A Brand New Beginning

by StoryWeaverKP

The Party

Chapter 2: The Party

There is was, the Griffin Manticore Parasprite (GMP) house.

Rhythmic dub-step pulsated on the air, and Flash’s skin tingled with unbridled and unrestricted sonic energy. Internally, his soul gyrated along with the faint notes, and it took more than a few deep breathes to steady his nerves. Men and women stood with one another on the front porch of the house, and they all held red plastic cups. Their bodies moved in time with the music, and everyone appeared entranced with their own conversations.

Flash took out his cell phone.

Me: Hey! I’m here.

After a few moments, he got a response.

Me: Hey! I’m here.
Sunset: Great! We’re in the room off to the left of the front door, towards the back.

Flash licked his lips, and he moved up to the front entrance. Many eyes fell upon him, and their gazes were filled with curiosity and calculating inspection. He smiled and waved at some of them. Some of the men nodded curtly, while the women just peered at him all the more determination.

One of the men who wore a GMP shirt stepped in front of him.

He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “Hey, you ever consider pledging? We’re still looking for new members.”

Flash beamed an awkward grin at him. “Um… I don’t think frat life is for me.”

“So what?” the GMP brother asked. “You’re just here to drink our booze and that’s it?” He gestured behind him. “The ladies get in because GMP loves the ladies. All of the dudes are either interested in our house, or they’re considering it. We don’t have room for scrubs who aren’t interested in us.”

“Oh.” Flash said.

Sunset waited for him inside, just beyond the door, but tonight would be ruined if he couldn’t even get in. He rubbed the back of his head.

“I suppose I could think about joining GMP,” Flash said.

The GMP brother immediately smirked, the kind of smirk that one might expect from a really dumb dog. “Tartarus yeah!
That’s what I’m talking about.” He snatched the cup from another guy’s hand and then thrust it toward Flash. “Drink!”

Flash looked at the cup, then to the GMP brother’s face, and then back to the cup. As the seconds ticked by, the brother’s glee melted like a winter snow.

Reluctantly, Flash took the cup and brought it to his lips. Anticipation grew in the GMP brother’s eyes, and he held his balled fists in front of him. It actually reminded him of someone like Rarity reveling over a new dress or something. Flash winced and tipped the cup backward.

A brownish liquid flowed onto his tongue, and a sour and bitter explosion assaulted his taste buds. Flash winced again, and swallowed.

The GMP brother yelled out, and then draped an arm around Flash’s shoulders.

“Come on, little man. I’m going to introduce you to some awesome bros and hos,” the GMP brother said.

His phone rattled, and Flash pulled it out.

Sunset: where are you?

His thumbs quickly danced across his screen.

Sunset: where are you?
Me: Help! Some giant guy has me by the shoulder. He’s taking me to meet bros and hos.

The interior of the GMP house was packed, and once they got inside, the music blared even harder and louder. Constant thumping rocked the air, and he could barely hear himself think, let alone speak.

The room to the left of the hallway had a bunch of people inside, all sitting around and talking, or perhaps trying to talk. Though he did not see Sunset, he did see Fluttershy. The pink-haired introvert had one of those red cups in her hands, and an amused grin plastered her face.

The room on the right had a pair of large speakers, and a female DJ worked the turn table. The DJ wore a pair of crimson colored glasses, despite the darkness in the room. People gyrated in an open space before the DJ, and everyone had the same red cups. The vile taste of the beer still coated Flash’s tongue, and he began to suspect there was more than just beer in the cup. During his brief romance with Aria, she and he had consumed some cheap beer. The taste wasn’t great, but it didn’t have a kick like whatever was in the cup Flash drank from.

Just as the GMP brother had started to lead him into one of the back rooms, a soft hand grabbed his hand. It stopped him, and both Flash and the GMP brother looked back.

Sunset had grasped his hand. The music stopped as she yelled out, “He’s with me!”

In the brief interlude before the start of the next song, the surrounding men and women gave out jeers. Some of them had been from Canterlot High, and a few of them had even went so far as to nudge him with praise.

The GMP brother grinned. “Alright, I’ll let you borrow him for a bit, but I am coming back for him later.” His big arm unwrapped from Flash’s shoulders.

Once he was free, Sunset let go of his hand, and she gestured for him to follow her. The music started again, and the banging of the dub-step notes masked the booms of his heartbeat. His fingers still tingled where their skin had come into contact.

Sunset led him into the room where the rest of her friends clustered. This world’s Twilight Sparkle sat on the lap of her long-time boyfriend, Timber Spruce. Flash only regarded them for a second before noted the other girls. They all had red cups in their hands, although Fluttershy appeared the most affected by it. Pinkie Pie had a cup in each hand.

As soon as Flash had come up, Rarity had cast a predatory grin on him, and she watched him with unblinking eyes. To be honest, several shivers slithered down Flash’s spine.

Sunset grabbed her red cup and took a sip from it. She leaned in close to him, to speak into his ear.

“Are you thirsty? I could get you something,” Sunset asked. “The beer is okay. Not great, but passible.”

She glanced at him with expecting eyes, and so Flash did the only thing he could think of doing. He nodded.
Sunset whispered something in Applejack’s ear, and then disappeared back through the crowd.

Applejack got close, and her breath had the fragrance of beer on it. “Don’t worry, sugar cube. We’ll protect you from the big, bad frat guys. So they almost lassoed you in to their little den, huh?”

Flash chuckled nervously. “Yeah, they almost did.”

Applejack replied, “My brother told me they did the same thing to him when he went here.”
Sunset returned a few moments later with a pair of full red cups. She handed one to Flash and took another small sip from hers.

She leaned in. “It’s passable if you do a little at a time.”

Flash sipped it, and she was right. The initial bite wasn’t as intense, and underneath the ocean of sourness lingered a hint of good taste.

“Crazy party, huh?” Sunset said. “If the deans knew that there was under-aged drinking, then they would be all over the GMP.”

“Yeah.” Flash said. “Surely they do know, and they just don’t care.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Sunset replied. “So, how were your other classes?”

“Good. Thank goodness none of the professors gave homework,” Flash said.

Sunset batted at his chest. “Lucky. I have a five-page paper due on Monday.” She paused for a moment, and then said, “It makes me kind of happy you didn’t fixate on Twilight.”

Without really thinking, Flash replied, “Well, I came here for you.” His eyes widened as he contemplated the meaning of the words.

Sunset just smiled up at him. “You know, back in Equestria, we have alcoholic apple cider, and it’s amazing! They have hard cider here, but it isn’t the same.”

“Oh?” Flash asked. “So do you ever miss home?”

“Not as much as I used to.” Sun set let her gaze drift to the side for a moment. “I’ve been here for so long that I have built a life for myself. Equestria will always have a special place in my heart, but I learned how to open up in this world.”
Flash smiled. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Rarity stared at him.

He leaned closer to Sunset. “So…. why is Rarity looking at me like that?”

Sunset tilted her head ever so slightly and gazed back at the purple-haired fashionista. A small chuckle escaped past
Sunset’s lips. “Well, when I told the girls I had invited you here tonight, there was a bunch of mixed feelings. Rarity was one of the girls who is… well, let’s just say intrigued about our …reconnection.”

“Mixed feelings?” Flash asked.

Sunset averted her eyes for a moment. “Well, if I tell you this, do you promise not to hold it against us?”

Flash nodded.

“Well, RD, Twilight, and Fluttershy were worried about you obsessing over Twilight,” Sunset replied.

“But I told you -”

Sunset placed an index finger on his lips again. Flash’s soul stirred. Would this be a regular thing between them, her finger on his lips? He kind of hoped so.

“I know that, but can you blame them?” Sunset asked. “Can you blame me?”

Flash peered down into her eyes, those same eyes that sparkled with a renewed sense of radiance. This was not the same Sunset he had first met all those years ago, and it wasn’t the same Sunset from back at Camp Everfree either. Everyone had changed and grown since then, even Flash. Now was the time to show the world, and these girls he wasn’t the same guy as before.

He leaned in really close to Sunset’s ear. “I hope when we hang out in the future, I can show you I’m not the same guy. My only interest in Twilight is in the world that you and her come from. And its not even this Twilight that had stirred my imagination and heart long ago. I promise, I won’t be obsessed with her.”

Sunset arched an eyebrow at him. “So are you only interested in hanging out with me to find out about Equestria?”

The question hung in the air like a guillotine poised for use. One wrong turn of phrase could mean death.

Flash paused for just a moment. “I am interesting in hanging out so I can find out more about you. The stuff about your home is an added bonus, but… even if we never talked about Equestria, magic, or anything like that, I’d still want to have coffee with you.”

“Really?” Sunset asked. Her eyes radiated with an earnest need.

“Really.” Flash gave her his best smile.

The current song stopped, and another powerful dub-step sonata blasted through the air. Pinkie, grabbed Sunset and Twilight’s hands, and she pulled them out into the middle of the room. Other party-goers moved out of the way as the three girls started dancing. Rarity and Rainbow Dash placed their cups down, and they joined the throng. Fluttershy just stayed where she was, but she screamed out what Flash assumed was ‘yay!”

Applejack moved up to Flash. She leaned in.

“So be honest, you’re not tugging Sunset along are you?” Applejack asked.

Flash shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t do that.”

“Good!” Applejack gave him a light punch in the arm. “If you did manipulate her for your own ends, RD and I are already planning on whisking you off in the middle of the night and turning your balls into apple preservative.”

Flash’s eyes opened wider, but he said nothing.

“I assume you understand me clearly,” Applejack said.

“Yes, ma’am” Flash said.

Sunset returned after the next song ended. She breathed heavier, and the top of her forehead was shiny with sweat.

“Everything okay?” Sunset asked, a knowing glimmer resonating in her eye.

From the edge of his peripherals, Flash noticed Applejack’s stern, but amused expression.

“Oh yeah, everything is great,” Flash said.

***

The cool night air soothed Flash’s skin, and he walked lackadaisically on the sidewalks. Sunset strolled beside him, and neither of them had said anything since they left the party.

In the midst of the silence, Flash couldn’t help but smile. Even though his heart thudded in his chest, it wasn’t anything overpowering, and so far, he hadn’t done anything to anger any of Sunset’s brutally protective friends.

“So, there’s something I have to know,” Sunset asked.

Flash peeked over at her. “Oh yeah?”

Sunset giggled. “You and Aria Blaze…”

An embarrassment nuke went off in the pits of his stomach, and his courage withered in the fallout. All he could do was chuckle nervously.

She just strode by him patiently, waiting for an answer.

“That was a long time ago, and I was a different guy back then,” Flash said. “At the time, I was well…” His nervousness intensified, and his bones vibrated beneath his skin. “I was vulnerable back then. So was she.”

“Vulnerable, huh?” Sunset asked. “I don’t understand why. You were always well-liked in school. And she… well, she was a monster, literally”.

“What can I say?” Flash said. “I have a thing for creatures not from this world.”

A brief moment of silence drifted between them.

“Do you still have a thing for her?” Sunset asked. “Just curious.”

“For Aria? No, not at all. I haven’t seen her since graduation,” Flash replied.

Sunset said, “She goes here, you know. I’m sure she could give you all sorts of information about Equestria.”

Flash turned his attention away from Sunset. “That’s how our brief relationship started. She offered me insight into a new world and a new way of thinking. It’s what got me really interested in writing about fantasy stuff in the first place. One thing led to another, and we were in a relationship.”

A plain expression had covered Sunset’s face. “Did you two…” her face winced.

The acid in Flash’s gut boiled. Here it was, the very thing that would derail this wonderful possibility. He closed his eyes.

“Um… yeah,” Flash said.

Another long moment drifted between them before Sunset replied, “I don’t suppose I can really blame you. I’ve been with other people too. It happens. We’re young, and we’re prone to be swept up in the storms of passion.”

His heart and his mind collided against one another, combatting his next response. As per the usual, his heart won out. “I may have been with her, but you will always be the first…” he closed his eyes again. “and the best.”

Sunset giggled and smiled at him. “So how about coffee tomorrow? I don’t have classes tomorrow at all.”

“Me either,” Flash said. “and I’d love to have coffee with you tomorrow.”

“Great!” She pointed to the building beside them. “Here’s my dorm.” For a brief moment, she gazed at him with wonder. “You’re not going to drive, are you?”

Flash smiled. “Oh, no. I walked from my dorm, so I plan to walk back.”

Sunset moved toward the front doors of her dorm hall. “This was fun. A lot more fun than I expected.”

Flash replied, “Maybe tomorrow will be even more fun!”

“I hope so,” Sunset said.

Flash Sentry walked alone to his dorm hall, which was on the other side of campus. Faint dots hung in the vast, black sky. With the city lights being so bright, this was all they could see of the brilliant lunar majesty. Even still, the stars were magnificent companions.

It was only when Flash got into his room and he took off his shirt that a strong, resounding thought came to mind.
Is tomorrow a date? Or perhaps just hanging out?

Flash took off his pants, as was the normal routine. He hated sleeping in clothes, especially when the summer heat still
gripped the land with a fiery determination. He laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Regardless of ‘what’ tomorrow was, it would still result in the same end. It was his chance to get to know her again. Even if it was just as friends, it wouldn’t matter. The connection was more important than labels.

Flash closed his eyes.

“Don’t pressure yourself, man,” he whispered. “Just relax, and enjoy the ride.”