Flash shook his head. He panned around the small space occupied by the ward he was now prisoner of. The view of the outside wasn't clear enough to see out of, but he presumed his friends were now dealing with his assailant.
"Damn it all! If I didn't let that guy sneak up on me, I wouldn't be in this mess", Flash grunted.
He began to whisk himself around the dome the ward produced, looking for the way out.
"There has to be a way out... There just has t-" Before Flash could continue, a pestilential voice whispered just next to his ear.
"There is one way, my child"
“WHO'S HERE?!" Flash whipped around, only to find that the dome was completely empty. Flash stood silently, listening to his forsaken prison.
“A friend, dear child. You seem to need one” resonated an audible voice. Flash couldn’t place where the voice was coming from, it seemed to be coming from all directions at once.
Flash’s jaw dropped as he saw an orb of... something, wafting down from the ceiling. It was neither made of light nor darkness, but it was glowing.
“W-what are you?” Flash cried out. His mind was racing trying to find an answer to why this existed.
“As I said before, my child” hissed the glowing orb, “I am your new friend, and your only means of escape. This form I’m in, is no way for a princess to live.” the orb wafted around Flash, encompassing him in its hypnotic spell.
Flash was dumbstruck. Never before in his life had he expected to meet a princess. The last princesses had ruled over Equestria over 2000 years before. She had passed the power to her faithful student, who created a Democratic society. He was afraid to ask this orb whether or not it was who he thought.
“A-are you the princess who ruled over Equestria? T-the one with the power to raise the s-sun and the moon?” he stumbled as he spoke.
The orb, if it had a facial expression, would have given the Sky Blue pony a smirk. It passed through Flash, sending shivers down his body. “Let’s just say I’ve been locked away for far too long,” the orb was now radiating. “We must discuss our escape. If we don’t, innocent blood will be spilt upon the temple floor, and one of your friends will die”.
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Remedy had exhausted all of her brain power thinking of a way to get inside of the ward. Umbra Decepta had told her that if Flash wasn’t freed soon, he would suffocate. That was more than enough motivation to figure a way to save him. Lemon Twist was playing with her tail as she sat upside down, which was far from helping. Her cutie mark of a lemon and lime, ironically showed her bittersweet existence in this world. Retro Spects had a protective bubble over his head, as he often had when he was looking at everything in retrospect. His cutie mark, an infinity sign with an eye in the middle, made his special talent more apparent. Argon, who’s flask was uncapped, and contents spewed across the temple floor, reminded Remedy that the scientist got his better ideas after a few drinks. “Right after a quick nap,” he often boasted, “I will solve this current issue.
Remedy looked down at her own cutie mark, a heart with Ribbons protecting it. She never fully understood how her love for Flash had become her special talent. Who was she to question her own cutie mark? She had seen plenty of miserable souls wandering around trying to find their purpose in life. Remedy knew she was lucky to fall in love with Flash, it had changed her for the better.
-----
She remembered back to when she was a filly, back to when she first met Flash. It wasn’t a very memorable first impression. Remedy had been talking to Cheerilee in math class, a subject they both dread. Flash had asked Remedy if she had an extra piece of paper. She said no and continued to talk to her friend.
Their second experience was much more memorable. She had been walking past the Everfree Forest, when a bully by the name of Hector Crag, had snatched Remedy’s diary. Just before reading it, Flash had appeared and made a bet with the husky earth pony.
“I’ll flip this coin, if you call it right, you can have it. It’s an old relic I found that’s worth tons of money. But if I win, you have to leave her alone, and never bother her again.” Flash stated very firmly.
Remedy couldn’t believe what this young colt, who she barely knew, was willing to offer up to save her personal journal. She was especially afraid that if he lost, her last diary entry was about her big crush on Malady Bolt, and if that information got out, she could have just died.
After Hector looked the coin over, to make sure it was authentic, he sneered “Okay punk! And don’ try ta trick me. I could clobber ya in a second if you cheat.” he puffed out his chest and said “Ah call Tails.”
Before Remedy could interject, Flash tossed the coin in the air with his wing. Just before it hit his hoof, he winked at Remedy. Confused, Remedy leaned over to see the results of the coin toss, and froze.
“HA! TAILS! Ah Win!” the bully shouted. “A’ve won! A’ve won! Ah’m gonna be rich!” Hector snatched the coin from Flash, who looked a bit too happy.
“Oh no! My grandpa gave me that coin” Flash stated, loudly. “Be a shame if somepony ran to the thrift store to sell it. I’m sure they’d take an interest in an old war coin from the g-” Flash stopped. The bully had already run off, leaving the diary behind, running for the thrift store.
. Flash grabbed the book with his mouth and gave it back to the dumbfounded unicorn. She couldn't piece together what had just happened. She stared down at the journal, trying to figure out the event that just unfolded.
“How... did you know he’d forget the book?” She interrogated Flash.
Flash sat there with a stupid grin on his face, “Wasn’t difficult. What do you think a person, who I will remind you asks kids for their bits on a daily basis, would do if they won a gamble and got an incredibly rare coin?” His voice was filled with sarcasm. Remedy didn’t catch on.
“But, you lost your Grandpa’s rare coin. Isn’t he gonna be angry with you?”
“Sure he would, if he actually had one. That coin was a fake, you can buy them at the joke shop for about two bits. I’m more surprised he fell for it.” Flash laughed, “I’ve pulled that trick so many times, I know when to lose, and when I lose, and I win anyways.”
It was about that time that Remedy’s cutie mark appeared. She remembered tearing out the entry about Malady Bolt, saying he was nothing but trouble anyways. She still had that journal sitting at home, with love notes to Flash, never to be delivered.
----
Twist snapped Remedy out of her daze. She had apparently explained to Remedy something of value, as she was trying to slap Remedy as she came to. Before her hoof connected with Remedy’s face, Remedy blocked it with her own.
“What? I’m sorry I-” Remedy blushed, “just remembering the good ol’ days.”
“I said... I think I know what life’s blood is...” Lemon’s face had drained of color.
Remedy went ballistic. “YOU MEAN YOU FIGURED IT OUT? WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?” her concern growing more apparent.
“y-yes but... you’re not going to l-” Lemon was cut off.
“I DON’T CARE, DO YOU KNOW HOW TO GET HIM OUT OF THERE OR NOT?”
“It’s the smallest possibility b-”
Remedy had her horn glowing red, she was about to shoot Lemon with a bolt, one of lethal damage, when Spects stepped in, and protected her.
“The answer is, the one here who is most innocent must spill their entire blood across the floor around the ward. The only one here qualified to do that, is you Remedy.”
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“So you mean to tell me, the purest creature’s Life’s blood can be interpreted as either an innocent person’s blood... or Water?!” Flash screamed.
“Don’t judge us. You’re questioning a society that is over two thousand years old, what do you want, a door knob?” the orb deadpanned.
Flash noticed that there was a major flaw in the orb’s plan. “There isn’t any water around here, and I don’t have water. So how do you expect us to get water to escape?”
“But my child, you’re filled with water. I just have to... force it out.” The orb approached Flash and went through his head, this time taking over Flash, possessing him.
----
When he woke up, Flash was in a house he did not recognize. He wandered around in its rooms for some time before he came upon a murder scene. Retro Spects had been stabbed to death with a blunt object, and left on the floor to die. His blood splattered everywhere, a clear sign there was a struggle. As Flash trotted over to him, Spects used the last of his energy to look at Flash and whisper “why?”, and passed away.
Flash was mortified. He just watched one of his best friends die right before him, and he didn’t know what had happened. Just before he began to cry, he heard the scream of Lemon twist from outside the house. Flash ran out to see Lemon being torn to pieces by a flock of darkness, all climbing over each other to get at the bloodstained coat of the seemingly orange mare. Flash backed away slowly, and turned to run away from the scene. He couldn’t bear to lose another one of his friends. Then, he ran into another figure.
Argon was frozen solid, turned into a statue, and smashed to pieces when Flash had bumped into him. The block Argon had stood on said “Argon, Turned to stone, lost his life to save Flash Conception and Sunset Remedy”. Flash was on the verge of tears. He couldn’t think straight. He turned away, almost sobbing, trying to figure out what was going on.
In the distance, he saw Remedy, walking away from him. Flash flew to catch up with her, ask her what was wrong. She simply turned to him and said “you’re what's wrong...” and jumped off into an abyss Flash had not seen was there. He tried to rescue her, but saw that the darkness had consumed her body, and all that was left of her sanity.
Flash broke down and began to sob. His weeping echoing around him. He couldn’t go on, he WOULDN’T. Just at that moment, reality began to fill his vision, and the ward around him, had been disabled.
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Remedy had the spell ready. She asked Argon to conjure up a mirror to bounce her blood spell off of. If this worked, she would free Flash... but never see him again.
“Are you sure you don’t want to think of another way?” Lemon tried to poke her head out from around the mirror, pleading her friend not to do what she was planning.
“There isn’t any other choice... The riddle said Life’s blood must be spilt to disable the Ward...” Remedy looked down, hiding her expression. “It’s funny... I always said I’d die to save him, like when we first met... and here I am, ready to do It.” tears fell to the floor.
“Anything you want me to tell him?” Spects asked.
“... Ask him to never forget me...” Remedy charged her horn, and aimed at the mirror.
Just as she was about to fire the spell to end her life, the ward containing Flash collapsed, and Flash was wiping tears from his eyes as it fell around him. He looked up and saw his friends, and galloped towards them.
Remedy met Flash and her friends in the middle, and the group hugged. They told their short versions of their experiences on opposite sides of the Ward. Flash left the orb out of his story, since it vanished as soon as the ward fell.
“So you really almost killed yourself, to free me?” Flash said astonished.
“Well... yea,” Remedy blushed. “I still owe you for the times you’ve protected me.”
A voice called from the middle of the chamber “If you two love birds don’t mind, we have a relic to examine” Lemon called out.
Remedy blushed and looked to Flash, looking for a similar reaction. She was disappointed as he yelled back “Who you calling a bird, bird brain?”
Spects countered “that joke doesn’t work on anyone but you, Flash.”
“Don’t be hating just cause I can fly-”
“Given the chance I could easily think of a spell to give myself wings so I could fly faster than you. I wouldn’t because of my condition, but you know I could” Spects teased.
“Guys, listen to this.” Argon had caused the bickering to stop. All gathered around as he read aloud what the ancients had left by the relic. “‘Those who touch this stone, will travel to parts that we have known. But should you leave without its touch, you’ll find your life will end and such.’ Well that’s a bit of a downer, this relic is a common keystone.” Argon kicked his hoof.
“So... we can go home?” Lemon asked, very sweetly. “I’m tired of this cavern, not bright enough.”
“Yes, all we have to do is grab this stone and think of Ponyville, and we should end up in town square.” Argon stated. “Is everypony ready?”
They all nodded, wanting to leave behind the horrible memories left in the room. As one, they each put a hoof on the keystone, and were whisked away.
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“She has escaped... but left them a present... those arrogant fools.” Umbra noted
"Did they really think it would all end that easily?"