Idioms are phrases adapted from silly happenings and used by ponies to describe similar situations. A way to bond with others. To have a knowing laugh with strangers and friends alike.
Black day and spidery. Struggle buggy. You ate my ears. Do the duck. Phrases that invoke strange times from a forgotten town that nopony remembers.
Sometimes, idioms can be personal. An in-joke between friends and family. Between lovers.
I kept an open journal.
It sat on my bedside table from the first day I could write to the day before I left with the Pillars to seal the Pony of Shadows. Hundreds of pages of thick, expensive vellum bought for me as a gift from an aunt that wanted to encourage me to write more.
Inside I would write my feelings. Just small passages about what made me mad or some incident that when remembered gave me a chuckle.
After a long, horrid day of lugging water from the basin, I had returned home to start writing my frustrations down and was surprised to find somepony else had beaten me to it.
There were a few passages from Sky Heart inside.
She had written heartfelt notes and small poems she had come up with throughout the day as she made clay pots at home. I cried reading those words. It was exactly what I had needed.
I started writing back. Pouring my feelings out on the page for her to read. She would reply. Pages and pages were filled with silly love notes, poetry, and sweet nothings.
When anypony would say that I didn’t properly show my emotions or communicate how I felt, I would always reply that it wasn’t true as ‘I am an open book’.
Sky Heart always giggled at the joke.
Then I lost her to that stupid scheme. I missed her. I hated her. I loved her. I was mad, and lonely and wanted to do something, anything, to undo what had happened.
But I had the book.
When the loneliness became unbearable, I would read all those silly words to make it feel like she was close to me again.
It let me move on.
To my surprise, every one of my lovers wrote in that book. Weird facts, questions, philosophical debates, short stories, and anything in between. Page after page filled with the words of those I cared about most.
Sky Heart. She was killed by a dragon on that ill fated heist.
Stratus. He bled out in my hooves when we were ambushed by raiders.
Cumulous. She was lost in a tropical storm out by the sea on a military excursion.
Sparrow Lark. He wasted away to a disease I refuse to even think about.
I loved all of them. I missed all of them. It hurts everytime I think of them. I can still see the last moments I shared with them in my mind’s eye when I think of them.
But their loss never bothered me because I had the book.
I had hoped Sentry didn’t actually feel that way about me. I was hoping I misread everything. That he just wanted a close friend. I was hoping that Twilight Sparkle would whisk him off his hooves so he could be happy instead of miserable with me.
I brought Mistmane with me to Filocuse to search for my book.
I found it. It had been destroyed by neglect and the wear of time. The pages were brittle. The ink had long since become illegible. I was told no magic could save it. I don’t know what I expected.
I can’t give him my heart.
Because when I found my heart again, it was left in tatters on my bedside table.
Magnus caught up with Sentry in the corridor just outside her Majesty’s bed chambers. He flapped his wings harder and cut off Sentry about several gallops from the doors. Sentry managed to stop himself with his snout almost touching Magnus’ snout.
“Mags? What are you doing here?” Sentry asked, surprised.
“Stopping you,” Magnus said through his ragged breaths.
“Why?”
“Because.” Magnus scrambled to find a valid reason. “I want to win the competition, so I’m here to sabotage you.”
Sentry scowled. “That’s not funny, Mags.”
Magnus smirked despite the nervousness he felt. “Not a joke, Sentry. Do I look like a sap?”
Sentry snorted angrily. “Seriously? Of all the competitions to cheat you pick this one?”
“Of course this one.” Magnus snorted derisively. “The biggest prize means I have to bring the heat.”
Sentry crossed his wings in front of him. “Right, so what’s the heat then?”
Magnus’ eyes darted back and forth as he strived to think of a response. “I’ll stop you from entering her Majesty’s bedroom.”
Sentry looked at Magnus unimpressed before smiling. Magnus smiled back. Sentry moved forward. Magnus pushed back. Sentry then reminded Magnus that he was just a few sizes under a draft pony and kept moving forward as Magnus’ hooves skidded across the marble tiles.
“Wait!” Magnus called out.
“Nope. You are not talking your way out of this.”
“What if I bribed you?”
Sentry stopped. “What?!”
“I’ll get you your favourite licorice everyday for a month.”
“Why?” Sentry asked incredulously.
“So, I can ask Her Majesty out first?” Magnus said with a hint of uncertainty.
Sentry leaned back, covered his head with his wings, and shook violently from what Magnus assumed was screaming. He then brought his uncovered head level to Magnus with a furious glare.
“Okay, Magnus. I’ll ask this plainly. What the actual fuck are you trying to do here?”
“Winning,” Magnus said confidently.
Sentry’s left eye twitched. He opened his mouth to presumably continue yelling, but was cut off by Her Majesty’s bedroom doors slamming open.
“WHO DARES DISTURB MY PRIVATE TIME FOR WRITING FANFICTION ABOUT- Oh, it's you two,” Twilight groaned, “I was hoping I wouldn’t need to see either of you anymore today, but evidently this farce is still ongoing.”
Both Flashes stood at attention.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Little late for that, studs. Still competing for my hoof in marriage?”
“It’s just for a date, Your Majesty.” Magnus stated crisply.
“Uh huh, yeah, whatever.” Twilight waved a wing dismissively. “Look this is both irritating and pathetic since I know what one of your intentions actually are in this.” She pointedly looked at Sentry who turned away. “So, let’s make this simple, Flash Sentry?”
“Yes, Your Majesty?” Sentry asked.
“Got anything to say to me?”
“Yes! Would you go on a date with me to the Canterlot Charter bookstore? I’ll pay for any books you want, carry them back to the palace, and then leave you be while remaining silent the entire time.”
“What?” Magnus exclaimed.
“I agree to your date,” Twilight replied, “And to ensure this does not continue, I, as your ruling monarch, declare that Sentry is the winner of your contest.”
Sentry’s tail wagged. “Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“Great,” Twilight her wings up in exasperation. “Now, if this has finally been dealt with there is an all you can eat salad bar in Ponyville and I need to destress with some casual conversation with friends.” Twilight gestured towards her bedroom with a wing. “My bedroom is empty, feel free to use it for whatever - just make sure the maids clean up after both of you before I get back. Later, Anserines.”
Her Majesty then teleported away in a cloud of sparkles.
“What the applesauce was that about?” Magnus shouted.
“Me winning.” Sentry snarked.
“Winning? You agreed to be Her Majesty’s saddlebags for a day.”
“Yep, and Her Majesty also declared that I won.” Sentry smiled maliciously at Magnus. “That means I get to ask one thing of you, no restrictions, and I plan to use it now.”
Magnus stared at Sentry dumbfounded. “Alright, then. I don’t get why you’re so eager for this, but fire away, bo.”
“Go on a date with me.”
Magnus felt his heart stop in his chest. Sentry had his ears pinned back, and was shuffling in place nervously.
“You want to go on a date,” Magnus repeated.
“Yeah.”
“With me?”
“That is what I asked.” Sentry grinned.
Magnus was well known for always having something to say for every occasion, but Sentry had done what was thought to be impossible. He’d left Flash Magnus speechless.
“Was that your goal this entire time?” Magnus asked.
“It’s been my goal since I came to Canterlot.” Sentry admitted.
Magnus felt his breath hitch. “Explain.”
“You're the Flash Magnus. My parents told me bedtime stories about what an amazing hero you were. Are. You were my idol. I had stupid fantasies about going on adventures with you, being best friends, and eventually-” Sentry’s face flushed. “I heard you had joined the Canterlot Royal Guard, and when Shining asked for volunteers to transfer, I was the first in line.”
“You-” Magnus stumbled over his words, “From the start?”
“Yeah. I was awestruck on the first day. The Flash Magnus challenged me to a sparring match. Then he invited me out to lunch. Then he hung out with me. One day turned into a few months and I was really happy.” Sentry frowned. “I don’t have a lot of friends.” Sentry grinned. “But you stayed! My hero wanted to be around me and we were best friends. It was a dream come true and then I kept thinking about what I wanted next, but didn’t have the courage to ask.” Sentry smirked. “Until the bet.”
“To woo Her Majesty?” Magnus was floored, he had not expected this. “You went through all of this to ask me out on a date?”
“I know, but like I said I didn’t have the courage to do so. This was the push I needed.” Sentry rubbed the back of his neck with a wing. “You don’t have to go on a date with me.”
“I lost the bet,” Magnus replied.
“And I just confessed to pining after you for months.” Sentry chuckled weakly. “That probably didn’t shine the best light on me, so if you don’t want to then I won’t force you.”
Magnus studied Sentry’s expression. It was a look on the border of hopeful and devastated. Sentry really did want this. It wasn’t some elaborate joke. He’d laid his heart bare to Magnus and Magnus was struggling under the weight of handling something so fragile.
He didn’t know what to do. He was stuck, unable to act. He wanted Sentry to be close to him, but did he want him that close? Did he care about him in that way?
Did he think of Sentry like he did Sky Heart? Stratus? Cumulous? Sparrow Lark?
Was he willing to bare his heart back? Was he ready to?
Magnus realized his thoughts were spinning in circles so he focused instead on his emotions. He let go and allowed his heart to do what it wanted instead of listening to his confused brain.
Magnus stepped forward.
Sentry was a goofball. He was naive. He couldn’t figure out even the most basic things without Magnus to help him. He pined after a fairytale thinking he had a chance to make it come true.
Magnus kissed Sentry on the lips.
Magnus guessed maybe he could grant him his happily ever after just this once.
“Does that mean… ?” Sentry asked.
“I’m not a fairytale,” Magnus started, “I’m not as well put together as you think and I feel out of place more often than not, but if you can accept those parts of me… I’m yours.”
Sentry laughed happily as tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
Sentry kissed Magnus back.
They both felt their kiss was something akin to a bang.