This story is a sequel to The Prisoner of Zebra
Things are looking up for Flash Sentry! While on leave from the Royal Guard, he's cast as the lead role in a production of The Life and Times of Flash Magnus. Finally, he doesn't have to worry about being sent into the literal jaws of danger for the good of Equestria. After facing murderous changelings, gnolls, and even a few dragons, all Flash has to worry about is remembering his lines.
But sometimes, bombing on stage can be murder.
Volume 5 of the Flash Sentry Papers.
Chapters (6)
I've been waiting for this one.
That may be the funniest thing you've ever written.
In any case, most enticing opening to a new entry in the Papers, and nice use of Canter Zoom and Juniper Montage alike. Looking forward to seeing where you go with this one.
I see Flash Sentry papers, I like it and I fave it. And then I read it.
This is going to be hilariously good, I can feel it
I did not hit her, it's not true, it's bullshit, I did not hit her, I did not. Oh hi, Mark.
Executive Meddling's a bitch, innit?
Of course.
You scare me.
This amuses me FAR too much.
I'd imagine.
Of course. This is so bad an act even I can see through it.
Well shit.
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Not gonna lie, I've been waiting for the chance to use that gag too. :)
"Ardent Dale"
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Damnit, now I can't remember the character's original name.
Damn! Heck of a good start to this one!
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Dale Arden
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I'm honestly surprised it's taken someone this long,
Really? Really?
I can't be the only excited to see Juniper try and poison Trixie's coffee.
Gosh darn it I should know by now not to read your stories until they're completed with all these cliffhangers.
I think the obvious answer is Spotlight, being as she came on to Flash moments before the death was found, and my thought is she wanted to seduce him so she could accuse him of doing it. "It was a sordid affair, and when Canter found out, he obviously tried to fight Flash! Buy Flash, with his military training, killed him by accident! It was a crime of passion!" ..or something like that.
Obviously I'm drawing a conclusion too early, but without the rest of the facts... well, work off of what you got, right?
I see what you did there.
Accurate.
That, is bad.
Hey, he's alive, proof that it works.
Accurate.
Oh wow...
Wrinkles. Also, she's probably involved in all this.
Who knows.
Naturally.
Maybe, but while Flash is a coward, he's NOT that bad a guy.
Wonder if she's the killer? Spotlight, that is.
That's, intimidating.
HAH!
Most certainly it was a murder. Actually, forget that, it was an accident. Somepony WAS trying to kill him, but some piece of the stage got him first and the murderer-to-be just put him into his chair. I'd say it was his wife, trying to seduce Flash to put the blame on him, but that would be too obvious.
I think this is the first time I've seen Miss Marple adapted into a pony story, and it makes me kind of sad that it hadn't ever happened before. In any case, with murder most foul (and Equestrian) to investigate, just about anyone's a suspect. For now, my money's on secret ninja Juniper Montage.
Awww yeaaah! More FSP shenanigans. Let the nay sayers neigh, this stuff is awesome.
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I agree. So far the evidence points towards Spotlight, specially the timing of her advances. That would too easy though, wouldn't it?
Maybe she is in cahoots with someone else? Perhaps an annoyed, abused, downright humiliated director who saw it fit to regain complete control of the production and protect his career? Maybe his mysteriously mobile niece for similar reasons, she's shown unusual skills already...
Let's face it though, it was probably the butler.
I'm very excited to be reading yet another installment in this series, and I look forward to the change of pace. I suppose it remains to be seen exactly how different this story will be compared to the others, considering how easy it would be to switch into the fast-paced adventures that the others contained, but the reference to Agatha Christie (and the classic discovery of a murdered pony) has me hopeful that the mystery elements will play a slightly larger roles than in the previous installments.
I eagerly await the next chapter.
Holy cow flash gordon, and miss marple references in the same story. Going to have to dig out the VCR I am pretty sure I still got some of that stuff on tape.
>.>
<.<
Anyone got a coax to hdmi adapter?
Ten bits says Juniper just gave her the wrong coffee,
THE TENSION RISES!!1!!1!1!!!
A point in the favour of Juniper being the culprit, considering she's the coffee maker. We don't know however if she poisoned it, or if someone else managed sleight-of-hoof (or magic, or wing) on the tray, so I shall withhold my judgement for now.
I do love a good mystery, even if I can never solve them haha
Hmm... Juniper is looking awfully suspicious, but she may be a red herring. The sins of the human need not reflect the sins of the mare. Still, it's not like there's much evidence for anyone else at the moment.
Really not sure where things will go from here. Neat! Looking forward to finding out.
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Lactose intolerance is no laughing matter.
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Yes. Yes it is.
I get to laugh at all the poor unfortunate souls who will one day struggle with osteoporosis, chuckling wistfully to myself as I tip back my fourth or fifth giant glass of moo-juice for the day and feel its awesome power seep into my bones; strengthening them with its calcirific goodness.
This is my nightly ritual to appease the kind goddess Bovina.
GASP! I've solved it! I know who the killer is!
It's Cutie Cue. You see, her initials are C. C. Cereal Ckiller.
...
...
...
Maybe not.
Carrot Top is not going to be pleased to learn that was an exaggeration, given her history.
Did he now?
I can only imagine.
Well now.
Ah, right.
I would to. Probably best to cast ponies who can ACT.
So how's Carrot Top going to find out?
That about does it.
Not your best choice of words, Flashy boy.
The guy is a bit of a leech, but he's a SMART leech.
Hm, might explain why she's cast, but WHY would she kill someone? And how would she do it? I've seen Trixie be a LOT of things, but an assassin?
Agreed, she's a bitch at worst, not a murderer.
Yeah, but WHY would she do that? Not to mention, I don't think she CAN teleport.
Agreed.
Also agreed.
She's the killer, isn't she?
She's absoLUTELY the killer.
Well, she certainly seems more even tempered than her EQG counterpart. Then again, she's presumably older, so, more time to calm down, and all that.
She can't. The Z is silent. If anything, she'd have rolled her "r".
Technically, that was Starlight. But you did help a lot. As for you Flash, you just killed A Changeling, and even then by accident.
She can't, got it.
Oh. Cornnuts. Also, I DOUBT the killer is Juniper, it's too obvious. Too easy.
Love Trixe, over dramatic, even when poisoned.
i cliff hanger in the first chapter...
Fuck
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You're assuming she knows the language.
8690071
Well, I like to headcanon that she's from Neigh Orleans, so... eh?
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See, my interpretation of what Tumbleweed had written was that he was putting her in the role of airheaded, self-centered diva who wants people to think she's classy but can't actually back it up, and trying to use French (or however you want to ponify it) words without knowing the language is exactly the sort of thing that type of character would do.
8690108
I don't know why you tagged me in this?
Cause I'm on my phone and hit the wrong button. :p
On the one hand, I adore scenarios where the protagonist is a suspect and the detectives hound them. As long as they're not really overly abusive about it, that is.
On the other hand, Miss Maple is probably too smart to suspect Flash for very long. Sentry isn't a good actor. He's leaving lots of tells, but they're not quite the right tells.
This cliffhanger is killing me!
...
Sorry.
Like Flash, I got far too much enjoyment from this moment.
Called it! ... Well, only sorta ... OK, not at all. Anyways, I imagine there's an epilogue coming? It would be nice to know how a random ass stage manager knows super deadly martial arts. Also, I didn't quite get why did it matter that Juniper Montage was "seeing" Deep Pockets.
Dammit showhorse!
Yep.
Correct.
Wonder why?
Eep.
Oh absolutely.
Worse than murder?
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/43a2548a-95eb-453e-aa0f-bfd640579e7f
Smarter than you, that's for sure.
Flash MAGNUS.
A valid point.
Oh, you are SO fucked.
Ooooh...
Oh shit.
So, Shakespeare in our world, got it.
Clever.
It works.
Naturally.
HAH!
Dangit Juniper...
The Producers.
Oh good, you know it too.
... Noted.
Played you like a fiddle and cut the strings.
Have your laugh, Sentry.
You would.
So, in the end, it's a blend of Romeo & Juliet, Flash Gordon, Movie Magic... and The Producers. Brilliant, and a thrilling climax all around. Looking forward to the epilogue.
Lol, he's not a good actor, but he can certainly pretend to be one!
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Pretty much the same complaints- how is a random stage manager one of the world's top martial artists? What's with Miss Maple and how did she suspect? Still a decent story, but not up to the standards of the previous Flash Sentry Papers.
Loved it. I really liked Maple, though I too can't wait to learn why the stage manager was a ninja.
So then how did Cutie Cue learn the Shadow Hoof? I thought that would come into play at some point.
Nice. This was an excellent addition to the series; you're presently one of the number one reasons I log in to this site, and you should be exceedingly proud of your works, which are deserving of vastly greater recognition. Bravo.
Ok, that's more or less a standard epilogue for this one. However the questions remain, where did Cutie Cue pop out from that she was trained as a super assassin. Also, why is it important that Juniper Montage was seeing that one guy.
I am curious about the super-assassin training, but hopefully that will come up in a later entry in the Papers. Suffice to say, a very entertaining mystery and a nice capstone for it. Thank you, and here's to the next installment.
This was a rather interesting take to the story. Out of the equestria saving situations flash still fights for his life and drama.
I just hope he and carrot actually manage to marry, retire and raise a couple of rapscallions. They deserve it.
8733765 Yeah, I have to agree. I liked this as a neat little coda, and I like that Carrot and Sentry were doing this together for a year, but how the heck was Cutie Cue a super-ninja? No stuntmare is going to be as well trained as Carrot.
It’s good.