Growing Up

"What do you mean I'm not going? All my friends are going there too! Why do I have to stay here?" Flurry Heart asked.

"Just because your friends are moving away, doesn't mean you can too, Flurry. You're the heir to the Crystal Empire. Besides, you'll make more new friends at school," her mother, Princess Cadence, tried to reason with her.

"But they're my best friends! I can't just replace them with somepony else! And I can't leave them. Please, Mom, can I move to Manehattan with them? I won't cause any trouble, I'll be a good filly, please!"

"Flurry, you know you can't go to Manehattan just to be with your friends. Period." Cadence said strictly.

"But Mom! You don't understand! They're my friends, they mean so much to me. You never understand me!" Flurry was practically yelling now.

"Princess Flurry Heart, that is enough!" Cadence raised her voice. "Go to your room, or you'll be grounded!"

"I hate you!" Flurry Heart yelled. She stomped up all the way to her room, and shut the door hard. Her parents didn't understand her, they never understand her. Flurry only had two best friends in all of Equestria, Gem Stone and Magic Mirror. Nopony else at school liked Flurry. Everypony would think that a princess would get respect and popularity, but the fillies and colts at her school thought she was stuffy and spoiled since she was a princess. Flurry could be a little controlling sometimes, but she just wanted others to see her point and understand it. She just wanted what was best, but they just all thought she was bossy, because they were all jealous of her, because she was a princess in the family of royalty. Flurry knew they didn't say it out loud, but she could sense it. They'd even tease her sometimes. But then her friends would stand up for her, they were the only ones she could ever trust, they only ones who knew her inside out.

But now she would be having no more friends. Back at the lonely lunch table before she ever met Gem and Magic. Nopony would ever want to partner up with her for activities, they wouldn't even want to talk to her. Flurry acted like she was tough, like she wasn't afraid of her mother, but deep down she was scared. She didn't want others to think she was a weak, puny thing that could just easily be tossed around. No, she was strong. She wouldn't let somepony get in her way. But no matter how much she thought that, she was still scared deep down inside. She was in her teens, and she didn't want to grow up. To leave her friends, to leave her wonderful childhood, and entering something completely new and scary. The first year of high school was depressing, nopony liked her. But the second year was more bearable, because that was the year she'd met Gem and Magic. But now they were all stripped away from her, just like all the other things that faded away from her childhood.

Flurry cried tears into her her pillow. She eventually cried herself to sleep.

...

Sunlight spilled into Flurry's room. Today was the day her friends were leaving to Manehattan. It was her last day with her friends. Flurry dragged herself out of bed, and got ready for another day of school. Since she was a princess, Flurry had to be dropped of by a royal carriage. Though she'd rather have walked to school by herself, just like all the other ponies at her school do.

Flurry spotted her friends after she had gotten of the carriage. She walked into the milling crowd. "Hi Flurry!" Her friend, Gem, greeted. "I'm so excited to go to Manehattan! It's such a coincidence that me and Magic are both going to Manehattan together. We're both going to miss you."

"I hope you'll fit in fine without us," Magic said.

Flurry smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be okay. I'm really happy for you both." But inside she was crying, pleading them to not leave her to drown in depression and loneliness.

...

After school was over, Gem said, "this is the last day. So, girls, what do you want to do first? We have to make it extra special!" The three mares walked to the school hangout. It was a cozy café near the chain of other restaurants. Flurry and her friends took a seat at a table, planning what to do.

"Hmm... What could we do?" Gem asked.

None of the other two replied. They were all thinking. They didn't want to do the ordinary things they did, because it had to be special.

...

The sun was almost setting, and the three mares still didn't come up with an idea. Most of the customers were already leaving.

"Oh, we've got to go, Flurry. We have to get some sleep before the train comes. We're scheduled really early, sorry," Magic said.

"So much for an extra special day..." Gem said disappointingly. Flurry tried not to look upset. Her last day with her two only friends was wasted.

"It's okay. You could still visit me, right?" Flurry said in an attempt to cheer them up. Magic gave her a small smile.

"You're right. Bye Flurry," Magic said before she and Gem exited the café. Flurry sat there for a while before getting up to leave. The royal carriage came to pick her up, as always. Flurry was escorted back to her castle.

...

Flurry walked into her school. This was her first day without Gem and Magic, and it already felt miserable. She sat at her seat. There were two other empty desks next to her. She was all by herself, while the other students were chattering away with their friends. Flurry waited until the bell rang for lunch.

Flurry walked to her usual table. She remembered when Gem used to make funny jokes, and she and Magic would laugh their insides out, even though they were really bad. But nopony was with her today. Surprisingly, nopony ever dared to come sit at her table. Flurry sighed, as she began to eat her lunch. She let the day breeze by until it was time to go home.

...

A month had passed since her friends were left her. Flurry had written them so many letters, and they never replied. The only time they wrote a letter to her was in the weekends. They wrote that they were too busy to reply, and that they've met so many new friends, and they were having so much fun. This made Flurry angry. She felt that her friends ditched her, and they had forgotten about her completely.

Flurry ripped up the letter, and tossed it away in anger. "You never cared about me!" Flurry yelled at the torn letter. "You never wrote back!" Tears welled up in her eyes. They ran down her cheeks like a river. Flurry sobbed loud cries. She didn't care if anypony noticed, she didn't care what they would think about. She didn't care about anything.

When Flurry woke up, her mane was a mess. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying all night. But she knew that she had to wake up, and get ready for school. She was once again dropped off by the royal carriage she ever so hated. Flurry barely listened in class. Her world was crumbling around her. All she kept her mind on was getting through this horrid day, just like any other day.

Today the royal carriage was late, which Flurry was thankful for. She felt like running away. She hated her life here. She hated being a princess. Flurry sat near a tree and waited. Nopony ever cares about me, she thought. She missed her friends, even though she had a feeling they didn't miss her back. She and her mother always had fights. Even though Flurry acted like she was angry at her mother, she really needed her most. She just wished her mother would come up to her room and ask her what was wrong. But her mother was always so busy managing the Crystal Empire, she barely spent time with her.

Flurry let her sobs take control over her again.

"Excuse me, are you okay?" An unfamiliar voice said. Flurry turned to see a mare with soft, pink hair, and a peach coat.

Flurry shook her head.

The mare sat next to her. "What's wrong?" She asked.

Even though the mare was a complete stranger, Flurry couldn't bottle up her feelings any longer. She explained everything to her. She explained how her friends abandoned her, what the school thought about her, and how her mother neglected her. The mare sat by her, not judging Flurry by her situation. Flurry had a feeling she could trust her.

"It'll be alright. Oh, and I'm Flutter Song by the way. I'm new here. You might know Fluttershy, she's my aunt. You must be Flurry Heart. Fluttershy told me so much about you. She said that you and I could be friends and that you were nice.," Flutter Song.

Flurry smiled. "Thank you. It's been really hard being a princess."

Flutter returned the smile. "I'll always be here for you."