Romantic Getaway (Sort of)

Flash awoke slowly... trying to remember what happened last night. He looked down, and saw Twilight sleeping silently under his wing. Then he remembered.

Oh Celestia! We... we...

While he was caught up in his thoughts, Twilight started to wake too. She looked up and saw flash staring at her. Then it hit her.

She shot up to her hooves and stared at him with a blank face. Then silence ensued and they both blushed.

Flash decided to break the silence.

"We... we did it last night, didn't we." He started. Twilight started circling the ground with her hoof. "Um... yes... We did."

More silence.

"Flash I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable... It's just..."

"Twilight it's fine... I enjoyed it."

Twilight responded with a smile and a blush.

Flash noticed Twilight's wings. "Twilight, in all seriousness though, your wings do look a bit..." He said, putting a hoof around his neck. "Oh... right." Twilight realized. "I'll leave you to preen them, I need to go wash my face." Flash said. Flash left Twilight to tend to her wings. For real this time.  When Flash came back from the river, he found Twilight with her wings looking beautiful.  "How do I look?" She asked. "As gorgeous as always." He said blushing. Twilight came over and nipped him on the cheek.  "Well, let's not waste any time today-"

"AGH!" Twilight clutched her flank, and fell over."

"Twilight!" He yelled, and knelt down to inspect her.

"Flash... my flank... Urg!" She said still gripping it.

"Okay okay, let me look at it." Twilight laid down on her back, and Flash inspected her. Closer this time. What he realized scared him beyond belief. He gasped, and covered his mouth with his hooves. "Flash! What's wrong? Is it okay?"

Oh my Galaxia... The cut, it looks... Infected...

"BUCK! HOW COULD I FORGET TO CLEAN IT!!!" He shouted at the sky, holding his head with his hooves.

"F- Flash?" He came back to realization once he heard her voice. "Twilight... you're cut... I think it's infected." Twilight gasped. "What... what does that mean?" She asked, scared. "Twilight, have you felt sick, at all lately? Head ache? Coughing?"

"I did feel a bit under the weather yesterday... But I didn't want you to worry..."

"God damn it... Twilight you should have told me. When a wound gets infected, it can cause serious sickness, and if untreated, it could lead to... death..." Twilight gasped.

"You... you can do something about it... right?" Flash shook his head and hung it downwards.

"How long do I have?" She asked.

"When did you start feeling symptoms?"

"Just yesterday..."

"Twilight, you have two days... four if you're lucky. You might go unconscious on the second... Considering how big the cut is..."

Twilight started to cry, and she lunged toward Flash to hug him.

"Flash! I... But... I... I can't die!" Flash returned her hug, and tried as hard as he could to help. "Twilight, look at me." He ordered, and Twilight tilted her head up to face him. "The best chance we have is to get moving right away. If we don't find civilization fast..."

She gasped. "Come on Twilight! We need to move while we can. You may not make it, but we have to try!" Flash started gathering supplies.  "It's 8:00, we have until nightfall so let's move." Then, Flash saw Twilight with a blank face. She wasn't crying, but she wasn't happy either. She was just... blank. "Flash... Maybe you should... Go alone." Twilight had sadness in her voice, and Flash gasped. "What! I can't leave you here!" He shouted. "Flash... I'll only slow you down. I'm done for, we don't even know where we are, and civilization could be thousands of miles away... Just... leave." Flash couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was losing the fight, he had to help. "Twilight! Are you even listening to yourself right now!? What about your friends! Your home!" Twilight started to cry, silently. No whimpering or any attempts to hide it. "Flash stop, I am finished... Just lea-"

"NO!" Flash shouted.

Twilight stopped, and looked him straight in the eye. "We may not make it Twilight. You may not see your friends, your home, or... anything again. But that doesn't mean we just give up. We still have time. Are you just going to take the coward's way out!? Or are you going to go down fighting!?" Flash yelled, trying to convince her.

But... only around three days and I am dead... two of which I may be unconscious... I still have time. I will not take the coward's way out. I am not going to give up when there is still hope!

Flash looked her in the eye. "Don't give up hope Twilight, we can make it." All Twilight did was smile at him after his amazing speech.

"Flash... let's do it."

"And may Celestia be on our side!" Flash shouted, and after their preparations, they were off.

They continued down the river, hoping to find somepony else out in the wilderness. They were doubtful, but pushed on.  They traveled for eight straight hours, and Twilight was beginning to feel worse and worse. To the point where Flash had to support her a bit. Then, with a miraculous stroke of luck, they found what they have been looking for this whole time... Hope. "Wait... no... it can't be!" Flash shouted. "Twilight, do you see what I see? Over there!" Twilight looked ahead, and was shocked at what she saw. She had to rub her eyes to make sure her brain wasn't playing tricks on her.

Hoof prints, in the snow.

"Twilight! We could make it!" He shouted with joy. Twilight gave him a kiss on the lips. "Flash... I... I love you, so much..." She said smiling at him. "Twilight, I love you too, now come on. We need to follow the tracks." The hoof prints were going toward the river, and then a second set of them heading back. They followed them, hoping they would lead to a location where Twilight could be treated. They followed them for a half hour, and then came upon the sight they have been waiting for. Just as it was getting too dark to see the hoof prints, they spotted a house. Not just any house, a tree house! And there were lights on inside it!

Well I'll be! "Hello! Hello is anypony there!?" Flash shouted, trying to get whoever lived there to come out. Surely enough, somepony did. He had walked out onto the tree house balcony. He was an earth pony with brown fur and a cloak covering his mane. He had a steel tipped spear with him. "Who goes there!?" He shouted, then noticed the two ponies standing before him. "Who are you? Why are you here and what do you want?"

"Please sir! We have been lost out here for days! And we need medical attention desperately!"

The stallion on the balcony seemed skeptical, but then he noticed who the purple pony was. "Is she... a princess?" He asked, and shortly after Twilight fell over, unconscious on the snow. "TWILIGHT!" Flash yelled, and the cloaked stallion ran across a bridge that was connected to an elevator. When he was lowered down, he dashed over to Flash. "What's wrong with her?" He asked, removing his cloak revealing a blue and grey mane. "She had a wound that I forgot to cleanse, and it got infected." Flash showed the cloaked stallion the cut. "Oh dear... This looks bad. Help me load her into the elevator!" He ordered, and they both picked her up, and carried her to the elevator. The cloaked stallion added more to the counter weight, and they were lifted. "Flash Sentry, and you are?" Flash asked as they carried Twilight across the bridge. "Everdann." He said. They got her inside the tree house, and sealed the door.

"Up here on the bed." He directed. They set her on the bed, and Emerdann quickly ran to his brewing station. "Flash, get that cloth over there in the water and put it on her forehead." He commanded. "Right!" He grabbed the cloth, and laid it across her head." Then she spoke with a cough. "F- Flash... Please..." Flash shushed her. "Twilight relax, you're going to be alright." He said as he re-dipped the cloth in the water.

She then noticed the stallion working behind him. "Who's... that?" She faintly asked. "That's Everdann, he is trying to help." But then Flash realized... what was he helping with? "Um, Everdann, what are you doing?" Flash asked, skeptical. "I am trying to brew something up that will help her. Give me her symptoms."

"Well... she was coughing on the way here, she mentioned a headache and feeling light headed."

"Okay... Frostfire juice for the cough... cured Vaculist venom for the headache and... done!"

He mixed the ingredients in with some water, and he had a pain reliever. He gave the bowl to Flash. "This won't cure her, I don't have the ingredients, but it will make her feel much better. He said. "How... does it taste?" He asked. "Well... you don't want to know..."

Flash took the bowl, and Everdann gave him a spoon. "Twilight, drink this. It tastes awful, but try to swallow, okay?" Twilight nodded, and she opened her mouth. Flash put the spoon in, and immediately Twilight cringed. But she swallowed. "She needs to drink it all if she wants to feel better..." Everdann said. Flash confirmed with a nod, and continued spooning it to Twilight. Once it was all gone, her mouth felt sour and bitter from the taste. "So, I assume she's Twilight then?" Everdann asked, and Flash nodded his head. "Twilight, just give it about ten minutes, and you should feel much better." Twilight nodded. He walked over to his cooking pot, and grabbed some water. "Here, I bet you're parched. Also it will wash out the bad taste."

Twilight chugged the water down, and relaxed. "Is it... safe for me to... sleep? She asked tiredly.  "Yes, you can rest Twilight." Everdann said.

"Thank you..." She said as she drifted off to sleep. Everdann pulled a blanket over her. Flash and Everdann sighed in relief, then Everdann spoke up. "Okay, now that that's done, you owe me some answers Flash." Everdann said. "I figured you'd say that. Think we could chat over a drink?"

"Sure, I have tea."

Everdann finished making the tea, and brought a mug over to Flash. "Thank you, I'm patched." He said as he sipped. "Okay Flash, first, and most importantly, what the hell is a princess doing out here???" He asked, whispering. "Oh... heh. Well you see, it kind of went like this..."

After about ten minutes of explanation, Flash finally finished. Everdann was shocked. "Wow... Just... wow. Quite the story Flash."

"I know..."

"So, you're a Canterlot guard? Very interesting."

"Yup, I am also an Aspire member." He said.

Everdann's eyes shot open, and choked on his tea.

"You're... with Aspire? Well I'll be damned. Me too!"

Flash was shocked. Everdann got up and opened a small case by his bed, which was now occupied by the princess. He took an Aspire medal out, came back and showed it to Flash. "Wow Everdann... It's good to meet another Aspire member. What skill do you have?"

"I am advanced in weapon construction, use, and repair. I was one of the main weapon manufactures for aspire."

"Interesting..."

"What is you're skill Flash?"

"Enhanced vision. I can see things almost directly behind me without looking."

"Very impressive..." Everdann got back on track, and continued with the questions.

"Okay, second. Are you two... you know... a couple? I'm just wondering..."

"Oh, I forgot that part in the story. Yes, we are now. She kind of confessed to me while we were out here..."

"Well, congratulations my friend. She is one beautiful mare." He said.

"Isn't she? I am just afraid the other princesses back home won't approve of our relationship..."

"Oh, I assume you don't know where we are?"

"Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask you that. Also, what you are doing living out here Everdann."

"Well, we are actually in the Frigid north part of Equestria." Flash gasped. We were in Equestria this whole time? I figured that teleport sent us out farther..."

"Nope, in fact the crystal empire is about... sixty miles away from here."

"Wow... We were closer than we thought. Twilight will be glad to hear this when she wakes up... But we can't walk that far..."

"Not a problem. I have some snow hounds, along with a sled. I can get you two there within two days down Snakefrost road." Flash almost jumped up from the table in excitement. "I can't believe it, we are going to make it home!" He said. But then he got back to asking Everdann a question. "But, why are you living all the way out here Everdann?"

"Well, I always found nature to be interesting. I found a life living out here, exploring the landscape, discovering new places, I enjoy it."

"Oh, I see..."

"Is there anything else you want to ask me Flash?"

"Yes. I don't suppose you do, but do you have a way we can message the princesses?"

"I do. It's a portable messaging system. Princess cadence gave it to me when I left so that I could send my discoveries to her." Flash gasped.

"Could I use it? Please! I need to let everyone know we are alright!"

"Flash calm down, of course you can use it. It's sitting over there in that large chest." Everdann pointed towards the chest. Flash rushed towards it and opened it. He pulled out an object that had a dragon head, and claws coming from under it. "Here's some parchment, when you're done, role it up and insert it into the dragon's claws. It will be transfered through it's head so stand clear. Oh, and keep in mind it only goes to cadence."

"Thanks for all your help Everdann. We can't thank you enough."

Flash began writing the letter with a quill Everdann gave him.

"Everdann, I have an idea. I am going to ask Cadence if she can send a medical team down Snakefrost to meet us halfway. I don't know if Twilight could last two more days."

"Sounds good. It would be easier on my hounds too. I say we leave at 0600 sharp?"

"Perfect!"

Dear Princess Cadence

This is Flash Sentry of the royal Canterlot guard, and Princess Twilight Sparkle's personal watcher. I am informing you in this letter that we are both alive, and found you're little friend Everdann here. He is making this letter possible, so be in his thanks. However, we are currently in a situation. Twilight has a serious wound infection that needs treatment immediately. If not she could die from sickness. Everdann is going to let us hitch a ride on his dogsled, and he said if we take Snakefrost road, it would take us two days to arrive. However this may be too long for Twilight. I ask that you send a team to meet us halfway down Snakefrost so we can split the time in half, and to give her medical attention. We are leaving at 0600 tomorrow sharp. Please inform princess Celestia that we are okay, and that we will be seeing her soon.

-Flash Sentry

He finished it, and put the letter in the Dragon's claws. It shrunk, and shot out the Dragon's mouth in green flames.

"Finally glad this is all over..."

"I'm sure you are. Sounds like you've been through a lot Flash."

"She is going to be so happy..." Flash looked at her again. She was sleeping quietly, and peacefully. "You got anywhere else to sleep Everdann?" He pulled out some pillows sitting by the bed, and handed one to Flash. "Here, the floor is your bed tonight." He said.

Flash laid the pillow on the floor and rested his head on it. Before he knew it, he was asleep. Ready for the day they go home, the day they see everyone they love again.