//------------------------------// // Dread Intrusion // Story: An Unwelcome Change // by Night Spark //------------------------------// Dread Intrusion: “It has been too long Night Spark.” The voice came from a black void. He could feel himself turning and searching for the source. Black was all that he saw. “Where are you?! Face me!” A bright green light blinded his vision. It glowed brighter and resonated with his surroundings. As if they were thrown to him by some deity from above, the pieces of the world formed around him. Starting from as far away as he could see the ground rushed towards him and slid under his hooves. Crooked and old trees burst from the ground as their leaves rained down onto each branch. The land in the distance rippled as if it were water. Each ripple formed the familiar mountains. Night Spark felt the entire world around him fall. He looked down and saw the ground several thousands of feet below him. Despite being able to fly the sight was unnerving. As is the mountain could sense his feelings it began to sweat rock and brick by the thousands. They flew around in the sky creating their very own tornado. At the base Night Spark could see that they were forming structures. More specifically they were forming canterlot. When they finished Night Spark was standing in the balcony of Celestia’s tower. The bright green light flashed once more then settled and revealed itself to be the sun. Night Spark recognized the scenery as he had seen it before. “Mothe… Chrysalis? Show yourself!” He stared out into Equestria waiting for her to appear. The soft sound of hooves made his ears twitch. With great agility he turned and faced her. Chrysalis saw the glare he was giving her and did her best to calm him. She spoke softly and allowed herself a few small steps towards him. “Chrysalis? I see… Listen Night Spark I am sorry. Failing as your mother is only one of my many mistakes. I want you to know that I am sorry.” Night Spark sat silently and watched her. He had been down this road before and would not let his guard down. Chrysalis sighed and moved towards the edge of the balcony. She just barely brushed past Night Spark who sat still. “You need to leave my son. Leave Canterlot and go as far away as you can take yourself. The horde is nearly back to its previous strength. Canterlot will be where we strike next. When it is weakened...” Night Spark’s eyes went wide with fear. The thousands of changelings that were defeated at the empire were already back and as strong as before. “What do you mean when Canterlot is weakened?” She pulled him in with her magic and wrapped her hooves around him. Night Spark fought briefly but succumbed to her warmth. “Night Spark, my son… despite all that has happened… I love you. That is why I am warning you. We may never have the bond that we both wished for and I may never be mother to you. Even so you must escape this city. Our problems no matter how serious, will not forestall my plans.” She silently held him as she watched the green sun flare with power. “How I wish we had the chance to watch the sun together. You and your siblings… It is a dream that must remain exactly that, a dream.” She let him out of her grip and looked down at him. “To be a part of a family is important my son. A family gives you many things. In times of weakness it can give you strength. In times of loss it can give you comfort. Most importantly family can give you unconditional love.” Night Spark reeled away from her. “Love? What love has family ever given me? What love did you show me? Is this some joke to you? The ponies I once called family loved me only when they thought I was a pony. Now you say you love me and yet still you leave me to survive on my own. You cast me from the hive mind and severed any connection between us!” She shook her head and smiled sadly at him. “Do not confuse your connection to the hive mind with my love for you. There is a war and we both stand on opposite sides. Though no matter what happens I will love you. No matter who fights who and no matter who dies you will always have my love. I care for you Night Spark even if you don’t care for me. If your changeling family is truly lost to you than at the very least go and make amends with your pony family. Do not punish them any more for my own sins.” He pounded his hoof onto the tiles beneath him. Her words struck a nerve and a sickening rage burned in his eyes as he spoke. “Cease your lies and speak the truth for once in your damn life!” Chrysalis posture faltered as if his words were stabbing her. She tilted her head to the side and looked at him with confused eyes. “Night Spark I do not understan-“ “You are lying! You always do. Lies are the changeling way. Deception and shadows. I have difficulty believing a single thing you said. I don’t believe anything any more. How can I? Your lies have tossed me around my entire life. Lie after lie, and like a sick animal limping towards its tormentor I fell for them. The only creature I trust completely is a pony who you would see dead.” While shaking with anger he took a step closer and looked straight into her eyes. “What right do you have Chrysalis? To determine the fate of an entire species? Revenge? That’s it?! Instead of growing and showing the world what good we can do we are all damned as your genocidal monsters? No I will stay in Canterlot. It will be easier watching every single living thing on this planet die than to be tricked by your treachery one more time.” He sighs and looks out towards the green sun. “I will die but at least that is true. If I remain in Canterlot than I will die and you will kill me…” She lowers herself to his level and forces him to look at her. “No. You will not. You will leave Canterlot. You must not stay! Take the gray mare you love. Take her with you and go!” At the mentioning of Derpy his eyes went wide. “How do you know-“ She smirked and raised a brow. “I am the changeling queen my son. I have spies in every kingdom and empire. The eyes and ears of every changeling are my own.” He stood a little taller and spoke in a low voice. “You will leave her out of this.” Chrysalis prodded him with a hoof. “Oh I already have, Night Spark. Do you realize how many opportunities I have had to end her life? I have known her face since Night Storm saw it in Ponyville. I could have had her and Dinky killed at anytime. I did not because I saw how much joy they brought you. Joy that you deserve.” “Why do you care? I am a failure in your eyes. I am a traitor to our kind and the killer of my brother, your son. Where is your love for him? Where is your love for the other pawns in your game?” The muscles in her face tensed and her anger briefly spiked. She took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. With her eyes closed she spoke and did so solemnly. “A part of me shall always despise you for what you did. You took Night Storm from me. You took him and chose the life a pony over your own brother. However I know that my hate is misguided. I am the reason that you both were driven apart. I am reason for your fight. Off in the distance the green sun flared brightly. Arcs of green fire began to wash over the land. Each arc boiled away the trees and mountains. Everything began to fall apart and was sent hurtling towards the sun. Chrysalis smiled at him. It was a smile that only a mother could give her child. “You are made from my greatest hopes, Night Spark. Hopes that have yet to be realized. Remember at least that. That a mother somewhere out in this world has the greatest hopes for her child.” Green fire consumed her and all returned to black. Night Spark’s eyes slowly peel open. It takes him a moment to recognize his surroundings. The alleyway was small and damp. It was not unlike some of the caves in the hive. Standing up and stretching he remembered why he had slept there. He felt that Twilight deserved time alone with her family. Derpy had welcomed him into her guest room but he had felt uncomfortable being near her or Dinky with his temptation to feed. The street was the only option and now he was beginning to regret it. A small crowd of ponies had been watching him from the street. They stared at him for some time before he decided it would be best to leave. The first step he took caused one of the ponies to scream for the guards. Night Spark tensed up and quickened his pace. The crowd moved out of his way but he was blocked by a single guard. “Halt! Where are you off to?” Night Spark did not like the look the guard gave him. Something about it was off. It seemed as if he blinked rather slowly and not nearly enough. The look his eyes held was feral. “Hello guard I am simply on my way to a friend.” It took a moment for the guard to process the words. “Who is your friend?” Night Spark smirked. “The one and only Princess Celestia. Why I am sure if you take me to her now she would invite you in on our tea party. If that is all than I shall be on my way.” A wing concealed in metal blocked Night Spark as he tried to walk around the guard. Exhaling slowly he turned to look at the guard. “Speak your intentions, you towering imbecile but, do not attempt to stand here and intimidate me. Making your skin sear and turning you to ash would be an easy task for me.” As if listening to his threat a large number of guards made themselves visible. One down the street near a cafe entrance and another from in the crowd of ponies. Several others appeared as well. The guard blocking Night Spark spoke in a tense manner. “You are under arrest, changeling. You have the right to remain silent as anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of the two sisters. As it is a time of war there may be a delay in your sentence and-“ Night Spark’s horn cracked with lightning which caused the ponies on the street to panic. The guards began to rush towards him. Night Spark soon found himself surrounded by guards and bystanders as well. It would be so easy you ignorant fools… As he glanced at each guard he felt strange as they all returned the same feral look as the one who had stopped him. Something is not right… In order to shine a better light on himself and to investigate the strange behavior of the guards Night Spark peacefully surrendered. The guards escorted him to the Canterlot dungeons. The name did not do the place justice. Night Spark noticed that everything was clean and bright. Even the cells were spotless and looked better than some of the places he had seen in other parts of the city. They had placed him in a holding cell near the entrance. This was a relief for Night Spark as he got to see many of the other guards. Most of the seemed like normal ponies and a few of them were even friendly with him. None of them had the feral look he had seen earlier. Night Spark sat in the cell and stared at the wall. He had grabbed a small rock with his magic and started to write things on the wall. Celestia is portly Muffins>Cake Changelings do it better The cell became more comfortable to him as he continued to write slanderous things on the walls. The cool and smooth stone reminded him of a home he hadn’t known that he was missing. The hive in the badlands was his home for many year and only now did he realize that part of him missed it. He thought it strange that a prison cell would comfort him but Night Spark knew it was just one of those many differences between ponies and changelings. After several hours the door to the dungeons burst open. A fuming Flash Sentry began to verbal assault the other guards. Night Spark’s head drops upon hearing his brothers voice. As the bickering reached a climax Flash shoved another guard out of anger. Night Spark watched as a fight broke out. For a short time it was several guards versus Flash but then it became every guard for themselves. It was amusing to watch and the other prisoners in holding cells cheered them on. “Ha Ha HA!!! Bite the buckers ear off!!! Just gnaw at it you filly fooling dog humper!” A kooky old pony in the cell next to Night Spark nearly had his face squished through the bars as he squawked at the guards. Night Spark found himself laughing harder than he had in a long time. He decided it was time that he joined in the fun. While the guards were distracted he burst in green flames and changed into the solar princess herself. He took in a deep breath and screamed. “Incompetent fools!” The guards immediately dropped what they were doing at stood at attention. Many of them were literally shaking as their princess spoke. “You all bicker like little colts measuring themselves. You disgrace this city, its ponies, and most of all me. For it is I, who measures longest!” With wide eyes many of the guards looked around at each other confused. “You don’t believe me? Come then fools! Look between my thick oversized and portly legs! Better yet come lift this massive pile of sheets I call a tail!” The laughter of the prisoners could be heard from several building away. All the guards besides Flash were confused. “Night Spark, cut it.” He looked at Flash with furious eyes. “I will never cut that which is longest in equestria!!! I can however…” Once more green fire burst all over Night Spark. “…show you what is shortest.” Standing in the cell was another Flash Sentry. Even some of the guards started to laugh but most of them were grumpy at being fooled. They began to calm down the prisoners. Flash made his way towards Night Spark’s cell with a smirk on his face. “At least I don’t play princess dress up.” Night Spark changed back to his normal form and slumped against the wall. He stared at his slanderous work on the opposing wall. Flash stood at his left. “What do you want, Flash?” Flash sat at the cell door and looked at the bars of cold iron separating him from his brother. “Spark I came here to get you out. The guards just can’t go around arresting anypony even changelings. Until I hear Celestia say buck every changeling on the planet than I won’t let that happen. Especially not to you…” Night Spark chuckled. “I’m not so sure. If that fat flanked sun plot hears of what happened in her very own dungeons she may very well condemn my kind. She would just love an excuse to kill me.” Flash raised a brow. “I’m not really sure what you’ve got against the princess but you might want to reconsider saying blasphemous things in the city she lives. It’s a sure way to get bucked in the teeth.” Night Spark’s head rolled slowly to glare at the pony on his left. If there was an expression that could ask how stupid some pony was than it would be the one Night Spark gave to Flash. “Anypony bucks this changeling and that will be a sure way to get their cutie marks burned from their bodies.” Flash rolled his eyes and pointed a hoof at the changeling. “How about we not think about stuff like that? Anyhow… are you holding up well?” “Well enough. Why do you care?” The slight twitch in Flash’s face let Night Spark know that his words had stung. Part of him was happy that they did. Part of him wanted to make Flash suffer but he remembered his dream with Chrysalis. After release an internally sigh Night Spark broke the silence he had created. “I will say what I have to say once to you. After I am done I don’t care how we proceed. I hated you Flash. I hated you, the rest of the family, my changeling family, and the rest of the damn world to. However in a matter of weeks incredible and unimaginable things have occurred. I’ve met a pony who I love like nothing else. Her life has been nothing but struggle and yet she shines brighter than the fat flanked cow in the castle. Despite it nearly killing me I managed to gain another sister. She left behind everything: power, family, position. She let it all go to give me a chance to show her another way. I am slowly getting ponies and changelings that I can truly rely on. My whole life I’ve wallowed around like a lost fool but no longer for now I have anchors.” Night Spark turned and sat where he could stare Flash in the eyes. “Truthfully speaking a part of me would still like to harm you. It’s selfish and that’s what I am trying to change. The damn irony is that I should be excellent at this. I am a changeling and here I sit like a stubborn old mule… and like a mule I have been stubborn for too long. So many years were spent being selfish and I will not do that anymore.” Flash looked down and raised a hoof to wipe his eyes. “Night Spark… I miss my brother. You don’t have to forgive me but please at least tell me that you…” “I can’t forgive you… not now at least. Upon recalling our meeting in the Empire I see now that my actions were unfair at best. I should have not directed my hate towards you. You were barely older than me. It is our parents who I should be hating. No… I shouldn’t hate at all. Its all so… so infuriating!!!” Night Spark’s eyes glowed with energy as his anger rose. “Then be angry dammit! Get furious Spark! Buck hit me in the face for all I care. Do what you have to do to get it out of your system so we can try to fix things.” “Flash I cannot promise that it will work and…” Flash stood up and smiled at his brother. “It’s not about promises, Night Spark. It’s about effort. It’ll be strange and there will probably be bumps down the road but if you want to try I will give you 110%. Heck I would tell Celestia to buck herself if that’s what it took for you-“ Night Spark jolted up straight and pointed a hoof at him. “Done! That is required! It must be done! It is the only way to heal the old wounds! You tell Celestia to buck herself and consider us brothers again. Deal?” Flash deadpanned. “Are you serious?” Night Spark’s wide eyes stared at him expectantly. Flash dropped his head a bit. “You are serious…” Night Spark slowly nodded up and down. Flash face palmed and mumbled. “…fine dammit…” Night Spark grinned an evil grin and laughed. “Then it is done. The first steps towards regaining family and bashing the old plot upstairs. Now all we need is for you to get Princess Twilight to release me so I can watch your blasphemous act for myself.” His brothers cheeks went red and he stuttered. “P-princess Twilight?” Night Spark nodded and noticed his brother just stood mindlessly still with glazed eyes. “Flash. Flash? Hello. Dammit listen to me. Flash! Flash!!!” A small jolt zapped Flash and he jumped in shock. “Ow! Oh uh sorry… yeah I’ll go talk to my princess…” Night Spark raised a brow as his brother slid his hooves across the floor and exited the dungeon. He couldn’t help but notice something off about Flash. Is he actually scared of Twilight? The knocking at her door had woken Twilight from a microscope session on top of some of her books. Despite being woke up she was not angry. Twilight lazily moved towards her door. It wasn’t all laziness. She never imagined how attached she would be to her newborn niece. With her parents permission Twilight had already started to read books to the newborn. She knew that Crystal couldn’t understand her but that didn’t matter. Twilight wanted to show Shining and Cadence that she would do all that she could to bestow the wonders of knowledge to Crystal. She also wanted them to know that she was there for them. Twilight smiled thinking about her niece. “She just so perfect!” The knocking continued as she opened the door. It was only when she saw Flash Sentry that her smiled faded and her head drooped a little lower than usual. “Flash Sentry.” He stood at attention hearing her say his name. She eyed him and grumbled as she turned around and went back into her room. Flash stood at attention staring through the open door. When Twilight noticed this she grunted. “You can come in. Close the door behind you.” Flash jumped to action and moved like moving through a door was his singular purpose in life. He followed her into the library and watched as she sat on a large pile of pillows in the corner. She stared at him with annoyed eyes. He watched her like she was the answer to all the questions he could ever think to ask. “So, uh, guard, what do you need?” Remembering why he came to see her brought him to life slightly. “I’m sorry for being a bother, princess. I would normally avoid disturbing you. It’s just that my brother had been arrested.” Twilight’s ears twitched. “Arrested? How? Why?” Flash let his anger get the better of him. “They arrested him for no reason other than their own selfish fears. This city and the ponies in it are changing. Everypony is turning into near-sighted foals!” Twilight had never seen Flash so angry. While she was never happy to see some pony angry it was better than seeing his normal self. She never tried to be mean to him but Twilight found his fumbling nature to be annoying. He was not like the human Flash that she had once met. The smooth and confident nature of the other Flash were missing from the guard before her. Without saying anything she sat up straighter and watched him. He saw her looking at him curiously and he misread it as if she were offended by his outburst. “I’m sorry your highness. That was not appropriate. Please forgive me. Perhaps if it’s alright with you… Princess may I speak freely?” She wouldn’t admit it but she enjoyed his upset attitude. Twilight nodded and motioned for him to keep speaking. “This is a growing problem. I don’t care if we are in war we can’t just arrest anypony! There are rules and boundaries. We can’t just forsake those because we are hurt or angry. Night Spark would never do anything to deserve arrest. He didn’t even have to let them take him either. He could easily overpower any street guard. It’s not just him though. What happens when we let our fear control us? Should we just arrest anyone who isn’t a pony? What kind of Equestria are we advertising to other races? Princess it seems like every pony in the city is letting fear control them. It’s like we’re all afraid of differences. We are acting like we are cornered… as if being hateful is justified. Not all changelings are bad and… I don't hate them all.” Twilight thought on what he said. As she stood up off her cushions she spoke calmly and nodded for him to follow her. “I understand what you are saying about the ponies in the city. I feel it too. Something has got every pony scared and while I agree with you I also find their actions somewhat understandable. You have to-“ “How can you say that!?” Flash interrupted her and felt his face get hot. The anger made him exhale loudly through his nostrils as his grinded his teeth. Twilight raise another curious brow at him which once more his mistook for her being offended. “Uh sorry again, princess… look um I’ll stop talking about this. I shouldn’t be getting this riled up on duty anyway. You are busy enough as it is I needn’t distract you.” Twilight led him down the stairs in her tower. She knew she could teleport but she was actually finding the conversation interesting. “Flash I get that you're upset. I am too as I have said. As your princess I am here exactly for these moments. Your concerns are mine so please don’t keep them to yourself. That being said… interrupt me again I will banish you.” Flash chuckled as he turn to look at her. The furrowed brows on her face silenced him. Just to be safe he waited for a moment. Twilight smirked and continued. “What I was trying to say is that their fear is understandable. You were at the Crystal Empire Flash. You saw what the changelings did. They poured through like a body of water. An entire empire laid to waste and with few survivors. What happened to Night Spark was not fair. Although I think that he and his sister are exceptions. Every other changeling I have met has wanted nothing but to kill or harm ponies. This is why I can relate with the ponies in the city fearing or even hating Night Spark or any other changeling for that matter.” “Thats it? We are writing them off as exceptions? Every other changeling is guilty until proven innocent? Crazy! I mean you’re the Princess of Friendship. Aren’t we supposed to give others the benefit of the doubt? If I think Fancy Pants is a snob should I write off all unicorns as such? No! That’s crazy and wrong. What about Spike? Did we not just have a battle against a bunch of dragons before all this changeling business? Should I think Spike a power hungry and blood thirsty dragon? No because I know that isn’t how all dragons behave. Unless Spike is an exception now too?” They both reached the central chamber of the castle. They proceeded to walk into a different hall that would eventually lead them to the dungeons. Twilight didn’t answer Flash and he did not speak as he awaited a reply. The two walked closely through the castle and simply stared ahead. They both heard each others silence and understood that it was causing tension at a personal level. Flash for was not intimidated by the mare he worshipped. In fact part of him knew that his anger was directed at her. She was supposed to understand these things as well if not better than Celestia. His thoughts were interrupted by her voice. “Flash your heart is in the right place. Friendship is a gift that everyone including changelings deserve. To be honest with you this situation is hard for me. Changelings tried to hurt my family and my friends. My brother’s wedding wasn’t the only time. Chrysalis tried to make me succumb to her teachings and then she would have had me drain my own friends. My friends who have stood by me and been there when I needed them! She tried taking away what I care about the most! Then she starts slaughtering ponies and nearly kills off the Crystal Empire…” Once she realized her body was shaking Twilight took in several staggered breaths. She pulled her flared out wings back against her body. Her postured lowered slightly as sadness took over. Gentle tears fell from her eyes Twilight spoke “Everypony expects me to have this perfect plan for how things should be. They expect me to be able to be fair and just like Celestia and Luna. They have had thousands of years! Thousands of years to master loving everything or everypony equally. It’s that or they mastered deceiving us all into thinking they love us equally. I honestly don’t know. I am not perfect Flash. No matter what this crown or these wings say… I am not perfect. You expect me to love a changeling as much as I love my friends? Well I can’t! Every time I see one I see Cadence down in the Crystal Caverns cold and hurt. I see Chrysalis laughing at my brother and shooting Celestia with her magic. I see my vision fade as massive changelings surround my brother and Cadence at the top of the Crystal Castle. It’s wrong and I know it’s wrong but… I don’t care! Alicorn princess or not you can’t expect me to just forgive and forget something like that. You can’t expect other ponies to either.” Flash felt as if she had stabbed him through the chest with her horn. He sympathized with her situation but felt it was unfair for her to support those who placed his brother in the dungeon. Flash knew he loved her. From the moment he met her he knew it. Twilight Sparkle was the mare he would have done anything for. She was smart, brave, and selfless for all that he knew. Now he felt that she had changed like the ponies in the city. The Goddess Twilight Sparkle had died for him. She was no longer the sun which burned his wings as he flew towards her each day. Twilight Sparkle was now just his princess. His princess who had just admitted that she could never treat his brother as an equal. How could he love her if she could not even treat his family equally. Steeling himself and making great effort to hide his emotions, Flash Sentry then became a guard. His posture became rigid. Expression left his face and the normally friendly looking guard now became intimidating and distant. “I understand princess. Thank you for this discussion. I guess I wasn’t seeing everything. Like many things in my life I saw only what wanted. ” He looked at her out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze fell upon the floor as they walked. He continued coldly. “I followed my heart blindly and I see that now. Some things are appear to be flawless. Thats just it though isn’t it? They only appear to be flawless. It’s only with a closer look that all the imperfections are revealed.” Twilight’s tears continued to fall as she walked. She was fully aware of the intended meaning behind his words. Nearly the entire Equestrian Guard knew how Flash felt about her. She sniffled and looked at Flash. He was now as cold and intimidating as any guard save for one detail. She saw the hurt and anger in his eyes as they refused to look at her. Seeing him so distant was new and unfamiliar. His new demeanor was as if Discord had made him flip personalities. Seeing like that made her head hurt a bit. Part of her wanted to slap him. Who was he to judge her? What harm had changeling done to him? She also could simply punish him for insulting her. Twilight bet that his remark would have earned him some terrible nightmares had they been directed at Luna. Yet alongside her anger she felt a terrible guilt. She was supposed to be one of the princesses of Equestria. A model example that all should strive towards and here she was justifying hate and fear. She also destroyed the love a pony held for her. Even if she did not care for him romantically it hurt her to know that a single pony would think of her as selfish. Twilight struggled to reply. “You’re welcome… Flash… Please know that I am sorry. I must not be a very good princess yet if I can’t even speak to my citizens without out upsetting them.” Flash stopped her by spreading a wing out. Twilight and the other guards in the corridor were surprised. The only time a guard was to touch a princess was if they were protecting them. Twilight looked right into his gaze and instantly regretted it. Despite retaining the rigid posture Flash’s eyes betrayed his presence. He was hurting and she knew. “Never…never doubt yourself as a princess. There is not a single pony who does not trust you with their lives. You earned that crown and everypony knows it. I know that no matter how you feel I can trust you to make the right decisions. I meant what I said. I was only seeing my side of this discussion. I don’t look at Night Spark as one of the creatures that slaughtered my family or threatened my friends. Ponies are hurting and they need to grieve. Does that excuse hatred Princess? Despite how I feel on this matter your actions are what’s best for Equestrian society…I just hope that you consider how they’ll impact others.” He removed his wing from her shoulder and stood tall. “You know maybe I am angry and maybe I don’t agree with you. I’ll still fight for you and die for you Princess. When the changelings decide to come at us one last time you can trust me to be at your side fighting. I am your guard and you will never have to wonder if I support you. It’s just now you won’t have to worry about me being the annoying guard who thinks he loves you.” Twilight stopped and stared at him. He opened the gate to the dungeon and held it open for her. Love was something foreign to her and yet she always knew he felt something for her. Annoyance was the best lie she could think of when others teased her about Flash. That lie became a performance that she couldn’t stop. It was something easy to do and got her the same results every time. Flash would drool near her or compliment her and she would shoo him away. He would become disheartened briefly and then return at a later time. Flash never gave up on trying to win her over until now. Twilight wondered what she had done to let him go. “Flash I-I… love? You love-“ Flash opened the door a little wider and inhaled sharply. The struggle of keeping his emotions in check was more difficult than he had imagined. “I sound ridiculous but I love you. I have never met another mare like you. You have the best traits of all the Princesses combined and more. I serve and respect the other princess but none of them are like you. No pony feels like they can’t relate to you. If Luna walks in a room I feel like my mom is walking in to beat the wings off of me. If Celestia walks in I feel like a foal in a nursery. Cadence is just so happy that I feel like she is still a changeling in disguise! Twilight when I see you I feel happy. There is a fluttering that happens in my chest every time I even hear your name! School was not my favorite thing but when you go on talking about something for a good long while I listen! Rainbow Dash calls you an egghead and your other friends zone you out but I listen to you like there is no other sound on the planet. I love the passion you have for making sure every pony is ok. I love your work ethic and how driven you are even if it sometimes makes you unstable. Twilight you are a mare that has no equal. For all that… I… I… can’t love a mare who won’t even see my brother as an equal. I haven’t been there for him but I won’t make that mistake again.” Flash politely motioned for her to walk through the gate. Twilight proceeded in a numb state. As she passed her eyes briefly caught his. “Flash… I am sorry and I mean that from my heart. I promise you that I will fix this. Let’s just get Night Spark out of there. I’m sure he is going to be pretty upset.”