//------------------------------// // The Flight of the Snowflake // Story: Consanguinity // by D4ftP0ny //------------------------------// “I really don't think there's a way to do this.” Flash Sentry's voice sounded disheartened, but Shining Armor's ears twitched as the pegasus spoke. “I mean, the only way I'd be able to do it is if I held the spear in my teeth, and if you're going to try and smack it away from yourself,” he lifted his hoof and rubbed it against his cheek, his blue eyes sad, “I mean, that'd probably knock a few of my teeth loose, boss.” Shining arched an eyebrow at the yellow stallion. “You sound pretty happy about not being able to do something,” he muttered, and Flash's muzzle wrinkled into a deep frown as he lowered his hoof back to the floor. “I'm happy about not loosing my teeth,” he grumbled in return. “I mean, the only other things I have to hold onto the spear with are my hooves and my wings.” He poked at the wooden spear that lay on the floor before him. “The wings are out, and it would be all but impossible for me to use my hooves if I invert the way that she did when she went over the top of you.” Shining Armor flourished the staff he held loosely in his magic as he pursed his lips in thought. “So... what you're saying is that there's no way for me to practice defending against this move with a pegasus,” he said after a moment, and Flash nodded. “Afraid so, boss. I mean, unless you'd like all of the pegasi in the Crystal Guard to be toothless...” “I think I'll pass on that.” Shining winced and offered his Captain of the Guard a grin. “It'd make it hard to take you guys seriously.” Flash grinned back at him, but he folded his ears back against his mane as he lowered his head. “Sorry I can't help you out, Shining,” he said. “I really wanted to be able to help, but I just don't think it's possible without magic.” Shining waved his hoof and settled his spear to the ground before releasing it from his magic. “That just means I'll have to get Skyla to train with me a little more,” he said with a chuckle. “Although something tells me that it won't exactly be like pulling teeth.” Flash opened his mouth into an overly exaggerated smile, Shining's grin became comically large, and the pegasus used both his wings to form fingers pointing at the Prince. “Niceeeee,” they said in unison. The pair of stallions laughed loudly, louder than they knew they had any right to, considering the actual quality of Shining Armor's joke, but the Prince couldn't be happier for the noise, as cheesy as it was. It's nice to know that I have someone so easy-going as the captain of my guard, he thought as the over-the-top laughter faded into genuine laughter. I was kind of afraid that we'd end up with somepony who had more experience in the field than I did – something that would make me giving them orders a little touchy. Shining knew that experience was everything to military ponies, and no matter what his rank was, nopony who wore the Guard's Shield would respect him if he made bad decisions based on limited experience. Flash was a good pony and, as their laughter faded into silence, Shining knew that the Crystal Guard was going to be in good hooves for a long time. From outside the door to the practice area, a sound began to rise – the clattering of tiny hooves, moving at an incredible rate of speed. Shining's magic lit up and he grabbed both the spears that were lying on the floor, propping them up against the nearby wall as Flash turned his smile to the door. “I'd recognize those hoofsteps anywhere,” he said with a knowing look at Shining, and the Prince laughed as his magic pulled at the straps of his armor. “Right? It's kind of hard not to recognize Flurry Heart at this point.” He tugged the armor from his form and placed it next to the spears. “I wonder if she goes anywhere at any speed other than 'as fast as I can possibly go'?” “Hard to say, boss. I'll let you know if I ever see her do it.” The door to the practice room burst open, admitting Princess Flurry Heart to the room in all of her wind-swept glory; her mane was positively disheveled as she scampered through the room, her eyes quickly locking onto Shining Armor. “Daddy! Daddy!” she called, her legs moving as fast as they possibly could. “What are you doing with Flash?!” The white stallion sat down on his rump and held out his front legs towards his daughter, who threw herself violently into his grasp with a gleeful laugh. He caught her and wrapped his hooves around her as tightly as he felt comfortable, reveling in how tightly she grasped his neck. “Oh, we were just having a little practice and discussion about tactics,” he said. “Y'know, boring grown-up stuff.” Flurry giggled against him, her mirth shaking his whole head. “That's not boring! I saw you practice with Skyla, and that wasn't boring!” “Trust me, Princess,” said Flash over Shining's shoulder, “you'd think what we were doing was boring.” Shining gave Flurry an extra firm squeeze before lifting her away from himself and putting her down, her eyes sparkling with happiness. “Why, were you not doing cool flips and stuff like that?” she asked, and Flash's ears drooped as he grinned sheepishly. “As a matter of fact, that's what we were trying to figure out, but...” he shrugged, and Shining cleared his throat. “But, after hearing Flash's concerns about how hard a move like that would be for a pegasus, I decided that I'll just have to get Skyla to spar with me again.” He gave Flurry a hopeful smile. “Do you think she'd like to help me out?” To his relief, Flurry nodded briskly. “Uh, yeah she would!” she chirped. “She was super excited to spar with you the other day, and I know she'd love to do it again!” Shining felt his shoulders relax a little and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Flash give a firm nod. Well that's good to know. I'd hate to think I was imposing on her. He hadn't spoken much to Skyla since their sparring match several days ago – except for mealtimes and other family activities, of course – and he hadn't been able to rid himself of a nagging doubt about whether Skyla had truly enjoyed their sparring or not. However, he now had multiple ponies telling him that she had, in fact, really liked doing it, so his worries were clearly in vain. Flurry Heart took a step back and gave her wings a stretch, her gaze shifting from Shining to Flash. “So is Daddy going to stay and watch my flying lesson today?” she asked, lifting her left wing and arching it above her back before doing the same with her right. Shining Armor blinked. “Whoa, is it that time already?” he asked, glancing at the sun through the windows. Flurry giggled again. “Would I be here if school wasn't out?” she asked, and Shining had to admit that he had no answer for her other than the painfully obvious one. “Well, when you put it like that,” he muttered, and he couldn't help feeling like he was quickly falling behind his daughter when it came to sense. You just start getting used to asking them basic questions so they learn things, and then they're past you and zooming towards the horizon... he thought, and a pang of sadness rang through his chest. I guess this is what its like, watching your child grow up... For her part, Flurry Heart just gave him a brilliant smile and stretched both of her wings up. “So, are you going to watch me? I really want to show you how well my training's going!” She held her stretch for a long moment before exhaling loudly and tucking her wings against her back, her eyes darting to Flash as he approached. “Right, Flash?” she asked, and Shining's ear twitched at her tone. “Oh definitely,” he said with a long, pointed nod at Shining, “you're going to want to stick around today. In fact, I was going to ask you to come watch no matter what was happening.” He reached out and elbowed Shining on the shoulder his face a mixture of pride and excitement. “I think you'll be soar-ly disappointed if you don't...” Shining's eyes narrowed. “I'm the only one allowed to tell horrible jokes around here, Flash,” he grumbled. Flash's expression softened with confusion, but the pegasus just sighed and shook his head before turning a smile to Flurry. “All right, kiddo – let's get to the roof and show your dad what you've learned!” Flurry nodded eagerly and turned towards the door, clearly prepared to bolt out of the door just as quickly as she'd entered it. “Aah-aah, wait,” he said firmly, and Flurry Heart froze in place. The stallion stood and gave his tail a flick. “Don't run ahead – we'll walk with you, okay?” The filly didn't turn around, but her hooves stayed dormant as Shining and Flash approached her; as they did, however, she began to rapidly bounce in place, her mane and tail bobbing rhythmically in time with her movements as if they couldn't wait to be moving again. Shining couldn't help but smile and roll his eyes behind his daughter's back. You'd think I told her to stand still for an entire day, he thought. I wonder where she gets all her energy, and if she'll share. As the pair of stallions drew abreast of the Princess, she allowed her hooves to kick back into motion and started walking between them, with Flash on her left and Shining on her right, and Shining was happy to note that she was at least attempting to walk with them instead of darting ahead. He turned his gaze to Flash, who was staring ahead of him with his brow furrowed, as if he were reviewing something in his head. Flurry was never this good at following directions before her lessons with Flash started, thought Shining. I knew he was the Captain for a reason, but for him to be able to get a rambunctious seven year old to tone down and follow instructions like this... he must be better than I thought. “So how was your schooling today?” asked Shining as the trio made their way through the castle proper, their hooves clicking in tentative unison. “What did you study?” Flurry Heart bounced in mid-step and her wings fluttered against her back, but she kept her eyes facing in the direction of the tower, as if she longed for nothing more than to dart ahead of the group and get there first. “Just more history stuff,” she said. “We finished talking about how Equestria recovered after the Griffon War and moved on to the next big event in history, which was some sort of drought.” She shrugged. “Sunburst didn't really get into lots of details because Skyla was having a hard time paying attention, so we just kinda talked about it instead of having to take notes.” She turned a smile to Shining. “I kinda liked not taking notes. Maybe Sunburst won't make us take them anymore!” Shining Armor couldn't help but smile at his daughter's upbeat attitude about the very slim chance that Sunburst could be persuaded to stop forcing her to take notes. I don't think anypony could stop Sunburst from making ponies take notes, he thought. Heck, I have to take notes just to keep up with him sometimes! He felt a joke rise to the surface in his mind and grinned as it moved to his tongue, but before he could set it free Flash turned to Flurry with a frown. “Skyla was having a hard time paying attention?” he asked as the three ponies came to the stairs that would take them up into the tower. “That sounds odd for her. Normally, she's one hundred percent engaged when it comes to learning about the history of our world.” Flurry made a bland noise in her throat as she hopped up onto the first step. “I guess so,” she said noncommittally, her tail flicking sharply to her left. An alarm bell sounded in Shining Armor's mind, and he had to fight to keep a frown of his own from dominating his face as he stopped at the bottom step. “You guess so?” he asked, and Flurry Heart froze in place like she'd been suddenly trapped in a block of crystal. Shining's eyes narrowed at the back of his daughter's head, and he could practically see the sweat running down her neck. “That doesn't sound very honest, young lady.” The stallion kept his tone as light as he could, but he injected just enough parental warning into it to let her know that he was not in the mood for lies. I mean, that's all the time, but still – I know that tone, and that tone says that she knows more than she's letting on. “Come on, snowflake,” he said, softening his tone as he drew up next to her. “What's going on that you're not telling me?” Silence reigned for a few long seconds, and it seemed to Shining that Flurry's face became a battlefield of emotions as she gave serious thought to whether or not she was going to answer his question. Flash tossed Shining a worried frown over the top of Flurry's head, but Shining returned his look with a slight shake of his head, his eyes never leaving Flurry. She's got to make the decision herself – whether she's going to lie to me or not. He felt his lips curve into a frown, despite his best efforts to keep it at bay. I really hope that she makes the right decision... but she still has to have the choice. To his everlasting relief, Flurry took a deep breath and sighed. “Skyla had a bad dream last night,” she admitted softly as she started up the stairs again, her hoofsteps almost covering up her words. “I didn't want to talk about it because she really didn't want anypony else to know... but she woke up scared and couldn't go back to sleep at all.” Shining watched her ascend for a moment before following her, his heavier hoofsteps drowning hers out. “She had a nightmare?” Flurry Heart nodded, her mane bobbing around her face as she climbed the stairs. “Yeah. She said that it was a dream she'd had before, but...” she hesitated, then shook her head and used the curl in her mane to hide her eyes from Shining's gaze. “I... I don't really want to talk about it anymore. It was Skyla's nightmare, and talking about it without her makes me feel gross inside.” Again the alarm bells rang in Shining's head, but it wasn't because Flurry was saying she didn't want to talk about Skyla's dream; rather, they were ringing because of Skyla's dream. I wonder why she didn't talk to us about it, he wondered as silence fell over the three ponies. I mean, we were all together at breakfast and a little bit afterwards... why didn't she talk to us? He turned his gaze up towards the ceiling far, far above him and let out a sigh. I suppose I can't blame her, though. I know that I don't really like to talk about my nightmares when I have them, and Cadence is a really good listener for those kinds of things. He glanced down at Flurry again and found her watching him intently, her bright blue eyes full of bottled up worry. Shining's eyes widened slightly, and without a second thought he reached out and patted her on the head, his smile returning to his face with full force. “All right. Well, I suppose I'll have to talk to Skyla about it then, won't I?” He gave her mane a rub, the multiple hues blending slightly beneath his affectionate touch. Flurry's smile returned as well, and she gave a nod beneath his hoof. “Yeah... it might be better if you did,” she said. Shining removed his hoof and she turned her eyes back to the stairs before her. “She sent a message to Great Aunt Luna about it, so maybe she'll have some kinda response when we get done with all of our lessons for the day.” “I'm sure that Luna will get back to her as soon as she can,” agreed Shining with a nod. “She cares about both of you very much, so I know she'll be ready to help if Skyla needs it.” Flurry Heart nodded, and her wings rustled as silence fell over the trio. Shining Armor knew that the stairs leading to the roof could feel endless, but they arrived at the top sooner than he thought possible, and he blinked in surprise as he found himself without stairs to climb. “Whoa, did I space out there for a few minutes?” he asked, his gaze darting to Flash. “Or did we just move a lot faster than I normally take these stairs?” The Captain of the Guard grinned. “Actually, I think it was the pace set by the Princess here,” he said with a nod towards Flurry, who was standing at the door with a broad smile on her face. “We talked about some heavy stuff on the stairs, so it makes sense if you were thinking – but Flurry took those stairs in record time, even if she wasn't running.” He turned his eyes to Flurry. “You gonna be able to do your daily training after a climb like that?” “Of course!” chirped Flurry, her brow crinkling in determination. Flash gave her a firm nod and the Princess turned crisply towards the door, her hoof rising to turn the knob and admit the three ponies to the roof. The brilliant sunlight almost blinded Shining Armor for several long seconds as he followed Flurry out onto the balcony at the very top of the Crystal Castle, and he couldn't keep his stomach from doing a bit of a flip as he recalled exactly how high up they were. This is most definitely not the time to be blundering around half-blind and fall over a railing, he thought to himself as he took a careful step to his right, allowing Flash to follow him out. I mean, I think Flash could probably stop me from dying, but I can't teleport like Twilight can. He shuddered in spite of himself. It wouldn't be a nice thing, either way. He blinked a few times, and as his eyes began to adjust he saw Flurry and Flash at the opposite end of the balcony, their front hooves stretched out in front of them as they stretched their wings high. Shining hadn't sat in on very many of Flurry Heart's training lessons with Flash, but he'd been here enough times to know the stretching routine like the back of his hoof. He moved to the railing and sat down with his back touching it, his eyes trained on the pair as they stretched first their right wings, then their left before straightening. Flash and Flurry then moved to the railing, where Flurry lifted her front hooves and rested them atop the rail as Flash used his right wing to help stretch hers back, and back, and back, stretching the most important muscles in a pegasus' body. They performed this stretch for several minutes, ensuring that each muscle that the Princess would use for flying was properly limbered up before moving to her other side and repeating the process. Shining watched them as they stretched and chatted back and forth with one another, Flurry smiling from ear to ear as Flash asked her to recite each muscle they were stretching and why. It's clear that she's very comfortable around him. I'm glad, too – I was worried that he'd be letting her just walk all over him, with her being the Princess and all. Shining felt his lips curve into a smile as Flash performed his own stretches, using the railing to pull his wings up as he used his body weight to press down on them. If she's going to be learning how to fly, I'd much rather her have somepony who can put her in her place if necessary. She's a bit of a free spirit, after all. His smile became a smirk. I wonder who she gets that from... Suddenly, Flash cleared his throat, drawing Shining's attention away from his inner monologue. “All right, boss – are you ready to watch today's lesson?” Shining nodded and hopped to his hooves, his tail lashing his hindquarters in excitement. “You bet I am!” he said, giving his words a little extra enthusiasm as he locked eyes with Flurry Heart. “So what are you practicing today? Am I going to get to see you glide around?” To his surprise, Flash and Flurry turned their eyes to one another and shared a single, broad grin. “Oh, I think you'll like it,” Flash said cryptically. “Right, Flurry Heart?” The Princess nodded, and there was such a mischievous glint in her eyes that Shining felt his stomach clench. Before he could say anything, however, both Flurry and Flash turned towards the edge of the balcony, their wings flaring wide. “One,” said Flash. Shining frowned. What in the world... “Two!” squeaked Flurry, and Shining's stomach tried to eat itself. Oh sweet merciful Celestia..! “Three!” they said together, and as one they leaped into the air and hurtled over the railing, their bodies disappearing before Shining could so much as breathe. The white stallion stared at the edge where his daughter and Captain had disappeared, his heart hammering in his ears. Logic warred with his parental instincts in his head as he slowly moved towards the edge of the balcony, trying to decide if they'd both just lost their minds, or if Flash knew exactly what he was doing. Please Celestia let it be the latter, he thought fervently. A moment passed, then two... and then he saw two figures rise up over the edge of the balcony, their size diminished by the distance. Their wings were flapping slowly, gently, but as Shining watched they rose steadily into the sky – not gliding downwards, but flying. Every ounce of fear in Shining's heart evaporated and became a swell of pride so great that the stallion felt tears tingle at the corners of his eyes as Flurry Heart, his little girl, followed Flash upwards in a two-pony formation, with the filly off of Flash's right wingtip. The Guardspony tilted his wings to turn and Flurry followed him perfectly, her huge, beautiful pink-tipped wings flashing brilliantly in the sun as they turned and headed back towards the tower. Shining rose up and placed his hooves onto the balcony, his vision blurring as his tears built. “She's... she's flying!” he whimpered, his bottom lip quivering. “My little baby... she's out there... flying in the sky...” The pair of ponies tilted their wings ever so slightly and performed a flyby of the tower, with Flash grinning mischievously down at him and Flurry waving a hoof at him excitedly. Shining sniffled and waved back, his throat tightening up as he watched them resume their flapping to gain a bit more altitude. “She looks beautiful up there, doesn't she?” Cadence's voice was as full of pride as Shining felt, and the stallion couldn't even muster up a moment to be surprised that she was on the roof too. “Yeah... she really does,” he whispered around the lump in his throat. He felt Cadence press against his side, and when he glanced at her he saw that she had tears in her eyes, too. “How did you get up here without me noticing?” he asked, and his wife managed a giggle through her happy tears. “Flash told me that I should come up here at this time, to see how Flurry was doing in her class. I had no idea that she was ready to fly...” She lifted her hoof and swiped a tear away from her eye. “I guess... this means that our little girl is starting to grow up,” she whispered, and Shining heard the mixture of pride and sadness inside of him echoed in Cadence's words. “Yeah... I guess it does,” he muttered, and Cadence leaned against him with a sniffle. He nuzzled his wife's mane and wrapped his hoof around her delicate shoulders as they watched their daughter glide gracefully across the sky, her broad wings carrying their love along with her. As they watched, however, Shining heard the door to the tower open and close. His right ear twitched as hoofsteps hurried across the balcony to him, and the clearing of a pony's throat brought his eyes down from the sky once again. With a sigh filled with vexation that he didn't even try to hide, he turned his head towards the sound to find another one of the Crystal Guards standing at attention, his eyes staring straight ahead. “Yes, what is it?” grumbled Shining, his irritation at having this moment interrupted growing by the second. The Guardspony swallowed audibly, but threw a steady salute nonetheless. “Sorry to disturb you, Your Highness,” he said crisply, “but I was sent to inform you that Princess Luna is waiting for you in the throne room.” Shining frowned, and Cadence shifted so that she could turn and look at the guard, one of her wingtips rising to blot her tears from her eyes. “Aunt Luna's here?” she asked, her voice raspy and quiet. “I... I didn't receive any message that she'd be arriving again so soon.” The guard nodded. “She said that she hadn't sent word, but that she wished to speak with you as soon as possible.” Cadence nodded before throwing a glance to Shining Armor, who felt his stomach clench for the third time that day. “I think I know what this is about,” he murmured, rising to his hooves and giving his mane a shake. “We'd better go, Cady. She might need our help with something that Flurry mentioned. I'll fill you in on the way.”