There were many places in the world where Flash would find himself back in the old days. In the thick of some feud between various pony groups. Defending ponykind itself from an attack by some vicious monster. Perhaps simply flying the skies with his colleagues in order to ensure the realm was free from danger and harm. Where he did not expect to find himself, however, was in an old library in this new city of Canterlot. Yet here he was, sitting quietly in some corner table, lest he be recognised by the other patrons here. Before him lay an old tome, its pages marked with texts and illustrations of the great events of Equestria's past. Flash grimaced as he read through all the copious words he now stared at. He was a soldier, not a scholar. This sort of thing was always more Starswirl or Stygian's forte. But in days such as these he found himself compelled to be here, to find such tomes as this and to learn what he could. And learn he had, as this book and many like it had afforded him a great deal of knowledge regarding all that had occurred since he and the other Pillars made what they assumed would be their final action. After a deep breath however, he shook his head slowly. "So much...so much has passed."
"Bit for your thoughts?"
Flash smiled at the sound of the familiar voice, and instinctively reached to one side to pull back a chair for her. Sure enough, his old friend Somnambula sat beside him, smiling to him. Flash smiled back, knowing he was in the company of one of the few in all the world who had at least a semblance of an idea of what he felt right now. But for now, he saw her eyes drift to his open book, prompting him to explain himself. "Thought I'd get in some reading. See what we missed."
Somnambula nodded, leaning closer. "And what have we missed?"
Flash sighed. "More than I can ever get my head around." He gestured to the library around him. "Heck, this entire city wasn't even here when were last part of the world. People changing, I can accept. But not even the land is familiar anymore."
Another nod from his companion. "I know...but I feel I should remind you that this is better than the alternative wethought we were getting."
Flash gave her a solemn look. "Can't argue with that. Living in an unfamiliar time and place...or be doomed to an eternal oblivion." A dry chuckle escaped him. "Put the two together and it really is a...what do ponies call it now? A no-brainer?"
Somnambula giggled briefly. "I believe that is the term. And they'd be right. We have a chance to carry on with our lives, my friend. Where once we thought our time was up now we have opportunities aplenty."
Flash slowly closed his book. "I know I should be grateful for that. Happy even. And I want to be. But..."
His friend understood, reaching out and gently placing her hoof upon his shoulder. "You miss it? Your old life? The ponies you knew?"
The stallion looked to her, letting his guard down ever so slightly to show the difficulty he was feeling underneath. "They're all gone, Somnambula. The ones I knew, the ones you knew. Everything that made up our lives...it's all gone."
But, contrary to sharing in his despair, Somnambula actually maintained her smile. "No, not all. We are still here for one another. We two, Mistmane, Rockhoof, Starswirl, Meadowbrook. There are still those of our past that remain with us, even when all else has changed."
For the longest time, Flash simply stared at her, seeing the honesty with which she spoke those words. Then, after letting them sink in for himself, he finally cracked as smile. "You know, it never ceases to amaze me." When he saw her head tilt to the side quizzically, he elaborated. "Your ability to lighten any dour mood. Your talent in bringing light to a dark situation."
Somnambula gave a slight bow of her head. "Making others feel better has always been one of the great joys of my life. And I certainly gained plenty of practice with you and our other colleagues."
Flash bowed right back. "On that there can be no argument." He smirked slightly. "I still remember well the day we first met."
Somnambula glanced to the side, a look of nostalgic fondness coming to her. "Ah yes, one of my favourite moments from our time together."
Her companion leaned on the table as he kept his eyes on her. "There I was, along with all my fellow pegasi, planning our next move against a roaming band of dog raiders, with moods unhappy all around."
"A grim scene, to be sure," Somnambula commented.
"Then, what should suddenly happen but me receiving a gift of unknown origin. A tightly wrapped-up rug. I hadn't ordered it, my comrades hadn't ordered it, so as soon as I get it I bring it to my tent to investigate." His smirk returned. "Well, imagine my surprise when I unroll the thing to discover, not some sinister ploy by our enemies, but a mare, apparently deciding to visit me in secret."
Somnambula pointed to him. "I do try to make a good first impression. And if I remember the look on your face at the time, it was most certainly that."
A quick laugh from the ancient soldier. "You won't find me arguing you on that point, Ma'am." Soon after, his expression softened. "In truth...I was grateful to you being there. We were expecting a long and grueling fight. Instead, you saunter into the enemy lair and talk them down as if it were nothing."
Somnambula reached out to him, patting him on the shoulder again. "There is a time for might and a time for words, friend. And though your heart is brave, it never hurts to try the gentle approach."
Flash sighed. "I wasn't expecting all of us to walk away from that fight. You...saved us."
Somnambula's smile widened. "You'd have done the same for me."
"In a heartbeat," Flash answered without hesitation. Then, after a few seconds, his look of concern returned as he again glanced around the library. "You know, it's funny. Back when you and I, all of us even, were the great 'heroes of Equestria', we had no shortage of foes to keep us busy. But as I look on this new era, I see so much less conflict plaguing our kind. Griffons, dragons, you name it, ponykind has befriended it."
His friend arched an eyebrow. "Surely that is no bad thing?"
A quick nod from the stallion. "Oh, certainly. I always hoped a day would come when ponykind would only ever know peace. And while Princess Twilight informed us that there are still bumps here and there, peace is exactly what Equestria now experiences."
Slowly, Somnambula looked to him warily. "There is an old saying in my land, Flash. Anything a pony says before the word 'but' is simply formality."
Flash chuckled emptily, nodding in agreement. "Your people were not wrong. I do have a concern. And one I've been thinking on ever since I fully grasped what this new time in Equestria's history would bring for me."
For the first time in this conversation, Somnambula seemed to have some sense of worry herself, as if already knowing what her friend was going to say. "You fear your place in this world is gone forever. Like you and I and our friends are no longer needed as they once were."
Flash looked to her, relieved that he wasn't going to have to try to put his feelings into words after all. "Yeah...that."
Somnambula looked around to whatever ponies were close by, all of whom were nose-deep in their respective books. "I would be lying if I said I had not thought the same things. I try not to let it get to me, this notion that the world has gotten by just fine without us, but..."
It was strange, seeing her as the one feeling down, but for the time being it was something Flash himself was unable to avoid himself. "For over a thousand years, Equestria has been just fine. We weren't here to defend it, yet still it stands. The Pillars were gone from the world...yet the world kept on spinning."
"You feel we are no longer needed?" Somnambula asked solemnly.
After a long while, Flash nodded. "I do. We're..." He sighed. "We're relics, Somnambula. Leftovers from a time when Equestria needed mythic heroes. Now, we're stories told to children. We're fables, with most ponies wondering if we ever really existed at all. And what's more..." He craned his neck upwards, staring at the windows that adorned the highest levels of the library. "Equestria has heroes aplenty now to defend it. Oh, we might have been needed for Stygian, but beyond that our homeland has new ponies to care for it. And they've been doing it without ever having to need us here."
Somnambula understood, though she remained quiet for a time. Then, as was always the case with her, her smile returned, and she reached out to place her hoof upon Flash's, gaining his attention. "Yes. This world perhaps no longer requires us to be there to watch over it. And I will not deny that it will be a struggle to find a new palace for ourselves in this changed world." She again looked to the other ponies of the library. "But think of this not as a loss, but an opportunity."
To say that Flash looked sceptical would have been an understatement? "Oh? For what?"
The mare shrugged. "A great many things I'm sure. For one, we have wisdom of past ages to pass down to these new generations. Who knows how much knowledge has been lost? As you say, few even know we truly existed, so there is at least a few gaps in their histories we can fill."
Flash finally looked back to the history book he'd been reading. "I'll admit, it was a little frustrating to learn that so many of the things we lived through never made it into all these books. Maybe...there are things we can teach them after all."
Smiling to that, Somnambula took a moment to give her friend a playful nudge in the side. "And I'm sure all those in the Royal Guard would love to have some tutelage from a literal living legend such as yourself." She glanced around ,as if to make sure nopony else was listening to them, then brought her voice to a whisper. "And you didn't hear this from me, but word on the grapevine is that there's another pegasus guard by the name of Flash who just so happens to bear a very particular resemblance to you. Might be worth looking into."
Rather expectedly, that caught Flash's attention immediately. "A descendent?"
"Quite possibly. If not yours then at least kin of some branch of the family tree. And if not, any one of us may have blood out there in the world in need of being met and spoken to," Somnambula answered.
Flash thought long on that, giving a slow nod. "Yes...it might have been my cousin's line. I certainly never had any children."
Somnambula looked to him mischievously. "Well, you know what they say..." She brought herself close, whispering in his ear. "It's never too late for that sort of thing."
Flash's eyes slowly widened, and as he turned, seeing Somnambula walk off, his voice wobbled in stark contrast to its usual composure. "So...Somnamnula?! You're not suggesting...?"
But the mare was still walking away as she answered. "Oh, certainly. I'd never suggest such a thing." Away from his gaze, she smiled knowingly. "Doesn't mean I wouldn't imply it though."
Flash watched her turn the corner, leaving his view altogether. After almost a solid minute of just staring at where she had been, the legendary soldier looked around, making sure nopony was looking to him, before adjusting the clasp on the front of his armour slightly, then gaining a similar smile as he began to follow. "Maybe this new era won't be so bad after all."
