Flashlight

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.