“Flash! Hurry up!” Bright Skies shouted from the kitchen of her home in Cloudsdale, “Sunset will be here any minute! You know how she doesn’t like to be kept waiting!” Honestly, for someone who moves everywhere so fast, you’d think he wouldn’t be late all the time! She sighed as she looked up from the brown-paper lunch bag she had just finished preparing for her son’s lunch. It had seemed only yesterday when she brought him home to Cloudsdale. That had been nearly six years ago, and the time since that incredible day had flown by faster than a speeding pegasus. I guess it’s true what they say, they really do grow up too fast. Being a new mother to an alien creature came with a steep learning curve in those early weeks. It quickly became apparent to her that clothing would need to be a thing. Even though Flash had her magic, he had no fur to protect his sensitive skin from the intense sunlight high up in the cloud-city or to guard his dignity. She had managed to find a good tailor who was able to easily adapt clothing to her son’s unique physiology.
Bright Skies’ next surprise came as more of the child’s teeth grew in which quickly made it apparent that his species was omnivorous. She, like many pegasi, enjoyed the occasional fish; but for Flash, it was easily his favorite meal and he was always begging for more. Finding a good griffon butcher was an awkward affair for a pony, but she wanted to ensure that her son had the proper variety in his diet. The other ponies of Cloudsdale and the surrounding area had welcomed Flash with open hooves with very few exceptions. Even though he was now a common sight, many never seemed to tire of his unique appearance and would openly stare to which he would simply respond by waving and smiling. He had a big heart, and would even run up to hug complete strangers randomly and, though causing more than a few awkward moments, it actually helped to make other Equestrians less nervous and more welcoming of his presence. She had also noticed that his emotions were a bit more intense than your average pony. He seemed to have a bit of a temper at times which had also gotten him into more than a few scuffles with a few of the local colts who teased him at times as children are wont to do.
Fortunately, Flash was just as quick to apologize and forgive as he was to could blow his little stack. Bright Skies had chided him more than a few times for it which always caused him to be extremely remorseful. His love for her was so great that she swore she could see it shimmering off of him at times; never once had he ever talked back to or disrespected her. Oh, there were a few temper tantrums to be sure when he was still a foal. But as he had grown, so had his absolute love and devotion to her. Even though he was now around seven years of age, he still loved to cuddle with her; of course, he had begged her not to tell any of his friends that, especially Rainbow Dash. Speaking of whom, that little filly has been having WAY too much influence on him lately-
“HI MOM!!!” Bright Skies was pretty sure she had just abruptly awoken every bat and thestral in Equestria as she felt somepony pounce on her back and wrap its little arms around her neck.
“OH FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE!” She managed to scream after she could finally breath again. “Honey! You’re going to give your old mom a heart attack!” The little guy was laughing too hysterically to care.
“You…you should have heard yourself scream!!!” He cackled. “You should save that one for the next Nightmare Night! Ponies would love it!” Flash said as he continued to boil over with mirth. He was wearing a loose-fitting, sky-blue t-shirt and white shorts; he was barefooted as well. He had shoes, but usually only wore them when he had to. His small heels tickled her sides as they brushed against her barrel.
“Honestly Flash,” she said as she looked back at him, her face flushed, “Who in Equestria ever taught you such a nasty trick!?” He grinned at her as he finally stopped laughing.
“Oh, it was Rainbow Dash! She’s so cool mom! She has been showing me how to pull the greatest pranks and to be so quiet and sneaky about it that ponies never even see them coming!” Bright Skies gave her son a bemused look as she blew a violet curl out of her face.
“Oh. Rainbow Dash? What a big surprise…I’m beginning to think you’re spending way too much time with that wild filly.” Flash rolled his eyes.
“Aw mOm…she’s my best friend! And she’s just showing me how to be cool! I mean, did you SEE how she got her cutie mark last month?!”
How many times has he brought this up now? A billion? Yup. Billion sounds about right. “Yes dear, me and everypony in Equestria saw how she did it...” She said with exasperation.
“I know! Right?!” Flash said as he balled his little hands up in excitement. “She’s been telling me, I mean, we’ve been talking about, what if I can get a cutie mark too?!”
“That would indeed be interesting,” came a familiar voice from the open front door. Bright Skies ears swiveled towards the front of the house as she turned to see Sunset Shimmer who stood leaning against the fluffy-white door frame of the cloud house; her use of the cloud-walk spell as impressive as ever. “Sorry, I hope I wasn’t interrupting a tender moment, was I?”
“Sunset!” Flash shouted as he bolted from his mother’s back so fast that Bright Skies’ curly mane and tail were almost pulled straight. He zoomed across the floor with such speed that it nearly carved a trough in his wake as he practically crash-tackled the orange pony with a hug. “I’ve missed you so much!” He exclaimed as the unicorn gave him an awkward smile along with a tentative pat on the back. Another quality Bright Skies had noted was just how much the magic he had inherited from her was changing him. His hair had lost all of its dark color and was now a silvery sheen so fine that it practically reflected the ambient light. And though he could not fly, his sprinting could virtually match the speed of a pegasus in flight for short bursts.
“Hey kid,” she said, finally giving the top of his head a more genuine rub. Sunset looked up at Bright Skies who was smiling as she took the whole scene in. They each gave each other a nod, having both become much more friendly towards the other over the years; though neither of them would go so far as to call the other a friend. “Don’t worry, we shouldn’t be gone long today.”
“That’s fine,” Bright Skies replied as the pair began to walk out the door. “Oh Flash! Don’t forget your-” Flash zoomed back to her, snatching his bag from her hoof and giving her a hug and three quick kisses on the cheek before darting away again while yelling,
“Thanksmomloveyousomuchbye!” The door being sucked shut behind him with a loud bang as he ran.
“-lunch.” Bright Skies blinked once in shock before smiling as she shook her head. She wiped a small tear from one of her eyes as she turned away from the closed door.
Sunset Shimmer sighed as she trudged along the fluffy streets of Cloudsdale, her ears drooping as she kept her head down. Flash, energetic as always, was skipping around her in excitement while rattling off all of the new things he had seen and done during the month since she had last visited him. It was a bright, beautiful day with a perfect temperature and a pleasant breeze. Clouds spotted the blue sky around them in lazy, fluffy clumps as pegasi flitted happily between them. The rolling, green countryside of the rest of Equestria could clearly be seen in the distance as they headed towards the edge of town. Sunset hardly took any notice of all this perfection, she barely took note of her student as he chattered away like a squirrel that had just eaten an entire bowl of coffee beans, responding with a disconnected ‘uh-huh, sure’ every other moment. I guess it’s best to just get this over with…
Flash slowed his pace a little as he neared the edge of the cloudbank, a five-hundred-foot drop awaited. He looked back at Sunset as he waited for her to catch up. She seemed a little off today. Normally, she always had a quill and scroll with her, scribbling down different things as she rattled off questions about her last lesson or asked him various questions about his development while taking measurements of his growth. Ever since he could remember, Sunset Shimmer had been a regular presence in his life. His mother had told him countless times how he had come into Equestria, that he was special and unique; and that Sunset Shimmer was there not only to observe and learn about him, but also to tutor him.
From her, he had learned to read, write, and do basic arithmetic in addition to many finer subjects such as science, philosophy, and the glorious History of Equestria, his adopted home world. She even took the time to teach him the basics of magic and thaumatic theory; how to recognize the various spells a unicorn could perform and how to protect himself from them. Sunset was a very difficult teacher; strict, demanding, and a bit grumpy at times, but also very supportive. She always told him that she pushed him as hard as she did because hard work was the only path to greatness and that there was no easy way to achieving success. If you wanted the most out of yourself, out of life, you had to go and take it! No pain, no gain.
Flash had done his utmost to please her, absorbing everything she had thrown at him: reading every book she had assigned, performing every challenge given, memorizing every lesson down to the last detail. He knew it was a privilege to have the attention of the personal protégé of Princess Celestia herself, whom he also loved and respected dearly. To say that he admired his teacher was like saying Celesita's Sun was a little flame. To him, Sunset was the smartest, most skilled, and powerful unicorn in all of Equestria. A real-life superheroine, just like in the comics he read. She was fierce, beautiful, glorious. Like a blazing, orange star fallen from the heavens in the form of a pony. In his little mind, there seemed nothing she couldn’t do. But there was something off about her today. She seems a little sad, he thought to himself. Flash had seen her in many different moods before: angry, happy, excited, frustrated, but sad never seemed to be one of them. She was always so confident and self-assured. I know, I’ll cheer her up! He thought as he reached the edge of the city and turned around. “Hey Sunset!” She snapped back to attention, focusing on him with teal eyes. “Watch this!” He said as he clenched his lunch-bag in between his teeth before raising his arms over his head and falling backwards over the edge of the clouds.
“Flash!” Sunset shrieked as she sprinted to the place where he had fallen. Her eyes darted frantically in search before she spotted him about fifty-feet below standing on a lone cloud, waving up at her. “Oh you little runt…” She grumbled to herself, her heart pounding in her chest. She then watched as her student proceeded to acrobatically jump and flip down a series of strategically placed clouds as he headed down towards the ground far below. Sunset rolled her eyes before charging her horn as she disappeared in a burst of crimson magic. She reappeared a second later down on the ground, waiting for Flash to finish his decent. The final cloud was about thirty feet above the ground, but he jumped without hesitating, crouching into a low stance as he hit the ground with a heavy thump.
“Taa-daa!” He mumbled past his lunch sack as he stood up strait with his hands in the air to strike a victorious pose.
“You little show-off,” Sunset smirked as she shook her head. “Don’t you dare scare me like that again.” Flash grinned as he removed the lunch-bag from his mouth.
“But wasn’t it cool?” He asked, “Rainbow Dash helped me to set that up! Now I can get up and down from Cloudsdale all by myself without mom or anypony else needing to fly me!” Sunset blinked as she looked back up to the last cloud.
“You’re saying you can jump that high now?!”
“Uh huh! Though it helps if I get a running start.”
Fascinating. Sunset pondered the implications of this new information as her eyes followed back up the two-dozen or so clouds that were arranged like platforms all the way back to the edge of the cloud city. Even though he doesn’t have wings, he’s still managing to channel his flight magic through his body. His physical strength is also growing. Oh, if only I had the time…No! I’m not staying, I won't!
“Here, watch I’ll show you!” Flash said as he started to crouch low when he suddenly found himself enveloped in Sunset’s magic as she lifted his small form off of the ground before unceremoniously depositing him on her back. “Uh, Sunset?” He asked as he hesitantly placed his small hands on her soft neck. He was a little surprised, Sunset had almost never carried him on her back unless he was hurt or had fallen asleep. Even then, it was usually with her magic. Unlike most ponies, he knew that she was not much into hugging or other forms of affectionate physical contact. Her coat was incredibly smooth and silky against his bare calves.
“Zip it squirt,” she said with a hint of sharpness as she started to walk along the grassy field towards one of the main roads. “We need to talk.”
Neither of them spoke as they moved along, the only sound being Sunset Shimmer’s hoofsteps along the hard-dirt road. Flash could feel a building tension, both in the air and within the muscles of her back. As much as he was enjoying this rare moment of special treatment from his tutor, he was beginning to feel more than a little nervous. Sunset finally halted when they arrived at a small creek. Rather than cross the small, stone bridge that arched over it, she diverted off the road to the edge of the creek; the clear, burbling water creating a soothing, melody of nature. After standing in place a for a moment, she slowly sat on her haunches, signaling Flash to slide off her back, which he did. He moved along to her left side, careful not to step on her tail, before sitting cross-legged next to her. He glanced over and saw her staring straight ahead, her eyes were focused in a determined gaze, her ears canted forward slightly. After another moment of silence, she finally spoke.
“Flash,” Sunset said as she turned her head to look at him, “What do you want to do with your life? What are your ambitions?” He blinked as he considered her questions.
“Well, I think someday, that I would like to join the Equestrian Royal Guard.”
“Why?” Flash swallowed, feeling unsure under her inquisitive gaze.
“Well,” He paused for a moment, “I love Equestria.” Sunset’s expression did not change as her eyes bore into him, so he continued. “I may not be a pony, but I love you all. The job of the Royal Guard is to serve and protect the Princess and all of Equestria. They are all so brave and strong, and, I, I want to be like them. I want to serve and protect my home. You all welcomed me into your world, even though I’m not a pony, and I want to show my thanks by helping all of Equestria! That is what I want! Plus,” he blushed slightly, “If I become a guard, I will be able to work in Canterlot and spend more time with you and Princess Celestia!” Flash beamed his brightest smile at his teacher, wanting to convey to her all of the love, gratitude, and admiration he felt for her, to let her know how much he both cared about and looked up to her and the Princess.
“Serve?!” Sunset scoffed. Flash’s smiled faded as he felt a sense of dread; he must have said the wrong thing and upset her. She angrily shook her head, “But what does that leave for you?!” He gaped slightly, not sure of what she meant.
“I…I don’t understand…”
“Oh…USE YOUR HEAD YOU IDIOT!!!” She angrily snapped as she rose to her hooves, glaring as she towered over him. Flash shrank back as he scrambled to his feet, his face twisted in shock and confusion. Sunset lowered her head until she was looking right into his eyes, her ears pointed sharply forward in irritation. “Look at you,” she snarled. “You’re one of the smartest kids I’ve ever known. And yet for all your wits, you don’t have an ounce of sense!”
“S-sunset…” he whispered, but she cut him off.
“There’s no fulfillment in wasting your talents on other ponies! No matter who they are, they will always disappoint you!” She took another step forward until she was right in his face. “You owe it, both to yourself and to me to show others what you’re made of, that you deserve to be admired and respected!” She emphasized that last statement with a hard jab of her hoof into his chest which caused him to flinch and stagger backwards. “I didn’t waste my time teaching you simply for you to become another mindless stooge in a shiny tin suit.” Sunset pulled her head back, glowering down at him. “You need to be more, to want more!” Flash’s eyes were now beginning to brim with tears, he did not understand what was happening, what he did wrong. His feelings were a chaotic storm of shock, confusion, pain, and piercing sadness.
“But…but I…” Flash rubbed his hand over his chest which hurt where she had poked him. Tears were now running freely down his cheeks, but he did not sob. No, he would not cry like a baby in front of her; he would not be weak. She had always told him that he must never be weak. Sunset growled as she turned and stomped away a few steps, a few red sparks leaping from her horn. Flash took the chance to quickly wipe the tears off his face with the back of his hand and then continued to stare at the back of her head through tear-soaked eyes, watching, waiting. Waiting to hear what he must do, what he should have said, she was always right. After what felt like an eternity, she finally turned back to face him, her face still angry. But what was different now, he was shocked to see, was that she too, now had tears now running down her face; she was breathing hard, her ears flat against her head. He had never seen Sunset cry before, not ever. She blinked as she tried to shake the tears away, bowing her head in shame. After a moment, she looked up at him, her eyes full of remorse though her features were still tense. It appeared as though she was attempting to unbend something very hard within her,
“I’m sorry…” she finally said in barely a whisper. Sunset forced herself to meet his gaze, she sighed as her expression softened. “C’mere kid…” Without a word, he ran and flung himself into her embrace. She held him tight against her chest as she sat back down, resting her cheek on top of his head and softly stroking his back as she whispered ‘I’m sorry’ to him over and over again. Flash allowed himself to soak up the soothing affection, though his confusion and sadness still remained. What was going on? What was wrong with Sunset? He could hear and feel her strong heartbeat through her warm fur. “Flash,” she said softly as she released him from the hug but continued to rest a gentle hoof on his shoulder. She was smiling, but her face still looked sad. “You can be a Royal Guard if that is what you truly want, and I’m certain that you’d be a great one. Celestia knows we need them,” she said with a slight roll of her eyes.
“Sunset,” Flash said, his voice cracking slightly, “What’s wrong? Why are you sad?” She choked out an incredulous scoff.
“Why are you always thinking of others first…” Sunset muttered to herself as she shook her head. I vent my personal frustrations all over you like some heartless witch and yet you STILL can only think about how I feel?! She sighed, “It’s nothing you need to know or could understand at this time, kid.” She rose to her hooves and turned, motioning with her head for him to follow and he immediately fell into step beside her. After moving a short distance together along the bank, Sunset halted, a look of finality fixed in her features. She turned so that she was facing her student once more. “There’s no easy way to say this Flash, so I’m just going to say it. I came here today to say 'goodbye'.” His jaw dropped in response as his eyes went wide with shock.
“Goodbye? What do you mean?!” The muscles in Sunset’s jaw tightened, she swallowed once.
“It means just that kid, I’m done. I’m done with Princess Celestia, with Equestria. I’m leaving…and, I probably won’t be coming back anytime soon.” Flash’s hands balled into tight fists, his face grimaced in a mixture of sadness and defiance as his chest began to heave.
“But…why?! YOU CAN’T!” He yelled, emphasizing with a stomp of his bare foot, denting the earth. Sunset didn’t reply, but fresh tears started to form in the corners of her eyes as the small human ranted at her. “You can’t just leave us, friends don’t do that! Where will you go? Who’s going to teach me? What about Princess Celestia, and every other pony who will miss you?!” He continued to ramble, to beg, plead, and reason as if something, anything he could finally say would change her mind. He did not even realize that he was now grasping onto the fur on Sunset’s chest as she looked down at him with a helpless expression. She finally cut him off by wrapping a forelimb around him, holding him tightly against her. Flash attempted to push away, but she held him firm. His eyes were squeezed shut as the fingers on one hand clenched tightly onto a tuft of her fur. “Please…” he whimpered, “Please don’t go…don’t leave…I love you…”
Hot tears dripped down Sunset's face and into his gleaming hair, “I know,” she whispered, choking back a sob. “And now, for your final lesson.” She said softly. He shook his head against her but said nothing. “Don’t ever waste your talents, push yourself to find your limits, and then go past them. Never be afraid to fail, for today’s failure can be the foundation for tomorrow’s success.” Flash didn’t want to hear her, because he knew this would mean the end of their time together. But at the same time, he treasured every syllable and proceeded to burn her words permanently into his brain.
A hum began to fill the air as Sunset’s horn started to glow bright red with a powerful spell; a wind began to swirl around the strange pair. “Flash, I know that I was hard on you, that I demanded so much from you and pushed you. I did it partly because I’m selfish, I made you my vanity project and I’m sorry for that. But I also did it because I believe in you; you have so much potential, and you never once disappointed me.” Flash shuddered at her words as he looked up in awe at his friend, her mane waved beautifully in the small tempest; a few of her tears sparkled in the sunlight as they were carried away on the wind. “You’ve made me proud, Flash Skies. I’m sorry that I never told you that sooner, but…you’ve made me proud to be your teacher.” She smiled at him before closing her eyes as she dipped her head and gently touched her horn to the crown of his, her soft muzzle brushing against his nose. A tingling sensation swept over his whole body followed by a rush of heat as the spell caused his eyes to glow momentarily with a blue light.
Sunset Shimmer had spent weeks preparing this particular spell. Correcting every flaw, perfecting every last detail. In her opinion, to call it a masterpiece would be an insult. This was a permanent enchantment of her own design. In addition to giving him a generous amount of her own energy to power it, she had also discovered a way to seamlessly knit the spell to his own inherent magic, making it a passive spell that would never fade for want of energy once her own ran out. It was designed to protect him from all but the most powerful malicious spells; and it would take one hell of a mage to be able to break her magic. It could also reduce, if not block outright, even very intense blasts of offensive magic. Once again, she knew that she was, at least in part, being selfish. While she did love him and wanted him to be safe, she also was doing it to protect her investment. After all, he was her student.
Sunset placed a small kiss on the center of the young human's forehead, softly nuzzling him as she completed the spell. The blazing outline of a red and yellow sun, her cutie mark, flared briefly on that spot before slowly fading out of sight. She stepped back, a bit exhausted by the amount of effort the spell had taken. Flash shuddered and shook his head as a few crackling strands of red lightning curled about him before dissipating. “Sunset?” he asked as the strange sensations began to lessen.
Flash looked up to see her a few steps away now, her horn still glowing. She gave him one last smile, “See ya around, kid.”
“Wait!” Her magic flared and with a burst of crimson light, Sunset Shimmer vanished from sight. He ran forward and fell to his knees to the spot she had been standing on. “Come back…” he whimpered powerlessly as he clutched fistfuls of grass. “Please…come back…” But silence was all he received.