Okay, now we're getting to the edited version of Risky Romance. I still admit to have enjoyed Equestria Girls; it was, to be honest, a flawed movie, there were mistakes done here and there, but nonetheless, I loved it, and one of the things I liked (other than Sunset Shimmer) was the love between Twilight and Flash Sentry. Yeah, okay, Twilight fell for human Flash, and not pony Flash, but so what? Maybe pony Flash had feelings for Twilight as well? Hopefully, this story will expose Flash more as a character than the movie did, which was one of several disappointing aspects of the movie on my part.

The first part of the chapter is largely based off the scenes of Equestria Girls featuring pony Flash, with extra bits featuring him and the Crystal Empire guards for a few laughs. The second part was originally part of the original chapter two. If you liked the original, I bet you'll love the new and improved Risky Romance as well!

---

Chapter II: Risky Romance

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

Part 1: The Princess and the Guard

It was a calm afternoon at the Crystal Empire, an empire within the arctic north of Equestria. With the recent coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle a few weeks ago, extra security was required to insure her safety at the empire, so more guards were transferred here.

Among these guards was a light orange Pegasus named Flash Sentry; he had a two-tone blue mane and tail, bright blue eyes, and a two-tone sapphire blue shield behind a yellow lightning bolt for a cutie mark. He was very eager to have been chosen to come to the Crystal Empire.

"It's great to have a change of scenery every now and then," he said to himself.

Upon arrival to the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadance informed him that Twilight was coming for her first summit. Cadance was light pink with a purple, rose and white mane and tail, her wings were tinted purple at the tips, had purple eyes, and her cutie mark was a teal crystal heart within gold lace. Her full name is Mi Amore Cadenza, but she prefers Cadance for short.

"Princess Twilight?" Flash asked. "The newest princess?"

"Shining Armor would normally be here too," said Cadance, "but he's busy training some more new members."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"So is he," said Cadance, "he was really looking forward to seeing his sister."

Flash felt a bit nervous inside; this was his first time meeting with Twilight Sparkle and he wanted to make a good impression.

"I hope I don't do anything silly and cause her to make fun of me," he said to himself.

---

Later that evening, it was time for Princess Twilight's arrival. At the throne room of the Crystal Empire, Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance stood in place with Flash Sentry next to them. There were three Crystal Empire guards on either side of the carpet, and all six blew horn fanfares to signal Twilight's arrival the moment the doors opened.

Twilight walked down the alley towards the three older princesses, Spike and the rest of the Mane Six behind her. The light purple alicorn looked around curiously, but didn't watch where she was going and bumped straight into Flash! Both looked at one another in surprise, but quickly shrugged it off.

"Her Highness," declared Flash, "Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

Princess Cadance giggled as she and the Royal Sisters walked towards Twilight.

"Twilight!" said Cadance happily, hugging her sister-in-law, "I haven't seen you since the coronation."

"We have so much to discuss," said Princess Celestia, "but it can wait until tomorrow. You all look tired from your journey. Now, off to bed, all of you."

Earlier, Twilight, Spike and their friends had arrived at the Crystal Empire on a train from Ponyville, and evening was starting to fall.

There was excited chatter as Spike and the six mares walked away to their rooms. (Twilight and Spike shared a room together.) Shortly after, the three elder Princesses left as well. Now the seven guards stood alone in the halls. Flash looked towards the doors.

"Hmm," he thought out loud to nopony in particular, "now where have I met Princess Twilight before?"

"You hear him, boys?" asked a guard.

"What's with Sentry here?" asked another.

"I think the new guy Flash Sentry's got a crush on the Princess!" remarked the first guard, and he and he other five Crystal Empire guards broke into laughter. Flash felt his cheeks go hot. He barely even knew Twilight, and already the guards were teasing him about it.

"No I don't," he protested in his defense, "I don't even know her…"

"Course ya don't, lover boy," teased a third guard, "are you gonna be her Prince Charming now?"

"Better make it Prince Flashy," joked the second guard, and they broke into laughter again.

Flash just said nothing and rolled his eyes. Boys…

---

About three days passed; a former student of Princess Celestia, Sunset Shimmer, had stolen Twilight's Element and took it through the Crystal Mirror, a gateway that opened once every thirty moons, into another world through a house statue in front of Canterlot High. On the third day, when the moon reaches the peak of the night sky, the portal would close, not to open again for another thirty moons.

Fortunately, Twilight and Spike (who decided to join her) had retrieved her Element safely after she won the title for Princess of the Fall Formal, and they made it back to Equestria just before the portal closed, with confidence boosted about her title as a Princess.

Flash Sentry stood in place in front of a door, minding his own business. He could barely hear Twilight's friends bombarding her with many questions about the other world.

"I wanna tell you all everything," sighed Twilight in exhaustion, "I do, but I'm just so exhausted from all the dancing."

"Dancing?!" Cadance, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity all asked in confusion.

Once again, Twilight wasn't watching where she was going, and bumped straight into Flash!

"Oh!"

Twilight fell to the floor on her rear end, and then looked up to see Flash smiling kindly at her. She blushed bright pink as he helped her back on her hooves.

"We've got to stop bumping into each other like this," Flash chuckled, before walking off, passing Spike and the other six mares, who all watched as he went about his duties.

"Who was that?" asked Twilight.

"He's a new member of the castle guard," Cadance explained, "Flash Sentry, I think. Why? Do you know him?"

"Not exactly," Twilight said, turning away, blushing slightly.

As she walked away, Applejack "oohed".

"Somepony's got a crush on the new guy!" she teased.

"No, no, I don't," protested Twilight.

"She does!" gasped Rarity, "She absolutely does!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Twilight scoffed, still trying to hide her blush, "I don't even know him. He just…"

"Totally reminds you of a guy you met in the other world who played guitar, was in a band, and helped prove you didn't destroy all the decorations for a big dance, so you could still run for princess of the big dance, and then asked you to dance at that dance?!" Pinkie gave a big, deep breath before saying, "Right?"

Twilight looked at Spike, before looking back at the pink Earth pony in surprise. "How did you know that?"

"Just a hunch!" Pinkie gave a big, silly grin, and hopped about her merry way.

Twilight just rolled her eyes and placed her hoof over Spike's shoulder, holding him close as she looked up to the ceiling.

---

Elsewhere, Flash was in his thoughts as well. This was the second time Twilight had bumped into him. When he helped her up, Flash could swear he saw a hint of blush on Twilight's cheeks. Maybe she was embarrassed, or maybe she was tired from dancing, who knew?

"Why do we bump into each other like that?" Flash was saying to himself, "Is this a kinda habit, or is it something else all together…?"

He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and ran right into a door!

"D'oh!" he cried, shaking his head after the impact.

"Watch where you're going, Crash Sentry!" a guard called in a teasing way.

"Couldn't help myself if I was in my thoughts," groaned Flash. He put a hoof to his mouth in shock at what he just said. Darn it, Sentry! Why in Tartarus did you say that?!

"Oh, I see," the other guard joked, "what was in your thick, metal head?"

"Let's just say me and Princess Twilight bumped into each other, so to speak…"

"You really love her, don't ya?"

"I do not," argued Flash, getting annoyed, "we don't even know one another! Okay?"

"Oh, alright, Flashy boy," the other guard conceded. He paused before saying, "is that Princess Twilight Sparkle looking out a window?"

"Where?!"

The other guard broke into hysterical fits of laughter. Flash scowled crossly at him.

"Oh, real mature," he said sarcastically, and sulked off, leaving the other guard to laugh in his spot. Although he tried to hide it, Flash knew the other guard did have a point. Again, he felt his face flush red as an apple.

Oh my Celestia, he thought anxiously, I must be falling in love!

---

About two weeks later, back in Ponyville, little had changed in Equestria after the Tree of Harmony was rediscovered in the Everfree Forest. Her caper with the old castle of Celestia and Luna had taken its toll on Twilight Sparkle, and she was lying on her bed at Golden Oak Library. She was so deep in thought she hadn't noticed Spike come up to her with a cup of lemon tea.

"Twilight?" the baby dragon asked with concern, "I got your tea ready!"

But the light purple alicorn princess didn't reply, so Spike had to shout to get her attention.

"TWILIGHT!"

"Ah! Oh, yes, I would love to go out with you!"

"On a date?!"

Twilight snapped back to reality, and realized where she was. She turned her attention to a puzzled Spike.

"Oh, sorry, Spike," she said with embarrassment, "was in my thoughts… again." She nervously chuckled, but not without taking the cup from Spike's hands. "Oh, and thanks for the tea, Spike."

"Hey, what are friends for?" her dragon assistant smiled, but then Spike remembered what he was going to say. "But you've been acting strange since we came back from the other world, even when we were at Princess Celestia's and Luna's old castle. Is something wrong, Twilight?"

Twilight looked up after taking a sip from her cup; something was wrong, and she thought how to explain it to Spike, but didn't know how.

"Is it your crush on that Flash Sentry guy?" Spike asked innocently. Twilight's face flushed red the moment the words "crush" and "Flash Sentry" left Spike's mouth.

"You-!" she spluttered, but couldn't finish her sentence.

Spike gave a huge grin. "Aha!" he declared, "You do like him!"

Twilight scoffed. "So what?" she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"So what? At least admit your feelings like I did with Rarity… well, kind of." Spike remembered shortly after his birthday that he let his greed get the best of him, causing him to capture Rarity, and to nearly destroy Ponyville, possibly all of Equestria. It was only when Rarity shown the then-grown up Spike the fire ruby he gave her, causing Spike to shrink back to his normal age. As they fell down to earth, Spike was about to tell Rarity his crush on her, but she covered his mouth and smiled happy tears in understanding, as if she knew all along.

"I don't know, Spike," Twilight sighed again, "I barely know Flash from this world, and he barely knows me. I live here in Ponyville, and he lives at the Crystal Empire, like Cadance and Shining Armor."

Then Twilight had a sudden thought; Shining Armor, her older brother, ruled the Crystal Empire alongside Cadance, and Flash was a royal guard, therefore, Shining Armor was more or less his boss.

"Uh, Twilight?" asked Spike, "You okay?"

"Oh, no," exclaimed Twilight, "I'm close to my brother and I've got a crush on Flash! If I end up in love with Flash, Shining Armor might fire him, and if Flash is fired, he may never speak to me or any of our friends again… and it'll be my entire fault!"

Spike didn't even bat an eyelid; he had heard this kind of talk before when Twilight freaked out over not sending a letter to Princess Celestia weekly, afraid of being tardy.

"Twilight, relax," he said, chuckling, "I'm sure your brother will understand. He's your B.B.B.F.F., or Big Brother Best Friend Forever as you call him, right? Maybe if you just started with simple conversations and hangouts with this Flash guy…"

"You're right, Spike! You're a genius!"

"Huh?"

"If I keep my feelings down to a minimum, Shining Armor won't know I'm in love with Flash," Twilight explained, "that way, I could keep a good relationship with him and keep friendship with Flash!"

"Uh, okay…" Spike wasn't so sure about where Twilight was going with her plan, but didn't object to it.

---

Alrighty! The original Risky Romance was ten chapters (nine if you exclude the epilogue), but I hope to shorten it to eight chapters, and keep them in roughly equal length, give or take a few paragraphs.

Next chapter will feature our anti-villain Comet Tail, and there'll be more background to him, just wait and see!