//------------------------------// // Arc XVIII Episode II: Family Pains // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// At Sandbar’s home… Micro Chips, Flash Sentry, Sandbar, and his sister Coral Currents were all busy discussing what to do next in the living room. That was, until it was time for the schoolgirl to get to bed. “Alright, Cici,” their mother, High Tide called out from around a nearby corner, “You need to get to bed early if you want to be on time for school tomorrow.” “Ugggh…” she threw her head back and groaned upon hearing that nickname, “I’m not 7 anymore, mom.” “Don’t worry, sis,” Sandbar said from across the room, “We’ll keep your plans hot for ya.” Coral relaxed when she heard her brother speak up in regards to preserving her ideas. “Alright…but don’t start anything without me, got it?” “We won’t, I promise,” Sandbar stretched his arms out and lied back against the couch. Once Coral left the room, Flash took a moment to essentially sum up what he had been told. “...So we’re dealing with an Equestrian spell that reinforces feelings of lust to the point where nobody can think about anything beyond that. And just how are we supposed to deal with this?” “That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Micro went on with an annoyed sigh, “...but I haven’t been able to come up with anything. It’s all confusing…” Sandbar offered some words of encouragement. “Relax, yo. You’re the smartest one here. I’m sure we’ll figure it out at some point--” And all the sudden, his head fell back, and he was fast asleep, snoring softly. “...Woah, are you alright?” Flash asked. “He’s fine,” Micro explained, “It’s likely the amount of recreational substances in his system have finally caught up with him. He’ll be asleep for a while no matter how loud we speak. In fact, I think the only thing that could wake him up would be if his sister was in danger or something of the sort.” “...I see…” With a heavy, yet quiet tone of voice, Flash got up from the couch and walked towards one of the outdoor balconies where he’d stand with his arms resting upon the rail. Micro hesitated for a moment, unsure if he was capable of weeding out someone’s emotional conflicts, but he had no choice. Flash was still one of his friends after all. “I have to at least try,” he thought to himself as he stood up and joined Flash outside. “Is there something that’s bothering you? If so, then I’m more than willing to hear you out.” “Well…it’s in regards to what happened earlier--I’m sure you saw it on those cameras,” Flash explained with a sigh, “That lady knew I had feelings for Twilight--er, the other Twilight and she took full advantage of it. Once again, I feel completely useless due to my emotions…” Micro thought about what his friend had said and it turned out to be much more painful than he thought. Flash had been abandoned by two pony-girls from Equestria. The first of which had completely used him to gain popularity--though Sunset was a much better person now than she was back then. The second was arguably worse--as it was someone whom he thought he loved, only for her to leave without so much as a goodbye. Given that the latter was a princess in another dimension, there wasn’t much fault one could place on her actions, but even so, Flash couldn’t simply ignore these feelings. And Micro knew this, which is why he addressed them. “Listen…I can only imagine what you’re feeling right now, Sentry. But I want to assure you that it’s not the end of the world--” “Easy for you to say,” Flash lamented, “Yet again I’ve been manipulated by someone from the other side of that portal. It’s as if the universe hates me or something--like I'm in a cosmic joke and I’m the punchline. I wish I never became this popular to begin with…maybe then I wouldn’t have been a target…now our friends are in danger because of it.” Micro shook his head. “It’s not your fault. You were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one could have predicted that the people you were interested in were magical horses from an alternate world with their own motives.” “But it’s not just that,” Flash went on, “There’s more to it than that. But…you probably don’t wanna hear it. I’d understand.” Surprisingly, Micro was more than willing to hear him out. “No no--I’m right here. If there’s something you need to get off your chest, feel free to do so.” With that in mind, Flash was willing to explain himself. “See…my mom works for Record’s Tower near the middle of the city--it’s where my love of music came from. But my dad? He was always against the idea of me being a musician claiming that it was pointless,” he rolled his eyes, “Honestly, I think he wanted me to simply coast through life on looks alone. And because he didn’t agree with mom…they tended to argue a lot.” “So that explains the persona he used to put on. He was simply following what he was taught by his father,” Micro analyzed what he had heard, then spoke aloud. “I see…and the end result is someone who’s become frustrated with who he is now….is that right?” “Yeah, that’s pretty much it,” said Flash as he hung his head, “I don’t wanna disappoint either of my parents, but my dad’s ideas have really landed me in a sore spot. I wasn’t prepared to become cannon fodder for other people’s emotions, ya know? Hence why I wish that I didn’t gain as much popularity as I did. Maybe then I wouldn’t have been manipulated…” “I see…maybe you should talk with Sunset about it,” Micro suggested, “If you lay your feelings down for her, maybe she’ll start to understand how much she hurt you. Unfortunately, we can’t do the same for Princess Twilight, but at the very least we can make a start.” “Yeah, don’t worry…I already have,” Flash spoke up, “We’re on good terms now, but…this situation--being stabbed in the back…” He paused, and clutched his chest with his right hand. “...It served as a reminder of why I can’t let my emotions overtake me.” “Even so…there’s still hope for you.” Meanwhile… The small dog sniffed the air and started panting once he saw a house near the beach with its lights on. “Aha! Sandbar’s place! He must still be around…maybe he can help…and give me something to eat.”