Flurry : Regret
Work SUCKS! Okay, I've gotta be fair, desk work sucks. I love being Captain of the Guard. THAT job is fire... most of the time.
Fighting off threats against the empire?
Awesome.
Training my soldiers to confront those same problems?
Inspiring.
Even something as insignificant as interviewing a new potential recruit can be really fun under the right circumstances.
Some might think I wouldn't have time to do things like that, too many responsibilities and that whole mess, but in reality, I have a lot of free time on my hooves. When Equestria is going through an extended period of peace, a captain's time is mostly occupied running exercises and attending events. Well, either that or I helped Mom out with her duties.
The life of a politician had to suck even harder than doing desk work. Granted, ninety percent of political work was just glorified desk work anyway. I uh, I didn't help her with stuff like that. When everything was finished though, and by everything I mean things I enjoyed, I had to sit and do this boring, slow, mindless-
"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" I threw my head forward, smacking my face against the desk I was sitting at. I was inside the Rainbow Guard's office, a fairly new addition to the palace. I had it built a few years back once I was convinced they'd proven themselves worthy of such an extravagant gift.
Eight wooden desks sat in the center of the large room, a row of four facing the other row of four. They were effective for working and having impromptu meetings. A large glass dome made up the ceiling, magically enchanted to shade or clear, depending on what time of day it was. Currently, it was blocking out most of Granny Sola's sunlight, or rather absorbing it. The spell stored energy for the night if we needed light then. On the walls of the office hung paintings of Mom, Dad, and some of Granny Sola and Granny Moona. I still wasn't sure why I'd never put any of Auntie... probably not enough space... Yeah, I'll go with that.
The room wasn't too fancy. There was no reason for that. Some exotic plants filled in the empty spaces here and there. It was more than enough for our needs.
"We have no other work, Captain. This is part of the job whether you like it or not." The unicorn that sat across from me was busy reading documents. Her coat was a bright fiery red at the hooves that blended into an even brighter orange as it reached the tip of her horn. Her well kept yellow mane was pulled tightly into a bun with a small bit of hair sticking up from it. Loose strands of blue and white hair fell on both sides of her face, framing a very beautiful visage. Her piercing light blue eyes bordered on white and made her look altogether really scary. On her flank was a grouping of flaming sparks with smoke rising from them.
"Iggggnyyyy!" I stretched my forelegs out in front of myself, almost knocking several papers to the floor. Ignitia, the leader of the Rainbow Guard, or RG as I so lovingly referred to them (It sounds so cool when I get to shout "RG to Me!"), is a real dictator. I've never once been able to shirk my obligations when she's keeping an eye on me.
"You do this every time, Captain, and every time I tell you the exact same thing: we'll get done faster if you actually do your work." She was right, of course. It's why I assigned her to do this type of job with me. If it were any of the other RG I'd never get any desk work done.
"But we've already been working for," glancing up at the clock made me groan. "TEN MINUTES!?" I leaned back in my chair, mouth dangling open. "Igny, just put me out of my misery."
"And do all this work by myself? Not a chance," she scribbled on a paper before levitating it into a folder.
"What if I get-"
"The others are on leave, Captain." How she knew what I was going to say most of the time I'll never figure out.
Leave? Who authorized that?
I slammed a hoof on the desk. I'd have them running laps for the next two years!
"Those slackers, wh-"
"You, Captain. I believe your exact words were, 'they've earned a day off.'
Oh yeah, that's right. Oops...
I leaned my chin on my hoof lazily, my elbows resting on the table. There really was no way out of this for me huh? Unl-
"WAIT! WHAT ABOUT STAR?!" I sprung to my hooves, throwing my chair across the room inadvertently.
That unicorn never takes a day off, she has to be around here somewhere. I have an escape!
"You gave Starless a day off, Captain. She's exactly where you think she is." Without even taking her eyes off her paper she levitated my chair back underneath me.
If Star ever has a day off she's always...
"Helping Mom," I sat, deflating like a balloon that'd just had its air let out.
"Bingo," Igny finally looked at me with a wry smile.
"I haaaate paperwork." I levitated a paper in front of my face, not moving my mushy pile of sorrowful bones.
"I still cannot comprehend how you're over fifteen years old, Captain," she chuckled. If anypony else had said that to me I might've had them doing push ups until I was done with my work... which judging by the pace I was on, may be a week from never, but this was Igny. She'd proven over and over again that the Crystal Empire was her life. The only reason she was so hard on me, on any of us, was because it made the empire better. Besides, she didn't mean any harm, I really was pretty foalish most of the time. It came with being an alicorn, or at least being born as one, I think. Fifty years to me felt like nothing at all as far as having an adults mentality, and I knew that was what she was aiming for. She was trying to appeal to my maturity. What? How dare you Ignitia! I am as mature as I am marelike, I shall complete my work forthwith!
Yeah, that's never gonna happen.
Not anytime soon, at least.
"I know right! Have you seen this flank!?" I stood and slapped my rump with a hoof. "It's like I'm not a day over eighteen!" She rolled her eyes so deliberately I swear I could hear them creaking in their sockets. "Don't think so?" I poked my flank, feigning sadness that wasn't actually there. "I think I look good..."
"Captain?" she smiled widely, her toothy grin warm. She bridged her hooves beneath her chin looking altogether very attractive.
"Yes, Igny?" I brightened up.
"Get to WORK!" her smile was replaced with the sternest frown I'd seen on her in a while. I sighed and sat, thoroughly defeated.
"Fine, Your Majesty," I collected the papers on my desk in a stack. "My flank is awesome by the way," I muttered under my breath. Just because I had to review these reports didn't mean I had to read them word for word. I scanned the document quickly, multiple words standing out amongst the rest.
Black barrier? Impervious to weather. Whole town contained. Wait a minute... this is a scouting report.
After Auntie Twi had attacked Granny, Mom and I decided to send out a few scouting parties. Their primary mission was to gather intel on the rest of Equestria, just in case my aunt was making any big moves we needed to be aware of.
We had to be informed in some way and our scouts were more than capable. The pictures that were printed on the paper could've been photos of Canterlot itself. The barrier was the exact same as I'd seen with my own eyes, and seeing it again sent a tremor running down my spine. I flipped to the next page, a similar report, but of a different town. Same barrier, same info. Then a third report. And a fourth. And-
"Captain?" Igny's voice made me jump. I was breathing heavily, sweat clinging to my brow. Apparently, I'd been holding my breath until she called out to me. "Are you alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
Reports we received could be particularly brutal. While crime was mostly a thing of the past, accidents still occured quite often. Haywire spells, runaway carts, heck even clumsy mailmares dropping packages out of the sky could cause major injuries or much worse on a fairly regular basis. Fate was funny that way... or cruel. It wasn't exactly impossible to be heavily affected by a disturbing report. I'd become somewhat used to most of them until I ran across stuff on newlyweds or newborn foals.
"I'm fine, Igny," I stamped the documents with my rubber seal before moving them into a folder for storage. This barrier thing, whatever it was, made me feel nauseous.
What the heck are you doing, Auntie?
Igny kept staring at me. "Am I that easy to see through?" I tried to fake a smile, but all that came to me was an awkward grimace.
"Well, I'd like to think I'm your best friend, Captain, so I should be able to detect things like this rather easily." There was a look of genuine concern on her face. I must've looked pretty bad for her to drop the tough pony act.
"What do you know of forbidden magic, Lieutenant?" I tried not to be commanding, but this was a serious topic and as such needed to be treated delicately. The RG were all my friends, yes, but there's a time and a place for everything, and it was time for Captain Flurry to be a leader. She cleared her throat, her change in demeanor reflecting my own.
"Not much, Captain," she furrowed her brow. "Only what the guard has come up against which-"
"Has already been extensively reported on and analyzed by me." I scratched behind my ear. "That's what I figured."
"If it's not out of line ma'am," she stopped. She was a stickler for following the chain of command when I got like this. Funny she wasn't this strict all the time. If I were a betting mare I'd have wagered that she'd always be.
"Speak your mind, Lieutenant, you know I value your insight."
"What was in those reports, Captain?" she pointed a hoof at the folder I'd set down. It was something I could trust her with, no problem. The hangup I had was my aunt. The RG, heck even our regular soldiers, were all incredibly talented ponies that I'd the utmost faith in to keep their oaths. But standing against my aunt? First of all she was family, I didn't even know if I could completely oppose her. Second, she was an alicorn.
When it came down to it, we were on a totally different level. Auntie could wipe out the RG and the rest of our army in a matter of seconds. That fact in itself could completely demoralize our whole military if they couldn't accept it. That's why Granny Sola had ruled unopposed for so long and the only one that'd tried to revolt against her was Granny Moona, an alicorn herself. If I brought Igny into this mess I couldn't be sure what long term effects might crop up.
Oh well, who dares wins or so they say.
"Here," I levitated the folder over and placed it down in front of her. "Take a look." She nodded slightly before opening it and reading.
What could it all mean?
Clearly it wasn't a defensive measure, even if it had been meant as one initially. I mean, even now she could deny it as such if she really wanted to be stubborn. It was so frustrating. Why couldn't Auntie just be honest with me? Why did we have to play such a silly game? Granny Sola's plan was probably the best bet we had right now, and that meant waiting patiently for their return. Doing that felt wrong to me. There had to be something I could do right now. Inactivity always felt like the first step toward failure.
"This is... pretty disturbing." The first conclusion Igny came to was an obvious one, but it was just a prelude to her real evaluation. She was about to go into an analytical world all her own. "Which places are affected? Seemingly only small villages. Why block line of sight? Something is being hidden. I assume impervious to weather indicates lightning strikes are ineffective. That has to mean it's a fairly strong shield. With magical tests we could come to a much more thorough conclusion. We should send unicorns... no, it's far too great a distance. Not enough speed. Perhaps Violet could go? We don't have enough Intel to risk that, it's far too dangerous. What's its purpose?" Her final question was directed at me.
"Same thing I'm wondering." I shrugged with a shake of my head.
"Then I think the most important question would be, who is doing this?" she tapped her chin with a hoof.
"Princess Twilight," I didn't look her way as I answered, instead drumming the desk with my hooves uncomfortably.
"The ruler of Equestria?" She chuckled, at first sounding doubtful, as if I were playing a bad prank on her. Once I reluctantly nodded, she continued. "Your... aunt?" Even without seeing her face I could feel the amusement melt away to disbelief. I nodded a second time. "Captain?" I slowly looked at her knowing what I'd find. "You're not kidding," her eyes opened wide.
"I'm not," my voice came out weak, much quieter than I'd meant it to. Igny fell back in her chair, brushing a hoof through her mane.
"Then I guess the important question really IS why?" she let out a sigh.
"And that's where I'm stumped," I sighed as well, mirroring her posture. Not only did we not have any clues as to why Auntie Twi was doing these things, we were completely in the dark when it came to forbidden magic. Any information we might've had would've been sent to Canterlot ages ago.
With Auntie's inheritance of the throne came an even closer relationship between the Crystal Empire and Canterlot. Auntie Twi was obsessed with books (pretty sure you already know that, though) and as such we agreed to relinquish any unique books we had in our archives. Forbidden tomes are all unique. Mom and Dad were already aware of this, but at the recommendation of Granny Sola we ended up collecting them all in Canterlot. It's not like any of us could've foreseen a future where Auntie was the reason we needed to look into the books anyway.
"How about we take a break?" My jaw went slack at Igny's question. She wasn't the type of pony to take breaks. She stood up, a kind smile on her face. "How does some tea sound?"
"Amazing, Igny! Are you sure?" My countenance brightened several shades at the prospect of a cup of steaming hot sweet tea.
"Sure, I can..." she looked around the room, this way and that before realization dawned on her face. "Right, I had that removed a long time ago, didn't I?" she laughed, placing a hoof on her embarrassed face. There was once a time when tea was commonplace in the office. Sadly, I abused the heck out of the simple machine, both literally and figuratively. It was something to do that wasn't desk work, so I played with it on occasion... often... all the time. Igny was not happy when she found out I'd spent five straight hours trying to make magic love tea. Little did I know, magic love tea was in fact, not a real drink and Mom had actually used her magic to help those ponies fall in love. Boy was her face red when I tried to get Igny to drink my concoction of tea and plants.
Come on, Igny, If anyone can use some more love in their life, it's you.
I'd pushed way too hard. She was not pleased. I might have an impenetrable magical barrier, but even I was a little scared when her mane started changing colors. Ever since that day the office had been a strict no tea zone.
"We can-" I moved to stand as well, but she stopped me with a raised hoof.
"It's fine, Captain. I'll head to the kitchen and get a kettle and some cups. You rest for a bit." She walked to the door.
Do I really look that bad?
Still, I couldn't help but smile at her kindness.
"Thanks, Igny. I really do appreciate it."
"Think nothing of it, Captain." As she closed the door behind herself I tried to relax, tried to think of the tea that was coming, but all that settled in my mind was my aunt.
How'd it come to this?
I leaned back and closed my eyes.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" Auntie Twi and Mom sang and danced, finishing by jiggling their tails together. Dad just rolled his eyes, but the grin on his face couldn't have gotten any bigger.
"You two are princesses... you do know that, right?" I asked, a little embarrassed at their overly showy greeting. We were just outside the walls of the city, but there were still a few ponies around and their affectionate display had drawn their curious gazes.
"Aw Flurry, you're not too cool for the best aunt ever, are you?" she placed a hoof over her chest, a look of fake pain in her eyes.
"Of course not, Auntie," I sprang forward and gave her a big hug. "You know I love you!" She caught me with a loud grunt.
"You've grown up so fast!" she giggled, returning the hug. "It felt like it was just yesterday we were flying around in my castle playing games with each other. You were so small, I carried you around everywhere on my back," she gave me a kiss on my cheek.
"I could hop on right now if you want, sounds like a good time," I returned the kiss.
"Not with all this pudge," she poked my belly with a hoof. "You're too old for this to be foal fat." I backed away from her prodding, my cheeks burning crimson.
"What can I say, food is good. Besides, it's all Dad's fault," I pointed at my father. He glared at me like I'd just stabbed him in the back.
"Bigggg brotherrrr!" she stalked towards the cowering stallion, wings spread wide and horn aglow. Sweat started dripping from his forehead as he tried to step back, instead dropping to a sitting position. She did look pretty menacing, her face a cross between an angry manticores and a mama bear protecting her cub. She must've learned this kind of intimidation from Granny Sola.
"Listen, Twily, she said she wanted to put on muscle! It was all her idea, honest!" He was almost forced onto his back as Auntie Twi pushed her face dangerously close to his. She didn't say a word or blink. Dad looked at Mom and then at me, pleading silently to be rescued from his rampaging sibling. Mom and I just giggled in response. As my aunt's horn began to hum loudly she finally decided to let her brother off the hook.
"I missed you so much, bbbff!" She threw her forelegs around his neck and gave him a big kiss on his cheek. His sigh and look of relief was way too funny.
"Geez, kid. You had me going there for a second. Ouch, careful with the back," he groaned playfully, hugging her back lightly.
"Sorry! Sorry!" she leapt back as if she'd almost killed the stallion. A pleased grin came to Dad's face, a bit of payback lifting his spirit.
"I'm only kidding, Twily. I'm not that old," he guffawed, drawing a frown from his sister. "It's so good to see you, it feels like it's been forever since you became head honcho over in Canterlot." The four of us began our trek to the palace through the city, along with the two pegasus guards that had flown Auntie Twi here in her chariot. Mom had already made other arrangements for the vehicle to be brought to the palace. Since we were too excited to wait for Auntie to enter the city proper before meeting with her, we'd caught them unawares.
Besides, it would give her guards a nice rest. Entering the city close to dusk was usually mundane, the ponies of our city having long grown accustomed to the royal family's presence. The three of us were amongst the citizens so often, it honestly felt like we were all one big family. I liked that. While we did have the Crystal Guard escort us sometimes, and were the rulers of the land, we had something so much more important than that. The relatability and love of our subjects.
It was one thing to be followed, revered, and praised. It was a whole nother thing to be accepted as friends. As such, traversing the city was much easier for us than, say, Granny Sola or Granny Moona in Canterlot. However, there was always a wrench thrown in the works when Auntie Twi visited the Crystal Empire. She was the ruler of the entire nation after all, and technically even higher authority than Mom and Dad now, even though she never acted like it or pointed it out.
At this time of day most shops and vendors were getting prepped to close up their shops. Once my aunt made an appearance though, that came to an abrupt halt.
"Oh! There's no need for that. Thank you so much though!" Another pony fell at her hooves, bowing gratefully. Mom and Dad just smiled, used to Auntie's panic. "You know I could've avoided this if I'd have just landed at the palace," she said through the side of her smiling mouth, waving a hoof at a group of overly excited mares.
"Still not used to the new position?" Mom asked.
"Thank you so much! It's beautiful!" My aunt levitated a single rose a young colt had presented to her. The expression of joy that came to his face when she'd accepted it was similar to a foal's on Hearth's Warming eve. "Not at all, Cadance. I'm just not built for this much... adoration." She put the rose into her mane behind an ear after checking it over for thorns.
"That's why we've spent so much time in the city." Dad stepped around a filly that was chasing after a colt, both laughing ecstatically as one tried to tag the other with a hoof. "Ponies get used to the aura of royalty given enough time," he grabbed me by my neck and pulled me close. "We're like one big group of friends," he laughed as he hugged me tightly.
"I'd love to spend more time with my subjects, but leaving the castle is a luxury I just don't get most of the time," she sighed but still kept her smile strong. She'd learnt really well from Granny Sola. "I always thought Princess Celestia was exaggerating because she had her sister, but the responsibilities really are that demanding. Thank you so much!" Somehow Auntie had already received several loaves of bread, multiple baskets of fruit, more flowers, various articles of clothing, a drawing of herself in a beautiful gown, and... books. It was easy to see which gift she was most excited about receiving. Her poor guards might be more weighed down now than they would've been lugging her chariot around.
"Spike and the girls help out a lot don't they? How are they doing?" Mom sent a spell into a stallion and mare making lovey-dovey eyes at each other. She did that often. That particular spell increased the love in one's heart. It wasn't like cupid's arrow, although she did have spells like that as well.
"Oh yeah, all the time, that's why I was able to sneak away today. Oh this is lovely, thank you so much!" She examined the golden necklace. As we got closer to the palace, Auntie's gifts came less often, but were becoming much more fancy. Jewelry, expensive dresses, gems, exotic spices, paintings, and... cheese?
That's... kinda weird.
"They're the ones who pushed me to come, sorry for the short notice by the way."
"It's not a problem, you're always welcome here, Twily." Dad didn't hesitate to assure his little sister.
"Thanks, Shiny," Auntie smiled. They were so cute together, It made me want a little brother or sister of my own. I wasn't sure of the prospects of something like that happening though.
"And Spike and the girls?" Mom asked again, her second question not having been addressed yet.
"Oh right! Spike has really taken to his emissary position. He's on a trip in the thestral's territory right now."
"Trying to expand your control?" Dad joked.
"NO! Of course not!" Auntie looked mortified at the very idea. "I'm just trying to reach out and offer help to anypony who might need it."
"She is the Princess of Friendship, after all," Mom chuckled. "She's just strengthening those bonds."
"Exactly!" Auntie grabbed mom with a foreleg and hugged her tightly. "Oh! And the girls! Aj isn't around too much, her responsibilities on the farm are almost as demanding as mine are in Canterlot. Rarity is around the castle often. It's easy to see the struggle she's going through between a life in Canterlot and one in Ponyville at her boutique. There's also Sweetie to consider. Rarity may not like to admit it, but she loves her sister more than anything else, and she's starting to make decisions based around her. With Sweetie's singing career really taking off she relocated to Canterlot. I have a sneaking suspicion Rarity will make the move soon as well," my aunt laughed. "To be honest she'll probably end up moving Carousel Boutique, or at the very least the merchandise to Canterlot too. Honestly with how talented that mare is she might just open two more shops." Auntie Twi looked my way, a concerned expression suddenly on her face. "Speaking of talented mares, are you okay, Flurry? You've been awfully quiet." My eyes popped open.
"Yeah, Auntie I'm fine, I'm just listening," I assured with a smile and a nod, still pressed against my dad's side by his foreleg.
"Our little Flurry's really matured. She's basically a model mare now," he ruffled my mane with his free hoof.
"I wouldn't say that," I pushed him away. "But I'm good, Auntie. I really wanted to hear about the others too. How's Dashie doing?"
"Rainbow is really pushing hard into the Wonderbolts. She's not there just yet, but she'll be leading them in a few years, mark my words." As we drew closer to the palace Auntie's demeanor genuinely brightened. I assumed it was a side effect of not being worshiped non-stop by a bunch of ponies you were unfamiliar with. "Pinkie is really taking a shine to Cheese Sandwich."
"The premiere party pony?" I asked.
"The one and only," Auntie replied.
Well that makes sense.
They were pretty much made for each other. "I'm sure we'll be getting wedding invitations sometime in the near future," she smiled.
Whoa, you go Pinks.
"And then there's Fluttershy," she chuckled, though it was dripping with discomfort.
"You don't sound so enthusiastic about her," Mom tilted her head.
"It's not that I'm not happy for her... confused is more like it." Auntie's face scrunched up as if she'd smelled something especially foul.
"How so?" Mom asked.
"Well, her and... Discord have gotten close... very close. So close they're living together," my aunt shook her head as if she couldn't believe her own words. "It's quite... puzzling." Fluttershy and Discord together was a bit strange, it always had been. An infinitely kind pegasus that cared for animals and... The Lord of Chaos whose primary source of entertainment came from sowing disorder. They were almost polar opposites of each other.
"That is pretty wild," Dad rubbed his chin with a hoof, trying to make sense of it like the rest of us. I couldn't help myself.
"Almost as wild as Mom getting with you, Dad," I poked him in the side with my hoof.
"Hey!" he took a swipe, trying to catch me, but I'd already taken flight just out of his reach. I couldn't help but laugh.
"That is true," Auntie Twi agreed, not laughing, but looking at Mom.
"You too, Twily?" Dad sounded a little hurt by his sister's swift agreement.
"Oh dear, you know I love you and-"
"That's all that really matters," Dad finished for mom before they gave each other a kiss.
"Save it for the be-" I clamped my mouth shut as soon as Mom glared up at me. Sometimes she could be particularly scary.
"You two aren't wrong though, if Fluttershy and Discord are happy then who am I to stand in the way of that?" Auntie nodded, content with the reasoning she'd used. We finally arrived at the palace gates, Granny Sola's sun just about ready to be put away for the night. "I'm going to lower the sun and raise the moon and then I'll be right inside."
"Dinner should be about ready, we'll meet you in the dining hall," Dad said as he and Mom entered the large crystal gates. "You coming, Flurry?" he asked.
I landed next to my aunt, a grin on my face. "I'm gonna stay with Auntie, if that's okay?" I gave her the cutest puppy dog eyes I could produce.
"Always, Flurry," she patted me on my head.
"Of course, just don't be a nuisance, dear," Mom called back to us. "We'll see you two in a bit."
I loved being with Auntie Twi. She was so much fun, more like an older sister than an overbearing aunt. If she was only in the Crystal Empire for a little while then I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"And she just wouldn't stop eating the cake!" Auntie finished her story, neither of us able to hold in our laughter any longer. Dinner had been a delicious affair, if not mostly uneventful. The hours after spent catching up were way more fun, but too soon for my tastes Mom and Dad began to yawn endlessly. After about the twentieth between the two of them, Auntie Twi and I 'encouraged' them to turn in for the evening.
Ever since I was a foal my aunt would stay with me in my room when she visited. What started out as Auntie giving my parents a break turned into slumber parties I wouldn't trade for anything else in the world.
"I can't believe Rare would do that!" I held my belly, the fit of laughter starting to give me a stomachache. Auntie and I were sitting on my bed and sharing more stories from the time we hadn't had the chance to see one another.
"Enough about me and my friends though, how's your training going?" Her purple eyes were full of curiosity.
"Great! I really am trying to put on some muscle," I flexed my forelegs, though there wasn't much to show off. "Check out these babies!" I strained. She covered her smile with a hoof.
"I think you still have quite a ways to go," she giggled.
"You might be right," I poked a muscle... or lack thereof.
"And your special talent? Has it gotten any stronger?" she lifted her head toward my cutie mark.
"Yes ma'am, I'm almost invulnerable to all physical and magical attacks," I said proudly stroking my cutie mark. "Dad's hit me with boulders, arrows, swords, spells, even stuff like torch fire can't get through this baby," I smacked the shield with a hoof, ripples of blue energy surrounding my body.
"Do you mind if I?" She was focused on my cutie mark as she inched forward.
"I never do, Auntie." I held out my foreleg. As her horn began to shine brightly I could tell she was magnifying her sight. She sat for a while, moving my coat this way and that with a hoof. "Is it okay if I?" she looked at me as if I might protest.
"Yeah, you know I don't feel it anyway... unless you mean you're actually going to try to lop my leg off," I vibrated my jaw and lifted my free hoof to my agape mouth.
"Well, that was the plan," she went back to her examination, forcing me to drop the act.
"You know it's not as fun if you don't play along, Auntie," I scrutinized her. I didn't like it much when she got like this. All business. I felt like a science experiment that should sit quietly and speak only when spoken to, but I guess it was fair. Not a single soul in all of Equestria could explain my special talent. It wasn't magic. It wasn't physical. It was something else entirely. An abnormal manifestation of emotion was the best description we'd come across. For some reason my aunt felt obligated to give us a better analysis than that, but she'd spent years studying and evaluating. All that work and effort never led her to any substantial conclusions and these exams only had really become frequent more recently. I could deal with such a small inconvenience to be with her more though.
"Sorry, Flurry." A thin but powerful laser shot from the tip of her horn and centered on my foreleg. "I know this bugs you, I just..." Once an excessive amount of smoke started to rise from the limb she cut off the flow of her magic and let my hoof go. With an exasperated sigh her head drooped, her ears following suit.
"What is it, Auntie? It doesn't hurt, honest. If you want to keep going I-" She usually went on for much longer than that.
"Why can't I figure this out?" she slumped further. I smiled for some reason, probably because I found it reassuring that even somepony as perfect as her wrestled with inconsequential things too.
"Not even Granny Sola knows how my talent works, Auntie, and she's been around for waaaay longer than the rest of us," I put a hoof on her shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with not knowing everything."
"I know. I know, it's just, It makes me feel so... inadequate." She didn't look up. "Like I've failed..."
"You're the Princess of Friendship and the ruler of Equestria, Auntie. Why would you think you lack anything just because you can't figure out how your niece's special talent works?" I may have only known my aunt for sixteen years, but even I had identified her overly worrisome nature. It must have been the yin to all those smarts yang.
"I don't know... I just... I don't know, Flurry," she rubbed her face with her hooves, a bright smile there once she removed them. "Let's not dwell on it, huh? What does my brother have you doing?" I really didn't feel like we'd come to a satisfying resolution, but I wouldn't push the issue any further.
"Well, like I said, he tests my shield often. Uhhhhm he's been teaching me more advanced barrier spells," I laid down, feeling a bit more tired than I thought I was.
"Like the one he used to protect Canterlot with when Queen Chrysalis invaded?" She followed my lead, lying down on her pillow.
"Yeah, like that one, but much stronger," I stared up at the ceiling. When my aunt yawned it was reason enough for me to pulse my magic and cut the lights in the room. The windows were open though, so nice rays of Granny Moona's moonlight filled the room. "We go at it hoof to hoof but... I’m starting to pull ahead in that department too." Dad was getting older and I was barely entering my prime, a prime that I would hopefully never have to leave. When my aunt didn't say anything I continued. "I also have to find an instructor to give me flying lessons. Dad really can't offer any guidance in that area."
"Can you imagine him with wings?" Auntie snickered.
"Princess Shining Armor," I smiled.
"You're having trouble with flight?" she asked once her laughter had died down.
"No, not regular," I shook my head. "Specialized flying. You know stuff like evasion, going through storms, fighting." I felt her eyes on me after that last one. "Stuff like that."
"I'll talk to Rainbow about it," she said after a short silence.
"Really?! Dashie?!" I lifted myself up onto my forelegs. She was the best flier in the world. There was literally nopony more qualified to learn from.
"I think she'd be up to it, she did say she liked you and that-"
"SHE LIKES ME!?" I was hovering above the bed before I knew it, wings flapping in excitement.
"Who doesn't like you, Flurry?" she laughed, waving me down.
"I mean she told you, Auntie," I landed on the bed with a harrumph. "You know Dashie doesn't admit things like that."
"She also said you have potential," she stayed staring at the ceiling. I was having trouble folding my wings from all the wonderful news I was receiving.
Dashie thinks I have potential?
With some effort I was able to force my wings into place and got under the blankets. The faster I went to sleep, the sooner I could learn to fly from the greatest aerial ace in all of the world.
"How exciting!" I pulled the blanket up to my chin. Auntie Twi crawled under the blankets getting comfy as well.
"And how's my favorite niece doing in the realm of romance?" she giggled, breaching a strange topic, but one we chatted about often.
"I haven't really had time for that kind of stuff. I've got real responsibilities now," I shrugged. It was true. My life was filled to the brim as it is.
"Aw, you've grown up so much," she sounded mildly disappointed. "I remember when you used to stand right there and tell me about how a knight in shining armor would whisk you away to live happily ever after." If anything my aunt still knew how to poke fun at me.
"Come on, Auntie. That's way too embarrassing," I pleaded.
"JUST LIKE MOM AND DAD! You used to shout." The memory brought a beautiful smile to her lips. I just covered my face with my hooves.
"Uggggh," I groaned.
"There's nothing wrong with wanting love, Flurry." When I looked at her again I noticed she'd lost all mirth for some reason, an intense sadness coming to her eyes. "Without love..."
"What about you, Auntie? Are you still..?"
"No," she shook her head softly. "No, I have no room in my life for something as frivolous as romance. I finally understand why Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stayed alone."
"Why is that, Auntie?" I think I knew why, but still asked. When she decided to speak again she sounded... odd.
"Flurry?"
"Yes?" I was half awake and half asleep.
"Do you ever think about death?"
Well, now I'm fully awake.
"In what way, Auntie."
"At all."
"Yeah, I do." After a few seconds of silence I assumed she wanted me to keep going. "Like, with Dad."
"I can't let it go."
"What do you mean?" I turned toward her. Her beautiful eyes looked like they were misshapen and glowing in the dark, a bit sharper than usual, the moonlight shining brightly in them. She looked so very sad.
"When your grandmare and grandpa... passed away, I swore I'd find a way to help your father, no matter what."
"I... don't think death is something that we can stop, Auntie."
"That's what Princess Celestia told me too." A confused look replaced her sadness. "But she did stop it. Me and your mom are evidence of that." That was true. They'd started out as mortals. Now they were as timeless as Granny Sola and Moona.
"You don't think Granny Sola would do something about it if she could?"
"No, she'd definitely do something if she was able," she rubbed her face. "That's what I don't understand. Death can be stopped, or at least time can be..."
"Because we can still die." I'd thought of that as well. There were too many ways to die that weren't due to aging. Physical harm, starvation, drowning, lack of air itself was always an issue. I'm pretty sure we could choke to death, maybe even on something as mundane as a particularly disagreeable root.
"Right, but we still grow, we still technically age. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are thousands of years old, so it's not even stopping time." She had a foreleg draped over her forehead. "I don't want him to go, Flurry... I love him." The tear that rolled down her cheek broke my heart.
It wasn't moonlight.
"Me neither, Auntie." I wish I'd been more wise at the time, but that's a lot to ask of a sixteen year old filly with her head in the clouds. If I could go back, I would've said so much more, done so much more, but I was young and Inexperienced. I couldn't find the right words, couldn't think of what she needed to hear at the time. Maybe there was nothing I could do. Maybe she was already beyond my reach, but I honestly believe anything would've been better than nothing. My mouth opened and closed so many times I felt like a ventriloquist was playing with me, but not speaking for me. She turned and offered me a hollow smile.
"I'm sorry for dumping all of this on you, Flurry."
"No! Auntie! It's okay, really! I'm always willing to listen." I wanted to move over and hug her, but my body wouldn't budge. It felt like something was holding me in place, like a foreign spell had wrapped me in chains and strapped me to my bed.
What is stopping me? Am I... am I afraid?
"I love you, Flurry," she wiped her face where the tear had fallen, sniffling.
"I love you too, Auntie!" I almost shouted.
Just move! Hold her! Hug her! DO ANYTHING FLURRY!
My mind screamed at my body. She sighed, her fake smile fading like the last remnants of a beautiful snowy day under Granny Sola's relentless sun.
"Goodnight, Flurry..." she rolled over, turning away from me.
"Good... night, Auntie." I felt a tear trickle down my cheek.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
That was the first time I could recall crying since I was a foal. It was also the first time I truly felt like I'd failed somepony I loved. I could be wrong, could be looking way too deeply, but in my mind, that night was a turning point for our relationship. My aunt still treated me the same, still loved me with all of her heart. She was still the best aunt ever, but since that night something felt... off.
A mistake. An error. Like a scratch across the lens of a pair of glasses. It wasn't fixable. Even though the big picture was correct. Even though the colors were all vivid. Even though everything I saw was right. There was always that tiny scratch I couldn't take my eye off of. I could never bring myself to talk to her about that particular subject ever again.
I wanted to, I'd tried, but time and time again I'd failed, made excuses, concentrated on something else.
I'm sorry, Auntie... really I'm so sorry.
The opening of the office door forced me to open my eyes.
"Forgive me for taking so long, Captain. I haven't made tea in quite a while." Igny looked embarrassed as she closed the door behind herself. She was levitating a large silver tray carrying a kettle, two cups, spoons, and other assorted tea based items. She placed the tray on my desk before taking a seat at her own.
"It's fine, Igny, I don't mind at all." I sat forward excitedly, lifting my cup with my magic. I poured the steaming hot liquid before moving on to the sugar container.
"I'm... not sure how it turned out. Don't be too harsh," she poured her own cup.
"It'll be fine, Igny, you worry too much," I poured another spoonful of sugar into my cup. "Tea is easy." I stirred the sugar err tea, before lifting it to my nose and taking a long sniff.
Perfection.
Just as the hot drink was about to touch my lips I was forced to accept the fact that I wouldn't be able to satisfy my craving for the beverage.
"CAPTAIN!" The door burst open, Star's golden eyes shaking in fear met my surprised gaze. She was panting heavily, her horn glowing from the force she'd used to open the door.
"Starless Night, that is unbecoming of a Rainbow Guardian!" Igny was already on her hooves, the look of a pure disciplinarian back on the fiery pony's face.
"Forgive me Lieutenant, but..." Star was typically cool, calm, and collected. The mare that stood before us was anything but.
"What is it, Star?" I couldn't bother with protocol. Something had definitely happened.
"Captain, the princess just received word from one of our scouts." Now her entire body was trembling. I could only wait. "Captain, it's Manehatten..."
This is definitely bad.
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THis is so cool
11354514
Thank you so much!
I must say I am curious as to what is inside those dark domes, and what did Twilight mean last chapter about "putting them in Spike". Did she make Spike a Soul Vessel or Philosopher's Stone to contain all those souls inside of him? If so... Then it will only be a matter of time till all those souls break free.
11356724
Thank you so much for the comments. I'm glad to see that some of my idoo very well.
Sorry it took so long. After Hospital treatment university started and I also wanted to finally put out my new story. And I also lost the original draft of it so I had to restart it from scratch which was a mighty moral blow. But I finally got around to reading it.
Good to see Flurry again. Taking a trip down memory lane was nice, but then we saw the first cracks on Twilight and it became really disturbing. And at the end when we got that part about Manehattan, I got a feeling of genuine horror. I feel like whatever is coming is gonna be apocalyptic level.
I'm really looking forward to what happens next. Even though, a certain feeling of dread is still there. Keep up the good work!
Nice segue here in the conversation between T and Flurry, going from romance to loneliness to death. T's sadness for eventually losing her brother is framed well, beneath a pile of big-busy-happy-family, and the tear is real. It's something I'm sure most of us have felt, that touch of lament in front of vanishing circumstances.
Flurry is becoming one of your most likeable characters. She's a quasi-OC, having some reference point in the show but with a much more relaxed and personal expression than the others.
Wh... wha...? Flurry-chan, I...
11865210
HA! Me with my dad.
I'm glad you think this too. I believe I mentioned it prior. She's essentially an OC and I don't generally like writing those.
Uh oh, she knows you're there. Good luck fam.