//------------------------------// // #FlashMagnus - The Legendary Flash Magnus // Story: Scattered Pages - Ponyville Ciderfest App Stories by volrathxp // by volrathxp //------------------------------// The Legendary Flash Magnus Code Word: #FlashMagnus They say that Legends never die, and in the case of Flash Magnus that statement is very much true. Originally one of the pillars of Equestria, Flash Magnus was caught in limbo after sealing away the Pony of Shadows, another Equestrian myth that turned out to be real. When Twilight Sparkle and her friends brought the Pillars of Equestria back from limbo, Flash Magnus was thrust back into modern Equestrian life. Now I’m meeting with the legendary pony himself. We meet in the most unlikely of places, at a small diner in Ponyville. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Ponyville is where Twilight Sparkle makes her home, and Flash Magnus is very close to the modern Elements of Harmony. He fidgets with his coffee a bit, and there’s bags under his eyes. He’s tired. For all of his bravado, this is a pony who has seen much in his life. Oh, the stories he must be able to tell. That’s why I’m here: to get a sense of the pegasus beneath the pegasus. “So… Flash, can I call you Flash?” I ask. “Oh, yes, of course,” Flash replies, flashing a quick smile. There’s that bravado he’s known for. “Excellent. Now, Flash, I know things have been tumultuous for you, so I appreciate your willingness to meet with me. The Cloudsdale Gazette has been very interested in many of your stories,” I say. “It’s not every day a living legend of our very city is walking around in the flesh.” “It’s not a problem,” Flash says, grinning again. “I don’t mind sharing my stories with others. Maybe ponies can find inspiration in them.” “Indeed!” I say. “Now, Flash, tell us a bit about yourself.” “Well, I’m Flash Magnus, Legionnaire of the Legion of Cloudsdale… but I guess that doesn’t technically exist anymore, does it?” Flash says with a chuckle. “Let’s start there, shall we? Before your recent battle with the Pony of Shadows, you were trapped in limbo for centuries. It must be jarring to you to see so many things changed.” “A little,” Flash says. “It’s certainly a lot to take in, but there are a lot of things that aren’t so bad. Ponies still stand up for each other, and it’s certainly nice to see that we’ve taken so many steps to befriend other species out there.” “Even the dragons?” I ask. That hit a nerve. I knew Flash had a history with dragons. It’s how he got his shield, the Netitus. He tricked a bunch of dragons with it to save his captured teammates. Flash composes himself rather quickly. Military discipline, I imagine. “Yes, of course even the dragons,” Flash says. “I got the opportunity recently to meet with their new Dragonlord.” “You met with Dragon Lord Ember?” “Yes, Celestia and Luna introduced us to Ember via Spike, the official ambassador to the Dragon Lands.” “Interesting. And how did that go?”  “Ember is abrasive to an extent, but she’s fair to her subjects and she’s trying to find a place for the Dragons in modern Equestria,” Flash says, quickly adding “This isn’t all going in the article, is it? I don’t want Ember to think I don’t like her for some reason. She was really pleasant to us, in her own way.” “Don’t worry, that one was off the record.” “Oh, good,” Flash says with a sigh. “Moving on from that topic. Has there been anything interesting going on since you got back from the Dragon Lands? Any cool Flash Magnus stories for my audience?” Flash puts a hoof to his chin. “Well, I don’t know if you’ve heard about this Book of All Stories business at all, have you?” “You mean the magical pages that can rewrite reality?” I say, a curious grin forming on my face. “That’s the one! I just got back from a mission in Appleloosa with the rest of the Pillars. Some pony out there had one of those pages. Caused a bit of a ruckus,” Flash replies, producing a withered old page from his bag. “You still have it?” “Well, somepony has to keep them safe and out of evil’s hooves,” Flash replies. “Plus I literally just got back into town from that mission.” I stare at the page almost hungrily for a moment before looking up at Flash. I compose myself and smile. “Yes, I suppose that is true. Still, it must have been an interesting adventure recovering it.” “Oh, you have no idea. When we got there, it was absolute chaos. The local sheriff, an earth pony by the name of Braeburn, was over twelve feet tall!” Flash says, nearly falling out of his seat in the booth. “At the end of the day, we managed to save the day and recover the page.” “That sounds incredible. You know, I’m actually headed to the castle after this. I’ve got another set of interviews lined up with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, so I could maybe take the page for you to the Princess. It would free you up to have some down time. It sounds like you might need it after that.” Flash quickly turns defensive. “I don’t know about that. These things are pretty dangerous. I get that you’re a well known reporter, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be targeted by nefarious forces.” “We all have an obligation to help, Flash. I’m already headed over there, and frankly you look pretty exhausted. Let somepony else help you so you can go home and get some sleep.” Flash grimaces. He’s considering my offer. The page is almost within my grasp. “I said already, this thing is dangerous. It tempts normal ponies with its power. Why do you want this so badly? Something’s not right,” he says, narrowing his gaze at me. “Flash, seriously, I’m just trying to help!” I exclaim. “If we can’t trust our fellow pony, who should we trust?” What should Flash do? [CHOICE] > Chase the reporter away. (Hero) > Give the reporter the page. (Villain) [ENDING A: HERO] Flash quickly puts the page away into his saddlebag. “I think this line of questioning has gone too far off the path,” he says. “Something’s not adding up here, and I can’t let you have this page.” He stands and I make a move to grab his saddlebag. “No, you must let me take the page for you! It’s too important!” Flash whips his saddlebag around out of my grasp and glares at me. “Excuse me, but I think it’s time you left. No matter how tired I am, I will always protect Equestria.” I scowl and hiss at him as I take another leap at the saddlebag, taking a linoleum nap as Flash suddenly moves out of the way and I land on the floor of the diner. “You fool! The power of that page could have been used for great things!” I shout, pushing myself to my hooves. “They should never be used at all,” Flash says. I scamper to my hooves and barrel my way outside of the diner before Flash can pursue me. With a quick thought I dart into a pack of nearby bushes, changing my form in a green flash of light. Moments later, Flash Magnus exits the diner, glancing about. “Excuse me?” he says to my new form, an earth pony this time. “Did you see a pegasus run out of this diner just a moment ago?” “Oh, I think I saw them, but I didn’t see where they went,” I say. Flash flies onwards in possible pursuit of his prey, and the page is safely ensconced in his saddlebags. I’m going to have to hunt elsewhere. (+1 page for Heroes) [ENDING B: VILLAIN] Flash shakes his head and sighs. “You know what, you’re right. I’m sorry, I’m just really exhausted from Appleloosa that I’m seeing things where there aren’t things to see.” I place my hoof on his. “It’s okay, Flash. We can pick up the rest of the interview later. I’ll take the page to the Princess and you can go get some sleep.” Flash nods, hoofing the page across the table to me. “Thanks. You’re a good pony. I’ll get with you after you get done at the castle.” “Of course,” I say, taking the page and putting it into my saddlebags. Flash gets up out of the booth and we both walk to the entrance of the diner. I pay for him and myself and we exit. Flash smiles weakly and waves as he flies off to who knows where. As soon as I feel that I’m sufficiently alone, I open my saddlebags and let my form drop to my natural black, chitinous exterior of the changelings. My tongue slithers out and I grin widely as I pull the page out of the bags. “Now… let’s make Queen Chrysalis the ruler of all Equestria. That seems like a great place to start.” I begin to write and the page begins to glow… (+1 page for Villains)