AN: I'm so sorry I didn't upload this chapter Saturday! There was a family issue. No worries, no one's dead or anything that drastic. Still, had to focus on that. Here's the next chapter and it's the first bit of the titular attack. Oh yeah, possible trigger warning for allusion to rape. Nothing happens! Just reference. Here's the story.
Ch 11: Attack Part 1
Flash Sentry
The Royal Guard is curious about why Shining Armor wants to talk with him. 'I hope this doesn't take too long. I can't risk Twilight's life that. I'd never forgive myself if she died on my watch.'
Shining is looking for a secluded place to talk with his subordinate. 'Ponyville is so active because it's Hearts and Hooves Day. There's got to be somewhere private to talk.'
Eventually, they find an empty patch of trees.
"What did you wish to discuss with me, Sir?" asks Flash.
"I'm onto you," says Shining.
"Huh?"
"You can't fool me. I don't understand how Cady doesn't see it."
"See what?"
"Don't play dumb with me. I know you're trying to take advantage of Twilight."
Never has Flash felt so disgusted and insulted. "Excuse me?"
"I know exactly what your plan is, Sentry. You think you can climb your way through the ranks quickly by seducing my little sister. You think she's just some lonely weirdo you can mess around with, don't you? You couldn't be more wrong! Twilight's a smart alicorn and she'll see through all your tricks eventually. When she does, I'll take so much pleasure out of kicking your scheming rump from the Royal Guard!"
These false claims from his own captain have been steadily getting Flash more pissed. The only reason he hasn't attacked is due to his discipline. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?" he asks through gritted teeth.
The question takes Shining Armor completely off guard. It makes him curious about what could be said. "Granted."
"Thank you. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"
"What?"
"I have no intentions of gaining rank, especially not in such a sick way! I'd never stoop so low or disrespect my father's legacy like that!"
"Liar! You clearly smooth talked your way into joining Twilight so you could fool her into thinking you cared!"
"I only asked Twilight to take bodyguards with her! Spike was the one who suggested she use me and she agreed with him!"
'Spike too?! Why do they think he's any good for Twily?!' "You dropped the title from her name, Soldier."
"That's because we're friends! We hang out all the time! I've just been too damn much of a coward, too damn worried about how improper it would seem to others, and other kinds of shit to be open about it! I don't care anymore! From now on, I'll gladly proclaim myself Twilight's friend!"
"I think you want more than that."
"It doesn't matter! I'll be whatever Twilight wants me to be! Her friend, just a bodyguard, her soulmate, anything!"
Shining isn't sure how to take all this. "Why?"
"Because she's my world! Get it through your head that I'd never hurt Twilight! I will die for her!"
Shining takes a few moments to process everything, then sighs. "I'm a paranoid douche."
Flash nods at his captain. "You really are…Sir."
Shining chuckles, knowing his subordinate added the last part just in case he was going too far with speaking freely. "It's just…Twilight was isolated for so long before Celestia sent her to Ponyville. I've always been afraid her first time dealing with…those types of feelings would end in her heart getting broken since she's inexperienced."
"Well…I can't say if she feels that way about me, Sir. If she does, I'm as inexperienced as her. Ever since my father died, I've only been focused on being the best Royal Guard I could be. Romance and friendships weren't important to me."
'Shit. They're almost mirrors of each other.' "We should try winning stuffed animals."
"Why?"
"I'd like Cady to have something to bring back from this trip. Might help you and Twilight in becoming a couple too."
Despite believing that could never happen, Flash can't help but follow after his captain.
The two eventually find a target shooting booth with adorable stuffed animals as the prizes. However, while waiting in line, they realize that something's up when so many of the customers leave the booth frustrated. It doesn't take them long to figure out that they're angry about such a simple looking game taking so much of their money and so few actually winning. Once the pair of Royal Guards make it up front, they find a green stallion wearing a top hat and a smug grin.
Before Shining can take his turn, Flash whispers into his ear. "Aim the last shot at his hat, Sir."
The captain takes hold of the blaster and fires two foam darts, hitting the target dead center. He then pretends his hooves slip and fires the third one at the green stallion's hat, which makes it fly right off his head.
"Let me get that for you," Flash says to the green stallion. He gives it a thorough yet quick look as if searching for dirt, scratches, or even holes. "Seems okay." He then gives it back to the green unicorn stallion. Flash returns to Shining Armor's side. With his back turned to that green stallion, Flash spits out a small bit of fabric and leans over to whisper into his captain's ear. "Try again, but have a sensory spell going."
Taking his subordinate's suggestion, Shining gives two perfect shots without any trace of a magic signature. Then, he senses a spell just as he's firing his last shot, which misses the center.
"Too bad," the green stallion says with the same smug grin.
"You con artist!" shouts Shining.
"Just because you didn't win doesn't mean you have to resort to name calling."
"My sensory spell caught you using magic to shift the target! The jig's up!"
The green stallion takes his hat off to discover, to his horror, fabric was ripped out of it.
Flash shows the missing fabric in his hoof. "Princess Twilight has taught me all about that Camo Fabric. Even the smallest tear will render it useless. You've been using the hat lined with Camo Fabric to hide using magic to mess with your customers' aim. You've cheated so many of your customers out of their money."
The crowd around the booth is really mad about this revelation.
The green stallion is just about to make a run for it when Cheese Sandwich appears.
"You're fired," Cheese says to the green stallion while holding a sack. "And you'll have to leave without all this money."
The green stallion, knowing he's ruined, teleports away.
Cheese brings in a red earth pony mare to take over. "Lucky thing that her previous booth ended up out of order. Silver lining! Now I don't have to go between two stalls!"
The red mare allows Shining to take a third turn for free (which he wins easily). He gets a giant teddy bear.
After his own win, Flash chooses to get a plush dragon that looks quite similar to Spike for Twilight. He smiles at his captain as they head back to Sugarcube Corner. "Glad you pulled me aside, Sir. Feels like I just had fun with a friend."
Shining smiles back. "Yeah. Perhaps someday…a brother in law."
Flash almost trips over his own hooves from the shock. "What?! Brother in law?! That is rather sudden. I'm not even dating Twilight yet. I mean Princess Twilight!"
Shining rolls his eyes at the momentary return to disciplined Royal Guard. "Just accept me giving you my blessing."
Flash pauses. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, but don't think this means I won't beat you to a pulp if you dare to hurt my sister."
"Of course. Oh, by the way, I'm grateful you and your wife decided to invite Twilight out today. It's great seeing her this carefree."
Shining stares at Flash feeling confused. "What? She invited us."
"No, she told me you invited her."
"Cady and I got an invite from her two days ago, then we sent a reply saying we accepted."
Flash notices that the clouds have gone dark and are obscuring the sky. "The weather was not supposed to be like this today."
"This is ominous," Shining agrees with his subordinate.
"Wait. I had wanted Twilight to have bodyguards because some fortune teller had come up to me and said her life would be in danger if she didn't have protection."
"This is too much to be coincidence."
"It was all a setup!" the two stallions shout at the same time.
Just then, screams can be heard from all around.
Flash flies up high while Shining teleports to the rooftop of the nearest building to see what is going on. "OH SHIT!" they both scream.
Multiple King Sombras are going around wreaking havoc and scaring all creatures.
"He's back?!" shouts Flash.
"Stay focused on the important part right now, Sentry!" Shining shouts, having switched to captain mode. "Ponyville's in danger!" His horn glows from using a spell. "There. I sent word to all nearby Royal Guards. Our duty is to protect civilians and combat all the Sombras."
"Shiny!"
The captain turns and hugs his incoming wife. "Glad you're safe, Cady."
"Where's Twilight?!" Flash asks feeling scared at her absence.
"When Pinkie sensed there was danger and we found out what's going on, Twilight had us split up to divert the Sombras' attention," says Cadance. "She stayed at Sugarcube Corner."
Flash instantly flies in the direction of the bakery. He takes time to help others as he heads for his goal. A notable example is him putting a stop to a Sombra clone trying to blast at a young hippogriff and griffon. This is when it first registers to Flash that the clones disappear from even the slightest hit. He receives very enthusiastic gratitude from the hippogriff named Silverstream. What Flash gets from the griffon named Gallus is different. The Royal Guard recognizes a look of deep admiration as one worn by many who would one day become Royal Guards themselves. Still, Flash is too worried about Twilight's safety to think too long about this and takes off again. He quickly finds Twilight right outside Sugarcube Corner surrounded by many Sombra clones.
The alicorn creates a barrier and makes it expand outward, all the Sombras vanishing from this. However, they are quickly replaced by even more clones. Twilight does a second and third barrier, but that type of magic use is quite a drain. She doesn't have enough in her to do a fourth, so she decides to try blasting while accepting that she's most likely going to die.
Flash prevents this by hitting a clone as it prepares to fire at Twilight. Briefly locking eyes with his princess, the Royal Guard gets to work.
Twilight blasts lines of Sombra clones while hunched down and Flash uses the momentum from kicking one clone up high to launch himself at the next one in quick succession. How those two don't somehow mess each other's rhythms up is a question for the ages.
Eventually, there are no Sombras in sight.
Flash can tell that Twilight's out of magic from how heavy her breathing is. He wraps one of his front legs around her. "Come on. We need to get you out of here."
The alicorn wriggles out of his hold and pushes him away. "No, Flash! I have to stay here for Ponyville's sake!"
"Are you crazy?! You're out of magic!"
"That doesn't matter! I'll use my hooves if I have to!"
"You hate fighting physically and you know it!"
"Everypony's in danger! I need to protect them with my life if it comes down to it!"
"Not happening. We're leaving."
Twilight smacks away the hoof reaching out for her. "Stop it! I can't hide like a coward as Ponyville's attacked! Quit being my bodyguard and be the friend who gets why I have to stay!"
Something snaps in Flash at hearing that. He takes his helmet off and throws it down at the ground. "Dammit, Twilight! This isn't about being your bodyguard!"
The alicorn wasn't expecting this. "Flash?"
"I became a Royal Guard to fill the space left by my father's death! I didn't let anypony in because caring about somepony just meant getting hurt when they left! Then I met you! Seeing the face to go along with all of the stories made you feel even more special than before! Getting to know you on a personal level made me realize something! You're not special because you're the Princess of Friendship! You're special because you are Twilight Sparkle! You're so excited when you find a new spell, your eyes get the most intense look in them as you read, your laugh's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard." Flash's eyes start leaking tears. "You are so friendly, I'm blessed just to experience it."
"Flash?" Twilight is already crying.
"I love being a Royal Guard now because it means that I'm helping you, even if it's only in a small way. I feel so lucky." He finally notices Twilight's crying, which makes Flash unable to stop his own sobs. "I just c-can't lose y-you! I c-couldn't t-t-take it! You…are…everything t-t-to…m-m-me!" Looking into the alicorn's eyes, the pegasus finally says the words that he hardly allowed himself to even think for so long. "I love you, Twilight."
In that moment, the alicorn knows that she's found the perfect romantic partner. He's kind, caring, and loyal. Twilight smiles, knowing he's the only one for her. "I love you too, Flash."
The pegasus can't believe his ears. The greatest pony in all of Equestria loves him. It feels like a dream come true.
The dream becomes a nightmare as Twilight's surrounded by magic and pulled away.
"Twilight!" Flash barely has to move to see three Sombra clones are holding her hostage.
"What wonderful idea it was keeping a few of us hidden away off to the side," says one of the Sombras.
"I should think so," says another. "I did come up with it."
"Let her go!" shouts Flash.
"Afraid I can't do that," says the Sombra restraining Twilight.
The alicorn glares at all three of the Sombras. "I don't know how you accessed the Mirror Pool without setting off the alarm, but it won't help you."
"Mirror Pool?" asks one of the Sombras.
"I found a much better way to clone myself," says another.
"You'll find out how when I take you to the original me.," says the Sombra who's keeping Twilight restrained.
"You're not going anywhere!" Flash shouts as he charges. Sadly, a barrier stops him.
"Nice try," the Sombra who made the barrier says with a smirk.
"Don't fret," says the clone restraining Twilight. "You'll see her again."
The third Sombra gives a wicked grin. "I'll allow all the citizens of Equestria to watch as I demonstrate my takeover by having my greatest pests executed!"
"No!" Flash shouts in horror.
"Flash!" Twilight shouts as the third Sombra uses a spell to teleport away.
The pegasus falls forward after the barrier disappears along with the three Sombras and the alicorn they're holding captive. "TWILIGHT!" In that moment, Flash Sentry the Royal Guard is not there. He has regressed to Flash Sentry, the young colt hiding under his bed, crying for the father that had just died. "No. Please…no. Somepony…help me. Please. Dad. Dad, where are you? Please, help me."
"A Royal Guard shouldn't whimper."
Flash looks up for the surprise of his life. "Dad?"
Flash Guardian looks exactly like he did the last time his son saw him alive. Tall, strong, a beard and mustache to differentiate himself from his son. "Stand up. Quit panicking."
The younger pegasus scrambles up. "Dad, he took Twilight. He's planning to execute her and all her friends. I don't know where they are! How is this not the perfect time to panic?!"
"Sen," says the older pegasus. He waits for the old nickname to calm his son down. "Just try to remember what a Royal Guard's duty is in a time of crisis."
The younger pegasus takes a deep breath. "A Royal Guard must remain calm during times of trouble so that the lives of both royalty and civilians are not at even more risk."
"Perfect. Now, remind me what the Royal Guard's policy is when faced with a seemingly impossible situation."
"Keep your head and a solution is likely to present itself." The younger pegasus takes time to analyze things. "An execution is generally made to be a spectacle. Sombra will want all of us to see and he'll have it be somewhere both spacious and important."
"You're getting there."
"He wouldn't go to Canterlot yet due to the number of Royal Guards stationed there. That would be an inconvenience for him to deal with. He would stay in Ponyville. Neither the School of Friendship or the Castle of Friendship would work for him since he's averse to friendship and his ultimate goal is Canterlot due to being where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ruled from. So that leaves…there!" Flash Sentry smiles as he realizes where Sombra has Twilight.
Flash Guardian nods with his own smile as he starts disappearing. "Good job, Sen. I'm so proud of you. Now, go save your princess." He vanishes.
"Thank you, Dad." Flash Sentry spreads his wings and takes flight, completely determined to either save Twilight or die trying.
Soarin
The pale blue pegasus stallion is performing aerial feats over at the Wonderbolt's Training Course. He doesn't know what else to do while he waits for the right time to see Rainbow Dash. Feeling tired, Soarin goes down to the stands and lies down. 'Should I go now? What if Dash is still feeling bad? What if she hates me for interrupting her friend time? What if she doesn't like me that way?'
"Boo."
"AAH!" Soarin jumps back to find Spitfire laughing. "What was that for?!"
"Couldn't resist!" She's still laughing.
"What are you even doing here?!"
"Thought we'd enjoy some us time before we found you here," says a new male voice.
Soarin turns to find Thunderlane. It all comes together in his mind. "Wait. You two?!"
"Dating? You better believe it."
"You're not all jealous now, are you?" asks Spitfire.
Soarin shakes his head. "No, just surprised. "How'd you even get to being…this?"
"It was my turn to clean up three months ago," says Thunderlane.
"And I came back because I left something important behind," says Spitfire.
"I was all done, so I was free to help her find it."
"One thing led to another and the next thing I know, we're going at it on my office desk."
Thunderlane briefly grins at the memory. "We were friends with benefits for a little while, just like you two used to be."
"You're not uncomfortable that I used to do stuff with her?" asks Soarin.
"Nope. It's all in the past now. I'm still friends with my high school girlfriend."
"I'm okay with that," says Spitfire.
"Besides, you're all crazy for Rainbow Dash now."
"That's true," says Soarin.
"Anyway," says Spitfire. "We clicked, didn't like dating others, so we dated in secret."
"We went public today," says Thunderlane. "You wouldn't believe how nuts the fans went over it. We came here for some alone time away from them."
"Oh," says Soarin. "I'll let you have the time then."
"Where will you go?" asks Spitfire.
"Guess I'll just fly around."
"What about going to Ponyville and hanging out with Dash?" asks Thunderlane.
"I can't do that! She's with her friends!"
"What did I tell you two nights ago?" Spitfire asks clearly annoyed.
"I know! Grow a pair, but Dash was going through heavy stuff last night! Telling her then would've been like trying to take advantage of her!"
"Okay, last night was a good call. Today though, you need to step up."
"Yeah," says Thunderlane. "How long's she been with her friends?"
"Since early this morning," says Soarin.
"It's 12:30 now, so get your rump to Ponyville and tell her you like her. Dash has had lots of time to get better."
"Maybe she won't want to see me."
Spitfire and Thunderlane look into each other's eyes and communicate a plan by that alone. The two wedge Soarin in between them and grab his hooves.
"You're coming with us," says Spitfire.
"Huh?" asks Soarin.
"We're taking your dumb rump to Ponyville," Thunderlane says while he and his girlfriend start dragging the other stallion into the air with them and start heading for that town.
"Are you guys serious?!" Soarin asks feeling undignified about his current position.
"You need to be a stallion and fess up," says Thunderlane.
Spitfire smirks at her boyfriend. "This forceful side's kind of exciting. Consider using that in the bedroom."
"Sure, but I like when you're captain there too."
"Sometimes, a captain needs a break from being captain."
"I'll keep that in mind, Babe."
Spitfire grins mischievously. "Babe? Quite forward of you to call your captain Babe."
Thunderlane gives the same grin back. "What are you going to do about it?"
"An offense like that calls for some serious punishment."
"Great. I love the way you punish me."
"EWW!" Soarin screams as he breaks free and flies ahead. "TMI!"
The couple just laughs as they follow behind him.
'Okay, Soarin. You're going to Ponyville. You're going to see Rainbow Dash and tell her you love her. No more backing out, no more fear, no more distractions.' "What's up with those clouds over Ponyville?" Didn't take him long to break that promise.
The other two fly up beside Soarin to get a better look at the dark clouds over the town.
"Their weather wasn't supposed to be like that," says Spitfire.
"Something's wrong," says Thunderlane.
The three get to a better vantage point and their wings almost lock up. "OH SHIT!"
Lots of Sombras can be seen doing a full-on rampage through Ponyville, leaving a wake of fear and ruin in their paths.
Spitfire immediately takes charge. "I'll take the northern half! Thunderlane, you're taking the southern half! Whoever finds Rumble brings him somewhere safe and informs the other!"
"Got it!" Thunderlane shouts back before getting a quick kiss. "Love you!" He takes off.
"Love you too!" Without a moment's pause, Spitfire turns to Soarin. "You find Dash and stick to her like glue!"
"As much as I'd like to, can't she handle herself?" asks the pale blue stallion.
"Think about it, Soar! Sombra hates the Council of Friendship for getting in his way! This means he'll likely gang up on all of them! That includes Rainbow Dash!"
Soarin instantly flies off looking around for the blue pegasus mare. He gets rid of a couple Sombra clones while searching. "Dash! Dash! RAINBOW DASH!"
"Catch me if you can, losers!"
Feeling joy and relief at hearing that, Soarin gets to where he can see her.
Rainbow Dash is flying ahead of a group of Sombras galloping after her. "That's really all you got?! This isn't even a workout! Missed me! Kiss my rump!"
Soarin can't help but laugh at this. He quickly changes to feeling terrified once he realizes the mare doesn't notice what she's about to crash into. "TREE AHEAD!"
Luckily, Dash avoids the large tree thanks to hearing the shout. Veering so wildly ends up forcing her to make a crash landing though. She's not injured, but she is dazed.
The Sombras try to take advantage of this by closing in.
Soarin won't let that happen, so he flies over. "Hey! Tall, dark, and gruesome squad! It's weird seeing an adult BLANK FLANK!"
All the Sombras glare at the pegasus stallion. "DIE!" They start blasting him.
Soarin dodges while heckling up a storm. "Too slow! Nyah nyah! My grandma can throw a frying pan with better aim! FYI, she's been dead ten years!"
"Don't leave me out of the fun," Rainbow Dash says as she joins him.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Soarin says with a smile.
The two notice all the Sombras are charging big magical blasts. There's no way the pegasi will be able to dodge that many.
Dash offers a hoof to the other pegasus while grinning mischievously. "Tornado?"
Soarin grins back. "Tornado!" He takes her hoof.
The Sombras are briefly confused by the display, but then they're terrified as the two begin to fly in a tight circle, creating a large tornado. They're all sucked in, some of the clones getting smacked together and disappearing.
"Think we got em all?!" Soarin shouts over the loud wind.
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash shouts back. "On three!"
The two start a countdown. "Three…two…ONE!" They release their hooves, flying off in different directions.
The Sombras get flung all around, each disappearing on impact.
The pegasi land and start walking back towards each other.
"That was…awesome!" Soaring shouts the best he can while panting.
"We…showed those…stupid clones!" Dash shouts back.
The two Wonderbolts stop a foot away from each other, their breaths hitting their faces.
Soarin gets his breathing back in order and finally plucks up the courage to say what he has been thinking for such a long time. "I'm crazy about you, Dash."
Rainbow Dash almost feels like screaming her joy from the skies, but still recovering from the tornado allows her to keep some dignity. "Right back at you."
That response fills Soarin with energy. He steps forward because he's going to kiss her.
Dash is suddenly dragged away by magic.
"DASH!" Soarin goes after her, but is stopped by a barrier.
A trio of Sombra clones have Rainbow Dash on the other side.
"Let me go!" Dash shouts with fury. "I'll throttle all of you!"
"Feisty," the first Sombra says flirtatiously while leaning close to her face.
Dash tries to bite him, but the clone backs away.
"A fiery temper on this one," the second Sombra says feeling amused.
"I like that," the third Sombra says clearly aroused.
Soarin is pissed and starts stomping the barrier with both front hooves. "Touch her and I'll rip your dick off!"
The Sombras look over feeling annoyed by the stallion's rather pointless threat.
"As much fun as it would be to use her, I can't risk it," says the first Sombra.
"The longer you stay alive, the longer you and your friends are a threat," the second says to Rainbow Dash.
"And that is why I shall be taking the lot of you to be executed for all of Equestria to see," says the third.
"Uh oh," is all Dash can say.
Soarin beats the barrier with even more desperation. "NO!" Despite his best effort, the clones and Dash disappear, leaving the stallion to fall on his face. 'Shit! Don't know where they went! I'll lose Dash right after I finally confessed to her! Dammit all!' Suddenly, Soarin feels a little bit stupid. 'You're a pegasus from the Wonderbolts! Use that, Dummy!' He flies up to get a good look around. 'Crap's still going on around Ponyville. Wait, are those guys heading some place? They're going to…' "DUH!" He takes off, following the rest to where they're going.
AN: This chapter just cements my enjoyment of my version of Flash Sentry. Soarin noticed others heading for a specific location. Where could that be? Hmm? The answer to come in a future chapter.