On a Wing and a Prayer
Scootaloo was happy.
Well, this was an understatement. She and her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders were elated, and gleefully cheered among themselves as they made their way out of the Crystal Stadium. After all, it wasn’t every day that you won the chance to carry a flag for the Equestria Games.
“Didja see how much Miss Harshwhinny enjoyed our routine? Ah never thought ah’d see a smile on her muzzle!”
“Yeah!” Her laughs died down, and Scootaloo turned somber as she looked to her two friends. “Hey, guys, I’m sorry. If I hadn’t gotten so worked up over my wings and flying, well…”
The little pegasus was interrupted as both of her friends embraced her. “We’re not mad, Scootaloo. And we shouldn’t have just left you like we did either.” Sweetie Belle smiled and added, “There’s no fun in winning if we don’t win together.”
“Still…” Scootaloo flexed her wings anxiously. “I know I shouldn’t have listened to her, but Diamond Tiara had a point. There are plenty of pegasi my age who can fly, and…”
“And your silly little routine winning doesn’t make me any less right, Scoota-loser!” As if on cue, their school’s resident queen bee trotted up to them, a smug expression on her face despite her loss and her normal partner in crime by her side. “You’re still a blank flank, and you still can’t fly!”
“Yeah!”
“And that’s supposed to matter how?” Apple Bloom glared at the two, and despite her instincts telling her to simply ignore the rich young filly and lead her friends away, other instincts told her to do otherwise. “Neither a’ ya’ll can fly!”
“Well we’re earth ponies – if we were meant to fly, we’d have been born as pegasi.” A dramatic gasp, and Diamond repeated, “Oh wait, I guess that isn’t true! I guess if some birds can’t fly, then some pegasi can’t…!”
“Hey! Leave her alone!” The five fillies turned to find a familiar colt, light orange with a blue mane and blue eyes, looking upon the two bullies with all the defiance he could muster. “Your routine lost, Diamond Tiara! Get over it and move on already!”
If the young bully was at all impressed by the colt’s bravado, she showed no sign. “Oh, I’ll move on, Pop Fly, but how’s Scootaloo supposed to move on from something this obvious? After all, there aren’t many pegasi who couldn’t fly at her age.”
“I can think of one.”
“Well who asked you –?!” Diamond’s protest went silent as she realized the pony who’d talked back to her wasn’t the young colt, but a full-grown pegasus stallion clad in the armor of a royal guard, his coat and mane similar in color to Pop Fly’s and his eyes the exact same shade of cornflower blue. “…you…?”
The stallion regarded her with a raised eyebrow. “I’d be moving along if I was you.”
Diamond snorted and held her head up high. “Come on, Silver Spoon. We can at least salvage something from this trip. Let’s get a souvenir or something, before it gets ruined for us by a blank flank.”
The two trotted off, the guard’s gaze fixed upon them until they were a small distance away. Satisfied that they’d been dispatched, he turned back to the colt and smiled. “Those two giving you and your classmates a hard time, Basey?”
The colt grinned back and answered, “Nothing I can’t handle, bro.” The two then met and shared a quick hug.
The Crusaders approached curiously as Apple Bloom asked, “You never said anythin’ ‘bout havin’ a brother in the Royal Guard, Pop Fly.”
“Yeah, and ‘Basey’? What’s that about?”
“Hey, you guys don’t make a big deal about your sisters being national heroes, why should I do different?” The colt grinned as he ended his embrace and explained, “And Basey’s his nickname for me, short for ‘Home Base’.”
“Because every time I see him, I know things are safe and sound.” The stallion removed his helmet to reveal his mane, styled into a pompadour, and smiled at the three fillies. “Nice to meet you, Cutie Mark Crusaders. Name’s Flash Sentry.”
“Thanks, feelin’s mutual.” Apple Bloom turned nervous despite the stallion’s friendly manner. “So, ah guess you’ve heard a lot about us from yer brother.”
“Among others!” The five turned to find a familiar blue pegasus and lavender alicorn approaching them with proud smiles on their faces. “Congratulations, Crusaders!”
“I watched your performance from the stage, girls! You were amazing!” As Twilight approached, she turned to the stallion and greeted him with a nod and a smile. “Lieutenant.”
Flash responded in kind. “Your highness.”
“Wait a minute…” Sweetie Belle looked between the pair in growing delight, the connections rapidly forming in her mind. She giggled gleefully and realized aloud, “You mean, he’s that Flash Sentry?! Wow! Go Twilight!”
The princess’ gaze snapped to the little filly, shock on her face at having been found out until she face-hoofed and groaned, “Rarity…”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “Don’t get too worked up, Twilight. You haven't really been keeping this a secret.”
“I know, but it’s not like I want a big deal made out of this.” She turned to Flash and added, “You probably don’t want the extra attention either.”
“I can deal with it.” He turned to Scootaloo and added, “So, what they were saying about you having trouble flying. That true?”
The filly nodded. “Yeah. And what you were saying, that was true too?”
“Yep. I see him in the mirror every day.” At Scootaloo’s shocked expression, he explained, “I couldn’t fly when I was your age either. Medical issues; I was born a month premature. But I worked through it, and here I am.”
“My big bro was in Canterlot when the changelings invaded!” Pop Fly looked up at Flash with pride as he declared, “He and his team were the only ponies left standing when Chrysalis got swatted out of town like the big bug she is!”
“Which we only managed because Twilight and her friends were able to help Cadence free Shining Armor.” Flash smiled and gently reassured the foals, “I didn’t do that alone, and I didn’t get in the sky alone either. I had help.” He turned to Rainbow Dash and added, “I know some therapists in Canterlot who might be able to help Scootaloo fly. No guarantees, and it’ll take a lot of work…” He turned back to Scootaloo with a grin and finished, “But something tells me you’re more than up for the challenge.”
“Get me their info, and I’ll pass it along to Scoots’ folks.” Dash then turned to the foals and offered, “Right now, who wants to celebrate? Ice cream on me!” The young ponies cheered gleefully at the offer, and scampered off, the mare only holding back to ask, “You two coming? I might need some help keeping them from going too crazy.”
“We’ll catch up, go on.” Dash gave her friend a smirk, then trotted off after the foals, leaving the two alone as Twilight turned to Flash and said, “That was a nice thing you did for Scootaloo.”
“Hey, I don’t want her giving up hope, do I?” He turned serious as he wondered aloud, “If you don’t mind my asking, do you have any idea why she can’t fly yet?”
“No. I don’t think I’ve even seen her parents, let alone spoken with them. Something Rainbow Dash and I have to deal with once we get back to Ponyville, I suppose.”
Flash gave her a gentle smile. “Hey, don’t worry over her too much, huh? You’ve got plenty on your plate as it is.”
Twilight smiled back. “I know. That’s why I wanted to see you. Flash, can you talk with me in private?”
“Sure.” He gave her a concerned look as he followed her to a secluded part of the stadium and noted, “But talks like this don’t always go so well for the stallion. What’s this about, Twilight?”
“A lot of things. You might not even believe some of them.”
The concerned expression shifted to a slightly more relaxed one. “Let me be the judge of that.”
-
Diamond Tiara was seething mad. At least, this was how it looked on the surface. How she really felt was something that she refused to let anypony else see. She had an image to maintain, after all, one as clear as her name; she was Diamond Tiara, and diamonds didn’t break.
“Hey Di, you need a minute to freshen up?” She paused and turned to her friend as Silver Spoon pointed out a nearby public restroom. “I’ll stay out here, make sure the Crusaders don’t bug you.”
A curt nod, and she agreed, “Thank you, Silver, I’ll do that.” She then marched into the restroom, quickly checked the stalls to make certain she was alone, and then rushed to the nearest mirror and collapsed into the sink.
Diamonds may not break, but they did have flaws, something her mother had seen fit to point out to her on many occasions. Especially when it came to her failures. Odds were that this would be mentioned in the same breath as her brief stint as editor for the Foal Free Press from here on whenever her mother decided to give her a dressing down or otherwise show her disapproval. Which was far more often than she’d like.
That the Cutie Mark Crusaders genuinely did have a better routine would only make it worse.
“Diamond Dazzle Tiara, what is this I’ve heard about you failing to represent Ponyville in the Equestria Games? Your great grandfather practically founded this town, and this is how you live up to that legacy?”
“Diamond Dazzle Tiara, is it true what I’m hearing? That you were bested by those blank flank commoners? Such things are not becoming of your station, young mare.”
“Diamond Dazzle Tiara, how many times will you find success and brilliance in your grasp, and utterly fail? You failed as editor of your school newspaper, replaced with that skinny stick of a colt, and you failed at being a flag bearer for the Equestria Games. You are a disgrace, young mare, an absolute disgrace.”
She doubted things would go any differently with her father, even if he could find the time to sit down and talk with her about what was going on. Especially after her creative manipulation of the truth regarding everything involving her interactions with the Crusaders. Ironically, the one time he’d ever gotten direct evidence of her bullying and punished her for it, he’d just taken it as further proof that Apple Bloom was being cruel to her first. It was a lie she wasn’t in a rush to undo; one parent already thought poorly of her, she didn’t want the other to do the same.
But she didn’t know what to do.
She felt something wet trickle down her face, then gently reached up with a hoof to find a tear making its way down her right cheek. She wiped it off, then ran some water and splashed it with her hooves a bit to disguise her crying. A diamond was perfect, after all, and she had an image to maintain. Nopony was to see any weakness, and nopony was to see any flaws.
The faucet was turned off, and after quickly drying her face, she looked into the mirror, took a deep breath, and steeled herself. She then stepped out of the restroom to find her friend waiting for her. “Thank you, Silver Spoon.” They trotted off, and the young filly asked, “So, what say we find a jewelry store? This is the Crystal Empire, after all – they have to have something amazing here that we can wear home.”
Her friend responded with an enthusiastic smile. “Yeah! Better than anything the Crusaders will ever have!”
“Yeah!”
Silver Spoon was the best friend a filly could ask for. Diamond never said it, but she wasn’t sure that she had to. She only wished she could say the same about everything else in her life.
-
“…and that’s pretty much everything that happened.”
Flash stood there, thankful that they’d found themselves in a disused room within the Crystal Stadium, and tried to process what he’d just heard from Twilight. “So, those three days where you were indisposed, you were in another world? One populated by sapient, bipedal apes?”
Twilight gave an awkward smile. “Sounds unbelievable, doesn’t it?”
The stallion took a deep breath. “Permission to speak frankly?” His query was answered with a nod, and he continued, “What really sounds unbelievable is that Princess Celestia expected you to go alone. It might’ve been safe over there, but you were still going into unknown territory, chasing after somepony who’d stolen your Element of Harmony and knew the terrain. I’m glad Spike had the sense to follow you, and I know that if I’d been privy to all of that, I’d have insisted on doing the same. And I know a mare who’d have done likewise.” At Twilight’s curious look, he quickly amended, “We’re strictly platonic, I promise.”
She grinned. “Good.” The grin faded as she continued, “But if you had gone with us, it would have caused problems. Many, if not all, of the inhabitants of that world have a counterpart in this one; Celestia and Luna, all of my friends, many ponies that I’ve met in Ponyville and Canterlot, and…”
Flash picked up on her hesitation and guessed, “Me?”
A nod.
The stallion started to feel this conversation get far more awkward. Not sure what else to say, he asked, “So, what was he like?”
Twilight smiled. “He’s a good man. Kind, friendly, helpful, willing to stand up for someone he cares about and do the right thing. I’d have had a much harder time there than I did without his help. From what I’ve seen since you and I met, there isn’t much difference between the two of you.”
The awkwardness had turned to general unease, and Flash forced himself to ask, “So, why tell me all of this? I mean, you’re not expecting me to be exactly like…?”
“No.” Twilight’s voice was firm as she explained, “You and he are counterparts to one another, yes, but you’re also unique individuals in your own right. He’s experienced things that you haven’t, and vice versa. You’re a decorated member of the Royal Guard; he’s a high school student who plays guitar in a band. I never expected you to be exactly the same as him.”
“Then why…?” Flash caught himself starting to sound angry, then calmed down. “Twilight, from the way you’re saying this, you and he hit it off almost instantly. If it wasn’t for how long it took from your return to Equestria to how long it took to you asking me to lunch, I’d think I was some kind of replacement for him.”
“You aren’t. And, to be honest, the reason I took that long was because I wasn’t sure if the feelings I had for you were influenced by the ones I had for him, and I didn’t want to risk hurting you or him by formally dating one or the other.” Twilight turned anxious as she admitted, “The only reason I’ve even seen you over these last few months is because… well, because even he thought it was a good idea.” Flash turned to her in surprise, and she explained, “He wanted me to be happy.”
The stallion stood there, his expression blank, until he broke into a smile. “That is something I’d do.” He flashed an anxious smile of his own and asked, “So, you’re telling me all this now because…?”
Twilight smiled. “Because what I’ve come to know about you these last few months has settled it for me. You’re somepony I want to be with, Flash, and I want a serious relationship with you. And if there’s going to be one, then I don’t want there to be any secrets.”
Silence held, until Flash sighed. “I wish it was that simple.” Twilight turned alarmed, and he quickly amended, “Whoa, hang on, I’m not turning you down. I can deal with this crazy parallel universe stuff. Hay, I kinda want to meet this other me now. And I wouldn’t say no to a serious relationship with you either. Even if you weren’t a princess. And my CO’s little sister.” That prompted a giggle from the mare before him, and he continued, “But like you said, no secrets. You hear mine, and you might just reconsider wanting to be with me.”
Twilight flashed an encouraging smile. “Come on. It can’t be as bad as what I just told you.”
“No, that was weird. What I’ve got is…” He groaned and shook his head as he sat on his haunches and collected himself. “Twilight, you remember what I told Scootaloo, about being born a month premature? There’s a reason for that.” He turned bitter as old memories stirred within his mind. “His name was Smooth Rock. He attacked my mother while she was carrying me, and badly injured her. She still limps sometimes because of what he did to her, then and afterwards.”
Twilight gasped. “Why in Equestria would he do something like that?”
“Because he thought she’d cheated on him.” He extended his wings and explained, “He was an earth pony, same as my mother. The idea that one or both of them had a pegasus somewhere in their ancestry may not have mattered to him.”
“But why would…?” The realization dawned upon her, and she asked, “He wasn’t…?”
“He was. Smooth Rock was my biological father.”
Twilight instantly approached him and took him into a tight hug. Though shocked for a minute, he accepted and reciprocated, before she quickly pulled back and prompted, “Tell me everything.” The shock returned to his face as she explained, “You aren’t dropping a bombshell like that on me and leaving it at that. Even if we weren’t trying for romance, you’re still my friend.”
A grateful smile crossed his face, and Flash continued, “Smooth Rock was a bully, plain and simple. He had to have control, and he expected things his way. All with that smug grin on his face. And if he didn’t get what he wanted, he’d take it out on my mother.” He paused to collect himself, then took a quick breath. “The beatings didn’t stop after I was born. He never once hurt me after I was born, but a blind pony would have trouble not seeing what was going on. But none of our neighbors did anything about it.” A scowl formed on his face. “I wanted to tell somepony, but who’d listen? I was a kid, and who’d listen to some kid who came up to them, claiming their father was beating his mother? I spent years frightened that he’d do something really terrible, or hurt me. Finally after one night of another beating, I couldn’t take it anymore, and I ran from home.”
“To get help?”
“Or to just get away,” Flash admitted with shame. “Either would’ve worked, but I felt horrible for leaving her behind with that monster. I thank the Maker every day for the miracle that happened afterwards.” The scowl faded into a smile, and he explained, “I found somepony who believed me. An officer in the Royal Guard, named Curt Marshall. All it took was him investigating, and suddenly, Smooth Rock was exposed. I even earned my cutie mark that same night, for quick action to protect my loved ones.”
“What happened after that?”
“Smooth Rock was arrested by the local authorities and… oh, you mean with me and my mom?” Flash beamed. “We’re good. All that’s why I’m in the Guard today. And Dad’s why Basey’s here today too.”
“Well obviously; you and Kurt saved your mother’s…” Twilight paused as that tidbit sank in. “You called him ‘Dad’?”
A laugh. “Well yeah. He looked after us after everything happened with Smooth Rock, one thing led to another, and before too long, I had the best dad a colt could ask for and an awesome baby brother.” He smiled and added, “Curt’s my real father, DNA be damned.”
“And Smooth Rock?”
“Dead and gone, and a reminder to me of somepony I shouldn’t be.” He gave Twilight a nervous smile and asked, “So, still want to give it a shot with me?”
The mare’s response was a small peck to his cheek and to say, “What does that tell you?”
Flash smiled like an idiot and answered, “That the day I meet that other me, I’m thanking him.” He shook his head and quickly amended, “And that I need to visit with my family more often. I just hope Mom doesn’t embarrass me too much with stories from when I was a colt.”
“Oh, that’s nothing compared to the stories my father will tell you when he meets you.” Twilight laughed as her coltfriend got to his hooves and led her out of the room. “Right now, though, I need to make this official with Cadence and Shining Armor. Assuming you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” He gave a nervous chuckle as he admitted, “But it’s gonna be scary dating you for a while, considering your brother is my CO. I ever treat you wrong, I know what’ll happen.”
“You won’t.” Flash looked into Twilight’s eyes, and saw that she meant what she said; it wasn’t a threat on her part, but a statement of trust and faith. “You’re better than that. Everypony I love is better than that. That includes you.”
The stallion smiled as the door closed behind them. “Thanks Twilight.”