Discovery

By Amorous

Tap, tap, tap...

Flurry Heart stared out of the window of the castle, drowning out the lecture she was receiving and tapping her hoof against the window sill with boredom. She had heard these rambles time and time again, the cautious tales of what if's that her Aunt, Princess Twilight Sparkle, had experienced first hand, and while these stories had not once lost their novelty, Flurry Heart found herself yearning for so much more than just stories. To find herself in such a position where the fate of all Equestria was in her hooves, to truly be part of something so important, to be known as the mare responsible for saving her home and the lives of millions time and time again was something she dreamed of endlessly. She found herself growing restless as her wings shifted at her sides.

"Twilight..?"

"... It was a seemingly endless cycle of going to the future and seeing the chaos of Equestria laid out differently each time, and, I admit, I didn't know for sure if I'd be able to get Starlight to listen to me! Thankfully, I grabbed onto her when I did and got her to see the damage her decision was doing to the land and the timelines-"

"Twilight..."

"Finally, we had landed in a timeline where there was nothing but bare, dead land and wind. All of the life in our world seemed to be gone, and it was just Starlight, Spike and I-"

With a low sigh, Flurry stood up from her place on the floor, "Twilight, please, I've heard this story before... Can I go outside? The sun is going to go down soon, maybe we could finish this up tomorrow?" She looked at her aunt with pleading eyes, leaning forward ever so slightly.

Twilight stood there for a moment, now snapped out of her recounting as she soon shook her head and smiled.

"Right... My apologies, Flurry, I must've lost track of time. I'd be more than happy to finish this off tomorrow, I know how busy you teenagers can be..."

"Oh, it's not like that, I just... have some friends waiting on me, is all!" She lied.

The older alicorn chuckled for a moment before waving a hoof in the air, "It's alright, you're getting older now, soon you'll be ruling this empire and the ponies who live here all on your own... It's best that you live your youngest years out now." Her expression seemed to brighten with this realization and her smile became that of a proud one.

Flurry rolled her eyes, "I know, I know... Princess duties and all that," She flicked her hoof in the air before comically bowing.

Ignoring her niece's gesture, Twilight soon trotted out of the room, her books floating beside her, "Love you, Flurry."

"Love you too, Twilight!"

The door quietly shut behind her, leaving the young alicorn sitting on her bed alone, once again directing her eyes towards the outside world through her window. She looked down at the ponies who walked by, each going about their day without a care in the world. She felt as though she would always be confined to this castle, stuck dealing with all the responsibilities she never asked for as a princess. Sure, it was a great honor that meant she lived by certain privileges one pony could only dream of, but it made her wonder; with all of this obligation, would she ever be able to have the freedoms she desired? She had seen how little time the Princesses, aside from her mother, could spend on her with all the tasks they needed to complete day in and day out. Though she didn't mind, she worried that one day that would soon be her role in life, and being an immortal alicorn with never-ending responsibilities did not seem appealing at all.

She backed away from the window and hopped off of her bed, making her way over to her closet and opening it to gander at her wardrobe. It's my life, I refuse to be held down. If I want to go out and have an adventure, then by Celestia I will! She cast her robes into the closet and left her golden shoes at the door, getting her saddlebags and casting them over her back, her tiara now resting at her desk in front of a mirror. With one final glance towards her window, set out on her exploration.

Trotting through the empire, she passed many of the residents, smiling and waving at them all as they greeted her formally, none of them stopping her for a conversation. She knew she shouldn't be offended by such things, she understood that, as a princess, many ponies felt intimidated, including the many stallions that eyed her beauty from afar, not daring to try their luck with the daughter of the Captain of the Royal Guard. When she was younger this had always presented a problem, as she never had many play dates with fillies and colts her age. Still, that was the past and it was best not to dwell on it.

Eventually, she found herself exiting the empire's grounds and bridging the outskirts. She walked on for what felt like an eternity, but she found herself engaged in the landscape. It was a beautiful day today, and she felt glad she chose not to waste it in the empire. She loved her home, but she rarely got to be out on her own without some sort of escort. She knew her family was simply being overprotective, and she appreciated it, but as she had grown older, she now longed for independence.

As her mind continued to wander, her daze soon came to a close when her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain in her hoof. She inhaled sharply and jumped back before looking down at the small cut that was left in her hoof with a small frown. Stepping forward, she'd found the source of the pain. An almost fully black... horn? By the looks of it, it had to be that of a unicorn's, by size and shape alone. However, it was oddly curved upwards at the base with a scarlet red tip that went down to its midsection. It was unlike any average pony horn she'd seen.

Picking it up with her magic, she felt a very subtle spark from within. It almost as though the horn was vibrating somewhere from inside, and it only seemed to grow stronger the longer she held it in her magical grasp. She eyed the horn more intensely, bringing it closer to her face as she narrowed her eyes. There was something familiar about the object, but she couldn't quite place what it was.

Even more so though, she wondered just how the horn had even gotten here in the first place. If somepony had gotten maimed to a point where one of their most valuable assets were torn off, then... the very thought of such a thing sent a shiver down her spine. Maybe being out here alone wasn't the best idea, she looked up to see that the sky had turned a deep orange- the sun would soon set and her parents would start to wonder where she was. She knew how fast they could start to panic over her.

She looked the horn over once more before carelessly dropping it into her saddlebags, and with the turn of her hooves, her wings unfurled as she took off into the sky on her way back home. On the way, she began to find herself at a decision; should she tell her parents of her discovery? Would it be best to keep it to herself? The mare was excited at the prospect of having her own secret, maybe this would be the adventure she was looking for in her life! She smiled excitedly to herself, she couldn't wait to go home and observe whatever she could from this horn, clearly there was some kind of magic still resonating from inside it...

Author's Note

Hope you guys enjoyed the prologue!
This is actually my first multi-chapter fanfic that I'm gonna be writing, so feel free to leave some tips and feedback in the comments, I really would appreciate it.