The Best Night Ever
The Grand Galloping Gala, one of the most prestigious events in all of Equestria, was happening tonight. That and the Fantasia Festival that was going to happen the next day, which was what Flash was looking forward too. While the common ponies of Canterlot were preparing for the festival, the higher ups were preparing themselves for a night of cultural refinement. This included six mares, one stallion and one purple dragon. Since they were staying to celebrate the Fantasia Festival as well, Flash had suggested getting a room at the castle, which Celestia had agreed too.
"So, how do I look?" Flash asked as he walked out of the bathroom in his gala suit. The white suit Rarity had made for him was a bit snug, though the black blazer worked well with it. He performed a slight tug on it's sleeves before glancing at the three other ponies in the room. The first occupant was Springer, who was sitting on the bed doing a jigsaw. On the other side of the room was Spike, who was currently at the table playing a card game with the final occupant, Big Mac. The three all looked up and checked him out.
"You look great," Springer replied first, giving him two thumbs up.
"You look great," Spike repeated, having not understood what the jakhowl had said.
"Eeyup," Mac agreed.
"Good," Flash said as he walked over to his suitcase and opened it. There, he reached inside a pulled out his Celestic Gear, which Grand Hoof had instructed him to bring for unknown reasons.
"So, why did you have to bring Lightbringer?" Spike asked as he finished the game with Mac.
"Not sure," Flash replied while strapping the matching sheave Rarity had made to his side, before placing the weapon in it. "Old Grand Hoof just asked me too, that's all."
"Well, we'd better go see how the girls are doing."
"They've been getting ready for almost three hours," Springer groaned as he put down his puzzle, "how long does it take?"
Flash wanted to facehoof at this. "I've explained this Springer. Don't you remember what I told you about what they are?"
"All you told me is that they're girls." Springer deadpanned.
"Exactly." Flash replied before getting two confused looks from Spike and Big Mac. "I told him the reason they're taking so long is cuz they're girls."
The two snickered at this before Flash and Spike left the room. They walked down the corridor towards one of the three rooms the girls were staying in, before knocking and slowly opening the door a crack.
"Everypony descent?" he asked through the door.
"You're clear," Twilight's voice replied from the other side. Flash and Spike walked in and found Twilight and her friends along with the CMC. The older girls were all wearing their gala dresses and appeared ready.
"You girls look great," Flash said, him and Spike whistling at the sight in front of them.
"Thank you darling," Rarity replied before tapping her hair, "but we haven't even finished yet."
"WHAT!?" Flash and Spike yelled, causing Rarity to hop in place. Flash then followed up with, "You've been at this for three hours! How can you not be ready?! You do realise that the gala starts in one hour, don't you?!"
Before Rarity could retort, Rainbow spoke up, "Ignore her, I'm ready."
"So am I," Applejack added.
"I wish we could go," Applebloom said, a small frown on her face.
"The gala would be awesome," Scootaloo added as she walked up to Flash.
"Sorry kiddos," Flash shook his head, "invitation only." He then leaned down and whispered to them. "And trust me on this, you're not missing a thing. That's why Springer is going to be with you, he has no interest in meeting a bunch snooty snobs that'll probably insult his looks all night."
"You girls'll have lots of fun tomorrow," Twilight said as she walked up to the three. "Trust me, the festival is pure fun. I've had fun with it every year I've gone."
"And that's saying something for miss bookworm there." Flash cheekily added, causing several snickers in the room along with a death glare from his old friend. "Don't give me that glare. You know I'm right."
"Yeah, they're right." Applebloom said as she turned to her friends. "Ah bet the festival will be tons more fun."
"You bet," Applejack nodded before pointing to her brother, "so behave yourselves for Big Mac. If not-"
"We know," Applebloom replied with big smiles, causing her big sister to just give a hearty chuckle. The three young girls headed out the room towards the one Flash and Spike had just vacated.
Seeing this, Flash turned back to his friends and asked. "So, how much longer you really gonna be?"
"I still have to get the girls' makeup sorted," Rarity tapped her hoof to her chin in thought, "so...about thirty minutes."
Two males facehoofs followed this statement.
"Why don't you head down without us?" Twilight suggested.
"We'll meet ya'h there," Applejack added as Rarity started on her.
"Nah," Flash shook his head, "we'll wait."
"We will?" Spike asked, hesitation in his voice. "Why?!"
"Because if we don't, they'll get never ready. Trust me."
"We're not that bad darling." Rarity hissed at him, causing Flash to just glare at her.
"Rarity, don't-"
Flash's next statement was blocked by Twilight's hoof in his mouth. The purple unicorn then gave him a glare that said 'shut up now or else' as she spoke up. "Flash, just sit over there and remind us about the time, okay? We'll make sure Rarity gets us ready before the gala starts. Okay?"
"Fine." Flash replied as he removed the hoof. The two boys then sat down while Rarity began making the final additions to the girls.
"So is everypony excited?" Rarity asked as she powdered Fluttershy's nose.
"I AM!" Pinkie screamed, "I can't wait to get my Canterlot party on!"
"I can't wait to meet the Wonderbolts again," Rainbow swooned, already daydreaming about the event.
"You spent a whole day flying with them not too long ago," Flash said as he tapped Rainbow's shoulder. "Don't you think trying to get them to hang out with you again might seem a bit...stalkerish?"
"Puh-lease," Rainbow waved her hoof with a cheeky grin, "I'm so cool that all I gotta do is walk past them and they'll ask me to hang out."
"Right." Flash resisted every urge to facehoof. Again.
"Well, I can't wait to see the gardens and all the cute animals there." Fluttershy smiled as she looked like a filly on Hearts Warming.
"And I'll be able to sell my apple products," Applejack added, "this'll drum up some great business for Sweet Apple Acres."
"And I'll finally meet my soul mate," Rarity swooned with a longing sigh, "I was thinking of a spring wedding."
Flash and Spike rolled their eyes at hearing this. Flash wanted to tell Rarity she was wasting her time with Blueblood, but he knew she would ignore him again.
"And I'll get to spend the evening with Princess Celestia," Twilight said with a bright smile. "Just her and me talking about everything I've learned since moving to Ponyville."
"With all of us doing our own thing," Rarity said, "this night is shaping up to be-"
"THE BEST NIGHT EVER!" the girls all said.
"Well," Rarity ended, "I'm finally finished. What's say we make out way down."
"Finally!" Spike groaned.
"Yeah, let's go!"
With that, the six girls rushed out the door, leaving the two boys in the dust. Flash helped Spike up as the Pegasus moaned out, "Oh to be young...and naively stupid."
"You do know you could be the youngest of this group, right?" Spike asked.
"Yeah, I know that. It's called a figure of speech pal. Let's just get this night over with."
They soon caught up to the girls and soon the eight of them headed downstairs, where a carriage was waiting to take them to the gala. They climbed in and were soon on their way. It was a short trip, and soon they pulled up to the main castle doors. They each stepped out of the carriage and looked up at the building. "I can't believe we're finally here," Twilight said. "Wow, its been quite a while I've been here."
"Greetings," They all turned to see Grand Hoof, wearing clothing similar to what Twilight and Flash had seen Shining Armor wear on special occasions, only this one was blue.
"Hey Grand," Flash waved, rushing over to his mentor. "Nice threads."
"Official Royal Knight garb," Grand Hoof replied as he tugged his collar. "Maybe one day you'll be coming to one of these in it."
"Let's hope." Flash scoffed before looking at his suit. "Though what I got right now ain't too bad."
"Eh, I can agree with that." Grand said before looking at the girls. A whistle followed as he commented, "And wow, you girls all look great."
"Thanks," Twilight blushed as she walked in front of her friends, "shall we head in?"
"You go on ahead," Grand said as he pointed to where they needed to go. "I'm waiting for one more pony to arrive."
"Who?" Flash asked.
"Me," everypony turned around and saw a large earth pony whose build resembled that of Big Mac. His fur was gunmetal gray and his mane and tail were pitch black. Strapped to his side was a long black spear with a pointed blade, which was similar to his cutie mark, which was a shield with two crossed spears over it.
"Ha! You made it!" Grand Hoof guffawed as started trotting over to the stallion. "Everypony, this here is Iron Core. He's an apprentice knight."
Everypony's eyes went wide hearing this. Another apprentice knight, like Flash.
"I've never met another apprentice knight before," Flash said smiling. He trotted over and offered a hoof to the stallion, "Flash Sentry, Grand Hoof's apprentice."
Iron Core looked him up and down. "I was expecting the apprentice of the great Grand Hoof to be...bigger."
Flash frowned at this. "What were you expecting? Some oversized block head who thinks it's more important to just keep pushing forwards until their opponent stops moving?"
With that comment, the two began glaring at each other. As they did, Twilight blinked at the sight before turning to Grand Hoof. "Um...should we stop this? They're acting pretty hostile considering they just met each other."
"Believe it or not, this is normal between guys and knights. " he replied with a waved hoof. As he said that, Flash and Iron turned away from each other before Iron Core starting walking past the girls. While doing this, he glanced at them, making Fluttershy make a little scream before jumping behind Applejack. Iron just rolled his eyes and walked inside.
"What a creep," Rainbow said.
"Don't mind him," Grand shook his head, sighing. "Iron's a little rough around the edges, but he has a good heart."
"If you say so," Twilight commented as she watched him disappear into the castle. "I don't like it though."
"Why don't we head inside?" Rarity said with an intentional cough. The others agreed along with Grand Hoof, who followed them inside. They soon headed inside the castle, where they quickly started marvelling over the beautiful decorations. The staff had gone all out this year as a giant buffet was present, along with a full orchestral-like band in the corner of the ballroom. They were playing several classical tunes as the nine ponies entered the room.
"This is gonna be great! We're all gonna hang out at the Grand Galloping Gala...together?" Spike looked around and saw that everypony had wondered off in search of their own thing. "Guys? Where'd you go?"
Flash, Twilight and Grand Hoof were walking over to where they saw Princess Celestia standing, Twilight wanting to say hi. That is, till Grand Hoof declared he had to leave to make some last minute preparations. This fact alone made Flash question him.
"What do you mean you got to bail as soon as the gala starts?!" Flash asked as he grabbed his mentor's shoulder. "I need you here so I don't die of boredom! You remember what happened last time!"
"You'll see what I'm going to do later." Grand replied as he shrugged Flash off. "Just do me a favor and don't get into any trouble."
"Oh come on! When have you ever known me to get into trouble?" Twilight and Grand both gave him a look that told him everything. "Fine. I'll be good and die of boredom." With that, Grand left and he and Twilight resumed their journey to Celestia. They soon ventured to a set of stairs on the edge of the main hall, where Celestia was talking to several nobles.
"Hello Twilight, Flash," Celestia said when she saw them walking up the stairs, "It's so good to see you both."
"I'm so excited to be here!" Twilight's eyes began shining like stars as she got closer to her mentor. "We have so much to catch up on."
"And not just with Celestia I hope."
Flash and Twilight turned around at the sudden voice, gasping at the sight behind them. "Shining! Cadance!" Twilight cheered as she rushed over and greeted her brother with a bone-crushing hug.
"It's good to see you little sis," Shining replied as he hugged her back before a slight grimace appeared on his face. "And I'm glad to see your grip hasn't weakened."
"I'm so happy to see you two!" Cadance said as she pulled Twilight away and gave her another hug.
"I was worried you wouldn't make it," Twilight replied. "I mean, I know you had to go to Saddle Arabia and you said you'd be gone for a long time."
"Yeah...it was quite the assignment." Cadance chuckled as she broke the hug and pointed at Twilight's brother. "Thankfully, I had Shining Armor there to help me." Cadance then turned to Flash. "Thank you so much for the idea back then."
"Eh, it was nothing." Flash shrugged before Cadance quickly grabbed and hugged him. "Ack! Too hard! Can't breathe! Can't breathe!" The others laughed at this before Cadance finally broke the hug, making Flash cough several times. "Ugh...why can't I catch a break?"
"If you did, you wouldn't be Flash." Shining commented as her patted Flash's back. The others nodded at this, causing Flash to start pouting. That is, till Twilight turned back to Celestia.
"Say, is Princess Luna gonna be here?" Twilight asked, changing the topic. "I'd think she would want to attend."
"She is," Celestia nodded before turning around and pointing to the hall behind her. "She's just doing a quick check over everything before coming down...Oh, here she is." They all looked over and saw the Princess of the Night striding into the ball room, followed by-
"Trixie?!" Flash and Twilight exclaimed in amazement. The blue show pony unicorn the two had met and befriended a while back was walking besides Luna in a beautiful gown that fit her features quite nicely. It was designed around her cutie mark, as it was mainly coloured light blue with several swirl like designs with gems that looked like stars. Flash and Twilight both thought it looked like it was something Rarity had made.
Upon seeing them, a giant smile graced Trixie's face as she quickly rushed over to them. "Flash!" she almost screamed as she pulled him into a hug. "Its so good to see you!"
"And you," Flash replied, smiling as he hugged back, "Though uh...what are you doing here?"
"I see you and Ms Sparkle are acquainted with my student?" Luna asked as she pulled Trixie away.
"Student?!" Flash and Twilight yelped, looking over at the now blushing blue unicorn.
"Surprise..." she said softly. "Heh heh heh..."
"I can't believe it! That's fantastic Trixie!" Twilight almost yelled before glancing at Luna. "But...when did this happen?"
Celestia chuckled at her student's question. "If you recall Twilight, after the capture of Big Score and his cronies, I suggested Ms Lulamoon come to the castle to perform her act for Luna and I."
"When I was passing through the city for another show, I remembered and thought the princesses might know a good spot to try my act," Trixie continued, "Celestia introduced me to Luna and I showed off a few of my tricks."
"I enjoyed her act and then asked about her past," Luna finished, "and when she told me about what happened in Ponyville, I was intrigued. I asked if she wouldn't mind doing a little...test of sorts over her magical abilities. One thing led to another and I asked the girl if she wouldn't mind staying in Canterlot and becoming my student."
"And here I am," Trixie said, a huge blush gracing both her cheeks.
"That's great Trixie! Way to go!" Flash told her, patting her shoulder.
"I owe it all to you two." Trixie confessed as she hugged Flash and Twilight together. "Without you all, I'd probably still be some arrogant show-off travelling from place to place. Instead, I'm here, where I can start living up to my true potential."
"We're happy we could help."
"So, what kind of magic are you studying?" Cadance asked the unicorn.
"Princess Luna thought it would be best to start me off with something linked to what I'm already good at. So, I started with illusionary spells and am now working on transfiguration."
"Cool. Could we see a demo?" Flash asked. Trixie frowned at this, causing him to slightly backpedal. "I was just uh...you know, asking that little bit of the entertainer in there."
"Okay," Trixie huffed as her horn began to glow. A second later-
POOF!
A puff of smoke appeared beside Flash. As the smoke dissipated, an exact duplicate of Flash appeared, making him jump. "Woah!"
"Woah," the duplicate repeated, showing the same surprised reaction that Flash had just made.
"That's freaky," Flash said, blinking at the sight.
"That's freaky," the duplicate repeated, blinking as well.
"And now its annoying," Flash frowned.
"And now its annoying," the duplicate mocked, mirroring his face. The others just laughed at this as the duplicate kept mirroring Flash.
"I could watch this all day," Shining said as he nudged Twilight.
"I completely agree." Twilight giggled, trying to hide her smile behind her hooves. The girls continued to chuckle until Trixie turned off her magic, causing the duplicate to disappear. Flash let out a sigh of relief at this before glaring at the still chuckling others.
"Very impressive all the same," Celestia commented as she shined a kind smile to Trixie, causing her to blush again.
"I'm glad you decided to take a student," Flash told Luna.
"And I have you to thank for the suggestion," Luna replied before looking at Flash with a slightly curious look. "Say, where is your jakhowl friend? I'm surprised you didn't bring him."
"I uh...told him about the gala and he was all 'No thanks'." Flash said as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, wasn't his style."
"I understand. This would be quite the amount of auras he would have to check before even coming in here." Luna chuckled as she shook her head. "I was just wondering. I was friends with plenty of jakhowls in the old days, so its nice to see one again." Luna then cleared her throat before looking at Twilight, Trixie and Flash. "Anyways, why don't you young ponies go out and enjoy the gala?"
"I was hoping to talk to Celestia a bit," Twilight said as she twiddled with her hooves.
"Of course Twilight," Celestia nodded. "I was hoping you'd be right by my side the entire evening."
"We'll stick around too if you'd like," Cadance told her, Shining nodding as she suggested this.
"No no," Celestia shook her head before winking at Cadance and Shining. "Go enjoy the gala you two."
"We can spend some time together tomorrow," Twilight said before frowning. "You will be here tomorrow, right?"
"Oh course!" Cadance nodded. "The Fantasia Festival is one of my most favourite events. And it only makes sense to spend it with my favourite ponies."
"Well, if that's the case, I'm gonna go check on the others." Flash huffed as he turned around with a slightly annoyed expression. "I get the feeling I'm gonna need to keep an eye on them. After all...that's my job."
"If you feel that is needed, go ahead." Celestia said as she patted Flash's head. "Just try not to get into any trouble."
"Why is everypony so worried about me getting into trouble?!" Flash asked.
"No reason," Celestia said, though she smirked when doing so. Flash just rolled his eyes at this before going down the steps while Trixie, Cadance and Shining started following him.
"To be honest, I get the feeling tonight is gonna be a little...boring." Cadance commented as she saw the crowd before them.
"Finally! Somepony else gets it!" Flash almost yelled before rubbing the sides of his head. "I hate this so much..."
"You know, I've never been to a big fancy party like this before. Is it that bad?" Trixie asked as she adjusted her dress.
"Yup. They're pretty much all the same," Shining hissed as he intertwined his hoof in Cadance's hoof. "A bunch of snooty ponies talking about what they think are big important issues and how great they are."
"Yeah...that sounds boring." Trixie said.
"It is!" the three replied together in unison.
"Hey Flash!" said a new voice. The orange pegasus turned to see one of his best friends walking in from the gardens, complete with a full Wonderbolt suit on.
"Soarin! Hey bro!" he exclaimed happily as he flew over to him, only to snicker as he saw the large pie in his mouth. "Get that from Applejack?"
"Maybe," he mumbled, almost dislodging the pie from his mouth. "Its good!"
"Uh-huh." Flash said as he yanked the hanging piece of pie from his friend, placing it on Soarin's wing as the Wonderbolt licked away the crumbs on his face. "Don't eat and talk at the same time mate. Its not exactly Wonderboltish."
"Thanks bro." Soarin replied as he wiped his mouth. "Sorry about that, it was just good and I couldn't help myself."
"No problem."
"So you're also friends with Wonderbolts," they turned to the others, Cadance walking up the closest to them.
"In my line of work, you meet ponies."
"Princess," Soarin bowed without dropping his pie.
"None of that," Cadance said with a laugh. "Just call me Cadance."
"Right," Soarin nodded before turning back to Flash. "So, where's the rest of your friends? I'm surprised they're not with you."
"Well, Twilight's with Celestia, you just got a pie from Applejack and the others...no clue."
"Hey Flash!" said another voice from above, causing Flash to look up. It was Rainbow Dash. "I was looking all over for you and...oh hey." Rainbow greeted Soarin, acting like she'd just seen him. However, Flash knew the face Rainbow was doing was fake. She was in full panic mode, though not as bad as the competition from a few weeks back.
"Hi there! Rainbow Dash, right?" Soarin greeted with his usual smile, causing Rainbow to shake like a leaf. He extended his hoof, which she just barely shook as before looking back at his pie.
"Er...yeah. Nice to see you again." Rainbow blushed as she tried to think of something else to say.
"Long time no see Rainbow Dash." Trixie interrupted, getting the mare's attention.
"Trixie?! What are you doing here?!"
"Long story short, I'm Luna's pupil."
"Wow...that's awesome!"
"So guys," Soarin interrupted, causing them all to look back at him. "Any of you gonna be at the Fantasia Festival tomorrow?"
"Heck yeah! You're doing an air show, right?"
"You know it."
"I've always wanted to see the Fantasia Airshow," Rainbow said with shining eyes, "I know the routine step by step!"
"Impressive," Soarin commented, not noticing Rainbow's expression. "We'll hope to see you there."
"I will," Rainbow replied, looking like she was about to burst. Her expression alone made Cadance do everything in her power not to just burst out in giggles at Rainbow.
"So, I was gonna head over to the VIP section with the other Wonderbolts. You all wanna join me?" Soarin asked as he pointed to a certain part of he ballroom. All but Flash nodded at this.
"I'm gonna go see how the others are doing," Flash said as he pointed to the other side of the room. "But the rest of you can go on." As they all started to head off, Flash quickly grabbed Soarin's wing before whispering to him. "Do me a favour and try not to ignore Rainbow pal. Don't tell her I told you this, but being around the Wonderbolts is a pretty big thing for her."
"Sure bro, I'll try."
The two slapped tails and separated. With that, Flash headed into the garden and right away, he was a familiar earth pony standing at an apple kart. As he approached her, she quickly spoke up as she saw them. "Howdy Flash."
"Hey, how's business?" A frowned followed that question. "Not good eh?"
"Not great. Ah've only made one sell."
"Soarin?"
"Eeyup."
"Eh, It'll be fine," Flash commented before his eyes strayed off. There, He noticed two ponies he recognised. "Well, what do you know...hey! Fancy Pants!" he called, getting a well-dressed unicorn's attention.
"Flash my boy," the unicorn named Fancy Pants said as he and a female unicorn trotted over. "Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"
"Eh, I'm good. I haven't been to Canterlot in a while, so that's why ya haven't seen me."
"Yes. I heard you and Ms Sparkle moved to a little country town. Ponyville, I believe?"
"Yup." Flash nodded. "Its what you would call...rustic?"
"Charming," Fancy said before looking over Applejack's cart and back at the unicorn that was following him. "Hmm...perhaps I should have one of these. They look quite appetising, wouldn't you agree Fleur?"
"It does, but I really shouldn't," she replied with a shake of the head, "it'd go straight to my hips."
"You're a twig," Applejack deadpanned, "one apple fritter won't hurt ya'h."
Despite the curt reply, the two ponies payed for their food and took a bite, both of their eyes widening as they did so. "My word, these are quite delicious! These might be the best apples in Equestria." Flash just chuckled at this before paying for a fritter himself. As he did this, Fancy turned back to Applejack. "My dear, while you're product is truly smashing, might I suggest you try selling it to a less...cynical demographic."
"I should do what now?"
"Try selling to ponies who aren't into eating caviar and being snooty," Flash said before turning to Fancy. "No offence."
"None taken," Fancy nodded before looking at Applejack again, "I'm sure the Fantasia Festival will be a better place to set up shop, don't you think? Plenty of foals would love this."
"I guess you have a point."
"Well, it was lovely to see you Flash," Fancy said before pointing to castle hall and doing a slight bow, "but we must be off. I have a few extra deals to complete with the nobles inside."
Flash waved at them with a big grin, "Yeah, see you around." The pegasus then turned to apple farmer. "You should be happy. You just met the nicest noble you're gonna meet in this boring gala."
"Maybe he was right," Applejack muttered to herself as she ignored Flash, "anything I don't sell tonight, I can try and sell tomorrow."
"That's the spirit," Flash shrugged. "Even if you ignored me. Welp, I'm gonna go find Fluttershy, I bet she's outside too."
"Ah saw here over there earlier." Applejack pointed to the Canterlot Gardens. "Though I bet she's fine."
"I'm gonna go make sure." Flash said as he left the apple kart. As he did, he quickly made his way through the gardens, remembering the old paths he used to use if he was late for training. A few minutes later, he found Fluttershy sitting by a tree, pouting. Sighing, he had feeling he knew where this was going. "Oh boy...This'll be fun." He went up and tapped her shoulder. "You okay?"
Fluttershy looked up to see him, tears about to well in her eyes. "None of the animals want to spend any time with me."
"Yeah," Flash said as he leaned his back on the nearby tree, his hooves behind his head. "A lot of them are supposed to be rescue animals. They don't fully trust ponies."
"But I won't hurt them."
"It doesn't matter," Flash hook his head. "When I was little, I tried to play with them myself. But...no matter what I did, they stayed away. Even now, very few of them are willing to come near me and the ones that do, won't with a stranger around. Sorry Fluttershy, but it'll probably be the same for you."
"Oh," Fluttershy said in a low sad tone.
"I know you want to be friends, but that's just how it is. You can still watch the animals from a distance."
"Yeah," Fluttershy sighed as she felt Flash sit down by her. The two continued to sit there, waiting quietly until a small bird landed on a nearby tree.
"See?" he said, only to get shushed by the timid little pegasus. Soon, more and more birds came down, followed by a few rabbits and even a monkey. Fluttershy looked really happy seeing them so close, but that happiness was shattered when a stick broke and the animals were all frightened away.
"Wait! What are you-" But it was too late. They were already gone, causing her to frown once more.
Flash turned in the direction of the sound and glared as he saw the perpetrator of the sound. It was Iron Core. "Do you mind?" he told the apprentice knight, "you scared off the animals."
"So?" Iron Core huffed as he walked up to the duo, causing Fluttershy to shake as he glared at her.
"My friend was trying to watch them." Flash said as he got in front of Fluttershy. "I also suggest you back off bub."
Iron Core just laughed at this as he continued to glare at Fluttershy. "HA! Its not my problem that your wimpy little friend enjoys watching wimpy little animals."
"Say that again," Flash growled.
"You heard me. Figures a weakling like you would hang out with other weaklings like her."
"You'd be surprised how strong Fluttershy is."
"Then why doesn't she show me?!" Iron said with a threatening smirk, which caused the Fluttershy to almost begin crying. Flash quickly turned to Fluttershy, gesturing her to get moving.
"She doesn't need to prove anything to you," Flash hissed before turning back to Fluttershy. "Come on, we'll come back later." Fluttershy just nodded at this, and the two quickly began to leave. As they did, Iron Core just began laughing again.
"Just like I said, you're a coward. You're an embarrassment to Grand Hoof."
This caused Flash to stop dead in his tracks. He turned around, his left eye twitching. "What did you just say?"
"You heard me!" Iron shouted, a devilish grin on his face. "A puny weakling like you doesn't deserve to be the apprentice of such a great warrior. I've looked up to Grand Hoof ever since I started my training. I spent years studying his fighting style, having not only mastered it, but improved it as well."
Flash was almost shaking at this. He had always heard this same complainant from Lightning Blitz, and it was the one thing that always made him angry. This time was no different.
"I can't believe such a great pony would chose a weakling like you as his apprentice." Iron Core goaded as he walked up to Flash, still grinning. "After all, it would be so much better if chose a true pony as his student, unlike you."
"You sure you wanna go there?" Flash growled. "Because let me warn you, I really really suggest you don't."
"Or what? You think you can beat me? HA!" Iron put his hoof to his chest. "Like you could even scratch a pony like me."
Fluttershy saw Flash reach for his blade, causing her to grab his shoulder. "Don't Flash." Fluttershy tried to say.
"Stay out of this shrimp. Go back to your dumb animals while the big boys talk it out like real stallions." Iron barked before glaring back at Flash. "Not that I'm actually talking to a real stallion anyways."
"That's it! You're done!" Flash shouted as he gripped his blade, Iron Core doing the same with his spear. As he was about to charge at the towering earth pony, a certain voice suddenly spoke up.
"FLASH!" Twilight appeared around the corner, seeing them before she smiling at the sight. "Glad I finally found you," she said as she walked up, only to stop when she saw both Flash and Iron had their hooves on their weapons, "what's going on?"
"Nothing," Flash loosened his grip on his blade. "What are you doing here? Didn't you want to spend more time with Celestia?"
"She sent me to find you," Twilight replied before looking at Iron Core. "You and Iron Core are to report to the training area for something." she then turned to Fluttershy. "Oh, and the princess said you need to come too Fluttershy. Its about some announcement." Fluttershy nodded at this, causing the two mares to quickly leave the scene. As they did, Flash turned back to Iron Core.
"We'll settle this later." Flash hissed before walking away. As he did, Iron Core just kept laughing.
"HA! There's nothing to settle! I'll crush you the next time we meet." Iron said with a big cheeky grin. As the words flew out of his mouth, Flash could only growl as he went to find his friends. While he did this, Twilight and Fluttershy was talking with the rest of the girls.
"So, how's your first gala treating you all?" Cadance asked, only to get nothing but sad and angry faces. "That bad?"
"This isn't a party," Pinkie said as her hair went flat, "it's no fun."
"The VIP section is so loud that I couldn't hear a word the others were saying," Rainbow added. "Not only that, everypony here are total snobs."
"And that Prince Blueblood," Rarity hissed as she looked like she was about to rip her dress. "What a selfish, arrogant..."
"Jerk?" Cadance suggested.
"Exactly!" Rarity snapped. "I hate that stallion!"
"Yeah." Twilight said as she looked back at the party, only to see a bunch of snobs the others were talking about. "I'm starting to see what Flash meant. This wasn't exactly what I've been told from other ponies."
"It hasn't been all bad," Trixie said with a shrug. "At least...somewhat."
"Yeah," Applejack added with a slight grimace, "but it's not what we were expecting."
"Well, there's still the festival tomorrow," Spike suggested, causing the others to suddenly notice his presence. "There's always that."
"You got a point there." Shining finished.
It was at that moment that Celestia and Luna appeared at the top of the staircase in the ballroom. "Ladies and Gentlecolts," Celestia announced, "I thank you all for your attendance here tonight. This year's Grand Galloping Gala is to celebrate not only the return of my sister, but all the other great events that has made Equestria so great."
"As such, we must also remember to give thank to those who risk their lives to ensure the harmony of Equestria is kept safe," Luna continued. "Such as the ponies of the royal guard who serve to keep the peace. We must also give thanks to the Royal Knights, our greatest protectors." Everypony seemed to nod at this, obviously thankful for what the Royal Knights did.
"Let us also give thanks to the apprentices," Celestia added, "who aspire to one day carry the title of Royal Knight. Tonight, we have two such apprentices attending, and I have decided to allow them the opportunity to prove their worth." Everypony seemed to whisper at this, confused by what she meant. "Tonight, we will be have a special exhibition match between the two apprentice knights, Iron Core and Flash Sentry."
That caused everypony to go from hushed whispers, to loud speech.
"What the-why didn't Flash tell us about this?" Rainbow exclaimed, glaring at Twilight. "Well?!"
"I'm not sure he knew," Twilight shook her head before rubbing her chin in thought. "Though it would explain why he was asked to bring his Celestic Gear."
"A battle between two knights, huh? That's awesome!" Spike exclaimed as Flash's other friends began to cheer him on. With the exception of Fluttershy of course, who just wanted to make sure he didn't get hurt.
As they did this, Celestia once again spoke up, "May everypony please head out to the stadium, as the match will begin in thirty minutes."
And so the many ponies headed out towards the Canterlot Castle's Colosseum, where they searched for a good seat. Being close to the princess, Twilight and her friends managed to get the best seats in the house, right in front of Celestia, Luna and Cadance's thrones. Shining was sitting next to Cadance while some of the Wonderbolts, Soarin included, sat next to the girls.
"This is gonna be sweet," Soarin said with a big cheeky grin, "I've always wanted to see Flash in a no-holds-bar fight."
"I think this'll be his first public battle, at least with his Celestic Gear anyway." Twilight commented as she rubbed his chin. "Though I wonder how this 'Iron Core' will do."
"Oh please! Flash is gonna cream that guy," Rainbow said as she leaned back in her chair. "Just watch, he'll beat him ten seconds flat."
"Don't underestimate Iron Core," Shining told her, "he might be at the same level as Flash, but physically, he's probably much stronger."
"Well, it takes more than strength to win a fight," Applejack said, gaining nods from her friends. However, before she could say something else, another voice joined them.
"Well, if you ask me," they all turned to see Prince Blueblood enter and sit next to Rarity. "This is just a waste of time. What was auntie thinking when she thought up this brutish event?! Its nothing but a bunch of peasants fiddling over each other. They aren't even worth a lower noble's time."
"I think it's a wonderful idea," Rarity countered back. "After all, its a chance for the public to see how strong their future protectors are."
"Well, I think the fact that we still have Royal Knights is ridiculous. Why all the fuss over a small group of ponies that nopony significant cares about?!"
"That small group of ponies nephew," said another voice, causing them to turn their heads again. This time, it was Celestia, who was now entering the box with the two other princesses. "Are skilled enough to take on an entire army. I hope this battle will prove that to you."
"Tch. I doubt that."
"Here they come!" Pinkie yelled, pointing to the arena. As she did, all the ponies eyes focused on the center of the ring as Flash, Grand and Iron stepped out onto the field, their suits gone and their weapons fastened to their sides.
"So, what do you know about Iron Core's weapon?" Twilight asked her brother. He gave her slight shrug before replying.
"It's called Piecemaker. I haven't actually seen in it in battle before, but I do know what it does."
"Well, that is a nice name, I guess." Fluttershy commented as she put her hooves to her mouth. "I just hope this isn't too violent."
"I'm sorry to say Fluttershy, but its not that kind of peace. He calls it Piecemaker because it literally makes pieces out of his opponent." Shining said, making Fluttershy wince. She began trying to shrink into her seat as he continued his explanation. "If I remember right, Piecemaker allows Iron control over metal just like Flash's gear lets him control light."
"How'd you mean?" Applejack asked.
"Just wait and see." he replied before pointing back at the arena. As he did, the three knights stood in the center of the field, tension already rising. Iron still towered over Flash as his cold steel armour clanged on the side of his body. Flash's sleeker armour set just sat still, though it was making a slight whistling noise due to the wind.
"Okay you two," Grand said with a slight cough, "I'll be going over some rules so things don't get out of hoof, understand?"
"Yes," they both nodded.
"Okay then," Grand turned to the rest of the stadium. "This battle between Flash Sentry and Iron Core will last thirty minutes. Should one pony drop before those thirty minutes are up, I will make the decision on whether they are unable to continue. Both sides also have the option to yield at any time. Also, a magic barrier has been placed at the edge, so no stray magical attacks will cause harm to the audience."
"I guess that makes sense," Twilight said as she rubbed her chin again, "if they're both using Celestic Gear, they'll be fighting with alicorn magic. It would be better if their weapons can't accidentally hit the audience."
"It sounds terrifying Twilight." Rarity grimaced. "Especially when you explain it in such a deadpan tone."
"The battle will begin at the sound of the horn," Grand Hoof announced as he walked out of the arena. "Prepare yourselves." Hearing this, both Flash and Iron readied their weapons as they waited for the horn to blow. They got into a battle stance and waited.
"I can't get careless," Flash whispered to himself, his weapon slightly shaking in his hoof. "This guy doesn't have a Celestic Gear for no reason. I'll need to hit him hard and fast before he can get an attack in."
"When this is over," Iron said as he cricked his neck. "Everypony will know who the strongest knight of them all is."
"Remember, you've got thirty minutes boys!" Grand said as he signalled for the horn. "Let the battle...BEGIN!"
The horn sounded and not a second later, Flash opened his wings and shot forwards, raising Lightbringer. "Flash Cutter!" He swung the blade and unleashed the attack, which flew towards Iron Core.
The earth pony held the black spear in his mouth. "Iron Guard Shield!" The spear head glowed dark green as it suddenly changed shape into a giant shield like weapon which with Flash Cutter struck. The force of the attack seemed to only push Iron a few inches back.
"The spear changed into a shield!" Spike exclaimed in amazement. "No way!"
"That's the power of Piecemaker," Celestia explained as she watched Flash slightly backpedal at the sight. "Iron Core can change it into any weapon imaginable."
"So he basically has an entire armoury at his hoof tips," Twilight added. "That's not good."
Flash watched and the shield changed back into the spear, making him a little nervous. "Okay...I'm definitely impressed. Alright, let's see how much that thing can take." He raised his weapon again and charged forward, "Flash Driver!" He started spinning, causing a powerful tornado like attack.
"Iron Guard Shield!" Once again, the spear head changed into the shield and blocked the attack, the tornado not even remotely piercing the shield. A few seconds in, the attack stopped as Flash spread his wings and flew backwards.
"So you just gonna play defense all day?!"
"Why waste my energy when I can just let you waste yours?" Iron said with a smirk, "but I guess is it a little boring. Iron Saber!" The shield then changed into a large blade, which extended to about fifteen feet as he swung it up towards Flash.
"Woah!" Flash yelled as he raised his own sword to block only for the force of the attack sending him flying backwards and smashing into the force field. A large gasp of pain followed as he tried to steady himself from the blow.
"FLASH!" Twilight screamed as her other friends winced at the sight.
"That looks like it hurt," Soarin said as he bit his lip.
As Flash started to shake his head, still reeling from the attack, his eyes caught Iron's sword shrinking down to about three feet. "Tch. That's a pretty gnarly looking toy," he joked as he landed back down on the arena. "Though its a bit too bleak looking for my tastes."
Iron simply smirked. "This here's the Iron Saber. Anything it touches will be cut to shreds." He swung it around as he charged at Flash, who leaped back into the air to dodge the attack. "I thought I'd give you an up close and personal demonstration."
"Oh, I'm so scared," Flash said sarcastically as he raised his own sword and charged forward. Iron raised his sword and blocked the attack, before pushing Flash away before going back into a defensive stance. "Oh come on!" Flash yelled as rushed forward, throwing slash after slash at Iron Core, who blocked every one.
"My turn," he said as he began swinging the sword, which extended so that it was always in Flash's reach. "Not so cocky, are ya kid?" He swung again and again, barely missing Flash each time. "I think you're scared."
Flash continued to dodge the attacks, but every time he tried to counter, Iron managed to block with the sword or change it into the shield. Minute after minute went by on the clock as Flash continued his fruitless efforts. Then, as Iron had switched back to his blade form again, Flash quickly backpedalled away, easily dodging a horizontal swipe from the sword. As he did this, he pointed Lightbringer's crossguard at the earth pony. "Alright, time to bring out the big guns. Flash..."
"Iron..." Iron Core retracted the sword back into the spear head, which he pointed at Flash.
"FORCE!" they both yelled as their Celestic Gears unleashed the attacks. While Flash unleashed his sword's laser blast, Iron's attack created an iron laced tornado that quickly raced straight at Flash with a torrent of shrapnel. The two attacks met in the center of the field, clashing at full force as it created a powerful explosion. It was so powerful that the ponies in the stands were forced to take cover from the wind of the blast.
"Whoa!" Soarin yelled as he quickly shielded his face with his wings. "They can do that?!" He glanced over, only to see everypony else was also shielding themselves from the gust. Several sighs of relief followed when they noticed that the barrier had prevented any sort of damage from the attack.
"That...was scary. Thank heavens that barrier is there. I'd hate to see what would happen if it wasn't..." Twilight gulped as she shook in her seat. As she did, she and the audience all gasped at the same time as they saw the dust cloud from the explosion fade away. As it did, it showed to two ponies were still standing, unfazed by their clashing attacks.
"Great Suns! What kind of monsters are they?!" Blueblood asked in horror.
"This is what makes them knight worthy," Celestia said as she scanned them both over. "They truly are talented."
"Looks like there's some pretty big differences between the power of light and the power of iron." Iron Core mocked as he rubbed his spear with his hoof. "You can shower me in your pretty little light show all you want, but it ain't gonna hurt me. On the other hoof, just one of my attacks is enough to rip your puny body to shreds." Flash did look a little worse for wear, with scratches and scraps covering his whole body. "But what can a puny weakling like you do?"
As Iron continued to mock Flash, the orange pegasus just stood there, unfazed. Flash's friends continued to watch him stand there, stiff as a statue. As they did, Twilight glanced at her mentor. "Hasn't this gone on long enough?" She asked, only to get a shake of the head as a response.
"No. They're only half way through their time."
"But-"
"Don't worry," Celestia said with a small yet kind smile. "Grand Hoof knows when to stop this."
"I hope so," Twilight replied, the frown on her face growing as she looked back at Flash.
After standing there for one more minute, Flash just looked at Iron with a big fat smile. This alone made Iron stop mocking him and yell, "What the-what are you so happy about?!"
"So...my attacks aren't hurting ya. Is that right?"
"You bet, you puny little pipsqueak."
"Alright. If that's the case, why don't I try this again?" Flash said as he pointed his weapon at Iron once more. "Flash Force!" the laser fired again, though this shot was much faster. Seeing this, Iron Core didn't have enough time create his own force attack and instead created the shield. However, the blast hit it like a hammer and Iron found himself being pushed back.
"What the heck?!" he yelled as he felt his hooves grind in the gravel. "What did you just do?!"
"Simple." Flash replied with a cheeky grin. "I just used magic. After all, if I can't beat you physically, I'll just use magic instead." Flash then began twirling the blade around before resting it on his shoulder. His grin formed into a cocky smile as he pointed it at Iron again. "You see, my Lightbringer was forged from the magic of three alicorns while yours is only made from one. And do you know what that means?"
"Grrr...oh no you don't! I'm not done!" Iron yelled as he charged forward. As he did, Flash quickly shot out another laser, only for Iron to change Piecemaker's form again. This time, it turned into a giant hammer, which Iron used to deflect Flash's sword before hitting Flash's stomach. "Iron Hammer Slam!"
The resulting hit knocked the pegasus across the arena, his body hitting the wall below the seats that were holding his friends. They all let out a collective gasp as Twilight yelled, "Flash! Are you alright?!"
Flash quickly pulled his body out of the wall, his muscles aching from the blow. "Owww...anypony get the number on that buffalo that hit me?"
"You okay Flash?" Soarin asked as well.
"I'm fine," Flash moaned as he felt a small 'pop' before hopping out of the wall. He then looked up at his friends with a big grin. "But who is this Flash you're asking for?"
"Quit clowning around and get back in the fight!" Rainbow barked as she pointed at Iron Core.
Flash just chuckled before shaking his head. As all his sense returned, he held his sword up again. "You got it."
"You got nothing!" Iron yelled as he pointed the tip of his weapon at Flash, which then changed into a longer spearhead. "Iron Lance Fury!" The weapon glowed and fired off a flurry of magic darts. Seeing the attack head-on, Flash quickly took to the sky, barely managing to escape the beginning of the barrage. As he did this, Iron yelled again. "Quit running away!"
"What the-do you honestly think I'm just gonna let you hit me?!" he mocked as he continued to dodge. "Are you that stupid?"
"A real warrior takes their opponent's attacks head-on and then unleashes their own attacks when they're close! Stop running away, you coward!"
"That might work for you, but I'm cool with my tactics." He threw a Flash Cutter attack at Iron, forcing him to stop his barrage and summon the shield to block. "And look at you, still hiding behind your shield, you coward."
"Shut up and fight me!"
"Alright, you asked for it." Flash shrugged before flying down onto the arena. As he did, he raised the crossguard once more. Seeing this, Iron's weapon changed again as the two just stood there, staring at each other. Before anypony could say anything, a sudden magic aura appeared around both of them, an orange one from Flash while a green one engulfed Iron. As it did, everypony just looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what was going on. That is, till Shining Armor spoke up.
"That's not good. They're getting serious now." he said in a low tone, causing the others to look at him.
"You mean they were just messing around before?" Rainbow asked in shock.
"Yeah." Shining nodded. "In a few seconds, they'll charge each other at full power. After that...I don't know what'll happen."
As he stated this, Flash and Iron quickly took offensive stances. Their eyes narrowed at each other as both grinned their back hooves into the arena ground, steam blowing out of their nostrils. Seeing this was the end, the audience prepared to take cover.
Then, it happened.
The two rushed each other at full power. A giant blaze of orange and green energy dashed at each other in the arena, the dazzling colours grazing the entire stadium. As the onlookers watched the duo rush each other, a few began to close their eyes, fearing the explosion of power that would follow. They knew that whatever happened next, it would truly end the match. That is, till-
"STOP!" Grand Hoof screamed, making the two apprentice knight come to a skidding halt, their weapons inches from each other's face. "Time's up. I declare this battle a draw."
"Oh come on!" they heard Rainbow yell.
"Flash Sentry," he said to his apprentice before turning to the other, "Iron Core. You've both proven yourselves as worthy knights this day. Well done."
The two continued to stare at each other, smirking as they did so.
"We'll settle this another time," Iron said.
"Agreed."
A little while later, Flash and his friends were sitting at a table at the gala. Flash had recovered from his injures thanks to the power of the arena's defense barrier. The barrier was made with a special enchantment that makes any injury sustained inside it disappear when leaving the field. Now, Flash was simply resting while sipping apple cider through a straw.
"That was an awesome match bro," Soarin complimented as he patted Flash on the back.
"Yeah...too bad I didn't fully kick his flank." Flash groaned, his muscles still slightly aching. "Eh, I'll get him next time."
"But aren't you supposed to be on the same side?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah," Pinkie agreed. "Fighting your friends for no reason isn't very fun."
"Just because we're on the same side doesn't mean I have to like him," Flash moaned before taking another sip. "Besides, sparing together is how we improve. Right Shining?"
"True." Shining shrugged as he took a drink of cider also. "Though I gotta say, I honestly wanted to get in on that fight myself. Too bad I couldn't."
"HA! You'd beat us both." Flash replied before seeing a disapproving frown on Twilight's face. "What?"
"I glad you're okay, but don't go picking fights for no reason."
"Don't worry Twilight, I won't do anything that dumb." Flash said before whispering to Soarin, "I'll make sure I have a good enough reason to punch him in the face first." Soarin just chuckled at this while the others rolled their eyes.
"So..." Cadance spoke up, wanting to change to topic. "What do you all want to do tomorrow?"
"I'm free until the parade," Soarin said with a slight shrug. "Think I could hang out with you all?"
"YES! I mean...that would be great if you could hang out with us." Rainbow stuttered, trying not to sound to excited. The girls giggled at this while Flash just motioned 'smooth, real smooth' to Rainbow with his mouth. She growled in retaliation.
"Sounds great. I'm always down for some fun." Soarin replied, stretching his hooves with a yawn. "I haven't been to the festival in some time after all."
"Actually," Twilight spoke up, getting the attention of the others. "Celestia asked me if me or any of the girls wouldn't mind doing a performance tomorrow."
"Performance?" Fluttershy asked, sounding terrified, "what kind of performance?"
"Not sure yet. We'll only get the details tomorrow if we agreed."
"Well, you can count me in darling." Rarity said with a hoof to her chest. "I'd love to be onstage."
"I'm down for that." Rainbow added as she leaned back in her chair. "After all, that means I can easily show Canterlot my awesomeness."
"And me! I wanna help!" Pinkie almost screamed.
"I'll help any way I can," Applejack added as well. "Might be good for business."
"Maybe I could help too," Cadance finished. "Knowing auntie, it'll definitely be something fun."
"And we'll come see it," Shining said gesturing to himself and the other boys. They all nodded at this, showing their signs of approval.
"Great!" Twilight said as he looked back at still ongoing gala. "I'll let Celestia know before we leave. Speaking of which, there's about an hour left before the gala is set to wind down. Is there anything else you all want to do?"
It was at that moment that the orchestra began playing a slow song. This alone got Cadance thinking, causing her to form a big grin on her face. "How about we dance?" she said as got up from the table. As she began walking onto the dance floor, her magic started pulling Shining along with her.
"Typical Cadance." Twilight giggled as she watch her brother drag on the floor from his marefriend's alicorn magic.
"Well, I wouldn't mind a dance, though I have no idea who I would-" Rarity said before feeling a small clawed hand tap her shoulder. She looked down, only to see Spike with a big, slightly red grin on his face. "Okay." She and the dragon headed out to the floor before Rarity looked back at her friends. "Are the rest of you coming?"
"Hey Dash," Applejack pointed to Soarin, who was absentmindedly drinking another glass of cider. "Why don't you and Mr Skies dance?"
"What?!" Rainbow yelped as her face went completely red. She began flailing her arms around as she exclaimed. "No way I'm doing that! Nuh-uh!"
"Wuss." Flash said as he stuck out his tongue. Rainbow's ears flared up after hearing this, making her glare at him.
"Oh yeah?! I'll dance if you do, you stinking little-" she yelled before Flash put his hoof in her mouth.
"Deal." Flash turned to Twilight and extended his hoof. "Shall we?"
Twilight chuckled as she quickly took his hoof. "Sure."
Soon, all the ponies were an the dance floor, enjoying the music and dancing with their partners. As they did, Celestia watched over the ponies with a long, graceful smile as Luna walked up to her. The princess of the sun glanced at her sister before speaking up, "Its wonderful, isn't it?"
"Indeed sister." Luna nodded in agreement. She then blinked as she watched Twilight and Flash twirl on the dance floor. She could see the happiness radiating from the two, along with the others dancing around them. Luna then looked back up the sky, seeing the moon still shining down at the room. "To think I would see such happy ponies at this hour. It truly is something wonderful."
"I agree." Celestia replied as she nuzzled her sister. "And I am so happy to see our students have made true friends. Surely this is a sign of a good, fortune-filled future."
"Agreed." Luna chuckled as she pointed to Twilight, "Though your student doesn't look that happy right now."
"Hmm? Really?" Celestia looked at her student, only to see a pouting face. "Oh dear, what did Flash do now?"
"Is he that bad?"
"You have no idea Luna."
As the two sisters continued to observe, Flash took his dancing partner, twirling her around as the music changed. The next song was slightly more upbeat, but still slow, causing the two to still take things slowly. As they did, Flash asked about the slightly annoyed look on Twilight's face. "Something wrong?"
"Oh, just the usual." Twilight deadpanned, her eyes narrowing at Flash's face.
"Alright, what did I do this time?" Flash barely chuckled, making Twilight pout even more.
"I don't like seeing you get hurt like that Flash."
"I'm a knight Twilight. Its my job to get into fights."
"Flash! That Iron Core pony beat the snot out of you in the arena!" Twilight barked back, her face turning slightly red. "I...I thought you were in serious trouble."
"Ouch my pride..." Flash joked, making Twilight shake her head in response.
"You're too reckless, you know that?"
"I know." Flash replied as he leaned over, his head slightly sitting on her shoulder. He then slowly whispered in her ear. "I'll be more careful in the future. I promise. So stop worrying so much, okay?"
"..." Twilight closed her eyes, a small sigh escaping her mouth as she whispered back. "Okay. Its a promise."
While this was going on, a certain individual was standing outside the castle. It was a unicorn with a very familiar yellow coat and spiky white mane. The unicorn just sneered at the sight of the gala before turning away and walking down the street. "What a waste. Those losers are wasting their time dancing and being merry. This is why Equestria's become nothing but a joke now." He said to himself as he took a turn down a back alley. "Things need to change...and I'm the one to do it."
As he stepped into the back alley, he came to a stop. A large yawn escaped his breath as he stood there, not moving for a few minutes. That is, till a certain sound caught his ears. A big grin formed on his face as he turned around, his eyes now seeing three new ponies at the entrance of the alleyway.
They were all unicorns. The first was slim with dark blue fur and a black mane and tail, his Cutie Mark being a large mouth that looked like it was smiling. The second was a mare and had dark green fur with an orange mane and tail. She wore thin glasses and her Cutie Mark was a stone mason chisel. The last one had dark red fur and a green mane and tail which covered his right eye, along with a Cutie Mark that was a quill writing a rune.
"Bout time you three. Did you find it?" he asked.
"We did." The red unicorn replied as he levitated a box towards him. "And you're gonna love it."
"The shop owner gave us a hard time letting go of it." The green unicorn said as she gave her boss a wink. "But I managed to...persuade him into selling it to us."
"Good. I like the sound of that." The boss chuckled as he opened the box. His eyes began to shine as he took the treasure inside out of the container. "Oh yes...I like this."
"Oh man!" The blue one exclaimed. "With that thing, your power's gonna go CRAZY!"
"And with that power," he said as he put the object around his neck. "No one will stand in my way."
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so Flash's rogue gallery is coming to bear....
Well, things aren't going to go well.
Definitely better than half an hour of the girls losing their minds.
Well, that was interesting. I have a feeling Flash is going to be facing an arch-enemy level villain soon. I like the changes you made.
This has certainly been an intrigue set of pieces for these ponies. We gained quite a bit of background and personality from Flash Sentry, as well as some nice developments with his friends, and especially Scootaloo. Although I've detected borrowed elements from Spectacular Spider-Man, as well as The Flash somewhat, I'd say, for the most part, they were utilized sparingly, and well enough to give Sentry his own distinguished character. I'd like to see how well this series progresses on from here. Would we see him pick up a guitar, at some point? Or has that already happened? Can't remember, right now. Anyway, I certainly look forward to the next installment. Take care, and God Bless.
I think it was Walter B. Gibson, writer of over 280 of the less than 340 Shadow pulp novels from the 1930's, who came up with not only the concept of 'the supervillain' but of a hero's rogue gallery when he brought back the villain of the first Shadow pulp novel more or less stating that if a bad guy was not killed in such a way that left not even a shadow of a doubt, the villain must come back.... not a single one of Flash's enemies are dead....
So, is Iron Core supposed to be Lightning Blitz with a conscience? The two of them are surprisingly similar.
8167774 I know, right?
Great chapter. I loved that we met a new knight in training. Hey I have an idea for a knights weapon. It would be very unconventional. Do you want to hear it?
Dang! Why does Flash keep getting belittled by other stallions for not being a walking tank?!
Man, for a guy who wants to make a living protecting ponies, this Iron Core fellow doesn't seem to care very much about the ponies he's supposed to be protecting. 
Uh, he probably makes babies cry too.
8168966 I think that Iron Core doesn't care for ponies on a personal level, but he cares about ponies and Equestria in general. This Is actually not uncommon for real world knights, they often had more in common with gang enforcers than the members of the round table. As for treatment Flash has been ggetting, we have to remember that he is a pegasus and his structure is most lije the average background stallion, basically he's a runt in comparison to the other Royal Guard especially to Grand Hoof who's nick name has the word mountain in it.
8169357 Man, I've obviously been living in modern Western civilization for way too long. I'm used to law enforcement actually making attempts to be personable and non-terrifying to the average civilian. Admittedly, they don't always succeed (as the negative press so persistently reminds us), but it's better than nothing. (Where's a shrugging emoji when you need it?!)
8168952 Sure.
8169535 having lived in Kuwait for a year and a half... you can never live in the modern Western World too much...
8170070 It's just that what you said about what knights used to be like made me think of cultural aspects that a lot of modern Westerners take for granted. A law enforcement system that actually tries to keep police brutality in check is one of them. Others include widespread literacy, women allowed to stay single into their late 20s without judgement, Internet, etc. I'm guessing your experiences have more or less required you to do without all that.
8172230 More like I have a massive appreciation for my culture after seeing and living in a part of a world without these ideas. Also, I am a bit of a history buff
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8169637 You should probably put a crossover tag since you have the pokemon Riolu in the story.
I'll take a guess. Iron Core is Gajeel. The new guy is Laxus. His three lackeys are Freed, Evergreen and Bickslow.
THE GRAND GALLOPING GALA IS THE BIGGEST PARTY IN ALL OF EQUESTRIA BUT YOUR THINKING OF MAKING SOME BITS, MEETING YOUR DREAM STALLION, TAKING TO YOUR IDOLS, MAKING NEW ANIMAL FRIENDS DOING SOMETHING WILD OR HAVING SOME TIME WITH YOUR MENTOR. DON'T GET YOUR HOPS TO UP.
What were shining armor and cadence wearing
10283197 Err...I guess Shining would be wearing his normal formal attire, since Grand's suit was a blue version of that. As for Cadance...how about this
Shipping powers activate!