Chapters Part One: Tiny White Lies
Arching her left eyebrow because of her building curiosity, Flurry Heart took off in chase, and went after this mystery. In time, she'd find a lone, blackened crystal hidden amongst all of the other nicer ones that shined brightly. Most ponies would've left this thing alone, but not Flurry. She was just way too curious about it to walk away, and coming up closer so she could see a little bit of her reflection, she exhaled some air onto its lightly glowing surface. She then used a hoof to draw a cute smiley face, and backed away, giggling sheepishly.
One might've thought that by now, the daunting crystal would've been enough to make Flurry Heart trail off, and head back in the other direction, but there she was, laughing in front of it with amusement painted clearly across her joyous face. That is, until she began to see something else within the shadowy crystal. The figure approached slowly, and Flurry Heart stopped laughing. To King Sombra's surprise, however, Flurry refused to stop smiling at him, and didn't move away from him at all.
She just stared serenely at his horrendous presence, and told him, "Hi there! My name's Flurry Heart, and I'm a princess! What's your name?"
It didn't take the king very long at all to form a plan within his twisted mind, and then, he forwardly leaned down to say to her, "Well... if it isn't the troublesome foal from before... You've grown since last I saw you."
He sought to instruct the filly to go into town in order to sow seeds of despair, and doubt, and once she was finished with her task, he asked Flurry Heart if she would release him from his captivity within his cursed crystal. Flurry Heart didn't seem like she was all that willing at first, but then, Flurry Heart came up with a brilliant plan of her own, and offered him a deal.
"If I do this," she said, her voice echoing from inside Sombra's glass cage, "I propose that when you come out, first, you must promise not to harm anypony right away, and second..."
"Second?" the king asked with an irritable grumble.
"Second ," Flurry Heart said slyly. She paused for dramatic effect, and then resumed, "You've just gotta turn yourself into a colt and play a few games with me first!"
The king glared at the filly from beyond the glass, and said, "I'll do what...? I shall do no such thing ! I am the ruler of darkness! This empire belongs to me! Why would I do something that's so beneath me? Make another request!" He closed his eyes while folding his hooves pompously, and then redirected his snout upwards and slightly to the right.
Flurry Heart frowned at this attitude of his, and said, "It's what I want! Do you wanna be set free, or not?"
The king reacted to this by saying, "Of... course I'd like to get out of here... Ugh!" Sombra couldn't believe what he was about to agree to. "One," he said reluctantly. "One game, and that's it!"
Flurry's eyes widened, and she asked him, "You'll... do it?" She then broke her frown with a gleaming smile. "You'll really do it? Oh, yay! I'm so excited! Which game should we play? Oh, I know! Let's play-"
"Enough," the king demanded hastily. "You've yet to earn the right to even consider what happens next. Now, young one..." He looked at Flurry Heart with a devilishly brood sneer. "Go, and do as I've commanded! While you're at it, be sure and let your parents know that you're fearful of a fast approaching... looming threat . Let them be prepared!"
He laughed maniacally, and sharply watched as Flurry Heart began to wander off. "Kay!"
That was her only reply to King Sombra, and while he watched her go, Sombra continued to grin victoriously.
Flurry Heart trotted down the roads of the Crystal Empire, humming a tune to herself as she went. She was in a good mood, and as she waved to all the locals that she knew and loved, they waved back, greeting their youthful princess with glee. "Hello... Hi there! How're you doin'?" Flurry asked, and greeted as she kept going.
All the other ponies around her didn't appear to suspect her for a second that she had justly been conversing with one of Equestria's most diabolical villains ever, so she stopped to quickly get some ice cream. She ate it at a nearby park, and once it was all done, and after wiping her mouth clean with a napkin, Flurry Heart proceeded to the castle. For just a second, she considered stopping by her room while crossing the corridors, and playing with a few of her dolls. She didn't, though, and that was because she had a message to give to her parents. She boldly came walking into the throne room, and upon seeing their charming daughter, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor stopped their political discussions that they were having.
They gave Flurry their undivided attention. "Oh," Cadance said swiftly. "Flurry! back so soon?"
Shining Armor spoke up, "I thought you said you probably wouldn't be back until later on."
Flurry Heart just looked at the two of them ominously. She didn't really smile, but at the same time, she didn't really give them a huge, nasty scowl, either.
"Uh..." Cadance asked with concern, "Flurry... Heart? Are you... alright?"
Flurry then started smiling again all of the sudden, and said to her mother and father, "I'm great! I just wanted to tell the two of you that I love you! I love you two so, so much! And I'm just so happy that I live in such a wonderful, magical world like Equestria!"
Needless to say, this caught the two rulers off guard, but they eventually stopped appearing so shocked. Grinning from ear to ear, and teary eyed, the two of them sighed together as they listened to their daughter. "D'aww..."
"Thank you, Flurry," Shining said first.
Cadance nodded at her husband, and said, "That was... very nice of you to say... Where's this coming from?" She asked this while coming up, and gave Flurry a loving hug.
The young filly just laughed while enjoying her mother's tender embrace. "I just... felt like saying it. That's all." She then silently squeezed back, and waited patiently for the hug to end. Once it did, she took off, saying, "I've got lots more to do today." She waved back while yelling to Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, "I'll be back before the sun starts coming down, I promise!"
Flurry Heart gingerly trotted back to King Sombra without a worry in the world. Even as she approached, her smile remained strong as ever. Even as King Sombra looked down on her with his menacing stare, and snickered with evil intent, Flurry just stared back at him while radiating positive energy. He asked the filly princess egotistically, "Have you done my bidding?"
Flurry responded with a mere, "Yep!"
"Grand! Haha! At last, I can now leave this imprisonment of the Ether!"
"But, first..." Flurry fluttered her eyes cutely, and asked Sombra, "You're gonna play that game with me, right?"
Sombra growled, "Grr! Very well... I suppose I did make a deal with you." He tapped at his chin in thought as he said this.
Flurry then reminded him, "You're also going to be a colt while we play, too."
Another growl was heard followed by Sombra saying, "Fine! Just... Let's hurry this up. Set me free already!"
Flurry shook her head, and revealed to King Sombra, "Guess what... I just thought of something. Just to make sure you don't try anything funny..." She pointed her hoof at him as she talked, "I'll be the one to turn you into a colt! Alright?"
"What?!" Sombra stomped one of his hooves into the sand. "Absolutely not! Why must you cast the spell? I'm perfectly capable of turning myself into a... into a colt ." He grimaced at the concept of being so humiliated, but endured his situation involving the filly princess.
"That may be," Flurry said. "However... You certainly shouldn't be trusted!" Sombra blinked at how cunning Flurry Heart was behaving towards him, and then heard her say, "I mean... it's just a quick game after all, and then you can go back to normal! Although..." She then shrugged, "If you'd rather not go through with it, then I guess I'll just have to tell the whole empire about how you backed out of the invasion."
"You..." Sombra pinned himself against the glass, and all too easily bought into Flurry's own friendly game of deceit. "You'll do no such thing!" His breath could be seen clouding up the other side while he spoke louder and louder. "You will release me! You will turn me into a colt! We shall play your silly, little game, and I... King Sombra ... will beat you!" He then had a thought. "Also!"
Flurry sighed, but again, never did she hardly ever stop smiling at the king this entire time. "Yes?" She asked kindly.
"If I win..." Sombra looked disgruntled as he took a second to think things through just a little bit more, and then said, "If I win, then you must turn me back to normal of course, but also... you will assist me in conquering not just the empire, but also all of Equestria, too!"
He just laughed, and laughed at his words, but he was soon cut off by Flurry Heart simply going, "Okay!"
"Hmm?"
"But if I win," Flurry then said sweetly. "You must promise... to be my friend... forever and ever !"
At last, one of them had backed away, but to his shock and great displeasure, it was Sombra who was feeling intimidated, and it was because of a little filly no less. "You mean..." He shook his head, and reformed his words just in time. "Hah! You mean that you actually think that you can win?"
Flurry nodded confidently, and then said to King Sombra, "I'm mostly just eager to finally play with you. I bet we're going to have a blast."
"Ha!" Sombra laughed her. "I accept these terms, so let's just get this over with." He glared at her competitively, and then stated, "My throne has waited far too long for my fiendish return."
Flurry wasted no time in casting her yellow magic on him. The encasing that had been keeping the king from reemerging into the waking world very quickly melted away, and at the same time, he was also transformed into a much more youthful version of himself. The young, silhouette coated colt sat there amongst the brushing grass, and atop the brown dirt while adjusting to his new and unfamiliar stature. As he stood back up to face Flurry, she just gleamed at him with captivating delight.
Part Two: A Quick Game of Tag
"This..." King Sombra said with a sinking face, "is just as beneath me as I had imagined."
Flurry couldn't help herself, and released chuckles while saying, "Y-you sound... so much more different than before!" She then gently placed her hoof on his shoulder to say, "Your voice... It's so cute! I love it!"
Sombra shook her off of him, and made a verbal sound of disgust. "Let's just... get this over with! The sooner we play this silly game, the sooner I'll be back in control of the Crystal Empire!"
Flurry nodded, and looking into the red, and glistening eyes of young Sombra, she said to him, "I say we play tag together! You've played tag before, right?"
Sombra lifted a hoof out of curiosity. "What's... tag ? I don't think that I've ever heard of it." He asked her, "Is it anything like war games? I love war games!"
Flurry frowned briefly. "Uh, no... It's nothing like... whatever that is . First, I tag you, like this." He felt her affectionately tap him on the torso, and then Flurry Heart asked him, "See? Nothing too complicated, and then... if you can manage to somehow catch up to me, and tag me back just by touching me... you win! It's that simple."
Sombra was surprised by the concept, but nevertheless, he had an empire to take over, so he grumbled at her, "This... is so unbelievably stupid ... Are you sure that those are the only rules of this hideous game?"
Flurry heart nodded keenly, and tightly closed her eyes while she continued to friendly smirk at Sombra. "Are you ready?" She asked him, but in that moment, and just as a gust of wind brushed up against the two of them, Flurry tagged the king, saying, "You're it!" He just sat there for a second or two while motionlessly watching Flurry Heart do a one eighty spin. She galloped off, and away from him while shouting with splendor, "Catch me if you can, Sombra! Good luck!"
Those word rang inside of Sombra's head, and as he took off in full pursuit after Flurry Heart, he could be heard yelling back to her, "Not so fast! You won't get away from me, Flurry!"
He didn't even really mean for his tone to be so friendly, but that's just how the phrase left his lips, and as they dashed, passing crystal after crystal, they laughed with one another. Sombra would never have admitted it in all his life, but that day, he had fun being a colt, and playing a game for a change. At one point, Sombra had almost snatched Flurry's tail, but she was just a little bit quicker than Sombra. He was finally getting dangerously close, so just when he reached out to tag her at last, Flurry Heart took off into the sky. Due to this single, simple act of hers, Sombra realized that he had been tricked.
It seemed he wasn't ever even going to come close to beating Flurry Heart at this game of tag, and as he watched her wings flapping in midair, he scoffed sorely. "Hey!" He pouted childishly. "That's not fair! What do you think you're doing way up there? I never said that you could use your wings! Get down here right now!"
Flurry nestled herself on a nearby, low flying cloud, and proudly said, "You never said I couldn't use my wings, either, so I think I'll just stay up here until you give up, and pronounce me as the winner." She then just smiled once again, but this time, she smiled downwards at the young ruler from way up above. "Give up yet? I don't have all day, y'know."
Sombra felt sweat sliding along the ridges of his troubled forehead, and even though he wished for nothing else but to be able to catch Flurry Heart, and be the victor of this ridiculous game of hers, he knew deep down that he had been bested. It took him a moment, but soon enough, Sombra bowed his head shamefully. "Like I have a choice..."
Flurry Heart hopped off of her puffy cloud, and slowly gliding to him while giggling serenely, she asked, "Do you promise?" She took another gentle step closer towards Sombra while staring at him directly in the eyes. "Promise me, King Sombra, that you'll always, and forever be my friend, and that you'll never, ever do anything bad ever again ."
Sombra made a face of utter disgust. "I don't see why I shouldn't just... just ..." He stared at Flurry Heart with resentful spite, but soon, he calmed himself down. For whatever reason, King Sombra started to reconsider everything that had recently happened to him with just a little bit more care, and appreciation in his heart. "F-fine," he then shrewdly whispered. "I p-promise..." Flurry Heart came even closer so that she could hear him say, "I'll always be your friend..." His shoulders relaxed as he said, "That's exactly what I get... for making deals with a little kid."
Flurry wasn't offended by this in the slightest. She hugged him tightly, and told Sombra, "Yep! That's what you get!" Even though he was trying to get away, Flurry just latched onto him more and more snugly, so eventually, Sombra gave up his struggles. That was when Flurry lightened up, too, saying, "I know that you must feel cheated out of your candy bar... That is to say, you must not be enjoying the situation that you're in at all, but..." She sweetly blinked a few times before telling her new friend, "You've made me really, really happy today... Hold still, and I'll have you turned back to normal in no time."
That day, the hard working crystal ponies that wandered the streets saw something completely unexpected. Down, and along the winding and curving roads, Flurry rode on top of King Sombra's back while he hung his head low, feeling vanquished. "Is that... Flurry Heart, and King S-S-Sombra?" Somepony asked aloud fearfully. More chimed in, and soon, discussions could plainly be heard all around them regarding what was happening all of the sudden. Soon, everypony was encircling them.
In time, Sombra reached the castle entrance, and Flurry Heart then commanded the guards to help escort her and King Sombra to the throne room. As they did, the guards also nervously pointed their spears at him the whole time, but they also made sure not to get the sharp ends anywhere near the filly that still sat rather comfortably on his back.
"I can't believe this is happening," King Sombra gloomy stated mostly to Flurry.
"Hmm?" Flurry asked him, "What do you mean?"
He just gave her a wayward glance from the corner of his right eye, and told her, "I can't believe... I humiliated myself back there..." He stared at her for a second. "I had you tell them of my coming..."
Flurry breathed in deeply before sighing, "Ohhh , that... Right... Well, I lied!" Sombra's jaw fell ajar, and the guards appeared just as startled hearing this from their princess as well. Flurry chuckled heroically, and said, "You didn't actually think that I'd do your bidding, did you?"
Sombra asked her, "You... planned to deceive me just so that you could become my friend from the very start?" He looked away, and as he approached the doors in front of him, Sombra said, "Flurry Heart... I never should've trusted you."
As they entered, Flurry replied, "And I shouldn't trust you, neither, now should I?" Just as her parents started noticing them together, Flurry finished up by quietly telling his Majesty, "Please... just don't make me regret giving you this chance... I realize that you have all the potential in the world to ignore what's happened between the two of us today, and strike, but just... don't ... and for the time being, maybe let me do most of the talking."
Cadance was the first one to speak up. "Flurry? Flurry Heart! What in Equestria do you think you're doing?!"
"Sombra!" Shining Armor boldly took a few steps forward, and told King Sombra, "If you've hurt her in any way, you're going to regret it!"
"Daddy," Flurry voiced, hopping off of the king's back. "I'm alright! Both of you, try not to overreact..." They reluctantly did as their daughter requested, but they only settled themselves down a very little bit.
"We want to know what's going on," Cadance said sternly. "How did you escape the Ether? Discord told us that you would be trapped there forever."
King Sombra was about to start answering by saying, "Well, there were actually lots and lots of tunnels, and passageways, so I just kept on walking until-"
Flurry Heart interrupted him by saying, "That actually, really doesn't matter right now." She took another step closer towards her loving, and protective parents, and said to the two of them, "Mommy...? Daddy...? What matters is that I convinced King Sombra to be my friend." Together, they both looked up at Sombra, and then back down at their daughter as she continued to say, "We made a deal, and I was victorious! So now, King Sombra has to give up his old, nasty ways, and he's gonna start being a better pony from now on." She turned around, and sharply asked, "Isn't that right, your Majesty?"
King Sombra wasn't counting on Flurry Heart to twist her words like that. For a second, he remained silent while he somewhat growled underneath his breath, but soon, he'd give Flurry Heart his answer. "Yes ," he said gruffly. "She beat me fair and square... but know this!" He pointed at them unexpectedly, and told them, "I still possessed the capabilities, and the power necessary to easily take over this nation. It is only because of your daughter's wits, and determination that you... all of you !" He beamed at the guards beside him who remained defensive even after all this time. "Are spared a demise worse than your darkest dreams imaginable."
Shining arched an eyebrow, and came closer towards the king. He remained rather close towards his daughter, and a good distance away from Sombra while he asked, "You're... not gonna try anything, right? Because I haven't forgotten our last few encounters! I still recall just how crafty you can be. How do we know you're actually, truthfully serious about this?"
Sombra brought his hoof up to his chest to say, "Honestly, you don't, but believe me when I tell you... I've already made a promise to Flurry Heart to be her friend for life."
This confession made Shining Armor's eyes widen, and he asked while finally smiling, "Really? Is that so?"
Cadance then said to her husband, "I'm not sure why, but... I think he's telling us the truth." She also pointed out, "He would've tried something by now if he wasn't being sincere, right?"
Sombra replied to her, "Most certainly..."
Shining sighed as he neared King Sombra, and as welcoming as he could sound, he said, "Well, you know what that means?"
Sombra asked glumly, "What?"
"By my right as the husband of Princess Cadance, I name you Thane of the Crystal Empire! I'll also notify my guards of your new title. Wouldn't want them to think you're part of the common rabble, now would we?"
Although Flurry's parents weren't one hundred percent on board with this development, it didn't seem like they had much of a choice in the matter. However, at the same time, that's not to say that they weren't still highly precautious when it came to Flurry's overall safety, and health. Shortly following a delicious dinner that evening, and after providing Sombra with his own quarters to reside in, they made sure to immediately station guards outside of Sombra's bedroom door. While they were at it, they also had Flurry Heart's bed magically teleported into their spacious room for the night.
Even though at first this greatly discomforted Flurry, as she hopped into her bed across from Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, she understood that it was only for the best. She curled up with her fluffy blankets, and her soft pillows, and only hoped while falling fast asleep that the choices that she had made that day were the right ones.
Part Three: A Healthy Helping of Pancakes
Light shimmered down through the curtains, and onto the ruler of the Crystal Empire. It wasn't Shining Armor, though. Actually, it was the somber thane-king, and as he stirred awake with his eyes drooping, he yawned pleasantly. He was all alone in a sheer white room, and although the sheets of his bed weren't exactly to his liking, that didn't stop King Sombra from having quite possibly the most luxurious slumber of his life.
He stayed in bed like that for an hour, snoozing blissfully. He didn't say a word the whole time. Periodically, he open his eyes, though, but he never did smile one bit. How could he? The situation he was in was both unbearable, and yet ultimately comforting all at the same time. He was out of that infernal maze, and he was in a nice bed back inside of the Crystal Empire. He naturally still wished to take over, but in all this time, he never once made his move to do so. It would've been an easy execution, too. First, he'd use a portion of his dark magic to disperse the two guards standing at the entryway, and once they had been dealt with, one by one, he'd then be able to eliminate all the others that were sure to follow. In very little time at all, he'd reach Princess Cadance and Shining Armor's personal bedroom, and poor Flurry Heart would probably never even expect it of him to attack.
He blinked again, and put the thought out of his mind. He shifted, and enjoyed the feeling of the white sheets brushing up against his shadowy coat. He could hear birds chirping outside, and if he focused enough, he could hear ponies talking, and walking around from outside his open window as well. Although he couldn't make out any of the words, the sounds were nice in his ears. Sombra could also smell a bakery nearby, and finally, this of all things was what made him rise out of bed at long last. He stood stock still for a few seconds longer, and inhaled the smells of baking bread just one last time.
The guards outside his door both pointed their spears at the king upon him exiting his room, but Sombra managed not to react too harshly. "You're making a mistake," he said.
"There's no mistake," one of the guards said.
"Princess Cadance ordered us to escort you to the big, fancy dining room!" The other guard commanded, "Move!"
Sombra made no such hesitation as he hissed at the two of them. His eyes glowed a steep red, and his tongue turned into a dangerous looking cobra, which also hissed at the two frightened guards as well. His mane also bursted into hot flames making them shriek, but the two of them stayed their ground, and still held up their spears. King Sombra stopped soon enough, however, and looked down the hallway to his left. He also gasped as he turned his head, and then quietly asked mostly to himself, "What's that?"
He walked, and with the two crystal guards trailing behind him frightfully, Sombra's ears perked as he attempted to figure out what it was that he was suddenly hearing.
"Is that... singing?" He asked with nervousness.
One of the guards nodded, saying, "Oh, yeah, of course . Flurry loves to sing all the time."
"Shh..."
"Well, you asked-"
"Shh!"
Sombra turned a corner, and kept going. His ears rang more and more as the words became tangible.
"And then I ," she mellowly sang. "See... the dark one be... a ~ ha... friend to me... "
He stopped before a lone, yellow door, and huffing, he opened it. The three steeds entered a wide and very well decorated room, and while King Sombra sat down at the humongous table consisting of a least forty or more chairs, he looked around for Flurry Heart. When he didn't see her right away, Sombra sat down, and waited for his breakfast to be served. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor came through another set of doors to his right, and then, to Sombra's left, he heard the chair next to him sliding. Flurry Heart had brought her plate, too and sitting next to him, she smiled, she said, "We're having pancakes this morning."
Sombra didn't reply at first. He just sat there looking displeased, and then, he heard Shining say to him, "You' better eat up." While a plate was hoofed to the king, he heard Shining also voice, "You're going to need it for what's ahead." Sombra tried not to care all that much, and as he began enjoying his meal, he only very loosely listened. Soon, though, he heard Shining Armor tell him, "That's why we need you to escort her."
"Hmm?" Sombra asked with crumbs dropping from his chin. "Escort who where?"
"Ugh," Shining sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Flurry Heart," He said yet again. "We need you to escort her through the thunder fields."
Sombra chewed, and then swallowed. "The thunder what?"
Cadance then interrupted. "Flurry Heart somehow lost her ball earlier last week. We'd normally just go and get it, but..."
"Lightning keeps striking us every time we get anywhere near it. We're just fortunate that we haven't been badly electrocuted yet! That's where you come in," Shining said as he popped some of his food in his mouth. "You're probably the only pony that we can remotely trust in these lands that has enough strength to fight through the lightning."
Cadance came trotting up next to her daughter to ask Sombra, "Will you do it?"
He just looked at her, and then at Flurry, and nodded while grumbling, "I suppose... even though it's something as replaceable as a simple ball."
Flurry told him, "It's not replaceable! I don't want another ball. I want the one that I was already playing with!"
"Alright," King Sombra said, holding his ear. "Fine... we'll get you your ball back. Hurry up and eat, and we'll leave as soon as we're able."
Prelude: A Delightful Breeze
Happy daytime birds chirped over Flurry Heart's colorful, swirling mane. A strong and fragrant scent of lavender, and other assorted flowers wafted through the air. The light shining down on the Crystal Empire was as bright as it could've ever been. Flurry Heart wandered outside of her home town, and while feeling the soft grass underneath her petite hooves, she smiled a simple, but lovely grin. She loved coming out to this field every single day just to admire the crystals that remained there while listening to the soothing sounds of nature. She could even sometimes see, and taste the magical aura that lingered loosely in the air.
The young filly was grown by now, but still, she hadn't yet received her cutie mark. She had tried practically everything that she could think of, and she was running out of ideas. This didn't stop her from trying, though, and ever since leaving the Cutie Mark Crusaders stumped, she's had to resort to other activities. Ever since Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gave her a surprise visit, she had also mostly tried cooking, and baking, and even though it's something that she liked doing, and she was fairly good at it, she still hadn't gotten her cutie mark. Raising a hoof in thought towards what she could do next in order to keep herself entertained, she saw a purple, and silvery thread of magical aura whisk by her muzzle, and she told herself in thought, "I wonder what that was! "
