Windigo Storm

by TalkingToMyself

Rating: everyone
Tags: Shining Armor, Slice of Life, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Flurry Heart, Alternate Universe, Tragedy, Crystal Ponies
Length: 17102

On the darkest days of winter, a storm hits the Crystal Empire with unforeseen force. However, this storm not only hits the crystal ponies with snow and ice, but also brings along a foe from ancient past.

It's been ten years since the Crystal Empire had reappeared and the dark curse of King Sombra had been broken. Under the kind rule of Princess Cadance and her family, the Crystal Empire slowly grows back into the prosperous and peaceful nation the crystal ponies had built up centuries ago.

However, not only the past offers challanges that need to be faced as even the weather can be hostile up in the frozen north.
On the darkest days of winter, a storm hits the Crystal Empire with unforeseen force, bringing along ice and snow but also an ancient threat.
How will the royal family handle this threat and protect their subjects?

Special thanks go to Echo Wing for all his help and Peppermin Frost for the all the encouragement!

This stories is settled in the Crystal Note AU and takes place a few months after the events from Legacy of the crusaders.

Published 2017-12-16 08:00:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-12-16 08:00:06 UTC

Storm of the century

Author's Note

Hi everyone,
welcome to my little story and welcome back if you found your way here from one of the prequels.

As always, I'd love to hear what you think about it, any comments and suggestions are highly appreciated!
Enjoy your reading and have a wonderful pre-Christmas time!

Storm of the century

Storm clouds gathered at the northern horizon and soon filled the entire skyline. They formed a thick and gapless wall of grey and white that seemed to roll towards the Crystal Empire like an avalanche in the sky.
From her lookout on a small hill near the northern boundary of the Empire, Crystal Note watched and shuddered in the freezing wind that reached the city long before the storm and even made it through the barrier of the crystal heart. That storm would be coming fast and it would hit very hard, undoubtedly the worst the city would have to face ever since the return of the Empire.

Luckily, the city was well prepared and the crystal ponies knew how to deal with winter storms. Houses and buildings had been secured, the outskirts of the city had been evacuated just in case. The families of the inner districts welcomed the temporary homeless ponies in their own homes, closer to the crystal heart and the palace and therefore safe even against the wildest storms. The crystal ponies always had been a tightly-knitted community, hospitality and solidarity were as sacred to them as was the crystal heart or their loyalty to their Princess.

Princess Cadance had eagerly followed the example of her subjects and by now the palace was open for all ponies who needed shelter, hot drinks and food stood ready to be handed out inside the crystal halls and the Crystal Guard had been working for days to help secure the city and every citizen. Crystal Note couldn't help but smile on how close everypony got together, especially in times of need. She was proud and happy to be part of the crystal ponies and that she had been accepted into the community by some of them by now.

The breeze picked up again and Crystal Note saw the clouds approaching ever faster, bringing mountains of snow and freezing cold with them. She turned to face the Crystal Palace and readied her horn. With a few moments of concentration, she summoned a beam of turquoise light with her magic and sent it towards the upper spires of the castle in the middle of the city. Although her light never actually reached the palace, her magic was simply too weak for that, she saw a yellow light glow up from the spires answering her own. Crystal Note nodded satisfied as Sunburst, the unicorn scholar and crystaller to Princess Flurry Heart, showed that he'd gotten the message.

The crystal unicorn made her way down the hill and back towards the city. She'd done what she could to warn the other ponies in time, now she'd have to leave it to Prince Consort Shining Armor and his Crystal Guard to get everypony into safety, including herself. She started to gallop as soon as she reached the street again and passed the first empty houses when she ran into a patrol. The crystal ponies of the guard seemed to be arguing about something and their expressions were annoyed at best, if not straight angry. One of them nodded to Crystal Note and let her pass before they spread out to check on the houses one last time.
It surprised her to see the guards in such a mood. Of course the last few days had been stressful, preparing the whole city for a blizzard, but seeing the guards arguing like that seemed so off. She decided to ask Prince Consort Shining Armor about this, maybe there was something else happening she wasn't aware of.

Crystal Note reached the inner districts and fell into an easy trot, catching her breath after the long run. She turned her head to look back at the growing mass of clouds in the sky and couldn't suppress a shiver running down her spine. She knew the city was prepared, the crystal ponies sheltered in the safety of their homes. This wasn't the first winter blizzard they'd face nor would it be the last. Despite all those facts, Crystal Note couldn't help but feel immensely worried and frankly, quite scared. Something was off with this storm, she couldn't place a hoof on it but she could feel it, almost sizzling in the cold air around her. The strange behavior of the guards was just another thing that didn't make sense to her.

She took a turn and slipped through a small alley leading to the market plaza where she was greeted by an excited shout
"Crystal Note!"
She turned her head towards the young voice she knew very well
"Princess Flurry?"
From the palace, a group of colts and fillies ran across the empty plaza towards her. Up front like always was Amber Waves, the yellow coated colt one of oldest foals in the group. Right on his tail was a pure white filly, the only one who wasn't a crystal pony. She wore her usual beaming smile and her horn poked out between pink and blue mane. Her wings were hidden under the red cape that identified her as a Cutie Mark Crusader. Most of the other foals wore the similar capes, made by Rarity and Sweetie Belle and sent from Ponyville. These were gifts from the original Crusaders to the newest generation of fillies and colts in the Crystal Empire.

Crystal Note smiled as the group of foals reached her, she knew all of them by now even though their group has been growing ever since the young princess Flurry Heart had joined Ivory Rose, Amber Waves and his sister Ocean. The three of them had learned about the Cutie Mark Crusaders from Crystal Note and decided to form a squad of their own in their design. With the young princess joining them and after exchanging some letters with Apple Bloom, their group had become somehow official and was now popular for young crystal ponies, blank flanks or not.

Crystal Note smiled and called out as soon as the group was close enough
"Greetings, Cutie Mark Crusaders. Shouldn't you all be inside the palace by now?"
Ocean Waves nodded and gave a mocking glare at her brother and the young princess
"Told you so!"
Some of the others giggled but Amber Waves and Flurry Heart shook their heads
"Cutie Mark Crusaders always help ponies in need! We're ready to help getting rid of the storm!"
Crystal Note's smile faded instantly and she shook her head
"This storm is going to hit the city, nopony can stop that. Even the Crystal Guard will have to take shelter soon. If you really want to help, I'm sure there's lots of ways to do so in the palace."
Flurry Heart's face changed into a strange mix between a pout and a glare and now it was Ivory Rose who grinned at her
"Told you so!"

Half of the group nodded and giggled teasingly but the other foals, including Flurry Heart, only got more annoyed
"We can't just sit inside and do nothing!"
"We're Cutie Mark Crusaders after all."
"What are you going to do, then? We're just foals, they'd never let us even try."
"So we should just give up? No way!"
"You really think yelling at the storm will make it go away? That's just dumb."
"HEY! He's just trying to help, don't call him dumb!"
"You stop yelling first!"
"I'M NOT YELLING!"

Within a few moments, the group of foals had turned into a mess of angry shouts and glares. A few tried to calm their friends down but they just turned on them, which only concluded in more yelling. Even Ocean Waves who never lost her patience was now shouting angry words at her best friend Ivory Rose.
Flurry Heart had been yelling too but when she saw this, she seemed to snap out of her own rage. She tried to get between the fillies who just shot mean words towards her before arguing even more. Helpless, Flurry Heart slumped on ground and tears gleamed in her eyes. Why would her friends act like this, all of a sudden?
At this point, a loud voice rose over the foalish quarrel
"ENOUGH!"

All the foals froze as the single word echoed over the plaza and turned around to stare at Crystal Note. The crystal unicorn never shouted, most of them didn't even know anything but the soft voice she used when she told them stories. But there she was, her voice clear and loud and demanding all of their attention with a surprising hardness
"That's enough, all of you. What has gotten into you? You're all friends, and friends don't fight like this. Friends don't call another mean names just to hurt each other."
Many heads dropped down. Some of them flattened their ears against their heads in shame, nopony dared to look at each other. They stared at the ground or at Crystal Note who held their gazes, her usually kind expression gone and replaced by a cold sternness
"You all know there is a terrible storm coming soon. In times like these, we hold together and help each other. It doesn't matter how much or how little we do, as long as everypony is safe. It doesn't matter which one of you is wrong or right, as long as you stand for each other and those who need your help.
You would be an amazing help to the ponies in the palace if you worked together. Instead you put yourselves in danger and start bickering. I'm very disappointed in you, Cutie Mark Crusaders."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. A few brave foals dared to look up at their friends again, embarrassed and ashamed of themselves. Their gazes met and seeing their friends understand helped them gain courage. Some mumbled apologize were spread, other friends managed to do so silently with just looking into each other eyes again. Ocean Waves and Ivory Rose stared at each other for a whole minute, then flew into a tight hug and a few tears where shed.
Crystal Note watched closely, appeased and proud at the foals at the same time. She almost smiled but then she heard a loud sob close to her.

She looked down and saw Flurry Heart curled up into a white ball of shivers. Amber Waves stood next to her, the colt reaching out to his friend but a bubble of golden magic surrounded the alicorn filly. Amber looked up at Crystal Note with worried eyes.
The mare walked up close and leaned down to the filly, her silvery horn gently touching the golden magic
"Flurry Heart?"
Another sob was heard and then some mumbled words
"This is all my fault."
"Flurry, no..."
"IT'S MY FAULT!"
An angry shout was followed by more sobs and words in between
"I told everypony to go outside... I convinced them... I promised Mommy I would help... only made it worse... everypony argued because of me..."

Ocean Waves and Ivory Rose joined Amber and put their hooves against the golden barrier
"It's not your fault Flurry."
"Maybe it was your idea, but we all came along."
"We didn't think this through, none of us."
"It's our fault just as much."
A few more foals stepped closer with mumbled apologizes and sad looks as they gathered around the magic barrier Flurry Heart had created.
Crystal Note watched silently, but when the others came closer, she let her horn glow and gently poked the golden magic. It was merely a nudge, she could never break a spell cast by the talented alicorn filly, unless Flurry allowed it.

There was a soft chime of magic and then the bubble just vanished. Flurry Heart looked up at her friends around her before it turned into an inevitable group hug.
Crystal Note stood a few steps aside and watched the young ponies with a soft smile. Luckily the fighting stopped as quickly as it had started and she could tell they were all sincerely sorry for how they acted out.
Crystal Note took a deep sigh. She couldn't really feel relieved, there was a shapeless worry gnawing at her thoughts even at this heart-warming display of friendship.
She'd seen the young Crusaders quarrel before, but never this fast and this badly. The intensity of the words said by the fillies and colts had been so harsh and cold, so very unlike of the foals.

Her eyes rose up to the sky that quickly filled with clouds. It the distance, she could already see snow falling down. She turned back towards the group of fillies, but then she heard something. Her ears perked up at attention and her eyes opened wide. She barely noticed Flurry Heart and the other foals suddenly staring at her.
Then there was that sound again. A long howl in the distance, rising high above the roofs of the city and echoing through the empty streets.
The foals shuffled closer together and started mumbling
"What was that?"
"Angry wolves?"
"Doesn't sound like any wolf I've ever heard."
"Maybe..."
"Shh! Everypony, please be quiet for a moment."
Crystal Note's voice got the foals go silent again and staring at the crystal unicorn mare. Flurry Heart closed the distance to her as Crystal Note closed her eyes.

Another angry howl broke through the air, closer than before. This time however, it was answered by another series of howls, although they could be angry neighing as well. Crystal Note's eyes flew open and she started shivering from more than just the increasing cold around her. Flurry Heart did the same, her wings rustling nervously against her flanks as fear took hold of her.
The two horned ponies exchanged a glance
"Did you hear that? Did you feel it too?"
"I did. What was that? And why does it feel so... angry?"
Crystal Note stared at the sky again and shook her head
"Something is not right. Not right at all."
She gasped and so did some of the foals behind her as snowflakes start to surround them, large and thick as they filled the air.
"The storm has broken the barrier of the crystal heart!"

Flurry Heart's eyes opened wide in disbelieve, but before she could do anything Crystal Note caught her attention again with a single word
"Princess!"
Their eyes met and Flurry Heart was grounded by the severity in Crystal Note's gaze
"Princess Flurry, you must take the other Crusaders back to the palace immediately. Tell your father and your mother about this. Tell them it might be..."
The mare swallowed hard as another frightening howl could be heard
"It might be Windigos."
The last word was whispered so only Flurry Heart would hear it.

The young princess' reaction was immediate as her wings clenched against her flanks and her eyes threatened to pop out of her head
"But... I thought..."
She shivered when she remembered how that howl felt inside her and nodded
"This is really, really bad. I'll tell Mom and Dad right away."
Crystal Note nodded
"You need to take charge now, Princess. Make sure everypony is safe, help your mother and your father. They'll need you."
Flurry nodded in response, but her eyes never left the mare
"You're not coming with us, are you?"
Crystal Note shivered and shook her head
"I passed some guards on my way into the city. They might be still in the outer districts. I need to make sure they're alright."

Flurry Heart opened her mouth to protest, but the serious look on Crystal Note's face prevented that
"That's not all is it?"
Before Crystal Note could reply, the alicorn filly hugged her foreleg
"I'll send Mom and Dad to help you. Please be safe."
"You too, Snowflake."
With that, Crystal Note turned around and ran back north as fast as she could, soon vanishing between the houses.
Flurry Heart looked after her for a moment, then turned around to face her friends
"Crusaders, time to go! They need our help at the palace."
The fillies and colts nodded, their quarrel from earlier almost forgotten and ready for the next challenge, they made the way back into the Crystal Palace.

Splitting forces

Shining Armor looked up when he heard the commotion from the entrance hall. Leaving his captains behind, he walked through the door and into the hall, only to find his daughter and her crusader friends storming in. They were quickly surrounded by adult ponies who tried to calm them down, but they fillies and colts wouldn't stop and headed towards the stairs.
Flurry Heart saw her father and vanished in a flash of light. Shining Armor looked at his side where Flurry reappeared again
"Flurry, what is all this..."
"Daddy! It's snowing inside the city!"
"What? But that's not possible!"
He stared down at Flurry but he could see in her eyes that she was serious, as well as scared and deeply worried.

He knelt down beside her so their eyes were at one level
"What happened, Flurry?"
"We need to find Mommy! I have to tell her too, please!"
Usually, Shining Armor would insist she'd tell him first. Like any filly, Flurry sometimes liked to overreact on small things. She reminded him of Twilight as a filly very often. But this time, he didn't doubt his daughter for a second. He got up to his hooves and called at the soldiers who now surrounded him
"Captain! Get everypony into the palace as fast as you can. Make sure no pony is left in that storm."
"Sir!"
They saluted and made it towards the doors, the other palace staff looking worried as they ran off. Shining Armor looked at Flurry and nodded.

They reached the entrance of the infirmary a few minutes later where they saw Princess Cadance talking with some ponies of the staff. Flurry recognized one of them as the new doctor.
"And you're prepared, just in case?"
"Yes your Highness. We've stocked up on supplies as you recommended and we've set up additional beds. If anything should happen, we can handle it."
Princess Cadance nodded with a thankful smile, but the smile froze on her face when she noticed Shining Armor and Flurry Heart race towards her. One look into Flurry's eyes was enough to shove all other thoughts away
"Good job, Doctor. Please excuse me."
She didn't wait for the mare to reply and instead met her family halfway. Shining Armor stopped in front of her, but Flurry Heart shuffled a little closer so she'd stand between her forelegs, touching her hooves. Cadance knew this meant that Flurry was either very scared or very nervous.

She gently placed her hoof on Flurry's head and when the filly looked up at her with fearful eyes, her heart seemed to freeze for a moment. She looked at Shining Armor and he nodded and took a step closer as well. Cadance activated her magic and in a glow of pink, the three ponies reappeared in their private rooms.
Now in a familiar environment and away from other ponies, Flurry Heart clung on her mother's foreleg and shivered. Cadance' free hoof gently wrapped around the filly and she whispered in as calm of a voice as she could muster
"Flurry, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
The white filly burst out her words along with tears
"It's snowing inside the city! Like really, really snowing a lot!"
Cadance eyes went wide
"But... the crystal heart should..."
"That's not the worst! There's something else out there!"

Cadance held the scared filly and gently touched her small horn with her own glowing one. A quick but strong pulse of maternal love flowed to Flurry and helped her calm down enough to stop crying.
Flurry looked up at her parents and finally words bubbled out of her in a fast pace
"I went outside with the other crusaders and we ran into Crystal Note and then everypony started yelling and arguing. Me too at first but then it suddenly felt so wrong and everypony was so angry and then there was that howl and Crystal Note sent us back in and she said..."
The filly had to take a breath before she said
"She said it was Windigos!"
Flurry buried her face against Cadance who just held her while sharing a look with Shining Armor
"But Windigos are just an old mare's tale."
"Shiny, ten years ago the Crystal Empire was just an old mare's tale. Fifteen years ago, Nightmare Moon was just a legend."

Shining Armor didn't seem convinced but Cadance just looked down at her daughter who tried to hide her tears against her pink coat
"Just look at her, Shiny. Whatever is out there, it's very real."
She gently wrapped her forelegs around Flurry Heart and leaned down her head so they were eye to eye
"Snowflake, I know you're scared. But you have to tell me what you saw out there, it's very important."
Flurry Heart gazed into her Mommy's eyes as if they were a safety line holding her. She shivered for a moment, then whispered
"I didn't see anything. But I heard that howl, it was so scary and angry... and then there were more howls. Like, one was calling out and the others were answering? And when they did, I felt it. It was all over me and under my skin at the same time, but most of it was here."
The filly poked her chest as her words didn't seem enough to explain everything she wanted to say. She tried anyways and continued
"It felt so cold, not like winter or at night, just cold. And for a moment it felt like... I felt like I would never ever be warm again. Or happy. Just cold. So cold..."

Cadance clutched her daughter to her chest and cradled Flurry gently when she started sniffling again. Shining Armor stood next to her, disturbed by Flurry's words, but then he blinked and shook his head
"Wait a moment, you said you met Crystal Note, but she didn't come back to the palace with you. Where is she?"
Flurry sniffled and turned her head to look at him
"She went north to warn the guards. But I think she wants to go after the Windigos all by herself."
Cadance and Shining Armor stared at Flurry, then at each other. With a sigh, Shining Armor nodded. That did sound like something the crystal unicorn might do.

Cadance instinctively squeezed Flurry a little tighter in her hooves and then nodded
"I'm going after her. If there are Windigos outside, my alicorn magic might be the only thing that can stop them."
"But you're not going alone! I'm coming with you!"
Cadance sighed and shook her head
"You can't, Shiny. If the storm is already inside the barrier, we need to evacuate the inner districts as well. The palace is the only safe place left."
"The guards can do that."
Shining Armor shouted but his anger melted when he looked back at Cadance
"Not without their general they can't. Our ponies need you here, Shining Armor."
He glared at her for a moment, then threw his hooves into the air in frustration
"Fine! But as soon as I know everypony will be safe, I'll be out there at your side."

Cadance nodded but then heard Flurry Heart
"I'm going too Mommy! I have magic like yours!"
Cadance shook her head
"Flurry, you're not coming with me. I'm worried to fly in a storm like this myself, it's far too dangerous for you. Besides, our ponies need a princess to look after them."
"But Mommy..."
Cadance set Flurry back on the floor and lowered her head to look into her eyes
"Flurry, listen to me. As soon as they notice the storm and the howling, everypony will be terrified. They need somepony to stay strong for them and to guide them. They won't panic when you're with them. It's a very important task and I can't think of anypony else who could handle it. Except you, Snowflake."

Flurry Heart looked back at her mother, then nodded. She stood up and spread her small wings wide
"I'll keep them all safe until you're back!"
Cadance smiled proudly
"I know you will. Be safe, both of you."
She shared a last hug with her family, then headed to the closest window of the room. She opened it with her magic threw herself into the icy winds with her wings flapping.
Shining Armor watched as she quickly vanished in the thick snowfall, then he closed the window and headed to the door
"Let's go."
Flurry Heart nodded and followed her father back into the main hall.

-*-

They reached the hall at the same time as a group of guards. Shining Armor went directly towards the ponies who looked like they'd just run through the entire Empire
"Guards, report. What's going on out there?"
"Sir, the storm is getting worse. We already have ponies fleeing their homes because of the snow and the cold. What should we do?"
"Get me a map of the city, quick!"
The guards ran off and his captains approached him again. Shining Armor looked to the door and saw Flurry Heart talking to Rose Quartz, one of Cadance' advisors and practically her right hoof. The mare looked as shocked as he'd expected and went to inform the staff, while Flurry Heart was surrounded by her Crusader friends. A few quick words and nods and the foals ran off in small groups, helping the staff as they cleared the hall for the increasing number of ponies they had to shelter soon.

Shining Armor returned his attention to his soldiers when somepony lay out a big map on the floor in front of him and pointed at a set of streets in the western parts of the city
"We came from here when we saw ponies trying to get out of their houses. The snow is falling like Tartarus, some ponies had to climb out the windows because their doors were already blocked by it."
Shining Armor nodded and kept his eyes on the map
"How many patrols are still out there?"
"Three more, but we expect them to be back anytime now. The only squad we haven't heard of yet is the one up north."
Shining Armor frowned, that was the way Crystal Note was headed and Cadance right after her.
"We can't wait for them to return, they're all able to make it back. Right now, we'll start evacuating the city. Gather every pony who's free and form groups. I want each of you to lead a group through the inner districts and get every pony here."
"Sir? That's going to take a while and the storm is already raging there."
"Then you better not lose any time, Captain. On their own, these ponies don't stand a chance against this storm. The palace is the only place safe at this moment."
The captains nodded and one of the guards looked at him with a worried expression
"This is not a normal storm, is it? Not anymore."

Shining Armor nodded but before he could explain, two new guards stumbled in through the main doors. They shivered all over and panted heavily. Shining Armor noticed that what he first thought of as their natural sparkling were crystals of ice that clung into their dark and dull coats. Whatever they'd run from had them scared to death.
He ignored the other ponies and walked up to them. He reached them in time with Rose Quartz and maid who covered the freezing guards with blankets and offered them steaming mugs of tea. The first guard took the mug and drank greedily, but the squad leader noticed the prince and snapped back at attention to salute
"At ease, guard. Take a drink, then tell me."

The pony complied and emptied the mug in one long draw. When he sat it down, the captains had joined Rose Quartz and Flurry Heart brought Sunburst, the unicorn scholar, over as well.
"We were going through the last houses up far north when that crystal unicorn ran into us."
"She has a name you know."
Flurry Heart called out, she didn't like the tone in which the guard spoke about her friend and teacher. Shining Armor didn't either, but now was not the time for this.
The guard blinked annoyed but then decided to ignore the young princess and went on
"She babbled something about she had to stop 'them'. I tried to send her back but she just ran past us. Three of my soldiers went after her before I could do anything. Then the rage of the storm hit us, and hit us hard."
He shivered and stared at the floor
"Suddenly it was so cold I could feel the blood freeze in my veins. I could barely see the others through the snow. But I saw something else instead. There were ghost horses running through the snow"
"Ghost horses?"
He looked up again and nodded
"I swear that's what I saw. The were taller than the Sun Princess and they were made of cold air and snow, or that's what it looked like. They seemed to ride on the cold breeze or the breeze followed them. Anyways, they had no wings but they were running through the air."
He shivered again and his coat turned a notch darker
"One of them looked at me for a moment. It was like..."
He didn't finish his sentence and instead shook his head
"I ran. I turned around and just ran away. So did the others. One of those beasts followed us and..."
he looked as his companion,
"... only the two of us made it here."

"You mean you left your squad behind? Where are the other guards?"
The squad leader looked down and shook his head
"Hiding somewhere from those beasts, I hope. I can't be sure."
The captain was about to start a tirade but Shining Armor stopped him
"There's no time for this now. Guard, what you saw weren't ghosts. Those were Windigos. Ancient winter spirits of hatred and cold."
The crystal ponies looked confused and stared at him, but Sunburst's eyes went wide in fear
"Are you sure, Prince Shining Armor? I can't believe that."
"Neither could I. But Crystal Note and Flurry Heart felt it and the descriptions we just heard match up."
The guard ponies looked at each other, then back at their prince
"What do we do now?"
"We're doing exactly what I said earlier. We're getting everypony into the palace for safety. Tell them to leave everything behind except what's necessary to survive. Form your groups and get to it, but don't risk your lives!"
The guard ponies saluted but Rose Quartz and Sunburst stared at Shining Armor
"And what about the Windigos?"
"Princess Cadance is already out there doing what she can. I expect nothing less from each of you."
The guards nodded and rushed off.

-*-

Soon the first groups of ponies entered the palace, most of them with blankets and bags of food. They were greeted by the staff ponies and their little helpers, Rose Quartz supervising them and telling everypony where to go.
Shining Armor stood over the map and marked the districts his guards had covered before he sent out new rescue teams.
After a while, Flurry Heart and Sunburst approached him once more, joined by Rose Quartz once more
"Dad, we're going outside to get the crystal heart into the palace, before it gets buried in snow like those houses."
Shining Armor blinked and then nodded
"I didn't even think about that. We shouldn't leave it out there were the Windigos might find it."
Flurry nodded and flapped her wings excited
"And I'm sure it still has some power left! Maybe not enough to protect the whole Empire, but hopefully enough to keep the palace and the ponies safe."
Shining Armor nodded and levitated his helmet on his head
"Good thinking. Let's go."
Flurry tilted her head surprised, but then smiled and nodded.

The four ponies stepped outside into the cold wind and snow. Shining Armor formed a shield spell around them to block of the snow at least and pushed his way towards the plaza with the crystal heart. Flurry Heart walked next to him and her horn glowed up as well to drive away the coldness. She smiled at Sunburst
"Good thing we practiced heat spells last month."
The unicorn nodded but his head turned nervously from side to side and his ears were perked up in alarm. Rose Quartz next to him seemed more calm but she had lost most of her natural sparkling as well.
Soon they reached their destination and Flurry Heart sighed relieved. As she hoped, the area around the crystal heart was still free from snow and protected by the heart. She ran towards it and only stopped to bow quickly like she'd seen the crystal ponies do so many times, then she walked close enough to pick the crystal heart up with her magic
"Got it!"
She couldn't help but grin a little as she turned back to the others, but they just stared at her
"Flurry, come back here, quick!"

She hesitated a second at the fearful voice her father used, but then ran back towards his shield spell. She heard a sound behind her and almost froze up in place when she recognized the howling from before, only now directly behind her. Lucky for her, the crystal heart seemed to pull her forward before fear could take over and she rushed back under the purple barrier before she turned around.
The plaza where the crystal heart had been floating just a few moments ago was now frozen solid and a white ghostly figure of horse stood there instead. Flurry Heart screamed as the Windigo looked directly at her with eyes that were just empty holes in its skull. The beast howled again and charged towards them.

The purple shield flared up as Shining Armor put more magic into it and the Windigo changed direction before it hit the spell. The creature howled angrily and began to run in circles around the barrier. Flurry Heart gasped when she noticed the ground freezing up around them and the snow surrounding them in a thick cloud.
Shining Armor narrowed his horn menacingly and followed the ghostly creature with his eyes. He let the shield spell drop for a second to shot a beam of magic at the Windigo, but the creature managed to dodge it. The ponies used the distraction however to start running towards the palace again.

Flurry shivered in fear as the angry howl filled the air again and came closer once more. She kept running but turned her head around to see the beast storming towards her again. She shot a beam of magic towards it like her father head, but it was weak because she also had to carry the crystal heart at the same time. The magic bounced off the Windigo harmlessly, if anything it grew even angrier as it got closer.
When the palace came back into sight, Flurry noticed her father wasn't running next to her anymore. She looked back again and saw him facing to the Windigo and preparing another spell
"Dad!"
"Keep running! I'll hold it off until you get inside."
Flurry Heart hesitated but Rose Quartz pushed her forward. Sunburst summoned a far smaller shield around them and they finally made it to the steps leading up to the palace.
Flurry Heart passed the crystal heart over to Sunburst who nearly dropped it in surprise and a golden flash of light later she was standing beside her father again, her horn glowing brightly.

Shining Armor kept the Windigo busy with quick bursts of magic but so far only managed to keep it from getting too close. Only one of his beams had hit so far but other than throwing the winter spirit a little off course it had no effect whatsoever.
Flurry Heart stood ready beside him and shot out a far more impulsive beam of golden magic. She hadn't practiced combat magic yet except from shield spells and she wasn't a trained soldier like her father. However, she was an alicorn and therefore had a lot more raw magic power than most unicorns, even as a filly.
Shining Armor noticed Flurry readying her magic and shot another beam of his own to have the Windigo change directions again, right into Flurry's magic blast.

The winter spirit howled again, but this time it sounded pained. The creature stood still for the first time and stared at the two ponies with hollow eyes, its body waving behind him like it was made of the winter breeze. The Windigo gave an angry neigh and threw his forhooves into the air to charge again, but then a new howl was heard in the distance. The creature turned its head and with one last angry glare, it stormed away, towards the north.
Flurry Heart sighed relieved but when she looked at her father, she noticed his thoughtful expression
"We're an easy target, why did it leave? It makes no sense, unless..."
His eyes opened wide with panic
"... unless it got called back because there's a better target. Cadance!"
He shouted out his wife's name and ran after the Windigo as fast as he could.

Flurry Heart was about to follow, but only made a single step. She remembered her promise to her Mommy and looked back to see guards already leaving the palace.
She turned around and ran back towards them
"Mommy, Daddy, please be safe."

First contact

Cadance flew through the cold air, against the breeze and the snow. It was a struggle, but nothing she couldn’t handle with her alicorn wings. If anything, the cold helped her not get overwhelmed by her worry. Flurry’s words still echoed through her head as she headed north and into the heart of the storm. She tried to remember what little she knew about Windigos, but all she could think of was the Hearths Warming Story.

She’d never been into studies or magic like Twilight, she’d always seen herself as a more active princess, getting in contact with ponies and spending time with them. It’s why she decided being a foalsitter in her younger years and it’s why she cherished her daily strolls through the city so much, even if it’s just a quick walk through the markets.
Now, she wished she’d hit the books more often. Or at least listened to Crystal Note’s stories more attentively. The crystal unicorn loved old legends and myths almost as much as her music and often told them to the foals. That was probably the reason Crystal Note recognized the Windigos before anypony else.

She heard the howling long before she sensed the presence Flurry had described to her. She flew a little lower and found herself over the northern outskirts already, almost out of the boundaries of the Empire even. The howling echoed around her but she felt neither fear nor despair coming over her like the stories told her would happen. It took her some time to realize why.
By now she could make out more than one of the foreign presences, but they moved away from her. She didn’t believe that they were running from her, if the Windigos were bold enough to face the crystal heart, then a single alicorn wouldn’t scare them away. But why where they heading into the other direction then?

Putting more power in her flight, she caught up and found the reason, or rather heard it. Through the snow, she heard voices. A shudder ran down her spine as she recognized them as screams of ponies, screams of anger and fear. Hardening herself, she dived down towards the source of the voices.

-*-

Shining Armor ran through the blizzard straight north. He came across some hills of snow but with a quick shot of magic breached through each of them. By now he had slipped his snow glasses before his eyes to at least be able to see something. If he could go by the intensity of the snowfall around him, he was getting closer to the heart of the storm. He'd given up keeping a shield spell around him while running, but his horn glowed with a heat spell like he'd seen with Flurry Heart earlier.

He ran past frozen streets and houses covered in snow almost to their roofs in certain areas. Not for the first time today he felt relief that the evacuation of the other districts had already been done long before, he shuddered when he imagined how much damage the Windigos might have done to the crystal ponies otherwise. His relief didn't last too long as by now, he heard the angry howling in some distance again.
The Windigo he'd ran after from the palace had been too fast, he quickly lost it out of sight, but now he was getting closer again. What he would do once he caught up on it, he had no idea yet. But then again, during the changeling invasion in Canterlot, he didn't really have a plan either. Same when Sombra had returned shortly after the Crystal Empire. Still, Cadance and him had been able to overcome it all in the end as long as they had each other to rely on.

As long as he'd reach her in time, everything would work out. That was the thought he kept repeating in his head as he crossed another street and headed straight towards the source of the howling. Or rather, sources as by now he could make out multiple Windigo voices through the snowstorm.
He broke through another snowy blockade and found himself in the outer skirts of the city already. He heard a howl, but then something else. The scream of a pony, in fear and in pain. Fearing the worst, he doubled his speed and ran towards it.

-*-

Cadance swooped down and saw the group of ponies. Crystal Note was running in the front and three guard ponies followed her, but they weren't the only ones. Cadance could make out three shapes in the snow behind them. They were easily taller than herself and looked like ghostly horses made out of cold air and ice. Cadance felt a shiver run down her entire body but she flew towards them.
Before she could reach them, the group of ponies was cut off by another Windigo coming from their left and charging towards them. Just before it reached them, the four ponies spread into different direction. The Windigos ran around in a wide circle, confused for a moment as it seemed before all of them decided on one of the guards and ran towards him, leaving a trail of ice behind.

Before they reached the guard though, their heads turned towards the source of an angry call
"Hey ugly! What's wrong, giving up already?"
Cadance couldn't believe her ears as one of the other guards had turned around to yell at the beasts, her voice dripping with hatred and anger. The Windigos howled and neighed and changed their direction again and suddenly Cadance understood. The Windigos were spirits that existed only for bringing hate to ponies. When confronted by the hatred of the guard, they found themselves pulled towards her and followed their instincts.

As Cadance closed the distance to the ponies, she witnessed the Windigos now heading towards Crystal Note who yelled insults at them at the top of her voice. The other ponies turned to follow as Crystal Note lured the Windigos further out of the city to the north. However, they long passed the protective barrier of the Empire by now and Cadance could see the strain on their faces, both from the overpowering presences of a pack of Windigos as well as the unnatural cold that surrounded them.

As soon as she was close enough, Cadance released a strong beam of magic at one of the Windigos. It turned its head but too late and took the full force of the hit. The shape of the beast was thrown into the storm and for a moment, it seemed to fade away in the snow, but then it pulled together again. Its hollow eyes fixated on Cadance and with an angry neigh, it charged towards her instead.
Cadance was ready and shot another beam of magic, a lot weaker though since the beast dodged, as she expected. With her wings flapping fast against the blizzard, she rose up higher into the air. She glanced down to see the four Windigos spiral upwards towards her while down on the ground, the four ponies quickly gathered up again. They pressed against each other in a feeble attempt to fight back the icy cold and stared upwards.

Cadance heard the neigh next to her and swiftly leaned to her right. With a twirl, she evaded the touch of the creature and now had an easy target. Her horn flared brightly and the Windigo howled in pain as another blast of magic hit it. She dodged the next spirit as it charged and fired beam after beam of alicorn magic towards them. She landed several heavy hits at them, but it didn't seem to be enough. Once or twice, one of them faded away for a few seconds, but at another howl of the remaining Windigos, it reformed and charged back at her with doubled rage.
Cadance started to pant after a few minutes. The effort of keeping her body in the air in the cold wind as well as her excessive use of magic drained her body quicker than she'd hoped. She'd soon have to finish this, but it seemed she couldn't defeat the Windigos one by one like she planed. She didn't know if she had the strength left to face them all at once, but it seemed like her only chance.

Summoning all her magic, she turned to face them when she heard a voice called from below
"Princess! LOOK OUT!"
Too late, she noticed a fifth Windigo had appeared and was now storming at her. She tried to dive down but before she could get away, the Windigo touched her. She barely felt any impact, in fact the spirit passed right through her. Cadance didn't notice though since as soon as it made contact with her body, she froze up from the inside, at least that's what it felt to her. Her muscles felt stiff and started shivering beyond her control, her right wing frozen solid and unable to move at all. Every breath she took hurt immensely and pain overwhelmed her. She could barely keep herself upright and the magic she'd gathered surged out of her in a bright but useless flash. She tried to catch herself when she noticed she was falling, but as soon as she flapped her working wing, a breeze caught her in its iron fist. The cold air and the anger of the Windigos crushed her in midair and flung her towards the ground. The last thought was relief as she hit a bench of snow instead of solid ground, then her vision turned black and the howling of the wind faded into silence.

-*-

The cold air had Shining Armor shivering all over, despite his heat spell. He kept going in the direction he last heard the yells from, pushing against a violent breeze. The howls could be heard nonstop by now and soon he saw them.
Windigos, six of them, running in a circle through the air in some distance. He thought he saw a flash on the ground beneath them and kept pushing forward.

He reached a small frozen clearing, hills of snow surrounding a small almost circular space. In the very middle of it, Shining Armor found both the source of the light and the yells he heard earlier.
In a discouragingly small bubble of magic, four ponies cowered against each other. Three of them he recognized as some of his guards. He felt his anger boil inside him as he saw their desolate state, they seemed barely even conscious under the flickering shield spell. The only pony still upright was Crystal Note, the turquoise light around her horn flickering as she scraped together the last of her magic to keep the shield spell up.
The Windigos kept circling closer and closer to the group and Shining Armor rushed towards them, his anger giving him new strength and driving away the cold for a little longer.

When he got closer, he noticed something strange. The shield spell seemed to get more solid, from the ground to the top, although Crystal Note's horn kept flickering and the magical and physical strain was clearly visible on the crystal unicorn's face. It took a moment for Shining Armor to realize that the shield was indeed growing weaker while the cold wind from the Windigos froze the air around it. The ponies were covered by a dome of semitransparent ice now, only the magic keeping them from getting frozen solid.

Crystal Note had her eyes clenched shut in an attempt to remain her focus on the spell. Shining Armor could hear her shouting out words and soon understood she was actually singing something. He frowned, it hurt to just breathe in the cold air and he could only guess how much colder it had to be inside the dome of ice. Still, Crystal Note kept singing at the top of her voice, maybe in a feeble attempt to keep her from passing out like the others. Her song was interrupted by heavy fits of coughing though and the magic around her horn was flickering on and off each time

When there was darkness all around
And no other pony to be found
... *cough*
I sit alone and I cry... *cough*

I need your love...
I'm a *cough*broken rose...
*cough* Please heal from frozen pain …
Your smile… *cough* your eyes…
Safe me just for me…

The last words broke into a coughing fit and Crystal Note collapsed against the other ponies. At the same time, the light around her horn faded away and her shield spell fell apart. The three other ponies shivered all over but Crystal Note wouldn’t stop coughing as the ice crept closer towards them.

With an angry shout, Shining Armor shot a beam of magic at the ice. It resisted for a short moment, then the dome shattered and freed the ponies from their cold trap. It was only a slight improvement but it was all he could do at the moment. The Windigos focused on him at the anger he showed and the magic he used and changed directions towards him. They didn’t charge at him, they knew they didn’t need to. Instead, the six spirits circled around him and he felt the cold grew ever more biting. He called forth a shield of his own, the purple barrier far bigger than Crystal Note’s had been, but he knew eventually he would suffer the same fate. All he could do now was stall time until Cadance arrived.

The magic within

The guard ponies rushed everypony into the palace and then by order of Princess Flurry Heart shut the doors and locked them tightly. Flurry Heart sighed relieved for a moment, but her chest clenched together when she turned around and saw everypony staring at her with worried expressions. She walked forward with the crystal heart floating in front of her in her magic hold, but then she felt a soft tug on it. She let go and the heart floated on its own into the middle of the entrance hall. Like on its usual spot, a spire of crystal rose up from the floor and the crystal heart floated on its top, spinning slowly. The crystal ponies watched closely and backed away a little in respect, but there was not enough room to clear much space around it.

The captains of the guard quickly surrounded Rose Quartz, Sunburst and Flurry Heart to learn what happened outside
“We were attacked by a Windigo. Prince Shining Armor and Princess Flurry Heart could hold it away from the heart, but when it retreated the Prince when after it.”
The captains looked at each other and immediately came up with plans
“We need to go after Shining Armor, he obviously started a counter attack.”
“Agreed, we’re going to drive away these monsters and their evil magic out of our city.”
“Are you insane? Didn’t you see it? The prince and the princess hit it with magic and nothing happened. What chance do we have?”
More ponies joined into the discussion and fear took over the crowd
“We need to get out as long as we still can. This place is a trap.”
“Nopony can withstand a storm like this for long. We’d be frozen before we even reach city limits.”
“What should we do then? Just wait until we get frozen in here? Or eaten by monsters?”

More and more ponies started yelling and shouting, more than one fight broke loose and some foals even started crying. Rose Quartz and Sunburst tried their best to reason with the captains but everypony just started to panic.
Flurry Heart saw what was happening and realized she’d seen the same when the Cutie Mark Crusaders suddenly started a fight. She spread out her wings to get the attention. When it didn’t work, her horn glowed brightly and with an echo spell, her voice grew loud enough to overtone all the yelling
“EVERYPONY STOP!”
The crowd fell silent and Flurry Heart flapped her wings so she would hover above the heads of the captains and everypony could see her
“We can’t fight now. It only makes the Windigos stronger, they feed on hate and anger. We need to stay calm.”
The ponies stared at her but just when she stopped talking, a distant howling could be heard and nervous murmuring filled the hall again
“We’re trapped, we can’t get out, nopony will come to safe us and…”
“NO!”
Another loud call from Flurry Heart silenced most of the ponies
“Please, I know it’s scary and cold, but we can’t panic now. It’s the worst we could do. We’re safe inside the palace and we still have the crystal heart.”

Flurry Heart nodded and the crystal ponies calmed down a little more, but the one of the captains stood tall in front of the small princess and glared at her
“You’re just a filly, how could you understand what is happening out there? Somepony needs to take charge here and lead us out of this death trap.”
The ponies stared at him and one of the guards asked in doubt
“But Sir, we’re far too many to get all out without being caught by those monsters.”
“Then we’ll have to leave those behind who are too slow.”
A wave of gasps ran through the crowd and Rose Quartz stepped forward to glare at the stallion
“How can you even consider such a thing? We won’t leave anypony behind and we will not sacrifice our brothers and sisters. Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor would never approve this.”
“Neither of them is here right now. For all that we know, the beasts might have already gotten them.”
At this Flurry Heart jumped in front of Rose Quartz and yelled
“That’s not true! They are out there fighting for all of us! They’ll never give up!”
“And how do you know that?”
“I just know it!”

The ponies looked between them and each other, uncertain and afraid, when Sunburst took the centre of attention with calm words
“Princess Flurry Heart is an alicorn, just like Princess Cadance. If she says her parents are still out there, I trust those words without a doubt. As long as they keep fighting, we still have hope.”
Rose Quartz nodded and added
“With Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor out there, Princess Flurry Heart is next in line to rule. If she says we should stay in the palace and stop fighting, then I will do whatever I can to follow her decision. And so should all of you.”

Mumblings rose up again but more hopeful this time, despite some voices of doubt
“But can you protect us from the Windigos while the Princess is gone? Can you defeat them if your parents fail?”
Flurry Heart spread her wings wide and nodded with conviction, her voice strong and clear and without even the slightest trace of doubt
“I will protect you and the crystal heart will protect you. And I won’t have to defeat the Windigos, because my mother and my father will not fail.”
The crystal ponies all fell silent again and stared at the young alicorn. Her unwavering trust and belief inspiring the hopeful to keep hoping and encouraging the doubtful to do the same. Ocean Waves, the small filly and her best friend, just stared at her and asked what so many ponies thought
“How, Flurry? How do you know? How can you be so sure?”
She was not doubting her friend, but Ocean Waves like most of the crystal ponies needed to know and understand.

Flurry Heart smiled at her, the same cheery smile everypony had seen on her so often but even so, it now had so much more meaning
“I trust Mommy and Daddy with all my heart. They won’t give up, they care so much about all of us so they’ll never give up. And I won’t give up on them either, I’ll always believe in them, just like they believe in me and every one of you as well!”
The crystal ponies stared at the young Princess and finally her words seemed to get through to them. Like morning dust in the warm rays of sun, the last traces of fear faded in Flurry Heart’s unwavering trust. Ocean Waves just nodded and stood next to her friend, quickly joined by more of the new Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Rose Quartz and Sunburst kept their positions at the left and right of the young Princess and threw challenging glares to everypony who dared still to question Flurry Heart.
One by one, the other captains stepped away from their angry comrade and joined the side of the young Princess.

Flurry Heart barely paid any attention to it. As soon as the crystal ponies had regained their hope, she felt a strange presence at the edge of her awareness. She tried to focus on it like she would with her magic and felt it very close nearby.
She turned around and as soon as her eyes fell on the crystal heart, she knew. Ignoring all the ponies in the hall and still smiling brightly, she stepped towards the floating heart that started to glow as she approached. She stopped in what seemed an appropriate distance and knelt down, her wings spread in respect like she’d seen her mother do. She touched the floor with her forehead and the tip of her horn like she’d seen from Crystal Note so many times. She heard a happy tinkling sound in her head and the presence grew stronger in front of her. She stayed in her position and spoke softly, though her words could be heard clearly in the entire hall as all crystal ponies watched the young Princess in silent astonishment
“Please help keep everypony safe. Please help my Mommy and my Daddy to save the city.”

The crystal heart glowed up and started to spin slowly. Flurry Heart heard somepony kneel down next to her and saw Ocean and Amber Waves and heard them mumbling
“Please save the Princess and our home. Please safe our families.”
Rose Quartz was next to join them with similar words, then more ponies formed a loose circle around the crystal heart and knelt down mumbling. One by one, the ponies joined in and Flurry Heart felt the magic in the crystal heart growing stronger with each pony.
Soon, the entire hall was focused on the crystal heart and saw it glow brighter than ever before. Flurry Heart concentrated intensely on the magic and gasped at the sheer amount of power she felt, far more than she ever felt with her mother or even with any of her aunts. She also felt something missing. It reminded her of a spell she had ready in her head but waited for the signal to release it.

Around her, the ponies kept mumbling and sending their thoughts to the crystal heart. Flurry Heart let her horn glow softly as she called for her magic. Like a final gear slipping into place, Flurry suddenly understood. She gasped and her jaw almost dropped down to the ground when she realized. Ocean Waves and Rose Quartz next to her noticed and looked up, but Flurry Heart just flapped her wings excited and rose a few feet off the ground
“It’s you! All of you!”
The ponies looked up at the young alicorn
“The crystal heart! All its power and magic come from you! Your trust, your light… your love! It’s all inside the heart.”
The crystal ponies stared at the squealing princess and back at the crystal heart which kept glowing bright enough to fill the entire hall with light and even drive away the cold of the storm. All this power came from themselves?
A few crystal ponies who remembered the days well before King Sombra nodded. Rose Quartz was soon to follow, along with all the ponies who had witnessed the final defeat of the dark king. Every crystal pony had come in touch with the crystal heart at some point, but none of them had realized how deep their connection really was. They all felt this deep sense of community that tied them all together, but this revelation made them understand how strong their community really was. How strong they were, together.

Flurry Heart flew up so she was hovering over the glowing heart
“Everypony, please help my Mommy chase away the Windigos!”
The crystal ponies cheered and bowed deeply, focusing all their trust into the crystal heart and to their beloved Princess.
The crystal heart reacted immediately and started to spin with blurring speed. The light glowed brightly and a single beam of light shoot up high into the sky, passing through the crystal walls of the palace. The crystal ponies felt this and embraced the light inside them as each of them glowed brightly as well, their forms crystalizing into brightest colours and sparkles so bright they could illuminate the entire city.
Flurry Heart was touched by the light as well and felt her body go crystally as well, then sunk down back to the ground between her crusader friends. Just like the crystal ponies around her, she also sent all love and light she had to the heart, focusing only on her mommy.
The flare of light grew brighter, then flew towards the north.

Princess Cadance was hovering in a thick could of dark unconsciousness. She tried desperately to wake up, she knew there was something she needed to do, she had to be strong for somepony very important, but her mind was foggy and she couldn’t focus.
She was almost giving up her struggle when suddenly she felt warm. She heard voices, some unfamiliar and faint, others clear and loud. A few words were repeated over and over
“We believe in you, Princess Cadance.”
Her mind latched on those words and her eyes opened. She saw white around her and realized she could barely move, but she tried as hard as she could. Her wings hurt and her legs struggled against the snow she was buried in, but she kept fighting. She tried to call, the words weak as they passed her lips but loud and strong inside her head
“I’m not giving up. I will keep fighting. I will protect all of you.”

A bright flash, blinding her. Warmth turned into blazing heat, melting the snow but not burning her. She felt it and understood. This was it. This was her. Her power, her true colour. Love, Princess of Love. She could feel it, from everypony she swore to protect, sending their love and loving them back.
Her eyes shot open and she regained her senses.

Princess Cadance stood in a puddle of water that had been a snow bench, radiating off so much heat the icy ground below her hooves melted away. Her wings spread wide and with a powerful flap, she propelled herself high into the air. Her magic was replenished and glowed brighter and stronger inside her than ever before. She felt the love of the crystal ponies flowing towards her in a stream of light and hope. Some ponies she felt clearly and recognized, Flurry Heart one of the brightest among them, but the connection of their hearts was what made this love stronger than anything she felt before. They freely offered it to her, trusted her with this power. Now it was her time to use this power to protect them all.

She scanned her surroundings, her senses sharp as never before and her mind processing every piece of information at the speed of light.
Crystal Note and three ponies of the guard lay on the frozen ground, barely alive but still breathing. Next to them, another beacon of love: Shining Armor, casting a powerful shield spell to withstand them. Six Windigos circling around his magic barrier and trying to freeze him with the hatred and fear they had gathered.

Her wings flapped hard and she dived towards them. They felt the power and turned their heads, but too late as a powerful beam of magic evaporated one of them in a blink. The Windigo emitted a last desperate howl, then vanished. Unlike before, it did not reform out of mist. The five remaining Windigos charged at her with angry neighs, only to be confronted by another burst of magic. One more howl and another spirit faded. Cadance felt their hesitation and watched them form a wide circle around her. They tried the same tactic as before, encasing their victim in ice and weakening it before freezing it from within.

Cadance grinned as their cold barely even reached her senses against the burning love that glowed inside her. She shot another beam at them, but the Windigos scattered. They didn’t attack but they didn’t flee yet either. Cadance sent out a burst of heat and stopped the snowfall around her, even melting the ice on the ground and by that took more power away from the winter spirits of hatred.
A call from the ground caught her attention and she smiled brightly. Shining Armor called her name again and in a flash of light, she appeared at his side.

He stared at her for a moment, lost for words, but then he just nodded. He didn’t need to understand, he just needed to trust the love of his life. Side by side, they stood and looked up at the Windigos. Their horns glowed up in unison, then a twin beam of magic shot towards the closest of the Windigos. One beam held it in place and the other, more powerful beam hit it in the chest. The Windigo burst into a could of snowflakes that quickly melted into nothingness.
At this point, the three remaining spirits fled. They turned towards north and into the dying storm, trying to hide in the remains of the snowfall. Another twin beam of magic caught one of them before it was out of reach.
Soon all they heard was a faint echo of their howl, then the last two Windigos were gone as well.

Shining Armor panted heavily but Cadance reached out with her enhanced senses. She searched for their presences but found nothing. She felt the storm but realized its power had been broken, no longer posing a threat to any of her ponies.
She opened her eyes and turned to look at Shining Armor who now openly stared at her. She glanced down herself and saw that her body seemed to glow softly from all the power she was given by the crystal ponies. She smiled at him and he smiled back, then all but leapt into a tight hug
“Cady! You saved us all.”
She laughed and shook her head, making her mane wave around her head
“We all did this together.”
They shared a loving nuzzle, then something reached her awareness. She turned her head and saw the four ponies from before, Crystal Note one of them.

The three guard ponies breathed slowly and were unconscious, but Cadance didn’t see any injuries. The power she was granted allowed her to realize they were no longer in danger of dying but clearly needed medical attention and most of all warmth.
In their middle, Crystal Note shivered and coiled through a series of dry, violent coughs. Her eyes were partially open but empty, unable to focus. Her legs shivered out of her control and Cadance saw tiny flecks of red after a very heavy coughing fit on the snow beneath them.
Cadance stepped close to them and her horn glowed softly. Immediately, the snow and ice melted around them as a bubble of warmth surrounded them, not the burning heat she used against the Windigos but a more gentle pulse of compassion that the other crystal ponies felt for the four of their own.
Shining Armor stayed at her side, still panting in tired heaves and using the last of his strength to stay on his hooves
“We need to get them to the palace, Cady. I don’t know if…”
Before he finished his sentence, Cadance’ magic covered them all and in the blink of an eye they stood in the middle of the entrance hall of the palace, next to the crystal heart
“…if we can make it. Huh.”

Cadance reopened her eyes and smiled. Usually she struggled more with teleportation spells and in her heart, she thanked the crystal ponies for lending her their power. She looked around and found the entire hall filled with almost all her subjects. Their forms shined in inner light and glittered beautifully in the light of the crystal heart and her own magic.
They stared at her like Shining Armor had, fascinated by the glow her body emitted from the power of their love and trust. She smiled warmly and nodded and carefully lifted the four unconscious ponies from the ground with her magic
“They need our help, quickly.”
The doctor and her nurse rushed forwards, along with a few other ponies. Cadance gently lowered the hurt ponies on their backs, Crystal Note was carried by Rose Quartz, then the doctor lead them towards the infirmary.

Shining Armor limped back next to her and was nearly thrown over by a small shiny filly of white crystal that was Flurry Heart
"Dad! You're okay!"
Flurry clung on her father for a moment before she hopped in front of Cadance and stared at her with her eyes as wide as saucers and filled with relief
"Mommy! I was so worried!"
Cadance leaned down to hug and nuzzle her daughter. For a moment, all she did was share her relief and love with Flurry Heart, a few tears sneaking out of the filly's eyes but quickly vanishing. When she looked up again, she saw the crystal ponies bowing down before her, some even kneeling on the floor.

"Rise, everypony. There is no need to bow to me. You've all shared the light and love inside you with me today and together we stood against the Windigos. I know you've freely given me this power, but I do not intend to keep it. It's only borrowed and now it should go back were it belongs."
Cadance walked up to the crystal heart with her wings spread wide and leaned forward to touch the relic with her horn. She closed her eyes and sent everything she had received back into the crystal heart which glowed in response. Cadance blinked, then smiled and turned to her ponies
"The barrier of the crystal heart has been replenished. The Windigos are gone and our city is safe from the storm."
The ponies around her cheered and laughed and hugged each other, some even crying from relief. Flurry Heart sighed in relief and slumped on the ground an was swarmed by her crusader friends. More and more ponies went over to first thank her daughter, then they turned to Shining Armor and herself.
Cadance smiled and returned their kindness wholeheartedly.

The crystal ponies still stared at her in awe although Cadance felt her body was not glowing anymore, her magic back at its normal strength inside her. She let her eyes wander and gasped when she found her reflection on one of the crystal walls. The pony that stared back was her, but not her at the same time. It was her mane that almost threw her off balance. It seemed to wave in an invisible breeze and while still carrying her usual colours, they seemed to blend together as the ethereal strands waved and shimmered.
"You look almost like Aunty Tia, Mommy."
Cadance looked down and saw Flurry Heart, staring up at her with a bright smile. She could see love and admiration in her eyes and found almost the same reflected in the crystal ponies around her. Whatever happened during her absence, Flurry clearly had a large doing in it. She felt proud of her daughter who had handled so much responsibility at such a young age, but she could also see it taken a lot out of her. Flurry had summoned all of her strength to stay calm and lead and Cadance' motherly instincts told her that her filly now needed to be freed of this burden again so she could be the happy filly she loved to see.

Cadance knelt down so she was at the same height as Furry and smiled
"I'd love to hear what happened here while I was gone. You want to tell me?"
Flurry smiled brightly and nodded, but then a cheeky grin entered her expression
"Only if you tell me how you transformed your mane like that!"
Cadance glanced back at her reflection
"It's just some leftover magic from the crystal heart I guess. I'm sure it'll be gone soon."
Flurry Heart tilted her head with a soft frown and a voice next to them spoke up
"I think the crystal heart made this as a gift to you."
Both alicorns looked up and found the crystal ponies still watching them, although they'd finally stopped bowing by now. Cadance addressed the mare who'd spoken up
"What makes you say this, Opal Waves?"
The mare smirked and her foals Amber and Ocean stood at her side and giggled softly
"Well, you helped the crystal heart save the Empire. You risked your life out there for all of us. Don't you think the heart wouldn't want to thank you for that? So, there you have it."
Cadance could only stare at the mare for a minute as she tried to process all of it, but then she whispered
"But, it was all your light and love the crystal heart sent to me..."
"Exactly!"
Opal Waves smiled and all the crystal ponies joined in and nodded. Cadance needed a moment to understand, but the a grateful smile brightened her face
"Thank you, everypony."
"We need to thank you, Princess!"
A wave of laughter filled the hall and Cadance joined in as she gently nudged Flurry Heart with her head
"Now I really want to know what happened here."
Flurry giggled and rustled her wings
"I'll tell you mommy, but shouldn't we first check if anypony still needs our help?"
With her heart almost bursting in maternal pride, Cadance agreed and followed her daughter.

Aftermath

Crystal Note woke up with a start and tried to take as deep of a breath as possible, her brain telling her she desperately needed air. When her mouth opened and she tried to inhale, she whimpered in pain as not air but what felt like shards of glass made their way through her throat and into her burning lungs. She wanted to cry in pain but the only sound she managed was a broken groan and a whimper before the pain in her throat overwhelmed her senses.
Suddenly she felt something against her lips and her tongue tasted cool water. She tried to lean forward, greedily swallowing the offered drink that tasted like heaven to her, only to have it burn down her throat like liquid hellfire. A violent cough shook her whole body, followed by another painful attempt to breathe.

She felt someone pushing her back into a pillow, only now she could realize that she was lying in a bed. The cup came back to her lips and this time offered her a far smaller sip, making sure she'd swallowed before the next tiny sip. Very slowly her breathing calmed down as the cool water managed to soothe the pain in her throat. For minutes, she followed the slow rhythm of breathing and tiny sips. The cup left her for a moment at one point but came back with more water for her to drink. When the second cup was almost empty, she finally remembered how to open her eyes.

Her vision was blurry, but she picked up the important things. She recognized the room as one of the infirmary in the Crystal Palace. It was a small room with just enough space for the bed she lay on, a small nightstand and a chair next to the bed. On the other side of the bed stood Rose Quartz, holding the cup of water and gently feeding her sister sip after sip.
Crystal Note lost most of her tension when she saw her sister's face and sunk back into the pillows, focusing on drinking once more. Rose Quartz soon filled another cup and tried to instil more liquid into her mouth, but this time a bitter taste hit Crystal Note's tongue and her mouth convulsed, trying to spit the drink out again, which only caused another pained cough.

Rose Quartz carefully rubbed her shoulder to help her calm down again
"Come on, Crissy. You need to drink this, it's medicine. It'll make the pain go away and help you sleep."
The cup came closer to her mouth again, but Crystal Note managed to push it away with her hoof. She tried to speak but through her sore throat, the words barely made it out, her voice more sounding like two rocks grinding against each other than anything else
"How... how are..."
She couldn't even finish one question before she started to cough again. Rose Quartz knew her well enough to get the message anyways and nodded
"Everypony's fine. Princess Flurry Heart and the guards got everypony into safety, Princess Cadance and Prince Consort Shining Armor drove away the Windigos."
Crystal Note's eyes focused on her sister and her mouth opened again, but Rose Quartz just nodded again
"The other three are in the next room. They got mild hypothermia like you, but they'll be fine according to the doctor. It's you she's worried about, you hurt your throat in the freezing air."

The mouth opened once more but Rose' hoof was there to prevent another attempt of speaking
"No talking for you. Doctor's orders. You need to stay in bed and take your medicine. Don't make me go and get a funnel. You know I will."
Crystal Note rolled her eyes but her shoulders shivered in a soundless if pained giggle. Rose Quartz smiled and offered the cup again. Her sister glanced at it suspiciously and gave her a pleading look which made Rose nod understandingly
"I promise I'll tell you everything that happened once you had some rest."

Crystal Note nodded and obediently opened her mouth. Her muzzle scrunched when she swallowed the bitter liquid but by the time the cup was half empty, her eyes fluttered heavily. She downed the last few drops before her head was lowered on the pillow by Rose Quartz but at that point she was already deep asleep again.

When Crystal Note woke up the next time, she noticed the light was different. She'd guess it was late night but she couldn't tell what day it might be. She felt like she'd been sleeping a week but the sting in her throat told her it couldn't have been that long, the pain still felt very fresh. She still felt sore and tired all over, not to mention cold, so she only let her eyes wander through the empty room.
On the nightstand next to bed stood a new cup of water that put her into a dilemma. She desperately wanted a drink but she didn't feel like sitting up and reaching out for it.
After a few minutes of pondering, her thirst won and she clumsily sat upright on the bed and reached out. She needed both hooves to pick up the cup and it took all her focus to bring it to her lips to drink, but the soothing coolness of the water was worth it.

Sitting upright also allowed her to see something else, or rather somepony else. Curled up on the floor next to the bed was Flurry Heart. The filly had obviously fallen asleep while waiting for her to wake and Flurry's wings were wrapped around herself against the cold of the night. Crystal Note didn't know why the filly had chosen the floor instead of the chair but that didn't matter now.
She set the empty cup back on the nightstand and closed her eyes. Her horn came to life with soft glow and the same glow surrounded the sleeping princess. Crystal Note's eyes closed more tightly from the effort but she managed to gently lift Flurry Heart up from the floor and into the bed without waking her.

She set the filly down next to her on the bed and covered her with a lion's share of the blanket. She started shivering from getting cold again, but it was better than risking Flurry Heart to get ill as well. Flurry stirred under the blanket so Crystal Note gently ran her hoof through the filly's mane so she'd stay asleep hopefully. What she didn't expect was Flurry shuffling towards her and snuggling in. Crystal Note's shivering stopped and a silent sigh rose out of her as the young princess shared her warmth with the freezing mare.
Crystal Note felt drowsy as the warmth seeped into her. She felt like her body had almost forgotten how it felt to be warm but now melted into the nice feeling.
She gingerly wrapped her hooves around the sleeping filly and used a quick glow of magic to pull the blankets around both of them. Within minutes, the cosy warmth and the soft breathing of the young princess lulled Crystal Note back to sleep.

The first rays of the sun fell into the royal bedchamber the next morning. Princess Cadance was already up, sleep had eluded her. She'd lain awake next to Shining Armor who had all but collapsed into their bed.
She didn't blame him, he had been working very hard for days and used up the last of his strength against the Windigos. He deserved some rest, no matter how desperately she wanted to shake him awake just so she'd have somepony to talk to.

After two hours of trying to fall asleep, Cadance had given up and climbed out of bed again. She needed this time, to think, a few hours just for herself. It had been impossible with the storm approaching and getting the palace ready for everypony, not to mention the usual royal business that needed time and attention as well. The few free hours of the last week had been dedicated to her little Snowflake. Flurry Heart had grown so much during the last months and Cadance was determined to get as much quality time with her daughter as she could.

This night however, Flurry Heart had been in a hurry to get to her room, leaving Cadance alone with her thoughts. Again, she couldn't blame her. Flurry was probably as confused as she was herself.
Cadance stared at her reflection in the large mirror, like she had almost all night. By now she'd almost gotten used to the mare staring back at her.
At first, all she could see was the waving mane. It belonged to her and had her usual colours, magenta, pink and a stripe of pale yellow. But now it seemed almost alive, the strands of mane waving in the softest of breezes, the colours blending together on the edges. She'd always thought Auntie Celestia and Auntie Luna used a spell to have their manes constantly waving in an invisible breeze, but now she could see it just happened. She'd tried, in front of the mirror, turning her head, facing in different directions, but the breeze that moved her mane always shifted along. It was funny in way but also infuriating at the same time how little control she suddenly had over her own mane.

It had taken Cadance a while to see something else than her mane, but when she did her confidence slowly returned. Those were still her eyes in her own face looking back at her. They didn't suddenly stare at her with century old wisdom like Auntie Celestia's eyes did. They didn't have that unworldly glow in them she'd seen in Auntie Luna's eyes when she talked about dreams. Those were her eyes, open and clear like they'd always been, sitting in her own face.
Her body still looked the same as well, not growing taller like her aunts. She still had the same thoughts she'd had yesterday. She didn't suddenly have an incredible wisdom bestowed on her, she couldn't see the future or sense the inner workings of the world around her. From what she could tell she was still Cadance, Princess of Love, wife, mother and regent of the Crystal Empire.

With her peace of mind somewhat restored, she'd written a few short letters. The first to Twilight Velvet in Canterlot to inform her that the storm had passed and Flurry Heart was well, knowing far too well how much her mother-in-law would worry otherwise. Next came letters to the other Princesses, summing up what had happened and asking if they could offer her more information about Windigos.
She had managed to drive them out of the Empire and with the ghostly beings gone, the power of the blizzard had collapsed into harmless snowfall, but she wanted to be sure they wouldn't return anytime soon.
Her final letter turned into an official request to the crown, demanding for an investigation of the northern tundra as soon as the weather would permit it. If the Windigos could reach the Crystal Empire, it was most likely they could reach Equestria as well.

The sun slowly rose higher and Cadance pulled her eyes away from the mirror. Shining Armor was still sleeping, so she silently left the room and went to Flurry's room.
Cadance carefully opened the door and peeked inside the room only to find it empty. That fact alone didn't surprise her too much, but the obviously unused bed made her worry for a moment. Then again, the way Flurry had been acting towards the end of the day, maybe she shouldn't be too surprised.
Flurry Heart had confessed she blamed herself for what had happened, despite Shining Amor's and her own reassuring words that she wasn't responsible for any of it. Flurry had been strong for the ponies around her and pushed her own feelings out of the way, but when they retired for the night they'd all caught up on her with doubled strength. Cadance sighed deeply and scolded herself for another night her daughter would have needed her and she wasn't there.
She had a good idea what Flurry would be up to, so she closed the door again and walked down another hallway.

After a quick chat with the nurse, Cadance entered the smallest of the rooms in the infirmary. She smiled when she saw the bundle on the single bed. Both Crystal Note and Flurry Heart were snuggled close to each other under the warm blankets, the silvery-white mare partially curled around the filly so only the pink and blue mane peeked out.
Cadance couldn't help but feel even more proud of her daughter. Flurry Heart had played an important part in keeping the ponies safe and found the words to keep them away from despair during the worst of the storm. She'd been the one who encouraged them to activate the crystal heart and by doing so she'd not only saved Shining Armor and Cadance, but the entire Crystal Empire from the Windigos.
Yet despite all her accomplishments, she'd not shown any hubris or vanity. Instead, here she was, trying to do what she could for the ponies who had been hurt most from the Windigos. Crystal Note had been caught in the middle of the freezing storm but the mare already looked better, Flurry's presence and comfort helping her to get her well deserved rest.

As Cadance watched her daughter and her friend sleep peacefully, she noticed a golden glow from beneath the blankets. She carefully lifted the blanket and saw her little Snowflake struggling with a spell, the glow coming from her horn. The filly noticed her and stopped the magic with a guilty expression on her face.
Cadance gently picked up her daughter and pulled her into a soft embrace
"Are you alright, Snowflake?"
The filly snuggled into her mother's hooves but shook her head
"I can't figure out that spell but Crystal Note needs it."
Cadance smiled as she understood and held Flurry closer against her
"You tried a healing spell?"
The white filly nodded against her mother's chest who gently ran her hoof through the filly's mane.
"Those are some of the trickiest and most difficult, Flurry. It takes many years of study and practice to get them right. Not even a wonderful talent like yours can change this."
"She wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place if it wasn't for me."

Cadance sighed silently and sat down on her haunches. She gently set her daughter down as well, but kept forehooves circled around Flurry to still be close.
"Why do you think that?"
The filly shuffled closer to Cadance and sniffled out an explanation
"I led the Cutie Mark Crusaders outside when you told me to stay inside. I thought I could just stop the storm with magic. And then we all started fighting."
Cadance allowed Flurry's head to rest against her
"What happened then?"
"Everypony was so angry, me too. But then, I got scared. It felt so wrong. I tried to stop them, but they didn't listen. Even Crystal Note was angry, that scared me the most. I've never seen her angry before."
Cadance nodded softly and began to rub down Flurry's back with her hoof
"I did, a few times. She only gets angry if she cares about somepony very much. Like she cares about you."
Another sniffle from the alicorn filly
"Then it's even worse I hurt her, right?"
"Flurry, my little gem. You did none of that. You were overeager to help and therefore you made a mistake. You meant well, and now you've learned from it. I'm proud of you."

Flurry Heart looked up at her with an expression that wavered between hope and disbelieve
"I am very proud of you, Flurry. Without your help, your father and I would have never been able to save everypony. You gave them hope when they were desperate, your presence kept the ponies from panicking. And in the end, you inspired them to send their light into the crystal heart."
Flurry listened to her mother, but with each word her ears sunk deeper into her curly mane
"I didn't do any of this by myself. The other Crusaders and Rose Quartz and Sunburst, they all helped me."
"And that's only more reason for me to be proud of you."
Immediately, Flurry's ears perked up again, causing Cadance to giggle softly
"You see, not even a princess can do everything all by herself. That's why I have advisors, secretaries and guards, to help me do what's best for our ponies. Knowing when to ask for help and finding the courage to do so, that's what makes a good princess.
And that's what you did, Snowflake. You didn't let your pride or your fear get the better of you. Instead you inspired so many ponies to help and to trust you."
Cadance smiled and gently kissed the top of her daughter's head
"I know you'll make a wonderful princess someday, Flurry."

Flurry Heart all but squealed in joy and nuzzled close, her Mommy's words balm on her heart and soul. She rested her head against the soft pink coat while smiling, but then another troubling thought crossed her mind
"But what if I make mistakes once I'm a princess? Won't that make me a bad princess?"
"Oh, Flurry. You will make more mistakes, you can't prevent that."
Flurry Heart turned her head to stare up at her mother's face, only the soothing tone of her voice keeping her away from a panic attack at the moment.
Cadance smiled down at her and held her close
"Everypony makes mistakes, even princesses. What's important is to not repeat them and to learn from them. Even your great aunt Celestia is not flawless."
"Not even you?"
Cadance sighed but held the gaze of her daughter, her blue eyes wide in surprise that her mother might make mistakes
"Especially not me, Snowflake. I've made my good share of missteps and errors, and I still do plenty as hard as I try to avoid them. I'm very lucky everypony is willing to forgive me, especially you, my little gem."
"Me?"
Cadance nodded and gently pulled her daughter closer with her hooves
"Yes Flurry. Think of all the hugs and talks we missed out on because I was busy elsewhere. Every bedtime story I didn't tell you, every goodnight kiss I missed. All your adventures I didn't see myself and only heard about. Every little injury you had and I wasn't there to make it better. Every nightmare you had and I was not there for you when you woke up.
These are the mistakes I regret every day. Mistakes I can't make up for. I love you so much Flurry, but I fail so often in being the perfect mother you deserve."

Cadance closed her eyes for a moment and felt tears running down her cheeks. She gasped when she felt Flurry jumping up and clutching her hooves around her neck, pressing in close against her, so close she could feel the filly's heart beat next to her own.
Her hooves flew up to embrace her wonderful daughter and her wings cocooned Flurry in soft feathers and love.
She felt the wetness of tears where Flurry's head pressed against her coat and heard the whispered words
"You're the best mommy ever!"
Cadance smiled as new tears run down her face, happy ones this time
"You forgive all my mistakes?"
She felt a nod against her chest
"I love you mommy!"
"And I love you, Snowflake. And that's why I always forgive you, whatever mistake you made or will do, I forgive you. Just like everypony else who cares for you."

Cadance and Flurry basked in each other’s embrace and love, oblivious to the world around for a little while longer. Cadance only opened her eyes when she felt another pair of hooves carefully wrap half around Flurry Heart and herself. With a smile, she saw Crystal Note who had snuck on them to join their hug, nuzzling Flurry’s mane softly in silent reassurement. Since her voice was still gone from the cold, she needed another way to let the filly know she, like everypony else, was not blaming her for anything that happened.
Cadance brow rose when she noticed the shivering of the silvery mare, obviously freezing again out of her bed. With a soft sigh, she released her daughter from her embrace
“Flurry, would you tell the nurse Crystal Note is awake now? She told me the doctor wanted to check on her again, and I believe we could all use some breakfast as well.”
When Flurry nodded and after a last squeeze slipped through the door, Cadance’ gaze fell on Crystal Note with a soft sternness
“And you’re returning to bed right now. The nurse told me to make sure you’re kept warm until the doctor says you may get up again.”
Crystal Note opened her mouth but Cadance’ magic surrounded her and simply lifted her up and towards the bed. Crystal Note hung in the air for a moment and tried her luck with a sad look and pleading eyes but Cadance just giggled and tucked her back in
“You forget I’m Flurry’s mom. Puppy eyes stopped working on me when she turned three years old.”

At that, Crystal Note’s shoulders shivered in a silent giggle and she submitted to her fate of warm blankets wrapped around her with a dignified smile. Cadance giggled as well, then the door opened letting the doctor, Flurry Heart and Rose Quartz into the room, the latter two carrying a tray with breakfast each.
Crystal Note smiled at her sister, then focused on the doctor as she addressed the silvery mare
“Good morning. How are you feeling today?”
Crystal Note’s expression turned to a frown and she pointed at her throat, but the doctor understood
“Your voice will be gone for a few more days, if you give it enough rest. You really did a number on your vocal cords with screaming in the freeze. Speaking of, still feeling cold?”
Crystal Note blushed at the soft chiding from the doctor and nodded, which gave her a sigh from the mare
“I guessed as much. Stay warm and in bed, lots of fluids, warm teas will help your throat as well. Let’s check your magic now, shall we?”

Crystal Note nodded and closed her eyes. The doctor kept watching her but Cadance and Rose Quartz now had her full attention as well. Cadance knew from unicorn doctors in Canterlot about diagnosis spells, but Doctor Caring Hoof was a crystal pony like Rose Quartz. How could she check on Crystal Note’s unicorn magic?
The answer came when the crystal unicorn’s horn glowed up brightly and everything within reach was surrounded by the turquoise glow of her magic. The trays with breakfast and everything on them, the things on the nightstand, the chair next to the bed, everything lifted up a few inches and hovered in mid-air. Cadance turned her head when she heard a soft giggle as Flurry Heart was covered by the same glow and lifted up, then Rose Quartz, the doctor and herself were surrounded by the turquoise light as well. She felt the gentle pull of magic but it wasn’t enough to lift her. Rose Quartz stared at her hooves and the glow on them, she was still a bit wary of getting in contact with magic. Doctor Caring Hoof just watched unconcerned.

The magic stayed up for less than a minute, then everything sunk down on its spot again, except Flurry Heart who used a flap of her wings to land on the end of the bed instead, watching Crystal Note with a grin.
The doctor nodded and summed up
“Not back at full power yet, but no problems with control or handling.”
Crystal Note nodded and smiled back to Flurry while the doctor explained to the princess and her advisor
“I learned this method from a pegasus doctor in Canterlot who had to take care of unicorns in his hometown. It’s not as accurate as a spell but it serves its purpose for me. I just need to find out if something is wrong with their magic after all, if it is I know to call for help from Canterlot. As long as she shows she can control her magic like that, there's no need to worry.”
Rose Quartz looked impressed but Cadance just nodded approvingly. Caring Hoof had been one of the few crystal ponies who quickly showed interest in the new Equestria she found herself in after the return of the Crystal Empire and had even spent a few months in other cities to learn more about modern medicine and treating ponies. All the knowledge she gathered was of great use to the Crystal Empire and the crystal ponies now and Cadance hoped her example would inspire more of her ponies to be more open minded as well.

The doctor scribbled a few notes on a medical chart, then smiled to Crystal Note
“Keep it easy for a few more days and we’ll see if you can get up again. And remember: Give your voice a rest. No talking and especially no singing.”
All ponies giggled and laughed when Crystal Note pulled a pouty face, then the doctor bowed to the princesses
“I’ll leave you to your breakfast now. Your Highness.”
Cadance returned with a bow of her head as the doctor left, then she heard something behind her that made her perk up her ears
“Hey Crystal Note, if you want your breakfast muffin just say something, otherwise it’s mine~”
Cadance turned around just in time to see Flurry grab a muffin in her magic and take a big bite while Rose Quartz was trying her best not to giggle too loud. She rolled her eyes and shared a smile with Crystal Note. This could be some long days for them.