Flash Sentry was alone.
Not totally, some of the others were still leaving the room. The Rainbows were the first of course. Well, no. He sighed. The Twilights were the first.
Not since the Fall Formal dance had he had a real conversation with the Equestrian Twilight. Their interactions during the Battle of the Bands didn’t count. So when the dust had settled over this most recent magical adventure, he’d thought they could finally catch up and … figure out what kind of relationship they really had. But, just minutes ago, the Equestrian Twilight yawned and teleported away from him, and the other Twilight traveled through a portal to another world. Granted it was just back to their own world, but still. Hard to be farther apart than a different planet in an alternate universe.
Then, just when he thought that maybe he could explore this new pony world with a friend—or at least someone who was a few steps more than an acquaintance—the two Rainbows immediately challenged each other, again, and flew out a window together, followed by the others with otherworldly twins all pairing up and heading right for the door, all of them already having plans for the day. Even those without twins had plans.
Wallflower left with the Applejacks.
Aria, well, it was usually best to let her go where she wanted.
And Sunset …. She gave him some consoling after Twi left, and a wing smack to the back of the head, but then she was gone.
He looked around the room. Must have been an unused storeroom. Nothing around but the portal home, and the end of a Fluttershy tail on its way out the door. The last one to leave.
Sunset couldn’t have gotten far. Actually, she also knew how to do that teleport thing didn’t she? Flash rushed out of the room, stumbling a bit and using his wings for balance as he was still working on how to pony.
Once he was in the hall, he looked both ways and hovered up to get a better view above all the colorful heads and manes. No Sunset, but the others were all heading for the stairwell. Hoping Sunset did the same, Flash flew on, past the others and … there she was around the bend. She was slowly walking toward the stairs, head slightly down. Aria was off to her side and giving her a curious glance.
“Sunset!” he called. It was a few more steps before she reacted, giving him time to catch up and land, tripping and sliding to a halt.
“Flash? You okay?” she asked, coming to his aid while Aria kept on with a chuckle at his expense.
“U-yeah, yeah,” he stuttered, accepting her help and blushing brightly when he under corrected and fell into her side. “Ha, sorry.”
She took it in stride, giving him a gentle push back to standing.
“Uh,” he cleared his throat and hoped the blush would clear just as easily. “You have any plans for the day?”
Her eyes shifted and she responded after a pause. “Actually, yes. A quick stop in the library and then some things I wanted to take care of since I was … back. Like,” her eyes caught the Applejacks chatting on their way to the stairs, “family and such.”
“Oh, right,” said Flash, disappointment in his tone for a moment before his eyes widened and he jerked back. “Right! And you probably don’t want to show up after all this time with a random boy—er colt?—along for the ride.”
“Heh,” muttered Sunset darkly. “Especially since you’re not even a unicorn.”
Flash looked at Sunset’s horn, then at his wings. He opened his mouth but Sunset cut him off. “Don’t worry about it. It would be his problem, not ours. I’d make sure of it.” She took a breath. “Sorry if you wanted to hang out. I couldn’t really show you around anyway. All I know of Ponyville is this palace and how to get to the train station. I’m a city filly.”
“That’s alright, I’ll find something,” Flash said in a slightly too upbeat tone with matching smile.
Sunset took a glance toward the staircase then leaned in and whispered, “Maybe you can try to keep Aria out of trouble? It’s a small town but they do have a jail somewhere.”
With a cringe, Flash nodded but stopped and returned the whisper, “I thought she said she just wanted to swim.”
“That’s what she said,” Sunset answered.
“Right.” Flash nodded. “I’ll get on that.”
“Thanks.” Sunset started to smile but stopped. “Hopefully there aren’t any statues of Star Swirl around or they’ll end up decapitated.”
“The astronomer?”
“Sorcerer in this world. Same hat and beard though.”
“Oh. But, why—?”
“Long story. Just make sure his name doesn’t come up in conversation or it might not just be statues that lose their heads.”
Flash blinked back a nervous expression and gave a small nod before flying on, carefully descending the stairway.
He found her almost two floors lower, awkwardly side stepping down the stairs, having a single tail in place of two hind legs apparently making it difficult.
Not trusting himself to land on the stairs, he slowed and set down on the—literal in this case—landing a few steps below her. “Hey, Aria.”
She paused and gave him a smirk. “Hay, look. It’s the Flying Doucheman.”
A look of annoyance passed over Flash’s face before he shrugged it off. “Well, that’s an upgrade from what you usually call me at least.”
“Heh, speaking of ‘upgrades,’ nice schlong.”
“W-what?!” Flash took a step back, crossed his hind legs, and blushed furiously.
“Caught it when you flew overhead,” Aria laughed. “Equine benefits, right? Though you’re supposed to keep it in the sheath.”
“I, uh, h-how d-do I …?” Flash stuttered while trying to bend his head to get a look underneath himself, without giving Aria the same opportunity. The sounds of the others making their way down the stairs toward them spurred him on.
Hearing the same, Aria grinned evilly and took a look up the stairs. “Better hurry, big boy. Don’t want to scare those poor, innocent girls do ya?”
“I-I’m trying—wait!” Flash stood up and glared at Aria. “It is!”
“Pffff! Ha Haa!” Aria laughed. “Oh, the look on your face!”
“That’s not funny.”
“It was from my angle.” Aria hopped down the last of the steps and walked by on her two legs and tail. “In fact, it still is!”
She laughed some more until she stopped suddenly. For a second, all that came out was a squeak. She then bounded for a nearby door with a sign on it depicting silhouettes of a male and female pony.
Upon smashing the door open, Flash could see a sink, bathtub, and toilet all designed for ponies.
Initially heading for the toilet, Aria skidded to a stop and turned toward the sink, quickly turning it on and drinking from the tap.
The door closed behind her, and Flash stood awkwardly in the hall as all the pony pairs and Wallflower passed by. They all smiled or waved as they carried on their conversations. Flash returned the gestures as they proceeded to the next floor down.
A minute later, the door slammed open and a rather angry—angrier than usual—Aria walked out.
First time Flash had ever seen her with blushing scales though.
“How do scales blush?” he idly wondered. “How does fur blush for that matter?”
He realized his questions would have to wait when he recalled how bad a situation it was being approached by an angry Aria.
“Uh—“ he tried.
“Don’t make me laugh without water!”
“But I, I didn’t—“
“Don’t!”
“S-sorry?”
“So what’d you want?” she growled.
“Huh? Oh! Um,” Flash scratched the back of his head. “Did you want to hang out?”
Aria stared at him for a moment before sputtering out a laugh. “Pfff! With me? Really a glutton for punishment there. Shimmer got you trained, huh? Or is that just what you like?”
Flash could feel his skin—or was it his fur?—heat up in a blush. “I’m not—she’s not—we’re not like that!”
The mocking laughter just continued but stopped suddenly with a glare and a slow breath. “Told you not to make me laugh.”
“But I didn—“
“Yeah, yeah,” Aria waved him off. “Shimmer told you to be my warden, eh? Keep me out of trouble?”
“Uh, well.” Flash rubbed the back of his neck with a forehoof. “No?”
“Wow. You dated Shimmer and you’re this bad of a liar?” Flash tried to reply but she continued, “Meh. I’ll be fine. I’ll drop into a lake or something and just take a load off. It’s not like the beard who shall not be named is around.”
“Star—?”
Aria’s eyes practically shot a bullet through Flash’s face, stopping his heart for several beats.
“S-s-stars above, it’s a neat planet here, huh?”
“You really suck at lying, Doucheman.”
She didn’t wait for a reply. After taking another look at the stairs, she went back to the bathroom, took another drink, doused herself completely in water, and came back to the hallway. Flash gave her an odd look but she ignored it and hopped forward, landing on her belly and sliding forward, her wet scales making squeaks as they glided over the crystal floor and down the stairs.
Flash watched her go, flying after her as she even managed to curve along with the stairwell, kicking the walls with her tail and forelegs.
Seconds after she outpaced his line of sight, there was a thud. This was followed by what sounded like profanity in multiple languages.
Not knowing the languages himself, he had to guess the nature of the words by tone of voice alone but that tone left little ambiguity.
Upon reaching the foyer and seeing her face pressed into the front doors all but confirmed it.
Flash landed next to her and held out a hoof. She gave him a weak glare and stood on her own power. “The doors opened last time,” she gruffed before opening them with a kick from her tail. He followed her outside and she immediately turned and dived into the pond between the palace and what he was told was Twilight’s School of Friendship.
He looked down, seeing the ripples spread across the water. Another splash brought his attention up to see Aria breach the surface and shoot into the air, then splash back into the water. Another breach, sending her higher this time and diving after a few somersaults.
Again and again she repeated this, each time in a different place around the pond.
Was she … smiling?
“Woo!” she cried on the next launch into the air.
Flash’s jaw dropped. Aria's happy? That can happen? Was it the blow to the head? Did she need a doctor? A vet?
His wonderment was cut off by a jet of water to the face. “Bleublubough!”
“HA! Ha-ha-ha!” Aria laughed as he was blasted back. “Gotcha! And I can laugh at you all I want in here!”
Nope. She was fine.
“Careful!” she chided. “Gotta be on guard to watch over me! Don’t want to let Shimmer down, do ya?”
Standing up, Flash shook the water out of his mane, and eyed his attacker. She wasn’t even watching him, but looking around, taking in the school and the hills and waterfall behind it supplying the pond. Some ripples near her grabbed his attention.
She was wagging her tail.
It was subtle, but it was there. But why? She wasn’t swimming. She had her front half propped on the walkway to better converse.
Cute. Though saying so would be suicide.
“Where is ol’ Friendship Nag1 going anyway?” she asked, taking a look at the palace. “Train station? Her family’s in Canterlot right?”
“She said something about the library first,” Flash answered. “She seemed a bit down, actually.”
Aria’s tail stopped and she frowned. “You noticed too, huh?”
Flash looked up at the palace, guessing as to what floor they were on when they last spoke. “Yeah, she—“ Looking back down, Aria was gone. “Aria?”
He approached the pond carefully, expecting another water blast at any second.
Nothing. The water was still. Just a little rippling near where he last saw her. “Aria?”
He looked down, all through the pond from all along the walkway for several minutes.
“You got to come up for air eventual—oh wait. I guess you don’t.”
He never noticed the wet streaks in the grass leading back to the palace.
*** *** ***
Flash gave up searching for Aria after ten more minutes had passed on the clock tower. When Aria had things to do, no one got in her way. Except for those who really wish they hadn’t. And Sunset, who somehow always managed to survive.
So, the Twilights, Rainbows, Sunset, and Aria were all out. What next?
Pinkie Pie apparently.
While wandering the pony village aimlessly, he had spotted the pair bouncing on their tails into the back of what appeared to be a community center, complete with an outdoor theater.
He couldn’t have been more than half a minute behind them, but by the time he had gotten inside, the pair were already set up with a full drum kit each.
And playing to their hearts’ content.
If only they had picked the same song.
One Pinkie was playing a drum solo from one of the Rainbooms’ songs. He didn’t recognize the other.
““Oh, hiya, Flashy!”” they greeted him in unison while playing their mismatched scores. “Did you want to rock out with us? There are some guitars on the wall.”
Flash looked at the guitars on the wall and smiled. He then looked at his hooves and frowned. “Um—“
In a whirl of pink winds, Flash was spun around and became aware of sitting between the drum sets with a guitar cradled over his forelegs. The winds parted, returning to their drums as if nothing happened. The guitar shifted and Flash did his best to grip it.
It slipped left so he angled right. It slipped right so he angled left. It twisted and moved away so he leaned forward, forgetting that his “arms” were also legs at the moment.
The Pinkies watched on as the guitar became a helmet when Flash flopped onto the floor muzzle first.
This was followed by stereo rimshots.
*** *** ***
Well that wasn’t going to work. Even if he could play, or just hold, a guitar with hooves, keeping up with one Pinkie was hard enough with hands, let alone two of them.
He listened to them teach each other a couple songs then took his leave. One of the Pinkies was thoughtful enough to get a Ponyville map out of her tail for him and circled where all their friends lived and some “fun places” around town.
A quick mention on how he’d be able to get to all of them so easily with his wings was all it took for him to … remember he had wings.
So, with map in mouth—having failed to figure out any other way to travel with it—Flash took to the sky.
Far to the north he caught sight of the Rainbows, or rather blurs that were likely them and the distant rumbles of their rainbooms. Clearly he wouldn’t be joining them, but they had the right idea.
Flying was amazing!
The little town passed underneath him as he circled it, getting a better look of Equestrian Twilight’s palace and just enjoying the ability of self-powered flight in general.
He eventually found himself over a small forest of apple trees with a familiar set of ponies just beyond.
“Wuffower?” he noted, map still in his mouth, seeing her with two Applejacks before diving down.
Landing, he saw her staring intensely at a row of garden plants in a freshly dug plot. The Applejacks were nearby, one with an ear to the ground, her hat in her hoof to keep it clean.
The plants were gradually rising and coming into bloom, a few additional sprouts just beginning to poke out of the dirt. There were even hoof-shaped patches of grass in a line leading toward Wallflower.
The Applejack not listening to the ground quietly came up to him. “She’s been doing this all day. Darnedest thing.”
Taking a look to the side, Flash saw that the plot was much larger, more like a field than a garden. Every row was densely packed with fully grown plants of many shapes, colors, and sizes. “No kidding,” he agreed after putting the map into the frog of a hoof.
“Seems the earth ponies do this normally for quicker harvests, but not this fast.”
“Okay, Wallflower!” called the other Applejack. “You should stop there.”
“Already?” Wallflower called back, disappointment in her tone.
“Any more than this and it might take too long for the soil to recover. So much growing in so little time can sap the ground’s nutrients.”
“Right,” Wallflower nodded, “and you can teach me to know when to stop?”
“That’s our next lesson, and then it’s apple trees, sugarcube!”
Wallflower practically squealed in excitement, dancing her front hooves then bucking her hind legs out in a sort of half pronk as if practicing the apple-bucking to come.
Then she turned and blushed. “Oh hi, Flash. I didn’t see you.”
Flash chuckled and pointed up with his muzzle. “But I saw you, while flying by even.”
“Really?” Wallflower’s eyes widened. “Wow, that’s backwards. Whatever the memory stone did to me really seems to be wearing off. I don’t have to announce myself for people to notice I’m around anymore. Maybe it’s the pony magic. Can’t wait to tell Sunset.”
“That’s great, and it looks like you’re having fun.”
“I am!” she gushed. “This is so great! The nature, the magic, the clean air. What’s it like flying?”
“I’m still getting the hang of it so I haven’t been going very high, but it’s, well, also great! The wind through my hair, uh, and tail, and also feathers. Go anywhere I want, much faster than walking or driving. Don’t even need a driver’s or flier's license. I hope. Though I almost hit a tree once, and a pegasus hauling a cart with a piano in it.”
“Wow,” she smiled at him, though it faltered and she looked at her three friends. “But you can’t feel the plants?”
Flash looked down at the work Wallflower had grown and twisted his free forehoof into the ground a little before closing his eyes a moment in concentration. “I guess not?”
“It ain’t something pegasus ponies can do,” answered Ponyjack.
Wallflower looked at Flash’s wings, then her dirt-covered hooves and the plants she had grown. Her smile grew back in full. “I think we got the better deal,” she giggled.
““You got that right!”” the Applejacks agreed.
At that moment, an explosion of sound and rainbow light flashed in the distance, quickly followed by another. They all turned and watched the familiar rainbow trails race in the sky.
“To each their own, Ah suppose,” Jackie concluded and the group chuckled.
“So,” Flash began as the chuckling died down, “You have more to do here?”
“Oh yes!” Wallflower cheered. “So much to learn!”
Ponyjack nodded. “Once Apple Bloom gets out of school—won’t be an hour now—Jackie’s gonna tell us more about her Pa, and Grand Pear’s coming over too so she can spend some time with him.”
With a nod and smile, Wallflower continued. “And with the whole Apple Family busy with that, I’ll be harvesting apples for them with earth pony magic! I can’t wait!”
Flash hummed at that. “And can pegasus ponies do that too?”
“Sure,” said Ponyjack, “though pegasus magic doesn’t really help. Without practice, ya might spend more time hunting down the apples that miss the buckets than you will bringing any in.”
“Ah can attest to that,” chimed in Jackie. “And Ah even am an earth pony at the moment. Takes more than a minute, that’s for sure.”
Ponyjack chuckled. “Eeyup. Big Mac filled me in on that account.”
Jackie rolled her eyes. “Of course he did.”
Flash looked off at the large field of apple trees. “Well, enjoy,” he chuckled. “I guess I’m back to flying.” He put the map back in his mouth and waved.
“You might want to stop by Rarity’s and ask for some saddlebags,” Ponyjack suggested, pointing at the map. “Ah’d give you a set of mine, but they might be uncomfortable around your wings and she has all sorts at her place.”
“Just make sure they don’t give you nothing too fancy,” Jackie warned with a chuckle. “Might not be able to fly if it’s got frills and gems all over.”
“Oo?” Flash replied through the map. “Uoky. Anks, Mupledack.”
*** *** ***
Flash flew through the air, taking in the surroundings on his way to Rarity’s boutique.
Ponies watering their gardens. Hanging laundry out to dry (mostly hats and bedding). Apple Bloom dashing from the school toward her family’s orchard. Scootaloo being carried up and away by a pair of Dashes. A little forest just outside of town. What looked like Lyra and Sweetie Drops being chased out of a cave by an angry, torch and pitchfork-carrying pack of animals led by a small, white rabbit. A quaint marketplace with—
Wait, what?
Flash backtracked to the forest and scanned the ground through the trees. He circled a few times but was unable to find anything unusual.
“Nah,” he said with a chuckle.
Further investigating was cut off by dark smoke rising out of a pony building that looked much like a playground ride. It only took a few seconds for Flash to realize that he was looking at the Carousel Boutique. Pony Rarity’s home!
Diving again, adjusting once seeing the majority of the smoke exiting a side door, Flash landed and rushed forward.
“Raritys?!” he called. “You in here?”
Some coughing came from inside and a disheveled, white pony wearing an equally disheveled dress and a little soot trotted out. “Who?” she coughed, rubbing her eyes.
“It’s Flash. You okay?”
“Oh, Flash,” the Rarity replied, blinking a few more times. “Yes, we’re okay. Thank you for your concern. Just a little … culinary catastrophe. We’ll have it cleared out shortly.”
“Would you like any help?”
Her eyes cleared, the Rarity patted her mane back and smiled. “No need for that. We have the situation well in hand—hoof. Should only be a few minutes.”
At that moment, the other Rarity emerged with a smoking salad bowl in her magic. A quick gesture to the side tossed the offending kitchen failure into a trashcan. A blast from a fire extinguisher and the matter was settled.
“See?” the first Rarity cheered, though her light expression dropped a bit when she looked down at her dress and she sighed. “Now the cleanup. Was there anything you needed?”
“Uh,” Flash reached up to his mouth, but realized the map was gone. Must have dropped it after seeing the smoke leaving him with no more need for saddlebags. “I guess not.”
“Well, thank you for stopping by, sugarcube. Do take care.”
They waved goodbye and turned, the Rarity toward her twin, and Flash back to the sky. He did at least know where Fluttershy lived, having noticed her cottage earlier. Might as well try them next.
Though, something nagged at him.
“Did Rarity call me sugarcube?”
*** *** ***
He didn’t quite make it all the way to Fluttershy’s place.
A series of strange happenings took his attention and he landed to focus on them.
The first oddity was a pack of dogs in poker hats chasing what appeared to be a group of bipedal playing card creatures with mismatched antlers, and, well … mismatched everything else. They ran past Fluttershy’s cottage and out of sight.
He cautiously walked forward, and a few minutes later, the clouds in the sky parted and it was chaos.
Trumpets blared as vegetables flew with spaghetti wings and carried giant, flashing banners circling over and near Fluttershy’s cottage.
Another bipedal creature came up to him. Easily three times his height, he looked like the mismatched card creatures, but not a … card, and he was dressed like a janitor and wielding a plunger. Now up close, Flash could see the creature had, among other notable things, claws, a pair of wild yellow eyes with red pupils, and a sharp snaggletooth. He thought back to a biology class. Weren't ponies a prey species?
The janitor looked up at the chaos then down at Flash, gesturing with his claw. The dangerous sheen of sunlight glinting off the sharp talons was dulled only slightly by the plunger they were holding. “Have you ever seen anything more glorious? Go ahead, tell me what you think of my other self's latest piece. We've been trying my hardest to enjoy constructive criticism lately.”
Flash’s unblinking eyes shifted from the janitor to the sky just as a cabbage somehow blowing a trumpet flew by while a fish danced on its … head.
“Uhhh?”
"You're speechless! Delightful. In fact, you look almost moved to tears!" The creature tossed the plunger above, where it joined the vegetables with its own wings of toilet paper, then reached his claw toward Flash. "If you think this is great, I have so much more wondrous chaos to share!"
Flash immediately turned around and took wing.
Time to go home.
*** *** ***
The pony world was nice and all, but Flash was ready for home. He could admire it further in spirit listening to Sunset and the others tell about their adventures.
What was it Twilight—the CHS student—said? No more than two should return home each day? Twilight herself was the first today. Flash, and his sanity, could be the second, beating out Pinkie. He blinked. Did he really just put himself, Pinkie, and mentions of sanity in the same sentence?
He shook his head. All the more reason to go.
But what about Twilight—the pony princess one—? "Well, she likes reading. I’ll write her a letter,” he declared to the fluffy, white cloud he noticed moments before he flew into it.
FUMMPH
He hit with enough force to bury his head into the cloud but his butt hanging out. A bit of struggling and he was able to pop his head up-periscope above the surface. He coughed and a small bit of cloud fluff escaped to float away lazily. He watched it for a moment before looking around. Everything from where a humane waistline would be up to his neck was stuck in the cloud. He sighed, flopping his face into the cotton-like constraints.
He remained there a while, wondering what else could go wrong when a rising breeze suggested he was about to find out. The wind picked up and he looked to see that the cloud was moving and it wasn’t alone. Other clouds in the area were beginning to shift in the sky in what appeared to be curved winds, like an orbit. An orbit he was caught in.
As his cloud moved, it also began to spin. About a half rotation and Flash saw the cause.
A tornado?!
A rainbow-colored tornado?
And it was quickly getting closer.