//------------------------------// // Till Death Do Us Part (Flash Sentry) // Story: Aftermath of a Fallen Star // by Rated Ponystar //------------------------------// Aftermath of A Fallen Star By Rated Ponystar Edited by The Unnamed Pawn and CommanderX5 Till Death Do Us Part (Flash Sentry’s POV) *** You know, when I joined the Royal Guard it was only to protect my country. I was the first in my family to do so, and they were proud to see me in a uniform. I joined just around the time the Crystal Empire was restored and was assigned there soon after. The army was still a mess so Prince Shining Armor requested some of the guard from Equestria to keep things in order while he trained the new military force. That was when I first met her: Princess Twilight Sparkle. I had known who she was, everypony in Equestria did. She was literally the biggest hero of our nation and our newest princess. I had nothing but respect for her, and when I met her in person, I was... mesmerized. The papers didn’t do justice to just how beautiful she was. And surprisingly, she was quite a klutz. We always kept bumping into each other whenever we met, making it really awkward when others noticed and giggled. While I did admire her, I didn’t feel comfortable getting to know her. She was a princess and I was a guard. My duty was to protect her and the other princesses, that was all. That’s why I was so taken by surprise when she requested that I meet her personally one day for lunch. At first, I thought it was because of something I had done wrong, but when we actually spoke I learned something very few ponies knew. There is another world out there. A world of two legged creatures called humans, a race that I only could recall as myths. Princess Twilight told me that she had been to that world on an adventure where she met the human version of me. I almost didn’t believe her at first, but she assured me she was telling the truth. She spoke of traits of the human Flash Sentry that we both happened to have shared. We both loved rock music and he was part of a band, similar to the one I had in high school. I always made sure everypony was treated fairly, and couldn’t stand to see injustice. And I can’t believe that my other self said this to her, but he told her that he—we—were afraid of eggs. Anyway, then she said that she had gotten to know the other me very well and wanted to know the me of this world as well. So we became friends; a guard and his princess. The two of us shared a lot of good times together. I was always there to be somepony she could talk to when she was stressed out, and I got to have a smart and lovely pony like Twilight as a true friend. Words couldn’t describe just how wonderful of a pony Twilight was. She was smart, kind, gentle, fair, and every other virtuous quality you could think off. Was it any surprise that I fell in love with her? It was more of a surprise when she fell in love with me. We started off slow, just a nuzzle or hug here and there. A few picnics out under the stars in secret. It was awkward at times and I wondered how we even managed to keep it a secret from everypony. Twilight had been adamant about it because the nobility would never accept our love, and she wasn’t as popular as the other princesses. The only reason her brother and foal sitter managed to get away with it was because by the time they came out with their engagement, Shining Armor was already Captain of the Guard. Nopony was going to tell him no. I was still low in the ranks; a nobody, but Twilight didn’t care. She loved me for who I was. I’ll never forget our first kiss. It was a during a star shower and we both leaned in and felt a spark shiver down our spines as our lips touched. I knew then that Twilight was the one pony in the world I was willing to give my heart and soul to. But even as our love grew, life got harder for Twilight. Blueblood, who I refuse to ever call a prince again, had been harassing Twilight ever since she started her efforts to modernize Equestria. There were many others who were calling for Twilight to step down, some of which I had to keep at bay as they spewed hateful words at her while she was holding court. On the streets, some of her opponents threw rotten fruit and even rocks at her, but I was always there to stop them. Twilight could defend herself easily, but I was still her personal guard. I still had my duty. I wanted to kick them in the face so bad. They kept saying how Twilight’s efforts to change Equestria was going to bring in chaos and break the stability that we’ve had for over a thousand years. That we would grow weak as a nation by allowing the predator races a chance to be treated equally after the many years of bad blood between our kinds. Twilight, with a strong and determined face, would tell them each time they try debated that all the changes were going to help Equestria. She proclaimed it was time to put aside old fears and hatred,and time to spread the magic of friendship to everyone so that we could live together in peace. By combining the efforts and skills of the predator races and others we could evolve our society into a new age of enlightenment. There would be many missteps along the way, but a society had to change or else it would only stagnate. Yet while she kept this shining and strong attitude in public, in secret she would cry at night. Naturally, I was there to comfort her when her friends couldn’t. I held her in my forelegs, soothed her tears, and always watched over her. Some nights it only lasted for awhile. Other nights she couldn’t get any sleep. Despite being an alicorn she was still a pony. Her innocent and good heart wasn’t capable of handling so much hatred without being hurt in the process.. But I made sure to catch her whenever she fell, and she often told me how she couldn't have lasted this long without her mentor and other princesses for support, without her friends that always stayed by her side in times of hardship... and without our secret love that healed her heart. I told her one night that no matter what happened, she had to stay true to her course. I believed in her, all of us who cared about her did. She was going to improve so many lives, and all of us would benefit from it. And I told her that nopony, whoever it was, would ever harm her as long as I drew breath. That was the first time we ever made love. Months passed by until the fateful day. I remember, I saw Twilight looking sad, but this time it wasn’t because of a noble who hated her or some extremist who thought she was going to destroy all of Equestria. She’d had an argument with her best friend Rainbow Dash about her not joining the Wonderbolts. I tried to help her, but she wanted to be left alone, even from me, and gave me the night off. I sometimes wonder if I had pushed harder... that I would have been there... I went home and promised myself I would make it up to her. And I had the perfect way to do so. It took me some time, but I found the ring I had bought a few weeks ago. It had been a year at least. A year of hiding our love from the public eye, even from our closest loved ones. But the days I had with Twilight were the ones I wanted to spend the rest of my life living over and over again. But I never asked her the question. The next day... my love died. She died and I wasn’t there. When I heard the news, not even a legion of guards could prevent me from flying to the castle, trying to find my beloved Twilight. I demanded to Princess Celestia, of all ponies, to allow me to see her. Princess Luna tried to stop me with her magic as if I was some mad guard that broke under pressure, but her sister allowed me to enter, much to Luna's confusion. From the look in her eyes, I suspected the elder alicorn knew about us being together. When I saw the white sheet that covered my love I couldn’t find the strength to take it off. I was too scared to look at her face and see none of the joy and love she held in her eyes. Something in me snapped and the tears flowed on their own, my heart shattered. I sat there, crying by her side for maybe an hour until Twilight’s friends and family arrived. I left to give them space, but I my eyes never stopped watering. Even when the tears from my eyes were all dried up my heart continued to weep. Then came rage. Utter hatred and rage. I wanted blood. I wanted to kill. Somepony murdered my beloved and I wanted vengeance so badly that not even the song of a phoenix could ease my wraith. When the order went out to investigate and find the murderers, I was one of the first to don my armor and spear for the hunt. I was emotionally driven, yes, but I didn’t care. All I could imagine was the suffering Twilight had to go through until death’s embrace ended it. For three sleepless days and nights we searched until finally we were tipped off on who did it. Blueblood and his conspirators. We captured them all, and beat them into confessing their sins. I took great pleasure in watching him, broken and defeated, cry like a little fillie when Princess Celestia turned her wrath against him. When Shining Armor asked me, the day before his execution, if I wanted to join a few other guards and deliver some well deserved justice to Blueblood. I said yes instantly. I held nothing back. Sorrow and anger fueled me into breaking his bones, shattering his teeth, and spitting on him like the scum that he was. I screamed and yelled at him, calling him worthless, pathetic, and, above all, a monster. A monster who killed the kindest and sweetest mare I had ever known. The mare that I loved more than anything else. The mare I would never ask to have her hoof in marriage. But even as I broke him in both body and spirit, even when I saw him burn to death on that stake... ... I felt nothing when it was all over. After justice had been done, I was left empty as an endless void. I had lost my purpose in life. I had lost my heart and soul. The only thing I had left was saying goodbye. I stood vigil over Twilight before and after her funeral. I requested it, my last act to her as her guard and friend. She was so beautiful. Like an angel sleeping away with only peaceful dreams to guide her. It was like those fairy tales you always heard about, when the princess is in an endless sleep and only the kiss of her one true love could awaken her. Yet I could not kiss her. A single layer of glass separated me from the love of my life. Her eyes remained shut and her heart still unbeating, her lips untouched. And all that was between us was a layer of glass When they had placed her at her resting place, I told my commanding officer I was resigning from the guard. I had nothing left and no purpose. I have... no reason to live. That is why I am writing this note, so that you who find me know why I did it. My family will be sad, my friends will be sad, but please don’t be. I will be reunited with the one mare who I loved more than anything else in this world. She’s waiting for me, and while she may hate me at first for what I have done, it will be worth it just to see her again. I only ask that I am buried with the ring that I will hold in my hooves during my last final moments. That way I can finally ask Twilight the one question I’ve wanted to ask her for so long: Twilight Sparkle, will you marry me? *** As he laid in his casket, at peace and dressed well All eyes focused on the object held between his hooves It was a ring, a ring of gold and diamonds with an inscription “TS x FS Till Death Do Us Part”