Flashlight

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."