Humans V
Research Log 4/05
Following the Human Twilight’s kidnapping, we’re now on our guard more than ever. All our parents are worried and are discussing sending us over to Equestria for the summer. This could end up being a real hindrance on our research, but I’m fairly certain that we can make progress even under such conditions. And even if we can’t, I’m pretty sure my magic can negate any parental authority from the Apples.
Tonight, Twilight and I will be attempting to improve Twilight’s original designs on a magic tracker and extractor, with hopes that this one will be easier to control. Hopefully, if we can boost the signal we can find a source of magic that isn’t the portal or a living thing.
Princess Twilight Sparkle and her children had barely stepped through the portal before Rarity snatched her up and shoved her into her car, driving her to Carousel Boutique. As soon as they were there she was placed on the fitting stand while Rarity took her measurements.
“Are you sure this is necessary?” the Princess asked.
“Oh yes. In fact, Flash’s family asked me to fit you in something nice. Not as fancy as your prom dress, but it is something they wanted you to get dressed up for. They even offered to pay.”
“Well, if they insist.”
“They do. Now come on, this is your first date, and you’re meeting his family. I don’t know how things work in Equestria, but that's a big deal on Terra.”
“Well, it is in Equestria too,” the Princess answered, as Rarity took the last of her measurements. Of course, this time it was more efficient, as Rarity was levitating the tape measure and her notebook all at once.
With a mutter of “How’d I live without this?”, Rarity levitated a simple black dress with frills at the bottom. “Try this on. Then, I have something for Starlight and Spike.”
The Princess nodded. “So, where are the others?”
Rarity smiled. “All doing their parts. The other you is locked up in her lab, trying to figure everything out. Sunset’s with her, since Shining Armor and Cadance don’t want her to be alone and they figured Sunset could protect her best. Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash are having a study session.”
By this point, Twilight had stripped down her original outfit and packed it away. With a bit of levitation she slipped the dress over herself. She fidgeted with it, looking at herself in the mirror. “I hope I look good.
“It looks wonderful, Darling,” Rarity said. “And at any rate, you shouldn’t worry. Flash already decided he loves you.”
“You look really pretty, Princess,” Starlight said, causing Twilight to blush.
“Aw, thank you, sweetheart. And I’m sure the dress she’s making you will look just as pretty.”
“Oh, indeed. Just let me finish the touch ups on this dress and I’ll get to yours.” She looked over her work. “Darling... are you nervous?”
Twilight took a bet. “A bit. I never dated before... but I’m sure I could do it.”
Rarity gave Twilight an odd look at her sudden change in attitude, but she caught on quickly. “Starlight, could you go into the other room and fetch my spare tape measure?”
“Yes Miss Rarity,” she said. As soon as she left, Rarity turned to her customer. “You can tell me now. Starlight’s not around for you to undermine yourself in front of.”
Twilight gave a grateful smile. “What if I mess up? This might be my last chance for someone who I know likes me for me, and not because I’m a princess.”
“Darling, relax. I’m sure that if his parents can accept you’re a pony, nothing else will bother them. Trust me, it’s going to be a peaceful evening.”
The Apple Family living room was unusually full that night. Of course, that’s to be expected when the parents of seven children gathered around. Eleven in total: Jonathan Apple and his wife Jonagold, Igneous and Cloudy Quartz Pie, Cookie Crumbles and Hondo Flanks, Rainbow Spectrum and her husband Rainbow Blaze, Flutter Heart and her husband Spring Breeze, and Cadance, the only one by herself.
The Apples were gracious enough to serve their guests a few refreshments, but it didn’t take long for the conversation they were all itching to have to start.
“We need to do something about this,” Igneous said. “Our children getting this magic was complicated enough, but now there’s someone who could actually hurt them?”
This got murmurs of agreement.
Jonathan spoke next. “Is there anyway we can stop this magic from coming? Maybe if our kids don’t have it...”
“I’d hate to burst your bubble, but the Princess told us they couldn’t do that. If they could, they’d be doing it already. The last thing they want is to force a change, and introducing magic is a big one” Cadance said.
“Then we should fall back to what we were talking about,” Spectrum said. “We should send our kids to this other world until things cool down.”
“We don’t know anything about this other world, is it even safe?” Hondo asked.
“A Princess is taking them there, it has to be safe,” Spring said.
Cadance spoke again. “The Princess assured us that Twilight would be in good hands once we agreed to send her there. Shining Armor and I were invited to take a tour of the Princess’s castle soon anyway.”
Jonagold looked around. “Where is your husband?”
“He was called on duty at the last minute. He’s working late tonight, but rest assured we’re on the same page when it comes to Twilight.”
“And are there any threats in this new world?” Igneous asked. “We know next to nothing about it. All this magic came from that world, it’s bound to have more troubles that not.”
“Has the Princess told you anything about the dangers of Equestria?” Cloudy Quartz asked, turning her gaze toward Cadance.
The Principal of Crystal Prep shifted a bit. “During our dinner a few weeks ago, she mentioned dragons, and she said she had protected Equestria from a few threats. But wherever they’re sending them, it will be safer than where people are actively targeting them.”
“I’d like to ask Princess Twilight a few things,” Flutter Heart said. “Do you think we can contact her tonight?”
“I’m afraid not,” Cadance said. “She has an engagement that simply can’t be broken.”
Flash was already there when Twilight walked out of Boutique in her new dress. Starlight was holding her hand, now clothed in a simple pink dress, while Spike was tucked under her other arm, wearing a small red bow tie.
Flash smiled. “M’lady,” he said. “Lovely as always.”
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” Twilight said, although she was still blushing. “I’ve got nobles trying to flirt with me daily.”
“Well, I’ll have to step up my game, won’t I?” the boy grinned.
Spike rolled his eyes. “Oh, brother.”
Twilight playfully tightened her grip on him. “You’re even worse when you flirt with Rarity,” she said. She was pretty sure Spike would be blushing, if dogs had the ability.
Flash chuckled, then turned to Twilight’s younger charge. “And you must be Starlight.”
“Um, yes,” the girl said, moving closer to Twilight. “Are you the Princess’s special somepony?”
“I guess I am... but with humans, it’s special someone.” He smiled. “Twilight tells me you’re a star student.”
Starlight blushed. “Um, I do my best.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You get very high marks on all your assignments.”
The young girl blushed again, burying her head in Twilight’s side.
“Well, we better get moving. My parents have dinner waiting.” He opened the back door of his car, motioning for Twilight to put her children in. She first sat Spike down, who managed to buckle himself in without help. Starlight tried to do the same, and succeeded after a few tries.
Twilight gently closed the door and turned to find Flash holding the passenger door open.
“Such a gentlec... er, gentleman,” she said, as she got in.
In seconds they were on the road. Starlight was still amazed by the automatic carriage, but Twilight was used to it by now.
“Your parents remembered to cook all vegetarian, right?”
“Relax. Sunset and Fluttershy helped us set everything up. All veggies, no meat or anything else an Equestrian would find offensive.”
“That’s good. I’m sorry if it’s inconvenient to you.”
“Twilight, we invited you. We should be the ones to accommodate you.”
Twilight smiled. “I’m glad you think so. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to make you give up anything.”
“You’re a little late for that. Sunset forced me to go vegetarian when we were dating. Well, she made it sound like a request, but in retrospect I should have known it was a demand.”
Twilight looked at him. “So... you were already a vegetarian when I met you?”
Flash looked awkward. “Well... no. After we broke up, I might have gone back to eating meat to spite her a bit.” Twilight looked at him. “Okay... the day I broke up with her Ringo and Brawly dragged me to an all-you-can-eat barbeque place and had me eat whole plates while texting Sunset the photos just to tick her off.” He gave a sheepish grin. “Luckily, she didn’t demand it when we started dating, so I could go back to my old diet.”
Twilight giggled, even though the joke was pretty morbid to her.
“What’s barbeque?” Starlight asked.
Twilight’s eyes went wide. “Don’t answer that.”
“Can we really afford to pull them out of school?” Cookie asked. “They’re so close to their senior year, and they have their futures to look forward to.”
“We’ve already spoken with Celestia and Luna,” Cadance said. “They’d be willing to keep them up to date on their schoolwork if we decide to send them to Equestria early.”
“Maybe we’re overreacting,” Jonagold said. “The police have the three that tried to grab Twilight. Maybe they’ve already tracked down the ringleader.”
At that point, Cadance shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah... about that.”
The other parents looked at Cadance with concerned expressions. She went on. “They’re all dead. The one that was taken to the station hung himself in his cell... at least, that’s what it looks like. The police aren’t sure. The one Rainbow Dash kicked,” Cadance said, noting Blaze and Spectrum’s proud looks, “died when the nurse treating him accidently gave him the wrong medicine. And the one Flash injured died in an escape attempt when they were trying to transfer .”
“That’s way too convenient,” Jonathan said.
Cadance nodded. “That’s what Shining Armor thinks, and most of the police force is thinking it too. They’re looking into it, but I don’t think we should count on them catching the ones that did this anytime soon.”
The group arrived at Flash’s house with no difficulties. As they walked up the walkway, Starlight tripped. Flash was the one who caught the child’s free hand, helping Twilight pull her to her feet.
“Still having trouble?” Flash asked gently. Starlight blushed but nodded.
“Don’t feel bad, sweetheart. It took me a while to learn how to walk on two legs.” She led her charge by one hand, Flash taking the other. “You’ll get it before long.”
With that, Twilight turned her attention back to Flash’s house. She nearly stopped dead at the reminder of where they were and what they were doing hit her.
“Don’t be scared,” Flash said. “My parents will love you, and your kids.”
Twilight blushed, as did her children. “I... you’re right. I’m a princess. I can’t let something as little as this get to me.” She took another step forward... and felt her knees buckling again.
Flash could only grin as they got to the door. “Well, this should be fun.”
Before Flash could put his key in the door, it opened, revealing a woman. She was immediately identifiable to Twilight as Flash’s mother, Twinkle, if for no other reason than sharing her son’s blue hair upon her white frame. She lit up on seeing Twilight.
“Your Highness! I’m glad you could make it.”
The Princess blushed. “Just Twilight, please,” she said, stopping the woman before she could bow. “I hardly let anyone at home call me that.”
“If you insist,” Twinkle said, turning your attention to the dog tucked under her guest’s arm. “You must be Spike. Oh, you’re so cute in that little bowtie!”
“Maybe you better let them come in before you embarrass them,” a voice said from behind her.
Twinkle flustered. ‘Of course, where are my manners?” She stepped aside, allowing the small group inside.
Behind Twinkle was a man Twilight immediately identified as Flash’s father, Sturdy Sentry. He stood tall, his back straight in a stance that would have told her immediately that she was dealing with a military man, even if she hadn’t been told through her long chats with Flash. Beside him was a small boy with his father’s black hair and his mother’s white skin. This had to be Flash’s brother, Shining Sentry.
Before Sturdy could say anything, the youngest Sentry was in front of the Princess. “Are you really a princess?”
“Shiny...” Sturdy warned, but Twilight spoke anyway.
“Yes I am.”
“And can you really do magic? Can I see some?”
“Shiny... I’m really sorry, Your Highness...”
Twilight winced at Sturdy Sentry’s words. “Please don’t call me that,” Twilight said. “I really don’t appreciate anyone who knows me well enough calling me that.” She then turned her gaze back to Shiny. “Do you have anything I can levitate?”
Smiling, Shiny reached into the pocket of his nice pants and pulled out a small rubber ball. Twilight got the distinct impression Flash had told his little brother ahead of time that this was the simplest trick she could do.
Twilight released her hold on Starlight and held out her hand and lit it up. In moments the small rubber ball was floating out of Shiny’s palm, much to the young child’s delight. He clapped as the ball orbited around Twilight’s hand.
“Wow! And anyone can do that where you’re from?”
“Well, any Unicorn. It’s a very basic spell,” she said, placing it back in his palm.
“And you must be Starlight!” Twinkle’s voice said, reminding Twilight of her other hosts. Indeed, Twinkle was kneeling down and greeting Twilight’s student at eye level. Starlight leaned in closer to Flash, who was still holding her hand.
“Um, yes. I’m Princess Twilight’s personal student.”
“Aw, you are so cute,” Twinkle said.
“Um, thank you. And thank you for inviting me,” Starlight said, remembering the manners that Twilight had taught her.
“And you’re so polite!” Twinkle said, causing Starlight to blush.
“Come on, Mom, don’t embarrass her yet,” Flash said. “At least let them eat first.”
At that point, Sturdy stepped in for his wife. “That sounds like an excellent idea. The food’s all ready, so why don’t we dig in?”
Aria flipped another page in the book she was reading. It was as boring as a book could get, but hundreds of years trapped on Terra taught her not to be picky with her entertainment. Anything was better than helping Sonata on the mindless video game she was playing.
The door to their living area opened, and a man entered, wheeling a cart with three trays on it. The sirens had gotten use to him, the common black skin and baseball cap over his green hair. “Dinner time, girls!”
Aria felt her stomach growl, so she went over to the dining table. Her book was still in hand, she felt like she was going to be lacking any real conversation.
Her suspicions were confirmed when Sonata said, “Just bring mine over here.”
Aria sat down as the man placed her tray in front of her. “Spaghetti and meatballs with our best sauce.”
Aria nodded a quiet thank you. The man took the second tray over to Sonata.
“Taco. Eat over the tray, don’t give the maids more to do than they have to.”
“Thanks,” Sonata said. She still didn’t take her eyes off the screen.
The man went back to the cart. “Starlight says this is the last meal for about twelve hours. She’s going to run another test.”
This only got grunts to communicate that they understood. Satisfied, the man wheeled his cart out, the final tray still sitting on it.
On the outside, he was joined by two guards, who followed him after they locked the door to the quarters for the well-behaved prisoners. They followed him to the cell where the final, ill-tempered captive resided.
A third guard stood watch. After a brief confirmation, she unlocked the door, allowing them in.
Adagio sat on the bed, her back resting against the corner and her arms wrapped around her legs, curled up in a fetal position.
“Meal time,” the man said. “And you’re going to eat this time.”
Adagio looked at him and uttered two words that had become familiar to anyone who handled her.
The man sighed. “You’ve always got to make this difficult, haven’t you?” He motioned to the guards.
Adagio was kicking and punching before they even got close, but it didn’t matter. Having magic, the kind that could brainwash people besides, meant she had very little in the way of fighting experience, and she was too weak from captivity besides. They had her pinned in no time.
The man returned with a feeding tube. “Tonight’s selection is rice pudding, the same as always. Of course, when you start cooperating, you can have whatever you want, like your sisters...”
At that point, Adagio got her foot free and gave a swift kick. Luckily for the man, it didn’t hit his crotch, where she was aiming, but his side, causing him to cry and drop the tube. He fell to the side, grateful she was barefoot. She had been forbidden shoes after the last time she had kicked someone.
The guards pinned her down, one pulling back her hand to strike her.
“Enough,” a new voice said. Everyone stopped, Adagio included, as Dr. Starlight stepped into the room. She looked at the siren in very much the same way a mother would look at a child that just disappointed her. “Why are you being so uncooperative? Your sisters are behaving themselves, and look how well they’re treated.”
“Yeah, well, I’m nobody’s...”
“You know,” Starlight said, not letting Adagio finish, “we’ve been going easy on you until now, but things can get really unpleasant for you very quickly.”
At that, Adagio got some of her gusto back. “You don’t scare me. None of you has hurt me on purpose since I got here. I’m too valuable for you to risk breaking.”
“So you can be clever. Very good. You’re correct, your body is too valuable to break. However, your mind is expendable. In fact, if your brain was broken, it would make you easier to control. So, I’m giving you one last chance: cooperate, or it’s going to get very unpleasant, very fast.”
Adagio responded by spitting in her face.
As Starlight cursed and wiped the spit from her face, Adagio was pinned back down to the bed. Still, she spoke. “I’m not bowing down to some idiot teenager.”
Starlight glared at her. “I may be a teenager, but I have more brains than you.” She turned to the man who had brought in the meal. “Take the food away, but keep it ready. It won’t be long before she’s ready to eat.”
“And so I got Spike and my cutie mark all on the same day,” Twilight finished her story.
“My, that’s an interesting story,” Sturdy said.
Twinkle smiled. “Well, so you’re pretty and smart,” she leaned over and nudged her son. “Sounds like you got a good one.”
Flash turned all shades of red. “Mom!”
Twilight blushed too, hiding her smile behind her glass. Spike just rolled his eyes.
“So, Starlight, how did you become Twilight’s student?
Starlight look up from her vegetarian lasagna, squirming a little. “The Princess says that’s classified.”
The two parents blinked. “Classified?” Sturdy asked.
Twilight jumped in. “Being my personal student makes Starlight a target. I have a complete blackout on her past for her own safety.”
“Aww, you can’t tell us?” Twinkle asked.
“I should say not,” Sturdy said. “If Gaia’s anything like Terra, than leaking classified information is a no-no, even to family. You know I don’t tell you anything I’m not supposed to.”
Twilight smiled. “Flash told me you were in the military, Mr. Sentry.”
“The key word there is ‘were’,” Sturdy answered simply. “I retired about two years ago. Made it all the way to sergeant. I figured enough was enough and it was time to focus on my family.”
“Ah. So...”
“Oh, relax, I’m not reporting any of this to anyone. No point, I doubt I’d be believed until you are all willing to go public.”
“Hopefully, that will be by the end of the summer,” Twilight said.
Twinkle suddenly jumped. “Oh, you know what? I left something important in my car. Could you excuse me while I get it?”
Twilight said it was okay, and Twinkle left.
Sturdy picked up the conversation. “I always knew my boy would follow in my footsteps. He’s always sticking up for people. Did he tell you that he protected two girls that came out?”
Twilight blinked. “‘Came ou... oh yeah, admitted to being gay? No, he didn’t.”
Sturdy looked confused. “Do you not have homosexuality in Equestria?”
“Oh we do, but we’re beyond it being a big deal. No one needs to ‘come out’ anymore. They haven’t it years.”
Sturdy nodded in approval. “These two girls... what were their names again, Son?”
Flash looked a little embarrassed at his father’s praise, but still answered. “Lyra and Sweetie Drops.”
“Wait... Sweetie Drops?” Twilight asked her boyfriend.
“Yes...”
“...Cream skin, purple and pink hair?”
“That’s right... do you know the other her?”
“Yes, the other her and Lyra. But she calls herself Bon Bon.” Twilight thought. “I guess that’s something I need to ask her about back in Equestria. Anyway, I’m sorry, Mr. Sentry, go on.”
Sturdy brushed it off. “He protected these two from a few homophobes, mostly that big oaf Hoops and those three delinquents... the Diamond Dudes, they call themselves?”
“Yeah, group of punks,” Flash said.
“Yeah. All my boy has to do is look at them and they back down.”
Flash was blushing. “Come on, Dad...”
“And did he tell you about how he saved the other Twilight the other day? Beat three adults down.”
“Rainbow Dash helped,” Flash reminded.
Twilight laughed. “I heard. I guess I know how to find a catch.”
Flash blushed. Twilight blushed too, at her own words, but she didn’t regret them.
“Any word on who those guys were?” Sturdy asked.
“Not yet,” Twilight said. She briefly considered sharing that Sunset had a theory, but decided against it. If she wanted that covered up right now, it was best to do so. “But I’m hoping we can find them and track them down before they hurt anyone.”
“Can we really ask the Princess to take six children for the whole summer?” Cadance asked. “Even taking in Twilight was by invitation.”
“What do you mean six?” Igneous said. “If there’s danger, all four of my children are going somewhere safe. Even Maud still counts on us while she’s in college, she’ll be spending summer where I tell her.”
Jonagold nodded. “We can’t force Big Mac, but Apple Bloom is most certainly being sent off.”
There were murmurs of agreement. It seems every parent had more than one child to worry about.
Cadance sighed. “I understand, but should we at least run this by the Princess first? Sunset has a direct link to her...”
Igneous huffed. “Considering it was her bringing these things here that caused this whole mess, I’d say she best.”
“Now, that’s not very fair,” Tender Heart started to say.
Rainbow Blaze nodded. “Yeah, if this is anybody’s fault, it’s Sunset’s.”
“...Not really what I meant,” Fluttershy’s mother said.
“Now hold on,” Jonathan said, “Sunset’s had a bad past, but putting blame on her isn’t going to accomplish nothin’. She’s such a sweet girl now.”
“Yes well, you’ll forgive me for remembering Rarity refusing to go to school for two weeks thanks to her little election prank,” Hondo said.
“That was the old her,” Jonagold said. “We love Sunset like she was an Apple...”
Cookie opened her mouth, but Cadance knew now was the time to step in.
“Look, I understand that tensions are a bit high, but maybe we should get back to the matter at hand...”
Cookie looked at Cadance, giving a sneer. “You don’t know what it’s like seeing your child get bullied...”
“Actually I do,” Cadance said, with a snap that got the other parents to jump. “And on top of that, I know what it’s like to find out your child’s nearly been kidnapped by people that want to drag her off to who knows where.”
Cookie stammered. “I... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...”
After a moment, Cadance softened. “I know you didn’t, but don’t you dare assume that I care for Twilight any less just because she came from somewhere else. I want to keep her safe, and the best way to do that is to figure out what we should do until these guys get caught. Now, I’m pretty sure we can contact the Princess fairly soon and arrange all this...”
Dessert was served, a vegan approved chocolate cake, and conversation was going on around the table. Spike, who had spent most of the dinner chatting with Shiny, was put into the spotlight again as Twinkle gushed about how cute he was.
“I’ll bet you’re going to grow up so big and strong.”
At this, Spike lost any of his embarrassment at the constant gushing and stood proudly. “Well, I am going to grow up to a great size. Princess Celestia says I’ll live for thousands of years.”
“Oh wow,” Twinkle said. “You’re going to get real big.”
Spike nodded. “I hope so. Well, maybe not for awhile. I don’t want to get so big that I can’t fit in Ponyville anymore.”
“Do ponies live that long?” Shiny asked.
The poor child had no way of knowing how quickly that would bring down the conversation.
“Well, no. Pegasi and Unicorns live about as long as Humans. Earth Ponies can live a few hundred years. And Alicorns like me... well, we live forever.”
Every member of Flash’s family looked at her. Flash himself shifted nervously. He was hoping this subject wouldn’t come up.
“That’s so cool!” Shiny said. “You’re going to live forever? Like, forever and ever?”
It was Sturdy Sentry that understood the implication. “So... that means Flash won’t be your last?”
Flash spoke before Twilight could. “We’ve talked about this before, and I understood what I was agreeing to.”
Twilight picked up. “I’ll remain loyal to Flash his whole life. But afterward... yes, I’ll likely find another.”
Twinkle seemed a bit saddened by this, but nodded. “Yes... I suppose that’s fair. I’m guessing the other Alicorns have already had several partners...”
“Well, Princess Celestia managed to get five in two thousand years...”
“Just five in that long?” Sturdy asked.
Twilight nodded. “Apparently after the first five hundred years you become untouchable, according to most mortals.”
That brought the room to an uncomfortable silence.
Then Shiny spoke up. “Is there any way to make Flash immortal?”
“If he ascends himself, and I’m not even sure it’s possible for a Human to do so. And even if it is, only four... I’m sorry, five ponies in history have managed to do so.”
Twinkle stepped in. “Why don’t we get back on a happier topic? Tell us a little bit about the other Princesses.”
Twilight smiled. “Well, there’s my mentor, Princess Celestia. She taught me everything I know.”
“The other version of Principal Celestia?” Twinkle asked. “She must be fun to learn under her.”
“Yes... we’re very close.”
Flash smiled. “I hope I get to meet her.”
“Oh, believe me, you will. She’s very interested in meeting you.”
“She is?”
“Yes. See, now that I’m immortal, I’ve been adopted into her family, along with Sunset. The meeting with her is just as important as the meeting with my real mom.”
Flash tensed. “I see...”
“Oh, but don’t worry, the Princess is really nice, and welcoming. It’s easy to forget she’s the most powerful pony in existence. I mean, you’d hardly believe this was a pony capable of taking out whole armies with just a few spells.”
Flash tensed further. He didn’t say a word, but his expression said it all.
Oh boy.
Sunset Shimmer worked out a few more calculations as Twilight sat on the other end of the room, putting her latest device together. She was trying to concentrate on her work, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the ones that had tried to kidnap her friend just days previous.
She knew it was her fault.
It had to be the Changelings, there was no other explanation. They had to have been keeping tabs on her ever since she had paid them off for her papers. They had to know magic existed. They had to want to harness it.
Your past may not be today, Sunset, but it seems to have a bad habit of coming back to bite you.
“Sunset?”
The girl in question looked down the table. Spike lay in a basket, staring at her as best he could through the pain medication the vet had prescribed.
“Something wrong, Spike?”
“You seem a little out of it. What’s wrong?”
Sunset smiled, moving a hand to scratch Spike’s ears. “Don’t you worry about me, Spike, there’s just a lot going on that I need to figure out. You just need to concentrate on getting better, okay?”
The dog smiled, but Sunset could see the pain behind it.
“Sunset?”
“Yes?”
“...Is there a magic spell that could make me big and strong?”
Sunset was taken aback. “What? ...Oh, I see.” She began scratching under his chin, getting a look of approval in return. “You want to protect Twilight better, right?
Even Sunset’s cooing couldn’t get Spike to forget his sadness. “Shining Armor always said to protect her...”
“Shining Armor gets a little stupid when it comes to Twilight and boys,” Sunset said. “Believe me, it won’t be too long before Twilight is able to take care of herself. Trust me.”
“I still want to be able to help her. Please tell me there’s something!”
Sunset looked at Spike for a moment. She desperately wished Princess Twilight were here. She was the Princess of Friendship, she’d know what to say to him.
“Spike, I highly doubt there’s any practical way to magically bulk you up. But you know what? The Spike that Princess Twilight has isn’t big and strong either, but he’s still a big help to her. Maybe you just need to find that way to be helpful to her.”
Spike looked unsure. “I...” He didn’t know how to finish.
Sunset scratched him behind the ears. “When we get to Equestria, we’ll try to find that spell. But promise me you’ll think about what I said, okay?”
“...Okay.” The he leaned forward and gave Sunset and affectionate lick. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Now you get some rest, okay?”
Spike lay back down without another word. The pain was obviously getting to him.
After dinner, the group had moved into the living room, where there had been nothing but talk and Shiny asking for more tricks to be performed.
Eventually, it was late, and Starlight was starting to show signs of fatigue, so Twilight decided it was time to go. They said their goodbyes, and Twilight loaded her children into the car.
However, when Flash turned the key, the car sputtered out.
“What the...” He turned the key again. The car sputtered.
“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.
“That’s a good question,” he said, popping the hood of his car and getting out to take a look. Twilight followed. She was curious to see the inside of a car.
“Well let’s see... what? My spark plugs are missing!”
“Spark plugs?” Twilight asked.
“I bet this was Micro Chips. He’s getting back at me for designing those banners...”
“Well, looks like you can’t take Twilight home,” Twinkle said. “She’ll just have to stay the night.”
Twilight blushed at the idea, but Flash kept himself together better. “Are you sure all three of them can fit in the guest room?”
“Oh, Starlight and Spike can stay in the guest room. Twilight can stay in your room.”
That got both of them to blush. “What?”
“Come on, now, you’re both fully grown adults, I can trust you to be responsible and...”
“Where are they?”
Flash’s blunt question caught Twinkle off guard. “What?”
“Where are my spark plugs?”
Twinkle grinned. “Come on, you don’t think I...”
Flash glared at her.
“You honestly think I would...”
Glaring.
“...You think I’ll be happy with two grandkids? You’re eighteen now, you better get busy on that!”
The ride home was quite awkward, to say the least.
“...How do you make grandchildren?”
Twilight tensed at Starlight’s question. “Uh... I’ll tell you when you’re older!”
Flash couldn’t help but laugh.
“You think this is funny, don’t you?”
“A little bit, yeah.”
“Alright then, you can be the one to give them the talk.”
Flash shrugged. “Alright then. Kids, when a man and a woman...”
“Are you really going to do it?” Twilight said.
“Why not? They asked, they’re old enough to know.”
“I’m not sure...”
“I already know.”
Twilight’s eyes went wide at Spike’s confession. “What?”
Spike fidgeted. “Blueblood isn’t exactly discreet whenever he talks about that kind of thing.”
Twilight buried her face in her hands.
“Wait, Blueblood? White skin, blonde hair? He was our last president.”
“I heard. Well, he knows how to play politics. The one in my world at least. I guess I shouldn’t surprised.”
The car came to a stop in front of Canterlot High. There was little talk as Twilight pulled her charges out of the backseat.
“Both of you go through the portal, and tell the Captain Flash not to panic when I don’t come through immediately.”
Starlight tilted her head to one side. “Why? What are you...”
But Spike bit down on her dress and pulled her to the portal. “Just come on. Trust me, it’s nothing you want to see.”
“But..” Starlight’s protests died in her throat, and she went through the portal without protest.
Twilight turned back to Flash, and for a few moments the pair just stood there awkwardly.
“Um... well...”
“I had a great time tonight,” Twilight said. “Even if your mother is a little...”
“Crazy?”
“Silly, I was going to say silly.”
“Twilight, I came to terms with it years ago,” he said.
Twilight giggled. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He blushed as she moved in closer.
“Uh, Twilight...” he stumbled over his words.
“So it looks like Sunset was right, you are a dork to a pretty face.”
Flash blushed deeply. He barely noticed Twilight was blushing as well. She wasn’t used to flirting. She wasn't used to being direct with anyone when it came to romance. But actually having someone to call a boyfriend for a few weeks was giving her a burst of forwardness she had never had before. And tonight had been a good night for the both of them.
It dawned on her that this had been their very first moment alone since that day in Vice-Principal Luna’s office. No one else could see them. Apparently Flash realized this as well, as he placed his arms around her waist. Now was the perfect time.
She didn’t even remember leaning forward. Before she knew it, their lips were touching. She was kissing him. He was kissing back.
They pulled apart, and just looked into each other’s eyes. They both had the biggest, goofiest grins on their faces.
They pulled apart. Twilight, trying to regain grace, put on a sultry look. “I’ll see you around, handsome.”
She walked to the portal. She stopped, and with a sudden burst of daring, turned to blow a kiss at Flash. Then, with a wink, she walked through.
Flash stood there for a moment.
“...Yes!” He jumped in the air, pumping his fists. Then he turned on one foot and walked back to his car, completely lost in lovesickness.
This was the perfect night.
Dr. Starlight opened the door to Adagio’s cell. The siren was strapped to her bed with four point restraints. She walked over and carefully removed the noise canceling headphones, causing her to gasp through her gag. The blindfold came off next, followed by the gag. Adagio was shaking.
“Well?”
“Y-you think one night is going to be enough to break me?”
“One night? It’s only been about an hour and a half... maybe closer to two hours.”
Adagio’s eyes widened. “Wh- what?” Her expression changed from shock to fear when she realized Starlight had seen the reaction she had been hoping for.
“Now, you see what fighting us gets you? Now, if you just say you’re sorry, I’ll unhook you and you can have a nice dinner.”
Adagio tried to spit at Starlight, but her mouth was too dry, so she settled on her favorite expletive.
Starlight shoved the gag back into her mouth. Despite Adagio’s thrashing, it went in quickly, followed by the blindfold. She spoke then.
“You know, my superiors would rather there be three healthy test subjects, but that won’t matter if one doesn’t cooperate. So they might let me use more extreme methods. I have a feeling your latent magic might come out if you experience duress, and there’s all kinds of ways we can do that. Electric shocks, ice baths, a good old-fashioned beating. So I’d think long and hard about whether or not resisting us is worth it.” She smiled as she saw Adagio’s face tighten in fear. Just before she slipped the headphones back on, she added, “This time, it really is going to be all night.”
She didn’t leave until she saw what she wanted: tears leaking from the bottom of Adagio’s blindfold.
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Wow, the human Starlight is just as much of a bitch as the one from the Season 5 premiere (AND most of the season finale, as well!).
And people wonder why I still hate her.
Reformed, or not.
Oh, for God's sake! The Sirens should NOT have to go through all this! That's just... I don't like them and even I feel they're in need of help.
Also, I loved Flash's family. Really should have thought that one through, Twinkle.
Lots and Lots of tension buildup this chapter. When I read the part about Flash's mom going out to the car I didn't even consider that she might be performing some sabotage in the name of matchmaking, but rather thought that something was going to happen to her...
Ill admit I'm happy to hear It wont be getting any darker then this, I like this story as it is and Im glad to hear it wont be going into dark territory.
"World-Building, the chapter"
But it was good! Keep me hooked!
...the reassurance that the ending scene is the darkest the story will get is a huge relief for me. Much darker, and I might have to bail, and I love this story otherwise.
Looks like Flash wasnt kidding when he said his mom wanted grandkids.
I want that to happen, and not just for the romance thing; there are all sorts of different reasons.
Also, glad to know that everyone's parents are in the loop about magic. They deserve to know what's happening with their kids and the dangers that come with it.
As for Twilight's diet, and I'm just putting this out there, I generally prefer the idea that she ate meat during her first time on Terra without even knowing what it was, and ended up liking it even after she discovered what it was, reasoning that animals on Terra lack the sapience the ones on Gaia supposedly have, so it's okay. This is mostly because of Justice3442, who handled the subject with delightfully hilarious results.
So worth the wait! I thought the date went smooth with us learning about Flash's family and even getting a funny scene of Flash's mom trying to get Princess Twilight to stay for the night.
Although, in this story, Flash has a little brother named Shining Sentry? I hope readers don't confuse him for Twilight's brother, Shining Armor.
I still think in my Head-Canon of the show, that little colt that looks like an Earth Pony version of Flash with a baseball and bat for a Cutie Mark is Pony Flash Sentry's little brother (First Base, according to MLP wiki). (Picture below is fanmade)
orig05.deviantart.net/aaca/f/2014/063/9/6/flash_sentry_and_first_base_by_dm29-d78r75r.png
If anything happens in the show that confirms or denies it, I'll change my Head-Canon accordingly.
And while this backstory about Flash and his family in this story contradicts other fanfics about Human Flash Sentry, I still love all of them, mostly for actually doing something with the character.
And I also like how the parents of the Humane 7 discuss the option of sending their children to Equestria early if it means protecting them.
An interlude chapter next time? Cool! Who's it going to be about? Let me be surprised.
Ok I'm not really a FlashLight shipper but I do like this story and how adorable Starlight is.
The young one not the ine who's mentally and physically torturing the Dazzlings.
This chapter was worth the wait! My favorite parts were Flash and Twilight and having dinner with his family. They all seemed nice, and I love how Flash's mom tried that trick at the end. First kiss between Flash and Twilight yes! Now to wait and see what the parents will ultimately decide for their kids, and what's going to happen to Adagio once Starlight is done with her. If another Interlude chapter is next I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say it will be Puppy Spike's chapter, I've been looking forward to that one and it seems appropriate now.
I did see a few typos though.
Not should be now.
I think you missed the t on out.
I cannot wait for the next update!
So who's going to be the subject for the next Interlude chapter?
Hey there. Thanks very much for getting this next chapter up. I really appreciate you going to the effort. As usual, splendid job on the exchanges, emotional content, humor and future chapter set-up in all the right places. And I have to admit, you did a great job getting me to feel sorry for the Dazzlings. And why do I sense the possibility of a future "Other Me Scares/Annoys Me" scene between Human Starlight and her filly counterpart? If I spoiled anything on that sensing, I profusely apologize and I still look forward to more of this as soon as time and inspiration will allow.
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To address your diet idea, I'm fine with the idea of Twilight and all other ponies being vegetarian since that is the most common idea, but one of my favorite authors MythriMoth has pointed out that horses and ponies are omnivores. They mainly eat things like hay, and vegetables but can still sparingly eat meat as well, not all the time but every now and then. It isn't common knowledge but something I can accept, especially since it makes assimilating into the human world easier that way.
Lots of discussion this chapter. It's nice to meet the parents of the HuMane Seven, and I can imagine with how serious of an issue their children have gotten caught up in, they'd want to sit down and talk. It's also easy to imagine that they still can't forgive the other girls for hurting their respective child like Sunset did to Rarity in her bid to be princess of the Fall Formal.
I'm glad that we could check back in with the Dazzlings. While Aria and Sonata are being treated much better, it seems Adagio still hasn't cracked. Good for her to stay strong in the face of Starlight and the Changelings. Even though the HuMane Seven beat them, it's heartwarming that she's not cracking and spilling everything she knows to these horrible people.
Love Flash's family, even if I'm not too crazy about the name of Flash's little brother. It could get confusing if there's Shining Armor and Shining Sentry.
This was a really interesting update, and I look forward to seeing what the parents decide to do with their children.
Also, I'd like to note how coincidental it is that a nurse "accidentally" gave one of Sci-Twi's almost abductors the wrong medicine. Hmm...
Cute date night, as well as bringing up some of the... details about dating a princess from another world (an immortal demigoddess princess at that). Though Flash's mother is crazy, but guess many parents do want grandkids.
Interesting to see the the different ways the parents react to the threat to their kids (Princess Twilight might end up with a lot more guests, though she would probably be willing). As well as their opinions on Sunset (not like she needs more guilt trips). Considering what happened to the "witnesses", maybe it would be better to rush everyone off to Equestria. And ouch, Adagio isn't nice, but she doesn't deserve that. No matter what the world, Starlight is really crazy, huh?
I hope the preparations are done soon, things would get really crazy if they sent all the kids to Equestria. Hopefully they can reach the portal in time, considering they seem to be up against someone with connections. With all this conspiracy talk, I almost forget that human Twilight might have a meltdown too soon.
I can't even tell whether Twilight is oblivious or trolling.
"I could show you how to be strong, in the re-al way..."
I kept being certain that something was going to go wrong during the Princess's state of relative vulnerability on her date, like one or both of Flash's parents happening to be in league with the changelings. But I suppose you already used that one back in Families.
Clever red herring with Twinkle, if that was how it was meant.
Also glad that you didn't ratchet up the drama too much with the other parents; their viewpoints are all quite understandable, but they should know that infighting and screwing up the kids' situations even more is not what they need right now. Looking forward to the mass "field trip", and wondering if it might jump-start some magic in the rest of the family....
Dr. Starlight is younger than I pictured. And I don't even know whether or not I want her to be redeemed somehow; it doesn't feel entirely impossible, this being the world it is, but at the same time she works as a foil for her filly self.
I love how even the narration wants Twilight to officially adopt Spike and Starlight.
Okay, yeah, death is too nice for HumanStarlight and all her coconspirators. Polymorph them all into frogs, make them immortal and donate them to the nearest high school's biology program as reusable bisection props.
Or tie them to an inflammable pole with magically warded inflammable rope, and set a nonfatal but extremely painful eternally burning fire at their feet.
Or trap them in Dark Souls with saves disabled and watch them die again and again and again, feeling every death as if it were real... And they finally complete Dark Souls 1 only to immediately start Dark Souls 2... And so on.
Or, y'know, have Fluttershy bribe a bunch of cockatrices to petrify them, and display them as morbid garden gnomes. But where's the fun in that?
On the subject of ponies eating meat, a lot of the stuff I've seen online suggests that they might occasionally take a bite of something you've got with meat in it. Some cultures feed meat products mixed in with their regular feed to increase protein intake. So it's probably safe to say that if you held up a hamburger in front of a horse, you've got a 50/50 chance the horse will sniff it, and casually munch on it. But their digestive system really isn't built for it. The meat probably just flushes out for the most part.
While it isn't something they should eat, if Starlight did sneak a bite of someone's hamburger just to see what all the fuss was about, it wouldn't be an immediate emergency or anything. It might be a social scandal on the Equestria side, however. But that's a totally different kettle of fish...
Addendums:
-It's fascinating to see your deliberate variations on headcanon and backstory both between your various verses and between the pony and human worlds within them. Here, most obviously, we have Princess Twilight taking Princess Celestia as a surrogate mother alongside her biological one, while with Sci-Twi's mother dead and her not knowing Principal Celestia all that well, her mother figure is now Cadance, while Princess Twilight appears to see Princess Cadance as a sister.
-I was initially able to laugh off that bit with Twinkle as a joke, but that was kind of disturbing. Even if she wasn't trying to force the process of Twilight and Flash getting physically intimate (as her dialogue made it sound), messing with someone's car and trying to get someone else to stay with you under false pretenses is something more fitting of a psychological thriller. Or maybe Ranma 1/2. (Fair warning if i feel any trope edits are necessary for it.)
How connected is this to "Through the Mirror"? It almost seems like your two stories take place in the same continuity.
7287990 He said before that they weren't connected at all.
That was a fun date.
Now I'm looking forward to the car chase scene where Flash drives like hell to escape the mob.
"See, the problem with round-the-clock torture is you can't really step it up from there." "Is that what you think?"
Is anyone else seeing Adagio Deadpool, or have I just seen that movie a few dozen times too many...
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I think i should come to the question from another angle - where would such an immortal as the one you are describing come from?
What sort of creature it would even be?
"Just a timeless human"? Where would that immortal learn morality, ethics and how to care about the world?
MLP at first did it alright - with Twilight (and Cadence if you want) as an example, she is the same species as her people, she lived among them, learned their woes, what makes them tick, how to relate to people and have build up a reputation and people relate to her. Then she ascended and is now an immortal ruler, having been groomed into the role.
This story assumes that Celestia and Luna are same, except they got into leadership positions by virtue of their immense divinely provided power, resulting achievements (defeating Discord and cleansing Chaos' influence from the land) and then managed from there, with maybe some guidance (again from outside divine power).
I can't really use Celestia and Luna as an example, we don't know too much of the history to get it right - for example - how exactly the Nightmare Moon incident has gone - maybe it was an internal war instead of just a clash of two titanic rulers?
How beneficial Celestia's rule has been - was it a steady progress in a Golden Age (Millennium) of Equestria or constant endless struggle, strife and rebuilding with barely any progress made as she barely managed to keep the tribes together, having to constantly guard against threats internal and external (Tirek's rampage comes to mind)?
History isn't repeating itself. It works in cycles, correct, but i don't remember humanity having to deal with global warming already a long time ago.
"Planet raping" is too loose and sensationalist a term to use, but as a result of humanities progress after industrial revolution and resulting boom in population, we have to learn how to minimize our presence and how to better live with the nature, if only so as not to destroy ourselves. Planet itself will be fine, it will rebuild or rather regrow, just like it did after all the other world-shattering disasters (Asteroid collision, i look at you), it is us who are doomed if we destroy our habitat environment either through war, over-exploitation or global warming
P.S. Minor edits
the Changelings and Starlight are the least believable part of this fic and I hope they collapse like a house of cards when some pressure is put on them
Human Starlight studied at the feet of Donald E. Cameron, it seems.
This is how you make Adaigo into Deadpool.
...okay Human Starlight has some serious problems...
Ho boy, not saying what human Starlight's doing to Adagio isn't bad, but I was expecting her to get a lobotomy. Kinda glad to see she isn't quite that cruel...least not yet.
Only five ever!
Just remember. You have to be tutored by an important magical person and be a magical powerhouse in order for harmony to choose you. Because of your great virtue and knowledge, and totally not because you were born better than everyone else and had a special childhood.
I'm being coy but what I'm saying is that, in this setting, Starlight is arguably part right about the equality and chosenness thing.
Yeah... I’m sure Celestia would be able to bag more than 5 blokes/gals, even if she had to use transformation magic and keep things casual.
While the date was precious and the parent talks were good, the Dr Starlight moments here gave me rage and an icky feeling to my core. Woman has ISSUES.