Starcrossed

Chapter 14~ This Life Of Mine

He couldn't believe it.

It seemed like Flash was in a dream, one filled with everything he ever wanted. Him. A knight. He had dreamed about it since he was very young, of course as he got older he relished the real chances of that happening and thus he stopped thinking about it for a while but he never lost the dream. Now as he laid awake warmed by the beautiful mare who he shared a bed with, that hope rekindled and came to full fruition. He was going to be a knight, a fully-fledged, honoured and beloved defender of Equestria. Wow, just... Wow.

A smile plastered itself onto Flash's face and he happily nuzzled Twilight who snuggled in closer sleepily. It was because of her, Flash realized. She was the one making him a knight, she was the one he loved and the one that made him the happiest he had been since before Swift had disappeared... Swift. A spike of guilt settled itself into Flash's soaring heart, he hadn't even given a thought to his long lost brother in what seemed like forever, how could he just forget him like that? Swift who had raised and cared for Flash like the parents they never had. A small part of him argued that it had been so long, that with Twilight in his life now he was beginning to let go of his past life and let go of Swift. The guilt overran that idea.

Swift had never squashed Flash's naive dream of knighthood, even though he must of thought it impossible. They were poor, thieves, scum by all accounts. They had represented the very thing that all knights stood against, thievery, dishonesty. Yet Swift had never squashed his hopes, not once, and looking back on it now Flash realized it was because at the worst times it was that dream of knighthood that kept him going.

He could still remember him, Swift, in every detail. They had been with one another for the better part of two decades and probably longer from what Swift had told him, their parents had died when Flash was just a foal and Swift a scrawny colt. In that time they had had so many adventures both good and bad that Flash couldn't help but reminisce....

Sixteen Years Earlier

A a cold and misty rain had been falling down onto Canterlot since early morning, it soaked everything outside to the bone and chilled the very air. The broken and cracked roof provided some protection from the deluge but in several places the water flowed through the holes and splattered onto the mouldy floor. Swift tried his best to plug the worst of the cracks with old napkins, newspapers, and anything else he could find with limited success. They were doomed to dampness.

Flash was laid on a pile of old and moth-eaten quilts and towels, the few that Swift had managed to save from the rain. The cloth pile was contained within a wicker basket that sat in the thin layer of water that coated the floor, while he was technically dry Flash could feel the subtle sloshing of the damp cloth at the bottom of the basket as the water seeped through the straw.

This was their latest in a long line of abandoned buildings to squat in, they couldn't stay in one for long as the guard would come and chase them away. At first they had to follow the tide of the homeless to find the right buildings, the ones that were left empty but wouldn't collapse in on them at the slightest provocation. This meant that they were often left to sleep in the worst spots, far away from the meagre fires that the experienced bums had set up. But through careful observation and the help of a couple of the rare helpful homeless, Swift was able to see a good spot with his own eyes and get ahead of the curb. They had actually lucked out on this one, a small one-story wooden building that once had been a store, it was a terrific find despite the obvious problems. Flash wasn't about to complain though, they had been forced to take shelter in places without a roof before.

Eventually Swift had plugged every crack he could but still water dripped steadily onto the floor, it was the best they were going to get. He flapped over and laid down on the old mattress that he was using as a bed, although the material had absorbed the moisture like a sponge forcing Swift to sleep on a glorified pile of wet sludge. Flash felt guilty about his warm and dry blankets, the feeling grew as Swift visibly shivered, his body cooling once at rest.

"Do you want my basket?" Flash asked.

"No, I'm fine," Swift answered.

"But you're all wet..."

"And if I take your basket then you'll get wet, one of us has to be wet and it might as well be me."

"....We could share the basket."

"There's no room, look, just go to sleep okay? I'll be fine."

"Okay... Goodnight, Swift."

"Goodnight," Swift said tiredly, laying his head down with a wet Squelch!

Flash eventually did fall asleep, the gentle pitter-patter of the rain lulling him into a slumber. He soon found himself waking but everything had changed, the old building was gone and replaced by the thick canvas of some sort of tent. Flash lifted his head and looked around, it was a tent, not some cheap patched one either. That wasn't the end of it, he way laying in a soft feathered bed with silken sheets, a mahogany wardrobe sat to the right of the tent. Most interestingly to Flash there was a stand that sat across from him and hung on it was a full set of polished steel armour. Not some cheap set used by common guardsmen or mercenaries but engraved, enamelled, high-quality plated steel that would only be seen on one sort of warrior: a knight.

This was further proven by the cape that hung next to the armour, a long satin draping with the insignia of he Two Princesses emblazoned on it. Only a Knight of Two would wear such a thing. Flash climbed out of his bed just in time for a young colt to run in, he skidded and stopped in front of Flash with his right hoof rising up into a dutiful salute.

"Squire Stone reporting in, sir!" He exclaimed. "His Lordship your brother is waiting for you to begin the tourney!"

"Of course," Flash found himself saying, in a voice much deeper and more confident that his own. "Help me with my armour, lad."

Squire Stone was all too eager, with his help Flash was soon sporting the flashy armour complete with a crested and plumed helmet and cape. Finally Stone came forth with Flash's sword, a long double-edged blade that was tinted a light blue and sharper to a razor point. Flash strapped it to his belt and exited the tent. The bright sun shone strongly through the clear air and sparkled across Flash's armour, as his eyes adjusted he took in the amazing sights. Around him hundreds of other tents were pitched, people milled back and forth in a crowd that would make the Canterlot International Market look like a party between few friends. And not far up the shallow hill was an arena, a round talk enclosure constructed of wooden pallets and beams, the noble banners of Equesteia flew proudly from its tops, announcing the presence of every Great Noble House in the land. Including one that Flash didn't recognize: an image of a horseshoe in front of a sword laying on a grey background, he didn't dwell on it as he made his way towards the arena.

As he passed people many stopped to look in awe, stop stopped their hooves in applause, other cheers, what military types that were there offered salutes. Flash found himself holding his head high and taking each moment of appreciation in stride, as if he had been born to do so. He entered the arena proper and was met by a deafening cheer, hundreds of people big and small went almost mad at the mere sight of him. All of them chanting his name, screaming at the top of their lungs, they reached towards him with hooves full of desire. Wanting to touch him, to feel him, perhaps to steal some piece of this hero for themselves.

"Announcing the arrival of Ser Flash of House Hoof!" A magically projected voice said, Flash drew his sword and raised it above his head, getting a renewed round of cheers in return.

"THE WORLD UNDERHOOF!" Flash called and the crowd repeated after him with excitement, Flash lowered his sword as a familiar voice spoke from behind him.

"Good luck little brother, make our House proud."

Flash turned around and indeed, standing behind him was Swift but... Not Swift. This Swift had not a hint of the downtrodden yet defiant look that Flash associated with his brother, this one looked at him with a regal and stoic look. His usually messy and dirty mane was cleaned and brushed to a shine in a warriors braid behind his head, his scruffy stubble was fully grown and trimmed to a handsome beard. He was dressed in a fine cotton and silk tunic that was embroidered with the horseshoe and sword design that he had spotted earlier. Around his shoulders was a fine satin cloak with quality wolf fur at the collar and it was fastened around his neck by a jewelled golden chain. Finally, poking out from under his cloak, was the golden hilt of a beautifully crafted longsword, as masterpiece of a weapon.

"I will, my lord," Flash's mouth said, even though Flash himself was still in shock at seeing Swift like this. It wasn't right, this wasn't Swift, he hated nobles and everything they stood for. He would be absolutely disgusted at the thought of being some prissy lord that's so full of feathers and fluff he was like a peacock. No, this wasn't real, that wasn't Swift and.. He wasn't a Knight.

The arena and crowd melted away as Flash felt the sensation of falling, he landed in something soft but damp and he shivered from the morning cold as he opened his eyes. No arena, no cheering crowd, no Lord Swift, and no Ser Flash. He was back in the cold and damp ruined store, the rain had stopped but almost everything was damp or flat out soaked. Swift was no where to be seen, only his wet slop of a mattress left behind, it wasn't odd for him to do this. Most likely he was out seeing what he could find for their breakfast.

Flash didn't have to wait leg as Swift can soaring through the window carrying a sack that was revealed to be full of freshly baked loafs of bread, Flash's eyes widened at the sight.

"W-where..."

"Baker was feeling charitable," Swift said, getting a look from Flash.

"Alright, stupid taffer left his widow open, I got up just early enough to nick these right out of the oven, now eat up..."

                                                                          ~~*~~

"Hey, you okay?" Twilight asked.

Flash snapped back to reality and looked around, they were walking on cloud streets in what must have been Cloudsdale. Fluffy buildings raised high around them and Pegasi flew back and forth across the cold grey sky, in front of them two Wind Guards guided them towards what Flash recognized as Lady Fresh Wind's mansion.

"Uh, yeah," Flash responded. "Just... Thinking."

"I can imagine, I dropped something big in you out of nowhere didn't I?"

"A bit," Flash admitted.

"I'm sorry," Twilight said, nuzzling him lovingly, despite the fact that they were in public. "It's just... I really think you deserve it, for everything you've done for me."

"I haven't done that much..."

"You've done more than you think, you've supported me this entire time. This isn't just because of my feeling for you, it's because your a good stallion, Flash and you deserve to be recognized."

They fell into silence after that, Flash delving into his own thoughts. You're a good stallion, Flash. The words echoed in his head and triggered a wave of guilt, Twilight didn't even realize the things he had done or the fact that he was in no way a good stallion...

Thirteen Years Earlier

The mare trotted with a purpose through the cool night, late night shopping wasn't usually her habit but she was entertaining guests the next day and she had to stock up on a few things. Heavy bags filled with fresh produce were held in her magical grasp as well as a semi-full bit bag that jiggled merrily with change left over from her purchase. Wishing to get home earlier she decided to take a small shortcut through a nearby alleyway, she didn't even make it a quarter of the way in before she was roughly shoved from her side and she fell painfully to the ground. The mare looked up in horror at the shadowy stallion before her, his face covered by a dirty piece of cloth that hid his identity.

"Not so fast, taffer," Swift said menacingly. "So nice of you to buy us supper."

The mare got up and tried to run with her groceries in to but she ran face-first into Flash who had snuck up behind her, she fell back down and cowered in fear.

"P-please don't hurt me!" She cried.

"We won't," Flash said almost soothingly. "Just leave the food and the buts and be on your way."

The mare looked up in surprise and nodded shakily before getting up and taking off, Flash offered no resistance to her as she escaped. Once she was gone Swift angrily pulled off his cloth mask and got right in Flash's face, his teeth grit in rage.

"What the fuck was that?" He asked.

"What? We weren't going to actually hurt her."

"Obviously but she can't know that, if you just go around reassuring every bloody taffer we mug then eventually someone won't take us seriously and slap our shit!"

"Fine, I get it, it's just... I don't really like doing this, you know? Scaring people out of their bits... It doesn't feel right."

"Your too soft Flash," Swift sighed. "You need to patch that bleeding heart of yours if you wanna eat, we talked about this anyway, this is much faster, easier, and more rewarding than breaking into somebodies house or shop."

"Well don't you think doing this will get the guards on our tails? This just seems... Beneath us."

"Beneath us," Swift repeated incredulously. "You're not really that arrogant are you? C'mon Flash, we're scoundrels, we aren't exactly moral pillars."

"I guess..." Flash said uncertainly.

"Look, if it makes you feel better then we can go fishing tomorrow, it's market day anyway, plenty of bits to be robbed there."

"Okay, sounds-"

"STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM!" an angry voice shouted at them, the two brother turned to see several guardsmen running towards them.

"Bail," came Swift's command and they vacated quickly, losing the guards as quickly as they found them.

                                                                             ~~*~~

Flash snapped back to reality, having completely lost himself in his memories yet again. It was dark out now, cold too, and he was walking next to Twilight with Lady Fresh Wind's manor at their backs. He had no memory of their visit nor what was said, he expressed as much to Twilight who giggled in response.

"I noticed, you were completely out of it, like a zombie," she laughed.

"I'm sorry, it's just I've been thinking..."

"I know, we talked about this, it's big," Twilight reassured him.

"Yeah, but it's just..." Flash paused and his throat clogged up. He could tell her, all of it, spill every lie that he had ever told her. How he had performed fraud on his military records, stolen, broken the law countless times, how he was no knight. He almost did it, he was so close but as Flash looked into Twilight's big lavender eyes that were filled with laughter, cheer, and the shine of something else, something warm and loving that Flash's heart craved like an addict. He could do it, he couldn't bring himself to destroy Flash Sentry and bring back Flash Hoof, no. He was in this far, there was no going back.

"It's nothing," Flash said. "Let's go home."