//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Apologies // Story: A Guard and a Princess // by TorontoFCBrony //------------------------------// "It's okay, Flash. She'll forgive you. Maybe not today, but one day." "But then again, I was an idiot to be alone in a room with Rarity. Even if it was for a surprise to Twilight, I should've at least brought Spike with me." "Wait, why am I talking to myself? I should just go apologize." Flash paced back and forth in the park in Ponyville with the necklace box on a pouch attached to his side. After Twilight left the boutique with tears in her eyes, he knew that he was in trouble. He not only hurt a mare he cared about very deeply, but he might have also ruined his only chance of keeping somepony who cared for him as much as he cared for her. He had cared for Sunset Shimmer, but in the end she didn't feel as passionately towards him as he did to her. Twilight was a very special mare. For one, she was a princess, but she didn't truly act like it. Coming from relatively humble beginnings, at least, when compared to being royalty, Twilight was a really humble mare. She didn't even feel confident in herself at first, and neither did Flash. But being together, they were able to overcome feelings of inadequacy. They helped each other overcome their fears and doubts. Then where did it all go wrong? "All I was trying to do was surprise Twily. Why did Rarity have to do that?" "But, then again, I could have rejected her. But her kiss was just so damn good that I couldn't resist it, even after I tried." "Maybe I didn't try hard enough. But, it's not like I wanted anypony else. Twily is the only mare for me. Then...ugh!" "Okay, I'm just going to have to go talk to her. I'll tell her that I'm sorry, that it will never happen again, and that I was actually going there to get her something, and Rarity came on to me. I even have the necklace as proof. And, come on, what mare can resist something this sparkly? I'll tell her that it matches her eyes, or my feelings to her, or something. She'll have to forgive me then." Flash straightened himself, ran a hoof through his mane to make sure it was styled the way he wanted, and put on a smile in order to go see Twilight in the library. "Twilight, are you here?" Flash asked as he opened the door to the big tree. He looked around the room, and it was clearly empty. The lights were even off. "Ah crap." He made his way upstairs to where the beds were, and, to his surprise, they were put away. It was as if they were never there. All of Twilight and Spike's things were gone, and Flash's belongings were in the corner. "Well, I guess I deserved this. Idiot! She probably went back home. But, come on, she can't be mad at me forever! Like, she's a good mare. She'll find a way to forgive me. And it was only a kiss. It's not even like I was the one who started it." Flash gathered his belongings and prepared himself to go back to Canterlot. He made his way over to the train station, hoping to catch the train that went up the mountain to the capital city. Still being quite early in the morning, there were not too many ponies outside. "Okay, it's fifteen bits to get a ride home. And I have... zero bits. Crap." The pegasus looked up at the sun that was beating down on him. The heat was strong on this day, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. He then looked over to the mountains to see the city that was situated on a plateau. The distance made it a bit hazy, but it was still visible. The flight would probably take the rest of the day. "I don't think I have much choice, though. At least that'll give me a lot of time to think about how I'll talk to her." Flash spread his wings and took to flight, leaving Ponyville behind, not knowing what was to come. -------------------------------------- "Hey, did Twi, Flash, and Spike leave already?" Rainbow asked Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie as she knocked on the door to the library. "Maybe they did," Fluttershy said. "Maybe the campfire last night was our big goodbye." "Highly unlikely," Applejack said. "When do we ever part without hugging?" "When does a single day go by when we don't hug?" Pinkie asked while bouncing and giving Applejack a hug. "Maybe Rarity knows where they went," Fluttershy said. The group of four friends made their way over to Rarity's boutique. As they walked in, the unicorn was busy sewing. "Uh, Rarity? Have you seen Twilight?" Applejack asked as she came in. Rarity continued to work. "Rarity?" The mare continued to sew without flinching or looking up. "I got this," Pinkie whispered to Fluttershy. "RARITY!" "Oh goodness me!" Rarity screamed as she threw some of her tools in the air, just narrowly missing her head as they fell back down. "Oh, ladies? What are you doing here so early?" "Have you seen Twilight? Nopony is answering in the library," Applejack said. "T-Twilight? Um, n-no. I thought they went home early this morning, didn't they?" "That's a little weird," Rainbow said. "It's almost like something fishy is going on here." Rarity took a gulp. "Oh well, I guess she had to go back home for some royal duties or something." Rarity let out a sigh of relief. "Well, you all must have to get going, I assume," Rarity said. "I also have a lot of work this morning" "Yeah, and I have a lot of applebucking to do. See y'all later," the farmer mare said with a tip of her hat. "Yeah, and I have to sleep on some clouds today," Rainbow said with a yawn. "Well, all right then. See you girls later," Rarity said with a wave as she continued her work and the other ponies all left. The mare started to push some fabric into her sewing machine, but her mind wasn't on her work. In fact, a feeling of guilt quickly came upon her, and she stopped the machine. "Opalescence, am I a bad pony for what I did?" Rarity asked her white Persian cat. "Rawr. Meow." "I know, sweetheart. I know what I did was wrong. But do you know how hard it is being alone? I... I just wanted to feel loved for just a second." "Purrr," the stupid cat said as she rubbed herself on Rarity's back leg. "I guess you're right. I should definitely go apologize to Twilight. I wouldn't want her relationship to be affected permanently because of me. Thanks." Rarity quickly put away what she was doing and prepared herself to take a train ride to Canterlot. She got dressed in her best clothing for an afternoon out on the town. "You be good when I'm gone," Rarity said as she quickly locked up and left. -------------------------------------- "Twilight, what's wrong? You've been crying since we've gotten back here and you've hardly said anything," Spike said while lying on the bed beside Twilight and petting her mane for comfort. After a few sniffles, Twilight lifted up her head. She wiped her eyes with her hooves, and replied, "Oh Spike, Flash and I are just going through a rough patch, I guess." "What happened when you left the library this morning? Did you two fight?" Twilight remembered what had happened a few days prior. Looking at the concern on her loyal friend's face, she couldn't dare to tell him the truth of what she saw. It would ruin the good times Spike had with Flash. "Let's just say that Flash and I had a little... disagreement." "What? Why? Is that why we left without him? Why didn't you just work it out?" "Because, Spike, sometimes... sometimes working things out as adults is a lot harder than it sounds. I guess we're just going through a little rough patch right now. Hopefully things will work out, but if they don't, you need to know that not all relationships work out." "Maybe not all do but your relationship should work out! If you two truly love each other, there shouldn't be a reason that you can't work out any disagreements." Twilight was finally able to smile for the first time all day. Spike really did look up to Flash. And, in the end, he was right. She didn't have the opportunity to work anything out. However, it was better to take some time than resolve it right there on the spot. Taking some time to calm emotions down was a better path to take. "Thanks, Spike. You're right. I just... I just need some time to think. I want things to work out. Trust me, I really do. Flash is great. It's just that he-" Twilight stopped mid-sentence. It was very hard for her to tell the truth without telling the whole truth. Spike looked up to both Flash and Rarity, and saying what really happened would crush the young dragon's heart. "I just don't really know what's going on right now. It's complicated. Things will all work out in the end. For now, though, I just need some time to myself. Do you mind going to the castle kitchen and asking for some chocolate?" "Anything, Twilight," her assistant said with a smile. After Spike left the room, Twilight wanted to cry more, but nothing came out. She had cried enough since she had gone into her room. She had never been in a situation like this before. It was something different. It was something scary, especially because she truly didn't know how things would end up. She didn't have her friends to comfort her, and telling the others about what happened would potentially ruin their entire friendship. Trying to encourage a young one while not knowing what is going to happen is a tough task, especially for a mare who had never been this serious with somepony before. "Oh, Flash, Rarity why'd you have to do this? I trusted both of you." Twilight got up out of her bed and went over to the mirror. Her eyes were red, her mane was mangled. She truly looked horrible. She looked exactly how she felt. "Maybe that's why he went after Rarity instead. She's the pretty one. Nope! No, Twilight. Don't think like that. Flash isn't like that. At least, I don't think he is." Twilight trotted around the room, thinking out loud. "I don't know. It could be that I just came in at the wrong time. But, then again, why would he ever need to kiss her? Why was he even there in the first place? Why would she do that to me? I don't even know who's to blame." She walked back to her mirror and looked herself directly in the eyes. "Maybe... maybe I'm to blame. Am I a horrible pony? Did I drive him away, or something?" -------------------------------------- "Phew," Flash said while wiping his forehead in the blazing heat of the Equestrian sky. "This is a lot harder than I thought it was." Canterlot was still a long way in the distance. "So, when I get there, I'll just go up to Twilight and tell her the truth. I kissed Rarity by accident. She came onto me, and I just didn't resist her. I was doing it to get a gift for you. But, then that will ruin the whole surprize." Flash looked down and saw the train that he would have taken to Canerlot pass him on the ground. "Ugh. Hopefully I'll get back before sunset. I don't want a day to go by with Twily being mad at me. But, wait... maybe I do. Maybe she'll be happier in the morning." After going through a few more scenarios in his head, he shouted out, "Why is love so hard?!" He looked around and could hear his echo go throughout the forest underneath him. "Okay, Flash, just... keep it cool. All I have to do is just be myself and talk to her. That's it. Mares like honest stallions. So, that's it. I'm just going to tell her exactly what happened, and if she accepts it, she does, and if she doesn't, I'll move on with my life." He took a deep gulp. "That's going to be a lot harder than it sounds." -------------------------------------- "All right, what time is it? Ten at night? My goodness, it's far too late to go to Twilight now," Rarity said as she got off the train and looked over to the clock tower. "Poor Twilight is probably so busy that she won't even want to see me. Or, she's still mad and shell get mad as soon as she sees my face. I guess I'll stay in the city for the night and go see her in the morning." As Rarity began to walk to an area of town with a few hotels, she could see the castle off into the distance. "But... I really should just go there and tell her the truth. Even if it ruins our friendship, I can't let her relationship with Flash be affected because of my selfishness. A generous mare would put her friends above herself. I just need to tell her that it's my fault, and then she can go on with her life without me." Rarity looked down at a puddle in the street beside her. She saw her reflection in the moonlight. "I really can't believe that I put my emotions above my friends. Flash is just... so handsome that I guess... I guess I was just jealous of her. I mean, look at me. I'm gorgeous, yet Twilight is the far better mare. In fact, she's beautiful, kind, smart, caring. She's truly the one deserving of being a princess, so she's the one that deserves Flash, not me. I just... it'll be hard, but I need to tell her the truth. You can do it, Rarity." -------------------------------------- Flash, with the darkness now upon him, finally made the long flight home to Canterlot. He found an open spot in the castle courtyard and landed, panting and gasping for air. His wings went back to their folded up position, tired and sore from the long flight over. "Dang, I thought I was in better shape," Flash said red-faced as he continued to try and calm his body down. After he finally caught his breath, he trotted back and forth, trying to come up with what he was going to finally say to Twilight. Even though he went over it over and over again, this was the most important confrontation of his life to date. Hearing the courtyard animals, feeling the cool nighttime breeze, it was a much better situation to think in. -------------------------------------- "Spike, thanks so much. This is the best chocolate ever," Twilight said while eating whole pieces of the many boxes of chocolate that Spike had brought from the kitchen. "Anything for you, Twilight. Are you feeling any better?" "Oh, much better," Twilight said with melted fudge and caramel on her face. Spike let out a yawn and a big stretch. "Well, it's getting late, and I've had a long day. Do you mind if I go to bed?" "Not at all, Spike. Thank you. Thank you for being a good friend to me." Spike reached up and Twilight reached down. She gave him a thankful hug. Even if she didn't always admit it, he was always there for her no matter what. Even during times of peril, or for sad moments like this, he was always her best friend. Twilight continued to eat the delicious chocolate and candy that Spike had brought over. A distressed mare could really down a lot of it. The night was a quiet one. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees in the courtyard. Except for a few birds, there was hardly anything to be heard. That was, until she heard a voice coming from down below. In fact, she could hear some clear and distinct words. "Twilight, I'm sorry. I don't deserve you, and I've proven it. Oh yeah, that's good." "Huh?" Twilight said as she made her way to the balcony. She looked around the courtyard. She pinpointed the noise down below her. Trotting back and forth on one of the paths was Flash Sentry, talking to himself. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Twilight," Flash said while looking at the ground. He took a few steps forward, and would proceed to turn around and walk back to where he was. "I was actually going out to do something nice for you. Rarity came on to me, and I... I just didn't resist her. I'm sorry." Twilight felt some of her sadness leave her as she heard Flash talking to himself. She lowered herself so that she could be better hidden behind her balcony's parapet wall. "No no no. Flash, come on. You need to say something special to win her back. She's not ever going to trust you, or, well, me, again. At least say something to make her feel better." "I'll always trust you," Twilight whispered to herself. "She'll never accept you back. You ruined your one good chance at finding true love. Great job. Fricken moron." "Flash, stop it," Twilight said again quietly to herself. "Don't be too hard on yourself. You made a mistake. Everypony does." "Just, come on! Go in there and tell her! You love her!" Flash yelled at himself. "But, why is it still so hard. I just... I don't want to lose her. Maybe it's better if I just sleep on it and go talk to her tomorrow, or something." Twilight quickly ran to the bathroom and checked herself out. She wasn't too presentable, but she didn't have time. She quickly threw on a nightgown and ran downstairs to try to catch him before her left. Yelling from the balcony would do no good, because then he'd see that she was listening to him. "Wait, Flash," he said to himself after Twilight went inside. "There's no point in even trying. She caught you red-hooved, and there's nothing you can do about it. Just write her a letter and leave it under her door. I don't deserve her anymore, so I should at least give her a chance to start again." As Twilight ran quickly through the quiet hallways of the castle, she eventually reached the courtyard outside. She went right to the pathway where Flash was pacing back and forth. She could still see his hoofprints on the ground. Some spots were deeper than others, and it indicated that he was actually talking to himself for quite a while. "Flash? Flash? Are you here?" she called out. She could hear some of the courtyard critters make noise, but there was no call back to her. "Come on, Flash. You must still be here. Don't leave yet," she called out again. However, as she made her way around the court, it was apparent that he was already gone. The princess quickly made her way inside the castle and down the hallways. She went to every room where a member of the Canterlot Royal Guard would be allowed to go in: the locker room, a lounge, the large dining room, and every hallway, but he was nowhere to be found. Tired from the long day she had, Twilight realised that the only thing that was smart for her to do now was to go to bed. It was better going to bed in the mood she was in now, rather than earlier. At least she could sleep in a much better frame of mind. As she made her way home and opened her door, she saw that Spike was sleeping soundly. It put a smile on her face. As she took a step inside, she felt a paper on her hoof. She picked it up with her magic. "To my love, Twilight. From, Flash Sentry," she read. As she unfolded it, she read the letter in her mind. My dearest, Twilight. It is hard for me to write this to you, but it would be even harder to say it to you in person. I've failed you, and I know it. I can't live with myself knowing that I let you down. I'm going to end it all. That's right, tomorrow I'm going to leave my job at the Canterlot Royal Guard, and I'm moving away from Canterlot. I don't know if you could ever forgive me for my foolishness, but, frankly, I don't even care if you would anymore. All I want is for you to be happy and to start over fresh. I didn't deserve you when we first started dating, and I don't deserve you now more than ever. I hope you have a very happy life for eternity with Spike. He's a very special young creature, and he's the friend and companion that you deserve, and I don't want anything to come between that. Take care of him and yourself, and know that I'll always love you, even if you'll never be able to love me back. And thank you. Thank you for making me into the stallion I am today. Hopefully one day I'll smarten up and learn from my mistakes. Flash Sentry Twilight let out a quiet yet heartfelt moan as she leaned her head forward on her hooves against the wall. "Flash, I love you. I always will. Even if we make mistakes, even if we fight, love is bigger than all of that." Knock knock "Flash?" Twilight asked in hope as she heard the door. She quickly opened it up. "Um, hi." "Rarity? What're you doing here? It's late, and you're so far away from home!" "Twilight, can I please come in. I desperately need to talk to you." "Of course you can. You're one of my best friends, after all." "Even after what happened?" "Of course!" "If you say so, darling. Thank you." Rarity and Twilight made their way to the fountain in Twilight's room. The water that usually poured was stopped, as it did every night in order to have completely quiet sleeping conditions. The two of them sat on the edges, putting their bottom hooves in the water. "Twilight, I know you can't deny what you saw. There is no real way I can ever tell you what you saw wasn't actually what happened, because you saw it with your own two eyes." "Rarity, I know. Just... what did happen?" "Flash came over early in the morning because I was making a surprise for you. He was going to give it to you this morning. But he didn't really know how to give it to you, so I suggested that he could practice with me." "Okay, I'm intrigued." "Well, he agreed, and he said to me exactly what he would say to you. He said how much he loved you, and he presented the gift to me. I just... I want a stallion so badly that I got caught up in the moment. When he told me that he loves you, and just leapt in there and kissed him. He tried to resist me at first, but he eventually gave in. That was when you walked in. Nothing else happened. It was all my fault." "Rarity, I-" "Please, Twilight, wait. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I was just being selfish. Having a stallion say 'I love you' to my face is something I've never experienced before. I guess... I guess I was just jealous of you. You became a princess, you got the coltfriend every mare could ever dream of. That's what I always wanted. But I guess now I see why you received it all. You deserve it, and I don't. Now, I don't know if you could ever forgive me, but I at least wanted to tell you so that you can forgive Flash. Your happiness is what's most important." "Rarity..." "Yes, darling?" "How could I ever stay mad at you?" Twilight said while reaching her hooves forward. Rarity let out a cute little groan. "You... you mean it? You forgive me?" "Of course. We're friends forever. After all we've been through, we can still get through anything." "You don't know how happy that makes me feel." Rarity started to get emotional. She had watery eyes, and she reached forward to return Twilight's hug. "I've missed you so much, Rarity. All of you. I may appear to have it all now, but I'd give up everything to have a quiet life with Flash and Spike back in Ponyville." "Well, my dear, you never know what could happen! Maybe one day that would become a reality." "That would be nice, Rarity. But I still don't know what Flash is going to do. He left me a letter saying that he was leaving tomorrow because he feels that I can never forgive him." "Talk about a drama king!" Twilight stared back at Rarity with half-closed eyes. "You're one to talk." The unicorn let out a giggle. "I guess you're right." "I couldn't find Flash, so I think I'll just have to find him in the morning before it's too late. What are you going to do tonight? Do you have anywhere to stay?" "I was going to get a hotel room, but it's a little late now, I think." "You can stay here with me. My bed's big enough for three ponies, or maybe even more. Just stay on your side!" "Thank you, my dear. I bet you won't even know I was there." -------------------------------------- "Mmmm... Hmmmm... Errrr... Rarity? Would you please stop that snoring?" Twilight asked as she woke up in the middle of the night. Rarity was sleeping on her side, snoring louder than Flash ever did. Twilight couldn't even imagine a noise a noise like that coming out of a mare that dainty. The princess tried her best to fall asleep, but no matter how hard she tried, the noise was just too much. She could even hear it with a pillow over her head. Twilight decided that a quick walk outside might tire her out enough to fall asleep when she'd get back. The mare put on four slippers and a nightgown to go out. She quietly closed the door, which wouldn't have even mattered in the end, because she could still hear Rarity snoring in the hallway with the door closed. Going out to the bridge of the castle ended up well the last time she had a night like this, so Twilight decided to do the same thing. However, as she made her way outside, there was already somepony leaning on the wall, overlooking the town. The flowing blue mane gave away exactly who it was. "Princess Luna?" Twilight asked as she made her way up to the princess of the night. "Miss Sparkle? What are you doing up this late?" "I just can't sleep. Flash and I had a fight, and I need to catch him in the morning before he leaves." "Leaves for where?" "I don't know. He just wrote me a letter saying that he doesn't deserve me so he wants to leave so I can get a fresh start." "Oh. Yes. This isn't the first time something like this happened." "It's not?" "Most definitely. In fact, my own sister went through the same thing, or, so she's told me. I was on the moon at the time." "What happened?" Twilight asked while leaning on the wall next to Luna. "About a hundred years ago, Celestia felt truly alone. She didn't have me at her side anymore, and she needed somepony special in her life. Well, she took a liking to one of her cooks. In the end, they dated, and even got married." "Princess Celestia has never told me this before." "It's a part of her past that she doesn't want to remember. She did say that you were allowed to know about it, but I guess it's hard for her to tell anypony. Well, she lived happily with her husband for years, but he started to age rapidly. He wasn't like you and I; he was a mortal. Well, he had a fight with my sister, and in the end, he knew that his time here was limited. They ended up never getting over it, and he left. She never saw him again." "That's awful," Twilight said. "Indeed. We can only assume that he passed away years ago. Celestia actually never seemed like herself. That is, though, until she took a liking to you. You were like the daughter she never had." "Why are you telling me all this?" Twilight asked with intrigued. "Well, young princess, if you had a fight with Flash Sentry, you must make up with him before it's too late. If he leaves, you may never see him again. Living forever knowing that your one true love got away leaves a deep hole in your heart, as it did with my sister. I don't want to see the same thing happen to you." "Thank you, princess. I'll try to find him tomorrow." "However, Miss Sparkle, remember this: even no matter how much you love Flash Sentry, he won't be here with you forever. You will have to let go one day. That's one of the few downsides to immortality." "I understand. While I know that day will come, I still want to make Flash the happiest stallion on earth for as long as he is alive." "That is commendable, Twilight. Good luck." "Thank you. Goodnight." Twilight let out a yawn, and was able to go back to her room. By the time she got back, she was too tired to even notice Rarity's surprisingly loud snoring, and she was able to fall asleep soundly. -------------------------------------- "F... Flash?!" "Twilight? Are you okay?" "Huh? Oh, yes, Rarity. I guess I just had a nightmare. What time is it?" Rarity looked over to the clock that was on the wall. "Six in the morning." "I have to go find Flash before it's too late. He'll probably be going to see my brother this morning. He said he was going to quit." "Want me to come with you?" "Um, no. I have to do this on my own. I need him to know that I personally forgive him and love him exactly the way he is. Stay here with Spike." "All right, darling. Good luck." Twilight quickly got ready in her normal royal gown, including the crown on her head. She left her room, hoping to find Flash before he got to Shining Armour. -------------------------------------- Flash tried his hardest to wake up the next morning in his room. He ached everywhere, down to his very bones, from the flight over. But that wasn't the only thing that was sore. His heart was, too. He made his decision to quit the Guard so as to save Twilight the embarrassment. He not only had a deeply hurt heart, but he also had his nerves nearly torturing him. He had to go speak to Shining Armour in order to quit. He didn't know if his captain knew about what happened yet, but even if he didn't, Flash would probably have to tell him the reason as to why he was leaving the force. Flash's eyes hurt from a nearly sleepless night, but he felt that this day needed to be just done and forgotten about. He didn't want to do it, but he felt that he had to. He felt that he had no other options. What else could he do? He didn't truly believe that Twilight would ever forgive him. If she didn't, he'd have to live his life knowing that an all-powerful princess is mad at him, her brother his a prince and his own boss, and everypony would probably know about it. But worst of all, he's have to live his life knowing that he ruined his one true chance at being happy in life. Leaving a letter was enough for the stallion. He felt that at least if he wasn't happy, he could find some satisfaction in knowing that Twilight was free to live her life as a single mare again. He got himself ready and presentable to go talk to his boss. He somehow tiredly stumbled his way to work, passing by all of the professional and sophisticated ponies making their own ways to work in the morning. He heard a few scoffs and comments, but those didn't matter to him anymore. He just put his head down and made his way to fulfill his mission of the day. "Um, S-s-s-shining Armour?" he said as he eventually made it to the castle and went to the captain's room. "Yes?" Shining replied as he turned around. "Oh! Flash! Buddy! How's it going? How was your trip? Tell me everything. I'm sure it was great." Flash had his head down, though, and we he lifted it up, his face told a different story. "Um... what happened?" "I... I..." "What?" "I disappointed Twilight greatly, and that is why I must-" Flash took a big gulp. "I must quit the force. Forever." "What? What're you talking about? What... what... what did you do to her?" Shining asked, his tone getting more and more stern with every 'what' coming out of his mouth. "Well, I... Twilight caught me kissing Rarity." "What?!" "I'm so sorry, captain! Rarity came onto me and she kissed me and I didn't resist her and when Twilight came in she cried. I haven't even spoken to her since." "Flash, stop right there." The pegasus felt like he was just kicked in the gut. He didn't know what was coming next. but he knew it wasn't good. "You not only hurt a princess, my sister, but you also came here to quit the force instead of going and talking to her?" "I can't talk to her, sir. I don't deserve her, and I feel that me leaving will give her a chance at a fresh start." "Flash, I... I don't know whether to fire you, punch you, or just simply beat the crap out of you." Shining thought for a few minutes. "I want to punch you." "What's that, sir?" "I want to punch you in the face. Really bucking hard. Is that loud enough for you?" "Yes sir. I deserve whatever I get." Flash could see the anger in Shining's eyes. The prince curled his hoof a little and tensed up. Flash closed, his eyes, expecting the worst. He continued to expect the worse. But nothing came. "Um, Shining?" Flash asked as he opened one eye. Shining Armour was just looking at the ground. His face was red, and his body was stiff, but he wasn't reacting. "I can't do it." "What's that, captain?" "I can't do it. Flash, I don't know what I feel more. I'm just as disappointed in you as I am angry at you. Just... leave my sight. Leave before I change my mind and really hurt you." Flash nodded sadly, and turned to leave. He left the castle, not knowing where he was going. -------------------------------------- "Shining Armour?" Twilight asked while coming to her brother's room a little later. "Twily! Is everything okay?" "Yes, have you seen Flash?" "I have. I think he quit this morning. He left a few minutes ago." "What?! Where did he go?" "I don't know, actually. Why are you looking for him?" "Because I want him to know that I'm not mad at him and I forgive him. I got a note from him saying that he was leaving, and I wanted to catch him." "So, let me get this straight: you're not mad at him, but he thinks you are, so now he's going to just leave his whole life behind?" "I guess so." "Okay, he told me that he kissed Rarity, but I didn't know that she could give him her melodramatic...ness." "That's not a word, Shining." "I don't care, Twily. So, you're not mad at him? Not at all?" "No. I heard him talking to himself. Rarity even came and told me that the whole thing was her own fault. I mean, he only didn't reject a kiss. It's not like he killed anypony or betrayed Equestria or something." "I guess you're right. Well, you want to go find him?" "Brother, where do you think he could be?" "I don't know. But if I was feeling all dramatic, I wouldn't actually leave. I would just find a quiet place to stay for a little bit." "The forest outside of Canterlot?" Twilight thought out loud while scratching her hoof on her chin. "We could start looking there." -------------------------------------- "Flash? Flash Sentry? Are you out here?" Shining yelled out in the forest as him and Twilight, as well as a few other royal guards, went into the forest just outside of Canterlot. The forest followed a river downhill to the plains of Equestria. "Flash? It's Twilight? I forgive you!" The other royal guards also all called out throughout the forest, looking for him. After nearly an hour of searching, they came up with the thought that he probably wasn't there. "Twily, do you have any idea where he could be?" Shining Armour asked his sister. "I... I don't know. He could be anywhere." "Well, we'll find him. I promise," Shining reassured while putting a hoof on her back. "I hope so. And if we do, I may just have to punch him for making something so big out of nothing." "Ha. I'll help you with that." After searching in the forest, Twilight decided to take a look down by the river. She started from a low part, and made her way up, hoping to find him getting a drink of water, or something to the effect. After searching and searching, though, she couldn't seem to find him anywhere. "Well, I guess he's gone," Twilight said with a mouth open. She also felt a pain in her heart. Just when things seemed to be going so well, they took a turn for the worst. It wasn't the end of the world, though. She still had her friendship with her Ponyville friends intact, she still had Spike at her side, and she was a princess, which was something she always dreamt of. She just now needed to somehow find a way to move on. "Found him!" Twilight heard Shining call out from near the top of the river, towards the part where the forest meets the town. Twilight quickly followed her brother's voice. As she saw Shining, he pointed over to the other side of the river. Twilight looked through the trees, and there he was. The orange pegasus was sitting by the river, throwing a few rocks and twigs into it. Twilight rolled her eyes, spread her wings, and flew above the trees and across the river to where her coltfriend was. "Can I sit here?" she said as she landed and approached the stallion. "Twily? How- how did you find me?" "Well, you didn't exactly go very far," she said sarcastically as she pointed up the hill and through the trees. Buildings and ponies walking on the street could be seen easily from where Flash was sitting. "Um, sure. But, what about your dress?" "Meh. I don't care much about it. You're more important to me." "But, how?" Flash asked as Twilight sat down beside him. "I failed you. I failed my one chance at being happy." "Would you stop it already? I mean, sure you didn't resist a kiss from one of my best friends. That's it." "Really? But, how did you know?" "Rarity came to me last night and told me everything. She said that it was her fault, that you even tried to resist, and that you were only there to get something to surprise me?" "Really? She really came all the way here to apologize?" "Uh-huh. I have some pretty great friends." "You sure do, Twily. I'm still so sorry that I failed you." "Shut up! Seriously. Now you're just frustrating me. You didn't fail me. You're equine. You're imperfect. I mean, listen, we'll be together for a long time. Of course we're going to make mistakes. We're going to get on each other's nerves. But the important thing in every relationship is that we love each other enough to look past our mistakes and imperfections and love the pony for who they really are. And I love you for who you really are?" "Really?" Twilight stared back with a face that probably asked the same question back to him. "Oh. Sorry." "Flash, really. I mean, come on. You're a good looking stallion who looks very tough, but deep down you're a sweetheart who only wants the best for me. After everything we've been through so far, after what you've done for me and how you've made me feel, what more could I ever want?" "Well, you could want the surprise I was going to give you?" "What is it?" Twilight asked. Flash reached into the bag on his side and pulled out a small blue box with velvet fabric. The box was wider than it was tall. "Wha- what is it?" "Twilight Sparkle, will you-" Flash asked as he opened the case, revealing the necklace, "forgive me?" "You turd," Twilight said with a chuckle. "Of course I'll forgive you. I already have," she said while putting on the necklace Rarity made. "It's beautiful, Flash. Thank you." "Don't thank me, thank Rarity. She made it." "I will. Now, Flash?" "Yes, Twily?" "Please don't make something big out of nothing again." "I won't." "Good. Thank you. And I'll have you know that I heard you talking to yourself last night outside." "You did?" "Well, you weren't exactly quiet." "Oh." "Yeah. I already forgave you when I heard how sorry you were. I came out to meet you, but you were already gone. When I came back, that's when I found your letter. If you were just patient, I could've seen you and spoken to you much sooner." "I'm sorry. I guess I was just scared of both you and your brother." "I understand being scared of my brother, but you shouldn't be scared of telling things to me. All that I care about is that you're honest with me. Deal?" "Deal." Twilight reached out for a hug, and Flash returned it. "You know, there's a lesson in all this," Twilight said. "What is it?" "It's called don't be a spaz and just tell me you made a mistake." "But you left before I could see you!" "Okay, yes, that's true, but you should have just come to my room as soon as you got here so we could talk it over." "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry." "And I'm sorry I left with Spike without you. I was just... a little emotional." "Well, you're a mare. You're supposed to be emotional." Twilight glared back at Flash. "Um, sorry." "Something tells me we'll be saying sorry a lot."