Princess Twilight Sparkle was on her way to the Crystal Empire's castle. Princess Cadance had requested that she perform translations for some books the Crystal Ponies had recently discovered. They were written in ancient Mareabic, a language that few ponies even knew existed, let alone could understand. Twilight was one of the few who fulfilled both requirements. Knowing this, Cadance had sent her a letter, and Twilight, not wanting to let her sister-in-law and former foalsitter down, had agreed to help.
Alas, due to circumstances beyond her control, Twilight was making the journey alone. All her friends were busy with important work of their own; Rarity had a large dress order to fill, Rainbow Dash had important weather work to catch up on, Applejack had extensive apple bucking to do, Pinkie Pie was planning a party for Pound and Pumpkin Cake's first birthday, and Fluttershy was tending to a sick bear. Spike had wanted to come, but Twilight had insisted that he stay behind and look after the library.
Cadance was there to meet her at the castle.
"Hi, Twilight!" She smiled, hugging her. "I'm so glad you could make it!"
"For you, anything." Twilight smiled. "Hey, where's Shining?"
"Oh, he's out putting the royal guard's new recruits through their paces." Cadance smiled. "Now, the books are in the royal study, and your guard is ready."
"Guard?" Twilight asked.
"Well, these are very old, very valuable books." Cadance said. "An unscrupulous pony could make millions stealing them and selling them off to private collectors."
"And... who is this 'guard' exactly?" Twilight asked, not liking the smirk that had suddenly appeared on Cadance's face.
"Guard!" Cadance called. "Our guest has arrived!"
Twilight goggled as none other then Flash Sentry entered the room.
"Oh, hello again, princess." He bowed respectfully. "Princess Cadance didn't tell me you were the expert she'd called."
"Didn't she?" Twilight cast a fake smile Cadance, who smiled back. "How interesting. Would you please excuse us for a moment?"
"Of course." Flash nodded, leaving the room.
"Okay, what's going on?" Twilight rounded on Cadance.
"Why, nothing." Cadance said innocently. "I just thought Flash needed the experience, and that you'd be better off with somepony you knew..."
"Yeah, right." Twilight snorted.
"Okay, fine." Cadance chuckled. "I was thinking a little time together would help you two... connect."
"Cadance, I do not have a crush on him!" Twilight said hotly.
"Oh, please." Cadance smirked. "You can't fool the princess of love. I know you, Twilight, and I know what ponies are like when they're in love."
"I'm not in love!" Twilight insisted.
"The more things change, the more they stay the same." Cadance chuckled. "When you were a filly, you weren't willing to make friends. And now, you're not willing to try some romance."
"Let's think about this for a second." Twilight suggested. "Even if I did have a crush on Flash Sentry - which I'm not saying I do - what would I say to him? 'Hi, we don't really know each other, but I went to a dance with a version of you from another world, so hey, what do you say we go out sometime?' He'll think I'm crazy!"
"Maybe, maybe not." Cadance shrugged. "But who says you have to tell him? Just try some old-fashioned conversation to break the ice."
At that moment, Twilight was glad none of her friends had come. They would have teased her relentlessly over this. Casting a glare at Cadance as she left the room, she turned into the corridor without looking, and bumped into Flash.
"Whoops." Flash chuckled. "It's happening again. Weird, huh?"
"Yeah, weird." Twilight mumbled. Just looking at Flash, with his kind eyes and warm smile, brought the heat to her face, the young alicorn being painfully aware that her lavender cheeks had turned pink. "Shall we?"
"After you, princess." Flash offered.
"Thank you." Twilight started walking. "And please, call me Twilight."
"Will do." Flash smiled again.
'Oh, great.' Twilight thought, as her face flushed again. 'Why does he have to keep doing that?'
They made their way to the royal study, where the books were piled up, waiting to be translated.
"Okay." Twilight activated her magic, levitating the first book over to her. "Time to get to work."
Opening the book, Twilight scanned the markings fervently, writing their translations into a nearby scroll.
"That stuff looks really hard." Flash chipped in.
"It is." Twilight said nervously, as Flash leaned in dangerously close. "Took me forever to learn."
"Wow, you must be really smart." Flash noted.
"I guess I am." Twilight admitted bashfully, one hoof toying with her mane.
"I hope I'm not overstepping my mark, or anything." Flash said apologetically. "It's just... for a princess, I find you really easy to talk to. I'm not sure why..."
"That's okay." Twilight smiled awkwardly. "I don't mind."
"Would you mind if I took off my helmet?" Flash asked. "I know it's regulation, but it really does a number on my mane."
"By all means." Twilight said.
Flash removed his helmet, and flipped out his mane.
"Ah, that's better." He smiled, running a hoof through his blue fur.
Twilight felt herself go weak in the knees (All four of them). Thankfully, she was able to regain her composure before Flash noticed. In her haste to return to her work, she accidentally knocked the scroll off the table.
"Here, let me get that for you." Flash offered.
No, I've got it." Twilight reached down.
Their hooves touched just above the scroll. In response, they looked at each other, their eyes meeting. For a moment, they stayed like that, before turning away, both blushing.
"I... really should be getting back to work now." Twilight mumbled.
"Yes, of course." Flash said bashfully.
Twilight put her all into translating the Mareabic writings, trying desperately to keep her mind off the handsome guardspony mere inches away from her.
"There." She smiled. "That's the first book translated."
"Wow, already?" Flash said appreciatively. "They must really make them smart over in... Where are you from, again?"
"I was originally from Canterlot, but now I live in Ponyville." Twilight declared, uneasy at having to take part in another conversation.
"Ponyville, huh?" Flash mused. "I've never been, but I have a cousin who lives there. He tells me it's a pretty nice place."
"Yes, I live in the library there." Twilight added.
"A library?" Flash asked. "Big surprise..."
"Very funny." Twilight chuckled. "So, what about you?"
"Not much to tell, really." Flash shrugged. "I grew up on the outskirts of Canterlot. For as long as I could remember, I'd been working to become a royal guardspony. It was the happiest day of my life when I got this armor."
"It looks good on you." Twilight realised what she'd just said. "I mean good as in 'impressive', not good as in 'hunky'... Ah, why did I just say that?!"
"Say what?" Flash said kindly. "I didn't hear anything."
Twilight, blushing again, smiled.
"You have a lovely smile." Flash beamed. "I mean, uh..."
"I didn't hear anything." Twilight echoed.
"You know, I heard there was some kind of trouble when you last visited." Flash said, quickly changing the subject. "Somepony took your crown, and you went... somewhere, that's what the other guards say."
"Well, it's the truth." Twilight nodded. "I followed the thief through an enchanted mirror, to another world. A world where everypony, myself included, were these two-legged, short-muzzled... things."
"Whoa, freaky." Flash grimaced at the thought. "Then what happened?"
"Well, I found out that my crown was being used as a prize in a contest." Twilight recalled. "My only chance to get it back was to win. Fortunately, I found some friends to help me, namely the counterparts of my Ponyville friends, and... another."
"Who?" Flash asked.
Twilight thought for a moment.
'Should I tell him the truth?' She considered. 'It worked in the mirror world, didn't it?'
Taking a deep breath, Twinkle asked Flash's question.
"A very sweet and kind guy." She declared. "His name was... Flash Sentry."
"Me?" Flash gasped.
"He helped me so much." Twilight remembered fondly. "In fact, I even had a little crush on him..."
"You did?" Flash gaped. "Wait, does that mean you..."
"Kind of." Twilight shrugged.
"What do you mean, 'kind of'?" Flash asked, perplexed.
"Because I don't know if those feelings are really for you, or if I'm just transferring them from what I felt for the other you!" Twilight blurted out. "It's just so confusing!"
"It sure is." Flash scratched his head.
"Look, Flash, you're a very sweet guy, but I think it'd be best for us to keep our relationship strictly professional." Twilight sighed. "It'll be a lot less complicated that way."
"I understand." Flash bowed his head. "I think I'll go... patrol the corridor for a while. You know, make sure nopony is trying to sneak in."
Flash dejectedly left the room. Once he left, Twilight leaned onto the table, morosely burying her face in her hooves. She only came out of her stupor when she heard her name being called.
"Twilight?" Cadance asked. "What's wrong?"
"I told Flash the truth." Twilight told her. "The whole truth. I thought it might clear the air between us, but it just made things worse. In fact, scratch that. I don't know what I was thinking!"
"Oh, Twilight." Cadance sighed. "Love isn't about thinking. It's about feeling. Look at me and your brother. I didn't agree to marry Shining because I thought it was the right thing to do, but because I felt it was."
"But Cadance..." Twilight protested.
"You shouldn't deny your feelings, Twilight." Cadance declared. "Sometimes, you need to listen to your heart, not your head. Tell Flash how you really feel about him."
"But, the translations..." Twilight said feebly.
"Can wait." Candace interjected. "Now, go get him."
Swallowing hard, Twilight went into the corridor, where Flash was "patrolling" (Or rather, standing around listlessly).
"Flash!" She called.
"Twilight?" Flash looked.
"I didn't mean what I said back there." Twilight admitted. "About our relationship being professional, I mean. Look, the truth is, I have some pretty strong feelings for you. And by 'you', I mean the you right in front of me. The kind and handsome pony in the armor."
"Really?" Flash blushed. "Well, as long as we're being truthful, I've been... kind of taken with you since the moment we first met."
"You have?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, I have." Flash smiled. But I didn't think it would be 'proper' to just come out and say that to a princess."
"Well, a friend once told me 'Love isn't about thinking. It's about feeling.'" Twilight chuckled.
"Good advice." Flash grinned.
The two ponies stood there for a moment, smiling nervously.
"Sooo, what now?" Flash asked. "Is there some sort of protocol for something like this?"
"I don't think so." Twilight shrugged. "All the same, I'd prefer if we took things slowly. I've... never really dated before."
"That's okay." Flash said. "Neither have I."
"Really?" Twilight asked. She would have bet money that a handsome stallion like him would have had plenty of marefriends.
"Like I said before, becoming a royal guard took up a lot of my time." Flash reminded her. "So, what do you say we grab some lunch? It's almost noon, and I know this great diner nearby..."
Twilight's stomach growled.
"Lunch would be nice." Twilight said, embarassed.
Flash's stomach started rumbling too.
"Guess it's unanimous." Flash chuckled.
"Shall we?" Twilight asked.
"After you." Flash offered.
As the two ponies walked down the corridor, Cadance peeked her head around the door to the royal study.
"Way to go, Twilight." She whispered.
"I just thought of something." Flash mused. "Maybe it isn't coincidence, you being into the other me, then the pony me. Maybe it's more like... fate. Then again, that does sound a little crazy, huh?"
"Not as much as you'd think." Twilight smiled. "In fact, it wouldn't be the first time fate's intervened..."
Shortly after they left, Shining Armor returned to the castle, having given the trainees their lunch break.
"Welcome back, my love." Cadance kissed him.
"Good to be back." Shining smiled. "Hey, where's Twily? I figured she'd be here by now."
"Oh, she's here." Cadance confirmed. "She's just out on a lunch date with one of the guards at the moment."
"Oh, okay." Shining nodded. It took a moment for his brain to process those words. "Wait, my little sister is what?!"
The End.
