Flash Sentry
Born and raised in Cloudsdale, graduated from both Wonderbolt Training by age thirteen and graduated from Royal Guard Training by age fifteen. Displayed impressive knowledge in keeping laws, police training, codes of conduct, and various other fields that went above and beyond necessary for qualification. Shortly after his induction into the guard, he quickly worked his way through the ranks, where he achieved several medals and honors for his service and duty. The most noticeable of which is the Pink Heart, which was awarded when he shielded Princess Celestia from a flipped table which was caused by a very miffed Princess Luna during a game of Catan, and the shield of honor, which was awarded after breaking the record for the number of arrests, which, even after a thousand years, he still holds.
The most recent medal he acquired was the Teal Heart, which was awarded to the guards that served in the invasion on the Crystal Empire to dethrone Sombra, those said guards were then imprisoned in a state of limbo for a thousand years. Which was, of course, broken and saved thanks to our glorious dragon savior, Spike. Despite being one of the many guards that suffered from the fear trauma instilled by Sombra, he quickly recovered from said trauma and got to work in doing his part to rebuild the Crystal Empire. Ensuring that the civilians were, are, and will be safe while also equally ensuring that the peace is kept. In that time, he has sustained three injuries in the line of duty since his return from Sombra’s imprisonment, the most recent of which was being smacked by an old lady’s purse. Granted, the purse was filled with stolen crystals, so it was no wonder that Flash’s wing broke.
“Hello, Lieutenant Sentry,” Captain Shining Armor welcomed the Pegasus into his office, who then sat down in the chair opposite from his desk, “how’s the wing?”
“It’s hanging in there,” Flash answered, indicating to his wing which was bound to his body by bandages, “what can I do for ya, sir?”
“Well…” Shining Armor pursed his lips, “as you know, the ponies of the Crystal Empire appreciate everything you’ve done for them. Thanks to the repairs you aided in and fending off the monsters that got a bit too close to our borders. It’s safe to say that you are an invaluable asset to the empire,” Shining put his hooves together, giving a warm smile to the Pegasus.
Flash knew that there was more, nobody would flatter him unless they needed Flash to do something. Specifically, if it was something he would be opposed to.
“In fact,” Here it comes, “It’s a wonder that such hard work hasn’t been rewarded yet. This is why we will be promoting you to the rank of Captain, congratulations!” He declared, ”In Ponyville.”
“Sorry, what was that?”
Shining cleared his throat, “In Ponyville,” He responded in a normal tone.
“…Ponyville?”
“Yes.”
Flash frowned; you could hear the cogs clicking away in his brain. “…Why?”
“Well…” Shining shifted in his seat, “since Twily-I mean Princess Twilight, has started to let in a bunch of students into her newly built school of Friendship, she’s also taken in some…let’s just say, very dangerous ponies. So, in the interest of the health and safety of Ponyville, the Princesses and I have agreed to send a collective of royal guards from all over Equestria to keep things safe and civil in Ponyville,” Shining eyed Flash with caution, so far everything seemed normal, and Flash was willing to cooperate.
“Sorry, two things I want to clear up; one, is this an order from you specifically, and two, when does my status as Captain take effect?” Flash asked.
Shining smiled, a wave of relief washed over him, “To answer your question, this isn’t technically an order from me, more like a benefit you get from the promotion. As for your other question, your status as Captain is effective immediately.”
“Great,” Flash clapped his hooves, “then my first act as Captain is to reject your promotion and go back to being a Lieutenant at the Crystal Empire, effective immediately.”
Shining sighed, he should’ve known that Flash was going to be this way, “Flash…come on now. You’ve always said how you wanted to be Captain of the guard one day.”
“I never said that.”
“No, I’m pretty sure you did,” Shining retorted, “something about how it was your dream, you’d marry a princess, and then live a carefree life.”
“The carefree life part is true,” Flash admitted, “but everything else couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“Flash-”
“Sir,” Flash interjected, “with all due respect, I have done my service as a royal guard. I fought alongside Princess Luna and Celestia on the invasion of the Empire and ended up getting trapped for a thousand years in limbo.”
“And when you returned from that Limbo, the first thing you did was go back to being a guard,” Shining countered. “You’ve done remarkable work. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to continue doing that, but in Ponyville.”
Flash crossed his hooves, leaned back in his chair, “Regardless, I’m not taking the promotion, and if you promote me again, I’ll just reject it.”
Shining sighed, “True, seeing as we’d be both Captains, I can’t order you, a guard of the same rank and authority, to do anything. The only ones who could do that would be the Princesses.”
“Yep,” Flash nodded in confirmation, “I’m sorry sir, but if you want me to go to Ponyville I’ll have to hear the order from your wife.”
“Sentry,” Shining glared, “are you telling me. That the onlyway you’ll go to Ponyville, is if my wife, who is currently enjoying a much-needed vacation after taking care of Flurry, come down here, promote you, order you to keepyour promotion, and then order you to go to Ponyville?”
“Yes, I am,” Flash answered.
“Okay,” Shining shrugged, “just wanted to clear,” he turned to the first door that led into the office, got up from his chair, and said, “Cadence you can come in.”
The doors glowed as a magical aura opened them and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza stepped in. “Hello Flash,” She smiled at the Pegasus with a grin so warm it would warm the heart of any stallion, “how’s the wing?”
“It’s hanging,” Flash answered, a bit frazzled by Cadence’s sudden appearance.
“That’s good to hear,” She said, taking a seat in Shining’s desk chair, “so…” She rubbed her hooves together with some forced enthusiasm, “Captain of the Ponyville guard, huh? I bet you’re really excited?”
“Actually, dear,” Shining spoke up, “Flash rejected his promotion, he’s back to being a Lieutenant.”
“Oh,” Cadence pursed her lips, “well let’s fix that; Flash Sentry, by the power vested in me as the Alicorn Princess of Love, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Captain.”
Flash already knew how this song and dance went.
“As newly appointed Captain, I hereby reject- “
“As the Princess of Love,” Cadence interjected, “I forbid you from rejecting your promotion.”
Drat, Flash had no way of countering that. He reluctantly gave Cadence that point, but the game wasn’t over yet.
“Fair enough,” He admitted, “however, I still have the right to reject your transfer to Ponyville.”
“Why are you against the transfer?” Cadence inquired, dodging the point Flash made, “Most ponies dream of getting away from the Crystal Empire, you’re one of the only non-crystal ponies still living here in the Empire.”
“Technically, Flash doesn’t live in the Empire,” Shining clarified to his wife, “he actually lives in a remote hotel near the train station.”
“Oh…” Cadence looked to Flash with what could only be described as pity. It was a face most ponies gave him whenever he told them that he lived as far away as possible from any intelligent life form. “Well then…I’d say you’re all packed and ready to go then.”
“I’m not going to Ponyville,” Flash made his point clear, “you may be my Prince and Princess, and I would gladly throw myself onto a sword if meant saving your lives, but you can’t make me. That authority and order must come from-“
“Princess Luna,” Cadence nodded. “Yes, I know that you are still technically her guard since the royal oath clearly states that you are under her service until ‘death do you part’ or she releases you from the contract. However, she has informed us that you are allowed to accept this transfer of your own free will and she will be more than happy to sign off on it.” Cadence explained, levitating a small stack of papers to Flash.
He took it and read it over carefully; it was the contract that made his transfer and promotion official. Flash read through the entire stack before he responded.
“Thanks,” Flash set the papers down on the desk, “but again, the answer is no. I do appreciate the offer, but I quite enjoy my life here in the Empire, and I’m not ready to leave it just so I can go off to the most dangerous place in all of Equestria.”
“Flash,” Cadence leaned forward, “all of the other soldiers and guards who were imprisoned have left. They’ve gone back to either Canterlot or some other remnant of their homes. You’re the only guard left, and I’m not saying that you’re banished from the Empire, I’m just saying that it will help if you go out into the real world. Live your life.”
Flash slumped against his chair, letting out a long, frustrated, sigh. He didn’t want to admit it, but Cadence did have a point. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t think about leaving the Empire once or twice. However, everything he once had was now gone, lost to the ravages of time, the Crystal Empire was the last bit of familiarity he had left.
Then again, Cadence did have a point, he wasn’t being banished, just relocated. The train ride from Ponyville to the Empire wasn’t that long. It was doable, and it was clear that Cadence and Shining weren’t going to let Flash leave unless it was with him as the newly appointed Captain of Ponyville’s royal guard.
“…Fine,” Flash reluctantly agreed, taking out his stamp to sign the contract.
“Wonderful! Ah, you are just gonna love Ponyville,” Cadence grinned with glee, as she used her magic to spread out the papers that needed to be signed, “just need you to stamp these and you’ll be on your way.”
Flash went through them one by one, thankfully he spent one of his centuries practicing speedreading, so it took him mere seconds to scan through the contract word for word before he stamped them. He made sure to reread all the papers, even though he had already read them once, it never hurt to reread them.
“Hang on,” In this case, Flash was grateful he reread them because he noticed that the current paper in front of him was new. Cadence tried to yank the paper away, but Flash snatched it out of her cantrip clutches and read it.
Then he reread it because what he had just read completely baffled him.
“I, Flash Sentry,” He read the text on the paper out loud, “do hereby swear that I will enroll at the newly appointed ‘School of Friendship’ where I, Flash Sentry, will participate in classes, lectures, assignments, and all other sorts of classwork in the sake of graduating. I will undergo coursework that will allow me, Flash Sentry, to socialize and behave in a friendly manner towards all creatures- I’m sorry, is this a joke?!” He asked incredulously.
Cadence shifted awkwardly, her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she tried to formulate the words as best she could. Eventually, she released a defeated sigh, “Look, Flash, don’t take this the wrong way, everyone is grateful to you for all the hard work you’ve done. But…ponies have had a couple…complaints, about your behavior.”
“I’m aware of them,” Flash admitted. He was aware of the complaints some ponies gave him. Well, actually, it was mostponies, but he did read through each complaint he received and responded to them as well. The complaints were usually the same; Flash acted in a rough and unfriendly manner when questioning someone, or he scolded ponies that broke a minor law, or he tattled on guards that had been skimping on their duties. Granted, there were complaints Flash received that he did take to heart and changed himself to improve himself, but they were rare to come by.
“So then…you understand why it would be beneficial for you to attend Twilight’s school?” Cadence asked hopefully.
“No,” Flash answered, “I’m sorry, but I will not be attending this…school.”
Cadence and Shining sighed once more, not even trying to hide their frustration, they both did their breathing exercise to calm down.
“Flash,” Cadence spoke calmly, “what would it take for you to stamp that document?”
“Honestly?” Flash asked, genuinely curious to see what lengths Cadence would go to, “To make me give my seal, you would have to have Princess Luna herself come down here and order me to stamp this.”
“So,” Cadence began, “just to clarify, you want us to call Luna, who is busy taking care of the dreams of all creatures of Equestria, who is so busy that she can’t even spare so much as a minute of her time, have her come all the way from Canterlot to here, order you to stamp that piece of paper, then order you to attend the classes to the best of your ability, and then, and only then will do it?”
“Correct,” Flash answered bluntly.
“Okay,” Cadence shrugged, “just wanted to be clear,” Cadence got up from her seat and walked over to the other side of the room so now both Cadence and Shining were behind the chair opposite of Flash. “Luna, you can come in now.”
To his surprise, the doors once again magically opened and none other than Princess Luna in all her magical and graceful glory stepped in.
“Greetings, Flash Sentry,” She greeted warmly, her kind eyes glistening at the sight of a familiar face, “how’s the wing?” She asked, taking a seat.
“It’s…hanging in there,” Flash stammered, he looked to the door that Luna just entered, “is Princess Celestia out there too?”
Luna chuckled, “As amusing as that would be, no, my sister didn’t feel the need to be here as you are still one of my guards. Remind me again, what troop were you a part of?”
“The ‘Moon Stalkers’, Princess.”
“That’s right, I remember now,” Luna hummed, “they were all very brave and strong fighters. But enough reminiscing about the past,” Luna used her magic to take the paper from Flash’s hooves and lay it on the table, “instead, let’s focus on the future. Your, future, to be precise.”
“Are you…” Flash began, “are you ordering me to sign this contract?”
“Nooooo~”, Luna waived, “I’m here to strongly encourage you to sign this contract.”
Flash crossed his hooves in annoyance, realizing that his chances of escape were slowly dwindling away.
“Flash,” Luna started, “believe me, I know how you feel. Being stuck out of time is something that isn’t enjoyable to anyone. While it is remarkable given how quickly and effectively you’ve recovered, it’s sufficed to say that your social skills need improvement.” Luna paraphrased, “How do you say…your skills as a guard have aged like fine wine, whereas your skills with communicating with others have aged like milk; spoiled, sour, and ruining everyone’s meal.”
“Ouch.” Flash winced at the not-so-subtle remark.
“Sorry if that seemed harsh, but…” Luna trailed off, she used her magic to teleport a cardboard box that was overflowing with papers, so much so that it was practically bursting at the seams, “these are the complaints you’ve received from the citizens and fellow guards, within the last month.”
Using her magic, she pulled out one of the complaints and read it off, “Flash Sentry is a rude guard who needs to remove the stick from his flank. He’s a guard, he doesn’t need to go around meddling with ponies' lives, instead, he should stick to what he’s good at, which is standing near a door.”
Normally, one would be insulted by such a crude comment, but Flash was completely unmoved by the complaint.
“Okay,” Luna admitted, “that one was less of a complaint and more of a senseless jab.” Luna crumbled up the paper and tossed it into the nearby recycling bin. She shifted through the papers, searching for one that she knew Flash would care about. “Ah-ha!” She proclaimed, pulling out another paper which she read off, “Flash Sentry is a good guard, he keeps us safe and keeps everything orderly. However, it wouldn’t hurt him to loosen up a bit; he could show a smile, socialize with other guards off-duty, or just give a compliment every now and again.”
Luna looked up, pleased that the text had some effect on Flash, who had softened up a bit.
“See, not all of your complaints are just blind hate comments, some of them just want you to open up more. Be more engaging with the community.” Luna summarized, but could tell that Flash needed more evidence to be convinced, “Let’s look at another one shall we.” Luna rummaged through the papers, pulling one out at random, “Flash Sentry needs to stay the Tartarus away from my wai-“ Luna didn’t even finish her sentence, her magic crushed the paper into a ball and tossed it aside before rummaging through the box once more for a decent complaint.
“Okay, here’s a good one,” Luna began, “Flash Sentry is pretty ‘meh’, I don’t particularly like him or hate him. He’s one of those ponies that you recognize when you see him but have no interest in talking to or learning about.”
“Great, then I’m doing my job right,” Flash stated proudly.
“Flash,” Luna set the paper aside, “the point of the guard isn’t to fade into the background, your job is to be engaging with and protecting the community. That doesn’t just mean defending ponies, repairing damages, arresting criminals, filing excellent paperwork, and lecturing fellow guards slacking off. It also means that you need to be engaging with the community, not just listening to them but also talking to them in a way that makes them understand you’re friendly and trying to keep them safe. Doing so will make you more likable and give ponies around you a better idea of who you are.”
Flash considered his Princess’ words, she did have a point that it would be better for him to be more engaging. However, his stance remained the same, “I’m sorry Princess, but I don’t want to be in that kind of proverbial spotlight,” Flash explained, “all I want is to fade into the background. Once I’ve finished my job, then it’s nothing but a well-earned retirement for me.”
Luna sighed, “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this,” she muttered, “how about this then, for an incentive, if you can graduate from all of your classes in the School of Friendship, I will personally provide you with the support necessary to give you your retirement the second you graduate. How does that sound?”
The offer of an early retirement caught Flash’s undivided attention and interest, “You mean it?”
Luna nodded, “You’ll have to perform all of your duties under Twilight Sparkle while passing the classes with amicable and unblemished certificates from all six teachers. Does that work for you?” Luna asked, using her magic, she updated the text on the contract before sliding it forward.
Flash thought carefully about his decision, while he loathed the fact he would have to be attending a school about friendship, which was basically just a glorified kindergarten to Flash, the idea of being able to retire within about a year as opposed twenty years was too good to pass up.
“Okay,” Flash agreed, taking the stamp in his mouth he smooshed his seal onto the fine print of the contract, “you’ve got yourself a deal.”
Shining released a sigh of relief, Cadence did a small hoof-pump in the air while whispering “yes!”, and Luna smiled with pride, snatching the contract from Flash immediately before he had any second thoughts.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that,” Luna declared, “I’ll begin making preparations right now. Your train to Ponyville will depart within a few days, as Captain you’ll be the first guard before the remaining troops arrive. Pack your bags Flash, you’re going on the journey of a lifetime.”
Flash couldn’t properly describe the feeling he was having in his stomach. It was a mix of dread and, dare he say, excitement rose from within him. Whether it was because a nice quiet life was now one step closer or because of his new transfer, he didn’t really know. Maybe this transfer to Ponyville wouldn’t be as bad as he thought it was. Maybe, just maybe, this will be good for him after all.
“Hey, sis?”
All eyes turned to the entryway once more, where the head of Princess Celestia popped in.
“Do you still need me? Or, do you have everything sorted here?” She asked her sister.
“He signed it, Tia,” Luna held up the paper to show off Flash’s contract, “just give me a few more minutes to tidy up here.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Celestia beamed, she turned to Flash, “you’re gonna love Ponyville, it’s a real life-changer.” She said, ducking back out of the room for but a moment before reappearing, “By the way, how’s the wing?”
“It’s getting better,” Flash answered.
