A Flash of Twilight

Hey guys! This isn't my first fanfiction but its the first one I'm actually posting. I'm a bit apprehensive about it as I'm not extremely confident about my writing but I guess we'll see what happens. I'm keeping the rating at teen for now but expect some smut/lemons/fluff in later chapters.
This story takes place right after Equestria Girls, and is a romance fic between Flash Sentry and Twilight Sparkle. I'm mainly focusing around that pairing but possible hinting of other pairings will include Fluttermac, SoarinDash, and Discopie. (All of which are my favorites) Please r&r and enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own my little pony friendship is magic or any of its characters. This amazing show belongs to Hasbro, not me.

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The sound of hooves trudging along marble floor echoed around the castle halls, slowly and steadily reaching their destination. It wasn't normally this quiet in the royal home, but the castle had sufficiently calmed down after Twilights return. It had taken over an hour for things to finally settle into a less-than-normal serenity, and after all that dancing a certain lavender mare was so exhausted she felt as though she would drop any minute now. Unfortunately she couldn't, since the whole crown fiasco finished, there was still work to be done. She'd have to relay all events that happened while she was in the alternate world and Celestia would no doubt want all the information known about the humans and their culture-and nopony except Twilight Sparkle had even a glimpse of it. Celestial would probably also request that Twilight give full profiles on the friends she'd met too. Or at least that's what Twilight assumed would happen.

Earlier that evening as Twilight was preparing to sleep she received an urgent letter from the princess requesting that she report to the throne room ASAP. Yawning tiredly, Twilight had of course followed instruction because it was her duty, whether she a new princess or not.
Spike had been curled up in his basket, blanket askew and shivering. Twilight looked down on him lovingly and pulled the blanket up to his chin.

"Goodnight Spike," she'd said before planting a small kiss on his forehead. Trotting through the chilly halls of the castle was the opposite of what she wanted to be doing right now. The only thing Twilight wanted right now was to be warm and cozy snuggled up in her bed (even if it was only 9:00). But right now she was walking to undoubtably a session of work. Lucky her.

Twilight soon reached the tall pillars that led to Celestia and Luna's throne room shying herself around the corner to catch a glimpse of what was going on before she marched in. It appeared that Celestia was talking to a guard that Twilight couldn't quite recognize from the angle he was standing. The guard was a pegasus stallion with golden armor-only high ranking guards wore that kind of armor. The highly ranked guards were only used for special or difficult tasks like spying and protecting important ponies when necessary. The only encounter Twilight had ever had with any of them was after the discord problem. The special guards were only there to protect Celestia in case Discord tried something funny. So.. that meant Princess Celestia couldn't have called Twilight in for a simple report. If she didn't call Twilight in for that.. then, what was going on?

Confused, Twilight corrected her posture and proceeded to trot towards the royal throne. Celestia turned away from the guard and looked at Twilight with one of her more uncommon serious expressions. The kind of expression that would make any guilty pony shake in their boots. This couldn't be good.

"Thank you for coming Twilight, I'm sure you must be extremely tired but we have recently discovered that a threat has been made." Celestia spoke with a sense of worry and urgency in her voice.

"Threat? Against Equestria? Are the elements of harmony involved?" Twilight didn't feel so tired anymore, instead anxious and stressed in the light of this news. Equestria recieved many threats, but most of the outlying regions who made them were too stupid to follow through. Few threats were taken this seriously because of it, as Luna and Celestia could detect a pattern in between the more dangerous ones and the less lethal ones. So any threat that Celestia would be telling twilight this urgently must have been serious.

"No," Celestia responded, "The threat is against you."

Twilight felt cold. If she was anxious before, it was nothing compared to how she felt now. A creeping sense of someone watching her began to fill her mind, her feet went numb and her head became hot. Why would someone want her? She was barely a real princess! Is this what being a princess meant, constantly being in danger all the time? First the crown, then the portal, now someone's put a bounty for her head. This isn't what she wanted, being the most important element of harmony was scary enough!

Celestia continued, "As you know, most threats are directed towards Luna or myself and are considered harmless. But I'm afraid, Twilight, that this has come from a citizen here in Canterlot and must be taken seriously. The elements of harmony are famous, yes, but we haven't yet revealed their names to the public. This gives the royal guard reason to believe that the persecutor is here in the castle. Whoever is after you knows what you are and most likely what your friends are too. We need to effectively take action immediately." Twilights jaw dropped, her ears bent back and she crouched low on the ground. Tears were welling in her eyes and before long she couldn't keep them from rolling down her face. Luna glided away from Celestia's side and covered a trembling Twilight with her wing protectively.

"Don't be scared little one. Celestia is assigning you one of our most trusted guards to protect you. Nothing can bring you harm," Luna said comfortingly to the lavender mare.

"No.. That's not it," The sisters both looked at Twilights drenched face in confusion. Twilight was simply afraid for her friends. The fact that someone near her, possibly in this very castle, had the ability to kill any one of her friends terrified her.. And it was all her fault.

"Then what is it my little pony?" Celestia inquired.

"I don't want my friends to get hurt for my sake," the mare in question said quietly. A fresh stream of tears came rolling down her face as Luna continued to comfort her by stoking her mane. Twilight was scared. Chilled to the bone scared. But not an ounce of that fear is for herself, she was scared for her friends. That this "assassin" or whoever would hurt them trying to get to her.

Celestia looked down at Twilight with a determined look on her face. "I will not allow it." Celestia said, "Twilight, this is in no way your fault and either way I will not allow any of my subjects get hurt. Especially the ones I have known as my little ponies for some time now. Which is why protocol 'G17' is taking effect immediately."

"G-g17?" Twilight asked still shaking with tears. G17? That sounded like one of those weird names you hear in spy movies.

"Yes, as Luna has already told you, we have assigned you a personal guard. He's one of our highest ranked stallions next to your brother Shining Armor and will ensure that both happens to you. You must never be separated or out his sight. His duty is to you and only you." At that Twilight turned her head to fully take in the stallion for the first time. She noticed his orange skin and spiky blue hair and at that moment a huge realization hit her.
This wasn't just a guard.
This was Flash Sentry.

He stepped towards Twilight with a gentle but serious half smile on his face. This couldn't have been coincidence. Did Celestia know about what happened on the other side of the portal? ...she couldn't have.. No this HAD to be coincidence. Of course one the highest ranked ponies had to be him. Of all the stallions in Equestria he had to be one of the best.

"Princess, we must leave Canterlot tonight. For your safety and comfort you will be staying near your friends in Ponyville for now but please be aware that there is always a chance that we cannot stay there for long. Until the assassin is caught I will be at your side 24/7." Flash said. Twilight could hear a hint of anger in his voice along with an emended amount of worry. She wondered if he was angry with her, that he was angry because he had to babysit some useless princess.

"Tonight? But what about the other elements?" Twilight asked anxiously. She didn't want to leave them behind and risk her not being there lest something important happen.

"They will leave in the morning," Celestia said as Twilight turned towards her. "As they are all fast asleep I need not worry until morning. You're in much more need of protection than the rest of them, which is why I called for you to leave now."

"So you're leaving them helpless? What about them, doesn't their safety matter at-" Twilight began but was cut short by Luna.

"Yes, little one, their safety does matter immensely. We have already sent soldiers to be stationed in and around Ponyville. Tomorrow they will be escorted by even more guards on the train. Do not fear, as they are not in as much danger as you." Luna said assuringly to Twilight. "Right now you need to quickly pack your things. Your guard will escort you to your room."

Twilight stood, lifting herself away from Luna's wing. She still had that odd feeling that someone was watching her, it was more paranoia than anything. Flash walked toward Twilight and said, "Come, princess. We need to hurry, the train is already waiting outside." Twilight nodded and silently followed him through the corridor. Though she looked toward the ground, she could tell that Flash was huge in comparison to her. His body was well built for a pegasus and he looked as though he was taller than even Big Macintosh. Twilight admired his features, feeling safer already as her creeping feeling wasn't as intense. It surprised Twilight that Celestia had taken such immense measures. Even after going up against Nightmare Moon, Discord, and even Queen Crysallis, Celestia never assigned personal guards. Those were for more important ponies, such as the royal princesses themselves. 'I guess I am a princess now..' Twilight thought. Even though she'd gotten a crown and wings, it hadn't really sunken in yet. The thought that she was now extremely special, that she was immortal, that she was a Goddess in the eyes of other ponies just didn't feel normal. Twilight guessed becoming one of the most important ponies in Equestria wasn't normal by any means, so feeling weird wasn't so weird after all.

Just as they were nearing Twilight's room Flash slowed to walk next to her. She hung her head slightly away from him because her face had not yet dried of all her tears. "I don't think I've properly introduced myself yet, princess," Flash said in gentle tone as not to scare her.

'Yes but I already know your name' Twilight responded in her head.

"My name is Flash Sentry. I've been working for the royal sisters since I was old enough to join the guard. I know you don't know much about me.. but please know that I'll do everything I can for you no matter what. I won't let anyone lay a hoof on you, they'd have to do it over my dead body," He said with confidence and genuine feeling. Twilight was touched by his words. She looked up at him, eyes still a bit watery, and smiled a small smile for the first time since she'd left her room only twenty minutes prior. Flash looked down towards her and gazed into her eyes. Neither had realized they'd stopped walking as purple met blue in an intense gaze. Flash felt like he was floating, the moment seeming longer than it was. He felt compelled to move in, to get closer to Twilights face, to her lips. His face was moving closer without his consent ever so slowly. Just before he was about move in Twilights cheeks became a rosy shade of red and she turned her head to begin walking again. Flash mentally kicked himself. Why did he need to be such a dumb ass right now, the princess is under a lot of stress and has important things of deal with. She wouldn't want him. She barely even knew him. HE barely knew HER. He blamed his colt hormones acting up, it was stupid of him to almost even consider the princess that way.

Twilight kept walking regretfully. That moment was fast and slow at the same time. She'd grown scared and looked away out of fear of looking dumb. He reminded her of the other Flash, that was it. She knew they were different people though and thinking about him that way would complicate their future guard-and-client relationship.
When they arrive at Twilights door Flash cleared his throat, "I'll wait for you outside Princess, be quick and pack what you need."

Twilight walked through the door and made a mental checklist of all the things she needed to get. She raked through her closet and threw all necessities into her saddlebags. Bustling around to find all her books, throwing things this way and that, she scrambled to mAle sure she had everything and headed for the door.

"...Twilight?" A small voice croaked sleepily. Twilight turned, Spike was rubbing his eyes and yawning. "What're you doin?" Through all the packing she'd completely forgotten Spikes presence in the room. It made her want to cry again knowing it would be a long time before things could become normal again. But she wasn't going to cry again, it wouldn't change things anyway.

"Go back to sleep Spike," she cooed, "I'll see you soon, don't worry." And with that the baby dragon yawned and fell back into his slumber. Twilight loved the way he could sleep so easily, it reminded her of how young he was even though he worked so hard. She left the room and tore away from Spike. No need to get sentimental again. Not now, she needed to hurry.

As she opened the door Flash glanced at her and nodded for her to follow. They walked faster now, almost trotting towards the exit. Twilight head for the main entrance of the palace but was quickly stopped by Flash, "I'm sorry princess, but for extra precaution we must take a less noticeable exit."

"But.. Isn't that the only door in or out of the castle? How else would we leave?" Twilight asked confused. Flash nodded towards one of the stone glass-less windows. He began to fly out, but when he turned to check on the princess he saw that she was still planted firmly on the ground, head hanging lower and red stained cheeks.

"Uh.. Princess Twilight? Are you ok?" He asked fluttering down beside her, head bent so he could get to eye level. She stood there quietly resembling one of her pink haired friends.

"I uh.. I don't know how to fly yet. Still getting used to the new wings." She said obviously embarrassed. Twilight hadn't gotten the time to find a teacher yet and flying was more difficult than if seemed.

"Oh.. Oh! I'm sorry princess, I'd just assumed..." He trailed off contemplating what to do when an idea arose. "Here just climb on my back princess," he said. It really was the only way out of here without going through the main entrance, and he didn't want to risk Twilights safety by making her attempt something she didn't fully know how to do. Twilight looked a little apprehensive about it, more she was self conscious than anything. "C'mon," he smiled, "I don't bite." A little eased by his words twilight began to walk towards him. She raised a hoof but then planted it back on the ground. Even as he crouched in front of her he was to big for twilight to climb on. Looking back at her he chuckled and instead scooped her up without warning, she gasped aloud at the sudden movement. "You okay?" he asked and Twilight nodded. "Right. Now hold on tight, princess."

Sorry for the short chapter, ill have the next one up within a few days. Reviews, suggestions, constructive criticism, and anything of the sort are always welcome!

Flash took off as gently as he could so as to not shake Twilight too much. He moved his wings in a circular motion, building a strong rhythm to hold up the extra weight. He could tell that she was she was nervous, as her grip had tightened around his neck sufficiently once they'd taken off. he flew through the window with ease, swiftly making his way high enough into the air until he could see the past the tall buildings of Canterlot. "Okay, see over there just beyond that pancake restaurant?" Twilight nodded, "Good, thats where our train car is. It should only take a minute to get there."

Twilight was getting antsy being so high up in the air even when Flash began to glide downwards again. This stupid flying thing was really pissing her off. Already three months had passed since she'd become a princess and still hadn't been able to get more than two feet off the ground. She hadnt exactly made it her immediate goal to begin flying but someone as magically equipped as her should have flying come easily. Many of the books she'd read had stated that she need to find the right mindset, the right rhythm, and most importantly the skill. Maybe Twilight didnt have skill. Maybe she was never going to fly or she wasnt cut out for it. She didnt even know how to focus her pegusus magic and magic was her talent! Rainbowdash and Fluttershy had given her a lesson one day. Theyd talked about it being something you had to "feel" and you couldnt force it. Twilight couldnt "feel" anything except more weight on her back and an uncomfortable lump when she tried to sleep at night. When she'd told them that theyd reassured her that these things took time. Teaching someone to fly when they'd used legs all their life is like teaching a cat to walk backwards. Seriously, how much time did she need?

Twilight decided she could worry about that later as the wind kissed her face and ruffled through her mane. The air was warm, but the movement made her slightly chilly. Feeling the air currents calmed her down, lulling her into a half sleep while she thought of less stressful things. Things like the cupcakes she had at home waiting for her or the new fiction novel she'd been reading. The novel really was interesting in her eyes, it was about a unicorn queen named Frigga who'd left her family and home for the greater good of her people. An evil wizard had taken control of her kingdom and was going to kill her subjects one by one unless Frigga gave up her throne. An earth pony (who Twilight secretly thought was Friggas "dead" husband) helped Frigga on her journey to reclaim her kingdom. Twilight was only half way through the book but she was pretty confident about what she thought was going to happen, thought the conclusion wasnt why she read it. The real reason she was reading the book was for the character development, which had really perked her interest. She was anxious to get all this assassin nonsense over with. It didnt worry her so much now as she laid comfortable in between pegasus wings. Her friends were safe, and in Twilights eyes, thats all that mattered. Right now all she focused on was the wisps of Flash's hair tickling her face and the rocking of his body that was slowly ensuring her sleep. She was so exhausted.. and the air felt so nice...

"We're here princess," Twilight jumped awake at the abrupt sound of Flash's voice. She suspected he knew she'd been drifting off and he'd spoken louder to keep her fully awake. "Find a seat that comforts you and i'll be there in a minute. I'm off to have a word with the conductor." Twilight shuffled off his back, nearly falling on the way down but Flash caught her with his wing putting her upright before trotting off in the opposite direction, not even giving a second thought to catching her. She looked at him until he disappeared behind the next cabin slightly amazed at how effortless that'd been for him. Really, did every pony need to be so elegant? Even Pinkie Pie with her jumpy state wasn't as clumsy as Twilight. She mentally cringed at the thought that a guard of all things could be so much smoother than her. Well gee, some graceful princess she was.

Twilight gave up her jealous thought and continued to board the train, but as she trotted up each cold, metal step an eerie chill crept up her spine.

She froze.

Twilight could feel a dark presence beyond the conclusions of paranoia crawling through her bones. It snaked around her body, slithered up her neck. She felt it within and around her, filling every crevice of her being forcing images into he brain, moving pictures and scenes and-

Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow dash, Flutter shy, and Pinkie Pie laid out in the grass beside a shaded forest. It was a beautiful place really, their coats sparkled in the summer heat depicting each their own sign of beauty. They gleamed in the sun, flipping their manes like goddesses as if they were nothing short. Each one of her friends laughed and giggled looking warm and content, dripping with childlike happiness. Twilight recognized this spot, it was where they held their picnics every so often her and her friends had one. Why was she here? ...Twilight wracked her brain trying to remember but couldn't.. she remembered something urgent.. she was going somewhere..

"Ugh what are youdoing here, Twilight?" Pinkie sneered.

"What?" She was confused, Pinkies voice was like venom.

"Didn't you hear? Or are you too stupid to understand English?" Rarity said with an even harsher tone. Twilight gaped, her mouth hanging open in shock. "Oh look she can't even speak, the poor darling."

Giggles erupted around the circles. Not giggles of happiness, no, they were like tiny daggers to Twilights chest. Leaving her without breath as tears were stinging her eyes.

"Heh, no wonder Celestia dropped her as a student, she can't even speak!" Hearing Fluttershy's icy tone nearly split Twilights heart in two, sending the girls in a fit of full on laughter.

"But-I thought-" The purple mare struggled with her words before Rainbow Dash cut her off.

"No, you didn't think. You betrayed us all, how could we ever be your friends?" Dash said getting in Twilights face making her back away, ears folded downwards. At that moment her friends, family, all gathered around her. But something was wrong, terribly wrong.

The sneers on their faces started to bleed, teeth showing through their flesh. A dribble of blood would run down their chins and onto their bruised and battered bodies. Bones could be seen jutting out in random areas. Their manes were ruffled, uneven and broken, having lost their sheen. Wings and hooves were bent at awkward angles and random gashes leaked bodily fluids, some even showed organs.

"This is what you've done to us, Twilight. This is our Future." They said. "This is what you've done."

They were the image of death.

And it was all Twilights fault.

She ran away, but they didn't bother to follow. She kept running, on and on, not taking a break to breathe but just ran. There wasn't a destination she was trying to get to, just a void of emptiness.

Lonely, dark emptiness..

"PRINCESS!"

"HEY! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Flash screamed for the fifth time. Twilights blank, empty eyes regained their former light, out of her vision and back to reality. Soon after she came back though, her eyes started to burn and before long they started to leak. Small tears and quiet sobs. "Oh thank Celestia your'e okay, you had me worried there for a sec," He said unaware of her tears. Twilight noticed he was holding her, hugging her. He was warm and soft, and safe. She was vaguely aware that this was strange. That he was her guard and shouldn't be holding her like this. But she couldn't care less at the moment, all she could see was white, and feel a raging headache pumping in her ears. She felt blinded, and still, fear dwelled within her even after the cold darkness had left. And before long Flash could tell she was sobbing, the second time that night. "Twilight?"

"I saw them-they were dying-or already dead-the darkness came, it-it crept on me, i could hear its whisper-my friend h-hated me," Twilight said between sobs and shaky breaths. It was almost embarrassing had it not been for the fact she barely felt anything but sadness and fear. The blinding feeling was still raging as ever and the only thing she thought to do was cry. Pathetic, heart wrenched sobs to fill the ears of anyone who would listen. All that mattered was to get each cry louder and longer. It was that silly thing you'd do as a child when your mother made you mad. Where all you wanted was to cry your little heart out until it became dry and your mind became numb.

"Shh, its okay now, it isn't real. You're okay, its gonna be okay," Flash repeated over and over until Twilight couldn't cry anymore. She was tired and stressed and he could ask her questions later. Her red puffy eyes lay across his front hooves, and his wings was draped around her. He knew she wouldn't remember much in the morning, just tears and whatever horrible vision she must've had. Earlier, after Flash noticed she'd started crying, he'd pulled her into the train car and sat with her on one of the seats. His armor had come off and he'd let her lay in his lap until the tears wouldn't come. When nothing but hiccups and dry sobs came from her throat and she fell into a stress induced sleep. Even though her mane was tangled, her eyes puffy and face scrunched up in a tingling grimace, he could still admire her beauty, she was still stunning in his eyes and it tugged at his heart to see her in such a state of distress. He hoped she would have good dreams, or rather not dream at all, thats usually best for situations like these. Gladly she was calm and sleeping now, snoring ever so faintly in a cute kinda way. Flash admired that she was real, she didn't put up a silly girl act or wear a face full of makeup. Her expressions were real and he could easily assume her emotions. He hadn't known her for long, but he knew she was different.

She meant something.

Flash awoke to the sun gleaming unforgivably into his eyes through the curtain. The train was still moving, rocking their compartment slightly. He yawned not fully awake yet and snuggled deeper into his seat. Hmm... so warm.. Rays of sunlight danced around the train cabin through the light yellow curtains Flash's brain was momentarily out of it, he thought of nothing except about how good it felt to stretch his torso and front hooves. Taking a moment to bask in the beautiful morning he looked outside. He saw the rolling hills of Equestria slowly become prairies perfect for farming. They were definitely close to Ponyville by now, only an hour away.

Flash looked down at his lap, acknowledging the lavender mare sleeping there for the first time this morning. She'd changed since her tearful debut from last night. Her mane was still tangled, yes, but it surrounded her in an almost angelic way. Her eyes were no longer puffy and red, they held content and serenity in their closed form. Her mouth had closed, ceasing her slight snoring and it, along with the rest of her muzzle, was buried deep into Flash's stomach. Soft, warm breaths tickled his belly. Her cheeks were slightly rosy and her lashes long and dark as ever. The best thing though, he had to admit, was the way the sun glistened off her figure. She practically glowed there before his eyes, emitting the perfect vision of beauty.

Flash stared for what felt like a long time, though it was probably only minutes. It might have been weird, y'know, watching her sleep. He didn't want to seem creepy, he just couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Slowly, Twilights eyes fluttered open, then closed. She was awake, but not yet ready to get up. It was unbelievably comfortable in the bed she was sleeping on, it felt so warm and soft. She moved a little and smiled into her pillow, sinking deeper into its fluffiness. The pillow moved a little and let out a small laugh. Twilight flipped her mane back a-Wait. What?
Pillows don't giggle.

Twilight's eyes snapped open for the second time, but she didn't see a pillow. She saw orange fur. Twilight immediately popped up from her "pillow" and sat on the seat next to it, her face burning bright red.

"I.. uhm.. I'm sorry.. " she said, "I didn't mean to.. uh.." Why was she being so nervous? Had Fluttershy started to rub off on her? Twilight was never at a loss for words. It was one of the few-and-far-between moments she had when she felt little.

"You don't need to be sorry, Princess," Flash smiled at her letting her know she wasn't in the wrong, "Considering what you've been through this past night and the event of retrieving your crown, you had to be tired. I can't imagine what kind of stress that would put you through." Twilight eased. It was nice to have someone understand without her having to explain it. She wondered why he would even care so much. It must've been uncomfortable for him having her crying and making obscene noises 'till she fell asleep.

"Thanks, Flash.. I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it, Princess." He said, "I don't mind." Words that made Twilight blush harder. Flash resisted the urge to put his wing around her as they sat on the train car's bench.

Hey, Thank you guys for all the favorites and reviews! I'm sorry its been a while since i last updated. School just started and i'm a little overwhelmed with all these AP classes i've taken. ALSO, sorry that this isn't an actual update D: I should have one up by the end of the week. I'm neck deep in homework right now so i really shouldn't even be writing this.. Anyway, again, thank you and keep following :)