The Princess and the Sentryby Neroson40ChaptersWhy Does This Keep Happening!?I Am Going to Kill You, YOU SON OF A-!-What Could Possibly Go Wrong? -EverythingDon’t Touch Me, I’m Murphey’s LawYou Need a VacationWhy Do I Need A Spa!?And I Thought He Was SmartWhy Does This Keep Happening!?Twilight Sparkle It’d been a full month since the whole Dazzlings Escapade at Canterlot High, when I got a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that attending the Grand Galloping Gala was no longer an Option for me… I was not excited about that happening again… and that it was mandatory that I bring five other guests… my choices were obvious, but they wouldn’t be very keen on the idea of going to another Gala… and that it was happening… in the Crystal Empire? Okay now I know she’s… “Trolling?” Yeah, Trolling me! I was resting my head on the table, seething in annoyance that I had to do this… at least I could leave my friends out of it and invite five ponies I at least… knew, right? “Hey, Twilight!” A voice said behind me, making me jump. “Whoa! Calm down! It’s just me!” I turned around to see Rainbow Dash. “How do you do that!?” I asked. “Nevermind, now’s not a good time for whatever favor you need.” “Actually I was here to see why I heard you screamed so loud I heard you from Cloudsdale,” oh… this was gonna be awkward. “Something happen?” “Yeah… I got a letter from Princess Celestia,” I explained “Apparently, I’m required to go to the Grand Galloping Gala and invite five guests with me,” Rainbow Dash flinched. I could tell she didn’t want to go to the Gala again after what happened last time. “If you don’t want to go, I wasn’t gonna invite you-” I started, but she raised a hoof to get me to stop. “DON’T… finish… that sentence…” I was confused. “I’d lose a week’s worth of sleep if I turned down your invitation, but you not inviting me? I’ll be worried with how it went for the next decade!” “A little over the top aren’t we?” I asked. “Not the point! The point is, if you invited me (I’d probably not like the idea) but I’d still go because you’re my friend!” I was speechless… couldn't even get that out. This was very profound, especially considering it was Rainbow Dash, the most athletic and thickheaded pony in Ponyville, if not Equestria. “Well? Aren’t you gonna say something?” “Yeah, I’m gonna need that kind of friendship if I’m gonna survive the Gala.” I used magic to “hand” her a ticket, she read it and looked confused at one point. “The Crystal Empire?” she asked. “This is a set up.” “I know.” It turns out all my friends felt the same way as Rainbow (with the exception of Pinkie who was helping with the Organization of the Gala, because… Reasons?) though they each put it differently. The day of the Gala came around and we decided to do one thing differently than last time, Stick Together. We did socialize with other ponies, but it was strange that I didn’t see my brother or Cadance yet… but nopony bothered to question it. I told the girls I would go get some drinks, making a bee line for the Buffet Table, got six cups of cherry punch and turned back to give five of them to my friends when I bumped into somepony. “Hello again, Princess,” I heard that Familiar voice and knew who I bumped into. My heart almost beat its way out of my chest as I looked up to see Flash Sentry. He was in the same armor that he was when I last saw him, and when I asked Shining about him he told me that Flash was a private for the past five years, though he wouldn’t say why. “Fla-” I stopped myself. “Private Sentry, good to see you again.” “Enjoying yourself, Princess?” he asked. “So far, but then again I’m not having the same problems that I had last time,” this seemed to pique some interest from him. “You’ve been to another Gala before?” he asked. “What happened?” “Applejack wasn’t getting any business, the Wonderbolts and the Colt who got Rarity’s attention were jerks, Fluttershy wasn’t making any new friends, and you don’t want to see Pinkie Pie bored." he seemed to get it. “I’m sorry the Experience was… Less than enjoyable.” “It ended better than it started though,” I assured. “And now… I’m looking forward to this one.” He smiled then looked a little concerned. “Your face is red,” Oh no. “Are you feeling alright?” “Are you on duty?” I said to avoid the question. “Oh! Thank you for reminding me!” he rushed off to the south exit, before stopping to say something else. “I’ll get an hour Off Duty halfway through, talk to you then?” “Yeah…” I said loud enough for him to hear. He nodded and went back to his station, I went to get more punch and back to the girls. “There y’are Twi- are y’alright?” Applejack asked. In response, I found a table, put the drinks down, and slammed my head onto it. “Let’s take that as a ‘no,’” Fluttershy said. “What happened?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Did I get a stale cake that you ate a piece of?” “No Pinkie…” I was a bit hesitant to tell them. “It’s a colt.” “Oh, Yay!” Rarity said. “I want to hear all the details!” the other girls left except for Rainbow Dash, who wanted to make sure I “didn’t break” under Rarity’s questions. I reminded her about what Sunset Shimmer did a couple months back and told her that during that time I had my eyes on a… boy. That was Flash Sentry. Back in that world, I was sure I had a chance. I wasn’t royalty to anyone’s knowledge for a while, and besides the bad name that Sunset Shimmer was spreading (Which didn’t last long anyway), nopony had anything mean to say. “Here… I’ve got nothing!” I sobbed. “I’m royalty, but that would intimidate anypony, I’m a neat freak who doesn’t talk to anypony who rips a page in a cookbook, and generally-” “He’s lucky you even think about him!” Rainbow said. I looked at her in shock. “You are a great mare, any guy would be lucky to have you!” “Even those who work for my Brother?” I queried. “He’d probably skin them alive, but that’s a chance you have to take!” Rarity said. “Besides, you have a mouth and a mind for a reason, talk to him about it!” Shining Armor I was just about to have the Guards change stations when I noticed the long-term Private, Sentry barely looking up. I had the guards change quickly, and went to Sentry Last. “Sentry,” I said. He didn’t make an attempt to look up. “Sentry!” I yelled a little louder. It was then that he snapped out of the daze, and saluted. “It’s time to change shifts,” I said. “Something ailing you?” “Permission to Speak Freely sir?” “Permission Granted,” I said. “I think your sister is bad for my self-esteem,” I had to ask if that was a compliment. “Of sorts… I guess. You probably don’t want to hear me talk about how I see your sister, sir.” “You like her, right?” I asked, trying not to sound… intimidating, or older brotherly. “Yes sir.” “Then why haven’t you asked her out by now?” he looked back into the ballroom, scanning the crowd for Twily with despondency on his face. “I… I’m not good enough,” I know where he was coming from. He was the only Pegasus in the Air Patrol who couldn’t fly on his own because of an accident that destroyed most of the nerves in his wings. He was constantly made fun of, and just to make sure that he actually had friends, I had to yell at him, telling him he can do better, even when he’s done better than everypony in his squad! I was only on friendly terms with him whenever his armor was supposed to come off (and we both knew why) but there was still a lot going for him! In fact… “OKAY, THAT’S IT!” “What…?” “Private, you are asking my sister out, THAT’S AN ORDER!” …not something I ever thought I’d say. “Are you sure Commander?” “ARE YOU QUESTIONING AN ORDER SOLDIER!?” “SIR, NO, SIR!” “THEN MOooOVE OUT!” he sprinted down the hall to change out of his Armor and into his Father’s suit, I’m sure. I let out a small chuckle as something clicked into my head for the 10,547th time, I love this job. I Am Going to Kill You, YOU SON OF A-!Author's Note you recognize this slow dance situation... you get ten points for good taste in music. I Am Going to Kill You, YOU SON OF A-! Flash Sentry I was not looking forward to asking Twilight out. There were a lot of possible answers to the question that Commander Shining told me to ask that I was prepared for… though I have to wonder why he ordered me to ask his sister out, anyway out of all the potential answers, at least sixty five percent were definite no. I thought I’d just ask her out and get it over with in ten seconds flat… but nope! Twilight’s friends apparently had a sadistic streak against me and told her to drag me out on the floor to dance. A slow song popped on the speakers and Twilight looked to see a friend of hers pulling a few strings with the DJ. “Don’t look back, just look at me,” She said. She was moving very conservatively for someone for her reputation on the dance floor, even when the song is for slow dancing. “You’re holding back.” “Shut up and dance.” I did as she told me, not just because she’s a princess. I don’t know why, but I wanted to enjoy this while I could, not like I was getting that date anyway. We were enjoying the music, swaying to the sound and leaning against each other… but then they showed up. “Hey, Sentry!” I heard that mocking tone and knew I was in trouble. “Summerbolt,” I said. “Don’t you have any form of a life?” “What could any insult from you mean to me?” I didn’t have to look at that yellow face with the fiery hair to know he was smirking. “Do you get bored so easily that you have to taunt the handicapped for fun?” “Air Patrol LOSER like you who can’t even fly? Why’d you even get drafted?” I had a feeling that if I bucked right there, I’d hit him in the face, but Twilight was still there and I thought that’d be… inelegant. “Dead weight like you isn’t needed in the guard!” okay, SCREW ELEGANCY! I prepared to lift my hind legs up when all of a sudden; “Who’s the dead weight here!?” Twilight yelled. “If you’re antagonizing one of your own I don’t think your superiors would take kindly to the degradation of his productivity!” “What’d you say, M-!” I was certain that Summerbolt would’ve called her a mule (bitch), but he saw who he was talking to just in time. “Princess Twilight!” “You will stop making fun of him, or I will see you three demoted! Or worse, discharged!” I got one look at the satisfying look of fear on the faces of Summerbolt and his twin goons Argen and Auren, before they gave their acknowledgement, bowed and left. “I owe you one,” I said. “Then…” She blushed “How about a date?”… I was silent. I was ordered to ask her out and I never got the nerve to pull off that order due to an inferiority complex. Now she’s asking me out? What could I do besides say what I did? “Yeah, will you be here tomorrow?” “I should be, you got somewhere in mind?” “Yeah.” The Gala ended, she found her friends and went back to… wherever they were staying. I headed back to my quarters and bumped into Com- Shining on the way. “How’d it go?” he asked. I realized he ordered me to ask her out and started laughing quietly. “What happened?” “I didn’t ask her out…” I said. He looked annoyed for like twenty seconds, putting his hoof to his head and closing his eyes like he had a migraine. “But we do have a date.” His eyes shot open and he swiftly turned his head to look at me. “Oh the Anvil of Irony!” Shining said. “I did NOT see that coming.” He looked embarrassed for not predicting it. “I swear!” I said in my defense, because brothers and boyfriends. “I didn’t know she liked me!” “Not the liking you part, I saw that coming,” he said. “I meant I didn’t predict that she’d ask you out.” “Wait…” I just pieced it together. “YOU KNEW!?” “When you got a wife like mine, you pick up on a few things,” I wanted to yell at him, but he was my boss. “Good luck with the date.” He patted my shoulder and went back to his office. I sighed, returned, to my quarters, changed out of my suit and into my nightclothes, and went to sleep. Dreams about the whole night danced through my head, like bumping into Twilight again being yelled at by Shining for my Inferiority Complex and dancing with Twilight… all leading up to setting up a date with her tomorrow. It was shinier than I remember it actually happening, and there were a lot more bubbles and lens flares (don’t ask), but the only other thing about it was that while we were dancing, everypony around us was in black and white, and they were looking at us. I wish it happened like that and lasted forever. But nope! I had to wake up to Col. Shiner’s screaming whistle and an order from Shining saying I had the day off, but I wasn’t allowed to leave the empire. Twilight Sparkle I had no idea how Shining was gonna take this. I mean, you ask one of your brother’s employees to go on a date with him? If he doesn’t blow a gasket there’s something he needs to explain. I waited for him to show up, because I already knocked enough to know he wasn’t there. I finally saw him round a corner. He looked exhausted and was mumbling to himself, before he looked up and noticed me. “Twily!” he said. We rushed and hugged each other. “What brings you here? Besides the Gala, I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, guard business and shield spell stuff, and Cadence was told to keep away from the Gala this time as Celestia wanted to see how you’d do.” That explains that, I guess. “I came here to talk to you about something you might not be happy with.” He stopped in his tracks, slack-faced and wide eyed. Then he put his hoof to his muzzle and closed his eyes like something was hurting him. “I knew this was coming,” he said. He unlocked his office door and ushered me inside. “Is this about dating one of my guards?” now it was my turn to be slack-faced and wide eyed. “How did you know!?” I asked. He sighed. “Allow me to repeat myself; Oh the Anvil of Irony!” I was confused. “Flash Sentry, right?” I confirmed that. “Okay, he has a bit of an Inferiority Complex, and for good reason. His life for the past five years was… less than tolerable. When I found out that he like you brotherly instincts were first thing to kick in, but he said and I quote ‘I’m not good enough.’” I was confused but okay. “For a while this was a re-assurance… then it got annoying, tonight was the last straw, so I used my position above him to order him to ask you out.” “Wait what? What!? WHAT!?” three different reactions all let out at once. One, I was severely confused, did that mean Flash didn’t want to go out with me, or did that mean he wouldn’t have asked? Two, Shining told my date to ask me out, ergo he tried to have some control over my love life, just because he was annoyed, who was he Cadance!? And three, my Brother ordered his subordinate to ask me out? I repeat; WHAT!? Most brothers I know about try to stop their sisters from dating, but not my brother! He got me a date by ordering him to ask me out! “I know it’s infuriating and confusing, if not just infuriating,” he said. “But I swear! He likes you! He just wouldn’t have gotten the courage to ask you out if I didn’t tell him to!” “Well… he didn’t…” I said. “I asked him.” “I am also aware of that,” he said. “I strongly doubt you’ll forgive me… but in case you do, I’m sorry.” “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Your heart was in the right place… I guess.” -What Could Possibly Go Wrong? -EverythingTwilight Sparkle I woke up to Cadence knocking on the door of my room and asking if she could come in. I told her she could, though I’d have to wonder how she found the Inn the girls and I were staying at. “Okay Twilight,” she said. “I heard about your date this afternoon.” ‘Aw great,’ I thought, ‘she’s here to lecture me,’ then I remembered that I had a date… and that it was with FLASH SENTRY of all colts! I got really nervous, what if Flash didn’t like me!? What if Shining was only telling me what I wanted to hear last night when he said that Flash did like me!? What Flash did like me but then it went away when he got to know the real me!? What if I didn’t like him after this date!? What if- “Calm down, Twilight!” Cadance snapped me out of my episode just before my head hit the ceiling. “I know you’re worried, I was my first date too,” She assured me. “but the key to a good date is to let it happen.” “That’s the thing! What if too much happens!?” Cadance looked half pitiful, and half joking. “Trust me on this,” Cadance said. “Too much for Flash Sentry to take, that’s pretty close to impossible.” Those bullies did say he couldn’t fly. And judging by Flash’s tone that wasn’t the first time he dealt with them. But when I went to the Fall Formal with the Flash Sentry person, he played guitar and had no interest in protecting anything or anyone in such a way as the Flash Sentry pony does. What happened to him? Why was he in the guard? I wanted to ask Cadance, but she made it clear that she wasn’t talking about it if Flash didn’t. Shining Armor Was I on board with Flash Sentry, my subordinate and part-time friend, going on a date with Twilight Sparkle, one of four of our protection charges and my little sister? I’m sure I was at least eighty-six percent all for it, the other fourteen percent had to constantly be reminded that it was for both their self-esteem. Maybe even the rest of their lives…nguh, I hoped this didn’t cause me as much pain as I was expecting. I went to see Flash, give him a warning, then a pep talk, and take care of the rest of my daily chores. I found his quarters and knocked to find the place trashed and seemingly empty. “Sentry!?” I was very worried, Flash was a messy colt, but there was always some organization to it. Today it looked like a storm blew through. I heard a groan, and found Flash huddled in the corner behind a toppled yet still intact mirror and a relocated trunk with the initials FS painted on it. He was shaking and mumbling, tears just wouldn’t stop coming out of his eyes, I came to two conclusions, either he was finally experiencing PTSD or something he had was spiked. I found a bottle of antidepressant pills spilled across the floor, picked them up, read the total and counted only two missing for each day since I was last here, including today. “Geez Louise,” I said. “What did you get into?” I picked him up and dragged him to the water bowl and dowsed his face. “What was I doing?” Flash asked after he got his bearings. “You took some happy pills and went crazy,” He looked at the corner he was in for a little bit. “I don’t think it was the pills, sir.” I wasn’t starting this again. Screw the warning, screw the pep talk; I was not having him depressing me with his personal life. “Just be ready for your date by noon,” I said. “If you don’t show up, it’ll be a good thing you don’t need those wings.” Serious shock, he didn’t dare call my bluff. Flash Sentry I was kinda happy that this date with Princess Twilight was actually happening, but at the same time, you’d think I was afraid all hay would break loose. Princess Cadance brought Twilight to the meeting spot, the Crystal Heart’s altar, and I swear my jaw would’ve dislocated if it dropped any lower. She was wearing a simple white sundress with a few flowers around the waist and train. Her hair had a couple waves in it, and if she was wearing any makeup, you couldn’t tell. If that Rarity mare worked on her look for this date, I wouldn’t be surprised. In fact, I’d say this was her best work yet. “Hey, Flash,” she said sounding a little shy. What did she have to be shy about!? “Hey, Twilight,” I said. “Well, I’ll be back at the Palace,” Cadance said. “Flash please, try to show her a good time.” As she left I hoped she meant on the date. “So, shall we?” I said gesturing down the road. She smiled, showing complete trust. “Let’s.” Don’t Touch Me, I’m Murphey’s LawAuthor's Note Okay, to whoever said, and I paraphrase, "Someone's gonna get murphied," are you happy now!? Don’t Touch Me, I’m Murphey’s Law FlashSentry First thing that went wrong, the place I was going to take her to was packed. Having a personal connection to the proprietors yields no advantage in these situations, at least I didn’t like it to, in fact the lucky break we had of getting the next open table for two was mostly on the part of Twilight’s status as Princess… I really didn’t want that, I was planning to try to give her a day away from the royalty treatment. “Yeah… sorry about that,” I said. She looked at me with a lopsided smile. “It’s fine,” She said. “At least we got in.” “I was kinda hoping you wouldn’t be treated like a Princess for at least one day.” I looked down and despondently read the menu. She seemed to understand, and put her hoof on mine. “I’m telling you, it’s fine!” she assured. She made me feel a little better… though my pulse was increased exponentially. We ordered our meals, two BLT Paninis (With hay bacon, not real we don’t have that kind of digestive system) and avocado spread on the side. After that we went for a walk in the park to talk. “So, Flash,” She asked her fiftieth question. “I heard that the past five years were… not the best for you, mainly because you can’t fly… can you tell me about it?” I couldn’t bear to tell her the whole story, so I made something up. “I was drafted into the guard with fully functional wings. My first assignment was to get the previous mayor of Ponyville out of a burning building. The job was a success, but an OJA or On the Job Accident caused three out of four nerves in my wings to stop working.” “That sounds awful!” She said. “And… not at all realistic.” “What do you mean?” I said getting nervous. “Mayor Mare has been in the Mayoral office for the past ten years.” And there goes my alibi. “Sorry, Twilight, the real experience was very traumatic,” I explained. “I don’t want to talk about it.” “I see… I understand.” She didn’t talk any more about it, and I didn’t ask anything personal about her. I think I embarrassed myself enough when I faceplanted on the road over a stray root. She just giggled, I looked up and smiled pathetically with blood dripping down my muzzle. “Oh! Are you alright!?” “Here, let me help with the nose,” her horn started glowing and her magic made the blood stop flowing and disappear. She lifted her head to see the results, and I swear, I never saw a more beautiful sight than her eyes up close, and I saw Rainbow Falls on a field trip as a foal. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to feel those lips on mine, but… I couldn’t. Not after those spectacular fails. I got up, gathered my two remaining shreds of dignity, and took her back to the palace. “Flash,” she said before I went back to my room. “I… had a lot of fun…” shock took over my face as that sank in. “I’d like to do this again, if that’s okay with you.” What could I say but yes? Shining Armor Sentry came past my office looking tired, not even bothering to stop. I stepped out to see what was wrong. “She asked me out again,” he said before I could say anything. “How is that bad?” I asked. “I showed her the worst time you could possibly show a mare without meaning to!” okay I’d have to talk to her about it, and ask why. Maybe before she left tomorrow. Twilight Sparkle “I swear I was trying!” I told Cadance. I had already told her everything about the date, but she was convinced that the date was a dud. “I never said that it was your fault did I?” I thought about it. The main reason I asked him out again was because he was funny and caring, as shown through the events of the date. But was he trying to be funny? …hopefully not with the nosebleed, that would be cause for some major concern. Looking at the whole date from his standpoint and taking out the possibility that he was trying to be funny… well that-no… well maybe the-no… okay it was failed on his part, and I didn’t know whether to be sorry I gave him a second chance to embarrass himself, or happy because I gave him the possibility to show me a better time. “What… Have I done?” I said staring at Cadance. “Don’t freak out!” Cadance said. “if you think of this as a bad thing… it’s gonna be a bad thing.” “Okay… I’m calming down.” “When is your next date with him?” “We were gonna discuss that before I left tomorrow.” You Need a VacationFlash Sentry Twilight and I agreed that the next time I got time off, I’d head down to Ponyville for a date according to her rules. I waited for five weeks for a scheduled leave from Commander Armor. He kept me busy for those five weeks, a couple of times I stopped a couple hungry foals from stealing from the castle… though I let them go with some money for food. There was also a very poorly thought out assassination attempt on Cadence’s life, but nothing more exciting than that. Whenever I thought about Twilight, I worked harder than I was told too, if I couldn’t fly on my own, I would at least be fit everywhere else. I kept up the training with my Nagado (Way of the Dragon) teacher, Sentinel Dragon Scales and got my green belt the fourth week. It was about time for me to go get breakfast on the first day of the last week that Shining came and delivered a message from Princess Celestia herself. “Sorry, Private,” Shining said. “I personally read all mail to the Guards to ensure safety among the sector.” I would call Bull… but I’ve seen him do it from time to time when brought into his office, even receiving the same explanation from other guards. I took the letter and read it. Private Flash Sentry Based on reports from Commander Shining Armor, you have been putting one-hundred-and-ten-percent of your effort into your training and general Guard Duty. As somepony who cares for every individual citizen of the Land of Equestria, I must tell you that you need a break. You are to go off-base and take a month off duty. The destination is your choice, but try not to leave Equestria until you’ve fully rested. By calculations according to the Council of Seven you should be leaving six days after you receive this letter. I appreciate your efforts towards our country, and hope that you will continue them, Princess Celestia. After I registered that last punctuation mark, my muscles started to ache and I involuntarily stretched a little. “Go see the Medic tent after breakfast,” Shining ordered. “Report to me after their treatment.” Shining Armor I didn’t want to agree with the princess’ letter, we needed all the help we could get after that attempt on Cadence’s head, and he’s always been the best at getting the kids taken care of when they come to steal food or money or anything worth stealing (Hey, I’ve taken a few tips from him with the kids offering some jobs to work with). But I did agree with Celestia on one thing, he wasn’t invincible. He was gonna break if he kept this up. Yeah he carried himself like he was fine from wake up to lights out, but there were a few things that my special talent told me that he was having trouble with. He was moving more slowly, tensing up now and then, breathing ever so slightly more painfully, the works. He needed this. Of course there was something obvious about what he was going to do with this time… I wasn’t too on board with it, but I had to step aside and just let it happen. That’s what trusting brothers like myself do. Why Do I Need A Spa!?Twilight Sparkle The Letter from Shining that said that Flash was more than Likely going to be spending a month in Ponyville soon made butterflies flock to my stomach. Though the rest of the letter, about him pushing himself a little harder than necessary made me worried. But then again, Princess Celestia would only do this otherwise if I asked her to, which I didn’t. I waited by the station for him to arrive. The convoy of Guard Ponies returning from the lines brought tears to my eyes when I saw the happy faces of their families… then I saw Flash get off the train. He still made me swoon at the mere sight of him, but he looked… different. His muscles were swollen and glowing a sore red. He looked so tired that he couldn’t take his eyes off the ground. If I didn’t stand right where I was he probably would’ve just kept on walking until he hit a wall. “We really need to stop bumping into each other like this,” I said as we hit the floor. I helped him up and asked if he was okay. “I was fine until I got permission for this vacation,” He laughed only to double over in pain. “Sorry.” “It’s fine…” I said. “Let’s go to the spa, that’ll help you relax a little.” “What self-respecting soldier goes to the spa?” he joked. “A live one with few other options,” I responded. He snickered. Flash Sentry “Why are we asking your friends to join us?” I asked. I thought this would be the date we established a month and a half ago, as in just the two of us. “They still can’t believe I have a boyfriend,” Twilight said. “They need to meet you, at least once.” The only one who could make it was Rarity, and for some reason I was okay with that. Rarity got one good look at me and then ordered something extremely longwinded for me when we got to the spa. “Wait, what?” before anyone could answer I was dragged away, massaged, bathed, manicured, and given such a relaxing facial that I lost track of time. When I got out of the treatments Rairty and Twilight were already done and Rarity paid for all of us… and my eyes nearly exploded when I saw the number of zero’s behind the nine, and Rarity was paying for it all! “Don’t worry about it,” Twilight said. “Rarity makes double that much in three days with her fashion designs.” “My sister was into fashion for a while, and I didn’t hear about her until I met you, why’s that?” “She took off last year.” “Well, Darlings,” Rarity said. “I need to get back to work, I’ll be out in a week or so.” And she was off. I swear the spa ponies used some sort of energizing magic back at the Spa, because I didn’t feel tired in the slightest when Twilight showed me to the library she called home. “Spike, my dragon partner’s away on business for Rarity, so we’ve got the place to ourselves for a while.” “If he’s your partner why’s he working with Rarity?” I asked. “Because Kasa Nova can’t take his eyes off her.” “Yeah… that’s, uh…. that’s weird…” Author's Note I'll be working on this one for a little while. And I Thought He Was SmartFlash and I were playing a game of chess and, I’ll admit, he was giving me a hard time. He was a genius with this! Then again he was a soldier, so maybe this was standard. But eventually I did get checkmate. We read a few books, but then there was one that talked about an item called the Alicorn King’s Rock. “Put that away,” He said. Then he picked up a book on chemistry. He focused so hard that I couldn’t even pester him about the Fountain. “You’re not even reading it!” I said. Then he quoted the chemical makeup of a pony. “Okay, you did, but what’s so wrong with the Alicorn King’s Rock that you don’t want to talk about it?” “My parents died because I tried to make one!” I shut up and didn’t talk about it ever again. He went back to the Crystal Empire a week later, when he said he felt good enough to go back. I was so worried that the very next day I went to check on him. When Shining greeted me first I was curious, frightened even, about the state of Flash’s health. “If you’re worried about Flash, he’s fine,” Shining explained. “Right now he’s sparring with Dragon Scales in for his final test in Nagado.” We passed by the two subjects of our discussion, and I decided to cheer him on… right as he was knocked into a wall. “Flash!” I ran to him checked him up and down as he slipped into unconsciousness. “Somepony help him!” medics came and took him to the infirmary. I waited for what felt like days. He still lay unconscious after a week. On the eight day, I left for Shining and Cadence’s room to cry on cadence’s shoulder. “He’ll be fine Twilight,” she assured. “He just needs to rest.” “But how long do I have to wait to say I’m sorry!?” I told Cadence what happened at the Library with the talk of the Alicorn King’s Rock. “You shouldn’t have opened that book Twilight,” She said. “Creation of the Rock is forbidden.” “I know that now!” I yelled. “But I wasn’t going to create it! I burned the book after I finished it, and tried to have a conversation with Flash about it, he said it brought back memories of his family! I at least owe him an apology for that!” I’m sure Cadence would’ve said something to comfort me in that regard. But then Shining came into the room. “He’s awake.” He said flatly. “Twilight I want you to stay away from him for now.” “What! Why!?” “He’s only gonna hurt you.” I should’ve listened. I should’ve went back to my room and stayed there, listened to my brother, stayed away… the biggest hint to this was his first words to me were “Who are you?” Author's Note okay the prequel's done, rushed but done, now look forward to Final Flashlight.
Why Does This Keep Happening!?Twilight Sparkle It’d been a full month since the whole Dazzlings Escapade at Canterlot High, when I got a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that attending the Grand Galloping Gala was no longer an Option for me… I was not excited about that happening again… and that it was mandatory that I bring five other guests… my choices were obvious, but they wouldn’t be very keen on the idea of going to another Gala… and that it was happening… in the Crystal Empire? Okay now I know she’s… “Trolling?” Yeah, Trolling me! I was resting my head on the table, seething in annoyance that I had to do this… at least I could leave my friends out of it and invite five ponies I at least… knew, right? “Hey, Twilight!” A voice said behind me, making me jump. “Whoa! Calm down! It’s just me!” I turned around to see Rainbow Dash. “How do you do that!?” I asked. “Nevermind, now’s not a good time for whatever favor you need.” “Actually I was here to see why I heard you screamed so loud I heard you from Cloudsdale,” oh… this was gonna be awkward. “Something happen?” “Yeah… I got a letter from Princess Celestia,” I explained “Apparently, I’m required to go to the Grand Galloping Gala and invite five guests with me,” Rainbow Dash flinched. I could tell she didn’t want to go to the Gala again after what happened last time. “If you don’t want to go, I wasn’t gonna invite you-” I started, but she raised a hoof to get me to stop. “DON’T… finish… that sentence…” I was confused. “I’d lose a week’s worth of sleep if I turned down your invitation, but you not inviting me? I’ll be worried with how it went for the next decade!” “A little over the top aren’t we?” I asked. “Not the point! The point is, if you invited me (I’d probably not like the idea) but I’d still go because you’re my friend!” I was speechless… couldn't even get that out. This was very profound, especially considering it was Rainbow Dash, the most athletic and thickheaded pony in Ponyville, if not Equestria. “Well? Aren’t you gonna say something?” “Yeah, I’m gonna need that kind of friendship if I’m gonna survive the Gala.” I used magic to “hand” her a ticket, she read it and looked confused at one point. “The Crystal Empire?” she asked. “This is a set up.” “I know.” It turns out all my friends felt the same way as Rainbow (with the exception of Pinkie who was helping with the Organization of the Gala, because… Reasons?) though they each put it differently. The day of the Gala came around and we decided to do one thing differently than last time, Stick Together. We did socialize with other ponies, but it was strange that I didn’t see my brother or Cadance yet… but nopony bothered to question it. I told the girls I would go get some drinks, making a bee line for the Buffet Table, got six cups of cherry punch and turned back to give five of them to my friends when I bumped into somepony. “Hello again, Princess,” I heard that Familiar voice and knew who I bumped into. My heart almost beat its way out of my chest as I looked up to see Flash Sentry. He was in the same armor that he was when I last saw him, and when I asked Shining about him he told me that Flash was a private for the past five years, though he wouldn’t say why. “Fla-” I stopped myself. “Private Sentry, good to see you again.” “Enjoying yourself, Princess?” he asked. “So far, but then again I’m not having the same problems that I had last time,” this seemed to pique some interest from him. “You’ve been to another Gala before?” he asked. “What happened?” “Applejack wasn’t getting any business, the Wonderbolts and the Colt who got Rarity’s attention were jerks, Fluttershy wasn’t making any new friends, and you don’t want to see Pinkie Pie bored." he seemed to get it. “I’m sorry the Experience was… Less than enjoyable.” “It ended better than it started though,” I assured. “And now… I’m looking forward to this one.” He smiled then looked a little concerned. “Your face is red,” Oh no. “Are you feeling alright?” “Are you on duty?” I said to avoid the question. “Oh! Thank you for reminding me!” he rushed off to the south exit, before stopping to say something else. “I’ll get an hour Off Duty halfway through, talk to you then?” “Yeah…” I said loud enough for him to hear. He nodded and went back to his station, I went to get more punch and back to the girls. “There y’are Twi- are y’alright?” Applejack asked. In response, I found a table, put the drinks down, and slammed my head onto it. “Let’s take that as a ‘no,’” Fluttershy said. “What happened?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Did I get a stale cake that you ate a piece of?” “No Pinkie…” I was a bit hesitant to tell them. “It’s a colt.” “Oh, Yay!” Rarity said. “I want to hear all the details!” the other girls left except for Rainbow Dash, who wanted to make sure I “didn’t break” under Rarity’s questions. I reminded her about what Sunset Shimmer did a couple months back and told her that during that time I had my eyes on a… boy. That was Flash Sentry. Back in that world, I was sure I had a chance. I wasn’t royalty to anyone’s knowledge for a while, and besides the bad name that Sunset Shimmer was spreading (Which didn’t last long anyway), nopony had anything mean to say. “Here… I’ve got nothing!” I sobbed. “I’m royalty, but that would intimidate anypony, I’m a neat freak who doesn’t talk to anypony who rips a page in a cookbook, and generally-” “He’s lucky you even think about him!” Rainbow said. I looked at her in shock. “You are a great mare, any guy would be lucky to have you!” “Even those who work for my Brother?” I queried. “He’d probably skin them alive, but that’s a chance you have to take!” Rarity said. “Besides, you have a mouth and a mind for a reason, talk to him about it!” Shining Armor I was just about to have the Guards change stations when I noticed the long-term Private, Sentry barely looking up. I had the guards change quickly, and went to Sentry Last. “Sentry,” I said. He didn’t make an attempt to look up. “Sentry!” I yelled a little louder. It was then that he snapped out of the daze, and saluted. “It’s time to change shifts,” I said. “Something ailing you?” “Permission to Speak Freely sir?” “Permission Granted,” I said. “I think your sister is bad for my self-esteem,” I had to ask if that was a compliment. “Of sorts… I guess. You probably don’t want to hear me talk about how I see your sister, sir.” “You like her, right?” I asked, trying not to sound… intimidating, or older brotherly. “Yes sir.” “Then why haven’t you asked her out by now?” he looked back into the ballroom, scanning the crowd for Twily with despondency on his face. “I… I’m not good enough,” I know where he was coming from. He was the only Pegasus in the Air Patrol who couldn’t fly on his own because of an accident that destroyed most of the nerves in his wings. He was constantly made fun of, and just to make sure that he actually had friends, I had to yell at him, telling him he can do better, even when he’s done better than everypony in his squad! I was only on friendly terms with him whenever his armor was supposed to come off (and we both knew why) but there was still a lot going for him! In fact… “OKAY, THAT’S IT!” “What…?” “Private, you are asking my sister out, THAT’S AN ORDER!” …not something I ever thought I’d say. “Are you sure Commander?” “ARE YOU QUESTIONING AN ORDER SOLDIER!?” “SIR, NO, SIR!” “THEN MOooOVE OUT!” he sprinted down the hall to change out of his Armor and into his Father’s suit, I’m sure. I let out a small chuckle as something clicked into my head for the 10,547th time, I love this job.
I Am Going to Kill You, YOU SON OF A-!Author's Note you recognize this slow dance situation... you get ten points for good taste in music. I Am Going to Kill You, YOU SON OF A-! Flash Sentry I was not looking forward to asking Twilight out. There were a lot of possible answers to the question that Commander Shining told me to ask that I was prepared for… though I have to wonder why he ordered me to ask his sister out, anyway out of all the potential answers, at least sixty five percent were definite no. I thought I’d just ask her out and get it over with in ten seconds flat… but nope! Twilight’s friends apparently had a sadistic streak against me and told her to drag me out on the floor to dance. A slow song popped on the speakers and Twilight looked to see a friend of hers pulling a few strings with the DJ. “Don’t look back, just look at me,” She said. She was moving very conservatively for someone for her reputation on the dance floor, even when the song is for slow dancing. “You’re holding back.” “Shut up and dance.” I did as she told me, not just because she’s a princess. I don’t know why, but I wanted to enjoy this while I could, not like I was getting that date anyway. We were enjoying the music, swaying to the sound and leaning against each other… but then they showed up. “Hey, Sentry!” I heard that mocking tone and knew I was in trouble. “Summerbolt,” I said. “Don’t you have any form of a life?” “What could any insult from you mean to me?” I didn’t have to look at that yellow face with the fiery hair to know he was smirking. “Do you get bored so easily that you have to taunt the handicapped for fun?” “Air Patrol LOSER like you who can’t even fly? Why’d you even get drafted?” I had a feeling that if I bucked right there, I’d hit him in the face, but Twilight was still there and I thought that’d be… inelegant. “Dead weight like you isn’t needed in the guard!” okay, SCREW ELEGANCY! I prepared to lift my hind legs up when all of a sudden; “Who’s the dead weight here!?” Twilight yelled. “If you’re antagonizing one of your own I don’t think your superiors would take kindly to the degradation of his productivity!” “What’d you say, M-!” I was certain that Summerbolt would’ve called her a mule (bitch), but he saw who he was talking to just in time. “Princess Twilight!” “You will stop making fun of him, or I will see you three demoted! Or worse, discharged!” I got one look at the satisfying look of fear on the faces of Summerbolt and his twin goons Argen and Auren, before they gave their acknowledgement, bowed and left. “I owe you one,” I said. “Then…” She blushed “How about a date?”… I was silent. I was ordered to ask her out and I never got the nerve to pull off that order due to an inferiority complex. Now she’s asking me out? What could I do besides say what I did? “Yeah, will you be here tomorrow?” “I should be, you got somewhere in mind?” “Yeah.” The Gala ended, she found her friends and went back to… wherever they were staying. I headed back to my quarters and bumped into Com- Shining on the way. “How’d it go?” he asked. I realized he ordered me to ask her out and started laughing quietly. “What happened?” “I didn’t ask her out…” I said. He looked annoyed for like twenty seconds, putting his hoof to his head and closing his eyes like he had a migraine. “But we do have a date.” His eyes shot open and he swiftly turned his head to look at me. “Oh the Anvil of Irony!” Shining said. “I did NOT see that coming.” He looked embarrassed for not predicting it. “I swear!” I said in my defense, because brothers and boyfriends. “I didn’t know she liked me!” “Not the liking you part, I saw that coming,” he said. “I meant I didn’t predict that she’d ask you out.” “Wait…” I just pieced it together. “YOU KNEW!?” “When you got a wife like mine, you pick up on a few things,” I wanted to yell at him, but he was my boss. “Good luck with the date.” He patted my shoulder and went back to his office. I sighed, returned, to my quarters, changed out of my suit and into my nightclothes, and went to sleep. Dreams about the whole night danced through my head, like bumping into Twilight again being yelled at by Shining for my Inferiority Complex and dancing with Twilight… all leading up to setting up a date with her tomorrow. It was shinier than I remember it actually happening, and there were a lot more bubbles and lens flares (don’t ask), but the only other thing about it was that while we were dancing, everypony around us was in black and white, and they were looking at us. I wish it happened like that and lasted forever. But nope! I had to wake up to Col. Shiner’s screaming whistle and an order from Shining saying I had the day off, but I wasn’t allowed to leave the empire. Twilight Sparkle I had no idea how Shining was gonna take this. I mean, you ask one of your brother’s employees to go on a date with him? If he doesn’t blow a gasket there’s something he needs to explain. I waited for him to show up, because I already knocked enough to know he wasn’t there. I finally saw him round a corner. He looked exhausted and was mumbling to himself, before he looked up and noticed me. “Twily!” he said. We rushed and hugged each other. “What brings you here? Besides the Gala, I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, guard business and shield spell stuff, and Cadence was told to keep away from the Gala this time as Celestia wanted to see how you’d do.” That explains that, I guess. “I came here to talk to you about something you might not be happy with.” He stopped in his tracks, slack-faced and wide eyed. Then he put his hoof to his muzzle and closed his eyes like something was hurting him. “I knew this was coming,” he said. He unlocked his office door and ushered me inside. “Is this about dating one of my guards?” now it was my turn to be slack-faced and wide eyed. “How did you know!?” I asked. He sighed. “Allow me to repeat myself; Oh the Anvil of Irony!” I was confused. “Flash Sentry, right?” I confirmed that. “Okay, he has a bit of an Inferiority Complex, and for good reason. His life for the past five years was… less than tolerable. When I found out that he like you brotherly instincts were first thing to kick in, but he said and I quote ‘I’m not good enough.’” I was confused but okay. “For a while this was a re-assurance… then it got annoying, tonight was the last straw, so I used my position above him to order him to ask you out.” “Wait what? What!? WHAT!?” three different reactions all let out at once. One, I was severely confused, did that mean Flash didn’t want to go out with me, or did that mean he wouldn’t have asked? Two, Shining told my date to ask me out, ergo he tried to have some control over my love life, just because he was annoyed, who was he Cadance!? And three, my Brother ordered his subordinate to ask me out? I repeat; WHAT!? Most brothers I know about try to stop their sisters from dating, but not my brother! He got me a date by ordering him to ask me out! “I know it’s infuriating and confusing, if not just infuriating,” he said. “But I swear! He likes you! He just wouldn’t have gotten the courage to ask you out if I didn’t tell him to!” “Well… he didn’t…” I said. “I asked him.” “I am also aware of that,” he said. “I strongly doubt you’ll forgive me… but in case you do, I’m sorry.” “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Your heart was in the right place… I guess.”
-What Could Possibly Go Wrong? -EverythingTwilight Sparkle I woke up to Cadence knocking on the door of my room and asking if she could come in. I told her she could, though I’d have to wonder how she found the Inn the girls and I were staying at. “Okay Twilight,” she said. “I heard about your date this afternoon.” ‘Aw great,’ I thought, ‘she’s here to lecture me,’ then I remembered that I had a date… and that it was with FLASH SENTRY of all colts! I got really nervous, what if Flash didn’t like me!? What if Shining was only telling me what I wanted to hear last night when he said that Flash did like me!? What Flash did like me but then it went away when he got to know the real me!? What if I didn’t like him after this date!? What if- “Calm down, Twilight!” Cadance snapped me out of my episode just before my head hit the ceiling. “I know you’re worried, I was my first date too,” She assured me. “but the key to a good date is to let it happen.” “That’s the thing! What if too much happens!?” Cadance looked half pitiful, and half joking. “Trust me on this,” Cadance said. “Too much for Flash Sentry to take, that’s pretty close to impossible.” Those bullies did say he couldn’t fly. And judging by Flash’s tone that wasn’t the first time he dealt with them. But when I went to the Fall Formal with the Flash Sentry person, he played guitar and had no interest in protecting anything or anyone in such a way as the Flash Sentry pony does. What happened to him? Why was he in the guard? I wanted to ask Cadance, but she made it clear that she wasn’t talking about it if Flash didn’t. Shining Armor Was I on board with Flash Sentry, my subordinate and part-time friend, going on a date with Twilight Sparkle, one of four of our protection charges and my little sister? I’m sure I was at least eighty-six percent all for it, the other fourteen percent had to constantly be reminded that it was for both their self-esteem. Maybe even the rest of their lives…nguh, I hoped this didn’t cause me as much pain as I was expecting. I went to see Flash, give him a warning, then a pep talk, and take care of the rest of my daily chores. I found his quarters and knocked to find the place trashed and seemingly empty. “Sentry!?” I was very worried, Flash was a messy colt, but there was always some organization to it. Today it looked like a storm blew through. I heard a groan, and found Flash huddled in the corner behind a toppled yet still intact mirror and a relocated trunk with the initials FS painted on it. He was shaking and mumbling, tears just wouldn’t stop coming out of his eyes, I came to two conclusions, either he was finally experiencing PTSD or something he had was spiked. I found a bottle of antidepressant pills spilled across the floor, picked them up, read the total and counted only two missing for each day since I was last here, including today. “Geez Louise,” I said. “What did you get into?” I picked him up and dragged him to the water bowl and dowsed his face. “What was I doing?” Flash asked after he got his bearings. “You took some happy pills and went crazy,” He looked at the corner he was in for a little bit. “I don’t think it was the pills, sir.” I wasn’t starting this again. Screw the warning, screw the pep talk; I was not having him depressing me with his personal life. “Just be ready for your date by noon,” I said. “If you don’t show up, it’ll be a good thing you don’t need those wings.” Serious shock, he didn’t dare call my bluff. Flash Sentry I was kinda happy that this date with Princess Twilight was actually happening, but at the same time, you’d think I was afraid all hay would break loose. Princess Cadance brought Twilight to the meeting spot, the Crystal Heart’s altar, and I swear my jaw would’ve dislocated if it dropped any lower. She was wearing a simple white sundress with a few flowers around the waist and train. Her hair had a couple waves in it, and if she was wearing any makeup, you couldn’t tell. If that Rarity mare worked on her look for this date, I wouldn’t be surprised. In fact, I’d say this was her best work yet. “Hey, Flash,” she said sounding a little shy. What did she have to be shy about!? “Hey, Twilight,” I said. “Well, I’ll be back at the Palace,” Cadance said. “Flash please, try to show her a good time.” As she left I hoped she meant on the date. “So, shall we?” I said gesturing down the road. She smiled, showing complete trust. “Let’s.”
Don’t Touch Me, I’m Murphey’s LawAuthor's Note Okay, to whoever said, and I paraphrase, "Someone's gonna get murphied," are you happy now!? Don’t Touch Me, I’m Murphey’s Law FlashSentry First thing that went wrong, the place I was going to take her to was packed. Having a personal connection to the proprietors yields no advantage in these situations, at least I didn’t like it to, in fact the lucky break we had of getting the next open table for two was mostly on the part of Twilight’s status as Princess… I really didn’t want that, I was planning to try to give her a day away from the royalty treatment. “Yeah… sorry about that,” I said. She looked at me with a lopsided smile. “It’s fine,” She said. “At least we got in.” “I was kinda hoping you wouldn’t be treated like a Princess for at least one day.” I looked down and despondently read the menu. She seemed to understand, and put her hoof on mine. “I’m telling you, it’s fine!” she assured. She made me feel a little better… though my pulse was increased exponentially. We ordered our meals, two BLT Paninis (With hay bacon, not real we don’t have that kind of digestive system) and avocado spread on the side. After that we went for a walk in the park to talk. “So, Flash,” She asked her fiftieth question. “I heard that the past five years were… not the best for you, mainly because you can’t fly… can you tell me about it?” I couldn’t bear to tell her the whole story, so I made something up. “I was drafted into the guard with fully functional wings. My first assignment was to get the previous mayor of Ponyville out of a burning building. The job was a success, but an OJA or On the Job Accident caused three out of four nerves in my wings to stop working.” “That sounds awful!” She said. “And… not at all realistic.” “What do you mean?” I said getting nervous. “Mayor Mare has been in the Mayoral office for the past ten years.” And there goes my alibi. “Sorry, Twilight, the real experience was very traumatic,” I explained. “I don’t want to talk about it.” “I see… I understand.” She didn’t talk any more about it, and I didn’t ask anything personal about her. I think I embarrassed myself enough when I faceplanted on the road over a stray root. She just giggled, I looked up and smiled pathetically with blood dripping down my muzzle. “Oh! Are you alright!?” “Here, let me help with the nose,” her horn started glowing and her magic made the blood stop flowing and disappear. She lifted her head to see the results, and I swear, I never saw a more beautiful sight than her eyes up close, and I saw Rainbow Falls on a field trip as a foal. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to feel those lips on mine, but… I couldn’t. Not after those spectacular fails. I got up, gathered my two remaining shreds of dignity, and took her back to the palace. “Flash,” she said before I went back to my room. “I… had a lot of fun…” shock took over my face as that sank in. “I’d like to do this again, if that’s okay with you.” What could I say but yes? Shining Armor Sentry came past my office looking tired, not even bothering to stop. I stepped out to see what was wrong. “She asked me out again,” he said before I could say anything. “How is that bad?” I asked. “I showed her the worst time you could possibly show a mare without meaning to!” okay I’d have to talk to her about it, and ask why. Maybe before she left tomorrow. Twilight Sparkle “I swear I was trying!” I told Cadance. I had already told her everything about the date, but she was convinced that the date was a dud. “I never said that it was your fault did I?” I thought about it. The main reason I asked him out again was because he was funny and caring, as shown through the events of the date. But was he trying to be funny? …hopefully not with the nosebleed, that would be cause for some major concern. Looking at the whole date from his standpoint and taking out the possibility that he was trying to be funny… well that-no… well maybe the-no… okay it was failed on his part, and I didn’t know whether to be sorry I gave him a second chance to embarrass himself, or happy because I gave him the possibility to show me a better time. “What… Have I done?” I said staring at Cadance. “Don’t freak out!” Cadance said. “if you think of this as a bad thing… it’s gonna be a bad thing.” “Okay… I’m calming down.” “When is your next date with him?” “We were gonna discuss that before I left tomorrow.”
You Need a VacationFlash Sentry Twilight and I agreed that the next time I got time off, I’d head down to Ponyville for a date according to her rules. I waited for five weeks for a scheduled leave from Commander Armor. He kept me busy for those five weeks, a couple of times I stopped a couple hungry foals from stealing from the castle… though I let them go with some money for food. There was also a very poorly thought out assassination attempt on Cadence’s life, but nothing more exciting than that. Whenever I thought about Twilight, I worked harder than I was told too, if I couldn’t fly on my own, I would at least be fit everywhere else. I kept up the training with my Nagado (Way of the Dragon) teacher, Sentinel Dragon Scales and got my green belt the fourth week. It was about time for me to go get breakfast on the first day of the last week that Shining came and delivered a message from Princess Celestia herself. “Sorry, Private,” Shining said. “I personally read all mail to the Guards to ensure safety among the sector.” I would call Bull… but I’ve seen him do it from time to time when brought into his office, even receiving the same explanation from other guards. I took the letter and read it. Private Flash Sentry Based on reports from Commander Shining Armor, you have been putting one-hundred-and-ten-percent of your effort into your training and general Guard Duty. As somepony who cares for every individual citizen of the Land of Equestria, I must tell you that you need a break. You are to go off-base and take a month off duty. The destination is your choice, but try not to leave Equestria until you’ve fully rested. By calculations according to the Council of Seven you should be leaving six days after you receive this letter. I appreciate your efforts towards our country, and hope that you will continue them, Princess Celestia. After I registered that last punctuation mark, my muscles started to ache and I involuntarily stretched a little. “Go see the Medic tent after breakfast,” Shining ordered. “Report to me after their treatment.” Shining Armor I didn’t want to agree with the princess’ letter, we needed all the help we could get after that attempt on Cadence’s head, and he’s always been the best at getting the kids taken care of when they come to steal food or money or anything worth stealing (Hey, I’ve taken a few tips from him with the kids offering some jobs to work with). But I did agree with Celestia on one thing, he wasn’t invincible. He was gonna break if he kept this up. Yeah he carried himself like he was fine from wake up to lights out, but there were a few things that my special talent told me that he was having trouble with. He was moving more slowly, tensing up now and then, breathing ever so slightly more painfully, the works. He needed this. Of course there was something obvious about what he was going to do with this time… I wasn’t too on board with it, but I had to step aside and just let it happen. That’s what trusting brothers like myself do.
Why Do I Need A Spa!?Twilight Sparkle The Letter from Shining that said that Flash was more than Likely going to be spending a month in Ponyville soon made butterflies flock to my stomach. Though the rest of the letter, about him pushing himself a little harder than necessary made me worried. But then again, Princess Celestia would only do this otherwise if I asked her to, which I didn’t. I waited by the station for him to arrive. The convoy of Guard Ponies returning from the lines brought tears to my eyes when I saw the happy faces of their families… then I saw Flash get off the train. He still made me swoon at the mere sight of him, but he looked… different. His muscles were swollen and glowing a sore red. He looked so tired that he couldn’t take his eyes off the ground. If I didn’t stand right where I was he probably would’ve just kept on walking until he hit a wall. “We really need to stop bumping into each other like this,” I said as we hit the floor. I helped him up and asked if he was okay. “I was fine until I got permission for this vacation,” He laughed only to double over in pain. “Sorry.” “It’s fine…” I said. “Let’s go to the spa, that’ll help you relax a little.” “What self-respecting soldier goes to the spa?” he joked. “A live one with few other options,” I responded. He snickered. Flash Sentry “Why are we asking your friends to join us?” I asked. I thought this would be the date we established a month and a half ago, as in just the two of us. “They still can’t believe I have a boyfriend,” Twilight said. “They need to meet you, at least once.” The only one who could make it was Rarity, and for some reason I was okay with that. Rarity got one good look at me and then ordered something extremely longwinded for me when we got to the spa. “Wait, what?” before anyone could answer I was dragged away, massaged, bathed, manicured, and given such a relaxing facial that I lost track of time. When I got out of the treatments Rairty and Twilight were already done and Rarity paid for all of us… and my eyes nearly exploded when I saw the number of zero’s behind the nine, and Rarity was paying for it all! “Don’t worry about it,” Twilight said. “Rarity makes double that much in three days with her fashion designs.” “My sister was into fashion for a while, and I didn’t hear about her until I met you, why’s that?” “She took off last year.” “Well, Darlings,” Rarity said. “I need to get back to work, I’ll be out in a week or so.” And she was off. I swear the spa ponies used some sort of energizing magic back at the Spa, because I didn’t feel tired in the slightest when Twilight showed me to the library she called home. “Spike, my dragon partner’s away on business for Rarity, so we’ve got the place to ourselves for a while.” “If he’s your partner why’s he working with Rarity?” I asked. “Because Kasa Nova can’t take his eyes off her.” “Yeah… that’s, uh…. that’s weird…” Author's Note I'll be working on this one for a little while.
And I Thought He Was SmartFlash and I were playing a game of chess and, I’ll admit, he was giving me a hard time. He was a genius with this! Then again he was a soldier, so maybe this was standard. But eventually I did get checkmate. We read a few books, but then there was one that talked about an item called the Alicorn King’s Rock. “Put that away,” He said. Then he picked up a book on chemistry. He focused so hard that I couldn’t even pester him about the Fountain. “You’re not even reading it!” I said. Then he quoted the chemical makeup of a pony. “Okay, you did, but what’s so wrong with the Alicorn King’s Rock that you don’t want to talk about it?” “My parents died because I tried to make one!” I shut up and didn’t talk about it ever again. He went back to the Crystal Empire a week later, when he said he felt good enough to go back. I was so worried that the very next day I went to check on him. When Shining greeted me first I was curious, frightened even, about the state of Flash’s health. “If you’re worried about Flash, he’s fine,” Shining explained. “Right now he’s sparring with Dragon Scales in for his final test in Nagado.” We passed by the two subjects of our discussion, and I decided to cheer him on… right as he was knocked into a wall. “Flash!” I ran to him checked him up and down as he slipped into unconsciousness. “Somepony help him!” medics came and took him to the infirmary. I waited for what felt like days. He still lay unconscious after a week. On the eight day, I left for Shining and Cadence’s room to cry on cadence’s shoulder. “He’ll be fine Twilight,” she assured. “He just needs to rest.” “But how long do I have to wait to say I’m sorry!?” I told Cadence what happened at the Library with the talk of the Alicorn King’s Rock. “You shouldn’t have opened that book Twilight,” She said. “Creation of the Rock is forbidden.” “I know that now!” I yelled. “But I wasn’t going to create it! I burned the book after I finished it, and tried to have a conversation with Flash about it, he said it brought back memories of his family! I at least owe him an apology for that!” I’m sure Cadence would’ve said something to comfort me in that regard. But then Shining came into the room. “He’s awake.” He said flatly. “Twilight I want you to stay away from him for now.” “What! Why!?” “He’s only gonna hurt you.” I should’ve listened. I should’ve went back to my room and stayed there, listened to my brother, stayed away… the biggest hint to this was his first words to me were “Who are you?” Author's Note okay the prequel's done, rushed but done, now look forward to Final Flashlight.
