Chapter 7: Love In A Flash
Chapter 7: Love In A Flash
Weeks passed. And those weeks gave way to months, all of which resulted in absolutely zero progress. The trio searched for any evidence that would tell them where the alicorns were, but came up nothing. Tirek gave them the freedom to roam about the castle, but they still had to keep their searching discreet so as not to alert the centaur to their mission.
Micro Chips had quickly begun to regret what he had said about showing Tirek what he, as a human, could do with magic. He was called on regularly to do something that would impress the centaur, but it became obvious that Tirek was beginning to lose interest, and so Micro Chips spent a good deal of time trying magical experiments or learning new things. However, he was beginning to get nervous as the supply of magic he had stored in his device was beginning to run out, and he had no way to replenish it.
Courtesy of said magical scholar, Sunset was stuck as a maid. Her work mostly consisted of cooking and cleaning with the few other servants in the castle. It did give her the opportunity to question the staff, but she worded her questions carefully so as not to make her seem too nosy. Unfortunately, none of them had any helpful information, and Sunset began to worry that if she kept up the inquiries that they would grow suspicious and report her to Tirek. She then began using all her free time to check the castle for clues.
Despite Micro Chips claiming that Twilight was a maid as well, Sunset took it upon herself to do her portion of the work. Twilight therefore spent a good deal of her time in the library trying to look up any information that would be helpful. She used the excuse that she was tending to the library whenever she was asked why she spent so much time in there by other members of the staff. Tirek didn’t seem to care though and let her do as she pleased.
Much to Micro Chips and Sunset’s surprise, whenever Twilight wasn’t helping them find clues, she spent a good deal of time outside of the library with Flash Sentry. It took a few days for her to open up to him, but she soon realized that despite being the captain of Tirek’s royal guard, he was nothing like the tyrant, and possessed a kind heart.
He didn’t just protect the castle though, but also went down to the villages to help the people, and even fight off vicious creatures endangering them. Tirek most certainly didn’t care about his subjects, seemingly quite content to leave them to whatever fate had in store, so Flash had taken it upon himself to protect the people.
It seemed that with the land being so dark and dreary, it drew all sorts of wicked creatures to it. Since Twilight and the others had arrived, there had been a swarm of cockatrices, a hydra, an ursa major and ursa minor, a pack of timberwolves, and a maulwurf. There had even been an infestation of parasprites, yet Flash had still gone to help the people whenever they needed assistance, whether that meant simply drawing the creatures away, or facing them head on.
Sunset was quite impressed with Flash’s bravery, not sure if she would have the courage to face such creatures. However, there was something about the captain of the royal guard that really worried her. She couldn’t help but notice how close he and Twilight were becoming. It had started with simple blushes from both of them whenever they saw or touched each other, then the two began spending more and more time with each other, and often spoke about the other to her and Micro Chips.
Sunset would never get in the way of two people falling in love, for that was indeed what she realized was happening between the royal guard and the former alicorn princess, but there were a few problems, for lack of a better word. Flash still had no idea who Twilight really was. In fact, he still thought her name was Sci-Twi. And Sunset feared that whatever relationship the two were developing would only result in heartbreak. After all, Twilight had a mission to complete, and she couldn’t remain a human forever.
However, she just couldn’t bring herself to discourage their relationship. Twilight’s emotional state had improved significantly since she began spending time with Flash, and there were times where she was happier than Sunset had ever seen her, even from when she was an alicorn. Granted she hadn’t known Twilight as an alicorn for more than a couple days, but it was more than obvious that the royal knight made her very happy, just as she did him.
She tried bringing her concerns to Micro Chips about Twilight and Flash’s quickly developing relationship, but he didn’t seem particularly concerned, insisting that Twilight knew what she needed to do, and wouldn’t let her feelings for the royal guard interfere with her mission. But looking at the way the former alicorn looked at Flash, Sunset wasn’t so sure. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to turn Flash away whenever he came to her for advice on how he might woo Twilight. It seemed that all she could do was hope they found the other alicorns before the two reached a point of no return.
“I’m running out of ideas,” Micro Chips said to her one day as he sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea. “If I can’t show Tirek that I still have things to offer, he’ll just take my magic and kick me out, just like he did with Discord.”
“Can’t Twilight teach you more magic?” Sunset asked as she peeled a potato.
Micro Chips sighed. “I doubt she’ll be able to teach me much without being able to use magic herself. Besides,” he held up his magic storing device, “I’m running out of the magic I had stored. It doesn’t matter if she teaches me anything new if I don’t have any magic to use.”
“Hmm…” Sunset said thoughtfully. “Well then, maybe you could try-”
“Sunset?” came Flash’s voice from the other room. “Are you in here?”
Sunset immediately dropped whatever she was going to say to Micro Chips as she called to the royal guard. “Yeah, I’m over here.”
Flash entered the kitchen a few moments later carrying a guitar and a few pieces of paper. He walked over to the two of them and held up the papers. “I just finished the song, if you want to hear it.”
Sunset smiled and set down the knife and half-peeled potato. “Sure, lets hear it.”
Micro Chips raised an eyebrow. “You play?”
Flash nodded. “Yeah. When I was kid, I earned some bits as a bard. So I thought…” he blushed, “I thought that I would write a song for Sci-Twi. I call it, Love In A Flash.”
Sunset couldn’t help but chuckle at the cheesy name. “Well, if you wrote it, then I’m sure she’ll love it. I did like what you showed me before. And that’s coming from someone else who earned money as a bard when they were a kid.”
Smirking, Flash pointed at her. “Ah ha! I knew you were musically skilled. I could tell from all the suggestions you made.”
The two of them shared a chuckle as Micro Chips awkwardly sipped his tea, feeling like a third wheel. But as the humor settled down, Flash’s face fell, and he appeared fall deep into thought.
“Actually, Sunset,” he said, sounding a little down, “there is something else I could use your help with.”
Giving him a curious look, she motioned for him to continue. “Yes?”
Flash bit his lower lip, looking a little uncomfortable. “Well… it’s just that… even though Sci-Twi and I have gotten a lot closer, at times it feels like there’s this… wall between us. Like there’s something she’s not telling me. Something important. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s like something’s bothering her, and she’s not willing to open up to me about it. I don’t want to push her or anything, but if something’s wrong, then I want to help.” He rubbed the back of his head bashfully. “I know we haven’t know each other too long, but I really care about her, a lot. Truthfully, I’d do anything for her. For her, I’d become the greatest of heroes. So if there’s something I can do to help her, I will.”
A nervous look crossed Sunset’s face, and she glanced at Micro Chips to see him with a similar expression on his. This was part of what was worrying her about Twilight and Flash’s relationship. And the secret of Twilight’s real identity was only the tip of the iceberg.
“Um…” she muttered uneasily, trying to come up with something to say without simply sweeping his concern under the rug. “I really don’t know what to tell you. Even if there was something and I knew it, it wouldn’t be my place to tell you. If you really want to know, you’ll have to ask her about it.”
Flash sighed. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Don’t want to go invading on her privacy. I just want to help however I can.” He looked from her to Micro Chips. “That goes for both of you. I couldn’t help but notice that there’s something bothering you guys too. You know you can tell me if you need help with anything. I like to think of us as friends.”
A smile grazed Sunset’s face. “Yeah, I do too.”
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It was because Sunset thought of Flash as a friend that she decided to talk to Twilight about possibly letting him in on their secret. At least part of it. She knew it would be risky, but if they could get someone who was on the inside to help them, they might get the answers they were seeking.
“He may be Tirek’s royal guard, but I think we can trust him,” Sunset told her as Twilight sat in the library with several piles of books surrounding her. Sighing, she decided to bring up another issue. “And if you’re serious about having any kind of romantic relationship with him, you’re going to have to be more honest with him about who you are.”
Twilight sighed as well, setting down the book she was reading and hanging her head. “I do trust him, and I’m sure he would be willing to help us out.” She looked back up at her. “You’re also right about… the way I feel about him. It’s not fair that I keep lying to him about who I am. But… a part of me is afraid that when he finds out who I really am that he will… reject me.”
She flopped down onto the table in despair, burying her face in her arms. Sunset gave her a sympathetic look and rubbed Twilight’s back, feeling sorry for her. This was quite the complicated situation, one she had never expected herself to be in. She wasn’t exactly sure what she could say to Twilight to help her, but she could give her support and advise her on what she thought would be the best decision.
“Rejection is something we all risk when it comes to love. But, Twilight, you know you can’t go on living a lie. The truth will come out eventually. You’re Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, and currently the last alicorn. It’s your duty to find the others, no matter what.” She frowned slightly as she thought about what Micro Chips had said. “And we’re running out of time. If we don’t find them soon, we might miss the opportunity.”
Twilight sighed and raised her head. “Yes, I know. But… to be perfectly honest, pulling this off seems like it’s becoming impossible. We’ve been here all this time, and yet we’re no closer to finding the other alicorns than we were when we first got here.”
There was resignation in her voice, almost as if she were on the verge of giving up. Sunset stopped rubbing her back and stood up straight, glaring down at her. “Don’t talk like that Twilight! We’ve come too far to quit now. We’ve got to double our efforts. If Micro Chips runs out of magic, then he won’t be able to change you back.”
Twilight diverted her eyes. “If he can even do it at all.”
“Twilight!” Sunset scolded angrily. “How can you say that? We’re your friends. As the Princess of Friendship, you should put a little more faith in us.”
Tears crept up in Twilight’s eyes and she jumped to her feet. “I know. I’m sorry. I just… I’m sorry!”
She ran out of the room. Sunset called after her, but Twilight didn’t even look back. Sunset sighed and lowered her head, kicking herself for getting angry. She knew Twilight was under a lot of stress. They all were, but not as much as Twilight. And now the complications of her feelings for Flash were being thrown into the mix. The poor girl must be feeling overwhelmed by everything.
A knowing chuckle distracted Sunset from her thoughts, and she turned around to the source. “Who’s there?”
From behind a bookshelf, a brown anthropomorphic cat wearing a red coat stepped into view with a cocky look on his face. Sunset’s eyes widened in surprise at his unexpected appearance. If she recalled correctly, his name was Capper. Yes, Capper Dapperpaws, Tirek’s accountant. Sunset hadn’t spoken to him much, but he came across as a smooth-talking opportunist.
Crossing her arms, she did her best to appear casual. “Yes, can I help you with something?”
Capper just chuckled. “You already did, sweetheart. You already did.” He glanced past her at the door that Twilight had run through. “So, that girl is Twilight Sparkle, the last alicorn.” He smirked at Sunset. “You really should make sure your private conversations are more… private.”
A feeling of panic ran through Sunset at having Twilight’s secret exposed, but she somehow managed to keep her cool. “So you know… Now what?”
Capper’s smile widened as he casually strolled through the room. “Now nothing. I know your secret. You’re here to save the other alicorns. I wouldn’t be opposed to that. To be honest, I’m not a fan of this eternal night and being employed by a power hungry tyrant in a land of death and decay.” He shook his head. “But to be honest, I think the princess is right. Your chances of saving the alicorns are slim at best.”
Relieved that he wasn’t going to expose them, but not liking his negative attitude, Sunset placed her hands on her hips and fixed him with a glare. “Oh, and why not?”
As if to answer her question, the angry bellow of Sombra echoed through the castle, shaking it to its core. That tended to happen from time to time, and each time it did, Sunset would fear that the evil unicorn had figured out who Twilight really was.
Still smirking, Capper nodded in the direction of the roar. “That for one. King Sombra goes out every day, or every night I should say, searching for Twilight. He was quite angry when she got away from him the first time, almost as angry as his failure to find her when he first took the other alicorns from Equestria. If you want to save the alicorns, you’re going to have to defeat King Sombra, and that’s impossible without the Crystal Heart. Good luck getting your hands on that.”
Sunset’s eyes widened. “Wait, are you saying you know where the Crystal Heart is?”
Capper wobbled his head side to side. “All I know is that it’s hidden somewhere in the castle where only Lord Tirek can get to it. You see, he needed to hang onto it in case Sombra ever decided to turn on him.”
In desperation, Sunset grabbed his coat and shook him. “Where did you hear about this? Why didn’t you say anything about it when I was asking everyone?”
“Hey, watch the coat, sweetheart,” he told her, removing her hands from his coat. “I’m an opportunist. I make it my business to learn all I can about everycreature and everything, and then I use my secrets to my benefit. As for why I didn’t say anything before is because I didn’t know about all this, and I wasn’t about to just give out any information without getting something in return. But now that I know what’s really going on, I feel more inclined to help you.”
His green eyes once again looked at the door Twilight had run through. “But you’ll have to hurry. It’s not just your glasses wearing buddy running out of magic that you have to worry about. It’s actually your alicorn friend.”
Sunset gave him a suspicious look. “What about her?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You really need to ask? You’ve noticed it yourself. She’s in love. And while love is indeed a beautiful and wonderful thing, it’s also a very selfish thing. Whether it be human, alicorn, or some other creatures, people make all kinds of sacrifices for love. It can even make one forget their true self. If she falls any deeper, she may decide to remain a human and marry the captain. Good luck rescuing the alicorns if that happens.”
The nagging worry that Sunset had been feeling amplified. She hadn’t dwelled on it too much, but this too had been a concern she had. Love was a very powerful thing. Would Twilight really choice to remain human? They’d never save the other alicorns without her magic.
“She wouldn’t do that,” Sunset insisted, though she couldn’t help but notice that even to her own ears that the words didn’t sound all that convincing. “She’s the only one who can save them.”
Capper shrugged. “The you better hurry up. If you wait too much longer, she may completely become human on the inside, and you might not be able to change her back at all, even with magic.”
Sunset didn’t want to admit it, but she couldn’t deny that he was right. Twilight was becoming more and more human every day, and her growing feelings for Flash would only make changing her back all the more difficult. That would require even more magic on Micro Chips’ part, and what he had left might not be able to be enough to change her back.
“Then help us,” she begged. “Unless you want Tirek to remain in power and for the sun to never rise again.”
Still smirking, Capper closed his eyes and held up his hands, shaking his head. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I don’t know any more than what I’ve already told you.” Cracking open his eyes, he couldn’t help but smile even more broadly at the forlorn look on Sunset’s face. “However, I can point you in the direction of the only other person besides Tirek who knows where the Crystal Heart is.”
Sunset gasped and her eyes widened. “What? Who?”
Capper chuckled. “Somewhere in this castle is the one creature that Tirek can call a friend, for lack of a better word. She’s a pony. A little pegasus filly called Cozy Glow. You know her? She comes and goes as she pleases, but you’ve probably seen her fluttering about the castle every so often.”
Sunset tapped her chin and thought back to all the creatures she had seen in Tirek’s employment. There were a few Equestrian ponies that worked for him, though not many. She only ever saw one filly though. A pink pegasus with a curly light blue mane and the cutie mark of a red rook on her flank. Strangely enough, she had never seen her do so much as a single chore. It was more like she was a guest rather than an employee.
“Yeah, I’ve seen her a few times,” she said, not having given the pegasus much thought before. “She can tell us where the Crystal Heart is?”
Capper shrugged. “Can is the key word there, sweetheart. Whether she will or not is another story. According to her, she’s very good friends with Lord Tirek, so it’s unlikely that she’ll betray him and tell you what you want to know. You’re going to have to convince her to tell you where it is.” With that said, he casually strolled out of the room. “And sorry to burst your bubble, babe, but I just don’t see that happening.”
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After her argument with Sunset, Twilight found solace on the balcony of one of the towers. Ordinarily, being up on a tower that seemed this worn down and unstable would make her nervous, but there were far too many thoughts going through her head right now for her to worry about that.
She was so confused, by her thoughts, by her feelings, by everything. She hadn’t known what to expect when she left Equestria to begin her quest, but it most certainly had not been any of this. Never in a million years did she think she would end up where she was now, and she had no idea of how to handle things. She hadn’t felt this lost and confused since she had been a filly first starting out as Celestia’s student.
“I feel so confused,” she said as she stared up at the moon. “I know what I’m supposed to do, but why do I feel so torn?” She placed her hand over her heart and frowned. “Why does it hurt so much?”
“Sci-Twi?”
Her heart skipped a beat. Turning around, she saw Flash join her out on the balcony. She felt a blush stain her cheeks and her mood lift. He made her feel so many things, things she had never felt before, and she still didn’t know how to handle these feelings. Simply seeing him lifted her spirits and improved the dark mood she had been in moments ago.
“Oh, hi, Flash,” she greeted as she unconsciously began playing with her hair. Romance was still something completely new to her. Back in Equestria, she had always been too busy with her studies to go looking for love, and now that she had found it, she had no idea what to do or how to act.
Unaware of her inner dilemma, Flash gave her a smile as he went to stand beside her. “What are you doing out here?”
Twilight blinked. Truthfully, she had just been wandering around aimlessly and had ended up out here, but that seemed embarrassing to say. “Oh, um, just enjoying the night air. It’s a beautiful night, don’t you think?”
Flash chuckled, not taking his eyes off her. “Yes, very beautiful. Of course, I can think of more beautiful things.”
The way he was looking at her gave Twilight a warm and fuzzy feeling and made her feel like she was going to melt. She could feel her blush deepen, and she turned away to look at the moon in order to hide it. “You know, according to legend, Princess Luna was once sealed away in the moon for 1,000 years.”
Flash turned to look at the moon as well. “I have heard that. Supposedly, it’s because she became corrupted, and Celestia was forced to seal her away.”
Impressed with his knowledge on Equestrian legends, Twilight nodded. “Yeah, but after she returned, she was purified and returned to the happy and kind pony she was before.” Her smile faltered at the thought of Luna once again being sealed away, this time with her fellow alicorns. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to be imprisoned like that.”
Flash glanced at her, noticing the sad look on her face. He wondered if she was thinking about whatever was bothering her and decided that this might be a good time to ask. “Hey, Sci-Twi, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but is everything alright with you?”
She looked at him hesitantly. “What do you mean?”
He sighed. “I couldn’t help but notice that something seems to be bothering you. I didn’t know you before you came here, but ever since you arrived, it’s been like you’ve had something on your mind. It also seems like you and your friends are hiding something. That’s why I was wondering if everything was alright. If there’s something on your mind, you can tell me. I promise to help you.”
Twilight stared at him, her eyes shining with emotion. She could hear the sincerity in his voice, and it made her resolve to keep lying to him weaken further. Would it really be too bad to bring him in the loop?
Looking out over the ocean, she gripped the top the balcony’s parapet. “I… haven’t exactly been entirely honest with you about… about who I am.”
A smiled crept up Flash’s face. “If you mean that you’re not really Micro Chips’ sister, I figured that much out for myself.”
Twilight chuckled. “No, that’s not it. I mean, well, ok, you’re right, I’m not his sister. My name’s not even Sci-Twi. It’s Twilight.” She looked back at him. “Twilight Sparkle.”
She waited to see if he would recognize the name as that of the fourth alicorn princess, but he didn’t seem to. She supposed she shouldn’t be that surprise. Neither Micro Chips nor Sunset had known her by name, even though they had heard rumors of a fourth alicorn, so it wasn’t so surprising that Flash didn’t recognize her name either.
Flash’s smiling widened further. “Twilight Sparkle. It’s a beautiful name. Far more befitting someone like you.”
Twilight felt butterflies in her stomach, the good kind. “Yeah, sorry for lying, but I had my reasons for keeping my identity a secret. I still do.” She sighed. “And my name isn’t the only thing I haven’t been honest about. I’m really not who I appear to be. The truth is… The truth is that I’m… I’m…”
Seeing that she was struggling, Flash reached out and placed his hand on top of hers. “Twilight, who you are or where you come from doesn’t matter. So you changed your name and haven’t been completely honest about who you really are. That’s fine, you can tell me when you’re ready. But I hope you’ll still allow me to court you.”
Twilight’s face turned bright red, and her stomach did a complete flip. “C-C-Court!?”
Flash turned red as well. “Um, well, yeah. I mean, I know we haven’t officially used the word before, but…”
Twilight shifted side to side as she tugged on her hair, a flurry of emotions running through her. “Y-Yeah, I guess we kind of have been.”
They both stood there blushing, unable to make eye contact with the other as they each tried to come up with something to say. Twilight’s gaze drifted lower, and she noticed for the first time that he was holding a guitar.
“Oh, you play the guitar?” she said, trying to change the subject to something less embarrassing.
Flash looked down at his guitar and held it up. “Oh, um, yeah. I played a lot when I was a kid, before I joined the royal guard. That’s actually why I came looking for you. I… I wrote a song… for you…”
Her blush returned with a vengeance. So much for changing the subject to something less embarrassing. But she found that she did want to hear the song, and felt quite touched that he had actually gone through the trouble to write something for her.
Smiling shyly, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she swayed back and forth. “I’m honored, Flash. And I’d love to hear your song.”
He returned her smile and moved to sit up on the balcony. “This one’s for you, Twilight. I call it, Love In A Flash.”
He winked at her, and she giggled. Then he began to play. Twilight listened to him intently, and all her problems seemed to fade away as she got lost in the music. He was very good, and she thought he did an excellent job writing the song. Spontaneous singing was actually rather commonplace in Equestria, but she could still recognize a good song that had a lot of thought put into it when she heard it.
He finished playing and slid off the balcony. His blush was back in full bloom, and he couldn’t seem to bring himself to look at her. “Well, what do you think? It’s not much, but…”
She placed her hand on his and shook her head. “No, it was wonderful. I really loved it. And I’m flattered that you would write a song…” she diverted her eyes, as she began to feel like melted butter, “for me.”
A determine look crossed Flash’s face and he set his guitar down before placing his hands on her shoulders. Twilight looked back at him in surprise, feeling her heart race as she looked into his eyes.
“Twilight,” he said in a serious tone, “I would do anything for you. I know we haven’t known each other for that long, but I’ve never felt this way about anyone.” His hand came up to cup her cheek, and Twilight inhaled. “Twilight… I love you.”
He watched her eyes widen as she comprehended his words. For several long moments she didn’t say anything, or even move. Then she swallowed once and licked her lips as she seemed to struggle to find her voice.
“Flash, I…” she began quietly, unable to look away from him. Tears formed in her eyes as she slowly brought her hands up and placed them on his shoulders. “I love you too.”
Slowly, they moved in at the same time, their arms wrapping around each other as they kissed for the first time.
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Not good! 😰
Well your sure gonna be in for a surprise when you find out what it is Flash.
She's right.
Oh shit!!!! 😨
Great, this is gonna be fun...
At the same time I'm both happy and worried.
So if I had to guess there's likely gonna be 2 or 3 more chapters til we get to the conclusion of the story?
11245770
There will be 10 chapters total.
11245775
Noted, thx.