The Abyssal Requiem

Having already been caught by Tempest and Apple Bloom, Cozy Glow was at a stalemate. Seeing that she had failed to lure Flurry Heart into the throne room, the sinister young pegasus was left with no choice.

“Oh h-hello, Aunty Tempest… I was just-” Flurry Heart said before being cut off by Tempest.

“I told you to wait in your room until I returned. Yet you had the nerve to defy me and run off with her of all ponies…” Tempest said as she eyed Cozy Glow.

Cozy Glow slowly started to back away from Flurry Heart as she planned her escape. The latter took notice and tried to follow after the former, but Tempest ordered,

“Stay where you are.”

The chilliness that echoed in Tempest’s voice struck Flurry Heart into staying still.

“For Celestia’s sake! Guess I’ll have to settle on second place for the time being…” Cozy Glow said as she backed away.

. . .

Seeing as Cozy Glow was cornered with little choice other than to escape, the Abyss took over and said,

“You will be my feast…”

“Wha-!?” Cadance shouted before her mouth was covered

Just then, Cadance was pulled into the Ooze and disappeared before dropping the severely wounded Shining Armor to the ground. Slowly dragging himself to the wall, he pulled himself up and punched the alarm, sending out a blaring alarm to all of the guards. Afterwards, he sat himself down next to the wall and rested until the guards arrived.

. . .

The others were startled by the noise, but it didn’t take away their attention from Cozy Glow. Pretty soon, they were joined by the rest of the castle guards and they surrounded the pegasus. Confused by all this, Flurry Heart shouted,

“Aunty Tempest, what are you doing!?”

“Apple Bloom, take the princess to her room and don’t let her leave!” Tempest commanded, ignoring Flurry Heart’s question.

Apple Bloom nodded in compliance and started taking Flurry Heart away.

“Wait! Aunty Tempest, what is all this!? Let me go!” Flurry Heart shouted, trying to figure out what was going on before being pulled out of the hallway completely.

After waiting for Flurry Heart to be taken back, Tempest shifted her focus towards Cozy Glow and commanded the guards to take their positions before aiming their spears and crossbows at the young pegasus.

“What do you want? And why do you wish to destroy us after everything we did for you?” Tempest asked in a menacing tone.

“Oh it’s simple, Commander Tempest~. Power is everything~. Admiration is key~. Might is right~. I want the throne~. And the Royal Family is on loan~.” Flurry Heart said in a sing-song tone.

“What does that mean?” Tempest said before glowing her horn.

“Exactly what it means…” Cozy Glow said before her eyes started to glow.

Tempest stopped and signalled the guards to stay away for the moment. Quietly giggling to herself, the Ooze began sprouting out of the ground. And out of the puddle came Queen Cadance.

“I knew it…” Tempest said in a quiet, angry tone.

“It’s a shame I couldn’t get to Flurry Heart~. She is so naive and stupid that she doesn’t know the difference between a stranger and a mentally retarded puppy~!” Cozy Glow shouted, mocking everypony in front of her before laughing.

Angered by this insult towards Flurry Heart and the Royal Family, Tempest shouted,

“Fire!!!”

Upon command, everypony fired with all they had at Cozy Glow. But to their dismay, she caught their weapons with the Ooze before firing them back towards the guards, nearly killing all of them with Tempest only receiving a few grazes. Using this opportunity, Cozy Glow turned around to make her escape.

“If any of you can stand, do not let her get away!!!” Tempest ordered before giving chase.

. . .

Being pulled by her left wing up to her room, Apple Bloom wouldn't cease her rough treatment towards Flurry Heart until they made it to her room.

"Why are you being so mean to me?! Cozy Glow just wanted to play with me!" Flurry Heart shouted.

"You were not supposed to leave your room! Commander Tempest specifically said you weren't supposed to leave your room!" Apple Bloom responded.

"But why!? Everypony just took me back to my room without an answer and I'm supposed to listen like nothing bad has happened!?" Flurry Heart shouted even further, demanding answers.

That's right, princess. And until either the queen or Commander Tempest returns, you're not leaving this room." Apple Bloom said, trying to keep her cool.

"But why!? Are you doing this just to be mean!? Just what did I do to deserve your anger!?" Flurry Heart asked, trying to make sense of Apple Bloom's resentment.

"You don't want to go there, princess." Apple Bloom warned.

"Admit it! You hate me! You're just doing all this because you have nopony else to talk to and all you do is make excuses to hide whatever you're feeling! Did I hit the nail on the head!? Or am I-!?" Flurry Heart shouted before being pushed against the wall.

Apple Bloom has fully lost her patience with Flurry Heart and the earth pony is now staring daggers into the young alicorn's soul.

“Tempest told you to wait until she arrived. You didn’t. Thanks to you, she had to alert half the guards in town and your parents panicked for your safety. Do you know how that makes her feel, Flurry Heart?”

“I know that wasn’t supposed to wander off on my own. But I saw Cozy Glow near my room and I-” Flurry Heart said with a nearly breaking voice before being cut off by Apple Bloom.

“It doesn’t matter if there is another pony you know. What if you disappeared somewhere? What if you were kidnapped? What would happen then? If anything bad happened to you, she wouldn’t stop. Saying sorry to me won’t fix what you did today.” Tempest said before pulling Flurry Heart once more.

“I’m sorry, Apple Bloom…” Flurry Heart said, trying to apologize for her mistake.

Refusing to listen, Apple Bloom continued to pull Flurry Heart. But the latter furiously pulled away and got in a kneeling position before breaking down in a sobbing voice,

“I’m sorry, Aunty Tempest! I just wanted to have some fun for a bit! Why are all of you being so mean to me?”

Then Flurry Heart fell on the ground and covered her face with her wings as she wailed. Seeing this made Apple Bloom feel ashamed of her early actions, especially after all that she’s been through in the past ten years. Walking over to Flurry Heart, Apple Bloom tenderly moved her wings to the side and faced her with tears in her eyes. Gently picking her up, Apple Bloom wiped the tears off Flurry Heart’s face and hugged her.

“I’m sorry.” Apple Bloom said in an ashamed tone.

Flurry Heart continued to cry for a good twenty minutes before calming down. Hearing her crying settle down a bit, Apple Bloom proposed,

“How about we walk around Canterlot tomorrow? Have some ice-cream while I tell you that story you love so much?”

“I would love that, Big Sis Apple Bloom,” Flurry Heart said in a quiet voice.

The two hugged each other as tightly as they could for a few minutes before heading back to the castle. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by a worrisome Starlight as well as Sunset. But over in the corner, Flurry Heart could see her father resting on a stretcher.

"Daddy!" Flurry Heart tearfully shouted as she ran over to his side.

"He's okay, Your Highness. Although it may take a day until your father can breathe properly." The medic said he looked at Shining Armor's unconscious body.

Hearing this horrified Flurry Heart and all she could do was watch her father get taken away on a stretcher while trying to make sense of what happened today.