What Has Become Of Us?

by That_Rando_Cat

Once Decieved, Forever Paranoid

Twilight: I woke up, a warm presence beside my body. I had forgotten most of last night, only the conversations with Royals. At least they were nice, I thought, glancing over the clock. Damn. Already nine. And I had to hurl really, really badly. When I ran to the bathroom, I had clearly startled Flash awake. He got up suddenly, called my name, and quickly walked in while I was throwing up. He crouched by my side, rubbing my back gently. He was quietly saying, “It’s okay, Twilight,” over and over.

When I was done, my stomach emptied from whatever else there was, I tried to kiss Flash, who dodged it. “Look, as much I want to too, I don’t need to taste whatever came out, alright? Take no offense, please.”

I nodded sadly and slowly, my stomach feeling much better. I quick rinsed my mouth out, popped a breath mint, and walked out. Flash was walking out with his Guard armor on. I sighed sadly, turning to the window. There was a pair of ponies flying, laughing and smiling, enjoying themselves. “Why? Why must the universe be so unfair!” I cried, shedding tears.

This time, I’d be alone. But, soon enough, Flash knocked at my door. “Princess, is everything okay? You sound distressed,” he called, his voice muffled.

“You can come in, F-Flash,” I said, still crying.

When he walked in, he cursed himself and flew over to me. He hugged me tightly, letting me cry into his shoulder. “Flash I… I’m sorry. It’s just, ih-it’s really not a-all that fair wh-what we have to go through t-together,” said, muffled, as he stroked my mane.

“I know, Twilight, I know. I feel the same,” he said, trying to hold back tears. I pulled away from him, resting my hooves on his shoulders. His eyes were watery, and a single tear slowly made its way down his cheek. I wiped it away, putting my forehead against his, both our hooves on each other’s shoulders. We sat there for a good five minutes before I rested my chin on his shoulder. He calmly stroked my mane, and I rested my hoof on his back. “I got a letter from Shining earlier. That’s why I left for a little bit,” he said.

I nodded in understanding, wondering what it was about. Probably something to do with what me and Flash have. But what he said was the exact opposite. “He proposed a month-long leave to the Crystal Kingdom. He said he wanted to show you around, allow you to get out in public and experience what it has to offer, and a lot of other stuff.”

“When do we leave?” I asked all too suddenly.

“Uh, um, three days? Run it past Celestia and Luna and see if they’re cool with it. He requested both you and I go together,” he said awkwardly. I kissed him on the cheek, making him smile and blush. “And, it’s also for you to unwind, get rid of stress, you know, all that.”

I nodded excitedly. Three days. It seems so far away when you really want it. “Twilight? Twilight, are you alright?” I realized I had leaned into him a little too much, and he was almost tipping over when I leaned back. “Yes, Flash, I’m fine.”

He stood up slowly and walked out of the room, saying, “I ought to check in on Strong Wind, he might need my help.”

I nodded in understanding, and he left, closing the door behind him. I remembered the dream I had a while ago, and I ran over to grab my notebook, which, thankfully, had everything written down in it. I read over the message sent through the dream.

Look at your reality. This is how Canterlot lives. The shadows of our dark past can never be shaken, but the future can change. The past divided us, the future can merge us. If you do not do anything, the Order in which life follows will break, leaving the country of Equestria to fall to its knees and beg for forgiveness. Only then you will realize that your faults were not your own, but your ancestors’ choices, which define what you are, but not what you will be. You will cease to understand the universe, but learn the logic of life. You will vanish from history, and have everyone know your name. You will go down as a poor leader, and everyone will praise your name as you lead them into an anarchy led by you. The future begins now, Twilight, and the ones who will help you will come in the most expected and unseen as the reality you know becomes a broken, whole, shattered, and fixed world. The contradictory ponies meet the reasonable rule-breakers, the outlaws become the leaders of a revolution that takes your world by storm and dies away faster than a blown out candle. You will beg at the knees of the gods and goddesses of the universe, and ask one question not even they can answer, but you will answer theirs in return as with yours. You will travel so far to reach something so close, and you will travel to the most foreign land you hold dear and close to your heart. And when you finish begging, will you begin to change things for the better. Only when your kingdom cripples will it rebuild itself, and when you face your greatest fears will you find true happiness and courage. I leave you now, Twilight, but remember this: the time to change is now, before your kingdom revolts and falls into chaos and goes down in history as the greatest success story turned sour by a Princess and her peers who refused change of the course of the future because of intolerance and refusal to change, for the old is not new, and what becomes new will be as old.

I sighed and decided to try and think of what it meant. The future can change. So that means I, and whoever I need help from, which leads to come in the most expected and unseen places. I also got how it talked about how the past has divided Equestria for more than long enough, but, A shattered and fixed world? I mean, not the entire planet, right? I don’t even know if this is true, but I have to believe it. Why would I have a dream that consists of this message? Twilight, think! You dreamt of what you feared most, and so did Flash! This is nothing but what you fear! You must shake it!
I shook my head sadly. If these events start to happen, even in the tiniest ways, I’d have to look into it. You fear change. You fear revolution from your people. You fear the boundaries of love, being broken and changed, for better and for worse. You fear the past and what it made you. You fear anarchy and the possibility of losing what you have. You fear Flash. You fear Celestia. You fear Luna. You fear everypony can turn against you. And who does that make? A paranoid Princess who can’t trust the most honest pony.

I sighed and put the journal back, and when I walked to the closet to take off my dress, there was a knock on the door. I asked, “Can you wait five minutes, please?” and changed. When I walked out, I let them come in, and Pinkie Pie nearly tackled me.

“Twilight! How are you doing?” she asked, talking really fast. I laughed.

“Calm down! I’m fine, I’m fine. What’re you all doing here?” I asked, looking over everypony.

“Ahm doin’ jus’ fine, Twilight,” said Applejack, glancing at Pinkie Pie, who was jumping up and down really fast. Now how does she do it? I wondered. “We jus’ wanted ter see yew again. Maybe go ‘round town, see wha’s goin’ on?”

“There’s this great new restaurant down in Ponyville we thought you’d like to try out!” said Fluttershy, looking rather excited for once.

“I’d love to! It’s just… could we wait here for a moment?” I asked, trying to stall until Flash gets back. Don’t need anyone attacking us.
“Of course! But, whatever for, dear?” asked Rarity in her usual airy voice.

“I could guess, Twilight,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, nopony. I’d just like to catch up with you!” I said nervously, and only Fluttershy caught on, but she didn’t say anything.

We talked for the next half hour before there was a knock on the door. “Um, Princess? Is everything alright?” asked Flash, poking his head in. A bit of hair fell over one of his eyes. “Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt, I can just-” I cut him off abruptly.

“No, no, it’s fine. My friends and I were just talking, and-” I got cut off by Rarity this time.

“And who is this fine young fellow?”

Rainbow Dash looked at me, begging me to tell them, and Fluttershy glanced at me with a rather knowing look. Applejack just got up and brought him over, Rarity blushing as he sat down beside her and I. Pinkie Pie was just fiddling with his hair. “Oh, it’s just so soft!”

“An’ tha’s she said, Pinkie.” We all laughed a little, trying to clear up the unease.

“Pinkie, could you please stop bothering him?” asked Rainbow. I gave her a silent thank you with my eyes. She just nodded.

“So, Twilight, who is he?” asked Rarity, sidling up to him

“He’s, uh, my Guard,” I said precautiously. He looked at me nervously, starting to sweat a little. Celestia damnit, this is going to be difficult. I just sent him a look like go along with it, dude. He sighed.

“Oh, he’s quite handsome. Got any lovers?” she asked.

“No, not yet. I’ve been told by my friends that I’m good looking though,” and that made everypony blush. Especially Fluttershy, but again, she didn’t say anything. She definitely has a crush on him, but she probably knows Flash and I are already together. I should get her somepony to love. Soon.
Rarity giggled. “Well, your friends made quite the understatement there! Take off your helmet, you don’t need it!” she said, pulling it off. His blue mane fell all over the place, making him look extremely handsome. It took all the self-control I had to not kiss him.

“Oh, my! You really are exceptional!” Flash blushed at this, but he clearly wasn’t enjoying it. “You should stop by my store sometime. I could probably get you fit into a new suit!” she said, enjoying herself.

Rainbow Dash stepped in. “Well then, we should probably get going!”

I nodded in approval. “Yes, we should. So, what’s the first stop?”

Flash looked away, grabbing his helmet and putting it on. He followed us out, but was stopped by Applejack, looking rather offended. “Yeh think we can’ defen’ ourselves?”

“I-I-I’m just doing my job, ma’am,” he said, looking away.

She still didn’t seem convinced, glaring at him. “Look, Applejack, he is my Guard, so he truly is just doing his job.”

Her gaze softened, and she said, “Ahm sorreh, truly! Ah jus’ didn’ know!”

“No, no, it’s fine really,” he said, trying to reassure her.

She shook her head. “It was really rude of me, though,” she said, looking down at the ground. “What is yer name, though?”

He accepted her apology. “My name’s Flash. Flash Sentry.”

And with that, the seven of us left. Applejack wasn’t comfortable around Flash the whole time it took us to get there. He hailed a taxi at Canterlot, who quickly called for a second one, and we piled into the cabs. Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie piled into the first one, which left Flash, Fluttershy, and me for the second one. We got there around one, so, “That leaves about seven hours.”

Flash wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “What was that, my love?” Only Fluttershy heard, but, thankfully, she said nothing.

I nuzzled Flash, and he kissed my head. “Just giving us an estimate on how much time we have here.” I looked over at Fluttershy, who was smiling sadly. “Is everything alright Fluttershy?”

She nodded slowly. “Yes, Twilight. I’m just glad you found your special somepony. But I doubt I’ll find my own,” she said sadly. “It is kind of lonely, really. Even with Angel and Discord.”

I draped a wing over her as we walked out. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. You’ll find your special somepony eventually. Hopefully sooner than later,” I said, trying to reassure her.

Pinkie Pie ran over. “So I found this new sweet shop that I’ll think you’ll like but it’s not as good as mine and of course we have to take you out for lunch and-” I put a hoof over her mouth.

“Calm down Pinkie. We have plenty of time. About seven to eight hours if I want to be back at the castle to get some sleep,” I said, laughing.

We caught up with the rest of my friends at the sweets shop Pinkie was raving about. The mare at the register looked surprised to see me and my friends here. She let us sample some of their chocolates, specialty made at their store. I had to admit, they were pretty damn fine. Flash had one, and the face he made looked like he was sent straight to heaven. He walked up to the mare and asked for a box of those. She blushed and sent him an order. “Payment at the door, mister.”

He nodded and left, and the mare looked close to fainting. “Oh, he’s just so good-looking. His blue eyes and shaggy yet stylish mane, his orange coat and near perfect wings and defined muscles…” she trailed off.

Gah! I had to get used to it, because he was an exceptionally handsome stallion, but that boiling anger that I get when other mares, and probably stallions, not there’s anything wrong with being gay! talk about him. Rarity still clearly liked Flash, no matter how much she looked away from him. Our relationship is definitely complicated.

“Twilight? How do you like them?” asked Rainbow, getting her third sample of a chocolate liqueur.

“Oh, my, they are really good! I ought to get a box as well,” I said half to myself, also getting an assorted box. Everyone, even Pinkie Pie, got one. The cashier thanked us many times. “Do come back! And tell your friends!”

We promised her to spread the word about her shop. When we walked out, Applejack had to agree with Pinkie Pie that the shop was excellent. “Yes guys I told you it was really good now we should grab some lunch before we go back to the garden!” she said, running off.

“I am still blown away by how much energy she has,” said Rainbow as we struggled to keep up with her. We were practically knocked out by out shortness of breath when we caught up with her. Thankfully, it was rather cold and windy today, so we weren’t sweating when we got there.

When we walked in, a waiter was already standing there, and led us to a table. Some ponies gawked at me, and some paparazzi were at our table. They were about to take pictures before Flash shouldered his way in front of me. “No pictures will be taken today. Sorry, folks!”

The quickly scurried away, and we all sat down. Nice of them to reserve a seat for Flash. Just wish he wasn’t next to me. However, I guess he does belong. “So, can we get you all something to drink?” asked the waiter. “We have specialty wines, water, lemonade, almost anything you could ask for.”

Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow ordered lemonade, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Flash water, and I was going to get a glass of wine before Flash stopped me. Everyone around us, and my friends, looked at him like he just shouted “Celestia fucking damnit!” at the top of his lungs. “Look, it’s just… could we get some privacy?” I cast a silent bubble around us so nopony else could hear us.

“Okay, if I want to be honest, Twilight, you did get carried away last night with the wine,” he said seriously, and I looked away.

“Flash, don’t worry, we’ll make sure she only gets one,” said Fluttershy, trying to reason with Flash. He huffed and folded his arms across his chest. “Okay, I guess,” was his only reply. And with that, the waiter walked away, and we talked for a little bit, most of us arguing with Flash, but Rarity clearly approved of his choice. “He’s only looking out for Twilight!” she said.

The waiter came back a little later, sliding the drinks down the table. “Are you all ready to order, or are you still looking? I can come back if you need time,” he said, glancing around the table. We all sent him off for a bit, still looking at the menu. It was obviously clear what we were all going to get, except for Flash. He kept flipping between two pages, clearly undecided.

“So, what can I get for you today?” asked the waiter, startling us all. My friends and I ordered sunflower and daisy sandwiches, and Flash got a cheesesteak sandwich. “What can I say? I love them.”

Rainbow Dash giggled, and Flash grabbed my hoof and whispered into my ear, “Not as much as I love you.”

I blushed, but none of my friends were looking at us. They stared at the door, clearly frightened. A cloaked stallion stood in the lobby, a knife in hoof, looked around, but for who, I didn’t know. When he saw us sitting there, he threw it, but Flash deflected it with his spear, the knife inches away from my face, and charged at the now retreating pony. He caught him before he could reach the door, put him in a headlock, and shouted, “What in your right mind was that for?”

He smiled cruelly, pulling his hood off. “I hate the Royalty, and everything they stand for. They are nothing but puppets for Celestia and Luna who use them to speak for them!” he spat at the ground. “And nothing but bullshit respect is what we get from you snobby aristocrats!”

Police were already at the door, weapons drawn, and hoofcuffed the raging pony, who was bucking violently. Flash just hit him upside the head with the pole of his spear. “Calm down there, pal. We can be fair with you.”

He turned around and came back to the table. I was too stunned to think or react. Rainbow Dash hugged him and thanked him, Fluttershy pointed out that bringing him along was a good idea to Applejack who looked away in shame, and Rarity and Pinkie Pie were staring in awe at how professionally Flash handled the situation. Flash came back to his seat next to me, and wrapped one of his arms around me, rubbing his hoof on my right shoulder. “Twilight, are you okay? Twilight? Princess?” he asked, waving his other hoof in front of my face.

The waiter was standing there, clearly oblivious to what happened. He just dropped off the plates and walked away, looking around awkwardly at everypony, trying to figure out what happened. We ate slowly, talking quietly and not often. Every one of us, except Flash, probably because he gets used to it, didn’t finish. We ate most of our meals, though. The waiter brought the check over. I offered to pay, but Fluttershy declined my offer, saying she would. When the waiter came back, he gave the receipt and card back to Fluttershy, and I could see home address.“Well, Fluttershy, looks like you have yourself a date!” I said to her quietly, her muzzle going red immediately.

She was at a loss for words and just walked along with us, being her usual quiet self. I bit my lower lip in concentration on what happened, and I remember it all too well. That knife, the one Flash saved my life from, had given me true fear for the first time in my life. The newspapers would be packed with the story, ponies would be talking about it, and security would be increased. Thankfully, Flash is a veteran compared to other Guards, and dealt with the situation excellently.

“So, I figured we could go to the park because it’d be nice to just relax for a while and maybe head back to my place and play cards?” asked Pinkie Pie, her normal energy levels toned down a bit.

We nodded in silent agreement and went to the park. There were plenty of ponies there, walking along the trails, sitting on benches, watching over their foals as they ran around, tripping over their own hooves. I smiled, and Flash got protectively close to my side. When he noticed me relaxing, he moved away a bit, but still stuck to my side. Damn. Loyal to the last breath.

“Look, Flash, I know you’re just trying to be helpful, but it’s really just fine!” I said, trying to get him to stop acting like I was a glass vase being held by a young colt.

“I know, Princess. But you must remember what just happened. We can’t risk it here, because it’s much easier for the pony doing what he needs to do easier and making it easier to escape,” he said as we sat down at a bench with Rainbow and Rarity. Pinkie, Fluttershy and Applejack sat on the bench facing us, and we just stared at the ground.

“So, that was… eventful?” said Rainbow precariously, still looking at the ground. Other ponies just stared at us.

“Eventful is an understatement, dearie. Twilight was almost killed!” said Rarity, who was also still looking at the ground. Pinkie somehow managed to contain herself, but I didn’t think she was even trying.

“Guys, could we not talk about it? I really don’t want to relive it right now,” I said, trying to drop the topic while the ponies around us were talking amongst themselves. “And could you all please go away?”

The rest scurried off, sticking together in large groups trying to decide what we were talking about. A reporter hung around though, trying to ask questions. “Okay, I’ll answer them. Somepony ought to,” said Flash, getting up. “It’s okay leaving you guys for a bit?”

We all nodded rather hesitantly. It was nice of him to get him off our tails, but he was my Guard, so it was a tough choice. Be pestered by an annoying reporter or talk for ten minutes? Kind of obvious.

“So, now that he’s gone, how’s your relationship status Twilight? I notice that your Guard has been paying extra attention to you, even for a Guard,” said Pinkie Pie. “He’s really cute, you know! And, uh, what’s his name?”

I blushed. “Well, I guess he is, but he is a Guard. He’s just trying to make sure I don’t get hurt. His name is Flash. Flash Sentry.”

Rainbow giggled. “Didn’t he already tell us his name when Applejack yelled at him?”

“Ay, I was only tellin’ ‘im off fer bein’ a lil’ overprotective!” she said, playfully hitting her on the shoulder.

“So, Twilight, you do have a crush on Flash?” said Rarity curiously. “You did say he is cute, dear.”

“I- no- well, I…” they all looked at me, and I couldn't deny it longer. “Okay, I do have a crush on him. I mean, you all do too!”

Rainbow sighed sadly, Rarity and Fluttershy looked away blushing, Applejack nodded slowly, and Pinkie Pie was just stumbling over her words as she tried to deny it. “It’s okay, at least we all have it out there.”

Rainbow looked at the rest of them “He already told me he wasn’t interested in me.”

“Well, dearie, what happened?” asked Rarity, looking rather surprised. “You do look absolutely gorgeous, how could he turn you down?”

Rainbow looked away. “It’s… complicated. I moved on him too soon, I guess.” I gave her a thank you with my eyes, and she smiled sadly.

“Well, girls, we ought to try and get ‘im fer ourselves! Whaddya say?” said Applejack, looking rather giddy.

Fluttershy shook her head. “He’s already fallen for somepony else.”

Pinkie looked surprised. “Well then, who is it? I’d like to know who.”

I shot a glare at Fluttershy for bringing it up, and Rarity noticed. “Oh, my. I think I know who it is!” she said giddily.

I bit my lower lip, and Rarity made her point proven. The shit hit the fan this soon. I thought I could keep it up longer! Thankfully, Flash showed up again, and I wouldn’t have to talk about it. Yet. Rarity gave me a murderous glare, and I looked away. “S-So, Flash, how was the interview?” I asked, quickly moving to his side.

He looked down at me. “It was… interesting, to say the least. He had heard what happened and wanted to put a piece in the paper, so I told him everything that happened through my perspective. I gave him as much as I could, but I left out any… personal conflict.”

I pressed my side against his for a moment. “Thank you for doing that, by the way. I probably would have yelled at him if he kept asking us for an interview.”

He laughed. “No kidding. I would have impaled him if I was insane.”

We walked in silence for a while, and when I saw it was almost four, I asked, “Where are we going?”

Rainbow looked back. “Why not go up to a cloud? I wouldn’t mind getting a nice view of Ponyville again!”

I looked at the rest of them, and they all agreed. “Now, which one would be good… there!” I pointed to one almost above us. I took off suddenly, casting a spell for Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack. Rainbow grabbed Pinkie, Fluttershy grabbed Applejack, and Flash grabbed Rarity. She blushed hard, and I tried not to notice. We were all pretty much winded, except for Pinkie, Applejack and Rarity who thanked the others for getting them up there. They only nodded, trying to catch their breath.

Flash was the first to get up, and walked over and sat beside me. “So, Twilight, how’d it feel to get back in the air again?”

“Wait a minute,” said Rarity, dragging the ‘wait’ on for a while, “This isn’t the first time you went flying?”

I nodded quickly. “Yes. Flash thought it’d be nice to try and get me to practice flying.”

She chuckled. “Damn! I guess Flash is into you, dearie!”

It was Flash’s turn to blush at a similar statement, and she laughed harder. “So you two do love each other!” We both stared at her. “Oh, it’s just too good!”

“Twilight, what the hell? Why didn’ yeh tell us?” asked Applejack, walking up to me. “Why’d yeh have to hide it?”

Rainbow and Fluttershy looked between each other knowingly. Pinkie didn’t look angry, but she did just give a small smile. Rarity stopped laughing, looking between Flash and I. “Oh. I just… I was just joking! I didn’t actually think… oh, Twilight, dear, I’m so happy for you!” she said as she walked over and gave me a hug.

Applejack still looked at me crossly. “Yeh know that we all had a crush on ‘im, right?”

Flash looked startled by her comment. “Y-You… all did?” They all nodded. “Wow.”

“You sell yourself far too short on your looks, Flash,” said Fluttershy. “You ought to know that.”

He shrugged “I guess so. And, uh, Twilight, could we talk for a little bit?”

I shook my head in agreement and followed him to the edge of the cloud. “Damnit! How are we gonna keep this a secret? The Captain knows, Celestia knows, but she won’t give us second chances, Luna doesn’t care, and now all your friends know, including your brother and his wife!”

I looked away. “We can trust my friends with keeping this secret. Just… don’t be mad, okay? I was going to tell them soon, anyways,” I said, glancing back, and only Pinkie was looking. “It’ll all be fine.”

And with that, I kissed him slowly, leaning into him, and he kissed back just as much, expecting it. I leaned further, putting a hoof on his chest. Damn. The first true kiss we’ve really shared. Really feeling it, anyways. Rarity gasped, but I didn’t want to pull away just yet. Neither did Flash. I felt the gaze of all my friends on me and Flash, burning my skin. When I pulled away, Flash looked rather happy and sorrowful, and I felt the same. We both would have wanted it to last much longer.

When I looked at my friends, their expressions ranged widely. Both Rainbow and Fluttershy were both happy, because Rainbow knew that it was going on anyways and Fluttershy accepted it. Pinkie Pie was a little surprised, Applejack was happy for us, and Rarity was looking rather envious of both Flash and I.

“Oh, Twilight, Flash, I’m so happy fer you both!” said Applejack, hugging me and kissing Flash on the cheek.

“If we hear of Twilight getting hurt, we swear by Celestia we will give you what you deserve. So, just, treat her well, okay?” said Rainbow, grabbing him by his collar and lifting him up. “I will personally flay you over Tartarus if you do anything wrong to her.”

He laughed nervously. “Uh, heh, yeah. But, could you all keep this a secret? We don’t need the entirety of Equestria knowing a Guard and a Princess are dating, alright?”

I laughed. “Yeah. Even if Flash is a sort of co-Captain. But seriously. Keep it silent,” I said, prodding Rainbow to force her to put Flash down. It was more of a drop then a put-down.

While Flash was rubbing the back of his head, Rarity stepped up to me. “I do enjoy seeing you two together. You are such a cute couple, but… I can’t help but worry, Twilight, dear. We don’t have any relationships yet, and we both know this isn’t the best choice-” I cut her off sharply.

“No, no, we know what we’re doing. Trust us. And Shining already gave me the same kind of speech, and Fluttershy already might have a date. And, I promise you, just put yourself out there and you’ll find someone,” I said, draping a wing over her.

She looked away, but pressed close to my side. “I’ll keep it a secret, not because I have to, but because you’re finally happy with somepony else besides us,” she said. “Don’t act surprised, Twilight. You rant about how snobby other nobility can be more often than not, and Flash is the only other pony who you seem comfortable around. Besides us, Shining, Cadence, Celestia, and Luna.”

I nodded in silent agreement. My friends took turns threatening Flash, from filling his bed with ice cream and rather horrid death threats. Damn. “Guys, he’s fine! Just leave him be!”

Rainbow looked rather reluctant, but she complied. The rest of them were rather easier to get to stop. “We understand, Twilight. We just want to make sure you don’t get hurt,” said Fluttershy.

I nodded in complete understanding, and Flash just sat there, wanting to speak, but he knew well enough that if he did, they would just go on and on again. He stood up and said, “We ought to get down now. You guys wanted to go out for dinner, right?”

We shook our heads in disagreement. “After lunch, I doubt I’d want to go out for another week. But, I assume Applejack wouldn’t mind a visit, eh?” said Rainbow, elbowing Applejack, clearly just trying to get food. Flash clearly didn’t understand, and stood there dubiously.

Pinkie and Rarity joined in, and Applejack caved. “Okay, alright, we’ll go over ter my place!” she said, clearly annoyed, but had a gleam of humor in her eyes. “Y’all owe me. Jus’ not you, Flash. You already saved Twilight’s life terday.”

He just stared into space, and it wasn’t until I looked in his direction until I saw what he was looking at. A plume of ash-grey smoke was rising from an all-too-close spot, and the fire was growing rapidly. “Oh, shit!” said Flash as he took off towards the fire. He left his spear behind, so I grabbed it and Rarity and flew her down to the ground. I quickly caught up with Flash at the fire, getting other ponies out of range I decided to help him. He was coughing, his face covered in soot, and yelling at others to get out. A small piece of building fell out, and a small filly was standing there in shock. Flash flew up to grab her, and as he was going out, debris half-covered the exit. I used my magic to lift the stones, and Flash flew out clumsily. “There. Now, *cough* lemme just sit down for a *cough* bit,” he said wearily as he put the filly on the ground. She took off running as soon as her hooves hit.

I ran over to Flash, and my friends quickly showed up behind me, trying to lift him up. When we got him up, he was in a coughing fit, his throat probably dry and caked in ash. We laid him down a safe distance from the fire, and he opened his eyes a bit. “T-Thanks, girls.”

We quick got him some water and half-forced it down his throat. He jolted upwards, almost knocking Pinkie out cold, before he went back into a coughing fit, trying to get as much water down as possible. He almost immediately threw up, the bile rather blackish grey, and Rarity almost hurled as well. When he finished, he rolled over on his side. “I feel like shit. I guess I should pass on dinner, huh?” We weakly laughed, and I threw myself on him, even if he was covered in soot. The fire raged behind us, but other ponies were already working to put it out.

“Twilight, we thought we’d reserve a room here tonight for you and Flash. Just an overnight stay, you can return to Canterlot tomorrow,” said Fluttershy, heaving me upwards. “Sorry, Flash, I just don’t want her to get too dirty.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” he said, getting up slowly. “And if we could get there quickly? I feel like I just rolled in mud and let it dry. Then ran fifty miles.”

When we got there, the pony at the desk looked rather startled to see a Princess and a Guard show up, one covered in ash and the other clean. He gave us our room key and number, and we quickly went. Flash just went right into the bathroom and turned the shower on, but I decided to go out on the balcony. It feels so good to just be like a normal pony again.

I watched the sunset, thankfully not blocked by the smoke, until Flash came up beside me, smelling like cheap hotel soap. Because that’s what he used to shower, doofus. He wrapped a wing around me and I cozied up to his side. “Wow. That is one hell of a sunset, huh?”

“Yeah, it really is,” I said, resting my head on Twilight’s shoulder. “I just wish my friends were here.”

“Who said we weren’t?” called Rainbow, who landed on the balcony. “You really shouldn’t talk so much.”

Fluttershy appeared a moment later. “Don’t worry. The others will be coming soon.”

We pulled up some chairs and sat down, Flash still by my side. We talked for a while about what the rest of my friends did after we took off towards the fire. “We were honestly stunned. Nothing like that had ever happened! Except for the small fire that somepony screamed about and called the fire department on, there wasn’t anything like that!”

“I guess we’ll have to wait for the paper to get out a story for it,” said Flash. “I was helping others escape the fire, and I just hope that nopony died.” We all nodded in grim agreement.

We went inside and played Cards Against Ponykind for a good fifteen minutes to try and forget all that happened today, from attempted murder to the fire. There was a knock on the door, and Pinkie said, “Uh, you guys in there?”

Flash opened the door, and the rest piled in. We kept playing cards until they all decided to go. Applejack had dropped off some pie when she came, so we quickly ate what we could. Flash flopped onto the bed lazily, and I fell right beside him. “You know, it isn’t all that bad. We finally have some alone time, you know.”

He nodded in understanding and looked at me. “I ought to get some sleep. It’s been a long day-” I cut him off by kissing him. He broke away after a little while and got under the covers. I had to follow him, because I was just as tired. When we got in bed, he kissed me. For once it wasn’t me. I gave in immediately, pressing my body against his. He wrapped his wings and arms around me, and I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly. The kiss deepened, and I put a hoof on his chest. I started to enjoy myself, just laying there in each other’s arms. Our relationship is far past gone from wiping away. I broke away slightly after a good ten minutes, and he also did, and I rolled over and curled up beside him, his wing still over me. “I love you, Flash Sentry, with all my heart.”

“And I love you with all my heart, Twilight Sparkle,” he said, kissing the back of my head. I snuggled up to him as much as I could, and fell fast asleep.

Flash:

Wow. Just… wow. I had my precious beauty sleeping beside me, curled up against me, and even said that she loved me. If anypony told me I’d be doing this a year ago, I would have asked them if they were mentally sane. Now, I’d bet a thousand bits that I would change nothing if given the chance.
For the first time in a while, I slept peacefully. No dreams, just emptiness. I guess I enjoyed that, in a way. It gave me a sense of comfort, and when I woke, I didn’t jump, wasn’t startled, wasn’t in a clammy cold sweat. It was almost eleven in the morning. Well, we ought to get up. But… might just be best to let Twilight rest. I just stayed where I was, my wing still wrapped around her, her back to me. I settled in further, enjoying Twilight’s warmth.

Celestia damnit, Flash, you know better! This is against the law in such immense ways! Why don’t you just give up on her? You know it never truly will work! You’ll never be able to marry her, you won’t have kids, you both know that if you’re caught together like this, they’ll kill you and completely blow it over with her!
I almost cried at the thought. But why can’t I love her? I know it’s completely against the law, but it’s not like it’s that bad. There are some ponies who have done far worse and have been fine. And I can’t just give up on her. It’d break her poor heart! My heart won over my head for once, probably because my mind wasn’t working for the past couple times this has happened. Because, well, I just went along with it.

Twilight started to wake, startled by me presence. It typically takes her a while to get her bearings when she wakes, and it’s normally funny. “Wha- Flash, what’re you doing here?” the memory dawned on her. “Oh, right. Sorry.”

I looked down at her softly and nuzzled her. “No worries, Twilight. I kind of got used to it,” I said, and she blushed.

“Just a… habit, really. I used to do it all the time, but it’s kind of going away,” she said, turning to face me. “I guess it’s not, actually.”

She kissed me, and was about to end it, but I kept her there. She looked startled, but stayed, letting me stroke her mane as she put a hoof on my chest. Third time now, I thought to myself. I used to think it was young love, but I could argue that we do truly have something. Truly.

She pulled away, but I didn’t bother to stop her this time. “Well, we ought to get up and moving,” she said, and gasped and turned around. “Why didn’t you get me up earlier? You know I wanted to get a head start on today! Celestia almighty Flash, you even-” I cut her off sharply, putting a hoof on her lips.

“Twilight, I didn’t get you up because I knew you needed sleep,” she shook her head rapidly. “You and I both know it! You haven’t slept peacefully in a while!” I said, my voice rising a little. My eyes widened in surprise and fear. “I-I… I’m sorry, Twilight.”

She looked away slightly. “No, it’s okay, Flash. I guess I was being a little… harsh, to put it? I mean, you are right,” she said, looking at me. I averted my gaze quickly, and she grabbed me by the chin and made me look at her. “But, please, don’t yell at me for something like that again. Okay?”

I nodded quickly, kissed her on the cheek, and slid off the bed. I went to go wash my armor off, but somepony had already cleaned it. How could I forget about room service! But, then again, they wouldn’t have seen us. I put on my armor and Twilight walked out, her mane brushed and flowing. “You look amazing, Twilight.”

You look quite dashing in that armor yourself, Flash,” she said, pressing her flank against mine. “Ready to go back?”

“Yep. Got everything ready. You?” I asked. “Oh, and, remember the visit to the Crystal Kingdom, better check with Celestia and Luna,” I added quickly, and she face hoofed.

“I can’t believe I forgot! Thanks for reminding me!” she said as we walked out.

When we got to the lobby, Rainbow and Rarity were waiting there for us. “So, how was your stay?” asked Rainbow. Twilight was about to respond when she said, “You don’t have to tell me. I checked on around nine, and you two were both asleep in each other’s arms. You’re just adorable together!”

Both Twilight and I blushed and Rarity glared at us, jealous and happy, but more so jealous. She gave a strained smile, and we walked out. “The rest are waiting at the station,” was all she said.

We turned to leave when a pony ran up to the door. “Princess Twilight! I just wanted to see you before you left! I thought I would just try and meet you!”

She looked rather dumbfounded as he rambled on, clearly just wanting her to go with him “Look, my family just wants to meet you before you leave! We can just go through the alley, it won’t take long, I swear!” he said quickly, half dragging her out.

I almost grabbed her, but she just shook her head. “I’ll be fine, Flash. I’ll be back in a second.” but I followed her out anyways, taking to the air. I kept an eye on them, when he suddenly took out a knife, and it looked like he was trying to rape her. SHIT!!

I flew down, slamming my rear hooves into his head as he advanced on her. He tried to stab me, but I dodged quickly. He screamed in rage and ran at me, when suddenly, the knife inches from my face, he was blown aside by Twilight’s magic. She looked hollow and scared out of her mind, and the sudden realization came to me that she killed him. She fell over on her side, weeping in fear. More shapes advanced on her, but I grabbed her and flew her out. They shouted in rage and threw objects at us, and when we were safely above them did we go to the train station.

“Oh… Celestia, what… h-happened?!” she said, crying into my shoulder on the way back. “He was a-about to… well, y-you obviously, kn-know, a-and then… I wasn’t th-thinking and k-killed him!”

When we got there, her friends were staring rather stupidly as we flew down. When I put Twilight on the ground, Rainbow tackled me, half-choking me. “What in the fuck just happened? I swear, if you had anything to do with you, I’ll kick your goddamn ass farther that Saddle-Arabia and deeper than Tartarus!” she said, shoving me against the floor every time she swore. Other ponies gathered and stared awkwardly as the Elements of Harmony, one being a Princess, and a Guard were all in a confrontation.

“Look, I… don’t really know. I tried to stop her! I did what I could, okay? Not everyone breaks the sound barrier with their flight!” I shouted, Rainbow letting me up.

“You and I both know I go much faster than-” I cut her off angrily.

“What else would you have fucking done, huh? Let her be raped, murdered, and dragged down a dusty alleyway to become a motherfucking sex-slave? Would you have just let the shitbag have his way? Would you have been brave enough to stare death in the face? Huh? Answer me, fucking damnit!” I shouted furiously, and when she looked away crying, I continued. “Being a Guard isn’t easy, okay? It’s not moping around somepony, protecting them with a simple weapon, it isn’t sitting by a door all day! No! It is nothing close to that! Constant awareness, always looking behind your goddamn back, reacting to the slightest of sound and movement! You don’t have a fucking clue! I nearly died! Twice now, and so did Twilight! How many times must I be tested, prove myself to you and your friends that I can take care of Twilight? How many motherfucking times?! A thousand? Because I’ve been in the Guard for over five years, and you won’t stop pestering me because you think I’ll be soft, I’ll get her hurt, when none of it is her or my fault! I can’t manage her life, and neither can she manage mine! We just roll with it, damnit! Because Celestia fucking almighty, I won’t ever be fucking good enough for you guys!”

The ponies gathered around looked shocked by my statement, and Twilight’s friends stared at me in shock. Fluttershy, Rainbow and Rarity were sobbing hysterically, half-accepting what I said, Applejack looked about ready to kick me in the face, and Pinkie was trying to comfort Twilight. “Neither of you suspected a thing! I’m not paranoid, I just know a fucking liar and a cheat when I see it! I’ve dealt in those situations way too many times, even for a Guard! Twilight could be in a fucking ditch right now, if I hadn’t gone with her, even against her wishes, because I know what’s best when it comes to that! He said ‘shortcut in alleyway’ and I knew what he was planning, because that what all those shits say! A ‘shortcut’! Not a little path, not the road, but an alleyway, for Celestia’s sake! I’m not angry with Twilight, or with any of you, I’m just angry with myself! With every other evil-doing pony out there who thinks they can get away with whatever the hell they want!”

Somepony stepped to my side, a sorrowful look in his eyes. “I know how you feel. I lost my sister to one of those… well, I-I can’t say it,” he said, looking away, tearing up, biting his lower lip.

The expressions ranged widely, from sobbing in agreement and understanding, shock at the pure and honest truth, hatred for a pissy Guard who just made everypony feel awful, and nothingness from those whose mental thoughts just imploded and could only stand there.

“Look, I’m sorry, but I needed to say that. Don’t think of me as a bad Guard, but of one who’s opinion had to be stated, one who’s thoughts had to be shared, because the world has a dark reality that we need to be aware of. Mark my words, everypony, because it’s true,” I finished. I walked over to Twilight, who flinched when I approached

“Twilight, we ought to go,” I said, trying to get her to her feet. She didn’t budge. “Twilight, this isn’t your fault. It’s mine, okay? Nopony else’s. Just me, and me alone. Never, ever blame yourself for this.”

She was still sobbing when she hugged me. Everypony else gasped. “Th-Thank you, Flash,” was all she whispered before she kissed my cheek.

“You’re very welcome, Twilight,” was all I could say. “Everypony, please, clear a path for the Princess? We need to board quickly,” was all I said, and they quickly made a path to the nearest door. All her friends followed her onto the train.

We got to a lounge compartment, thankfully deserted. I was about to go in with the rest of them when Applejack spun around, an angry look on her face. “You. Stay. Out. Here.”

Twilight called from the car, “He can come in, Applejack.”

Twilight sat alone on a loveseat, leaving a spot for me. Everyone was tense when I sat down, so when I relaxed, so did they. “What happened, dear?” asked Rarity, leaning forward with interest.

“Could we wait a little bit? I definitely don’t want to talk about it,” I said, wrapping a wing around Twilight, who buried her face into my shoulder. “And she doesn’t want to relive it.”

Fluttershy smiled sadly. “Flash, I don’t believe it’s your fault. Neither do Pinkie or Rarity, okay? You’re fine with us.”

Rainbow spoke up, glaring at me. “You better have a mighty damn fine good story, or I’ll kick your ass-”

“Farther than Saddle-Arabia and deeper than Tartarus,” I finished, sighing. “Can we just not talk for a minute?”

Applejack spoke up. “Las’ thing said now. I trus’ yeh, but I don’ like yeh. If you don’ have a good reason, I’ll buck you harder than I do to an apple tree.”

I nodded, resting my head on Twilight’s. She nuzzled me and sighed, still crying into my shoulder, just not as hard. We sat in silence for a good ten minutes, and Fluttershy squeezed in, rubbing Twilight’s shoulder. When she stopped crying, Fluttershy went back to her original seat, and Twilight said, “Okay. Flash can tell his side of the story.”

I nodded, and started. “So, a random pony came in, asking to talk to Twilight. He was practically dragging her out when she complied, but I held her back because I had my suspicions. She told me not to follow, but I did anyways, because I expected him to try something. I was right, and he pulled out a knife, threatening to rape her.

“I immediately flew down in him, driving my legs into his skull. It didn’t deter him, and he swung wildly at my chest. He then almost impaled my skull when Twilight killed him using her magic. I flew her out as other ponies emerged from their hiding places, and then you know the rest,” I said, letting the words sink in. Rainbow and Applejack looked shocked, Fluttershy was starting to cry, Pinkie’s jaw almost dropped to the floor, literally, and Rarity walked over.

“Look, Flash, we’re sorry we beat on you,” said Rainbow. “We just didn’t know what your story was.”

Applejack nodded, not willing to meet my gaze. Usually defiant. Now, it seems all her pride is gone, shocked by what happened. “Look, Flash, dear, we understand you were only doing what’s best. And we agree. But we’d like to hear Twilight’s explanation-”

“It was how Flash described it, word-for-word. I just… wished that I stayed back,” was all she said, resting her head on my shoulder. “Just lay off him, okay? I know he said it wasn’t my fault-” I opened my mouth to object, but she covered it. “But, really, part of it was. I was naive enough to follow him. I’m sorry, everypony.”

The nodded in acceptance. These are really good friends. “Whatever I can do to make it up to you all, I will,” I said, rubbing Twilight’s shoulder. “Seriously.”

Rainbow shrugged casually. “Look, you did just save her life, so… maybe just look after her a little more?”

I nodded. “That’s what I strive for,” I said and sighed wearily. “And it’s almost never possible.”

They all stared at me intently. “But… whatever do you mean?” asked Fluttershy quietly. “If you don’t… you know, want to talk about it, then it’s fine,” she added, looking down at the ground. I got up, and Twilight tried to hold me back.

“No, I… ought to tell you all,” I said. “Don’t worry, it won’t take long. So…” I said, walking away to face them all. “I once was a gate Guard, but you also patrol the streets. And… well… one day, a shady-looking mare seduced a stallion into following her, and I followed them. When I arrived to the crime, he was being held with the knife blade up to his throat. I bucked her right in muzzle as I flew at her, but not until she slit his throat slightly. Blood had swelled lightly, but he fell over quickly in pain. I kicked the knife out of her hooves and caught it mid-air, and slammed the blade hilt-deep into her throat. She said to me, ‘You have only killed a useless pony, best to let me go anyways’ before she twitched and fell over. I walked over to the stallion, who struggled to get up, so I helped him up, but he didn’t want to move. I put him on my back and flew him to a medic, but his life was hanging on thinner than a guitar string. When I put him down, they immediately treated him, but he grew paranoid, and the same pony tried to commit suicide a couple years later.”

Everypony looked shocked. It was kind of a happy ending, but he did become an emotionless shell at best, because he was one of the goody two-hooves ponies who believed the world was right, and the lies were fed to him with a spoon.

“That’s just… awful, really. I jus’ wished it could’ve turned out better fer ‘im” said Applejack, looking at the ground.

I nodded and sat back down with Twilight, and Rarity looked sad this time, for a change. Not envy, not hatred, not a look of sheer horror, but sorrowful. “You two have suffered enough, and, so, I think we can all agree that we need to lay off Flash for a while.” All of Twilight’s friends nodded in agreement, and I sighed in relief. Just need to convince Shining I can truly take care of her. Oh… right. We’re visiting him anyways!
I looked down at Twilight, who looked up at me. We made a silent agreement. Whatever we have, we will stay together through anything. Stay loyal to whomever outlives the other. Wait for them quietly. For love is eternal, and the bond between two ponies is unbreakable. Even if it wears down, and is holding on a string, neither cause it to break, but outside forces. “So, Flash, what’re we gonna do when we get back?” asked Twilight quietly, quiet enough so her friends couldn’t hear.

“Well, we ought to pack for the trip. Assuming I’ll still be guarding you,” I said awkwardly as she put a hoof on my leg. “And, uh… I… um…”

She giggled. “Making you uncomfortable, Flash?” I nodded quickly, and she kissed my cheek. “Don’t worry about it. I can arrange you to be my Guard. Would probably be rather boring with most other Guards.”

I chuckled. “Most are like trying to talk to a wall, huh? I know, I’ve spent enough time in the Guard.”

She nuzzled me, smiling. “It won’t be the same again for us, huh? After this trip, I might not trust anypony again,” she said, looking at the floor.

“Twilight, I’m fine, and I’ve experienced things like this plenty of times. So you have no need to worry,” I said, stroking her mane. “It’ll be fine, Twilight. Don’t worry.”

She sighed, her head resting on my shoulder. “I’m not sure, Flash. I put too much trust in others, and it’s a good thing for Royalty, and ponies I know I can trust, like you. But… I guess I should be more careful in public, huh?” I nodded.

“We’re still here, you know!” said Rainbow, looking rather annoyed, but had a humorous gleam in her eyes. “Seriously, do you forget about us?”

“No, Rainbow. We just… really needed to say that now. Before we forget,” said Twilight quickly, blushing.

“Ugh. Mushy, really. Well, we still got about three hours, so whaddya wanna do?” asked Pinkie Pie, and Applejack pulled out Cards Against Ponykind. We all laughed as she set it up, and we played for a good two hours.

We were truly enjoying ourselves, but then a pony rushed in, his face was filled with shock. “Uh, Mr. Guard? There is a, um… slight problem that-”

“What is it?” I sighed, cutting him off.

He looked at me and said quickly, “There’s somepony with a knife.”

I sighed louder than last time. “Can’t I get a goddamn break?”

He ran out and I followed him, and sure enough, there was an attacker. He looked over at me, his face screwed up with rage, his eyes ablaze with fury. “This bitch cheated on me!” he screamed and charged at me. I dodged it by an inch, and he turned around and stabbed my exposed flank. I grunted in pain and kicked the knife out of his hoof as he pulled it out, using the same trick I described earlier today, and grabbed it mid-air and slammed it hilt-deep into his throat. He choked wetly on his own blood and fell over, breathing roughly for a second, before he went slack and died. The crowd cheered slightly, thanking me, and I got dizzy, probably from blood loss. What is with all these ponies coming out of the dark all of a sudden? The crime rate was so much lower just a month ago!
I stumbled back to the car I was in originally, losing the adrenaline, almost passing out at the door. I bumped into it loudly, leaning against it. My vision was dimming slowly as Fluttershy opened the door. She gasped sharply and caught me as I fell over. “Not… medic… here,” was all I could say, even if weakly.

Rarity and Applejack started to immediately take over the care for me, pressing wads of tissue over the wound. Needs stitches, I thought to myself. When the bleeding slowed Twilight walked behind me, flopped on her side down, and wrapped her wing around me. She was crying into my neck. My vision was brightening, and the details became sharper. The carpet was slightly stained with blood. Rainbow had a tear streak her face, Pinkie was sent into absolute shock, Fluttershy was sitting down near my head, stroking my mane, also crying in pity. Applejack and Rarity both thanked me, and they both shed at least one tear. Twilight was still crying into my neck, thanking me many, many times. A stallion surrounded by mares. One’s my marefriend, the others are already my friends, and they all care about me, surrounding me, crying. This could be a scene from a medieval painting. Funny.
My wound was still stinging. But I didn’t care. It was the least of my worries. By far. How was I going to get all the way to the castle? How long would it take to heal? Would I be fit to be Twilight’s Guard? No, no, no! This cannot be happening!
Damnit. I might have to talk to that Time Lord, if he’s there. I’d owe him plenty of favors, but I just needed his healing powers again. Just this once more. But I know I’ll need it sooner than later after this. When the train pulled into the station, a squadron of Guards rushed in to find everypony where they were an hour ago. They escorted Twilight’s friends and Twilight herself, and two Guards picked me up gently. “Well, Flash, it’s good to see you again!” said one of them cheerfully. “We missed you here!”

“Y-You did?” I responded weakly.

He scoffed. “Of course! You’re one of the best, you’re social, and you always work with us! How could we not miss you!” he exclaimed, and the mare chuckled.

“Well, he is good, and good looking. But… I’m not exactly interested in stallions,” she said, kind of matter-of-factly. “Yes, I’m gay. Get over it.”

“No, I wasn’t thinking that! I-I don’t judge!” I said quickly. “And, uh, what’re your names?”

The stallion laughed. “I’m Dawning Star, three years served, Sir!” he said officially.

“At ease, at ease,” I laughed. “Don’t act so formal with me, it’s alright.”

The mare tousled my mane weakly. “My name’s Sunset Sky. Served for three years now as well. Nice to meet you!”

I chuckled, and we became friends like that. “Hope I see you around soon!” I called as they dropped me off at the castle hospital. They both waved back and talked between themselves as they trotted away, shoving each other in a friendly way.

They put me on a stretcher and wheeled me to a room where a Time Lord was waiting. “Yes, I can read minds too, no you don’t owe me a favor, and yes, I’ll fix you,” was all he said before his horn lit up the room brightly again, and when I opened my eyes, the wound was fixed. “Try not to get wounded like that again, alright? I can’t always be fixing you up,” he said lightly, laughing slightly. I nodded, smiling.

I was able to leave an hour later, after running blood tests and physicals, and I walked out slowly, trying to spot the Time Lord, when Sunset Sky and Dawning Star ran up to me. “Oh, hey! Thought we’d take you down to a nightclub in Canterlot, let you catch a break!” said Sunset quickly, while Dawning tried to catch his breath.

“We… got… money, drinks are on us,” said Dawning, still trying to catch his breath. I laughed.

“Yeah, I’ll come. I really ought to. I just want to talk to the Captain and Twilight before I leave,” I said, walking to my room. “Just want to put on some nice clothes.”

They left me, and while I was changing, I thought to myself, Things might be looking up tonight, for once, and walked out after running a brush through my mane. I stopped by the Captain’s room first, knocking before I entered. He was at his desk, filling out a piece of paper, when he looked at me. “Flash, good boy, how you been?”

“Not well, Captain. Not well at all,” I said darkly, and I guess I killed his mood.

“Damn, Flash. You okay now?” I nodded. “Yes, I heard you suffered a wound earlier today?” I nodded again.

“Yes, Captain. But it wasn’t the only thing that happened. The Princess was close to rape and murder before that, and two other incidents occurred while we were away. Both were not fun. One was a fire, in which I did suffer from clogged lungs with ash, and the other was a second murder attempt,” I said slowly, and the Captain shook his head sadly.

“Flash, I understand, but… are you sure she was going to be, well, you know….” he trailed off and caught himself again. “How’d you know?”

“I followed her after she told me not to follow, but I knew he was trying something. He was killed by her after I intervened,” I said quickly.

He shook his head sadly. “Under normal circumstances, I would have asked you respect the Princess’ orders. But… you did save her life, and that is of more importance in this matter, so I’m letting you off the hook.”

I nodded, and was about to leave when he called me back. “Do tell me one more thing. Are you and Twilight still together?” I nodded slowly and unsurely, and he laughed. “Oh, splendid! I truly am happy for you, Flash, because you both deserve each other.”

“Thank you, Captain. And, uh, Twilight was going to take a month-long leave to the Crystal Kingdom, and I thought I would still guard her,” I said, still unsure of myself. “I know I am Captain, but… well… she did want me to come with her.”

He nodded slowly. “Yes, Flash, I understand. I will let you take leave, but when you get back, I need all the help I can get. Alright?” he asked, and I agreed to his terms. He sent me off, and I went straight for Twilight’s room. I heard a fight inside, and when I opened the door, Twilight and Celestia were facing each other.

“What do you mean, ‘I have been away for too long?’ Why not a goddamn ‘Oh, Twilight, of course! You suffered!’ or ‘I’m sorry Twilight, take some time off!’ Not a… a… blunt statement about my absence?” she shouted in distress.

“You know perfectly well why, Twilight! Don’t argue with… oh,” said Celestia, seeing me standing in the doorway.

“The Princess could always use a little bit of time to study, hm? I mean, the Crystal Kingdom has plenty of books! Whatever is going on-” I was cut off by Celestia, who raised a hoof.

“You have no idea what’s going on here, Guard,” she sneered, and that’s when I saw the bloodshot veins and bags under her eyes. “You don’t have a clue!”

I approached her slowly. “You clearly need rest, Princess. Let your mind clear,” I said softly, staring her in the eyes. Twilight gawked at my disrespect, but I didn’t have a choice. “Twilight was like this earlier, defiant and stubborn about what she and others needed. So, I’m just speaking from experience.”

She huffed and stomped her hooves. “Alright, I guess I ought to sleep. Twilight, you may take leave, but I expect you to be studying while you’re away,” she said as she walked out.

She was clearly trying to hide her joy. “Thanks you, Celestia. You know I will!”

I turned to her. “So… I was going to a nightclub with some of my friends, I just had to check in with you first to make sure you were okay with it,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. She smiled warmly.

“Go ahead, Flash. Just don’t let anypony else get to you, if you know what I mean,” said Twilight, bumping my shoulder. “But go have fun! You deserve it!”

I nodded in thanks and kissed her cheek, making her blush. I trotted out, catching up with my friends at the gate. “You guys ready?”

“Better late than never. We’ll be back by nine, if that’s okay?” said Dawning as we walked over. “It’s about seven, and we’ll get there by seven-fifteen, so we got plenty of time to mingle!”

We started to jog lightly, and by the time we got there, there was a small line. The stallion letting ponies in was big and muscled, perfect fit for the job. When we approached, Sunset handed the three tickets. “First drink free if you bring a friend!” she said happily as we darted inside. The live music was being played by a group of seven ponies; three Earth ponies, two pegasi and two unicorns. They were playing some fast rock music. The pegasi covered guitars, playing chords with their hooves and wings, two of the three Earth ponies singing, a stallion’s and a mare’s voice, making it swell with feeling, the third on the drums, and the unicorns were covering keyboards They were an excellent group.

I walked up to the bar and called for a pint of the local brew. “Three bits, sir,” said the bar pony, washing out a glass. I dropped three on the countertop as he slid my drink down, and I sipped at it. Dark, hearty, and sweet, with a hint of bitterness. Damn. Gotta get a pack of these next time I’m out!

“What’s the company’s name?” I asked.

“Three Hooves and Hearts. Right here in Canterlot,” was all he said, looking down at the ground. I nodded, making a mental note.

I finished the glass and bumped into a pony I recognized. “Wait, Juniper Sky?” I asked incredulously. He turned around and smiled

“Flash! It’s good to see you again!” he said, shaking my hoof. “And, well, you may be wondering why I’m here! I was just coming in to listen to Seven Angel Hooves, the band performing tonight. They are excellent, really.”

I was shook with surprise. “You like rock music?” he nodded. “Damn. I do enjoy it, but… I never would think you’d like it!”

He chuckled heartily. “Yes, it surprises most. My wife thinks little of it, she enjoys it, rather.”

“Well then, I probably should follow you. I guess I should have a listen as well,” I said, following him to the edge of the crowd, most ponies in it swaying to the beat. We listened to a good ten songs before Sunset came running up to me. “We need to go. Dawning is on his fifth shot of whiskey, and we ought to get him back to the castle.”

I nodded sadly. “We should. See you around, Juniper!” I called over the noise as we walked away, and we saw Dawning sitting on a couch with other ponies, joking openly. He threw back his liquor as we got there, and when he stood up, he looked rather woozy. “I’m fine, I swears!” he said in a slurred speech as we picked him up and took him out.

A mare walked up to us and stopped us at the door. “Just let him be! He’s enjoying himself!” she said sternly.

“He’s got duties tomorrow, and we shouldn’t let this distract him, okay?” I said, turning to leave but she stopped us again.

“And who the hell do you think you are?” she said angrily, putting her face right in front of mine. Ber breath smelled like cheap beer. “Think you can just take him away from me? Just like my previous love?”

“Look, we aren’t taking him away. Hell, come and visit him sometime, but he shouldn’t get booted from the Guard because he had a hangover, alright?” said Sunset, backing away to the exit. She gave a look of anger, but she completely understood. “Just talk to the gate Guards, okay? He’ll be able to stop down.”

I thought quickly. She was a pegasus, and so was Dawning, so it wasn’t illegal. It was fine, as far as I’m aware. It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s fine, was all that was going through my head. We took off towards the castle, and as we flew in a window, a squadron of Guards rushed up to us. “Walk no further!”

I stared at them blankly. “The fuck is going on?”

“The Princess has requested you three locked up!” said a different Guard. “Now, Captain, why would you be locked up?”

I stared blankly still, my face starting to sweat. “I have zero clues. Now, look, there’s a good reason for this, is there not?” I said, and he pinned me against the floor. “Come on ponies, what is this for?”

Strong Wind rushed up behind them “What in the holy hell is this bullshit? They have done nothing wrong,” he said sternly. “Now, just back off, or-” they morphed into normal ponies, one using their magic to conceal themselves.

“We snuck in here. Thought it’d give y’all a good scare!” said one, giggling, and the rest followed suit. Strong Wind pinned the one who spoke against the wall.

“Never, and I do mean never, do that again. That is seriously beyond your imagination, and I’ll let you all go, as long as you promise you won’t pull anything like that again,” he said, looking him in the eyes. He nodded quickly, and he escorted them out.

“Well, that was random. If you could take Dawning to his room, please? I need to check in on the Princess,” I said, looking between Sunset and Dawning.

“No problem, Flash. You do you,” she said smiling, pulling Dawning up to his feet as he complained. They walked away slowly, laughing. I slowly walked away as well, back to Twilight’s chambers. When I got there, she tackled me as soon as she walked in. “What happened? You didn’t cheat on me, did you? Did you meet anyone who had a-” I cut her off with a kiss.

“Mmph,” was all she managed and pulled away quickly, blushing. “I’m serious, Flash. Anypony get to you?” I shook me head and she hugged me, sighing. “Thank you, Flash.”

I nodded and got back up. “I’ll see you later, okay? I need to hang this back up, and I’ll see you at the station at noon, alright?” She nodded, and I walked out, this time, she didn’t stop me. I bumped into Sunset outside, trying to hide a smile. “What’re you and the Princess doing?”

I blushed and stuttered excessively, and she burst out laughing. “Oh, Flash, good! She is mighty fine, huh?” I begged her to not tell anypony, and she nodded, laughing. “Come on Flash. You know I’m gay, and you haven’t told anypony. Why would I tell anypony about you and the Princess?”

I thanked her and went off to my room, hanging up my dress next to my armor, and flopped down on the bed. Got a month in the Crystal Kingdom, ruled by the Princess of Love. Absolutely perfect, I thought to myself, smiling. This is just perfect, really. I fell asleep, tired from today, from the previous day, from all the confrontations. I slept fine, and when I woke up, Twilight was staring down at me. “It’s almost ten, Flash.”

Author's Note:

I apologize for anything missed in this in a literary sense. I'm not going over it a third time, because halfway through the first two, the page froze and made me reload. Not my fault! And, wow, 12K words. Damn. Sorry about not pushing this out when I planned, too busy.