He laid there, staring up and the brilliant blue sky, without a care in the world. Flash Sentry, guard of the Crystal Empire, was greatly admiring the beautiful weather before him. Clear skies as far as the eye could see, and a brilliantly bright sun lighting up the land. He was leaning against an old oak tree, it's many branches shading him from the full force of the sun's rays. Before him was a very special place. Downhill from the tree was a vast lake, it's waters clear and shining in the day's light.

This lake was very special to him. Not only was it a place of great beauty in it's own right, but something had happened to him here that he would never forget. It was the place that he and his beloved Twilight had first spent any real time together. After their initially shaky meeting, she'd agreed to come and visit this place with him. Both had admired the lake and the open grasslands around it, as well as the striking sight of the crystal palace in the distance, but what mattered most was just how much they'd enjoyed being in each other's company back then.

True, at that early point in their relationship, true love had not yet blossomed, but now that it had, this lake was more important to him than ever. And, thinking of his beloved, a smile crept onto his face as he glanced down to his right. There, leaning against his shoulder, was none other than Twilight herself. There was a sweet and gentle smile upon her face, her eyes closed in sleep. For Flash, this moment could not have been any better. The warmth of her fur upon his, the gentle breathing he could hear from her. There was nothing about this moment he would change for all the world.

And he had her to thank for it. Without Twilight, he would never have known this kind of love, something he now treasured above all else. As he looked down at her, he felt so much appreciation for what she had brought into his life. Joy. Love. Contentment. And so many other feelings and sensations he'd never experienced. With the exception of his one-time, and brief, relationship to Sunset Shimmer, he was just as much of a novice in the field of love as Twilight was. But, in each other's company, they'd learned how to truly be in love. And, as that thought sank in for him, he couldn't help but speak what was in his heart as he looked upon her.

"She's perfect."

Although it was something Flash knew that many stallions felt about their loves, in his heart, Twilight was the most beautiful mare in the world. True, many mares, including Twilight's friends, had many qualities that stallions found attractive. Rarity for example had an elegance and glamour about her that created an air of nobility and refinement. Fluttershy, once a noted fashion model, was well known for her grace and gentleness. Even a mare like rainbow Dash had earned the eye of a fair few stallions through her boldness and striking appearance.

But while all of these mares, and many others, could rightly be called beautiful, Flash's eyes were for Twilight alone. She had a beauty that one could easily see she did not put on show for the world. There was a subtlety to it, an unspoken grace. The way she had not one hair of her mane out of place. The shining purple of her eyes. Even the way she moved, so utterly without fault. Perhaps Twilight did not know she had these qualities, but to flash, he'd become aware of each and every one of them during his time with her.

But, as he looked at her sleeping form, leaning against him under the tree, a sadness crossed his face, as he suddenly realised that, despite all the time they'd been together, he'd never told her those things. Looking at her, he raised a hoof and brushed aside a strand of hair from her mane, clearing her face and giving him a better look at her. His smile returned and he leaned forward slightly, planting a gentle kiss upon her forehead. Twilight reacted immediately to that, smiling as she slept and stirring slightly. It was a sight that brought warmth to Flash heart as he spoke.

"I've said I love you. But there's so much more I wish I could say."

Before another words could be said, a voice was heard from nearby.

"Then do so."

Flash's head spun around and saw, just a few metres away from the tree, was a tall an imposing figure. Far-spread wings and a long sharp horn. Her fur was of a dark blue and her mane was flowing even without the aid of wind. Her crown and cutie mark bore the insignia of the moon. Flash could not believe his eyes, but it was indeed her. Princess Luna. Younger sister of Celestia, and co-ruler of Equestria. His soldier's instincts kicking in, he immediately shot up from his sitting position, carefully making sure not to disturb Twilight, before saluting before the moon princess.

"Princess Luna! I.......I can explain! Princess Sparkle and I were merely........"

But rather than look upon their rather intimate moment with any degree of disdain, the moon princess, to Flash's surprise, broke out in a chuckle. Flash, still saluting, looked on at this display with more than a little confusion. Once Luna finished, she raised a hoof.

"At ease Sentry. You need not apologize for affection."

Flash lowered his hoof and let out a sigh of relief.. The last thing he'd want on a day like today was to be criticised for his precious moment with Twilight, especially by other members of the royal family. But that did leave him with the question of why Luna was here in the first place. She was not, after all, known for seeking out individual guards. Nor was she known for being active that much during the daytime, yet here she was at high noon. The look of confusion on his face was evident, and let Luna in on what he was thinking.

"You wonder why I am here?"

Flash nodded at that, answering her question. But before Luna had a chance to respond, another thought came into his head. He turned around and looked upon Twilight, who was still sleeping soundly under the tree. With him and Luna speaking as they were, he found it hard to understand how she could have kept asleep after all this. But he didn't have to wait long for an explanation as, without warning, Luna walked up beside him, catching his attention. Flash looked at the princess as she spoke.

"This Twilight is merely how you envision her. You wanted a moment of peace and tranquility, and thus it was so."

The confusion in Flash's face, if possible, became even greater. What was she talking about, he asked himself. Why would Twilight be as he wanted her to be? But, as Luna looked at him, a notion came into his mind. It suddenly occurred to him that he had know memory of how he or Twilight came to be in this place. In fact, the last time he was with her was when she and her friends had just entered the crystal palace, and he'd escorted them to their rooms. As he dwelt on that notion, understanding crept onto his face. He looked at Luna, who nodded, confirming his suspicion.

"This........this is a dream, isn't it?" He asked.

Luna merely nodded in response. Flash looked on at the Twilight sitting beneath the tree, the one he now knew to be false. The feelings of comfort he'd felt mere moments ago were fading, replaced almost by one of disappointment. As comforting as that moment might have been for him, he now knew that it was nothing compared to being with the real Twilight. There was also a degree of shame attached to all this. Shame that he allowed himself to feel such warmth towards a false image of her. Luna, looking at him, spoke up.

"You need not feel thus, Flash. The fact that you dream of her like so merely proves what love you bear for her in your heart. She would be happy to know that you think of her so."

Flash turned to her with as raised eyebrow. His face might have given away his feelings, but what Luna described was more than that, as though she could read his mind. It then occurred to him, much to his dismay, that the princess was, technically, in his mind right now. So of course she could tell what he was thinking. Knowing that, another, rather awkward, question arose. He felt the need to ask it, even though he felt no joy in having to ask such a thing to a princess of Equestria.

"Um......Princess? Just how many of my private thoughts regarding Twilight have you.......glanced at?"

Luna gained a rather mischievous smile on her face, and the tone of her voice become somewhat playful, but never in a mocking way.

"Nothing I wouldn't expect from a stallion your age Sentry."

Flash's face immediately turned away in a vain attempt to hide the bright shade of crimson he was becoming from the sheer embarrassment over Luna's remark. The moon princess afforded herself a brief chuckle, but did her best to keep it quiet so as to not bother Flash even more than she was already doing so. Once Flash was certain that his blush was gone, he faced her again, his past curiosity rearing it's head once more.

"So why DID you come here?" He asked.

Luna looked away from him before answering.

"I was performing my duties as normal, flying through the dreamscape, watching over the minds of the ponies at rest. During my rounds, I sensed a great deal of emotion from one dream in particular. Normally this would indicate immense fear from a nightmare. Not so in this case it would seem, for the emotion was your love."

Flash looked at her as she spoke, enthralled by the mere notion of what Luna could do. The idea of being able to travel within some sort of dream realm was fascinating. Keeping watch over the sleeping minds of others like a guardian angel. Keeping nightmares at bay and being able to touch others in a way that no other pony in the world could do, not even Celestia. It made him wonder aloud how it was that Luna was not more celebrated than she was. Still, his mind turned to her words, that his love for Twilight was so powerful that it drew her here like a moth to a flame.

"Well........she's very special to me."

Luna glanced at him and offered a smile.

"So I see. And I'm sure she knows you feel that way about her."

Flash sighed at that remark before answering.

"Sometimes I wonder if I tell her enough. There are so many things I wish I could say to her. All the things I admire about her."

He turned to face Luna, his expression more serious than it was before.

"But you've known her longer than I have. You know what she'd be like if I did. She'd just brush aside whatever compliment I gave her. Her modesty would never allow her to appreciate the good things ponies have to say about her."

He looked away from her again, offering himself a dry chuckle as he did so.

"Ironic, as her modesty is yet another thing I like about her."

Luna looked at him carefully. Being within his mind, she knew him well enough to know how difficult it must be for him to bear his soul like this towards her, given that the two of them hadn't really spoken at all before now. Still, she could understand his problem, such as it was. Although she knew that it wasn't really her place to intervene in some other pony's romances like this, she felt that she had to give her thoughts on the matter, for good or ill.

"Flash, believe me when I say that it's best for you to let her know, even if she won't accept it. I know all too well how things can be when appreciation goes unspoken. Let her know, and things will take their natural course."

Flash turned his head to look at her, but to his surprise, she was gone. He spun around, hoping to catch some glance of her, but it was no use. However Luna had got in here, she'd clearly left the same way, leaving him dumbfounded as to what to do next.

"Princess?" He called out.

There was silence for a few moments before he finally heard her voice again.

"I leave you now Flash Sentry. But I leave behind a parting gift. The opportunity you needed."

It would have been a great understatement to say that Flash was left confused by that statement. An opportunity? For what? Before he could respond to the princess' words however, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Looking down at the old tree, he saw that his image of Twilight was now gone. Why, he could not say. But what he did know was that he could now hear a sound coming from behind him. It was the distinct sound of approaching hoofsteps in the grass. Turning, his eyes widened with shock as he saw, there before him, was the mare he loved.

"Twilight?"

The young alicorn smiled as she continued to approach him. The way she looked at him, the way her eyes glistened in the light of Flash's imagined sun made it very clear to him that this was the real Twilight, not the false one his mind had created for him. He watched her approach, not knowing exactly how she got into his dream or why. But still, he at least allowed himself a moment of joy at seeing the real Twilight here with him, causing him to smile back at her.

"Hey." She said to him.

Flash sighed and, still smiling, responded.

"I'm.......surprised to see you here."

Twilight giggled a little before speaking.

"Yeah, I'm a little surprised too. Luna did her best to explain to me, something about when two ponies are thinking of each other when they dream. It's a loophole that lets her connect the two."

Flash tilted his head at that.

"You.......were dreaming about me?"

Twilight turned away a little, showing a clear blush in her cheeks as she did so.

"As you were of me." She replied.

Now it was Flash's turn to blush, and the two laughed at their shared awkwardness. Flash now realised what Luna had meant when she said she was giving him and opportunity. With Twilight here, sharing his dream, he now had the chance to say to her all the things he wanted to. Things to make her know just how much he loved and appreciated every aspect of her, flaws and all. Twilight looked upon him as he stepped forward, showing a degree of nervousness in his face as he cleared his throat.

"Twilight? I have said before how much I love you. But there is so much more I want you to hear. So many things about you that I've come to admire."

Before he could continue with his words, Twilight raised a hoof, stopping him. He looked on as she gave a small smile and a look of understanding.

"You don't need to say anything. I already know."

Flash gained a look of confusion, leading to another small giggle from Twilight. She then stepped closer, with a somewhat mischievous look on her face as she placed a hoof gently on the fur of his chest.

"So........I'm perfect, am I?"

In that moment, Flash's face went as red as a tomato, and he opened his mouth to try and explain himself, but he just kept fumbling his words over and over. Twilight put his mind at ease however by chuckling to herself before stepping even closer to him. Before he could say anything further, Twilight gently placed her lips upon his in a kiss. The stallion's fears melted away, as they often did when he was being intimate with her like this, and he closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy this moment, as did she.

When they finally broke away, they smiled lovingly at each other before Flash spoke.

"Well then. Words can wait........until morning anyway."