Equestria Girls - Surprises and Promises

Chapters

Unexpected Visit
Just Between Us
From the Heart

Unexpected Visit

Of all the places in Equestria where she could be spending regular time, this was not one she'd ever expected to find herself. Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Equestria, was standing in what, to most, would be little more than a ruin. It was the old capital of Equestria. A castle that once housed the two Princesses, Celestia and Luna, before the latter's transformation into Nightmare Moon. It was here, almost four years ago, that Twilight and her friends had first truly come together to become the bearers of the elements of harmony. This castle, much like the day in which she first saw it, were things that had changed her forever.

But right now, she had other things on her mind. Her friend, Rarity, had recently got it into her head to do some restoration work on this old place ever since their first foray into it after the incident of Discord's vines. Her friend's plan had interested all of them however, and soon they'd all been putting regular days together to try and get this place back into proper condition. Right now, Twilight was in the main hallway, looking over a collection of old books that Spike had brought at her request. She wanted to see which ones were worth keeping, and this occupied her while her friends were off doing their own tasks.

Rarity was busying herself with trying to find and restore many of the castle's old tapestries and other fabrics. Fluttershy was trying to see what she could do to get the gardens, having been afflicted with centuries of neglect, back into shape. Rainbow Dash was helping Applejack to try and tear down parts of the outer walls that were simply too damaged to be properly repaired. And as for Pinkie Pie, even Twilight couldn't figure out what she was doing here most of the time.

However, as the hours passed, Twilight eventually found her task interrupted by the loud and unmistakeable sound of her growling stomach. She chuckled upon hearing that and, sure enough, saw that all of her friends had gathered in the hall to meet her. She smiled as she saw them, knowing full well that they all had the same idea. Using her magic, she levitated a nearby saddle-bag that she'd brought with her, and out of it emerged a collection of food and drinks that she'd arranged to serve as lunch for them during their tasks today. The group sat around a nearby table and began to enjoy their prepared meals, opting to discuss how much ground they'd covered so far.

"I can't tell you guys how many interesting books I've found! I don't think I'd be able to throw ANY of them away!" Twilight commented.

Applejack rolled her eyes at that.

"Figured as much. You never could throw away a book Twi, no matter how old. Me an Rainbow though, you'd be surprised just how many of those old walls were crumblin."

Rainbow stopped eating briefly before bumping hooves with Applejack.

"Yeah! AJ and I brought those things down like they were a pile of dry leaves!"

Fluttershy looked somewhat aghast at that.

"Oh my! I hope you didn't bring them down on any of the little tulips growing there!"

Applejack and Rainbow tried their best to assure her that they didn't damage any of the plants growing in the area, which seemed to calm her down considerably. The rest of the meal went by smoothly, and everypony there seemed to be enjoying themselves. Twilight smiled at the sight of all of her friends together like this. It had been a long time since the six of them had enjoyed a quiet moment like this, and she appreciated the chance, even though the middle of the Everfree Forest wasn't quite where she wanted to be to do it.

But, as pleasant as this all was for her, there was something that brought her happy mood down a little. Even though many of those she felt close to were right here, there was one she very much missed right now. A stallion she had not seen in almost two months. It was an even larger gap than the last time the two had been parted from each other. But she did not begrudge him for it. He had many duties after all, and her doubly so because of her title. Besides, she told herself, they always knew that there would be times when they would be apart from each other like this, and they knew they would have to endure it.

Resigning herself to that, she reached out for a nearby glass of water, ready to take a sip. But, before her lips touched the edge of the glass, her ears pricked up, as did those of her friends. All of them heard the same thing, a sound coming from down a nearby hall. Their heads turned simultaneously in that direction, all surprised as none had expected anypony but them to be here. It grew louder and louder, the distinct sound of hoof-steps approaching quickly. Applejack and Rainbow got up, looking as though they were ready for a fight. Twilight just kept her eyes on the door to the adjacent hall, and through the gloom, she could make out a shape. It was clearly a pony, and it was making it's way closer.

Once the figure reached the doorway and stepped through, into the light, Twilight's eyes widened with shock. It was a stallion. But not just any stallion, for this was the one her heart had been pining for these many weeks. Orange in his fur and blue in his mane, bearing a cutie mark of a blue shield and lightning bolt. As he stepped into view, he looked upon the six mares, and when his eyes locked onto Twilight, his face broke into a massive smile. Although still shocked, Twilight's face now bore the same expression as she stepped out of her chair.

"Flash," she said quietly.

Flash Sentry. Her colt-friend. Her lover. A stallion that meant more to her than any stallion had ever been before. The other five mares looked at the two, their gaze moving from one to the other before looking at each other, unsure of what to do next. Twilight knew exactly what to do though, as she now took steps towards the stallion, who now did the same. As she approached, Twilight still bore that same look of confusion from before, and once she met her colt-friend in the middle f the room, she voiced that confusion.

"Flash, I'm happy to see you, but what are yo-HMPH!"

In a move far more forward that Twilight had ever known of him, Flash had interrupted Twilight's questioning by suddenly placing one hoof on the side of her head, bringing his in close, and locked the two together in a kiss. Although clearly taken aback by this sudden move on his part, Twilight no longer cared. The feel of her love kissing her brought back all the memories of her last encounter with him, and soon she too was lost in this reunion. Closing their eyes, the two began kissing more passionately than before, wrapping their forelegs around each other's necks.

So engrossed was Twilight in this that she'd completely forgotten that she was still in full view of her friends. Speaking of whom, those five mares were all reacting to this rather public display of affection in a myriad of different ways. Rainbow and Applejack were giving each other knowing smirks, knowing they now had an opportunity to tease Twilight about this later. Fluttershy's face was blushing as she attempted to hide her view of this scene behind her long mane, all while peeking through it to get a look anyway. Pinkie Pie was practically bouncing out of her chair, trying her best to hold back what had to be a very loud set of giggles. And as for Rarity, she merely looked upon this passionate display with joy, having practically grown up on fairy tale romance stories.

After what seemed like ages, the two finally broke apart. When they did, they gazed into each other's eyes, seeing nothing but love in the other. To say that this was unexpected for Twilight would have been a great understatement, but even so, she would not have traded this one moment for all the world, and she was sure to let her colt-friend know that.

"Well, Mr Sentry, that was quite a "hello". I'm going to assume you missed me?"

Flash chuckled a little at that, his hoof still placed lovingly on the side of her face.

"More than I could ever say."

Twilight's own hoof was placed upon his, and she smiled upon him. But, being Twilight, her curiosity soon got the better of her, and her mind was once more abuzz with questions regarding her beau's sudden appearance.

"Flash, don't take this the wrong way, but...what are you doing here?"

The stallion lowered his hoof before he began to answer her.

"I'm sorry, but...I was worried about you. I wasn't able to get down here sooner, but up in the North we heard all kinds of terrible things. Celestia and Luna going missing. The moon and sun in the sky at the same time. The Everfree Forest invading Equestria. It was utter chaos".

Twilight looked at him with understanding. It had indeed been chaos, thanks largely to Discord's actions. The loss of the Princesses and the subsequent invasion by the Everfree had been an ordeal for everypony, herself especially. Fortunately for all concerned, she and her friends had managed to pull together and deal with the problem, though it still somewhat pained her that they had to sacrifice the elements of harmony in order to do it. Still, she couldn't help but appreciate that her colt-friend was concerned for her well-being.

"Thank you, Flash."

The stallion smiled at her before his expression became somewhat down.

"Had I the choice, I'd have flown down here at the earliest chance. But things in the North required my attention".

Twilight raised an eyebrow, confused about that statement. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was talking about, before her eyes drifted downwards. They widened with shock when they looked upon his left foreleg. There was a white bandage wrapped around the knee area, which was stained with what Twilight could only assume was blood, albeit long-since dried. She looked up at Flash with a great deal of worry in her face.

"Oh my goodness! What happened to you?"

Flash looked down at his bandages, looking somewhat annoyed, perhaps hoping that the love of his life wouldn't notice. Under normal circumstances, he'd have tried to relieve her of her concerns, perhaps tell her that he was fine. But he knew her well enough now to know that she wasn't going to let the matter drop until he confessed. So, looking up at her expectant face, he did just that.

"With Celestia and Luna gone, things became pretty bad all over. Some of the...less civilized creatures of the frozen wastelands surrounding the Crystal Empire got it into their heads to try and take advantage of things while they were gone. Fortunately, thanks to the shield of Princess Cadence, and your brother's leadership, we dealt with them."

He looked down at his injury again.

"Some of us with more scrapes than others though".

Twilight considered that. She'd heard rumours that things had been hectic all over their nation during the absence of the two Princesses, but she hadn't expected anything like this. Still, she felt clear relief that all had been resolved, and she stepped forward and embraced Flash in a hug, which he gratefully returned. As they held each other, Twilight listened as Flash spoke again.

"Once order had been restored, I and all the other guards were needed pretty much around the clock while things got patched up. A few days ago though, Prince Armour decided that we'd worked long enough, so he gave many of us time off to go and enjoy the upcoming New Year celebrations".

The young princess moved back from him, smiling as she did so. She too had been looking forward to the New Year, and had secretly hoped that she would get to spend time with Flash during it, along with her other friends and family of course. However, as she considered his story, a thought came to mind.

"I'm surprised my brother let you go. Surely he knew where you'd go once you were let loose."

Flash chuckled at that.

"Indeed. In fact, he tried everything in the book to keep me in the Empire. If it wasn't for Cadence intervening, I'd have never got away."

Twilight rolled her eyes upon hearing that. That sounded like her brother alright. Still, she looked on as Flash spoke again.

"But all of it. The fighting, the constant patrols, all of it. Being here with you again has made it all worth it. And after everything you and your friends have been through down here in the South, I cannot tell you how grateful I am to see that you're okay".

Not once, in all the time she'd been with Flash, had Twilight ever really thought about this. When she was younger, she would often worry about the well-being of her brother, Shining Armour, as he would often go out for weeks on end during his training as a cadet. When he was officially inducted into the guard, her worries only grew, as she knew he would be tasked with many dangerous missions. As a one-time bearer of the elements of harmony, and now a Princess, she knew that her family had often worried about her going off and going dangerous things, which she'd never been comfortable with. The last thing she needed was to know that she was putting her lover through the same kind of worry.

Even so, Twilight smiled at him, gently placing her hoof on the side of his face, appreciative of his concern for her. She'd been just as worried about him when she started hearing about all the work the royal guard had been up to over Equestria, and she was equally as grateful that she and he could be together again, especially after such a long absence from each other's lives. Her tone then took on a sound of slight annoyance, though she had not meant for it to.

"Thank you, Flash. But you didn't need to worry too much. My friends and I have faced a lot of danger in our lives. We can handle ourselves. No need to worry".

Flash looked at her, his face making it clear that he was a little worried that he might have offended his filly-friend a little. But then, a warm smile crept onto his face as he leaned forward and nuzzled the side of her head, giving Twilight a warm feeling as he did so.

"Twilight...the day I no longer care enough to worry...is the day I am no longer worthy of being yours".

Twilight was not some overly-romantic mare. She knew that what he'd just said to her was about as cheesy, corny and cliché as he could get. But as far as she was concerned, that didn't matter. She knew that he meant every word, that his worry for her was born out of love, not some sense that she was incapable. And she appreciated that about him. There was a time, long ago when they first started being together, when she'd feared that the great distance between them might have led to their love lessening. That fear had been put aside many times during their time together, and their absence from each other's daily lives had, as the old saying went, made their hearts grow fonder indeed. Both of them knew that they both led dangerous lives, both with her as a Princess and him as a guard, and as such, they knew that each would have to face perils regularly. But they did not fear that. They knew now that they could both face those perils and come out of it, ready to be in each other's embrace when all was said and done.

Twilight could have stayed like this for ages, just being with her lover. But, she soon remembered why she was here in the first place, and turned her head to see her friends, who had been present during this entire thing. All of them, even Fluttershy at this point, were all looking at the couple with mischievous smirks. Twilight gave a nervous cough before addressing them.

"Um...do you guys mind?"

The mares all looked at each other and, still smirking, they got comfortable in their seats to get a better view of what the couple were doing, making it clear that they weren't going anywhere. Once they did that, Applejack spoke for all of them as she gave her answer to Twilight.

"Nope".

Just Between Us

Twilight, in all her years, would never have thought of herself as a romantic by any means. Even so, she couldn't help but think that what she was experiencing was about as romantic as it could get. She and her lover, Flash Sentry, were not on some fancy date somewhere, or gazing into each other's eyes on a moonlit night. No, what they were doing was what most would simply call "mundane". And yet, to her, it meant so much more. All they were doing was lying together on a couch in Twilight's home, the Ponyville library. Just the two of them holding each other whilst lying on a piece of furniture. Few would ever call this romantic, but to her, it was all she needed.

The New Years celebrations that Flash had come down to Ponyville for had come and gone, and both had enjoyed their time together. There had been the usual festivities, fireworks and such, but to the two of them, what mattered most was that they spent it in each other's company. Now here they were, just doing what they could to relax after everything that had happened. Looking down at Flash's leg, she saw that his bandage was still there. She knew that he didn't like her to worry about him like she did, but she couldn't help it. Still, she'd been told it would only be a few more days before it cleared up, so that was something.

Her attention was then drawn to Flash himself, who was stirring from his lying position.

"I know it's impossible, but I could just lie here all day."

Twilight gave a small smile at that.

"Me too. But we both know that's not going to happen. My friends and I have a whole day planned ahead."

She stretched out her neck and nuzzled the side of his head with hers in an affectionate manner.

"You know, you're welcome to join us if you like."

Flash smiled back at her, appreciating the gesture, before replying.

"Thank you for the offer. But you know I don't like the idea of me cutting into the time you spend with your friends. I'll be fine. Don't worry."

Twilight considered that. Even though she'd like nothing better for her beau to mingle with her friends, Flash had always been adamant that she enjoy her time with them without him. Still, she appreciated that he was this okay with letting her have time with him not with her. He was always doing that, putting her needs above his own, something she appreciated a great deal from him. As for his previous sentiment, she shared it. The two of them could have just stayed here all day and it would have seemed like a full day to her. Love kind of did that sort of thing to her.

Unfortunately, she was then interrupted from her enjoyment from the feeling of Flash moving. Looking up at him, she saw that he was getting up from his position before sliding past her and standing up. Twilight looked at him with some mild concern.

"Flash? What is it?"

The stallion looked at her with an expression of nervousness.

"Well, um...there was something I was planning and I, you know, though that today might be a good time for it."

Twilight raised and eyebrow at that before she saw him move over to a small table near her front door, upon which was Flash's saddle-bag, which he'd brought with him from the Crystal Empire. He opened it up and began rummaging around while Twilight watched.

"I know it's here somewhere," he said.

Before he could find what he was looking for however, the two were interrupted by a new sound, this time a loud knocking on the door. Flash looked up from his bag and to Twilight, who shrugged her shoulders at him. Neither had expected to be disturbed today, so they had no idea who it might be. Sighing, Flash gave up on the search through his bag and moved over to the door. He turned the knob and opened it, revealing that the one's who had knock were, in fact, Twilight's friends. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were all on the other side with smiles on their faces.

Flash looked at each of them before speaking.

"Oh! Um, hello girls! Nice to..."

Sadly for Flash, he didn't have the chance to finish, as his mouth was shut by the sudden and swift hoof of Rarity.

"A pleasure to see you too, Mr Sentry. But, sadly, we have urgent business to speak to Twilight about."

Before Flash or Twilight could react, all of her friends suddenly barged past Flash, with Rainbow swooping up his saddle bag and shoving it into his hooves, followed shortly by Applejack getting behind him and starting to shoo him out of the house.

"Now don't y'all worry sugarcube. Y'all won't be by yerself today. I called on mah brother to see y'all around town while we talk things over."

Now outside the house, Flash turned to his left to see the massive form of Big Macintosh, Applejack's brother, standing nearby. The larger stallion was bearing a look of annoyance on his face, making it clear that this wasn't something he wanted any art of. Looking back inside, Flash looked past the group barring his path to Twilight, who was standing there completely taken aback by everything that was happening right now. Flash opened his mouth to speak, perhaps to protest what was going on, but he was swiftly silenced by Pinkie, who giddily waved him goodbye before slamming the door in his face.

The group turned to see their alicorn friend marching towards them, a look of sheer anger on her face.

"And what, pray tell, was THAT all about? Why'd you make him leave like that?"

The group all looked at each other, all too aware that they'd interrupted what was undoubtedly a tender moment between the two lovers. But even so, they knew that what they had to speak to her about could not simply wait. Rainbow stepped forward and was the first to speak.

"Well, sorry about all this Twilight, but Rarity here has some crazy theory about you."

The cyan-coloured pegasus looked down in an irritated manner at her white unicorn friend, who was now bearing the glances of all of them. She cleared her throat before addressing them.

"Yes, well, I wouldn't have put it like that, but yes. I have a suspicion about you, Twilight. About you and your beau."

Twilight, still angry, raised an eyebrow at that.

"You threw my colt-friend out just because of a suspicion? What could be so important that he couldn't be here to hear it?"

Rarity looked somewhat aghast at that.

"Well, darling, the matter is...how shall I say...not suitable to be discussed in front of him."

Twilight raised a hoof and smacked it on her forehead with exasperation.

"Okay, this is getting on my nerves. What is it you think is going on?"

Rarity, at this point, looked incredibly uncomfortable with actually having to come clean about what she and the others had gathered here for. She glanced at the other four mares, all of whom were now giving her looks of encouragement. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath before stepping closer to Twilight.

"Well, Twilight, I was wondering if you and Flash had...well...grown closer than normal?"

Twilight still looked at her with confusion.

"Closer how exactly?"

Rarity coughed a little before continuing.

"You know...experienced something new you've never done before?"

Twilight stayed silent, just waiting for her friend to just spit it out. Rarity though was clearly not used to discussing this matter with anypony, not even her closest friends, and her hesitance to just come forward about it was starting to irritate all of them. So frustrated with her beating-around-the-bush way of doing things, Rainbow just stepped forward, slapped a hoof over Rarity's mouth, and spoke herself.

"Oh for Celestia's sake! We want to know if you and Flash have done IT!"

Upon hearing that, Twilight took an immediate step backwards. In spite of all her efforts not to, her face became the brightest shade of crimson any of her friends had ever seen it be. It was impossible, she told herself. She hadn't told anypony, not even her own family about this, so how could these five possibly have discovered it? Looking at them, at their faces still clearly awaiting a response from her, the crimson in her face calmed a little, and she let out a sigh, knowing full well that she could not deceive them.

"Yes...we have."

Their faces all became one of shock as they turned to face one another, not quite believing what they'd heard. Although she was not ashamed of it, what her friends were asking of her was, in fact, true. She and Flash had indeed consummated their relationship. It was a few months ago, on the night before she left the Crystal Empire after visiting. She knew that would be the last day they'd spend together for some time, so she wanted to make it special. And while it had indeed been a close and intimate moment between them, it was not something she felt comfortable discussing with others.

Still, as she looked at her friends, she now knew that she'd have to. But even so, there was a question burning on her mind, which she then voiced to Rarity.

"How did you find out?"

Rarity gave a small smile before answering.

"Honestly, dear, I could tell on the morning we left the Empire. You had a kind of glow about you. And ever since there's been something different about you. A certain spring in your step. Plus, it can't have been coincidence that it all happened immediately after teleporting from out of nowhere with Flash by your side that morning".

Twilight silently cursed under her breath that her own subtle body language had betrayed her like that. Still, the cat was out of the bag now, and no way to get it back in. Looking up, she saw that Rainbow was the first among her friends to speak, her expression now changed into a more mischievous one.

"Well...?"

Twilight looked at her, confused.

"Well what?"

Rainbow let out a grunt of annoyance before she made herself clear.

"Well...how was he?"

And just like that, the redness came back to Twilight's face. Thinking back on it, Twilight tried to think about a suitable answer. Admittedly this was difficult as she'd never once had to actually converse about such a private and intimate moment before.

"I enjoyed it. It was...warm...and close. And being with him, being that close to him...it was unlike anything I'd ever experienced."

Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie all grouped together to let out a simultaneous "awww" together, while Rainbow and Applejack looked at them with mild disgust at that reaction. It was a scene that would have led to Twilight giving a small giggle, if it wasn't for the sheer awkwardness of this whole situation. Rarity broke away from the others, her eyes practically glistening as she spoke up.

"Oh! I can just see it now! Flash Sentry, the gallant Knight, meeting his beloved Princess on a high balcony, and carrying her in his hooves for a night of passion and romance!"

Twilight chuckled at that.

"No, nothing like that. I met up with him when I couldn't sleep. We...well, we danced together a little and I...kind of...asked him into my chambers afterwards. Then...well, you don't need to be a genius to figure out what came next."

Rarity looked a tad disappointed at Twilight's night wasn't quite the epic romance she was hoping for. Still, she was at least content that Twilight herself believed it to be a worthwhile evening, especially if some dancing was involved. The white unicorn looked away from her, her face a thoughtful one, and Twilight had no doubt that her friend was coming up with all sorts of wild and overly-romantic interpretations of the events Twilight had described to her, leading the young Princess to roll her eyes slightly at her. Once that was done though, Applejack was the next to speak.

"You sure it was all good? Granny used to teach me and Mac about this sort of thing when we were young'uns. Ain't their supposed to be some sort of, ya know, pain involved?"

Twilight's face became somewhat sour after hearing that. Morosely, she gave a nod to her, which Applejack returned with a look of understanding. It was true, and that had been the one bad note of her entire night with Flash. She'd read all about it, even been taught it by her parents, but it didn't quite prepare her for it when it finally came. She'd silently cursed it, that a mare's first time had to involve something as painful as the final "crossing the threshold", or so her mother used to call it. It was, perhaps, the most painful experience she'd ever had, and was quite glad in the knowledge that only her first time would ever inflict it upon her.

But then, a memory grew in her mind, and her face now bore a soft smile as she looked up at her friends, who'd been waiting patiently for her to continue.

"But...I know Flash didn't want that for me. He knew it was coming, just like I did. Before it happened, he actually asked me if I wanted to bring it all to an end, to stop what we were doing then and there. He said he didn't want to hurt me".

Her friends all looked at each other with surprise, perhaps taken aback that any stallion would be as considerate as that. But Twilight knew that Flash was, and she'd appreciated his offer a great deal.

"I told him to keep going. It felt bad, I won't lie. But I knew this would have to happen for me sooner or later. And I'm glad it was with him."

This time, even Applejack and Rainbow were being slightly taken in by how enamoured Twilight had been with the whole thing, even though this particular part of it was perhaps as undesirable as things could get. The young alicorn looked away from her friends, and was lost in the memory of that night. She knew her first time was not perfect, noponies’ would ever be. And yet, if given the chance, she would have gone ahead with it all over again. Flash had not come to her first. He'd waited. Even after all those months apart since their last meeting, he'd never once pushed her to go faster in this relationship than she wanted. He'd left the pace of their love be her choice, and hers alone. And so she'd chosen then and there to make that intimacy happen.

Smiling at her memory of the experience, she looked up at her friends.

"I would not have changed that night for all the world."

Her friends looked at her in turn before turning to face each other. Slowly, they all gained smiles on their faces, seemingly content with what they'd learned about Twilight's night with Flash. There were other questions, as one would expect. Whether or not her family knew was first and foremost, but none needed to really ask her to know the answer, that she'd tell them when she was ready, which they were all happy to agree to. Through it all, Twilight felt relief wash over her. She'd been worried that her friends might think less of her if they found out about this. That had clearly not been the case, and she was grateful.

The only thing that could have made this better was wishing that Flash had been given a tad more grace than simply being thrown out for this little "mare-talk". As such, Twilight couldn't help but think of how her poor colt-friend was occupying himself since last she saw him.

............................

In truth, the stallion hadn't really been doing much of anything, having been led pretty much around all of Ponyville by a bored and annoyed Big Macintosh. Still, he knew that Twilight's friends needed to say something important to her, so he wasn't about to deny them that. Eventually, after having seen about as much as anypony could see in this town, Mac finally just gave up and sat down on the edge of the fountain in the middle of town. From there he got out a carton of apple juice he'd been keeping in his own saddle-bags.

Joining him, Flash rummaged around his own bags, trying in vain to see if there was anything he could find to eat or drink. Sadly for him, he found nothing of the sort. Fortunately though. what he did find was exactly what he'd been looking for prior to being forcibly evicted from Twilight's home. He brought out the small object just as Mac noticed what he was doing, giving him a quizzical glance. Seeing this, Flash nervously hid the item behind his back.

"Oh, don't worry. It's just a little something for Twilight."

Big Mac stared at him for a moment before casually shrugging his shoulder and getting back to his juice. Flash didn't want anypony else to know about it until he was ready to speak about it to Twilight. And so, making sure his companion wasn't looking, he brought the item out from behind his back and, with a warm smile, looked upon that which he would soon present to his beloved filly-friend.

A small black box.

From the Heart

As she walked down the main street of the village, Twilight couldn't help but feel content with everything that was going on around her. Today was the last day that Flash had off before he would have to return north to the Crystal Empire, and yet, even knowing that, everything seemed to be perfect. The weather was beautiful, she was spending the day with the stallion of her dreams, and everything else that had happened in his visit so far, barring a rather rude interruption from her friends the week prior, had been pleasant. Even now, as she walked down the street with him, the ponies of Ponyville wouldn't stare at the as they would have done back in the past. Now, the knowledge that Equestria's latest Princess was dating a guard was old news to them, something she was truly grateful for.

And yet, even in spite of that, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was a little off. Looking to her left, at Flash walking beside her with his saddle-bags on his back and a smile on his face, there was something about the way he carried himself that seemed off to her. That smile was one she knew she'd seen many times before, in herself whenever she was worried about something. But as far as she knew, there was nothing going on that might have been on Flash's mind to make him be this way. Whatever was going on, he looked down at her, forcing her to quickly smile back at him, lest he think she too was worried about something.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" he said.

Twilight nodded back at him and the two moved closer, enjoying this pleasant moment between them. They carried on like this for some time, walking through the Ponyville park and enjoying all of the beautiful new flowers that had been planted there recently. It was here, as Twilight was smelling some nearby roses, that she felt the hoof of Flash upon her shoulder. Looking up, she now saw that there was a rather nervous expression upon his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Flash looked around, presumably to see if anypony was watching, before speaking to her.

"Um, Twilight? There's something important I need to speak to you about. If that's okay with you."

Twilight looked a little worried about all this, but even so she nodded silently at him in response. He nodded before starting to look around. His eyes widened and he smiled. He then pointed with his hoof over at something away from them, prompting Twilight to see where he was looking. He was pointing at a nearby park bench, and it was here that Twilight grew even more worried. For she remembered that bench well, as it was the same place that she herself had spoken something important to him some time ago, back when they first started dating. She'd spoken the truth about what had happened to his first filly-friend, Sunset Shimmer, something which she'd been very nervous about.

Looking at his face now, she could tell that he hadn't quite remembered that this was the same place, but even so, it gave her all the information she needed. There was something big on his mind right now, just like she'd feared. Even so, she didn't want her colt-friend to think that she felt nervous about what he had to say, so she simply nodded back at him, and the two made their way over to the bench. Once there, Flash gestured to it, inviting her to sit upon it, which she did. He however, remained standing, and Twilight looked on as he appeared to be thinking hard over what he was going to say next.

Eventually though, he looked at her and a warm expression covered his face as he began speaking.

"Twilight. Ever since I first met you, my life has been better. Before I met you, I'd never known what love, TRUE love, really meant. You have made my life better in every way I can imagine. And for that, I am more grateful than I can ever say."

Although her heart was warmed by the words her beloved colt-friend was saying to her, Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that something was still wrong. For him to suddenly ask her here to say these things was unlike him, especially when he seemed so nervous about doing so. Even so, she kept on smiling at him as he continued speaking.

"As I told you once before, I couldn't stand being away from you while the chaos of Discord's vines were rampaging all over. To know you were in danger, far away from me, that you might get hurt...or worse. To think, even for a moment, that I might never see you again. I couldn't bear it. I could not tolerate the notion of not having you in my life".

He looked away, his expression almost one of shame, which Twilight understood immediately. He hadn't said it, but she knew him well enough to know that when he told her these things last time, he would have wanted to be here alongside her, fighting with her and keeping her safe, even knowing full well that she could handle herself. That protectiveness, although certainly unwarranted in her case, was always something she'd appreciated of him. The stallion turned to face her once more, gaining her full attention.

"It put something into very sharp focus for me. You deserve far more than just a colt-friend. You deserve a pony who is willing to stand beside you...always".

Twilight tilted her head in confusion upon hearing that. As far as she was concerned, she could not envision a time, now or in the future, when Flash wasn't going to be with her. What was he talking about?

"You deserve...you deserve a greater commitment than what I've been giving you."

His nervous expression returned, which soon started to make even Twilight a little worried about where he was going with all of this. She then saw him turn away from her and towards his saddle-bags. Reaching out with one hoof, he began rummaging around until he pulled something out of the bag and held it clenched in his hoof. Turning back to her, his expression became one of determination. He held out his hoof and showed her the object he was holding. A small black box.

It was here that Twilight's eyes widened with shock. She couldn't believe it, but there it was, staring her right in the face. Even a complete novice to relationships could tell what was going to happen now, and the impact of realising that almost left her incapable of breathing. A thousand thoughts and worries and doubts began flooding her mind as she considered what it was that her colt-friend was undoubtedly about to ask of her. And sure enough, Flash opened the box before her, revealing it's contents. A small, golden ring, adorned with a sparkling crystal of some sort. Flash got down on three knees, with his right foreleg still holding out the box and ring within it. Taking a deep breath, he spoke what Twilight now knew he would ask.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, will you-"

But he did not have the chance to finish, as Twilight's hoof had darted up and gently placed upon his lips, stopping him from speaking. Flash looked up, confused by what had just happened, and saw Twilight's sparkling eyes looking right back at him. She opened her mouth, trying hard to get out what she felt she needed to say. But, like many difficult situations, she found she could not get the words out. Instead, she merely looked at him with a look that was easy to read. One of sadness. Flash didn't need to be a genius to figure out what that meant, and he looked down at the ring he'd offered her, looking utterly crestfallen as he did so.

"You...you don't want to...do you?"

Twilight could not bring herself to look him in the eye. In her mind, she had now hurt him. This stallion had bared his soul for her, offered to share his entire life with her, all because he loved her so much, because she meant so much to him. And she had not accepted what he had offered. There was no doubt in her mind that Flash's feelings for her would be dented from this, something that made her feel a great deal of pain. Glancing at him through the corner of her eye, she saw he was still looking at the ground. She wanted to say something, anything, to soften what had just happened between them.

"I...I'm sorry. It's just...I'm not ready."

It was here that Flash finally looked up at her, paying close attention to everything she was saying.

"I just don't think either of us are ready for this. We're too young. We live so far apart. I don't know if I can go through with something like that."

Flash remained silent, simply listening to every work she spoke. While Twilight had indeed told him the truth about why she didn't want the union he'd offered her, she still felt rotten inside about having refused him like this. That frame of mind brought back many fears she'd thought she'd banished from herself long ago. Thoughts and fears and worries of how strong their bond really was. There had been many times when Twilight had worried that she and Flash might part from each other. And now, in her eyes, she'd created yet another possibility of that, which was something she desperately wanted to avoid.

"Flash...please understand. I still love you. I love you more than-"

But this time, it was Twilight's turn to be interrupted. Like what had happened with him mere moments ago, Flash had raised his hoof and placed it upon her lips gently, stopping her. The two ponies stared into each other's eyes in total silence, oblivious to the rest of the world. Twilight feared what he might say to her, as his expression was hard to read. He seemed to be thinking about things very carefully, which was understandable given what had just happened. In time, he let out a long sigh before speaking to her.

"Twilight...it's fine".

That was, perhaps, the absolute last thing she'd expected to hear from him. Fine? He was fine with this? Flash lowered his hoof from her before speaking again.

"If you say that you're not ready...then I accept that".

To say that Twilight was shocked would have been an understatement, as she looked at him with both concern and confusion in her expression. Seeing this, Flash finally broke a smile, albeit a very small one.

"Twilight, if something like this could lessen how I feel about you, then I would never have been worthy of being with you in the first place. So believe me when I say that I still love you."

In an instant, the young Princess could feel the great weight of this situation lift from her heart. In that one brief moment of doubt, she truly believed that things between her and the one she loved was in jeopardy from her rejection. But he still loved her. Still wanted to be with her. And that knowledge filled her with a relief that was beyond description. She broke into a smile before leaning forward, pressing her forehead against his in an affectionate manner, taking great care not to hit him with her horn as she did so. As the two lovers stayed like this, Twilight heard him speak up.

"If anything...I should apologize to you."

Twilight broke away form him, looking confused at that statement.

"I say I know you. I get it in my head that I understand you fully. And yet, in spite of that, I couldn't see that you weren't ready for this. I put you on the spot and ask a question this massive, something that clearly caused you great distress. I never wanted that for you, and for that, I am truly sorry."

Looking at him, Twilight's expression became a warm one as she moved forward, embracing him in a hug, which he promptly returned. As they held each other, Twilight spoke.

"It's alright. I'm actually happy you asked. To know that you loved me that much that you wanted to make that big of a leap with me...it's more than I can say. It's just not for me. At least, not yet anyway."

As they moved away from one another, they smiled at each other, safe and secure in the knowledge that their relationship, something that had become a precious and integral part of their lives, was in no danger of being damaged from this. Sighing, Twilight looked down and saw that he was still holding the box with the ring inside it. She gave him a look of understanding, which he returned, before placing her hoof on the lid of the box, ready to close it. But before she could, Flash placed his free hoof on top of hers, prompting her to look up at him. His expression was an affectionate one as he spoke.

"Keep it. Even though you and I might not be ready for the union I had planned, I still feel that I need to make some sort of commitment. Some way of saying that, no matter what, I am still yours, and always will be".

Twilight sat there on the bench, looking taken aback by that, before her face became one of happiness. Looking down, it was only now that she really paid attention to the ring he'd offered her. Examining it, she could see now that the crystal it was adorned with was, in fact, the bud of a crystal rose. Understanding crept onto her face as she now knew his reasoning for choosing it. A fully-bloomed crystal rose was the gift he gave her on their first date. It brought many happy memories back for her, causing her smile to grow even wider.

Looking up again, she saw that Flash was now standing tall once more. She joined him, hopping off the bench with the black box still in her hooves. She held it close, displaying great affection and gratitude for the gift she had been given. Although no words were spoken, both knew what was going on in the other's mind. Both had felt a blow from what had happened between them today, but it didn't matter. They knew their feelings for one another were strong enough to endure something like this. If it wasn't, then Flash would never have loved her enough to ask the question in the first place.

Even so, as they looked lovingly into each other's eyes, they knew that this would not, perhaps, be the last time that such a question was asked, something Flash was now willing to speak aloud about.

"So...one day?"

Thinking it over, at how the two might grow closer as time went on, and what their future might one day hold, Twilight looked back at him and, with no lie in her eyes, smiled and responded.

"Yeah...one day."