A New Flame

by Lostsong

Secrets

I woke up too pre-dawn light gleaming through my window. I stretched out to find something next to me. Dark Fire. His night black fur and soft yet powerful wings folded over me like a shield. His fiery red mane laid over my neck like a blanket

I was insane for wanting to be with him. Even more insane for letting my emotions before my mind.

"Morning, Sparkles," Dark Fire breathed. I rolled my eyes at the nickname, but I cherished it all the same. I was the only pony in Ponyville to get a nickname from Dark Fire.

"Its Twilight for the last time" But the anger in my voice faded into soft teasing

"Too you maybe"

I laughed lightly, easing myself out of his protective hold and walking to the window.

"I have to leave soon," I noted. I didn't want to leave, but I had business in Canterlot for the Princess. Dark Fire was important to me, more important than I could've imagined, but this was more important.

"You can stay," he said, though he knew I couldn't.

"I wish," I said softly.

"Don't keep me waiting... Spikes not the most fantastic company"

"Come on, he's my assistant"

"I know... But just hurry okay, I don't want to wait too long to see you little cutie mark"

I pressed my muzzle against Dark Fire's, closing my eyes for a moment. Leaving Dark Fire, even if it was just 3 days, was going to be hard.

"See you soon" I whispered.

"Not soon enough" He smirked. How did I ever hate that smirk. I swat him with my tail playfully and kissed him goodbye... Even though we both wanted a longer good bye... The princess wouldn't wait

I arrived in Canterlot and was shown to my room instantly. My roommate, Sparkling Water, was sitting on her bed, flipping through a book.

"Hello," I said, smiling lightly.

"Twilight!" Sparkling Water said cheerfully. "It's been so long!" She ran to me and hugged me, and I began to laugh. I had met Sparkling Water at the beginning of this year, when I came to Canterlot to visit Shining Armor and Cadence.

"Have you seen Shining Armor and Candence yet?' She asked.

"No, I meet with them later to have lunch with them and Princess and Celestia" Sparkling Water smiled.

"I'm so jealous!" she squealed.

"You're always welcome to come!" I said, but she shook her head.

"I couldn't intrude!"

"You wouldn't be, besides, you r one of my best friends. It will be fun"

"Well If you insist" She laughed.

"I insist all right"

"You seem different.. A lot happier than usual"

"Well... A pony I have recently met-"

"The Princess has requested your presence for lunch with her and Sir Shining Armor and Princess Candace" A guard pony called from outside the room

"I'll tell you later" I smiled apologetically

Together, we walked down the hall to the dining room. Sparkling Water, a true breed Canterlot unicorn, instantly made conversation with one of the other guards there, and I could swear she was flirting. I sat between my brother and Princess Celestia.

"Twighly" My brother greeted. I rolled my eyes. Guys just couldn't use my real name could they.

"Shining armor! I missed you" I nuzzled my brother

"Missed you too little sis!" Shining Armor muzzled me back. I turned to Cadence and smiled. As if on cue, we burst into our hooveshake.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake!" We both laughed and I smiled, happily adjusting to my Canterlot life.

"how's my favorite sister in law" Candace smiled.

"Better than ever" I replied realizing I have never been this happy... With Dark Fire in my life. After we ate Princess Celestia said she had some very good news for me.

"I want you and your assistant Spike to move back to Canterlot and use you amazing powers to work in the castle as my personal assistant in magic. I felt my jaw drop... This is what I wanted since I first started studying magic. But what about Dark Fire back home... and all my friends... I could visit Ponyville regularly... But the thought of not waking against Dark fire every morning made me feel sick.

"Can I take a day to decide?" I asked.

Celestia looked understanding an nodded. I got up and walked slowly to the room I was staying in. When A burst of a flame and now a letter floated in front of me

Confused, I opened the letter and rolled my eyes at the opening.

'Hey, Sparkles,

I'm not good at writing letters but come home soon okay?

Dark Fire'

I sighed and shook my head. A blush rising to my cheeks. He was so impatient. But I loved him for it. What was I going to do? Coming back to Canterlot is what I want more than anything...But Dark Fire is what I need more than anything...

I would have to tell the Princess that I would have to reject her offer. Dark Fire was just too important to me.

As I was heading out the door Sparkling Water and I came face to face. She smiled excitedly.

"Oh Twilight! It's going to be great to have you here in Canterlot! We-"

"I'm not staying..."

"What!?" She asked, surprised.

"I have too much in Ponyville to lose..."

"But you have friends here too, and you can still visit them" She pleaded.

"It's not just my friends... I have a special somepony to get back too..."

"Special somepony?" Sparkling Water asked. "Who?" I felt my face flush as I stared down at my hooves.

"His name is Dark Fire..." I began, but Sparkling Water stopped me.

"Dark Fire? You're with Dark Fire?"

"Yes...What's wrong with him?"

"He's a marechaser. He plays with mare's hearts and leaves them just as they fall hard for him." Sparkling Water's dark blue eyes shone with...was it pity?

"How do you know that?" I challenged. Sure, Dark Fire was arrogant, but he would never do something like that.

"I was one of those mares." Sparkling Water said softly. "He left me, and I went everywhere to find him. A mare called Vanilla Spice in Fillydelphia was still in tears over him. Manehatten helped me meet Sweetbreeze, a young mare with a little colt that looked just like Dark Fire. He left her before he knew she was expecting. In Los Pegasus, a pony called Amber Drop remembered that she had a one night thing with him, and that he left her for her cousin Softfeather in Cloudsdale. Appleoosa...well, ask your friend Applejack about her cousin Caramel Apple. That poor mare never mentioned a name, but she was hurt bad. Last place I tried was Trottingham, where poor Flower Splash was living in depression because he left her,"

I couldn't believe my ears... I knew Dark Fire was a flirt... But this. Was he even going to be there when I got back... WAs he already gone to look for the next mare to fool. I felt tears pool into my eyes. I knew this was going to happen... I knew it would never work... I knew! But I fell for him all the same... How could I have been so stupid! Sparkling Water looked at me with a sudden worry.

"You didn't... You two haven't..." She trailed off... But I knew what she was trying to ask.

"We haven't done...that." I said, any regret I held for telling him 'no' my last night there vanishing on the spot. "I was going to when I got back...as a hearts and hooves day surprise...but now..."

Sparkling Water hugged me.

"At least, if he's gone, you have the luck to say you didn't give him everything. I gave him everything I had and he took off to wherever it is he went off to. Think about poor Sweetbreeze. She gave him everything and now she has a colt to care for and the poor little pony has no father to love him."

]I felt pain and regret tear at my heart. I can't believe how easily i was tricked... But what if he was still there when I got back.. How could I ever face him now?

"What do I do?" I asked... Sorrow evident in my voice.

"Come back to Canterlot... Being with your family is the best for you right now" I didn't want to leave Ponyville... But what choice did I have. At least I'd have my parents. Shining armor, Candace, and Celestia here with me. And Sparkling Water of course.

"Ok"

I knew I would have to return to Ponyville, but staying in Canterlot just one more week couldn't hurt. After next week, I would go home for sure. I wrote a quick letter to Applejack, knowing that she would tell the other ponies, using my magic to send it.

"Let's go for a walk," Sparkling Water suggested. "There's a great new club here, and DJ P0N-3 is supposed to be DJ tonight." I nodded. A drink and some loud music would be great. I could clear my mind of Dark Fire once and for all.

"Sounds like fun" I smiled. Anything to get my mind and heart away from Dark fire. Sparkling Water nodded and led me to a flashy building with loud music blaring out of it.

"This is the place" Sparkling Water grinned. As if I couldn't have figured that out...

"So you going to lead me in or not?"

Sparkling Water laughed and we walked inside. The music blasted and my hearing went dead. My brain went fuzzy and I laughed. My mood was instantly lifted and dark fire was gone from my mind. ...Mostly. I watched as other ponies swayed back and forth to the, and when I turned to say something to Sparkling after, she was across the room now chatting it up with blue furred unicorn with a black mane and green eyes. She was laughing and batting her eyes at him, she was flirting with him.

Watching her flirting reminded me of spending time with Dark Fire...No. I couldn't do this to myself. I just couldn't. Thinking about Dark Fire would only make things harder on me. Besides, my extra week here was to calm down. Then, I would go back to Ponyville, end things with him, and return to Canterlot and the Princess' apprentice.

I tried socializing with the other ponies... I even attempted to flirt with a few stallions... But something just felt. Wrong

I felt like I was betraying Dark Fire, but I couldn't begin to understand why. He had played with me...made me feel loved, and he planned to break my heart when I returned. How could I have been so foolish? How could I have believed that Dark Fire actually wanted me?

In mean, when had any pony wanted me. I spent more time with my books than other ponies... I was never really the funest pony to be around, and let's face it, I'm not the prettiest pony in the world. I soon saw Sparkling Water galloping up to me followed by a yellow stallion with an orange mane and a white lightning bolt for a cutie mark, and he had eyes blue enough to drown in.

"Twilight, I'd like to you to meet Swift Bolt. I was talking to him, and he seemed really interested in meeting you"

I looked up with what I hoped was flirtatious surprise.

"He wanted to meet me?" I asked. I gave him a quick look over. He wasn't bad looking. He was no Dark Fire, but he would do.

"I heard you work with the Princess," Swift Bolt grinned. I nodded slowly.

"Well, I suppose you could say I work with her..."

"She's Princess Celestial's apprentice!" Sparkling Water beamed.

"Wow! Now isn't that something" Swift Bolt looked down at me with a winning smile.. But I felt... nothing. No blush rising in my cheeks... No flash of heat under my fur... My heart wasn't even seeding up, as it did with Dark Fire whenever we were in the same room.

I shook my head, banishing those thoughts... 'No! You came here to forget him!' I thought to myself. So I forced a smile as I gazed at him, and pretended to be thrilled by is company. Hoping that after tonight... Dark Fire would never come to my mind again

~XoXo~

The night dragged on but Dark Fire clouded my thoughts. Swift Bolt was amazing, but even his sweet comments couldn't sway my affection for Dark Fire.

Why couldn't I just forget him... This stallion was sweet, gentle, smart, patient, and kind. All I ever wanted in a pony. So why was I so disinterested in him? Because he wasn't Dark Fire... I told Sparkling Water I had to go... And i left before she could try to stop me. This arty was supposed to help me forget. But it did the exact opposite

I spent the rest of that night in my room trying to convince myself that Dark Fire was no good for me. That he was just a no good Mare-Chaser, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't even bring myself to flirt with other stallions because I felt I was cheating on Dark Fire. There was only one thing to do.

I had to go back to Ponyville and end things once and for all.

Comments

[Reddened Chaos]

I see an error.

"No, I meet with them later to have lunch with them and Princess and Celestia" Sparkling Water smiled.

I don't think that should be there.