//------------------------------//
// Chapter 13: Strong Words 
// Story: "Princess Flurry Heart, Destroyer of Worlds!" 
// by Fluttercheer 
//------------------------------//

	“And I don't want that you come near to me or my parents ever again!”

Even with a few hundred meters distance from the schoolhouse now, this sentence still rang through the mind of Sunny Spirit as her hooves thundered across the crystal pavement. And her hooves weren't the only things that thundered.
The light-blue filly clenched her teeth while galloping through the streets of the Crystal Empire and her face still wore the same hateful expression like when she left Flurry Heart behind minutes earlier.
A thousand thoughts soared through her mind, but one of those was always dominant over the others:

“How could she never tell me what she can do to the Heart?!”

Out of breath, Sunny Spirit stopped under a crystal gazebo that was built between two houses. While she stood there, heavily breathing, she noticed that she apparently had lost complete control over where she was galloping towards. She was not on the street anymore and neither on the path to her home. By looking at the buildings around her, she figured that she was at least three blocks away from her home.
As she finally felt fit again, her thoughts wandered back to the encounter from earlier and she felt her heart getting constricted by invisible strings again. Never, not in a thousand years, she would be able to forgive Flurry Heart! Her face distorted in anger once again, she turned around and bucked the pillar behind her, leaving a small crack in the crystalline surface.
For a moment, a few small tears trickled out of her eyes, more from anger and exhaustion than from anything else, but Sunny wiped them away quickly. She huffed, then she turned around to the gazebo's pillar.
Sunken in thoughts, she held a hoof at the pillar and moved it along the crack she had left in it. Pictures of a shattered Crystal Heart and of her parents having to leave the Empire flashed in front of her eyes and her hoof began to shake. Biting her lips in anger, she smashed the hoof against the surface and turned around once more, leaving the gazebo in hasty steps.
Going back the way she came and finally heading towards her home, Sunny now continued her path in a slow trot. Her mind was empty at this moment. To her, it felt like a strange, fluffy cloud had occupied the inside of her skull, making her unable to form any complex thoughts. She felt tired and her heart was hurting. “Maybe it's better like this.....” she muttered the only thought she could produce.
It was only when sudden rain set in that Sunny Spirit moved faster. Instinctively, she quickened her pace to avoid getting soaked. As she had finally arrived at her house, her coat, mane and tail were mildly wet. “At least not as wet as Flurry's coat must be now, she has a longer way home, after all,” a thought crossed her mind as she lifted a hoof to open the door. A cold feeling washing over her, she stopped mid-movement. Anger started to build in her face again, but then she shook her head.
“No,” she thought. “It's time to let go of old habits. And it's pointless to get angry about her all the time.” Instead, she put up her usual, happy smile, which looked a bit forced this time, and then finally proceeded to open the door. “Mom, Dad, I'm back!” she yelled happily into the inside of the house as she stepped in.
“Sunny?” a voice sounded from deeper inside the house.
A blue-maned mare with a yellow coat trotted around the corner. Her green eyes radiated worries as they fell on her daughter in front of her. Sunny Spirit closed the door and turned around to her mom. Noticing the expression in her eyes, her own turned into one of concern.
“Mommy?” Her voice became soft. “Are you okay?”
Incredulity appeared on the mare's face, washing away the worries. “That's something I should ask you, Sunny,” she said strict. “Where have you been the whole afternoon?” As quickly as they had vanished, as quickly the worries in her face returned again.
Sunny Spirit bit her lip sheepishly and rubbed over her hoof. “I just lost track of the time while I was out with a friend,” she lied.
As her mother heard the word “friend”, her face lit up. “Flurry Heart?” she asked, with cheer in her voice.
Sunny's face turned dark, but she allowed this change of her expression only for a moment. “No, not Flurry,” she said. Back was her fake smile.
“Oh?” her mother responded surprised. “Who was it then?”
“Magnolia,” Sunny answered with the first name that came to her mind, only to curse herself for it a moment later. But now it was too late. “I was out with Magnolia.”
“The bully?” Now a big frown appeared on her mom's face.
Sunny Spirit did not need the unbelieving tone in the question of her mom to remind herself on it that she didn't yet tell her about Magnolia's change of heart. Feeling that she was caught with the lie, Sunny's face reddened. Nervously, she looked down to the ground, rubbing her hoof again.
Her mom was about to ask how that came to be, but before she could, a thought entered her mind. If Sunny would have looked at her in this moment, she could have practically seen the lights that went on in her mom's head after that explanation. The mare snickered, then she went at the side of her daughter, who was still blushing, and nudged her slightly. “Making new friends is always important, Sunny,” she accompanied the gesture, the tone in her voice unmistakenly clear.
Sunny's head shot up. She gave her mother a glare, while her face became even more red as it dawned on her what she was implying. “Mom!” she yelled at her. “I don't have a crush on Magnolia!” With fury, she stomped a hoof on the ground, letting a thunderous sound roll through the house. The crystals vibrated slightly, a faint melody ringing out from them that was a stark contrast to the sound that Sunny's hoof had produced.
From upstairs, a strong voice sounded over to Sunny and her mom, slightly startled. “What is wrong?” her dad asked. Loud hoofsteps came down the staircase.
Having witnessed the angry reaction of her daughter, Sunny's mom composed herself, having gotten the hint that this wasn't the time for teasing. Wearing a genuine smile now, she bent down and pulled Sunny Spirit into a hug. “It's fine, Sunny,” she said gently. “This is not a reason to be embarrassed.”
The warmhearted gesture had a different effect on Sunny than her mother had intended, though.
Harshly, Sunny Spirit pushed her away, right in the moment when her dad appeared in the foyer of their small house. The push was so strong that her mother stumbled back a few hooves, a shocked expression on her face.
“You don't understand anything!” Sunny Spirit exploded, her face distorted in rage now. “You have no idea what happened!” Once more, she stomped with her hoof on the floor, causing the same interplay between sounds like before. Then she turned away from her parents and dashed into the living room, leaving the trace of a sob in the air behind her.
Her dad looked at his life partner. “What's the matter today?” he asked. The question betrayed his feelings, though. He never saw his daughter acting like that before.
Caring, he helped Sunny's mom back on her hooves, then they joined their daughter in the living room.
Sunny Spirit was sitting on her haunches in a big armchair, her forelegs placed between her hindlegs, big tears running over her face and her body trembling by sobs. Her tail was wrapped around her hindlegs.
Sunny's parents took seat on a couch opposite of her, eyeing her with concern. Before they could say anything, it was Sunny who started speaking.
More surprising to them than her emotional outburst was her next reaction when she wiped the tears from her face and eyes, stobbed sobbing like on command and was all of a sudden unexpectedly composed and focused. For a moment she looked like she was searching for the right words, then she addressed her parents.
“Mom. Dad,” she began in a serious tone “You are in danger.”
Collectively, her parents sighed. Her mom even suppressed an eye roll in the last moment, not wanting to be so rude after the distraught reaction of her daughter from earlier. Neither of them could hide a certain annoyance, though. “What is it, honey?” her dad asked in his deep voice, another sigh ringing in it.
“It's..... It's because of.....” Sunny struggled for words again. Then she focused her concentration, too important was what she had to tell her parents. “It's Flurry Heart,” she said. “She is dangerous for you.” She looked at her parents, grim-faced and stern.
The reaction of her parents, after an incredulous look, was laughter. It was loud and vigorous. But even though it was said that laughter was contagious, it did not have that effect on Sunny Spirit. She remained stern.
“It's not a joke,” she said calmly. “She is dangerous for you. She is dangerous for me too, for the whole Crystal Empire even.”
The laughter died.
“Sunny.....” her mom carefully approached an answer. “Don't you think you ex–“
“No,” Sunny interrupted her, predicting what she was about to say. “I'm not exaggerating something. She told me. She told it the whole class even.” Sunny's face became dark at the memory.
Her mom and dad looked at each other, frowns appearing on their faces now. The sternness of their daughter started to unsettle them. Slowly, her father got off the couch, and took position at his daughter's side. He placed a hoof on her hindleg. “What happened, Sunny?” he asked in a calm, neutral tone.
For a moment, Sunny presented him with a desperate glance, then the stern expression returned into her face. In careful words, making sure to not leave out any details, she told her parents what had happened this morning. Their own faces grew darker as her particularization progressed and their pupils shrunk more and more. At the peak of her description, her mom held a hoof at her mouth.
“Then Flurry Heart ran out of the classroom and disappeared.” Sunny Spirit had ended her narration of the events.
Silence filled the room. It took a few minutes until her parents found their speech again. Both of their faces expressed deep sadness now.
“How can a teacher of young foals be so cruel?” Sunny's mother asked, her voice sounding absent.
Her partner was shaking his head slowly, his eyes closed.
Only Sunny Spirit didn't share their sad sentiments. Instead, her face was still dark and serious, the worry for her parents shining out of her eyes.
“You must be really careful around her,” she began again. “She is able to destroy the Crystal Heart! And who knows what else she could do.....” Her voice became quieter as she progressed.
Save for a knowing glance exchanged between them, her parents ignored their daughter's warning.
“What happened after that?” her mom asked concerned.
Sunny Spirit nodded, deciding to tell her parents the rest of the story. “Flurry Heart was gone for the rest of school. Nopony knew where she had gone too. And Mr. Know was talking with the principal for the next hour, but I don't know what the principal decided to do. After school was over I left and..... was hanging out with Magnolia.”
The tone in her voice revealed that this wasn't everything that happened. It wasn't hard for her parents to notice.
“And then?” her mom asked.
“Then I met Flurry Heart again, a few hours later,” she picked up the question of her mom seamlessly. Her voice was cold as ice now. “I told her that she should stay away from us and that we aren't friends anymore. Then I came here as fast as I could.” The part with the shattered crystal pillar in the gazebo was something she left out on purpose.
It was only now that Sunny Spirit noticed that her parents were still relatively calm. Dread came over her, she felt that they weren't taking the situation seriously enough. Jumping up from her sunk down position, she started to talk insistently to them.
“You must stay away from her! She is dangerous for both of you and she could let you suffer worse than King Sombra did!” Panic was ringing in her voice as she tried to make her mom and dad realize the danger she saw them in.
But her parents shook their heads.
The mouth of her mother was thin now. “Sunny, why did you abandon Flurry Heart? Me and daddy always thought you were such good friends.”
“We were!” Sunny answered and emphasized on the same word her mom had used. “But not anymore! I won't be friends with someone who could hurt you!” She was yelling now.
It was her dad who said something now. Gently, but still firm, he placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Sunny, I want you to calm down,” he commanded her sternly.
Sunny Spirit huffed, but she did as told and sat down again.
He nodded satisfactory. “Good. Now listen to me, Sunny. I want that you apologize to Flurry Heart tomorrow and make up with her.”
Sunny Spirit looked at her dad with eyes big as plates. The command felt like he had just pulled out the chair under her.
“WHAT?!” she burst. Sunny Spirit looked over to her mom, who signaled with a nod that she agreed. “But..... But Flurry Heart is dangerous! Didn't you hear what I told you?! She destroyed the Crystal Heart!”
Calmly, her mom nodded. “Daddy and I did understand, Sunny. But we don't think that Flurry Heart is a threat.”
Sunny Spirit gasped in surprise. Then anger appeared in her face. She jumped up again.
“But you don't understand!” she exclaimed, much louder now. Flurry Heart. IS. Dangerous.” She said the sentence as slow as she could. “You can't trust her! I couldn't trust her! I know her for a year now and she never told me what she did to the Crystal Heart!”
Sunny Spirit stopped for a moment, trying to catch her breath. It gave her mom opportunity for another attempt to calm her daughter, but Sunny Spirit recovered quickly. Furiously, she pointed a hoof at her mom before she could say anything.
“How can YOU trust her?” She looked around between her parents, her face showing a mix of anger and disbelief. “You are completely gullible! What if she destroys the Crystal Heart again and you have to leave the Empire because of it? Or worse, what if her magic gets out of control and kills you both?!”
Sunny's voice sounded hysterical now. Her breath had become stronger and her tiny chest was raising and sinking at an alarming pace.
Her dad touched her shoulder again. “Sunny, you have to calm down. It's not good for you to get so distraught.” He appealed to his daughter's rationality, more worry than strictness in his voice now, but Sunny Spirit was pushing his hoof away from her in an outraged gesture.
“Why don't you understand?” she asked, desperated. “Don't you remember anymore what King Sombra did to you? Flurry Heart can do the same and more! And King Sombra was a monster! She is a threat for you, you need to realize it! Why can't you see that Flurry Heart is a monster too?!”
It was only a small hint, a slight twitching of a muscle barely recognizeable in her dad's face, that signaled that the patience he had with this overprotective daughter was over.
Before she could start the next sentence, Sunny Spirit felt a sharp pain on her cheek and her head getting yanked to the side. She remained like this, not saying anymore words, and sat completely still.
Her father took down his hoof. “King Sombra was different!” he bellowed at her. Sunny did not answer.
In a quieter tone, he continued. “It's true that both your mother and me suffered from what he did. But we know the difference. King Sombra was a tyrant and murderer, but Flurry Heart has not destroyed the Crystal Heart on purpose. I am ashamed that my own daughter stops being loyal to her best friend so quickly.” He looked away from her, disappointment in his eyes.
Sunny stayed in the position that the slap of her father had left her in, stock-still and not making a sound. Nothing happened for a few moments, then, quiet whimpers started to leave Sunny Spirit's throat. They grew in volume, very slowly, and eventually developed into sobs that soon were so loud that they filled the whole house. Tears came into Sunny's eyes and were quickly flowing over, drenching the coat in her face.
Her mother got up from the couch and trotted over to her. As she was at her side, Sunny threw herself against her, wrapping her hooves around her and crying into her chest. The young mother embraced her daughter and pulled her closer, giving her the comfort she needed now. Disapproval appeared on her face as she looked over to her partner, not without a hunch of understanding, though.
She returned her attention back to her daughter and kissed her on the mane, then proceeded to pet it gently. Sunny's mother had the urge to address what happened, to scold her father, yet also to explain to Sunny why he had reacted so harshly. But, she felt, this was not a situation for more words. Enough strong words had been spoken the last minutes, almost more than they could handle. So, instead of commenting on the situation, she brought her mouth close to Sunny's ear and whispered.
“Will you apologize to Flurry Heart now?”
Sunny choked a little. “Mhm,” she said quietly and gave a small nod.
“Good,” her mom commended her. “It's all okay now, Sunny.” She continued petting her mane for a few minutes longer until Sunny pulled away by herself.
The tears had stopped flowing, only a few remaints glistened in the corners of her eyes and on her coat, but she was still slightly sobbing and choking. Her face was completely red, the skin shining through the short hairs on her face. Her mom reached out and took a tissue from the small table between the armchair and the couch. Gently, she cleaned up the rest of the tears in her eyes and on her face and dried it, then she held the tissue at Sunny's nose and let her blow into it.
“Now all is better,” she spoke to her daughter softly, then crumpled the tissue and threw it into a nearby basket.
Looking at her again, she raised a hoof and caressed her left cheek, then she bent forward and kissed the red spot on it. Which was a gesture that finally cast a small smile on Sunny's face again. Her mom returned the smile, then she spoke again. “Now I'm going to make us something for dinner and tomorrow, once you apologized to Flurry, the world will be alright again.”
This notion, though, was met with disapproval by Sunny again, as she shook her head strongly. “No, I need to tell her now!” she said in a voice weak from all the crying, but filled with determination.
Her mom was about to remind her on it that it rained outside, but before she could do that, Sunny had already turned around quickly. She was almost bumping into her father who still stood at the same spot and looked down at her now, a bit of strictness still in his face, but also compassion and a tinge of guilt.
Sunny crushed him with a fast hug, an uplifting smile on her face, then she dashed out of the room into the foyer. The next sound her parents heard was the banging of the entrance door as Sunny shut it behind her, then they sat in silence.

As her mom had said, it was still raining outside as Sunny left the house. The rain was lashing into her face as she galloped through the dark, empty streets of the Crystal Empire and in a matter of seconds, her yellow mane was soaking wet and the strands were hanging down onto her face. She brushed them aside harshly as they began to obscure her view.
The events of the last fourty-five minutes were flashing up in front of Sunny's inner eye. She saw everything again; how she came by the school again as she was trotting aimlessly through the streets to get her head clear after the shocking reveal of the morning, how she met Flurry Heart and Magnolia there and how she rebuked Flurry Heart and broke with her in an instant. The movie in her head continued until the talk with her parents in her house and ended with her leaving the house in a hurry.
Sunny squinted her eyes as a new sob emerged from her throat. A fresh set of tears welled up in her eyes and the salty liquid got mixed with the cold rainwater as it ran down her face in thick streams. Soon they were indistinguishable from the rain and a bystander wouldn't have been able to determine that Sunny Spirit was crying. Even the sound of her sobs was drowned out by the barrage of raindrops hitting the crystal streets. But for Sunny Spirit it was all audible and she could feel the pain in her heart as she was crying in shame and regret.
The buildings around her whizzed by in a blur, her mind occupied with how much she had messed up and her eyes' vision disturbed by the tears that filled it to the brim, but her determination to clean everything up drove her forward and let her find the way by instinct. Two or three times she tripped and almost hit down hard on the ground, but eventually, Sunny Spirit found herself in front of the castle gate.
Her legs wobbling, she stood there and tried to catch her breath. It was going ragged and the wheezing sound coming from her throat indicated that she was about to get a cold as well. As the pain in her chest began to subside and her heart returned to a somewhat normal speed, Sunny looked up and eyed the gate, hope, but also fear, in her eyes.
Reluctantly, she raised a hoof and knocked on the gate. The knocks came out louder than she had expected. Sunny waited. As nothing happened for a few seconds, her nerves gave in already. She sniffed strongly and her eyes took on a grieving expression as she raised her hoof a second time. All the desperation Sunny felt went straight into her hoof as she knocked on the gate again, making the urgency in her movement apparent to everypony in the castle.
As once again nothing happened, Sunny Spirit turned around and faced the rain in front of her. She raised her left hoof slightly, as she looked to the side and squeezed her eyes shut, another cascade of tears leaving them and a new, heavy sob ringing out from her throat. She choked, then she rubbed the tears out of her eyes and turned to the gate again. With widely opened, glazed eyes, she let her hoof bang against the door for a third time, even louder than at her first two attempts.
Another few seconds of silence followed. Sunny bit her lip, the nervousness in her eyes being so strong now that it would be contagious if she wouldn't have been alone.
Sunny's brain already gave signal to her hoof to get raised again, as the gate was wrapped in a purple aura and slowly pulled open. Behind it, in about a meters distance, stood Shining Armor, eyeing the opened gate with grim eyes. He was flanked by two guards, who looked as ready to attack as he did. As Shining Armor saw who had knocked on the gate so strongly, his face softened in surprise. “Sunny?” he said.
But before he could even finish speaking out her name, Sunny Spirit had started a mad dash into his direction. She dodged him and the guards and galloped past them, into the direction of the throne room. From behind, she heard Shining Armor shout at her, followed by a bang as the gate was closed, but her mind filtered out these sounds, being concentrated on her goal.
She rushed through the throne room and aimed straight for the door leading to the royal apartments, which she pushed open without hesitation. It only took her a second, then she continued her path through the corridors, dashing right towards Flurry Heart's room at the end.
Cadance twitched in fear as she heard the fast hoofsteps approaching the room. She got up and squared off at the side of Flurry Heart, igniting her horn, ready to blast every intruder that tried to harm her or her daughter.
The magic around her horn flared up as the silhouette of a small pony galloped over the doorstep. Cadance tried to hold herself back as she realized who the pony was, but it was too late. The magical ray she had fired off hit the wall only mere centimeters above Sunny's head, leaving a scorched mark there.
Sunny Spirit did not care, she did not even twitch as she felt the heat of the small explosion at her head. Darting past Cadance, she approached the bed, her eyes locked on Flurry Heart, and wrapped her hooves around her friend with such force that a series of coughs left Flurry's throat.
Sunny clutched herself tightly against Flurry Heart, her tears soaking Flurry's blanket.
“S-Sunny?” Flurry Heart asked in bewilderment and confusion as she could talk again.
Sunny Spirit whimpered into the thick blanket for a few seconds before she talked. “I'm sorry,” she said high-pitched, all the regret she felt flowing into the short sentence at once. “I'm sorry for leaving you behind, Flurry!” she then followed up the initial statement, her voice marked with guilt. “I was stupid, Flurry Heart, I should have never abandoned you like this.....” Her apologetic speech turned into a shower of words as she kept hugging the young alicorn. “You're my friend, Flurry Heart, my best friend, and I just let you stand there and called you names and were mean to you. I hate myself for it and you probably hate me too now and I never even deserved to be your friend and–“
Flurry Heart coughed again, then she interrupted the stream of words. “Knock if off, Sunny!” she said weakly. The words unleashed a cold wave of fear in Sunny.
“Your hug hurts.....” Flurry Heart said and coughed again. “And your face is really cold,” she added then.
Only now Sunny noticed that her drenched and wet mane was resting on Flurry Heart's right cheek. Quickly, she retreated. She dried Flurry's cheek the best she could with her hoof, then let her head hang. “I'm sorry,” she whispered. Then she was out of words. Here she had come to apologize after her huge mistake and she was making everything worse. Sunny felt all hope sinking.
Flurry Heart sneezed and a sharp pain flashed through her chest that let her grimace. There was disappointment in her eyes, but also relief. Calmly, she shook her head, then stretched out a hoof, moved it under Sunny's chin and lifted it up. She opened her mouth to say something, but was then shaken by another coughing fit. Sunny's eyes widened in worry, her expression giving away that she put herself at fault for her friend's condition.
“Forget it, Sunny,” she said then as the fit had subsided. “I'm not mad at you, just disappointed.” She coughed again, then sniffed. “But I'm glad you're back, Sunny. So, we are still friends?” A tinge of fear flashed up in her eyes.
“Mhm,” Sunny just said, nodding, new tears flowing from her eyes. “But only if you want me as a friend. I don't deserve it anymore, Flurry.....” Her eyes looked to the side, fixating the floor.
Not saying another word, Flurry Heart ignited her horn. The wardrobe behind Sunny opened, engulfed by a yellow aura. A large towel hovered out, engulfed into the same aura, then the wardrobe's door got closed again.
Gently, Flurry Heart wrapped the towel around Sunny's head. “Just dry yourself, Sunny. You get sick too if you don't,” Flurry Heart just said and ignored Sunny's guilty remark, not wanting to make the situation any more complicated.
Sunny Spirit reached up into her mane and grabbed the towel, new tears leaving her eyes. She silently cried without restraint as she was drying her mane.
Another pain flashed through Flurry Heart's chest, of a different kind this time, and she sat up slowly, focusing all her strength on that task, and wrapped her hooves around Sunny, pulling her into a tight hug.
“Let's just forget everything that happened, okay, Sunny? It's not worth it.”
Sunny stopped drying her mane and reciprocated the hug, then she silently nodded at Flurry's neck.
Cadance stood behind them, having silently watched the heartfelt reunion between the two friends, a few tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away as Shining Armor entered the room behind her. Sighing, he sat down at the far end of Flurry Heart's bed.
“Everything alright, Shining?” Cadance asked him with concern.
“Yeah,” he answered and waved a hoof. “It's just a completely crazy day.....”
Cadance gave him a stern nod in agreement. Then she pointed at Flurry Heart and Sunny Spirit who were still hugging each other, the sobs of the latter slowly subsiding.
“But look at this,” Cadance said, her voice sounding optimistic. Shining Armor followed her hoof, then a smile was playing around his lips.
“Just moments ago they were apart from each other and now look how much has changed all of a sudden.” She looked at her husband again. “Everything will be alright, Shining Armor. If we could solve the problem with Sunny, then we will solve the rest of our problems too.” She gave him an encouraging smile.
Shining Armor nodded, feeling confidence in his heart now. “You're right, Cadance,” he said, hope ringing in his voice upon watching the two fillies rekindling their friendship.
He bent forward and gave his wife a kiss.