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// Chapter 5: Meeting the Sentrys Part 2 
// Story: How to Meet the Parents 
// by Piemaster128 
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“Our story begins way back in our sophomore year of high school in Cloudsdale,” Aaron began.
“You were such a handsome nerd back then,” Swifty said with a yawn. 
“I’m still handsome, thank you very much! But back on topic, by this point I had already found my cutie mark, which meant I could apply for the talent specialization program the school offered. Essentially, the classes before noon would be the core classes, such as history, math, and the like, while the second half of the day would have elective classes that ponies could take based on their talents and interest. If a pony had yet to find their cutie mark, they would take a few core activities in the afternoon and have a few electives that they could take that would rotate on a monthly basis. Because my talent fell outside the normal curriculum of electives available in a cloud city, I was able to set up a mentorship program with somepony who could teach me how to harness my talent. This pony would then sign off that I was doing my work to grant me the credits I needed to graduate.
“Given how my talent involved growing plants, I spent most of my afternoons on the ground helping my mentor and family friend Tulip grow flowers. I loved it so much, I usually got so into it that I only stopped when she told me it was time for dinner. I always made sure to bring some flowers home so my parents could see and taste my work too.”
“Wasn’t there one time when she had to drag you out of the garden by your ear?” Swifty asked, prompting a small chuckle from Twilight. Aaron laughed.
“That happened WAY more than once. On one such late night, as I was flying home with my bags full of flowers, I flew past the school’s cloud stadium and noticed an unusual sight. Despite the sun having already set and only a couple of the lights being on, somepony still using the hoofball training equipment on the field. My curiosity got the better of me, so I flew over into the darkened stands near the endzone so I could watch. 
“The pony on the field wasn’t one of the hoofball players, but instead was a small mare that looked like she should still be back in middle school. It was pretty hard to make out any details from so far away, but she landed for a minute nearby and I was able to get a look at her. Surprise surprise, she was the ball of fluff that I’m currently snuggling with.” He gave Swifty a small kiss, and she giggled. “Even back then she was a ball of fluff with some damn strong legs, something I could see immediately since she was wearing the heaviest leg bands that the school owned. And given how they were normally reserved for the hoofball players at least twice her size, I could easily guess that her wings were likely very strong too.”
“Those weights were too light,” Swifty muttered. “Nothing more than an annoyance than full challenge. Stupid cheap school.”  
“Yes, and your stories of the hoofball players struggling to fly with them was just them being lazy,” Aaron said with a smirk.
“Exactly!”
Flash suddenly felt the urge to facehoof, but at least Twilight seemed to be enjoying this, given her giggle. 
So even back then, Mom used weights that barely anypony else could use and felt that they just weren’t heavy enough. I feel like I should be surprised, but I’m not. 
“Regardless, I had seen the hoofball players wearing similar weights before and seeing her flying with them with so little difficulty impressed me a lot,” Aaron continued. “Just using them at all told me that she was serious about her workout and that she was a very tough pony. But as I watched her, I noticed that she had landed near a school bag that she had placed near the goalpost. I was close enough to see her take a drink, look at the bag with an almost pained expression, shake her head, and began to fly laps, still wearing the weights.
“Once again, my curiosity got the better of me, so while she was looking away, I flew over to her bag to see what was there. I think Swifty still has that bag somewhere too. The blue one, with all the stickers of the solar guards?” 
“I think it’s in the attic,” Swifty said with a small, tired sigh as she snuggled deeper into Aaron’s chest. “It was a fun little memento of our first meeting.”
Wasn’t that the same bag Mom gave me for my first day of school? The one that she said was full of awesomeness and could suplex away bad luck? I had almost forgotten that it was mom’s originally.
“That it was. Anyway, she’d left it open that night, and I could see that all she had was a large bottle of water and a small, half-full bag of peanuts. It took me a moment, but I realized that, given how hard the mare was exercising, she must have been starving.
“I was, once again, really impressed that she could keep undergoing such an intense workout with so little food available. Her stamina and dedication to her training was clear as the moon in the sky. And yet, I was also a bit concerned. She clearly wasn’t eating the only food she had, and I was a bit worried that she might not be able to make it home once she was done with her routine. And if she was to push too hard, I was worried something might happen to her and no pony would be around to see.
“I thought about leaving her some money, but I realized that wouldn’t be helpful if she was too weak to get to a store or restaurant, assuming anywhere was open when she was finished given how I had no idea if she would be out there for another hour or three. Plus, given how deserted the school was, there was no guarantee that somepony would find her quickly if she happened to overwork herself. And…” His face turned red, and he bashfully rubbed his free wing against the back of his neck “I just couldn’t stand the thought of somepony who was clearly very dedicated to what she was doing get hurt when I had the ability to help.”
“You wanted to help a complete stranger,” Swifty said, so soft and warm that Flash almost blushed. Some part of him wanted to turn away and give the two of them some privacy to be cute. “My big knight covered in flower petals and dirt.” 
“And you’re my little fluffy knight with the strength of a grizzly bear,” Aaron said in the same loving tone, stealing a quick kiss.
“That’s so adorable,” Twilight whispered to Flash, barely audibly, like she was trying not to disturb the tender moment in front of her. Flash just grinned and nodded, leaning over to give Twilight a quick nuzzle, earning a happy little purr. 
“Luckily for her, I had stopped at the grocery store on my way home to pick up some food for my parents,” Aaron continued after a minute or so. “So, while she was still training, I quickly pulled out two slices of bread, some of my best flowers, and some honey and spices. Once I made a sandwich, I pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote a quick note, listing the ingredients in case she was allergic to anything and explaining why I was leaving her some food. I set it next to her bag and, hoping that she hadn’t seen me, I retreated back to the stands where she couldn’t see me, but where I could still remain close just in case something happened.”
“Why didn’t you just stay out and talk to her?” Twilight asked, tilting her head adorably. “Wouldn’t it have just been easier to talk to her rather than hide and wait?”
“I was, well…nervous,” Aaron said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “I had a few friends who were mares, but they were mares I’d known for years or mares who tried to talk to me first and were able to put up with me being more tongue-tied than Flash trying to explain why he was home an hour after curfew.”
“That was one time!” Flash protested, trying desperately not to blush as Twilight snickered. 
“And you spend five minutes stammering ‘um,’ ‘ah,’ and ‘I, well’ and that’s it,” Aaron said with a small chuckle. “I was just as bad at that when it came to talking to new ponies I had never met in high school. I always just got this, feeling of butterflies in my stomach at the prospect of meeting somepony new. A general sense of anxiety that made it hard to focus or keep still. And with somepony who was as serious, impressive, and dedicated to boot about her workout…It just…made me nervous. You’re right, I probably could have waited for her, but I was just too afraid to make a fool of myself, soooo…I hid.”
“Don’t let his little stunt from earlier fool you, Twilight,” Swifty said around another yawn. “My big knight here used to be quite bad at meeting new ponies. It’s only his years of running his flower shop and having me as his wing-pony that made him into the social butterfly and chatterbox that he is today. Back in highschool, he was at best a social caterpillar.”
“You’ll never let me forget that one Nightmare Night costume, will you?” Aaron playfully asked, earning a playful raspberry from Swifty. “And you’re probably just as much as of a chatterbox as I am!”
“It’s a miracle the house is ever quiet with the two of you around then, isn’t it?” Flash said, earning a laugh from all the other ponies in the room.
“Yep!” Swifty crowed. 
“Anyway,” Aaron continued, swallowing the last of his laughter. “The next time she landed, I watched her find the note and the sandwich and she immediately shrugged out of the weights and glaring suspiciously around the stadium. Despite her size, she looked quite intimidating with that glare, convincing me to stay right where I was. When she didn’t see me, she turned back to her bag and picked up the note. I couldn’t quite see her reaction to the note, but eventually she put it down and picked up the sandwich. She spent a minute examining the sandwich, sniffing it, pulling it open to check it, before finally taking a very small bite of one of the corners.”
“She ate a sandwich that a stranger just left her?” Twilight asked in surprise. “That…seems like a bad idea.”
“I was hungryyyy,” Swifty whined, nuzzling deeper into Aaron’s wings as her face became bright red. “It was past dinnertime and I hadn’t had anything since lunch! I just planned to take a small bite of the corner when I didn’t find anything suspicious! That way I could wait and make sure it wasn’t going to affect me!” 
“Only you didn’t,” Aaron laughed. “Instead, it took her less than five seconds to completely demolish the sandwich. And immediately after she finished, she collapsed on her side.”
“It was sooooo goooooooooood,” Swifty moaned. “The moment I tasted it I couldn’t stop myself! Even if I wasn’t running on fumes I would have devoured that glorious bundle of flowers and spices.”
“I know, dear. I know,” Aaron said, planting a small kiss on her forehead. “Now naturally I was pretty concerned when I saw that. I was worried that her body had given out because of how hard she worked, or that the sudden intake of carbs had caused a medical problem, so I quickly left my hiding place and flew over. But before I could get to her, she managed to stagger back to her hooves almost drunkenly and loudly proclaimed ‘That was the best sandwich I have ever eaten. Ever. Of all time! THANK YOU MYSTERY SANDWICH PONY!!!’ At which point I naturally replied, ‘You're welcome.’”
“You were so afraid of talking to her, but then you did THAT?” Twilight gasped in surprise. “Rainbow once did that to me when I was in my lab and ended up suck to a wall when one of my experiments exploded!”
“It was purely on instinct! I didn’t MEAN to startle her!” Aaron protested, unable to hide his smile as Swifty huffed. “Though I will say, her reaction was priceless! She let out the highest pitched scream I have ever heard and she launched herself straight up into the air, ending up balanced on one of the goal posts with her fur all puffed up! All I could do was yell an awkward ‘sorry!’ at her as I landed by her stuff.’
“Now if only I could scare HIM like that!” Swifty grunted. “I’ve tried for years to get a similar reaction out of him as payback, but he never reacts the same way! He barely even jumps!”
“Come on now, give yourself some credit. You’ve have managed to scare me plenty of times, especially on Nightmare Night!” Aaron said in a consoling tone. “Just because I don’t jump doesn’t mean I’m not scared. I just tend to freeze up instead of launching the way you and Flash do.”
“I know,” Swifty winced. “I still remember the incident with Flash that one Nightmare night.”
Oh dear Luna, I had forgotten about that. Flash thought with similar wince. Sometimes you’re just to good at being scary, Dad.
“What incident?” Twilight asked innocently, prompting a smile from Aaron. 
“Despite Swifty being more practiced as scaring ponies due to her role as a guard instructor, I tend to get more…let’s say extreme reactions. One year for Nightmare Night, Flash had dressed up as a Royal Guard—”
“And he was so cuuuuuuute!” Swifty squealed. “I even managed to convince a friend of mine to temporarily shrink my armor so Flashie could wear it as his costume!”
“Minus the sword,” Aaron added with a small snort. 
Ah, yes. The sword. THAT I definitely remember… 
“That tone indicates that there is definitely a story there but that we will not be getting into it any further due to an argument that had happened WAY too many times in the past,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. 
Flash just blinked at her.
“That was oddly specific,” he said, raising his own eyebrow. 
“My brother and I use a similar tone when discussing the tinfoil crown we used to compete over as foals,” Twilight said, and Flash knew enough about HER tone to know he was NOT getting any more details about it, at least not tonight.
Note to self, ask Spike about a tinfoil crown and what it has to do with Shining Armor, Flash thought. And maybe bring popcorn. 
“You would be right,” Aaron said, winking at her. “Anyway, because he was wearing Swifty’s armor, he wanted me to tell him the scariest story I could think of, saying that Royal Guards weren’t scared of anything.”
“He didn’t, of course,” Flash chuckled, “but he did tell me one that he, at the time, thought was a little bit scarier than what I was used to. And to further set the mood, the only light on was a flashlight he held below his chin, making him look like just a spooky floating head.”
“A head you just couldn’t keep your eyes off of if I remember correctly,” Aaron said with a nod. 
“Ohhh yeah. I was HOOKED!” Flash agreed. “I was very, very into the story. I did my best to remain calm, tried to tell myself that royal guards like Mom could handle anything even as the armor clanked at every little shiver I made. Even as I could feel the straps becoming wet from my panicked sweat, I told myself I could do this.”
“He did very well for a nine-year-old colt,” Swifty agreed. “He was such a tough little soldier.”
“I still am a touch soldier, thank you very much. And I am certainly not a little soldier anymore,” Flash said with a playful huff. His mom just smiled.
“You’ll always be my little soldier Flashie, even if you ever get to be as tall as Aaron.” 
“However, when I got near the end of the story,” Aaron picked up, “I turned off my flashlight right at the final moment, leapt into the air, and landed behind him with a solid THUD! Flash screamed, and when I turned the light back on, he was gone. Any guesses as to where he ended up?”
“Behind the couch?” Twilight guessed.
I wish I had ended up there, Flash thought. 
“Nope!” Swifty laughed. “My goofball of a husband had scared Flashie so bad that he had jumped straight up, punched a hole in the ceiling, and ended up in the upstairs bathroom!” 
Twilight’s jaw dropped, and her eyes immediately scanned over everypony’s faces, looking for some sign of deceit. 
“Good thing my costume was actual armor that year, huh?” Flash said, laughing a little as he saw the dawning realization in Twilight’s eyes that he was being serious. “I was perfectly fine, thanks to all the protection wards on my mom’s armor, just a little shaken up from the story. My mom spent the rest of the night cuddling me and saying how impressed she was at my lightning reflexes, saying that all guards need great reflexes. She also assured me that it was ok that I did get scared, and that she wasn’t mad at me for my little act of accidental property damage.”
“And thus, I learned only to tell Flash scary stories outside,” Aaron said with a wink. “Thank goodness one of my friends helps build houses and could fix the damage relatively quickly.”
“That’s crazy,” Twilight breathed, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Welcome to the family!” Swifty said with a wild grin, before yawning.
Yep, welcome to the family, Twilight, Flash thought. While we may look normal from a distance, when things get crazy, we go the extra mile. Though given how often the same thing happens to you back in Ponyville, I’m sure you’ll be just fine. 
“Anyway, back to my story,” Aaron laughed. “Once Swifty realized what had happened, she flew back down and started scolding me for scaring her half to death. And let me tell you, even at that age, she had all the aura of a drill instructor. I felt like I was a brand-new recruit! I couldn’t even get a word in edgewise, though that was probably because my brain was so overwhelmed that there was a cute, dedicated, impressive-as-hay MARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME that it kinda broke for a moment. I don’t even remember most of what she said, but I specifically remember her screaming ‘Give me one good reason I shouldn’t suplex you through this cloud!’
“At which point, completely at a loss for words, I replied with the first thing that came into my head: ‘Because I can make you more sandwiches?’ Her stomach growled so loudly at the mention of more food that she couldn’t help but blush and mutter adorably to herself. Something about the way she went from loud and in charge to embarrassed and shy just made me smile, and so I pulled out the ingredients.”
“And thus, my mom was forever in love with his sandwiches,” Flash added. “Sure, she loves all his food, but those sandwiches are the thing she ask for the most.”
“By most, he means daily,” Aaron said.
“If he didn’t want to make them all the time, then he shouldn’t make them so delicious,” Swifty said with a small huff.
“But if I DIDN’T, you would know something was wrong or I was replaced by a changeling or something!” Aaron teased, waggling an eyebrow at her.
“Hmmmmmm…True.” Swifty conceded, deciding to snuggle more into her husband’s chest. Aaron just continued stroking her with his wing. 
“After that, it became a daily routine for me to fly by the stadium on my way home and pay her a visit, bringing at least two sandwiches for her to snack on. Thankfully, my parents were understanding about me coming home later than normal once I explained that I was helping a friend with her workout routine, and once they met Swifty one night when I was flying her home, they were more than willing to let us hang out. So, I started to spend more and more time at the field after school. Sometimes I would just watch her, sometimes I would hold the tackling dummies still for her, and sometimes I would playfully race her as some extra motivation for her to keep going. And on our breaks, we would just talk.”
“You were such a good listener,” Swifty said with another yawn.
“And as we have already established, you were a chatterbox,” Aaron teased. “Sometimes I felt like the only time I could talk was when you were eating or you were too busy trying to get your breath back after a particularly hard set,” he added, earning him a quick playful nip on his wing.
That hasn’t changed, Flash thought as Twilight giggled and grabbed a few more appetizers. Mom still talks so much when she isn’t so tired, and Dad is perfectly happy to just let her go on and on because he knows he can stop her anytime with a quick kiss.  
“I learned what her hobbies were, that we were in the same grade, and why she never brought much food with her,” Aaron continued. “See, she had known for a few years at that point that she wanted to become a guard. She wasn’t set on the scout division yet, but she knew she would have time to work on that once she was in. Her parents, however, didn’t really like the idea and thought her interest in the guard was just a phase. As such, they hadn’t signed off on the paperwork allowing her to take the guard classes at school.”
“Why didn’t they like the idea?” Twilight asked. 
“They were worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle the stress, and that trying to focus on becoming a guard would negatively affect the grades that would help me get into other professions,” Swifty said with a small yawn. “I…never was great with handling stress back then, and still struggle sometimes even now. So, they were worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle the combination of physical exercise, mental training, and potentially dangerous situations if I was assigned somewhere more dangerous like an outpost bordering the Everfree.
“Plus, due to the food and housing being provided, guards start off with a lower paycheck than other specialized professions, and I think my parents were also worried that I wouldn’t make enough money to support myself or my future family. At the time, while I appreciated the concern, I still felt like it was still my decision to make. Now that I’m older I know I didn’t understand all the little nuances and impacts of my choice, but I still think I made the right choice back then regardless.”
“But her decision or not, she still couldn’t take the class without their permission,” Aaron said, “And from what I remember, they weren’t willing to budge on this issue. However, Swifty wasn’t about to let something like that stop her, and so had a friend in the guard class share his notes with her so she could learn the guard protocols while she practiced the physical training on her own. She didn’t bring more food partly because she didn’t want to alert her parents to the fact that she was working out rather than studying, and partly because she didn’t have enough money to buy extra food every single day either, especially not enough to cover the severe amount of calories she was burning through her exercise. 
“See, Swifty’s family was pretty poor compared to my family, with most of their money being saved up to ensure Swifty and her siblings could afford to go to whatever college or trade school they wanted. And because she was putting so much time into ensuring that she was physically ready to join the guard, Swifty couldn’t make any time to work a part-time job either.”
“Couldn’t she work at a job that was physically demanding? Like helping ponies move? And wouldn’t your parents have noticed how tired you were after school and how much muscle you were putting on?” Twilight asked, her head tilting a little bit to the left in the classic Twilight-is-adorkably-curious way. 
“None of those jobs were good enough,” Swifty said with a sigh. “I tried a few different jobs, and while they had SOME level of physical demand, it was never enough to push me to my limits. Only working out on my own let me get stronger.”
It’s not a workout if you’re not barely able to stand afterwards, right, Mom? Flash thought with a chuckle. That’s what you always yelled at us during your training course, after all. 
“And my parents were usually really busy working in the weather factory to provide for me and my siblings,” Swifty continued. “I also had always been fairly muscular and had a decent workout schedule even before I started training to become a guard, especially once puberty hit, so when they did notice the increases, I just said it was likely because of puberty mixed with my normal routines. They didn’t really question it beyond that for quite a while.”
“I was still surprised it took them so long to notice that you were now capable of suplexing a fully stocked refrigerator,” Aaron said with a wink, earning a small playful smack from one of Swifty’s wings. 
“I didn’t go around suplexing things at HOME, you goof. I just tried to keep it under wraps while at home, and I purposely let my fur grow out so it would be harder for them to notice when they weren’t home really late.”
“Fair enough. Anyway, luckily for me, my talent helped me grow so many flowers that I always had spares ready to be picked, and so I had no trouble bringing her some,” Aaron continued. “Tulip had no problem with me picking more, though I think she guessed that I was developing a crush on Swifty before even I knew it was a crush. Especially when she started showing me how to make bouquets. The knowing looks she gave me made so much sense when Swifty finally offered to take me out to dinner one night. 
“Well, ‘offered’ might not be the right word. She all but said ‘You have brought me dinner so many nights that now it’s time for me to treat you. NO BUTS!’ The most aggressive way to say ‘let me do something nice for you’ I have ever heard, but I still appreciated the effort she was making.”
“That is such a Mom way of asking you on a date,” Flash agreed, earning a small huff from Swifty and a cackle from Aaron.
“Cheeky colt,” she muttered.
“And I will never forget that night either,” Aarons said with a happy sigh. “It turns out she had a crush on me as well, as once we had finished dinner and she had refused to let me help pay the bill, she gave me a passionate kiss before speeding off faster than I had ever seen her fly. I was so stunned as my own feelings finally clicked and made sense to me that I just kind of hovered there above the restaurant for a good five minutes before a staff member snapped me out of my stupor. When I finally got home, my parents asked me why I had this cute dumbstruck look on my face, and I could only reply, ‘I think I have a marefriend now.’”
“One who spent all night panicking about the kiss and could barely focus at all the next day,” Swifty said, blushing slightly as she nuzzled Aaron lovingly. 
“One who had no reason to worry as I was more than happy to start dating such a wonderful, if occasionally very shouty, pony,” Aaron beamed, earning a quick kiss from Swifty. 
I wonder if Twilight and I will ever be that romantic with one another, Flash thought, pulling Twilight a little closer with his wing. Twilight giggled at his parent’s display and gave a quick nuzzle to Flash.
“So what happened the next day?” Twilight asked, leaning forward a bit in her seat in excitement. Aaron grinned at her enthusiasm.
“Once I told Tulip what had happened and how I needed help making something for Swifty, we spent the next five hours working on floral arrangements specifically made of her favorite flowers,” Aaron continued. “In the end I made two; one for her to eat that night and one as a gift that she would probably end up eating later anyway. When I showed up at the stadium, Swifty was there anxiously pacing near the goal zone of the stadium. The moment she saw me, she practically tackled me and started apologizing and saying how she didn’t mean to kiss me like that and didn’t want to upset me and on and on and on.
“I couldn’t get a word in, so I just halted her rambling with another kiss.”
“I was so shocked I was afraid I might pass out,” Swifty said with a giggle. “And it was more than just a kiss. He literally swept me up in his wings and cuddled me for a few minutes even after we broke apart.”
“At which point I asked, ‘so, I guess we’re dating now, right?’, and Swifty just nodded and proceeded to nuzzle me happily.”
“I just didn’t think words would do it,” Swifty admitted. “And we just stayed like that until I fell asleep in his hooves. After spending all night and day panicking, it was nice to get some rest…”
“Were you together ever since that day? Or did you take any breaks?” Twilight asked, her eyes shining at the prospect of hearing more of the story. 
Dang, she looks so freaking CUTE when she’s so excited like this, Flash thought. Maybe I should tell her stories more often.
  Assuming tonight’s rendezvous with the baby albums doesn’t turn me off of the idea entirely.
“We spent the rest of our high school career together,” Aaron continued, giving Swifty a playful boop on the nose. “We went with one another to our junior and senior proms, though the senior one was especially interesting when Swifty ended up suplexing the prom king.”
“Is it bad that I am not in any way surprised? Like, at all?” Flash asked as his mom just deadpanned at him.
“Cheeky colt,” Swifty muttered as she rolled her eyes and burrowed deeper under Aaron’s wing.
“Why would she do that? And is suplexing things…normal, for her?” Twilight asked, her voice doing little to hide her mix of surprise and concern. Aaron just laughed.
“Ah, right! It’s been SO long since I’ve met a pony who DIDN’T know about Swifty’s love of all things suplex! That’s a great story too, but we’ll let her explain that little adventure later, I promise,” he said with a wink. “For now, let’s just say that, yes, Swifty loves her suplexing and, yes, it is very normal for her to at least mention suplexing things, even if she doesn’t always do it. 
“Now, as for the reason she suplexed the prom king, if I remember correctly, I think he was trying to steal Swifty away from me and was failing horribly, but I had personally never met him. You knew him though, right, honey? He was an…old friend? Past boyfriend? Something along those lines?” 
“A friend from elementary school who I dated for a few months in middle school,” Swifty begrudgingly said, pouting adorably. “He was a good guy for a long time, and we mutually agreed to stop dating and just stay friends, but when we got to high school, he joined the hoofball team. He was a talented player, and this changed him from a decent guy to a butt-hat with a head so big it was a miracle he could fit through a standard doorway.”
“Ah, I remember now,” Aaron agreed with a sagely nod. “He was ‘John Dork,’ as you nicknamed him, and before we started dating he was trying to get back together with you. You had quite a few angry rants about him back in the day.”
“Yes, I did, and that suplex I gave him was years in the making! Dumb butt-hat even tried once to say he could help ‘make sure I’m not as poor as my folks once he becomes a sports star,’” Swifty muttered angrily, her tail lashing aggressively. “Nearly punched him right there…”
I probably would have too, Flash thought, remembering Bull Horn’s similarly jerkish and stupid rant during the Gala. Heck, I’m a bit surprised you didn’t. Was he smart and said this nearby the principal’s office or something? Somewhere you would get spotted by a teacher? Or did you just not think he was worth the trouble?
“Now now, no more thinking about what Mister Butt-Hat said,” Aaron said, giving Swifty a few comforting nuzzles.  “He’s not here anymore, and you suplexed him. You taught him a lesson he would never forget, and that’s all that matters.” 
Swifty grumbled a bit more, but did happily return her husband’s nuzzles.
“What exactly did this, um, John Dork actually do at the prom though?” Twilight asked, looking both curious, concerned, and a bit touched by the display of affection before her.
He did quite a lot Twilight, quite a lot. Trust me, my mom could rant for days about John Dork and how annoying he could get. Just be glad it’s only one incident, otherwise we’d be here all night, Flash thought with an internal chuckle. 
“Well, now that I remember him, I think he was trying to make his date jealous by flirting with Swifty,” Aaron said, receiving a hum of approval from Swifty. “I don’t think his date wasn’t quite as impressed with him as he wanted her to be. But regardless, when I did what any good coltfriend would do and stepped in to stop him, he decided the best course of action was to punch me. It was actually a pretty pathetic punch, all things considered. It didn’t even hurt, which was even more pathetic given how he was a star athlete. But Swifty was having none of that and, well, angry-protective-suplex happened.”
“Nopony touches my Aaron,” Swifty growled, wiggling around on Aaron’s chest and fluffing her feathers about angrily, making the larger stallion giggle a bit.
“She actually earned quite a few cheers for that little stunt from the rest of the crowd,” Aaron continued once Swifty stopped moving around. “She was a bit worn out though given how big John Dork was, so we spent a while just relaxing with her happily held in my wings. A few kisses and a promise of a few extra dances helped her get back her energy though.”
“How does promising extra dances help somepony who is already exhausted feel less tired?” Twilight asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. 
“Simple. If you were tired, but Flash offered to dance with you, wouldn’t you dig down and try to find the energy to have fun with him?” Swifty asked with a wink. Twilight blinked, Flash practically able to see the gears turning behind her eyes as she hummed in thought. 
I know I would find the strength to dance all night long if Twilight was dancing with me, Flash thought. Though given Twilight’s penchant for late night study sessions, something tells me I would be the one to pass out first.  
“Remind me if I’m wrong, but didn’t that incident also play a role in your guard scholarship?” Aaron asked, raising an eyebrow. 
Swifty nodded, beaming widely. “It did, surprisingly. One of the ponies who was responsible for the scholarship was a chaperone at the prom because his son was in our grade. When he saw my reaction time, protective instincts, and strength, he took notice. Despite the housing and food being covered, the guard also offers scholarships for students and new recruits as a way to incentivize them to stick with the guard past the first two years. I only found out later that HE was the one who recommended me for the scholarship when I applied for the guard formally, but it was still nice to know that my teaching Sir-Dorks-A-Lot a lesson had some good consequences outside catharsis.”
“How long did it take you to join the guard after you graduated? And did Aaron stay with you as you went through the guard, or did he live somewhere else for a time?” Twilight asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Careful, Twilight. At this rate we might just get their entire life story, Flash thought with an internal laugh. Still, I’m glad to see you’re having so much fun learning about my parents. Even if I’ve heard a lot of this before, just seeing your excited reactions makes this worth hearing again. 
“I’d say, twenty hours?” Swifty said with a playful smile and a small yawn.
“Sounds about right,” Aaron agreed. “Once high school was done, Swifty immediately applied the next day to join the royal guard in Canterlot. Her parents had eventually discovered what she had been doing her senior year with regards to her training, and while they had still been hesitant, Swifty’s determination to keep pursuing this path and various ponies vouching for her mental fortitude, including the guidance counselor, helped change their minds. 
“From then on, they were very supportive of her decision to join the guard, though it was still too late for Swifty to take any of the classes. Thankfully, after the prom, the chaperone agreed to cover the cost of her taking the Guard’s advanced placement test, which helped her demonstrate her skills even without the credits the guard classes would have given her. The look on her face when she got the test results. I swear, I thought she might just explode from excitement.”
“So like me after I joined the guard?” Flash asked with a grin. 
“Yes, exactly like that,” Aaron agreed, while Swifty just gave Flash a look that screamed ‘cheeky colt.’
“Anyway, back on topic,” Aaron continued. “We had discussed her joining the Canterlot Guard for a while before graduation, and I assured her that since being a guard was her dream, I would have no problems with her moving wherever she wanted and would be sure to keep in contact as I continued to improve my own flower-growing skills. Once she was accepted into the guard, Swifty moved to Canterlot as planned, and we kept in touch via letter for a good year or so. In the meantime, I continued to train with Tulip full-time and began building up my credibility as a florist around different towns.”
“And you would always send me a bundle of flowers every month,” Swifty said with a happy smile. “You kept them fresh thanks to a preservation spell one of Tulip’s friends knew. They were so tasty and were the perfect motivation to keep me going through my training.” 
“If they were anything like these flowers, I agree with that sentiment wholeheartedly,” Twilight said, grabbing a few more appetizers from the table. “So how did you end up in Canterlot, Aaron?”
If you were anypony else, Twilight, I would be worried about you spoiling your dinner, Flash thought with a playful eyeroll as he grabbed one more appetizer. He knew more than enough about his dad’s cooking habits to avoid overstuffing before they even got to the dining room, even if the appetizers were REALLLLLY good.
“Swifty had always said that working with the Royal Guard in Canterlot was her ultimate goal, even if she had to start somewhere else,” Aaron continued, leaning forward so one of his wings could grab some appetizers for himself and Swifty. “So, as she trained in Canterlot, I worked to improve my skills enough so I would stand a chance in the rather exacting culture of the capital. Even if I didn’t become good enough to make it in Canterlot, I agreed that I would at least move somewhere close by so that we could see each other more frequently once my own training was completed and I had saved enough to move. 
“Though luck seemed to be on my side, as one day while manning my traveling flower cart, I ran into a noble by the name of Fleur de Lis. She was visiting Ponyville that day and was very impressed with my flower arrangements. She was hosting a party soon and needed both decorations and edible arrangements, and she was looking for something new as many of the flower shops in Canterlot were just copying each other at the time.
“She offered me a chance, and I took it. I spend the next two weeks working my tail off to create the best flower products I could, and they were so successful at the party that Fleur actually offered to give me a low-interest loan to open a store in Canterlot. I gladly accepted, and then chose a location close enough to the main city that it would get plenty of traffic but not so much that less wealthy ponies might steer clear. Fleur was curious about my decision, but when I explained that I wanted to sell to both nobles and common ponies alike, she understood and complimented my business sense.
“I should mention, however, that I never told Swifty about the loan or the store in my letters,” Aaron said. His eyebrows wiggled playfully and Swifty just playfully rolled her eyes. “I told her about Fleur and how I had made a reputation at the party, but I didn’t let her know that I was essentially moving to Canterlot too. This was, of course, so I could surprise her by moving in a few months earlier than we planned to begin discussing my moving options. And what do you know, the first week after opening my store, I see two guards patrolling the street, one of whom is a small, fluffy pegasus. So I wait inside until she passed the store, at which point I leaned out the front door and yelled ‘HI, SWIFTY!’”
“And moments like that are the reason I will never stop trying to scare you,” Swifty grumbled, though she couldn’t hide the wide grin on her face. “Honestly, did you learn NOTHING from our first meeting?” 
Aaron just laughed. “Oh, I learned plenty, but this was a surprise that I just couldn’t resist! Swifty jumped nearly ten feet in the air! And when she turned and saw me in a store with the name ‘Aaron’s Flowers’ painted on the sign, her first words were, ‘WHEN DID YOU BUY A FLOWER SHOP!?!?!?’ I simply replied, ‘Recently.’ Her glare could melt stone, let me tell you, but thankfully a kiss, a pre-made flower sandwich, and an explanation about what happened to make it so I could afford the shop made her quickly forgive me. Once she was done with her shift and my shop was closed for the night, I took her to the best restaurant I knew of and we had quite the two-pony-party. 
“From there, things fell into a new normal. I was able to buy a house using the extra money from Fleur’s loan and the money I was making from the flower shop, and Swifty helped contribute using her pay and the scholarship money she had earned. Both Fleur and Swifty helped to promote my shop, so it wasn’t hard to raise the money I needed to pay off the loan and the house quickly. Swifty and I saw each other every day and she took up patrols in my section of the city if she could. We went on dates a few times a week and would frequently spend our days off together exploring Canterlot and the surrounding countryside.”
“That sounds like a wonderful time,” Twilight said, licking her lips as she went for even more appetizers. “These are so good! What happened next? Did anything else exciting happen before you eventually got married?” 
“Not…TOO much happened,” Aaron said, but his voice took on a slightly less energetic tone and his eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. “Though, there was one major event during that time that, well, if things had gone differently, me and Swifty likely would have had to move out of Canterlot.”
Oooh, I think I remember this story. Or at least part of it. It’s been years since I last heard it, Flash thought. Even now I can’t even imagine not growing up in Canterlot. Especially as I would have never met Uncle Spoon, or got to learn how to cook pizzas from him. Even if I did end up hitting myself with the bread when I was still learning how to toss it, he thought with an internal chuckle. 
Flash could practically see the questions waiting to spill out of Twilight’s mouth as she leaned forward in interest. Though he respected her restraint as she let Aaron continue. “There was a flower shop in the upper city that tried to sue my shop. It was a pretty big store run by a pair of nobles named Prim and Proper, and they tried claiming I was stealing their designs and arrangements.”
“They were a word that I dare not say for respect of everypony with a horn,” Swifty growled, and Flash blink as he immediately remembered the slur Bull Horn had used in Twilight’s castle.
“They were that bad?” Flash asked. I’ve never heard my mom even reference that word before, let alone say anypony should be CALLED it. They must have been real pieces of work.
“Unfortunately, yes, they were,” Aaron said, letting loose a snort of contempt. “Not only did they file the suit when my store was at its busiest to try and distract me and cost me more money, but they even had a few ponies give fake testimonies to counter my own witnesses. And with the amount of bits they wanted as damages alongside the court cost, if they had won…I would have had to go into debt. I likely wouldn’t have even been able to afford to keep our house in Canterlot.” 
His voice had been building up anger and sadness, but before Flash or Twilight could say anything, Swifty gently nuzzled at the crook of his neck and the tension began to retreat.
“They were that steep?” Twilight asked in shock, taking some time to find her voice. “I know these cases can be expensive, but I never imagined it would be that bad!”
“That’s partly because they were asking for more than I would make in a year,” Aaron grunted, returning Swifty’s nuzzle. “And I think part of that was because the two sleazy snakes wanted me to try and settle. Before the trial, they offered to drop the charges if I settled for the flower shop becoming theirs alongside a massive sum of bits I would pay to them. And no, making that kind of offer as a settlement isn’t illegal—”
“Unfortunately, given how I was right there next to him when they said that,” Swifty snarled, and Flash could practically feel the molten lava in her tone. “And we could both tell from their smug smiles that they thought he would give in.” She smiled proudly. “But despite being nervous, and trust me, I knew he was nervous beyond belief, he didn’t let it show. He remained as steely as Tartus and flatly rejected their offer. He didn’t let them get him down or make him cave and was the strongest stallion in the room that day.” She snuggled into his chest, and Aaron grinned and gave her a small kiss on the head. 
“I didn’t think I was THAT impressive, but who am I to argue with her?” he asked playfully. “Either way, Prim and Proper didn’t seem to care, saying how it would be my own fault when I had nothing left. They even walked away laughing.”
“Well, I’ve never even heard of them, and you’re still living here, so I think it’s safe to assume you not only proved them wrong, but likely won so handily that they lost a lot of their influence,” Twilight said with a small grin. “Is it ok if you tell me what happened during the court case? How did you win? I know we might be getting a bit off track, but this just sounds so interesting! Have you ever considered writing a book about this?”
Flash couldn’t help but snort and roll his eyes playfully. If I had a bit for every time you mentioned a book, Twilight, I’d be rich enough to open my own flower shop. What would my dad even title his book? How to Win a Better Court Case: Garden Goof Edition?
“Down, Twilight. We can worry about expanding the realms of literature later,” he playfully chided, earning a blushing, spluttering reply from Twilight as Aaron laughed uproariously. 
“An avid fan of books I see! I might just consider that idea, Twilight! But to answer your question, I don’t mind at all telling you about the case. And even if we are getting off topic, this has been a fun experience to relive! As for how we won, that mainly comes down to arrogance. Prim and Proper might have been wealthier than us, but they underestimated not only me, but the ponies supporting me.
“Not only did Fleur help get me one of the best lawyers in Canterlot, but she helped me hire new ponies to cover the store while I was at trial and even offered to help cover the extra cost. Swifty and numerous other guards who patrolled the city verified that I had made the designs first, several confirming that they lived near the accusing store and that they had seen my designs pop up in the other store a few weeks after I had first put them out.”
“It also helped that a lot of my friends had gotten to know Aaron pretty well since they knew we were together and would frequently visit his shop on their days off,” Swifty said with a proud nod. “Sure, they might tease me a bit about how much I loved Aaron’s sandwiches, but they all got along with Aaron really well, and so were more than willing to help defend him.”
“That’s true, and I’m pretty sure they loved my cooking too,” Aaron said, smiling shyly. “I personally remember Ivory saying the only thanks or payment she wanted for her help was some of my seed-stuffed tulips, please and thank you very much and good day.”
Flash snorted so hard that he almost choked on a carrot and was only saved from turning his coat even more orange by Twilight patting him on the back with her wing. I remember Ivory! She used to come over for dinner sometimes. Oh my Luna, she used to have such huge puppy dog eyes whenever dad was responsible for cooking dinner, and would always beg him for some of those tulips of his. I didn’t realize it went all the way back to the court case though! She’s almost as bad as mom!
“That sounds like Ivory, all right!” Swifty laughed.
“As for the trial, when the accusers pointed to their own witnesses to try and counter my own, my lawyer always found a way to poke holes in their stories. When it became clear that a number of these witnesses worked for the store that was suing me and that they didn’t even know my store’s location or name, it made it much harder for their testimony to be taken seriously.
“Plus, Tulip had told me I should always take pictures of my designs and date them when I first create them, just in case somepony tries to claim ownership for one of my designs. It wasn’t ironclad on its own, but the guards were able to confirm a number of the dates I had listed in their own testimonies. For instance, Steely Comet remembered seeing a new tulip display in my shop and was able to remember the exact day it had first appeared because a parade had happened outside the shop that same day. Additionally, Sky Chaser remembered hearing an argument about the new rose display I had created and had even stopped by my store later to buy one for himself. 
“Both of them were able to verify that the dates I had listed on the pictures of each display matched the date they had first seen my displays in question. This was enough to convince the jury that at least some of my designs had been stolen by the other shop, lending them even less credibility.”
“Then came the big turning point,” Swifty said with an almost vicious smirk. Twilight leaned forward in anticipation, her tail swishing from side to side excitedly. 
She is so cute when she’s invested in a story. 
“Ah yes, can’t forget that,” Aaron agreed with a grin. “One of the guards, while testifying, said that he had seen one of the prosecution’s witnesses taking pictures of my shop several times. At first, he thought it was just a tourist to Canterlot, but after seeing him a few times, including now at the trial, he suspected something else was going on. Swifty, who was sitting with me on the defense side, realized that she recognized the pony from somewhere. Taking a few minutes to think on it, she realized that she had arrested that pony before, and that they were using a different name than they had in the past.”
“But isn’t using a fake name illegal?” Twilight asked, her attention solely on the story. “And wouldn’t they have caught that before the trial began?”
“Using a fake name is illegal, but this pony had actually changed his name legally,” Aaron said. “But now that Swifty recognized him, she was able to connect the dots on who they were. He was a pony who worked for Prim and Proper and had once been arrested as part of a money laundering scheme, with Swifty having arrested him personally. Prim and Proper had denied any wrongdoing in that case, and the pony in question had been found to be unaware of the scheme in court. But he was definitely not just some random pony they had called to testify.”
“He was someone Prim and Proper knew, and who had worked for them in the past! And if they had assisted him in escaping prosecution, then he would have a vested interest in trying to help them win!” Twilight said, connecting the dots herself. “And with all the other inconsistencies in the prosecutions testimony…He might have been willing to lie under oath!” 
She’s so beautiful when she’s just solved a problem, Flash thought, unable to hide a giggle at Twilight’s enthusiasm.
“Exactly,” Aaron said with a smirk. “So, after a quick talk with my lawyer, she convinced him to call the previous witness back to the stand and to make it very clear that we thought he was lying under oath.  He tried to say that he didn’t know what we were talking about, but when my lawyer spelled out all the inconsistencies in his testimony, all evidence corroborating the guard’s testimony versus his own, and revealed that Swifty knew he worked for Prim and Proper in the past, he grew visibly nervous. And when our lawyer used his old name, he couldn’t keep up the charade and confessed.”
“The look on his face when he spilled the beans,” Swifty said, smiling almost blissfully. “Pure. Gold.”
“As it turns out,” Aaron said, his mouth turning up into an almost vicious smile. “That particular witness had been the one responsible for taking pictures of my displays and then helping the other store copy my designs. His testimony caused all the other witness who lied to retract their statements and accept the minor fines compared to the full fines and potential jail time they were going to receive otherwise. They also turned on Prim and Proper, meaning I now had so much evidence against them that I was able to file a countersuit. 
“Not only did they lose, but they were also forced to pay off the court cost, pay me the damages they had owed me as well as numerous other legal fines, and were sentenced to a few months in jail for trying to pay others to submit false testimony. And in the end, not only did I manage to pay off the rest of my store and house loan with the bits I won from that case, but the store that sued me closed its doors not even a year later.”
“Guess no pony wants to buy from a pair of lying snakes,” Swifty said, grinning madly herself. 
“That’s incredible,” Twilight breathed, her eyes wide as she clapped excitedly. “Not only that they tried to get away with, but that if they had won…you might not have stayed in Canterlot. And that would mean that Flash might not have grown up there! His life could have been completely different, and we might never have even met!”
“Well then, let’s be sure to thank Fleur for helping my dad the next time we see her,” Flash said with a smile, squeezing Twilight with his wing. “After all, I can’t imagine my life if I had never had a chance to meet you.”
“So cuuuute!” Swifty squealed before yawning extra loudly. “Remind me to hug them later, honey.”
“I don’t think you’ll forget, dear,” Aaron winked playfully. “Anyway, this court case was right near the end my first two years in Canterlot after opening my store, and going through such an intense ordeal made me realize something. Swifty had been there for me the entire time, talking and planning with me as we figured out what do due about the suit, helping me de-stress when I was feeling overwhelmed, and even working in the store in her off time to supervise the temporary workers Fleur helped me hire. 
“And it was at that moment, when were standing there hugging and crying when the case was decided in our favor, that I realized that I wanted to marry her. She had been with me through all of it, and she had stuck with me just like a true partner would, doing everything she could to help my dream remain alive. 
“And I…I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.”
“And I felt the same way,” Swifty said, looking up at Aaron lovingly. Aaron just leaned down and kissed her, the two sharing a lovely moment as Twilight softly squealed adorably next to Flash.
I have such amazing parents, Flash thought as Twilight hugged him excitedly. I hope that, if Twilight and I ever do go that far, that our relationship will be just as compassionate and warm as my parents’. 
“So, I went out and used some of the money the court had awarded us to buy a ring,” Aaron continued. “Swifty graduated into the Scout Unit of the guard only two weeks later, and the entire class went out to their favorite bar to celebrate both the graduation and us winning the court case. I proposed to her right before the party truly kicked off, causing all of her friends’ jaws to drop in shock as she stammered and blushed in surprise.”
“You and your sense of dramatic timing,” Swifty said with another huge yawn. “When my brain finally started working again, I all but screamed yes and tackled him in excitement. It was still one of the best days of my life. Number three, in fact, only coming in behind our wedding day at number two and Flash’s birth at number one.” 
“It certainly made the party afterwards even more exciting,” Aaron chuckled. “I think all of your friends congratulated us at least three times each. Except Steel Lily – she was at least twenty.” 
Swifty hummed in agreement, her eyes drifting closed as she cuddled into Aaron’s chest even more. 
“Twenty, huh?” Flash laughed.
“She was very excited! I think if she had one more drink, she would have started planning the wedding right there!”
Note to self – maybe don’t leave Lily and Pinkie alone in a room together. That sounds like a recipe for lots of screaming, cake, and pogo sticks.
“Once our relationship was at the next level, things carried on,” Aaron continued, gently rubbing the back of Swifty’s head with a free hoof. “After a few months of planning, I married the most beautiful bride in Cloudsdale with all of our friends and family, we went to Germaney for our honeymoon, settled down here in Canterlot, and before we knew it, we were the parents of a little bundle of joy who you are currently cuddling with. So, the rest is, as they say, history.” He concluded. 
And what a good cuddler she is, Flash thought, nuzzling Twilight just because he loved to do so. 
And she nuzzled him back, because clearly SHE loved to do so too. Which was lucky for him, because she was still SUPER soft, and warm…
Focus, Flash, focus…
“Mmmm, in 607 post-discord, the pancakes and waffles…” his mom murmured, before letting off a small snore. 
Well, that works.
“Did…did she fall asleep?” Twilight asked, blinking and looking as surprised as an owl who just grabbed a cat toy rather than an actual mouse.  
“Oh! Yes, I guess she did,” Aaron said, chuckling softly. Swift Strike bounced a little bit against his chest but didn’t so much as stir. “Swifty is a master when it comes to power-napping. She didn’t get that much sleep last night given how worried she was about your visit. Between that and the long story, I guess she just wore herself out. I’m sorry about that, Twilight. I can wake her up.”
“No, no, that’s ok, let her sleep,” Twilight quickly said, waving her hooves quickly. “I understand. I also get anxious too, so I know how exhausting it can be. It will only be a few minutes, right? She clearly needs her rest, and I don’t mind letter her recover.” Aaron blinked, before smiling.
“Thank you, Twilight,” he said. “Though don’t worry, I guarantee she’ll be back up and ready to go before dinner is ready. So, while we wait, did you enjoy the story, Twilight?”
“Yes, very much so!” Twilight said, making sure to keep her voice quiet so as not to wake Swifty. That did nothing to stop her from eagerly nodding in a way that would make Pinkie proud. “It was wonderful to hear about how you two met and some of the big events you two went through together. I’m sorry if it prevented you from asking about Flash and I,” she added, chuckling nervously. 
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Aaron said, waving a hoof. “Your mom gave us a very detailed rundown of what’s happened with you two so far, and we have all of dinner and the time after to talk about you two. Plus, unless Flash proposed to you in the last two weeks, I doubt THAT much has changed between you two since then.” 
I, that, what? Flash thought, his eyes wide in surprise. Where did that come from?! Please tell me Cadence or Twilight Velvet isn’t already talking about marriage. Aaron just laughed at Flash’s reaction even as Twilight blushed heavily. Actually, Flash realized he was blushing quite a bit too. Focus, Flash. Focus on the now, not the future when you have plenty of time to worry about a ring later. 
“Twilight, didn’t you want to learn more about my mom’s preference for suplexing things?” he quickly asked, hoping to pull the conversation back to something, ANYTHING less about his potential proposal years in the future. Though Twilight in a wedding dress…
FOCUS!!!
“Y-YES! I…I mean, yes,” Twilight agreed hastily, her wings fluffing up in surprise. “I would like to know more about that. Has she really been able to suplex since high school? And she taught herself, right, since she couldn’t take any guard classes? That’s amazing! How was she able to perfect it so well? I know she was super strong, even then, but it must have taken a lot of skill to be able to suplex somepony that much bigger than her!”
Flash was pleased to see that her sudden burst of tension was dying away as quickly as it had appeared. Now her eyes were shining again with what he had come to learn was her I-am-so-excited-to-learn-new-things-about-learning look and somehow the fact that SUPLEXING of all things was bringing that out of her was WAY more amusing to him than it really should be.
“It was impressive, but who ever said anything about being self-taught?” Aaron said with a cheeky grin. “In fact…She’s been able to suplex since elementary school!”
“Surprise!” Flash cheered.
Twilight’ jaw dropped open like a door without hinges and it was such an adorkably cute confused face that he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Since ELEMENTRY SCHOOL!?” she exclaimed, only to quickly cover her mouth. Thankfully, Swifty didn’t even stir, her left ear barely even flicking at the noise. 
“Don’t worry, Mom is a pretty heavy sleeper,” Flash reassured her with a gentle pat on the hoof.
“O-Ok, sorry. But still, she was THAT YOUNG when she learned to suplex?” Twilight asked. “Who in the world thought teaching her that kind of move would be ok?”
“Now THAT will require a bit of background,” Aaron said, carefully adjusting himself a bit in his chair so Swifty remained undisturbed by his motions. “Though I will warn you that some of the details of this story may not be completely accurate. Swifty was only a foal at the time, so between the amount of time that has passed and her tendency to…enthusiastically over-exaggerate for better storytelling, she admits that her own account isn’t exactly perfect. But seeing as I know most of what happened and I would rather not wake her up just to tell another story, I’m sure she won’t mind if I tell it.”
Swift Strike let out a snore that somehow managed to sound offended at his mention of her overly enthusiastic storytelling, but Aaron just gave her a quick kiss on the head, prompting more happy murmurs. 
"So, let’s see,” he began. “Back in elementary school, Swifty was still really short, and as such was the most frequent target for the main school bully, Thunder Head, and his gang. He did all the typically bully stuff: steal lunch money, tease others, get rough and pin down smaller foals just to torment them, etcetera. 
“On the last day of the school year when she was ten, he used a rather nasty prank involving some gum. Swifty did tell me exactly what happened, but she asked that I not talk about it to anypony else as it’s still a sensitive memory for her. I can say that she lost a good portion of her mane and tail in that incident. It was also the primary reason that Swifty’s mother sent her to live in Las Pegasus during that summer.”
“Why Las Pegasus?” Twilight asked. “I can understand sending her somewhere where she could feel safe from bullies, but that’s pretty far away from Cloudsdale. Especially for a young foal.”
“If I remember correctly, it was because that’s where my great aunt lives,” Flash said, smiling at the memory of his great aunt pouncing on him in greeting every time he went to visit her. Even at such an old age his great aunt still had a sense of boundless energy about her.
I wonder if that’s where Mom gets her energy from. Given how the two of them are always testing out new moves against one another during their sparring matches, that wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. 
“Right you are,” Aaron said with a small laugh, pulling Flash out of his thoughts. “See, Swifty’s aunt Barrel Basher lived out in Las Pegasus and was a professional wrestler and a part-time self-defense trainer. So Swifty’s mom thought the summer would give Barrel Basher a chance to help boost Swifty’s confidence. 
“And that’s mostly what it did. Rather than let Swifty remain upset, Barrel quickly started teaching her a few exercises that could help her get stronger as well as personal tips to deal with bullies. She taught her to always tackle problems head-on and to give it her all, and by the end of the summer, Swifty was actually strong enough to pick up Barrel thanks to all the exercise. Though, Barrel did underestimate Swifty in one key area. 
“Swifty always learns best when she can clearly see exactly how something is done directly, and she’s a fast learner to boot. Especially with anything related to bodily movements, whether it be flying, fighting, or even dancing. Just seeing her dance is a form of art all its own.”
His eyes drifted towards the ceiling as he smiled a big, goofy smile.
Focus, Dad. Daydream about Mom on the dance floor later, Flash thought with a grin. Though Twilight was pretty alluring dancing at the Gala…
Focus, Flash…
Man, I really DO get that from him, don’t I?
“So she is somepony who excels at observational learning?” Twilight asked, pulling Aaron back to the real world and making him blush a little bit. 
“Yes, yes, that’s it,” he agreed sheepishly. “Sorry, got lost a second there thinking about our wedding. Anyway, Barrel Basher also let Swifty sit in and watch her with her adult class and some of the wrestling matches she participated in that summer. As a result, Swifty picked up on all of Barrel’s moves, including a number of moves that Barrel had never intended to teach Swifty. This included, of course, suplexing.”
“And Swifty was only ten at the time?” Twilight asked, her eyes going wide. “She was able to copy a move that intense when she was only TEN!?” 
Yep, that sounds like Mom all right, Flash thought with a chuckle as he rubbed Twilight’s back with a wing. Welcome to the family, Twilight. You can do dishes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I promise not to wake you up unless you’re going to be late for a meeting. 
“Yep,” Aaron laughed, causing Swifty to bounce up and down on his chest, but she still slept on. “Nothing says ‘Oops, I didn’t mean to teach her that!’ like seeing a ten-year-old suplex a training dummy. When Barrel saw said near-perfect suplex, she realized what had happened and spent time teaching Swifty the moves properly to ensure that Swifty wouldn’t accidentally hurt anypony, including herself. She taught her how to make the opponent land in a way that wouldn’t hurt them, how to lift without overstraining any of her muscles, and how to judge the weight of an opponent so she wouldn’t try to suplex somepony too heavy for her to lift safely. She also made Swifty promise to not suplex unless she was in real danger.”
Well, THAT message clearly didn’t stick very well, now, did it? Flash thought with a mental eyeroll. She’d probably have tried to suplex Queen Chrysalis if she had managed to get to her during the Changeling invasion. Miss Bug Queen should be thankful my mom was busy defending Dad’s flower shop given all the ponies that were sheltering there. 
“So what happened when the summer was over?” Twilight asked, her curiosity evident her tone of voice.
“The summer ended and Swifty went back home with a newfound confidence,” Aaron continued. “On the first day back to school, Thunder Head immediately went around trying to steal lunch money from the other foals, including Swifty. She, in her own words, told him to ‘shove a lightning bolt up his nose,’ only she didn’t actually say ‘nose,’” Aaron said with a wink. Twilight’s muzzle scrunched up adorably and Flash could practically SEE the moment her brain identified what bodily orifice his mother had said.
Really, Dad? NOW is when you decide to censor yourself for silly dramatics? NOW?
“Thunder Head, predictably, did not like that. He immediately tried to buck her, but she dodged and parried his attacks like Barrel showed her. When the other foals started to cheer her on, however, Thunder Head lost it. That blasted colt said he was going to break Swifty’s wings as punishment for disobeying him. That this was his school and he could do whatever he wanted,” Aaron said as his smile dropped and he let out a low but angry snort. “It was serious enough that Swifty judged she was in real danger, and when he charged, she stopped holding back.
“With a threat like that, I can see why,” Twilight agreed, her wings twitching uncomfortably. “So, what happened?” 
“I’ll leave out the play-by-play commentary on how exactly she kicked his butt up and down the playground, but I will say that the colt ended up with a dislocated leg, a black eye, and that Swifty, in the heat of the moment, channeled all of the pain and suffering he had caused her into her attack and managed to lift him into the air and suplex in front of the entire class. And as he lay there on the ground groaning, she promptly landed on his head and screamed ‘WHO ELSE WANT TO BE A BULLY!? HUH? HUH? HUH?!’” 
Damn, Flash thought, his impressions are really getting better! That sounded almost exactly like Mom!
Swifty, meanwhile, simply rolled over on his chest, giving what sounded like a happy little snort of approval.  
“The rest of the bullies immediately dropped their stolen bits and fled screaming back towards the school,” Aaron said proudly. “With them gone, Swifty returned the stolen bits, and, according to her, was being thrown into the air to the cheers of her classmates by the time the teachers arrived. 
“Despite what she did, Swifty was not expelled from the school. While they were waiting for the superintendent to return from a trip, Swifty’s mom went to visit the parents of every foal in Swifty’s grade and compiled a book’s worth of incidents involving Thunder Head bullying others. When she presented that evidence to the superintendent, it became apparent he had never been informed of any of these incidents, even though many of them had been reported as complaints by the parents. So somepony had been keeping this a secret from him and had basically let things get so bad that a fight was inevitable.”
“They kept the incidents a secret? Who in the world would do that!? And WHY?” Twilight asked.
“Surprisingly, it turns out the principal had been trying to make it look as though the school was running perfectly so that he would be promoted,” Aaron said. “As such, he was actively preventing any of the incidents from being reported to higher-ups in the school system. Not a very good plan, especially as the secretary knew where all of these complaints were stored and was able to blow the final whistle on everything. Not to mention Thunder Head’s parents were furious that these behavioral problems had never been brought to their attention, to the point where they sued the principal and those involved in the cover up.
“In the end, the principle and those helping him hid the complaints were fired, Thunder Head was properly punished—”
And hospitalized, I’m sure, Flash thought.
“—with his parents doing what they could to address his behavior, and Swifty was temporarily suspended but allowed to come back,” Aaron continued. “She says that Thunder Head actually became fairly decent in the following years, and while they did apologize to one another, he still remained a bit wary of Swifty after everything. 
“And yet despite the many years that have passed since then and the plethora of techniques she has learned, Swifty still prefers to use suplexing the most out of any of her fighting moves. It’s been her signature move for as long as I’ve known and loved her, and I doubt she will stop using it anytime soon.”
“Something I’m sure the ponies in her classes are sorry to hear,” Flash said with a knowing smile. It wouldn’t be one of my mom’s classes if she wasn’t suplexing everypony at least once during the first meeting. 
“Her class?” Twilight asked, tilting her head adorably in confusion. However, any questions she was going to ask were interrupted by a buzzing sound from the kitchen. Aaron blinked, looked over at the clock, and his eyes went wide. Flash looked too, and saw that nearly two hours had passed!
We’ve been here for that long?! 
“Wow, it’s that late already!?” Aaron asked in surprise. “No wonder Swifty fell asleep! I completely lost track of time! I’ll let Flash explain Swifty’s class.” In a practiced move, the large stallion gently removed his wings from Swift Strike’s back, then slid them under his wife. Keeping the sleeping mare level, Aaron hoisted himself up, turned around, and expertly laid Swifty back down on the chair. “I need to go check on dinner and make sure nothing’s burned while we’ve been talking, but I’ll be right in the other room if you need anything.” He gave a hearty laugh. “Hehehe, who knew that a simple story about how me and Swifty met would expand to cover so much more of our lives?”
“Oh, before you go,” Flash said quickly, “what’s Mom’s new nickname?”
Aaron chuckled. “She is now the ‘Fluffy Cloud of Doom,’ if I remember correctly,” he said with a wink, before quietly walking through the door leading towards the kitchen. 
“The Fluffy Cloud of Doom?” Twilight asked, her eyebrow raising incredulously. Flash just laughed. 
“My mom teaches a class for the royal guard here in Canterlot, and about halfway through every class she has them create a new nickname for her. It’s a way to highlight the trust that she and her students built up between them and helps them strengthen that trust during the second half, and usually the students give her nicknames like that as a bit of a joke to signify just how terrifying she can be when she wants to be.”
“I thought you said she was retired?” 
“She is. But she started teaching the class years ago, and even though she isn’t technically part of the guard anymore, she has remained an independent contractor for the crown, given how effective she is at teaching the course material.” Flash chuckled, “And personally, I think she loves seeing the new ponies go from trembling in fear to a mare half their size to becoming confident and sure of themselves no matter what challenge she throws at them.”
“Ok, you answered my question, but now I have so many more,” Twilight said curiously, her head tilting in it typical adorkable way. “Why would they be terrified of her at all? I know from Shiny that most guard training has a military instructor acting tough and shouting a lot, but full-on terror?”
“It’s actually the entire purpose of the class; she terrifies the students to see how they react when faced with a threat they can’t hope to beat, and then helps them learn to remain professional in the face of that terror,” Flash clarified. “If a terrifying situation crops up and a pony freezes up, or panics and leaves themselves open to attack, or just turns tail and runs away, that’s a big problem if that pony is a guard responsible for protecting other ponies’ lives. And while the guards’ training program is good for helping to develop a number of skills and techniques, it’s hard for them to simulate a situation where a pony would experience the level of panic that can come from a real battle. 
“My mom got permission to create a class that would let her see how the guards would react to such a situation, and then teach them to overcome their weaknesses. If they freeze up, she teaches them to keep moving and fight back. If they panic, she teaches them to focus on what they can control and keep a cool head. If they turn and run, she teaches them how to do a defensive retreat and call for reinforcements without leaving themselves vulnerable. If they lash out, she teaches them to control their impulse and to strike without leaving themselves vulnerable.”
“But the only way for her to know how they react,” Twilight began, the light in her eyes showing Flash that the gears were turning inside her beautiful big brain…
Focus…
“Is to terrify them,’ Flash confirmed, nodding. “She spends the first class almost exclusively sparring with each student and acting as terrifying as possible so she can see how they react when they’re afraid. It also helps that her fighting style is fairly unusual by guard standards and that there is usually at least one pony among the newcomers that doesn’t take her seriously given her appearance.” He shook his head and chuckled. I can still remember the look on that stallion’s face when my mom suplexed him. 
Maybe I should take Twilight to see one of her classes one day. It is pretty awesome to watch. Intense, but awesome. Giving an example will have to do for now, though.
“In fact, in my first class, there was a large unicorn stallion who loved to brag about his heritage and the long line of guards that had served Princess Celestia. He wasn’t really mean or anything, but his ego was pretty big and he had a history of annoying the instructors with his ‘I’m destined to succeed because I’m so great’ attitude. So when my mom showed up and started giving her introduction speech, he literally asked her ‘Is this some sort of joke?’”
“I can’t imagine that went well,” Twilight said, frowning. “I know Shiny would never stand for that either. He’d probably have them run laps for the next few hours.”
“He probably wished he could have run laps instead,” Flash said, trying to keep from smirking and failing utterly miserably. He knew he shouldn’t find it nearly as amusing as he did, but oh, that haughty stallion got quite the slice of humble pie THAT day. “Instead, Mom told him flat out that if he beat her in a fight with no magic, he could skip the rest of the classes. He smugly agreed and walked out into the sparring ring, only for my mom to pounce and deliver a flying kick to the back of his armored head without warning. 
“He actually tried to immediately complain that she had broken the rules, only to receive a punch to the jaw as Mom screamed ‘THERE ARE NO RULES ON THE BATTLEFIELD!’ At which point, the poor pony panicked completely, to the point where he didn’t even try to use his magic. My mom spent the next three minutes making an example out of him, saying – or screaming, rather – how the enemy won’t show mercy, won’t just let you retreat, has no problems ambushing you when you least expect it, and won’t let up just because you need a cup of tea and a nap.  
“And, of course, she ended the fight by suplexing him. He whinnied like a little foal when she did that, and it showed everypony that she was NOT to be messed with given how he was three times her size. And as he lay there on the ground moaning, she stood on his head and yelled at the rest of us ‘ANYPONY ELSE WANT TO QUESTION MY STATUS AS THE INSTRUCTOR OF THIS CLASS!?’ No pony could even say a word, but everypony just nodded.
“And even thought I knew it was coming, it still sent shivers down my spine at the time. She’s a completely different mare when she’s teaching that first class.”
“I can see why,” Twilight agreed. “You mentioned there was always at least one pony who doubted her ability to teach the class. Does she suplex that pony in particular, or everypony in the class?”
“Everypony,” Flash said with a small chuckle. “It’s usually how she ends every fight in that first class.”
“I feel like I should be surprised, but given everything you’ve told me, I’m not,” Twilight said with a deadpan stare. Flash just gave her a quick kiss, prompting a little giggle. 
“It DOES work pretty darn well for her. And once she knows how everypony reacts, she then shows her more compassionate side as she demonstrates why their current behavior could be problematic. Then she starts teaching them how they can start to control and channel their fear. 
“She’ll break them down into subgroups based on their reactions and go over the basics. Once they have mastered that, she brings them back together for combined drills so she can teach them how to spot if a comrade is close to losing their cool. The later classes are much less intense than the first one, but she still maintains a small bit of the terrifying persona to ensure the students don’t become complacent.”
“It sounds like a really interesting class,” Twilight said thoughtfully. 
“Furthermore, if anypony’s struggling significantly, she’ll give individual sessions to help. I even met a few of them when they would come over to the house for some personal training, and would sometimes even sit outside the training room to watch Mom help them. Truthfully, my mom always loved working with the struggling students the most. She said that they were the ponies whose path will be more challenging, but the fact that they were willing to stick with the class and keep working to reach their goals spoke a lot more to their dedication and drive than those who were naturally talented.”
“When do ponies take the class?” Twilight asked. “That sounds a little bit intense for someone just joining the guard.” As she spoke, she quickly scooped up the last of the appetizers from the table. 
“It’s only offered to those who have passed basic training and have served a minimum of two years,” Flash responded. “And it’s required for a pony to begin moving up to the higher ranks and officer positions, though Mom only teaches the Canterlot class. Similar classes have been incorporated in other areas based on her format so a pony doesn’t need to come all the way to Canterlot, but I doubt any can match her level of intensity. I do know however that her class was the first of its kind.”
“Wait,” Twilight said, her nose scrunching up adorably. “Does that mean Shining Armor had to take her class?” 
Flash did know when Shining had joined the guard, and when his mom had begun teaching the class, so he was certain that he did know if Shining had taken the class before. However, before Flash could begin doing the mental calculation to determine if the years matched up, his mom interrupted him.
"Shining Armor, I remember Shining Armor,” the soft, sleepy voice of Swift Strike called. Looking over, Flash saw that his mom was awake again and was currently stretching out like a cat. “I suplexed him,” she said proudly. 
Twilight just blinked while Flash rolled his eyes. “Mom, you’ve suplexed everypony who has ever taken one of your classes, including me,” he said. Twilight blinked again and looked between the two of them with an expression that couldn’t decide if it was shocked or not surprised in the slightest. It was frankly, adorable, and Flash struggled not to lose his focus. “You need to be a little more specific than that — ACK HEY!” 
His mom leapt off the chair and pulled Flash into a friendly headlock before he could react.
“Oh shush, you cheeky little colt,” Swift Strike laughed, grinding her hoof into his mane playfully. “Or do you need some remedial classes, HMMMMMM?” 
“ACK, no, no, I’m good!” Flash exclaimed, squirming in his mother’s somehow gentle yet iron grip. Twilight just looked on in mild amusement. 
“Good boy,” Swifty said, releasing his head. But Flash barely had time to blink before his mom pulled him and Twilight into her chest for a fluffy hug. “And now I can finally hug you two! Oohhhh, you make such a cute couple! I can’t wait to see how things go! If you ever need any advice or support, just let me know and I’ll be there faster than a speeding alicorn! And I do mean ANYTHING! Especially if you’re having problems with the nobles. Just send a letter and I’ll suplex them so hard they won’t even remember why their bothering you in the first place!”
“Honey! No threatening to suplex the snobby nobles and give them brain damage!” Aaron called from the kitchen. 
“Could I at least threaten to suplex them into unconsciousness?”
“No, honey, we’ve talked about this. Concussions are still considered brain damage. You know the rules,” Aaron yelled back, and Flash could practically hear the smirk on his dad’s lips even around the fluff of his mom’s fur.
“Fiiiiiiiiine,” Swifty groaned, releasing her grip enough so that Flash could turn his head in time to see her pouting playfully. “Such a spoilsport. What’s wrong with suplexing ponies that only want to insult other ponies because they don’t have titles, flash their wealth at every opportunity just because they can, or waste the princesses’ time with unreasonable demands that no sane pony would consider approving? It’s not like I’d be suplexing Fleur or Fancy Pants. THEY know how to be nice to everypony!” 
I ask myself that question all the time, Flash thought to himself, though I’m more of the let’s-just-ban-them-from-the-castle-and-any-other-place-we-may-be mindset or a let’s-set-up-a-teleport-circle-to-dump-them-in-the-fountain mindset rather than the why-can’t-we-just-suplex-them mindset. Especially since Twilight is too nice to approve of suplexing them, which is one of many reasons I love her so much.
  Focus…
“Ummm…” Twilight piped up, her face still firmly held to Swifty’s fluffy chest. 
“OH, yes, sorry about that dear,” Swift said, opening her wing and allowing Twilight to sit up shyly. “I’m just SO EXCITED to finally meet a pony who managed to catch my little Flashie’s eye! My adorable little fluffball finally has a special somepony to snuggle with! I can already see he’s found something special in you that makes him happy!” 
Well, she’s not wrong, Flash thought, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. 
“We just started dating,” Twilight muttered sheepishly. “And I’m not that special…am I?”
“Oh, you are. Trust me, a mom knows these things.” Swifty said with a little chuckle and wink. “I'm just happy my little Flashie finally found a marefirend! Do try to keep him out of trouble if you can, won’t you, dear?” she asked, sticking her tongue out playfully. Twilight gave a quiet giggle, and some of the tension left her shoulders. 
“I agree that Twilight is pretty special,” Flash agreed, prompting a little blush from said purple pony princess. “Also, I’m pretty sure that’s my job, Mom. My ACTUAL job,” he said, rolling his eyes, but he couldn’t help smiling himself. 
“Then you can keep her out of trouble when you’re on duty and she can keep you out of trouble all the time! It’s the perfect solution!” Swift Strike said, smiling broadly. 
Flash just double-face-hoofed and laughed while Twilight giggled more. 
“Going back a bit,” she said when she quieted down, “You said you taught my brother? And…suplexed him?” Her eyes were getting that gears-turning look again, and Flash knew that she was trying to imagine her big brother being lifted into the air by a tiny mare, probably by using math.
Begone, foul math! Let my marefriend think in peace! 
“I did indeed!” Swift Strike exclaimed, her fluffy tail wagging in a way that Flash knew meant it was time for more stories. “But he was special from the moment I fought him. Of all the ponies I’ve taught, he was one of the few that didn’t panic in my initial session, even when I suplexed him! In fact, he was actually cool-headed enough to try and go with the momentum to roll back to his hooves! He did overbalance and end up flat on his back and asked ‘what just happened?’ in an adorably confused voice, but he was really close!”
“I knew from that moment on that he would go far in the guard! Granted, I didn’t know he would end up being the prince of a long-lost empire in the frozen north, but I had a feeling he might become captain if he put the work in.”
“You knew that early on?” Twilight asked in surprise, fully enraptured in Swift Strike’s story. 
You know, that makes some sense, Flash thought. Mom was always pretty good at recommending ponies for promotions and predicting who would be able to make the cut, though she rarely tells them out loud so they can make their own decisions with their careers without her words hanging over them. I wonder if she thought I had the potential to become a captain one day. I certainly didn’t think I would get this far, though she always encouraged me and my classmates to do our best because ‘a captain is nothing without their squad.’
“You better believe it, young filly. Not only did he not panic during my suplex or the fight before, but even three classes in I still hadn’t managed to find out how he reacted when he was afraid. He nearly had me stumped, until I saw him and Princess Cadance share a quick kiss.”
“As she was hiding in the rafters spying on Shining to try and find a weakness of his,” Aaron called again from the kitchen.
“QUIET, YOU! THIS IS MY STORY!” Swift Strike shouted.
“Sorry! I can’t hear you over my baking!” Aaron yelled back, earning an annoyed whinny from Swift Strike. 
“ANYWAY, the point is I saw him and Princess Cadance together, which I thought could be just the key I needed. So I approached Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance with a plan. The two were a bit hesitant at first—”
“Cadance thought the plan was insane!”
“AARON! STOP PLAGUING MY STORY WITH INCIDENTAL SASSY COMMENTARY!”
“Would you prefer it if I went and got my trombone?"
“NO, THAT’S EVEN WORSE!”
“Your dad plays the trombone?” Twilight whispered quietly as Flash’s parents continued to playfully argue.
“Yeah. He was in the marching band in school, and now plays a bit with a jazz group in Canterlot. I’ll have to take you to see them sometime. They’re pretty good,” Flash whispered back with a smile.
I should remember to tell her about the time my dad accidentally created a theme song for my mom while trying to distract some thieves. THAT was quite the story.  
“ANYWAY,” Swift Strike exclaimed exasperatedly, pulling their attention back to the small mare. “Despite Princess Cadance’s hesitance with the plan, she and Princess Celestia agreed to it once I explained that Shining had the potential to become captain with enough effort but that he would never make it if he didn’t know how to keep his fear under control.
“So during the next class, Princess Cadance came to watch under the guise of it being a routine inspection. We had moved on to using training weapons for this session, which were blunted and enchanted to stop once they made contact with a living creature. I also made sure that I would spar with Shining Armor about halfway through the class. Once we were in the middle of the fight, however, I abandoned my attack and yelled ‘HEY, PRINCESS! CATCH!’ and threw my sword at her.”
Twilight’s mouth dropped open, and Flash could feel his own brain skip like a record for a second.
Suplex-loving-mother did WHAT NOW!?
“You THREW YOUR SWORD AT CADANCE?!” Twilight all but screamed.
“How have you never told me this story?” Flash asked. “That has go to be the craziest thing you have ever done!”
“Fifth craziest, actually,” Swift Strike said with a wink, causing Flash’s brain to skip again.
Fifth cra—ARE YOU ACTUALLY KEEPING A LIST? Like, seriously, Mother, do you actually have a list of all the crazy nonsense you had done over the course of your life? Because right now that is what it sounds like you are saying and I am both not at all surprised and can’t even begin to think of what things you’ve done that somehow rank higher than throwing a freaking sword at the Princess of Love. 
Seriously, what on Equis did you do that was crazier than that?  
“And yes, yes I did, Twilight,” Swifty continued, unaware of Flash’s brain breaking slightly. “But she wasn’t actually in any danger. She had two guards next to her that would have stopped the sword, the sword itself was a training sword, and an enchanted one at that, and I purposely missed, throwing the sword way too far to the right.
“Shining, however, didn’t know this, and for the first time in the class he actually panicked! It was perfect! He immediately forgot about the match and surrounded Cadance and her guards with his shield spell, only to blink in pure confusion when the sword missed it entirely. Of course, given how he completely abandoned his own defense, I immediately taught him what happens when you let your guard down around a superior opponent.”
“By suplexing him, of course,” Aaron called out. 
“AAAAAARRROOOONNNNN!!!!”
“What? I’m not wrong!” 
“Just let me tell the story! Anyway, yes, I suplexed him, and then took a break so Princess Cadance and I could explain what happened and so I could tell him what I saw. See, when your brother panicked, Twilight, he not only completely abandoned his own defenses to protect others, but he also expended far more magic than would normally be necessary and so much of his own magic that he needed to take some time to recover after the match.
“So once I knew this, I was able to teach him how to limit his magic use when he was terrified, how to maintain his own safety while protecting others, how to throw up his strongest shields without hurting himself or exceeding his limits, and how to increase his tolerance and magic pool so he could cast such strong shields for longer times without risk of running out of magic. And without my training, I bet you he would have never gotten as far as he did!”
“As humble as ever, sweetie!” Aaron called out. 
“Aaron, I am warning you! Don’t make me come in there!”
“But how will you get dinner if you don’t come in here? Which is ready, by the way.” He poked his head back into the living room, grinning widely. “I made baked ziti with flowers, and even put together a few small flower sandwiches,” he sang before he ducked away again.
Swift Strike’s eyes widened to the size of Pinkie Pie’s special birthday cupcakes. 
“YOU’RE FORGIVEN!” she cheered, leaping over Twilight’s head, much to Twilight’s surprise, and went flying into the kitchen like a bird of prey chasing after a mouse. Along the way, she nearly knocked over a small table near the door as she used it as a springboard.
“Sorry about that, Twilight,” Flash chuckled as he stood up, “Are you ok?”
“I’m fine, and that ziti sounds really good,” Twilight said, giggling a little and standing up as well. “Does that happen often?”
“Not as much as you might think, actually,” Flash said. “She usually is more patient, especially when I am home, but then again we have been talking for almost two and a half hours at this point.” He offered his leg to Twilight, who happily accepted. “So, are you enjoying your visit so far?”
“Absolutely,” Twilight said as Flash led the way towards the kitchen. “You’re parents are really fun, and it’s so interesting to learn about them, and more about you too.”
“Then just you wait,” Flash said. “The night is still young, and I’m sure you’ll learn quite a bit more about me by the time we’re done…”