"What is Flurry doing?"
Twilight, now a much taller Alicorn, looked down at the youngest Alicorn Flurry Heart. At this point, Flurry Heart was about the same age as her mother was when she was Twilight's foal-sitter.
Flurry Heart was flying only a foot or two off the ground, chasing after the butterflies in the Canterlot gardens. The thought of her Princess ceremony which was only a month away, was the last thing on her mind.
"Twilight, what's wrong?"
"Your daughter is chasing butterflies again." Twilight growled.
"Oh, yikes." Princess Candace whispered. "Thought she broke out of that habit by now..."
Twilight huffed and trotted silently towards Flurry Heart till she was right behind her. She lifted up on her back hooves and used her front ones to slam down on the earth, scaring off the butterflies.
"Eep!" Flurry Heart squeaked, her wings clamped down to her sides and she collapsed into the dirt.
"Flurry Heart." Twilight said sternly. "It's been several years and we not only have we not found out your purpose as future Princess, but you're still a blank flank!"
Flurry Heart shook the dirt off her wings and frowned from her aunt's scolding.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you." Twilight sighed. "It's just...every foal passed the class with a cutie mark except you. An Alicorn."
"I'm in no rush, Aunt Twilight." Flurry Heart told her.
"When you're a Princess, keeping to a schedule is important." Twilight explained. "I know that better than anyone. I've organized my books over 300 times in my life. Remember when you helped me?"
Flurry Heart smiled broadly and nodded cheerfully, remembering helping her aunt as a filly.
Twilight felt relieved, she never wanted to yell at her niece. She just wanted her to find her way as a Princess as an Alicorn should. And she was taking unusually slow.
"Tomorrow you're visiting my castle again." Twilight smiled. "You'll get to see my best friends again."
"Awesome Aunt Twilight." Flurry Heart replied, her eyes bright.
Twilight headed back to the castle of Princesses Celestia and Luna and Flurry Heart looked out toward the field, still yearning for the chase of butterflies and the soothing siestas in the flowers.
If I feel just right doing that, then how come I didn't get a cutie mark in laziness.
Cause laziness isn't a talent you dolt.
Flurry Heart sighed, the Princesses tried their hardest to lead her in the right direction. Neither Princess duties nor casual butterfly chasing or even sleeping made her feel complete.
If I don't find my missing piece I'm going to go crazy.
She held onto a sliver of hope that her newest visit to Ponyville would do something.
She trudged over to her room of several months, she had moved in to Canterlot when she decided her fate couldn't be in the Crystal Empire. There seemed to be only room for one Princess.
They visited her often, and Shining Armor, her father, greeted her. She was grateful for his undying patience to find the right path.
"Perhaps before you become a Princess you'll get your cutie mark." Shining Armor reassured her.
"But I don't want to be a Princess." Flurry Heart reminded her father. "You know that."
"It's the duty of every Alicorn." Shining Armor said. "Imagine how dangerous it'd be if we had an alicorn for an enemy, that's why every one must be influenced to be royalty."
"But I wouldn't be your enemy!" Flurry Heart then remembered. "Luna's a Princess and she turned evil!"
"That's when there were only two active Princesses." Shining Armor replied.
Her icy blue eyes shot him down and she walked past her father and into her room. She felt slightly bad, but she just didn't care about Princess roles like the other Alicorns did.
Flurry Heart had nothing really to pack. And the next day, as she followed Princess Twilight outside the castle, she saw wealthy ponies with their spoiled foals relishing their luxuries.
No luxury is going to make me truly happy, it's been so long since I've been in Ponyville. Perhaps I will find what my heart needs there.
They both got on a train and Twilight pulled out a thick book and started reading intently.
Learning is Twilight's talent, matched withher skill of magic. I've hardly learned any spells. Oh I wish I was born an Earth pony!
And Celestia has a cutie mark for raising the sun, Luna the moon, and my mom's the Princess of Love.
At least what Flurry knew her and her aunt definitely had in common was their fondness of friendship. They made it to their destination and Flurry Heart saw Twilight's closest friends gallop to her.
Rainbow Dash, captain of the Wonderbolts, nuzzled Twilight and it seemed that Fluttershy was absent.
"Did something bad happen to her?" Flurry gasped.
"No!" Applejack laughed. "She's just on maternity leave with her and Discord's filly."
Flurry's eyes lit up, she heard of their wedding and anticipated seeing their foal.
"Course, I'm going to be an aunt again!" Pinkie Pie squealed. "Marble Pie is expecting her third foal with Big Mac."
"I'm so happy." Applejack confessed, tearing up. "Even without Granny Smith, our farm will be able to go on."
Flurry Heart was happy to see her aunt unconditionally happy with her best friends, and was excited to see her own. Especially the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who have started an organization for helping ponies find their talents and gaining their cutie marks.
As Twilight and her friends headed to the castle, Flurry Heart recognized the wide building that was the CMC Headquarters, right next to Sweet Apple Acres.
I heard this area was once a tree house, seems like those mares have come so far.
A poster of a fashion show co-hosted by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon was near the door. Flurry Heart was in thought wondering if she would go when she stepped in the building and accidentally bumped into another pony, sending papers flying.
"Oh, sorry!" Flurry Heart gasped, but what was even more shocking was the pony.
He was a strong and stocky white stallion with brown patches of different shades and a stack of papers as his cutie mark.
"Oh! Let me help you with these." Flurry Heart used her magic to collect the papers all back into one pile. Oddly enough, the stallion seemed too distracted by her to lend a hoof.
"Just, um, place the paper pile on my back." The stallion whispered. "Oh, sorry ma'am! For bumping into you."
Flurry Heart was surprised when the stallion bowed until she realized she was an Alicorn.
"Oh no need!" Flurry giggled. "I ain't a Princess."
"But you will be." The stallion said in awe.
Not if I can help it.
Flurry Heart was surprised at that thought, she really didn't want to be Princess?
"Hello?" Flurry felt embarrassed when the stallion called out to her.
"Sorry." Flurry Heart whispered. "I don't...want to be a Princess."
You've known this stallion for less than five minutes and you're confessing your deepest secret to him?!
"You...you don't?" The stallion looked surprised. "I heard there was going to be a ceremony for a new Princess. That not you?"
"Um, no." Flurry lied. "It wasn't." It can't be
"Oh, OK. My name is Pip, short for Pipsqueak." Pipsqueak smiled shyly.
"Flurry, short for Flurry Heart." That strong stallion's name is Pipsqueak?!
"Better hurry up with these papers to Twilight's castle." Pip explained. "See you, my fair lady."
As soon as Pip left, Flurry Heart turned around to the gawking receptionist, a freckly white mare Flurry recognized as Twist.
"He hardly ever talks, even to Celestia it was just a few words here and there!" Twist squealed. "I've never seen him so taken by a mare!"
"What, me?" Flurry blushed. "I'm hardly more than a filly."
"You're definitely old enough to use spells and fly." Twist reassured her. "Or are you not interested in being a wife either?"
Flurry Heart was confused at that last statement when she gasped and rounded on Twist.
"You heard what I said about being Princess!" Flurry Heart exclaimed. "You cannot tell that to anyone!"
"Why don't you yell louder then?" Twist retorted. "I read the schedule for the ceremony coming up and it had your name on it. Was Pip the only pony you told?"
"Um, yes." Flurry ducked her head shyly.
"What're you gettin' on Flurry's case about?"
Flurry Heart saw Apple Bloom, her body strong and lean almost as much so as Applejack's. Must be from all those farm duties.
"Uh, well it's very impor-"
"I don't think Flurry Heart has any important duties till ceremony right?" Apple Bloom grinned.
"Right, right Twist?" Flurry rushed to speak first.
"Riiiiiight." Twist huffed. "Boss, could I help you?"
"Flurry could." Apple Bloom replied. "We gotta round our cattle, and both of Big Mac's sons are outta town."
"We?"
"Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Rumble, Snips, Snail and Pipsqueak are helping out." Apple Bloom explained. "Have you met Pipsqueak? Buff stallion he is, I don't think we'll even need Snips and Snails."
Flurry looked away and narrowed her eyes before looking back at her friend.
"Does he have a lover?" Flurry asked curiously.
"He should!" Apple Bloom laughed. "I imagine that his foals would inherit his strength."
"Flurry, why are ya so deep in thought? You usually aren't." Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "No offense."
"Oh, it's fine. Just uh, about the future I guess?" Flurry lied.
"Oh, well, you'll be in good hooves being Princess." Apple Bloom reassured the Alicorn. "C'mon, we gotta get those cattle herded!"
She doesn't get it, to be fair I never told her how I felt about this.
In the large field beyond Sweet Apple Acres, a lot of cattle were dispersed.
Flurry Heart knew all the ponies well except Pipsqueak. Despite that, she instinctively walked over beside him.
"Hey! What're you going with a group of earth ponies, a pegasus, a pair of unicorns, and some cattle in a field?" Pipsqueak blurted out. "I mean, you're just so..."
Pip looked away shyly.
"Even though you're not a Princess, you're still royalty. You have to be." Pip explained. "You're too good to be here with us."
Too good?! Alicorns aren't entitled!
"C'mon every pony, let's start rounding the cattle in a circle!" Apple Bloom hollered before she took off.
Every pony followed, with Scootaloo and Rumble flying barely off the ground.
The unicorns used spells to keep the cattle from breaking out of the circle. And the circle of running ponies lead the cattle to a gated area.
All the ponies felt proud, but Flurry felt...nothing.
She was distracted by her grim thoughts when a ball of mud hit her in the back of the head.
"I'm so sorry ma'am! I was trying to get Snails!"
Flurry looked back at Pip's apologetic face and smiled at him affectionately before she kicked up some mud and threw it at him playfully.
Pip looked at her and laughed in surprise. And Flurry didn't blame him. Whoeverthought of an Alicorn that knew how to have fun?
Flurry Heart saw Snails throw a mudball at Sweetie Belle and it instantly broke out into a mud fight. It quickly developed into teams and Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart were one.
The Alicorn quickly made mud balls and Apple Bloom aimed them with her strong throws. All of them were dirty with mud as soon as the fight was over and they were tired out.
Flurry Heart had an unbelievably fun time playing with her friends, especially her new one Pip.
I could play like this forever! I've never been this happy!
Suddenly, a flash from behind her hurt her eyes and she looked and saw...a cutie mark?
Eagerness and curiosity overwhelmed her as she sat and leaned over: it was a pink alicorn and a white pony chasing each other, clearly smiling.
"Guys...I...I got my cutie mark!"
"You did?!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, running over. "Your special talent is...playing?"
"I think so!" Flurry was obliviously happy to Apple Bloom's confusion.
"Is that me?" Pip asked, pointing a hoof at her cutie mark.
"Probably, you did start the game when you accidentally threw that mud at me." Flurry Heart spread her wings and embraced Pipsqueak. "I never would've gotten my cutie mark if you hadn't."
"You helped an Alicorn get her cutie mark!" Sweetie Belle cheered.
"But...I don't understand." Apple Bloom faltered. "You're going to be a Princess, why would your cutie mark be playing with regular ponies?"
"I thought ya said you didn't want to be Princess?" Pip looked up at the panicked Alicorn.
Apple Bloom looked shocked and Flurry Heart was even more nervous. Either way she reacted, it would not cast away the growing suspicions.
So she fled, she ran away from her friends.
She ran all the way to Twilight's castle, her heart racing as she ran to her room. Relieved that nobody but a sleeping Spike was there. How could she be so stupid as to tell one pony something and another the next?
In the wrong hooves, this could spread to Ponyville and then the Princesses! But, Pip is technically part of my cutie mark. Is he entwined with my future?
Several weeks later
"Hey Flurry Heart!"
Flurry looked up and quickly covered her flank with her blanket as Twilight walked in her room happily, appearing to be unaware that her niece had gotten a cutie mark for playing with earth ponies.
"We should be heading back to Canterlot three days before you become Princess." Twilight explained. "You must've had a fun time with your friends this visit, you've slept nights over even!"
Flurry gulped nervously, two weeks ago her and Pipsqueak went out on a date and then several group dates followed, they were dating.
I knew that strong-hearted stallion had something to do with my future! And...I can't become Princess! They'll never let me be with an earth pony!
After Twilight left, Flurry Heart took off to Pip's house and knocked. He opened the door and smiled.
"Hello, Flur." Pipsqueak's tail shook excitedly and he leaned forward to kiss her when she unexpectedly stumbled back. "What's wrong?"
"They're still going to make me Princess." Flurry Heart confessed.
"Did you tell Twilight you were seeing me?" Pip asked.
"No, she hasn't even spotted my cutie mark yet. If she learned of either of those she'd burst an artery." Flurry Heart sighed.
"So...are you just going to let them force you into royalty?" Pip asked sadly, wanting his marefriend to be happy.
"I can't!" Flurry replied. "Playing with the ponies of Ponyville and dating you has made me the happiest I've ever been! I-"
"Heir Flurry Heart!"
The loud boom took the mare by surprise and both Flurry Heart and her coltfriend gasped when Princess Celestia flew to her, with all the other Princesses right behind her, and Shining Armor as well.
"See!" Twilight hissed. "Look, Flurry Heart has been dating a earth pony that's not even a soldier! He literally carries paper for a living! And look at her cutie mark!"
Flurry flinched when she saw her mother and father look at her cutie mark and look...disappointed.
"Her cutie mark is ponies...playing?" Princess Luna spat.
"Twilight's told me a lot through her letters, Flurry Heart." Princess Celestia stated. "Is it true that you do not want to be a Princess? Ever?"
"Leave her alone!" Pipsqueak neighed, running between Flurry Heart and the Princesses.
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Princess Celestia howled, using her horn to levitate and slam Pipsqueak into a tree.
"No! LEAVE. HIM. ALONE!" Flurry Heart wasted no time and slammed her whole body against Princess Celestia's. Before the Princess of the Sun could even react, Flurry Heart turned around and kicked both rear hooves into Celestia's head.
Princess Celestia was shocked by the power of Candance's daughter and fell back, covering herself with her wings.
"Flurry Heart, you should've known not being a Princess would make you our enemy." Shining Armor sighed. "Look what you've done."
Flurry Heart realized there was a ring of truth to what he said, the strongest Princess was now cowering in weakness from her blows.
"Please, I love Pipsqueak." Flurry Heart begged. "I just want to be a normal mare with him, I want to stay here. Any of you could have more Alicorn foals, I just don't want to be Princess!"
"Ha! Celestia and Luna have never had foals in their whole lifetime of a thousand plus years!" Twilight scoffed. "And I ain't falling in love, I'm the Princess of Friendship."
Flurry Heart looked to her mother with begging eyes.
"Dear, I don't want you to be unhappy." Her mother whispered. "I will talk with the other Princesses."
The Princesses and Shining Armor walked off, Princess Celestia limping and leaning on her sister. Flurry Heart ran to her coltfriend and whispered loving words to him as she levitated him to the hospital.
One year later
"I now decree Candace's 2nd foal Princess Blue Spiral."
Flurry Heart looked brightly as her younger sister proudly took the role as the Princess of Adventure. She felt her husband Pipsqueak lean his head against her's and saw the CMC teasing her across the crowd.
"Mother!"
She saw her dark purple pegasus daughter Cosmic Spots run toward her with Fluttershy's daughter, a orange pegasus-draconequus hybrid with a tiger paw and crooked ears named Disarray.
"Orchard Pie's been saying you're a shame for not taking your role in royalty!"
"Again?" Pip huffed. "Lemme talk to this Orchar-"
"Sweetie, it's fine. He's hardly older than a colt." Flurry Heart chuckled. "Let him say what he wants."
"I think you're great no matter what mum." Flurry Heart hugged her daughter with her wings and took off.
Flurry Heart began roughhousing with her friends and felt, at long last, complete.
