//------------------------------// // Chapter Flurry // Story: Equestria's Crazies // by Thorax //------------------------------// "So tell me again why Celestia thinks it's a good idea that we go to the Crystal Empire?" Nightmare asked as she continued to stare out the train window at the passing expanses of snow "Celestia wants us to go and improve our diplomatic relations with the Crystal Empire" Chrysalis answered as she lowered her book and casually scanned the mostly empty train cart mentally noting that nearly all her guards had fallen asleep. "Apparently Cadance and Shining Armor had a kid or something" "Wait" Nightmare began in confusion "Cadence and Sparkle's brother had a kid? When did that happen" "I have no clue" Chrysalis shrugged as she glanced out the window spotting the Crystal City coming into view "It just kind of happened" "Huh" the Alicorn scoffed "I wonder what kind of terror that kid will cause. I mean it can't be worse than Nibbles" she finished with a chuckle as she pointed to the Hybrid who was currently dragging all of the sleeping Changeling guards into a pile at the back of the train cart. "Or that Time Traveling kid who keeps getting me killed." "You mean your and Discord's kid?" the Changeling Queen responded with a sly grin "How dare you" Nightmare began angrily as she stood up from her seat "How dare you suggest that I would fornicat-" the Alicorn was cut off by the screeching of the trains breaks as the train abruptly came to a stop sending the Alicorn flying forward into the front wall of the train cart. "I hate you so much" Nightmare groaned as she picked herself up "Love you too moony, now help me wake these idiots up so they can carry our stuff" Chrysalis laughed as she gestured towards the pile of sleeping guards that Nibbles stood triumphantly atop. Several minutes later the party had managed to exit the train and were quickly greeted by the panicked screams of Crystal Ponies as they attempted to flee from the dreaded Changeling Queen "Oh yeah" Chrysalis scoffed as she rubbed her chin with a hoof as she watched the fleeing ponies "Chase?" Nibbles asked curiously as he hopped off his mother's back and down onto the train platform "NO" came the unified cry of Nightmare, Chrysalis, and her accompanying guards "What have you two done now?" came the annoyed but familiar voice of Princess Cadance "Nothing!" Chrysalis responded defensively "We got off the train and everyone started screaming and running, and to be honest they're really bad at fleeing. That one pony has just been running in and out of the restrooms screaming." "Oh that's what I forgot to do." Cadance muttered as she realized she forgot to announce that her guests would be arriving today. "So are you going to stop them... or something?" Nightmare asked with a raised brow "No, I find it's easier to just let them tire themselves out." Cadence answered as she began leading the group through the train station. After roughly twenty minutes of walking and screaming ponies, the group arrived at the entrance to the Crystal Heart at the base of Cadence's Castle. "Now that's the good stuff" Chrysalis spoke as she and her Changeling's took in the pure energy coming off the Crystal Heart. "Hey" Nightmare began as she carefully poked at the Crystal Heart "I thought this blew creatures like me and Chrysalis up?" "It only works on things with darkness or evil intentions in it" Cadence responded with some amusement as she watched the other Alicorn cautiously back away from the heart. "So as long as nobody here has any fishy pla-" Nightmare was cut off by the shout of the Changeling Queen "Nibbles no!" Chrysalis shouted as she tried to stop the Hybrid from touching the Crystal Heart but it was too late and in one grand flash of light the young hybrid exploded into a cloud of black smoke. "Oh he is gonna be so mad when he gets back" Chrysalis spoke with a tone of dread. Don't think about eternal night, Don't think about eternal night, Nightmare silently repeated to herself Cadence continued to stare her jaw slack and a look of complete horror spread across her face "Y-your kid" "It's fine" Chrysalis reassured the Alicorn of Love as she placed a hoof on the mare. "Nibbles has been through far worse. There was the time we sent him to the sun because he kept escaping the moon and he escaped the sun and came back angry and on fire. So trust me when I say Nibbles is fine, your magical heart can't stop him.... which scares me because that was our last hope." "Ooookay then" Cadence began to speak as she remembered why she liked not being in Canterlot "How about we head inside then, I'm sure Shining Armor is wondering what's keeping us busy" As the group made their way towards the Castle door Chrysalis paused as she realized Nightmare was still standing next to the Crystal Heart staring off into space. "Nightmare what are you doing?" Chrysalis asked with slight confusion "Not thinking about Eternal Night!" the Alicorn shouted in respond before breaking into a sprint towards the rest of the group. "So this kid of your's, Luna says it almost wiped out the entire Crystal Empire" Chrysalis spoke a hint of smugness buried in her voice. "Something about uncontrollable magic and some snow" "Oh she told you about that did she? I assume she also told you that her and Celestia spent the better part of two hours trying to punch storm clouds" Cadence responded with a sly grin "Yes Flurry had a bit of trouble with her magic but that's under control now" the pink Alicorn finished speaking mere seconds before the wall on their left shattered and a baby Alicorn came floating out through the newly formed "door". "Under control?" Nightmare repeated a slight look of terror on her face as the baby Alicorn silently stared them down before letting out a giggle and teleporting away in a flash of pink light, leaving the group both confused and horrified. "It was under control" Cadence responded defensively "Should we be worried?" Chrysalis asked as she peered through the destroyed wall noticing that it was only one in a long chain of wall based carnage. "On- only slightly" Shining Armor spoke as he stumbled out of the hole and onto the floor "Oh hello Cadence, hello Chrysalis, hello Nightmare" Shining spoke as he stared up at the group. "Shining what happened?" Cadence asked as she helped her husband to his hooves. "I thought Sunburst had Flurry's magic burst under control?" "So did I, but apparently she really doesn't like baths" the Unicorn finished with an awkward chuckle as he brushed some dirt from his coat "So are we going to keep talking or are we going to stop the little monster?" Nightmare asked as she gestured in the direction the filly had floated off in. "Oh yeah" Cadance, Shining Armor, and Chrysalis responded in unison as they bolted down the hall, Nightmare following closely behind. As the group made their way down the crystal halls they noted the destruction only a child could cause. Paintings had been knocked from the walls. Small toys and stuffed animals lay throughout the hall, the victims of the fillies playtime. The walls themselves had fallen victim to the child's art skills, archaic shapes and runes had been drawn in crayon. "This is madness" Shining Armor stated in horror "This is what children do" Chrysalis stated as she stepped over several small wooden blocks. "Though, most of them aren't capable of blowing holes through castle walls." "I don't know" Nightmare began "So far I've seen two different foals capable of mass destructio-" Nightmare was caught off guard as pink aura wrapped around her and in and instant she vanished in a flash of pink light. "Oh great" Chrysalis scoffed "Now it's going to start picking us off one by one" "What do you mea-" Shining Armor was stopped in mid sentence as the pink aura wrapped around him "remember me!" he shouted as he too vanished in a flash of pink light. "So what do you want to do now?" Chrysalis asked as she turned to face the pink Alicorn. "We could go get lunch, see the city, write a friendship report." "Chrysalis, I feel you're somehow missing what is going on here." Cadence spoke with a tone of dread "Trust me Cadence, this is nothing just a foal having fun" The Changeling Queen chuckled "I've dealt with literally thousands of young Changelings, from Drones to Queens the magically inclined ones do this all the time. She's either throwing a Tea Party or she's planning to eat their souls, one of the two." Princess Cadence's fears were only amplified as the familiar pink glow began to wrap around her. "You were joking about the soul eating right?!" the pink Alicorn shouted in terror "Yeah... probably" Chrysalis shrugged as she watched the Alicorn vanish in a flash of pink leaving her alone in the hall. Chrysalis waited for several minutes for the magic aura to come back for her, but as time went on she was beginning to become more and more offended. "What a rude kid, I'll have to talk with her mother" the Changeling spoke to herself with a giggle as she once more began her search for the filly. As the Changeling made her way through the castle on her own she continued to follow the trail of toys and drawings until she had eventually made her way to the end of the trail. "The child's room" Chrysalis spoke to herself in an exaggerated manner "How could we have possibly known that this is where the creature would roost." without any second thought or care the Changeling Queen threw open the door revealing the most horrifying sight she could have imagined. "Aw, it was just a Tea-Party" the Changeling muttered to herself in disappointment as she took in the dreadfully dull sight of her comrades magically bound to comically small chairs. "Flurry sweety" Cadence spoke as she fidgeted in an attempt to break the magic binds "you have to let Daddy and I go now" The filly however, did not care for her mother's request as she poured them another cup of imaginary tea. "Flurry Hearts" Chrysalis spoke in a stern voice instantly gaining the filly's attention "You let them go this instant young filly" the Changeling Queen commanded without hesitation the young Alicorn's horn flashed a bright pink and her captives were release from their magical binds. "Now it's time for your nap" the Queen ordered Both Cadence and Shining Armor watched in stunned silence as Flurry Hearts proceeded to willing put herself in her crib without any fuss. "But how?!" Shining Armor muttered in confusion "Practice" Chrysalis answered flatly as she helped Nightmare Moon to her hooves. "Well that went better than I expected" Nightmare spoke "The child didn't eat me and I didn't think about causing eternal nigh-" the poor Alicorn never had a chance to finish her sentence as she was instantly vaporized by the crystal heart.