Flash's Reason
Flash's eyes kept flickering, his body now slowly feeling the world around him fade. And as his vision returned, he saw he was once again in the chequer floored hallway, the many doors lining the walls of his inner mind now standing in parallel. Seeing this, he started to trot down the corridor, soon reaching the door that he knew was the deepest part of his subconscious, staring up at it with a glum frown.
After taking a deep breath, Flash reached out and grabbed the handle, slowly turning it. "Here we go again." As the door swung open, Flash stared into the darkness of the room, his hooves shuffling inside. When he did this, the bright sun from before floated down, now moving to be exactly above Flash as he stared up at it, "Alright, why did you bring me back here this time? Gonna show me a bunch of images for no reason again?"
In that moment, the sun let out a small sphere, this one floating over to Flash's face. The defender leaned up to the orb, his eyebrows raising as he saw an image of last night, a scene of him transforming against the yeti. He started to watch the scene play over and over, memories of that moment going through his head.
He remembered the fear he felt when he saw the beast about to attack Twilight, and how much he wanted to protect her. "Strange...this feels so different now." he said to himself as he watched it again. "Why did that time work so well? Was it because the battle was so short?" he blinked at the image, now seeing Twilight on the sidelines, "Twilight...all I wanted to do was protect you."
As his words escaped his mouth, more spheres began to appear around him. "These are..." he tried to say as he saw the first one, his mind racing over these events, "The Timberwolves." The defender now saw him transforming in front of his parents, seeing the determination on his face to protect his family. "The temple." That was next as the armor appeared while he was trying to stop Ahuizotl from hurting his friends. "Big Score." Flash then saw the Sacred Light shine as he destroyed the large boulder about to crush everypony. "The pirates." This one showed Fluttershy and Spike about to be attacked, himself transforming to save them. "Tirek and the Dazzlings." These times were the same, all him gaining his power to protect his friends.
It was here that another orb came down, Flash gasping at the sight, "This is..." It was his younger self, now spotting lightning fly off his body as he tried to save a filly from falling debris. As this happened, his cutie mark appeared, shining as he got to safety. "Huh. So that was the Sacred Light back then."
He glanced back at the other orbs, now seeing the moments he froze up in those fights. The sights made him blink, rubbing his chin in thought, "I don't...why did it freeze up then? What's the difference?" He went back to the pirates fight, now seeing Flash grinning at the terrified pirates...only to come to a halt. A click going off in his brain, he turned to the Tirek fight, seeing himself get confident right when he was about to beat the monster, only to freeze up again.
It was here he realized something, his fight with Cold wasn't being shown. His memories of the battle went over in his head, now glancing at all the spheres before looking up at the sun, "You...I can't use this power for myself, can I? You want me to use it to protect ponies, don't you?" He asked, only for the orbs to fly up to sun. There, a new sphere came down, this one showing the showing the piece of paper Flash had read with his parents.
"Purest souls whose heart's ignite, channel the power of the Sacred Light. Only those to wield its might, shall have spirits shining bright. Who uses its power to do what's right, to face against evils that they smite. But those with darkness blinding sight, shall not be gifted Sacred Light. So go forth and have no fright, let your courage shine so bright. Protector of all things right, wielder of the Sacred Light."
Those words made Flash go wide-eyed, his brain putting the pieces together of what the script meant. "No way...I get it now. This power...I can't just use it, can I?" The orb floated back up into the sun, Flash now staring at the larger glowing sphere. "The Sacred Light...it isn't mine, is it? You would have taken it away if I had become a criminal or done anything bad."
The sun didn't respond, but Flash knew he was on the right track as he continued, "I understand now. This is a gift, something you'll take away if I misuse it." He lowered his head next, putting a hoof to his chest, "If that's the case...I promise I won't use your power for anything other than what you see as a good cause. I'll only use it to protect others, and only as a defense in battle." He looked back up at the sphere before bowing, "I promise you won't regret giving me this power."
It was here that the sphere finally responded, letting out a pulse of golden energy. That energy flowed down to Flash, covering his body while making him feel a warm sensation that ran through his entire being. The embracing feeling clicked into the defender's brain, one that made him understand one thing. Deep within him, he felt a new power awaken.
Looking down at his hooves, he gave a soft kind smile, "I see. So that's how your power works." He looked back up again, "I can use it whenever now, can't I?"
The sun didn't respond, but Flash knew its reply. Nodding his head, he said, "Thank you. Thank you for always being there for me. I won't abuse this gift. I promise."
With that, the sun flew into the darkness. Second by second it grew smaller until it was finally gone, leaving Flash alone in his own mind. Blinking at this, he crossed his hooves as a new thought entered his head, "Oh yeah...I need to get back to Twilight. But um...how do I get out of here?" He stared back at the darkness the sun had vanished into, "Yo uh, Sacred Light! Can you, you know...wake me up or something?! Hello?!"
Unfortunately, there was no response. But Flash didn't reply to this, he knew better at this point. As such, he crossed his hooves, thinking about everything that had happened. His mind swam through a sea of memories, all of them about him using his power to protect others. But as he did this, he knew he never did it for revenge or any dark purpose, but just to protect those he cared about.
Now, he knew this power was for just that, to protect others. Even against the impossible odds, he knew this was why he had this power. A small smile began to appear on his face at this...only to sigh again as he still didn't know how to get out of here. But as he thought about this, his mind drifted back to Twilight. A red blush now covered his face as he thought about her, only to start thinking about his friends and family. He could feel a bit of weight on his shoulders now, those thoughts pressuring him as he knew one thing. He wanted to see them again, to be around them...to protect them.
But as he did this, his eyebrows raised as a colorless orb suddenly appeared in front of him. Blinking at it, he leaned over and saw the orb was showing him the scene where he got his cutie mark. Smirking at the sight, another sphere appeared right by it, this one showing his fight against Nightmare Moon. There, he saw himself defying the crazed alicorn, ready to give everything to save the girls.
One by one, more orbs appeared around him, all showing his past fights. And as Flash watched each one, both defeats and victories, he saw him helping and protecting others every time. But as he saw this, another orb appeared and showed Flash in front of a talking Grand, "Flash, after hearing your story and after seeing how well you did on the obstacle course, I believe you have great potential as a protector."
A second orb shined right by that one, this one also showing Grand, "You tried to help somepony you barely knew and your survival on your own for so long shows you have will. You have the potential to be a Royal Knight, my boy. You've shown it in mind, body and soul."
A third orb appeared, this one showing Celestia's motherly face. "You are a protector. And I believe, now more than ever, that Grand Hoof made the right decision in choosing you as his apprentice. I believe you are destined to one day become a member of the Royal Knights."
Another set of orbs began to float around him, each one showing a different pony he cared about, all saying something to him. Unfortunately, their words all started to merge together, his ears unable to comprehend the dialogue. But as this happened, he watched every pony being shown, a smile appearing on his face as a single thought left his mouth, 'No matter what, I will protect them all."
And as these words entered the void, a click went off in the pegasi's brain, his eyes going wide, "That's it...that's it!" The world around him then changed from a black void into an explosion of color, the shining light spiraling around him as realization hit him like a freight train.
But as the light began to die down, the defender now saw that the orbs were gone. Instead, a single image stood before him. It was himself, back when he was a colt. The young pegasus was teary-eyed, water dripping down his face with a huge frown. Dirt, mud and bruises covered his body, injuries that Flash still remembered from those old days.
A frown started to appear on the older Flash's face, only to go wide-eyed at the next sight. Next to his colt self appeared a filly, the sight making both versions of Flash smile. It was Twilight, who came up and hugged Flash, the mud and bruises now vanishing from the colt's body. The sight made the older Flash tear up, only to gasp as he saw the next sight.
Twilight's parents and brother now appeared, followed by Cadance, Celestia and Grand. Spike then appeared, along with Soarin as the colt Flash began to grow up. It was here that Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy appeared, Scootaloo and Springer suddenly warping up to Flash. Next was Iron, along with the rest of the Royal Knights, and even Lightning and his friends began to appear.
And as this happened, the other Flash disappeared, now grown up to his current self. But as for real Flash, tears were pouring down his face, his hoof trying to wipe away the water now flowing down his hooves. Happiness. That was what he was feeling as the ponies surrounded him, his eyes now locking at a certain purple alicorn. A look of pure determination was on her face, one showing both trust...and love.
As he stared at her, memories of the previous night rang out in his head. He had never felt more happy, as if he truly knew what he had finally obtained. It was something he didn't want to lose, no matter what the cost.
"I understand now," he told them as they all smiled back. The army of ponies then transformed into a rainbow of light that began to wrap around him like a tornado, only to leap into his chest. As it did this, Flash's grin grew as he felt a weight of doubt finally lift off of his heart. "No more doubting myself. I know who I am. I am Flash Sentry, student of Grand Hoof. The Element of Courage. Defender of the Peace. And I will be a Royal Knight, cause I now know my reason! I...I have a purpose in my life!" He looked up into the void of his inner mind. "And nothing is gonna stop me from fulfilling that purpose! NOTHING!"
With that outcry, the void cracked open, fading away as Flash saw the world start to vanish. And as it did, the biggest smile he had ever given was on his face.
A certain purple alicorn began to shiver like a leaf as her eyes flickered open. Her hooves clinching next, she could barely feel the blanket over her body as she gripped it. The mare's back now felt the thin blanket under her, the cloth barely giving any comfort from the rocky cave floor. Letting out a small yawn, she rubbed her eyes as she began to wake up.
That is, till she noticed somepony missing, making her mutter out, "Flash?"
Blinking at where he had been last night, thoughts of yesterday evening now going through her head as her face turned bright tomato red. A smile began to creep on to her face as she remembered every moment, knowing she'd never forget it. But as she remembered, her smile began to fade as she saw no sign of the stallion. Pulling her head up, her eyes glanced around the cavern, only to notice Lightbringer leaning against a nearby wall, making her sigh in relief.
And so, she began to pick herself up, wrapping the blanket around her back as she let out another yawn. It was here that she turned to look at the mouth of the cave, only to see a certain pegasi staring at the sunrise outside. A smile returning to her face, she clenched onto the blanket as she slowly made her way to him.
"Flash?" she said as she trotted up to him, the pegasi's wings twitching at her voice before turning to her. And as he showed his face, Twilight almost gasped. His expression was different, one she had not seen on him before. It was a look of...pure serenity, or at least that was how she would describe it. The defender's eyes were bright and calm, brimming with confidence as they looked like doubt and stress had seemingly been removed from his soul. Not only that, his smile was natural, no joy or excitement, but rather...one filled with heart and peace.
Twilight could only blink at the sight, unable to respond. However, Flash didn't seem to notice her surprise, instead just smiling as he replied, "Morning Twilight."
Twilight's eyes darted away for a second, her blush trying to hide itself with no success, "Um...morning Flash."
"How ya feeling?" Flash asked as he gestured her to sit down by him. She silently complied, slowly placing herself down beside him as she noticed his smile grow.
"I'm....good. In fact, I feel-"
"Great? Same here." Flash finished, a small blush starting to appear on his face as Twilight's face went full red, her head nodding.
"Yeah...definitely great." Twilight admitted as she pulled on the blanket, her whole body shivering. Seeing this, Flash wrapped his wing around her, making her gasp for a second, only to accept his wing-hug a moment later. "Thanks."
"No prob. This place ain't exactly warm."
The two stared at each other for what felt like hours, even though it was actually a few minutes before Twilight looked away, now twiddling her hooves, "So uh....Flash. I um...about uh....you know, last night-"
"Yeah..." Flash glanced away, a huge blush appearing on his face, "That was uh...well..." His mouth began to quiver, the right words now not wanting to escape his lips. Despite this, he looked back at Twilight, only to see nothing but pure beauty in his eyes. The very sight made his brain stop working, words pouring out of mouth as he replied, "It was the best night of my life."
Twilight's face couldn't get any redder at that statement, her wings trying to flare in pure embarrassment, only to feel Flash's wing preventing them to get loose. She felt like she wanted to hide in a corner now, not knowing what to say or how to react to the situation. But as she felt this, she saw the huge smile on his face and the giant blush he was wearing, causing her to respond, "Yeah...same here. Last night was...amazing."
The two stared at each other, their eyes locked again as time began to melt around them. But as this happened, Twilight's brain finally caught up to her as her eyes slightly looked away, "But uh...Flash?"
"Yeah?"
"Um..." She began to twiddle her hooves again, "What does it mean...for us?"
"What do you mean?" Flash replied, tilting his head.
"I...I don't know." Her eyes glanced back up to his, "I mean, I um...I uh...I love you Flash. And...I don't know how long I have, but-"
"You're scared?" Flash finished for her, getting a nod from the princess. "Yeah...same here."
"I thought so..." Twilight mumbled as she looked away again, "I mean....I know what I said and last night happened and everything, but I...I-"
Flash's wing tightened its hug, making Twilight now feel Flash's chest as he put a hoof around her neck. "I know. You were uh...you were probably thinking what I was thinking. You know...thinking things could go bad with us."
"Yes...no...I don't know." Twilight admitted as she rested her head on his shoulder, "I just...can't believe I said that and you...accepted it."
Flash's smile continued to grow as he heard those words, his head turning to hers as she lifted it off his shoulder. There, he put his hoof to her chin, "Twilight...I love you too. More than...well, anypony could imagine but..." his hoof slid off her chin as he looked away, "I...I don't know either. I know that I feel this way now and...I guess I was scared too. I...I just knew in the back of mind that it would go badly and...I um...definitely didn't want to lose you, and-"
"Lose our friendship?"
"Yeah." Flash nodded, the stallion now looking back at her. As he did this, he saw the expectant look on her face, one that made him smile as the sun drew close to being fully risen in the horizon. The biggest smile began to morph onto his face, eyes filled with blazing confidence as he said, "But...considering everything we've been through Twilight, that sounds really dumb. I mean, do you really think we would ruin our friendship after all we've done? Every challenge we've faced...we've always done it together."
Upon hearing those words, Twilight felt her heart skip a beat. A long gulp went down her body as she felt tears of joy go down her face, "Yeah. You're absolutely right." She then felt Flash's wing pull her again, a small 'eep' escaping her breath before the two closed their eyes, their lips joining in a sweet embrace. Time began to slow again as the did their act of love, the fear that Cadance had told her about truly fading away.
"Flash...I..." she moaned as they exited their kiss, only for her brain to tell her to shut up and do one thing. Put her hooves around his neck and kiss him again. Obeying the order immediately, the two embraced again, tears now appearing in both lovers' eyes as they continued.
Unfortunately, their need for oxygen stopped the embrace from going on forever, the two slightly gasping for air after that second long kiss. And as they recovered, Flash pulled Twilight close again, his mouth moving on its own, "Twilight...you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. If I never met you, I wouldn't have the great life I have right now." He then stroked her mane, his face fully red as he said, "I love you...and I promise that as long as I live, I'll love you with all my heart and protect you."
Twilight's face was filled with tears now, a giant smile on her face as she pressed herself up against Flash's chest. The rhythmic sound of his heart made her release a happy sigh. "And you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I can't imagine a world where you weren't with me. I love you Flash Sentry. I love you, and no matter what happens in life, I'll always be there for you."
Their hug continued, tears of joy descending both faces as their embrace kept going. But as they did this, a icy wind blew past them, making both shiver on the spot. "Brrr…." Twilight whimpered as she held onto the stallion, Flash trying to warm her by tightening his wing-hug.
"Yeah...its still really cold here." Flash added as his body started to remind him where he was. "We uh...should get moving."
"No."
"Huh?" Flash looked down at the mare, her hug still tight as ever, "Twilight-"
"You're warm. Wanna stay with you." she pouted, her face rubbing up to his chest. "So fuzzy..."
"Twilight...the empire is warmer. We should go back."
The princess raised an eyebrow at this, pulling her head back as she looked up at him, "Oh? You didn't forget our chat last night? Don't wanna go whack down another forest of trees?"
Flash chuckled at this, shaking his head, "No, I haven't forgotten. You were right Twilight, I'm not alone anymore. I have you and everypony else beside me, and as long as I have them, I'll have the strength to take on any challenge."
Twilight let out a sigh of relief, now fulling releasing the hug, "Thank Celestia."
"Yeah...we should probably get to her first. I bet she's worried about you." Flash added as the two headed back into the cave, ready to make preparations for their trip to the empire.
An hour or so later...
At the base of the mountain, a large flash of light occurred before dying down to reveal a large group of ponies. Celestia and Luna were leading the group, panting after having teleported so many ponies at once. As for why they had done this, by some miracle, Spike woke up early for once, only to notice Twilight was missing. One rush into Celestia's chambers later, he accidentally made a huge panic within the whole castle, everypony now rushing around to find the missing princess.
Thankfully, it didn't take long for a few ponies to figure out where Twilight had went, Ruby and Grand quickly making plans to go out to the Crystal Mountains as soon as possible. This was followed by them getting the Elements along with the princesses, knights and a few others all volunteering to come along for the expedition.
And as they arrived, Shining quickly cast a shield spell as a light snow shower began to fall on them. It was here that Ruby walked up to the front of the group, "We should split up. Prince Shining and I know these mountains quite well, so we should lead the groups."
Shining nodded at this. "Agreed. We can form two separate groups, each of us heading around one side of the mountain."
"Make it three groups." They all turned to see Cold, most frowning at the knight as he showed no emotion on his face despite the worry that was on everypony's faces. "These kinds of mountains are similar to the ones I've trained on. I'll be able to lead a team up them." Almost everypony grimaced at this, Cold not noticing while he continued, "One team will go one way around the mountain's base while the other team goes the opposite way, and I'll lead a team straight over it."
Before anypony could say anything to Cold, Celestia spoke up. "Very well. Cold Steel, Grand Hoof, Skybreaker, Lightning Blitz, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Applejack and I will head straight up. Ruby, Luna, Trixie, Fluttershy, Iron, Script and Spike will go around the west side of the mountain while Shining will lead the rest of you around the eastern side. Everypony understand?" They all nodded, only to see Fluttershy raise her hoof, "Yes Fluttershy?"
"Yeah um...sorry for asking this, but..." Fluttershy twiddled her hooves as she darted her eyes back and forth from looking at Celestia, "Has anypony seen Discord? I know he was here two days ago, and I was thinking he could help us."
"Well-" Celestia tried to say, only for her ears to hear a voice above the group.
"I wouldn't worry about that." the ponies looked up to see Discord, a big toothy grin on his face. "Hello everypony. Sorry for being away. Let's just say...a lot has happened while you ponies have been chilling out at the Crystal Empire."
"What do you mean Discord? And where have you been?" Celestia asked, only for Discord to point down at a certain non-pony.
"Why don't you ask him?" Discord commented as everypony glanced at where he was pointing, now seeing it was Springer. The jakhowl had his eyes closed, his ears twitching as a faint blue aura cover his body.
Cold gave the jakhowl a blank, yet slightly disapproving stare, "What's wrong with him?"
"He must be sensing something." Ruby replied as she gave him a slight glare, Cold not seeing it but obviously not understanding why she looked angry at him. The crystal pony went back to the jakhowl, a calm smile now on her face, "What is it Springer? What do you sense?"
"Something great." Springer replied, his eyes opening with a huge grin as he pointed at the mountain, "Here it comes!"
The group turned to the mountain, now seeing a snow flurry cover the steep slope in front of them. But as they blinked at the sight, everypony started to squint as they saw a figure hiding in the icy wind, the knights and Shining readying weapons on instinct. And as they stared at the figure, it started to split into two as it got close, only for the flurry to melt away.
There, the figures showed two pairs of wings along with a certain familiar horn, both now walking up to Shining's forcefield. "FLASH/TWILIGHT!" The ponies all screamed as they ran over to the two, Springer, the Mane Seven and Twilight's family all pulling them into a hug.
Tears began to fall down a few faces as the knights put away their weapons. And as the hug began to end, Night Light was the first to speak up, "What were you two thinking?! Who knows what could have happened to you two up there?!"
Twilight frowned at her father's words, only for Flash to step between them, "Don't blame Twilight. She was just trying to help me." He then looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry everypony. I know I caused you all a lot of trouble and worry, and I know I don't deserve your forgiveness...but I am sorry. I...I let my failure get the better of me and I acted without thinking about how my actions would effect you all." He did a low bow, "I'm really sorry everypony. For everything."
He waited for somepony to say something, but no such words came out. Instead, he glanced back up...only to see almost everypony smiling at him. It was here that Celestia spoke up, showing her signature motherly smile, "Rise Flash Sentry, you have no reason to apologize. I know you have been having a hard time, and I know that ponies your age have a tendency to act without thought when they're having trouble. Need I remind you of Twilight's little 'want it need it' problem?" Flash and everypony aware of that event laughed, Twilight blushing at the memory as Flash picked himself up.
It was here that Pinkie and Springer leapt at him to pulled the pegasus into another hug, soon mimicked by the most of the rest of the group. But as the last pony hugged him and pulled away, Flash caught sight of Cold, his face morphing back into one of pure determination. Everypony watched as Flash walked past them, stopping in front of the unicorn as they knight raised an eyebrow. Once there, the two stared each other down until Flash spoke up. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said."
"And?"
"You told me not to come back until I have a reason for being a knight. Well...I have one."
"Of really? And what would that reason be?"
Flash smirked back. "I'll show you when we have another battle. If you're willing to take my challenge."
Cold stared into his eyes, only to glance at Grand. Remembering the conversation they had the previous night, he then saw Twilight, a glare on her face. He could feel a small chill as he looked back at Flash, only to notice something. In Flash's eyes was not doubt, fear or indecision. Instead, they showed pure, unwavering confidence and determination.
However, this didn't impress him. His mind told him he was intrigued...but that was it. As such, he spoke up, "Normally...I would say no." Everypony frowned at this, several glares following his next words, "To me, you still look exactly like a worthless criminal. However..." he glanced back at Grand and Twilight, sighing at his next words, "I can't believe I'm saying this...but I'll make an exception this time. We'll have our battle tomorrow. Just don't disappoint me."
He then turned away, now finally showing a hint of emotion as he looked back at glared at a certain purpled alicorn, "Also, Princess Twilight....you're wrong about everything. I'll prove it to you tomorrow."
With that, he walked out of Shining's shield and into the snow showing, disappearing into the cold white void. But as everypony glared at the spot the knight was, Flash just smiled back, "Don't worry, I won't disappoint."
Everything seemed like a blur after that, the group returning to the empire. When they saw the returning ponies, Flash's sister and parents ran over and pulled him into a deep hug. They were so happy he was back and safe, only to soon give him a serious lecture and a half. Once that was done, Flash and Twilight explained what had happened up in the mountains, making sure to leave out...certain details, mainly everything about their relationship. The group was especially surprised at Flash's perfect Sacred Light transformation, but he didn't tell them about the dream on over figuring the it all out.
Flash wanted to tell them about the dream, but chose to keep it a surprise until the battle tomorrow. Now Flash was alone in his room, Springer having left to spend the night talking to Luna and Ruby. The defender was now laying on the bed while looking up at the ceiling, his mind going back and forth over tomorrow's battle and Twilight. That is, till a knock on the door caught his attention and made him sit up. "Come in."
The door opened, revealing his mentor as he walked inside, "Hey kiddo," he said as he moved over to the bed and jumped onto it before sitting down, "You okay?"
"Yeah...just a little nervous."
"Understandable. Unlike before, you know what you're up against now."
"Cold isn't gonna make this fight easy."
Grand nodded at this, a small smile on his face, "But I know you'll prevail. I see it in your eyes." Flash smiled back at his substitute grandfather, only to see a frown now on Grand's face. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you Flash. I know you've been having troubles, but there was nothing I could do to help you. The whole 'reason' thing is something all knights must face, and it's something they can only truly realize on their own. But even so, I wish I could have been of more helpful to you."
Flash shrugged at this, "Its cool. You've been more than just helpful. You're the pony who helped give my life purpose and saw the potential in me that never would have been tapped if you hadn't made me your apprentice."
"Maybe...but it's likely you would have eventually joined the guard, and with your skills...Celestia would have made a knight one day anyway. I really just sped up the process."
Flash shook his head at this. "But you didn't just teach me how to be a knight. You taught me how to be the best version of myself I could be while you gave me room to grow the way I wanted to grow. I don't care what you, or anyone else, thinks, you've been a great mentor to me."
Grand looked away, now wanting to show that he was feeling embarrassed by the praise. "Thank you Flash. You know...it's funny. When I was your age, I never thought I'd end up a Royal Knight, let alone the teacher of one. Heck, I never wanted to be a knight."
"Really?" Flash gasped at this.
Grand nodded, "I didn't think I deserved it. I was a...very different pony when I was younger. As a colt, I made a mistake that cost a lot of ponies...something that can't be replaced. Because of that, I vowed to never let myself become anything worth celebrating. I joined the guard and did my best to keep Equestria safe, until Celestia chose to promote me to a Royal Knight." He looked up at the ceiling, "I didn't want to take it. But at that time, Canterlot was having...problems. The city needed me to step up, so I did so." He sighed at this, "That was my reason for being a knight, and it still is. To atone for the sins of my past."
Flash blinked at this, now realizing he had never really heard about Grand's past except about Doom and Lightning. But as he thought about this, Grand continued, "I guess that's why I wanted to train you. Maybe I thought that me bringing another Royal Knight into the world was also my way of atonement. Unfortunately, my family...decided to go against my decision, and I'm sorry for that."
"Well, I'm glad you did it."
"Thanks kiddo." Grand replied as he hopped off the bed. "You should probably get some sleep. Big day tomorrow."
"Yeah, you're right." Flash watched as the earth pony head for the door, "Hey Grand?"
His mentor turned back, "Yeah?"
"For the record, I think you've more than made up for whatever mistakes you've made in the past. Though uh...I know you still have problems with Solid Script, but...just be honest with him like you were with me right now. I know you have problems doing that with him, but..."
"I know." Grand sighed at this, shaking his head, "It ain't easy Flash, admitting your mistakes."
"Yeah. But that's why you should do it." Flash added as he now showed a big kind smile, "I know it'll work out. Trust me. Solid didn't like me much in the old days either, and he's warmed up to me."
Grand tried to smile, but he just couldn't do it. "Thanks kiddo. And for the record, no matter what happens tomorrow, I'm proud I got to train you. You're a pony any knight would be proud to call his apprentice."
With that, the Royal Knight shut the door behind him, leaving Flash alone. Here, the pegasi pulled the covers over his body...only to feel no sleep come to him. It was going to be a long night.
Meanwhile...
Twilight was in her room, now combing her hair before going to bed. As she did this, her ear perked up as she heard a knock on her door. "Come in." She responded as she turned to the door, only to see Cadance and her friends step inside, the group all giving her the same look. "Oh hey girls. What's up?"
Cadance gave a massive smirk as she slowly trotted up to the alicorn, "Twilight...is there something you wanna tell us?"
"No, I don't think so." Twilight replied as she put her brush down.
"You sure sugarcube?" Applejack asked while Rarity moved up beside her.
"Oh really darling? Nothing that might have happened last night? You know...involving you and a certain...pegasus?" Rarity asked as her smirk mimicked Cadance's. And as this question exited Rarity's mouth, Twilight's face instantly went bright red, only to try and turn away to hide it.
"BUSTED!" Rainbow and Pinkie cheered as they suddenly appeared right in front of her turning head.
Fluttershy started clapping her hooves, "Oh my goodness, I can't believe it finally happened!"
"Wha...but..." Twilight tried to respond, only for Cadance to grab her with a magic pull, Twilight letting out an 'eep' as she put the purple alicorn into the center of a circle created by the other five girls. "Um..."
Cadance let out a long sigh with a roll of the eyes. "Twilight, I'm the princess of love. You really think I didn't sense it when you two admitted your feelings? I knew it the moment you both appeared together coming down that mountain." Twilight shrank on the spot, now seeing a look of pure delight on Cadance's face, "Now...tell me everything." The rest of the girls all leaned in in unison, all showing the same looks on their faces.
Twilight did a long sigh, knowing she couldn't get out of this one. Groaning, she began to explain the previous night, starting with Discord helping her. They all went wide-eyed at this, and continued to gasp at certain points of the story as Twilight told the rest of her tale, making sure to leave out some certain intimate details.
"That's so...beautiful," Rarity said while wiping away her tears.
"I'm so happy for you," Fluttershy added as she pulled Twilight into a hug.
Twilight returned the embrace, small tears going down her face, "Thanks girls. I'm happy too." She then pulled away and placed a hoof over her heart, "Honestly...I don't think I've ever been this happy."
"I know the feeling." Rainbow admitted, her face showing a slight blush that everypony giggled at.
It was here that Twilight turned to her sister-in-law, now seeing she was literally sobbing. "I know you're happy for me Cadance, but don't you think that's a little much?"
Cadance sniffed as she rubbed her eyes, "These aren't tears of joy, Twily."
"They're not?"
"No!" She broke out crying again, "Why couldn't I have been there?!" Everypony leaned back at this, now slightly grimacing as Cadance rubbed her hooves into her head in frustration, "I've spent over a half a decade trying to get you two together and this is all I got! I wasted all that time in heart-wrenching failures, only to get this!" Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Twilight, pointing at her as steam went out her nostrils, "I deserved to be there when you finally confessed!"
"Uhh...Princess Cadance?" Rainbow chimed in, "I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have confessed if you were there."
Twilight nodded in agreement. "Rainbow's right. We probably wouldn't have done it if you were there."
"But...but...the love confession and everything I've worked for..." Cadance moaned, new tears appearing, "I spent so much effort, so many years, so many other couples I had to ignore to try and get you two together...only to see nothing! WHY?!"
"Oh! I know!" Pinkie spoke up, everypony turning to her, "What about that potion Zecora gave you? You know, the one that needs alicorn magic and lets you see the past? Couldn't she make some for Cadance to use so she could go see how it happened?" This statement made Cadance instantly stop crying, huge wide eyes appearing on her face as a grin began to-
"NOOOO!!!" Twilight almost screamed, "I don't want anypony seeing that!" She put her hoof into Pinkie's mouth while giving Cadance a pleading stare, "Cadance, please. It's...private what happened. Something only me and Flash should know the..." her face went full red as she looked away, "Intimate details of." Cadance's smile and wide eyes was quickly replaced by a pout, only for it start to fade as Twilight showed a giant apologetic frown. "I'm sorry, but...please. Please just live with the knowledge that it happened. Please..."
Cadance wanted to counter, only to let out a long sigh, "Fine....I'm not somepony that would just invade your privacy like that." She then pointed a hoof at her, "But I at least want pictures of your first date! And...I get to officiate your wedding and you have to name your first born daughter Cadance!" While she said this, Twilight's face had turned from purple to deeper shades of red as steam began to release itself out of her head.
"Cadance!" Twilight screeched, "We just confessed to each other! We don't even know if-"
"You will." Cadance interrupted, leaning in with a growl, "Trust me, you will."
"But...but..."
The princess of love shook her head at the squirming Twilight, letting out a laugh next. "Alright, I've had my fun. I'd better be getting to my room before Shiny sends the guard out on a search and rescue. The rest of you should be getting to bed as well, as we all know that there's a big day tomorrow." They all nodded and got up to leave, all giving their goodbye hugs to the Twilight. And as they left, Cadance was the only one that remained as she put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder, "Twilight, I know I was being pushy and I'm sorry. I just..." she let out a long sigh, tears reappearing in her eyes as she gave Twilight a kind smile, "I really am happy for you. You and Flash are a perfect couple."
Twilight didn't respond, just nodding with a weak smile before Cadance left the room. And as she found herself alone, she flopped onto the bed...only to find sleep was eluding her. Even after Spike had come back from his extra long bubble bath and fallen asleep, she was still wide awake.
"Flash..."
The next morning...
Once again, the stadium was filled with the same ponies as before, all waiting to see if Flash could defeat Cold in battle.
"COME ON FLASH!" Scootaloo cheered.
"You got this!" Springer added.
"FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!" The younger members of the group, plus Pinkie, chanted.
Celestia watched as Flash did some warm-up stretch's, concern on her face as she remembered breakfast. Flash had come in with exhaustion on his face, drinking eight cups of coffee in a row. The sight was unnerving, especially when she thought about yesterday. When Flash had returned to the empire, she had him undergo a medical checkup, only for it show that his was in perfect physical health despite staying the night in a frozen wasteland after fighting a monster. As such, she knew something else could be wrong in terms of mental health. "Please be careful Flash." She whispered as she glanced over at her student, seeing an also ragged Twilight that had drank ten cups this morning, "Twilight might not be able to take seeing you beaten again."
All conversations stopped when a cold breeze filled their stadium, making them turn to see Cold walking onto the field. Glares followed this as he showed no emotion, a completely dead look on his face as the knight saw Flash yawning, "Late night?"
Flash cricked his neck in response, "Those castle beds aren't as comfortable as they look."
Cold raised an eyebrow, "Oh? If you're too tired-"
"Backing out already, huh?" Flash chuckled with a smirk, making Cold almost frown.
"Tch. Don't say I didn't warn you."
With that, Grand stepped between them, "Now, this battle will consist of a single one-on-one match between Flash Sentry and Cold Steel. There is no time limit and it will not end until one of the fighters either concedes, or is no long able to continue fighting. In addition, any outside help will result in the fighter it's designed to help being disqualified. Is that understood?" Flash and Cold both nodded.
Everypony in the stands watched as Grand walked back to a safe distance while the runes activating to keep whatever attacks were thrown out away from the audience. They all began to pray a silent prayer, hoping this match didn't turn out like the last one.
Flash's got into a fighting stance with Lightbringer glowing, Cold doing the same while sparking his horn. "Are both fighters ready?" They heard Grand ask, nodding in reply. "Then battle...BEGIN!"
As soon as these words left Grand's mouth, Flash shot like a rocket at Cold. "RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" he screamed as he charged, his blade now glowing orange as Cold's horn sparked. The battle had finally begun.
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So Flash has his purpose and we enter round two.
Sorry Cadance, but Celestia has prioty and there already is a great name for their daughter, Starburst.
9802905 Isn't that the Starlight Sunburst ship name?
9802909
It existed as a fanmade possible Flash and Twilight child before season 5.
9802913 True, and to be honest I think Starlight was also a name given to their child in some pre-season 5 written stories. But still, if I do show them with a kid, it'll probably be something like...Stardust.
The final battle! Wooh! Whose excited, are you excited?! CAUSE IM EXCITED!
Fantastic they call Flash mister lover lover,
Well we finally have an answer as to why that power conked out at crucial moments, very informative.
Oh Cadence, you're never gonna let Twilight live this down do you?
And we're all ready for round 2 next time around, looking forward to see the outcome of that fight!😎
You titled the story The Knight of Friendship. If Flash doesn't get knighted at the end of this, your readers are going to be disappointed.
9802919
How did you know?! That is MY fanon ship baby name!
9803024
I think Starburst sounds better.
9803083
Is it a boy or girl's? Just curious.
9803083
Don't go stealing other ship names for foal names.
9803102
Daughter
9803118
That fanmade filly had the name before Season 5 episode 1.
9803148
What would be a good name for a boy?
Another great chapter! Really love Flash and Twilight deciding to move forward with their relationship.
9803156
Star Sabre (which was originally used as a name for a Transformer back in Gen 1)
9803190
Or Wing Saber. That works too.
Oh boy, the battle is next. I can't wait to see Flash beat Cold and make him eat his words, including what he said to both him and Twilight.
So, if I understand everything, Flash's Sacred Light can only be used to either protect others or for self-defense? The reason he froze when he used it against the pirates, Tirek, and Cold in their first battle was because it was no longer in self-defense of anyone and he was using it for pure offense? I guess the reason he didn't freeze during his sparring match with Iron, Lightning, and Soarin was because they were beating him so aggressively that it qualified as self-defense. At least he can activate it whenever he needs to now, he just needs to use it in the right circumstances.
Also, I thought the part where Cadance and the girls made Twilight tell them about what happened with her and Flash was funny, especially Cadance getting upset that she missed the confession and made a bunch of other conditions, including getting to officiate their wedding and making them name their first daughter after her. Also, I assume from Twilight's embarrassment and refusal for Cadance to see the event via Zecora's potion more or less confirms that she and Flash did it last night. I guess that makes them the second couple to do so, behind Rainbow and Soarin.
9802919
9803190
I kinda prefer the name Stardust instead of Starburst, if only because it doesn't get mixed up with other ship names. Though I do admit I once found another Flash and Twilight fanfic where they had a daughter named Starlight, but that was before season 5.
I like the name Star Sabre if they have a boy, though I would have thought them having a boy would include the name "Dusk" in some way.
I won't list any spoilers, but there are going to have to be some rewrites of the series finale to fit your cannon XP
Hey are you ok? You normally post by now.
9818776
He got banned Saturday and no one knows why. We're all super worried.
9818971
Oh man! I can't believe it. I hope he's alright, I wonder what he got banned for?
9819148
No one knows. One of us asked the moderators but came up empty. Here's hoping its temporary.