I'll Wait For You
Ink Mage

Chapter Eight
Her Punishment
Age Seventeen

Shining Armor stormed through the castle hallways, his ears red in anger as Flurry Heart was dragged behind him. She was teary-eyed and cold, her constant cries to her father going without notice.

"Dad! Dad please! That wasn't him! I swear!" she kept telling him. Shining Armor didn't answer; he didn't show any sign of hearing her. Flurry Heart tugged on her father's hoof as he took her deeper into the castle walls.

"Dad! Stop! Where are you taking me?!" she cried out. Shining Armor stopped, entering a secluded room in the castle and throwing the door close as he approached his daughter.

"What did that bastard do?" he asked in a low voice. Flurry Heart shook her head.

"It wasn't him! I swear I-"

"Flurry, you're not in your right mind... tell me, how far did he go?!" Shining Armor pushed. Flurry Heart looked away, tears fighting their way out of her eyes. Shining Armor's eyebrows furrowed. He grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her. "Princess Flurry Cadenza Heart, answer me right this instant. How. Far. Did. He. Go."

"It..." Flurry choked out, "he..."

Shining Armor's eyes widened. "What?! Flurry, tell me! Please!"

Flurry snapped her head up and looked straight into her father's eyes. "It was close."

"Close?" Shining Armor let out a breath of relief.

Flurry could only nod. "Close. I... you came in before things got..." She coughed.

Shining Armor closed his eyes, enveloping his daughter into a much-needed hug. Flurry stood there stiffly, not embracing him back and biting her lip.

"Dad. You need to know something," she said, "that wasn't Thorax."

"Of course it wasn't, dear," Shining Armor said, shooting a dark look to the door of the room. He gently pushed her away before galloping out. Flurry sniffled, wiping away a few stray tears before sinking to the floor.

"He didn't listen to me..." she whispered, "he didn't... listen... to me..."

Shining Armor stormed out of the castle after notifying the rest of the house guards. He immediately walked to the stationary guards keeping watch outside the castle.

"Let everypony on patrol duty areas one through six know to look for Crystal Hoof," he told them in a hushed whisper. "If you find him, throw him in the dungeons and leave him to me. I need to talk to him. Urgent matter six-fifty-four."

"Sir!" the guards saluted with wide eyes before fanning out into the arena.

Shining Armor furrowed his eyebrows as he began his own search near the front portion of the castle.

At that moment, Crystal Hoof came into view, skipping with a basket of flowers in his mouth. He perked upon seeing Shining Armor. He quickly waved to him, setting down the flowers to speak.

"Prince Shining Armor, what are you doing outside the castle walls? Is there trouble?"

Shining Armor's face turned red. How could he be acting so casual about this entire mess?

"Get out."

Crystal Hoof's eyes widened as he received the order.

"What? What do you mean?" he asked, "I don't understand, Sir."

"Get. Out."

Crystal Hoof stepped back in shock. Shining Armor's ears were gradually turning bright scarlet as steam fumed out of his nose. He was getting angry. Very angry.

"I never want to see your sorry little face again," Shining Armor continued in a deadly whisper. "Do you understand me? Do we understand each other?"

"But... Sir... what did I do wrong?!"

"Oh you know exactly what shit you did wrong," Shining Armor said, "now if you value your life, I suggest you get out of my sight this very instant."

"Can I at least talk to Flurry-"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!" Shining Armor suddenly bellowed, attracting the attention of a certain pink princess from her balcony window. "YOU MAY NOT GO NEAR PRINCESS FLURRY HEART, LET ALONE SPEAK TO HER!!"

"I... I just..."

"YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS BEFORE DOING THE DISGUSTING ACT YOU PULLED!!"

Flurry Heart cowered on the balcony step in fear of what was going to happen to her best friend.

"No... Dad please... stop..." she silently whispered to herself, knowing very well she would have no power in the matter if she were to butt into her father's angry rampage.

"W-what did I do... wrong?" Crystal Hoof said softly. "Why are you doing this to me...?"

Shining Armor didn't answer, his gaze was hard and cold as he reached his hooves out and pushed back the stallion roughly.

"Get..."

He punched him.

"Out..."

He kicked him.

"Of..."

He pushed him.

"My..."

He slapped him.

"Sight!"

With one swift motion, Shining Armor lifted his hoof to hurt him again, just before Crystal Hoof spun himself, transforming into Thorax with a burst of green flames and spreading his wings wide.

Thorax lifted himself into the air, just barely missing Shining Armor's raised hoof. He made his way to the princess who was standing on her balcony. He smiled softly upon seeing the silent tears running down her cheek.

He quickly flew towards her, ignoring the screams coming from her father. He stroked her chin, as she closed her eyes and relished in his presence.

"What happened..." he said softly, but not in a questioning manner. Flurry looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Do you have to go...?" she asked in a hushed whisper. Thorax only nodded.

"I'll be back... I'll be back Flurry, don't you worry about me. I'll fix all of this," he said, locking their foreheads together before turning away from her.

Flurry looked at his figure as it moved further and further away from the castle. She looked below her to see her father storming inside the castle with a red face. Her eyes narrowed as she replayed what had just happened over in her mind.

Silently, without another word, she flew down onto the crystal floor surrounding the castle, trotting slowly up to the fallen basket of flowers Thorax had been carrying mere minutes ago.

Tears glistened in the sunlight as they made their way down her cheek. She knelt forwards, picking up a few of the fallen petals from the roses and putting them into her hair.

"Please come back soon..." she whispered, closing her eyes and turning. She walked slowly out of the courtyard, into the streets of the Crystal Empire.

Author's Note

Terribly sorry for the short hiatus. >.< I'm just been extremely busy these past few weeks. :3 EDIT: Art in this chapter by NorthernLights8.