An ancient Equestrian evil finds its way to the human world putting our heroes' love to the test.
Flash and Twilight are just days away from their "I do"s, and they couldn't be happier. Unfortunately, a failed attempt at reconciling with Flash's father leads to a series of stress-inducing events that have Flash questioning who he is as a person and if marrying Twilight is the right choice. As if everything prior wasn't bad enough, an ancient Equestrian evil escapes from Limbo making everything worse.
Flash Sentry slowly exhaled as he eased his car into the parking space, his hands clenched on the steering wheel. Once the car was positioned to his satisfaction, he gently pressed the brakes bringing the car to a stop and cut the ignition. He let out another breath, his hands still clenched on the wheel, and began to talk to himself.
“Okay, okay,” he muttered as he struggled to keep his breathing under control. “I can do this. I can do this. This is just the first time that I’ve seen my dad in 12 going on 13 years. I’m just going to get out of the car, walk into his office, say hi, and invite him to my wedding. I can totally do this.” He yelped when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.
“Honey,” Twilight said to her fiancé from the passenger seat as she reassuringly rubbed his shoulder, “it’s okay to admit that you’re feeling scared. I probably would be too in your shoes.”
“Scared? Who’s scared?” Flash replied, forcing himself to smile at her. “I’m not scared. Sure, every muscle in my body is so tense that I’m practically paralyzed, and I feel like I’m going to throw up everything I ate in the last two days, but I’m definitely not scared.”
“I’m actually terrified,” Flash thought to himself as he clenched his teeth.
“You know that last thing that you said isn’t biologically possible, right?” Twilight asked teasingly, attempting to lighten the mood.
Flash just groaned and slumped forward, letting his forehead hit the steering wheel.
Twilight sighed as she put both her hands on his shoulders and tried to massage away as much of the tension as she could.
“Hey,” Flash’s younger brother First Base called from the back seat. “Are we going to sit here and listen to you pep talk yourself all day, or are we actually going to step out of this car and invite Dad to your wedding?”
“Why did I let you talk me into bringing you along?” Flash deadpanned in annoyance as he slowly sat up.
“Because we both haven’t seen Dad in almost 13 years and it’s not fair for you to get to see him while I don’t,” Base replied matter-of-factly. “I mean, I know the guy abandoned us and the last time we tried to contact him, Mom was dying, and he just hung up on you like he didn’t care, but he’s still our dad. I know he doesn’t deserve it, but I kinda want to see if he’s okay, and,” he trailed off, sighing sadly before continuing, “I also want to know if he ever thinks about us, if there’s even a small part of him that cares about us and wants to be part of our lives again.”
“You and me both,” Flash thought to himself with a deep frown. “You just have the guts to actually say so out loud.”
“Little Bro, aren’t you even just the tiniest bit worried that this could turn out ugly?” Flash turned and asked First Base.
“Of course, I am,” Base replied. “It’s just, well, is it stupid of me to hope that a miracle will happen?”
Flash pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed before muttering, “If it is, then we’re both stupid.”
Twilight slid her left hand into Flash’s right and caressed her beloved’s face with her right hand. Flash turned to her in surprise.
She gave him a small smile and said, “It’s going to be okay. Whatever happens, I’ll be with you through it.” Then, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Flash couldn’t help but smile back at her.
“You know I can see you doing that, right?!” Base cried out with a disgusted grimace.
“Okay, okay, come on, everybody out of the car,” Flash said, still smiling, as he undid his seatbelt. Twilight and First Base did the same, and all three of them stepped out of the car.
After navigating the congested New York sidewalks, the three of them finally found and entered the building they were looking for. Just as they were about to ride the elevator to the correct floor, a middle-aged woman in a black sheath dress and heels came running as the doors were about to close followed by a young man about Flash and Twilight’s age dressed in khakis and a blazer.
The woman had magenta skin and dark brown hair styled into a fancy updo hidden under a large hat absurdly decorated with fake flowers. She also had a string of pearls around her neck. The young man had grayish purple skin and burnt umber-colored hair.
“Stop the elevator! Stop the elevator!” the woman cried.
Flash quickly stuck his foot in the door while Twilight punched and held the door open button on the control panel. The doors slid open, allowing the woman and her companion to enter.
“Oh, thank you so much,” she said to Flash and Twilight before turning to the young man who was with her. “Coin Bank, thank the nice young couple please.”
The young man rolled his eyes and muttered something that barely resembled a reluctant “Thank you.”
The woman frowned at his response and cried, “Honestly, Coin, I know I taught you your manners growing up.”
She turned to Flash and Twilight and apologized, “I’m so sorry about my son. He’s in a bit of a surly mood today.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Flash replied. “We weren’t doing it to be thanked. What floor are you headed to?”
“Floor 20.”
“What a coincidence! That’s where we’re going,” Twilight exclaimed as she pushed the button for the 20th floor.
While the five passengers waited for the elevator to reach their floor, Coin Bank turned to his mother and groaned, “Why are you making me do this, Mother?”
“Coin, you and I haven’t had lunch together with your father in ages,” the woman replied. “Besides, maybe spending Spring Break with your family will teach you to stay out of trouble, hmm?”
Coin rolled his eyes again and retorted, “He’s not my father, and neither was your last ex-husband.”
Flash, Base, and Twilight shared a look with each other as they tried to ignore the wholly uncomfortable conversation. Thankfully, the rest of the elevator ride passed in silence.
Once the five of them reached their floor and stepped off the elevator, Coin Bank’s mother turned to Flash and his companions and asked them, “So, which offices are the three of you looking for?”
“We’re looking for the offices of Hard and Fast Legal Services,” Flash replied.
“What another coincidence! That’s where were heading to also. Why don’t we show you the way?”
Even though Flash nodded in agreement, he could feel his impending drama alarm going off in the back of his mind. The alarm rang louder when Coin Bank gave him and his brother a long, intent look. Nevertheless, Flash, Twilight, and Base followed the elegant woman and her son to the law firm.
The firm wasn’t too far from the elevator, and the group was about three quarters of the way from the entrance when the older lady spoke up again.
“I don’t mean to pry, but the three of you look a little young to be in any legal trouble,” she noted. “What do the three of you need to see a lawyer for?”
“Oh, we’re not looking for a lawyer,” Twilight replied. “We’re here to find Flash and Base’s father. According to them, their dad works here.”
The woman looked at the three of them, Flash and First Base in particular, quizzically as they group kept walking. “Oh?”
“Yeah,” Base added. “We haven’t seen him in over a decade, and we figured now would be as good a time as any to try and fix our relationship with him. Besides, Big Bro’s got a big announcement to tell him.”
The woman suddenly stopped walking as her eyes widened in realization and shock. If Flash’s internal drama alarm wasn’t ringing before, it was practically blaring now.
The group had just reached the door to the entrance. Flash opened it and gestured for the lady to go before him.
“After you, ma’am,” he said.
The woman’s lips pressed into a tight line, and her eyes narrowed.
“Actually,” she replied icily, “why don’t you three kids go first?”
Flash, Twilight, and Base shared a confused look with each other but nevertheless, they did as the woman suggested, Flash letting Twilight and Base go in before him.
The entrance led to a lobby with a receptionist’s desk that branched off into two main offices and a hallway. Behind the receptionist’s desk sat a young woman just barely older than Flash and Twilight with half-up, half-down, braided platinum hair, icy blue skin, and smoky gray eyes.
“Excuse me,” Flash said to the receptionist, who looked up at him in response. “I’m looking for Fast Lane. I have something important to tell him.”
“Alright, name please,” she replied.
“My name is Flash Sentry. Uh, you know what? Maybe you shouldn’t tell him my name,” he said to the receptionist’s confusion. “Just tell him that a college kid came to see him and that I insist on telling him what I have to tell him in person.”
“Okay,” she replied, blinking twice, “just wait a moment, and I’ll give him a call for you.”
“Thank you.”
The receptionist picked the handset off her desk phone and pressed a series of buttons on the keypad.
“Hello, Mr. Lane,” she said into the mouthpiece. “A college kid is here to see you. He said he had something important to tell you.” She paused. “He gave me his name, but he didn’t want me to tell you who he is for some reason. Okay, I’ll let him know.”
She hung up and turned to Flash, “He’ll be right out.”
“Thank you,” Flash replied.
Ten seconds later, a man in a suit and tie stepped out one of the offices. He had slate gray skin, blue eyes, and slicked-back blue hair. Twilight studied the man’s face carefully. His face was thinner than Flash’s, and his chin was more angular. In fact, if the man was indeed Flash and Base’s father, the only thing the boys seemed to have inherited from him were their hair and eye color.
The man turned toward the three of them, and when he saw Flash and Base, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. He slowly looked over the boys from top to bottom and back again as recognition slammed into him like an NFL quarterback.
Flash bit his lip as he forced himself to look the man in the eye. “Uh, hi, Dad.”
“Dad?!” the receptionist cried, her mouth hanging open as she looked back and forth between the two men.
Before Flash could say anything more, however, the front door slammed open, and the woman from the elevator came marching in.
“You son of a [censored]!” she screamed at Fast Lane.
“Silk,” Fast Lane greeted the woman, nervously. Before he could say anything more, the woman slapped him across the face.
“You told me you were single! Single my [censored]!”
Fast Lane growled under his breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, retorting, “I was! Getting a divorce legally changes your status from married to single!”
“You never said ANYTHING about being divorced!” Silk argued back. “You also never said anything about having a kid, two kids!”
“I’ve never seen these kids before in my life!”
Flash clenched his teeth as he felt his ears heating up in anger. Beside him, he felt Twilight slip her delicate, chilly hand into his rough yet warm hand and rub comforting circles on his dorsum with her thumb.
“Oh, bull!” Coin Bank cut in on the argument. “They have your hair and eye color.”
“You stay out of this,” Fast Lane ordered. “Lots of people have my hair and eye color. It doesn’t make them related to me.”
Silk let out an indignant huff and turned to receptionist, “Winter, tell my brother that we’re inviting him and the rest of our family over for dinner tonight.”
“Of course, Ms. Purse,” Winter replied cordially. “I will let Mr. Case know as soon as he gets back from his lunch break.”
“You can’t seriously be thinking about telling your family about this,” Fast Lane cried. “Do you have any idea how much work I put into earning their respect and my partnership in the firm?”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Coin Bank remarked with smirk. “Considering how long you and Uncle Hard Case have been working in this firm together, I’m sure your partnership is safe. His and Grandfather’s respect on the other hand…”
“Coin, that’s enough,” his mother scolded as she turned to leave. “We’ll discuss this further at home.”
The mother and son walked out of the law firm, slamming the door behind them. Throughout the whole exchange, Flash, Base, and Twilight were just standing there watching dumbfoundedly. Flash had one hand holding Twilight’s and the other balled into a trembling fist. Base could feel his whole body shaking with shock and anger and had subconsciously grabbed his brother’s arm to steady himself.
Fast Lane turned and met Flash’s eyes, blue fire meeting blue fire to create lightning, and his ears were as red as his son’s.
“Leave. Now,” he demanded far too calmly.
“Okay. Fine,” Flash agreed. “I’ll just, uh…” He turned to Twilight and asked, “Honey, do you have the—?”
Before Flash could finish his sentence, Twilight pulled an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Flash.
“Thank you,” Flash replied before facing his father again. “I’ll just leave this with your secretary, and then, we’ll go.”
“Good!” Fast Lane shouted as he stormed back into his office slamming the door behind him.
Flash turned to the receptionist and asked, “So, Winter was it?”
“That is my name, yes,” she replied, maintaining her utterly professional demeanor.
“Could you make sure that my father gets this” he asked, leaving the envelope on her desk, “and reads it?”
“I will see what I can do.”
“Thank you.”
Still holding Twilight’s hand, Flash turned and began walking towards the door. First Base, however, lingered for a bit. His eyes darted from his brother to the door to Fast Lane’s office and back. From the corner of his eye, he saw a round paperweight sitting on Winter’s desk. In one fast and furious motion, Base snatched up the paperweight and pitched it at Fast Lane’s door. The sound of shattering glass caused Flash to suddenly stop walking and cringe.
Flash slowly turned around. The first thing he saw was the door, air filling the space where glass used to be. Glass shards littered the floor beneath. Winter sat behind her desk, staring at the door with her eyes and mouth wide open. In front of Winter’s desk, stood his brother, his breath coming out in hot puffs as tears ran down his face. Base turned and ran out the front door, pushing Flash and Twilight out of the way.
Flash let go of Twilight’s hand, gesturing with his head for her to go after his younger brother. Twilight nodded and went out the door after First Base while Flash made his way to the receptionist’s desk.
“I will pay for however much it costs to replace that,” Flash said to the receptionist.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it,” Winter replied.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t ask you to—”
“You’re not, and I insist on taking care of it,” Winter emphasized. “Now, get out of here. Amscray.”
They both turned to the sound of Fast Lane’s office door opening. Winter worriedly motioned for Flash to leave. Flash gave her a nod in gratitude and ran out the front door.
“THIS IS SO UNFAIR!” First Base screamed. He along with Flash and Twilight had returned to Flash’s car which had yet to move from the parking lot. “We drive two whole hours to get here, and he barely says two words to us. He doesn’t even congratulate you on your engagement or tell you that he’s happy for you or proud of you. Heck! He doesn’t even give us a chance to tell him why we came to see him in the first place!”
Flash didn’t say anything in reply. He just breathed deeply with his eyes shut, rubbing his temples with his left thumb and index finger.
When he finally opened his eyes and stopped rubbing his temples, he bluntly pointed out, “Yeah, the whole thing sucks, but you didn’t have to break his door, you know?”
“How are you not flipping out about this?!” Base continued to shout. “I’m flipping out about it, and it’s not even my wedding day that he apparently doesn’t care about!”
“Because,” Flash snapped, raising his voice ever so slightly, “I have a terrible habit of burying my emotions, especially the ones I really don’t want to deal with, and I really, really don’t want to deal with this right now.”
Flash closed his eyes again as he slammed his face on the steering wheel. He could hear his brother struggling not to cry.
“Why couldn’t we have gotten a dad that cares about us?” Base whimpered out before breaking down into sobs.
Roughly two months later, Flash and Twilight were a week away from their wedding, and the two of them were about to head out for an evening of fun with their friends. Let’s pause the narrative on them for a little while to check up on some old foes, shall we?
In the part of town where Sunset lived during her high school years, three former sirens were lounging around inside their refitted van. Actually, just Aria and Sonata were lounging. Adagio was working away at a laptop while listening to the audio through a pair of clunky, professional grade headphones.
“Ugh,” Aria groaned as she dramatically spread herself across her limited lounging space. “I’m so sick of being stuck here, Adagio. If I have to spend another day in this world, I’m going to scream.”
Adagio growled as she looked up from her work to glare at her sister, “Hey, don’t you think I want to get back to Equestria too? Besides, unless we can get those meddling girls to show us the way back, which, by the way, is totally unlikely, we’re pretty much stuck here, so can you please make living out of this van easier on me by ATTEMPTING to make the best of our current situation?”
“You know, aside from the fact that we lost our voices, our lives right now are actually better than they were three years ago,” Sonata noted before sighing, “It’s still pretty sucky, you know, being stuck in a world with no magic and everything.”
“Well, what do you want me to do about it?”
“You know what? That’s it,” Aria cried, slamming her fist on the wall of the van. “I say we go over to the spot at the park our necklace fragments were reacting to last year and see what’s there.”
“Are you nuts?!” Adagio retorted. “We don’t know what’s down there. True, it could be a portal to Equestria or something that’ll restore our voices and magic, but it could also be something that could end up killing us or driving us insane or worst. We could end up blowing off each other’s heads or possessed by a dark entity for all we know.”
“If I remember right, it was YOUR plan to take control of that school and steal the Equestrian magic from those girls,” Aria noted accusingly. “How is digging up whatever’s at the park any riskier than that?”
“Before, we still had our voices and whatever little magic we brought with us from Equestria. Now, we have nothing.”
“Yeah,” Sonata agreed, “except for each other, this van, Dagi’s laptop, and a career in the music industry that’s doing okay enough to put food on the table.”
“We dig up whatever’s at that park; we might not even have any of that anymore.”
Aria just crossed her arms with a huff.
“You know it’s too bad we can’t find someone to use as a meat shield to dig up the magic for us,” Sonata mused absently. “That way if something bad is buried under there, he or she can get the full blast of the stuff while we walk away scot-free.”
Adagio looked up from her work while Aria straightened up at her seat, both sharing stunned looks with each other. Slowly, their stunned looks morphed into malicious grins.
Meanwhile, at Flash’s house, he and First Base were just about to leave.
“You sure you and Grandma don’t want to come with us, Aunt Flare?” Flash asked his aunt as he checked his pockets for his car keys. “I know how much the two of you love karaoke.”
“We’ll have plenty of other chances to karaoke,” Flare Burst replied.
“You, on the other hand, won’t get too many chances to hang out with your friends like this,” Grandma Birdie added. “Enjoy it while you can.”
“What about you, Bee?” Flash asked his adopted cousin. “Come on. Imagine how cool you’ll be starting high school having already hung out with college kids.”
“Imagining it, and,” Honey Bee replied, not looking up from her phone, “totally not caring.”
“Oh, well, your loss.”
Before Flash and Base could walk about the door, however, the doorbell rang.
“Now, who could that be?” wondered Grandma.
Being the one closest to the door, Flash decided to open it. To his surprise, he found his stepbrother standing on the other side.
“Oh, Coin Bank,” he nervously greeted. “Uh, how are you?”
“Aren’t you going to let me inside?” Coin Bank asked in a condescending tone.
“Uh, yeah, of course I am. Come right in.” Flash stepped away from the door, allowed Coin to walk past him, and closed the door behind him.
“Everybody,” Flash introduced to the women in the room, “this is Coin Bank. He’s our stepbrother, uh, apparently.”
Coin Bank didn’t pay anyone any mind, seeming more focused on analyzing the dining and living rooms and the furniture. Aunt Flare, Grandma, and Bee shared uneasy looks with each other, utterly perplexed by his behavior.
“Yeah, not that we’re not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?” First Base asked Coin. “And how did you even find where we lived?”
Coin Bank smirked knowingly and pulled out a piece of cardstock from his jacket pocket.
“I found this in Stepfather #2’s garbage a few months ago,” he boasted, shoving the wedding invitation into Flash’s hands. “I just followed the address to the church last Sunday, waited for you to leave service, followed you home, and wrote down your address.”
Flash dropped the invitation as everyone in his family locked eyes with each other, their faces twisted in shock and disgust.
“YOU WERE STALKING US WHILE WE WERE IN CHURCH?!” Bee cried out before sputtering, “D-d-do you have any idea how creepy that is?”
“Not to mention sacrilegious,” Base added.
“Okay, before this gets any weirder, do you mind telling us why you put so much effort into trying to find where we live?” Flare practically demanded.
With the annoyingly smug smirk still adorning his face, Coin replied, “I actually have TWO reasons for coming here. The first is that I wanted to know where my stepfather came from and what he left behind.”
Coin resumed examining the house from top to bottom.
Then, he chuckled mirthlessly, “He said he came from nothing, and boy, was he right. This place is as close to nothing as anybody can get.”
Flash and his family frowned at that.
“Grandma, should I call the cops?” Bee asked.
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Grandma replied. “I think your mom will probably pick him up and throw him out any minute now.”
“Young man, did you drive all the way here from New York and follow us home from church just to insult our home?” Aunt Flare asked Coin Bank. Her nephews could see a sharp gleam of danger in the glower she was giving him.
“Actually, I do have one other reason,” Coin said, putting an arm around Flash’s shoulders in disingenuous camaraderie. “I’m also here to stop this guy from making a terrible, terrible mistake.”
“Excuse me,” Flash cried, uncomfortably pulling away from him.
“Dude, you do NOT want to get married. You’re young. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Do you really want to spend the rest of it tied down to one girl?”
Usually when Flash became angry, his ears would heat up from the blood rushing into them. This time, his whole face turned red.
“You don’t even know me,” Flash tried not to shout. “What would you know about what I want?”
“Come on. Look at yourself,” Coin Bank continued. “I mean, how old are ya? 18? 19? You’re too young to be some chick’s husband. Why are you in such a hurry to marry her anyways? What, is she having your kid or something?”
Flash clenched both his hands into fists, using all his self-control to keep himself from simply punching his stepbrother.
“First of all, her name is Twilight, and she’s not just ‘some chick,’” Flash tried not to yell. “She’s the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, and no, she’s not having my kid. That would be physically impossible!”
Silence fell over everyone in the room. Coin Bank looked like he was about to say something else, but the look in Flash’s eye and the way his fists were trembling quickly shut him up.
“Uh, Bro, we gotta get going. We’re going to be late,” Base pointed out.
“Late for what?” asked Coin.
“Some of Bro and Twilight’s friends are throwing the two of them a singles party at the karaoke and pizza place.”
“Singles party?” Coin raised his eyebrows at First Base’s choice of words.
“It’s basically a bachelor party and a bachelorette party put together,” Flash explained. “Three of my friends are girls, so it would have been weird to have them over at a guys party, but it’d be just as weird to have them hang with Twilight and her friends, so all our friends are hanging with us together.”
A deeply intent expression crossed Coin Bank’s face for a few moments.
Then, he turned to Flash and asked, “You wouldn’t have an extra invite to that party, would you?”
Flash and Base shared an incredulous look with each other before Flash turned back to Coin.
“You randomly show up at my house and insult my family, and not even five seconds ago, you were trying to talk me out of getting married in the rudest, most condescending way possible. Why would I want you to hang out with me and my friends?!” Flash suddenly shouted. “Why do you even want to hang out with me and my friends?”
“Because,” Coin answered, “I’m bored, I need to get away from my family, and I can’t hang out with my usual crew because they’re all scattered across the winds overseas doing [censored].”
“We’re not allowed to use words like that in this house,” Bee butted in. “Believe me. I’ve gotten in trouble for doing that.”
“What would you do if I say no?” Flash asked, glaring pointedly at his stepbrother.
“I follow you to the venue and crash your party,” Coin bragged. “On second thought, go ahead and say no. Crashing your party sounds WAY more fun.”
Five minutes later, Flash and First Base were in Flash’s car driving to the venue with Micro Chips, Button Mash, and one extra person.
“So,” Coin Bank said to Micro, “you’re this guy’s best friend?”
“Uh, yes, yes I am,” Micro replied uncomfortably.
“Huh, I expected you to be a bit less, well, you.”
“Bro, can you explain to me how this is better than having him crash your party?” Base asked his older brother.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” Flash muttered.
“By the way, how old are ya?” Coin continued to ask Micro. “18? 19?”
“19,” Micro replied.
“I hear ya. So, when are you planning on getting hitched yourself?”
“Oh, oh, don’t you DARE drag him into this!” Flash snapped at Coin. “We are not starting that conversation back up again.”
“What conversation?” asked Button Mash.
“He’s trying to convince me not to get married even though the whole thing is none of his business.”
“Ha!” scoffed Coin. “Your own father at his current age doesn’t even qualify as a good husband. What makes you think you’ll be able to do a better job at a much younger age? You might as well call the whole thing off before your marriage ultimately fails.”
Those words were like a slap to the face, two slaps to the face, two slaps to the face and a stab through the heart. Flash couldn’t do anything but clench his hands on the steering wheel and grind his teeth after hearing those words. He tried to shake them off, but those words just kept echoing in his head, burning themselves into the back of his mind.
First Base could tell from the look on his brother’s face that what Coin Bank said had gotten to him. Micro Chips came to the same conclusion after seeing Flash’s face on the rearview mirror.
“Our dad was a jerk who only looked out for himself,” Base retorted. “Flash isn’t like that.”
“Flash may be young, but he most certainly has the right integrity needed to be a good husband,” Micro agreed. “Besides, why are you so determined to get him to call of his wedding anyway? Two months ago, you didn’t even know he existed.”
Coin Bank just scowled at the two of them, but before he could say anything more, the group arrived at the venue.
Flash and his group were the last ones to arrive. Twilight, the rest of the former Rainbooms, Flash’s former bandmates, the Crusaders, Derpy Muffins, Lyra Heartstrings, Sweetie Drops, Sandalwood, and Bulk Biceps were already waiting for them in the restaurant’s waiting area.
“Well, you guys took long enough,” Lyra pointed out huffily.
“Sorry, we, uh,” Micro explained as Coin Bank entered the waiting area last, “ran into a bit of a complication.”
“Everybody,” Flash introduced, “this is my stepbrother from New York, Coin Bank. He just came into town this evening and will be hanging out with us for the night.”
Everybody looked from Coin Bank to the obviously forced smile Flash was wearing on his face. They could tell from Coin Bank’s body language that he didn’t want to be there anymore than Flash wanted him to be there. Nevertheless, everybody gave him a friendly greeting and introduced themselves except for Twilight who pretty much already knew who he was.
While everyone else was exchanging pleasantries with Coin, Twilight pulled Flash aside and asked him, “What is he doing here?”
“It’s a long, uncomfortable story that I’d rather talk to you about later,” Flash whispered in reply, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
Twilight nodded in understanding, and the two of them returned to the rest of their group.
“So,” Coin nonchalantly offered, “now that we all know each other, who’s buying the first round of drinks?”
The whole group became uncomfortably quiet VERY quickly.
Then, Micro turned to Flash and asked, “Did you remember to tell him that this place doesn’t serve alcohol?”
Coin’s face suddenly dropped at Micro’s question.
“I didn’t think I needed to,” Flash replied. “I kinda assumed that he wasn’t old enough to drink.”
“I’m not,” Coin interrupted. “That’s why a carry a fake ID. Don’t tell me none of you guys have fake IDs on you.”
“Why in Sam Hill would we want to be carrying around fake IDs fer?” Applejack retorted incredulously. “‘Sides, even if we did, Apple Bloom, her friends, and the youn’er boys wouldn’t be foolin’ nobody. They barely even pass fer 18, let alone 21.”
“Besides, we don’t need alcohol to PAAAAR-TAY!” Pinkie hollered excitedly. “This place has got karaoke, an arcade, and an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. ALL. YOU. CAN. EAT!”
Coin Bank turned to Flash, his face morphing from disinterest to disgust.
“What the [censored] is wrong with you and your friends?!” he cried.
“Hey! Watch your mouth,” Twilight scolded. “This place happens to be a family-friendly establishment, and the owners will kick us out if we disturb the other patrons, never mind that my brother knows one of them.”
“Besides, YOU were the one who threatened to crash the party if I didn’t let you come along,” Flash pointed out. “So, you can either behave yourself and hang out with us, or you can take the bus back to my neighborhood, get in your car, and drive yourself back to New York.”
Coin grimaced the moment Flash mentioned the bus. Then, he growled under his breath and reluctantly followed the group to the cashier’s table.
“Well, if it isn’t Shining Armor’s baby sister,” greeted the man from behind the counter. He had long, shaggy, red hair and wore a pair of dark, rectangular sunglasses, a pin with a vinyl record, and name badge that said “Owner/Manager.”
“Hi, Long Play,” Twilight greeted. “Can you please take us to the table that we reserved for our party?”
“Sure thing, little lady. By the way, my sister’s working the sign-up table for the karaoke machine if you want to say hi to her.”
Pinkie Pie gasped dramatically, “You mean Vinyl is here? Ooooooh! I haven’t seen her since this morning when she came in for her morning cupcake and the Cakes had me working the counter. I’ve got to say hi right now.”
With that, Pinkie zoomed off from the rest of the group towards the karaoke machine. Everyone who knew her exchanged quizzical looks.
“She knows where our table is, right?” First Base asked no one in particular.
“Besides, I’m willing to bet my hat that she came here earlier than the rest of us to set things up,” AJ added.
Long Play lead their group to a party-sized table decorated with blue and purple balloons and confetti, confirming AJ’s assertion.
“You kids have fun tonight,” Long Play signed off as he began to return to the cashier’s table. “Let me or any of the staff know if you need anything.”
“A stiff drink would be nice,” Coin muttered to himself.
“I’m baaaack,” Pinkie announced as she popped in on the group from who knows where, causing Coin to cry out in surprise. “So, guys, what d’you think of the decorations? Doesn’t it just scream, ‘Flash and Twilight are getting married soon, and we’re spending one of their last nights as singles with them’?!”
“That it does, Pinkie,” Sunset replied with an amused giggle.
Everyone except Coin Bank shared a laugh over that. However, as Micro Chips was looking around, he saw something or rather someone, actually multiple someones, walk in the room and flinched.
“Oh, shoot,” he gasped.
“What is it?” asked Sweetie Drops, noticing his reaction.
“Uh, okay, try not to make eye contact, but…” he trailed off as he tilted his head towards the direction that he was looking at earlier.
Everyone turned, and who should they see strut into the room but Adagio Dazzle and her two sisters. Everyone except Coin Bank, Button Mash, and First Base stiffened in fear at the sight of them. Twilight only knew them by reputation, but even that was enough to make her wary of them.
“Well, looks like tonight just might be my lucky night after all,” Coin noted, ogling the Dazzlings with an appreciative smile. “I hope at least one of them is single.”
Flash grabbed Coin’s shoulder and pulled him back, warning him, “No, no, no, no, no. You do NOT want a piece of that. Trust us.”
Adagio turned towards the small party as she was scanning the room, locking eyes with them, particularly Sunset Shimmer. She smirked maliciously and motioned for her sisters to follow her.
“What in tarnation are they even doing here?” Applejack agreed.
“I don’t know, girls,” Fluttershy countered, “I mean, I know they brainwashed the school and turned everyone against each other the last time we saw them, but that was so long ago. Maybe they’ve changed.”
“I wouldn’t count on it, dear,” Rarity sighed. “That smirk and that strut she’s wearing have bad intentions written all over them.”
“Well, well, well,” Adagio greeted the group condescendingly, “look who cat dragged in. We haven’t seen any of you in a while. I have to say though, last I checked, your merry little band of misfits was a lot smaller.”
“Oh, all these other people aren’t our band, silly,” Pinkie obliviously pointed out. “We sort of broke up our band after we graduated. We’re actually all here for a party.”
“Oh, of course you are,” Aria scoffed.
“So, how’s life been treating you?” Sunset asked, stepping protectively between Adagio and the rest of her friends.
“Well enough, actually,” Adagio replied. “We have a bit of a music career going. We even played at the last Starswirled Music Festival.”
“Uh, how?” AJ noted in confusion, “Y’all lost your voices after we took you down at the Battle of the Bands.”
“That’s for us to know, and you to never find out,” Aria snapped.
“Hey, Dagi, who are these three?” Sonata asked, taking note of First Base, Button Mash, and Coin. “I don’t remember seeing them before.”
Coin smirked flirtatiously and replied, “The name’s Coin Bank, dollface. You needn’t concern yourself with the other two. They’re no one important.”
Base and Button glared at Coin in offense to that last sentence.
“Forgive me if I seem distracted, miss,” Coin continued, pouring on the charm like way too much maple syrup on a short stack and not even the real kind, “You see, I’m from out of town, and I wasn’t expecting the locals to be so fiiiine.”
“Fine like the tacos at the gas station or fine like those $7 chocolate bars you get from the store?” Sonata asked for clarification. Meanwhile, her sisters were watching the whole exchange, wicked smiles slowly growing on their faces. This did not go unnoticed by Flash, Sunset, Rarity, and a few other people.
“Fine like imported champagne in crystal glass with a side of caviar,” Coin Bank replied before taking Sonata by the hand and kissing it.
“Ooooh!” Sonata squealed.
“Oh, stop, sir,” Adagio cut in, flipping her luxurious, orange curls in false modesty. “I know my sisters and I are pretty, but I’m sure you say that to all the girls you meet.”
“Only the gorgeous ones,” Coin answered, taking Adagio’s hand to kiss as well. Coin was about to do the same with Aria’s when Flash grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away.
“Look, it’s been nice to see you again, but we were just about to have a party,” Flash attempted to diffuse the situation. “We would invite you to join us, but our table doesn’t have room for three more people, so maybe now would be a good time for us to go our separate ways.”
Adagio studied Flash’s face carefully, frowning intently. Then, she smiled, this one more maleficent than the last.
“I know you,” she said to him in a smooth, silky voice. “Weren’t you the boy who made that little purple princess cry?”
Flash’s eyes dropped in shame. It was only for a moment, but that moment was enough to give Adagio the pleasure of knowing she had struck Flash somewhere painful. She was so pleased with herself that she needed all her self-control to keep from laughing in Flash’s face.
Flash lifted his eyes, glaring straight into Adagio’s, and said, “Leave. Now.”
Adagio shrugged, and she and her sisters strutted away as confidently as they came. Once they were out of earshot, they began to snicker to themselves.
“Oh, man, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but great job shutting down Hero Boy over there,” Aria said to Adagio as she laughed.
“You know, both he and the tourist were really, really CUTE,” Sonata observed. “Can I have whichever one of them we don’t use as our meat shield?”
“By the way, which one of them ARE we going to use to do our dirty work?”
“Hmm, judging by his eyes, that blue-haired hero wannabe seemed to be carrying a lot of pain and shame inside of him,” Adagio mused. “A part of me wants to see just what kind of damage all that emotional baggage will do when combined with dark magic.”
“You mean assuming that there is dark magic down there instead of something a little more user-friendly that we’re going to want to take for ourselves.”
“Either way, as much as I want to see that Colt Scout’s dark side unleashed, he’s too familiar with us and way too guarded,” Adagio reasoned before smirking at Aria. “The tourist on the other hand…”
Aria returned the sentiment with a smirk of her own.
Meanwhile, back at Flash and Twilight’s singles party, Flash and his stepbrother were having a bit of a “discussion.”
“What the heck was all that about?” Flash shouted at Coin Bank. “I told you those girls were bad news.”
“Hey, I’m stuck at a party with my lame, goody-two-shoes stepbrothers and their lame, goody-two-shoes friends with NO BOOZE,” Coin retorted. “I NEEDED something to look forward to. Besides,” he scoffed, “it’s the bad ones who are the most fun, not that you would know anything about that, Mr. ‘I want spend the rest of my life tied down to one girl even though I’m barely old enough to qualify as an adult because we’re just SO in love.’”
Something about that whole rant made everyone present thoroughly uncomfortable, Sunset Shimmer especially. She knew using her magic on other people without their permission is a gross invasion of privacy, and she didn’t like having to do it unless she was backed into a corner or something. However, Coin’s outburst rang enough warning bells in her head that she had few qualms about reaching out her hand and grabbing his wrist. Her eyes glowed white as Coin’s memories and emotions flowed from his mind into hers.
About a split-second later, Coin jerked his hand away in surprise, but that split-second revealed enough.
“What was that for?” Coin snapped at Sunset, rubbing his hand on his slacks as if trying wipe off her touch.
“Uh,” Sunset stuttered, unsure how to explain what she did and how to ask about what she had learned about him. “Look, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but have you ever considered seeing a therapist or something?”
Coin Bank’s facial expression faltered long enough for Sunset to know that her question had completely taken him off guard, but he quickly rebuilt his poised, devil-may-care façade and feigned ignorance.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he scoffed, turning around to walk away.
“Hey, where are you going?” First Base asked.
“NOYB!”
Flash, Twilight, and the rest of Sunset Shimmer’s closest friends turned and gave her questioning looks.
Sunset groaned and put a hand on her face, “I know. That was a gross violation of privacy, and I probably shouldn’t have done it, but I am keeping what I saw to myself, I swear.”
“He’s got some major problems, doesn’t he?” Flash deadpanned.
“Oh, yeah.”
“Look, I know we just met him, and none of us really like him, but maybe someone should follow him and keep him out of trouble,” Flash suggested.
“Right,” Sunset agreed as she started to walk away from the party.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“To keep Coin Bank out of trouble like you said.”
“Well, yeah, but are you sure you want to do it? He is MY stepbrother,” Flash pointed out.
“Hey, you and Twilight just stay here and enjoy the party,” Sunset countered. “I’ll be fine babysitting your stepbrother for you, really.”
After Sunset went to follow Coin Bank, First Base turned to his older brother and asked, “So, what did that girl mean when she said that you made someone cry?”
Flash bit his lower lip uncomfortably and replied, “I’ll tell you when we get home.”
As Sunset made her way through the restaurant, she kept her eyes peeled for any sign of Coin Bank or trouble or Coin Bank getting in trouble. She finally found him by the dessert table piling his plate high with brownies, whipped cream, and hot fudge. She was about to make her way towards him when Adagio glided in and began talking to him. Sunset was still too far away to hear what they were saying, but the glint in Adagio’s eyes and the smirk on her face made Sunset feel incredibly uneasy.
The two of them began to walk away from the dessert table together, leaving Coin’s plate behind. Sunset followed them from a distance. Adagio and Coin ended up walking towards the exit where Aria and Sonata were waiting for them. The pit in Sunset’s stomach grew when the four of them walked out the door.
“Okay, let’s go over this one more time,” Flash said, sitting in the driver’s seat of his car with Twilight and Sunset in tow. “You saw my stepbrother leave the restaurant with the Dazzlings, and now we’re trying to find them because you think they might be leading him into some sort of trouble, and all we have to go on is what their van looks like and the general direction you saw them drive off in?”
“Yes!” Sunset retorted. “Now, hurry up and drive already. We don’t know what those sirens are planning, and we want to get there before they have chance to do it.”
“Sunset, I don’t mean to question your judgment, but you do realize that there’s a good chance that they just invited him over for a little, you know, ‘good time’, right?”
“Hey, I saw how Adagio was talking to him. She was putting way too much effort into the conversation for her to just want him over for a ‘good time.’ If all she wanted was that, she’d go for someone that she can pick up, use, throw away, and never have to think about again.”
“Now, how would you know that?” Twilight asked, looking back at her best friend quizzically.
“I don’t. I am, however, VERY good at putting myself into the mindset of a bad girl.”
“Well, okay,” Flash conceded. “We trust you, but if it turns out that he’s not in trouble, you owe me gas money.”
With that, Flash continued to drive as his passengers scanned the streets and parking areas for a stylishly trashy, purple, and green van with a diamond decal inside a painted star on the hood.
Meanwhile, Aria had just pulled into the parking lot of the Canterlot City Park. Adagio and Sonata climbed out and opened the trunk followed by Coin Bank.
“So, what is this errand of yours that you need me to do for you?” Coin asked as the girls pretended to struggle with the shovel in the trunk.
“As you can see,” Adagio began, gesturing to herself and Sonata, “we found something that might be incredibly valuable in the park, but this shovel is just SO heavy. If you help us, we promise we can make it worth your while.”
“Uh, how?” Coin retorted flirtatiously. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, señorita, but I’m already loaded. What can you possibly give me that’ll make me want to commit vandalism AND do menial work for you?”
“How does a few rounds of drinks and once with each of us sound?” Aria nonchalantly offered after she got out of the driver’s seat.
Coin Bank’s eyes widened as an appreciative smirk spread across his lips.
“Throw in one more time with all of you at once, and I’d rob a bank for you,” he exclaimed eagerly, practically yanking the shovel out of the trunk.
The three sirens shared smirks and stifled snickers with each other before Aria began leading the group towards the tree-covered area of the park. Adagio and Sonata hung at the back whispering to each other.
“Good call going with the tourist,” Sonata whispered to her older sister. “There’s no way that cute guitar boy would have fallen for our tricks this easy. By the way, we’re not really going to, uh, ‘pay’ him, are we?”
“Ugh, no, of course not,” Adagio hissed, rolling her eyes, “but he doesn’t know that, and by the time we get what we want, it’ll be too late for him to do anything about it.”
The two of them stifled another shared snicker and ran up to catch up with Aria and Coin.
Flash, Twilight, and Sunset were still driving around looking for the Dazzling’s van when Flash decided to ask Sunset an interesting question.
“Uh, Sunset,” Flash began, “I know you can’t answer this question without invading my stepbrother’s privacy even more than you already have, but just how messed up is he? Can you at least give me some context for why he is the way he is?”
Sunset bit her lip as she shifted in her seat uncomfortably, Coin Bank’s memories still fresh in her mind.
“Uh, how much do you already know?” Sunset replied.
“Just that he’s from a rich family and that my dad is his mom’s third husband at least and his uncle’s legal partner,” Flash answered.
“Didn’t we also overhear him and his mom say something about him getting in trouble during Spring Break of last year?” Twilight added.
“Yeah, that too. He also doesn’t seem to like his family and seems to really not want to go home for some reason.”
Sunset sighed, “I can’t go into too much detail, but let’s just say he has ways of dealing with his problems that just create more problems for him and everyone else.”
“I’m assuming one of them involves alcohol.”
“Among other things.”
“Flash, over there!” Twilight cried pointing out her passenger side window. Flash and Sunset turned to where she was pointing and saw the Dazzling’s van parked just outside the Canterlot City Park.
Flash pulled over and parked next to the van. The three of them got out and looked the van over, but it didn’t seem to have any passengers. They rushed into the park and worriedly began to look every which way.
“Where could they have gone?” Flash cried.
Before she or Twilight could answer, Sunset felt an odd, dark chill spread over her. It was barely a tingle, but she felt it, nonetheless.
“Did you guys feel that?” she gasped, turning to Flash and Twilight.
“Feel what?” Twilight asked, looking at her best friend in confusion.
“It’s coming from over there.” Sunset pointed towards the trees and took a few steps toward them, the chill growing stronger as she did so.
“Wait. You don’t think those girls found Equestrian magic, do you?”
“I think they did, but it sure doesn’t feel like the user-friendly kind,” Sunset worriedly answered before breaking into a run.
“Okay, if the magic that turned you two into demons and Gloriosa into Poison Ivy was supposed to be user-friendly, I’d hate to see what the really bad stuff is like,” Flash shouted as he and Twilight ran after Sunset.
Coin Bank had no idea how long he had been digging for, but he had moved about two and a half feet of earth when he suddenly hit stone. He bent over and brushed away the remaining dirt revealing a stone plaque with a strange emblem on it. The emblem consisted of a pony head with a long, smoky mane and a long, sharp, curved horn surrounded by two sharp wings and black flames.
“Hey, this what you’re looking for?” he called to the sirens.
Adagio and her sisters bent forward to take a closer look at it, but before they could study the emblem thoroughly, a bright red glow came out from one of each sister’s pockets. The three of them looked in their respective pockets and saw that the shards they had salvaged from their necklaces’ destruction were lighting up brighter than they had since the necklaces were still whole.
The three of them shared wicked smiles with each other before Adagio called back, “I think so. Go ahead and try to open it.”
Coin saw a small gap between the plaque and the rest of the ground and forced the tip of the shovel into it. Using the shovel as a lever, he attempted to pry the plaque off the hole it was covering. At that moment, Sunset, Flash, and Twilight came running in screaming for him to stop.
“Drop everything and get away from whatever you just dug up!” Sunset screamed as she and her companions skidded to a stop.
“You have no idea what you’re getting into,” Flash added.
“Oh, and you do?” Adagio retorted, facing the newcomers with her arms crossed.
“You could get yourselves and everyone in the park killed!” Twilight pointed out.
Coin paid no attention to the above argument and simply kept pushing against the plaque. Finally, he managed to pop the plaque off the opening ever so slightly. That was all it took to release whatever had been trapped on the other side.
The plaque was sent flying out of the hole Coin had dug and landed right between Sunset and Adagio. A massive pillar of black smoke burst out of the opening. Flash rushed forward, grabbed his stepbrother, and pulled him away from the dark entity as it began to shape itself into the form of shadowy black alicorn. The alicorn touched down where Coin had been standing sending small tremors along the ground.
“At last, I am free,” the alicorn bellowed triumphantly in a voice like a shallow grave. Then, it let out a pained cry as its form dissolved into an amorphous shape before slowly reforming only to dissolve again.
Sunset took a good look at the plaque and gasped when she saw the emblem on it.
“Guys, run!” she yelled, grabbing Twilight and running away from the shadow. The sirens, Coin Bank, and Flash followed behind her. They didn’t stop until they reached the edge of the park.
Once they had stopped, Sunset grabbed Adagio by the front of her shirt and screamed, “YOU UNLEASHED THE PONY OF SHADOWS?!”
“We didn’t know it was the Pony of Shadows that was trapped down there,” Adagio retorted defensively, pushing Sunset off her.
“Oh, really? Well, THE PLAQUE SHOULD HAVE MADE IT OBVIOUS!”
“Oohh,” Sonata exclaimed, “you know, I was wondering why that plaque seemed scarily familiar.”
“Wait,” Coin cried out in realization, “you had me dig up that hole knowing that something potentially bad could be down there?”
The sirens' disdainful scowls gave him his answer.
“You weren’t planning on taking me out for drinks at all, were you?” he continued.
Twilight slapped the back of his head and snapped, “I don’t think that’s the key issue right now, and—”
She looked at everyone present and noticed someone was missing.
“Hey, everyone, where’s Flash?” she squeaked out.
“Everybody, get out of here now!” she heard Flash call out from a distance. Twilight turned around and saw that Flash was still in the park, running around and warning everyone else to escape.
“Ugh! That stupid Colt Scout is going to get himself killed,” Aria groaned.
Suddenly, a black cloud rushed out of the wooded area and landed right in the middle of the park sending tremors out from where it landed. The tremors caused Flash to lose his balance and land on his bottom as all the other park patrons continued to run away. The black blob reformed into the shape of an alicorn.
“I,” it huffed wearily, “must find a host.” It looked up searching for the closest living being in the park. It’s glowing pupil-less eyes landed right on Flash who was rushing to get back on his feet. “Perfect.”
“Flash, get out of there!” Sunset cried in warning, but she was too late. The shadowy alicorn allowed its form to dissolve into a cloud again and rushed at Flash, completely enveloping him. Flash screamed in pain as the Pony of Shadows worked its dark magic on him.
“No!” Twilight screamed, running back into the park.
“Twilight! Wait!” Sunset cried as she ran after her best friend.
Flash fell on his back and writhed on the floor as the shadow took over. His whole body felt like it was on fire. He covered his ears as voices began to scream at him from inside his head, but they only grew louder and louder.
“What the heck is wrong with you?! You stupid, good-for-nothing kid!” the voice of his father shouted at him.
“You really thought we had something special between us, that you actually meant something to me. Well, news flash, you’re NOTHING to me, and you don’t mean a thing to anyone else either, never had, never will.” That was Sunset’s voice.
“I hate you! You’re the worst big brother in the world! I wish you had died instead of Grandpa!” That was his brother’s.
He could hear other people screaming insults and condemnations at him. Some were words that were actually spoken; others merely reflected the negative emotions that Flash associated with the speakers.
“You’re such a creep and a nuisance. Why do you think I chose Timber over you?” said Twilight’s voice. She never actually said those words nor ever held that low of an opinion about him, but that never stopped Flash from thinking she that was how she really felt before they began dating.
As bad as hearing his family, friends, acquaintances, and the love of his life tear him down repeatedly was, that was far from the most painful torture the dark magic subjected Flash to. No, what hurt the most were the words that Flash had spoken against himself and other people.
“What’s the point?! I’ll just mess everything up again. I always mess up. I’m just a stupid, no-good kid that my own dad didn’t even want to show up for!”
“What I do with my life is none of your business, so stay out of it!”
“You really think you're gonna help them?! Ha! I bet you have no idea what you're even doing!”
“Now that's the bad girl we love to hate!”
Every hurtful word he was subjected to felt like it was burning right into his flesh and bone causing him to scream in pain repeatedly.
“Flash!” Twilight cried, still trying to reach her fiancé with Sunset following behind her. However, before either of them could reach him, a shockwave rippled through the air knocking the two of them to the ground. A wave of black fire followed, and the two girls shielded their faces with their arms. Even though the magic fire did no physical damage, they both could still feel the heat and pain licking and stabbing their exposed skin.
When the heat and pain finally died down, Twilight and Sunset lowered their arms just in time to see something or someone emerge from the shadow. It was upright on two legs and was about Flash’s height. The being’s appearance was like Flash’s but was significantly altered. It had hair like black flames and blank pupil-less eyes like burning coals. It was dressed completely in black metal with black plate armor covering its legs and torso and black chainmail sleeves covering its arms. From its back, two sharp, shadowy black wings spread out.
Twilight looked up at the being and uttered out a single word, “F-F-Flash?”
The dark entity looked Twilight straight in the eyes and replied darkly, “Who the heck is Flash?”
“AJ!” Sunset screamed into her cellphone, “Twilight and I need you and the rest of the girls at Canterlot City Park NOW! Don’t forget your necklaces! Magical threat; no time to explain!”
She hung up as she turned back towards the being who was once Flash Sentry. What was once a kind, friendly young man was now staring her and Twilight down with malice burning in his glowing, red eyes.
“Honey,” Twilight tried to reason with him, “I know you’re still in there, and I know you don’t want to hurt me.”
The armored shadow man let out a wicked, gravelly laugh and replied, “The man you loved is gone. I’m Dark Reverb now, and you don’t know me AT ALL!”
He let loose a wave of black fire from his hands at Twilight who screamed as she once again held up her arms to shield her face. However, instead of hitting her directly, the fire circled around her creating a wall of black flames on all sides. She lowered her arms and looked around in surprise before doubling over and covering her ears as voices began to scream at her from within the flames. Actually, only one voice was screaming at her, Flash’s voice.
“I HATE YOU!”
“You never loved me at all!”
“You don’t even know what love is!”
“You’re such a selfish [censored]! It’s no wonder you don’t have any real friends!”
As Twilight continued to be assaulted by her beloved’s voice, the flames were inching closer and closer to her, the intensifying heat only adding to the pain she felt. Although hurt, confused, and on the brink of heat exhaustion, Twilight managed to keep her wits about her long enough to activate the magic in her geode necklace. As soon as she felt the wings form on her back, she used them to fly towards the one place where she wasn’t surrounded by black fire, straight up.
Twilight opened her eyes once she felt the cool night breeze on her face. She looked around, searching for a source of water or sand that she can smother the flames with. When she turned to her left, she saw a fountain in the middle of the park. Twilight grit her teeth in determination as she used her telekinesis to drench the fire circle she had been in.
When the steam cleared, she looked right into Dark Reverb’s eyes. Tears began welling up in her own as the words from the flames began to echo in her head. She scowled and gave her head a few resolute shakes to clear Flash’s, no, Reverb’s words from her mind.
“I don’t know how you’re making Flash do that, but you’re going to wish you hadn’t,” she declared. “Come on, Flash, I know that wasn’t really you. You have to fight the dark magic somehow because I REALLY don’t want to fight you.”
“Still gnawing away at that bone, are we?” Reverb chuckled viciously, charging up his flames for another attack. However, before he could blast Twilight out of the sky, a rainbow blur punched him in the face and sent him flying a few feet back.
“As much as I don’t like the idea of fighting my friends,” said Rainbow Dash as she skidded to a stop, “MAN! Did that feel good!”
The rest of the former Rainbooms followed at a much slower pace.
“Okay, Sunset, we’re all here,” panted AJ. “What’s going on?”
“The short story, the Dazzlings tricked Coin Bank into releasing an ancient Equestrian evil from Limbo, and now it’s taken over Flash and turned him into that,” Sunset rapidly explained pointing at Reverb.
Reverb got up and turned his attention to his attacker.
“Just for that,” he growled at Rainbow Dash, “you will BURN!”
Dark Reverb sent a powerful wave of black fire at the speedster who dodged it easily. However, some of the fire managed to graze the side of her arm.
“You pathetic loser,” Flash’s voice taunted her from within the flame.
“Yow!” Dash cried, clutching at her arm before looking up and around in confusion. “Hold on. What was that?”
“What was what?” asked Sunset.
“Okay, this is going to sound weird, but when that fire touched my arm, I thought I heard—”
“Flash’s voice insulting you?” Twilight interrupted as she touched down among her friends. “Yeah, that happened to me earlier.”
“But Flash would never say things like that to anyone,” Applejack pointed out, “not even if someone really deserved it.”
“Well, except for when he’s brainwashed,” Pinkie Pie noted, “like that time when the Dazzlings tried to take over the school.”
“Gah!” Rainbow cried, alternating between clutching her arm and clutching her head. “I can still hear him calling me a loser in my head, and my arm still kinda hurts! I feel like I just got punched in the feelings and literally punched at the same time!”
“I would say it’s more like evil Flash gave you a sick burn literally and figuratively,” prattled Pinkie.
“I don’t care what it’s like!” Twilight screamed. “And Flash is not evil! Let’s just blast that thing to kingdom come so that I can get my guy back from it!”
All her friends stared at her in surprise and blinked twice.
“Wow! She’s really ticked off,” Pinkie said to no one in particular.
“Wouldn’t you be too if this happened to the guy you’re going to marry?” Sunset dryly pointed out as she activated the magic in her geode. The rest of the girls, sans Twilight, did likewise.
“Light him up, ladies!” Pinkie cheered as the girls got into a V formation with Sunset in the middle. One by one, the girls rose into the air and channeled their magic to Sunset who focused it into a single concentrated, rainbow beam of power that she fired straight at Reverb.
Dark Reverb answered with a beam of his own, one made of black fire. At first, his beam was barely holding the Rainbooms’ at bay, but slowly, his beam began to inch towards the midpoint, then past the midpoint. Finally, the dark beam reached Sunset and shot the girls out of the sky sending them into the ground.
“What the—? How—?” Dash sputtered incredulously as she sat up clutching her head. “He just fought back against a rainbow laser AND WON?! They never fight back, and they ABSOLUTELY. NEVER. WIN!”
Reverb laughed his loudest, longest, most maniacal laugh yet, “You fools! Did you really think that after escaping Limbo a second time that I would let go of my new host THAT EASY?!”
With that, he shot a massive blast of black fire towards the girls which Rarity blocked with her diamond shields. Flash’s voice shouted at them as the fire hit the shields. However, thanks to Rarity’s shields dissipating the flames, all the girls heard were unintelligible shrieks of hate and anger. The screams weren’t nearly as emotionally devastating as what Twilight and Rainbow Dash had experienced earlier, but it still left the girls pretty shaken.
Sunset’s brain went into overdrive trying to formulate a plan to stop Dark Reverb. Replaying Reverb’s last sentence in her mind, she gasped in realization.
“Oh my gosh!” Sunset exclaimed. “The dark magic didn’t just corrupt Flash. It’s latched on to him like a parasite.”
“Well, how are we supposed to unlatch it?” Rainbow Dash yelled in frustration. “Blasting it out of him didn’t work, so what are we supposed to do? Hold him down and beat it out of him?”
“Not quite,” Sunset answered as a knowing smirk slowly spread across her face. “Girls, I have an idea!”
“Wonderful,” AJ cried in relief. “What’s the plan?”
“I’m going to need you girls to try to hold him down,” Sunset explained, “and while he’s held down, Twilight and I are going in.”
“Going in where?” Twilight asked, a look of confusion crossing her face.
“Remember back in Camp Everfree when I took the girls inside your head to help you get over being afraid of your magic? Well, now, you’re going to see how I did it.”
Dark Reverb let out a war cry as he shot out another blast of fire at Rainbow Dash who was running circles around him and dodging everything that he threw at her. He had tried taking the fight into the skies a few minutes ago but had to return to the ground because he kept getting blindsided by the falcons, hawks, and owls that Fluttershy had summoned. The fight on the ground wasn’t going much better for him since he had to dodge sugar explosions, courtesy of Pinkie Pie, and flying rocks, trees, picnic tables, and park benches, courtesy of Applejack. Meanwhile, Rarity was on defense, using her diamonds to block and smother the flames.
In addition to the raptors that defended the skies, Fluttershy had also summoned a herd of woodland critters to help put out any stray fires that had caught on the grass. Fluttershy and AJ had attempted to put out the fires themselves earlier but discovered that the flames yelled insults and obscenities in Flash’s voice at any human being that got too close. Fluttershy nearly broke down crying when she heard “Flash” call her a useless doormat, and AJ became so enraged at being called a dumb, hayseed [censored] that she charged headfirst at Reverb and would have taken a full blast of black fire to the face if Rarity hadn’t intervened. Thankfully, the animals seemed immune to the fires’ psychological attacks.
“Okay,” Rainbow Dash observed, “we’ve got him on the ropes. Now, how are we supposed to hold him down long enough for Sunset to do her thing.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Applejack declared. “Dash, you keep ‘im busy while I tell Fluttershy and Rarity the plan. Pinkie, give Dash some cover.”
“Aye, aye,” Pinkie agreed with a cheerful salute before she sent the biggest cloud of pink sugar that she’s ever made Reverb’s way.
With Reverb’s vision obscured by the pink cloud, Rainbow began to distract him with hit-and-run tactics. Reverb tried to hit her back, but his impaired vision and Rainbow’s incredible speed made her next to impossible to hit even with his ranged attacks.
Reverb growled under his breath, cursing the Rainbooms, cursing the Elements of Harmony, cursing the Pillars of Equestria and Stygian. If those blasted birds weren’t in the way, he could use his wings and just fly out of the cloud obscuring his vision. Wait a minute. Wings!
Reverb smiled wickedly as he flapped his enormous wings creating a breeze that blew away the sugary cloud. When the cloud dissipated, he found himself surrounded with diamonds.
“Now!” Applejack cried, throwing her lasso around Dark Reverb’s wings tying them together.
Rarity grunted as she simultaneously slammed her diamonds against Reverb encasing him in a jeweled cocoon that still left his head and shoulders exposed. No sooner had Rarity finished encasing him when Reverb found himself trapped in the arms of a bear.
“Gotcha!” cheered AJ.
“Great job, Harry!” Fluttershy praised the bear.
As Reverb struggled in the bear’s grip, Sunset and Twilight walked up to him. Twilight had her hand on Sunset’s shoulder while Sunset placed both her hands on Reverb’s shoulders. Sunset’s magic activated, her eyes glowed white, and so did Twilight’s.
Sunset and Twilight found themselves in an empty, white void. They looked around for any sign of life, but they seemed to be alone.
“Are we inside Flash’s mind?” Twilight asked.
“I think so,” Sunset answered. “Although, when the girls and I went in your mind at Camp Everfree, it didn’t look anything like this. Then again, the magic seems to be affecting Flash a lot differently than what happened with you and me, so maybe we’re just in a different part of Flash’s mind than wherever your fear of Midnight Sparkle was.”
“Look,” Twilight cried, pointing at something nearby. It was a shiny, glowing orb just floating in the air. Upon closer inspection, the two girls saw what looked like threads coming out of it and connecting it to other floating orbs.
Twilight held the orb into her hands and looked into it. The orb’s surface rippled as a scene began to play on it.
“Okay, Flashy,” Flash’s grandfather Lionheart walked in what appeared to be someone’s living room. It wasn’t the one in Flash’s house; that’s for sure. A five-year-old Flash was sitting on the floor in front of a Christmas tree. “Here’s a special present just for you.”
Lionheart revealed a wrapped package from behind his back and presented it to his oldest grandson. Flash’s eyes nearly popped out of his sockets as he accepted the gift and excitedly tore away the wrapping paper.
“Oh my gosh!” Little Flash squealed as he unveiled a kid-sized guitar from under the red and green paper. “My own guitar!” He jumped up and rushed to give his grandfather a hug. “Thank you, Grandpa! I love you so much!”
“Whoa,” Twilight gasped as he released the orb and allowed it to return to its earlier position. “I think that was one of Flash’s memories.
“Then,” Sunset inferred, glancing at the interconnected orbs that now surrounded them, “that means all these are memories too and that they’re all connected to each other in some way.”
“What are those connected to?” Twilight asked, pointing to some black threads. They were coming out of several orbs and going the same direction.
Sunset reached up and touched one. As she did, a vision of the Pony of Shadows passed before her eyes, and she let go of the thread.
“I think those have something to do with the magic that’s corrupting Flash,” Sunset replied. “If we follow those threads, we might find the magic. If we find the magic, then we can find a way to save Flash.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Twilight exclaimed as she followed the thread, running as fast as her legs could take her with Sunset not far behind her.
After running for a while, Twilight slowed to a walk giving Sunset time to catch up with her as the two of them continued to follow the black threads.
“Hey, Sunset,” Twilight noted, “I just realized something. When you and the girls went in my mind at Camp Everfree, I was in it, correct?”
“Yes, yes you were,” Sunset replied.
“We’re inside Flash’s mind, so logically speaking, he should be in it, right?”
“Also correct.”
“So, if we’re inside Flash’s mind, then where is he, and why haven’t we run into him yet?”
Sunset looked up to answer but stopped when she saw what was directly in front of her and Twilight. They had stopped in front of an opaque dome of dark energy which the black threads went through.
“I think this might answer your question,” Sunset replied. She put her hand on the dome, and the energy rippled in response to her touch. However, when she tried to push herself through, the energy pushed back with equal force keeping her out. She pushed a few more times, harder and harder each time, but the dome still didn’t budge an inch.
“Flash!” Twilight tried to call through it. “Are you in there?”
A childlike scream answered her.
“Who are you? What do you want?” The voice from the dome sounded like that of a young boy who was at least five years old but no older than six.
Twilight blinked twice before calling again, “Um, are you Flash Sentry?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Twilight and Sunset turned to each other, complete, utter shock all over their faces, or whatever the mental equivalent of their faces would be.
“Who are you?” the little boy who was apparently Flash called out.
“You-you don’t know who I am?” Twilight asked.
“Nuh-uh,” replied Flash. “Wait. Your voice. I think I do know you.”
Twilight was about to sigh in relief when the rest of Flash’s answer stabbed her right in the heart.
“You’re that girl I like who likes someone else,” Flash finished.
“What?!” Twilight screamed, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. “Flash, I’m your fiancée. You proposed to me at Stardust Point last year. We’re getting married in a week! I mean, I might have been with someone else before, but, but I’m yours now, or, or at least I will be in a week.” Twilight’s voice broke while she was saying the second half of that last sentence trying not to cry.
“I don’t remember proposing to anyone,” Flash retorted, “especially not at Stardust Point. I don’t remember even doing anything at Stardust Point, except for that time I tried to call my dad when my mom was dying of cancer and he just hung up on me.”
“Wait. You remember that, but you really don’t remember anything else?”
“I remember a lot of things,” Flash refuted. “I remember always getting into fights when I was ten. I don’t remember why though. Maybe I was just a bad kid. I also remember missing all my brother’s games because of that horrible girl I dated that everyone told me not to, and my brother hating me because of it. I also remember yelling at that princess from another dimension and making her cry.”
As Sunset listened to Flash list off what he remembered, she studied the threads entering the dome. She remembered the threads from the memory orbs she and Twilight had seen earlier. They connected Flash’s memories to each other which means that the ones entering the dome must also be connected to other memories. What if the magic was messing with how Flash’s memories were connected?
“Flash,” Sunset said through the dome, “do you know who I am?”
Sunset was answered with a scream and an angry yell of “Go away!”
“Stay away from me!” Flash continued. “Haven’t you ruined my life enough?! I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve already done a pretty good job of ruining it myself! I don’t need you to make it worse!”
“What is going on?!” Twilight cried looking at Sunset, confusion and desperation written in her eyes.
“I think the magic is keeping Flash trapped in his bad memories, and it’s affecting how he sees himself and us,” Sunset explained.
“So, how do we get him out of here?”
Sunset sighed as she looked up and stared at the black threads intently. “If we had a way to fix the connection between his good memories and bad ones, we might be able to help him remember who he is and who we are.”
Twilight, still reeling from the fact that Flash couldn’t remember who she really was, began to sing a song to try to comfort herself.
“You know I want you,” she sang softly, “It's not a secret I try to hide/I know you want me/So don't keep saying our hands are tied/You claim it's not in the cards/And fate is pulling you miles away/And out of reach from me/But you're here in my heart/So who can stop me if I decide/That you're my destiny?”
As Twilight sang, a faint glow began to emanate from some of the strings. With each line, the glow grew brighter and brighter.
“What if we rewrite the stars?” Twilight’s voice began to break as she began the chorus. “Say you were made to be mine?/Nothing can keep us apart/Cause you are the one I was meant to find”
She had to stop just to keep herself from breaking down crying. Thankfully, before she could further dwell on the bleakness of her beloved’s current situation, she heard his voice answering her from the other side of the dome.
“You think it's easy,” Flash sang from the other side. “You think I don't want to run to you/But there are mountains/And there are doors that we can't walk through”
As Flash continued to sing, Twilight could hear his voice aging bit by bit. Furthermore, part of the dome began to ripple as it became more and more transparent until it was clear enough for Twilight to look through. She looked and saw Flash. His back was turned to her, but she knew it was him. He had somehow been transformed into a child, but she could see him aging along with his voice as he sang.
“It's not up to you, it's not up to me/When everyone tells us what we can be,” Flash stopped aging as he finished off the chorus. He appeared to be about ten years old now. He turned around and saw Twilight smiling at him through the transparent part of the dome.
“Twilight!” he cheered, running up to her and putting his hands on the dome. If the dome hadn’t been between them, their hands would have been touching.
“Of course, I do,” Flash replied. “You reached out to me and decided to be my friend when my mom was sick, you helped me and my brother feel better about losing her after she died, and you stayed with me when I was too sad to go to the dance because I missed her so much. You also said yes when I asked you to marry me last year.”
Unfortunately, that happy moment was cut short when a dark energy pulsed through the dome, not only re-darkening the section that had turned transparent but also pushing Twilight and Flash back and away from each other.
“Twilight!” Flash cried as he lost sight of her.
Twilight sat up just in time to see dome once again become completely dark and opaque.
“No!” she cried as she got to her feet. She gasped as a shadowy blob oozed from the dome and took shape of a familiar dark alicorn.
“Fools!” the Pony of Shadows bellowed. “Like I said before, I am not giving up this host that easily.” The shadow alicorn reshaped itself into Dark Reverb and continued, “And I will not be stopped!”
“Uh, Flash!” Sunset called, trying and failing to control the desperation in her voice. “We’re going to try and beat this thing, but I don’t think we can unless you remember who you are.”
Flash groaned as he searched for other pleasant memories to draw from, “Ugh! I’m trying, but I can’t remember anything good that isn’t Twilight-related.”
Sunset’s face scrunched in confusion as she replied, “Wait. If the only good memories you have access to are Twilight-related, then how come you’re not yelling at me to leave you alone?”
“Because I remember you saving her during the Friendship Games and the two of you becoming best friends afterwards. Also, I remember deciding to bury the hatchet with you when Twilight and I started dating.”
Sunset shrugged, “Okay, I can accept that. Whoa!”
Sunset yelped as she dodged multiple black fireballs, eventually landing next to Twilight.
“We got to help Flash remember his other memories,” Sunset said to her best friend. “How did you get him to remember you?”
“I don’t know. I just starting singing, and he started singing back, and maybe the music jogged his memory or something,” Twilight replied.
Sunset nodded, “I did see some of the threads changing while you were singing.”
The two of them had to pause their conversation to dodge a few more fireballs.
“So, we just need to find another song that will help jog his memory some more,” Sunset continued, “but which song should we try?”
“I don’t know,” Twilight replied, the two of them still trying to evade Reverb’s fire. “I have a few ideas, but we’re not going to be able to get close enough to help Flash and keep Dark Reverb or Shadow Pony or whatever it’s calling itself from blasting us.”
“So, what you’re saying is that we need to bring someone from out there in here to help us?”
Twilight opened her mouth to object, but then, her eyes widened in realization. Slowly, a smile grew on her face to match her eyes.
“That wasn’t what I was saying at all, but that’s a great idea,” Twilight replied, “and I think I know just who to bring. Think you can keep the parasite busy until I get back?”
“Will I have a choice?” Sunset retorted.
Twilight decided to take that as a yes and turned towards the dome Flash was still trapped in.
“I’ll be back, Flash. I promise,” she reassured him before quickly vanishing.
“Back from where?” Flash called from the dome. “Uh, Twilight?”
No answer.
“Did she just leave?!”
“Don’t worry. She’ll be back,” Sunset replied.
“Why would she?” Reverb interrupted tauntingly. “It’s not like either of you are worth coming back for.”
Meanwhile, outside of Flash’s mind, Twilight had just let go of Sunset’s shoulder, and her eyes returned to normal.
“Twilight, what happened?” Applejack asked when she saw that Twilight’s consciousness had returned to her own body.
“Good news, we found the evil, magic parasite. Bad news, it won’t let go of Flash, and we need help,” Twilight replied.
“You need us to go in there with you and beat it out of him?” Dash asked expectantly.
“No, but I do have something for you to do.”
Rainbow Dash’s face fell upon being denied the opportunity to help beat the living snot out of an ancient, otherworldly evil, but she quickly shook off her disappointment and focused on what Twilight truly needed from her.
“What d’ya need?” she asked.
“I need you to run back to Pizza Louis’s and get Micro Chips and First Base here as fast as you can,” Twilight replied urgently. “Hurry.”
“Never gonna give you up/Never gonna let you down/Never gonna run around and desert you,” sang First Base from the karaoke stage in an astoundingly accurate impression of Rein Astley. To his left, Sweetie Belle scowled at him with her arms crossed. She was supposed to be the one performing next, but Base had bribed Vinyl Scratch into letting him Rein on her, and she was not happy.
Meanwhile, Button Mash and Micro Chips were duking it out in a game of Street Fighter at the arcade.
“Take that! And that! And that!” Button yelled as he executed a series of attacks with the joystick and buttons. “Oh, you are goin’ DOWN!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Micro replied nonchalantly, attempting to counter Button’s attacks. “I don’t know about you, but I feel kinda weird keeping the party going without the guests of honor present. Heck, not even the party planner is here.”
“Yeah, I guess that is kinda weird,” Button agreed as they both continued to play. “When do you think they’ll be back?”
“Hopefully not long. The girls usually make short work of these kinds of magical threats. Then again, they haven’t dealt with one in a couple of years, so they might be a little out of practice.”
Suddenly, a rainbow blur rushed into the arcade and stopped right behind the boys.
“Micro Chips!” Rainbow Dash cried, causing Micro to take his eyes off the game.
“Wha—?” Before Micro could even finish that thought, Rainbow had grabbed him, slung him over her shoulder, and ran all the way to the park.
“Here’s Micro,” Dash declared before unceremoniously dumping Micro Chips at Twilight’s feet before running back to the restaurant.
Micro sat up and shook his head as he attempted to regain his bearings.
“What the heck?!” he cried as he slowly realized what had happened.
“And here’s Base.” Dash once again plopped her latest catch on the ground. First Base’s response at the turn of events was the same as Micro’s.
“What the heck?!” the 15-going-on-16-year-old cried.
“Guys!” Twilight exclaimed, getting both newcomers’ attention. “I don’t really have time to explain this, but Flash is in trouble, and we need your help.”
Micro blinked in confusion as both he and Base got to their feet.
“Wait. You need OUR help? With a magical threat?” he asked.
“Yes!” Twilight practically dragged them over to where Sunset was standing. Sunset still had her hands on Dark Reverb’s shoulders, and her eyes were still glowing indicating that she was still inside Flash’s mind. However, one of her eyes had begun changing from white to the same color of red as Reverb’s.
“That can’t be good,” Twilight remarked noting the change. “Come on, you two. We have no time to lose.”
“But we don’t even know what we need to do,” Micro protested.
“I’ll explain when we get there. For now, just put your hands on Sunset’s shoulders.”
Twilight grabbed the boys each by the hand and laid their hands on Sunset’s shoulders. Micro and Base’s eyes took on the same white glow as Sunset’s right eye and half of her left eye. The park vanished from their sight, and they found themselves in a white void with Twilight.
“Where are we?” Micro Chips asked as he looked around, seeing nothing but empty space.
Before Twilight could answer, they all heard a scream. The three of them turned towards the sound and gasped at what they saw. They saw Sunset Shimmer kneeling down and bent over with her hands over her ears. She was surrounded by a dome of black fire that was slowly closing in on her. Outside the dome stood Dark Reverb controlling the flames.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Twilight cried, running as fast as she could. To everyone’s amazement, she tackled Reverb to the ground and pinned him down by the shoulders. “You already hurt the man I love. I’m not letting you hurt my best friend.”
With Reverb’s concentration broken, the flames surrounding Sunset dissipated. Sunset hesitantly uncovered her ears sighing with relief at the silence.
“Sunset!” Micro called as he and Base ran over to her. “You okay?” He offered her his hand which she gingerly took.
“Yeah,” she replied as Micro Chips helped her to her feet. “I am now.”
“Ugh!” Twilight cried as Reverb threw her off him causing her to land in front of her friends.
“You’re going to pay for that!” Reverb bellowed as he shapeshifted into the Pony of Shadows. The Pony of Shadows roared before unleashing a bolt of dark energy at the four.
“Let’s move.” Sunset grabbed Micro Chips and First Base as she and Twilight scattered in different directions. She led the two boys to the dome and explained, “Flash is trapped in there with his bad memories, and if we don’t free him, that thing is going to keep using his body to destroy everything he cares about. Twilight got him to remember her and, to some extent, me, but we need to get him to remember more stuff.”
Judging by the look on Micro’s face, Sunset knew that she had done a terrible job of explaining the situation; however, she REALLY didn’t have time to start over from the beginning.
“Flash!” Sunset called through the dome. “Twilight’s back, and she brought help.”
“Who?” Flash answered.
“Wait. What happened to my brother?” First Base asked. “Why does he sound like he’s 10 or something?”
“Little Bro?” Flash replied in recognition. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me. What happened, Big Bro? Are you okay?”
No answer.
“Uh, Big Bro?”
“Flash, it’s okay,” Sunset reassured him. “He’s here to help you.”
“Why?” Flash asked. “He hates me. I kept blowing him off and told him to stay out of my life, so he wished me dead. He never forgave me for it.”
“What?!” cried Base incredulously. “That’s not what happened at all! I mean, okay, we did say some stuff to each other that we really regret, but later, I said I was sorry, and he said he was sorry, and we both forgave each other for the whole mess. We even cried it out together, and he hates crying!”
“Oh!” Micro exclaimed, the confusion clearing from his face. “So, when you said Flash was trapped in his bad memories, you meant that his recall of his memories has been warped so that he can only remember his bad memories which distorted his self-perception and his perception of others, so his mind filled the blanks from his good memories with false memories that reinforced his overall negative perception, and as long as Flash’s perception is grossly out of touch with reality, that thing we saw surrounding you with black fire earlier stays in control of him.”
“Yes!” Sunset screamed, partially from relief and partially from annoyance. “Basically!”
Meanwhile, Twilight and the Pony of Shadows had taken the fight to the sky. Twilight was flying as nimbly as she could, dodging dark energy blasts left and right. The Pony of Shadows growled as he continued to chase her.
“You can’t keep flying like this forever, little girl,” he taunted.
Twilight clenched her teeth. She hated to admit it, but the dark alicorn was right. She couldn’t stay on defense forever, but what could she do? As her mind went into overdrive finding a solution, she made a stunning realization.
“Wait a minute,” Twilight thought to herself. “I’m in a mind which means everything in here is abstract which means I should be able to do this.”
Twilight concentrated on visualizing Canterlot City Park. As she did so, her surroundings began to morph into an exact replica of the park, well, except for the pink elephants. She must still have that movie on her mind after watching it with Flurry Heart last night. That seemingly insignificant detail ended up working to her advantage when a baby elephant with enormous ears flew by and pelted the Pony of Shadows with peanuts.
Back with Sunset and the boys, they quickly noticed the sudden change in their surroundings. They looked up in time to see Twilight telekinetically uproot an imaginary tree and whack the Pony of Shadows with it.
“Twilight, you genius!” Sunset cheered before turning back to Base and Micro. “I’m going to go over and help her. I need you guys to stay here and help Flash unwarp his memories.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” Micro asked feeling completely out of his depth.
“Well, Twilight got him to remember her by singing him their song, so maybe you two should sing him something that will make him think of the two of you,” Sunset explained before charging into the fray mentally arming herself with a lightsaber and Captain America’s shield as she did so.
The boys looked from Sunset to each other before finally turning back towards the dome. The looks on their faces showed that the two of them agreed with each other. They were both in WAY over their heads.
“Uh, Flash?” Micro asked. “Do you recognize me, man?”
“Yeah,” Flash replied. “I think I tried to be friends with you back in kindergarten, but then, we got made fun of, and you didn’t want anything to do with me afterwards.”
“Okay? Do you remember anything else, more specifically what happened directly after we got made fun of?”
“No, after that, the next thing I remember about you is that you were around whenever I got into a fight in fifth grade for some reason and that I bullied you in high school.”
“He never bullied you in high school!” Base refuted. “Sure, you guys started growing apart because he started hanging out with stupid Brawly, but he never bullied you. Uh, did he?”
Micro Chips just gave First Base the most deadpan stare humanly possible.
“No, of course not,” Micro answered matter-of-factly before turning his attention back towards the dome. “Wow! Your memories are pretty distorted, Flash, but I think I know how to fix them or at least the ones that are related to me anyway.”
“How?” Flash and Base asked simultaneously.
“Firstly,” Micro turned to First Base and glared at him intensely, “I need you to swear that nothing you are about to see and hear leaves this place.”
Twilight once again swung the uprooted tree at the Pony of Shadows. The Pony of Shadows shot a dark beam from his horn reducing it to ash. He smirked and shapeshifted into Dark Reverb.
“You wouldn’t want to hurt the man you’re going to marry in a week, would you?” Reverb taunted. He was answered by a flying rock which he barely dodged.
“You are NOT the man I’m marrying next week,” Twilight refuted vehemently, telekinetically flinging rocks at him all the while. “HE is trapped in dark, magical energy dome with all his bad memories while YOU are running amok in his body, and I have zero guilt about hitting you or beating you down or worse!”
Before Reverb could respond, he sensed something rapidly flying close to his head and caught it backhanded. It was a round, metal shield with a white star on a blue field in the middle surrounded by three concentric circles of alternating red and white. He turned to the shield’s source and saw Sunset standing firmly on the ground with both hands on her lightsaber. He smiled and ignited his hand, covering the shield in black flames.
“Catch!” he said to Twilight tossing the flaming shield at her. However, when the fire died down, it wasn’t a metal shield that was heading Twilight’s way but a large spider-like creature with a long, whip-like tail and a gaping mouth on its underside.
Twilight screamed but managed to stop the creature with her telekinesis before it could hit her face.
“Heads up!” Twilight called to Sunset tossing the creature towards her. Sunset quickly sliced it right down the middle with her lightsaber, its death squeals sending chills down her spine.
Dark Reverb laughed haughtily, “You thought you were so clever taking advantage of the abstract nature of a mind realm to help you fight me. Well, your ‘cleverness’ will be your undoing!”
With that final declaration, Reverb searched the sky for the flying elephant from earlier. Once he saw the elephant coming his way, he shot a beam of black fire at it causing it to explode in a cloud of smoke. Out of the smoke emerged a gigantic purple and black dragon with lime green eyes spewing out lime green flames. The dragon turned towards Twilight and Sunset with evil burning in its eyes as it let out a ferocious roar.
“Oh crud,” Sunset squeaked out as she and Twilight gaped at the beast.
“But the one little duck with the feather on his back/He led the others with a quack, quack, quack!” Micro Chips sang while flapping his arms like a duck. “Quack, quack, quack!/He led the others with a quack, quack, quack!”
First Base just stared at him as if he had just lost his mind.
“How is a song about ducks supposed to help Flash remember you?” the teen cried.
Before Micro could retort, the two of them heard a laugh coming from the dome as its surface rippled. The laugh started out boyish but slowly deepened until it became pubescent-sounding. The rippling surface became transparent allowing Micro and Base to see Flash. Flash had aged into his teens but was still a few years too young. That didn’t stop the boys from celebrating their progress.
“Pitchy as usual, Micro,” Flash said to his best friend with a smile.
“Hey, you can’t knock me for trying,” Micro retorted playfully causing the two friends to laugh.
“Okay, seriously, how did a song about ducks get you to remember Micro Chips?” Base exclaimed incredulously.
“That was the first song I learned from kindergarten,” Flash explained. “Our classroom had one of those board books with the buttons that played music, and the words to the song were written inside.”
“Derpy was trying to read it, but she couldn’t read,” Micro added.
“I tried to help her, but I couldn’t read either.”
“But Micro/I could,” Flash and Micro said simultaneously.
“So, I would read the words while D pushed the button,” Micro continued.
“And I’d put the words and music together into the whole song,” Flash finished. “That’s what got you out from hiding under the table after we got made fun of.”
“And after Lyra and Sweetie Drops became friends with us, the five of us would play that game where we’d pretend to be ducks almost every day.”
The two of them shared another laugh before that sweet little moment was interrupted by the sound of a fearsome, reptilian roar. Everybody turned to the direction of the roar, and their jaws dropped at the sight of Twilight being chased through the air by the dragon from Sleeping Beauty. She was armed with two cat-shaped gauntlets and would turn around every so often to attack the monster with them.
Another roar resounded through the air, this one accompanied by the earth shaking. The source of the roar and earthquake was also a dragon. However, this one seemed entirely made of concrete and twisted metal and remained on the ground. The junk dragon chased Sunset Shimmer who had replaced her lightsaber with a bowcaster. Like Twilight, she was stopping every few seconds to turn around and shoot at her pursuer.
“Have you gotten Flash to normal yet?” Sunset called frantically to the boys.
“Uh, almost,” Micro replied sheepishly.
“Well, hurry up,” Twilight added. “We won’t be able to keep this up for much longer.”
“Why are you trying to fight off dragons with hand weapons anyway?” Base wondered. “Wouldn’t it make better sense to think up something more efficient like…?”
“Base! No, no, no, no!” Twilight tried to warn him, but she was too late. A small, black dragon flew in and pelted the larger, black dragon with blue fireballs.
“Yeah! Now, that’s how it’s done!” First Base cheered.
However, Micro saw the looks of terror Sunset and Twilight were giving Base’s addition to the battle and uttered, “Uh, Base, I don’t think you should have done that.”
First Base quickly figured out why when Dark Reverb flew in and blasted the little dragon with a fistful of black fire. The small dragon went up in smoke, and a larger, less friendly dragon emerged in its place. Not only was the dragon enormous but also heavily built with red spikes covering its entire body. It had a small head frill, six beady eyes, a mouthful of teeth set on a gigantic head. The new dragon turned towards Twilight and let out a guttural roar before sucking her in with its cavernous mouth.
Twilight screamed as she flapped her wings desperately trying to outfly the force that was pulling her back. She was just about to pass over the dragon’s teeth when it yelped and staggered back in pain. Sunset fired two more shots from the bowcaster into the dragon’s face giving Twilight the opening she needed to escape.
“Don’t worry about us,” Sunset called to Micro Chips and First Base. “Just focus on getting Flash to remember.”
“And if you’re going to try and help us, don’t imagine anything bigger than what you can hold, or Reverb will corrupt it into something that can forcibly blast us out of Flash’s mind,” Twilight added before turning her attention back to the two dragons.
“What happens if we get blasted out of Flash’s mind?” Micro asked worriedly.
“Honestly, we’re not sure,” Sunset replied while simultaneously dodging and firing at multiple sources of dragon fire, “but if I had to guess, Dark Reverb will probably re-warp Flash’s memories, take over Flash’s body, and end up stronger than before in the real world.”
Micro, Base, and Flash quickly looked from the dragons attacking the girls to each other, the urgency on their faces as clear as day.
“We’ve got to get Flash to remember who he really is and fast,” Micro pointed out.
“How are we supposed to do that, Captain Obvious?” Base snapped.
“We need a song that really speaks to Flash on a deep level, one that inspires him and puts all his bad memories into a more positive perspective.”
“You guys could try my favorite song,” Flash suggested.
“Oh, perfect, what is it?”
Flash stared at Micro blankly. “If I could remember, do you think I’d still be trapped in here while three ginormous dragons are out there chasing my fiancée and her best friend?”
“Ooooh, right.” Micro bit his lip as he thought about what Flash’s favorite song could be. “Well, I’m assuming that your favorite song is by your favorite band. Uh, what’s that band’s name? I know it shares a name with a kitchen utensil. Uh, Spatula? No. Crockpot? Nuh-uh. Saucepan?”
“Frying Pan!” First Base exclaimed. “His favorite band is Frying Pan, and I think I have an idea what his favorite song could be.”
“Ugh!” Sunset cried as a well-timed tail strike from the concrete dragon sent her flying. She landed right in front of the six-eyed dragon. The six-eyed dragon let out a screech of fury before opening her mouth to roast Sunset alive. However, right as it was about to expel a breath of fire, a cold, blue beam struck its mouth negating its fire. Sunset looked up and saw Micro Chips running towards her with a silver, pistol-like weapon in his hand.
The black dragon saw Micro coming, turned her attention from Twilight, and unleashed a stream of fire his direction. Micro pointed his weapon at the fire and shot out another beam once again cancelling out the fire.
“What are you doing here?!” Sunset yelled at him when she got to her feet.
“Didn’t think a two versus three fight was very fair, so I thought I’d even the odds,” Micro replied, shooting a beam at the concrete dragon before it could breathe fire at them freezing its mouth shut.
“Well, if you’re here, then who’s helping Flash?!”
“Relax; First Base has got it taken care of.”
“Okay, Bro, feel free to join in if any of this starts sounding familiar to you, okay?” Base began before singing, “I remember when we used to laugh/About nothing at all/It was better than going mad/From trying to solve all the problems we're going through/Forget them all/Cause on those nights/We would stand and never fall/Together we faced it all/Remember when we'd//Stay up late and we'd talk all night/In a dark room lit by the TV light/Through all the hard times in my life/Those nights kept me alive”
As First Base kept singing, several of the black threads going into the dome lit up at once. Flash looked up, and the light spread from the threads near the dome to the memory orbs floating inside of it. Even though the orbs remained dark, the threads connecting them to each other continued to light up. As the light flowed through the threads, scenes from Flash’s past began to play out on the inner surface of the dome.
Flash saw himself at seven years old on the night he found his mom crying on the living room floor after his dad left. He didn’t understand what was going on, just that his mom was sad, so he had offered his plush lion to her for comfort only to end up getting pulled into the hug himself. Next to that scene, he saw himself at ten giving his grandfather a hug after Grandpa had scolded him for talking badly about himself at the father-son field day. Next to that, he saw himself at sixteen breaking down in his mother’s arms after Sunset had brutally torn him down for breaking up with her which segued into him and First Base tearfully hugging each other as they reconciled from that big fight they had the week before. Several more scenes displayed themselves for him showing how both his good and bad memories combined to make him who he was today including but not limited to : Micro Chips and his dad ditching the father-son field day with him and his grandfather just to keep him company, the first time he and Micro Chips just walked away from their bullies with their heads high, him proving Princess Twilight innocent during the Fall Formal in junior year, his Twilight helping him study for his math test at the diner, him spilling his insecurities about her relationship with her ex in the middle of the woods, his family’s first Christmas without his grandfather, his family’s first Christmas without his mother, etc., etc.
Meanwhile, outside the dome, Sunset, Twilight, and Micro were still holding the dragons at bay, and First Base was still singing.
“I remember when/We used to laugh,” Base sang.
“And now I wish those nights would last.” Base’s eyes widened, and an overjoyed smile spread across his face when he heard his brother’s voice joining his in the song. A brilliant glow shone from inside the dome, and cracks began to appear on it. The others stopped fighting and turned back to see what was happening, and the sight brought a look of absolute horror on Dark Reverb’s face.
“No!” the shadow parasite screamed as the dome burst outwards in an explosion of light. The explosion caused the dragons to vanish and the surroundings to return to their original state. When the light died down, it revealed Flash restored to his current age standing tall with renewed confidence.
“Hey, Reverb! I remember who I am, and you can’t control me anymore!” Flash declared as he began to emit a red glow. A beam of red fire blasted out of his hands and struck Reverb who cried out in pain.
“I am not going down that easy!” Reverb bellowed changing into the Pony of Shadows and pushing back against the fire.
“But you are going down,” Twilight added as she began to glow purple and shot out a beam of purple fire at the dark alicorn. One by one, everyone else began to glow and shoot colored fire at the Pony of Shadows. First Base glowed blue, Sunset glowed orange, and Micro Chips glowed yellow. The power of the combined attack began to overwhelm the evil parasite, and it was soon blasted out of Flash’s mind.
Flash groaned as the sound of garbled voices stirred him back into consciousness. Even though Flash couldn’t make out what the voices were saying, he could tell they were in varying degrees of worry. As Flash’s head became clearer, so did the voices. Until—
“WAKE UP!” First Base screamed as he grabbed Flash’s shirtfront.
“Gah!” Flash cried as he startled awake and sat up banging his forehead on his younger brother’s.
“Ow!” both brothers exclaimed. Flash recovered first.
“Oh, my gosh! Bro, are you okay?”
“I should be asking you that,” Base replied as he rubbed his forehead.
Flash quickly scanned his surroundings as he recalled what had happened before he blacked out. He was still in the park sitting on the grass. His brother, Micro Chips, Twilight, and her friends were all either kneeling or standing in a circle around him.
“Wha-what happened?” Flash gasped.
“Oh, well, you got possessed by an ancient Equestrian evil, and just a few minutes ago, you, Twilight, Sunset, Micro, and Base blasted it out of your mind,” Pinkie explained rapidly. “It tried to possess a new host, but we managed to stop it from doing any more damage by putting it in this jar I happened to have with me.” From seemingly nowhere, Pinkie Pie pulled out a jellybean jar the size of her torso. Flash didn’t even know they made jars that big. The jar was filled with what looked like black smoke with eyes.
“Is that all of it?”
“We think so,” Twilight answered Flash before staring intently into his eyes, “but just to be sure, how did you propose to me last year?”
Flash blinked twice and replied, “I had Sunset paint a huge sign that said ‘Twilight, will you marry me?’ in a bunch of little stars while the PianoStrings cover of ‘Rewrite the Stars’ played in the background.”
Twilight sighed in relief and threw her arms around her fiancé. “Oh, thank goodness.”
Flash awkwardly returned her hug and hesitantly asked her, “Did, did I hurt you while I was possessed?”
“No, no!” she denied, tightening the hug. “YOU didn’t.”
Flash did not consider himself particularly smart or clever, but he wasn’t so dumb that he failed to notice how deliberate Twilight’s word choice was.
“Did the thing possessing me use me to hurt you?” he clarified.
“Oh, never mind that!” Twilight snapped, her voice breaking. “I’m just glad that you’re you again and that you’re okay. I was so worried that I was going to lose you.”
Flash could feel Twilight shaking as she held him tighter. He sighed deciding not to press the issue further and gently rubbed circles into her back.
“So, where did the Dazzlings and Flash’s stepbrother run off to?” Applejack noted.
“I don’t know, but those three imbeciles better hope I never see them again,” Sunset seethed. “As for Coin Bank, I have no idea where he went either, but hopefully, he hasn’t gotten himself into more trouble.”
“You know, I think I saw him hiding behind Flash’s car on the way in here,” Rainbow Dash added. “He’s probably still there. I’ll go check.”
Dash ran off using her super speed. Roughly three minutes later, she returned.
“Yeah, he’s still there,” she relayed. “I tried to bring him over, but he’s totally weirded out by the experience. He called me a freak and kept yelling at me to stay far away from him.”
“We can deal with that problem later,” Sunset replied before gesturing to the jar still in Pinkie’s hands. “Right now, we have a more pressing issue to take care of.”
“So, what are we planning on doing with it?” asked Fluttershy as she peered at the dark cloud inside the jar. “I don’t think just keeping it in a jar is very safe. If the jar breaks, it’ll get out and try to find a new host.”
“Sunset, darling, is it possible to send the, uh, ugh, thing back to wherever it came from?” Rarity suggested grimacing as she also studied the evil, magical parasite.
“Princess Twilight had trapped it in Limbo over in Equestria,” Sunset replied. “That hole it came out of must have some sort of a connection to Limbo, but I think we might have to take a closer look at the hole before we do anything. Why don’t we just keep the dark magic as tightly contained as possible for now while I write to Princess Twilight about what to do with it?”
“Okie-dokie-lokie,” Pinkie cheered. “In the meantime, we’ve got a par-tay to get back to.”
Flash, Twilight, and their friends somehow managed to enjoy the singles party, which now doubled as a You Survived Getting Possessed by Evil Magic party, after all they’ve been through. Coin Bank, on the other hand, actually took a bus back to Flash’s neighborhood, so he could “get in [his] car and drive back to New York where [censored] makes sense,” not that anyone really missed having him around. However, after the party ended, and everybody went home for the night, Flash found that he had difficulty falling asleep.
He couldn’t remember much from being possessed, but he did remember the pain and the burning and the attacks on his psyche. Did the darkness make him put his friends through the same torture? Did it make him force Twilight to suffer through what he had suffered? What if it gets out and repossesses him? What if, what if it didn’t need to repossess him?
Flash thought back to all the times his words and actions have hurt people. Sure, brainwashing was involved a few of those times, but most times the worst parts of himself just came out because he had gotten too angry or because he made a bunch of bad choices. What if the next time he got angry Twilight ends up on the receiving end of his words and actions? Did he really want to put her through that now that they were about to get married?
Flash turned towards his nightstand where his phone was charging. Tonight certainly wouldn’t be the first time he and Twilight have called each other to talk about their troubles in the middle of the night. However, Flash couldn’t bring himself to reach for his phone and call her.
“She’s probably tired and exhausted from what just happened,” Flash thought to himself. “Better let her sleep.”
The next morning, Flash got up and drove himself to the church he and Twilight were getting married in. Only three other cars were parked in the lot, most likely belonging to the pastor, the pastor’s secretary, and one of the custodians. He let himself into the sanctuary and looked around. Presently, it looked the same as it always had with its tight rows of perfectly aligned chairs facing the altar where the worship team’s drum set and keyboard stood. However, in two days, his and Twilight’s family and friends would start decorating the place with flowers and fabric for their wedding. Imagining the sanctuary fully decorated and full of people, Flash sighed dejectedly and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Well, you’re here pretty early,” said a voice from behind him. Flash turned around and saw that Pastor Gentle Stream had spoken to him. “Last I checked, service is tomorrow morning, and your wedding is next Friday.”
“Hi, Pastor Stream,” Flash greeted not even attempting to hide the sad tone in his voice.
The pastor frowned and asked, “Is everything okay?”
“I guess so, but there is this one thing.”
“Oh?”
“You remember those weird, otherworldly goings-on that use to happen all the time back when I was in high school?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. There hasn’t been one in a while though. Why do you ask?”
Flash bit his lip as he explained, “Well, last night, some people were messing with things they shouldn’t have, and I somehow got involved, and long story short, I got turned into a horrible monster that might have possibly hurt people I cared about physically and emotionally.”
The pastor blinked at him twice as he attempted to process what Flash had just told him. “I had no idea what you were going to tell me, but I certainly wasn’t expecting that. You didn’t cause any major or lasting damage to yourself and others, did you?”
“Twilight and her friends insist that I didn’t, but I’m not entirely sure I believe that.”
Pastor Stream nodded in understanding.
“So, what now? Are you afraid that whatever turned you into a monster is going to come back and, well, turn you again?” he asked.
“A little bit, but that’s not my biggest worry,” Flash replied. He sighed. “The whole incident has got me thinking about all the times I’ve hurt people either because of my own bad choices or because I lost control of my emotions, and,” he trailed off and bit his lip again, “do you think I’m making a mistake by marrying Twilight?”
Pastor Stream blinked and shook his head rapidly unsure if he heard Flash’s question correctly. “Excuse me, what?”
Flash groaned as he put a hand to his face and explained, “Okay, I probably should have gone to someone about this earlier before it got this bad, but I’ve been freaking out about my marriage failing ever since I saw my dad two months ago, and I think what happened last night just made it worse because now, I’m worried that I’m going to do something that ends up hurting Twilight, and oh my gosh, I just can’t put her through that. Maybe, maybe, maybe I should just call the whole thing off before it fails.”
This time, the pastor’s jaw nearly fell off his face, but he quickly recovered and asked, “Flash, are you really sure that’s what you want to do?”
“No!” Flash cried. “I mean, calling off the wedding is the absolute last thing that I want to do. I want to marry her and treat her well for however long we both live and make sure our marriage lasts for the same amount of time, but what if I can’t make that happen? What if I turn out to be a bad husband?”
Pastor Stream put his hand on Flash’s shoulder and replied, “I wish I knew what to tell you, Flash, but I don’t. I do know this; you are a MUCH better man than you give yourself credit for. I also know that you have it in you to not only be a good husband but an excellent one. Don’t let other people’s mistakes or even your own keep you from believing that.”
Flash couldn’t help but smile at that although he was still a bit unsure.
“By the way,” the pastor continued, “are you and Twilight receiving any pre-marital counseling of any kind?”
“Not professionally,” Flash admitted, “but we have been spending a lot of time with her parents, brother, and sister-in-law getting advice about what to expect from married life.”
“Have you talked with any of them with how you’re feeling?”
“No, but maybe I should.”
Pastor Stream nodded in agreement. “As for your related problem, maybe talking to someone who’s been through the same experience can help you. Do you know anyone?”
“Actually,” said a feminine voice from behind them, “he knows two people. We just haven’t talked about it in a while.”
Flash and the pastor turned and saw Twilight standing behind them. She was frowning slightly and had a sad look in her eyes.
“Twilight,” Flash gasped, “uh, how much did you hear?”
She smiled and replied, “Enough to know what the two of you were talking about and enough to know that we need to talk.”
“I’ll give the two of you your privacy,” said Pastor Stream before leaving the room.
Flash and Twilight sat down in the back row of chairs neither of them looking each other in the eye. Finally, Flash spoke.
“How did you know I was here?” he asked.
“I went over to your house to see if you were alright,” Twilight answered. “Your grandmother told me where to find you.”
Flash nodded as Twilight placed one of her hands over his.
“It’s awful, isn’t it, seeing just how much damage the worst in you can do?” Twilight asked.
“No kidding,” Flash replied with a sigh.
“Are you really going to call off the wedding?” The tone in her voice was sorrowful. Flash felt a stab of guilt in his gut at Twilight’s question and shook his head.
“I don’t know,” he answered sounding like he was about to cry. “Every time I think about last night or what went down between my dad and his wife, I keep thinking that maybe I should because the thought that I could hurt you scares me so much, but whenever I think about calling off the wedding, the thought of spending the rest of my life without you, well, it just hurts, and I can’t tell which of those two options is worse.”
Twilight caressed Flash’s face with her other hand and turned him towards her.
“Hey, look at me,” she said. Flash looked up and met her eyes. “Last night, while we were inside your mind, you said that you remembered who you are. Well, tell me, Flash. Who are you?”
Flash looked away as he thought back to what had happened in his mind last night.
Then, he looked up at Twilight again as he answered, “I’m someone who has gone through both good and bad times and came out a better person at the end, and I’m someone who refuses to let the bad times bring out the worst in me. More importantly, I am someone with a lot of love to give away and someone who has been given a lot of love by others.”
Twilight smiled at him as she asked, “Now, does that sound like someone who could be a terrible husband?”
Flash laughed a little bit before answering, “Well, the potential to be a bad husband is still there, but I think there’s even more potential to be a really great one. I won’t know for sure unless I actually take a chance and try.”
“Then, take that chance and realize that potential,” Twilight urged.
Flash blinked twice before giving Twilight a teasing smirk. “I’m sorry, but could you repeat that sentence?”
“I said take that chance and realize that potential,” Twilight repeated huffily. “You better get it this time because I’m not saying it a third time.”
Flash couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Okay, did I actually hear my high-strung, uncertainty-adverse fiancée just tell me to take a chance?”
Now, it was Twilight’s turn to blink. However, when she finally understood what Flash found funny about the situation, she didn’t know whether to laugh with him or punch him in the arm.
“I’m friends with six different girls who know how to push my buttons at least ten different ways each,” Twilight retorted. “If there’s anything I’ve learned from being friends with them, it’s that some people are worth taking chances for, and I’m willing to take a chance with you if you’re willing to do the same for me.”
Twilight ended that statement with a smirk of her own before lightheartedly continuing, “Besides, Rainbow Dash only gets thirty days off a year, and she’s using one of them to attend the wedding and six to help with preparations and hang out with me and the girls. We are NOT changing the date or calling the wedding off, and that’s final.”
Flash gasped in mock offense, “Hey, it’s my wedding day too. Don’t I get a say in the wedding plans at all?”
Twilight crossed her arms with a playful twinkle still in her eyes. “That depends on what you’re going to say.”
The two of them just stared each other down with smiles on their faces for a little while. Then, Flash scooped her up in a bridal carry and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
“Flash!” Twilight cried in mixture of shock and amusement.
“I don’t think there’s anything more for us to say,” Flash replied before going in for another kiss. This time Twilight was ready for it and kissed him back. When the two of them finally parted, Flash added, “Except for ‘I love you.’”
“I love you too, Flash, and I can’t wait to be your wife.”
Three days after the incident with Dark Reverb/the Pony of Shadows, Flash, Twilight, Sunset, and the rest of the former Rainbooms waited by the horse statue in front of Canterlot High. After a while, the surface of the statue rippled, and out stepped two individuals. One was an old man with a thick, white beard and long, unkempt hair wearing a trench coat, an azure baseball cap with the bill facing backwards, and a pair of shutter glasses decorated with a palm tree and a red parrot. He was accompanied by a young woman who looked exactly like Twilight except with her hair down. Also, unlike Twilight, this girl was wearing a crop top layered over a yellow, long-sleeved button down, sweatpants, sunglasses with orange frames and bright blue mirror lenses, and a wide-brimmed, camo-colored hat with a rose and two feathers attached.
“Princess Twilight,” Sunset greeted pulling the young woman into a hug. “It’s so good to see you, and you must be Starswirl the Bearded. I am deeply honored to make your acquaintance.”
Sunset turned to the old man and bowed at the waist.
“It’s great to see you too, Sunset,” Princess Twilight replied, “but as you know, Starswirl and I didn’t come here for a social visit.”
“Right,” Sunset agreed before turning to Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, do you have the—?”
Before Sunset could finish, Pinkie Pie answered her by pulling a massive jellybean jar from who knows where. The jar was roughly as big as her torso and filled with a black cloud with glowing eyes. Starswirl peered intently into the jar and nodded. The cloud stared back and narrowed its eyes.
“It’s the darkness that once plagued Stygian alright. No mistake about it,” he stated. “Ms. Shimmer, do you mind leading us where this fiend emerged?”
“Of course,” Sunset agreed, “but it’s a bit of a walk. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
However, before anyone could take off for the park, Rarity asked Princess Twilight, “Twilight, dear, could you perhaps explain the purpose behind your and Mr. The Bearded’s, err, colorful ensembles?”
“Oh,” the otherworldly royal replied, “you see, since Starswirl and I both have or, in Starswirl’s case, had counterparts on this side of the portal, we threw together these disguises using my world’s Rarity’s old things to help us look less conspicuous. Can you believe she was just going to throw these perfectly wearable clothes away?”
“You don’t say,” Rarity giggled nervously, hiding her grimace behind a forced smile.
“Gee, I wonder why,” Rainbow Dash sarcastically muttered to Applejack.
Applejack muttered back, “If they’re trying to look less conspicuous, it sure don’t look like it’s workin’.”
As the group made their way to the park, Princess Twilight decided to hang back and talk with Flash.
“So,” Princess Twilight began awkwardly, “Sunset wrote to me about what happened a few nights ago. Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Flash replied. “Thanks to her,” he gestured to his Twilight, “and my brother and Micro Chips and everyone else.”
“You’re really lucky you have people who care about you enough to go as far as they did to help you,” Princess Twilight noted before continuing, “You know, the whole getting possessed by an ancient Equestrian evil isn’t the only thing Sunset wrote to me about.”
“I figured.”
“She told me that you’re about to get married to a certain very lucky girl.”
Flash smiled at that before replying, “I sure am.” Then, he frowned ever so slightly. “You’re not upset about that, are you? I know we kind of had a thing back in the day that we never really properly took care of.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” the princess replied with a shrug. “I’m happy for the two of you. I really am. I’m just sorry that I never bothered to tell you in pony, err, person that we just weren’t going to work out. I mean, I know I was busy with other things, but I really should have made time for it.”
“You’re forgiven,” Flash sincerely said. “So, what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Do you have anybody special waiting for you back home? Well, outside from your friends and family, of course.”
“Like a special somepo—, uh, somebody?” asked Princess Twilight before shaking her head. “As nice as that would be, I’m afraid the answer is no. Unlike you, I’m afraid the only thing I’m married to is my job.”
“Oh, well, I’m sure you’ll get the chance to find somebody someday. Anybody would be really lucky to have you in his life.”
“Why, thank you.”
Once everybody reached the park, Sunset led everyone to the hole in the wooded area.
“Here it is,” she declared before pointing a short distance away, “and there’s the plaque it was capped with.”
Starswirl carefully studied both the hole and the plaque that once capped it. He dropped a rock into the hole and shortly after was answered with a splashing sound.
“Sounds like this used to be an old well or something,” Princess Twilight observed before taking a look down the hole, “and it looks like a long way down too.”
“Indeed,” Starswirl agreed, “Now, did anybody bring a rope and climbing equipment?’
“I did,” cried Pinkie Pie. She unzipped her backpack, crawled in so that only everything below her knees was still visible, and rummaged around for a little bit before emerging with an armload of climbing equipment. “I’m so glad I remembered to bring my backpack today. Otherwise, we would have been out of luck.”
Starswirl just stared at Pinkie dumbfoundedly with his mouth agape. He looked at Sunset as if he wanted to say something, but he seemed to be at a complete lost for words.
“Yeah, it’s best not to ask,” Sunset deadpanned.
A few minutes later, the gang was lowering Starswirl and Princess Twilight down into the well with a long rope. The two of them lit their descent with flashlights while Princess Twilight had the jar containing the Pony of Shadows tied to her back.
Meanwhile, above ground, the Twilight who wasn’t a magic pony princess was sharing a bit of information with everyone.
“So, I’ve been doing my research, and I found this interesting local legend that I think might be connected to this place,” she began. “It’s called ‘The Legend of the Well of Shade.’”
“I’m sorry. Did you just say, ‘the Well of Shade’?” Princess Twilight called up from the well.
“Yeah, there’s an old legend that there once was a well in this area but that it apparently got sealed off and covered up because demons were supposedly coming out of it. Think this might be the well from the legend?”
“If it is,” Sunset replied, “that means what happened three days ago wasn’t the first time that something bad escaped from Limbo into this world.”
“Oh my,” shuddered Fluttershy, “you don’t think whatever escaped all those years ago could still be around, do you?”
“Not sure but I certainly hope not,” Sunset replied before calling down the well. “Uh, Mr. Starswirl, sir, if something were to have used this well to escape Limbo into this world previously, hypothetically speaking, what would happen to it?”
“I’m sorry to say that I don’t know, Ms. Shimmer,” Starswirl replied. “The nature of the connection between this world and Equestria has yet to be fully understood. All that is known is that whatever passes from Equestria into this world changes in some way. Take magic, for example. Passing from Equestria into this world either changes the magic’s potency or alters its effects altogether. However, it does seem that potions and magical artifacts have some degree of immunity to those changes. Depending on what exactly came out of this well previously, it’s possible that the being or beings could have been unable to adapt to the difference in magical energy between this world and Equestria and simply died off with time.”
“I normally don’t like the idea of things dying off, but if something scary really did come out of this well, I sure hope he’s right about that,” Fluttershy whimpered.
The sound of two loud splashes came from the well followed by Princess Twilight announcing, “We’ve reached the bottom.”
Even though the flashlights allowed everyone waiting above ground to see Princess Twilight and Starswirl, they were so far down that anything below their foreheads couldn’t be clearly seen. The princess and the sorcerer pointed their lights straight down towards the water, which only reached their ankles.
“Starswirl, remind me exactly what we’re looking for,” requested Princess Twilight as she studied the water.
“Anything that looks like an opening,” Starswirl replied. “Try looking for a crack or a glow or both.”
“You mean like that.” The princess pointed to something just under the water. It was a glowing, hair-thin fissure that nearly spanned the whole diameter of the well.
Starwirl nodded while Princess Twilight scratched the top of her head.
“Umm, how are we going to get this whole jar through that small crack?” asked Princess Twilight.
“Leave that to me,” Starswirl replied. “Just place the jar over the crack.”
Princess Twilight did as she was told. “Okay, now what?”
“Now, we return to the surface.”
Although Princess Twilight was still thoroughly confused by Starswirl’s instructions, she signaled Applejack and Rainbow Dash to begin pulling them up as they scaled the walls of the well. Once the two of them reached the top, Starswirl pulled a bottle filled with a bright aquamarine liquid out of his trench coat.
“Stand back, everyone,” Starswirl warned before throwing the bottle down the well. The sound of breaking glass was heard, and suddenly, a great, sucking wind came from the well.
“Whoa!” cried Rainbow Dash as she held on to the nearest tree. Everybody else did the same as they all, except for Starswirl, stared at the well in apprehension.
“Ms. Sparkle,” Starswirl addressed non-princess Twilight as he pulled out another bottled from his coat, this one filled with a magenta liquid, “get ready to replace that plaque on my signal.”
Twilight nodded as she used her telekinesis to hold up the stone plaque. Flash held on to her as the well continued to suck in anything that wasn’t practically nailed down, mostly litter and any loose leaves.
Starswirl tossed the potion into the well and cried, “Now!”
Twilight telekinetically slammed the plaque over the hole. A pink light shot out from the well as the ground shook. When the light and the shaking both died down, everyone saw that the plaque had been sealed on to the well.
“What in tarnation was all that?” Applejack cried.
“It’s very simple, Ms. Apple,” Starswirl explained. “The first potion was used to force the jar containing the Pony of Shadows back into Limbo while making sure that nothing else came out. Of course, if any of us had been careless, any one of us could have been pulled into Limbo also. The second potion sealed both openings to make sure that nothing comes out of Limbo through this well again.”
“Oh, thank heavens!” Rarity exclaimed in relief.
“Yes, well, now that Her Highness and I have done what we came to do, I believe it’s best that we make ourselves scarce.”
“Oh, of course,” Princess Twilight agreed before turning to Sunset, the Rainbooms, and Flash. “It really was good seeing all of you again, even you, Flash, but I’m afraid I may not return for a while if ever. You see, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna retired recently, and well, I have more responsibilities to Equestria now.”
“We understand,” Sunset assured her before pulling her into a hug. Everybody except Flash and Starswirl joined in to give the princess their heartfelt goodbyes and well wishes. After breaking the group hug with her friends, Princess Twilight turned to Flash and opened her arms to him clearly inviting him for a goodbye hug as well.
Flash turned to his fiancée with a questioning look. Twilight smiled and nodded in understanding and approval. Flash shrugged in acceptance and gave Princess Twilight a brief yet friendly hug. After they parted, everyone made their way back to the horse statue portal and said their final goodbyes as Princess Twilight and Starswirl returned home.
“Get out of our way, human scum,” Adagio Dazzle cried. The former Rainbooms and Flash turned around and saw Adagio and her sisters standing right behind them. She strutted through them towards the horse statue. “Finally, after all these years, we’ve found our way back to Equestria. Now, we will take what is rightfully ours.”
Flash, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were about to rush forward and stop them from using the portal when Sunset held her palm up towards them, signaling them to hold back. Adagio grinned maliciously as she placed her hand on the portal. The surface of the portal rippled at her touch. However, when she tried to push her hand through it, nothing happened. Adagio frowned in confusion as she placed her other hand on the portal as well and tried to push both hands through, but every time she tried to push herself through, something seemed to push her back.
“I can’t get through,” she gasped, taking her hands off the portal and staring at it in shock.
“What?!” exclaimed Aria. “Let me try.”
Aria rammed her shoulder against the portal, but she couldn’t pass through either. She rammed it again with even more force, but the portal just pushed back at her with an equal amount of force. Finally, she grabbed Sonata and threw her younger sister against it, but that was no more effective than her last two attempts.
“Ow!” Sonata cried as she slammed face first into the surface of the portal. She peeled herself off the portal and glared at Aria. “That really hurt.”
“What in Equestria is wrong with that portal?!” Aria screamed angrily.
Sunset Shimmer laughed before pointing out, “Did you really think Princess Twilight and Starswirl were just going to leave the portal back to Equestria open unprotected knowing the three of you are here and that you’d do anything to return there? They placed a spell on their side of the portal preventing you three from going through, so like it or not, you’re stuck here.”
“What?!” screeched Adagio. “Ugh! Why, that hateful, self-righteous, old fart!”
“Oh, come on,” Flash pointed out. “There’s no way living here can be that bad. If it was, why did Sunset decide to stay here instead of going back there to live?”
“Because she’s a stupid, sentimental airhead who probably thinks she doesn’t have anything worth going back to,” Aria retorted.
Sunset blinked twice before replying, “Okay, ow.”
“Well, we do,” Aria continued. “She might be all fine and dandy living in a world without magic, but we need it. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have to actually work for other people’s adoration instead of just taking it from them?”
Everybody except the Dazzlings shared looks with each other ranging from bewildered to incredulous.
“Oh, no, you actually have to work to get what you want,” Applejack sarcastically retorted. “What a nightmare.”
“I know, right?” Sonata obliviously replied. “Before, all we had to do was just sing, and everyone practically worshipped the ground we walked on. I mean, sure, they ended up hating everyone else, but did anybody really care about that?”
“Pinkie, don’t answer that question,” said Sunset, causing Pinkie to quickly shut the her mouth before she could say anything.
“What are we supposed to do now?” Aria growled.
“Ugh!” Adagio screamed to the heavens. “Let’s just go back to the van and practice our new song. We’ve got another show tonight at the bar.”
She was about to walk away and leave it at that when she looked Flash in the eye. Adagio paused as if she had just remembered something she had forgotten. Then, she smiled.
“By the way, Colt Scout, great job going completely berserk and attacking your lady love’s friends,” she said to Flash, the look in her eyes a sickening mix of suggestive and malicious. “That was almost worth the fact we weren’t able to find anything we could have used ourselves, heh, almost.”
Twilight clenched her teeth as her fist began to glow purple. If Flash hadn’t put his hand around hers, she probably would have picked Adagio up and slammed her on the ground. She looked up, her eyes meeting Flash’s.
“Don’t do it,” he wordlessly said to her. “She’s not worth it.”
Twilight nodded and relaxed her fist. The group parted as everyone allowed the sirens to just walk away.
“So, we’re basically stuck with them now,” Applejack noted.
“Eeyup,” Sunset replied just as flatly. “At least they won’t be able to do as much damage here as they would in Equestria.”
“I don’t know. What happened Friday night was pretty damaging,” Twilight spat bitterly before turning to Flash. “Don’t let what she said get to you, honey. That—”
“Wasn’t really me,” Flash finished for her before giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I know.”