#flashburst

Flash's job as a guard is a too physically demanding to have dealt with carrying Solar or Starry, so that was left to me. Please don't ask for more detail than that though.

-Sunburst Sentry

Most fillies her age would hate spending their weekends cooped up in their room with homework, but it made Luster Dawn feel right at home. She loved to learn, so much that after she finished her school-assigned homework she actively sought out other books to read and spells to memorize. 

Tonight she was deeply engrossed in an especially challenging lesson when a voice behind her broke her concentration.

“Luster, it’s almost time for bed!”

The filly whipped around to find her father Sunburst peeking into her room, without her permission no less!

“Ugh, Pop! I told you to knock!”

“I’m sorry about that. Just making sure you’re aware of the time.”

Luster rolled her eyes. 

“I’m not a little filly anymore, I can read a clock.”

Sunburst opened his mouth to comment on her snappy remarks but decided against it, instead preparing to leave her be. But first he asked,

“Do you want us to read you a story before bed? It might help take some pressure off.”

“Did somepony say story time?”

To Luster’s dismay her second father bounded into the room, destroying all hope of an evening of solitude. When her Dad was set on something there was no hope on making him go away!

“No, I did not say story time!”

She slammed her book shut and whipped around to face them.

“I don’t do that stuff anymore! I’ve grown up now and I don’t have time for little filly’s games! I have studying to do, a future to get ready for! Just...leave me alone!”

“N-no story time?”

Flash pouted. Sunburst nudged him, but he couldn’t hide the hurt in his own expression after their daughter’s outburst.

“Alright then...we’ll leave you alone for the night. But we’d really like to spend a little more time with you, especially before we go for our business trip on Monday. How about we go to the museum tomorrow?”

“Yeah! That sounds fun! Right Kitten?”

Normally Luster would have loved a trip to the museum, but looking into her father’s hopeful faces she was far from willing. Her whole night had just been shot by these two and she didn’t want to think about spending more time with them right now. It was made even worse by the childish nickname; they were treating her like a filly.

“Don’t call me that! And I’ll pass. I have work to do tomorrow since you messed it up tonight.”

She shot a pointed look at them.

“Are you sure?”

Luster groaned at their pitiful pleading and stood up to shove them out the door.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I just want to be alone!”

Before finally slamming the door, she spat out,

“I wish I could take a break from you! Now go away!”

Soon she would come to regret this.

~~~~~~~~~~

Previous: Kitten Next: Pampering

Luster Dawn loved when her Papa and Daddy told her stories. They always took her to faraway lands filled with knights and princesses and happily ever afters, adventures beyond her wildest dreams! She was old enough now that she could read some of those stories on her own, but she always liked how Papa and Daddy told them a lot better.

The little filly was itching for a story now as she bounded around her Papa’s hooves.

“Papa! Papa! Read me a story!”

Sunburst had to admit he was tired from a long day of research, so his daughter’s glee was a welcome change from the dreariness of textbooks and academic jargon. So he made his way over to her bookshelf so she could choose something fun. 

“Alright, I give in! Which one do you want? You’ve read all of them already, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, but I wanna read them again! I want...”

She scanned the shelf before setting her sights on a blue one perched at the top.

“That one!”

“Of course, your favorite!”

Sunburst used his magic to bring it down, settling down next to Luster.

“Story time!”

He called out loud enough for his husband to hear.

The moment he heard his husband call for him Flash flew down in...well a flash! He was almost more excited than their baby daughter. 

Spending time with his family was his favorite part of the day, story time especially. It was the chance to show off to his husband and daughter. 

Tell them all about how radical their Flash Sentry was. 

Not to mention it gave him a warm fuzzy feeling in his face when he was able to make Sunburst laugh and in his heart when he could make Luster smile. 

"What's it today? Oooh I see, good ol’ reliable!" 

He sat behind his daughter, both of them beaming the same childish goofy smile up at Sunburst.

With a flash of his horn Sunburst opened the book, his expression as animated as ever as he read:

“Once upon a time there lived a great magician named Starry Eyes, the greatest in the land. Everypony from the littlest foals to the mightiest monarchs revered her, for she had a spell for just about anything. Until...”

“Until what, Papa?”

Luster piped up eagerly.

Flash took the place of his husband faster than a pony could say "arson,” wanting to put his own trademark twist on the little filly’s tale. 

The moment he began speaking Luster looked up at him with gleeful anticipation. 

"Until somepony threw a Molotov cocktail at the unicorn king’s guard! The firey blast was like a dragon’s breath, hot enough to melt gold! It was as bright as your sunny mane, Kitten!" 

He grabbed his daughter from behind and flapped his wings like a hummingbird, hovering her in the air carefully. 

"Like Celestia’s sun, Daddy!" 

She kicked her legs around, loving the feeling of her hooves off the ground.

Sunburst couldn’t help but chuckle at his husband’s improvisation, he was so adorable when he got excited like this. His eyes lit right up in a way that never failed to make him smile. Even better, it made their little girl happy too. So he played along.

“Which left Starry Eyes with a new problem: putting out the fire! You see, this was before they had firefighters, and the nearest river was miles away. It was up to her to find a spell, and fast!”

He looked to his husband who was practically bursting with another action-packed idea.

“So what did she do?”

Resisting the urge to say “started an even bigger fire,” Flash turned Luster around in his arms and began flying up higher. 

Then he began dancing with her in the air, spinning a tangled web of adventure with his words almost as exciting as the adrenaline rush a pony got from being higher than she was supposed to. 

"She used her magic to remove all the guards’ armor as they rushed to safety, using the intense heat from the fire to melt it down to liquid silver!" 

Luster clung to her father for dear life, trusting him to keep her safe but still very nervous. 

"Like Starry’s eyes!" 

"Exactly!”

He began lowering them both down as he was keen to his foal’s well being. 

"Then she used her magic to cool it down as fast as she could. That’s possible, right Sunburst?"

“It’s impossible for most unicorns today, especially given the stakes, but it was nothing Starry couldn’t handle! It turned out the cooling spell was enough to put out the fire before anypony got hurt. Once again, the day was saved!”

Sunburst closed the book with a satisfied grin.

“Whoa!”

Luster’s eyes widened with awe. Her parents always knew how to make these stories super exciting and they never failed up with something even cooler! Her imaginative little mind wanted more. 

“Tell me another story!”

Her Papa ruffled her hair.

“We can’t have all the fun in one night! No doubt we’ll have another story for you tomorrow.”

He winked at Flash.

“We never run out of ideas.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Next: Braveface

I'm putting the credits here but I'm not sure about putting them elsewhere because I'm scarred Helluva/Hazbin stans will harass anyone who's fanart is featured here just because their art was used for a HB critical meme

Alador X Darius, Jet X Zuko, Azula X Ty Lee, Luz X Amity, Juno X Haru and Rainbow Fash X Apple Jack are all official images

Sunburst X Flashsentry by Dingobreath on Devientart

Tallstar X Jake by Roseshards on Devientart

N x Touya/Hilbert/Black by Silvykinesis

Scp 076 (Able) X Agent redacted by @076-silly

Jambu X Pineapple by Eskoniss on Twitter

Glacier X Blaze by @meroaw

Selene/Moon X Lillie by IKHC on Devientart

"You've been working too hard. Don't you have somewhere to go? To relax? Get outta here." At the behest of Prince Shining Armor Sunburst pays his new beau Flash Sentry a surprise visit in New Canterlot.