To Be A Princess

The Crystal Castle was always silent. There was no need for sounds now, ever since Spike was killed and Twilight pulled away from her friends, so there were no more parties with music to drift through the hallways.

Twilight hated the castle, truly. Her fellow Elements of Harmony had given her the roots of her old library home to make her feel better, but when the elements became worthless and the friendship became stressful, Twilight hated the roots, and threw them in the castle basement. All she ever did those days was read silently, and she never needed to leave the castle for that.

But Twilight had never felt happier to give a tour of the Crystal Castle than when she gave the tour to Flurry Heart. She took her daughters hand and pulled threw the hallways, into the corridors, out in the gardens that had grown throughout the years. And, of course, the libraries.

However...Twilight could tell that Flurry was bored. Very bored. Twilight knew in her heart that Flurry wanted to begin her training, but Twilight had no idea where to start. Hopefully I can mask that by jumping around like a schoolfilly, Twilight thought.

She even went all out with the cooking for every meal. The two chatted over dinner for a while, until things got strangely quiet and Flurry began picking at her food. "Is everything ok?" Twilight asked.

"Everything is wonderful," Flurry responded, setting down her fork. "I'm really excited to start training tomorrow but...I just am suddenly filled with incredible doubt about all of this." Flurry sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at you. You are a bloody princess, Mom. You are so regal, and so perfect in everything that you do." Twilight resisted the urge to laugh. "But...you hate it. And I can see why. I mean, your whole life has gone downhill since you were made a princess. As for me, apparently I've been a princess my whole life but I only just found out. I'm not cut out for this." Flurry stood up and walked back to her room.

Twilight stood up. This is what I was afraid of.

She quietly shuffled over to Flurry's room and put her head to the door. She could hear quiet sniffling, like a head pressed into a pillow. Twilight bit her lip as she knocked on the door and walked in.

Flurry's head was pushed into a pillow, and she did not look up when Twilight walked in. Twilight sat on Flurry's bed and reached for Flurry's hand. "Why don't you think you can do it?"

Flurry looked to Twilight. Twilight went on. "You are the most beautiful, and talented, and regal person I know. More than me, more than Princess Celestia, more than Princess Luna..."

"More than my mother?"

Twilight wiped away a tear on Flurry's cheek. "More than your mother."

"What was she like?" Flurry asked quietly.

Twilight frowned. "Well...I was very young when I first met her. My brother, your father, was her best friend for a long time before they dated, so I must have been a few months old, at most. She had loved me since the moment she layed eyes on me, not to brag. I always wanted to play with her, until I was your age, I suppose." Twilight brushed a strand of pink hair out of Flurry's eyes. "But I wish you remembered the way she looked at you. There was nothing in her life that she wanted more as a filly or valued more as an adult than a daughter. I know that she would have wanted to have more children but...you know." Flurry said nothing. "I hope you understand that you can do this."

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Flurry passed through the training faster than Twilight had expected.  She was an amazing public speaker, a whiz in all subjects, and could act as regal as a queen without even trying. She did take a while to learn to "fly," but that was mostly Twilight's fault because she had no idea how to teach somepony how to fly, none the less somepony without wings.

All Twilight was worried about was Flurry's evalutation.