The Princess and the Private

Princess Twilight Sparkle formulated a response to Flash Sentry's inquiry after a few thoughtful seconds. Celestia just sat back and smiled at her attempt to play matchmaker for the youngsters.

"I have been informed that you were a student in historical literature at Trottingham University, and I had a burning question for you on a little excerpt from one of the old Agrarian Age poems in a book I own."

Of course, said book, while in existence, was not necessary for Twilight to remember or recite, from memory, the epic poem. This was the test she devised to prod his knowledge.

"Yes, Princess, I am familiar with some poetry of that age," Flash nodded with his typical curt stare, "Is there a particular poem you wish to expound on?"

Twilight smirked to herself invisibly. If this stallion was as well-read as Celestia made him out to be, he would recognize the script immediately.

"First, why don't I start reciting it, and you can guess as to which poem I am talking about, noble stallion?"

The stallion had to force back a groan of frustration . Oh how he despised playing guessing games, wishing Princess Twilight would ask the question and get on with it, ". . . Well. . . please, Princess continue. . ."

Twilight smiled and cleared her throat to achieve the right pitch and mood set. One she had done so, she dramatically through her hoof out, doing her best to act out the scene in a way the author wouldn't roll over in his grave if he witnessed it.

" - Hark! The mist strangles the quiet mountain countryside! - "

Flash didn't give his response a second thought, cutting off the princess before she could continue any further, "I believe you are referring to, "The Serf's Song" by Forest Mist, am I correct?"

The Princess's hoof kissed the ground with a hard thud as her jaw unhinged. He just correctly named the poem and it's scribe without so much as eight words of the few hundred lines entailed with it! It wasn't even the epic's beginning, or anywhere close to it's end, where anypony could distinguish it from other poems!

" . . . Why . . . yes, Flash . . . that is exactly what it was!"

She was impressed. Scratch that, very impressed. She looked back at Celestia giving a quiet whisper of appreciation, to which the white mare simply grinned in an "I told you so" manner.

With reverent disinterest in the current conversation, Flash addressed the alicorn once again, "Will that be all, Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

The flustered filly whipped her head back around to Flash Sentry and bashfully shuffled her hooves in place. Although, with his unrivaled and unflinching soulful stare, she thought it would be impossible to be more attracted to the strapping colt, that feeling increased ten-fold at his literary savvy.

"Oh, actually, I haven't asked you my question about it yet, Flash" she quickly rambled to keep him from taking off prematurely. This was where the real interview began, and she was hoping he would have a lot to say about the next one. . .

"What would you say is the message that Forest Mist was trying to say with this poem?"

The blue-maned pony made a deceptive sigh as if he were concentrating heavily on the question, however, it was a well-masked display of uncaring and unfeeling. His father had thrown him in that school because they had donated a hefty amount of work-out equipment from their personal training facilities to the Royal Guard Academy. They were some of the highest quality pieces of gear in the land, but Flash felt it was a poor excuse for making him go through five years of the rubbish classes he tormented to. His competitive spirit compelled him to exceed his peers, which he obviously did, but that was where his stock in the school ended. He was glad to finally be out. . .

"The Serf's Song, I would say, is a harrowing tale of peasant life, rife with satire against the privileged classes and pessimism concerning the serf's ability to gain equality from their masters. It is mostly a warning to future generations to oppose feudalism, as it had destroyed the lives of many for the benefits of the few."

The next thing Twilight knew, she was being supported by a white wing on one side. She felt giddy, light-headed, and most of all, relieved that she had finally found somepony who appreciated fine literature as much as she had. The mare was completely and utterly weak at the knees from the silky smooth voice of the wonderfully articulate stallion not but a few feet away from her.

She looked up at Celestia, who had saved her from a fainting spell. The alabaster pony had a comical look on her regal face, denoting what Twilight, probably looked like at the time, a sloppy mess on her wing.

Once Twilight realized her vulnerable position, she righted herself back briskly and readjusted the gold crown on her head. She was thankful that Sterling Spear didn't seem to recognize her near flop to the ground. In fact, he was taking glances at the training ground, where he was probably either due back to for another race, or anxious to monitor the techniques of his opposition, always on the hunt for new obstacles to hurdle, or fresh meat to belittle.

"That was great Flash! I couldn't have said it better myself, although I may have had a different interpretation."

His icy-blue stare slanted back Princess Twilight as she continued to speak with him. He started to wonder why she was out here in the first place. Shouldn't she be doing something . . . "princessy," like trying on new outfits or gossiping with other noble-mares?

"What part did you like most about the poem, Flash?" Twilight went into a gushing state, wanting to recount everything she loved about Forest Mist's work, and that of every other classic poem for that matter, "I liked the part where the farmer's son and the tailor's daughter profess their love for each other. It was so romantic!"

The hard look on Flash's face was difficult to read, the perfect cover for the slight sneer the princess' last statement elicited from him. Romance? Love? Puh! Those were inhibitors for thing that truly mattered, such as striving toward excellence and superiority. The stallion did, however unlikely it sounds, have a favorite theme from that wretched poem, one that resonated with him to this day.

"I tend to favor the more . . . action oriented scenes, such as the fall of the Prince's castle, where the peasants exacted vengeance on the nobility for an unforgiveable tax in the best way possible," Flash's eyes briefly lit up passionately at the remembrance, "by driving them out through brute force and defacing the statues of their oppressors!"

Even though the admission was a tad . . . unsettling, Twilight was glad he showed enthusiasm for the work, which he had not the whole time they were conversing.

"Well . . . " she started, at a loss for what to say to his possibly misguided zeal, "I'm glad you enjoyed it either way"

A similar pattern followed for the next hour or so, with Twilight effervescently listing off who she thought were the greatest writers and poets of all time, and Flash Sentry, wanting to put a sword through his chest at the never ending prattle, respectfully listened and gave what he deemed was appropriate feedback whenever she asked something. She hadn't explained why she was still there. Her question(s) had been answered. Why wouldn't she just come out with it?

Flash Sentry thanked the heavens when Twilight suddenly realized that she would need to return to the castle very soon, no doubt, as the stallion thought, to commence with other meaningless activities. However, he had not expected the next question to escape from the, admittedly, attractive mare's lips.

"I suppose I should get to the reason I'm here in the first place. I know that the Captain, your father, has expressed misgivings with what I am about to propose, and I hope he will find it in his heart to forgive Princess Celestia and I for asking you this, but I am not letting this opportunity pass by me."

The mare stepped a little closer to the training-hardened colt, who eased back slightly at the invasion of personal space, though not enough to seem rude. There was a slight darkening of her cheeks as she did so, which was observed passively by Flash Sentry.

"Flash Sentry... I hereby officially request that you become a suitor for my hoof in marriage. If you wish to decline, that is acceptable, but I do not request this of just anypony. I see something in you that is severely lacking from most of the stallions I have ever known, and on top of that," Twilight felt her mouth run dry and gulped a bit, "I think you're very cute... Would you do me the honor of becoming a candidate, Flash?"

Cute?... Cute? ... Why not dashing? Why not glorious? Even beautiful would've been less insulting! Flash Sentry inwardly fumed in awkward self-consciousness.

No, no, now was not the time to be enraged by that, as vile as it was! The Princess, a Princess of Equestria had just asked him to become an eligible suitor for her affection, admiration, but more importantly, the power that the royal family held over all of creation! Screw the first two, that was an offer of rank and prestige that would surely bring him closer to his lifelong dreams, one of which was to rule Equestria.

As he mused on those things, he also scanned the form of the alicorn. It was a predatory, hungry stare, ravaging her very being with only his eyes as the tool. Princess or not, his male hormones, typically forced down to focus on greater endeavors, would not allow him to forget that she was indeed a pinnacle of equine beauty. How he'd savor their honeymoon...

Shaking his head slightly to clear the perverse notions, he came back to the real world, watching Twilight wait for his answer with anticipation. Time to put the plan into action, it seemed.

"...I would be most humbled and willing, Your Grace," he bowed low to the ground.

Twilight stifled the squeak of delight she desperately wished to emit, "That is outstanding, Flash! Please, just call me Twilight from now on. It would be kind of weird to have a coltfriend address me so formally. I would love it if you could accompany me for dinner tonight as a first step in our courtship."

After all of this wasted time, better spent on things less trivial, Flash Sentry wouldn't dare say no and ruin this once in a lifetime chance. He put on the best happy smile he possibly could muster, which was pretty much a flirtatious smirk. Happiness wasn't of his stronger suits.

"I would love that... Twilight."

The princess' name rolled off his tongue naturally. Well, it certainly would when you're a stallion who wishes to become the prince.

"Wonderful! I will send the guards to pick you up at your home... the barracks, actually, right?"

"Yes Twilight, that is correct."

Twilight turned around slightly to gesture that she needed to be off, but not without a shy wave of her hoof, "So long for now, Sweetie..."

Willpower Flash Sentry, Willpower! Sweetie? He had never before felt such a combination of fury and stomach gurgles as he nearly lurched forward to throttle her, "I'll see you at dinner... Honey..."

Twilight giggled to herself at the pet name. He was obviously crushing on her, he just had to be.

As Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight Sparkle turned to continue their journey back to the castle, Flash punched himself across the face, willing the bile on his tongue to go away after what he had just forced himself to say. All for the crown, it was all for the crown!

When the two mares were out of earshot, Twilight whispered lightly to Celestia, "Ooh Princess Celestia, I should have you locked up for not introducing me to him sooner!"

Celestia just laughed her joke off, all the while feeling a hint of smugness, "Liked what we saw, did we?"

"Oh we liked," Twilight played along, "We liked a lot!"

Flash Sentry simply huffed, rather annoyed with how he handled the situation, but realized that climbing to the top sometimes meant debasing one's self every once in a while. He trotted back off to the training fields to resume his ritualistic cool off sessions by beating anypony  and everypony to hoof and flight races.