Flare of Hope

"Flare, we need to talk."

Flare stirred slightly in his bed at the sound of the familiar voice. "Five more minutes, BM1. It's not even reveille, yet."

He was suddenly surrounded by a dark blue aura, and lifted from the bed. As he hit the ground, his eyes shot wide open, and he flailed his legs wildly for a few seconds. "Hard left rudder! General quarters, general quarters!" After a few seconds, he stopped, and looked up at the Alicorn who had been watching him with slight amusement. "Oh... evening, Mom."

"Don't you 'evening, Mom' me, Flare. You've got some explaining to do."

"If this is about your marshmallow bunnies, then no, I swear I didn't eat them." Flare actually seemed slightly scared.

Luna raised an eyebrow at her son, and calmed her voice. She was bad at pretending to be angry. Oh, but she could be scary. "No... this is not about bunnies."

"Well that's a relie- What's that?" Flare was now looking down the smoking barrel of an all too familiar looking scroll.

"It is a letter from Twilight Sparkle detailing the damages caused to her home, and the therapy costs for a baby dragon. Care to explain just what in Equestria is going on, Flare? With the threat that's been made against Equestria, the last thing we need is an assault on one of the elements."

Flare could feel his stomach drop. He ran through every possible outcome of the situation in his head. None of them were good. Star had assaulted Celestia's personal student. Surely there would be repercussions. "Well, you see... what had happened was..." Flare went on to give every detail up to watching Twilight fly out the door, and.dragging Star back to the carriage. He neglected to mention throwing her in a lake to help her cool off. That was unnecessary, anyways.

"Well, Lady Star was most definitely carrying out her duties. I feel that there is no need for punishment on either part." The princess of the night smiled at her beloved son, and shockingly to him, embraced him in a hug. "And as for your relationship with Lady Star, I whole-heartedly approve."

"You wha?" Now he was lost. Was this all some kind of twisted plot to get their relationship out, and into the light? "So, did you just find out, or have you-"

"Oh, I knew all along. I was just waiting for you to tell me. I really loved all the little hints you tried to give me. It was really hard not to just come wake you up, myself, one morning."

"I just don't see how you could be so accepting of this so quickly, Mom. I mean I don't even think Aunt Celestia was that accepting when she found out about Cadance and Shining Armor."

"Well, dear. Let me tell you about your father." Luna plopped down onto the mattress,  and sat there comfortably.

Flare stood, and looked at his mother. He soon followed suit, and sat next to her.

"Once upon a time, I was a young Princess. Of course, being the busy mare that I was, I was utterly swamped with work, all the time. After a few centuries, I decided it was high time I find myself an advisor. Your aunt and I both began searching. After a while, I had found an advisor named Silver Flame. He was an especially talented Unicorn with the power over fire. Just like Miss Star. After a few years, we became close friends. Well, more thann close friends. Eventually we, oh, how did that one mare in Ponyville say it? Oh, yes. Eventually, we banged, and soon, I was pregnant with you. Now, back in those days, marrying a princess was unheard of. So Flame and I were forced to keep our love, as well as its rewards, a secret."

Flare looked at his mother, a look of surprise on his face. "So, my father was your advisor?"

Luna simply nodded. "So, what was that about my bunnies?"

"Thanks for coming out to lunch with me, Star. It's really nice to have somepony reliable with me. I'm sure that if anything happens, you'll be able to handle it."

"Think nothing of it, Cadance. What with your wedding coming up, and that threat against Canterlot, I can understand you'd be under a lot of Stress. I just hope Flare isn't getting Shining Armor in too much trouble."

Cadance laughed at Star. "Don't worry. Shining's a good stallion, and Flare's harmless. I'm sure there's nothing Flare can do to get him in trouble."

Star rubbed her forehead with a hoof, as she swallowed a bite of her daisy and dafodil sandwich. "Apparently, you've never seen how sailors party."

"CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG!" The scene at the tavern across town was rather typical of Stallions at a party. Well, almost.

Two unicorns slammed their glasses on the bar, having chugged the whole thing. If they were keeping count, they'd be on glass number nine. "Ready for another round, Flare?"

Flare grinned at the captain of the guard, his disguise fitting him a bit better than the one he used at the gala. He looked like a white unicorn with a spiked black mane, and blue eyes. "You're on, pal." The duo then proceeded to start on round number ten.

"I'm pretty sure Shining Armor can handle himself around Flare. He IS Captain of the Guard, after all."

Star only shrugged. "I wish I could come to the wedding, but after that restraining order that Twilight put on me..."

"It's fine, Star. Sure, it won't be the same without my best friend, but I promise I'll bring you a slice of cake. Besides. Knowing Flare, he'll probably refuse to go to the wedding without you. That'll be some nice quality time for the two of you. Maybe you can tell him how you really feel."

"Thanks, Cadance. I think you're right. A little bit of alone time may be just what we need."

Later that evening, two incredibly intoxicated stallions stumbled into Cadance's chamber, the unicorn actually laid over the alicorn's back, unconscious. "Eenin, Cedence. Surry I keppum ow suh lett. We's jus haven soooo mush fun. Whyidn ya innoduce me to 'im sooner? This guy'sa riot!"

"This is why, Flare. Now just put him in his bed, and go. You've caused enough trouble for one day." Something was off about Cadance, but Flare just couldn't put any of his 8 hooves on it.

"Hay, Ceddence... why's there two-a-ya?" Cadance turned, and looked around, almost as if she was afraid of another Cadance. Flare's heavily booze-hammered mind just couldn't piece that together. He wanted to ask his cousin if everything was alright, or if naybe the stress was getting to her. He also wanted to ask why her eyes were green. But alcohol has a mind of its own, and all that came out was "Why you bein' such a bitch?" And with that, Flare found himself on the other side of a slamming door. "Geez."

With nowhere else to go, Flare staggered down the hall to the stairway to his tower. As he finally made it to the top, heaving for air, he pushed to door open, and stumbled in, jumping onto the bed, completely unaware of the unicorn under the covers. "EEP! Flare, get off of me!"

Flare poked his head up, and looked around. "Who's there? Helloooo."

"Down here, you drunken idiot!"

Flare looked down, and pulled the covers away with his mouth. "Oh hi there, cutey. Whatchu doin' unner there?"

Star wriggled herself further out of the covers. "I WAS sleeping, but now, I'm being crushed by a drunk stallion. I can assume the bachelor party went well."

"Y'know, I think it's really sexy when you use big words like that. It's almost like yer speakin' French or somethin'."

"Flare, you're hammered."

"And you're sexy."

Star giggled. She had almost forgotten how Flare got when he was drunk. "Flare, lay down and go to sleep."

"Star. Bend over."

WHACK!

"I told you to go to sleep."