"Oh, Flash, yes. Oh yes. Yes! Put it in already!"
Twilight had a dream that night about baking cookies in the oven with Flash in the Canterlot Castle kitchen. It strangely wasn't the weirdest dream she'd ever had in her lifetime.
"Huh? What's that?" Twilight said as she awoke. She was staring Spike directly in the eyes, while he was giving her a confused look. She felt her bed sheets, and they were clearly wet.
"Twilight, you left the window open all night," Spike mentioned.
Twilight looked over to the window to the see the rain, and it fell directly onto the princess' bed sheets, causing the wetness on them. Thankfully, it wasn't enough water to give her a cold.
"Oh, Spike, I can't live like this. I'm thinking about him. I need to know if he likes me as much as I like him."
"Who? Flash?"
"Yes, Spike, obviously."
"You obviously know that Flash likes you. His human counterpart did, so it only makes sense if he does too. Just talk to him. We've been through this already."
"I can't be so sure, Spike. It might not work that way. And besides, after reading every romance novel I have, it's hard for me to believe that things will go well for me. There's almost always a conflict or a tragedy in every love story."
"Come on, Twilight, your life is not a book."
"Well, yeah, I guess you're right," Twilight admitted. "I don't know. I'll have to think about it. Well, it's time for me to go see Rarity. She's designing my dress for next week's Grand Galloping Gala."
Twilight left to go see her friends, who were staying the entire week in the visitors' section of the castle, which was a real honour for them.
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"Okay, Flash, you just have to go out and say it: 'Twilight, I love you.'"
"But no, that's way too soon, and she'd reject me on the spot."
"But on the other hoof, I've heard that mares like honesty."
"But that's way too honest. It may not even be honest at all. I don't even know her well enough to know if I love her yet."
Flash Sentry paced around his Canterlot apartment, trying desperately to think of a way to approach the princess and speak to her. For a guard to do so, it was a very difficult task. It could cost them their reputation, their job, and could result in ridicule. But for Flash, it would all be worth it just to make Twilight smile.
"It's good to make a mare laugh, I've heard."
"But then again, I don't want her laughing at how pathetic I am."
Flash paced back and forth in his room, continuously thinking of what he could possibly say. He then stopped and looked at himself in the mirror.
"Look at you, you sexy beast of nature. How could she ever say no?"
"Ugh! I just can't do it! It's so hard!"
"That's what she said."
"No! No no no! I can't be like that in front of a princess. That's it. Today I'm going to talk to her. I may not ask her out, but I'll at least show her that I exist."
Flash finally, after much deliberation, thinking, and mood swings, came up with his decision. He looked over at his schedule for the day, seeing that had the evening shift until eight-thirty at night.
"I'm just going to go up to her in the most professional way possible and ask if she would like to join me for a drink later tonight. That way I can talk to her in a light setting and I can hear all the wonderful things about her. The worst thing that can happen is that she will say no, and I'll go on with my life, never worrying about what could have been."
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"It's a little tight, don't you think?" Twilight asked while being squeezed.
"Oh, darling, you're so right. I guess you've put on a few pounds since becoming a princess."
Twilight gasped at Rarity's friendly, yet kind of rude, remark while trying to put Twilight's new dress for the Grand Galloping Gala.
"I have not! The dress is too tight."
"Yeah, Rarity, Twilight looks fine and normal to me," Applejack said.
"Well all right, if you say so. I must have made this magnificent dress a size too small. It needs to be just right for a princess, and especially because this is your first gala as a member of the royal family."
"Oh Twilight, has anypony asked you to be their date to the gala yet?" Fluttershy asked.
"Not yet, Fluttershy. I was hoping Flash would, but he's probably too nervous to do so. Either that, or he thinks that I'm unattainable because I'm a princess. These new wings haven't changed who I am."
"Speaking of the wings," Rainbow Dash brought up, "have you learned to fly yet?"
"Nope. Not really," the princess responded. "I'm still getting used to them just being at my side. I can hover for a few seconds, but that's about it."
"Oh come on, Twi, I was flying around at the age of two!" Dash exclaimed.
"Yes, but Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy remarked, "you're also not like most pegasi."
"That's true. I am bucking awesome, after all."
"And very modest," Twilight added.
"Oh yes, I'm the most humble and modest pony ever!"
Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile.
"So, Twily, how're you going to ask out Flash for a date tonight?" Pinkie asked.
"I never said I was going to ask him out on a date," Twilight responded. "I just want to talk to him. Like, a real talk. Not just a 'hi, how are ya?' But a real conversation. If we go out somewhere after, then that's great."
Knock knock knock
"Come in," Twilight yelled to whoever knocked at the door.
Spike entered into the room, beholding a letter from Princess Celestia.
"I haven't received one of these since I moved to the castle," Twilight remarked. "I can't wait to see what is inside." Twilight picked it up and read it out loud, "'Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful and beloved student. I'm sorry if this causes any inconvenience, but we need to have a meeting tonight at nine for the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala. Your friends can come too, because I hope they can help with the preparations. Please reply soon. Faithfully yours, Princess Celestia.' Well, girls, how about it?"
"Sounds good to me," Fluttershy responded.
"Sounds like fun," Pinkie added.
"Okay, it's settled then, we'll meet here and go together to the meeting."
"Oh, Twilight, what about Flash?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'll talk to him whenever I can. I'm just too busy right now."
"Come on, Twilight, he's probably roaming the hallways right now. Just go look for him and ask him out for coffee and a bite to eat," Rainbow suggested while tapping the shoulder of Twilight while flying above.
"I don't know..."
"You can do it," Pinkie said.
"We have faith in you, sugarcube," Applejack added.
"All right, I'll do it. I'll talk to him today."
The mares in response all let out a cheer. They were proud of their friend, who was finally willing to show some courage and take a risk for love.
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Twilight never did find Flash Sentry that afternoon. She met up with her friends about an hour before their scheduled meeting.
"So, Twilight, were you too scared to talk to him?" Applejack asked Twilight when the topic of Flash Sentry came up.
"No, I just never found him," Twilight defended.
"You know what you're going to say when you do find him, darling?" Rarity asked Twilight
"Not a clue. I'm going to just say what's in my heart," Twilight responded.
"Just be yourself," Rainbow added. "Or, if you could, be like me, because I'm amazing."
"No, I'd rather just be myself."
"We believe in you, Twilight," Fluttershy encouraged.
"Thanks, girls. Listen, we have some time before the meeting. Should I go see if I can find him?" Twilight asked the others.
"Uh, yeah," Rainbow replied. "Don't be a scaredy-filly. Just go out there and find him."
Twilight thought to herself. There was no point in stalling. She had some time to kill. "All right, girls, I'll do it," Twilight said while trotting over to the door. "I'm really going to do it. Wish me luck!"
After the mares all showed excitement to Twilight's confidence, they all wished her luck.
"I'll be back here in an hour so that we can go to the meeting," Twilight said as she was leaving.
Twilight turned to her friends with a smile with one hoof out the door. She was wearing her normal princess dress and crown, not wanting to spoil the surprise by wearing the new dress Rarity was making for the gala.
The princess made her way down the hallway and around the corner, hoping to find Flash serving somewhere in order that she could talk to him. She searched and searched down the many hallways and rooms, but with no luck.
After well over forty-five minutes of searching throughout the castle, there was no sign of the stallion with yellowish-orange fur and the blue slicked mane. She saw two stallion guards trotting towards her.
"Hey, you two."
"Yes, ma'am?" the two stallions, both unicorns, one with a grey coat and white mane, and another with a white coat and blue mane, responded with a salute.
"Have you seen Flash Sentry?"
"Yes, ma'am, we have seen him," one of the guards responded.
"He just finished his shift with us," the other added.
"Where would he be now?" Twilight asked.
"He is probably already on his way home by now," the first one said.
"That figures," Twilight responded. "Thank you very much for your help. May I have your names?"
"I'm Optimus," the grey stallion responded.
"And I'm Sentinel," the white stallion added.
"Thanks," Twilight responded, turning around to run to the front doors, hoping to catch her crush on the way out.
"Oooh baby, Flash is in trouble," Sentinel said after Twilight turned the corner.
"Yeah, probably because she found out about his crush on her," Optimus added.
"I didn't tell her, did you?"
"I didn't either."
"Maybe Shining Armour figured it out and told her."
"Yeah, and that's not good news. He seems like he'd be very protective of his sister."
Twilight dashed her way down the hallways, slipping on the shiny tile floors was she made her way towards the doors. There was only right turn remaining, and she turned quickly, but lost her hoofing in the process, slipping and hitting the wall.
"Owww," Twilight said lightly while scratching her head while still on the ground.
"Oh, Princess Sparkle, are you all right?" a stallion said while reaching a hoof forward.
"I think so," Twilight responded while reaching her hoof to grab his. She couldn't tell who the stallion was from his hoof, though, because his fur was covered in black clothing.
"Flash? Is that you?" Twilight asked while facing a stallion with the yellowish-orange fur and blue mane and eyes that she recognised. However, she had never seen him dressed in anything other than his work armour before. He was just in a light jacket to go home for the evening.
"Why, yes. I can't believe that you've fallen again, Princess," Flash said with a smile.
"Yes, I've been falling a lot since my trip to the human—" She stopped herself from finishing the sentence, so as to avoid an entire explanation that would possibly make her look like an even bigger egghead, at least in her own mind she thought that. "I mean, since I've become a princess. I just haven't gotten used to balancing myself with new wings."
"Hmm," Flash thought out loud. "I guess I don't remember what it's like to have new wings. I learned to fly as a foal, but I can't remember any of that. Would you like somepony to teach you?"
"That would be wonderful, Flash. Can you teach me some day?" Twilight asked with half-closed eyes in hope that he would say yes.
Flash could feel blood rush to his face at this moment, among other other areas. He had to calm down, otherwise she would see how pleased he was to be speaking to her.
"Umm... umm," he tried to say. "Sure, maybe one day. But that isn't part of my royal duties, though."
"Oh, it could be if I said it was," Twilight said with a wink.
Flash's eyes opened wider upon saying this. Twilight was actually giving something for him to work with. He could finally have the opportunity to ask her something he had wanted to ask for weeks.
"Um, Twilight?"
"Yes, Flash?"
Flash Sentry could see a slight twinkle in Twilight's eyes, almost as if she was expecting something amazing. Now was his time to shine.
"Would you like to, I don't know..."
"Get a—"
"Drink with—"
"You right—"
"Now?" the two of them went back and forth, with Flash finishing the question.
"Oh, Flash, I would—wait a minute. What time is it?"
"It's eight fifty-seven, why?"
"Oh no no nononononono. I'm late! Gotta go," Twilight said, running back in the direction she came from, nearly forgetting to get her friends with her meeting with Princess Celestia.
"One 'no' would have been fine," Flash yelled sadly, with Twilight probably unable to hear him. He turned his head down, looking to his hooves, going to leave for home. "Well, I should have expected that," he said to himself while kicking out one of his forelegs. "I'm just a guard, after all."