We begin Side B of Blast to Our Past with a hit single by the one and only Ringo Starr! Also, we kick off a little story arc for Lullaby Strings and Flash Sentry.


Sub-Volume 1 - Blast to Our Past

Chapter 8 - It Don't Come Easy (Starr, 1971)

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

Dawn Spark was taking in what she had just learned from the Dazzlings' story. At that moment, the door opened and a man at forty-three walked in with his seventeen year old son. The man had two-tone blue hair and matching eyes, along with a short beard and mustache. He wore a worn out black jacket with the red and white stripes long since removed and blue jeans. The boy had blue eyes like his dad, but he also had light bluish-purple hair with pale blue and light violet stripes, a bang partially covering his right eye. He wore a yellow shirt with a purple jacket and jean pants.

"Hey, there's my oldest niece," said the man, walking over to Dawn and tousling her hair.

"Oh, hey uncle Flash," Dawn giggled. "Hey there, Dusk."

"Hi there, cuz," said Dusk. "Who's that you're speaking with?"

"These are the Dazzlings," explained Dawn. "They'd been telling me about you, uncle Flash, as well as grandma Celestia and aunt Luna."

"They were?" asked Flash.

"Yeah," said Dawn. "They finished the part where aunt Luna became Nightmare Moon."

"Probably a memory she doesn't like thinking about," remarked Dusk. "Say, was there a story they told you about dad?"

"Mostly, it was about the time he was born," said Dawn.

"Well, we got another one about him," said Aria.

"This is about my parents as well, isn't it?" asked Flash, sounding a little uncomfortable.

"What're you talking about?" asked Dusk.

"When I was little, my mom and dad - my birth father, of course - separated," explained Flash.

"What?" asked Dusk. "But why?"

"I guess they just had a bit of a disagreement on my future... and not to mention other matters."

"What happened?" asked Dawn.

"It all began years ago," explained Flash, looking out the window, remembering what he'd been told about his parents in the spring of 1996...


MARCH 1996

After Luna had become Nightmare Moon, the rest of 1995 had been largely uneventful. Some babies were born here and there, but for the most part, there was little happening as 1996 rolled in.

One early morning, Flame Barrier and Lullaby Strings were still in bed. Last night had been... interesting, to say the least, and their hair was in a right mess. Lullaby was the first to wake up and yawned as she stretched in bed.

"Morning already?" she asked in her yawn. She then looked down to Flame, who was still snoring loudly.

Lullaby giggled. "Wake up, sleepyhead," she teased, nudging him by the shoulder. Flame Barrier woke up with a yawn.

"Morning, dear," he said sleepily.

"Rather fun night, wasn't it?" asked Lullaby.

"Yeah, sure it was," Flame mumbled. Lullaby Strings got up and went to her baby son's room. By this point, little Flash Sentry was around eighteen months old. He had already taken his first steps and was beginning to learn how to speak. When his mother opened the door, Flash was still asleep in his crib.

"Rise my shine, my little angel," she said gently. Flash squirmed as he was lifted out of his crib and into his mother's arms.

"Come on, sleepy head," chuckled Lullaby. "It's morning." She gave her son a kiss; Flash cooed innocently.

Lullaby took Flash into the kitchen. She gave him his morning milk and set to work making breakfast. Soon the table had plates of waffles, bacon, ham, and scrambled eggs served fresh and hot. Flash was being fed a bowl of mashed bananas.

Just then, Flame Barrier came in, dressed for the day.

"Nice to see you up and early, dear," said Lullaby. Flash's face was now covered with banana as he giggled.

"Looks like someone was hungry," chuckled Flame when he saw his son's face. He went over and wiped his face with a napkin. "That's my clean little buddy," he said, "as well as future police officer."

"Future police officer?" asked Lullaby Strings.

"So we can have the family lineage continue," said Flame Barrier.

"Flame, are you sure that's the right career path our son will take when he grows up?" asked Lullaby. "I was thinking that he could have a career with music. He does love it when I play my guitar when singing him a lullaby."

"I had a music career, but that's in the past," snorted Flame.

"You're still angry at your former bandmates for wanting you to abandon me?" asked Lullaby.

"Of course I am," said Flame. "I thought those guys were my friends, but then wanted me to blow you off just so they could stay famous."

"Well, it's good that you've decided to put family first."

"Besides," said Flame Barrier, "when little Flash becomes a police officer, people will think twice before crossing him. He'll be tough and manly like me."

"Right..."


APRIL 9, 1996

About a week or two later, Lullaby began to not feel so good. She woke up early in the morning, she felt nauseous and quickly rushed to the bathroom.

"Oh, good God!" she cried as she threw up in the toilet. After a few minutes, she stopped, but still felt very dizzy.

"You alright?" asked Flame Barrier.

"I, uh... y-yeah," gasped Lullaby Strings, before coughing once more. "I don't know what it is."

"We'd better get you to a doctor," said Flame Barrier.

"N-no!" cried Lullaby. "Th-that won't be necessary! Maybe I just need a few days' worth of rest."

"Are you sure, dear?"

"Positive."

A little later, when Flame Barrier had gone to work, Lullaby was on the phone with Twilight Velvet.

"...I told him I just needed some rest," Lullaby was saying, "but really, it was just an excuse to avoid giving him and myself any trouble. This can't be sickness... can it?"

"Maybe you're having another baby," suggested Twilight Velvet.

"Don't be silly, I can't!" exclaimed Lullaby. "Little Flash is barely in training pants and I don't believe I can afford the space to hold two kids under one roof!"

"You'd better not be planning an abortion if that's the case," Twilight Velvet warned seriously. "That would just be cruel and selfish."

"NO!" shrieked Lullaby. "I want this kid! I'm afraid of how my husband will react!"

"Well, how did he react when you were pregnant with Flash?" asked Twilight Velvet.

"He was a bit shocked at first," said Lullaby.

"Well, poor Night Light fainted when I told him I was pregnant with Shining Armor," chuckled Twilight Velvet. "I hope he'll be more prepared for our next little one."

"You're three months in, Twi," said Lullaby Strings, "surely he knows by now?"

"I plan to surprise him at dinner," said Twilight Velvet, "as well as Shining Armor; I think he'll be pleased when he discovers he'll be getting a new baby brother or sister."

"I'm wondering how Flash will react to my news," said Lullaby. "Your son is only six going on seven; mine will be two next September."

"Now, are you going to tell Flame Barrier?"

"I will," said Lullaby Strings. When I find the right time, of course, she thought.


Every day from that, Lullaby wanted to tell Flame the news, but at the last minute she chickened out. She had taken a pregnancy test and came out positive, but chose to keep it hidden from him for now. Even Flash didn't know about his mother's current situation.

One evening, Lullaby had made dinner just as Flame Barrier came home.

"I'm home," he said.

"I can see that, dear," said his wife.

"What's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs."

"My favorite," said Flame Barrier.

"Uh, dear?" said Lullaby.

"Yes?"

She was about to tell him she was pregnant, but quickly changed what she was going to say.

"I made an extra large batch in case we'd be extra hungry!" she blurted.

"Really?" exclaimed Flame. "Sounds like we might have leftovers to last us til the end of the week!"

Suddenly they heard Flash babbling and looked over to find him with spaghetti on his head.

"Hey look," chuckled Flame Barrier. "He's doing an impression of your mother."

Lullaby Strings grabbed her camera and took a picture of the messy toddler. "One for the album," she said whilst Flash giggled.


MAY 8, 1996

After a month, Lullaby was in the living room reading a book.

"Lullaby," called Flame Barrier, "could you come in here please?"

She sighed, put down her book, and went to the bathroom where her husband was waiting. Needless to say, he didn't look pleased. His arms were folded and in one hand held what she had feared; her pregnancy test.

"You've got some explaining to do, young lady," said Flame Barrier.

"Oh," said Lullaby nervously. "You found out, didn't you?"

"How long ago did you take this?" asked Flame Barrier.

"About a month ago," said Lullaby, "why?"

"A month ago?" asked Flame Barrier. "And yet you never told me? Why?"

"Please don't be angry, dear," begged Lullaby. "I wanted to make this a surprise. My friend Twilight's going to have her second child, and she told her family about it over dinner and they were elated; even Shining Armor!"

"I'm not angry," said Flame Barrier. "I just can't believe you would hide wonderful news like this from me for a month! You're ashamed of me, aren't you?"

"Well... n-no, but..."

"But what? Are you not happy that we got married and had Flash?"

"I was just scared how you would react," said Lullaby.

"Scared how I would react?" asked Flame, feeling insulted. "You act as though I would be angry at the idea of having a second child. You are ashamed of me!"

"No! That wasn't what I meant-!"

But Flame Barrier was too upset to listen.

"Perhaps it's best I spent a few days out of your sight then, if it'll make you happy," he said.

Flame had packed a few bags with his belongings and went to the door. But before he left, he went to see Flash, who was asleep in his crib as it was naptime.

"Daddy's got to leave for a while, Flash," he said. "I'm not too sure when I'll be back, but know that I love you and I never want you to blame yourself for anything you didn't cause."

With that, Flame took his bags and walked out the door. Because Flash was asleep, he didn't exactly hear what his father told him before he left. Meanwhile, once Flame Barrier had left, Lullaby Strings began to cry.

"Oh, why didn't I tell him sooner in the first place?" she asked between her tears.

A week or so later, it had been heard that Flame Barrier went on a boat trip with some friends to forget his troubles. But their boat got caught in a storm and sank. At the moment, there was no word on any survivors... if at all.

During that time, Lullaby did what she could to try and ensure that her second child would be alright by the time he or she would be born, which was expected to be early January 1997. When she heard the news, she felt even worse than she did when Flame Barrier left.

"It's my entire fault!" she wept, "I should have told him the moment I found out, but I was so stupid!"

As she lay on the couch crying, a small voice called out to her. "Mama?"

Lullaby looked down and saw Flash on all fours, looking up at her with a sad expression on his face.

"Oh come here, sweetheart," she said, picking the little one up. "Mummy needs some comfort."

Lullaby held Flash close to her as she softly cried.

Don't you worry, Flash, she thought. I promise to take care of you and your younger sibling, no matter what, even if you do or don't have a father to care for you...


FOOTNOTES

Dusk Charger is the son of Twilight and Flash, born May 10, 2021. His parents married on February 12, 2020 (working date). He'll show up in future chapters, mostly in the present day.