• Published 5th Jan 2017
  • 1,157 Views, 115 Comments

The Bonds of Family - KidatHeart5



7th installment of "Royal Canterlot Family". Based on "Snow White". Skyla grows jealous of Flurry Heart, unaware that she is putting herself in danger. Will Flurry Heart save her in time?

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Shelter

She couldn’t stand it. She absolutely couldn’t stand it. This was all her doing. The Gem of Harmony wouldn’t have broken if she hadn’t tried to use it. She wouldn’t have tried to use it if Skyla hadn’t corrupted herself. And Skyla wouldn’t have corrupted herself if Flurry hadn’t been loved at all. Everything led back to Flurry, so henceforth, it was her fault.

She had to get away. She just had to get away. The chaos in the wake of the Gem being shattered was too much for her to bear. They could never find out it was her. She had to hide, but where? Maybe someplace dark and hidden like –

“Whoa!”

Flurry’s distracting thoughts and her teary vision had blinded her from seeing the peak of Foal Mountain until it was almost too late. She fortunately dodged it, but she immediately lost wing control after making such a quick move. She yelped as she tried to regain her flying, but her panicked attempts only made her dive headfirst into a dark forest. She crashed through the top branches of the trees and eventually got lodged between two limbs of a forked branch. Her messy mane hung down as she struggled to get free and onto the ground.

Suddenly, she heard a menacing growl. She gasped as red glowing eyes emerged from the trees. Each pair of eyes was attached to a prickly body in the form of a bear’s. The bears looked up as they sniffed at their new prey. One of the bears stood upright and began to push on the tree trunk, making Flurry yelp.

She shouted at the top of her lungs, “Help! HELP!!!”

As soon as she cried for help, a loud whistle attracted the bears’ attention.

She heard a male voice shouting, “Hey, prickle-backs! Over here!”

When another whistle sounded, the bears immediately growled and ran towards the noise. The whistling and the growling grew fainter and fainter until Flurry could no longer hear them. When she was completely alone, she teleported herself onto the ground and ran in the opposite direction. She panted as she hurried through the thick forest, hoping that the bears wouldn’t chase after her. The dark woods were scary in her eyes and she prayed that she’d find some safety soon. Just then, she saw a faint light shining through the trees. Sighing breathlessly of relief, she ran towards the light.

When Flurry reached the lamppost at the edge of the forest, she felt something wash over her body as she exited the woods. She looked back and wondered what it could’ve been, but decided not to worry about it at the moment. She was safe from the bears and that was all that mattered. Now she just needed to figure out where she was. The barely-visible town in front of her was dark in the woods at this time of night. There were hardly any ponies or creatures wandering about.

She thought to herself, Good. The less people who see me, the better.

“You there!”

Flurry cringed, feeling like she just jinxed that thought. She turned to see a light purple unicorn with a wavy pink mane. She wore glasses over her eyes and was adorned with many accessories.

The unicorn smirked, “You are a princess, are you not?”

Flurry knew her horn and wings gave it away, but she uttered, “Um…”

“Oh, now, now, now. Don’t be modest. Why don’t you come into my store to buy some wares? I have valuable objects from all over that you can’t resist having.”

“Thank you for the kind offer, but what I really need is shelter.”

The unicorn then became dispassionate and said, “Oh. Check in at the inn two street markers from here if you want someplace to stay.”

Flurry knew that someone there might recognize her, so she explained, “Oh, no, I can’t. I…am on the run.”

The unicorn’s eyes widened with interest and she asked, “On the run?” She then gave a sly smile, “It must be something pretty bad for a princess like you to want to stay hidden from view. But if you are willing to pay for some of my goods, perhaps I could let you stay at my little abode for a while.”

Flurry said, “Oh, I didn’t bring any money with me, but I give you my word that as soon as I return to my kingdom, you will be repaid for your kind deed. Sound fair?”

The unicorn rubbed her chin as she said, “A princess’s word is very hard to break.” After contemplating for a few more seconds, she smiled, “All right. We have a deal.”

Flurry and the mare shook hooves.

The unicorn said, “Let me close up shop so you can come home with me.”

After the shop went dark and the adult mare closed the door, Flurry pointed out, “I never got your name.”

The shopkeeper chortled, “Oh, that’s right! We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Cauldron Bubbles, owner of the finest magic shop in all of Hollow Shades. Who may you be?”

Flurry put her hoof on her chest as she said, “I’m Princess Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire.”

“The Crystal Empire?” Her eyes widened as she said in amazement, “You’re from the Gleaming Jewel of Equestria? I knew you were a princess, but I didn’t know that you came from…You know what? Send me jewels instead of bits when you get back. That’s what I want in repayment.”

When the two ponies came up to the edge of the forest, Flurry grew nervous. “Maybe we should take the safest route.”

CB smirked, “This is the safest route.”

Flurry gulped. When they set hoof into the woods, the tingling sensation washed over her body again.

The princess asked after they began walking, “What was that?”

Cauldron said, “That feeling you just got? It’s the magical barrier surrounding the town. It protects Hollow Shades and anyone who goes into the woods from the Black Forest Bears and other harmful creatures.”

“I sure wasn’t protected.”

“You weren’t?”

“No. Some of the bears tried to eat me.”

Cauldron put her hoof to her chin, “Interesting. Which way did you come into the forest?”

Flurry blushed in embarrassment, “I…crash-landed through the trees.”

This took Cauldron by surprise. “Were you attacked by enemy forces?”

She shook her head, “No. I was pretty much alone until tonight.”

Before Cauldron could say anything, her attention turned to the damage on the trees and the debris of branches on the ground. “Whoa! Is this where you crash-landed?”

“This is where I stopped.”

“Oh, my! That must’ve been some crash-landing, huh? Even a princess like you would be more graceful than that.” When Flurry hung her head in shame, Cauldron apologized, “I’m terribly sorry for that remark. It was rude of me to say that. Come on. Let’s get going.”

When they reached the cottage outside of the forest, Flurry felt the tingle again.

Cauldron, knowing what Flurry was going to say, explained, “Yes, I know. I put the protection spell on my neck of the woods, too.” She then laughed, “Get it? ‘My neck of the woods’?”

Flurry chuckled and then said, “You’re just as funny as someone I know.”

Cauldron dared with a smile, “Oh, yeah? Wait till you meet my son. You’re going to love him. He is absolutely magnificent, one of a kind.” When she opened the door, she called out, “We’re home!”

Flurry looked inside and saw many mystical items and designs decorating the interior. Herbs hung over an alchemy table and a cauldron sat in the fireplace beside it.

Cauldron’s brow furrowed as she said, “Huh. Maybe he’s upstairs reading the copy of Mooncurve's Guide to Interval Incantations I gave him. I’ll go check up on him. Make yourself comfortable.”

As Cauldron Bubbles went upstairs, Flurry looked around for someplace to sit. Just then, she heard a distinct squeaking. She turned towards the open door and saw a tiny mouse scampering out of a bush at the edge of the forest. In curiosity, she walked out of the cottage and near the bush. At that moment, she heard a voice that she recognized as her rescuer’s!

The voice grunted, “Hey! Where do you think you’re going? You’re not getting away from me this time! Ah-ha! Oh, no…AAAAGGGGHHH!”

A large pack of mice scrambled out of the bush, causing Flurry to gasp and hover off the ground. After the mice were gone, Flurry landed on the grass again. Suddenly, a stallion’s face poked through the bush, surprising her. He was also surprised to see somepony new around here.

Timidly, he bared his sharp teeth in a small grin and said, “Hi.”

Flurry was astonished that though he looked like a regular pony, he had fangs lining his mouth. On the other hoof, he did look kind of cute with his deep reddish brown coat, the light brilliant cerulean spot over his mouth, the jagged bang colored with light brilliant azure and white, and his deep chartreuse green eyes.

She asked him, “What do you think you were doing?”

The colt ducked his face into the bush again until he emerged from behind it with a swatch of leafy brush stuck to his head. “Well, I was just trying to catch some mice. It’s a game I play with them.”

“Sounds to me like you were chasing them. Fluttershy would not approve.”

The stallion didn’t notice Flurry’s wings until that moment. “Say, you don’t happen to be a princess, do you?”

“What gave it away?”

“Your wings and horn. Only alicorns are royals.”

“Other ponies can be royals, too. You haven’t seen my family.”

He blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Sorry. What I meant to say was that the only alicorns around are royals. I suppose ponies consider them too powerful to be anything else.”

She sighed, “That might be true. I’m Princess Flurry Heart.”

“Hmm. Can’t say I’ve heard of you. You probably wouldn’t know me, either. I’m Mischief.”

Flurry smiled as they shook hooves, “Pleased to meet you. No offense, but you have something on your head.”

Mischief nervously chuckled as he put his hoof on the swatch, “Oh, it’s nothing, really. I’ll deal with it later.”

Just then, Cauldron Bubbles leaned out the doorway and smirked, “Ah, Mischief. I see you’ve met our new houseguest. I’m glad you are treating her with such warmth and hospitality. I hope that behavior from you continues, young colt.”

As Mischief and Flurry started walking back to the house, he whispered to her, “I take it you met my mom.”

Flurry asked in hesitation, “So the fangs…?”

“From my dad. I’ll explain later.”

When the two ponies entered the house, Cauldron whispered to Flurry, “I knew you’d like him.” The unicorn then looked at the swatch of bush on her son’s head and asked in a chiding tone, “Mischief, why do you have a piece of bush on your head?”

Mischief replied, “I’ll take it off upstairs, Mom.”

He started going up the stairs, but like when he went up to the house, the leaves of the swatch fell off with each step. By the time he got to his bedroom, he saw that the swatch was gone and his deer antlers were exposed.

His eyes shrunk as he breathed, “Oh, no.” He rushed to the top step of the stairs and saw his mother and Flurry Heart gaping up at him from the first floor. He sighed in defeat, “You saw the antlers, didn’t you?”

Flurry nodded, “Well…yes.” Mischief braced himself for any rude or scathing comment the princess would make, but instead she asked, “They’re from your dad, too?”

Even though he was surprised, he answered, “Yes.”

Cauldron Bubbles suggested, “Why don’t we clear the air during supper? It might help break the ice some more.”


During dinner, Flurry tried not to stare at Mischief’s antlers and Mischief averted eye contact with Flurry in case she gave him weird or disgusted glances. The only thing neither wanted to be was hated more.

Cauldron Bubbles found the silence to be awkward, so she said, “So, Princess, did you know that Mischief has quite a colorful past?”

Mischief said under his breath, “Mom, no.”

She chastised, “Oh, shush. Let me tell her about –“

“I’ll do it.” He opened his mouth to explain, but he chickened out at the last second and said, “I…don’t have much to talk about.”

Cauldron rolled her eyes at her son’s feeble attempt.

Flurry assumed the topic was difficult for Mischief, so she changed the subject. “I want to thank you for saving my life earlier.”

Both Cauldron and Mischief were surprised to hear that.

The antlered colt asked, “What?”

Flurry explained, “I heard you whistle and get the bears’ attention. You lured them away from me so I could escape.”

Mischief was now flabbergasted and he exclaimed, “That was you?! You were the one calling for help?!”

The alicorn rubbed her arm in embarrassment, “Yeah, I kinda crash-landed in the forest and got stuck in a tree.”

He stayed silent until he said, “I don’t understand. What would a princess like you be doing all the way out here?”

Cauldron responded, “She’s on the run. That’s why she’s staying with us. When the danger passes, she’ll go back to the Crystal Empire and repay us in glittering jewels.”

“Wait a minute. You’re from the Crystal Empire?”

Flurry nodded, “Yes.”

“But shouldn’t you have the Crystal Heart to protect you? I read that it’s very powerful.”

Cauldron said, “Not for long. I hear that all kinds of magic are dying and the Crystal Heart may be one of them.”

Flurry thought with guilt, And all because of me.

She rose from the table and said with a slight trace of sorrow in her voice, “I would like to go to bed now.”

Cauldron led her upstairs as she said, “All right. I’ll show you to the guest bedroom.”

Mischief couldn’t help but pity Flurry. She must’ve gotten sad from hearing about how the Crystal Heart might be dying. More than anything, he knew how important one’s home was.


Flurry Heart was grateful to be given shelter in her time of need. However, as she climbed into bed, she knew that it would result in yet another restless night. Her guilt and trauma would infest her sleep and bring about terrible nightmares. It had been like that ever since she broke the Gem of Harmony and endangered the lives of everyone. She saw being in bed as pointless and put her hooves on the floor.

She noticed that a beam of moonlight touched her hoof, and despite her better judgment, she dared to open the curtains and look out the window. There it was, the blemished moon with the mark of a pony’s head on it. She knew that was her sister up there, the sister she put on the moon. Flurry could imagine Skyla looking down on her with seething hatred, those red eyes cutting through her very soul. The thought of Skyla – or anyone else – never forgiving Flurry was enough to break her. Hot tears came rapidly as Flurry tried to quiet her sobs so no one could hear her.

Knock-knock-knock

The sudden knocking of the door stopped Flurry’s crying.

Mischief’s voice said in concern, “Hey, Flurry? I just wanted to see if you were doing okay.”

Flurry hastily wiped her tears away as she replied in a broken voice, “Yes. I – I’m fine now.”

“Are you sure?”

She answered as she climbed into bed, “Yes. Goodnight, Mischief.”

Outside the door, Mischief stood there, wondering why Flurry sounded upset just now. Surely the dimming power of her kingdom’s relic wasn’t enough to make a princess weep. He was fairly certain of that. If she wasn’t upset over the Crystal Heart dying, then what could it be?

Author's Note:

For the record, Cauldron Bubbles is not an OC. She is a canon character who has recently appeared in Issue #51 of the MLP comic series. I thought that given her expertise in magic (and my sister’s liking to the character), I decided to make her part of this story.
As for the Black Forest Bears, they’re OCs from one of my early fanfictions.