//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Schoolyard Talks 
// Story: "Princess Flurry Heart, Destroyer of Worlds!" 
// by Fluttercheer 
//------------------------------//

	It caused a relieving feeling inside of Flurry Heart as the bells of the school rang out the third time on this day. The second lesson was over now and she couldn't wait to get out on the schoolyard for recess. Even though this lesson was about something she usually absolutely loved, this time, Magic History just couldn't capture her the way it used to do. Being around Austere Knowledge after what he did during math lesson continously broke her immersion on the interesting historical facts that he told about. The occasional sniffing from the last row of desks didn't make it any easier. She couldn't wait to get some fresh air.
As soon as their teacher released them, Flurry Heart and Sunny Spirit got eagerly up from their stools, grabbing their saddlebags in the process, and headed for the door of the classroom. That Sunny Spirit had the same tempo in her movement as Flurry Heart did indicated that she couldn't wait getting out of the classroom either. They left the room at a smart pace, then proceeded down the corridor. Behind them, Starry Skies, who was still sniffing here and there even now, was supported by her friend as they left the room too.
Flurry's and Sunny's first destination was the cafeteria of the school. It was still on their mind to talk with Magnolia now, much more on Sunny's than on Flurry's, though, but before that, they wanted to spend some minutes in peace while eating their lunch breads and enjoying the fresh air. The cafeteria was in the middle of the long building, opposite of the entrance gate and directly under the clock the two fillies had hurriedly looked at on the way to their classroom almost two hours earlier. To its right was another set of toilets, to its left a door that led outside on the schoolyard that was located behind the building.
Now realizing how hungry they were, Flurry Heart and Sunny Spirit increased their pace while entering the cafeteria and headed straight to the outer wall of it. On their way, they passed shelves with plates and tableware that were placed on the right side of the entrance door, followed by a counter from which the students got hoofed out food by the ponies working there. This was only for actual dishes, like soups and others, though, and the counter only opened around lunchtime and was therefore only used by students who had to stay longer. Right now it was closed, so Flurry and Sunny were on the way to the fridges that contained the sandwiches that were freshly-made by the staff every day. As they looked ahead of them, they could see that they were still full, apparently not many students had arrived before them yet, and their mouths got watery.
With an eager smile on her lips, Flurry Heart opened the fridge in the middle without hesitation as she arrived at it and pulled out a sandwich that was filled with peanut butter and tomato slices. Sunny Spirit chose a simple sandwich with cream, herbs and some other vegetables, that were neatly assorted in layers. As both fillies had their snacks, they turned round at the spot and galloped outside of the cafeteria, to the right and through the door onto the schoolyard.
The schoolyard of the Magic Kindergarden of the Crystal Empire was a beautiful place. It was unusually huge, with a wide open space in the middle of it that was used by many foals to play ballgames or tag or any other games that required such a big amount of space. The ground of it was made from the finest skyblue crystals and reflected the sunlight just enough to not blind ponies who walked over it. The sparkles it created could be seen over the whole schoolyard.
In front of and behind this free space were thick patches of green. Rows of all sorts of trees; oaks, firs, birches and many more that Sunny and Flurry couldn't identify, were planted on them. The ground they grew out of was covered with dense, lush grass and the thick leafage of the trees, some of which were massive, barely let the sunlight through and the ground was mostly covered in shadows. Between the trees, white benches were placed, some of which were already occupied by fillies and colts who were busy eating their lunches or chatting with each other. The cool shadows the trees cast over the benches and the grass were the perfect place to spend time in during hot summer days.
Flurry Heart and Sunny Spirit had no eyes for all of these details right now, though, their grumbling stomachs controlled their thoughts right now, so the environment around them was merely a blur as they hurried under the foliage and sat down between the roots of a big oak.
Hungrily, both friends unwrapped their sandwiches and bit into them with greed. Only as both of them had eaten half of their respective snacks, the world around was recognized by them again. They let out a satisfied groan and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. For a few minutes, they just enjoyed the cold air in the shadows they were sitting in, while occasionally taking more bites from their sandwiches. Flurry Heart closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves above her, a content smile on her lips one wouldn't expect after some of the events today.
As Sunny Spirit had finished her sandwich, though, the peaceful silence was broken. She took out a bottle of soda from her saddlebag, took a few sips and then began to speak. “I still want to talk with Magnolia today, Flurry. There isn't much time anymore, so we need to do it right when you're finished with eating.”
Flurry Heart gulped as she heard this and instinctively started to eat slower. The way she looked at Sunny Spirit showed that she was anything but happy over what she just heard. She still didn't think of this endeavor as a good idea. Talking with Magnolia would probably just lead to some snappy, hurtful remarks by the rich filly and to them getting humiliated.
Flurry Heart was about to tell her friend that she wasn't up for this, but as she began to speak, she was suddenly interrupted by a voice that still rung in her head from earlier today. “Flurry?” the shy voice spoke to her and Flurry Heart looked up.
In front of her was Starry Skies, an expression of insecurity in her eyes and a shy smile on her lips. In her hooves, she was holding a notebook. Her friend who comforted her after Austere Knowledge's cruel treatment stood behind her, another notebook being clasped tightly in her hooves.
Reflexively, Flurry Heart got up as she recognized the filly that stood before her. She wrapped her hooves around Starry Skies, dropping the remaints of her sandwich in the process, and pulled her into a comforting hug. “I'm sorry!” she breathed into the long, purple mane of the unicorn filly. “I just made Mr. Know treating you even worse by talking to him!” Her voice was filled to the brim with regret.
But Starry Skies just shook her head and gently put a hoof on her. “No, don't be,” she said in a low tone. “I'm glad that you stood up for me, nopony else dared to do that.”
Her friend confirmed this notion. “Yeah, you shouldn't be sorry for what he did!” She flared her green wings in anger. “Nothing of this was your fault, Flurry, he is just a prick!”
Starry Skies winced. “Please don't talk like this, Fiery.”
Fiery Breeze crossed her hooves, disapproval in her eyes. “Why not? He deserves it! All the other teachers are nice, why can't he be nice too? If he chooses to act like a prick, then that's what I'm calling him!”
A shy, almost apologetic grin appeared on Starry's face, then she gently pushed Flurry, who was still hugging her, away and held her notebook in front of her face. “A-Anyway, I'm here to say thank you and to give you this.” She placed the notebook in Flurry's hooves. “I figured that you couldn't write everything from the blackboard into it before Mr. Know erased it, so you can have mine until tomorrow.”
Surprised, Flurry Heart looked around between the notebook and Starry's face. “But then you won't have it for the next lesson. This will just get you into more trouble, Starry.” Flurry Heart attempted to give the notebook back to her, but Starry refused to take it and stopped her movement.
“I know, but it's okay. I'm used to it and that's the best way to thank you. And I don't want that you get into more trouble because of how useless I am.....” Starry's voice became quieter and trailed off during these last words.
Fiery Breeze rolled her eyes. “Not this again!” Vigorously, she stepped forward and let her own notebook drop into Sunny Spirit's lap. “And here's mine! I wanted to give it to Flurry Heart too to thank her for helping Starry, but Starry was faster, so I give it to you. That's at least some way to express my gratitude for helping my friend.” Without awaiting a response by Sunny, she turned around and trotted past Starry Skies as vigorously as before. Not stopping in her movement, she put a hoof on Starry and pulled her unicorn friend with her. “And we're going to talk!” she exclaimed brash without looking at Starry. “I already told you a hundred times I don't want to hear from you that you call yourself useless! Especially not because of something this monster is doing to you!”
Getting dragged away from her, Starry waved at Flurry Heart. “T-Thank you, Flurry, but I-I got to go now. Just give the notebook back to me tomorrow before school!”
Flurry Heart just nodded in response, still in surprise over the unexpected, kind gesture, then Starry and Fiery disappeared behind a tree.
She stared at the spot where she had seen them last until she felt a nudge at her side that threw her out of her trance. Looking to her right, she saw Sunny Spirit standing at her side, her saddlebag already on her back. With a swift movement, she placed Flurry Heart's own saddlebag on hers. Sunny gave her a strong pat on the back. “Now let's go and talk to Magnolia! Recess is already half over!” she exclaimed full of energy and went ahead.
Her head hanging, Flurry Heart slowly trotted after Sunny Spirit. It was still a dumb idea, she thought, but she could also clearly see that Sunny was extremely motivated and by experience with her friend, she knew that a “No” was nothing Sunny would accept now. Sunny Spirit didn't exactly know where Magnolia was right now, she and Flurry haven't seen her since they left the class, but by a lucky coincidence it didn't take long for the leading filly to find her.
As they left the forest-like environment into the direction of the schoolhouse, they saw Magnolia standing near the back entrance, her two henchponies flanking her as usual. As Magnolia's eyes fell on them and she noticed that they headed straight towards her, her expression became stern and she turned to the Bulb Twins. “Dork, Dope. I'm still hungry. Go into the cafeteria and get me more to eat. You know what I like.” The way she talked sounded unusually clipped, but as always, the two colts didn't question their master and crush. Dork and Dope bowed in front of Magnolia, then they eagerly hurried into the building.
As Flurry Heart saw the stern and serious expression in Magnolia's eyes, she began to shiver. “We can still turn around and return under the trees, Sunny!” she began to beg her friend. “I can feel her eyes on my wings.”
Sunny Spirit placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “Don't worry, I'll do most of the talking. I just want to check out if I'm right.”
As they had reached Magnolia and stopped in front of her, Flurry did a step back and pressed herself tightly against Sunny's body, which caused a strange flicker in Magnolia's eyes. She looked away from Flurry Heart and turned to Sunny Spirit. “What do you want here?” she asked rude, but with a slight shiver in her voice.
Sunny Spirit had noticed it too, both the shiver and the flickering in her eyes before. “I think you already know what we want, Magnolia,” she replied, letting her voice sound as stern as possible.
For a moment, Magnolia didn't say anything. Sunny Spirit used the opportunity to examine the face of her opponent. Magnolia's face was strangely expressionless and in her eyes was something that Sunny had never seen in them before, something she didn't dare to call “guilt” just yet. Then suddenly, Magnolia spoke again. “I suppose I do,” she said taut.
Sunny's face became smug. “I knew it,” she thought to herself. But then she immediately returned to her stern expression. And now she confronted Magnolia with everything.
“You hurt Flurry Heart today. A lot. I don't understand why you hate her so much, but you have overdone it today, Magnolia. Do you have any idea how much she was crying after you left? And how afraid she is of you?” Flurry Heart gave Sunny a warning glance, but her friend continued. “Flurry told me that she is afraid you could knock her out and cut off her wings one day. She thinks you could be insane and she really fears it that you could do this one day. And today you really hurt one of her wings! That's no game, Magnolia. You went too far today.” A filly's voice couldn't be more filled with accusation as Sunny's was, now that she told Magnolia all of these things.
As Magnolia felt the effects of the word “insane” in connection to her name wash over her, anger rose in her. Her face distorted to a grim expression, she stomped her hoof into the ground. “I'M NOT INSANE!” she shouted. A few fillies and colts raised their heads and looked into her direction, a small amount of fright in their eyes. Flurry Heart did a few steps backwards.
“Maybe not,” Sunny Spirit continued calmly. “But what you did today really made it look like it you are.”
Of course this statement didn't do anything to quench Magnolia's sudden anger. Furiously, her mane shaking by the rash movement, she shot a hoof at Flurry Heart. “I hate her!” she exclaimed loudly. “I hate her wings for all they are and I hate her for having them! I'm not insane, however, don't expect me to be nice to her or to even become her friend or something like that!” Surprisingly, instead of talking herself more into rage, Magnolia's voice became weaker with every word she spoke.
Sunny Spirit wanted to address this furious statement with another counter, as Magnolia continued before she could.
“But.....” Her voice was merely a whisper now. She put down her hoof. All of a sudden, it was like Flurry and Sunny stood in front of a different filly.
Magnolia's voice began to tremble. “I-I shouldn't have done this. I shouldn't have ripped out one of her feathers. Doing that was w-wrong.” Magnolia's voice cracked and she stopped.
Now Sunny wasn't saying anything. Her mouth fell open and she just stared at Magnolia, her eyes expressing disbelief and shock. Flurry Heart reacted the same way, although her disbelief was of a more sceptical nature. She bent over to Sunny and whispered into her ear. “Is she just pretending?”
“I-I don't know,” the other filly replied. As a few tears appeared in the corners of Magnolia's eyes, Sunny Spirit's last doubt faded. “M-Magnolia.....” she stammered.
Magnolia visibly tried to compose herself, but she also visibly failed to do this. “I-I still hate her, b-but I would h-have never thought I c-could go so f-far to really injure Flurry H-Heart.” Her voice was constantly trembling now, making it hard to understand her.
None of the two friends knew what to say, they just continued staring at her, Flurry Heart still with a good portion of scepticism, Sunny Spirit still in shock and disbelief.
At the former one, Magnolia began to look now. “I-I'm sorry, F-Flurry.” Magnolia hectically did a step forward, her hooves stretched out at Flurry Heart. Her face was completely frantic now.
Flurry Heart did another step back, a fearful expression on her own face now. But Magnolia continued her advance at her. “C-Can you please f-forgive me, F-Flurry H-Heart? H-Here, I even g-give you back y-your f-feather!” With shaking hooves, she reached up into her mane, pulled out the pink feather and placed it into Flurry Heart's mane. Flurry Heart pressed her eyes shut as Magnolia's hoof approached her. “I-I would l-like to return i-it w-where it b-belongs, b-but I k-know I-I c-can't anymore! W-Will you f-forgive me a-anyway?” Magnolia's stammering has grown into unbelievable dimensions now.
As Flurry Heart didn't answer and just stared at her after opening her eyes again, Magnolia fell down on her knees. “P-Please, Flurry, f-forgive me t-that I d-did this!” Then she crouched down and cried on the crystal ground, in a similar pose like Flurry Heart earlier this day.
Now it was Flurry Heart's mouth that stood widely open. “I-I don't know. M-Maybe?” This was all the little alicorn managed to say upon this sight in front of her. Too big were the shock and the surprise.
But Sunny Spirit shook her head now and turned around to Magnolia. “We forgive you, but only if you promise that you don't attack Flurry Heart ever again!” Now that she had overcome her shock, Sunny was intended to use the moment to their full advantage.
Magnolia looked up and around to Sunny Spirit. Her face was one big, wet mess now. She wiped with a hoof over her eyes. “I-I promise, everything!” she breathed out, a little calmer now.
“Swear it!” Sunny replied unimpressed.
Slowly, Magnolia got up on shaking hooves. “I-I swear. I s-swear I will never h-hurt Flurry Heart a-again.”
Now Sunny's face softened, but only slightly. Making sure she retained some sternness in it, she replied “Okay, then we forgive you. But we will hold you accountable on that!”
“T-Thank you, I..... I-I won't do it again,” Magnolia promised a second time. Then she turned around and began to make her way towards the entrance of the building, still sobbing. After a few meters, her slow trot turned into a full gallop. Crying more intensely again, she galloped past Dope and Dork who just came out again with another snack and left them behind without a clue what happened.
Flurry and Sunny looked after the regretful bully until she had disappeared inside the school, then Flurry turned to her friend. “Do you think she will keep her word?”
“I'm not sure. But I hope she does,” was all that Sunny could answer.