//------------------------------//
// Clash of the Alicorns! 
// Story: Storm of My Fury 
// by Flurryshine 
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Twilight Sparkle waited apprehensively for her friends to arrive. She had barely slept that night after coming muzzle to muzzle with Flurryshine. Everything about the pegasus mare was…off-putting.  Her size was the first thing odd. No normal pony ever got that big, only the princesses were known to get to that size. Her personality was even weirder. Something bad must have happened in her past. She seemed so cold…It was like seeing Twilight so trusting in the princess and overall happy angered her. What could have happened? Snowbreeze said she was against disliking ground ponies, but she acted the way a pegasus from Braying Cliffs should act to a ground-based pony. Twilight shook her head with a sigh. It was no point trying to understand such a complicated pony. She had to focus on devising a plan to get Princess Celestia to help stop the hate in Braying Cliffs. But why hadn’t she stopped it before now?
A rap at the door pulled Twilight from this thought. She opened the library door to see Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie waiting to enter. She gladly let them in, and held the door open as she spotted Rarity and Rainbow Dash arriving. When the group had made it inside, she closed the door and turned to them. This was going to be difficult to explain. She was thankful that Rarity atleast had a rough idea from yesterday. She sighed as she began to speak, the thought of if this was what Flurryshine had done with her group in her mind.
“As you know from Rarity, we were going to speak about a criminal that has come to Ponyville. Well, plans have changed a bit,” Twilight began her explanation.
“Changed? We aren’t gonna catch that criminal anymore?” Applejack asked.
“No, I…I met Snowbreeze, one of the unicorns Rarity and I met. She...she took me to meet the criminal. Turns out it was all a lie. Braying Cliffs lied to the princess because they want to catch Flurryshine,” Twilight tried to explain.
“Flurryshine? Sounds like a super fun pony! I bet she likes snow. I mean, flurry is in her name!” Pinkie Pie mentioned excitedly.
“Hehe, maybe she was at one time. She’s very…harsh when I met her. So...So full of hate and spite. Whatever happened in Braying Cliffs really has her upset,” Twilight continued.
“Peh! I bet I could take her on. I’ll give her a reason to be in a sore mood,” Rainbow Dash boasted.
Twilight sighed a bit before she continued,” Flurryshine is the size of Princess Luna, Dash. I’m sure her flying could give you a hay of a time. Besides, the point isn’t to provoke her. I want to help her. The royal brigade Princess Celestia sent will be here any moment now. We gotta find a way to get Flurryshine to go with them peacefully to voice the plight of Braying Cliffs to the princess. Unfortunately…she seems to hate the princess for not already taking action against that place.”
“That’s a tall order to fill. I’ll be! We will have our hooves full gettin’ a big hopping mad pony to go see the princess peacefully,” Applejack commented.
“Twilight, why not send a letter to Princess Celestia to come here! If we can’t bring this Flurryshine to the princess, we will just have to have the princess come see her. That way we can help the brigade get Flurryshine to confront the princess with her concerns,” Rarity exclaimed happily.
“I don’t know. Snowbreeze said Flurryshine had scars on her heart that are sensitive. That may explain why Flurryshine wants to exact revenge on all of Braying Cliffs. If we don’t convince Flurryshine to talk to the princess now, Princess Celestia may have to combat her in Braying Cliffs when she exacts revenge,” Twilight lamented with concern.
“This Flurryshine sounds like more than a hurt pony. She must have been through a lot to want to do something like revenge,” Applejack said with a bit of concern too.
“What are we waiting for?! Write a letter to the princess, Twilight. We gotta find that brigade too. Once we got them on board, all we gotta do is bust Flurryshine out of hiding and right up to Princess Celestia!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
“That could work, but I think there is an easier way to get Flurryshine to see the princess. She and this Snowbreeze are friends. Let’s try asking Snowbreeze to convince Flurryshine to talk to the princess,” Fluttershy said softly.
“I like that idea. Okay, I’ll write a letter explaining all this to the princess. Rainbow Dash and Applejack, you two find this brigade. Rarity and Fluttershy, you two find Snowbreeze. Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said before stopping to think,” Can you make up a distraction in case the Flurryshine and Princess Celestia talk doesn’t work? We need a way to make sure Flurryshine doesn’t escape.”
“Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan do!” Pinkie pie said before galloping off. The others were soon out the door as well.
Twilight sighed as she mulled their plan over. Would this work? Could Flurryshine see past her anger to talk sensibly to the princess? Will the princess be able to help stop the horrible things in Braying Cliffs? Would they be able to get Flurryshine to come see the princes at all?! With a sigh, Twilight began to write the lengthy letter that would explain everything to Princess Celestia.
Rarity and Fluttershy began scoping the town for Snowbreeze. They looked high and low for the white unicorn. As they turned a corner near the park, they saw her. Rarity squealed with delight as she raced up without Fluttershy. Forgetting the rocky start they had yesterday, Rarity stopped short and confused at the glare Snowbreeze shot her way when she turned.
“Exactly, what do you want? Come to blunder up proper etiquette again?” Snowbreeze said in a cold and calm tone.
“Oh, um… I pardon myself for yesterday’s actions again. But, Twilight sent me to you see,” Rarity said after recovering from the shock of Snowbreeze’s attitude.
“Twilight Sparkle sent you?” Snowbreeze said slightly intrigued.
“Oh yes, pardon us, Twilight Sparkle wants to help your friend,” the quiet voice of Fluttershy explained as she descended next to Rarity.
“Ah, she told you two about her. How does Twilight Sparkle plan to do that?” Snowbreeze asked in her normal voice. Her voice was now barely a few notches in volume higher than Fluttershy’s own voice and very calm.
“Um...If you can…She would like you to convince her to...talk to Princess Celestia…please, ”Fluttershy tried to explain.
“You two mind explaining that farther? That is a smidge of a hard sell to my friend,” Snowbreeze said with a chuckle.
“Well, Twilight is contacting the princess. She is her student and all, so she can explain this whole thing and get Princess Celestia to come talk to your friend personally. We...just need you to convince her to show up for this meeting,” Rarity elaborated.
“…You honestly think that could work?” Snowbreeze asked.
“It’s worth a try,” Fluttershy replied.
“True…I’ll do my best. Tell Twilight Sparkle to leave this to me,” Snowbreeze answered with a smile.
The three smiled and gave each other curt nods. Snowbreeze ran off deeper into the park as soon as the pleasantries were over. Rarity and Fluttershy turned and began their trek back to the library. The two were delighted that things were going well so far. Rarity was even more delighted to feel that she finally smoothed things over with atleast one of the Braying Cliffs’ unicorns.
Meanwhile, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were rushing through the countryside. Applejack was full on canter along the roads. Rainbow Dash kept directly above her as she kept her eyes on the skies. They felt like it would take an eternity before a brigade of six of Princess Celestia’s white guards came into view over a cloud back. The pegasi were headed straight for them. As quick as a tail flick, Rainbow dash made it before their captain and motioned him to land. The brigade landed and was met by both the mares.
“Land sakes, we are glad to see you. We got to tell ya somethin’ awful big,” Applejack commented as she came to a stop.
The guards looked to the orange earth pony with curiosity before they nodded amongst each other. The head guard stepped more forward to Rainbow Dash and Applejack. He had a pleasant smile on his face as he approached them. He finally said,” You aren’t the ponies commonly seen with Twilight Sparkle, the princess’ pupil?”
Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked to each other with shock and confusion at first. They turned back to the guard and nodded politely as they tried to contemplate how they could possibly know this. They soon had their answer at the next thing that was said.
“As many times as your group of friends has come before the princess, are you really that surprised some of the guards would recognize you after a while?” the head guard asked.
The two mares chuckled a bit at this realization and were soon joined by a polite chuckle from all the guards. Rainbow Dash broke the laughter first as she said,” Right, that out of the way, we gotta ask you for some back up. We know about the Braying Cliffs criminal. Twilight is sending Princess Celestia a message about the whole thing. Will you help us in our plan to get her to meet the princess and explain herself?”
The guards looked to her in surprise and turned to talk in muffled voices amongst themselves. It seemed like ages to Rainbow Dash and Applejack before they answered. But, eventually, they all turned to face them. All they needed was to see the curt nod and smile on the captain’s face for confirmation. Quick as the wind is harsh on the tundra, they all headed back to Ponyville.
Everything was in place. Snowbreeze had gone to talk to Flurryshine. The princess was coming to meet her. The brigade was waiting casually in the main square. Pinkie Pie…was somewhere with her distraction most likely. This excited and fed the anxiety of Twilight Sparkle. Her friends and she had done all they could do to make this plan work. It all rested on how savvy Snowbreeze was with words, and Flurryshine’s mood. Twilight hoped it was one that included talking civilly to the princess.
Her answer would soon come, as Princess Celestia was descending into Ponyville. All of the little town cheered and greeted her like the royalty she was. The princess in turn smiled and continued towards Twilight cordially. As the princess halted her approach to Twilight, the brigade closed ranks around her with three on each side.
“Twilight, my favorite student, I was surprised by your letter. Do you think your plan will work?” the princess said in her normal cheerful voice.
“It’s our best shot, Princess Celestia,” Twilight replied.
At that moment Snowbreeze, Springflower, Periwinkleflight, and little Sparkleshine came up to greet them. The group stopped a few feet from Twilight as Snowbreeze continued the approach. The white unicorn smiled as her light blue cloud-like mane bounced on her head delicately. She smiled to Twilight and gave a short bow to the princess.
“We have done all we can. I must warn you, Flurryshine is in an especially brooding mood. If she does show herself, you may need some back up,” Snowbreeze said before gesturing to her companions. All of them, even little Sparkleshine, was smiling in support of Twilight and her friends.
“Eh heh…Snowbreeze, I’m starting to think Flurryshine is never in a good mood,” Twilight said with a bit of apprehension.
Snowbreeze snorted a bit with laughter as she replied,” She does seem that way, doesn’t she? Trust me; she gets better the longer you know her.”
With that said the ponies got into position. At one end was Princess Celestia and the brigade. From there on, every pony in Ponyville was rallied in a large circle. A circle that Twilight hoped would spark Flurryshine to come down and talk to the princess, or atleast appear. So, they waited….and waited…and waited deep into almost the evening. Many of the ponies were getting anxious. Not even half of them were even aware who they were waiting for. Mares started escorting their foals home after a while. Finally, the captain of the guards gave a sigh and shakes his head.
“Your grace, I do not believe she is coming. This criminal has obviously decided to keep running than face you. Seems a bit rude and cowardly to me, after all this trouble everypony went through to make this meeting happen,” he said as he turned to Princess Celestia.
“Shut your big stupid muzzle!” a small peep of a voice shouted.
All the ponies looked about for its owner. Their eyes landed on Sparkleshine as she ran into the middle of the circle. The tiny unicorn filly had her head down, nostrils flared, scraping the ground with her front hoof, and glaring right at the captain. She glared so hard at him that Twilight could almost see a resemblance between her and Flurryshine. She also just realized how similar their names were. That had to be confusing at times. But, now was not the time for such thoughts.
“You think you can talk about her that way? You can’t! I won’t let you!” Sparkleshine shouted with a tiny whinny.
“Hey, squirt, this has nothing to do with you. Head on home and let us grown ponies handle this now, kay?” the captain said as he approached the tiny unicorn.
“You listen to me! If it involves Flurryshine it has everything to do with me! Take this!” Sparkleshine shouted as she reared and charge the captain. Her tiny horn aimed to stab him good in the foreleg.
The captain dodged her easily, but was surprised as she kept coming. She was quick and agile on her hooves for a little filly. Sparkleshine kept charging him with her horn as her weapon. She tried again and again to give the captain a good stab only to miss. The captain felt ridiculous. Here he was fending off a unicorn so young she didn’t even have a cutie mark! With a swift motion he pinned her under his hoof. Sparkleshine gave a small yelp in shock and minor pain. Within moments of her yelp ending, a tremendous whiny boomed through the sky. The mighty, almost thume-like, voice unjolstered the captain enough for Sparkleshine to wiggle free of his grasp. The captain was in a panic was nearby treetops shattered and crashed to the ground. It was massive. Whatever that had just sprung into the air was simply massive in comparison to him. The beat of huge wings thundered as the creature dived at him. The ground shuddered as it land before the captain. A horn shined in the light before it deftly snaked underneath him. He could feel himself being hoisted onto a large head and neck before being tossed clean into the air. It happened so fast he forgot to even spread his wings to help cushion his fall. The captain fell with a large crunch and rolled to the side of the circle, slightly dazed.
The captain staggered to his feet and charged the cloaked figure. The figure snorted as it braced itself to combat the charging captain. As the captain came into the impact zone, the figure raised its wings and caught the air. The ascending opponent was quickly followed by the captain. Now in the air, the smaller captain had the advantage. He swiftly zoomed around the larger figure. The larger figure spun around and let loose a huge gust of wind by flapping its larger wings. The captain was caught in the gale and struggled to fight it. A thought hit him just then. He laid his wings parallel to his body and allowed the wind to blow him back safely out of the gust. He then ascended higher and dived down on the figure. The figure saw him a moment before he would strike and only managed to move enough to dodge a direct blow. The captain only managed to grab the cloak and rip it from the figure's body. The bottom of the cloak caught the figure's hindleg and sent it tumbling down as the captain landed down beside the princess. The figure quickly scrambled to its feet after it crashed down in a cloud of dust.
Everypony gasped at what stood in the center of the circle. Even Twilight and the princess did. Looming just above Sparkleshine was Flurryshine. Her long flowing purple with blue streaks mane and tail hung in crashing waves from her  large white body. The gleam of her silver braces on her legs was accompanied by the gleam of the gold bracer around her neck. Her huge wings were flared out level to her back in a protective stance. A patch of peach colored coat on her muzzle emphasized her flared nostrils and scowl. Her piercing amethyst eyes were accompanied by orange freckles behind each of them. The shocker was what stood proudly upon her brow. Its base wrapped gently amongst her long hair was a long elegant horn. It was unheard of! Only the princesses had wings and a horn! Yet, Flurryshine stood before them. Her wings splayed out and brandishing her horn directly at Princess Celestia.
“You…you’re an alicorn,” the princess said uncharacteristically softly in shock.
“An aliwhat? Oh, you mean what I am. I am used to monster, but alicorn is a nice change! What’s wrong princess? Are you afraid of me because I was born this way too?!” Flurryshine said with seething anger in her voice.
“No…just surprised. I...I am to guess you are Flurryshine of Braying Cliffs then,” replied Princess Celestia in a more composed manner.
“You would guess right. Before you ask, no, my parents are not like me. Unlike you, probably, I am a mutation. Mother was a unicorn, and father is a pegasus. Not sure why I came out an “alicorn”, but I did! I’m a freak! My wings and horn are proof of my parent’s defiance of the ways in Braying Cliffs! The ways that make it forbidden for a pegasus to take either an earth pony or a unicorn for a mate. Now, I ask you, why you haven’t done more to change this?!” Flurryshine spoke with hatred. Her eyes never left the princess, even when Sparkleshine nuzzled her foreleg affectionately did she drop her gaze for an instant.
“I have not known the full extent. As much as I would like Braying Cliffs to be like the rest of Equestria, that simply isn’t the case. For some reason all the ponies their will only listen to my decrees to the bare minimum. The moment they feel they can get by with their way of life, they take it. I never saw anything wrong with them forbidding mates between each other, since they all seem to hate each other anyways. It seems my folly led to a very hard life for you,” Princess Celestia said as kindly as possible. She knew Braying Cliffs had a horrible society. A society that almost would make you want to look away from it like it was a hideous creature.
“Hard life? Hard life?! They cast enchantments on my bracers to make me unable to fly or use magic they hated me so much! Do you know how hard it is to live among pegasi and being unable to even fly?! It’s maddening! I watched my father go from being one of the most respected ponies in the community to being looked at like he had done some despicable deed! You care to tell me what you are going to do about it, or will I have to administer punishment?” Flurryshine shot back at her. It was only then she dropped her gaze to look at Sparkleshine. The little filly smiled up at her, and bounced as high as she could to touch muzzles with Flurryshine.
The princess was at a loss for a moment. She watched the tiny unicorn as she bounced up at this young alicorn mare. The deep anger she had just seen in Flurryshine’s eyes was gone for the brief moments she took to give Sparkleshine the attention she craved to have. It was replaced with tenderness befitting an elder sister. The tiny unicorn did bare a resemblance to Flurryshine.
“Who is that little unicorn?” the princess asked.
A scowl returned to Flurryshine’s face as she lifted her head to face Princess Celestia. She said,” She is Sparkleshine. She is my cousin…and an orphan. The last winter took her mother with it.”
The small explanation pulled on the heartstrings of every pony. This fierce mare was the cousin of the little filly that took on a royal guard by herself. A filly that didn’t have any parents and was living in the same town they were hearing so many negative things about. Twilight felt so awful about talking about Flurryshine’s mood. Why wouldn’t she be upset? Her own cousin was one of the innocent ponies she was trying to save from Braying Cliffs twisted society! Twilight almost spoke, but held her tongue as she heard Princess Celestia clear her throat.
“Twilight Sparkle, are you prepared for a little journey?” the princess inquired in a serious tone.
“Um, sure…um, what is it you need me to do, princess?” Twilight answered her mentor in minor confusion.
“I would like you and your friends to travel to Braying Cliffs with Flurryshine’s group. I believe your powers over the elements may be the push Braying Cliffs needs to end its darker tendencies. Are you and your friends prepared to take this mission?” Princess Celestia elaborated.
Twilight looked to all her friends. They were all brimming with pride and determination. She knew what it meant. Twilight then spoke the words that signed their commitment to this mission,” We’ll do it.”
As she said this a huge explosion occurred. Streamers and balloons busted everywhere as Pinkie Pie appeared giggling, “We won’t need those anymore!”
“Pinkie Pie, I’m not gonna ask what those were for, but I’ll take it as a yes for the mission,” Twilight responded.
“Yes indeedy!” Pinkie Pie replied.
Princess Celestia then turned to Flurryshine and said,” Then it is settled. Twilight Sparkle and her brave friends will assist in changing Braying Cliffs into a peaceful village once again! Flurryshine, will you accept their help and head out for Braying Cliffs immediately?”
Flurryshine looked a bit unnerved. She obviously hadn’t expected this. She smirked as she said,” I’m gonna resist making a comment about you passing the buck here and accept. If you think those mares can do more good than you or I, they are welcome to join me. But, if they fail, we play it my way.”
Every pony shivered at the devious look on Flurryshine’s face. They could almost hear the anguished cries of the Braying Cliffs’ ponies that had scorn her. The pain they felt in her imaginings was almost reality to the ponies around her. The heavy feeling in the air dissipated as Sparkleshine bonked into Flurryshine’s muzzle with her own. The younger cousin only smiled sheepishly toward her glaring elder cousin. The two then suddenly burst into laughter that was awkward to every other pony at first, but soon caught on until everypony was laughing happily together.