The Storm of Love
Years ago.
A light flurry of snow was descending from the skies, the powder falling down upon a small village that was one of Equestria's most northern settlements before the Crystal Empire returned. Within the village's territory was a forest, a house next to it. In this moment, the house's door slammed open, a light blue unicorn colt with a white mane and tail rushing out. Here, he leaped into a giant pile of snow. "YEAH!" He cheered before crashing into the snow, his head popping out next as he glanced back at the house, "Mom, Dad, come on! Let's play!"
From out of the house, a light blue earth pony stallion with black hair and a pink unicorn mare with white hair showed themselves through the door frame. "Calm down Cold," the mare told the colt. "You know we have to finish tending the crops before we start having fun."
"Aww...that's boring!" Cold whined as he tried to sink into the hill of snow.
The stallion let out a hearty laugh as the he gestured to the woods behind their home. "It may be boring, but it needs to be done son. Our crops are what help keep our village prosperous."
"I know, I know..." Cold moaned as the aura of his mother's magic gripped him, pulling him out of the snow. There, they went around and found themselves at a large greenhouse-like building with multiple pipes sticking out from the top and going up into the trees. The trio soon stepped inside, a wave of heat shooting out and making Cold flinch. "Ugh...stupid heat."
Once inside, they found themselves surrounded by tons of flowerbeds, all with loads of veggies within the dirt. Cold's mother started first, her magic being used to turn a lever on the wall, activating a sprinkler system. The water then sprayed over the plants, melting the fresh snow that the pipes had collected throughout the night.
Cold just sighed at the sight, huffing as he grabbed a pot of plant food and began to use his magic to throw it over the soil. As he did this, he kept doing small glances to the barely visible outside from the greenhouse. Still sighing, he began to wipe his brow, feeling the bucket of sweat already appearing in his mane. "So hot..."
But as he whispered to himself, moaning at the thoughts of the outside world he loved to explore, hours of weeding, replanting and fertilizing passed. Time felt like it was creeping as his family finished their job. And as he was told he could go outside, he blasted out of the greenhouse, throwing himself at the nearest snow pile. There, his parents laughed as their colt cooled himself off while making a snow angel.
While he finished this and pulled head out of the snow, the colt's eyes suddenly went wide as he asked, "What's that?" He pointed up at a point of the sky that wasn't being obstructed by the trees, now looking at a trail of black smoke.
His parents glanced up and gasped, the father quickly patting his son and saying, "Stay here. We'll be right back."
Before Cold could reply, his parents ran through the forest. Seeing them rush off, Cold quickly noticed they were going to the village, making him start to pull himself out of the snow. As he did, he began to run after his parent's trail, soon reaching the edge of the forest. But as he did this, his eyes went wide at the next sight.
The village...was on fire. Flames blazing through the streets, already claiming the lives of several buildings. Jaw dropping at the sight, Cold's hooves reflexively started moving as he ran into the village. There, he began to cry out as he reached the streets, "Hello?! MOM?! DAD?! Anypony?!"
There was no response. Only the sound of roaring flames could be heard.
And as he shivered at this sight, he turned a corner of one of the streets...only to go wide-eyed again. The colt was speechless as pure fear took him over. In front of him was a street littered with dead bodies, all ponies he knew growing up with looks of horror on their faces. The way their bodies were pointing made it look like they'd been running from something, only to then be cut down.
Cold began to heavily pant as he started to run away, quickly leaving the village. And as he went over the hill before getting to his house, another sight made him scream, "NO!"
In front of him was his house, flames consuming it as he saw some ponies standing to the side. They were of all kinds, the group carrying torches and weapons. The lot then turned, now showing their faces which were covered in scars and eye-patches as they saw the frightened colt.
"Looks like those two weren't being very truthful when they told us nopony else lived here," one of the ponies chuckled.
"Great....just great." a pegasus added as he and several other pegasi flew over to Cold, immediately surrounding him, "That means we had a reason for putting them out of their misery."
"Huh?!" Cold gasped, only to see the pegasi roll his eyes.
"The ponies in there kid. They're gone."
This made Cold's eyes go wide, tears starting to appear as he connected them to the ponies he had just seen on the village streets. "No...why?"
The first pony laughed, "Why not?!" He pointed to a bag in his hoof, "They had stuff we wanted, so we took it. Plus...it was fun."
A waterfall was now pouring out of Cold's eyes, "You...you monsters."
"Whatever..." the ponies all pulled out weapons, all grinning at the colt. "Don't worry about it kid. YOU'LL BE SEEING MOMMY AND DADDY REAL SOON!"
The colt's eyes continued to grow in fear, whispering as he shrunk into the snow under him, "No...no..." His life began to flash before his eyes, only for his horn to suddenly spark, "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" In a flash of light, the snow around his hooves shot off the ground, instantly hardening into spikes made of solid ice.
Cold's eyes went wide as he watched the ice he had created circled around him, the shards impaling every single pony. The bandits had looks of shock on their faces as life left their eyes, their last sight being a pony that had just earned his cutie mark, even if he didn't know it that moment.
And as the colt stared at the sight, he found himself staring into the lifeless eyes of a circle of ponies he had killed. He began to pant, his breathing vibrating as he cried out, "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" His horn sparked again, this one causing the ice to revert back to snow. The action made the bodies slump into the snow, blood splattering everywhere as he began to run as fast as he could into the forest.
The Present...
Cold was now inside the Royal Knight Museum, staring up at the crystal statue of Flash. His eyes were alternating from a stare and glare as he looked up at it, memories of what Twilight said going through his mind.
Without the ponies in Equestria, it wouldn't even be Equestria. It would just be pointless land with no purpose.
Gritting his teeth at that, he whispered to himself, "You're wrong..."
"He's so much more than you. He understands true friendship while you don't understand a thing because you don't have any friends. But if you did, you'd see why keeping friends safe is more important than keeping myself safe."
Cold glanced down, rubbing his eyes as he muttered out, "Friends...why is that important? That doesn't matter..."
"Cold?" He turned to see Grand walk up to him, the old soldier tilting his head, "What are you doing here?"
Cold didn't reply at first, turning back to Flash's statue. "Just...thinking."
"About what?" Grand stepped up beside him, both now looking at his apprentice's statue.
Against, Cold paused before responding, "I had an...interesting conversation with the Princess of Friendship earlier."
"Twilight?"
"She told me something that's got me feeling...confused."
"What did she tell you?" Cold ran through part of the conversation, mainly saying how what she said about Equestria. The details made Grand hum in response, "I see...she's right, you know. Ponies may come and go, but each one help carve this how this kingdom shapes out. In that way, the princesses are no more important than the ponies who pick up litter off the street."
Cold just sighed at this, "Maybe....but I don't see it. What she said made a lot of sense, but something inside me is telling me she's wrong. Dead wrong."
"I see." Grand grumbled as he looked away, "I know growing up the way you did caused issues with how you see life. You spent eight years alone in the frozen north, forced to see things for only their use to your survival." Cold nodded in agreement, "But it's different now. You did that because you're alone, but you don't have to be alone anymore. The knights, the princesses...even Flash and his friends, would all be willing to let you be their friend if you let them. And in time, I'm sure you'll see what me and Celestia have been trying to tell you for years."
Cold just clicked his tongue, "Tch. I think its far too late for me Grand. You of all ponies should know better that I don't do friends. Such a thing is pointless to me."
"It's never too late to change."
"And do you honestly think Flash and his friends would try to be my friend? Even after what happened before?"
"They know you wouldn't have done what you did if you weren't under orders, though you could have definitely chosen your words differently."
Cold sighed and shook his head, "I just...I just can't see what made you chose to train him. I read his profile, and I know you didn't know that he had the Sacred Light." Cold glared at Grand, snarling under his breath, "I've read everything on him for that battle, and all I saw before he met you was nothing but a street rat thief! How could you possibly want to take him under your wing?!"
Grand actually laughed at this, "Hate to say it, but it's hard to explain. When I first met him, he was fresh off the streets. He had amazing skills that he had developed in order to survive living on his own, just like you."
Cold rolled his eyes in frustration. "He's nothing like me. He's-"
"I'm not finished Cold." Grand interrupted, "As I was saying, I didn't have any opinion of him until I heard how he saved Twilight from some bullies. There, I saw his cutie mark and realized that with his skills and age, he was a perfect candidate for one day becoming a knight."
"So...that's it?" Cold raised an eyebrow at this, "You just saw him as clay to mold because of that?"
Grand shrugged with a smirk, "Isn't that how all student teacher relationships begin?" His expression then switched to a frown as he continued, "You see, I realized something after my son was arrested, and it was the event that made me realize Flash's greatest power."
Cold blinked at this, tilting his head in confusion, "Greatest power?"
Grand nodded. "I said earlier that everypony helps shape Equestria in some way. Each of them has a quality that benefits those around them, something I like to call their greatest power. Flash's greatest power is one that helped me and so many others. He inspired me."
"Inspired you? How could he possibly do that?"
Grand shined a small grin. "After Doom was arrested, I was practically a zombie. It's likely I would have given up my duties as a knight," he let out a low hum. "But then, I happened to see Flash training by himself." Grand's smile returned as he continued, "He was having trouble mastering a certain sword style, and without him knowing, I watched as he struggled to grasp the concept. Time after time he would fail, only to pick himself back up. He had no help, nopony to watch over him...but despite that, he soon performed the style perfectly." He turned to Cold, "Seeing that struck something deep inside me. Flash easily pushed himself through the obstacles and setbacks, something that well....most soldiers I train never do. I watched as he kept passing through every problem, which...well, it inspired me to get back in the ring and do the same thing."
Cold didn't respond as Grand continued, seeing the grin grow on the old knight's face. "Ever since then, just looking at Flash makes me feel inspired...and I'm not the only one. Twilight and the rest of his friends, Iron Core and even my grandson have been inspired by him. Heck, he did what I couldn't and saved him. I have no doubt that without him, they would have been fine...but they wouldn't be half the ponies they are today if Flash hadn't been there. That's why I want him to become a knight. Not only because he deserves it, but also because his greatest power is to inspire others. I know he isn't the perfect solider, but he's one that can relate to common pony and help them grow." Grand's grin grew to biggest size possible as he finished, "And I believe that that inspiration will help them become better ponies, which will help Equestria become a better kingdom."
Cold let what Grand said sink in, only to shake his head. "My apologies Grand, but I don't think I can believe you." Cold glared at the old knight, "I didn't see anything you just said, especially in the being 'inspiring' department when we fought. There was nothing special about him except the Scared Light, which infuriates me to no end."
Grand sighed, his smile instantly gone. "I admit, Flash wasn't at his best during your battle. I think learning the truth about his past might have knocked him off his game, which got worse after what you told him." He grimaced at the memory, "I wanted to do nothing more than yell the answer to Flash, but-"
"It wouldn't have meant anything if you had," Cold interrupted, "A knight cannot be told what their reason for being one is, the same way a pony cannot be told what their cutie mark is going to be or what they want to do with their life. Only they can decide what their future holds, and only a knight can decide why they wish to be one."
Grand rubbed his head at Cold's response. "I know Cold. And even if we know what Flash's reason is, unless he figures it out himself, it'll never truly sink into his heart." He looked back up at the statue, "But I have faith Flash will figure it out. He'll discover his purpose for being a knight, and when he does, he'll be back to challenge you again." He turned to Cold, "But will you accept his challenge?"
Cold didn't say anything, continuing to stare at the statue. His mind battled itself, the words of Princess Twilight stuck in his head. "We'll see..." With that, he walked away, his face showing a dark glare as he exited the building.
Once he was gone, Grand looked back up at the statue. "Flash...be safe. You're too important to Equestria to be lost."
Meanwhile...
Up in the mountains, Flash was still sitting in the cave, trying to keep himself warm. The heat off of Lightbringer's glow continued to give him little to what he needed, but the defender didn't mind. Instead, he continued to yawn as sleep somehow eluded him as he continued to torture himself over thoughts of his battle with Cold.
Memories of the battle shook him, especially the ones featuring his use of the Sacred Light. "Why..." he moaned to himself as he put Lightbringer to his chest, now remembering the same thine happening in front of the pirates and Tirek. "Why...why does that keep happening?"
His wings folded over his body, shivering as he felt cold graze over his fur as he kept talking to himself, "What is it...what am I missing? Why...why?" He closed his eyes, heaviness hitting his pupils, "Sacred Light...just...what am I?"
A mountain or so away...
Sound of purple hooves trudging through deep snow could barely be heard as a tempest of winds billowed down the mountain. Over the constant white powder was one alicorn, the pony gasping as she pulled her hooves again and again out of the snow. "Gah! Why is this so blasted deep?!" Twilight moaned as she put her wings over her head, trying to shield herself from the icy wind.
She could barely see anything through that powerful flurry of snow in front of her, now feeling her body repeatedly sinking into the snow. Even with the winter gear Discord had given her, the princess's body was still shivering like crazy. Not only that, the storm made flying impossible, which was already bad as she tried to hike upward. "There has to be a faster way..." She groaned, her horn flaring as she tried to give herself light in the blizzard filled night. But as she said these words, a bulb went off in her head, "That's it!" Her horn sparked, light consuming her body as she started a floating spell, one reducing her weight as she started to trudge through the snow again. Once the spell was done, she placed her hoof into the snow, seeing it didn't break. After a few more tests, she was satisfied and continued to make her way through the blizzard.
"FLASH! FLASH, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" There was no response, especially when a furious gust of wind took all the sound she could make. "FLASH!" she screamed, her eyes squinting as she teleported a few hundred meters in front of her. "FLAAAAASH!"
She yelled one more time, only to trip as she teleported herself to the edge of a bank. "Eep!" she yelped as the edge broke, making her slip and fall down a small slope. Her face kissed snow first, the mare's head slowly popping out next as she stuck out her tongue, "Eww...so wet."
The alicorn continued to moan while dragging herself out of the pile, only for her ears to spike up as she heard a new sound. Looking up, she saw a tidal wave of frozen water coming for her, her horn reflexively sparking as she teleported herself out of the avalanche's path just in time.
"Whoa..." she moaned as she quickly found a rock wall, leaning against it as she let out a sigh. "That...was too close."
And as her back slumped over on the rocks, Twilight whispered, "Stupid meathead...why are you making this so difficult?!" Sniffing next, she turned and looked up at the mountain, staring at the huge task in front of her. The very sight made her remember back to Grand's words.
"Princess, climbing the mountains at night is a death sentence."
"He wasn't wrong..." Twilight admitted with a huge frown, "But still...Flash..." These words made more memories surface, all being Grand's and Cold's words.
"It would be meaningless to help him right now. In fact, nopony should be seeing him right now."
"Princess, I can't allow you to head out into the wilderness. You're far too important to Equestria to risk your life on such a pointless task."
"No...they're wrong..." Twilight put her hooves to her head, more of Cold's dialogue going through her head.
"It is not safe, and it does not matter whether he is a friend or not."
Twilight's face scrunched up at this, her hooves rubbing her head. She was starting to see what they were saying, fear consuming her as she felt her body shiver like crazy. "What am I doing?! I can barely move, and...and..."
And as she tried to talk herself out of it, Cadance's words swam into her head.
"Twily...you can't let fear stop you from going after what you truly want."
Those words made her go wide-eyed, energy flaring in her body. The image of Flash was now covering her brain, one that made her face go full blown tomato red. Her wings extended at these thoughts as she slammed her hooves down and stared up at the mountain with a determined stare. "Cadance's right! I can't be scared!" Her horn sparked as she started make her way back up the mountain, "I'm coming, you meathead! Just you wait!"
Flash's eyes were flickering, blinking as he let out a yawn. But as he did this, he quickly went wide-eyed as he saw the new sight before him. In front of the defender was a very familiar hallway, one with chequered floors and doors with different cutie marks.
He was inside his subconscious, just like when everypony was trying to help him awaken the Sacred Light. The sight made him rub his chin in thought, his hooves quickly making their way down the hall of doors, "This is..."
It was here he arrived in front of the door that had his cutie mark emblazoned on it. Sighing at the sight, he reached out to grip the door handle, slowly opening it. There, he peeked inside and saw nothing but darkness.
"Sacred Light!" He called out into the darkness, now entering the room. "Get out here! You owe me an explanation!"
No response.
Flash's right eye twitched in anger, "Why would you give me this power and then make me freeze up or collapse every time I use it?! Do you know how much danger I could have saved my friends from being in if you hadn't stopped me?"
Again, no response.
"ANSWER ME!"
His voice echoed through the darkness, the sound ringing through his ears. And as the noise faded, the defender's eyes squinted as he saw a golden light in the distance. Blinking at the sight, he saw go above him, making him hold his hoof up to the block the light as the light started to show itself as a giant golden sun-like orb. Seeing this, he felt a familiar wave of heat, the orb shining a radiant glow.
"What is-" he tried to say, only to go wide-eyed again as several spheres shot out of the sun. He started to reflexively backpedal at this, the orbs now surrounding him. His eyes scanned each one, gasping as he saw what was inside. One showed his battle against the Timberwolves as they tried to kill his parents, another in the temple when he fought Ahuizotl and his goons. The next few showed Score and his cronies, fighting against the pirates, Tirek and the Dazzlings.
"I don't...understand." He commented as he continued to watch, the events now looping in the orbs. Not only that, none of them were the actual battles, but just the moments he transformed. The sight made him growl, his brain burning as he put his hooves to his head, "What is all this?!" He looked up and yelled at the larger orb, "Why can't you just tell me?! I know you can talk, so talk! What is the point of all this?!"
The sun didn't respond. Instead, the orbs flew back up into the sun before spitting out a new sphere. There, it floated down and shined itself in front of Flash's eyes. Blinking at it, he looked inside and gasped. It was showing Twilight, completely decked out in mountaineering gear, who was travelling through what looked like a blizzard.
"I don't remember this..." Flash muttered before a certain thought went through his head. Looking up at the sun, he asked, "Hey! Is this...is this something that's happening right now?!" The sun didn't reply, Flash glancing back down as he saw Twilight trudge through the snow.
But then the image flickered in and out of focus, making Flash gasp as he saw something new. It was Twilight now wearing a horrified look on her face as a giant shadow seemed to loom over her. "Twilight?" She opened her mouth before letting out a scream he couldn't hear, only for the image to blur out. "TWILIGHT!" The orb flew back up into the sun, Flash glaring up at it. "What was that?! Is that something that's already happened, or is it happening right now?!"
No response again.
"TELL ME! TELL ME RIGHT NOW!!!"
As he screamed at the sphere, it just sat there, unmoving. But as he yelled one more time, the orb suddenly unleashed a pulse of light. Reflexively trying to guard against it with his wings, the blast struck Flash, knocking him out the door and back into corridor, "Augh!" he yelped as he kept hurling down the hallway, "Wait! What are you doing-"
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Flash cried as his eyes shot open, springing to his hooves. He began to gasp for air, his legs shaking as his eyes rapidly blinked. Here, he saw he was back in the cave, the storm still raging outside. "Wha...huh?!"
He darted his head back and forth, soon rubbing his head as he moaned, "What was that about?! What is..." his eyes went wide as a new thought flashed to the front of his brain, "Twilight! Twilight, she was in some kind of..."
The defender couldn't finish his words, glaring back to the outside of the cave as he remembered that last image, "Twilight...she's in trouble!"
Not wasting a minute, he spread his wings and shot out of the cave with Lightbringer in hoof. "Twilight! I'm coming!"
"FLASH!" Twilight screamed into the blizzard. "You stupid meathead! Where are you?!"
The alicorn was not in the best condition right now, exhaustion taking over as she had stopped teleporting due to lack of energy. As the night grew darker, she was now focusing all her energy into just making a light with a horn, its heat barely pushing the icy wind back. But even with this source, she could still barely see anything in front of her, "FLASH!" She called out again, "Are you out there?! Please answer me!" But there was no answer, causing her to sigh again, "Flash...where are you?"
She continued trudging through the snow, her eyes squinting as a new sight came into a view. "Hmm?" she whispered as she saw what it was, "A cave..." Twilight quickly ran up to the cavern's mouth, commenting to herself, "If its him, he'll probably be inside one of these." She took a deep breath and yelled, "FLASH!"
An echo immediately spawned, flowing through the darkness in front of her. It felt infinite as she spiked up her ears, trying to hear a response...only hear nothing. No voice replied, making her frown. But as she did this, a new sound could be heard, one that seemed to be hoofsteps. Smiling at the noise, she started to walk inside as she repeated, "Flash? You in here?"
But that smile started to fade as she felt the earth beneath her begin to shake. Looking down at the tremors, her ears started to realize that it wasn't the sound of hoofsteps, but something much heavier. Glancing back up, she started to go wide-eyed as a figure in the darkness began to loom out of the shadows. It had bright red eyes, bipedal with thick white fur covering its body. On its head was a red crest, which complemented its blood red eyes and sharp teeth.
"A yeti..." Twilight whispered as she started to backpedal, the two soon exiting the cave as the monster followed her. Fear started to cover her face as the yeti let out a brilliant roar, only for the yelled to cause the whole mountain to shake. Twilight gasped as she then saw the effects of the roar, a new avalanche of snow now heading for the two. She desperately tried to spark her horn, a magic barrier soon projecting out as the white powder buried both in a flurry.
A few minutes passed as the last bit of snow settled atop two piles, the cave now gone in a burying blanket of snow. As for one of the hills of snow, the iced water began to melt as Twilight's shield pushed the rest out of the way. Gasping for air, she slumped down as she muttered out, "That...was scary." She glanced up at her horn, frowning as she kept trying to catch her breath, "Used...too much magic. Flash...where are you already?!"
But as these words left her mouth, her ears spiked up again as she started to hear a scratching sound. Gulping at the noise, she turned to the other snow pile as it started to shake. She tried to get out of the snow as the pile kept rumbling, only for the snowy ground to explode as the yeti flew out of the hole. He then landed in front of the alicorn, swiping his claw instantly.
"Get away!" Twilight screamed as she leapt back, barely dodging the attack. Her horn sparked again as she summoned a fireball, firing it directly to the yeti's forehead. But as it tried to hit him, he swatted it away, making him roar again. She then fired a full beam of magic, this one now pushing the yeti back. However, her horn soon sputtered out, the alicorn now being reminded again that she had been using her magic constantly up to this point. "Oh no."
"RAWR!" it yelled as it slashed at her again, this time another beam of magic firing out and striking his claw. The burn made him instinctively reach back, but his other claw swung at her.
"AAAH!" she yelped as she hopping back again, her wings reflexively spreading as she tried to backpedal. But as she did this, a gust of wind hit her wings, knocking her into the air. "Whoa!" she cried as the gust pushed her up and into the side of the mountain, her body slamming into a rock wall. The blow made her fall like a rock, her body landing on her wing with a thud.
"Grrr…" growled the yeti as she looked back up, now seeing him walk up to her. Shrinking back at the sight, the mare rolled over and started to try and drag herself away. However, it seemed to be in vain as she saw the yeti leap into the air, ready to strike her as he roared, "RRRAAAWWWRRRR!!!"
"FLASH CUTTER!" yelled a new voice, a familiar energy blade slicing through the air as it struck the yeti in the chest, knocking the beast back.
An orange blur landed between her and the monster next, Twilight smiling at the sight, "Flash!"
He turned back to glance at her, Twilight instantly noticing he did not look well. His face was ragged, already short of breath as he put the blade up to his shoulder. She could tell he was exhausted and hungry, but before either could say anything, a growl made them both turn to see the recovering yeti, "Back off fuzzball!" he yelled as he raised his sword, only for a small glimmer of light to shine off it.
"RAWR!" it yelled as it swung at Flash, making him hop back from the attack. He pointed his blade at the beast, but the sword's light just sputtered. The sight made him grimace, the monster swiping at him again, which Flash dodged back while backpedaling again.
"Aw crap." Flash muttered as he slashed his sword, no energy blades coming out. Flash could feel the effects of his full day of training catching up to him, his energy now gone. Looking back up at the yeti, Flash braced his sword back as he got into a fighting stance. "The old fashioned way then."
The yeti roared again as he threw his claws down, Flash slashing both back, making the yeti cry out. A slip of blood flew out of the claws, the monster flinching for just a second before trying to smash the defender again. This time Flash wasn't able to dodge, a single swipe of the claw knocking the pegasi back as he landed into a pile of snow. A low moan followed this as Flash popped his head out, "Great...way to go Flash, you just made him mad."
As this happened, Twilight tried to pick herself up, only to flinch as she felt pain strike her hooves and wing. Gasping at this, she started to spark her horn, pointing at the yeti. But as she did this, a small beam of magic shot out and hit the yeti's face...only for the monster to do a small flinch.
The beast turned to glare at her, but his attention was taken back to Flash as he slashed at the yeti's legs. Screaming in pain, the yeti swung at the defender again, the pegasi dodging by hopping back. Seeing Flash dodge two more attacks, Twilight squinted as she tried to focus on her horn, "Come on magic...give me something...anything!"
While she did this, the yeti smacked Flash into another pile of snow, the pegasi gasping as he felt his body land into the white powdery mess. The yeti then stood over him, leaning down to bite right into the orange pony's head. Grimacing at the incoming attack, Flash closed his eyes as the beast got closer.
Twilight went wide-eyed at the sight, quickly taking off her saddlebag as she tried to see what else Discord had packed for her. However, all she found was some warm blankets, some canned food and a can opener. "Oh no..." She whispered as she looked back up, now seeing Flash about to be literally chewed up by the yeti. "NO!"
And as the yeti was about the chomp his fangs down, a large can suddenly struck his forehead. The feeling made him lean his head back up, confused as another bonk hit his head. He turned next, only to see Twilight throw one more can into his face.
"Get away from him!" Twilight cried as she threw another can, the yeti batting this one away. The last one soon followed, the feeling from it hitting his head making the yeti growl. Flash groaned and started blinking as he saw what was happening, now seeing the beast get up to go after Twilight.
"No..." Flash muttered as he saw Twilight backpedal, fear on her face as the yeti's shadow about to get close to her. He then felt his hooves clinch, making he slump over in the snow. Barely gripping his sword, he glared at the back of the yeti's head and threw his sword...only for it to fly over the beast, lodging it into a nearby rock. "No..."
He glanced back at Twilight, seeing tears go down her face as the yeti lifted its claws up. Her horn kept sputtering, Flash now trying to crawl over to her as he saw fear consume her face. "No...Twilight...Twilight..." he whispered as he tried to move, only for his body to say no. "Come on...I gotta...I gotta…protect her! I...I..."
His eyes looked up one time again, tears going down his face as he saw Twilight be covered by the yeti's shadow. "NOOO!!!" he screamed, a click going off in his brain as a spark shined within him. Before he could react, he felt strength pour into his muscles, a shining light blasting off his body. A tremor happened after this, making both Twilight and the yeti turn to him, only for both to gasp as they saw Flash now standing, "Get...away...from...HER!"
With that, his eyes shot open to reveal they were shining gold, light now exploding off his body. Both Twilight and the yeti awed at the sight as the light wrapped around him into a tornado while armor appeared around his body. This also sent out a wave of heat, melting all the snow around them.
Flash took a deep slow breath, now feeling his exhaustion leave him as he saw his injuries vanish off his body. Glaring back up at the yeti, he took a battle stance. "Yo ugly! Come get some!"
"RAAAWWWRRR!!!" the yeti roared back, pouncing at him next. But as it did this, the tornado around the armored pegasus morphed into a bubble before he easily leapt to the side, dodging the attack before slamming his hoof into the beast's jaw.
The beast staggered back, roaring again as he tried to charge at Flash. As he did this, Flash spun like a top, slamming a back hoof into the yeti's chest, knocking the monster back again. The yeti let out a lower growl at the blow, now pouncing at the defender...only to miss and crash into the snow.
"FLASH DRIVER!" yelled the pegasi as he appeared above the yeti, turning into a spiraling drill of light. The beast gasped at the incoming attack, hopping to the side as the drill struck the snow. But as it hit the dirt, the snow beneath the yeti exploded as another tornado of light zipped out of the snow and struck the yeti.
"RAAAWWWRRRR!!!" it screamed as it went flying back, Flash flapping his wings to steady himself after the drill attack before landing in front of Twilight. The light around him forming the tornado once again.
The princess was wide-eyed at the sight, gasping as Flash glanced at her. "Flash? Is that...is that really you?"
Flash just nodded, turning back as another roar came from the distance. "Don't worry Twilight," Flash replied as he stared at the yeti, the monster slowly getting up, "I promise...I'M GONNA PROTECT YOU!"
And as these words left his mouth, the tornado of light exploded off of Flash's body, the glow now streaming to his back. Doing so formed a large bubble of light, which then morphed into the twin swords that were crossed between his wings. However, Flash seemed to barely notice his full transformation as he charged at the yeti while Twilight stared at him in awe. "Flash..."
As Flash and the yeti got closer, the pegasus reached back and drew his light swords. "Flash Cutter!" He swung the first at the direction of the beast, hitting him dead-on as his fur began to burn from the blow. The yeti hopped back in pain as the remaining sword morphed into a bubble that Flash held in both hooves before slamming it into the ground. "Flash Vortex!" He jumped up so that he was only standing on his front moves, the bubble popping below him, light exploding from the sphere before making another tornado of light that flew across the ground like a top.
The yeti growled at this, trying to slash the tornado, only to feel his paws burn in the flames of the bright light. Gasping in pain, he put his claws into the snow, trying to cool them off as another bubble of light formed on Flash's back before morphing into two swords. Flash smirked at this, charging at the yeti again as he roared before trying to strike back.
However, as Flash got close to the beast, the swords on his back exploded into a stream of light before wrapping around him. "Flash Grinder!" Flash curled up, forming a wheel of light that hit the yeti dead on.
"RAAAAWWWWWRRR!!!" It cried in pain as the wheel slammed into it's head, bouncing off as the yeti fell back. The wheel then exploded as Flash landed back onto the snow, the light swords forming on his back once more. Looking back, he saw his opponent was almost knocked out, barely able to move in the white dirt.
The defender took a deep breath, taking to the air as the swords flew off his back and spiraled between his hooves, forming a sphere of light as he pulled back, "FLASH..." The yeti hopped back up, roaring again as it leapt at the pegasi, "FORCE!"
Flash thrust the sphere, a single stream of light blasting out of the orb. The laser struck the monster, instantly blowing him into the earth. And as the laser attack stopped, the yeti fell over, knocked out with a long trench now formed from where the laser had hit him into the ground.
Both Flash and Twilight panted at the sight, Flash floating down as the light faded away on his form. The pegasi felt his hooves tap the snow, glancing down at his hooves as he saw the light hadn't made him freeze up. "Huh..."
"Flash?" Twilight chimed in, Flash turning to Twilight with a somber expression.
"I'm okay Twi," he assured her before flying over to grab his sword. "But let's get out of here before tiny wakes up and asks for round two." Twilight nodded and quickly began to pick up the cans she had tossed at the yeti, though needing to be careful not to use her injured hoof before heading to the cave Flash had previously been at. Once there, the two collapsed on the ground, both heavily panting as they slumped over to the cave's walls.
After a full five minutes of getting their breaths back, Flash sat himself up and glared at Twilight, "Alright...now that that mess is over...what are you doing here Twilight?!"
Twilight got up and stared directly into his eyes, her anger matching his perfectly, "I'm up here to find you. What were you thinking, coming up here alone in your condition?!"
Flash sighed at this, "I'm training Twilight."
"Training for what, the idiot Olympics?! Are you hoping to get a gold medal for being a moron?!"
Flash tried to reply with a more intense glare, "I'm training to take on Cold and beat him."
Twilight just let out a snort, "And why did you have to come up here to do that? Why didn't you wait until your injuries healed?!" She leaned forward, growling at him, "Why didn't you let us help you?!"
Flash continued his stare, his face unflinching, "Because this is something I have to do alone."
"Says who?! Cold?!" Twilight screeched as she leaned even further, "You can't be serious if that's what you're thinking! What does he know?!"
"He knows I'm weak!" Flash screamed, their faces about to touch each other. But before anything could happen, Flash turned away, "When this storm passes, you're heading back down to the empire. I'll take you as far as the first mountain-"
"No," Twilight interrupted with crossed hooves, "You're coming with me. I didn't come all the way up here to not come back with you."
Flash glanced back, sighing, "I didn't ask you to come find me."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "You are such a meathead. We're friends Flash, you don't have to ask me to come help you."
"I don't need any help."
"You do!" Twilight yelled, stomping her hoof before flinching at the pain, "Flash...you need your friends, especially right now!"
"Oh yeah?! And who was it that I just had to save from some yeti?!" Flash barked back, pointing at the princess, "I know it wasn't me that needed saving!"
"That doesn't matter!" Twilight countered, "You need my help now because you're doing something really stupid!"
Flash rolled his eyes at this, turning away again, "Oh please, like I need your help. What, you think I can't look after myself either?!"
"I didn't say that," Twilight instantly replied, only to see Flash turn around with anger screaming on his face.
"Admit it! You think I'm weak too!"
"You're not weak. But you don't need to do something stupid like this to prove you're strong either."
This time, it was Flash's turn to roll his eyes as he turned away again. "You don't get it."
"Seriously?! Then tell me what I don't get."
"You wouldn't understand."
"What wouldn't I understand?"
"EVERYTHING!" Flash yelled as he turned back once more, this time the expression he wore now scaring Twilight. A pure death glare was on his face as he started to walk up to her, panting in deadly anger as he continued, "Listen here little miss princess who thinks she knows everything! Well, you don't know me! You don't have a clue about how I feel! You've never wanted something so much that you've done everything in your power to try and get it, only to be told you're not good enough for it! All your life, you've never struggled to do something Twilight! Everything comes so easy for you, but not for me!" Twilight's eyes went wide, tears trying to form as she wanted speak up, only for Flash's rant to continue, "You're not the one who was left at an orphanage because of some stupid prophecy! You're not the one who spent years starving on the streets! You're not the one who trained everyday of his life until your bones almost broke! You're not the one who went through all that, just to be told you're just some stupid, weak pathetic criminal that's not GOOD ENOUGH!"
"Flash..."
Flash turned away, his tone slowly lowering, "I'm weak Twilight...I always have been. I've always relied on others to help me, and that's made me even weaker." He closed his eyes as tears began to form, threatening to break free as he looked down. "Lightning...Sombra...Doom...Cold...they were all right. I'm just...I'm just some street rat thief that doesn't deserve to exist." He put his hoof to his face, water now streaming down his leg. As this happened, he looked down at his blade, only to drop it, the clangs from the falling metal making Twilight almost gasp. "I'm not worthy of Lightbringer. Heck, I'm not worthy of anything. I'm...I'm so weak. I'm so pathetic that I can't protect anything I care about. Cold...was right. I'm...I'm nothing." He looked back, only to stare past Twilight and out at the blizzard, "I...I can't go back. I have to get strong...and nothing you can do will change that."
He then walked past her, slumping over as he stared at the entrance of the cave. "Tomorrow...you're going back to the empire Twilight. You can't help me. I...I'm not something worth your time."
Flash continued to stare out of the cave, expecting Twilight to give some big heartfelt speech. He knew it was coming, he had gone through a thousand lectures from her. This time though, he knew it wouldn't help. That is, till-
SPLAT!
"Ow!" Flash yelped as he felt something hard and cold to hit the back of his head. He rubbed the spot, turning to see Twilight staring at the ground with several levitating snowballs at her side. "Twilight?"
"The Flash I know is full of energy. He's a leader, always trying his best. He's always positive and he never gives up." She lifted her head next, showing Flash her own eyes were a combination of tears and pure anger, "He hangs on till the very end. He always comes through!" A scream followed this, her magic now launching all the snowballs. "YOU'RE NOT ACTING LIKE THE FLASH I KNOW!"
Flash flinched as the snowballs began to hit him in the face, "Twilight! Quit it!"
"NO!" She screamed as the snowballs continued to splat all over him, the defender now shielding himself with his wings.
As he did this, he got up and grabbed her by the chest before pushing to the ground, pinning her to the cave's floor. "STOP IT!" He yelled, only to freeze up as he saw a fully sobbing Twilight now under him, the sight making his heart clinch.
"Please...I want my Flash back." Her hoof moved up until it was touching Flash's cheek, "The Flash that's supported me and so many others to become the best we can be. The Flash...I fell in love with."
Flash's eyes went wide at this, his brain trying to process what she had just said. But as he did this, Twilight slowly picked herself up as she stared into his eyes, "Flash, you were never weak. You're the strongest pony I know. And no matter what Cold told you, relying on others is never a weakness. If it was, do you think Grand would have asked for your help when you went after Doom?" Flash didn't reply, tears now going down his face as she continued, "It's true you've never defeated a truly powerful opponent alone, but neither have I or almost anypony. It wasn't me who defeated Nightmare Moon, or Discord or Sombra or Tirek. It was us."
She put her hooves up to his face, tears still escaping her eyes. "You, me, and all of our friends...we won against them because we worked together as a team. Working together doesn't make us weak. In fact, not being able to accept help is more of a weakness than needing help. You of all ponies should know this." She then placed her head on his shoulder, her hooves hugging him. "You said you want to become strong so you could protect the ponies that you care about. Well...you're a pony I care about, and I want to protect you."
"Twilight..."
"And I'm not the only one who cares about you. You're not alone anymore, you haven't been since the moment we met. Me, Scootaloo, Springer and Spike. My parents, your parents, the princesses...our friends. They want to protect you as much as you want to protect them. So please..." she leaned back, tears pouring down her face as she let out a sniff, "Don't listen to Cold. Don't...don't push us away."
As Twilight's words sunk into Flash's heart, his mind started to break. He thought about every life-threatening event he had gone through, all of them scaring him to the core. But despite this, he found the courage to push on, the strength to overcome those barriers.
And as he remembered these events, he knew one thing. His friends were there. They were his source of courage...his source of true strength and power, even when he fought alone. No, he had never fought alone, as his friends were there, even in spirit, believing in him.
"I'm...not alone." he whispered, new tears forming in his eyes as he put his hooves around Twilight, his wings also hugging her. The gesture made her blush, a small 'eep' escaping her breath as he pulled her close, "Twilight...thank you. I...I finally understand. Thank you for showing me."
This made her finally smile as tears kept flowing down her face. She clenched her hooves around him, "No problem. But please, don't ever leave me like that again." She pulled away next, locking her eyes with him as a frown tried to form on her face again, "I...I don't want to lose you."
Flash gave a small smile back, "I won't. I promise." With that, the two continued to stare into each other's eyes, the duo feeling themselves moving closer and closer to one another. And then, their lips met.
Time froze at this singular moment, seconds feeling like years as they continued to embrace each other. And as they pulled apart, both were fully blushing as they thought about what they had just done.
That is, till Flash broke the silence. "Did that feel...weird to you?"
Twilight shook her head, "No, it felt right. A little overdue, but right."
Flash smirked back, "Same." With that, he pushed his lips back onto her. Twilight almost went wide-eyed at this, only for her brain to say buck it and closed her eyes as they got deeper into the kiss. She then placed her hooves around his neck while he placed his around her waist. Her horn sparked next as it opened her saddlebag before pulling out the blankets, Flash now grabbing the zipper of her winter jacket.
The two were in for a night they would never forget.
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Yes at last
And here are some original ideas for your fan fic Banshee.
1.Flash along with one or two of the other royal knights being a body guard to Blueblood.
2.Bring back the Diamond dogs and have them join Gorgar's team.
3. Instead of Flash being a teacher at the school of friendship He can boot camp where he trains Many different creatures and have be a make man out of you song like you from Mulan.
4. Have a flashlight and soarindash double date.
5. You all ready gave the 4 out of the mane six get boyfriends and Rarity is possibly ending up with Lightning but please give AJ her own fella.
And OC villains
1. A Pied Piper villain that get his kicks of kidnapping children.
2. A gold finger-like villain named Gold hoof.
3. A mob boss modeled after The Godfather.
4. A insane toy maker that ran out of business.
5. A assassin for hire.
About damn time you 2!
Well at least they won't go cold during the night!
Also we had some backstory from Cold & it was brutal, still don't like him yet though. He needs to redeem himself in my eyes after all the crap he has pulled till now.
Pretty intense yet heartwarming chapter all around, can't wait to see what happens next!
FUCKING UNHOLY ANT-LOVING BASTARD FINALLY! Been waiting for 4 seasons! And a bunch of movies to go along with it! What took you so GODDAMN LONG?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J6-3l3hCm0
One of my attendings said something similar to me. "You're not going to learn if you don't look up the answer yourself."
FINALLY!
I mean, I know I took my own sweet time in my stories getting them to kiss, but at least, they were dating.
9792633
Well here's what I think Cold's philosophy is in the basic form, (Banshee feel free to correct me) ponies come and go at the drop of a hat, Equestria is what endures.
9792723 Pretty much. He spent years living out in the wild, completely alone, so he had to learn to survive. And one of the key survival strategies is to learn to see the use in anything around you. Now he automatically does the same thing with ponies he meets.
9792726
Let me guess. He got so used to just surviving that he forgot that life had value beyond just that.
9792774 Well he was alone from a young age.
Sweetheart, you're barely figuring this out now?
Then again, introspection has never really been your strong suit.
9792795
Dare I ask, when has it been any of the characters' strong suits?
9792845
Maybe Flash and Twilight are just more introspective the way I write them, and it's coloring how I read other people's Flashlight stories.
To quote Franz Oberhauser (aka Ernst Stavro Blofeld) from the 2015 film Spectre: "It's been a long time, but finally here we are. What took you so long?"
I'm excited for what the future has in store for Flash and Twilight now. And what could Starlight Glimmer (mah best pone.... as a good girl that is) have in store for them across time.
And I will hold my thoughts on Cold for now, still. There's still something about him that I feel will be needed to truly understand who he is and why he's acting the way he does.
I
this series 3,000.
It's slightly corny to say, but you know what I meanYes! Finally, after all these years it happened! Flash and Twilight are finally together and finally kissed! That was a great chapter.
It was good to learn a bit more about Cold's backstory too. That was traumatizing alright, so no wonder he acts the way he does. Being the sole survivor of his family and village, forced to kill at a young age and survive for years by himself afterwards could make anyone grumpy. But his flaw is he is so shell-shocked that he sees living ponies as tools to be used to survive, not actual lives.
Flash and Twilight's scene in the cave was really well done. The part where Twilight was throwing snowballs at Flash and yelling he wasn't acting like the Flash she knew kinda reminds me of a similar scene from Pokemon, until Flash retaliates by pinning Twilight and yelling at her to stop. Though Twilight confessing her love to him and the two sharing their first kiss was adorable.
Wait, are they doing what I think they're doing?! I'm happy they're together but shouldn't they go out for awhile before doing that together like Rainbow and Soarin did?
Oh well. Now it looks like only Rarity, Applejack, and maybe Spike are the ones left to still get into a relationship with someone. But first, Flash needs to go back to the Empire and beat Cold!
Now I know how Cadance felt.
IT TOOK ALL THOSE ADVENTURES JUST FOR THEM TO FIGURE OUT?!?!?!?!
AAUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9792934
I agree with penultimate paragraph.
9792934
Looking at what has been shown, I'dwager Rarity and Lightning Blitz becoming a thing, as for Applejack and Spike...
I'm a Smolder-Spike shipper so I'm rooting for that, as for AJ... I think an OC because there's no character in the main series that seems to be shipping material with her.
9793057
I must concer.
9793099
Personally, I'm rooting for Spike to get with Ember but I guess if he got with Smolder instead that would be the next best choice.
9793269
Well, Spike and Smolder are much closer in age then Spike and Ember, as Ember seems to be about as old as the Mane 6
FINALLY!!! ABOUT TIME THEY KISSED AND TOOK THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE NEXT LEVEL!
On another note, I'm saddened with how Cold lost his parents like that.
YEEAAAHHH! THEY GOT TOGETHER! PARTY, PARTY, PARTY! This was worth the long wait. It truly was.
Back at the Empire Cadence feels a twinge in her horn. "Well somepony better pick up that phone."
"Your highness?
"Because I bucking CALLED IT!"
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! YESyesyesyesyesyesyeysyesyesyesyesyeysyedsyedsyedyerdyeysusrhlncsdkrythvencjshnjmkifnsvldktunlwektidutblvnser!!! ?
sorry.
yes!
9793338
Well if Rarity & Lightning become a couple in these stories later down the road then Spike & Smolder seems like a good match-up, just as Banshee don't leave my fave purple dragon hanging.
Spike has been awesome in the later seasons & have been on fire in this last one, he's more than earned it!
9798197
Agreed
When the feels hits harder than a bullwt train powered by jet fuel. Thats how I felt, and hello again to this old story as it was wonderfully done and I got the scars on my eyes to prove it.
P.S I did not blink when I read this.
The feels level, it's OVER 9000!!!!!!
Um
FINALLY!!! The kiss! Ans it only took ... over 4 seasosn??? 🤣