//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Chasing Clouds // Story: A Guard and a Princess // by TorontoFCBrony //------------------------------// "Oh no, where is it?" "Twilight?" Spike asked while letting out a yawn. "It's three in the morning. What are you looking for?" "No, it's not here either," Twilight said while running around the room, her hooves making loud noises on the tile floor. "Twilight!" "What, Spike?" "What're you looking for? I'll help you find it." "My crown. I haven't seen it since I got home earlier. I've looked everywhere. I haven't even been able to sleep I've been so scared about it." "I think it's over there by the mirror," Spike pointed. Twilight looked over at the mirror and the counter in front of it, but her crown wasn't there. "Are you sure, Spike? I don't see what you're talking about." "Positive." Twilight trotted over to the bathroom and looked on the counter, inside the cupboards, on the ground—nothing. She could not find what she was looking for. That is, until she looked in the mirror and saw her crown lying on her head. "Oh. You were right, Spike." "Is something bothering you, Twilight?" Spike asked, concerned about his closest friend. Twilight had shown many signs of stress lately. She had made visits to many different towns in Equestria, representing Princess Celestia. She weighed in on important legal matters. She even shook some hooves and kissed some foals. Basically, Twilight was starting to learn how busy the princesses really were, and she figured that her worries previously were right—she did not feel prepared for this, even after all of the reassuring words. "Yeah, Spike. I'm just overwhelmed right now. I can't sleep because I have such a busy week coming up. I'm even making a scheduled royal visit to Ponyville." The weeks had gone on since Twilight had become a princess. She had performed her duties very well, but she still felt overwhelmed. As a pony with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, doing her best was often not enough for Twilight Sparkle. She always tried to be better, and when she couldn't do any better, she felt unaccomplished. However, there wasn't really anything that she could do better at. She performed her tasks from Princess Celestia punctually and correctly. She even went above and beyond her royal duties. She treated everypony in the country with respect and kindness. But it didn't make her feel any better about herself. It was almost an inner feeling that she just couldn't control. The one thing she was happy with, however, was her relationship with Flash Sentry. She had been on six dates with the stallion, with each one proving to be a more pleasant experience than the one prior, their relationship growing by the date. Twilight learned a lot about Flash's current state, and he learned a lot about her as well. The one thing she didn't know much about, though, was Flash's past. She knew minor details about the stallion and his family, but he seemed to keep quiet while conversing about his recent past, dating back a few years. Twilight also never told Flash about her trip to the human world in fear that he either wouldn't believe her, think of her as a weirdo, or feel saddened at the real reason of what first drew Twilight to him. The truth was, what initially drew Twilight to Flash was not the pony, but his human counterpart. Twilight feared the thought of bringing that up to him if he ever asked, so she never brought it up in her recent dates. In the meantime, though, she actually came to really like the stallion, and that even caused her to stop missing his human counterpart. "I think you should just take a little walk outside, Twilight. It might get your mind off of a few things and calm your nerves a little. And then I can get some sleep, too," Spike suggested, and muttered to himself at the end. "That's actually a good suggestion, Spike. I'll do that." Twilight took her crown off her head and placed it on her desk. She decided to go out in just her nighty, so as not to draw much attention to herself. After all, a beautiful princess out in the middle of the night in an expensive dress and crown would probably draw some unwanted attention. Twilight looked over to Spike as she was about to leave the room. Her baby dragon was already sleeping soundly, just a few minutes after speaking to her. The alicorn sighed and smiled and made her way outside to go out for a relaxing walk. The palace in Canterlot was dark at night. The only ponies that were usually up at this time were Princess Luna, who was usually either up in her room or invading ponies' dreams, and the royal guards who had to watch the hallways at night. Twilight made her way up the stairs of the castle and to the bridge on one of the upper levels, which spanned from one tower of the castle to another. From that bridge, she could see all of Canterlot. Most of the houses in the historic and rich town were dark, with the occasional few business still open late at night. She could see a few party-going ponies stumbling home for the night, as well as some workers finishing off their night shifts. The dark clouds passed through the sky over her, and it was a beautiful half-moon on this night. The stars were out, plenty in number. Spike was right. Going outside, getting some fresh air, watching the world go by—it was really calming. Twilight sighed in contentment and leaned her head on her front hooves onto the parapet wall, which protected the ponies from falling down to the courtyard far below. Twilight stayed in place for some time. She watched the lights in the city slowly being turned off, one by one, as the ponies who were up that late started to go to bed. "Twily? What are doing out this late at night?" asked a voice from behind her. "Oh, BBBFF, I didn't know you were up this late," Twilight replied while turning around, still leaning on the parapet wall, expecting to see her brother. "Oh, Flash? I thought you were Shining Armour for a second." "I don't think I sound as good as him, though. Are you disappointed?" "No, not at all," she replied. "Can I join you?" "Certainly." Flash trotted a few steps to over where Twilight was. He put his front hooves on the wall to look out at what Twilight was watching and took off his helmet, laying it on the parapet wall he was leaning on. "Beautiful, isn't it, Twilight?" he asked while looking out at the city. "It sure is, Flash. It really makes me feel better about things." "Are you feeling down?" "Not really," Twilight responded. She let out a slight sigh. "Then what's wrong?" While continuing to look out over the city, she responded, "I feel a little overwhelmed with my royal duties. I know I've been able to face every task so far, but it's really taking a toll on me. I couldn't sleep tonight, and I don't really know why. I feel good—at least, I think I feel good. Do you know what I mean?" "I think so, Twilight. I think you just have too much on your plate right now. But no need to worry, I know you can handle it." "Thanks," Twilight said while waving her hoof through her mane. "Hey, what are you doing up this late?" "I have a late night shift. I was just about to my final round when I saw you leaning here from the hallway." "Oh, you must be pretty tired then." "I'm not that tired, actually. But I'll leave you alone with your thoughts, if you want me to go." Twilight looked at her front hooves. While brushing the ground with her left front hoof and still looking down, she responded, "No! I mean, I don't mind you staying here with me." "That means a lot, Twily. Hey, we haven't really spent some quality time together in a few days, since you've been so busy." "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. It's starting to stress me out a little." "I know exactly what to do to help." "Oh yeah? What's that?" "When I'm feeling tired, overwhelmed, sad, or just kind of lonely, there is one thing that makes me feel better. It's something that just makes me forget about everything. Would you like me to show you what that is?" "Yes, I would love that, Flash." "How do you feel about flying?" "A lot better after you taught me. I still need some help, but I'm getting the hang of it." "That's good enough," Flash replied. With an outstretched hoof, he added, "Come, and I'll show you what I mean. There is usually only one thing that makes me feel better when I'm in a blah mood like yourself right now." Twilight reached her hoof forward and grabbed the hoof of Flash. The two of them spread their wings, and they took flight. Flash helped Twilight keep her balance in the air. Flash directed the two of them high into the sky, and then downward towards a single, low-flying cloud in the sky, about the size of a queen bed. It was the perfect size for the two of them. "Um, Flash?" "Yes, Twily?" "What're we doing?" "You'll see." Flash, while still holding the hoof of his mare, slowed down by keeping his wings straight out. He lowered the two of them down slowly until they both landed softly on the cloud. "What the?" Twilight said. "You never knew that pegasi can stand on clouds?" "No, I knew it, but I never knew I could!" Twilight said. The time she spent in Cloudsdale on the clouds there was only because of a powerful spell she used. And besides, the feeling of the large, pony-made clouds was nothing compared to the feeling of a small, fluffy, natural cloud. It was much softer and more comforting. And besides, she only experienced it for twenty-two minutes over three years ago, so she forgot the feeling altogether. "Well, you have wings now, don't you? Of course you can stand on a cloud!" "I guess that makes sense." Flash held Twilight's hoof still as he turned around and laid on his back, and the mare joined him. The two of them rested on their backs on the soft cloud, looking up at the night sky. "Oh gosh, this is so soft," Twilight mentioned. "I find a nap on a soft cloud helps me forget my troubles. It's as if being up here, being able to look at the many stars and all of the ponies down below, just makes you forget everything—like things just don't matter. I just lay here and forget about the world." Twilight looked over the edge of the cloud to her right. They were a few hundred metres in the air, but she didn't feel any fear. The cloud was the softest thing that she had ever felt in her life. It was an amazing feeling. Since this was her first time actually resting on a cloud, rather than just walking on cloud pavement or in a cloud building, she just had to get a good feel of it. She could reach her hoof through the cloud, scattering some of it. Yet, it held the weight of both of them. It was so soothing and comforting. No wonder Rainbow Dash loved to nap on them! The two of them began to look up at the stars while lying on their backs on the cloud. Minutes passed, and neither of them had anything to say. But it wasn't an awkward silence. It was more a silence of contentment. It was true what Flash was getting at—things just didn't seem to matter when Twilight laid on the cloud, looking up at the billions of stars above her on a mostly clear night. "How many stars do you think there are, Flash?" Twilight asked as the two of them looked up to the sky. There were only a few clouds that were between them and the universe above. Flash began to count by pointing with his hoof in front of him. "Um... Ten." "Flash! Come on, be serious." "I don't know, Twily. I've never really given it much thought." "Well, I have. There are billions of stars out there, all of different sizes, colours, ages, and masses. Starswirl the Bearded documented much about the stars over his lifetime. I've given much thought to it too. I've also read a few of his books on astronomy. Did you know that—" "Um, Twily?" "Yes, Flash? Oh, wait. I'm talking too much, aren't I?" "No, Twily, it's fine. I like to hear you talk. It means that you're happy. I'd just rather that we talk about something a little more... exciting than stars." "Like what?" Flash thought for a few seconds. He did have one thing on his mind that he wanted to talk about, but just the thought of bringing it up gave him butterflies in his stomach. He had a question for Twilight—a question that could change everything. The answer was probably something that he didn't want to hear, but one he simply had to know. "Um." "Come on, Flash. We can talk about anything." Flash gulped, took a deep breath, and asked, "Twilight, you're a princess. I'm just a guard. What did draw you to me? Did you just accept a date to give me pity? Or do you actually like me?" "Well, um," Twilight started while still staring at the sky. "Come on, Twi. I can handle the answer." "I just feel that you'll think I'm really weird or that I'm lying to you or something." "Why would I think that?" Flash asked. "Because the reason why I like you is so ridiculous that you basically have to see it to believe it." "What in Equestria are you talking about?" "You really want to know, Flash?" "Yes, definitely." "All right then. Here goes." Twilight took a deep breath will still on her back, but she decided that it was best to face Flash while telling the story. The two of them sat on their plots, facing each other while on the cloud. She continued, "When I first saw you in the Crystal Empire I had originally come for just a simple visit. However, my crown was stolen on the first night." "No way!" "Yes way, Flash. The mare who stole it was a unicorn who used to be another student in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. I guess she wanted the crown for herself. When she took the crown at night, I followed her into a room, where she dropped the crown and it went towards a mirror." "All right. What does this have to do with me?" Flash asked "Well, the mirror was actually a portal to another world." "Interesting," Flash responded. Twilight continued, "So, I followed her into the portal. Upon coming out, I turned into this thing called a 'human'. In fact, everypony was a human there. Every human there was a human equivalent of a pony in Equestria." "Okay, this is getting pretty weird." "I know, right? So, I had to go to a high school and become princess of the Fall Formal, which was the human equivalent of the Grand Galloping Gala. The crown was the prize. After reuniting a group of friends that reminded me of my friends in Ponyville, I ended up bumping into you." "Um, what are you talking about? I've never heard of this other dimension, nor have I ever been there." "That's the thing, Flash. It was your human equivalent." "Ah, got it." "But it turned out that you were the ex-boyfriend of the mare who stole my crown. It also turns out that she was in that dimension for a few years and had really made a name for herself. Anyways, the mare's assistants framed me for trying to destroy the setup for the dance, but the human you found pictures to prove that I was innocent." "Sounds like the human version of me is quite the cool guy." "Oh yes, he was, I mean is. I mean... He was just like you—nice, caring." "Handsome?" "Oh yes." Flash and Twilight shared a smile together. "Like I said, he was just like you. In the end, after my new friends and I saved the day and retrieved the crown, I danced with 'you' at the Fall Formal and had a really nice time. When I got back to Equestria, I found you, the real you, like, the you I'm talking to now. I wasn't sure if you were the actual pony that I had danced with, or you were just an equivalent. But I wanted to find out, because after I returned to Equestria, I knew that there was no going back to the other place. Your human counterpart was my first crush, so I wanted to give you a chance to see if you were the same." "Twilight, I—" "Say no more, Flash. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry if that hurts your feelings. I don't even know if you believe me." Twilight began to look at her hooves in front of her as she continued to sit on the cloud. Flash used his hoof to raise Twilight's chin so that she could look back at him. "Twily, I believe you." "Really? But why? The whole thing is just so ridiculous." "It is a little weird, but I trust you. You aren't a mare who would lie. You're too sweet for that." Twilight blushed and played with her mane in response. Flash continued, "Now, what was the mare's name who stole your crown?" "Sunset Shimmer." Flash had no response. He just stared back blankly. "Is everything okay, Flash?" "Sunset Shimmer?" "Yes." "Unicorn? Fiery coloured?" "Yes." "Thought so." "What's wrong, Flash?" "Now I believe you one-hundred percent, Twily." "Why? What does Sunset Shimmer have to do with anything?" "Um, Twily. You told me a story, and now I think it's time for me to tell you a little story." "All right, I'm listening," Twilight responded with a continuous smile. "There's a reason why I don't talk about my recent past a lot. You see, I used to date Sunset Shimmer." "Let me get this straight—you dated Sunset here and in the human world?" "I never knew about the human world until you told me, actually. But yes, I did date her here. For a few years, actually. However, there was a time when I was the most depressed I had ever been." "What happened?" Twilight asked in response as her smile turned into a face of concern. "Well, you see, it's a really long story," Flash started to say. He looked down at Twilight, who scooted her plot over a few times. She was now much closer to him than she was originally, looking up at him with a warm smile, ready to listen. Flash couldn't help but smile in return at the mare who seemed so interested in his story. "Do you ever remember Sunset Shimmer from before, Twilight?" "I don't think so, Flash. When I was still in school, I was solely focused on my studies with Princess Celestia. I didn't know many ponies in my school." "Hmm," Flash thought out loud. "Well, I've known Sunset Shimmer for a very long time. In high school here in Canterlot, I was a musician and on the hoofball team. I was actually a very popular pony." "I can see why," Twilight said while resting her chin on her front hooves, listening even more attentively. Flash smiled once again, and then turned his head to the sky to continue telling his story. "The two of us were friends as foals. When Sunset got into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, I couldn't have been more proud of her. But as the two of us went into different schools, our friendship dwindled a bit. That was, though, until I asked to be my date to one of my school's dances, to which she accepted. We sort of had a long-distance relationship for a little while, seeing each other only occasionally. Sunset was just a little bit older than you, and she started her studies with Princess Celestia a little before you did. She was always a very ambitious pony, and always tried hard to do her best." "Then what happened to her? Why did she resort to stealing my crown?" "I'm getting there, Twily. Sunset's ambitions, though, I think they got the best of her. She not only wanted to be one of Celestia's most treasured students, but she wanted to be the most treasured student. However, her ambitions kind of turned into pride. She started to feel entitled—as if the world owed her something." "Oh boy. I see where this is going." "I'm sure you do. Well, one day Sunset's emotions seemed to just get the best of her. I'll always remember this one day as the worst day of my life." "What happened?" "Well, it's really hard for me to say this. I went years without knowing what had happened to her." Twilight started to move while listening on the cloud, which caused Flash to stop talking for a minute. Twilight bunched up a part of the cloud to make a headrest for the two of them. "Thanks, Twi," Flash said while leaning back on the higher part of the cloud, pushing his back hooves out so that he was lying on his back. Twilight did the same thing, but only this time she rested her head on Flash, around his chest area. She looked up at him, ready to continue listening. Flash continued, "Sunset was actually very jealous of you. You were a younger unicorn who came to the school later than she did. Yet, you were always Celestia's favourite. You got to learn directly from the princess herself, spending quality time with her, while Sunset was always just one of a few select higher students." "How did you know about that?" "Sunset would actually complain to me a lot about you, at first. She was extremely jealous of you. In fact, she used to talk about you so much, that there was the time when I first had an interest in meeting you. Her complaining was really starting to get to me. I begged her to stop and just continue with her own studies, but she continued to be jealous." "So, what about the worst day of your life?" "That was the day that Sunset's emotions and ambitions got the best of her. I don't think Celestia would have ever told you about this, probably to save you from worrying about something that didn't apply to you. Sunset went into Celestia's room and begged the princess, asking Celestia to be her most prized student—at least, I think that's what happened. She could have also asked to be her heir, or something even more. But she didn't want to be just one of a few good students, she wanted to be special and unique. Of course, Celestia said no, because her heart was set on you early. Sunset desperately wanted everything that came with being Celestia's most cherished pupil, but no matter how hard she begged, Celestia still said no." Flash looked down to the mare resting on his chest, who was enthralled with this story. He continued, "I was actually listening in to their conversation a little. I had previously begged Sunset not to go see the princess privately. Trying to force yourself to have a position doesn't ever work. What happened next, though, was unknown to me. I was escorted outside by one of the guards. As I waited outside, Sunset came out, crying and with a mangled mane. She was miserable, and she walked right passed me." "What happened after you left?" "I don't think I will ever know, Twily. I don't even think I want to know. Whatever happened, it changed Sunset's life forever. I desperately tried to calm her down. I called her name, but she just kept walking away. With the amount of anger and sadness she had on her face, I didn't know what she was going to do. I caught up to her, and stopped in front of her. She yelled at me to back off, but I wanted to just talk it over before she did anything drastic. 'Get away from me, Flash,' she yelled out. 'I'm not going to do that. What happened in there?' I asked her. 'I don't want to talk about it. I'm leaving,' she said while pushing me away. 'Where are you going?' I asked. 'Away from here. Somewhere where I can matter.' 'You matter to me, Sunset.'" Flash stopped talking for a second. He needed to collect himself before continuing the story. "Are you okay, Flash?" Twilight asked. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just that, that day was really hard for me." After a few deep breaths, he continued, "I asked her, 'But where will you go? The world's a horrible place. You have it good here. Just take what you have and be satisfied with it. If you're not the princess' main student, who cares? You're still the most important mare to me.' She continued to walk away from me. I ran towards her and grabbed her shoulder with my hoof. She whipped her head around and shot a burst of magic, burning my hoof." Flash showed Twilight his left hoof, which still had a small, faded scar from the incident. Twilight had never noticed it before, but it wasn't really noticeable at all. The only reason she saw it was because Flash showed her. Flash had a small part of fur missing from where the shot of the unicorn's magic had hit him. Twilight grabbed his hoof and rubbed it softly with hers while leaning her head back on his upper torso. "Even though she did that to me, I still begged her to stay. But she didn't. She left my sight in front of the castle, and I never saw her again. I spent the next year thinking the worst. I didn't know if she died, if she went to her parents, if she went off on an adventure alone. I didn't know anything. I searched desperately to find her, but I never did. I hoped that I would be able to forget and move on, but I couldn't. Well, I couldn't until I met you." Twilight's mouth trembled with a smile as Flash looked down on her. It was one the most comforting things that anypony had ever said to her. "You saved me, Twilight. I was able to mask my sadness, but I was never able to forget. But with you, I am finally truly happy again. And you know what?" "Wh-what?" "Everything Sunset said about you was true." "What did she say?" "Well, in her jealousy and sarcasm, she had said that you were everything. You were happy, smart, honest, beautiful, and the best student ever. She wanted to be you, but she couldn't. I always tried to comfort Sunset, telling her that she was good enough, but she never felt it. You were everything she wanted to be. But the major difference between you and her—you were humble about it. And it still shows, too. You still feel like you're not ready to be a princess." "Tell me about it," Twilight said in agreement, acknowledging her fears. "Yeah, well Sunset thought she was ready for everything that came her way. Well, how wrong she was!" "Flash, I never knew about any of this. I'm really sorry if I caused you any of that pain." "You didn't, Twilight. Sunset brought all of that pain on myself and herself. I'm just glad to hear that she didn't pass away after all. That's why I believe your story. That would explain why Sunset disappeared so easily. But you know what?" "What?" "If I had the chance to do it all again, I wouldn't do anything differently. I'm happy how things worked out." Twilight reached her head up and gave a slight peck on Flash's cheek. "And you know what, Twilight? I think I love you." "I love you too, Flash." Twilight reached her head up again, but this time Flash met her half way. They locked their lips for a few long, passionate kisses. After their lips interlocked, Twilight looked out at the sky. It was still dark, and by the look of the moon, there were still a few hours to go until Celestia's sun was to come out. "Flash, do you want to prove your love for me?" "How can I do that, Twily?" Twilight answered by giving Flash a stare. It was a stare that could only mean one thing, and the bedroom eyes said everything. "Um, Twilight, are you sure?" "Positive." "But I don't know anything about doing... that." "Neither do I, but I like learning," Twilight responded with a slight chuckle. She pulled herself up, and rolled over, so that she was up on top of Flash. "Um, Twilight? What're you going to do?" "I don't really know, but we'll have fun finding out." She reached her mouth down again to the stallion under her. After a few more lustful kisses, Twilight's wings shot out behind her, which made the mare blush profusely. "Don't worry, Twilight. There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Flash said. After Twilight smiled in relief, Flash had one other question to ask. "Actually wait. What if somepony sees us? What if Luna or Celestia sees us?" Twilight giggled, responding, "Then they'll like what they see." -------------------------------------- Twilight could feel the morning sun shining down on her face. She slowly opened her eyes. She was laying on her side on the most comfortable bed she had ever been on. In fact, it was the best short sleep she ever had. She rolled around, and faced the stallion who was sleeping beside her. The mare felt amazing. Flash had also successfully taken Twilight's mind off of her worries. "Mmm... Good morning, Twily," Flash said as he awoke. He rubbed his eyes with one of his front hooves. "Um, I think we should go inside now, before somepony sees us." "Good idea."