> Fixing Flashlight
>  by Neroson40
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Amnesia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Even before I made Twilight Sparkle cry… I was having a bad day. I woke up in an infirmary, a large bump on the back of my head, and everything around me blurry. Finally everything settled and I saw everything in one steady shape.
“What… What happened?” I said. “Where am I? Who am I!?”
“Quit messing around, Sentry!” a voice said from my left. I looked to see a white unicorn with blue hair of two shades. He was wearing a red royal coat and sash with many badges 	indicating what I assume were accomplishments. “We need you back on the walls ASAP.”
“Who are you!?” I asked… maybe I was a little forceful but it was too late to take it back.
“Is that any way to talk to your emperor!?” he said.
“You’re right… I’m sorry… but do you know who I am?”
“You’re… serious?” he started to lose the look that made him sure I was okay.
“Dead serious,” I said without any second thought. That drove the nail in.
“Maybe you should stay here for a while longer… I’m, uh, Shining Armor by the way.” He stuck out his hoof. 
“And I am?” I clopped mine against it.
“Private Flash Sentry. Heh never thought I’d have to introduce a pony to themselves.” There was something about this colt that I just found very… likeable.  Then I realized something. Why would the emperor of… whatever his kingdom was, go out of his way for a private like me? And how did I know an emperor normally wouldn’t? I shook my head 	to get rid of the thoughts, at least somepony came.
“Your Majesty,” The doctor said as he trotted in. “Visiting Hours are over, I must ask professionally that you leave.”
“I see… in that case I have a request doctor…” Emperor Armor said. “Don’t let my sister in here.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll come by tomorrow… Private.” He said that last word with a bit of a smirk, not one that said he enjoyed it but one that said he had to say it but would rather not.
“Any time… Your Majesty.” I said returning the Smirk for some reason. He left the room, and I was alone with the doctor.
“So… Private Sentry… how do you feel?” the doctor asked.
“A little scared…” I admitted.
“Why’s that?”
“Didn’t you hear the conversation with his Majesty? I can’t remember anything on my own.”
“It’s a commonly known ailment,” He said. “It’s called amnesia.”
“Well… besides that and the inner workings of a military.” I said.
“You’ve been in the royal guard since you were ten, I’m not entirely surprised you retained that much memory,” Then the doctor looked at the clock and had me lie back down. “I normally wouldn’t advise this for patients who were in a coma for a week, but you should get some sleep.” I decided it wasn’t a bad idea. I stretched and refolded my wings to make them comfortable in the bed, and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

It was around midnight that I woke up again. I noticed it was raining just outside the window, and walked over to… get a feel? See if it was really there? I don’t know I just went to get my hoof wet. There was something about the rain that brought back images of somepony. A purple alicorn… I couldn’t understand at first. I pulled my hoof back and went right back to the bed to try and get a little more sleep. 
This time, I did dream. The mare was right there next to me. Sitting on a hill beneath a light drizzle, my right wing wrapped around her. It was a beautiful sight in the valley below. The empire shining with the evening lights of the heart shaped crystal in the tower. Was this really just a dream? I woke up the next day to a rumbling in my stomach. The doctor came in with a tray of food.
“Bad dream?” he asked when I cocked my head he gestured to my cheeks. I touched them to feel tears running down them.
“Not bad… just beautiful.”
“Well I have breakfast here for you, if you’re interested.” My stomach gurgled. “You’re interested. Just remember to take your time, you haven’t eaten in a week.”
“Alright, Doc,” I said and took bite after bite of the food he prepared. It felt so good to have something slither down my gullet… yes I was seriously that hungry. But my morning meal was interrupted by the sounds of an argument just outside the room.
“Your Highness, I can’t let you in there!” the Doctor’s voice said.
“But I just need to see him! Please!” a mare begged. Wait… Highness?
“Your brother told me to keep you out of that room, and I’m afraid I have every reason to agree with that decision!” there was a bang against the wall, and somepony other than the Doc came rushing into the room.
“Flash!” She said. I was dumbstruck. It was the mare from my dream! She looked even more stunning in real life! The tears started to flow again as I realized something. Whoever I was to this mare, I wasn’t him at the moment… was I? The bump on the back of my head started to hurt with the thought of what I had… nothing… no memories of anything anyway. She repeated my name when I didn’t respond.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t…”
“Flash?” the mare said. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m gonna say this as gently as I can, Your Highness,” I said, hoping to calm her down a little bit. “Who are you?”

> Regret
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Ever say something someone special to you and instantly hate yourself for it? Yeah, that’s the best way to describe those three words, that “Who are you” that I said to her. I 	thought the shock would never stop registering based on her face. Then when it did, the tears just fell off her chin.
“Ah, Sweet Celestia!” I said with very little context to who that was. “I’m so sorry! I just… okay, go ahead and hit me.”
“I don’t want to hit you,” She said. “But why would you say that?”
“Your Shining Armor’s sister, aren’t you?” I asked. When she nodded I continued. “I had to ask him my name.” that seemed to clear things up a little.
“So you have no idea who I am?”
“Not enough to go by anyway, I did see you in a dream… but that’s it.” Everything was quiet. Nothing, not even a bird chirping outside, seemed to break it. Then without any explanation, she turned to leave. “Wait!” I said. But when she did my mind was swimming with things I wanted to ask, like what put me here in the infirmary, what I meant to her, were we friends or something? But I just asked her name.
“Twilight Sparkle,” she said. It was obvious by the tone that she was choking back a sob. I hated myself even more at that point. Making Twilight Sparkle come all this way to find out that I had no memory of her, and then making her cry by reminding her of it… I had to be one of the worst colts in Equestria… why was it that common knowledge was coming back to me more easily than my own name? I just sat there in my bed, waiting for the sadness I felt towards the recent conversation to just go away… but it didn’t, it just festered in me, growing bigger and heavier on my heart. 

When Shining did come in that day, I couldn’t look at him. I was sure he’d put me back in here for hurting his little sister and then yell at her for forcing her way into my room. He tried to start a conversation with me, only succeeding when he mention my mare-friend.
“Mare-friend!?” I said in shock. I was afraid that he was going to say it was somepony other than Twilight, but he eased my worries in one sentence.
“My sister, Twily. Don’t call her that though she gets mad when anypony but me calls her that.” At the mention of his sister, I looked away.
“I’d be surprised if she still liked me.” I said, deciding to tell him about what happened earlier. “I kinda made her cry.”
“What happened?” I told him the entire thing, about how she forced her way past the doctor, how I asked her who she was, and how I still harbored this guilt towards the entire experience. At that last part I started to cry. “Hey, hey, there’s no shame in what you did, if it were me and my wife, I wouldn’t have done it too differently.”
“Don’t lie!” I said.
“I’m not lying!” we were quiet for a minute, then. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled.”
“Definitely got your point across though,” I laughed.
“Heh, yeah,” Shining said. “Tell you what, When you get out of here I’m sending you to Ponyville with my sister.”
“Where’s Ponyville?”
“C’mon dude, it’s the town you grew up in! The place where you were recruited!” 
“So what, your giving me an Honorable Discharge?” I asked kinda mad.
“No, you’re being stationed in her kingdom as a starting line of defense.”
“Why?”
“Nopony knows you better than her right now, get to know her and you might get to know you.” This thought made me a little happier, because I could also make up for that little bit of trouble we had. I told him I’d like that, and when it was settled I waited. For the doctor to release me, then for the news to reach my room. Then somehow the thought got into my head that I could not get the news that I was going to Ponyville. Maybe whoever was higher up than Shining Armor would say that I was needed here, in the Crystal Empire. The dread I felt skyrocketed and I was starting to physically feel ill. I was brooding in my room only leaving when ordered to for training and just barely getting by then. The only thing that kept me alive was Twilight. She’d come every day to training and watch me, mostly with a look of sadness. Couldn’t blame her, I didn’t remember her, the one pony she liked didn’t even remember her. Finally, Col. Shiner came to my room with a piece of paper in his mouth. He put it on the bed.
“Congratulations Sentry, you’ve been promoted.”
“Promoted?” I said dumbly. He gestured to the paper and I read it. When I finished I was confused. “Sir! There has to be some mistake!” I said.
“None to be found,” He said. “Largest leap in the ranks I ever saw, and to top it off your being stationed in Ponyville.”
“I can’t be- I mean- This leap is personal! It can’t be legal!”
“No it’s not, we switched you to the petty officers behind your back, and you out matched all of them.”  I couldn’t believe it.
“But I wasn’t feeling well during the training!”
“General Glimmer wanted to see how you’d do under those conditions, and you barely did any worse.”
I couldn’t wrap my head around the strings that Flash pulled. When I woke up with Amnesia, I was a private. Now I was a Master Chief!
> Station
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I got off the train in Ponyville, having no clue where to go from there. Yeah I had the address on my wing but I couldn’t read it… in hindsight maybe it should’ve been on my hoof. My new armor was in my bag along with all my belongings which included a letter from Shining himself. I still couldn’t believe that he had me so high up on the ladder in just a month.

“Here’s some money for the ride, and here’s your  satchel for taking everything you have,” Shining said, as I prepared to get on the train to my new station.
“Where’s Twilight?” I asked.
“She already left for Ponyville,” Cadence, Shining’s wife said. I was dumbstruck did they tell her that I was coming home with her? “She didn’t want to torture herself anymore, apparently.”
“If that’s the case… wouldn’t sending me there be a bad idea?” I asked.
“Are you questioning orders soldier?” General Glimmer said. She looked at me with a knowing smile, like she understood that the transfer was personal.
“No ma’am,” I said with a smile. With a renewed enthusiasm, I got on the train and headed for Ponyville.

I was starting to wonder what good Enthusiasm was when you had no idea which way was forward. Finally somepony approached me, a pink pony with puffy hair.
“Hi! Can I help you!?” she said.
“I’m looking for Princess Twilight Sparkle, any idea where I can find her?” then her face changed from happy to… worried.
“Um… you might not be able to talk to her at the moment, she came home two days ago crying, she hasn’t been out of her castle since. Won’t even talk to me or the rest of her friends.” 
“I just need her to sign something… oh…” I realized that I might’ve been the cause of the tears. Oh well, no going back now. “I just need to get to the castle.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She took me to where I needed to go. “I wouldn’t bother to knock if I were you. She won’t answer herself.”
“I need this!” I yelled. I was getting tired of the negativity. I knocked when she didn’t respond. A small dragon opened the door, purple and green about seven by the look of him.
“Can I help you Mr.…?”
“Sentry… Flash Sentry,” I said. I pulled the transfer papers out of my satchel and showed them to him.
“You’re the colt that Twilight’s crying over aren’t you?” the dragon said.
“Just read the papers,” I said. He took them and gave them a look.
“Heh,” He said. “This should be interesting” he turned up the stairs. “Twilight! It’s important!”
“Spike what could be so important that-” she stopped when she saw me. “hi.” She said.
“I was stationed here as a Master Chief for your guards,” I explained. “It was Shining’s idea I thought it’d send you-” I couldn’t finish before she rushed down the stairs and gave me a bear hug. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have hurt you like that.”
“But I deserved to know you didn’t remember me…” She let go of me. “Uh, so, why were you here again?” The Dragon, Spike held the papers up to Twilight and she read them. “That’s…”
“Impossible, I know…” I said. “Your brother pulled a few strings to make sure I got over here, for medicinal reasons of course.”
“Medicinal?” the pink pony behind me asked. I almost forgot about her. “What Medicinal reasons?” I looked out for a joke and saw an apple orchard.
“I heard your apples have multiple benefits for a pony,” I said. She looked confused. “What’d ya’ think, should I go for a comedic career?” at that she let out a small chuckle.
“With what Pinkie said on top of that, what medicinal reason are you here for?”
“Shining thought that the familiar surroundings would remind me of who I am… with your help of course,” she looked confused at the “familiar” part. “I grew up here until I was recruited.”
“Oh! I see!”
“So you gonna show me around?”
“The castle?” Twilight asked.
“The town. Or we could do it your way and go through the castle first.”

She decided to show me around the town first. For some reason she kept a little bit of distance from me. I wished she’d at least hold my hoof or something… (Figure of speech)  I hadn’t put on my armor so you could say it looked a little… I don’t want to say it. Besides, small town like this? I heard that small crimes like theft were almost unheard of here. I doubted I’d be doing a lot of my job right.
“That’s Sweet Apple Acres, where my friend Applejack and her family harvest apples,” Twilight directed my attention to the Orchard I saw earlier. “That’s Sugar Cube Corner, where the Cakes make sweets and Pinkie Pie plans parties,” she pointed to a cake-like structure that Pinkie was sitting in front of. “Over there’s Rarity’s, She’ll make an absolutely stunning outfit for anypony,” there was a mare in the window who actually paid attention to her outward appearance, sewing together two pieces of fabric with unicorn magic. “That’s Fluttershy’s Cottage by the Everfree Forest, she takes care of the animals in this region,” there was a Pegasus feeding all the animals within fifty feet of the house.
“This place is nice…” I said.
“Remember anything yet?” Twilight asked.
“Gain weigh!”  A voice said from above me. I turned around to see who it was only to have her slam into me at thirty miles an hour. We crashed into the nearby creek. Everything was mildly hurt. “Sorry,” the voice said from between my front legs. I looked down to see a blue Pegasus mare with a rainbow mane-cut. She was looking up at me and I gotta say… it was weird.
“Well if I remembered anything it’s gone now,” I sad as a joke. But Twilight was not laughing she was cringing at the sight of something. I looked wherever she saw it… and noticed that my wing was dislocated. “HOW DO I NOT FEEL THAT!?”  I yelled.
“Let me help you with that,” Twilight said. She helped me to my hooves and used magic to sling the wing back in place.
“Again… sorry,” The Blue pony said.
“It’s fine,” I assured.
“Twilight, you gonna introduce me to your male companion?”
“Oh! Rainbow Dash, this is Flash Sentry, Flash this is Rainbow Dash.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said sticking out my hoof.
“You too,” She clopped hers to it.

> Deceased
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When the introductions were out of the way, Twilight noticed that all the animals by Fluttershy’s Cottage were running amok.  The Pegasus, Fluttershy I guess rushed up to us and asked for help calming them down. Twilight and I help with all the ground animals, and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash took care of the birds. When it was finished Fluttershy looked Rainbow Dash in the eye and scolded her to next week. I chuckled a little at this, which got Fluttershy’s attention.
“Twilight!? You’re out of your castle!” Fluttershy said.
“Yeah,” Twilight said. “Something came up.” She gestured to me.
“Hi…” I said. Something clicked in Fluttershy’s eyes and she started to look mad.
“You’re the one that made Twilight cry for so long in the first place aren’t you!?” she shouted. “Why would you do that!? What did Twilight ever do to you!?”
“In my defense you don’t know how I hurt her… do you?”
“Wait… you’re the one who didn’t remember her!?” Rainbow Dash yelled. I was getting tired of these assumptions 
“I didn’t even remember my own name!” yeah, that shut them up. I calmed down a little before explaining further. “And that’s how I made her cry, I told her I have amnesia. Not necessarily outright, but… yeah, hit me.”
“What?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Hit me, right here,” I pointed to my cheek. They turned down the offer.
“So, you made her cry… by having amnesia?”
“Well, I made her cry by telling her about it,” I explained everything I remembered.
“Your brother told you not to see him… and you still went to see him?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, no offense but, why would you do that?”
“I just… had to,” Twilight said. “You’d do it to if it were somepony you loved.” I kinda spaced out after the conversation took a turn to Twilight. How did I end up in the Infirmary? How did that bump (which was now gone) get on my head and how did it result in amnesia? Where was I before this happened? “Flash?”
“Huh?” I looked at Twilight and everypony was looking at me like they were expecting something. “Could you repeat the Question?”
“Isn’t it a little weird that we haven’t run into anypony who could have any idea who you are? I mean you grew up here before you were recruited so there must be somepony, right?” add that to the list of two mysteries. No, I didn’t even see anpony calling themselves family. Where were they? Did they still live here? Or did I even grow up here?
“Yeah… that is weird…” I said.
“You’ll see them again!” Rainbow Dash said. “I know it!” That cheered me up even though I wasn’t really depressed.
“Yeah.”

Twilight went to sleep late that night and I got busy looking through the library of the castle. I knew it was late, but I just had to find my family, my friends, somepony! I found something in the newspapers of the last ten years, this happened six years ago… I guess I would’ve been ten when this happened… that was when I got recruited… right? I read the Headline and suddenly felt my breath catch in my lungs.
Catastrophe Fire Takes Thirteen Lives
The names of the ponies lost didn’t ring any bells, but this got me thinking… what if I joined the Guard because of this “Catastrophe Fire”? I had to find out more, I looked in the Ponyville family trees and found my name… and my sister, Starlight, and my parents. My sister was in Canterlot according to this tree, but what really caught my attention was my parents’ addresses… the mark didn’t have a city, street, or home number… it read “Deceased” for both of them. A door opened and the dragon I met earlier, Spike, walked in.
“Flash?” He said. “What are you doing here?... What’s wrong?” I touched my cheek and it came away wet. I was crying… the only living relative, the only person who knew anything about me was far away from where I thought she’d be… I put the paper next to the book, and two of the names matched my parents’… my family was ruined by the fire… six years ago. Who else did I know in the fire? Was everyone gone? Was it my fault!? At that thought I started to cry uncontrollably.
“Hey! It’s alright!” Spike said. “Just tell me what happened.” Then, I assume, he looked at the table in front of me. “Sweet Celestia… Flash I’m so sorry.”
“You weren’t the one who started the fire… right?” I joked to make myself cheer up a little… it worked for a second.
“No! I wasn’t even here then! I meant… my condolences.”
“Big words,” I said. Spike smiled.
“I know I barely ever use them so remember it.” I was starting to forget my pain, but then it came right back to me and I nearly threw up. Spike put his hand on my shoulder. 					“Don’t worry, if there are any friends of yours out there, you’ll find them.” He looked determined at this statement.
“Heh…. Thanks.” I was just starting to smile but the tears were still coming.
“C’mon let’s get you back to your room,” he said. I followed him back to the room that Twilight had cleared out for me. All that was in there were a bed, a dresser, and a desk. On the desk was the satchel with my belongings in it. I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes as sleep and tortured dreams took hold of me.
> Good
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up the next morning with Twilight shuffling around my room.
“Hey,” She said when she noticed I was awake. “I wasn’t watching you sleep if that’s what you think is going on here.”
“I had the suspicion,” I said. “What were you doing?”
“I’ve been in your room before, you let me in. I was setting everything up as it was then.” I looked around and saw that she got everything right. From the posters to the armor decorations. She even had my own armor on a mannequin in the corner… where I usually put my armor when it came off.
“You did a really good job,” I commented. “But why did you do this for me?”
“Because Pinkie planned a party for you, and I wanted you to enjoy yourself, not worry about anything else.” The thought made me feel sick… I knew I had to tell her, but I didn’t want her feeling sorry for me when she could be happy that social progress was being made. I decided not to tell her. Spike came in and asked how I was doing.
“I know it’s hard with what you found-” I made a slashing motion across my throat telling him I didn’t want Twilight hearing it. She looked confused and wanted to hear more, but we refused to say any more on the Subject of last night. Twilight finally shrugged and left saying she was going to get ready for Pinkie’s party.

Pinkie’s parties may be a little kiddy but they’re always enjoyable. I was officially introduced to all of Twilight’s friends.
“Wow, Twi’,” Applejack said when we met. “Ya’ sure know how to pick ‘em.”
“I wouldn’t use those words specifically,” Rarity said. “But I do have to say he is rather dashing.” All this positive attention was making me blush.
“Okay girls,” Twilight said. “Remember he’s taken.”
“And you two make a great couple,” Pinkie said. Then something clicked in Applejack’s eyes, much like it did in Fluttershy’s but it was a different sort of Epiphany.
“Wait… you said your name was Flash Sentry?” she asked. I confirmed that. “My parents died in the same-mph mph!” for some reason I clamped my hoof over her mouth without thinking. But then I remembered what it was she was going to say. I grabbed her by the shoulder and took her to the side.
“Okay, I found out about it last night,” I whispered. “But I don’t want Twilight knowing about that.”
“Oh… gotcha’,” somehow I doubted that, but I just had to trust her. We went back to the others and made up some stupid excuse that I’m sure they didn’t buy, in fact I’m sure they were making it worse in their heads.
The party went long into the night, and then somepony said something to me.
“Flash?” I looked behind me and there was a colt, an earthling with a red coat and unkempt orange mane and tail… I recognized him!
“M-Mac!?”
“Eeyup,” He said simply. “Long time no see bud. Heard about your little… problem. Sorry to hear it.”
“Thanks,” I said. I remembered this guy. Big Macintosh was the older brother I never had. He had dreams of running the best Orchard in Equestria, while I dreamed of being the head of the Royal Guard someday. Then the Catastrophe Fire that was in the papers took both our parents and Granny Smith took me, my sister and Mac’s sisters in until I left to be recruited. I don’t know what my sister was doing… seeing this familiar face brought back so many good memories I almost cried.
“Try taking it in one memory at a time,” Mac said. “It helps Granny when she forgets a lot and suddenly remembers.”
“What happened to Starlight?” I asked.
“That’s something I don’t know.” We just hung out for a while, eating some of his cousin’s proudly made Apple Fritters talking about how we ended up where we were, him with arguably the best Orchard in Equestria, and me General of Twilight’s section of the guard. When he learned that I made an impossible jump in the Military ladder he looked impressed.  We talked for a little bit and eventually he had to go. One of his cousins wasn’t feeling the best.
That was the first good thing that I legitimately remembered, not just saw in my dreams. I wanted to see what else I could get, but that would’ve had to wait for another time. The fireworks (Why pinkie needed those I’ll never know) Ended the night with a bang, all manner of pun intended. 
But my dreams just started to resurface. In that night’s dream I was with Twilight, Shining and Cadence on the train to Canterlot. Shining was staring out the window and the nervous wreck I was, I just couldn’t sit still.
“Calm down, Flash,” Twilight said. “They’ll love you.”
“How can you be so sure,” I asked. “I mean Shining didn’t.”
“He was mad because I didn’t tell him about it; he thinks you’re a good colt, really.”
“I’m right here,” He said. “And yeah, you’re a nice guy, so just don’t be cold and you’ll be fine.”
I spent the rest of the ride in silence. We got off the train and found Shining and Twilight’s parents. I wanted to jump back on the train when I saw Twilight’s dad, but then Twilight grabbed me with her magic and dragged me to them. They shared their greetings and then the parents acknowledged me.
“Twilight? Who’s this?” her dad asked.
“This is Flash Sentry, my colt-friend.” I was worried about what he’d do or say, what guy wouldn’t be when meeting his girl’s parents
“N-nice to meet you sir.” I said, pretty sure my smile betrayed my fear. He raised his hoof and brought it down. I closed my eyes waiting for the blow. But he just clapped my shoulder.
“Good to see you came along son!” he said. I started to relax a little at this but still had some edge in case he was really mad at me for paternal protective reasons. “If Twilight says your good, you must be good.” I gotta say I wasn’t expecting this; he looked and acted genuinely nice. By the end of the dream I wasn’t afraid of him.

> Crippled
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I woke up the next morning to Spike shaking me. I wanted a little more sleep, but he just shook me harder.
“Flash! This is-” the door swung open and Twilight stomped into the room. “-important.” The stomping woke me up enough to see that Spike was scared and that Twilight was recently crying about something. Nonetheless she looked mad.
“How could you not tell me?” She whispered. Then I saw that she had the paper from six years ago in her saddlebag. “Your parents are gone and you don’t remember anything about it… How could you not tell me they were gone!?”
“I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me,” I finally said. “You looked so happy that progress was being made, and I didn’t want to ruin that, telling you would’ve made you sorry for me.”
“Congratulations,” Twilight said. “You didn’t make me sorry for you, you made me mad at you.” She stormed out of the room before I could say anything. She wouldn’t say anything all day. No matter what I tried she wouldn’t talk to me, not even an apology would get a response. Then Applejack came to us.
“Twilight, we need to talk,” She said. “In private.” They went off and I just sat and waited, eventually Big Mac came back.
“Howdy Flash,” he said. “How’s it goin’?”
“Twilight found out about my parents,”	I said. “Now she won’t talk to me.”
“I can imagine why,” Mac said. “You didn’t tell her in the first place, meaning to her that you don’t trust her with stuff like that.
“The thing I don’t trust her with is being able to take it with a genuine smile,” I said. “I didn’t want her to have to push herself. I’m an idiot.”
“No, you’re thoughtful, ya’ just didn’t think it totally through.” It was around then that Twilight and Applejack came and Twilight said something that caught me off guard.
“We’re going to Canterlot.” When I asked why she refused to answer. We asked Mac and Applejack to watch the castle and got on a train to Canterlot. Twilight to me right to the castle near the mountain top.
“Why are we going there?” I asked. She didn’t answer directly.
“There’s somepony you have to meet.” That was all she said. When we entered the throne room, there were two alicorns and a unicorn, all mares. The older alicorn was white coat with sun kissed rainbow mane. A name touched my mind with that one. Celestia. The younger one was blue coat with starry mane. Her name came to me too. Luna. The one who held my attention the longest was the unicorn. She wasn’t facing me for the majority of the first minute. But I knew her. The indigo mane, the silver coat and the quill and scroll cutie mark…
“Starlight?” I said. She refused to look at me.
“So you are his sister,” Celestia said. “She was just telling us the story of how you lost your parents, General Sentry.”
Reluctantly she started a story.
“My parents, along with eleven other ponies in Ponyville… they died six years ago because of me. The only survivor was my brother…” At this pause she turned to me with tears filling her eyes. “Even then he didn’t go unscarred. A falling wooden beam from our house destroyed the functionality of the nerves in his wings. He can’t fly anymore.” I remembered little clues since waking up that made that revelation make sense. All of the petty officers I unknowingly trained with were earthlings, with me as the only exception. I never took my hooves off the ground simultaneously, not even trying. Then came the biggest one, when Rainbow Dash dislocated my wing. I didn’t feel it!
To see if I could still move them at least, I told myself to stretch them. They did, but when I flapped them it was apparent they were too weak to carry me. “She’s right…” I said. “I can’t fly.”
Starlight turned to me and lowered her head. “I can never ask you for forgiveness, mainly because I’m sure I won’t get it. Not only did our parents die because of me, but you lost his wings, and that’s something I can’t even forgive myself for.” I noticed she was shacking with self-directed anger. I pulled Twilight to the side to ask a question.
“Would I forgive her if I had all the information?” Twilight thought about it for a little bit. When she took her wing away from her lip, she looked at me with something I wish I remembered.
“Nothing’s ever been as bad as that, either to me, or you,” she said. “But every time somepony did something wrong and admitted to the mistake, you forgave them. In the year and some that I’ve known you, you’ve been the most forgiving pony I ever knew.” That helped a little. But then again, I still couldn’t forgive Starlight for killing our parents. The main reason being I didn’t have enough information on the event. Unless I knew why the fire was started, I probably wouldn’t be forgiving her any time soon. I returned my attention to Starlight.
“Sis,” I said in a caring tone. “Normally I’m sure that I’d forgive something as terrible as what happened,” She looked up in surprise at what I just said. Though she looked almost relieved that I was saying it. “But this time… I can’t.” I said, regretting my poor choice of words even as I said it.
“What?” Starlight looked at me with ruined hopes.
“What I meant to say was… um…” I tried to break the news to her gently, going over any possible way to say it gently. Finally I got one. “I don’t remember what happened.”

> Sunny
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight invited Starlight to visit Ponyville after my revelation. Princess Celestia said it was a good idea for her, so she took us up on the offer. I thought the ride would be very awkward, what with my sister not being able to talk to me calmly, so I decided to take a nap. Bad idea.	A nightmare tormented me during that trip.
I was waking up in a burning house. I remembered that Starlight wasn’t in the house, so I started calling for someone else.
“Sunny!” I yelled. “Sunny! Where are you!?”  I saw a flaming coloration a few feet away that wasn’t moving, fiery or otherwise. I moved the debris away from it, and found a mare’s body, probably around my age. I flew her out of the burning building, but Starlight and my parents were still in the house as far as I knew. I rushed back in to find them, and the doorframe fell on my back. I woke up in a sweat to see that we were at the Ponyville station. Twilight was shaking me trying to get me to wake up.
“What’s wrong Flash?”
“Just… a nightmare,” I said. But I knew it wasn’t a nightmare. It was a memory of the fire that cost me my flight and family. Who was Sunny? Why was she there? Whose house was I in that was burning? Did the fire start there? What were we doing before the fire? So many questions were swimming in my head, but I couldn’t find a way to word many of them. On the way back to the Castle, Starlight stopped at the flower shop with a look on her face that portrayed rekindled fear. Looking at the building I remembered the dream that I had on the way here. This was the house that I was in when the fire happened. I forced my eyes to look away from the building and pulled Starlight away with me.
We reached Twilight’s Castle and saw that her friends were there. They were looking at a book, nothing special about it from where I was standing. When Twilight entered the Foyer she asked what they were looking at.
“Sunset Shimmer sent you a message while you two were out,” Rainbow Dash said. “We wanted to know what she said, and…”
“It’s strange,” Rarity finished. Twilight took a look at the message, for curiosity I had to peek over her shoulder.
Dear Princess Twilight:
I was hoping that I could visit your castle for a day or two. You see, I’ve recently been having daydreams of a fire, and someone being crushed under it. I want to know what they are, and the girls suggested that I come see you. This book is a one way form of communication between Equestria and Canterlot High, so if you think it’d be a good idea, then you should probably come here to get me, as I can wright to you but you can’t write to us. It’s starting to hurt, please help me.
Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer.
The name sounded familiar, I couldn’t place my hoof on why for a while. Then Twilight went to the place called Canterlot High and I just focused on Sunny. I remembered who Sunny was to me, though I had a hard time remembering her face. I also remembered that her parents wiped our memory of themselves and each other to keep us safe from things I couldn’t understand. The thing that broke the memory of Sunny completely out was the mare that returned with Twilight through the mirror. Twilight said that Sunset Shimmer would come back with her, but the mare I saw coming out of the shimmering glass was my cousin, Sunny.
I avoided Sunny for the entire week, making sure that whenever I did go near somepony it wasn’t her. I didn’t say anything about Sunset Shimmer to Twilight when we would talk. I always listened, pretending not to know anything about the flashback she was experiencing. Then twilight pieced together who the colt in the flashbacks was, somehow, before Sunny.
“Flash,” She came to me at that time. “You’re the colt that Sunset Shimmer’s been flashing back to, aren’t you?”
“I have no idea what you mean,” I said in denial.
“Please, Flash,” Twilight said. “Don’t act dumb. I saw the way you looked at her when she came through the mirror. You recognized her!” she had me beat, but I couldn’t look at her long enough to confirm it. “Did you date her before me?” She said. This brought ten levels of shock to my system. My head shot to Twilight to see if she was serious about the question. Based on the uncomfortable look of worry on her face, I’d say she was.
When she asked this, I first thought to laugh, so I did. She looked at me with confusion. “Oh, you’re serious? Let me laugh even harder.” Now she was really confused.
“What are you laughing about?” Twilight said a little hurt.
“Let me answer that question with another rhetorical one,” And this was gonna get interesting. “Would you date Shining Armor even if he was still your brother?” Before I could get out any further she shook her head with a look on her face like I was weird. “Of course not, it’s a very similar situation with me and Sunny, we wouldn’t date each other even if we fully remembered each other. We’re family.”
“Oh… well… um… that makes things a little awkward.” Now it was my turn to be confused.
“What do you mean?” she had me lean my ear over so she could whisper what she meant. “SHE WHAT!?” I yelled later to slam my head in the wall.

> Tenebrae
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I told Sunny that I was the colt in her flashbacks, but I wouldn’t be the one to tell her why she was daydreaming about me. She spent ten more days in Ponyville with Starlight keeping her company. When she went back to Canterlot High, I saw her off with a smile. The rest of the month was spent with migraines and other aches. They only seemed to get worse until the end of the month. What happened at the end of the month is something I could’ve gone a long time without having happen and I would’ve been happy.
The world exists due to a perfect balance of Harmony and Chaos. Life itself is a form of Chaos which established order amongst itself. I learned all that and more that day, when Twilight went missing. I woke up after another dream/memory. I was sparring with another private at the Crystal Empire. He was bigger than I am, and he was harder to work around, but I managed to stay on my hooves. Twilight and Shining were there too. Shining said that whoever won the match would be promoted.
I made the mistake of trying to push him against the corner of the ring at the end of it, and he threw me out of the ring, making me hit a wall hard enough to make everything blurry. But there was something else there. It looked like a dog and a cat were magically mixed into one being, and there was something on the end of the tail that looked like a grapple of some sort. It was black, purple, and in some places dark blue. It was the only thing I could see clearly.
“Ahead lies something you need,” It said. “But to obtain it, you must regain what you’ve lost.” I closed my eyes and watched as my memories disappeared, one by one. At the point I should’ve woken up in the infirmary, I woke up in Twilight’s Castle with a start. It was really dark out, not even the moon or the stars were improving on it. But I could still tell were everything was, somehow. With this dark sense I navigated around the castle, eventually reaching the library, where I would find a candle or something to improve on the situation.
Eventually I did find one and a match to light it with. When I did light it the cat-dog-thing from my dream was right next to me in the room. I would say that I was cool about him being there and flinched a little, but I’m a really bad liar, so I jumped into the air and landed face first on the ground.
“I see you finally noticed me!” the monster said, enthusiastically. I backed away from it, still a little scared. I look back on it now and think ‘Pathetic’. “Come now, Flash, you have nothing to fear in me.”
“What are you!?” I whispered loudly. “What did you do to me!?”
“To answer your first question… you can think of me as one of the opposite powers to the Elements of Harmony,” that didn’t really help, and seeming to notice. “My creation was with the same intentions of protecting the balance of Harmony and Chaos, but my brothers and I are to be used in opposition to Excess Harmony. In short, I protect the balance from too much Harmony.
“In response to your second question, I took your memories from you to protect them from being tampered with by outside forces. The threat has passed and I am here to return them to you, with a request of my own.”
“Why would I help you!? You gave me-!” I was interrupted by him putting his tail-thing on my head upside-down so that the five limbs on it left holes for me to see through. Every memory that I hadn’t already gotten back started to fill my mind again. All the memories I did get back before then were less than happy. But these were the happiest parts of my life. Flying for the first time, meeting friends in the guard, birthday parties (not all my own). And the whole time I dated Twilight. “-Amnesia,” I finished.
“You wouldn’t have wanted those to be tampered with, would you?” the monster said. “Yes the memories I returned to you beforehand were not the best, but I didn’t want to give them to you and say you would’ve missed them.”
“Then why give them back at all?” I asked. He looked away with a face that showed pondering. He looked back to me with an answer.
“To put it most effectively, life is made up of memories, and who you are is based on what you went through in life. You wouldn’t be the same if I discarded those memories, and you’d always be thinking that there were parts of your past that were missing.”
I thought about it. Why would an “Element of Chaos,” as it were, want my memories to remain untampered? Then again, who was to say that he didn’t tamper with my memories? I decided to hear what he had to ask for before I would answer him. Boy would I be glad I did.
“Twilight Sparkle’s been taken. And as the Guardian of Shadow who leads them, it’s your greatest concern to help her.”I had no idea why this thing would lie to me. He helped protect my most precious memories, and I seriously doubt he knew anything about me before the memories… so why would he lie to me? Truth be told, none of this was going through my head when I heard the words “Twilight Sparkle’s been taken.” All that mattered to me as the Master Chief of her guards… no, as the colt who loved her, was that I had to find her. At first the proud side of me kept saying that I had to do this on my own, I didn’t need help from this… thing. But then again he was kind enough to tell me that Twilight was missing, and obviously he was as concerned for her as I was, if not more for something else… something greater.
“If you just told me she was missing, I would’ve looked for her myself,” I said. “But you obviously want my help in searching, not just for me to do it for you… I guess I need you.”
“You do,” He said. “My name is Tenebrae, The Element of Shadow.”
> Monster
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When I started searching for Twilight, I thought we would really need help. I didn’t want to scare Princess Celestia that Harmony was threatening Equestria, who knows how often she’s seen that? Probably not in a thousand years. I also considered Luna, but she didn’t know Twilight well enough and would probably just go to Celestia for advice on the situation. No, it had to be someone I knew who knew Twilight, and would know how to break it to Celestia if it came to that… who better to ask, then, than her brother?
Tenebrae used some sort of dark magic (or something along those lines) to teleport us outside the Crystal Empire. Something felt off when I got there. I don’t remember putting on my armor, or owning anything light in what I have as a sorry excuse of a wardrobe, but I felt clothed… even my hind legs. Speakin’ o’ which, I couldn’t feel the ground beneath my front hooves. Wait… did I still have hooves!? I looked down at myself… and tensed up. In place of my front hooves I had what Twilight called Hands. In place of my hind hooves I had what Twilight called feet. I moved very stiffly to the nearest reflective surface. The… thing I saw looking back at me I only ever saw in a photo with Twilight before. And she wasn’t then what she should be now. 
Even so, looking back to the last time I saw the photo, the Flash sentry in it dressed a lot differently. His pants weren’t so… baggy, his shirt covered his shoulders, he didn’t wear a scarf, and he certainly didn’t have an odd plank on the back of his waist. I looked like the Flash Sentry that Twilight fell in love with in the first place everywhere else. The face, the eyes, the hair, I was even his height by what Twilight told me about him.
“Tenebrae!” I shouted. “What happened to me!?” A shadow passed between me and the crystal in front of me, revealing Tenebrae when it let up.
“Fighting the forces of Harmony as a pony is very ineffective,” Tenebrae said. “The last Guardians of Chaos made that very clear, so we gave them an alternate form based on those found in another world. Let’s leave it at that for now.” I wanted to ask more questions, but I remembered why I was here. Tenebrae taught me how to run in this “human” form and I made my way to the crystal palace. I saw one of my	friends standing guard at the entrance to the castle.
“Overload!” I said to him. He did not ease his grip on the spear pointed at my chest. “Overload! It’s me, Flash Sentry! I need to talk to Emperor Shining Armor!” Overload looked a little shocked at my claim to be his old friend.
“How can I be sure you’re really flash sentry!?” He said sternly. “You may look like him but he’s a pony last I checked and not… whatever the hay you are!” that was easy to remedy. I remembered one time he came into my quarters sleepwalking, and he told me the biggest secret he could’ve about a mare in the guard. I didn’t want the other guard who was at the gate to hear this; in fact I didn’t want anypony knowing that I knew this, so I leaned in and whispered it in his ear. “go right in,” He said quietly. I ran in, at first it was just to get the news to Shining as fast as possible… then the rest of the guards saw that I was running and decided to chase the monster with unknown intentions. They tried to tackle me when I finally stopped in front of Shining’s office, but their attacks were very… sluggish, stiff, and easy to avoid with my new body… I liked the change, but I still couldn’t wait to get back to my own body. There are things my body could do that this one could not.
“Sorry guys,” I said before I knocked on the door to Shining’s office. “Shining! It’s me, Flash!”
“How can I be sure you’re not the monster that’s been terrorizing the Crystal Empire!?” I heard Shining yell from the other side.
“Shining,” I started with the only monster logic I knew when it came to mimicking voices. “If a monster were in the Crystal Empire and wanted to trick you using my voice, would he admit to being the monster, like I’m sort of doing right now!?” Shining was quiet. Then the door opened and Shining got a good look at me. “I know, I freaked out when I saw this too. But that’s not why I’m here!”
“Okay… why-” Shining started, but I interrupted him.
“Get comfortable, preferably sitting down,” We went to his desk which he sat behind. But I had to remove the plank on my back to actually sit down in front of it. “Your sister’s been kidnapped.” I let that sink in, gave him a chance to say something. But nothing was said that I was expecting. I was expecting “Who did this?” “How did this happen?” or even “How could you let this happen?”
What Shining said was; “Did you inform Princess Celestia?”
“I wasn’t entirely sure how she’d react to the balance of Chaos and Harmony being disrupted… from Harmony’s side.” Shining looked at me funny.
“Where’d you get that idea?”
“From me,” Tenebrae said. There was a shadow passing next to the desk and Tenebrae was right there. Shining just stared at this cat-dog creature with a strange appendage on the tail (I now recognized that as a hand). “And my brothers and I got the idea from Discord, who got the idea from Celestia, so she knows about the situation.”
“What is this Thing?” Shining asked. I told him what Tenebrae told me. Shining went stoic and looked at me with a near blank face. “Why do you trust him? His power threatened Equestria on multiple occasions, why trust him now?”
“Because he earned it returning my memories.” I told him everything I remembered just to make sure I got it right, and nothing was off.
“That’s all the memory he returned?” Shining said. “What about the bad stuff?”
“I remembered that on my own. Tenebrae’s telling the truth, I know it.”
> Distrust
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Shining was a little hesitant to believe me, but if somepony came to me and said that Starlight or my little brother, First Base, had been kidnapped, I would check or start searching. I didn’t even know I had a brother before Tenebrae took my memory; Sunny’s parents didn’t want us visiting him so she erased our memory of him when they took him from us, because of the will. I swore to myself right there, in Shining’s office, that when this whole escapade was over, I would try to find my Aunt Blujay and my Uncle Play Maker to find out why they did this to me.
Shining had no choice but to do what would come naturally to a brother. He called one of the messengers in and wrote something down.
“Hey Cross,” I said to him. When he recognized me as a different side to Flash Sentry, he just greeted me back, suspecting that we didn’t have time to talk. He took the paper that Shining finished writing on, and left. I did get a glimpse of the receiver’s name, Mi Amore Cadenza. Hours ago, I wouldn’t have had a clue who that was.
“I would’ve come to you and Twilight with the good news regarding my wife’s… health state later,” He said. “But it can wait, I’m starting a search party for Twily, and you’re going with us.”
“Us?” that was when the letter hit me, what it could’ve said.
“I will be leading the party personally.” A million questions and twice as many points against this idea filled my head instantly. I started with the first of both categories.
“Couldn’t you just send someone you trust more than me to lead the team and report everything to you!?” Shining just looked at me with a serious glint in his eye… sometimes it scared me how dedicated he could get.
“If you really are Flash Sentry, there is literally nopony I trust more than you when it comes to my sister. Since I can’t be sure you’re really Flash Sentry, I think it’s necessary for me to see for myself if you have my sister’s safety in mind.” His lack of faith was really starting to annoy me.
Later, Shining had Col. Shiner, Gen. Glimmer, Corporals Overload, Crystal Gem and Jet Stream meet us in front of the castle.
“Men,” He said. “This creature claims to be Master Chief Flash Sentry. And according to Chief Sentry, Princess Twilight Sparkle has been kidnapped. Normally, I would leave the leadership of this search party to him, as there is nopony I trust with her wellbeing more than him… but I’m still not entirely convinced that he is who he says he is, and will be leading you six personally.” Shining turned to Tenebrae and asked him a question that I just realized then he could’ve known. “Where do we start looking?”
“There’s a cave at the southernmost point in the Everfree Forest that has been charted by any Equestrian,” Tenebrae said. “My brother, Ventus, says we start there.”
“You’re telepathic?” I asked.
“That explanation is a long and hard one, but basically I’m the only one who can talk to them at such a distance, so yes.” I decided to drop it.
“Alright, we know our destination,” Shining said. “Let’s move out!”

It might have something to do with the fact that I was now on two legs instead of all fours… but the Everfree Forest felt… smaller than when I last went there as a kid. Granted I grew a little in my Pony body since then, but I was much bigger than I was in that thing so I had to guess that that was the reason I was ducking a lot.
“Why don’t you just use your sword to cut the branches?” Tenebrae asked.
“My what?” he pointed to the handle of the plank on my waist. I pulled at it, and something came out. It looked like the blade of a very long cooking knife, only there was something between my fingers and the blade, and there was some sort of serrated teeth in the middle of the back of the blade. “It looks… dangerous.” I said. It did, it looked like it could seriously hurt somepony. Then a worse thought came to mind… what was this thing meant to do!?
“The original sword was made as a means of ending another creature’s life,” Tenebrae said. “But this one is special; it won’t hurt anything you don’t want it to. Using that kind of magic to your advantage will take some time to master… for you.”
“What about anypony else?” I asked.
“If they’re another member of the six Guardians of Chaos, he can’t even pick up your weapon; he’d be too busy with his own. But if anyone outside the Guardians tried to use it they wouldn’t do anything but harm.” Comforting thought. “The way ahead gets tangled with dead branches and vines, according to Ventus; maybe you should take point to clear them.”
“Captain!” I shouted to Shining. “I think I should go first from here out.” Shining looked at me, causing everyone in the line we’d formed to look back as well.
“What do you mean, Sentry?” he asked. I held up the sword to help explain.
“Ventus says there’s dead brush up ahead that I can clear with this thing. It’s gonna be really hard for me to do it from back here.” I suppose Shining realized I had a point. He told everyone to break their stride and let me come up front. I saw that Ventus wasn’t kidding when I reached the front of the line. Instinct told me to swing the sword to actually cut the dead plants. My… arms were getting tired of swinging the heavy piece of metal when we finally reached the cave. There we met Ventus and apparently the one he chose.

> Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“So…” Ventus’ Guardian said. “You’re Guardian Tenebrae? I’m Soarin, Guardian Ventus.” He stuck out his left hand while resting another weapon, a long stick with a pointed tip, on his shoulder with the other. I took his hand, and we shook. I have to say he looked familiar
“Flash Sentry, you seem to know which Guardian I am.” I got a good look at this guy. His skin was a light blue, like the sky was painted onto it without any clouds or faults to it. His hair was combed back until it reached the area behind the ear and it just stuck up and out from there. His eyes looked the color of a leaf, here in the forest. He was about as tall as I was. He wore goggles around his neck, blue at the rims and yellow band. He had a green jacket that seemed to cover his hands when they were down at his sides. His pants were as baggy as mine, thought they stopped before the ankles so I could see his feet clearly. A rush of wind alerted me to the presence of something else behind Soarin. I knew it had to be Ventus, but what was I expecting him to look like? Well certainly not a green hawk with strange runes on its wings, which it didn’t even need to flap to stay airborne.
“We searched the caves, Tenebrae,” He said. It was a higher pitch voice when compared to Tenebrae’s but it reminded him more of a breeze than a bird. “Kayen has the spirits in a large room with a lot of otherworldly spirits, under some form of hypnosis.”
“Spirits?” I asked. “I thought Twilight was the only one.”
“And I thought it was just Rainbow Dash,” Soarin looked at Ventus for an explanation. I looked at Tenebrae and realized something… they wanted to make this personal for us. Twilight for me, I understand… but who was Rainbow Dash to Soarin?
“I’m afraid that the only pony who will be able to continue will be Shining Armor,” Tenebrae said. When the group tried to protest or ask why, Tenebrae just told them something even I wasn’t expecting. “He’s the only one of you who needs to go on.” I didn’t know what that meant, but it somehow made sense, which really annoyed me. Shining went in front with Tenebrae and Ventus. I hung back with Soarin.
“So,” I said. “What can you tell me about Rainbow Dash?”
“What do you know about her already?” Soarin asked.
“Well, I met her officially after Tenebrae took my memory and I was stationed in Ponyville as Twilight’s guard.” I explained. “First thing she said to me was ‘Sorry’.”
“What did she do?”
“Dislocate my wing, I couldn’t feel it anyway, but then she yelled at me for hurting Twilight.”
“That sounds like Dashy,” Soarin said with a snicker. Then he looked stoic as he went into detail about his life with her. “She moved in with my family the year before she started weather work. Her family died in an accident the year after I joined the Wonderbolts-”
“Oh that’s where I know you from!” I said. “Just to let you know I think you’re the best on the team.” He didn’t look too happy about the compliment.
“Thanks… but I didn’t want to join them,” that’s a shocker, no sarcasm intended. “Being a Wonderbolt was Dashy’s dream. Weather work was mine. If she’s still my friend it’d be a miracle.”
“Then why are you going to save her?” I asked. He glared up ahead. Not at me, to me he was trying to look determined. 
“Because I’m still her friend. I have to do this for her sake!” we reached a stone slab with six marks on it. A purple star, a red bolt, a sky balloon, a pink butterfly, a blue diamond, an orange apple, in that order from the twelve o’clock position clockwise.
“This is the place?” Shining asked.
“This is the place,” Ventus repeated in confirmation. Tenebrae went up to the door and used something like a skeleton key (no seriously that’s what it looked like), and pushed it against the rock. There was a loud crack as it split perfectly down the middle and slid apart. What we saw on the other side was not what we were expecting. It looked like one of Vinyl Scratch’s concerts, only everyone looked like Soarin and me. Shining stepped beyond the door, and turned into one of us. He got a look at himself after I tapped his shoulder and pointed to his hands. He took it as a sign to stand like we were, and got up shakily.
“Wow… this is weird.” Soarin said. I looked to the end of the party opposite the way we came in and pointed.
“I see them!” they looked Human too. I couldn’t make out what clothes they were wearing, but I definitely saw their faces. And it killed me to see those blank expressions, especially Twilight’s.
“So, boss,” Soarin said. “What do we do?” I expected Shining to answer when I looked at him. but he was looking at me expectantly and I saw that Soarin was talking to me.
“Wait, me!?” I whispered. “Shining’s higher up in the military!”
“But, I’m not with the Elements, and Tenebrae said you were the leader.”
“What makes me the best choice for the leadership position?”
“Well, everypony during your training while you had amnesia followed your example,” Shining said. “Besides, I’ve got no idea how to fight like this.” He had a point. I didn’t want to start a fight and draw attention to us, so I just told them to lay low and move slowly to Twilight and the others. We finally reached them, and I tried to trigger something in Twilight’s memory, Soarin tried the same thing with Rainbow Dash… but there was nothing… and they all pulled out various weapons on us.

> Kayen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight holding what looked like a stick about as tall as she was at me got me scared and sad all at once. That giant club in Dash’s hand pointed at Soarin’s head looked like it had the same effect on him. The rest of the girls surrounded them each with a weapon different based on what they were like characteristically.
Applejack’s weapon was obviously a shovel, but the head wasn’t curved like it would hold any dirt or sand or minerals in general. Fluttershy’s weapon was two spinning blades set on an axis that she held on the back of her hand. Rarity had some stabbing weapon that looked like a pitchfork, only a lot smaller. Pinkie had a baton.
“Three more uprisers,” Twilight said absently. “Kayen will be happy with us.” Whoever this Kayen was, I had a feeling he was the one behind the odd disruption of the balance. Meaning we had to deal with him. Soarin and Shining looked at me, wanting to know what I was going to do. I thought on it. How could we get to Kayen without hurting Twilight and the girls?
“Will you come with us peacefully? Or will we have to fight?” Rainbow Dash asked in an absent tone mirroring Twilight’s. That was way too easy.
“… Alright.” I said putting on my best defeated act. “We’ll go quietly.” Shining and Soarin looked shocked at this, but when I looked back I just winked at them assuring them I had a plan… or at least was forming a plan.
I saw a big man sitting in a chair reading a book. He looked up when he heard us come in, those blue eyes almost freezing me there. Then he looked back at the book and read a quote from it.
“’Tis true I profess myself a volitary of love. I acknowledge that a lady is in the case and further I confess that this lady is known to you.’” He looked up at me, clapped the book closed, stood up and smiled. “So… you’re The Flash Sentry? You’re The Guardian Tenebrae?” I didn’t answer. The look on his face changed to that of a recognition, he scratched his fingers through his red hair, and then laughed. “I never expected this out of you of all ponies.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“He never told even his son about me?” Kayen said. It was obvious at this point. He looked out the window, into the night sky, which was odd seeing as it was midday when Soarin, Shining and I came in. “That wounds me, Sun Splitter!” I was shocked. He knew my father… How did he know my father!? 
“That’s a story I like telling to my Zombies. The day my brother died. It was a long time after we served in the guard, I was given an Honorable Discharge for reasons I still don’t understand, said I was ‘unstable.’ My brother, on the other hand, served for four more years, and he didn’t get any trouble for it. He served his country, enforcing Order in Equestria.”
Wait… Brother… Guard… “You’re… my uncle!” he smirked.
“That’s me, Knighted Nightmare,” he said. Kayen… KN! “Now where was I? Ah, yes. I was furious that my brother, who did not understand that those who cause disharmony in the kingdom must not be given the chance to do it again, was still in the Guard while I, the better soldier, was cast out of the Guard for being the best. I had to show them that this wasn’t worth the pain… and you remember the rest by now right?” 
The Colt in the Coat. I remembered the week before my parents died that there was a pony in a black hood stalking us, popping up here and there wherever we went. I also remembered seeing him at the fire before rushing in and losing my wings. I started questioning why I ever thought Starlight needed to be forgiven.
“It was you,” I said. My fists clenched, my whole body trembled with rage. “You started the fire… you killed my father…”
“The way he looked as he died was most… Satisfying,” He smiled evilly. “Oh? It seems I struck a nerve.” Right there I reached out and grabbed his throat. Heaving him back behind me, I prepared to throw him. Twilight almost stopped me, but I shook her off and threw him out the window before jumping out to join him. Tenebrae seemed to get that I needed to fly for this next part, so he sprouted a pair of black wings on my back. I didn’t have time to get the feel for them, but I’m now surprised that I was able to use them as efficiently as I was. I pulled my sword out and followed Kayen, who was flying on a pair of white wings carrying a red sword. We clashed multiple times, it was hard to keep track of how many exactly, but I was always on the offense.
What scared me a little was the fact that Kayen didn’t look scared. Every time I attempted to do serious harm to him, he just laughed or smiled harder. It made me mad that I couldn’t scare him. He didn’t understand that what he had done would’ve scarred a normal pony, and that everyone he killed (because I realized that’s what he meant by he was a better guard) was scared when he killed them… he had to be stopped. I was ready to show him what he was doing. But somepony stopped me. Two spears, one holding my sword in place, one holding Kayen’s. It was Soarin.
“Boss,” He said. “That’s enough!”
> Morals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I watched Boss (I’m calling Flash Sentry “Boss” now, because he’s technically the leader of the Guardians) fly out the window in a rage. I would’ve followed him and had the wind carry me sooner, but the Spirits of Harmony stood in my way.
“You will not interfere with Kayen’s fight,” Fluttershy said. I just watched for a while as Boss slashed and hacked against Kayen’s defenses. I knew I had to get out there, but I couldn’t with them in the way. I decided the best way to get to Boss was by breaking whatever spell was on these six girls. It would’ve been a problem if I didn’t have Shining Armor there for an idea.
“Okay, how do we find out how to break Kayen’s hold on them?” I asked him. he put his finger under his chin, showing obvious awkwardness with the new appendages.
“Small talk,” Shining said. I really didn’t like that idea. The only one of them I could make small talk with was Rainbow Dash, and anything I could think to say was not going to end in my favor. “Don’t worry Soarin. Can I call you that, or do you have a full title that I have to call you?”
“Just Soarin is fine, I don’t have a title I’m gonna hold onto for long,” I wasn’t lying. As soon as this was over I was going to leave the Wonderbolts.
“Well then, Soarin,” He continued. “They aren’t really themselves right now. You just have to get them to talk enough to get them to spill something about the artifact that has them... like this.”
“We can hear you, you know?” Pinkie said. “And we’ll tell you anything you want to know… within reason, of course.” Knowing how infantile Pinkie Pie usually acted, it was scary to hear her use words Twilight would. I chose my words carefully, not something easy for somepony like me.
“Is there anywhere in this place that Kayen keeps better guarded than anywhere else?” I asked.
“We’re in the best guarded chamber here.” Rainbow Dash said.
“You wouldn’t mind if we looked around, would you?” Shining asked. The girls shook their heads in unison. We started from the shelves on the left side of the door we came in. we found a few things out of the ordinary, a key, a copy of a book that was published a few weeks in the future. But shining didn’t see any of them as what could potentially be holding the girls under this… haze.
We searched the rest of the room for what felt like five minutes, the clashing of Boss’ sword and Kayen’s ringing quietly in the air of what looked like the courtyard. I found a hollow behind a painting of a tree, and in it was a small amulet. It was glowing a red opposite its natural green. Shining looked at it, and based on knowledge that I found useless, since I can’t use magic as a pony, Shining deduced it was what we were looking for. He placed it delicately on the ground and I pulled out one of my spears. I brought it down on the gem and it shattered.
The girls collapsed under themselves and turned back into Ponies, along with Shining. We went to see if the girls were alright, Shining checking on Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack in that order. I checked Pinkie first, then Rarity, then Rainbow Dash. Rainbow dash didn’t recognize me. Good, I was still apprehensive about talking to her one on one.
“Who… and what are you?” she asked.
“Guardian Ventus. Just call me that for now,” I said. “As for what I am, it’s called a human.”
“Wasn’t there somepony else with you?” Rarity asked. It took me that long to start worrying for Boss again. I looked out the gaping hole in the wall and saw that boss wasn’t doing anything to Kayen, not even scaring him. 
“Shouldn’t you stop them!?” Twilight asked “He’s not doing anything!”
She was right. And this time, nopony was stopping me. I took out two of my spears and had the wind carry me to the fight so that I could intercept the blows.
“Boss,” I said. “That’s enough! You aren’t doing anything!”
“I have to do this for my dad!” Boss said.
“It doesn’t matter what you have to do for your dad! It’s not working!” I yelled. “I trust you to do what you know is right! I know you’re better than he is! Don’t prove me wrong now!” I stared hard at him. He stared shocked at me. Finally he hung his head, pulled his sword off my spear and put it away.
“Your right, Soarin,” he said. “I’m not Kayen; I won’t kill for what I think is right.”
“Let’s get back to the others,” I said. “The girls are out of their trance, and should probably see you.”
We flew back. I barely noticed the look of pure rage on Kayen’s face. Didn’t even register it on our way back to the others. Then he charged us when we touched down in the room, and he went berserk trying to kill Boss. He did very well with his defense, but he didn’t really take any chances with offense. Kayen wasn’t using any strategy whatsoever, it looked like he wanted Boss utterly destroyed.
Unfortunately Kayen left himself wide open. And Boss took the opening.

> Murder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The first thing I realized when Kayen stopped attacking was that my sword was stuck in something. Then I felt something warm and wet covering my face. I touched my face, like I did to learn I was crying while I had amnesia, but this time it came back bloody. Then I heard a clang, as Kayen’s weapon fell out of his hands. I looked up and saw a face of terror on Kayen.
“What… have… I-I… done?” he slumped over me and I pushed him to my left. I was horrified at the picture there, a limp and lifeless Kayen, eyes and mouth open in fear with my sword sticking out of his chest. I stabbed him… I killed him… it didn’t matter that he was family (Which only added to the finality); I had taken somepony’s life. With all that on my shoulders, I screamed.
“Flash,” Tenebrae said. “I’m so sorry this had to happen.”
“Did it have to happen!?” I yelled bitterly at him.
“No it didn’t, but if it didn’t it would’ve been you lying there dead!” he yelled back. He was right of course, but it didn’t help. If this was the nature of war, I didn’t want to be a soldier.
“I’m done,” I announced. “I can’t do this.”
“You have to,” Tenebrae said. “No one else is capable of leading the Guardians. The Elements of Chaos always choose their perfect match.”
“Well this time, you chose wrong. How do I go back to my pony body?”

I figured out the transformation thing and rushed out of the cave and the forest. I thought about going back to Ponyville and seek comfort from my sister, but decided not to. After all, she never really killed anypony or watched as they died. It was then that I remembered the promise I made in Shining’s office, to find my aunt, uncle and brother. So I boarded a train to Canterlot to find out what I could from the Princesses. I couldn’t sleep. Not since what happened in the cave. I started thinking about the justice system we had in Equestria. If you killed somepony and for whatever reason you didn’t care about the consequences, you‘d plead “Guilty”. If you didn’t kill anypony, or you wanted to get away with it you’d plead “Not Guilty.” But if you killed somepony who attacked you with the intent to kill, you’d plead “Justified Self Defense.” I wondered if I would ever feel like I could plead anything but Guilty to killing Kayen.
I got off at my stop and went up to the castle, greeting the guards by name as I went to the audience chamber.
“Flash!” Celestia said. “What a surprise! What can we do for you?”
“I’m… looking for somepony,” I said. “My Uncle Play Maker… and my Aunt Blujay. They took custody of my Brother… and I want to see him, at least once.”
“Do they have any reason for you not to see him?” Luna asked.
“If they do, I can’t remember it.” I said. “They wiped my memory of them, my cousin Sunny (you remember her right Princess Celestia?), and First Base. Second to seeing Base, I want to know why.” They looked at each other and nodded. They called one guard, one I didn’t know very well, and told him to look for them in the Census Room.
“Flash,” Luna said. “We heard about what happened during your mission.”
“Please,” I said. “I don’t want to talk about that!”
“Too bad,” Celestia said. “You have to.” I knew Celestia enough to know that there was no way to avoid it. “Knighted Nightmare was the most ruthless soldier in the guard. His superiors gave him an order to capture a criminal alive; he’d kill the target no questions asked. Giving him an Honorable Discharge was the most merciful thing we ever did to him. All evidence pointed to the idea that he shouldn’t be a Guard anymore. According to Shining Armor, he attacked you after you stopped fighting, but he wouldn’t say why you started.”
“I thought he would’ve told you,” I said.
“He said it’d be your place in the letter,” Luna said. “If there’s anything that Kayen said that led you to believe that our country was not a just one-”
“It was a little more personal than that. And because of what he said… I don’t have to forgive my sister.” At their confused faces I told them what Kayen told me, word for word at the part about my dad’s face looking satisfying as he died. The look on Princess Celestia’s face was one that nopony ever saw before. Not me, not Luna, not even Twilight. Horror.
“Flash… I’m sorry, we should’ve dealt with him in a harsher manner,” Luna said. “Maybe if we did you could’ve…” Celestia said nothing.
“It’s fine,” I said. “Nothing we can do now…” Celestia said nothing.
The guard who went to the Census chamber returned with a slip of paper. Luna told him to give it to me.
“Thank you.”
“Aye, sir,” He nodded and left.
“Princess,” I asked not able to stand the fact that Celestia wasn’t saying anything anymore. “Is everything alright?” She looked down, and started shaking.
“I never thought that somepony could take my ideals to heart so strongly that they’d commit murder for them…” I didn’t understand. And I wouldn’t for a while.

> Early
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The address that the Princesses gave me was set in a town called Appaloosa. The settlers noticed that I was with the royal guard and only left me alone when they heard I was here on personal business. Mental note: Do not mention Guard work to Appaloosians in public; they do not like guards in the town on royal business. I reached the address, which looked like an ordinary Blacksmith’s place, and asked the guy at the anvil if I was at the right place.
“Yea’, Play Maker owns this ‘ere joint,” he said. “I’m Blujay’s ‘prentice, Ironsparks.” He stuck out his hoof, just like Shining that day in the infirmary.
“I’m Flash Sentry,” we clopped our hooves together, and at the mention of my name, Ironsparks' golden eyes lit up with surprise, his orange mane just glimmered a little brighter in the fire, and his red coat… just stayed as red as it was before.
“Yer th’ boss’ nephew! ‘e’s been waitin’ fer ya’!” okay, that was confusing.
“How long has he been waiting for me?” I asked incredulously.
“Couple years,” Ironsparks said. “I started work as their ‘prentice two years after they started waitin’, an’ that was four years ‘go.”
“Six years,” I finished.
“Nopony said there’d be math when you got ‘ere.” Ironsparks said with a smirk. 
“Can we just go see my uncle now?” I didn’t feel like having a conversation with anyone right then.
“Oh, ‘e’s out back, playin’ wit’ yer brother,” Ironsparks said. “I’ll go git’im.”
“Thanks.” Ironsparks left out the back door. I was left to ponder what Ironsparks said. My uncle, the colt who had my memories of my brother and cousin erased, was waiting for me for six years. If he was waiting since he did that to me, why did he do it? There were rapid hoof steps in the room behind the door that Ironsparks left through, and when I turned around, I saw a white coated colt with golden mane and green eyes. His Cutiemark was a depiction of a ball.
“I don’t believe it,” He said. “Flash, you’re early.”
“I thought you didn’t want to see me again,” I rebutted. Play Maker laughed.
“Of course we wanted to see you again, you still don’t remember everything do you?”
“After what happened recently I’m lucky I remember my own name,” he looked worried at this.
“We should talk then. Walk with me.” We went out to the Salt Block, the resident “watering hole,” and he asked for a seat at the bar. “Well… let’s start with when you lost the rest of your memories.”
“I guess it started when I was still stationed in the Crystal Empire…” I told him the memory I had with Tenebrae taking my memory to keep them from being “tampered with.” “I remember everything now, thanks to Tenebrae, and… I’ll just stop there because the rest I still need to get over.”
“So… Sunny met you did she?” Maker asked. Everything I told him and that’s what he asks!? “Does she remember us?”
“Thanks to that little memory wipe you did, Sunny went out with me in another world for a short time,” I said a little disturbed that I had to say it.
“Oh my,” Maker says. How was he not disgusted!? “Sorry about that… I guess.”
“It’s fine…” I said. “So… why did you erase my memories of you and Base? I mean, when I remembered you thanks to Tenebrae, I thought you did that out of some sort of spite or that there was something you were trying to protect us from. What was it?” The drinks arrived, apple cider for both of us, and a small salt cube for him. He ate the cube first before taking a small swig of his cider.
“You’re wrong on a few points… it wasn’t out of spite, it wasn’t our idea, and you weren’t the one we were protecting.”
“What do you mean?”
He set his Cider down after his second swig, I took my first right then.
“You asked us to take Base in so that he wouldn’t know the pain of losing his parents,” and cue spit-take.
“I… I did?” This was a surprising turn of events.
“Yeah… you also wanted to come see Base when he was old enough to form an opinion about you, which is why you asked us to wipe your memories, the spell would wear off in eight years. Long enough for him to hate you or understand that you thought you had to.” It was coming back to me now. 
As the oldest, Starlight was the one who had to make the final decision. But she was convinced that she wasn’t the best to make such a choice.
“Flash” she asked. “What would you do if you were the oldest?”
“You wouldn’t like that opinion,” I said firmly.
“But Star isn’t the most confident in her choices, especially in this kind of situation,” Blujay said. “And even we agree that you should make this decision.” I didn’t like the idea. My idea was the one that would keep Base away from his birth family the longest out of all the terrible ideas besides. But if they didn’t come up with anything better… I guess I had no choice.
“I want you two to take Base to Appaloosa, and take care of him until I come back.”
“How long will you be gone?” Play Maker asked.
“I… I want to come back when he can understand why… or when he hates me the most. And to make sure I stick to that… Blujay… please… wipe my memory of all of you.”
“I should’ve waited,” I said. “I should’ve come when I said I would!”
“Don’t worry about it Flash,” Play Maker said. “You can’t change mistakes you made in the past. You wouldn’t be you as you are if you did.” I realize that he was talking about coming two years early… but it also rang true for what happened with Kayen. I also learned something that would help me and Soarin in later days… Guardian Ignus was in Apaloosa!

> Fighting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I never thought that there would be a Foil to the Elements of Harmony. Then again, the thought that the forces of Chaos would be threatened by the forces of Harmony never occurred to me. When Flash rushed out of that place, the girls, Shining, Guardian Ventus, and I went after him, only going back to my castle to see if he was there when we couldn’t find him in the forest. We rushed in the front door, and Spike lunged on me when he saw me.
“Twilight! You’re okay!”
“We’re all okay Spike!” I said. “Has Flash been here yet?”
“No… he left a note saying you were in trouble, and that he was going to see if he could help. I haven’t seen him since.” This was disconcerting. “Why? What happened?” We didn’t tell him, he is still a baby after all. and even Shining was shocked by what happened, if the oldest one in the room were scared from it, I didn’t want to think about what it’d do to a baby.
“Tenebrae, is there anywhere that Flash could go that you know?” I asked. Tenebrae appeared out of a shadow.
“I don’t know what he went through.” He said. “I stole his memories, I didn’t read them.”
“So there’s no way to know where the boss is?” Guardian Ventus asked. Tenebrae looked at him with a one eyed smirk.
“When Flash needs to use my power, he will. And I’ll be able to know where… when he does, that is.”
“So, we just need to wait,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Well, if we need to wait, I’ll just see myself out,” Ventus said.
“Whatever for?” Rarity asked.
“I have some business with the Wonderbolts to take care of, I’ll be back by the time you need me.”
“YOU KNOW THE WONDERBOLTS!?” Rainbow shouted. But when he was quiet and she started bombarding him with questions about them, I put a hoof on her shoulder to stop her. she asked what I was doing, but it occurred to her right then, He didn’t want to talk about it. But there was some form of recognition in her eyes when she did shut up, and she didn’t speak again until he was gone, Riding on an incredibly strong air current towards Cloudsdale.
“He’s… an odd one alright,” I said.
“Sugarcube?” Applejack asked Rainbow. “Y’alright?”
“Oren…” I heard Dash whisper.
“What?”
“That was Soarin!” a tear rolled down her face as she said that quietly.

Two days went by from then and Tenebrae still had no idea where Flash was. I went to talk to him about something that was on my mind since Flash… did that.
“Tenebrae… how do you know Flash will use your power?”
“He has before,” Tenebrae said. “And he always realizes how much the world needs him.”
“This happened to him before!?” I don’t remember anything like this in any of Flash’s stories about himself or from anypony who knows him.
“Not to Flash specifically,” Tenebrae said. “It’s always hard to explain this to you, because no matter how many times I do, and no matter how long you remember, you always have to be told again.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Have you ever heard of ‘Reincarnation’?” after I nodded my head, he continued. “A soul is basically recyclable, and so is its history in its most basic hindsight. The Elements of Harmony didn’t choose you girls to be the spirits, just those who possess your souls, as we, the Elements of Chaos, chose Flash Sentry, Soarin and four others based on their souls. This isn’t the first time the holder of Flash’s soul had to deal with the fact that he took someone’s life, even in self-defense. What they always learn is that weapons aren’t tools for ending lives… they’re for saving them.”
“What if this time is different?” I asked. “What if this time, Flash doesn’t learn that!? What if he doesn’t accept that he has to kill to save lives!?”
“Just like Archania,” Tenebrae said, I guess he was talking about me, or someone I used to be. “The only way for that to happen is if he were no longer needed. And that would be unthinkable.” I didn’t get where he was going with that. It was right after he said that when he shuddered. “Finally! He’s using it!”
“Where!?”
“Appaloosa, I think that’s the name of the general vicinity… Oh? He’s not alone!”
“Who’s there with him!?” I really hoped it was a royal guard.
“Guardian Ignus, the master of the flame!”
I gathered the girls together, though Rainbow was a little hesitant after the whole Ventus/Soarin thing. Tenebrae got a message out to Ventus, Soarin’s Element to get him here.
Soarin did show up, but he wasn’t welcomed as happily as I would expect from Dash, they were foalhood friends from what I remember her telling me.
“Soarin,” I said, he tensed up. “We don’t have our Elements of Harmony, we can’t help you get Flash back, but we can help you keep everypony in the area alive, so we need you to fight.”
Soarin didn’t look at me. He just held Rainbow’s menacing glare with a look of complete sorrow. But he did manage to respond when he turned to me.
“Vent says that the Elements of Harmony almost have their connection to the Tree of Harmony restored. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to help in any future conflict.” I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that. But the next thing he said wasn’t for me. “You might not be my friend anymore, but I’m still yours.”

> Shadow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	We went back to the Smithy to meet Base. I was expecting him to look like my mom or dad. But no, he looked like me, only without wings. He got one look at me and his face went slack with shock.
“Hey, Kiddo,” I said nervously. What else could I say?
“Um, H-hi…” He was at least as nervous as I was. Play Maker knelt (is that what you’d call it?) so he could get a better look directly into Base’s eyes.
“Base,” He said. “You remember that little talk we had?”
“How you’re not my real daddy?” Base said.
“Yes, well, Flash here is your real brother,” Base’s eyes went wide with fear. Tears formed and he asked the question that I probably should’ve seen coming at this point.
“He’s not gonna take me away is he!?” I know it was wrong, but I let out a lopsided smile at this. If I wanted to take base away, it’d be to somewhere I lived, and I didn’t really have anywhere like that. I mean, I know I was technically living in Twilight’s castle, but I’m not entirely sure how she’d feel if I brought a little kid home with me one day. At Base’s age, that kind of fear would be very real, so that little smile gave him the wrong idea, and sent the tears and screams going.
“Sorry, Base,” I said. “I’m not here to take you away.”
Base was sniffling. “You’re not?”
“Don’t really have anywhere to take you anyway,” I wanted to tell him. “I’m… not sure how my marefriend would feel if I suddenly took the responsibility of taking care of you.” He was too young to know at this point.
“Ace?” Ironsparks said. “Let’s show Flash th’ game we used teh play when you ‘ere yuhnger.”
“Aren’t we a little old for that?” Base said. I jumped on the idea.
“You’re never too old to have a little fun,” Dangit Pinkie Pie! “What’s the game anyway?”
“Warriors of the Elements of Chaos!” Ironsparks said. I was shocked but I played along, not telling Base about Tenebrae and Ventus, but I still couldn’t tell if Ironsparks was in on the Elements of Chaos.
It went like that for a couple of days, and Base was sure that it was just a game, though I wasn’t too sure I could say the same about Ironsparks. We were playing my third round of this game, which eerily resembled what happened with Kayen when I saw a young buffalo girl rushing through the town.
“Help! Someone! Anyone!” Nopony went to her, so I did.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“My, tribe was attacked by these weird monsters… most of the warriors of my people are dead, and now their publically going to kill Chief Thunderhooves!” I thought hard about it. Maybe I could reason with them, but if I couldn’t… would I be able to get out without going Guardian? It’s ironic, but it was right then that I realized that I would have to go Guardian if I couldn’t negotiate with these things.
“I’ll help,” Ironsparks and Base rushed to try to talk me out of it. But they couldn’t sway me. And I couldn’t sway them when I tried to get them not to come with me. We got to the camp for the buffalo. There were these cat creatures that stood on two feet and a split tail. One of them, the biggest one in the camp was carrying a sword that looked like a curved-back cooking knife. The things brought out Thunderhooves and had him kneel in front of the thing with the sword. Yeah, I’d need Tenebrae’s power…
“Base, get out of here,” I said.
“What, why!?”
“What’s going to happen here would scar you for life. I don’t want that for you.” With that I jumped out of the bushes and yelled at the top of my lungs. “Tenebrae! Engage!”
I turned into my human form and stopped the thing’s sword with the back of mine. I kicked the creature in the knee, which sent a hiss of pain as I spun around and hit its head with the side of my sword. Three more let out the “mreeow”-ing sound and charged me. I held up my sword, ready to hold them off… then I heard somepony say something completely unexpected.
“Ignus! Engage!” someone jumped between us, holding two spiked wheel/things and blocking all the cats’ weapons with them behind his back. I recognized his face. Gold eyes, red skin, orange hair…
“Ironsparks!?”
“Heh,” He said as he threw his opponents through the air. “Didn’t think you were a Guardian, let ‘lone the Boss!” his clothes were interesting. He was wearing a red coat with a belt that wrapped around it connecting to the outside with a second belt that was sewn into the coat. His pants stopped high enough for me to see the ankles on him, but his shoes were open toed… I know all of this from hindsight.
“Let’s get this over with then!” I yelled as I swung my sword at the nearest cat.
I don’t really remember how the fight went. All I remember is a shadow covering the area, and a flash of fire every now and then burning one of the enemies. It was so dark, I couldn’t even use that “Shadow Sense,” which is apparently that ability I have to tell the location of an object based on the location of darkness. When the shadow finally subsided, I saw Twilight, Soarin, Tenebrae, and the others standing there with my little brother next to them.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I had to do this.” Twilight just rushed up and hugged me as best she could.
“I don’t care,” she said. “Let’s just go home.” I would never agree with anything more.