"Flash!"
He heard her voice, calling out to him, over and over again. Flash Sentry, the young Captain of the Everfree Royal Guard, was running as fast as his legs would carry him, through thickets and brambles, in a dark and foreboding place. He didn't know this realm, didn't want to know it. All he cared about was that the most important pony in his life was in danger, and that it was his duty to help her. Damn this place, he thought to himself. Too close to fly. No open sky. Have to run. And so he did, never caring for all the scrapes and cuts he was getting as this place's thorny walls pressed in on him. He just kept running, even when his lungs threatened to give in. In time, he began to see a light at the end of this horrible place, and so redoubled his efforts, thrusting himself forward in an effort to get out of this wretched hole he'd found himself in. Seconds passed in an instant, and to his almost-relief, he found himself free of it. But that feeling was short-lived as he now saw that lay ahead.
It was a clearing, a place of nothing but dead grass below and horrible, lightning-filled sky above. But there, in the centre, was the one he was looking for. Twilight Sparkle, Princess of the Everfree Kingdom and, most importantly to him, the mare he loved more than anypony else in the whole world. He charged towards her, wanting more than anything to be with her and to get her out of this terrible place. But she just stood there, waiting for him. Something is wrong, he thought to himself. And so it was that he was proved right. For it was in that instant that the ground cracked all around him, cutting him off from reaching her. He jolted back slightly, but managed to regain his balance just in time to see what was happening with Twilight. And when he saw, his eyes widened with horror. For something terrible had emerged from the cracks. Dark and twisted vines, not unlike those that stole Princess Celestia and Luna some time ago, stretching forth and reaching for the young alicorn, hoping to ensnare her. Seeing this, Flash stretched out his wings.
"Twilight!"
But he could not take flight, and as he turned his head to see why, he froze. Those same vines were now coiled around his back legs, holding him to the ground. No matter how hard he struggled, he wasn't going anywhere. Fearful, he turned back to see Twilight, and looked on in dismay as his beloved was now entangled herself, being lifted off the ground by these abominations. She fought against them, much like Flash was, but it was all for naught. For the vines kept on coming, kept on tightening around both of them. Flash called out her name, hoping that at least would give her something to grasp onto, to fight on. But instead, she turned to look at him, her eyes filled with tears. The stallion didn't understand why this was happening, why he wasn't able to break free. And so, he looked on helplessly as the mare he loved was starting to be dragged down towards the gaping hole in the ground, looking utterly despondent. Flash struggled as hard as he could, but nothing he did made any difference as he watched Twilight pulled down further. Eventually, he finally heard something from her. However, what he heard simply froze his heart.
"Why, Flash? Why couldn't you save me?"
The stallion's eyes began to water with this, looking on as the young Princess finally fell below, beyond his sight. He let out a scream of pain and grief at everything around him, and in an instant, everything changed. No longer was he in pain. No longer was he in a dank and hideous place. Instead, he found himself in what was, to him, the most pleasant place in the world. A bedroom. Specifically, it was their bedroom. The royal chambers of Twilight herself, situated in the recently-created crystal palace on the edge of Ponyville. The young stallion was sitting up in the bed, covered in a cold sweat, panting furiously over what he'd just experienced. A terrible thought came to him, and he snapped his head to the left, looking down to the other side of the bed. Relief washed over him as he saw that space was not vacant. Twilight was there, sleeping soundly beside him, looking utterly content and relaxed. No harm could be seen on her, no sign of an ordeal. A deep exhale escape his mouth as his wiped his brow of sweat.
"A nightmare."
Silently, he felt ashamed at having allowed himself to succumb to this, to let a bad dream get the better of him like that. But, he consoled himself on the very simple truth before him. Twilight is safe. She is here and she's with me. That's what matters. Looking back to her, a small smile formed on his face as he reached out a hoof, gently brushing aside a stray strand of hair from her face, causing a gentle and pleasant moan from his sleeping paramour. He turned away from her now, knowing he wasn't going to get back to sleep after this, and so opted to get out of bed as quietly as possible, lest he wake her. As silent as a mouse, he lifted himself out, gently flapping his wings and letting himself float away slightly, towards the door that led to the balcony beside their bedroom. Landing back on his hooves, he opened the door and exited the room, taking in a deep breath of the cold night-time air. It was a beautiful night, filled with not only many twinkling stars, but also the brightest moon he'd ever seen. The sky was quite a sight, that much was certain, and a welcome change from his experiences just now.
Although his spent a good few minutes here enjoying the peace, that quiet was soon disturbed by a sudden and very familiar voice coming from behind.
"Flash? Is something wrong?"
The stallion's eyes widened at that, causing him to turn. Sure enough, there was Twilight, facing him while rubbing her eyes with one of her hooves, a clear sign of having just woken. Although he was momentarily upset that she had been drawn into this, he put on a smile for her.
"It's nothing, my love. I'm sorry to have disturbed you."
Twilight observed his face carefully as he said that. Flash knew that, while she may not be an expert in reading people like other ponies, she was no novice to it. And above all else, he was not that good at covering up when something was bothering him. So, in an effort to hide this, he turned away from her, hoping to avoid eye contact. However, as he began to hear the sound of her approaching hoof-steps, he knew it was already too late.
"You know, you're not a very good liar."
As Twilight finally stood beside him, Flash let out a sigh.
"I’m sorry, Twilight. It's just..."
He kept his eyes away from her, not wanting her to see any weakness in him, not wanting her to worry. But, he soon felt a gentle hoof upon his shoulder, and found himself unable to keep his eyes off her any longer. She looked at him, almost pleading for him to let her in, to let her know what was wrong. And if there was one thing Flash could never do, it was refuse Twilight about anything. So, taking a deep breath, he began to explain.
"Twilight...you mean the world to me. When we started being together, I vowed to myself that I would never allow harm to come to you. And when I became your Captain, I resolved to enforce that vow more than ever."
Looking away from her, Flash placed a hoof upon the edge of the balcony, looking out at the sleeping Ponyville below.
"But when I think of all the things you've faced. Dragons. Gods of chaos. Magic-stealers from Tartarus. I can't help but think that...I can't fulfil my promise."
Twilight watched him carefully, never interrupting him, and waiting for him to say everything that he needed to say. And so it was that he soon continued.
"I believe in my own abilities, and since you made me a Captain I imagine you do too. But...in the face of all the horrors you and your friends have overcome...I wonder if there's anything I can really do to help you."
He looked down at the ground, feeling worse than before at having exposed his fears and worries to her. Would she think less of him? Would she, perhaps, actually agree that he could not help her when the time came? He honestly didn't know which possibility would be worse to endure. And so he waited in silence, counting the moments before she finally spoke in response. But, when she did answer, it was not with some melancholy tone, but rather, to his surprise, a giggle. Turning, he raised an eyebrow as he saw her lift a hoof to her mouth to stifle her laughter. Needless to say, Flash had not been expecting this, but nevertheless watched as Twilight stopped giggling and then began to speak.
"Has anypony ever told you that you and my brother are very similar?"
Flash, understandably, didn't really know how to take that.
"Well...I've heard that some ponies say we kinda sound alike, but..."
Another chuckle from Twilight soon silenced him, and Flash simply waited for her to say what she needed to.
"No. I mean you two share such similar worries. The last time I visited Cadence, she told me that Shining once had the exact same fear, that he couldn't do anything when faced with all the monsters and enemies that have been popping up."
Flash widened his eyes at that, quite taken aback that his old mentor, one of the strongest and bravest stallions he knew, would also let himself have these kinds of fears. Now intrigued, Flash stepped closer to Twilight.
"And...what happened?"
Twilight gave a small smile to him as she answered.
"Cadence said to him the same thing that I'll say to you now. You don't need to worry about this, Flash. I think it's very sweet and brave that you want to put yourself between me and everything that wants to hurt me. That's the mark of a good soldier, a good Captain. And I know how you feel. As a Princess, it's also my responsibility to make sure that the ponies around me are alright. And I too worry about letting them down."
It was here that Twilight stepped forward, gently nuzzling the side of Flash's head with her own. The stallion felt greatly relaxed by his love's touch like this, and soon heard her calming voice yet again.
"It's something I once told Applejack. You can't handle everything all by yourself. Sometimes, you have to rely on others. Sometimes...sometimes you have to accept that there are something you just can’t do, and that there's no shame in that."
Twilight pulled away from him, looking right into his eyes as she continued.
"When I tried saving the crystal heart from Sombra, I felt helpless. I thought that if I couldn't do it, then nopony could. But I learned that day the value of not shouldering every burden, to let others help you."
Raising a hoof, Twilight gently put it to the side of Flash's face, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Maybe that's something I can teach you, too."
Flash looked at his beloved, taking in every word she'd said to him. He knew she meant all of it, and that she'd experienced her fair share of hardships. Perhaps most of all, that was what finally made him feel at ease with all of this. After all, Twilight had face many terrible things long before the two of them had ever met, and she'd come out of it every time. Even when he was with her, she was able to defeat whatever threat was thrown her way. Realising that, and letting his love's comforting words wash over him, it felt as if a great weight had been lifted from him. He sighed heavily, looking to her and giving an affectionate smile. Twilight smiled back, and the two stepped closer, planting their lips upon each other in a gentle kiss that lasted for some time. When the two eventually parted, Flash chuckled at himself for all of this. He knew it wasn't wrong to have had those fears, but he should have known that, even if he wasn't always there, Twilight always had ponies with her that would keep her safe from whatever the world had in store for her. Smiling at her, He lifted a wing and wrapped it around her, holding her close.
"Thank you, my love."
Twilight smiled at him before stretching her head forward and giving him another kiss, on the cheek this time, before replying to him.
"Then let's return to bed, Captain Sentry. If something evil comes our way, I'm sure it can wait till morning."
