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Chapter 1: Morning, Sunshine6,590 words
Chapter 2: Meeting the Sparkles Part 14,956 words
Chapter 3: Meeting the Sparkles Part 26,717 words
Chapter 4: Meeting the Sentrys Part 111,620 words
Chapter 5: Meeting the Sentrys Part 216,829 words
Chapter 6: Meeting the Sentrys Part 312,839 words

Chapter 1: Morning, Sunshine

“OWOWOWOWOWEAREAREAREAREAREAREAR!” Flash cried in shock as he was suddenly and PAINFULLY awoken from his slumber due to a severe case of being pulled up off the bed by his ear!

He knew he took the trash out last night! He checked!

“EEP!” a startled voice cried, and Flash’s ear was immediately released, allowing him to plop back down on the bed and clutch his now likely-slightly-longer lobe.

Owowowowowowooowwwwwwwwwwwww! Whyyyyyy…Wasn’t getting slammed into the wall yesterday – MULTIPLE TIMES – enough punishment? Wait…or was that two days ago? What day is it today? And why was I dreaming about taking the trash out?

Blinking the tears of pain from his eyes, Flash rolled over onto his back and took a quick twenty-second look around. He was NOT in HIS bed, but was instead lying in a much larger, fancier, and comfier bed. The walls weren’t made of crystal, and a nearby desk was absolutely COVERED in books, which meant he was in Canterlot Castle. Specifically, in the room Twilight used whenever they stayed here for princessly or not-quite-as-princessly reasons.

And speaking of said lovely angel to whom this room belonged, Twilight was currently sitting on the bed next to him, her eyes incredibly wide and her face bright cherry red as she stammered helplessly, trying to form words and only managing to squeak adorably.

She was ALSO still wearing her dress from the night before while he was still wearing his suit, minus the black jacket that went over his once-nice-but-now-really-wrinkled-shirt.

Ok. Ok…I feel calmer now. Not in the middle of a battle. Not being scolded by Mom for not taking the trash out. Just Twilight trying to eat my ear in her sleep then getting startled awake and sitting up without letting go of it…I think.

No problem. Noooo problem.

He remembered what happened now. Twilight had fallen asleep as he was trying to be romantic, and had then absolutely REFUSED to let go of her living, squirming teddy bear, so he had been forced to sleep in her room as he was too worn out to carry her back to his room instead.

Probably best if he told her that before she got the wrong idea.

With a slight groan, he sat up and gave his wings a quick stretch, getting the blood flowing after a good nights sleep and preparing to hug Twilight. Something he was sure she needed seeing as she immediately tried to back up when he moved.

Looking closer, he saw that Twilight’s eyes were still a little glazed over, implying that she was still trying to wake up, and her wings were still stuck outwards in the ‘I’m surprised but still ok’ position. They weren’t not yet in the ‘I’M TERRIFIED AND AFRAID!’ position, a subtle difference in the feather alignment and wing angle Flash had learned over the years.

Given how this was the first time the two of them had ever shared a bed and that she likely had no idea how they ended up in her room in the first place, Flash was willing to bet that, based on all these cues, she was just REALLY confused about what happened and why he didn’t leave last night.

Best clear this up them.

Flash skillfully used his extended wings to warp around her in a hug while simultaneously lifting his hoof to gently silence her adorable squeaking. Her gloriously beautiful amethyst eyes met his…

No, focus. You can be distracted by her beauty later.

“You fell asleep in the garden,” Flash said gently, feeling his own cheeks glow ever so slightly. “Right before I started getting romantic. So I brought you back here, and then I went to sleep too. Nothing else happened.”

Ok, her breathing was a bit slower now and her face wasn’t quite as red, so good progress so far.

“B-But why are we BOTH here!?” Twilight stammered as Flash removed his hoof. “W-Why didn’t you g-go back to your room?” She looked away shyly.

Flash smirked. “Well, I was going to, but SOMEPONY didn’t want me to leave,” he teased. “I only made it halfway to the door, twice, before being magically yanked back to the bed by my tail. The second time said yanker decided to use my flank as her pillow.” That earned a spluttering reply from Twilight and Flash had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. “Though I thought that might just be TOO awkward, so I turned myself around and let her be the big spoon this time.”

Oh, poor Twilight. Even after five years of being together and two days of being engaged, she just couldn’t quite handle his teasing this early in the morning and looked like she wanted to sink through the bed and floor as she buried herself her large fluffy wings. That, or she was even sleepier than he thought and just didn’t have the mental capacity to react to his flirting or to try and outsmart him via counter-flirting.

Well, he’d best wake her up then.

Bending down and nuzzling through the protective shield her wings provided, Flash found her face and attacked her lips with his own before she could try for a strategic retreat. The epic battle was over in one hit.

“Mmmmmmmm…” Twilight hummed, her resistance and flustered demeanor melting away as her body relaxed and she allowed Flash to pull her to his chest. He held the kiss for a few more seconds before releasing, earning a relaxed smile from his fiancée.

Fiancée.

I reeeeeaaaaaallllllly like calling her that. It’s just so…right.

Focus…

And then her stomach rumbled loudly, causing her to blush to return with a VENGEANCE.

Flash knew what that meant.

“Food time?” he asked, raising a playful eyebrow.

“Yes, definitely food time,” Twilight agreed. “Or at least it will be once I get out of this dress.”

Ah, good point. He had been wearing his suit for at least twelve hours now if the clock on the wall was right. It would be nice to hold her without it in the way.

But first, maybe a liiiiiittle more teasing…

“But I just proposed two days ago! We aren’t even married yet and you’re already undressing in front of me?” Flash gasped in mock horror that would do Rarity proud. An annoyed alicorn wing lightly swatted the back of the head.

“Quiet, you,” Twilight said with a mock glare. “We both know neither of us even wear clothes ninety-five percent of the time. So no Sassy Flash, otherwise we’ll just have to see what Rarity thinks of your little comment.”

“You wouldn’t do that to me. You love me too much!” Flash said, raising an eyebrow confidently with that trademark grin of his.

“Try me,” Twilight said, winking as she gave his nose a little flick with her tail. She slipped off the bed and walked towards the bathroom. Well, actually, walking was a generous term as she was basically sauntering towards the bathroom with her hips and tail swaying from side to side in a way that was practically hypnotizing. Especially with that dress…

Wow…Was the only semi-coherent thought that entered his mind until the bathroom door closed behind her. Blinking, Flash shook his head to clear it.

Did she do that on purpose? Was she teasing me? Honestly, given how she has only ever done that for me three other times, I can’t tell. Maybe it’s the dress. She DOES have a habit of walking differently when wearing dresses, especially when I’m the only one watching. Like during that one mini fashion show Rarity convinced her and the girls to do in the boutique before the Gala last year. The way the dress perfectly hugged her body and—

Focus…You still need to get out of your suit.

…Still, I suppose I should be grateful she never tries that in public. If she ever did, I would be in serious trouble. And not just from all the lampposts I would walk into while distracted.

Then again, it’s not like I would complain if she did that more often. Maybe she will now that we’re engaged.

Engaged. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Ok, seriously, focus Flash. Twilight will still be just as eye-catching later. Focus on getting ready for the day. And maybe tone down the teasing juuuuuuust a tad in the off chance that she is actually threatening to sic Rarity on you again. Given the two kidnappings she’s already perpetrated, it’s best not to wind that unicorn up any more than the future wedding already is. Both of you really need a nice, calm day off anyway.

Hopping off the bed, Flash made his way to the closet. Since Twilight didn’t live here full-time anymore, there were only a few hangers inside, so he had plenty of room to hang up his clothes. By the time he was done, Twilight had emerged from the bathroom, her dress hanging in her magic. Her mane had been combed to her usual style rather that ‘frizzy bed head’ and her coat had received a quick brushing.

Grabbing a hanger with his wing, Flash tossed it in a lazy arc to his lovely princess, who caught it, hung her dress on it, then deftly tossed it back, the dress landing perfectly in the closet.

“You still need to teach me how to do that,” Flash said, stealing a quick kiss before lifting his wing in invitation. Twilight returned the kiss, before accepting his proposal and scooting under his wing happily.

“I’m sure I have some geometry and physics books that can help you.”

“No math, please.”

“Yes math. Math is fun!”

“Not for me.”

“Then I guess you’ll never learn how I do that then.”

“Mmmmmmmmmmmm.”

“No pouting. You can learn to do it when you at least learn geometry.”

“Math and epic three-point throws, or no math. Hmmmmm…No math it is,” Flash said cheerily, earning an eye roll from Twilight as they finally started to walk towards the door at a slow leisurely pace. “Now, math-related flirting aside, I just wanted to make sure you were ok with, well…”

“I don’t mind that we shared a bed,” Twilight said earnestly, her cheeks lighting up a bit at the mention of it. “We ARE engaged now, and it’s not like I haven’t fallen asleep on you a few times in the castle’s library. The bed is a little more intimate, but I…was actually going to ask you if we could start sharing a bed soon,” she added, looking down shyly. “Let’s just call last night an…involuntary trial run.”

“A comfy involuntary trial run?”

“Yes, a comfy involuntary trial run. You were very comfy, and after all the chaos these last two days, it was nice to have such a relaxing rest.” As she opened the door, her voice turned guilty. “Sorry about your ear.”

“It’s all right,” Flash said, stopping just outside their room and nuzzling the top her head lovingly. “A bit surprising, but it’s ok now. And certainly not enough for me to turn down your proposal for more nightly cuddles from now on,” he added, stealing another quick kiss. “Though it’s nice to know your sleeping brain apparently thinks my ear is tasty. What were you dreaming about anyway?”

“Pancakes. Just…mountains and mountains of pancakes,” Twilight said dreamily, smiling off at nothing.

“Food, huh? I’m surprised it wasn’t just mountains and mountains of books. If it weren’t for all the kisses, I might actually think you might like food and/or books more than you like me,” Flash joked.

“Never,” Twilight said, gifting him with another kiss as she closed the door to their room with a small click. “Now what was this about you being romantic after I fell asleep?” she asked as they started down the hallway.

Oh, here we go.

“Well…”

A few minutes later, at the dining hall…

“BAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH! HAHAHAHAHAH!” Twilight laughed hysterically, trying to control herself but failing horribly. “HEHEHEHE, I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but REALLY!? It took you until you finished you big speech to realize I had passed out almost ten minutes beforehoof!? And your only response was to moan up at Luna’s moon!?”

“Yes, yes, it’s hilarious,” Flash sighed, rolling his eyes and giving Twilight a quick little tickle with his wing. He couldn't deny that it was a rather funny moment in hindsight, but that didn’t mean that it also wasn't SUPER embarrassing too. Only he could have been so caught up in the moment that his fiancée passing out would have gone completely unnoticed.

Curse him for being such a shameless romantic.

“It really is,” she teased, giggling. “But I do appreciate the effort you went through to actually carry me all that way just so you could try and give me a romantic speech in the garden. I hope you remembered what you said too, because I would still love to hear it.”

Flash knew she was being genuine by the way she smiled and finally got her giggling to ease up. And also because it was Twilight. She was always super genuine, caring, friendly, loving, beautiful—

Focus…

And it’s a good thing she’s stopped giggling, as we’re now at the dining room and it’s pretty hard to eat when you’re uncontrollably laughing.

Well, unless you’re Pinkie Pie, who seems to be able to eat no matter what she is doing. Heck, she could probably eat while scuba diving.

Somehow.

“I’ll tell you later tonight then, provided you don’t fall asleep again,” Flash joked, earning a playful shove as the doors to the dining hall opened before them.

To his surprise and Twilight’s excessive amount of drool, the table was already stacked high with many, many plates of pancakes. There was also a large variety of syrups and toppings, including whipped cream, chocolate chips, a variety of berries, butter, and so much more.

Besides pancakes, there were a quite a few plates of waffles, two fruit bowls, a platter piled high with donuts, and a few jugs of water, milk, iced tea, and a massive pot of coffee. Sweet, sweet coffee, the gift from heaven itself and the only thing that could truly wake him up in the morning.

Save for Twilight, of course.

Still, he was surprised by just how MUCH there was. Sure, he had expected breakfast to be ready by now, but not THIS much breakfast. There was enough here for at least ten ponies. Or seven ponies and a starving Twilight. Maybe Celestia and Luna were just really hungry?

Speaking of whom, Celestia was sitting at the far end of the table eating a stack of at least seven pancakes enthusiastically. Luna was sitting next to Celestia, looking far more awake then she usually did this early in the morning, though Flash did wonder why she was eating a raw pineapple rather than pancakes or maybe donuts.

Especially considering that she hadn’t even bothered to remove the rind.

Eh, he’d seen Twilight swallow whole apples when she got hungry enough, and he distinctly remembered Cadence once getting a banana stuck up her nose while burying her head in a fruit bowl, so maybe weird eating habits were just an alicorn thing.

Though Cadence WAS pregnant at the time.

At least all the pancakes were currently on the table and not stuck on Twilight’s horn. THAT had been one funny breakfast.

“The happy couple arrives!” Luna proclaimed loudly, tossing the remains of her pineapple over her head to land perfectly into a trash can near the kitchen doors. Did ALL alicorns have the ability to throw things and always have them land in the right spot? That would be so unfair. “Pray tell, how went the rest of your date?”

“Great,” Flash said, smiling as they sat down. “At least until Twilight fell asleep on my back while I was trying to be romantic.” Twilight bumped him with her shoulder, glaring as Luna laughed uproariously. Celestia was far more restrained, simply smiling and giggling softly as she pulled another dozen pancakes in front of her.

Not to be outdone, Twilight pulled over a good three plates’ worth and dug in happily. As she inhaled her food like it was a fluffy gift from above, her magic added butter and syrup so deftly she didn’t even have to pause in her food rampage. Flash grinned at the display and decided to settle for a nice plate of waffles and a tall mug of coffee.

Best not to get between a hungry mare and her pancakes.

“Rage Shifting does tend to take a lot of magic,” Celestia said calmly, nodding at Twilight. “I can understand why she would be so tired, and I hope you both were able to rest comfortably.” She said, her smile widening ever so slightly.

But Flash could tell it was no longer a normal happy smile. After five years of being direct friends with the two of them, Flash had learned quite a lot about Celestia and Luna, and there was one look he knew better than all the others.

Despite all her practice in keeping her face calm and gentle, Flash could tell when Celestia got the look of a prankster. That special look she got when she was about to mess with somecreature, no matter how big or small. He recognized it instantly, which he should, seeing as it always showed up at least once whenever he and Twilight came to visit her.

He braced himself with a nice long sip of coffee, ready to counter whatever fastball of wit she threw at them.

Or at least TRY. He was bound to succeed one of these days in deflecting her teasing right back at her. Then SHE would be the one stammering helplessly and blushing for a change!

Please let today be the day that I can come up with a good comeback. Please.

“Though I DID hear a rumor circulating among the guards about how Flash entered your room, Twilight, but never came out. I certainly hoped he was behaving himself,” Celestia said with a predatory wink.

The universe did not heed his call.

Flash had been ready for a fastball. However, just like always, he had greatly underestimated her pitch as said fastball decided to do a complex series of loops and twist mid-air before smacking him right in the back of the head.

I, she, that, room, who, rumor, universe-hates-me, bed, derp, were the only thoughts that had survived the twisted wreck that used to be Flash's train of thought. Twilight faired no better than his helpless stammering as she immediately choked on her pancakes, coughing before grabbing the jug of milk and downing half of it in one go.

That was enough for him to try and get his brain back into order, if only to try and help Twilight.

But then Luna just had to go and make things WORSE.

“I quite agree, sister. I shudder to think of the scandal should it prove true that Twilight’s noble knight would take advantage of her in such a way.”

Her grin easily gave away the fact that she was joking, but it didn’t make this conversation any less awkward.

Oh harmony, WHY? Flash exclaimed mentally as he felt his brain somehow break a second time! If it was joke about ANYTHING ELSE last night I could easily turn it back on them! But that just—how am I supposed to counter that?! And why can’t I think of ANY kind of response! Anything would be better than stammering and blushing like a high-school colt! Stupid immortal jokesters. They ALWAYS have new ways of messing with us. Ugggghhhhh, I wonder if Shining and Cadence got the same treatment, or if they still do.

Flash groaned internally as he face-tabled, and then groaned for real once the pain from face-tabling registered.

Even when they told the sisters the truth, Flash knew he and Twilight would never live this down.

Stupid impeccable memory of millennium old alicorns.

At least the pain was enough to help reform a small portion of his brain.

“N-NOTHING HAPPENED!” Twilight cried, finally finding her voice, even though upon looking to his side Flash could see her face was the color of one of Applejack’s reddest apples.

“Are you suuuuuuuure?” Celestia said teasingly, leaning forward with that sly grin of hers.

“YES!” Twilight practically screamed as her voice nearly cracked.

Celestia, you’re not helping. Come on brain, get it together and help Twilight before she really starts panicking. There is no way Celestia would let a rumor like that fly rampant, especially if there was a chance a mean noble might hear it.

“Twilight, they’re just messing with us. Again,” Flash said, reaching out with his wing to gently rub her back. He shook his head as he tried to get his own blush to die down. “There is no way they would let that kind of rumor spread very far, and they would have far harsher words for me if they believed it. And just so we’re clear, you jokesters,” he added, pointing at the alicorn sisters as decisively as he could, “Twilight was sleep-casting. She didn’t want me to leave last night as I was a comfy pillow, apparently.”

Unfortunately, all that accomplished was making the princesses laugh all the louder.

As if they weren’t already having way too much fun with this.

Shaking his head, Flash grabbed a waffle and shoved his face into it.

Mmmmmmmm…food makes everything better. Needs more butter, though.

“Oh, is that all?” Luna asked, still smirking. “Well, that is a relief. I can’t imagine what you would tell your families at lunch today had he misbehaved himself.”

Now it was Flash’s turn to choke on his breakfast.

LUNATIC SAY WHAT NOW!?!?!?!?

“LUNCH!?” Twilight cried, her wings springing out in surprise as Flash tried to swallow—

Nope, nope, nope, food is stuck, FOOD IS STUCK!

Thank Harmony that Celestia had good eyes, as a burst of golden magic quickly grabbed his barrel and SQUEEZED, forcing the air and the food out of his windpipe and across the table.

Waffles, how could you betray me?!

“Why of course,” Luna said, nodding as Twilight instinctively rubbed Flash’s back with her wing, the soft purple feathers gently tracing over him and helping his gasps for air become more relaxed. “We know how eager you must be to tell them, so we invited both your families to join us for lunch. In fact, even Cadence and Shining Armor have agreed to come for a few days, though Celestia and I only told them to make the trip so that we could deliver some important news.”

Which means it’s up to us to tell them, more than likely. And only two days after I proposed! Two days in which we have bounced from one big crazy stressful event to the next with barely a break! SO MUCH FOR A NICE DAY OFF!!! Uggghhhhhhhhhhhh…

“B-B-But we just got engaged!” Twilight cried, her mane beginning to spring out in random directions as it always did under stress. “And every day since then has been chaotic and stressful and we haven’t had time to THINK about telling them or HOW to tell them and we don’t even have a date for the wedding o-or PLANS or INVITATIONS orororormmfp—”

Twilight’s rant that was quickly veering off course from the original point was suddenly interrupted as a pancake was grabbed in gold magic and immediately shot into her mouth at Rainbow-inspired speeds. She blinked in surprised, but moaned happily and made little om-nom noises as she inhaled the pancake.

And that actually seemed to halt her current freakout. Normally Flash would just kiss her to calm her down, but apparently food worked just as well.

Good thing too, because Celestia kissing Twilight was a REALLY weird image in his brain…

Ok, apparently the mug of coffee wasn’t enough to wake my brain up and I now officially need half that pot over there to wake me up fully and drive out whatever crazy is still stuck in my head from that brief moment of choking.

Good thing it was within wing’s reach.

“Twilight, relax,” Celestia said calmly, standing up and walking towards the two of them. “They will need to be told either way, and Cadence and Shining Armor were already planning a trip to Canterlot next week anyway. I know it’s sooner than expected, but I know you would want to tell them in person, and this is the best time to do so.” As she reached them, her wings gently extended and pulled Twilight in for a quick hug. “I thought you would be excited to tell everyone what had happened.”

“We are,” Flash cut it, downing his second cup of coffee. “But we also haven’t had time to relax for nearly two days. Between the proposal shenanigans, the excitement of all our friends, Rarity kidnapping Twilight for most of the day, Rarity trying to kidnap Twilight again the next day, and our crazy date last night that was supposed to be relaxing but had a surprise visit from Bullhorn, neither of us have even had a chance to think about our parents and families yet. We’ve just been bouncing from one crazy event to the next, each one coming just as we thought things were calming down.

“It’s just…” Flash sighed. “Why today? Couldn’t we have had a day or two to recover and let the fact that we are engaged actually sink in? Or at least a day to enjoy being engaged without someone going crazy over it? Because I KNOW my mom is going to go crazy. In a good way, but still.”

“I didn’t realize you had been experiencing so much chaos,” Celestia said, smiling apologetically. “We could delay it if you so choose?”

“No no, ” Flash said with a tired head shake. “Crazy or not, it’s best we tell them sooner rather than later. Besides, I do appreciate that you managed to arrange it so that everypony in both our families could meet up in the same place, especially given how far apart we are all living from one another. Though I’m sure Twilight would have preferred it if we’d instead come up with a plan before hoof. A big plan, probably with checklists, letters, party supplies, more checklists…”

Twilight made eye contact with him over Celestia’s wings and gave him a deadpan glare, but Flash just winked. At least his teasing looked like it was taking her mind off her panic.

“Very well,” Celestia said softly. “Still, despite the suddenness of this meeting – and the lack of checklists,” she teased lightly, earning a blush from Twilight, “—I can promise you that everything will be fine. And I do think that meeting them today will help save you the trouble and hours of planning later down the road.”

“I agree,” Flash said, downing his third large mug of coffee in one gulp. AHHHH! My brain is awake now! “Compared to Tirek and having Twilight’s friends and Spike kidnapped by Changelings, this is nothing.”

That had been quite the horrifying day indeed.

A nice day on the town interrupted by a rude Rainbow Dash who seemed intent on separating Twilight from her guard/coltfriend. It was only because Flash and Twilight knew Rainbow so well that they had been able to tell it wasn’t her and trigger the alarm for the rest of the guards, though the fact that she didn’t know her own mother’s name was a dead giveaway.

Actually, that had been the first time he had seen Twilight Rage Shift once they had found out that Spike had been replaced as well. Flash had almost felt bad for that changeling that had replaced the dragon withering under her blazing glare.

Almost.

Still, it was the first time he had ever seen her get angry enough to catch fire, and it did have the benefit of allowing them to learn the location of the Changeling hive. The problem was when they got there and discovered the anti-magic field that surrounded the hive.

In truth, both of them had wanted to storm the place, but with Twilight being the last princess in Equestria, her safety was their top concern. And even if she hadn't been, the reality was that they couldn’t go storming a Changeling hive surrounded by an anti-magic field thing because Flash would be unable to fly, Twilight would be unable to fly OR cast magic, and both of they would be vastly outnumbered and outmatched no matter what, even with all their current guards.

They were, basically, helpless to save their friends, and it really hurt Twilight mentally to be so close yet so far. Flash himself had also felt quite a bit of shame that his own training was next to useless here, but said training had also allowed him to primarily bury those feelings and focus on helping Twilight hold onto hope that things would be ok.

At least Thorax, Discord, Trixie, and Starlight had showed up a few hours later and volunteered to go in for them. And they even ended up saving the day! Twilight had been so proud of Starlight that she had spent nearly a week talking about it non-stop.

It had been adorable…

Oops, what was everypony saying again?

“…though I would consider wearing your ring when you meet your family, Twilight” Luna said.

Both Flash and Twilight blinked.

What does she mean by that? Twilight’s still wearing her…ring…

Luna, noticing their confusion, raised her eyebrow. “You…did take it off on purpose when you went to bed last night, correct? It’s back in your room…correct?”

“I never took it off,” Twilight muttered, her eyes wide in horror.

There was about a five second pause as Flash looked more closely at Twilight’s horn and Twilight reached up and felt her horn, before both of them officially, and justifiably, lost their minds.

“WHERE’S THE RING!?!?!?!?”

The Royal Canterlot Voice bellowed out of Twilight’s throat so intensely that Flash was nearly flung off his chair. It was a miracle that all the windows in the room didn’t shatter from the pure force, but they were likely enchanted against breaking. But the uneaten stack of pancakes in front of the purple alicorn was NOT enchanted and as such went flying right into Luna’s face.

Instant karma?

DAMNITFLASHFOCUS!

“I don’t know! You had it on when I put you in bed last night!” he cried in shock.

Luna dang it, HOW DID I NOT NOTICE!?!? HOW DID TWILIGHT NOT NOTICE!?!?!? SHE COMBED HER MANE AND EVERYTHING!

Before Celestia could say anything or try and hug Twilight again to calm her down, the purple alicorn was gone. Flash would have leapt up and flown full speed back to Twilight’s room too, had Celestia’s magic not latched onto him and held him in his seat.

“Wa—HEY!”

“Flash, please calm down,” Celestia said softly.

“But Twilight—“

“Is likely back in her room right now, and we don’t need two panicked ponies tearing it apart in search of a ring.” Celestia said gently, something that failed to calm Flash’s nerves at all.

“I take it she didn’t take said ring off on purpose?” Luna said, her face a perfect deadpan as she removed the two pancakes still stuck to her horn.

“Of COURSE NOT! She’s worn it for two days straight! Why would she take it off NOW?” Flash cried as he struggled to get free of Celestia’s magic, and then winced as he realized that he was currently screaming his head off at Princess Luna. His struggles stopped as he looked at the table in embarrassment. “Er, s-sorry Luna. Just REALLLLLY kinda panicking inside. And outside. Just panicking everywhere really. And—”

Oh Celestia, now I am rambling like a moron! And my leg is twitching like Pinkie on a sugar rush! Stop, leg!

STOP!

“Tis all right, Flash,” Luna said, nodding, and Flash was relieved to see that the softness in her voice was enough to make his mouth stop running away without him. At least now he wouldn’t have to worry about choking on a donut that Celestia shoved in between his teeth. “Stress can make fools of us all. Thought I think your hunt for the ring should be fairly simple.”

“Indeed, you do not need to panic Flash,” Celestia said, gently waking forward and hugging Flash just like she had Twilight. The warm soothing feathers and gentle tickling sensation of her flowing mane quickly calmed his panic down from ‘BUCKBUCKBUCKBUCK!’ to ‘Be calm. Someone has a plan or solution.’ Kind of like what Twilight had to do on the rare occasions that he had his own freakout, like during their third anniversary where he had lost his gift right before their date.

Did Twilight learn how to calm others down from Celestia? It would make sense given all the time they have spent together.

That distracting thought was enough to calm him down further, prompting Celestia to release her hold on him, both physical and magical, before returning to her own seat as she levitated more napkins towards Luna. “I apologize for stopping you from assisting Twilight in her search, but seeing as she didn’t take the ring off last night, then I think it is safe to assume that the ring is still in your room somewhere. Especially seeing as it is too large to fit down the drain of Twilight’s shower.

“Unless you think it fell off her horn on your way here, but I find that unlikely.” She added.

From annoying and teasing to calm and reassuring in ten seconds flat. How does she DO that? Flash wondered as he considered what Celestia had said. She was right on both counts. Twilight’s head had been at such an angle as they walked that the ring falling off as they came downstairs would have been next to impossible. Which meant it had to still be in the room since that was the last place he had seen it on her horn, and someone getting into their room and managing to steal it off of Twilight’s horn while they slept was next to impossible, especially given the elevated security after the whole Bull Horn incident.

Wait…Did my brain just estimate the angles of Twilight’s horn while walking down the hall three thoughts ago? UGH! Curse you GEOMETRY! Stop trying to work your way into my brain already! It’s too early for math!

Any further thoughts, math-related or otherwise, were cut off by the return of one still-slightly-frazzled-Twilight, now wearing the ring on her horn, and one very nervous-looking maid with the pop of teleportation.

“Ok, it turns out it was on my bed and Miss Dusty here found it just as I popped in and I mayhave scared her and then thankedheralot and now I mayhavetoldhershecouldhavetherestofthedayoff—”

Three pancakes were unceremoniously shoved in her mouth by Celestia’s magic. Again.

“Twilight, breathe,” Celestia said calmly, levitating her up and directly into Flash’s lap. Flash grabbed hold of her and rubbed his wings up and down her sides as she finally started to relax. Actually, just holding her close did wonders to calm his own still slightly frazzled nerves as well.

Here, have a fiancée.

Flash had seen this a few times before. Twilight would get so worried and worked up that even solving the problem she was facing would leave her in a state of frazzled chaos for at least a good ten minutes as the adrenaline slowly wore off unless Flash or Spike manually calmed her down. Given the news of their impending meeting with their families and the loss of the ring, it was no wonder she was still in fight-or-flight mode even after she found the ring.

Which might also be why the poor maid was still trembling in place. She had likely never dealt with a hyper-panic-mode-Princess-of-Friendship before.

Thankfully, Celestia had it covered as she grabbed a plate off the table and stacked it with a little of everything before turning her attention to the shaking-like-a-leaf-maid. “Dusty, thank you for finding the ring. Feel free to have some breakfast. You may certainly have the rest of the day off, with no penalty to your pay or vacation days. Though please keep the news of the ring to yourself for the moment, ok?”

Dusty, apparently having trouble speaking, nodded nervously as Celestia gave her a soft smile and deposited the plate on her back while also levitating a donut in front of her muzzle. Though food seemed to work on her too, as she immediately stopped shaking like Fluttershy and took a big, happy bite of said donut.

I wonder if Celestia is just naturally that good at calming others down, or if she has practice calming down ponies that Twilight has accidentally freaked out specifically. Given how long she spent as Celestia’s student, I can assume it’s the latter.

After all, in just the past five years, there have been at sixty times when Twilight’s studies have gone wrong and/or terrifying and/or exploded spectacularly. Heck, there have been three miniature explosions in her lab in the last five months alone, and only one of them was because of Pinkie.

Also, why is she telling Twilight to breathe when she just shoved three pancakes into her mouth? That seems a bit contradictory.

“Feel better?” Flash asked Twilight, squeezing his hooves and wings more tightly around the still-trying-to-eat-and-calm-down alicorn and giving her a little nibble right behind her right ear. Said nibble instantly found Twilight’s sweet spot, and Flash’s fiancee immediately let out a happy murmur before fully relaxing in his grip. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

When in doubt, nibble her ear, Flash thought to himself as Twilight nuzzled deeper into his chest. He had actually discovered that little spot on her ear by accident when they had been cuddling one day. For some unknown reason, it always had the effect of helping Twilight calm down rather dramatically. What had been more surprising was when she had found out that he had a similar spot directly between his wings that would have nearly the same effect.

Oh how she loved to abuse that knowledge, not that he could complain after a long day of guard work…

“Mmmmmm…” Twilight muttered after a few minutes, before finally swallowing and turning to give him a quick kiss. “Yes, I feel better…a bit.”

“A bit?”

“Flash, we need to tell our families that we’re engaged. I know they’ll all be happy, and that at least MY parents know that you were going to pop the question, but…I’m just so exhausted right now. I was planning on using some of today to actually REST and to try and recover from all the chaos these past two days, but now we’ll need to deal with squealing and excitement and likely being tackled by Cadence and we’ve ALREADY had a chaotic day so far and just…” She sighed. “All I really want to do is go and take a nap together. Is that too much to ask?”

“Maybe. At least Celestia and Luna saved us the stress of actually having to organize a meeting with everypony. Though it is a shame that now you can’t send your brother confusing letters three days before the wedding,” Flash joked, earning an I’m-trying-not-to-laugh-glare from Twilight. He just smirked.

“Besides, tired or not, at least this won’t be NEARLY as stressful as the first time I met your family…

Author's Note:

Flash loves his ~~waifu's~~ waffles.

Behold, the first chapter in the story where we finally get to see how Flash and Twilight met each other's parents. Most of it will be flashbacks (bu-dum-tis), but it will provide some nice slice of life before we get to the next story, which will be taking place in during the MLP movie.

But for now, enjoy this chapter and get excited for the next. ONWARDS!!!!

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