Chapter 7: Speech Leader
Sunrise… Sunset saw the sun rays bleed into her closed eyes and began waking her. She yawned and rubbed her eyes before feeling a lot of moisture. "Did I fall asleep in the tub?" she asked herself, wearing magenta underwear. That's when she decided to feel and discover the moisture not to be water. The bedsheets, blanket and any part of her body from the waist down was drenched. Her face became as red as most of her hair. "What… was I… doing? I've never been so wet!" Quickly, she dashed to the closet and retrieved a towel to dry herself. Meanwhile, the sun also stirred Twilight who slept on the couch with Pikachu. She still felt awful about Flash's injury during the fundraiser. Spike continued to sleep as Twilight let out a yawn. The sound stirred Pikachu awake.
"Oops…" she giggled. "Sorry. Did I wake you?" Pikachu scoffed. "You know, I'm actually glad that you're here to comfort me after what happened to Flash." Pikachu squeaked in appreciation. Sunset was dressed in a flash.
"I wonder if that happens whenever I dream myself on the beach," she pondered. Twilight and Pikachu looked to Sunset with curiosity.
"On the beach? Why, what happened?" Sunset brought her bedsheets to the laundry room to get washed.
"Found myself and Ash having a romantic time on an exotic beach, making out with the surf crashing over us…" Pikachu awed Sunset's dream. "I woke up and found myself and the bed soaked to the bone." Twilight giggled to the mishap. Meantime, the sun beamed through Fluttershy's windows and onto her and Ash as she sang in her sleep. Fluttershy woke first as she hugged her sleeping mate. Feeling movement, Ash stirred as well.
"That song…" he moaned. "More…"
"Morning, Ash," she greeted before giving him a kiss. Ash giggled but wondered.
"Did I do something to deserve that?" he wondered.
"Well, for being so cuddly that I was able to sleep," she admitted. Suddenly, the phone rang. Angel hopped over to point as the two crawled out of bed. Fluttershy picked the receiver from the charger and hit a button. "Hello?"
"Fluttershy, it's me," sounded Rarity.
"Oh, Rarity! Good morning!"
"Yes, well… there's been an update to the play. We're gathering at the ice cream parlor in the city for more details."
"So, we should be there by 9:00. Can I bring Ash?"
"Sunset's part of the play so it's necessary that she and Twilight will be there. Call it a good idea to bring him."
"Okay!" Fluttershy hung the phone to Ash's ponder.
"What did Rarity want?" he asked.
"We're going to the ice cream parlor later this morning," Fluttershy reported. "It concerns the play." Ash nodded, concerned about Flash. All gathered at a building with a chocolate shake in a glass as the sign and the lobby full of Canterlot students.
"So, what's the update on Indy Sentry?" questioned Rainbow. Rarity turned to Sandalwood for the explanation.
"Would you do the honors?" she requested.
"You bet," Sandalwood agreed. "Flash's surgery is a success, but he's gonna need at least a month to let the tendons heal. He can only use up to a marker but that's it." This told the cast that Flash won't be performing in time.
"I saw what happened," Bulk spoke. "See, a dad got mad at his kids and didn't see Flash cleaning his car. He flung the door open and hit Flash in the arm." He pointed to his elbow. "He got it right here." This made some question the outcome.
"I hope he apologized," Pinkie believed. "We don't want someone to hurt our friend and get away with it."
"He apologized alright," Bulk responded. "In fact, he wanted to pay the medical bills." Twilight sighed in relief.
"At least he'll be taken care of," she huffed. "By the way, Ash… Thank you for letting me have Pikachu for the night."
"No problem," Ash smiled. Twilight now turned to Pikachu.
"Of course, Spike won't be the only one I can turn to now," she sneered. Pikachu wondered before Twilight gave him a kiss. Pikachu let out an emphatic "CHA!" which made a lot of the girls awe and coo the Pokémon.
"Twilight might love Pikachu more than Spike," Sci-Twi joked. Applejack and Apple Bloom came to Ash with Tepig in her arms.
"Thanks for loaning us Tepig, Ash," Applejack praised.
"Tepig was an absolute angel," Apple Bloom added. Tepig leaped from Applejack's arms to Ash's. "He and Winona had a lot of fun playing Western with her as his trusty steed." Ash blinked to the name.
"Winona?" he repeated. Applejack pulled out a picture of her and a brown collie.
"That's Winona," she identified. Pikachu became interested to seeing Winona.
"I can only imagine how Opal will behave around Pikachu," Rarity pondered. To Ash, it's another pet.
"Opal must be… your pet?" he guessed.
"Yes," Rarity confirmed. "She's a cat." Pikachu's face drooped at the sound of Opal, not sure he wanted to meet her feline. Pinkie soon yelped, the attention now on her.
"Guys, I just got this great idea!" she bellowed. "Ash can be the new lead!" All gasped in shock to the idea.
"ME!?" the mentioned shrieked. "You're… not serious…" Rainbow approached Pinkie with some facts to explain.
"Pinkie, Ash isn't a student, let alone enrolled in Canterlot High," she clarified. "There's no way Principal Celestia would allow that!" Pinkie wasn't phased by the explanation.
"So?" she refuted. "We got teachers who are playing and they're not enrolled."
"That's not the point! I'm sure we got someone who can take Flash's role!" As they argued, Sunset glanced to Pinkie's choice.
"Somehow, I do wish Ash could be my Indy," she whispered. "That may be the world to me at this point." Sandalwood seemed ready to throw in the hat.
"If we can't find someone to replace Flash, kiss the Raiders play goodbye," he sighed. This caused an uproar among the students.
"Are you out of your mind!?" snarled Sweetie Drops. "There's no way we're dropping the play!" The parlor became a shouting match between cast members. Those who came for shakes watched the students of Canterlot High became irate at each other. Ash made himself available for the arguments.
"Thunderbolt!" he shouted. This made Pikachu shower the parlor with lightning. Nothing hit but it stopped everyone to turn to him. "All this yelling isn't getting anywhere fast! Can't we all calm down and think this through!?" Every student felt bad for their sudden outburst. "Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna wouldn't be able to forgive themselves if the play you're doing is lost because one person got hurt. What everyone needs to do is focus. Does it matter if Indy's played by a girl?" Sci-Twi understood Ash's frustration and reached out to him.
"I understand that you wanna help out," she eased as she grabbed Ash by the shoulders. Suddenly, time stopped with Sci-Twi. A few seconds later, she pulled back. A voice began to snicker within Sci-Twi.
"Ahh…" the voice cooed. "What is this, I wonder? I can feel this new energy that will bring me back to the surface… and free me once more! I need this energy!" Sci-Twi shook her head as she let out a yelp. She staggered a few feet. All watched Sci-Twi before she retreated.
"Whoa, what just happened?" wondered Twilight. No one was sure about it. That night, Rainbow joined Ash and Fluttershy back at the latter's home.
"I don't blame you for acting out, Ash," Rainbow huffed as she fed a tortoise. "You came here on accident and was even looked after by the principal and her sister, and you want to make sure that dream's fulfilled." Ash didn't think it was anything to brag on.
"I just acted when I saw violence about to come," he pointed out. "What else was I suppose to do?"
"Hey, no one told you to do anything. You just came to pick up Pikachu and Tepig." Fluttershy entered after hanging up the phone.
"Flash is out of the hospital," she reported. "But he still can't move his arm so expect it to be in a sling." Ash nodded, knowing that he's unable to work on the play.
"Maybe Flash knows someone who can take his place," he thought up. "It shouldn't be hard to find one, right?"
"Ash has a point," Rainbow agreed. "Flash might have an idea who'd be fit for his replacement."
"Oh, I hope so…" Fluttershy sighed. The tortoise retreated his head and limbs back to his shell. To Rainbow, it's late.
"Tank's tired," she realized as she hoisted the shell. "I'll see you all tomorrow." Rainbow left the house. Everyone came to school, including the injured star. Heading to the cafeteria, Celestia and Luna had Cadence visiting.
"You had Ash with you the night he came by?" the dean gasped.
"We did," Celestia confirmed. "If need be, we'd house him until we bring him back to his home world." Cadence chuckled, understanding the principal's desire.
"He does look like someone raised under your care," she joked.
"Well, he does look like someone I'd raise as a son," Luna laughed. They entered the cafeteria where they found Flash, wearing a green sling around his arm that got hurt from the car wash. He met with a raven-haired, gray-skinned girl in the cafeteria.
"So how long will your jazz hand be in that harness?" she asked. The raven-haired wore a gray school uniform.
"At least a month, Octavia," Flash sighed. "So much for the leading role…" Octavia sighed to the news but turned to the girls. Flash saw this as a problem. "Don't take it out on Sunset, she had nothing to do with my injury." Rather than listen, Octavia approached the girls and glared to Sunset.
"I hope you have a good explanation for Flash's injury, Sunset Shimmer!" she stammered. Sunset turned to Octavia, aghast by the accusation. Ash and the others also looked in disbelief
"Excuse me?" she gulped.
"Hey, Jazz girl!" shouted Rainbow. "Sunset wasn't anywhere close to Flash when that guy flung the car door to his arm! In fact, NONE of us were!"
"So don't accuse ANY of us for something that was an accident!" shouted Pinkie. Octavia wasn't taking the words to heart.
"You girls are ready to stick up to the bad girl after anything that happens, huh?" she snarled. This forced Ash to stand up, facing Octavia.
"I want you to listen to me, now," he growled. He turned to the rest of the people in the cafeteria. "That goes for everyone in here!" The cafeteria became so quiet, a pin drop or drops from the faucet in the kitchen could be heard. "I don't know what your hatred is with Sunset, but it has to stop now. I've had my share of trainers who treated their Pokémon as poorly as Sunset, if not worse. I rescued Charizard as a Charmander when it was in the rain, I kept a Cyndaquil as an abusive trainer tried to hurt me greatly with a Sandslash, I had a Chimchar that's now an Infernape after his original trainer quit on him!" Ash released Tepig before hoisting him near his chest. "This Tepig belonged to a trainer who left him to starve, becoming skin and bones. I found them when they couldn't fend for themselves, but combined, they don't hold a Litwick to Sunset's treatment!" Rarity and Twilight blinked to the word within his rant.
"A lit… what?" wondered Rarity. Sci-Twi found Ash's PokéDex on the table, checked the database and found a picture of a candle with purple flame and a face.
LITWICK – HT: 1' - WT: 8.3 LBS. - TYPE: GHOST/FIRE – ABILITY: FLASH FIRE
"Litwick, the Candle Pokémon," it registered. "Litwick feeds off life energy to anyone that follows one." The girls freaked at the description.
"Some candles are not to be held," Sci-Twi shuttered. Ash had more.
"It's uncalled for!" he roared. "Move on! If Sunset's that big of a deal with you, deal with me first! Everyone should forgive and accept her as a student… and as a friend." The students began to stand in a gradual manner, all from the same table Sunset sat with stood immediately. Soon, they came to Sunset and shook hands.
"Ash is right," Scootaloo sighed. "It's time to forgive and forget." As the students gathered around to make Sunset feel welcomed, Trixie refused to budge.
"You traitorous mongrels!" she bellowed. "How dare you side with the sinister one! If I had my way, he'd be mine!" She looked around to note that Ash somehow disappeared. Flash smiled to the scene.
"I think I just found Doctor Jones," he pondered. Outside, Ash, Pikachu and Tepig slouched by the statue. Flustering a sigh, he pondered how he ended up making a scene.
"I think I went a little overboard with that rant," he murmured. Pikachu and Tepig consoled Ash, knowing their friend better. Cadence found Ash. Pikachu dashed to Cadence and she picked him up.
"Hey, little fella," she cooed. Ash looked up at Cadence, a little surprised.
"Crystal Prep's dean?" he guessed.
"I have a name, Ash. Anyway, that was an impressive speech you gave to the students. A lot of them hung on to every word." Ash scoffed, not exactly proud of his voice.
"I mainly lost my temper. I didn't know the story but the way Sunset treated Sci-Twi, Fluttershy, Rainbow… me… I felt it was unnecessary for her to get the kind of treatment she got." Cadence placed a hand on Ash's head.
"Perhaps but at least you didn't lose control and fought anyone. You may have quelled a huge body. Not everyone will take your word, however." Sunset emerged from the doors and found Ash with Cadence.
"There you are!" she gasped. Ash, Cadence and the Pokémon turned to Sunset as she approached the young man. "I've been looking all over Canterlot for you! Is everything okay?" Ash nodded. Sunset roped her arms around his head and gave him a hug. "You don't know how lucky I am to have you around. I never would've had so many friends meet me at once… and it's all thanks to you!" She proceeded to smother Ash's face with kisses. Cadence and the Pokémon giggled to Ash's treatment.
"Someone's getting a lot of love," she joked. Finally, Sunset laid a big kiss to his lips. Their tongues tasted and twisted each other in Ash's mouth. Sunset didn't want to let Ash go now. The day nearly came to an end at Canterlot where Sunset and Flash entered Celestia's office.
"I know it seems unlikely," Flash explained. "But after the speech today, I feel that he's a great substitute for me for the play."
"I know how much this means to you," Sunset pointed out. "And a lot of the cast want him in this." Celestia and Luna looked to each other about the voice of the students.
"There are a couple of teachers who are in the play that explain the Ark," Luna pointed out.
"True, but Ash isn't a student," Celestia added. "Putting him in would risk the credentials of this campus."
"We know, but no one wants to be Indy," Sunset argued. This left Celestia and Luna in question. At Fluttershy's house, the student heard the phone ring and answered.
"Hello?" she responded.
"Is Ash with you?" replied Luna.
"Oh, Vice Principal… He is, just a minute." Fluttershy entered the kitchen with the phone in hand. "Ash, Vice Principal Luna wants to speak." Ash blinked as he finished feeding Snivy and Scraggy.
"Luna?" he repeated. Fluttershy handed the phone to Ash. "Hello? Vice Principal?"
"Ash, I got an offer for you," Luna spoke. "We're out of options to fulfill Flash's role and we don't wanna bring anyone from another school like Crystal Prep. You're our only hope for this. Please, we need you to become Doctor Jones, become Indiana Jones." Ash saw numerous problems with the idea.
"Timeout! I don't know anything about Indiana Jones, let alone the Raiders movie, and I'm not a part of the school!"
"We are fully aware of that, but after your speech today to forgive Sunset Shimmer and forget her past, the student body is encouraged to have you fill Flash's role. I hate to see the play go to complete waste because of our star getting injured." Ash felt pressure. He got lost heading to Icirrus City and now this. However, Sunset was also in the play and she had fully trusted him. That's when he remembered something.
"I do have some acting under my belt, not to mention that you sound desperate. I'll help."
"Thank you, Ash. I'm sure everyone will want to know about it. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!" Ash hung the phone up to where Fluttershy and the Pokémon wondered.
"What did Vice Principal want?" she asked. Ash sighed before explaining.
"I'm gonna be Indiana Jones," he muttered. Fluttershy gasped before hugging Ash.
"Thank you! Oh, thank you!" Ash stayed within Fluttershy's arms for sometime. He's now the new lead and he has no idea about the famed movie. How will he know what to do? Meanwhile, Sci-Twi thrashed in bed. She felt the presence of an energy ripping her slumber.
'That energy,' she urged. 'I need to know more of that. The youth has it and I must know what that is. You'll be gathering that energy for me!' Sci-Twi continued to thrash and roll.
"Get out of my head, Midnight!" she cried. "Get out!"
'No… I'm a part of you! And you'll do as I say! I will see that the youth and his energy is my rebirth!'
"No! Get out!" Sci-Twi woke up from the voices and breathing heavily. She gasped at the voice speaking to her. "I thought we took care of Midnight at Camp Everfree! Why is she surfacing again!?" A new threat has begun to reveal itself as Midnight. Who would she be and why is she such a pain to Sci-Twi?
TO BE CONTINUED…