Short: Black Friday
Sergeant Flash Sentry- YYK2238. Orange pegasus, graduate of the Wonderbolts academy. Top in his class for crossbow skills, average flight speed. Denied application into the pre-war Wonderbolts because of a 'tendency to pursue self advancement over the needs of the unit." or, in his words, "I was too good for them." He had joined the Equestrian Royal Guard to prove them wrong, and had ended up nearly losing the Elements of Harmony by foolishly divulging their location when attacked by a stranger that came out of a magical mirror. Since then he has lamented the loss of what was once a promising career. His rank is sergeant, attached to 45th signals out of Canterlot. In essence, however, he's a desk jockey sent to do the work nopony else wants to do.
He's actually only sergeant by technicality, requiring that rank to use access the classified information he often did. he's about as far down in the chain of command as you can get. He had almost been Captain once, and had the rank of Lieutenant before insisting on a transfer to the Canterlot Guard.
Thursday in Manehatten, and Flash Sentry is bored. For almost a week he had gotten up at a government provided hotel room, and trotted outside to this table. There he sat, for eight hours, handing out fliers and trying to get volunteers to sign up for the Legion. Nobody really wanted in, the populace seemed stuck in a middle ground between 'so afraid of the griffons they're willing to sacrifice anything to stop them' and 'afraid enough not to sign up'. The general opinion, basically, was that the Legion and Wonderbolts had it all under control, and even if they failed- Celestia never did. Baltimare was seen as less of a front line in a war, and more a contained disaster area.
Flash sighed and plopped his head down on the table. Stacks of brochures surrounded him. The fact that the highlight was 'visit foreign lands' amused him endlessly. Otherwise he didn't really take his job out here too seriously. Gazing over towards the coast in the distance a few ships of the fleet could be seen hovering above the ocean. That is where he should be, that's where the war was. Out there brave pegasi of the Wonderbolts fought to defend their nation, to the ends of themselves if need be.
Here he was, laying on a table while passerby very pointedly ignored him. Glancing at the clock hanging across the street it read 5PM, and he glanced over at the subway station. Just as expected, a brown pegasus came out, glanced around, and flew off. He had done that at this exact time for three days. More possibly, if he had been doing it before Flash arrived at his lofty post. He was probably just some business pony, eager to get home after work. The way he glanced around though, it almost made Flash think he was up to something.
He shook his head and tried to put on his best impression of caring about his current job. That was a matter for the police, and they were already mad that he dared point out how stupid it was for them to not be armed during a war. He could understand unarmed police during peacetime, obviously, the old guard had after all been unarmed most of the time. This was a war though, and Manehatten was an important strategic city sitting right on the coast, the griffons would be fools to not try something eventually. In essence his complaint was the same as it was with the general populace- a near total reliance on the Legion to save them. One day the legion wouldn't be there, and he could only hope that they had gotten wise by then. They were a few weeks into this thing and you could barely even tell, they weren't even rationing yet. It's like the entire populace was lost in a blissful ignorant hope that if they just pretended the war didn't exist, then it would just disappear. They seemed to regard Baltimare as if an earthquake had taken it, or some other contained natural disaster.
After a while Flash noticed that a pony across the street was eyeing him, and he glared across, receiving a vacant stare back. Green eyes that made it impossible to figure out what he was thinking- a changeling. A red medallion hung around his neck marked his registration, and he would be unable to shapeshift with the enchantments on it. Flash had nothing against them, but the eerie stare was creepy him out.
Flash coughed. "Hey buddy, can I help you with something?" He asked across the street.
The changeling- if Flash was right the green eyes meant it was a warrior, glanced around and quickly strode towards him. His head was held low, as if he was expecting something to come and lop it off. An adorable tiny satchel, branded with the flag of the Changeling Hive, hung around his back. He was shorter then most changelings Flash had seen, probably a youth.
"Friend guard... could I join you?" He asked.
Flash was stunned, and cocked his head automatically.
"You... want to join the Legion?" He asked.
The changeling nodded.
Flash scratched his head, which was at a 45 degree angle of confusion. There wasn't anything that specifically said he couldn't, nobody had ever even considered it. The changelings, other then the strange specimen of their ambassador, were loyal to their queen to the point of fanaticism.
Or were they?
"Well, I suppose you can sign up, but it wouldn't be m-"
The changeling gave him a huge grin, fangs gleaming in the light, and he wiggled his entire backside happily as he scrawled his name on the sign up sheet.
"Ponies cal me Fangface," He added.
"That's... nice. You can call me Flash," Flash said. The changeling sat himself down, looking up to him. He was like a lost puppy or something.
"The Queen scares me, you're all nicer," he said, and grabbed one of the brochures off the table.
"Oh! Do you all get crossbows?" "No, jus-" "Is the armour really this nice?" "No, that's just the dr-" "Do you get to see Celestia?" "Not rea-"
He gasped and slammed the paper down on the table, frantically tapping at it.
"Who's this!?" He demanded.
Flash leaned forward to look at it. "Air Martial Spitfire," he replied.
Fangface withdrew the brochure and clutched it close to his heart. "She's beautiful," he sighed.
Flash rubbed his forehead. "A little out of your league kid," He noted, and glanced around. Nobody had really been interested in this little recruiting drive since he started, nobody would notice if he was gone for a little while.
"How old are you, Fangface?" Flash asked.
"Sixteen," He replied, looking up curiously.
Flash smiled. "Let's go get a drink." he said, and beckoned his new friend follow. Pausing for a second to admire the brochure once more, he sighed and stuffed it in his satchel. He met the smile of his new friend, and followed him closely down the street.
The sight of a young changeling warrior wagging his tail beside a uniformed member of the guard would have been quite a sight, but these days nopony really even noticed. Equestria Daily had even stopped reporting on the Ambassador's drunken antics, moving on instead to breathless reporting on the war. They had managed to get a reporter into the last meeting in Canterlot, and likened Luna disagreeing with her sister as 'treason'.
It was an example of many disagreements within the 'brass' lately, eventually they were going to have to decide who was in charge of this whole thing ultimately, a true leader. Somepony who could have the final say on everything. Celestia had always had that role, unofficially, but perhaps it was time for a change. Either she needed to step up and assume real authority, or let somepony else run things.
Granted she tried to take over the world once, but noponies perfect.
Coming up on their destination, Flash paused and gestured at the sign hanging above the establishment.
"Applebucks, best cider on the continent!" Flash said, and pulled his gawking sidekick inside.
Inside they found the establishment had a 980's theme, which was fine; Flash loved 80's pop. He took a seat on a red bar stool and bade his friend do the same. He tapped his hooves to the music, if he was right it was "I Flew" by "A Flock of Pegasi". A little overplayed, but good nonetheless.
"Why are they all wearing sleeves on their legs?" Fangface asked, glancing around at the leg-warmer clad staff.
"The 80s man, It's all about the 80s." Flash replied, and left his confused friend scratching his friend as the barkeep noticed them. She wore a red dress, and didn't appear too happy to be living the 80s over every day.
She put on a fake smile and addressed them. "What can I get you two?" She asked.
Flash glanced up at the board behind her, and noticed "The Universe" was highlighted.
"What's uh, what's in 'The Universe'?" He asked, glancing over Fangface scratched the back of his ear, watching intently. His medallion jangled against his chest.
"Ponyville Cider, 10%, with a shot of citrus." She replied.
Flash nodded. "Sounds good, we'll take two," he said, and reached into his uniform. He pulled out his military ID- the discount was half the reason he had joined up years ago instead of just becoming a civilian weatherpony.
The barkeep peered at it, flipping it over in her hoof.
"Eh, I suppose it's legit- but aren't you on duty soldier?" She asked, returning it.
Flash laughed as he pocketed it. "What duty?"
The waitress gave him an odd look and went to get their drinks, and Flash was startled as Fangface grabbed and spun him to face the changeling.
"Did you disobey... an order?" He asked, as if the very idea was blasphemy.
"Nah," Flash said, brushing his hooves off. "My mission is to recruit, and that's exactly what I'm doing," He said, and spun his chair to face the room.
"ANYBODY WANT TO JOIN THE LEGION?" He yelled.
His reply was a few tired glances, and he spun back to the counter.
"See? Mission accomplished. Now what about you, Fangface, shouldn't you be with your people?" Flash asked.
Fangface dropped his head on the counter with an audible smack. "An Eta told me to leave, so I did."
Flash patted him on the back, "An Eta?" He asked.
"A leader. If he wants me to leave, then he must be right," Fangface lamented.
A drink slid over and clanked against his head, Flash caught his own without glancing at it.
"Ah cheer up buddy, you'll make it in the end," Flash said. He felt sorry for the little changeling, he seemed to have the same career problems he had.
"That's why I want to be a pony soldier, I'll prove to the Eta's that I'm a good warrior!" He exclaimed, and smiled up as his friend.
"Like you!"
Flash nearly spat out his drink. "I wouldn't go that far kid, there's a reason I'm here," he gestured out the window towards the coast, "and not out there."
"You're nice though, I'm sure you'll convince your Eta's to promote you," Fangface said, and took a sip from his drink.
His eyes shot open, and he fell backwards. Flash caught him with one hoof, and his drink with the other. The changeling turned to him with a look of utter euphoria.
"This is amazing!" he breathed.
Flash grinned down and pushed him back up, handing him back his drink. "You guys really do like this stuff, I thought it was just the Ambassador."
Fangface turned again to him, looking up at him as if he was a god. "You know the Ambassador?" He asked.
"Well, yeah. I used to patrol the castle and met him a few times. Nice guy," He replied.
"Could you... ask him something for me?" Fangface asked.
"Sure, I don't see why not," Flash replied.
Fangface glanced around, and then leaned in to whisper into Flash's ear.
"Ask him if I can be a citizen."
Flash cocked his head and turned to him. "That's not really his job, shouldn't you ask Celestia or something?" He suggested.
Fangface shook his head. "I need an Eta to approve it, or it would just feel... wrong. The Ambassador is the head Eta in Equestria," He explained.
Flash supposed he had a point, the Hive was a weird military society, so he would have to get some sort of a transfer. The Ambassador didn't seem to have much truck with it himself, and it was fairly clear he barely even cared for the Queen. What that meant for his future Flash wasn't sure, but it wasn't his place to judge. The Ambassador was certainly an interesting character.
Before Flash could reply a shrill screech replace the music, and was followed by the three tones that heralded a civil defense broadcast. Fangface yelped and hid himself under a table. Flash sighed, after Princess Twilight Sparkle had mandated CD broadcasts be able to overtake any other signals they became a near daily thing.
"Civil Defense Update. Residents of Manehatten are requested to cancel any travel plans, and remain in the city. Curfew now in effect for 7PM, any citizens caught outside are subject to fines or imprisonment." A staticy voice ordered.
Flash leaned forward as the crowd quickly poured out of the establishment in a panic, and he drained the remains of his, and his new friends, drinks. Once the rest had left he spun around to find him shaking under a table. Glancing at a clock he realized the reason for the hasty exit of the rest- it was 6:50.
"Come on Fangface," Flash said, pulling the shaky changeling out. "Where are you staying?" He asked.
The changeling looked up at him, still shaking. "Under a tree in the park."
Flash sighed and pulled him under his wing. "That won't do, you can bunk with me tonight," He offered. Fangface looked up at him and smiled.
"You would make a good Eta," Fangface said.
He led the changeling out under his wing, feeling him press up against himself.
Well, I always did want a brother.
The hotel wasn't far away- across the street from where Flash had set up his little recruiting stand, and on the top floor was where the room lay. The pair flew up to the balcony and Flash unlocked the door, Fangface quickly brushing past him inside.
It was a very decent room, and thanks to the war basically shutting tourism down nobody had complained he had picked one of the more fancy rooms with his mandate. A large bed had it's head against the wall, and a portrait of Luna hung above. A low wall separated this space from a large room with a couch, a coffee table, and the rare television that some of the more well-off ponies had begun to purchase. There was also a nice kitchen, which Flash had stocked with cider and other food. Behind a door lay the washroom, and there was a closet next to the inside door that went unused. All Flash had, or needed, was his uniform. Why ponies wore more clothes then that was always a mystery to him.
Flash stepped in after, and was amused to watch as he inspected every inch of the place.
"Wow, you get to stay here? It's so nice!" He exclaimed, pawing at the carpet.
"One of the perks of working in the legion, Fangface: billeting." Flash said, and tossed his uniform on the bed before going to the kitchen.
"What's billeting?" Fangface asked, looking mesmerized at his reflection in the television
Flash meanwhile was looking through the fridge. "Means I can walk in here and demand a room, we're at war you know," Flash said, tossing a few apples out onto the counter.
Fangface trotted over, peering up at Flash.
"They must really trust you," he noted.
Flash patted him on the head. "Maybe, or maybe they just want me somewhere I can't do any damage," He lamented.
"Why are you so hard on yourself?" Fangface asked, plopping himself down on the tile floor.
Flash sighed, and opened a drawer to get a knife to cut the apples. He figured he would make a pie.
"I made a few mistakes, " Flash replied, and took a second to gaze out the window at the airships.
Fangface tugged at his wing, and Flash looked down to see him smiling up at him. Flash couldn't help but reciprocate.
"So un-make them, Flash. Show your Eta's how good you are," He said, and trotted out into the other room.
Flash wanted to tell him it wasn't that easy, but figured he would rather not spoil the moment. While the changeling fiddled with the television (eventually startling himself when it came on, showing some black and white stage show), Flash made them both a pie. He wasn't able to find any Ponyville apples; apparently they mostly became cider now, but was able to find a good crop of Appleloosa ones. Everypony knew that you got your apples from the extended Apple family, or you didn't get them at all. Must be nice to have that kind of monopoly, Flash thought.
Flash tossed the pie in the oven and joined his friend, curiously Fangface didn't sit on the couch, instead he was curled up on the carpet watching the television. Flash plopped himself down on the couch.
"Y'know, we've got a couch," he said.
Fangface shrugged and pawed at the carpet. "It's so soft though," he said, and rolled on his back, wiggling around on the carpet.
Flash shook his head and slunk into the couch, at least this meant he would get the bed for himself.
Together they watched the program in silence while the pie cooked. A small ticker ran along the bottom of the screen constantly repeating the civil defence information from earlier. It was probably yet another drill, or maybe the fleet was engaged out over the ocean. Flash absolutely hated being out of the know, why it had to be him out here instead of a newer recruit or something he had no idea.
After around an hour of watching what would appear to be a stage play about a griffon hiding in the woods and attacking a foal, which almost seemed blatantly propagandist, the oven dinged and Flash got up, gingerly stepping around the napping changeling at his hooves. Flash glanced back at him, and he couldn't help smile as he made a cute little squeaking sound as he slept. If the changelings found a way to weaponize this sort of thing they were all doomed. He even seemed to glow slightly, probably because he was basically awash in Flash's own magic energy. He didn't mind, it's not like he had a horn or anything.
Putting on a pair of oven mitts, lamenting his own lack of magic, he took the pie out and set it on the counter. Using his wings to cool it, the smell wafted throughout the room, it was a perfect creation, anypony would be proud to call this pie their own. The evening sun filled the room with it's orange glow as it fell over the waters of the ocean, a few distant ships visible contrasting it.
Flash, for the first time in quite a while, felt good about his life. Sure his career was still dead, but he found a friend today- and if this nation stood for anything, it was friendship.
Fangface tugged on his wing, apparently awoken by the smell of the glorious pie on the counter.
"I've never had a pony pie before," He said, peering up at the steaming pie.
Flash laughed. "You've missed out on a lot of good things, must be pretty boring in the hive," he commented, and deftly cut the pie into eight pieces.
"I know!" Fangface said, doing a happy little spin. "There's so much to see in Equestria, and everybody is so nice!"
He buzzed his little wings to lift himself to Flash's height.
"I wish the Queen wasn't so... mean. I wish we could all be like you," He said.
Flash turned to grab a few plates. "What do you mean 'mean'?" he asked.
Fangface did a little dip in the air, a flying shrug. "She's always trying to 'expand the territory', I don't think she cares about us, not really," He said, Flash noticed he was frowning.
Flash ruffled his mane. "Don't worry about it kid, you've got us now," He said, handing him a plate, dumping a slice into his own.
Fangface was immediately uplifted, and cocked his head at the plate before tossing it aside, plummeting his face into the pie. Flash snickered and leaned against the counter, watching amused as he quickly devoured everything less his own slice. He had a big (government paid for!) lunch, so he didn't mind. He had no idea anybody could enjoy an apple pie so much. Once he had his fill (Flash was still working on his own), Fangface fluttered to the ground and sat, a great grin on his crumb covered face.
"I didn't even know you could do that with apples," He sighed.
Flash patted him on the head and finished his, leaving the mess for room service to clean up later.
"You'll learn, you'll be one of the herd soon," Flash said.
Before he could continue he was startled to hear the phone ring, Fangface scurried under the counter while Flash picked up the phone with one hoof, and pulled him out with the other.
"Sergeant Flash Sentry, 45th Signals," Flash said into the mouthpiece. Fangface looked on, seemingly awed by something as simple as a phone.
"Good evening Flash, it's General Massé. How's the recruitment going?" The general asked, Flash could hear the chirping of the telegraphs in the background. How he wished he was there.
"Well," Flash glanced at Fangface. "I've got one promising recruit, a changeling actually," Flash replied.
There was short pause, and a strange clicking sound caused him to flinch. Probably nothing, wasn't the first time the lines did something weird.
"Well, that's interesting. Didn't expect much results, but I figured you needed some time off. Anyway, Flash, I have good news," The general said, pausing for effect.
"Your transfer to the Magnificent was approved, on one condition I have to add," The general said, and Flashes eyes lit up with excitement.
"Anything!" He exclaimed.
"You can't go on the bridge, you'll be assigned to one of the signals intelligence units on board. You will also be restarting your career as a cadet." The general explained.
"I can't... go on the bridge?" Flash asked.
"Order came from Spitfire herself, says it would be improper for family to be too close on a 'vessel of war'. You're free to turn the offer down, of course."
Flash frowned, and turned his head to peer at the ground. It was everything he wanted, yet nothing he wanted.
"I'll think about it," he said, and clicked the phone down on the receiver.
Fangface tugged at him, not even his adorable yawn could break Flash's frown. Although he couldn't help but repeat it. It was getting rather late, and the moon had replaced the sun outside.
"You look sad," Fangface commented.
"I'm not sad, I'm just... I've got a dilemma." Flash replied.
Fangface tugged him over to the couch, and sat himself down, patting the seat beside him.
"Maybe I can help," He said. Flash sat himself, but didn't see how a changeling warrior youth could possibly help.
"Alright, here's the deal," Flash said, and took a deep breath.
"My mom right? She's been in the Wonderbolts for decades, and since I never knew my father she's all I had growing up. When I was really young she would take me with her wherever they went, I saw all of Equestria on her back. When it came time for me to enroll in school I had to stay... but she kept going," He paused, and frowned at the carpet.
"I tried my best at school, but all I could ever get was number two. The harder I tried, the harder whoever was ahead of me tried. I had friends, but as soon as I graduated they all moved on to the Wonderbolts... and I didn't." Flash said, and released a sigh deep from within, stiffing a tear.
"Why not?" Fangface asked.
"They said I was disrespectful of authority, so they denied me. I kinda... flew off the handle at Spitfire actually, and she made it very clear there was no future for me there. So I signed up with the old guard, and rose in the ranks pretty quickly because most pegasi that graduate go on to be Wonderbolts, so I was sort of the lead pegasus."
"Well that's good!" Fangface asked. Flash shook his head.
"I was 'sort of the lead pegasus'. I made a bad decision in the Crystal Empire barely a week in there- I was actually going to be Captain!" He exclaimed, deeply angry with himself. "But I threw it all away!"
Fangface tapped his chin, considering this. "I saw Cadence once, she seemed really nice. Maybe if you say so-"
Flash's rage cut him short. "I nearly lost the elements of harmony! How can I expect them to trust me if I don't trust me!" Flash yelled, and then he slumped into the couch, surprised at himself.
Fangface craned his neck over, gazing with his green eyes into Flash's. Flash felt a warm embrace, and realized that Fangface was actually hugging him with magic.
"I trust you, why don't you trust you?"
"Because I failed Fangface, what if I fail again?"
"Then try again, and keep trying. I failed dozens of times, that's why I'm here!" Fangface said, smiling.
Flash sighed. "It's too late now, I'm a glorified desk jockey with a choice between that, or cadet on the Magnificent,"
Fangface nodded. "Pick one, and be good at it. Even second best is still good, the Ambassador is second best, and he's pretty nice!"
Flash smiled weakly back at him, maybe he was right. That still left the question as to if he should accept the offer.
Fangface yawned again, and slouched into the couch.
"I suppose I'll sleep on it," Flash mumbled, and trotted off to the bed. Fangface followed him, but curiously didn't use the other side- it was quite a large bed.
"Uh, buddy?" Flash asked, sitting on his side.
Fangface looked at him and shook his head. "I can't let this soft carpet go to waste," he said, and curled himself up at the end of the bed.
Well, bed was all his. Flash kicked his uniform off and lay his head on the pillow, quickly falling into the first restful sleep he had had in weeks.
In his dreamscape he was somewhat, but not entirely, surprised to be greeted by the Princess of the Night. She had a way of getting into your mind when you had a dilemma of some sort, or if you happened to be an enemy of the nation. If you were guilty of some crime, you could never tell if you were having nightmares or if she was actually trying to scare you to come clean. She had continued this even during her exile, thus the monicker 'Nightmare Moon'.
She stood on the bridge of an airship, Flash assumed it was meant to be the Magnificent, but he had never seen it for himself.
"Sergeant Flash Sentry, you've got a career in the guard- why are you so obsessed with joining the Wonderbolts?" She asked.
Flash paused, careful to consider his answer. It was unwise in the extreme to lie to Princess Luna, she was after all inside your own mind.
"I want to make my mother proud," he replied.
Luna kicked something behind her, and the craft seemed to shudder into motion.
"But she is, Don't you read her letters?" Luna asked.
Flash shook his head. "No, I never had anything good to reply with," He explained.
"Really?" Luna asked, and slowly began to approach Flash. "Not even your promotions in the guard? You were almost Captain of the Crystal Imperial Legion, I always was curious why you turned it down. You seemed to have given up on your career," She said.
"I couldn't accept that, not after what I had done. I didn't have their trust, I don't even have my own," Flash lamented.
Luna halted before him, and prodded him with a hoof. Looking down he noticed he was clad in the dress armour of a legionnaire.
"But you did! Nobody truly blamed you for revealing what you did, and it's quite possible she would have found out in her own way. You may have set the textbook example of loose lips, but that's only a hiccup in what was a promising career," Luna said.
The armour vanished, and out the window Flash could see the ocean, it seemed endless despite the ship seeming to move at an incredible speed.
"You gave up," Luna said, and the ship halted, throwing Flash forward. When he came out up he noticed out the window was a small island. On it was a gleaming golden structure, shaped like a wing.
"We all stumble, Flash. Even myself, as I'm sure you are well aware." Luna said behind him.
Flash was quite aware, and realized how trivial his own problems must seem to an ancient alicorn Princess that had once overthrown a god of chaos, tried to take over the world, and spent a millennium exiled on the moon.
The ship fell from the sky, and just as it was about to impact the ocean she added one last thing.
"Get back up."
Flash awoke, the early morning sun streaming in the window. He was covered in a cold sweat and a concerned looking Fangface stood beside the bed.
"You were shaking, I was worried," He said.
"Just a nightmare. Actually I think I just found out why they call it a night mare," Flash said, and hopped off the bed. Glancing outside he noticed no ships were out to sea, but that wasn't his problem right now.
"You wait here, I'm going to have a quick shower and then we can get to work," Flash said to Fangface.
His eyes brightened and he leapt up on the bed. "We are? I'm going to be a soldier?" he asked frantically.
"Not really, but I am allowed to raise a 'civilian militia in times of crisis', so if we bend the rules a little I can call you a volunteer legi-" Flash was interrupted by a flying hug.
"Thank you!" Fangface exclaimed, embracing him tightly.
Flash waited a minute, but was forced to pry the happy little changeling off so he could get back to his life. With the changeling watching him he left for the washroom, and could hear him fiddling with the television. Flash turned on the tap, and a delightful stream of hot water greeted him. He wondered if it would be possible for Fangface to stay with him somehow, the little guy was certainly growing on him. If he stayed in the legion he could probably apprentice him, it could even be a PR boost for citizens to see them working together.
When Flash left, after a few minutes of showering, he quickly dried himself with his wings and found Fangface outside, entranced by the TV. He absentmindedly gestured Flash over, and he found the morning broadcast from Canterlot.
Celestia stood before a collection of microphones, and seemed to radiate a deep sadness even through the television. It was clear to Flash that she was never a 'war leader', she was the velvet glove of peace. Every loss must weigh on her heavily.
"Citizens of Equestria, and the Crystal Empire. It is with a heavy heart, and no small amount of regret, that I come before you today to announce that, as of today, rationing will commence across the nation. It has become clear that this conflict will last must longer than I had feared, and we must prepare for the coming winter. A darkness is falling over our land, and only through valiant sacrifice will be we be able to cast it away."
The reporters turned to rabble as Flash watched, eventually they calmed down and Celestia selected one for questions.
"Will you be instituting the draft?" He asked.
"I remain undecided at this time." Celestia replied.
"Are the Equestrian Games still off?" Another asked.
"Until Princess Cadence says otherwise, yes," She replied.
"What about Baltimare, when will we be able to return to our homes!" Somebody shouted from the back.
"The situation in Baltimare is fluid, I will tell you more when I know m-" She was cut off by a wave of rabble, and shuffled off the podium to be replaced by her sister.
"THIS RABBLE WILL BE SILENT." She shouted, shaking the camera.
There was silence, and then she pointed forwards and a reporter could be heard to stand, heralded by the sound of papers shaking in their hooves.
"W-Will you be instituting the draft, if your sister won't?"
"Firstly, I will remind you that my 'sister' is Princess Celestia to you. Secondly, no. Where the sun shines, My sister will decide." Luna replied.
She gestured to another reporter.
"What about the rumors of Night Guards arresting griffon citizens?" She asked
"I will not comment on rumours and heresay. Now get out." Luna ordered. The reporter was heard to shuffle off awkwardly, passing in front of the camera. Flash grinned, Luna knew how to control a situation like this.
"I will accept one more question from the stallion at the front." She said.
"Will you take the regency?" He asked.
Now that was a loaded question. Only once had Equestria had a 'Queen Regent', and that was the few weeks following Luna's exile when Celestia cleaned up after her sister, repealing most of the laws she had passed and quashing some minor civil discontent. Perhaps a return to that idea was what they needed.
"If chosen." Luna replied, and for a brief moment a rabble started but silenced itself with but a raise of her eyebrow.
"That is all, you may go." She said, and left the room followed by member of the night guard.
Flash reached forward and clicked off the set, it was time for the pair to get to work.
"She's.. powerful," Fangface said, Flash noticed his hair was standing on end.
"Princess Luna might be exactly what we need. Now let's get to work." Flash said, he quickly threw on his uniform and led the changeling outside. Taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air he leapt off the balcony and took wing, his companion not far behind. They took a spiraling downwards path and landed before the table Flash had set up- noting it was entirely unchanged from last night. Nobody cared enough to even steal from it.
Flash turned to Fangface. "Alright, he-" A pegasus running at great speed slammed into him, collapsing into a heap along with the huge bag he had over his back.
Flash dusted himself off and offered to help the stallion up, he recognized him as the same person that had come out of the subway every day.
"Hey buddy, you ne-" The stallion got up and continued running, quickly dissapearing into the subway. Flash noticed he had left something on the ground- A passport.
"That pony is weird," Fangface noted.
"Yeah, he really was..." Flash said, picking it up to take a closer look. It was a Saddle Arabian passport, and according to this the stallion was one Abuze Zambique. Oddly the passport hadn't been stamped by customs. Flash decided to keep it, and report this to the police later. He pocketed it, and trotted behind the table and plopped himself down.
"Oookay so, you hand out brochures while I sit here and look good," Flash ordered.
"Cool, I get the easy job!" Fangface exclaimed, and collected a dozen of the brochures.
It took a Flash a second to get it, and he smiled. Flash Sentry and his sidekick Fangface, maybe they could form a superhero team.
Fangface darted around frantically looking for anybody interested. To Flash's surprise almost all of them were, taking brochures and gossiping about the curious sight of a short changeling handing out legion recruitment material. Half an hour later a dozen ponies had signed up, more then the rest of his time there combined. Each of them asked if Fangface was really with him, and he replied in the affirmative.
Fangface eventually ran out of brochures, and since his mission here was only to last the week Flash figured it was time pack up and head home. As he was folding up the trifold he noticed the pegasus come shooting out of the subway.
"Hey! You forgot yo-"
Flash's frantic shouting was interrupted by a deep rumble within the earth, the whole street shook and windows shattered in the buildings above. He grabbed Fangface and dove under the table to avoid the shards.
"What's going on!" Fangface exclaimed over the noise of a glass rain.
"I do-" Flash was once again interrupted, this time by the shrill blare of the emergency sirens. His heart sunk and he realized what was going on.
"We're under attack," he stated plainly.
This is what he had trained for, this was his purpose in life. Find a unit, fight with them, prove yourself. As soon as the glass rain stopped, a crowd of civilians raced down the street. Flash came out from under the table and waved at them.
"Hey! It's not safe here, get out of the street!" He shouted.
Another rumbling threw him off his feet, and it took a second to realize he was actually falling. Not long after was the feeling replaced with his body smacking against hard concrete and rolling off to the side. Through the dusty air he could tell that he had ended up in a subway tunnel, a wrecked train barely visible on the tracks. Coughing up dust he used his wings to clear the air around him and desperately searched for Fangface. Flash found him, thankfully, uninjured and cowering under his own hooves. Flash tapped him on the back and gestured up.
"Let's get out of here, form up with the legion!" Flash shouted.
Fangface peered upwards, and recoiled in horror. Following his gaze Flash realized it wouldn't be as easy as that- the hotel was falling. It was falling on them. Glancing around desperately Flash spotted a small side tunnel, and grabbed Fangface. Behind him Flash noticed a few others, scrambling towards the same exit. Fangface noticed them too, and Flash felt an odd pull at his insides as a green field overtook them, and they were pulled down into the tunnel with the pair.
Before anybody could speak, or collect themselves, the building slamming into the hole and tossed the group downwards with a blast of air. They rolled to the bottom in a heap, and darkness overtook everything as a gigantic noise deafened them all, followed by a wave of hot steam that blasted into the room for a second. Flash tried to get up, but even filled with adrenaline he couldn't move. Something was crushing his legs.
The darkness was split open by the light of a unicorns horn, it's soft blue light covered the room, which would appear to be the boiler room for a large building. The tunnel they had come in through was filled with rubble, and it appeared that was the only way in and out. A few other ponies, all earth, dusted themselves and stood up. Their fearful gazes darted around the room before settling on Flash. As the only uniformed soldier they probably expected to lead him. Fangface, he noted, was peering at his flank.
"Alright everybody, L-" Flash turned his head to see what was so interesting, and found a large piece of metal had come to settle on his left leg he couldn't feel any pain, just a warm feeling on his flank.
"Oh."
The one unicorn ran over and slid to a stop, while a blue/green field overtook the debris.
"Don't move it yet!" She shouted at Fangface, and then turned to Flash. "Can you feel your leg?"
"No." Flash replied.
She gestured Fangface over and whispered something in his ear, followed by a horrified glance back at Flash by the changeling. Flash was a trained soldier, but even he couldn't hide his fear. He shuddered, and felt his fur come on end.
"Come on you two, it can't be that bad!" Flash shouted.
"Soldier, it's been cut clean off. The only thing keeping you alive right now is this piece of metal, it looks like your upper leg has been burnt right onto it. It's a small miracle too, if it hadn't your femoral would spitting out." The unicorn said. She glanced back behind the metal and quickly looked away, whatever was on the other side greatly disturbed her.
Flash released a scream of terror that echoed in the room for a good thirty seconds, and his vision began to blur as he desperately struggled to pull himself free. The unicorn couldn't be right, this didn't happen! Nobody lost limbs, they had magic, and medicine, and alicorn demi-gods that controlled the stars!
"No!" Flash shouted, and felt a field holding him still.
"Stop struggling or you'll just make things worse!" The unicorn ordered.
"You're a unicorn! Fix me!" Flash shouted back.
"It's not that simple soldier, I don't have the tools. You'll have to wait until we get rescued!"
Flash struggled with all his energy against the field, but it only became stronger. He gritted his teeth and his vision faded in and out. He wasn't going to accept this, there had to be some way he could emerge from this the victory, a bit of metal couldn't beat him!
Flash heard some whispering behind him but ignored it, pressing himself still against the field. It was impossible that he be powerless against his fate, not a fate like this. Not...
Fangface came before him and put a hoof on his shoulder, reaching through the field.
"Flash, you have to calm down," He pleaded.
Flash refused, and continued struggling. "I can't give up! I can't accept this, there's no such thing as a three legged Wonderbolt!" Flash shouted, tears streaming down his face.
"I can't shapeshift," Fangface said.
Flash paused and looked at him incredulously. "You.. can't shapeshift?" He asked.
"Why do you think my Eta kicked me out?" Fangface replied.
"I... I never thought about it," Flash admitted. "I don't think any less of you for it," He added.
"Nobodies going to think any less of you with three legs, or four. You're Flash Sentry, and you're the nicest pony I've ever known," Fangface said, and looked at Flash with a warm smile.
Flash reached forward and pulled him in. Into his shoulder he cried, and accepted his fate as the blue field faded away. He would never be a Wonderbolt, his fate was sealed in that regard. However, he could still be the very best three-legged guard the world had ever seen, and he made a pact with himself to carry it out. Releasing Fangface he smiled weakly at him.
"Thank you," He said, before the shock caught up with him and sent him into the void of unconsciousness.
Fangface looked down on his friend. His only, and his best. The unicorn approached and took his side as the others in the group continued to look on from behind.
"Is that true?" She asked. "That you can't shapeshift?"
Fangface nodded.
"Well, he's lucky to have a friend like you. What's his name?" She asked.
"Sergeant Flash Sentry, the best soldier in the entire Legion," Fangface said.
"Hey speaking of the legion, how did this happen?" One of the crowd stepped forward and asked. "Aren't they supposed to protect us?"
The unicorn seemed to take that personally, and cleared her throat before speaking again. "You're kidding right? Do you even pay attention to the news? Dozens of those brave mares and stallions have been going to their graves every day for weeks to protect you. We're at war, this is what happens- and these two saved your life!" She barked.
"Who are you to accuse me of not paying attention? I work for the paper, if this nation wasn't run so foolishly nobody would be going to any graves! Not us, not them, and he would still have his leg!" He shouted, pointing towards Flash.
"I am Lieutenant Tulle Gras, 48th Medical Support. I was here on leave, and you're getting awfully disrespectful," She threatened. Fangface bared his Fangs at the stallion, while the rest of the group moved away from him.
"Disrespectful of who? Our Alicorn Overlords? Why are they in charge? Not a single one of us was asked if we wanted to start this stupid war, what are we even fighting for? An idiotic relic?"
Tulle Gras walked towards him with a fire in her eyes, the shimmering light from her horn becoming much brighter.
"We're fighting to show the world that we're not a herd of sheep to be trifled with. We're fighting for our right to exist as a free people. Don't you remember what happened to Baltimare? If you have a problem with our leadership- leave," She said.
The stallion glanced behind him and backed up while she continued her advance, Fangface snarling at her side.
"You're just another armed bully, protector of the status quo. Baltimare was a contained disaster until Celestia decided to start a war, to protect shapeshifters no less!" He accused, and found himself up against the wall
Tulle prodded him with a hoof. "Yeah, you tell yourself that you coward. When you get out of here, and go back to your nice safe office, I've got a quote for you."
She stared him down, sweat beaded on his forehead and he glanced around.
"Buck you."
She turned and left the scared little colt for the others, and Fangface followed at her tail. She had them form a circle around Flash, and started a magical fire for warmth and light. The next few hours went by in a fearful silence, as she and Fangface kept a close watch on the wounded soldier. Barely audible from outside were the telltale cracks of firearms, and more explosions that would occasionally sake the ground. Eventually, the noise gave way to an almost deafening silence.
"Do you think it's over?" One of the ponies asked.
"I hope so, but it'll be a while before we get rescued. We'll be l-" She was interrupted by a great noise from the direction of the collapsed tunnel. To their great shock and relief it was followed by a voice from above.
"Is anybody down there!" It shouted.
"Yes, and we've got injured!" Tulle shouted back.
There was a pause as muffled voices from above discussed something, and the group glanced at each other.
"How bad?"
"Possibly critical!" Tulle returned, followed by another pause.
"Hold on, help is on the way!"
Fangface tugged at her, and she looked down to see his worried face. "Critical?"
She pointed at the metal debris, which apparently came from some sort of vent running along the ceiling. "If we don't get that removed just the right way, we'll lose him almost immediately," She explained.
Fangface nodded and laid himself down against his friend.
A few minutes later, as the group was excitedly chattering about their pending rescue, the remaining debris was blown away by a magical force, and in strode a half dozen Wonderbolts, two of which carried a stretcher. They glanced around and quickly spotted Flash, running towards him while the group brushed past them to safety.
"Don't move him!" Tulle yelled, just as they were about to pull him up. She pointed towards the metal, and then his leg. They realized the problem immediately and backed off.
"We need to do this extremely delicately you two got it?" She ordered, and they nodded.
"Alright, I need you two ready to dress his wound immediately after I lift this debris, the artery might be cut so you need to work fast," She ordered.
They glanced at each other and shuddered, grasping his leg to hold it firmly in place against the metal. One of them seemed to notice the other half of his leg, and quickly glanced away. It was nothing more then a burnt piece of flesh, and lay under a pile of rocks. There was no hope for it now, even if the upper leg hadn't been so badly burned.
"He's lucky you happened to be here," He noted.
Tulle gritted her teeth and focused all of her magic on the metal, Fangface meanwhile held his friend. While she lifted the metal] , which took an incredible amount of energy, she noticed another uniformed pegasus standing near the tunnel entrance. Ignoring this, she set herself on her task and the metal began to glow blue. Soon it was lifted enough that the remains of the soldiers upper leg could be pulled out.
"Pull him out," She ordered.
The two pegasi immediately dragged him forward, and Tulle released a sigh of relief when she noted no blood coming from the soldiers leg. They quickly dressed the wound with a roll of bandages, and rolled him onto the stretcher, quickly running out with him, Tulle followed but was stopped by the mare at the tunnel entrance. She seemed rather distraught, and Tulle realized who she was.
"We can take it from here," She said.
"You're his mother," Tulle said.
She nodded. "I'm Captain Northstar, and yes, Flash Sentry is my son. When I heard Baltimare was under attack I made sure to come find him- I never expected this," she lamented.
She put a hoof on Tulle's shoulder and looked at her warmly. "I owe you my thanks miss, what's your name?"
"Lieutenant Tulle Gras, 48th Medsupport," Tulle replied.
Northstar nodded. "We're both lucky you happened to be here, isn't the 48th based in Canterlot?" She asked, and led Tulle up through the tunnel.
"I was on leave, was hoping for a peaceful few days watching the ships.." Tulle replied.
Northstar glanced back, "I'll write to Canterlot and see you get your leave extended," She offered.
Tulle shook her head. "No, I think it's clear now that I've got a job to do," She replied.
The two came out of the tunnel and into the ruined subway line. The evening light streaming in through the dust. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust, and as soon as they did she found a stunning scene. They were standing in a floor of the hotel, which was now at a 90 degree angle, and with a subway car in it. Tulle finally got a good look at Northstar. Her uniform was capped with three stars on each shoulder, and a dozen or so medals on her chest. She had the same blue mane as her son, with a bright orange coat. Her face wore the wrinkles of a lifetime of service and worry.
"It's like this all over, they're already calling it 'Black Friday.' Northstar said, gesturing upwards, and then turning to Tulle.
"Well, as trite as it might seem- hop on my back and let's get out of here," She offered, and flapped open her wings.
Tulle approached, but was unsure. It wasn't that she couldn't bear the load, it just felt... weird. She stopped sort and blushed, unsure what to say.
Northstar laughed. "Oh come on, y'know the Saddle Arabians ride horseback all the time, they call it a mounted cavalry." She said.
Tulle was still unsure, but at this point in her life she had seen, and done, stranger things. She leapt over Northstar's back, and just as she grabbed her mane she took flight upwards through what would have been the side window of the hotel. She held on tight, as they rose through and into what used to be the street.
Tulle wanted to close her eyes, but the view from out here was astonishing. Smoke rose from dozens of different places all around, covering the sky in an orange haze. Northstar directed her flight up towards a giant silhouette in the distance, while Tulle swallowed her fear and peered back down at the city. Most of the roads, and quite a few buildings nearby, had fallen into sinkholes.
"We think they planted bombs in the subway, we haven't seen any Griffons though, only a few dozen armed ponies! Fleet took care of them!" Northstar shouted over the howl of the wind.
"Ponies?!" Tulle asked.
"I don't get it either, I'm sure the Night Guard will figure it out!"
Northstar burst through the smoking shroud of the city into the cleaner air above, and for the first time in her life Tulle beheld the H.M.S Magnificent. Around it were plenty of airships that would have been sights on their own, but the flagship was amazing. There was more steel in it then most of the rest of the nation combined.
"She really is a sight isn't she?!" Northstar shouted. Tulle was in such awe she didn't even hear her.
Northstar pitched upwards, Tulle responding by holding her ever harder. She flew over the side and onto the deck, Tulle still clutching her when she landed amongst the city like structures of the ships superstructure.
Northstar closed her wings, and turned her head to look at Tulle. She burst out laughing when she saw her shivering form clutching her like a foal.
"We're uh, we're here," Northstar said.
Tulle quickly dismounted and glanced away, desperately trying to hide how awkward she felt. She trotted over to the edge and beheld the nation in a way she never had before, the view seemed to go on forever. If she squinted she could even see Canterlot gleaming in the far, far, distance.
"Enjoy the view, we'll be back in Canterlot by morning. If you need anything, I'll be in the medical bay checking on my son," Northstar said, and without pause flew off.
Tulle didn't look back, totally mezmerized by the view. She considered that she must be the first unicorn in a very long time to view Equestria like this. Even the smoke rising from the city below seemed to have a strange beauty to it. Perhaps she could somehow find a transfer up here, the ship seemed more like a city then anything, and she supposed the pegasi would be relieved to have crew from the other races take up roles that didn't require flight.
She made a note to find the Air Martial and speak to her about it, but for now she just enjoyed the view. The ship turned gently towards the gleaming capital in the distance, and Tulle sat to enjoy the voyage. Something buzzed past her and she glanced back to see the changeling friend of the soldiers frantically chasing after Captain Northstar, probably anxious to make sure his friend was okay. Tulle thought about checking on him herself, but the pegasi surely had it under control themselves. She was here if they needed her.
The Air Martial was in her quarters, going over her report of today's events. The situation today had proven one thing- The Wonderbolts needed some sort of ground force attached to them. When the signal had gone out calling an attack on Manehatten they had arrived first, and found to their surprise no enemy fleet. Their ships out patrolling the ocean had been hit by something unknown overnight, but it had long since left. Acting as usual they deployed around the city to protect it- but their only enemies had come from within. Ground fire took down a half dozen fliers before they realized what was going on, and surrounded a group of mysterious ponies in a warehouse. Before Spitfire could get down there, a dozen more were lost in a hasty assault on the building.
So they had leveled it from the air. Brutal, but effective. Five had been found in the ruins, with no signs of who they were or where they came from.
The report outlined all this, concluding that a lack of training for this sort of attack, the thin armour of the Wonderbolts, and the lack of any real stopping power with their crossbows had made this an inevitability.
She sighed, and stared out the window. It was her fault, in the end. She should have seen this coming, but it wasn't wise to dwell on the past. When she got back to Canterlot she would speak with the field martial and ensure this never happened again. Spitifire slipped the report in a folder, stamped it TOP SECRET, and sealed it. Tomorrow would be yet another security meeting. Celestia would naively suggest half measures, the Changeling Ambassador would offer nothing of any use, and General Massé would report another neighborhood secured in Baltimare. The usual. If she was lucky, Princess Luna would be there to negate her sisters naivete.
Spitifire didn't disrespect Celestia, but she was a leader of peace. What they needed now was a leader that knew war, and Princess Luna knew war. There was a secret in the archives, buried under a thousand years of triviality. That secret was simple, and if you paid attention to what exactly had happened a thousand years ago there was only one conclusion- Luna had won. Her forces were superior to anything Celestia had, and she had routed them on the field a half dozen times before confronting her sister in the castle. Only the elements had saved her.
Leaving the folder on her desk beside the Saddle Arabian passport one of the wounded soldiers in the city had been found with- a curious item that she anxiously wanted to speak with the soldier about, but he was in no condition; she departed her quarters and entered the bridge. Northstar was with her son, so it was left to Spitfire to helm the great ship. Of course, she could always call up a replacement, but the feeling of power that came with controlling such a vast vehicle was unparalleled and, frankly, relaxing. The regular bridge crew was replaced with a group of cadets, after the battle Spitfire had ordered them to get some rest. A few of the stations, notable comms and flight control, remained empty unless they were in battle. Those functions could be served elsewhere on the ship, and they only served to relay to the bridge during battle. Grabbing the wheel, she gently turned the ship to the south west- towards Canterlot. As soon as it had settled she gently nudged the engine order telegraph forward to cruising speed. A few seconds later the ship smoothly moved forward, leaving the pickets behind as planned. They would watch it for a day or so until the legion arrived to take control. She sat back in the helm chair, and watched the country go by as the sun disappeared behind them.
In a few weeks they would finally have the griffons off the continent, and then the real fighting would begin. This was, of course, assuming the Legion kept to the schedule.
Spitfire was smart enough to know that never happened.
Stats
Page generated in 0.019 seconds
Total duration
730 users online
1,001,161 hits today, 1,996,409 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Think you left out a "were" there.
Well! I didn't expect that! Very interesting.
hid
Why do I suspect that this may be trouble?
I like Fangface.
There's a subtle thing I've been noticing about your dialogue sometimes that I thought I'd point out to you. You very frequently do this there where a character says something, then says something else that is a complete and total change in subject matter, and would probably be a complete and total change in tone as well. It helps to make things flow better if you signify that change by breaking up the two statements at least slightly. Nobody says "Princess Luna might be exactly what we need. Now let's get to work." without even pausing. Consider something like
This is a style thing, but I think it would help your dialogue flow better, to be aware of the subject changes and not run them together.
Aha!
Not actually sure what "lifed" there is?
Another great chapter, and I really edge-of-my-seat one too, tbh. I like what you're doing with Flash, he's turning into a very interesting character. And this was awful on him, but authors are always awful to the best characters. (Being awful to one's characters is way more fun than it should be.
)
4126764 Corrections correct, I'm gonna have upgrade you to a supporting editor credit or something dang son.
I originally had her heating the metal to cauterize the metal, then later just lift it. I guess I somehow left bits of both dangit.
Re-reading these with you watching has made me realize a great many things I've forgotten, the most obvious one being that dog way back when.
Flash was an interesting thing. I originally had him as some background window dressing, and then I needed somepony to be in that signals room. Who better then Flash, with his dead end career? Building something out of nothing is something I quite enjoy.
6271358
One of my goals in working this was to make Flash into a war hero- and a war hero has scars.
The hero part means those scars make them better.