“So then Sunburst came running in, yelling something about aliens.”
Shining Armor was regaling the group with a story a few hours later as they sat around a table and dug into a hearty dinner. Chrysalis, not needing to eat, was fussing over Daybreak, who was still excitable and, as a result, was making it quite a hassle to feed her. On the other side of Daybreak was Flurry Heart, who had quickly finished eating and was watching Chrysalis intently.
“I thought changelings didn’t need to eat,” Flurry Heart said quietly, so as to not interrupt the conversation the others were having.
“We do not,” Chrysalis said, “but it seems she does. To be frank, it’s perhaps the one thing about her that even approaches disappointment.”
“Yeah. I wish I could just eat love,” Flurry Heart said. “I bet it tastes great.”
“In a sense.”
“How do you do it? Is it like a vampire thing? Do you have to bite ponies’ necks?”
Chrysalis chuckled. “Nothing so gruesome. It’s just magic. It’s like… Imagine using your magic to suck the water out of a cup. It’s like that.”
“That sounds easy.”
“It comes naturally,” Chrysalis said.
“Could I do it?”
“Doubtful,” Chrysalis told her. “You’re not a changeling, so—”
Flurry Heart wasn’t listening. She shut her eyes and tried to focus on Chrysalis, then lit up her horn and tried to do what she imagined the magic was.
Nothing much happened, and a moment later the magic fizzled out. Flurry Heart opened her eyes back up and frowned. “Aww.”
“Sorry,” Chrysalis said. “You may be an alicorn, but that doesn’t mean you can do anything.”
“It should,” Flurry Heart huffed. “Maybe you just don’t love me enough.”
“You’re free to try it on your mother,” Chrysalis told her. “Just don’t complain to me when you get in trouble for it.”
“Maybe I just need to try harder,” Flurry Heart said. She shut her eyes again and focused, this time putting all the effort she could into it, but again the magic just fizzled out. When she opened her eyes again, she was out of breath and even more distraught. “C’mon, tell me what I’m doing wrong!”
“You’re just not a changeling,” Chrysalis said. “You can suck the water from a cup because you can see the water. You don’t have the sense for love that changelings have that let us focus in on it.”
“I know what love is!” Flurry Heart crossed her legs in front of her chest defiantly. “My mom’s the Princess of love. I should be able to feel it.”
“Some things are just impossible, Flurry Heart. You’ve got to learn to accept that.”
“I don’t wanna. It’s not impossible, I just gotta figure out a way to sense love.”
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “And how, exactly, do you plan to accomplish that?”
“I—” Flurry Heart frowned further and slumped in her seat. “I dunno. I’ll ask Twilight.”
“And you think Twilight will help you learn to eat love?”
“Then I’ll ask Sunburst! He knows stuff, and he never says no to me.”
“I feel I should warn you that your mother won’t be happy if you actually pursue this,” Chrysalis said. “She and I have a strained relationship for a reason.”
“I don’t care! I’m always in trouble anyway, what’s the big deal if—”
“Ga!” Daybreak cut her off with a sudden, excited cry.
Flurry Heart looked at her, still grimacing. “What? I’m kinda busy, you know.”
Daybreak stuck her legs out towards Flurry Heart, then, unable to reach her, shut her eyes and lit up her horn.
Luckily, Chrysalis recognized the magic. She inhaled sharply, and in one swift movement, she dropped the food she was holding, scooped up Daybreak and vanished in a puff of firey magic.
All conversation at the table stopped as the spoon she’d been using clattered to the floor. They looked at each other in confusion, entirely unsure of what just happened.
“Flurry Heart?” Cadance asked. “Do you know what happened?”
Flurry Heart shrugged. “Daybreak was gonna do some magic and Aunt Chrissy freaked out.”
They started to hear shrill, hissing cries from far off in the castle, and Twilight stood up. “I should go check on them.” She didn’t wait for them to respond before teleporting away, too distracted by the sound of Daybreak crying.
Twilight found them in the nursery. Chrysalis was gently rocking Daybreak, trying, and failing, to calm her down.
Twilight winced as the noise engulfed her. “W-What happened?”
“Flurry Heart was getting upset,” Chrysalis said, “and Daybreak figured out how to feed. She’s upset because I didn’t let her.”
“Oh, no…” Twilight walked over and ran a hoof through Daybreak’s mane. “So what happened with Rarity wasn’t a fluke?”
“Apparently not.”
“What do we do?”
“I have no idea.”
They stayed there for a while, trying to calm her down. They tried everything they could think of, rocking, bouncing, toys, singing, but she cried through all of it. In the end, what got her to stop was just exhaustion, the screeching cries eventually falling into fitful sobs, and then further into a deep, restful sleep.
They wrapped her up in a blanket, both gave her a loving kiss on the forehead, and then grabbed a baby monitor as they left to return to their guests.
Twilight let out an exasperated sigh as she slumped back down into her seat. Chrysalis sat beside her and put a leg around her shoulders. “Sorry about that,” Twilight said. “She, um… She got cranky.”
“Oh, it’s perfectly alright,” Cadance said. “We know how it can be.”
“Um… I’m sorry I upset her,” Flurry Heart said meekly.
“It’s not your fault,” Chrysalis told her. “If anything, it’s mine. I’m the one who took her out of here.”
“What even happened?” Shining Armor asked.
Twilight hesitated and looked at Chrysalis, unsure of what to say. Chrysalis frowned and let out a breath. “She… Daybreak was trying to feed.”
Cadance gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves, and Shining Armor winced harshly. “A-Are you okay, Flurry Heart?” Cadance asked nervously.
Flurry Heart gave her a confused look. “What? I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“I got her out before she could do anything,” Chrysalis said. “I’m… Sorry that this happened during your visit.”
Cadance looked at Chrysalis for a moment, then her expression softened. “Well, thank you for acting so quickly. Flurry Heart should never have to endure that.”
“Of course,” Chrysalis said.
“Endure what?” Flurry Heart looked around the table and frowned. “I feel like you’re all hiding something from me.”
Chrysalis sighed. “She wanted to feed off of you. For some reason, she seems to want to feed on anger, rather than love.”
“So? What’s the big deal? It can’t be that bad.” Flurry Heart shrugged. “Especially if she’s not even taking love. Having my anger eaten sounds like a good thing.”
“It’s not a pleasant experience,” Shining Armor told her. “It hurts.”
“Lots of stuff hurts. I’m not a baby anymore, you don’t need to protect me from everything.”
“We’re your parents,” Cadance said, “we’ll always protect you.”
Flurry Heart pouted. “Well, I don’t need it.”
From there, the conversation petered out, and dinner ended soon after. They washed the dishes, and then Cadance’s family spend some time in Canterlot while Twilight and Chrysalis finished up their duties for the day. By the time they returned, the sun was setting, and so they called an end to the day.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright in your own room?” Cadance asked Flurry Heart as they stood in the hall outside one of the guest rooms.
“I’ll be fine,” Flurry Heart said. “I have my own room back home!”
“I know, but sleeping in a new place can be scary. Just… Know you can come to see us if you need to, okay? We’re right next door.” She leaned down and gave Flurry Heart a kiss on the cheek, and Shining Armor followed suit.
“Yeah, okay, I know. Can I go to bed now?”
“Okay,” Cadance said. “Good night, dear. Sleep well.”
“Mm-hm.”
With that, Flurry Heart slipped into the guest room and shut the door. It was a plain, simple room, with just a bed, a dresser, and a small vanity, but it was cozy enough. Her little suitcase had already been placed beside the dresser, and the blanket she’d insisted on bringing was draped neatly over the bed. It didn’t fit, having been made for her smaller bed at home and not this full-sized one, but it was close enough.
She jumped up onto the bed and huffed. “Dumb grown-ups. She’s just a baby, what’s she gonna do? I’m an alicorn.” She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. “Just cuz I haven’t saved the world doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself.”
She spent a few minutes humming and hawing, rolling around the bed and mulling over her thoughts, before she jumped back down to the floor dramatically. “I’ll show them,” she said under her breath. “I’m just as tough as they are.”
As quietly as she could, she made her way over to the door and cracked it open. She opened it slowly, keeping a diligent eye out for anypony who might see her. Luckily, the hallway was empty, and she was able to slip out unnoticed.
She shut her door, wincing at the loud noise of the latch, and then scampered off in the direction of the throne room. At every corner she would stop, lean up against the wall and peek around, checking for guards or, more importantly, her family.
She made it all the way there without being spotted, but her luck ran out then.
Unknown to her, the throne room always had a guard posted inside, even at night when the room was otherwise empty. She’d hardly cracked the door when a stern voice called out “Who goes there?”
Flurry Heart bit her lip nervously. She slid into the throne room, looked around for the guard, and then glanced sheepishly up at him. “Um, h-hello.”
The guard’s expression softened right away. “Flurry Heart? What are you doing up so late?”
“I, um…” She glanced around, trying desperately to find some excuse. “I… Wanted to apologize to the baby. I upset her earlier, and I feel really bad about it.”
“Well, that’s very sweet of you,” the guard said, “but I’m afraid Daybreak is asleep already.”
“Are you sure? I mean, babies wake up a lot. Can I just go check?” She gave the guard the best pleading expression she could muster. “Please?”
He hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “Alright, just… Be quick, okay? And please, don’t wake her up. I’m putting a lot of trust in you.”
Flurry Heart nodded. “Thank you, sir. I’ll be as quick as I can.” Before anything else could stop her, she dashed away across the room and scurried into the nursery.
Once the door was shut behind her, she let out a massive breath. “I did it…” With a grin, she turned and looked at the crib. “Alright, Daybreak, let’s see what you can do.”