Flurry Heart sat with her back to the stone statue of Equestria’s once mightiest villains, her head in her hooves. It had been thirty minutes since she had mustered the strength to say the words she had longed to say for the past few months and all she could do was sob uncontrollably. The mascara on her eyelashes ran down her cheeks as the tears poured forth. She hated everyone, she hated herself.
She was the Princess of Love, she was one of the strongest rulers in the history of the Crystal Empire; yet she felt as brittle as glass. Born an Alicorn, a feat never before witnessed, many expectations had been levied upon the mare since her birth, and being raised by a single parent had only intensified the stress upon her.
She had come here seeking answers, and now she wasn’t even able to ask the questions. What was wrong with her? Why was she so weak? And even if she asked, what answers had she expected a stone statue to provide?
Angrily she tossed her head back, the stinging pain of a collision with the rough hewn stone greeting her, but she didn’t care. She ignored it and bitterly wrapped her wings around her body, feeling lost, hopeless.
Mom, what would you do?
Princess Cadance gingerly brushed her daughter’s mane, her brow furrowed with a deadpan expression. Her body was tensed up, ready to move in an instant, a bead of sweat making its way down her muzzle. Still, she attempted to remain calm as she slowly lowered the now 18 month old Flurry Heart into a little bassinet; the air growing colder around her.
The massive iron doors to the throne room balcony cracked and groaned as the metallic surface was slowly coated in a creeping layer of ice. And yet, Cadence paid it no mind, instead leaning down to give the now giggling infant a loving kiss. Brushing the little foals mane out of her eyes, Cadance whispered to her as her eyes welled up.
“Mama loves you, Flurry. Mama will always love you.”
A flash of magic appeared in front of her throne, revealing the two celestial princesses barely able to stand. Celestia’s fur matted with a dark sickly red, while Luna had crisscross slashes running up and down her hide. On the exhausted Celestia’s back lay the unconscious form of Twilight Sparkle, a crimson red dripping from the crack in her skull, slowly pooling on the stone floor below.
Though barely clinging to life, Twilight whispered over and over.
“No! Applejack, Rarity, they’re gone. Fluttershy stay back, don’t do it! No. It can’t be! All gone. It’s all my fault. I…couldn’t…stop… them.”
Cadance glanced up at them, but only for a moment before rising from her throne. Averting her gaze from the injured princesses, she turned to look at her husband. Shining Armor, wielding a spear, had been shouting commands at the royal guards, all while the blood chilling screams in the courtyard suddenly fell silent.
“Shining.”
Stopping mid-command, Shining Armor locked eyes with his wife. Her words were spoken in a loving tone, but her eyes told another story. Furrowed in concern, her eyes shone with a rage, never before seen. Her body shook as though she were chilled to the bone.
“Take Flurry Heart. Get to safety.”
Shining opened his mouth to speak, but Cadance just shook her head. Repeating herself, her gentle words took on a snarling growl.
“Shining, take Flurry Heart. Get to safety. Now.”
Shining Armor closed his mouth, never once had he seen Cadance lose her temper, nopony had. He just watched the waves of rage roiling in her eyes for less than a second, before turning to pick up the bassinet and set it on his back via levitation magic.
“Take this with you, Shining. Give it to her when it’s time.”
Cadance slowly reached up and removed her coronet, before reaching out to place it in his outstretched hoof. He looked down at the crystalline crown, then back at his wife.
“Cadance?”
Princess Cadance had already turned away, tears staining the stone flooring with each step she took.
“Go. Protect her. I’m counting on you. And Flurry? Be a good filly for daddy.”
In silence she continued towards the main doors, as Luna cried out.
“You can’t win!”
Spreading her wings, Cadance’s mane, tail and feathers had taken on the appearance of a pink, yellow, and lavender raging inferno. She spoke just two words as she took off and flew through the open doors to her castle.
“I know.”
Minutes later, Flurry Heart cooed gently in her sleep, having been rocked to sleep by the rhythmic galloping of her fathers hooves. Shining Armor raced away from the Crystal Empire as fast as possible, his face completely blank. On either side of him, Luna and Celestia galloped at his side; the wings of both having been rendered useless.
Half a mile from the Crystal Castle, Shining’s legs began to tremble; his strength completely sapped. He stopped and panted heavily, the icy winds of winter tearing at his hide. That’s when his ears picked up the shout. A frantic scream, of just two words, that radiated across the landscape.
“FLURRY HEART!”
Across the entirety of Equestria it was heard, the fabled Canterlot Voice. Even though the vicious winter winds of the Wendigos whipped and howled, the shout rang out clear as crystal. Shining Armor turned towards the source, and his eyes beheld a bright spec of light. The light glowed and appeared to glow brighter as it radiated outward in a blast of pink magic.
The blast grew larger and larger still, shattering the Crystal Castle into rubble and debris and still it grew larger. It tore through the clouds creating a hole in the storm above the Crystal Empire, before fading into nothing.
An agonizing pain tore through Shining’s heart as the light vanished. His head dropped down and his eyes were hooded over. It was over, he knew. Cadence had won. The winter winds slowed down, before halting altogether, and a gentle rain began to fall.
The rain was warm, soft and comforting, like a warm hug. Tears welled in Shining’s eyes until he could no longer contain them, streaming down in a deluge of heartbreak. She was gone. Cadance was gone.
On his back, a sleeping Flurry Heart was startled awake by the drops falling on her. She cooed in curiosity before whimpering. That whimpering turned to bawling as the little foal looked around in frantic distress, looking for something. Something she couldn’t find.
It was then the tiny Alicorn stretched her hooves up to the sky, staring up at the heavens and cried out her first word.
“Mama!”
Flurry Heart couldn’t really remember her mother, though she had been told many times the story of how her mom ended the war between the Wendigos and the inhabitants of Equestria. Her mother had sacrificed everything, just to save her.
She often tried to depict her mom in her mind. Sadly, due to the castle being destroyed, any portraits of Cadance had vanished into the Aether. While growing up, Flurry Heart often tried to picture her in her mind when she sought inner strength.
She envisioned a tall, almost Amazonian build of an Alicorn, strong, agile and imposing. A commanding nature that could make others kneel simply by being in her presence. Perhaps she was even a goddess like Flurry’s great aunts, Celestia and Luna; able to wield unfathomable power. Hers being the power of love.
This image gave Flurry Heart a surge of confidence. Unfolding her wings, she slowly stood up and gritted her teeth, pushing herself to rise to her hooves. Everycreature had told her she was the spitting image of her mother, and she knew that her mother wouldn’t balk at such a challenge, and neither would she. She whispered to herself.
“Ok, Flurry. You can do this.”
She turned around and stared at the statue. She had no idea why she was doing this or if it would do any good. Yet, she felt she needed to. This was it. She narrowed her green eyes in determination. It was now or never.
Raising her hoof, Flurry once more placed it on the visage of Chrysalis, the First Changeling. In a voice that boomed across the room, she spoke confidently as she loudly proclaimed.
“Hey, Mom!”
She quickly tried to add more but her voice became squeaky. No, I can't falter! I need to do this! Clearing her throat she loudly spoke up.
“It’s your daughter. It’s Flurry Heart.”
She leaned against the statue. Her trembling hooves gave out from under her, her legs turning to jelly from exhaustion. She threw her back against the statue, breathing heavily. Flurry’s barrel heaved in breathless anxiety. Her rapid breathing grew steadier and steadier, her mind overloaded with euphoric relief.
She had done it! She had finally said it out loud. She threw back her head in excitement, ignoring the sharp pain of the hewn stone. She found herself staring into the stone eyes of Chrysalis, lifeless and dead.
Now what?