One afternoon at the Crystal Empire, Flash Sentry was strolling around while he had some free time.
"It feels nice to get out every now and then and just do some exploring about my surroundings," he said to nopony in particular.
As he looked around, he happened to spot a pair of Crystal Ponies, one of them a stallion and the other a mare, talking together like good friends.
"They sure do seem happy," Flash smiled; seeing them together that way reminded him of a time years ago before he met Twilight.
It was back when he was merely a young colt without his cutie mark, his parents divorced and he went to live with his father Flame Barrier, a Royal Guard for Princess Celestia, in Canterlot. When he was called away on duty, Flame Barrier went missing and Flash tried looking for him, but ended up outside of Canterlot Castle and a pair of Royal Guards found him, then took him to see Princess Celestia.
Now, do you remember at the time, Princess Celestia's star pupil was an amber unicorn named Sunset Shimmer?
You do? Then we can continue...
***
"This is Sunset Shimmer. She is my top student."
While Flash waited at the castle for the guards to find his mother Lullaby Strings, who lived in Cloudsdale, he got the chance to meet Sunset Shimmer.
"Uh, hi," Flash said nervously. He had never been inside a castle before talking to a princess's star pupil before and was worried about how Sunset would think of him.
"Hi," the young filly replied. She seemed a bit friendly, which made Flash sigh with relief.
"So," Flash asked, nervously swaying his front hoof back and forth, "how'd you become Celestia's star pupil?"
"My daddy helped me with it," said Sunset, "he's an Earth pony, you see, and my mother's a unicorn."
"Do your parents care about you?" Flash asked.
Sunset lowered her head. "My daddy does," she said sadly, "but my mom thinks of me as a servant."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I hope I didn't upset you," Flash said hastily.
"I'm actually used to it," Sunset admitted, "but I still wish mommy would love me. So," she continued, "why not tell me a little bit about yourself?"
"Well," Flash began, "when I was a baby, my mom would play the guitar while she sang me a lullaby. It was rather soothing."
"That's so cute!"
"Thanks," Flash smiled, "she even wanted me to take up playing the guitar when I grew up. But my dad wanted me to be a Royal Guard like him. It was because of their argument that they eventually got divorced."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Sunset said sympathetically.
After one or two hours went by, the guards returned with bad news.
"We've searched all over Cloudsdale," said one, "but we couldn't find the mare Flash described, your majesty."
"Sh... she's not there...?" Flash's heart sank. It was bad enough he had lost his father, but now his mother was gone too.
"I'm afraid not," another guard said sadly, "we're sorry... truly, we are."
"It wasn't your fault," Flash said, sadly lowering his head and on the verge of tears, "but whatever shall I do?"
"You can't live without someone to look after you, young one," Celestia said to Flash, "but don't worry; everything will be alright."
"I could take you under my wing like a foster father," one of the guards spoke up.
Flash raised his head. "Really?" The guard nodded and smiled. Soon, it was arranged for the guard to become Flash Sentry's foster father.
***
"I can't believe it was still so long ago," Flash said to himself, "how can I ever forget when my foster father took me in?"
A little while later, Flash was continuing his rounds when he spotted a different pair of Crystal Ponies. One of them was a light spring greenish-gray Earth Crystal Pony stallion named Crystal Arrow. He had a navy blue mane and tail, purple eyes, and his cutie mark was an archer's bow and arrow. The other was a light Persian bluish-gray Earth Crystal Pony mare named Amber Waves. She had a brilliant amber mane and tail, grayish rose eyes, and her cutie mark was a grain of wheat.
"Amber Waves," Crystal Arrow said, holding a box of flowers in his left hoof, "would you do me the honors of being my special somepony?" He seemed a bit bashful saying that last bit.
"Of course I will," Amber Waves smiled, taking the flowers.
Flash could see how happy the two looked. This resulted in him having another memory...
***
A day or so after Flash had been adopted by one of Celestia's guards, he was strolling along when he bumped into Sunset. He noticed something different about her.
"What is that sun doing on your flank?" he asked.
True to Flash's words, on Sunset Shimmer's flank was what looked like a sun. The top part was yellow and the bottom half was red. In the middle was what looked like a shape of an "S".
"I just obtained my cutie mark!" she said proudly, "And it looks like you done so too, by the looks of it."
"You're joking, right?"
"No, really, look!"
Flash looked at his own flank, and on it was a two-tone sapphire blue shield behind a yellow bolt; Sunset wasn't joking.
"Well, what do you know?" he said in amazement.
"So, what brings you around?" Sunset asked.
"Well, I was going to go by the lake for a bit," said Flash. "Would you care to go with me?"
"Ooh, I'd love to!" And with that, the two headed off towards the lake.
The lake was in a quiet spot a little bit away from the royal city and closer to the countryside, nestled under some trees. Flash had just brought Sunset to the spot.
"Thanks for bringing me out here, Flash," said Sunset.
"Ah, it was nothing," he replied.
The two sat down in the shade and enjoyed the cooling breeze.
"Sure feels nice out here in the breeze, doesn't it?" Flash asked.
"You can say that again," Sunset replied, "just relaxing in peace; it's good to get out here once in a while. What about you, Flash?" But she got no reply.
"Um, Flash?" Still, no answer.
Sunset looked and realized Flash wasn't there.
"Where's he gone?" Suddenly, she noticed bubbles coming from the water, and before she could react, Flash popped out of the water roaring cheekily.
"Aaah!" Sunset jumped back in surprise. Flash just stood there laughing.
"You should have seen your face!" he snickered.
"That wasn't funny!" Sunset snapped, "I was worried something had happened to you."
"Oh, come on," chuckled Flash, "you know you thought it was funny."
Sunset just turned around and looked like she would head for home. Flash started swimming to the ends of the lake, feeling upset, when suddenly...
"Cannonball!"
Sunset jumped into the lake with a huge splash.
"Woah!"
"Surprised you, didn't I?" chuckled Sunset.
"Trying to challenge the Splash King, are we?" Flash asked cheekily.
"Splash King, huh?" Sunset narrowed her eyes. "Not for long."
Before long, the two were splashing and playing around in the lake, having a great time. Soon it was time for them to get out.
"Uh, Sunset?"
"Yes, Flash?"
"I was just wondering, erm..."
"Wondering what?"
"Would you mind being my special somepony?"
In a split second, Sunset grabbed Flash and gave him a tight hug.
"Tight!" he cried, "Can't... breathe!"
"Sorry," said Sunset sheepishly, "of course I'll be your special somepony."
***
Flash smiled as he looked up in the direction of the Crystal Empire.
"She used to be so nice back then," he said to himself, "Twilight kinda reminds me of the old Sunset."
He recalled the day out they had a few days prior, and remembered the day he and Twilight - who was back then a young filly unicorn without her cutie mark - first met; the same day of his and Sunset's sad breakup when she turned ruthless.
This thought triggered another flashback, but this one was much sadder than the previous two...
***
Sunset could not believe what she'd heard.
"My father's been killed?" She felt like her heart had been crushed to dust.
"I'm afraid so," said the Royal Guard who had told her the news. This was also the same guard who had become Flash's foster father.
Sunset just stood there for a few seconds before racing away in tears.
"Sunset? Where are you headed too?" asked Flash, and began to run after her.
Sunset ran out of the castle and didn't stop until she came under a tree. There she curled into a ball and cried.
"It's not fair!" she sobbed, "Why did this have to happen?"
Flash soon came up.
"Are you alright, Sunset?" he asked. Sunset looked up at him; tears were still leaking from her eyes.
"No, I'm not alright!" she snapped. "My dad is gone, and now I've only my mother to look after me! And she doesn't even love me!"
"But I love you," Flash persisted gently as he could, "and I care for you. I know what it's like not having a parent around anymore, and that was when we first met, remember?"
Sunset wiped her tears and looked at Flash again.
"Yes," she said, "I remember."
Flash took his hooves around Sunset and pulled her into a tight but gentle hug.
"It'll be alright in the end," he said softly.
"I hope so," said Sunset, "I really do."
***
After thinking about that tragic day of Sunset's father's unfortunate death, Flash snapped back to reality.
"But unfortunately," he said to himself, "that wasn't the only case..."
Then Flash heard what sounded like fighting. He looked over and noticed another pair of Crystal Ponies arguing.
"So I'm not allowed to spend five bits on a new mane style," argued the mare, "yet you get to spend ten on mug of cider?"
"You're being ridiculous," objected the stallion.
"Sometimes I think you care more about money than me," the mare grumbled.
"I do not!"
"You do so!"
"Don't!"
"Do!"
As Flash watched the couple argue, yet another flashback began seeping into his mind. Just like the last one, this wasn't a happy one...
***
Over the next few years since her father's death, changes began to occur with Sunset. Her mother would often beat her up until it got so far out of hoof, she was arrested for foal abuse.
"I can't have you tormenting my student in such an unacceptable manner," Princess Celestia said crossly.
"You haven't seen the last of me!" snapped the mare as the guards took her away, "I'll be back, and one of these days, you're going to be sorry!"
Princess Celestia watched as the mare was taken away to prison.
"She's lucky I didn't banish her to the moon," the princess said quietly, "just like Nightmare Moon..."
For a few months afterward, Sunset had become more cruel towards other ponies and also acted like she was better than them. This was assumed to have spurned from the abuse from her mother. The changes had also begun to worry both Celestia and Flash.
Not too long after Sunset's mother was arrested, Celestia spoke with Flash.
"I'm worried," she said, "Sunset Shimmer seems to be getting worse."
"Does it have to do with her mother?" asked Flash.
"Yes," said Celestia, "she was a very cruel bully and would beat her up until I had her arrested."
"That's terrible!" cried Flash, "Why would she do something so cruel?"
"Nopony knows, Flash."
One day, however, Sunset's behavior went too far. Princess Celestia was talking to Sunset near a crystal mirror. As the white alicorn princess spoke, the teenage amber unicorn mare started to peek at the mirror. In the mirror, Sunset could see a vision of herself as an alicorn princess. Celestia noticed this and quickly led Sunset away from the mirror.
"Wait, what was that?" she asked, "I thought I saw..."
"It is best you forgot what you saw," Celestia said.
But Sunset wouldn't forget it. She talked endlessly to Celestia about the mirror. And each time, Celestia refused to let her learn more about it. When Flash was informed of this, he became even more worried. One afternoon, he decided to try and talk Sunset out of it.
"Sunset," he said, "I'm really worried about you. You have to stop obsessing over that mirror."
"Why?" she scoffed, "It's not like it's any ordinary mirror, right?"
"Obsession can only lead to trouble," said Flash, "you better take care or bad things can effect those around you."
"I can take care of myself," sniffed Sunset.
"Famous last words..."
Flash was right about his warning. Before long, Sunset's obsession with the mirror and becoming a princess resulted in her being dropped as Celestia's student, and for the next three weeks, Flash continued to lecture her on her mistakes. This made her more and more frustrated.
"I can take care of myself!" she shouted one day, "I don't need to be watched over by a fussy wings like you!"
Soon enough on that fateful day, Sunset was still grumbling about what had happened.
"I still can't believe Celestia had the nerve to drop me as her student!" she grumbled, "I deserve to be a princess! If not, then better than her!"
By this point, Flash's patience had finally run out.
"How could you act this way?" he snapped angrily, "When we met a few years ago, you were sweet and innocent, and now you've turned into… into… a spiteful mare!"
"It's Celestia's fault I didn't get my dreams quickly as I wanted," growled Sunset, "and she thinks I'm the one who's selfish!"
"She kicked you out for the right reasons, Sunset."
"Well then," she growled, "we're leaving Canterlot."
"No, Sunset, there's no 'we'!"
"What do you mean, there's no 'we'?!" Sunset asked angrily.
"I refuse to help you just to get even with Princess Celestia," said Flash firmly, "it's not the right thing to do!"
"I can't do this alone, you know!"
"Forget it! We're through!"
Sunset couldn't believe what she'd heard; Flash was actually breaking up with her? Her shock faded away to an angry scowl and turned on her heel.
"Have it your way, Sentry," she growled, "you're just like her – kind and foolish! One day, you will be sorry!"
The only one who'll be sorry is you, Flash thought as Sunset walked into the distance.
***
As soon as the flashback ended, Flash looked over and noticed Princess Cadance approaching the still-arguing couple. And without a word, she cast a spell on them, which made them stop arguing.
"Too bad Princess Cadance wasn't around to fix Sunset Shimmer," Flash said to himself.
At that moment, Cadance looked over and noticed Flash.
"Is something wrong, Flash?"
"I've been thinking about my past all afternoon," he replied, "you know, how my relationship with Sunset Shimmer ended quite sadly..."
"I'm rather sorry to hear that," said Cadance.
"I guess there's nothing you could have done," said Flash, "she chose her path..."
"And you chose yours," added Cadance, "the past is in the past, and no matter how much we want to, you can't change it."
Flash looked down at his hooves, then looked up with a small smile. "You're right," he said at last. With that, Flash continued with his duties while Cadance did some thinking.
Twilight seemed rather shy around Flash when she came back from that other world, she thought, they would make a rather cute couple...
Author's Note
This takes place between chapters 4 and 5 of Risky Romance.