//------------------------------//
// How to use your Flash Sentry 101 
// Story: Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S4 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

Almost a month had passed since the Rainbow Dash's beyond amazing birthday. Since then, a barrage of different events had happened, all within a span of a few weeks. It had started with Rarity's band, the Ponytones, which its main singer Big Mac had lost his voice. In response, Rarity tried to get Lightning to help, but found his voice wasn't deep enough. Due to this, Lightning asked Iron to convince his marefriend Fluttershy to sing for them while under the influence of Poison Joke, which led to the mare joining the group.

But this wasn't enough for this month, as a few days later had an even crazier event. Twilight was now being seen as the princess of the town, which ended up having the library filled with foals all wanting to be with her. This unfortunate event was made mainly by Flash's little sister and her friends, which he had to teach wasn't allowed to use Twilight like that.

After this, Fluttershy told all her friends that a group of creatures called the Breezies were coming to town. Everypony wanted to help her with the event, only for everything to go wrong. Thanks to a huge blast of wind, the Breezies were unable to get home, and started to stay with the pegasi. This continued until Iron found himself getting kicked out of Fluttershy's home due to his angry expressions, all of them frightening the creatures. Because of this, Iron convinced Flash to have Twilight help them get the Breezies out of town, which ended up with the alicorn using a spell to turn all of her friends into Breezies. And as they returned home, Flash asked to never be turned into a Breezie ever again, being way too embarrassed of the form. (Unfortunately for him, Rainbow asked Pinkie to take a secret picture of Breezie Flash, all as a later prank.)

Now, it was a new day in the town of Ponyville. The sun was shining, birds were singing and the ponies of the town were busy enjoying their day to day lives. It was here that two of those ponies, Twilight and Dr. Time Turner, were currently working on a new project, now staring at something on a table.

"Screwdriver," Spike handed the doctor his tool, tweaking sounds following this.

"Wires," Spike held said wires up, Twilight's magic aura taking them.

"Soldering iron," again Spike gave Turner a tool.

"Lunch," Twilight licked her lips as Spike held up a daffodil and daisy sandwich, allowing her to take a bite out of it. As she did this, Turner wiped his brow as a big grin appeared on his face.

"Done."

"Finally." Twilight and Doc stepped back, allowing Spike to look up at the table. There, he saw a black dog collar like item with several boxes attached to it, making him raise an eyebrow. "Once the programming and connection is installed, it'll work perfectly."

"So....what is it?"

Twilight rolled her eyes before picking the collar up. "This Spike, is what's going to allow us to get to the bottom of one of the biggest mysteries we've come across since moving to Ponyville."

Spike tilted his head, scratching this chin with his claw, "You mean...the chest that the Tree of Harmony gave you?"

"No."

Spike kept thinking, only to feel a familiar twisting in his stomach. Seconds later, he unleashed a burp as green smoke and flames shot out of his mouth. It then formed into a scroll, showing Twilight's cutie mark on the paper. "It's a message from Princess Celestia." Twilight commented as she took the scroll, soon reading it as her eyes scanned the paper. And as she did this, her eyes grew larger and larger until she slowly looked up.

"What's up?" Spike asked her.

Twilight's pupil's shrunk as she started to shivering, "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They're both coming here...today!"

"What?!" Spike shrieked while Turner's eyes went wide. "Why?! When?! Okay, I know when is today, but when are they gonna actually arrive?!"

Twilight reread the scroll, then looked up to a nearby clock Time Turner had set up, "They'll be here...in an hour."

"An hour?!" Spike gulped at this, knowing Twilight would be one second from panicking at Celestia coming. "Oh no, that's not enough time to get the library cleaned and a proper meal ready! Couldn't they have given us a little more warning before coming for a visit?"

"It's not just a visit Spike," Twilight told him as she rubbed her face, sweat now appearing on her forehead. "They say they're coming on business."

"What kind of business?" Turner asked next.

"I don't know." Once again, Twilight looked over the scroll. "But is says to meet in the town square and have Flash there. I guess this has something to do with him." She let out a long sigh, "I just hope that doesn't mean anything too bad..."

Turner blinked at her with a glum frown, "But if that's the case Twilight, where is Flash right now?"





Meanwhile...

Flash was standing by a Battle Form Springer, Iron in front of him while spinning Piecemaker in his hooves. "You two ready for this?" The Metal Guardian asked as he stopped and pointed it at the two.

"Ready," the two replied as Springer created an Aura Blast, tossing it into the air. Flash then followed, his blade glowing as he swung through the sphere. "Flash Cutter!" With this, the aura attack rocketed toward Iron.

"Iron Guard Shield!" The spearhead morphed into a shield seconds before the Aura Blast struck, exploding and pushing the Royal Knight back several feet.

Everyone except Flash seemed surprised by this, the apprentice knight smiling at the accomplishment. "Yes! Score!" He cheered before flying down and giving his partner a hoof bump. "We did it! Combo move in the bag!"

"Don't go celebrating to soon Sentry," Iron told him as he reverted his weapon back, Lightning now hopping off the sidelines as he did this. "I wouldn't go calling that a combo move."

"What are you talking about? Springer's Aura Blast and my Flash Cutter came together, fused into a single attack. How is that not a combo move?"

"Because they didn't fuse," Lightning spoke up with crossed hooves. "You just batted the attack like a baseball and changed its trajectory. The Aura Blast and your light didn't meld into one."

"I'm with them Flash," Springer added as he reverted back to his smaller form. "Think back to when me and Skybreaker fused our attacks. That one actually turned my Aura Blast into a spinning blade. How is what we did any different from me just tossing the attack at Iron?"

Iron nodded. "Just because it went a little faster than usual doesn't mean it worked as a combo move."

Flash pouted and sat on his back legs, crossing his hooves. "You guys really know how to kick a guy when he's up, you know that?"

Lightning rolled his eyes. "Look, do you want us to be honest or to let you go around looking like an idiot announcing you have a combo move when you don't?" Flash opened his mouth to respond, only to quickly shut it. "That's what I thought."

"Fine...let's try it again," Flash held up his sword again, "This time we'll get them to properly merge. I know it." The other three all sighed, all resisting the urge to facehoof/facepaw. But before Springer could reply, a bright flash of purple light shined in front of them. "Bluagh! What the heck?!" Flash yelped as they all started blinking, the defender then yelling, "Twilight, if that's you, I told you to stop doing that!"

Twilight just shook her head, "We don't have to time to listen to your complaints. You four need to get to town, now!"

"Why?" Iron asked as he rubbed his eyes. "What's the problem?"

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are gonna be arriving soon."

"WHAT!?" The four's jaws dropped.

"Why?!" Springer asked next.

"The scroll they sent didn't explain why, but whatever it is has something to do with Flash."

"Me?" Flash pointed to himself, "What'd I do?!"

Springer let out a gasp. "Maybe they've decided you're ready to become a Royal Knight!"

This made Flash's eyes go wide, only to hear a snort from Iron, "I doubt it. That sounds like something they'd talk to Twilight and Princess Cadenza about before announcing. Not to mention Grand would be the one to tell Flash if he was gonna be knighted." This made Flash slump down, a huge frown now on his face.

Twilight rolled her eyes at this. "Whatever it is, we'll find out when they arrive. So come on, I'll teleport us there." The others then flinched, all almost backpedaling as her horn started to glow.

Lightning's own horn sparked, "I'll go on my own. Thanks." With that, he disappeared before the others could say anything.

"Awww....can't we just walk?" Springer asked next, trying to show puppy dog eyes at the alicorn.

"No time," Twilight horn pulsed as they were surrounded by her magic. A flash of light followed this, the ground changing from rock to grass as they appeared back into Ponyville. And as they landed in front of town hall, both stallions let out a series of moans.

"Oww," Springer groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "Twilight! I know I can see through my aura, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with almost being blinded."

Twilight rolled her eyes again as she looked away, now spotting Spike running up to them with the Crusaders. "Twilight! I did what you said and told the others."

"All of them?! Already?!"

Spike fiddled his claws at this, "Well, I found Rainbow first and told her. She said she'd gather the others and I came across Scootaloo, who had Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle with her. Then..."

"That's enough Spike, I understand." Twilight commented as she patted his head, "Good job." It was here that they spotted Rainbow and Fluttershy flying to them while Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity and Wild ran in from the opposite direction. "That's everypony," Twilight nodded after her head count.

That is, till Wild asked, "Wait...where's Lightning?"

"Here!" Lightning yelled out as he ran up into the square. "Sorry. Probably should put a mark here."

"So what's this about Twi?" Rainbow asked, the others all nodding as they mumbled the same question.

This made Twilight raise an eyebrow before turning to Spike, "I thought you said you told them."

The baby dragon crossed his arms. "I said I told Rainbow. Well, I only got as far as to tell her about meeting in the square. She flew off before I could say why." The others frowned at the pegasus, who laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head.

A long sigh followed as Twilight rubbed the side of her face. "Princess Celestia and Luna are coming here."

"The princesses are coming here?!" Rarity repeated in horror, "But I'm not presentable! Look at me, I'm a mess!"

They all blinked at her, Applejack speaking up next, "Ya'll look fine ta me Rare."

"Are you blind?! I'm in need of a serious hooficure! My mane needs a proper conditioning and I need at least fifteen hours of beauty sleep before I can even begin to look presentable!" She then started hyperventilating, Lightning asking Pinkie for a paper bag, which a second later he gave to the fashionista.

Fluttershy put her hoof over her mouth as she walked up to Twilight, "Did the princess say why they were coming?"

Twilight shook her head, "No, but it has something to do with Flash."

"Really?" Scootaloo asked before turning to her brother. "What did you do?"

Flash tilted his head with a glum frown, "I didn't do anything. I'm in the dark as much as the rest of you."

Twilight nodded at this. "Hopefully they'll explain when they arrive."

"Well, you won't have to wait too long," Pinkie pointed at the sky. "Here they come now!"

"What?!" Twilight screeched as she looked up to see a familiar pegasi drawn chariot flying into view, beginning its descent to the ground. A minute later, the chariot touched down, allowing them to spot three ponies sitting on it. The first two were the alicorn princesses they had been warned about, while the third was Luna's apprentice, Trixie.

"Hello my little ponies," Celestia announced as she disembarked from the chariot. She watched as almost all the ponies, along with Spike and Springer, bowed to her. The only one not bowing was Twilight, who remembered her now equal status and simply nodded.

Luna then climbed down as the ponies remained on the ground, causing her to lift her hoof, "Raise ponies." They did so while Trixie walked up and gave them a group hug.

"Hey everypony! Its so good to see you!"

"Hey Trixie," Flash replied before whispering into her ear. "Any idea what you and the princess are here for?"

Trixie shook her head as she pulled back, only to flinch as she now noticed Lightning was there as well. Despite this, Twilight then trotted around her as she went up to the Royal Sisters, "Princess, not that we're not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

Flash walked up next, pointing to himself, "And why did you want to see me?"

Celestia and Luna both smiled down at the two, the older sister speaking up. "We're here because we wish to investigate something that we can no longer overlook without addressing."

Twilight tilted her head at this, "What do you mean?"

Luna then pointed at Flash. "You all remember the events surrounding the return of Mr. Sentry's parents, along with your fights against Ahuizotl and the three criminals that were working alongside Longhorn?"

The ponies who were at all those events all looked at each other, Flash then speaking up, "Yeah...why?"

"The power you used there Sentry..." Luna's gaze hardened as she stared right into Flash's eyes, "Such power can not go uncontrolled. What Princess Twilight has told us in letters has us deeply concerned, as we believe it could be part of something greater..." She then tapped Flash's chest, "We must learn as much as we can before it develops to a point where you can no longer control it."

As they others all heard this, Applejack spoke up next, "Ya'll really think that could happen?"

Twilight turned to her. "Well...they're not wrong. Unless we have some proof that it won't happen, we have to let that assumption exist." She then looked back at Luna, "But Flash has been able to control it before."

Celestia nodded at this. "And I hope he will remain capable of that. However, both me and Luna have debated over this and believe this is a truth that must be revealed." She placed a hoof on the defender's shoulder. "Flash, I have known for a long time that you are more than just your average pony. More than your average Royal Knight even. You remember the time we discovered the origin of you cutie mark?"

Flash's mind flew back to that day, many years ago when he drank the zebra potion and saw visions of his past. He remembered when he saved that filly from the collapsing rooftop, and what happened next. "I remember...you're talking about the lightning that covered my body back when I saved that filly, aren't you?"

Celestia nodded again. "It is my belief that that lightning was merely a watered down form of the power you seem able to wield. It's possible your younger body was incapable of properly using it, resulting in the lightning."

Everypony remembered when Flash told them this story, Rainbow now asking, "So...if he could use that lightning back then, why haven't we ever seen it?"

"It's likely that Flash hasn't had a need to use it," Twilight guessed.

The others looked at her, Pinkie giggling next, "You cray cray Twily! I can think several times super powered lightning could have come in handy. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Sombra...that's just to name a few."

Celestia smiled at the mare's enthusiasm. "And who's to say Flash hasn't had help from his power, just in different forms?"

"What do you mean?"

Flash crossed his hooves next, deciding to answer this one, "She's saying this power I have might have has been helping me in those fights. Like....when we faced off against Discord. He tried brainwashing me, but something saved me." He then retold the story of him remembering the past after Discord had corrupted him. "And a similar thing happened when I fought against the Serpentine. I was shown images of my past that gave me the will to keep fighting."

Twilight began counting off the instances, "Poison Joke, the age barrier, fighting off Chrysalis's mind control...heck, even being able to keep fighting when Sombra drained all of your strength."

"There's also where you somehow cured yourself of Toxic's poison," Lightning added.

"And likely many others," Celestia finished as she pointed at Flash. "All of this is coming from the same source. And if we can discover this source, we will know all its dangers and risks in use."

Twilight then raised her hoof, "If I might wage an opinion," Celestia nodded back. "I've been curious about Flash's strange powers as well, and I think I have a way to find out what it is."

Flash glared at her. "You are NOT putting me in that scanner machine again. Last time, you had me on it for six hours! You didn't even let me go to the bathroom!" The others flinched as Twilight blushed.

"Small oversight on my behalf. But...I've been working with Time Turner on something else. And this time, I'm sure it'll work."

Flash grit his teeth at this, "You do realize that doesn't inspire any confidence, right?!"

"It's almost done meathead, and it'll be fine. I left Time Turner to finish it off. One moment." Her horn sparked, everypony except the princess covering their eyes as she teleported away. A minute later, there was another flash as Twilight reappeared alongside a partially blinded Time Turner while holding a collar in her magic. "Taadah!"

"What's that?" Springer asked.

"This, Springer, is a portable scanner. It works the same way as the bigger one, except this one's wireless." She levitated it over to Flash and fastened it around his neck, the pegasus gasping when she started to tighten it. "The trouble with his ability and the Pinkie Sense, was it was something that wouldn't occur while they were just sitting around doing nothing. But with this, Flash'll be able to do what he usually does, and when he does start to transform, this thing will pick it up."

"Yah sure?" Applejack added. "That's an odd lookin thang yah got there."

Twilight nodded assuredly, "You know it. This scanner will record any changes in his body, including heartbeat, magical output and UMAs."

"UMAs?"

Time Turner piped in for this, "Unregistered magical anomalies."

Celestia clapped at the sight, "This is excellent Twilight. I'm sure this will help us learn about this strange magic."

Trixie pointed at Flash, "Alright, let's see it Flash. Bring on the shiny tornado!"

Everypony turned to Flash expectedly, the apprentice knight blinking several time in discomfort. "Yeah...about that." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I...have no clue how to actually use this power."

This made Celestia, Luna, Trixie and the CMC sigh as Trixie replied, "How can you not know how to use it?! You've done it three times already!"

"Those were all spur of the moment things Trixie. I didn't mean for it to happen when it did. It just sort of...did. I can't control it."

Luna rubbed her chin and hummed. "Then our first priority will be to find the trigger."

This made the others gulp, Springer speaking up next, "That....might be a problem."





One transition to the library later...

"Okay...let's start with what we know first." Twilight said as they sat in the library, all staring at a blackboard Twilight had brought. On the board were crude drawings of timberwolves, Ahuizotl and his henchponies along with Big Score and his lackeys. She then tapped the first image. "The first time Flash used this ability was when Scootaloo and his parents were being attacked timberwolves."

"Which he turned to toothpicks," Scootaloo added with a smirk.

Twilight then spun the blackboard to show a sketch of a pony in a tornado, "From what we can tell, this power wraps him in what is likely meant to act as a cocoon. This is either for his own protection, or another reason we have yet to realize. Then there's the armor-"

"Armor?" Spike interrupted. "What armor?"

Rarity patted the drake's side, "You weren't there the last two times he changed."

"And the first time that twister blinded us all." Applejack added.

Rarity nodded and continued. "Flash seems to be wearing armor whenever he transforms. It seems to just...appear once he's in the light."

"Again, what this armor is for is something we have yet to discover." Twilight turned the board back and pointed to Ahuizotl. "The second time was when we were being shot at by an army of archers. This time when he transformed, he showed off an incredible amount of speed. So much so, that from an outsiders' eyes, it looked like he was duplicating himself."

Rainbow raised a wing at this, "I was able to keep up."

Pinkie then spoke up with a giggle. "Don't forget, it also healed a booboo he got in the fight."

Twilight nodded again. "Yes, a cut he received in the battle vanished without a mark. And finally," she pointed to the blackboard's final image. "During our battle against the supercharged criminals, when an accident caused a cave-in that sent a massive boulder flying down to crush us, this time Flash showed an incredible amount of strength. He punched the rock so hard that it didn't just break it, but it also turned it to dust."

This statement made Spike and the CMC's eyes all go wide, causing Applejack to laugh at their reaction. "Ah doubt any earth pony would be able to do that."

Scootaloo turned to her brother, "You're awesome Flash!"

The pegasi laughed as he ruffled the filly's mane. "And don't you forget it."

"These abilities are amazing," Trixie commented as she stared at Flash. "Whatever this magic is, it seems to be giving you physical traits that rival an alicorn."

Twilight shook her head. "It's true that alicorns possess the unique traits of all other pony species, but Flash has yet to show any magical abilities associated with unicorns in this form."

"Not yet anyway," Springer added.

Luna stepped up to the board and examined the images. "From what is being presented, it seems the trigger is some form of danger or emotional stress. Both of which will be difficult to recreate in a controlled environment."

Celestia nodded in agreement. "Our best course of action is to try and find another stimulant. But where to start?"

Everypony all frowned as they tried to think, only for Fluttershy to raise her hoof, "What about Zecora? Maybe she has some kind of potion that can help Flash."

Twilight clapped at this, smiling, "Fluttershy, that's brilliant!" This caused Fluttershy to blush as Iron nudged her playfully. "And even if she doesn't have anything, she might have some knowledge about what's happening to Flash."

"Does she actually know about this transformation thingy?" Lightning asked next.

Flash hummed, "I don't think so. I haven't spoken to her about it. Anypony?" They all shook their heads no.

"Well then," Celestia stood up. "We'd better go see her."

Iron raised a hoof at this. "Maybe it's better to bring her here, your majesty."

Celestia giggled at the knight. "Your concern for us is admirable Sir Iron, but we will be fine. Luna and I used to live in the Everfree Forest, so we know it like the back of our hooves."

Iron shook his head. "It's not that princesses. It's just that, Zecora's hut is kind of small for a group this big."

Sweetie then spoke up. "And we wanna see Flash transform, but we're not allowed to go into the forest."

Celestia rubbed her chin at this, "Ah, I see. Yes, maybe bringing Zecora here would be the better option."

Twilight nodded and turned to Rainbow, who saluted back before zipping out the library. Twenty minutes later, she returned with the zebra herbalist on her tail while carrying a pair of saddlebags. They quickly explained the situation to her, Zecora surprised by the revelation...but had nothing in terms of answers.

That is, till she asked to head outside with a kettle in hoof, "Perhaps this will help, it may show something that can be felt." she rhymed as she mixed some ingredients into the device. "This elixir will grant its drinker energy tenfold. And for you within, the answers it may hold. It is meant to help with therapeutic revitalization, but in you it may cause this transformation."

She finished the mix and poured in the water, properly stirring it next. Here, she gave it to Flash, "Huh...ten fold energy?" He then sipped it, licking his lips at the taste, "Not bad. Bottoms up!" With that, he took it in one gulp, Spike having a camera ready that was prepared by Twilight and Time Turner.

"Well?" Twilight asked, only to see Flash's right eye twitch. "Did it work?"

One minute later...

"IsitworkingisitworkingamItransformed.You'llhavetotellmebecauseIdon'thaveagoodviewofmyself.ButseriouslythatteaisamazingcauseI'mfeelingreallypumpedandjazzedandwhydoesnoponysayjazzedanymore.It'sareallyfunword.Jazzedjazzedjazzed.AmItalkingtooloud?"

Everypony watched as Flash flew around in a circle endlessly, talking a mile a minute like a colt on a sugar rush. Springer then tugged Twilight's side, "Is that what I'm like when I take a super sugar muffin?"

Twilight shrugged. "Half as terrifying, but about as equally as annoying...though this has way less property damage. No offense."

"None taken."

"We're gonna need to try something else," Celestia said as she watched Flash zip about.

Luna let out a giggle, her eyebrows hopping up and down, "I don't know sister. Can you imagine setting that on our enemies?"

"Yes...and I'm not that cruel." Celestia commented as she looked back at the group, "Any ideas on how to get him down without violence?"

"I got one!" Springer announced with a raised paw before turning to certain pink pony, "Hey Pinkie, you wouldn't happen to have some nets and rope stashed around Ponyville for net and rope emergencies, would ya?"

"You know I do!"

One caught and tied-up Flash until the elixir wore off later...

"Okay...what's the next idea?" Flash groaned as he flexed his wings, now stiff from the ropes.

Pinkie and Wild stepped up next, the unicorn sticking his tongue out, "Maybe we can surprise you into transforming."

"Surprise you, surprise you." his puppets repeated.

"Surprise me?" Flash asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, being surprised or scared might be what makes you go gold," Pinkie added with a giggle. "We talked about it while you were in sugar high mode."

"And its worth a shot Flash," Twilight said as she covered Flash's eyes. A minute later, she uncovered them to allow Flash to look up and see Wild and Pinkie dressed as a doctor and nurse, Wild magically holding a comically large syringe.

"Surprise!" He thrusted it at the pegasi's face. It stopped inches away, but Flash hadn't moved a millimeter. Wild and Pinkie raised an eyebrow at this, "You're not scared?"

Flash rolled his eyes. "I spent five hours a day, five days a week for over ten years in an armory. You honestly think an oversized novelty needle is gonna scare me?"

"Um....maybe?"

"Its not." Flash deadpanned as he scratched his side with his wings, "Besides, I've never had a fear of needles. Twilight's family insisted I get a full-check up when I joined the family and the docs were....a bit overboard with needles back then." He stretched his wings again, "Good way to get rid of that fear."

Wild and Pinkie both sighed, "Phooey. So much for that plan."

"A valiant effort," Celestia added. "However, scaring Flash may prove to be harder than others."

Flash smirked at the praise, which made the others roll their eyes and silently vow to make him yell out in surprise. And so, for the next few hours, they tried everything in their power to scare Flash. They attempted showing him scary movies, making him think he was seeing Scootaloo fall to her death and threatening to destroy his favorite comics. Scootaloo pouted when he actually cried out at this compare to her 'death', but it still did nothing.

After this event, the ponies were now all slumped over on the ground, Twilight grumbling, "Alright...it's official. We can't surprise Flash into transforming."

Trixie, who was laying face up on the ground, nodded. "In hindsight, we should have expected as much. He's an apprentice knight and has faced off against some pretty scary stuff."

"And don't forget he knew the surprise was coming," Celestia commented as she rubbed her chin. "That decreased the surprise value by about half."

"Sorry everypony," Flash added with a small frown, "Guess uh...dealing with constant life and death stuff makes getting scared hard."

"But if that's the case, what do you think would make you scared?" Trixie asked next.

"Hmm..." Flash tilted his head at this, "I guess...I don't know. Closest thing I can think of would be...." he slightly shivered at his next words, "Fighting Sombra again. I'm pretty sure I was scared there."

Everyone frowned at this, knowing there was no way to replicate something like that. Seeing the sadness now embracing everyone, Fluttershy spoke up, "So...what do we do now?"

Nopony answered, that is except a certain princess of the night. Luna snapped her hoof as she pointed to Twilight's home, "I have an idea. Come, follow me."

That idea led them back inside where Luna closed all the curtains, lit several candles and asked Twilight to get a record player with the most calming record she had. "Alright Flash," Luna started playing the music as she and Flash sat in the middle of the library. "I want you to close your eyes." Flash did so as Luna raised her hooves up, "Now, I want you to remember what you told us about how you first accessed this power."

Flash took a long deep breath. "Let's see...I was inside some kind of void...and a voice said I was ready to unleash the full power within me."

"Exactly, young Sentry. It's possible you have some form of mental link with whatever is giving you this power. As such, we're going to try and contact it." Her horn then unleashed a thread of magic, which flew up to Flash's forehead. Scootaloo opened her mouth at the motion, but Twilight put up a hoof and shook her head as Luna continued, "Alright, I want you to start by imagining a hallway." Flash did so, his imagination going into overdrive. Soon enough, he found himself in a hallway with checkered floors and brown wooden doors lining the walls. "What do you see?"

"I see a hallway, like you said."

"Describe the hallway."

"It's long, dark, and with flooring that I'm guessing came from a chess board." The others all laughed at this. "There's also some doors, loads of them."

"Describe these doors."

"They're just...doors. Like, a bunch of....wait." a new image began to materialise onto the doors, making Flash blink inside of his mind. "The doors...they're showing a bunch of cutie marks."

"Whose cutie marks?"

"Everyponies. Twilight's, Rainbows, even the Cakes."

Luna did a slight giggle. "Just as expected. You are beginning to slip into your subconscious, which is beginning to reshape the hallway into an image you can understand. Each door will lead into a mental room that you keep your thoughts and feelings about everypony you know within."

"Interesting..." Twilight whispered as she rubbed her chin in thought, "Very interesting..."

Luna's horn slightly sparked as she continued. "For now, focus on finding one door in particular Sentry. Yours. It is likely where you will find the source of your power."

"Okay, I'll try." Flash began to mentally walk through the corridor, his eyes skipping on each wooden frame. After what felt like an hour, he came to the end of the hallway. There, the door with his cutie mark emblazoned on it stood, its very presence making Flash feel like he was shrinking. "I think I found it."

Luna glanced over at her sister, who nodded to say they should continue. "Very well." She pumped more energy into her magic, increasing the connection. "Let us truly begin."





In Flash's mind, the pegasus continued to stare up at the door, only to hop in place as he suddenly felt the presence of another. Looking around, he saw Luna standing next to him. "Princess?"

"I am here Sentry. I have used my magic so we may both see this together." Flash nodded at this, knowing he shouldn't question her abilities. Seeing this, she smiled back, "Now, are you ready?"

Flash gulped, nodding all the same. "Let's do this." He reached out and grasped the handle, slowly opening the door. He let it swing inward, the duo glancing inside. There, they saw nothing but darkness, filling Flash with even more dread.

"Go on Flash. This is your world inside of your mind. Nothing within can harm you unless you let it." Flash gulped again before stepping inside, Luna following as they walked through the darkness. But as soon as they went inside, they noticed there was nothing, nothing but a blank dark void. "Hear me!" Luna called out, almost in her Royal Canterlot Voice. "Being of unknown power, we come seeking answers and demand them at once!"

Seconds passed, no answer coming from the inky black void. "Huh. I guess there's nothing-" But before Flash could finish his words, a sudden explosion of light blinded the two. The next thing they knew, what felt like a powerful gust ploughed into them, pushing both off their hooves. Before they knew it, they went flying out of the door, the frame shutting as both were blown down the hallway until-





"WHOA!" The two screamed as they fell back, Luna's magic cutting out as they returned to reality.

"Luna/Flash!" The others yelled as they ran up to them. Celestia scanned her sister over while Twilight tapped Flash's side.

Then, Flash opened his eyes, and they saw they were nothing but gold light. The sight made them all lean back, all except Twilight, who crouched down and asked, "Flash? Are you...okay? Can you hear me?"

Flash shut his eyes, scrunching them up before opening them to show they were back to normal. "Yeah, I'm okay...I think."

Everypony sighed in relief before helping the two back to their hooves. "What happened?" Spike asked.

"I am..." Luna hesitated for a moment, "I am not sure. Somehow, we were forced out of Flash's mindset, but that shouldn't have happened. Whatever this entity is, it's power far exceeds anything we've seen before. It may even outclass we alicorns."

Hearing this made the group all stare at each other in disbelief, especially Flash. "I don't understand." Celestia added, "You're saying this....whatever Flash is, is something that defies your magic Luna?"

"I don't know sister. Whatever it is, the magic it contains is not ordinary. Especially in terms of power."

Hearing these words, Twilight blinked for a second as her brain shined a lightbulb inside. Her horn then sparked, soon summoning a machine by her, which started spitting out paper. "What's that?" Rainbow asked as Twilight grabbed the paper.

"This is the computer the scanner's linked to." Twilight began to go over the data. "Hmmm....huh. Strange...it seems that Flash's heart-rate is slightly elevated, but nothing else out of the ordinary."

Flash tilted his head at this, "What about that U...M...errr..."

"UMAs?" Twilight finished for him as she looked over that section. "The scanner did detect something, but not enough for a proper analysis. We need more data, which means we actually need you to transform."

"Only that seems to be impossible."

"Not necessarily," Twilight put the paper down and turned to Celestia, "Princess, I have a plan, but I'll need some help."

"I'm happy to help Twilight. What do you need?"

"I'll explain on the way," she turned to Luna and Trixie. "You two mind helping too?" The two nodded, "Great." She looked at the others, pointing at the defenders of the group, "Meet us in the park in an hour. Flash, Iron, Lightning, bring your fighting equipment." With that, the three alicorns and single unicorn walked out of the library, leaving the others to just stare at the door.

"What do you think that was about Flash?" Scootaloo asked next.

Flash gave her an all-knowing smirk, "Knowing Twilight? Probably something painful for me."





One hour later...

When the group arrived at the park, they found Twilight and Trixie sending some kind of magic into the ground while Luna and Celestia were busy clearing the skies above them.

"Err...Twilight?" Flash spoke up as he suppressed a gulp of fear, "You mind explaining what this idea of yours is?"

"In a minute," Twilight responded, not looking up from her work. She and Trixie shuffled along the ground, getting closer and closer until they stopped next to each other, their magic linking up. "Done." They looked back up as the royal sisters landed nearby. Twilight then did a slight cough before speaking up, "Okay everypony, here's the plan. It appears Flash's transformation will only occur when he's in a battle-like scenario. So, we're gonna invent one."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this, pointing at Twilight and then himself, "You...who hates having me fight, are gonna have me fight?"

"Yup." Twilight smiled with a nod. "To make sure we get the results, we're recreating one of the times you transformed before."

This made Flash's eyes shrink, knowing what it would take to make Twilight go this far. As he started to backpedal, Scootaloo chimed in next, "Wait...you're not gonna have my brother fight off a trio of timberwolves, are you?"

The four laughed at her question, Celestia walking over to her and patting her shoulder. "No my little pony, we aren't. We're going to have your brother fight a unicorn, a pegasus and an earth pony, like when he fought against the criminals we mentioned before."

Lightning and Iron both blinked at this, Iron pointing to himself and the other defender, "Wait...you mean we get to fight him?"

Twilight nodded in response, "Yes. And Flash needs to be under pressure for this to work, so make sure you push him as far to the extreme as possible. Go all out."

Those last three words made the two shine giant malicious grins, their heads slowly turning to Flash. The sight made Flash's ears drop, lip quivering as he did a long gulp, "Do uh...do I get a say in this?"

"Nope!" Twilight teleported behind him, pushing him with her head up to the spot she and Trixie had been working on. "And don't you dare complain, you musclehead!"

"Wait!" Flash yelped as he started to push back, "What about the pegasus?! Don't tell me I'm fighting Rainbow."

The prism maned pegasus smiled as she rubbed her hooves, only for Luna to speak up. "We've arranged a skilled fighting pegasus to come lend his skill to our endeavor. With his speed, he should be arriving-" A sonic boom caught their attention next, making them look up just in time to see a familiar light blue pegasus land in front of them. The sight made Rainbow Dash blush, the pegasi winking at her for a split-second.

He then bowed before the princesses, "Soarin Skies, reporting for duty your majesties."

"At ease," Celestia waved him off. "Thank you for getting here so quickly."

"No problem ma'am. Always happy to help."

"So I'm gonna be fighting Iron, Lightning and Soarin?!" Flash yelped as he flared his wings, only to feel a familiar magic tug on his ear.

"Yes, you are." Twilight grumbled as she then magically lifted him into the circle, "And they're gonna be going all out, so you'd better do the same."

"Don't you think this is overkill?!"

"No, I don't." Twilight remarked as her magic threw Lightbringer to Flash's side. "Now start fighting."

"Twilight, I'm not-"

"What's the matter Sentry?" he turned to see Iron, Lightning and Soarin step into the circle. "You scared?"

Flash's face twisted up at this, a low glare appearing as he unsheathed Lightbringer. "You forget I've fought each of you before, and won."

Lightning gave a small shrug as his horn started to glow, "Maybe...but you've never actually beaten us on your own, and now you're fighting all of us at once."

Twilight just shook her head at their conversation before her and Trixie's horns shined, causing a circle of words to appear around the four before a magic barrier materialised. "Rune magic?" Rarity asked as she looked it over.

Trixie grinned back. "Solid Script's been teaching me."

"Really? Huh..." Wild remarked back as he started at the words, "Does look like his work....even if it has a bit less in the finesse department."

"Its fine. Neither of us are masters of the art, but this will be enough. Thanks to this barrier, they can fight without fear of doing any damage to Ponyville." Twilight turned back to the fighters, "You guys ready?" They all nodded as Flash sighed before getting into a battle stance. "Then...start!"

As soon as she said that, Soarin charged ahead, Flash immediately jumping out of the way from the bum-rush. Seeing this, he flared his wings and took to the sky, Soarin following right behind him. A glow of magic came next, Lightning now firing a series of knives at the flying defender. And as they came for him, Flash spun his sword, knocking them all away with two swings. But as he did this, Soarin sucker-punched Flash's face, causing him to falter back.

The attack made Flash go back down, dodging a kick from the Wonderbolt. As he did this, Lightning threw another knife, this one hitting a branch of a tree. Lightning then disappeared in a flash, warping over to the wood before leaping off it, flying up to throw a statically charged hoof. Flash saw this and raised his sword, the unicorn's hoof bouncing off the sword while the electricity zapped the pegasi. "Blaugh!" he yelped, only to then feel a kick in the back from Soarin. "Oof!"

The blow knocked him to the ground, everypony watching in worry as he fell, only to break his descent as he flared his wings. Steadying himself, he blocked another punch from Lightning, only to fire a Flash Cutter back, causing the unicorn to jump back. "Iron Spike Assault!" Flash spun around to see a line of spikes coming at him, forcing him back into the air as they covered the ground. But as he did this, Soarin bum-rushed him, slamming the pegasi into the dirt.

"Augh!" He cried as he tasted the grass, Iron, Soarin and Lightning standing in a line while smiling at him.

"What's the matter Sentry?" Iron asked as he pointed Piecemaker at him, "This too much for ya? Please tell me it isn't."

Lightning laughed at this, "Don't tell me you're ready to give up! We love beating on ya, ya know!"

Flash cricked his neck next, picking himself up as he glared at the trio. "I'm just getting started." He blinked as he reopened his eyes, both now blank to show he had entered Theta Mode. "Flash Force!" He fired the laser at them, Soarin and Lightning hopping out of the way while Iron formed a shield against the attack. And when he retracted the shield, he saw Flash flying straight for him, sword glowing, "Flash Cutter!"

"Iron Saber!" The spearhead reshaped into a sword as the two blades clashed, pushing at one another as Soarin and Lightning appeared on opposite sides of the apprentice knight.

"Gatling Spark!" The unicorn unleashed a wave of electric bullets, Flash taking to the sky the moment they came into view. It was here that Soarin appeared again, this time with a series of jabs. Flash put up both hooves, blocking the blows before flapping his wings, pushing the Wonderbolt back with his air pressure. Flash then exchanged the barrage of punches with his own, these forcing Soarin to go into Theta Mode as well. And as they danced in mid-air, Iron and Lightning nodded to each other as Iron pointed his weapon upward.

"Iron Lance Fury!" he yelled, making both look down as a flurry metal projectiles came at them. Both began evasive maneuvers, barely managing to keep ahead of the sudden iron bullets.

"Plasma Anchor!" And as those words reached Flash's ears, he suddenly felt something bite onto his back leg and zap him. The next thing he knew, he felt his back slam into the ground, a cry of pain following. His eyes turned back to normal as he felt pain surge through his body, only to look up and see Soarin charging into him.

"Aw crap." Flash commented as Soarin came crashing down, pile driving him back into the earth. "Blaugh!"

Everypony flinched at the sight, watching as Soarin jumped back after dealing the blow. It was here they saw Flash try to pick himself up, staggering as he did. "Maybe this has gone too far," Twilight suggested as she bit her lip. "He's being pushed to his limit, but its showing no results. We should stop this before something bad happens." The others all nodded, Trixie and her horns starting to glow.

"This isn't over yet!" Flash yelled out, making their horns sputter out. He then leaned on his blade for support. "I might be down, but I'm far from my limit." He turned to the fighting trio. "You heard what she said, don't hold back! So stop already....and hit me with your best shot!"

Iron was the first to smirk, his Celestic Gear shining. "Alright, but remember...you asked for this." The spear morphed into a light that surrounded Iron, solidifying into his battle armor. He pointed the spearhead on his tail at Flash, "Iron Force!" The shrapnel laced tornado shot out of the spearhead, Flash directing his blade at the pony.

"Flash Force!" The beam of light struck the tornado, the two pushing at each other.

At the same time, Lightning began tossing blades in every direction. As the two attacks died down, his horn sparked, disappearing in a flash of light. There, a blade of lightning strutted out of his horn as he appeared behind Flash, "Static Spear!"

Flash then hopped back as the electric javelin shot out of the horn, "Flash Vortex!" The tornado flew out of his blade, nullifying the spear. But as he did this, Soarin appeared on his six and grabbed his neck. "Hey!" He yelped as he tried to move, but the Wonderbolt tightened his grip in response.

"Sorry bro, but you asked for this."

"And I'm sorry too."

"Sorry for what?"

"For this!" He thrusted his elbow into Soarin's gut, making him cry out. Flash then grabbed Soarin's hoof, throwing him over his back and slamming him into the dirt.

"Iron Lance Fury/Gatling Spark!" A barrage of lightning bullets and steel blades flew at him, the lightning being absorbed into the metal, electrifying them.

"Whoa!" Flash quickly activated Theta Mode, now weaving back and forth from the barrage. But as he did this, static flew through the air, zapping Flash's wings. The blow made him land, only to see he was now surrounded by Lightning's knives. But before he had a chance to breathe, the unicorn appeared next to him, punching him in the side before vanishing. The blow turned Theta Mode off, but Lightning wasn't done. He reappeared again, punching the pegasi with increasing speed as he vanished and reappeared with each blow.

Flash soon found himself being hit everywhere at once, his body tensing to endure the strikes. That is, till the attacks stopped, causing Flash to open his eyes to see Iron running at him. "Iron Saber!" He spun around as a blade appeared on the end of his tail, which Flash barely managed to block. The clang of metal on metal rang through the air as Flash and Iron pushed one another. That is, till Iron changed the shape of his blade with a huge smile. The sword shifted into a pair of prongs, which he used to hook Lightbringer and knock it away.

"What?!" Flash yelped, only to see Soarin and Lightning appearing beside him. Time seemed to slow down as they pulled their hooves back, only for both to hit his stomach with full power. A scream of pain followed as his body went flying, flipping into the air.

"Ooh!" Everypony flinched as they saw Flash crash into the barrier, sliding down it slowly before slumping over.

"Flash!" Scootaloo called out, "You okay?"

"I think this match is over," Celestia commented as they all saw Flash not move.

"You think he got knocked out?" Sweetie asked next.

Springer shook his head at this. "No way. Flash doesn't go down that easily."





Flash opened his eyes, only to see he was back inside the hallway, the door with his cutie mark standing before him. He reached out and gripped the handle, remembering what Luna had told him before opening it.

He walked into the darkness, dread in his mind as he still saw nothing inside. Despite this, he did a small breath before saying, "Hey...I know you're in here. I want to talk to you. I don't know who or what you are, but I want some answers."

No reply came. Just pure silence followed.

"Oh, come on! You're in my head, so you better start doing what I ask! You can start by giving me some of that power, just this once when I want it!" Flash yelled as he slammed his hooves down, "I don't know what you are, but I need to know! It doesn't even have to be a lot, just enough for me and my friends to learn something...anything!"

The silence remained, causing the pegasi to let out a sigh. But as he turned around to leave, a burst of light filled the room. Looking back, Flash stared at the source, the light not hurting in the slightest as he felt himself be covered by the golden glow.

"I see...thank you."





Flash's eyes shot open, a gold shine pulsing out as a new strength filled his body. Everypony watched as he picked himself up, as if he hadn't taken any damage whatsoever. "This...isn't over...YET!" With that one outcry, his body exploded into a tornado of light, a set of armor now appearing on his form as Trixie and the princesses gasped.

"Extraordinary..." Luna whispered, Celestia nodding in agreement.

"That's so cool!" Trixie exclaimed as Twilight turned to Spike.

"You getting this?"

Spike chuckled as he stared through the camera, "You bet I am."

Flash cricked his neck as he stared at his three opponents, smirking, "Hey...still wanna go?"

The three, though slightly intimidated, got back into their battle stances. "Try us!" The spikes on Iron's armor started to glow. "Iron Lance Fury!" The projectiles shot out like bullets, but Flash simply disappeared before they could even start moving. And as this happened, Flash reappeared in front of defender, having dodged the entire attack with one swift motion. "Scatter!" Iron yelled as Flash stood in front of him, Lightning and Soarin hopping to the side as the armored earth pony raised his tail as it morphed into a hammer. "Iron Hammer Slam!"

As he spun the hammer at Flash's face, the pegasi simply raised his hoof, catching it with ease. Iron's eyes went wide as Flash gripped the weapon, his wings flaring with pillars of light coming out of them. "Goodbye." was all Flash said before suddenly spinning like a top, Iron instantly pulled by the defender into the shining tornado. And as a yell came out of Iron's mouth, Flash's hoof let go.

"Iron!" Fluttershy cried in horror as she watched her coltfriend go flying, crashing into the barrier as the armor reverted back to Piecemaker. With this blow, he fell like a rock, landing with a violent thud.

"One down." Flash deadpanned as he turned his head, his eyes now seeing a bolt of lightning coming for him. Flash vanished before the bolt struck, his form reappearing in front of Lightning. The unicorn took one step back as his horn flared, himself teleporting away before Flash could strike. There, he shot another bolt behind Flash, only for Flash to vanish again.

"Oh come on!" Lightning yelled as he warped himself to another dagger. But as he warped a third time, Flash reappeared in front of him before the unicorn could finish materialising. "What the?!" Lightning felt a glowing hoof fly into his gut, a volley of spit slinging out of his mouth as he was sent soaring into the barrier.

"And then there was one." Flash commented as he looked up, not even staring at where Lightning fell over like a sack of bricks. There, Soarin was hovering with a small gulp going down his throat. The two pegasi stared at one another before the one within the shining tornado shot up, the light morphing into an arrow.

Soarin crossed his hooves, hoping to endure the attack. But the second before Flash made contact, he disappeared again. "Wha-where'd he go?"

"Soarin!" He heard his girlfriend call out, "Behind you!" He spun around just in time to see Flash's hoof sock his face. The blow broke his bracing hooves, his wings going limp as he felt the punch knock his nerves and the wind out of him. With this, he fell as well, crashing into the dirt. It was here that everypony watched Flash land beside the crater Soarin had made, the tornado exploding off of him as his armor disappeared. Flash staggered in place after this, but managed to keep his footing while not feeling as drained like the last few times.

The barrier then came down, everypony rushing over to the fallen trio. Fluttershy was first as she went to her coltfriend, "Iron! Are you okay?!"

"Soarin!" Rainbow smacked his cheek, "Talk to me!"

"Wake up buddy!" Wild said to Lightning.

"Wake up, wake up!"

The three moaned as they opened their eyes, Soarin looking up at Rainbow as he groaned, "Wagnar loves chicken." He and the others conked out again, everypony else turning to glare at Flash.

The pegasus then chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Uh...sorry. Guess I got carried away."

Twilight shook her head as she trotted over to him. "Good grief...well, at least we'll have some scan da-" She stopped when she saw smoke coming off the collar, her magic soon taking it off as a moan came out of her mouth. "Seriously?!"

Flash blinked at her reaction. "What? What's wrong?"

Twilight glared back at him, "You broke it! Whatever that magic is, it overloaded the device!"

Flash slightly backpedaled, slowly chuckling again, "Sorry. I didn't know it was gonna do that."

"Flash, this is expensive equipment, and-"

"That's enough Twilight." Celestia interrupted as she put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "It seems this magic is more powerful than we realised."

Twilight let out a long sigh. "Yeah...it probably is. It might've gotten some data before overloading though. We should head back to the library and check...and develop the photos." The others all nodded as they made their way back to the Golden Oaks Library. When they got there, Iron, Soarin and Lightning were soon bandaged up by Fluttershy, Rainbow and Rarity.

"There you go," Rarity said as she tied a bow with the bandages.

"Thanks," Lightning replied as he flexed his hooves. "Ow...that was rough."

"I will agree with you there darling. That was quite the....violent show."

At the same, Flash was waiting next to the door of the basement, his wounds now healed after the transformation. It then opened up as the three alicorns, Spike and Trixie stepped out. "Well?"

Twilight sighed in response. "Nothing. The scanner didn't pick up anything."

Flash slumped over, "Rats."

"It's not all bad," Spike held up a stack of photos. "These came out looking great." Trixie used her horn to lift the photos up, all floating around to show everypony.

"But they don't tell us anything bout Flash's powers," Applejack commented.

"But at least they look nice," Pinkie added.

At the same time, Rarity stared at an image of Flash standing in the tornado. She let out a hum, which caught Twilight's attention. "What's the matter Rarity?"

Rarity turned to the princess, "Do you have some paper and a pencil I could borrow darling?" Twilight tilted her head but nodded, going upstairs to get the items she asked for. Getting the materials, Rarity went to a nearby table and began to draw. The others gathered around and watched as she drew the outline of a pegasus, soon drawing the armor over the pony. "And...viola!"

She held the drawing up for all to see. It showed an armor that was similar to the royal guards armor, but had several key differences. The armor on Flash's hooves went all the way up to his knees, appearing like armored greaves. His chest armor only went around his chest, his back and flank left completely exposed while the helmet was much smaller than the royal guard ones. It had no back, making them wonder how it stayed on, and seemed to resemble a mask more than anything. Above the eyes were a pair of triangular horns, which when looked at from the front created a V shape.

Everypony marvelled at the sight, Flash commenting, "So...that's what I look like. Huh."

Celestia nodded with a curious smile. "I must admit, it does look exquisite."

Iron let out a huff, "I say my armor's cooler."

"Sure it is metalhead," Flash retorted back, the two now glaring at each other.

Twilight sighed as she planted her chin on the table. "All this work and the only breakthrough we get is knowing what Flash looks like in the form. I was hoping for more answers." She then felt a hoof on her shoulder, making her look up to see her mentor.

"I understand you're frustrated, but there is nothing more we can do. We must accept that this is a phenomenon we must let happen naturally, and try to learn as much as we can when the opportunity presents itself." Twilight nodded, the others all following suit.

With this, they decided they day of research was done. Soon enough, the chariot to take Celestia, Luna and Trixie back to Canterlot arrived, Celestia then announcing, "I hope to be seeing you all again soon."

"We do too," Twilight replied.

Luna gave them all an authoritative glare. "If you discover anything else, please inform us immediately."

"We will," Flash assured her as Luna's chariot began to pull away, everypony waving the three off. Once they were gone, Flash turned to Twilight. "Sorry you couldn't get the answers you were hoping for."

Twilight shook her head back. "I'm the one who should be sorry. You're the one going through this change, and we need to know as much as possible. But...well, I couldn't get you the info you needed."

Flash just chuckled as he placed a wing around her. "Don't worry about it." He looked back up at the sky. "I might not know that much about these powers, but I'll learn. I'm sure if I just let it keep happening, something will eventually click."

"I hope you're right..." Twilight blushed as she felt his wing hug her, her eyes staring up at the sky with him. "I just...wish we knew."

"Me too...me too."