//------------------------------// // Let's Make Sweet Music Together // Story: Side A - The Guard // by daOtterGuy //------------------------------// It should be noted that Flash had never slept anywhere with enough room to fully stretch out his body. For the last few years, Flash had moved from the couch in the Sparkle household’s living room to a single bunk bed at the barracks. Both required him to keep his wings closed and all limbs tucked in less he fall out and be startled awake by the impact. Apparently, when Flash is given enough room to be able to sleep fully without the need to keep himself on a small surface area, he will move around in his sleep. This ended up with Flash sleeping in very interesting positions to the bemused amazement of Cocoa. Such as the morning after Cocoa’s and Flash’s first real date, in which Cocoa woke up to find Flash lying upside down on Cocoa’s back, with his flanks up against the wall, his wings draped on either side, and softly snoring with his head hanging over Cocoa’s rump. Cocoa fought down the urge to laugh and took stock of the situation. On one hoof, Flash looked adorable and Cocoa could enjoy a very nice view from his position under Flash. On the other hoof, he needed to move. His body was starting to cramp up and was threatening to cause significant protest if this was not remedied immediately. He first attempted to carefully extricate himself from underneath Flash in the hopes that the stallion would just slide off him and back onto the bed. Cocoa found himself unable to move. Cocoa recalled that Flash’s father, from what little he knew about the stallion, had been an earth pony. Information he had gleaned from his father when he asked. Apparently, one of the features he inherited was an earth pony’s weight. Leave it to Flash to be the only Pegasus Cocoa had ever met that didn’t weigh less than a sack of feathers. With Cocoa’s body quickly leaving the territory of mild displeasure to painful, that, unfortunately, left only one course of action: brute force. So be it. Cocoa braced himself against the bed and then, with a burst of strength, launched Flash off of him. Flash hung in the air for a moment before he found himself on the floor with a thump. Not a moment later, Flash shot up with his mane askew and eyes wild shouting, “I’M UP!” Cocoa snorted as Flash rapidly swivelled his head around the room. He eventually stopped and tilted his head to one side in puzzlement. “Huh, this isn’t Shining’s living room,” Flash turned to see Cocoa smirking at him from the bed, “Nope, this is better than Shining’s living room.” “Glad you approve,” Cocoa said whilst grinning. “Yep, definitely. Always glad to wake up with a great view,” Flash grinned mischievously. Cocoa was about to reply until Flash transitioned to a panicked look, “Oh shit, SHINING!” Cocoa quirked an eyebrow, “I wasn’t aware I was sharing.” Flash blinked, then chuckled, “No, you’re not, I just hadn’t told him I was staying the night here, so he’s probably worried.” “Flash, despite your personality, you are, in fact, a grown stallion,” Cocoa smirked, “I saw as much this morning.” Flash blushed a deep crimson and giggled dopely. “That being said, I don’t see why it should concern Shining where you stay the night.” Flash bit his lip nervously, “Well...” Cocoa narrowed his eyes, “Unless, I suppose, he has a reason, Flash.” “Okay, so, this may come as a surprise, but I tend to do stupid stuff when I’m left unsupervised,” Cocoa just stared at him as Flash nervously rubbed the back of his head, “And he doesn’t have a problem with where I am, he has a problem with where I’ve been.” Cocoa narrowed his eyes accusingly, “Why is that?” Flash looked up and pointedly away from Cocoa, “Well, Shining is just a little paranoid and believes I may burn down Canterlot.” Cocoa stared blankly at Flash. “Why would Shining, a completely rational stallion, possibly think you would burn down Canterlot. Actually, no, better question: Why he thinks you can.” Flash sheepishly looked at his hooves as he replied, “Well, a lot has happened over time.” “What exactly constitutes a lot?” “Just… a lot.” Cocoa sighed, “Well, then I suppose you should go see him sooner rather than later,” Cocoa reached over to his bedside table, grabbed an object Flash couldn’t see, then threw it at him, “Catch.” Flash, without hesitation, grabbed it with a wing and then looked at it. It was a silver key. “I’ll be working at the store today, and it’s your day off. Use that key to get back in after you grab all your belongings.” Flush blushed, “Wait, you were actually serious about me moving in?” “Of course,” Cocoa stated, “I wouldn’t say something like that if I didn’t mean it. You can still decline if you don’t want to though.” “No, no, no,” Flash shook his head, “I definitely do, but-” “Then it’s settled,” Cocoa grinned. “But, but,” Flash said frantically, “Are you sure?” “If I didn’t want you to live me, I wouldn’t have offered last night.” Flash felt his cheeks warm. This was the first time somepony, besides Shining of course, had wanted him to live with them. Flash felt really happy about it. Quickly, before Cocoa could react, Flash moved forward and kissed Cocoa on the snout. Flash got a small amount of vindictive pleasure from the startled look and deep shade of red on Cocoa’s face. “W-What was that for?” Flash grinned, “Just a good morning boop on the snoot.” Before Cocoa could respond to what he considered to be the lamest and most adorable thing he has ever been told, Flash threw his jacket on, raced down the stairs and burst through the door. He was grinning like a lovestruck doofus all the way to Shining’s house. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flash had been correct the night before, Shining’s house was just a short jaunt down the street. As he came upon the familiar tall blue building that was the Sparkle abode, he noticed Shining and a member of the guard standing on the front step. Judging from Shining wildly flailing his hooves, Flash would presume he was panicking. Flash could garner why. “He’ll burn down half of Canterlot!” Shining exclaimed to the bored looking guard. “I’m confused,” the guard scratch the side of his helmet, “Are you trying to locate your friend or a terrorist?” “Both,” Shining stated with conviction. The guard, for his part, was thoroughly stumped by this response, “Well, I guess we could look-” At this time, Flash landed nearby, “Hey, Shin-.” Flash was stopped mid-sentence by Shining’s’ vice-like grip that some ponies would consider a hug, “Where have you been?” He pushed Flash to be face to face with him, “What did you do?” Offended by Shining’s immediate accusatory tone, “I’ll have you know I didn’t screw up anything last night,” Flash paused, “That I didn’t fix later on.” Shining gave Flash a deadpan stare, “I find that hard to believe considering your track record.” “I don’t always ruin everything,” Flash scowled then grinning excitedly, “Besides, something awesome did actually happen last night.” “Did you burn down the Canterlot Theater and found out Cocoa gets turned on by arson?” “What? No! What kind of pony do you think I am?” “A trotting disaster.” Flash blinked, “Okay, I deserve that one.” Before they continued, the guard coughed into one hoof. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eye that Shining wasn’t fond of. “Well, since your ‘friend’,” the guard winked and Shining understood what he was implying, “Has finally returned, I’ll be heading off.” “Wait, sir. I think you’re-” “Bye, mister. Thanks for the help,” Flash waved enthusiastically. The guard chuckled and trotted off, whistling a happy tune. Shining, mortified, covered his face in with his hooves. “Hey, that guy was pretty nice. I like him,” Flash nodded happily. Shining sighed, “He also will probably tell the other guards something he shouldn’t.” “Eh, I’m sure it’s nothing serious,” Flash waved a hoof nonchalantly as Shining glared, “Anyways, you want to hear the amazing thing that happened last night?” Shining rolled his eyes at Flash’s starstruck expression, “Yeah, sure. Let’s head inside.” Both Shining and Flash trotted into the house. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “You’re moving in with Cocoa?” Shining asked incredulously. Both Flash and Shining were seated in the living room on the couch that would soon no longer be Flash’s bed. Flash had finally graduated to an actual bed. The add on of Cocoa was also a nice plus. Velvet, from the kitchen where she was making breakfast, called out, “Oh, sweetie, that’s fantastic!” Flash grinned brightly, “Yep, finally moving up in the world.” Shining smacked Flash slightly on the shoulder, “Happy for you, Flash, but,” Shining frowned in concern, “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Flash nervously replied, “I don’t know honestly, but I want to try.” “Then I support you,” Shining lifted one hoof, “Best Bros For Life?” Flash grinned back and pounded Shining’s hoof, “Best Bros For Life.” Shining returned the grin, “You know, I never expected to actually get you off of my couch. Pretty much just assumed I would be dragging you along with that thing forever.” “Hey, I would have left,” Flash glared before mumbling, “Eventually.” Shining laughed, “You need help grabbing your stuff and bringing it to Cocoa's place?” “Yeah, if you don’t mind.” “I don’t,” Shining gave Flash a serious look, “Just so you know, if you ever need come back, you’re always welcome here.” Flash grinned widely, “I’ll keep it in mind, Shining.” Velvet then hollered from the kitchen, “If you colts are done having your touching moment, care for some peach pancakes?” Velvet poked her head from around the corner, “I’d like to enjoy at least one last meal with my couch parasite.” Shining snorted as Flash replied indignantly, “I’ll have you know, I’m the bestest most adorable couch parasite that’s ever been.” “Yeah, yeah. Now get in here and eat pancakes.” Laughing and grinning at each other, Shining and Flash entered the kitchen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flash, as a pony who had rarely lived in one place for long and never by himself, owned very few possessions. In terms of clothing he had his guard armour, the Celestia forsaken hoodie, a high school hoofball jersey, and the jacket that Cocoa had bought him from the Night Market. Shining and Velvet both shook their heads in disappointment at what Flash called his ‘wardrobe’. Other than clothes, Flash owned a sky blue acoustic guitar he hadn’t been able to play recently, a worn out journal with a red cover, a photo album, a pair of headphones, and a magazine that Flash was quick to throw into the garbage before Shining could get a good look at it. By how much Flash had been blushing, Shining could make an educated guess as to what it was. Shining and Flash grabbed everything and then made the slow trek to Cocoa’s house. Once they arrived, Flash opened the door using the spare key Cocoa had given him and both stallions dropped everything in the dining room. Flash would sort it out later. Flash soon found himself at the front door with Shining. “Take care, Flash,” Shining grinned, “I’ll see you at guard training tomorrow.” Flash grinned back, “Yep, see you then, Shiny.” Both stallions knocked each other’s hooves together and Shining left. Flash closed the door and locked it. Flash now had an entire day to himself, alone in his colt friend’s house. There was really only one thing to do. Snoop. Of course, Flash preferred calling it ‘investigating’, but he really couldn’t help it. He didn’t know a lot about his colt friend and this was a perfect opportunity to fix that. He could learn more about his interests. Strengthen their bonds. He was certainly not snooping because Flash wanted to find something to mercilessly tease Cocoa with. He only had the most innocent of intentions. Flash started with the most obvious beginning to his investigation, the ground floor. There were three rooms that he knew of, plus a bathroom: the kitchen, dining room, and living room. The kitchen was surprisingly boring. Flash was expecting the kitchen of a five star chef, but instead got the a bachelor’s equivalent of Velvet’s stock. Lots of fruits, vegetables, and basic necessities. Cocoa’s spice cabinet was the biggest let down as all it had was a container of the lamest spice: parsley. Flash would need to fix this later. Preferably with copious amounts of garlic, paprika, and cinnamon. The dining room was not much better. A single table with four matching chairs and a hanging chandelier. He did notice at this point that Cocoa really liked decorations. Every available space and wall area had a painting or curio of some kind. The items all seemed to be from all over Equestria and beyond. Flash was actually impressed when he noticed something that was Zebrika in origin. Flash made a note to ask Cocoa about some of this stuff at a later time. He moved onto the living room and was finally met with something interesting. The living room was simple in design, two couches and comfy chair facing a large stone fireplace. Flash could imagine several long cold nights curled up in front of the fire, and he was now greatly looking forward to the oncoming winter months. But that was a future Flash problem. Current Flash was drooling over the grand piano in the corner of the room. It was a large ivory piano with a plush cushion to rest on. Its construction was decidedly wavy as it seemed to curve in ways Flash had never seen in another piano. There were also floral patterns and depictions of ponies at play carved into the sides of the instrument. Flash tentatively trotted up to the masterwork and took in the sight of dozens and dozens of musical sheets that lay all around the floor like a binder had exploded and rained orchestral symphonies everywhere. Flash checked for dust, as he knew that some ponies kept pianos as a decorative piece to seem more cultured, but there was not a single speck. The keys, though beautifully done, showed signs of years of wear from the tell tale sign of constant and continuous use. Flash wasn’t sure what he wanted more: to have Cocoa play for him, or play the piano himself. Self-restraint wasn’t a strong suit for Flash, so he experimentally tapped a key. The note was quite simply harmonious. Spurred on by the heavenly note, Flash played a few quick chords. The piano had a very unique sound. It sounded dream-like in the ways the notes flowed together and had to be one of the purest sounding instruments Flash had ever had the pleasure to hear. He had missed this. His guitar had been sitting in the closet for a long time. Once he decided to join the guard, there hadn’t been much time for anything else. Flash had to prep for the guard academy, then he had to get into the academy, then he had to pass everything while in the academy, not to mention the physical and medical exams followed by the screening, and then his current step right before actually being in the guard: guard training. It was a very involved, and very long process. Flash considered it to be a little overboard really. But, this was a chance. He lived with Cocoa now. Granted it still wasn’t his own place, but Cocoa was a musician which meant he probably wouldn’t mind if Flash played every once in a while. Or everyday. Actually, first of all, could Flash even still play the guitar? It had been a long time and he was probably rusty. He should probably brush up on his skills before embarrassing himself in front his colt friend with his atrocious playing. Yeah, practice sounds like a good idea. Flash gave the piano another longing look. It took a tremendous amount of willpower to not continue playing, but he shouldn’t. It wasn’t his instrument and this was clearly something that got a lot of attention and use. He was sure Cocoa would have not minded too much, but, when it came to instruments, without the permission of the musician themselves, Flash felt it was wrong to just play. With one last forlorn expression, Flash moved away and turned his sights to the stairs. He had investigating to do. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flash was impressed. The house had two bathrooms. TWO. Shining’s place had only one bathroom and it had always been a struggle with every member of the household. Mainly because Shining, Flash, Velvet, and the creature masquerading as a pony that Velvet called her husband, all apparently having synced biological clocks. Flash really was moving up in the world. The other three rooms were a mystery. The doors were closed on all of them and Flash hadn’t really paid attention when he walked past them last night. Which one should he go through first? Flash used his best skills of deductive reasoning. He closed his eyes, spun really fast in a circle and, when he opened his eyes after having fallen over from dizziness, he picked that room first. Door on the right it is. Flash opened the door and stepped into a library. There were floor to ceiling bookshelves on all the walls excluding a single bay window that looked out onto the street below. Every shelf was laden with heavy tomes. A single comfy chair was present in the middle of the room with a rug underneath. Flash read a bunch of titles at random from the shelves. Cocoa apparently had a very wide, but also specific range of interests. A majority of the books were medical and psychology books that covered treatment, diagnosis and theories in both fields. There were also a large number of books on botany, monsters, animals, and the anatomy of other spient races such as Griffons and Minotaurs. The final grouping of books was history, covering everything from the Discordian era to modern times across many of the civilisations of the world. Flash took one last look around and dubbed the room as ‘never going to use’. Certainly Flash could read, but if it wasn’t a comic book or a music sheet, his interest tended to wane during the first chapter and drift off into snoring by the second. Ignoring the room, Flash continued to the next door to find a personal gym. A really good personal gym. The equipment was at the standard of the guard, something that Flash would presume Cocoa’s dad, Steel Bastion, probably had a hoof in. There were a large variety of weights and a full length mirror to check form. Or to check yourself out. That was what they were usually used for in the barracks’ gym, anyways. Flash made a note to ask Cocoa if he could use the gym himself and moved onto the final door. Flash opened the door and trotted in. Apparently, Cocoa liked to garden. This was also an understatement. Flash had no idea how Cocoa had managed it, but plants literally grew out of the walls. Ivy and bramble formed a solid base, while flowers of every variety, from lilies to violets, hydrangeas to tulips, grew overtop. There was a single large cushion in the center from which a large circular window peered out into the city proper. Flash felt like he had stepped into some fantastical forest. A really pretty forest. Made of flowers, which he thought made the room a garden. Actually, could you have a forest made of flowers? Maybe if they were tall enough they would be like flower trees or tree flowers. This analogy was getting away from him. The short of it was that it was really really really pretty. So, what Flash had learned so far was that Cocoa was a piano player, avid gardener with quite the green hoof, an intellectual, and apparently somepony who kept in shape using state of the art gym equipment. Flash frowned. His colt friend was perfect and made him look like a complete chump in comparison. Actually, he made a lot of stallions look like chumps in comparison. Perfect bastard. It was okay though. Flash would find Cocoa’s embarrassing secret and then make him rue the day he made Flash Sentry look less than awesome. Flash left the room and turned his head to the last floor of the house, the third. He trotted up the stairs and noticed the bedroom to his right, a door to his left, and a third bathroom. Flash was quite happy about this fact after having lived through several years of bathroom wars with a fellow guard that played dirty with shields, a wrestling mother who could ‘accidentally’ slip in not so tasty ingredients into Flash’s meals, and the magical sleep-deprived eldritch abomination Shining called a father. Flash could get used to this. But, first: snooping. Flash trotted over to the door and tried the handle. He was surprised to find the door locked; it was the only room in the house that was. It was a mystery, an enigma, other words that played up the strangeness that was a locked door in his new colt friend’s house. There could be anything behind that door. Hidden treasures taken from faraway lands. Ponies tied up and chained to the wall, prisoners of Cocoa’s fiendish plans. A pleasure dungeon for all of Cocoa’s outlandish needs. A really big storage for all of Cocoa’s secret chocolate recipes. The possibilities were endless! Flash was personally hoping it was the dungeon. Then he could tease Cocoa about it and bring his colt friend inside where he could strap him to a saddle and- Flash blinked. Hard. That train of thought was really not helping. Inevitably, Flash had two choices here. He could be reasonable and simply wait for Cocoa to return home and then ask him to let Flash into the room. Or he could buck the door down. Flash was in mid-bucking position before the very small amount of rationality and self-restraint the stallion possessed kicked in and chose the right decision which involved significantly less breaking and entering. Flash was still debating whether just arresting himself after breaking down the door would make it worth it. He sighed heavily. All of this investigation and all he’d found out was that his colt friend was amazing. That was boring. Well, Flash was now faced with an entire day by himself until Cocoa returned home later that evening, and absolutely nothing to do. Well, that’s not entirely true. He had his guitar. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cocoa arrived home by early evening having spent the majority of the day serving customers and preparing stock for the much busier weekdays. As he trotted inside, his ears perked up as he heard the tell tale strumming of a guitar being played from the higher floors of his home. Curious, Cocoa trotted up the stairs to his bedroom, where the door was slightly ajar. Cocoa gently pushed the door open and snorted at the sight before him. Flash was sitting upside down on his, their, bed. He was stretched across the length of the mattress and wearing that awful hoodie. He was strumming away on the guitar while belting out the lyrics to presumably whatever was playing on the headphones he was wearing. His head bobbed to the beat and he had his eyes closed presumably to better listen to the beat. Cocoa thought he was good. Really good. Cocoa listened happily to Flash’s playing and then thought of a way to make this better. He left the bedroom, trotted back down the stairs and went to his piano. He could still hear the music Flash was playing and, after waiting to figure out the melody, began to play. Cocoa’s hooves flew across the keys, blending seamlessly with the music being played upstairs. It was exhilarating to play with another musician and something Cocoa had never experienced, but could say he thoroughly enjoyed. Well into the third verse of the fourth song, Cocoa finally heard Flash’s playing stop and hooves trot down the stairs. Cocoa continued to play as he saw Flash appear in the entryway to the living room. Flash leaned up against the doorframe. Music continued to blare from the headphones around his neck and his acoustic guitar was strapped across his back over one shoulder. Cocoa finished the last few notes and turned to Flash, giving a little bow in his seat. Flash stomped his hooves a few times on the floor for applause, “That was pretty great.” Cocoa grinned, “I was not aware that you played guitar.” Flash snorted, “Not surprising, really. I haven’t played in years.” “Well, for the record, you sound fantastic. Also, wonderful singing voice.” Flash blushed, “W-well thanks.” “No, really, delightful to listen to. Any other surprising talents I should know about?” “Not that I could tell you right now,” Flash frowned, “Not that, of course, we know that much about each other to start with.” Cocoa bit his lip nervously, “That… is true. Though, I would like to change that.” “So would I.” There was a silent moment as it sunk in that they were both truly taking this quite fast. Finally, Flash spoke up, “I think it’s fine.” Cocoa quirked an eyebrow, “Flash, we barely qualify as acquittances and now we’re dating, ” Cocoa rolled his eyes at Flash’s goofy grin when he said ‘dating’, “And you think it's fine that we’re just a bit more than strangers?” “Well, to be honest, more me to you right now, seeing as I investigated your house.” “Are you sure you don’t mean ‘snooped’.” “Investigated.” Cocoa smirked, “But of course. Find anything interesting?” “Just that you have quite the pair of green hooves and a large collection of books I’m never going to read,” Flash tilted his head questioningly, “Do you want to know more about me now?” “I do,” Cocoa then paused a moment, “But it doesn’t have to be now.” “And why’s that?” “Well, at this time I am satisfied with just having you near.” “Exactly,” Flash grinned widely at Cocoa’s answer, “I feel the exact same way and that’s okay. Besides, I think it's more fun learn things at our own pace over time. We’re only dating, and we have as much time as we want to get to each other.” Cocoa was stunned, “Flash, that is the most mature thing I have ever heard you say.” Flash snorted, “Hey, I can say smart things. I just prefer saying whatever pops into my head, like,” Flash zoomed in closer to Cocoa, “What is behind the third floor door? The mystery of that locked room is killing me.” Cocoa chortled, “My study. I keep several priceless heirlooms and artifacts in there, so I don’t like having the door unlocked, so anypony can just waltz in there.” “Oh, okay then.” “Really? You’re not even going to press to go in?” “Nah, you’ll show me when you want to and I trust that you wouldn’t lie to me about it.” Cocoa looked surprised by how easy Flash had accepted his response. He had figured that Flash would have at least put up a fight. Flash then leaned in and pecked Cocoa with a quick kiss on the snout. Cocoa blushed furiously, “Is this going to be a regular thing with you?” “So long as you keep blushing and enjoying it?” Flash grinned, “Yep.” Flash stepped back and flipped his guitar around to the front, “I don’t suppose you would be up for playing some more before bed?” Cocoa grinned, “Always.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shortly after, Flash found himself following a routine. Morning. Have breakfast with Cocoa, Complain that there is not enough spice in the eggs. Add spice to the eggs. Overdo it. Cough, because pepper does not go down easily. Throw guard armor on wrong. Throw guard armor on right. Kiss Cocoa on the snout. Laugh while he blushes furiously even after a hundred times of doing it. Go to guard training. Say hi to Shining Armor. Work flank off in basic. Show up Shining in training because its funny to watch him grump. Get beaten by Crash Beat. Win sometimes by fighting dirty. Tell Shining how things are going. Be glared at by Steel Bastion because he is the father of Cocoa and does not approve of Flash. Go home. Eat dinner. Continue to complain at lack of spices. Sometimes make dinner instead. Play music with Cocoa. Talk for a long time. Be really happy. Go to bed cuddling. If it was a dream, Flash hoped it wouldn’t end because the mere thought that he could wake up with Cocoa not next to, over, or below him was… …Lonely. On Flash’s days off, Flash and Cocoa would trot around town. Sometimes Cocoa would pick the date, sometimes Flash would. It was always different, always new, and even when it wasn’t Flash still had Cocoa which made everything better. Thankfully, they never returned to the Canterlot Theater or that awful ‘restaurant’. Flash wasn’t sure if he could restrain himself from burning them to the ground on a second visit. One thing they always did, and Cocoa insisted on doing, was revisiting the chasm on every full moon. Flash was always willing to oblige for that. One of the biggest benefits was finding out that Cocoa had quirks and weirdness too.. Besides the fact that he was dating Flash Sentry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “You don’t like sugar?” Flash asked incredulously. Flash was in the back of the Chocolate Print with Cocoa who was currently making several batches of different chocolates for the next week. Flash liked to loiter in the back just to watch Cocoa work. He found it relaxing to watch Cocoa get into the rhythm of folding and rolling fresh chocolate into shapes. Cocoa grunted as he started boiling another batch of milk chocolate, “No, I don’t. I work with it everyday and have to taste test my creations to make sure they actually taste good,” Cocoa started rolling a few chocolate balls into crushed peanuts,”I certainly don’t want to be eating more sugar in my spare time.” “Huh, weird,” Flash noticed a hazelnut bar on a counter nearby and started stretching a wing towards it, “Then do you like any kind of chocolate?” “Bitter,” Cocoa stated. Just before Flash could grab the bar of nutty deliciousness, a knife sailed through the air and embedded itself in the wall just before Flash’s wingtips. “You wouldn’t be happening to trying to eat a hazelnut bar after I specifically cut you off,” Cocoa glared at Flash from the corner of his eyes, “Would you?” Flash grinned sheepishly and ducked his head. He probably shouldn’t have abused his colt friend discount. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flash also found out new quirks about himself as well. Goods ones like how he loved to nuzzle Cocoa right under the his chin and how he found that his best nights were when they just cuddled up together under a blanket in front of the fireplace on a cold night. And then some not so good ones like how he tended to be just a little possessive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flash found out recently that when you start dating somepony, you begin to notice all the looks that get thrown by other ponies. Especially the ‘I’d tap that’ ones. The looks to Flash, he didn’t care about. Neither did Cocoa really. It was in these cases that Flash, having already been established as exceptionally oblivious, could continue to do so against the many many many annoying mares, and, of course, now stallions, that kept hitting on him. He wasn’t sure if that was always the case or he had just become acutely aware of it. On several of these occasions when Flash had brought up his worries of making Cocoa uncomfortable with how many other ponies would flirt with him, Cocoa had made it very clear that he trusted Flash to be faithful or to at least discuss the issue with him. Flash reciprocated that. He really did. He fully trusted that Cocoa was faithful to him and he genuinely sincerely believed that. Cocoa was his colt friend, he had chosen him, and Flash knew that this was true regardless of anything else. That did NOT mean he was okay with one whore of a pegasus saddling up to his colt friend, nuzzling him just under the chin in Flash’s favourite nuzzle spot, and kiss Cocoa on the cheek with Flash standing in front of them. Flash was still snarling at the spot where he had very unceremoniously grabbed the startled pegasus and thrown him over the edge. Cocoa, still uncomfortable from how touchy the stallion had been, turned to Flash, “So, what should I say to the jury when you get put on trial for first degree murder.” Flash turned to Cocoa, “Even if I hadn’t known that there were very soft bushes not ten feet below the edge, he’s a pegasus. If he was too stupid to fly, he deserved it.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As summer had turned to Fall, Flash was treated to sight of his colt friend getting excited for the holiday seasons. Apparently, Cocoa loved to go all out with the decorations. Nightmare Night was a particular favourite. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The house had been decorated with all the trappings of a cheesy haunted house. Cartoonishly bright red blood decorated almost every surface and a proper mishmash of pony skeletons and flying bats hung from every surface that was available. As three foals rounded the corner from the cannibal feast in the dining room to the spooky lair of Dracula the vampony, Flash jumped out from behind a fake tombstone and yelled, “Rawr!” The three foals blinked and seemed confused. After a moment, though, they screamed at the top of their lungs and ran out the front door. Flash, wearing a red flannel shirt and patches of fur stuck to various parts of his body, turned excitedly to Cocoa, “Did I do good?” Cocoa quickly shoved the frankly terrifying mask of a wendigo behind his back. He was playing haunting tunes at the piano and was dressed as a traditional vampony. Cocoa noted his colt friend’s big blue eyes wide with excitement and him literally wagging his tails searching for approval. Flash came off as more of an adorable puppy than a big scary werepony, and Cocoa had to fight the urge to snuggle his adorable fail wolf. He smiled brightly with a fang toothed grin, “You did great, Flash.” Flash squealed and hopped in place while he readied for the next visitors. Cocoa wished he had a camera. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winter came quickly, which brought many nights of hot chocolate and cuddling by the fire. One particular night, Flash had asked what Cocoa was doing for Hearth’s Warming and he had replied that he wasn’t going to celebrate it. This had gotten Cocoa a quirked eyebrow as Flash gestured to the numerous lights, and decorations around the house. Cocoa had just said that he and Steel weren’t planning on doing anything for the holiday. Plans were made, of course, when Flash received an invitation from Shining to join his family for the Hearth’s Warming dinner along with Cocoa and Steel Bastion. They both decided that would be wonderful. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “You have a sister?” Everypony around the table stared at Flash. The Sparkle family had spread out across one side of the table with Shining, a lavender mare with a baby dragon, Twilight Velvet, and a very tired eldritch abomination. Flash would also continue to call Night Light an abomination until he could be awake for more than thirty minutes and clear out the huge bags under his eyes that could potentially be sold for real estate to tiny ponies. “Huh,” Shining said, “I guess you’ve never actually met Twilight.” “Uh, Shining, I’ve met your mom.” Shining rolled his eyes, “Twilight Sparkle, Flash. She’s Celestia’s personal student. It’s why you haven’t met her - she stays at the palace.” While this was happening, Twilight the younger grumped and then whined loudly, “Shiny! You were suppose to be listening to me on the new Theory of Arcane Spellcraft Celestia had just gone over with me!” “Oh sorry, Twi.” “Hey, don’t interrupt me when I’m talking with my BBFL,” Flash glared at the petulant purple menace. In retaliation, Twilight replied, “What? No! He’s not your BBFL, he’s my BBBFF!” Both supposedly grown ponies got their hooves on the table and snarled at each other. This started an argument that made all ponies present regret having both of them in the same room. Spike face palmed, Night Light had gone back to snoring, and Velvet turned Shining. “Honey,” Velvet started, “I really wish you could get mares to fight over you like this.” Shining slammed his head on the table and groaned. Steel, who was actually enjoying this, leaned into Cocoa and whispered, “And you want to date him?” Cocoa smirked, “Well of course.” “I’ll never be bored again for the rest of my life.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the topic of Steel Bastion, though he had gone with Flash and Cocoa to the Hearth’s Warming dinner at the Sparkle household, he still largely did not approve of Flash. Flash found he was on the wrong end of the punishment stick at all times during training and frequently ended up running extra drills. In Steel Bastion’s own words, ‘I will not allow some skinny ass pegasus to date my son.’ There were a few benefits to this. One of them was that Flash did get stronger from all the extra workouts, which, judging by Cocoa’s expression when Flash came to bed without wearing his armour or anything else, was working very well for him. Another was that Flash got really good at hiding and running away. Flash’s logic was that if Steel couldn't catch or find him then he couldn’t really make Flash do the extra drills. This wasn’t really difficult as Flash could just hide in the rafters or on the roof since he was a pegasus. Silly earth pony that couldn’t fly. All in all, though, Flash was content with his relationship. Everything was good. It was fine. Nothing wrong at all. No problems or annoyances to speak of. Except for two. They didn’t talk about family. Ever. Anytime Cocoa broached the subject with Flash, Flash would do anything he could to change the conversation. The one time Cocoa had been adamant about knowing and cornered him into it, Flash had flat out stated that he didn’t want to talk about it and Cocoa needed to stop pushing. He would tell Cocoa when he was ready. Flash, for his part, didn’t ask Cocoa at all. On the few times that the conversation came up around either Cocoa, or Steel Bastion for that matter, he just shut his mouth and wouldn’t say anything until Flash changed the topic. It was unfortunate, but as Flash wasn’t willing to say anything he certainly wasn’t going to push Cocoa into it. The second concern was, well… ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Both Flash and Cocoa were in bed. They had just finished playing a rather upbeat rendition of some of Cocoa's favourite classical musical pieces before they had retired to bed and were currently discussing various things of no importance. Flash was listening and relying at the right times, but he wasn’t focusing on the conversation. Instead he was focusing on Cocoa, or his body at least. Flash wanted him. Bad. Flash bit his lip to try and get his mind back into the conversation, but it wasn’t working. So, he decided to go with his tried and true. Just go for it. While Cocoa was going on a tangent about some new law passed in day court, Flash leaned in and nipped at his mane. When Flash saw that Cocoa hadn’t seemed to mind, he wiggled closer and flicked his tail at Cocoa’s flanks. Flash then moved in to nuzzle his favourite spot right under Cocoa’s chin. He heard the hitch in Cocoa’s breath. When he didn’t protest, Flash moved in closer and attempted to kiss Cocoa on the lips. He was met by a hard jab in the side. “Ow,” Flash groaned as he clutched his side. Cocoa hit hard. Cocoa sounded flustered as he said, “Ah, Flash! Sorry, that was uncalled for. I really should have just said something.” “Nah, nah it's okay,” Flash grinned through the pain, “I shouldn’t have pushed so much.” “No, you didn’t,” Cocoa shook his head vehemently, “I want to. I really do, but I just-” Flash silenced Cocoa with a hoof, “It’s fine. I can wait.” Cocoa lowered his head shame-faced, “But its not fair to you.” Flash grinned, “You kidding? I still have you around don’t I? And what I do without my cuddle buddy next to me at night?” “Considering how you tend to move in your sleep and wake up in the morning, I genuinely don’t know.” They both laughed and then spent the rest of the evening close together. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was hard to wait. Flash wanted to go the next step, but he wanted to do that with Cocoa and if that meant waiting, so be it. For Cocoa, he would always wait. As the time went by it soon became summer once again, which meant one of the most important moments of Flash’s life was upon him. Graduation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flash stood in line with the other members of his platoon. They were dressed in their brand new guard armour made specially for their ascension into the ranks of the Royal Guard. They had just finished the formal address by Princess Celestia to the full group, and she was now giving personal greetings to each new member of the guard. After doing her address, it was always followed by a bright flash of yellow from the Princess’s horn and her cutie mark would be emblazoned on the guard’s armour. Family and friends stood proudly to the side and watched beaming with pride as the ceremony continued. All the guards had to keep a stoic expression and stay in perfect salute as according to tradition. The problem was that all Flash wanted to do was prance around and grin like a doofus. He was finally officially entering the guard alongside his BBFL and was probably second best day of his life, right behind meeting Cocoa for the first time. “And thus you are now officially a member of the royal guard,” Celestia smiled radiantly at Shining, who stood proud, “And hopefully you will also hurry up and tie the knot with your mare friend already.” Shining blushed profusely. Huh, didn’t know Shining was dating anypony. Celestia then stood before Flash. It was the third time he had ever came face to face with the Princess and he still stood by his initial reaction. She was absolutely stunning. “Flash Sentry.” “Princess,” and under his breath, “Sun Butt.” Flash heard the choking sound next to him from Shining, however Celestia just grinned widely. “I am glad to see that you have kept your humour, Flash Sentry.” Flash answered with a grin of his own. Celestia then changed to a more serious tone, “Are you sure this is the path you wish to take?” “Yes,” Flash said without hesitation then grinned once more, “Besides my colt friend has a thing for a stallion in armour.” Flash was then treated to one of the rarest cases in which Princess Celestia, Divine Ruler of the Sun, smirked. “Well, that is clearly the most important part.” Without further preamble, Celestia’s horn glowed with yellow light and Flash’s armour became emblazoned with the familiar sun cutie mark of Princess Celestia. It left Flash feeling warm and tingly. Celestia then moved to address the entire platoon next to the acting Sergeant. The Sergeant shouted, “State the Oath.” In unison the newly dubbed guards said, “We shall uphold the law and order of our Princess and protect both her and the citizenry of Equestria from whatever threats may appear. In her bright light, no harm shall be allowed to fall.” “At ease,” the platoon then dropped into a relaxed position. The sergeant stared over the new soldiers and finally gave a small nod. The group then ran over to their family and friends. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flash and Shining both headed over to the group of Twilight Velvet, Twilight Sparkle, Night Light, Cocoa and a smiling Steel Bastion. Flash did not trust that smile. “Oh, good job my special little stallions,” Velvet hugged both of them. “Yeah, great job BBBFF,” Twilight said happily then mumbled, “And you, too, I guess, Flash.” “Proud of both you, Flash, Shining,” Night Light added in tiredly. “Aw, thanks guys,” Shining grinned as he removed himself and Flash from velvet’s death grip that she called a ‘hug’. Like mother, like son really. Flash turned to Cocoa who had trotted over. Flash nuzzled his colt friend in his special spot just under the chin and was rewarded with a hum of satisfaction. “Feeling good, Flash?” Cocoa smiled. “Never better,” Flash replied. Steel Bastion then coughed loudly into his hoof. Flash ignored him until he got the glare that said he was to knock it off or Steel was going to make him. Begrudgingly, Flash stepped away with Shining trotting up next to him. They shared a quick hoof tap. “Now,” Steel Bastion began, “As you know, all new recruits to the guard must do a year of training in another settled zone within Equestria. I have those assignments.” He turned to Shining first, “Shining, you’ll be going to Manehattan.” Shining did a crisp salute in response. Steel gave a nod in response and then turned to Flash with a wide unsettling grin. This can’t be good. “Flash you will be coming with me to Dodge City.” It was surprisingly Cocoa that was startled the most when he exclaimed, “What?!”