> Starcrossed
>  by Pirate Jesus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The market was bustling as usual. Merchants, money changers, foreign tourists, and even a few nobles crowded the grand bazaar of Canterlot. It was really a magnificent center of commerce, the jewel of Canterlot's economy since the ancient city's founding. For hundreds of years, ponies from throughout Equestria- and evident from the Saddle Arabians, Griffons, and Zebras present, all over Equis- had come to trade money, gems, and other valuables in a menagerie of every form of barter. To the traders and nobles, it was a shining beacon of the friendship among the civilized races of Equis.
For Swift Hoof, however, it was a goldmine. The market to him was more of a hunting ground. Where others saw stalls, he saw watering holes. Where others saw roads, he saw game trails. And where others saw the wealthy inhabitants of the city, he saw carelessly unguarded coin purses, begging to be liberated from their owners. Swift was a thief, plain and simple. It wasn't anything personal against them, it was just business.
Actually, that was where he had to second guess himself; this was personal. These wealthy people acted like their lives were so hard, their jobs so demanding, but what did they know of true difficulty? How dare they complain as they spent enough money to feed Swift's family like kings for a week on a lavish rug or a silver ring- things with no purpose, and therefore, no value? It made him sick to his stomach that these people could even come close to considering their lives hard when he and his little brother relied on what barely amounted to the scraps from their tables?
Swift scoffed. "Bloody peacocks," he whispered to himself from the alley where he waited. The pickpocket's job was simple when you got down to it. Scope a target, predict their route, wait for the right moment- usually praying for a well timed distraction- and then cut the purse from the belt while everyone is misdirected. Done well it was a beautiful orchestration of sleight of hand.
Done poorly it meant running like hell before the bullheaded guard could catch you, or worse, the stockades.
Luckily, Swift usually did it well. He had only botched a lift three times, and only once had he been noticed botching it. The other two idiots had just assumed their purse strings gave out and secured their purses more fervently. That one time he had been caught, though, was less than pleasant. The noble had wanted such outlandish punishments as twenty years in the dungeon or execution. All these fat cats are so out of touch, they would sentence a child to death for nothing more than a few bits, he thought. How pathetic.
Swift had been scoping this one noble for the better part of the afternoon. He desperately begged in his head for some luck. The sun was almost setting, meaning the market would be closing soon, not to mention this specific target was a bit harder to lift. He was one of the magistrates of Canterlot, a prefect responsible to one of the wealthier quarters of the city. Swift had observed news of him before, as well as even watching a speech or two of his. Speeches were always great places to make lifts as people were too focused on the politics to worry about their own coins.
The difficulty was that this specific prefect was being escorted by a member of the Diplomatic Guard, an officer of the larger Royal Guard that was specifically stationed within Canterlot to foalsit the aristocracy. As such, he was used to looking for threats and assassins hiding in crowds, and it would be child'splay for him to spot a pickpocket, even from a mile away. There would have to be a damn good diversion. Please, for Celestia's sake... Give me a chance...
Suddenly, as if in answer to his silent prayer, a young colt not looking where he was going bumped into the magistrate, who was too infatuated with the new carafe the guard was holding for him to see the child coming. The colt bounced back and hit the ground hard. "Ow!" He began to whine. Swift smirked. 
Perfect. As if on cue.
The colt continued groaning in agony as a small crowd formed. The prefect, not wanting to be cast in a bad light, knelt down to the colt. "Are you alright, little colt? Allow me to apologize. I didn't mean to run into you." The colt kept groaning. Swift slowly worked his way through the crowd. Rushing through risked drawing attention to himself.
"Ow, I think I'm hurt pretty bad, sir. My knee doesn't feel right when I bend it." The colt writhed in pony as a small crowd formed around him. Weaving in between members of the bustling crowd, Swift graceful drifted feet from his target. He looked at the guard, who also seemed to have his attention taken by the child. Come on... Just a few more seconds... Swif thought as he slipped a tiny, almost imperceptible knife into his right hoof. As he brought the hoof up for another step, he slashed the woven cord holding the coin purse to the magistrate's saddlebag.
Swift gave a small tug, freeing the purse from its fastenings and into his hoof. A more attentive mark might have felt the minor pressure on his bag, but the magistrate was completely enthralled with trying to make it painfully obvious that he wasn't the sort to hurt children. After all, that's a bad reputation for anyone to have, especially a politician. The only other person in the crowd who had a chance to detect Swift, the guard, didn't have line of sight since Swift had waited until the magistrate was between them.
The stallion's heart skipped a few beats as he trotted away. The three to five seconds after a lift was performed was crucial. A good thief could disappear after the first few seconds completely, vanishing into the crowd, and while Swift was no guildmaster, he certainly was skilled. However, if the thief were detected during those interim five seconds, there was little to no chance to escape: not enough head start to outrun the authorities, not enough space to blend, and certainly no suitable, unseen nooks or crannies to hide in. He closed his eyes as he walked, silently wishing as he counted in his head.
5...4...3...2...1...
Swift breathed a sigh of relief, now yards from his target and all but invisible in the sea of faces that was the marketplace. He left the crowd to pity the injured child as he walked away a few dozen bits richer. He turned in to an alleyway off from the main streets of the bazaar and continued before again turning left into an even smaller alley. He waited a moment, scanning the edge of the streets. When he was sure he wasn't followed, he slumped against the dingy walls of the alley and opened the purse, counting out the bits from all of the day's thievery. This day in particular had been very bountiful: the annual Grand Galloping Gala was tonight, which meant the wealthy and nobility from all around Equestria were consolidated in the city for an evening of mirth.
Ten... twenty... thirty... forty... fifty... sixty... seventy... seventy five... seventy six... seventy seven... seventy eight. Not a bad haul. Expected a little more, but it'll do. Suddenly, Swift saw a very familiar silhouette. He smiled as the form became clearer, trotting up next to him in the alleyway. "Well, if it isn't the big ham himself. Good acting there, chief." Swift said to the colt who had moments before been faking an injury.
He was young, and small even for a colt. A tiny pair of hardly operable wings were folded flat against his back as his hooves clacked against the cobblestone. His orange Coat stood out vibrantly midst the gloomy, dull light of the alleyway, and his electric blue hair was styled up as if a massive gust of wind had blown it so hard that it stuck in that position. But most iconic was the innocent smile that crossed the colts face accompanied by bright blue eyes.
"Did I do well big brother?" Flash asked. Swift walked over to his little brother and ruffled his already messy hair.
"You did perfectly," Swift responded.
Flash's smile grew wider when he saw his brother's coin purse, full of their ill-gotten gains. "Oh, wow! How much did we get today?"
Swift dawned a frown. "I'm afraid we only made a meager twenty."
Flash's ears flopped close to his head as his face fell flat. "I'm so sorry, Swift. I should have been more coordinated and-"
"I'm just messing with you," Swift interrupted. "We got a total of seventy eight bits."
Flash started jumping up and down, trotting triumphantly around his older brother. "Really? Oh, by Celestia! That's great! We're going to get so many sweet rolls and stuff! Maybe we can even get a donut or two from that shop across town," he said as his voice cracked with excitement.
Swift stopped him. "Ah ah ah, Flash. What's the rule?"
The young colt felt the wind being knocked out of his sails. He sighed and said as if reciting from memory, "'First we save, then we spend, then we splurge,' I know, Swift." He let his chin droop before Swift lifted it back up with a hoof.
"Don't worry, Flash. I promise we'll splurge. We just have to go in order first. Now, come on. Lets had back home. Maybe- just this once- we can splurge first and buy some sweet rolls on the way." Flash gasped in excitement and couldn't help but cheer, further warming his older brother's heart. They walked towards the exit of the alley only to be stopped by a burly figure. He was a tall unicorn stallion, but seemed to be in the prime of his youth, a few years older than Swift. But that wasn't what caught his eye.
Instead his attention was drawn to the Diplomatic Guard armor that the stallion was wearing, as well as the unsheathed sword in his hoof.
"Hold it right there," the guard barked. "I heard you two talking, and I know you are the pickpockets. There's going to be Tartarus to pay, you couple of-" the guard cut his own sentence short as he finally got a good look at the two street urchins. He saw the bag they were holding, obvious incriminating evidence. Still, something struck a chord with him.. "Celestia's sake... you're only children," he said, torn with conflicting feelings.
In the distance, the three ponies all heard the magistrate's voice echo out, "Guard! Have you found any sign of the ruffians yet?" The stallion took a look at the two colts. One was barely on the cusp of stallionhood, no older than thirteen, and the other was even younger, definitely not in the double digits of age. Both of their faces were petrified with fear as they held their stolen contraband. He took a deep, regretful sigh and sheathed his sword.
"Go. I'll tell him I lost you." Swift nodded his gratitude before bolting in the opposite direction. Flash ran, but hesitated, looking back at the stallion. He hated knowing he would be responsible for the guard getting in undeserved trouble, but he had to leave. After a few more seconds, he two took a turn and vanished from sight.
The magistrate came up to the guard just a few moments later. "Guard, did you find the rapscallions who stole my bits?"
Damn me for having a conscience. It would be so much easier if I didn't. the guard thought to himself. He was still a meager junior officer, still in the process of training for officership, and what he was about to say was a gamble on everything he had worked for in the last year. "No, sir. I'm afraid they outran me and I lost them in the streets."
The magistrates face turned a deep red. "What? Outwitted by common thieves? What kind of a guard are you? You can rest assured I will file a complaint to your superior, you insufferable twit," the magistrate complained and left with a huff as the guard followed closely behind him.
The magistrate did eventually file a formal complaint that went on the record of the guard, but in the future, the politician would come to greatly regret it. It was the only blemish on the otherwise spotless and meritorious career record of future Captain of the Guard Shining Armor.



Night fell quickly as Swift and Flash celebrated. True to his word, Swift had bought him and Flash enough sweet rolls to make them both sick. They even took some to save for later. He also bought two fresh sodas, one for each of them, to take back to their quarters.
They entered the small hideout they managed to have in the slums. It was a room in an old tenement that had long since been abandoned due to a fire that had destroyed the Western half of the building. While the side that was burnt had no structural stability and the first floor was damp at best and flooded at worst, the second floor was much more livable.
Swift nudged the pitiful, knobless excuse for a door aside as they entered the room they used, which was the most dry and least dirty of the building's still standing living spaces. It was really nothing special: a small one room apartment, an old beaten up chest of drawers, a one pony sized mattress that the two colts both slept on, and a tiny fireplace barely big enough for a few lumps of coal. there was one window on the far side of the room.
That window offered one of the few pleasant features of the room. From that window, a pony could see many of the landmarks of the city: The Great Gate of Canterlot, The Grand Bazaar, even the Grand Memorial of King Solaris. However, the true gem was a spectacular view of the Royal Sisters' Palace. Often, at night when the two returned from the marketplace, Swift would head straight to bed and Flash would stay up, looking out over the city.
Today was not very different. Swift flopped onto the mattress as Flash went over to the window. The Palace was the only thing that seemed to be alive in the city this late. Lights shown brightly from every surface of the Gala and the sounds of music and merriment could be heard even halfway across the city. Even fireworks illuminated the night sky and filled the young pegasus with wonder.
"Hey, Swift. Can we go to the Gala next year?"
Swift continued staring at the ceiling, relaxing after the excitement of the day. "No, Flash. Only nobility are lucky enough to get tickets to the Gala."
Flash turned to his big brother curiously. "What's a nobility?"
Swift was in the awkward situation of being annoyed by his little brother's admittedly adorable question. "You know, nobility. Like politicians, merchants, especially knights in the Royal Guard."
Flas picked up a small piece of wood. "I'm going to become a knight then, Swift! I'll slay people, get treasure, all that stuff." He swung the stick, demonstrating his legendary ability with a sword by swatting the air before raising the plank skyward victoriously.
Swift smiled, but on the inside, he dreaded the inevitability of Flash's dreams shattering. Poor little guy. It'll break his heart when he realizes he could never become a knight with his class. Swift decided it was best to let his brother dream for now, though. "Don't forget you have to save and kiss the princess," he joked.
Flash acted like he was sick, repulsed at the thought of having to kiss a filly. "No way! Fillies are gross. Bleh." Swift chuckled at his little brother. Flash fell down on the mattress beside his brother, his head resting on Swift's shoulder. "Swift, do you think, if I do everything but the princess kissing, I can be a guard and a knight one day?" Flash asked as his eyes grew too heavy
Dammit, Flash. Why did you have to ask that? You could have asked where foals come from and that would have been less awkward for me than this, Swift lamented inwardly. "Of course," he lied.
Flash smiled before drifting off to sleep beside his brother. Swift stayed up a little longer, pondering his brother's wish. How badly he wanted to have been telling the truth- to be able to know his brother could be a knight- could not be described with words. But, alas, what someone wishes and what is real are two separate things. There is no way that Flash could ever be knighted: not with his low birth as a bastard and orphan, not with his class as a penniless urchin, and certainly not with their lives based upon petty thievery. If only Swift could get a better life for Flash...
Suddenly, something caught Swift's eye. Out the window, in the sky, something brilliantly soared through the heavens. At first Swift mistook it for a stray firework, but it didn't explode. He realized it was a genuine shooting star. In any other scenario, the old tradition of wishing on a shooting star would seem ridiculous, but the wish he would offer would be equally ludicrous.
Listen... I don't really know how this works... I've never been one for superstitions and all, but if there is a god or spirit or anything listening... please, please give my brother Flash a shot at becoming a knight. I know it's stupid, I know it's impossible, and 
I know it's the sort of thing that could only happen in a dream, but I'd give anything at all for him to be happy. Please, just hear me out this once...
The light from the heavenly body eventually faded. "Well, it was worth a shot..." Swift whispered before he closed his eyes and let his mind drift into limbo



"Twilight. It's time for you to go to bed," Princess Cadence called out as she entered Twilight's room. The foalsitter found the young purple filly at a desk reading a book. She looked back at Cadence with disappointed eyes.
"But Cadence, I was just getting to the chapter on ethereal manipulation. Please, just a few more minutes?" Though at first Cadence was perplexed at the ability the little filly had to retain knowledge, she was starting to get used to it. Sometimes she even forgot how young Twilight was, especially when she started throwing out scientific ideas on the nature of magic.
"Sorry, Twilight, but you really need to get to sleep. Your parents said they wanted you in bed by the time they got back from the Gala." Cadence trotted over to Twilight's bed and pulled the sheets back. She gently levitated Twilight into the huge mass of cushions and blankets.
"Cadence, why are colts so weird?" Cadence was tucking her in as the question caught her a bit off guard.
"Umm... What do you mean, Twilight?" Cadence asked, a bit confused.
The little filly shrugged under the covers. "Well, I mean, I was with some of the other kids in school, and the colts kept saying I was covered in cooties, but I can't find a cooty anywhere in my books. What's a cooty, Cadence?"
Cadence couldn't help but give off that smile only foalsitters can when children say something accidentally cute. "Well," she started, "Cooties are this fake thing that colts say fillies have so that they have an excuse to stay away from them."
Twilight cocked her head. "Are they contagious?"
Cadence gave a small laugh. "No, Twilight. They're perfectly harmless. In fact, eventually, when the colts grow up to be stallions and you grow up to be a mare, the cooties will be completely gone, and then they will want to be around you."
"Is that why stallions pay so much attention to you? When we walk around town, I noticed a bunch of stallions whistle at you and try to talk to you. Is that cause you don't have cooties?" Twilight asked innocently.
Cadence tried to fight the rising embarrassment, not yet ready to explain to the filly just how and why mares and stallions show such interest in each other. "Well, sort of. It's complicated, Twilight. I'll tell you when you're older." Cadence was about to leave the room, but the voice of the inquisitive unicorn beckoned her again.
"Hey Cadence, how does love work?"
Cadence didn't really have much of a response for that one. Explaining love to someone Twilight's age was pretty difficult given how complicated of a subject it is. But she's a lot smarter than her age, she thought to herself. Just tell her plainly. Cadence drew a sigh. "Well, Twilight, love is this really strange feeling whenever a mare and a stallion just kind of recognize they care about each other."
"I care about my brother. Does that count?" Twilight asked.
Cadence blushed a bit. "No, Twilight. It's a different sort of love. It's more like how your mom and dad act towards each other.You know... like a special somepony?"
"What do you mean?" Twilight responded, curious about the whole thing. She could read books years ahead of her level, but relationships were a different matter entirely, and she was barely even friends with anyone other than Cadence and her family, let alone bearing a crush for someone.
"Well... You know in the old pony tales when there would be a princess and a knight would come and save her? It's kind of like that. It's more of a romantic ideal where the damsel in distress has someone there for her... Someone with big strong hoofs to hold you... bright blue eyes... that charming smile..." Cadence said, fixated on a mental image of her and Twilight's brother, Shining Armour. It was a poorly kept secret that she and Shining had eyes for each other. Neither was free to pursue the other, though: Shining was always busy in the Guard as a new recruit and when Cadence wasn't busy foalsitting Twilight, she was learning how to act as a proper princess from Aunt Celestia. Still, she couldn't help but picture herself in his hooves, both gazing into each other's eyes, going for a kiss...
She shook herself out of her reverie when she realized she had been saying all of that out loud. She turned to leave, responding, "...but you're too young to be worrying about that. Goodnight, Twilight."
"Does that mean you and Shining are going to get married one day?"
Cadence's face turned beat red. "Goodnight, Twilight," she squeaked before exiting the bedroom and shutting the door.
Twilight sat and thought about what Cadence had said. She liked the idea of being a princess, and of having a knight to herself. She may not have completely understood love like Cadence was explaining it, but there was a certain happy feeling she got in her heart when she thought about having somepony there for her.
Something out the window caught her eye: a bright light gleaming as it swept through the starry night sky.
A shooting star.
She looked up and gazed in wonder at the beautiful heavenly object. She had read about heavenly bodies, including these incorrectly termed stars, but she never pictured they would look so radiantly stunning. As tradition would have it, Cadence had told her, you were supposed to wish something when you saw the star so that it would come to pass. She whispered, fixated on the celestial light, "I wish I could be a princess like Cadence, all pretty and kind, and have my own knight to be my special somepony." The light eventually went out of sight as Twilight just stared at the ceiling and recited the order of spells she knew, categorized by complexity, before she eventually slipped off to slumber.
> Chapter I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Twelve Years Later

The hooves of two stallions made all but silent clicking sounds against the cobblestones as they ran through the Gardens District. The Night shrouded the forms of the pegasi slightly, but half of the guards in this quarter of the city were after them. Capture would be almost inevitable. Swift turned to be sure that Flash was in tow behind him, meeting his own gray eyes with his brother's blue eyes that were desperately searching for an escape route. Dammit, Flash, he thought. Where had we gone wrong?
Of course, Swift knew where they had gone wrong. They had made one of the greatest miscalculations a thief can make. They had decided to trust someone other than themselves.



Six days prior, Swift was watching the same pair of blue eyes stroll confidently through the street. His mark was a young noble mare in the marketplace. She was staring at the jewelry at one of the vendor's stalls, completely enamored with the fine crystals. Flash was completely undetected as he flowed seamlessly through the crowd.
Ada boy, Swift cheered silently in his head. Now, make the mark before she even knows what hit her...
A few more seconds and Flash was a couple feet behind her. Carefully, he slowly outstretched his hoof, thinking of the riches this small action was about to land for him and Swift both...
"Excuse me, miss," Flash said, clearing his throat. The mare turned around, surprised. Flash gave her a friendly smile. He presented in his hoof the bracelet that he had just slipped off of her mere moments before. "I found this on the ground further down the street. Is it yours?"
Swift grinned, watching the scene unfold. The two brothers had upgraded from petty pickpocketing years ago. Their jobs had grown increasingly large and complex. They were in on everything from counterfeiting to forgery to embezzlement to grand theft. Lately they had escalated to total cat burglary.
The idea behind such a job was simple, and ironically similar to pickpocketing, only on a larger scale. You found a house, store, or other area that was filled to the brim with riches, you planned an infiltration route- like pickpocketing, usually involving a diversion- you took as many riches from the area as you could carry, and then you got the hell, out of there. It is a perfect orchestration of thieving at its best.
Swift knew without a doubt what his role was. He was a cat burglar, plain and simple. He had an almost unmatched talent for entering, pilfering, and exiting a building as unseen and unheard as a ghost. In fact, for a brief period of time in his early adulthood, Swift was convinced he would be a natural as an assassin. Only two things dissuaded him from the idea: the first was his impressionable little brother, and the second was the money. The fact was he would make a greater profit as a thief.
However, when Flash was still young, Swift had always worried where Flash would fit into the equation. There are many different kinds of thiefs. There were burglars like Swift who could move without the slightest hint of detection; there were masterminds who could figure a way out of or around almost any defense; there were even brutes who had a talent for looking intimidating and shaking down people (Although Flash saw these in particular as second rate due to the lack of subtlety). But Flash didn't show any skill towards any of them when he was younger. It was only when Flash had grown up a bit that Swift saw the obvious skill withing him.
Flash was an actor.
He was a natural born expert in deceiving people with words and playing a part. On other jobs, he had been a stoic ranger, an artsy novellist, an arena grand champion, and in one instance, even played the part of Soarin, one of the Wonderbolts themselves. He could convince anyone that he was anything, and that was the first skill that made him an invaluable partner. The second was that he could read people like a map, and knew exactly what every small cue meant. For such a talented actor, this role was a no-brainer: The Gentlecolt Casanova.
The mare took the bracelet and placed it back on her hoof. She smiled graciously at Flash. "Thank you so much, Mister..."
"Stargazer," Flash said. "My name is Stargazer, miss." He lifted her hoof and lightly kissed it. She giggled slightly.
Come on... Bite the bait a little harder, Flash thought, egging the mare on in his head.
"Well, thank you, Stargazer, but how did you know it was my bracelet? There are plenty of mares walking around in the marketplace," she inquired.
"Simple, really," Flash responded. "The inscription on the inside read 'Emerald Radiance'. When I saw your eyes, well, I thought the name fit you. They certainly are radiant, if I do say so myself." Flash grinned at her as she deeply blushed.
Bingo, he thought. Hook line and sinker.
Flash had to admit to himself; this mare was easy on the eyes. The "Emerald" part of her name was definitely, as he had guessed, in reference to her green eyes. She had a nice figure that filled out the ornate dress she was wearing. Her golden mane was intricately braided, flowing down onto her white coat. If this weren't a job, Flash might have asked this mare if she wanted to go for a drink. But his brother was very clear: this is business, not pleasure.
Why not both? Flash responded in his head.
Swift, on the other hand, watched from a vantage point if a nearby rooftop. He rolled his eyes in chagrin at Flash, hamming it up as usual. Flash was attractive- perhaps not to the point of a movie star, but he did have a magnetism to his appearance. Besides, one of the little secrets that mares try to keep hidden from stallions is that a charming scoundrel is nearly irresistible, and even in the gentlecolt garb they had acquired for this lift- as well as the admittedly flattering silver and chocolate brown they had dyed his coat and mane respectively- Flash's rugged thief personality slipped out just enough to make the mare putty in his hooves.
Emerald recovered from the initial compliment that caught her a little off guard. "Well, umm, yes. That is my name."
Unbeknownst to her, the brothers had already known that long before. She wasn't the prize here, her father was. Her father, Golden Radiance, was a wealthy banker that did business with some of the elite merchants of Canterlot. However, with wealth came greed, and with greed came paranoia.
Golden had turned his villa in the Gardens District, which held his personal vault, into a fortress. The walls were designed to be too high and smooth to climb, the waterlines were so thin and fixed with so many countermeasures even a rat could not swim through, no other buildings were close enough to leap from, and there was a twenty four/seven garrison of over a dozen private security guards patrolling the place. The only chink in the armor was his daughter, Emerald. The plan was for Flash to seduce her, gain entry into the villa by her privilege, wait until she went to sleep, sabotage the defenses for infiltration so Swift could gain entry, and once they were in, it would be a simple grab and run operation.
So far, the pieces were moving well. No major wrenches thrown into the gears yet. Emerald regained her composure with a gleaming smile. "Say, Mr. Stargazer, would you mind doing a lady as myself a great service and accompany me? I'm afraid I am lacking for companionship."
Flash- or Stragazer, as the mare knew him, replied with a gentle grin and a graceful bow. "Certainly. Such an elegant mare should not have to go about town alone," he said, escorting her. Swift still smirked from the rooftop, watching the tramp in gentlecolt's clothing enamor the mare so fully into his facade. "Well," Swift said to himself chuckling, "I suppose that's two vaults he'll be getting into."



Flash opened his eyes, looking at the sleeping mare that he had only met six days ago. He had to admit, she had been a bit more charmed by him than she originally let on. This was, after all,the second night he had been over. They had had long, "romantic" talks about everything, from his background- which of course was a fabrication that he was Manehattan money on a vacation to the capital- to her own hopes and dreams of becoming an artist.
She was a very kind mare, which made it hurt all the more to Flash that he'd be breaking her heart when she woke up in the morning. His brother, Swift, was able to be cold and unemotional about these sort of things, but Flash wasn't quite so numb. True, he hated the upper class, but she had actually shown kindness to him. Maybe she was different.
"I'm sorry, but I have to do this." he whispered to the sleeping pony. He planted a light kiss onto her forehead before starting to leave. For a lesser stallion, escaping from a sleeping lover's embrace and dismounting the bed without waking her would be difficult, but Flash remembered the tips to avoiding detection Swift had taught him. He drew a deep breath and slowly lifted himself out of her arms. He gently rolled himself until he was on the edge of his bed and put his hooves to the floor. There was no time to loose.
He crept along through the corridor and down a staircase. A guard was patrolling the foyer, but Flash waited him out. He had spent the previous night he was over trying to figure out a pattern, and while he didn't get to memorize all of the guards' schedules, he did get important fragments, like windows for the gate, the foyer, and the vault antechamber itself. He crept out of the door in the foyer to the outside gardens.
The gardens acted as a courtyard for the home building, the kitchen, the storeroom, and the servant quarters to orbit around. As such, this was one of the harder areas to sneak by. A guard patrol could come from almost any direction on it's way to another area. Flash saw a patrol of two guards chatting as they walked towards the main building, right where he was standing.
"Ponyfeathers," he cursed under his breath. He ducked behind a pillar, letting them pass.
"...Did you hear about that royal wedding that's going on not too far from now?" One of the guards said.
"Yeah," the other replied. "I heard it was between Princess Cadance and that new Captain. What was his name again?"
The other scoffed. "Shining Armor, I think. Admittedly, he seems a bit young to be heading the guard on his own, but I don't know. I guess Celestia has plans. Say wanna get a drink after this?" The two trotted away as their voices got more distant. Flash crept out from behind the pillar and silently made his way to the main gate. He whistled a couple of notes that rose in pitch. A couple of moments later, he saw Swift come up to the gates from the shadows.
"Miss me?" Swift whispered to him.
Flash smiled and lifted a lever opening the gate. Swift silently rolled through the gate as Flash pulled the wrought iron fencing up. "The vault is in that main building there in a basement. Two guards just went that way and I'm not sure where they are."
Swift smirked, patting his brother on the back. "Now now, Flash. I appreciate you doing your part, but remember. I got this." He walked by Flash, entering the house. Unsure what Swift's plan was, he walked in with his brother. When they got to the foyer, Swift stopped him. "Wait here. I'll be right back." Like that, Swift disappeared down into the basement.
As Flash waited in the foyer, the time passed like centuries, the constant threat of a guard popping up putting him on edge. He focused so hard on hearing any nearby sound that the only thing he could perceive was the hum of white noise and pounding of his heart. Trust the plan. Trust the plan. Trust the-
"Is that you Stargazer, my dear?"
Flash's heart nearly shot into the sky at the familiar voice. He turned, startled by the visage of a sleepy eyed but confused Emerald Radiance staring at him, now dressed in a nightgown.
Oh, buck me, he thought. "I was just getting up to have a midnight walk in the garden, love. Would you care to follow?" He smiled, desperately pulling all the charm he could muster. At first Emerald looked doubtful, but that gave way to a seductive smile.
"Ever the romantic, aren't you?" she said. Flash was about to take her arm when he heard a too-loud voice from the stairs.
"Hey, there was hardly a thing down there. Our tip must have been bad. Still I did get a whole-" Swift shut up as soon as he hit the top of the stairs and saw the two ponies. "-saddlebag," he finished
"What in Tartarus is going on?" Emerald asked. "Stargazer, who is this?"
Swift was hoping Flash would think of a smart course of action. He was hoping he'd at least have the good since to knock the mare out, or at least just run, but Flash was about to break Swift's cardinal rule when it came to thievery.
He was about to let emotion get involved.
Flash drew in a sigh. "Emerald, look. There's something I need to confess..."
No, Flash...
"I'm not a Manehattan aristocrat..."
Shut up, Flash...
"Truth is... well... my brother and I..."
Dammit, Flash. Do something. Run. Hide. Knock her out cold. Hell, even kill her. Just don't say-
"We're thieves."
Well, we're bucked.
"Thieves?" Emerald replied shocked. Suddenly, understanding filled her eyes. "You were really after the money... I was your way in..."
"No," Flash retorted. "That was how this started, but things are different now. You're absolutely amazing. We have had such interesting, amazing talks about everything. I know that you love the smell of honeysuckles, and how you think it's weird that green reminds you of winter, and how you one day want to design a stainglass window for the castle..."
He took her hooves in his as he kept talking, her face slowly softening from a scowl to a bemused stare. Swift would have been far less embarassed if this was part of the act, but he could tell the difference. Flash was actually speaking from his heart. Flash, you damned fool. Don't let emotion get in the way. Run. Now. While we have a head start.
"Look, I know this sounds crazy, but please, run away with me. We can have a life together- a real life without all the trickery and deceit. Please," Flash looked deep into her eyes, every part of him begging and pleading for her to say yes.
"Stargazer... I suppose I could fall in love with him: a gentlecolt with class and money. But you? Some piece of street trash? Never." Flash's heart sunk in his chest, making him feel weighed down. The glee of sharing the truth with the girl he had come to have feelings for was shattered. It was just the clothes... the suit and fancy style... that's all she fell in love with... His chest felt literally torn in two at the realization.
She screamed at the top of her lungs, knowing the guards would come running. Swift tried to drag Flash as he stood petrified. "Flash! What the Tartarus are you doing? We have to get out of here! Come on!" He finally shook Flash from his heartache long enough for the panic to hit his younger brother. They both ran from the foyer and into the dark streets.



It's all her fault. Why did you trust her, Flash? Swift thought in his head as the sounds of guards came from every direction. He desperately looked around. They were in one of the many gardens. In a lesser chase, they could have easily lost the guards in the bushes, or at least bought time with a well timed ambush, but with half the district's guards converging on them and no rooftops or alleyways to disappear to, there was no escape plan.
Well, there was one.
The thought crossed Swift's mind too fast for him to think of the consequences. Not that it would have mattered. The decision wouldn't have changed. Swift reached into the saddlebag that the wealth was in and drew ten banknotes, each worth twenty bits.
"Swift, are you nuts? We are in way too deep to buy our way out of here," Flash chided, noting their often last resort of paying the guards to look the other way for thirty seconds.
"We aren't getting out of here. You are." He handed Flash the bills.
"Wait, what?"
"Listen to me. This money should be able to keep you going long enough to lay low while this thing passes. Find somewhere safe to hunker down, avoid attention, and wait the search out."
"But why would you..." undrestanding dawned in Flash's eyes. "Oh, no, Swift. I'm not leaving you behind."
"Yes you are. You know me. Any cage they can lock me in, I can bust out of. But you? You're skills lie elsewhere. Listen, just do as I told you. I promise I'll come back and find you, but now you have to go."
Flash had tears in his eyes. He couldn't do it. He couldn't leave his only brother- the only person ever there for him- to get captured and sentenced to prison or worse, but Swift's face seemed adamant. After all, Flash's emotions had already put them in this mess in the first place. As tears streamed down his cheeks, Flash pulled his brother in for a hug. "I'm not going to forget you, Swift. I love you." Then, before he could be discovered, Flash fled over a fence and around a corner, determined his brother would find him again.
Swift, of course, knew the whole thing was a lie. The fate awaiting him was either a high security stay in the dungeon or an axe at the chopping block. Had Flash known the truth, however, he wouldn't have left, and it would be meaningless for both of them to die. He preferred the axe. Better to die on one's knees than live the same way, after all. He heard the guards before he saw them, but nevertheless, three well armored and well pissed off stallions entered through the garden gate sealing off the only exit. Swift drew a dagger and a short sword, determined to buy Flash as much time as he could to escape. After all, if he was going to die, he might as well take some of these bastards with him. He gave a delightfully defiant smirk to the sergeant.
That's it. Come on. I'm right here, motherbucker. he taunted them in his head. He raised his blades and leaped at them howling like a mad pony. He had always been willing to give anything and everything for Flash, and he was about ready to make good on that promise.



Flash did just as Swift had told him. He had spent the first two days on the run trying to fly to Cloudsdale. That alone proved to be a feat. As a city pony in a majority earth pony and unicorn city,  flight had never been a big priority for Flash. The most he ever had to fly was no more than twenty meters upward to repair a leak in the roof. Flying all the way to Cloudsdale was excruciating and easily the most demanding task he had ever accomplished. There were times his wings would simply refuse to flap out of exhaustion and he'd have to rest.
Still, after 23.4 miles, he was there. Cloudsdale was almost like a second Canterlot. It was a large city, and definitely easy to lose your identity in. For days, Flash held out, waiting for Swift to return. Days turned to weeks, and weeks eventually to months. After a couple of months had passed and mid winter changed to late spring, Flash started to worry about where Swift was.
The money had, of course, run out, and Cloudsdale was not as lined with wealth as the streets of Canterlot. Moreover, working without a partner was almost impossible. Sure, Flash could stay alive with petty pickpocketing, but it killed him to be humbled back to such a lowly trade. Even pickpocketing was almost impossible due to the ever watchful eyes of the disproportionately high number of guards. Flash would have given almost anything for a respectable amount of income.
That's when the recruiters showed up. Apparently, the guard was suffering for membership and was hoping to recruit some new members. The prospect seemed too enticing to a recently impoverished Flash. He had to look at the facts: He had no idea where his brother was, no ability for income, and no shelter or food. The situation was rather dire, and Swift had always taught Flash to think of things by advantage. After all, it's not like he couldn't pass for a guard: He was a fit stallion- perhaps not brimming with muscle, but certainly far from feeble- and Swift had said he could play any part...
Flash walked over to the stand the recruiters had set up and was greeted with a friendly all but hidden under a guard's helmet and a bulky form. "Hello there, son. Are you interested in joining the best fighting force in Equestria?"
Flash hesitated. "... What do I get for it?"
The recruiter issued booming laughter. "Other than the pride of looking damn fine in a uniform? Room and board wherever you're stationed and a stipend for when you're off duty. Why, we have guards on every assignment imaginable, from sleepy Ponyville, to bustling Manehattan, even the capital of Canterlot itself! And let's not forget the magnificent Las Pegas-"
Flash's ears perked up. "Did you say... Canterlot?" He smirked from ear to ear. If he was stationed at Canterlot, no doubt he would be able to find his brother there if anywhere, and while he was at it, he would have free food and a warm, dry bed to sleep in. This really sounded better and better.
The recruiter shared his smile. "You know, I had you pegged for a big city sort of stallion. You want to put the royal in Royal Guard, huh?"
Flash nodded. The recruiter started filling out the forms. "Ok, son. What's your name?" Flash wondered what he should go by. He couldn't use his given name, Flash Hoof. It would be child'splay to trace his name back. He started to mull it over.
Shield? No, too simple. Paladin? That doesn't sound right. Guard? Oh, come on, Flash. Now you're just not trying. Suddenly, it hit him.
"Sentry. Flash Sentry," he replied.
The recruiter scribbled in his name. When he had completely filled out the name, hometown, and physical description on the form, he checked a box that read "Diplomatic Guard Corp" and shook Flash's hoof. "Son, welcome to the guard!" he exclaimed.
Flash could not believing his luck. Things were looking up, as he would soon be able to find his brother and hide in plain sight so long as he kept the charade up.
Still, he had no clue just how much this decision would change his life.
> Chapter II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Flash strode down the corridor as the amber rays of the rising sun cascaded through the windows. He'd grown used to waking up at the crack of dawn in the last month. After all, guard duty had gone from a terrifying thought to a complacent routine
He had to admit, being in the guard was far easier than he had originally imagined. The basic training was surprisingly simple. They had essentially only spent about two weeks teaching the bare bones of guard duty. The main lessons were on proper marching rank and form, chain of command protocol, patrol patterns, and of course basic combat technique. Of course, Flash had already known most of this from his previous career; when he was still just a colt, Swift had stressed teaching him how to spot a patrol route and how to fight. After all, they were major tools of a thief.
True to his talent of acting, Flash had of course buried that past life in the last month in a new persona.Flash Hoof the thief from Canterlot was gone. Flash Sentry the guardsman from Manehattan was born. He had spent some time developing a new cover identity and sticking with it.
The first week or so was the hardest for Flash. One thing he had to get over was his obsession for taking everything that wasn't nailed down to the floor. After all, he had spent the last decade and a half scraping by with his brother, desperately clinging to the meager spoils available in the lower districts. Now here he was, in the high quarter itself, surrounded by more riches he had dreamed of ripe for the taking. It had taken him all of his willpower to break the habit and resist the urge to steal.
Another problem was that he had been burdened by extensive worry that some form of paper work would be needed during his entry to the guard. For days, he kept on edge, expecting someone to ask for proof of his identity or origin. Luckily for him, however, people weren't asking many questions right now. A threat had been made against the city of Canterlot by an unknown force, sending everyone on high alert. Guard shifts were doubled, extra occupancy had been garrisoned into the city, and a large barrier had been thrown over the entirety of Canterlot.
It so happened that this threat in particular was worth minding, given the Captain was due to have a wedding soon. Flash had still never met the mysterious Captain of the Guard, but he had heard grand stories about him. He was certainly a VIP, but his significance paled in comparison to the fact that all three princesses were conveniently in the same city at once. Add in that many of the elite of Equestria had come to see the royal wedding and the risk of a successful attack was simply to great.
There was good news and bad news about the high alert. The bad news was that Flash was exhausted from the busy schedule of patrols that had vastly increased. His hooves ached and his eyes sagged sleepily when he wasn't actively trying to keep them open. He had hardly a free hour this entire week in routine composed entirely of sleeping, eating, and marching on patrol.
The good news was that while security had been stepped up for an invasion, security had also declined in certain areas that were not as significant as the perimeter. Ironically, the dungeon was nearly deserted relative to the usual garrison stationed there. Flash finally found a window of time to get in. No one wanted to work the morning shift, so it was always the weakest. He could sneak through the dungeon unseen with ease. It was quite the risk to snoop around in the dungeon, but the payoff was worth it.
Even in his brief time as a guard, Flash had never stopped looking for Swift. It had been months since he had to leave his brother behind, and untrue to his word, Swift had not found Flash. However, Flash was more concerned by the fact that he had not seen or heard any sign of Swift in all of that time. He had simply vanished, from what the public and criminal realms knew. Flash knew it was a long shot to think Swift might be in the dungeon under an unknown alias, but he had to try. This was his dear brother.
Luckily, this arrangement had gone well so far. Everything was aligned to give Flash a quick, clean shot to get in, look for Swift, and get out. Everything was going well for once.
Then she happened.
Distracted in all of his thoughts, Flash didn't hear the sound of hooves hitting the floor rapidly. as he turned the corner, he and the mare both collided. Flash was knocked back a bit, but mostly held his footing. The mare on the other hand fell onto the stone of the corridor.
She was a unicorn with a deep lavender coat. Her mane was styled long with bangs, colored a deep purple save for one stray pink strand. Keeping with the rest of her appearance, she had large violet eyes. His eyes had even subconsciously been drawn to her admittedly shapely body. If Flash were in a better state of mind, he undoubtedly would have thought of her as an attractive mare. But as tired as he was, with a window quickly closing, he only saw another manipulative canterlot elite type.
Just like Emerald, he reminded himself. He stuck out a hoof to offer help up to the mystery mare. "Can I help you, miss?" he said, in a formal, business like tone.
The unicorn seemed both frantic and frustrated, as she got back to her hooves."You can start by looking where you're going," she said, her sardonic attitude evident.
Flash rolled his eyes, now equally frustrated. What'd I tell you, Flash. Typical Canterlot prima donna. He turned to continue his walk to the dungeon. "Of course, miss. By all means, do call if you need anything else," Flash said as the sarcasm was thick with every word.
The mare huffed in surprise. "How rude! I have half a mind to complain to the Captain of the Guard about your manners," She said indignantly.
Flash was taken aback for a moment by that. She knew the Captain of the Guard? How could he have been so foolish! He couldn't afford to mouth off to people who were this high on the social ladder, especially after he had worked so hard to bury his true identity. In all honesty, his outburst had been very out of his character, even when acting as himself rather than his guardsman persona. However, lack of sleep and stress had made him edgy, and in his defense, she had started all of this.
"I don't have time for this," Flash said, hoping to call the mare's bluff. He turned and trotted away with in he opposite direction from her as he faintly heard her grumbling under her breath. Flash continued on his way until he realized where the mare was going. The door she was cantering towards so happened to be where the captain and Princess Cadence's wedding rehearsal was going on. She seriously was going to complain to the captain.
Oh, damn. She wasn't kidding. "Miss!" Flash called after her. "You can't go in there. The wedding rehearsal is going on! Miss!"
It was to no avail, as the mare showed no signs of stopping. She kept her brisk stride, focused on the door. Thoroughly frightened for his cover being blown, Flash tried to catch up to her. If he was lucky, maybe he could beg her forgiveness and appease the mare enough to leave her complaint alone.
This was a fruitless pursuit, however. Just as he caught up to her enough to be in grovelling range, she Flung the large doors open. Flash's heart leapt into his throat as he saw the scene before him. If he thought he was in it deep before, any hope of getting out of this well was gone. The room was not only occupied by a white, oddly familiar looking stallion with electric blue hair that likely was the captain, but both Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence were also standing there. There were also five ordinary mares, but they didn't seem too important relatively. After all, what would they matter when he was about to get embarassed in front of his highest commanding officer, but also two of the most powerful people in all of Equestria.
His mind started to think about what Swift would have done in this situation, but it was a short thought. The truth is, Swift would have never gotten himself into this. When that failed, he tried thinking about what Swift would have said in the situation. The likely answer was something along the lines of, "Dammit, Flash! Why didn't you run when you had the chance? Surely it would have been a safer option than this." That didn't help him much either. He readied himself for a desperate getaway in the imminent occurence of the unicorn blowing his cover.
"I'm not going to stand next to her!" the mare shouted indignantly "And neither should you!"
The air was sucked completely out of the room. Everyone in the ceremony stood for a moment, shocked by the sudden outburst. Even Flash's jaw hang loose for a second before he breathed an inaudible sigh of relief.
The bride looked at her fiance for an explanation. Caught between a rock and a hard place, he made an embarassed smile. "I'm sorry... I don't know why she's acting like this..." he said apologetically.
Princess Cadence seemed annoyed as she scowled at the unicorn. "Maybe we should just ignore her."
"You have to listen to me!" The unicorn said, stamping her hoof indignantly.
One of the five ordinary mares- a yellow pegasus- meekly asked, "Oh goodness! Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," the pestered purple mare stated contrary to her tone.
"Are you sure about that?" an earth pony wearing a large cowpony hat asked in a deadpan voice. The unicorn, showing the same manners as she had with Flash, used a telekinesis field to pull her hat down over the other mare's face.
"I've got something to say!" she shouted. She raised her hoof and pointed directly at the bride-to-be. "She's evil!"
The whole room was filled with shocked whispers and surprised murmurs as Princess Cadence seemed grievously wounded by the comment. The purple unicorn seemed like she was just getting warmed up as she began to advance closer to the bride, forcing her to back away. "She's been horrible to my friends, she'd obviously done something to her bridesmaids, and if that wasn't enough, I saw her put a spell on my brother that made her eyes go all-" she said, motioning to her eyes rolling uncontrollably. The room was dead silent for a few tense seconds before Princess Cadence burst into tears.
"Why are you doing this to me?" she sobbed before running for the door.
"Cause you're evil!" The mare called out triumphantly. "And if I don't stop you you're going to ruin my brother's life!" The mare did an about face before running into the captain himself, looking down with a frustrated scowl.
"Do you want to know why my eyes went all-" he asked, imitating the motion the mare had done with her eyeballs. "Because ever since I started having to preform my protection spell, I've been getting terrible migraines. Cadence hasn't been casting spells on me. She's been using her magic to heal me. And she decided to replace her bridesmaids because she found out the only reason they wanted to be in the wedding was so they could meet Canterlot royalty. And if she hasn't been on her best behavior with your friends, it's because with me being so busy, she's had to make all the decisions about the wedding."
"I was just trying to-" the unicorn started to rebut until the captain cut her off.
"She's completely stressed out because it is really important to her that our big day be perfect! Something that obviously wasn't important to you!" The captain trotted past the mare, walking forward to the exit. Flash had already moved away from the doorway as soon as the focus was shifted away from him, sticking close to a corner to avoid attention. "Now if you'll excuse me," the captain continued, "I have to go comfort my bride. And you can forget about being my best mare. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't bother showing up to the wedding at all." The captain exited the chamber, trotting away down the hall.
The other five mares' reactions ranged from awkwardly slinking away to angrily looking at the mare. "Come on ya'll," the mare with the hat from earlier said. "Let's go check on the princess." The five exited simultaneously, avoiding eye contact with the unicorn.
As Princess Celestia walked past her, the purple mare tried to explain herself. "I... I just-"
"You have a lot to think about," the monarch said coldly. The mare's expression looked as though she had just been stabbed through her heart, her mouth open in silent shock as the princess exited, shutting the double doors behind her. The only two left in the room were the mare and Flash, who had seemingly remained undetected by the unicorn in his hiding spot in the corner.
"Maybe I was being overprotective," she said to herself. "I could have gained a sister, but instead I've lost a brother." She laid down on the stairs leading up to the wedding alter. As Flash saw small tears spring to her eyes, he heard her start to sing somberly to herself.
"He was my big brother best friend forever. And now we'll never do anything together."
Wow. That is rough. I mean, she started it, but still. Flash felt a strange sense of compassion in the pit of his stomach for this mare. Maybe it was simple pity from seeing someone lay their emotions out in front of him, but the sensation still remained. He internally debated revealing his hiding spot and walking over to comfort her against his better judgement, but before he could get the chance, he saw Princess Cadence walk up to her and gently, forgivingly smile at the crying unicorn.
Flash was almost touched for a moment, thinking maybe this was his cue to exit, but as he reached for the door, he realized something. The double door's were the room's only entrance. How had Cadence gotten in without him noticing? Something wasn't adding up.
"I'm sorry," the purple unicorn said. Suddenly Cadence's calm, forgiving demeanor twisted into a scornful glare.
"You will be."
Suddenly, Flash saw Cadence cast a ring of green fire around the unwitting mare. He watched in stunned horror as the ring sank the pony into the floor until she disappeared. For a moment he didn't believe his eyes, trying desperately to rationalize what he had just seen. However, his thoughts soon turned to panic as an identical ring suddenly formed around him.
"What's this?" the princess said in an amused tone. "An interloper who saw too much for his own good? I'll have to fix that."
The floor began to absorb Flash also, his hooves vanishing into the stone. He tried to scream, but his voice was muted completely as he felt himself getting lower and lower. He caught one last glimpse of Cadence looking directly at him with a twisted smile before darkness encapsulated him.
The next thing he saw was the faint glow of crystals surrounding him. He looked around, desperate to get his bearings as his eyes adjusted. It took him a moment to realize where he was.
He was trapped in one of the caves under Canterlot Castle.
Panic gripped Flash as he started to lose control. Ok, Ok. Just calm down. There's gotta be a way out of here. I just have to think this through. After all, it can't get any worse, right?
That's when he suddenly heard hoovesteps behind him. As he turned around, he first saw the dim shimmer of a purple light, accompanied by the buzzing sound produced by a horn casting magic. After a second, he started to make out the face of another pony. She was the exact same mare he had run into in the hall. The same unicorn he had seen sink into the floor of the castle.
"You!" she shouted, frustrated to once again see this stallion. Flash sighed.
I stand corrected. It just got worse.