Author's Note

This isn't a fanfic for Flash/Twilight shippers, just warning right now. Also, I want to eventually turn this into an Audio drama, so if anyone is interested, please let me know

Dark Secret

“Welcome, everypony, to this year's Grand Galloping Gala!”, Princess Celestia greeted all the ponies in the Entrance hall of the castle.

The ponies cheered, excitedly. There were thousands of attendants. The entire castle was decorated beautifully.

“This year, our Gala will be hosted by Princess Twilight Sparkle for the very first time!”, Celestia announced, spreading her wings.

The ponies cheered more, as Twilight walked up, standing by Celestia. She smiled at the ponies...but there was something very different about her.

There was a subtle, dark look in her eyes. A broken look. Her smile made her look very happy, but her eyes told a different story.

She also looked quite tired.

“Welcome everypony, I cannot begin to tell you how honored and happy I am to host this year's gala”, she begun.

If Only my words were true...

“I spent many sleepless nights arranging everything, in hopes of making this the best Gala yet!”, Twilight continued.

I practically made a career out of faking everything. I became so good at it...no one would suspect anything was wrong.

“Good evening, Welcome to the Gala”, Twilight began shaking hooves with each pony, a long line forming.

Things were happy for me at one time...it wasn't even too long ago. But...it felt like an eternity.

“Princess Twilight, it is my honor to shake your hoof”, a Unicorn stallion said.

“The pleasure is mine, sir”, Twilight said, shaking his hoof.

Every day, I pretended through my life. And...I acted it good. It was amazing how much ponies didn't notice, as long as you put up a good act.

“Twilight, take a break. I'll take over”, Celestia offered, kindly.

“Thank you, Princess”, Twilight smiled, after she shook the 100th hoof.

Celestia, Twilight and Luna switched every 100 ponies. There were more attendants this year than the previous years.

Twilight walked down the hall of the castle, where it was quiet. She entered her room, using her magic to open the door.

'Spike must be at the doughnut shop', she realized.

She glanced up at the wall, seeing a framed photo of herself, and her old friends in Ponyville.

Her ears folded back, a sad look in her eyes.

I haven't been to Ponyville...for almost a year. I rarely got to see my close friends anymore.

I missed them all dearly...I always told them it was due to constant royal business in Canterlot, but that was only partly true.

She heard a set of hooves approaching her room then. Twilight looked over, seeing a shadow approaching.

The golden Pegasus entered, wearing his armor.

“Twilight, there you are”, he said.

“Sorry, Flash. I just needed a break”, Twilight apologized, her wings ruffling a bit. Flash frowned slightly.

“The Gala is an important event, besides its you're very first time hosting it!”, he pointed out, walking over to her.

“I guess I'm just nervous”, Twilight explained, looking away. She held her head low almost automatically at his presence.

“I can understand that...”, Flash lifted his hoof, and took hers for a moment. Twilight glanced at him.

“But don't take too long...we wouldn't anypony to get...suspicious, now would we?”, his tone suddenly changed, from gentle to threatening.

“I highly doubt they will”, Twilight snapped then, glaring.

Flash suddenly tightened his grip around her hoof. Twilight flinched, and tried to pull her hoof away, but he only tightened his grip more, cutting off her circulation.

“Wouldn't want to get mouthy, now would you? As soon as this stupid party is over, I can do whatever I want”, Flash warned, his eyes dangerous.

Twilight's ears folded back, a sudden look of fear in her eyes.

“I'm sorry...”, she said quietly, looking down.

“You look at me in the eye and apologize, you are my wife after all”, Flash growled.

Twilight forced herself to look at him.

“I'm sorry...”, she repeated, her voice still quiet.

“That's better...”, Flash finally released his grip on her hoof. Twilight pulled it back, wincing. It wouldn't stop hurting.

“Now...let's go”, Flash walked out. Twilight held her head low, following.

It was a secret...I kept from everypony. A secret I was forced...blackmailed into keeping. It was all perfect in the beginning, we got married two years ago. It was a beautiful wedding. All my friends were there, it couldn't have gone better.

But...it was the next week when the stallion of my dreams...showed his true colors.

It started with the threats...and then...

Two Years Ago

Twilight gently tucked Spike in. He slept soundly, exhausted. Things weren't going very well. Flash and her hadn't been getting along very well since the marriage.

They argued often. Twilight put earplugs in Spike's ears, so he could sleep soundly.

She needed to talk to somepony, anypony. She went to leave the room, when Flash entered.

“Flash...”, she said, surprised to see him.

“Where are you going?”, asked Flash, frowning.

“I just...need to go talk to Cadence”, Twilight replied, looking away. Flash walked closer to her.

“About what?”, he asked, coldly.

“Flash...something's not right. We...all we do is argue! What kind of marriage is this?”, Twilight blurted out then, unable to hold it in any longer.

“Why, a royal marriage”, Flash replied, brushing off the topic.

“I'm serious, Flash. What happened to us? We've been married for a week...”, Twilight pressed.

Flash glanced back at her.

“What do you want me to say, Twilight?”, he asked, rudely.

“Just tell me what I did wrong...or what is wrong! This isn't love...”, Twilight answered.

“You didn't do anything wrong”, Flash said, but still spoke in a rude tone, avoiding eye contact. Twilight glared, frustrated with him.

“Whatever...I need to talk to my sister. Maybe you'll have a better attitude when I get back”, Twilight snapped. She turned to leave, glaring.

Just as she was about to exit the room, suddenly a strong force slammed her against the wall.

Twilight cried out, surprised, and in pain.

“Is that how you talk to your husband?”, Flash sneered, he had slammed her against the wall, and slammed the bedroom door.

His hoof was pressed against her chest, bruising it. There was even a slight dent in the wall. Twilight froze, horrified.

“W-What...?”, she cried.

“I think you see too much of your sister, and of those friends of yours”, Flash growled.

“Flash, what's wrong with you?!”, Twilight demanded, still in shock. Flash suddenly pressed both hooves down on her chest, hard.

Twilight grimaced in pain then, tensing.

“F-Flash...stop!”, cried Twilight, shakily.

“Shut up!”, Flash suddenly bit Twilight's shoulder, and threw her.

Before she landed, he bucked her in the chest. Twilight couldn't bite back a scream of pain, as she hit the floor hard.

She wheezed, struggling to catch her breath. She was positive her ribs were broken.

Twilight glared then, snapping out of her shock. If he could do something like this...purposely injure her...

She struggled, but got to her feet, sweating, in pain.

“Flash...why?”, she asked, breathlessly.

“Why?”, Flash taunted, glaring.

“Flash...I thought you loved me...why would you...do this?!”, Twilight cried, shaking.

“You don't know me...at all”, Flash sneered, glaring.

Twilight was horrified, but she then glared.

If he could injure her this badly...she couldn't imagine what he might do to Spike.

Her horn suddenly glowed, as a beam of magic shot at him. Flash flew up, dodging it narrowly.

Twilight glared, shooting more beams at him, destroying parts of the room.

Flash then flew down fast, and suddenly grabbed Spike, holding him up. Spike was still asleep because of the earplugs.

Twilight froze then, stopping.

“What's wrong? Go on”, Flash taunted, grinning.

“Put him down..!”, Twilight ordered, counting her hoof.

“Stop using your magic, and I won't hurt him”, Flash threatened. Twilight hesitated, glaring. She was breathing unevenly, still in pain.

“Okay, just let him go!”, Twilight pleaded. Flash grinned evilly, he then set Spike down.

“If you don't want me to hurt Spike...you'll keep your mouth shut about this”, he sneered.

“I can leave any time I want with Spike...you can't keep me quiet”, Twilight growled, breathlessly. Her ribs felt like they were on fire.

But she had to stand her ground.

“I wouldn't try that if I were you”, Flash threatened. Twilight glared.

“You see...this goes deeper than you could ever imagine”, Flash approached her.

“What are you talking about?”, Twilight asked.

“You wouldn't want anything to happen to the Crystal Empire, would you?”, Flash asked, as he walked around her.

“What...?!”, Twilight gawked at him.

“You see...I have inside connections. If you were to defy me...I have a way to remove the Crystal heart”, Flash threatened.

“How could YOU have connections?! You're just a Pegasus guard! You don't have the power to remove it!”, Twilight yelled, not intimidated.

“Oh I don't have the power, but I do have the influence. An old foe of yours has quite a grudge against you, and the rulers of the Crystal Empire”, Flash hinted.

Twilight froze then. He couldn't be talking about...her.

“Queen Chrysalis was quite intrigued when I mentioned the plan to her...”, Flash confirmed Twilight's fears.

Twilight's heart sunk.

“As long as the Crystal Heart is gone, your precious brother, sister in law, and niece are all going to be trapped in an eternal winter, along with their home, and all the residents, And eventually...all of Equestria”, Flash threatened.

“No...you can't do this!”, the first thing that appeared in Twilight's mind was little Flurry Heart. Cadence and Shining Armor struggling to keep her warm...keep her alive, not able to abandon the Empire and all the ponies there.

“We have an understanding now?”, Flash asked. Twilight looked down, he could have just been saying all this. Just to scare her, and keep her quiet.

But...to risk the return of King Sombra, and eternal winter...risking the lives of her family. Of everypony. She couldn't risk such a thing.

All of Equestria would be doomed. Ponyville, Canterlot, everywhere.

“Well?”, Flash asked, impatiently. Twilight looked at him, grimly. The pain in her ribcage didn't stop.

“Okay...”, she said breathlessly then.

“I won't...say anything. Just please...promise me you won't take the Crystal heart”, pleaded Twilight.

“Don't worry, my dear. I made sure Queen Chrysalis doesn't have access until I knew for sure”, Flash sneered, a sick grin on his face.

“But...if you defy me at any time...she will be able to get to it. I'll make sure of it”, Flash added.

“I understand. I'll keep quiet, I'll pretend nothing is happening...I'll do whatever you want. As long as you don't take the Crystal heart”, Twilight promised.

“Very good...”, Flash sneered, as he petted her mane. Twilight froze...it didn't feel loving. It felt cold.

She looked at Spike, who remained asleep. She was so glad he slept through all of that.

He couldn't know...no one could.

Present time

Twilight stood by Flash, near Celestia in the Entrance Hall. Luna was shaking hooves now.

No one suspected anything. If I ever told anypony, even Celestia...he'd know. The weight of Equestria rested sololy on my shoulders...and has been for two years.

And no pony ever knew it.