Windigo Storm

by TalkingToMyself

Aftermath

Crystal Note woke up with a start and tried to take as deep of a breath as possible, her brain telling her she desperately needed air. When her mouth opened and she tried to inhale, she whimpered in pain as not air but what felt like shards of glass made their way through her throat and into her burning lungs. She wanted to cry in pain but the only sound she managed was a broken groan and a whimper before the pain in her throat overwhelmed her senses.
Suddenly she felt something against her lips and her tongue tasted cool water. She tried to lean forward, greedily swallowing the offered drink that tasted like heaven to her, only to have it burn down her throat like liquid hellfire. A violent cough shook her whole body, followed by another painful attempt to breathe.

She felt someone pushing her back into a pillow, only now she could realize that she was lying in a bed. The cup came back to her lips and this time offered her a far smaller sip, making sure she'd swallowed before the next tiny sip. Very slowly her breathing calmed down as the cool water managed to soothe the pain in her throat. For minutes, she followed the slow rhythm of breathing and tiny sips. The cup left her for a moment at one point but came back with more water for her to drink. When the second cup was almost empty, she finally remembered how to open her eyes.

Her vision was blurry, but she picked up the important things. She recognized the room as one of the infirmary in the Crystal Palace. It was a small room with just enough space for the bed she lay on, a small nightstand and a chair next to the bed. On the other side of the bed stood Rose Quartz, holding the cup of water and gently feeding her sister sip after sip.
Crystal Note lost most of her tension when she saw her sister's face and sunk back into the pillows, focusing on drinking once more. Rose Quartz soon filled another cup and tried to instil more liquid into her mouth, but this time a bitter taste hit Crystal Note's tongue and her mouth convulsed, trying to spit the drink out again, which only caused another pained cough.

Rose Quartz carefully rubbed her shoulder to help her calm down again
"Come on, Crissy. You need to drink this, it's medicine. It'll make the pain go away and help you sleep."
The cup came closer to her mouth again, but Crystal Note managed to push it away with her hoof. She tried to speak but through her sore throat, the words barely made it out, her voice more sounding like two rocks grinding against each other than anything else
"How... how are..."
She couldn't even finish one question before she started to cough again. Rose Quartz knew her well enough to get the message anyways and nodded
"Everypony's fine. Princess Flurry Heart and the guards got everypony into safety, Princess Cadance and Prince Consort Shining Armor drove away the Windigos."
Crystal Note's eyes focused on her sister and her mouth opened again, but Rose Quartz just nodded again
"The other three are in the next room. They got mild hypothermia like you, but they'll be fine according to the doctor. It's you she's worried about, you hurt your throat in the freezing air."

The mouth opened once more but Rose' hoof was there to prevent another attempt of speaking
"No talking for you. Doctor's orders. You need to stay in bed and take your medicine. Don't make me go and get a funnel. You know I will."
Crystal Note rolled her eyes but her shoulders shivered in a soundless if pained giggle. Rose Quartz smiled and offered the cup again. Her sister glanced at it suspiciously and gave her a pleading look which made Rose nod understandingly
"I promise I'll tell you everything that happened once you had some rest."

Crystal Note nodded and obediently opened her mouth. Her muzzle scrunched when she swallowed the bitter liquid but by the time the cup was half empty, her eyes fluttered heavily. She downed the last few drops before her head was lowered on the pillow by Rose Quartz but at that point she was already deep asleep again.

---

When Crystal Note woke up the next time, she noticed the light was different. She'd guess it was late night but she couldn't tell what day it might be. She felt like she'd been sleeping a week but the sting in her throat told her it couldn't have been that long, the pain still felt very fresh. She still felt sore and tired all over, not to mention cold, so she only let her eyes wander through the empty room.
On the nightstand next to bed stood a new cup of water that put her into a dilemma. She desperately wanted a drink but she didn't feel like sitting up and reaching out for it.
After a few minutes of pondering, her thirst won and she clumsily sat upright on the bed and reached out. She needed both hooves to pick up the cup and it took all her focus to bring it to her lips to drink, but the soothing coolness of the water was worth it.

Sitting upright also allowed her to see something else, or rather somepony else. Curled up on the floor next to the bed was Flurry Heart. The filly had obviously fallen asleep while waiting for her to wake and Flurry's wings were wrapped around herself against the cold of the night. Crystal Note didn't know why the filly had chosen the floor instead of the chair but that didn't matter now.
She set the empty cup back on the nightstand and closed her eyes. Her horn came to life with soft glow and the same glow surrounded the sleeping princess. Crystal Note's eyes closed more tightly from the effort but she managed to gently lift Flurry Heart up from the floor and into the bed without waking her.

She set the filly down next to her on the bed and covered her with a lion's share of the blanket. She started shivering from getting cold again, but it was better than risking Flurry Heart to get ill as well. Flurry stirred under the blanket so Crystal Note gently ran her hoof through the filly's mane so she'd stay asleep hopefully. What she didn't expect was Flurry shuffling towards her and snuggling in. Crystal Note's shivering stopped and a silent sigh rose out of her as the young princess shared her warmth with the freezing mare.
Crystal Note felt drowsy as the warmth seeped into her. She felt like her body had almost forgotten how it felt to be warm but now melted into the nice feeling.
She gingerly wrapped her hooves around the sleeping filly and used a quick glow of magic to pull the blankets around both of them. Within minutes, the cosy warmth and the soft breathing of the young princess lulled Crystal Note back to sleep.

---

The first rays of the sun fell into the royal bedchamber the next morning. Princess Cadance was already up, sleep had eluded her. She'd lain awake next to Shining Armor who had all but collapsed into their bed.
She didn't blame him, he had been working very hard for days and used up the last of his strength against the Windigos. He deserved some rest, no matter how desperately she wanted to shake him awake just so she'd have somepony to talk to.

After two hours of trying to fall asleep, Cadance had given up and climbed out of bed again. She needed this time, to think, a few hours just for herself. It had been impossible with the storm approaching and getting the palace ready for everypony, not to mention the usual royal business that needed time and attention as well. The few free hours of the last week had been dedicated to her little Snowflake. Flurry Heart had grown so much during the last months and Cadance was determined to get as much quality time with her daughter as she could.

This night however, Flurry Heart had been in a hurry to get to her room, leaving Cadance alone with her thoughts. Again, she couldn't blame her. Flurry was probably as confused as she was herself.
Cadance stared at her reflection in the large mirror, like she had almost all night. By now she'd almost gotten used to the mare staring back at her.
At first, all she could see was the waving mane. It belonged to her and had her usual colours, magenta, pink and a stripe of pale yellow. But now it seemed almost alive, the strands of mane waving in the softest of breezes, the colours blending together on the edges. She'd always thought Auntie Celestia and Auntie Luna used a spell to have their manes constantly waving in an invisible breeze, but now she could see it just happened. She'd tried, in front of the mirror, turning her head, facing in different directions, but the breeze that moved her mane always shifted along. It was funny in way but also infuriating at the same time how little control she suddenly had over her own mane.

It had taken Cadance a while to see something else than her mane, but when she did her confidence slowly returned. Those were still her eyes in her own face looking back at her. They didn't suddenly stare at her with century old wisdom like Auntie Celestia's eyes did. They didn't have that unworldly glow in them she'd seen in Auntie Luna's eyes when she talked about dreams. Those were her eyes, open and clear like they'd always been, sitting in her own face.
Her body still looked the same as well, not growing taller like her aunts. She still had the same thoughts she'd had yesterday. She didn't suddenly have an incredible wisdom bestowed on her, she couldn't see the future or sense the inner workings of the world around her. From what she could tell she was still Cadance, Princess of Love, wife, mother and regent of the Crystal Empire.

With her peace of mind somewhat restored, she'd written a few short letters. The first to Twilight Velvet in Canterlot to inform her that the storm had passed and Flurry Heart was well, knowing far too well how much her mother-in-law would worry otherwise. Next came letters to the other Princesses, summing up what had happened and asking if they could offer her more information about Windigos.
She had managed to drive them out of the Empire and with the ghostly beings gone, the power of the blizzard had collapsed into harmless snowfall, but she wanted to be sure they wouldn't return anytime soon.
Her final letter turned into an official request to the crown, demanding for an investigation of the northern tundra as soon as the weather would permit it. If the Windigos could reach the Crystal Empire, it was most likely they could reach Equestria as well.

The sun slowly rose higher and Cadance pulled her eyes away from the mirror. Shining Armor was still sleeping, so she silently left the room and went to Flurry's room.
Cadance carefully opened the door and peeked inside the room only to find it empty. That fact alone didn't surprise her too much, but the obviously unused bed made her worry for a moment. Then again, the way Flurry had been acting towards the end of the day, maybe she shouldn't be too surprised.
Flurry Heart had confessed she blamed herself for what had happened, despite Shining Amor's and her own reassuring words that she wasn't responsible for any of it. Flurry had been strong for the ponies around her and pushed her own feelings out of the way, but when they retired for the night they'd all caught up on her with doubled strength. Cadance sighed deeply and scolded herself for another night her daughter would have needed her and she wasn't there.
She had a good idea what Flurry would be up to, so she closed the door again and walked down another hallway.

---

After a quick chat with the nurse, Cadance entered the smallest of the rooms in the infirmary. She smiled when she saw the bundle on the single bed. Both Crystal Note and Flurry Heart were snuggled close to each other under the warm blankets, the silvery-white mare partially curled around the filly so only the pink and blue mane peeked out.
Cadance couldn't help but feel even more proud of her daughter. Flurry Heart had played an important part in keeping the ponies safe and found the words to keep them away from despair during the worst of the storm. She'd been the one who encouraged them to activate the crystal heart and by doing so she'd not only saved Shining Armor and Cadance, but the entire Crystal Empire from the Windigos.
Yet despite all her accomplishments, she'd not shown any hubris or vanity. Instead, here she was, trying to do what she could for the ponies who had been hurt most from the Windigos. Crystal Note had been caught in the middle of the freezing storm but the mare already looked better, Flurry's presence and comfort helping her to get her well deserved rest.

As Cadance watched her daughter and her friend sleep peacefully, she noticed a golden glow from beneath the blankets. She carefully lifted the blanket and saw her little Snowflake struggling with a spell, the glow coming from her horn. The filly noticed her and stopped the magic with a guilty expression on her face.
Cadance gently picked up her daughter and pulled her into a soft embrace
"Are you alright, Snowflake?"
The filly snuggled into her mother's hooves but shook her head
"I can't figure out that spell but Crystal Note needs it."
Cadance smiled as she understood and held Flurry closer against her
"You tried a healing spell?"
The white filly nodded against her mother's chest who gently ran her hoof through the filly's mane.
"Those are some of the trickiest and most difficult, Flurry. It takes many years of study and practice to get them right. Not even a wonderful talent like yours can change this."
"She wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place if it wasn't for me."

Cadance sighed silently and sat down on her haunches. She gently set her daughter down as well, but kept forehooves circled around Flurry to still be close.
"Why do you think that?"
The filly shuffled closer to Cadance and sniffled out an explanation
"I led the Cutie Mark Crusaders outside when you told me to stay inside. I thought I could just stop the storm with magic. And then we all started fighting."
Cadance allowed Flurry's head to rest against her
"What happened then?"
"Everypony was so angry, me too. But then, I got scared. It felt so wrong. I tried to stop them, but they didn't listen. Even Crystal Note was angry, that scared me the most. I've never seen her angry before."
Cadance nodded softly and began to rub down Flurry's back with her hoof
"I did, a few times. She only gets angry if she cares about somepony very much. Like she cares about you."
Another sniffle from the alicorn filly
"Then it's even worse I hurt her, right?"
"Flurry, my little gem. You did none of that. You were overeager to help and therefore you made a mistake. You meant well, and now you've learned from it. I'm proud of you."

Flurry Heart looked up at her with an expression that wavered between hope and disbelieve
"I am very proud of you, Flurry. Without your help, your father and I would have never been able to save everypony. You gave them hope when they were desperate, your presence kept the ponies from panicking. And in the end, you inspired them to send their light into the crystal heart."
Flurry listened to her mother, but with each word her ears sunk deeper into her curly mane
"I didn't do any of this by myself. The other Crusaders and Rose Quartz and Sunburst, they all helped me."
"And that's only more reason for me to be proud of you."
Immediately, Flurry's ears perked up again, causing Cadance to giggle softly
"You see, not even a princess can do everything all by herself. That's why I have advisors, secretaries and guards, to help me do what's best for our ponies. Knowing when to ask for help and finding the courage to do so, that's what makes a good princess.
And that's what you did, Snowflake. You didn't let your pride or your fear get the better of you. Instead you inspired so many ponies to help and to trust you."
Cadance smiled and gently kissed the top of her daughter's head
"I know you'll make a wonderful princess someday, Flurry."

Flurry Heart all but squealed in joy and nuzzled close, her Mommy's words balm on her heart and soul. She rested her head against the soft pink coat while smiling, but then another troubling thought crossed her mind
"But what if I make mistakes once I'm a princess? Won't that make me a bad princess?"
"Oh, Flurry. You will make more mistakes, you can't prevent that."
Flurry Heart turned her head to stare up at her mother's face, only the soothing tone of her voice keeping her away from a panic attack at the moment.
Cadance smiled down at her and held her close
"Everypony makes mistakes, even princesses. What's important is to not repeat them and to learn from them. Even your great aunt Celestia is not flawless."
"Not even you?"
Cadance sighed but held the gaze of her daughter, her blue eyes wide in surprise that her mother might make mistakes
"Especially not me, Snowflake. I've made my good share of missteps and errors, and I still do plenty as hard as I try to avoid them. I'm very lucky everypony is willing to forgive me, especially you, my little gem."
"Me?"
Cadance nodded and gently pulled her daughter closer with her hooves
"Yes Flurry. Think of all the hugs and talks we missed out on because I was busy elsewhere. Every bedtime story I didn't tell you, every goodnight kiss I missed. All your adventures I didn't see myself and only heard about. Every little injury you had and I wasn't there to make it better. Every nightmare you had and I was not there for you when you woke up.
These are the mistakes I regret every day. Mistakes I can't make up for. I love you so much Flurry, but I fail so often in being the perfect mother you deserve."

Cadance closed her eyes for a moment and felt tears running down her cheeks. She gasped when she felt Flurry jumping up and clutching her hooves around her neck, pressing in close against her, so close she could feel the filly's heart beat next to her own.
Her hooves flew up to embrace her wonderful daughter and her wings cocooned Flurry in soft feathers and love.
She felt the wetness of tears where Flurry's head pressed against her coat and heard the whispered words
"You're the best mommy ever!"
Cadance smiled as new tears run down her face, happy ones this time
"You forgive all my mistakes?"
She felt a nod against her chest
"I love you mommy!"
"And I love you, Snowflake. And that's why I always forgive you, whatever mistake you made or will do, I forgive you. Just like everypony else who cares for you."

Cadance and Flurry basked in each other’s embrace and love, oblivious to the world around for a little while longer. Cadance only opened her eyes when she felt another pair of hooves carefully wrap half around Flurry Heart and herself. With a smile, she saw Crystal Note who had snuck on them to join their hug, nuzzling Flurry’s mane softly in silent reassurement. Since her voice was still gone from the cold, she needed another way to let the filly know she, like everypony else, was not blaming her for anything that happened.
Cadance brow rose when she noticed the shivering of the silvery mare, obviously freezing again out of her bed. With a soft sigh, she released her daughter from her embrace
“Flurry, would you tell the nurse Crystal Note is awake now? She told me the doctor wanted to check on her again, and I believe we could all use some breakfast as well.”
When Flurry nodded and after a last squeeze slipped through the door, Cadance’ gaze fell on Crystal Note with a soft sternness
“And you’re returning to bed right now. The nurse told me to make sure you’re kept warm until the doctor says you may get up again.”
Crystal Note opened her mouth but Cadance’ magic surrounded her and simply lifted her up and towards the bed. Crystal Note hung in the air for a moment and tried her luck with a sad look and pleading eyes but Cadance just giggled and tucked her back in
“You forget I’m Flurry’s mom. Puppy eyes stopped working on me when she turned three years old.”

At that, Crystal Note’s shoulders shivered in a silent giggle and she submitted to her fate of warm blankets wrapped around her with a dignified smile. Cadance giggled as well, then the door opened letting the doctor, Flurry Heart and Rose Quartz into the room, the latter two carrying a tray with breakfast each.
Crystal Note smiled at her sister, then focused on the doctor as she addressed the silvery mare
“Good morning. How are you feeling today?”
Crystal Note’s expression turned to a frown and she pointed at her throat, but the doctor understood
“Your voice will be gone for a few more days, if you give it enough rest. You really did a number on your vocal cords with screaming in the freeze. Speaking of, still feeling cold?”
Crystal Note blushed at the soft chiding from the doctor and nodded, which gave her a sigh from the mare
“I guessed as much. Stay warm and in bed, lots of fluids, warm teas will help your throat as well. Let’s check your magic now, shall we?”

Crystal Note nodded and closed her eyes. The doctor kept watching her but Cadance and Rose Quartz now had her full attention as well. Cadance knew from unicorn doctors in Canterlot about diagnosis spells, but Doctor Caring Hoof was a crystal pony like Rose Quartz. How could she check on Crystal Note’s unicorn magic?
The answer came when the crystal unicorn’s horn glowed up brightly and everything within reach was surrounded by the turquoise glow of her magic. The trays with breakfast and everything on them, the things on the nightstand, the chair next to the bed, everything lifted up a few inches and hovered in mid-air. Cadance turned her head when she heard a soft giggle as Flurry Heart was covered by the same glow and lifted up, then Rose Quartz, the doctor and herself were surrounded by the turquoise light as well. She felt the gentle pull of magic but it wasn’t enough to lift her. Rose Quartz stared at her hooves and the glow on them, she was still a bit wary of getting in contact with magic. Doctor Caring Hoof just watched unconcerned.

The magic stayed up for less than a minute, then everything sunk down on its spot again, except Flurry Heart who used a flap of her wings to land on the end of the bed instead, watching Crystal Note with a grin.
The doctor nodded and summed up
“Not back at full power yet, but no problems with control or handling.”
Crystal Note nodded and smiled back to Flurry while the doctor explained to the princess and her advisor
“I learned this method from a pegasus doctor in Canterlot who had to take care of unicorns in his hometown. It’s not as accurate as a spell but it serves its purpose for me. I just need to find out if something is wrong with their magic after all, if it is I know to call for help from Canterlot. As long as she shows she can control her magic like that, there's no need to worry.”
Rose Quartz looked impressed but Cadance just nodded approvingly. Caring Hoof had been one of the few crystal ponies who quickly showed interest in the new Equestria she found herself in after the return of the Crystal Empire and had even spent a few months in other cities to learn more about modern medicine and treating ponies. All the knowledge she gathered was of great use to the Crystal Empire and the crystal ponies now and Cadance hoped her example would inspire more of her ponies to be more open minded as well.

The doctor scribbled a few notes on a medical chart, then smiled to Crystal Note
“Keep it easy for a few more days and we’ll see if you can get up again. And remember: Give your voice a rest. No talking and especially no singing.”
All ponies giggled and laughed when Crystal Note pulled a pouty face, then the doctor bowed to the princesses
“I’ll leave you to your breakfast now. Your Highness.”
Cadance returned with a bow of her head as the doctor left, then she heard something behind her that made her perk up her ears
“Hey Crystal Note, if you want your breakfast muffin just say something, otherwise it’s mine~”
Cadance turned around just in time to see Flurry grab a muffin in her magic and take a big bite while Rose Quartz was trying her best not to giggle too loud. She rolled her eyes and shared a smile with Crystal Note. This could be some long days for them.

Comments

[EchoWing]

This was a great story, and very suspenseful at points. Well done!

[PonyofEntropy]

Awesome story.