Rule # 5:
No matter who, a villain has everyone under complete control
Four thirty of the morning, an agile shadow snuck behind every single patrol in the Crystal Palace. Her goal? The Crystal Heart Tower, the safest place of the Palace; especially designed to make sure no one comes in… or out. A group of unicorns and earth-ponies maintained every sector of the area under the strictest of vigilances while the pegasi patrolled the air; it was by far the most secured place of the Crystal Empire.
“I must go to the exterior wall, is the best point” said the figure to herself.
She opened a small window with the help of a hairpin and waited for a couple of seconds until it was time to jump. A Pegasus soldier saw her, but before he could alert the rest of the Guard, he received a kick just to the face and he fell unconscious while the figure got him and with the help of her own wings, she gently placed on the ground so he won’t alert the others with his fall. Then she hide the poor guy behind some bushed and she disappeared between the gardens.
The mailpony arrived puncutally at five o’clock every morning, and she had to get her before her parents or she’ll get into a bunch of trouble; luckily at this point of her life Flurry Heart was quite an expert and arrived just in time to receive the mail before her parents. She got to the mailbox and opened it looking for a letter that had the seal of her school, and when she didn’t find it, the Princess sighed relieved.
“I guess I worried for nothing” said satisfied the young alicorn taking off her black suit and sending it back to her room with her magic. “But I can’t relax, tomorrow it’ll be here and I…”
“Looking for something, Flurry?” Asked her father’s voice right behind the Princess.
Flurry shivered and slowly turned to Shining, who had a small envelop in his hooves. She had a horrible feeling about this… that confirmed when her mother join seemed pretty upset as well.
“I’m in big trouble, right?” Asked Flurry nervously.
Both of their parents limited to aim a hoof to the dining room and Flurry made a huge sigh and walked slowly to meet her fate.
Cadence frowned and opened the school’s letter:
“What is this? Oh, your grade-report. But what is this? These aren’t the grades we’re used to see. In fact, it seems you have to repeat seventh year! But how, your grades are usually straight A’s; how did this happened?” Asked Cadence sarcastically.
And then the worst part, Shining took another letter from the school.
“And then we have this letter, apparently you’re expelled from the school for falsifying your grade reports and our signatures for who knows how long!”
Flurry moaned, how could she be so stupid? She had been so careful! How?
“I bumped into your teacher in the beauty salon” explained Cadence. “She told me about how bad your grades were and if we didn’t do something about it, you would have to repeat the year. Then I told her that I always thought you were a model student and I don’t need to tell you how that ended. At the end we arranged she sent us your real grades through Spike and here we are. You are in big, big trouble young lady!”
Shining frowned.
“Do you realize what you’ve done? This is a permanent stain in your school record that not even your Royalty Status would save you from. What do you have to say in your defense, Flurry Heart?”
The girl didn’t said anything, she just lowered her head. She knew she was in deep trouble and knew that if she talked back, she would only make thing worse. Damn it, she had been so careful.
“We’re waiting Flurry Heart. What do you have to say in your defense?” Demanded to know Cadence.
The young mare shook her head.
“Flurry…” said her father in a warning tone.
Flurry still didn’t say anything, what did she had to say anyway? That the time she supposed to be studying, she was busy reading a comic book or making her next cosplay? Because that was the truth, but it won’t help to her case, and admitting it would mean to get separated from what she loved the most.
And since her daughter didn’t answered, Cadence shrugged.
“We talked to your aunt, you’ll be living with her until you school-year finishes; and yes, we already registered you in Ponyville’s school”
“What? Aunt Twilight?”
“If somepony is capable to put you in line with your studies, that’s your aunt” said Shining frowning.
“BUT YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” Protested Flurry. “Is almost time for the COMUKET, the biggest doujin market in Equestria! And I can’t let my cosplay of the Reverse Filly Second go to waste!”
Shining’s eye twitched.
“The COUMKET? Your cosplay? You’re telling me you preferred a stupid hobby over your studies?”
Flurry gulped, realizing she messed up even more. Still she had to admit, she lived only for comics, comics were her life.
“If that’s the case I’m glad you lost that event. You’re leaving to Ponyville tomorrow, and if to the end of the year you have a decent notes, your principal will think about having you back next year” said Cadence.
There was no use to complain and Flurry knew it. Instead she pouted and flew to the room of the only person who truly understood her in that Castle: her uncle. Spike had been living in the Crystal Empire with Shining and Cadence after certain incident with Twilight when he was nine, but I won’t get too much into detail. The important was that since Flurry was born he was really close to the little one and introduced her to the wonderful world of comics.
“This isn’t fair! You saw how much effort I put into my cosplay! Why I can’t go to this year’s COMUKET?”
“Easy Flurry, you know I wouldn’t go without you” said Spike apparently calmed.
“That reminds me, you helped them! Why did you gave those letters to mom and dad?”
“Because I didn’t knew what was on that letters! They just told me: Spike, can you receive a letters with your messenger breath for us? And I said sure!”
Flurry sighed.
“I know is not your fault, but still go; at least you can tell me how was the event and even sent pictures with you messenger breath. But I’m taking my cosplay with me if there’s any event near to Ponyville”
“That’s the spirit!” Smiled the dragon. “And give a hug to Twilight and Bright for me, okay?”
The pink alicorn sighed.
“Oh yeah, cuz Bright. At least he likes comics but not like us”
“There’s a huge difference between Ota-Cools and fanboys of… what did he reads?”
“Bits me, but I’ll figure out soon, much to my disgrace” complained the teenage alicorn. “Tell me uncle, how you do that? You have good grades and also find the time to make great cosplays and all. How Spike?”
The dragon shrugged, he didn’t want to have this conversation. He hoped it was enough for Flurry but god, the girl was stubborn.
“Uncle Spike!” Complained Flurry.
“I know how to distinguish reality from fantasy. You should to Flurry”
The thirteen-year-old girl frowned.
“Hey, I do live in reality! I just wish it was different, like the world of comics”
Spike sighed.
“That’s impossible Flurry Heart!”
“I can try!”
Spike sighed.
“Look, let’s not fight before you go. I love you Flurry and I’ll miss you a lot!”
“I’ll miss you too”
“But I’ll be at a letter of distance”
…
Bright woke up like any other day, catapulting himself out of the bed, but immediately he knew something was not right. A small light carefully dissimulated on his alarm-clock warned him that there was somepony else in the house.
And he went to the bathroom, and as every morning he activated a servant Z-Bot to do his bed and in the meantime his mirror gave him a complete image of the dining room. He frowned when he saw the guest, he couldn’t stand his cousin: he found her annoying and overly obsessed with stupidities like comics. What the hell was Flurry doing there?
“Whatever” he groaned going downstairs and faking ignorance. “Morning mom, dad!”
Flash smiled to his son, he was about to leave to Canterlot to continue his investigation about Z and Dolly, but he always had the time to have breakfast with his son.
“Early as always buddy. We have a guest so behave, okay?”
“Guest? Who… oh, cousin Flurry!”
The teenage girl made a small nod.
“How are you Bright? I’m staying a loooong time so I hope you don’t mind”
“What?” Asked the kid this time genuinely surprised.
And then Twilight just came with a tray of toast.
“Yeah, she had a little problem with Shining and she’ll stay with us for what’s last of the semester. Luckily we have a lot of space in the castle. So tell me Flurry, are you going to start today or you prefer to sleep for today and start tomorrow?”
“I think I slept more than enough in the train auntie. I’m going today, so, are you ready to show me your school, Bright?”
The kid made a forced smile and nodded. But this time he didn’t fool his parents.
“Come on Bright! Take it as an opportunity for you two to get along. She’ll stay for a while and I don’t want any fight”
Bright nodded forcibly, she also couldn’t really stand her nerd cousin, but still she was also willing to get along well and have fun.
“So shall we go then?” Asked Flurry Heart.
“Whatever” said Bright in a very bad mood.
Both left the castle, Bright with a very mad mood; but luckily Flurry understood the situation and didn’t say anything. And then they bumped with the group of Pound Cake, Tootsie Floute and Bowling Master.
“Ey nerd, do you have our homework?” Asked Bowling.
Flurry giggled.
“Are you getting bullied, buddy?”
Bright ignored her and took the notebooks from his saddlebag.
“Do you have the money?”
Tootsie and Pound quickly took the bits but Bowling just stood there angrily,.
“I’m not in the mood. Pay me or you’ll see”
Bowling groaned.
“And why do I have to take orders from a ten-year-old, huh?”
Bright shrugged and before the older unicorn could react, he was trapped in a terribly tight hold that also immobilized him by the horn prevent to use magic. But Bright was perfectly capable to use it and he made appear a trash can and then he threw Bowling inside to finally kick the can down the hill where it rolled until it crashed with a tree.
Pound and Tootsie gulped and moved backwards. Bright looked directly at them.
“You two…”
“We warned him!” Said Tootsie trembling.
“Yeah, we didn’t intervened as you said!”
“Don’t worry. Look at her? That’s my cousin Princess Flurry Heart”
The two of them then noticed the alicorn and bowed.
“Your Highness!” They said at the unison.
“She’s new at school and I need somepony to show her the school. Make sure everypony knows she’s my cousin and if somepony messes with her, he or she will know me. Understood?”
The two of them nodded.
“Of course Bright!”
“Whatever you need my friend”
Then the kid turned to his cousin.
“And you, are you okay with this?”
“Eh? Oh, sure! You’re more interesting than I thought, you knew it pal?”
“You have no idea. Anyway, also somepony help the idiot of Bowling and tell him that if he bothers me again, he’ll beg me to do this to him again!” The colt said threatening.
The next of the day seemed interesting for Flurry, she had to admit Bright intrigued her, especially since she noticed everypoy was afraid of him. And they also treated her like a Queen more than a Princess, but not because she was an alicorn but because she was the cousin of the frightening Bright Spark.
But for strange that the relationship between classmates was, at least Flurry could find a group that loved comics as much as her: Light Spectra, son of Rainbow Dash and Soarin; Beat Box, daughter of Vinyl and Octavia; and Sparkler, Derpy’s and Doctor Hooves’ youngest daughter. A cheerful and dynamic group that like her, lived only for comics. It was a relief to find people who shared her interests almost everywhere.
“You should come home one of these days, we have a small corner where we use to hang out and read comics. We have everything, from very old editions to the newest ones” smiled Sparkler.
“We even have censored editions!” Assured Light Spectra.
“Cool! For example you have when The Buffon, Batmare’s mortal enemy, killed Jason Trott, the second Sparrow?”
“As good as news thanks to dad’s TARDIS!” Said Sparkler proudly.
Flurry smiled impressed, after all good old Ponyville didn’t seem too bad.
But even if she would love to go with her new group of friends, she still had to go home and report to her aunt. The only problem was that classes here and back in the Empire were equally boring.
“Hey cuz, does your moms knows you’re the biggest bully in school?”
Bright shrugged uninterested.
“No, and I prefer to keep it that way.
Flurry smiled widely.
“In that case…”
“Your new friends told me how you ended up in Ponyville on the first place, so here’s the deal: I make sure you pass this semester with honors so you can go back home and you make sure to not to bother me. What do to think?”
“Are you serious?” Asked the young alicorn.
“Of course! I already have a fruitful business doing homework for half of the school, one more is not a problem”
At the end Bright smiled to himself, he knew that his cousin would eventually fell under his control like everypony else. At the end it was basic for a villain to control all the people around, from enemies to family.
But even if his cousin betray him with his mother, at least it was impossible they figure out his true hobby. Everything was doing fine for the evil genius.