Fixing Flashlight

by Neroson40

Regret

Ever say something someone special to you and instantly hate yourself for it? Yeah, that’s the best way to describe those three words, that “Who are you” that I said to her. I thought the shock would never stop registering based on her face. Then when it did, the tears just fell off her chin.

“Ah, Sweet Celestia!” I said with very little context to who that was. “I’m so sorry! I just… okay, go ahead and hit me.”

“I don’t want to hit you,” She said. “But why would you say that?”

“Your Shining Armor’s sister, aren’t you?” I asked. When she nodded I continued. “I had to ask him my name.” that seemed to clear things up a little.

“So you have no idea who I am?”

“Not enough to go by anyway, I did see you in a dream… but that’s it.” Everything was quiet. Nothing, not even a bird chirping outside, seemed to break it. Then without any explanation, she turned to leave. “Wait!” I said. But when she did my mind was swimming with things I wanted to ask, like what put me here in the infirmary, what I meant to her, were we friends or something? But I just asked her name.

“Twilight Sparkle,” she said. It was obvious by the tone that she was choking back a sob. I hated myself even more at that point. Making Twilight Sparkle come all this way to find out that I had no memory of her, and then making her cry by reminding her of it… I had to be one of the worst colts in Equestria… why was it that common knowledge was coming back to me more easily than my own name? I just sat there in my bed, waiting for the sadness I felt towards the recent conversation to just go away… but it didn’t, it just festered in me, growing bigger and heavier on my heart.

When Shining did come in that day, I couldn’t look at him. I was sure he’d put me back in here for hurting his little sister and then yell at her for forcing her way into my room. He tried to start a conversation with me, only succeeding when he mention my mare-friend.

“Mare-friend!?” I said in shock. I was afraid that he was going to say it was somepony other than Twilight, but he eased my worries in one sentence.

“My sister, Twily. Don’t call her that though she gets mad when anypony but me calls her that.” At the mention of his sister, I looked away.

“I’d be surprised if she still liked me.” I said, deciding to tell him about what happened earlier. “I kinda made her cry.”

“What happened?” I told him the entire thing, about how she forced her way past the doctor, how I asked her who she was, and how I still harbored this guilt towards the entire experience. At that last part I started to cry. “Hey, hey, there’s no shame in what you did, if it were me and my wife, I wouldn’t have done it too differently.”

“Don’t lie!” I said.

“I’m not lying!” we were quiet for a minute, then. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled.”

“Definitely got your point across though,” I laughed.

“Heh, yeah,” Shining said. “Tell you what, When you get out of here I’m sending you to Ponyville with my sister.”

“Where’s Ponyville?”

“C’mon dude, it’s the town you grew up in! The place where you were recruited!”

“So what, your giving me an Honorable Discharge?” I asked kinda mad.

“No, you’re being stationed in her kingdom as a starting line of defense.”

“Why?”

“Nopony knows you better than her right now, get to know her and you might get to know you.” This thought made me a little happier, because I could also make up for that little bit of trouble we had. I told him I’d like that, and when it was settled I waited. For the doctor to release me, then for the news to reach my room. Then somehow the thought got into my head that I could not get the news that I was going to Ponyville. Maybe whoever was higher up than Shining Armor would say that I was needed here, in the Crystal Empire. The dread I felt skyrocketed and I was starting to physically feel ill. I was brooding in my room only leaving when ordered to for training and just barely getting by then. The only thing that kept me alive was Twilight. She’d come every day to training and watch me, mostly with a look of sadness. Couldn’t blame her, I didn’t remember her, the one pony she liked didn’t even remember her. Finally, Col. Shiner came to my room with a piece of paper in his mouth. He put it on the bed.

“Congratulations Sentry, you’ve been promoted.”

“Promoted?” I said dumbly. He gestured to the paper and I read it. When I finished I was confused. “Sir! There has to be some mistake!” I said.

“None to be found,” He said. “Largest leap in the ranks I ever saw, and to top it off your being stationed in Ponyville.”

“I can’t be- I mean- This leap is personal! It can’t be legal!”

“No it’s not, we switched you to the petty officers behind your back, and you out matched all of them.” I couldn’t believe it.

“But I wasn’t feeling well during the training!”

“General Glimmer wanted to see how you’d do under those conditions, and you barely did any worse.”

I couldn’t wrap my head around the strings that Flash pulled. When I woke up with Amnesia, I was a private. Now I was a Master Chief!

Comments

[SageBrony07]

This is an interesting story. I love reading about amnesia. I can't wait to read what happens next in this story. Good luck. Instant Favorite.

[RadicalDishonesty]

Let's see with... the Military ranks at this point, the first problem is that Flash is still a Private even though he joined when he was 10. Even at a very young estimate putting him at only 16 years old, assuming that ponies reach adulthood earlier than humans, he'd still probably at least be Corporal, if you're going by similar to American systems. He'd either have to be highly incompetent or the system would have to be extremely different from modern militaries (where you are pretty much promoted to a certain level, or you move on to civilian life, as far as I understand), for him to not be promoted.

Then... straight to general? You should probably start him at a lower officer rank, if a "big leap" is what you're looking for, and the promotion from an enlisted member to an officer is indeed a big deal in a military career.

Not that I'm even anywhere near the most qualified to describe these kinds of things in this fandom.

[Neroson40]

5127222 Need I remind you that you were warned that I know Nothing of the Military!? And it was supposed to be a big leap! plus i though Recruit came before private, so there's that.

[Devildogg20]

5128175 don't mean to be a jerk, but everyone starts off a private, but only in boot camp, when they graduate, If no special rankis achieved the they are private first class