"I won't let you do this!" Shouted the Alicorn stallion. His black and red hair falling over the right side of his face as a trickle of blood ran down his left cheek. Black Flash found himself in a large room, with debris scattered everywhere. Thin rays of light shined through the holes in the roof, illuminating the specks of dust floating in the air. He stood there, bleeding and panting heavily as he faced the dark figure in front of him. The cloud of smoke and dust around them shadowed her body, but he could distinguish the mare's muzzle, and her slick, greasy green hair. "I won't let you get away with this!" Flash yelled, shooting a bolt of magic at her.
She was fast and agile, dodging the bolt with ease. As the mare got closer, he noticed how large she really was. Two sharp fangs poked over her lower lip, with locks of her thick green mane covering her face. She had large, missing holes in her wings, arms, hooves, and horn. Her dress was tattered, green to match, and a bit revealing. Her body was sickly, lean, and dark grey. The mare stared down at him with piercing green eyes that froze him on the spot. She was beautiful, but her demeanor betrayed a sinister kind of beauty. Black Flash backed away, but she grabbed him quickly by the shoulders and moved in closer. She slowly leaned her muzzle towards his, stopping short of an inch away. He felt her hot breath on his face, as she opened her mouth to speak.
"I finally have you...” she whispered in a soft, harsh tone that echoed through the large room. Flash felt himself get weaker and weaker, as his very essence was being consumed by whatever stood before him.
He had no reason to, nor did he want to; however, if this creature wanted him, he’ll give her what she wants. He'll give her all he had left in him. He swiftly leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened as she fed more and more on his heart and soul. Flash got paler, weaker, almost to the point of complete exhaustion. She presses back, making the connection between them stronger. Just as she was about to consume him entirely, a blinding light appears.
Flash wakes up in a cold sweat, panting and looking around his room.
"Was… was that a dream? That was way too vivid to be a dream..." It did not seem possible. He would never kiss anypony, not even his amazing and beautiful teacher, Celestia. “The Princess…hmm...” He checked the time, about 11:30 am, and late for his lesson with the princess... again.
"Dammit, I'm late! I'd better hurry before she leaves..." He struggles to put on some pants and a white T-shirt, along with his thick hooded cloak to hide his wings. He had to, since nopony but the princess can know he is an Alicorn.
It’s been almost ten years since he started living in Canterlot castle. Flash has been an Alicorn since birth, yet his magic is that of a maturing young colt. Though his untapped potential is great, he didn’t get to start training early. He hated the fact that all his magic could do is spawn visual arts crafts and tools. His levitation was average at best, and he can't even perform normal spells such as teleportation. The only magic he was ever good at was black magic. Celestia had been teaching him this, for a lesson on the subject of magic history, and he excelled greatly at it. Only problem was that it worried her a bit. In black magic, the slightest mistake meant you'd lose something even greater than what you offered. He had to learn that the hard way.
Two years ago, he decided to practice black magic without Celestia's supervision. He was only 16 at the time, so he was just becoming an independent stallion. Black Flash attempted a healing spell on himself that required him to chant "Heal!" along with giving up a pint of one’s blood. The spell went horribly wrong, Black Flash having accidentally lost much more than a pints worth of blood, and uttering the word "Feel" instead of "Heal". Not only did his own magic and blood burst up in (and on) his face, the spell accidentally made him lose connections to other ponies’ sensitivities, as well as his own. Losing a lot of memories, and ultimately changing the way he thanks and acts.
He soon became grim and quickly matured. Sure it was good to be mature, but his disposition was completely different from before: He stopped talking with Celestia casually for an entire year, and only doing so when there was a magic lesson. He took his lessons a bit too seriously, and that's when his magic became notable. Flash was able to use spawning spells with ease, but only for certain things, and was able to levitate objects very well now. He changed the furniture in his room to just a bed and a desk to work on. Dumping out all of his old toys, electronics, and everything else he owned, except his art work. Becoming a completely new person, he lost almost all emotion and kept his passion to his studies and work.
Black Flash was on his way to Celestia's study, but there were no guards. Nopony was around at all, peculiar since all the guards brooded over her 24/7. He heard crying originating from the door to her study. Opening the door slightly, he pressed his ear on the door to listen. The crying stopped. He opened the door completely, and nopony was in the study.
"What in the-- Princess are you in here?" Flash called out; although it was obvious he was alone.
As he looked around the study he spotted an envelope on top of her desk. Reading the parchment, he was surprised to find that it was addressed to him. He picked it up and sat down, shifting around in his seat looking at it closely. Black Flash undid the wax seal, thinking it must be important. The golden scribble on the page made him realize this was from Celestia.
Dearest Faithful student,
I have decided that it is time for you to go out and live your life away from this castle. Something has happened to me and I cannot leave you here alone. You are not a fully matured Alicorn yet, and you will not be for a while to come, but I am not keeping you here so that they could capture you as well. You need to keep your identity a secret, and do not reveal yourself to anypony until I have sent word that you can. To become who you were before, you need to have actual life experiences, make friends, get a girlfriend, and learn what it means to be a true pony. When you have learned the reason as to why you have become... the way you are now, tell me as soon as possible. You may have found your talent, but you need to find who you truly are. Go off into the Everfree Forest from the lower levels of the mountain and find a helmet in the old castle that is located there. Then, continue onward along the path until you have reached Ponyville. Ask for Twilight Sparkle, and you will stay with her temporarily until you have the money to pay for your own place of residence. She is another student of mine, on a quest to find the magic of friendship and should not be arriving until tomorrow afternoon. Leave today, you have until noon to- (A portion of the note was tear stained and illegible.) -You will help with her quest to the end and protect her from danger until I can reach and explain to both of you what has happened-(This part was tear stained along with running ink.)
Your Mother Teacher
Princess Celestia
So many questions ran through Black Flash’s head, but he didn't have the time, it being fifteen minutes before he was told to leave. He left the study, sighed, and walked into his room taking the note with him. He left the castle only with a bag of clothes, a sleeping bag, and the same old cloak and hoodie he wore to cover his wings. He's had to hide himself from other ponies all his life. It’s amazing how he went through flying elementary school without anypony noticing his horn. Unicorns at a young age are supposed to start using magic; he didn't use any of it at all. Flash eventually had everything taught to him when he was 10, and he's only learned little about magic. To be honest, black flash had doubts on how he'd survive this journey with out any guidance from his teacher. But, if Celestia trusts him with the task of living a life of his own, he'll have to do it. Even if he doesn't understand what's happened to her or why she hasn't alerted anypony else.
It was about 10 years ago that Black Flash was with his father, Lightning Flash, walking through the forest. From his father's side of the family, everypony was named after 'Flash'. His family had a vastly old history, dating back to when the three pony tribes were separate. As for his father, he was a hard ass, but enough to love his son for who he was. He was a "Keep good posture, comb your hair, have manners!" type of dad. However, he was always busy working up in Cloudsdale, where they lived at that time. Only reason they ever went down to Ponyville was to buy from the cheap marketplace there. Usually, when Black Flash and his dad came back home from the marketplace, they would share any chocolate that they had bought there. Like father like son, they both loved chocolate with a passion. On this day though, Lightning decided to steer Flash away into the Everfree Forest.
Everypony in Equestria, well almost everypony, knew that the Everfree Forest is home many a fierce creatures. Legendary and frightening monsters roam day and night, it’s best not to disturb them or their habitats. Lightning Flash treaded through the forest, poor Black Flash shaking by his side and having to run to catch up. Lightning Flash was tough looking: if you saw him in a bar, he's one of the ponies you wouldn't wanna mess with. Along with a dark blue coat and an alabaster mane, Lightning had a yellow streak through his hair to match his yellow eyes. Black Flash was completely different. He was scrawny, with a white coat and a thick black mane that fell over two beautiful bright red eyes. His shyness came from him always having to hide from other ponies, could’ve been his talent, it was all he did. Never getting his cutie mark didn't really matter to Flash anyways since he always wore a cloak to cover himself, the horn on his forehead mostly. The last thing his dad wanted was for his son to be taken away or worse because Black Flash was an Alicorn. As the two ventured into the forest, eerie sounds came from all around. Lightning Flash was oblivious to them, as he searched for a clearing to give his son some flying lessons.
Black Flash had wanted these lessons for a while, but not in a dark and spooky place like this. Once they had found a clearing, Flash's dad started with usual wing exercises that you're supposed to learn in flight school. Lightning Flash didn't realize the danger they were really in, as Flash was shaking and huddled up on the floor. Black Flash wasn't one to be fooled; this forest had dark forces beyond its shadowy surface. As Black flash stared into the trees, darkness grew uncanny as glowing eyes and other thin shadows moving around caught his eye.
"Hmm... Son, you ok?" He placed his hand on Flash’s shoulder, making Black Flash flinch. "Look, it’s not that scary ok? It's just the forest. Staring into the dark is only going to get you even more frightened! Now stand up on your hooves and stretch your wings out."
Reluctantly standing up, Black Flash started to stretch his wings out. His father tugged on Black Flash’s wing, eliciting a loud “Crack” as the joints popped. It had seemed that Black Flash never stretched out his wings before. He yelped in pain, the mare-ish cry echoing through the woods. Everything silenced around them for a couple of seconds. Soon, loud stomping, along with the sound of trees falling, echoed through the woods. Loud, roars and growls thundered in the distance, only getting louder at the creature got closer.
The source of the earthquakes revealed itself as the Ursa Major. Something must have awakened the beast, and it’s now on a rampage! The Ursa got closer leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Lightning bolted, dragging his son with him deeper into the forest. It took time for Lighting to get him and his son into the air, time they didn't have now. After passing what seemed like an entire amazon of trees they stopped and sat by a cliff near the mountains, moving towards the base of the cliff where the dirt clearing ended. The Ursa caught up a bit too quickly, entering the clearing at the base of the cliff. Lightning Flash instinctively knew he had to save his son, whether he died doing it or not. Flying up close to the Ursa's face, Lightning started to distract it, as the large monster furiously swiped at him.
"Flash you have to take off, now!" reared Lightning, narrowly avoiding swipes. Black Flash sat on the stone ground frozen in fear, watching his father try to defy death to save him. Lightning stopped for a moment. “Dammit Flash!! I said to go before you-!" Lightning was cut off by a fearsome swipe from the Ursa's paw, slamming him down into the wall of the lower mountain. The force of the impact instantly killed him. His limbs and wings mangled and snapped, whereas bone could be seen. A puddle of blood started pooling around the corpse.
The look that struck Flash's face was that of complete horror, as he tore up and knelt before the body of his dead father. Flash pounded the ground angrily, blood on his mane and tail. He got up, with more blood on his knees and cloak.
"WHY?!" He screamed, "Why does this have to happen to me..?” Black Flash sobbed, as he struggled to figure out what to do next. The Ursa just now spotting the young colt, picked him up off the ground, and held him in its paw. Flash stopped heaving and stared into the creature's eyes fearfully. Tears streamed down Flash's face as the Ursa debated on what to do with him. Without warning the Ursa threw Flash into the sky, straight up, into the stratosphere. Flash came hurtling back down, faster and faster at frighteningly fast speeds. Suddenly, an explosive shockwave of energy hit him; the first sonic rainboom in equestrian history had struck him directly, sending him hurtling in another direction. He spun out of control towards Canterlot Castle's gardens.
Flash crashed, destroying many decorative bushes in the garden. He tried to stand, but collapsed to his knees, still a bit shaken up. Flash saw his tail and mane were red and black, and his clothes slightly burnt from the re-entry. His flank and head were hurting like crazy, he was in so much pain.. he still wanted to cry... so he did. Eventually he had passed out, the weight of the events that happened so far were too much for him.
When he came to many hours later, Flash found himself lying on the most comfortable bed he'd ever slept in. looking around the large room, he saw that everywhere he looked was marble, and velvet drapes covered the windows, giving the room a dark red glow. He sat up quickly, wincing as his sore flanks started to ache. As he inspected himself, he realized that his clothes were missing; giving him the impression that some sort of pedophile must have taken him in, and that's why his flanks hurt so much. That thought kind of scared him. This was when he came across an exciting revelation: He now has a cutie mark! It was strange, a small, circular, white and black symbol with a rainbow at the edge, he had no idea how he got this.
Flash wrapped himself in the blanket and hopped out of bed, walking to the window and pushing aside the drapes. He had a great view of the Castle Gardens, perfectly restored and lively as eve. Flash was extremely confused; he didn't know or remember much of what was going on. As a dark red lock of hair fell over his eyes, he suddenly remembered the events that transpired. Before he becomes a sobbing mess again, he knew he had to get out of this place. A sudden feeling of bravery fell upon him as he hurriedly left the room. He tried to sneak through the halls of the castle, but hoofs aren’t exactly built for stealth; his hoofsteps against the cold marble floor echoed throughout the halls. He got to his tippy-hooves and hurriedly scuttled forward.
Just as he turned the corner, he bumped into the rump of Princess Celestia, causing him fall down onto his plot.
"Oh!" She giggled as she turned around, "I see that our guest has awoken." She smiled and used her magic to help him up to his hooves, "Now, I know that you are probably confused as to where you are and as to what has happened in the past six hours, so we should get you back to bed, you will need to rest more."
Black Flash couldn’t speak, only barely mutter. “A-a m-monster th-threw me... It-it killed my *sob* d-d-dad... I, I don't know what to do..." Flash was at the verge of tears at this point, but was surprised when Celestia suddenly knelt down and hugged him. Tears started to stream down his face now, realizing that everything he had was now gone. He missed his dad, he missed his home, and he even missed school. The princess placed her palm lightly against his cheek, wiping away his tears with her thumb.
"Please, follow me." She said softly, motioning with her eyes towards her guards standing behind her. Flash glanced at their shiny, golden armor in slight wonder. Celestia held Flash's hand as they walked away from the guards and into another room. It was a large oval room with a desk standing to the left and a bookshelf on the right. A fireplace, opposite to the door, had a roaring fire, recently lit. She sat him down in an armchair and handed him a pair of neatly folded shirt and pants, the shirt having no holes for his wings. "I'm sorry, but nopony in the castle knows that you are an Alicorn except me, so you will have to conceal your wings for now." She spoke softly, trying to calm him down as she waited for him to change. This was different, Black Flash has always had to hid his horn, never his wings. Though he noticed that his horn was getting bigger, so he might as well hide his wings. "It's alright to change here, I have already seen you naked," Flash was shocked by this blunt statement, "Fine I'll cover my eyes." Celestia said, noticing his reaction. She covered her eyes for him, Black Flash still worried about changing. He calmed down realizing that this was the princess, and he was safe here. He changed into his clothes, looking in a large mirror across the room. Black Flash realized that he was thicker and taller than before.
"Now tell me how you became an Alicorn. Ah-well. Please understand, I do not mean to be so straightforward and intrusive, but I must know. You see, being an Alicorn means that either you were born as one, and are destined to either save or rule Equestria, or you were made an Alicorn by another." Celestia had crossed her legs and lay back in her own chair expecting to hear a full story. "I… don't really know. I always hid it from everypony, because my dad didn't want me to be taken. But how I became one I don't really know." Celestia was intrigued. Cadence was already a born as one, and spreading love was her talent. This colt was a born Alicorn, and every Alicorn had some aspect of great influential power. So what was his?
Ever since that day, Celestia kept him at the castle. She refused to send him to the private school she taught because she wanted to teach him privately. She slowly discovered how Black Flash became an alicorn. Soon enough, Celestia saw he had a spark with the arts. She decided that, among other subjects, that she would also teach him fine arts and history. Flash had no access to other rooms in the castle other that his room, her study, the kitchen, and the bathroom. She tried as much as she could to keep him a secret from anypony living beyond the castle walls. Celestia had kept Flash all to herself for ten whole years, treating him as if she was his mother all these years. The Princess had also forced him to exercise often, his once weak body now becoming a more masculine figure, boosting his height even more. By the age of fifteen he was already as tall as Cadence. She gave him a new hooded cloak to replace his old, torn-up one. The symbol that was stitched on it stood for peace, something that Flash was a big advocate of according to his cutie mark, until the Black magic incident.
After walking for several hours, running from timber wolves and other creatures, and light of the sun waning, Flash finally stumbles upon a stone brick wall covered in moss and foliage. Walking along the wall he came across a set of large wooden doors. Flash let himself in, walking down the lobby corridor and upstairs. It didn't look like a bad place to spend the night, though there was something off about it. There were creeks and thuds coming from the stone walls and wooden floors , along with rats and bugs everywhere. "You know... I think I'd take my chances in a cave..." he muttered, looking around as he walked up more flights of stairs.
Finding another pair of large wooden doors, he opened them to reveal what appeared to be a throne room. An even longer hall, with torn drapes and upholstery, and fragments of the roof, scattered onto the torn red carpet. Flash made his way to the thrones, accidentally tripping over something. A large clink was heard, followed by the sound of grinding stone as a secret mechanism was activated. A large, fountain-like platform rose up, holding six spheres on separate platforms. He picked up one of the spheres and studied it, only to find they were just decorations. The fountain had a large center piece, beautiful in design and shape. It was a large cracked stone flower, resembling a rose at the top of the fountain. Black Flash approached it to touch it, but when he got close, it suddenly exploded. Pieces of stone shot into his shoulder and arm, other pieces cutting him almost like a shotgun blast. Flash fell back onto the floor, coughing as the wind was knocked out of his lungs. When he finally caught his breath and looked back at the carnage, he noticed that in place of the head piece, there was a glowing metallic helmet, radiating brightly with magic as it hovered above the ground. The helmet suddenly fell to the ground rolled over to Flash's feet.
"Ah! Dammit! ... Ow!!” He carefully dug into his open wounds for the stone fragments that were dislodged there, all the while glaring at the helmet furiously. After painfully removing the shards and bandaging himself, he picked up the helmet and sighed. "I really hope this helmet was worth it Celestia. That was really fucking ridiculous!" He quickly made his way out of the castle, not wanting to stay any longer than he has to. After shoving the helmet into his backpack, Flash was on the path again. He strolled alongside the mountains to search for a cave or a shelter he could take refuge in and quickly set up camp in the shallow of a cave he came across. Flash got a fire going, and had some snacks before finally retiring to his sleeping bag.
In Ponyville, the sky was broken into pieces, making the once peaceful blue a tainted, twisted orange mess. The streets were checkered, roads of soap where the dirt ones once were. Most of the houses were held upside-down and/or were on fire, chocolate rain falling down in mixed sections of the town. Ponies ran and fled in a wild panic, but were unable to leave the hell they have called home. Atop a large hill, surrounded by the crumbled remains of the town hall was a thrown, the god of chaos smirked as he admired his work.
“All you little ponies can run about all you want, but you’ll never escape my world!” he reveled in a devilish tone. He laughed and snapped his fingers, causing the Pegasi who were trying to fly away to instantly fall to the ground. “Aww… leaving so soon?” the Draconequus sneered, as he snaps his fingers again, summoning lightning to strike near the group, scaring them off in a flight of panic.
A large figure, shining brightly in golden armor, approaches discord slowly. His eyes shown a pure white as his black and red hair flowed in the breeze. Alongside him were six ponies: Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy. Close behind were two other ponies, hidden from sight. With a stomp of his hoof, the entire town slowly returned normal, banishing all disharmony from Ponyville.
“Oh? Nice trick, but do you honestly still think you can stop me?! Go ahead and try!” Before he began to laugh, the suited pony’s armor disassembled itself, separating into seven parts and transforming into the individual elements of harmony, along with the helmet still on top of Flash’s head.
“It’s over Discord. It pains me to say, but I want to believe that you can stop this all your own.” Flash let the man six stand front of him, each one staying silent as they concentrated on their element.
“I’ll never change... and you’ll stay the cold hearted pony you are. The weak Alicorn... no one will care for you if you don’t care for them. You’re just brutal and selfish and that’s who you always will be...” Discord laughed and stood to face the seven ponies, gleaming his teeth as he grinned, trying to force them under his control again.
Black Flash chuckled faintly, before collapsing to the ground. “Oh dear! Black Flash, are you alright?!” Rarity said worriedly, rushing to his aid immediately. “I’ll go get some help!” Rainbow Dash announced before fleeing the scene as quickly as she could. ”O-Oh my... I hope he’s alright...” meeped Fluttershy, helping hold his head up and hugging it close to her chest. Soon, Flash felt everything around slowly fade to black, voices disappearing, and everything is gone. The last thing he hears is the sound of discord’s laugh.
Flash woke up with a start, seeing a stallion with his muzzle only a few inches away from his. “Who in the hell are you?” the stallion asked in a calm, but strict, tone. The dark grey pony’s face was grim, and the bad stitch job across his right eye doesn't help matters either. His left ear was torn up, and he had scars under his jaw, over his eye and on the bridge of his muzzle. His hair was oily but burnt at its tips, and was very untidy. His coat was matted and shaggier than a normal pony’s. The scarred eye was a dark red; the other eye was a deep blue. He grabbed Black Flash by the throat and his left eye flashed from grey to red again as he started up, "I'll ask you again... one last time... WHO IN THE HELL ARE YOU?!"