//------------------------------// // Lessons // Story: Idol // by Casketbase77 //------------------------------// “Name,” the Crystal Guard politely demanded.  “Uh... Scootaloo. I have a summons here to be a Cutie Mark Counselor for Princess Flurry Heart.” Scootaloo rummaged in her travel satchel with her muzzle before producing the endorsement. The Crystal Guard levitated the note out of her teeth and skimmed it over for signs of forgery.  “Whoa, did Princess Sparkle herself write this?” Awe was apparent in the Guard’s voice. “Who now?” It took a moment for Scootaloo to interpret the title. “Oh! You’re talking about Twilight. Yeah, my surrogate sister is real close to her, so I guess when Twilight found out her niece needed a tutor…” The Crystal Guard’s initial awe was visibly evaporating at Scootaloo’s list of personal connections.  “Um,” Scootaloo fumbled, “not that I got this job due to nepotism or anything.” The Crystal Guard nodded disdainfully at this unkempt pegasus who’d been gifted a higher paid position than him. Still, her identification papers matched her Cutie Mark. That was all that technically mattered. He snorted and opened the portcullis so Scootaloo could trudge through with her head down. Once the outer door to the castle keep slammed behind her, Scootaloo buzzed her undersized wings. It was a nervous coping mechanism she did whenever she got agitated. “I’m a good pony,” she whispered to the empty foyer. “Not cheater at the game of life.” Despite the weak self-affirmations, Scootaloo’s mood wasn’t recovering. The guard’s contempt had hit her low and hard. Because after all, if her personal connections weren’t what got her here, what did? Hoofsteps echoed off the dazzling walls and Princess Cadence herself hurried in. Scootaloo straightened her posture, determined to make this exchange more reassuring than the last one. “You must be Scootaloo from Ponyville!” the Queen of the Crystal Empire cried, joyously crossing the room towards her daughter’s new tutor. “Twilight wrote ahead. I’m so pleased to meet you!” Scootaloo bowed to Cadence, as was customary for a commoner to greet a Princess. “We actually did kinda sorta meet once,” she commented. “When I was a flower filly for you and Shining Armor’s wedding.” Cadence tapped her lip thoughtfully. “You were? Well, it’s certainly been awhile, then.” “Over ten years.” So much for reassurance. "Look, it’s okay that you don’t remember me, Princess.” “I promise, it’s definitely not okay,” Cadence insisted. “I strive to know and care for all my little ponies, from long ago flower fillies to my own flesh and blood daughter. Oh! That reminds me, I should probably take you to her.”  Scootaloo nodded and followed her new liege up the stairs. “These are the living quarters of the castle,” Cadence explained as they climbed. “Which is why I made a point to meet you myself instead of just sending a waitstaff escort. Sure, I may be high royalty to the citizens outside, but in here I’m a wife and mother first. And you’re the very welcome guest whom I hope will help bring Flurry out of her shell.” The sight of Cadence’s perfectly styled mane swishing as she walked made Scootaloo painfully aware of how uncombed her own was. And the less she dwelled on those voluminous, Alicorn-sized wings, the better.  “Thank you for giving me this opportunity,” Scootaloo said, wincing as her voice cracked. “Thank you for accepting it,” Cadence replied as the two of them reached the top of the stairs. “And we can both thank Twilight Sparkle for connecting us, one to another.” “Yes,” Scootaloo murmured, her wings buzzing again. “I’m here because of Twilight.” Cadence failed to hear that defeated remark over her own knocking on an ornate bedroom door. “Your Cutie Mark Counselor is here, Flurry Heart. We’re coming in.” An anxious yelp echoed from inside, followed by a thud. Mother and tutor exchanged glances before Cadence tutted dismissively and pushed open the door. “Wait, No! Hold on, I was almost ready!” A pink blur roughly the size and shape of a filly fled to a walk-in closet built into the far wall. “Flurry,” Cadence scolded from the entryway, “I told you to pick up your room before I came back.” “I did,” the closet whined. “There’re clothes everywhere!” “There weren’t until you scared me into knocking over the armoire!” Peering over Cadence’s shoulder, Scootaloo saw that a tall armoire was indeed lying on its side in the middle of the rug, contents strewn about like the aftermath of one of Rarity’s failed sewing sessions. “I’ll prop the dresser thingy back up,” Scootaloo volunteered, trotting over to it. “Oh? Are you sure?” Cadence’s horn glowed, her nonverbal offer to telekinetically lift it. “Yep. Totally sure,” Scootaloo tossed her travel pack onto a chair. “I’m stronger than I look.” With an unfeminine grunt, Scootaloo propped the armoire up on her withers. Flurry Heart’s permed head poked out from the closet depths and watched wide-eyed as Scootaloo heaved up a piece of furniture nearly three times her own size. Cadence was smirking cryptically by the time Scootaloo’s labor ended. “Well, it appears you two have everything completely under control. I’ll leave you to it.” The door eased shut and confident hoofsteps retreated down the hall. Scootaloo stared for a moment at the spot Cadence had been. Then she turned around to face her new client. “Hello there, Princess Flurry Heart.” “Flurry. Just Flurry.” The filly’s head was still protruding from the walk in closet. She hadn’t made any move to re-enter the bedroom, but hadn’t retreated at all either. “Well ‘Just Flurry,’ is there any particular order that these things need to be hung up in?” Scootaloo gestured to the clothes still littering the floor. When Flurry Heart shook her head, Scootaloo began gathering the garments up one by one and draping them over her outstretched wings. When she ran out of space (which didn’t take long, given their stunted size) Scootaloo trotted back to the armoire, hung her haul on hangers, then went back to gather more. “You have a lotta coats and jackets,” she observed. “Mm-hm,” Flurry Heart’s head replied. “It gets cold in the Crystal Empire.” It took less than a minute for Scootaloo to gather and replace everything. When she finished, she saw Flurry had been telling the truth earlier: the room was spotless. Well, almost spotless. “Hey Flurry, there's still one empty hanger out here, What shoul-“ “I’m wearing the garb that goes on it.” Flurry interrupted. “No worries. You can just put it away.” Scootaloo nodded and wordlessly did as she was asked. “Okay,” the visibly excited foal chittered when Scootaloo was done. “Are you ready to see what I have on?” Foalhood memories flared in Scootaloo’s mind of Sweetie Belle prancing around the old clubhouse in clothes she’d swiped from Rarity’s workbench. Those impromtu fashion shows had been annoying at the time, but presently Scootaloo was feeling amused anticipation for whatever Flurry Heart was planning. She gave the junior princess a permissive nod. “Okay, teacher mare. Check this out!” Flurry loped into the bedroom and posed to show off a maroon shawl. Scootaloo peered quizzically until Flurry pirouetted in place, revealing the insignia on the shawl’s back: A blue shield with a yellow rearing silhouette inside. “A Cutie… a Cutie Mark Crusader cape,” Scootaloo managed. She was stunned. “You really like it?” Flurry Heart looked about to burst with pride. “I had one of the servants make it.” “Uh-huh.” Scootaloo mumbled. It had been a long time since she’d even thought the phrase ‘Cutie Mark Crusader.’ Sure, she certainly saw Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle around the School of Friendship, they were all professional social workers now, not a trio of goofy club members. Seeing somepony emulate an old chapter of her life felt...strange. Not the bad kind of strange, though. “It looks good,” Scootaloo finally decided. “But, you know capes only tie at the top, right?” Flurry Heart glanced down at herself. It was true that while the cape’s upper corners were knotted tight around her neck, the lower corners were knotted even tighter around her abdomen. The result was an uncomfortable-looking bulge on Flurry’s back that made her look like Rainbow Dash's old pet turtle. “Oh,” the Princess said sheepishly. “Yeah, I was just… hm.” She wasn’t making eye contact. “Flurry Heart,” Scootaloo said gently. “You don’t have to hide your flank from me. Cutie Marks - or I guess lack of one, in your case - are my specialty. It’s okay.” Flurry Heart didn’t say anything, instead bending her gaskins a bit to expose her hips. It appeared she actually did have a Cutie Mark: one that matched the Empire’s most famed treasure, the Crystal Heart. “Huh,” Scootaloo remarked in surprise. “Okay, scratch the blank flank assumption. That was my bad. Guess we’ll be skipping all the skill-search exercises I’d outlined.” Flurry Heart stood where she was, looking forlorn. “I’m sorry,” she said meekly. “Sorry? For what, being ahead of the curve?” Scootaloo sat on her haunches and rolled her shoulders to relax them. “There’s way more to special talents than just getting the coveted butt stamp; In fact, there’s a lifelong process of practicing and keeping your skills sharp once you discover them. And I would know, cuz my talent is helping other ponies do just that.” Flurry Heart looked slightly encouraged. Slightly. “So you’re okay with me?” she ventured. “Why wouldn’t I be?” The young princess didn’t answer. She just looked away, tugging subconsciously at the neck of the cape still bound tight around her barrel. “I can tell that thing’s bothering you,” Scootaloo observed. “You don’t have to wear it for my sake, you know.” Flurry inhaled anxiously and held it for a moment. “Fine” she finally relented in a voice that was so wobbly, Scootaloo felt her ears prick with concern. “Flurry..?” she inquired. “Buck it!” the young princess cursed with sudden bitter resignation. “I don’t know why I even tried hiding them in the first place.”