag and pulled out a green dress, which she forced Twilight into. When the girl's head popped out of the dress's top, she was now wearing a blonde wig.

"Perfect," Rarity clapped her hands before glaring at Flash, Flash's imagination now seeing drool seeping out of her mouth.

"Oh no," he gulped as he tried to make a run for it, only for a white blur to appear in front of him. Before he could react, he found his body spinning like a top, only to come to a halt in front of a large mirror. He quickly shook his head from the assault, blinking as he now felt something on his head and in front of his eyes. The defender then stared at the mirror, which now showed him wearing a three piece suit, bowler hat and glasses. "What in the name of-"

"Marvelous!" Rarity exclaimed as she patted Flash's shoulders, "Yes, this is good. Nobody will recognize you two now."

The duo shared a confused look before Twilight turned to Rarity, "why wouldn't we wanna be–"

"And we'll need a disguise for your dog," Rarity interrupted as she looked Spike over, "Which is too bad...he really is adorable!" She started scratching him under the chin, which made Spike look like he was in heaven. That is, until Rarity said her next sentence. "Y'know, with a little work, I think I could make him look like a rabbit."

Spike's eyes went wide hearing this, causing him to slip out of the backpack and hit the floor as Twilight yelped, "A rabbit?!"

"Does someone wanna fill me in here?" Flash added as he took off the glasses and hat. "Specifically why we're being dressed like-"

"There you two are," interrupted another voice, making them turn and see a giggling Applejack enter the room, "Heh...nice look partner."

"So much for the disguise," Rarity moaned with crossed arms.

"Good!" Flash remarked as he took off the jacket and vest, "Can I have my clothes back please?!"

"Fine...." Rarity groaned as she handed them over. "And I did so much work making you look good."

Before Flash could give a sarcastic reply, Applejack patted his shoulder as she said, "Ah've been lookin' all over for ya."

Fluttershy then revealed herself behind Applejack, "Me too."

"Me three!" Pinkie cheered as her head popped out from above the door. The girl then hopped into the room, just as Flash was removing the shirt. All four girls immediately starting blushing at the sight while Twilight just raised an eyebrow at their reaction. It was here that they all saw that Flash had a fully toned body, along with his X shaped scar on his chest. The very sight made Pinkie chime in, "Whoa! Cool birthmark!"

"Agreed darling, along with the...pecs." Rarity added as she let out a low purr, "Meeeow."

"It's a scar," Flash remarked as he grabbed his shirt, now realizing he still didn't fully understand how to put it on.

"That's even cooler!" Pinkie exclaimed, only for Rarity to hop in front of her.

"Not only that darling, it makes you even more...manlier." Rarity cooed as she leaned up to the defender, a sultry smile on her face as she batted her eyes, "You should show it more often."

Flash just blinked at this, his mind now wondering what the word 'manlier' meant. At the same time, Pinkie hopped over to Twilight with a huge smile, "Hi Twilight! I like your new look!"

"Of course you like it." Rarity chimed in as she pointed at Twilight, "After all, I do have an eye for these sorts of things." She then looked away, trying to ignore the pink puffball of a girl. "Not that you seem to care."

"What?!" Pinkie screamed, anger now on her face, "What did you just say to me?!"

Seeing the sudden fury on Pinkie's face, Twilight walked in between them, "Whoa, hold on there! Why do you think she doesn't care? She just came in here and-" She then shook her head, her mind now telling her she was getting off topic. "No, never mind." She turned to the others, taking off the wig. "Why were you all looking for me? What's going on?"

They all gulped, Fluttershy muttering, "Oh dear....she hasn't seen it yet."

"Seen what?" Flash asked as he zipped up his jacket.

Pinkie reached into her backpack and pulled out a strange device that looked like a condensed version of that computer Twilight had shown him yesterday and placed it on the desk. She opened it up and started typing while giving off a nervous laugh. "Oh, its really not that bad."

The screen came to life, showing an image of Twilight in the library. Flash blinked at the sight as he commented, "Oh, this can't be good."

"Twilight Sparkle wants to be your Fall Formal Princess," Sunset's voice came out of the device as Twilight started to struggle on the computer as bad music played, "But what does it say about our school if we give someone like this...gets such an important honor?!"

Before the video could continue, Twilight slammed the lid of the device down. "Wha...I..."

Pinkie could only frown at this, "I take that back. It is pretty bad!"

"But this all happened yesterday at the library!" She yelled at the girls. "Has all of the school seen this? Is that why they were all looking at me that way?!" There were four nods, all of them making Twilight's eye shrink in despair.

Flash growled as he slammed his fist into his palm. "When I get my hooves on her..." he said, not even noticing the looks of confusion on the girls' faces from his comment.

Twilight slumped back into a chair, bags appearing under her eyes. "What am I gonna do?! No one is gonna vote for me after seeing this!"

Fluttershy then stepped up to her, giving her a kind smile. "Not that it'll make any difference, but I'll still vote for you. You and Flash were so nice to stand up for me when Sunset Shimmer was picking on me yesterday."

Twilight response was to slam her head into the desk as Flash shook his head, "We didn't do that to get something out of you Fluttershy. We did it because it was the right thing to do."

Fluttershy nodded at him with an even bigger smile, "I know. That's what I like about the two of you."

It was here that Pinkie stepped up and patted Twilight on the back. "Aw, cheer up! If ya still wanna run, maybe there's something I can do to help!"

Fluttershy's nice demeanor suddenly disappeared as she knelt down next to Twilight. "Word of advice? Don't accept her help. She doesn't take anything seriously!"

"Hey! That's not true!" Pinkie yelped as her poofy hair turned straight for a second, "Grrr...why do you have to be so awful to me?!"

"Oh please! Don't play innocent Pinkie Pie, you're no better than she is!" Rarity hissed as she pointed at Fluttershy. "You both aren't worth trusting!"

Pinkie grabbed Rarity by the arms before screaming into her face. "And what is that supposed to mean?!"

"It should be obvious what that means you crazed party animal!" Rarity quickly freed herself from Pinkie's grasp, fixing her head before turning to Twilight. "Listen, compared to what I've heard about you Twilight, I would be happy to offer up my assistance, but only to you." She then turned to Pinkie and shot her a glare, only to see Fluttershy walk up to her and start yelling as well.

While this all happened, Flash, Twilight and Spike just blinked at the sight. That is, till Flash leaned over and whispered, "Whoa. I knew this was bad, but I didn't think it was this bad. I mean, they went full angry mode as soon as possible."

"Yeah...this might be too much." Twilight gulped as she gave Flash a worried glance. "Maybe you two were right, we might not be able to fix this....that and it may just not be our problem."

"No kidding. I just wish we knew what Sunset did."

"Yeah...." Twilight replied, only for a bulb to go off in her head, "Wait, that's it!"

Before Flash could ask what she meant, Applejack took a loud crunch of an apple as she spoke up, "Sweet apples, listen to y'all carryin' on! Git over it and move on already!"

The trio all glared at her as Rarity hissed, "You mean like how you've gotten over what happened with Rainbow Dash?"

Applejack's eyes suddenly turned blood red at the mention of that name as she barked back, "Don't ya'll dare bring that up! That's different!"

"IS NOT!" The three girls yelled in unison.

"IS TOO!" Applejack screamed as she hopped off the chair she was on, slamming her fist into a desk at the same time, "She made a liar outta me! That's different!"

"There! That's where we'll start fixing it!" Twilight whispered as she pointed at the girls. She then took in a deep breath, making both Flash and Spike cover their ears as they readied themselves for a screech from Twilight. And as the four girls started to yell at each other at louder volumes, Twilight then screamed, "STOP! ALL OF YOU STOP RIGHT NOW!"

As these words traveled throughout the room, Flash and Spike released their ears while the girls turned to Twilight, all of them silent at the princess's command. She then turned and pulled out a book from her backpack as she said, "Here, I wanna show you girls something." She flipped to the page that had the photo she had found yesterday before showing it to them. "You were friends once."

The four all stared at the picture, memories surfacing as Applejack hummed, "The Freshman Fair." She turned to the others, "Y'all remember that?"

They all nodded, confirming a certain theory Twilight had thought up as she shut the book, "You were all friends at one time....but something happened, didn't it? And if I'm right, I think that something was Sunset Shimmer."

Rarity rolled her eyes at this, "Well, that's a nice theory darling, but Sunset Shimmer had nothing to do with it."

"You bet." Applejack added, "Sunset ain't the one that made a liar out of me by saying there was a whole softball team coming to mah bake sale. Ah told everybody that they were comin', and then not one of 'em shows up!"

"Let me guess, that was Rainbow Dash?" Flash interjected, getting a hissing nod from the farmer.

Fluttershy spoke up next, "She's right, Sunset Shimmer isn't behind us losing our friendship! Sunset Shimmer isn't the one who ruined my silent auction for the animal shelter by bringing fireworks and noisemakers!" She glared at Pinkie with a stare that made Spike whimper. "It was supposed to be a serious event, and Pinkie Pie ruined it!" She then crossed her arms and looked away.

"What are you talking about?" Pinkie asked before pulling out a small device, "I got a text from you saying that you didn't want a silent auction, you wanted a big party!"

Fluttershy almost hopped in place at this as she glared back at the party planner, "What are you talking about?! I never sent you a text like that!"

"You didn't?" Pinkie asked, her anger gone as she tilted her head in confusion.

Flash and Twilight both looked at each other, the two now catching on what was happening. Flash then asked, "Say uh...this may sound strange, but are those things how you girls all send messages around here?" They all blinked at him in pure confusion, but nodded all the same.

"Is it possible to make it look like these messages came from someone else?" Twilight asked next, only to get silence in response. This made her glare at the trio as she pointed at them, "Is that silence a yes or a no?"

The girls all glanced at one another, not sure what to say before Rarity decided to answer the question, "I...suppose it is possible."

Twilight and Flash both did all they could to hide the smirks they wanted to put on their faces. They knew they were on to something as Twilight asked, "And what happened to you Rarity? Why are you mad at them?"

Rarity turned to Pinkie with a half-lidded glare, "For me, its every time that I volunteer to help with the decorations at a school function, I get an e-mail from you saying you have plenty of volunteers!" She then let out 'hmph' as she looked away, "And once I get there, I find out you've lied to me and done everything yourself!"

Pinkie went wide-eyed at this, "I never sent you any e-mails like that!"

"But maybe Sunset Shimmer did," Flash interrupted as he pointed at Pinkie's laptop. "I might have only just met her, but this makes me think she's capable of doing just that."

Certain clicks went off in the girls heads as these words entered their brains, Applejack speaking up next, "Hmmm...maybe she's the reason Rainbow Dash didn't show up for my bake sale. Though ah...ah'm not fully sure."

Twilight stood up and walked over to her. "Didn't you ever ask Rainbow Dash why she didn't show up?"

Applejack took off her hat and hid her face behind it, "No. Ah guess ah....ah kinda stopped talkin' to her at all after that."

Twilight smiled at this, taking her hat and placing it back on her head. "Maybe now would be a good time to start." She then turned to other three, smiles now appearing on their faces, "How about it? Will you listen to your friends?" They all glanced at each other, only to all nod. Before they knew it, all of them were apologizing to each other, Applejack as well. And as they made up, Twilight then said, "Maybe from now on, don't let your trust in technology overpower your trust in your friends." Everyone nodded at this before heading out the door, Flash and Twilight needing a minute to change back to their normal clothes as they went out in search for Rainbow Dash.





One transition to the school's fields later...

It wasn't long till they located the girl who was Rainbow's clone in all but appearances outside the school on a sports field. She was kicking a soccer-ball around the field, dribbling around cones and other obstacles before firing the ball into the back of a net. Flash turned to Applejack, only to see pure nervousness on her face. He then placed his hand on her shoulder, catching her attention and pushed her forwards. "Go on already. It'll get worse the more you sit there and do nothing."

Applejack sighed before nodding, soon walking up to her as they all sat down on some bleachers off to the side. IT was here that Rarity clapped her hands gleefully, "They're actually talking! That's a good sign!"

"Oh! And there's hugs!" Pinkie cheered as she pointed at the two, "Hugs are always good!"

With that, Rainbow and Applejack stepped over to them as Rainbow asked, "Hey, what's up?"

Applejack let out a series of nervous chuckles, "Looks like ya'll were right. Somebody, and ah think we can ya'll can guess who, told Rainbow Dash that my bake sale had been moved to a different day. Dash showed up with all the softball team and thought ah'd cancelled on her!"

"I knew it," Flash replied, crossing his arms. "I bet Sunset was scared you girls might threaten her rule on the school, so she split you up just like what she did with the Royal Knights."

Rainbow turned to Twilight and scanned her over. "So you're looking to dethrone Sunset Shimmer and become Princess of the Fall Formal, huh?" Twilight blushed at this, but nodded.

"And we're gonna need your help," Flash told Rainbow. "Fluttershy said we need to speak out to several different groups. With you helping us, we'll have an in with every single clique in the school."

"What about the rockers?"

Flash just smirked. "You leave them to me."

Rainbow guffawed at this as she started bouncing a ball up and down on her knee. "Gotta say, I'd really love to see that happen. I'll totally help you out!" Twilight smiled at this, "All you gotta do is beat me in a game of one-on-one."

Twilight smile dropped. "What?!"

"First to five goals wins," Rainbow said with a huge grin. "But since I'm being nice, I'll let you sub in your boyfriend."

"Come again?" Flash asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Twilight added, only for Rainbow to ignore and drop the ball, placing her foot on top of it next.

"So what do you say? Want my help, or are ya chicken?!"

Flash turned to Twilight, a half-smile on her face, "Um...could you do it please?"

Flash let out a low sigh, her mind now flashing back to their first meeting where Twilight forced Flash to go against Rainbow. Despite this, he nodded as he turned back to Rainbow, "Okay...I'm in."

"Alright, let's get going." Rainbow commented as she kicked the ball to the middle of the field. Seeing this, Flash, Rainbow and Applejack walked up to the object before Applejack picked it up and held it between them. She then dropped it, only for Rainbow to quick steal the ball, instantly spinning around Flash like it was nothing. Before he could turn around, the ball was already in the net.

"One to zip." Rainbow smirked as she walked around him, "Ball's all yours."

Flash blinked at the sight before walking up to the ball, dribbling it slightly like he had seen Rainbow do before. "Oookay, this is different. Imagine buckball but with only two hooves Flash....and its the hooves you don't use in that sport." He then looked up at Rainbow, her form already charging at him.

Seeing this, he looked down at the ball for a second before back at her. "Okay, let's see how you like this." He closed his eyes shut, only to open them and...nothing. "Huh?" He blinked again, only for no results once more. "Come on, why isn't this-" It was here that a click went off in his head, now remembering that magic didn't exist in this world. "Shoot. I can't access Theta Mode here." He then looked down, his eyes showing pure despair as the ball was now missing. "Aw horseapples."

"Two to nothing!" Rainbow yelled behind him, making him turn and let out a huge groan. And thus began one of the hardest activities Flash had ever had to endure. Forget facing Nightmare Moon, Lightning, Discord, Sombra, or Doom, it was this world's version of Rainbow that was bringing him to his knees.

Flash was given the ball again, this time him rushing towards the opposite net. As he did this, he was constantly looking over his shoulder, making sure Rainbow wasn't getting close to him. He then turned back, only to see Rainbow right in front of him. "How did-" he tried to say before shaking his head. The defender glanced back down at the ball, pouring all his strength in his foot as he kicked the sphere, sending it rocketing towards the goal.

But as the projectile flew through the air, Rainbow just hopped up, easily headbutting the sphere back. Before Flash could do anything, she grabbed the ball with her feet, easily dribbling it down the field. This time, Flash went into on a full-on sprint, at least as much as he could, only for the ball to still hit the back of the net. "Three, nil."

Flash growled at this. "You have got to be kidding me!"

The ball was soon back in Rainbow's feet and she was dribbling towards the goal once again. While this happened, Flash hopping in front of her, only to see a huge smirk on Rainbow's face. Before he could do anything, she kicked the ball straight up at him. The sight of the incoming flying ball made him slightly falter back, his new feet now losing their footing. Within seconds, he fell with a thud before the ball went sailing over him and into the net.

"Four...still nothing," she laughed as the teen got up to his knees in a heavily panting mess.

Twilight rushed over, handing him a bottle of water. "You're a trained solider!" she told him as he drank. "How are you losing?!"

Flash gulped down half the bottle, sighing in relief as he finished. "She's just as good as our Rainbow," he told her before pointing a thumb into his chest. "Plus, I'm still learning to drive this thing. Cut me some slack."

"Can't you just...you know, use Theta Mode?" Twilight whispered.

"I already tried...and its not working." Flash replied as he gulped down the rest of the water. "Iron was right...I rely on it too much. Ooohh...can't believe I just said that. You must never tell him that Twi."

"Interesting," she said as she took the empty bottle back to the bleachers. While she did this, Rainbow kicked the ball back into the center of the field.

"I won't judge you if you decide to give up now," Rainbow told him before smirking. "Well, I might judge you a little."

Flash wiped his brow as he fully stood up, still out of breath as he walked up to the center. "No way. I don't quit, no matter what."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Because if I do, then we might not be able to get Twilight to win, and I can't tell you how important that is."

"Really?" Rainbow glanced back at the princess who had just reached the bleachers, "Huh. She must be something really special if you're willing to go through this much punishment for her."

"She is. That's why...I WON'T LOSE!" Flash yelled as he immediately went into a sprint, instantly stealing the ball from Rainbow before she could react.

"GO FLASH!" Twilight screamed as she jumped up and down.

Rainbow had finally recovered from the shock enough to turn around and see Flash heading for the goal. "Oh no you don't!" She quickly rushed past him, soon turning and blocking the route to the net. "You're not getting around me!"

Flash just smiled at this, his instincts telling him what to do next. With all his strength, he kicked the ball right above Rainbow's head, just missing a headbutt from her. And as she tried this, he thrusted towards the ground, causing him to slide right under her. The very act shocked Rainbow as he got behind her, his arms hitting the dirt as he propelled himself back up. As he did this, he kicked the now landing ball, sending it into the net.

"GOAL!" Pinkie screamed as the girls all cheered, Rainbow still recovering from Flash's move.

"You were right," Flash told her as he picked up the ball. "I didn't get around you, but you never said I couldn't get through you."

Rainbow's smirked as she took the ball from him. "Alright, you've impressed me. Not just anyone can get a goal on me in one on one. You really are something special. But..." she tossed the ball straight up into the air before leaping up into midair somersault. As the ball returned to earth, she kicked it in mid-flip, instantly knocking it down the field and into the goal as she landed. "You're not as special as me. Five to one, that's game!"

Flash's face fell at her sudden movement causing Rainbow to laugh. Before he could react, she patted his shoulder, "Eh, don't worry about losing. I'm always a winner." She then turned to Twilight, who looked just as shocked as Flash. "So what's the plan? How can I help you be princess instead of Sunset Shimmer?

Twilight blinked at hearing this. "But...but he lost! Wha-"

Rainbow just let out a series of laughs. "Of course he lost! I'm awesome, and I'm unbeatable! Heck, the fact he managed to get one goal against me is a miracle."

"I wouldn't say that," Flash growled as Twilight gave him another water bottle.

Rainbow ignored his comment as she continued, "The fact is, I'm not gonna help just anybody try and beat Sunset Shimmer. The Fall Formal Princess should be someone with heart and should be able to earn the loyalty of those around them." She then pointed to Flash before lightly punching Twilight's shoulder. "If he's willing to do all that for you, then you've gotta be something pretty special."

Twilight smiled at this, soon not being able to stop herself from hugging Rainbow as the others cheered. Once they pulled away, Twilight turned to the others. "Alright, we have a team. Now we need to come up with a way to undo everything Sunset's done to kill my chances of being named Princess."

"Oh! I know the perfect place to have a strategy meeting!" Pinkie chimed in, only for the school bell to ring behind them. "After class."

Everyone nodded at this, knowing their different schedules would make it impossible to meet up during school. That only left after school, which made Twilight very nervous. It was then she felt Flash pat her on the shoulder, telling her it would be alright.





After school...

The place Pinkie ended up suggesting turned out to be this world's version of Sugarcube Corner. Instead of a bakery though, this one seemed to be more like a café. It was run by two people who were exactly like Mr. and Mrs. Cake, except they didn't have kids. At least what Flash could tell.

As soon as they stepped inside, they heard giggles and chuckles coming from the other students. While they heard this, Flash patted Twilight's shoulder as they sat down. They then got their drinks, Pinkie lending Flash and Twilight money since they had left theirs at home. It was here that Twilight asked, "And...can I get mine with extra oats?"

This version of Mrs. Cake gave her an odd look, "Oats?"

Flash then spoke up, "Sorry, that's a...slang in a hangout where we used to live. She means...sprinkles."

Twilight nodded rapidly at her mistake, "Yeah! What he said....uh, extra sprinkles."

Mrs. Cake shrugged before doing as asked, soon handing the two their drinks. It was here that they saw three others walk in, those being Iron, Heather and First. Seeing this, Flash waved at them, "Hey! What's up you three?"

"Nothing much," Heather replied before turning to Twilight. "We're sorry to hear about what happened."

"It's alright," Twilight grumbled as she started on her drink.

"If you would like, I am sure I can find a way to remove the video." First added.

Twilight shook her head at this. "Eh, don't bother. The damage is already done. I think its best to keep it so Sunset will have one victory to look back on after I beat her."

This got the Royal Knights smiling as Heather chimed in, "Well, you've certainly got my vote."

Iron turned to her with a disgruntled look, "I thought we weren't voting."

"That was only if Sunset was the only one running," First answered, soon getting a shrug from Iron. "And I will vote for you as well Twilight Sparkle."

"Thank you," Twilight said with a nod before the trio sat down at the booth next to them. She looked back at Flash and visually told him that he could keep talking to them if he wanted too, which he nodded in agreement at.

And as Flash left the booth, Rarity nudged Twilight's side, "So Twilight darling, fess up. You and Flash...what's the story there?"

Twilight almost spat out her drink, barely managing to stop herself as she glanced over at the girl. "What are you talking about?"

"You know..." Pinkie said before raising her eyebrows up and down.

"You and Sentry boy over there," Applejack added as she pointed at Flash.

"You don't appear to be siblings," Fluttershy continued. "Or at least you don't act like it."

"So what's the deal between you two?" Rainbow ended.

Twilight just shrugged at this, not sure what they were getting at. "No deal. He's my best friend if that's what you're asking."

Rarity glanced at the other girls, all of them blinking before she turned and asked, "Okay darling, let's try this a different way. How do you two know each other?"

Twilight sighed, knowing she would need to be careful how she phrased this. "Um...yeah. That's not the best question. Let's just say that Flash...well, he used to live on the street." She saw the grimaces appear on their faces as she continued, "But...my family took him in. He's lived with us ever since."

The girls all looked glum at this, their vision shifting over to Flash as he talked with the Royal Knights before Rainbow broke the silence. "So...he's your stepbrother?"

"Best friend," Twilight corrected, "Who just so happens to live in the same house as me."

"Right..." Rainbow replied as she gave the other girls an all-knowing glance, all of them instantly getting what she was getting at.

But before she could say anything else, Flash walked back over and sat down, the Royal Knights now behind him as they made their way to leave the café. "So....what're we talking about?"

"About how we're gonna get Twilight crowned as Fall Formal Princess," Applejack told him in an impressive improvised tone. "Dance is tomorrow night and we still don't know how we're gonna get Twilight the votes she needs to win. Right now, folks only know the Twilight from the videos Sunset Shimmer posted online. We need to help 'em see her differently."

Everyone nodded at this, Flash commenting, "Sounds good to me. Just uh...how many students are at the school?"

"You pretty much saw all of them when you went to lunch earlier." Fluttershy replied, getting a nod in return.

As this information entered everyone's brains, Rarity gasped before standing up and proclaiming. "I'VE GOT IT!" The entire café when deadly quiet, everyone inside now turning to stare at her as if she was insane. Rarity blushed at this until everyone finally looked away. "Ahem. I mean, um, perhaps I have a solution." She stepped over to her bag and began to rummage through it. "Now this may be an absolutely preposterous idea," she then pulled out a bunch of headbands with ears on them along with belts that had blue and yellow tails. "But what if we all wore these as a sign of unity?"

Everyone blinked at this, Flash raising his hand, "Okay, I'm officially lost."

"Join the club," Rainbow added, raising her hand as well.

Rarity sighed as she placed them on her head. "Freshman year, they were very popular. It was used as a way for everybody to show their school spirit! You know?" She started jumping around, "Go, Canterlot Wondercolts!" She then coughed as her face dropped. "I haven't sold any in ages." She reached back into her bag and pulled out several more, handing them all over. "I mean, the five of us are obviously very different, but deep down, we're all Canterlot Wondercolts!"

"But how does this help?" Twilight asked as she watched everyone put a headband on.

Rarity shined a huge smile, "Sunset Shimmer is the one who divided us," she then pointed at the pony princess turned human. "But you Twilight Sparkle was the one who united us, and we're gonna let everyone know it!" She placed the last headband of Twilight's head before turning to everyone, "What do you think?!"

They all nodded as Flash put on his headband. "Sounds like a plan to me."





The next day at lunch...

The cafeteria was bustling as usual, the girls were talking about what they should wear to the dance that night while the boys trying to make mental images of the girls, drooling at their thoughts. The only thing different was Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie, all of whom were wearing the blue Wondercolt jumper and headbands. This confused the majority of the school, all except the Royal Knights. Flash had told them yesterday at the café what had happened between the five girls, and in response they agreed to help undo Sunset's grasp on the school.

But as the eight sat there, the doors of the cafeteria suddenly slammed open, getting everyone's attention. It was Flash, now carrying Twilight's backpack and an old guitar case he got from the music room. He was also wearing a Wondercolt jumper, which was soon accompanied by a eared headband as he pulled out the guitar. With a snap of his fingers, he pulled out a guitar pick and began to strum.

Then it happened. A strange banging sound began to fill the air, as if like a random occurrence, only for a rhythm to soon flow through the cafeteria. At the same time, the students also saw the five symmetrically dressed girls stand up, all of them now wearing the headbands and tail belts.

Once everyone had their focus on the girls, Flash picked up the pace of his strumming, the sound now reaching every ear. While this happened, Spike's paw reached out and turned on a radio that had been hidden beneath Flash's chair. The music that played matched Flash's tune, filling the entire cafeteria with music as the girls all started to sing.


(All)
Hey, hey, everybody
We've got something to say
We may seem as different
As the night is from day
But you look a little deeper and you will see
That I'm just like you and you're just like me
Yeah!


The girls began to dance in perfect harmony with the music, their performance really getting to the students. While this happened, The Royal Knights kept their focus on Flash's guitar work. If that was him when he was a little rusty, they really wanted to see him at his best.


(All)
Hey, hey, everybody
We're here to shout
That the magic of friendship
Is what it's all about
Yeah, we thought we were different
As the night is from the day
Until Twilight Sparkle
Helped us see another way

So get up, get down
If you're gonna come around
We can work together
Helping Twilight win the crown
So get up, get down
'Cause it's gonna make a sound
If we work together
Helping Twilight Sparkle win the crown!


The music's beat began to change as the girls started their solo parts.


(Pinkie)
Hey, hey, hands up now
We're sending a message to the crowd
Hands wave up, then come down
We party together all around

(Rarity)
Generous, honesty

(Applejack)
Laughter, kindness, loyalty

(Fluttershy)
Twilight helped us each to see

(Rainbow)
All that we can be!

(All)
So get up, get down
If you're gonna come around
We can work together
Helping Twilight win the crown

So get up, get down
'Cause it's gonna make a sound
If we work together
Helping Twilight Sparkle win the crown!


Pinkie and Fluttershy rushed over to the cafeteria doors, opening them up to show Twilight in her own jumper. The girl shined a bright smile as she stepped into the room, the rest of the girls following behind her as she sang.


(Twilight)
I'm gonna be myself
No matter what I do
And if we're different, yeah
I want you to be true to you
If you follow me we'll put our differences aside
We'll stick together and start working on that school pride!


Flash stopped playing and stood up, clapping his hands as the girls sang and danced together. The rest of the cafeteria caught on and started clapping as well.


(All with Flash in brackets)
Jump up, make a sound (Hey!)
Stomp your hooves, turn around
Start now, make a change
Gonna come around


The girls split up and rushed over to their own groups, grabbing people and pulling them over to the other cliques. The audience fidgeted at this at first, but the music soon took over, instantly getting them clapping and dancing together.


(All with Flash and audience in brackets)
Jump up, make a sound (Hey!)
Stomp your hooves, turn around
Canterlot Wondercolts
Help her win the crown!


Flash rushed over to the rockers and once again started playing, the music quickly overtaking them. The cafeteria immediately lost its divisions here, all the different kinds of people mingling together and having fun. As they did this, they remembered back to when they first started at their school. How they hung out with anyone, no matter what their likes and dislikes were and why had they stopped doing that.

Then they remembered. Sunset Shimmer.

But that was soon forgotten as the girls began passing out the same headbands and tail belts they were wearing. Everyone grabbed them and put them on, not the least bit embarrassed about wearing them.


(All with Flash and audience in brackets)
Jump up, make a sound (Hey!)
Stomp your hooves, turn around
Start now, make a change
Gonna come around

Jump up, make a sound (Hey!)
Stomp your hooves, turn around
Canterlot Wondercolts
Help her win the crown!

Jump up, make a sound (Hey!)
Stomp your hooves, turn around
Start now, make a change
Gonna come around

Jump up, make a sound (Hey!)
Stomp your hooves, turn around
Canterlot Wondercolts
Help her win the crown! (Yeah!)






Outside of the cafeteria, we find one Sunset Shimmer watching the madness through the doors.

Pure anger covered her face as she gripped the doors, hoping she could twist them into nothing if they weren't made out of metal. The very sight of everyone getting along made her sick. "You idiots...what are you doing?! How dare you destroy all my work! This school is mine and everyone here is supposed to be under my heel!" she growled to herself, glaring at the sight. "They're supposed to be separated! That's why they're so easy to control..."

She then turned around and spotted two of her flunkies, Snips and Snails, dancing behind her while wearing the headbands and tails. "TAKE THOSE OFF!" The two boys froze as they did as they were told, hiding them behind their backs and they looked down at the floor. "Don't speak. I have something I need you two to do."

And as she instructed them and they ran off, she looked back at the cafeteria with a vile glare. "I'm not gonna lose to some two bit wannabe princess. If you, the disgusting foal that Celestia decided to take in thinks she has a shot against me, think again!"

She bit her lip as she turned and walked down a nearby hallway, muttering to herself, "I won't lose. That crown belongs to me, along with Equestria. I will get it, and even if I don't, I'll make sure you never make it back! You and your blockhead bodyguard."