That was the word being constantly yelled out that morning in the Crystal Empire. The citizens of the city were all awakened by this sound, going out to see many non-crystal ponies running around, all screaming at the top of their lungs.

"FLASH!" Twilight screeched while flying close to the ground, "FLASH, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Come on partner!" Applejack hollered while searching the city's farmland, "Show yah-self!"

"Flash!" Rarity cried from the balcony of the castle, Trixie beside her. Pinkie had lent them both a pair of binoculars, which they were using with giant frowns on their faces, "Oh darling, where are you?"

"Flash?!" Pinkie opened a trashcan and looked inside, "You in here?" Blinking at the empty container, she then walked up to a nearby small rock and lifted it up, "Flash?"

"Maybe...but you know the old saying Wild. Leave no stone unturned." Wild chuckled at this, slinging his hoof around her shoulders as he began to direct his puppets to look around.

At the same time, Fluttershy was with Iron, looking for some animals that could help in their search. "Thank you," she replied to some snow bunny friends she had made during their first trip to the empire. The rabbits began to hop away, ready to spread the word to the others as the pegasi let out a sigh, "They said they didn't see anypony. They were asleep until about an hour ago."

Iron let out an exasperated growl. "Damn it Sentry, where in Celestia's name did you go?!" Fluttershy gave him a soft nudge, making him nod before they made their way back to the castle. There, they found Springer meditating near the Crystal Heart, his ears flaring as a blue flame encased his body.

The jakhowl let out a deep breath as he opened his eyes, only to shake his head. "Nothing. I can't lock onto Flash's aura. He's either really far away, some rune magic is interfering with me, or he somehow figured out how to block our connection."

"I'm guessing it's the first option," Ruby commented with crossed hooves, "I know all the security protocols in this city, including runes if they were setup. Not only that, there's no trace of him anywhere in the empire."

"He wasn't at the knight museum," Gorgenia stated as she, Lightning and Script walked up to them.

Twilight looked up as she heard another set of wings beating, now seeing Rainbow and Soarin. "Find anything?"

"Nothing," Rainbow replied as she touched the floor and brushed herself with her wings. "The station master said there weren't any trains last night."

Soarin nodded in agreement, "And he didn't see anypony around the station last night either."

Spike tapped the side of his head in frustration, "This is nuts. If Flash didn't get on a train, then where is he? He couldn't have just vanished into thin air."

Twilight was about to respond, only to see her brother and the rest of the princesses now leaving the castle. They were followed by a troop of guards, all who began to filter out through the city. "What's going on?"

Shining walked up to answer them. "I'm having the guards go door to door. Hopefully somepony will have seen him."

"And if they haven't?" Scootaloo asked with a big frown, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle patting her side. While she asked this, two pairs of parents began to make their way to the group.

"Did you find him?" Velvet chimed in first, "We helped search the castle, but found nothing."

"No, nopony has found anything." Grand grumbled with crossed hooves, only to punch the ground in anger, "Damn it Flash!"

Twilight huffed at the sight, tapping her hoof to the ground, "We need to find Flash. Now."

"She's right gramps." Lightning added as he put his hoof on Grand's shoulder, "Calm down. You're usually much cooler than this." Grand looked back at his grandson, the sight instantly pushing away the anxiety the old knight was feeling.

"Oh dear...there has to be someway to find him." Misty sighed, only for a bulb to go off in her brain, "Wait! What about the dish we gave him?! I know it's a long-shot, but he could have brought it with him."

Twilight slightly gulped at that, "Uh Misty, we um...well, we kind of...don't have that anymore."

"Oh, it transformed into a magical key that we used to open a magical treasure chest that gave us the power to defeat Tirek and then grew into a magical castle out of the ground." She took a deep breath after that, forcing Misty and Trail to just stare at her with wide eyes.

"Ooookay," the mare replied, "I have more questions about that, but they can wait until we find my son."

"Don't worry," Celestia assured her. "We'll do everything in our power to find him."

"I didn't say that. I'm simply suggesting we spend our time preparing for our next search. We'll wait for the guards to finish going door to door. If anypony saw him, then we'll be rested to go after him. If not, we can start working on our next plan. Either way, it's better than wandering around exhausting ourselves."

Twilight opened her mouth to counter, only for brain to tell her no. "Okay. That does make sense."

Celestia shined a small smile as she placed a hoof on her former student's shoulder. "Don't worry Twilight, Flash is strong. I'm sure wherever he is, he's okay."

But these words fell on deaf ears as the group headed into the castle, Twilight now whispering to himself, "Flash...where are you?"

Up in the mountains, the still injured Flash was trudging through a wasteland of pure snow. Despite reaching the crystal mountains, now having travelled throughout the night and morning, he had not stopped from putting as much distance as possible between himself and the empire. In fact, he had already passed by three mountain tops and was now nearing the peak of his fourth.

There, he stared down and spotted a large forest, a blanket of snow covering the tree ceiling. "Not bad. This should work for now." He stretched his wings next, only to flinch in pain as he started to fly down. There, he landed and trotted into the treeline until he found a large tree, spinning around to slump down by the piece of lumber. As he did this, his mind began to wander as the memories of his battle against Cold swam through his brain. He kept replaying the scenario over and over, Cold's words echoing in his ears.

"In the heat of battle, a warrior's true character is revealed. And depending on your actions, your insecurities become crystal clear to your opponent."

"I admit, you've faced some pretty powerful enemies. But how many have you fought and defeated on your own?"

"On your own, you lack what is needed to keep Equestria safe. And it's not just power wise. There's something even more important, that you will never be able to become a knight without. A reason."

He suddenly let out a frustrated cry, screaming as he slammed his hoof into the tree trunk. The blow caused the whole thing to shake, a pile of snow now falling on top of the pegasi. Another scream of anger followed this as he pulled himself out of the white powder. Shaking off the snow, he then gripped his Celestic Gear, Lightbringer now out of his sheath.

"RAUGH!" he yelled as he turned and started slashing at the trunk, trying to make sure each slash was stronger than the last. Again and again he slashed at the tree, Cold's words continuing to play through his head.

His blade started to glow, Flash not realizing he was charging it up as more words replayed in his mind.

"Don't come back until you have the power to defeat me on your own. Until you know why you want to become a knight. Until you've mastered this power."

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Something inside Flash broke as his weapon was now super charged, its energy instantly slicing the tree like butter. The blow made the pillar of lumber tilt, the defender looking up as it began to fall. Seeing this, Flash jumped away as the snow-filled wood fell, another pile of white fluff falling on top of him.

Flash continued to growl as he picked himself out of the snow, Cold's words continuing to haunt him. "RAAAAAAUUUGGGHHHHH!!!" he screamed as Flash slammed his hooves into the ground like a barrage of punches, snow shaking off all the trees as he screeched. The pegasi kept yelling, his throat burning as his hooves went numb from the blows. Here, his legs gave out, his face kissing the snow as tears poured down his form.

"Why...why...why..." he repeated, the apprentice now going through more memories. This time they were him as a colt, a thief on the streets. There, there was no family, no friends, no Grand. No training, no...nothing. Just Flash, trying to survive...alone. The thought made him go back to Cold's words, making him mutter out, "Is he right? Am I...am I just a...a worthless criminal?"

He put his face back into the snow, tears restarting, "I'm...I'm so weak." His hooves started to move to his face, "Why...why?! WHY AM I SO WEAK?!"

The lone defender wasn't sure how much time passed there. Minutes, hours...it didn't matter as he pulled himself up and leaned against another tree. As he did this, he looked up and sniffed, his mouth quivering as he bit his lip. No words came out of his mouth, his mind now going through the rest of his life. He remembered every day as a colt, going through the streets again. His thoughts went over being a thief again, making him look down at his hooves.

A sigh went out of his nostrils, "Did I never change?" he asked himself as he stared back up at the sky, another memory going through his head. This one was when he met a certain purple unicorn filly, watching her get bullied. Remembering the moment he saved her, she...she let him stay with his family.

"Twilight..." he whispered as he thought about her. The question of what would she do now went through his head, only to give himself the answer. He knew she would give him some great speech about how important he was to everypony...only for his mind to come to a stop. Blinking at the thought, he stared at the clouds in the sky.

His friends. He could see what he believed to be all his friends in the clouds. One of them looked like Springer, another now forming to see Scootaloo. Spike, Rainbow, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Grand, Shining, Lightning and the rest of the knights were also there. There were even ones that looked like the princesses and both his and Twilight's parents.

Slowly, the different shaped clouds all began to come together, as if to perform one big group hug. But as it did this, it slowly started merging together until they created a new figure, one he knew all to well. It was his first and best friend, the one who had stood by him through thick and thin.

"Twilight." he repeated as tears went down his face. "Twilight..." The cloud alicorn seemed to stare down at him, the two locking eyes as everything around them disappeared. Flash felt his heart begin to beat heavily, his face turning red at her depiction. But as he did, images of a dark figure standing over a beaten Twilight and the rest of the ponies he loved suddenly filled his mind. And as he shook his head, he stared at the sky...only to see a smirking Cold Steel.

He picked himself up at the sight, the thoughts of his friends now vanishing in his head, "I have to get stronger...I have to beat him!" he yelled as he gripped his sword and flexed his wings. Letting out a roar, he swung at another tree, "RRAAAHHH!!!"

The Crystal Guard was going door to door, asking if anypony had seen Flash while our heroes were patiently killing time. Celestia and Luna were busy filling out paperwork, (the situation didn't mean this stuff could be forgotten) while the Royal Guards were doing some light training in case it was discovered that Flash had been captured. Spike had gone off the find some gems while Springer had taken the CMC out to try and cheer Scootaloo up. At the same time, Gorgenia had taken Lightning, Script and Wild off to see her newest crystal creations.

Meanwhile, Twilight was pacing around in her room so much that she was creating a grove in the crystal floor. She wasn't alone, as the rest of the female Mane Seven and Cadance were there with her. "Oh...what's taking so long?! The Empire isn't that big! How could they not have asked everypony yet?!"

Cadance went up and patted her shoulder, "Twilight, they're doing the best they can. I know you're worried about Flash, but fretting over it isn't gonna help."

Twilight turned to her sister in law and her friends. "It's better than doing nothing! Flash could be who knows where doing who knows what, and he's still hurt! All it'll take is him running into the wrong situation and he could be..." She didn't finish her sentence, tears forming in her eyes. The ponies all grimaced at the sight, unable to create the words to help her.

That is, till Pinkie got up and bounced over to Twilight before pulling her into a hug. "Don't worry Twi-Twi. Flashie might be injured, but do you really think that'll be enough to take him down?"

Rarity nodded in agreement. "Especially when he still has stuff left to do with his life."

"Besides, he knows if he let himself get beat, he'd never hear the end of it from us." Rainbow continued while putting her hooves behind her head. "Heck, I know I won't let him hear the end of it."

Twilight just pulled away from Pinkie, her frown growing as she looked away, "But..."

Another hoof patted her shoulder, making her glance up and see Fluttershy, "Don't worry. Flash will be fine."

Twilight softly pushed Fluttershy's hoof away, "I'm sorry. I know you're all worried and trying to help me stay calm, but I...I just can't help it. I just..." she placed a hoof over her chest.

"You feel like your heart is being gripped by something, ready to squash it when you learn something's happened." Twilight turned to her sister in law, now seeing a smirk on her face, "I know the feeling. I felt the exact same thing when Shining first joined the Royal Guard. I was scared he'd be sent someplace dangerous and end up getting hurt...or worse."

Fluttershy nodded with a soft smile, "I'm always worried Iron's gonna be sent out on a mission he might not come back from. When I learned about his fight with Tirek, I was horrified something bad might have happened to him."

"Me too!" Pinkie chimed in, "Even though Wild doesn't have a really dangerous job, I still get this tummy ache whenever he goes off."

Rainbow seemed to blush as she looked away. "And...well...I guess I get a little worried whenever I see Soarin about to do a high risk stunt."

Twilight blinked at this, her brain not clicking as she tilted her head at them. "But that's because those are ponies you love."

Twilight kept blinking, "This is Flash Cadance. That's different compared to you...couples."

Everypony went wide-eyed at her response, all resisting the urge to facehoof. Cadance especially let out a huge sigh as she walked up to Twilight, "Twily…we need to talk."

"About what?" Twilight asked, a blank expression now on her face, "Will it help us find Flash?"

"Oh, you have got to be-" Cadance whispered to herself, her will not trying every way to not rub her head with her hooves in frustration. "Calm down Cadance. You're the princess of love. You can do this...you can finally do this...you can finally solve your greatest failure, and-"

"Do what?" Twilight interrupted, a frown now appearing on her face as she heard Cadance's silent words, "What did you fail at Cadance? Do you need help with it?"

A facehoof finally happened next, Cadance's hoof now stretching her face as she shook her head, "Oh...I can't believe this."

"Stop." Cadance demanded as she put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder, "Twily, it's time you finally admitted it. You love Flash. And by love, I mean romantically."

Twilight's eyes went wide at this, her face growing bright red. "What?! What are you-" She gasped as her wings reflexively flared up, "That's...what are you talking about?! That's ridiculous!"

"Oh, come on Twilight!" Rainbow yelled as she pointed at the princess, "You and Flash have been crushing on one another for ages!"

Rarity nodded before rolling her eyes, "She's right darling. Heck, ever since you got back from your first adventure to the human world, the two of you have been acting out every cliché from the romance department."

"Plus you two have been acting like an old married couple since the day we met you," Pinkie added, Applejack nodding in agreement.

Fluttershy then put her wing over the princess, "Twilight, I know it can be scary to admit how you feel about somepony. I felt the same way before I told Iron. But once you do, you'll feel so much better. Like a weight is lifted off your soul."

"But Flash and I...huh?! We-we-we're not like that!" Twilight barked back, "What are you talking about?!"

"Twily...just admit it." Cadance sighed, "You've been like this since...well, since forever. Trust me, I know. I've dealt with it for years now, with failure at every turn to get you two together." the princess leaned forward with a dull stare, "And that's before you met your friends."

"Cadance!" Twilight's face was full tomato red now, "You know we're not like that! Sure, me and Flash grew up together...heck, we're practically siblings!"

"Oh really? Then how come I've never heard you call him bro or your BBBFF like you do with Shining?" She watched as Twilight opened her mouth, only for no sound to come out. "See?"

"It proves you don't see Flash as your brother." Cadance countered as she leaned back, "And he doesn't see you as his sister."

"Huh?! Why wouldn't he?" Twilight responded, blinking before a click went off in her head, "Wait...how do you know that?!"

"Because he would have called you sis or something if he did. He's calls Shining his bro, and he calls your parents mom and dad. Heck, I remember him calling Spike his little bro." She pointed at the purple alicorn, "But he's never called you by a sibling name, and its all because he doesn't see you as his sister." Twilight tried to respond, but Cadance wouldn't let her, putting her hooves on the young alicorn's shoulders while staring deep into her eyes, "Twilight, I know love and Flash loves you. I'm the Princess of Love, and I know he loves you more than a friend or a family member."

The others all nodded, Applejack speaking up. "And ya'll love him just as much. We've known it for ages."

"We've been trying to get you two to realize it for quite a while darling," Rarity commented next.

"But it's like some higher power is trying to keep you two apart," Pinkie said before shooting a glare at a certain wall.

Cadance shook her head at this, only to refocus her vision on Twilight, "Here, let me help you. Twily, I want you to close your eyes." She did so. "Now, I want you to picture Flash in your mind." A small sigh followed, only for the girls to notice a small smile starting to appear on the mare's lips, the sight making Cadance smirk. "Now...describe Flash for me. What do you think about him in your own words?"

"Well..." Twilight tilted her head at this, "He's an idiotic meathead who never thinks before he acts."

The girls all rolled their eyes at this, Cadance sighing yet again. "Should have saw that coming."

"No!" Cadance instantly replied, increasing her grip on Twilight's shoulders. Seeing her flinch, Cadance softened her hooves as she continued, "Keep going. What else do you think about him in your own words?"

"He's also a moron who doesn't listen to me half of the time, which is really frustrating. He likes to annoy me with loud rock music, he never cleans up for himself, he likes to avoid taking showers just to irritate me, and he never lets me forget that time I forced him to read the entirety of-"

"Just...think about more than the flaws. Think about...what else you think about Flash. And be completely honest with me."

"What else I think? Um...well..." Twilight put her hoof to her chin, "Uh...if I'm honest, I think he's one of the most selfless ponies I've ever met."

"I like..." Twilight paused, her brain now showing a full image of Flash in her mind, "I like how he's always ready to face a challenge head on, even if he has no idea how well he'll do with it. I like how he's always there for those who need somepony, even if it's somepony he barely knows and doesn't even really like. I like how he's always willing to stand up for those who can't do it themselves. I like how he would always be there for me back when I would get frustrated on my tests under Princess Celestia." A big smile started to form as she continued, "I love how he never stops pushing himself and never gives up no matter what obstacles he comes across. I love how he'll never abandon a pony, no matter how much they push him away. I love how caring he is, or how he'll never go back on his word. I love..." she opened her eyes and saw the others smiling at her, "What?"

"Twilight, you do realize you've been saying 'I love' instead of 'l like', don't you?"

Applejack chuckled while tipping her hat, "Twi, there ain't a thing wrong with fallin' in love sugarcube. It's actually cause for celebration."

Twilight blinked at this, her mind now going a mile a minute. She remembered all the memories of Flash, when she first met him to when he helped her in that thunderstorm that faithful day. The memory of dancing with Flash at the gala and at the Fall Formal. She then remembered back to her talk with Sunset in the mirror world, jealousy raging in her head just like when Trixie showed interest in him. As this thought swam through her head, she remembered the moment on the boat with just the two of them, feeling she was close to him in those moments.

And as the image of Flash entered her head, she couldn't help but notice how her heart began to beat ever so much faster.

"There we go," Cadance pulled her into a hug, "It's okay Twilight. I know this is confusing, but in time, you'll grow to love how you feel about him."

"B-but Flash...Flash and I...I don't...what if...what if he doesn't love me back? What if I...why do I-"

Cadance pulled back and tapped her chest. "Trust me on this Twilight. Flash loves you, even if he doesn't realize it yet. If you tell him how you feel, he'll reciprocate your feelings."

"I can't!" Twilight exclaimed, her whole form now shaking, "Me and Flash?! But I...why would I...I mean...look at us!" She put her hooves to her face as she continued to shake, "What if Flash and I start dating?! What would I do?! All we do is argue all the time! Why-"

"That's a perfectly natural thing sweetie," Cadance assured her. "All couples fight. Shiny and I have our disagreements from time to time."

Pinkie rapidly nodded at this, "Yeah! Me and Wild don't always agree with one another! Like the time me and him argued over how much sugar goes into my special orange and lemon ice cream cake!"

Rarity walked in front of the party pony. "It's just like when we helped those ponies under Starlight's hoof. We made them realize that its okay to argue and disagree. Remember, just because friends argue, it doesn't stop them from being friends. It's the same with couples."

"Iron and I disagree all the time. Doesn't mean we don't love one another. It just means there are a few issues we need to sort out."

"And even Soarin and I have our disagreements. Like which Daring Do book is the best or how he likes pies but I hate them."

Cadance patted Twilight's shoulders again, getting her attention, "Twilight, ask any couple and I bet they'll say they've had a fight of some kind recently."

"I couldn't agree more darling. In fact, it'd be more unusual if they didn't," Rarity added.

"Wait! Stop for a second!" Pinkie yelled as she pointed at Rainbow, "What happened to all those pies I've made for you?"

Cadance rolled her eyes at this, turning back to Twilight. Unfortunately, all she saw was a shivering mess, "B-b-b-but what if Flash and I get into such a huge fight t-t-that we end up breaking up?! W-w-what if that happens and being around one another becomes so awkward that it ruins our friendship?!"

Cadance resisted facehoofing as she sighed, "Twily...you can't let fear stop you from going after what you truly want. Do you know how much courage it took for your brother to ask me out? He was willing to dress up like an idiot and ride on a float while singing his heart out to an entire stadium of polo fans, all because he loved me enough to risk making a fool out of himself."

Twilight tried to respond, only to giggle at the memory of that story. Unfortunately, this was soon replaced with panic again, "I don't...I just...augh!" She started rubbing her hooves into her head, "What do I do?! What should I do?!"

"Start by telling Flash how you feel. After that, just take some time for both of you to think about what you want in life. Eventually, everything will just fall into place."

Twilight's eyes shrunk at that statement. She felt one second from fainting, her whole body shivering as she started to look around the room. Here, she saw all her friends nodding in agreement with Cadance. Smile were on all their faces, true confident grins. Her breathing started to reset, going back to its normal pace as she suddenly felt a cloud of doubt and confusion leave her mind. "Alright. I...I...I'll tell him."

"Atta' girl!" Cadance pulled her into another hug. "Now come on. I'm sure the guards will be back from their patrol soon. Once we find Flash, you can give him an ear-full before telling him the good stuff." Twilight nodded, Cadance slowly helping her leave the room with the rest of the girls.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light were lost. Granted, they had never got the chance to explore the castle that their son now technically owned, which they had to admit wasn't as ridiculously big as Celestia's….but that didn't mean much in terms of getting lost.

Thankfully, this didn't last long as they took another left turn down a hallway, only to see the entrance to one of the castle's study rooms, Misty and Trail working over some research documents at a table. Both looked up to see them walk in, the two couples not making eye contact as Misty asked, "I guess you think we should be leaving this alone until we find Flash?"

"No," Velvet replied as they sat down opposite to them. "Until we know where Flash is, I suspect we all need something to keep our minds occupied."

Trail let out a snort. "Not for us. We're actually hoping to find a way to help Flash while we're doing this."

"We think one of the reasons Flash left was because of what Cold said, about him not having control over the Sacred Light. If we can find something that can help him learn to control it-"

Night raised an eyebrow at this, "So you don't plan on looking for Flash?" This made Trail and Misty look back up, only to not give an answer, "Well?"

Misty and Trail sighed before the mare spoke up, "You know Flash better than anypony. You really think, even if we found him, he'd come back?" This time it was Night and Velvet who didn't respond, letting Misty continue, "No, you'd probably have to drag him back. And even then, he'd likely try to escape again."

"The only way to get him to stay is to help him overcome his issues. So when everypony finds him and brings him back, we'll hopefully have the answers he's looking for. So many ponies will be looking for him, so us helping would be pointless."

Misty nodded again. "I know you think we're terrible parents, but everything we've done, we've done for our children."

Velvet and Night both shared a glance, Night now responding, "We do believe that."

"But you have to accept that what you did has consequences, especially to Flash. I hate to admit it, but Grand was right about what he said yesterday on how Flash saw himself in our family. And even when he finally felt accepted, he still did everything he could to make sure he didn't become a nuisance. Did you know that he once hid a toothache for three weeks because he didn't want to waste our time taking him to the dentist?"

"Yes, we did actually." This made Velvet and Night raise an eyebrow, making the parents now explain the magic dish they used for years. "We might not have been there physically for Flash, but we were always watching over him."

Misty bit her lip as she said these next words. "When we found the dish and used it to see Flash, we were shocked to learn he was living on the street. We rushed back to Canterlot to find him, but by the time we got there...well, he had already met you. And because of that...we..." She then got up and walked around the table, only to bow, her head kissing the floor. "Thank you. Thank you for showing Flash the love he deserved. Thank you for everything that was supposed to be our responsibility. I know we don't deserve your forgiveness, so I won't ask for it. Just know you'll always have our gratitude."

Both Velvet and Night went wide-eyed, Velvet slightly taken back. Closing her eyes for a second to calm herself, she responded, "Please, stand up." Misty did so, Velvet looking her straight in the eyes. "I might not agreed with your methods, but I...I'm starting to see what I want to see for somepony like you."

"I...I can see in your eyes the love that only a mother has for her children. And if Flash is willing to forgive you, then I guess we can look past it as well."

"Don't mention it," Night replied as he turned back to the table, "And maybe we can help with this. You said you had a way to decode it?" Trail nodded and handed them the cipher Flash had helped them create last night, the two quickly working to memorize it. "Alright, time to show you where Twilight got her organization skills from."

But before they could truly get to work, the study room's doors swung open. They turned to see a panting Shining Armor, "There you all are! Mom, dad, the guards found somepony who saw Flash!"

This made the four parents go wide-eyed before running after Shining, all soon exiting the castle. There they saw Twilight, Cadance, her friends, the princesses and knights along with the rest of their group. There was also a crystal guard standing beside a light green crystal mare.

Celestia now seeing that everypony was there, she spoke up, "Alright. Now, tell us what you saw."

"Yes, your majesty," the crystal mare nodded. "Well, last night I was taking out the trash before going to bed and saw a pegasus with a sword walking through the streets. I was gonna report this, but then I remembered seeing him during the Equestria Games and figured he was just here and helping patrol." She bowed, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Cadance assured her. "At least now we know that Flash wasn't taken by anypony. Do you have any idea where he was going?"

"I just saw him heading north," the mare pointed in said direction. "Towards the crystal mountains!"

"He's gone to the crystal mountains?!" Twilight exclaimed, most of the group now gulping at the sight of the snowy wasteland in the distance.

"He's likely gone there for training," Grand commented before turning to Ruby and Shining. "We need to prepare for the voyage up there." They nodded and began to give orders to the guards as the Mountain Knight turned to the rest. "Unfortunately, it'll take time to gather the necessary gear to head up there."

"A good while. Those mountains aren't in Equestria or the Empire's territory, so they don't follow the same rules."

"Exactly. Charging up there without the proper equipment, route and pony power would lead to us losing more than we're gonna save."

Shining nodded in agreement. "Plus those mountains are massive and Flash already has a good day and a half's head start. He could be anywhere in there by now. If we're gonna find him, it'll need to be a large scale expedition and that's gonna take time."

Twilight's brain was at war with itself. The logical side was yelling wait while the emotional side kept chanting that they were wasting time. But as this happened, logic began to take over as she sighed, "Fine...but we have to leave as soon as the preparations are ready."

"And we'll get them done as fast as we can," Grand assured her as they headed inside.

As they did this, Twilight zipped into the castle's library. There, she started asking for every book on the Crystal Mountains, only to find two books about them. One was about the many predators that lived up there, while another just had a passing mention about ponies who went up there and never returned. Despite this, she still read every single page, her eye scanning over everything she could. And as she did this, time flew by as the castle's librarian came up and told her the place was about to close.

Letting out a gasp as she went to a window and saw the sun setting, she gave back the books before flying through the castle. "Princess!" she yelled as she hopped onto a balcony that had Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Grand and Ruby. "Are we ready to go?"

However, she saw nothing but frowns as Ruby spoke up, "Our apologies princess, but the preparations took longer than expected. With the sun setting, we'll have to wait until morning to head out."

"WHAT?!" Twilight's screeched, the sound almost making the whole castle shake, "We can't do that! Flash is-"

"Princess, climbing the mountains at night is a death sentence," Grand interrupted, the same stiff look on his face that Twilight saw last night. "We have to be smart about this."

Twilight let out a long growl, her mind now telling her that this was just another excuse on the pile. She started to consider asking Celestia and Luna to hold off on switching the day and night, but knew that that would cause chaos all over Equestria. But as she glared at Grand, Celestia stepped up to her student. "I know this is hard, but we have to wait. We'll head out early tomorrow, that way we can be at the mountains as I raise the sun." She raised Twilight's chin to look at her, "Be strong. Flash will be fine, I promise you."

Twilight, after locking eyes with her mentor, knew she couldn't defy the pony in front of her. Letting out a sigh, "Okay. But we're leaving as soon as possible, got it?"

"Of course. Now everypony else has already gone to bed. You should go get some rest too."

And as all but Grand exited the room, the knight slammed his hooves into the floor, "Damn it! Why?! Why is this happening again?!" He put his hoof to his head as tears began to fill his eyes. Turning around, he glared at the distant mountains as the night started to hide them in its shadow. "Flash...please don't tell me I failed you too. Please...please be okay."

Back on the mountain, the whole forest had been completely cleared of trees. Among the fallen logs, Flash was panting in exhaustion, having spent the entire day training. His stomach was telling him to find food, now remembering that he hadn't eaten anything after breakfast. That mistake was beginning to catch up to him, the pegasus falling onto his flank against a log, more tears trying to appear in his eyes.

That is, till a small piece of white snow landed on his nose. The sight made him get up, looking up to see that more was about to fall. "Not good..." he whispered as he began to trudge through the snow, "Have to...find shelter..."

As he continued to trot, his mind stated to swirl. He began to think about back to all the ponies he had left in the empire. No doubt they knew he was now gone, one pony in particular probably ready to give him an earful. He shook his head at the thought, "Twilight...yeah, she's probably angry. Can't wait to get that lecture."

But as he said that, the image of the alicorn shined in his head. "Twilight..." The image made him blink, the memories of Cold finally going away as he thought about her. He remembered the adventures they had been going on, especially the Fall Formal. Though he didn't know it, his face was starting to turn red as he kept walking, "Twilight...I'm so sorry."

And as those words left his mouth, the in built music maker all ponies possessed began to play, causing him to sing.

(Flash)
I'm out here on my own
To face the day alone
I need you, to get me through the night

He continued to trot through the snow, everything around him beginning to remind him of her.

I'm lost out in the cold
I want someone to hold
I feel you're near, though you're out of sight

Images of the two's time together flowed through his mind. When they met, the night they spent in the treehouse, going to Ponyville together as they made their friends.

And even though we're far apart
I search the moonlit sky
I make a wish to be home with you
Can't you hear me cry?

He then reached a rocky wall next and began to scale it, only using his wings for balance due to the strong winds now blowing down the mountain.

Show me the light
Someone to lead and guide me
Show me the light
A love to stand beside me
Show me the light
When I fear the dark
A ray of sunshine, a rainbow's arc

He almost slipped and fell, only for his front hooves to grab a single rock, his grip barely holding on. Feeling this, he let out a sigh as he continued to climb to the top.

Show me the light

Back in the empire, Twilight continued to make her way through the castle's corridors until she reached her room. There she spotted Spike asleep in his basket, and trotted over to the window. Sighing, she slumped her head down while staring at the mountains.

The fear that something might have happened to Flash continued to plague her mind. As it did, she could feel tears going down her face as Cadance's words now repeated in her head. "Flash..." she whispered, her memories now showing when she first met him, the kindness he showed her on that rainy night.

She was in love with Flash, her first and best friend. Even after hours of knowing this, the idea still felt so weird yet so...right. And as she looked back up at the mountains, the music player began to make the same music Flash had been hearing.

(Twilight)
I'm reaching for a star
Wondering where you are
Where is the...love searching for me too?
Oh, beyond the mountain top
The dream will never stop
Give me a sign
I'm running out of time

As these lyrics left her mouth, a ghostly image of her loved one appeared beside her. She knew he wasn't real, but it didn't matter to her as it began to sang.

(Flash)
Oh, I know someone is on their knees

(Both)
Praying for me now

(Both)
Won't you come and hear my pleas?
Save me somehow
Oh, somehow

But as they were about to kiss, the ghostly Flash disappeared. The very action made Twilight tear up again as she turned back to the window.

(Twilight)
Show me the light
Someone to lead and guide me
Show me the light
A love to stand beside me

Back on the mountain, Flash had now come across a large lake that had several frozen islands littered across it. Knowing it would take too long to go around, he began to jump from one island to the other.

(Both)
Show me the light
When I fear the dark

He soon arrived on the other side, only to gasp as he saw the ghostly image of Twilight standing in the snow. However, as he saw that, he began to stagger back and forth, trying to move up to her.

(Flash)
A ray of sunshine

(Twilight)
A rainbow's arc

(Flash)
Show me the light

(Both)
Show me the light

Tears started to run down his face as he stared at where she once was. But as he did this, he saw a cave in the distance. Feeling another pile of snow fall on his back, he looked up and saw a barrage of clouds heading his way. He then trotted inside the cave, igniting Lightbringer to keep himself warm. And as he did this, he huddled down, his whole body shivering as the long night began.

She wanted to be with Flash right now. To know he was okay, to hold him close and tell him the truth. The alicorn began to choke, wiping her tears as more came through. "Oh Flash..."

But as she did this, her ears suddenly spiked up. Opening her eyes, she saw a swirl of dark clouds in the distance, all heading for the mountains. Her brain told her one thing. A blizzard was about to happen.

She couldn't finish those words. Instead, her mind told her one thing. Leave. She had to leave. She had to be with him. And as this happened, her horn instantly sparked, her whole form vanishing with a single blast of light. A second later, she reappeared in the castle courtyard, her tears now gone as she went into a full-on sprint.

That is, till she suddenly hit something. "Augh!" she yelped as she felt her body slam into a hard surface. Rubbing her nose next, she stretched out a hoof, only to now feel an invisible wall in front of her. "Huh? What the-"

"Well well well, never thought I'd see the day." Twilight hopped in place at this, quickly looking up to see a grinning Discord floating above her. "Twilight Sparkle, disobeying Celestia's orders."

"Discord!" Twilight growled, tapping the 'wall' with an impatient hoof. "Don't stop me! In fact, where have you been all day?! You could have helped us!"

Discord merely chuckled as he floated to the ground. "Oh, I had some chaotic business to take care for in another realm. I have to say though, I really missed out. I was so surprised to learn what had happened once I got back." He then sprouted blue hair and his wings were replaced by a pair of orange pegasi ones. "Flash...having ventured into the wilderness all on his own-some, and now you're all planning on performing a daring rescue operation."

Discord shook his head, "Sorry, but we've had this conversation before. I can't bring him to you unless I know where he is. The only way I could do it right now is if I teleported the whole mountain range to the empire, and I doubt Cadance would like that. But..." He shined a cheeky grin as he snapped his fingers, "Perhaps this will help you." As the snap happened, Twilight suddenly found herself dressed in full mountaineering equipment, complete with a stuffed saddlebag.

Twilight opened the bag and saw it was filled with food, medicine and even a map of the mountains. Gasping, she turned back with a huge smile, "Thank you so much Discord!"

Slightly wide-eyed at the sight of the grin, Discord tried to look away, "Err...no problem. Just uh...trying to be helpful."

"Well, you're pretty great today." Twilight commented as she tried to continue, only to hit the 'wall' again. "Augh!"

"Yeah..." Twilight moaned as she rubbed her nose again. "Um...thanks again Discord."

With that, Twilight ran off, Discord smirking at the sight. "Go get 'em girlfriend."

Twilight ran as fast as her legs would allow her, not stopping despite already feeling short of breath. The barrier that kept the winter weather out came into view, making her grin. But as she did this, a giant ice wall appeared, forcing her to come to a halt. "What the-"

"What do you want?!" she growled, only to see a blank expression on the knight's face.

He trotted up to her, his face now morphing to a disapproving frown, "Princess, I can't allow you to head out into the wilderness. You're far too important to Equestria to risk your life on such a pointless task."

"Pointless?!" Twilight yelled, her eye twitching at the statement. "How is saving Flash's life pointless?!"

"For a princess, one of the most powerful ponies in the kingdom, to risk her life just to save some common pony, who is nothing but a street rat thief...it is something I cannot allow. Equestria needs you. I does not need some pathetic-urk!"

Cold's words failed him as suddenly felt a magic aura grip his body. The force slammed him into the ice wall, Twilight stomping up to him. "DON'T! Don't you dare finish that sentence!" She took a deep breath next as she continued, "Equestria needs Flash just as much as it need me. My life is no less important than anypony else's."

"You are an alicorn princess," Cold told her, his blank face unchanging. "That makes you an important part of Equestria. I know you think you're doing a duty and you think that pegasus is worth something, but he isn't."

"But I do." Cold countered as he leaned up to her face, "I don't know why you would see anything in him, but I've seen his profile. He's a worthless mite that was thrown away and became thief on the streets. It is only by Grand that he was allowed to do anything worthwhile, but yesterday showed he has no right to even exist, as he is a mockery of a soldier. He is not something that an alicorn-"

"He is more than that! So much more than that!" Twilight screamed, her hoof now grabbing his neck, "Don't you dare insult him like that! He's not some pony you can read about and you think you just figured him all out!"

"But he is. I have figured every bit of him out, and that was before our battle. A weakling criminal like him could never beat me, as that pegasus-"

"Is one of the only reasons I even became an alicorn," she finished for him, her grip increasing as she stared deep into the knight's eyes. But despite all the magic she was releasing, there was no fear on his face. It was blank, no emotions, nothing. The sight made her sick, reminding her of the ponies under Starlight's control, ones that could barely show any emotions for themselves. Growling at this, she threw him aside as a heat spell shot out of her horn, melting the ice. "Cold, I'm honestly not in the mood to deal with you, but I'll tell you this: I don't know what made you think the way you do...but it's the wrong way to live life."

Cold picked himself up and raised an eyebrow, only for Twilight to continue speaking, "The way I see it, I'm guessing you're only loyal to Equestria as a kingdom, but you aren't loyal to the ponies that live here."

"Of course. Ponies come and go, but the kingdom remains." Cold instantly replied, "I glad you understand. Ponies like that pegasus are-"

"The ones that make Equestria what it is." Twilight finished for him again. "Without them, the kingdom would just be a bunch of land with no purpose." With the ice now melted, she stepped through the barrier. "I'm going to find Flash because he's a citizen of Equestria, and as a princess, it's my duty to make sure he's safe. But more importantly, I'm going to find him because he's important to me....and he's my friend."

"He is not worth it princess. Please turn back." Cold immediately countered, his horn sparking, "It is not safe, and it does not matter whether he is a friend or not."

"And I'm guessing that's why Grand chose you." Twilight commented as she turned back to him, "It isn't because you're strong. Its because you're exactly the opposite of Flash."

"He's so much more than you." Twilight interrupted, a pure glare in her eyes, "He understands true friendship while you don't understand a thing because you don't have any friends. But if you did, you'd see why keeping friends safe is more important than keeping myself safe."

However, her words fell on deaf ears. Sighing, Cold shook his head as he summoned another ice wall. The sight made her growl at him, causing him to walk up to her, his face still showing no emotion, "Princess, it is not safe. I will not repeat myself again, you should not-"

"Shut up! That's an order!" Twilight spat as she walked up to him, her next words making even his face start to show emotion, "You will let me go, you will not tell anypony what happened here, and that is an order! You will not defy me, or else I will do everything I can to take your knighthood away."

"You..." Cold's eyes went wide, only to start twitching as a hint of anger showed itself, "You can't-"

"I can, and I will. You will stay here and be quiet until Flash comes back to beat you. That's final."

She then turned and shot a blast of magic, this one instantly destroying the second ice wall. Cold tried to form words, wanting to stop her...but his own mind failed him. He just sat there and watched the princess get bombarded by the cold, only to vanish in a snowy wind. No matter what, she was going to find Flash and bring him home.

Flash Sentry Chronicles: The Knight of Friendship

by Banshee531

Into the Mountains