//------------------------------// // Story Time // Story: Give them a push // by Aurora_Glow //------------------------------// Flurry Heart was snuggled on a comfy bed in the Castle of Friendship. The room she was in was specifically designed for her by Twilight, for when she came for visits. There were all sorts of toys in the corner. A light in the shape of a cloud hung from the ceiling. And of course, there was a book shelf filled to the brim with books. Twilight had spared no expense for her niece. "So Flurry, would you like a story before you go to bed?" asked Sunburst. "Yes please," the alicorn said, clapping her hooves. She thought for a moment. Which story should I go for? she wondered. What about the tale of Princess Petunia and her knight? Mommy had read that to me once, and I had liked it a lot. Plus, it had a bit of love in it. Maybe it'll motivate Uncle Sunburst and Auntie Starlight to be honest? "Can I have the tale of Princess Petunia and her knight please?" Flurry asked Sunburst, pointing to the bookshelf. "Of course, since you said please," answered Sunburst, levitating the book over to the bed. Flurry Heart was growing up to be quite the polite filly. "You know, Twilight once told me that was her favorite fairytale when she was a filly," Starlight spoke up. "Like aunt, like niece I guess." Flurry grinned. She was glad to hear that. Auntie Twily was one of her favorite role models. On the cover of the chosen book was a pink mare wearing a tiara and a stallion wearing a knight's attire. The two ponies were looking bashfully away from one another, a blush on their cheeks. Flurry stared at the cover for a moment. The expressions of the ponies kind of reminded her of Sunburst and Starlight. And just like that, Flurry got another idea. Maybe fourth time's the charm? "Uncle Sunburst? Auntie Starlight?" Flurry said, looking at her two caretakers for the day. "Can you take turns reading to me? Auntie Starlight can read Princess Petunia's lines, and Uncle Sunburst can read Knight Braveheart's lines! Then you two can take turns reading the other parts!" Starlight smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea Flurry!" she exclaimed. Sunburst nodded beside her. "As long as you go to sleep right after we finish reading. Okay?" he said. Flurry nodded, delighted that her plan was going well. She snuggled further into her covers, eagerly waiting for the story to start. Sunburst cleared his throat and opened the book. "Once upon a time," he started... (Orange is Sunburst. Purple is Starlight.) There lived a unicorn princess called Petunia. Petunia was a curious and adventurous pony. She longed to explore the outside world, to fight some kind of evil. Her opportunity came when one day, the kingdom was threatened by none other than a monster! He was big, green and scary. Horns rested on top of his head. Petunia went to find her parents. "Mom? Dad?" the princess asked timidly. "I hereby request that I be sent to fight the monster that has been seen in our kingdom lately." The King and Queen looked at each other nervously. Neither wanted to send their dear daughter out to face the danger. "But Petunia darling, are you sure? It's a dangerous world out there. We would be most devastated if you got hurt. Or worse...' the Queen said, shivering. (Flurry giggled when Starlight did a stunningly accurate impression of Rarity while pretending to be the Queen.) Petunia nodded. This was her chance! She could finally have her adventure! Plus, the kingdom needed her! "Very well," said the King. "You can go. But we'll send a knight with you to protect you." Petunia nodded again. She could barely contain her happiness! She could go! She better go pack! Thanking her mom and dad, the princess ran out to her room, grabbing the supplies that she would need and putting them into a saddlebag. The next day, Princess Petunia went down towards the garden. She was told her guard would be waiting for her there. It didn't take long for her to spot him. He was a unicorn with a dark blue coat and a light blue mane, which greatly contrasted with her own light pink coat and dark pink mane. The knight was also wearing shining armor. "You must be my companion for the mission!" said Petunia as she walked towards the knight. "Hi! I'm Petunia!" The guard bowed. "Pleasure to serve you your highness," he said, which made Petunia blush. "Oh please don't call me that. Just call me Petunia!" she said. "If you insist yo— Petunia," the stallion said, and, unbeknownst to Petunia, he blushed when he said her name. "My name is Braveheart. "Well let's be off then! Come on! No time to lose!" said Petunia. And with that, they were off. The two journeyed through the kingdom. The monster they were looking for was near the outskirts of the kingdom. It was said that it had been terrorizing the villages near the borders of the kingdom. It didn't take long before the princess and her knight came across an obstacle— a timberwolf. The timberwolf launched at the two ponies. Petunia closed her eyes, bracing herself. Thump! The princess opened her eyes, surprised that she was still in one piece. In front of her, Braveheart was fighting the timberwolf, brandishing his sword. In mere minutes, the knight had frightened the timberwolf off. Petunia looked at Braveheart with admiration. He was so brave! Yet she hadn't even moved... He's a real knight in shining armor, and I'm a terrible princess, she thought to herself. I couldn't even run away... If it wasn't for him, I would have been hurt... "Are you okay Petunia?" Braveheart asked, worried. "You could have gotten hurt. We should be more careful next time." Petunia nodded. "Come on, let's not stay here. The wolf could come back," Braveheart said, walking away. Petunia followed in suite. After a bit even more trotting, Petunia and Braveheart had almost reached their destination. "You know, I've been thinking," Petunia said. "Maybe the monster isn't that bad? You never know. He might be a good monster. I don't think we've received any reports that indicate he has attacked anypony yet." Braveheart thought for a moment, and agreed. He was touched by the princess's compassion and optimism. She seemed to be able to believe in the best in every creature. If she hadn't said it, he wouldn't even have thought of the possibility that the monster was good on the inside. He would never be able to match up to Petunia. The two ponies arrived at where the monster was last sighted. Looking around, they tried to see if there was any trace of him, but it appeared that they didn't have to look too far. The monster appeared in front of them. Petunia took an anxious step forward. "Hello mister," she said, extending her hoof. "I'm Princess Petunia, but please just call me Petunia. I'd like to be your friend, if you wouldn't mind. The villagers here think that you've been waiting to attack them, but I think it's just a misunderstanding. Isn't that right?" The monster looked at the princess momentarily. The princess shuffled nervously, her hoof still extended. Then to her surprise, the monster started crying! The surprised Petunia and Braveheart quickly went forward, comforting the creature, "There there," comforted Petunia, rubbing the creature's surprisingly furry back. Braveheart did the same. "There's no need to cry. You're a big sweetheart aren't you?" Once the creature calmed down, he told Petunia and Braveheart about why he was here. His name was Bob, and he never meant to scare anyone! He was just lonely and wanted to look for a friend! But everypony ran away from him! Petunia smiled at him, and assured him that she didn't think that he was scary. She'd love to be Bob's friend! In fact, she was sure that her parents would love to meet him as well! He can go with them back to her castle! Braveheart looked from the sidelines. Petunia was the kindest pony he's ever met. He'll never measure up to her,,, Plus, she was a princess. He was just a knight... To his surprise, Petunia appeared before him. "Bob said that he's gonna get his belongings from the nearby cave and he'll be back in a few minutes," she told Braveheart. Nervously digging at the ground, she hesitated, before starting to speak again. "There's something I want to tell you..." she said, avoiding his gaze. "I...I like like you." Braveheart blinked a couple times, before a grinning. "Well that's good news Petunia," he said. "Because I think I like like you too. You're the kindest pony I've ever met." Petunia looked up to him, surprised. The knight in shining armor liked her? Petunia smiled. "And you're the bravest pony I've ever met," she said. "I'm just a scaredy cat... I'm nowhere as good as you..." Braveheart laughed. "That's just cause I'm a knight. Fighting kind of comes with the package. But you were the one to look past the monster's terrifying appearance," he pointed out. Petunia blushed. Braveheart opened his mouth to say more, but Petunia cut off whatever he had to say by giving him a kiss, taking Braveheart by surprise. Soon, Bob returned, and the three of them journeyed back to the castle, where the King and Queen welcomed Bob with open arms. A few years later, Petunia married her knight in shining armor, "And they lived happily ever after. The end," Starlight finished. Flurry clapped her hooves, and a giant yawn came from her mouth. Sunburst laughed. "Okay Flurry. You've had your story. Time for your nap now," Sunburst said. Flurry nodded, closing her eyes. "You remind me of Princess Petunia Auntie Starlight, and Uncle Sunburst reminds me of knight Braveheart..." Flurry murmured, dozing off in the middle of her sentence. Starlight and Sunburst both blushed when they heard what Flurry had said. "So what shall we do in the mean time?" asked Sunburst. "Her naps typically last a few hours, so we have time to kill." Starlight smirked, and brought out a book. "We can read Starswirl's simple guide to spell casting together," she said. "It's his new book." Sunburst snorted. "Starswirl has very little 'simple' spells. The pillow fluffing spell he taught Flurry was one of the few," he said. "But let's still read the book together. Come one." He trotted off towards the "reading corner" Twilight made for Flurry, complete with all sorts of fluffy pillows and blankets. "I can show you the pillow fluffing spell as well." Starlight smiled and followed him. Soon, the pair were side by side, bodies almost touching, bent over the book. A blanket was thrown over both of them. Both ponies contently read the book in peace, happy to just enjoy the other's presence.