"Mommy?"
"Yes, honey?"
"What's a monster?"
The levitating teacup hovers just centimeters away from the Princess of Love's lips. Blinking, the princess lowers her cup to fully look at her curious daughter.
The two of them are seated around the crystal castle's dining table.
...Twilight's crystal castle.
"Where did you hear that, dear?" Cadence slowly, carefully asks her daughter.
The young Flurry Heart shrugs nonchalantly, grabs a cookie with her magic, and takes a big bite. "I heard Uncle Spike say it in a very quiet voice," she says while chewing.
Candence fails to show a pained look on her face, but thankfully her daughter was too busy munching and looking at her cookie to notice. She takes a deep, deep breath and asks: "Did he call you that?"
"No," is the young filly's quick response. "We passed each other while I was on the way here. He was carrying a large stack of books in the hallway, talking to himself, but he keeps repeating the word." She grabs another cookie. "I don't think he noticed me though, and I think he sounded angry or something. I dunno."
Cadence frowns and looks up from her daughter, where she catches a glimpse of green scales passing by the dining room's large doors.
"So what's a monster, mommy?"
The Princess of Love takes a deep breath and sighs a quiet sigh. With a small smile, she answers quietly—