The 14 year old boy pulled himself to his feet using the broken haft of his spear. His torn clothing was smeared with blood and dirt, his training helmet dented and discarded, as useless as his broken left arm that dangled limply at his side. Looking up through the blood, sweat, and tears that stung his eyes, he beheld his end.
Tirek stood over 10 feet tall, towering over his small form, the strength and magic of a thousand ponies coursing through him; stolen magic, his mother's magic.
"ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO FIGHT ME, BOY?! The monster thundered, his voice laced with cruel amusement.
The boy glared up defiantly at the massive centaur blotting out the sun above him, hate and anger burning away any measure of fear.
He coughed blood, "I s-swear I'll stop you!" He angrily exclaimed, "I'm NOT going to let you hurt another pony! I'll protect them...I'LL ALWAYS PROTECT THEM!"
Scornful laughter was the only response as a massive hoof lifted, casting a shadow over the lone human. "PROTECT THEM?! HA! YOU CAN'T EVEN PROTECT YOURSELF!"
The boy had one final thought as the hoof came smashing down,
'Mom, everpony...I'm...sorry...'
"Again!"
Flash's shout echoed sharply inside of the spacious training complex, and was immediately followed by a chorus of groans from the assembled guard ponies lying about in various positions of pain from where they had collapsed in exhaustion after the latest series of exercises.
"C'mon sir, have a heart!"
"We've been doin' this for three hours straight!"
"I can't feel my hooves."
"I can only feel my lips..."
Flash sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "Oh, excuse me, but did I ask you fillies for a BUCKING SURVEY?!" He barked, allowing his anger to bleed into his voice. "Sarge! Get 'em up!"
A slate grey earth pony with an even darker grey mane, Sergeant Forthright, looking as sharp as ever in his khaki uniform and campaign hat, stepped forward next to Flash, who himself was wearing a short-sleeved, coyote brown shirt with tan pants, a matching belt, and boots.
"Alright fillies, you heard the LT, on your feet! Now, MOVE IT!" He screamed while taking a threatening stomp forward, causing the assembled ponies to scatter into formation like a flock of startled starlings.
"Go on, move your flanks! And I'd better not hear one more word of backtalk or I swear to Luna I'll PT you until Celestia dies of old age!"
Flash knew Forthright as a pony who kept his opinions strictly to himself unless asked for, it was one of the qualities he admired about the stalwart stallion. So when he noticed the sergeant's eyebrow rise ever so slightly in a quick, sidelong glance towards him that asked, 'You alright sir?' He knew that he had done a poor job of concealing his wrecked emotions.
In truth, Flash was exhausted, unhealthily so. He hadn't slept a wink since fleeing his mother's presence the previous night, not that he had been sleeping much at all the during the past month. When he fled, he had run non-stop all the way to Canterlot.
But no matter how fast he ran, he could not escape the agonizing mental image of his mother glaring down at him after she had knocked him to the floor, her face a mess of shock, pain, and tears. The regret over what he had said to her felt like a hot knife stabbing him in the heart over and over again.
Why, WHY did I say that?!
In his aim to spare her further suffering, he had only caused her to suffer more. And the way she had looked at him in that final moment, the outrage, the hurt, the anger, it felt as if for the first time in his life, she was looking at him like he was an alien, and not her son.
Flash shook his head, tightening his grip on his practice spear. His right pinky was hot and slightly swollen from a hit he had taken in the last sparring match. It was the closest any of the sixteen assembled ponies who made up his department had come to dealing him any kind of real damage. The challenge he had issued to his troops was that if even one of them could win a match against him, they could all hit the showers early, making him more than a little disappointed that even with that incentive, nopony had manage to collect yet.
Flash opened his mouth to give another order when he heard the door at the far side of the complex bang open with an echo, the clattering of hooves signaling somepony moving in a big hurry. Flash looked over and saw one of his staff messengers, a white pegasus with an orange, flame of a mane galloping towards him, a scroll tucked beneath his wing. The pony skidded to a halt, rendering a hasty salute which Flash returned.
"Corporal Blaze, what's the rush? You look like you've seen a ghost." Flash said as he unfurled the missive that was hoofed over to him.
"Well, uh, sir-" He began to say but stopped as Flash held up a hand, his eyes widening as he scanned the lines of text.
There's no way, Flash thought before looking at his corporal. "She's here, now?"
"Yes sir, should I tell her to wai-"
"No!" Flash replied a bit too hastily before pausing, taking a moment to compose himself. "I mean, no. That's fine corporal, I'm ready now. Good work!"
The pony gave a quick nod and a salute before turning and hurrying back out of the complex. The other ponies murmured amongst themselves, wondering what was going on.
Flash swallowed nervously before finding his voice again. "Sarge!"
"Yes sir?"
Flash glanced from his sergeant to the assembled guard ponies now standing at attention, awaiting further instructions. He allowed himself a resigned sigh.
"Take 'em to chow sarge. After that, we're done for the day. Twenty-four hour liberty pass for all present."
The looks of sudden wonder and gratitude on their faces almost made Flash smirk, he was pretty sure he saw one unicorn almost getting teary-eyed. He turned away as Forthright called the guard ponies to attention before fast-marching them out of the complex, the rise and fall of his hard-voiced cadence slowly fading until cut off by the echoing boom of the far exit doors closing behind them.
Flash took a breath, holding it in a moment before letting it out as he cast a quick glance around the now empty training area. The complex was relatively new, with two levels. At the ground level was an obstacle course, a wide open training mat, and various exercise equipment, all surrounded by an elevated running track which made up the 2nd level. The gray steel ceiling was domed in shape, allowing plenty of space for pegasi to practice aerial combat maneuvers.
But standing alone as he was in the center of the padded training area made him feel less like an officer, and more like a condemned criminal awaiting sentence, small and vulnerable. After all, there could only be one reason why she of all ponies was here.
The unmistakable burst of a teleport behind him didn't cause Flash to flinch so much as the intense levels of magical energy he could practically feel in his teeth did. Her unmistakable presence seemed to fill the entire complex. It was the presence of one of the rarest and most powerful creatures on the planet, the presence of an immortal, the presence of an alicorn. He quickly spun around, dropping to one knee and bowing his head.
"Your highness, it is an honor to have you with us today." Flash said, focusing only on his reflection in Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's golden hoof covers.
"Oh come on Flash, the first time we see each other in months and that's your greeting?! Stop being so formal with me!" Cadance said, delight and humor coloring her tone. Flash slowly stood up, leaving his practice spear on the ground. The Princess beamed at him, "After all, you're practically family." She said with a small chuckle.
"Sorry your highness, just old habits and-whoa! Just a second princess, I've been training all morning, I'm a sweaty, disgusting mess right now, you really shouldn-"
His stream of objections were cut off by a firm hug as she wrapped her forelimbs around his shoulders, pulling him close to her. Flash hesitated a moment before returning it, relaxing slightly in her embrace.
"Don't care, it's good to see you again Flash." She playfully whispered in his ear. "And you'd better start calling me 'Cadance' from now on, got it?" She emphasized the last part with a small, but powerful squeeze that caused a few of his vertebrae to audibly pop.
Flash laughed nervously, reminded as he was of just how incredibly strong this pony really was despite her fair, delicate appearance. "Yeah, got it Cadance. It's good to see you again too."
They separated after a moment, Flash managed a smile.
"How's Flurry Heart?" He asked, trying to avoid for as long as possible the elephant in the room.
"Growing like a weed and continuing to learn new ways that she can blackmail Shiny with cuteness. He says 'hi' by the way." Flash nodded,
"Thanks, though I'm surprised the CO didn't escort you in here himself." He remarked.
"Oh he tried, wanted to show me around with all the formalities of my station and whatnot. But I insisted that I wanted you as my base escort today, and that I wanted to see you alone."
Flash did his best to conceal the massive cringe trying to work its way up his face, wishing for a moment that he was anywhere but here right now. A court martial? A night patrol of Ghastly Gorge? Perhaps volunteering to go and prune some of the monstrous, pony-eating carnivorous plants in the darkest depths of the Everfree...with a dull spork...by himself? Hmm, Yes, that last one certainly had merits.
"Cadance, it's really good to see you, but I've got a full schedule and-"
"AND the Colonel was all too happy to acquiesce to my request," Cadance said, cutting him off, "Saying that he would personally see to it that you would have no other engagements to distract you today and that you are hereby ordered to see to my every need."
Flash grimaced ever so slightly. A stressful, angry sweat breaking out over his face and back. "That's...swell." Cadance gave him a look of feigned sympathy,
"Aww, am I really such bad company Flash?” She said with a slightly impish smirk. “There are far worse fates than escorting a princess around. From what I understand, most officers would kill to add such an experience to their fitrep.”
“I’m not most officers.” Flash grumbled in reply.
“Exactly!" She gleefully exclaimed. "It's what I like about you Flash, you're always a unique experience. Now, whatever shall we do?" She flicked him annoyingly with her tail as she walked by, making him feel that much more frustrated.
Flash exhaled hard through his nostrils, trying to suppress his growing ire, "Alright, who put you up to it Cadance, was it Celestia or Twilight?" He demanded. Cadance cast an exaggerated look of surprise over her shoulder,
"My, such accusations! Am I not allowed to come see an old friend on my own, especially after he's discovered his origins?” She said before pausing and adopting a more serious tone, “But if you must know, it was Auntie Luna. She's really worried about you Flash, and can you blame her? We all are."
Flash grit his teeth, kicking his practice spear up into one hand and spinning away towards one of the pony-shaped practice mannequins hanging from a thick rope.
“Well, you shouldn’t be!” Flash said as he began to lightly strike the dummy with a series of standard attacks. “I appreciate how much everypony cares, but honestly? All of this attention? It's only making it worse!”
“How so?”
Flash continued striking the mannequin with steadily increasing speed and force, his temper rising. “Because I’ve already inconvenienced everypony enough, and now here you are, a Princess of all ponies, crossing half a continent, wasting all of your time on me!” He sensed her take a few steps closer,
“Is that what you think you are Flash Skies? A waste of time, an inconvenience?”
Flash bit back the angry affirmation he wanted to scream in response to that. Worse Princess, inconveniences don’t hurt the ponies who love them! He cast an angry glance over his shoulder, “What do you want Cadance, hmm? Want me to break down? To get all weepy? Talk about my feelings and pretend like it’s all better?!”
"It'd be a nice start." She gently teased, though it failed to elicit a response from the obviously irritated human. She tried again, dropping her lighthearted attitude and adopting a tone that contained all of her genuine sympathy for him.
“I want you to listen to yourself, Flash. Listen to just how unfair you're being to yourself.”
A loud bang echoed throughout the complex as Flash spun and struck the mannequin with the haft of his spear with such force that it tore off of its mounting, bouncing a few times across the padded floor.
He turned and glared at Cadance, breathing hard, “Oh, because listening to myself has already yielded such wonders for me, hasn’t it?! Like how I listened to myself in going to earth?!” He shouted.
The Princess just stared back at him, eyes calculating, but patient. After a moment, she glanced to her right at a rack holding additional practice spears before taking hold of one in her teal-colored magic and bringing it up to her face.
“You know, Shiny tells me that you’re really good with these.” She said while slowly rotating the tool beneath her scrutinizing gaze. “In fact,” She said, looking up at him, a sly smirk on her face, “He says that you’re one of the best he’s ever seen.”
Flash eyed her suspiciously, wondering where she was going with this. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel slightly elated that his former commanding officer had spoken so highly of him. Shining Armor had been the one who had originally trained him in the basics of martial combat with weapons. Flash didn’t like to boast, but false humility would not do either. He may not be strongest in the guard, nor even the fastest. But by Celestia, he was damn-good with a spear; it was his weapon of choice.
“I know enough,” He responded neutrally.
“So modest! Care to give me a demonstration? Perhaps we can have a little sparring match?” Cadance asked, casually dropping her spear into one hoof.
Flash’s eyes widened in surprise. The very idea was ludicrous. After all, she was a civilian, a Princess! Is she being serious? Yeah, she’s an alicorn, but she probably knows as much about wielding a spear as I do about the history of pudding. Then again, Shining Armor may have given her a few pointers, but on the other hand-
A sudden explosion of motion cut through the space before him and Flash suddenly found himself tumbling like a small leaf caught in a blast of wind across the practice mat. Her speed was breathtaking. He had barely caught sight of her before throwing up a guard on reflex alone, just in time to catch her strike; it felt as if he had tried to kiss the Manehattan express.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Were you not ready?” Cadance goaded.
Muttering every curse in the Equestrian language under his breath, Flash pulled himself to his feet, feeling rattled, and checked his weapon. The practice spears were inlaid with spells in order to make them very durable. Even so, he was surprised that the haft hadn’t splintered, giving it a few shakes to ensure that the blunted metal spear-head was still attached.
“Tartarus Cadance, what the hay was that for?!” He exclaimed
“What, too much? Should I give you a handicap?” She asked while removing her crown and other adornments with her magic so that she was completely bare. She stretched out her magnificent wings, giving them a few powerful flaps before folding them in place. “Ah, that’s better.” She sighed before cocking him an eager grin. “Ready?”
Flash fumed at the foalish taunt, trying to think of a way to politely decline her request.
“Cadance, this is highly irregular, you're a VIP, and I don’t think it’s a good image if somepony should see-”
Another blistering strike cut him off, but he managed to catch this one more effectively, gripping his spear with his left hand while bracing it against hers with the palm of his right. The two weapons vibrated as they both pushed back against the other.
“Not open for debate, Flash.” Cadance said, leaning forward to look him right in the eye with a determined gaze. “Now, defend yourself, Lieutenant!”
Shoving him back, the princess proceeded to advance on him with a series of standard strikes. Shocked as he already was by her sudden aggression as well as her surprisingly competent ability with a spear, Flash decided to humor her, and casually deflected them with a basic defense pattern, keeping a sharp eye out for any tricks. She had already surprised him once with her incredible speed and unexpected ferocity, so he had no desire to be caught off guard again.
What are you getting at Cadance? Flash wondered to himself.
He had to admit, he did appreciate the fact that she was wielding it with her hooves, rather than with her magic as most unicorn guards tended to do. And because that required her to rear back on her hind legs, it gave her the added bonus of a height advantage over him. She was surprisingly agile, using her powerful wings both for balance and movement, gracefully dashing from side to side on light hooves as she sought to work past his guard.
Flash noticed her speed gradually increasing, along with the strength and level of skill behind her attacks, the rapid clashes of their weapons resounded through the complex like so many hailstones hammering away on a hard tin roof.
He had known Cadance since he was a child, but he had never seen this side of her before. Her eyes were focused, with a sharp gleam of some burning determination that made him wary. Her combative movements, her aggression, and the way her tri-colored mane whipped around her neck as she quickly flowed from one attack to the next made her appear less a like a princess, and more like a fierce mare of war from ancient times that he'd see displayed in the Cloudsdale art gallery.
"You didn't answer my question, Flash." Cadence said as the human leapt back from a sharp thrust of her spear. "Do you think that you're just an inconvenience to everypony? That nopony's allowed to care about you? That we're supposed to just stand by and ignore you while you suffer?"
Flash paused, gripping the haft in his hands so hard that his fingers hurt. He couldn't stand it, the fact that nopony but him seemed to think that what he did to his mother was a big deal.
Why is everypony wasting their care on me? They should be caring about her!
His anger folded in on itself, redoubling into a dark fire that burned like the very depths of Tartarus. He swallowed it down, deciding instead to counter with a question of his own.
"Can you fix her?" He quietly asked, "Can you undo the harm I did to my mom?"
Cadance frowned, her ears splaying slightly, "Not at this time, no."
Flash nodded, "Then I believe I have answered your question."
"Flash, I know you're upset-"
"ENOUGH Cadance!" He snapped, cutting her off. His shoulders rose and fell as he breathed hard through his nostrils, struggling to contain his temper that more and more felt like a bomb about to cook off. The princess just stared back at him, her expression a strange combination of sympathy and calculation, as if she was trying to come to some kind of difficult decision.
He could see it, the same genuine concern and worry that he had seen in the eyes of his mother, his friends, and more than a dozen others who cared about him. More than a small part of him wanted to simply accept it, to pour out his wounded heart to this good friend and just accept his mother's present condition as the tragedy that it was, something that was beyond his control. But he could not accept that. What would that change? Forgiveness might fix him, but what about his mother? Where was her justice? Who was going to fix her?
Flash took another slow breath and let it out, angry at the fact that yet another friend had to see him this way.
“I’m sorry for snapping, Cadance, and I’m sorry that you came all this way for nothing, but talking about this isn't going to solve anything.” He said, moving to walk past her. “We’re done here.”
A wing snapped out in front of him, causing him to halt abruptly. But it was the way that it bumped into his nose, just hard enough to make his eyes water, that made it seem all too infuriatingly deliberate. Cadance tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing at him,
“I didn’t say you could leave, Lieutenant.” She said, her tone suddenly aggressive. "After all, you've failed to land a single hit on me yet."
"That's because I wasn't trying to hit you, Cadence. You're a princess!"
"Well, you'd better not let that stop you, soldier. Otherwise, I'm going to start thinking that Shiny was exaggerating about you!"
Flash glared back at her, drawing on the last dregs of his patience to not say or do something he'd later regret. He knew that she was baiting him, probably trying to get him to engage in more worthless talk. Even so, alarm bells were going off at every level in his head. There was a sudden sharpness in her tone that he had never heard her use before, and her eyes held the telling of a provoked ferocity that he’d rather not discover the origins of.
“This is none of your business, Princess.” He replied in a patronizing tone, ignoring the voice of reason in the back of his mind that shouted, threatened, and downright pleaded with him to deescalate the situation. But he didn’t care. Why should he back down? After all, she of all ponies, the one who taught him so much about controlling his temper, was the one provoking him!
She wasn’t just carelessly stepping on his last nerve, she was deliberately stomping, twisting, and shredding it with an iron-studded horseshoe. But only after having directed a herd of heavily inebriated Yaks to have their annual smash-dance celebration upon it. His anger was calling the shots now, and he was tired of this. Tired of all the pain, the guilt, the sleepless nights, and the forced politeness he had to use with everypony and their concern. He just so very tired of it all, and it was time to end this.
Cadance continued to hold his gaze, her eyes dangerous, “It becomes my business when it hurts the ones I care about, Flash.”
“Oh so you care? I should be so lucky!”
“Indeed you are, talk to your mother lately?”
Flash felt something snap inside of him as he saw red, and within the deafening roar that was the turbulent sea of pent up anger, grief, self-hatred and frustration on the verge of being released, he heard the voice of reason utter one final plea to Celestia, Harmony, it’s Maker, and all things holy for mercy on its miserable host.
Cadance felt him tense up, but before he could make a move, she made one of her own, shoving him back with her wing. Hard. Perhaps too hard. She winced as the human went flying, smashing through a wooden rack about twenty feet away and scattering practice spears and helmets like an explosion of so much confetti. She decided to press on, knowing that he was tough enough to take it.
"Why are you demanding the impossible on yourself, Flash?!" She shouted, "I know you want to protect others from harm, but you can't protect us from everything, especially the unpredictable!"
A enraged scream accompanied by a bright flash of blue light and a deafening clap of thunder cut through the air.
Here we go... Cadance thought, readying her stance.
The human stalked towards her, looking like a living thunderstorm. His eyes shone with an angry blue light while lighting crackled and curled around his body and spear with a violent fury matched only by the rage twisting his features. The glowing outline of a red and yellow sun blazed brightly on his forehead
"PROTECT?!" He roared.
"All my life, all I have EVER wanted to do, was give a little back to those who have given me everything, BUT WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE?!"
Flash shot up twenty feet into the air before kicking off the atmosphere, coming down at Cadence so fast that it looked like he had ricocheted off an invisible wall.
"WHO FAILED TO SAVE A SINGLE PONY FROM TIREK?!" He screamed while delivering a brutal, double-handed slash with his weapon. Cadance threw up her spear in a guard, the collision creating an explosion of thunder, wind whipping up between them.
"WHO ALWAYS HAS TO BE RESCUED BY HIS FRIENDS?!" A following upward swipe almost knocked Cadance's spear from her hooves.
"WHO WAS IT THAT CRIPPLED! HIS OWN! MOTHER?!"
Flash delivered a hail of blows that were beyond Cadance's level of skill, forcing the alicorn to retreat a few steps to avoid being hit before the human smashed his spear against hers, pushing with all his rage-driven might in an attempt to shove her back. Incredibly, he managed to move her back about a foot before she dug in her rear hooves in, halting his progress. Cadance glared at him,
"Not your fault, Flash."
Flash responded with an angry shout while releasing an electrical surge large enough to light up Fillydelphia through their connected weapons, making the pair of combatants appear as if they were being consumed by a dazzling ball of lightning. Cadance seemed to wince in momentary discomfort at being hit with such an immense amount of energy, before opening her eyes with an almost apologetic smile.
"Born pegasus, remember?"
She delivered a solid head-butt to the human's face, through which she sent a surge of her own weather magic, as if she were cloud-busting a thunderhead like she did when she was a filly.
The effect was both immediate and dramatic as an enormous blast of lightning exited out of the human's back, blasting a decent-sized hole in the far side of domed ceiling with a deafening boom and a shower of sparks, the molten edges of the gaping hole glowing cherry-red with heat.
Cadance took advantage of the now discharged human's visibly stunned state, delivering a series of sharp blows with her haft that doubled the young man over and knocked him back across the padded floor.
Flash immediately sat up only to scream in frustration as Cadance blasted him with a bolt of his own lightning fired from the tip of her hoof, generated with the remainder of the current he had hit her with, knocking him clear across the floor. Even with that blow, she could tell that he was far from done.
C'mon kid, let it all out,
"Is that all you got, Flash?!" Cadance shouted as she dove towards him, bringing the haft of her spear down in an overhead strike.
Moving like quicksilver, Flash rolled to one side, avoiding the blow before springing up with explosive force, driving his shoulder into the alicorn's chest and knocking her to the floor.
Cadance let out a genuinely surprised gasp as the maneuver caught her off guard. She quickly scrambled back to her hooves, moving to get clear of her enraged opponent. She looked up to see Flash angrily snatching his spear up off the ground while tearing off a lose strip off his ruined shirt and casting it aside. The look in his eye was so fierce that it actually caused her to pause. Something about that stare reminded her that this was indeed a predatory species, and very much alien.
Flash was livid. This wasn't a match, it was a humiliation. He knew alicorns were powerful, but this brief encounter made him realize that for all of his skill, training, and ability, against this pony, he was but a kite in a storm. It didn't matter that he was more skilled than her, he probably couldn't harm her even if she let him try. He couldn't beat her, but by Celestia, he wouldn't let her humiliate him either. He would land a hit in this infuriating match, if it was the last thing he did.
Shouting in frustration, he swung his weapon back and forth with the unbalanced fury of a madman. Cadance swept back, dodging and ducking before a stab of mild pain erupted in her right wing from a lightning quick thrust, the blunted spear tip actually succeeding in knocking a few of her beautiful pink feathers loose.
Cadance quickly swung her own spear in a wide arc in an attempt to create some space between them, only to be shocked when Flash caught her weapon with his bare hand and tore it out of her unprepared grip, tossing it away.
Drawing upon her magic, she quickly snatched up another spear from the many scattered around the training area, bringing it to bear just in time to catch a savage strike as Flash brought his weapon down as hard and as fast as he could. A loud snap ripped through the air as the force of the blow caused both weapons to partially crack; but the human was far from done.
Snarling with effort, Flash struck again with a violent chopping motion, attempting to smash the weapon out of her hooves. He viciously swung his weapon again and again with deranged rage, sending fragments of enchanted wood flying with each strike as his attacks battered both of their spears to pieces, screaming all the while.
"HOW CAN I PRETEND LIKE EVERYTHING IS FINE WHEN IT'S NOT CADANCE?! WHY DOES NOPONY CARE ABOUT WHAT I DID TO MY MOTHER?! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?! TELL ME WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO DO, TELL ME! IDON'TKNOW!IDON'TKNOW!IDON'TKNOW!"
Cadance waited for one of the split second between his strikes before springing forward with terrific force, knocking the splintered remains of their weapons aside as she tackled the human to the floor, pinning him on his back. Flash scrabbled like a hooked fish, almost managing to break free of her grip.
"Let go of me!" He shouted, tears running down his face, mixing with the blood and sweat from a cut over his eyebrow.
Flash twisted over, attempting to get a knee under him only for Cadance to haul him back with a bear hug from behind, trapping his arms at his sides and keeping him seated on the floor. He grabbed at one of her forelimbs, trying and failing to pry it lose as he thrashed from side to side, his tired eyes blurred with tears.
"Let go of me Cadance...let GO!"
Cadance held firm, pulling him back against her chest while leaning forward to keep her weight on him. She patiently waited him out until his struggles eventually weakened, and his defiant protests gradually dissolved into the soft sobs of the broken man he was who finally collapsed against her, utterly spent.
She hated seeing him this way, hated seeing the confident, capable young officer who never quit, who always strove to lift up and inspire those around him with his fiery devotion and endless care reduced to such a pitiful state. But it was a state that she understood all too well, the sorrowful heart of one wounded by the cost of sacrificial love, unable to accept that such a price should be spent on them.
"It's wrong...It's all wrong...why did she come? She shouldn't have come...it's all my fault..." He quietly grieved.
Cadance slightly relaxed her restraining grip on the human and took her weight off of him, while still holding him close to her. She bent her neck down to softly nuzzle the side of his head with her cheek, lending him her comfort. She said nothing at first, letting him spend his pent up emotions, while also taking the time to catch her own breath. She wasn't exactly out of shape, but neither was she a trained soldier. She hadn't physically exerted herself like this in a long time and it showed.
"Flash," she finally said after a short while. "I know, that you want to give back, to show your love, your gratitude," She paused a moment to raise his tattered left sleeve, observing the scar on his cutie mark before continuing, "But you must understand, who you are, your value, doesn't come from what you can or cannot do for us. You're worth so much more than that."
"It doesn't feel that way..." He whispered through heaving breaths.
Cadance nodded in sympathy, "I know. Sometimes, most times, our feelings do not align with what is true, and we can feel so lost. But those are the times, where we need others to help us, to show us what is real."
A hum began to fill the air as Cadance charged her horn with a powerful spell that she had been preparing for several days now. She hugged the human reassuringly when she felt him nervously tense up against her, a reaction caused no doubt by the painful experience of the violation of his mind he suffered at the hooves of Chelicerae.
"Shh, it'll be alright, trust me," She whispered.
Since she had arrived from the Crystal Empire in answer to Princess Luna's letter, Cadance had been a busy mare. One after another, she had conducted several visits. One to each of his friends, to fellow guard ponies he had served with, and with other ponies who knew him while he was growing up, with the last contribution to the spell being from Ella herself.
And from the various encounters with them all, Cadance had gathered something special, something more powerful than all the magic in Equestria, something that she very much wanted Flash to experience.
"You love us Flash Skies, you love us all so very much. But you're forgetting something," She paused as he twisted his neck to look up at her.
Cadance smiled warmly at his rather tired, befuddled look. "You're forgetting, that we love you."
With that, she gently touched her horn to his head, unleashing the immense power of her magic.
Flash gasped as a staggering sensation took hold of his mind and heart, flooding his consciousness with a countless myriad of memories, thoughts, and emotions, all tied together by one binding and absolutely blinding reality, the undeniable reality of love. Except, it was not his love. The memories, the emotions, none of them were his.
They were Celestia's. They were Luna's. They were his mother's, Rainbow Dash's, Twilight's, his friends, neighbors, and fellow Equestrians. And from them all, Cadance's magic forced him to both see and experience from their point of view all of the joy, all of the love and happiness that he had caused in each and every one of them since the day he had arrived in Equestria.
There was the radiant joy his mother felt when he had first called her 'momma', Luna's heartfelt gratitude at his concern for her when she had first returned to Equestria, and the soothing consolation Celestia felt from a simple hug and 'I love you Princess!' from him when she had been in quiet desolation at the unspoken memory of her banished sister at a Summer Sun Celebration.
The experience of it all was breathtaking, heartrending, and unspeakably beautiful; but also, completely overwhelming.
Cadance released the young man, allowing him to fall forward on his hands and knees. Heaving for air, Flash rolled over, propping himself up on his elbows.
"What...what did you do to me?" He stuttered, placing a hand against the side of his head. Cadance smiled softly, her horn still glowing with the power of her spell.
"Call it a reversal of empathy, Flash Skies. Words might not be enough to convince you of the blessing you have been for us, so I found a way to have you experience it instead, to experience all of the good, all of the the love you have generated among those who have known you since you arrived in Equestria."
"It's, it's too much! Please, make it stop!"
Cadance shook her head, "I cannot, Flash. Once started, this spell won't stop until it runs its course. Just try to relax, and look closely at what it shows you.
Flash squeezed his eyes shut, holding his head in his hands while the flood of memories and sensations continued unabated. There was the comfort felt by Scootaloo when he had empathized with the little filly at also being unable to fly, the hope stirred by a kind word given to a frustrated fellow cadet when he had been having a bad day. Even Discord had managed to share something, the feeling of being genuinely touched when Flash had welcomed him along with Fluttershy all of those years ago, openly declaring himself to be the chaos spirit's friend.
There were countless other happy moments in the veritable flood of memories, but there was one experience that stood out from all the rest, one that was utterly unique and never before experienced in his life: the newfound happiness, joy, and sense of self-worth he had engendered within another human being. And tied to that sensation, was another kind of love, a kind that fell into a completely different category from any of the others, though no less intense, a love that caused his cheeks to burn with heat.
Flash let out a deep, shuddering sigh as the spell finally ended, his heart pounding in his chest and ears while tears continued to stream down his face. Though the magic had ceased, the reverberating effects of the consoling feelings it had caused continued to swell his heart with the unmistakable knowledge of the love those he cared for had, in fact, for him. And for no other reason than for who he was. The heavy desolation he had been carrying in his heart for the past month was suddenly gone, burned away by the rapturous experience of pure charity revealed to him by the kindly alicorn.
Flash slowly sat up, looking at Cadance who was sitting on the floor across from him, panting with exhaustion just as he was; the spell apparently had been a costly one, even for her. He wiped the tears from his eyes,
"C-Cadance...I, I mean," he stuttered, trying to find words. The alicorn smirked and raised a hoof, causing Flash to wince, thinking that she was about to slug him again, only for her to reach out and tap him on the nose.
"Boop." She said, the gentle nudge being enough to cause the worn out human to fall onto his back with a confused sputter.
Cadance joined him a second later, flopping down on her back next to him, staring up at the ceiling as they both caught their breaths. She too felt spent. Her mane was disheveled, and one of her wings would need a serious preening later. But at the same time, she felt relieved in the knowledge that she had accomplished what she had set out to do. She turned her face towards him,
"Flash?"
Flash groaned in reply, holding his hands over his face. "Ugh...I kinda wish you had just gone and beat me to death...is it too late to ask?" Cadance chuckled softly,
"Sorry, but I promised your mother that I wouldn't kill you."
"My mom...what am I supposed to do now?"
"Well, I'd start with an apology." She teased, to which Flash responded by banging the back of his head a few times against the mat.
Cadance rolled over and pushed herself up into a sitting position,
"Flash, I know that what happened to your mother hurts beyond description, and I can't pretend to understand what it felt like, what it continues to feel like for you, but you see now why she placed herself in that position without hesitation? She loves you, you big dope." Flash lowered his hands from his sweat and blood-smeared face and looked up at her.
"I never doubted why she did it, I just...wish that she hadn't." She smiled at him,
"I know, but that's the nature of true love, it will always willingly sacrifice itself for the other. Yes, it hurts to see that sometimes, and maybe we think we're not worth it. But after the gift has been made, the only thing left to do is to accept it, to be grateful for it. To do anything less can only cause more pain, more suffering."
"She's right, Flash."
Flash sprang up at the sound of the all too familiar voice calling to him from across the arena. The sudden movement causing him to hiss in pain as adrenaline was no longer masking the latest collection of bumps and bruises he had recently acquired.
Cadance steadied him with one hoof, keeping him seated.
"Easy now," she said.
Flash looked in the direction of Ella's voice, only for his breath to catch in his throat as a sense of surrealism overcame him. The young woman was leaning with her shoulder against a grey support column, her arms folded across her chest. But what really surprised him, was the fact that she just so happened to be wearing the very same faded jeans, pink shirt and worn leather jacket she'd had on when he had first laid eyes on her.
He would never forget that moment, the moment he first saw another human being, and the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. But it began to dawn on him, that the clothes she had on was the only thing from that moment that remained the same. He began to understand, that the woman now wearing them, was an entirely different person from the one he had first encountered.
Ella smiled shyly at him, her eyes apologetic as she began to walk towards him.
Flash moved to sit on his knees, struggling to find his tongue,
"E-Ella, I mean, Cadance, you..." A tingling, refreshing sensation swept over him as Cadance cleansed his body of sweat and blood with a quick spell. The Princess winked at him,
"Making you presentable." She whispered with a sly smile in answer to his questioning look, a second quick spell mended his ruined shirt.
Flash returned his attention back to Ella as she sat down on her knees opposite him. She appeared more beautiful now than he had ever seen her before. Her blond, shoulder length hair gleamed like shavings of polished gold, her skin was flush and smooth like that of a child's. Her entire countenance seemed to contain a near luminescent sheen, caused by the magic that now flowed freely throughout her entire being. But it was her eyes, so full of life, happiness, and love, that stood out the most; so completely different from the dull despondency and anger they had contained when he had first met her.
"Hey kiddo," she said with a half smile. Flash then noticed the white calla lily that he had given her, as fresh and as white as it had been weeks ago thanks to the preservation enchantment Luna had placed on it for him. She had tucked it neatly into her hair over her right ear. But there were other changes about her that he began to notice as well.
"Ella, your eyes, your, your, uh, fangs? When did you, how did?" Ella laughed, her small white fangs catching the light.
"Well, let's just say it's a consequence of being a bit stubborn. What do you think, do they make me look ugly?" The sudden hue on Flash's cheeks put anything in Applejack's orchard to shame.
"No! I mean, I don't think anything could, I mean, wow, they're uh, kind of neat, I mean, they make you...you're, uh, really, really beautiful..."
Ella laughed again, exchanging a knowing glance with Cadance who wore a smug smile of approval, her eyes half-lidded with amusement.
Adopting a more serious demeanor, Ella reached up and took the lily out of her hair and held it with both hands in her lap. She looked down at it for a moment before raising her gaze to Flash. Words were not needed as their eyes connected. Ella knew, thanks to Cadance's spell, that Flash would know exactly how she felt about him, that she did indeed, love him. She smiled shyly at him,
"What do you say Flash, do you still want to be with this crazy girl?" Flash glanced down to one side, his eyes distant for a moment in thought before slowly looking back to her,
"And, what if you were right?" He said, a hint of doubt coloring the tone of his voice, "What if, I really am just a dumb kid who fell in love with the first girl he ever saw?" Cadance glanced from Flash to Ella, one of her ears flicking.
Ella felt her eyes grow a little wet, but she still managed a determined smile. "Well, in that case, then, I'm glad it was me, Flash. I'm happy, to be that girl."
Flash felt his eyes widen, his heart almost going still at the strength of her conviction that came through in those words; she really meant that. Her words triggered his memory, taking him back to that profound moment when she had comforted him after they had both been captured. That moment, when he had seen for the first time the beautiful soul that she truly was come to the surface.
My purpose...isn't simply to protect, but to love. Love changes us for the better. And if I allow others to love me, I will be a better protector, no, a better person than I could ever be on my own...how did I forget that?
"Well, would you look at that?" Cadance said, her soft voice snapping Flash back to attention. He looked at Cadance who was looking proudly at him, a gentle smile on her face.
"Oh wow," Ella added, holding a hand over her mouth, tears of joy filling her eyes.
"What?" Flash asked, before noticing the glow coming from beneath his shirt sleeves. Scrambling with his hand, he seized his left sleeve and pulled it up, to reveal his cutie mark shining with a brilliant, pulsing light. He stared in wonder, looking at his cutie mark as if he had never seen it before, like he did as a child when they had first appeared on his shoulders all of those years ago.
"Looks like you finally found yourself again Flash Skies, it's about time." Cadance said, her voice thick with emotion. She wiped a tear from her eye,
"But, if I could try just one more thing..." Her horn ignited once more with her light blue magic,
Narrowing her eyes in concentration, the beautiful alicorn tilted her head forward, and gently touched her horn to Flash's left shoulder, or more specifically, to the thick scar that ran across his cutie mark.
Flash shivered as a sensation like ice being dragged across his skin ran through him. The glow on his cutie mark intensified for a moment, shining even more intensely before slowly fading, disappearing to reveal his shoulder and cutie mark whole and pristine once more.
Flash felt his jaw drop in disbelief. Cutie marks were tricky, mysterious things; and because they were so tied up with the soul of the ponies, or in this case, human who bore them, they usually resisted most any magical manipulation as evidenced by every healing spell previously lavished upon him failing to have any effect. Flash's eyes shot up,
"Cadance...How did you, I mean, nothing worked before, what did you..." The alicorn's wings lifted slightly in the approximation of shrug,
"Just a basic restoration spell. Perhaps nothing worked before because you were still conflicted, who knows?"
Flash ran a hand over his shoulder, marveling at how smooth it was once more. He looked at Cadance, tears of gratitude welling in his eyes,
"Cadance, I...thank you..." He managed to breath.
The Alicorn Princess smiled sweetly at him, placing a hoof on his shoulder while leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. Then, taking his hand in one hoof, and Ella's in the other, she brought them both together.
Ella smiled as she felt Flash's warm, strong hand squeeze her own in a clasp that she could only describe as one of pure joy. Through her eyes, she could see his spirit shining once again like the dawn with restored confidence, bright and golden, interspersed with dazzling bursts of bright pink love and wreathed in the emerald green of hope.
Flash smiled at her, like he had when he was with her back on earth. He looked like himself again, that confident, joyful soul that she so lovingly remembered. The one who had led her out of the darkness of her old life, and into this new life of love, happiness, and peace; he looked like the happiest man she had ever seen.
Cadance then extended her wings, forming an arch over the two humans in a solemn gesture of benediction, her posture regal and refined. Even without her crown, Ella thought the pony looked every bit like the princess she really was, and almost laughed at the incredulous sensation of once more feeling like her life had somehow become a fairy tale. A beautiful, wonderful fairy tale.
The Alicorn Princess warmly regarded the young couple, looking at one and then the other in turn, "Flash Skies, Ella Braugher," she said, her voice filled with the most heartfelt kindness. "May Harmony keep you, all the days of your lives, and may you both find happiness together."
Bright Skies paused over her kitchen sink, quickly drying her hooves on a towel before dropping down to all four hooves. She turned towards the far window, looking off into the distance towards Canterlot for several minutes, her ears tilted forward. The mare slowly closed her eyes, placing a hoof to her heart. After a few moments, she inhaled deeply through her nostrils, tilting her head back while a serene smile spread across her face, tears squeezing from beneath her eyelids.
The sun was shining now, and she was no longer alone.