Flash: Rebirthby FlutterTankChaptersFinding a HomeStarting OverRainbow DashThe Warmest of WelcomesFluttershyFinding a HomeChapter 1 Finding a Home The light weight draped over his shoulder made Flash feel poor and insignificant, but the glorious view below made him feel on top of the world. Flash was used to contradictions, though; they'd always been a part of him. The dirty, little peasant colt turned flight school valedictorian knew a thing or two about ups and downs. The tears he'd shed had dried after hours of flight, and Flash was over what had passed. "Quick to cry but quick to recover." That's what Uncle Swift had always said about him. But with hours of flight came exhaustion, and Flash's race with the sun had to end some time. As he looked down, he saw the sun, a huge red beacon at the far horizon. It cast an orange hue on everything in sight. The long shadows of trees below reached out behind them, longing for something to grasp. The scene was beautiful but sleep-inducing. Flash had to land soon and rest, so the next town he came across, he had decided, would be his new home. A large but quaint village was the first thing to come into view. It looked just as good as anywhere to start a new life. As he came in to land, Flash couldn't help but feel a sense of rebirth. Just like the day, one chapter of his life, dark and unpleasant, was ending, opening up to a new one that, hopefully, would show happiness and content. As he landed, Flash spotted a pony who looked like she new where she was going. Fighting the urge to collapse, Flash approached the purple unicorn, who was trotting along, saddlebags filled with books. "Excuse me, miss?" he asked cautiously. "Yes?" she responded. She turned to him, her violet eyes shining and pleasant, waiting for his question. Flash began, nervous, afraid of what her reaction might be. "Umm... I'm new around here and I was uh, wondering if I could find a place to stay for the night." She brightened up. "Oh, sure!" she said. "You could stay in the library with me if you really need to." What was going on here? Was this pony high on hayseed? Flash had never experienced this kind of hospitality before. In Fillydelphia, it was everypony for himself. You didn't let total strangers crash at your place. But who was he to turn down such a kind offer. "Thank you so much! That would be fantastic." Maybe this unicorn was odd, but Flash would make sure to be a gracious guest. "Here," she said, "follow me. I'll get a bed set out for you. By the way, my name's Twilight Sparkle." Starting OverChapter 2 Starting Over Not wanting to be a burden, Flash packed up first thing the next morning. He left two bits on the writing table in Twilight's living room, which looked more like a library than a living space. But as he headed out the door, a tired voice called from upstairs. "Hey, aren't you going to at least stay for breakfast?" Twilight asked. "My assistant, Spike, makes a fantastic haycake." As if on cue, a baby dragon, of all things, came out of what Flash assumed to be a kitchen wearing a chef's coat and hat and wielding a frying pan, from which came the delicious smell of hot haycakes and syrup. "Did somepony say breakfast?" he called out proudly. He slid the two haycakes he'd made onto the dining table. Famished, Flash gobbled up the meal in seconds, wiped his face, and sat back on his rear, his stomach full and happy. Twilight finished her meal and struck up a conversation. "So where are you from, Flash?" "West Fillydelphia, born and raised," Flash responded. "And what made you decide to come to Ponyville?" "I came across here by chance, but the rest is a long story and I'd rather not say." That was a painful memory, and Flash didn't want to reopen fresh wounds. The purple pony continued, unphased by Flash's avoidance. "Well if you want," she said, "I could show you around the town, give you a feel for the place, introduce you to some of the locals." There she was again with the warm hospitality, as if she'd known him all her life. "Sure," Flash replied, "a tour of the town sounds nice. It's not like I've got anything else planned." The last part he added with a chuckle, and Twilight gave a little laugh, too. "Well then, follow me." The baby dragon hopped on her back as she trotted out the door. Flash followed, making sure to shut the door behind him. The three came upon a little glen. Hills and trees were on all sides except for the path they had taken to the cottage. The house, small and quaint, was situated at the top of a hill. The place was teeming with life. Rabbits and chipmunks had burrows all around and were out collecting food. Squirrels poked their heads out of the tall, aging trees. Birds twittered their sweet songs in the branches high above. The cottage was elegantly surrounded with flowers and shrubs and was covered in ivy. A set of stepping stones led up to the house, but before they made it to the door, a pure, sweet humming broke out. It flowed on the wind, rippling through the woods around them, making everything go silent. The birds sat, listening with envy to the beautiful melody. The three walked to the side of the cottage, where the song seemed to be coming from. A pony, wearing a sunhat and carrying a watering can, was tilting over a patch of sunflowers when Twilight called out. "Fluttershy!" Flash then found himself standing before one of the most beautiful ponies he had ever met. Her coat was a light, banana-yellow in color. She had deep, aqua eyes that glimmered like the lake in the distance. But her most elegant feature was her long, flowing, pink mane and tail. Flash had always taken pride in his mane. The electric blue-and-yellow hair had always defined his bright and spunky personality so well. He brushed it often and cleaned it to make sure there were never any knots or tangles in it. But this pony, this stunning, marvelous Pegasus, had her hair so smooth and well-kept; it must have taken her years of brushing and the best shampoos and conditioners to get it to its present state. "Oh, hello Twilight!" she said cheerily. But when she saw Flash, she was slightly taken aback. "Who's your friend?" she said, much quieter and more timid than before. With a few butterflies in his stomach, Flash spoke up. "My name's Flash. I'm new here and Twilight was just showing me around town. You must be Fluttershy. It's nice to meet you." To go with the spirit of Twilight's warm welcome to him, Flash tried to be as bright and outgoing as possible. And besides, why make a bad impression on a pony that made his heart flutter the first time he saw her. Fluttershy quickly warmed up to the new face and his kind nature. "Oh. Well then, hello. I'm a little shy around a new face, if you couldn't tell, but you seem really nice. Glad to have met you." She still seemed a little nervous, but Flash would take that over rejection any day. There was a long, awkward pause during which Flash and Fluttershy gazed into each other's eyes, lost in some hypnotic trance, unable to break away. Twilight broke the silence, saying, "We'll let you get back to your work, Fluttershy. Flash still has a whole lot more of the town to see." "Okay, then. Goodbye," Fluttershy called out as the two ponies and baby dragon walked back in the direction they came. According to Twilight, the next stop was Sweet Apple Acres, a large apple orchard just north of Ponyville. There, they met Applejack, a kind, down-to-earth pony with a heavy southern drawl. She was orange, had freckles on her face, and had a long blonde mane that ended in a ponytail. She welcomed Flash just as kindly as Twilight and Fluttershy had. As a welcoming gift, she gave Flash a bushel of apples, a couple apple turnovers, and a big, fresh-out-of-the-oven apple pie. Flash was getting used to this neighborly attitude the ponies in Ponyville seemed to have. He really enjoyed it here and he was glad to have found it. Later, they stopped at Carousel Boutique and met its owner, a unicorn named Rarity. Rarity was a very pretty, snow-white unicorn whose mane and tail were arranged in elegant, purple curls. Her crystal blue eyes showed off her "fabulous" personality, as she called it. She was a little materialistic and seemed a bit proud and vain, but she was generous and thoughtful, giving Flash one of her finest suits to use for "sophisticated parties and other formal affairs," as she put it. The last stop, according to Twilight, was Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie Pie lived. Pinkie Pie was certainly true to her name. Her coat was a light, rosy pink, while her mane was a darker, hotter pink, settled in an unmanageable, tangled mass. Pinkie had to be the biggest bundle of energy Flash had ever met. She constantly bounced up and down and always talked extra fast and excitedly. It was also very hard to get her to stop talking. Pinkie Pie, however, seemed to be the least welcoming of all the Ponyville ponies. Flash noticed that Pinkie seemed to be almost interrogating him, trying to make him reveal everything about himself. By the end of the conversation, he'd revealed his personality, his likes and dislikes, and, vaguely, how he'd received his cutie mark, the big yellow lightning bolt that ran, diagonally, down his flank. Then, abruptly, Pinkie Pie shooed them out of the shop, insisting they go see another pony named Rainbow Dash. Twilight began to protest. "But I haven't seen Rainbow Dash all-" but she cut off, and Flash could have sworn he saw Pinkie Pie give Twilight a smile and a wink. Twilight smiled back and nodded, then turned to Flash and said, "Let's see if we can find Rainbow Dash." Rainbow DashChapter 3 Rainbow Dash Searching for this Rainbow Dash proved to be a wild goose chase, and when the sun got high in the sky, Twilight gave up and left Flash to his own devices. "I need to go study," she said, sounding a little rushed. "Now that you know where everything is, you can just walk around a little bit and sight-see." And with that, she zipped off down the road, the purple baby dragon bouncing around on her back as she went. As Flash walked around, his thoughts couldn't help but stray back to the lovely yellow Pegasus he'd met earlier that day. Her mane flowed so gracefully, and the way it hid her face emphasized her timid behavior. Her soft, sweet voice and big, beautiful eyes all made her so enticing to Flash. Her shyness melted his heart and made him long for a companion. Visions of his days at flight school came back to him. He was at recess, sitting on a tuft of cloud by the race track. He'd be eating his meager lunch of a soggy horseradish sandwich while looking at all the other fillies and colts showing off and having fun. But one thing he noticed was how a lot of them were couples. They always flew side-by-side, holding hooves, occasionally giving each other a peck on the cheek. He always wished he could find somepony who would understand him and listen to him. Maybe- Flash's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a light blue blur overhead. It whizzed by, bringing in its wake a harsh wind that pulled leaves from the trees around him and evaporated clouds into thin air. Ever curious, Flash got up and sped after the blue jet. As it turned out, today was a fantastic day for flying. The air was calm and easy to cut through and there were plenty of thermals rising off the ground, allowing a talented Pegasus, such as himself, to pop up off the rising air, fold up his wings, and pull a quick midair stunt and a nose-dive, all without breaking stride. But at this point, Flash was flying far too fast for flashy acrobatics. He could feel in the complaints from his unstretched wings that he was putting a lot of effort into this. His eyes were squinted, trying to hold in the moisture that the air was wicking away from them. The wind against his face stung, but that wasn't going to stop him from catching up with whatever this thing was. Flash pushed harder, and he quickly began to gain ground on the figure. Looking below him, forests flew by in seconds. Flash couldn't remember the last time he went this fast, but he sure did remember the rush that came with it. His heart was racing, skin tingling, hair whipping in the harsh, opposing wind. Something about speed felt so right, so natural, and so good. As he caught up to the figure, he could tell it was another pony. A pony? Flash thought, wondering who could possibly be going this fast other than one of the Wonderbolts, who were known for being the best fliers in all of Equestria. Pulling up to the pony's side, he saw it was a filly, about his age. She had a sky blue coat, while her mane and tail were striped with the seven basic colors of the rainbow. This must be Rainbow Dash, Flash thought, feeling like an idiot for making such an obvious statement, even if it was only in his mind. "Excuse me!" Flash yelled out over the roar of the wind. "You seem to be pretty good at this flying thing!" Rainbow Dash's reaction was a double-take at Flash with an expression of shock and surprise on her face. She slowed down and eventually came to a hover. Both ponies were panting, out of breath from the strenuous flying, but were still interested in each other. As their breathing calmed, the two analyzed each other. Flash noticed Rainbow Dash's playful magenta eyes as they darted around, absorbing what they could of Flash. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak. "Hey," she said in quite a pubescent voice, full of cracks and whistling sounds, "name's Rainbow Dash!" "I'm Flash," he said, feeling a little nervous. She was a cute filly. Flash had been expecting somepony like Rarity. Her name seemed so garish, like she would always be dressing in style, acting prissy and pampered. But she wasn't, not even the slightest bit. Her mane was a bit moppy with sweat, sweeping across her face, the colors tangling and crossing, giving her a cute, messy appearance that Flash found highly attractive. "I don't recognize you," she continued. "Are you new here?" "Yeah, actually. I got here just yesterday. Stayed the night at Twilight Sparkle's house." "You've met Twilight already?" For some reason, she seemed surprised by this. "Yeah, according to her, you were the only pony I hadn't met yet." "Cool," she paused for a bit, still breathing a little heavily. "So, anyway, you seem like a pretty good flier." Now when it came to flying, Flash knew he was one of the best, and he liked to show it. He craned his neck and puffed out his chest in a proud gesture, and he started to boast, "I was the best flier to ever come out of Fillydelphia Flight Academy." "Oh really?" she responded, raising an eyebrow at his rather bold statement. "That sounds nice, but were you ever told you were the best flier in all of Equestria by Princess Celestia herself?" "No," Flash said, a little downtrodden; who could possibly compare to that. He had to come up with something, though, so he kept their little war of words going. "But she's never met me before, so how do you know she wouldn't say I'm better?" Flash was getting a little irritated now. This filly, no matter how cute she was, was acting like she was better than him; nopony had ever been better than him. "How 'bout you prove it?" was Rainbow Dash's retort. "Sounds like a plan. You wanna race?" "Sure, follow me. We'll do the standard Ponyville circuit." After a short while, the two pegasi were at the town hall. "Here's the course," Rainbow Dash explained. "There are cloud rings marked in a large path all around Ponyville. I'll let you have one slow lap to get the layout. First one to finish a lap wins the race. Got it?" "Got it," Flash responded, confident he could dust this arrogant, little pony. He took his prep lap, taking good note of the course layout. He felt around for wind tendencies and looked for turns he could use to his advantage. After studying the course, Flash came back to Rainbow Dash. "I'm ready to go," he said, "You ready to lose?" "I dunno, depends how hungry you are, 'cause you're about to taste the rainbow!" That last comment was a little cheesy, but it was very obvious that this filly was cocky. But it was all in good fun. Competitive ponies, like themselves, loved to talk trash to each other. They got set on a small, cotton ball cloud, ready to launch forward with everything they had. Off to his right, Flash heard somepony blow a whistle. Both of them, with a hard push and a powerful downstroke of their wings, were off like bullets. Flash immediately took the lead, always the quickest off the line, but Rainbow Dash quickly caught up to him. The two stayed neck and neck for quite some time, slowly increasing speed. Arms outstretched with wings beating like a hummingbird, Flash slowly felt that lovely rush creep through his core and up to his wings. They beat faster and faster until he knew he had Rainbow Dash beat. But when he turned to see how far back she was, she was right there, matching him wing for wing in speed. She actually began to pull ahead. The uphill turn came, but Flash kept going straight. Rainbow Dash looked down at her opponent, bewildered, and let out a loud, mocking laugh. But Flash knew what he was doing. It has to be around here somewhere, he thought to himself. And then, he hit it: one of the most powerful thermals he'd ever felt coming right off a patch of white sand on a lakeside beach. He'd felt the updraft on his prep lap and made sure to remember it. It was certainly paying off now. Flash pulled up and shot straight into the sky, faster than he'd seen anypony go uphill before. He quickly caught up and passed Rainbow Dash. If he couldn't beat her by his flying alone, he'd outsmart her. As he came up on the next checkpoint, he got ready to turn back down. They were well above most of the clouds now and it was getting chilly. Flash could feel frost collecting on his wings, causing a lot of unnecessary fatigue, so he closed them up at his sides and allowed himself to coast up to the cloud ring. As he approached the checkpoint, he pulled up his backside and pulled his hind legs in. With perfect timing, he let out a mighty mule-kick, propelling him downward at blinding speed. Shortly after, Rainbow Dash screamed through the same checkpoint, a look of anger and determination on her face. She was right behind him and gaining. Then he felt it, saw the condensation build up around him. He was inside a large cone now. He'd been in one of these before and had learned how to handle them. He couldn't push too hard, as too much speed would cause the wind resistance to stop him midflight and slingshot him backwards. He had to check his wing speed and power to make sure he didn't go too fast. Rainbow Dash pulled up next to him in a similar cone. But she kept pushing. Her cone got narrower and longer as her speed steadily increased. Flash smirked; this pony obviously wasn't familiar with sonic cones. Any second now she'd fly back, giving Flash a definite victory. He waited, but her cone just got longer and the angle got sharper. Flash was confused. What was happening? There was no way she could still be accelerating. It was impossible, and Flash couldn't believe it whatsoever, not even when small sparks of bright color began shooting off the sonic cone. Not even when the entire cone began to glow with vibrant hues. But then it happened, an event to which there was no denying. That little filly, whom Flash had thought was just a talentless, cocky no-name, shattered some invisible barrier. A full circle rainbow exploded from the pony, resulting in a shockwave that made Flash lose stability and considerable speed. The force was so powerful it shook his bones and pressed the trees below to the ground. Rainbow Dash bolted forward, faster than ever. Now Flash, forced to swallow his own defeat like a little foal having cough syrup forced down its throat, watched in awe as Rainbow Dash beamed through the finish line, followed by a full spectrum of beautiful color. Flash closed his eyes and flew past the finish line as liquid rainbow droplets pelted his face. He wiped his face and hoped none of the rainbow had gotten into his eyes. A colt back at flight school made the mistake of shoving his face in a rainbow on a dare, once. He was sent home with two eye patches and a cane and didn't come back to school for two weeks. After making sure his face was clean of colors, he opened his eyes, only to see his humiliation before him. Rainbow Dash was looking at him, arms crossed, a smirk on her face, her eyes fixed in a confident glare. Behind her was a massive rainbow stretching across the sky, obviously a product of her incredible stunt. Flash was cocky when it came to flying, but he was not a sore loser. She was obviously the better flier, and Flash let her know. "Wow, that was a great race!" he began. "You were amazing. I mean-" he stuttered for a few seconds, practically at a loss for words, "that was a sonic rainboom! I thought they were just an old mare's tale. I'm sorry I ever even thought to challenge somepony with your talent." "Hey," she responded, "you're not so bad yourself. You're probably the best flier I've ever raced with. You pushed me harder than I've been pushed in a long time. I've never had to do a sonic rainboom to win a race before. And I'll admit, you're a much smarter flier than I am. The way you used that thermal to make it up the climb: I never would've thought of that!" "Thanks," Flash said, grateful for a compliment from a flier of such a high caliber, "but regardless, you are definitely the best flier in all of Equestria." She blushed a little bit at his compliment and looked down at the ground, kicking her hoof at the imaginary dust below her. "Thanks," she said, a little sheepishly. Then, she perked up, as if she remembered something all of a sudden. "Hey," she said excitedly, "I have to head over to Sugarcube Corner. Wanna come with?" "Sure thing!" Flash was loving how accepted he was here in Ponyville. The whole town was treating him like family, a family he never really had. The Warmest of WelcomesChapter 4 The Warmest of Welcomes As Flash and Rainbow Dash flew back to Sugarcube Corner, they talked about their flying techniques. Rainbow Dash's favorite tricks and Flash's use of wind elements to reduce flight fatigue were their favorite topics. Time passed quickly and it was late afternoon by the time they reached the confections shop. Flash, having learned well from his mother during the short time she'd been with him, was a gentlecolt and held the door open for Rainbow Dash. She slipped into the building as quickly as possible and as Flash turned to shut the door behind him, all the lights inside went out. The little light Flash had was from the sun filtering through the windows, which had been covered with black tissue paper. "Hello?" Flash called out. He was a little nervous; you had to admit this whole series of events was rather strange. Flash's mind started to race as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and he became aware of his surroundings. What's going on? Why are the windows blocked out? What happened to Rainbow Dash? What was that noise? Did somebody just laugh? Something just moved! What was that? What's up with that shadow? Why is it getting closer? Oh Celestia, I'm gonna die! That's what they did! They welcomed me and made me feel safe and comfortable and seduced me with their temptress fillies. They made me feel at home so that when the time was just right, they could lure me into and empty house and kill me! They'll strap me down and rip off my wings and cut off my legs and cut me to pieces! Oh Celestia, please help me! I don't wanna die! They're getting closer! I'm surrounded! They're coming in for the kill! Oh my- "SURPRISE!" The light flashed on as the deathly, lurking shadows became happy faces, full of warmth and love. Flash was frantic and scared. His heart was racing as if he'd just flown a 5 mile dash. His eyes darted all over the place: at the smiling ponies, all looking at him, at the streamers, balloons, and big banner reading "WELCOME TO PONYVILLE," and at the large buffet table, decked out with all kinds of confectionery delights: Cupcakes, Ice cream, Donuts, Muffins, along with all of Flash's favorite foods like Horseshoe Fly Pie, lemon squares, and coconut-caramel cookies. And, of course, there was a huge, three tier, blue and yellow cake with lightning bolts patterned on the sides. It finally clicked in Flash's head, and just as steadily as this potential crime scene became a festivity, his gaping mouth and frightful expression turned into a wide, delighted grin and an expression of gratitude in the highest degree. As the six ponies he'd met that day stepped towards him from the crowd, their shapes ran like liquid, fusing the pink, blue, white, purple, yellow, and orange together. The beautiful, swirling color pallet dripped from Flash's eyes and ran down his face, restoring the image of the six greatest friends he'd ever had. "Well," Pinkie Pie said, excited and bobbing up and down as usual, "do you like it?" Flash had tried very hard to contain his emotions today. He didn't want others to get the impression that he was soft. But in the company of such kind, caring ponies who had gone through so much trouble to make him feel welcome, his composure broke. "I-I," he stammered, pointlessly trying to hold back tears, "I love it! It's the best thing anypony's ever done for me!" As they came closer, he pulled them in for a group hug. His heart warmed with the beating of theirs and the seven friends all seemed to be in harmony. Later, the party was in full swing. Everypony was having a great time; at least, almost everypony. Rainbow Dash was requesting her favorite song to the DJ. Spike and Pinkie Pie were dancing center-floor, the former with a lampshade on his head, making him all the more adorable. Applejack was blindly swinging at a piñata, the stick clamped in her teeth, just missing the heads of spectating ponies. Rarity, meanwhile, was trying to suppress her laughter at Applejack's foolish display. Twilight was striking up conversation with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a group of three young fillies who hadn't yet earned their cutie marks and were trying very hard to do so. But they weren't the ones Flash was concerned about. They were all enjoying themselves and having a great time. What Flash had noticed was the stunning, pink-haired pony sitting in a corner, head in her hooves a longing expression on her face. Something about her reminded him of himself at flight school, sitting alone, watching everypony else having fun, holding hands, giving hugs. A spark suddenly ignited Flash's heart. He suddenly felt that just looking at Fluttershy would make him melt. He swallowed the butterflies that were rising into his chest and walked over to the DJ. "Can I make a request?" he asked, shouting over the massive bass beat pumping from the speakers all over the room. "Sure thing, dude," she said, "Whadya have in mind?" "Something slow and soft." "Trying to impress a filly, huh?" she asked ever so knowingly. "Am I that obvious?" he said, a little embarrassed. "Nah, dude. Just make your move. I've got your back." "Thanks, so much," Flash said, ever grateful. "No prob." As Flash strolled over to where Fluttershy was standing, the song started, a slow, easy ballad. Flash's heart started pounding; he was heating up and his hooves were getting sweaty. When he got over to her, he calmed himself and said, "You don't look like you're having much fun." She looked up at him with her tender, passionate eyes, and it was all Flash could do to keep from screaming at the agony she was causing him. "I've never really liked parties, to be honest. But I don't mean I don't want to be here. It would be rude to not show up to a party you were invited to. I didn't mean to upset you-" the look on Flash's face obviously showed he wasn't angry at her, so she cut off. Instead, he swallowed his fear and asked her, "Would you like to dance?" She seemed a little surprised by his offer, but soon seemed to curl up tighter into the corner, pressing against the walls. She looked at the ground and gave a small whimper, her cheeks flushing rosy red. Flash's composure was starting to crumble. He couldn't take much more of this torture without doing something he'd regret. This filly just didn't play fair. Mustering up all of his dignity into one final sentence, he put on his best, handsome, comforting face and said, "C'mon, it'll be fun." It was a blind shot in the dark. He didn't know what he would do if she refused, but he prayed to all the Alicorns in the golden stable-in-the-sky that she said, "Okay." Elation. That was probably the best way to describe how he felt. He held her hoof as they walked out on the floor. That alone was huge to him. He was finally one of the many pegasi he had seen at recess. They rested their heads on the others neck and slowly shifted back and forth, swaying to music. Her neck was soft and warm and her glorious mane was silky smooth and smelled of berries. Annoyed by the silence, Flash started the conversation. "So, how long have you lived in Ponyville?" "Oh, I've been here quite a while," she responded. "When I was a little filly, I was a very weak flyer. I got knocked off a cloud by Rainbow Dash, on accident, of course. But as I fell to the ground, a huge cluster of butterflies caught me. I'd never seen the ground before then, but it was so beautiful with all its flora and fauna, I just couldn't bear to leave. So, the Apple family helped me build my cottage on and unused remnant of their farm, and I've been there ever since." She seemed much less shy talking about this. She was actually very passionate and proud of her history. After all, it was what made her, her. Flash went along with it and told Fluttershy about his childhood. "Something like that happened to me before. Back in Fillydelphia, we lived near the coast, so we obviously did a lot of flying over the ocean. The air patterns are a lot different there. There are lots of unstable currents that test your skills and separate the greats from the average. One day, we were diving into the water to see who could go down the farthest. As you can tell, we were ridiculously stupid back then," Fluttershy gave a small giggle and Flash couldn't help but blush a bit. "I had everyone beat by a long shot because of all the speed training I did in my free time. But, I went so far down, I got swept up by a current. I was helpless there. I'd never learned how to swim well, just enough to get to the surface and take off. It was terrifying down there. I couldn't breathe and there was nothing I could do about it." Fluttershy was intent. He had her attention and it felt good. He looked into her eyes and felt his heart skip as usual, but he could swear he saw something in her eyes, a twinkle or something, and Flash couldn't help but think they both felt the same. He continued with his story. "So I'm being flipped and spun around and I don't know which way is up and I'm slowly being pulled down. Then, when everything was starting to get fuzzy and dark, a dolphin came up underneath me and pushed me up to the top. It saved my life, and ever since then, I've never had a thing against any animal and I've always done my best to be helpful to them. "That sounds amazing!" she said excitedly, then after a short pause, "You know," she stopped again for a second, as if she was unsure what to say, "if you wanted to," she was looking at the ground again, her ears flopped down, "you could maybe come over tomorrow and help me with the animals?" She turned away quickly, afraid of his answer and hiding her intense blush. "Absolutely!" Flash exclaimed, exuberant at the idea of spending a day with her. "I'd love to. I'll come over first thing tomorrow." At that moment, the DJ announced, "Alrighty guys and gals. It's time for me to pack up and head home. Thanks for having me!" after a short applause, she packed up her things and walked out, followed by several other ponies. After a short time, the only ponies left were Flash and his six new friends. "Thank you so much for the party, you guys. It really meant a lot to me." "The party's not over yet, silly!" Pinkie Pie said, jumping excitedly. "You still have to get your present!" "What present?" Flash asked. They'd given him food, clothes, and an amazing welcoming party. What more could they possibly give him? "Only Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy can show you," Pinkie responded, "I hope you like it though." "Here," Rainbow Dash told him, handing him a blindfold, "put this on." He put the blindfold on and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy guided him out of Sugarcube Corner and up into the cool night sky. The present obviously had to be airborne if only the two pegasus ponies could show him, but only made it harder to guess. What could they possibly give him that would be airborne? Eventually, he heard Rainbow Dash's voice say, "We're here." He felt Fluttershy's warm, soft hooves on his neck as she gently pushed the blindfold off his face. As he looked around, he got very confused. All he saw was a modest cloud house floating openly in the sky. There was no present, and he couldn't pretend he saw it so, afraid he would offend, he asked, "Where's the present?" Rainbow Dash gave out a loud, obnoxious laugh. "Do you have cloud in your eyes or something?" she teased. "It's right in front of you!" "All I see is the house," he said. "There's no present." "The house is the present, you silly filly," Fluttershy answered, suppressing laughter. Flash didn't know how to respond. He hovered there, mouth agape, his eyes filling with emotions for the second time that day. He looked back at the two pegasi who had helped in making him this wonderful gift. He bolted to the blue one, her eyes full of compassion and kindness, and held her tightly, his tears only slightly wetting her mane in their embrace. Flash looked over at Fluttershy. Although she smiled, her eyes turned away, unsure if they wanted so much attention, even if it was only from one pony. This didn't deter Flash in the slightest, though. Instead, it only enticed him further to let his instincts and passion take control. He sprung over to the beautiful pegasus, her mane and coat shining, like her eyes, in the pale moonlight. He took her head in his hooves and quickly pressed his lips to hers. His eyes closed and he felt her lips, taught and cringing, against his. He began to worry, as his excitement faded, if he had done something insanely foalish. But as his kiss died and he began to awkwardly pull away, he felt her lips soften and she began to pull him closer to her. Her front hooves slid up his sides and found their place, wrapped around his neck. Flash relaxed and slowly slid his hooves down to her neck. The two hovered there for quite some time, locked together in love and passion. Flash was euphoric. Nothing could possibly upset him, now. His heart fluttered and melted in his chest, gleefully in love. When he pulled away from the kiss, Flash saw those lovely, sea-blue eyes looking into his. Fluttershy's cheeks were a fiery red, but her expression was content and loving. The two looked over, still locked in embrace, and noticed Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. She most likely left to give the new couple some privacy. Flash reminded himself to apologize the next day for not saying goodbye. Fluttershy turned back to him and spoke, while awkwardly pulling her hooves away from his neck. "I guess I should get going," she said with a little regret in her voice, "It's getting late." Flash felt a little disappointed, but understood they had to sleep at some point. "I'll stop by tomorrow, then," he said, remembering her offer from earlier that evening. "Okay," she responded. And with that, she gracefully glided into the night. FluttershyChapter 5 Fluttershy Flash woke up the next morning feeling more relaxed than he could ever remember. The sun cascaded through the window above his, shining on him and bathing his face in soothing warmth. The room about him was pale and white, giving it a feel of purity and freshness. The brilliance of the sunlight against the clean, cloud walls made Flash's eyes sore, but he quickly adapted. He headed out of the doorway that marked the entrance to his bedroom. He proceeded down the hallway, checking every room for signs of a shower. When he found his bathroom, he turned the shower on and stepped in once the water got up to the proper temperature. The war water washed away the grit and grime from the past couple days and left Flash's coat and mane feeling lustrous and refreshed. It also gave Flash time to think. His thoughts wandered to the events of the previous night, especially the kiss he had shared with Fluttershy. He suddenly remembered that they were spending the day together and his spirits lifted just thinking of it. Brimming with excitement at the prospect of time with her, he quickly scrubbed his coat down with his cumulus brush and brushed his hair back from its matted, exhausted appearance to Flash's signature, spiky flow. He flew out of his house and air-dried himself on his way down to Ponyville. When he touched down, he started his trot over to Fluttershy's cottage. As he approached her house, he began to hear, fading in from the bright, glimmering glen up ahead, the same lovely singing he had heard yesterday. She was singing a very familiar tune, one that almost everypony heard as a foal. Little foal, come to my arms, I will keep you far from harm, You have no need to worry now, Hush and sleep, don't make a sound. I love you more than anything, The warmth and joy your laughter brings, You rest your head against my chest, I wish your dreams the very best. As Fluttershy began to start the final verse, Flash jumped in and harmonized with her, the same way he always did with his mother before she passed. And if I ever have to leave, If I lie down and cease to breathe, Little foal, with heart of gold, Promise me you'll keep your soul . The fair pegasus, not realizing Flash had come in until the very end, spun around on the spot, quickly coming to look straight at Flash. "Oh, you came," she said, sounding delighted in her own, reserved way. "Why would I miss an opportunity to spend a day with the most beautiful pony in all of Equestria?" Flash was much more comfortable around Fluttershy now that they had both revealed their affection for the other. However, as Flash had expected, his romantic flattery extracted one of the brightest hues of red from Fluttershy's cheeks. Not knowing how to respond, Fluttershy remained speechless and blushing for several seconds until Flash continued. "So what do we have to do today?" he asked. Fluttershy took the cue and began to list the day's remaining chores. Flash heard bits and pieces of the tasks; clean out the animals' burrows, refill the bird feeders, and prune the shrubs were just a few of the many jobs that had to be completed by sundown. Flash though, became entranced by the pegasus's lovely blue-green eyes. He knew he'd figure out what he had to do eventually, so why not enjoy himself while she explained. When she finished, she said they would start with the least pleasant of tasks, which meant cleaning the chicken coop. After that disgusting endeavor, the two ponies proceeded to pick whatever vegetable and herbs that had sprung up in Fluttershy's garden. Things were getting awkward, now. Neither of the two talked while they worked and Flash's glances behind him to get a peek of her resulted in their eyes meeting and darting quickly away. Why are we acting like this? he thought. Did we not just kiss last night? He had to start a conversation somehow, but he was terrible at that. He could have a perfectly interesting conversation with anypony, provided they gave him something to go off of. He just didn't have the ability to start one up. Thankfully, Fluttershy broke the ice. "Pinkie Pie said you told her," she began, "but I never heard how you got your cutie mark." "Oh, that's a story right there," Flash replied, chuckling to himself to hide the pain that remembering brought. "Let's see, where should I start?" Flash was a little colt. His mane was short and spiky and his wings, though powerful, were very small. He was smaller than most of the colts in his class, but he, without any friends to play with, had tie to train and fly rigorously. He was fast and he was agile and he was by far the best flier in his class. One day, after school, Flash was on his way back to his apartment on Clydesdale Avenue. He made a cut-through in an alley behind O'Mare's Tavern, when he found himself face to face with his Uncle Mario, who was pinning a bloodied stallion against the brick wall of the tavern, threatening and cursing at him. When his uncles glanced over, he brightened up and asked the young Flash if he would help him out. "Uncle Mario, why are you doing that?" he asked, rather frightened. "This guy, little Flashy, is what our family calls a rat. He called me a bad pony and disrespected me and the entire family. Now we can't have that can we? So your Uncle Mario here has to teach him not to do that no mores." Mario had some glimmer in his eyes. He looked wild and bloodthirsty, and his heavy Italian accent sounded sinister and deadly. He went on, "Now Flashy, could you grab me that baseball bat so I can properly teach this guy a lesson? It would make your father very proud of you." Flash perked up a bit. He'd do anything to make his father proud of him. He grabbed the aluminum bat in his teeth by the rubber grip on the end. On the fat end of the bat, Flash notice dried clumps of what looked like bloody fur. He suddenly became fully aware of the situation. When he looked over at the other pony, pinned against the wall, he noticed tears running down his blood-soaked coat. Flash saw his wallet lying on the ground and caught a glimpse of a photo inside. He saw a happy looking family in the picture. It was the bleeding pony's family, of course. He was in the picture, along with his wife and two children, both young fillies. Flash suddenly felt terrible grief for this pony. He looked so innocent and hurt while Uncle Mario was brutal and mad. Flash couldn't bear to contribute to such a terrible act, so he did what he knew was the right thing. He clamped down on the bat and swung it as hard as he could at Uncle Mario's head. The impact created a harsh thud and a loud crack. Uncle Mario slumped to the ground, unconscious and bleeding from his nose. The other pony collapsed to the ground, shakily trying to stand up. Flash helped him up, letting the injured pony to lean on him for balance. "Thank you so much, kid," he said to Flash, his breathing raspy and quick. "It's no problem at all, sir. I was just doing the right thing." "You're a good kid. No matter what anypony ever tells you, you are a good kid." The sincerity in his eyes made Flash feel warm inside and a sense of dignity and pride spread through his body. When Flash dropped the pony off at the West Fillydelphia Hospital, he noticed in one of the mirrors that something was different about his reflection. It was his cutie mark. The brand new, vibrant, yellow lightning bolt struck across his flank, forever sealing his identity. He knew it was there for more than his impressive flight skills. It was there because of his ability to stand out above others, striking out against those who did wrong. His sense of justice and courage, and his quickness to action had made this mark appear on his flank, and Flash was proud he could be known for these traits. Even though his story was over, Flash's thoughts continued, silently, through his history. His father, never angry with his son, had his Uncle Mario killed for showing Flash such a brutal side of the family business before his time had come. Then, no more than a year later, Flash found himself in the midst of a mob. It had been there all along, but he had been too innocent and naïve to see it. Robberies and hits became common practice, and Flash couldn't bare to look most of his family members in the eyes anymore, not after seeing the things they'd done. Then, one day, when his time had arrived, his father gave him his first assignment as part of his mob initiation. His task was to kill a struggling stallion with a family to feed who had been late on his payments to Cousin Moe, the family loan shark. Flash flat-out refused to his father. Not a pony spoke when they heard what Flash had just said. By refusing the assignment, he had dishonored his family and insulted his father. Flash's father disowned his only son that day, and Flash found himself weaving and diving his way out of the streets and into the skies, avoiding the attacks of his many relatives. He fled the city and his family forever. His life would never be the same after that day, and that was only two days ago. "Flash, what's wrong? Are you okay? Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy was worried sick, yelling at Flash, trying to grab his attention. But he was despondent, balled up on the ground. His body racked with sobs as he dry-heaved on the fresh mulch of Fluttershy's garden. She didn't know what to do. He had been telling his story, but when he finished, he just stared off into space. She tried to get him to snap out of his trance, but he suddenly broke down and began crying. He certainly wasn't getting any better, either; his crying had gotten louder and the expression on his face was one of complete terror. So, she did the only sensible thing that could grab his attention. She kissed him. It was a long, passionate kiss. It stopped Flash's crying quickly. He let her in and the two embraced, their bodies and souls intertwining in pure love and emotion. Fluttershy was the one crying now; silent tears of joy fell down her face onto the petals of the tulips in her garden as her lips danced with Flash's. After years of hope and searching, she had finally found the stallion of her dreams: The confident one who was also sensitive and knew just the way into her heart. Meanwhile, up in the clouds, a dark, twisted figure, aged and decrepit, glared at the two lovers below. He was hardly recognizable as the pegasus he was. His abysmally black hide was mangled with scars and missing bits of flesh. His wings, through works of black magic, were like those of a bat. Leathery and black and shredded in several places, his ragged wings were unsightly but powerful. The pony's back was twisted and hunched, while his face was completely covered in hideous, liquid-like scar tissue, caused by a terrible, explosive fire. His only eye bulged from its socket, as if it would pop out of his head. Seemingly talking to nopony, the ugly creature said, "Boss, I found him." In his ear, through a unicorn-created audial link, a dark, deep voice spoke. "Excellent work, Grendel," it said. "What's my little stallion up to?" "He's pretty busy, boss," the dark figure said with a snicker. "Got himself a little kissy session with quite the pretty filly." "Is that so? What a charmer, that boy. He's just like his father. I'm gonna send Vinnie over to meet you. Why don't you bring me his date? She would be of great value to us. Bring her back to me, alive." To Be Continued in Volume 2 of the Flash series: A Past that Haunts Author's Note: I'm very glad to have finally finished my first fanfic. I want to thank all of my viewers for reading, especially those who leave reviews, whether critical or supportive, as both help me a lot. I encourage you to leave reviews on what you think of the story and some improvements I should make in the next. The next installment, I expect, will be out before or shortly after Christmas and will have PLENTY more action than this one.
Finding a HomeChapter 1 Finding a Home The light weight draped over his shoulder made Flash feel poor and insignificant, but the glorious view below made him feel on top of the world. Flash was used to contradictions, though; they'd always been a part of him. The dirty, little peasant colt turned flight school valedictorian knew a thing or two about ups and downs. The tears he'd shed had dried after hours of flight, and Flash was over what had passed. "Quick to cry but quick to recover." That's what Uncle Swift had always said about him. But with hours of flight came exhaustion, and Flash's race with the sun had to end some time. As he looked down, he saw the sun, a huge red beacon at the far horizon. It cast an orange hue on everything in sight. The long shadows of trees below reached out behind them, longing for something to grasp. The scene was beautiful but sleep-inducing. Flash had to land soon and rest, so the next town he came across, he had decided, would be his new home. A large but quaint village was the first thing to come into view. It looked just as good as anywhere to start a new life. As he came in to land, Flash couldn't help but feel a sense of rebirth. Just like the day, one chapter of his life, dark and unpleasant, was ending, opening up to a new one that, hopefully, would show happiness and content. As he landed, Flash spotted a pony who looked like she new where she was going. Fighting the urge to collapse, Flash approached the purple unicorn, who was trotting along, saddlebags filled with books. "Excuse me, miss?" he asked cautiously. "Yes?" she responded. She turned to him, her violet eyes shining and pleasant, waiting for his question. Flash began, nervous, afraid of what her reaction might be. "Umm... I'm new around here and I was uh, wondering if I could find a place to stay for the night." She brightened up. "Oh, sure!" she said. "You could stay in the library with me if you really need to." What was going on here? Was this pony high on hayseed? Flash had never experienced this kind of hospitality before. In Fillydelphia, it was everypony for himself. You didn't let total strangers crash at your place. But who was he to turn down such a kind offer. "Thank you so much! That would be fantastic." Maybe this unicorn was odd, but Flash would make sure to be a gracious guest. "Here," she said, "follow me. I'll get a bed set out for you. By the way, my name's Twilight Sparkle."
Starting OverChapter 2 Starting Over Not wanting to be a burden, Flash packed up first thing the next morning. He left two bits on the writing table in Twilight's living room, which looked more like a library than a living space. But as he headed out the door, a tired voice called from upstairs. "Hey, aren't you going to at least stay for breakfast?" Twilight asked. "My assistant, Spike, makes a fantastic haycake." As if on cue, a baby dragon, of all things, came out of what Flash assumed to be a kitchen wearing a chef's coat and hat and wielding a frying pan, from which came the delicious smell of hot haycakes and syrup. "Did somepony say breakfast?" he called out proudly. He slid the two haycakes he'd made onto the dining table. Famished, Flash gobbled up the meal in seconds, wiped his face, and sat back on his rear, his stomach full and happy. Twilight finished her meal and struck up a conversation. "So where are you from, Flash?" "West Fillydelphia, born and raised," Flash responded. "And what made you decide to come to Ponyville?" "I came across here by chance, but the rest is a long story and I'd rather not say." That was a painful memory, and Flash didn't want to reopen fresh wounds. The purple pony continued, unphased by Flash's avoidance. "Well if you want," she said, "I could show you around the town, give you a feel for the place, introduce you to some of the locals." There she was again with the warm hospitality, as if she'd known him all her life. "Sure," Flash replied, "a tour of the town sounds nice. It's not like I've got anything else planned." The last part he added with a chuckle, and Twilight gave a little laugh, too. "Well then, follow me." The baby dragon hopped on her back as she trotted out the door. Flash followed, making sure to shut the door behind him. The three came upon a little glen. Hills and trees were on all sides except for the path they had taken to the cottage. The house, small and quaint, was situated at the top of a hill. The place was teeming with life. Rabbits and chipmunks had burrows all around and were out collecting food. Squirrels poked their heads out of the tall, aging trees. Birds twittered their sweet songs in the branches high above. The cottage was elegantly surrounded with flowers and shrubs and was covered in ivy. A set of stepping stones led up to the house, but before they made it to the door, a pure, sweet humming broke out. It flowed on the wind, rippling through the woods around them, making everything go silent. The birds sat, listening with envy to the beautiful melody. The three walked to the side of the cottage, where the song seemed to be coming from. A pony, wearing a sunhat and carrying a watering can, was tilting over a patch of sunflowers when Twilight called out. "Fluttershy!" Flash then found himself standing before one of the most beautiful ponies he had ever met. Her coat was a light, banana-yellow in color. She had deep, aqua eyes that glimmered like the lake in the distance. But her most elegant feature was her long, flowing, pink mane and tail. Flash had always taken pride in his mane. The electric blue-and-yellow hair had always defined his bright and spunky personality so well. He brushed it often and cleaned it to make sure there were never any knots or tangles in it. But this pony, this stunning, marvelous Pegasus, had her hair so smooth and well-kept; it must have taken her years of brushing and the best shampoos and conditioners to get it to its present state. "Oh, hello Twilight!" she said cheerily. But when she saw Flash, she was slightly taken aback. "Who's your friend?" she said, much quieter and more timid than before. With a few butterflies in his stomach, Flash spoke up. "My name's Flash. I'm new here and Twilight was just showing me around town. You must be Fluttershy. It's nice to meet you." To go with the spirit of Twilight's warm welcome to him, Flash tried to be as bright and outgoing as possible. And besides, why make a bad impression on a pony that made his heart flutter the first time he saw her. Fluttershy quickly warmed up to the new face and his kind nature. "Oh. Well then, hello. I'm a little shy around a new face, if you couldn't tell, but you seem really nice. Glad to have met you." She still seemed a little nervous, but Flash would take that over rejection any day. There was a long, awkward pause during which Flash and Fluttershy gazed into each other's eyes, lost in some hypnotic trance, unable to break away. Twilight broke the silence, saying, "We'll let you get back to your work, Fluttershy. Flash still has a whole lot more of the town to see." "Okay, then. Goodbye," Fluttershy called out as the two ponies and baby dragon walked back in the direction they came. According to Twilight, the next stop was Sweet Apple Acres, a large apple orchard just north of Ponyville. There, they met Applejack, a kind, down-to-earth pony with a heavy southern drawl. She was orange, had freckles on her face, and had a long blonde mane that ended in a ponytail. She welcomed Flash just as kindly as Twilight and Fluttershy had. As a welcoming gift, she gave Flash a bushel of apples, a couple apple turnovers, and a big, fresh-out-of-the-oven apple pie. Flash was getting used to this neighborly attitude the ponies in Ponyville seemed to have. He really enjoyed it here and he was glad to have found it. Later, they stopped at Carousel Boutique and met its owner, a unicorn named Rarity. Rarity was a very pretty, snow-white unicorn whose mane and tail were arranged in elegant, purple curls. Her crystal blue eyes showed off her "fabulous" personality, as she called it. She was a little materialistic and seemed a bit proud and vain, but she was generous and thoughtful, giving Flash one of her finest suits to use for "sophisticated parties and other formal affairs," as she put it. The last stop, according to Twilight, was Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie Pie lived. Pinkie Pie was certainly true to her name. Her coat was a light, rosy pink, while her mane was a darker, hotter pink, settled in an unmanageable, tangled mass. Pinkie had to be the biggest bundle of energy Flash had ever met. She constantly bounced up and down and always talked extra fast and excitedly. It was also very hard to get her to stop talking. Pinkie Pie, however, seemed to be the least welcoming of all the Ponyville ponies. Flash noticed that Pinkie seemed to be almost interrogating him, trying to make him reveal everything about himself. By the end of the conversation, he'd revealed his personality, his likes and dislikes, and, vaguely, how he'd received his cutie mark, the big yellow lightning bolt that ran, diagonally, down his flank. Then, abruptly, Pinkie Pie shooed them out of the shop, insisting they go see another pony named Rainbow Dash. Twilight began to protest. "But I haven't seen Rainbow Dash all-" but she cut off, and Flash could have sworn he saw Pinkie Pie give Twilight a smile and a wink. Twilight smiled back and nodded, then turned to Flash and said, "Let's see if we can find Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow DashChapter 3 Rainbow Dash Searching for this Rainbow Dash proved to be a wild goose chase, and when the sun got high in the sky, Twilight gave up and left Flash to his own devices. "I need to go study," she said, sounding a little rushed. "Now that you know where everything is, you can just walk around a little bit and sight-see." And with that, she zipped off down the road, the purple baby dragon bouncing around on her back as she went. As Flash walked around, his thoughts couldn't help but stray back to the lovely yellow Pegasus he'd met earlier that day. Her mane flowed so gracefully, and the way it hid her face emphasized her timid behavior. Her soft, sweet voice and big, beautiful eyes all made her so enticing to Flash. Her shyness melted his heart and made him long for a companion. Visions of his days at flight school came back to him. He was at recess, sitting on a tuft of cloud by the race track. He'd be eating his meager lunch of a soggy horseradish sandwich while looking at all the other fillies and colts showing off and having fun. But one thing he noticed was how a lot of them were couples. They always flew side-by-side, holding hooves, occasionally giving each other a peck on the cheek. He always wished he could find somepony who would understand him and listen to him. Maybe- Flash's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a light blue blur overhead. It whizzed by, bringing in its wake a harsh wind that pulled leaves from the trees around him and evaporated clouds into thin air. Ever curious, Flash got up and sped after the blue jet. As it turned out, today was a fantastic day for flying. The air was calm and easy to cut through and there were plenty of thermals rising off the ground, allowing a talented Pegasus, such as himself, to pop up off the rising air, fold up his wings, and pull a quick midair stunt and a nose-dive, all without breaking stride. But at this point, Flash was flying far too fast for flashy acrobatics. He could feel in the complaints from his unstretched wings that he was putting a lot of effort into this. His eyes were squinted, trying to hold in the moisture that the air was wicking away from them. The wind against his face stung, but that wasn't going to stop him from catching up with whatever this thing was. Flash pushed harder, and he quickly began to gain ground on the figure. Looking below him, forests flew by in seconds. Flash couldn't remember the last time he went this fast, but he sure did remember the rush that came with it. His heart was racing, skin tingling, hair whipping in the harsh, opposing wind. Something about speed felt so right, so natural, and so good. As he caught up to the figure, he could tell it was another pony. A pony? Flash thought, wondering who could possibly be going this fast other than one of the Wonderbolts, who were known for being the best fliers in all of Equestria. Pulling up to the pony's side, he saw it was a filly, about his age. She had a sky blue coat, while her mane and tail were striped with the seven basic colors of the rainbow. This must be Rainbow Dash, Flash thought, feeling like an idiot for making such an obvious statement, even if it was only in his mind. "Excuse me!" Flash yelled out over the roar of the wind. "You seem to be pretty good at this flying thing!" Rainbow Dash's reaction was a double-take at Flash with an expression of shock and surprise on her face. She slowed down and eventually came to a hover. Both ponies were panting, out of breath from the strenuous flying, but were still interested in each other. As their breathing calmed, the two analyzed each other. Flash noticed Rainbow Dash's playful magenta eyes as they darted around, absorbing what they could of Flash. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak. "Hey," she said in quite a pubescent voice, full of cracks and whistling sounds, "name's Rainbow Dash!" "I'm Flash," he said, feeling a little nervous. She was a cute filly. Flash had been expecting somepony like Rarity. Her name seemed so garish, like she would always be dressing in style, acting prissy and pampered. But she wasn't, not even the slightest bit. Her mane was a bit moppy with sweat, sweeping across her face, the colors tangling and crossing, giving her a cute, messy appearance that Flash found highly attractive. "I don't recognize you," she continued. "Are you new here?" "Yeah, actually. I got here just yesterday. Stayed the night at Twilight Sparkle's house." "You've met Twilight already?" For some reason, she seemed surprised by this. "Yeah, according to her, you were the only pony I hadn't met yet." "Cool," she paused for a bit, still breathing a little heavily. "So, anyway, you seem like a pretty good flier." Now when it came to flying, Flash knew he was one of the best, and he liked to show it. He craned his neck and puffed out his chest in a proud gesture, and he started to boast, "I was the best flier to ever come out of Fillydelphia Flight Academy." "Oh really?" she responded, raising an eyebrow at his rather bold statement. "That sounds nice, but were you ever told you were the best flier in all of Equestria by Princess Celestia herself?" "No," Flash said, a little downtrodden; who could possibly compare to that. He had to come up with something, though, so he kept their little war of words going. "But she's never met me before, so how do you know she wouldn't say I'm better?" Flash was getting a little irritated now. This filly, no matter how cute she was, was acting like she was better than him; nopony had ever been better than him. "How 'bout you prove it?" was Rainbow Dash's retort. "Sounds like a plan. You wanna race?" "Sure, follow me. We'll do the standard Ponyville circuit." After a short while, the two pegasi were at the town hall. "Here's the course," Rainbow Dash explained. "There are cloud rings marked in a large path all around Ponyville. I'll let you have one slow lap to get the layout. First one to finish a lap wins the race. Got it?" "Got it," Flash responded, confident he could dust this arrogant, little pony. He took his prep lap, taking good note of the course layout. He felt around for wind tendencies and looked for turns he could use to his advantage. After studying the course, Flash came back to Rainbow Dash. "I'm ready to go," he said, "You ready to lose?" "I dunno, depends how hungry you are, 'cause you're about to taste the rainbow!" That last comment was a little cheesy, but it was very obvious that this filly was cocky. But it was all in good fun. Competitive ponies, like themselves, loved to talk trash to each other. They got set on a small, cotton ball cloud, ready to launch forward with everything they had. Off to his right, Flash heard somepony blow a whistle. Both of them, with a hard push and a powerful downstroke of their wings, were off like bullets. Flash immediately took the lead, always the quickest off the line, but Rainbow Dash quickly caught up to him. The two stayed neck and neck for quite some time, slowly increasing speed. Arms outstretched with wings beating like a hummingbird, Flash slowly felt that lovely rush creep through his core and up to his wings. They beat faster and faster until he knew he had Rainbow Dash beat. But when he turned to see how far back she was, she was right there, matching him wing for wing in speed. She actually began to pull ahead. The uphill turn came, but Flash kept going straight. Rainbow Dash looked down at her opponent, bewildered, and let out a loud, mocking laugh. But Flash knew what he was doing. It has to be around here somewhere, he thought to himself. And then, he hit it: one of the most powerful thermals he'd ever felt coming right off a patch of white sand on a lakeside beach. He'd felt the updraft on his prep lap and made sure to remember it. It was certainly paying off now. Flash pulled up and shot straight into the sky, faster than he'd seen anypony go uphill before. He quickly caught up and passed Rainbow Dash. If he couldn't beat her by his flying alone, he'd outsmart her. As he came up on the next checkpoint, he got ready to turn back down. They were well above most of the clouds now and it was getting chilly. Flash could feel frost collecting on his wings, causing a lot of unnecessary fatigue, so he closed them up at his sides and allowed himself to coast up to the cloud ring. As he approached the checkpoint, he pulled up his backside and pulled his hind legs in. With perfect timing, he let out a mighty mule-kick, propelling him downward at blinding speed. Shortly after, Rainbow Dash screamed through the same checkpoint, a look of anger and determination on her face. She was right behind him and gaining. Then he felt it, saw the condensation build up around him. He was inside a large cone now. He'd been in one of these before and had learned how to handle them. He couldn't push too hard, as too much speed would cause the wind resistance to stop him midflight and slingshot him backwards. He had to check his wing speed and power to make sure he didn't go too fast. Rainbow Dash pulled up next to him in a similar cone. But she kept pushing. Her cone got narrower and longer as her speed steadily increased. Flash smirked; this pony obviously wasn't familiar with sonic cones. Any second now she'd fly back, giving Flash a definite victory. He waited, but her cone just got longer and the angle got sharper. Flash was confused. What was happening? There was no way she could still be accelerating. It was impossible, and Flash couldn't believe it whatsoever, not even when small sparks of bright color began shooting off the sonic cone. Not even when the entire cone began to glow with vibrant hues. But then it happened, an event to which there was no denying. That little filly, whom Flash had thought was just a talentless, cocky no-name, shattered some invisible barrier. A full circle rainbow exploded from the pony, resulting in a shockwave that made Flash lose stability and considerable speed. The force was so powerful it shook his bones and pressed the trees below to the ground. Rainbow Dash bolted forward, faster than ever. Now Flash, forced to swallow his own defeat like a little foal having cough syrup forced down its throat, watched in awe as Rainbow Dash beamed through the finish line, followed by a full spectrum of beautiful color. Flash closed his eyes and flew past the finish line as liquid rainbow droplets pelted his face. He wiped his face and hoped none of the rainbow had gotten into his eyes. A colt back at flight school made the mistake of shoving his face in a rainbow on a dare, once. He was sent home with two eye patches and a cane and didn't come back to school for two weeks. After making sure his face was clean of colors, he opened his eyes, only to see his humiliation before him. Rainbow Dash was looking at him, arms crossed, a smirk on her face, her eyes fixed in a confident glare. Behind her was a massive rainbow stretching across the sky, obviously a product of her incredible stunt. Flash was cocky when it came to flying, but he was not a sore loser. She was obviously the better flier, and Flash let her know. "Wow, that was a great race!" he began. "You were amazing. I mean-" he stuttered for a few seconds, practically at a loss for words, "that was a sonic rainboom! I thought they were just an old mare's tale. I'm sorry I ever even thought to challenge somepony with your talent." "Hey," she responded, "you're not so bad yourself. You're probably the best flier I've ever raced with. You pushed me harder than I've been pushed in a long time. I've never had to do a sonic rainboom to win a race before. And I'll admit, you're a much smarter flier than I am. The way you used that thermal to make it up the climb: I never would've thought of that!" "Thanks," Flash said, grateful for a compliment from a flier of such a high caliber, "but regardless, you are definitely the best flier in all of Equestria." She blushed a little bit at his compliment and looked down at the ground, kicking her hoof at the imaginary dust below her. "Thanks," she said, a little sheepishly. Then, she perked up, as if she remembered something all of a sudden. "Hey," she said excitedly, "I have to head over to Sugarcube Corner. Wanna come with?" "Sure thing!" Flash was loving how accepted he was here in Ponyville. The whole town was treating him like family, a family he never really had.
The Warmest of WelcomesChapter 4 The Warmest of Welcomes As Flash and Rainbow Dash flew back to Sugarcube Corner, they talked about their flying techniques. Rainbow Dash's favorite tricks and Flash's use of wind elements to reduce flight fatigue were their favorite topics. Time passed quickly and it was late afternoon by the time they reached the confections shop. Flash, having learned well from his mother during the short time she'd been with him, was a gentlecolt and held the door open for Rainbow Dash. She slipped into the building as quickly as possible and as Flash turned to shut the door behind him, all the lights inside went out. The little light Flash had was from the sun filtering through the windows, which had been covered with black tissue paper. "Hello?" Flash called out. He was a little nervous; you had to admit this whole series of events was rather strange. Flash's mind started to race as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and he became aware of his surroundings. What's going on? Why are the windows blocked out? What happened to Rainbow Dash? What was that noise? Did somebody just laugh? Something just moved! What was that? What's up with that shadow? Why is it getting closer? Oh Celestia, I'm gonna die! That's what they did! They welcomed me and made me feel safe and comfortable and seduced me with their temptress fillies. They made me feel at home so that when the time was just right, they could lure me into and empty house and kill me! They'll strap me down and rip off my wings and cut off my legs and cut me to pieces! Oh Celestia, please help me! I don't wanna die! They're getting closer! I'm surrounded! They're coming in for the kill! Oh my- "SURPRISE!" The light flashed on as the deathly, lurking shadows became happy faces, full of warmth and love. Flash was frantic and scared. His heart was racing as if he'd just flown a 5 mile dash. His eyes darted all over the place: at the smiling ponies, all looking at him, at the streamers, balloons, and big banner reading "WELCOME TO PONYVILLE," and at the large buffet table, decked out with all kinds of confectionery delights: Cupcakes, Ice cream, Donuts, Muffins, along with all of Flash's favorite foods like Horseshoe Fly Pie, lemon squares, and coconut-caramel cookies. And, of course, there was a huge, three tier, blue and yellow cake with lightning bolts patterned on the sides. It finally clicked in Flash's head, and just as steadily as this potential crime scene became a festivity, his gaping mouth and frightful expression turned into a wide, delighted grin and an expression of gratitude in the highest degree. As the six ponies he'd met that day stepped towards him from the crowd, their shapes ran like liquid, fusing the pink, blue, white, purple, yellow, and orange together. The beautiful, swirling color pallet dripped from Flash's eyes and ran down his face, restoring the image of the six greatest friends he'd ever had. "Well," Pinkie Pie said, excited and bobbing up and down as usual, "do you like it?" Flash had tried very hard to contain his emotions today. He didn't want others to get the impression that he was soft. But in the company of such kind, caring ponies who had gone through so much trouble to make him feel welcome, his composure broke. "I-I," he stammered, pointlessly trying to hold back tears, "I love it! It's the best thing anypony's ever done for me!" As they came closer, he pulled them in for a group hug. His heart warmed with the beating of theirs and the seven friends all seemed to be in harmony. Later, the party was in full swing. Everypony was having a great time; at least, almost everypony. Rainbow Dash was requesting her favorite song to the DJ. Spike and Pinkie Pie were dancing center-floor, the former with a lampshade on his head, making him all the more adorable. Applejack was blindly swinging at a piñata, the stick clamped in her teeth, just missing the heads of spectating ponies. Rarity, meanwhile, was trying to suppress her laughter at Applejack's foolish display. Twilight was striking up conversation with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a group of three young fillies who hadn't yet earned their cutie marks and were trying very hard to do so. But they weren't the ones Flash was concerned about. They were all enjoying themselves and having a great time. What Flash had noticed was the stunning, pink-haired pony sitting in a corner, head in her hooves a longing expression on her face. Something about her reminded him of himself at flight school, sitting alone, watching everypony else having fun, holding hands, giving hugs. A spark suddenly ignited Flash's heart. He suddenly felt that just looking at Fluttershy would make him melt. He swallowed the butterflies that were rising into his chest and walked over to the DJ. "Can I make a request?" he asked, shouting over the massive bass beat pumping from the speakers all over the room. "Sure thing, dude," she said, "Whadya have in mind?" "Something slow and soft." "Trying to impress a filly, huh?" she asked ever so knowingly. "Am I that obvious?" he said, a little embarrassed. "Nah, dude. Just make your move. I've got your back." "Thanks, so much," Flash said, ever grateful. "No prob." As Flash strolled over to where Fluttershy was standing, the song started, a slow, easy ballad. Flash's heart started pounding; he was heating up and his hooves were getting sweaty. When he got over to her, he calmed himself and said, "You don't look like you're having much fun." She looked up at him with her tender, passionate eyes, and it was all Flash could do to keep from screaming at the agony she was causing him. "I've never really liked parties, to be honest. But I don't mean I don't want to be here. It would be rude to not show up to a party you were invited to. I didn't mean to upset you-" the look on Flash's face obviously showed he wasn't angry at her, so she cut off. Instead, he swallowed his fear and asked her, "Would you like to dance?" She seemed a little surprised by his offer, but soon seemed to curl up tighter into the corner, pressing against the walls. She looked at the ground and gave a small whimper, her cheeks flushing rosy red. Flash's composure was starting to crumble. He couldn't take much more of this torture without doing something he'd regret. This filly just didn't play fair. Mustering up all of his dignity into one final sentence, he put on his best, handsome, comforting face and said, "C'mon, it'll be fun." It was a blind shot in the dark. He didn't know what he would do if she refused, but he prayed to all the Alicorns in the golden stable-in-the-sky that she said, "Okay." Elation. That was probably the best way to describe how he felt. He held her hoof as they walked out on the floor. That alone was huge to him. He was finally one of the many pegasi he had seen at recess. They rested their heads on the others neck and slowly shifted back and forth, swaying to music. Her neck was soft and warm and her glorious mane was silky smooth and smelled of berries. Annoyed by the silence, Flash started the conversation. "So, how long have you lived in Ponyville?" "Oh, I've been here quite a while," she responded. "When I was a little filly, I was a very weak flyer. I got knocked off a cloud by Rainbow Dash, on accident, of course. But as I fell to the ground, a huge cluster of butterflies caught me. I'd never seen the ground before then, but it was so beautiful with all its flora and fauna, I just couldn't bear to leave. So, the Apple family helped me build my cottage on and unused remnant of their farm, and I've been there ever since." She seemed much less shy talking about this. She was actually very passionate and proud of her history. After all, it was what made her, her. Flash went along with it and told Fluttershy about his childhood. "Something like that happened to me before. Back in Fillydelphia, we lived near the coast, so we obviously did a lot of flying over the ocean. The air patterns are a lot different there. There are lots of unstable currents that test your skills and separate the greats from the average. One day, we were diving into the water to see who could go down the farthest. As you can tell, we were ridiculously stupid back then," Fluttershy gave a small giggle and Flash couldn't help but blush a bit. "I had everyone beat by a long shot because of all the speed training I did in my free time. But, I went so far down, I got swept up by a current. I was helpless there. I'd never learned how to swim well, just enough to get to the surface and take off. It was terrifying down there. I couldn't breathe and there was nothing I could do about it." Fluttershy was intent. He had her attention and it felt good. He looked into her eyes and felt his heart skip as usual, but he could swear he saw something in her eyes, a twinkle or something, and Flash couldn't help but think they both felt the same. He continued with his story. "So I'm being flipped and spun around and I don't know which way is up and I'm slowly being pulled down. Then, when everything was starting to get fuzzy and dark, a dolphin came up underneath me and pushed me up to the top. It saved my life, and ever since then, I've never had a thing against any animal and I've always done my best to be helpful to them. "That sounds amazing!" she said excitedly, then after a short pause, "You know," she stopped again for a second, as if she was unsure what to say, "if you wanted to," she was looking at the ground again, her ears flopped down, "you could maybe come over tomorrow and help me with the animals?" She turned away quickly, afraid of his answer and hiding her intense blush. "Absolutely!" Flash exclaimed, exuberant at the idea of spending a day with her. "I'd love to. I'll come over first thing tomorrow." At that moment, the DJ announced, "Alrighty guys and gals. It's time for me to pack up and head home. Thanks for having me!" after a short applause, she packed up her things and walked out, followed by several other ponies. After a short time, the only ponies left were Flash and his six new friends. "Thank you so much for the party, you guys. It really meant a lot to me." "The party's not over yet, silly!" Pinkie Pie said, jumping excitedly. "You still have to get your present!" "What present?" Flash asked. They'd given him food, clothes, and an amazing welcoming party. What more could they possibly give him? "Only Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy can show you," Pinkie responded, "I hope you like it though." "Here," Rainbow Dash told him, handing him a blindfold, "put this on." He put the blindfold on and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy guided him out of Sugarcube Corner and up into the cool night sky. The present obviously had to be airborne if only the two pegasus ponies could show him, but only made it harder to guess. What could they possibly give him that would be airborne? Eventually, he heard Rainbow Dash's voice say, "We're here." He felt Fluttershy's warm, soft hooves on his neck as she gently pushed the blindfold off his face. As he looked around, he got very confused. All he saw was a modest cloud house floating openly in the sky. There was no present, and he couldn't pretend he saw it so, afraid he would offend, he asked, "Where's the present?" Rainbow Dash gave out a loud, obnoxious laugh. "Do you have cloud in your eyes or something?" she teased. "It's right in front of you!" "All I see is the house," he said. "There's no present." "The house is the present, you silly filly," Fluttershy answered, suppressing laughter. Flash didn't know how to respond. He hovered there, mouth agape, his eyes filling with emotions for the second time that day. He looked back at the two pegasi who had helped in making him this wonderful gift. He bolted to the blue one, her eyes full of compassion and kindness, and held her tightly, his tears only slightly wetting her mane in their embrace. Flash looked over at Fluttershy. Although she smiled, her eyes turned away, unsure if they wanted so much attention, even if it was only from one pony. This didn't deter Flash in the slightest, though. Instead, it only enticed him further to let his instincts and passion take control. He sprung over to the beautiful pegasus, her mane and coat shining, like her eyes, in the pale moonlight. He took her head in his hooves and quickly pressed his lips to hers. His eyes closed and he felt her lips, taught and cringing, against his. He began to worry, as his excitement faded, if he had done something insanely foalish. But as his kiss died and he began to awkwardly pull away, he felt her lips soften and she began to pull him closer to her. Her front hooves slid up his sides and found their place, wrapped around his neck. Flash relaxed and slowly slid his hooves down to her neck. The two hovered there for quite some time, locked together in love and passion. Flash was euphoric. Nothing could possibly upset him, now. His heart fluttered and melted in his chest, gleefully in love. When he pulled away from the kiss, Flash saw those lovely, sea-blue eyes looking into his. Fluttershy's cheeks were a fiery red, but her expression was content and loving. The two looked over, still locked in embrace, and noticed Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. She most likely left to give the new couple some privacy. Flash reminded himself to apologize the next day for not saying goodbye. Fluttershy turned back to him and spoke, while awkwardly pulling her hooves away from his neck. "I guess I should get going," she said with a little regret in her voice, "It's getting late." Flash felt a little disappointed, but understood they had to sleep at some point. "I'll stop by tomorrow, then," he said, remembering her offer from earlier that evening. "Okay," she responded. And with that, she gracefully glided into the night.
FluttershyChapter 5 Fluttershy Flash woke up the next morning feeling more relaxed than he could ever remember. The sun cascaded through the window above his, shining on him and bathing his face in soothing warmth. The room about him was pale and white, giving it a feel of purity and freshness. The brilliance of the sunlight against the clean, cloud walls made Flash's eyes sore, but he quickly adapted. He headed out of the doorway that marked the entrance to his bedroom. He proceeded down the hallway, checking every room for signs of a shower. When he found his bathroom, he turned the shower on and stepped in once the water got up to the proper temperature. The war water washed away the grit and grime from the past couple days and left Flash's coat and mane feeling lustrous and refreshed. It also gave Flash time to think. His thoughts wandered to the events of the previous night, especially the kiss he had shared with Fluttershy. He suddenly remembered that they were spending the day together and his spirits lifted just thinking of it. Brimming with excitement at the prospect of time with her, he quickly scrubbed his coat down with his cumulus brush and brushed his hair back from its matted, exhausted appearance to Flash's signature, spiky flow. He flew out of his house and air-dried himself on his way down to Ponyville. When he touched down, he started his trot over to Fluttershy's cottage. As he approached her house, he began to hear, fading in from the bright, glimmering glen up ahead, the same lovely singing he had heard yesterday. She was singing a very familiar tune, one that almost everypony heard as a foal. Little foal, come to my arms, I will keep you far from harm, You have no need to worry now, Hush and sleep, don't make a sound. I love you more than anything, The warmth and joy your laughter brings, You rest your head against my chest, I wish your dreams the very best. As Fluttershy began to start the final verse, Flash jumped in and harmonized with her, the same way he always did with his mother before she passed. And if I ever have to leave, If I lie down and cease to breathe, Little foal, with heart of gold, Promise me you'll keep your soul . The fair pegasus, not realizing Flash had come in until the very end, spun around on the spot, quickly coming to look straight at Flash. "Oh, you came," she said, sounding delighted in her own, reserved way. "Why would I miss an opportunity to spend a day with the most beautiful pony in all of Equestria?" Flash was much more comfortable around Fluttershy now that they had both revealed their affection for the other. However, as Flash had expected, his romantic flattery extracted one of the brightest hues of red from Fluttershy's cheeks. Not knowing how to respond, Fluttershy remained speechless and blushing for several seconds until Flash continued. "So what do we have to do today?" he asked. Fluttershy took the cue and began to list the day's remaining chores. Flash heard bits and pieces of the tasks; clean out the animals' burrows, refill the bird feeders, and prune the shrubs were just a few of the many jobs that had to be completed by sundown. Flash though, became entranced by the pegasus's lovely blue-green eyes. He knew he'd figure out what he had to do eventually, so why not enjoy himself while she explained. When she finished, she said they would start with the least pleasant of tasks, which meant cleaning the chicken coop. After that disgusting endeavor, the two ponies proceeded to pick whatever vegetable and herbs that had sprung up in Fluttershy's garden. Things were getting awkward, now. Neither of the two talked while they worked and Flash's glances behind him to get a peek of her resulted in their eyes meeting and darting quickly away. Why are we acting like this? he thought. Did we not just kiss last night? He had to start a conversation somehow, but he was terrible at that. He could have a perfectly interesting conversation with anypony, provided they gave him something to go off of. He just didn't have the ability to start one up. Thankfully, Fluttershy broke the ice. "Pinkie Pie said you told her," she began, "but I never heard how you got your cutie mark." "Oh, that's a story right there," Flash replied, chuckling to himself to hide the pain that remembering brought. "Let's see, where should I start?" Flash was a little colt. His mane was short and spiky and his wings, though powerful, were very small. He was smaller than most of the colts in his class, but he, without any friends to play with, had tie to train and fly rigorously. He was fast and he was agile and he was by far the best flier in his class. One day, after school, Flash was on his way back to his apartment on Clydesdale Avenue. He made a cut-through in an alley behind O'Mare's Tavern, when he found himself face to face with his Uncle Mario, who was pinning a bloodied stallion against the brick wall of the tavern, threatening and cursing at him. When his uncles glanced over, he brightened up and asked the young Flash if he would help him out. "Uncle Mario, why are you doing that?" he asked, rather frightened. "This guy, little Flashy, is what our family calls a rat. He called me a bad pony and disrespected me and the entire family. Now we can't have that can we? So your Uncle Mario here has to teach him not to do that no mores." Mario had some glimmer in his eyes. He looked wild and bloodthirsty, and his heavy Italian accent sounded sinister and deadly. He went on, "Now Flashy, could you grab me that baseball bat so I can properly teach this guy a lesson? It would make your father very proud of you." Flash perked up a bit. He'd do anything to make his father proud of him. He grabbed the aluminum bat in his teeth by the rubber grip on the end. On the fat end of the bat, Flash notice dried clumps of what looked like bloody fur. He suddenly became fully aware of the situation. When he looked over at the other pony, pinned against the wall, he noticed tears running down his blood-soaked coat. Flash saw his wallet lying on the ground and caught a glimpse of a photo inside. He saw a happy looking family in the picture. It was the bleeding pony's family, of course. He was in the picture, along with his wife and two children, both young fillies. Flash suddenly felt terrible grief for this pony. He looked so innocent and hurt while Uncle Mario was brutal and mad. Flash couldn't bear to contribute to such a terrible act, so he did what he knew was the right thing. He clamped down on the bat and swung it as hard as he could at Uncle Mario's head. The impact created a harsh thud and a loud crack. Uncle Mario slumped to the ground, unconscious and bleeding from his nose. The other pony collapsed to the ground, shakily trying to stand up. Flash helped him up, letting the injured pony to lean on him for balance. "Thank you so much, kid," he said to Flash, his breathing raspy and quick. "It's no problem at all, sir. I was just doing the right thing." "You're a good kid. No matter what anypony ever tells you, you are a good kid." The sincerity in his eyes made Flash feel warm inside and a sense of dignity and pride spread through his body. When Flash dropped the pony off at the West Fillydelphia Hospital, he noticed in one of the mirrors that something was different about his reflection. It was his cutie mark. The brand new, vibrant, yellow lightning bolt struck across his flank, forever sealing his identity. He knew it was there for more than his impressive flight skills. It was there because of his ability to stand out above others, striking out against those who did wrong. His sense of justice and courage, and his quickness to action had made this mark appear on his flank, and Flash was proud he could be known for these traits. Even though his story was over, Flash's thoughts continued, silently, through his history. His father, never angry with his son, had his Uncle Mario killed for showing Flash such a brutal side of the family business before his time had come. Then, no more than a year later, Flash found himself in the midst of a mob. It had been there all along, but he had been too innocent and naïve to see it. Robberies and hits became common practice, and Flash couldn't bare to look most of his family members in the eyes anymore, not after seeing the things they'd done. Then, one day, when his time had arrived, his father gave him his first assignment as part of his mob initiation. His task was to kill a struggling stallion with a family to feed who had been late on his payments to Cousin Moe, the family loan shark. Flash flat-out refused to his father. Not a pony spoke when they heard what Flash had just said. By refusing the assignment, he had dishonored his family and insulted his father. Flash's father disowned his only son that day, and Flash found himself weaving and diving his way out of the streets and into the skies, avoiding the attacks of his many relatives. He fled the city and his family forever. His life would never be the same after that day, and that was only two days ago. "Flash, what's wrong? Are you okay? Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy was worried sick, yelling at Flash, trying to grab his attention. But he was despondent, balled up on the ground. His body racked with sobs as he dry-heaved on the fresh mulch of Fluttershy's garden. She didn't know what to do. He had been telling his story, but when he finished, he just stared off into space. She tried to get him to snap out of his trance, but he suddenly broke down and began crying. He certainly wasn't getting any better, either; his crying had gotten louder and the expression on his face was one of complete terror. So, she did the only sensible thing that could grab his attention. She kissed him. It was a long, passionate kiss. It stopped Flash's crying quickly. He let her in and the two embraced, their bodies and souls intertwining in pure love and emotion. Fluttershy was the one crying now; silent tears of joy fell down her face onto the petals of the tulips in her garden as her lips danced with Flash's. After years of hope and searching, she had finally found the stallion of her dreams: The confident one who was also sensitive and knew just the way into her heart. Meanwhile, up in the clouds, a dark, twisted figure, aged and decrepit, glared at the two lovers below. He was hardly recognizable as the pegasus he was. His abysmally black hide was mangled with scars and missing bits of flesh. His wings, through works of black magic, were like those of a bat. Leathery and black and shredded in several places, his ragged wings were unsightly but powerful. The pony's back was twisted and hunched, while his face was completely covered in hideous, liquid-like scar tissue, caused by a terrible, explosive fire. His only eye bulged from its socket, as if it would pop out of his head. Seemingly talking to nopony, the ugly creature said, "Boss, I found him." In his ear, through a unicorn-created audial link, a dark, deep voice spoke. "Excellent work, Grendel," it said. "What's my little stallion up to?" "He's pretty busy, boss," the dark figure said with a snicker. "Got himself a little kissy session with quite the pretty filly." "Is that so? What a charmer, that boy. He's just like his father. I'm gonna send Vinnie over to meet you. Why don't you bring me his date? She would be of great value to us. Bring her back to me, alive." To Be Continued in Volume 2 of the Flash series: A Past that Haunts Author's Note: I'm very glad to have finally finished my first fanfic. I want to thank all of my viewers for reading, especially those who leave reviews, whether critical or supportive, as both help me a lot. I encourage you to leave reviews on what you think of the story and some improvements I should make in the next. The next installment, I expect, will be out before or shortly after Christmas and will have PLENTY more action than this one.
