Chapter 14:

Family Ties

Towards evening, Twilight grabs a log with her magic and tossed it aside. Close by, Pinkie Pie was trying to pull a branch off from a log and it snapped off as she falls back, and Rainbow Dash leaped onto the log. Twilight grabs another log with her magic until she turns and sees Flash playing with Starlight and Trixie as he tossed Starlight onto his back.

"Flash, Flash. Me too," Trixie urged as Flash flipped her next

"He's not half bad, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said as Twilight turned to her and Rainbow ducked while Pinkie got whacked by the log and hits the ground.

"Sure, he's crazy and confused, but he's still you know…sweet," Rainbow Dash commented.

"Pfffft, so?" Twilight scoffed as she turns and Rainbow Dash ducked while Pinkie got up only to be whacked in the head again by the log and hit the ground.

"Okay, Twilight. Tell me, what's holding you back? You clearly like him, so what's stopping you from starting something with him?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising a brow.

Twilight tossed the log away and looked down, "My family. Seeing Flash with his sisters reminds me of Shining Armor and Cadance before they-," She confessed, sighing sadly. The pain of what happened was still very raw for her.

Twilight then headed over and grabbed another log with her magic as Pinkie Pie popped out of it, "You know you could have a family again, right?" She pointed out.

"Pinkie, how can Flash possibly help me have a family again?" Twilight asked deadpanned. Not really seeing where this was going.

Pinkie fiddled her hooves sheepishly, "Well if you and Flash become a thing, then you two could have…," She trailed off, Twilight had a bright red blush come to her as she realized what Pinkie was saying.

She then gave her an angry glare at the earth pony. Rainbow facehoofed herself as Twilight brought Pinkie's log dangerously close to her face, "Absolutely, positively NOT! There is no way I am having that airhead's foals!" She yelled before she swung the log angrily and Pinkie panicked as she held on to it as it was held high.

"Okay! Okay! Good point! Maybe not right away! But-but-but-but, Twilight think about it, if you let this chance go, then you're letting you and Flash's whole species go and that's just…that's just selfish," Pinkie said quickly, as Twilight narrows her eyes angrily at her.

"Plus I think you'd make a wonderful Mot-TTTTTHHHEERRRR!" Pinkie tried to continue, but Twilight didn't let her finish before she threw the log into the air as the earth pony screamed and hits the ground with her hooves sticking out.

"I think I'm starting to get through to her, Rainbow," Pinkie said as Rainbow Dash walked by and turned to her.

"She's got a point," Rainbow admitted as Twilight gave her an angry glare, that screamed 'give me one good reason not to fling you around'. Rainbow backed up, "I mean, maybe you can't start a family right off the bat, but maybe someday, you gotta start somewhere right? And remember we didn't start off on the right hoof until now, I couldn't imagine my life without you guys,".

Twilight thought about what she said, it was true she wasn't looking to have foals of her own, but starting a slow relationship with Flash may be a good start, and then eventually she might be ready for parenthood. And she had to admit, whenever she saw Cadance with Flurry Heart she sometimes wished it was her in her sister-in-law's place.

She then looked at Flash chasing his sisters as they turned into snakes and slithered under some logs, but Flash kept getting slowed down as Starlight and Trixie ran ahead of him. Twilight glanced back at Rainbow with a questioning look.

Rainbow shrugged, "Hey, he's not perfect but he's better than nothing," She said as Twilight looked back at Flash struggling to free himself. She then snorted and walked toward him.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Twilight muttered.

Trixie and Starlight rushed through a gap between two logs as Flash chased after them.

"Wait, wait. I got you two," Flash said, squeezing his head through the gap.

"Too slow, Flash!" Trixie said as she and Starlight ran off.

Flash struggles to pull himself through the logs above him and drops to the ground, puffing in defeat.

"Hey, Flash. Do you need any help?" Twilight asked as she approached him.

"What? Pfffft, no, I'm just, uh, catching my breath," Flash said.

"Are you sure? You look kinda…stuck," Twilight said.

"I'm sure I am not stuck," Flash said, protesting.

"Well, okay, then let's go," Twilight said as she walks off.

"Twilight…wait," Flash said, calling to her as Twilight looked back with a smirk.

"Yes?" She said teasingly as Flash tried to look proud for a few moments but just faltered.

"...I'm stuck. You think you can help me, please?" Flash asked in defeat as Twilight smiled smugly at him.

"Sure, and you know, picking logs up with your magic like this would be easier," Twilight said, using her magic to lift the log off of Flash.

The log then hits the ground but it also cleared away some vines off of trees. Flash gets up and stares at them for a few moments until he starts wandering into the forest.

"Flash? Are you okay?" Twilight asked as she follows behind the Alicorn Stallion into the forest.

Pinkie and Rainbow Dash followed the path until they looked back to see Twilight and Flash heading somewhere else as they both smiled and headed off.

In the forest, Flash wanders through the many trees looking around as if they looked familiar to him as he and Twilight soon reached a clearing.

"Hey wait a minute. I know this place," Flash said as he looked up at a branch and it flashed into a wintery snowy blizzard covered in ice and snow as a distant whinny was heard.

Then Flash looked ahead and saw what appears to be a small abandoned Changeling hive and it too flashed into a winter blizzard as it was covered in snow too. Flash's eyes widened as he remembered it and it flashed to when he was a young Alicorn colt and he was lost and separated from his herd...

( - Flashback Of Flash's Past - )

In the blizzard, Flash, as a young colt, was lost and alone and blasted out some magic flares as he wanders aimlessly through the snow. Flash shivers a little as he then shoots another flare of magic into the air, hoping that someone is around who could respond to it. But unfortunately, the flare was unanswered.

Then Flash turned to a nearby rock formation covered in snow, shaping it like an Alicorn. When he got to the rock formation and looked around but saw nobody, Flash went under the rock formation for shelter from the blizzard as he curled up at the base.

Flash remained curled up in his spot as then footsteps were heard as a set of white hooves landed in the snow. Flash heard it and looked up to see a tall white female Changeling with a blue see-through mane standing above him and looking at him with a gentle smile on her face as Flash just stares at her.

The Changeling smiles as two Changeling Nymphs appeared from behind her legs, slightly scared but curious of the Young colt. The mother Changeling then extends her hoof towards the young Alicorn colt.

Flash stared at them as he got up and smiled as he takes the Changelings hoof in family and friendship.

( - End Of The Flashback - )

Flash, who was laying by the Changeling Hive, opened his eyes for he has remembered. Starlight and Trixie's mother came to him and decided to raise him as her own son. The reason Flash grew up as a Changeling was because he was adopted by one.

Flash then turns to Twilight, who just stood there with a somewhat surprised look on her face, as he walks back towards her. Twilight looked down where a couple of hoofprints were left. Flash placed his hoof in one of them. They matched and are the same shape.

Twilight turned to Flash and smiled as Flash did the same, for he was an Alicorn and there's no doubt about that.

Soon, Twilight and Flash were through a forest with a few fireflies flashing.

"You know, Twilight. Deep down I've always known I was different. Come to think of it, I was maybe a little bigger than all the other Changeling grubs," Flash said as he and Twilight continued walking.

Twilight gave him a funny look.

"Okay, so I was a lot bigger," He relented before a thought came to him, "Oh, now I finally understand why the changeling girls didn't find me appealing at first," Flash smiled as Twilight looked at him, and glanced to the side.

"You know, Flash. As far as Alicorn Stallions and Mares go, you're…uh…You know," Twilight said, blushing.

"I'm what?" Flash asked, Twilight stammered a bit as she gave her answer.

"Well, uh, um, well, Flash you're um…Handsome," Twilight stuttered, blushing some more.

"Really?" Flash asked. He never thought of himself like that.

"Yeah," Twilight replied.

"What about me is handsome, Mrs. Sparkle?" He asked, catching Twilight off guard.

"Huh? Wh-Oh, that…Uh…I don't know. Uh, well there's your…Uh…Mane?" Twilight said.

Flash looked and touched his mane as he turns his attention back to Twilight and asked, "What about it, Twilight?".

"It's…Cool-looking?" Twilight said.

"Oh, Twilight, you're just saying that," Flash commented humbly.

"No, no, no, Flash I mean it. It's amazing. The most coolest and amazing mane I've ever seen on any stallion," Twilight assured, blushing harder.

"Well, that is very sweet of you to say, Twilight. What a crazy day it's been. This morning I woke up a Changeling and now I'm an Alicorn," Flash said, smiling now knowing he's an Alicorn.

Author's Note: Looks like things are finally turning around for the Unusual Mane 6 in this chapter.

Twilight removing some logs out of the way when she saw Flash and his sisters playing around with each other. Rainbow Dash asked her Alicorn friend what was holding her back and what was bothering her. That's when Twilight confessed her secret to her friends...

Now, remember how on EQUESTRIAN AGE, Twilight became a loner because she lost her family to human hunters?

Well, that day still haunted Twilight, even when she had her best friends. Pinkie tried her best to help Twilight with having a family again, but that just made Twilight mad and tossed the log away with Pinkie in it. After having a small talk with Rainbow Dash, Twilight headed on over to help Flash, who happen to have got himself stuck under some logs.

After helping the stallion, Flash and Twilight headed into a forest where Flash somehow recognized the place and regained his memories.

Flash was a lost colt in a blizzard until a mother Changeling and her two Changeling Nymphs appeared and took him to raise him as a member of their family.

Finally remembering his past, Flash approached Twilight and accepted the truth that he truly is an Alicorn just like Twilight.

Afterwards, Twilight and Flash were walking through a forest with fireflies glowing. Flash was telling Twilight more about his childhood with the Changelings, including how he was a little...I mean...a lot bigger than the other Changeling Nymphs and how the girl Changelings didn't find him appealing.

Twilight told Flash that she finds him handsome and compliments on his mane, which Flash find very sweet for Twilight to say.

But above all, Flash was most happy to finally find out that he truly is an Alicorn.