A New/Old Face
After the study hall period, a few more classes came and went without fanfare. Eventually it came time for lunch, meaning all students were to be in the cafeteria.
Shining was on his way to the cafeteria after asking for directions, and on the way he happened to bump into someone who looked very familiar. Those vivid cornflower blue eyes, that two toned moderate sapphire hair that looked strangely bushy and of course that skin tone that looked so close yet so different to a shade of orange. He even had a black jacket on with a very familiar lightning bolt symbol on the sleeves. "Can it be?!" He thought as he felt his heart start to flutter.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, sir," The boy apologized as he helped Shining to his feet. "Are you alright? Do you need me to take you to the school nurse?"
Shining shook his head and rubbed his eyes. No, he wasn't seeing things. This human did indeed look familiar, very familiar! "Flash Sentry?!" He exclaimed in amazement! "No way! What are you doing here?!"
Flash stepped back, blinking in confusion at the statement. "What do you mean? I've been here for a while now, about a year in fact," And then he looked at Shining Armor. "Have we somehow met before and I don't remember?"
Shining now realized his mistake as he sheepishly answered. "No. I'm sorry, it's just that you reminded me of... someone I know. But you're obviously not him."
"It's okay, I get that a lot," Flash sincerely apologized. "Really, I do. They say I look a lot like my great grandfather, so maybe that's it," Then he asked. "By the way, is it true what they say? Is someone actually running against Sunset Shimmer? It's been ages since anybody's done that."
The disguised prince nodded his head. "Yes, it's all true. And you're looking at the very guy who's gonna put Sunset in her place no matter what tricks she tries to pull!"
But Flash scowled as his tone of voice became bitter and resentful. "I've heard that all before. So many people make the same mistake. Sunset Shimmer isn't just some grade school bully, she's the real deal! A bully to end all bullies! If you go up against her, you always end up burned. You start out full of hope, and by the time she's done with you you're broken, humiliated, unwilling to fight back. If you're going up against Sunset Shimmer you can forget about winning."
"You don't believe I'll find a way?" Shining remarked as he found himself glaring at Flash. "The guy you remind me of wouldn't be caught dead saying such things!"
Flash only shook his head and turned and walked sadly away. "Don't say I didn't warn you. You've no clue what horrors await you." Soon, he was out of sight.
Shortly after Flash had disappeared, Thunderlane came on the scene. He had overheard the conversation from afar and put a hand on his new friend's shoulder. "I see you've met Flash Sentry. Don't let his rock star looks fool you, he hopes to become a police officer just like his dad, who just so happens to be the chief of police for all of Canterlot City."
"How can a guy with a future in law enforcement turn a blind eye to injustice and abuse of power like Sunset's?" Shining inquired. "How can he just turn his back on others and just give up without fighting?"
Thunderlane was quick to explain. "He and Sunset Shimmer were close, like really close. They were a real power couple. But they broke up a few months ago, Flash finally decided he'd had enough: Said he wasn't gonna be a pawn in Sunset's games anymore."
"Let me guess, Sunset got revenge on him for the break up." Shining inquired.
Thunderlane nodded in confirmation. "He still won't elaborate on what it is that Sunset said or did to him, but ever since then he's never been the same. And when he fell, so did the school. Anyone with the will to resist had already been broken, and seeing Flash of all people get brought down was the final nail in the coffin," The next part of his sentence took on a noticeably downtrodden tone. "Unfortunately, it only got worse from there. With no one left to oppose her, Sunset was able to bring about some 'changes'."
These 'changes' were made clear once the two reached the cafeteria. There were a lot of tables throughout the entire room, but what was most noticeable was how it seemed like each table had a specific group of people seated at it.
"Sunset wanted to make sure we couldn't unite and try to best her in numbers, so she brought back an old stipulation to ensure 'order'," Thunderlane explained. "It's really quite simple: You just sit at the table that fits your social groups. There's a table for everybody: The rich kids, the tech wizards, the math geniuses, the sports stars, you name it. There's even a table for the 'misfits', the unpopular kids who don't fit in anywhere else. Sunset made it clear this is for the rejects," And he let out a sigh. "Which is sadly where I am. It's not all bad, though. I get to see Rumble and his friends all the time."
"You mean The Crusaders, right?" Shining commented as he and Thunderlane waited in line to get up to the lunch counter. "He told me about them after I saved him from getting bullied by Sunset's 'helpers'."
Thunderlane frowned. "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were already trouble before Sunset got a hold of them. It's really a shame too because their talents could be put to so many great uses here at the school if they'd simply stop picking on others. But Sunset's got them taking orders only from her. She uses them as her eyes and ears, not a thing happens in this school that they don't know about."
"If you all hate it so much, why don't some of you transfer to other schools?" Shining Armor questioned as he and Thunderlane neared the lunch counter.
With a shake of his head Thunderlane answered. "This is really the only school that'll take in anyone. All the other schools in the district are either insanely restrictive or insanely expensive: Crystal Prep being the worst offender. Better be ready for Sunset to use that against you."
"Was Sunset always like this?" Shining asked Thunderlane as he recalled the pictures in the principal's office.
"Those who were here long enough say no," Thunderlane explained. "You've probably wondered why Rumble and his friends attend this school even though they're not high school age. This school actually does have a few elementary and middle school classes, and it's cheaper for most parents to send students here for as many grades as possible. As for Sunset Shimmer, supposedly she was originally not unlike you were: Sweet, innocent, curious about the world around her. But eventually, something changed inside of her. Something snapped. And ever since she's been an absolute nightmare."
Shining didn't get an opportunity to ask anymore questions to Thunderlane, because at that moment something more pressing demanded his attention: The lunch lady herself. She had a very familiar apple green skin color and white hair, but it looked like she had really buffed herself up with how huge her arms and upper body were. As the woman was placing the day's lunch onto Shining's tray, she looked him deep in the eyes and told him. "Hey, you're the new kid, aren't ya? The transfer boy from that fancy shmancy Crystal Prep."
Against his better judgement, Shining Armor sincerely answered. "Yeah, so?"
The woman answered back. "Well, my granddaughters were just gushin' about ya! They seem pretty convinced you're the one who's gonna finally take down Sunset Shimmer and break the hold she's got on all of us. I ain't sure I believe them, I've seen too many youngins' like you all meet the same fate."
"If I wasn't sincere, do you think I would've stood up to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon on Rumble's behalf?" Shining pointed out.
The woman only humphed. "You're brave now, but you ain't got a taste of what Sunset can do just yet. It'll be a miracle if ya don't turn tail and run away after the first day of competition," Then, using a ladle she gestured to a tall, teenage boy with light red skin, light orange hair and sap green eyes. "If you're determined to go through with it though, you oughta at least talk to my grandson. He's been itchin' to meet ya ever since Applejack started talkin' you up."
"I'll do that, Granny Smith." Shining promised and left the lunch counter to make his way over to the table where the human he knew was Big Macintosh was currently sitting (alongside the human Applejack and a human he assumed was Apple Bloom given the familiar bow in her hair).
Granny Smith watched the wavy haired boy walk away, blinking in surprise and wondering to herself. "Now how in the heck did he know my name? I didn't get a chance to tell him. There's more to that fella than meets the eye."
Shining (with Thunderlane accompanying him) sat down at the table next to the human Big Macintosh and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Big Macintosh? Your granny said you wanted to talk to me?"
Big Macintosh removed a buck wheat from his mouth to speak. "Eeyup, ya heard right. Any friend of my sisters is somebody I just have to meet for myself. And from what I hear, you've already got quite a reputation. You're really playin' up this whole 'Savior Newcomer' persona, makin' folks start to believe they have hope again."
"It's no act, I assure you!" Shining firmly insisted as he locked eyes with Big Macintosh. "I may not have known what Sunset was up to originally, but now that I do I'll be darned if I just idly by and let her keep doing what she's doing. She must be stopped, and I guess it's up to me."
Big Macintosh was anything but convinced. "I used to think the same way as you did, mister. But after all the times Sunset was supposed to go down, only for the ones who vowed to defeat her and put an end to her ways end up becomin' the ones who went down, I don't so easily believe this time will be any different."
"Please, you can't talk like that! That's exactly what Sunset Shimmer wants you to think!" Shining Armor protested as he slammed his hands down on the desk. "What would your family think? What would your cousin Braeburn think?"
At that Big Macintosh nearly leaped off the table in surprise! "How do you know about cousin Braeburn? He's not from these parts, he lives out of town. I only occasionally keep in contact with him through letters, 'cause he doesn't get good cell phone service where he lives."
"Oh, I see," Shining realized as he blushed. "But my point still stands. Heck, if you really want this time to be different, support me. Then you can see for yourself that I'm not the type to back down."
"He did show a lot of bravery standing up to Sunset Shimmer earlier today," Thunderlane pointed out. "Hardly anyone's ever had the courage to do that. I think he just might stand a chance after all."
Big Macintosh was silent for a bit, as he thought over the dilemma on his hands. But at last he gave a reluctant answer. "...I really want to say no. Ever since Sunset took over I learned to keep quiet and say nothin' if I didn't have to. But for some strange reason, I feel as if I have to help you. It's as if I know you somehow, even though I've never seen you before in my life."
"That's funny, I had the same strange feeling," Thunderlane commented. "There's definitely something different about you, Shining. And it's not just your outfit. You have an almost... 'otherworldly' appearance to you somehow."
"So does that mean the two of you are onboard?!" Shining hopefully asked. "You'll support me in my effort to become Fall Formal Princess... er Prince?"
Big Macintosh and Thunderlane both nodded their heads in agreement.
"Great! I've got two of the five, hopefully soon to be three!" Shining thought to himself. "I already know where to find this world's Soarin, I just need to figure out how to find this world's Fancy Pants. Once I get them onboard along with this world's Braeburn, Sunset Shimmer and the crown are as good as mine!"
Yet the undercover prince didn't know that he was being observed from afar by Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon and of course Sunset Shimmer.
"That's him alright!" Diamond Tiara declared as she gestured a finger. "He certainly has an interesting way of not drawing attention to himself."
Silver Spoon giggled. "If by interesting you mean he doesn't even bother to lay low and keep his nose out of things that don't concern him. Taking this guy down is gonna be so easy!"
Sunset Shimmer seemed to agree as she asked. "I take it the video you two recorded is ready to be uploaded?"
Diamond and Silver both nodded as Diamond declared. "Just say the word and I'll post it. We'll make him famous, or even better: Infamous!"
Sunset smiled. "Excellent. But let's hold off on hitting the publish button for a little while. We don't want to give ourselves away just yet. Far better to let him think he has a chance, rather than crush his hope before it's had a chance to grow." And in her mind she was thinking. "I'm changing up my usual rules for you, prince! You think you can just walk in here and meddle in my business? If so, you've got another thing coming. You'll regret ever tangling with the likes of me."
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Another great chapter, I liked the introductions to Flash and the rest of the Apples, along with Thunderlane and Big Mac's suspicion. One of the only things I disliked about the first EqG movie was the main 5 of that world kind of followed Twilight blindly, accepting only a few short and barely believable explanations. It's nice to see some suspicion of Shining.
10325059 I especially hated how they glossed over Twilight confiding her secret with human Pinkie Pie spouting off the whole thing and then saying "Lucky Guess". That's just lazy writing.
10325072
Yeah. You did a good job here making them more suspicious of Shining. I can't wait to see what happens next
Always thought it was hilarious how they tried to make Sunset Shimmer such a horrible, terrible threat. And i'll admit, she's basically what Twilight would be if she let herself become evil. But at the end of the day, in the universe of Equestria, someone like her doesn't really compare when you've seen a A Corrupt Demigod of the Night, A Spirit of Chaos, A Deceitful and Wicked Queen, A Cruel and Black Hearted King of Darkness, and A True Demon with the power to deceive the trickster chaos spirit, consume the life essence of others, and reach levels of power that could rival the Gods themselves. At the end of the day, especially in this story, it's easy to see why Shining Armor has no fear of a bratty teenager when he's had to risk his life facing REAL monsters, and demons.
10325264
You make good points on most of these, but Tirek was actually AFTER Sunset's defeat/reform (but BEFORE the Dazzlings). Still, the point about how they faced and won against Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis and Sombra still very much applies.
Again, excellent job on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up in all the right places. I especially liked the first meetings with the human versions of Flash AND Mac as well as the slightly greater detail concerning the stuff Sunset pulled. And, yeah, the fact there ARE some people questioning just how Shining knows their names AND showing a bit of suspicion makes sense here.
A possible few ideas for friendship problems Luster could see Shining and his friends handling if you DO decide to go with making the two-decade time skip a semi-short sequel story:
The Friendship problem Braeburn calls the group's attention to - helping out Strongheart (no longer quite so little) and their pony/buffalo hybrid child (your choice on gender AND name) in dealing with some bullying racist jerks.
Soarin' could have the gang helping out a griffon trying to train for the Wonderbolt Academy (by then, he would probably be at least semi-retired from the Wonderbolts, but still have his eyes and ears out for possible recruits who show great potential regardless of species).
Thunderlane's friendship problem could involve something his younger brother Rumble came across when he and the other Crusaders were working as teachers at Twilight's Friendship School (this one would be saved for last because it could coincide with Luster arriving in Ponyville anyway and enrolling in the friendship school herself).
And, well, I'll still have to think concerning Mac, Fancy and Shining. And, I will also respect that you don't have to do this if you don't want to.
But, anyway, very certainly looking forward to more of this.
10325404
As soon as you wrote that, I realized I made a brainfart, and was thinking for some reason EG happened after, when it was Rainbow Rocks that follows Twilight's Kingdom. Thank you for pointing that out, and calling me on that. But i'm glad you see my point on the matter. Compared to those four, and some of those who would come later, this Sunset Shimmer is the typical "Queen Beee**" and "Mean Girl" combined into one. Plus the stakes don't feel as high as they probably could have.^^;