There are many axioms in Equestria. "Go with the grain." "Count your blessings." "Strive to be happy with what you have."
And, though left unsaid, the most important one of all: "Know your place."
Although Flash Sentry loves Twilight, she can never know of his love. She can never return the feelings. It wouldn't be proper. After all, social order is more important than fulfilling one's own wishes.
Alternate Universe tag is due to the existence of a caste system in this story. Please keep that in mind as you read.
Thanks to Sir Rustbucket, Draconian Soul, Regidar, and Loopy Legend for editing.
Now Featured on Equestria Daily!
Now with a poem by Fiend from the Darkness!
Now with a YouTube reading by BlackIrisBalloon (and multiple voice actors)!
Now with a Korean translation by Kianoke!
Followed by What Hath Joined Together.
Rated Teen for mild violence and thematic elements.
Oh, this looks interesting!
Pretty powerful story. When you can make a character as boring and pointless as Flash Sentry seem interesting, you know you did a good job
If this doesn't get featured, I lose all hope in humanity...
3574158
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it.
3574162
Thanks again for the help, man!
I really appreciate it and I'm glad you enjoyed a story featuring two of your least-favorite characters! 
3574175
Just cause I don't like them, doesn't mean I will ignore a good tale because of them
3574180
Fair enough.
Oh, God...
This was beautiful. It wasn't just fanfiction, nor was it just a short story - it was a piece of art. I'm literally speechless. This better get Featured or... excuse me. *bursts into tears and crawls into the corner*
3574211
Thanks. I'm glad it moved you so much.
3574230 Not a problem.
You know, you should seriously replace the characters with regular humans or something or whatever and consider making this a story you could legit publish as a book or whatever, because seriously, this is bloody brilliant stuff here.
3574238
Really?
Wow.
I'll have to keep that in mind...
Yeah, first story I've ever read that made me wish Tia would burn for eternity in a chemical fire. Of course, that's probably because I have an irrational hate for caste systems and any other form of governmental control that violates the basic rights of any living being.
Ugh, this was depressingly good. Anger, sadness, righteous indignation, downright loathing at times, I felt the full works.
Well done! Additionally, this is the very first story where I can truly empathize with Flash!
3574238>>3574243
I am actually in agreement with Princess Rarity here. If you removed the links to the MLP universe and replaced them with something else, you would have a short story that is publish worthy.
EDIT: By "publish worthy", I mean that it more than succeeds the quality that I would expect out of a short story that was printed by a publishing company. There are actually plenty of fanfic authors who write better than "published" authors out there.
3574282
Agreed. I despise these sort of systems. Sadly, they are still in place in some parts of the world today, and there's no way of knowing how many hearts they have broken in the past.
3574291
Thanks!
It was very emotional to write as well.
3574293
Dang. I really will have to keep that in mind!
Not a particular fan of Flash but it was well done and seeing Flash more fleshed out was nice to see. The society that is still strongly divided by the three tribes is not one I usually see but it was well done, though not a fan of the caste system I actually wouldn't mind if more stories were built on this version of Equestrian society.
I...dunno if I can accept the conceit of Celestia's behaviour. Maybe if you'd shown more of her implied backstory with Discord.
Also, did you have to choose Flash? At least, unlike the show writers themselves, you gave him some semblance of a personality before shipping him. But there are much more rounded and interesting males you could have chosen, both canon and fanon.
Not bad, but those two points really stopped me from enjoying it.
Dat forbidden love. Nice fic.
There needs to be more Flash Sentry fics that don't relentlessly bash him for existing.
3574313
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I agree that a version of Equestria like this is not seen very much and was pretty interesting to write.
3574315
Celestia did come off a bit more haughty than Twilight (one reason being Celestia's used to enforcing these laws), but I did want to hint that she wasn't perfect at upkeeping "the order" herself. I do have some Dislestia stories planned down the line, but I didn't want to throw the focus more on Celly than Twi and Flash. I get what you mean, though.
As for why I used Flash... Well, to be honest, I wanted to write a story that showed him as a decent character, rather than Bradbait. It's not my favorite Twi ship at all, so I also see what you mean there.
Thanks for reading and sorry you didn't enjoy it.
3574329
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
And agreed!
3574346 I said I didn't enjoy it as much as your others. Not the same thing.
As to Dislestia.
One of my two main enemies. The other being Momlestia.
Silly Dislestia, not accepting that Twilestia is bestia.
3574368
Oh! Sorry, misread you there.
True.
Momlestia weirds me out a bit, though there are some good stories of it out there.
Twilestia is great, but dat tragic Dislestia backstory...
3574376 I'm fine with it being in their past. it's when Tia takes him back into her heart in the present, what with how he crossed several Moral Event Horizons and shipping Celestia is sort of like shipping Rarity. No author ever takes Twilight's liable feelings of jealousy and resentment into account.
3574388
That's a good point. I'll have to keep that in mind.
Thanks!
I hereby enact my official "I LOVE THIS STORY!" upon said story of which I just stated I love. Excellent job, Bad!
3574368
You poor, poor fool.
3574403
Thanks, Bob! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Uh-oh, I see a shipping war brewing in the comments...
3574403 I am sorry you have not come to accept the wisdom of Incubators. But then, you are a sponge.
3574412
AhahahaNO!
If only there were good comedy wars, but we'd probably whack each other with rubber chickens or whoopy cushions. With shipping, al you can whack each other with is… Oh mai.
3574419
You racist son of a bitch…
3574420
This isn't dissuading me from being a part of a shipping war.
" I see not how we are to disengage ourselves from that deplorable entanglement, we have the wolf by the ears and feel the danger of either holding or letting him loose. "
Thomas Jefferson in regards to Slavery July 18, 1824 letter to Lydia Sigourney.
"I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land can never be purged away but with blood."
John Brown's parting note he passed to a guard shortly prior to his hanging for attempting to start a general Slave Uprising in Virginia, Dec 2, 1859
Sometimes in order to preserve order for the long term, short term chaos has to be the result. I am certain none wanted 620-750 thousand men to die in a Civil War, but I'm equally certain certain that their are few who would be willing to see slavery stay in the United States any longer than it did.
3574423 We Incubators pride ourselves on our elevated culture. Also, you never sent me one of your stories for editing.
More importantly, you never wrote that half-assed Twilestia clopfic you promised me!
3574428
So very true. Powerful quotes you chose right there.
It just goes to show that, though great sacrifices have to be made to right terrible wrongs, it is a lesser sacrifice than letting things stay as they are.
3574436
Don't hold your breath. He told me about an idea he had for a Babs x Rumble clopfic mooooonths ago, and I've never heard anything else about it...
3574436
I have been busy with the vacay and silly stories. But… hell, for you, one halfassed Twilestia clopfic coming right up!
Goddamn. I have to echo with the others...
I normally dislike Flash. Not sure why.. He just... I dunno...
But this? Damn if I don't feel sorry for the guy.
This was an impressive tale, as usual.
Approved for Twilight's Library. I'll drop the ribbon in a different comment later.
~Skeeter The Lurker
3574457
Thanks, man. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
And wow, Twilight's Library, too?! You're just awesome!
Boom.
One shiny ribbon, fresh out the Library.
24.media.tumblr.com/a257ad5165644b1f79354634dfdee284/tumblr_mqo61uYbwk1rj6vd5o1_400.png
~Skeeter The Lurker
3574456 Make sure it is terribad! Screw it, write The Room but with Twilestia! Or Sharknado.
3574460
Haha, I do what I can.
It's a place for good fics, after all. And this? THIS is a good fic.
~Skeeter The Lurker
3574462
Damn, that was fast.
Thanks again, Skeeter!
3574464
Eh, if I'm writing, it will probably be comedy. Like Idiocracy. Such an awesome film!
3574480 ...Those last two weren't comedies?
3574480
One of my fav comedies.
3574486
I mean on terms more with sexual themes. Actually, more likely American Pie style.
Another great tale from the esteemed, Bad_Seed_72. Very interesting take on a caste system in Equestria. I have one and only one compliant, why the buck is this a completed story. Come on this story has the potential of being an epic tale of love changing the face of Equestria. I could see Twilight falling for Flash but is bound by her adherence to law. Telling him that if they had been born the in same in the tribe she would give give him her hoof in marriage but unless the law changes she could only give him her heart. When Ironhoof discovers the unrequited love between the two he punishes Flash by removing him from Twilights service. Flash after realizing that Ironhoof will never let him set his eyes on Twilight much less speak to her again, breaks Orion from prison and the two of the stage a coup. They are inevitably defeated and Flash is sentence to death. Then Twilight pulls a Disney Pocahontas, if you want to kill him you will have to kill me. Thus changing Equestria forever.
I love your writing but geez way to leave me hanging.
You really nailed the mile-a-minute thinking when you're standing next to a crush.
I wonder where batponies fit into all this.
3574534 I look forward to it.
I compliment you on the elements of your story, the sadness, the drama,
But now I'm in a really pissed off mood. These old laws are really messed up and I think it was absolutely cruel of Celestia to deny Clover and Orion a marriage, and then she has the callousness to tell Clover to find somebody else to love and honestly believes, no, expects there to be happiness. She really believes Clover is going to be happy just because a pony of a similar status might be found?!
Celestia, when the hell did you get to be so near sighted? Do you really believe that laws are perfect? Do you honestly believe that your ponies will be happy when they follow the rules that deny them happiness? I am really disappointed in you, Celestia. Very disappointed in you. If I was there, I'd knock you upside the head for this. I understand that you may have had similar problems in the past but that is in the past. Time to look to the future. Time for changes. Oh, Celestia. Poor blind Celestia.
(Don't worry, i know it's an AU story.)
Wow...featured already. Won't be surprised if this pops up on EqD soon. I think it deserves it. *looks at rating bar* And I guarantee you all of those downvotes are from buttmad Flash Sentry haters who didn't even read the story.
I can't help but feel the ending was a slightly lacking, though. Can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's because there was a lot of potential conflict all being built up at the end there. It feels like more could have been fit in. Still, it's an adequate ending for the theme of the story.
You know, I hadn't been expecting Orion to appear after the incident with Clover. After that happened, I was expecting there to be news of them both having killed themselves rather than be separate from each other's love. (lololololololololtragisshakepereianending)
Made it on the feature list once again, Bad.
Celestia's kind of a bitch.