Morning in Ponyville and it’s that time again: Re-shelving Day. As nice of a day it was looking to be I had work to do, besides, it’s such an important day here at the library. Using my magic, I closed the curtains and lit some candles. Then, I sat on my hunches and closed my eyes. I used my magic to un-shelf the books and then levitated them in the air. One by one I sorted through the books placing them where they belong. Spike was already at Rarity’s helping her do who knows what, so I had the entire library to myself and with no distractions of the sort. Perfect.
That is… until there was a knock at the door. It startled me and I broke my concentration. All the books that were in the air… fell. A good pile of them landed on my head.
“Whoa, are you okay?”
I popped my head to see who it was. Once I saw him I tried to hide in the pile. Flash Sentry was in my house. I haven’t seen him since the Princess Summit not too long ago.
“Here let me help.” He came up to me and pushed the books away. He took my hoof and pulled me up. I noticed he wasn’t clad in his armor. I couldn’t help but blush at his gesture. And… well he didn’t look half bad without his armor. I’ll admit I like how his mane was swept up like that.
“Um, thanks Flash.” I kind of looked to the side nervously. Even though he’s not the Flash that I met in the other world, somehow, I still get… I don’t know, maybe the girls are right. Maybe I do have a crush on Flash. It wouldn’t be the first time that a princess was attracted to a guard.
“No problem.” Then I heard him laugh a little.
“What?” I asked.
He didn’t answer trying to calm himself.
“What?” Oh, I hope there wasn’t something on my face.
He raised his hoof. I closed my eyes thinking he was… going to touch my cheek or something. I felt something lift off my horn.
“This was hanging on your horn. Sorry Princess Twilight, I just couldn’t help it.” He laughed again.
“Oh.” I sighed in relief. Was that all? Then it hit me that he was laughing because I looked silly. I felt my cheeks grow hot out of embarrassment. Darn it. I hate it when that happens.
“What happened here?” He looked around. “Looks like a twister hit this place.”
“Huh, oh nothing. I was just re-shelving.” I picked up a book in my magic and then placed it where it belongs.
“Oh.” He took another look around. “Maybe, I should come back later.”
“Hey, what are doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be at the Crystal Empire?” I asked him taking another book in my magic.
“I’m on vacation here in Ponyville for a week.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Yup. And I’m sorry for interrupting you.”
“That’s okay. You didn’t know.”
There was a silence. It wasn’t exactly awkward but it wasn’t exactly pleasant either. Then I noticed that so many books were still on the floor. I got my drive back for organization and was about to ask Flash to leave and come back later but he beat me to it.
“So… can I come back later?”
“Um sure.” Happy that he would, but I still have my work cut out for me. If I was going to get it done I couldn’t have any distractions… even if the distraction was a cute stallion but that’s beside the point.
“All right then. I’ll see you later Princess Twilight.”
“Just Twilight is fine.”
“Really?” He looked at me questionably.
“Really.” I nodded with a small smile. “I’m uh, still getting used to it.” I haven’t been a princess long and frankly I didn’t like how some ponies were looking at me and I don’t know, have the notion that I’m better than them or something. I may have created new magic but that doesn’t mean that I’m not like every other pony.
“Oh, well, okay then Pri-I mean Twilight.”
“Besides, you’re on vacation so there’s no need for formalities. Now if you would please excuse me.” I concentrated and lifted all the books again in my magic. “I have work to do.”
“Right. I’ll see you later Twilight.”
“Bye Flash.”
I watched him leave. I sighed and got back to work. Through the whole thing… I couldn’t get Flash off my mind. I knew that I had taking a liking to him but now I can’t even work without him coming to mind. I admit, sometimes I thought about him… as well as the Flash I met in the other world. From what I could understand, the two of them may look different, but on the inside they should be the same. Much like the others I met. They all looked and acted like my friends back here in Ponyville. Could that be why I’ve taken such a quick liking to him? Very likely, although, I’ve never really had a crush before. And how will I know if he even feels the same way?
I placed the last book back on the shelf. I sighed. How will I know if he even feels the same? I shook my head. Okay, Twilight, you know at least for sure that you’re not in love with the guy. So there’s really nothing to worry about. You just have taken a liking to him. No need to get worked up over it. He’s a nice colt. And even if he doesn’t take an interest it’s not the end of the world. A thought came to me then. What if he does have an interest in me? Oh, and he saw me with that book stuck to my horn. Great. Even if he took an interest in me it’s probably all gone now. I sighed as I made my way up to my room.
Maybe some studying will take my mind off Flash. I took a quick look at the time. Gosh, it was nearing dinner time already. I thought of Flash. I wonder where he could be. Well… maybe he wasn’t coming today, maybe tomorrow. Then, I noticed that there was a scroll on my desk. Hm. Spike must have coughed it up before he left but decided to just leave it on my desk for me. I walked up to my desk and used my magic to lift the scroll up; unraveled it, and began to read it.
My dearest and most faithful student Twilight,
Now, I know that romance may not be something you would really consider but from what I have heard from Princess Cadence, you have taken a liking to a certain guard. Don’t even try to deny it. Cadence is the Princess of Love after all. I also understand that she even sent Flash Sentry into Ponyville specifically in hopes that perhaps you might take a chance on him. You don’t have to of course, but perhaps it will give you some peace of mind and allow you to set your feelings straight.
I know you will do what’s best for you Twilight.
Your Mentor,
Princess Celestia
I read it and re-read it. At first I was I mad. Why would Cadence do this to me? I already had the mindset that friends were a waste of time when I first arrived here in Ponyville. Granted, I found that I was wrong in a day or so, but a romance is totally different. Then, I calmed down. Princess Celestia is my mentor and has never let me down before. If she thinks it would be okay to take a chance on Flash then it shouldn’t be so bad.
Besides what’s the worst that could happen? Being sent back to magical kindergarten? I shivered at the thought as it all came crawling back in. I shook my head to get it out of my mind.
“Okay Twilight Sparkle,” I said to myself. “Here’s what you’re going to do. You are going to look Flash Sentry in the eye and ask him to go out for a bite.”
That would definitely be sensible wouldn’t it? It wouldn’t be a date, just a nice little outing with a colt… a really cute and kind colt-Stop it Twilight.
I heard a knock and at the door and Flash calling my name. “Twilight! It’s me Flash.”
“Coming.” I was about to rush downstairs but I took a quick look at myself in the mirror. I ran my hoof to smooth out my mane before rushing down to greet Flash.
“Oh, hey Twilight. I hope you don’t mind I let myself in.”
“Not at all,” I said with a smile. “So, what do you need?”
“I was hoping to check out a book on past wars.”
“Grim topic.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, those who don’t know their past are doomed to repeat it, right?”
“Hmm… I think I have just the thing,” I said. “Follow me.” I walked towards the shelves and started mumbling to myself. Where is it? “Aha!” I knew we had quite a few books on the matter. “You can start with this one.” I levitated the book to him.
“Thanks Twi-”
“And this one, and this one, and this one…” I kept taking books off the shelf and levitating then to Flash, not seeing that he was struggling with the load. By the time I gave him the last one he was already sitting on his hunches. “And this one.”
Crash!
“Oh.” I stared at Flash who had dropped the books. “I’m so sorry Flash. Are you okay?” I took his face in my hooves. His eyes went in circles. I shook his head. Hoping he’d snap out of it.
“Um, one or two is enough.” He didn’t sound too well. It was like he was about o puke.
“Oh, dear. I really am sorry Flash.” I looked at him worriedly. Oh, how could I have gotten so carried away? Oh, what could he possibly think of me now? I probably blew it.
“It’s okay Twilight. You just got a little, well maybe not a little carried away.” We laughed a little. For a moment we just stared at each other. It was like we were in some kind of trance. Then it dawned on me that I had his face in my hooves. I started to blush and looked away.
“Um, sorry,” I said as I let his face go.
When I looked back I saw that his cheeks were rosy too. He rubbed the back of his neck as he said, “It’s okay Twilight.” He was getting nervous too. Oh, please let this be a good sign. Then a grumbling sound could be heard.
“Uh…” I saw Flash get a weird expression as if he was caught red handed opening up his birthday presents early. “Heh.” He pulled up his foreleg towards his abdomen.
“Was that an Ursa Minor or your stomach?” I said understanding what had happened.
We laughed a little. “Good one. I’m sorry; I guess I didn’t notice I was running on empty.”
I giggled. “It’s okay.” I then realized this was the perfect opportunity to ask Flash to dinner. But before I could even try my own stomach grumbled.
“Looks like I’m not the only one.”
I just smiled like an idiot with my face growing redder. Darn it.
“Hey, how about we grab some dinner? My treat.” Flash smiled at me. I felt my knees grow weak. Darn it how is it that he can do this to me?
“That would be great.”
“Then let’s go.”
“But first, I’d better clean up this mess.” I gestured to the books that were scattered on the floor.
“Heh, sorry about that.”
“No no, it’s my fault. I’ve got it.” I used my magic to place the books back.
He whistled. “Nice.” He smirked at me. “Didn’t even take you a minute.”
I smiled brightly at his compliment.
So we walked out of the library and headed out to grab a bite. I decided to go on with some small talk. It would probably be better than just being silent the whole way.
“So… how’re you liking Ponyville so far?”
“It’s great. I’ve never been this close to nature before and everypony is so friendly.”
I giggled. “That’s us here in Ponyville all right.”
He looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. “From what I understand, you’re not a native here either right?”
“Right, I grew up in Canterlot and came here right before the whole Nightmare Moon fiasco.”
“I heard of that. Must’ve been one heck of a battle.”
“Well… it was… something all right.”
The rest of the way went rather… smoothly. I don’t know, suddenly I could just talk to him. It was nice. Actually just sitting down with Flash was the same. We had a few laughs, he told me a little bit more about his life and I talked about my studies. The way back was just as pleasant.
“And so I told him that he should know better than to mess with a castle guard.”
“Well, what did he do?” I asked.
“He high tailed and ran.” We laughed. “Yeah, there are some perks to the whole gig I guess. But it sure isn’t like being a princess.”
He got this look in his eye that got me to blush. “Oh gosh… I’m just like everypony else.”
“Mm… not everypony has wings and a horn.” He used his hoof to point at me.
I nudged him. “You know what I mean.”
He laughed. “Yeah, yeah. Oh, hey, we’re back.”
“Oh,” I said with a little sadness in my voice. “I didn’t notice.” We looked at each other kind of awkwardly. I didn’t want it to end. I was having such a good time with Flash.
“Well… it’s been great um, spending some time with you and…” I looked at him with hopeful eyes. Is he trying to say what I think he’s trying to say? “I was wondering if, well if you’re not busy, maybe we can… I don’t know, spend the afternoon together tomorrow.”
I smiled so widely I felt my face hurt a little bit. “That would be great,” I told him.
“Huh, really?”
“Definitely. I’ve had such a good time with you today.” I smiled brightly at him.
“Oh, well, I’ve had a great time tonight too.” He returned my smile.
For a moment, we just stared at each other. It was that trance feeling again.
“Uh, Twilight?” We snapped out of it. We turned to Spike who was in the doorway.
“Oh, Spike, you’re back.”
“Yeah, and I’ve been waiting for you all night.” He raised his hands up for effect.
“I’m sorry Spike.” I looked at him apologetically
“And who’s this guy?” He gestured towards Flash.
“Flash Sentry, and sorry little guy.”
“Well, next time, would it kill you to leave a note?” Flash and I giggled.
“Will do Spike. Now off to bed. You are a baby dragon after all.”
“Yeah yeah.” He yawned. “I’m going.” We watched as the baby dragon went up to bed.
“Well, he’s a cute little guy. I didn’t know you kept a dragon.”
“Yup, Spike is my number one assistant.” We smiled at each other.
There was a short silence before he spoke up again. “Well, I’d better get going. Good night Twilight.”
“Good night Flash.”
He smiled before turning away to leave.
I walked inside and leaned on the door. I sighed. This was possibly the best night of my life. I can’t wait for tomorrow afternoon.
I was humming a little tune while I read a bit of light reading at my desk. I was expecting Flash to knock on the door any minute now.
“Well somepony seems to be really happy today,” I heard Spike say. I turned to him and saw him in a little apron.
“Oh hi Spike, I guess I just woke up in a good mood this morning.”
“This wouldn’t have to do anything with a certain Pegasus stallion now would it.” He got a sly grin on his face while I turned back to the book. I felt my muzzle grow red as I slumped my head deeper into the book.
I heard Spike laugh.
“Oh, cut it out Spike.”
“Aw, I’m just teasing you Twilight.” He walked up to me and placed a claw on my shoulder. “Sorry, it’s just kind of weird.”
“Weird?” I looked at him confused.
“Well you were so busy with your studies,you never really took notice to colts. It’s just kind of weird to see you giving goo goo eyes.”
“I do not give him goo goo eyes.” That may have come out a little more defensively than I wanted it to but I knew for sure I didn’t give him those eyes. I turned away from Spike and folded my forelegs over my chest. “Hmph.”
“Oh, come on Twilight. I think I should know those eyes when I see them.”
I still didn’t look at him.
I heard some knocking and got out of my grumpy state. “It’s Flash,” I shouted with glee… I didn’t mean to do that. Honest. I ran down excited to see him.
When I opened the door… it wasn’t Flash. It was Rarity.
“Hello Twilight.”
“Oh, hey Rarity.” I didn’t mean for my disappointment to be obvious, it just kind of slipped.
“Well, you sure don’t seem very happy to see me.” She sounded a little insulted.
“Oh, I’m sorry Rarity, I didn’t mean to sound that way. I was just expecting somepony else. Please come in.”
She complied but she grew a curious look.
“Who were you expecting then Twilight?”
“That would be me.” My eyes grew wide as I turned to look in the doorway. Flash was standing there with a smile on his face and a saddle bag on his back. “Hello, I’m Flash Sentry.”
Rarity gasped. I saw her mouth hang open as she looked at Flash. Eventually she seemed to calm down and took my shoulder. “Um, my name is Rarity and I’m sorry but would you excuse us for a moment?” She asked in her polite way.
“Sure,” Flash nodded.
“Thank you.” The next thing I knew, I was being yanked by Rarity into the kitchen.
“Hey, easy Rarity. I’m not a puppet.” I complained, remember the difference now.
“I’m sorry Twilight but you have a stallion in your library.” I saw her run to the entrance of the kitchen. My guess was she was watching Flash while he walked into the library. I heard the door close and Spike’s voice greeting him.
“Yeah, so…”
“So, isn’t he the stallion you had your eyes on while we were at the Crystal Empire hmm?” She came to me and with every step she got a sly look on her face. Great. First Spike and now Rarity.
I grew nervous. Knowing Rarity she wasn’t going to let the subject go. I sighed knowing that it was probably best coming clean. “Well, yes, but–”
“What do you mean Twilight? He’s here and you were expecting him.” She draped her forearm around my shoulder. “Seems to me you two are hitting it off quite well.” I was going to say something but she gasped again and said, “Wait a minute.” She let go of me and then eyed me. “Did you meet up with him before today?”
“Well, yes. He came by yesterday hoping to check out a book.”
“A book?” She sounded disappointed and confused.
“Yes, a book. Then well, we went to dinner, had a good time and agreed to meet up again today.”
“Oh darling I’m so happy for you.” She gave me a hug.
“Um… thanks.”
“Oh, but you should have told me sooner, I could’ve made you a fantastic dress for your date.”
“Date?! Whoa Rarity. This isn’t a date.” I felt myself blushing and getting really nervous. “Flash and I are just merely… hanging out for a bit.”
“Oh don’t be so modest Twilight. This is a love that will bloom beautifully. I just know it.”
“Love?” I sort of started panicking. “Rarity this isn’t love. We’re just two ponies that… like each other’s company.”
“It’s love Twilight. You may not feel that strongly for him now, but trust me, you’ll be very much in love with him given time.” She sounded so sure about it too. It kind of scared me… and it also kind of made me happy.
Could I really fall in love with Flash? Like not just dating but really fall in love with him. Suddenly my imagination took me to our wedding day. The bells and decoration… Flash looking just handsome in a tuxedo– Hang on. I shook my head to get rid of the thought–not that it wasn’t pleasant. Easy now Twilight. You haven’t even gone on a proper date with the guy. When I looked back at Rarity she had a great big grin on her face.
“You just had a fantasy about you two didn’t you?”
“What? Huh, no.” I looked away failing to convince Rarity that she was wrong.
She started to hop and squeal in glee. “Oh, this is wonderful Twilight. I can’t wait to tell the girls.”
“What?” I looked at her as if she grew a second horn.
“Why of course Twilight. As your friends we simply must know of your love life, just in case you need to talk to us about it. Especially if you two seem to be having problems.”
“But–”
“No buts Twilight.” She looked at me sternly. “Now, we’ve got to get back in there and act natural.” Rarity pushed me into the library. I didn’t try to resist knowing that I might just end up embarrassing myself in front of Flash.
When we made it to the room, Flash and Spike were at a shelf and it looks like Spike was handing over a book to Flash before he spotted us. “There are the girls.”
Flash turned around and smiled at us.
“Terribly sorry about that. We just needed to have a little heart to heart chat is all.” Rarity nudged me telling me to walk closer to them.
“Oh, no problem. I finally got that book I came for yesterday.”
“Yup, thanks to yours truly,” Spike said.
“Oh, that was very sweet of you Spikey Wikey.” She nuzzled Spike’s face.
Flash turned to Spike with a smirk. “Spikey Wikey?”
“Hey, only Rarity can call me that.” Spike got a semi angry look on his face and folded his arms over his chest.
Flash chuckled. “Sorry, but come on you can’t really blame me Spike.”
“Oh I can try.”
Flash rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say Spike.”
“Oh, hey what did you come here for Rarity?” Spike asked. It completely slipped my mind to ask Rarity why she stopped by.
“Hm, oh, I was hoping Twilight could model for me for a bit. You see a client of mine has a coat just like Twilight’s and I was hoping to try a color I hadn’t before. I needed Twilight to make sure the color didn’t look completely horrible.”
“Oh.” I saw Flash give me a worried look.
“But, I can wait until tomorrow. I have a few other works that I need to get started on as soon as possible. Spike, would you like to come along?”
“I’d love it.” Spike walked up to Rarity who gave him another nuzzle.
“It was nice to meet you Flash Sentry. I trust that you and Twilight will have great time together. Goodbye.” With that, Rarity left and took Spike with her, but not before she whispered, “Good luck,” to me.
Something told me she took Spike more so because of me and Flash rather than she needed some help.
“Spike wouldn’t happen to have thing for her would he?” Flash asked as he walked up to me.
“Hm, oh you noticed?”
“Not that hard to figure out.” He looked towards the door. “He kind of made it obvious when his eyes turned into hearts when she got real close to him.”
I giggled. “That’s Spike for ya.”
“She seems nice enough.” He turned to me. “I was a little caught off guard by the accent though.”
“Yes, Rarity took it upon herself to seem a little more… sophisticated than rest of the residents.”
“So she’s definitely a native here?” He cocked an eyebrow.
“Uh-huh.” I gave him a nod.
“All righty then, I assume we have the entire afternoon to ourselves.” He gave me a semi questioning look.
“Yes we do.”
“Then what do you feel like doing? I don’t really know much about the hotspots around here.”
I gave some thought to it. I actually wasn’t sure what we could do. Ponyville isn’t exactly a place with a lot of tourism or attractions. It’s just a simple little town. A nice little town and I liked it that way. Not a lot of noise until something in the Everfree Forest disturbs the peace.
“There really isn’t much to do. How about a stroll in the park?”
“Sounds good to me.” He smiled at me. I felt my knees buckling…
So, the week is almost up. Flash will be heading back to the Crystal Empire tomorrow. It’s been… well, great having him around. He has a great interest in history and loves sharing what he knows with me. Of course, what he knows is more drawn to guards and weapons and such. However, I find it interesting all the same. I’ll even talk about magic with him. I love how he’s not afraid to stop me when he’s lost; it shows that he’s actually trying to understand… unlike some other Pegasus I know.
The storm outside wasn’t exactly helping. The Pegasus ponies forgot to bring some rain a while back and now they scheduled this storm to make up for it. Flash, Spike and I were stuck in the library. We were originally planning to stop by Sweet Apple Acres, but the storm completely slipped my mind. It was already pouring when Flash made it to the Library.
“Thanks for the towel Spike.” I saw Flash take the towel from Spike.
“No problem Flash, hey, anyone else in the mood for some hot chocolate?” He looked between Flash and I.
“Sounds perfect Spike,” I told him.
“Yeah, sure could use some. That water sure was freezing.”
“I’ll be back with the chocolate in a bit.”
Flash looked at me a bit… guilty when Spike left.
“Something wrong Flash.”
He sighed. “I was planning on giving you your book back but…” He took his saddle bag in his mouth and showed me a tear at the bottom. “I think it fell out while I was on my way, by then I couldn’t see much in that storm.” He looked down and said, “I’m really sorry Twilight.”
I could’ve died just looking at him. The sincerity in his apology and the way he looked so much like a foal made my heart melt… and make me squeal at the same time I suppose. It’s a weird feeling when you’re entranced by such a cute sight, you want to scream with delight, but you also feel… a warmth building up in side you. I had never seen Flash look so helpless…? Shameful… Well, I couldn’t think of a word considering how, well, adorable he looked.
I smiled and told him, “It’s okay Flash, it was an accident.”
He looked back up at me and perked up a bit. He had a sad smile. “Okay, but I’m going to have to pay you back for it.”
I shook my head. “Not to worry Flash, besides I have a few extra copies in case something like this happens.”
He looked at me, ready to protest, “But–”
“No buts Flash, or am I going to have to give you an order?”
“It would probably be the silliest order any guard would ever receive,” Flash said thinking out loud.
“Hm, I guess, but that’s beside the point. Don’t worry about the book Flash, now come on and have a seat.”
He sighed and followed me into the library.
“I’m sorry that you got caught up in that storm. I completely forgot about it.” I took a seat on a cushion and watch Flash rest on another one.
“Aw, it’s okay Twilight. A little rain never hurt anyone. Now if I was struck with lightning then we would have problem.” I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to keep feeling bad towards him. “Not helping?” He looked kind of sad.
“Well… no, not really Flash.”
“Okay, then… um, how’re the wings holding up?”
I took a look at them and let them flare out. “Mm, better, that’s for sure. Still getting used to even having them.”
“When do you think you’ll be able to give flying a try?”
“I don’t know,” I brought my wings back to my side. “When these things stop springing involuntarily I guess. To be honest, I’m a little scared of flying.”
“Aw, it’s not so bad. It gives you a sense of freedom and acceleration. You’ll love it.”
“I just don’t want to mess up and fall or something.” I lowered my head. I always have a fear of messing up. It’s just not something that I can handle well. Never in my life have I ever taken failure lightly. I always prepare myself to make sure that I don’t fail. Flying was never something I had to consider. And its physical components may prove to be even more difficult than learning the science and magic behind the Pegasus ponies and their abilities with weather. I’m not exactly an athletic pony.
“Hey now.” I saw a Flash’s hoof touch mine which got me to look up. “All you need is a good coach and you’ll be flying as if you were a natural born Pegasus in no time.”
I felt myself blush. “You really think so?”
I chuckled. “Are you kidding? Twilight, in case you haven’t realized it, you earned your rank because you had a lot of passion, determination and a hard working spirit. Just a fraction of that is going to get you in the air flying.”
He looked so confident; he has a lot of faith in me. I felt my heart race and the blush on my cheeks grow redder. I welcomed the warm feeling. There was a silence while I just stayed there looking at Flash.
“Say Twilight?”
“Yes Flash?” I managed to ask… not fully sure how, but I did.
“If you won’t let me pay you back for the book, will you at least let me treat you to a meal the next time you’re at the Crystal Empire?”
I blinked taking it in. He caught me by surprise and I wasn’t sure of what to do. What could I do? I mean, he did just ask me on a date right after he gave me such a great compliment… I think… Wait, get a hold of yourself Twilight, he just wants to make up for losing the book. Don’t let your developing feelings for him blind you. Oh boy, why couldn’t he ask me on a proper date? Was I unappealing? Did he not like me? No, wait, that can’t be it. If he didn’t like me then he wouldn’t have spent most of his vacation with me in the first place. He likes me… but does he like me like me? Wait, is that a blush… I saw a bit of red on his muzzle… Maybe… he’s taken a liking to me too.
I opened my mouth but nothing came out. The words were stuck in my throat and I momentarily panicked. Come on, he’s using this as an excuse to ask you out just accept his offer. Finally, I got the words to come out, “Um, sure.”
He smiled before his smile turned into a smirk. “What, no protest?”
Well there went that moment. I rolled my eyes but smiled knowing he was just teasing. “Nope, but I hope you can show a mare a good time, or else.”
“Or else what?” He chuckled. “You’ll banish me to the moon?” He laughed.
I let him keep laughing, sending him to the moon never came to my mind, but I kind of wanted to see him squirm a bit. I kept a look on him. He noticed and looked at me nervously.
“You wouldn’t.” He looked rather scared. I kept in a giggle.
“Oh, I don’t know, I am an Alicorn after all, sending you to the moon should be easy as pie.”
“Pie?” We turned to see Spike with a tray that had three mugs balanced on top of it. “Well I think we might have some apple pie in the fridge.” He walked up to us. “Mind taking this Twilight while I go check.”
I smiled and took the tray in my magic. “Sure Spike.”
“Be right back.”
I set the tray down on a nearby table and levitated two mugs off the tray. I brought one over for myself and one for Flash.
“Thanks Twilight.”
“You’re welcome Flash.”
We took some sips from our mugs.
“Wow, that little dragon of yours sure knows how to make a nice of hot chocolate.”
“He does tend to handle these things more often. Although, he mainly experiments with recipes that require gems of some sorts.”
“Oh yeah… I forgot that he eats gems. It’s still weird to me. How does a creature live off of rocks?”
“I… don’t know, even when we tried to look into dragons, it seems ponies know next to nothing about them.”
“Well, maybe you’ll need a wild dragon to study proper behavior, but not its biology.”
“What do you mean?” I looked at him as if he grew an extra head.
“I mean, can’t you use magic to see what goes on inside Spike when he eats?”
I gasped.
“What? What’s wrong?” He placed his mug down and walked to me.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” I started pacing around. Of course. It was so simple, how did I not think of it before… Well, now that I think about it, I never really gave it that much thought, plus I might lose my own lunch if I try to see what goes on in Spike’s body. I started to imagine what it might be like to see Spike’s insides… I started getting sick just thinking about it.
“Whoa, easy there Twilight.” Flash steadied me. I shook my head to get the thoughts out of my head. My wings, for some reason, sprang out.
“Hey!” Flash was sent flying… literally. He managed to take flight in the air after my wings hit him.
“Sorry Flash, I lost control for a bit there.”
Spike came in and said, “We’re in luck, there were three pieces of pie exactly.” He held another tray with three pieces of pie on plates. He looked from the tray to us. “Um, is there a reason why you’re flying inside?”
“Twilight’s wings attacked me.” He came back down.
“No they didn’t, they just sprang up. I’m still getting used to them, you know that.” I told him a little angry
“It was horrible they came right at me.” He covered his face with his wings.
I started to giggle understanding he was just joking.
Spike joined, “Oh yeah. Twilight’s wings are a pair of the scariest things I’ve ever seen.”
We all just laughed.
“Well, we’d better finish that hot chocolate before it gets cold.”
After a while, I told the boys to just entertain themselves for a bit while I get some studying done. “Oh, Twilight, I forgot, I left a scroll on your desk for you.”
“Oh, thank you Spike.” I walked up to my room and looked for the scroll. I opened it up and saw it was from Cadence. I read with all my suspicions confirmed from before. She was trying to get us together after all. By this point, I couldn’t really get angry. I did get to spend time with Flash and I’ve come to really like him. I sure hope he feels the same… he did blush earlier…
When I looked at my desk, I remembered what it is that I came up here for in the first place. Oh right. I mentally slapped myself. Get the colt thinking out of your head in into the books.
I looked out the window and waved one last time to Twilight. Well, all of her friends were there to see me off, but it didn’t feel like I was waving goodbye to them much. As she went out of sight… I couldn’t help but feel like I left something behind. But Twilight made sure with two lists that I had everything, so… I’m pretty sure I didn’t.
I looked down on my lap. Twilight gave me a book from her personal collection as a parting gift. Looking at it… just made me miss her more. Her laugh, her smile, her passion for what she does… the way her coat seems to glisten in the moon –Whoa! Cool it man. I took my hoof and started to repeatedly pound on my head. What the hay was that? Did I just…
Nope, no. I didn’t. I started to shake my head and forcefully brought a smile to my face. I got myself to laugh a little. I’m okay, it’s just… um… I’m just hallucinating… I ate something bad and it’s messing with my head… I… I … just miss Twilight…
I miss her a lot… but I guess that’s what happens when you stumble across a mare like her. The intelligence, determination, and hard working spirit… I was a sitting duck. And she’s really kind and fun and just so… I don’t know, but there is something about her that just… catches you. And after spending the week with her… I, I just knew I had to at least… try. The worst that could happen would be she’d just say no. Okay, so I used the whole book thing as an excuse to even ask, but still, I get to spend some more time with her. And then I’ll properly ask her and then hopefully… she’ll accept. And if she doesn’t well… I’ll have to move on with my life. I’ll be fine though. I may like her… a lot, but I won’t be completely crushed if she says no.
Looking out the window… I remembered our time together. The laughs and smiles. I enjoyed her company and she was very easy to talk to. It just felt right, like nothing could go wrong as long as she was right there with me. It was a nice feeling and I could only I wish that I would keep that feeling with me. Without her though, it seemed impossible… and it hasn’t even been an hour since I left.
Okay Flashy boy. I sighed. Just focus on something else. Looking at the book again I decided to just read it. Twilight may have given it to me, but I’ll be engrossed in the world of war in no time. But when I opened it, there was a note inside… from Twilight!
It simply said: Write to me, okay Flash? And then she gave me to where I should send the letters to.
I felt a stupid grin grow on my face. She wants me to write to her. Looking at the little sheet of paper, I felt most of the doubt in my head disappear. She likes me enough to exchange letters. But does she like me like I like her? And the doubt came flooding back in. I cursed under my breath knowing I was back to where I started, but that might be safe place. I won’t get my hopes up and I won’t feel as bad if she declines… but if she said yes, I’d be the happiest stallion in all of Equestria.
I put the book down knowing that thinking of Twilight was pretty inescapable at this point so I just let myself go with it. Eventually I fell asleep, but I sure got a rude awakening. The whistle startled me enough that I fell over and hit my head. I shook it off and just gathered my things before getting off the train. I was expecting for my friends to be there to welcome me back. The family is back in Canterlot. Instead, I saw Princess Cadence waiting patiently. At first I thought that maybe an important pony was aboard the train but when she spotted, she waved at me and trotted towards me. Well this is… out of nowhere.
“Hello Flash, how was your trip?”
“Um, fine I guess.”
“Aw, don’t be nervous, you’re still off duty till tonight.” She smiled at me.
I smiled a little.
“So… did you visit Twilight while you were in Ponyville?” I couldn’t help but notice that she had a smirk on her face and sounded like she was teasing me. Something’s… up. Like seriously up.
I cocked an eyebrow and just slowly said, “Yes.”
“And…” She got all excited as if I was going to give her the biggest surprise of her life.
“Well, I spent most of my vacation with her.” She was hanging on everything I said. “I met her friends, we had a few laughs and I asked her to…” I trailed off knowing what it is that I was about to say and I wasn’t exactly sure how she would react.
“You asked her to what?”
“Well…” To say that I was nervous was like saying the sky was blue.
“Flash?” She had this knowing look on her face. I wasn’t sure I should be glad or to be begging for my life. She’s kind and reasonable, but this is her sister in law in question. And… well I grew up with a lot of siblings and dealing with anypony they brought home. I did get a little over protective with my sisters and they got overprotective with me… sometimes, it wasn’t a big deal, you know they come to quickly like the pony brought over or something. I… wasn’t sure what to do but to answer truthfully.
“Yes, Princess Cadence.” I gulped. If I didn’t, I might regret it.
“You didn’t happen to ask Twilight out did you?” She grew a smile of glee and kind of giggled. Suddenly I felt more embarrassed than nervous.
“Well, not exactly.” I looked away from her
Her smile disappeared and she gave me a questioning look. “Then, what do you mean Flash?” And the nervous feelings came flooding back… oh joy. And the truth is revealed.
“The thing is I… lost a book to her and to make up for it, I asked if she would let me treat her to a meal the next time she came by to the Crystal Empire.” With every word I said I felt myself getting smaller and I had hoped that she wouldn’t be mad with me to say the least.
I heard her sigh. “Well, you gotta start somewhere.”
“Huh.” I snapped my head back to look up at her with a confused look.
“Look Flash, I know it must be intimidating to ask out a princess but believe me when I say that Twilight really likes you.”
“She does?” I kept that stupid look on my face. I would’ve hit myself but here Princess Cadence was enlightening me on the whole situation.
She smiled sweetly. “Oh, definitely. I’m not the Princess of Love for nothing. I can feel that the bond between you two has such strong potential I haven’t felt since… well since Shining and me.”
“We do?” I couldn’t believe it.
She nodded. “Yes Flash.”
I let it all sink in. Twilight likes me back. She likes me like I like her. I smiled and laughed a bit at my worries, but you couldn’t really blame me. I mean could’ve been reading her wrong. But who cares? The most wonderful mare I have ever met has feelings for me as I do her.
“Now just promise me something Flash.” Princess Cadence brought me back to reality.
I shook my head and refocused. “Um, yes Princess Cadence?”
“Ask Twilight to a proper date when she visits. And don’t be afraid Flash. She’ll accept. I guarantee it.” She brought a hoof to her heart.
“Oh, um, sure no problem.” I don’t need anymore convincing.
“Good. Oh this is so exciting. Little Twilight…” I saw her mind wander off to some far off place. She kept a smile on her face though. After a while she turned to me and said, “Now, come along. On the way to your quarters I want you to tell me everything you and Twilight did and said.”
Suddenly it felt like she was a big sister. I smiled at her enthusiasm and felt all doubt and nervousness just leave. There was nothing to be afraid of. Everything seemed perfect. Okay, so it was still kind of weird to see Princess Cadence get all gossipy but you know, it was nice to have someone to talk to about it and be so supportive. Although, now I’m starting to think she ordered me to go to Ponyville on purpose. I didn’t give it much mind though, because hey, the mare of my dreams likes me too.
The girls, Spike and I were on our way to the Crystal Empire. It had been a while since we visited… you know, without it being out of royal business and such. It’ll be great seeing my brother and old foal sitter again. I’ve really missed them and Cadence said she had some news that she personally wanted to tell me. Every day since I got the letter I’ve been wondering what she would want to tell me. Could it be a new spell? A new Crystal Empire artifact with great power or something? Right now I guess it could be anything.
“Thinking about a certain stallion are we?” Rarity brought me out of my thoughts. When I turned to her, she had a rather… mischievous grin on her face.
I thought back to what she said. I blushed but quickly shook my head. “No Rarity. I’m thinking about the news Princess Cadence wants to share with me.”
“She possibly might just want to give you some advice.”
“What?” I asked not really comprehending what Rarity was telling me.
“Oh come now Twilight, she knows love when she sees it.”
I sighed. “Rarity, I’ve told you before, I don’t love Flash. I just really like him is all. It’s…” I huffed. “It’s really not such a big deal.”
“Hey what’re ya two fillies talkin’ about?” Apple Jack came up and sat on the opposite seat from me.
“Mm, Twilight has a thing for a certain,” Rarity sported that suggestive smile again… “Pegasus guard.”
I saw Apple Jack give her a curious look while I felt myself blushing a bit again. “Oh, you mean that Flash Sentry feller. Ah think he’s a mighty fine stallion. Nice pickin’ Twi.” She winked at me and I felt the blush reddening a bit more. “Funny guy dat one.”
I didn’t look them in the eye when I said, “It’s not like we’re a couple or anything.”
“Oh is there any doubt that you will be?” Rarity boasted.
I sighed. “Look, I may not have dated before, but I do sure know a relationship isn’t built so quickly.”
“She does have a point there Rarity,” Apple Jack agreed with me.
“Um, excuse me, but what are you girls talking about?” I saw Flutter Shy take the seat next to Apple Jack. “Oh, this seat isn’t taken, is it?” She had a worried look on her face as she looked towards us.
“No sweat Flutter Shy. We were just talkin’ about Twilight’s crush on that Flash guy. You remember him don’t ya Flutter Shy?”
“I believe so. He’s the Pegasus Pony that Twilight spent so much time with that one week.”
“The very one.” Apple Jack grinned.
Flutter Shy smiled sweetly. “I think it’s wonderful you have feelings for Flash Sentry Twilight. He’s a very nice and helpful pony. Remember when he repaired that hole in the roof of my cottage?”
I nodded.
“He did that?” Rarity asked.
Flutter Shy nodded. “He did a great job too. I was really grateful that he would take the time while he was on vacation.”
“Who did?” We looked up to see Rainbow Dash hovering over us.
“Oh Flash Sentry,” Flutter Shy responded.
“You mean that guard guy who visited Ponyville that one week?”
We all nodded.
Rainbow Dash landed. “Oh yeah. I remember.” She had a skeptical look that told me she was thinking back. “Hey… doesn’t Twilight have a crush on that guy?” She looked to me.
I was about to speak up but then Rarity said, “Oh she definitely has a thing for the stallion.”
I shrank into my seat a little. This was really getting embarrassing.
“Huh.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, he’s not a bad flier I’ll give him that.” I readjusted myself glad that Rainbow Dash wasn’t teasing. “I mean,” Rainbow chuckled, “He couldn’t catch up to me of course, but uh, yeah, just… not bad.”
“Right…” I said thinking back. “You did race him back in Ponyville.”
“Oh yeah.” She smirked. “He might’ve known who he was up against but that didn’t stop me from totally blowing him away when I took off.”
“You can’t really blame him Rainbow Dash. No one can ever truly understand your ability in flight unless they’ve seen it for themselves.”
“You got that right Twilight.” She smirked. “But you know, he’s… okay I guess.”
“Who’s okay?” Pinkie Pie came bouncing in. She gasped. “No one’s hurt right? I mean that would be such a total bummer. Cause when you’re hurt you can’t really have fun, and when you can’t have fun you’re not happy and when you’re not happy your sad and–”
“Whoa, hold it there Pinkie Pie.” Apple Jack interrupted Pinkie Pie.
“No one’s hurt Pinkie,” Flutter Shy assured her.
“Yeah, we’re just talking about Twilight’s crush on Flash Sentry,” Rainbow informed her.
Suddenly Pinkie was back to going on. “Oh yeah, the orange Pegasus.” She sighed. “Oh I really wanted to throw him a party. It would’ve been so much fun. There would’ve been balloons and games and dancing. Oh, but he wouldn’t let me.”
“He wouldn’t? Who does that guy think he is?” Rainbow Dash asked suddenly angered.
I quickly came to his defense. “He didn’t feel comfortable with a party Rainbow Dash and he didn’t want Pinkie Pie to go through the trouble.”
“Comfortable?”
“He wanted to relax and take things easy on his vacation not party through the night.”
“But it sure would’ve been fun.” Pinkie Pie sighed and I saw her hair deflate a bit.
“Oh Pinkie Pie, I’m sure we’ll run into him while we’re visiting and maybe we can convince Cadence to let you throw a party in the castle.”
That perked her right up. “Oh, that’d be so cool.” She went on for a few more minutes while I just smiled and looked out the window. I let my friends continue to talk about my love life or the lack of one.
I let my thoughts wonder to Flash. He and I have been exchanging letters soon after he left Ponyville for the Crystal Empire. He really is a nice stallion, very helpful, funny, and humble. He has a more intellectual and geek side to him too. He’s a bit of a sci-fi nut and I… well I find it cute. Just the way he describes it I know he’s really into it and I can feel the excitement in his tone. The letters also gave me a fairly clear picture of a typical day for him. Granted, there really isn’t much to say since he mostly just stands and observes.
He’s not very organized though. In his letters he kind of loses track of his thoughts as if he writes just as he thinks rather than think about what to put in and then write it down in some sort of order. It’s a tad bit frustrating but I can tolerate it. His penmanship isn’t something to be proud of either but it’s readable for me. I showed one of his letters to Spike and he had no clue it was even a language.
When we got off at our stop I could see my brother Shining Armor waiting for us.
“Shining.” I ran up to him and hugged my big brother.
“Twily, oh it’s good to see you little sis.” He gave me a great squeeze before letting me go.
“It’s good to see you too.”
He smiled at me before looking behind me at the girls. “Welcome back to the Crystal Empire. All of you.”
The girls replied back in their own way. Then we heard a throat being cleared. I looked and couldn’t believe I didn’t see him in the first place, but there he was clad in his golden armor.
I smiled. He was about to say something before I wrapped my forelegs around him. I heard him grunt. “Oh, it’s good to see you Flash.”
“Uh…” I didn’t like the tone in his voice. It was as if he was a colt trying to think up an excuse for something broken. He cleared his throat. “Um, it’s good to see you too Princess Twilight.”
I let go of him and took a good look at him.
He lowered his head and whispered to me. “I’m back on duty, remember? Can’t really be too… friendly.” I understood what he meant but for some reason my heart still sank a little. It still hurt that Flash couldn’t just be Flash with me anymore… He had to be a guard.
“Exactly what’s going on here?” Shining Armor asked as he approached Flash and I.
I saw Shining get a little tense when he came to us while I Flash show a bit of nervousness before taking a deep breath. “Nothing Sir.”
I saw Shining grow a skeptical look. Flash remained motionless. “Hm, Sentry you and I are to… have a little chat when we return to the castle, you’ve got that?” I saw my brother give him order… with a sense of anger in his tone. Something told me Flash was in for quite the chat.
“Yes Sir.”
“Good.” Shining left to lead us back to the castle. Flash relaxed when he left.
“Are you okay?” I asked him worried. Shining has the inkling that something is up between Flash and I… even though there really isn’t so much going on in reality. Still, now Flash has to go and face my brother rather than his boss. And it was all my fault. If I didn’t hug him Shining Armor wouldn’t have thought there was something between us and Flash wouldn’t have to face Shining when nothing has happened.
He sighed. “I’m fine.” He looked towards my brother who was ahead with the girls. “For now anyway.” He glanced at me before turning to leave. “Come along your Majesty.”
He left and… I took a minute to just watch him go. I felt a small ache in my heart as he just left me there not really sure what do. I have sent him into a pretty bad situation for nothing and he’s just acting brave. I sighed and followed Flash eventually catching up to him.
I took a few glances at him before he said, “You might want to give me until sunset.”
“Huh?” I was surprised he was talking to me. He’s supposed to be on duty and I’m sure he knows my brother has been taking glances back at us.
“I’m off the clock then.” He smiled at me. “Think you’ll be free tonight? I still owe a little something.”
I smiled glad to see he was talking like himself rather than a guard. I felt a blush grow on my muzzle and a warm feeling started to take over me. I kind of liked the feeling… Then, in a burst of either bravery or just not thinking I pressed myself up against him and told him, “That would be… wonderful.”
We made to the castle and passed the Crystal Heart on the way. It gleamed and was as beautiful as ever. I would have stopped to admire it a little more but the closer we got to the throne room the sooner Flash would have to go. Shining said, “You girls go on in. Sentry?” he turned to Flash.
“Yes Sir.”
“You’re coming with me.” I saw Shining struggle with himself to keep his professional manner. I looked to Flash who had a nervous look but shook his head slightly and regained his composure.
“Yes Sir.” Shining started walking in one direction. Flash sighed and was about to follow him before I stopped him with my hoof.
He looked at me shocked.
I was shocked myself. I wasn’t thinking; my hoof moved on its own. I had to think of something fast. Say something Twilight.
“Um… good luck Flash…”
His shocked face turned to a calming one and he smiled at me. “Thank you and I’ll be fine. I’ll see you later in the court yard after sundown if you don’t mind.” He looked at me with gentle eyes.
I felt a blush grow on my cheeks and nodded slowly. “I’ll be there.”
He gave me a smile and a nod before walking off following my brother.
I sighed. That sudden moment of gooeyness was gone, replaced by worry for the gaurds-pony I like… really like.
“Aw, Twilight, ah’m sure yer brother is just um…”
Before Apple Jack could come up with something I said, “It’s okay Apple Jack, you don’t have to try to sugar coat it.”
“Well…” She looked away trying to come up with something to say.
“I’m fine, a little worried but I’m fine.” It was true, I was fine. I had faith that my brother would at least not completely destroy Flash… The girls looked at me with worried looks.
I smiled and said, “Really girls, let’s just go on in. I really want to know what Cadence wants to tell me.” It really was the truth but honestly, I just wanted something to distract myself from sending Flash to talk with my brother. It pains me to just leave it but I have to trust Flash when he says that he’ll be fine.
The throne room doors opened for us and we walked in. Cadence was sitting looking over some paper work from the looks of it with a piece of paper in her magic. “Twilight!” She saw me and quickly left the paper to be caught by her scribe while she came to me.
“Cadence.” We ran to each other and did our normal greeting.
“Oh Twilight.” She took me on her forelegs and we shared a hug. “It’s been too long.”
“I’ve missed you too Cadence.”
We let go and then she turned to my friends. “And it is good to see all of you again.”
The girls responded in their own ways to Cadence who looked around and behind them when they were done.
“Where’s your brother? I thought he was with you.” She looked at me confused.
Suddenly, I felt guilty and worried all over again.
“What happened?” I looked up at Cadence who had a worried look and a gentle but stern sound in her voice. My feelings must’ve become very apparent on my face for her to respond that way so quickly. “Twilight, please tell me what happened?”
I looked at my foal sitter and sighed. I didn’t really want to talk about it but maybe Cadence can help sort out this mess. She is Shining’s wife after all and the Princess of this Empire. I felt my face brighten up slightly and I felt less hesitant to tell Cadence everything but I still felt guilty for bringing this onto Flash.
Cadence listened carefully and with a look that was fairly hard for me to read. When I finished I saw Cadence sigh and smile slightly. “I think I might have to talk to him.” She turned and mumbled something that I didn’t catch. “Wh-Really?”
She nodded. “Yes, but I also think we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Shining might have looked like he wanted to burst but he’s also very disciplined. He might scare Flash a bit but it really shouldn’t be that much worse.” She gave me a reassuring smile. I smiled a little back and felt better about the situation. Cadence was right, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions and if the worst were to happen, Cadence will set things straight.
“Thanks Cadence. I feel better now.”
Just then, my brother stepped into the room and said, “Sorry Dear, I had a little something to care of.” I saw him walk to Cadence.
She gave him a knowing look and told him, “So I’ve heard.”
I saw Shining get a funny look on his face.
“But before we get to that, I believe there is something we want to tell Twilight.”
Shining kept that weird look on his face before shaking his head and regaining his composure. “Right, um, Twilight,” Shining turned his attention to me. “Cadence and I…”
“We’re having a foal!” Cadence exclaimed.
“Really?!” They nodded with big smiles. I responded with a big smile of my own and hugged them both while they wrapped their forelegs around me. “I’m so happy for you.”
The girls walked to us and gave their congratulations to them when we let go of each other.
“Thank you all so much,” Cadence responded.
I couldn’t believe it. I was going to be an Aunt. Shining and Cadence were going to have a foal. Cadence cleared her throat to direct the excitement to calm down. “Now um, you all should get settled before anything else happens,” she said. “As for you,” she turned to Shining who suddenly gulped from the looks of it. “Follow me.”
I saw Shining follow Cadence out of the throne room before Apple Jack got my attention again. “Come on Sugar Cube, best we go and unpack and rest up a little after that train ride.”
I nodded feeling a little tired. A nap might do me some good after the day I’ve been having. I followed the girls out and we made our way to our respective quarters. I unpacked before I hopped into bed but I didn’t go to sleep right away. I kept thinking about today and how much actually happened in very little time. Flash and I made plans for tonight, my brother may or may not have roughed Flash up a bit, I got the news that Shining and Cadence were going to have a foal, and Cadence made it clear that she wouldn’t let Shining go too far into a… protective brother mode.
I woke up with a slight jump and rubbed my eyes and shook my head before I looked at who woke me up. It was Cadence. She was smiling at me and I smiled back with somewhat tired eyes.
"How are you feeling Twilight?"
I sat on the bed and gave a small yawn before I answered her. "Um, fine I guess. Definitely a bit more awake."
"Well that's good." She sat next to me on the bed. "Wouldn't want you falling asleep while on your date with Flash."
I gave her a shocked look and well… a mush of words came out of my mouth that I couldn't understand. It was if I kept trying to find the right words but I also felt really embarrassed about it. She did call it a date, but it wasn't a date. We were just going to spend a little time together as friends do. He was… just making it up to me for losing a library book. No big deal… But still…How did Cadence know about that?
Cadence giggled. "Relax Twilight, I just asked Flash that's all."
"Oh, heh." I wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that really.
"Oh and Shining just gave Flash a…" I looked at Cadence with hopeful eyes that she would tell me Flash was okay. "A… verbal warning."
I grew very confused. "What do you mean Cadence?"
"He scared Flash a little but he didn't hurt him Twilight. Shining just told Flash that he'd… better watch himself with you or well..." Cadence shook her head. "Well that doesn't matter."
I only felt slightly better. Shining didn't hurt him which was good but he still did shook Flash up a bit. I didn't like that, besides, there was nothing going on between me and Flash, nothing for my brother to worry about. I looked down as Cadence wrapped a foreleg around me.
"Is there something else wrong Twilight?"
I sighed, "It's just that, we're just friends and Shining doesn't have to act protective. He never acted that way before with my friends."
"None of them were colts with an eye for you."
"What?" I gave Cadence a funny expression.
"Twilight… Flash Sentry likes you and more than you think from the sound of it." She gave me a curious look.
I felt a blush on my cheeks. Does Flash actually…
"Listen Twilight, Shining is just trying to protect you… and he's not exactly sure how he should do it."
"Well scaring Flash isn't exactly a good way of doing that."
"I know and I did tell him that." She nodded. "Hopefully now he'll back off just enough for him to see he has nothing to worry about. I know Flash is nothing less than a gentlecolt and you Twilight are not a little filly anymore."
I perked up a bit. "Thanks Cadence."
She hugged me. "Anytime Twilight. Now about that date with Flash."
I groaned and hopped off the bed before I started to pace around. Why does she insist it's a date? It's not a date.
"Twilight?"
"It's not like that Cadence." I wanted to raise my voice but I didn't. I didn't want Cadence upset with me. I just paused and looked at her for a moment and saw her worried face. "We are two ponies who will be enjoying each other's company tonight. He just wants to make up for losing a book. It's really not a big deal."
"But?" I looked at her and she had this curious and yet knowing look.
"Well…"
"Yes…" She walked towards me and stayed a few steps away from me.
"Um…" I felt a little nervous and a small blush appeared on my face. "When he asked me, I saw his face was a little red."
"Oh?" I didn't need to look at her to know she had a grin on her face. She nudged me gently. I turned my head to look and smile back at her. "See Twilight? Flash, does like you, he wouldn't have blushed otherwise."
"Well… I just don't want to get ahead of myself. After all, I am new to this sort of subject. I've never been in a relationship before and for now I really just want to get to know Flash."
"That's what dating is for Twilight. It's time that you two spend to get to know each other better and to enjoy each other's company. You learn a lot about a pony when you spend time with them. You should know that by now."
"Yes… I suppose Cadence. I just don't want to mess anything up. I'm…" suddenly I felt nervous about meeting Flash tonight. I've never gotten nervous before.
"Nervous and unsure?"
I gulped and nodded.
"Like you said Twilight, you're new to this and it's a normal reaction. And just like friendship you can't really prepare for something like this. You can observe successful relationships and learn from that but it's not the same thing as going out and experiencing it for yourself and if you do get hurt along the way even a little it's a sign that you're really living and growing up."
I allowed for her words to sink in. I didn't really know what friendship was until I was sent to Ponyville and even after that there was still a lot to learn and not only did I learn something but also my friends learned a few things along the way. I learned about friendship simply by spending time with my friends. I do remember that on many occasions either my friends or I did feel hurt for some time and we found a way in the end to make things right. Like when I felt rushed and stressed to send a report to Princess Celestia and my friends, although at first did pay me much mind, did come to my rescue when they saw how important it was to me to send a report to the Princess every week.
I suppose to understand a relationship type bond I have to do the same thing. Except in this case, I'd just spend time with one pony rather than many. However, I will have to tread the many ups and downs in that kind of bond as I have with my friendships with the girls. And it isn't as if I will be completely alone. I am confident that my friends along with Cadence will be there with me as they have been.
I nodded. "I think I understand Cadence and thanks." She smiled at me.
"Of course Twilight and oh I think it's about time for you to go meet Flash right?"
"What?" I looked out the window and noticed that the sun was just about to set. "Oh no I'm late and I don't think I'm ready." I looked at myself. I didn't want to be under dressed… or over dressed. Flash didn't exactly tell me where we were going and then I slept the afternoon away. Now there's no time to choose something.
"Whoa, whoa, Twilight, relax." Cadence took my shoulders. "Breathe Twilight."
I took a moment and did what she said a few times before my nerves calmed down.
"Now, I talked to Flash before hoof and he said it would be a casual affair just like it was back in Ponyville."
"Oh." I felt relieved and glad that this wasn’t a formal type outing. I’d hate to be under dress.
"It's going to be okay Twilight. Just be yourself and have fun,” Cadence advised.
I nodded knowing that Cadence was right. It'll be like back in Ponyville, we will go out, have a good time then we'll come back to the castle we'll wish each other a good night and that will be it. Simple enough.
I hugged my old foalsitter. "Thank you so much Cadence."
"Just be sure to tell me everything tomorrow."
"Sure Cadence." When I pulled back, I turned to head out the door. "And good night Cadence."
"Have a great time Twilight."
I left my room without another world and trotted down the hallway feeling very light and confident. This will be a great night. Just Flash and me. I felt that warm feeling spreading through my body as I thought about him and tonight. Again, it's a strange feeling… but a welcomed feeling also.
I walked past the halls and felt… really happy and excited to see Flash. There was a little skip but glide to my step. I could hardly feel the ground underneath my hooves. It was strange... but I liked it, it was a nice feeling.
I really hope this goes well with Flash. I know this isn't a real date, but he could ask me to a real one tonight afterwards… I hope that I don't make a fool of myself. What if I say no but actually mean yes again? Would he have the courage to ask me again if I accidentally said no? What if I can't say anything at all? What if he takes that as a no?
What if-oof!
I hit my head against the wall. I was supposed to turn left. I rubbed my head and looked towards the way that I was supposed to go. I shook my head and got up before continuing on my way. Okay Twilight, relax. It's not a date. It's a casual outing with a colt, a really cute colt… but an outing, not a date. It's just like back in Ponyville... we'll be out for a few hours and then go home. It'll be fun, nothing to it.
I took a few deep breathes to help calm my nerves while I made my way through the castle and then to the courtyard. I saw Flash with his backside to me. I smiled and said, "Flash."
He jumped and hid his face in his hooves. "I won't lay a hoof on her I swear." He crouched down shaking like a leaf.
"Flash, it's me… Twilight." I walked to him. He took his hoof away from one of his eyes to look at me and then came right back up to his hooves with a smile on his face.
"I'm so glad it's you, I thought I was in trouble for a second." I saw him take in deep breaths. Shining must’ve done a number on him.
I smiled at him but I looked at him worriedly. "I'm really sorry about what Shining did."
"He didn't hurt me Twilight, he just… scared me and-What was that?" He looked off into a direction away from me.
"Flash… it's probably nothing." I said trying to calm him down. I honestly never thought someone could fear my brother so much. My heart sank a little at the thought of it. He wouldn't be this paranoid if I didn't hug him when I saw him.
"I'm sorry Twilight." He looked sheepishly at me. "I just-" There was a rustling in a bush. He turned his attention to it for a few moments. A bird flew out of the bush. He sighed in relief but then he looked annoyed and angry. "I can't believe this. I really am sorry Twilight." He turned to me.
"You don't have to apologize Flash. It's not your fault."
"Funny, that's not what the captain said."
"Then the captain is wrong."
He looked at me curiously.
"Listen Flash, you don't have to be scared of Shining Armor."
"That's the thing Twilight. I don't have to be, I don't want to be. I just am. And I can't believe I let your brother get inside my head like that." Afterwards, he started mumbling things to himself and he paced around the courtyard inattentively before plopping himself down and covering his face with his hooves.
I walked up to him and sat down next to him. I'm not sure why, but I felt like I should.
"I'm really sorry about this. Some first night at the Crystal Empire huh?" He took away his hooves from his face but he didn't look at me. He looked up to the sky.
I did too. "It's beautiful though… and again, you have nothing to apologize for."
"Twilight. I can't go anywhere without thinking your brother is watching my every move." He sat up and looked at me. Then, he looked at the ground. "But you know, I can see where he's coming from."
"Right, you do have younger and older sisters."
He nodded. "Yup, I'd be lying if I said I never played the overprotective brother, even if I was the little brother… most of the time."
"Has Cardinal brought a colt home?" Cardinal is Flash's second youngest sister.
He sighed. "Yup." Again, he looked away from me.
"Flash… you didn't do anything rash did you?" For a few more moments he still didn't look at me, but I knew his eyes darted around a few times.
"I scared him, that's all. I did the same thing Shining Armor did to me. And believe me, I still feel awful about it." He finally turned to face me. "He was such a young colt and I made him afraid of his own shadow and for what? Neither one of them wanted to talk to me after that… all because I was just an idiot."
He looked down and contemplated his actions. I was surprised to hear this from Flash but at the same time I felt a bit of sympathy and understanding. I placed my hoof on his shoulder. "They did forgive you after sometime, didn't they?" I guessed because from what he has told me, he’s always had a good relationship with his sisters. He looked at me and took a moment to answer. "Yeah, after weeks of silence and after I apologized to him."
"Was he all right after that?"
"Mostly…” he cleared his throat, “it kind of took him a while before I could come near him without him hiding or something." He sighed again. "I still can't believe I did that."
"You learned from it though, right?"
"Sure, but it really… got to me. My sisters and I hardly ever fight and when we do, it's like for two days. This was different. This was me trying to be a good brother and instead I made my own sisters hate me. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't do anything with them mad at me. I couldn't eat, my grades slipped and I couldn't sleep."
"I'm sure they didn't hate you Flash. They might have been angry and upset, but I don't think they could ever hate you, especially since you're so close."
He smiled slightly and closed his eyes for a moment. He looked at me and said, "Thanks Twilight." He got up on his four hooves. "So, shall we go my lady?" He bowed.
"Huh?" I blinked a few times.
He chuckled and held out his hoof to me. "There's no point in sulking when we could be out like we planned."
I smiled and took his hoof.
"Besides, I doubt the Captain will get off my back if I just cower."
"So, you're not scared anymore?"
He shook his head. "Nope, but…"
"But?" I cocked my head to the side.
"I still can't escape the feeling that we're being watched." He turned around and looked in different directions. I looked around too. There was nothing. "Mmm, maybe I am still a bit paranoid." He shook his head. "Anyway, um why don't we get going?" I nodded and followed him out of the courtyard. We walked a bit before he said anything else. "So, I didn't get to ask you, how was your trip here?"
I felt a blush reach my muzzle before I could say anything. I remembered how the girls talked about us… together… Flash and I…
"Twilight?"
I blinked and came back to my senses. I looked at Flash who was in front of me now. We had stopped walking and I said the first thing that came to my mind. "It was fine. Same old… train ride nothing-nothing to get worked up about. Heh." I looked away from him and started walking forward again. I looked back with a weird smile and saw Flash looking at me confused.
"Um, okay… if you say so Twilight."
"So, come on, um lead the way." I found myself smiling so hard that my cheeks started to hurt.
He walked up to me, looked at me from my hooves to my head with his head tipped sideways. "Sure… follow me."
We walked for a little bit in silence. I tried to keep myself focused on where I was going but my head kept going back to the cute stallion walking next to me and even though it wasn't a real date it did feel like one. I started to blush thinking about it.
"So, tell me, what was Shining Armor like as a colt?"
I looked at him surprised.
"I mean it, I actually want to know."
"Well, I always thought of him as the best big brother any filly could have."
"Sounds familiar."
I nudged him.
We walked and I continued to talk about Shining and our times together when we were younger. He listened, smiled and shared his own stories.
"Oh, here we are."
It was a diner, but seemed a bit more… classy than the average one and it wasn't just the fact that it was made from crystal, but the outside had patio furniture and some ponies were already taking advantage of it.
"Would you prefer to be outside or inside?"
"Um… inside actually."
"You got it."
We continued to walk in and a mare walked up to us and said, "Aw, Flash you finally came around huh?" She was an older mare, not much older than my own mom.
I saw Flash smile. "Hiya Mildred."
"Come here you." She hugged him… or rather squeezed him.
"Easy Mildred, I still want to be able to fly tomorrow."
She giggled, smiled and let Flash go. "I wouldn't have to give you so tight of a squeeze if you'd come by more often."
Flash chuckled and caught sight of me just observing him and this mare. It was clear they knew each other and her name was Mildred. "Oh, um Mildred, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle," he cleared his throat, "Twilight, this is Mildred. She and her family own this place."
"Pleased to meet you," I said.
"Oh, no, the pleasure is all mine your Majesty." She bowed.
"Uh…"
Flash cleared his throat again. "Um, Mildred?"
"Hm? Oh, um will you be dining inside or outside?"
"Inside this time Mildred," Flash replied.
She nodded. "Follow me." She took a few menus on her way as we followed her deeper into the restaurant. We made to a booth and she said, "Your waiter will be right with you." Then, she left us alone.
"Well, she seems nice." I picked up a menu and started look through it.
Flash chuckled. "Yeah, just wish she'd spare my wings." He lifted them up and examined them. "She nearly crushes them sometimes." He gently poked at his wings before letting them down again and picking up his menu.
"At least you can control them." I placed my menu down.
"I thought you said it's gotten better." He did too.
"Sure, but when they do just fling up on their own… well the results just weren't in my favor."
"Did anypony get hurt?"
"Thank Celestia no, but you never know. Sometimes I wish I never got them in the first place."
"Aw, having wings isn't so bad, I ought to know. I was born with them."
"It's different for me though."
"True."
"Hello, sorry to interrupt, but are you ready to order or do you need more time?"
"Um…" I wasn't sure at the moment.
"Why don't you give us a few more minutes?"
"Sure."
"Thanks."
"No problem." The waiter dashed off.
Afterwards, it wasn't long for me to choose something familiar and the waiter came back. He took our orders and walked away.
"Have you tried to fly in the past few weeks?"
"Only once and it was an accident."
"What happened?"
"Oh, I accidentally transported myself to the top of the library and then I uh… well I fell."
"Were you hurt?" His hoof shot out and he touched mine. I blushed and looked at him. He just looked concerned. He didn't seem to notice he was touching my hoof.
"Well, no actually. My wings just sort of flew open again and I flapped a little. My landing wasn't so smooth but I was fine."
"Wait, what were you working on that made you transport to the roof?"
"Just that, practicing."
"I thought you already knew how to do that."
"I do, but I thought it would do me some good." Truth be told, I was a bit rusty with that spell. And there really were times when it could have come in handy.
The waiter came by and served us. For a while, we didn't say anything but that was okay. It didn't feel awkward, just calm… very still and comfortable. We were enjoying each other's company and that was the point wasn't it? We don't have to necessarily speak the entire time. It was nice.
"So how's Ruby?"
He coughed a little.
"Sorry." I was hoping for a calmer reaction.
"No, no it's okay." He wiped his mouth with his napkin. "She's um, well according to Mom she's slowly… letting it go…?"
"Is she eating at least?"
"Yup, a little but, it's still going to be a while before she's at least okay."
Ruby is Flash's youngest sister. She's very attached to her older siblings and so when Flash and his older sisters before him left home to be on their own or off at a camp, she didn't take to the change very well. From what Flash described, I can see a young filly with no energy, walking around with empty eyes. I shivered at the thought.
"When does your family normally know when she's back to normal?"
"Either when we come back home, or when she starts to play hide and seek again."
"Hide and seek?"
He nodded. "She loves hide and seek. I remember, every summer… she'd have the entire family play at least one game together." He laughed a little. "One time, I remember, Breeze-" He laughed again. "She got her head stuck in the hole of a tree where squirrels were living." We laughed. "It took us hours to get her out."
We laughed again. The rest of the dinner went by in the same fashion. We told stories and made each other laugh. I had never felt this comfortable with somepony before, let alone a colt who isn't my brother.
We left the restaurant soon after and I had that bouncy, very light feeling again as we stepped outside.
"So, how about a walk in the park and then we turn in?"
"Sounds perfect to me."
"You'll love it. It's so beautiful at night especially with a full moon." I glimpsed up towards the sky and noticed the moon and the stars. Luna did a good job tonight. I continued to follow Flash until we made it to a path that led into the park. I noticed a large pond and that the path stretched along the edge of the pond and then forked off into different directions. The pond mirrored Luna's sky perfectly and the water had a certain glow and bounce almost making it seem like the stars themselves were dancing. Even the grass and trees seemed to glisten. I stopped when we made it to the middle of the pond and stared at the moon's reflection. Flash stopped with me and stood next to me. Small bugs danced across the water and illuminated the pond even more.
"You were right, it is beautiful." I took a moment to look at the trees, bushes and grass again.
"Would you like to sit?" I looked at him. "There's a bench right there." He pointed his hooves to a bench behind us.
"Yes." I wanted to look out at the pond a little longer. It was very entrancing. We turned to walk towards the bench and I slipped and fell. I closed my eyes expecting to land in the water… but I didn't. Instead, I felt like somepony wrapped their hooves around me. I opened my eyes and saw that Flash was holding me. I looked up at him and blushed.
"You okay?" I saw his muzzle turn red too.
I smiled and nodded. Maybe Cadence was right. Maybe Flash actually does like me.
He set me down and we walked to the bench. We sat together and stared out at the scenery. Now, it felt kind of awkward. We couldn't stop taking glances at each other and then looking away. And for some reason I giggled every few times we glanced at each other. Then, I couldn't take the silence anymore. It was weird.
"I'm sorry about that Flash."
He struggled for a moment to smile. "Well, you're not soaked, that's gotta mean something."
I smiled a small smile. "I can be a bit clumsy sometimes."
"Everypony has their moment." He started to laugh a little.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing really, I just remembered I let Cardinal go to school in her pajamas… on a Sunday." I laughed a little but I couldn't for long, the poor mare must've been mortified and one little detail caught my attention.
"You let her?"
He cleared his throat and looked guilty. "Well, I…"
"Flash…"
"Well, she woke me up with her horn. And I think I was about to perform for a crowd of thousands before she woke me up."
"Crowd of thousands?"
He chuckled. "It was a good dream."
I gave a yawn. "Oh, sorry. I'm just so tired suddenly." I didn't feel sleepy at all until I yawned. I guess it has that kind of effect.
"Well, it's getting late. Best I get you back to the castle, besides, I think we both have a big day tomorrow."
"Oh, I can't wait to have fun with my brother again." We started to head back to the castle.
"I'm sure it'll be like old times. Well, you know, minus the whole princess and Captain of the Royal Guard thing."
"True, but we haven't changed much."
"I was just teasing Twilight. Anyway, you'll have a great day tomorrow. I'm sure of it."
We continued to talk the whole way to the castle and then to my room.
"Wait, so did your friend actually go head to head with a dragon?"
"Well, she didn't fight him." I was telling Flash about the time Fluttershy told a dragon to leave Ponyville. "She has this way with creatures that allows her to reason with them."
"Hm, I wonder if she could've done anything about my mom's chickens."
"Your mom had chickens?"
"Oh yeah, we lived outside of the city so we had chickens. Every morning it was the same thing. Just noise. During the school year, it was fine, but in the summer it just… wasn't good for me." He had a pained expression on his face.
"Hm. Oh." I noticed we had stopped at my door. We looked at each other and then at the floor. What's happening? All of a sudden, I was nervous again and I couldn't look Flash in the eye. I blushed again.
"Say, Twilight?"
"Yes Flash." I managed to look at him now.
"I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to the history museum before you leave?" I saw him glance behind him and his muzzle turned redder.
"Like a-like a-"
"Like a date," he spoke up, "with me." He looked away.
I smiled a little, feeling butterflies in my stomach, but I wasn't so nervous anymore. I was really happy. "I'd like that."
He smiled at me.
"I had a good time tonight Flash. Thank you."
"The pleasure's all mine, Princess." He bowed.
I giggled and opened the door to my room with my magic, turned on the light and stepped inside the doorway before turning back to Flash. "Good night Flash."
"Good night Twilight."
I took a step back and closed the door. I took a deep breath and heard a few squeals from behind me. I let my breath back out and turned around to find my friends and Cadence on pillows in a circle. All except for Pinkie Pie.
"Uh-"
"Oh, I'm right here." Pinkie popped out of nowhere. "Sorry I'm late, I forgot that we were going to surprise her but I just got so excited that I followed her and Flash and then I came back to tell you guys. I went to tell Rarity but she wasn't there, then I went to Fluttershy's room but she wasn't there, then I went to Applejack's room but she wasn't there, and then I went to Rainbow Dash's room but she wasn't there and then I went to-"
Rainbow Dash put her hoof and Pinkie's mouth. "We got it Pinkie."
"You followed Twilight and Flash on their date?" Rarity asked.
"It wasn't a date Rarity," I said plainly. "And you can take your hoof out of Pinkie's mouth now Rainbow."
She did and said, "Sorry Pinkie."
"That's okay Rainbow."
Heh, I guess Pinkie's the reason why Flash had that feeling we were being watched.
Cadence asked, "So, how did it go?"
I should've known they wouldn't wait until morning.
Alright Flash, don’t cower, don’t let him get under your skin. He’s not different from you. You played the protective older… and younger brother. We can talk this out.
I was standing in front of Prince Shining Armor’s study in the morning. He had asked me to come today after our little chat yesterday before he would spend the day with Twilight. I knocked on his door.
“Who goes there?”
“Flash Sentry Sir.”
“Come in.”
I opened the door and walked into his office. He was working on some paper work from what I could tell.
He looked up and said, “Sit down Flash.”
I did and then he placed some papers in his desk drawer before looking at me. I sat there in my uniform just hoping I wouldn’t come out scared out of my mind.
“Listen Flash, I’m sorry about yesterday. I was out of line.”
Well that was unexpected. I stared at the Prince trying to read him. He was tense. It was slight but definitely there. He wasn’t genuinely sorry but I’ll take it. It might be Princess Cadence’s doing but it just might be what I need. I don’t need to be afraid. I’m not afraid.
“You can speak now Flash.”
“Apology accepted Sir.”
“Now that we have that out of the way.” I was afraid that. There’s more and I had a feeling that it wasn’t about my performance as a guard. “I know you were out with my sister last night. What happened?” Now he was reading me. I took a deep breath and let it go past me. Not slammed into me.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. We went to dinner, took a trot about the park and then came back to the castle.”
He stared at me. I didn’t feel it. I wanted to smile but I kept my face neutral. Couldn’t let the Captain think that I was growing cocky. It wouldn’t look good on my record.
“Is that all? You didn’t ask her on another date?”
“It wasn’t a date to begin with.”
“Then what are your intentions?” He stared at me, squinting, trying to read me.
I opened my mouth but well, this conversation didn’t seem like it should be formal. It’s not right that I’m facing my boss and the older brother of the mare that I like. “Permission to speak freely Sir?”
Captain Shining Armor looked at me confused. “Permission granted…”
“We need to get out of this office.”
“Excuse me?”
“Listen, I know what you’re going through, but bluntly asking me these questions isn’t a very good way of doing your job. Plus, you’re using the fact that you’re my boss against me. Scaring me isn’t going to prove to your sister that you’re being a good older brother. I know, because I’ve been there.”
“You have older sisters, it’s different.” He shook his head from side to side.
“Not really, I remember… when I was little, my sister brought somepony home. I wasn’t sure what was going on, all I knew was this colt came and my sister seem to really like him. She was happy, so I didn’t think much of it. But then, well…” This part of it was really hard to even remember, it’s not because I was young. It’s because I can’t stand seeing my sisters upset. Yeah, they dressed me up like a doll until I was 9 but we always had a good time, they were always there for me. After that, I may have gone… overboard with protecting them.
“He wasn’t who he seemed?”
I sighed, “I saw my sister cry her eyes out night after night, her friends were over every day, and I was just there watching it all. I couldn’t stand it.”
“You didn’t try to cheer her up?”
“Of course, but she kicked me out of her room and then her friends kept me from ever going back in. I wasn’t allowed to see her for weeks.”
“So you just left it alone?” He questioned me.
“Not exactly.”
He gave me side glance.
“I may or may not have played spy on a few more occasions other than official guarding business.”
“You spied on the colt?”
“It only took two days to understand what was going on. I saw him with another mare and then I heard him talking with two buddies of his in the locker room of the high school. He was just trying to well…”
“I think I get the picture, but please continue.”
“Let’s just say, he got what was coming to him. Afterwards, I kept an eye on every colt my older and younger sisters brought home.”
“Wait, you have a younger sister?”
“Two younger sisters actually.”
“So you grew up with…”
“Five sisters and I’m the only colt.”
“Yikes.” He looked surprised. I always get that.
“It wasn’t all bad. Yeah sure, I had to wear a bonnet for an hour out of the day, but it was fun.” I saw him crack a smile.
Okay, I’m heading to good terms.
“All, right, um, go on Flash.”
“Well, then later, when I bulked up a bit, I scared off a few, but one too many later and they all just hated me. It was a nightmare for me. They wouldn’t talk to me and they pretended as if I didn’t exist at all.”
He looked at me and blinked a few times.
“So, do you see? It’s the same, we’re brothers who just want the best for our sisters but intimidating might just give us the cold shoulder. And I know for sure you don’t want Twilight to hate you.”
He sighed and closed his eyes. He was in thought for pretty long time. I sat there hoping he would say something soon. I was starting to feel really awkward sitting there. He finally brought his head back and opened his eyes. “Then, how do you suppose I be a good brother to my sister.”
“Be my friend.”
“What?”
“Well, after I learned my lesson, I decided to take a different approach, instead of being hostile, I tried being friendly. I got to know the colt, treat him as if he was just another friend, not the guy my sister was dating.”
“And that worked?”
“You have no idea.” I’ve caught them when they were too comfortable and I took care of them. A few stern words and then they were out the door.
He stared at me again. He looked at me as if he didn’t know what to do with me… just like my mom. Creepy.
“All right, Flash, I’ll try it your way. Come on.” He got up from his desk and walked past me.
“Where are we going?” I got up from my seat.
“The garden. Is that neutral enough for you?”
“Sure, why not.” At least he was going to try it.
We were silent the entire way to the garden. I sort of just looked at the back of his head and then at the floor. I really hope this works. I wanted him to understand that I just want to get to know Twilight. I really like her. That much I know for sure and I’ve got to prove it to him.
“So, Flash, how did you two meet anyway?”
“Uh, well we bumped into each other when she visited the Crystal Empire for the Princess Summit, but I think I only said like three words to her. After that I met her again when I took leave to go to Ponyville. I went to the library to check out a book and met her there.”
“I see.” He glanced at me. “How about, what do you like about Twilight?”
I knew this was coming.
I started to think about Twilight, and said whatever came to me. He needed complete honesty and if I got to go into a daydream while talking to him, I’ll do it. “She’s got this certain, spark. There’s such passion in her eyes with determination to match. Her knowledge amazes me and she’s a good listener. She’s a nice mare but she also won’t allow somepony to wrong another pony. The sending back my letters with notes was kinda weird, but at least I knew she was paying attention.”
I heard him laugh. “How bad could your writing be?” Okay, so he asked a question just about me, this is progress.
“I think she has a problem with my structure or something. I never could write too well. I read more than anything.”
“Oh yeah, I think I remember you’d have a book with you when you weren’t training.”
“There wasn’t much else to do.”
“I thought you had friends.”
“I did, but I was responsible. Remember the one day you came to visit and everypony was kinda… sluggish?”
“Yes…” He looked at me funny.
“Big party the night before and it did not treat everypony well.”
“Must’ve been a good one though.”
“Oh, yeah, only not everypony was able to remember what happened.”
He laughed a little to himself. “I remember those wild nights.” He went on about a few parties he went to back when he was in training and of a lower ranking. I told him more about my time in training and even a bit about my family. After some time, he looked up at the sun and said I should return to my duties.
I nodded and I saluted before I went back to the castle. I left knowing that everything would be just fine. Shining Armor asked more about me rather than Twilight and me which I know for a fact was hard for him. I remember the first time I tried this tactic, I kept going back to my sister and he’d get really nervous. When I asked more about him, he was more open and willing to share. I learned plenty and judged his character more easily this way. He turned out to be a good stallion.
Now, I guess, I can only wait and see how things go.
"So, are you excited Twilight?" Cadence asked. Princess Cadence, my friends and I were having a late breakfast. We were up for a good part of the night thanks to that unexpected slumber party. Pinkie Pie sure didn't want to go to sleep. She did her best to keep the party going.
"Definitely. It's been too long since Shining and me have had any sister-brother bonding."
I yawned and covered my mouth. It was about a second for it to travel and one right after the other, we yawned.
"Some night, huh girls?" Applejack asked.
"I still think we should've gone the whole night," Pinkie said.
I sighed. We were all about to pass out by the time we got Pinkie to agree to go to sleep for the night.
"There was absolutely no way Pinkie Pie. We all need our beauty sleep," Rarity told her.
We finished up and the girls decided to walk me to the Crystal Heart where Shining said we should meet. He said there was something he had to do before we would spend the day together.
"Thanks for walking me girls, but I don't want you to be late for your spa appointment. I can take it from here." We were almost to the Crystal Heart.
"Oh, we can wait with you until Shining Armor gets here, I mean, if that's okay," Fluttershy said.
"No, no. You should go and be on time. I'll be fine here. I'm sure he'll be here any minute now."
"Are you really sure 'bout that Twilight?" Applejack asked.
"I'm sure."
They left after that. A few minutes passed by.
I walked around the Crystal Heart wondering where my brother could be.
"Twilight!"
I turned around to see Shining running towards me. We hugged.
"Sorry I'm late."
"That's okay, we still have the whole day." I was just glad to be spending the day with my big brother.
"So, how about we hit the new bookstore?"
"Perfect. I've been meaning to get some new books."
"Then, you might want this." He levitated my saddle bag to me.
"Thank you."
We started walking away from the castle.
"So, did you finish whatever it was that you needed to do?"
"Uh-huh."
"What was it anyway? Some kind of report?"
"You could say that."
"Mmm, how about this one?" I took a book off the shelf and read the back cover. It was about a mare in Manehattan trying it make it as a journalist. It could be a maybe…
"Um, Twily, don't you think this might be enough?"
I placed the book back and turned around to find a pile of books floating with legs. Oops.
I took the books in my own magic and placed them on a nearby table. "You might be right about that."
"Might be?" He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Well…" I looked away embarrassed.
He sighed. "I'm sorry Twilight, but I'm putting a limit on how many you take."
"What, you can't do that."
"Twilight, if you were to take all the books you wanted you'd need a whole train car to transport them back to Ponyville. And do I need to I remind you of how Rarity packs?"
I'll admit he did have a point there but they're books. There's so much knowledge and adventure to be had. A good book is a one way stop to new worlds and different ponies. They're a gift.
"I know how much you love to read and that's great, but how about you stick with six this time?"
I looked at the big pile on the table. "Just six?" I looked at him pleadingly hoping I could get him to agree to allow me to take more.
He sighed and wrapped his foreleg around me. "We've got time to narrow it down."
"But-"
"No buts Twilight. Just six, that's it. Besides, do you really have room for fifty plus new books in the library?"
"I can always make room." i smiled.
"Then you can make room for six. Let's get to work."
I sighed. He wasn't going to give in. "Fine, you win."
"That's a good Twily." He patted my head.
We tried to spread the books on the table but that was definitely not going to work so I took the books in my magic and levitated them. We browsed again and again through the books that I managed to pick out from the various shelves in the store. The eliminated books were put back where I found them. When we narrowed them down to ten, I placed them on the table.
"So should I take three fiction and three nonfiction or two fiction and four nonfiction."
"I'd go with the first option."
"Of course you would."
"I like to read about the many contributions of Star Swirl the Bearded as much as the next pony, but a short story can be just as exciting."
"I doubt that, but back to the books. There are four fiction and six nonfiction books. Let's look at the fiction first."
I chose two that I was really interested in which left two more to choose from. I placed the books I was absolutely going to take in my saddlebag. I looked at the two remembering the summaries on their back covers. One was about a sweets shop owner who had to care for her ailing mother while keeping her shop open and out of the hooves of a big business tycoon. The other was a coming of age story about an Earth pony with a farm that was struggling.
"Do you have a preference?" I asked Shinging.
"Both of them seem kind of tragic to me. I'm not sure what to tell you Twilight."
"That is true, but great literature tends to not be happy."
"I have noticed that." He nodded.
I looked at the books wondering which one to pick. "How about you pick at random?"
"Mmm." I made a face. I didn't really want to just pick one. The books I take have got to be ones that I think I will definitely enjoy reading.
"Come on Twilight. You gotta make a decision. We should grab lunch soon."
"Eating can wait." I flicked my hoof at him. "Oh I know. I'll read the first chapter of each book and pick which one seems to grab my attention more."
"All right, now we're getting somewhere."
I read the first chapter in the book about the shopkeeper and then the first chapter of the book about the young colt.
"Mmm."
"Well?" Shining asked.
"I think I'm going to go with the shop keeper." She seems to be like a real hard worker but I don't think she goes out much. Reminds me of me actually, and this one regular customer I think might help her come out of her shell.
"Okay." He took the book in his magic and placed it into my saddle bag. "Now onto the nonfiction."
I decided to choose books that were about subjects I either did not know about or that I had miniscule knowledge of. Surprisingly, I choose the three in five minutes.
"Finally."
"Oh, it wasn't that bad." I told him as we walked out of the store.
"I'm starting to remember why I haven't gone book shopping with you since you were a filly."
I nudged him.
The rest of the day, went by really fast. After lunch, we checked out an art expo in the park where there were demonstrations of traditional art forms in the Crystal Empire. There was dancing, painting, music, everything. It was a really good opportunity to better understand the culture of the Crystal Ponies.
It was dusk by the time we made it back to the castle.
"Well this was a great day. Thanks Shining." I nuzzled him.
"Aw, you're welcome Twily." It seemed like there something on his mind.
"Something wrong?"
"No, not really, but I've been meaning to tell you that I'm sorry about the way I acted towards Flash yesterday. It was wrong for me to well…"
"To try to scare him off?"
He cleared his throat and tried to smile.
"Yes, yes it was. I forgive you Shining. I know you were trying to be a good brother." I smiled at him.
"Which is why I apologized to Flash this morning."
"What really?" That's what he had to do this morning? I hope he didn't make things worse.
"Yes and before you say anything else, just know that we talked things out, I'm going to try to be his friend and I won't treat him any differently from the other guards."
"Really?" It would be nice if there wouldn't be any tension between them and for each of them to be comfortable with the other.
"Really."
We hugged.
"I'm glad to hear that Shining. But you know, we're not even dating. There isn't anything to worry about."
"Is there something to worry about now?" He gave me a look.
"Shining..." I gave him a stern look.
"I'm sorry, it's just going to take a while for me to get used to the idea." He shook his head a little.
"Listen Shining, Flash and I are going on a date to the museum. Okay?" I wasn't asking for his permission. This is my life and I can choose to go out on a date if I want to. I just wanted to see what he'd say.
He took a breath. He opened his mouth to say something but closed his mouth again. He was struggling in his mind and his eyes darted everywhere. I was starting to get worried before he finally said something. "Just make sure he's not a changeling and that you're back here by 8."
I laughed. "Well, I'll be sure to check and just to make you happy; sure, we'll be back by eight."
My shift ended and I was about to go and change out of my armor when I heard some familiar giggling. It was coming from outside, I peeked out a window and saw Twilight and the Captain. They were just coming into the castle with smiles on their faces. They looked tired though.
I smiled. It kind of reminded me of me and my sisters, together and happy. I remember some days during the summer all we did was spend the day in the park doing whatever. When I was younger with my older sisters, I somehow managed to always knock myself out and one of them would carry me home on her back. When I got a hold of my first guitar I brought it along too. I wasn't any good at first, but a little practice did the trick. I guess you could say I did mini performances with my guitar for a while. My sisters would dance and sing along, the colts and fillies at the park would join in too. It was fun. We'd have enough by sundown but as tired as we were, we always had enough energy for some ice cream on the way home.
I really miss those days. Life was just perfect. Nothing to worry about… and then the dramas of growing up happened. I think Ruby took it the hardest though. When our oldest sister left home and started her new life in Manehattan it was like Ruby turned into an entirely different filly. She was depressed and I couldn't do anything about it. I tried everything, from playing my guitar to helping her earn her cutie mark. Nothing seemed to work, until our sister visited. Ruby brightened up and now we get constant visits from Terra. Now that's she grown up a bit she's come to understand that we've all got to go eventually, but she still has a hard time of accepting it once it actually happens. We all feel bad but we can't stop life. Can't keep ourselves from growing up.
I shook my head. I'm sure Ruby will be over my transfer soon. She'll be playing hide and seek and writing a new story in no time. Yeah, nothing to worry about.
"Oh, hello Flash."
I turned around and bowed my head. "Hello Princess Cadence."
She sighed. "You may rise."
I stood up.
She gave me a weird look. I looked away. I didn't really like that look she was giving me. "You don't have to be so formal Flash." She walked closer to me. "You're practically family." She gave me a side hug. This is just… weird.
I cleared my throat. She let go of me and I took a step away from her. "Um, is there something that you want to talk to me about?"
She blinked a few times but smiled after a while. "Now that you mention it, yes. I heard that a certain guard finally asked out a certain princess." She was smirking a smirk I've seen too many times on my own sisters. And if she's anything like they are, then she's not letting this go. I had to come clean, especially since she's the one who's been encouraging me and gave me the idea for my first date with Twilight.
I sighed. "Yep, I finally did it last night."
She squealed and clapped her hooves together. "I'm really happy for you two." She smiled really hard.
"Thank you Princess, for everything."
"Oh, all I did was talk. You two were the ones to really take action. I just guided you into that certain direction."
"Either way, thank you. I don't know if I would’ve had the guts to ask Twilight on a date without you."
"Well then, you are welcome. I'm just glad to see Twilight so happy. You should have seen her face when she talked about your time together last night."
I blushed. Twilight talked about me… about us. I looked away knowing Princess Cadence would be smirking. Just like my sisters. I thought about it again. Twilight with her friends talking about our almost date… I remember, listening in on a few sleepovers my sisters had. They did the same thing. I remember the same lines over and over again like we're just meant to be and I can just imagine our wedding day. Now I'm wondering… what exactly did she say last night? Would Twilight have said the same things?
"Aw, come on Flash. It was really cute. You know, she's just as nervous as you are."
"What?" I looked back at her.
"Well, yeah. You're the first boyfriend she's ever had."
I tried to talk but what ended up coming out was a mess of words. I shook my head and cleared my throat. "Eh, um. I'm not her boyfriend. Eh, not saying that I don't want to be but…" I tried to breathe. I didn't want to say the wrong thing and have Princess Cadence mad at me. She's helped me make it this far and I'm sure I'm still going to need her encouragement. "Um, I'm pretty sure both parties have to agree to the titles." I gulped and looked at her scared.
She just smiled and laughed. "Do you really doubt it?"
At first, I wasn't sure if she expected an answer, but then her face changed. She looked at me worriedly. "Uh, well, I mean, it's a pretty serious thing and we haven't even gone on a date."
She was studying me. I kind of just looked passed her.
She faintly huffed. "Well, I guess you're a smart stallion to not get ahead of yourself, but this is something you want right? To be with Twilight I mean."
I took a breath. "Yes, yes I do want to be with her. But I also won't jump right into it. Even with your blessing."
She smiled. "Just as long as you're clear on what you want, I think you and Twilight will be just fine."
"Thank you for understanding."
She just smiled.
"Um, do you mind answering something for me?"
"Oh," she was a bit surprised, "Well sure, what is it?"
My old curiosity came back. "What did Twilight say about last night?"
She gave me a knowing look. "Positive things. She enjoyed your company and she can't wait for your first official date."
I had a feeling that was all I was going to get. No details. Could never get much out of my sisters when it came to their dates. Oh well. I've still got a date with an amazing mare.
"Thank you for sharing that with me." I bowed.
"You're very welcome."
"Well, I'd best be on my way now. Good evening Princess Cadence."
"Good evening to you too Flash."
Back in my room, I noticed there was a package on my desk. I remember the mail mare delivered it right after I had my talk with Captain Shining Armor earlier today. I put it away before I went to breakfast.
I opened it up and saw some brownies, a guitar pick and a letter. Wait a minute… I know that pick. The blue one with a pink swirl. That was my first guitar pick and I gave it to Ruby before I left for the Crystal Empire… This is either really, really good or really, really bad.
I picked up the letter hoping it was from Ruby. I opened it up and started to read it. Dear Flashy,
It's Ruby and I just wanted to say I'm sorry about the way I've been acting.
I know you love me and will always look out for me, even when I'm acting like a total brat. I kind of forgot that for a little while because I didn't want you to go. I wanted to you to stay home, even if you just moved into another house just as long as you were still in Canterlot.
I love you Big Brother, you're my favorite brother and the only one I've got. I didn't want to lose you, but I also want you to do what you love and be happy. I know how important being a royal guard is to you and I don't want to distract you from that. I'm okay now, I played hide and seek with Mommy and Daddy all day yesterday, so you don't have to worry about me. I'm happy knowing that my big brother will be the best guard ever. I know you can do it Flashy. You've always protected me when we played pretend. Flash Sentry was the best royal guard Princess Ruby Write ever had.
I know it will be a while before we can see each other again, so I hope it's okay that we write each other tons of letters in the mean time.
With love,
Your little Rubes
I smiled and I cried a little. Awe, Ruby. I love you too. I wiped the tears from eyes. I've been waiting for something like this for weeks now. Something to tell me that my baby sister was okay. I've seen what happens to her when something like this happens and as a caring brother, it hurt me to see her like that.
It hurt me even more these past few weeks knowing that I was the cause of it. I didn't want to hurt her, but I didn't have a choice. I had to come.
I took a deep breath. What a relief. I was starting to think it would take months before she felt better about this… um arrangement. I was about to place the letter back when I noticed a smaller piece of paper inside of it. Huh? I put the letter from Ruby down and took out the little note. I read it.
It’s finally today. My date with Flash. I woke up this morning full of energy. I practically breezed right through my morning routine and made it to the breakfast table first. I waited patiently for everypony else to arrive and I couldn’t stop smiling. When the food came, I started to eat quickly. I don’t think I’ve ever stuffed my face like this
“Whoa there Twilight, take it easy. You wouldn’t want a belly ache on your date with Flash.” Applejack said.
I blushed. “I’m sorry. I’m just excited.” I smiled.
“As are we darling.” Rarity said. “I still cannot believe that this day has arrived.” She sighed and brought her hooves to her face looking out dreamily.
“Do you think you’ll go another date with him?” Pinkie asked.
“I hope so.” I really want this date to go well. I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited and more nervous. But I think if it’s anything like our not a date, I think a second date is a good possibility.
“Don’t worry about that right now Twilight. You still need to go through this one.” Cadence said.
“Thanks Cadence.”
“Hey, you’ll be back in time for the party right?” Pinkie asked as she stared at me. She managed to hop out of her seat and stood on the breakfast table.
“Of course Pinkie Pie. My date won’t last that long.”
“Just checking.” She zoomed back to her seat.
“It sure was nice of ya to let Pinkie Pie throw a party in the Square Princess Cadence.” Applejack said.
“The pleasure’s ours, really. I think the Crystal Ponies will enjoy a Pinkie Party.”
I finished up my breakfast and made my way down to the meeting place while the others helped Pinkie with the party tonight.
Just like on our non date, I felt the warm and nervous feeling. I welcome it now… It feels… natural. As I walked I felt as if I was lighter than air.
This is going to be so much fun. I’ll learn plenty about the Crystal Empire and have a cute colt there with me just as fascinated. What could be better?
When I came close to the entrance of the Gardens I saw Flash shuffling his hooves on the ground.
“Hey Flash.”
He looked up and smiled. “Hey, ya ready to go?” He walked up to me.
I nodded.
“Follow me.”
We walked to the museum which took a little longer than I first thought. “So, are you coming to Pinkie’s party tonight?”
“I didn’t realize I was invited.”
“Everypony is.”
“Well… a couple of buddies have been bugging me to come along.” He opened the door for me.
“So will you come?”
“Sure, just save a dance for me.” He smiled and winked at me. I blushed and looked away from him smiling.
“Okay.” I said quietly.
We made it to the entrance and he opened the door for me.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
When we made it to the ticket counter, the pony behind it instantly gave us free admittance.
“I still feel a little uneasy about that.” It didn’t feel right for the staff to give me special treatment. I’m no better than any other pony.
“Don’t sweat it Twilight. They’re just excited to have you.”
I sighed. “I suppose so.”
“Hey… do you really want to dwell on this? Or…” He wrapped his hoof around me, “do you want to take advantage of the bountiful knowledge within these walls?” He waved his hoof towards the Grand Hall. To either sides were different entrances to different exhibits.
I squealed a little bit. “All right, let the learning begin.” We smiled at each other.
“That’s the spirit.” He unfolded the map. “So which exhibit do you want to see first?” Flash asked.
“Hmm, well I want to be able to see everything in an orderly manner.”
“Clockwise, or counter clockwise?”
I looked to the either side to see which exhibits were the possible first. One was literature and the other was on traditional attire.
“Mmm, clockwise.”
“Old dusty pieces of paper it is.” He folded the map.
I looked at him with a weird face.
“I mean that in the most kindest of ways. Honest.” He brought his hoof up and nodded with a goofy smile.
I smiled back. “Just checking.”
We walked into the direction of the literature exhibit. Already we could see glass cases holding pieces of parchment. I smiled and looked up at Flash. He was smiling too. I really like his smile. He kind of glows when he smiles. He caught sight of me looking at him and looked at me. I quickly looked forward and walked the rest of the way without looking at him.
With every case came new pieces of information. The exhibits themselves had subdivisions and the exhibit was made so that we would walk in a circle leading us back to the Grand Hall.
“Gee, I wonder what the Captain would have worn during that time.” We were looking at a book that was opened up to a page of a drawing of a full body armor.
“It doesn’t look very comfortable.” I commented.
“I’m sure it wasn’t, but there wasn’t much of a choice. At least not until a better design was put on the table.”
“I wonder what Rarity would design for armor.” I smiled and giggled.
He laughed. “Uh, yeah, let’s not. I kind of like my armor the way it is.”
“It still seems rather heavy.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I mean at first it kind of was a hassle moving with it but after a while it wasn’t a big deal anymore.”
“If you say so.”
We moved out of the exhibit and continued on our route around the museum all designed the same way. With each exhibit came more information and more jokes from Flash. And I sure got to see the young colt in Flash when we made it to the armor and weaponry exhibit.
“Sweet!” He ran and… skipped to three swords on display. “Gorgeous. Just look at that craftsmanship.” I smiled and walked up to the display. I saw Flash go from one sword to the other inspecting them with care. I looked at the handles and noticed the designs seemed to look like flowers or an animal and the blade itself had a weird design imbedded in it.
“These weren’t used for fighting right?”
“Correct, just decoration. Never meant for the battle field. Although, some swords that were built to be fought with did have decorative handles, but not really in a shape. More like a different material for most handles or carvings. Like um… Oh those over there.” He pointed towards another display. This one had only two swords.
He pulled me towards them. “Hey!”
“Oh, um I’m sorry Twilight.” He let go and looked at me sheepishly.
Aww… he looked so cute. I smiled and said, “That’s okay, but please don’t pull so hard next time.”
“You got it.” We continued towards the two swords. I saw Flash examine these two while I read the information given.
“Hm, it says here that both would have typically been used by a high ranking officer.”
He whistled. “I believe it. There’s no way that much time and care would be put into a sword for a newbie.”He sighed. “They’re beautiful.” His eyes glowed.
“Yes, well there’s still plenty more see.” I turned around and saw armor that looked familiar.
“Hey, didn’t we see a drawing of that one?” I turned around and noticed Flash was still staring at the swords like Spike stares at a gem. I sighed. I should’ve known this would happen. “Uh, Flash.” I waved my hoof in front of him. “Flash? Can you hear me?”
“Hm.” He shook his head before looking at me. “Oh, I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
“I was saying, didn’t we see a drawing of that one earlier?” I pointed to it.
Flash squinted his eyes. “Hmm… I think you’re right Twilight. Come on, let’s check it out.”
He pulled me towards it, but gently this time. I actually enjoyed him taking my hoof. I felt a tingly feeling reach from my hoof to the rest of my body.
“Oh yeah, this is definitely the same one.” He let go of my hoof and looked at the helmet of the armor.
“It still looks uncomfortable.”
“Eh.” He nodded.
Going through the rest of the exhibit was the same. Flash would take my hoof and bring me to the displays before examining the artifacts and then moving on to the next case. On occasion we could touch replicas and samples of the weapons and armors. Flash acted like a colt in a candy store. It’s still not my cup of tea but there was a lot of interesting information on the fighting styles and traditions. We made it to the last exhibit which was architecture.
“According to this journal, each house has a distinctive swirling pattern on their walls.” I said.
“I’ve noticed them, but I don’t have that keen of an eye. They all look the same to me.”
“Yeah, they never really looked different to me. But you can’t really argue with a designer.”
“Hmm, hey that’s a new one.”
“Huh?” I turned to see Flash pointing at a gem of some kind sticking out of a rock.
“I’ve never seen this color before.”
We walked over to it. It was a strange black that seemed to have a violet glow or tint.
I read the information card.
“It says it’s called a Crepuscular Stone and it’s named that because the only pieces of it that were found were found at dusk and dawn.”
“Is it rare? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Mmm, yes, only a hoofful has ever been found and all of them were found in and around the Crystal Empire.”
“Hmm…” I looked up at Flash and saw him in deep thought with a small smile on his face.
“Flash?”
“Hm? Oh sorry, what were you saying?” He looked at me and smiled.
“Nothing really.” I shook my head.
“Then, how about we finish up here and grab some lunch?”
“Could we go back to Mildred’s?”
“Of course. Come on, there’s more rocks to see.”
We made it through the entire museum and headed out, but not before we were stopped by the curator who asked how our visit was.
At Mildred’s we were stopped at the door by Mildred.
She bowed and said, “It’s good to have you back Princess Twilight.”
I smiled a little. “It’s good to see you too Mildred.” She rose back up.
“So will you be dining inside or outside today?”
“Outside Mildred.” Flash told her.
“Very well then, follow me.”
She took some menus and led us back outside to our table. It was a sunny day and the flowers around the restaurant smelled lovely. It wasn’t a very busy day, I think I only saw a three other ponies inside.
“I’ll be right back to take your order.” She left.
“That was weird.” He looked at Mildred as she left.
“What was?” I knew he couldn’t be talking about the bowing. I’m still getting used to it, but we both know it’s natural for ponies to bow to princesses.
“She didn’t hug me.” He turned his head back to me.
“Huh?”
“She always hugs me when she sees me go through those doors and sometimes to the point where I think she broke my wings.”
“Has she ever broken your wings?”
“No, thank Celestia, but still that was… that was weird.” He looked at me with a strange look as if he was confused and in pain at the same time. “Anyway, um,” He shook his head and said, “Will Pinkie’s party be everything I heard about?”
“I should think so. Granted she will have more help than usual since Cadence made it a public event.”
“I just hope I’ll be able to get up in the morning. From the sound of it, we might be up all night.” Mildred came back with some water and took our orders and before we knew it our meals were brought to us and we chatted a little more.
“Oh hey did I tell you that Ruby’s back to normal?” He smiled widely.
“Really?” I smiled back happy to hear that Ruby was herself again.
He nodded. “She got Mom and Dad to play hide and seek
“That’s great, when did you find out?”
“A few days ago actually. I got a package in the mail and inside was a letter from Ruby and some brownies from Mom. They’re even coming to visit in a week.”
“That’s wonderful Flash.”
“I can’t wait. It’ll just be like old times.”
“How long are they staying?”
“About two weeks. They’re planning to get some culture in while I’m on duty. Hopefully they can keep Ruby entertained.”
I giggled. “Of course, she’ll want nothing more than to spend time with her big brother. What do you plan on doing with her?”
He sighed and smiled weakly. “Knowing her, she’s planned everything and I’ll probably end up in a bonnet playing tea party before she reads me a bedtime story.”
I laughed a little. I couldn’t help but imagine Flash in a cute bonnet, some make-up and a tiara.
“The things I do for that little filly.”
“What else do you think you’ll do?”
“We’ll probably go to the park, have some ice cream and I’ll play my guitar. You know, what we normally do, just here, instead of back in Canterlot.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Yeah, but I wish they all could come.” He looked a little sad and stared at his food.
“What do you mean?” I asked him
“Well, the twins are coming but not Terra. She still doesn’t feel comfortable traveling with a foal just yet.” Terra is his eldest sister followed by the twins.
“Hm, maybe you should take some time to visit her instead.” I suggested.
“A trip to Manehattan, huh?” He thought about it. Then, he smiled. “I like it, but it is going to be a while before I can take another vacation.”
We finished up our meal and left Mildred’s. We started to head back to the castle. There was still a few hours until Pinkie’s party.
“Gee, that’s rough.”
“I know, but Pinkie was fine once she realized we were just throwing her a surprise birthday party.”
We made it inside the castle.
“So, I guess I’ll see you later?” Flash asked. “You still owe me that dance.”
“Of course.” I smiled at him.
“See ya then.”
“Bye Flash.”
He left in the opposite direction of the guest rooms. When he was out of sight I let out a small squeal. Today was perfect. I got to spend time learning and discovering with a cute colt who’s just so sweet.
“Oh, Twilight there you are.” I turned around to see Rarity walking towards me with a box in her magic.
“Hi Rarity, what’s in the box?”
“Just some decorations we’ve put together. I’m going out to start decorating while Pinkie Pie finishes up in the kitchen. But please, tell me about your date.” She smiled widely.
“Oh and me too.” Pinkie popped out of nowhere. “Oh no, wait, I gotta go and get the others, be back in a jiff.” Pinkie sped off to gather the rest of our friends and Cadence.
We took the Square and turned it into… um, it looked like a classic Pinkie Pie Party, but there weren’t as many balloons and streamers. Rarity told me she managed to get Pinkie to not over decorate. Some lights were hung up on poles that made the Square lightly glisten. It was beautiful. I noticed a few small buffets set up around the Square. There was some light music while the DJ set up her equipment.
Some of the crystal ponies had gathered around for the party.
“I’m very glad you took my advice and not covered the entire Square in balloons and streamers.” Rarity told her.
“Well, I still think there could have been a few more balloons, but it still looks great.”
“Oh it looks just beautiful Pinkie Pie.” Fluttershy said. “I’m sure we’ll all have a great time.”
“Well, what are we waitin’ for?” Applejack asked.
The music suddenly changed to something faster… and louder.
“Let’s party!” Pinkie exclaimed.
We giggled and started to dance. The girls kept their distance a little… I’m not really sure why but I didn’t pay it much mind. It’s a party. No need to think so much, just let loose and have some fun for a little while. A few songs went by before I decided to take a break and grab some punch.
“Um, do you mind if I come with you Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.
“Of course you can come Fluttershy?” I smiled at her and she smiled back.
We walked towards a snack table and I poured some punch for myself. “Would you like some too Fluttershy?”
The music started up again and I couldn’t hear her answer.
“I’m sorry, can you speak up Fluttershy.”
She tried again but I still couldn’t hear her. I came closer to her and asked her to try again.
“Oh, um, if you don’t mind.”
I smiled and poured some punch for Fluttershy. “Here you go.”
She took a sip and then told me in my ear, “Thank you Twilight.”
“You’re welcome Fluttershy.”
I took a sip and I felt her bump me.
“What is it Fluttershy?”
She pointed her hoof behind me.
I turned around noticed Flash with a few other stallions. He’s here, hm okay. I turned my head back. He’s here… He’s here! What do I do? What do I say? Why do I feel like a nervous mess? I did say we’d see each other again tonight. And I promised him a dance. I already went out on a date with him and when I was with him those sensations didn’t bother me so much.
“Twilight?” A song had just ended.
“Huh?” I shook my head and looked at Fluttershy.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, um, fine Fluttershy.”
“Are you sure, you did look a little sick, do you need to sit down?” She looked at me worriedly.
“Oh no, no no no, Fluttershy. I’m fine. I’m just surprised to see Flash here that’s all.” I tried to smile, but the effort was hurting my cheeks.
I tried not to turn around and kept my attention on Fluttershy. This isn’t a big deal. He’s here at the party with his friends just like I’m here with my friends. Yes, we’re at the same party but we’re not here together… but I promised him a dance tonight. What do I do?
I felt something poke my shoulder. I saw the rest of the girls had come and huddled together.
“Did you notice him Twilight?” Rarity asked.
“You mean Flash?”
She nodded.
“Yes.” I blushed.
“So, how shall we do this darling?”
“What do you mean?” I thought we were just here to have fun.
“I mean, how will we get you two to dance tonight?”
“Yeah, remember? You told us you promised to dance with him.”Rainbow said.
That’s right I did tell them that.
“Oh, and we must give you a small touch up.”
“Touch up?” Applejack asked.
“Yes, something simple.” Rarity responded.
“Wait a minute. I don’t want for us to spend the entire party trying to figure out how I’m going to dance with him.” I told Rarity.
“Oh I don’t think it will take very long. We just need to distract his friends for a little while.”
“But how are we going to do that?” Rainbow asked.
“Well, if we don’t get Twilight to him quick, she might not get to dance with him at all. Look.” Applejack pointed with her hoof in the direction Flash was in. Flash was gone.
“Hey, where’d he go?” Pinkie asked.
We looked around but we couldn’t find him in the crowd.
“Hang on I’ll find him.” Rainbow said. She flew off.
“While Rainbow Dash finds your prince, why don’t we give you a small touch up?”
“What?”
“Pinkie Pie, be a dear and-”
“Here ya go.” Pinkie Pie held up the small chest for Rarity.
“Oh, thank you Pinkie Pie.” She set the kit down on the table.
“Is this really necessary Rarity?” I asked her unsure about this.
“Yeah, I don’t think Twilight needs make-up to dance with her fella.” Applejack agreed.
“Oh, it’s just a little mascara, eye shadow and blush. Nothing over the top, I swear.” She brought her hoof over her heart
“Hmm.” Applejack and I shared a look.
“It-it couldn’t hurt Twilight.” Fluttershy said.
“I suppose so…”
“You’re just not used to it Twilight.”
“That is true.” I’ve never worn make-up before. It just never appealed to me. “Mm…”
“Come now Twilight, like Fluttershy said, it couldn’t hurt, now could it?”
“I guess so… but nothing flashy right?”
“I promise.”
“Pinkie Promise?” Pinkie Pie looked Rarity straight in the eye.
“Yes, cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” After Rarity finished the gesture she said, “Please hold still Twilight, this might tickle.”
She used her magic to apply the eyeliner but it took a little while for me to stop squirming. I couldn’t help it. I felt as if she was going to poke my eye out.
“Sorry.” I said.
“That’s all right, we got at least one eye done.” She sighed. She tried again on my other eye. I still couldn’t help but squirm away.
“I’m so sorry Rarity. I couldn’t help it.” I did feel bad that I couldn’t stay still. I didn’t want to mess up Rarity’s work. She did volunteer to do it.
“It’s all right Twilight. Well… now that the hard part is over, let’s see about the eye shadow and blush. Please close your eyes Twilight.”
“Okay Rarity.”
I did. The brush tickled my cheeks. I giggled, but at least I wasn’t squirming. The eye shadow didn’t bother me much either. Rarity hummed as she worked.
“You can open your eyes now Twilight.”
“Hm, I don’t see much of a difference.” Applejack said.
“Really?” I asked.
“Nonsense, I think it brings out her simple elegance. Don’t you think so Fluttershy?”
She said something but none of us could hear her.
“What? Speak up Fluttershy.” Applejack told her.
She came closer to me and said, “I think you look great.”
I smiled. “She agrees with you Rarity.” Rarity smiled.
“Now that Twilight is all prettified let’s get her that dance.I’ll wave to ya Pinkie and that’s when you get the DJ to play the song.” Applejack said.
“Okie dokie lokie.” Pinkie Pie bounced off towards the DJ’s booth.
“Hm? Where is Rainbow Dash? I figured she’d be back by now.”
Rainbow Dash flew by and missed us.
“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack called out to her.
Rainbow quickly switched directions and flew back towards us. “You’re not going to believe this, but he’s hanging out with your brother.”
Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity had worried looks but I wasn’t worried at all. I was glad. Shining Armor said he was going to try to be Flash’s friend. Hanging out with him at Pinkie’s party was a way to get to know him better.
“What are you all worried about? Shining isn’t going to hurt him, he’s just trying to get to know him.”
“How can you be sure?” Rainbow asked.
“I told you, he’s going to try to be Flash’s friend and Shining would never lie to me like that.”
“Either way, we’ve got to get Flash alone. He can’t have any distractions. Twilight has got to have his undivided attention.” Rarity said.
“Why don’t I just go up and ask him?”
“In front of your brother?” Rarity giggled. “No, no. Twilight, Flash might not take you up on your offer. Besides, it’s proper for the gentlecolt to ask his lady to a dance. And what if you get nervous again?”
“Well…” It does still happen, but I think once we start talking it’ll be okay. I might still have a funny feeling in my stomach but at least then it wouldn’t bother me. I was fine on our date earlier. I should be fine now.
“Great, okay, how do we distract Shining Armor?” Rainbow asked.
“What about Princess Cadence?” Applejack asked.
“What about me?”
Cadence showed up behind Applejack.
“Oh, perfect. Princess Cadence can distract Shining Armor long enough for Flash to notice Twilight and ask her to dance.”
“Um, I guess I could help.” Princess Cadence had an unsure look on her face.
Flash’s POV
Twilight was right. Pinkie Pie can throw a good party. I just hope I’ll be able to get up tomorrow morning. Oh, well, what’s life without taking chances? I came with a few buddies I met a while back who were kind of bugging me about coming along. Something about getting out more.
I heard somepony clear his throat. I turned around to see the Prince smiling at me. I knew that he was going to try to use this party to get all buddy buddy with me but that smile was kind of creeping me out. He was trying though. He’s actually not bad company, but the trying to smile was not working out for him.
“Evening Sir.”
“Evening, do you gents mind if I steal your friend for a bit?” Again he’s trying but it still feels like he’s going to pummel me… but he won’t. I know that. He won’t risk upsetting Twilight. I don’t need to be afraid. I’m not afraid.
My fellow guards moved along and Shining Armor gestured for me to follow him. We made it to a buffet table.
“What’s up?” I asked. Just act as if he was an old friend.
“Nothing really, just thought we’d talk for a bit.” It still felt like I was in for an interrogation.
“Yeah… this is about my date with Twilight isn’t it?”
“I just want to know how it went. Sorry if I um-”
“Relax Sir, I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
“Well… how did it go?” All right, no hostility, he’s not nervous. He sounds natural.
“I think it went well.” I smiled a little.
“How well?” He asked.
“Well enough. She looked… happy to be there with me. We saw every exhibit, had a few laughs and she promised me a dance tonight.”
“A dance?” He looked a little worried.
“Yeah… that’s not a problem is it?” I eyed him a little.
“Well, no, but dancing… isn’t really one of Twilight’s strengths.”
I looked at him funny. “She can’t be so bad.”
“You think so huh? Listen, just watch how she moves. She actually might accidently punch you in the face.”
“What?” I looked at him in disbelief. She can’t be bad enough, that she could harm the ponies around her… and was he actually giving me advice?
“Trust me on this one.”
Yes! He was giving me advice. He was trying to help me. This is major. He’s being a friend. He was actually concerned about me. Wait til Twilight hears about this.
“Uh, thanks for the tip.”
“Well, it’s your first dance. The last thing you need is a bloody nose.” He smirked.
He’s teasing me. Haha, I can’t wait to tell Twilight. She’ll flip.
“Am I interrupting something?”
We turned to see Princess Cadence smiling at us.
“Oh, Cadence, Hun, no. Nothing really.”
“Good.” She smiled at me. “Sorry Flash, but I’m going to have to take Shining away for a bit.” She winked at me… Something’s up.
“Uh, no problem.” I said. Whatever it was, Shining Armor had to go. What is she up to? Shining gave Cadence a weird look and she just smiled.
“Come along Shining.” She started to push him away while the Captain protested a little, but soon he just let her take him away. They were nearly across the square when I felt something tap my shoulder. “Hm?”
I turned around and found Twilight.
“Hi.” She said.
Whoa…uh… I blinked a few times just to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. I wasn’t sure what she did, but she looked… extra radiant. Sure, in the moonlight and with the crystal everywhere she kind of glowed… but now. Heh, wow…
She smiled at me.
That’s still her prettiest feature.
“Uh, hi.” Somehow, I got that to get out of my mouth. I shook my head. “Um, hi Twilight. Sorry, I just…” What to say? What to say?
She giggled. “It’s okay Flash. I was a little surprised myself.” She looked away and blushed a little.
I calmed down a bit. “You look great though. I like it.” I smiled at her. Okay, just keep your cool from here on out. You got this Flash.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome…” I cleared my throat. “So… may I have the next dance?” I bent down and held out my hoof to her.
She smiled brightly. “Of course.” She placed her hoof into mine.
I smiled back at her. This… this felt right. For like a second we smiled at each other and for a second I couldn’t hear anything. I was totally focused on her. There was no pony else. No party going on. Just her and me.
We walked to the dance floor. Suddenly, the music just stopped. I looked towards the DJs booth and saw Pinkie Pie waving. What’s going on here…? I looked at Twilight. She was looking over at Pinkie Pie and she seemed a little worried… surprised… something like that. She was smiling, but it was a nervous smile. She looked at me with that same smile. Yeah… something’s up. The next song that played was slow and soft. A ballad huh? I looked at Twilight again. I think I’m beginning to understand. I smiled back at Twilight. We got a little closer and before you know it, we were slow dancing to the song I had to guess was Pinkie Pie’s pick. At first Twilight was a little stiff, but she loosened after a while. Her fur and mane were really soft and smelled wonderful. I had my eyes closed for a while just kind of going with it. Moving with her and not paying attention to my movement.
This was okay. This was right. I was in my own little world with her right there with me. A world where there was just us and all the time in the world. No such thing as responsibility and no pony to ruin it for us. I was so lost in it all. I actually forgot we were at a party.
It wasn’t until the song ended, that I opened my eyes and saw a pretty interesting sight. I saw Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence dancing themselves a little ways from us. Shining Armor was smiling… but he still looked pretty serious. I think he was silently congratulating me while making it clear that he would pummel me if I tried anything funny. Princess Cadence was smiling too, but at least her eyes told me she was happy. I think she was admiring the scenery.
“Is something wrong?”
“Huh?” I looked down at Twilight. She was looking worried. “No nothing’s wrong Twilight. Everything is perfect.” I took her hoof and kissed it. “Just prefect.” I looked at her and saw her smile and turn her head away from me. She blushed. I blushed. And then I looked over at the royal couple.
Prince Shining Armor still smiled but his eyes told me that he was sad and a little in pain. I had a feeling this was more than just about protecting his little sister. He’s afraid. Afraid that I’ll cause a strain between them. I felt my own heart break a little. I know the feeling, but he’ll see. I won’t change anything between them. He’ll figure it out. Princess Cadence was still smiling, but she was looking at me the same way my mom looked at my sisters when they left for prom. She looked like she was about to cry tears of joy. I’ve really got to find a way to thank her for her encouragement and help. She’s been like another sister to me. There’s got to be something I can do to repay her. But I think can save that for later.
“Um thanks.” Twilight giggled a little.
“It was my pleasure.” I smiled. Today was so amazing. I finally got to go on a date with Twilight, Shining Armor made huge progress, I got to go to an awesome party and to top it all off I slow danced with Twilight. It made my heart sink when I remembered that she would be on a train back to Ponyville tomorrow afternoon. I wouldn’t get to see her again for weeks… maybe even months. With her role as a Princess she has more responsibilities and a lot to learn. Meanwhile, I have my own duties that keep me here in the Crystal Empire most of the time.
“So I guess it’ll be a while before we see each other again huh?” I kind of avoided the subject all day, but now I gotta know.
“I…” She looked for the right words. I just waited patiently for her to respond. She sighed. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”
“We can still write to each other though right? Like before.”
“Of course. I’m sure it won’t be too long before I can visit again.”
“Wait, so…” Just let it out. Princess Cadence already said that Twilight likes you. Of course she’ll go on another date. But just to be sure. I need to hear it from her. “Does that mean that you wouldn’t mind, um, going on another date with me?”
She looked at me surprised and then she blinked a few times. What does that mean? I need a yes or a no here. “I’d love to go on another date with you Flash.”
“What? Really?” I might have been a little too excited. Why was I even nervous? Of course she would go on a second date.
“Yes.” She smiled. “I was thinking it could be a simple picnic.”
Well, today my friends and I leave the Crystal Empire and head back to Ponyville. We plan to leave this afternoon after we have a tea party with Cadence. I already finished my packing, so decided to read in the gardens… trying to read anyway.
I had one of the books I picked up when I spent the day with Shining Armor. I couldn’t read much though. Well, I was reading just fine until it became apparent that the heroine had a love interest which got me to think about Flash.
I really like him and I enjoy his company. He makes me feel weird though. One second I’m perfectly comfortable and the next I’m nervous. Sometimes that nervous feeling makes me act weird and sometimes it’s like I don’t mind it, as if I actually like it. The warm sensation in my stomach and the weakness in my knees. Cadence told me this was normal. It’s sure weird for being normal but I guess it’s because I’ve never felt this way before. And now I feel a little sad.
I wasn’t going to see him again for who knows how long. His duties are here and I have to return to Ponyville. We’ll still exchange letters, but it won’t really be the same. I’m going to miss him. A lot. We at least agreed on a second date. I smiled a little. Yeah, we’ll have a second date to look forward to the next time we meet.
There was some rustling and when I turned around I saw Shining Armor. “Shining?”
“Hey Twilight, what are you doing here?” He took a few steps towards me.
“I could ask you the same thing.” He smiled and I laughed.
“I asked you first.”
“Just reading.” I lifted the book up for him to see.
“Of course you are. Do you mind if I join you?”
“Go on ahead.” I patted down on the grass for him to sit. “So what are you doing here?”
He sighed. “Just finished a meeting and I needed some air.”
“What kind of meeting?”
“Something about where to draw the property line between two locations.” He seemed as if he was far away in his own little world.
“Did it go well?”
“As well as it could have I guess.” He smiled at me.
I smiled back.
“So, how’s the book?”
I sighed. “I uh, don’t really know yet.”
“What, are you sick?” Suddenly he was filled with life and stared at me looking for some kind of sign that I was sick.
“I’m fine Shining.” I pulled away from him.
“Some…thing’s not right. What’s wrong Twilight?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Shining Armor. Everything is fine.” I smiled. “Just fine, I was just lost in thought today.”
“Is it Flash?” There was a knowing tone in his voice.
I giggled. “Maybe.”
“Aww, Kid.” He pretended to be annoyed.
“What? I can’t help it.” I really can’t.
“I know, I know. I’ve been through this before too you know?” He pointed his hoof towards me. “Granted, you and your friends didn’t come up with many a scheme to get him to go out with you.”
“True, but I think I was just as nervous as you were around Cadence. Not enough that I only blurted one word to Flash but...” I smirked at my brother.
He groaned into his hooves. “Can we not talk about that night?”
I giggled. “Sure.” He gave me an annoyed look. I just smiled.
“All right you asked for it.”
“What?”
The next thing I knew, Shining came at me and started to tickle my belly.
“Hey- eh-ha-ha, Sto-stop it Shining Armor. I ca-can’t breathe. Please-haha.” He continued to tickle me for a few more seconds before he stopped. I still felt tingling around my stomach while I tried to catch my breath.
“I guess you had enough, for now.” He smirked at me.
I gave him an angry look.
“Anyway, what kind of thoughts have you been having?”
I blinked. “What do you mean?” I sat up.
“All kinds of things can go through a pony’s head when they like somepony. I’m just a little curious-but you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. You’re entitled to your privacy and I respect that.” I was a little surprised. I didn’t think he’d be interested in a serious conversation about my feelings towards Flash, at least not this soon. I thought it would be a while before he would even stop cringing whenever he heard Flash’s name. Shining Armor looked calm enough. I guess I could tell him. What could it hurt?
“Um, I don’t think they’re out of the ordinary. I think about what makes him admirable and interesting. I think about what books he could be interested in. I think about our times together. They’re not a lot but, it makes me happy to remember them.”
“He makes you happy, huh?” There was a hint of realization in his tone.
I smiled. “Yes, yes he does Shining.”
He sighed and looked up at the sky. “Then I guess that’s the important thing.” He tried to smile and tried to look me in the eye but he ended up looking back down towards the grass. “You know, he’s not bad company.” His head popped up.
“Oh really?”
He nodded. “Yeah, he’s starting to grow on me.”
We laughed and I hugged him.
“I’m really glad you’re giving him a chance Shining. It means a lot to me.” I felt him hug me back.
He sighed and then he gave me a squeeze. “Oh, Twilight…”
“Yes?”
“Just… know that I’ll always be here for you, okay?” He smiled sadly.
“Oh, Shining. I’ve known that since I was a little filly. You’re my Big Brother Best Friend Forever and nothing will ever change that.” I smiled at him.
His smile turned into a genuine smile.
“How was last night by the way? I saw you and Flash at the party.”
“Eh, it wasn’t anything special. Just hung out. Got to know him a little better.”
“And?”
“And I think he’s okay. Nothing out of the ordinary for a colt his age. He tells funny stories too.”
“Okay.” I had a feeling that he wasn’t going to tell me any more than that.
“Twilight!”
“Hm?” I turned around. I heard some rustling and Cadence stepped out
“Oh, there you are. We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Huh, why?”
“You didn’t show up for the tea party.”
“Oh.” I cringed when I realized I forgot all about the tea party. “I’m sorry Cadence, I guess I lost track of time.”
“And I can see why.” She smirked and asked, “How was the meeting Honey?”
“Eh, same old same old. Nothing ever really happens around here anymore.”
“Hm.” Cadence smiled. “Come on Twilight, we’d better go and find the others.”
“Right. Bye Shining Armor.” I hugged my brother.
“See ya later.”
I followed Cadence out of the gardens and we found my friends after a few minutes of wandering around. Rainbow Dash was the last one we found before we got to the tea party.
“I’m really sorry you guys. I didn’t mean to be late.” I told them.
They all said it was okay.
“What kept you anyway?” Rainbow asked.
“I was just talking with Shining Armor in the garden. I didn’t think I was going to be late. I thought I had another hour before we had to meet up.”
“Huh?”
Cadence said, “I thought I sent Spike to tell you that we had to move it an hour earlier. I have my own meeting to take part in at 3 today.”
“So, you only have about an hour and half with us?” I looked down ashamed. If only Spike had come to tell me in time, I wouldn’t have been late, my friends wouldn’t have had to go and look for me and Cadence would be here a little longer.
“It appears that way, but don’t worry about it Twilight. Let’s just enjoy the time we have now, besides, it won’t be long before we come and visit you.”
I felt a little bit better, but I still felt a little bad.
“Twilight!” I heard Spike call my name. “Twilight!” I saw him turn the corner. He was gasping for breath and holding his side while leaning against the wall.
“Spike!” I called to him.
“Twilight.” I got out of my seat and ran to him. He wobbled weakly towards me and I caught him in my forehooves before he collapsed from exhaustion.
“Spike, are you okay?”
He coughed, “Tea party… pushed… an hour back.”
Then he was out like light. I sighed. “Aw, Spike.”
I had just come off my post and about to break for lunch when I heard, “Hey Flash!”
I was surprised and totally confused. I knew that was Shining Armor’s voice… so why was he calling me by my first name? While I’m on duty?
I turned around to face him. The Prince took a few steps before he was right in front of me.
“Sir?” I saluted him.
He smiled and almost… laughed?
“At ease. Listen, Twilight and her friends leave in about an hour. I want you come with me to see them off.”
Somehow it sounded like I had a choice. Was this a test or something? I couldn’t really read protective brother. I read a good hearted chum. He seemed… normal.
I nodded and said, “Understood.” I didn’t see a better answer.
He gave me a weird look and we sort of starred at each other for a few moments… Well this awkward. He cleared his throat and continued with a stronger tone he said, “Meet us at the Crystal Heart in one hour.”
“Yes, Sir.” He walked passed me a few steps but then I heard him stop. I turned around and saw his head turned towards me.
“Oh, and you can ditch the armor for this assignment. If you want.” Then he left walking down the hall.
I can ditch the armor when I help to drop off Twilight and her friends with my boss? What is he up to?
I shook my head. Okay, he’s my boss and my friend, I think. It’s still weird. I’m dating my boss’s sister essentially and he’s been trying to be nice to me. But it didn’t look like he was trying to anymore. He was totally cool with having me tag along. Either he got really good at acting or he’s not letting the whole thing bother him anymore. Maybe he finally got that having me around won’t change anything between him and Twilight.
Then it hit me that I had to report to the Crystal Heart in an hour before my stomach reminded me that I had to eat. All right, quick bite then I gotta get out of this thing.
Twilight’s POV
“What’s the big surprise?” I asked my brother. My brother and I were walking ahead of the girls and Spike. Shining Armor was coming with us to the train station to see us off.
“You’ll see, and it’s not that big of a deal.”
I looked at him curiously. What could he be up to? He seemed a little excited when he mentioned he had a surprise for me. Now he seems to be trying not to smile. Whatever the surprise is, he sure seemed really pleased with himself.
He changed the subject.
“So how was the tea party?”
“Fine, I guess.” I thought about Spike.
“What makes you guess?”
“Well, Spike kind of took a nap, after he came running in trying to give me the message that Cadence told him to give to me.”
He turned back and looked at Spike. “He looks fine. Struggling, but fine.”
I didn’t have to look back to know that Spike was carrying all of Rarity’s luggage by himself. I offered to help, but he insisted on carrying it all without any help. I think he thinks it’ll impress Rarity.
“He does this all the time.”
We continued walking until we made it to the Crystal Heart and I saw Flash without his armor and a saddle bag. I stopped walking. What was he doing here? I was sure he would be on duty right now. I saw him smile and he started to walk towards us.
“Surprise!” Shining exclaimed.
I looked at Shining and saw him with a great smile on his face. This was his surprise? Flash?
“Really?”
“Uh-huh. I’m feeling better about this whole thing.”
“And we’re very glad Sir.” Flash said as he smiled at my brother.
“Yes, thank you Shining.” I smiled and gave my brother a hug.
“Aw, anything for you Kid.” He gave me a squeeze before he let me go and said, “Anyway, I’ll just lead the way.”
He walked ahead and the girls followed him. I could hear them giggling. Then Flash noticed Spike.
“Uh, are you okay there Spike?”
“Huh, oh yeah…” He almost tripped. Never better. Hey, they’re not so heavy anymore.” Spike walked on very happily.
I noticed that there was magic around Rarity’s luggage. It wasn’t mine and it definitely wasn’t Rarity’s so it had to be Shining’s magic. I look up to see his horn was glowing slightly. And then the magic was gone.
“Should we tell him?” I looked back at Flash. I assumed he figured it out that Shining just put a spell on the bags to help Spike out.
“No, let him be happy.”
He laughed, “If you say so.”
We walked on. For a while we walked in silence. It was a nice silence though. I kind of enjoy just walking along side Flash. It’s peaceful and welcoming. It’s nice.
“You really ought to be proud of him you know?”
“Hm?”
“He made a complete turnaround, or well, it seems like it, in just a week. Really fast and pretty impressive.”
I smiled. “I am proud of Shining Armor. I’m glad he isn’t so bothered by the two of us anymore.”
“Not that he won’t still keep an eye on me, but at least he’ll be rational and won’t try to scare me into yesteryear.”
“I thought you got over that.”
“I am. I'm just telling you the truth. It's not like he'll stalk me or anything, but I think we'll be hanging out more often. He's not bad company."
I giggled.
"What's so funny?" He smiled but looked at me questionably.
"It's nothing. Just something my brother said." I smiled again.
We continued to walk and talk. It was nice, like a last minute date, if only for a few minutes.
"Ouch, all of that in one day?"
"It was a long, and painful day." I grimaced remembering everything that happened to me when I was trying to understand the Pinkie Sense.
"All right girls, this is it." I looked ahead and saw we were at the train station and Shining was at the head of the group.
I felt a little sad. I didn't want to leave. Not just yet anyway. As much I miss Ponyville I also know I’m going to really miss Flash. I’ve never felt this way about a pony before. And now that I have I really don’t want to let him go.
"Hey don't look so glum." I turned to Flash. "I still owe you a second date. This isn't good bye Flash forever, just good bye Flash until next time." He smiled at me.
He was right. Just because I'm going back to Ponyville, doesn't mean I'll never see him again. The letters might not seem like much but I think they’ll tie me over until we can see each other again.
"Thanks, Flash."
"For what?"
"Everything."
We stared at each other for a moment smiling when I heard, “You can hug him now you know.” I turned to see my brother who was smiling at us. The girls were too, but I think they were a little more excited than Shining.
I looked back at Flash and saw him shrug but he smiled and said, “Let’s just go with it.”
I smiled back and gladly gave him a hug. I nuzzled into his neck as I heard applause coming from my friends. I heard Flash chuckle and for some reason, out of nowhere I gave Flash a quick kiss on the cheek. I felt a blush cover my face as I heard a slight gasp and glanced over to my friends and brother. My friends seemed pleasantly surprised and my brother was just… surprised. I looked back at Flash and saw his face all red. He was surprised too and so was I, but I was really happy I kissed him. I had never even done that before and it felt rather liberating. I couldn’t really place it, but it sort of relieved my nerves or something. It was as if something that was holding me back or down was finally gone… and I didn’t even know it was there. It’s strange but I don’t think I’ll complain. I feel so much better now that is happened.
“I um, I have something for you too.” Flash said recovering from my kiss. He reached into his saddle bag and pulled out a book. I took the book from him with my magic and checked the back cover. It was filled with pony tales that I have never heard of. I looked at Flash. He still had a faint blush but he seemed more confident. He smiled slightly.
“I got that book when I traveled the world for a while. I thought you might enjoy the stories. Plus the each story has a historical background section to them before you read that actual story.”
“Oh.” That’s right, he told me he traveled the world before he entered the Academy. I looked at the book again, “Thanks Flash.” I placed it into my saddle bag.
“Welcome, I particularly liked the one about the quilter and I book marked it for you.” He smiled widely and we both laughed. Eventually, his smile turned into a sad one “I’ll see you Twilight.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you soon Flash.” I smiled sadly too. He reached out for one more hug and I gladly hugged him again. He gestured to his side and I saw Shining smile and come over to us. Flash took a few steps back.
“It was great having you around Twily.” Shining smiled at me.
“It was great to be here.” I hugged my brother.
“Bye Twily.”
“Bye Shining Armor.”
Afterwards, the girls and Spike bid my brother and Flash good bye and we were headed home. While the girls chatted away. I opened up the book Flash gave me to the page he marked for me. Again, I couldn’t really read. I just thought about Flash. There really was no use fighting it so I let my mind wonder off into different day dreams instead. Before I knew it, we were back in Ponyville.
“Evening Flash. I’m guessing tonight’s the big night.” Shining Armor said.
“Huh, oh yeah.” I smiled at the Captain.
All afternoon I seemed to have had a smile on my face. I was just so excited and so happy. My family was coming to visit. My mom, my dad and my sisters. I do admit, I’m most excited to see Ruby because of everything that’s been going on with her. I just need to see that she’s okay and adjusted to the whole big brother moved away and can’t visit very often thing. I love my little sister and I always get worried about her when it comes to a change in the family, even if it was only temporarily.
He laughed. “Be sure to let them know about dinner in two days.”
“Of course Sir.” I nodded.
Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor invited my family to have dinner with them during my family’s visit. I was uneasy about it at first, but I couldn’t really say no to them. Now, I knew that they were okay with me having a relationship with Twilight, but I’m really hoping that they’re not going to force me to say anything to my parents. Only one date and they’re acting like it’s been months.
He nodded back. “I’ll see you then. I think you’re off about now.”
“Bye Sir.”
He left and I went to change out of my armor and meet my family at the train station. Just when I was about to head out the door I heard a knock. It was a night guard.
“Evening Flash, your presence is requested by Princess Cadence and I am to escort you to her.”
“Oh, uh, thanks Clear.” I smiled, well kind of. This was weird. She knew that my family was coming tonight. “Can you tell me why Princess Cadence needs me?”
He shook his head from side to side. “She did not say, only asked me to fetch you.”
I looked at him funny. I didn’t like this. She’s requesting my presence right before I would meet up with my family for the first time in months. Something’s… up. I sighed. All right, I’ll play along. I won’t know what she wants until I get there.
“Lead the way.”
We left and he took me to the Princess’s room. I looked at the door and then looked at him confused. He nodded. Of all the places she chose for us to meet, it was her room.
I walked up to the door and just before I knocked, I heard giggling coming from the other side and then a “Hush…”
What is going on here? I knocked on the door ready to find out.
“Who is it?” I heard Princess Cadence say.
“It’s Flash Sentry your Highness. You called for me.”
“Oh Goodie.” The door opened and I saw Princess Cadence… playing Tea Party with a red coated filly. My sister? What? She was in a giant hat and a boa. My sister was wearing the Princess’s tiara in her red mane and shoes.
“Sis?”
“Flashy!” She yelled out and ran to me. She hopped and tried to fly. I caught her before she fell to the ground.
I was confused and ready to question everything until I had her in my forelegs. She nuzzled into my chest and I hugged her tightly. My little sister. I had missed her every day since I left. This bookish little filly with one heck of an imagination. Who was always ready for a new adventure in the backyard and to write a new story.
“I’ve missed you so-o much Big Brother.”
“I’ve missed you too Rubes.” I nuzzled her head.
“Surprise!” I looked behind Ruby and looked at the Princess who had a smile on her face and was walking towards us. “I was hoping we could hide before you got here, but…” she looked at Ruby and they smiled at each other. “…I suppose this works too.”
“H-How-” I tried asking, but I was still getting over the hug and finally seeing my sister smiling again. I wanted to know, but I kind of wanted to just savor the moment a little longer. It’s been so long since I got hug her.
“I contacted your family earlier this week and made arrangements for them to arrive a little early. I sent your parents to a day of pampering and relaxation while Ruby and I had a little play date.” She smiled widely.
“The Princess and I have been having so much fun while we waited for your shift to end.” She started to fly out of my arms. She actually managed to stay airborne for a good five seconds before she plopped herself back on the ground. “She even gave me a new idea for a story. Dolls come to life and are actually in a war because the Princess doesn’t want to marry a Prince and has run off with her royal guard.”
“Oh…” I started to blush hearing the end of the idea. “Sounds like you’ve got the perfect pony to help you with that.” I looked over at Princess Cadence with a fake smile. If she spills the beans too soon I don’t know what I’ll do. My mom already worries about me getting out there and dating, this last thing I need. One date and I think Princess Cadence might be pushing things a little too far. She even got to my sister already with this story. This may not end well for me.
“She’s got a lot to learn about a kingdom and how it works.”
“I think though we should start with the time period the story takes place and then look at the marital traditions of different pony cultures.” I saw my sister with her hoof near her mouth with her eye half winking. “Hmm… do you think the library is still open?” She looked up at us.
“Uh, I’m not sure.” I looked over at Cadence.
“I do have some books here at the palace if you really want to get a head start on that research.” She told Ruby. “But don’t you want to finish the tea party?”
“Hm?” She looked at Cadence with a confused look. “Oh, yes, do you want to join us Big Brother?” She looked at me with her cute face, eyes big, giant smile… how could I say no?
“…” I gulped a little. “Sure.”
“Yay!”
She hugged me before she made her way back to the little table and grabbed some sunglasses.
“I suppose we can finish the game before dinner.” Cadence said.
Playing tea party with Ruby and Princess Cadence, my sister and the sister in law to the mare I want to date… this is going to be one heck of a tea party.
“Oh and Flash, I hope you don’t mind, but I was hoping Ruby and I could have sleepover tonight.”
“Oh? What?” Did I miss something here?
“It’s just been a while since I’ve looked after a filly and I’d like to get some practice in before… the little one arrives.”
“Oh.” She wants to practice with my little sister.
“Plus, she’s just so adorable and… kind of reminds me of Twilight.”
“Really?” We both looked at Ruby. “Princess Twilight Sparkle was like me as a filly?” She looked at us with wide eyes and her mouth open with excitement.
“Wow…” She laughed a little. Then she said, “I can’t believe it.” I saw a few looks on her face like she was having a conversation with herself. “How so Princess?”
“Well, your love of books for one thing.”
Very true, Twilight even lives in a library.
I spent the next few hours playing games with my sister and Princess Cadence. Good news is, Cadence didn’t tell my sister anything about me and Twilight… bad news is, now Princess Cadence knows some of the most embarrassing things that happened to me.
Ruby’s POV
“Bye Big Brother.” I waved to him as he left the room. He waved back but I think his smile was kind of fake. He looked nervous. I’m not sure why he would be nervous. All Princess Cadence told him was that he should go get ready to have dinner with Mom and Dad while the Princess and I would have a sleep over here. I think I should be fine here with the Princess. She’s very kind, fun and knowledgeable.
After he shut the door, some servants came in with dinner for me and Princess Cadence. Pizza, salad, bread sticks and giant ice cream sundaes for us. I was so hungry after hours of playing with Flash and Princess Cadence I didn’t even notice the look on Princess Cadence’s face until after I had finished my fifth piece.
I let out a burp just as I looked up. “Excuse me. I’m sorry Princess.”
She giggled. “Aww, don’t worry about it Ruby. You sure have an appetite though.”
I giggled. “Yeah, Flash and my other siblings would always joke around that I eat my entire body weight in minutes.”
She laughed. “That right?”
I smiled and nodded. “Uh-huh, I actually have this theory that I eat so much because I need to fuel my imagination.”
“Hm.” The Princess nodded in understanding.
“So, where can we find those books?” I asked.
“I have a small library here in the castle. We can go there after we’ve finished eating. You’ll need the energy.” She winked at me.
“Okay.” I smashed another piece into my mouth.
“Say, what has Flash said in his letters home?”
“Hm? Oh? He mentions all sorts of stuff. Mostly about his normal duty days and stuff that’s he’s learned about the Crystal Empire.” I told her. Then something popped into my head that I heard after school. I think these two fillies were teasing their friend about a colt she likes and they mentioned Princess Cadence. “By the way, I’ve heard that you might be able to make ponies fall in love with each other, is that true?”
She looked at me and giggled. “Nope.”
“Really? Not even Princess Celestia.”
She shook her head no. “Not even Celestia.” This is new. Here I thought the princesses could do anything with their magic. Then again, I remember in the papers when the Queen of the changelings overpowered Princess Celestia. However, it was also the power of love between Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor that got rid of them all. There must be more to magic than I think, especially when it comes to the princesses.
“So, what can you do? When it comes to love I mean.” I asked. This is interesting. I can’t believe I never thought to look more into magic before.
“Well, I can cast a spell that reminds ponies of their love.”
“So… your spell can only work if the ponies were in love to begin with?” I asked beginning to understand.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But why would that kind of spell be needed?”
“To keep love alive and well in ponies hearts.”
“Can’t we do that on our own?” I asked. I mean, I think the love between my Mom and Dad is strong. They don’t fight often and when they do, the situation is always resolved pretty quickly.
“Well, sometimes ponies need a little help.”
“Like who?” I asked.
“Well…” I saw the Princess get a twinkle in her eye as I finished off the last pizza piece. “I’m helping these two ponies right now.”
“How?” I took the ice cream sundae in my hooves and stuffed a spoonful into my mouth.
“I purposely made situations for these two ponies to bond and get to know each other. After that, when I knew that they had grown feeling towards each other, I just gave the stallion a little push to ask the mare on a date.”
“What happened? Did it go well?”
She giggled. “Oh yes. I think those two will be just fine.”
“Wait, is that it? I mean no no no second date or something.” I thought when a date goes well, you’re supposed to set up another one and then it sort of continues that way.
“Well, they live in different parts of Equestria, but I am making arrangements for them to meet up at the end of this week when the stallion’s family would be in town.” She giggled again. “But sh. Don’t tell anypony.”
“Umm.” I stopped eating. This is weird. Why would I need to keep a secret about two ponies I don’t know? Who would I even tell? It’s not like this will come up in a conversation somepony has with a filly. “Okay I promise.” Then something popped into my head. “Hey, wait you didn’t use magic at all to help them at all.”
“No need. They just needed a slight push.” She giggled.
“Hmm. Let’s see. Cadence’s letter said to meet her here in the park.” I said as I reread the letter that Cadence sent to me yesterday.
I looked around for Cadence but I couldn’t see her. She might just be on the other side of the park though. I started to walk on a path that would take me through the park looking for Cadence.
I wasn’t sure why she needed to meet me here in particular. Normally, we’d meet in the castle, but I suppose there were lighter matters she wanted to discuss. Although, I was curious as to why she made it seem so urgent.
I walked on with my thoughts until I bumped into a young red filly.
“Oh, I’m sorry Little One. I didn’t mean to make you fall.”
She looked at me curiously.
“All right Ruby, ready or not, here I come!” I heard somepony say.
The little filly gasped and tried to fly. I noticed the direction she was heading in and flew with her and helped her reach a nearby tree branch.
“Thank you Ma’am.” She whispered.
I sat down next to her.
“You’re very welcome.” I told her and smiled at her.
I was about to ask her for her name but she squealed. “This is amazing, I’ve always wanted to meet you.”
“Well-”
“Hold that thought please, he’s coming.” She whispered and covered her mouth with her hoof.
I held in a giggle.
She was a cute little filly. Her coat was a light red and her red mane had a faint blue streak in it and a few gentle curls. I looked down to see who she was playing with and I gasped when I recognized the blue mane below us. Flash? But then that means… I looked over at the filly. Ruby?
“Gotcha.”
“Ah!” I saw Flash take Ruby in his forelegs and flew her to the ground.
“Aw… I was sure I got a good spot. Princess Twilight even helped me.” Ruby said.
“Princess Twilight?” He asked.
“Uh-huh, she’s in the tree.” She pointed up towards me.
He looked at her with a questioning look before placing her on his shoulders.
I flew out of the tree and landed in front of them. “Um, hi Flash.” I smiled nervously at him.
“Twilight? What are you doing here?” he asked me with a confused look. “N-not that I’m not glad to see you, I’m just… curious.” He smiled nervously at me.
I smiled sweetly at him. He’s cute when he’s nervous. I was about to tell him when Ruby gasped, “Wait, you know Princess Twilight, like on a personal level?”
“Uh, yeah. We’ve um…” He looked at me as if to ask me for help. I wasn’t sure what to say. I was not prepared to bump into them like this. “…met and hung out a bit since my transfer.”
“Oh.” Her eyes grew twice their normal size. “This is fantastic! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I… I-I,” He looked at me with s lightly strained look before he grew smile. “I wanted it to be a surprise.” He looked over his shoulder at his little sister.
She hugged Flash and nuzzled him. “It’s the best surprise ever. Thank you Big Brother.” She kissed his cheek. “Aw…” I giggled. It was an adorable scene. It reminded me of some the best times I’ve had with my own big brother. Actually now that I think about it, she reminds me of me. I was very attached to Shining Armor and was not very sociable with the other ponies when I was her age. Flash has told me she loves books as well.
He chuckled. “Don’t get too excited Ruby, I’m sure the Princess has some business to attend to here in the Crystal Empire.” He looked at me expecting confirmation.
“Yes, I’m supposed to meet Princess Cadence here in the park.”
“Wait, you mean right now?”
“Yes, why?”
“Twilight, Cadence is with Shining Armor in Canterlot. They’re going to tell your parents the good news.”
“What?”
“That’s right…” I turned my attention to Ruby who was rubbing her cheek with her hoof. “Princess Cadence told me that my first night here when we had our sleepover.”
“You had a sleep over with Cadence?” I asked excited.
She smiled and nodded. “She’s a wonderful and fun hostess.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. She’s the greatest foal sitter of all foal sitters.”
“She’s also the pony who likes to set up other ponies.” Flash commented.
“What do you mean Flash?” Ruby asked.
“Princess Cadence sent that letter, so that we would all meet up, knowing that we would be here and that Twilight would not hesitate to come. She’s been doing this for a while now.”
“Wait…” She looked to be in deep thought.
I began to think as well. Cadence has been more active in my life as of late and I suppose, by association, Flash has too. She sent him to the library, encouraged me going on a date with Flash, gave me advice on dating, and now sent me to the Crystal Empire when Flash’s family would be visiting.
Ruby gasped. She was taking deep breaths.
“What is it Ruby? What’s wrong?” He placed her on the ground and looked worried at her.
“Oh.” She quickly looked to the sky and then responded. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s something if you reacted that way.”
“I can’t say anything, I promised somepony.”
“Then I’m definitely not going to get an answer.” Flash said under his breath. He pinched his muzzle. “All right then.” He suddenly had a determined look on his face. “Let’s play along.” He smiled.
“I’m afraid I don’t follow Flash.”
“This is what Cadence wants, the three of us to hang out. A-and it’s not a bad idea. That is, if you both are up for it.”
“That’d be great!” Ruby exclaimed excitedly. “Oh please say you’ll stay Princess!” She looked up at me with me with huge eyes and a great grin on her face.
“I… suppose I could.” I didn’t necessarily have anything pressing to take care of back in Ponyville. There is that chest that appeared after the Tree of Harmony took the Elements of Harmony back. But in all honesty, I really wanted to stay, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Flash and I think I deserve a day off. I’ll work hard to find out more about the chest as soon as I get back to Ponyville. “Definitely, I would love to spend the day with you two.”
“Yay! She hugged me. At first I was shocked but her hug was warm. I hugged her back.
I looked at Flash. He looked a little shock himself.
“What should we do first?” Ruby asked.
Flash’s POV
I’ve got a few things to discuss with the Princess when she gets back.
“Tag!” I felt a tap on my leg. “You’re it, Flash.” I saw Ruby run away from me. We finished hide and seek and moved on to Tag.
I didn’t understand why she would do this. First, she brings my family to the Empire early and has a play date with my sister. Then, she keeps her for a sleepover and who knows what she told her. And now, she tricked Twilight into taking the trip up here. I can only imagine what could be going through Cadence’s head and come to think of it my own sister’s head.
“Hey! Are you going to chase us? I’m pretty sure that’s how the game works.” I looked up and saw Twilight flying above me.
“Hey, I thought we agreed on no flying!” I told her.
“He’s right Princess! Remember, I can’t really fly yet, so it’s not fair.” Ruby told her.
“Oops.”I saw her land in front of me. When she looked up and realized how close she was to me, her face changed and she said, “Oh.”
“I’m going to give you a five second head start.” I decided to cut her some slack.
We stared at each other and slowly grew giant smiles before Twilight took off running.
1-2-3-4-5! I went after Twilight. It didn’t take long for me to catch up to her but just when I was about to tag her I tripped on something and crashed into her. We rolled a little before we finally landed. I felt myself hit my head on something sharp.
“Ah.” I grabbed my head before I opened my eyes and realized that I actually landed on top of Twilight. “Um.” I stared at her and she stared at me. “I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean it.” I quickly got off of her and looked at the ground. I felt my entire face heat up and I think it was spreading to the rest of me. My chest moved rapidly with my heart and I couldn’t think.
“It’s okay Flash.” I heard her say. I looked up and saw Twilight with a warming smile. “It was an accident. It could’ve happened to anypony.”
“Yeah, but… considering the situation, it well...”
She chuckled nervously. “I guess when you put it that way.” She looked away with her face blushing… She’s cute when she’s blushing. It kind of compliments her face. I smiled a little.
“Hey! Is everything okay?” We turned around and saw Ruby running towards us.
“Everything’s fine Ruby.” I told her once she made it to us.
“Are you sure? Princess, you have some grass in your mane.”
“Hm?” Twilight moved her hoof through her main. “Did I get it?” I looked at the top of her head and saw the piece of grass.
“No. Here I’ve got it.” I plucked the piece of grass out of her mane.
“Thank you.”
We heard some bells.
“Oh, ice cream! Flash can-”
“Of course Ruby.” I ruffled her mane a bit.
“Yay. Come one.” We saw Ruby trot towards the ice cream cart.
I heard Twilight giggle and we shared a look.
“You were right. She’s something else.” She told me and smiled at me.
The rest of the day was a giant blur. A lot of laughs and games, but something does stick out to me about this day. There was a lot of talk of magic. I think that sleepover with Princess Cadence has gotten my sister more curious about the subject.
“That’s amazing, but how are you supposed to protect Equestria now, without the elements?” Ruby asked.
Twilight just finished telling us about the fight she and her friends had with the Everfree Forest.
“I’m not sure, but I am sure my friends and I are capable of finding a way before another giant threat shows its face.”
“I wonder if I should put in a monster for my next story.” Ruby looked up taking another lick of her ice cream. She was thinking again.
“What story is that?”
Oh no.
“Oh,” Ruby snaps her head back and looked at Twilight with a huge smile. “It’s a story about dolls that come to life and are at war because a Princess refuses to marry a Prince and instead runs off with her royal guard.”
“Oh.” Twilight gave me a confused and surprised look. I shrugged. I wasn’t sure what to say to her, especially with my little sister around.
“You don’t seem very interested in the idea.” Ruby looked up at Twilight with a slightly sad look.
“Oh, it’s not that it isn’t interesting.” Twilight responded quickly responded. “It’s just very different from the last idea. War sounds rather grim for a filly to write about.”
“Well it’s not like I’m not familiar with the topic, Dad tells us all sorts of war stories.”
“Does he now? Even to you?” Twilight looked surprised, but why? I’ve mentioned this to her before.
“Yeah.” Ruby told her. “We have books upon books about the military and war. Most of them are journals from our ancestors though.”
“Journals?” Twilight asked. She looked awfully surprised.
“Didn’t I mention this before Twilight?” I asked. I was sure I told her my family history.
“You told me you come from a long line of military service ponies, but you never mentioned that they kept written records. Or that you have them.”
“Yeah. They’re back in Canterlot. Those books were our bedtime stories when there wasn’t anything else on the shelf.”
“Dad did read the Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar to death.” Ruby mentioned.
“Yeah… I got sick of that book way before I turned five.” I said recalling how much Dad read that book. I couldn’t look at caterpillars for a long time after that.
“The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar?” Twilight asked.
“Dad loves The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar.” I said with a bit of pain in my face. It was actually scary and annoying how much Dad loves that book.
“So anyway, um yes or no on the monster?” Ruby asked with a weird look.
“Umm…” Twilight went into thought. “I’m not sure. I think you already have enough to work with, but I also think a small role for the monster might help move the story along or lead to the climax.”
“How does your story end anyway Ruby?” I asked her. She likes to move around in her stories. Every time she writes she’d get bored with one scene and skip to another. It’s almost like a ritual with her.
“It’s a happy ending. The war ends with a double wedding. The Princess and her guard get married while the Prince marries the Gardner.”
Twilight left not long after that.
“Bye Princess. It was to meet you.” Ruby and I came with Twilight to the train station to see her off.
“It was nice meeting you too Ruby.” Twilight smiled and told her. “I hope the rest of your stay goes well.”
“Oh it’ll be great. I finally got enough research done to get started on my next story.”
“I wish you luck then and I’d like a copy if you don’t mind.”
Ruby looked like she gasped but she didn’t make a sound. “You’ve got it Princess.” She smiled brightly.
I smiled too and looked at Twilight. Then we heard the conductor call out “All Aboard.”
She looked at me and smiled sadly. “I’ll see you next time?”
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, see ya next time.”
She turned around and hopped on the train. She looked back one more time though and waved goodbye at us. Ruby and I waved back and watched the train until it was out of sight.
“You know. I really like her for you Big Brother.”
“Huh?”I looked down at her to see her innocently smiling at me. I blushed a little.
“It’s cute and spectacular.” She was getting excited and her eyes started to grow. “How many fillies can say-” I covered her mouth with my hoof.
“Promise me you won’t say anything to anypony.” I told her.
She looked at me confused.
“Listen to me, I really like Twilight, but I’m still getting to know her. She and I aren’t coltfriend and fillyfriend. We’ve only really had one official date so I haven’t said anything about it. Please don’t tell anypony.”
She blinked a few times.
“Now I’m going to remove my hoof from your mouth okay?”
She nodded.
When I let her talk again she said, “Okay, I promise.” I sighed in relief.
She smiled brightly and hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back.
It was a few days after Twilight’s visit. I was making my usual rounds at the castle just about to break for lunch, when a fellow guard came up to me and told me that Princess Cadence would like to speak with me. That was quick. I thought she and Shining Armor wouldn’t be back for another day. She must be excited to know about how well her planned turned out.
I went ahead and walked to the throne room where she was waiting with the Captain.
Before I had the chance to bow, she said, “Oh good, I’m glad you could meet with us for some lunch.”
“Huh?” Lunch was never mentioned.
“Well of course, you’re on break now. Time to be social.”
This is getting weird. If she starts making a habit out of this, I’m never going to know when it’s something serious or when she’s feeling gossipy about me and Twilight. Being Cadence’s guard and being Twilight’s love interest may be more complicated than I already thought it would be.
I followed her and Captain Shining Armor out of the throne room and into the dining room. We were seated and Cadence tried to ask how was everything while she and Shining Armor were gone knowing about her little trick. I kind of wanted to tell her I figured out the whole thing but I figured I let her know how Twilight’s unknown visit went first.
“About as well as it could have been. Everything was pretty peaceful no worries of an eternal winter or anything like that. My family enjoyed themselves as guests in the castle and of course Ruby’s appetite challenged the chefs.”
We laughed a little.
“Uh one thing though that was a little amiss was that apparently Twilight came by hoping to see you.”
“Did she now?” Cadence asked badly acting she had no clue why this happened. Something was telling me she knew I had figured out what happened, but I could be wrong. She could also just be a bad actress. Na, it’s more likely she knows, so I gave in.
“Yeah, I figured you did that on purpose.”
She smiled and raised her hoof. “Guilty as charged.”
“You just can’t help yourself sometimes can you?” Shining asked his wife half expecting an actual answer.
“Well I had to find some way of getting her here before she would start obsessing over that chest.”
“You mean that chest that appeared after Twilight and her friends gave up their elements?” I asked.
“Yes when Princess Celestia wrote to me about it, I knew I had a small window of opportunity to get her to the Crystal Empire. I knew once she saw Flash she’d forget about the chest.” Princess Cadence smiled.
“Fair enough.” Shining told her. “But maybe you don’t have to be so sneaky about it.”
“Maybe, I am rather doubtful she would’ve come if I just suggested to her to come and surprise Flash with that chest on her mind.”
“She does have a duty of her own.” I finally spoke up. “And for sure I don’t want to keep her from it just like she doesn’t want to keep me from my own responsibilities here.”
“And I admire you for that Flash.” Shining told me.
“Really?” I asked. He’s never mentioned or said anything like before.
“To be honest, I was a little worried that maybe you or Twilight would be…” he took a moment before he continued, “distracted in some way shape or form. But since her last visit, I saw that there was no difference in you two.”
He smiled at me. At first, I didn’t want to believe it but looking at him now, it was obvious. He was being honest. “Thanks Shining Armor. That means a lot to me.”
“Aw, I’m sure Twilight would love to see this.” Cadence said.
We had a laugh.
“Yeah well, if you wouldn’t mind Princess Cadence, let me and Twilight schedule our visits?” It was time.
“What?”
“It’s nothing personal and you know I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and Twilight. I would still like to come to you for advice and such. It’s just that, I’d rather she’d not get tricked into spending some time with me. We’re grown ponies and having these set ups seems so… middle school.”
Princess Cadence kept a confused face.
“Now I know that it might be hard for you to let go and this has been entertaining for you but you gotta admit, you can’t keep this up forever.”
“Besides, with a baby on the way, you won’t have time for meddling in your sister in-law’s love life.” Shining Armor said. “And it’s not like you won’t be active on our lives anymore. You’ll still get hear about everything and of course Twilight and I will still come to you for help when we need it.”
Princess Cadence’s face slowly turned to one of defeat. She sighed. “You two are right. You and Twilight can handle it from here and I’ve got my own motherly duties to attend to.”
Shining Armor leaned over, wrapped his foreleg around her and kissed her cheek. “There’s my Cadence.”
“Thanks Princess.” I told her. I didn’t want to ruin her fun but for her to keep this up would be a bit much. Twilight and I don’t need somepony hovering over us. We’ve only had one date and Princess Cadence is acting as if we’re about to get hitched. We haven’t made our relationship official yet and you know, we still have a bit to go.
“Well, so far the long distance predicament doesn’t seem to be an issue or communication, so I suppose my work here is done.”
I was glad and relieved Princess Cadence was taking this well. A part of me was dreading this conversation because I knew it wouldn’t be what the Princess would want to hear. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings either, but I knew I had to say something. This whole sneaking around plotting bit was making me rather uncomfortable.
Shining and Cadence talked about their trip to Canterlot and we had some fun coming up with names for their foal. This is starting to feel more like a meal amongst family than just friends. Now this, I could get used to. Princess Cadence invited me for tea next week as well.
Afterwards, I went back to my duties. Nothing else happened until I received a letter from Twilight after dinner. I decided to wait to read it until after I was ready for bed. I did have to get up fairly early tomorrow. I’ll write to her tomorrow during lunch. I was excited to see what news Twilight had.
By the time I was finished reading it, I was amazed again by Twilight and her friends. She wrote to me about the chest Cadence had mentioned earlier. Looks like Princess Cadence was right about Twilight obsessing over that chest too. According to Twilight, the chest needs six keys in order to open. Sounds overkill for a chest but I suppose it adds to its importance if it needs that much security. She went through so many books and Princess Celestia even referred her to the Castle of the two Sisters. I chuckled a little when she started to go on about the library in the castle. Classic Twilight. Her adventure in the castle did sound a spooky, I’ll admit. Either the experience was scary or Twilight is just that good of a writer. Either way, it’s nice to hear from Twilight.
I yawned after I finished the letter. All right Flash, time to get some sleep.
Spike and I had just woken up the day after we went to the Castle of the Two Sisters in hopes of cleaning. We ended up getting sucked into Spike’s enchanted comic book and battling a supervillain in order to escape the comic. It was strange to defeat a villain without the Elements of Harmony, granted, it was also interesting for us to have super powers. I think that I’ll stick to my magic though. I have had more practice with it.
Spike went ahead and got breakfast started while I went to check the mail. I was surprised to find a letter from Flash. I had just written him two days ago. It seemed too soon to receive a response this quickly. I walked back into the library as I opened the letter.
I heard Spike call out, “Hey Twilight! Would you prefer pancakes or waffles?”
“I’d have to go with waffles.” I began to read the letter as I walked into the kitchen only to stop when I realized why Flash sent this letter so soon.
“Hey, what’s wrong Twilight?” I looked as Spike in his apron with a worried look on his face holding a wooden spoon.
“Flash broke a limb…” I told Spike feeling bad for Flash. I remembered he said the last time he broke a limb he had gone a little crazy by the end of his recovery.
“Seriously? How?” Spiked asked as he continued to make breakfast.
“It says he landed funny when he was playing a game with school ponies.”
“Ouch.”
“My thoughts exactly. We should go visit him today. I’m sure he’d appreciate the company.”
Spike laughed a little. “I think you mean your company.”
I blushed a little knowing what he was getting at. It still bothers me a little that my friends still tease me about this Flash business. As much as I know they don’t mean anything by it, it still feels kind of embarrassing.
“Flash and Twilight sitting in a tree-” before he could finish that rhyme, I used my magic to zip his mouth closed.
“Cut it out Spike.” I told him sternly. He tried to pull the zipper of his mouth for a moment before giving up and looking at me with a pleading look. I sighed and told him, “All right, I’m going to unzip your mouth now. But would you please try to knock it off?”
He nodded quickly.
“Okay then.” I used my magic to make the zipper disappear.
Spike opened his mouth a few times and even made a few faces and sounds to make sure he could still talk.
I sighed and sat down at the table.
Spike walked up to me and said, “Hey I’m sorry Twilight. I didn’t think the teasing bothered you so much.” He looked at me with apologetic eyes. I smiled a little.
“Apology accepted Spike. I’m sorry too for zippering your mouth closed.”
Spike laughed a bit. “It’s all right. It’s actually kind of funny now.”
I giggled a little myself. He is right. It was a little funny.
After breakfast, I packed a bag for myself and Spike and we left on the next train to the Crystal Empire. I was excited to see Flash again but I also felt bad because he broke a limb. I was hoping to visit him soon but not under these circumstances. Still, it will be nice to see Flash. Plus, I’ll also get to see Cadence and Shining Armor. This will be a wonderful visit… despite Flash being unable to walk. I began to make a list of things Flash and I can do while on my visit since it became apparent that his lack of mobility leaves us with less activity options.
When we made it to the castle, I was about to ask a guard where I could find Flash but Cadence spotted me from the balcony and flew down to greet me.
“Twilight! What a surprise!” She hugged me. “Hello Spike.” She waved towards him.
“Hi, Cadence.”
“What are you two doing here?” Before I could reply, she took a moment looking at me and seemed to assess the situation I guess. “I take it you know about Flash?” She asked as if she already knew the answer.
“Yes, I was hoping to surprise him.” I smiled.
“Oh, I’ll happily take you to him.” Cadence smiles back. “But first, let’s leave your things in your room.” Afterwards, Cadence started to lead the way to Flash’s home. I actually hadn’t actually visited his home. That’s why I wanted to stop by the castle first to see if Cadence or Shining Armor could give me directions. “So how long are you planning on staying?”
“I was thinking just a few days. The girls and I are heading to Manehattan for fashion week to support Rarity soon.” I told her.
“That sounds wonderful. I hope you’ll have a great time.”
She led on and we caught up a little bit before we made it to Flash’s door.
Cadence smiled in a way that I thought she was in pain for a moment. It was kind of odd but I suppose she was a little excited to see me just pop up without even sending a message to her or to Shining Armor about by impromptu visit to see Flash.
“If I may?” She asked.
I nodded.
Her smile grew slightly bigger before she cleared her throat again. She knocked on the door.
“Flash? It’s me Cadence and I’ve brought you a surprise.” She looked at me with a giddy grin. I couldn’t help but grin and giggle myself. She hushed me before Flash replied.
“You can come in!” We heard come through the door. Cadence used her magic to open the door as Flash continued with, “But if it’s more cake, I’m not sure if it will fit in my fridge.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem.” Cadence giggled.
Spike and I walked around Cadence. “Surprise!”
“Twilight! Spike! This really is a surprise,” Flash smiled at me before looking towards Cadence “And one that actually doesn’t have to go in the fridge.” Flash was seated at couch with his hind leg in a cast and on a pillow on a stool.
“Well if cake is your problem, do you think I could have some? I got a little hungry on the train ride over here.” Spike popped up.
“Sure, just let me-” He began to get up.
“Oh, I can get it, don’t worry. Just tell me where I can find some plates and forks.”
“Oh, uh, okay. The plates are in the cabinet to the left of the fridge and the forks are in the drawer closest to the stove.” He pointed towards his kitchen area. His home is very open with minimal walls. The furniture distinguished the different areas.
“All right, is anypony else going to want some?” Spike asked he made his way to the kitchen.
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind a slice.” I told Spike.
“You got it.” He responded.
“I’m pretty good on cake right now Bud.” Flash seemed to look down and rub his belly a bit. “But thanks for the offer.”
“No thanks Spike, I’ve got to get back to the castle. Oh and Flash, we’d like you to have dinner with us at the castle. Twilight,” I looked towards Cadence when she mentioned my name, “do you think you’ll be able to help Flash to the castle?”
“Oh, uh, I think so.”
“Good, I’ll see you all tonight. Good bye everypony.” Cadence said as she left. We all said our good byes before she closed the door.
I walked up to Flash who tapped on the couch signaling me to take a seat.
“So how have you been?” I sat down next to him.
“Fine I guess. I’ve been able to catch up on my reading.”
“Here you go Twilight.” Spike came back with two plates of cake.
“Thank you Spike.” I told him and took the plate in my magic.
“Exactly how much cake do you have in that fridge?” Spiked asked half expecting an actual answer as he sat on the other side of Flash.
“A lot, from regular cakes, to cake pops. Mildred surprisingly didn’t bring me cake. She brought me a casserole.”
“I didn’t see it in there.”
“I ate it. She and her family have been kind of taking care of me since Mom and Dad are a little held up.”
“That’s very kind of them.” I said.
“Yeah, I really appreciate the help.” He smiled.
Hours passed, we all just talked and talked. Flash despite having difficulty moving was in good spirits as always. Nothing seems to have changed about him.
“Hey, I think it’s about time that we go.” Flash said as he pointed towards a window. The sun was setting slowly.
“You’re probably right.” I said. “Spike, why don’t you wash the dishes while I help Flash up?”
“Sure.” Spike hopped out of his seat and headed towards the kitchen area with the dishes.
“Do you think you’ll be able to walk the way?” I asked him as I took his hoof and pulled him off the couch. He is able to hold his balance with only three functional limbs and keeping his bad leg off the ground.
“Yeah, I might need to stop for a breather about half way, but I can make it. Besides, it’s almost time to start moving this leg around.”
“Are you sure?” I asked him worried. “I can always have you float or try to transport you there.”
He looked at me with a gentle smile. “I appreciate your concern but I’ll be fine, I promise.” He placed his hoof over his heart for a second and almost fell over. “Woops!” He slid his hoof back down while I tried to reach for him. He managed to balance himself without my help though. “See?” He smiled nervously towards me. “Totally fine. A little wobbly, but definitely fine.
I looked at him not convinced, but I also did not want to go against his wishes. I trust Flash, but I couldn’t help but feel a little concerned and that I wasn’t much help.
“Hey, it’s not like I’ve never done this before and I’ll heal up okay.” He looked at me with a soft smile
“I know but I thought I could help just a bit more. You didn’t have the help of alicorn magic then.”
“And I was just fine.” He took a step towards me and kissed my cheek. I was shocked to say the least, all I did was stare at him trying to process what just happened and I felt my cheeks burn and my heart thumped directly into my ears. I could feel it trying to pop out of my chest. “I’m grateful you care this much.” He placed his head on mine gently being careful with my horn. This, sort of calmed me down. My heart didn’t thump so much or so loudly. I could think and my face didn’t feel so hot. I felt happy. About as happy as I was when I kissed him on his cheek a while back. It felt nice. “It’ll be okay though.”
I smiled and said, “Okay.”
“Uh, should I go on ahead?” We looked towards Spike who covered his mouth with his claw trying to hold in a laugh.
“That might be a good idea.”
My ears perked up and I looked at Flash wondering what was going on here. We haven’t even kissed yet and what he was implying made me uncomfortable. I’m not ready for that and I won’t be ready for that for a long time. I wanted to know what was wrong with Flash. I thought we had an understanding. I thought he was a gentlecolt.
“Really?” asked confused and concerned.
“No of course not.” He looked at Spike with a funny look that seemed slightly angry.
I sighed in relief realizing that he was just messing with Spike. I felt better and kind of silly. Of course Flash wouldn’t mean that… that still scared me though.
Flash continued, “Just call it a little pay back.”
“You really scared me there for a minute Flash.” I told him almost laughing at how ridiculous that all was. I held onto my chest.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you would take it seriously too. Are you okay?” He asked concerned.
I nodded, “I’m fine now. But please don’t do that again, I was really worried.”
Flash looked a little guilty and said, “Yeah, okay. You got it. I’m sorry I scared you.”
Spike started to laugh. When I turned around to see him I said, “And you.”
Spike stopped laughing and looked up at me shocked and curious.
“You said you’d lay off.” I said sternly.
“Well, I uh,” He looked nervously at me trying to find an excuse before he sighed. “I’m sorry Twilight, Flash. I didn’t mean it.”
I smiled, “That’s okay Spike.”
“Yeah, it’s all good Spike.” Flash told him.
“Now we best be off to the castle.” I said. We left after Flash posted a note for Mildred in case she stopped by.
Twilight, Spike and I made it to dinner with Shining Armor and Princess Cadence.
“I’m doing fine. It’s like I’m on vacation, but without the ability to move and go wherever I want.” We laughed a little. Reading was nice, but it’s also nice to interact with other ponies.
“At least now you have Twilight to keep you company for a little while.” Princess Cadence said.
I looked over at Twilight and smiled seeing her blush a little hiding her face with a napkin. That’s never going get old I swear. “Yeah, I really do appreciate you coming all this way to check up on me.”
She smiled back at me, her face even redder… I honestly thought she’d burn me. Even so, she told me, “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
The moment was interrupted when we heard “Aww…” We turned to see Princess Cadence with her hooves together over her chest.
I chuckled. Just like my sisters.
After dinner, I excused myself and asked Spike to come with me.
“Hey, do you think you can help me with something?”
“That depends, what do you need?” He looked at me with his arms crossed and cocked his head.
“I want to have a picnic date with Twilight tomorrow and make it a surprise.”
“Oh, sure.” He chilled out and continued, “What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to relay a message to Princess Cadence.” I couldn’t do it myself without Twilight noticing right now. I mean taking away Princess Cadence or sneaking off with her trailing behind me would be kind of weird. “Tell her, operation Picnic is a go. She’ll know what to do.”
“How long have you been planning this?” He looked at me confused.
“About a month actually.” I nodded. “You have a lot of time to think about what you want to do on dates when the object of your affection isn’t around.” That, and I thought I should let Princess Cadence help me, at least with some of our dates. I think it’ll quench her thirst of being involved and keep her from meddling so that I don’t have to deal with her surprises.
“All right then. When should I make myself scarce?”
“Actually, I need you to blindfold Twilight and lead her to the gardens with me. I’d do it myself but um…” I gestured to my bad leg.
“And then I make myself scarce?” He cocked his eye brow.
“I would prefer if you did.” I nodded. “Think you’ll be able to entertain yourself for a few hours?”
“I’m sure I can find something to do.”
“Thanks, Little Buddy.” I held out my hoof and he bumped it with his fist.
“Hey, no problem. Your my friends and I want to see you guys happy.”
I had to bring my hoof back down really quick to catch myself before I fell over.
The next day, I woke up to a knock. Twilight and Spike were back, and Spike offered to make some breakfast.
“How did you sleep?” Twilight asked.
“I’m sore actually.” I stretched out careful not to hurt my leg more than it should. “But I’ll be all right. How about you?”
“I slept fine. I finished another book last night.”
“What about? And will I be able to understand it?”
“It was the latest Daring Doo actually.”
“Oh yeah, I read the first book to Ruby.”
“Is she a fan?”
“Not as big as Rainbow Dash.”
We all had a small laugh.
For the next few hours, we hung out and every so often I’d look at the clock. I showed them a few of my albums and scrapbooks my mom made for me.
“She made me one every year. Even when I was a baby and I had no idea what they actually were.”
“Oh, you looked so cute.” Twilight cooed and pointed to picture of me in the lion costume my mom dressed me in for Nightmare Night. I blushed a little and smiled like an idiot. Looking at her and hearing her call me cute made me feel a little funny in my chest.
“That was my first nightmare night.” I nodded and thought of something. “Hang on…” I flipped through the pages to find a certain page. “Aha!” I pointed to this spot on a corner of page. It was wrinkled and a small piece was missing. “My mom gave me the book to try to get a picture and I chewed on it a little.”
They giggled a little.
“Did she get the picture?” Spike asked.
I shook my head no. “Nah, it was too blurry.”
I took a small glance at the clock as Twilight got a closer look at the page. It’s time.
“So,” I closed started to close the book. “I kind of want to go for a walk. I need to move around a bit.” I closed the book and set it down.
“Actually, a walk sounds good.” Spike chimed in.
“So, how about it Twilight?” I asked her.
She looked at us taken aback but smiled and shrugged. “Sure, that sounds nice. Just let us know when you’re getting tired, okay Flash.”
I smiled, “Of course.”
We left and I made sure that we took a roundabout way of getting to the gardens. I’ll admit it might have been a longer way than I wanted it to be. By the end of it, I was feeling a little weak.
But anyway, about 10 feet away from the entrance of the garden, I signaled to Spike and he hopped on top of Twilight.
“Spike-” He wrapped the blindfold around her eyes. “What are you doing?”
“It’s a surprise.” I told her. “Trust me.”
“Um, okay.” She looked a little uneasy so I placed my hoof on hers.
“Hey, we can take the blind fold off if you want to.” I told her. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” I mean well but I want to make sure Twilight is all right.
“Oh no, it’s fine. I don’t mind the blindfold.”
“You sure?” I asked.
“Uh-huh.”
“All right.”
I nodded and Spike hopped off and took Twilight’s hoof.
When we made it to the spot, even I was awestruck. I knew Princess Cadence said she’d make sure our spot was the best in the garden but I did not expect everything in bloom… with roses the size of buck balls… I guess I never took a walk to this part at this time of year. Maybe I should go through daily from now on.
While I was taking it in, I didn’t notice that Spike had taken off Twilight’s blindfold and I was surprised by her gasp.
“Oh, it’s so beautiful.” I saw her move up to the light blue blanket with the picnic basket and looked around the garden.
“Oh surprise!” A little delayed, but better late than ever.
She looked back at me as I walked towards her. “Thank you Flash. Thanks Spike.”
“You’ll have to thank Princess Cadence too. She made sure we got the best spot in the garden.” I said.
“Well, now that my work here is done. I’ll leave you two kids alone.” Spike said.
“Thanks again Little Buddy.” I told him.
He gave us a thumbs up and said, “No problem. Have fun.” He started to turn to leave
“Later Bud.” I told him.
“Bye Spike.” Twilight said.
“I’ll see you guys later.” He responded and left.
When he was out of sight, I turned to Twilight. She looked back at me with a smile. “So… shall we see what’s in the basket?”
She nodded, “Yes.”
We sat down and I started to unpack the basket narrating as I went. A few sandwiches, a fruit salad, a cheese plate, cider and some cupcakes.
“This is actually a lot of food.” I commented.
“But it looks good.”
“I’d hope so, the royal chefs were responsible for this meal.”
She giggled and I laughed a little. I really missed this. I really missed Twilight. We spent our second date a lot like our first one. We kind of just talked and joked around. It was nice. Twilight’s nice. I just wish I wasn’t injured on our second date, but oh well. It’s my bad leg that got her here so I guess it’s not so bad.
It’s been about 2 months since I visited Flash with his broken limb. In his letters he kept me up to date on his progress and he returned to his duties not too long ago. He seemed really happy to be back in the castle. I managed to go back to the Crystal Empire to see him and we went on our third date. We saw a play in the park which to my amazement, Flash actually enjoyed. He said the performing arts were a mix bag with him. Sometimes, he could get into the performance and sometimes he couldn't. He liked some of the performances his sisters were in. He had his reserves and I told him we could do something else but he insisted that since I was interested in seeing it, we should go see the play. I wasn’t too sure but he insisted we go.
I was finishing up his latest letter when I looked at the clock and noticed it was almost time for the pet playdate. I called out to Owlowiscious and we rushed to the park.
We were the last to arrive, but we were technically on time.
Everything was just wonderful until lunch time. We packed a picnic and for a while managed to steer away from the conversation to be turned to be one about me and Flash. It still gets embarrassing sometimes. I know that some mares do not have an issue talking about their relationships and it makes for great gossip and such. I suppose in a way it’s probably beneficial to talk about considering how complex love can be. My friends could help with any concerns I have. But for now, I don’t think I have much of a worry.
“So Twilight, have you and Flash made it official?”
“What? Come again Rarity.” I wasn’t sure if I heard her right or this was terminology I was unfamiliar with.
“Official, you two are boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“Oh, well… Um, Huh…” Come to think of it… “I’m… not sure actually.” I looked off into the distance wondering if we ever talking about being “official” as Rarity put. Looking back, I don’t think it ever came up. We were just enjoying each other’s company and having a good time with each other. Hmm… would being official mean that things would change? And if it does then, how? That odd humming in the background wasn’t helping my thought process. I looked back at the girls and realized they were… panicking maybe. “Girls, what’s wrong?”
“Twilight, you need to know if you two have reached that crucial point in your relationship?” Rarity bursted.
“Crucial?”
“Yes, crucial. It means you two share feelings and are on a course for a serious relationship. Well, ideally anyway.”
“Ideally?” I looked around at the girls and saw they each nodded.
“Aw, I doubt there should be any trouble. Flash doesn’t seem to be the type to play with hearts.” Applejack said.
Fluttershy responded, “I agree, besides, if any of us thought Flash was fishy, wouldn’t we have said so before?”
“So true, and I even spied on them when they thought they were alone.” Pinkie smiled. Right, I forgot Pinkie spied on us. “They were so cute. I almost couldn’t stand it and I almost gave away my position.”
“Well, either way. I’m not good with this stuff either Twilight,” Rainbow looked me directly in the eye, “but it might be best to talk to him about it.”
All the girls agreed with Rainbow Dash.
“Know this Twilight. When it comes to colts, being direct is best.” Applejack told me and smiled. That’s all? That’s not an issue. Flash and I talk about everything. There has been some minor miscommunications but most of it occurred when I tried to give him a potion lesson once and I tried to explain some magical concepts which of course will confuse ponies on their first time. I felt a little better and less confused after the air was cleared. However, this sounds like a topic that may require some preparation. I may be able to give a lecture on almost anything magic, but I’ve never done anything this delicate before.
“All right, is there like some sort of protocol?”
“Oh no, Twilight.” Rarity said.
“Then how do I go about it? Should I visit him or wait until he visits me?”
“What makes you more comfortable?” Applejack asked.
“Uh…” I wondered about it. I thought back to our visits. On every occasion I get nervous, excited, content… it’s a pretty even match. “I’m not sure, both are about the same.”
“Then Ah suppose go with what’s more convenient.”
“What about taking a trip together?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“That would take forever.” Pinkie Pie said. “They’re both busy all the time.”
“He is a royal guard after all.” Fluttershy chimed in. “Enough days off for a trip would be too far between.”
“So, it would be quicker to plan a day trip. Either I go up to the Crystal Empire or Flash comes down to Ponyville.” I said thinking out loud, it’s not much different than what I’ve been doing so far, but that’s just because Flash had an injury. I wondered to myself what to do. Well, maybe I could ask Flash myself what he would prefer. I don’t have an issue going up to see him or him coming to see me. I just need to figure out which day he and I could get together so that one is not waiting on the other. “I think I’ve got it.”
“Huh?” They said in unison.
I didn’t realize I was interrupting anything but since I had their attention I smiled and said, “I’m sorry I wasn’t listening but I think I’ll just write to him and ask him what he would prefer.”
“Oh, well that’s one way to go about it.” Rarity responded.
“Thank you everypony for helping me figure it out.”
They said they were welcome in their own ways. A part of me still wishes there was at least some sort of manual so I could have a better idea of how this works but my friends and Cadence have been so much help with me and Flash. Maybe I can make it without an official book to love.
When I got home from the pet playdate, I decided to write to Cadence about my relationship with Flash. Maybe she can tell me how she and my brother made their relationship official.
After I had Spike send the letter, I think 2 minutes passed before Cadence sent a response. I barely settled in to read, when Spike came in to give me the letter.
“Here you go Twilight.”
“Oh, that was quick. Thank you Spike.”
He yawned, “No problem.”
The letter read.
Dear Twilight, Yay, Twilight. I’m so excited to hear you’re thinking of progressing your relationship with Flash. Although, since this was brought up by your friends and this is your first relationship, I need you to ask yourself: Am I ready to be in a committed relationship? Especially one that is long distance? Is this what I want? Do I want to be in a committed relationship with Flash Sentry? As for how your brother and I made our relationship official, I actually took initiative before he came up with a complicated scheme with his friends. I made sure we were alone in a place where we were comfortable and could talk in private. I told him I really liked him, that I wanted us to be boyfriend and girlfriend and I asked him if he felt the same way. Obviously he did, and then we had a nice lunch. I hope this helps, Cadence Am I ready? Well, I’m not sure. How would I even test that? I’ve never even dated before I met Flash, so I don’t have any past experience to compare my current state of mind. I decided to write back to Cadence to see if she can tell me how she knew she was ready.
Her response was:
Dear Twilight, To be honest, I’m not sure. I think I liked your brother enough that thinking about it, kind of went out the window. All I knew was that I wanted to be with your brother and the rest was easy. Sorry, if that wasn’t more clear but love in all honesty, isn’t clear in practice. Even if I tried to give you a check list, there would still be some kinks to work out because you and Flash are your own ponies.
Hm… I guess in this kind of case, the best way to test this, is to actually go through with it. Is that too risky? I don’t think so, Flash is a very nice colt. Even if he doesn’t want to further our relationship, he wouldn’t be rude to me… and he still would want to see me, why else would he be writing me all the time and going on dates with me? It wouldn’t really make a whole lot of sense.
As for the long-distance part, it doesn’t seem like it would be an issue.
Still though, Cadence also told me to ask myself if I want to be in this kind of relationship. I suppose, I wouldn’t mind. I read books and I see how happy Shining and Cadence are. Having somepony to grow with you, spend time with, explore with… a pony who is patient with me, and who I can spend all the time in the world with… It does sound nice and it has been nice to have his attention and affection in a way that I’ve never experienced.
Weeks have passed since my conversation with the girls about how to talk to Flash regarding our status. I had prepared several scripts that start off mostly the same. I would tell him how my friends brought the topic to my attention and depending on his reaction, a few different lines that would help me through the conversation. As I reviewed the scripts, I heard a knock. I wonder who that could be. “I’m coming.” I called out and made my way to the door.
“Guess who?” I heard a familiar voice sing on the other side of the door.
“Flash?” I opened the door excited and a little confused. I don’t remember setting up a visit.
“Bingo. You earned the bouquet.” He handed me a small bouquet of balloons…?... in the shape of flowers tied up and placed in a small rectangular vase. The vase was a balloon itself but seemed really sturdy.
“Thank you… Uh…” I smiled trying to think of something so say. I had so many questions going through my head like What are you doing here? Did we have plans? Where’d you get the balloons?
“Woah, woah, hold on.” He lifted his hoof up signaling me to calm down. Did I start to babble?... “One question at a time, please.” I might have started to actually ask the questions in my head. I wanted to bang my head against the wall but there was no time for that. Flash is here and that might actually make things worse.
“I’m sorry.” I managed to speak but with more of a squeak than I wanted. Oh boy. I scrunched up my face and tried not to look him in the eye.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize Twilight. I mean I guess,” I finally got my face unscrunched and looked right at him. “I did spring the balloons and my visit on you. I mean…” He looked off to the left and nodded. “Yeah, you’re allowed to have questions and in retrospect I probably should have expected you… well you sounded like you were speaking in tongue for a second there.” He looked at me with a grin and raised eyebrows.
I let out a breath feeling embarrassed and wanting to laugh at Flash. I shook my head and I giggled.
“There she is.” I looked at him and this time he had a sweet smile. I smiled back at him feeling kind of warm and feeling my chest grow a little heavy, but not too heavy. It was like having a book resting on my chest. “In all seriousness though, the balloons were not my idea. Pinkie Pie actually insisted on them. She thought they would be nice.”
“Pinkie Pie?” I glanced at the bouquet realizing this is right up Pinkie’s alley and that would explain why the balloon vase felt really sturdy. “Well, I’ll tell her I loved the balloons.”
He nodded. “Yeah, they helped me pick this weekend which coincides with the Fair. I was thinking we could go together tomorrow.” He looked at me kind of embarrassed with a gentle smile. I couldn’t help but smile back at him. I felt my face grow pink actually, not quite red this time but still warm.
“I’d like that very much Flash.” For a moment, we stared and smiled at each other, our muzzles pink.
“Great, um… I actually didn’t plan anything this evening.” He looked at me kind of guilty. Oh he’s so cute.
“That’s okay Flash. Come inside, we can just talk or I can recite to you.”
“Recite?” He asked as I took steps back to let him in.
“Magic spells, facts, history…” I looked at him and he seemed confused. “it helps keep me sharp.” I explained.
“Ah, okay that makes sense.” He closed the door and I went to leave the balloons on my desk. When I came back, I saw Flash had made himself comfortable on some cushions. Perfect.
He smiled gently as I approached him and took my seat.
“So, what’s new?” He asked. This is it. It has to be. I took a deep breath.
“Well, there’s actually something I want to talk about.”
He looked at me funny. He mushed his lips together and said, “Sure. Should I be concerned?”
“No, no.” I said immediately. “Well I don’t think so I just…” I took another deep breath. I practiced this several times before. I can do this… “So, I was talking to my friends and they brought up that we hadn’t talked about being official. I asked Cadence for advice and she told me to ask myself if I was ready and if I wanted to be in that kind of relationship. I think I do want to further our relationship but I’m not sure if I’m ready.” I took a deep breath. I felt lightheaded, my cheeks were red and my face was scrunched up. I couldn’t speak anymore. All I could do was look at him and wonder what he would say.
He looked at me with big eyes and I felt nervous. I had prepared several scenarios… but I liked some better than others.
“Right…I-I’m sorry Twilight. I just, I need a minute to take all that in.”
“I’m sorry.” I said quickly. “It’s just that I’ve never done this before and I didn’t know what else to do other than to tell you.”
“You don’t have to apologize Twilight. I know this is new territory and I appreciate you being honest with me. I just have never dated anyone so forward and verbal before.”
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked.
“No,” he shook his head from side to side. “It’s actually refreshing and reassuring. To be honest, I was kind of afraid to bring it up myself because I am the first colt you’ve ever dated. I didn’t want to freak you out but… I was also hoping to further our relationship.” He coughed and took a deep breath.
“Really?” I looked at him perking up hearing that he was thinking about it too.
He looked at me and smiled. He nodded, “Yeah… I really like you Twilight and um… well I know you’re a little unsure but… I think we’re good together and we should be together.” He looked at me and tried to smile. “I’m perfectly fine with moving forward, but it’s up to you. Will you be my girlfriend Twilight?”
Despite having an answer prepared… I started to cry, smile and giggle. “I… I uh.” I wiped my eyes. I wanted to be able to look at him and answer him. He took one of my hooves. “I’m sorry, I’m happy, I really am.”
“It’s okay. Although I am starting to cry myself.”
I giggled. “You don’t mean liquid pride?” I tried to smile at him.
“Not you too!”
We laughed a little.
I managed to stop crying long enough to look at him and smile. I sighed and looking back at our times together the laughing, the learning, the conversations… something clicked with me. I’m not sure how to explain it but I guess even though I knew that I wanted to take a chance on Flash despite my lack of experience, I wasn’t nervous about it. I was ready to dive into this new chapter despite having no clue what I was doing. “I would like that Flash.”
He bopped his up and looked at me partially excited and partially scared. “Really? You sure.” He responded quickly.
I smiled and nodded. “Yes.”
He let out a breath and smiled. I saw him wipe away another tear. “I-I-uh.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I am completely elated.” He looked at me with a great grin.
“I can’t believe it.” I really couldn’t. I have a boyfriend. I hadn’t thought about colts in that way until recently and now the most amazing colt is my boyfriend. I just couldn’t believe it.
“Please believe it Twilight.” I heard him say. By the time I focused on him he wrapped me in his front legs. He was so warm and I could feel him squeeze me. Not very hard but it felt strong. I wrapped my front legs around him too and gave him a squeeze.
When he let me go, I kissed his cheek. A part of me wanted to kiss his lips but I wasn’t sure if I should. It felt too soon, too uncomfortable, I couldn’t.
He smiled a little and he mushed his lips together. “So, as long as we’re being forward and honest, can I… kiss you back?”
“What?” I couldn’t breathe and I wanted to hide.
“On the cheek, I mean.” He held up his front legs up in a defensive position.
“Oh.” I sighed in relief. “Yes, that would be fine.”
“You sure?” He looked at me concerned and lowered his front legs.
“Yes,” I nodded and then turned my head so that my cheek would face him. He hovered over my face for a moment before he finally kissed my cheek. I smiled in a funny way, I can’t place it. I was just happy. This was exciting. I have a boyfriend and I can’t wait to spend more time with him.
After I kissed her cheek, I smiled like an idiot at her. I saw her wipe her eyes.
“Um, are you going to be okay?” I asked her.
She nodded and smiled. “I’m okay.” She took a deep breath and looked at me. She was… glowing in the slightest way. It could have been my imagination but still… she looked so lovely. It was as if she was an angel… as corny as that sounds. I couldn’t try to come up with something better if I tried.
I moved the cushion I was sitting on closer to her and plopped myself down again, waiting for it all to sink in. She’s my girlfriend… Ha! Twilight Sparkle is my girlfriend! She-she’s… leaning on me. Looking down at her, she seemed to be at peace. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this content this close to me before. I smiled at her feeling relaxed and kind of warm.
I’ve had three relationships in my lifetime and with neither of them did simple signs of affection like this feel so rewarding or calming or anything. It’s still kind of hard to explain what kind of feeling this is but I like it… and I think Twilight likes it too. I nuzzled her head being careful with her horn without thinking.
“Say Flash?”
“Yeah Twilight?”
“What do you want to eat later?”
“Ooh,” There went the moment but we gotta eat at some point. “That is very good question actually. Um, I don’t know. Do you have any cravings?”
“Something warm would be good.”
“So, crossing off the salads and sandwiches. That’s a good start. Do you want to make something here or go out?”
“Well I’m not much of a cook but we can see what’s in the kitchen. I’m sure I have a few cookbooks around here somewhere.”
“No need. I’m actually not a bad cook. Come on. Let’s see what we have to work with.”
“Okay.” I heard her reply.
We got up and made our way to the kitchen. I swept through the place and asked Twilight, “All right, how do you feel about a casserole?”
“That actually sounds good.”
I smiled at her. “Great, mind helping?”
“Uh, sure. Just tell me what I need to do.”
The next hour, I spent with Twilight was… slightly odd. She chops vegetables fine but was a little lost on turning on the oven. In retrospect, I probably should have expected the schematic she pulled out of nowhere but I was surprised she hadn’t actually used her own oven before.
“So, when did you learn to make this casserole?” We were making our way back to the living room to just hang out.
“Years of watching and helping my mom.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I liked cooking with my mom. It was relaxing after a day at school.” We sat on the cushions together.
“So, I assume you know how to make more than just a casserole?”
I smirked playing along but being truthful actually. “Oh you haven’t seen anything yet. I’m no Pinkie Pie but I make a mean tiramisu.”
“Hmm, well I’m sure I won’t be the only one giving your tiramisu a taste test.”
“By all means. I live to serve.” I bowed my head jokingly and that got her. She giggled and then she smiled at me.
I smiled back staring at her for a moment. I was appreciating being in her presence. As much as I am a catch, Twilight’s beyond anything I could have hoped for in a partner. She’s a little nutty but in a way it’s kind of cute.
“So… what’s new since your last letter?” She asked.
“Oh, actually I’m making plans to take Ruby to visit Terra for a few days.”
“That’s great. You’ll have so much fun.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t had a chance to see the baby.”
“Isn’t he almost a year old?”
“Exactly. I haven’t seen my sister for almost a year and by the time I get to, it’ll be more than a year.” I sighed. “You know, what really bugs me is that I didn’t even notice.” I didn’t think that a day that started out so happy and surprising would turn to this. I’m upset with myself all over again because of this and I’m ruining our time together. I only have this weekend and for some reason, I’m spilling out my negative feelings to Twilight when we should be enjoying ourselves.
“Oh Flash, it happens to the best of us.” She covered my hoof with hers.
I looked at her calming down. I know she’s right, but I can’t help but feel a little bad that I let this one go. I’ve normally been on top of this but this year was not my year. I sighed and smiled.
“I’m sorry Twilight. I didn’t mean to bum us out. I’m going to go check on dinner okay?”
Feeling sorry for myself won’t help things. I’ve moped enough over this and I really just want to enjoy myself with Twilight. I’ll get to see my sister later.
The Pegasi created the perfect day for the fair. The air was rather crisp but the sun kept us warm. My first date with Flash as my boyfriend will be amazing. Not that our other dates weren’t great, but this’ll be different. This is our first date as an actual couple. I was so excited, I could hardly sleep last night. Not that I sleep much anyway. I even sent little messages to my friends this morning through Owlowiscious telling them everything and of course, I sent a letter to Cadence.
Flash asked, “Is there anything you’ve absolutely got to eat before we leave?”
“What do you mean?” I’ve never been asked that before. Nor was it something I thought he’d ask me on our first date as a couple. He stopped walking and turned to me. I stopped short of another step.
“You don’t follow your stomach at these kinds of things?” He looked at me quizzically.
“Well, no.” It never occurred to me to. “I normally just hang around one of my friend's booths until we were all free.”
“Oh. Well, for now, do you mind if we do this my way?” He scrunched up his face a little as if this was a big deal.
I smiled and told him, “Sure.” Part of the fun of being with Flash is that he breaks my routine. Even last night, we cooked a meal together that I never would have considered otherwise. Even in my own home. I’m trying new things without giving it a second thought.
“Then we’re in luck, ‘cause I spot Applejack with caramel apples. Come on.” He’s so cute when he’s excited.
“Oh, that does sound good. You can never go wrong with an Apple family apple product.”
We made our way to Applejack’s family booth.
“Hey AJ.” Flash said.
“Hey Applejack.”
“Heya lovebirds, what can Ah do ya for?” I felt a blush when Applejack called us lovebirds. I looked at him but he turned away the other direction for a moment. He was definitely blushing too. I took a breath and tried to look Applejack in the eye.
“I’d, uh, say two of everything but I don’t think our stomachs can take all that at once so a couple of caramel apples would be good.” Flash responded.
We all laughed a little.
“Sure thing.” Applejack responded as she grabbed the apples.
Flash asked, “Mind grabbing the apples while I get my bits out?”
“Thank ya’ll kindly you two.” Applejack said as she handed me the apples. They looked perfectly covered in caramel as usual.
“Of course. And hey, mind saving three turnovers?”
“Sure thing.”
“Thanks Applejack.” I said and handed Flash his apple.
“Got an extra one for Spike?” I asked him.
“We all deserve a treat at the end of the day or early tomorrow.”
As we left Applejack’s booth, he looked over his shoulder at the line.
“How long were we standing there?” He asked.
I giggled. “Not long.” I took a bite of my apple. It was as sweet and juicy as any other Apple family apple. The caramel was thick but didn’t stick to the inside of my mouth for too long. The harmony between the apple and caramel was perfect.
“Yeah, I guess I might have forgotten how good their stuff actually is. You’ll stop me this time, right?”
I giggled, remembering the first time he came to Ponyville. Applejack had him sample some apple treats and he ended up with a stomach ache. “If you think it’s necessary.”
“Maaaaybe.” He stared at the apple and opened his mouth. He paused a few times before he went ahead and took a bite.
I smiled seeing him enjoy the apple. He smiled with his eyes half closed savoring his apple.
“Now, this is how you start a day at the fair.”
I giggled.
“You know you’re really lucky to have this kind of quality in town.”
“I think so too.”
Next up, we stopped in to see Pinkie Pie.
“Hey guys, you’ve got to try my party funnel cake.”
“What makes it a party funnel cake?”
“Fried ice cream and sprinkles!” She handed us a bowl filled to the brim with ice cream. “The funnel cake is at the bottom. Please have a seat at the side of the booth.” Before we knew it, we were at a picnic table with a view of some of the rides and artisan booths.
“What just happened?” Flash asked as he turned to me.
I giggled. “I think Pinkie Pie just wants us to have a nice time.” I smiled at him. My friends wouldn’t create an extravagant and complicated meddling plan but I know they would try a few small things, like this treat Pinkie Pie prepared for us. It wouldn’t surprise me if she brought along a pair of binoculars just so she could see us coming.
“And a sugar rush?” He lifted a spoon from the bowl and looked at me with an unsure smile and shrugged his shoulders.
He moved the spoon towards me. I looked at the spoon and then at him when it finally hit me. I opened my mouth and he fed me the spoon full.
“Maybe a little less next time.”
“Gotcha.”
“My turn.” I exclaimed and grabbed the other spoon.
“So, we’re still at the point where we use different utensils?”
“I… guess. It just seems easier than having to constantly switch back and forth.”
“Fair enough. I can go with that.” He opened his mouth and I fed him the ice cream. By the time we finished the funnel cake, I think we were both feeling kind of sick. “We’re going to need some water.”
“And maybe a small salad.”
“Want to walk over to the vendors? Maybe we can hang out with Rarity and Spike for a spell while this ice cream goes down.”
“Sounds good.” I mustered. I haven’t felt this full since the day I came to Ponyville and the Apple Family stuffed me full of their treats.
Rarity and Spike were busy helping a customer. Poor Spike was modeling twelve different scarves and a few hats.
“The things he’ll do for her huh?” Flash looked at me with that same somewhat unsure smile.
“It’s sweet in a way.”
“Yeah, not that I can talk much.” Well, that was different. I looked at him and I saw this sad, angry and confused face. It matched his tone. I’ve never heard anything like it.
“Flash?” I grabbed his hoof expecting him to look at me.
“I need a minute.” He walked away before I could say anything. I tried to say something but I was so worried, scared and confused that inaudible jumbled words came out that he couldn’t hear me say anyway. I shook my head to try to think straight. He was gone by the time I opened my eyes. I wanted to go after him but I had no idea where he went and even if I did, I should respect his wishes. That’s what a good girlfriend would do… right?
A girlfriend is a special kind of friend and a good friend, would respect the wishes of their friend. Therefore, a good girlfriend would respect the wishes of her boyfriend even if it means I have no idea where he went or what’s wrong. Yes, that’s it… I hope.
“Twilight, what’s wrong Darling?”
“Huh?” I looked up to see Rarity and Spike.
“You’re drooping your wonderful wings Twilight.”
I straighten myself out. “I need help.”
“Come, come. Follow me. Spike, would you please handle the stall?”
“You got it.”
I followed Rarity towards the back of her stall and she pulled a curtain. She sat me on her fainting couch and stared at me.
“What’s wrong Twilight?”
I stared at her. My chest felt heavy and my breathing and heart rate picked up. Am I having a panic attack? This was something different. It was like fearing being put back in magic kindergarten but weird. It felt shallow but severe.
“I-I don’t know. Flash said he needed a minute and then he left. He was looking at you and Spike and… he-he sounded so sad and angry.”
“What?”
“It was so strange. I never heard him sound that way before. He’s n-never needed a minute. He’s never just, left me somewhere.” I raised my voice off and on.
“This is just terrible.” She sat down and hugged me. “Oh Twilight, I’m so sorry this is happening to you.”
For a moment, I honestly thought he wouldn’t come back.
“Twilight? Rarity?” We heard Spike whispered.
“Yes Spike.” Rarity responded.
“Flash is here.”
We looked at each other.
“Are you ready? Do you need me here?” Rarity whispered to me.
I looked at her and then at the curtain. My chest felt heavier. I was scared. Scared of what he would say. I have no idea how he could be so upset. But I have to listen to what he has to say. Communication is key in any relationship be it romantic or friendship. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths.
“I’m ready.” I looked at Rarity mustering up as much determination and bravery as I could. “Please, leave us alone.”
Rarity tried to smile at me and hugged me tightly. “Spike and I will be right outside if you need us.”
I smiled a little. “Thank you, Rarity.”
She sighed and opened the curtain.
Flash stood there with a worried look on his face.
“Don’t mind me.” She walked into the stall.
I took another deep breath as he said, “Hey.”
I can do this. “Hello.”
“Can I come in?”
I nodded.
He sat on the couch. I kept my eyes on him taking deep breaths. My chest still felt a little heavy and my head felt off. Not a headache, not faint, a little warm maybe. He took my hooves in his.
“Huh.” It made me jump. I wasn’t prepared for him to touch me.
He let my hooves go and held his up.
“I’m sorry, so sorry for everything.” He brought his hooves back down. “I realize now me stepping out freaked you out and I’m sorry.”
“Okay.” It was nice to hear an apology. My chest felt less heavy and my head started to feel better.
“Please know that you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not angry or upset with you or Rarity or Spike. No one is to blame here.”
“Okay.” I was less scared and more anxious. I was glad we didn’t do anything to upset Flash, but what got him so worked up then?
He rubbed his head with his hooves. He sighed. He brought his head out of his hooves and looked up. He took a deep breath. “Listen,” he brought his head down to look at me. He looked sad, unsure and determined. “I… have an ex-girlfriend, who… was awful to me.” He shook his head as if he didn’t want to believe what he was saying was true. “Seeing Spike and Rarity, made me remember how deep under her spell I was, how she manipulated me.” That tone again. That sad, angry, confused tone. He looked away from me. “I guess I haven’t completely worked through it.” He seemed so… defeated.
“Oh Flash.” My chest grew heavy again and I started to cry. I hugged him. “I had no idea.”
He hugged me back. “I didn’t think I would have to tell you. I told you about Star because we’re still friends. I told you about Flare because I still hear from her every now and then.”
“I do like the Hearthswarming cards she sends.”
“I do too.”
I started to rub his back.
He pulled away. He smiled at me. Not his normal smile, smile that is just a hair sad. “I don’t know about you, but I could go for the petting zoo right about now.”
I tried to giggle but a faint “Hm,” came out instead. “Sounds good to me.”
I smiled and took a few deep breaths as I walked with Twilight. I was still getting over the feeling of needing to vomit. My head hurt and my chest was heavy. I can smile and try to change the mood all I want but this time was going to be a little different.
I focused my sights on a tree in the distance. I wanted to calm down. I’m okay, I’m fine. It was a moment of destruction that has passed. I may or may not be completely over it but I’m not there anymore. I am here with Twilight. A pony who actually cares about me and I care about her. I’m in Ponyville at the fair and we’re about to walk into the petting zoo.
“You sure you’re okay?” Twilight asked.
“Hm,” I looked at her not fully processing what she said before, “oof,” I bumped into the fence. “Umm. Yeah? Yes.” I cleared my throat and looked at her for a moment. “I’m okay.” I nodded. She smiled at me unsure. I stepped towards her and placed my hoof on hers. I pressed my forehead on hers careful with her horn.
I spoke quietly. “Listen, I don’t know what this means or what’s going to happen, but I do know this.” I pulled away just so I can look her in the eye. “You’re my girlfriend now and I want to have a good time with you at the fair.” I pulled my hoof up asking for hers. “Do you want to pet some goats with me?”
She giggled. That’s all I need. Even, if she’s still worried, a giggle means she won’t completely let this… occurrence, get in the way of our day. We only get two or three when we can actually be a couple. I know I’ll have a deep think about all this later… and maybe a lot of letters and or conversation about this with her and possibly my sisters… but not now. Right now, I’m on a mini vacation with Twilight.
“And maybe some flamingos?”
We laughed. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
We walked into the petting zoo and the first thing I saw was Angel. He was trying to get Fluttershy’s attention who I believe was showing off a flying squirrel to a family. Twilight did mention this was also an opportunity to adopt animals. Hmm…
“Hey Angel.” I called out to him and he seemed happy to see me. It’s a little hard to tell on such a small face. He hopped over and I hoof bumped his paw. “What’s been happening?”
He pantomimed something that at first, didn’t make any sense.
“Uh-huh… Sure… Oh right…”
“What’s he saying?” Twilight asked.
“He’s talking about the Breezies and how they overran Fluttershy’s home.”
“Oh that’s right. They were so adorable, although they did overstay their welcome.”
Angel went on and on about how they ran Fluttershy ragged and how annoying they were.
“Sorry about that Angel. At least they’re home now and you have your bed back.”
I picked him up and hugged him. Hmm… maybe I should think about adopting a pet. It does get kind of lonely in the apartment… but I’m always aching to come to Ponyville. I could go for a bording situation or even pet sitting.
“Something on your mind?”
“Hmm.”
I looked over. “You seem really affectionate towards Angel. Enough so, he’s been trying to break free for about 30 seconds now.”
“Hmm.” I looked down for a split second seeing Angel struggling. “Oh.” I let go. “Sorry little buddy. I’ll uh, I’ll just put you down now.” I let him go and he pantomimed again, asking if I was trying to kill him or something. “Sorry, just lost in thought.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“All the animals and hugging Angel got me thinking about adopting an animal companion.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. I’m sure Fluttershy would love to help.”
“I know she would, but I think I’ll just pick her brain for now. I think I’d like to adopt closer to home.”
When Fluttershy was free to talk we walked up to her.
I told her, “I’m thinking about adopting an animal companion. Any ideas on where I should start.”
I was not expecting her sing. Oh no.
She started to fly and she brought around all kinds of creatures.
“Uh, Fluttershy, just to be clear, I am not adopting today. I just need some ideas.”
She giggled. “Oh of course.” And then… she continued to sing… although this time, she sang a lecture about general care of all kinds of creatures. She pulled out an isle with pictures to go through for each one. I was entranced.
“Was that enough to get you started on your search?” She asked me as soon as she was done singing.
“Um,” Twilight patted me back.
“Definitely. You were very thorough.” I responded.
“Thank you. It is very important for any potential adopter to know exactly what they are getting into. Taking care of animals is wonderful but also hard work. Not everypony has the love and patience to care for them.”
I nodded. “I agree. You gave me a lot to think about.”
“I’m glad I could help. So, have you met up with the others?”
“Oh yes, she’s very excited about the obstacle course she and Applejack built.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but I think I see sparks between that colt and hummingbird.”
Flutterhsy turned around to see a little green colt with a brown mane talking with a hummingbird in his hoof. “You’re right. Gotta go but I’ll see you two later.”
“Bye.”
“See ya.”
“Feeling up for some rides?” I asked.
Twilight felt her stomach. “Yes, I’m not completely stuffed anymore.”
“Let’s go!”
We wasted no time. We got on everything that wasn’t a foal’s ride and of course had more snacks. This time, though, we paced ourselves a little better. At the end of the fairgrounds, we finally met up with Rainbow Dash and the rest of the gang. Looking over at the course, I noticed Rainbow was racing Pinkie Pie while the others cheered them on. They waved us over.
“Hey everypony, is it close?” Twilight asked.
“Definitely.” Rarity responded.
“Pinkie really is full of surprises.” I said as we walked closer to them.
“She sure is.” Applejack replied.
They were nearing the end, jumping through hoops. They scaled a wall… well Pinkie galloped over. Then, it was a race to the finish. While Rainbow Dash looked determined, ultimately, Pinkie would be the victor in this race by a hair. Still surprises me how much ground she covers with a single bounce.
We all cheered when they crossed the finish line before walking towards them. Pinkie hopped a small lap around us while Rainbow Dash caught her breath.
“You both were wonderful.” Fluttershy said.
“A wonderful spectacle indeed.” Rarity went on.
Rainbow watched Pinkie and I could see her wanting to be angry but before she could, Pinkie said, “Great race, right?”
Rainbow Dash looked confused at first but looking at Pinkie’s genuine smile she softened. “Well, yeah… thanks for the challenge Pinkie.” She held out her hoof.
Pinkie, had another idea. She grabbed Rainbow Dash and squeezed her. “Thank you so much for a fun obstacle course. It was great to really stretch out my limbs.”
“Heh, sure thing Pinks.”
And that was our que to say “Aww….” And join in a group hug.
Afterwards, I took a chance and asked, “So, is anypony up for a race or am I going to have to beat the clock?”
“Ah’d be up for a race.” Applejack responded. Not the pony I was expecting but this’ll be fun. “So long as ya can lose gracefully.” She teased.
“I grew up with five sisters. Believe me, I know something about losing with grace.”
“Then, you’ve got yerself a race.”
She nodded.
I nodded back.
Twilight, of course, officiated. She cleared her throat. “Competitors, your task is to go through and complete this obstacle course. Stay in your perspective lanes. The first to cross the finish line wins. On your marks, get set, go!” She did a little hop and we were off. We jumped through hoops, crossed planks… even the guard crawl… I immediately had flashbacks to the academy going through drills over and over again. I could almost hear the yelling, the grunting, the demands placed on me and my comrades. For a split second, I felt myself transitioning into the part of me that is a guard, but I caught something in the corner of my eye.
Ruby?
I slowed down to take a scan around me. Nothing. Now that’s… weird. I hardly ever just see things. And I don’t have that great of an imagination. I shook my head a bit and refocused. Applejack was just a few paces ahead of me, just need to close the gap. Then I heard a familiar laugh. Okay, I’m not crazy. I slowed down again and looked around trying to find her. I got nothing. I know there are other fillies here but there’s no way I’d mistake another laugh for hers.
When I got to the rock wall, I looked at it a few seconds trying to think. All right. I started to climb. Ruby couldn’t be here on her own. There’s no way Mom and Dad would let her go to Ponyville by herself. Is Princess Cadence meddling again? No, she promised me she wouldn’t. Could my parents be here with Ruby? If so, I’d have quite a bit of explaining to do. Oh boy. How am I supposed to tell them I’m dating a princess? That’s when I spotted her. She waved to me from the stands and trotted towards the finish line. I smiled as I recognized her face. I just wanted to hug her.
All right, one thing at a time. I assessed my position in the race. Applejack was ahead of me and we were close to the finish line. She was looking out towards Twilight and the others, starting to slow down. I sprinted. As soon as she noticed me close in next her, she sped up too. But it was too late. I gained a few steps and crossed the finish line expecting to see Ruby nearby, but I couldn’t find her. I flew up hoping to spot her but she just… disappeared. What the?
“Flash, is something wrong?” Twilight flew up after me.
“Iiiiii don’t think so. I mean, uh I thought I saw Ruby in the stands.” I looked at Twilight.
“Really?” Twilight looked over at the stands. “I didn’t see her.”
“She was behind you guys and now she’s gone.” I tried scanning for any of my other sisters and my parents. I couldn’t see them. I don’t like this. I don’t just see things.
“A little confused are we?” I felt a furry arm around me and looked up. Discord!
My instincts took over and I punched him in the face.
He fell down to the ground. I flew down making sure to be in between him and my friends.
“Discord?!” Fluttersh exclaimed. She ran to his side… rrriiight… he was reformed… more or less.
“I-I’m sorry, Discord, I really am sorry.” I couldn’t believe what was coming out of mouth.
“I’ll grab some ice and ice cream.” Pinkie Pie said and hopped off.
Discord managed to sit up. He had his mouth covered.
“Is it bad?” He asked as he uncovered his mouth. His nose and mouth were switched. He laughed and we sighed. “Ow. You really got me.”
“Again, I am so sorry…” I sighed. “I’m normally not this bad with first impressions and I hope we can start over.”
“Here’s the ice and the ice cream.” Discord pulled up a seat. He ate the cone without the icecream sliding off. He poofed the ice into an icebag and shook it up. “Thank you Pinkie Pie. And apology accepted.” He poofed up a glass bowl and a banana split slipped out of the bag. He held it out to me. “Peace offering?”
I cleared my throat. “Thanks.” I held out my hoof. “I’m Flash Sentry.” He handed me the banana split. I took it and realized this was his way of shaking my hoof.
“I know, I’ve been meaning to meet you but alas every time I come to visit Fluttershy, you are never here.” I wasn’t sure if he was actually sad, sarcastic or still recovering from the punch.
Ultimately, this is weird. Every cell in my body wants to take him down so he can be turned to stone. But he hasn’t committed a crime. Wait.
“Where’s my sister?” I dropped the banana split and took a step towards Discord.
“Hm.”
“Ruby, where is Ruby? Earlier, when I was looking for her, you showed up and said, ‘Confused are we?’” With every word, I drew nearer and nearer. I felt myself crouch down ready to pounce and beat him to a pulp. I held back because I needed him to talk. I needed to know where Ruby was. I never felt so much rage and worry all at the same time… I stared down one of Equestria’s greatest enemies. Someone who almost destroyed our world twice now. I didn’t care if he turned me inside out or turned my mane into jello, he was going down and I was going to save my sister.
“Oh, I shapeshifted.” Then poof, Discord turned himself into Ruby.
We all gasped. I felt a jolt in my heart and then I relaxed. Ruby wasn’t foalnapped. But- “How do you know I have a sister, how do you know what she looks like and her laugh?” This was the first time we met and no pony else here but Twilight has met her before. Has he- has he been stalking my family?!
He laughed. “That was simple. I sent a miniature version of myself to surveillance your family.”
“What?!” I felt rage and adrenaline. I raised my hoof up to take a step.
“Discord!” Fluttershy flew up to him and hovered. “That is completely inappropriate. You can’t spy on ponies in their own homes.” Discord was shocked and… I think he slightly shrunk. Suddenly, I didn’t feel rage. I was curious where this was going. Although, I did still have this kind of tingling, kind of sore sensation in my foreleg ready to do some damage.
“What about outside their homes?”
“No Discord, you shouldn’t be spying on anypony at all.”
“But I was only trying to gather information for Twilight. You know, making sure he was on the up and up.” He floated up and then came back down.
She sighed while the rest of us groaned. I’m not sure if he was being honest, or if he was just amusing himself now that he can’t take over Equestria. Either way, he has some twisted mind up there that won’t change much. But a small change is what’s keeping him from being turned to stone. I never liked this idea much but Twilight and our friends make miracles happen somehow. This could be one of them. After all, he’s atleast kept himself out of actual trouble. Nothing stolen, no pony hurt… he’s learning… slowly… and kind of creepily… I guess.
Rarity spoke, “Discord, Flash hasn’t given a reason to suspect him of wrong-doing.”
“Yeah, if he did, we’d have something to say about it.” Rainbow Dash continued.
Suddenly, I felt uneasy. It would be one thing if I actually started to act suspicious but this sounds like they’re actively looking for me to act funny. I felt exposed.
“Discord, you know what you have to do.” Fluttershy told him. He frowned and mumbled something. He gave her look. She gave him one back. He sighed.
“Oh, all right.”
He walked up to me. I looked at him curious as to what he thinks and apology should be. “I am sorry for invading the privacy of you and your family.” I could only blink.
“Aaand?” Fluttershy shy urged him to continue.
“And I will personally apologize to your family for what I did.”
“Oh.” I had to think fast. “In that case, please wait on that. I’d like to introduce you properly.” I couldn’t let him tell my parents about Twilight. I haven’t told them and I swore Ruby to secrecy. After all, it’s not every day your son or brother ends up dating a princess of Equestria.
Back at the tree house, we placed our treats in the fridge. Twilight and I flopped on the cushions in the library. I played the day through my head and felt a rollercoaster of emotions. I looked over at Twilight wanting to rant but I smiled instead. She looked so peaceful… amazing how a pony could shift your mood. I scooted closer to her and wrapped my wing over her. As if on cue, she nuzzled closer to me. I kissed her cheek. We cuddled for a few moments.
“Are you going to be okay after today?” she asked.
I sighed slightly. She opened her eyes and looked over at me. There was a different kind of worried look this time. It was as if she was also sad. I grumbled halfheartedly. You know, like when you don’t want to talk about it and can get away with not talking about it but it would make you feel better if you let it out. “I don’t trust him, but I trust the power of friendship.” She took my hoof.
“Believe me, we’re still uncomfortable with the whole situation ourselves.”
The next morning, I woke up to the smell of pancakes. At first, I was disoriented, not sure where I was. I don’t remember going back to the hotel, so I still have to be at the library. Whoops. This wasn’t how I was expecting our first sleepover to be. My eyes adjusted as I got up. The blanket that was over me slipped off. I looked over at Twilight still fast asleep. I smiled taking in her loveliness. I’ve never seen this side of her before. This kind of tranquility with the sun shining on her. You know, these past few days have been exhausting, but waking up to see her… I just couldn’t have woken up to a better morning.
I didn’t get to see Twilight again until the Equestria Games. I know I make it sound like a long time but now that she’s my girlfriend this entire situation feels different. It carries a certain amount of weight now because this has become more real than it was before. I haven’t really dated for three years and out of the blue I was led to somepony who is so amazing and beyond anything I could have imagined.
A week now without her seems so much longer. Or maybe it’s just that I knew it would only be a week and I just couldn’t wait. Not that I never stress about when we’ll see each other again. Our letters are half catching up and half planning our visits.
Anyway, we were planning to meet up after my shift so we could grab dinner. When I walked away from my post at the Games to take a break, I heard something flutter behind me. Now at first, I thought it was Twilight but the sound wasn’t right. By the time I reached the end of the hallway, I turned around.
“Awe, I was so close.”
“Ruby!” I caught her in my limbs and hugged her.
“Surprise Son.” Whoa.
“Mom! Dad!” No way.
They came up to us all smiles and we had a big family hug. Dad sqeezed me just enough it didn’t actually feel painful. You know how folks say they don’t know their own strength, well sometimes I wonder if my dad does or doesn’t. He’s a dark tanned pony with a black mane that he rarely let’s grow more than an inch and a half.
Mom said, “Please tell us you’re on your break.” Mom has a coral coat and an off white, kind of pink mane. She’s a gentle soul who is kind of scattered brained. She loves us and just wants to keep the family together even if we move all over the country.
“Just started. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“We wanted to surprise you.” Mom responded.
“And Cardinal?”
“She’s in the stands. You know she’s the one who spotted you.” Dad said.
“Of course.” She’s always had those eagle eyes. Gosh I miss this.
“So how about some grub?” Dad asked.
“And then you can watch an event with us.” Ruby hugged me before she whispered, “We need to talk.”
“Hm?”
“Now which way do we go?” Mom wondered. Perfect.
I pointed down the hall. “Down there. I’m assuming Ruby gave you her preferences.”
“Yup.” Dad said.
“Great, I’ll have the same please. If you don’t mind, I need to stretch my wings and Ruby should practice. We’ll meet back here, or we’ll find you. Whichever comes first.” I smiled already turning to leave.
“Well-” Nope, gotta go.
“Thanks Mom and Dad.”
Not my smoothest getaway but it’ll have to do. I’m so out of practice.
Outside, I set Ruby down.
“Not bad for winging it.” Ruby said.
“Thanks. What’s going on?”
“You and Princess Twilight. The news has reach Canterlot.” Crap.
“Mom and Dad know?”
She shook her head. “No, I snatched the page in the newspaper before Dad could read it. No pony else has mentioned it so far. But you’ve got to tell them.”
Well, there goes most of my plan to tell them. And now I might have to cancel on Twilight. This can’t be happening. Okay Okay. I took a deep breath. I gotta talk to Twilight. “Ruby, I need you to cover for me. I gotta find Twilight.”
She gave me a salute. “Yes Sir.”
“Let’s go.”
I dropped her off near Mom and Dad and made my way towards where I hoped Twilight would be. I was hoping to have this talk more in private but we have extenuating circumstances. I turned the corner and peeked towards her seat beside the other princesses. No luck. Darn it. I don’t have time to look for her. Okay. I gotta get back. If it comes up, it comes up. If it comes up, I’ll tell them… no matter how awkward it’ll be.
I made it back to the concessions to find my folks struggling to carry everything. Ruby was on my dad’s back holding her snacks.
I sighed. Some things never change. “Here let me take some of that.” They both protested. I ignored them. This time they put up less of a fight which I think might just be their anxiousness to get back to their seats.
“So we’re in town for a week. When do you think you’ll be free?” Mom asked.
“Weeeeell, I kinda have other plans.” I said. Technically, I don’t have to mention my relationship here.
“As popular as usual.” Dad laughed.
“Something like that.” I said. It’s not exactly a lie.
“What do you mean?” Mom asked. “You told us you made some friends.”
“Weeell I uh-”
“This way Dear.” Mom pointed down an aisle. They lead me to their seats. Cardinal was there waiting.
“Hey great, they found you.”
“I missed you too.”
It still amazes me how much she and Ruby look alike. According to Mom, Cardinal’s coat is just slightly lighter and her mane is more of a coral.
We sat down and ate. I watched the Games with my family but I wasn’t really paying attention. I’ve at least gotta talk to Twilight tonight. I can make it to dinner with my family tomorrow but I’d have to cancel on Twilight and our friends. They’d be disappointed but my folks need to know. I can’t let them find out through somepony else. Right now, all anypony will be talking about are the Games so this is my only window. I don’t know how the rest of the week will be with all this going on but we’ll make it through. We’ll be okay. No problem.
“So Flash,” Mom started.
“Hmm.” I looked at Mom.
“Will you be joining us for your break tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“So long as we don’t intrude.”
“Awe Mom, you could never intrude. Let me just take tonight to move things around. I’ll let you know about the rest of your visit.”
“You don’t have to do that Dear.”
“I want to Mom.” I gave her a side hug. “I miss you guys so much.” She hugged me back.
“Ugh, I wish you were assigned to Canterlot.” She looked at me. “But I’m glad you’ve settled in.”
Not long after that, I got back on my shift. My nerves subsided until that late afternoon. Okay, Talk to Twilight. Talk to Twilight. This talk is going to be uncomfortable. I knew I wouldn’t ask her to meet my parents. Too soon. Knowing her, she more or less has a timeline on how’d she want that visit to go down. We both agreed to meet our parents on the same visit to Canterlot. You know, get it all over with in one fell swoop. It’ll be awkward. It always is. At least, now when we visit my folks it’ll just be the four of them in the household instead of seven. Well, three since she’d met Ruby already and she absolutely adores Twilight. So, one critic already approves.
The real trick now is telling them I’m dating a Princess of Equestria. Now, bringing somepony home to meet the family has always been a big deal. This is a pony we’re thinking of bringing into the family, a pony with us for the rest of our lives. It might work out, it might not. We’ve all gone through enough of these to know pretty much what to expect. We go in, be polite and observe this best behavior kind of dynamic.
Ah, I spotted Twilight at our meeting place.
“Twilight.” I called out to her.
She turned to look at me. She smiled when she spotted me. That lump in my throat and that kind of heaviness in my chest has gotten a lot smaller over our visits. It’s still pretty much there but now I guess it depends on how long it’s been since I’ve seen her. I took a deep breath and we walked towards each other. I took my helmet off and hugged her. “Oh Flash.” She said and squeezed me as hard she could.
I kissed her cheek. “I’ve missed you too.”
Huh, who is…NO… Crap!
Suddenly that lump and heaviness is back. This time, for a whole other reason but uh… think, think-think.
“Mother, Father…” Why? I wanted to punch myself. Mother, Father seriously. Come on, I can do this. I have done this.
“You forgot us Genius.” Cardinal exclaimed. Somehow, that’s what she’s hung up on. I looked at her and then at Ruby.
“Cardinal, shush. Oh bow, bow everypony.” Dad said.
“Oh please you don’t-okay.” Twilight tried to talk them out of bowing.
She looked at me screaming Help! With her eyes. I nodded forward, placed my helmet back on my head and we walked closer to them.
“Please your Highness, forgive us. You must imagine we’re rather… shocked.” Dad said trying to stay calm.
“Please rise.” Twilight said. They rose. “I might be just as shocked you are. I didn’t realize you came to visit Flash.”
“Yeah, I was going to talk to you about that. They surprised me.” I told her. I cleared my throat. “Listen, Mom, Dad… Ruby and Cardinal, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle, my girlfriend.”
“How are you dating a Princess?”
“Cardinal.” Mom said. Mom gently scolded. Odd how parents can do that.
“It’s a legit question.”
“Yes, but…” Mom looked at me. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
I wanted to cry. I don’t know why but every time she cries, I cry. I don’t know. “I-You- You’ve been so worried that I haven’t dated in a while, I didn’t want you to worry. I’m sorry. I-” I felt a hoof on mine. I looked over at Twilight. I saw her bring up her hoof to her chest and take a deep breath and waved her hoof out. Right, Princess Cadence’s trick.
“All right Flash, your Highness, this is all overwhelming. How about we meet for dinner tomorrow night? Our treat.”
I was afraid of that. “Can you give us a sec Dad?”
“Take the night. I’ll make the reservation. No matter what we’ll have a table.”
I nodded. “All right Dad.”
He nodded. “Good luck.” He patted my shoulder.
He started to lead my family away.
“Wait-are we really-” Cardinal tried to start again.
“Tomorrow. Tomorrow.” Mom repeated. I hope she’ll be okay. I know she’s not mad. In a way, she’s kind of sad… weird.
I looked over at Twilight. She was taking deep breaths trying to process what just happened. I did a few with her. We both needed sometime to process this mess.
“I’m sorry Twilight. We don’t have to go to dinner if you don’t want to.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that I need time to prepare. Although, I have been preparing for this day for months. The Crystal Empire is still very much neutral for both parties. Further, I only have to meet three new ponies. I can definitely pull an all nighter if I have the proper materials which-”
“Whoa, whoa Twilight slow down! Listen, let’s grab some take out-”
“And spend the night at your place! Perfect, you have the photos, the keepsakes and a corkboard. We’ll have to buy some flash cards while we’re out, but this could work.”
“Wait, you want to spend the night with me?”
“Of course, it’s perfect. Our homes are an extension of ourselves and we are an extension of our families, therefore, your place is the perfect setting to study Lucky for us, we’ve been prepping for this for a while. We just need to organize it to ensure this dinner goes well.”
She started to walk towards the castle. “Come on, I need to pack a small bag.”
Meeting Flash’s parents. There’s so much to do. I made a quick list when we walked into my room at the castle. I grabbed my toiletries, writing utensils and any blank flash cards I brought with me. Hmmm. “We should still grab a new pack just in case.” I showed Flash the cards in my magic.
“Sure, no problem.”
I left a note for my friends, telling them where I would be. Hopefully they don’t ambush me in the morning about this but no time for that now. I’ll deal with it in the morning.
When we made it to Flash’s home, I quickly set up the cork board. Flash went back out to grab us dinner from the new Hayburger. I needed to focus. I used photos in Flash’s photo albums and stuck them on the board. Okay.
I’ve already met Ruby but I decided to include her to add to the dynamic of the family. Their mother is particularly fond of Ruby’s stories because of the creativity she expresses. Since she’s an art teacher, it’s only natural. Already a topic of common interest between me and two members of Flash’s family.
I continued thinking, creating links between me and Flash’s family. They need to get to know me as much as I do them. I wrote the connections down and placed them underneath the applicable family members. I was nearly done by the time Flash came back.
“Just me.” He said.
“Mmm-hmm.” I said acknowledging him.
“How’s it looking?”
I heard him set down the food on the coffee table.
“I just need to write down one more thing.”
“Good. What would you like to drink?”
“Just some water would be good.” I said as I wrote down one last thing and placed it under Cardinal’s picture.
“You got it.” He poured some water into a few glasses and brought them over to the coffee table. “So, you’re seriously going to be up all night?”
“Well now that I’m looking at the board, maybe only half the night.” I tried to smile at him. He unpacked the food and handed me my share. “I’d like to minimize any uhs or any other lulls on my part.” When I saw the pile of food in front of him, I asked, “Are you really going to finish all that?” He’s normally got an appetite, but this was a small mountain.
“Yeah, sometimes I eat when I’m stressed. I might break into the pie I bought yesterday. Would you like a slice?”
“Let me see how I feel after this.” I took a few bites. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I actually started eating.
“Sure.” He took a bite out of his sandwich.
“Well you won’t be stressed for long, not after we go through the scenarios. Can you think of anymore links I might’ve missed?”
We ate as he stared at the board. “Mmmm…” Sometimes it’s fascinating to just watch somepony think. Before we knew it, he was nearly done with this third hayburger. “I don’t think so. You’re really thorough.”
“It helps that you tell me just about everything about your family. You even kept me up to date about Ruby.”
“Who by the way, is going to insist on being your penpal now that my folks know about us.”
I giggled. “I can’t wait.”
“I’m sure she can’t either. She absolutely adores you.”
My heart felt warm hearing that. She’s such a wonderful filly. I haven’t known her for very long but she has a special place in my heart.
“I adore her too.” I looked over at her photo as I took my last bites.
“Which means it’ll be too easy for her to tag along on some of our visits.”
“Aw, it’ll be fun. I can’t wait.”
For a moment he looked at me. He smiled gently.
“What?” I looked back at him. I was starting to blush from him staring at me. Is something on my face?
“Nothing.” He shook his head from side to side slightly. “Just admiring you.”
I let out a sound. I think I was trying to speak but nothing came out. Granted, I didn’t know what to say. He just, he just told me I’m pretty, right? Is that what that was? I covered my face. I was embarrassed and I didn’t know what else to do. But I was also happy that he said that about me. I’m told that I’m smart, capable, responsible… but pretty… And from a stallion… it’s not… the norm.
“Twilight, please don’t hide from me.” He pressed his hoof against mine. I moved my hoof slightly so I can look at him through my bangs. He looked worried, puzzled… maybe intrigued. Am I the first to react this way?
I moved my hoof away from my face. He held my hoof.
“There she is.” He said gently.
I tried to smile at him. “Sorry. Sorry. I’ve never… had this happen before.” I scrunched up my face slightly feeling embarrassed all over again. This felt weird. I didn’t feel negatively, I was surprised. It was a nice kind of surprise; to hear this kind of thing from my boyfriend, but this still feels kind of weird.
He shrugged. “You’re not used to it. I get it. Takes time. Takes practice.”
Wait. “You’re going to do this more often?”
“Iiii’d say it’s pretty normal to admire my girlfriend whether she’s dolled up or reading a book, yeah.”
Wow. He thinks I’m pretty just as a I am? I was just eating a hayburger for Celestia’s sake. He’s… he’s amazing.
“Is that actually going to be a problem?”
“Wha-no, of course not.” I snapped out of my trance. I don’t blame him for asking considering I reacted by hiding.
He smushed his lips together for a moment. “Positive?”
I nodded. “Like you said, it takes some getting used to. And it’s a good thing. Right, you’re staring at me because you think I’m pretty?”
He looked at me, puzzled.
“Flash?” I felt like this should’ve been a simple question. I grew nervous. What was going on in his head? I thought I understood what was going on but having him sit there like this made me think I was wrong. He said he would admire me. What else could that possibly mean?
“It’s more than that Twilight.”
“Huh?”
He took both my hooves and he looked into my eyes. “Sometimes, when I look at you, you’re more than pretty.” He paused. I’m more than pretty? “You’re like this embodiment of everything that I appreciate in this world and I… can’t get enough of it. I can’t seem to get enough of you.”
Whoa.
He bobbed his head “Sorry, I got kind of more real than you probably expected for us now, huh?”
“Something like that. I… need a second.” Wow, okay. He was right, there was a lot to unpack there. At first, I couldn’t think. I was dumbfounded even more than when I thought he meant that I was pretty. This… this was something deeper than I thought it could be. I didn’t realize Flash could feel this deeply this soon. Then again, he has more experience, he has more of a way to tell where he is about his feelings. And me, well… I read up on this subject and I’ve asked Princess Cadence and my friends for advice. This is a lot like friendship. It grows and changes as you do. This will be a little slower for me because well, we’re separated for the most part and I have no idea what I’m feeling, or what I’m supposed to be feeling or what these feelings mean sometimes. Okay Flash. “I appreciate your honesty Flash and yeah, this threw me off beyond anything I thought was possible right now. But when I look at you, I feel happy, giddy, excited, and a little nervous sometimes… You’re…” I took a deep breath, “special to me, Flash, in a way I never thought of.” He looked at me intently. I kept going. “I don’t know if that’s anything you wanted to hear but this is where I’m at and I’m happy to be with you.”
“I don’t expect anything from you Twilight, I mean other than the truth. This whole thing, you and me, won’t work if we’re not honest with each other. And I’m glad you can tell me how you feel when you don’t have the exact same feelings as I do.”
I smiled appreciating his words. “I’m glad that you listen and you don’t judge me about how I feel.”
For a moment, we were silent.
“How did we get here?” Flash had on a face like he wanted to laugh but he was amazed by something.
“I don’t know, you were staring at me.” I was amazed by this turn of events too. I wanted to laugh too but I couldn’t. What is this?
“I was admiring, there’s a difference.”
“How will I know if you’re admiring me or just looking at me?”
“Iiiiii have no idea. It kind of just happens.” He shrugged slightly. He let out a breath and gently let go of my hooves. He motioned with his hooves towards me. “So, just so we’re clear you have my full attention for about 2 hours. That last hour before bed I need to shut my mind down so I can sleep.”
“What? Oh, right, the scenarios.” I had completely forgotten about the scenarios. Right. Meeting Flash’s parents. “Let’s get to work.
The next morning, Flash woke me up with the smell of pancakes. I was on the pullout bed. Since I wanted to stay up longer going over scenarios, I stayed in the living room.
I sat up and stretched.
“Morning Twilight.” He said over his shoulder.
“Morning Flash.” I got up and made my way towards the restroom.
“How’d you sleep?” Flash asked. I took a pause at the door.
I yawned. “Not bad. Thanks for the extra foam pad by the way.”
“I try. I know it’s not the comfiest of beds.”
“Uh huh.” I walked into the restroom to freshen up for the day. I brushed my mane with a few more strokes than usual… just a few. After last night, you’d think I wouldn’t worry about this at all. I could probably leave my mane a mess and he wouldn’t mind but I couldn’t help myself. It’s small, totally harmless. It’s not like I packed makeup to wear to breakfast. Nope, just keeping my mane in order. Besides, I couldn’t eat with my mane in my face.
“Breakfast is on the island!” I heard him from the kitchen.
My stomach growled. Good thing the food’s ready.
When I stepped out, there was one plate of pancakes on the island. “Aren’t you going to eat?” I walked up to Flash.
“I will.” He looked at me and smiled. “First stack is yours. You’re my guest and my girlfriend after all.”
He leaned down towards me. Eeee. I blushed ever so slightly and my heart raced for a few seconds. Sure, he’s only pecked my cheek but it’s still so exciting. For whatever reason, I moved my head and…
“Twilight, did I…” I took a deep breath. Gee… I… wasn’t expecting that. “Did I just kiss your lips Twilight?”
“I-I uh. Uh…” I turned away from him. What just happened? I brought my hoof to my lips. I was trying to think. I felt sweaty, my chest was heavy and my head felt warm.
“Twilight?” He sounded so worried and I couldn’t face him. I was too stunned and confused. I walked away and I began to pace. Did I mean to move?Was he actually trying to kiss my lips this time… Do I want to kiss him? “Do I need to leave?”
“What?” I finally looked at him. “No of course not. I…”
“What do you need Twilight?” He asked.
“I don’t know I… I’m not even sure if you kissed me.” I pointed towards the corner of my mouth. “It was about here.”
“Oh. Well…”
“I’m sorry to worry you Flash.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. He’s been nothing but a gentlecolt and this… a kiss… I’ve thought about it… our first kiss… Of course, I thought it would be a bit more… clear that it was our first kiss. Something so normal was causing me to feel so stressed. Sure, love isn’t easy but it shouldn’t feel this stressful. It’s give and take, compromise, listening and understanding…
“Twilight, you didn’t do anything wrong. You’re perfectly fine Twilight. I was worried that I…” he looked away from me, “well that I messed up.” He looked at me again.
“You didn’t mess up Flash. This is all just an accident.” I let out a breath. I walked up to him. All an accident. No pony is at fault here.
He sighed. “Yeah. It’s just, I want to make sure you’re comfortable.”
“I appreciate it Flash. You know, I’ve actually thought about it. Our first kiss.”
“You have?” He looked at me with his eyes wide.
I nodded. “Mm-mm. Up until now, I thought I might be ready for that step.”
“I’m sorry Twilight.” We looked at each other for a few moments. We tried to smile at each other wanting this incident to be resolved and trying to get us to the other side. He offered his hoof. I took it. We both know this whole thing was an accident, we’re processing and finding our way.
“Am I allowed to hug you now?” He asked. He seemed small and timid. I found it endearing and cute.
“Yes, it actually sounds nice about now.” We hugged. I dug my head into his neck and nuzzled him. I took a deep breath and smiled. He nuzzled me back. A hug is so simple but it can make you feel so safe and calm. I love this. I love being in his forelegs.
I looked up at him and he looked at me. We smiled at each other wholeheartedly. Hmm… I felt warm… in the most wonderful way. Amazing. I was totally freaking out not that long ago and here we were. Hugging, in maybe a loving way…? Wow. Is that what this is?
“Yaaaa gonna want me to heat up your pancakes?” Oh right, breakfast.
“Mmmmaybe.”
“You got it.”
We stopped hugging and I took a step towards the island when I heard him gasp.
“What? What’s wrong?” I asked, looking at him.
“I’m going to be late.”
“Huh?” I asked as I looked towards the window. Oh wow. It is getting late.
“Listen,” He started to piece his armor together. “The spare key is in my bedside drawer. Lock up when you’re done.”
“Of course.”
“Sorry to eat and run.”
I lifted a pancake up to him as he adjusted his plating. He stuffed it into his mouth. He tried to talk with his mouth full. I’m assuming he tried to say thank you.
“Welcome.”
I levitated the next one to him and he snatched it up out from the air. I giggled. It was pretty entertaining. The oddest thing I’ve been entertained by but still entertaining.
“Aaaand the last one.” I walked him to the door with the pancake in my magic.
“Thanks for the help.” He grabbed the last one in his hoof.
“I’ll see you tonight, all right?” He stuffed his mouth with the pancake.
So, today, last night, yesterday afternoon… way more than one pony should handle. Wow. Meeting my parents, a heart to heart and an almost accidental kiss. What?
I… spilled my guts, I don’t know why I did, I was compelled to. When I looked at her and she asked why I admired her, it became a mission. I wanted her to know how amazing she is… what she means to me… I wouldn’t call it love. At least not yet, but I do know she’s important to me and I wanted let her know. She’s the most wonderful mare in the world and she deserves to know, to hear it.
This morning though… a first kiss should not be this questionable. I didn’t mean to get that close to her lips, it just happened. Don’t get me wrong. I want to kiss her, I want to be her first kiss, I want it to be on her terms. It should be special, like she is.
My mind wandered on duty even more so than normal. I couldn’t stop thinking about yesterday, this morning and the dinner tonight… mostly, I thought about Twilight. I wondered how she was feeling. Is she still hung up on this morning? Or is she just trying to enjoy the Games? Even when I hung out with my family, Twilight was on my mind. I could make her out while she sat on her seat with the rest of the princesses. I wanted to go back in time and actually sit down with her at breakfast. Have a nice meal together. Yeah, just relax before dinner with my folks… But that’s not gonna happen…
When my shift ended, I refocused on tonight. This morning was awkward, we made it through and we had a new mission. Let’s go.
When I arrived at my apartment, I noticed a small package with a note attached to it. Huh? I walked up to it and lifted the note.
Hey Flash, Rarity thought this would be perfect for tonight. See ya soon, Twilight Twilight must’ve dropped this off. Perfect for tonight, huh? I opened the package and unfolded the piece of fabric. Oh wow, huh… It was actually pretty casual considering Rarity was behind this. It was a simple black button-down shirt. All right, now this I can work with.
After I changed out of my armor and got the shirt buttoned up, I touched up my mane. No doubt my Mom and Dad would notice if I didn’t. I brushed my teeth just for good measure. I was about to head out the door when I remembered my gift for Twilight. I went into my room and dug through my desk. Come on, I know it should be here. Aha, got it.
I placed it in the shirt pocket and headed out.
When I got to the entrance of the castle, I saw… well, everypony. Even the Crusaders were there smiling at me. This… really… shouldn’t be real but it is. And I couldn’t have expected anything else from these guys.
I noticed Twilight right in front of everypony wearing a simple pink dress with a beige sash and bow. I slowed down my trot taking in the sight of her. It’s funny, when you find somepony beautiful, any little changes kind of just amplifies the effect. I smiled at her and we locked eyes as we stepped closer to each other.
“Hey…”
“Hey…”
I lifted my hoof up gesturing for a hug and she walked into me chest. She hugged me and nuzzled me. I hugged and nuzzled her back.
“You look great.” I told her.
“You too.”
I looked behind her and saw everypony staring at us. At first, I thought this would be like them sending us off to a school dance but seeing everypony here, felt a tinge more like a wedding. Oh boy… Wait.
“Where’s Spike?” She stepped away from me.
With her head down she said, “He’s… upset right now.”
“What?” In a lower voice I asked, “Did Rarity find a guy?”
“No, no. Nothing like that.” She looked up at me. “I’ll tell you on the way.” Her eyes showing the hurt she was feeling.
This will be some story.
Suddenly, I saw a small… corsage maybe… floating in blue magic. I turned to see Rarity eyeing us and everypony else staring at Rarity with knowing looks.
“What? I can’t help but feel they need something else to… bring it all together.”
We all laughed.
“You know Rarity, I thought so too.” Cadence said. Cadence used her magic to bring something up towards Rarity’s eyes. “What do you think?”
Rarity gasped. “Perfect.”
“I thought so.” Cadence giggled and brought it over to Twilight.
“Please wear it Twilight.”
She gasped, recognizing it, “You’ve worn this on dinners with my family.”
“Exactly. Think of it as a good luck charm.”
“Thank you, Cadence.” She reached for the bracelet and quickly went up to Cadence to hug her. I walked closer to our friends and Twilight’s family.
“Thank you everypony for seeing us off.” I said. You know, the more I looked over at everypony… the more this felt… well, like my family sending me off to prom.
Shining Armor said, “Good luck, and you can keep the shirt by the way. I won’t be needing it anymore.”
“What? This is yours?” I looked down at the shirt and pointing to it. Now this, I wasn’t expecting. Sure, Shining’s been friendly… maybe we are friends now…
“Yeah, I’ve worn it for a few dinners with Celestia before marrying Cadence.” He looked towards his wife for a second before looking back towards me. “I’ve kept it for a while but I’ve grown out of it. It’s time somepony get some use out of it.” He smiled… proudly… genuinely…
“Gee, thanks Shining Armor.” I was touched. He and I have gotten on better terms since that week Twilight and our friends visited the Empire. We’ve even gone to a few hoofball games together and he’s given me advice before. But… to give me something of his that seems would be sentimental… I… I couldn’t believe it.
“Glad it fits and good luck tonight.” I smiled back, glad that he was being so supportive… like a friend and older brother would be.
Everypony gave their own versions of good luck towards us.
We waved goodbye towards as we headed for the restaurant. On the way, Twilight filled me in as to why Spike wasn’t out to see us off.
“Huh, I never would’ve guessed.”
“He’s been cooped up all day. I’m starting to worry he won’t ever come out of this slump before the Games end.”
“Poor Little Buddy. Not much we can do now but wait and let him ride this out. Has he been eating?”
“As far as I know yes.”
“Then he isn’t too far gone. Just need to keep an eye on him.”
When we made it to the restaurant we took a pause near the door.
I looked at Twilight and asked her, “You ready?”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She mustered up a smile before opening her eyes and looking at me with confidence “Yes, let’s go.”
Twilight’s POV We arrived at the restaurant after Flash’s parents so the host led us to them. I took a deep breath. Okay. This is it. I’ve done my research. I’ve prepped all night.I got this. They spotted us as we approached the table and waved at us. I smiled and waved back. They’re his parents, but they’re still ponies. Ponies that could be my friend.
There were two empty seats across from his parents. Cardinal sat with her parents while Ruby sat next to the empty seats.
The host excused himself and we gave our hellos. Flash had told his parents to not bow and treat me like a normal pony… which made this only a tad less awkward.
“Hey can Twilight sit next to me?” Ruby asked with a great smile.
It warmed up my heart seeing her happy face. “I’d love to.”
“Allow me.” He grabbed the chair next to Ruby and pulled it out for me just as we planned. His parents have a thing for traditional chivalry and while they did not drill this behavior into Flash, we knew they expected Flash to behave as such.
“So…” His mother started. She seemed to be wearing a white dress over her coral coat and was fiddling with the necklace Flash said she never took off. It was silver with the names of her children engraved on bands. Her off white, reddish mane was pulled into a bun. “How about we start over? Yeah?” She used her motherly smiled and looked at Flash.
“Right, everypony, this is Twilight Sparkle, my girlfriend.” He gestured towards me and then proceeded to properly introduce me to his family. “Twilight, this is my dad, Bold Striker.” Bold nodded and seemed to give me a small smile. “My mom, Posey Click,” she used her motherly smile again. “And my sisters, Cardinal Chime and Ruby Write.” Cardinal tried to smile but she seemed rather… miffed… Ruby of course was all smiles.
“It’s good to finally meet you all.” I said with my own smile.
“Well-” Bold started. He was a strong looking Pegasus wearing a gray button up shirt over his dark tan coat. His mane was short and was a dark coal color that seemed to have a kind of blue hue in it. I could very much see the family resemblance between Flash and his father.
“Actually Dad, before we get further into it, there’s something else, I’ve got to tell you.” Flash said quickly. Before his parents could react, he continued. “Don’t get mad.” He held his hoofs up and his parents looked at him intently. “Buuuut, Ruby knew about me and Twilight after your visit a while back.”
“WHAT?!” They all stared at Ruby.
“You knew and you didn’t tell me?!” Cardinal yelled at Ruby.
“Cardinal-” Bold started.
“Keep your voice down.” Posey continued.
“Oh, come on. For weeks they’ve kept this huge secret from us and you guys aren’t even a little angry?” She turned to her parents. Her long mane moved and ended up covering her eyes. She quickly shook her mane out of her face. Amazing how much she and Ruby look alike. Really the only differences are that her red coat isn’t as bright and her mane more closely matches her mother’s coat. She was missing the blue stripe in her mane as well. She wore a dress with vertical stripes in pascal colors.
“He swore me to secrecy.” Ruby explained. “I couldn’t go back on my promise.”
“It’s okay Ruby.” Flash’s mom held her hooves up gesturing to Ruby. “It’s okay.”
“Listen, I’m sorry I never said anything. I didn’t mean to make anypony feel bad.” He brought his hooves up defensively. “I just wanted to make sure this was real.” He looked around at his family. I did too. Cardinal still seemed worked up…
“So, is it?” Cardinal asked seemingly angry. She looked at Flash straight in the eye. “Is it real?”
I thought this might be brought up but I was hoping no pony would ask this soon. Further, I thought it would be more out of curiosity rather than… anger? Still, I felt nervous but ready to answer if I were to be asked the same thing.
“Yes,” he looked over at me and took my hoof in his. “I’d say so.” He smiled sweetly at me. I tried not to blush.
“And you Princess?” She asked less angry. “Do you actually like my brother?”
“Cardinal this isn’t an interrogation.” Bold told her.
Here we go. “Oh, no it’s okay.” I looked at Flash’s parents and I hated to do this but I spoke as regal and calm as I could. “Please, I don’t mind the questions. That is why we’re all here, to clear the air and to get to know each other. I only ask that should I not want to answer any question, you respect my wishes. To answer your question Cardinal.” I looked at her. “I do. I realize this is a shock but as far as I know, this is real. I like your brother.” I told her reassuringly hoping she’d calm down and relax.
She looked at me, reading my face. She seemed calmer. Her forelegs were no longer crossed over her chest.
“Why?”
All right, I got this. “Well other than the obvious; He’s got a geeky side that I find adorable. There’s a lot more interest in history than I expected. No doubt due to your lineage.” I looked over at his parents. “Which I’d love to see those journals by the way.” I turned my attention back to Cardinal. “He’s willing to try anything at least once, within reason of course. Musicals seems to be hit or miss it seems.”
“What can I say, I have specific tastes.” Flash interjected.
We all laughed a little. Okay, it was starting to look like we were all little more comfortable with each other.
“Above all else,” I looked over at all of them. “He makes me feel safe.” I brought my free hoof to my heart. “I’m able to be myself. I’m able to be Twilight.”
Cardinal still looked at me but her face expressed more shocked. “Wow…”
“See, told you they’re perfect for each other.” Ruby said.
I blushed hearing Ruby say that. Oh dear. We thought she might say something like that but it still felt embarrassing… and yet, it was nice to hear her say that about us. While I like Flash, I hadn’t actually thought of a future with him… at least not seriously. I’ve had thoughts pop up into my mind but… we’ve been so busy and I didn’t want to get ahead of myself until we actually started to talk about it.
“Hello,” we all turned our attention to the server. Oh my, I don’t think we got a look at the menu at all. We told the server to give us a few more minutes.
Looking through the menus, we were silent. It was a little while before Posey broke the silence.
“So…” Posey started, shaking her head slowly trying to speak. “How did all of this start?” She gestured towards the two of us.
“It was all Princess Cadence.” Flash responded.
“It was?” They all looked at us curiously.
“I knew it!” Ruby exclaimed.
“How did you know?” Cardinal asked eyeing her sister.
“Younger sister intuition.” Ruby responded not looking at her sister and then took a drink of water.
“That’s not right.” Cardinal said flatly.
The waiter returned and took our order.
“Please continue Son.” Bold told Flash.
“Well, remember that strange order I got about taking leave?”
“Yes, I told you so long as the order was legitimate, you should be fine.”
“Right, well part of the deal was to go to Ponyville. At first, I thought this order to take leave was because I hadn’t taken a vacation since Terra got married in Manehatten. So, I went to Ponyville thinking if nothing else, I could have a quiet and relaxing vacation catching up on my reading.”
He looked at me, passing the story on to me. “Which brought him to the Golden Oak Library where I live. He came to check out a few books and we got to talking. One thing led to another.” I gestured with my hooves. “And here we are.”
Flash took my hoof in his again and we smiled at each other for a second.
“So, if Princess Cadence hadn’t sent you to Ponyville, you two would never had gotten together?” Cardinal pointed at us.
“Weeeellll, I wouldn’t say never.” Flash responded as we took a quick glance at each other.
“Oh, she’s such a Dear. How is she? Is she showing yet?”
“Yup.” Flash responded.
“I’m so excited to meet the little one.” I said with glee.
“Will you be here to help Shining Armor and Princess Cadence with the foal?” Posey asked.
“Mm-hm. My parents are hoping to help out for the first few weeks and then I’ll take a shift afterwards.”
The server returned with our food and we started to eat. At first, we ate in silence until we heard some humming.
“Is that the song you had me look over Cardinal?” Ruby asked.
“You’re trying to compose again?” Flash asked Cardinal.
“Uh, yeah, it’s something I’ve been working on for a while.” She pushed her long mane away from her eyes and fiddled with the food on her plate.
“Uh-huh, what’s their name?” Flash asked knowingly.
I giggled.
“Huh, what, there’s no pony.”
She looked at Flash flushed before shaking her head and looking away. Posey looked over at Cardinal while Cardinal managed to bring food to her mouth. Posey brought a hoof to her head. She seemed deep in thought.
“It’s Cobalt Test.”
“How do you do that?!” Cardinal exclaimed at her mother.
“I’m your mother, I know everything.”
“Ugh.” She hid her face in her mane.
I know the feeling.
“So, what’s he like?” Flash asked.
“He seems nice enough. He’s volunteered to help me with the garden.” Posey responded.
“He did an excellent job with the bushes in the front yard.” Bold said.
“He’s been to the house?” Flash asked.
“Oh yes, Cardinal’s been hosting game nights at the house. It’s nice to have so many children in the house again.”
“We’re not children Mom, we’re teenagers. And anyway, this isn’t about me, this is about Flash and Twilight. Let’s keep the focus on them.” Cardinal pleaded. She was embarrassed. Aw. I felt kind of empathetic. It was also kind of cute to see. I wondered if this was how Cadence felt.
“You know that’s not how this works Cardinal.” Flash responded.
She sighed, “Ugh.” She brought her hoof to her forehead. “Ruby…”
“What?” Ruby as asked.
“How is it you knew about Flash and Twilight? Let’s listen to that.” She gestured towards her sister.
“Oh, well Flash and I were playing in the park. You guys were at that tour in the opera house.”
“Oh, yeah… I remember that day. We sat in on their dress rehearsal.” Posey recalled.
“We were playing hide and seek when I ran into Twilight. She helped hide up in a tree. “She looked at me briefly and smiled at me. I smiled back at her remembering how much fun we had that day. “It didn’t work for very long. When Flash found me, I told him Twilight helped me and then they told me everything.” She shrugged.
“Huh, what are the chances…” Cardinal gestured towards Ruby, looking at her parents. “… right?” She seemed to chuckle.
“Again, it was all Princess Cadence.” Flash shared.
“It was?”
“Mm-hm. She sent me a letter telling me to meet her at the park where Ruby and Flash were playing. To my surprise, I ran into Flash and Ruby instead and then Flash informed me that Cadence and Shining Armor were visiting my parents in Canterlot to tell them about the foal.
“In short, she set us up again.” Flash said kind of exasperated.
“It was the best day of my life.” Ruby said and leaned over to hug me. I lightly gasped. I was shocked but when I looked at her, my heart melted and I hugged her back. She’s such a wonderful little filly.
“I’m… glad to have met you too Ruby.” I nuzzled the top of her head. Shi giggled.
When we let go of each other she looked up at me. “You’ll come and visit won’t you?” She looked at me with big eyes that I couldn’t resist.
“I’ll uh, try.”
“Yay, oh, and I brought my manuscript. Think you’ll be able to look over it for me?”
“Of course.” I said gladly accepting her request.
“Perfect, the notes I’ll get from you and Flash are very crucial to getting this right.” She brought her hoofs up for emphasis waving them around almost as if she held a two conductors wand. “The relationships, the status, the duties, everything.”
I blushed a little remembering Ruby’s story. Some of the components were especially familiar.
“I’ll do my best Ruby.” She smiled brightly at me.
“Thanks Twilight.”
Looking back up across at Flash’s family, his parents were leaning against each other and smiling at me. I smiled a small smile back feeling self-conscious and awkward. Cardinal was stuffing her face, not wanting to look at anypony. I assumed she just wanted attention away from her crush.
The dinner went well as it could’ve been. By the time we left for ice cream, everypony seemed to relax. We went to a local ice cream shop that Flash swears is the best one in the entire Crystal Empire. It became a quick favorite of mine too as our dates went on. I hardly remember a day we went without ice cream
“So, you going to want to share a black berry shake?”
“Sure. Medium you think?”
“Yeah, I think I can handle that.”
“So, tell me Twilight,” Bold spoke, “Do your parents know you’re dating our son?”
“N-not yet. I sent them a letter this morning explaining everything. At the very least, it should help them though the news. No doubt, they’ve read the paper.”
Flash explained how close his parents came to find out through the newspaper last night. Most likely, my parents already knew and would’ve sent me a letter by now. I wouldn’t receive that letter until I got back to Ponyville.
“The Paper?” Bold asked. “I didn’t read anything about you two in the newspaper.”
“Um, yeah, that was me.” Ruby said over her shoulder. “I took the page before I gave it to you. Sorry Mom and Dad.”
“It’s all right Ruby.” Bold responded to his daughter.
“Wait, is that why you’ve been getting up early lately?” Cardinal asked.
“Yup, gave me a little extra time to write all summer.” Ruby responded.
“I knew it. I told you guys something was up!” She said over her shoulder towards her parents.
Flash’s parents shared a look trying to figure out how to respond. Bold gave Posey a slight nod.
“You were right Cardinal. We’ll be sure to be more… active and responsive to your ideas.”
“Oh, um…” She turned her head back to look at her parents. “Thanks Mom and Dad.” She faced forward again. We looked at her shocked. Bold eyed Cardinal thinking this was a trick. This did seem odd… she had a tendency to gloat from what Flash described. When she didn’t say anything else, Bold relaxed. It would appear that Cardinal is growing up… a small step in that direction at least.
We were silent until we reached the shop where we discussed the ice cream flavors.
“Looks like they’ve got a sundae to commemorate the Games.” Flash said.
“I’ll take two.” Ruby responded with a smile.
“Oh no, that’s much too much sugar.” Posey responded partly joking, partly serious. “One is enough.”
“Aww, all right Mom.” Ruby said, knowing she was defeated. With Flash and I, she gets more slack but her parents must be parents after all and saying no is all a part of their duty.
“Ooh, this turtle one is calling my name.” Cardinal eyes the tub in the case.
Suddenly, Flash said, “Piiinkieeee, we talked about this.” He moved his head around trying to figure out where Pinkie could be hiding.
“Wrong pony, Sentry.”
We all asked a form of “Huh?” Then, we turned around to look behind us, we saw… my brother…
“Shining?” I asked completely floored that my brother was in the very ice cream shop that me, my boyfriend and my boyfriend’s family were currently in.
“Sir?”
“Your Highness.”
Bold bowed to my brother which prompted the rest of Flash’s family to, except for Flash.
“Good to see you all again.” Shining responded.
“Shining, what are you doing here?” I asked still shocked.
“Cadence got a craving for strawberry cheesecake ice cream, specifically from this place. She didn’t plan this,” He started and held up a hoof defensively. “I swear. I’m just being a good husband.”
“Oh.”
He looked directly as Flash. “I was going to be a fly on the wall and not draw attention to myself but Flash found me out.”
“As he should,” Bold patted his son the back. “My son has excellent instincts.”
“That he does.” Shining nodded. “Anyway, I think you guys are up.” He pointed towards the counter.
“Oh yeah.”
Ruby was the first up, eager and giddy as usual.
Shining, Bold and Posey continued to chat about Cadence and the foal while we ordered our ice cream treats.
The pony running the tab asked, “All together?”
Flash responded “Yup. I’ll get this one, okay Dad?” Before Bold could responded, Flash whispered to his sisters, “Quick Ruby, Cardinal, get cute.”
“Flash-” Bold started.
“Just this once Dad.” Then he whispered, “Now.”
“Pleeeeease…” Cardinal and Ruby replied on que. Cardinal was holding Ruby close to her face and they looked absolutely precious.
Their faither turned away as their mother somehow held out a camera and took their picture.
“Got it.” She said, giggling happily. Bold looked at his wife and smiled at her the same way Flash smiles at me after I apologize to him for talking his ear off about magic… Wow…
Mo-o-om!” Cardinal groaned.
“What?” She said innocently. “This was the most perfect shot of you two. Plus, I did not ask for you to pose this time.”
“Okay, we’re good to go.” Flash said trying to hurry us along. “Better let Shining Armor through, wouldn’t want to keep Cadence waiting.” He laughed lightly and nervously.
Bold sighed as I used my magic to give them their own shake.
“All right, just this once Flash.” Bold responded gracefully.
“Thanks Dad.” Flash said with an understanding smile.
We moved over so Shining could pay for the tub of ice cream for Cadence.
“Nice execution Flash,” Shining told him.
“Thanks, we’ve been working on it for years.”
With the tub in his magic, he asked, “So, is this the first time you tried?”
“With this strategy, yes.” We made our way towards the door and walked out.
“Are you going to visit us too Prince Shing Armor,” Ruby asked from Flash’s back.
“I’ll see what I can do after the foal is born.” He replied to her.
“Yay! Ooh, there,” Ruby pointed to a table we could settle into.
“Well, I better go. I’ll see you all later.” He turned and looked at Bold. “And I’ll see you in a week. I can’t wait to meet the new recruits.
“They’re eager for your visit, Shining Armor.” Bold nodded.
We waved goodbye as Shining walked away.
As we settled into the table, Flash asked, “Still kind of surreal isn’t it, Dad?”
Bold chuckled. “Yes, it is. I never imagined being… this informal and friendly with the Captain.”
“I still can’t believe Flash is dating a princess.” Cardinal said.
“I can’t believe how perfect this shot is.” Posey said waving it around slightly. She brought out a small album from her dress and flipped through the pages. I should tell Rarity to incorporate pockets into her casual dresses. I like my saddle bag but I couldn’t very well bring a saddle bag with me on this dinner.
“Oh, are those of the Games?”
“Some of them, some of them are of my students, my family and a few other memories… I never go anywhere without my camera and album. I’m hoping we can ask somepony to take a photo of all of us at the Crystal Heart before we leave.”
“Mm. I think I can help you with that.” I told her.
“Actually,” her face scrunched up. “Would you mind coming together for a quick photo?”
Flash gave small laugh/sigh. We were expecting this to happen and while we didn’t mind, we also didn’t want her to go too crazy with it... She’d rope everyone into a photo taking frenzy from what Flash has described.
I smiled and said, “Of course.”
Flash moved a little closer to me and held up his wing. I nodded, giving him my permission to wrap his wing around me. He placed a hoof on mine and we smiled towards his mom’s camera.
She giggled, “Goodie. I love it.”
She snapped the photo and Flash and I pulled away. Bold gave us a thankful look before looking at his wife.
“How far along are you on your process?” He asked knowingly.
She held the photo of Flash and I while giggling like a school filly, giddy with her prize. “Oh, just the general color scheme, stickers, glitter… I need more time on the details which-” She placed the photo into her album. She looked at Flash and I. “I can’t wait to learn about.”
“A little early, don’t you think Mom?” Cardinal asked.
“I don’t know…” Ruby said eying her desert and picking up some ice cream with her spoon. “I’ve got a real good feeling about all of this.”
“You’re ten, how can you have a good feeling about anything?” She looked at her sister in disbelief
“Younger sister intuition.”
I giggled.
Cardinal groaned.
“How’s the sundae Ruby?” I asked her.
“It’s the love of my life.” She looked at me with the spoon still in her mouth.
“So, I finally made it to call backs, only to be the understudy.” Cardinal sighed. “It was still fun to work with everypony though. That’s actually how I met Cobalt. He works light and sound and showed me all the equipment and stuff.”
We were walking in one of the parks enjoying the summer air. I was most relaxed I think I had been all night.
“This was your first year in the performing arts school, right?” I asked her.
“Yup, one great thing about Canterlot, is the arts scene.”
“Sorry to interrupt but it looks like we need to call it a night.” We looked behind us to see that Ruby was fast asleep on her father’s back.
“Awwww…” I responded.
“Oh, take one step closer to the moonlight.” Posey said softly. Her husband nodded and did as he was told. She snapped another photo.
“Cardinal can you-”
“Got it.” She grabbed the photo from her mom as she reached for her album.
I didn’t realize how late it had gotten.” I asked as I took a look at the moon.
“Neither did I. I’m surprised she didn’t crash sooner.” Flash responded.
“She was too excited for tonight.” Bold told us as he looked over at his little one.
“All right.” Posey said satisfied with her work. “We should head back.” Looking at me, she smiled brightly. “It was a pleasure to meet you Twilight. I hope to have you over for dinner at our home next time.”
I smiled back at her, nervous but relieved, “I’d be honored. It was nice to have this time to get to know you all.”
We said our goodbyes and left our separate ways. Flash and I walked in the direction of the castle in silence for a few moments. Just long enough to make sure we were out of ear shot of Flash’s family.
I let out a breath and felt Flash extend his wing over me. I walked closer to him as we walked the rest of the way to the castle, his wing fully covering my back.
“It’s over now, how ya feeling?” He asked me. I looked over at him.
“Relieved.” I sighed.
“I bet, I know my family can be a bit much but that’s what makes them fun.”
“You have a wonderful family Flash, really.” I looking over at him.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I love them.” He nuzzled my head. “And they love you.”
“You think so?” I knew he said that they would and as far I as I could tell they at least were okay with my presence but Flash knows his family better than I would.
“You kiddin’, even Cardinal relaxed a bit and actually talked to you.” That’s right. When Cardinal is on her best behavior she tends to keep quiet, but Flash knew with this situation threw her for a loop, she would interrogate. By the end of the night, she was more open to me. She even mentioned her crush herself. No prompting. I nodded, understanding the implications of Cardinal’s behaviors.
“Mom and Dad were impressed on how you handled my sisters. You kept the peace with Cardinal and kept Ruby happy.”
“So that photo of us…”
“Was the cherry on top.” He kissed my forehead. Eeep. My heartbeat when up for a few seconds. “Mom loves her photos and Dad just wants Mom to be happy. You broke through the polite and best behavior and really met my family. At least a snippet of what we’re like as a family.”
I gave him a look.
“Okay, Cardinal was a bit more extreme but you still managed to get a glimpse of the real Cardinal.”
We continued to talk all the way back to my room. At my door, I knew Cadence and my friends would be on the other side, so this was my chance to tell Flash something important about this morning. I talked to Cadence about the unclear kiss and she gave me a few questions to answer to help me figure out what to do with this. I was past freaking out about it, but I still wanted to clear up whether or not this counted.
“So, here we are again.” Flash said in a partial sigh.
“Mm-hm.” We looked at each other. Normally, we’d be contemplating saying goodbye but then I remembered something, “Oh right, your key. I-” He brought his hoof up to pause me.
“Keep it.” He smiled brightly.
“Wha-really?” I asked, surprised.
He smiled at me and nodded. “Now, I do have something else for you.” He pulled something out of his shirt pocket.
“A key chain?” I asked. He held it out for me to see. It was a blue gem with the skyline of the Crystal Empire etched into it. It was cute.
“For your keys to my apartment. I thought it might help to distinguish which keys were which.
“Wow, thank you Flash.” I replied, still surprised. He was letting me keep a set of keys to his home. I was free to let myself in at any time. “I only wish I had a copy of the library’s keys to give to you.”
He brought his hoof up and shook his head slowly. “Don’t worry about it.”
I smiled again at him and hugged him. He wrapped one of his forelegs and one of his wings around me.
“Thank you, Flash, really.” I nuzzled into his neck feeling so happy and relaxed.
“I’m glad you like it.”
When I let him go, I took the keychain from him.
“So I’d-” Flash started.
“Uh, before you go Flash…” I stopped him. The nerves were creeping back up again, but I had to talk to him about this.
“Hmm?”
I tried to smile at him but as much as I wanted to look him in the eye my body wasn’t listening to me. I looked to the side trying to look at Flash. “About this morning.” I managed to glance up to see he smushed his lips together with a slightly worried look in his eyes. I took in a breath. I can do this. “Since it was just an accident,” I brought my head up a little higher. I wanted to look him in the eye for him to see my sincerity. “And we’re not sure if it was a kiss. Can we… just agree that it wasn’t?”
He blinked, letting my question sink in. “Oh,” he said in a sigh before looking at me with a gentle smile. “I think I can work with that.”
Well, I know I gave her my key but I didn’t expect her to be here asleep on my couch for the second time in two weeks. I stepped inside and closed my door. Suddenly, the chills I was getting from the early fall weather disappeared. I was worried. I thought she might stop by after the Tirek, Starlight, and well… losing the Golden Oak Library. The whole Tirek mess got everypony on edge, especially up here. The Crystal ponies were still pretty spooked about the whole ordeal, too close a call for them considering their history. I don’t blame them.
Ultimately, I was pretty scared myself. The changelings were a giant army and Discord has crazy magic but we could still try something. The minute Tirek was in front of you, all your magic and strength was drained. I took extra shifts thinking it might help me and help others feel less uneasy. Heck, just stepping out the door caused my senses to go into overdrive. No amount of training in the world could prepare you to suddenly lose your power. I’ve coped as I normally do. Eventually, it goes away. It always does. Twilight and the girls make miracles happen but this one was way too close.
I watched Twilight as I unpieced my armor and hung it up in its spot trying my best to keep quiet. The first time this happened was when the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia visited the Crystal Empire and she felt that her contributions as a princess were miniscule. Not enough to pick up a pattern but after the past few weeks, it wouldn’t surprise me that it was all just too much for her.
Lately, her letters have changed so drastically. They’ve staggered, increased and then staggered again. She’s also, well, babbled in written form. It was the weirdest thing. I could’ve sworn she had fallen asleep while writing a few times and her train of thought was completely caught off but she would start up again with something else. Her letters have been so long I’ve fallen asleep reading them. I still had a small pile to go through, including one I just got today.
I walked up to her and carefully removed the book that was on her head. I pulled the blanket I kept on the couch over her. Wouldn’t want you to get chills Princess.
For hours, I stress cleaned, stress cooked and stress worked out. We had a small exercise room in my apartment complex that I took advantage of. Surprisingly, through everything, Twilight barely stirred. Is she really that tired? While I worked, I still worried about Twilight. So much has happened and as much as I know that she’s strong… I mentally kicked myself. She’s my girlfriend for Celestia’s sake... But I still have my duty.
I was so, so close to abusing my connection to Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor so I could see Twilight. But I just couldn’t do it. What kind of guard, what kind of pony would that make me?... But I know, I know that the moment she asks for me, I’d drop everything to see her.
With the pasta sauce simmering, and the dinner rolls prepped to go in the oven when she would wake up, I sat at the end of the couch reading her latest letter. Maybe, she gave me an explanation.
Not long after I sat down though, she started to stir. I took a quick glance at the clock on my side table. Huh, she’s got good timing.
I set the letter down and called to her. “Twilight?”
“Mmm.” She groaned, waking up.
“Heeey, there she is.” I said smiling at her without looking worried.
She yawned and sat up. While rubbing her eyes she asked, “Mm, Flash?”
“The one and only.” I gave her jazz hooves like my sister taught me, thinking the silliness might get her to perk up.
“You cut your mane.” She pointed out moving closer to me.
“Oh yeah,” I forgot I had gotten a manecut. “It was time. It was getting too long to manage. What do you think? Too short?”
“Mmmm,” I felt her smooth out my mane. “It’s still fluffy, so I like it.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I really lucked out with a great mix of my parent’s hair genes.”
She giggled slightly. Okay, she’s waking up.
She looked at me curiously with tiredness in her eyes I had never seen before. “How long was I asleep?”
Again, I tried not to look worried. I couldn’t really smile at her though. “A while. I managed to get in a workout, cook and clean.”
“Wow-” I heard a grumble. “Oh.” Twilight covered her belly embarrassed.
“I take it that’s my que.” I smiled gently at her. “Dinner will be ready in a bit.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I’ve got some pasta sauce simmering. All’s that left is to boil the pasta and get the rolls in the oven.” I took a pause to see her reaction. She seemed more tired than anything.
“Hmm.”
“…And I’ve got those smores bars you like prepped, and ready to go in the oven.”
“You spoil me.” She smiled.
I chuckled. “I try.” I was glad she seemed at least; a tad excited for dessert.
I got up to go to the kitchen and to start the water boiling. Twilight got up and followed me. I preheated the oven for the rolls. She rested her head on my shoulder and gave a yawn.
“Don’t go falling asleep on me now.” I grinned down at her trying to get her to giggle again.
“Hmm…” She nuzzled me and rubbed her eyes again. “I’m trying not to, honest.” She raised her head from my shoulder and looked up at me. She smiled in a way that told me she was playing along but she was so tired to really go with it.
“Seriously, Twilight, have you not been sleeping?” Are you studying yourself to death again?
“Mmm, yes and no. I’ve…” She looked away from me and looked at the pot.
Turning my attention to the pasta I asked Twilight, “So, angel hair, bow tie, or tricolor?”
“Mmm, tricolor.”
“You got it.” I went through my cupboard to find the right box and set it on the counter.
Twilight took a seat at the island knowing we had a little time.
“So, what’s up?” I asked as I took the seat across from her. She explained to me that she had been avoiding her new castle and has been finding excuses to stay away from it. Finally, the girls told her to take a day so they could make the castle more homey for her.
The oven beeped telling us it was ready for the rolls.
“Here, let me,” Twilight said, interrupting her own story.
Twilight-” I was too late. She used her magic to take the rolls and placed them in the oven. “Right.” I sighed and looked over at her slightly exasperated.
“I’m helping whether you like it or not.” She smirked tiredly at me.
“I still don’t understand how you can levitate with that much ease.” I still got up and looked at the water to see if it was boiling. Rolls will be a little early but that’s fine. I set the timer for the rolls and told Twilight, “Go on, I’m still listening.”
“Where was I… Right. When I was about ready to see the castle, my friends had packed a bag for me and told me to come to the Crystal Empire.” I set the timer to the pasta and walked back to sit at the island. I took my seat as she finished her story.
“Do Cadence and Shining Armor know you’re here?”
“No, I came straight here because… Well, I really missed you,” I saw her blush a little with sweet eyes that caused me to smile and blush a little myself.
“I’ve missed you too Twilight.” I rested one of my hooves on hers and smiled at her. She seemed to perk up slightly. That’s good. She was still tired but I was glad she was making some progress… and that I had something to do with it. But then I started to think back and started to feel guilty again. “And I’m sorry I wasn’t there for…” I sighed, “any of it.” I looked away until I heard her speak.
“It’s okay Flash,” she rubbed my hoof. “You’re needed here and I understand that.” I tried to smile back at her still feeling a tad guilty. “Besides, everything happened so fast, even if you tried to make it to Ponyville or Starlight’s Village, everything would’ve passed by the time you’d get there.”
I scoffed. She had me there though. My name may be Flash, but there was no way I could’ve flown to her in time. I don’t have a horn so I couldn’t teleport to her. Even if I did, a unicorn guard doesn’t have the kind of power and talent Twilight had as a unicorn let alone now with Alicorn magic. Any train or balloon ride would’ve taken too long too. Nope. No way I could’ve gotten to her in time… unless I had some sixth sense that told me she’d be in danger in a few hours. Even then, I could get a message through Cadence and she’d take the proper precautions.
Ding!
The rolls.
I did get worried again when I saw how famished Twilight was.
“Think you’ll have room for dessert?” I asked her.
“Mmm.” She nodded and then swallowed. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I took my first bite.”
I chuckled, and in a servant’s tone, I said, “I’m glad I was able to provide you with suitable sustenance your Highness.”
She raised an eyebrow to my comment.
“Not my best work?” I asked, not exactly expecting much of an answer.
“Mmm. I’m just more focused on my stomach.”
“Fair enough.” I shrugged.
After dinner, I suggested we for a small walk. You know, help the food go down a bit.
We caught up more and she gave me details without the ramblings of the past few weeks. I was more or less able to get the gist from her letters but her ramblings put me to sleep trying to figure out what exactly she was trying to talk about. Eventually, the chilly wind picked up and we hurried back.
When we made it to my apartment, Twilight went straight for the couch to get underneath the blanket I draped over her earlier. It wasn’t totally freezing outside but we hadn’t had time to acclimate for the season. I pulled an extra blanket from my closet to add another layer while we warmed up.
She swung her hoof out to share the blanket she had over herself. I wrapped it around me without uncovering her and layered the one in my hooves around us. She scooted closer to me as I finished wrapping the second blanket around us and I wrapped my foreleg and wing around her.
“Thanks Flash.” She brought her head to my chest and leaned into me as I leaned onto the arm of the couch.
“Of course.” I kissed her horn.
One of the nice things about the cold coming in, was warming up in a nice blanket, especially with your special somepony. We snuggled as we slowly stopped shivering. I could feel her breathing steady itself before she nuzzled into my chest while she brought her foreleg across my chest. I smiled as she pressed into me and I stroked her side a few times.
I looked down towards her. She had a small smile on her face, and her eyes were closed. She was at peace, content being here with me. For a moment, I thought she was asleep. It wouldn’t’ve surprised me if she did.
“Warmed up?” I asked her, not expecting an answer.
“Mm-hm.”
Twilight opened her eyes and she looked up at me… in her eyes, shining brightly as they usually do… there was something… oddly familiar that… well told me to lean down towards her… but I didn’t, I couldn’t. Not after the whole missed kiss thing. It hadn’t been long since then and I just didn’t want to take the chance. Besides, I’m rusty, I could be reading her wrong.
I forced myself to look over at the clock behind her. “Well… we’ve got about an hour before I have to turn off my brain for the night.” I said still looking at the clock. “What do you want to do?” I looked back at her.
“Oh…” She turned her head to the side. But not before I caught her eyes dimming and looking at the floor. “I um…” I didn’t like the way she was sounding... She pulled away from me and sat up. Her ears were curved downward, her head still turned away from me. I straightened up, studying her. This… wasn’t making any sense. I saw her bring a hoof up and grabbed her mane pulling it in a way that made sure I couldn’t see her face. “I don’t know…” She was hiding from me.
She was… disappointed… embarrassed, sad… But that didn’t make any sense… unless… Maybe I wasn’t reading her wrong after all. But…
She momentarily hugged herself. I let out a breath. Idiot. I wanted to punch myself for not listening to my gut. But none of it mattered anymore, the moment was gone and I had a disappointed princess on my hooves. Think you fool. Think!
“Welllll,” I went with the first thing that popped into my head. “Have you read Ruby’s manuscript?” I asked, hoping she’d take the bait.
“Actually…” She straightened up and looked at me with realization apparent in her eyes. “I haven’t. I can’t believe it. It slipped my mind.”
Whew! I smiled, knowing this… weirdness was over. “Don’t feel too bad. I haven’t gotten to it either.” I slid off the couch. “Here, I can grab my copy. I’m sure she won’t mind if you make notes on my copy.”
“Sounds good to me.” She smiled excitedly at me.
Another time Twilight. I promise.
After two pages, it became apparent what this story was actually about.
“It’s us…” I said, realizing what Ruby did. I held the manuscript in my hooves.
“She changed the names… and the circumstances but yes, it’s us.”
“I thought she wrote this story faster than normal.” I said, bringing my hoof up to my chin. “Finding out about us must’ve really jumpstarted her mind.”
“It would appear so.”
We looked at each other and gave each other uncomfortable smiles. I couldn’t begin to imagine what Ruby had in stored. Or what Cadence might’ve put into her head. She had fairytales and stories of past special somponies from the family to draw inspiration from but it didn’t seem that way from these pages. Ruby what have you done? This was awkward, just awkward. Okay. Fine. At least, Twilight wasn’t sad anymore, I guess. “So… wanna keep going? Or is this already too weird for you?” A part of me wondered why I bothered to ask. Maybe that book on Yakyakistan would’ve been a better read at this point.
“Well…” Her scrunched up and I could see her thinking about it. “Let’s give it a few more pages.”
“Mmmm…” I groaned as I nodded myself awake. The ringing from the alarm clock was dinging and something under my head was moving.
“Sorry to wake you Twilight.”
Flash. Lifting myself up to sit, I started to rub my eyes. My neck and foreleg felt sore. I looked around as soon as my eyes adjusted to the morning sun shining through the window.
“You, okay?” Flash asked me. He next to me on the couch with me.
“Mm, I’m a little sore, but fine otherwise.” I moved my head around slowly, trying to stretch out the soreness.
Wait, we’re on his couch, did we-
“Yeah, me too. Looks like we totally crashed.” He chuckled as he got up from the couch.
I saw him starting to stretch when… well seeing him stretch out his muscles so close… for whatever reason, I couldn’t stop staring. I wasn’t nervous, I wasn’t embarrassed… actually… For a moment, I don’t think I was aware of anything else… Oh dear… I shook my head to shake this off. Cadence told me about this… I just thought we would’ve kissed before it would happen. But we didn’t. Suddenly, I felt as disappointed and hurt as I did last night.
“Maybe I should get some oversized cushions like the ones you have.” I saw him spread his wings and flap them a few times.
“Maybe.” I said with as much nonchalantness as possible. I didn’t want to sound sad to him but I wasn’t sure if I could sound happy this morning. Not at that moment anyway. I couldn’t talk to him, not about this, not yet.
“Hm.” He turned around to look at me. I faked a yawn, closed my eyes and covered my mouth. Maybe acting tired would be easier. “You wanna go to my room and sleep in?”
I was grateful for the question because it gave me something to think about other than not kissing Flash last night. The good news is, I already made up my mind to go the castle with him to see Shining and Cadence. “No, no. I want to go with you to the castle. I’m hoping I can get ideas for the foal shower from Cadence.”
He nodded in understanding. “Well, you might be sitting in on a lot of royal business, but at least it’ll be more entertaining that hanging out with me on duty all day.”
“Oh, come now Flash, it can’t be that boring here.”
He looked away with a pained look on his face. “Iiiit’s not exactly glamorous.”
“Neither is being a princess.” I told him with a slight humph. He looked back at me.
He chuckled uncomfortably, “Yeah, you’ve got me there.”
At the palace, we managed to catch Shining and Cadence as they were about to have breakfast in their dining room.
“Twily!” Shining shot up from his seat.
“Twilight!” Cadence tried to wiggle out of her seat.
Flash quickly got closer to Cadence and said, “Uh, easy Cadence.” Flash brought up a hoof as Cadence got out of her seat. Meanwhile, Shining quickly walked over to Cadence and steadied her.
“I’m fine, I don’t need any help just yet.” Cadence took a step from Shining.
“Just a precaution, Dear. You are carrying precious cargo.” He nuzzled Cadence’s face.
Cadence kissed my brother’s cheek, “I know, it’s sweet really. But could you tone it down just a bit for at least another month.” She said with a smile.
“I can only try.” Shining smiled at her.
“I’ll take it.” They nuzzled each other and I smiled at this display of affection. It warmed my heart to see my brother and sister-in-law so much in love. I hope to feel that amount of love one day.
They turned back towards me and Flash and walked up to us.
I hugged Cadence first, watching for her baby bump.
“To what do we owe this visit?” She asked.
“Actually,” I started as I hugged Shining Armor, “it’s a long story.”
“Then it’s a good thing it’s time for breakfast.” Shining replied.
“Oh, I don’t know if I could eat much more. Flash and I ate before we came here.” I said as I motioned towards Flash.
“Did you now?” He turned his attention to Flash and I didn’t like that slight look in his eyes.
“Uh-huuh.” I said, giving Shining a look of my own. “He’s a great cook.”
“Oooh, have you tried his peach cobbler?” Cadence asked excitedly.
I shook my head a little surprised by Cadence’s sudden mood shift. “No, not yet. Have you?”
“There’s still some in the fridge if you’d like a slice. Actually, Flash can you bake another?” She looked at Flash expectantly while slightly bouncing on her hooves.
He chuckled “No problem.”
“Actually, make it three.” She paused, bringing her hoof to her baby bump and seemingly thinking. It reminded me of Flash’s mom. “Maybe more.”
He brought his hoof up and nodded, understanding Cadence was prepping for some cravings and midnight snacks. “Sure thing, just take it easy, all right?”
Cadence sighed with a smile. “You drive a hard bargain Flash Sentry. Deal.”
He smiled before turning to me. He took his helmet off and asked me, “I’ll see you later for my break?”
“In the gardens, it’s still warm enough we can have a picnic.”
“I’ll be there.” He kissed my cheek. Aww. I still felt a feeling of excitement before bashfulness at the gesture. Though not as much anymore… still, it was sweet. I smiled at him.
We heard Shining cough.
“Whaat?” Flash asked in mock innocence. “I’m technically not on duty for another ten minutes.”
“Uh-huh.” Shining cocked on eyebrow.
Cadence and I giggled at the display. While Shining and Flash have become better friends, I knew that Shining would still have his protective brother tendencies. The good news is, Flash can more or less be himself around my family knowing that there wouldn’t be any actual consequences.
“I’m going, I’m going. Don’t worry.” He turned back to me and took my hoof in his. “See ya Twi.” He quickly kissed my hoof and placed his helmet back on his head before telling Cadence and Shining Armor, “See you guys later.” Then, he sped his way through the door and left before anypony could react.
“He-hey ugh.” Shining responded.
Cadence and I giggled at my brother’s expense.
After breakfast, I stayed with Cadence and sat in on her day. It was very informative seeing the ins and outs of a day to day in the Crystal Empire. Before, I had only been in the Crystal Empire on royal business pertaining to setting up big events rather than everyday projects and meetings. It was a nice change of pace and it did take my mind off not kissing Flash last night. Well, mostly. Every time it popped into my head, I’d remind myself that I could talk to Cadence later. In truth, I knew what I had to do: I had to talk to Flash, but I also wanted to talk to Cadence because she’s been so helpful and supportive throughout this entire endeavor. I wanted to hear her advice again.
Before I met up with Flash, Cadence took a walk with me through the gardens. While she should be getting used to resting, it’s also not good for anypony to constantly be sitting throughout the day.
“It’s getting nippy, are you sure you two will be okay out here?”
“So long as we stay in the sun, I think we’ll be fine.”
“Well, all right Twilight. How are things going with you and Flash?” She smiled giddily at me.
“Weeeellll,” Here we go. “There’s actually something I want to talk to you about.”
“Oooh, she clapped her hooves together. “Did you finally kiss?”
I sighed as my heart sank, feeling the disappointment, embarrassment and on some level, I felt ashamed as well. “No… that’s actually what I want to talk to you about.”
“Oh.” She said in a worried tone.
“I’m sorry Cadence,” I faced her and continued. She looked at me with sad and worried eyes. “I know you said I can’t really prepare for this kind of thing and that each kiss is special in its own way. It’s just that…” I sighed and looked down for a moment before bringing my head back up. “I guess I’m a little disappointed that it didn’t happen last night.”
“Last night?” She cocked her head to the side, now with more curious eyes.
“Mm-hm. It was perfect.” I started to pace. “We were alone, cuddling on the couch. I had that… feeling that you told me about. The one where I look at him and… it would just click. I don’t know how long or deep it would have been, like in those books you’ve given me but… it would’ve been my first kiss with a stallion I really care about. Who’s made me feel things I’ve never felt before. But… it didn’t happen.”
“Uh-huh” she responded in a way that told me she was somewhat far away in thought before snapping back and asking, “So what stopped you?”
“He asked me a question and the moment passed.” I said still pacing and going through the entire scene in my head. “When he looked at me, I wasn’t sure if my heart stopped or if it was beating so fast, I couldn’t tell if it was still beating. I thought he was having a similar moment, that he wanted to kiss me too. I was about to lean in before he asked his question. Suddenly, I was so… heartbroken…? Confused? Dissapointed? I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do.”
“Oh.” She responded in understanding. “I see.”
I sighed and stopped pacing while facing a random direction. “It’s nopony’s fault and I know that. He didn’t have to kiss me. He might not even be ready himself. I don’t know. Even if he did, he might not have realized I wanted to kiss him too. I haven’t exactly given him any hints or even really talked about kissing after what happened with the whole missed first kiss situation.” I sighed. “Not that I would know how to drop hints about these kinds of things, anyway. My inexperience has made this part of the relationship so… weird.”
“I’m sorry to hear that Twilight.” Cadence said as she walked up to me and wrapped a wing around me. She brought me in for a slight hug.
“I didn’t think something that’s supposed to be so natural would be so difficult.”
I heard Cadence chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” I asked her, failing to see how anything I just said to be funny. I didn’t need her laughing at me. I wanted her to listen to me and help me.
“What’s funny, is that your brother thought the exact same thing.” She said with a slight smile.
“He did?” I asked, completely surprised.
“Oh yes, we had our share of missed opportunities for our first kiss too.”
“You did?” I knew that the story of them getting together was rather needlessly complex but I thought they were so in sync after that. They at least, seemed to be but then again, I was just filly. And then when I grew up, I didn’t see much of them anymore.
She nodded, “Mm-hm.”
“So, what happened?”
“Well, your brother was such a dear. You should’ve seen how nervous he was.” She smiled as she remembered her first kiss. “We were at my door of the castle and just when I was about to say good night, he actually asked me if he could kiss me.”
“Really, just like that?” I guess Shining learned his lesson from when he and Cadence first got together.
She nodded. “Yes, I thought it was sweet… and I wouldn’t trade our first kiss for any could-have-beens or what ifs.”
Wouldn’t trade it for any what ifs… Last night would have been perfect though. I sighed again and looked away. It didn’t happen last night and nothing was going to change that. It would be okay because we’re adults, we can talk it through.
“Do you think I’ll feel that way when it finally happens for me and Flash?”
“I should think so. Just remember Twilight, no first kiss is perfect, but any first kiss can come pretty close.” She smiled at me.
I hugged my old foal sitter. “Thanks Cadence. I really needed to hear that.”
I shouldn’t keep myself wondering about this what if. Flash and I still have a chance for our first kiss. My first kiss. It might not be perfect, but it would be ours. It would be special because it would be between us. My first kiss with the stallion that makes me squeal on the inside, who listens to me whenever I have a problem, who accepts me as I am and finds my quirks endearing. He’s the stallion who writes notes in the books he reads, who loves taking walking tours, who learned to dance so his sisters could practice with him, who would rather do a jigsaw puzzle than go bar hopping… That’s Flash Sentry, my boyfriend.
When I let go, she asked, “So, what are you going to do about Flash?”
In truth, I knew I needed to talk to Flash about this. He appreciates me voicing my thoughts and feelings. It would a bit awkward but he wouldn’t judge me. He would listen to me intently and take a minute to mull the information over. He might ask me a few questions to better understand the situation. When it ends, I’ll feel better and I’ll know what he thinks. Reading each other can only take us so far. “I think… I should let him know I’m ready for my first kiss and see what he thinks.”
She smiled at me. “Is that what’s best for you?”
I looked at her with confidence. “Yes, I think we both will feel just a bit more at ease if we just talk about it. After all, this takes two. We both need to be comfortable enough to take this next step and the many other steps that’ll come our way.”
“Good.” She pulled me into another hug. “I’m glad.”
“So, what do you want for dinner?” I asked Twilight as we stepped into my apartment, still shivering from the flight back.
“Mm, I don’t know. What sounds good to you?” She replied. I took off my helmet and placed it on the rack to the side of the door.
“I don’t know.” I said as I started unpiecing the rest of my armor and putting it away.
“This is going nowhere fast.” She replied flatly.
I laughed slightly, still musing over what to do. “I mean we can have leftovers from last night. Or…” I thought back to what I had in the fridge. What sounds good?
“That might be the easiest option.” I turned around after I finished putting my armor away. She was sitting on the couch already curled up under the blanket. I smiled. She looked… unbelievably cute and cozy, my heart was already speeding up a bit in my chest. I just wanted to cradle her in my limbs.
I walked up to her and asked with a grin, “Care to share?” I just wanted to be with her. Something about her just draws me in.
“Oh…” She looked away, pretending to think about it. “I suppose.” She giggled and smiled at me.
I chuckled and climbed onto the couch with her. She shared the blanket with me and leaned into me. I leaned back into the arm of the couch and managed to wrap my hoof and wing around her. There was the feeling of déjà vu mixed in with the calming effect that comes from being with her like this. Her shivering stopped after a little while and her breathing steadied. I could feel her heart beat, steady and strong.
I heard her hum a bit.
I looked down at her and I couldn’t help but smile. I leaned over and kissed her horn. She lifted her head up slowly. I… was hoping for a different look in her eyes, the look she gave last night. Now, this wasn’t planned. I didn’t want to recreate the possible moment from last night. It just happened that we were here again and well… I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. My heart, my gut, my head, it’s all telling me to go for it if I sense it again… that look, that spark, that silent signal that just makes want to show her how much she means to me.
This… this was her gentle, sweet-but look before she says, “Can I talk to you about something?”
Twilight’s POV
I love this. I love being with him like this. He makes me feel safe and warm. It’s like having another blanket with a soothing heartbeat. His fur tickled my face slightly as his chest moved up and down gently. I nuzzled his chest gently, savoring the feeling.
I felt him kiss my horn. There was a slight tingle and I smiled widely as I felt my heart warm up from the gesture. Being here with him. Being this calm… made this so much easier to talk about. I looked into his gentle blue eyes and said, “Say Flash?”
“Yes Twilight.” He looked at me with thinned lips and a wondering look in his eyes.
“Can I talk to you about something?”
“Anything.” He told me, intently. “Here.” He moved so that we could face each other. The blanket slipped off. “Oh, here.” He wrapped me in the blanket.
“Aww.” I said, appreciating the thought.
He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck for a second. “Heh.”
I smiled back and inched closer to him so that I could wrap the blanket around the two of us. The blanket didn’t wrap all the way around and we probably looked silly but it would do.
“Twilight-”
“No, no. It’s only fair.” I told him.
He slightly chuckled. “Actually, I was going to say, ‘Let me grab the other one from my closet.’”
“Oh, okay.” I smiled.
He got up and said, “I’ll be right back.”
When he came back, I wrapped myself in the first blanket and he wrapped himself in the second blanket.
“So,” he said as he looked me in the eye, “should I be concerned?”
“No, not at all.” I told him as I shook my head. “It’s just that, well, remember how I said before, that I wasn’t ready for my first kiss.”
He nodded slowly. “Yes.” He cleared his throat. “Why?”
I looked down for a second as I felt a blush forming on my cheeks, my heart beating faster and a smile forming on my face. I took a breath and then looked at Flash again. His eyes were focused on me and notably worried before he noticed my smile.
“Well, last night, I realized that I’m ready for my first kiss.”
“O-oh, you are… huh…?” He looked at me with wide eyes, his mouth slightly ajar and his hoof on his neck.
“Yes.” I thought he might need some time to process this, so I waited for him to say something else. For a few moments, we glanced around the room and each other. I started to fidget with my hooves after a little while, feeling antsy. I knew he needed the time but being vulnerable like this was… uncomfortable.
“So…” He started. I refocused my attention to Flash. “C-can you tell me what happened last night that uh, that made you realize you’re ready for your first kiss?”
“Oh, well,” I felt more at ease that he was talking to me. “Actually, it was here, on the couch. There-” I took a pause to choose my words, “was a moment. I looked at you and… I just knew. I… I thought, well, I thought we were…” Suddenly, it was difficult to speak. My chest felt slightly heavy and my head felt warm. I felt a touch of the disappointment and embarrassment from last night again.
He sighed, “But I ruined it.” He slumped in his seat.
“What?” I was stunned.
He muttered something to himself.
I shook my head, refocusing on the conversation. “No, Flash. You didn’t ruin anything.”
“But I upset you.” He said firmly.
“No Flash, you didn’t upset me. I mean, yes, I felt disappointed and embarrassed but it’s not your fault.” I assured him. “It wasn’t the right time. You couldn’t have known, I didn’t even know.”
“But I did.” He said, before he buried his face into his hooves.
“What…” I gasped, not believing what I just heard him say.
He brought his head back up and looked at me with apologetic eyes.
“I did, urg, well okay, I had a gut feeling but I didn’t listen. I thought…” He looked away. “I thought it was too soon, I thought I was reading you wrong.” He let out a breath before looking back at me. “I’m sorry Twilight, I’m sorry for making you go through all that. I… just want to make sure you’re comfortable.”
At first, I was confused, but as he spoke, my heart warmed in understanding. He’s so wonderful. I felt my eyes water slightly and I smiled gently at him.
“I really appreciate that Flash. I really do.” I reached out and took his hoof. “I don’t know how many guys would be this patient or considerate.”
“Or unconfident, anxious, scared even.” He looked at me with a quick sad smile that turned into a frown and unsure eyes. “Some first boyfriend I turned out to be, huh?”
I immediately shook my head. This wasn’t right. I took his other hoof and spoke from the heart. “Flash, you’ve been a great boyfriend. You visit me when you can and your letters keep me in the loop, so that when we get together, it’s almost as if you never left. You treat me like a pony, and not just a princess. You let me talk you’re ear off about magic, and books, and my duties. You experiment with food and encourage me to try new things. And whenever I’m unsure about something, we stop to process our options.”
He nodded slowly as his expression softened. He brought his head up to look at me. “Yeah, yeah, I do.” He smiled genuinely for a moment before his lips thinned. So, I pushed onward. I couldn’t let him think he was a coward, or unworthy of my affection.
“You’re cautious, sweet, a real gentlecolt. A really great guy who makes me happy and…” I glanced away for a moment, “well, lets us have talks like this.” I’d be driving myself crazy trying to interpret Flash if he never spoke to me about these kinds of things.
He nodded slowly. “Well, this wouldn’t be much of a relationship if we couldn’t actually talk.” His smile was returning. “I’d like to say I know you pretty well by now, but I can’t read your mind.”
I nodded and smiled. I was glad to see him looking and talking more like himself.
“Nope. But evidently, you are pretty good at reading me. How else could you have known I wanted to kiss you last night?”
His smile faltered and he winced slightly. Oh no.
“I’m sorry.” I took my hooves back and raised them up. I waved my hooves in front of me in a panic. “I-I-I wasn’t thinking. I… I’m sorry I brought it up again.” I shrank in my seat and locked my hooves together. This was going so well. Now look what I’ve done.
“It’s okay Twilight.” He chuckled slightly. Huh? I snapped my head back up and looked at him, curiously. “Evidently, you can read me pretty well too.” He gave me a grin.
“I… I guess I can.” I couldn’t help but smile back.
He let out a breath. “Hm…” We smiled oddly at each other before we both nervously laughed together.
For a few moments, we stared and smiled small smiles at each other. This was both easier and harder than I thought this talk would be. Easier, because I was actually able to talk to him without blurting all of my feelings out at once. Harder, because Flash was being so hard on himself and suddenly, I had to assure him that he’s a good boyfriend. In all honesty, this whole thing was starting to sound silly. I suppose that’s what happens when you actually talk about something that at first seems to be the biggest obstacle with someone who… you can actually talk to. A first kiss is special because it’s the first one. Once it’s done, it can’t be undone. So, you should strive to make it a wonderful experience. With Flash, I know it will be because… he’s Flash, he’s My Knight.
Suddenly, I felt that feeling again. The feeling of wanting to be close to him, of kissing him. My heart sped up to the point where I could feel its beat throughout my chest, into my head, even to my forelegs. I inched towards him, unsure but hoping he would do the same. He didn’t last night because he thought I wasn’t ready. It’s only fair I give him the same courtesy. He inched towards me too. I sucked in a breath. Is this it? My eyes darted from his eyes to his lips. He offered his hoof to me. He was asking for my permission. I looked at his hoof and then at him. He wants to kiss me too. I smiled at him, still feeling warm and feeling my heartbeat throughout my body. It didn’t matter though because I was here with Flash Sentry. My boyfriend, my first kiss. I placed my hoof in his and leaned towards him. He tilted his head and leaned towards me. I closed my eyes… When our lips met, I think my heart stopped. The kiss only lasted a few seconds. But in those two seconds, the heat in my face intensified and I felt some kind of sensation in the tips of my hooves. I felt myself tense up but relax once the initial contact moved through me like a ray of sunshine.
When we parted, I squeaked and looked down. My face was scrunched up to the point where my cheeks started to hurt and burn at the same time. My heart still pounded in my chest so hard that I could still feel it my ears. I had this odd smile on my face and I felt myself shaking slightly. I stayed like this for a few moments. We kissed! We kissed! I squealed inside my head. I kissed Flash, he kissed me. I couldn’t believe it for a moment but it just happened.
Flash’s POV
Wow… Just wow… It, it wasn’t my first kiss. I doubt it’ll be my last but… this was different. I hadn’t realized it until now but Twilight… Twilight makes me feel like I’m a teenager again. Timid and anxious about making a move, wondering and judging when a good time would be, feeling a rush and then a calmness when it first happens. In a way, it was bit awkward, it was a first kiss, so it was inevitable. This one, was sweet in a way that only comes from a pony as gentle, kind, adorable, understanding, motivated, book obsessed and so many other things, as Twilight Sparkle. It was warm and filled my heart with something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Something closer to love.
I couldn’t stop smiling at her as she kept her head down. I couldn’t stop staring at her and seeing… her glow… like the angel that she is… as overdone as that is. I… can’t think of anything else because that’s Twilight.
When she brought her head up and looked at me, we smiled at each other. Still reeling from our first kiss, I tried to say something. All that came out was, “Heh.”
“Hm.” She responded.
All we did was smile and stare at each other. I’m not sure how long, but it was long enough that I started to feel a rumble in my belly.
And there it is, a basic internal instinct was able to bring me out of this… daze.
“So, dinner?” I asked, hungry brain starting to set in.
“Huh, oh right.” Twilight replied with a small smile and a small blush on her face.
"Hey Twilight, we've got company," I heard Spike say from my bedroom door. I was finishing up a chapter from Ruby's manuscript. Flash and I decided that since we started the manuscript together, we should finish together. I made up a schedule and whenever we went to visit each other, we would discuss Ruby's story. We've managed to go antiquing, book shopping, we picked out floor cushions and we've even gone on a few hikes in the past few weeks.
"Oh, who is it Spike?" I asked as I finished the last sentence.
Right before I could turn around to face Spike, I heard, "Twilight!"
"Ruby? Flash?" Ruby flew to me with a big smile on her face and gave me a hug. I nearly fell over in my seat but I flapped my wings a little and hovered with the little filly in my forelegs. I was confused but I was glad to see her and Flash again. I hadn't seen Ruby since the Friendship Games and I hadn't seen Flash since Cadence's Foal Shower two weeks ago.
I gave Ruby a squeeze of my own before I said, "It's good to see you too Ruby. Flash."
We giggled a little before I set her down and landed on my own four hooves again. Flash walked up to us.
"Heh, sorry about that. She normally just tackles me." Flash said as he pointed at himself.
Ruby smiled in a weird way, "Yeah, I um, I got excited. I'm sorry Twilight." She looked at me with big eyes and an apologetic smile only she could make.
I smiled gently at her. Nopony could ever feel ill will towards this little filly. "It's all right, no harm done." I gave her a side hug before I asked, "But um, what are you two doing here? I thought you would be back in Canterlot by now."
"It was all Ruby's idea. We just got here from Manehattan thinking it would be a nice surprise to stop by before I head back to the Crystal Empire and Ruby gets back to Canterlot." Flash responded.
"Oh, how sweet." I smiled wide and felt my heart warm up. I've gotten very close to Ruby over the letters we've sent. We discuss everything and anything. She's written to me about her school assignments, her newest story and family news. I've written to her about my troubles with my new castle, about my family and about my time with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"We're not bothering you right now, right?" Ruby asked me.
"No not at all, things have been fairly quiet around here." I assured them.
"And it's about time for dinner, any requests?" Spike asked.
"Mmm, pizza, no fries, no hay burgers… oh, I don't know. What are you guys in the mood for?" Ruby asked.
"I'm pretty much up for anything." Flash said. "Twilight? Spike? Got any cravings?"
"Mmm…" Am I craving anything?
"Oh, there's a new pizzeria that just opened, if you guys want to try it." Spike replied.
"Sounds good, let's go. Where is it?" Ruby said quickly.
"Um… I think we just need to make a left at Sugar Cube Corner." Spike responded as he led Ruby out of my room. As I was about to take a step, Flash raised his foreleg in front of me.
"Huh?"
As I looked over to him, he pressed his lips onto mine. I squeaked in surprise and for a moment, I couldn't move. Not that I mind. I just wasn't expecting him to kiss me. By the time I realized what was happening, he pulled away. Despite having shared kisses before, he still manages to surprise me and leave me with a tingly feeling on my lips and a blush on my face.
He winked at me and said, "You weren't expecting me to not give you a hello kiss, were you?"
I smiled and let out a slight giggle. "No, not at all."
"Whoa slow down Rubes, you'll give yourself a stomachache." Flash warned her. We sat at a square table in the pizza parlor. Flash and I sat on one side while Ruby and Spike sat on the other side.
"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself." She took a sip of water.
"Okay, now I believe you." Spike commented to Flash.
"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" Flash responded while pointing a slice at his sister.
"I like to eat." She said as she slipped another slice into her mouth. "Keeps me in the zone." She took another big bite. "Although…"
"Is something wrong Ruby?" We asked her.
"Well, I've been having some trouble with my latest story. I can't quite get a hold of it."
"Oh." Flash and I sighed in relief. Spike had a questioning look on his face.
Flash took a bite while I asked, "You mean the one about the fairies?"
"No, I finished that one. I'll send you the pages when you're done with Petals. This one is about dolphins who travel into your dreams in order to stop a horrific monster from taking over the world through nightmares."
"Oh wow, that's pretty cool." Spike said. "Sounds like it would make a really neat comic."
"A comic, you think so?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, the artwork would be totally wicked." Spike said as he reached for another slice.
"I never thought about writing a comic before." Ruby mused as she brought her hoof to her chin. "That could be fun." She gasped.
Flash and I asked, "What's wrong?"
"Ash Sketch can help me. He loves drawing."
We sighed with relief. I took a bite as I thought about the name. Ash Sketch… Oh right. Ruby mentioned him a few times in her letters.
"He's the one that just transferred in, right?" Flash asked.
"Uh huh, I took Twilight's advice and talked to him about his hobbies. We've been friends ever since." She replied with a smile. "He's coming to my birthday party next month."
"Awe…" I replied.
Flash looked at his sister with his lips pressed together. He was thinking. I started to get the feeling that Flash was… having mixed feelings about this situation.
"So… what's got you stuck Sis?" He said with a small smile.
"Oh right, I haven't been able to come up with an appropriate group of heroes yet."
"Oh, well have you looked into heroes of the past or maybe even your ancestors?" I asked her before I took a few more bites.
"I've tried," she took a slice of pizza and started to wave it around as she spoke, "but I-I'm just not inspired. It's been three days and nothing." She took a bite of her food.
Flash and I shared a look.
"Maybe it's time to take a break Sis." He told her.
"Maybe." She stared at her food for a few seconds.
"Hey, how about a game of hide and seek after dinner, huh?" Flash asked her.
"Mmm, yeah, maybe that'll help." She looked up as Flash and smiled a little.
"Sounds fun, what do you say Spike?" I asked him.
"Uh… yeah sure, why not? I'll play a few rounds."
Back at the castle, we went over the rules in the throne room.
"All right, now that we've selected a pony to be It, the rest of the players have ten seconds to hide while It closes their eyes and counts to ten. Should It find any of the players and taps them, that player then must help It find the other players. However, should any of the players reach home base, in this case, my throne, then they are safe. The game ends when each player has been either found or reaches home base. There will be no use of magic or wings to make things fair."
Ruby, Spike and Flash nodded in understanding before Ruby closed her eyes started to count to ten.
I walked out of the throne room and found myself in the dining room. I hid behind one of the curtains that Rarity insisted on having in this room. Ruby walked slowly by, and I tried to walk into the other room. I heard a sound and quickly went back behind the curtain. I looked to my left and saw Flash walk in. I sighed in relief. Flash hid behind a potted plant as Ruby walked back in. I fully hid behind the curtain and hoped that I wouldn't be the first one Ruby would find.
My vision was limited but I managed to see Flash make his way towards me. "Hey, long time no see." Flash whispered.
I covered my mouth to quiet my giggle.
But Ruby must've heard either way.
"I know you guys are in here, or I guess at least one of you is." Flash took my hoof and pulled me into him. He covered my mouth and held onto me tightly. I was surprised and confused at the sudden action. I wanted to protest, but that would give us both away. While Ruby was inspecting a different plant, we snuck behind a different curtain. I started to grow curious as to what Flash could be up to, now that he was sneaking us both around the room. Eventually, we snuck around behind Ruby and made our way out of the dining room.
We were already making our way down the hall when we heard her say, "Aha!"
"What are you doing?" I whispered to him as we walked.
"Helping."
"Isn't that against the rules?"
"Not according to the ones you found." I pondered his response and realized, that the book I found made no mention of the players helping one another.
He opened the door to the library, and we walked in. He closed the door gently.
"Hurry." He whispered urgently. We walked briskly through the library.
"Do you think we're making it too hard for her?" I whispered.
He shook his head. "I don't think so. She likes a challenge."
We heard the library door open, and Flash stopped. He took my hoof and brought his hoof over his lips, signaling me to be quiet. I nodded in understanding. He closed his eyes and his ears moved around, picking up Ruby's steps. When he opened his eyes, he nodded to the side, and we snuck through the library. Every so often, he'd stop us, and we would turn and take a different direction. I had to admit, watching him go through all these steps, sneaking us away… was rather impressive and… something else… I was definitely feeling something close to excitement but in a dreamy kind of way. I wanted to be close to him… closer than what I already was. I was drawn to him. We took a convoluted way through the library and finally slipped out.
"Come on." We went down the hallway towards the throne room.
"Well, you sure are giving her a challenge. I didn't have to lift a hoof."
He smiled. "Stealth training and imagination. All I had to do was imagine Ruby was an assassin and I was protecting you. The result was all that back there."
I smiled and stopped him with my foreleg, suddenly feeling bold. "Thank you, my Knight." I smiled at him and kissed him. Like before, I felt a tingle on my lips, and a certain kind of giddiness and happiness in my heart. But this time, I was able to savor the moment. A kiss with Flash, while still special to me, was becoming more and more natural, like using my magic to open a door. When I pulled away, I looked up at him and I loved seeing the nervous smile and blush on his face. I could finally see why he liked surprising me with kisses.
"Heh, it's nothing really." He replied and smiled.
"Run!" Flash took my hoof, and we ran to the throne room. When we opened the door, Flash told me, "You go left, I go right."
We ran around the Cutie Mark Map, making Ruby choose which one of us to catch. Ruby was hot on my tail. But before either one of us could touch the throne, Ruby flung herself at me, only for Flash to fly up and take the blow. I made it to my throne while Flash and Ruby crashed into the map.
I tried to catch my breath as I asked them, "Are you two all right?"
"Let's go again!" Ruby exclaimed as she flew over to me. I smiled, seeing that she and Flash were all right.
Flash hopped from the table and smiled widely at us. "You bet."
Then, something dawned on me. "Wait, where's Spike?" I asked as I took Ruby into my forelegs and looking around.
"Right behind you."
We each called out a form of "Huh?"
We turned and watched Spike step out from behind the throne.
"Also. Safe!" He exclaimed as he touched the throne.
We played a few more rounds before Spike decided to call it a night and then we played one final round before Ruby gave a few yawns.
"And that's my que to put you to bed. Come on Sleeping Beauty." Flash said as we walked out of the throne room and headed upstairs to the guest rooms.
"Can I get a story before bed?" she asked.
"Sure."
"Then, we should head over to the library, and you can pick whatever book you like." I told her.
She gasped with huge eyes and a great smile on her face. "Really?" Suddenly, she had energy to spare for another Ruby.
I smiled at how much her face lit up. "Uh huh, and tell you what, I'll let you keep 3 books."
"Yay!" She took my hoof before taking Flash's as well. "Let's go."
She flew and started to drag us into the library.
"Whoa!"
"Ow!"
"Ruby, slow down Sis."
"Oops, sorry."
When we made it to the library, she exclaimed, "Ooh, where do I even start?!" She flew up and started to browse. I could see the excitement and determination in her face. If only all ponies could be this excited about books.
"You know, you might live to regret that." Flash said with I think a slight smirk on his face and lifting up into the air to a hover.
"Oh?" I asked, following his lead and catching on.
He flew towards Ruby. "There's a reason why we don't let her shop for books too often and now you're letting her take 3 out of your own collection."
I laughed a little. "Oh, but she looks so happy." I asked as I looked over to Ruby.
“So, what do you think of the Gardner? Who does she remind you of?” Flash asked. We were in my room discussing this week’s chapters after we tucked Ruby into bed. We were on our bellies looking over the manuscript.
“Fluttershy.”
“I know, right.” He nodded.
I giggled. “Yes, I’m amazed Ruby was able to use flashbacks as effectively as she does to explore her relationship with the prince.”
“He really is a decent guy. Too bad he’s too oblivious to realize she’s in love with him.” He shook his head and tsked.
“And she’s too shy and scared to tell him.”
“Her little critter friends are trying so-o-o hard, so very hard, it’s getting frustrating.” He looked at me with a slight wince.
“Yes, we’ve hardly seen Princess Violet and Sir Shrike at all these past few chapters.”
“Yeah…” He shrank in his seat and brought his hoof behind his neck.
“Something wrong?” I asked him, knowing that something was on his mind.
“Not exactly. I…” He looked at me sheepishly and tried to smile at me. I looked at him, intently. “I… may have read ahead.”
“You what?!” In an instant, I didn’t see Flash Sentry my boyfriend. I saw a traitor. He betrayed our pact, he betrayed me. He…
He flinched and then looked at me with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. It just… happened. I was so frustrated with these two that when I turned the page, I was so relieved to see Princess Violet and Sir Shrike I…” He sighed and covered his face with his hooves. “I didn’t even realize it until I finished the chapter.”
As he spoke, I took a few deep breaths to help myself. A part of me was still angry and betrayed. I made a schedule, we had an agreement, and we’re supposed to follow our terms. And he… Another deep breath. It occurred to me that he only read one chapter. I could read that chapter in a manner of minutes right now if I chose to.
“Twilight?” He asked with a worried expression.
I sighed, seeing his sincerity. How could I be mad at him for long? He’s Flash. He really is wonderful and this… while I felt betrayed for a little while, I know he never meant to hurt me. And the likelihood of all this happening again, is… well actually so long as Ruby writes, it is pretty high. Even I might accidently read ahead.
“It’s all right Flash.” I took his hoof and smiled gently at him. “Now, you can wait here while I finish the chapter, okay?”
He looked at me curiously with his head cocked to the side.
I continued to smile at him.
He pressed his lips together before responding. “Okay.” He nodded. “I can work with that.” He still looked at me curiously, but he accepted that I had to do this.
“Good.” I pecked his cheek before I settled into my desk with Ruby’s manuscript. As I read, I jotted down some more notes for Ruby.
“Huh, the Great Fairy reminds of Cadence.”
“Sweet Celestia, I knew it was on the tip of my tongue.” I heard him groan as I turned my head to see that he held his head in his hooves. “How did I not get that?”
I giggled. “I don’t know.” One more page… and done. “Okay, now I’m all caught up.”
I rejoined him on the bed, and we chatted a little more about Ruby’s story, getting lost in the world, debating on alternate ways scenes could have played out. We semi-acted out some of the scenes. We started to add more notes and even inserted a new empty page here and there full of notes for Ruby.
“Oh, before I forget, are we set for the holidays?” Flash asked.
I yawned. “Yes, my parents can’t wait to meet you.”
He smiled uncomfortably. “I’m… anxiously waiting for the holidays.”
“They’re going to love you Flash.” I assured him and placed my hoof on his. My parents were thrilled when they got my letter and sent possible dates for them to meet Flash. They also sent a lot of questions about us. It took the whole day to answer every question… some of which were more personal and embarrassing than others. They seemed to be impressed with Flash on paper and I have no doubt he will continue to impress them when they meet him.
Still, I know what it was like for me. While I’ve gained more confidence in interacting with other ponies, meeting his parents and his sisters was a big deal. I needed to prepare and practice for that dinner and Flash supported me then. Now, it’s my turn to return the favor.
“Yeah… maybe… hopefully.” He sighed and walked up to the window.
“Flash?” I asked as I walked up to the window.
“Fine… just… nerves.” He said as I took my place at his side.
“Oh?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s nothing new though.” He shook his head slightly. “Just a fact of this whole deal.”
I rested my head on his shoulder and looked out the window at the night sky.
“We can prep a little tomorrow, if you’d like.” I looked at him, but he didn’t look back at me. He took a breath.
“You know, it couldn’t hurt.” He looked down at me with a crooked smile.
“Yay!” I clapped my hooves. “We’ll get started first thing in the morning.” My excitement came to an abrupt stop when I let out another yawn.
Flash yawned immediately afterward.
“Guess it’s bedtime.”
“Mm-hm.” I responded.
We stared at each other for a few moments, stalling the inevitable goodbye. He’d go to the guest room next door, and I’d get ready for bed here. Recently, it’s drawn out longer than it used to. Last time I went to see Flash, I was close to at least trying to discuss the possibility of sharing a bed together. We’ve accidently crashed on his couch or in my living room. It would be nice to be close like that on purpose and not on a couch or oversized cushions.
“Say Twilight?”
“Yes Flash?”
He brought his hoof to the back of his neck.
“I was wondering, if you’re okay with it, if I could…” He glanced at the ground for a moment. “Um, stay here with you?”
I gasped quietly. My mouth wanted to hang open from shock but also smile from excitement. “You mean… you want to… share my bed, with me?”
He pressed his lips together before answering. “Only if you’re comfortable.” He offered his hoof to me.
Without hesitation, I took his hoof with a smile, feeling giddy, giggly, nervous… There was a funny, heavy, warm feeling in my chest. It was as if I held a new book close to my heart. “I am and in all honestly, I was going to bring this up myself, but I wasn’t sure if it was still too soon to even ask.”
“Yeah, kind of debated on that myself.” He chuckled slightly. We stood there smiling nervously at each other for a few seconds.
“So…”
“So…”
“We should get ready for bed.”
“Yeah… guess so.”
It took a moment before we actually left the window. I went through my bedtime routine all the while internally freaking out… in a good way. I wasn’t clear on proper protocol but thanks to my friends, Cadence, and a few romance novels, I had a general idea of what to expect. I’ll turn off the light, we will cuddle, we will talk, we will say goodnight and then we will fall asleep. When I wake up in the morning, I’ll see his face. His wonderful, cute face that makes me feel happy and safe and nervous and so many other emotions.
When I was finished, it was Flash’s turn. We passed by each other with the same nervous smiles. I sat on my bed, leaning on a pillow against the headboard.
Okay. This is it. The next step, our next step.
When he stepped back into my bedroom, our eyes locked as he shut the bathroom door. We smiled nervously at each other as he walked up to my bed. I lifted the covers so we could properly share the blanket.
I used my magic to shut off the lights. He sat up with me and wrapped his foreleg around me. He gave me a gentle squeeze and my nervous smiled turned into a happy one. Despite being aware that we were alone, here in my bed, I felt safe and warm with him here. I still had that funny feeling in my chest, but it was warmer, less jumpy. It was as if the book I held was a first edition but one I’ve held a million times, one that I know and can breeze through but still exciting to hold nonetheless.
“Let me know, if it’s too much, okay?”
“Mmm.” I responded, knowing that it wouldn’t be too much. Not with Flash. I squeezed him back.
Eventually, we settled in. He was on his back, and I was on my side. I rested my head on his shoulder and draped my foreleg over his chest. He wrapped his forelegs around me along with one of his wings. This wasn’t so different from cuddling on the couch but honestly, this was definitely better. I never thought this form of intimacy could be as addictive as it was. I might actually have trouble leaving my bed with him here. We were silent for a few minutes. I could feel his chest fall up and down.
“So… how ya feeling?” Flash asked.
“Warm, actually…”
“Good warm or bad warm?”
I giggled. “Good warm.” I nuzzled his chest.
He kissed my horn. Aww. I couldn’t help but smile. I lifted my head up to look at him. I could only see his silhouette so lifted my hoof to what I hoped was his cheek. Good. I had a reference point. I went in for a kiss. I pecked his lips softly, still unsure where his lips actually were. Once I knew, I tried again, and he met my lips softly. Then… I couldn’t help myself. We shared a few more kisses and pecks, the sensation in my chest starting back up again, the first edition bringing me to the edge of my seat. I couldn’t stop smiling, even when we settled in again.
We chatted for a few more minutes before we fell silent. A very calm silence. At some point, I closed my eyes and listened for his heartbeat. It was all I could hear, a steady rhythm, strong and true, just like Flash. Soon after, I drifted off to sleep.
“Ready?” I turned to see Twilight at my side. We were standing in front of her foalhood home in Canterlot. It was a two-story light gray building with blue trim. The bushes in front of the windows were delicately trimmed as expected. There was fresh snow on the ground and the neighborhood looked ready for Hearth’s Warming tomorrow. While Canterlot did not glow like the Crystal Empire, it was still a sight to see, the lights, the wreaths, the garlands, everything place to invoke the holiday spirit. This is home. Canterlot will always be home.
Home.
I smiled at Twilight, feeling a burst of confidence. “Ready.”
She smiled back and opened the door.
“Mom! Dad!” She called out as we entered. “I’m home.”
“Twilight!” A light gray unicorn with a white and light purple striped mane stepped out from the left side of the end of the entryway. Mother: Twilight Velvet. Occupation: Novelist. Loves: Her children and trying exciting activities. I repeated to myself like Twilight drilled me. She might have gone a tad overboard with the flashcards on her parents, but I did appreciate she cared enough to do this with me. Besides, it surely didn’t hurt. Velvet had come out from the living room. Up the stairs in front of us would be a few bedrooms. To the right, would be the dining room. The kitchen behind there. A study would be behind the living room. To prep for the visit, Twilight pulled a schematic for me to memorize, as well as photos of her family interacting in and out of their home.
Velvet hugged Twilight. “Welcome home Twilight.”
“Hi Mom.”
When she let Twilight go, she called out over her shoulder, “Nighty, get over here.”
“Coming Dear. Just putting the finishing touches on dinner.” Night Light called out to Velvet.
Then she turned her attention to Spike. “Welcome home Spike.” She picked him up and hugged him. I heard the Little Guy grunt slightly.
“Good to be back.” He said.
She turned to me. She gasped, “And you must be Flash Sentry. Come here, you.” Before I could respond, she had me in a bear hug with almost as much strength as Dad. Jeez.
“Uh, hello Ma’am.” I hugged her back with as minimal awkwardness as I could muster. I’m going to be feeling this in the morning. Wow. Shining Armor definitely got his strength from his mom.
“Wha-Oh, please call me Velvet.” She finally let me go and I smiled through the urge to check my wings.
“Twilight!”
“Hi Dad.”
I looked over to see a dark blue stallion with an even darker mane approach from the right side of the entryway. Father: Night Light. Occupation: Book Store Owner. Loves: His children and Bingo.
“Oh, Sweetie, it’s good to see you.” Night Light told Twilight as he hugged her.
“It’s good to see you too Dad.” She took a pause before letting her dad go.
“Spike, my boy.” He turned to Spike and hugged Spike more gently than his wife did.
“Honey, he’s here.” Velvet nudged her husband.
“I see him. I see him.” He offered his hoof. “Hello, I’m Night Light.”
I smiled and shook his hoof like my dad taught me, firm but friendly. Can’t let potential in-laws think I’m too weak to handle myself and protect my loved ones or too intimidating to be around. “I’m Flash Sentry. Good to meet you, Sir.” I said, almost like a guard.
He chuckled lightly. “No Sir here Flash. Night Light is fine.”
I nodded. “You got it.” Twilight and I thought we’d be going with a first name basis from the start but Mom and Dad… mostly Dad, instilled the Ma’am and Sir thing when meeting the parents.
“Well dinner will be ready in a bit. I hope you like eggplant parmesan.” Velvet said before corralling us into the living room. I felt magic starting to remove my winter gear and was about to take my saddle bags too.
“Wait, sorry.” I said as I held onto my bags with just enough force that I didn’t look crazy, hopefully. “My mother would kill me if something happened to these.” They looked at me funny which made me clear my throat and awkwardly chuckle while I rubbed the back of my head. “Heh, my family was pretty insistent um, Happy Hearth’s Warming.” I pulled out three lively decorated packages.
“This one’s for you two.” I held out the green one with the polka dotted ribbon.
“Oh.” Velvet responded.
“From my family to you.” I told them.
“That’s so kind.” Night Light responded.
“Thank you.” They said together. I smiled and saw Velvet whisper something in Night Light’s ear. He nodded and whispered back. Hm.
“This one’s for you Twilight.” The red one with golden swirls.
“But, you already gave me my gift.” She said as I held it out to her.
“This one’s from my family. Ruby said she helped pick it out.”
We exchanged gifts last week since we knew we’d be with our families for the Holidays. I got Twilight a copy of Ruby’s first story that I hoof bound myself. I had Ruby sign the title page. Twilight gave me a book, a collection of short stories taking place in a dystopian world. I gave Spike a comic book he’d been on the lookout for. Spike gave me a gem he carved himself to look like my cutie mark. Didn’t hurt that he got to eat a good chunk of the gem he started with. Still, it was oddly sweet, and it was pretty great representation. I gotta admit, he’s pretty skillful when he wants to be.
“And they didn’t forget you Spike.” I gave him a blue one with a white bow.
“All right. Thanks.” I smiled, seeing the excitement on his face. He’s a pretty special little guy. A little too confidant for his own good sometimes but he’s not bad… like a little brother…
“Welcome.”
“We’ll be sure to send them a thank you card.” Twilight responded.
“I think they’d appreciate it.” I told her.
“Well, I’m going to grab us some drinks.” Velvet stated as she made her way towards the dining room which led to the kitchen. “Sit, sit please. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Night Light led us into the living room. I saw a set of chairs with a love seat between them. A striped, green couch was on the other side of the round coffee table that was in the middle of the room. The home felt warm with all the decorations everywhere. The garlands on the fireplace had ribbons twirled into them. I could see the spot where they planned to set their Hearth’s Warming dolls. I saw bows, lights and knick-knacks all meticulously set up around the room. I saw a dark brown display case filled with rewards and one shelf was dedicated to family photos. Exactly what I expected from the Sparkles.
Night Light immediately sat in one of the recliners. Spike, Twilight and I took the couch.
“So, Twilight mentioned you’re a guard at the Crystal Empire.”
Here we go. “I am. I transferred there earlier this year.”
“Ha, how’s our son treating you and your comrades?”
“About what you’d expect. He’s always been fair and pushes us to be our best.”
“Oh good.” Velvet said as she walked in. “I’m glad to hear that.” She handed us glasses of cider. I didn’t want to mention the whole protective big brother thing. I’d rather forget it and Twilight has mentioned the Velvet can be pretty protective of Shining. Rather not deal with a mom going into Mama Bear mode. Or come off as a scared colt or rude.
“You’re originally from Canterlot yourself, right?”
“Yup, born and raised. But we lived closer to the outskirts of the city. Mom and Dad liked the idea of a lawn and backyard.” I set my mug down on a coaster just as Mom has in her own way drilled into me. I went ahead and pulled out a small album from my saddle bag. Mom was also insistent I take a small album with me. I set it down on the coffee table and turned it right side up for Twilight’s parents.
“My mom Posey Click, my Dad Bold Striker and their prized peach tree.”
Mom always said, “Nothing’s better than going through an album with friends.” Not sure if I’d ever really become friends with Twilight’s parents but we should at least be pretty close… be on friendly terms.
I went through the album pointing out my family members and a few memories. It was a short one. Didn’t want to turn this visit into a one-sided conversation. Velvet and Night Light seemed entertained though. So far, no actual lulls and everypony had a smile on their face.
Velvet clapped her hooves and got up from her seat to go through the bookshelf near the fireplace.
“Since we’re going through albums…”
Now, I was expecting the baby pictures… not the vacation photos where Velvet shows off a dare devil, adrenaline junkie side. Not something you’d expect from a novelist but honestly totally cool. You don’t meet too many moms who are this adventurous. My mom sure enough wouldn’t do something like this. Experiment with food sure, a round of paintball war maybe, but not sky diving.
“Oh, here’s the first time I went hang gliding, remember Dear?”
“How could I forget. The cliff you jumped from was unbelievably symmetrical.”
“You really should’ve joined me. The views were breathtaking.”
Ding!
That’s dinner.
I helped set up the table as I do and I felt Twilight’s folks watching me. I was used to the heat of attention that normally comes from this kind of visit, but I didn’t feel heat, it was more like a mist that was pretty cooling actually. I could hear them whisper but couldn’t tell what they were saying. I heard some giggling from the kitchen before Velvet and Night Light came out into the dining room.
“Who’s hungry?” Velvet smiled as she brought over a glass dish in her magic. Night Light had some rolls and butter in his magic.
“Twilight, can you bring in the green beans and carrots?” Night Light asked.
“Sure,” Twilight left for the kitchen.
“Sit Flash.” Velvet told me as she set the dish down in the middle of the dining table.
I waited to see where Twilight and I would be placed. The table seated six and there were five of us. Two couples and one sibling. That, and I’m supposed to wait until Twilight is seated first. Mom and Dad prepped me before I met up with Twilight. Not as long or as enduring like normal but they got a few points across before I was out the door. While I’m an adult and don’t have to do what they say… I don’t know, I couldn’t help it. Plus, it’s harmless and they’ve never steered me wrong. In a way, it was kind of nice, a little embarrassing but I could deal with it. I just miss them.
Anyway, when Twilight walked back in with two bowls of sides, I got behind a set of chairs. She set down the dishes and I pulled out the chair for her.
“Thank you Flash.”
She smiled her sweet smile at me while I sat down myself and noticed Twilight’s parents smiling at us. I knew they were watching the whole time but they both seemed… awfully excited… this giddiness can’t be genetic. Princess Cadence is related to them by marriage. Still…
This… is different. I’ve never met parents who were this enthusiastic about meeting the boyfriend before. I knew they’d be friendly and excited to meet me but this… was bordering on creepy… Think. Think.
“So… Velvet,” I started as she started to serve the dish.
“Hmm?” She focused on me.
“What’s left on your bucket list?”
And she could not contain herself. For a hot second, I really thought I was actually talking to Pinkie Pie. She and Night Light had some new plans to climb some pyramids in the Tenochitlan River Basin. Night Light was excited to see the ruins because of their precise placement, symmetry and historical context. Velvet was excited to climb and explore a piece of history. Both were excited to get in some culture. Velvet was more on board with trying new food than Night Light was. I was a little familiar with the kind of cuisine they’d see around there so I gave them a few options to look out for. Certain fried and grilled foods should go down easy.
“So yeah, it’s basically a pocket of corn dough filled with sauce and some veggies, and it’s wrapped in corn leaves. Can get a little spicy though.”
“Oh, that actually does sound good.” Night Light commented.
“I’ve tried to make it, but I can’t get the ratio of the spices right and making the dough takes forever.”
Twilight patted my shoulder. “You’ll get there, Flash.” She smiled reassuringly at me. I couldn’t help but smile back at her. It’s not that big of a deal really, but it was nice to hear some words of faith. And of course, I love seeing her smile. It’s a given that her smile brightens up my day… as corny as that sounds.
“I’m thinking I’ll find a shop here that has the dough premade and see how that works.”
“Great, I love eating the trial batches.” Spike said. “Especially, after you got your deep fryer.”
“Which…” I started as I scolded him gently like my mother would me and my sisters.
“Which I’m not allowed to use without supervision. I know, I know.” He made a face that told me he was annoyed but he understood why I wanted him to reiterate our agreement.
“Good.” I said, satisfied.
“Oh my, what happened there?” Velvet asked.
“I experimented with some gems and made a bit of a mess.”
“A bit?!” I cocked my head and eyed him. “The oil managed to reach my ceiling.” I pointed up and noticed the guilty look on Spike. For a second, he looked like Ruby. I felt a pangin my heart that I had only ever felt with Ruby and Cardinal. I let out a breath. Just like with Ruby, I can’t stay mad too long. “We’re really lucky you don’t burn easily Spike,” I said, bringing myself down from scolding older brother to caring older brother.
“Mm-hm. You gave us quite a scare there for a moment Spike.” Twilight said.
“I know… and again I’m sorry.” He looked away for a moment.
I placed my hoof on his shoulder. “It’s okay Spike, you live and learn. The important thing is you didn’t get hurt.”
He looked at me and he smiled a small smile. He was starting to feel better about this whole deal, and I was glad about that. He is still a baby dragon, so a few hiccups were in order. It wasn’t a fun mess to clean, but he was a pretty good set of claws in the kitchen.
“And hey, you’re still my favorite sou chef.” I ruffled his scales.
“Hey!” He shook his head and pulled away from me. We had a small laugh.
The rest of the dinner went by pretty well, I’d say. We finished up and I helped clear the table. I walked into the kitchen when Velvet turned around from the fridge and said, “So Flash, Twilight says you have an affinity for ice cream.”
“I do…” I said as I placed the dishes in the sink where Night Light was prepping the dishes for a soak. Did they-
“Well, we thought some sundaes would make for a great desert.” She beamed, as she pulled a few tubs of ice cream from the freezer.
Wait!
“Those are from Sprinkles! That’s my favorite ice cream shop in the entire city.”
She giggled.
“Would anypony like desert now?” Night Light asked.
We all gave a no in our own ways after a bit of debate. I was too full for a sundae and if I was going to dive into some ice cream from Sprinkles, I wanted to really dive in. My family and I would go that place maybe once a week in the summer. And even when it got cold out, we couldn’t help ourselves but to go. Ruby and I loved trying out the seasonal flavors and each year is just a little different.
“Later then.” Velvet concluded. “When do you need to head back to your home, Flash?”
“Oh, whenever really.” I don’t have a curfew… anymore. Coming home does make me feel like a kid again… a teenager really… meeting my girlfriend’s parents for the first time, them prepping me just before I left, my family wishing me luck.
“Still, with the holidays, we wouldn’t want to keep you away from your family.” She replied.
“Ah, no worries, really.” I reassured them.
We went back to the living room to talk more. This time, Velvet did bring out foal photos and not just Twilight’s either. I saw Twilight, Shining Armor and Spike at their most adorable and most embarrassing and some sweet moments.
There was one where a young Shining Armor held a young Twilight who held a newly hatched Spike. Mom would call it picture perfect. It’s funny, knowing these guys and dating the mare this filly grew up to be. Seeing how much they changed through the photos and the stories. It’s hard to believe the colt who refused to eat peas turned into my commanding officer. Or the young dragon who used to suck on his tail turned into a capable assistant. Or the little filly there lifting a book bigger than she is grew into a Princess of Equestria. It was like getting a crash course in this family all over again with more laughs.
We got around to the sundaes eventually. Twilight and I decided to share one. I let her eat most of the vanilla since it’s her favorite.
“Well, sorry to cut the fun short but I should probably get going.” I said after I noticed the time.
“Oh, hold on a moment. You should take some leftovers.” Velvet said as she stepped back into the kitchen. I wanted to object but then I remembered my parents’ prepping. She took the time and she wanted to share so accept it as gift.
Night Light got up and lead us into the main hallway of their home. I got my winter gear on while we chatted a bit. Velvet rushed in with the leftover packed up in her magic.
“Here you go.” She tucked the leftovers into my saddle bag with her magic.
“Thanks, and thanks for having me.” I said with a smile. Always show appreciation for company.
“It was good to finally meet you, Flash.” Night Light said as he extended his hoof towards me.
“Same here, Night Light.” I shook his hoof like before.
Velvet pulled me into a tight hug. Yup, definitely going to feel this in the morning. I hugged her back readily, now seeing how much of a hugger she is.
“Don’t be a stranger. And wish your family a happy Hearth’s Warming from us, okay?”
“Will do.”
She let out a slight happy sigh when she finally let me go. I resisted the urge to flex my wings and smiled. I didn’t want to worry her… as a mother does.
I turned to Spike and said, “See ya later Little Buddy.” I picked him up and hugged him.
“Wha-, uh, yeah. See ya Flash.” I felt him struggle at first, but he caved and hugged me back. We usually just bump claw and hoof but… it was the holidays and to be honest, I’ve actually gotten pretty attached to the little guy. I don’t always see him when Twilight visits but when he’s around, he’s actually pretty fun. He and Ruby surely got along when we dropped by. Actually, I’ve been getting letters from him, and we manage to talk games, comics, and graphic novels. We’re thinking of getting together for a one shot of Ogres and Oubliettes with Big Mac.
“I’ll see you out.” Twilight said.
We said a final set of goodbyes and then, Twilight and I stepped out. We walked down the short pathway to the sidewalk before turning towards each other. Out of the corner of my eye I could see some movement from the bay window. They’re watching. I chuckled to myself. They’re excited, a little overzealous but harmless.
“So, I think it’s going well.”
“What do you mean is?” She looked at me with a cocked eyebrow.
I nodded my head slightly towards the window. She took a quick look at the window and giggled.
“I think it’s going well too.”
She took a step towards me, and I followed her lead. We kissed for a few seconds, and I could feel the initial chill from the cold fade. I swear I could hear a squeal coming from the house. When we parted, I tried not to laugh at her mom’s response. But I couldn’t help but smile. I started to wonder of Cadence got all gossipy with her in laws.
“I guess that means she approves.” I said with a goofy smile on my face.
She smiled and said, “They both do. You really impressed them with your travels and culinary knowledge. And you were just as patient as always. Even when my dad went on and on about symmetry.”
“I only know of one other pony who could go on and on about a headdress.”
She cocked her eyebrow at me before realizing who I was talking about. Her eyes got big, and she flushed.
“It’s a compliment Twilight. I like listening to you talk and seeing how your face lights up when you go into detail.”
She smiled nervously and a blush grew on her face. I placed my hoof on top of hers when the wind picked up. Suddenly, I remembered how cold it was outside.
“Okay, you better get inside. I’ll see you… eh, hopefully before the foal is born.”
“Hopefully, but Cadence’s due date isn’t too far away.”
“Fair enough.”
We said our final goodbyes and shared a quick kiss before I flew home. I mentally started to prep for everything my family was going to throw at me. Every time I go and meet the parents, they bombard me with questions that I can’t even answer because they won’t let me. They talk over each other, and I get a small migraine from trying to focus on everything at once. I’ve managed to cross my eyes every single time.
As soon as I stepped on the front porch, the door opened, and they pulled me in. I closed my eyes and tried to tune them out. Need to let them tire themselves out and then I can tell them what happened.
Dad noticed what I was doing and promptly struck his hoof down. “Attention, Flash Sentry!”
Hearing that tone, I automatically saluted and replied, “Sir, yes Sir.”
Before I realized what had happened, Dad chuckled and said, “Good to have you back Flash.”
I groaned. “You know that really shouldn’t work as well as it does.” Dad ran us like he did guards under his commands… in the most loving way that Mom allowed. She kept Dad from turning us each into a mini guard as children. Any time my sisters and I got out of hoof, all he had to do was holler “Attention!” I’ve never seen it fail… not even after we left the nest.
“It’s the trademark of the family.” Cardinal reminded me. “It’ll work until the day we die.”
Ruby agreed with “Mm-hm.”
“So…” My mom bounced on her hooves. “Tell us, how’d it go?”
I smiled and said, “Great.” I walked into the living room, expecting them to follow me. They started to press me for details, and I sat on the couch.
“Aw come on, you’re killing us.” Cardinal said. “Look at Mom and Ruby.” I refused, knowing what awaited me was a mom and sister near tears with pouting faces. They were not above begging.
I smiled and chuckled. “All right.” In all honesty, I just wanted to get comfy. This was going to be a while. They hung on my every word and congratulated me when I finished.
Suddenly, Ruby gasped, and we all turned to her. “Oh, and look at what they sent us.” I let out a breath in time for Ruby to pull me towards the dining room. On the table was a set of cupcakes that were arranged and decorated to look like a wreath.
That’s what they were whispering about.
“I can’t wait to eat them tomorrow.” Ruby gleamed.
“I get the one with the red bow.” Cardinal told us.
“Then I get a bell.” Ruby responded.
“Then I get the other bell,” I proclaimed feeling like a total kid. It’s like I never left.
“Not before I get a picture with all of us together.” Mom reminded us.
“Yes, Mom.” We responded in perfect unity.
“Now how about a story?” Dad asked with a book in his hoof. We all knew which one.
“You mean the one about Grandpa Steel-” Ruby started.
“And his reunion with Grandma Magenta?” Cardinal finished.
“As is tradition.” Dad nodded.
I heard a sniffle and we all turned towards Mom. As soon as I saw the tears, right on que, I started to tear up too.
“Awe, Ma…” I wiped eyes knowing a few tears would fall.
“I can’t help it, it’s so beautiful.” I tear fell from her face.
“I’ll get the tissues.” Cardinal said, exasperated.
Dad wrapped a wing around Mom and kissed her cheek.
“I’m fine. Really.” She wiped her eyes.
“Wouldn’t be Hearth’s Warming if you didn’t cry at least once.” Cardinal said in the just slightly annoyed way that she does. She held the tissue box out to Mom who took it some tissues and dried her tears.
“Thank you Dear.”
“You sure you can handle the story tonight, Mom?” Ruby asked.
“Yes. Yes. I’ll just… I’ll just keep these close.”
“Which means you’ll need these.” Cardinal pushed a box of tissues into my chest. I waited for her to call me Mr. Cry Baby but after a few seconds of her staring at me I realized she was expecting something from me.
“Oh, thanks Cardinal.”
“Welcome.” She nodded.
“Come on everypony, in the living room.”
We followed Mom and Dad out into the living room and took our places around Mom and Dad who sat in their rocking chairs. With Ruby in the middle, Cardinal and I flanked her. She had the floor cushions custom made for us when we were kids. We listened to Dad read from the printed version of Grandpa Steels journal.
Aaaaand break time. I thought to myself as I saw my relief come. We acknowledged each other and I made my way towards the new highness’ room. She was born a few days ago and proving to be a hooful, but she’s captured our hearts. Her first day through her Crystalling was beyond exhausting. At one point I actually flew up and chased her around the castle. She had a habit of teleporting. It’s a good thing Twilight managed to find a few spells to help us out with these spurts Flurry Heart was having. Alicorn foal… who would’ve thought?
I made it to the door and noticed it was closed. I opened the door as quietly as I could. I stuck my head through the door and saw Twilight, Spike, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash in the room with Flurry Heart. Pinkie was curled on the floor near the bassinette. She was sleeping on her tail and snoring. The poofy tip of her mane moved back and forth with her breath. I stifled a chuckle. Rainbow Dash was up high on a on a piece of cloud I assumed she brought in to help Flurry Heart sleep. A ride on a cloud sure did the trick with me and my siblings but it looks like that wasn’t the final trick to get Flurry to nap. Twilight had curled up on the couch with Flurry Heart in her embrace. Spike was on her other side, leaning on her. They all looked so peaceful; I couldn’t wake them up. I smiled and slowly, closed the door. I heard familiar hoofsteps not long after.
I turned to find the proud parents and grandparents of our young Flurry Heart. I brought my hoof up and went, “Sh…” I walked up to them and said, “They’re sound asleep.”
“Aww…” Went Velvet and Night Light. They had no rehearsal. Kind of scary, and adorable… must be a grandparent thing.
Cadence and Shining Armor gave tired smiles. I gave them an understanding smile. I at least get to leave at the end of the day… they’re uh, kind of stuck here. They’ve got a lot of help though for the transition to having a foal so it could be worse.
“Hm. I thought for sure Flurry would be hungry about now.” Cadence commented.
“Waaaaah!”
Automatically, we hurried into the room and saw the girls struggling with Flurry.
“What is it? New diaper?” Dash asked.
“Her rattle?” Pinkie interjected while shaking the blue piece in her hoof. “Stuffed cupcake.” She materialized another colorful toy in her other hoof.
“I don’t know!” Twilight responded. She tried cradling and swaying Flurry Heart.
Cadence used her magic to take the crying foal. “We’ll take it from here girls.” She said as she made her way to the small bed they had in the room for nursing and naps.
“You deserve a rest. Lunch should be ready for you soon and then; you are all taking a trip to the spa.” Shining Armor told them.
Before they could voice much gratitude, Velvet corralled us out of the room while she said, “Run along now, all of you. We’ll see you in the morning.”
I heard a few yawns go around. They all looked pretty worn out. Amazing what a newborn does to ponies.
Lunch was pretty quiet. Apple Jack, Fluttershy, and Rarity joined us for lunch. They seemed to have come out of a nap themselves. I couldn’t imagine what the night shift was like in the castle. I tried engaging them, but they were more concerned with eating than actually talking. The girls and Spike hit the spa for the rest of the afternoon. Things were definitely calmer than they were when Flurry was born but life with a foal in the castle was still exhausting.
I lived through two foals in the house and Mom and Dad insisted they’d handle everything. They didn’t want help; they didn’t need the help. Of course, that didn’t stop my grandparents from coming by more frequently. Mom’s parents still lived in Canterlot and we’d normally have a weekly dinner which turned into unannounced visits to give my parents a break. We tried to help in our own ways, like making up a cup of a tea and solving our own disputes. They never wanted us to care for our siblings, not in the ways that parents are supposed to.
At the end of my shift, I walked back to the nursery to find everypony gushing over Flurry Heart. They had that glow that only happens when… you meet a new foal who even though you have no idea who they will grow up to be, for whatever reason, you just love that foal. Even if they look a little funny after birth, it doesn’t matter because you love that foal. I smiled and walked up to them as we greeted each other.
"Wahg."
"Oh, hello Princess." I acknowledged Flurry Heart who was being held by Velvet. I walked up to them. “May I?” I held my limbs out.
“Oh.”
“Hi.” I laughed as Flurry Heart giggled. She had used her own magic to teleport herself into my limbs.
“Aw, she likes you.” Fluttershy said.
I smiled. Now that the shock of Flurry being born an Alicorn was over, I could gush over her too. I felt that tug in my heart that I felt when we went to go see Ruby in the hospital for the first time. She was on top of Dad, asleep, while Mom snoozed away. We moved in quietly as a unit, just like Dad trained us to. One by one we took a look at our new sister and like magic, we all fell in love her. We knew what we were in for, we knew the work and exhaustion that was coming but we were still excited to meet her. But for just that purest moment, we could just enjoy her company, enjoy family.
In another flash of magic, I closed my eyes, I felt my helmet disappear and something brush against my cheek. I opened my eyes and looked down at Flurry Heart. She cooed as she lifted her hooves up to her head where she teleported my helmet. I smiled… until I heard snickers. I looked over at everypony. They were holding in their laughs. As I moved my head, I something caught my eye. A curl… a multicolored curl. I blinked before realizing what had happened. I felt my pulse in my face and lifted the helmet off the Princess’ head… My mane… She stole my mane!
Rainbow Dash broke first and rolled on the floor, not containing herself. Pinkie followed suit, falling back on her tail with her hooves in the air. Everypony else had the decency to dial down their laughter. I sat there. Mortified. That a foal stole my mane. The same foal I had chased around the castle. The same foal who just a second ago seemed so curious and loveable and not stealing my mane! Even Twilight laughed.
“T-tah-t-Twi, switch it back.”
“It’s not so bad.” She giggled.
“Switch it back. Switch it back. Switch it back.” I repeated, without fail until another flash of magic occurred. I didn’t hear or see anything else until I got my mane back.
I took an anxious breath and gave the foal to Twilight who looked at me like I was crazy and to tell you the truth, I probably am. I am allowed to be a little vain… maybe a lot vain… you would be too if you had my mane.
Then…
Another flash of magic.
Why?
This time, Pinkie and Rainbow held onto each other as they rolled on the floor.
This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening.
Then…
I heard a foal’s giggle. When I looked over to the little Princess in Twilight’s grasp and saw Flurry Heart’s content face, I saw Ruby. I felt that tug again, not the same one but enough alike that I loosened up and pressed my lips together. I let out a breath and tried to smile.
“I guess I should be flattered that out of everypony here, you liked my mane enough to switch’em.” I reached out of for her, and she raised her forelegs towards me with a grin on her teeny face. She didn’t use her magic this time and actually let Twilight place her in my hooves. I nuzzled her and she cooed at me as everypony’s laughter died down.
“Hmm.” More magic. This time, it was Rarity with a brush. I felt the curls being pulled upwards and piled on top of my head. “I think the curls work but the colors um…” She used her magic to float a mirror in front of me. Eh, the curls weren’t bad piled on my head. She tried to style it like my mane but there was less wispiness, more… waves… One curl in particular insisted on resting up over my forehead. The colors though… on a Princess, absolutely adorable, on me… well… I tried to ignore the images of baby animals that was provoked with the palette on my head.
“Apple Jack, what do you think?” I would have asked Twilight, but Apple Jack will give me the harsh truth gently… less beating around the bush.
“About the colors or the curls?” She cocked an eyebrow.
“Both. Give it to me straight AJ.”
She nodded. “Well, Sugarcube, the curls ain’t half bad but the colors just ain’t you. They’re too soft for somepony like you.”
“Maybe if they weren’t pascal.” I mused as I looked up for a sec.
“Ooh, I can take care of that.” Rarity held up a tube and a bowl in her magic.
“Uh, hold on. That’s still my baby’s mane.” Shining Armor stepped in as a father does.
We had another laugh. I mostly chuckled before looking down at Flurry Heart. I promise, I’ll be in your corner, even if you humiliate me.
“So, was it leftovers or do you want something else?” I asked Twilight. We were back at my apartment. As soon as Flurry Heart was distracted enough, we got out of there with my mane. I walked into the kitchen after I put my armor away. Twilight was on the couch huddled under the blanket as usual.
Dinner was a safe thing for me to think about. Was I being a bit paranoid, maybe? I was stuffing the worry of Flurry Heart somehow having the power to switch our manes again when she had no idea where I was down into my stomach so that I could digest it along with dinner. I opened the fridge and did a once over.
“Mmm, what did we have yesterday again?” Twilight asked. She sounded less tired than she did earlier. When you weren’t necessarily caring for a foal, you can recover a bit from the joy the foal shows. I brought my hoof up and smoothed out my mane. I sighed. She was just being a foal. Let it go. Twilight’s here. Dinner and Twilight, that is my whole world right now.
I closed the fridge and looked at Twilight. I smiled seeing the familiar sight of her huddled under the blanket on the couch. She smiled at me and held the blanket over herself like a hood. All I really could see was her face. Yeah, my whole world right now.
“We ordered a pizza, but I think I can make up some quesadillas-”
“NO QUESADILLAS!!”
I flinched… Please don’t storm off! Please don’t throw food at me!... I couldn’t open my eyes. I was afraid of what I might find. Wait… What…
She was gently shaking me. I was breathing… I think… shallow. The rock in my chest tried to bounce with my breathing. “I’m sorry. Please Flash, talk to me.” She kept repeating. What?
I opened up my eyes. Blue crystal. Silver fridge. Golden armor. My apartment… When I looked over at the mare trying to get my attention, I could think. Whoa. I could feel my heart beating like crazy from my… moment.
She looked at me with tears in her eyes. Purple eyes. Bright pink stripe.
“Twilight?” I asked. I… I wanted to be sure…
“Flash, are you okay?” Her hooves were on my shoulders.
“I… I think so. I…” I brought my hoof up to my head. I… was there and back so fast…
“What happened?” She let my shoulders go. “You just-you just…”
“I… I was back. I…ugh.” I shook my head, not wanting to believe this was happening, but knowing that it was. I reanalyzed things after what happened in Ponyville and came to a conclusion. I really hoped I was wrong but evidently, I was right. I hoped… I hoped it was just gone. So many years had passed that it never came to mind. I thought, it was forgotten. That it was stuck behind an invisible wall, in a cell, with a guard in a part of my brain that I couldn’t reach. That I wouldn’t be able to find again.
She swaddled me and wrapped her forelegs around me and cried, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Flash.” She kept repeating her apology.
My heart sank, hearing the guilt, terror, and tremble in her voice. I kept quiet because I knew she needed this. She needed to let it out. I undid the swaddled and wrapped us both in the blanket. I held onto her tight. Eventually, her crying slowed down, and her breathing and heartbeat were more or less back to normal. She could hear me and take in what I had to say now. “It’s okay, it’s okay Twilight. I’m fine now. It passed.” It passed, it passed. “None of this is your fault. You’ve got to know that. Please Twilight, you didn’t do this to me. You’re not the one who…” I felt my hold on her faulter before I squeezed her again. Her head on my chest. “Who hurt me, who tried to control me and steal me away from myself. That wasn’t you.” I felt tears forming. I swallowed as memories flashed by. It wasn’t you, Twilight. Twilight didn’t throw hot grease at me. Twilight didn’t threaten me. Twilight didn’t leave me agonizing while I tried to read between the lines. Twilight didn’t lie to me. Twilight didn’t refuse to talk to me. I’m not there anymore. I’m safe.
“I know, but…” She took a wheezy breath and looked up at me. Tears fell from my eyes, now. “But if I hadn’t yelled… you… you wouldn’t have…” She squeezed me tighter and looked down in shame. “You wouldn’t’ve gone through that again.”
I sighed; this is exactly what I was afraid of. “I know… I know you feel awful about this. But please don’t blame yourself for this. This was bound to happen sooner or later.” I didn’t want to accept it but… it’ll come when triggered it seems… it might come in waves for the rest of my life.
She brought her head up and looked at me. We still held onto each other.
“Still, you shouldn’t have to go through this because I overreacted. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.” She shook her head. “No matter how much I dislike quesadillas.”
Suddenly, I held onto that. I was feeling so heavy and drained, I needed a slight escape. “Yeah… if you don’t mind me asking. What’s up with that?” I wiped the tears away from my eyes.
She shivered instantly and took her hooves back. She took a step back and swaddled me again. This is… new. “They’re just so… cheesey.” Her face distorted into something that actually pained me. I felt uneasy and pressed my lips together.
“So… there’s such a thing as too much cheese for you?” I love cheese. I can work with this since, on some level, she’s okay with cheese. I have this thing with raspberries where I can’t eat them by themselves, but I do enjoy products made from them. So, I get it… on some level.
She shrank into herself and looked away in shame, maybe fear. “Something like that.” The rock in my chest twisted differently. Less painful but, still there. “I’m sorry Flash.”
The rock retwisted even worse. “Twilight, it’s okay, really. This-this was just an accident.” I undid the swaddle and wiped the away her tears. I swaddled her. Twilight knew everything, everything that happened while I was dating Her. I thought… I thought she understood. I worked through what happened and I accepted what happened. This was… I mean it beyond sucks, but I can handle it. I can ride it out. I did ride it out.
“I could have prevented it. You shouldn’t have to relive any of it.” She still wouldn’t look at me.
“You’re right, I shouldn’t.” I told her. I had to use a different tactic. She flinched and tried to retreat into herself. Nope not happening. I held onto her. “This wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for Her. This is going to happen sometimes, and I don’t want you to be afraid to be yourself around me. You’re allowed to react however you’re going to react. If it didn’t happen today, then some other time. And I’ll ride it out. I can handle it.” I pulled away slightly and brought my hoof to her chin so she would look at me. “Listen, why don’t we just sit for a minute, okay?” Then, I offered her my hoof.
She sniffled and looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Okay,” she took my hoof, “I can do that.”
And so, we cuddled on the couch. Normally, I’d relish the feeling of having her here but… I couldn’t… I couldn’t help but… remember. It’s a cycle, kind of. Certain actions, words, no particular order but some kind of repeat. I swallowed as I tried to keep my breath steady and looked down at Twilight who was curled up with her head on my chest. She didn’t look at me. Honestly, if she did, I would have broken down. I never wanted her to see me like this. I never wanted her to feel guilty. It’s not her job to get me through this… but… she-we’ll never escape it. As long as we’re together, it’ll be there… somewhere in my heart, in my head, in my gut… and now in her heart, head and gut too.
What have I done?
“Flash?”
“Hm?”
She sat up and draped the blanket on me. “Wh-What do you need?” She looked at me weakly. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her normal gleam diminished.
“What?” I sat up and undid the blanket.
“I-I mean, do-do you need to be alone or… want to… bury your face in a tub of ice cream… I-” She hiccupped.
What have I done? I couldn’t stand to see her like this.
I sighed. What do I need? For none of this to happened in the first place, for starters. For Twilight to not feel guilty. “I… actually would like that tub of ice cream. Dessert before dinner sounds good about now.”
I was about to get up, but Twilight swaddled me again.
“Twi-” I tried to protest.
“Let me do this for you Flash, please?” Her eyes were full of determination and guilt as she plead. My heart sank seeing her like this. The tears threatening in her eyes tugged at my own tears. I sighed, knowing that she needed this. She wants to take care of me.
I stared at Flash’s sleeping form. He was facing away from me. I wondered how he could sleep so soundly after what I had done. After what I made him go through. I wanted to cry more but only a few droplets left my eyes.
Shouldn’t I be crying more? Shouldn’t I be wallowing with immense guilt?
He looked so terrified earlier. He was shaking and I… I couldn’t help him. The hours of research I conducted didn’t prepare me for what I saw or how I would feel afterwards.
I… He… he was the one who took control of the situation. He… he ended up comforting me. Me. How did the situation turn to focus on me? Flash faced a waking nightmare that I… that I caused.
If I could take it all back, I would. He doesn’t deserve this. He’s the most patient, understanding and wonderful stallion I’ve never known.
He… deserves some pony who will understand and I f-failed. I failed him and he… he still held me and soothed me.
I can’t let this happen again. I have to be there and be enough for him. Even, even if I have to swallow my guilt in order to help him. He deserves that. He deserves somepony who will give him what he needs; comfort food, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, pleasant silence, anything. I’ll be that mare.
I reached out to him, but I stopped myself. Normally, if I was having trouble sleeping, I would cuddle up to him but… I couldn’t. He could be a light sleeper and after what happened, I really didn’t want to disturb him. He shifted and I covered my gasp with my hooves. He turned to face me and set his hoof on my shoulder. His eyes were half open, and he smiled gently.
“C’mere.” He gently pulled me towards him. I can’t tuck my head under his chin without poking him, so I just rest my head on his shoulder and held him as close as I could. He rubbed my side with his hoof and held my hoof in his free hoof. It still amazes me how much heat radiates from him. We’d have to pull away in some minutes. I love being this close to him though. He rested his eyes while I continued to stare at him.
My Knight.
I hummed.
He opened his eyes and smiled sweetly at me again. I swallowed and was about to speak when he pecked my lips.
What?
I felt my eyes grow as I stared at him. He pecked my cheek and then my horn. I let out a soft, “Oh.”
Flash replied, “Hm.” He shifted. “You can stay up and read in the living room, ya know.”
I took a breath. “Flash?”
“You can’t force sleep Twi.”
“Do-do you want me to leave?”
I swallowed and tried to calm down my heart. The thought of him wanting me to leave made my heart begin to collapse in on itself.
He groaned faintly. “Nu-uh.” He squeezed me tightly for a second. “Mm, want you here with me.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I smiled. He wants me here.
“But if you can’t sleep-” I pecked his lips. “Mm.”
“Just a few more minutes. Then I can go to sleep.”
He smiled. “Okay.” He kissed my horn and rested his head back on the pillow. He closed his eyes, and I pecked his lips before resting my head on his shoulder. I stared at him for a little while longer. I can do this. I can be the mare he needs. I closed my eyes and nuzzled into place.
In the morning, his alarm sounded and for a few seconds, I forgot where I was. I opened my eyes enough to see Flash as an orange blur while he reached for his clock. The ringing stopped, and as usual, I moved closer to him. I paused.
Wait.
Only for him to pull me towards him.
“Eep.” I shut my eyes, hoping that he didn’t hear that.
“Something wrong?”
Celestia help me.
“W-” I cleared my throat, I took a breath and asked, “Why would anything be wrong?” I looked up at him.
“You don’t squeak like that much anymore.” He yawned. “That, and it looked like you were straining.”
“I was just…” I didn’t want to mention my worries, but I didn’t want to lie to him either. “…I… well…” My face flushed and I’m sure I had an odd smile on my face. I could feel the corners of my mouth burn.
He smiled gently at me before squeezing me. He pecked my horn. “You’re still reeling, huh?”
“Huh, w-”
“I know you. And I know you need time to forgive yourself.”
“But that’s-” I stopped. Forgive myself…
“If it helps. I already forgave you Twilight.”
My ears perked up as I stared into his sad blue eyes. I caused that sadness. I caused his brightness to dim because I was so careless… But his smile… his smile was as encouraging as ever… despite the pain and worry he was feeling over me. Me. This isn’t about me. It’s about him. This can’t be happening. Not again.
“Flash, I… I’m sorry, I-um, how are you feeling?” This isn’t about me.
“Hm?” He looked at me surprised.
“How are you feeling?”
“He shrugged and stared at me. I stared back at him. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. I felt him take a few deep breaths.
“I’m… managing. I feel horrible that you feel horrible and just want us to forget this whole thing. But that’s not gonna happen.” He tightened his hold around me. I held him just as tight. I wanted to cast a spell to prevent him from getting hurt like this in the first place. But that wouldn’t be wise. “Oh, shoot, but I am going to be late.”
“Wha-but-” He nudged me away and leapt into his bathroom. For a few seconds, I stared at his side of the bed.
“But, Flash,” I called out to him. I got out of the bed and walked towards the restroom as I asked him, “Are you sure you should be going in today?” I stepped into the restroom. He was already in the shower. “Maybe it would be best to take the day and recuperate.”
“Uh,” I saw his silhouette move as he pondered. “Yeah, yeah, um. Honestly, Twi, the thing is a-actually, can we talk when I’m done here?”
“Okay,” I left to do my own morning routine. A part of me hoped he would allow me to send a message to Shining Armor so that we could decompress today… if that’s what he wants of course. This is a delicate matter that has to be dealt with as such. I can’t shoot rainbow beams at the problem and a grand speech won’t settle this. If he chooses to go through with his duty, I can’t very well keep an eye on him… Or can I…?
There was also the matter of my own shift with Flurry Heart. My friends and family would understand that I wasn’t ditching them for Flash, but it was still a promise I made.
Even if I tried, I wouldn’t be able to give them a satisfactory enough explanation for my absence. I couldn’t mention any of this to them. Rarity tried once but all I could tell her as that this was between Flash and I. She left the matter alone, but she was also clear I could trust her to talk about this if I ever needed to. I trust all my friends really, but this is something for Flash to talk about, not for me to spread.
Maybe I could send Spike and make up excuses to leave the room to check on Flash… Or maybe a new combination of spells would allow me to … maybe open a portal to get a glimpse. Just a glimpse. Maybe I can make it so that it only opens in over my eyes. Only I could see. Would take some experiments though…
“Bit for your thought?”
“Hm?” In my musings, I didn’t realize I stood with Flash in the kitchen.
He smiled gently at me. “Sorry for interrupting.”
It took a second for me to realize what he was talking about. “Oh, um, no, no, no interrupting or disrupting. I-” My face was burning up. I cleared my throat. “I was just wondering what your decision is.”
“About working?” The toaster went off. He was about to reach for the toast, but I beat him to it and set the toast on a plate he had ready.
He turned his head back towards me. “You know, you throw me off my rhythm when you do that.”
“Just minimizing distractions. So, what will it be?”
“Already in the middle of scrambled eggs, but I can make up some Prench toast, if you’d like?” He smirked.
I opened my mouth for a retort but… I stopped myself. Maybe a retort isn’t the best idea at the moment.
“No need.” I replied. “Thank you though.”
He distributed the eggs onto the plates. I used my magic to further set the table and poured juice for the two of us. He blinked before giving his head a quick shake and we walked to the table. “Thanks.”
“Glad I could help. As you were saying?” I need an answer to solidify my plans.
“Right.” He began buttering his toast. “The thing about work is… it makes sense. No matter what happens, I go in, my brain resets and I carry on with my duty like I was trained to my whole life. Even on my worst days...” He looked away from me. I could see a gray in his eyes. My heart felt like it was clenched in somepony’s hoof. “Even on my worst days, my brain resets and I…” His lips jerked. “A lot still went through my mind but… I still had some fight left in me.” He paused and looked at me. “Does that make sense?”
“I… think so. Guarding for you is like a safe place, something constant where you knew what was expected and what to do.”
“Exactly.” He smiled and took a bite of toast.
I smiled back, nodded and started to eat. Maybe there was no need to check up on him every hour… If he felt safe on his own… Huh. There was still a prick at the back of head though. A break every now and then to find him wouldn’t be so bad… would it? I could take note of his schedule before we leave and just see how he’s doing. “All right. So long as you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. So, are you excited for tonight?” He took a bite.
“What do you mean?” I paused with the fork in midair.
“The play.”
“Oh… right yes.” I completely forgot about the play. It’s an old classic comedy that I’ve seen before that I thought Flash might enjoy. A little bit of stage combat is always a plus with him. I was about to take a bit when it occurred to me that the play was something I wanted to do that he was playing along with. “Wait, you still want to go?”
He laughed. “Of course, I do. Tonight. Tomorrow. It’s all about us. I can’t wait.”
“Oh.” Perhaps he needs this distraction and not dwell on the past. He smiled genuinely though. His resilience is amazing.
“Are you not up for it?” He cocked his head and focused on me.
“W-well sure I am, but if you’d rather have a night in, then we should. Whatever you want to do.”
He stared at his plate for a few moments. I stared at him and ate a few bites. We ate in silence for a few moments. It felt like hours. He wouldn’t look at me and I tried looking around the apartment. He didn’t… He didn’t seem upset but… but this wasn’t a normal silence. Something in my chest started to grow and I felt pressure against my heart. Did I say the wrong thing?
He reached over and took my hoof. I gasped in surprise before I stared right back at Flash. He smiled and his eyes had a new shine to them.
“I vote we go out. What’s your vote?”
I was hypnotized somehow by those eyes and smiled. Such playfulness and confidence. That’s Flash Sentry. I couldn’t help it. My heart warmed up, and I giggled. “I vote we go out.”
“Hello? Shining Armor?” I asked as I knocked on the door to his study.
“Enter,” Shining said without thinking. Early dad brain.
I went ahead and opened the door. He looked up from some paperwork he was staring at. His eyes were droopy, and his mane was flat.
“Huh? Oh, Sentry.” His eyes opened up slightly with recognition. Yup, new dad brain.
“Can we talk?” I asked. I knew he had a lot on his plate, but this couldn’t really wait.
“Uh, personal or professional?”
“Personal.” I walked in and shut the door.
I slipped my helmet off and he followed.
He asked, “What’s on your mind?” as I sat down and set my helmet on his desk.
“Has Twilight been acting odd at all lately?”
“Define odd.”
“Like she’s walking on eggshells, avoiding talking about me, she’s probably been making excuses to leave the room, distracted…”
“Oh, that, yeah,” he smiled with pride. “She says she’s been working on a spell combining a few different ones. Normal Twily stuff.”
“A spell, huh?” My gut was not happy about this.
“Although, now that you mention it, she’s been less in a sharing mood about you two. Normally, she gushes about your plans and whatever recipe or kitchen gadget you’re trying to master. How are you liking the waffle maker by the way?”
“Perfect. The detachable plates are a life saver.” I’m a sucker for kitchen gadgets, what can I say? “But seriously, she’s been spying on me.”
“Spying? Twilight?” Even with his tired eyes, he managed to look dumbfounded.
“Well, trying to, anyway.” She’s the total package but she can’t fool me. “Although the cloaking disguise was pretty good. Kind of entertaining.” In a sad kind of way, but still. I’ll give her credit for trying.
“Cloaking disguise?” He raised an eyebrow. “Where did she get something like that?”
“Well, Rarity’s always got something on the ready. I figured she asked to borrow a costume and she cast a spell.”
“If what you’re saying is true, then something is up with Twilight.”
“Yeah…” I already knew that. I looked down at the desk for a bit. I wanted to see what extent it was this time. I appreciate her worry, but this is getting out of hoof. She shouldn’t be bending over backwards because of this. I’ve got a handle on it, and we can be happy together, but… she still needs time. I know that. I can wait it out. She needs a little more time to get a handle on it herself.
“Any idea what?” Shining asked.
“Yeah, I do.” I looked up at Shining Armor who tilted his head to the side. “It’s private, though.”
He stared at me… the way Terra would. Not as intense as Mom or Dad but I could still feel it. The concern and authority was always an odd mix but I always knew she cared. Now with Shining Armor exhibiting the same thing, I…
My mouth opened and it felt like words were fighting their way out even though I knew exactly what to say. “Please Shining, it’s between Twilight and me. There wasn’t a fight or anything like that. I just… needed an outside perspective.”
Still, he kept his gaze. A Big Brother’s Gaze… so that’s what this is like… He wasn’t trying to scare me. He was trying to help me because sometimes, you need a small push to get something off your chest. This wasn’t one of those times and he’ll get it any second now. I’ve had plenty of practice. He can’t play cute like my sisters can and Festive and Clara were masters of cross examination.
I saw a chink in the armor as I sat up straight. Stand down. Let it go. I willed as if I was some kind of puppet master. He wasn’t making it easy. He had practice too. Seconds ticked by as our wills and intentions clashed.
“Please, Shining Armor,” I tried again. Just like I would to Terra and Clara and Festive. I dug into myself and brought out the colt I was inside that just wanted to be left alone. Eventually, he closed his eyes, and I relaxed slightly. I couldn’t let my guard completely down. He wasn’t fresh but that didn’t mean he was down.
“Anything I can do to help?”
Now this question, I was ready for. “Just keep an eye on Twilight and don’t press for details.”
He let out a breath and when he opened his eyes, he looked at me through tired and worried eyes. “I understand.”
I nodded. “Thank you,” I told him, grateful that he would play along. “I’ll be off then.” I slipped my helmet back on, but he didn’t follow.
Before I hopped out of the chair he said, “Take care, Flash.” I looked back at him. He smiled at me but… it was a slight quirk of a smile as if… he was trying to be gentle. “My door’s always open.”
My eyes widen for a second before I forced them down to normal size. I couldn’t break now, but… even though we’re only as close as we are because I’m dating Twilight, I really do want to be his friend. Here he is, extending it to me. He wasn’t just being polite. He cared… he cares. “I’m going to hold you to that,” I finally said with my own smile. I took my leave and shut the door behind me.
I walked the way I was trained to since I got my cutie mark and took a second to look around me. The snow and crystals that everything was made of created a lovely glow. It’s cold but it is a stunning place to behold.
Then, I slammed my head on the banister and all the air in my lungs rushed out and I couldn’t get it back in. My heart and lungs stung while my brain pounded against my skull. That took a lot more out of me then I thought it would. I just wanted to know how Twilight was doing, not avoid an interrogation. Ugh, Shining Armor. He doesn’t want to know, not really. No pony wants to know about something like this. And I wasn’t about to dump it on him.
I… I should write Terra a letter.
I took a breath and brought my head up from the banister. I took one last look from the banister and took a breath. Time to go to work. I walked through the halls to get to my post near Flurry’s room.
I relieved the guard who was there and about two seconds after he rounded the corner, the door to Flurry’s room opened. I smiled when I spotted the familiar horn and mane poke out.
“Oh, good,” she said when she spotted me.
“Something wrong Your Highness?” I asked as she closed the door behind her.
She went into Princess Mode. “No, nothing’s wrong. I’m taking a small break.” She walked up to me. Technically, not a lie and I wasn’t going to hold it against her. I faced her slightly and saw her regal smile grow tight and her hoof pulling at her mane.
“How is Her Young Highness today?”
She stopped pulling at her mane and looked at me for a second before she was back in Princess Mode.
“She is well.”
“Good to hear.” I nodded. I paused and took in our surroundings. No pony else was around so I said, “I’ve noticed you been taking a lot of breaks.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”
I pulled my helmet off of my head and I smirked as soon as I heard her small gasp. She was struggling to maintain her Princess Mode. “It has been interesting seeing around so much though.” I watched her face turn red. “Your best one was the bushes near the garden outside.” I chuckled. She didn’t realize Pinkie tied a balloon to the disguise so that she wouldn’t lose it. Pinkie snuck by when she realized the balloon was still floating.
That tore right through her Princess Mode. “Eh, huh, blah, I’m sorry.” He whole body slumped slightly, and I couldn’t see her eyes past her bangs.
I let out a breath and smiled. That was enough teasing. “Nothing to be sorry about. I appreciate the concern, Twilight. But how about just approaching me next time?”
“Next time?” Her head shot right up. Her eyes were wide with surprise.
“When no pony’s around, sure. Just try to cap it at four total.”
It’s not like we don’t talk while I’m on the clock. We keep it short and usually she’s so caught up on a project, mission, or event, it never became a regular thing. And honestly, I prefer it that way. The guard brings her up on a professional level, usually. It’s only after I’ve had some days off that they ask about her on a more personal level. Sometimes, ponies just can’t help themselves. I don’t blame them, of course. They’re disciplined enough that our relationship isn’t at the top of the gossip going around the castle. I give them enough to satisfy their curiosity. We actually might run into Raven tonight. She mentioned she might talk her boyfriend into going to the same play Twilight and I were planning on seeing.
“Ah uh.” She closed her eyes and cleared her throat. She opened and said, “Yes, that will be fine.” She was calm, but not regal so she wasn’t completely in Princess Mode. She was… well… she was looking more like her herself again. I smiled, seeing her relax a little. My heart grew a little and I just wanted to… to kiss her.
“Good.” I did a once over around us. No pony else should be around for a while. Just one couldn’t hurt. Before anything else, I leaned over and I kissed her lips gently.
She silently squeaked.
I chuckled. She’s the most adorkable mare on the planet.
“So, I have our original itinerary. Should we still try that new noodle place tomorrow?”
“I’m game,” I replied while going through my nice shirts. The navy one should work.
We grabbed some hayburgers on our way to my apartment for a quick dinner.
“Oh, that one’s nice,” Twilight said behind me. Then she quietly blurted out, “They’re all nice.”
I smiled. She was loosening up a little. “Thanks.” I turned towards Twilight as I buttoned up my shirt. “Did you end up borrowing something from Rarity?”
“No,” She responded with her face in the parchment. “But we did find something in I bought in Manehattan that should work for tonight.” She set the parchment and quill down before heading towards her suitcase. I went into the bathroom to brush my mane and straighten my collar. Hm. Maybe I should keep it short?
“Okay, so tomorrow, we have breakfast at Mildred’s. Then, we’re going to check out the new exhibits at the art museum. We’re going to have lunch at the noodle place…”
I heard her say some things… but my focus was on her. In the mirror I saw her reflection. She was standing behind me. I turned around to get a better look. Huh. She was in a hot pink sweater dress… I think is what it would be called. Don’t quote me on that. Suddenly, her holding parchment and a quill in her magic wasn’t… utilitarian. Note to self. Hot pink works. She was happy and in her element… and completely unaware of what was happening to me. I shook my head and took a deep breath. I’m cool. It’s all good.
“Flash?”
“Huh?” I forgot she was actually talking to me.
“Were you thinking of wearing a tie?”
“Uh, no. Should I?”
“It’s up to you. I’m less familiar with stallion fashion.”
“I think it should be fine.”
“Great. Where are the tickets?”
“On the fridge.”
“Huh?”
“Magnets.”
“Oh… that’s a good idea, Flash.” She smiled brightly. She was still watching her words. She normally would have said something like, “That works too.”
“Hm.” She walked up to me, and I resisted taking a step back. I felt my limbs twitch and I gulped slightly when she was close enough that I could smell the perfume that she was wearing.
“Excuse me Flash. I need to use the mirror.”
Right. Right. Date night.
“Right, I’ll be in the kitchen.”
“So…”
“So…”
“What did you think?” Twi asked.
We were walking back towards my place. We managed to get out of the crowd of the theater so we could actually talk.
“Honestly, I could take or leave the music. I don’t dislike jazz, but I never would seek it out. You?”
“I… I didn’t mind it.” She smiled nervously. “There were some parts that were catchy. I like the songs with the whistles.”
“Oh, yeah, that’ll easily turn into an ear worm.”
“Is… Is that so bad?”
I wanted to sigh but I held it in. I was being honest with Twi but I wasn’t sure if she was being honest with me. She looked like she was having fun in there and now it seems like she’s downgrading her opinions. Time. Just some time.
“No, not at all.”
“The story had a lot of layers.”
“Oh, yeah, they managed to cover a lot in two hours.”
“Long lost twin.”
“Infidelity.”
“Theft.”
“Murder.”
“Marriage.”
“Mistaken identity.”
I started to laugh. “What did you have us watch?” It was ridiculous and over the top.
She started to laugh with me. “The flyer did say it was a comedy, not a drama.”
As usual, we cuddled on the couch to get warm. It was different to feel her dress instead of her fur. It was soft but I’d prefer her fur against me.
“Mm, think we should get to bed soon or read a few chapters? We’ve got a packed day tomorrow.”
She nuzzled into my neck. I gritted my teeth to keep down my gasp. I haven’t felt those shivers in a long time. It was like I was a teenager again. I took a deep breath and held Twilight as I normally would. I’m cool. I’m cool. I wasn’t ashamed of my reactions. There’s nothing wrong with me. It just wasn’t a good time. Distraction. Yes, need distraction. “How about a chapter before bed?”
Twilight hummed before looking up at me. “I think that’s a great idea.” She hopped off the couch. “I’ll go get the ink.” I smiled at her. When she wasn’t looking, I let out a small sigh of relief and I collapsed more into the couch.
Ruby’s new story was an adventure story filled with magic. Surprisingly, the main character reminded me more of Pinkie. She had heart and was full of surprises.
Twilight leaned into me as she read out loud. I felt some tingles reach into my back, so I took a breath and focused on the paper. I read the story as Twilight did. The tingles subsided into a calming warmth. I even leaned my head on hers. At the end of the chapter, I actually yawned. Good. Sleepyness is what I need right now.
“Oooh, things are getting excited.” Her glee and excitement was infectious though.
“Or who we’ll meet next.”
“True, her journey is mostly going into finding her allies at the moment.”
“And possibly fall in love with the loner.”
“What? But he’s the enemy.”
“E-e-eh, he seems pretty honorable and gentlepony-like though.”
“Yes, but it looks like he treats everycreature the same way. He respects his enemies. His fixation on her is part of his orders.”
“Mmm, we’ll have to see.” I told her. I had my suspicions.
“One more chapter?”
I grinned. “One more chapter.” She was feeling more and more like Twilight.
Towards the end of the chapter, there was a scene where the enemy soldier and heroine chatted while swinging at each other with swords and casting spells. I’m not sure if Ruby actually understood what she was writing, but these two were definitely flirting. They even laughed.
Twilight gasped, “How can this be?”
“That you were wrong or that Ruby is on a star-crossed lover’s story kick lately?”
She gave me a deadpanned look. I laughed. That’s the Twilight I know.
“How did you see it?”
She didn’t catch herself. Good.
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “It’s how I would act if I was him and you were the heroine.”
“You’d engage me in combat?”
“Well,” seems like a loaded question, heh. “I mean if we were enemies, I’d have to at least try. I have my orders.”
“I suppose you have a point there.” She briefly looked back at the page. “Hm. Falling in love with the enemy. Do you think it could happen between us?”
“You mean in this exact scenario?”
She giggled, “I suppose I would be the mage in this scenario.”
“Mm, maybe if we actually got to talking. I’m impressed by magic, sure, bu-u-ut would that be enough?” I am a guard and loyal, but it would be a shame to destroy a whole culture who produced a wonderful mare for the purpose of power. Especially, one with eyes that sparkle like Twi’s when she’s excited or… when she’s staring at me right now. I blinked and stared back. She glanced away from me, and I kept staring at her.
“I’d like to think we would.” He cheeks grew pink as she smiled at me. I found myself smiling back at her. Her eyes pulled me in and before I realized it, I leaned down to kiss her. She kissed me back gently and brought her hoof up to my face. No shivers, but I wanted to hold her closer. Instead, I pulled away and took her hoof to place a small kiss on it. She giggled slightly and I smiled at the sound.