“Hmmm-hm-hm-hmmm…Hmm-hm-hmmmm…”
That voice. That beautiful voice. Mischief remembered hearing the voice on a clear night just before magic started dying. He was out in the forest when his ears had caught a mysterious voice singing “you”. Even though it was just that one word, Mischief was filled with wonder. He hoped to find the one who had sung that short melody because he believed the song was somehow meant for him. He knew he was dreaming now, so he stayed asleep for a little longer to hear some more of the voice ringing through the imaginary forest.
When the sweet voice stopped humming, it sang, “There is magic in a wishing well…”
A wishing well suddenly materialized as did a coin in his hoof.
The voice sang, “Make a wish into the well…That’s all you have to do…And if you hear it echoing…your wish will soon come true…”
When Mischief dropped his bit into the well, the rippling water served as the transition from being asleep to being awake.
Even though he was almost awake, he heard the voice sing, “I’m wishing…”
He echoed softly and unconsciously, “I’m wishing…”
As the brain fog went away, Mischief heard the voice sing, “For the one I love…to find me…”
Slowly, he started to realize he wasn’t just dreaming things. He echoed again, “To find me…”
“Today…”
“Today…”
At that instant, he knew it wasn’t a dream. His mystery voice was here! But where?
The voice sang, “I’m hoping…”
The singing sounded like it was right outside his bedroom, so Mischief echoed as he climbed out of bed, “I’m hoping…”
“And I’m dreaming of…”
To his dismay, his mystery mare wasn’t outside his door when he opened it.
The voice sang, “The nice things…”
It was coming from downstairs, so Mischief quietly walked to the edge of the stairs as he echoed softly, “The nice things…”
“He’ll say…”
“He’ll say…”
Mischief’s hooves left the floor and he began to float downstairs.
The voice then vocalized, “Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…”
He vocalized quietly, “Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…”
“Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…”
“Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…”
“Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…”
Mischief slowly looked around the corner as he vocalized, “Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah…” He trailed off as soon as he saw who was singing.
Unaware of Mischief’s presence, Flurry vocalized as she washed the dishes, “Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!”
The antlered colt ducked behind the corner, leaned against the banister, and put his hoof to his heart.
He thought, It’s her! It’s really her! She is real!
Flurry sang, “I’m wishing…”
Mischief quietly echoed with amazement in his voice this time, “I’m wishing…”
“For the one I love…to find me…”
“To find me…”
“Today…”
Unexpectedly, Mischief gleefully sang out loud, “Today!”
He covered his mouth as soon as he realized his mistake. Flurry seemed to notice this, too. Before she could go near the stairs, Mischief swiftly flew up to his bedroom and shut the door. When all seemed quiet, he sighed in relief.
He went to the center of the room and sang, “Now that I’ve found you…here’s what I have to say…One song…I have but one song…”
Flurry peeked up the stairs and heard Mischief sing, “One song only for you…One heart tenderly beating…”
She took such an interest in his dreamy melody that she flew up to the second floor and landed softly so she wouldn’t disturb him.
He sang behind his door, “Ever entreating…Constant and true…”
Flurry couldn’t help but fawn over his singing. True, he had sung before, but this time, it was much more romantic, much more…longing.
“One love…that has possessed me…”
As he sang that verse, Cauldron Bubbles entered the house. She was surprised to hear singing and looked up the stairs to see Flurry Heart standing outside Mischief’s bedroom.
“One love…thrilling me through…”
Cauldron smiled at the sweet scene and closed the door softly as she went back outside.
By now, Mischief was floating in mid-air as he finished, “One song…My heart keeps singing…of one love…only for you…”
Knock-knock
The sudden knocking surprised Mischief and he landed on the floor. He went to the door and opened it to find Flurry just outside. He blushed when he thought she heard at least some part of his singing.
Flurry complimented, “You sing wonderfully.”
Mischief smiled, “So do you.”
From the moment she saw Flurry stand outside Mischief’s door, Cauldron Bubbles knew there was something between the two. Her thoughts were further confirmed when she saw them glancing at each other during breakfast. This was a sharp contrast to the first dinner they had together, when they were trying to avoid each other’s gaze. Somehow, Cauldron knew that Cupid was behind this change of attitude. In one way, she hoped that she would get in good with the princess’s family if Mischief would marry Flurry Heart. However, another part of Cauldron just wanted her adopted son to be happy with the right pony…and she hoped Flurry was that pony.
When Mischief offered to take Flurry on a picnic, how could she say “no”? As they left the house, Cauldron gestured for Mischief to “go get the girl”. Mischief playfully rolled his eyes, but he knew his adopted mother was trying to help out a little, whether for his gain or her own. He and Flurry set down the blanket on a part of the field that shone with sunlight. They laughed and conversed throughout their mid-afternoon date.
Flurry asked, “So Cauldron Bubbles has been your mom ever since you were a baby?”
Mischief nodded, “Yep. She found me just after the blizzard hit. She knew I had a lot of potential as her apprentice, but as time wore on, I became like a son to her.”
“Then how is it that she’s stayed young for 66 years?”
“She cast the Spell of Eternal Youth on herself.”
Flurry gushed, “Aww. That’s so sweet.”
“Not really. She only did it to keep herself young and beautiful forever. It was before she found me.”
“Oh.” She was tempted to bring up Starlight Glimmer, but she decided against it. “You know, it’s not fair for you to share things about you when I haven’t even shared things about me.”
“There must be a good reason why you haven’t. Must be pretty bad, huh?”
“Which one? What I did or my shame?”
“Look, I won’t judge you, okay? You didn’t judge me when I told you about the blizzard, so I’m not going to judge you.”
Flurry gave a small smile before she took a deep breath. She explained, “All right. I’ve been having magic bursts because my magic is so powerful. My sister, Skyla, thought that I’d somehow use it to take the crown. She was having visions of a new villain and thought that I’d become that villain. She drank something and it…”
She practically shuddered at the memory of her sister’s transformation. She almost couldn’t go on, but she continued more slowly to ease her emotions, “…turned her into the pony she saw in her visions. I wanted to save her – I really did – so I used a powerful relic to try to bring her back. But…” Her voice then choked, “…it sent her to the moon instead. When I realized the relic had broken because of my magic, I flew as far away as I could before I crash-landed in the forest.”
Mischief didn’t say anything for a few moments until he said, “It must’ve been hard for you when your sister got sent to the moon. But I don’t get it about the relic. I mean, it can’t be worth running away, can it?”
Flurry shook her head, “You don’t understand. This wasn’t just any relic. This was the Gem of Harmony. It was tied to the Tree of Harmony, which is the source of all magic in Equestria. Because of me, the Gem is broken…” Her voice broke as tears welled up in her eyes, “…and the Tree is dying and taking magic with it. Everything bad that’s happening in Equestria is my fault. I’m the one to blame.”
The alicorn began to cry out of shame and worry that Mischief wouldn’t like her now. However, the antlered colt gently stroked her arm while trying to calm her.
Mischief tried to comfort her, “It’s okay, Flurry. It’s okay.”
She then shouted, “No, it’s not!”
He thought to himself, Okay. Wrong choice of words.
Flurry sobbed, “My sister was right. I shouldn’t be loved at all.”
Mischief spoke up, “Oh, come on. Don’t believe her. You know, I don’t see a single evil bone in your body. So what if you doomed Equestria by breaking the Gem of Harmony? I doomed the draconequui and alicorns with that blizzard. I may not be able to reverse that, but maybe we can save magic from disappearing before it’s too late. It’d be more than enough for me to know that I saved an entire country even though I couldn’t save my parents and their races. It could make up for the one mistake I ever made.”
Flurry said firmly, “You never made that blizzard to begin with. My grandma was one of the few who survived. She knows that the Windigos fed on hatred, so they fed on the alicorns’ and the draconequui’s. You were never the problem. You were just the product of a star-crossed union that should’ve been seen as an example for both kinds. But instead, they saw your parents’ love and you as a source of outrage. That attracted the Windigos’ attention and they struck the final blow. The blizzard wasn’t your fault, Mischief. It never was.”
“I suppose I could say the same about you and the Gem of Harmony. You never meant to break it. You just wanted to save your sister, even if she was wrong about you. She may have seen a threat, but I see the sweetest, kindest, and most understanding princess I ever met.”
That made Flurry smile and blush.
Mischief asked, “You care about your people a lot, yet why did you run?”
She sighed sadly, “If they ever found out about what I did to my sister and the Gem of Harmony, they’ll never forgive me.”
This reminded Mischief of what he said about being the cause of the blizzard. It proved that he and Flurry had something in common.
He told her, “You’re not alone. I blame myself every day for what happened to my parents and their clans. It looks like you’re doing it to yourself, too. I may not be able to undo the blizzard, but maybe I can help you restore the Gem of Harmony and your relationship with your sister.”
Flurry asked with hope in her eyes, “You will?”
Mischief gave her a warm smile and answered, “Yes.”
They then hiked halfway up Foal Mountain to see the spectacular sunset just over the horizon. They both sang, “Where do we go? What do we do? I think we have something entirely new…”
When they were in the glen nearby the house, they sang, “And it isn’t just me and it isn’t just you…I think I met someone entirely new…”
However, Flurry dared to look up at the sky and saw the moon with the pony silhouette. She felt all guilt return and she lied down on the ground.
She sang sadly as her head hung down, “Oh...um…Well, I just can't stop thinking…”
Mischief, sensing her pain, lied down beside her and sang to change the subject, “So...um…Would you say I was your friend?”
“And you hadn't before?”
Mischief blushed and smiled as he sang, “Of course not…When would I have ever?”
Flurry hung her head again as she sang, “I feel guilty…”
“For what? Tell me…”
“I banished my own sister!”
“’Cause you had to…”
“They will hate me!”
“I’m here for you…We’re here together…”
When Mischief touched her hoof, Flurry felt thrilled on the inside, but her expression showed surprise.
He led her to a pond as he hummed, “Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm...”
They then wrapped their free arms around each other as if they were about to dance. Suddenly, Mischief floated upwards, taking Flurry with him. She gasped and then chuckled in surprise.
The two of them danced in mid-air as they hummed, “Hmmm hmm hmm hmm hmm...Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm...Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm...Hmm hmm hmm hmmm hmmmm...”
After they stopped spinning in the air, Mischief took the both of them down and landed with his back on the ground and Flurry lying on top of him. This was nice. There they were, amidst the delicate flowers, the gleaming fireflies, and the moonbeams that shone through the trees. It helped Flurry very much not to see the actual moon…and the blotted reminder of what she did. In that moment, all she needed to see was right in the glen. She felt strangely exhilarated touching Mischief’s chest and just being so close to him. She could hear his excited heartbeat every second and adored it. If this was the kind of love her parents had, she was glad she found it.
Mischief never thought in even a million years he would find someone who could love him like a wife would her husband. He thought if he was lucky, he would have a special somepony, but he never would’ve imagined that he’d gain the love of a princess! Everything was just right in the glen and he wished the moment would last forever. He liked the smooth grass, but Flurry’s mane was better. It was so soft, so colorful, and so smooth to the touch. He could run his hoof through her mane all night if he so wished.
But like all good things, their special moment had to end. Soon afterwards, Flurry and Mischief headed back to the house. The walk was just as nice as their time in the glen, although not very enchanting. Suddenly, Mischief put his hoof in front of Flurry to stop her.
She asked in concern, “What’s wrong?”
“Something’s not right,” he whispered to her as he eyed the house.
The door was open just a smidge, but Mischief was concerned that an intruder might’ve come into the house and was holding his adopted mother hostage. His antlers lit up in a green aura as he slowly neared the door.
When he stopped just inches from the door, he told Flurry, “Wait here.”
She said to him, “Some princesses are damsels-in-distress while others take action.” She then smirked, “I choose to be the second kind.”
After Flurry lit up her horn, Mischief whispered, “One…two…three!”
At “three”, they both used their magic to swing open the door. Flurry gasped as she saw Blaze, Nova, the Marendelle twins, and Apple Butter before her.