//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: A Visit to Ponyville // Story: A Guard and a Princess // by TorontoFCBrony //------------------------------// "You almost ready, Flash?" Twilight asked while getting things together and putting it in her bag in her room at the castle. "Twily, I've been ready for twenty minutes! I packed everything when I was at home this morning." "Oh. How about you, Spike?" "Ready," the dragon replied while wearing a backpack almost as big as him. "The real question is: are you ready, Twilight?" Flash asked while approaching the princess, who was still scrambling to get things together. "I... I think so," Twilight nervously replied. "Don't you worry, Twily. Going back to Ponyville is probably the best thing for you. You'll get to see how your old town is doing and you can reunite with all your friends." Twilight sighed to clear her mind. "You're right, Flash. Let's go." Twilight was scheduled by Princess Celestia to make a royal visit to Ponyville in order to please the citizens there, as well as meet with Mayor Mare to discuss on how things are going in the town. Twilight, Flash, and Spike were going to stay in the treehouse library, which was currently unoccupied by anypony. The three of them picked up all their things, smiled politely, and made their way to the castle doors. The two royal guards standing at the doors, who just happened to be Sentinel and Optimus, opened the doors up with their unicorn magic, revealing the chariot that the three of them were to ride in. It was to be pulled by two pegasus stallions of the royal guard. "Whoa, awesome!" Spike said as he ran towards the chariot and tried to jump in. With a single leap, he made it all the way to the top of the chariot, but couldn't get over the small wall . He landed on his stomach with his hands and head in the chariot, but his legs dangling outside. Twilight smiled at the excitement her dragon had to go back to Ponyville, and she used her magic to help Spike get into the chariot. Her and Flash then made their way in, ready to take the short flight down the mountain to Ponyville. With the spread of their majestic wings, the stallion guards took to flight, pulling the chariot behind them. The chariot somehow stayed level with the stallions pulling it as the three inside it safely made their way across the Equestrian sky. Flying just below the cloud level, Flash, Twilight, and Spike could see all across the island kingdom- from Manehatten of the northeast to Vanhoover of the northwest; from the mountains, to the plains, to the shores. It was truly a breathtaking sight; one that only a pegasus would usually know. Spike had rarely seen sights like this, and the look of excitement on the young dragon's face gave feelings of joy to Twilight. "Wow, it's so cool being up here. I can see everything," Spike said while looking over the land. "It's almost as if I was a big dragon soaring across the land." "One day, buddy," Flash informed the young dragon with a pat on the head. "One day you'll be a ferocious dragon by looks, but still the loyal assistant at heart. You'll be able to give me and Twily rides." "That would be so cool!" Spike said while holding his hands up to his face, trying to hold in his excitement at only the thoughts of doing it one day. It was a dream of his to wake up with wings of his own, looking down at all of the ponies he cared for. He didn't want to be a young, small dragon forever. All creatures want change at some point, because what is the point of life without making any progress? Spike at least felt that way. Having Flash in Twilight's life was enough change for the time being, and he knew it would be an adjustment. Spike was no longer the most important male in the mare's life. The chariot made its way, descending towards the town that made Twilight the princess she turned out to be. The town always held a special place in the mare's heart. She couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as she took the sights in- from the windmill to the bridge, from the town hall to her old treehouse. It was all special to the mare. As their chariot came closer to the ground, they could see ponies taking notice to them, especially as the shadow of the chariot went across the town. Twilight looked over the edge and saw Lyra and Bonbon sitting in the park. Lyra pointed up at the sky at the chariot. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom were playing a small game of passing with a hoofball when they took notice to the chariot. After Scootaloo pointed up at the sky, the three cutie mark crusaders started to run to try and catch up with the chariot as it made its descent. The chariot made its way down and they landed just in front of the library, where the three visitors from Canterlot would stay for the next few days. Twilight took a deep breath through her nose to smell the fresh air of Ponyville. It was refreshing, like an ice cold glass of water on a hot summer day. She could smell the fresh muffins being baked at Sugar Cube Corner. She could hear the sound of the river just around the corner. The sound of the town was quiet and pleasant. She felt like she was back home. Spike ran over to open the door to the library. He was excited to see the place he called home for over three years. He laughed with his arms spread out as he made his way to the door. He opened the door, and his eyes opened up wide. It was exactly as he had remembered it. There were books from wall to wall, and it was as clean as could be. The ponies of the town had done a good job taking care of it. "So, back to where it all started," Twilight said as she joined Spike in the main room, alluding to the fact that coming to Ponyville was what truly started her journey towards becoming a princess. After getting themselves all settled in by putting their bags down upstairs, setting up three temporary beds, and saying goodbye to the stallions that brought them there, their short vacation was set to begin. Well, it was a vacation for Flash and Spike, but work for Twilight. "I have to go meet Mayor Mare soon," Twilight said. "Ah come on, Twilight," Spike said, "shouldn't we at least go see our old friends first?" "All right," Twilight responded. "I guess we have some time for that." As soon as the mare said that, they could hear pounding on the ground. It quickly got louder and louder. "Is... is that... a stampede?" Flash asked upon hearing the noise. The noise got louder, and then the floor started to shake. "Or is it an earthquake?" Spike asked. "I... I don't know," Twilight said. The mare opened the front door of the library. She could see a cluster of smoke off in the distance, and it was coming closer. "I don't want to alarm you two, but I think there actually is a stampede... And it's coming right for us!" "Twilight!" "What was that?" Spike asked. "Twilight!" "There it is again," Flash said. "It's... it's coming from the stampede... Is that... Pinkie Pie?" At the bottom of the cloud of smoke a figure was scene. Only one. As it got closer, Twilight noticed that it indeed was Pinkie Pie. The party pony must have led an army of friends to come and greet the mare. "Pinkie!" Spike shouted as the three of them went outside the door, waiting for their friends to come greet them. Pinkie ran faster and faster with a massive grin on her face. Just as the earth pony was about a hundred metres away, Twilight yelled out, "I missed you girls so much!" The mare opened her eyes wide and smiled with her hooves outstretched to prepare herself for the incoming hug that was surely going to attack her. However, as the pink speedster, running faster than a speeding bullet, made her way closer, she showed no sign of slowing down. Twilight's face went from a smile, to a straight face, to a look of confusion, and finally, to a look of true fear as Pinkie Pie lunged from over ten metres away, flying through the air with outstretched hooves. It almost was as if it had happened in slow motion. Pinkie Pie wrapped her hooves around Twilight for a hug, while the force of the earth pony pushed the alicorn, forcing both of them to go airborne as they shot into the house. The two of them flew back and hit into a bookshelf, causing a cloud of dust and a crash that could be heard all over. After the dust settled, Flash came over to make sure that his mare and her attacker were okay. Flash couldn't help but smile as he saw Pinkie with all four hooves around Twilight for the most aggressive hug that the mare had ever received. "Oh, Twilight, I missed you so much! Well, not as much as I miss my parents, but more than I missed Spike. Oh you missed so much exciting stuff! Rainbow Dash lost a feather while flying in the air and I caught it with my mouth and then gave it back to her but she didn't want it but it was still cool that I caught it and I made a cake that won a prize as the best cake in town even better than the Cakes could make and we all ate that cake and it was so good and I stubbed my hoof on the bed when I was tired and Fluttershy got scared by a squirrel that came out of the bushes one night when a few of us were walking and it grabbed Big Macintosh's nuts and it was sooo funny!" "Pinkie!" "And then Rarity got sick and she threw up all over her dress in public when we were eating because she didn't know she was sick and she was so grossed out she screamed at the top of her lungs but Applejack and I laughed and the Wonderbolts came and performed a show and Spitfire hit the ground and crashed and it was so funny and scary at the same time so it was scalarious and then we-" "Pinkie!" "What?" "I... can't... breathe..." "Oh yeah! You're turning purple but even more purple than before because you're usually purple and I didn't even know you could get more purple-" Twilight used a small portion of the power she could get out of her to loosen the grip of Pinkie's hug. After taken a few deep breaths, the princess was able to calm herself down. "Yes Pinkie, I missed you too. Where are the others? Weren't they with you?" "No, silly, I came here by myself as soon as I saw the chariot." "So... you were the stampede? It felt like there was a whole army coming to greet us!" "Duh! I just had to be the first pony to greet you!" "Well, thank you, Pinkie. I missed you too." "Oh, and hi Flash! Hi Spike! I guess I missed you too. Except I only kinda missed Spike. He's forgettable, no offense. I hardly even met Flash but I missed looking at him because he's just so delectable to look at and I would love to just stick my face in his-" "Oh look! There are other ponies coming to greet you!" Spike interrupted, in order to save Twilight, Flash, and even Pinkie some embarrassment. None of them even knew where the pony was getting at with her talking. In fact, she probably didn't even know what she was going to say next. Twilight looked to the distance to see the ponies coming to greet them. This time, however, they were walking at a modest pace. She could see Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and the cutie mark crusaders walking together, joking around with each other and smiling. The overall mood was happy between them. Rainbow Dash flew above them. The mare ignored the fact that she had nearly died of suffocation, and she went out to greet her friends. The looks on all of their faces told the whole story. Flash watched on from the distance as each pony all reached in, creating a giant pile of a group hug. He enjoyed seeing how loved his mare really was. It assured him that all of the pressure, the nerves, the doubts he had about dating a princess- they were all worth it for the final result. She didn't know it yet, but Flash was beginning to plan in his mind about taking their relationship a step further. But that would happen in time. He still wanted to know some more about her. After greeting all of Twilight's friends one by one, and getting a few giggles out of Rarity and the fillies, for some reason, the time came for Flash to let Twilight go for her royal duties. A quick hug was shared between them, and Twilight said, "I'll be back later this afternoon. I just have to meet with the mayor and take a tour around town to make sure everything is good. I'll also be greeting old friends. It's just a way to show the town that the royalty still cares about them. It's all political stuff." "I understand, Twily. So, what can I do when you're gone?" "You can hang with my friends. Take care of Spike. Go for walk. Anything, really." "Sounds good, dear." Flash planted a light kiss on the mare's cheek, causing her to blush in front of her friends; they, in turn, awed with girlish innocence. After Twilight left, Flash turned to see eight mares and Spike looking back at him. "Soooo... What do you want to do now?" Everypony in return all started saying out suggestions, which to Flash sounded like a bunch of geese chirping at one another. "Whoa, one at a time! Okay, how about we all go inside the library and tell stories? Sound good?" The others all seemed to like that idea. -------------------------------------- "And then I said, "Oatmeal? Are you crazy?" All of the ponies laughed almost uncontrollably. "Oh Pinkie Pie, you're so random! That's the best story I've ever heard," Rainbow Dash said while wiping a tear. "I know! It's a classic," Pinkie agreed. "Well I, for one, would to hear Flash Sentry tell us a story next," Rarity suggested, at which everypony else all nodded and 'yep'd and 'uh-huh'd in agreement. "Oh," Flash said while stiffening up. "Well, I don't think we really have any good stories." "Oh come on," Sweetie Belle said, but this time not so loudly. "You simply must have a story to tell us," Rarity said. "Yeah, like tell us about your best date with Twilight," Rainbow suggested. "Or tell us about how ya felt when asking her out," Applejack said. Fluttershy said, "Well, I would like to hear about-" "Or tell us about the first time you did it!" "Pinkie?!" Rarity shouted. "What?" the frizzy-maned pony asked with an innocent face. "Please don't tell me I'm the only one who wants to hear about that." "I want to hear about it," Fluttershy said quietly. "Um... No. I don't really feel like telling you all about it. That seems like something Twilight would tell you one-on-one, if at all. But it kinda is a good story." "Hey guys, what're you all talking about?" Spike asked while coming in the room after using the washroom. Flash blushed, and quickly replied, "Um, I was just about to ask everypony what they could tell me about Twilight. Like, what does she like? What does she hate?" "Well, she's an egghead, and she really likes reading," Rainbow said. "Yeah, I kinda got that from the whole living-in-the-library thing," Flash replied. "But I like it that she's an egghead. She doesn't show it very often. And she even revealed to me her deep love hoofball." "Whoa, really?" Scootaloo asked excitedly. "Yep," Flash responded with a smile to the filly. "What else do you know?" "I know that it turns her on when you gently bite on her ear," Pinkie said. "I don't even want to ask how you know that," Flash responded. "Good. Don't," Pinkie replied. Rainbow looked at Scootaloo with an eye roll and a smile. Nopony really knew what went on in Pinkie's mind. "Does she like diamonds?" Flash asked. "Oh sweet Celestia, now we're talking," Rarity said with pleasure. "Come on, Flash, every mare likes diamonds," Rainbow Dash said. "Even somepony as cool as me would like to get one." "Good to hear. I was thinking of buying her a necklace or something. I just wanted to know if she would like it, first." "I could make you a necklace if you want," Rarity said. "Well, I just don't know if I could afford it yet." "Nonsense," Rarity replied. "After what Twilight has done for us, I will do anything for her. It'll be my gift to you two." "Oh, Rarity, that's fantastic. Thank you so much. I could kiss you." "Please do, my dear," Rarity responded, causing a cocked eyebrow from Flash. It seemed like there was no mare who could resist Flash's charm. "I-I'll kiss you, Rarity!" Spike shouted out. "Oh Spikey-Wikey, you're not old enough yet." "Okay," Spike said while lowering his head. The conversations went on. Flash enjoyed being with Twilight's friends, who were like an extension of her family. He was able to get more information about her likes and dislikes, and some funny stories about her past, like when she panicked about not sending a letter to Princess Celestia on time, or the time Fluttershy walked in on her getting dressed, which, in hind sight, wasn't actually a big deal. After all, the ponies of Ponyville were usually naked anyway. Eventually, everypony needed to go home for the evening. After saying all of their goodbyes, it was just Spike and Flash Sentry left in the treehouse. "So, Spike, what do you want to do now?" "You... you really want to know what I want to do?" "Sure. I mean, after all, you're like my little brother, or something. It depends on what you think of Twilight." "Well, she's... She's like the mother I never had. And I... I don't know. Usually I just help Twilight with stuff. Sometimes we played some games, or told stories. We also made pillow forts. But, I don't know what I really want to do." "You want to find a ball and go kick it around outside?" Spike's eyes opened up wide. "More than anything!" -------------------------------------- Twilight Sparkle, tired from her day of touring around town, shaking hooves and kissing foals, she finally, yet slowly, made her way home. The sun was setting, and the sky was a flare with hues of red, orange, and pink. She missed the Ponyville sunsets. Sunsets in Canterlot were always nice, but there was nothing like the sun setting over the plains on the horizon. It was so calming. As Twilight got closer and closer to home, or, rather, where she was staying, she heard the sound of laughter in the distance. In was so pleasant to hear, especially because of who it was who was laughing. Off in the distance, with the sunset behind them, she could see two figures kicking a hoofball to each other. As she got closer, she could see a little better. Using her hoof to shade the sun, she saw that the figures were a small dragon and a pegasus. "Spike? Flash?" she asked quietly. Twilight made her way close enough that she could see properly. The mare hid behind a tree in order to watch for a few seconds. "All right buddy, this time kick it as hard as you can, and go for the top corner." "All right, Flash." Twilight looked on as Spike ran up to the hoofball that was in place and blasted a right-footed shot into what apparently was the top-corner- a spot in between two trees and below a branch. "Whoa, that was amazing! Celebrate to the crowd!" Flash encouraged. Spike ran around the field behind the library, waving his arms out like an airplane, laughing like the playful young dragon he really was. Twilight felt a feeling then and there towards Flash that she had never felt before; about anypony, for that matter. Not only did he care about her deeply, but he cared about the dragon who meant the world to her, even if she didn't show it at times. Seeing her loyal assistant running around, showing true joy- there was just something so special about that moment. Twilight came out from being the tree and made herself visible to Flash and Spike. "Hey, hey Twilight. Did you see that goal?" "I sure did, Spike! I never knew that you were such a good player!" "Well, you never took me out to play." "I guess you're right, Spike. I'm sorry. I just... I didn't think you were interested. But we can do it from now on, if you want." Spike ran over and hugged Twilight's forelegs. The mare couldn't help but bend down and return the hug, which was quickly followed by Flash joining in. In the embrace of the mare and stallion, Spike finally felt like he had something new- a family. -------------------------------------- After Twilight and Flash tucked their dragon into bed, they decided to go outside for some quiet time to each other. There was a tree just in the backyard that had a trunk at the perfect slope to create a nice backrest. Flash leaned back on the ground and against the tree, and Twilight leaned back on the belly of Flash. "You know, that really means a lot to me," Twilight said as the two of them looked up at the stars. "What does, my dear?" "It really means a lot that you're taking an interest in Spike. I feel like I should've done a better job doing that. He's always been there for me, but I feel like I've just thought of him as an assistant for the last few years." "Twilight, he thinks very highly of you. I think you've done a good job so far raising him." "Thanks. It hasn't been easy. Especially because Celestia gave him to me when I was so young. I had the help of my parents for the first few difficult years, when he was a baby. I never really realised that dragons aged differently than ponies. I thought he would have been big by now." "Yeah, dragons live much longer than ponies. He'll probably get bigger eventually. He is pretty mature for his age, though. Especially compared to other dragons I've seen. But until he's old enough to go out on his own, it's our job to care for him as if he was our own." "Our own?" "Of course. I love the little guy. He's always so happy and willing to help." "Flash, you have no idea what that means to me." Twilight reached her head up, and Flash reached his down. He planted a slight kiss on the lips of his mare. The visit to Ponyville now meant much more than just work to Twilight. It now gave her a better outlook on the future. She now had an even better reason to believe that Flash was the one for her.