//------------------------------//
// Georg and CCC's Laser, Focused (Estee's "Princesses Produce Persistent Plumbing Problems") 
// Story: Never the Final Word (Vol. 2) 
// by FanOfMostEverything 
//------------------------------//

(Georg)

"Scrubbie dubbie in the tubbie," sang Shining Armor as he added a gloop of No-Tears, No-Stress, Crystalberry Essence Shampoo to Flurry Heart's mane.  "Is Daddy's little girl feeling happy in the tub?  Yes, you're a good little girl..."

A faint rumbling made tiny ripples across the bathtub, which Shining Armor ignored in favor of more infant hair care, not even noticing the faint glow to the hair that swept down the tub drain when they were done.  It took until Flurry had been fluffed with towels, read three stories, and put to bed before the noise floated up in his thoughts again.

"Hey, Cady.  The castle plumbing has been acting up again.  Want me to take a wrench and look into it?"

Cadence looked back at her handsome hubby and shook her head.  "No.  I remember the last time you tried home repair on the castle.  And the time before that."  She shrugged.  "I'll have Twilight look into it next time she's up here.   Alicorn magic needs some practical practice, after all.  Besides, it's probably nothing."





(CCC)

Three weeks later

"...are you seeing it?" asked Celestia.

"Dost thou refer to yonder column of light, rising above the vicinity of the Crystal Empire?" inquired Luna.

"Yes... Are you pranking me with a dream, or do you think Cadance really needs help?"

"'Tis not a dream," says Luna. "That much, at least, I can be certain of. What it is, I cannot say with certainty..."





"...it's probably visible from Equestria," says Shining Armor, looking up at the column of light rising from the newly-evacuated Crystal Palace.

"No doubt, honey," said Cadence. "But do you have any idea what it is?"

"It's not any sort of deathtrap left by Sombra," mused Shining, "because if he was capable of this much, it would have triggered with less warning and we wouldn't have been able to evacuate in time. My current theory is that something in one of his labs escaped confinement... whatever it is, it's a very bright, very strong source of energy that's getting reflected and magnified through the crystalline structure of the Palace. If only we could figure out where it was coming from, we could probably handle it..."

"Hm. Pity about the timing, really... I'm going to go and find somewhere to give Flurry the rest of her bath, okay, dear?"