Though she had been here for a few days now, she still couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by this place. Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, was touring one of the many rooms of her new accommodation, a vast palace, brought into existence by the power of the Tree of Harmony. Until the day of Tirek's defeat, this place did not even exist. Now, it was hers, to do with as she pleased. It was her home, as well as Spike's, and the two of them had been doing everything they could to adjust to this change of scenery, moving in all of the belongings they had which had survived Tirek's assault on the old library.
As Twilight walked around the round table in the middle of the palace's main central chamber, that thought gave her pause. That old tree had been her home for many years now, and though this place was truly a marvel, it would never replace the Ponyville library in her heart. Still, that loss was something she and Spike had managed to deal with in the days since their move to the palace, and she knew that dwelling on the matter would change nothing, so she instead carried on observing this place, tailor made for her and her friends. She glanced at the various seats around the table, each adorned with the cutie marks of herself and her friends, no doubt for those times when they would be called together, before letting out a sigh.
"This place is amazing."
"No question."
The sudden appearance of that second voice took her aback, as she lifted her gaze from the table and towards the large entrance of the palace. There, standing in it's doorway, was a young pegasus stallion, wearing the golden armour of the royal guard, minus the traditional helmet. His coat was orange, his mane a deep blue and when he looked upon her, he wore a massive smile upon her face. Flash Sentry, Twilight's coltfriend and mate, and one whom she had not seen since before the turbulent events of the last few weeks.
Needless to say, she was happy to see him, and showed this by a sudden charging forward towards the young stallion. Flash, still smiling, walked to greet her, and stopped just as she did when they came within a few feet of each other. The two stared lovingly into each others eyes for a few moments before Flash, to Twilight's surprise, bowed before her.
"Princess Twilight. It is an honour to meet you again."
After everything the two had been through together, she knew as well as he did that this kind of formal address was not required. Even so, it was a somewhat charming greeting, and one Twilight couldn't help but giggle at slightly. If he was going to play the noble guard today, then she was most definitely going to play the Princess, and cleared her throat before standing in a more regal manner.
"At ease, Sir Flash."
Her coltfriend did as requested and rose up from his bowing position, and the two smiled at each other. After a brief silence between them, Twilight rushed forward, wrapping her forelegs around his neck in a hug, which he promptly returned. It was always difficult for the two of them to be apart from each other so frequently, especially when so many things happened to them in-between their visits to one another, but moments like this made it all worthwhile. When their hug was done, they looked once more into each others eyes and, without saying a word, knew at once what to do next, as they moved in and placed their lips upon each other in a kiss.
This was truly a gift of a moment for the two of them, a safe harbour in the storm that was the past few weeks. But, as much as they wanted this moment to last, it didn't, and they parted from each other, just before Twilight spoke.
"Flash...don't think I'm not happy yo see you, but...what are you doing here?"
Her coltfriend looked a little embarrassed upon hearing that question, though his next words showed why.
"I wanted to see you sooner, I really did. When you came to the Empire for the meeting with the dignitaries, I'd hoped to get away and speak to you. But, orders were orders, and I had to stick to my post until long after you'd left."
She knew he was disappointed in himself for being unable to see her during her recent visit up North, but she still couldn't fault him for it. After all, one of the things she'd always loved about Flash was his dedication to his duties. In all honesty, she'd have probably been pretty irritated at him if he'd shirked such duties just for a brief chance to be with her, even though she too had silently wanted to speak to him back then. Her ears then pricked up when, to her surprise, the young stallion chuckled at that before replying.
"Actually, the reason I'm here now is largely thanks to you. With the announcement of your new position, there are celebrations everywhere, and a lot of the guard have been given the week off. With that much spare time on my hooves, I knew there was only one place I wanted to be."
Twilight smiled at him after hearing that, though in truth the fact that so many ponies were fussing over her like this did little to alleviate her of many of the anxieties she felt with this new position. Being a Princess was usually difficult enough, but to be expected to spread the knowledge of friendship, the most powerful and important force in their world, to all of Equestria, was a task that would make even the most stone-hearted of ponies shudder. Still, she wasn't going to spoil this moment for her or Flash by bringing up such things. The two moved back from their embrace, and it was here that Flash finally paid attention to something other than her, as his eyes began to trail all over the massive entrance chamber of the palace.
"This place is...incredible. A fine home for a Princess."
The young Princess joined his gaze in looking the place over. Truth be told this was far larger a space than she ever thought she'd need. Granted, the comparatively modest abode she was in previously might not have been to everypony's tastes, but it was hers nevertheless, and it had always provided what she needed of it. That train of thought brought back her rather down feelings from before, and she looked morosely at the ground, an expression which Flash was quick to pick up on.
"Are you alright? About the library?"
Twilight looked at him, somewhat surprised that he was aware of that. But she soon realized that he had to have travelled to the palace by coming through Ponyville, which meant that he would have seen what was left of the library. Being little more than a blackened and smoking crater, it would have been impossible to miss. Still, he could see the truth in her eyes, and she knew there was little point in denying it now.
"Yeah...I'm going to miss that place."
Flash looked upon the near-distraught look upon her face and looked away from her, as though he could not look her in the eye.
"I'm sorry. I should have been here for you."
Twilight had no doubt in her mind that he meant what he said. She could almost picture it in her mind right now, like a page from some ancient storybook. Him, standing defiant against Tirek, vowing aloud to defend the Princess he loved. His armour glistening in the sun as he heroically charged forward to certain doom against the evil creature. She knew him well enough to know that he would have gladly stood against her enemies in her name, and that thought gave her comfort, regardless of how cliche as such a scenario might have been. But it was a short-lived comfort, as the reality of the situation dawned on her soon afterwards as she let out a sigh.
"Flash...you would have just fallen...just like the rest of Equestria."
The stallion looked away from her once more, his face a mixture of anger and disappointment.
"I was scarcely much better in the Crystal Empire. Tirek, and that traitor Discord, took all of us by surprise. We were rounded up like animals, a buffet for that monster to take our powers away."
Twilight looked at him as he conjured up those unpleasant memories. Although she herself had experienced the stealing of magic that vile creature was known for, she'd only endured it for a relatively brief time compared to the majority of Equestria. She'd never actually heard any accounts of those who had gone through it for much longer. The thought of losing her magic, that part of her which she held so dear, was a terrible thought, and one which she would not wish on anypony. To know that Tirek had done to, not only to her beloved Flash, but to her brother, her friends, to everypony, was a bitter pill to swallow.
But even so, she carried on listening to him.
"I've been a flier for as long as I can remember. To have that stripped from me, to be unable to even flap my wings...it was a loss I can't even begin to describe."
The young Princess had to fight the need to cringe upon having to remember that Discord's betrayal led to this, that so many were hurt. Looking upon Flash now, she knew that he was still angry at him, as indeed were most of Equestria most likely. In truth, there was some small part of her that also felt anger towards the spirit of chaos, but that anger had greatly diminished from what it once was, thanks in no small part to Fluttershy. Letting out a sigh, she raised a hoof and placed it the side of Flash's face, leading him to look her in the eye as she gave a small smile.
"I know Discord betrayed us, hurt us...but you have to let it go."
The stallion was, needless to say, rather surprised that she would ask something like this of him, to simply forgive the one who had done so much damage and allowed even more to occur, especially since it was her and her friends that he'd hurt most of all. He wanted to say "no", to tell her that he'd never forgive him for as long as he lived, especially for Discord's betrayal having led to her own magic being stolen. But, one look into those beautiful, sparkling eyes of hers, eyes he'd always known he couldn't say "no" to, and he found he couldn't do anything else but let out a long sigh, followed by a begrudging smile.
"Alright. I'm willing to put it behind me. But I do this for your sake, not for his."
Twilight nodded in acceptance of that. She knew full well that a few words from her weren't going to be able to alleviate all of the bad experiences of the last few days, but she took comfort in the fact that Flash was at least willing to set such feelings aside, for her if nothing else. Though she was sure to make a mental note to keep Discord out of sight of Flash in future. Her coltfriend looked down at the ground, the memories of his ordeal still fresh in his mind. However, after taking a deep breath, he looked at her, bearing a warm smile upon his face.
"Regardless...I have my flight back now, thanks to you. I owe you more than I can say. We all do."
Twilight blushed at that. Although she was, at this point, used to having praise showered upon her, it was usually in the form of vast crowds cheering on their latest Princess. To have such words of gratitude come from the mouth of one so close to her was a far better thing, even if she still wasn't really one for accepting such thanks, as her next words testified.
"Thank you, Flash. But you don't owe me anything, and neither does anypony else. I was just happy I could help them."
Her coltfriend chuckled at that and shook his head, as bemused as ever that his beloved mate was still as unwilling to accept such words as she always was. Instead of simply trying to convince her of her great achievement further, he simply raised a hoof, took one of her forelegs into his own, and planted a tender kiss upon her hoof, causing yet further blushing. As romantic as this moment was, Twilight couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at him right now. Being a sucker for gestures like this, Twilight always considered them an automatic victory move for Flash, and she was often tempted to call him "cheater" when he did it. But, she simply smiled at him as he looked her in the eye.
"You've done well. An act as incredible as yours deserves thanks, and I can think of no better reward than a palace as great as this."
Twilight smiled back at him before turning her attention once more to their surroundings.
"Yeah. It's still a bit too big for me though."
As she pondered on that, a thought came to mind for her, and she looked down at Flash, who was still smiling at her. It was, to be sure, certainly an out-of-nowhere thing to suggest to him, but even so, she was starting to like the idea that now grew in her mind. Flash noticed a change in her expression, from simple smile to a more thoughtful face, and knew that something was on her mind. But he knew better than to simply ask what was on her mind, as she was always going to just say it anyway. And sure enough, she did just that.
"You know, a palace like this is way to big for me and Spike alone. How would you feel about a change of scenery from the Crystal Empire?"
The pegasus stared at her, trying to decipher the meaning behind her words. But, as he kept looking upon the smile on her face, that knowing look, a moment of understanding began to dawn on him, and his face morphed into one of surprise. He opened his mouth, but fumbled his words a few times out of the sheer shock of realizing just what Twilight was suggesting. Eventually though, he managed to get his words together enough to form a coherent sentence.
"You...you mean...a transfer? To here? To you?"
Twilight's smile widened as she nodded at him.
"A castle needs guards, does it not? And I can think of nopony I'd rather have here for that task than you, Flash."
Flash was clearly taken aback by this suggestion, though Twilight could not blame him. Eventually, a smile broke out upon his face.
"Well, I'm certainly not going to say no to anything that will bring me closer to you. But...surely I can't be the only guard in this place."
Twilight's face changed into a smile that made it very clear to Flash that she'd also thought of that too, though knowing her as he did, he really should have seen that coming.
"Indeed. We'll need more of course, but you will be the one to lead them."
Flash's eyes widened at that.
"Lead? As in...?"
Twilight nodded at his remark.
"Well, I'm a fully-fledged Princess now, complete with my own castle and kingdom, right? It stands to reason then that I can say who gets to be my Captain."
As Flash's face became one of increasing shock, desperately trying to grasp what was happening, Twilight had to resist the urge to giggle at the sight of him like this. For as long as she'd known him, being a member of the Royal Guard was something that had made him happy, made him proud. The title of Captain was rare, and any guard worth their salt would be crazy not to want such a title, given the honour it represented. It reminded Twilight of just how happy her brother was when he first became Captain, and now, she was giving that same moment to the stallion she loved. Although, if one were to look at him now, they'd say his face was one not of pride, but of one whose brain had just broken. Chuckling at this, Twilight brought him out of it with a quick poke on the nose by one of her hooves.
Looking at her now, with his head clear, Flash finally spoke.
"I...Twilight, don't think me ungrateful. But...do you really think I'm worthy of this?"
Twilight smiled as she nodded her head.
"I do. My brother may have reservations about the two of us, but even he can't deny the kind of guard you are whenever I talk to him about you. You have exactly the kind of dedication to your role that is needed for a Captain."
The young Princess let out a sigh before her expression became somewhat serious.
"So, Sir Flash...do you accept?"
Flash's face became one that Twilight knew well, that of a pony deep in thought. It took quite a few moments for him to mull this decision over in his mind, before he broke out into a massive smile.
"Princess...I accept."
Twilight had to resist the urge to simply lunge and embrace him once more, and simply retained her composure and gave a regal nod, which he politely returned. When their heads raised up once more, Twilight looked off in the distance and thought things over out loud.
"Sir Flash Sentry, Captain of the Ponyville Guard. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Flash chuckled at that.
"Maybe, though I don't think it's quite as impressive a title as Princess of Friendship."
Twilight smiled back at him.
"True, but to be fair, I don't think you could pull off a name like that anyhow."
In that rare moment of snark on Twilight's part, the two lovers broke out into laughter, something which both of them felt that they needed after everything they'd been through in the past few days. This might have been only a formal appointment thus far, as Twilight knew that she'd have to inform her brother of this transfer request, and he would doubtless need some serious convincing, but nevertheless, Twilight was happy about all this. Equestria was safe, she had a new home, and now her beloved mate would no longer live half a continent away from her. All-in-all, she had to concede that today was going pretty well for her.
But, as she dwelt on that, a thought came to her. It had been a long time since the two of them had seen each other, and longer still since they'd done anything together that didn't involve state business. So, with his new appointment to the palace, surely that called for some celebration. At least, that was Twilight's reasoning, and she was sticking to it. So, looking up at Flash with a forced look of seriousness on her face, she took on her Princess-like composure once more before addressing him.
"Sir Flash. As your first task as my Captain, would you be so kind as to escort your Princess..."
It was here that her expression changed into one that Flash could only describe as flirtatious.
"...to her new quarters, here in the palace?"
The unspoken message in that statement would have been clear to even the most dim-witted of foals, and Flash did his best to stifle the need to return Twilight's current expression, instead maintaining his usual appearance, that of the disciplined guard, as he gave her a salute.
"Of course, your Highness."
Twilight smiled at him and began turning away from him, ready to head to the room she had already chosen as her personal living quarters. It was only once Flash was at her back that she heard him speak up a second time.
"A fine first assignment indeed."
Those words pretty much dropped all pretense the two were putting up at that point, and the two both descended into a fit of foalish laughter as they walked side-by-side out of the main entrance hall. However, hidden from the two lovers, there was, at this point, a collection of five very familiar mares, just waiting out of view beyond the front doors of the palace. Each one was doing their best to suppress the tidal wave of giggles they were wanting to let loose right now, save for one timid yellow pegasus, who was just covering her now-blushing face with her mane. Once they were convinced that Twilight and Flash were a sufficient distance away, Rainbow broke the silence.
"So, do you think we should tell the lovebirds we heard the whole thing?"
The five mares all looked at each other, pondering to themselves about that question. They all knew exactly what the answer was though, and Applejack was the one to voice it.
"Hmmm...nope."
