Flash Sentry Chronicles: EQG

by Banshee531

Truths and Friendships

Once their performance in the cafeteria had ended, the seven heroes now saw that everyone was wearing the headbands and tails. Not only that, but the different groups were now mingling in the hallways. They also smiled whenever they saw Twilight and Flash, the video Sunset made now long forgotten.

"Doesn't everyone look just fabulous?" Rarity asked as she pointed at the accessories.

Twilight smiled as she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It was a great idea Rarity!"

Flash nodded in agreement. "I'll say. Not only that, I always love an excuse to show off my guitar skills."

"You weren't kidding when you said you were good," Rainbow told him as she did an air-riff. "The two of us should totally jam sometime."

Flash smirked at this. "Thanks. I look forward to it."

But as he said this, the hallway suddenly went dead quiet. Everyone turned towards the source, Flash and the girls frowning as they now saw Sunset walking down the hallway, a smug looking smile on her face. Snips and Snails were walking behind her, smiling as everyone else tried their best to not draw any attention to themselves.

"Don't know what she's smilin' about," Applejack grumbled as the trio passed them. "Twilight's the one that's gonna be Princess of the Fall Formal."

Flash frowned at this, whispering at the sight, "Huh. I thought she would be angry. What are you plotting?"

Rainbow then nudged Twilight, "Just ignore her. She's just trying to hide how upset she is at being beat."

"T-t-that doesn't sound like her," Fluttershy added. "She'd usually t-t-try and make you pay for going against her."

Pinkie growled at this. "Well, its not gonna work! We're not gonna let her get between us, right?!" Everyone nodded at this, knowing their friendship would not be so easily unravelled again.

Rarity then walked in front of the group, "Alright darlings, we're not done yet. Remember, after school we're all heading to the boutique in town to get ready for tonight."

"We'll be there."

It was then that Twilight went wide-eyed as she turned to Flash. "Oh no...we don't have anything to wear tonight Flash! If this is like the Grand Galloping Gala, then it's gonna be-"

"Formal attire," Flash finished before letting out a combined groan and facepalm. "Ugh..."

"Oh, don't worry you two," Rarity told them with a wave. "I made us all something to wear last night. My best work, if I do say so myself."

"Really?!" Flash asked in disbelief.

"You managed to make six dresses and a suit in one night?!" Twilight added. "How is that possible?!"

Rarity shined a cheeky grin, "Pre-made clothing darling. I had made the basic design a while ago and was waiting for the right wearer. After what happened yesterday, I got them out and made the final additions to match everyone's style."

"Wow...you're good." Flash gasped, only to get a seductive wink from Rarity.

"Flatterer."

Their conversation was cut when Sunset and her lackeys rushed back down the hallway, followed by a woman who looked like a humanized version of Princess Luna.

"This doesn't look good," Flash commented as he blinked at the sight.

"Maybe we should follow them?" Twilight suggested. "You know, make sure Sunset hasn't done something drastic." The others were all about to nod, but then the bell rang.

Applejack let out a moan, "Dang it! We gotta get to class, anyone have a free period?"

Twilight raised her hand, Flash doing the same. "Then you two will have to be our eyes," Rainbow told them. "Meet us at the boutique later. You remember where it is?" The two nodded, having gone there yesterday after leaving Sugarcube Corner.

"Well good luck," Pinkie said before walking off.

"And be careful," Fluttershy finished as her and the others all nodded and headed off, leaving Flash, Twilight and Spike to follow Sunset and Luna.

But as they started to follow, a new trio of people hopped in front of them. It was Heather, Iron and First, Heather in front as the walked up and said, "Flash! Wait up, we've been looking all over for you!"

Flash just shook his head, "Hey there. Sorry, but we can't talk right now."

"This will only take a minute," First told him.

"We talked to Principal Celestia," Iron added.

"She said we could play at the dance tonight!" Heather finished before letting out a squeal.

Flash's head went slightly back in surprise, "Really?! That's great!" His then turned into a slight frown, "But...wait a minute. I thought you guys couldn't because you don't have anyp-er, anyone to play guitar."

Heather just shined a huge smirk, "Well, we do now."

First nodded and stepped in front of Heather, "Flash, will you do us the honor of joining the Royal Knights?"

Flash went wide-eyed, gasping as he pointed to himself, "ME?!"

"Heck yeah you!" Iron chimed in as he pointed at Flash, "We saw you strut your stuff in the cafeteria. You definitely got the skills we're looking for."

Flash's jaw dropped, unable to say any words. Seeing this, Heather piped up, "Flash, I'll happily do all the singing. All you have to do is play and it'll only take about an hour...tops. To learn the songs that is." She placed her hands together and bowed her head. "Please."

"You will be helping us achieve a long held dream," First said as he copied Heather's action.

"Yeah. Help us out ya wimp," Iron commented before getting elbowed in the side. He frowned at Heather before sighing, soon coping his band mates. "Please."

"Err...uh..." was all Flash could say as he scratched the back of his head. He then turned to Twilight, who simply smiled and nodded at him. Seeing this, he glanced at he band with a half-smile, "Alright, I'll do it."

Heather once again squealed, First nodding in agreement while Iron gave a thumbs up as he said, "Nice. Now, first thing you'll need to do is meet us in the music room after school."

"We will practice the songs we wish to play before moving the equipment to the gym, then return home to change."

Flash shined a cheeky grin, "You got it. Looking forward to playing with you guys."

"I'm afraid you won't be playing with anyone tonight young man." said a new voice. Everyone then turned towards the voice, soon spotting Vice-Principal Luna walking towards them with her arms crossed and a frown on her face.

Heather tilted her head at this. "Vice-Principal Luna? What are you talking about?"

She didn't answer, instead pointing at Flash and Twilight, "You two, follow me. Now." With that, she spun on the heel and walked back down the way she came. Flash and Twilight shared a look of both puzzlement and worry before following her, leaving the band trio behind.

It was here that they followed Luna to the gym, only to see a despairing sight. "Oh no..." Twilight gasped as she put her hand over her mouth. "How did this happen?"

The Fall Formal decorations were a wreak. The streamers were ripped to pieces, popped balloons covered the floor, and some chairs and tables had been knocked over. Not only that, in the center of the room laid a smashed disco ball.

"Why don't you tell me?" asked a snide voice, causing Flash and Twilight to turn and see one Sunset Shimmer. The girl was leaning against a wall, a devilish grin on her face.

"You!" Flash almost yelled, "What did you do?!"

Sunset's face morphed to one with obvious fake-sadness. "Moi? I didn't do anything." She then pointed at the duo, "You did."

"What?!"

Luna stepped in at this point. "The two of you in my office, now!" She then left the gym, Twilight slouching over as she followed. Flash sighed before doing the same, only to turn and shoot a glare at Sunset.

"Checkmate lover boy," she told him with a dark grin. "Don't worry, I'll let you take me out on a date to make it up to you. I still think you'll make a good boy-toy after all."

"This isn't over." Flash grumbled as he turned and left.

"Oh, I think it is," Sunset replied before kicking the broken disco ball across the floor. "Now you need to make a choice princess. Either leave your crown behind and go home, or get it back and be stuck here for thirty moons." A small snort followed as she said, "Oh, what am I saying?! You have no choice!" With that, she started laughing madly. "I've already won! AHAHAHAHA!"

But as she continued to laugh, a lone man stood outside of the gym. It was Grand, a long dull expression showing on his face as he tried to hide his anger. "Not this time sweetheart. I saw you talking to Luna, and I have an idea or two now. Your days of ruining students are over."

---

A few minutes later...

Flash could only blink at the sight before him. He was currently in Luna's office, which was absolutely bathed in darkness. So much so that Flash had no idea how she was able to see anything, as both lights were off and blinds were drawn. The Vice-Principal was standing at the window, skimming through an open folder.

Flash turned to Twilight, seeing she was as confused and worried as he was. She then stuttered out to Luna, "But...but I don't understand! How are we in trouble? We haven't done anything."

Flash nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We just got here like a day ago. Whatever Sunset told you is a big fat lie."

Luna didn't reply, instead simply turning and placing the folder before them and pointing at the images inside, "This is clearly the two of you in the photographs, is it not?"

Flash and Twilight picked up the photos, which had images of Flash smashing up the gym while Twilight cheered in the background. "What the-we didn't do this!"

Luna raised an eyebrow at this. "The evidence says otherwise."

Flash and Twilight glanced at each other, unable to respond before looking back at Luna. It was here they saw a death glare, making sure they couldn't reply as she continued, "I think it should be fairly obvious now that the school cannot let someone who would do something like this compete for the Fall Formal crown." Her glare intensified as she directly stared at Twilight, "And we definitely won't allow them to play at, or even attend the dance."

Flash opened his mouth, ready to retort, only to stop. His mind couldn't think as he looked back at Twilight. It was this sight that made him speechless, as she was now placing her head into her hands, ready to break down and cry. "Shoot..." he whispered to himself, "What do I do?"

Knock! Knock! Knock!

That was the sound of the door, causing the three to glance at the door before Luna said, "Come in."

"Vice-Principal Luna," replied a low, rusty voice, "I found these while clearing out the trash cans in the library. I have a feeling that you should see them."

It was Grand, and he was carrying a set of photos. Before Flash and Twilight could react, Luna took them and skimmed them over, blinking as she did. "This is..." she tried to say, only to look up at Grand, "What is this?" The photos were ones showing Flash kicking a ball in the soccer field from yesterday, along with Twilight cheering in the background. However, these were cut up, causing Luna to pick up the others and notice they fit perfectly over each other. "What in the-"

Grand nodded with a small hidden smirk. "It seems someone combined these photos to make it look like these were the one who trashed the gym."

Luna turned to Grand, nodding in return. "I appreciate you bringing these to my attention." She then sat behind her desk and turned to the ponies turned humans. "Despite how...convenient and timely this is, I'm no fool. I know who originally showed me this, so...in light of this new evidence, you may continue your bid to be crowned the Princess of the Fall Formal and you may play at the dance."

"YES!" exclaimed a voice as the blinds seemed to miraculously open and fill the room with light. Everyone then turned to see Iron, Heather and First standing at the door. Iron, after realizing he had given their eavesdropping away, chuckled nervously. "Sorry."

As Flash laughed at this, Twilight walked over to Grand before throwing her arms around him. "Thank you so much! You have no idea how important this is to us!"

Flash nodded in agreement. "Yeah. You might have just literally saved the world."

Grand chuckled as he patted Twilight on the back before she pulled away. "I might be retired, but I'm still a cop at heart. I couldn't just stand idly by while the two of you are framed. That's not the Canterlot Wondercolt way."

The Royal Knights then stepped into the room. "And now you can play with us tonight."

Luna snapped her fingers at this, getting their attention. "I am afraid enough damage has been done to the gym that we will have to postpone the dance until tomorrow night." With that, she picked herself up and walked out the door. "If you will excuse me, I need to let my sister know about this latest development."

Once she was gone, Twilight turned to Grand. "If there's anything we can do to thank you, just-"

Grand chuckled again before patting the girl on her head as he glanced at Flash. "Just make sure to win and for you to play your heart out tomorrow night. That's all I ask."

Flash smirked as he raised a thumb. "Don't you worry, we'll-" He stopped mid sentence, as both he and Twilight went wide eyed in realization. "Tomorrow night?!"

"Oh no," Twilight began to panic before rapidly stepping on the spot. "No, no-no-no-no-no, no no no no no! Nonononono!" The two of them turned to one another, completely forgetting they weren't alone in the room. "The portal!"

"That'll be too late!" Flash added.

Twilight quickly grabbed her bag off the floor and rushed out the room, Flash on her heel. "Vice-Principal Luna! Please wait!"

Grand and the Royal Knights blinked in surprise at this, only for Flash to suddenly reappear at the door. "Still totally down for playing with you guys, but this dance has to go down tonight...and don't ask why. Sorry." With that, he returned to his sprint after Twilight, leaving them speechless.

"Those two are kind of odd," First commented.

Iron shrugged. "Meh, whatever. He can play, and that's all that matters to me."

"Hmm..." Grand hummed as he remembered what Sunset had said before. "Princess...thirty moons?"

---

A few minutes later, Twilight and Flash finally caught up to Luna just as they passed the gym's open door. "Vice-Principal Luna! Please wait!"

Luna stopped and turned, "Yes?"

"Please...you have to...." Twilight panted, slightly leaning over before continuing. "The dance....needs to happen tonight."

"Yeah! We uh...we have um, important plans tomorrow."

Luna raised an eyebrow again, "I see. Well, I'm sorry but with the gym in the state it is, holding a dance here is impossible."

"Really? Is there nothing we can do?"

Luna glanced back at the ruined gym. "Hmmm...well, if you can get the place suitable for the dance before tonight, than I guess we could still have it."

"Seriously?" Flash asked in joy, only to look back at the gym. "But...shoot. That's a lot of cleanup."

Luna just shook her head. "I'm sorry, but that's the only alternative."

She then walked away, causing the duo to look at each other before entering the gym. It was here that Twilight walked over and picked up the shattered disco ball, seeing her reflection in the broken glass. "Its like we can't win here. No matter what happens, things keep getting worse the more time we spend here in this crazy world!" Tears filled her eyes as she put the ball down. "What are we gonna do?"

"Twilight..." Flash moved over and pulled her into a hug, the girl now crying into his chest. "Its...its gonna be okay."

"How?! We can't leave without the crown, but if we don't get it back by tonight, then we'll be stuck here for thirty moons! How is it gonna be okay?!"

Flash wanted to answer her, only to let out a sigh, "I...I don't know. I'm not sure."

This only caused Twilight to cry harder, making Flash almost tear up. But as he was about to cry, she pulled herself free from his arms took off her bag. Before he could ask why, she handed it over, Spike's head popping out as she did this, "Flash, Spike, I want you two to head back through the portal."

"WHAT!?" They screamed in unison, "Are you nuts?!"

"There's no way we're just going to leave you here," Flash added.

Twilight just raised a palm, "Just listen to me. There's no reason the three of us should be stuck here. You two have lives back in Equestria. Spike...you weren't even supposed to come here and....and Flash, um...well, who knows what'll happen to Scootaloo and Springer if you didn't return. They need you."

Flash just frowned as Spike let out a low growl, "We're not going anywhere Twilight. We came so you wouldn't get stuck here, and that's what's gonna happen."

"Yeah! Besides, Scootaloo and Springer will be fine! You really think your friends wouldn't help them?!"

Twilight rubbed one of her arms as she looked down. "No, but-"

"But nothing," Flash interrupted as he handed Spike back to her. "We're in this together, no matter what. We're gonna beat Sunset at her own game, got it?!"

Spike nodded in agreement. "It might look impossible, but we've faced the impossible before. And like before, we don't have to do it alone."

"He's right! We've now got friends here, and I'm sure they'd be willing to help us."

"But look at this place!" Twilight screeched back as she waved at the whole room. "You really think they'd be willing to help us after seeing all this?! They'd just tell us to wait until tomorrow!" Flash was about to reply, only to come to a halt. Seeing this, Twilight crossed her arms as she glared at him, "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yeah...I guess you are." Flash admitted as he slumped slightly over, "Dang."

"I know." Twilight replied as she let out a long sigh, "That's why I suggested you two go home. After all, we're out of options here."

"But...surely there's something we can do." Spike said next, only to get two frowns in response.

"Spike, there's no way they wouldn't say that." Twilight grumbled as she shook her head. "I mean, look at this mess!"

"She's right buddy. I would do the same thing if I was in their hooves." Flash admitted as he stared at the ground, "Dang, I just don't know."

Spike glanced back and forth, surprised at how depressed the two were. It was here that an idea popped into his head, causing him to speak up, "Well...what if we told them the truth?" They both gave him a glance of confusion, causing him to continue, "Let's let them know what's really at stake if you don't get the crown tonight. Surely they'll help us figure somethin' out."

Both Twilight and Flash frowned at this. "But what if they won't? What if when they find out how different I really am-"

Spike shook his head, interrupting her, "Twilight, these girls rallied around you cuz they saw what was in your heart. They aren't gonna feel any differently about you when they find out you're a pony princess from Equestria." He then turned to Flash, "You too Flash. The Royal Knights wouldn't want your help and Grand wouldn't have helped us if they didn't think they could trust you." The two looked at each other, their brains clicking as Spike then added, "Besides, at this rate, what do you two have to lose?"

Hearing this, Twilight let out a giggle before patting Spike on the head. "You're right. I'm glad you followed us here Spike."

"Yeah furball," Flash began scratching him behind the ear. "Me too."

"Me three! Unless of course, we get stuck here for another thirty moons." That got them all laughing, only to stop as they heard a series of footsteps behind them.

"Man..." Iron commented as he, Heather and First walk in and look around. "Sunset, and it was totally her, really did a number on this place."

"Tell me about it," Flash replied as he nodded at Twilight before turning to them, "Speaking of which, there's something we need to tell you three."

"What?"

Twilight shook her head. "Not here. We want to tell everypo-er, everyone this at the same time. You mind coming with us?"

The three teens turned to one another before shrugging, First replying, "Sure, why not?"

---

One transition later...

When the group arrived at the boutique, they found the rest of their friends looking through several racks of clothing. The five of them turned towards the sound of the door opening, smiling as they spotted Flash and Twilight step inside. That is, till the Royal Knights came inside as well, causing them all to raise eyebrows in confusion as Applejack asked, "Hey...so uh, what's up?"

Flash and Twilight walked past them until they were standing in front of the changing rooms, Spike jumping out of the bag and onto the floor. Twilight let out a low sigh as she began, "Well...for starters, the Fall Formal isn't happening tonight."

"WHAT?!" Pinkie screamed.

Flash shook his head at this. "It's being pushed back to tomorrow night because Sunset Shimmer had Snips and Snails ruin all of Pinkie's decorations."

"WHAT?!" Pinkie repeated even louder than before.

"But the Fall Formal has to happen tonight," Twilight finished.

"Wha-" Pinkie tried to say, only for Applejack to quickly cover her mouth.

Iron blinked at the duo as he asked, "Look uh...I don't know why you're so into this but....why is it so important that you can't wait until tomorrow?"

"It's really important," Flash replied as his brain kept trying to think of words. "Because....because we have to go home tonight and uh...yeah. Let's just say that we won't be able to come back for a very long time."

"Go home?" First asked.

"Go home where?" Heather added.

Twilight gulped, afraid of her next words. "You see-"

"You're from an alternate world and you're a pony princess there and Flash is your bodyguard who is also a knight in training. The crown of the Fall Formal isn't the one the school usually uses and is instead a magical element that's embedded in the jewelry. It also helps power up other magical elements, and without it, they don't work anymore and you need them to help protect your magical world, and if you don't get the crown tonight, you'll be stuck in this world and you won't be able to get back for like, a really really long time!"

Everyone stared at Pinkie, only to hear a loud facepalm from Flash as he groaned, "Why...WHY?! Why didn't I see that coming?! What is wrong with me?!" Twilight patted his back in response, a big frown on her face as he continued, "I am so ashamed of myself for not realizing that was gonna happen."

"I know....I know." Twilight admitted as she mildly shook her head.

The others just stared at Pinkie in confusion, Rainbow speaking up, "Come on Pinkie. There's no way that's what's actually going on."

Seeing this, Spike walked into the middle of the room and spoke up, "No, she's pretty much spot-on."

All the humans in the room stared at the drake turned dog in horror, Rarity screaming, "HE CAN TALK?!"

"Oh yeah!" Spike replied to the stunned group of eight. "And back where I come from, I'm not even a dog!" He stood on his back legs and tried to imitate his true form. "I'm a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon!"

Flash saw the dumbfounded looks on their friends, causing him to chuckle. "Maybe you should have told them that slowly. I think their brains are beginning to fry."

But no sooner had he said that, Fluttershy recovered and put herself at Spike's eye level. "This is so amazing! Tell me, what are you thinking right now?"

Spike stared at Fluttershy for several seconds, then turned to the still dumbstruck Rarity before stepping over to her. "Sure would love a scratch behind the old ears!"

"Gah!" was all she managed to get out.

Seeing this, he let out a fake laugh, "Uh...maybe later then."

While this happened, Twilight turned to Pinkie. "How...how did you know all that?"

Pinkie shrugged in response. "Just a hunch."

"Wait a minute!" Applejack spoke up as she pointed at the duo, "Lemme get this straight....you two....you two are ponies?! Seriously?!"

They both nodded as Flash replied, "Pegasus and alicorn to give the proper definition." He then scratched his back, "And geez...I really miss my wings."

Rarity stared at Twilight in awe. "You're a princess?"

"And you're a knight?" Heather asked Flash.

"In training."

"And you're all from another world?" Fluttershy finished, soon getting two nods in response.

It was here that silence took the room, Twilight and Flash glancing at each other with despairing frowns. That is, till Rainbow exclaimed, "That...is...AWESOME!!!" The rest of the group then rushed up around them, asking questions about their world. Flash and Twilight both smiled and looked down at Spike, who gave a knowing smirk.

"See? Told ya."

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on!" They all turned to Iron, a look of non-convincement on his face. "Its a nice, yet brief story and all, but how can we be so sure they're telling the truth?!"

"They have a talking dog," Heather said as she picked Spike up. "How much more proof do you need?"

"Could be a trick of some kind," Iron replied before turning to Flash. "And how can you prove you're really a knight?"

Flash blinked at this question, knowing he needs to figure out a reply quickly. It was here that he saw a nearby broom and picked it up, pointing at the boutique's mannequins. He gave Iron a quick glance, "Now, I will admit I'm still learning how to drive this..." he then raised and flexed his free hand, "thing...but I've still had training. Watch."

With a quick spin of his fingers, the broom's stick spun like a pinwheel in one hand before Flash flexed his arm back, his other hand also now grabbing the stick. Gripping the broom with both hands now, Flash let out a roar as he did a single horizontal swipe, instantly hitting five mannequin's heads, all of them going flying off in an instant. And as the dummy heads fell to the floor, he turned back to Iron, "Satisfied?"

Iron raised his eyebrows in surprise at this before looking at his bandmates. Their faces showed pure convincement, causing him to turn back to Flash, "Okay...that's impressive. If you promise to teach me how to do that, then I'll believe you."

"Thanks. Though I will say, its not easy to learn."

"Try me."

"Heh...it never changes." Flash muttered to himself as he put the broom down before speaking up, "Since I think we convinced you all, we have a bit more to talk about. For starters, Sunset Shimmer is also a pony, and she came through the portal before we did. A few nights ago, she returned to our world and stole Twilight's crown."

Twilight nodded at this as she added, "But we were unable stop her. Unfortunately, during our scuffle with her in our world, she accidently dropped the crown into the portal between our worlds, where Fluttershy picked it up."

"So that's how it got there," Fluttershy said with a gasp.

Twilight nodded again. "That's why I need to win the Fall Formal Princess contest. To get back my crown before we're trapped here for a real long time. Without the magic of my crown, our home is all but defenseless."

"And trust me that when she says defenseless, she means it." Flash said next as he crossed his arms. "Where we come from, trouble is something that comes along every other week...usually on a Tuesday." He then leaned up to Pinkie and whispered, "And because I know you'll ask, we do have 'World ending danger only happens on Tuesdays' t-shirts in our world."

"Nice." Pinkie replied, giggling.

"So that is what is going on," First concluded before asking, "And may I assume that the portal closes tonight?"

Twilight nodded again. "Which is why we need to get the gym looking perfect for a dance."

It was here that Rainbow hopped into the center of the group, "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's get that gym fixed up!"

"RIGHT!"

"This'll be easy," Pinkie cheered. "I mean, how bad could it be?"

---

One 'why did you just say that Pinkie?' transition later...

"Oh...yeah, that's pretty bad." Pinkie commented as they entered the gym, the ten now seeing the pure destruction Sunset and her goons had caused.

"I simply cannot believe they did all this," Rarity added, tapping her foot in anger. "Just...how terrible can one be?"

"Well Rarity, we knew this wasn't gonna be easy," Heather told Rarity as she picked up some ripped up streamers. "Wow, this is...excessive."

Pinkie's hair drooped down, tears about to appear in her eyes, "Awww...all my hard work. If I only had some kind of...party cannon that could decorate everything super fast!"

"I knew I should have asked your counterpart to let me borrow it," Flash commented as he patted her shoulder.

"Really? She has one?"

Flash nodded. "Yup."

"I still can't believe you told us that there's versions of us in your world." Iron said next with his arms crossed, "And I still can't believe the Pinkie Pie versions are basically the same."

"Eh, just be glad you don't have to deal with my sister like my version of Iron does." Flash replied, getting a raised eyebrow from Iron.

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah..." Flash muttered as he looked away, "Let's just say uh....I'm trying to not meet her...other version in this world. Think it might be better that way."

"Fair enough."

"That's enough you two." Twilight commanded as she stepped into the center of the room and turned to them with pure determination on her face, "I know it seems impossible to fix this, but if we all work together, we can get this ready!"

"Now that's the kinda can-do spirit I'm lookin' for in a Fall Formal Princess!" Applejack exclaimed before placing her hand in front in the center of the group. "Let's do it y'all!"

"Absolutely darling!" Rarity put her hand on Applejack's.

"We are in," First agreed as he and Heather did the same.

"Rock on!" Rainbow put hers on the pile.

"Yes, indeedily!" Pinkie slapped hers on while Fluttershy did the same as she a quiet 'yay'. They all then turned to Flash and Twilight, who smiled at one another before placing their hands on the pile. As soon as they did, the ten of them threw their hands into the air. "Let's do it!"

"Way ahead of you!" They all turned to see Grand pushing a large cart into the gym, filled with brooms, trash bags and wheelie bins. He pulled it to a stop and turned to them all. "Don't know why having this party tonight is so important, but if it is, then that's all I need to hear."

Flash smiled at his mentor's doppelganger. "Thanks Grand."

Grand smiled back before tossing him a broom. "No problem kiddo. Now let's get this place cleaned up." He reached into one of the bins and pulled out a radio, which he turned on. And as the gym was filled with the sounds of music, Grand began to hand out brooms and trash bags to everyone, all soon getting to work. Flash, Rainbow, Fluttershy and First swept the rubbish into a pile while Rarity, Pinkie and Heather checked to see if anything could be saved. They actually found a lot they could re-purpose, while the rest was shoveled into the wheelie bins by Applejack, Grand and Iron. And while this happened, Twilight went through everything that had been saved and sorted it into piles.

Once the floor was cleared of trash, they started to remove and repair the damaged furniture. Flash and Grand then carried a stack of chairs in, only for Flash to notice that Twilight was having trouble moving a table. Flash was about to go help her, but as he put the chairs down, a pair of the athletes from the cafeteria stepped into the gym and helped her.

"Well I'll be damned," Grand commented as he put down the other chairs. "Looks like your little friend did more than just bring all the students together."

Flash laughed at his comment, "Yeah, she has a habit of doing that."

As they continued to work, more and more students came to help. And as they came, Twilight directed everyone with ease, all of them combining their skills as she suggested certain cliques to help each other. Before she knew it, the whole gym was filled with helpers, all being directed by her as the gym was starting to look like it had never been destroyed.

In fact, so many students were helping that Flash and the Royal Knights were able to stop cleaning and relocate their instruments onto the stage. Flash was the only one who didn't return to the gym, as the Knights gave him some sheet music and told him to practice in the music room, making sure he had no distractions. Time quickly passed as he sat in that room, trying to master every song.

Once his practice was done, he rushed his guitar over to the gym. When he got there, he was amazed at the sight, now seeing the gym twice as good as Pinkie's original job. "Wow..." he gasped as he walked up to the stage, soon walking up to his friends, "Great work everyone."

Twilight shined a bright smile, "Thanks. How'd your practice go?"

"Prefect. I can safely say that I have every single song memorized and perfected....at least as close to what I can."

"Good to hear," Iron told him before they all looked over the gym.

"This...looks...sooooo...GOOD!" Pinkie screamed.

"And we couldn't have done it without everyone's help," Heather added.

"Just goes to show what happens when you work together," Grand told them as he began to push the bin cart towards the door. As he reached it, he noticed Celestia and Luna step inside with giant grins on their faces.

Celestia began to clap, catching everyone's attention. "All right everyone, Fall Formal is back on for this evening!" This announcement was met with a thunderous cheers, only for Celetsia to clap again, "Yes yes, I know you're happy, but we're not done yet. You all need to get out of here and get dressed for the dance. Oh, and don't forget to cast your ballots for the Fall Formal Princess on your way out!"

Upon hearing this, the students all began to call out to Twilight and telling her she had earned their votes. Twilight blushed at hearing the praise, her friends all gathering around her and giving her a big old bear hug.

At the same time, Grand pushed his cart of the gym, only to hear a low growl. He quickly turned a corner at the sound, which he then saw Sunset and her goons. "You idiots! Next time I tell you to do something, make sure it actually works!" She then pointed at the gym's doors. "Look at what your incompetence has done! Both the gym and Miss goodie-two-shoes look better than ever!"

"We did our best," Snips told her while fiddling his fingers. "If we did anything else, we might have been caught."

Sunset just glared at them, "That's not an excuse, you idiot! I have to win, so you have make sure you don't mess up again! Got it?!"

"We won't," Snails whimpered, his lips trembling, "But uh...what are you gonna do now?"

Sunset turned away, fingers gripping her face, "I'll think of something. Just be ready when I do, GOT IT?!"

The two gulped. "Got it," they replied in unison.

Grand frowned as he shook his head at the sight. "Nothing ever changes, does it? Guess I gotta watch the gym just in case."

---

One transition to the boutique later...

"I still can't believe we pulled that off!" Fluttershy squealed as she held a dress up to her body while staring at a mirror.

"I can!" Rainbow cheered as she started to do a little dance. "Of course we did because we're awesome!"

"Enough chatter girls!" Rarity told them as she finished taking Flash's measurements. "We need to get ready, and we need to look fabulous!"

"I'm all for that," Heather added.

Flash stepped over to First and Iron. "Let me guess. We're gonna be here forever, aren't we?"

The two nodded in agreement, First then commenting, "It seems that is the one thing that shall always be a universal constant."

"Yup." Iron added, the boys now getting glares from the girls. Rarity then told Flash she would make him a suit while they began to get ready, also telling them that they would meet up at the school later. Seeing this, Iron invited Flash and First to his house, which was nearby. Apparently, Iron's foster father Skybreaker was on assignment abroad and thus they had the whole house to themselves. (Flash decided to not comment on the Skybreaker part, which Iron thankfully didn't ask if a Skybreaker existed in Equestria.) And so, for two and a half hours First and Iron showed Flash other various things of the human world. Flash was particularly interested in the video games and comics of the world, and asked Iron for pencil and paper, as he wanted to write down a few of these world's inventions to bring to Equestria. As such, the hours passed quickly and the boys went back to the girls to get their suits for the dance.

Flash was wearing a suit similar to what he had worn to the Grand Galloping Gala while Iron and First wore similar tuxes, but with different colored vests, Iron having gray while First had red. Iron then drove them to the school in his sports car, which Flash was all to happy to ride in, still fascinated by the vehicle, which he also jotted down in his notes. Soon, they arrived at the school, all three waiting at the main entrance.

Five minutes later, a limousine pulled up to the front of the school. When it came to a stop, the doors opened and out stepped the seven girls. Each one was now dressed in beautiful gowns, all adorning their different styles. Flash was instantly reminded of the dresses of the previous gala, though noticed some differences.

"Hey guys," Heather called out to them as she walked up with a silver dress that went down to her knees and had a yellow wool jacket atop it. "You three cleaned up good."

"Haa….yeah, sure." Flash moaned as he pulled the collar of his shirt. "How do you humans breathe in these things? And I thought wearing a suit with a fur coat was bad."

"Oh suck it up," said a voice he knew all too well. He turned to launch a retort, but his voice suddenly disappeared when he saw the fully dressed Twilight. She was in a dress similar to her gala one just like the others, but the appearance was even more beautiful than before. The very sight made Flash freeze up, casuing him to just stare with a dropped jaw. And as he stared, Twilight slightly blushed as she asked, "Um...you okay? Do you not like it?"

"Uh..." Was all Flash could say, causing the girls to laugh.

Rarity just patted Twilight's shoulder, "That's primitive man speak darling. It means he thinks you look incredible." Flash just nodded in agreement, getting another laugh from everyone including Twilight.

"Thanks. Shall we go in?" They all nodded and began to step inside, leaving only Flash, Twilight and Spike to bring up the rear. "This is it," Twilight said as she looking up at the school before looking back at the portal home, "now or never."

"You've got this Twilight," Spike told her.

Flash nodded again. "He's right. There's nothing we can do now except hope for the best. Until then, let's just try and enjoy ourselves." He offered her an arm before putting on a fake posh accent, "Will you accompany me to the dance my fair lady?"

Twilight laughed as she took his arm, "I shall good sir."

As they headed for the gym, the passed Luna as she was collecting the ballots. Since she was a candidate, Twilight wasn't allowed to vote, but Flash then handed in a slip of paper with a large tick next to Twilight's name. Luna nodded and told them to enjoy the dance.

It was here that they had to split up, as Flash joined the Royal Knights onstage, soon playing their hearts out while the rest of the student body danced to their tunes. It was amazing how easily Flash was able to get in sync with the others, but considering he had technically played with them before, it wasn't that difficult. Down on the dance floor, Twilight and her friends were also dancing to the beat.

That is, till a click went off in Twilight's brain. She started to look around, a question following, "Wait...anybody seen Sunset Shimmer?"

"Maybe she was too embarrassed to show!" Rainbow replied over the music. "She's gotta know you won by a landslide!"

"Maybe. But...she doesn't seem like someone that would just give up now."

It was here that the Royal Knights finished their last song, the crowd all cheering. They each gave a bow before heading off stage, Celestia soon stepped up there as the background music was brought down. Flash and the Royal Knights stood beside the girls as the principal spoke up, "First off, I wanna say how wonderful everything looks tonight. You all did a magnificent job pulling things together after the unfortunate events of the gym's earlier....problem."

"Sure, that's what it was." Flash joked, Twilight slightly giggling as she clutched Spike tightly in her arms. Luna then walked up on the stage with a box. She opened the wooden frame, revealing one Element of Magic crown.

"And now, without further ado, I'd like to announce the winner of this year's Fall Formal crown!" Luna handed Celestia an envelope, which she opened and read out loud. "The Princess of this year's Fall Formal is...Twilight Sparkle!"

The gym was filled with cheers, Flash patting Twilight as she put Spike down and ran onto the stage. Once she was there, Celestia picked up the crown and turned towards her. "Congratulations, Twilight." With that, she placed her crown onto its rightful place. As soon as it touched her head, it let out a quick flash of light.

Twilight turned toward the crowd, all of them continuing to cheer her on. A giant grin was on her face as she looked at her friends, all of them now hugging in joy at her victory. Flash smiled up at her and gave her a thumbs up, which she copied. "I did it." she said to herself, "I..."

"Twilight! Help!"

"Spike?!" Twilight yelped as she instantly recognized the voice. Flash did as well, which he looked down, only to see the drake turned dog now missing. He then looked back up, only to see Twilight gasp and hop off the stage, running through the crowd and towards the gym's exit as she yelled, "They've got Spike! Hang on Spike, I'm coming!"

"Oh no..." Flash whispered as he ran after her, their friends quickly following. And as they ran out of the gym, Flash let out a growl, "Hang on buddy, we're coming!"

Author's Note:

The final battle begins. Wonder what changes will show up in it.

Comments

[SuperSonicHeroes]

Nice job. I like how the Royal Knights were also there to learn Twilight, Flash, and Spike were from another world. Now I can’t wait to see how you handle the climax.

[Foxhelm]

Grand nodded with a small hidden smirk. "It seems someone combined these photos to make it look like these were the one who trashed the gym."

.... seriously... I get the movie was what got you into the fandom, but seroiusly you're going the photo-chop route...

"Those two are kind of odd," First commented.

understatement of this chapter.

Everyone stared at Pinkie, only to hear a loud facepalm from Flash as he groaned, "Why...WHY?! Why didn't I see that coming?!

Good question Flash, it's like Pinkie hops between words in a tag te...am...

And because I know you'll ask, we do have 'World ending danger only happens on Tuesdays' t-shirts in our world."

I small sarcasm all over that... and hyperbole too.

The final battle begins. Wonder what changes will show up in it.

Honestly, given how little you strayed from the movie's story so far here, I'm not expecting much.

It's so far a good story, but all in there doesn't seem to be a reason why pony Flash needs to be a part of it, at which point, why even tell this story. Sure Sunset as a dark seductress to Flash is kind of interesting, you know the whole woman as temptress trope, but you don't seem to be doing much with it. We all know that for Flash in this going for Sunset is bad, but there hasn't been a shown reason why Flash would even fall into the trap in the first place.

[Banshee531]

9261348 In all honesty, this and Rainbow Rocks ain't gonna be so different. I'm only writing it because I need to for the big changes I have planned for Friendship Games and Camp Everfree.

[Godslittleprincess]

You know that you're probably going to get a few complaints for not changing the photoshop scene, right? I guess that can't be helped. This chapter was great, by the way. The additions were perfect.

[Godslittleprincess]

9261352
Oh my gosh! Yes! Justice for my boy! It's non-canon justice, but it's still better than nothing.

[SuperSonicHeroes]

9261352
I don't mind if the first two are mostly the same. I bet things will get really interesting in Friendship Games and Legend of Everfree. Though, I am curious to see what Flash will do in Rainbow Rocks, since I assume he won't be affected by the Dazzling's magic like his canon counterpart was, so that would also presumably mean that infamous scene of him making Twilight cry isn't featured.

[Foxhelm]

9261352
So basically Flash is a throw away character... just like the original movie... Yeah I standing by my criticism, had there been an unique arc for Flash or it contributed in such away that Flash couldn't be written out then I can see why Flash is here.
Heck you could have gone full on Woman as Temptress with Sunset to Flash, and stealing his first kiss doesn't count, he had to have enjoyed it and want to have more in spite of his better judgment, or maybe do something that would force Luna to call him in specifically, like Sunset charged him with sexual assault... SOMETHING that would actually make this unique.
Why do you think I wrote the whole trial by combat in my own story, it was something Flash could do, that was unique to him, contributed to the plot in a way that meant something, made so that I can't go back and write him out and not lose something, allowed for Twilight to regain her crown in a way that didn't basically rely on her becoming popular overnight, gave us all a reason to not notice the dog-napping of Spike, developed Twilight and showed the forming of their bond.

To make this short, you haven't pitch the idea of your version of Flash being in this story all that well, or at least not well enough for me to buy.

[Banshee531]

9261799 Can I remind you that the last few times I gave Flash to much attention in a cannon story, you had a go at me.

[Foxhelm]

9261831
You can, but you know full well that is a matter of context.

[Godslittleprincess]

9262011
9261831
In Banshee's defense, Sunset Shimmer is more Twilight's enemy than Flash's, arguably even more so than Nightmare Moon. Besides, Twilight spent a good chunk of the last few installments being Flash's emotional support/voice of reason. I don't see a problem with Flash playing the support this time around. Furthermore, Flash as the support has been more active than all the times when Twilight had to play the support. I'd say the Flash/Twilight spotlight ratio has reached a good balance at this point in the overall story.

[KingJoltik]

9262394
I completely agree with this. This story along with Magical Mystery Cure is Twilight's show. Flash is there to help her, as its Twilight's job to get her crown back.

[Foxhelm]

9262394
fair point, but if Banshee wants to sell his take on Friendship Games or Legend of Everfree, for me it will how much of a chance with Flash he's going to take here and Rainbow Rocks. And here... the pitch leaves much to be desired and if he's not going to change that much of Rainbow Rocks... then why should I even give it a shot.
From my vantage point, Banshee and his editors, seem to have a hard time finding a niche for Flash outside of his Royal Knight training arcs. Flash is often in situations he really doesn't belong in and comes at the expense of the other characters, or he's there with nothing to do. This story falls into the later.
As for this story overall, I could rewrite this and omit Banshee's take on Flash and I'd pretty much rewrote the original film as if it didn't have human Flash... that doesn't say many good things about Flash's role in this story, support role or not, especially since he is the titular character.

[SuperSonicHeroes]

9262506
Well to be fair, the Flash that is going to appear in Friendship Games and Legend of Everfree is not this Flash. It isn’t even going to be the Flash we are familiar with from the show. We are going to see a brand new human version of Flash and Banshee will be able to make his personality anything he wants it to be.

[SageBrony07]

I liked this chapter. It shows lots of similarities to the show, but now that the fight is coming up.

Lots of changes are coming, i'm betting.

Firstly Twilight's magic is going to return. And I'm betting Flash's magic may return in upcoming chapters. I do hope he can use his magic to power up the other 3 knights and cause a real battle.

Great chapter. Thanks for the update.

[Jam5022]

"And trust me that when she says defenseless, she means it." Flash said next as he crossed his arms. "Where we come from, trouble is something that comes along every other week...usually on a Tuesday." He then leaned up to Pinkie and whispered, "And because I know you'll ask, we do have 'World ending danger only happens on Tuesdays' t-shirts in our world."

I want that shirt