//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: The Midnight Dance 
// by CartoonNerd12 
//------------------------------//

“Discord?” Fluttershy went around the gardens, knowing he wouldn’t be here, but it was worth a try, “Discord?! Oh, please… I am sorry about what I said before! So if you can hear me, I really need you now!” When no answer came, she deeply sighed and starting going back into the castle with her head held low until she felt a bump. She looked up and saw him.
He smiled at her, “My dear, that was all you had to say, but you know I’ll always come when you call.” He moved his paw though her soft pink mane, causing her to slightly blush. Luckily, since it was nighttime now, he didn’t see it.
“Listen, the girls and I agree. We want our right to marry whoever we wish. So, thank you for trying to make me see that sooner. Somehow, you must have put the idea in my head.”
“Guilty as charged.” he chuckled.
“And we could use your help!”
His eyes widened in surprise, “You mean… you girls need my help?”
“Yes… With your magic, I’m sure we can get rid of these suitors out of our lives.”
His heart started pounding with joy. Already, he was thinking up mischievous schemes for the colts to take a hike and to stay away from his Fluttershy. It seemed he had a chance with her after all, so he picked her up and began twirling her around.
She said between giggles, “Discord… Discord… wha… what are you doing?” She was laughing away now with that adorable laugh he loved so much.
He declared, “That you are the sweetest mare there is for thinking about me! I will gladly help out with this little suitor problem you’re all having.” he gently set her back down.
“Really? Oh, thank you!” she wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug.
Feeling touched by it, he wrapped his arms around her too, not wanting to let go.
Her face snuggled against his furry chest; to her, it felt so warm and soft. He also felt a softness coming from her coat and smelled the fragrance coming from her hair. 
Her best friend…
His best friend…
But why did it feel she wanted more from him? 
He wanted more than anything for her to love him. But he had business to attend to do.
“Fluttershy?”
“Hmm?”
“When do you need me to scare off suitors?”
“Oh! Um, I’m not sure yet. I guess it depends on how many suitors we get and how long my sisters and I can handle it.”
“Say no more. I will be on high alert if you need me. Just holler away and I’ll be there.”
“Thank you. That means so much to us… so much to me…” she covered her mouth and immediately wished to take that line back. She didn’t mean to say it out loud.
Discord noticed and decided to play with her, making her think he didn’t hear that last bit, “Uh, what was that? I didn’t get that.”
She felt relief and answered, “Nothing, just nothing…”
He laughed quietly and made a bow, “Until then…” He took her hoof close to his mouth and kissed it, causing her to blush further, “My lady…” He was gone in a flash, leaving her speechless.
The five mares stopped in front of the pink two-way doors and Twilight asked them, “Ready?”
They nodded and she opened both doors, revealing a large colorful room that, on each side, had three canopy beds. The first bed closest to them had pink pillows and green sheets. The second had white pillows and red sheets. The third bed, which was close to a balcony window, had light orange sheets. On the right side, the next bed close to the window had light blue sheets. Then, the next bed over was all pink. And the last bed, close to the door as well, was dark purple.
“Oh…” Rarity went to her old bed, laying her head down, “It’s just as I remember it…”
Twilight smiled as each sister looked on their old beds. She herself did as well and remembered their mother being in the middle of the room and telling them stories before going to sleep. She went to the middle and saw the floor, which had a large circle tile with little circles inside it. The little circles had their cutie marks on them. The day the sisters received their cutie marks was the day their father commissioned the tile to have them made into the floor.
Their father… these cutie mark tiles were all they had to remember to him by… King Sombra was just and equally as wise as his queen. He loved his wife and family. Since Twilight was the youngest, she had very few memories of her father, but she did remembering loving him. Her favorite memory of him was when he would always help her understand magic more and teach her words she didn’t get from her books. She would always see his emerald eyes in her thoughts. Even though he was gone, she could always see those eyes from Applejack. 
Of the six sisters, Applejack was the only one who inherited his green eyes. The rest of them had either their mother’s or Aunt Luna’s eyes. In fact, it was strange to Twilight that Applejack looked so different from her sisters. Rarity had Mother’s beautiful snowy white coat and both Fluttershy and Pinkie had Mother’s pink hair from her younger years. Twilight had a dark coat and dark mane like Father’s and Rainbow had a rainbow mane that Mother had now. If it weren’t for the eyes, Applejack wouldn’t probably be considered a relative, let alone a sister.
The doors opened again and they turned to see Fluttershy walking in with a huge smile on her face.
Rainbow flapped to her, “So? What did he say?”
“Hm?” she was in a daze, but then snapped out of it, “Oh! Yes. Yes, he will help us… He said to call him when we needed him.”
“Great!” Dash twirled, “But he’ll be used as a last resort if Pinkie and I can’t get rid of one of the suitors. Right, Pinks?”
“Right!” the pink ball of energy jumped and showed off a box of things for pranks, “Got the sneezing powder, the joy buzzers, invisible ink, squirting flowers, the works!”
“Aw, yeah! This is going to be so much fun!” Rainbow twirled again.
“Yes, but you must be discrete. No pony can suspect a thing.” Twilight gestured.
“Plea-zee! We’re the masters of discrete! Uh… what’s discrete?”
The purple unicorn signed and slapped her face.
Flash walked up and down the corridors. He finally made it to Canterlot and the castle that late afternoon. Once he reported in as a new recruit for the royal guard, he was instructed to settle into the servant quarters, but once more, he felt lost as he tried to find the servant’s quarters. Suddenly, he heard talking up ahead and ducked into a corner. He saw a group of pretty mares wearing casual gowns coming out of a room. He heard one of them say:
“Good night, dear sisters! See you in the morning!” a white unicorn waved.
“Night, y’all. I got to get up early to help with breakfast.” said an orange earth pony.
“Nighty-night!” a pink earth pony jumped away.
“Oh, good night.” a yellow pegasus walked off.
“Yeah, night, everyone!” a blue pegasus flew out.
When they were gone, Flash went on, but he didn’t notice the purple unicorn coming at him.
Twilight had looked back quickly to the old room and the floor tiles and recalled fond memories she had in the room with her sisters before agreeing to having separate bedrooms. She started heading out and the next thing she knew, she bumped into some pony!
She and the pony had both fallen over and she regained herself by saying, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there! I was…” she stopped and looked at the pony. He was a pegasus in golden armor and she could see from his helmet opening on top that he had a blue mane to match his beautiful blue eyes. She ended up staring at them distractedly.
He, in turn, was apologizing before getting a clearer view of her, “No, no, it was my fault, I should have…” He saw the most beautiful mare in his life; the highlights in her hair, the violet in her eyes… He, too, ended up staring at her, “…watched where… I was… going…”
“I… I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before…”
“That’s because… I’m new. And… a bit lost. You see, I’m trying to find the servant’s quarters.”
“Servant’s quarters? It’s downstairs. Here, let me show you.” she began to lead him.
“Thank you very much. I am most grateful for your help.”
“You’re quite welcome.” she told him as they descended down the steps.
“So… have you been in the palace long?”
“All of my life.”
“Whoa, really?!”
“Uh-huh, ever since I was a baby.”
“Oh, does that mean your parents worked here?”
She realized then that he didn’t know she was the princess! She was amazed, yet found it refreshing that no colt would refer her as her highness. She decided to go along with it so she could know him better and that he could know her better, “You… could say that. And, you, have you always been a guard?”
“I went into training last year and have been hired on to protect the royal family this year. Say, have you… ever met the princesses or the queen?”
“Oh, yes, in fact… I happen to be very close to the youngest princess.”
“Really? What’s she like?”
“She’s a bookworm. She spends her days in the library learning important things like spells and magics.”
“Does she know anything on zebras?”
“Well, yes, but why do you ask?”
“I met one today on my way here. I wasn’t sure if she was good or bad, given of the stories I’ve heard during my training session.”
“And… was she bad?”
“No! In fact, she was good to me and was grateful I saved her life from a Timberwolf.”
“You saved her from a Timberwolf?! What was that like?! Are they as vicious as the books say from my- uh, the princess’s collection?”
“Very vicious… I was lucky to figure out a way to stop it.”
“Goodness… that was a good thing…” Then, she noticed they made it to their destination, “Oh, we’re here already.”
“Great…” he suddenly took off his helmet, which made Twilight’s knees buckle at the sight of seeing his face completely. She thought to herself of how better he looked without it, “I was getting hot in this thing and it’s been a long day…”
“I bet. After saving someone’s life from a Timberwolf.” she smiled at him.
He slightly blushed, “It was nothing, really…”
“Well, I think it’s something… By the way, what’s your name?”
“Flash Sentry. But you can call me Flash for short.”
It was her turn to blush, “Okay… Flash…”
“What’s your name?”
“My name? Oh! My name…” she panicked, for she didn’t want Flash to know her real identity and to feel he had to keep his distance like every other guard in the castle. She liked him and wanted him to not be afraid of her, so she said the first thing that popped into her head, “It’s… Twily!” Then, dread came over her. That name was only used by her father when he called for her when she was little. She felt like she could die from embarrassment.
He raised his eyebrow, “Twily?”
“Uh, yes! It’s not a very good name, but it is my name…” It was partly the truth and she slightly chuckled.
“Huh… Well, I like it.”
“You do?! Seriously?”
He laughed, “Seriously… It’s kind of interesting.”
“Well…” she was still blushing, “Yours is interesting, too…”
“May I…” he rubbed his neck, “May I see you again, Twily?” he blushed again.
She gasped and grinned widely, saying, “Yes! Yes, of course you may!”
“Really?!” he caught himself, “I mean… I am most happy you’ve accepted…”
“Shall I meet you here tomorrow night?”
“If you think that’s best.”
She started to go, “Until then…” She gave him a small wave and he returned it.
“Until then…” he repeated when she was out of sights. Then, he started grinning like an idiot. This had got to be the luckiest day of his life! First, he defeated a Timberwolf, was blessed by a good zebra, and now, he just met the mare of his dreams! Flash could have not been happier that night.
Twilight had gotten into her room and changed into a nightgown. She got into bed and just lied there. She could not stop thinking about Flash. He was everything she had ever dreamed of since she had read fairy tales as a filly. He was the knight in shining armor she had waited for, but at what cost? Only to lie to him? Well, maybe not lying, but she was still hiding the truth. It would, after all, be a matter of time before he realized she’s one of the princesses. Then what…? Would he accept her either way? Would he understand why she did it? Would he… still talk to her? So many questions and she just didn’t have the answers and she couldn’t get them from a book.