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// Can we be more? 
// Story: The Princess and the Guard 
// by Dragonfoxgirl 
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     She woke up slowly and feeling peace inside her heart, she smiled, pressing her face close to the stallion´s chest. It was furry and warm. She could feel his heart beat, a steady and constant heart beat. It was like a soothing lullaby followed by the soft in and out of air of his lungs.
She blushed heavily; she shouldn’t be enjoying this so much. That was what her brain was telling her. She started asking to herself… why was she acting like that, she never ever in the past would have even thought about sleeping with a stallion in the same bed!!!  Why was she so light headed when she was with him, why was she always feeling weird unable to control herself, not knowing how to act or what to say. It was something so… different.
Her heart started beating faster and soon she found herself unable to rest any longer, lifting her head she studied her guard´s face. He had a peaceful look; she noticed tiny old scars resting in different parts of his face. She smiled, this was a pony that truly knew what fighting was, a guard through and through. She softly got off the bed, carefully without waking Flash she got out of the room.
With Spike already awake and cooking breakfast she was the only one awake counting him off. She didn’t know what time it was but judging the sunlight coming through the window she deduced that it was around 9 am. The night pony Oni Fire was fast asleep in the same spot she left him. He looked so… tired and weak which was weird because since the first time she saw him he always had looked very strong and almost invincible. She remembered the way he fought, he looked more like a dragon, those fierce piercing yellow golden eyes, that buff built body, the leathery wings filled with tiny holes… those fangs… those deadly fangs.
But know he looked uncomfortable and sad. Using her magic she levitated his head carefully, a pillow came down the stairs floating inside her magenta magic aura, she gently placed it under his head, slowly she lowered his head on the pillow. The look in the dark stallion´s face changed to a a very tired face, but without pain.
She could see the burn mark was gone, the Night pony had followed her instructions well, giving him one last look she went in to the kitchen and greeted Spike with a soft voice.
“He looks very tired, are you sure he´s ok? I think he should go to the hospital just in case” Spike said serving Twilight her favorite oats with milk.
“He is pretty battered, even if they were not really fighting, they did hurt themselves pretty badly… but him… he looks so… tired… It´s weird.”
“Flash … is he ok?” Spike asked munching a sapphire stick.
“He´s fine, he was just tired and sore but now he is sleeping fine.”
“You slept next to him, wrapped in his wing… is there something you want to tell me?” Spike asked looking straight in to Twilight´s eyes.
Twilight blushed immediately. “Spike! Nothing happened… I just fell asleep next to him… it…it´s not like we… did something”
“yea I know he didn’t do anything he was sleeping like a log when I fell asleep, you … you were the one who came in to his room and climbed next to him” Spike said with a big grin in his face.”IIIII think somepony has a cruuuuuush” he sang in a low teasing voice.
“Spike you are a baby! You… you should not talk about these things so freely!!!” Twilight said trying to stay put.
He looked at her blank faced and then grinned.
“I may be a baby in dragon terms, but inside my head I am older than you think, just because my body ages slower it doesn´t mean my brain does. Besides where do you think I know all these things, you taught them to me silly and let’s not forget about the romance novel´s section in the library.”
“I told you those books were not for your age… you still read them???!!!” Twilight half yelled half whispered.
Spike just smiled.

Flash woke up feeling a little sore, he got a little sad not seeing Twilight next to him but he buckheaded himself for that thought. He was not her colfriend or something like that. He didn’t have that privilege.
He could smell Twilight’s scent; closing his eyes he tried to understand his feelings. He tried to read her actions. All the other moments they had together were something that was started by his actions or both of them; last night she was the one who did something he never thought she would do.
He knew that the right thing he should have done was to talk to her and explain her that such behavior was something a Princess should never do, especially with her guard. But even knowing what he should have done he knew that in that moment he was tired and sad, he needed company, what better company than a beautiful mare that smelled like fresh lavender, a mare that spoke softly to you that took care of you. Any stallion would have been a complete idiot rejecting that care.
What was he doing, he was supposed to be the best guard he could be and he was one of the finest guards in under Celestia´s reign. He was not supposed to develop romantic feelings towards the princess he was supposed to serve. But his princess was not the like the Nobel sisters. She was more like the crystal princess, she was not immortal, she aged and she was married to a regular unicorn, well not so regular. His captain was a stallion he admired, he was a couple of years older than him but he was so wise and professional in his duty. He was explained of the situation that resulted in the captain of the royal guard marrying a princess. He sighed, His situation was different. He was not going to deny his feelings for Twilight, but he didn’t know how to deal with them. Falling in love was something he was scared to do again. The first time he did it resulted in a disaster that cost him friend’s lives and left him with serious injuries that took a long time to heal. His wings never felt the same, neither his heart. He knew that Twilight would never hurt anyone, but his scars were too deep.
He pushed his thoughts away from his mind; he was not going to remember all those painful memories. He rose from his bed cautiously grunting from the soreness, he followed the scent of fresh carrots and oats. He was starving. He looked at Oni Fire fast asleep in the floor with half of his face buried in a pillow. His body tensed up involuntary. He ignored the stallion and entered the kitchen.
Twilight´s eyes immediately linked with his, both of them blushed in different shades of red, the adverted their eyes from each other.
“G…good morning princess” Flash said mentally cursing for stuttering, he was a stallion for Celestia´s sake!!!.
Twilight answered him with a smile which only made Flash blush harder; Spike was chuckling in a corner munching away gem sticks.
Flash ate his breakfast facing Twilight, they stole glances at each other, behaving like school foals at lunch time. Spike eventually got bored of the lack of conversation and left the kitchen in search for something to do.
Twilight dived her muzzle inside the boll and a piece of carrot on the tip of her nose. Flash couldn´t help but laugh. Twilight gave him a confused look that only made her look cuter, he laughed harder, when she finally noticed the carrot piece laying on the tip of her nose the smiled.
She put her hoof inside the boll lifting another carrot piece, she gave Flash a playful smile and not waiting for any type of question from him she stick it in Flash´s face. The stallion was surprised and gave Twilight a funny confused face. Twilight giggled. Flash decided to dive in the game. He took a piece of bread in his hoof and gave Twilight a playful grin. Without any warning he stabbed the bread in Twilight´s horn. The mare froze in her place; Flash regretted his action, maybe he had gone too far. That idea was soon discarded when Twilight gave him an evil playful look.
She activated her magic, levitating apples and oranges from different parts of the kitchen. 
“You wanna play tough guy?... let´s play then” Twilight said.
“I guess I have no way out”
The kitchen soon turned in to a food fight ground, Twilight throwing apples, oranges and bananas at the stallion. Flash dodged most of them.
“How on Equestria can you move so fast?!” Twilight yelled at Flash. 
“Royal Guard, years of training” he simply said.
Twilight felt so good, it had been a long time since the last time she had fun. Maybe that was the reason why she decided to take this situation in to a very messy state, Spike was not going to love her for this.
Soon there were no more things to throw and Flash had only received a couple of hits.
“I thought you had more in you Princess” Flash teased her. 
Twilight teleported herself over Flash and landed on top of him. Flash cached her with anticipation. Both of them fell on the floor filled with squashed fruits and food.
Both ponies started laughing, Flash letting “ouches” between laughs. After some while the laughing started to turn down. Both of them sitting on their haunches, Twilight with her hooves linked around Flash’s neck and Flash´s hooves in Twilight´s hips preventing both from slipping to the ground.
The two ponies were covered in food, their manes sticking to their foreheads. Their eyes looking at each other with happiness. Twilight sighed. 
“I guess we did it again” Twilight said in a low voice.
“Stepping over boundaries and driving ourselves in to a situation that was never meant to be?” Flash said giving Twilight a warm smile.
“Why don´t we just let this one pass?... let´s just… ignore the fact that I´m a princess and you a guard for this time.” Twilight said looking in to Flash´s eyes with a lot of intensity. Flash pressed Twilight´s body closer to his driven in to Twilight´s words. Twilight caressed Flash´s bruise on his face. He could fell her heart beating faster like his.
Even with both of them covered from head to hoof in smudged fruit and food, he still smelled Twilight´s lavender scent. It was hypnotizing, that scent, those eyes, those big and sparkly purple eyes were driving him crazy. He wanted to hug her, to hold her to…
Reality snapped his mind; he averted his gaze from Twilight pouring every single drop of reality and strength in order to gently push Twilight´s body from his.
“I´m afraid we can´t princess, I´m sorry” Said Flash hating himself from having to do that.
Twilight looked at Flash´s expression, she understood he was following his head this time, and judging by his face, he didn’t like it.
Twilight lowered her hooves to the ground and gave Flash an understanding look.
“I guess we can´t you’re right” Twilight said lowering her head, her gaze to the ground.
Flash pressed his hoof in Twilight´s chin lifting her head making her look at him.
“I do have feeling for you Princess, I am not going to deny that”
Twilight smiled.
“I know… But we can´t… right?” 
Flash nodded painfully.
“It hurts” Twilight said.
“Like hell” Flash responded.
The only thing Twilight could do was smile, a painful sad smile. Flash felt his heart hurt.
“I´m gonna go and take a bath” Twilight said turning her body. In the last minute, she turned herself again, giving Flash a look of regret, with eyes full of tears she lifted her head giving him a quick peck on his cheek then she quickly trotted upstairs leaving Flash surprised. Flash stood there frozen staring at the door Twilight had used to leave seconds ago.
He didn’t know what to do, how to act. What was he supposed to do?!. Sure in training they strictly warned you to never, ever develop romantic feelings for anyone you were supposed to protect. They did not tell you what to do when you already HAD romantic feelings neither they told you what to do if that somepony had romantic feelings for you too.
He felt so frustrated, so angry with himself he wanted to hit something hard with his hooves. The door opened reveling a gray figure. Flash immediately tensed up, he was not going to be able to stand this pony at this moment.
“I was wondering what the buck was all that noise that woke me up, I guess I get it now…. Oh, I couldn´t help to listen to your little chat, you know in my opinion I think you are over thinking this too much fluffy, common, you like her she likes you… it´s not that complicated.”
“Do not talk to me like you’re my friend” Flash said leaving the kitchen and directing himself through the stairs not even looking at the night pony.
The dark stallion sighed heavily and protected his eyes with his wings he went to his comfy place on the floor and rested his body.
Flash stood under the shower containing his anger, the warm water was helping but not enough. There were too many things in his head he once more followed his head and prioritized the current threat made to Canterlot. They were supposed to leave that night, when Oni was able to fly, he would had to carry Twilight since she wasn´t able to fly yet, even if her wings were healed she wouldn´t have been able to stand such long trip.
They would have to be very careful when leaving, nopony was supposed to know this, not even the rest of the elements of harmony themselves. Spike was the only one allowed to go with them.
He let out a heavy sigh and stretched his wings bathing his feathers in the hot water. Today was supposed to be the last day of normal guard routine for him, now he was heading to Canterlot for a very serious matter, the minute Oni would say go, he knew that he would not be able to step over boundaries anymore, even if his heart ached like hell, even if Twilight saddened he would have to do what he was trained to do.
There was no more time for fun and feelings, he had to get the princess to Canterot, he had to protect her with her life.