The Ballad of Flash Sentry

by Z-blade Gracin

Chapter 7: Flash Sentry

After taking his son to a place in the courtroom where they could talk privately, Golden Rocket looked at his Solstice with piercing eyes.

“What…did you think…you were doing?” he said in a low and precise voice.

Solstice was beginning to feel frightened.

I—I just—!”

“I asked you not to testify today!” his father exclaimed almost in a whisper. “I practically begged you not to! And you went ahead and did it anyway!”

Solstice struggled to find the courage within him.

“I—I was just trying to do the right thing…!”

“Was not the right thing not to testify?” Golden said, his voice conveying a sense of desperateness—a desperateness for Solstice to see his point of view. “Was it not the right thing to prevent this family from becoming disgraced and destitute? Was this not reason enough for you?”

The young stallion stepped back.

“I—I, uh—!”

His father hung his head and let out a frustrated sigh.

“Look…I understand that you do not want to withhold the truth, but you also have to understand…if the truth had come to light in the trial today, we would have found ourselves with absolutely nothing—no more wealth, no more favorable reputation, no more hope for a prosperous future for you and Clap…! Surely, you can understand that!”

Solstice grunted and shook his head. He had understood clearly what would have happened if he had succeeded, but he also knew that he could not have just stood by and done nothing. That would not have been right! And, as a matter of fact, if he hadn’t intervened when he did, Fleur de Lis would have been sent to jail for a crime that she did not commit!

“Yeah, but—!”

“All that I ask is that you say nothing about it,” his father continued. “It is so simple! All you have to do is forget that all of this had ever happened and we can all move forward with our lives!”

Solstice emphatically shook his head.

"No, Dad! I can't do this! I can't just go on and pretend that everything's all right when it really isn’t! It just isn't right! It isn't honest!"

In that instant, his father stood with dignity, his commanding presence looming over him.

"Son," he said with an authoritative tone, "at this point, it is not a matter of what is right or who is right. Rather, it is a matter of what is one's duty."

Solstice's head instantly retreated backwards.

"Duty…? To what?"

Golden's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why...your duty towards your family, of course."

Solstice gave a shake of his head, his expression puzzled.

"Dad, I would never want our family to be back on the streets or be laughed at—you know that!"

"Then, the answer regarding what you must do should be absolutely clear to you..." his father concluded, his voice suggesting his final words on the matter, "forgive and forget."

Solstice hung his head. Forgive and forget? He already did forgive him and he wanted to forget this whole matter. But there was one thing that was also painfully clear.

"You talk about 'forgiving' and 'forgetting'," he said as he raised his head to look at his father directly in the eyes, "when you, yourself, need to listen to your own advice."

His voice wasn't sharp or condemning in any way. It was calm...as if he was simply telling the truth, no matter how hard it was for his father to hear. He loved his father dearly and, because he loved him, he knew that he had to tell him exactly what he needed to hear. However, this did not mean that his father would receive it the way that it was intended; for no sooner had Golden heard his son's words than his eyes immediately sparked and his nostrils flared.

"What...?!" he breathed out the word like a dragon breathing out smoke.

Solstice felt his voice starting to quiver but he stood his ground.

"Wh-what about you and Fancy Pants? I heard from Mr. Spot On that you did all this just to get back at him for what he did five years ago. Is that ‘forgiving’ and ‘forgetting,’ Dad?”

At that moment, Solstice saw a side of Golden Rocket that he had never seen before—rage…pure rage. He had seen his father angry before, but he had never seen him like this before in his life. The sight almost made him want to run away right then, but he still stood his ground.

“How…dare you…!” Golden spat, the red of his irises starting to glow like hot coals. “How DARE you turn this back on ME! I am not on trial!”

He pounded the floor as he further exclaimed, “They made me do it! They abandoned me when I needed them the most! They resigned all of us to live on the streets of Baltimare for the rest of our lives, and you dare to DEFEND them?!”

Solstice backed away and landed onto the cold, wooden floor. His father’s face was almost touching his and his eyes struck fear into his entire system. Then, his father stopped, took a few more breaths and stepped back, allowing his son to stand. Though Golden’s eyes still glowed, his voice was calmer and his composure more subdued.

“You sound very much like them. I am compelled to warn you that if you continue in this way of thinking, you will be a traitor to this family. You can forget about coming home or seeing any of us ever again. What is it to be, Solstice…them or us?”

Tears formed in the pegasus’s eyes. Was his father really disowning him? Was he really being kicked out?

No—!

He was about to retract his resolve and surrender—to beg for his forgiveness. But then, he remembered why he had intervened in the trial in the first place. He wanted to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences would be. Clap looked up to him for that—and, since the trial, so did other ponies. If he retreated now and cowered to his father’s demands, he would disappoint all of them. More importantly, he would no longer look at himself the same way ever again. He would forever look back on this one moment with regret and wish that he only had enough courage to stand up for what he knew to be right.

He swallowed his tears. One thing was for certain—he was no coward! He would not back down! He would face the consequences, as he had agreed to do.

“Go ahead, Dad,” he replied, his face filled with resolve. “If that’s what it’s gonna be, do what you have to do.”

His father let out a snarl as tears started to appear in his eyes.

“Very well, young stallion…!” he sniffed, his voice and chin quavering. “Then, I shall!”

With that, he stomped away towards the Gallery where the rest of the family was waiting. As Solstice followed a distance behind, he was in time to hear his father say to Glitter in a low voice, “Come along, Darling. We are going.”

Glitter looked back at him.

“But—where’s Solstice?”

After a moment’s pause, his father bowed his head.

“He’s not coming with us.”

Clap’s eyes immediately snapped wide open.

“W-wait, what?!”

“He’s not coming with us,” Golden repeated, this time with more emphasis.

He was about to leave when Glitter’s hoof stopped him.

“Golden, please, tell us! What’s wrong?”

Golden sighed and turned.

“I now know why Solstice came to testify today.”

He turned towards Solstice, who had just reached the family circle, and his eyes narrowed.

“He came to discredit me!” he exclaimed with tears in his eyes.

Glitter gasped and Clap looked on with his mouth opened in helplessness.

“Solstice?” she exclaimed. “But—but he would never do that! He just thought that the initials on the document were—!”

“I heard it out of his own mouth, Glitter!” Golden pointed at the yellow-orange pegasus. “He even told me that he thought Fancy Pants and the other Canterlot ponies were right in accusing me—that I am a liar and a thief, just as they say!”

Solstice stood in shock.

W-wait! Hold on! That’s not what I said! What’s Dad trying to do?!

But before he could so much as say a word, his father added, “He’s completely…changed! He has become exactly like them! My own son…betraying me—!”

He turned away as he hung his head and sobbed. Solstice’s eyes and mouth stood wide open. He could not believe what he was seeing. His father…was a master manipulator! But he had always believed that his love towards him and Clap was genuine. Could it be…?

He shook himself.

No, he still believed that his father wasn’t lying about that. He still believed with all of his heart that his father cared for him and Clap dearly. So, why was his father doing this?

Then, a thought came to him. The eyes—whenever they glowed, it was because his father was angry. Yet, there was something else that seemed to happen every time they glowed. He remembered when his father had that fight with Fancy Pants two days ago. When he grew enraged and his eyes glowed, he seemed to lose all control of his emotions. What was even more puzzling was afterwards. When they further talked, his father’s attitude was…rather odd. It was…unusually cold.

“Oh, trust me, Fancy Pants,” he remembered his father saying in a snarky tone and with a grin on his face. “I would not miss this for the world!”

It was as if…he was enjoying humiliating Fancy Pants.

Then, he remembered his conversation with him just moments ago.

“You sound very much like them,” he remembered his father saying to him just after his fit of rage. “I am compelled to warn you that if you continue in this way of thinking, you will be a traitor to this family. You can forget about coming home or seeing any of us ever again. What is it to be, Solstice…them or us?”

Would his father ever say something like that? He doubted it...very much. There was something else at work—something that his father was not telling him...something deep and painful.

Glitter put a hoof around Golden to comfort him and Clap’s head swiveled from Solstice to Golden in absolute confusion.

“What the hay’s going on?!” he finally breathed out.

At this, Golden’s head rose.

“Solstice is not coming with us, Clap,” he replied sadly. “He has made it abundantly clear that he does not want to be a part of this family…especially to be around me.”

With another sniff, he started making his way to the courtroom doors.

“Come along! We are leaving!”

Glitter looked at her son with concern in her eyes.

“Solstice…is this true?”

Now, Solstice was practically painted into a corner. What could he say now? He couldn’t possibly tell them the truth; for he knew that it would be too painful for them to hear it. But he couldn’t deny it because it was…true. He sighed as he hung his head.

“I—I can’t explain!”

Glitter sighed and nodded.

“Well, I know your heart. You can come back with us. I’m sure that your dad will eventually—”

“No!” Solstice suddenly exclaimed. “No, Dad’s not gonna change his mind.”

He glanced at his father across the courtroom and saw Golden’s fiery red eyes staring menacingly back at him. He swallowed.

“I just know it.”

Glitter’s eyes blinked as tears started to gush from them. Solstice’s heart sank as he saw her.

“I…” she said through her tears, “I just wish…that there was some way that…that you could—!”

Solstice came and hugged her tightly.

“Oh, Mom, don’t worry. I can take care of myself.”

By now, his mother began sobbing as she likewise hugged her son tightly.

“I—I know that but—but we won’t be able to see you—!”

Solstice tried hard to hold back his tears. He needed to be strong for his mother…and for Clap.

Just then, his brother also joined in the hug.

“I don’t want you to go, Bro!” he cried out with tears gushing out of his eyes as well. “This—this just isn’t fair! I—I hate Dad so much!”

Glitter and Solstice looked at the foal with shocked expressions.

“Clap!” Glitter exclaimed between breaths. “That’s not a nice thing to—!”

Solstice stopped her by gently tapping her shoulder.

“It’s all right, Mom. I’ll take care of this.”

With that, he lowed himself so that he could be at Clap’s eye-level. He tried looking directly into his brother’s eyes but the foal’s eyes were shut tightly as he continued to sob.

“Clap? Believe me, Clap, I don’t want to leave. But I don’t want Dad to get mad either. All the same, I can’t leave you like this. After all, you helped me get my Cutie Mark!”

Clap sniffed and wiped his tears away from his cheeks.

“I know, but—!”

Solstice nodded, trying to smile.

“I know…I don’t want to say goodbye either. But it’s something I have to do.”

Clap gave another sniff as his face flashed in an angry expression.

“Why does Dad have to be so mean?! What’s his problem, anyway?!”

His older brother put a hoof on his shoulder.

“Don’t get mad at Dad, Clap. I don’t know why he’s like this right now. But what I do know is that he loves you…so much! You know that, too, right?”

Clap sniffed again as he hung his head. Then, he lifted it and looked into his brother’s eyes.

“I guess…but what about you?!”

There was a pause from Solstice.

“I’ll…I’ll manage. You know me. I’ll be fine.”

He looked more intently into Clap’s eyes.

“Promise me one thing, though.”

Clap’s eyes were also intent.

“What?”

“Promise me you’ll take care of Mom and Dad while I’m gone, okay? Be good and be kind to them…especially Dad.”

Clap’s eyes became wet again as he gave his brother the biggest hug that he had ever given him in his life.

“I promise!” he sobbed. “I promise!”

Solstice couldn’t help but shed a few tears himself, despite his resolve.

“Now, I’ll promise you something in return,” he said as he clenched his brother tightly. “I’ll write you as soon as I get settled in at my new place, okay?”

Clap nodded with a “mm-hm” and finally drew back from him.

“Glitter! Clap!” Golden called from the opened courtroom doors.

They looked and could tell by the look on his face that it was time for them to go. With one last tearful goodbye, Glitter and Clap broke away and followed Golden out of the courtroom. Now, it was Solstice’s turn to sit in one of the chairs in the empty Gallery and sob.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After he had finished his long moment of crying, Solstice left City Hall and found a cheap motel downtown where he could find lodging for the day. Luckily, he had several bits with him before leaving the mansion—he could get by until he could find a suitable job to support himself.

That night, he received a letter from his Dad telling him to pick up his things from the mansion's front gate. The next morning, he went to the family mansion to pick up his things, as his father had requested. When he had arrived at the front gate, he found his things from his room in the mansion packed in a few fairly large boxes, stacked in the form of a small pyramid off to one side of the gate; and lying on the top was his old, wooden guitar.

Solstice sighed and walked over to the small stack of boxes. At least his father left him his guitar for him to play.

He picked up his guitar, sat on the curb in front of the stack and numbly strummed it, playing nothing in particular. It wasn’t long before tears started welling up in his eyes. He had never expected any of this to happen! How could he have gone from having everything to almost having nothing in such a short time? All because he just wanted to do the right thing.

Was it worth it, I wonder. Was it all…really worth it?

His train of thought was interrupted by a voice commenting, “That is beautiful music you’re playing, young stallion.”

For one brief moment, he thought that the voice belonged to his mother. However, when he looked up, he was caught off-guard to see the ruler of Equestria herself—Princess Celestia. He was so shocked by this unexpected encounter that, at first, he couldn’t speak as he subsequently stopped his playing.

“U-uh…um…!”

The tall, white winged unicorn smiled and put a hoof to her mouth as she giggled at the young stallion’s reaction. Though the regal princess wasn’t his mother, Celestia resembled Glitter in a few ways—their voices and personalities were very similar, as well as their calm, motherly demeanors. Celestia was one of a very rare species called “Alicorns,” a race of ponies who possessed all three traits of the pony races: A taller body (Earth Ponies), a pair of large wings (Pegasi) and a tall horn on the front of their heads (Unicorns). Throughout all of Equestria, ponies saw Alicorns as automatic royalty and as ponies that they revered as wise and powerful rulers. But, most of all, Princess Celestia was revered by many as the kindest and wisest pony in all of Equestria, ruling their land for more than one thousand years.

“Where did you learn how to play the guitar?” she asked him.

After regaining his senses, he immediately put down his guitar and immediately bowed respectfully to Princess Celestia.

“Y-your Highness!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

He winced.

Did I just ask the ruler of Equestria why she’s here…? Real smart, Solstice….

“I-I mean, I was just wondering why you’re…um…”

On second thought, Solstice…don’t say anything. You’ll just make things worse.

Celestia only smiled.

“It’s all right. I shall explain. A few of my subjects in Canterlot told me about the trial yesterday and about what you did."

She bowed her head as she added, "I came to personally thank you for all that you did at the trial, Solstice Rocket. Your actions helped prevent what could have been a disaster. For that, I thank you, young stallion."

Solstice only shrugged.

“It was nothing, Your Highness, really! I just did what was right, that’s all.”

Celestia’s head rose.

“True, but even the seemingly small choices we make can produce great consequences…for good or for ill.”

Her gaze shifted to the pile of boxes behind him.

"What are all of those boxes for?" she asked, motioning with her head.

Solstice sighed.

"They're my things. I'm…I'm leaving the mansion."

Celestia's eyes widened.

"Why are you leaving? I'm sure that your family would be very worried if you left like this!"

"It's my dad," he replied, turning to face the princess. "He's mad at me for what happened at the trial yesterday. He won't change his mind."

Celestia looked back at his belongings behind him.

"And this is all you have? Do you have a place to stay...a place to work...?"

Solstice gave a shrug.

"Well…I'm staying at the motel downtown right now. I used to have a job but I quit because...it's complicated. I have a few bits left...enough, maybe, 'til I get another job...."

He looked up at Celestia and saw that she was shaking her head.

"I have a better idea," she said with a smile. "Why don't you come with me to Canterlot and I will make you one of my guards in the castle?"

Solstice's eyes instantly snapped wide open.

"Wait—what did you say?"

“I said that you can come with me and become a member of the Canterlot Guard, if you like.”

For a long moment, Solstice was too shocked to speak. Was this real? Did Princess Celestia just ask him to be a part of the Canterlot Guard? That was quite an honor for anypony. Not only that, if he accepted her offer, he would have a place to live and a job—a job that, no doubt, paid very well.

He tried not to let his tears appear in his eyes as he let the weight of the offer sink in.

“Thank—!” he finally replied with a smile that quivered a little. “Thank you, Your Highness! You—you don’t know how much this means to me!”

Celestia chuckled sweetly.

“So, is that a ‘yes’?”

After a pause, Solstice rapidly nodded with a big smile on his face.

“Y-yes! For sure!”

Celestia nodded and raised her head towards the sky. As she did so, her long unicorn horn illuminated in a bright yellow aura and a golden chariot pulled by two white pegasus guards, also wearing golden armor, appeared in the sky and landed in the street behind her.

“Now,” she said, motioning towards the chariot, “shall we go, Solstice Rocket?”

Solstice thought for a moment. There was one more thing that he needed to say first.

“Yes, but there’s just one favor I’d like to ask of you first, if I may?”

Celestia turned.

“Of course.”

“My name…I don’t want to be called Solstice Rocket. I know it’s my name but I want another name that’ll help remind me to always do the right thing, no matter what. I know I don’t have to do that but…it’s something personal to me.”

Celestia nodded.

“Very well. Then, what may I call you, young stallion?”

He smiled. He had the perfect name already in mind—a name that would surely remind him to always do the right thing…for Clap, for his mother, for his father and for everypony else.

“Flash Sentry, Your Highness.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It had been a little more than three months since Solstice Rocket (now Flash Sentry) had joined the Canterlot Guard, and he felt that he had learned a lot in those few months. He met new friends, learned how to be more self-confident, thanks to Shining Armor (the captain of the Canterlot Guard), and had done multiple guard duties and training assignments. The downside was that he was very busy seemingly every day, so that at the end of the day, he was so drained from all energy that he promptly drifted off to sleep. Finally, when he had time to breathe, he immediately wrote to his brother, Clap.

“Hey Little Bro!” he wrote. “So sorry that I haven’t written you for some time but a lot of things have happened since I left. I’ve got a job and it’s been keeping me pretty busy. I can’t tell you the details, since my boss wants it to remain confidential. So, let me just say that I’m doing fine and I’ve never been happier. You can tell Mom that, too. I hope you’re still doing well in school. Wouldn’t want you failing in your classes on my account! Hope Dad’s doing well, too. Don’t worry, Clap. I’ll figure out a way to fix this…somehow. In the meantime, how are you doing? Still ‘playin' it cool’ with the fillies…? Don’t worry, I’m just kidding. Well, gotta go. My shift starts soon. Love you lots! Solstice.”

Later that evening, just before he was relieved from his post for the day, Princess Celestia came and spoke with him privately.

“Flash Sentry,” she said with a bright smile, “now that Shining Armor has trained you for the past few months and you have learned much as a Canterlot guard, I am pleased to give you your first official assignment. Next week, you will be assigned to be the new captain over the newly-organized Royal Guard in the Crystal Empire!”

Solstice’s pleasant smile turned into a hesitant frown as he blinked and looked down at the ground in response. He could tell by the tone of Celestia’s voice how excited she was for him. He wanted to feel excited, too. After all, he was finally being given an official assignment; and not just any official assignment—a captain of the Royal Guard in the Crystal Empire! He knew that very few Canterlot guards ever had this opportunity in an entire lifetime. Truly, he was blessed for having this moment, and he knew that he ought to feel grateful and excited for this opportunity. However, what he felt instead was a looming fear of inadequacy.

Me…? A captain over the Royal Guard in the Crystal Empire? I—I don’t know if I’d be good enough for something like that!

At that point, Celestia noticed the change in the young stallion’s expression and inquired in a puzzled tone, “What’s wrong, Flash? I thought that you would be thrilled with the news.”

He looked up at her.

“Oh, I am, Your Highness!” he exclaimed. “I really am! It’s just—well, I just don’t know. I don’t know if I can handle an assignment like this. I—I don’t think I’m even qualified for something like this.”

Celestia cocked one eyebrow.

“Of course you’re qualified for this assignment, Flash!” she declared with her usual warm smile. “You have performed exceptionally well in your duties! As a matter of fact, Shining Armor was the one who recommend you for this particular assignment. He said that you have proven to be very dependable and trustworthy and that you are more than qualified to fulfill this assignment. He and I have great confidence in you, Flash Sentry!”

Solstice let out a sigh.

“But I’ve never led anything in my life before!” he exclaimed in frustration. “How do you expect me to lead a group of well-trained, well-experienced guards—and not just any guards…royal guards in the Crystal Empire?!”

He turned away as he added with a shake of his head, “I’m sorry to say this, Your Highness, but…I think you’ve picked the wrong pony for this job.”

There was silence between them for a short period of time. Then, Celestia’s calm voice broke the silence.

“Well, I’m not sorry when I say…I think I did pick the right pony.”

Solstice’s ears perked up. What she had said pricked his heart. She believed in him and so did his superior, Shining Armor. He needed to do the same.

Celestia turned to leave and added, “Give it some thought before you give your answer in the morning. Have a good night, Flash Sentry.”

With that, she left him to think it over. After he was relieved from his post, he went to his room and sat on his bed as he pondered what had happened. He had been given a once-in-a-lifetime assignment by the Princess herself and was recommended for the job by his superior, Shining Armor. It was obvious that both of them had full confidence in him for this job. Yet, why was he still fearful? He had learned how to be more confident; he learned all of the basics so that he could perform guard tasks in his sleep. So, why was he still reserved to become a leader and to help other pony guards better fulfill their duties as well? Was it not the right thing to do?

He sighed as he remembered what Princess Celestia had said to him before she parted.

“Well, I’m not sorry when I say…I think I did pick the right pony.”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and he raised his head as he called, “Come in!”

The door opened and a white unicorn guard wearing golden armor appeared.

“Sorry to disturb you, Flash,” he said, “but there are several ponies waiting to see you in the main hall.”

Solstice’s eyebrow cocked.

“Really?”

Who could it be at this hour?

“Thanks, Silverhoof,” he replied with a nod. “I’ll be right out there.”

The guard nodded and backtrotted out of the room, softly closing the door as he left. Solstice put his golden armor back on and exited his room with a puzzled look on his face. Who was it that wanted to see him? It couldn’t have been his family, for his father had forbidden any of them to visit him in person. Who could it be?

As he entered the main hall where most events and gatherings were typically held, his eyes brightened as he saw several familiar faces.

“Guys!” he exclaimed as he galloped to the members of the Deep Drive rock band congregated in the center of the vast hall. The band members’ faces beamed as they greeted him in return.

“What are you guys doing here?” Solstice asked with a bright smile.

“Well,” Fire Dancer replied with a grin, “we heard that some stallion friend of ours ‘moved on to greener pastures’ and had become part of the Canterlot Guard. So, we decided to just pop on by and give our congratulations.”

The other band members nodded in agreement.

“Well, thanks so much for stopping by!” the young stallion exclaimed. “It’s so great to see you all again! Why don’t you stay a while?”

“That’s kind of ya,” Fire said politely, putting a hoof out, “but we can’t stay for long. We’ve got a concert in Fillydelphia tomorrow night and we really need to get back home and practice for that.”

Solstice nodded understandingly.

“Okay. Well, that’s great that you guys have a concert coming up! Keep on rockin’ it!”

“Oh, but that’s not all why we came here,” Fire said, his grin starting to grow wider.

The orange-yellow pegasus looked confused.

“What do you mean?”

“We heard about your fallout between you and your family, and we felt really bad about the whole thing,” Stormcloud said.

“So...” Obsidian chimed in, “we decided to make you a part of our family!”

Solstice stood in shock.

“Does that mean…?”

Fire came around and put a hoof around his shoulder.

“Congratulations, Solstice! You’re officially part of our band! We knew how much this meant to ya.”

At first, Solstice was at a loss for words. He tried to speak but the words won’t come out.

“Hey, guys!” Fire said as he turned to the others. “I think our colt here’s speechless!”

They all laughed in response. Finally, Solstice gained the ability to speak.

“I’m—I’m really part of the band?”

The band members nodded.

First a Canterlot guard…and now, a member of the Deep Drive band?

Solstice shook his head.

“I must be dreaming!”

Fire chuckled.

“Oh, this is no dream, Kid! This is as real as this punch I’m about to give to your shoulder.”

As he said this, he gave the young stallion a mild punch to the shoulder.

“Ow!” Flash exclaimed, rubbing his shoulder and looking back at Fire with surprise. “Hey…!”

Fire motioned towards him with a look of glee.

“Ya see…?”

Solstice beamed as he understood.

“This is not a dream!”

At this point, Windsurfer stepped forward.

“And we have a present for ya.”

He reached for his guitar case that was strapped across his shoulder and back and handed it to Solstice.

“Welcome to the family, Bro!” he declared with a wide smile.

Solstice was astounded. He looked at the guitar case and then back at Windsurfer. Afterwards, he opened the case and looked at the guitar inside. His mouth dropped. Lying in the leather case was the same red guitar that he had played in the Baltimare stadium when he had first performed with Deep Drive.

“Hey!” he exclaimed. “This…this is the same guitar that—!”

Windsurfer nodded.

“Yep! The same one!”

Solstice’s eyes widened.

“But—but this is your guitar. I can’t take it!”

The aqua-blue stallion gave a dismissive wave with his hoof.

“Ah, don’t ya worry! I’ve got another. It’s a yellow one!”

Solstice’s eyes widened and his mouth curved into the biggest grin.

“This…is the best day of my life!”

With a loud whoop, he launched into the air with his flashy-red guitar and started playing an entire solo, filling the castle lobby with its loud, electronic melody. Then, he suddenly noticed Princess Celestia out the corner of his eye and stopped in mid-note. He floated back down with a sheepish expression.

“Oh, s-sorry, Your Highness.”

Celestia only smiled.

“That’s quite all right, Flash Sentry.”

She turned around and added, “But keep it down, won’t you?”

Flash nodded affirmatively.

“Y-yes, Your Highness. Of course.”

Princess Celestia disappeared down the corridor where she had previously emerged. After she had gone, Obsidian cleared his throat.

“So, uh, what happened to that little orange kid with the impeccable charm?” he asked.

Solstice’s expression saddened.

“He’s—he’s not with me anymore.”

The band members’ expressions grew sympathetic.

“That’s a big bummer, Man!” Obsidian said, shaking his head.

“Did—did something happen to him or…?” Hurricane asked hesitantly, most likely thinking that Clap had died or something of that nature.

Solstice shook his head.

“Oh, no—nothing like that! It’s just…I can’t see him anymore, that’s all.”

Stormcloud cocked one eyebrow.

“And why…?”

Solstice sighed.

“Well…my dad has forbidden me to see him—”

Stormcloud’s eyes immediately sparked with rage.

“Say WHAT?!”

His loud, booming voice echoed throughout the halls of the castle, its foundations threatening to shake as if it had been struck by an earthquake.

“Shh!” Flash immediately exclaimed in a lowered voice as he put a hoof to his lips. “Remember what the Princess said…?”

Stormcloud instantly put both of his hooves to his mouth, uttered a whispered “oh, sorry!” and repeated in a much quieter voice, “Say what?!”

“But—but that’s just messed up, Man!” Hurricane added with a shake of his head.

“Why would he do that, anyway?!” Obsidian exclaimed.

Solstice crossed his front hooves sheepishly.

“I...sorta testified against him in an important court case that almost made my family lose everything. My dad’s been pretty sore about it.”

Fire Dancer nodded as he took of his sunglasses.

“Yeah, we heard about that,” he commented. “There was that case with Mr. Fancy Pants from Canterlot and Mr. Golden Rocket. Heard it was pretty intense!”

“And he got mad at ya for that?!” Hurricane huffed. “But he can’t just shove ya off like that! He has no right!”

“But he’s still my dad,” Solstice pointed out, turning to him, “and the right thing to do is to respect his wishes.”

He looked at the red guitar in his hooves and added, “And, as for your offer to join your band, I—I’ll have to decline that offer. I’m sorry.”

The band members jerked their necks backwards in surprise.

“Wha—but why?” Obsidian exclaimed.

“Oh, wait! Don’t tell me!” Stormcloud snorted. “It’s ‘cause of that big-shot of a father ya have, ain’t it!”

Windsurfer immediately tapped Stormcloud’s shoulder with his hoof as he cautioned, “Stormcloud, be more sensitive towards the kid!”

Stormcloud spun towards Windsurfer.

“I was talking about the kid’s dad, Einstallion!” he explained in a growl.

Windsurfer only glared back at him with a scowl.

“Well, I knew that! I was talking about speaking about the kid’s dad in front of the kid, ya know!”

“Well, why shouldn’t I?” Stormcloud grunted. “It’s not like his dad deserves it anyway…!”

At that point, Solstice interrupted them.

“Guys, this is my doing. I’ve been given an important assignment. I’m to be transferred to the Crystal Empire in a week, so I can’t be a part of your band, no matter how much I want to.”

“Just curious, what do ya have to do there?” Fire Dancer asked.

Solstice shrugged.

“Well, I’m supposed to be in charge of a new Royal Guard in the Crystal Empire for Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”

Obsidian began to grin.

“Ooo! For a princess!” he said, nudging Solstice as he raised his eyebrows up and down a few times. Solstice got the message.

“Dude,” he said in a chastising tone, “she’s married. And besides, I’m not a pony of royalty.”

Obsidian gave a shrug.

“Hey! Didn’t stop Aladdin….”

Solstice rolled his eyes in response.

“So, when will you be back?” Windsurfer asked.

“Well, that’s the tricky part,” Solstice replied. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back. It’s Princess Celestia’s call, after all.”

Windsurfer nodded understandingly.

“That’s true.”

“But I can come back here to Canterlot for a visit now and then,” the young stallion added. “I don’t really know when yet, but when I do, I can play for you guys.”

Fire’s face beamed.

“Really? That’s great!”

He came and shook the young stallion’s hoof.

“Welcome aboard, Solstice!”

“Actually, my name’s not Solstice anymore. I’ve changed it. It’s Flash, now. Flash Sentry.”

The red unicorn stopped shaking his hoof and stepped back.

“Whoa now! W-wait—! Time out!” he said, putting a hoof to his chin in thought. “This…this could be a problem, you guys….”

“What do you mean, Fire?” Windsurfer asked. “I mean, he’s perfect for the band!”

“Yeah, I know that, Windsurfer. It’s his name that’s the problem,” Fire replied. “Flash Sentry…isn’t that that hero in those comics that’ve been around for many years or somethin’?”

“Hey, come to think of it…” Obsidian commented. “Yeah, you’re right! That is a problem! We’ll most likely get sued if we mentioned a name like that onstage!”

Hurricane, meanwhile, was still in thought.

“Maybe not….”

The others looked at him.

“What do ya mean, Bro?” Obsidian asked.

The gray pegasus reached into his saddlebag and pulled out the same issue of the comic book that had inspired Solstice to testify against his father at the Baltimare trial. Obsidian took the comic book from Hurricane and huffed.

“So…” he sighed, “a full-grown stallion and you still have your head in one of these, do ya?”

Hurricane stepped back.

“What? They’re good!”

Before Obsidian could say anything more, Windsurfer stepped in between them.

“Oh, leave your brother be, Obsidian!” he said to the black pony. “Hurricane was always a ‘colt at heart’ anyway. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Obsidian snorted.

“Yeah, fine.”

Windsurfer turned to Hurricane and motioned for him to proceed.

“Maybe, there’s a way that Solst—I mean, Flash—can use his new name and still be part of our band.”

He pointed at the comic book that his brother was holding and explained, “In the comics, Flash Sentry gets kicked out of the city because of… different things that happen…I’m not gonna get into it. So, before he goes away, he tells his old friend, Dino, that he needs to find another pony to take his place so that the city’s still safe.”

He looked up and pointed towards Solstice.

“If we could persuade the company making these to have that kid be the next Flash Sentry (maybe, make the guy in the comics similar to this kid somehow, I don’t know), we won’t get sued and he can still play with us.”

Fire Dancer nodded.

“Well, that sounds good and all, but what if they say ‘no’?”

Hurricane shrugged.

“We’ll promote their comic series through this new Flash Sentry,” he replied. “They won’t say ‘no’ to that!”

Stormcloud huffed as he shook his head.

“All this based on a comic book series? We’re a rock band, for pony’s sake! I think we’re a bit more grown up than that, ya know!”

“It was just a thought,” Hurricane sheepishly replied.

At that moment, Windsurfer stepped in with his hoof out as a way of saying that it was his turn to speak.

“Wait, guys,” he said. “Maybe, Hurricane’s got a point. Maybe, we should start making music for something more than just fame or bits. Maybe, he’s got something here.”

Stormcloud look at him, his jaw dropping.

“Oh, for the love of Pete…you too, Windsurfer?! What’s the matter with ya?”

“Nothing! And I’m not really taking about the comic book series. I’m actually talking about somethin’ a bit more than that.”

Obsidian cocked his head.

“Uh, come again?”

“Don’t ya remember when we first started out? Why did we wanna make music like this in the first place?”

The others in the band thought for a moment. Then, one by one, they smiled.

“Well,” Fire Dancer replied, “Stormcloud and I wanted to share our music with other ponies ever since we were foals. Right, Stormcloud?”

He turned to the purple pony and Stormcloud nodded in return.

“Yeah, we did. We had big dreams. Big!”

“And Hurricane and I wanted to start our own pop group the same way,” Obsidian said.

Hurricane nodded in agreement.

“And I knew I wanted to play guitar ‘cause I loved playing music and I wanted to share it, like you guys did,” Windsurfer added. “I certainly didn’t think I’d turn into a famous guitar player! I doubt any of you guys thought that any of ya would end up being famous either, right?”

The others nodded in agreement.

“Don’t ya see what I’m trying to get at?” he continued. “Maybe, we met this kid the way we did for a reason. Maybe—”

He turned to the orange-yellow pegasus.

“Solstice…I mean Flash…I bet I know why you chose that name of yours. Your brother spoke very highly of you when we talked back in the Baltimare stadium—told me you were a hero to him ‘cause you always did the right thing. So, you wanna be that hero to others, is that right?”

Solstice nodded in reply.

“Well,” Windsurfer said, turning to his comrades, “now I think it’s time for us to follow your hoofsteps. Now’s our chance to do the right thing by making music just ‘cause we love music! Not just that, we can all be heroes like Flash, if we wanna! We can inspire other ponies to be the best that they can be! Whatdeyasay, guys?”

Hurricane’s eyes beamed.

“Yeah! Yeah, we can!”

Obsidian shrugged and smiled.

“Ya know, I have to admit…you guys know just how to make me feel excited again.”

He stomped his hoof on the floor and added, “Count me in!”

Fire Dancer stood and shook his head.

“Windsurfer…once again…your words of pure awesomeness have pierced my soul!”

He thrust his hoof in the air and exclaimed with a huge grin, “Count me in, guys! I’ve a feelin’ this’ll be fun!”

Afterwards, they all turned to Stormcloud, who was staring at the ground.

“Well,” he sighed, “I have to say…if it wasn’t for Fire being a good example for me, all this would never have happened.”

He raised his head as a smile started to appear on his face.

“I’d like to be that pony for somepony else, too.”

He approached the group and put his hoof out.

“Count me in, too, guys!”

The others placed their hooves on top in a brotherly circle.

“Ya ready to do this, guys?” Fire Dancer said as he looked at each of the ponies in the circle.

Obsidian grinned widely.

“Let’s do this!”

They counted to three and then raised their hooves as they shouted, “Deep Drive!”

They turned to Solstice as Fire asked, “Well, Kid? Whatdeyasay?”

Solstice smiled and shrugged.

“Well, I still have to ask the Princess for permission—”

At that moment, Celestia’s voice interrupted, “Of course you can, Flash Sentry.”

Solstice jumped, turned and saw her standing there.

How does she flipping do that?!

“I fully support a good cause,” she added with a smile, “so long as you attend to your other duties, first.”

Solstice bowed and replied, “Yes, Your Highness, and thank you!”

Celestia again disappeared down the corridor behind her. The other band members stared at her as she left and then turned to Solstice. Solstice gave a nod.

“Yeah, she tends to do that a lot.”

Then, he added, “I’ll have to play with you guys sometime after I return from the Crystal Empire. That’ll give you enough time to get everything ready for me to join in. That okay?”

Fire Dancer nodded in reply.

“Yeah, it should be. We’ll have to persuade this comic book company to give us permission to do this and then grab a costume for ya. Wanna look the part, after all!”

“So,” Obsidian asked, “what are we gonna do for that concert with Sol—I mean Flash—?”

He let out a “pff!” and muttered, “Stallions, that’s gonna be hard to remember!”

Fire Dancer chuckled and then replied, “That I do, Obsidian! First, we do our ‘usual routine’ with our greatest hits and all. Then, when we’re down to our last few songs, we give them a big surprise, see. We’ll make a brand-new song that’ll open up our new gig with Flash Sentry. After the concert, Flash can greet the crowd as the comic hero and such. Sound like a plan?”

The others exclaimed in unison, “Yeah, let’s do it!”

At that moment, Solstice added, “And I have just the song that we could do!”

Fire’s eyes widened as he grinned from ear to ear.

“Did ya hear that, guys?” he exclaimed, gesturing at the orange pegasus. “This kid’s one step ahead of us already!”

He turned to Solstice and added, “Well, go on, Bro! Let’s hear it!”

The young stallion took a seat on the bottom of the staircase leading to the upper levels of the castle and laid his red guitar on his lap. He turned off the electronic sound from it and then began to play a song that he had been working on for the past three years. It didn’t have any lyrics yet, since he was concentrating on developing the music portion first. After he had finished the song, the band members and even the Canterlot guards in the room applauded at the performance. Solstice blushed and gave a timid bow in response.

“I haven’t gotten around to making any words for the song yet, but it’s coming along,” he said afterwards.

Fire Dancer nodded, impressed.

“Sounds great to me!” he exclaimed. “Could use a little more work but I smell potential!”

“Sounds awesome, Flash!” Windsurfer complimented with a wink.

Solstice bowed again and replied with quiet pride, “Thanks, guys!”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A few more months had passed and the night of the long-anticipated concert had finally arrived. The band members had somehow successfully persuaded the comic book company to have Solstice Rocket (Flash Sentry) pose as the next Flash Sentry in the comics. In addition, the company made it so that the new Flash Sentry in the comics was very similar to Solstice Rocket—a guitar soloist in a famous rock band and a son of a wealthy businesspony (though, they didn’t include him as a captain of the Royal Guard or anything surrounding that due to Princess Celestia’s request). The Deep Drive band members thought that, in this way, Solstice could play in the band and pose as the new Flash Sentry in the comics without getting in trouble for it.

The rock concert that night was to take place in Ponyville as a charity for orphaned foals. Deep Drive was to sponsor raising enough funds to build better places for these foals to live and to grow up in. In this concert, the Deep Drive members were planning to surprise the audience towards the end of the concert by having Solstice (posing as the new Flash Sentry) arrive onstage and play the last few songs with the band. As the concert progressed, Solstice began to grow more nervous. This was the second time that he was playing with a band that he had long admired. Not only that, he was posing as a hero that many foals admired and esteemed to become. He didn’t want to let them down.

As he peeked around the stage to get a better look at the audience, his heart jumped momentarily when he caught sight of his brother sitting with a group of other foals. He looked very happy.

I’ve missed you so much, Clap! It’s only been six months but it feels like an eternity!

Before long, it was time for the big reveal. He took a deep breath and readied himself as he heard Fire Dancer’s voice boom, “All righty, Folks! We have a special guest for ya tonight!”

There was a sound of surprised exclamations from the audience.

“That’s right, Folks!” Fire Dancer declared. “And not just any guest! Oh, no! We have…”

Solstice took another deep breath as his spread his wings.

“…the one…the only…”

Solstice’s eyes narrowed.

Here it goes…!

“...Flash Sentry!”

The crowd roared with excitement and Solstice launched himself into the air as the band played a rock instrumental version of his song that he wrote. After doing some acrobatic flips in the air, he landed on the stage next to Fire Dancer and waved to the ecstatic audience.

“How’s everypony doin’ tonight?” he exclaimed as he waved to the crowd.

The audience cheered louder. He looked towards the direction where Clap and his friends were sitting and saw that their faces were absolutely beaming.

When Solstice had finished greeting the crowd, he joined the rest of the band members and got his red electric guitar from Windsurfer.

“How'd ya like that surprise, Folks?” Fire exclaimed through the microphone.

The crowd cheered loudly in response.

“All righty! So, we have a couple more songs that we’re thinkin’ of doin’ as a wrap-up and Flash Sentry here (he motioned towards Solstice) is willin’ to join in with us.”

The audience roared their approval and the band prepared their instruments for the next song—one that Solstice wrote. Afterwards, Fire Dancer gave the count of three and they started with their song.

In coordinating this song, the band felt that it should be styled as a blend of rock and pop. They agreed that Fire Dancer should play the bass, that Hurricane and Obsidian should sing (since they were pop stars in the past), that the keyboard should be recorded ahead of time, that Stormcloud should be at the drums (as usual), that Windsurfer should play as rhythm guitarist and that Solstice should play as the lead guitarist. In the last round of the chorus, Solstice felt that the lead guitarist should play alongside Hurricane and Obsidian’s singing, as if Solstice’s voice were singing along with them. He remembered that as he and the band worked in developing and rehearsing this song, there was a sense of excitement in the air. They just knew that this song would be a success. All throughout the song, Solstice felt a sense of pride flow through him like a river as he also felt a tingling throughout his entire system. He wrote the music. This was his song—a song that he could call his own.

When they had finished the song, the crowd wildly cheered and whistled their appreciation. Solstice smiled. It was good to see something that he had created making other ponies happy. He felt good doing it.

The rest of the concert progressed smoothly with the band playing two more songs as a finale. Afterwards, Fire Dancer told the ponies in the audience that Flash Sentry (Solstice) would go and personally greet each foal in the crowd as a special treat for them. He also invited all of the adult ponies to come and contribute all the bits that they could in supporting orphaned foals throughout Equestria.

As Solstice trotted down to the audience, all of the foals excitedly came to greet him. As they did so, he shook hooves and talked with each one of them as best he could. He beamed every time he shook hooves with a foal and saw the excited look on his or her face. He loved every minute of that moment talking with each of them. When he finally came to Clap, he smiled and asked, “And who might you be, young colt?”

Clap swallowed as he looked up at Solstice in the traditional blue and yellow Flash Sentry costume. The foal looked up at his idol with eyes sparkling like stars.

“Cl—Clap, Sir,” he stuttered.

Solstice grinned.

“And tell me, Clap…have you read all the comics about me?”

Clap nodded rapidly—so much so that Solstice was afraid that he would hurt his neck.

“Y-yes! Yes! I have! All of them! Every single one!” he exclaimed happily and rapidly.

Solstice chuckled.

“Well! So, you’re quite the reader, huh?”

Clap shrugged.

“Well…I didn’t use to be. See, my brother, Solstice, he…he got me started with it and all.”

As he said this, his expression saddened. Solstice tried not to show his own sadness.

“And this brother of yours,” he inquired. “Is he here in the audience tonight?”

Clap shook his head.

“No, he—something bad happened and…well, we can’t see each other anymore.”

He sighed as he looked down and added, “I wish he was here.”

Solstice nodded understandingly.

Yeah, I feel ya, Bro.

“Say…what’s your last name, by the way?”

“Rocket, Sir.”

“And you said your brother’s name was Solstice, right?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Solstice smiled as he reached for his saddlebag and said, “Well, it just so happens that I’ve a letter from your brother right…here!”

He pulled out a sealed envelope and handled it to the orange colt.

“I ran into him the other day and he told me to give ya this at the concert tonight,” he explained. “Told him I’d be glad to do it.”

Clap’s eyes brightened as he took the letter.

“You’ve met Solstice?! What did he say?”

He chuckled as he added, “I’d bet he just fainted. He’d do that.”

Solstice almost let out a huff but caught himself in time.

Hey…! What’s that supposed to mean?

“Thanks, Flash Sentry, Sir!” Clap further exclaimed.

Solstice nodded with a heroic smile in return.

“Anytime, Clap Rocket! Just doin’ my duty!”

Just then, Clap’s face changed, as if he suddenly noticed something. He leaned closer do Solstice’s face and squinted. Then, his eyes widened.

“Bro…?!” he whispered in shock.

Solstice put a hoof to his lips and let out a quiet “shh”. Then, he spread his hoofs to the sides and said, “I’m sorry ‘bout your brother. You and he must’ve been pretty close.”

At first, Clap looked back at him with a puzzled expression. Then, he noticed that Solstice was subtly motioning for him to give him a hug. Clap got the message—Solstice was trying to speak to him without having any other pony listening in.

In response, Clap pretended to sob as he exclaimed through his sniffs, “Yes…he—he was…the best brother…I ever had!”

He suddenly galloped to the hero and practically threw himself into his hooves while he continued to sob. Solstice put his hooves around his brother and looked around the crowd of foals looking at the scene—some with sad, empathetic expressions on their faces. With all of the foals’ eyes staring at them, Solstice found himself feeling embarrassed for Clap.

Gee, Bro…you didn’t have to overdo it or anything…!

Then, he heard Clap’s voice whisper happily into his ear, “It’s you in there, isn’t it?”

Solstice smiled and leaned to his little brother’s ear.

“Yeah, Bro,” he whispered back, “it’s me.”

I promise you, Clap. This is only temporary. One day, I’ll fix this and we’ll all be a family again. You’ll see.

Author's Note:

This is my first fanfic that I've ever written. Comments and feedback are most appreciated! Thank you!

Comments

[Thestoryteller]

Squeal please.

[Z-blade Gracin]

>>Storyteller14 I'm thinking about one but I've got another project that I'm thinking about doing first. Thanks for the support!

[JediWaffles]

It's definitely different.

[righteous1010]

This is a great all-around fic. You really made Flash Sentry's (or Solstice's) backstory feel genuine. I really loved the family dynamic and solstice's coming of age lessons, as it led to a great story. One of the best in fact, i've read here in a long time.

Your first fanfic? You knocked it out of the park. Great job

[Godslittleprincess]

I am blown away by this story. Why does this not have more likes and views? You just turned the most hated character in the fandom into somepony only someone completely heartless would hate. Also, Golden's personality changes as he keeps using his magic? Is this one of those situations where someone gets access to power and gets corrupted?

[Godslittleprincess]

Before I forget, I LOVE how you portrayed Flash in this story. That's more or less how I characterize him in my headcanon.

[Z-blade Gracin]

7574650

Don't know. Just thought of it. Didn't know you also had the same headcanon. Who would've thought?

[Z-blade Gracin]

7575842

Thank you. I didn't like how people were constantly railing him just because he was underdeveloped. So. I decided to develop him in the way that I saw him.

[Godslittleprincess]

7577762 Ugh! Don't even get me started on how Hasbro has been treating him lately! They've basically turned him into the guy that does NOTHING wrong but gets mistreated anyways. I've gotten to the point where I don't even care who he gets shipped with. I just want to avoid another incidence of what I'd like to call the sad Sentry eyes. "Sigh" Every time I see those eyes, a piece of my heart just breaks.

[Z-blade Gracin]

7581716

Really? How do you mean? Just curious.

[Godslittleprincess]

7582101
When I first read them, I thought, "Flash and his dad just have different passions, personalities, and interests. That's all." Now that I'm rereading them, I realize that it's not just the differing interests that's dividing them. Flash has this idealistic, innocent worldview, yet he keeps trying to live by his ideals even when his worldview is constantly being challenged. Golden, on the other hand, is keenly aware that life and other ponies aren't fair and is perfectly fine with compromising his ideals to get what he feels he deserves. In the end, I think that their different approaches to what is important in life is the key factor that's dividing them.

[Z-blade Gracin]

7583751

Ooh, philosophical! Nice! I like it when my stories have that effect.

[Godslittleprincess]

However, what he felt instead was a looming fear of inadequacy.

Flash is essentially Charlie Brown. I don't mind. I personally love Charlie Brown.

[Z-blade Gracin]

7765953

Interesting insight!