“Take your position,” the elderly mare, Misses Templton, instructs her student. “Clear your mind and concentrate on the boxes before you.”
“And do what with them?” innocently asks Flurry Heart to her elderly tutor for this private lesson.
“All magic radiates a certain arcane signature, young lady,” the tutor instructs as she circles her student slowly. “It has to, else the energy would lack any cohesive form. In some social circles, magic is known as the Weave because, in order to formulate it, the energy mus be woven into a specific form, like a needle through cloth.
“Now, do you see those boxes ahead of you?”
“I do,” Flurry observes. “The golden looking boxes that is set in a stack?”
“I want you to levitate them and separate them in the air at least three feet apart,” Miss Templton instructs.
“Easy as pie,” Flurry says with a confident grin. She ignites her horn with a golden aura. Such is copied upon each of the seven boxes. She levitates them up then spread them apart.
“I wonder what the etiology of that idiom is,” Miss Templton wonders privately, then shakes her head to clear it before saying, “Very good, my student. Now, pay attention. First of all, I need you to know that, in each of those boxes, there are four separate quadrants. In one of those four quadrants is a magical charge, and each one has a unique magical signature. Your job is to move that magical charge from that corner and place them into another corner which has a crystal set.”
“What?!” Flurry Heart exclaims in surprise. “But I can't see the magical signatures. How do you expect me to move a magical charge that I cannot see?”
“That is why I taught you the magical detection spell earlier,” Miss Templton reminds. “Remember your lessons. This is what I was leading up to, or at least the next step.” She places a hoof on Flurry's shoulder. “Focus. You can do this.”
“I suppose I can, but seven at once?”
“I didn't say you had to solve these puzzles simultaneously,” Flurry's instructor points out. “By getting the right answer seven times over, that shall be my signal that you've had enough practice with this phase of your lesson. Now, there are ways to multi-task enough to set each of these charges to their opposite charge insets simultaneously, but those are fairly advanced lessons. One's that are more limited to more experienced wizards. You might get there someday. Certainly you have the talent for it, but for now . . . just focus on the lesson at hoof.”
“Okay,” Flurry says back before closing her eyes and projecting a magical pulse from her horn. Doing so blankets about a twenty foot radius with a magical charge that is sensitive to the presence of other magical charges. It is like flooding the area with water then paying attention to where the ripples are within it.
One, two, three, four, five, six, and . . . . ah! There you go, you little bugger! There is lucky number seven, Flurry thought to herself. Okay, so . . . is see the magical charges themselves, but little else. Maybe if I focus more?
Ah! There I go. There are magic runes within each of the boxes that are radiating a tiny amount of magic because of the magic spark nearby them. That paints a map for me in my head. Now all I have to do is navigate each of the sparks to another box within the box that has an inset magical capacitor.
One by one, Flurry focuses on the inside of each of the boxes to move the magic spark from one corner to another. Certain routes are closed off and others are open. She found that she has to feel her way through this puzzle with each box, for the route is different each time. She tracks her progress by paying attention to the runes around the sparks. As they move, some stop radiating magic and others start to. It's as if the runes are mirrors and the sparks are light. That's probably also literally true, too. Magic runes are often made with powdered gem dust, and magic itself is very frequently luminescent, even if that otherwise would be inconvenient.
Eventually Flurry completes her tasks. When she's done, she floats the boxes back into a stack then wipes her brow. Now that was a challenge. In interesting and stimulating challenge, but a challenge none the less.
As Flurry opens her eyes, she also smiles, feeling proud of herself. She feels like she actually accomplished something difficult. As a result, she feels like cheering.
“Very good, young lady,” Miss Templton commends. “I knew you could do it.”
“Go me!” Flurry cheers. “Am I the finest student you've ever taught, or what?”
“Eh,” Miss Templton narrows her eyes slightly at Flurry with a discerning look, then answers, “Yes and no. You are the best I've ever taught in certain ways but not in others. In your case, your raw magical talent is very high. You have a lot of energy to work with. It is like having plenty of building materials to work with. All you have to do is learn how to construct them into whatever form you like. With time and training, you can become an excellent wizard.
“Still other students I've taught proved to be more of a prodigy at concentration or visualization or crafting magic scrolls. As usual,” she says as she floats up her saddlebags within a white aura and settles it along her back, “you, like most other ponies, excel at certain things and need more practice in other things.”
She adjusts her magical spectacles up her snout as she continues to regard Flurry.
“Do not let it go to your head,” Miss Templton discourages, “nor allow yourself to be distraught. Whatever you are not so good at, you can practice to get better. That's the point of having a tutor. If you didn't require these lessons, I wouldn't be here. You could, instead, teach others if you wish.
“Insofar as your raw magical talent, it really isn't a surprise to me considering you are an alicorn. However, having strong magical potential and utilizing it well are two very different things. One is innate, and the other needs practice. Do you understand what I'm telling you?”
Flurry Heart bows to her instructor. She spreads her wings for a moment as she does.
“Yes, Miss Templton. I deeply appreciate the lessons you have taught me, and I vow to utilize them well.”
“Very good, young lady,” Miss Templton says with a proud smile. “Be sure to continue your practices on your own. I expect to see an improvement upon our next encounter.”
“Does this mean I can go now?” Flurry asks anxiously.
“But course, my dear,” the tutor replies. “Be sure that next time you-”
“Okay, bye!” Flurry interrupts then concentrates. One popping explosion of energy later, she is suddenly in the Crystal Castle in her mother's room.
“MOMMY!” Flurry cries out with a cheer as she flies into her mother to embrace her in a hug, which her mother gladly returns.
“Hello, Sweetie,” her mother coos as she hugs her daughter tightly with her legs and wings. “I love you!”
“I know!” Flurry says very happily.
Indeed, Flurry can feel the fact that her mother speaks the truth. That's partly why these hugs are so addictive to her. While hugging her, she can feel a comforting warmth cover her heart and cause a gentle glowing pulse to radiate throughout her body. It feels as comforting and has healing as a warm mid-day sun might to to a chilly body. It just soaks into every fiber of her being and makes her feel so grateful to be alive.
That's another thing she senses from her mother as well. Actually, both of her parents, and that is an intensive gratitude that Flurry is simply there, merely existing as their daughter. They treat her like a beloved gift that they deeply cherish ever single day. Flurry absolutely loves that kind of attention.
What else should one expect from the Princess of Love?
But ah . . . that tittle is so well earned. It isn't just a name for her. Her mother embodies love with every fiber of her being. She is gentle, graceful, and oh so warm. This is the kind of mother most others would regard as a fairy tale, and/or wishful thinking, but generally believe its too good to true. However, for Flurry, it is the reality that she lives with and cherishes every single day. For her, it is just a joy to wake up ever single day looking forward to experiences like this.
Being a natural empath only enhances these effects. It causes her to experience life beyond the mundane. For Flurry, there has always been another layer to reality. One that, long ago, used to confuse her.
Back when she was a foal, it used to confuse her why she'd suddenly have these wild mood swings, but to her credit, she figured out that it had something to do with the presence of others. When others approached her presence, she was suddenly assaulted by these foreign emotions. Generally these emotions are positive. That's very common in the Crystal Empire, especially if she was the focus of their emotions.
But it used to feel so distressing to be unable to control her own emotions when she was overcome by the emotions of somepony else. That was stressful because it made her feel like wasn't in any true control over her life, and emotions heavily affect motivation towards or away from potentially anything. She felt helpless, as if she was swept away in a fast river current.
It took her soooooo long to learn how to recognize when these feelings come from within or stem from others, let alone resist their influences enough to detach herself from it. For her, it is a learning curve. One she still sometimes struggles with to this day.
That is why her father once tried to hire guards who felt more detached from their youngest princess, but in time most of them were worn down with affection for her. In their own words, they reported that they could not help it. Flurry is filled with too much energy and life to resist her charms for long. Since this didn't seem to be an isolated incident, the influenced were held blameless. It simply became accepted that this challenge comes with the territory.
Rumor has it that Flurry Heart has an intense innate connection to the Crystal Heart, and that artifact has the combined essence of everypony whose ever imbued it with their magic and their emotions. If she really is a byproduct of that artifact, it stands to reason why she'd be so sensitive to other ponies emotions.
Actually, not just ponies. If she encounters any creature that is capable of emotions, including animals, then she can be influenced by them. Maybe also vice versa. No pony is sure on the latter point, but there is evidence to that effect.
Flurry used to think that others gave her undeserved affection just because she is an alicorn. Notably, the first ever known to exist to be born as such. She wishes she knew why this is the case, but she has her theories, and she's not the only one.
At first she felt like this kind of treatment was isolating, like being put on a pedestal. She does appreciate their affection if it's genuine, for such things are an experience for her. However, to be removed for society and treated as automatically better somehow is distressing. Like most other sentient and social beings, Flurry thrives on a personal and emotional connection with others. That can be so much richer and deeper if it comes from a place of true friendship. If not, then it can feel like tasting a pastry that is very rich and sweet at first, but if consumed and tasted too often, the experience eventually grows stale.
In the past, Flurry had ventured out of the castle before while disguised with a magical illusion to make her appear as some other pony temporarily. When that happened, she encountered a far more authentic experience with others without having to suffer the influences of royal labels. It was a thrill for her to just talk to other ponies and for them to share the happenings of their day so casually. It felt so good to be accepted and “one of them”, so to speak.
And, of course, she'd continue to feel their emotions during her conversations with them. As such, she recognized when others are being authentic to her or not.
“Flurry!” Her father, Shining Armor, cries out in joy as he, too, steps in the room while floating a helmet away and hangs it on a hook nearby the exit to their room. “How is my precious little foal?”
“DADDY!” Flurry cries out with joy then promptly flies straight into his embrace. Princes Cadence promptly lets go of her daughter in time for her to do this.
When Flurry collides with her father, it almost knocks him back. But, since this experience is very common, he learned to spin her about to throw off some of her built momentum just to make sure he does not lose his balance, although for this reason, he'd find it acceptable if it did happen in exchange for this heart warming experience.
Her father might not be the “Princess of Love”, but she feels the fact that his love is no less powerful. It does have a different spice to it. It feels more sturdy compared to her mother's gentle emotions, but still . . . the strength and intensity of his emotions makes her feel exceedingly safe. She feels the proof every single day that he'd do anything it took to protect the ones he loved, although of course he'd try his very best to remain on a moral high ground while doing it.
That, too, Flurry finds comforting. Of course she wants to feel safe and loved, but she'd want to continue being proud of he father at the same time. Harming others, even if it meant protecting her in exchange, would be a severe betrayal of her trust.
Fortunately, that has never been an issue so far.
“I love you so, Daddy!” Flurry cheers affectionately.
“Me to, Pumpkin. My sweet little angel,” Shining returns warmly.
“How was work?” Princess Cadence chimes in.
“The usual,” Shining returns with far greater indifference all of the sudden. “I won't let any experience to force me to be lazy, but by Celestia . . . guard duty in the Crystal Empire makes me feel so useless and unneeded. I feel like I'm just there for no reason.”
“That's not true, Hon,” Cadence argues. “I know that the citizens of our Empire feel much safer in your presence as well as the rest of the guards. Protecting peace of mind is still a worthy goal.”
“True,” Shining agrees more happily. “That is a worthy goal. Besides, I do more than just patrol. I frequently made executive decisions in your absence.”
“As well you should,” Cadence concurs. “I told you . . . rulership of the Crystal Empire is a joint effort. We're married, so we do everything together. I have no more or less authority than you.”
Shinning Armor tilts his head and squints his eyes with suspicion as he says, “I might be willing to agree with you on principal if it weren't for one thing, and that is the fact that I don't think the citizens of the Crystal Empire see it that way. If we did argue about something and tried to compel our citizens into opposite actions, I can realistically foresee a civil war starting, but something tells me the vast majority of the ponies would side with you. After all, only one of us has both wings and a horn.” He waves a hoof out towards one of their walls. “Just ask anypony. They'd say the same thing. As such, I really do think your authority eclipses my own.”
“If that's true, then we'll just have to correct our citizens oversight together,” Cadence decides. “And that scenario you spoke of is an ugly subject I don't want to ever hear again. We will always be on the same team . . . and that's final!”
“Yes, dear,” Shining Armor capitulates with an amused grin.
“That's right, Dad,” Flurry agrees with an inward giggle. “Just smile and nod. The mare has spoken!”
From where she is laying on the couch, Cadence shakes her head and rolls her eyes for a moment, then stretches her legs for a bit.
“Oh!” Cadence brightens. “By the way, I do have some exciting news!” After she says that, her ears droop as she adds sadly, “and I have some very sad news as well.”
Both Flurry and her father pause for a silent moment as they glance at each other. Flurry is the first to break the silence as she looks back at her mother and says, “Um . . . let's start with the exciting news first.”
“I think I would have picked the sad news,” Shining mumbles with a frown. “I don't want to end it on that note.”
“Okay.” Cadence sits up straight on the couch. “The exciting news . . . and honestly unexpected news, if I do say so myself, is that Cozy Glow and Cheese Pie are due to arrive in the Crystal Empire soon. The letter said that they are arriving by way of pegasus chariot, although that's a slight misnomer in this case because Gallus is one of them.”
“Yay!” Flurry cheers. “I get to see my friends again! Hooray!”
“You got a letter explaining this?” Shining asks in confusion. “Not much can arrive faster than a pegasus chariot. Only letters sent by dragon fire and do something like this, and Spike is in Canterlot with my sister, last I heard. He didn't go to Sire's Hollow too, did he?”
Cadence shakes her head as she reports, “No, he didn't.”
“Then how can you get a letter about this before Cozy and Cheese arrives?” Shining checks. “Given their transportation method, something does not add up here.” He scratches his head. “Did a unicorn teleport the letter to Canterlot?”
Cadence smiles in amusement at her husband as she says, “You forget, dear, that our sister's student, Luster Dawn, is also in Sire's Hollow right now.”
“So?” he reflects.
“So . . . Luster was taught the same spell Celestia used to cast to send letters to Spike. Princess Celestia taught Twilight, and Twilight, in turn, taught Luster Dawn.”
“Oh!” Shining exclaims with the light of realization. “Okay. Now this is starting to make sense.” After a moment of thought, something else confusing occurs to him, then he asks his wife, “But that spell can only send letters to a dragon. I.E., Spike. Luster couldn't have sent that letter directly to you. Not unless she teleported it, which I honestly wouldn't put past her capabilities. I haven't seen magical gifts that strong ever since my sister started her training.”
Cadence rolls her eyes for a moment, then explains, “That's true, which is why Luster sent Spike a letter which requested Spike to send us a letter.” She tilts her head at her husband as she asks, “Now do you understand?”
“Ah! Gotcha!” Shining confirms with a confident nod to his wife.
Flurry sighs with a bit of dread, then asks her mother, “And the sad news?” she reminds almost reluctantly.
Cadences facial expression fell into melancholy as she reports, “I'm sad to report that Sunset Shimmer's mother, whom was also the Duchess of Sire's Hollow, has sadly passed away.”
“Oh.” Flurry's ears fell flat as she looks down sadly. “That's too bad.”
“Sunset Shimmer, huh?” Shining inquires as he rubs behind his right ear. “Now there is a name I haven't heard in a while.” He looks at his wife questioningly. “I did recently hear rumors that she came back for some reason. I thought that reason was to look after Cozy, but now I'm starting to wonder if the incident at Sire's Hollow is what drew her in the first place.”
Cadence shakes her head and says, “No, dear. She did indeed come because of Cozy, but primarily the Cozy from the other world.”
Now it is Shining Armor's turn to shake his head as he complained, “Noting the differences between both worlds can be so confusing. I'm not even sure why Celestia kept that mirror to the other world. Now after Sunset charged through it can I see a motivation, but before? I don't know.” He scratches the back of his neck. “Maybe she thought it could be an emergency evacuation strategy if things went really south in this world.”
“My understanding of that mirror is that it's really old,” Cadence put in. “It's probably one of the artifacts for Star Swirl's time. I wouldn't even be surprised if he made it himself. Who knows why?”
“Maybe for the same reason Celestia was thinking,” Shining proposes. “After all, things used to be pretty desperate in the world back in Star Swirl's native time.”
“Point taken,” Cadence agrees, then asks her husband, “How well did you know Sunset Shimmer before she took off into the other world?”
“Me?” he reflects, then answers, “Well . . . I barely knew her at all. I was just a regular royal guard at the Castle. I'd sometimes see her trotting or galloping past me from my post or while I was out on patrol. I knew for sure she was Celestia's former prized pupil.
“I need to point out that it is generally considered the duty of every royal guard of the palace to keep what they've seen while on duty on a need-to-know basis unless commanded by the Princess herself into otherwise. As such, rumors weren't that forthcoming about anything from my fellow officers, but that said . . . the other servants of the castle loved to gossip. It is from them that I gathered the majority of my information about Sunset Shimmer at the time. Because of that, I have heard of this one time she and Celestia had a falling out and argument in the castle library. Rumor has it that Celestia was pushing her student into more social activities in the hopes she'd make more friends, but Sunset just wanted to focus on her academia.”
“That sounds all too familiar,” Cadence comments.
“I know, right?” Shining Armor agrees. “Supposedly Luster was the same way. I guess history repeats more often than we generally care to admit.”
“I guess so,” Cadence figures.
“Not that I'm complaining, but why is Cozy and Cheese coming here?” Flurry asks her mother. “I know for a fact that Sunset really was put in charge of our Cozy. Pony Cozy, that is. Sunset was supposed to look after her while the both of them were away from Canterlot, so why did they split up?”
“For Sunset's part, my guess is she's helping to settle a grim family affair,” Candace answers to the best of her ability. “After that, she'll make her way back to Canterlot. Either she's going to be teleported or take a train or even an airship ride because plenty of those swing by Sire's Hollow these days. More often than not, they carry lots of cargo and passengers, though, and their usually set course for the lands beyond Equestria eventually.
“As for Cozy and Cheese, the only thing I know about them is how, where, and when they'll arrive. As for why, I'm afraid I'm not equipped with that information yet. The good news, however, is the fact we can simply ask them after they arrive. In all likelihood, Gallus and Cheese both agreed to keep an eye on Cozy.”
Flurry frowns as she looks down, then says, “She's never going to embrace friendship if we keep treating her like a monster.”
She looks back at her father when he applies a hoof to her shoulder. When he has her attention, he says, “For what it's worth, I understand how you feel, but you haven't seen what Cozy can do back in her heyday as a little filly. A threat that severe is something we cannot ignore.”
He stands up straight as he adds, “Besides, keeping an eye on her can also work in her favor. She is the adopted daughter of my sister, after all, and that means she's family.” He leans forward for a moment as he adds emphatically, “Royal . . . family. Targets like that may be too tempting for those who have ill intent for whatever reason. Far more than one have attempted to ponynap royalty in order to secure political leverage. During that time, the psychological trauma they can suffer during the ponynap alone can do some serious damage. Princesses getting ponynapped is a cliche for a very good reason, because it often works.” He waves a hoof. “From my understanding, Cozy has suffered through enough trauma as it is, so if it's all the same to you, I, for one, think keeping an eye on Cozy is a good idea for multiple reasons.”
“I suppose you kind of have a point,” Flurry partially concedes. “However, scrutiny has never been that tight around me, and I'm royalty too.”
“Okay, several things.” Shining Armor points at his daughter. “For one thing, you are an alicorn, and Cozy Glow is not. You can fly away or defend yourself with your magic, and you're not half bad with that, especially for your age. More than one would-be assassin could have an unfortunate day in their attempt to cross you, not to mention you can just teleport yourself or the attacker away.
“Two, this is the Crystal Empire. If you left to other lands, especially the realms beyond Equestria, then I'd have my concerns. As it stands, however, the average citizens of the Crystal Empire would be far more inclined to protect you rather than attack you, and no pony here would want to risk the social stigma that could come attached with even the mere attempt against you.
“Three, this is Cozy Glow we're talking about. She put all of Equestria on its knees not once, but twice, and she was just a filly back then. Any pony who is that dangerous would be wise to keep a close eye on, at least for the sake the peace of mind for the rest of Equestria.”
He waves a hoof away from him. “Maybe those days really are behind her. Maybe she really does have innocent intentions now. If so, that's great. I certainly wouldn't discourage you from trying to draw out the best in her.
“However, as long as she's being monitored, her innocence can be confirmed by eye witnesses over and over again. The longer that happens, the more the rest of Equestria will gradually relax around her. Eventually they might even forget the whole, 'trying to take over the world' bit from her. Equestrians are a pretty cheerful and forgiving bunch, after all.” He points out the wall again. “By having her monitored, Cozy constantly has an alibi. Ones that most other ponies can trust. That, in turn, helps her build credibility.”
Flurry sighs, then says, “I guess. You made some really good points, Dad.” She looks up at him. “I was just an infant during the height of her criminal days, however, so those things mean nothing to me. Today, however, I see a tortured soul who is in desperate need of a true friend. Far more than even she realizes. I've actually been encouraged by multiples sources to help her open up. I'm so glad for that encouragement, too, because I want to do this.” She looks down as she shakes her head. “I can't even explain why this is so important to me. It just is.”
“It's probably because of the emotions you sensed from her,” Cadence guesses. “You've always been extra sensitive to that. I remember you even told that she felt lonely, depressed, afraid, dejected, and miserable. You said she was crying on the inside . . . and that you couldn't allow such a pitiful soul suffer so. I remember you said this with determination as you spoke.” Candace shrugs. “Plus, she's your sister, technically.”
Cadence uses her magic to pull her daughter close to her. For Flurry's part, she does not resist this in the slightest. Once Flurry is next to her, she applies her lips to her daughter's forehead and pecks it with a sweet and loving kiss. After that, she lifts up her daughter's have with a hoof under Flurry's chin in order to guide Flurry to look straight into her mother's warm and loving eyes. At that time Candace as, “And I know you. I know you as a pony, and I know how much you care for others. If everypony is happy, then you are happy. If their miserable instead, then you suffer . . . and you see yourself focused on a mission. That's the way you've always been, so it's no surprise to us that you've opened up to her, Sweetheart. I love you for that, and I also applaud your efforts. What you have seen in her also gives me great hope, for it means that some part of her wants to reach out to others too, and that . . . is a very encouraging thought.”