//------------------------------//
// Could it Have Been? 
// Story: What Should Have Been 
// by Sunny_and_Auri_23 
//------------------------------//

I stared at the pale ceiling of my room. She… loves me not? Why can’t anything I do be right? Why does life never listen to me? All the work - anything I do… it always turns out to be something I didn’t expect. 
	Private Flash Sentry. Princess Twilight Sparkle. 
She only dated me because she thought it would make me feel better. She didn’t really love me. She knew she had to go. Why would she give her heart to a pony like me? 
But love doesn’t fade away. Months - years after, you remember, and you feel the ache in your heart.
Then my mind drifted back to Auri’s words. The more heart you give, the more your heart will hurt.
That was when I realised something. I didn’t lose her.
She lost me.





The next few hours passed as boring as ever. And training time came again, and it seemed like we were doing fights again.
“Flash?” Sunny practically skipped towards me. “So how did the date go? Sorry we couldn’t ask you this morning. It’s just that-”
“It went fine.” I grunted.
“Flash? You okay?” Sunny asked.
“Nope. I’m not.”
“W-wait. Flash. What happened?”
I saw Auri and Tinted walk into the training room from behind, bags under their eyes. Well, I wasn’t the only one who had a wink of sleep. Auri walked in our direction. “Hey.” She yawned. “How’d it go, Flash?”
“Fine.” I said bluntly.
“Flash.” She squinted at me. “She’s left…gone back to Ponyville.”
Ah, the mind reading again. “You’ve been Midnight Reading?” I changed the topic.
“There was another attempt… people are still trying to steal the crystal heart…”
“Right, everyone!” I turned around to see Shining Armor addressing us. “A new guard has transferred here, Private Galaxarium Binary.” I glanced at the midnight blue unicorn standing next to him, and then shifted my gaze to the pink unicorn standing next to her.
Sunny’s mouth dropped wide open. “Is that-”
“Gally?” Auri asked.
“Due to the lack of Officers, I will be pairing one officer with two privates.” He continued, eyeing Sunny and Auri. “Officer Tinted Assistance will be partnered up with Private Falling Sunshine and Private Thunder Spark, Officer Aqua Aura will be partnered up with Private Flash Sentry and Private Galaxarium Binary, Officer Night Star will be partnered up with Private Sapphire Moonlight and Private Shadow Storm, Officer Comet Trail will be partnered up with Private Winter Gust…” I felt pain and hate just hearing his name. Winter Gust.
“Flash?” Sunny and Auri asked. “You okay?”
“Hmm?” I returned to reality.
“Flash.” Sunny pulled me into a hug. “Come on. She moved on. So should you. Every moment passes. So will this.”
I pulled out of the hug. “But what if I can’t forget her? Love doesn’t just fade away. It stays in your heart, even years after.” I sighed. I thought I was past this.
“Flash, if there is something you should remember, it’s this. Sometimes it’s better to leave the pieces of your heart wide apart than cause yourself more pain by putting them together. Don’t stress what could have been. If it should have been, it would have been.” Auri pulled me in a hug. 
“Thanks, guys.”
“WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR?” Sunny jumped into a group hug.
“Kay, well it’s time for training, right?” The Midnight Blue mare said once I pulled free of the hug.
“Oh right, this is our friend, Galaxy. We’ve known her since high school.” Sunny said.
“Right. Hi!” I said to Galaxy.
“Hey.”
“So now maybe you can explain to us what kind of brain tumor you grew overnight. What in Equestria happened?” Sunny asked.
I bit my lip. “Um, you need to train with-”
Auri rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, forget about Tinted. I’ll deal with her. Flash, what happened?”
I shook my head. “No-”
“WHAT HAPPENED?” TA shouted from behind.
“AGH!” I jumped right into Thunder Spark.
“Give it a break, Flash.” He said whilst I got back up. “Just tell them what happened. Or their ghost will haunt you forever.”
“He said it. NOW, SPILL.” Sunny shouted.
Um. Um. Um.
“PRIVATE FLASH SENTRY!” Someone shouted.
“AGH!” I fell into Thunder Spark again.
“You gotta stop doing that.” He rubbed his stomach.
“PRIVATE SENTRY!” I heard the voice again.
“Do not fall on me again!” He closed his eyes. “Phew. Captain Armor is calling you.” Captain Armor? This can’t be good.

I sat down. What should I do now? Celestia, where is Auri when you need her?
“Flash Sentry.” Shining Armor sat down. “I have evidence that you are responsible for these continuous attempts to steal the crystal heart, not to mention helping Sunset Shimmer a few years back. Do you have anything to say?” He placed five pictures in front of me.
“But-”
“Private Sentry.” He repeated. But I didn’t do this! I didn’t! What- How- UGH! I gulped. How could Shining Armor do this? I didn’t do anything. I didn’t! “Private Sentry, this is your first and final warning. One hoof out of place and you. Will. Be. FIRED!” He shouted. Fired. But I can’t get fired! This is my home. My dream. He couldn’t take this away from me! He couldn’t! “You may leave.”

“Flash? Good, you’re back. We were just-” Auri looked at me. “Woah. Flash. What’s up?” Nothing other than me nearly getting fired. “Wha-” No. Auri. No. Talk later. “Kay.” She turned back to Galaxy. “I’ve taught Galaxy some of the simple stuff. But I want to see you two fight.”
“You sure I’m ready?”
“Definitely.”
“But-”
“No buts, just do it. No-one’s going to wait for you to get ready in a fight. But yeah, it’s training. Fight!” She announced.
“Okay…” She said, and her eyes focused on me. Oh no. This can’t be good. 
She punched me in the face, followed with my right side. I felt my nose start flowing with blood. “Sentry, wake up”! I heard Auri’s voice, as I saw Tinted, Sunny and Thunder walked forward, and Tinted said something to Auri, and she nodded. I could hear Galaxy’s breathing behind me, as I blew a kick into her face and sides, until she was on the floor.
“Um, sorry, hehe.” I pulled her up.
“Not bad, Sentry.”
“That was good. Just, Galaxy, attention, okay?” She turned to Tinted. “Um, we’re gonna try doing some fights outside. Like, together, our groups are going to merge for a few days.” She said, tying her hair up into a high ponytail. But, wait, it’s raining outside!
“Um, but, Tinted, it’s… it’s raining!”
“All the better!” TA and Auri chorused, and leaded outside. 
“Just checking how much hardcore you really have.” TA commented.

“Oh my Cele-e- es-ti-a. It’s free-e-zing!” Sunny shivered.
“Right, ten laps around the Crystal Castle. GO!” TA shouted.
“Oh, come on!” 
I relented and started running. Wow, these girls are really fast. Save for Sunny, of course. I glanced briefly at the cyan pegasus panting and sprinting like her life depended on it. Then panting again. And I’m sure a few times she stopped breathing. Somehow, as I ran, I realised that I’d run much, much faster across the empire to get to the castle. Well, to be fair, I was running to Twilight at the time. Twilight…
I stopped, my hooves suddenly giving out. 
“Oi! Sentry! Why the heck did you stop!?” I could hear Tinted shout. I shook my head and took deep breaths. Sunny, in the midst of her flailing- or running as she’d call it- came over to me.
“GUYS! CONTINUE RUNNING!” Auri shouted at me.
“Flash, are-”, she panted, “you o-”, she panted again, “kay-?”, she plopped down onto the crystal street.
“FALLING SUNSHINE, YOU GET YOUR FLANK RUNNING THIS INSTANT!”
“Eep! Um...sorry TA- I-I mean Officer! I’ll get back to running in juuuuuuuuust a second!” She shouted back.
“UGH MAKE IT QUICK!”
Sunny picked my forehoof and tried- emphasis on ‘tried’- to drag me the castle to be out of the others’ way.
“Need some help?” I asked.
“NO! I CAN DO THIS!” She retorted, “JUST. ONE. MORE. PULL-ugh no I give up. Little help?”
I smirked and walked backwards to the castle facing Sunny, who had a very unamused expression on her face.
“Okay Mr. I-Can-Walk-Backwards-Looking-Smug, you’re not very impressive.” She rolled her eyes.
I shrugged, “Maybe not, but I can still run without flailing my hooves like a dying bird.”
“HEY- I mean whatever, Mr. I-Can-Walk-Backwards-Looking-Smug. Anyway, what happened?”
“I stopped running.”
“I can see that, but why...?”
“Um...I was tired?”
“For someone who apparently doesn’t flail their hooves while running and is still tired, you seem to be quite unsure.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?”
“Nothing at all...just that I don’t buy it!”
“Ugh.”
She faltered for a moment, “Please don’t tell me...”, she facehooved, “You were thinking about Twilight, weren’t you?”
“How’d you know?” was all I could say. I plastered a wry smile on my face. Sunny looked at me with sympathy and brushed my wet bangs of hair out of my face.
“Flash...are you sure you’ll be over her?”
“I don’t know. The simple thought of her makes me...”
She wrapped her arms around me in a hug, “It’ll be okay...Don’t worry.”
“AY! Guys, don’t get cheesy round me, ya still have one lap left.” TA stuck her tongue out at me.
“Guys. ONE MORE LAP. GO!” Auri shouted. “ONE MORE LAP AS PUNISHMENT!” She shouted.
I raised my eyebrows. “Who sounds like TA today?”
“JUST. RUN!” Auri shouted.
“Yeah, yeah, on it!” Sunny panted.
“HURRY UP!” TA shouted in our faces.
“U-h-yeah-h, I’m done.” Thunder Spark came running, followed by Galaxy.
“Scratch that, that’s extra laps for you two next time.” Auri said.
Auri sighed. “Right, so the next thing we’re gonna do is-”
“Hi!” I heard Night Star’s voice. TA and Auri turned around to see Night Star, Storm and Saphie. “You’re going for the tough training as well?” He asked Auri.
“Um, yeah.” Auri sighed.
“Mind if we join you?”
“Um, no…” Auri turned back to us. “Okay, next is going to be weapon training. You’re all going to be using knives…”

“Right, you guys all cool?” Tinted asked us while Auri took back the knives.
“No, Tinted, we are definitely not cool.” Sunny grunted.
“Don’t worry guys, you’ll be fine.” Auri said.
“Hi everyone!” Captain Armor approached. He glanced at me with a regretful look, before returning his gaze to everyone else. “Tough training, eh? It is pretty cold now. I’m- I’m just thinking… it’s not… ugh, never mind.”
“Wait, Shining, you don’t think… you don’t think it’s…”
“I do. I think it’s him.” He sighed. Wait, who’s him?
“Fill us in?” Thunder storm asked.
“You don’t think so!” Sunny gulped.
“Guys, what in Tartarus-” TA paused, and pointed at a forming dark barrier around the crystal empire. “-is that?”
“Sombra.” Auri whispered.
“Sombra?” I asked. As in-
	“Yeah. Sombra. This wasn’t just any annual storm, was it?” Auri bit her lip. “Shining… I… I think you need to call your sister and her friends.” Auri sighed, and looked down at my hooves. Twilight.

“Twily, what do you think we should do?” Captain Armor asked her.
Twilight sighed. “I… I don’t know, Shining. I just… I just need time, okay?”
“Twilight, let me be honest with you.” Auri pointed at the window. “That thing is giving us anything but time.”
“I know, it’s just-”
“Twilight, dah-ling, we’re here for you, no matter what, okay?” A unicorn said. Rarity, right?
“Twilight, y'all know that we’re here for ya, kay?” Whelp, that accent.
“You know that I’d never leave my friends hanging.” Oh, so she’s the wonderbolt.
“Yeah.” Someone squeaked. Um, okay, sure.
“Let’s partyyyyyyyyyy!!!” A pink earth pony jumped in with a canon. Not the time, pink pony. 
“Let’s do this, girls.”

“Oh. My. God.” Sunny blinked a thousand times in the space of one minute. “A- am I seeing what I’m seeing or am I just seeing things?”
“I have no clue.” Auri bit her lip. “TA, am I just seeing things or did Sombra… just… blow up into a thousand pieces and disappear?”
“I- ahem- um…” TA stood speechless.
“Woah.” Galaxy stared at the six mares in front of her.
“Oh Celestia, am I seeing things? What in Tartarus- I’m definitely seeing things.” Thunder Spark sighed, awkwardly putting a hoof through his mane.
“Um- uh- this seems like a fairytale.” Saphie said. 
I sighed. “Nope, that actually happened.” I reassured them. This is craaaaaazy.
	“Well Twily, you did it again.” Shining Armor forced himself to say. “I- well, wow.”
“AUNTIE!!!” Flurry Heart shouted, appearing in Twilight’s hair, which put a smile on everyone’s face. “YUPEEEEEEEE!!!”

I sighed. She just defeated Sombra. Am I meant to congratulate her? “Flash?” Sunny’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Flash. Why don’t you go talk to her?”
“And say what exactly?” I asked bluntly.
“Well - I dunno. Tell her you still love her, and ya know, something romantic, I don’t know. AGH DON’T ASK ME ASK SAPHIE OR AURI THEY KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN BOOKS AGH!” The corners of my mouth curled into a smile.
“That would be an interesting conversation. Hey Saphie! Well, I just wanted to ask what I should say to Twilight.” I started,
Sunny rolled her eyes. “Oh, well, Saphie would reply something like ‘READ SOMETHING FLASH!!!’”
“Where is everyone anyway?” I looked around. “Auri and TA were here just a minute ago…”
Sunny sighed. Well, I hope my thoughts are blind to her, because this has definitely got something to do with Twilight. “They’ve all gone… to say bye to Twilight. They’re seeing her to the tra-”
“BOOOOOO!” TA jumped in from behind, followed by Auri who rolled her eyes.
“GAH!” Sunny fell back.
“Tinted.” Auri giggled and gave her a look. 
“Whaaaat? If you're gonna make an entrance, ya might as well make a dramatic one!” TA rolled her eyes and pulled Sunny up.
“Wait. So if your HERE, then WHERE is Twilight?” Sunny asked, attempting to kick her after she got pulled up, but TA dodged. Stay silent, Flash. You’re past this.
“Oh, we’re meant to meet up with them near the train station.” TA recalled. “What ya waiting for? Let’s goooo!”

As we approached the train station, I saw six mares staring at us. Oh, Twilight and her friends. I stayed back. You’re past this.
“Bye Twilight, it was nice seeing you again!” TA gave Twilight a hug.
“It was nice meeting you all! We hope to see you again soon.” Auri also gave Twilight a hug.
“Of course, girls. I’ll be back soon.” She glanced at me, before looking away. “Bye!”
“Bye!” The four girls chorused.
“Flash.” Sunny asked as the train approached.
“Flash Sentry.” Auri’s voice came from behind. “You have five seconds to give that poor mare a proper goodbye, or you. Will. Be. FIRED!” She shouted.
No. Flash, pull yourself together. “No. I’m past her.”
TA rolled her eyes. “Sentry, you can see it in her eyes.” See what in her eyes?
Saphie looked up from her book. “It means that she’s not over you juuuuuuuuuuuuuuust yet.”
“But I’m over her.” I said flatly.
“Times up, Sentry. You’re-” Nononononononononononononono.
	“OKAY OKAY OKAY I’LL GO GOODBYE!” I ran away from them, but I could almost see a sly grin growing on their faces.
I paused when I was behind Twilight.
“Flash?” I heard Twilight’s voice.
“I- uh- I just wanted to say goodbye.” I finally said. 
“Um- I- So- B-bye.” She stuttered. Told you, guys. This is the end.
“Yeah, um, bye, have a s-safe journey, I- I guess.” I replied, trying to keep the tears from swelling up in my eyes.
“Yeah.” She mumbled, looking down.
I carelessly brushed my lips against her, and without risking a glance back, I ran away. So much for that idea, Flash. What in Equestria were you thinking?