> The Wall Between Us
>  by Godslittleprincess
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1:  Chemistry
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flash Sentry exhaled slowly as he vigorously stirred 10 mL of dish detergent into a solution of potassium iodide, forcing himself to remain focused on his current task.  He had once again found his mind wandering towards the pretty, bespectacled girl over on the next lab table.  Flash had found himself growing more and more attracted to Twilight Sparkle the more he got to know her, and no matter what he tried, those feelings just won’t go away.

The first idea that Flash had tried was rekindling his feelings for his ex, Sunset Shimmer.  Flash had offered to start over with her as a friend and hoped that eventually, it would grow into something more, not that he had extended his friendship to Sunset just to run from his feelings.  He truly did want to have Sunset as a friend.  However, if Flash was being completely honest with himself, his reasons for reaching out to Sunset weren’t as altruistic as he’d like to believe. Besides, not only were his old feelings not coming back, but Sunset also seemed completely disinterested in being in a relationship right now.

His latest attempt to snuff out the growing flame in his heart involved mentally listing all of Twilight’s less attractive characteristics.  To give him some credit, it worked for a while, but then, his stupid heart had to remind him (and continue reminding him) that love didn’t work that way.  Why?! He wasn’t even sure if what he felt toward Twilight was even real love.

“One,” Flash thought to himself, still stirring the mixture, “she turned into a power mad monster that nearly destroyed everything and everyone I care about. Two, she already has a boyfriend. Three, she’s a bossy, uptight control freak.  Four—”

“Don’t you think you’re being completely unfair to Twilight,” his heart interrupted, causing his hand to grip tighter around the glass stirring rod.  “You don’t do that with anyone else you love, not your mom, not your brother, not your friends.  Besides, everyone who loves you also has reasons not to, but they do anyway.”

“Four,” Flash pushed his heart into the back of his mind and forced himself to continue his list, his inner turmoil tightening his grip on the stirring rod, “she hates being wrong about things and getting her to admit that she’s wrong about something might as well be like pulling teeth.  Five, there are other girls in the school who are objectively prettier than she is.”

“So what?!” his heart cried out.  “You care about her anyway, don’t you?  And the sooner that you admit that the less painful this is going to be.”

“Ow!” Flash cried as the stirring rod shattered in his hand and pierced the skin of his palm.  He pulled his hand away from his work and quickly stuck it under a running faucet, sending blood and glass fragments down the drain.

“You okay?” his lab partner Derpy Muffins asked, her good eye looking at him in concern while her lazy eye kept facing the other way.  The other people in the lab, Twilight and her partner Rarity, also turned towards him, equally concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Flash replied.  “It’s not deep.”

“Maybe you should go to the nurse’s office just to make sure,” Twilight suggested.

“I’ll go with him,” Derpy volunteered.


 
“So,” Derpy began as she and Flash walked towards the nurse’s office.  “Your feelings for Twilight tormenting you again?”

“Shut up,” Flash muttered.

“Come on, Flash,” Derpy insisted.  “You know you can talk about this with me.  Besides, it’s not like pretending your feelings aren’t there is going to make them go away.”

Flash sighed, facepalming himself with his uninjured hand.

“Ugh,” he groaned.  “Why won’t my feelings for her just die?  I’ve been trying to kill them ever since she started going out with Timber Spruce, but I think they’re actually getting stronger.”

“Why can’t you just accept that you have them and try to live with them?” Derpy asked.

“Because they’ve gotten so strong that I actually want to tell her about them, and if I do, our friendship will get weird and possibly end, and I like having her as a friend.”

“We had mutual crushes on each other during middle school, and we’re still friends.”

“That was because we both decided that the idea of being in a serious relationship with each other felt too weird and that we were okay with being just friends. Twilight might not feel the same way.”

“Well, you’re not going to find out for sure unless you take that chance,” Derpy pointed out.  “Sure, you might end up getting hurt, but it can’t be more painful that what you’re doing to yourself right now.”

Flash growled under his breath.

“Let’s just get my hand fixed so that we can finish the experiment.  I’ll deal with this some other time,” Flash retorted.


 
Flash returned to the chemistry lab with a bandage wrapped around his hand and Derpy following him.  The first thing that he noticed was that his and Derpy’s station was completely free of broken glass even though neither of them had bothered to clean up before leaving for the nurse’s office.  The second thing that he noticed was that someone had finished mixing the soap and potassium iodide solution that he had been working on earlier.

“Hey,” Flash called to Twilight and Rarity, “did one of you girls clean up our station for us?”

“Why, yes,” Rarity replied.  “Twilight thought it wouldn’t be right to have you handle broken glass with an injured hand and cleared your station for you dears.  She also noticed that you had gotten some glass into your solution and remixed it for you, so that you wouldn’t have to start the whole thing over. Isn’t that thoughtful of her?”

“It was nothing.  I was just trying to be helpful,” Twilight added with a sheepish smile.

“Well, thanks anyway,” Flash said to her with a warm smile.  “Derpy and I really appreciate it.”

“Y-your welcome,” Twilight stammered, turning away from him as her face reddened.
> Chapter 2:  Something Missing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“‘Sup? ;-),” Twilight read Timber Spruce’s latest text to her.

“Not much,” Twilight texted back.  “Got up, went to school, and stayed for chemistry club.  Although, someone in chemistry club did hurt his hand today.”

“Yikes.  What were you guys working with?  HF? X-D”

Twilight rolled her eyes as she texted back.  “No,” she added a side-eye emoji to her reply, “He cut his hand on broken glass.”

“Come on, Twi.  I was just kidding.  Anyway, are you ready for our ‘hangout’ tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Hopefully, this time, my plans go off without a hitch.”

“Oh, come on.  The last time we went to the planetarium wasn’t that bad.  I mean, sure, nothing went the way you wanted it to, but I still got to spend the night with you, so I’d call it a success in my book.”

“Yeah, I guess.  I’ve got to get up for school tomorrow, so I’ll have to text you later.  See you tomorrow night.”

“C ya.”

Twilight sighed as she read her and Timber’s texts one more time before setting her phone on her nightstand.  Then, she pulled her bedcovers up to her chin as she lay her head on her pillows.  The last thing she did before attempting to go to sleep was take off her glasses and place them next to her phone.

Twilight shut her eyes and waited for sleep to overtake her.  A minute later, she opened them again, turned on her right side, and shut her eyes.  Another minute passed before she repeated the cycle, this time, turning on her left side. After maybe the fourth or fifth cycle of tossing and turning, she groaned in frustration, rousing her dog Spike from his puppy bed.

The purple puppy hopped onto his owner’s bed and asked, “What’s wrong, Twilight?”

“It’s my hangout with Timber tomorrow,” Twilight confessed.  “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Twi, I’m sure it won’t turn out like the last time, and even if it does, it’s not like the world is going to end.”

“That’s not what I’m worrying about, Spike,” Twilight clarified.  “I don’t know why, but I’m not looking forward to spending time with Timber as much as I used to.”  She sighed.  “And I don’t know why.”

“Maybe you just don’t like him that way anymore,” Spike suggested.  “I mean, it happens.”

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut as she rubbed her temples with her fingertips.

“But,” she questioned, “why would I not like him that way anymore?  We still like a lot of the same things, and he’s still as well-learned, charming, confident, funny, and cute as the day I met him.  By all accounts, I should still be liking him.”

“Uh, Twilight,” Spike replied, hesitantly.  “I’m not an expert on human relationships, but I don’t think that’s how they work.”

“Besides,” Twilight continued, largely ignoring what Spike had just told her, “I HAVE to keep liking Timber that way.  If I stop liking Timber that way, then I’ll have to break up with him, and if he still likes me that way when I break up with him, he’s going to get his heart broken, and I don’t want to be a heartbreaker.”

“Um, haven’t you heard of letting people down gently?” Spike raised one of his eyebrows.

“Maybe I just have to keep on spending time with him.  The more time I spend with him, the more likely I’ll start liking him again, right?”


 
The next night, Twilight and Timber’s “hangout” went off without a hitch.  The two of them were able to do every single little activity Twilight had planned for them to do.  They didn’t get lost looking for exhibits.  None of the shows had gotten cancelled.  The sky was perfectly cloudless, giving Twilight and Timber a spectacularly clear view of the constellations, all of which they both named correctly. Even the hot cocoa that the two of them were currently sipping was the perfect temperature, neither too hot nor too cold.  She should be absolutely ecstatic with how impossibly perfect this hangout was turning out.

So, why wasn’t she?
> Chapter 3:  Words of Wisdom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was Saturday afternoon, and Flash was spending it at the gym with his younger brother First Base and his aunt Flare Burst.  All three of them were in the middle of one of the redhaired woman’s favorite activities, kickboxing.

Flare let out a series of aggressive-sounding grunts as she relentlessly attacked one of the gym’s heavy bags.  A few years of civilian life clearly did little to blunt her Army strong edge.  Meanwhile, Flash and Base were paired up with Flash in the mitts and Base in the boxing gloves.  Flash was supposed to hold up the mitts for Base to practice his punches on, key word “supposed to.”

“Bro, if you’re not going to pay attention, the next punch I throw is going to land on your face,” First Base exclaimed, seeing Flash drop the mitts for maybe the third or fourth time.

“Oh, sorry, Little Bro,” Flash replied, picking the mitts back up again. “I’ve just got something on my mind that I’m having a hard time making go away.”

“Hey, why don’t you tell us about it?” Flare interrupted, taking a break from assaulting the heavy bag.  “If you have a problem, talking could help you figure out how to fix it.  Even if it doesn’t, getting your feelings off your chest might help you feel better.”

Flash frowned in concern as he looked from his aunt to his brother.

“I don’t know,” he hesitantly uttered, “I’m not sure either of you will be able to help with what’s bothering me.”

“Oh, come on, Big Bro,” Base scoffed, “It’s not like your problem involves a girl.”

First Base laughed before seeing the uncomfortable face that his brother was making.

“Oh my gosh!  Your problem involves a girl!” Base shouted in horror.  Flash quickly shushed him when the other gym patrons started giving them weird looks.

Meanwhile, Aunt Flare took her cell phone out of her gym bag and quickly made a call.

“Hey, Mom,” Flare greeted the person at the other end of the phone.  “Your oldest grandson needs a little help with girl trouble.  I’d do it myself, but I figured he could use someone with experience.”  She silently nodded a few times.  “Great.  I’m putting him on right now.”

Flash gave his aunt a disbelieving scowl as he took the phone from her.

“Hey, Grandma,” he greeted as he moved to somewhere more secluded.


 
Meanwhile, in a different part of town, Twilight and Principal (formerly Dean) Cadance were in Cadance’s loft.  With the two of them no longer having a student-teacher relationship and with Cadance and Twilight’s older brother Shining Armor dating again, the two of them were doing something that they hadn’t done in years, hanging out together as friends and potential sisters.

Their chosen activity for the afternoon was marathoning the old Dolly B. movies that Twilight loved to watch as a kid.  They had already finished watching the first three movies and were working on the fourth, Dolly B. as the Princess and the Pauper. Twilight and Cadance had just gotten to the part where pauper Dolly falls in love with the king.

“Once a lass met a lad/You're a gentle one said she,” sang pauper Dolly from the TV. “In my heart I'd be glad/If you loved me for me/You say your love is true/And I hope that it will be”

“I'd be sure, if I knew/That you loved me for me,” the king sang back.

As Dolly and the king continued to sing, Twilight sighed, her mind going back to her last “hangout” with Timber.  She wasn’t a child anymore.  She was practically a grown woman, and she knew better than to expect a fairytale romance out of a relationship.  At the same time, she had at least expected relationships to be beautiful and satisfying, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, dating Timber didn’t feel like either of those adjectives.

Cadance must have noticed how Twilight was feeling because as soon as the song ended, she paused the movie.

“Twilight, is everything okay?” Cadance turned to Twilight and asked.

“Yeah, sure.  Everything’s fine.  Why wouldn’t it be?” Twilight half-lied.

Cadance raised her eyebrow.  “Oh, really? If everything is fine, then why was the last song suddenly making you feel sad?”

Twilight groaned, putting her hands on her face.

“Okay, fine.  There’s this one thing, but you can’t tell my family about it, especially not my brother,” Twilight conceded as she turned towards Cadance.  “I,” she hesitated then continued, “Ihaveaboyfriend.”

“Hold on.  What? I didn’t quite catch that,” said Cadance.

“I haveaboyfriend,” Twilight repeated herself, just barely slower.

“Okay, I still can’t quite understand what you just said, but it sounds like you’re telling me that you have a boyfriend.”

Twilight gave an embarrassed squeak, once again hiding her face behind her hands.

“Oh my gosh!  You have a secret boyfriend!” Cadance cried out.

“Don’t you dare tell!” Twilight screamed back.

“Okay, okay, I won’t,” Cadance reassured her before continuing, “So, what about having a boyfriend is making you sad?”


 
Meanwhile, with Flash…

“Hey, hun,” Flash’s grandmother Birdie affectionately greeted from the other side of the phone.  “Your aunt tells me that you’re having girl trouble.  What’s the problem?”

“Well, there’s this girl in school that I really, really like,” Flash admitted, “but she’s with someone else.”

“Let me guess.  You want to tell her how you feel, but you’re worried that if you do, you’d ruin her relationship with this other guy and your friendship with her.  Am I right or am I right?”


 
Back with Twilight…

“I, I don’t know,” Twilight cried, once again covering her face with her hands. “Logically, everything should be fine, but something just feels wrong.”

“Wrong how?  ‘I think he’s cheating on me’ wrong or ‘I’m not attracted to him anymore’ wrong?” Cadance asked.

Twilight sighed dejectedly.

“The second one,” she muttered miserably.


 
“How-how did you know?” Flash sputtered in shock.

“Because I’m your grandmother, that’s why,” Grandma Birdie declared emphatically. “Now, about this girl, what is she like?”

“Well,” Flash began.  “She smart, like crazy smart, like Iron Man without the ego smart.”

“Alright.  Go on,” Grandma prompted

“She always has a plan ready for just about any situation, and when she runs into a problem, she gets to work figuring out the best way solve it and usually does.  Granted, she tends to be stubborn and high-strung because of it, but that doesn’t really bother me.”

“Okay, hun, now tell me what she’s like around other people, friends, acquaintances, authority figures, and whatnot.  How does she treat them?”

“Well, she’s pretty, what’s the word, intro-introverted, I think.  She’s a little out of her element when she’s in a crowd, and she’s just barely learning how to make friends,” Flash replied, “but she’s willing to go out of her way to help people and show them that she cares about them.  In a nutshell, she has a good heart inside of her; you just have to dig a little to see it.”

“Hmm, she sounds,” Grandma paused, processing everything Flash just told her, “pleasant.  I can see why you wouldn’t want to lose her as a friend.”


 
“Let me guess.  Since you don’t feel attracted to him anymore, you want to break off the relationship.  Am I right?” Cadance asked.

“Yes,” Twilight reluctantly admitted.

“So, why don’t you?”

“What? But,” Twilight sputtered in confusion, “I thought couples are supposed to work out problems and make sure the relationship makes it for the long haul.”

“Yes, they are IF THEY’RE MARRIED,” Cadance emphasized.  “Married people make promises to each other that they have a responsibility to keep, one of which is making it for the long haul.  Couples who are just dating make no such promises. The only responsibilities that dating couples have to each other are to get to know each other, treat each other with kindness and respect, and to see if the relationship has long haul potential, and it sounds to me like you don’t think your current relationship has long haul potential.”

“But-but I want it to have long haul potential,” Twilight tried not to whine. “Besides, just because I’m not attracted to Timber anymore doesn’t mean that he isn’t still attracted to me.  If I break up with him, he’ll be hurt.”

“Yeah, yeah, he probably will,” Cadance admitted, “but let’s flip the situation.  If you were the one still attracted to Timber and he’s the one who stopped being attracted to you, would you want him to force himself to stay with you even if he doesn’t want to?”

Twilight paused for a few seconds to think.

“Well, no,” she finally replied, “it wouldn’t be fair to either of us. Besides, I wouldn’t want to be with someone who only sees me as an obligation.  Okay, I think I see your point.  So, how exactly do I break up with a guy while inflicting as little pain as possible?”


 
“Hun, I’m not going to lie to you,” Grandma Birdie continued.  “If you tell this girl how you feel, you risk getting rejected.”

“I know,” Flash replied.

“How does that make you feel?”

Flash shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.  He took a deep breath in and sighed, allowing the tension inside of him to release.

“She’s rejected me before,” Flash admitted.  “Well, not officially, but it still hurt.”  Flash took another deep breath and clenched his fist.  “But you know what?  I can take it if she rejects me.  She’s not obligated to want me just because I want her, and even if she rejects me, I’ll still keep treating her like a friend, pain or no pain.”

“Well, if that’s how you really feel about the situation, I don’t see why you shouldn’t tell her how you feel.”

“Uh, Grandma, aren’t you forgetting the whole ‘she already has a boyfriend’ problem?”

“Flash, if she’s happy and content with her current boyfriend, knowing that you like her won’t change how she feels about him, and she’ll reject you without a second thought.  If she and her boyfriend are having problems, well, let’s cross that bridge if we ever get to it.”


 
“Okay,” Cadance instructed.  “First things first, NEVER break up through text.  Breakups should always, if possible, be done face to face.  If face to face isn’t possible, phone or video chat breakups are the next best thing.”

“Alright, so,” Twilight hesitantly spoke, “do I just set up a meeting with him and tell him how I feel?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it,” Cadance agreed.  “Oh, by the way, if he ever bought or gifted you any jewelry while you guys were dating, he’s probably going to want it back.”

“Well, definitely no problems on that end.”

“Alright then,” Cadance praised.  “Is there anything else you want to talk about before I start the movie back up?”

“Yeah, just one thing,” Twilight tilted her head and eyed Cadance suspiciously. “Why did you and my brother break up after high school?”


 
“Hey, Grandma, last thing,” said Flash.  “What if I tell her how I feel, and she decides that she doesn’t want me as a friend either because it’s too weird for her to have guy friends who are attracted to her?”

“Then, you keep treating her like a friend anyway but give her space,” Grandma Birdie advised.  “If she doesn’t see that you’re someone worth having as a friend, then it’s no skin off your teeth.”

Flash frowned at the last statement but nodded anyway.

“Thanks, Grandma.  This really helped.”

“Any time, hun.  I’ll see you all when you get home.”

“Bye.” With that, Flash and his grandmother hung up, and Flash returned to where his aunt and his brother were still practicing.  Aunt Flare was holding the larger pads up, helping First Base work on his kicks.

“Come on, kid!  I know you can do better than that!  Give me your best shot!” Aunt Flare yelled in encouragement.

Flash smiled as Base struck the pads with a loud and satisfying THWACK!


 
“Oh, that,” Cadance grimaced.  “The short story is that your brother and I just needed some time apart.  The long story is that the two of us made the mistake of dating as if we were already married.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Twilight asked, confusion scribbled on her face.

“That’s what Shining Armor and I thought too, but yes, it turns out that dating as if you’re already married is a terrible thing,” Cadance answered.  “We wanted so badly for us to be each other’s happily ever afters that we were unknowingly pressuring ourselves and each other to fit into what we believed was the ideal relationship, and when reality didn’t line up with expectations, we would get frustrated with ourselves and each other.  After we had some time apart, we realized that the relationship fell apart because we weren’t giving ourselves and each other room to be human and make mistakes.”

Cadance paused, looked intently at Twilight, and continued, “Twilight, every knight in shining armor is going to come with dents and scratches, and if you’re completely honest with yourself, you have a number of them too.  Part of being in a relationship is accepting those dents and scratches in another person, and him doing the same for you.”

Twilight pressed her lips into a line as she allowed Cadance’s words to sink in. She wasn’t sure what she had expected Cadance to tell her, but she for sure hadn’t been expecting that.  She wouldn’t call Timber a knight in shining armor per se, but she was aware that he had dents and scratches.  She just chose to pretend they weren’t there while she tried her darnedest to make sure he never saw hers.  Could it be that all along, she had been making the same mistakes with Timber that Cadance and her brother had made with each other?

Twilight pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind as she sat back on the sofa and let Cadance hit the play button on the remote.
> Chapter 4:  Being Prepared
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Monday morning, Flash sat on the bleachers by the soccer field with his best friend Micro Chips, writing something in a notebook.  Flash stopped writing and growled under his breath as he savagely tore out the page he was working on and crumpled it in his hands.

“Dude, that’s the fifth time you’ve done that,” Micro scolded.  “How hard can it possibly be to tell a girl how you feel about her?”

Flash turned to him and shoved the pen and notebook into Micro Chips’s hands.

“If you think it’s so easy, why don’t you write down what I should say?” he snapped.

“Hey, hey, calm down,” Micro replied.  “I just think that you’re making this harder than it needs to be. Why don’t you just tell Twilight whatever you told your grandmother?”

“Uh, because she’s not my grandmother,” Flash incredulously stated the obvious.

“By the way, what DID you tell your grandmother?”

Flash paused, trying to find the best way to summarize his conversation with Grandma Birdie.

“The gist of it, I told her that I had developed feelings for Twilight, that Twilight is an amazing person with a good heart, and that I’d still want to be Twilight’s friend even if she rejects me,” Flash replied.

“And you can’t tell Twilight those same things why?” Micro pointed out.

“Well, it’s not that I can’t tell her that.  It’s more like I’m worried that I’ll get nervous and tell her the wrong thing.”

Micro sighed and rolled his eyes before quickly scribbling down a few phrases on Flash’s notebook.

“Here,” he said, passing the notebook back to Flash.  “I put down a few general bullet points that your love confession needs to cover.  You can use them to keep track of what you need to say.”

Flash quickly looked over Micro Chips’s list and nodded appreciatively.

“Well, I guess this could work,” Flash conceded, “but maybe I should practice a few times before I actually confess.”

“Whatever floats your boat.”


 
That same day during lunch, Twilight Sparkle sat at one of the cafeteria tables with her six closest friends, the Rainbooms.  They were made up of her best friend Sunset Shimmer, the bold and loyal athlete Rainbow Dash, the down-to-earth and honest farmgirl Applejack, the elegant and generous designer Rarity, timid yet kind Fluttershy, and wild and funny Pinkie Pie.  They were the first friends that she ever made, and she couldn’t be more grateful for them, especially now that she was about to tell them that her first serious relationship was about to end.

“Um, girls,” Twilight spoke up.  All six of her friends turned to look at her.  “There’s something that I have to tell you, but you can’t tell anyone else. Can I trust you to do that?”

“Darling,” Rarity replied, “of course, you can trust us.  We’re your friends, aren’t we?”

“Heh, you’re one to talk, Rarity,” Applejack pointed out.  “Aren’t you the biggest gossip out of all of us?”

That last sentence got a laugh out of Sunset and Rainbow Dash.  Rarity crossed her arms with a scowl and gave AJ an indignant humph.

“Even so, I can be trusted with my friends’ confidence, Applejack!” Rarity snapped outrageously.

“Guys, guys, why don’t we just let Twilight tell us what she wants to tell us?” Sunset intervened before turning to her best friend.  “Okay, Twilight, what’s up?”

Twilight took a deep breath and then exhaled.  She looked each one of her friends in the eye and said, “I’m going to break up with Timber Spruce.”

“WHA—?!” Pinkie Pie nearly screamed before Rainbow Dash pounced on her and clamped her hand over Pinkie’s mouth.

“Oh, dear,” uttered Fluttershy.  “Did something go wrong?”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” Twilight clarified.  “It’s just that…,” she trailed off.  “I don’t know.  I’ve just been getting less and less attracted to him as the relationship went on even though as far as I can tell, nothing has changed.  I just can’t help but feel as if maybe Timber isn’t the guy for me.  You understand what I’m saying?”

“You know what?” Sunset answered.  “I think I do.  It’s the reason why I don’t want to get back together with Flash despite a certain someone pressuring me to, repeatedly.”

Sunset turned and gave Rarity a stink eye visible from the other side of the cafeteria.

“What?” Rarity cried defensively.  “Flash Sentry has the heart of a prince.  Any girl in the school would be lucky to have him.  I’d go for him myself, but he is far too straightforward for my taste in men. Besides, considering how much you’ve grown as a person since the two of you broke up, why not give your relationship another try?”

“Because I just don’t want him, Rarity,” Sunset flatly and firmly stated. “I agree that the girl who ends up arm in arm with Flash Sentry will be extremely lucky, but I have no desire to be that girl.”

With that, Rarity crossed her arms and pouted.

“Look, are you guys okay with me breaking up with Timber or not?” Twilight redirected the conversation back to its original topic.

“Sugarcube, if you don’t think Timber is the guy for you, it’s okay for you to get out of it,” said Applejack.  “Just be honest with yourself and with him, and the whole thing will turn out fine.”

“For once, Applejack and I agree on something,” Rarity added.

“Oh, just be careful to let him down gently,” Fluttershy interjected.  “If you’re too harsh with him, you could break his heart so bad that he might never love again.”

“Fluttershy, I think you need to lay off the GoldStamp movies,” Rainbow Dash scoffed before turning back to Twilight.  “But yeah, Twi, I don’t see any reason why you need to force yourself to stay with Timber.”

“Ooh, maybe you can soften the blow by giving him a cake, which I can totally help you with,” Pinkie offered.

“Whoa!” Twilight exclaimed.  “I don’t think I’m going to need a cake, Pinkie.  Your support is already more than enough.  Now, I just have to tell Timber to meet up with me.”

“Wait, you’re actually going to break up with him to his face?” Dash asked, frowning in confusion.  “Can’t you just shoot him a text and ghost him?  That way, the whole thing will be over and done with quick and easy.”

Rarity gasped dramatically.  “Rainbow Dash!  Breaking up through text message is the worst, most insensitive way to possibly break up with someone.  A proper breakup requires a genuine, heartfelt, impassioned speech about how the fire of your love has gone cold and that alas, the two of you must regretfully part.”

“Word of advice, Twi,” Applejack whispered to Twilight, “don’t go to either of them for love advice.”


 
After finishing their food, the Rainbooms decided to use the rest of their lunch period for band practice and made their way to the music room. However, just as they were about to walk in through the double doors, they heard voices coming from the other side.

Rainbow Dash put a finger up to her lips, signaling the rest of the girls to be quiet, while she pushed the door open a crack.  Inside, were Flash, Micro, and Derpy.

“That last one sounded great, Flash,” said Micro.  “I think you’re ready.”

“Thanks, man,” Flash replied, “but I’m still pretty nervous.  Maybe I should go over it one more time.  By the way, should my confession come with a gift or something?”

“A gift?”

“You know, like a stuffed animal or flowers or a piece of jewelry.”

“How sure are you that she’s going to accept your feelings?” Derpy asked.

Flash rubbed the back of his neck nervously.  “Well, considering that she’s already with someone else and that she seems happy with him,” he sighed, “that outcome seems unlikely.”

“Then, you’re probably better off not giving her a gift.  If she accepts it, she’s going to feel pressured into accepting your feelings.”

“Besides,” Micro Chips added with a scoff, “this isn’t a movie, dude.  Let’s just go over what you want to say one more time and then head out.”

“Okay then,” Flash agreed.

With that, Flash turned to Derpy as she held a picture of Twilight Sparkle in front of her face.  The Rainbooms were still by the door, watching and listening.  Rarity was the first to figure out what exactly was going on and clamped her hands over her mouth, resisting the urge to gasp dramatically.

Flash took a breath, looked at the picture, and said, “Hey, Twilight.  Uh, I have something to tell you, and the truth is that I really, really like you.”

The jaws of all the Rainbooms simultaneously dropped at Flash’s last sentence, but they continued to listen in.

“I think that you are an amazing and all-around wonderful person.  You’re smart, responsible, helpful, and a great friend.  I know that you’re already with someone else, and I’m probably nothing compared to him, but I just really needed to let you know how I feel about you.  It’s okay if you reject me.  I’ll be fine if we can’t be anything more than just friends.  I mean, I might hurt for a little bit, but I’ll get over it.  Well, what to do you think?”

Derpy put away Twilight’s picture and broke character.  “I think if Twilight’s current relationship ever ends, you’ll definitely be her first choice for a new boyfriend.”

“You really think so?” Flash asked with a hopeful smile.

“Dude,” Micro Chips exclaimed, clapping his hand on Flash’s shoulder, “I know you don’t always have the easiest time believing this, but you’re a good person, and you’re worth caring about.  If Twilight can’t see that, then don’t waste your time with her.”

Flash’s smile widened at Micro’s words.  “Well, whatever happens next, at least I can still count on you guys to have my back.”

“You know what?” Derpy cheered as she threw one arm each around the two boys and pulled them into a hug.  “Bring it in, bring it in.  Come on, you guys, group hug.”

Flash and Micro flinched awkwardly at first but then shrugged their shoulders and returned the hug.


 
Outside the music room, the Rainbooms continued to watch the three, still frozen in shock.  A few seconds later, the bell rang, and the girls quickly scattered to their classes, praying that Flash and his friends hadn’t caught them listening in.
> Chapter 5:  WHY?!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh my word!” Rarity cried.  “To think that all this time, Flash had his heart set on Twilight, our world’s Twilight! The whole time!”

“For the eleventh time, Rarity,” AJ snapped, “we know.”

All seven of the Rainbooms had rushed over to Applejack’s barn as soon as school ended to talk about their recent discovery.  Unsurprisingly, Rarity was carrying on as if her favorite ship from her favorite TV show had sunk.

“Oh, woe is me!” she continued, sprawling herself on a pile of hay that she had earlier shaped into a fainting couch.  “How could I have been so wrong about what Flash’s heart wanted?!”

“Oh, don’t feel bad, Rarity,” Fluttershy replied, sitting herself next to her distraught friend.  “I’m sure it will all work out, and everyone involved will be satisfied in the end. Isn’t that all that really counts?”

“Guys, maybe we should focus more on how this affects Twilight and less on Rarity’s imaginary matchmaking skills,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.  “By the way, Twilight, how DO you feel about this?”

Twilight stared at the floor and wrung her hands.  She could feel her face heating up and her stomach churning, but she had no idea which emotions were causing them.

“I, I don’t know how I feel,” she finally answered.  “I mean, Flash seems like a nice guy, and I’d be lying if I said that I don’t find him even just a little bit attractive, but,” she paused, “why me?  Out of all the girls he could have fallen for, why me?”

“Uh, because he likes you, duh,” Pinkie replied.

“Yes, but WHY does he like me?” Twilight exclaimed emphatically.  “Last time I checked, I’m not his type.”

“Flash has a type?” Rainbow Dash asked with a confused look all over her face.

“What do you mean by ‘type’?” AJ asked, also confused.  “The only thing that the last two girls Flash liked had in common were that they were both from Equestria.”

“I don’t know.  What kind of girls do popular, good-looking rocker types usually go for?” Twilight huffed. “Whatever it is, I’m pretty sure I’m not that type of girl.”

“Guys,” Sunset interrupted, “have any of us considered the possibility that he’s just going after our Twilight to replace the one that he can’t have?”

If Twilight wasn’t freaking out enough already, Sunset’s suggestion made her freak out more.  She took a deep breath, getting ready to scream, but Applejack interrupted before she could.

“That’s ridiculous,” AJ retorted.  “He’s been around this Twilight long enough and often enough to know that the two of them aren’t the same person.  If he wanted to use Twilight as a rebound girl, wouldn’t he have done it earlier?”

“Gosh, Sunset,” Pinkie innocently pointed out, “for a girl who used to date Flash, it’s like you don’t really know him at all.”

Sunset flinched and guiltily looked away.

Instead of screaming, Twilight slowly exhaled, letting out a long sigh as she did so.

“Girls,” she began, “there’s another reason why I’m having a hard time believing that Flash actually likes me.”  Twilight bit her lip before continuing, “Flash knows about Midnight Sparkle.  Not only that, he was there when it happened, and he saw me turn into her, with his own eyes.”

The rest of the girls, sans Rarity, shared bewildered looks with each other.

“And?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“What kind of a guy sees a girl get turned into a literal monster by her own worst desires and emotions and says, ‘She’s the one’?  Nobody, that’s who!” Twilight emoted.

“Well, a guy who’s really into supervillains might,” Pinkie pointed out. “Ooooh, or maybe an actual supervillain. Wait, is Flash a supervillain?”

“Pinkie, focus, and no, I’m sure Flash isn’t a supervillain,” Sunset scolded. “Twilight, the Midnight Sparkle incident isn’t going to be a relationship deal-breaker.  I mean, all of us were front and center when it happened, and that didn’t stop us from wanting to be friends with you.”

“Yeah,” Applejack agreed.  “Besides, how did Timber react when you told him about it?  I mean, obviously he’s fine with it now since the two of you are still together.”

Twilight started wringing her hands again as her eyes darted away from Applejack.

“You never told Timber, did you?” Sunset deadpanned as she read Twilight’s face.

“How could I?” Twilight cried, her voice cracking with shame.  “If I had, he would have called me a freak or a bad person and dumped me on the spot.  The relationship would have been better off with him not knowing about that part of me.”

“Twi, I’m no love expert by any means, but knowing and accepting the worst parts of the person you’re with is part of the deal,” Applejack retorted.  “Do you think that my parents lasted long enough to have three young’uns pretending that the two of them were perfect?”

Twilight groaned.  “I’m just making all the mistakes with this relationship, aren’t I?”

“Eh, not really,” Pinkie Pie began to ramble.  “I mean, it’s not like you ever stood him up for a date or ghosted him or went crazy on him because he got you a gift that was the wrong color or tried to murder his family and friends in a jealous rage with a chainsaw or…”

“Alright!  Alright!” Sunset exclaimed, refocusing the conversation.  “So, here’s what we know.  One, Flash likes Twilight and is going to tell her how he feels about her soon. Two, Twilight is breaking up with Timber.  Eh, by the way, Twilight, when ARE you breaking up with Timber?”

“Tomorrow after school at the café,” Twilight replied.

“Okay, does knowing that Flash likes you change any of those plans?”

“Well, no, but I’d honestly rather not have to deal with Flash until after I break up with Timber.”

“Ooooh!  So, you want us to distract him from telling you he likes you until tomorrow after school. Well, consider it done, and I’ll do it wearing this mustache,” Pinkie declared, pulling a fake mustache from who knows where and putting it on her face.

“Or we could just tell Flash that Twilight already knows how he feels and needs more time to figure things out,” Applejack noted.

“But then, we’d have to tell him that we were eavesdropping on him,” Rainbow Dash countered.

“Um, wouldn’t Twilight have to tell him about the eavesdropping anyway when he makes his confession?” said Fluttershy.

“I love a good elaborate plan as much as the next person, but I think I’m with Applejack on this one,” agreed Sunset.  “Friends should be honest with each other.  Besides, I lied to Flash way too much while we were dating.  I’m not putting him through that again.”

“Hey, Rarity, you’ve been,” Twilight called out, “uncharacteristically quiet through all this.  What do you think we should do?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think!” the purple-haired drama queen screeched. “Why should I give advice on matters of the heart?  I obviously know nothing about it!”

“Oh brother,” Applejack muttered.

“Well, I guess we’re going with the honesty route then,” Twilight concluded as Rarity continued to wail.

“So, uh, what are we going to do about her?” asked Dash, pointing to a still hysterical Rarity.

“Leave this to me,” Pinkie said with a comically serious look on her face as she marched over to Rarity.  “You know, Rare, Twilight is going to need help coming up with the perfect outfit to break up with Timber in tomorrow.  She was going to ask you for suggestions, but you’re clearly in no condition to help her.”

Suddenly, Rarity’s expression changed into calm indignation.

“No condition to help?!” Rarity exclaimed.  “With a fashion problem?!  Please, Ms. Pie, perish the idea.  Now, if you ladies would excuse me, I MUST GET MY SUPPLIES!”
> Chapter 6:  The Hammer Drops
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Flash stood by Twilight’s locker, biting his lip as he nervously clenched and unclenched his fists.  No turning back now, he was doing this.  Flash saw her coming up from the hallway.  The six other Rainbooms were with her.  She looked up, and her eyes locked with Flash’s.  Something akin to electricity seemed to pass between them. Flash felt his palms begin to sweat and his heart begin to race.

“So,” Twilight whispered to her friends, tearing her eyes away from Flash’s gaze, “which one of us is going to break the news to Flash?”

“Pass,” Rainbow Dash yelled, zooming away with her super speed.

“Oh, well, I guess I could try,” Fluttershy volunteered, stepping forward. “Flash really needs to know the truth, and if I do it, I’ll save you the trouble of having to do it yourself.” But then, she stepped back.  “Oh, but what if he gets upset that we eavesdropped on him.  It’ll be so nerve-racking.”  Then, she stepped forward.  “Oh, but if I don’t tell him, you will have to, and he’ll get upset with you, and then you’ll both be upset.”  Back. “Oh, but if he does get upset, I won’t know how to comfort him.”  Forward. “But what if no one else volunteers and—”

“Fluttershy, stop,” Applejack commanded.  “Twi, I hate to break it to you, but you’re going to have to be the one to tell him.”

“What? Why?” Twilight protested. “Telling him was your idea.”

“Yeah, but you agreed to it,” Sunset pointed out.  “Besides, we’re not the ones Flash is confessing his feelings to.”

Flash stared as the six remaining Rainbooms continued to talk to each other. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he had a feeling that they were talking about him.  He checked the time on his phone.  He only had a little over five minutes before he had to head to class, so it was either now or never.  He took a breath and began walking towards the girls.

“Hey, ladies,” Flash greeted.

All six of them suddenly stopped talking and jerked up in attention.

“We weren’t talking about you,” Sunset denied a little too quickly.

Flash kept his expression completely blank.  “I never said that you were.”

Sunset clenched her teeth as she inwardly screamed.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Twilight alone,” Flash requested, his expression still inscrutable.

All the girls shared a look with each other.  Then, Applejack nudged Twilight with her elbow and tilted her head in Flash’s direction.

“Tell him,” her eyes said to Twilight.

“You tell him,” Twilight nonverbally countered.

And so, Twilight and Applejack continued their silent back and forth with each other.  After maybe ten seconds, Pinkie Pie interrupted.

“Cupcake?” she offered suddenly, practically shoving the petite confection in Flash’s face.  Where she got the cupcake from nobody knows.

“Uh, sure,” Flash hesitantly accepted.  “Thanks, Pinkie.”

“Oh, no problem.  Just remember to break the cupcake in half before you bite into it.  I baked a little surprise inside just for you. Now, if you excuse us, we’re going to leave you alone with Twilight now.  Bye.”

Before either Twilight or Flash could blink, the two of them were in the hallway with only each other and the cupcake for company.  The other five girls just seemed to vanish from right in front of them.

Twilight frantically looked to her left, then her right, and finally behind her, but she couldn’t find her friends anywhere.  She looked in front of her and found herself meeting Flash’s eyes again. The realization that she truly was alone in the hallway with Flash caused her breathing to quicken and her knees to knock together.

Flash stepped forward, releasing a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding, and opened his mouth to speak.

“Twilight—,” he began.

“Don’t!” Twilight cut him off, once again turning away from him.

“But you don’t even know what I was going to say,” Flash replied, confusion creeping into his face and voice.

Twilight inwardly groaned as she forced herself to face him.

“Actually,” she said to him, “I do.  The girls and I heard you, Derpy, and Micro Chips yesterday at the music room.”

Flash’s eyes widened, and his face became a shade redder.  “Oh.  Well, okay then.”

“Flash, look, I’m sorry that we eavesdropped on you.  We shouldn’t have done it, but please, please, please don’t tell me what you want to tell me until after I figure something out.  What I’m going through right now is hard enough without having other variables to think about.”

With that, Twilight rushed past Flash and began running as fast as she could away from him.  Flash could only watch her go before slinking away sadly.  As he was walking away, Flash looked down at his hand and noticed that he was still holding the cupcake that Pinkie had given him earlier.

Curious about what Pinkie’s surprise could be, he broke the cupcake in half and found a folded note baked inside.  Flash unfolded the note and read what it said.

“Everything is going to be okay. ;-)”


 
School had ended, and Twilight was hurrying to the cozy, little café near the school, the Sweet Shoppe.  She tried to focus on what she had planned to do this afternoon, but her mind kept going back to the look on Flash Sentry’s face that morning just before she ran off, the hurt and confusion.  She will admit that she had handled that situation rather poorly and that she will have to apologize for hurting Flash later, but right now, Twilight had a boyfriend to break up with, and the sooner she got that done, the sooner she can sort things out with Flash.

She entered the establishment and found Timber waiting for her at one of the tables.  He waved her over with a big smile on his face.  Twilight gave a small smile back and walked over to him.

“Miss me already?” he flirted.

“Uh, Timber, I didn’t ask you to meet me here for a date,” Twilight explained as she sat down across from him.

“Oh.” Timber blinked twice in surprise.

“You see,” Twilight bit her lip as she began talking, “you’re a nice guy, Timber, and I liked dating you, but—”

“Wait,” he interrupted, realization setting in, “why does it sound like you’re breaking up with me?  Are you breaking up with me?”

“Well, yes,” Twilight managed to squeak out.  “Look, it’s not you, okay?  I’m just not as invested in this relationship as I was when I started out, and—”

“Twilight, I don’t know how you found out, but I swear none of it meant a thing,” Timber interrupted again, his voice taking on a frantic tone.  “I was only doing it because I liked the attention.”

Twilight’s eyes widened at Timber’s sudden declaration.  Then, she just stared at Timber, her face twisting in total utter confusion.

“What in the hay are you talking about?” she exclaimed.

Timber’s jaw dropped as he realized what just happened.

“You mean, you don’t know.”

“Know what?”

“Uh,” Timber’s eyes darted away from her as he replied, “nothing.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed as her gaze transformed into a hard glare.

“Timber, this relationship is going to be over regardless of what you end up telling me, and since you have nothing to lose anyway, you might as well tell me everything,” Twilight stated sternly.

Timber whimpered in fear.  Then, he took a breath and morphed his face into an obviously forced version of The Smolder from Tangled.

“I know you say it’s over, but are you sure I can’t change your mind?” he purred. “I mean, I’m sure whatever the problem is it’s nothing that time and my natural charm can’t fix.”

Twilight blinked twice before her glare intensified.

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?” she tried not to shout.  “The problem is that I’m not as invested in this relationship as I used to be, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to take more than just charming me to fix that.  And you know what?  What if I want more out of a relationship than a whole lot of charm?”

Timber opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, he was suddenly doused with a hot liquid.  Judging by the smell and the slightly sticky feel, it was probably Earl Grey with cream and sugar.

“What the hay?!” he screamed before turning towards his assailant.  He turned to his left to see a light blue-skinned girl with short, layered, pink and lavender hair.  She was dressed in what looked like a uniform made up of a purply maroon jacket, a plaid skirt with pleats, and a bowtie.  Her red-violet eyes glared at him so intensely that if the laws of physics didn’t exist, Timber would have literally caught fire.

“Sunny Flare?” Twilight asked, recognizing her as one of her old classmates from Crystal Prep

“Um, do I know you?” Timber asked Sunny innocently, still dripping with tea.

“No,” Sunny replied with an anger-tinged calm, “but I believe you know my friend.”  She pulled out her phone and showed a picture of her with four other girls.  Then, she pointed to the one with pink skin, citrus-colored hair that fell below her waist, and a pair of pink headphones over her ears, practically shoving the image into Timber’s face.

Timber’s pupils shrunk as he looked at who Sunny was pointing at.  “I’ve never seen that girl before in my life.”

“Oh, really?  Then, I suppose that you have also never been a lifeguard at the Canterlot Beach either,” the uniformed girl bitingly remarked, crossing her arms.

Twilight’s eyes widened in realization.  “You were cheating on me?!  With Lemon Zest?!”

“I did not cheat!” Timber shouted back.  “There was no cheating involved!”  He inwardly groaned, realizing that he just admitted to having met Lemon Zest.

“Lemon Zest thought that he looked cute and started flirting with him,” Sunny informed.  “He flirted back.”

“It never went past that.  I swear,” Timber pleaded.

“He also never mentioned that he already had a girlfriend.”

“It never came up in conversation!”

Sunny turned toward Timber, bringing her furious glare closer to Timber’s trembling eyes.  “Well, considering that she wants to ask you out the next time that she sees you, you probably should have volunteered that information.”

“Well, tell her that I’m not interested,” Timber retorted.

“Actually,” Twilight spoke in an unusually calm tone, “if it would make you happy to go out with Lemon or any other girl for that matter, you’re free to do it.  Because you and I are done.”

“What?!” Timber shrieked.

“We are done, and this relationship is over,” Twilight continued as she got up and began to leave, “just like this conversation.”

“Twilight, wait!” Timber called, but Twilight had already walked out the door.
> Chapter 7:  Follow-Up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, are you going to try talking to her again?” Micro Chips asked Flash during lunch on Wednesday.

“I don’t know,” Flash replied as he listlessly pushed his food around with his fork.  “She said that she was going through something and that she had to figure it out first.  What could be so bad that knowing how I feel about her is making her panic?”

“Maybe she’s having boyfriend problems,” Derpy offered.

“That’s definitely possible,” Micro agreed.

“Ahem,” somebody cleared her throat from behind the three of them.  The three friends turned around and saw Twilight standing behind them.

“Oh, hey,” Micro greeted.  “We were just talking about you.”

“Nothing bad I hope,” Twilight said with a small smile.  “Anyway, I kind of need to talk to Flash, alone.”

Flash, Micro, and Derpy shared a look with each other and then nodded.

“Good luck,” Micro whispered to his friend as he and Derpy got up and left the table.

Flash gestured for Twilight to take a seat next to him.  Twilight did so, but every time she tried to talk to him, she kept turning away and biting her lip.

“So,” Flash initiated, “about yesterday.”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight blurted out.  “I’m sorry that the girls and I eavesdropped on you, and I’m sorry that I just ran off on you like that.  I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Twilight, it’s okay,” Flash reassured her.  “I know that you never meant to hurt me.”

“But I did hurt you.”

Flash didn’t answer.  He turned towards her, and once again, the two of them locked eyes.

“Listen, I know that you already know what I’m going to try to say,” Flash began, “but I want you to know that I meant every word.  I like you, Twilight Sparkle.  I like how you go out of your way to help others, how you always figure out what to do, and how you are so good at planning ahead.  You are just an all-around amazing person, and I know you might not agree, but I think you’re totally out of my league.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile and giggle at that.  A blush bloomed on her face, and her eyes lit up like Christmas lights.

Flash got ready to continue with the rest of his confession, but Twilight stopped him before he could go further.

“Flash, wait,” she said.  “Before you bring up Timber, I think there’s something you should know.  I, uh, broke up with him yesterday.”

“What?” Flash exclaimed, his eyes popping from their sockets.  “Why?  The two of you seemed happy together.”

“We were, but as the relationship went on, I wasn’t connecting with him the way I did before,” Twilight explained.  “I had planned on letting him down gently the other day, but then, information came to light that led to me just straight up dumping him.”

“Okay.” Flash raised an eyebrow at her last statement.  “I kinda want to know what happened, but I also know that it’s none of my business.”

Twilight fidgeted in her seat before continuing, “You know what?  I think I can trust you with this, so I’m going to tell you.  Timber Spruce had flirted with and unintentionally led on another girl while he was on his lifeguard job, and when he was confronted about it, he tried to lie his way out of it and refused to own up to what he did.”

Flash nodded in understanding.  “You know, for a guy who likes nerd stuff, that was a pretty dumb thing to do.”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Twilight agreed.

“So,” Flash bit his lip as he scooted about an inch away from Twilight, “I’m guessing that you’re going to need a little time to get over the breakup before you even begin thinking about dating again, huh?”

Twilight looked away to process her thoughts for a few seconds before looking back at him.  Then, she impulsively reached out her hand and put it on top of Flash’s.  Time seemed to slow down.  The two of them could feel their hearts beating faster and their faces growing warmer.

“You know what?” Twilight stated, the smile on her face growing ever so slightly. “Just give me a couple weeks, and we’ll see from there, okay?”

“I’m looking forward to it.”
> Bonus Chapter:  Three Weeks Later, aka Getting to Know You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Bro! Button Mash!” Flash called.  “Get in the car.”

Two 13-year-old boys dressed in baseball uniforms came rushing out of his house and piled into his car.

“Why are we heading out so early?” First Base groaned as he clicked his seatbelt. “The game’s not for another hour.”

“Well, I also have to pick up my date, and she lives a good distance away from the baseball park,” Flash explained as he backed his car out of his driveway and drove down the street.

“Your younger brother’s baseball game is a pretty weird choice for a date,” Button Mash pointed out.

“It is, but I didn’t want to miss your game, and she really wanted to get to know me, so…,” Flash trailed off.

First Base turned to the back seat and shared a look with his best friend.  The rest of the drive passed in an uncomfortable silence.  When Flash was roughly five minutes away from Twilight’s house, Base spoke.

“Bro, this girl,” he began hesitantly, “she’s really something, isn’t she?”

“Yep,” Flash affirmed.

“Is, is this relationship going to be anything like your last one?”

“How so—Oh.”  Flash bit his lip, remembering what he had done while he was dating Sunset, the lies he told his family, the ball games and other occasions that he blew off, all for her.  The most heartbreaking part about the whole situation was that the relationship wasn’t even worth the pain that he had caused his family and friends.  No relationship was.

The uncomfortable silence returned for a few seconds, but then, Flash answered.

“Little Bro,” he said, “I was a total butt when I was dating Sunset, wasn’t I?”

“Yeah, you were,” Base bluntly agreed.

Flash sighed.  “Listen, I can’t promise you that this relationship isn’t going to change anything between us because with me having to split my time between you, the rest of our family, and her, we might not be able to do everything that we used to do, but I’m not going to let being Twilight’s boyfriend get in the way of being your brother, not this time.  I promise.”

“Pinkie swear?” Base asked, timidly holding out his left little finger.

Flash just smiled as he wrapped his right pinkie finger around Base’s pinkie before quickly parting fingers.

“Well, here’s our stop,” Flash noted as he pulled up in front of a large, fancy-looking house.


 
“Oh my gosh!  He’s here!” Twilight cried as she watched Flash’s car pull up from her bedroom window. She stood in front of the mirror for one final wardrobe check.

“How do I look?” she frantically asked Spike.  “Underdressed?  Overdressed? Is my hair okay?”

“Twilight, relax,” assured Spike.  “You look great.  Besides, you’re just going to a baseball game.  How dressed up do you need to be?”

Before Twilight could answer, the doorbell rang.

“Oh no!” Twilight thought to herself before rushing out of her room and bounding down the stairs.  “I’ve got to get to the door before—”

“Hi, my name is Flash,” she heard someone say just as she entered the hallway. The front door was held open by a well-built young man with white skin and blue hair.  Too late.

“Nice to meet you, Flash,” the young man greeted icily, accepting Flash’s handshake offer.  “I’m Shining Armor, Twilight’s older brother.”

“Please don’t scare him off.  Please don’t scare him off,” Twilight silently prayed.

“Is Twilight ready for our date?” Flash asked.

“Yes, I am,” Twilight interrupted, pushing herself between the two men. “Let’s go.”

“Hang on there a minute, Twily,” Shining Armor stopped her.  “I’m not done, err, checking out your date yet.”

Twilight groaned, shoving her brother further inside the house.

“I’m so sorry about this, but will you excuse us for a little bit?” Twilight asked Flash as she continued to push Shining Armor.

“Oh, sure, I can wait,” Flash calmly replied.

Twilight gave him a sheepish smile as she closed the front door behind her.

“Shiny!” she screamed at her brother.  “Was that really necessary?”

“Hey, the last guy you went out with flirted with other girls behind your back, which by the way, probably would have never happened if you had told us about him,” Shining Armor countered.

“Ugh! What you’re trying to do with this guy now is exactly why I never told you about the last guy,” Twilight groaned. “If Flash tells me that it’s not going to work out after this date is over, I’m blaming you.”

Shining Armor sighed as he got down to Twilight’s level.  “Twily, I’m your older brother, and part of being an older brother is protecting his younger sister.  I mean, okay, I might be taking things a little overboard with you having a boyfriend, but I’m just doing it because I don’t want this guy to hurt you.”

“I know,” Twilight replied.  “It’s just that, well, I’m…”  She bit her lip and looked to the floor.  “I’m just not pretty.  On top of that, I’m also a nerd, and I turned into a horrible, world-ending monster once. The last thing I need is more reasons for a guy to find me unattractive, and don’t tell me that I’m beautiful just the way I am and all that jazz.  People in TV and movies say that all the time whenever someone starts getting insecure about her looks, but last I checked, we don’t live inside of a television.”

Shining blinked a few times, completely taken aback.  Then, he smiled, put his hand under Twilight’s chin, and gently lifted her head up.

“Hey, Twily, look at me,” he comforted.  “I love you, even with all the stuff that you’re insecure about, and you deserve a guy who is going to love you the same way.  If he decides to walk away just because your BBBFF is a little intimidating, then you know that he’s not going to be that kind of guy.”

Even though she was still annoyed, Twilight couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Well, I’m afraid you’re going to have to cut ‘checking Flash out’ short,” she said with a mischievous edge in her voice as she pointed to the time on her phone. “If we don’t leave soon, we’re going to be late.”

“Ugh, fine,” Shining Armor conceded.

He opened the front door and found Flash still standing there.  Twilight rushed out to meet him.

“Bring her back by 10,” Shining Armor emphasized with a low growl.  “Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Flash replied with a nod.

With that, Flash and Twilight made their way to Flash’s car.  Flash opened the door to the front passenger seat and bent down to talk to First Base.

“Hey, Bro,” he said, “my date’s here.  Change seats with her.”

Base raised his eyebrow and flashed what could only be described as a supervillain smile.  “You didn’t forget about our deal, did you?”

“What deal?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.


 
Two minutes later, Flash was driving towards the baseball park with Twilight in the front passenger seat and “Who’s the (Bat)Man” blasting out of his sound system.

“I get the last laugh/I get the final grin,” First Base sang along with the music, performing a surprisingly accurate Batman impression.  “Throw you into the asylum with Harley Quinn/Turn Two-Face, to black-and-blue face/I 100% am not Buck Reins!”

Flash was cringing the whole time, partially from embarrassment but mostly because he doesn’t like that song.  He turned to Twilight with a forced grin.

“My, uh, little brother really likes this song,” he explained.

“I can tell,” Twilight replied with a giggle.  “I’m guessing that you don’t.”

“It’s, uh, tolerable.”

“Which song are you putting on next, Base?” Button asked as the song came to an end.

“You want ‘Everything is AWESOME!!!’ or ‘Catchy Song’?” First Base asked as he scrolled through UTube on his phone.

“No, no!” Flash exclaimed.  “What did I say about ‘Catchy Song’?”

First Base and Button Mash simultaneously sighed in disappointment.

“That it’s the most annoying song in existence,” Base recited.

“That’s right,” Flash continued.  “And what did I say about annoying me while I’m driving?”

“Never annoy the person who is responsible for your safety and wellbeing.”

“Right.  Pick a different one.”

“So, I guess we’re playing ‘Everything is AWESOME!!!’, then?” Button noted.

First Base sighed again before looking from his phone to his brother then to Twilight. Flash didn’t seem to notice, but Twilight had been smiling throughout the whole drive, and her smile grew bigger bit by bit as the drive went on.  Base even caught her giggling a few times.

“I’ve got a better idea,” he said to Button as he turned back to his phone, scrolled through UTube, and made his selection.

To Flash and Twilight’s surprise, a gentle, romantic piano melody began playing followed by a young man’s voice singing something in French.

“I know this song,” Twilight exclaimed her eyes widening in recognition.  “It’s ‘Ce Mur Qui Nous Sépare,’ which I probably just totally mispronounced.”

“‘The Wall Between Us,’” Flash translated.

Twilight blinked a few times in surprise.  “Okay, either you know French or you also watch Miraculous.”

“Well,” Flash chuckled as he gestured to his two passengers in the backseat, “it’s mostly these two who are into it, but I like it enough to watch it with them. You, uh, have a favorite character?”

“Actually, I have two,” Twilight replied.  “I can’t decide between Cerise and Shirogane.”

“Hey, kinda like how you can’t decide between Soleil and Courant, huh, Bro,” Base interrupted.

“What?” Flash replied.  “I relate to them both in different ways.  How in the world am I supposed to pick between them?”

“Really?” said Twilight.  “That’s how I feel about my favorite characters too.”

Flash couldn’t help but smile at that.

“So, umm, are you a shipper by any chance?” Twilight asked Flash.

“Well,” Flash hesitantly replied.  “I’m not as bad as Button Mash is, but, yeah, I ship.”

“Love Square is endgame!” Button yelled fervently.  “You won’t change my mind!”

First Base just rolled his eyes.  Twilight noticed this from the rearview mirror and giggled.

“I’m guessing you’re not much of a shipper, aren’t you, Base?” Twilight asked.

“Definitely not,” First Base huffed with his arms crossed.  “Soleil and Cerise can end up with no one for all I care.”

Button gasped dramatically at that.  “Those two are perfect for each other, and everyone knows it.”

“Everyone except the two of them apparently,” Base scoffed.  “If they’re so perfect for each other, why is it taking them so long to get together?”

“Hey, calm down, you two,” Flash scolded.  “It’s just a ship.  Besides, maybe the reason why Soleil and Cerise aren’t together yet is because the two of them aren’t ready to be together.  At the moment, the two of them are only in love with the idealized versions of each other. If they knew about each other’s less than perfect sides like how crushingly lonely and restricted Soleil feels living with his father’s rules or all those times Cerise has felt in way over her head as Ladybug, would they still love each other?”

Twilight stared at Flash as he said those words, her mind going back to her conversations with her brother and her friends.  She had thought that Timber Spruce was the perfect guy for her, so much so that she ignored all evidence that he wasn’t, like that time at the beach when she and her friends went sea monster hunting or how his solution to any problem with their relationship was to avoid the issue and turn on the charm.

Flash, on the other hand, definitely wasn’t the perfect guy for her, at least as far as she knows, but he is sweet, caring, honest, and reliable. Furthermore, he seems to respect her brother without being intimidated by him.  More importantly, he knows better than anyone just how less than perfect she is (“cough” Midnight Sparkle “cough”), but he accepts her anyway. Maybe she had been a little too quick to write him off a few weeks ago.

“Of course, they would,” Button answered Flash’s question with a firm, resolute tone.  “Love Square is endgame.”

“They sure are taking their sweet time to figure that out though,” First Base countered.

“Bro, they’re only a few years older than you,” Flash replied, “and you still think girls are gross.”

“In my defense, have you MET the girls that I go to school with?”

“Well, look on the bright side, Little Bro,” Flash chuckled.  “You’re not going to be in middle school forever.”

“Oh yeah,” Twilight thought to herself, smiling as she watched the brothers share a laugh, “I definitely wrote him off too quickly.”


 
One 15-minute drive and one lively discussion about hamsters, superheroes, and Disneigh movies later, Flash pulled up at the ballpark.

“Woohoo!” First Base cheered as he and Button jumped out of the car.  “Let’s go, Trottingham Pirates!”

“Don’t forget your stuff,” Flash reminded them as he opened the door for Twilight.

First Base and Button Mash quickly got their equipment out of the trunk and ran over to where the rest of the team was waiting for them.

“So,” Flash said, turning to Twilight, “we’ve got 10 minutes before the game starts. You wanna grab snacks first?”

“That sounds great,” Twilight affirmed.

Flash held out his arm for Twilight to take.  Twilight just stared at it for a few seconds before awkwardly taking it, and the two of them made their way to the concession stand.  Twilight wasn’t completely comfortable walking arm in arm with Flash, but after a while, she found herself enjoying the feeling of being close to him so much that she was sorely tempted to just rest her head against his shoulder.  However, before she could decide whether she should make the attempt or not, the two of them had reached the front counter of the concession stand.

“Oh, hi, honey,” greeted the woman behind the stand.  She had brown eyes and light orange-yellow skin and wore a pair of glasses.  Her dark red hair was styled in a messy yet tasteful bun.  “Is this the girl that you’ve been telling us about?”

“Hi, Mom,” Flash greeted back.  “Yes, she is. Her name is Twilight.”

Flash turned to Twilight and continued, “Twilight, this is my mom Lantern Heart.”

“My friends and family call me Lighty,” Ms. Heart added, offering her hand to shake.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Twilight replied, accepting the handshake.

“Your turn volunteering for the concession stand this week?” Flash asked his mother

“Uh-huh,” she replied with a nod.  “So, what can I get you kids?”

“What would you like?” Flash asked Twilight.

Twilight thoughtfully looked over her choices and answered, “I’ll have a bag of pretzels and a juice pouch.”

“We’ll have the pretzels and a juice pouch for the lady and the peanuts and a cola for me, please,” Flash said to his mother.

“Coming right up,” Lantern Heart answered before bringing the desired concessions to the counter.  “Okay, we’ve got a bag of pretzels, a bag of peanuts, a juice,” she let out a yawn, “pouch, and a cola.”

Flash noted the yawn and asked, “You okay, Mom?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Ms. Heart yawned again.  “I’m just a little tired that’s all.  Those twelve-hour shifts at the hospital really take a lot out of you.”

“Did you get enough sleep this morning?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me, honey.  I had a cup of tea earlier, and it probably just hasn’t completely kicked in yet.”

Flash frowned in concern before smiling.  “I think I’ve got something that will help you wake up.  Can you lean over a little so I can give it to you?”

Lighty smiled knowingly before doing as her son asked.  Then, Flash leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Did your teenage son just give you a kiss?  In public?” asked one of the other concession stand volunteers.

“He sure did,” Lighty said with pride as she quickly ran her fingers through Flash’s hair.

“You lucky woman!  I can’t even get my 8-year old to kiss me in public these days.”

Flash and his mother just laughed at that.

“Bye, Mom,” Flash said, taking the snacks from the counter.  “I’ll see you after the game.”

With that, Flash and Twilight began heading for the bleachers.

“So,” Twilight began as the two of them found their seats, “you still kiss your mom in public, huh?”

“Yes, yes I do,” Flash replied.  “What about it?”

Twilight bit her lip and chose her next words carefully.  “Nothing.  It’s just that most guys would find something like that embarrassing.”

“There’s nothing embarrassing about showing the world that you love your mother,” Flash replied matter-of-factly.  “Besides, she totally deserves it.”

“Hey, kiddo!” a voice called from their left.  Flash and Twilight turned and saw two women making their way towards them.  The younger woman looked almost exactly like Lantern Heart but with brown highlights and a ponytail and without glasses.  The older woman had pink skin and white hair with bits of brown scattered through.  She shared the younger woman’s brown eyes and wore them behind a pair of glasses.

“Hey!” Flash greeted, standing up and giving them each a hug.  “Twilight, these are my aunt Flare Burst and my grandmother Free Bird.”

“You can call me Grandma Birdie.  That’s what all my grandkids' friends call me,” Flash’s grandmother added.

“Pleased to meet you,” Twilight replied, shaking hands with each of them.

“We know you two are on a date, so we’ll just sit WAY over there,” said Flare, pointing to the other side of the bleachers.  “You kids have fun.”

“Just not the kind that will get you in trouble,” Grandma added as she and her daughter made their way to their seats.

When the two of them were once again alone, Twilight noted, “So, your mom and your aunt look eerily similar.”

“Well, they’re twins, so they should,” Flash answered with a smile.

“Really?” Twilight exclaimed, eyes wide.  “That’s, um, interesting.  So, have you ever had trouble telling them apart?”

“I did when I was a kid,” Flash said before he began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Back when I was thirteen, Aunt Flare was on military leave for the holidays. She and Mom decided to see if they could pull a twin switch on me and my brother,” Flash recounted.  “They went all out.  They both dyed their hair and wore each other’s clothes.  Mom wore contacts even though she can’t stand how they felt.  They even practiced talking like each other.  On Christmas morning, Base and I walk into the dining room and see what looks like my mom setting the table for breakfast.  Little Bro and I say, ‘Hi, Mom.’  ‘Mom’ says, ‘Hi, honey,’ which by the way, Aunt Flare never calls us.  She always says either ‘kid’ or ‘kiddo’ but never ‘honey.’  Anyway, the moment those words left her mouth, I noticed something was off.  I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but the lady who was setting the table didn’t sound like my mother.  She didn’t walk, move, or set the table like my mother either.”

“How so?” Twilight asked.

“Like I said, I don’t know.  I could just tell that she wasn’t Mom.  I guess I just knew my mother well enough to know there was a difference.  Anyway, I figured out what was going on when ‘Aunt Flare’ came in from walking the dog and said, ‘Hey, kiddos’ to us.”

Twilight nodded as she listened.  “So, you have experience telling similar-looking people apart?”

Flash raised an eyebrow at this.  “Uh, yes, yes I do.  Why?”

Twilight looked away.  She hated the fact that she was even thinking about what she was thinking about.  Flash didn’t deserve that.

“No reason,” she lied.

“It’s about her, isn’t it?” Flash deadpanned.

Twilight whipped her head back towards Flash.  “How, how did you know?”

“I didn’t, but I figured that she was going to come up at some point.  I’d probably feel the same way if a guy who showed interest in my mom suddenly started showing interest in my aunt.  Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

“Flash, listen,” Twilight began.  “I don’t know what Princess Twilight was like when she was here, but I know for a fact that I’m not her.”

“I know,” Flash affirmed, “and I don’t want you to be.”

Twilight looked up at him and met his eyes.  Not only were they a beautiful deep blue color, but they also had an expression that conveyed sincerity and trustworthiness.  She blushed furiously when she caught herself admiring them.

“I like you for you,” Flash continued, “and I want to get to know you, not Princess Twilight or any other girl, YOU.  Besides, me and Princess Twilight, it was never going to happen, no matter how much I wanted it to at the time.”  Flash took a quick glance at the time before turning back to Twilight.  “Look, we’re going to have to put this conversation on hold because the game is about to start, but if this still keeps bothering you, feel free to talk to me about it, okay?”

Twilight looked down, breaking eye contact with him.  She could still feel the blush on her face, and her heart was pounding like Pinkie Pie on the drums.  A single thought kept running around over and over in her mind.

“He likes me for me,” she thought to herself.

Then, she did something that took them both by surprise.  Twilight slid her hand into his, laced her fingers between his, and lay her head on his shoulder.

“I don’t think that’s going to be necessary,” she answered him with a smile.

Flash felt a rush of heat shoot up from his heart to his face.

“Oh my gosh,” he thought to himself.  “She likes me back.  She really likes me back.  I don’t believe it.”

He blinked a few times, expecting Twilight to disappear but hoping that she wouldn’t.  Roughly ten blinks later, she was still sitting next to him.  He could still feel her hand holding onto his, and he could definitely still feel his shoulder slowly going numb from the weight of her head. He pinched his leg with his free hand. Okay, he felt that too.  This was not a dream.

“Please stand for the national anthem,” shouted the voice from the loudspeaker.  And just like that, it was over.  Bummer.


 
One winning game and celebratory froyo run later, Flash was driving Twilight home. His brother and Button Mash had gone home with his family, so the two of them were alone.

“So,” Flash began.  “That was some date.”

“Yeah,” Twilight shyly agreed.  “I, uh, really had fun.”  She paused and bit her lip.  “Uh, your family seems really nice.”

“Thanks.  They, uh, seem to like you too.”  Flash bit his lip as well.  “Twilight, um, if you thought the date was weird, you can tell me so.  I know a middle school baseball game is not the first thing people think of when they think first date.”

“It’s pretty unusual, but I think it works,” Twilight replied.  “Although, I have to ask.  Why was it so important for you not to miss this game?”

Oh boy.  Flash sighed. “I, I’m not proud of what I’m about to tell you.”

“Well, whatever it is, it can’t be worse than nearly ripping the universe apart in a state of magically induced insanity,” Twilight said with a shrug.

“No, it’s not worse than that,” Flash agreed, “but it’s still pretty bad.”

Twilight turned to him, giving him her full attention.

“The last girl I dated was Sunset Shimmer, and that was back when she was a different person.  We had started going out because she showed an interest in me, except that she was showing her interest in ways that raised a lot of red flags for my family when I told them about it.  My family told me not to get involved with her, but I went behind their backs and dated her anyways.”  He sighed. “It gets worse.  As we dated, Sunset started demanding more out of me, more of my time, more of my attention, more control over the relationship.  The more she demanded, the more I lied and the more I kept blowing off my friends and family.  My relationship with my brother took the worst of it.”

“But the two of you seem so close,” Twilight exclaimed in surprise.  She can’t imagine someone like Flash ever treating anyone badly, especially not his brother.

“We are, and we definitely were before I dated Sunset,” Flash explained.

“What happened while you were dating Sunset?”

“I,” Flash paused, taking a shuddering breath before continuing, “I kept blowing of his games.  Every time I missed a game, I would tell him, no, promise him that I’d show up for the next one, but I never did.  When he finally called me out on it, we both said things to each other that we now regret.”

“What did you guys say to each other?” Twilight asked before backpedaling. “Wait.  No, it’s too personal.  I don’t want to know.  Okay, I actually do, but you don’t have to tell me.  I mean, you can if you want to, but you don’t have to.”

“I told him to stay out of my life, and he told me that he wished I had died instead of Grandpa.”

Twilight stared at him, utterly dumbfounded, not only at what he had told her but also at the fact that he would trust her with something so personal.

“I,” she stuttered, “I’m so sorry to hear that.  Also, I know I asked, but you really didn’t have to tell me.”

“Well, I figured that if we were going to be dating, you have the right to know just how much of a mess I am,” Flash answered.  “So, now that you know, do you really want to keep going out with me?  I totally understand if you don’t.  I know I’m not exactly Prince Charming.”

Twilight kept quiet as she continued to stare out the window.

“So, I’m guessing that your grandfather was a really big part of you and your brother’s lives,” she managed to say.

“Yeah, especially,” Flash sighed, “especially after our dad left.”

Again, Twilight didn’t say anything.  How was she even supposed to reply to that?

“So, that’s what Micro Chips meant,” she muttered to herself.

“Um, excuse me?” Flash uttered.

“When the girls and I eavesdropped on you and your friends,” Twilight explained, “Micro said something about you having a hard time believing that you’re a good person and that you’re someone worth caring about.  It’s because of everything you just told me, isn’t it?”

“Gee, do you read through all your books this quickly?” Flash quipped.

Twilight smiled at that but quickly became serious again.

“Flash,” she began, “I completely and totally agree that you’re a mess and that you’re no Prince Charming,” she paused,” but Micro Chips was right about you, you know?  You’re a good person, and you’re also someone worth caring about, and maybe, maybe I need that more than I need a Prince Charming.  Besides, I’m a bit of a mess too.  I should be the one asking you if you want to keep dating me.”

“Of course, I do, and you?”

Twilight answered with a smirk, “Oui à l'infini.”  She laughed.  “Oh my gosh! My French is so bad.  I don’t know what I actually said, but that was supposed to be ‘yes to infinity.’”

Flash chuckled at that.

“By the way, for what it’s worth, even if I’m not Prince Charming, I’m still going to try to treat you like a princess,” Flash replied, smirking back. “I wouldn’t be a very good boyfriend if I didn’t, would I, milady?”

“What? Are you going to kiss my hand after you walk me to my door?” Twilight joked, making them both laugh again.


 
Flash parked his car in front of Twilight’s house and helped her out of the car. Once again, he offered her his arm to take.  This time, Twilight was much more comfortable taking it.

“So, not that I didn’t enjoy our date, but maybe our next one should be a little more just you and me,” Twilight brought up as they began walking to her front door.  “I know that your Friday nights are occupied, so maybe we should schedule our dates for Saturday.”

“You mean, let’s do what I suggested we do for this date in the first place,” Flash teased.  “You haven’t forgotten that going to my brother’s game with me was your idea, have you?”

“No, of course not.”  Twilight rolled her eyes and lightly kicked him in the shins.

“Hey, careful.  If I trip, you’re going down with me.”

Twilight giggled.  “I guess I shouldn’t be annoying the person responsible for my safety and wellbeing. Isn’t that right?”

They laughed.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” said Flash, “why did you want to come with me to my brother’s baseball game?”

Twilight carefully thought about her answer.  “I’m not entirely sure.  I guess I got curious about what kind of a brother you were and wanted to see for myself what you were like.”

“Oh. Well, I hope that I was at least as good as yours.”

Twilight giggled again.  “Well, I wouldn’t say that, but you come pretty close.”

The two of them shared another laugh before arriving at Twilight’s front door.

“So,” Flash rubbed the back of his neck before continuing, “I’ll be seeing you next Saturday then?”

“Oh, yes, definitely,” Twilight agreed, letting go of his arm and getting ready to go inside.

Twilight turned and was about to open the door when Flash took her by the hand and kissed it.  Twilight blushed, and her eyes widened.  Did that actually just happen?

Flash met her eyes, gave her a warm yet sheepish smile, and said, “I know you were joking earlier, but I really wanted to do that.”

Twilight smiled back.  Then, she lunged forward, threw her arms over his shoulders, and pulled Flash into a comfortably tight hug.  Flash was taken aback at first but soon returned it, gently yet securely wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards him.

“Did anybody ever tell you that you give great hugs?” Twilight playfully whispered in his ear.

“Really?  I could say the same about you,” Flash whispered back.

“Oh, wow, do I really want to kiss him right now!” Twilight thought to herself as she turned her head towards him.

“Alright, break it up!” Shining Armor demanded as he burst out of the front door. Flash and Twilight pulled away from each other in surprise.  “Don’t make me turn on the sprinklers.”

Well, that happened.

“Now, son,” a voice came from behind Shining Armor.  Shining Armor stepped aside to reveal an older man.  He was two inches shorter than Shining and less muscular with hair and skin in two different shades of dark blue.  “Don’t scare off the poor kid.”

The man offered his hand out to Flash.  “Hello, my name is Night Light.  I’m Twilight’s father.”

“I’m Flash,” Flash introduced himself, taking Mr. Light’s hand to shake, “Flash Sentry.”

“Nice to meet you, Flash, and thank you for bringing my daughter home before 10.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure.  The two of us really had fun.”

“Not too much fun I hope,” Shining butted in.

“Shining Armor,” Night Light scolded.

“Out of my way, everybody!” a female voice shouted from the hallway.  A middle-aged woman with gray skin and purple and white hair pushed her way past the two men, grabbed Flash’s hand in both of hers, and began shaking it vigorously.  “It’s so nice to meet you.  I’m Twilight’s mother Velvet.”

“Likewise,” Flash replied with a rather uncomfortable smile as Ms. Velvet continued to shake his hand.

“Oh goodness, you’re so polite,” Velvet exclaimed, finally letting go of Flash’s hand.  “You know, this is our first time meeting one of Twily’s boyfriends.  We really ought to invite you for dinner one of these days. Say, why don’t come over for dinner tomorrow?  Shining Armor is bringing his girlfriend over too.”

“Mom!” the siblings simultaneously cried out.

“Velvet, honey, let’s not rush things,” Night Light pointed out.  “After all, Twilight just came home from her first date with him.  Don’t you think having him over for dinner tomorrow is a little fast?”

“Oh, hush, you!” Ms. Velvet countered.  “If he and Twilight are going to date, we need to make sure he’s comfortable with being part of the family.”

“Oh, good grief,” Twilight muttered, putting her hand on her face.

“You don’t have any objections against coming for dinner tomorrow night, do you?” Velvet asked Flash.

Flash looked towards Twilight who was covering her face in complete, utter embarrassment.  Then, he looked to each one of her family members.  Shining Armor was eyeing him suspiciously, Mr. Night Light was frowning with uncertainty, and Ms. Velvet was beaming from ear to ear.  He took a deep breath and gave his answer.

“I’ll come if Twilight’s okay with it,” Flash replied.

Twilight uncovered her face and looked at him dumbfoundedly.  Flash shrugged in response.

“Twily, ARE you okay with this?” Mr. Light asked his daughter.

Twilight wanted to say no.  No, she wasn’t okay with this at all.  She hadn’t been home for even five minutes, and her family was already embarrassing her. Twilight opened her mouth to speak but then stopped and thought about what she and Flash had talked about on the way to the front door.

She had suggested going to his brother’s game to see what kind of a person Flash was around his family.  Now, he had the opportunity to see what she was like with hers, and he was letting her have the final say in the matter.  Denying Flash that opportunity felt pretty unfair.  Besides, as embarrassing as they are, at least she HAS caring and loving family members. Well, so did Flash, but unlike him, she’s never experienced the heartache of loss and abandonment before. 

“We’d love to have you over,” Twilight answered Flash with a smile.

“Ooooh, perfect!” squealed Velvet.  “Be sure to dress nice, you two.  I’m going to want pictures.”

“Great!” Flash affirmed.  “So, I’ll see all of you tomorrow then.”

“Oh, of course.  Drive safe on your way home.”

Flash smiled at Ms. Velvet and the rest of Twilight’s family before turning to Twilight.  He took her hand and gave it a squeeze.  Twilight looked into his eyes, blushing fiercely, partly from embarrassment but mostly because Flash had dreamy eyes.  Then, Flash smiled warmly at her and kissed her hand again.

“See you tomorrow, milady,” he said with a smirk before walking back to his car.

“Y-yeah, s-see you tomo-tomorrow,” Twilight inaudibly stuttered as she watched him go.

Flash gave Twilight and her family a final wave as he drove off.  Then, one by one, Twilight’s family began to go back into the house, leaving only Night Light and Twilight outside.

“Well, he seems nice,” Night Light said to his daughter.  “I think I like him.”

“Yeah,” Twilight uttered, still in a daze.

“You know, if he somehow manages to survive dinner with the family tomorrow, he’ll officially have earned his man card.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Twily, are you going to come inside?”

“Huh?” Twilight cried, snapping out of her daze.  “What did you say, Dad?”

“Sweetheart, did you hear anything I just said?”

“Uh.” Twilight smiled sheepishly at her father.

“You know what?  I’ll tell you inside.  Are you coming?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Twilight replied.  She gave one final look back to where Flash’s car used to be before going inside with a contented smile on her face.

Oddly enough, she was actually looking forward to tomorrow.
> Bonus Chapter 2:  Reaction to “Miracle Queen”
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”  An earth-shattering scream exploded out of a house in a cul-de-sac.  This house belonged to a family consisting of a brown-skinned, ginger-haired middle schooler named Button Mash, his mother, and his father.

Presently, his parents were both still at work, so he was hanging out in the living room with his best friend First Base and Base’s brother Flash Sentry. The three of them had been watching TV together before Button Mash got the shock of his life.

“My ship!” Button continued to wail, flopping himself face down on the carpet. “They were so perfect together. Why?!”

First Base blinked twice and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, that happened,” Base uttered as he turned off the television.

“That was,” Flash paused to collect his thoughts, “unexpected and sad.”

Button just kept groaning and wailing.

“Will you cut that out?  It’s not even that big a deal,” Base retorted.

“Oh, oh!  That’s easy for you to say.  You didn’t even care who those two ended up with!” Button shouted as he lifted his head and pointed a finger accusingly at Base.

“Button, calm down,” Flash scolded.  “Cerise and Soleil seeing other people isn’t the end of the world or the series.  Besides, don’t you remember the point of the episode?  Just because life doesn’t go the way that you want it to, it doesn’t mean life is over.”

Button opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say anything, somebody’s phone rang.

“It’s mine,” Flash announced as he looked at the caller ID, “and it’s from Twilight.”

“You gonna take that, Bro?” Base asked as Flash got up from the sofa.

“Uh-huh,” Flash replied as went into Button’s dining room.  “Hey, Twilight.”

“Hi, Flash,” Twilight greeted back from the other side of the phone.  “Have you by any chance seen ‘Miracle Queen’ yet?”

“Yeah. Button Mash, Little Bro, and I just saw it.”

“And?”

“Well,” Flash paused as he glanced back at the living room where Button had resumed making a scene.  “Maybe you should listen for yourself.”

Flash held the mouthpiece of his phone out towards the living room.

“Starstruck, you jerk!” Button bellowed skyward.  “Those two deserved each other, and you blew it!  You totally blew it!  Why?!”

After that outburst, he put his phone’s earpiece back next to his ear.

“Oh,” Twilight stated.  “I see.”

“Yep,” he replied.  “Pretty bad, huh?”

“It’s nowhere near as bad as how Rarity and Sweetie Belle are taking it.”

“Wait,” Flash said as his eyes widened in realization.  “Are you at Rarity’s house right now?”

“Yes.”

“And you just watched a TV episode with her where one of her ships got sunk, right?”

“Also correct.”

“So, how in the world am I hearing you right now?”

“I ducked into Rarity’s closet.  It’s soundproof,” Twilight explained.

Flash blinked twice, trying not to question why Rarity would need a soundproof closet.

“So, other than our present company, what did you think of it?” Twilight continued.

“I liked it,” Flash replied.  “I mean, sure, it was a pretty unexpected turn of events, and I’m pretty disappointed with Dorure’s choices, not mad, just disappointed.  Also, Master Gui forgetting everything was,” he sighed, “sad.”

“Ugh, I know, right?” Twilight agreed.  “I mean, yes, something good came out of it for him, but still, he didn’t just lose his memories.  He also lost the kwamis as his friends, and Cerise and Soleil lost a mentor.  On top of that, the two of them are going to have to protect the kwamis on their own from now on.”

“And since Hawkmoth knows their allies’ secret identities, it’s going to be incredibly risky for them to get help in the future.  Talk about pressure.”

“Uh, Flash,” Twilight stammered.  “There’s something else from the episode that I really want to talk about because it’s bothering me, but I’m not sure if I should tell you.”

“Why not?”

“It’s just that, well, with you having to deal with one utterly distraught shipper already, I’m not sure if you’re going to want to talk about anything Love Square-related.”

“Oh, well, if it’s really bothering you, then I don’t see why we can’t talk about it,” Flash reassured her.  “What about the whole shipping situation is bothering you?”

“Do, do you think Love Square is still going to be endgame?” Twilight asked nervously. “I want to believe that it will be, but what if that’s not what happens?  What if the two of them can’t be together until they’re older than Gui or until Cerise stops being a guardian, which means they’ll have to start their relationship all over again from the beginning except with probably at least five years of their lives totally erased?  I, I’m just having a really hard time seeing this ship work out in a way that doesn’t come with the risk of even more pain and heartache.”

“Heh, yeah, Starstruck really loves torturing the fans, doesn’t he?” Flash scoffed with a laugh.

“Does he ever!”

“Twilight, I feel like a complete fool for what I’m about to admit, but I think Love Square is going to totally work out.  I know there’s a risk that Cerise and Soleil will get even more hurt than they already have been, which is kind of a given considering who Hawkmoth really is, but I believe they’ll get out of it stronger than ever and that they’ll find each other along the way.”

“But what if they don’t?”

“In the words of my grandmother, we’ll cross that bridge if we ever get to it.” Flash waited for Twilight to reply, but she remained silent for a while.  “You still there?”

“Yeah,” Twilight replied, “I’m still here.  Thanks for the talk, Flash.  It was…” She paused.  “It was nice and really, really sweet of you.  I’ll probably talk to you some more later, but right now, I’ve got to go help calm down Rarity and Sweetie Belle.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Thanks,” she giggled.  “Bye.”

The two of them hung up, and Flash turned his attention to Button Mash who was still face down on the floor mourning his ship.

“Would it mean anything to you at all if I told you that Love Square still has a chance?” Flash said to Button as he returned to the sofa.

“How?” Button cried.  “They’re with other people now.  It’s over.”

“No, it’s not,” Flash countered.  “Button, I know there are people out there who find their special someone on the first try, my grandparents being two of them, but most people might need a few tries before that happens.  The first relationship isn’t necessarily going to be the one that ends with a happily ever after.  Take it from a guy who knows.”

First Base looked at his brother and asked, “So, you think this new girl you’re with is going to be the one this time around?”

That question somehow managed to get Button off the ground and sitting up properly.  All eyes were on Flash, and Flash couldn’t decide if this was better or worse than listening to Button whine about his ship.  Nevertheless, the boys needed an answer.

“It’s,” Flash began, letting out a sigh, “It’s too early to tell right now. I mean, we’re both just getting to know each other, and I don’t want to move this relationship forward too fast.” He paused.  “But if I’m honest with myself, I really, really hope she’s the one.”

“Well, you didn’t have to lie to anyone to have her,” Base replied with a smile. “That’s a good sign.”

Flash smiled back at him.  Ever so slightly, Flash’s smile grew more sinister.  However, by the time that Base noticed this change, Flash had grabbed his younger brother into a headlock and begun rubbing his knuckles on the top of Base’s head.

Base shrieked as he struggled to pull his head out of Flash’s hold, jabbing his hands under Flash’s arms in desperation.  One three-way tickle fight/wrestling match later, Flash found himself at the bottom of a dogpile with Base pinning his shoulders to the floor and Button holding down his ankles, all three of them laughing.