Twilight swallowed, a burning feeling already constricting her throat. “What?” Her voice was tight, as if it was barely squeezed from her vocal cords. “What do you mean?”
Flash Sentry wasn’t looking at her. He couldn’t seem to look at anything for long. His eyes landed on the soft grass, the fluffy white clouds in the sky, a butterfly going by. Anything that wasn’t Twilight. “I told you. This is a mistake. We’re not made for each other.”
Twilight had never understood the hysterics ponies went into when broken up with until now. She could understand the want to eat a bathtub full of ice cream or to hide beneath blankets for days. “Why?” she asked, and how she hated the way her voice sounded. She hated the way that Flash closed his eyes in a wince, as if it hurt him as well. “I need to know what I did wrong, or what we did wrong. There—“ she squeezed her eyes closed and took a deep breath, trying to will away the burning in her eyes and the water that threatened to spill over. “There is a lesson in everything. If-if-if I learn, then I won’t make the same mistakes again.” As if to spite her, the tears she had managed to hold back fell as he looked at her. “Please.”
Then Flash had tears in his eyes, too. “It isn’t you. That sounds like a line, I know, but it isn’t you, Twilight. It’s me. I’m not…you need a stallion who is better than I am. More.”
“More? More what?” A small part of Twilight was glad they were in a secluded part of the Crystal Kingdom gardens, where no one could stare.
Flash flailed a hoof around, as if looking for the words in the air. “I don’t know. More like you, I guess. You’re amazing, Twilight, and I’ve always meant that. But I’m not the superhero you deserve.”
Twilight gave a short laugh. It held no mirth or amusement, but instead the sound of confused pain. “Superheroes aren’t real, Flash.”
“You exist.”
The garden was silent for a moment after that. Flash seemed shocked at his words and Twilight had stilled completely. “I’m not a super hero. I’m just a pony.”
Flash stepped forward. “But you aren’t, Twilight. You defeated Tirek and Sombra, and you tamed Starlight and Nightmare Moon, and you’re an alicorn princess on top of all that. You’re the chosen one.”
Twilight didn’t respond. Her tears had stopped flowing now, though her fur was mussed from wiping them away. Her wings hung limply by her side. “I’m not chosen. I’m not a superhero. I did what needed to be done, just like my friends, just anypony else would have.” Her eyes drifted from his face to the ground. She took a deep breath, blinking rapidly. “I just want to love someone, Flash. I want someone to hold tight in the middle of the night. To kiss me. To miss when I’m away. I…” She looked up into his face, searching. “You have to get me off this pedestal you seem to have me on. I’m just a pony. I just want a pony that’s just a pony. Maybe…maybe you’re right. This was a mistake.” Tears were once more streaming down her face, though now she made no effort to hold them back. “Maybe some princesses weren’t made for happy endings.”
She walked away slowly, wings hanging loosely by her side and head down.
It wasn’t fair. Ponies never treated her differently until the exact moment that she needed them not to, and suddenly they did. She sniffed, but didn’t cry, as she made her way through the castle. No one spoke to her – or if they did, she didn’t hear them.
In fact, it wasn’t until she was pushing open the door to her room that she heard anyone say anything to her at all. She pulled herself from her thoughts and saw Cadance standing before her. “Are you okay?”
For half a second, the thought of saying yes and just going to sleep flited through her mind, but she wanted to talk about this. She shook her head and pushed the door to her room completely open. “Flash and I broke up.”
Cadance, who had already looked concerned, flared her wings in surprise. “Oh, Twily, I’m sorry. What happened?”
Twilight shrugged. She crawled onto her bed, Cadance settling next to her and wrapping her in a wing. It felt nice, warm, and she felt protected, like when she was a filly. “He thinks I’m more than I am. Like I’m some sort of great figure. I know I’m a princess. I understand that can be a barrier.” She brushed a tear away. “He thought I was some sort of superhero, Cady. Like I make it my mission to go out and save the world!” She threw her hooves wide, rolling her eyes at the phrase once it was out. “He broke up with me because, apparently, I’m too good for him. It doesn’t make sense.” She closed her eyes, pressing herself against Cadance, who tightened her grip. “I really liked him.”
They sat in silence for a moment. Cadance stroked Twilight’s mane, feeling her slowly relax. After a time, she pulled away from Twilight. “I understand. Shiny once had me on a pedestal, you know?”
“I lived with him.”
Cadance nodded. “Right. It took him a while to see me for me, but when he did…Twi, he’s my husband now. We have a family. Maybe you and Flash Sentry just moved to fast. Maybe, if you extend your hoof in friendship, you can eventually pick what you were trying the last three months back up.” Then she got a devilish smile. “In the meantime, I can think of one or two ponies to help you get over him.”
“That isn’t psychologically sound advice, you know.” Twilight fell back onto a pillow, with Cadance soon following suit.
Cadance just shrugged. “It works. Honestly, I can have Hard Cut here in a second if you’d like.”
“No, no.” They fell silent again. “I really liked him, Cady. I thought maybe we could be like you and Shiny. I think it’ll take me a little while to actually want to date again.”
Cadance spluttered. “A while? I finally got you into romance, and now you’re backing out? Twi! I’ll give you a month, and I’m setting you up on a date!”
With a gentle smile and a roll of her eyes, Twilight giggled. “Yeah, sure. Whatever makes you happy.”
Twilight was surprised when Cadance once again draped a wing over her. “Seriously, though, I’m here for you. You’re my sister and I’ll be here whenever you need me.”
“I think I just want to sleep,” Twilight said.
Cadance gave a small smile and nodded. “Okay. I’m taking you to breakfast tomorrow. Be ready.”
“I will be!”
The door shut with a click, and Twilight sighed. Though she had no doubt she would be banishing these thoughts soon, tonight, she let the image play. First ‘I love you’s. Proposals. Marriage. Children. A life lived together.
Casting a quick sound reduction charm, Twilight turned over in her bed. She tugged a pillow close to her middle and hugged it tightly, burying her face and muffling the sound of her tears.