//------------------------------// // Flurry : Rage // Story: The End is Not the End // by Hoofprintz //------------------------------// "I'm fully convinced she intended to bring my sun down... to crash it into the world. If I hadn't stopped her, I'm certain she would have..." The sadness on Granny Sola's face was just beneath the surface. Instead of displaying the grief she was feeling she portrayed an air of disbelief. She'd always been great at concealing her real emotions, but I'd never had a problem seeing the stuff others wanted to hide. Just below the sadness was a more well hidden layer of emotion, one dripping with fear, but that would have to wait for a more appropriate time to be dealt with.  "Auntie Twi..." I had to steady myself so I wouldn't keel over. It can't be true, can it? My own aunt, savior of the world and ruler of Equestria had tried to kill us all? Granny Sola never lied. Ever. Not since I'd known her, at least. Maybe it was all just a big misunderstanding.  "There was a bang," Granny Moona's statement sounded more like an inquiry. "I would have been unable to intercede if not for that. Twilight Sparkle must have erected a sound dampening spell of some magnitude, yet that noise had been loud enough to break through it." Granny Sola must've known what her sister was referring to because the tick that started in her jaw was clear evidence of the uncomfortable demeanor she was trying to hide. "Once I was able to take control of my sun back..." she trailed off. It was easy to understand why she'd stopped. The conflicting emotions warring inside of her must've been especially tempestuous. The faraway stare that took over her gaze was much harder to decipher than her mood. Emotions are simple, particularly negative ones. Reading the room can help, but relying on what's typical can be even more effective. Success typically breeds joy. Failure typically breeds disappointment. Pain typically breeds fear. Death typically breeds grief. It's much closer to a sixth sense than an  observational skill, or so my dad used to tell me. Mom says it's another one of my gifts. Specific thoughts though? Those were a whole nother ballpark. Granny Sola was sad and she was hurt. Maybe not so much physically anymore, but... inside... her heart. Most concerning though was how scared she was. Despite all of that, she was trying her best to keep it from us. She'd do all she could to reinforce us and I wouldn't be the one to bring the things she wanted hidden into the light. I'd hold her up. I'd do everything I could to make sure she'd never fall again, just like I would for Mom or for Granny Moona or for Auntie... "When I stopped her... stopped my sun, she attacked me," her words hung in the air like a noxious cloud of gas threatening to infect us, to change the very fabric of our family. It felt like the meal I'd eaten earlier might come up at any moment, regardless of my best efforts to keep it down. Mom's eyes had grown to the size of saucers, her jaw slack and still. Granny Moona's head lowered a fraction, the agitation on her face alluding to the fact that she'd had an inkling of what had happened. Granny Sola continued. "She's really quite s-strong and I..." her jaw quavered, all of the fear surfacing for a split second. "Auntie..." Mom found her voice, but not enough of it to go any further than that. I could deal with pain. I could fight any monster in Equestria, heck any in the entire world. I'd even faced all the loss in my life without batting an eyelash, but this was nothing like any of that. This was my family. This was my own flesh and blood turning against itself. I couldn't believe it, it was just too hard to accept. Granny Moona seemed to be struggling just as much as I was. The fire in her eyes was fueled by a rage so potent she might not be able to contain it for much longer. Judging by that look, if my aunt were here right now, she'd not be in this plane of existence for much longer.  "I remember... her magic hitting me," Granny Sola flinched at the memory, brushing her chest with a hoof. "And my... my heart... stopped." A bewildering smile, almost deranged, lifted her mouth. Granny Moona snapped to attention at that revelation. "W-what!?" Her dark hooves pressed against the white alicorn's shoulder. "What does 'stopped' mean, Sister?" The psychotic grin left Granny Sola's lips.  "For six seconds... nothing. I felt... empty." The recollection made her look down at her own hooves. "I don't know by what means, but it started beating again, a-and..." her eyes and her mind searched for the right words. "I was drained of all my strength, as if I'd reverted to foalhood," she looked at Mom with inquisitive eyes, as did my Granny Moona and I. Mom was taken aback by the spotlight suddenly focusing on her. "I... I don't know," she shook her head. "I've never read or heard of anything like that. A spell that stops the heart from functioning? Honestly, it sounds like-" "Forbidden magic," Granny Moona finished my mom's sentence for her. She was the expert on that subject, even if she didn't want that recognition. "But such a spell is unknown to me as well." Her eyes grew wide as if she'd just remembered something. "Twilight Sparkle used other spells I was not familiar with. All the while the magical aura she possessed was-" "Black," Granny Sola regained control of the conversation, the slight air of self-control she'd had a second ago gone. Terror was written all over her trembling body, so disturbing I subconsciously took an uncomfortable step away. Her horrified eyes could see something none of us could. "Y-you!?" "Tia?" Granny Moona stood to her hooves. A fear reminiscent of what she'd had when they first arrived in the empire began to take form on her face.  "Auntie Celestia?" My mom followed her gaze, but there was nothing at the end of it, other than the wall of the room. "Please d-don't... p-please! I-I won't... please, just d-don't hurt me anymore." Rivers of tears spilled from her closed eyes as she held her forelegs and wings defensively in front of herself. It looked like she was trying to protect herself from an entity that simply didn't exist. I felt a rare heat rise inside of me as my hooves began to itch.  "Auntie?" Mom flew to Granny Sola's side, her medical nature taking over as her horn activated.  "Tia!" At the same time Granny Moona's horn came to life, a beautiful dark blue emanating from it. I wasn't sure what they were planning on doing, but I knew what I was gonna do. I could feel my own mana already bubbling over. I hadn't been this angry in a long time. I usually made bad decisions when I was mad. Okay, I always made bad decisions when I was mad. Just like the one I was about to make.  "I'll be right back," I almost barked, my spell ready to go. Mom looked at me like she knew what I was about to do, neither her look of worry nor her outstretched hoof enough to get me to reconsider my decision. "FLUR-" I was gone before she could finish calling out my name. My teleportation bubble burst directly in front of a massive wall of dark energy. Peering inside of said bubble was impossible, a thick cloud, almost a smog, blocked my vision. Apparently, I wasn't able to get inside Canterlot, the barrier having scrambled my movement spell. I entertained the thought of touching the black magic but decided against it. I was mad, not stupid. "AUNTIE TWILIGHT!" I roared in the Royal Canterlot Voice, a tool I'd picked up from too many nights hanging out with Granny Moona. I waited several minutes for a response, pacing back and forth, never once taking my eyes off the wall of swirling black energy. There was no way she hadn't heard me, so either she was not in at the moment or she was ignoring me. I was betting on the latter. "IF YOU DON'T COME OUT AND WELCOME YOUR FAVORITE NIECE, I'M GONNA HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BARRIER!" It only felt fair to give her some kind of warning. I sat on my haunches, my wings twitching impatiently. I wasn't sure how long I planned on waiting, but I was already channeling magic into my horn... so I guess not that long. The barrier was immense, miles high and miles wide, but I didn't need to bring it down or destroy it. Not completely at least. I just needed to cut a path inside, and I knew I could do that, easy peasy lemon squeezy. After a few more minutes of inactivity I shouted again. "LAST CHANCE AUNTIE!" I tapped my chin with a hoof, running the numbers in my mind. I could probably get rid of the whole thing, if I really wanted to. It'd take a little effort, but I was confident I could destroy the entire thing, even if it was dark magic. "Alright then, make way for Flurry." I whispered to myself as I stood up, my horn whirring with the power to obliterate mountains with ease. I was always game for some destruction.  Fwoosh! The loud sound had come from behind me. I whirled around, coming muzzle to muzzle with my dear aunt, though I had to look up for this to happen. Her smug glare made it feel like she was looking down on me. A wry smile was my sole reaction. I was itching for a fight, my anger beginning to reach its zenith. I'd get answers, even if I had to beat them out of her. "Flurry! It's so good to see you!" she pulled me into a tight hug. That was not something I'd anticipated and so I didn't even have a chance to resist. I didn't really know how to reply either so I did nothing, standing still as a statue. She let me go before taking a step back and looking me up and down. Her initial malicious glare replaced with the kind goofy grin my aunt usually had. Still, there was something off about her. The alicorn before me was several shades darker than I'd ever seen. An elaborate white overcoat was draped over her, a collection of light brown fur around its collar. The interior of the overcoat was blood red, all of it marked with intricate gold stitching. It covered all of her body except her head and a very limited part of her forelegs.  "Uhhhh," I tried to say something, but the connection from my brain to my mouth must have been recently tampered with. Where had all my righteous indignation gone? This wasn't what I'd expected at all.  "What is it, Flurry? What's wrong?" she placed a hoof against my forehead. "Are you feeling well? You're not hot." At the very least she was behaving like my aunt.  "Auntie?" My brain was finally beginning to send signals to my mouth again.  "What is it, Flurry?" she gave me some space. The gentle smile she displayed reminded me of my mom's. Yet even with her kind demeanor, I could sense something else just beneath the surface, something... sinister. Aggression? Deception? Hatred? I wasn't sure what it was, but it was definitely there, itching to get out. "Is everything okay?" The only question I could produce didn't seem to bother her, though to be fair, it was an easy one.  "Of course." Her reply sounded genuine, but... "Why wouldn't It be?" For less than an instant her eyes flicked to the barrier and then resettled on me. I'd forgotten. Her unexpected welcome had thrown me off my game, but with that one glance I'd recollected my thoughts and was ready to go on the offensive. "Auntie, what is this?" I waved a hoof at the crackling magic.  "A barrier, silly," she said matter-of-factly. "Come on, Flurry. You know that," she covered a laugh with her hoof. "That's not what I meant, Auntie!" I felt my cheeks heat up. This was normal. She'd always play games with me. Since I'd grown into a filly it had become our favorite pasttime. Still, it felt like she was trying to hide the truth away, not like she was playfully joking with me. "Why would you do this? Why would you try to destroy Equestria? Why would you attack Granny Sola?" I don't know why I thought assaulting her teacher was worse than obliterating a planet. Maybe it's because Granny Sola was so endlessly benevolent that harming somepony like her was like committing blasphemy.  "You have a lot of questions," she sighed. "How about we get some tea?" she took a step next to me, her horn glowing the familiar sparkling magenta I'd seen countless times before. I instinctively took a wary step back. "What's wrong?" she tilted her head quizzically.  "Auntie Twi... Princess Twilight Sparkle... can I trust you?" My choice of words wasn't arbitrary. Monarchs functioned on their word more often than not. To break one's declaration was to surrender one's credibility. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to cover all of my bases.  "Of course you can, Flurry. Everything will make sense once we talk. Trust me," she lifted a hoof to my shoulder, but didn't make physical contact. I didn't move away from her. She laid her hoof on me and teleported us both into a room inside of her castle, at least that's what it'd appeared to be at first glance. It was a fairly small space, a table with two cups and a tea kettle rested on an ornate tablecloth in the center of the room. A chair was on each side of said table. Auntie Twi was already sitting in the seat across from me. A window with frilly white curtains was on the wall to my left and another was in front of me, the daylight coming from them illuminated the room. Posh carpeting covered the floor, much like the rest of the castle. To my right was a bare wall. Then that must mean... I glanced over my shoulder to find... another bare wall. Weird. "What is this?" I looked back at my aunt who was levitating the tea kettle, a stream of hot liquid falling into her teacup.  "Just a precaution, Flurry." She set the kettle down, her magic shifting to her cup. "I may have your trust, but I'm still not sure if you have mine."  "That's... fair," I took a seat. I lifted my own cup with my hooves and took a sip. There was no reason to waste energy on something so mundane. The tea was steaming hot and sweet, but not too sweet, with a hint of lemon. Not bad. "But I'm not the one who covered Canterlot in a barrier or tried to bring about armageddon."  "A legitimate point," she bobbed her head. "I suppose Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are in the Crystal Empire then." She was calm, not batting an eye or denying the accusation."  "Why?" I needed to know.  "The barrier is a defensive measure. My actions with Celestia's sun, merely a ploy," she shrugged. "A ploy? So you never intended to destroy the world?" I'd decided to hone in on the much more critical topic. If she wasn't lying, then thankfully, she at least, hadn't lost her marbles. "No, Flurry," she rolled her eyes as if I'd said something incredibly stupid. "I'm not insane. What would I even accomplish by doing something dumb like that?"  "I... I don't know."  "Does it sound like something I'd do?" Apparently we were both asking questions now.  "No, but Granny Sola-"  "She's not lying to you. Unfortunately I've never been able to catch her in a deceitful act in all the years I've known her." She paused to take a drink from her cup, looking out the window at the sunny day as if she'd not a care in the world.  "A defense against what? How are Canterlot's citizens even supposed to get in and out of the city?" I changed the subject, hoping it might jar her a bit and give me better leverage.  "My subjects are being accommodated to." Her relaxed state was rock solid. "To be frank, It's really none of your business, Flurry. I'm not grilling you on the policies of your empire." I was ready to object, but she wasn't wrong. Canterlot wasn't my land, after all. "As far as why I've improved the capital's security, we've been receiving threats of invasion from unknown sources." That had to be a lie, but she moved on before I could interject. "It's also an additional countermeasure against Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. After what I did, I'm confident that Luna herself may try to breach Canterlot's defenses and take my head," she lightly rubbed at her own throat. That... that had to be a lie as well and I honestly believed it was until I recalled the unabashed fury on Granny Moona's face.   "You... you could be right about that," I relented. We sat in uncomfortable silence for a while. I took another swig of my tea. I really didn't want to think about my granny trying to murder my aunt. "What's with the weird clothes?" I lifted my head toward her strange attire.  She chuckled softly. "Just an old thing Rarity made for me before..." her face scrunched up into a forced smile. "I just wanted... to honor her memory." I couldn't argue with that. Rare... I miss her too.  "Where's Spike?" The mention of the white unicorn had reminded me of my honorary big brother. He was always with Auntie Twi, unless... "He's away on royal business. He should still be in the griffin kingdom until later today." Yeah, that's usually the only time he wasn't stuck to my aunt's hip.  "What about the color of your coat?" I pressed.  "I botched an experiment I was working on. It should change back to normal soon." She seemed to grow self conscious all of a sudden, examining her forelegs closely. "Is it that bad?"  "No, Auntie! It's not!" A nasty guilt crawled up my back. "It's just a little... different, that's all." My words appeared to perk her up.  "To be perfectly honest, Flurry, it's one of the reasons I'm wearing this," she stroked the fur around her neck. "I thought my coat looked worse as well." The wave of self-doubt that came from my aunt almost made me fall out of my seat.   "It's not, Auntie, I promise!" I extended a hoof across the table, smiling the entire time. She took it into her own and gave it a light squeeze.  "Thank you, Flurry," she stroked my hoof, smiling with a tilt of her head before retreating back to her side of the table.  And now we were at the difficult part. The question that demanded to be asked would create tension, no doubt. It was the question I was forcing down with all my might. I took a deep breath. I'd faced many challenges in my life, many tragedies, but I never let any of them beat me. I would never turn away. This was no different. "Why did you attack Granny Sola, Auntie? What happened?" The query seemed to blindside her, surprisingly enough. She lowered her tea slowly and furrowed her brow. "A difference of opinion." Her reply was way too cold. She looked back out the window. That's... it? That was not an acceptable answer. You don't start a fight to the death because you couldn't see eye to eye with somepony else, especially if that somepony happened to be a member of your family. I'm not sure if it was her nonchalance or the answer itself, but I could feel a simmering heat start burning in my chest. "Auntie, she was seriously hurt!" I stood up and slammed a hoof on the table, a little for emphasis and a little in the hopes that the action would draw her gaze. It didn't. She merely shifted in place, taking another drink of her tea. "She almost..." I couldn't say it. I'm not sure if it was because I didn't believe it or if it's because I didn't want to believe it.  My aunt closed her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose with a hoof. "I... I do regret going as far as I did," she locked her eyes with mine, her unbreakable resolve making me cringe. "But I had to make her understand! I had to make myself clear!" It wasn't quite a shout, but the authority of the Princess of Equestria was behind every single word.  "Understand what?" I was completely lost, in the middle of the Everfree forest without a guide or a map.  "That she can't get in my way! That I am the ruler of Equestria and that I will be making my own decisions from now on!" After her outburst she calmly took another sip of her tea, her eyes once again drifting back to the window. I really didn't know how to handle this. It wasn't my place to tell my elders what was right or wrong, but this didn't feel right. None of it felt right. I had to try something or the indecision would eat at me forever. I would never let that happen again. I'd never let her down like that again. "Auntie... Granny Sola has never guided you down the wrong path." She stayed as silent as the dead as I spoke. "She's always been there for all of us. You, me, Mom, Granny Moona." Still, she stared silently. If I was going to get through to her I was going to have to take a risk. "Auntie... I know that you've lost-" She lifted a hoof, shutting me down immediately. For some reason, the gesture was enough to not only kill my voice, but forced me to sit down obediently. She smiled at me, the best most genuine smile she could fake. Emotions are easy. Joy isn't a typical reaction to death. "I appreciate you visiting me, Flurry. Really, I do, but I've got a lot of work I have to get to."  "Auntie Twi!" I stood again, my vigor springing back to life.  The cold sharp eyes that glared at me were not my aunt's. "Tell Cadance I said hello." Before I could even open my mouth, I was standing outside Canterlot where she'd met me earlier. When my mind finally processed what had happened I grew so frustrated I almost turned the barrier to dust. The foreign eyes that flashed through my mind were enough to get me to reconsider. "Darn it." I stomped my forehooves hard into the ground, dirt and grass flying everywhere. "Darn it!" Again I slammed my hooves into the dirt. "DARN IT!" I bellowed, my breath coming out in angry huffs. A third and final time my hooves thundered downwards. The crater left in the ground was several meters wide and deep. I let out a final exasperated sigh. "No point Flurry, gotta move forward." As I manifested magic for the trip home one thing nipped at my tail, one problem I was unable to find the solution to. I wasn't sure what the particulars of the barrier were, but once inside, its restrictions shouldn't apply anyway. It wasn't a pocket dimension, there's no way that was possible. I could sense magic that enormous, any alicorn can. My aunt and I were one hundred percent most definitely inside the castle. So why hadn't I sensed any love in there?