> Heaven’s Not Too Far Away
>  by Godslittleprincess
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1:  Honey, I Thought You Should Know that I’m in a Hurry
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A certain orange-skinned high schooler with blue hair sat at a table in the Canterlot Public Library.  His eyebrows furrowed as he furiously typed something on his laptop.  He stopped typing to look over what he had typed before frowning and hitting backspace a few times.  Then, he started typing again.  Next to him sat what looked like a younger, smaller version of him with slightly darker skin.  The younger boy also wore a baseball cap and was looking at the older one with an expression of total uncertainty on his face.

“Big Bro, you sure we have to do this?” asked the younger boy, First Base.

“Mom’s treatment isn’t going to cover itself,” his older brother, Flash Sentry, replied.  He sighed in frustration.  “You’d think that the hospital would give employees better coverage than what we’ve got.”

First Base peered at what his brother was typing out.  “Shouldn’t we put why we need the money?  We might get more offers that way.”

Flash slowly squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.  Then, he put his elbows on the table and lowered his head into his hands.  “I don’t want random strangers just handing us money out of pity,” Flash said as he lifted his head, opened his eyes, and resumed typing.

“You were okay with Button Mash’s parents giving us money,” the younger boy countered, mentioning the other families in their neighborhood, “and Micro Chips’s parents are giving us a percentage of the profits from their food truck.”

“Micro and Button’s families aren’t strangers.  They’re friends,” Flash clarified without looking away from his work.

“Aren’t strangers just friends that you haven’t met yet?”  Base slumped on the table and attempted to smile.  He had succeeded in turning the corners of his lips up but only barely.

“You want random people being friends with you just because they feel sorry for you?”

“Good point.”

Flash continued to work in silence while First Base stared at the table in boredom.  The younger boy began to tap his fingers on the tabletop to entertain himself.  After what felt like an eternity of silence, Base spoke again.

“What if all this work ends up being for nothing?”

“Excuse me,” Flash stopped typing and turned to look at his brother.

“What if we get Mom treated, and she—,” Base bit his lip and turned away.  “I mean, it’s pretty far along.”

Flash sighed and put an arm across his little brother’s shoulders.  He gave the younger boy a comforting squeeze.

“If it comes to that,” Flash also bit his lip before continuing, “then we need to make sure we earn enough to cover the funeral expenses too.”

“Assuming that Mom doesn’t make us put the money into our college funds,” First Base bitterly retorted.

“The good thing about earning your own money is that you get the final say in what you do with it.  At least, for the most part.”  Flash turned back to the laptop and added the finishing touches to his work.  “What do you think?  Am I charging too much?”

Flash passed the laptop to First Base, and the younger boy lifted his head to look over his brother’s work.On the screen was the beginnings of an advertisement that read:


Two Capable, Able-Bodied Young Men Seeking Work



Flash Sentry (age 17) and First Base (age 13)



Available on Monday through Friday from 4pm to 10pm and on Saturday from 11am to 10pm



Skill sets:  Yardwork, Gardening, Lawn Care, Carwash, Basic Home Maintenance, Babysitting, Pet-sitting, Dog-walking



$25/hour



Contact:  flash_sentry@pmail.net


“$25 an hour, Bro?  Really?” Base looked at his brother incredulously.  “No one is going to pay us that much to do a bunch of odd jobs.”

“That’s what I thought,” Flash sighed as he retrieved the laptop and deleted the two digits.  “I’m also guessing that $20 is still too high.”

“We might be able to get away with it if we say that Mom has cancer,” Base turned and give Flash a rather hollow attempt at a cheeky grin.  Flash merely stared at him sternly.

“$17 then, but that’s the lowest I’m going to go.”  Flash typed in the two digits and posted the advertisement.  “Now, we wait.”

“I sure hope Canterlot City’s got a lot of rich people that needs stuff done,” Base muttered, earning him a poke in the forehead.



The following weekend, Flash pulled his car up in front of a fairly large, purple, two-story house with what looked like a large shed off to the side.  He looked the house over and let out a low whistle before stepping out of the driver’s seat and heading to the front door.  First Base got out of the passenger’s side and followed.  On the way to the door, the two of them passed the car’s trunk which was held down by some bungee cords while the handle of their lawnmower protruded out of it.

Flash rang the doorbell, and the brothers waited for the door to open.  A middle-aged woman with light gray skin and purple-and-white-striped hair answered the door.

“Ms. Twilight Velvet, I presume,” Flash greeted, straightening himself.

“Yes,” the woman answered, “that’s me.  Are you the boys from the Morganslist ad?”

“We are.”

“Oh, good.  Come on in,” Ms. Velvet smiled as she held the door open and gestured towards the inside of the house.“Let’s talk in the kitchen, shall we?”

The boys walked inside and waited for Ms. Velvet to close the door behind them before following her into the kitchen.  She took a sheet of paper from the countertop and handed it to Flash who began looking over what was written on it.

“Here’s the list of everything we need done,” said Ms. Velvet.  “Do you have everything you need to do them all?”

“Everything except the paint for the fence, the mulch for the flowerbeds, and the ladder for the windows,” answered Flash, still looking at the list.

“Well, you can find all that in shed.  I’ll be in my office working.  Just ring the doorbell to let me know if you need anything else or if you’re done.”

“Alright then, I guess Base and I will just unload everything from my car, and we’ll get started.”

With that the boys and their customer/host went their separate ways, Ms. Velvet to her office and the two brothers to Flash’s car.

“Hey, Bro,” First Base said.  “Why don’t I get the paint and the ladder out of the shed?  That way, we’d have everything we’ll need all in one place.”

“Sure, Bro,” Flash agreed.  “Just let me know if you need help with the ladder.  I don’t want you knocking it into anything.”

First Base ran up to the large shed next to the house while Flash began undoing the bungee cords that tied down his trunk. 
Base looked around for a door and found one on the side that was facing the house.  However, when Base tried to turn the knob, the knob wouldn’t move.  He tried again using more force, but the knob still wouldn’t turn.  Base glared furiously at the knob, willing it to budge.  Then, the 13-year-old let out a frustrated roar before wildly jingling the knob and assaulting the door.  Suddenly, a loud, pain-inducing wail like that of a car alarm filled the air causing everyone present to cover their ears.

“Little Bro, what the heck did you do?!” Flash shouted over the alarm as he ran over to his brother.

“I don’t know!” First Base shouted back.

The boys heard what sounded like two mechanical chirps in quick succession before everything suddenly went quiet. 
However, their relief was short-lived when they heard an even more terrifying sound from behind them.

“Put your hands where I can see them and don’t move!” a feminine voice yelled.  “I’ve got a taser, and I know how to use it!”

“And one cranky dog who got rudely woken up from his nap,” growled a lower-pitched voice.

“Whoa!  Whoa!” Flash cried turning around and throwing his hands up in the air.  “Don’t tase us!”

As soon as Flash turned around, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped.  He was face to face with a lavender-skinned, bespectacled girl with a long, dark blue ponytail and pink and purple highlights.  The girl’s entire face was glaring at him, and she was pointing a black, plastic, gun-like device right in the middle of his chest.  At her feet was a droopy-eyed, purple puppy with green spots.  The puppy bared his teeth at them trying to look intimidating, but the sleepy eyelids thoroughly ruined the effect.

“Twilight Sparkle?” he dumbly stuttered out once he found his voice.

“Flash Sentry?” the recently identified Twilight Sparkle replied, lowering her taser and giving him a confused look.

“What’s going on out here?” cried Ms. Velvet, leaving the house and marching over to where the four of them stood.

Flash turned to his brother and gave him a blank stare.  Twilight followed Flash’s gaze and turned at the younger boy too.

“I was just trying to get the stuff out of the shed,” First Base squeaked out.

“That,” Ms. Velvet enunciated, realization dawning on her, “wasn’t the shed.  That was my daughter’s lab.  She’s a little protective of it, so she keeps it locked.”

“That explains the alarm,” Flash deadpanned finally lowering his arms.

“If you boys are looking for the shed, it’s in the backyard,” clarified the older woman before turning and going back inside the house.

Once her mother was no longer present, Twilight turned her attention back to her two intruders.

“What are you even doing here?” she demanded.

“Um,” Flash began as he pulled out Ms. Velvet’s to-do list, “your mom hired us to do these.”

Twilight snatched the list from him and glanced over it before returning it to him.

“Just stay away from my lab, okay?” Twilight ordered sternly.  She stooped down and picked up her dog before she turned her on her heels and walked towards the house.

“Yeah, and keep it down.  I need my sleep,” the dog added.

First Base’s lower jaw hit the floor, and he began to sputter disbelievingly.

“Th-th-that dog just talked,” stated Base.

“Uh-huh,” Flash didn’t even bat an eyelash as he returned to his car trunk to finish unloading supplies.

“That dog just talked!”

“Just roll with it and help me get the stuff out of the car.”



For the next two hours, the two brothers worked hard to complete everything on Ms. Velvet’s list.  First, Flash mowed the grass while Base weeded and mulched the flowerbeds.  Then, Flash climbed up the large oak in the backyard and trimmed off the smaller branches while First Base washed the windows on the first floor.

While Flash climbed and pruned the oak tree, he kept finding several of what could be described as assorted robot parts. 
He could only guess how they ended up there, but he imagined that it had something to do with the girl who lived here.  He shook as many of them out of the tree as he could and manually dislodged the more stubborn pieces from the branches before tossing them down along with the pruned branches.  As soon as he was finished pruning, he climbed down to one of the lower branches and jumped to the ground, landing expertly on his feet.

“I’m done with the first set of windows, Big Bro,” Base called.

“Great,” Flash called back as he began to gather the pruned branches and assorted junk into garbage bags.  “As soon as I’m done cleaning up, we can set up the ladder and work on the next set.”

As the boys worked, every so often Twilight would glance down at them from her bedroom window.  She didn’t know why she was suddenly fascinated with watching two boys work on her yard, but she couldn’t help but watch anyway.  Maybe the guilt from being so harsh with them earlier was compelling her to watch them.  She felt herself blush from embarrassment as she remembered how terrified the two had looked when she had threatened to tase them.

Twilight startled out of her thoughts, however, when a young and exuberant face appeared at her window.

“Hi there,” First Base greeted.  Twilight squealed in response, jumping back from the window.  Base waved at her with a big cheeky grin.  Twilight awkwardly waved back as he sprayed her window with cleaner and scrubbed it clean with a towel.

“All done, Big Bro,” Base called as he climbed down the ladder.  “Let’s move on to the next one.”

Flash picked up the ladder and positioned it under the window next to the one Twilight had been looking out of.  As Flash held the ladder steady, First Base climbed up and once again scrubbed the window clean.  As the boys repeated the process several more times, Twilight returned to her window and once again began to watch the boys work.

After the boys had finished their fourth window, Flash once again picked up the ladder to move it.  This time, however, Flash looked up and ended up staring right into Twilight’s eyes.  Twilight gasped as she ducked under her window sill praying against all reasonable hope that Flash hadn’t seen her watching them.  Flash, of course, had seen her, but he shrugged it off.  He was here to work after all, and he couldn’t let anything take his focus away from doing his job, not even attention from the girl he’s had a crush on since the last semester.

Flash and First Base finished the rest of the windows and put the ladder away.  Afterwards, they began to give the fence a fresh coat of white paint.  The two of them had barely finished painting about three feet of fence when Base sat on the ground, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and fanned himself with his cap.

“Bro, I think we need a break,” he panted.

“But we’ve got to finish this,” said Flash as he tried to coax his brother back up onto his feet.  “We’ve still got to wash Ms. Velvet’s car, and after that, we’ve got another job later this afternoon.”

The brothers looked up and saw two bottles of water surrounded by a purple aura floating towards them.  Base stared at the floating bottle with a look on his face not unlike that of a fish freshly pulled out of water.  Flash, on the other hand, turned around and saw Twilight approaching them.  Her hands glowed with the same purple aura that surrounded the water.

“I, uh, thought you guys could use a drink,” she said, smiling shyly.

Flash smiled back and grabbed the bottle closest to him.  It felt refreshingly cold.  He twisted the cap and took several long gulps.  He hadn’t even realized how thirsty he was.

First Base got over his initial shock and began to drink also.

“Ahhh,” the younger boy moaned in relief.

“I, um, I’m sorry that I almost tased you guys,” Twilight stuttered, “and that I was so hard on you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Flash replied.“I’m sorry that we scared you.”

Flash closed his bottle, set it down, and resumed painting.  First Base drank a few more gulps before following suit.

“So,” said Twilight as she tilted her head, studying the boys intently, “why are you guys spending your Saturday doing yardwork and cleaning windows?  Wouldn’t you rather be doing something else?”

The brothers froze before turning to look at each other, unsure what to answer.  Then, Flash spoke first.

“Yeah, we’d rather be doing something else,” he answered, avoiding looking at Twilight in the eyes, “but our family kind of needs the money right now.  We don’t mind giving up a Saturday if it means we can help make things easier.”

Twilight had a feeling that Flash’s answer wasn’t quite the whole story but elected not to press further.  Instead, she used her magic to levitate several paint brushes and dip them in the paint before simultaneously making them paint different sections of the fence.

“Umm, Twilight, it’s not that we don’t appreciate your help, but we’re kind of getting paid for this,” Flash objected.  “It wouldn’t be right to accept your help.”

“Hey, I’m just helping make sure that you two get to your next appointment on time.  We wouldn’t want a potential client thinking that you’re incompetent now, do we?” Twilight countered.

Flash wanted to argue, but he couldn’t think of anything convincing to say.  Furthermore, he didn’t really have the time to be arguing.  Instead, he resignedly resumed painting.  “Just so you know, I’m letting your mom know about this.  If she decides to cut our pay, that’s on your conscience.”

Twilight rolled her eyes but ignored him and kept painting.



With Twilight’s help, painting the fence took hardly any time at all, and boys headed to the driveway to begin washing Ms. Velvet’s car.  Twilight nearly offered to help yet again, but her friends had arrived for a study group, so she went back inside her house but not before giving the boys another bottle of cold water.

Half an hour later, two dripping wet boys stood in front of Ms. Velvet’s front door, First Base carrying a duffel bag, as Flash rang the doorbell.

“I’ll get it,” a shrill, hyper voice called from behind the door.  The door opened to reveal a pink, poofy-haired girl bouncing in place on the other side.  “Oh, hiya, Flash.”

“Hi, Pinkie,” Flash greeted back.  “Can you tell Twilight’s mom that my brother and I are done with her list and ask her if she’s got a place where we can change?”

“Okie-dokie-lokie,” said Pinkie Pie, dashing back inside and shutting the door.

About a minute later, Ms. Velvet opened the door.

“Alright, boys, come on in” she said with a smile.  “Let me just step out and see how you did.  Twilight will show you where the bathroom is.”

“Thanks, Ms. Velvet,” replied Flash, returning her smile as he and Base stepped into the house.

“Twily,” Ms. Velvet called.  “Can you please show these nice boys where our bathroom is?”

“Coming, Mom,” Twilight answered, just a hint of annoyance peeking through her voice.

Twilight walked into the hallway at the same time Ms. Velvet went out the front door.  She paused, looking the two boys over.  Their hair was flattened, and droplets of water dripped from every strand.  Their clothes were so wet that they practically hugged every contour on the boys’ bodies, and Flash had a pretty good number of contours.

“Looks like someone had a little too much fun washing my mom's car,” Twilight jokingly observed.

“Can you blame us?  It was hot out,” First Base retorted.

“Let me just show you guys where the bathroom is.”

One trip to the bathroom and one clothing change later, the boys were once again in the kitchen talking to Ms. Velvet. 
Twilight and her friends sat nearby at the dining table, surrounded by books and papers.

“Ms. Velvet, before you pay us, I think you should know that Twilight helped us with the fence,” Flash began.

“Oh, that’s alright,” Ms. Velvet assured him, as she counted her bills and handed them to Flash.  “Twily needed a little fresh air today anyways.”  Unbeknownst to her, her daughter shot a dirty look in their direction at the sound of her nickname before resuming her studies.

Flash counted the bills he’d been given, and when he had finished, he looked up at his customer with confusion.

“Ma’am, I think you might have made a mistake,” Flash started, holding a handful of bills out to Ms. Velvet.  “This is more than what we charged on the ad.”

“Keep it,” she replied, pushing the bills back towards Flash.  “You boys did such a good job that I decided to give you a tip.”

“Wow!  That’s so nice,” Base interjected.  “I hope all our other customers are like you.”

Ms. Velvet chuckled.  “A few of Twily’s friends are staying over for dinner.  Why don’t you join us?  We’ve certainly got room for two more.”

“That’s very generous of you, ma’am,” Flash replied, “but I’m afraid we have to go right this minute.”  He looked at his phone to check the time.  “Our next client is expecting us in less than half an hour.”

“Well, maybe some other time then.”

“Sounds great.  Contact us again if you need anything else done.”

With that, Flash took his younger brother by the arm and pulled him towards the door.  The two waved and gave Ms. Velvet their good-byes as they left the house.  They quickly yet carefully packed and secured their equipment before getting into the car and driving away.

“Such nice boys,” Ms. Velvet said to her daughter and her friends after the brothers left.  “It’s a shame that they had to be in such a hurry.”
> Chapter 2:  I’ve Gotta Move Up North, but It’s Just Temporary
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Do we have everything?” Flash asked as he picked up the full picnic basket from the dining room table and began moving towards the front door.

“I think so,” his brother replied as he raced down the stairs with a particularly stuffed backpack and an equally loaded duffel bag.

“Blankets?” Flash asked.

“Check.” Base rummaged through the bags and showed his brother the items in question.

“Mosquito repellant?”

“Check.”

“MP3 player and speakers?”

“Check.”

“Flashlights?”

“Check.”

“Batteries for the flashlights?”

“Duh!”

“Family?”

“Uh,” Base trailed off as he looked around the room, noticing that he and Flash were the only two people present. 
“Mom!  Grandma!  Aunt Flare!  We’re ready to go!”

“Coming!” three distinct feminine voices called from all over the house.

The next family member to arrive was a middle-aged woman.  Her skin was the same color as Flash’s but slightly lighter, and she wore her dark red hair in what could accurately be described as a mom bun.  She also had a pair of semi-rimless glasses over her warm brown eyes.

“Ready, Mom?” Flash greeted, giving her the biggest smile that he’s ever given anyone, the kind of smile that one only reserves for special people.

“Of course,” Flash’s mom replied, returning the smile.  “Do we have everything?”

“All good on my end,” Base proudly declared as he repacked the supplies and zipped the bags closed.

Flash peeked into the picnic basket and answered, “Snacks and water are all taken care of.”

“Well, what are we waiting for then?” an older-sounding yet energetic, feminine voice called out.  The mother and two sons turned around to see a petite, well-aged old woman canter down the stairs.  Her skin was a wrinkled yet soft pink, and her hair though gray and wiry still had bits of brown showing through.  Her eyes were the same color as her daughter’s, and like her daughter, she also wore glasses, but hers had wire rims.  “Let’s get this show on the road!”

“Still waiting for Aunt Flare, Grandma,” Flash answered the older woman.

“Sis!” Flash’s mother called up the stairs.  “You’re holding us up again.  Just like in high school.”  She added that last sentence with a hint of a chuckle in her voice.

“I just finished sanitizing my contacts, Lighty.  I’ll be down in a second,” a commanding female voice called.  Flash’s mother’s name is actually Lantern Heart, but everyone in the family called her Lighty.

Shortly after, the last member of their party arrived.  She looked exactly like her sister except that she didn’t wear glasses and her hair, which she wore in a high ponytail, had brown highlights.

“Alright, let’s get going,” Aunt Flare lilted, with a dignified smirk.  “Whose car are we taking?”

“Well, I’m driving, so mine,” Flash replied before giving his aunt a smug look.  “By the way, Mom gets shotgun.”

Flare’s eyes widened as she sputtered.  “Hey, you can’t just call shotgun for someone else.”

“He’s driving, and I’m his mother,” Lantern smirked at her sister as the family went out the door, “so he can.”

Flare just rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Does this mean I have to sit in the hump again?” First Base grumbled.

“You are the shortest one, so yes,” Flash replied.

“But I always get the hump.”

“Tell you what,” Grandma, whose real name is Free Bird but goes by Birdie, said to the younger boy, “when you’re finally taller than me, I’ll take the hump.  How does that sound?”

“Great if it wasn’t taking forever.”  That statement got a laugh out of everyone else present.



One lively car trip and one drive up a mountain road later, the family arrived at a high, flat yet well-wooded area.  Flash parked his car near a large, carved wooden sign that read “Stardust Point,” and the family piled out and unloaded their bags.  A short hike later, they arrived at a clearing by a cliff that was surrounded by a metal railing not unlike the kind found on highways.

On the way up, however, Flash found himself bumping into a familiar, pretty, bespectacled someone.

“How do we keep meeting?” she cried when she identified him.

“No idea,” Flash answered, getting over his initial bewilderment.  “What are you even doing here if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Mom’s working on a book and needed the house to herself, so I suggested that my dad, my brother, and I come up here to do a little stargazing,” Twilight replied.  Flash then noticed that she had a telescope in her hands and a backpack slung over her shoulders.  He also looked up and saw two men standing behind her.  One was a middle-aged man with blue skin and darker blue hair.  The other man was taller yet younger and more muscular.  He also had blue hair, but his skin was white.

“Here, let me introduce you,” Twilight continued.  “This is my father Night Light,” Twilight said as Flash shook hands with the older man, “and this is my brother Shining Armor.  Dad, Shining, this is Flash Sentry.  He’s a friend from school.”  Flash also shook hands with the younger man but could not help noticing that Shining Armor was giving him a weird, almost threatening look.

“You’re one of the kids who’s been helping my wife with the yard, aren’t you?” said Night Light.

“If by helping, you mean doing all the work while she’s in her office,” First Base retorted.

“Base, don’t be rude,” Lantern Heart scolded her youngest son.

“Oh, yeah, I’m out with my family too,” Flash explained before introducing his family.  “This is my mom Lantern Heart, my brother First Base, my aunt Flare Burst, and my grandmother Free Bird.  Everyone, this is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Please to meet you,” Lantern greeted Twilight and her family.

“Flash wanted to us to come out here to do some stargazing too before I drive Lighty to New York tomorrow,” added Aunt Flare.

“I didn’t know you were into stargazing,” Twilight exclaimed, turning to look at Flash with an impressed expression.

“I’m not super into it,” Flash clarified.  “I just like looking at stars.  I went on a field trip to the planetarium in first grade, and I just couldn’t get over how beautiful they were, the way they lit up the night sky, how the whole sky looks totally random but, at the same time, like each star is where it’s supposed to be.”

“When he turned 6, he begged us to celebrate his birthday here because the lady at the planetarium said that Stardust Point was the best place to watch the stars,” Lantern recounted with a laugh.

“He’s even got glow-in-the-dark stars painted on his ceiling,” said First Base.

“My late husband helped him paint them on,” Birdie added, smiling at the memory.

“Oh,” began Night Light as he looked at the family sympathetically.“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t worry about it.  It’s been years,” replied Flash.  Although he tried to hide it, Twilight could clearly hear a tinge of sadness in his voice.

“I’m sure you think about him every time you look at your ceiling.”  Okay, that sounded way more comforting and sympathetic in her head.

“I do,” Flash replied as he smiled at Twilight, completely oblivious to her embarrassment.

A short yet awkward silence filled the air.  Shining Armor was the first one to break it.

“So,” he began addressing Flare and Lantern, “if you don’t mind me asking, what are you two ladies going to be doing in New York?”

Upon hearing Shining Armor’s question, Flash jerked himself straight as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning before cutting between his mom and Shining Armor.

“Hey, why don’t you three stargaze with us?” Flash said, suddenly changing the subject.  “We brought plenty of snacks, and we’d be more than happy to share.  Let’s just hurry and get setup, okay?”

Flash grabbed one of the bags that Base was carrying and rushed to the clearing where he hurriedly began to unpack.  His brother sheepishly followed suit.

Lantern sighed before turning her attention back to Shining Armor.  “Personal reasons.  We’ll tell you when Flash is ready.”

She, her sister, and their mother followed after the boys, leaving Twilight and her family members to look at each other in confusion.



While Flash, Base, and Birdie were spreading blankets on the floor, Flare turned to her sister and whispered, “You know, you can’t blame him for wanting to avoid talking about it.  I know he’s trying to hide it, but the kid’s probably scared to death.”

“I know,” Lantern whispered back before she closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.  She let out another sigh and relaxed, reopening her eyes.  “I just hope that they’ll both will be okay if worst comes to worst.”

“They will be,” Flare took Lantern by the hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze, “and I promise that I’ll be there for them no matter what happens.”

Lantern Heart smiled at her sister before the two of them rejoined the rest of the family.  Base attached the speakers to the MP3 player which began to play “Fireflies” by Nocturnal Metropolis.  Nearby, Twilight had set up her telescope while her father and brother took seats at a wooden picnic table.

“So, what does everyone want?” Flash asked everyone present as he looked through the picnic basket.  “We’ve got sandwiches, fresh fruit, chips, pepperoni jerky—”

“Dibs on the jerky!” First Base shrieked as he grabbed the bag of jerky out of his brother’s hand.  The suddenness of the action along with Flash’s utterly flabbergasted face in reaction to it cause Lantern Heart to laugh heartily as her youngest son ripped open the bag and began devouring its contents.  Twilight started laughing too, and soon, everybody present was laughing.

“What kind of sandwiches do you have?” Twilight asked when the laughter had died down.

“Ham, PB and J, grilled cheese, turkey and peanut butter—,” Flash answered before he was once again interrupted.

“Hold it,” Shining Armor interrupted, looking at Flash incredulously.  “Turkey and peanut butter?”

“It’s a Mom and Aunt Flare thing,” Base explained, his mouth still full of jerky.  “We don’t get it either.”

After everybody made their snack choices known to him, Flash distributed the snacks accordingly.  Twilight wanted peanut butter and jelly while her dad and brother shared a bag of chips.  Grandma got the strawberries, and of course, his mom and his aunt wanted the turkey and peanut butter.  His brother had already filled up on the pepperoni jerky, so after everybody else got their snacks, Flash himself tucked into a grilled cheese sandwich, which was still quite warm despite the time it had spent cooling off in the basket.

Everybody silently marveled at the beauty of the night sky as they ate.  The sky was completely cloudless giving them a perfect view of all the stars.  Their entire view was like a field of diamonds scattered over a smooth, dark cloth.

Flare Burst leaned close to her sister and said, “You better enjoy this view while you can, Sis.  I doubt we’ll be able to see stars like these over in New York, not with all the artificial lights they have there.”

“Boy, do I wish I can take all this with me,” Lantern exclaimed before she pulled out her phone and held it up to the sky.  She looked at her phone and frowned.  “Too bad my phone can’t get a good picture.”

“Hold on.  I’ve got just the thing,” Twilight removed and unzipped her backpack, taking out a rather technologically advanced camera which she attached to her telescope.  “I built this so that I can take pictures with my telescope.  I won’t be able to capture the whole sky, but I should be able to get a good picture of part of it.”

A snapping sound could be heard as Twilight clicked the shutter.  She detached the camera from the telescope and began to mess with the touch screen on the back of the camera.

“Ms. Heart, could you please input your phone number?” Twilight requested, handing Lantern her camera with the touchscreen facing the older woman.

Lantern took the camera and did what she was asked.  Twilight took the camera back and hit a button on the touchscreen. 
Lantern’s phone lit up and pinged as a notification appeared on her messages.  Lantern opened the message and gasped as an image filled her screen.  If the sky looked amazing just from where she was sitting, it looked even more breath-taking from Twilight’s telescope.

“That is so nice of you,” Lantern said to the girl with a smile.“Thank you so much.”

Unbeknownst to either of them, Flash had been watching the exchange with the biggest grin on his face.  As if Twilight Sparkle wasn’t attractive enough on a normal day, she had just gone ahead and made his mother smile, and although Twilight had no way of knowing it, she had made his mom smile during a time when he treasured every single one of those smiles more than ever.

“Shooting star!” cried First Base, causing the two older teens to look up.  Sure enough, a brilliant light streaked across the sky before vanishing.

Flash gasped before quickly shutting his eyes and pressing his palms together.  After maybe two seconds, Flash opened his eyes and relaxed his hands, setting them on his lap.

“So,” Twilight asked, taking a seat next to Flash.“What did you wish for?”

Flash smiled contentedly before he leaned all the way back so that he was lying flat on top of the blankets.

“I can’t tell you,” he said to Twilight.“It’s a secret.”
> Chapter 3:  Honey, I Don't Want to Go, Please Know that I Have to
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three months had passed since Flash and his brother had placed their ad on Morganslist, and Twilight’s mother was still their best customer.  With fall having settled in, the boys had transitioned from mowing her lawn and weeding her flowerbeds to just raking her leaves.  Since raking didn’t take as much time, the boys weren’t making as much money, not that they complained.  In that time, Flash’s mother was still regularly making trips to New York although Flash still wouldn’t say why.  Twilight finally got her answer one fateful day.

That day had started like any other school day.  However, the day took a turn of the out of ordinary during fourth period. 
Both Twilight and Flash had class with Ms. Harshwhinny during that period, and Ms. Harshwhinny just so happened to have arranged the seating so that Flash was sitting in front of Twilight.

As usual, Twilight was one of the first ones present.  She had arrived with Sunset Shimmer who sat on the seat to her right. 
Flash was one of the last to arrive which was not so usual.  Flash may not be one of the smartest kids at Canterlot High, but he did make an effort to be a good student.  His assignments and projects were always neat, complete, and on time, and he always arrived in class with plenty of time to spare.  The fact that he came in with only seconds until the bell rang meant that something was off.

Flash’s uncharacteristic lag in punctuality wasn’t the only thing out of the ordinary about him today.  His hair was a mess, and his clothes were wrinkled.  Even more unusually, his eyes were bloodshot with some puffiness underneath, and when he sat down at his desk, he slouched forward as if he could barely hold himself upright.

The bell rang, and class began.  Ms. Harshwhinny was giving a long, excruciatingly detailed lecture on literary devices, but neither Twilight nor Sunset was paying attention to any of it.  Instead, both girls had their attention on Flash, watching his head bob up and down erratically.  Something about the way he was moving his head seemed odd, almost as if he was about to….

Flash’s head soundlessly dropped onto his desk as his breathing became steady and even.  Flash Sentry was sound asleep.

Twilight and Sunset turned and stared at each other with wide eyes.  Ms. Harshwhinny was one of the strictest, toughest teachers in CHS.  If she caught Flash sleeping in her class, she’d shame him in front of everybody.  They had to wake him up.

The red-and-gold-haired girl wadded up a sheet of paper and was about to throw it at Flash, but Twilight held her hand up. 
If Sunset got caught throwing things in class, then she’d get in trouble too.  Since Twilight was the closest, she had to be the one to wake Flash up.

Twilight pulled a ruler out of her backpack and poked Flash with it.  He stirred but didn’t wake.  She poked him again, much harder this time.  This time, he moaned.

Twilight froze as she looked up at Ms. Harshwhinny.  Thankfully, the teacher didn’t seem to hear Flash.  Then, Flash muttered something incoherently in his sleep.  Twilight turned towards Sunset with a look of panic on her face which Sunset returned.  The two girls turned towards the front attempting to will their teacher into completely ignoring Flash with their eyes.  Yeah, no such luck.

“NO!” Flash screamed as he suddenly jolted awake.  Twilight shrieked in surprise.

“MR. SENTRY!  MS. SPARKLE!” Ms. Harshwhinny yelled, turning around and glaring daggers at Flash and Twilight.  “Is there something that the two of you would like to share with the rest of the class?”

Twilight shrank down attempting and failing to disappear into her desk.  Flash, however, sighed in embarrassment and looked their teacher in the eye with as much dignity as he could muster.

“No, ma’am, I have nothing to share with the class,” Flash answered.

“Then, explain that noise you just made,” Ms. Harshwhinny ordered.

“That was just a bad…,” Flash trailed off, trying to choose his words carefully.  He didn’t want the teacher to know that he had fallen asleep in class.  “Headache,” he lied.

“Maybe if you had gotten the right amount of sleep at the appropriate time, you would have gotten such a bad headache,” Ms. Harshwhinny reprimanded.  “I’ll let you off with a warning since this is your first offense, but don’t make a habit of this.”

“I won’t, ma’am.”

“Ms. Sparkle,” the teacher turned her attention to Twilight.

“Y-yes, Ms. Harshwhinny,” Twilight replied, keeping her head down.

“Care to explain to the class just what you were screaming at.”

“Flash’s, umm, headache just startled me.  That’s all,” Twilight kept her voice low and quiet but still audible.  She had never felt this humiliated by a teacher since Cinch blackmailed her into participating in the Friendship Games.

The teacher said nothing but returned to her lecture.  The rest of the period was completely uneventful.  However, the only thing on Twilight’s mind was Flash’s odd behavior and his earlier outburst.

The bell rang for lunch, and all the students rushed out of the classroom.  As soon as Flash got out the door, he ran for the cafeteria.  Twilight and Sunset tried to follow him, but he had moved too fast.

“Flash!  Wait!  Flash!” Twilight called.  If Flash had heard her, he didn’t pay her any mind.

“Man, what was that all about?” Sunset exclaimed.

Twilight could only stare at the direction Flash had gone.



Once Flash got to the cafeteria, he met up with Micro Chips, Lyra, Sweetie Drops, and Derpy.  Out of all his friends, he was closest with the four of them because he had known them since kindergarten, and out of the four of them, he considered Micro Chips his best friend since Micro was the first friend he ever made.  Since Micro was Flash’s best friend, he knew things about him that the other four didn’t.  Like his mom’s condition for example.

“Hey,” the boy with the thick, black-rimmed glasses greeted as the five teens got in the cafeteria line, “how are you holding up?”

“Terribly,” Flash replied.“I fell asleep in Ms. Harshwhinny’s class and got myself and Twilight Sparkle in trouble.”

“That doesn’t sound like you,” said the soft-spoken, blonde, wall-eyed girl.

“You don’t look like you today either,” the mint-skinned girl with the pink headband pointed out examining Flash from head to toe.

“Gee, thanks, Lyra,” Flash sarcastically retorted.

The cream-colored girl with the two-toned hair, Sweetie Drops, frowned at her best friend disapprovingly.

“Well, he doesn’t,” Lyra defensively cried.

“Look, maybe you should tell someone else about it,” Micro Chips said to Flash.  “Someone you can talk to.”

“And cry with,” Micro thought to himself.  Lord knows Flash could use a good cry with what he’s dealing with.

“I don’t know if I even can talk about it,” said Flash with his eyes downcast.  “I’m having a hard time just facing it.”

“Talking about what?” asked Sweetie Drops.

Before Flash could formulate an answer to Sweetie’s question, his phone vibrated.  His notification bar showed that he had gotten a text from Twilight.  Normally, an event like this would get him nervously excited, but today, he was too tired to feel much of anything.

He opened the message and read it with the other four also reading it from over his shoulders.

“Meet me at under the bleachers.  We need to talk.  NOW,” Twilight had texted.

“Sounds serious,” said Derpy.

“Maybe she’s finally fallen for you and wants to confess her love,” Lyra whispered with a giggle.

Flash glared at her, clearly not in the mood for jokes.  “Don’t make me regret letting you guys in on my secret.  Just don’t.”

Seeing the look that Flash was giving her, Lyra backed away from the group with her arms raised defensively.  “I was just teasing.  I didn’t mean anything mean by it, really.”

“Maybe she’s still mad at you for getting her in trouble with Ms. Harshwhinny,” Micro speculated.

“Either way, I’d feel a lot better if one of you went with me,” said Flash, putting his phone back in his pocket.  “Micro, why don’t you come?”

“Yeah, sure, I always wanted to see you get chewed out by a girl,” Micro flatly quipped.



Flash and Micro went to the soccer field bleachers and found Twilight waiting for them underneath.  Flash walked up to Twilight to greet her.

“Hi, Twilight, what—whoa!” Flash began before he was suddenly tackled by a red and yellow blur.

“Flash!” Micro Chips cried, seeing his best friend knocked down.

Sunset Shimmer had knocked Flash to the ground and was using all her weight to keep him pinned.  Then, she grabbed both his wrists, causing her eyes to glow white.

A few seconds later, Sunset let go of Flash, allowing him to throw her off.  Flash turned to face his attacker and saw that it was actually Sunset.  The sad, pained look that she was giving him told him exactly what had happened.

“Do you have any idea how violating that is?  At all?” Flash shouted at his ex-girlfriend turned just a friend.  “And you?” he continued, turning to Twilight.  “I can’t believe that you would put her up to this.  I can’t believe it.”

Normally, hearing such a normally kind and well-mannered guy like Flash getting angry would frighten Twilight into silence and submission, but as this day was proving again and again, today was not a normal day.  Twilight looked Flash in the eye and crossed her arms, a sign that she was standing her ground.

“Firstly, I didn’t put her up to it.  We planned it together,” said Twilight.  “Secondly, I’m giving you two choices.  Either you tell me what Sunset just saw or Sunset can tell me what she just saw.  Your choice.”

Flash felt his face soften as Twilight continued to glare at him sternly.  He looked back at Sunset.  The sorry look she was giving him told him that she did not want to relay what she had seen.  Finally, he and Micro Chips shared a look.  Micro Chips nodded at him, signaling for him to go ahead and tell Twilight everything.

Flash turned his gaze back to Twilight and shut his eyes as he sighed.  “My mom has cancer,” he said to her as he opened his eyes.

“What?” Twilight gasped.

“My mother has cancer,” Flash repeated as all his repressed emotions came spilling out of him.  “She’s had it for the past three months, and last week, she stopped responding to treatment.  The doctors are going to try and cut it out, but they’re worried that it’s already too late for that and that no matter what we do, we’re going to end up losing her.  I never told anyone because one, I didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for me and two…,” Flash trailed off as his voice began to break.  “I-I, I didn’t want to admit to myself that any of this was real, that this was actually happening.  I just-just…,” Flash’s breathing became faster and more haggard.  Then, he fell to his knees as he cried out, “I don’t want her to go!”

With that, the tears and sobs came pouring out of him.  He tried to hold them back again, but they could no longer be contained.  Flash just kept crying and didn’t stop.

Suddenly, a pair of thin, delicate, yet surprisingly strong arms wrapped themselves around his chest and held him tight. 
Flash stopped crying long enough to feel a dark blue ponytail brush against his cheek.  Whoever was holding him began to rub small circles onto his back and press her face into his shoulder.

“It’s okay.  Go ahead,” Twilight gently whispered to him.  “I won’t judge.”  Flash resumed crying, his tears soaking into Twilight’s shirt.
> Chapter 4:  When I Look at You, I See Your Beauty
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What do you mean our magic can’t get rid of cancer?” Twilight exclaimed.  She and Sunset were inside her lab, discussing the day’s events, especially the discovery that Flash was about to lose his mother to cancer.  Twilight sat in one of the chairs while Sunset made herself comfortable on the floor.

“If magic can cure cancer, then Equestria would have gotten rid of it a long time ago.  The fact that it still exists there pretty much proves that it can’t,” Sunset Shimmer explained, “at least not presently.”

“But what about the Elements of Harmony and the Magic of Friendship?  Aren’t they different from the other magic in Equestria?” Twilight had a feeling that she was just grasping at straws, but she wanted to help Flash too badly to care.  “They stopped us from nearly destroying the world for crying out loud.  Can’t they do anything?”

“The Elements of Harmony and the Magic of Friendship are different from any other magic that I’ve studied or seen,” Sunset conceded, “but even they have their limitations.  You can’t just blast every terrible, evil thing with them and make all the world’s problems disappear.  If it was that simple, life would be too easy.”  Sunset paused before continuing, “Besides, the magic changes when it crosses over into this world.  We don’t know what using it on Flash’s mom would do.  On top of all that, physically bringing an Element of Harmony here is one mistake that I’m definitely not making again.”

Twilight sighed as she lay her head on one of her work tables.  “There’s got to be something we can do to help Flash and his family.  There just has to.”  She began to twirl her hair in her fingers as she thought.  Then, she stopped twirling as she pulled a section of her hair in front of her face and just stared at it.

“What about re-growing hair?” Twilight asked Sunset, still looking at her hair.

“Excuse me?” Sunset turned to Twilight with a raised eyebrow.

“Can Equestrian magic re-grow hair?” Twilight reiterated.  “One of the most common side effects of cancer treatments is hair loss.  If Flash’s mom ended up losing her hair, would we be able to make it grow back the way it was?”

Sunset groaned and pressed her fingertips into her temples.  “Of all the magic that exists in Equestria, hair growth spells are one of the most unpredictable.  Don’t ask me why, but it just is, and we have years’ worth of magic research to back it up.”

Twilight leaned back on her chair and propped her feet up on the table.  For a while, she just sat there, staring at the ceiling. 
Then, she swung her feet back onto the floor and sat up.

“I think I know what I have to do,” said Twilight as she pulled out her phone.

“What are you doing?” Sunset cried, her eyes wide as she watched Twilight scroll through her contacts.

“Calling Pinkie Pie.”

“Twilight, you can’t tell her what’s going on with Flash.  It isn’t our business to share.”

“I’m not going to.”Twilight shot Sunset a dirty look as she called Pinkie’s number and held her phone up to her ear.  Sunset sighed and threw her arms up into the air before flopping down on the floor.

“Hello, hello, helloooooo,” sang a familiarly chipper voice.  “Pinkie Pie’s phone, this is Pinkie Pie speaking.”

“Hi, Pinkie, it’s Twilight,” Twilight replied.  “I was just wondering who supplies the wigs for Silly Wig Club.  I kind of need one to help cheer up a friend.”

“Well, a lot of them are donations, but the really poofy ones I make myself.”

“You know how to make wigs?” Twilight exclaimed as she suddenly straightened.

“Oh, yeah, I make a new one every time I get a haircut.”

“Do you think you could make me one except not poofy?”

“Hmm, gee, I don’t know, Twilight.  I’m not used to working with hair that isn’t mine.  How good do you need the wig to look?”

“I need it to look as totally natural as possible.”

“Ooh, sorry, I don’t think I’ll be able to help you, Twilight,” replied Pinkie, making Twilight wince, “but if you need a wig that bad, you could try asking Zephyr Breeze.  He knows practically everything about hair, real and fake.”

“Zephyr Breeze?” Twilight questioned skeptically.  “As in Fluttershy’s brother Zephyr Breeze?”

“Yeah, he donates a new wig to the club at least once every month.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll ask him then.  Thanks, Pinkie.”

“No problem, Twilight.  I’m sure Flash’s mom is going to love your surprise.”

“Thanks.”  Twilight was about to hang up when her eyes widened as she whipped the phone back next to her ear.  “Wait. 
How did you know I was getting a wig for Flash’s mom?”

“Oh, just a hunch,” Pinkie chirped.

“Please tell me that you don’t know why I’m getting Flash’s mom a wig.”

“Would it have anything to do with all the grilled cheeses that Flash has been getting at the diner?”

“P-p-p-Pinkie, if you know, you can’t—” Twilight began before Pinkie interrupted her.

“Tell anyone.I know.  If Flash wanted people to know, he’d tell when he’s ready.  Ooh, gotta go.  My shift’s about to start.  See ya later, Twi.  Buh-bye.”

With that, Pinkie Pie hung up, leaving a completely dumbfounded Twilight staring at her phone.



After Twilight explained to Sunset what she wanted to do, the two of them rode their bikes to Fluttershy’s house.  Fluttershy should be home from volunteering at the animal shelter already, and more importantly, none of the girls really knew what her brother did in his free time, so going to their house gave the two girls the best chance of finding him.  Twilight and Sunset braked their bikes in front of a small, one-story, red house with a pastel green roof.  Outside, a middle-aged woman with cream-colored skin and a voluminous magenta bob was tending to some chrysanthemums.

“Hi, Mrs. Shy,” Sunset called to the woman.  The woman yelped in surprise and dropped her trowel before looking up to see the two girls waving at her.

“Oh, hello, girls,” Mrs. Shy greeted back.  “If you’re looking for Fluttershy, she just got here.  Go on inside.  Just leave your bikes on the porch.”

“Okay,” replied the girls as they wheeled their bikes up to the porch and leaned them against one of the supports.  Then, they removed their helmets and attached them to the handlebars before entering the house.

The two of them found their rose-haired, butter-skinned friend comfortably seated on the sofa with a book in her hands surrounded by her various pets.  Fluttershy looked up and smiled once she saw Twilight and Sunset enter.

“Oh, hello, girls, what brings you here?” the shy girl greeted, setting her book aside.

“We,” began Sunset Shimmer, “or, more accurately, Twilight needs to ask Zephyr Breeze for a favor.”

“Oh?” said Fluttershy as she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“I can’t tell you why, but I really need his help,” Twilight continued.

“He should be in his room taking a nap,” replied Fluttershy.  “Follow me.”

Fluttershy led her friends down a hallway with four doors.  A loud snoring can be heard coming out of one of them.

“Zephyr!” Fluttershy called, knocking on the door where the snoring was coming from.  “Zephyr!  Wake up!  You have visitors.”  The snoring stopped.

“Unless it’s Rainbow Dash, don’t wake me!” a whiny male voice called back.

“Zephyr,” Fluttershy warned, “get up and open the door now, or I’m going in there and taking your covers.”

A few seconds of silence later, the door opened revealing a tall, groggy-looking teenage boy with green skin.  His soft, wavy blonde hair was loosely secured in a man bun.  He slouched forward and gave the three girls an annoyed scowl.

“What?” he simply uttered.

Twilight stepped forward and spoke, “So, Zephyr, Pinkie Pie tells me that you know how to make wigs.”

“Yeh,” the younger teen replied nonchalantly.

“I need you to make me one.  Well, not me specifically, but I need it to help a friend.  Can you get it done by the weekend? 
Uh, THIS weekend?”

Zephyr looked from Twilight to Sunset to Fluttershy then back to Twilight.  He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe saying, “What’s in it for me?”

Sunset facepalmed as she growled, “We’re not getting you a date with Rainbow Dash, Zephyr.”  Zephyr turned to the red-haired girl and frowned.

“And I don’t let people copy my homework,” Twilight added.

Zephyr turned his frown towards Twilight.  “Man, you girls are bad at being convincing.”

“Look, I can’t really give any extra details, but if you do this, you’ll really be helping us make someone’s day,” Twilight practically pleaded.

Zephyr just sighed and started to turn around.  “I’m going back to bed,” he said as he shut the door.

The three girls groaned.  Fluttershy turned to her friends with a determined look in her cerulean eyes.

“I’ve got this,” she said as she entered her brother’s room and shut the door behind her.

“Hey!  Sis, what gives?!” Twilight and Sunset heard Zephyr whine from behind the door.  “No!  Oh, no!  Not that!  Anything but that!  Um, I can’t see you!I can’t see you! …You’re still there, aren’t you?! …And you’re still looking at me like that. …Ugh!”

The sound of a bed creaking could be heard, and afterwards, the door was thrown open.  Zephyr and Fluttershy stood on the other side with Zephyr gesturing for Twilight and Sunset to come in.  Twilight and Sunset entered, and Zephyr shut the door behind them.

He gave the two of them a defeated look and deadpanned, “Do you want it straight, curly, or wavy?”

“Straight,” Twilight answered immediately.

Zephyr turned to a desk in the corner of his room.  Magazines, hair catalogues, bottles of various hair products, combs, scissors, and other related items were strewn on top of it.  He shuffled towards the desk with a speed that would have made zombies looked lively and pulled out a chart with different colored squares.

“Just pick what color you want, and I’ll take care of the rest,” he lifelessly muttered to Twilight, handing her the chart.

Twilight took the chart from him and looked through it, trying to remember what color Lantern Heart’s hair was.  While Twilight did that, Zephyr shoved a pile of catalogues and magazines on the floor to make space on his desk.  Then, he opened a drawer and pulled out several bundles of hair, laying them flat on top of the desk.  However, as Zephyr examined and counted each bundle, his eyes widened.

“Uh-oh,” he said.

“What ‘uh-oh’?” Sunset replied as all three of the girls looked up and turned towards him.

“Um, I don’t think I’ll be able to finish by the weekend,” Zephyr squeaked as he shrank back from the stern looks his sister and her friends were giving him.  “I’m a little short on straight hair.”

“What?!” Twilight cried.

“D-d-don’t worry.  I’ll still be able to get your wig done.  Will next weekend be okay with you?”

“I don’t even know if I have until next weekend,” Twilight nearly screamed.

“Look, I’m sorry.  I really am this time,” Zephyr rapidly spoke as he raised his hands between him and the angry Twilight.“I just don’t have what I need.  Unless you can get me some more hair, I’m afraid you’re out of luck.”

Twilight just stood there, trying to pant her anger out.  She clenched her teeth and clutched the back of her head with her free hand.  As soon as her fingertips pressed into her hair, her eyes widened as she unclenched her teeth.  Then, she grabbed her ponytail and held it out to Zephyr Breeze.

“I know it’s probably not the right color, but if you dyed it, would this whole length be enough?” Twilight asked.

“Twilight!” Sunset cried, shocked at what her best friend was suggesting.

“Hmm,” Zephyr pursed his lips as he examined Twilight’s hair, comparing its length to the other bundles’.  “I might be able to stretch it out, but the wig’s going to turn out pretty short.  Depending on who you want me to make this for, it might only end up going up to her chin at the longest.”

Twilight sighed and bit her lip.  “Okay.  If that’s the best you’re going to be able to do, then I’ll work with it.”

“Great.  Just step into the bathroom with me so that I can wash your generous donation,” Zephyr blathered, as he opened the door into the hallway and led Twilight to the room directly across from them.  “By the way, you didn’t tell me what color you wanted yet.”

“Hold it!” Sunset cried, causing everyone to stop and turn towards her.  She looked Twilight in the eye and asked, “Twilight, are you really sure about this?  You don’t have to do this, you know?”

Twilight closed her eyes and took a breath.  She looked at Sunset resolutely and answered, “I know I don’t have to do this, but I want to, and yes, I’m sure of that.”

“I just hope that Zephyr doesn’t make me regret what I signed up for,” Twilight thought to herself, glancing at Zephyr with uncertainty.

“Oh, and Zephyr,” Twilight continued, causing him to turn towards her.  Twilight held up the color chart that he had given her earlier and pointed to a dark red square.  “This one.”

Sunset Shimmer sighed and placed her hand on Twilight’s shoulder, acceptance and resignation written all over her face. 
“Okay, Twilight, if you’re that sure, then I won’t stop you.”

Before Zephyr could resume leading Twilight to the bathroom, however, Sunset grabbed him by the shirt and pulled the younger boy close to her face with a hard glare.  “Zephyr, I am only going to say this once.  If you give Twilight a bad haircut or mess up this wig, I’m going to maim you.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t mess anything up.  Gee,” Zephyr cried, pulling himself free from the feisty girl.  “Man, you’re almost as evil as my sister.”



Later that day, Sunset and Twilight left Fluttershy’s house, taking their bikes with them.  Instead of riding their bikes, however, the two of them simply wheeled them along as they walked.  Neither said anything for a while, but eventually, Sunset broke the silence.

“How are you going to explain what happened to your hair to your parents?”

“I guess I’ll just tell them that I donated it to a good cause,” Twilight replied, running her fingers through her newly shortened hair.

“And they’re just going to accept it?’

“I sure hope so.  The fact that Zephyr gave me a nice cut should deter any further questioning.  I’m honestly more worried about how I’m going to hide it at school tomorrow.”

As soon as Twilight mentioned school, Sunset stopped in her tracks, and her mouth fell open as realization dawned on her.

“Ms. Harshwhinny,” she uttered, causing Twilight to also stop.

“Aww, great!” Twilight groaned as she facepalmed.



The next day at fourth period, Twilight Sparkle sat at her desk with only her eyes peeking out of the hood of her sweatshirt. 
She was slouching as far down her desk as she could go, attempting to melt into the floor.

Flash once again arrived at class with only seconds to spare, showing that he wasn’t quite fully himself yet.  Hints of worry could also be seen in his eyes.  However, he did not seem as tired as he was yesterday and seemed much more put-together, so that was one improvement.

Neither Flash nor anyone else present seemed to notice Twilight’s odd behavior.  If they did, they didn’t pay her any mind. 
Twilight was grateful for that.  If she could just get through the rest of the day without taking off her hood, she would be able to avoid stirring up any unwanted drama.

“Ms. Sparkle, you know that I don’t allow head coverings in class,” Ms. Harshwhinny commanded with a shrill voice.  So much for that plan.

Twilight slowly sat up.  She could feel the entire class staring at her, their gazes burning into her bones.  She shared a look with Sunset who winced on her behalf.  Twilight’s hands shook as she brought them up to her hood.  She hunched towards her desk, trying to hide her face as much as possible.  Then, in one swift motion, she pulled down her hood, revealing her recently acquired pixie cut to the world.  Almost immediately, a deluge of high school gossip smashed through the floodgates.

“Whoa!  Girl, did your boyfriend break up with you or something?” exclaimed a boy from across the room.

“He must have for her to do something so extreme,” agreed one of the girls.

“Leave her alone!” Sunset shouted.“What she did with her hair is none of your business, and her boyfriend did not break up with her!  She broke up with her boyfriend!”

Realizing what she had just said, Sunset Shimmer clamped her hand over her mouth as Twilight threw a pencil at her. 
Sunset gave Twilight an apologetic look, but Twilight could only stare at her disbelievingly.

“Enough!” shouted Ms. Harshwhinny, slamming the thickest book in her ownership on top of her desk.  “You may all discuss Ms. Sparkle’s sudden and drastic change in hairstyle in your own free time, but right now, you’re here to learn literature from me.  If I hear another peep from any one of you, I am sending the offending student straight to Vice Principal Luna.”

The classroom became almost deathly silent, and once again, the rest of the period passed uneventfully.

“Hey, Twilight!” Flash turned towards the girl in question and called her when the bell rang.

Hearing Flash call her name, Twilight turned to him.  She wore a completely neutral expression, but just beneath her skin, her stomach had dropped all the way to her pelvis, and her top and bottom molars were grinding against each other. 
“Please don’t ask about my hair.Please don’t ask about my hair,” she mentally pleaded.

“Did you and Timber Spruce really break up?”

Twilight shut her eyes and sighed.  Then, she opened her eyes and shot Sunset another pointed look before answering Flash, “Yes.  Yes, we did.  Don’t worry about it.  It’s not a big deal, and it’s definitely not why I cut my hair.”

As the three of them walked out of the classroom together, Sunset continued to apologize profusely, “Oh, Twilight, I am so sorry.  I didn’t mean to say it.  Really.”

“Don’t worry about it.  It’s not like I was trying to hide it anyway,” Twilight reassured her best friend.

“So, why did you cut your hair?” Flash asked Twilight.

Twilight winced as soon as the question left Flash’s lips.  She threw a questioning look at Sunset who merely shrugged back.

“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to talk about it,” Flash continued.  “Everyone’s just a little surprised.  That’s all.”  He looked at her and tilted his head to the side.  Then, he smiled.  “If it makes you feel any better, I think your new haircut looks good on you.”

Twilight smiled back.  “Well, thank you.”  Her smile quickly fell, however, as her eyes widened in realization.  “Umm, Flash,” she squeaked out, “this is going to sound weird, but can you text me your address?”

Flash raised an eyebrow at her quizzically.  “Why?”

Twilight bit her lip and looked away from him.  She took a breath and looked back at him.  “You’ll know in the weekend,” she audibly whispered with only the barest hint of a smile.

Twilight’s cryptic answer bothered Flash a little, but he elected to trust her.  Pulling out his phone, he did what she asked him to do and pressed send.  Twilight’s phone vibrated in response.

“Thanks, Flash.  I’ll see you later,” Twilight said to him, her smile fully returning as she and Sunset rushed ahead.



That Saturday afternoon, Flash and his younger brother hadn’t received any job offers, so the two of them were at home enjoying a game of Plumber Karts.  One little known fact about Flash is that he sucked at video games, so unsurprisingly, First Base was thoroughly thrashing him.  To Flash’s relief, the doorbell rang.

Flash got up to answer the bell, but when he opened the door, all he found was a package on top of the doormat.  The package was wrapped in brown paper and stuck with an adhesive label.  The label had his mother’s name printed on it.

Flash looked to the right and to the left but couldn’t find any trace of who could have possibly left the package.  The only reasonable thing to do next was to bring the package inside and call his mother, so that’s what he did.

“Mom!” Flash called as he returned to the living room, the package in hand.  “Someone left a package for you.”

“A package?” questioned Lantern Heart as she and the other two women in the family entered the room.  She had become paler and significantly thinner in the last three months.  Most noticeably, her head was completely bald.  “That’s weird.  I didn’t order anything.”

“It doesn’t look like it came through the mail,” Flash clarified as he handed the package to his mother.

Lantern Heart turned the package over in her hands and examined it on all sides before she tore the wrapping and opened it.  She gasped when she saw its contents.

“What is it?” asked Base, setting down his game controller and gathering with the rest of the family.

Lantern reached inside and pulled out a short, dark red wig and a hand mirror.  “Oh my!” she exclaimed.  “Someone sent me a wig.”

“It’s a little darker than your old hair color,” her sister noted.  “Not to mention shorter than your normal hairstyle.”

“Try it on anyway.  I want to see how it looks,” urged Grandma Birdie.

Lantern Heart hesitantly fitted the wig over her head and looked at herself using the hand mirror.  The hair unfurled past her ears but not quite up to her chin.  The style framed her face perfectly.  Lantern Heart couldn’t help but smile at what she saw.

“How do I look?” she turned to her family and asked, still smiling.

Everyone else smiled back at her, especially Flash who was giving her one of his special smiles.  “You look beautiful, Mom,” said Flash, his voice beginning to break.  “Like you always do.”
> Chapter 5:  Can I Please Have One More Minute?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Why are we doing this again?” a brown, spice-haired, 13-year-old boy asked as he helped First Base and Micro Chips untangle Christmas lights one nippy mid-November afternoon.  “It’s not even Thanksgiving yet.”

“Grandma saw a story on UTube about a kid who was dying of cancer and how his whole town celebrated Christmas two months early so that he wouldn’t miss it,” Base explained.  “Then, she asked all the other adults in the neighborhood if they wanted to celebrate Early Christmas with us instead Black Friday.”

“None of our families even partake in Black Friday anyway, so I’d say it’s a good tradeoff,” added Micro Chips as he handed a string of detangled lights up to Flash who was standing on a ladder hanging lights around his house.

Flash’s favorite thing about his neighbors was how they all celebrated the holidays together like one big extended family. 
One of the many traditions that the three families shared was helping each other put up decorations.  The women in their families would hang ornaments, tinsel, and such while the men would work on the outdoor decorations.  Button Mash’s father happened to be working today, and Micro’s dad was out running errands, so the boys decided to start hanging the lights while they waited for the adult men to return.

“The only downside is,” Micro Chips continued with a frown, “all the dirty looks that we’re probably going to getting from other people.”

“You mean the people who can’t stand people who start celebrating Christmas early?” Button asked Micro for clarification.

“We have a pretty darn good reason for celebrating Christmas early this year,” Flash retorted.  “I’d rather celebrate Christmas a month early with Mom than celebrate it on the actual day without her.  If that’s a crime, then somebody better call the cops and arrest me.”

“Be careful what you wish for, punk,” a male voice called out to them jokingly.

The boys turned towards the voice and saw Twilight and her brother walking up behind them.

“Hey, Shining Armor,” First Base greeted.  “Hey, Twilight.”

“Hi,” Twilight returned the greeting with a smile.  She looked up as saw Flash just staring at her with a goofy smile on his face.  After Lantern Heart got her surprise last week, Flash had deduced that Twilight’s drastic hair change had something to do with it.  Ever since then, Flash had been having a hard time taking his eyes off her.  Not that Twilight would know any of that.

“So,” Shining Armor spoke again, jolting Flash out of his reverie, “just what are you punk kids up to?”

“Getting ready for Early Christmas,” Base answered matter-of-factly as he handed another string of lights up to his brother.

“So I heard.”  Shining Armor then turned his attention towards Flash, his expression becoming more serious as he did so. 
“Anyway, how’s your mom?”

Flash had gotten more open about letting other people know about his mother’s condition within the last week.  After crying his eyes out in front of Twilight, he had decided that self-consciousness was not a luxury that he could afford anymore.  His closest friends now know about it, and when Flash discovered that Pinkie Pie had already guessed it, he had given her, Twilight, and Sunset permission to tell their four other friends.  Additionally, with Flash opening up more, Twilight decided to finally tell her family the real reason why she had cut her hair.

“She’s gotten a lot more tired lately, but she’s still got plenty of life in her,” Flash replied.

“That’s good,” said Shining Armor.  “Every minute you boys have with your mom is worth its weight in gold.”

“Aw, come on, Shining,” Flash ribbed.  “Every minute with Mom is worth WAY more than that.”

“Not that we’re not glad to see you guys,” First Base began while attempting to undo a particularly stubborn knot, “but what are you doing here anyways?”

“Well, Mom kicked us out of the house to run some errands for her,” Twilight deadpanned as she pulled out a sheet of paper from her jacket pocket, “and one of the items on her list was to invite your family to have Thanksgiving with us next week.”

“Yeah, I guess Mom figured that you guys aren’t going to want to do a lot of cooking,” Shining Armor added.

The brothers turned to each other and their friends, unsure what to say.  Flash was about to speak, but his brother beat him to it.

“We kind of already have plans for Thanksgiving.”

“Oh?” uttered Twilight, disappointment just edging her voice.  Wait.  Why was she disappointed?

“Yeah,” Button Mash butted in as he handed Flash another string of lights.“Our families potluck for Thanksgiving every year.”

“Except for when Micro Chips’s family has Thanksgiving with his grandparents in Texas,” Flash pointed out.

“Well, almost every year,” Button sheepishly amended.

Micro Chips wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn that Twilight looked a bit sad when she heard that Flash’s family won’t be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with hers.  However, Flash had been too focused on hanging the lights to notice.  Micro Chips looked from Flash to Twilight and back and forth between the two.  Then, his eyes lit up as his brain sparked with a brilliant idea, an evil genius level of brilliant idea.

“My mom pretty much unofficially organizes the whole potluck,” Micro Chips mentioned.  “I could see if she’s okay with celebrating with an extra family.”

“Really?” Twilight gasped, suddenly excited.  Why was she suddenly excited?

“Would we be able to fit an extra family in any of our houses?” said Flash, asking what seemed to him was an obvious question.

“Aw crud,” Micro Chips internally cursed at himself for forgetting the obvious and at Flash for shooting himself in the foot.

“My place is pretty big.  We should be able to all fit there,” Twilight offered rather impulsively.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Twily, wait,” Shining Armor interjected.  “We can’t just start inviting random families to our house without asking Mom and Dad first.  I mean, they probably wouldn’t mind making a few new friends, but we should still ask.”

Twilight’s face fell yet again before changing to a look of annoyance directed at her brother.  This time, Flash had stopped stringing lights long enough to notice her face change.  He couldn’t figure out why, but Twilight seem to really want to spend Thanksgiving with his family.

“Raincheck on both our ends then?” Flash asked Shining and Twilight, mostly Twilight.

Twilight’s eyes lit up as she answered, “Yeah, sure, raincheck.”

Shining Armor looked from his sister to the punk kid stringing Christmas lights and back again, suspicion creeping into his face.  “Well, we’ve got other errands to run, so we better get going.  Come on, Twily.”  He took his sister by the hand and started pulling her towards his car which was parked further down the street.

“Micro and I will call you as soon as we get an answer from our families, okay?” Flash called after Twilight.

“Yeah, I’ll call you too.  Bye,” Twilight waved before she got into the car.  Shining Armor started the engine and sped away, just barely within the legal limit.



Much to the older teenagers’ delight, all four families liked the idea of inviting Twilight’s family to the yearly potluck and having it held at Twilight’s house.  Furthermore, Twilight’s parents expressed interest in celebrating Early Christmas along with the other families.

The plan did hit one minor hiccup however.  On Wednesday, Flash suddenly remembered that his family’s Boston terrier Banana usually accompanied them to the annual potluck, so he had to call Twilight and see if her folks were okay with having another dog in the house.  Luckily, Twilight’s parents said yes.

The next day, the Flash’s family, dog and all, piled into Aunt Flare’s army green mini cooper with 2 trays each of green bean casserole and cheddar biscuits and 3 loaves of Grandma Birdie’s homemade cinnamon bread wrapped in cellophane, topped with a big red bow, and tagged with the names of the families that each one was meant for.  Unsurprisingly, First Base sat on the hump again, sandwiched between his older brother and grandmother.  On a positive note, he had a dog with him to make the experience more bearable.  Additionally, Twilight’s family didn’t live too far from them, so the car ride wasn’t long.

Just as Flare Burst was parking her car, Flash’s phone pinged.  Flash took it out of his pocket and opened the message that he received.  Then, he laughed.

“Everyone, I just got a mistletoe alert from Twilight,” he announced, still laughing.  “She says to be careful walking in the door.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Base sighed in relief, getting another round of laughter in response.

After Flare parked, the family piled out of the car, Aunt Flare and First Base carrying the food for the potluck while Grandma carried the bread that they were going to give as Early Christmas presents.  Flash held Banana on a leash with one hand, and with the other, he supported his mother as she leaned on him.  Lantern Heart needed to be on portable oxygen now and had trouble staying steady while standing.  Despite her worsened condition, she had a warm, bright smile on her face as she prepared to celebrate her two favorite holidays of the year at the same time.

Since everyone else had their hands full, Grandma Birdie had to ring the doorbell.

“I’ll get it,” they heard Twilight call.  Shortly after, the door opened revealing the bespectacled girl on the other side.  She had dressed up for the occasion with a navy-blue sweater embroidered with snowflakes, and her face had a warm pink glow underneath her normal skin tone.  “Come in.”

Grandma had gone in first, and First Base was about to follow when he looked up and saw a green twig with white berries hanging from the doorframe.

“Uh, ladies first,” he said as he stepped aside to let his aunt pass.  He refused to enter the house until he was sure that the doorway was entirely free of any females.

Flash rolled his eyes as he escorted his mother inside.  Since he and his mom couldn’t walk in single file, he bent down and kissed her on the cheek as they entered.  Twilight didn’t know why but seeing Flash treat his mother so well made her heart flutter a little.

Twilight directed Flash and his family to the living room where her family was waiting for their guests to arrive.  Twilight’s parents got up and took the food from First Base and Flare Burst, setting them on the dining room table.  Also in the living room was someone Flash was not expecting to see.

“Principal Cadance?” Flash whispered to Twilight catching sight of the tall pink woman with tri-color hair sitting arm-in-arm with Shining Armor.  The pair of them got up and approached Flash and his family, giving loving smiles at each other every so often.

“Flash, Base, Ms. Lantern, Ms. Flare, Ms. Bird, this is my fiancée, Cadance,” Shining Armor introduced.

“Hi, pleasure to meet you,” greeted Cadance as she shook hands with everybody.  While she was shaking hands with Flash, Flash looked down and caught sight of something shiny on her left ring finger.  Cadance must have noticed him staring because she suddenly lifted her left hand to show everyone her ring.  “I know, right?I can’t believe it either.”

“Congratulations,” Lantern said to the younger woman with a smile.

“That explains the mistletoe,” Base whispered to his older brother.  Flash responded by bumping the younger boy on the shins with his foot.

“By the way, this one’s for you,” Grandma Birdie grabbed the bread labeled for Twilight’s family and gave it to Ms. Velvet. 
“Merry Early Christmas.”

Twilight looked to Flash in confusion as the older teen boy explained, “Neighborhood tradition.  Instead of presents, each family exchanges baked goods on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas morning we eat them from breakfast while we open the rest of our gifts.  Our family always gives out bread, Micro’s family gives out cookies, and Button’s gives out pie.”

“Sounds yummy,” exclaimed Night Light as he inhaled the scent of cinnamon, yeast, and love through the cellophane wrapping.  “I almost can’t wait until tomorrow.”

“Hey, Flash, Base, come on,” called Twilight, pointing to the plastic pine with multicolored lights near the crackling fireplace. 
“Your presents are over there.”

“Sweet!” cheered First Base as he rushed to the tree with Twilight, Banana, and Spike following him.

Flash helped his mother seat herself on the couch first before joining them.

“You alright, Mom?” Flash asked his mother as she released his arm.

“I’m fine, honey.  You go ahead,” Lantern replied, shooing her son with a smile and a wave of her hand.

Flash met up with the group of dogs and teenagers under the tree.  First Base had found the gifts with his, Banana’s, and Flash’s names written on them.  Base placed Banana’s gift in front of the dog and handed Flash his gift.

“I picked out your gifts and Micro’s and Button’s gifts myself,” beamed Twilight, “and Fluttershy and Spike helped me pick out Banana’s.”

“Thanks,” said Flash returning her smile, “I can hardly wait to open mine.”

“Why don’t you just open it now?” said Spike, causing the women in Flash’s family to do a double take.

“You heard the dog talk too, right?” Lantern said to her sister.

“Unless twin sisters having matching hallucinations are a thing, I think we’re both still sane,” Flare replied.

“Don’t worry.  You’ll get used to it,” assured Cadance, chuckling.

“Don’t we have to wait until tomorrow morning to open presents?” Base asked Twilight, still clutching his present.

“When Twily was little, she didn’t want to wait to open presents,” explained Shining Armor, “so we used to let her open one present on the night before.  I guess it sort of ended up turning into a family tradition.”

“You mean we can totally open these right now?” Base exclaimed.  “Double sweet!”

However, as First Base tore into his present, his excitement quickly disappeared when he saw exactly what Twilight had gotten him.

“A book?”  The expression on his face and the tone of his voice bluntly showed how unimpressed he was with his gift, earning him a blunt poke in the forehead courtesy of his older brother.



The party finally began when the other two families arrived.  First Base was especially happy with his best friend’s arrival since Button Mash was the only other teen his age.  Twilight wasn’t quite comfortable having so many people inside of her home but enjoyed soaking in the warm, lively atmosphere nonetheless.  Everybody filled up on laughter and delicious food until their hearts and stomachs were close to bursting.  Traditions, recipes, stories, and kind words were exchanged freely along with the gifts.  Although, like First Base, Button Mash was rather unimpressed with the gift that Twilight had gotten him.

Hours later the party began to wind down as the families began to return home with Flash’s being the last to leave.

“Bye!” Twilight called as she waved.  “I’ll see you at school on Monday, Flash!”

Flash waved back at her as his aunt drove their car away from Twilight’s house.

“Whoo!  Was that fun!” Velvet exclaimed flopping herself on the couch and stretching.  “We ought to have them over again next year.”

“Yeah, but maybe next year, we should just get each family a gift basket instead of buying individual gifts,” suggested Night Light as he picked up the torn wrapping paper strewn on the floor.

Meanwhile, in the car ride with Flash’s family, everybody had settled into their seats as a peaceful tiredness washed over them.

“Mom,” First Base asked as he and Flash leaned on each other, “can we celebrate Thanksgiving and Early Christmas with Twilight’s family and our neighbors every year?”

Lantern Heart smiled as she watched her two boys from the rearview mirror.“I don’t see why you can’t,” she answered, closing her eyes in blissful contentment.  As happy as she was, she couldn’t help but feel exhausted from the festivities, so exhausted that she could just fall asleep in the car.

By the time Flare Burst pulled her car into their driveway, every single one of her passengers had fallen fast asleep.
> Chapter 6:  How Could Any of This Be Right?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following Monday, Lantern Heart sat at her dining room table staring at the cellphone she was holding in her hand.  Her mother and her sister were seated with her, Flare Burst holding her free hand.  The two sisters gave each other a look of determination before Lantern dialed a number on her phone and held it up to her ear.

The phone rang a few times before a feminine answered, “Hello, Hard and Fast Legal, Autumn speaking.”

“Yes, hello, I would like to speak to Fast Lane.  Tell him that it’s Lantern Heart and that it’s urgent,” Lantern kept her voice steady as she spoke even though her hand was starting to shake.

“Okay.  Please hold.”

After the longest 2-minute hold in Lantern Heart’s life, the man Lantern was trying to reach finally picked up the phone.

“Lantern Heart,” he gruffly began, “I thought we agreed that we wouldn’t contact each other anymore after the divorce. 
What could possibly be so important that you would call me right now?  And on my work number at that?”

Lantern squeezed her sister’s hand as she readied herself for what she’s about to say.  “Fast,” she began after taking a breath.  “I, I’m meeting with an attorney this week to draw a will.  I know you said that you didn’t want anything to do with me or the kids after the split, but you’re still their father.  It’s only right that you have a say in what happens to them if anything bad happens to me.”

“In other words, you want to know if I’m okay with you leaving them with me if you die.”

Lantern bit her lip to hold the tears back as she continued.  “Yes.”

“I said it 10 years ago, and I’m saying it now.  They have nothing to do with me.  Leave them with whoever else you want.  Is that all?”

“That—that’s everything important that have to say to you, yes,” she replied as her voice began to hitch.  She soon found herself listening to nothing but the dial tone on the other side.

Lantern Heart hung up and set the phone on the table as she quietly began to cry.  Her sobs became louder the more freely her tears flowed.

“Why didn’t you tell him about the cancer?” Flare asked her sister, taking Lantern’s hand into both of hers.

Lantern stopped crying long enough to spit out her answer, “It wouldn’t have made a difference.”

Birdie got up and pulled her heartbroken daughter into a hug as she continued to cry.  Unbeknownst to the three women, the two boys had been listening from the hall.



That Friday at sundown, Flash Sentry sat at the picnic table in the clearing at Stardust Point with only his brother and his dog for company.  His phone was in his hand, and he was contemplating whether to call the number that he found over the internet.

“You gonna do it, Big Bro?” Base asked as he scratched Banana behind the ear.

Flash sighed as he rested his head on his free hand.  “This is going to be the first time that I’ve talked to Dad in years,” he said to his brother.  “What if I call him and we both get angry and say things that we regret?”

First Base thought about what his brother had just said as he stared at Flash staring at the phone.  “I don’t know what else to tell you, Bro.  You either call him or you don’t.”.

Flash took a breath, gritted his teeth, and called the number.

“Hello, Hard and Fast Legal, this is Autumn speaking,” a feminine voice answered.

“Hello, I would like to speak to Fast Lane please.  It’s important,” Flash spoke into the phone.  As he was speaking, Base switched from scratching Banana’s ears to rubbing the dog’s belly.

“Please hold.”

Flash took a few deep breaths while he waited to be put through.  As he waited, a mental image of his mother crying on Monday evening crept to the front of his mind.  Flash wished that Monday had been the only time that he had seen his mom cry over his dad, but it wasn’t.  He had seen his mom cry plenty of other times as a kid, and most of the time his father had been involved.

Now that Flash really thought about it, he had absolutely no idea just what kind of a man his father is or was.  He didn’t remember his dad being present for much of anything even back when his parents were still together.  In fact, most of Flash’s memories of his father were either of the man blowing them off or getting into screaming matches with his mom which ultimately ended with his mom crying.

“Hello,” a man’s voice said over the phone.

“Hi, Dad.  It’s Flash,” Flash replied.

For a while, the phone remained silent.  Then, Fast Lane spoke again, “Flash who?”

“Flash Sentry?  Your oldest son?” he answered, biting back a growl.

“Flash?” the man on the other side said, sounding surprised.  “What happened to your voice?”

“It got lower,” Flash bluntly pointed out.

“Oh.”  Another awkward silence filled the air, and again Fast Lane broke it.  “Alright, what do you want, Flash?  Did your mother put you up into calling me?”

“No, I called on my own.  There’s something that I think you need to know.”Flash’s blood boiled at the tone that his father was using on him, but he tried to remain calm anyway.“Mom,” he began before sighing, “Mom has cancer.”

More silence.  “What?”  Judging by tone of Fast Lane’s voice, Flash might as well have told him that the refrigerator sprouted legs and ran away with the kitchen sink.

“Mom’s.  Got.  Cancer,” Flash reemphasized.  “Not only that, she’s also dying of it.”

Yet another long silence.

“Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Mom, but if there’s anything that you regret saying or doing to her at all, you don’t have a lot of time to make it right.  If you want to tell her that you’re sorry, you’ve got to do it now,” Flash continued, trying not to sound like he was begging.

Again, silence.

“Dad?” Flash called out.  Only silence answered him followed by the sound of the dial tone.

With a pronounced scowl, Flash set his phone on top of the table and clutched his head by the temples.

“I’m guessing that the conversation didn’t go well,” First Base softly stuttered out, holding the dog worriedly.

Flash didn’t reply but jumped up, spun around, and screamed to the heavens.  When he had finished, his chested was heaving forcefully as hot, angry pants came out of his mouth.

“YOU ARE A HORRIBLE FATHER!  YOU KNOW THAT?!” Flash yelled at horizon before collapsing to the ground.  He pulled his knees to his chest and touched his forehead to his knees.

Banana jumped out of First Base’s arms and ran up to Flash, placing his paws on Flash’s legs.  Flash looked up and turned towards Banana.  The dog looked back at him with large eyes and dropping ears, whining sympathetically.

“What?” Flash spat bitterly at the dog.  “You gonna leave us to fend for ourselves too?”

Banana whined as he squeezed himself onto Flash’s lap.  He whined again, rubbing his head on Flash’s chest.  Flash closed his eyes and sighed as he wrapped his arms around the dog.

“Hey, man, you okay?  You seem upset,” a low voice said from directly behind him.  Flash turned around and saw a familiar purple puppy giving him a concerned look.

“Spike?” he uttered.

“Spike!”  The boys heard a shrill, feminine voice call from the direction of the trail that led to the clearing.  They turned and saw Twilight running towards the clearing followed by Cadance.

First Base turned and gave his brother a confused look.  “How do we keep meeting her?  Just how?”  After seeing the somewhat offended look Twilight was giving him, he said to her, “Not that we’re not glad to see you.”

“Um, hi,” Flash hesitantly greeted Twilight.

“Hi,” she said back.

“So,” Flash began as Twilight bent down to pick up Spike.“What brings the three of you here?”

“Future sisters-in-law plus puppy bonding time,” Cadance replied as she and Twilight took a seat at the picnic table.  “We decided to have it out here for some reason.  I don’t know why, but there’s something about this place that’s just wonderful for talking or clearing your head.  It could be the sky, the space, the fresh air, a number of things, but enough about us. 
What are you boys up to?”

“Big Bro just talked to Dad for the first time in 10 years,” First Base deadpanned.

“Yeah, we kind of heard him screaming on the way up here,” Twilight uneasily replied before turning to face Flash.  “Are you having problems with your dad?”

“I just can’t believe it,” Flash shouted, still angry, as he got up and returned to the table.  “I can’t.  I mean, I understand if he doesn’t want anything to do with Mom, but his kids are about to become orphans, and he’s just going to move on with his life as if we didn’t exist.  What kind of a father—?,” Flash clenched his teeth and let out a livid hiss, “What kind of a man would do something like that?”

For a while, nobody said a word because they didn’t know what to say.  Twilight sighed and place a hand on Flash’s shoulder while Banana jumped up and once again lay on Flash’s lap.

“Actually, I lied,” Flash spoke again.  “I don’t understand.  I don’t understand what it is about Mom that my dad hates.  Mom was good to him the whole time they were married.  Sure, she had gotten mad at him a few times, but she had always treated him well.  I just—,” Flash sighed again, “I just don’t understand what went wrong.”

“Maybe being treated well wasn’t good enough for him,” Spike scoffed, the bitter tone in his voice unmistakable.  The boys turned to him in confusion as he continued, “Maybe he didn’t know just how good of a thing he had, or maybe he did but just didn’t appreciate it enough to hold on to it.”

Base raised an eyebrow at the puppy, “Are we still talking about our dad?”

“I don’t know,” Spike shrugged.  “Flash talking about your dad just sounded a lot like Twilight talking about Timber.”

“Spike!” Twilight scolded her dog.

“Who’s Timber?” Base asked Twilight.

“Ex-boyfriend,” Twilight muttered in annoyance.

“Then again, what would I know about relationships,” Spike continued.  “I haven’t wanted to be with a girl since that weird visit to the vet.”

Banana barked twice as if in response to Spike’s last statement.

“You too, huh?” Spike replied to his fellow canine who barked in confirmation.

“Umm, Twilight, if you don’t mind me asking,” Flash said to the girl, “why did you and Timber break up?”

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes.  She looked like she wanted to talk about anything other than the break-up but answered Flash’s question anyway.  “Applejack caught him checking out other girls while they were lifeguarding together last summer.  I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want him to think I was clingy or insecure, but then Applejack told me that girls started flirting with him and that he flirted back.  When I confronted him about it, he didn’t deny anything, but he didn’t seem sorry either.  He said, ‘I was just having a little fun.  It’s not like I was cheating on you with them.’  Then, I got mad and told him that we were done.”

For the second time that evening, nobody knew how to respond.  Then, Flash placed his hand on top of Twilight’s.  Twilight didn’t know why, but she could have sworn that her heart had skipped a beat when Flash touched her hand.

Twilight turned to the older of the two boys and asked him, “Do you think I was being too hard on him?”

Flash looked back at her and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Do you think I was being too jealous?” she clarified.  “I mean, maybe Timber didn’t mean anything unfaithful with the flirting.  Maybe he was just having fun.  I-I just don’t know.  I just never expected that he would do that.  I always imagined that being in a relationship with a guy would be like, like,” Twilight paused, trying to find the right words to express what she had wanted, “like what my parents have or like what my brother and Cadance have.”

“That’s not a bad thing to want,” Cadance spoke.  “Fidelity is an essential part of any relationship, and if you ask me, that Timber guy shouldn’t have given you reasons to question his.”

As First Base listened to the conversation, he stared off into the horizon in thought.  Then, he turned to his brother and asked, “Big Bro, do you think Dad might have,” he paused, and his face winced as if he was afraid of the words that were about to come out of his mouth, “cheated?”

“Cheated?” Flash repeated, confused.

“I mean, I’m not saying for sure, but you remember what it was like when he was still around better than I do.  Do you think he might have cheated?”

Flash stared at the table as he searched through his memories.  “I remember him and Mom fighting a lot.  Mom used to say things like ‘How could you lie to me?,’ ‘Do we mean anything to you at all?,’ ‘Just what kind of an example are you setting for the boys?,” and I can’t remember the rest.  I also remember Dad saying ‘This isn’t what it looks like’ and ‘Okay, it’s exactly what it looks like, but it didn’t mean anything.’”

Flash’s eyes widened, and his voice faltered as he spoke the last four words.  Then, he covered his face with his hands and groaned, “Oh my gosh.”

“Flash,” Cadance said to the high school-aged boy, causing him to look up at her.  “I was just wondering.  Who helped your mom raise you after your dad left?  I know your aunt and your grandmother are helping her out now that she’s sick, but did anyone,” she paused, looking for an appropriate word, “father you guys after your dad left?”

Flash sighed and then answered, “Grandpa.”  He placed his hand on his chest and seemed to rub something that was underneath his shirt.  Then, he recounted, “Before the divorce, our grandparents had lived out of town, but we visited each other a lot, so First Base and I were close to them.  After the divorce, they moved in with us to help Mom take care of us, and Grandpa, well, Grandpa was the dad our dad should have been.  He taught me how to play the guitar, and he taught First Base how to throw a ball, but the most important thing that he taught me,” Flash pause as he swallowed, eyes glistening, “was how to be the kind of man he was.  He used to say, ‘If you see someone who needs help, the best thing you can do is to stop and try to help them.  The least you can do is to ask if they need your help.’”

“Your grandfather sounds like a good man.  I wish I could have met him,” Cadance replied.  “What happened to him?”

The two brothers looked at each other.  First Base could tell that his brother was about to crack any second, so he decided to answer.

“He got Alzheimer’s about, I think, 4 years ago,” said Base.  “It wasn’t so bad at first.  He just kept forgetting things a few times, but then, he got worse, so Aunt Flare retired from the military to help take care of him.  Then, he died about two years ago.”  He turned his eyes towards the table before continuing, “While everyone was asleep.  So, we didn’t get to say good-bye to him.  That was rough.”

Flash nodded in agreement before reaching into his shirt and pulling something out.  What he pulled out was a ball chain with a pair of dog tags that he was wearing around his neck.  He showed them to Twilight and Cadance.

“Grandpa was a combat medic back in the day.  These used to be his,” he said to the two females in their company while rubbing his eyes.

First Base face hardened as he suddenly slammed his fists against the table.  “This isn’t fair!” he cried, looking like he was about to cry.  “We already went through this with Grandpa.  Why do we have to do it again with Mom?”

Flash sighed, rubbing his fingers on his temples.  “I sure wish I knew,” he answered.

Banana whined empathetically.

“Yeah, I don’t like it when my humans are upset either,” Spike agreed with him.

Twilight and Flash began to pet their respective dogs, causing the dogs to pant happily.  Then, Banana jumped on the table, walked up to First Base, and rubbed his head against the younger boy’s cheek.  Despite his earlier outburst, Base found himself giggling at the dog.

Twilight turned towards Flash and met his eyes.  “It doesn’t get easier the second time, does it?”

“Not a bit,” Flash answered with a sad smile.

“Listen,” Cadance began, getting everyone’s attention.  “I know you boys have gone through a lot and that you’re going through a tough time again now, but I just want you to know that you’re not going through it alone.  I know people say it so often that it doesn’t really mean anymore, but if you ever need to talk or vent or anything, we’re here for you.”

Twilight showed her agreement by placing her hand on Flash’s shoulder and nodding.  Flash smiled back at her.  For the second time that day, Twilight could have sworn that her heart skipped a beat.

“I don’t know why we keep meeting you,” First Base said to Twilight, “but I’m starting to feel really glad that we do.”
> Chapter 7:  I Gave You Life Now You Gotta Watch It Leave My Eyes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I DON’T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL TOMORROW!” First Base screamed.

“We’ve discussed this,” Aunt Flare firmly intoned.  “Your mom doesn’t want you missing school just because she’s in the hospital.  You and your brother are going to school.  End of discussion.”

It was Sunday night, and Flare Burst and her two nephews had just gotten home from taking her sister to the hospital. 
Earlier that evening, Lantern Heart had passed out while Flash was walking her from the living room to her room.  The whole family had rushed her to the hospital.  The doctors were able to get her stable, but they told the family that Lantern might not last the week.  Birdie had chosen to stay at the hospital with her while Flare took the boys home.

“But Mom can go any minute, and we’ve only got one chance to say goodbye to her.  We can make up school any time. 
Besides, it’s the last week.  All we’re doing is reviewing,” Base argued.

“One, your brother has exams this week.  Two, I’m not legally allowed to let you miss an entire week of school.  Three, if you don’t go to bed right now, I’m going to start making you do push-ups.  Now, go to bed,” Aunt Flare ordered.  The look that she was giving her youngest nephew told him not to cross her unless he had a death wish.

“AUGH!” he screamed as he ran up to his room and slammed the door.

Flare seethed as she pinched the bridge of her nose before turning to Flash.  Flash had just been standing there watching the whole argument, and although he wasn’t as vocal about it, he didn’t want to school this week either.  However, he also didn’t want to get into a shouting match with his aunt or do push-ups until his arms fell off.

“Well, good night, Aunt Flare,” he simply said as he headed towards the stairs.

“Flash,” his aunt called, causing the teen to stop and turn.  “I’m going to talk with your principals tomorrow and see if we can get some kind of system set up.  I’m not making any promises, but I will do everything that I can to make sure that you two get to say goodbye to your mother.  Okay?”

“Okay,” Flash said before turning to continue his trip up the stairs.  “Good night.”

“Good night.”  As soon as Flash entered his room and shut his door, Flare went into the living room and collapsed on the couch.



The next day, to First Base’s ire, the boys went to school as usual.  As Flare promised, she had talked to Principal Celestia and Principal Ironsides about their current family situation and worked out a system for getting the boys out of school as quickly as possible should the need arise.  Fortunately, that system didn’t need to be used on that day.

Since Flash had two exams that morning, he tried not to worry about his mother, knowing that she wouldn’t want him failing his exams over her.  Miraculously, he survived his first exam, but as soon as the exam was over, he rushed out of the classroom and vomited his breakfast inside the nearest trash can.  This did not go unnoticed.

“Flash!” Derpy cried, “Are you okay?”

“Physically or emotionally?” Flash managed to say as his legs continued to shake.

“Umm, both, I guess,” the wall-eyed girl answered, visibly concerned for her friend.

“Physically, I think so.  Emotionally, I honestly don’t know, but I definitely don’t feel good.”

“Do you need to see the nurse or Vice Principal Luna?”

“No, no,” Flash insisted.  “I can make it.  At least, I sure hope I can.”

“Whoa!  Flash, are you okay?” Pinkie Pie cried, running up to him.  “When I saw you leave class earlier, you looked like you were going to throw up.  So, I followed you, and you did.  Juice box?”

Flash just stared at the juice box that Pinkie Pie held out to him, attempting to comprehend what she had just said before shaking his head.  Pinkie shrugged and placed the juice box back in her hair.

“Oh dear, what happened here?” Fluttershy exclaimed as she and Twilight got out of a nearby classroom.

“I threw up,” Flash said plainly.

“Oh my!  Are you alright?”

“I feel like I should know the answer to that, but I don’t.”

Twilight placed the back of one hand on Flash’s forehead, causing him to blush, and the back of her other hand on her forehead.

“You’re a little red, but you don’t seem to be running a fever,” she said before lowering her hands and placing two fingers on Flash’s wrist.  Her eyes widened as she felt Flash’s pulse.  “Why is your heart beating so fast?”

“He told me earlier that he didn’t feel good emotionally,” explained Derpy.

“Gee, I didn’t think the test was that hard,” said Pinkie.

“Pinkie, I don’t think—,” Twilight stopped talking and gasped.  She looked into Flash’s eyes and asked him, “Did something happen to your mom?”

Flash closed his eyes and nodded.

“Oh no, is your mother okay?” Fluttershy asked putting a hand on Flash’s shoulder.

Flash seethed as he answered, “She’s in the hospital, she could die any minute, and I’m stuck in school because I have two tests this morning.  HOW ARE EITHER OF US SUPPOSED TO BE OKAY?!”

“Eep!” Fluttershy squealed as she hid behind Pinkie Pie.

Flash opened his eyes and gasped, realizing that he had been shouting and who he had just shouted at.  “Oh my gosh. 
Fluttershy, I’m so sorry.  I’m so, so sorry.”

“Oh, umm, don’t worry about it,” Fluttershy squeaked, still shaking.  She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before talking to Flash again.  “What you’re going through sounds just awful.”

“It is,” Flash numbly agreed.  “It really is.”

Twilight glanced at her backpack, pursing her lips in thought.

“Flash, give me your backpack,” she said to the guitar player, taking her own off and setting it on the floor.

“Why?” Flash asked, also removing and setting down his backpack.

“Just zip it open, alright?”

Though confused, Flash did what he was told as Twilight also unzipped hers.  A certain purple puppy’s head popped out of Twilight’s backpack.

“Spike, I’m going to need you to go with Flash for the rest of the day, okay?” Twilight bent down and whispered to her dog.

“What?” Spike cried, burying himself deeper into his human’s backpack.  “No.  Not okay.”

“It’s just until school’s over.  I might even pick you up at lunch if Flash is feeling better by then.  Pleeeeeaaaasssssse.”

Spike peeked his head out of the backpack and looked from Twilight to Flash.  He sniffed the air.  It was thick with the scent of worry, which was surrounded Flash like one of those stink clouds from those old cartoons.  He sighed in resignation and jumped from Twilight’s backpack into Flash’s.

Twilight looked up at Flash as she zipped her backpack closed.  “Just give him a scratch behind the ears if you start getting stressed out again.  I know it’s only a temporary solution, but hopefully, it’ll be enough to get you through school."

Flash picked up his backpack and looked inside it.  The first thing that he saw was Spike looking up at him with the same big eyes Banana had given him last Friday.  He smiled as he reached in and scratched Spike behind the ears.

“Thanks,” he said to Twilight, giving her the first genuine smile that he had all day.

“You want us to come with you to the hospital?” Derpy asked.

“It’d be nice, but Mom’s only allowed two non-family visitors,” Flash replied, “and if my brother’s handling this day as badly as I am, he’s going to be bringing Button Mash with him.”

“Gee, that means only one of us can go,” Pinkie noted.  “Oh, well, I won’t be able to go anyway.  I’m baby-sitting the Cake twins.”

“I have to take Angel Bunny to the—,” Fluttershy clamped her hands over her mouth as she glanced at her backpack before continuing, “V-E-T, so I won’t be able to go either.”

Twilight and Derpy both shared a look before turning to look at Flash.  Then, Derpy’s mismatched eyes widened as a light bulb went off in her head.

“Twilight, why don’t you go?” she said to the bespectacled girl.

“Me?” Twilight replied.

“Yeah, I needed a little more time to study for tomorrow’s exams anyway.  Besides, I’m sure Flash’s mom would be glad to see you.”

“Well, it would be nice to see her before the worst happens,” Twilight conceded.  “Alright, I’ll go.”

Everybody was about to head off to their next class when Pinkie exclaimed, “Wait!”  She rummaged through her hair before pulling out a teddy bear with dusky pink fur and a white belly.  In the middle of the bear’s belly was a picture of a big heart and a little heart hugging.  Pinkie handed the bear to Flash and said, “To keep your mom company while she’s at the hospital.”

“Thanks, Pinkie,” Flash said with a smile as he took the bear.  “I’ll make sure that she gets it.”

At that moment, the warning bell rang.

“We’re going to be late,” Twilight cried, rushing away from the group.  “See you after school, Flash.”

Flash zipped his backpack closed and rushed off too.  Although he still worried about his mother, he felt significantly calmer than when the day first started.



That afternoon, Twilight met Flash as planned, and Flash drove them to the hospital to see his mother but not before picking up his younger brother from the middle school.  As Flash predicted, Button Mash had volunteered to go to the hospital with First Base.

When the four of them arrived at the hospital, Lantern Heart was, thankfully, still alive and happy to see her kids.  As Derpy predicted, she was also quite happy to see Twilight.  Not only that, the rest of the family was happy to see her as well.  In the time that they had known each other, Flash’s family had taken a shine to the nice girl and vice versa.  As promised, Flash also gave his mother the bear that Pinkie Pie had given him that morning, which Lantern appreciated.

The next day at school, Flash was much less agitated than he was yesterday.  Being able to spend time with his mother calmed him down significantly.  Of course, he still wanted to make the most of whatever little time that he that he had left with her, so once again, he went straight to the hospital after school to see her, and once again, Twilight and his younger brother accompanied him.  This time, Flash brought with him a basket that Applejack had given him, heavy with what the freckled farm girl had called condolence apples.

Flash, First Base, and Twilight were able to visit Lantern Heart at the hospital for one more day before the inevitable happened.

It happened just as fourth period was beginning to wind down.  Flash had maybe five questions left on his exam when Principal Celestia’s voice came over the intercom.

“Flash Sentry, please head to the Canterlot General Hospital immediately.  Your aunt just called.”

Flash jumped up and ran out the classroom so fast that he knocked his desk over, sending his test flying.  He hadn’t even noticed that he had left the room without his backpack.  Fortunately, he normally carried everything that he needed to drive in his pockets.

“Mr. Sentry, slow down!” Ms. Harshwhinny called after him, but he was already out of earshot.  With a groan, the literature teacher picked up Flash’s test and righted his desk.

Twilight and Sunset looked up from their own exams and turned to look at each other.  The two friends could see each other’s concern for Flash.

“Keep your eyes on your own papers,” Ms. Harshwhinny snapped at the two girls.  Sunset and Twilight obeyed.  Although the two of them were outwardly focused on finishing their test, internally, they were praying that Flash would make it to the hospital in time.



Outside the hospital entrance, Flare Burst paced as she waited for her nephews to arrive.  It had been five minutes since she had called for them, and she was so strung out that she was ready to scream.

“Aunt Flare!” she heard.  The call was followed by the sound of two sets of running footsteps.  Flare turned around and released a breath that she didn’t even know she was holding, seeing her nephews run towards her.

“How’s Mom?” Flash breathlessly asked, both boys still running.

“Holding on, but we better hurry,” she replied, leading them to Lantern Heart’s room.

Meanwhile, inside Lantern’s room, Birdie sat next to her daughter holding her hand.  Lantern Heart was barely keeping her eyes open, and her breathing was shaky and shallow despite all the effort she had put into it.

“Hang in there, Lighty,” Birdie whispered to her daughter.  “They’ll be here any minute.  Just hang in there.”

“Mom!  Mom!” the boys cried as they ran into the room.  Birdie let go of Lantern Heart’s hand as Flash grabbed on to it, falling to his knees as he skidded to a stop.  First Base ran to the other side of the hospital bed, climbed on, and curled up next to her.  The younger boy took his mother’s other hand and pressed it against his face as his tears began to run down. 
Her hand was still warm.

“Mom, we’re here,” Flash said to his mother, choking on his tears.  “We’re both here.  Don’t try to say anything.  Just stay with us for a little longer, okay?”

Despite how frail his mother had gotten, Flash could still feel her boney fingers squeezing his hand.  First Base tried to say something to her as well, but all that could come out was sobbing.

“Oh, Mom,” Flash said, shutting his eyes as the tears flowed down his face.  “We love you.  We love you so much.  We don’t want you to go.”

Those were the last words Lantern Heart would ever hear from either of her children.



On Saturday morning, a royal blue compact car parked itself in front of Flash’s house.  Night Light stepped out from the driver’s side while the rest of his family got out of the car.  Everyone was dressed in black, and Twilight was carrying a bouquet of white lilies.

Twilight led her family to Flash’s front door and rang the bell.  The door opened to reveal Grandma Birdie also dressed in black.

“Umm, hi, Ms. Bird,” Twilight began.  “My family’s here to pay our respects.”  She held out the bouquet towards the older woman.  “These are for you.”

Birdie gave Twilight a small smile and accepted the bouquet.  “Oh, thank you, dear.  Come on in.”

Twilight and her family entered the house and saw many other people inside, all in black.  Button Mash’s and Micro Chips’s parents were present.  Twilight didn’t recognize most of the other adults, but she assumed that they were also Ms. Heart’s friends.  She recognized her classmates from CHS and saw some younger boys present, most likely First Base’s friends.

Of course, her own friends, the Rainbooms, were there.  They were gathered around one corner of the dining table, half of them sitting and the other half standing.

“Hi, girls,” Twilight greeted, approaching them.

“Hi, Twilight,” Sunset greeted back as the group turned towards their arriving friend.

Twilight once again looked around the room and noticed that four people were missing, two of who definitely should have been present.  “Where’s Flash and First Base?” she asked.

“Upstairs,” Applejack replied.  “Micro Chips and some younger kid just went up to get them.”

“Oh, the poor dears,” the girl with purple waves for hair sniffled into a handkerchief.  “All alone in a cold, cruel world without a mother’s love.”  She loudly blew her nose into the handkerchief.

“Ugh, Rarity,” the prism-haired girl said.  “Will you cut it out?  You’re starting to make me want to cry.”  As Rainbow Dash was speaking, a single tear slipped out of the corner of her left eye.



Meanwhile in the upstairs hallway, Flash and his brother sat next to each other against the wall.  First Base had Banana on his lap and was hugging him tearfully.  Their respective best friends sat across from them.

“So,” Micro Chips began.  The nerdy teen couldn’t help but wish that he was someone else at this moment, someone who was better at understanding and dealing with feelings, someone better able to help Flash sort through his.  “How are you guys doing?”

Flash gave him a hollow smile and answered, “We’re dealing.”  Flash sighed as he looked away.  “Just dealing.”

“Umm, you know, a lot of your mom’s friends are down there.  A lot of our friends too,” Micro haltingly continued.  “They all came to see if you’re okay.”

“We know.”

“Aren’t you going to come down and see them?”

Flash shut his eyes as he touched his forehead to his knees before turning to and answering Micro Chips, “It’s not that we don’t appreciate that all these people care enough to come and pay their respects because we do.  It’s just that—”

“You guys don’t want anyone seeing you cry,” Button Mash finished.

First Base nodded and then spoke, “Being around all those people and listening to them all tell us how much Mom loved us, how great of a mom she was, and how sorry they are that she’s gone.”  He choked back a sob as he whimpered, “It’s going to make not crying even harder.”

Micro Chips hung his head as he sighed but then looked up and nodded in understanding.  “You want us to go down and tell everyone that you guys just need a little time to yourselves right now?”

Flash nodded.  “Remember to thank everyone for coming all the same.”

Micro and Button got up and walked down the stairs, leaving the two brothers alone with their dog.  Banana whined as he butted Flash’s hand with his head.  Flash sadly smiled at the dog as he lifted his hand and scratched Banana behind the ears.

Shortly after, footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs, followed by the sound of a feminine voice saying, “Hi.”

The boys turned and saw Twilight standing next to them in the hallway.

“Oh, hi,” Flash lifelessly replied.

“I, um, ran into Micro Chips and Button Mash on the way up here.  They said that you didn’t want to see anyone.”

“You obviously didn’t listen,” Base spat at her.  If Flash wasn’t feeling so heavy inside, he would have poked his brother for being rude.

Twilight sat down next to Flash and took his hand in both of hers, rubbing small circles into the back of his hand.  She had wanted to say something comforting, but none of the words in her head seemed to match the pain Flash and Base were feeling.  Twilight glanced through the hallway and noticed that one of the bedroom doors had been left partially ajar.  From where she was sitting, she could just barely make out a blue-black ceiling with painted stars.

“Flash?” Twilight asked getting the boy’s attention.  “Do you remember that time our families ran into each other at Stardust Point?”

“Yeah,” Flash answered.  “Why?”

Twilight let go of Flash’s hand as she pulled out her phone.  She held her free hand out to the boys and said, “I’m going to need both your phones.”

Flash and First Base looked at each other, having an entire conversation with only their eyes.

“No way,” Base said.

“Go ahead and let her have it.  I trust her,” said Flash.

Flash took out his phone and typed in his password before handing it to Twilight.  First Base stared at his brother disbelievingly.  Then, he looked Twilight in the eye with a distrusting frown.  Finding no trace of deception in the girl’s eyes, Base begrudgingly unlocked and gave Twilight his phone.

“You better not look through our photos,” the younger boy muttered.

After a few minutes of working with the three phones in her possession, Twilight smiled and returned Flash and First Base’s phones.  When the boys unlocked them, they saw that Twilight had replaced their wallpapers with an image of a night sky filled with the brightest of stars.

“This was the picture that I sent to your mom that night.  She really loved it.  Now, you can think of her whenever you look at your wallpapers,” Twilight explained.

Base set his phone on the floor and began sobbing uncontrollably.  Flash also set his phone down and pulled his brother into a hug, allowing the younger boy to cry into his chest.  Banana jumped out of First Base’s lap and scampered next to Twilight, tilting his head in confusion.

“Thinking about her,” First Base sobbed, “thinking about her hurts so much, but I don’t want to stop.”

“I know, Little Bro,” Flash replied, his voice breaking.   Tears cascaded down his face and rained into his brother’s hair.  “I know.”

As the brothers continued to cry, Twilight found herself feeling thoroughly overwhelmed.  “Uh, I should go,” she said as she shakily stood up and went down the stairs.  She had barely descended three steps when she collapsed into sitting position on the stairs and softly began to cry.

Banana followed her and crawled under her arm and onto her lap.  He whined, causing the bespectacled girl to look down at him.  The Boston terrier looked up at her with the big-eyed, droopy-eared expression he wore whenever he knew that someone he cared about was sad.  Then, he whined again as he rubbed his head against her leg.

Twilight wrapped her arms around Banana and held him close to her as she continued to cry into his fur.
> Chapter 8:  But I Know My Babies They Will Be Fine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What do you mean you’re not playing at the dance?” a muscular, mint-haired drummer, Brawly Beats, shouted at Flash.

“You’re our lead,” pointed out a sunglasses-wearing bass player, Ringo.  “If you don’t play, we don’t play.”

Flash and his bandmates were standing in the middle of one of the hallways in CHS.  The last bell of the day had rung, and the three of them were discussing the next big social event of the year, the Lassie Horsens Dance.

“Guys, I know that you’ve been looking forward to playing at all the dances this year, but I just can’t.  I’m not even sure if I’ll be going,” Flash explained.  “I’m sorry.”

As Flash began to walk away, Brawly called to him, “Your mom’s been gone for two months already.  Just man up and get over it.”

Flash stopped in his tracks.  He clenched his fists as his breath became heated and rapid.  He turned around and gave Brawly a terrifyingly angry look.

“My answer,” Flash calmly replied to the drummer as his ears turned red, “is still no.”  He turned around and stomped away still seething.

When Flash reached his locker, he found a certain bespectacled girl waiting there for him.

“Twilight,” Flash greeted as his previous anger at Brawly vanished.  “What are you doing here?”

“I, umm,” Twilight began, wringing her hands and averting her eyes.  “I,” she took a breath and forced herself to face the guitar player.  “I wanted to ask you if you would like to go to the dance with me.”

Time seemed to stop for Flash as his mind replayed Twilight’s last sentence.  His heart raced as his palms began to sweat.

“I,” he started, the corner of his mouth beginning to turn up.  “I’d love to, but—,” he looked away from Twilight as his smile vanished.

“BUT?!  What do you mean ‘but’?!  She just asked you to go to the dance with her!” Rainbow Dash’s voice could be heard coming from behind Flash.  Flash turned around and saw all six of Twilight’s closest friends watching the two of them.

Rainbow Dash gave a sheepish grin as the other five girls glared at her before using her super speed to dash away.  The other five looked back at Flash and Twilight in embarrassment before they each scattered into a different hallway.

Flash sighed in annoyance before turning back to Twilight.  “Twilight,” he said to her, “I, I don’t think I’m going to the dance.”

“Oh,” Twilight replied as her face fell in disappointment.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go.  It’s,” Flash sighed, pressing the palm of his hand to his forehead, “complicated.”

Twilight’s face softened as she reached out and placed her hand on Flash’s arm.  “Are you missing your mom again?”

“Is there somewhere private where we can talk?”

Twilight smiled knowingly as she took Flash by the hand.  There was something about her and Flash holding hands that felt right.  Flash’s hands were rough and strong yet still tender and warm, much like Flash himself, and holding those hands made her feel, for lack of a better word, safe.

“Come on,” she said to him as she began to lead him by the hand.  “I think there’s a few empty tables in the school library.”



When both Twilight and Flash were sure that they were alone, Flash finally admitted to her, “Yes, yes, I’m missing my mom again.”

Flash hung his head in embarrassment, completely oblivious to the smile Twilight was giving him.  He stared up at the glass on the library’s ceiling as he rambled.

“I know.  I know.  My mom’s been gone for two months.  I should be used to not having her around.  I should have moved on already and gotten over it, and I have,” Flash paused, realizing that what he had spoken might not have been the complete truth.  “Well, for the most part,” he clarified.  “I mean, I have gotten used to her being gone, but sometimes, sometimes,” he let out a groan and turned towards Twilight, still oblivious to her true feelings despite the fact he was looking right at her face.  “Sometimes, I just get days when I just start missing her more than usual, and I’ve been getting them more often as the dance has been getting closer.  And,” Flash took a breath.  “And I don’t know why.”

Twilight put her hands on top of his, and when she did, Flash finally noticed that Twilight was smiling at him.

“Wait, you’re not mad at me?” he asked her, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“No,” Twilight replied, still smiling.  “Why would I get mad at you for missing your mom?  I mean, your grandfather’s been gone for two years, and you still get days when you miss him more than normal, don’t you?”

“Well, yes,” Flash conceded, “yes, I still get those days.  Maybe not as often, but I still get them.”

“What I’d like to know is why the dance is making you miss your mom so much,” Twilight pointed out.  “Was there anything that she used to do before a big dance?  Or anything she used to say?”

Flash smiled as he recalled the memory.  “Well, there was one thing that she always did,” Flash recounted.  “Before I would leave the house to go to a dance, Mom used to always get choked up seeing me in a suit.  I don’t know why, but she just did.”  He frowned as he continued, “I used to get so annoyed when she would do that, but now, I’d give anything to go through that again.  She used to go on and on about how I get more handsome and more like a man every year, and then she’d say, ‘If I’m getting this emotional over a school dance, I don’t know how I’ll be able to hold myself together when you get married.’”

Flash felt tears welling up in his eyes as he finished telling Twilight his tale.  He pulled one of his hands away from Twilight and rubbed his eyes.  Looking down on the tabletop, he said, “Well, there’s my answer.  The dance is probably making me think of all the big moments that my mom will never be a part of anymore.”  More tears filled his eyes as he continued to talk, “She’s not going to be around when I graduate or turn 18 or leave for college or get married or have kids.”

Flash looked up and met Twilight’s eyes.  Her eyes were glistening too.  “I’m sorry,” he apologized, pulling his other hand away.  “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Oh no,” Twilight objected, pulling out a packet of tissues to wipe her eyes with.  “You didn’t upset me.  It’s just…,” she trailed off, carefully choosing her words.  “It’s just that that’s a lot of events to not have your mom around for.”

“I guess back when she was still alive, I just sort of assumed that she’d always be there for them.”

“Oh Flash,” Twilight said as she got up and hugged him from behind.  “I, I don’t know how Heaven works, and even if I had a way of finding out for sure, I won’t be able to prove it, but I’d like to think that she’d be able to see all those big events even if she can’t actually be around for them.”

Flash looked up at her and smiled.  Twilight smiled back before releasing him and returning to her seat so that the two of them were once again face to face.

“Look, Flash,” she said as she once again held his hand.  “If you don’t feel ready to go to the dance, then I won’t make you come with me.  If you’re not going, then I won’t either.”

“But what about your friends?” Flash asked her.  “Wouldn’t they want you to go to the dance anyway?”

“Yes, they would,” Twilight conceded.  Then, her eyes lit up as an idea entered her mind.  “But there’s actually one place I’d like to go to instead of the dance that I think you’d be more than happy to take me to.”

Flash looked at her quizzically as he wondered where Twilight would possibly like to go to instead of the dance.



It was the night of the Lassie Horsens Dance, and Twilight was wearing a dark navy-blue dress with stars on the skirt. 
However, she wasn’t at the school gymnasium surrounded by well-dressed teenagers dancing the night away.  Instead, she was standing by the railing at the cliff clearing at Stardust Point enjoying a view of the city against the night sky.  Flash stood next to her, dressed in a suit with a sky-blue shirt and a red tie.

“I still can’t believe that you chose to come up here with me instead of going to the dance,” Flash said to her.  “I mean, if you didn’t want to go dateless, you could have just asked someone else.”

Twilight took him by the arm and leaned her head against his shoulder.  “I didn’t want to go with anyone else.  I wanted you.”

Flash and Twilight looked at each other, giving each other affectionate smiles.

“You guys better not be kissing,” a young male voice called to them.

The two older teens turned around with annoyed looks on their faces and saw First Base sitting on top of the picnic table with Spike on one side of him and an open bag of pepperoni jerky and an MP3 player attached to a pair of speakers on the other.  In his hands, he held a pump-action water gun with Shining Armor’s name written in black permanent marker.



Earlier that evening, when Flash had gone to pick up Twilight, Shining Armor had approached Flash’s car while Velvet was occupying her daughter and her daughter's date by taking an excessive number of pictures and gushing about how perfect they looked together.  Shining was holding a fully loaded and cold pump-action water gun in his hand.  He knocked on the back passenger door, getting First Base’s attention.  Base looked up and saw the young man motioning for him to roll the window down, so he did.

“If you see them kissing,” Shining said to the younger teen, passing him the water gun through the open window, “shoot ‘em.”  Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a $20 bill which he also gave to First Base.

“Yes, sir,” Base eagerly agreed, accepting his payment.



Back in the present, First Base frowned at Twilight and his brother while pumping the water gun threateningly.  At least, the action would have been threatening if the pump didn’t squeak.

Flash looked at Twilight and deadpanned, “Most overprotective older brothers hire spies, not hitmen.”

“You were the one who volunteered your younger brother to be the DJ,” Twilight retorted.

“I was going to ask Micro Chips to do it, but he got asked to the dance.”  He turned to his younger brother and said to him, “Why don’t you do what I brought you for and play us a song, huh?”

Base rolled his eyes as he popped a few chunks of jerky into his mouth.  Then, he picked up and turned on the MP3 player.

“Any requests?” he asked as he scrolled through the song list.

“How about the PianoStrings cover of ‘Rewrite the Stars'?” suggested Twilight.

Base found and selected the song in question before continuing to snack on his jerky.  Spike watched as he snacked and whined hungrily.  The boy shot the puppy a look that clearly said, “Get your own.”

Flash took Twilight’s right hand in his own and wrapped his left arm around her waist while Twilight placed her left hand on his shoulder.  The two slowly swayed to the music as it began to play.  The music picked up, and Flash and Twilight began to spin faster, Twilight’s skirt swishing back and forth as if a cool breeze was blowing through it.  Flash twirled Twilight as the chorus swelled causing the stars on her skirt to swirl into a spiral galaxy as her skirt billowed out.  He twirled her a few more times before dipping her.

Twilight laughed as Flash pulled her back up and caught her in his arms.  She rested her head on his shoulder as she pulled him closer, delighting in how sturdy his chest and shoulders felt in her embrace.  Flash turned towards her and for a while, just stared at the back of her head.  Her hair now reached her shoulders, but it was still a long way from its original length.

“Twilight?” he whispered into her ear.

“Yes?” she whispered back, picking her head up to meet his eyes.

“I,” he began.  The overflow of gratitude and affection that he felt towards this girl caused the words to get caught in his throat.  He swallowed a few times and continued.  “I just wanted to say thank you.  For everything.  These past six months, well, they were hard, but they would have been a thousand times worse if you hadn’t been there for me.  You, you really are someone special.”

Twilight’s eyes brimmed with tears hearing Flash’s praise of her.  She felt a pleasurable tingle crawl up her arms and a warmth bubbling up in her chest.  No words could describe how wonderful Flash’s kind words made her feel.  What Twilight did next was worth more than a million words.

Twilight closed her eyes as she leaned up and tenderly pressed her lips on Flash’s cheek.  His eyes widened, and his arms tightened around her pulling the two of them so close that he couldn’t tell if the racing heartbeat that he felt was his or Twilight’s.  Then, he closed his eyes, drinking in the warmth of Twilight’s lips on his face.  Nothing could possibly ruin this moment for either of them.

“Ah!” Twilight cried out as the two of them were blasted with several sprays of cold water.  When the assault finally ended, the two of them turned to see First Base giving them the smuggest of grins.

“Best $20 I ever earned!” the younger boy exclaimed.

Twilight and Flash shared a look with each other, clearly unamused with what Base had just done.

“Maybe I should have asked Micro to DJ,” said Flash as he wrung out his tie.

Twilight smirked before taking Flash’s face in her hands and suddenly pulling his other cheek towards her lips.  After Twilight broke the kiss, she took a rather dazed Flash by the hand and pulled him into a run, laughing joyously as she did so.

Once Base got over the shock of seeing Twilight kiss his older brother a second time, he chased after them.

“Hey!  You crazy kids get back here!” he yelled, running, pumping and shooting at the same time.  Twilight and Flash shrieked and shouted with happiness as they unsuccessfully dodged the blasts that soaked through their clothes.

Spike remained sitting at the picnic table.  He tilted his head as he watched the three humans, two of them soaked to the skin, run and laugh around the clearing.  However, he quickly forgot his confusion when an enticing scent hit his nostrils. 
Turning towards the scent, he smiled deviously at his tremendous discovery.  First Base had left his jerky unattended.