The guard ponies rushed everypony into the palace and then by order of Princess Flurry Heart shut the doors and locked them tightly. Flurry Heart sighed relieved for a moment, but her chest clenched together when she turned around and saw everypony staring at her with worried expressions. She walked forward with the crystal heart floating in front of her in her magic hold, but then she felt a soft tug on it. She let go and the heart floated on its own into the middle of the entrance hall. Like on its usual spot, a spire of crystal rose up from the floor and the crystal heart floated on its top, spinning slowly. The crystal ponies watched closely and backed away a little in respect, but there was not enough room to clear much space around it.
The captains of the guard quickly surrounded Rose Quartz, Sunburst and Flurry Heart to learn what happened outside
“We were attacked by a Windigo. Prince Shining Armor and Princess Flurry Heart could hold it away from the heart, but when it retreated the Prince when after it.”
The captains looked at each other and immediately came up with plans
“We need to go after Shining Armor, he obviously started a counter attack.”
“Agreed, we’re going to drive away these monsters and their evil magic out of our city.”
“Are you insane? Didn’t you see it? The prince and the princess hit it with magic and nothing happened. What chance do we have?”
More ponies joined into the discussion and fear took over the crowd
“We need to get out as long as we still can. This place is a trap.”
“Nopony can withstand a storm like this for long. We’d be frozen before we even reach city limits.”
“What should we do then? Just wait until we get frozen in here? Or eaten by monsters?”
More and more ponies started yelling and shouting, more than one fight broke loose and some foals even started crying. Rose Quartz and Sunburst tried their best to reason with the captains but everypony just started to panic.
Flurry Heart saw what was happening and realized she’d seen the same when the Cutie Mark Crusaders suddenly started a fight. She spread out her wings to get the attention. When it didn’t work, her horn glowed brightly and with an echo spell, her voice grew loud enough to overtone all the yelling
“EVERYPONY STOP!”
The crowd fell silent and Flurry Heart flapped her wings so she would hover above the heads of the captains and everypony could see her
“We can’t fight now. It only makes the Windigos stronger, they feed on hate and anger. We need to stay calm.”
The ponies stared at her but just when she stopped talking, a distant howling could be heard and nervous murmuring filled the hall again
“We’re trapped, we can’t get out, nopony will come to safe us and…”
“NO!”
Another loud call from Flurry Heart silenced most of the ponies
“Please, I know it’s scary and cold, but we can’t panic now. It’s the worst we could do. We’re safe inside the palace and we still have the crystal heart.”
Flurry Heart nodded and the crystal ponies calmed down a little more, but the one of the captains stood tall in front of the small princess and glared at her
“You’re just a filly, how could you understand what is happening out there? Somepony needs to take charge here and lead us out of this death trap.”
The ponies stared at him and one of the guards asked in doubt
“But Sir, we’re far too many to get all out without being caught by those monsters.”
“Then we’ll have to leave those behind who are too slow.”
A wave of gasps ran through the crowd and Rose Quartz stepped forward to glare at the stallion
“How can you even consider such a thing? We won’t leave anypony behind and we will not sacrifice our brothers and sisters. Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor would never approve this.”
“Neither of them is here right now. For all that we know, the beasts might have already gotten them.”
At this Flurry Heart jumped in front of Rose Quartz and yelled
“That’s not true! They are out there fighting for all of us! They’ll never give up!”
“And how do you know that?”
“I just know it!”
The ponies looked between them and each other, uncertain and afraid, when Sunburst took the centre of attention with calm words
“Princess Flurry Heart is an alicorn, just like Princess Cadance. If she says her parents are still out there, I trust those words without a doubt. As long as they keep fighting, we still have hope.”
Rose Quartz nodded and added
“With Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor out there, Princess Flurry Heart is next in line to rule. If she says we should stay in the palace and stop fighting, then I will do whatever I can to follow her decision. And so should all of you.”
Mumblings rose up again but more hopeful this time, despite some voices of doubt
“But can you protect us from the Windigos while the Princess is gone? Can you defeat them if your parents fail?”
Flurry Heart spread her wings wide and nodded with conviction, her voice strong and clear and without even the slightest trace of doubt
“I will protect you and the crystal heart will protect you. And I won’t have to defeat the Windigos, because my mother and my father will not fail.”
The crystal ponies all fell silent again and stared at the young alicorn. Her unwavering trust and belief inspiring the hopeful to keep hoping and encouraging the doubtful to do the same. Ocean Waves, the small filly and her best friend, just stared at her and asked what so many ponies thought
“How, Flurry? How do you know? How can you be so sure?”
She was not doubting her friend, but Ocean Waves like most of the crystal ponies needed to know and understand.
Flurry Heart smiled at her, the same cheery smile everypony had seen on her so often but even so, it now had so much more meaning
“I trust Mommy and Daddy with all my heart. They won’t give up, they care so much about all of us so they’ll never give up. And I won’t give up on them either, I’ll always believe in them, just like they believe in me and every one of you as well!”
The crystal ponies stared at the young Princess and finally her words seemed to get through to them. Like morning dust in the warm rays of sun, the last traces of fear faded in Flurry Heart’s unwavering trust. Ocean Waves just nodded and stood next to her friend, quickly joined by more of the new Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Rose Quartz and Sunburst kept their positions at the left and right of the young Princess and threw challenging glares to everypony who dared still to question Flurry Heart.
One by one, the other captains stepped away from their angry comrade and joined the side of the young Princess.
Flurry Heart barely paid any attention to it. As soon as the crystal ponies had regained their hope, she felt a strange presence at the edge of her awareness. She tried to focus on it like she would with her magic and felt it very close nearby.
She turned around and as soon as her eyes fell on the crystal heart, she knew. Ignoring all the ponies in the hall and still smiling brightly, she stepped towards the floating heart that started to glow as she approached. She stopped in what seemed an appropriate distance and knelt down, her wings spread in respect like she’d seen her mother do. She touched the floor with her forehead and the tip of her horn like she’d seen from Crystal Note so many times. She heard a happy tinkling sound in her head and the presence grew stronger in front of her. She stayed in her position and spoke softly, though her words could be heard clearly in the entire hall as all crystal ponies watched the young Princess in silent astonishment
“Please help keep everypony safe. Please help my Mommy and my Daddy to save the city.”
The crystal heart glowed up and started to spin slowly. Flurry Heart heard somepony kneel down next to her and saw Ocean and Amber Waves and heard them mumbling
“Please save the Princess and our home. Please safe our families.”
Rose Quartz was next to join them with similar words, then more ponies formed a loose circle around the crystal heart and knelt down mumbling. One by one, the ponies joined in and Flurry Heart felt the magic in the crystal heart growing stronger with each pony.
Soon, the entire hall was focused on the crystal heart and saw it glow brighter than ever before. Flurry Heart concentrated intensely on the magic and gasped at the sheer amount of power she felt, far more than she ever felt with her mother or even with any of her aunts. She also felt something missing. It reminded her of a spell she had ready in her head but waited for the signal to release it.
Around her, the ponies kept mumbling and sending their thoughts to the crystal heart. Flurry Heart let her horn glow softly as she called for her magic. Like a final gear slipping into place, Flurry suddenly understood. She gasped and her jaw almost dropped down to the ground when she realized. Ocean Waves and Rose Quartz next to her noticed and looked up, but Flurry Heart just flapped her wings excited and rose a few feet off the ground
“It’s you! All of you!”
The ponies looked up at the young alicorn
“The crystal heart! All its power and magic come from you! Your trust, your light… your love! It’s all inside the heart.”
The crystal ponies stared at the squealing princess and back at the crystal heart which kept glowing bright enough to fill the entire hall with light and even drive away the cold of the storm. All this power came from themselves?
A few crystal ponies who remembered the days well before King Sombra nodded. Rose Quartz was soon to follow, along with all the ponies who had witnessed the final defeat of the dark king. Every crystal pony had come in touch with the crystal heart at some point, but none of them had realized how deep their connection really was. They all felt this deep sense of community that tied them all together, but this revelation made them understand how strong their community really was. How strong they were, together.
Flurry Heart flew up so she was hovering over the glowing heart
“Everypony, please help my Mommy chase away the Windigos!”
The crystal ponies cheered and bowed deeply, focusing all their trust into the crystal heart and to their beloved Princess.
The crystal heart reacted immediately and started to spin with blurring speed. The light glowed brightly and a single beam of light shoot up high into the sky, passing through the crystal walls of the palace. The crystal ponies felt this and embraced the light inside them as each of them glowed brightly as well, their forms crystalizing into brightest colours and sparkles so bright they could illuminate the entire city.
Flurry Heart was touched by the light as well and felt her body go crystally as well, then sunk down back to the ground between her crusader friends. Just like the crystal ponies around her, she also sent all love and light she had to the heart, focusing only on her mommy.
The flare of light grew brighter, then flew towards the north.
Princess Cadance was hovering in a thick could of dark unconsciousness. She tried desperately to wake up, she knew there was something she needed to do, she had to be strong for somepony very important, but her mind was foggy and she couldn’t focus.
She was almost giving up her struggle when suddenly she felt warm. She heard voices, some unfamiliar and faint, others clear and loud. A few words were repeated over and over
“We believe in you, Princess Cadance.”
Her mind latched on those words and her eyes opened. She saw white around her and realized she could barely move, but she tried as hard as she could. Her wings hurt and her legs struggled against the snow she was buried in, but she kept fighting. She tried to call, the words weak as they passed her lips but loud and strong inside her head
“I’m not giving up. I will keep fighting. I will protect all of you.”
A bright flash, blinding her. Warmth turned into blazing heat, melting the snow but not burning her. She felt it and understood. This was it. This was her. Her power, her true colour. Love, Princess of Love. She could feel it, from everypony she swore to protect, sending their love and loving them back.
Her eyes shot open and she regained her senses.
Princess Cadance stood in a puddle of water that had been a snow bench, radiating off so much heat the icy ground below her hooves melted away. Her wings spread wide and with a powerful flap, she propelled herself high into the air. Her magic was replenished and glowed brighter and stronger inside her than ever before. She felt the love of the crystal ponies flowing towards her in a stream of light and hope. Some ponies she felt clearly and recognized, Flurry Heart one of the brightest among them, but the connection of their hearts was what made this love stronger than anything she felt before. They freely offered it to her, trusted her with this power. Now it was her time to use this power to protect them all.
She scanned her surroundings, her senses sharp as never before and her mind processing every piece of information at the speed of light.
Crystal Note and three ponies of the guard lay on the frozen ground, barely alive but still breathing. Next to them, another beacon of love: Shining Armor, casting a powerful shield spell to withstand them. Six Windigos circling around his magic barrier and trying to freeze him with the hatred and fear they had gathered.
Her wings flapped hard and she dived towards them. They felt the power and turned their heads, but too late as a powerful beam of magic evaporated one of them in a blink. The Windigo emitted a last desperate howl, then vanished. Unlike before, it did not reform out of mist. The five remaining Windigos charged at her with angry neighs, only to be confronted by another burst of magic. One more howl and another spirit faded. Cadance felt their hesitation and watched them form a wide circle around her. They tried the same tactic as before, encasing their victim in ice and weakening it before freezing it from within.
Cadance grinned as their cold barely even reached her senses against the burning love that glowed inside her. She shot another beam at them, but the Windigos scattered. They didn’t attack but they didn’t flee yet either. Cadance sent out a burst of heat and stopped the snowfall around her, even melting the ice on the ground and by that took more power away from the winter spirits of hatred.
A call from the ground caught her attention and she smiled brightly. Shining Armor called her name again and in a flash of light, she appeared at his side.
He stared at her for a moment, lost for words, but then he just nodded. He didn’t need to understand, he just needed to trust the love of his life. Side by side, they stood and looked up at the Windigos. Their horns glowed up in unison, then a twin beam of magic shot towards the closest of the Windigos. One beam held it in place and the other, more powerful beam hit it in the chest. The Windigo burst into a could of snowflakes that quickly melted into nothingness.
At this point, the three remaining spirits fled. They turned towards north and into the dying storm, trying to hide in the remains of the snowfall. Another twin beam of magic caught one of them before it was out of reach.
Soon all they heard was a faint echo of their howl, then the last two Windigos were gone as well.
Shining Armor panted heavily but Cadance reached out with her enhanced senses. She searched for their presences but found nothing. She felt the storm but realized its power had been broken, no longer posing a threat to any of her ponies.
She opened her eyes and turned to look at Shining Armor who now openly stared at her. She glanced down herself and saw that her body seemed to glow softly from all the power she was given by the crystal ponies. She smiled at him and he smiled back, then all but leapt into a tight hug
“Cady! You saved us all.”
She laughed and shook her head, making her mane wave around her head
“We all did this together.”
They shared a loving nuzzle, then something reached her awareness. She turned her head and saw the four ponies from before, Crystal Note one of them.
The three guard ponies breathed slowly and were unconscious, but Cadance didn’t see any injuries. The power she was granted allowed her to realize they were no longer in danger of dying but clearly needed medical attention and most of all warmth.
In their middle, Crystal Note shivered and coiled through a series of dry, violent coughs. Her eyes were partially open but empty, unable to focus. Her legs shivered out of her control and Cadance saw tiny flecks of red after a very heavy coughing fit on the snow beneath them.
Cadance stepped close to them and her horn glowed softly. Immediately, the snow and ice melted around them as a bubble of warmth surrounded them, not the burning heat she used against the Windigos but a more gentle pulse of compassion that the other crystal ponies felt for the four of their own.
Shining Armor stayed at her side, still panting in tired heaves and using the last of his strength to stay on his hooves
“We need to get them to the palace, Cady. I don’t know if…”
Before he finished his sentence, Cadance’ magic covered them all and in the blink of an eye they stood in the middle of the entrance hall of the palace, next to the crystal heart
“…if we can make it. Huh.”
Cadance reopened her eyes and smiled. Usually she struggled more with teleportation spells and in her heart, she thanked the crystal ponies for lending her their power. She looked around and found the entire hall filled with almost all her subjects. Their forms shined in inner light and glittered beautifully in the light of the crystal heart and her own magic.
They stared at her like Shining Armor had, fascinated by the glow her body emitted from the power of their love and trust. She smiled warmly and nodded and carefully lifted the four unconscious ponies from the ground with her magic
“They need our help, quickly.”
The doctor and her nurse rushed forwards, along with a few other ponies. Cadance gently lowered the hurt ponies on their backs, Crystal Note was carried by Rose Quartz, then the doctor lead them towards the infirmary.
Shining Armor limped back next to her and was nearly thrown over by a small shiny filly of white crystal that was Flurry Heart
"Dad! You're okay!"
Flurry clung on her father for a moment before she hopped in front of Cadance and stared at her with her eyes as wide as saucers and filled with relief
"Mommy! I was so worried!"
Cadance leaned down to hug and nuzzle her daughter. For a moment, all she did was share her relief and love with Flurry Heart, a few tears sneaking out of the filly's eyes but quickly vanishing. When she looked up again, she saw the crystal ponies bowing down before her, some even kneeling on the floor.
"Rise, everypony. There is no need to bow to me. You've all shared the light and love inside you with me today and together we stood against the Windigos. I know you've freely given me this power, but I do not intend to keep it. It's only borrowed and now it should go back were it belongs."
Cadance walked up to the crystal heart with her wings spread wide and leaned forward to touch the relic with her horn. She closed her eyes and sent everything she had received back into the crystal heart which glowed in response. Cadance blinked, then smiled and turned to her ponies
"The barrier of the crystal heart has been replenished. The Windigos are gone and our city is safe from the storm."
The ponies around her cheered and laughed and hugged each other, some even crying from relief. Flurry Heart sighed in relief and slumped on the ground an was swarmed by her crusader friends. More and more ponies went over to first thank her daughter, then they turned to Shining Armor and herself.
Cadance smiled and returned their kindness wholeheartedly.
The crystal ponies still stared at her in awe although Cadance felt her body was not glowing anymore, her magic back at its normal strength inside her. She let her eyes wander and gasped when she found her reflection on one of the crystal walls. The pony that stared back was her, but not her at the same time. It was her mane that almost threw her off balance. It seemed to wave in an invisible breeze and while still carrying her usual colours, they seemed to blend together as the ethereal strands waved and shimmered.
"You look almost like Aunty Tia, Mommy."
Cadance looked down and saw Flurry Heart, staring up at her with a bright smile. She could see love and admiration in her eyes and found almost the same reflected in the crystal ponies around her. Whatever happened during her absence, Flurry clearly had a large doing in it. She felt proud of her daughter who had handled so much responsibility at such a young age, but she could also see it taken a lot out of her. Flurry had summoned all of her strength to stay calm and lead and Cadance' motherly instincts told her that her filly now needed to be freed of this burden again so she could be the happy filly she loved to see.
Cadance knelt down so she was at the same height as Furry and smiled
"I'd love to hear what happened here while I was gone. You want to tell me?"
Flurry smiled brightly and nodded, but then a cheeky grin entered her expression
"Only if you tell me how you transformed your mane like that!"
Cadance glanced back at her reflection
"It's just some leftover magic from the crystal heart I guess. I'm sure it'll be gone soon."
Flurry Heart tilted her head with a soft frown and a voice next to them spoke up
"I think the crystal heart made this as a gift to you."
Both alicorns looked up and found the crystal ponies still watching them, although they'd finally stopped bowing by now. Cadance addressed the mare who'd spoken up
"What makes you say this, Opal Waves?"
The mare smirked and her foals Amber and Ocean stood at her side and giggled softly
"Well, you helped the crystal heart save the Empire. You risked your life out there for all of us. Don't you think the heart wouldn't want to thank you for that? So, there you have it."
Cadance could only stare at the mare for a minute as she tried to process all of it, but then she whispered
"But, it was all your light and love the crystal heart sent to me..."
"Exactly!"
Opal Waves smiled and all the crystal ponies joined in and nodded. Cadance needed a moment to understand, but the a grateful smile brightened her face
"Thank you, everypony."
"We need to thank you, Princess!"
A wave of laughter filled the hall and Cadance joined in as she gently nudged Flurry Heart with her head
"Now I really want to know what happened here."
Flurry giggled and rustled her wings
"I'll tell you mommy, but shouldn't we first check if anypony still needs our help?"
With her heart almost bursting in maternal pride, Cadance agreed and followed her daughter.