Earlier that morning...
Twilight was still working on her remodelled energy detector, the device now looking like a compass, round in shape with several lights around the edges. It was made to open like a compact mirror, mainly to keep her from looking out of place while still being able to do research.
"Perfect," she chimed while activating it. A loud yawn followed this, making her turn to see Flash getting off the couch, stretching as he rubbed his eyes.
"Morning. I'm guessing you not waking me up to go home meant you didn't go home?"
"Yup," she replied while nodding, "But it was worth it. Now I'm ready to find and capture that energy source and earn me a place in Everton."
"And how much sleep did you manage to get while working on it?"
"Point zero two." She responded, only to see a giant frown on his face, "I'll sleep later."
"Later never comes Twi." Flash grumbled as he went to a nearby wardrobe, pulling out a clean uniform for them both. "I need a shower. I'm assuming you called home?"
"Mom and dad knew we were staying over."
Flash didn't respond, instead opening the door to see a deserted hallway, "Alright. I'll get you a coffee on the way back. You should probably think about getting a shower too, as I suspect you'll be reeking after your little escapade yesterday."
Twilight was about to retort, but Spike took this moment to take a whiff of her and started moaning before covering his nose. Flash let out a laugh until Twilight grabbed one of her many stress toys Flash had given to her a while back before throwing it at him. Quickly shutting the door in response, he continued to laugh as he made his way through the halls to the gym shower room.
But as he made his way, a certain woman stepped around a corner. She was in her early twenties and had blush red skin with dark scarlet hair. The woman was wearing a pink suit and had a pair of silver glasses hanging around her neck.
"Hey Ruby," The woman looked up from her clipboard and growled.
"How many times must I tell you," she bonked him on the head with her pen. "When we're in school, it's Counselor Scarlet."
"Sorry, force of habit." Flash replied while rubbing his head, "I knew you as Ruby long before I started coming here."
Ruby rolled her eyes, "I'm guessing you being here means Ms. Sparkle had another late night science project?"
"You know us too well."
"Yes, I do." Ruby looked down at her clipboard, "However, I'm actually glad I ran into you. Have you given any further thought to what we discussed in your last session?"
Flash looked away, trying to form a smile. "Yeah...and I'm fine as is."
This made Ruby sigh, shaking her head, "Flash, you can't keep putting your life on pause."
"I'm not."
"Just one club, that's all I'm asking. One club, team, any extracurricular activity."
"I told you, I'm not interested."
"No, you just don't want anything that might get in the way of you keeping an eye on Twilight." Flash suddenly seemed very interested in the floor at that moment. "Flash, I'm not saying you can't keep looking out for her, but you can't let it be the only thing you do with your life. Your grades might not be anything to write home about, but you've got more skill than most kids your age would dream of. It's thanks to you that we won the baseball championships this year."
Flash huffed, remembering how a bout of food poisoning had laid out half the team and he had volunteered to step in to help fill the last spot they needed. He then managed to score six home runs, despite never having played the game before. The coach immediately asked to try out for the next season...only to decline the offer.
"Then there's your football skill." Flash sighed again as she continued, "When you hopped in for the student that had twisted their ankle in practice, you helped win that game no problem. If the professional teams saw how good you were, your future would be set."
"Sounds interesting," Flash muttered as he looked away again, "Let me think about it." He then tried to walk passed her, only for her to grab his shoulder.
"I would if you were actually gonna think about it. If you don't want to play sports, there has to be something else Flash. I've seen how good you are with the guitar. Have you thought about putting a band together?"
Flash shook his head, "Nah, playing's more of a hobby. It would suck all the fun out if it was something I had to do work for."
Ruby shook her head, "Fine. But if that's the case...have you thought about police work? Most of your grades are just above average, but your chemistry skills are close to Twilight's. You're always watching those crime shows: Murder in Paradise, Midsummer Slaughter and whatever else. I'm sure you'd love studying forensic science."
For the smallest millisecond, a look of intrigue appeared on his face...only to disappear as he shook his head. "That doesn't really sound like my kind of thing." He then lightly pushed her aside, "Sorry Counselor Scarlet, maybe next time."
"Flash..." She almost growled, making him glance back at her, "Do you think Twilight would like it if she knew you were throwing your life away because of her?" Flash didn't say anything, just looking away as she continued, "You can't always be there for her. There will be a time where she'll need to be able to stand up for herself, and you watching over her isn't going to help that. What do you think will happen if she gets into Everton? You can't be there for her then."
Flash continued to say nothing as he started to walk away, Ruby sighing at the sight. And as this exchange happened, a certain bespectacled girl leaned around a corner, showing herself to be Twilight. She had her hands over her mouth, trying to keep quiet as she had listened to the entire conversation.
But despite listening to it, it wasn't anything she didn't already know. She had always needed Flash to keep her from getting bullied, as it was one of the things she loved about him. However, she could only sigh as she walked away. The girl wanted to walk into the conversation, telling Flash to stop and find his happiness...but she couldn't do it. This was why she had to get into the Everton's Independent Study Program. No one would pick on her there, meaning Flash wouldn't have to watch over her.
"I need to find out what those energy readings are..." She whispered to herself, "I...have to. For me and Flash."
Flash sighed as he walked under the water, letting the liquid hit his body as he stood there. He could feel the water turn cold as memories flowed through his head.
Ten years ago...
Flash had lived in an orphanage for as long as he could remember. He had been dropped there as a baby, now living there for seven years. It was the first snowfall of the season that day, Flash now with the rest of the children at a nearby park. They had just finished a snowball fight, Flash knowing they were about to head back soon.
It was here that Flash made his way to a swing in the park, a fun idea popping into his head. He started to swing back and forth, getting some leverage before leaping as high as he could. "WOOHOO!" he cheered, only to fall into a large pile of snow. "COLD!" he yelped as his head pulled out of the pile, quickly trying to climb out of the clump of snow.
The boy started to shiver, grabbing his sides as he walked out of the snow with a huge smile on his face. But as he turned to go back to the group, his ears spiked as he started to hear the sound of laughter. He then turned around, now seeing a trio of older boys in the distance. There, they were all staring down a bespectacled girl with purple skin and hair.
Blinking at the sight, he tiptoed over to the group, now hearing one of the boys, "What's the matter four-eyes?!"
"Aw, I think she's gonna cry."
"What a baby."
Flash then saw what they were talking about, the girl was now close to tears. "Hey! Cut it out!" he yelled as he started running at the three, only to start slipping on the snowy, icy ground. "Hey!"
"Huh?" one said, all turning to him as he then added, "Hey, look at that shrimp."
"Who are you?" The lead bully continued.
"I'm Flash Sentry," he declared before pointing at the three, "And you better leave her alone if you know what's good for you."
"Oh yeah?" The last one asked, "And what if we don't?" They all stared at Flash with grins, only to see Flash clench his hands into fists.
"Then I'll make you! RAAAHHH!"
One quick and painful fight scene later...
Laughter filled the air as the three boys looked down at the moaning boy, bruises covering his body as he laid on the ground. The girl had watched in frozen fear-filled horror, tears now going down her face as she saw the bullies glance up at her.
That is, till a voice yelled out, "Hey!" The laughing stopped at this, making them turn to see an older boy and girl running up, one having white skin and blue hair while the other had pink skin and hair.
"Oh crap!" One yelped.
"Run!" Another cried before they all ran away, the two teens arriving just as they left.
"Twilight!" The teen girl grabbed the younger one and looked her over, "Are you okay?"
The girl nodded, "I'm fine." She then pointed at Flash, "But he got hurt because of me."
The teen boy glared at the fleeing boys, only to look down at Flash, seeing the injuries on his body. But before they could do anything, Flash's eyes shot open before suddenly sitting up, "Hey, I'm not done!" He started swinging his fists around randomly, "I'll teach you not to mess with me!"
But as he said this, he blinked as he saw that the trio was gone, two teens now staring at him, "Huh? Who are you?" He then clutched his face as he started to register the pain. "Oh..."
"Are you okay?" The teen girl asked, the younger one hiding behind her leg. She saw how badly he had been beaten, surprised he wasn't breaking out into tears.
"Yeah, it's nothing." He picked himself up and started to walk off, patting his sides as he started to stumble. "Ow..."
"Wait!" he looked back, the glasses girl quickly zipping in front of the teens as she stared at the ground.
"Yeah?"
She slowly looked up at him, "I uh...I um...Thank you for helping me. Even though it meant you got hurt."
Flash shined a tiny smile, flinching at the pain, "Eh, it was nothing. Any decent person would do it, right?"
The two teens both shared a glance, nodding as the male stepped up next, "Hang on there kid, we need to thank you. Come on, we'll take you back to your parents. Are you here with your mom or your dad?" But as those words left his mouth, they saw a huge frown grace Flash's face, "What's wrong?"
"I...don't have a mom. Or a dad."
"Oh. Sorry." he replied, gulping at the response before asking, "Um...why don't we start somewhere else then? I'm Shining Armor, and this is Cadance and Twilight. What's your name?"
That was the day Flash Sentry was introduced to Twilight and her family. Afterwards, they would invite him over to play with Twilight, this leading to them asking him to come live with them. Flash would spend the next ten years looking out for Twilight, who seemed to be a magnet for those looking to push someone around...that is, when Flash wasn't there.
The Present...
Sunset let out a long sigh, her eyes glaring at the sheets and graphs she had set up in the library. She kept thinking back to the assembly Celestia had allowed Rainbow to do to get everyone psyched up for the Friendship Games. This involved the marching band playing a huge musical number, which ended up actually helped everyone get pumped up. Sunset was also in this group of being psyched, only to start panicking as Rainbow suddenly ponied up with no explanation.
This made her have nothing but a headache, now remembering an experiment she had set up a few weeks ago. She had set up a test where her friends all played their instruments and ponied up as she recorded the results...only to get the results of being buried by apples, slammed by cannonball balloons, and splatted by a rainbow of color.
In the end, she had only one conclusion: She had zero idea how magic worked in this world.
However, despite this failure, she knew that if they were gonna start ponying up out of the blue, it was going to be a problem. Vice-Principal Luna had asked her to figure this out, fearing the appearance of magic might be seen as cheating by the other team.
Sighing at the memory of the request, she put down the graphs and pulled out her journal. "I can't do this alone. If you need help, you ask a friend, right Twilight?" She said to herself before opening it up and taking a pen to paper:
Hey Twilight, haven't heard back from you yet. I know you must be pretty busy with your role as princess, but I could really use your advice right now. You see, I've been given the job of keeping magic under control here at CHS, even though I still haven't quite wrapped my head around it. And now after seeing Rainbow Dash pony up the way she did, it makes me think her magic might be... changing. Everyone is looking to me to figure things out, and I really don't wanna let them down. I...I don't think I have enough experience with friendship magic to solve this.
Please help me, your friend Sunset.
She shut the book, sighing as she leaned back in her chair. "Oh...I so hope this doesn't turn into a huge deal."
Crystal Prep...
The bell rung to signal the start of the lunch period, multiple doors opening as the students of Crystal Prep ran out into the hallway. Flash was among them, barely even looking where he was going. No one dared to get in his way, as he was well trained in self-defense, something Twilight's brother had taught him to help keep her out of trouble. He had only ever needed it once, and it was when he and Twilight first entered the school. That one time had been enough to make sure almost no one tried to mess with him, almost no one.
"Hey Sentry!" The teen came to a halt at the voice, spinning around to see and sigh at the sight of five certain girls. They were Sour Sweet, Sugarcoat, Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap and Lemon Zest, the top students in both academics and sports at Crystal Prep. The only one who trounced them in academics were Twilight, and not to brag, Flash in sports, with the exception of one student that was nearly his equal in that regard.
The six growled at him, Indigo Zap now walking right up to his face. "What's this about you not competing in the Friendship Games?!"
Flash's face remained stoic as he reached up to poke her in the forehead and push her back to a reasonable distance, "I would have thought it was obvious. I got picked to join the Friendship Games, but then I said no. Nice chat, let's do it again some time. I'm free the January after the next."
He turned to walk away, only for Sour Sweet to zip around him with a big grin. "That's so funny. You're so funny." She growled in a dry tone, "But there's nothing funny about a guy who shirks his responsibilities!"
Flash rolled his eyes at this, "Seriously?! Why do you care?! Haven't you all been going on the last few weeks about how you could win the Friendship Games single-handedly?"
"We can!" Sugarcoat barked while crossing her arms, "But the rules clearly state we need a team to compete against Canterlot High, and it's only logical that the best students are on that team to best ensure the most efficient means of victory."
Flash just shrugged, "Wow...I'm so moved by your awe-inspiring speech. I think I'll go rejoin the team," He said while trying to hold back his laughter.
Sunny Flare then growled at him, stomping in front of the teen, "Don't mock us! Heck, why do you even bother coming here if you're not gonna make use of Crystal Prep's reputation?! I bet if that Twilight girl didn't come here, you wouldn't even show up for school!"
"Eh, I don't know about that," Flash replied, shrugging again.
"Oh please!" Indigo screeched, "All you ever do is nip at her heels. She might as well have two dogs instead of one. What, gotta hard-"
"Don't finish that sentence if you know what's good for you," Flash hissed before turning to Lemon. Out of the five girls, she was the only one he would be willing to call a friend since they shared a similar interest in rock music. "What's your view in this?" Lemon just shrugged, making him shake his head, "Yeah, I thought so. Welp, if we're done here, I suddenly have a craving for a grilled cheese. Later girls."
"Oh no you don't! We're not done here!" Sour Sweet yelled.
"Leave him alone!" ordered a new voice, making them turn to see four new students walking up. Leading the group was a taller teen boy with yellow skin and spiky white hair, a pair of headphones hanging around his neck. Next to him was a shorter boy with red skin and green hair that hung down to cover his right eye, while another was the tallest boy of the group, having blue skin and spiky short black hair. The last one was the only girl of the group, who had green skin and orange hair that was in a ponytail with a pair of thin glasses over her eyes.
Sour huffed, "Lightning Blitz. What do you want?"
"Nothing," the teen replied before pointing to Flash. "I'm just here for him." Flash raised an eyebrow at this as Lightning continued, "Dean Cadance sent me to search for you. Principal Cinch wants to talk to you and Twilight."
"Okay..." Flash replied, walking past the girls, "Later ladies." He then reached Lightning, the five all turning away from the girls as they all growled at the sight. "Thanks man," he said once they were safely out of earshot. "Man, those girls can be seriously annoying."
"I wasn't making it up," Lightning countered.
"Principal Cinch does wish to speak with you," the green hair boy added, "I assume she intends to get you to join the Friendship Games."
"Great..." Flash moaned, shaking his head.
"Come on, its not all bad." the black haired boy continued while slinging an arm around Flash, "I hear CHS has some cool kids over there you could meet at the games. What was that one you said was a wild party animal Lightning?"
"That's Pinkie Pie," Lightning replied, "She might just be the only person in the world more insane than you."
"Nice. That should be fun."
"Ah, that's right," the girl added as she pushed her glasses up, "You used to attend CHS, didn't you Lightning?"
"Not till they kicked me out," Lightning responded while shrugging, "Even though I was framed, they decided to give me the boot. Not that I mind though..." he shined a grin at the three. "I mean, I got to meet you guys."
They were all about to give happy replies back, only for Flash to see Twilight coming down the opposite side of the hallway. "Hey Twi, did you get told about this to?"
"Yes," Twilight replied, nodding as they both turned to the door, the frame giving off a vibe that made it look three times the size it really was. Twilight gulped as she turned to see Flash's accompaniment begin to head off.
"Good luck," Lightning told him.
"You're gonna need it," the girl added as they headed off. Once they were gone, the two turned back to the door.
"Well, might as well get this over with." Flash pushed the door open, the piece of polished wood giving off a creak as they looked into the room.
The room was almost in pure darkness, the place being illuminated by a single overhead light and several small lamps stationed around the room. At the far end was a large wooden desk with a large chair behind it and two small stools at the front. They then stepped inside, spotting a woman they both knew as Dean Cadance standing next to the door. She gave them a big grin, both shining nervous smiles back before sitting down on the stools. And as they did this, the two heard the door slam shut, making them turn to see that the door had been hiding a white-skinned man with blue hair wearing a purple jumper with a shield insignia on it.
"Shining Armor?" Twilight asked.
"What are you doing here?" Flash finished before Cadance walked up to them.
"As an alumni, Principal Cinch thought he could provide an unique perspective."
"Perspective on what?"
"Why the Friendship Games, of course." The teens spun around at the voice as the large chair did the same, revealing a late aged woman with blue skin, multi-purple shades of hair, half-moon glasses on her face while wearing a blue suit. This was the woman in charge of Crystal Prep, Principal Cinch, who was now staring at Shining, "You competed in the games, did you not, Shining Armor?"
Flash looked back around and smirked as he saw Shining dreamly stare at Cadance, only to clear his throat and nod, "I did."
"And do you happen to recall who won?" This question was met with a chuckle from Shining, who crossed his arms and leaned his back against the wall.
"Crystal Prep did. We always win."
Cinch nodded before turning back to Twilight and Flash, "We always win."
Flash rolled his eyes as Twilight did a small gulp, both now seeing Cinch move over to a trophy case as Twilight asked, "Why did you ask to see us?"
"Well Twilight, I'll be honest." she started polishing a trophy, "It doesn't matter whether or not Crystal Prep wins or loses." She glared into the trophy, seeing her own rotten reflection. "The important thing is we are expected to win because Crystal Prep has a reputation." She turned back around, glaring at the two, "And it is that reputation...my reputation, that is responsible for everything we have here. For everything you've done here. And you've done quite a lot, haven't you?
"I don't know," Twilight replied, slightly shrinking back at the principal's glare, "I guess."
"Oh, don't be so modest. You're the best academic student this school has ever seen." Cinch sat back down and turned to Flash, "And you Mr. Sentry, have competed in at least one game for each sports team and has been the reason for victory in each of them."
Flash just shrugged in response, "Eh, I was just helping when they needed someone to fill in for a missing player. It's not like I've done anything too groundbreaking."
"Don't sell yourself short," Shining chimed in. "Some of those games were recorded, and I got to see them. You've got mad skills. You could go pro if you just applied yourself."
"Exactly," Cinch added while snapping her fingers, "That's the whole reason I allowed you to attend this school despite your average test scores. But what I can't understand is why my best students wouldn't want to compete in the Friendship Games."
Twilight tilted her head with a frown, "But...me and Flash aren't competing."
"Hold on there Twily," they turned to Shining again. "I know it's not really your thing, but representing the school is kind of a big deal. Plus, they could really use your help."
Cinch nodded as she reached into a drawer and pulled out a sheet. "It seems Canterlot High is undergoing something of a renaissance. Test scores are up, grades, even athletics are on the rise. You see, they are developing somewhat of a reputation. This can not happen!"
"Why not?" Flash asked, "Who cares if we lose? Heck, who's bright idea was the name of these games anyway? If the whole point is to try and improve relations between the school, then wouldn't pitting them against one another be kinda..."
"Counterproductive?" Twilight finished for him.
"Exactly."
"How the games came about is none of our concern. What is our concern is claiming absolute victory in them. And with you two working together, that victory is absolutely assured."
Twilight took this moment to speak up. "Principal Cinch, I can't possibly participate in the games. My work here is very-"
"Ah yes, your work." she almost hissed, her tone making a shiver go down both Flash and Twilight's spines. "Cadance, could you and Shining Armor find my contact sheet for the Everton Independent Study program?"
"Of course," the dean nodded before the pair left the room.
"And you Mr. Sentry, can you please go get Counselor Scarlet. I'd like to hear her opinion on the Friendship Games." Flash frowned at this, not wanting to move, only for her to look up and glare at him, "Now, Mr. Sentry." He let out a growl before sighing, him and Twilight sharing nervous glance as he left.
As the door to the office closed, Cinch began to smile again as she spoke up, "Twilight, I understand you've applied for the Study Program." She pulled out a folder. "You see, one of the advantages of having a reputation is the ability to have a certain amount of influence in such things." She placed the folder in front of Twilight, "So let me offer you a deal. In return for contributing your agile mind to these games, I will use my influence to guarantee your application is approved. Though, I suppose I could also have it...denied."
Twilight's eyes shrunk, now seeing where Cinch was going with this, "Wait, that's...that's blackmail."
"Is it?" Cinch replied as her grin began to grow, "Or is it just a simple business proposal?"
"You shouldn't be making deals," Twilight responded, shaking her head, "As a teacher...you should be doing your best to make sure every student has the best possible chance to succeed."
Cinch shook her head, hiding a frown before leaning back in her chair, "You're right. I should be making sure my students have the best possible chance. But you know, sometimes that requires...sacrifice."
"What?"
"Well, if Crystal Prep were to lose, some of our sponsors could decide to transfer their funding to Canterlot High. If that happens, there will need to be cutbacks to ensure the school stays afloat. One of those cutbacks would be to expel a small number of students." Twilight gasped at the suggestion, only for Cinch to open another folder, "Let's see...if I was forced to expel someone, who would be the student at the top of that list? The one whose grades are below the normal standard and isn't part of any school team...." Twilight started to shrink in her seat as she heard this, Cinch shining a big grin as she took a file out of the folder, "Ah, that's right." She placed the file and pushed it over with a slight nudge, "One Flash Sentry."
Twilight's eyes slowly grew larger at the sight, making her stutter out, "B-B-But..."
"Ms. Sparkle, let me ask you this. What do you think I should do?" Twilight looked up into the principal's eyes, now seeing the look of a viper now glaring at her.
Twilight knew only one thing at that moment. She knew Cinch was serious with her threat. If Crystal Prep lost, Flash would be expelled.
And she couldn't let that happen.
Yeah, doesn't having Flash legally be Twilight's brother kinda complicate this relationship (long dramatic pause) A LOT? Then again, depending on the edition, Victor and Elizabeth had a similar relationship in the original Frankenstein, so maybe it could still work.
Also, the part where Flash and Twilight first meet just reeks of NaruHina. I LOVE IT!
10079459 It's no different from how pony Flash and Twilight grew up.
Interesting...if his physique is quite true, it maybe because of the Sacred Light keeping him active, but the real question is, how is this Flash capable of obtaining Sacred Light on a world that defies magic, and only items are capable of giving power?
Word of advice, hit them in the nuts, and blind them by kicking the snow to their faces, while blinded, punch them on the adams apple.
Oofed....your chapters getting short.
And having him not be an orphan isn't an option why? Also, what's his parents excuse for leaving him in an orphanage in this universe? Unless Misty and Trail are horrible people in this universe, I can't imagine them just abandoning their children without a reason. Heck, with the way you write the other characters reacting to them in the main AU, Misty and Trail probably already are horrible people by their standards.
10079467 I might have to answer that in a short or something.
10079460
True, but don't most adoptees get creeped out with the idea of being romantically attracted to/involved with an adopted sibling? I wouldn't know. I only have one point of reference for that kind of scenario.
10079460
Also, I just did a quick Google search, and in most parts of the world, it is both legally and religiously prohibited to marry or have a romantic relations with an adopted sibling. Yeah. So, now what?
10079476
Biological parents...? If his parents came this comes out:
10079479
Convenient.
10079476 Don't see why. No blood relation, so it shouldn't be any different from stepsiblings getting married.
10079488
I don't know how family law works, but apparently, adopted siblings are counted as full blood siblings (despite sharing no blood) while step-siblings aren't. Don't quote me on this, but I think it's because adoptees are raised to think of and treat their adopted parents as if they're their blood parents and are usually raised to think of their parents' biological children the same way.
10079488
Now that I think about it, I think family law is less about the siblings' relation to each other versus their relationships to the parents. I mean, even though stepparents are legal guardians, they still have to legally adopt their stepchildren in order to have the full legal benefits of a biological parent.
10079515 I just looked it up and it says an adopted child can't marry their parents, but can marry any other member of the family.
10079519
Yeah, well, adopted siblings marrying is definitely illegal here in the States, but I think Colorado might have a loophole that would make it allowable. Also, kissing cousins is illegal over here too.
10079530 Alright. Then Flash wasn't adopted. He was...fostered.
10079476
while I can't explain the legality, I think part of the reason why siblings by adoption can't marry, religiously (at least from a somewhat anthropological and sociological view), is due to the potential of incest, as back when the religions that have this prohibition were established the odds were that a man would adopt and formally legitimist his own illegitimate children (bastards), also we have to recall that these cultures weren't just patriotically but patrimonial, meaning that things passed through the father's lines, and adopted children marrying biological children, were likely to be viewed as usurpations. Additionally given that marriages were more akin to business transactions, if your biological daughter were to marry your adopted son, there are a lot of things denied to her, your family, and all potential in-laws. Also it should be noted that we currently live in an era of abnormal abundance, which historically didn't exist, and to have your biological children marry your adopted children, cuts you and your family off from the great community, during a time when entire villages, even if everyone was on the same page and were in harmony with one-an-other, could easily be wiped out.
In other words, we need to look at the time and context of when the more religious based laws were composed to see why.
Also it could have been a way to signify that those that follow the religion will no and do engage in what can only be described as hedonistic practices of the cultures around them that tend to suffer from certain societal or personal aliments. A sort of, 'Hey you see those people and how they behave and all the hedonism, and look at all their dead from the last plaque or how sickly their children are... yeah we're not going to behave like them.'
As soon as I read this, I thought of this seen,
(go to the 8 minute mark)
I am so glad Ruby is not putting up with Flash's B.S.
because there is nothing that he can say, because Ruby is right.
I wished you used the blopper of this scene, it gives Cinch some much needed depth.
Given what've seen, Canterlot High is the local public school, which shows that the transfer of funding point in kind of hallow, but given Crystal Preps' reputation, if it were to lose to the local public school which only needs the students to score like 65 out of 100 on a national, state, county, muninpal, and city level... and Crystal Prep is presented to be scoring at least 85 out of 100 by their own, much higher standards... well I can see the funds drying up. As for Cinch's other comment, while the Everton Independent Study program might be an independent study program, part of that is working with others and Sci-Twi doesn't have much skill in that department, and given Crystal Prep's reputation, one can assume that the vast majority of the Everton Independent Study program's top performers came from Crystal Prep, the vast majority of them during Cinch's tenure as principle, as such, while she's not the decision maker, her recommendation does have a not unfound amount of clout in the Everton Independent Study program acceptance process.
Also, as a private school, there isn't the safety net of Tax-payers dollars to fall to, so when funding is denied, costs have to be cut. There is a business aspect that almost no one thinks about.
Love the exchange between Ruby and Flash, she's clearly had this talk with him before and is just about done with it as she states that he won't think about it and that once (if) Sci-Twi was accepted into the Everton Independent Study program, because he's defined himself as like her bodyguard, because he's a mediocre academic student and not part of any clubs or teams, he'll have no purpose. Gonna be honest, if I was in Ruby's slippers () I'd given up on Flash at least a year ago, only to say 'I told you so' after Sci-Twi leaves for the Everton Independent Study program.
My only grip is that the blooper of the chair spinning scene should have been used, would have made Cinch more agreeable at face value, and once Twilight was a lone with her, really hammer in that she's not a woman to mess with.
Flash kinda reminds me of Yukito (Cardcaptor Sakura), he always helped out on any sport team at school but never joined, at least Ruby pretty much made her point across regarding him & Sci-Twi. As for Cinch I can see you made her even more of a witch holding Flash for ransom (so to speak) for getting him & Sci-Twi into the games, can't wait to see this bite her later.
Some highlights for this one :
lol you know you're in trouble when even Spike won't come near you Sci-Twi!
Ouch, right to the point there Ruby!
Yeah, that's not gonna be pretty!
Yeah, subtle Cinch, really subtle!
Looking forward to see how our unwilling duo handle CHS next chapter!
Well that was certainly interesting, seeing how this Flash became part of Twi's family. So he's basically her bodyguard at Crystal Prep. With how toxic that school was shown to be with Cinch in charge I almost think a real bodyguard is necessary. Speaking of Cinch, she's as big a bitch as ever. Blackmailing Twilight with the Everton Program was one thing, but threatening to expel Flash is another.
It was nice to see a bit more of Ruby and Lightning here. Seems like Ruby was a family friend before they started going to Crystal Prep. I wonder if she would consider going to CHS at the end of the games so we can see more of her? This version of Lightning seems nice. He isn't a bully towards Flash so that's a plus for him. Seems he also met the human versions of his group of friends at Crystal Prep, so good for him.
Flare
Was that second "it's not all bad" necessary when he just said it?
10079538
I was personally kind of hoping you'd stick to some of the cannon, with Sci-Twi and Timber (yeah I know, he's kind of a tool, but cannon) still getting together and this universe's Flash and Sunset developing something. Not everything in the two universes are, or have to be, exactly the same. And it would help deal with the "Sci-Twi is dating her adoptive brother" thing. Seriously it does give me some "It'll Be Okay" vibes. And yeah I fully support the Flash Twilight ship in the pony world. But I feel like it's different there. Here, they're human, and it's a little close to home if you understand.
I hope Flash figures out that Cinch was blackmailing Twilight like that, it would be cool to see him just PUNCH that bitch in the face, also Cadance and Shining Armor should also get into trouble, I'm shocked that Flash didn't think to call the police and inform them, maybe he could have recorded what they were talking about in Cinch's office and hand it over to the police then as evidence.
10079918
Technically it's not blackmail, blackmail requires that Cinch is threatening to do something illegal if Twilight doesn't do something illegal herself. What Cinch threatened is not illegal, in fact it's perfectly legal, Flash is a subpar student, not involved in anything, his curricular and extracurricular activities don't justify his attendance, and he can get the kind of education he seems to gravitating to in the public school system, and as Cinch said, he's not the only one. This is does technically fall under extortion, but not blackmail. One would think Sci-Twi, as learned as she is would know the difference, at worse this is graymail. Which is legal, a dickish and bitchy thing to do, but legal.
10079640
I wouldn't say the school is toxic, look at Shining and Cadance, and also very likely Ruby, if anything Sci-Twi paints a massive target on her back because she never reaches out, also Flash does seem to have friends in Lightning, Script, Gorgonia and Wild. If anything Sci-Twi is the odd one and is too sensitive... no small part because she can ways hid behind Flash in this story, in cannon... she just hides away.
Although a great way to better explain it all would be to have Sombra be the principal, but I blame the source material for that
10079958 Damn it! Why didn't I think of that.
10079967
To quote Tywin Lannister, "You're not as clever as you think you are."
I jest, but that was something that bothered me with The Friendship Games in canon, why did they need to invent a new character when they could have the equivalent of King Sombra be the principal of Crystal Prep, it just didn't make sense. Also his termination or, I as I would have written, his resignation would have made much more sense going forward into EQG.
Maybe he'll make an appearance in his 'good' mirror comic self as the superintendent, the person principals answer to. But that's a pipedream
10079990 Like in Love is Magic, only he isn't Flash's dad.
10080000
I haven't read it, although he could still be Flash's biological father, he and Flash's mother having a triest, and she elected to entrust Flash to the orphanage, keeping it all a secret from Sombra. Note I am not suggesting that Flash would be sire via a rape or that it was Sombra's idea to put him in the orphanage, or that Sombra would be a dead beat dad if he knew that he had a child, I am only suggesting two consenting adults did the deed, and the mother kept the father out of the loop. Again this 'Superintendent Sombra' would be based off of the mirror world good Sombra from the comics, not Sombra from the show.
10079791
Yeah sorry to disagree but Timber is just you what said a Tool and maybe in the EQG universe Sunset will get herself a possible OC ship or something. But mostly this is a Flashlight fanfic so it's most like Sci-twi will end up with Flash.
10079918
I think that Ruby Scarlet should punch her and then have her say. "You don't know how long bbn I've been waiting to do that."
10080338
I kind of hope not, it's not that Cinch wouldn't have it coming, but there's something about beaten the villain without raising a fist that seems rather appealing, especially in a story not unlike Sci-Twi's arch, which is actually very similar to Cinderella with Cinch as the evil stepmother. Also that would be assault and battery and Ruby would lose her job over it and the soon-to-be Principal Cadence will need all the help she can get. Just saying
10079541
Now that I think of it, didn't European aristocracy used to marry their adopted children (especially girls) into the family because it was the only way that the family could keep providing for them after they became of age? I could be wrong about that, of course. However, I have noticed that, at least in stories, the whole marrying in your foster/adopted children thing tended to happen more often in wealthy families.
10081867
I think that's more of a 'keeping the money and land in the family' type scenario
Cinch, you monster.
10079791
Sweet Home Alabama! I know he's adopted but he's still a brother of her in legal terms and in the law.
10084193 He's not adopted. He's fostered.
10084196
Ooooohhh...so you changed it. Okay then.
10084235 I never implied he was adopted. I just said they invited him to live with them.
10084444 "Ahem"
Are you sure about that assertion?
10085990 Editor must have put that in. If I'd known it'd cause this many issues, I wouldn't have overlooked it.
10084444
So did they go through the legal red tape to become foster-parents?
Whoa! Cinch is really malevolent and sinister in this adaption.
I don't like cinch.