//------------------------------//
// ج 
// Story: PROTOTY 
// by shortskirtsandexplosions 
//------------------------------//

Princess Flurry Heart awoke in her cabin.

It was time for friendship lessons.

Her brow furrowed.  Her eyes flitted about inquisitively.  Her legs were curled up and she smelled perfume and she didn't know why she was curled up and she was smelling perfume.  Thunder rolled in the distance.  The creases in the wooden boards around her whistled from a harsh wind trying to squeeze its way inside.

It was time for friendship lessons.

She crawled out from her bed, put on her tiara, and opened the stagecoach's door.  The light outside was blinding.  Salt air and briny wind pelted her from all angles.  Flurry Heart stepped out onto the front exterior of the wagon, peering all around.  The stagecoach was gliding effortlessly down a canyon of water.  The ocean was a series of enormous cubes positioned geometrically above, below, to the right, and to the left of her.  Threading the windy chasms between floating seas was a squadron of randomly-designed wagons, all set perfectly apart like the focal points of a single-shaded chessboard.  There were ponies situated on each wagon—all gliding in the same direction—a flock of wooden vehicles with wheels laying dormant in the naked air.  Citizens waved at her.  There were smiles.  Curtsies and bows.

It was time for friendship lessons.

Flurry Heart turned around.  Above her—at the top of her stagecoach—was Sunburst.  He sat with his fetlocks gripping the reins.  A star-spangled cloak danced in the wind.  He grinned a smile large enough for two sets of teeth.  His eyes darted towards her, and his beard followed.  The stallion spoke:  “🦄💓🎒🍎!"

It was time for friendship lessons.

Flurry Heart's lips pursed.  She looked up at him with abject confusion.  "🌊🚿☸⛵⁉" she said, gesturing at the flat walls of water rippling past them on all sides.  "⏲⏰🌨❄🐴🐎‼"

It was time for friendship lessons.

Sunburst shook his head.  He pointed straight forward.  "🏯🎧⬆✔🎶♥❣"

It was time for friendship lessons.

Flurry Heart gritted her teeth in frustration.  She heard a low bass roar.  She looked past the stagecoach's right side.  Past three other perfectly-spaced wagons, she saw bodies in the water.  Floating.  Starved.  Unborn.  They looked back at her and echoed with Sunburst's laughter.  "🌈☠🌈☠🌈☠🌈," they repeated.  Forcefully.  Rhythmic.  Smiling.  "🌈☠🌈☠🌈☠🌈☠🌈☠🌈☠🌈"

It was time for friendship lessons.

Flurry Heart shuddered.  "🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌," she whimpered, and turned back towards the wagon.  That's when the bones shifted.  They converged from every cube, focused on the murmur of her heart, just milliseconds away from piercing the waters and