The Palace of Friendship was, on most days, a place of vibrant activity, where Princess Twilight would be going about her usual routines with great enthusiasm or zeal. She'd be making checklists, tending to the needs of her friends or neighbours, or even simply reading one of her favourite books, all with a happy smile on her face. But not today. Today, she was sitting upon her throne, beside the ever-glowing cutie map, staring at a particular object on the far side of the grand chamber. The magic mirror, that gateway to the human world, was, as always, aglow with it's magic, and Twilight simply looked to it, her expression one of thoughtfulness, and perhaps even a degree of concern. Into this mixture walked Spike, a bowl of gems in his claws, who entered via the nearby kitchen.
"Morning, Twilight," he said cheerfully.
But Twilight, given her current state, was not able to offer her number one assistant the usual kind of greeting she'd give him. Instead, she turned in his direction, giving him a token smile and nod, before once more returning her attention to the mirror. Spike, after downing a few gems for his breakfast, finally noted her demeanour, and started looking from her, to the mirror she was staring at, and then looking right back to her. Slowly, he started to develop a look of worry about him, and as he took a few steps closer, he placed a claw upon the side of her throne before finally speaking up.
"Twilight? Are...are you okay?"
The young alicorn looked down at the map before her, letting out a deep sigh before turning yet again to her lifelong friend. The smile she wore was one that even Spike could tell was being formed just to make it look like she was okay, and her tone of voice reflected this.
"I'm...I'm fine, Spike. I've just been doing some...some thinking."
Now, anybody who knew her would know that thinking was something Twilight did on most days, but here, there was something else mixed in with it. Something that put the small dragon beside her in a state of unease.
"Well...you know...if something is wrong, you know that you can tell me...right?"
Twilight looked to him once more, and this time, her smile was more genuine, bearing a degree of appreciation to it. Raising her hoof, she placed it lovingly upon the top of his head, her almost-motherly expression never leaving her.
"I know, Spike. And I appreciate that."
However, soon afterwards, her smile faded, and she once more looked to the mirror.
"But...today...I think...this is something I have to do myself."
Needless to say, words like that gave the drake cause for slight alarm, but, for the time being, he stayed silent, watching as his carer finally got up from her throne. She made her way around the table, heading straight for the mirror, and as soon as Spike saw this, he instinctively started to move, placing his gems upon the table as he did so. He too walked to the mirror, and, like so many times before, stood by Twilight's side. The princess saw this, offering him a small smile, but nevertheless lifted her hoof, barring his path. Confused, Spike looked up to her, seeing her shake her head at him before speaking softly.
"Not this time, Spike. This time...I don't want an audience."
Spike, while looking all-too concerned for her, nevertheless took a step back, acknowledging her request. As for Twilight, her smile faded when she looked back to the mirror, her gaze an intent one. Letting out a deep sigh, she steeled herself, before finally charging forward. Her passing through the mirror was very much like every other time she'd used it, with bright and near-blinding light all around her as she felt herself tumble through the nether-space of the portal. Eventually, and like all other times, she finally stumbled over onto the other side, falling to the sidewalk, as was customary at this point. After grumbling to herself over this, she got to her feet, looking down at herself and seeing her altered form, that of a human.
"I will never get used to that," she remarked.
But, her expression became one of seriousness as she looked up from this, to the sight of Canterlot High before her. She knew that her plan would be an uncomfortable one, but, she had already taken that first step. She'd committed herself now, and there was no going back. So, taking a deep breath, she took further steps forward. However, upon reaching the front door, she was prevented from opening it when she discovered, to her surprise, that it was already opening. Her sense of surprise deepened further still when she saw that the one opening the door was none other than her friend, Sunset. The former unicorn was, at this moment, holding a book to her face, not noticing the princess there, but as Twilight took a step back to avoid colliding with her, she finally looked up.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't see...Twilight?"
Twilight smiled as her friend finally realised who she was speaking to.
"Hey, Sunset."
The fiery-haired girl smiled back, closing her book and taking a step closer, before finally speaking up.
"I didn't know you were coming today! How have you been?"
Twilight shrugged her shoulders at that, still retaining her smile.
"Oh, you know, the usual stuff."
Chuckling, Sunset placed her book into the school bag she had on her back, before folding her arms and carrying on.
"Well, it's still good to see you. If you like, I can get the other girls and..."
But, she was halted when Twilight raised a hand.
"No!"
Sunset, as one would expect, was rather taken aback by this response, and Twilight, blushing slightly at her own actions, cleared her throat a little before starting to explain herself.
"I'm sorry, it's just...I'm afraid I'm not here for a social visit."
Raising an eyebrow, Sunset looked to her friend with curiosity.
"Is...is there something going on?"
Twilight's face became one of melancholy, and she looked down at the ground for a moment.
"You...you could say that."
Looking back up, Twilight saw that Sunset was started to look concerned, and immediately, Twilight understood.
"Oh! Don't worry! It's no major, world-shattering magic stuff or anything like that. It's just...a personal matter."
At the very least, Sunset seemed relieved to hear that she and the others weren't going to have to deal with the usual end-of-the-world fare that normally accompanied Twilight's presence. However, she nevertheless retained her look of confusion.
"Well...why are you here then?"
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, only to find herself at a loss for words. But, after a few further false starts, she finally managed to get her words out.
"Do...do you know where Flash is?"
Sunset nodded to that, gesturing over her shoulder briefly.
"Sure. He's in the music room practising with his guitar. But why would...you..."
The former unicorn grew quieter with every passing word, until finally, she stopped altogether. It took a few moments, but she eventually looked in Twilight's direction, and here, the latter once more turned to avoid looking at her. Sunset gazed upon her friend with an inquisitive look, very much appearing like she was putting a number of puzzle pieces together in her mind. And when she spoke, her tone was one of concern.
"Twilight...why do you need to speak to him?"
Silence passed between the two Equestrians, and while Sunset continued to wait for an answer, Twilight remained silent. Instead, she didn't look to her, but rather started to walk on, heading in the direction that her friend had just given to her. However, before she got more than a few steps away, she felt Sunset grab a hold of her arm, stopping her in her tracks. There was an uncomfortable moment between them, but Sunset did not seem angry or upset with her. On the contrary, she looked, if anything, outright worried about what the young princess might have been planning, which was evidenced further when she finally spoke up again.
"Twilight...if you're planning what I think you're planning..."
Here, Twilight finally looked to her, her expression full of both determination and sadness.
"If I am...then you know why I have to do it."
Sunset stared at her, and for just a moment, it looked as if she was going to try and argue with her over this unspoken decision. But, in the end, she didn't, and let out a long sigh before finally letting go of her. Twilight briefly nursed the spot where Sunset had held her, and looked to her as the latter spoke softly.
"I made that decision once. I...I don't want to see you regret it too."
Twilight said nothing, and didn't even offer Sunset a smile in response. Instead, she simply gave a nod, turning away from her and starting to walk off. Sunset watched as her friend walked further and further away, looking just as uncomfortable as ever, until finally, the young princess was beyond her line-of-sight. As for Twilight, she continued to walk down the halls, right where Sunset had spoken of, and as she did so, it looked as if she was mumbling to herself, almost as if she was reciting something. The look on her face made it clear that, whatever it was, it wasn't something she was going to be happy doing. In the end though, she stopped, for her ears had started to pick up the distinct sound of guitar strings being plucked, causing her to wince slightly.
"Well...this is it."
Slowly, she approached the door the music was coming from, raising a hand and turning the knob. As she opened, her expression became one of sadness once more, for there, on the other side of the room, was none other than Flash Sentry. The boy had not noticed her, and had his eyes shut tight as he continued to belt out note after note on his instrument. Twilight looked around, and found, to her slight relief, that there was nobody else here, just him. Letting out a sigh, she entered the room in earnest, and as she closed the door behind her, that caused just enough sound for the boy to finally open his eyes. He caught sight of her immediately, and instantly stopped playing, a huge smile forming upon his face as he took a step forward.
"Twilight?"
The young princess smiled back at him, giving a small wave, and Flash set about the business of setting his guitar to one side. When that was done, he began to approach her, looking to her with great affection as he spoke.
"It's...it's good to see you."
Twilight maintained her smile, but, for just a moment, there was a flicker of discomfort in her eyes.
"Yes...it's...it's good to see you too."
Here, Flash's own smile faded, and he looked to her in the same manner one would when they know that something was wrong.
"Twilight? What's up?"
Turning, Twilight briefly cursed under her breath that he had been so perceptive in this moment, but turned to him with another forced smile, clasping her hands together for a moment before speaking to him in a sweetly manner.
"Um...could we sit somewhere? There's something I need to talk to you about."
Although briefly taken aback by such a request, the boy quickly composed himself, nodding in agreement before looking around the room. He soon found a spot with a couple of chairs to one side, and gestured to them with his hand. Seeing this, Twilight nodded, and started making her way over, with Flash by her side. The two sat down soon afterwards, and a silence fell between them, one that Twilight clearly felt uncomfortable with. Flash noted this about her as clear as day, but didn't say anything. Instead, he gave her all the time she needed to get her thoughts in order. Thankfully, that didn't take long, and, after letting out a long sigh, the princess turned to him, looking him right in the eye before speaking in a more serious tone.
"Flash...you...you know I like you, right?"
Needless to say, a question like that piqued the boy's interest as soon as he heard it, and his eyes briefly darted from left to right before he finally looked to her and responded.
"Twilight...is something wrong?"
Shaking her head, Twilight spoke up again.
"Flash, answer the question, please."
Flash was still confused by this, but nevertheless did as he was asked.
"Well...yeah. Of course I know. I mean...you do like me, right?"
Looking up to him, Twilight put on yet another small smile.
"Yes...I do."
However, that smile faded soon afterwards.
"But...I wanted to make sure you knew that. Because...well...I need to feel that you know, and I mean truly know...that I would never want to do anything that would...hurt you."
Now, one could say many things about Flash Sentry. They could say that he was overly-jovial. They could say that he was too nice for his own good. That he was a goof. They could even say, at a stretch that he was naïve about some things. But the one thing nobody could ever say about him was that he was an outright idiot. The moment Twilight had spoken those words, he knew something was up, and when that happened, his smile vanished entirely. Instead, he put on a slight frown.
"Twilight...what's this about? If something is wrong, you know you can tell me."
Twilight looked away, shutting her eyes tightly and taking a few deep breaths. His words had reminded her very much of Spike's offer not so long ago, and thus, she found herself once more looking uncomfortable, knowing what she was about to say. But, after a while, she looked right back to him, sadness as clear as day in her eyes.
"Flash...we need to talk...about...us."
The boy looked to her with a degree of confusion, which was reflected in his voice as he replied to that.
"Us?"
Twilight nodded.
"Yeah. Flash...I know I like you, and I know you like me. But...there's something...important I need to do."
Flash stared at her, his face completely blank for the time being. Twilight waited for him to say something to her, perhaps half-expecting him to display further confusion about what this was all about. But, that was not what happened. Instead, Flash's eyes started to bear the same sad tint as her, and he looked away from her. A few moments passed before, finally, he let out a sigh.
"You...you want to end it, don't you?"
Twilight took on a look of genuine surprise, but, that was soon replaced by a regretful expression, as she looked down at the ground before nodding. Flash noted this as he turned to face her once more, and after another brief about of silence between them, Twilight continued.
"It's just...I've been doing a lot of thinking about it. And...I came to realise that...this isn't something that can go on. Not forever."
Flash continued to look saddened by this, but he never spoke in anger or frustration towards her. Instead, his tone was far more composed than Twilight would have expected of him.
"Twilight...you're special to me. You have been ever since you first came to this world. I know we've only been together-together for a short while, but..."
Here, Twilight looked to him in a more serious manner, reaching forward and placing a hand upon his before speaking up.
"Flash...I'm from another world. I have a whole life over there. Friends, family, responsibilities. And you have the same, here in this world."
For a brief moment, she started to frown.
"I should have realised this sooner...but my continuing to pursue you was never right. I mean...what was I expecting? That you'd put your whole life on hold until the Princess of Friendship deigns to visit you?"
Slowly, Flash took on a serious look.
"I'd have tried."
Her expression softening, Twilight let out a sigh.
"I...I know you would. You'd have done anything for me, wouldn't you?"
Flash gave her a silent glance, giving her all the answer she needed for that, before starting to look away from her, still looking noticeably upset by this. However, he stayed silent as she continued.
"But do you think I'd be happy? Asking you to do that for me? Do you think I could live with myself, knowing I'd have thrown such a disruption into your life? And what of you? Could you ever find it in yourself to ask me to just drop everything to come here, to spend time with you?"
Flash looked deep in thought, before slowly turning to look at her expectant face. He stared at those lavender eyes for a few moments, before letting out a sigh, shaking his head.
"No...I could never ask you to do that."
Twilight began to mirror his expression, and when she spoke, it was with a softer tone than before.
"Flash...you were my first crush. And like any first crush, I let myself become wrapped up in it, far more so than I should have done. But..."
Slowly, she started to frown again.
"...I've come to realise something important. For us to be together, truly be together...one of us would have to give up...everything."
It was something Flash knew he was going to have to hear, and yet, that foreknowledge did nothing to lessen just how painful it was when it actually happened. The two youths looked to each other, into the other's eyes, and both of them felt, in this moment, that they were hoping that it was all just a bad dream. That they'd wake up and this horrible conversation was just something they'd imagined. But no. That wasn't going to happen. Even Twilight, who had started this whole thing herself, looked very much like she was in the middle of feeling an immense degree of regret. As for Flash, his expression softened considerably as time passed, and in the end, when he spoke, his voice was of someone who sounded completely and utterly defeated.
"Was...was there ever a chance that this could work? You. Me. Us. Was it even possible that we could hold onto it?"
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, only to find the words stuck in her throat. Several seconds passed as she tried to compose herself, and when she finally answered, her voice was tinted with melancholy.
"I...I thought we could. I'd...hoped we could."
Flash sighed, nodding in agreement, and in the moments that followed, it really did seem as if there was little the two could say to one another. At least, nothing that could make them feel any better. But, when the silence was broken, it was Flash who did the honours, closing his eyes briefly before looking back to the girl before him.
"If...if you think this is the best thing, then...I guess that's all there is to it."
Hearing that, Twilight's eyes widened for a moment, and she shook her head frantically."
"No, Flash! Please! Don't do that!"
Flash, briefly, seemed confused, but was prevented from speaking when Twilight gently placed her fingers upon his lips.
"Flash...I know how things ended between you and Sunset. I know you just smiled and accepted it. And I...I don't want you to do that with me! Please...just...be honest with me! Tell me you're unhappy! Just...just don't try to make me feel like you're okay with this!"
Flash looked to her, and just how upset she was over all of this, to the point where he could even see tears forming in her eyes. But, before they had the chance to start falling down her cheek, he raised a hand, placing it upon the side of her face, before speaking softly.
"Twilight...if I were to tell you that I was fine, that there was nothing about this that bothered me...it'd be a lie."
Twilight grimaced slightly, bracing herself for whatever the boy had to say to her. But, to her shock, he continued to speak softly to her.
"But just because this makes me unhappy...doesn't mean I'm going to be angry at you."
The girl looked to him, confused, which prompted him to continue.
"Twilight...our time together wasn't very long. And we've had a whole bunch of stuff coming between us that we needed to focus on instead. But..."
Slowly, a small smile crept onto his face.
"...that time was still special to me. It mattered. You mattered. And even though it's ending...I can at least be happy that I was able to be with a girl as special as you...even if it was just a short time."
Twilight stared at him, not quite believing what she'd just heard, and yet, as she continued to look into his eyes, she saw no trace of deception there. No hint that he was just saying all this to make her feel better. He'd meant every word of it. And while that did little to make her feel any better herself about this break-up, it did at least give her cause to feel a degree of relief, as evidenced by the sigh she then let out. Flash, at this moment, took his hand off her face, but, before he could react, he watched with shock as Twilight lunged forward, grabbing hold of his head with both hands, before bringing her own to it. In an instant, their lips were together, and Flash's expression was one of disbelief. But, in time, he started to relax, to the point where his eyes, much like hers, were now closing.
This union lasted for almost a full minute, even though it seemed far longer to those involved, and when they parted, it was slow. But, in the end, the kiss came to a close, with Twilight blushing fiercely from the experience. As for Flash, he continued to sit in his chair, looking dumbfounded at what had just happened, until, at last, Twilight spoke up.
"I...I felt like the two of us deserved to know what that felt like...even if it was just the once."
Here, Flash shook his head, bringing himself out of his shocked state, and finally taking in what the girl had said to him. After staring at her for some time, he cracked that same friendly smile he always wore.
"It was nice."
To this, Twilight smiled back, nodding her head.
"Yeah...it was."
Another silence fell between them, but thankfully, this one was short-lived, as Flash cleared his throat before speaking up again.
"So...what do we do now?"
Twilight looked away from him, looking like she was thinking hard on that question, and when she looked back, her expression was one of uncertainty, as she shrugged her shoulders before giving an answer.
"I guess...we can always carry on...as friends."
Flash too seemed to think on that, and when he spoke, he did so with a genuine smile.
"I...I would like that."
Twilight smiled, once more relieved that things had gone so well here. She reached forward, placing her hand upon his once more, before speaking in a soft tone.
"Thank you, Flash...for everything."
The boy nodded, still smiling.
"And thank you, Twilight. It was...good."
The young princess continued to smile at that.
"Yes. Yes it was."
Here, at long last, she started to get up from her chair, all while Flash watched her go, never saying a word as he did so. When Twilight finally reached the door of the room, however, she stopped, and after a brief pause, she turned, looking upon him with that same sad flicker in her eyes.
"So...I guess I'll see you around?"
Flash nodded, with a similar look in his eyes.
"Yeah...I guess you will."
But both of them kept smiling, if only to reassure the other person, and as the silence persisted, Twilight at last opened the door of the room, exiting it and closing that door behind her. She cast a glance over her shoulder, looking to Flash through the door-window, before taking a few steps down the hallway. Once she was sure she was out of earshot, and out of sight, she stopped, and here, at last, tears started to fall down her cheeks. There were only a few, but even so, it was more than enough to show just how upset she was. Raising a hand, she wiped them away as best she could, but, moments later, she was distracted by the sound of somebody clearing their throat. Twilight stopped, turning her head to the left, and there, leaning against the nearby wall, was Sunset. The older girl looked to her, her expression one of sympathy and understanding, and as she took a few steps closer, she placed a hand gently upon the young princess' shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
Twilight looked to her, looking over her shoulder to the door of the music room, and then glanced back to her. Here, in this hall, with nothing but the two of them, she said the only honest thing some in her position possibly could say.
"Oh, Sunset...what have I done?"
