Equestria Girls: Love Is Magic

by onekface

In the Thick of it

Chapter 67: In the Thick of it

(Sweet Shoppe)

*Clang!*

The can dropped, ringing throughout the alleyway like an annoying bell.

How hard is it-

*Clang!*

-for a guy to move-

*Clink clang!*

-one single-

*Crash!*

-stupid can!?

“Arghh! Come on!” Flash roared out angrily as the fifth can smashed against the wall flattening it. It was probably his twentieth try to move it, but each time, it would go too fast or too slow. While he was glad that it didn’t grow wings or get absorbed into bubbles, it still didn’t produce the result he wanted.

“Well that was an absolute fail.” Aria blew on her nails as she watched the boy continue to fumble. “I keep telling you to stop using too much magic.”

“One more try.” He did so again with another can only to have it smack him dead on the face. “Doh! Come on! Ugh… Twilight made this look way easier than it should have.”

“That’s because her geode already has a fixed spell on it. What you’re doing is casting a spell from scratch.” She explained. “It’s all about control. You can’t brute force your way into magic. Keep a steady focus and move it towards you.”

“Yeah, you keep saying that. But it’ll be a lot easier if you actually gave me a proper example.”

The Siren rolled her eyes, approaching him with a deathly glare. “You’re too excited. Too eager. You want results quickly, and that’s what causes your powers to fumble.” She grabbed his hand and steadied his stance, directing it to a bottle loitering around. Her petite body pressed against his back making him feel a little… unnerved in some areas. “Use you magic. Slowly. Keep it steady. Think of your powers as an extension of your hand. Holding the bottle with a squeeze. Too much strength, and you’ll break it. Too little and you’ll drop it. Don’t think about getting it quickly, just think about getting it.”

Flash wasn’t sure any of those were really advice but at least she was there. Taking a deep breath, he hovered his hand over, feeling the power once again pulse.

Calm and steady. Calm and steady.

Like… strumming his guitar on a cool afternoon.

“Good. Now put the can back in the dumpster.” Aria then let go, letting him take the rein over the next part.

The can wobbled in mid-air, which the boy quickly corrected, tightening his grip. But that only made the can crumple inward.

“Focus.” She reminded. “No distractions now.”

The can moved forward… then back, left then right… up, down… then turn 55 degrees north with a latitude of…

ARGHHHH! Fudge muppets!

Flash grunted loudly, his temper reaching a boiling point. His arm flared for a split second launching what he could only describe as a black bolt of lightning striking the can and sending it against the wall and then falling to the dumpster.

“There!” He roared. “It’s in! It’s finally… in… the darn… trash! Take that you dumb can!” Not exactly his proudest moment but no one was around to judge him. He took a deep breath, taking in the smell only to go into panic mode when the dumpster caught on fire. A literal dumpster fire. “Oh crud! Um… fire! Uh… what do I do?”

Aria came in a second later with a fire extinguisher putting out the flames before anyone saw the smoke. “I guess that’s one way of taking out the trash.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Do better.” She remarked. “This is why I told you: Magic is dangerous. I thought you’d learn this when you burned down a whole city block.” Ouch. Low blow. “Well… at least that was… somewhat of an improvement. At least you didn’t burn anything else… sort of.”

Nodding, the boy removed the pendant from his neck, sighing in defeat. “I guess I have a lot to learn about magic. It’s just you guys make it look easy.”

“That’s because I’ve had years of practice. Don’t go comparing me to some newbie like yourself.”

Harsh but true.

“Anyway, I need to get back to work. My break time is over.” She returned her pendant to her neck, briskly walking over to the door only to stop half way. “Hey…” Flash snapped his head in her direction. “For what it’s worth. No one gets magic right on the first try. Not even the best of us. Not even some Princess from another world.”

Was that her way of comforting?

“Uh… thanks?”

“Don’t mention it.” Her lips curled up to what looked like the smallest hint of a genuine smile. “If you asked your friends to help you out, I’m sure you can do better.”

Yeah… hopefully. If they actually answered any of his calls.

“Hey. You doing anything later?” She asked to which the boy responded with a tilted head. “I was hoping you can help me out with a small favor.”

A favor from a Siren? What’s not to ask?

“What is it?”

“Wait for me by the table.” She answered. “My shift ends in a bit. We can talk more there.”

(Freefall Island) (Excavation Site)

“I’m saying it for the last time. We are not bringing those diabolical death machines in my dig!”

“If you just listen to me, we can have this whole dig completed before Spring!”

For goodness sake. Are these two always like this? Twilight was beginning to change her perspective on the two married couple in front of her. The two elder Pies always looked calm and collected whenever she visited Pinkie at her place. They were supposed to be one of the ideal couples in the world. But now they were bickering like children, getting on each other’s faces as if that’ll do them any good.

Despite Sombra’s warning, the two immediately began bickering again. One was a know-it-all, and the other was a prideful stubborn egomaniac. Both of them shouted and argued like they believed each was in the right. She never imagined that these two would have such a mouthy spat. They’re usually pretty chill whenever Twilight saw them. Does Pinkie even know how strained her parents’ relationship is?

“My friends, please!” Sombra silenced them for the third time. “Let’s not argue. Can we just agree to disagree for now and move on with the dig? Both of you provide good arguments and each of them is sound.”

“There’s nothing sound about her ideas.” Igneous spat. “Bringing those giant death machines will bring the whole place down on us!”

“I’m only thinking for what’s best for this company and its workers. If you allow our most senior staff to dig such a place, we’ll be paying for medical bills up through the nose!”

“I said no! We’re not wasting our money on any of that nonsense.”

“Well it’s a good thing I’m the one in charge of the company’s finance!”

He gasped. “You didn’t.”

“Already have and already did. I rented two of those ‘Death’ machines this morning. They’re on their way right now.”

“WHAT!? Woman, we’re already in the red as it is! You can’t just go around renting some tools we won’t be using for…”

“Alright. That’s it.” Sombra groaned, laying his head on his hand. He looked like a psychiatrist mediating a marriage counseling session which was going very poorly. “What’s done is done I suppose. I can tell that this argument is going nowhere. I am not inclined to butt in to your personal lives. But if it’ll get this dig moving… we may as well do it her way.”

“Sombra!” Igneous choked. “You can’t be serious.”

“I don’t like it either, old friend. The foundation of the castle is already weak as it is, but Cloudy Quartz raises a good point. That earthquake yesterday destroyed much of the support pillars we put in place and I’m already handing out hazard pay to my security detail. We were fortunate that no one was inside the tunnel at the time. This little tryout may expedite our excavation and save us a lot of headache in the future. It can’t hurt to try something new just this once.”

The old townie man sighed. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

“I know that you pride yourself on traditional methods old friend. But the safety of you and your employees takes precedence here. So… please. Let’s do it her way for now. If it damages the foundation like you said, we’ll gather more materials for your support beams and do the whole thing your way till the very end. How’s that sound?”

Igneous grumbled and groaned, stroking the beard on his chin madly like he wanted to reach out to the first thing he could get his hands on and smash it. Thankfully he realized that he was standing inside a tent full of priceless artifacts and decided to calm down. He obviously didn’t like the whole idea but it was two against one. Clearly an unfair advantage. He glanced at his wife who already held a victorious grin knowing full well that she had him cornered. She wasn’t going to back down from this, that’s for sure.

And so… with no other alternatives, he sighed in submission. “Ugh… alright. But the moment I see one of those damnations go haywire, the expenditure is coming out of your cut!”

“Fine by me.”

“Excellent.” Sombra let out a sigh, relieved to finally settle the matter. “We’ll bring the new machines up later this afternoon. In the meantime, we’ll get all our personnel off the dig. No one is allowed in there without our say-so.”

The two Pies nodded back before they huffed it out of there. Igneous being the most irritated.

Sombra rolled his eyes at their childish antics letting out a tiresome sigh. It almost seemed like a common occurrence. Poor fella. Twilight can only imagine what it’s like to be working alongside such a volatile couple.

“Professor.” Another voice interjected entering the tent with an apologetic voice. “Sorry to interrupt sir. But the Headmaster is looking for you. She said that she wants to talk about the artifacts you’re taking.”

“Again?” The Principal whined. “Hasn’t she learned her lesson already? I thought she’d know better after our last scuffle. She knows she’s not getting her way, right?”

“Yes sir. But… that hasn’t stopped her from trying.”

Wait a minute. I know that voice.

Sombra sighed at him, putting the relic back on the table. “Ugh. Two arguments in one afternoon. No rest for the weary eh?”

The boy chuckled. “No sir. Should I tell her that you’re busy?”

“No. She’ll only whine if I do that. You know how batty she is. That woman is like a fly buzzing around my ear and never goes away. I may as well face the music while my ears are still functioning.”

“I know the feeling, sir.” No… it can’t be. “I’ve only been working with her for a few days and she’s already made an impression.

Shining Armor!? What’s he doing here!? And what is with that outfit?

“I don’t envy your position at all.” Sombra patted the boy’s back. “Working for that Queen of yours must be exhausting.”

“Eh… as long as the pay is good.”

Twilight wasn’t sure what compelled her but she could resist following the two of them out of the tent. Her invisibility cloak shimmered in the sunlight but thankfully kept her from prying eyes.

She found her brother and Sombra not far from the tent walking up to a green haired woman surrounded by black clad men. They all had the same uniform Shining Armor was wearing. She had the appearance of an academic, an authorizing gaze, and a scowl so deep they may as well be digging into the ground.

“Chrysalis.” Sombra gave her an acknowledging nod though his expression didn’t mirror that gesture. “Back again I see. I figure you’d still be licking your wound after our last spat.”

“That’s HEADMASTER Chrysalis to you, Sombra.” The woman known as Chrysalis replied with a commanding voice. “I’m here about the relics you’ve been pilfering from this place.”

“Yes. I know. And you should probably know by now that my answer remains the same.”

“But you haven’t even heard of my offer!”

“You have nothing that I want.” He put his foot down sternly. “The Castle and all of its treasures are mine to do as I wish. And they’re going straight to my estate where they will properly analyzed and categorized before they head to the museum where they belong.”

“Preserving our history is a noble goal. But surely you can do better than let these precious relics collect dust in a museum.” The woman known as Chrysalis added. “Everton Academy hosts a large number of private museums that would benefit all parties. Not to mention various collectors who’d love to attain one of your valuable finds.”

Sombra scoffed, rolling his eyes as if he was used to her usual reasoning. “Oh please. You and your sellouts are hardly academics. Admit it: You’re just sore that I outbid you in the auction. You didn’t know that this place held such secrets any way.”

“Well neither did you! It’s because of that blasted earthquake that you found this metaphorical gold mine! If I knew this place was more than meets this eye, I would’ve spent more than a few millions. And I’m still prepared to buy it off of you for three times what you paid for!”

“Give it a rest. What would I need more money for? I already have more than I need. Besides… many of these fine trinkets are far more valuable than gold and diamonds. I must admit, I’m a better archeologist than I thought.”

“You just got lucky.”

“True.” He admitted, holding back a victorious grin. “I was actually just going to restore the place. Make it a tourist attraction for the city. But thankfully my son found a treasure trove right underneath it. Talk about a fortunate accident. Who would’ve thought that Hoofbeard’s ship would be trapped under there after all these years?”

Twilight grunted lowly to herself. She knew it. The artifacts they uncovered must’ve come from Hoofbeard’s ship. She completely forgot about it ever since the incident with Hoity Toity. She really needed to get herself organized.

“And all those ill-gotten loot from all over the world~” The man added teasing her. “There’s so much in the cargo hold alone, it’s practically impossible for me to get them all out in one day. Such a wonder, don’t you think? I wonder if I should make it official and tell the media of this discovery. It’ll make such a spectacle. Not to mention it would certainly help with my election campaign.”

Chrysalis visibly fumed. “Can you at least let me see them for a few minutes?”

“You can see them when they’re put in the museum like everyone else.” He huffed away. “Now if you’ll excuse me. I have a dig to attend to. You and your entourage can find your own way out.”

And with that final remark the gentleman departed leaving behind an irritated woman. She yelled out curses and open threats but they were all deafened by the sound of car engines revving in the sideline.

“Unbelievable. That man.” The Headmaster grunted sourly, poking her sharp heels on the ground as if she was putting a hex on the land itself. “He talks like he owns the place.”

“Well… technically he does.” Shining Armor remarked which earned him a glare. He raised his hand up defensively in response. “I’m just saying it like it is, ma’am.”

“Ugh… forget it. That man is as stubborn as the rock.”

“Should we try again tomorrow?”

She sighed. “No. I’ve had it with all this arguing. That man won’t budge an inch no matter how much I try.”

“If you knew he wasn’t gonna give in… then why did we come all the way here?”

She didn’t answer. Instead turning away towards the limo car waiting for her.

Twilight bit her lip resisting the urge to follow. There were so many questions she wanted to ask and no answers to be provided. One of which was the ship of Captain Hoofbeard.

If what Sombra said was true, then he really struck gold today. The trove of treasure hiding within the holds of that ship was probably insurmountable. Who knows how many magical artifacts he could’ve plucked off the depths? No doubt this little dig of his would make headlines, giving him wealth, prestige, and a whole sleuth of credibility to his political campaign. The guy was a sure shot now.

She wanted to see the ship for herself and view all the wonders and secrets it hid within. But the risk of being discovered was high. Not to mention she already got what she originally came for. Best not to push her luck.

Besides… all of those were going to Sombra’s place before being transferred to the museum. And she just so happens to know someone who can get her access to any of those magical trinkets.

(Sweet Shoppe)

Hmm?

Flash blinked as he looked around, confused. He could’ve swore he heard someone call him just now. Must be the wind… or the rattling of the plates around here.

“Thanks for waiting.” Aria stated, placing a plate of donuts in front of him like she did earlier. “Here you go. On the house.” The girl slumped over her side of the couch sagging her shoulder. Though she hardly looked exhausted for someone who just performed a five-hour shift.

“No problem.” He replied glancing over the treat.

“Sorry for the wait. The last customer I had was hitting on me. Had to put him in his place.”

Oh he knew. Heck, the whole store knew. They saw the whole thing like it was some kind of spectacle. It was quite dramatic… and a tad bit sadistic – though that kind of depends on who you’re asking.

A blonde student from Crystal Prep was feeling pretty sure of himself that afternoon and decided to try his luck on Aria. Trenderhoof was his name, if he remembered correctly. He was confident, charming, good looking, and had all the pickup lines memorized like it was his own personal literature. You’re A-typical lover, as one would say. In another lifetime, he probably would’ve been able to charm even the hardest of rocks. But later did he realize he was trying to dig through a mountain with a toothpick.

He tried all the tricks in the book, which was rather quite amazing as the flirting session lasted for about 30 minutes. He started off small. He gave flowers, used catchy lines, calling her cute names, and even tried the cute puppy dog look. But all of them didn’t even make a dent on Mt. Aria. She returned the same cold stoned expression, eyes bearing a reaper’s cold touch.

But Trenderhoof was persistent. He took a stance and read her a poem that he made on the spot. It sounded both catchy, witty and perhaps even… inspirational. But like before, his words were drowned out by the raging storm of Mt. Aria.

Feeling that his own pride was on the line, the guy went for the touchdown approach and decided to ask her out on a date there and then, and would do anything for it. The Siren would later manipulate those words and somehow tricked the guy into buying everything in the display case. A few minutes later, she’d ring him up, give him the bill with the most sadistic smile, and Trenderhoof was out the door sulking with 20 boxes of pastries to ease the pain.

Needless to say, the store burst out laughing which only added to his humiliation.

“Can you believe that guy?” The Siren flushed her complaint at him. “He called me the ‘Beautiful Authentic Working Girl’. What kind of idiot would fall for that kind of thing?”

Seriously Tenderhoof. Not your best work.

Flash grabbed a donut to muffle his laughter. “Well… there are a few people who can get swayed by the right words. Folks like it when they get a compliment.”

“It’s a wonder why your species hasn’t gone extinct yet.” She scoffed, placing her head in her hand. “Maybe I was too soft on the guy. I should’ve done something more.”

You already broke his heart, burned his wallet and shattered his pride, girl. What more can you possibly do?

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” Flash panicked inside. “I mean… you wouldn’t want to waste your magic on someone that low, right?”

She brushed her hair in thought. “I suppose not. But sometimes, if you want to get a message across, you need to put in a little more effort.” Sounds like something Adagio would say. Guess these girls are a cut of the same cloth after all. “He’ll probably try again after a week. Guys like him are persistent. I wonder what kind of torture I should prepare for him.”

“Uh… so… what’s this favor you wanted to ask?” Flash gulped, wanting to change the subject.

“Hmm? Oh… right.” Aria fixed her shirt making her look half proper. “I need you to do something for me. It’s sorta… important.” It should be if you’re the one asking for it. Her eyes glanced around to the empty tables making sure no one was eavesdropping on them. “It’s Adagio.”

Flash’s eyes rose. “Adagio? Why? Is she in trouble?”

“No.” She answered boringly. “At least… I don’t think so. She’s…… she’s having one of her moods.” She noted his confused expression which she quickly clarified. “You see – Once in a while, Adagio would have these moments where she becomes completely… unbearable. It’s like a phase she goes through every year. Like the whole world had nothing left to offer her – or having lost the will to live. She’d get antsy and irritating, cranky. An all-round pain in the neck.”

Ah… I see. So it’s like a time of month.

“I think you’ve already seen how she is lately.”

He nodded. “Yeah. I think I know what you’re talking about. She was… colder than usual.”

“Yeah. My point exactly.” Aria scoffed. “Normally this phase wouldn’t last more than a day or two. She’d go out, make some folk miserable, cause a little mayhem here and there or on the rare occasions: destroy everything she sees, and by the end of it all she comes back fresh as new.”

“But…?”

“But now. She’s… getting antsy over the smallest thing. And honestly it’s been driving me and Sonata nuts. Adagio’s starting to feel like a barrel of snakes that’ll break at any second.”

That does sound like a conundrum. Flash can only imagine what kind of mayhem Adagio would do if her boredom reaches its peak. She might even regressed back to her villainous days and plot to mind-control all of CHS again.

“Ok… I get that Adagio’s having a… moment. But where do I fit in all of this?”

“Can’t you like… take her out or something? Show her a good time?” That was rather direct. “What do you call that thing again? Dates? Yeah… dates. I heard you’re pretty good with those.”

Flash sat a little taller with that remark. “Well… I can’t say that I’m good with dates. But… I suppose you’re not wrong either.”

“Great! Then you can take Adagio out on one of your dates. You’ll show her a good time, she’ll laugh, and hopefully stop being an annoying pain in the neck.”

The boy shriveled uncomfortably in his seat. “Y… yeah. But that’s not how…”

“Look.” The girl huffed, slamming her hands on the table. “I know I’m asking a lot. But I’m at my limits here. If Adagio keeps being annoyed, she might do something… drastic or even stupid. It doesn’t have to be classy or expensive. Just… try to make her smile or something. Once she gets that whole bored phase thing out of her system she’ll be back to her old annoying self and we can all go back to our old boring normal lives.”

“Why don’t you and Sonata do something for her then? Wouldn’t she be more comfortable with you guys instead of me?”

“Don’t you think we tried that?” Her eyes flared. “We took her to the firework show on New Year’s Eve and it just made things worse. Besides, you have a better relationship with her than anyone else around here. Probably one of the very few she ever had.” That didn’t exactly made him feel special.

“I wouldn’t really say we have a relationship. We’re more like uh…” Mentor and student? Acquaintances? A Mistress and a pet?

No… none of that sounded right.

“But you do whether you like it or not.” She added. “Trust me. It’s not a compliment. Just find a way to keep her entertained. I’ll even pay for all the expenses.” Flash curled a brow. “I’d owe you big time for this.”

Flash pondered in thought. It wasn’t really that insane of a request. He did promise Adagio that he would take her on a real date some time ago. What kind of a man would he be if he can’t keep such a small promise? And he’d earn himself a favor from one of the other Sirens too. That could definitely come in handy later on should the Order of the Black Stone try something against Sunset and her friends. As far as the boy could tell, there wasn’t any downside. Not that he could see anyway.

Besides, he was a sucker for girls like her.

“Alright. I suppose I can lend a hand.”

“So you’ll do it?” Aria’s eyes lit up.

He shrugged. “It can’t hurt. Besides it’ll be better for all of us if Adagio doesn’t go all evil on us.”

“Great. Just… don’t go anywhere too fancy. Adagio has some expensive taste which can be…”

“Oh you don’t need to worry about the cost. I got that part covered.” The boy grinned as he pulled out a notepad. “So… what kind of taste are we talking about here?”

(Freefall Island)

Ugh… this sucks.

Luna sat down on a nearby log feeling the chilling air breeze through. While it was still technically the end of winter, she could feel the heat seeping into her hair. Her clothes were soaked with sweat and her legs wobbled like noodles. It’s only been a few hours since they made their way from the pier but even that short walk has made her quite weary.

Could it be that… she was… out of shape?

Hmm… now that I think about it, she has been eating a little more than usual. The food she pilfered from the Winter Holiday party had a lot more calories in them than normal. Not to mention all the junk food she keeps in her locker. And she’s also been noticing that she’s been fitting into her clothes in all the wrong ways.

Hmm…

Luna pinched the side of her stomach and saw the fat stick out.

Maybe it was time to go on a diet.

“Ms. Luna? What are you doing?”

She choked when Sunset brought her back from her personal problem. “Uhh… nothing. Just… doing a little stretching! Gotta keep up that figure, right?”

“Uh… ok?” Sunset didn’t looked convinced but decided to leave it be. “Twilight’s been gone for a while now. I hope nothing happened to her.”

Not possible. If something happened at all, there’d be a commotion over by the dig site. A little girl appearing out of nowhere, trying to steal a priceless relic? That’ll turn a few heads. But thankfully the place has been quiet.

“I’m here!” Twilight’s voice startled them as she reappeared out of thin air panting heavily. “Sorry I’m late. Getting out of that place was a lot harder than getting in. Security was pretty tight.”

“Twi!” Sunset reached out to her for a grateful hug. “You’re back. Did you find it?”

She nodded back showing the said statue, which looked nothing more than a simple idol that could be bought in a souvenir shop.

“Told ya it would be easy. And you won’t believe what I discovered.”

…

…

…

“So… Sombra is leading this dig?” Luna asked to which the girl nodded in confirmation. “Hmm. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Sunset spoke. “You knew about this?”

“I heard that Sombra was buying up a lot of properties around Canterlot lately as part of his economic restoration plan with Filthy Rich. But I didn’t hear anything about buying a whole castle.”

“He did say something about turning it into a tourist attraction.” Twilight recalled. “But after our fight with Hoity… I guess that little plan went out the window. I’m worried that we might’ve done some damage on the castle’s foundation.”

“I’m more concerned about this ship.” Sunset added. “How many artifacts did you say there were down there?”

“A literal boatload. Flash and I explored it for a bit but we never really had a chance to investigate. The ones I found in that the tent alone all had magic in them.”

Aha… so Flash really did participate in this scuffle. That was… unsettling to know. That whole story about him being trapped under a cave-in really was a lie. Luna made a mental note to grill him about that later.

“That’s… troubling.”

Luna blinked out a question. “What do you mean?”

“Magic in this world can be very dangerous. We’ve already seen what a tiny bit of Equestrian Magic can do to people and objects. If those artifacts from Hoofbeard’s ship gets released, it could get out of control. Not to mention that the Order itself are searching for anything regarding magic.”

That was… true. Luna almost forgot that she was here to ensure that magic didn’t go rampant again. Just having 7 girls possessing such power has caused untold damage across the city. And here they are, having a literal boatload being sent to the city. The people down by the dig probably don’t even know what kind of power they were dealing with.

“Oh there’s no need to worry about that.” Twilight reassured them with a confident smile. “Because I have a plan that’ll make sure we get to all that magic before anyone else.” Sunset’s face twisted unsuringly. “What? What’s with that look?”

“Sorry Twi. It’s just that… none of us have a good track record when it comes to plans.”

Luna nodded in agreement. “I agree on that.”

“Oh come on! Have a little confidence.” Twilight retorted. “Just because we messed up a few key details, doesn’t mean we’re bad at planning. Besides, this one isn’t as complicated. And we won’t have to break any laws or bend any rules.” She glanced up to Luna. “Not that we ever did of course.”

Nice save.

“Alright then.” Sunset submitted. “What is this full proof plan of yours?”

“We’re gonna need a friend.” She smiled back, pulling out her phone and dialing a number. The tone rang for a moment before it answered. “Hey Flash. It’s Twilight. Are you free right now?”

Comments

[Banshee531]

Seriously, how did Flash end up being the only guy that can somehow fix every problem that shows up. Not that I'm complaining.

[Raistlin]

Aria is like a meanier version of Sugarcoat. Yet reasonable enough, even likeable to a degree

[SuperSonicHeroes]

Wow, so not only is Flash getting roped into a date with Adagio, he also needs to help Twilight, Sunset, and Luna now too. Maybe he’ll be able to show them he has magic now, and possibly find a Medium to use it properly.

Gotta say, I also like how Sombra took Chrysalis down a peg or two in their argument.

[CallMeKing]

This story gives Aria Blaze a better character development compared in canon.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

Flash grunted loudly, his temper reaching a boiling point. His arm flared for a split second launching what he could only describe as a black bolt of lightning striking the can and sending it against the wall and then falling to the dumpster.

😦 He actually did it! Guess aria's advice did help well in the end.

“There!” He roared. “It’s in! It’s finally… in… the darn… trash! Take that you dumb can!” Not exactly his proudest moment but no one was around to judge him. He took a deep breath, taking in the smell only to go into panic mode when the dumpster caught on fire. A literal dumpster fire. “Oh crud! Um… fire! Uh… what do I do?”

I take back what I said, he failed.

“Wait for me by the table.” She answered. “My shift ends in a bit. We can talk more there.”

Something tells me it's not a good one.

For goodness sake. Are these two always like this? Twilight was beginning to change her perspective on the two married couple in front of her. The two elder Pies always looked calm and collected whenever she visited Pinkie at her place. They were supposed to be one of the ideal couples in the world. But now they were bickering like children, getting on each other’s faces as if that’ll do them any good.

I'd be surprised if they get a divorce over this but I'm thinking to ahead of myself.

“There’s nothing sound about her ideas.” Igneous spat. “Bringing those giant death machines will bring the whole place down on us!”

Sounds like someone doesn't like getting rid of the past or something family related to me.

She found her brother and Sombra not far from the tent walking up to a green haired woman surrounded by black clad men. They all had the same uniform Shining Armor was wearing. She had the appearance of an academic, an authorizing gaze, and a scowl so deep they may as well be digging into the ground.

Wow, i was not expecting to see shining armor at all with chrysalis of all characters neither expected to see her appearance in this story! And apart of myself is already starting to wonder if she's a member of the order of the black stone!?!??!?!

Twilight grunted lowly to herself. She knew it. The artifacts they uncovered must’ve come from Hoofbeard’s ship. She completely forgot about it ever since the incident with Hoity Toity. She really needed to get herself organized.

I wonder if the ship is still intact even after the castle collapsed and that earthquake? I'm not sure if it did or not tbh.

He tried all the tricks in the book, which was rather quite amazing as the flirting session lasted for about 30 minutes. He started off small. He gave flowers, used catchy lines, calling her cute names, and even tried the cute puppy dog look. But all of them didn’t even make a dent on Mt. Aria. She returned the same cold stoned expression, eyes bearing a reaper’s cold touch.

Dang. 😶

“Don’t you think we tried that?” Her eyes flared. “We took her to the firework show on New Year’s Eve and it just made things worse. Besides, you have a better relationship with her than anyone else around here. Probably one of the very few she ever had.” That didn’t exactly made him feel special.

She still has a point there.

She nodded back showing the said statue, which looked nothing more than a simple idol that could be bought in a souvenir shop.

At least they got what they came for and got some shocking info too.

“We’re gonna need a friend.” She smiled back, pulling out her phone and dialing a number. The tone rang for a moment before it answered. “Hey Flash. It’s Twilight. Are you free right now?”

I'm guessing they'll need flash to use as a distraction probably.