Flashlight

Chapters

What she left behind
Is it love?
Big brother's watching you
The date
Meet the parents
Advice
Confessions
On Duty
Reunion
Perchance to Dream
Concerns of a Brother
The Talk
Of Mares and Stallions
One Step Further
New Dawn
Unexpected Visit
Just Between Us
From the Heart
A Glance
Unexpected Arrival
A Fallen Sunset
Old Wounds
Mended Bridges
For the Princess
The Decree
A New Captain
First Assignment
After the Mirror
Doubt

What she left behind

As she tossed and turned in her bed, she silently cursed her inability to get to sleep. Twilight had never been known to have very bad nights sleep, yet something was keeping her from getting one tonight. The room was the right temperature. The bed was comfortable. There was nothing physically wrong with her or anything around her to keep her from falling asleep, so what was going on? Grumbling, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling of her room. Hers were an ornate chambers of the palace of the Crystal Empire which, like her friend, had been gifted to her while she'd been visiting.

It had been less than a day since she returned from her most recent adventure. She and Spike had, by way of a magical mirror, been sent to a world of strange creatures called humans. She herself had been changed into one and had been tasked with retrieving her crown. Fortunately for everypony, she'd been successful in her task and had returned without much incident. Well, at least no incident that hadn't been fixed along the way. She smiled to herself, silently thanking to be back in her own world, with her friends and family. But that smile faded a little when she started thinking about what she left behind in the other world.

For that other word had, much to her surprise, contained humans that reminded her a great deal of her own friends, their personalities down perfectly. Leaving them behind had been difficult to do, but she knew they weren't her friend, not her real ones. But that had not been the only thing she'd left there. Sighing, she pushed aside that thought as she got out of bed. Given that she wasn't falling asleep anytime soon, she decided that maybe some cool night-time air would help. She walked over to the large window adjacent to her room and pushed it open, walking out onto the balcony beyond.

The air was cool as she expected, and it helped her to relax more. As she walked to the edge of the balcony, she looked up at the sky. Most nights in the Crystal Empire had the benefit of clear starry skies, but not today. Today there was an almost endless swathe of clouds concealing the stars, making the night darker than most. She looked out from her balcony to the city below, with many dots of lights indicating ponies homes. She smiled to herself, knowing that her actions in retrieving the crown had ensured those ponies safety. There had been a time when she questioned her ability to lead as a newly-crowned princess. But after what she'd just been through, she knew she was read.

As she looked out, her ears pricked up as she heard the sound of a door closing below her. Looking down over the edge she some a second balcony, from one of the lower floors, and somepony step out onto it. In the gloom of the night, Twilight couldn't make out the figure, but it was undoubtedly one of the Empire' guards on night patrol. She was about to walk back into her room when, all of a sudden, there was a gap in the clouds above, which let through some light from the moon and stars. This allowed Twilight to finally see who the figure was below. It was indeed a guard, but one very familiar to her. A stallion pegasus, with a light orange coat and dark blue mane. Her heart practically skipped a beat when she saw him.

"Flash?"

Flash Sentry. A stallion pegasus of the royal guard posted here in the Empire. He was your typical guard, loyal, brave, compassionate. But what set this one apart, at least for Twilight, was the fact that she had met him once before, but not this version of him. Back in the world of humans, it was not simply human versions of her pony friends she had met there. She had also become acquainted with a boy who had helped her greatly in retrieving her crown. His name was also Flash and, much like the others, he was undoubtedly a counterpart of a pony from her world, specifically the one standing down on that balcony below her.

She had met several humans like that but him in particular was difficult to think of for her because, as they spent time together, they'd actually grown quite close. She hadn't told anypony about this, not her friends or her family, but the truth was that the two had become quite affectionate, to the point where Flash had even asked her to the dance. It would have been a lie for Twilight to say that she hadn't felt something for him back then. And when she returned to her own world, and saw this pony Flash there, those feelings remained.

She shook her head, trying hard to quell such thoughts. It was foolish, she tried telling herself. It was just a childish infatuation, at least that's what she attempted to convince herself it was. And even if her feelings were what she feared they might be, he was a human and she, in real life, was a pony, and one from a whole other world at that. Things would never have worked out between them, no matter what she might have wanted them to. And, as she looked down at this other Flash, she felt saddened, knowing that this Flash was not THAT Flash. He didn't know her, at least not beyond her being a princess of Equestria.

For all she knew, this one could be completely different, and not the kind of pony she'd want to get to know. She began to turn away from the balcony and started walking towards her room again. But then, she stopped. A thought began to grown in her mind. Every single person in that other world was exactly like their counterpart here in her world, their personalities pretty much exactly the same. There was no reason that this Flash wouldn't have the same traits she'd come to admire so much in the other one.

She wrestled back and forth with the idea for a while before letting out a deep sigh. She knew she might regret this decision, but she'd regret it even more if she didn't at least try. She began making her way towards the door again, planning to go down a floor to get to that other balcony. She then stopped as she remembered, after looking at the sides of her body, that she had wings. In spite of that rather embarrassing lapse in her memory, she chuckled. Even now she kept forgetting she could fly. She walked back over to the edge of the balcony and spread out her wings. With one jump she leapt over the edge. Using her still new flying skills, she gently glided down to the other balcony, landing softly without having made nay noise whatsoever.

She'd landed a fair few metres away from him, she he had no idea she was even there. She approached, still nervous about how this would go, before deciding to announce her presence by clearing her throat. That got his attention immediately as he spun around. When he saw who was behind him, his eyes widened with surprise and, per his duty, bowed in the presence of Equestria's newest princess.

"Princess Twilight! Forgive me! I was unaware you would be out here tonight." He said nervously.

Twilight sighed at that reaction. She understood that ponies like him would react this way out of respect for her new position, which she appreciated. But, truth be told, she'd never been comfortable with it and as such decided to let him know.

"It's alright. This isn't anything official or anything. I was just getting some fresh air."

He raised his head, looking like he didn't quite know how to react in this situation. Raising himself up, the two stared at each other for a few moments. Twilight was still unsure about all this, and as for Flash, he had no idea why the princess would be here like this. Finally, the silence was broken by the unsure young guard.

"Can........can I help you?"

Silently, Twilight cursed her decision to do this. What could she possibly tell him? What was she even hoping to achieve out here? The answer was simple, even though she wanted to deny it, but as for what to tell him, she knew she would have to speak the truth about her experience in the other world.

"Um.....I assume you know what happened with me a few days ago?" She asked.

Flash nodded before replying.

"Indeed Princess. You were sent by Princess Celestia on an important task to another world. It is fortunate for all of us that you returned safe and sound."

She nodded at that. He knew the basics at least, but the details were something she'd probably have to fill in for him.

"Yes. But that other world had.......strange creatures in it. They were called humans and they were quite unlike anything we have here in Equestria. What's more, they seemed to be exact copies of many of the ponies here in this world, at least in their personalities." She explained.

Flash raised his hoof to his chin, clearly interested in what she was saying.

"That must have been quite an experience your highness."

Another form of address she didn't much care for, but she put up with it all the same. A knot began to develop in her stomach. She was fast approaching the one piece of information in this story that she knew would make thinks awkward. But she knew that she'd set herself on this course now. For good or ill, she'd have to see it through.

"One of the humans I met there was a great help to me. His name was......."

She hesitated. This was it. The moment she'd been dreading. She had no idea how he'd react once he heard it. Though, deep down, she hoped that he would at least stay to hear everything else.

".......his name was......Flash Sentry."

Silence fell between them. Flash's hoof was placed back on the floor and his face grew into an expression of clear shock. He'd not been expecting that, not that Twilight could blame him. His eyes were darting about, his mind no doubt trying to wrap his mind around the fact that, out there in some other world, there was another version of him running around. That concept alone would be enough to cause a pony distress and alarm. But what surprised Twilight was that his next question was not what she was expecting.

"You say this.......Flash.......helped you?"

Twilight nodded. Flash's expression was difficult to read. But amidst all of it, she could have sworn she'd seen discomfort. An uncertainty of some sort, as though what Twilight was really trying to tell him was making it's way past her carefully-chosen words.

"Were the two of you, you know.........friends?"

Twilight nodded again, this time looking a little ashamed. The two had indeed been friends, but looking back on their time together, it was clear to her that, had she stayed in that other world, they could have been more than that. Looking at Flash before her, it was obvious that he had a great deal on his mind. When he looked at her, at the expression on her face as she answered his question, he'd clearly seen the hidden meaning behind the answer. His eyes widened as, with Twilight's uncomfortable expression, he began to understand what had happened.

"Oh.........I see."

Twilight looked away. He'd figured it out. Her feelings of shame and embarrassment were almost overwhelming at this point. Flash now knew why she'd come to him. How would he react? Would he leave? Inside, she was regretting her choice in confessing all this to him. Trying to imagine how all this must have seemed from his perspective didn't help. To him, this was just some random mare coming up to him and telling him that she had a crush on an alternate universe version of him. How was he SUPPOSED to react?

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here. It's just that I........I'm sorry."

Twilight hung her head, not wanting Flash to see her face right now. The stallion looked at her, still struggling to get his head around what he'd just learned. But, looking at her, and knowing what he now knew, something started in him. He could tell that twilight had not come here to make things difficult for him, nor to mock him in any way. What he saw before him was an earnest young mare who was simply going through a difficult time due to her recent travels.

"No, your highness. There's no need to apologise. If anything I'm actually rather glad to learn this."

Twilight looked up, her expression one of confusion. If there was any deception in his voice, she couldn't sense it.

"Why?" She asked.

Flash opened his mouth to respond, but stopped just short of speaking. His face was, much to Twilight's surprise, starting to blush.

"Well, I suppose it's good to hear that, out there in some other universe, a guy like me was fortunate enough to earn the affections of a mare like you. I mean, all the things you've done, saving Equestria more than once, earning the title of princess, make you a pony that any self-respecting stallion could want. You're smart, kind..........beautiful. Any guy, human or pony, would be lucky to have you in his life."

Twilight was taken aback by that statement. The way he'd said it, so confidently, it was how the other one would have said it. Looking at him and the way he looked at her, she had to keep reminding herself that this was a different person, otherwise she couldn't have been able to tell. Suddenly, his expression changed as his face grew even redder, as though he suddenly realised what he'd just said. His words becoming more stuttered as he started waving his hoof nervously.

"That's not to say that I'd try anything! Not that it wouldn't be worth it. I mean.....what I'm trying to say is........I don't really want to overstep by boundaries here........I mean......"

Seeing him in this nervous state as he tried to figure out the right thing to say snapped Twilight out of her low-point and, in spite of the extreme awkwardness of this situation, giggled. Flash was still fumbling over his words, leading to Twilight raising a hoof and placing it gently over his to calm him. Looking down at Twilight's hoof on his didn't exactly help the redness of his face however. The young princess did what she could to ease his discomfort, her voice more soothing than it had been before.

"It's alright Flash. You don't have to worry about anything. Thank you for saying what you did. I appreciate it, really. And as for overstepping your boundaries, if my brother can get together with a princess, then so could you."

That statement didn't cause the reaction she'd expected. Flash's eyes widened further and he looked rather startled. Twilight didn't know why, but then her own words started to sink in. She realised how her previous statement must have sounded to him and what he thought she was implying. This realisation caused her face to become just as red as his, and it was now her turn to stumble over her words.

"Oh! I didn't mean to say that....you know.....that you and I should....."

She stopped before things got worse. There was sheer silence between them for the longest time. Then, in spite of how awkward things were, both of their faces started to crack into smiles. That set both of them into a big laugh. This was what they needed, both of them. They laughed at the whole thing, relieving them of much of the tension that had built up between them. After a good laugh, they calmed down before smiling at one another.

"I'm sorry about all this Flash. I'm sure you were hoping for a quiet patrol tonight."

Flash shook his head.

"No need to say sorry. I'm glad we could have this talk. And I appreciate that you felt you could come to me about it."

Then, all of a sudden, Flash started looking more awkward again. He opened his mouth, but then hesitated, as though he was struggling to decide whether or not he should say what was on his mind. Eventually, he simply let out a long sigh before speaking.

"Um.....princess?" He said.

Twilight smiled at him.

"Twilight." She replied.

It took a while, but Flash smiled at that.

"Twilight.......I have some time off from my patrol duties tomorrow. I don't know if you're interested, but there's a lake near the city I like to visit during my off-hours. I don't suppose you'd like to.....you know........accompany me?"

The smile faded a little from Twilight's face. This was not an offer she'd expected. Deep down, she was happy that he was giving her the chance to get to know him better. But still, she was unsure whether or not it was a step she was willing to take. Having returned from the other world, she had been denied the chance to really be with the other Flash, something that she regretted a great deal, despite her attempts to banish such thoughts. Realising this, she knew that if this one did indeed have all the things she'd come to appreciate about the other, she was not going to make the same mistake. Her smile returning, she gave her answer.

"I would like that. I really would."

Flash smiled at her answer. Twilight was pleased that her acceptance had made him happy. And in truth she was looking forward to such an outing. However, for the time being, she suddenly felt very tired. The first time she'd felt as such all night. As such, she decided that now was probably the best time to get back to her room.

"As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I've got to get some sleep tonight. But I'll meet you tomorrow. Goodnight Flash."

Flash gave a brief bow before giving his response.

"Goodnight.........Princess."

Twilight chuckled at that before turning around. She spread her wings and flapped them, launching herself into the air. Flash kept her eyes on her until she was high above, making her way up to the upper balcony before gracefully landing back down upon it. She looked over the edge to give Flash one last smiling before making her way back inside. Flash meanwhile sighed, never imagining he'd have been this lucky, before turning back towards the city beyond the palace and returning to his duties.

Making her way inside her room, Twilight closed the door behind her. The tiredness within her was growing and she soon found herself back in her bed. As she gently placed her head upon her pillow, she closed her eyes, drifting off into a more peaceful sleep than she thought she was going to get tonight. Her smile remained throughout, as she considered the possibility that she could have that chance she thought she'd lost once before, back when she returned to her own world.

Twilight did not know if she was doing the right thing with Flash by agreeing to his offer. Was she doing it out of genuine affection for him? Or was it simply because of the loss she felt at having been separated from the other one? She did not have the answers to those questions. But what she did know was that it was better for her to at least try things with him and find out. Otherwise, she might have spent the rest of her life wondering if things would have worked out between them. For her, it was better to try.

And if she was right about him, then maybe, just maybe, she hadn't left behind as much in that other world as she'd feared. That thought gave her comfort, and let her drift into her sleep, her heart no longer bearing the weight it once had.

"Well, Flash......let's see how this goes."

Is it love?

If there was a more perfect day to have a picnic, Twilight hadn't experienced it. The sky was a perfect blue, with no clouds in sight. The sun was shining brightly and there was a cool breeze. The spot they'd chosen was also good, on the top of a green and grassy hill, overlooking the town of Ponyville below. She and her closest friends had gathered here for a day of relaxation. Her duties as princess had been relaxed for the day, so they could all enjoy this time together. And that was something she was greatly appreciative of.

For as much as she tried, something always seemed to come up that kept the six of them from spending quality time together. it was either some big disaster that needed their attention, or it was some individual problem one of them was facing. But today was different. Today, everything was set up just perfectly. Looking away from the bright and clear sky, Twilight looked at her friends. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were all enjoying the view from the top of the hill, all while enjoying some sandwiches that had been prepared for them.

"I must say Twilight, these sandwiches are delicious!" Rarity commented.

Twilight raised her hoof.

"Thanks Rarity, but I wasn't the one who made them. It was Spike."

That caused the white unicorn to raise an eyebrow.

"Truly? Then do thank him when you get home. Cooking it may not be, but he's clearly getting better at making pony food."

Twilight couldn't deny that. When Spike had first started making meals, they were often unsuitable for pony consumption, owing largely to his own tastes as a dragon. But he'd been getting better at his craft, due in no small part to a cook-book Twilight had offered him. A book which, she was hesitant to admit, also had the recipe for these sandwiches. Still, it was a nice compliment on Rarity's part, and one Spike would surely appreciate once she relayed it.

She then joined her friends in looking out over the sight of Ponyville, and then smiled, sighing deeply.

"This is nice. I can't remember the last time we just hung out like this." She said.

Pinkie then considered that for a moment before replying.

"I think it was when you got the news of your brother's wedding!"

That comment made twilight frown.

"Thank you Pinkie." She said in an annoyed voice.

Her friend's remark was true. The last time they'd had a picnic like this had been the day she first discovered her brother, Shining Armour, not only had a relationship with her former foal-sitter, Princess Cadence, but that the two were going to be married. In truth, it had not been a happy day for her back then. Not that her brother was getting married, that she was very happy about. But the fact that she'd been kept in the dark about it, especially when the two siblings had been so close for most of their lives, had very much angered her.

But her anger subsided when she thought about how things ended. Shining and Cadence had been married happily, and even though there were certain "complications" involved in their wedding, all-in-all it had been a truly joyous occasion for all. Her expression changed from one of annoyance to one of happiness as she faced her friend.

"You're right Pinkie. It may have been hard for me at first, but that news really was very good for everypony. I don't think I'd ever been happier than standing beside my brother when he got married. It was such an honour. To be present at the union of two who loved each other so much."

The other ponies turned to look at her after she said that, with Rainbow in particular having a rather mischievous look on her face.

"Oh, I'm sure you'd know ALL about romance, wouldn't you?" She said.

Twilight raised her eyebrow, confused as to why Rainbow would make such a comment. She then realised that her friends were looking at her in an odd way, as though they knew something she didn't. Eventually, the silence became unbearable and Twilight relented.

"Alright. What's going on?" She asked.

In spite of their previous tone, all of her friends suddenly started to feign ignorance, starting with Applejack.

"Oh it's nothin sugarcube. Certainly not anythin to do with somethin you think we don't know."

Twilight tilted her head, still confused as to what was going on. Her friends all look like the proverbial cat that swallowed the canary. They were keeping something from her, though Applejack's comment seemed to suggest that it was her who was keeping secrets from them. Though for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what. What did they think she was keeping secret that could possibly cause them to behave this way. She looked at each of them in-turn, hoping one of them would just blurt out what was going on. Eventually, the silence was broken by Rarity.

"In case you haven't figured it out yet darling, we're referring to a certain young princess who was seen spending time with a certain handsome guard pony."

In an instant, Twilight's face grew bright red. She now knew exactly what they were talking about. It had been only a few days since they'd returned home from the Crystal Empire, but while they were up there, quite a few things had happened. And those events had led to Twilight approaching a young stallion by the name of Flash Sentry. Things between them had been good and, at his request, the two had spent the following day in each other's company by a lakeside near the crystal city. But she had not told anypony about it, so how could they possibly know?

Not wanting to just come out and admit it, Twilight composed herself as fast as possible and, like her friends a few moments ago, tried in vain to pretend like she didn’t know what they were talking about.

"I.......don't know what you mean."

The others raised their eyebrows at her. As a liar, Twilight was almost as bad as Applejack, and it was clear from the look on their faces that they weren't buying it. Rarity continued.

"My dear Twilight, give us some credit. Equestria's newest princess, spending time outside the Empire's capital with a stallion when they think nopony's looking? Half of Equestria probably knows by now. In case it slipped your notice, personal lives of royalty are hot gossip topics."

That thought made the colour practically drain from Twilight's face, not only because it was now clear that her friends knew all about Flash, but that such knowledge was also potentially known to others. The idea of her private life being the subject of debate by complete strangers was not something she enjoyed thinking about. But, as it seems there was no turning back at this point. Relenting, Twilight sighed heavily before hanging her head and nodding at her friends.

"Alright. I admit it. Flash and I did spend the day together."

Looking up, she saw her friends give each other looks that reminded her of a group of children who'd just been told that they'd get exactly what they wanted for hearth's warming eve. Rarity then looked over to her again, still smiling.

"So when we asked you if you had a crush on him before, you just weren't willing to admit it?"

Twilight shook her head. When she had returned from the world of humans, her friends had asked her outright if she had a thing for Flash, who had bumped into her shortly afterwards. She'd denied it at the time, and it was true she bore no feelings for him at that moment. But, after the time they'd spent together, she was no longer as sure as she was.

"No, I meant what I said back then. It's just that things.......changed."

Her friends' expressions changed to one of concern. They could tell at a glance that Twilight was deep in thought over the matter and didn’t want to push any further than they were welcome to. Fluttershy though spoke up, in her typically hushed voice.

"So......what happened?"

If she was being honest, Twilight didn't really want to get into her reasons for doing what she did with Flash. Her experiences in the human world, spending time with Flash's human counterpart, and all the rest were things she was less than eager to share, even with ponies as close to her as these . How would they react? Looking at each of them, she knew deep down that they wouldn't give up on this, not until they understood what was going on. And so, reluctantly, she began to explain why she had decided to approach Flash.

It took a while, but she'd finally laid out to her friends everything that had happened, including her decision to accept Flash's offer to spend the day with him. The group looked unsure, and Twilight could not blame them. She herself had struggled with the decision, still not knowing if her being with him was out of affection for Flash himself, or simply what she felt for his counterpart. Unexpectedly, Rainbow Dash was the first to come forward with her response to all this.

"So......do you like the guy? I mean, how did things go with him back at the Empire?"

It was a fair question. And thinking back on it, it was also a question easy to answer. They day with him by the lake had been, by-and-large, a pleasant one. They hadn't kissed or anything, just spent the whole time talking. About where they grew up, Twilight's studies under Celestia, Flash's guard training, their respective friends, and all manner of other things. The two of them had seemed equally as interested in what they had to say to each other and, overall, she'd actually liked being with him. And so, a smile on her face, she answered Rainbow's question.

"Yes Rainbow. I do like him."

The group all smiled at that, with Rainbow shrugging her shoulders after getting her answer.

"Then I don't see a problem."

Twilight shook her head. Leave it to Rainbow to see things so simply. Looking at her friends, she could tell that they were okay with all of this. And she was happy about that. The last thing she wanted was for those ponies closest to her to have a problem with the stallion she'd chosen to spend her time with. The moment was somewhat spoiled however as Pinkie suddenly bounced up right next to her and spoke with a rather coy look on her face.

"Sooooooo, what did you two get up to? Anything juicy?"

The redness came back to Twilight's face as she took in what Pinkie had just asked her. All of her other friends were looking at her just as expectantly as she was. They were probably expecting some story of passion and romance, which was not something Twilight was wanting at this early stage. Her mind practically shivered when she considered what kinds of things her friends might be thinking she and Flash go up to back then. She nervously shook her hooves at them.

"No no! Nothing like that! We just.......talked. I swear!"

After a few moments of staring at her, Pinkie's ears drooped, clearly disappointed.

"Aw! That's too bad! I was hoping for more than that. Oh well."

She shrugged and went back to eating her food, much to Twilight's relief. She had no problem with her friends being curious about this, but that kind of delving for the goings on between her and her new "companion" was something else altogether. Still, she smiled when she realised that her friends were probably not going to push too hard for info even if they had done more than talk. But that smile faded a little after Applejack began to speak.

"Er, Twilight? I hate to bring things down, but he's stationed up in the Empire and you're down here in the south most days. Isn't you and him together going to be difficult?"

Twilight nodded. It was something she'd spent quite some time thinking about. Long-distance relationship were things she'd often heard being difficult to pull off. Plus, his duties as a guard would mean he'd be very busy, as would she now that she was a princess. But, as she'd told Flash before, if her brother and a princess could get together, then so could the two of them. Looking up at Applejack, she shook her head whilst smiling, giving her friend her answer. Applejack seemed to accept that well enough and nodded back in response.

But then Fluttershy, as quiet as ever, spoke up again.

"So, you and he, do you think it's....you know.....the "L" word?"

That question got the attention of all of them, even Pinkie, who had spent much of the conversation eating all the cakes of the picnic when she thought nopony could see her. Twilight considered that question carefully. Fluttershy had obviously meant whether or not there was any real love between the two of them. And that, perhaps, was the hardest question to answer. She herself had never been in love before, and neither had Flash. So she probably wouldn't know what it felt like if it did happen to her. But in all honesty, what they had right now probably wasn't love.

There was an affection between them certainly. And they did enjoy being in each others' company. But even Twilight, who had never been in love, could tell the difference between affection and real love. Could love actually be born between them? Could they stay together long enough for it to happen? She did not have the answers to those questions. But there was one thing she did know, and she made sure to tell her friends exactly what was on her mind in that regard.

"I don't know if it is love Fluttershy. But I'm more than willing to wait for it."

The group all looked at each other with smiled again. It was an answer that they'd clearly wanted to hear, and things seemed to quiet down after that. The topics they discussed moved away from Twilight's love life, for which she was grateful, and towards other things, like the Cutie Mark Crusaders latest failed attempts to earn their cutie marks, or some new animal that Fluttershy had taken into her care. The day had passed them by without incident, and as planned, they enjoyed this time they spent together.

But as their picnic drew to a close, a thought came to Pinkie Pie. A question for Twilight that she needed to ask.

"Twilight? Flash is a guard, right?"

Twilight looked up at her friend and nodded. Pinkie looked deep in thought for a moment before speaking up again.

"So........what does your brother think about one of his guards dating his little sister?"

And just like that, the colour left Twilight's face again. The group, having suddenly been hit with what Pinkie had just suggested, all gave each other worried looks. Without exchanging a word, all five of Twilight's friends simultaneously closed their eyes and bowed their heads as their alicorn friend remained still. As sombre as they were all pretending to be, they had a hard time keeping themselves from giggling as Rarity spoke.

"May Celestia have mercy on that poor boy's soul."

Big brother's watching you

He tapped at the window to mark the seconds as they passed. He hated waiting, but he knew that it was important that he do so. This was a conversation that was needed, even though he was certain that he'd probably get in trouble for it later. Shining Armour, former captain of the Equestrian royal guard, and current co-ruler of the Crystal Empire alongside his wife, Princess Cadence. He was in his office, in the royal palace of the Empire's crystal city, looking out of the balcony-window at the city below.

It had been over a year since the two of them had taken the throne of this place, but they had settled into their roles well. Having had a military background, Shining had taken on the role of instructor of the nation's new guards, and they'd all turned out well. And speaking of the guards, it was that which now concerned him. For it had recently come to his attention that one of his guards had been seen doing something that, needless to say, had surprised the stallion a great deal. And it was for that reason that he had been called here today.

Shining looked away from the window and towards a clock that was hanging on the wall. He'd only sent out the summons a few minutes ago, but it felt like hours. Still, there was time left for him to get here. The stallion sighed and began moving away from the window. He considered what it was that he was planning. He didn't like that this was necessary. After all, what his recruits did in their personal lives was, ideally, none of his concern. But this one in particular involved him personally, so he felt he had little choice but to make his position clear.

Sitting down at his desk, Shining let out a deep sigh.

"She's going to kill me for this." He mumbled.

It was at this point that Shining heard the sound of a knock on the door of his office. He looked up at the door and then at the clock. He was early, he thought to himself. Shining then focused his attention back at the door before exhaling deeply. It was now or never.

"Enter." He said.

With that command, the door opened, and through it walked a pegasus stallion, younger than himself, with orange fur and a dark blue mane. He wore the golden body-piece of a royal guard, with the standard helmet being carried underneath one of his forelegs. As the pegasus entered, he closed the door behind him before saluting in front of Shining's desk.

"Guard-pony Sentry reporting in Sir."

And here he was. Flash Sentry. He was one of Shining's more recent recruits, but so far he had performed his duties well. He had displayed many of the qualities he looked for in his recruits, a dedication to his work, a respect for authority, and, as was typical of many pegasi, a strong sense of loyalty. As important as those qualities were, none of them made him stand out in any particular way, expect for one thing. Recently, Flash had been spotted outside the city during his latest day off from his duties. What made this catch Shining's attention however was that he was reportedly seen to be with a certain young mare at the time.

And not just any young mare, but Shining's own younger sister, Twilight. As one might expect, this had come as quite a surprise to Shining. His sister had, to his knowledge, never shown an interest in stallions before. And now, not only was she seen with one, but it was one of his own guards, hoof-picked by him. This caused many mixed feelings in Shining. On the one hand, he was happy that Twilight had found somepony special. And having that pony be one of those he recruited himself, he knew that the stallion standing in front of him was of good character. He would not have been chosen to take on guard duty if he was anything less after all.

Shining was not bothered by the fact that it was a guard who was fraternizing with his sister, a princess. After all, his own marriage was proof enough that such a union was acceptable. However, as her older brother, he felt it was his duty to get a better feel for this guy. Though it was not a prospect he relished. If Twilight found out about this, she'd be just as angry as the day she found out about his wedding, which was not a pleasant experience for either of them. Still, this was not something he could simply sit on the side-lines about. So he'd asked for Flash to come here for a talk. The young stallion stood there, still saluting, and waiting for his commander to reply, which Shining did.

"At ease Sentry."

Flash stopped saluting and stood in a more relaxed posture, waiting for Shining to give his commands. But there was simply a silence between them.. Shining was thinking carefully about what to say about all this. He'd never been in this position before and he was at a loss over what to do. In the end, he broke the silence, knowing that doing something was better than simply letting the boy stand there and do nothing.

"You have not been a guard in the palace for very long Sentry. How are you finding your time here?" He asked.

Flash nodded before replying.

"I find it rewarding work Sir. We guards serve an important role and I feel honoured to have been chosen to perform it. My time at the palace might now have been as eventful as other guards, but I've still enjoyed my time here."

Shining nodded at that. He knew this guy was decent, which just made this all the harder for him. Still, he persisted, and decided to narrow his field of questioning.

"And the last few days? Do you have anything to report?"

Flash considered that for a few moments before shaking his head.

"Nothing to report Sir. Everything has been quiet in the palace recently."

Shining frowned. He wasn't being upfront about his involvement with Twilight. Perhaps he was uncomfortable talking about it with her older brother, or perhaps he just didn't want to speak of personal matters with his commanding officer. Either way, it was clear that Shining wasn't getting anywhere at this rate. So he just relented and decided to be more direct.

"Actually Flash, what I wanted to talk to you about was you recent off-time and.......who you were seen with."

It was at this point that Flash's eyes widened, and he suddenly looked very nervous. Now he understood, Shining thought. He now knew exactly why he'd been called here. The young stallion looked lost for words before stepping forward.

"Sir, I swear I didn't touch her!"

This time it was Shining's time to be taken aback by what was being said to him, as his eyes widened with shock

"No-OH CELESTIA NO!!! That's not what I meant!"

Immediately after that rather embarrassing moment between the two, Shining quickly regained his composure, coughing in a nervous manner. Did this guy really think that Shining was implying THAT sort of thing? Though, in Flash's defense, if Shining had been in his position he might assume the same thing, especially given how uncomfortable this situation had now become. To put the guy at ease, Shining raised a hoof at him.

"Relax. I'm not accusing you of doing anything to Twilight."

The younger stallion exhaled deeply. Clearly the boy thought he was in trouble over this, which was something Shining knew he would have to clear up.

"Flash. If I thought you were the kind of pony that would do something unworthy to Twilight, you would not be a guard right now. I simply called you over here today because I would like to know your intentions towards her."

That seemed to make things much clearer for him. But he remained silent for some time, struggling to think of how best to answer that question. Shining waited for his answer. He knew next to nothing about why Twilight ha chosen to go with him as she did, nor what sort of relationship the two had at this early stage. And judging from the look on Flash's face, he was just as unsure as Shining was. After a great deal of time had passed, Flash finally spoke.

"Twilight's reasons for approaching me are of a......personal reason. I don't think it would be right for me to break her trust by telling another pony why she wanted to be with me. Even if that pony is her own flesh and blood. As for my own feelings towards her........I'm not entirely sure."

Shining raised an eyebrow at that. It piqued his curiosity that there might be some mysterious reason why Twilight had approached him. It would have been a lie to say that he wasn't tempted to inquire further about that. But Flash's words made it clear that, whatever Twilight's reasons were, they were not something she wanted known. And he was not about to make things bad between her and her new colt-friend by forcing him to reveal her secrets like that.

During all this, Flash had been looking away from him, deep in thought about how to talk about all this. Shining could not fault him for that. Had he been in this position, he'd have likely acted just as unsure. Eventually, Flash focused his attention on his commander.

"Permission to speak openly, Sir?"

Shining considered that for a moment before nodding, granting the young guard the permission he sought. Flash looked down and sighed before speaking.

"You sister is........a very special mare. The fact that she was chosen to become a princess in the first place should be proof enough of that. My time with her the other day, though brief, was a time I cherished. She is intelligent, kind, a good pony to be with. I do not know how things between us will go from this point onwards, nor would I attempt to guess at it. But continuing to be with her is something I can honestly say would make me happy."

Shining did not allow his face to give away what he was thinking right now, but in truth this was something he wanted to hear. He'd known ever since he was young that his sisters was a special pony, to him if nopony else. She had been an important part of his life, and he'd always hoped that, if she did ever get together with somepony, it would be one who understood as well as he did just how special she truly was. But he wasn't about to let this guy know that, so he just kept listening.

"And I consider myself extremely lucky that she chose to spend time with me. I know that my posting here with make a relationship difficult, but if it means being with a mare like her, then such an effort is more than worthy of my time."

It was at this point that Shining cracked a smile, albeit a small one. He nodded briefly before getting up and out of his chair.

"Well then. In that case, I know all I need to. You may go now Sentry."

Flash stood there for a moment, perhaps wondering if there was more to come. But the silence from Shining made it clear that there was nothing left to talk about between them, so he merely saluted to his commander before making his way back towards the door of the office. As he held onto the door-knob however, he stopped and looked back at Shining.

"Permission to speak freely again Sir?"

Shining considered the request before nodding again. Flash considered his words carefully before saying truthfully what was on his minds.

"This conversation was........very awkward."

To say that Shining was taken aback by the recruit's bluntness in that statement would have bee and understatement. Nevertheless, the elder stallion couldn't help but chuckle at his words.

"Eyup." He said in response.

There was a brief nod and smile from Flash before he eventually made his way out of the office, closing the door behind as he left. Shining, satisfied with what he'd learned about the guy, looked back down at his desk and considered getting back to some much-needed paperwork. However, as he began levitating some nearby paper with his magic, he heard a faint sound from behind him, near the balcony window, almost like a gentle window flapping the curtains. He sighed and smiled before speaking loudly.

"Alright honey, I know it's you."

After a few brief moment of silence, he heard the distinct sound of flapping wings. Turning around, he saw a figure land on the balcony outside his window. An alicorn, pink in her fur and mane, and bearing a distinct crystal heart cutie mark. Princess Mi'Amore Cadenza, better known to him and her friends as Cadence. His beloved wife. She entered his office through the balcony window with a somewhat mischievous grin on her face.

"So, I see you had a visitor today."

Still smiling, Shining raised an eyebrow at her.

"You know I don't like being spied upon darling."

She responded to that by walking up to him and kissing him briefly on his cheek, to which he smiled.

"My dear Shining, you can't honestly expect me to stand by while you have a chat with my sister-in-law's new colt-friend, do you?"

Shining frowned at that, though only a little.

"They've only been out once. He's not a colt-friend.......yet."

She giggled a little before speaking again.

"Oh trust me, it'll happen. I know affection when I see it. I saw it in Twilight's eyes when she first saw that boy, back when she got back from that other world. And I saw it in him just now as he was talking about her. Believe me, given time, those two will be crazy for each other."

Shining grumbled a little, prompting Cadence to notice.

"You're not upset at that I hope?"

Shining considered that for a moment before shaking his head.

"No. It's just that.......for the longest time Twilight and I were so close. And now there's this new guy in her life. I guess this is how she must have felt when she found out I was getting married, worried that some pony will come along and make things between us less than they were."

Cadence grew a look of understanding on her face. She held her hoof up to the side of Shining's face and drew to towards her so he was looking straight into her eyes.

"I've known Twilight since she was a child. Believe me when I say that you mean the world to her my love. And just as she came to know that our marriage wouldn't make you love her less, so too will the bond between you survive this."

Shining looked at her for the longest time before eventually breaking out into a smile, which Cadence returned. He should have known better than to debate matters of the heart with her. Love was her talent after all. The two shared a brief kiss with each other after that, assured that things wouldn't be as bad as Shining initially feared that they might. However, they were interrupted by the sound of flapping wings. Turning, they looked out of the window to see Flash himself flying off, no doubt to assume his guard duties at today's assigned posting. Cadence looked at the flying pegasus to her husband.

"So tell me love. What say you to your sister's choice of stallion?"

He gained a forced stern look on his face, pretending not to look like he approved.

"He's.......acceptable."

Cadence giggled again, partly out of being amused over how serious her husband was over this, before replying.

"Coming from an older brother, that's high praise indeed."

The date

Even though her friends would object, Twilight couldn't help but enjoy a good session of spring cleaning. The way she got to organize everything anew, the way everything was put back in it's proper place, right down to how much she enjoyed keeping busy this time of year. Other ponies might not have enjoyed it, but there was something about making everything so orderly that just pleased her to no end. Her house, despite never really being that messy due to her constant nagging to Spike to keep it clean, still, on occasion had a few things out of place.

Mostly books as this was, after all, a library. Although ponies didn't really come in to check out books as often as she'd like. Still, her spirits were lifted by the company she was keeping today. Turning around, she saw her fives best friends, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity, all helping her out. It was, she had to admit, rather strange that they'd all offered to help her at the exact same time. This wasn't exactly something they'd normally leap at the chance to do. Still, she wasn't about to look a gift-pony in the mouth, so she simply remained content at their aid.

However, every now and again, she was interrupted from her own cleaning by the sound of giggling from behind. She would turn to see who it was, only to find all five of her friends turn suddenly when they realised she was watching them. It caused more that a few raised eyebrows from her, but tried not to let it bother her too much. However, after about a dozen times of this happening, she finally let out a loud sigh and turned around completely, stepping forward and catching the attention of her friends, all of whom were looking rather nervously at each other.

"Is something wrong dear?" Rarity asked.

Twilight narrowed her eyes. It was clear from the tone of Rarity's voice that she knew full well that Twilight was suspicious towards them, but was nevertheless trying to hide it.

"Okay girls, what's so funny?"

They all looked at each other with somewhat nervous looks, before Rainbow stepped forward.

"Oh it's nothing. We were just thinking how nuts it is that, on a nice day like today, you'd be in here, cleaning up."

That earned another raised eyebrow from Twilight, which caused some shifty eyes from Rainbow. In truth though, the pegasus had a pint, as it was a very nice day. The local pegasi had done fine work in making this a bright and sunny day. But Twilight knew that her friends couldn't have been giggling about that alone. After all, if it bothered them so much, why did they volunteer to help?

"And what, Rainbow, would you suggest I do instead?"

Rainbow opened her mouth to give some sort of answer, but struggled for the words. She looked over at the rest, all of whom seemed equally incapable of giving a good answer. All of a sudden, Pinkie jumped forward with her usual expression of glee.

"Ooh! Ooh! You could go to Sugarcube Corner, or go for a nice walk or maybe buy some of Rose's flowers or....."

Twilight knew she would have gone on for ages at this rate, so she raised a hoof to stop her. There was something else going on here. Her friends knew her enough to know that she enjoyed spending her days like this, so why this sudden push? She would need to get to the bottom of this. But before she could question them further, she was distracted by the sound of a knocking on the door of the house. She turned to it and began to move towards it, only to stop when she heard another giggle. She shot a dark look at her friends, who suddenly started to whistle innocently, before turning her attention back to the door.

She raised her hoof and turned the doorknob before opening it. Once the door was open, her eyes widened with shock as she saw a certain pegasus stallion standing on the other side. He was slightly older than her, with orange fur and a blue mane. He smiled at her before speaking.

"Hey Twilight!"

Flash Sentry. A recent recruit into the royal guards of the Crystal Empire. This one in particular however was special to her as he was, for lack of a better term, her colt-friend right now. Though she was loathe to use the term as they'd only been out once, during her last visit to the Empire. He was not wearing his usual guard uniform, but simply a pair of saddle-bags draped over his back. Twilight stood there with her mouth gaping open, unable to speak, with Flash waiting for a response from her. He opened his mouth to speak, only to be stopped by Twilight, in a fit of panic, slamming the door in his face and propping herself against it.

She looked over at her friends, who were looking even more nervous than before. It didn't take long for Twilight to put all the pieces together. The giggles. The fact that all five of them wanted to be here on this day at this time. The sensation that they were keeping something from her. It all made sense now. And when the truth sunk it, she glared at them angrily.

"You knew?! You KNEW he was going to be here?" She yelled.

The nervous looks only increased at that, and al five of her friends looked to each other, hoping one of them would step forward. Eventually, it was left to Applejack to do so. Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

"Okay sugarcube, don't hate us for this......but it ain't just a case of us knowing."

Twilight raised her eyebrow at that and pondered that statement for a moment. Eventually, it became all too clear what AJ was saying.

"You......you invited him here?"

Applejack nodded, as did the other four mares behind her. Twilight's look of rage was increasing. threatening to set her mane aflame as it once did during a rather stressful time with Pinkie Pie. But instead, she shut her eyes and exhaled deeply before looking up at her friends again.

"Why?"

It was a simply enough question, and one her friends were eager to answer. Applejack spoke first.

"It's simple Twi. We know you like the guy, but ever since you've been back from the Empire, you've come up with excuse after excuse to not see him."

Twilight was taken aback by that answer, but remained silent for the time being when Rainbow spoke next.

"Yeah! We knew you wouldn't have it in you to ask him out again, so we sent him a message asking him to come over so the two of you could have a date here in Ponyville!"

To say Twilight was shocked would be an understatement of the highest calibre. While it was true that Twilight had an affection for Flash, she couldn't believe her friends would do something like this. And she took particular offense over their accusations that she was trying to keep distant from him. Sure she hadn't exactly gone out of her way to ask him out or anything, but she had other things she felt she needed to do. But, as that notion sunk in, it suddenly occurred to Twilight that maybe, just maybe, her friends were onto something.

It wasn't as though she didn't enjoy being with Flash, quite the reverse in fact. But there was something deep inside her that was almost trying to push him out of her heart. A hesitancy which, in spite of all her attempt to really try something with him, hadn't gone away. Maybe this was indeed something she needed. Maybe she needed this push to really get serious with this guy. Because, as much as she hated to admit it, her friends were right when they said she'd been coming up with excuses. Whether it was down to her own inexperience with romantic relationships, or because she was still grappling with her feelings towards that other, human Flash, she could not say.

But as she dwelt on all this, it suddenly occurred to her that Flash was probably still standing outside, his last image of her being her slamming the door in her face. That thought caused Twilight to cringe as she bashed her forehead with her hoof.

"Oh, how am I going to explain all this to him?"

It was clear from the looks on her friend's faces that none of them had an answer to that question. Fortunately for them, they didn't need to as all six of them suddenly heard Flash's voice coming from the other side of the door.

"Er, Twilight? This door isn't very thick and I can hear every word you guys are saying."

Twilight's eyes widened upon hearing that and her face grew as red as a tomato. Her friends weren't faring much better as their expression changed from looks of nervousness, to one of embarrassment. If he'd heard all that, what would he do? Would he feel insulted at being tricked like this? After a few moments of deep breaths, Twilight eventually resolved to go through with this. She turned around and opened the door. Seeing Flash on the other side, still waiting patiently for her, she put on a big smile, much like the one she bore when Spike went off to the dragon migration, and just as fake.

"Flash! Hello! How've you been?"

A raised eyebrow from him made it clear that he wasn't buying it. However, much to her surprise, he eventually broke into a smile as he looked at her.

"It's good to see you again." He said.

The tone of his voice was clearly one of affection, reminding Twilight of the last time they were together. Her own expression lost the forced smile from before and changed into a more natural one, as she was relieved to see he wasn't upset by all this.

"You too." She replied.

Flash kept smiling at her, and she at him. After some time has passed, Twilight broke the silence.

"So........you came all this way. Shall we get going somewhere?" She asked.

Flash considered that for a moment before nodding. He then looked past her to the five mare standing and watching them both.

"Girls. Always a pleasure."

Twilight's friends waved the two goodbye, earning them a look of annoyance from Twilight as she hurried Flash and herself out of the door. The look on her face made it evident to hr friends that she would be having words with them about this after this was over, to which they simply smiled knowingly at each other. Once outside, Twilight closed the door of the library before turning to her new companion, who was eagerly awaiting her next move. It would have been a lie to say that Twilight was experienced in this sort of thing. Even though the two had technically gone on a date once before, she was unfamiliar with many of the things other ponies did on these things.

Seeing the look of uncertainty on her face, Flash spoke up.

"Would you........care to walk through town with me? I've never been here before."

That was enough to break Twilight out of her rut. She smiled and nodded, and without saying another word, the two started making their way away from the library. Twilight couldn't help but appreciate Flash's patience here. Truth be told, she hadn't been the easiest mare to have a relationship with. Even back when they'd been formally introduced, she'd been hesitant to really commit to being with him, and he was perceptive enough to notice that. But he hadn't rushed her in this, nor pursued their relationship unless he knew it was what she wanted. He didn't even ask to go out again until he thought she wanted him to, even though it was her friends who'd truly been the ones to ask him.

As they walked along the street, Twilight racked her brain for something to talk about. Eventually, she hit upon the obvious.

"So......how was your trip down from the Empire?"

Flash looked towards her before answering.

"Well enough. The weather was pretty pleasant coming down here, so flying wasn't a problem. Finding this place on the other hoof was tricky. Ponyville isn't exactly drawing anypony's attention.”

In spite of her nervousness, Twilight chuckled at that.

"True. It's why I like it here. As much as I loved growing up in Canterlot, even I have to admit the place got a bit too busy for me at times. Much quieter out here."

Flash nodded at that, agreeing with her sentiment. A thought occurred to Twilight as they continued walking. One that caused her no end of embarrassment to have to ask.

"Tell me. Does.......does my brother know about.....you know......us?"

Flash's expression became one of discomfort, a look that made Twilight immediately regret asking the question. Being Princes of the Crystal Empire, her brother, Shining Armour, would be Flash's commanding officer. And given that the stallion was now dating his younger sister would undoubtedly cause some tension between them, though she hoped otherwise. As she looked at him, he gained an expression she knew all too well, one that showed he was thinking hard to find the right answer. Eventually, he cracked a small smile and turned towards her again.

"He does. But you don't need to worry. He's okay with it.........more-or-less".

Twilight got the distinct impression that there was a story behind that statement, but decided it was probably for the best that she didn't enquire further. As they continued on, past Sugarcube Corner, Twilight suddenly realised something. Flash had been brought down here under false pretences. He'd been led to believe that Twilight wanted him here for a date. And, even though she did ultimately want to see him again, he'd essentially been tricked into coming here, all because her friends had noticed Twilight's own hesitance to bring him here herself. That caused her a great deal of guilt and she stopped walking, Flash noticing this quickly and stopping soon afterwards. Twilight took a deep breath before speaking.

"Flash.....I need to apologize."

Flash raised an eyebrow at that.

"For what?" He asked.

It was no lie to say that this was something which gave Twilight discomfort to say, but she had little choice. Flash deserved this much.

"It's just that.......you were tricked. My friends lied to get you here, because they knew I couldn't. I'm happy we could see each other again but.......it wasn't right that I couldn't ask you here myself."

She looked at him with a look of shame on her face.

"I'm sorry."

Flash's eyes widened with surprise as he heard all this, but he sighed and gained a small smile after a short few moments. Reaching forward, ha took Twilight's hoof into his own, causing her to blush a little.

"Twilight. Ever since you first approached me in the Empire, you've been on my mind. You've become very important to me, and I consider myself one of the luckiest stallions in the world that a mare like you would consider being with me. Whether through deception or honesty, I got a chance to be with you today. And for that, no apology could ever be needed."

Twilight's still-blushing face broke out into a massive smile as the two stared at each other with great affection. Before Twilight could say just how much she appreciated what Flash had just said to her, he let go of her hoof and started rummaging around in his saddle-bags.

"I have something for you."

That piqued her curiosity as she tried to see what he was looking for. Eventually, he found it and held in front of her one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. It was a flower, but unlike any she had ever seen. It was clearly made from crystal, and it's petals bore a combination of colours, mostly pink and purple, the colours Twilight herself had. It glistened in the sunlight and practically mesmerized her. She looked up at Flash, whose expression made it obvious that he wanted her to have it. Hesitantly, she reached out with her hoof and took it. It was light as a feather. Looking up at Flash again, she knew exactly what to say.

"Th......thank you. Nopony has ever given me anything like this before."

Flash nodded before speaking.

"It's a crystal rose. They grow near the outskirts of the city. I saw it, it's colours, and I thought of you. And I thought that, maybe, you might like to have one."

All of a sudden, Twilight gained a sudden inkling to do something she'd never done before. Without giving him a chance to react, Twilight leaned forward and planted a kiss on Flash's cheek. After pulling away, she saw that his face had become just as red as hers, a sight that caused her to giggle a little. After a few moments of seeming paralysis, Flash shook his head and regained his senses, as he looked at Twilight with surprise. Twilight spoke.

"In case there's any confusion, that means I appreciate the gift."

The two broke out into massive smiles and, in stark contrast to how this date had started, laughed loudly, relieving them of much of the tension that had spoiled their reunion. However, the two of them gained a sudden uncomfortable feeling, as though they were being watched. Turning, they both soon saw that this was, in fact, the case. Many of the local ponies, mares and stallions alike, had stopped in the middle of the street and were paying close attention to the couple. Some were giggling. Others were whispering. Some just stared. It was uncomfortable to have this much attention, but it conjured to mind something Rarity had told her once, that her being a princess would mean that being with Flash would make for a lot of gossip.

Realising that prediction was now coming true, she realised they would need to move on, however annoyed she might be that their private moment had been so rudely interrupted. She got her chance sooner than she thought when she suddenly heard the distinct sound of a stomach grumbling. Looking over to Flash, she saw him look rather embarrassed over the noise he'd just made. But she simply smiled as he started talking.

"Er.......I don't suppose you'd like to join me for some lunch maybe?" He asked.

Twilight giggled a little before answering.

"I would like that. I really would."

Meet the parents

"Twilight? I'm not sure I can do this."

Flash Sentry was nervously walking up one of the main streets of Canterlot, worried with every step that today might go wrong. Beside him was a mare who drew the attention of all the ponies they passed along the way. Twilight Sparkle, latest princess of Equestria. It was her idea that the two of them come here for this. She felt it was needed, out of courtesy if nothing else. But she knew Flash well enough to know that it was something that caused him a great deal of nervousness.

"Relax Flash. I’m sure my parents will love you."

She could not blame him for his hesitancy. From what she'd heard, meeting the parents of somepony you're involved with was always a stressful and nerve-wracking experience for anypony, mare and stallion alike. And, in truth, there was a part of her that also felt nervous at this. She hadn't actually told her parents that she'd started a relationship with a stallion. From what Flash had told her, her brother, Shining, already knew, but the fact that she'd received no letters from her parents made it clear that they still knew nothing about it.

Still, the last thing her new colt-friend needed right now was for her to appear as nervous as she was, and having now had some experience at being a princess had, fortunately, given her lessons in how to keep calm in situations like this. Were you to look at her, you'd never think that she was nervous about anything. Still, she looked over at Flash, and from one look at his face knew that this meeting was dominating his thoughts. Smiling, she gently placed a hoof on his shoulder, catching his attention.

"You don't have anything to worry about Flash."

Whether genuine or forced for her sake, Flash smiled back. At the very least he was trying to act calmer for her, which she appreciated. They continued to make their way down the street, earning many looks and whispers from passers-by. It was something that caused Twilight some degree of annoyance. She didn't want her personal life, especially her romantic life, to be the subject of big city rumours and gossip. But, there was little she could do about it now, so she tried her best to ignore it. As they carried on, her attention was one more drawn to Flash as he spoke up.

"Tell me, if it's not too rude to ask, but have you ever done this before?"

Twilight looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You mean introduce a colt-friend to my parents? I'd have needed a colt-friend for that."

That caused Flash to have a look of surprise.

"I'm your first? Really?"

Twilight felt she should be flattered by a reaction like that. Flash had told her many times that she was an impressive mare, and one that any stallion would consider lucky to be with. And though those words had made her happy to hear, there were times when all it did was remind her that, for all her accomplishments, she'd always been lacking when it came to romance. Still, she was grateful that Flash thought of her like that. Even so, she nodded in response to his question, which left him surprised.

But, as she considered his question, she suddenly realised that, even after all the time they'd spent together, she knew virtually nothing of his own love life. She was, needless to say, rather apprehensive about it.

"And.......what about you? Has there been anypony else.....beside me?"

Twilight began to regret her words almost as soon as she'd asked, for Flash's expression changed immediately to one of great discomfort. He looked away from her and seemed to be struggling with some rather unpleasant memories. This was not the reaction she'd expected, but it nevertheless confirmed her suspicions.

"Who was she?" She asked.

Flash clenched his eyes shut before answering.

"Twilight, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not talk about it. It wasn't a good time for me and I'd rather forget about it."

Those words were all Twilight needed to hear,. There had been another mare in his life before her, though from the looks of things it had clearly not been a good or happy relationship if he was this uncomfortable thinking about it. Even though she remained curious about his past in this regard, she knew it wasn't a good idea top press the matter, at least this early on in their own relationship. Respecting his wishes, Twilight simply nodded and turned her attention ahead of her.

And when she did, her expression lit up once more as her eyes locked onto a very familiar house along the street. She placed her hoof on Flash's shoulder and, after he looked at her again, she pointed towards the house in question. Flash looked ahead to where she was pointing and guessed immediately that this was the homer of her parents. And he would have guessed right. This was the very home Twilight and her brother had been raised in, a place of many fond memories for her. It brought her joy to see it again, so much so that she sped up to reach it quicker, with Flash himself also walking faster to keep up with her.

Once Twilight reached the door, she was practically jumping in place as Flash took his place beside her, watching with bemusement at her reaction to this place. But she eventually calmed down and turned to face him.

"This is it. Are you ready?" She asked.

Flash considered that for a moment before exhaling and looking at the door.

"As ready as anypony can be I suppose."

Twilight could tell he was still nervous, but nevertheless used his response as permission to go ahead and knock on the door three times. There was a pause afterwards, during which Twilight stayed perfectly quiet, listening carefully for any sounds on the other side of the door. Eventually, she heard the distinct sound of approaching hoof steps and waited eagerly for the door to open. Mere moments later, it did so, and on the other side was an older unicorn mare, with white fur and a white-and-purple mane. Twilight's mother, and namesake, who took only a moment to look upon her daughter before breaking out into a massive smile.

"Twilight! Oh my goodness, it's been so long!"

The mare practically leapt forward and wrapped her forelegs around her daughter's neck, embracing her in a hug which Twilight eagerly returned.

"Hi Mom! It's good to see you again!" She said.

The two, after some time, broke apart from each other, still smiling.

"Oh my sweet little princess! I can't tell you how much your father and I have been hoping you'd visit."

Twilight blushed a little over her recent nickname of princess, and Flash, in an attempt to conceal how amused he was over it, turned his head away. It was at this point that Twilight Snr realised that her daughter was not alone. Noticing that she had come here with a stallion caused her to tilt her head in confusion. She looked at her daughter, who'd noticed that her mother had noticed him, back to the increasingly nervous stallion. The looks on the two young ponies' faces pretty much gave it all away, as Twilight Snr gained a look of shock and joy all at once.

"Oh my stars! It's happened, hasn't it?! My little girl has found somepony?"

Twilight opened her mouth, ready to give an answer, but suddenly realised she had no real way of just outright announcing this new relationship to her mother. Instead, she simply nodded whilst smiling. The smile on the mother's face grew even wide as she stepped forward towards a taken-aback Flash.

"I can't tell you how pleased I am that my little girl has a special somepony."

Flash looked from the mother, to Twilight, who had a look that made it clear that he should start speaking right now. A request he was actually able to do.

"Well......thank you ma'am. I'm Flash Sentry. Pleased to meet you."

Twilight Snr chuckle briefly at that.

"Ma'am? How very formal. Are you one of the royal guard?"

Flash began to speak, but he was cut off by Twilight.

"I'm sure Flash would love to tell you everything Mon, but maybe we could go inside first? I'd like to say hi to Dad if he's in."

A look of realisation his Twilight's mother once she heard that.

"Of course! Your father will want to know this!"

The elder mare turned around and made her way inside, and the younger ponies soon followed her. They entered into a modestly-sized entrance hall, with a staircase leading upstairs on the side. Mrs Sparkle stood at the base of the stairs and started to call up.

"Honey! We have a visitor!"

The two younger ponies looked up the stairs and, soon enough, an older stallion, with blue fur and a dark-blue mane started walking down. Nightlight Sparkle, Twilight's father. He only came halfway down before he noticed his daughter and smiled at the sight of her. Twilight returned the smile and ran up the rest of the stairs to embrace him.

"Dad! I'm so happy to see you again!" She said.

Her father's smile grew as he replied.

"And you kiddo. It’s been too long."

The two eventually broke away from each other and, before Mr Sparkle could speak to her further, he looked past her to the unfamiliar face of Flash standing next to Twilight's mother. His expression immediately became more stern as he raised an eyebrow at the young stallion, causing the latter to suddenly return to his previous bout of nerves. Twilight could see the look on her father's face and could tell that he'd already figured out who Flash was and why he was here. The elder stallion walked past his daughter and towards Flash, who was doing his best to stand his ground at this point. The young stallion cleared his throat before speaking.

"Um.......Hello Sir. I'm......Flash. Flash Sentry."

There was a near-unbearable silence between them all as Mr Sparkle simply looked at the guy and was considering him carefully. Flash's eyes darted up to Twilight, who simply shrugged, unsure of how best to proceed with this. But his eyes quickly came back to her father as he began speaking.

"So then.......you and my daughter?" He said sharply.

Flash considered answering him, but much like Twilight with her mother, simply resorted to nodding. there was another pause and it seemed for a moment that this meeting wasn't going to go as well as Twilight had hoped. But then, much to everypony's relief, Mr Sparkle cracked a smile and held out his hoof in front of the younger stallion.

"Good to meet you Flash. Welcome."

Flash couldn't help but exhale deeply in response to that. He looked up at Twilight, who was smiling over the fact that her father seemed okay with all this. In response to Nightlight holding out his hoof, Flash raised his own and shook it.

"And you Sir."

Though still smiling, Mr Sparkle raised an eyebrow.

"Sir? You're a guard pony, aren't you?"

Flash seemed taken aback that both of Twilight's parents had managed to figure that out. Seeing the look on the guy's face, Mr Sparkle explained.

"Lad, don't forget my son was captain once. You never forget the look of a guard pony."

Flash nodded at that before Mr Sparkle gestured to the next room. The four of them made their way in, where there were two large couches for them to sit on. As they made their way inside the room, Mrs Sparkle tapped her husband on the shoulder and whispered into his ear.

"I'm going to make us some tea. Do carry on." She said.

Mr Sparkle nodded at her as she made her way off to the kitchen. Twilight and Flash sat down on the nearest couch, while Mr Sparkle sat on the opposite one. After getting themselves comfortable, Mr Sparkle began the questioning.

"So then, Flash. Tell me a little about yourself."

Flash considered how best to answer that question, though it didn't take him very long.

"Well Sir, I was born and grew up here in Canterlot. When I came of age I decided I wanted to become a guard pony, so I enlisted for the training academy. After the changeling attack during your son's wedding, it was decided that more guards were needed, so mine and others' official induction into the guard was brought forward earlier than usual. And as for recently, I was transferred over to the Crystal Empire platoon, guarding the palace specifically."

Twilight's father nodded at that, taking a genuine interest in what his daughter's new colt-friend was telling him. Twilight was happy things were going so well. Her mother and father didn't seem to have a problem with him, at least none she could sense, and Flash himself seemed to be getting on well with them. It was at this point that Twilight heard the sound of her mother approaching, and turned to see her re-enter the room, using her magic to levitate a tray with four cups of tea on it. She gently placed it down on the table in-between the two couches before speaking up.

"So tell me something you two. How did you meet?"

That remark caused a slight knot in Twilight's stomach. She knew full well that her parents had the right to know details like that about their relationship, but in truth Twilight wasn't all too eager to talk about that particular aspect of it. After all, her parents had not yet been made aware of all the things that had happened to her while she was in the human world, least of all her involvement with the human incarnation of Flash. It was her connection to that Flash that had led her to seek out this one in the first place. And Twilight had revealed as much to the Flash sitting next to her right now.

If he were to tell them what she had told him, their current happiness over her being in a relationship might not last. They may assume she's doing it for the wrong reasons, or perhaps some other concern they might have. Looking over at Flash, she could tell that the same thing was on his thoughts. He was thinking hard on a way to get around that particular detail before finally settling on what he thought was the best response.

"Well, we met shortly after I was transferred to the crystal palace. It was a couple of days after the princess summit and I had been assigned the night shift. It was then that I met Twilight formally."

He turned to Twilight, a small smile on his face, which she returned.

"She was having trouble sleeping and was walking about the palace, trying to get some fresh air. That's when we met. We got to talking for a bit and, eventually, I invited her to join me for a walk to a nearby lake outside the city the next day. The rest is history."

Twilight had to fight with all her might to avoid exhaling with relief. He'd done it. Flash had managed to explain their first meeting without giving away the details that he knew she'd rather keep to herself at the moment, and all without speaking any falsehoods. She thought to herself that she'd have to thank him in some way later on. Looking at her parents, she saw them nodding at each other, apparently satisfied with the tale they'd just been told. The two elder ponies then looked at them again, Mr Sparkle speaking once more.

"So Flash, is my daughter the first mare you'd been involved with?"

Both Twilight and Flash suddenly became uncomfortable upon hearing that. Twilight had only just discovered about Flash's past relationship with an as-yet unknown mare, and even though he was honest about that, he was still not in a place where he was comfortable talking about it openly. She'd respected his decision to remain silent on it, and knew that it was only proper courtesy that she stop her parents in this particular line of questioning.

"Dad. I don't think Flash wants to......"

But she was stopped from finishing her sentence by a raised hoof from Flash. Twilight looked at him as he turned towards her with a serious look on his face.

"It's okay Twilight. I'm seeing their daughter. They have a right to know this."

He started turning away from her before pausing for a brief moment, then looking back at her with a more softened expression and a smile.

"But thank you. I appreciate what you were about to do."

Twilight returned the smile. She still wasn't fully okay with how he was being led into talking about something he didn't want to, but if he said he was willing to do it, then she was going to accept his decision. Flash turned to her parents, who were still patiently awaiting his answer. He took a deep breath before answering.

"In all honesty Sir, yes, I have had a relationship with another mare before. It didn't last long though, only a few weeks. It became clear to me early on that our being together was a mistake. We never agreed on anything, our dates never ended up well and I just never felt that either of us were right for each other. We wended it some months ago and I've been trying to do my best to move on since then."

As much as Twilight didn't want Flash's past divulged in this way, she couldn't help but be curious. This part of her colt-friend's life was a complete mystery to her, so the secretly thanked the chance to be able to find out more about it. Her parents gave each other a look before Twilight's mother spoke up next.

"What was she like, this mare?"

Flash considered that before answering.

"She was.......outspoken. Very talented in magic, something which was a source of great pride for her. She was so good at it that it even earned her a spot in the royal academy for gifted unicorns during most of her childhood. But I haven't heard anything from her since we broke up so I couldn't tell you any more than that."

Mr Sparkle nodded for a moment before speaking.

"What was her name?"

Twilight looked up at Flash, increasingly curious about his past filly-friend. Her curiosity had been piqued further by the mention that she attended the Canterlot academy for magic. She herself had been officially enrolled in that school, even though most of her education had come from Celestia rather than the official teachers of magic there. There was a chance then that Twilight might have met this unicorn mare he'd been with. Flash took a deep breath before giving Mr Sparkle his answer. And the answer he gave made Twilight's heart sink. She couldn't believe it. It wasn't true, she told herself. But she knew it was. She knew that this poking into Flash's life would make things worse, and now it was. And the reason was because Twilight DID know the mare he spoke of. And if Flash found out how, then their relationship was in jeopardy.

"Her name.......was Sunset Shimmer."

Advice

The royal palace of Canterlot. More majestic and awe-inspiring than any other building ever built by a pony. When you looked upon it, you knew this was a great place, that it was home to those who were respected and loved. To Twilight, it was a second home to her. When she was a young filly, she had been chosen to study under Princess Celestia directly, and as such, had been assigned quarters here during her time of study. She'd spent much of her life living here, and even after she moved to Ponyville, she retained the fond memories of being here.

But, as she walked up the marble stars leading up to the front gates, happiness was not front and centre in her mind. Instead, she was dwelling on a rather disturbing piece of information she'd recently been made aware of. Her colt-friend, Flash Sentry, had informed her the day before that he was once in a relationship with another mare. Now this alone would not have been enough to bother her, as she knew fully well that many ponies had more than one relationship over the course of their lives. But what was bothersome about this one was who it was with, for Twilight knew the mare in question well.

Sunset Shimmer.

The unicorn mare, once a student to Celestia like Twilight was, was the one responsible for forcing Twilight to travel to the world of humans, in her attempt to steal the element of magic from her. Fortunately, she was able to get it back, but as for Sunset, she had remained in the world of humans, and would most likely never again be able to return to Equestria. Twilight had forgiven her for her actions, and had even made it so that she would have friends in her life there, but the fact remained that, through Twilight's actions, Sunset would never return home.

But Flash was unaware of all this. She'd let him in on some of the things she'd done while in the human world, but she'd left out Sunset's involvement. Now that she knew he'd had a past relationship with her, she was at a loss over what to do. Should she tell him? Keep it secret? After all, it was Sunset's own fault that she wound up stuck her there, in human form and never to return. If she had returned to Equestria with Twilight, she'd have most likely been branded a criminal for her actions, so staying there was the best chance she had, and one she seemed willing to accept.

As Twilight walked past the large wooden front doors of the palace, a knot developed in her stomach as a thought came to mind. If Twilight had never gone to the human world, she'd have never met the human version of Flash. And without that meeting, she'd have never wanted to approach the pony Flash, her current colt-friend. So in a way, she was actually grateful to Sunset for what she did, even though it was through purely selfish reasons that she'd done it.

Still, it did not do to dwell on such things, at least not yet. Twilight had come here for a reason, and she was going to see it through. She made her way along the elaborate hallways of the palace, all familiar and welcoming to her. She knew this place well, and also knew exactly where she needed to go. After going up several flights of stairs, she found her way to a door guarded on either side by two pegasi guards clad in golden armour. At the sight of Equestria's newest princess, they instinctively saluted. Although such reactions were still bothersome to her, she put up with it, nodding towards them in appreciation.

She pushed the door open and walked inside. The room within may not have been as grand as the other rooms of the palace, but it was still clearly of importance. There were several rows of book-cases on the wall, a large window leading out onto a balcony, and a large fireplace on the far side of the room. In the centre of the room there was a large cushion-chair, upon which sat an elder alicorn, her fur a bright white and her mane a fantastic combination of many light colours.

Princess Celestia, Twilight's beloved mentor. In public, Celestia would normally be wearing her usual golden ornaments and crown, but today, her day off, she was not wearing them, and was simply sitting down and reading a book. When Twilight entered however, she noticed her immediately, and a smile crept onto her face. Putting the book down, Celestia got up from her sitting position and walked towards her. Twilight bowed towards her. As a princess she knew she didn't have to, but it was a habit she'd got into after years of being her student. Celestia chuckled at it and raised her hoof, allowing Twilight to stand straight again.

"Welcome Twilight. I had not heard that you were coming to the palace, though I must say I'm pleased to see you."

Twilight smiled.

"It's good to see you too Princess."

The elder alicorn gestured to the seats behind her, indicating that she was inviting Twilight to sit down with her. Twilight nodded at this and the two made their way over to the seats, sitting down once they reached them. It was here that Twilight noticed a nearby small table, upon which was a metal tray and a cup of tea, with one empty cup next to it. Twilight then turned her attention back to Celestia as the latter used her magic to levitate the teapot and pour a cup for Twilight.

"Tell me. How have things been in Ponyville? Your friends are well?"

Using her own magic, Twilight took the now-full cup of tea from Celestia before replying.

"Yes, they're fine. And after everything that's happened with us recently, it's nice to get back to some peace and quiet."

Celestia nodded at that. Twilight and her friends had been through a great deal in recent months, so the chance for things to be back to the way they were before, peaceful and largely uneventful, was unquestionably a welcome relief for them. Celestia took a sip from her cup before speaking again.

"I get the feeling that this is not merely a social call. You wanted my advice on something, didn't you?"

Twilight's eyes widened with surprise, to which Celestia chuckled again.

"My dear girl, I have been your teacher for a very long time. I know that look when I see it. In truth I'm glad. It's good to know that, even with all you've accomplished, you still regard me well enough to ask for help when you need it."

Twilight blushed a little at that. The princess had always known her well, so there was little point in hiding it. Still, Celestia knew why she was here, so she might as well get on with it. But, her being in a relationship was not something she enjoyed boasting about, so she elected to ask in an alternative way.

"Well Princess, I have this......friend. And she's started this relationship with a stallion. Everything's going well, but recently she discovered that there's something about his past. Something he doesn't know that she knows. And she's worried that, if he finds out, things will go bad for both of them."

Celestia listened carefully to every word, and once Twilight was finished, she levitated her cup up to her mouth and started drinking. Celestia meanwhile gained a small smirk and raised her eyebrow.

"So.....how IS Flash doing these days anyway?"

Upon hearing that, Twilight almost choked on her tea. She immediately put the cup down and started coughing, with Celestia watching with slight amusement. Once Twilight had finished, the young alicorn looked up at her mentor with shock in her expression, to which Celestia chuckled once more.

"Twilight, you've been my apprentice for many years. You didn't really think something this big in your life could escape my notice, did you?"

Twilight turned her face away out of embarrassment. But that embarrassment faded when she started to hear Celestia giggle. Facing her once again, she saw that Celestia was now smiling.

"Relax. I'm not upset. Quite the opposite in fact. I'm very happy, for both of you. Flash is a fine stallion, and I'm sure you'll both be happy in each other's company."

Twilight gained a small smile like that, but then Celestia spoke again.

"I understand he came with you to visit your parents. Where is he now?" She asked.

"He needed to visit his own parents, here in Canterlot, to tell them about, you know, us. I told him I needed to see to something important before I met them though."

Truthfully, she felt rather bad about letting him go to his parents without her, especially after she herself had made such an effort to get him to meet her own mother and father. But if she'd gone to them in her current frame of mind, it would have been easy for Flash to tell that something was wrong with her. The young alicorn felt a great deal of tension fade from her, but not all. There was, of course, still an important matter to discuss.

"Thank you Princess......but......as I said, I found out something that I think I should tell him."

The smile faded from Celestia. She knew Twilight well enough to know when something was wrong, and this was most definitely one of those moments.

"Go on." She said.

Twilight was hesitant. Sunset was, after all, one of Celestia's students once, and as such she was just as nervous about telling her as she was with telling Flash.

"It's just that......I found out that he used to date another mare once. And that mare was.......Sunset Shimmer."

It took only a moment for that knowledge to sink in for Celestia. In an instant, she knew exactly what was going on in Twilight's mind. The younger princess looked away again, and Celestia could tell what her worries were. Twilight was, after all, directly involved in the events that led to Sunset no longer being able to return to Equestria. But as unfortunate as that might have been, it was Sunset's own actions that led to her fate there. There was something else going on here. Something Twilight wasn't telling her. But, Celestia knew better than to pry too hard. Instead, she simply sighed.

"I see. So Flash was the one she spoke of."

Twilight's ears pricked up at that.

"You knew?"

Celestia shook her head."

"Not exactly. Sunset would sometimes brag to her classmates about how she had a colt-friend before they did. But she never gave his name away. Honestly, I'd suspected she just made it up to get some attention. Seems I was wrong."

That aside, Celestia's expression became more stern as she regarded her student.

"And you fear that this revelation will lead to Flash leaving you?"

Twilight shook her head.

"I don't know. He said theirs wasn't a happy time together. But even so, what if I'm wrong?"

Celestia looked at Twilight intently as the young mare looked down at the floor.

"What if, whenever he sees me after this, he'll be reminded of her, and their failed relationship? What if that memory taints what we have together? What if there really was something between them and he resents me for returning while she did not? Just......."

She looked back up at Celestia, her eyes on the verge of welling up.

".........what if?"

Looking at her mentor, Twilight could tell that she was deep in thought right now, considering how best to respond to her. It was something Twilight had always appreciated, that Celestia would always think carefully of the things she said before she said them. After another sip of her tea, the sun princess finally spoke.

"If my own experience with love is anything to go by, I would recommend that you tell him."

Twilight's eyes widened a little with surprise, not only for her suggestion, but for the sudden understanding that Celestia had once had past romantic involvements. In all her years of knowing her, it was not something she'd ever considered. Seeing the surprised look on her face, Celestia laughed a little.

"Does it truly surprise you to know I've been with others?" She asked jokingly.

Truth be told, Twilight had always been curious about the kinds of things Celestia had done during her many years of ruling Equestria. But admittedly her love life was not one of the things that ever occurred to her, though given how long she'd lived, it made sense in hindsight that there must have been a time when she wasn't alone.

"Remember, I have lived for over a thousand years. In that time I have been close with several stallions. I loved each of them, took solace in their warm embrace, and for just a moment, I could believe that such feelings could last forever. But, they do not have my lifespan, and because of that, I have known many passings."

Twilight silently cursed herself for bringing up such bad memories for Celestia. She had lived longer than any other pony she knew, so the mortality of others was something she understood better than anypony.

"I have loved. I have lost. And I have mourned. And though all of them will forever have a special place in my heart, I have, through it all, learned to move on and accept that which I cannot change."

It was moments like this which reminded Twilight why she admired Celestia so much. She had given up so much, endured so much, to rule this nation and look out for the ponies who lived here. The young alicorn could not imagine what hardships a lifetime that long could inflict upon a pony. But Celestia was no ordinary pony, and she had strength enough to endure it. The elder princess' expression changed, becoming less sombre and more cheerful as she looked upon Twilight.

"Though I would never be so arrogant as to claim any sort of expertise on the subject of romance, I do know what is important. And so I ask you this. As much as you may value Flash, and want to be with him, do you want your connection to be based upon a lie? Or a withholding of the truth?"

Now that she'd heard it laid out for her like that, Twilight now saw the issue as being much more simple than she thought it was. Celestia was right. As much as she enjoyed being with him, she didn't want her relationship to Flash to be dependent upon her remaining silent about something this important. But even so, there was still a slight fear in her, a worry that she might lose him if she revealed what she knew. She understood that honesty was the right thing to do, but knowing what the potential consequence of such honesty could be, she was hesitant.

Celestia looked upon her student and sighed. She could see from her face that she was worried about this, and so moved forward, placing a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight looked up at her mentor as she spoke.

"If you're still worried, consider this. If you tell him, and he stays with you, your connection will be all the stronger for the truth. But if he leaves, then perhaps this was simply not meant to be."

Twilight had to admit, the princess had always had a way of making things seem simple. She did not like it, but her path was clear. Flash had to be told. And she knew when to do it. They'd arranged to spent the next day together in the park in the middle of the city, so she would tell him then. And she hoped very much that their relationship wouldn't be soured by this knowledge. Twilight sighed and nodded to Celestia, letting her know that she'd agreed to tell him the truth.

Celestia nodded back and moved backwards towards her chair again. Using her magic, the sun princess opened a nearby cabinet, out of which floated a glass container. Twilight could see within, and saw immediately that there was a moderately-sized cake within. She raised an eyebrow at her mentor, and the latter chuckled.

"Take it from one who has had many years to learn this Twilight. There is no stressful time that can't be aided by some cake."

In spite of everything that had happened, Twilight laughed, followed soon after by Celestia. The two partook of the cake afterwards, enjoying this moment that they could share with each other. In recent months, the two had been too busy to spend any real quality time with each other, and so appreciated that they could still bond with each other even after everything that had happened recently. And even though Twilight was still nervous over what tomorrow would bring, she at least took comfort that she would try to face it well.

Confessions

For as long as she could remember, Twilight had always considered herself an honest person. True, others, like her friends Applejack, may have been famous for such a trait, but it was always something she'd prided herself on, that whatever problems she had, she could be open about them to others. Never once had she come across a time when the prospect of being truthful was something to be fearful of. And yet, despite that, here was such a time.

She was walking along a pathway in the middle of a beautiful expanse of green grass and tress. It was the city park of Canterlot. This place held fond memories for her, like when she was growing up. She and her brother, Shining, would spend their weekends here playing with each other. She was happy to be here, and happier still to be with her colt-friend. And speaking of which, she turned to her left to see him, Flash Sentry, walking along side her. He was busy taking in the sights. According to him, when he was growing up in Canterlot, he too would spend a great deal of time here, so coming back must have been a good time for him.

She almost felt guilty then, as she would be revealing to him something that she had been advised by Celestia to do. Her expression changed from one of comfort, to worry, as she turned away from him. This was not something she wanted to do, but like Celestia had told her, a secret this big would only destroy what they had if it was kept. Through the corner of her eye, she could see Flash turn towards her. He must have seen the look on her face, as evidenced when he spoke up.

"Twilight, are you okay?"

The young princess faced him again, forcing a smile.

"Of course! The sun is shining, the park is beautiful, and I'm with you. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

From the raised eyebrow he gave her, it was clear that he wasn't buying it.

"Twilight, I've known you long enough to know when something is wrong. If there's something bothering you, you know you can tell me, right?"

On any other day, she would greatly appreciate that Flash was being this understanding. Today however, it just made her feel worse about herself that she'd been keeping secrets from him. Still, he was no fool, and he'd already figured out that something important was on her mind. But she also knew that this sort of discussion wasn't suitable for just them standing in the middle of a path like this. Looking around, Twilight spotted a nearby bench and pointed to it. Flash caught sight of it soon afterwards and nodded to her, understanding. The two made their way over to it and sat down next to each other. They faced each other and Twilight took a deep breath before speaking.

"Flash.......we need to talk."

Immediately, Flash's expression became more nervous, and Twilight couldn't blame him for it. Nopony, mare or stallion, could hear the words "we need to talk" and think it was anything good. Still, his look of worry quickly changed into a more mellow expression as he sighed and replied to her.

"Okay. What about?" He asked.

Twilight looked away from him and towards the ground.

"Do you remember what I was doing in the Crystal Empire before we met? What I told you I had done?"

Flash considered that for a moment before nodding.

"Sure. A thief had taken your crown into that magic mirror and you followed. You wound up in the world of humans, met that other Flash guy, found the crown and then came back."

Twilight nodded. He still knew only what he'd been told it seemed. And it did not escape Twilight's notice how sour his tone of voice had become when he mentioned the human version of him. Perhaps there was some small part of him that was, perhaps, a little jealous of what was essentially himself, having somewhat earned Twilight's affections prior to him. But from what she could tell, given their time together, Flash had learned to put such feelings behind him, for which she was grateful. Still, the time had come to let him know the one truth that was missing from his understanding of the event.

"Yes. But the thing is......I never told you who the thief was."

Flash frowned a little before answering.

"You never needed to. From what I hear they can't come back anymore. And besides, I don't know them."

Twilight felt a knot grow in her stomach, before turning to face Flash with a worried look. She shook her head as she spoke.

"Flash. You DO know."

Flash tilted his head in confusion, staying silent, no doubt waiting for Twilight to explain what she meant by that. Taking a deep breath, she finally said it.

"The thief.......was Sunset Shimmer."

There was a pause when she said that, a moment when Flash simply looked at her, not quite understanding what had just been said to him. But as time passed, it began to sink in for him, and his face changed to a look of shock. Twilight's ears drooped as she saw him like this. She knew he'd be surprised by the news, but it seemed as though he was having a far harder time accepting it than she'd expected. The stallion looked away from her, trying his best to take in what he'd been told. Eventually, after an unbearable silence, he finally spoke.

"Tell me everything."

That was not what Twilight had expected. But in truth, she understood Flash's position. He needed to know more, and she was more than willing to explain. And so she did, spending a great length of time telling him every detail of what happened, from when Sunset had broken into her room and stole the crown, to giving chase, to all the things she'd done in the human world. And finally, she told him that Sunset was still there, and would probably never be coming back. That last bit of news took him aback, and his eyes bore a look that Twilight believed to be sadness.

Flash meanwhile remained silent, listening very carefully to everything Twilight was telling him. In a strange way, Twilight almost wanted him to be angry about all this. It would be something she'd at least understand. But the silence? This was not what she wanted. Eventually though, Flash sighed again before speaking.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

He turned, looking her right in the eye. She felt ashamed, realising that this was something she should have told him from the start. But now that she'd spoken the truth, she knew she had to continue, and so told him exactly what was on her mind.

"I thought......I thought you'd be angry. I returned, and she didn't. I was worried that, maybe, you really did care for her, even a little. I've never had somepony like you in my life before Flash. I didn't want to lose you."

Flash's eyes widened, surprised at hearing that. It took him a moment to process Twilight's answer, but soon grasped what she was talking about.

"You thought I'd leave you over this?"

Twilight said nothing, merely nodding her head a little. There was silence between them once more. But that silence was broken by, of all things, a chuckle. Twilight looked at Flash, confused over why he'd react that way. And upon seeing the confused look on her face, Flash explained.

"Twilight. What I told you before was true. Sunset and I were never as close as you and I are. And from what you've told me, what happened in that other world wasn't your fault. It was hers. Her actions led to her being there, not you."

He then raised a hoof and gently placed it upon her shoulder.

"Trust me. You have nothing to worry about."

In spite of everything that had happened, Twilight smiled. It was as though a great weight had been lifted from her. Seeing Flash take this information and not be angry over it was a great relief to her. Raising her own hoof, she placed it over his and exhaled deeply.

"Flash......you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. I was worried you might be upset, if only because Sunset was never coming back."

Flash's smile faded a little and he looked away, looking as though he were deep in thought. It was not an unhappy look, but Twilight could tell that he was considering that fact very carefully.

"In truth.....I am a little sad about that."

Twilight's ears drooped when she heard that, but she kept on listening as Flash spoke.

"When we were together, I was very young. Being my first filly-friend, Sunset was a mare I thought I cared for a great deal. In truth I think I cared for her more than she did for me."

His expression became more sad as he looked towards the ground.

"They way she spoke to me, and the way she'd mention me to others, made me realise that she only saw me as something to brag about. Something to make her friends jealous of her."

That much Twilight already knew. Celestia had told her that Sunset would boast to her friends about having a colt-friend. She understood how difficult it must have been to realise that about somepony you cared for. Still, she kept on listening.

"When I realised that, we broke apart. Though even after that, some part of me cared for her. And though I now know we'll never see each other again, I can at least take solace that she'll be able to find some sort of happiness in that other world."

Twilight gave a small smile at that. It was clear that the breakup had been hard on him at the time, but also clear that he'd managed to get over it. Silently, Twilight berated herself for acting as worried as she did. In all the time she'd known him, Flash had never seemed like the kind of stallion to get angry or upset over what she feared he would. Now that he was reacting so reasonably, it made her feel silly behaving the way she'd been doing. Looking up, she saw Flash turn his head in her direction.

"But you don't need to fear losing me Twilight. Even though I've been with you for a shorter time than Sunset, I know that I'm far happier with you."

Twilight blushed a little and smiled at that.

"Sunset and I never had anything in common. We never had any close moments. And I never loved her like I do you."

Upon hearing that, Twilight's face went completely blank. It was as though the entire world suddenly stopped making sense. She couldn't grasp what he'd just said to her. She must have mis-heard it. That was the only explanation. But she knew she didn't. Flash had truly said what she thought he did. The stallion looked at her in confusion as her face remained expressionless, to the point where he was starting to become concerned about her. After a silence of many minutes, Twilight finally spoke, though it was merely a whisper.

"What......what did you say?"

Flash thought for a moment what she was talking about, but then it soon sank in for him what she meant. Realising exactly what he'd just said to her, his face grew into a bright shade of red. His eyes darted about all over the place, clearly displaying a great deal of nervousness on his part. His mouth was open, but all that came out were fumbled words.

"I........I mean I........what I said was..........I.......I think I...........love........you."

Twilight's mouth began to hang open. She still couldn't believe the words that had come out of Flash's mouth, and neither could he. But eventually, his eyes stopped darting, and they focused entirely on Twilight. His expression changed from the one of near-embarrassment it had been moments before, to one of seriousness and determination.

"I.........love you."

After that, a smile grew on his face.

"I love you, Twilight."

This was a dream, Twilight told herself. It had to be. It was not that this was something she didn't want, far from it. But the sheer weight of what she'd just learned hit her with the force of a brick wall. Her mind simply couldn't let this revelation sink in for her. So she, rather embarrassingly, simply sat there on the bench with her mouth continuing to hang open. Flash, having just bared his soul out to this mare, waited for her to say something. Anything. But no words came. As the moments passed by, he grew increasingly worried. His heart began to become griped by the same fear that Twilight had been plagued with mere minutes ago. A fear that, maybe, he might lose her over this.

"Twilight, I.........I'm sorry. If you don't feel the same way, then I'm sorry. I just......."

But he wasn't able to finish his sentence. Because, to his utter shock, Twilight leapt forward and wrapped her two front legs around his neck, before planting her lips upon his. To say that he was surprised about this would be an understatement to say the least. But it didn't take long for that feeling to mellow out. Soon enough, he closed his eyes and placed his own forelegs around Twilight. Both of them felt unlike anything they'd felt before. The warmth of each other, the softness of their lips, was beyond what either of them had ever hoped this moment would be.

Neither of them had any doubt that this moment was probably being watched by several passers by in the park. But it they didn't care. They were just so happy with this one moment that they just lost themselves in it. After what seemed like the longest time, they soon broke apart from one another, their forelegs still wrapped around each other in a sort of hug. Both of them had fierce blushes in their cheeks, and they were grinning massively, and it was at this moment that Twilight finally said something.

"I love you too."

If it was possible, Flash's smile grew even wider, which Twilight returned. Both of them felt happier than they had ever been, and all the fears and anxieties they'd been feeling about this relationship were suddenly swept aide as though they were nothing. Closing their eyes, they leaned their heads forward until their foreheads were gently pressed against each other. They wanted this moment, this joy, to last forever. But like so many things in this world, it did not, and Twilight spoke once more.

"You're going back tomorrow......aren't you?"

Flash opened his eyes and saw her, her eyes tinted with sadness. He said nothing, merely nodding in response. Twilight nodded back, accepting his answer. Truth be told, Flash was only this far from the Crystal Empire because he'd been granted a leave of absence from his guard duties. But it was only for a few days, and he'd chosen to spend almost every moment of that with Twilight, for which she was grateful. But this was his last free day until he had to return. It was strange to Twilight to think of that. She'd spent most of her life without a relationship like this, and now that she had one, she couldn't imagine a day without him.

But she knew he'd have to go back. He had responsibilities to uphold, and if there was one thing Twilight valued, it was a pony fulfilling such responsibilities. The two stared at each other, sadness in both of their eyes. But after some time, Flash cracked a smile.

"I may be gone soon. But I'll still be yours. I'll be sure to write to you every day. And the next time I have a day free, I'll be right back here, with you, as though I'd never even left."

Twilight smiled at that. She had no inkling as to how such distance between them would affect what they now had with each other. An affection they'd never known. But what she wanted more than anything was to believe it would last, that their separation would make hearts grow fonder and they would continue to love each other. She did not know if that would be the case, but she elected to simply hope it could be so. So she simply nodded at his words, leading to another smile from him.

The two let go of each other finally and moved so that Twilight was now leaning against him. As they looked ahead, they saw that the sun was beginning to set. This would be their last day together for some time. And even though it had started with fears and worries, it had ended far more joyous than either had ever thought it could. It would be a day they would treasure for as long as they were together. For this was no mere date, as they had experience before.

This was the day they had truly fallen in love.

On Duty