Flurry The Fearless (Mostly)

Chapters

Friendless
Persuasion
From Friendless to Friendly
A Princess Here Before Us, Behold
Confrontation (ish)
First Day, Worst Day?
Do You Think Potato Fries Are Illegal?

Friendless

Being a princess is not easy. Any one of them could tell you that, be it Celestia, Luna, Cadance or Twilight.
But the one that hates her duties most of all was none other than the heir to the crystal throne herself, Flurry Heart.

In Flurry Heart's opinion, the only thing harder than being a young princess growing up in the Crystal Empire, was being a young princess in the Crystal Empire attempting to make friends.

Flurry wasn't anti-friendship, in fact she's quite the opposite, considering that 'friendship is magic' is the word that the entire world lives by, seeing as it's truth has been proven time and time again, ultimately drilling itself into the brains of every creature alive. Twilight Sparkle and her friends had made sure of that, and allies such as Dragon Lord Ember and King Thorax had helped out too. Besides, her Aunt and parents were sure to give her a healthy lecture, maybe even make her sit through a day of lessons at the School of Friendship if she expressed any distaste or doubt towards the concept.

No, Flurry Heart wasn't against friendship at all. What she was against were the ponies she was supposed to be making friends with.

It was hard to come across genuine friends in her circumstance. Sure, some creatures were nice, but they weren't friend material.

For starters, there were the group of creatures that wanted nothing to do with her as a being, but ultimately as an object to be toyed with for their claim to fame. Countless times had the poor princess come home enraged or in tears because she hadn't really been considered someone's friend, but a useless pawn on their chessboard, cast aside the moment the player had gotten the chance to say 'checkmate'.

Secondly, there were the all too eager creatures that generally freaked her out. Obviously there's nothing wrong with a little generosity and kindness, but some ponies go above and beyond to dazzle her, putting her on a pedestal to be marveled. Though the attention was flattering at first, it quickly got annoying and uncomfortable. Flurry Heart had come up with her fair share of excuses to leave a 'hangout' and never return, no questions asked.

Then there were the worst of all, the ones that made Flurry Heart feel the most insecure and inferior: the perfectly normal ones. The creatures that had the perfect balance of restraint and morality, that lacked the desire to use her or sniff her mane. The ones that were friendly and kind. The ones that had almost nothing in common with her.

These were the kind she wanted to stick by, to learn from, to get into shenanigans with. But she couldn't connect deeply enough with them to do so.

Unlike most would expect, Flurry Heart was an adventurous soul. She grew up around the bravest and strongest, watching them save Equestria time and time again firsthoof. She liked to get her coat dirty and roughhouse, explore and travel. She was bold and spoke her mind when being challenged, even when most would sit quietly and get told what to do. She was polite, but not one to be silenced.

And sure, maybe if she had been a filly when the Cutie Mark Crusaders were her age, she'd have friends to get into messes with, and have help to clean them up. Maybe if she was a full grown mare when Princess Luna had returned as Nightmare Moon, she could've wiggled her way into Twilight's friend group. But she wasn't. Leaving her with ponies her age that didn't get her, that made jokes she couldn't comprehend, and were perfectly fine staying put and not adventuring. It was tiring.

The fact that she had no excuses or anypony to blame for her not being able to make friends with the good hearted ponies was disheartening. And it wasn't like a group like the Youthfuls—the first group of mixed creatures to be friends (and the first to graduate from her aunt's school)—was coming around anytime soon. Seaquestria, the Changeling Kingdom, Griffonstone, or the Dragonlands were far from close by. Plus she had never been granted permission to go to Yakyakistan alone, and even if she went on a parental/bodyguard authorized trip, she'd be watched so closely that making a friend probably wouldn't be possible. Plus, there was the variable that she wouldn't connect with anyone there, either.

It was beginning to feel hopeless, even if Flurry was no more than twelve years old. She had spent over a decade friendless, seeking comfort in the castle staff and her favorite guard (he was favored by the ruler of Equestria as well, but that's neither here nor there) Flash Sentry. He was like an uncle to her, just as much as Discord was. He looked out for her and protected her from harm, and occasionally (okay, often) saved her from a problem she'd caused on her own. But Flash Sentry was a full grown stallion, only but a few years younger than her father. It felt odd to refer to him as her best friend. The only pony closer to her age was her younger sister, Skyla, and she was just a baby. She couldn't even hold a conversation, let alone vow to never leave Flurry's side. She was all alone in one of the biggest kingdoms of all time. The irony was painful.

Flurry was beyond frustrated with her lack of a companion, and needed a way to rectify her problem that didn't involve magically forcing people to like her (Starlight had warned her a thousand and one times about how bad of an idea it was, and she didn't feel like taking any chances). She sat in her room, stewing in her own ideas.

The next morning, she burst into the dining hall, rejuvenated by excitement. The solution was so simple! Why hadn't she thought of this before?

"Good morning, sweethear–" Shining Armor started, looking up from his plate, only to be cut off by his daughter's request.

"Can I move to Ponyville?"

Author's Note

Comments and feedback are appreciated, thank you so much for reading :twilightsmile:

Persuasion

Cadance and Shining Armor couldn't believe their ears. "What?" Her mother asked, staring at the light pink alicorn quizzically.

"I'd like to live in Ponyville and attend the School of Friendship! Where Starlight teaches!"

Glances between both her parents and staff passed briefly, silent conversation being had. The royal caterers and decorators left behind serving platters and floral arrangements to excuse themselves, seeing that this conversation was clearly private and a family matter.

"But honey, you're already an expert in friendship! You know all about it! Why would you want to go there?" Cadance asked again.

"You might not have noticed because you're so busy all the time, but I don't have any friends. How can a friendless princess be an expert in friendship?"

Shining Armor furrowed his brows confusedly. "You have plenty of friends! What about Citrus Tart," he countered.

"She moved away two years ago."

"What about Resonance? Weren't you two attached at the hip?"

"She betrayed me and was only using my title for popularity. She treated me terribly."

The blue haired stallion was visibly uncomfortable with every pony he brought up, seeing as there was a valid reason for each of his daughter's friendships to end repeatedly. He was getting nervous and sweaty, quickly seeing that he hadn't been paying as much attention as he'd thought he was.

"Candle Bright?" Cadance asked, trying to take some of the heat off her husband.

"He had a crush on me and got mad when I didn't return his feelings."

Shining Armor made a mental note to hate that kid.

"Speckle Heart?"

"He's stuck-up and obnoxious. He only cares about himself. He only hung around me because his parents are dignitaries and 'ponies of our caliber should mingle.'" Flurry rolled her eyes with this statement, quickly being reminded of his posh Ponish accent and snotty behavior.

"Helix?" Cadance tried again, suddenly not liking being in the hot seat.

"Please don't even get me started on all the problems with that pony."

"Moon Beam?"

"She hates me, and I didn't even do anything to her!"

Both the Prince and Princess had begun to feel concerned. Flurry Heart was right, she was indeed friendless. Even worse, her parents had failed to notice.

Flurry Heart relieved herself of her deadpan expression, noticing how downtrodden her parents looked. "Listen guys, I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything. You're doing a great job as my parents. But I need to form bonds. I'm so lonely I've started ripping crystals out of my wall and making sculptures to talk to!"

"You've been doing what–" Cadance started.

"That's terrible!" Shining Armor cried.

"I know! That's why I want to go to Ponyville! It's like the Friendship Capitol! I'm sure to make friends there and learn lots about it with the help of Starlight and Sunburst," Flurry Heart segued, steering the conversation back on course.

"We get that, Flurry but…" Shining Armor trailed off, still uncertain.

"I mean, how can I be a true princess if I don't have friends. I can't mediate, delegate, or negotiate if I don't have anyone to talk to or practice on. Think of all the 'ates' I'll be missing when it comes time for me to rule!"

"But how will we know you'll be okay on your own? Flash Sentry can't go with you," Cadance rebutted, still worried about her daughter leaving.

"I'll be completely protected in the student dorms. And if you're really that concerned, you can give me a personal bodyguard from Canterlot. Like...hmm...Gallus the griffon! He was a student at the school when he was around my age, and he's Twilight's best guard, who she trusts completely, and you've met him before! You know he won't bring any harm to me."

The royal parents exchanged a look. Flurry Heart had thought through this, and made excellent points. Genes be damned, she'd gotten her mother's charm and her father's persuasion. Curse genetics!

"Are you sure that this is really what you want?" Cadance looked serious, and mildly fearful.

"Yes. Yes! I think it could really help me."

The frowns from earlier had returned to the couple's faces.

"Okay, what's going on? Why are you both so adamant about me staying?"

The mare sighed at her daughter's question. She levitated a rose from the vase at the center of the table, twirling it with her telekinesis.

"It's just that...we always knew you'd want to go on your own adventures, have new experiences. We just thought we'd always be able to go with you. To watch you grow and flourish into a beautiful plant," Cadance said, voice dripping with both pride and sorrow. She passed it to her spouse, who also began to levitate it as he spoke.

"We also didn't think the time for you to leave home would come so soon...I mean, you're not even thirteen until July, and you're already ready to go out on this journey of self discovery…"

Oh.

Flurry Heart hadn't even begun to think about how her absence would affect her parents, let alone her newborn sister, Skyla. She wanted to be there for her family, they meant more than anything to her.

Just as the young pony was ready to drop the conversation and retract her proposal, her father's horn began to glow brighter as he turned the petals of the flower to a shimmering crystal. Purple, pink and blue glinted brightly in the morning sunlight. He hovered it in front of Flurry, waiting expectantly. She took it out of his magical grasp and into her own, still staring in awe. "But you can never be prepared for how soon one's journey must start," Shining said, staring lovingly at his daughter. "We want you to be happy and find out who you are and what you're capable of," Cadance continued, now sporting the same smile. "If you want to go, you can."

Flurry Heart dropped the rose out of surprise, nearly shattering it. Luckily, her incredible reflexes saved the day, wing curving and stretching outward to curl around the stem of the flower. "Really?"

"Yes, Flurry. You have our permission."

Flurry Heart set the rose on the table, staring at her parents with a puzzled look, searching for any trace of trickery. When she found none, she flew across the room and tackled her parents in a tight embrace. "I'M MOVING TO PONYVILLE!"

The family laughed at their daughter's outburst and hugged for a bit more before Flurry Heart took her place at the table, ready to dig into some good old fashioned pancakes.

"I can't wait to get into all kinds of shenanigans and hijinks and–" The princess was quickly silenced by glares and raised eyebrows from her parents. "Uh, I mean, can't wait to get to studying!" she quickly stuffed an entire pancake in her mouth to keep from letting anything else slip, then gave a sheepish smile.

After breakfast, the family decided to spend some quality time with each other, taking turns playing with Skyla and playing party games. As Flurry squished her sibling's cheeks, she grew curious. "Hey Dad, where'd you learn to petrify roses anyway?"

"Oh, it's in the spell book Twily gave you to study," He said, before turning his head in alarm. "Wait, how did you not know? It's in the third chapter and you said you've been studying chapter eight."

Flurry Heart froze with alarm, plastering a very obviously fake smile on her face. She turned around slowly, in an attempt to stall for time to concoct a reasonable lie. By the time she was turned a full 180 degrees, she still had nothing.
"Oh, well you see, I...what happened was...um...I THINK SKYLA NEEDS A WALK! SO I'M GONNA GO DO THAT. WITH HER. AWAY FROM HERE. NOW. BYE MOM, BYE DAD!" The alicorn took off, her younger sister in tow, cooing as she levitated up and out of the room in her sister's trail.

"FLURRY HEART!"

From Friendless to Friendly

A week before summer vacation ended, Flurry Heart was leaving the Crystal Empire in light of her quest for friendship. She would be spending the week in Canterlot with Twilight, spending time with her aunt and hopefully learning more about the school she'd be attending soon.

The princess boarded the train excitedly, kissing her parents and sister on the cheeks beforehand. "Love you all! See you soon!"

And with that, she was off.

The princess tapped her hooves together excitedly, relishing in the freedom of her first solo train ride. She was going to enjoy every second of it, knowing that Gallus and Spike would be there to personally greet her as she arrived.

Flurry Heart laid herself across her seat, revelling in the plush cushions the train had provided. She then began to stare out the window as trees, houses and stores rushed past. She was so giddy she could barely think.

"Um, excuse me?" A shy, golden-orange pony with a honey yellow mane around her age spoke up, a sheepish smile on his face. He had probably tried to initiate conversation at least once or twice already, but the princess had been too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice.

"Oh! Hi! Can I help you?"

"Um...well... it's just that...uh...there are limited seats on this train, so I was wondering if I could sit with you, your...Majesty…?"

Flurry Heart blinked. "Of course! Sorry, let me just…" The filly folded her wings down and began to readjust herself, allowing for two ponies to sit there, rather than a sprawled out alicorn.

As he settled in, she stared down at him, being taller and naturally more intimidating, his posture bad and sunken in, like he wanted to curl into himself and not be seen at all. Not knowing what to say, Flurry racked her brain for a conversation starter.

"So... what's your name?"

The cowardly colt muttered something indiscernible, even with an alicorn's super-hearing abilities. Dang. Turning slightly, she noticed that it was engraved into his saddlebag, which was white with paint strokes identical to the stranger's coat. Honey Canvas.

Flurry Heart faced front again, unsure of what to say once more.

"It's your highness, by the way."

Startled by her sudden correction, Honey Canvas turned, eyes wide. "W-what?"

"When you asked to sit here, you said 'your majesty.' But I'm not a majesty. That's only for kings and queens. Since we don't have those in Equestria, you would say 'your highness.'"

Honey Canvas nodded, but with interest. He seemed to think about this for a while, once again leaving Flurry with her thoughts.

"How come?"

Flurry perked up, surprised he'd even responded. "I'm not sure. Royalty has all kinds of stupid rules. Like when to speak, what spoon to use for what dish. All that bullsh–I mean–all that stuff." She smiled nervously at her blunder.

"I don't mind you cursing, you know," Honey laughed slightly.

"Oh, I could never do that. My parents would kill me! Tartarus, my guard would kill me if I ever…" Flurry Heart's voice died as she realized none of those creatures were here. She could say whatever she wanted. She had waited thirteen whole years to use all the curse words stored up in her memory vault, and now was the time!

"I can curse?" Flurry asked uncertainly. "I can curse!" she confirmed, staring at Honey Canvas with stars in her eyes. "Royal rules are bullshit." She covered her mouth with her wing, expecting a bolt of lightning to smite her, a parent to reprimand her. But nothing happened. She was still in one piece next to Honey Canvas savoring how it felt to say something so utterly vulgar. After making sure her tail wasn't singed, Flurry's enthusiastic smile returned.

"Bet you couldn't do that at the castle, huh?"

"No, and I loved it! I think I'm in love with cursing." The royal was in awe as she spoke of her newfound guilty pleasure.

The colt laughed at that, floored by her blunt and whimsical the girl was.

"You know, I was kind of scared to sit by you, your highness," Honey said, taking on a more calm tone, laughter ceasing.

"Oh really? I couldn't tell," Flurry Heart said sarcastically, giggling slightly and leaning against the colt teasingly.

Honey Canvas rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face gave him away.

"Whatever. As I was saying, I was afraid of making a fool of myself in front of you, since you're a princess, and all. But you're fun to talk to."

"So are you! I was afraid you wouldn't want to talk to me! Most ponies don't."

"Wha–really? Who wouldn't want to talk to a princess?"

The pink pony's smile dropped as she answered.

"Ah…I don't really have many friends back home, so…"

The yellow pony's eyes widened.

"Well those ponies suck. I'm glad to be yours."

Flurry Heart smiled happily at his words.

From that point on, she and Honey Canvas conversed the rest of the train ride, her stop being in Canterlot, and his in Ponyville, exchanging facts about themselves and plans for when they got to town. Much to her surprise, Honey Canvas would also be attending the School of Friendship! How lucky was that?

Soon enough the princess' stop was announced on the overhead speakers, interrupting Flurry Heart's ramble about how awesome public school would be. "Ah shit, this is the end of the line for me. See you at school next week?"

Honey Canvas nodded, bursting into a smile. "See you at school next week!" He waved his hoof, and the alicorn did the same before bursting out of the train car.

"I'm friends with a princess! And she's cool!" The colt marveled as reality set in.

The train pulled away, leaving him a bit sad, but excited for next monday.

Gallus tapped his talons reflexively, his body armorless for the sake of casuality. He had been ordered by Twilight and the Rulers of the Crystal Empire to watch out for Flurry Heart as she began her studies in friendship, allowing for him to not only leave his post, but see his friends more frequently.

He was not only overjoyed to be in such a sweet and important position, but excited for a change of pace. He loved his job, but breaks are definitely necessary, especially for such a sarcastic and mischievous griffon. Unfortunately, Royal Force training couldn't rid him of his one of a kind personality.

The blue creature flapped his wings, getting himself only a few inches off the ground in an attempt to look for the princess, but quickly realized he didn't need to, as she was the first off the train, flying quickly and freely. Her careless flying sent both creatures spiralling downward, landing on top of Spike.

"Ouch."

Flurry Heart rubbed her eyes, blinked, then pried herself off of the griffon and dragon she had just trampled. "Sorry about that, gotta work on my landings some more."

"Ya think?" Gallus and Spike said in unison, causing the princess to flush in embarrassment.

"Uh, let's start over. Hi Mr. Gallus, hi Spike!" Spike greeted her back, hugging her briefly. As the adult griffon brushed himself off, he cringed at the formality. "Just Gallus is fine, Flurry," he said, suddenly feeling much older than just twenty-three.

"Oh, okay!"

The trio began to make their way to the castle, guard and Friendship Ambassador both flying, leaving the youngest on the ground as a precaution. She marveled at everything, from shops to restaurants, not one thing failing to impress her. There was a lot less crystal here, but it was still quite pretty.

Soon enough they had arrived at Canterlot Castle, the dwelling of her aunt.

After maneuvering through a series of guarded hallways, they were finally in the throne room with the head princess, Twilight Sparkle herself. The princess had yet to reach her full royal height, now only about four or five inches taller than Cadance, though that was a significant jump from what she measured at her coronation about a decade ago. She waved off her guards at the sight of the trio, a poker face on until the doors clicked shut.

The purple alicorn jumped down from her throne and landed directly in front of her niece, excitement rushing through her veins. "Flurry Heart! You're here!" She swept the filly up in her embrace, the hug quickly being reciprocated. As they pulled apart, Twilight turned to Gallus. "Thank you for bringing her here safely. I knew you'd be perfect to watch over her as long as she's away from the Empire!"

Gallus smiled proudly, even if he had been tackled, accidentally hit by a ball, and had to drag the pale pink pony away from The Tasty Treat (twice) in the span of an hour.

She was a real troublemaker, but maybe that was a good thing. She made things fun.

"Of course, princess. You can count on me."

"Good. C'mon Flurry Heart, I'll show you to your room. Spike, keep my throne warm for me, will you?" The second she asked, Spike darted to the royal throne and plopped down promptly, a smile on his face.

"I'll take that as a yes. Let's go."

As Gallus, the ruler of Equestria, and her niece walked, the once silent hall was overrun with Twilight's chatter. Every word burst from her lips as if it were desperate to escape the confines of her mouth itself.

"—And that's why we had to make Sunburst your Crystaler!"

Flurry Heart groaned. "Ugh, I could've been so much cooler! Think of all that raw power being harnessed to fight bad guys, like Chrysalis! My horn's beam blast alone could've wiped the floor with her!"

Gallus rolled his eyes but smiled silently, watching the royal he'd been tasked with watching. She was definitely not going to make his life easier.

"That could have catastrophic consequences and create insane amounts of damage to Equestria! Oh, and also, we're here," Twilight blushed, not realizing she'd been blabbering long enough to make it to where Flurry Heart would be staying, which was a considerable distance from the throne room.

Flurry Heart opened the door with her magic, excited to hop into bed and for a nice power nap, maybe a dream or two about Honey Canvas lecturing her and saving her from a sticky situation she'd gotten herself into.

The room was much bigger than Flurry had expected, her eyes widening in shock. There was a bed twice her size against the wall to her left, bedsheets a royal purple with fuchsia swirling patterns on the comforter.

There were other decor and furniture such as a wardrobe, desk, sofa, nightstands, etc, but Flurry immediately jumped onto the bed as soon as she saw it, focusing all her energy into finding a comfortable position to lay in.

Gallus and Twilight exchanged a look, and then a laugh. "You seem eager to rest, so we'll leave you be for now." Twilight smiled.

"If you need anything, just say my name and I'll be at your service," Gallus said, a prideful grin on his face. He bowed his head, feathers bobbing a little as he did so, before exiting the room as Twilight said her goodbye as well.

The princess slipped her saddlebag off and wiggled beneath the covers, letting herself drift off.

Flurry Heart was awoken by a loud screech ringing throughout the castle walls. The alicorn shot out of bed, instinctively taking to the air to get a better view. The young pony exited her room, flapping quietly, surveying the area for any damage. However, she was instead faced with a filly about her age, nervously surveying the room with a notepad in her magical grasp. The unicorn was light gray with a braided mane, several shades of dark/monochrome blues and white swirling together, while a few strands curled on the other side of her face.

The filly bit her lip as she looked at the royal walls and decor, scribbling on the pad furiously.

"Um...are you okay?"

The panicked pony didn't so much as look up from her notes as she continued to survey the castle.

"No, I am not! This castle is in desperate need of some memorable and historically important architecture," she replied, trotting down the hall. Flurry Heart followed her, still confused.

"But...doesn't it have that already?" Flurry Heart flapped her wings as the unicorn continued writing and looking.

"It does have plenty to represent the time period it was in, but I mean historically as in 'it will be historical in the future.' It's been a decade or so and Princess Twilight has yet to leave anything to make her mark on Canterlot Castle aside from the stained glass windows! Isn't that troubling?" The filly finally turned her attention to her unintentional companion, a pout on her face. When she realized who she'd been talking to, she dropped her notepad and pen, staring in awe.

"Y-You're princess Flurry Heart from the Crystal Empire, daughter of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor…" She began to fidget and stutter and smile uncontrollably, only to realize that she had yet to bow. Flurry was royalty after all. She crouched on all fours, looking at the ground.

"You don't have to do that, it feels weird," Flurry said awkwardly, staring at the gray pony before her.

She rose quickly, clearing her throat. "Goodness, I am so sorry. I didn't even realize who I was talking to! I started rambling about stupid architecture…"

"Don't worry about it, I don't mind. It's nicer when people talk to you like you're not in line for the throne of one of the most beautiful kingdoms in Equestria," the princess said, trying to break the awkward tension her status had created.

"Right, right. Well in that case, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lunette Columns, aspiring architect and designer." Lunette extended her hoof for a shake, and Flurry Heart gladly accepted it, placing both of her forehooves on the sides of Lunette's left.

"Hi, Lunette. Are you like, on the 'Royal Architectural Surveillance Committee' or something?"

"THAT'S A THING?" Lunette inquired rather loudly, causing birds on the perches to fly in away in alarm. Even a few of the guards cringed.

"Er, no, I don't think so. I was just joking, since you're, you know, writing down a bunch of stuff about building."

Lunette blushed profusely, realizing the joke had flown over her head. "Oh, right. Well, I'm the daughter of the most amazing decorators and construction workers in Canterlot, Chevron and Charette Columns. I'm the one who enjoys coming up with the designs for the things that need to be built, and then decorated. Right now my mother, Charette, is meeting with your aunt to talk about new banners and portraits for the castle halls. She told me to find something to busy myself with so I won't bother her...and now I'm here."

Lunette looked a bit sad for a moment, hurt by the nature of her mom's words, but quickly regained her energy after a quick shake of her head.

"But that's perfectly fine by me! She's got her thing, I've got my thing, everybody has got their thing! Besides, if I'm lucky, maybe the princess will accidentally bump into me on her way out of the conference room, glance at my notes, ask about them, and take my ideas into consideration! Do you know how incredible that would be?" By now Lunette had wrapped her foreleg around Flurry Heart's shoulders, pulling her so close that their cheeks squished together, while her other foreleg extended forward, gesturing for Flurry Heart to try to envision the scene she had just created. As her daydream faded, she realized just how close she was to the princess, and quickly let her go. "Sorry about that."

"It's cool," Flurry Heart said. "That's quite the dream you've got there. How do you plan to execute it?"

Lunette looked up from her notepad once more, a look of confusion evident on her features. "I'm sorry, how am I gonna execute what?"

"Your plan to get my aunt to notice you! How are you gonna make it happen," Flurry Heart clarified.

"W-Well it's more of a hypothetical, I don't actually plan to do anything."

"Uh, why not? You have all the resources, and an awesome alicorn to help you."

Lunette raised a brow.

Flurry Heart cleared her throat with a healthy 'ahem' and gestured towards herself.

"Wait, seriously? You want to help me?"

"Yeah! Why wouldn't I?"

Lunette smiled like a baby trying sugar for the first time, doing a little dance.

"Okay, so here's the plan…"

Princess Twilight Sparkle and interior designer Charette Columns exited the conference room laughing, continuing to hold a conversation even after their meeting had ended. Suddenly, a unicorn a little less than half the princess' height barreled into her chest, knocking herself to the ground.

"Lunette!" Charette reprimanded, growing embarrassed. This is the exact reason she had told her daughter to relocate elsewhere, for fear of something going wrong.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry your highness! I was just running over because I noticed it was time for my mother's meeting with you to end, and I really wanted to show her my notes about the architecture of the castle! I was researching and studying it while you two spoke."

Twilight's eyes lit up at the words 'notes', 'researching', and 'studying.'

"Notes? Lunette, I told you to do something useful, not bombard the castle goers and make the guards nervous–"

"May I see these notes?" Twilight inquired excitedly, unable to contain her love for a young pony eager to enhance her knowledge, just like she had once been.

"O-Of course!" Lunette enthusiastically gave Twilight her notes, watching expectantly as the princess read over her writing.

"These are some incredible points and great suggestions! Thank you! Charette, the next time we have a meeting, make sure to bring your daughter in with you. I'd love to have some of her input as a... younger audience."

Charette nodded wordlessly, but her smile said a thousand words.

As the princess walked back into the throne room, Charette turned to her daughter. "Lunette! This is amazing! The princess recognized your work! I am so proud of you," she exclaimed, wrapping her child in a hug. "I'll go get into the carriage and tell your father. Would you like to stay a little longer?" By now the mare had released Lunette from her grasp, and began to make her way to one of the exits.

"Yeah! You guys can get dinner at The Tasty Treat, and I'll come meet you, okay?"

Charette nodded and waved goodbye as she stepped out into the Equestrian daylight.

After Charette left, Flurry Heart stepped out from a tapestry she'd been hiding behind, not wanting to be seen as she flung her new friend across the castle hall at a rate that even the ruler of Equestria couldn't dodge.

"That was amazing," Lunette squealed, pouncing on Flurry Heart to hug her. "I can't believe it worked!"

"In all honesty, me neither. That could've gone south very quickly."

Lunette seemed to ignore that comment as she continued to hug Flurry. "Thank you so much for your help, princess. I might've frozen up if you hadn't hurled me into Twilight's chest!"

Flurry giggled as Lunette pulled her to a standing position. "No problem, that's what friends are for." The blue maned pony agreed, a grin on her face.

The two continued to walk and document things, Flurry occasionally pointing and asking about something that Lunette had mentioned, and the latter asking about her life in the Crystal Empire. She found that the princess didn't have many friends, and related easily.

After about an hour and fifteen minutes had passed, Lunette realized she had to go upon checking the silver watch around her right hoof. "Thanks again, Flurry. We'll meet up soon, promise!" She gave her a quick squeeze before dashing out, ready to have dinner with her parents.

Flurry Heart marveled at the exchange for a minute, standing still. After a few moments, a voice startled her so badly that she jumped.

"Well, she seems nice," a blue griffon said, hovering a few feet away from her.

"Gallus! How long have you been here?"

"The whole time. It's my duty to watch over you, remember?"

"I-I know but, I didn't see you anywhere after I came out of my room, so I just thought…" Flurry Heart's train of thought came to a screeching halt.

"Wait, did you say you were here the whole time? Like, the whole, whole time?"

"You mean, did I see you fling your friend across the room like a stuffed doll? Yes, yes I did."

Flurry Heart stilled in a mixture of fear and uncertainty, suddenly feeling just like the rose that currently sat in her saddlebag: petrified.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Gallus said, smirking.

Flurry let out a breath of relief, thankful for Gallus' reassurance.

"Unless someone asks. In that case, I'm totally telling."

Flurry Heart looked up at him apprehensively. "You just said you wouldn't tell!"

"Well, I'm not gonna lie! Imagine how I would look to my supervisor, the princess of friendship, if I was dishonest. That's one of the six elements of harmony and the foundation of trust!" Gallus dramatically threw a talon over his eyes.

He then cracked up, much to the younger creature's confusion. "I'm kidding. Your secret is safe with me, princess."

Flurry Heart smiled happily, then tackled Gallus for the second time that day, this time for a hug, in the same way Lunette had earlier.

"Alright, alright. That's enough, kid. I'm not much of a hugger," Gallus protested after about ten seconds, already mentally equipped to move on.

"Well you better become one, because I have so many hugs to give!" She squeezed tighter, much to Gallus' dismay.

"Okay, seriously, lungs need AIR."

Flurry Heart finally dropped her forelegs and backed up, allowing for the griffon to inhale.

"Don't ever do that again."

"I can make zero guarantees."

The two began to walk towards the dining hall for dinner, thinking about the future that was to come. New friends, new school (old for the bodyguard), and bone crushing hugs. This would definitely be a time to remember.

A Princess Here Before Us, Behold

During her stay at Canterlot Castle, Flurry Heart had spent a tremendous amount of time with Twilight (much to the staff's dismay, no princess should be away from the throne this much in their opinion) and constantly pestered Gallus.

It was fun, but in order to get to the best part of her journey, she would have to leave the castle as well.

On the last day of summer, Flurry and Gallus boarded a train to Ponyville, both excited to be restationed in the quaint little town.

As the train pulled in, the pair quickly spotted Starlight and Sunburst, the headmare and vice headstallion of the school.

"Hey guys!" Gallus exclaimed, flying over with Flurry Heart on his back.

"Hi, Gallus! Long time no see," Starlight said, engulfing him in a hug, Sunburst doing the same right after.

"If you don't mind me asking, why is the princess–"

"She insisted on being carried this way. Apparently my 'soft coat and feathers lull her to sleep.'" The griffon did air quotes as he recited Flurry Heart's observation.

The princess then rolled off of Gallus' back and landed promptly on the ground. She then stretched, several of her limbs popping. "Wow, I was right! I slept like a foal!"

"You basically are one."

The young princess shot Gallus a look.

"I'm thirteen."

"Yeah, like I said. A foal."

Before Flurry could retort, Starlight interrupted, signifying the end of their squabble and meaning Gallus had gotten the last word.

While Gallus beamed at his technical win, the alicorn pouted.

"Okay, well now that you're awake, we should really head over to the school so you can see it! Today's registration day, so pretty much all the students are already there. We'll get you a schedule, your dorm arrangements, stuff like that," Starlight explained, already beginning to move towards the school as she spoke, forcing the princess and her guard to catch up.

As they walked deeper into Ponyville, Gallus was hit with a wave of nostalgia and familiarity, while Flurry Heart was filled with wonder.

The griffon remembered this town like the back of this wing, all the same establishments and houses with a few new stores and additions. It was more or less the same and he was glad to be back, even if he wasn't a student anymore.

As the four approached the school, Starlight had begun to prepare them both for what they would see. The school was already pretty big, but after Twilight took Celestia's role on as her own, the tree of harmony had sprouted more buildings, allowing for an even bigger school that could hold more students.

"I believe it's because the tree has a mind of its own in a sense, and it's aware that Twilight plans to try to unite creatures of all kinds even beyond Equestria, therefore also knowing that we'd need more room for new students and teachers."

"The treehouse has expanded too, allowing for students to roam and have a place to think or find solace in, just like you and your friends did, Gallus," Sunburst chimed in.

After about ten more minutes of walking, they had arrived at the grand School of Friendship, smiles on all their faces.

"Woah...it's amazing!" Flurry Heart exclaimed her wings fluttering in glee.

"Yes, it is. Now follow me and..wait, where did she go?" Sunburst said, looking around.

The alicorn sped forward and burst through the doors to the school, too eager to wait any longer.

Gallus sighed. "This is every day, you have to get used to it." He flew after her, grabbed her tail and yanked her back down to solid Earth. This didn't seem to distress Flurry though, as she was still in amazement.

The owners of the school trotted forward, a little annoyed at Flurry's antics.

"Now, as I was saying, schedule pickup is to your left, the hall that leads to the classrooms is straight ahead, and the dorms are to your right. All the teachers have name tags to help you know who's who, and Sunburst and I will be here to aid you whenever you need. There's also Counselor Trixie, but I'm not sure where she–"

A purple mist of smoke appeared out of what seemed to be thin air, curling around them. Starlight all but blinked, already knowing where this was headed.

"Here we go," Sunburst, Starlight and Gallus said in unison.

"Did somebody call for The Great and Powerful Trixie?"

Trixie appeared in the cloud of smoke, waving it away with her tail.

Flurry stared in awe, considering she'd never really cared for magicians, but was excited to be at a school where one was sane enough to help guide people to success.

"Hey, Counselor," Gallus said, amused by her entrance. Trixie whipped her head and smiled widely.

"Gallus! Welcome back!" They shared a brief hug and continued to smile.

"So how long did you hide before that stunt?" He inquired.

"Three and a half hours. Worth it, if you ask me. Anyway, you must be Flurry Heart," Trixie replied, turning to the princess.

"That's me! Nice to meet you. Your magic was awesome, by the way."

"Trixie is aware of her talent level, but compliments are always appreciated."

Starlight rolled her eyes but smiled at Trixie's blatant narcissism. "Alright well, Sunburst and I have to go, but we'll leave you to it, okay?"

Flurry nodded, and dashed to one of the tables to grab her schedule and dorm information. As she picked up her paperwork, the pale pink pony knocked into someone, causing them both to bring hooves up to their temples in pain.

"Sorry," they both said in unison. Flurry's eyes shot open, immediately recognizing that voice. "Honey Canvas," she exclaimed, bringing her hoof down. "Flurry Heart!" They hugged, feeling as if it had been way longer than merely seven days.

Gallus raised a brow at the exchange.

"Oh, right. Gallus, this is Honey Canvas, I met him on the train to Canterlot. Honey Canvas, this is Gallus, my personally selected bodyguard from Canterlot." She smiled brightly as she waved her hoof between the two of them, explaining her relation.

"Hey, Honey Canvas. How's it going?"

The colt began to sweat under Gallus' gaze, even if it wasn't anything more than a stare, and Gallus could muster an incredible stink eye when necessary. "I-I'm fine s-sir."

Gallus cringed again, his dislike towards honorifics being used on him by younger creatures once again getting the better of him. "You can just call me Gallus," he replied, dreading the mere thought of another teenager calling him 'sir'.

"Sorry, he's shy. He'll warm up to you. Eventually," Flurry assured him as she grabbed her papers. "C'mon Honey, let's go look for our dorm rooms." The colt nodded as Flurry put her schedule in her Saddlebag, itching to lay in his bed and not speak to anyone.

The dorms were about the same size as when Gallus had lived in them, except now the number had tripled, just as the number of creatures had. The rooms were a pretty good size even if there would be two people inside, each creature having enough room to move around, work, or play, but definitely not enough to avoid each other in a fight.

Flurry Heart happily rushed into her room, 206, and jumped onto the first bed she saw, once again not bothering to look at anything else. Bed quality was everything, in her opinion.

"Flurry Heart?"

The filly looked up from her bed and turned her head to the source of the voice.

"Lunette?" Flurry gasped before getting tackled by her friend from Canterlot. The hug lingered until Flurry became full of questions and had to pull away. "What're you doing here? I didn't know you were going to school here!"

"I could say the same for you! This is just a happy coincidence," Lunette said, now pulling Flurry to her hooves like the last time she pounced on her.

Honey Canvas stared at them quizzically before Lunette realized and cleared her throat.

"Oh, right! Honey Canvas, this is my friend Lunette. Lunette, Honey Canvas. I met Lunette in Canterlot Castle, and I met Honey on the train there."

"Y'know, you haven't even started friendship lessons and you already have two friends. That's pretty impressive," Gallus noted, staring at the ponies by the princess.

"I knew coming here would be a great idea!"

As she said this, a loud crash burst in through the window, leaving glass all across the floor at their hooves and talons.

The window almost automatically repaired itself though, pieces flying back to their previous origin. "A damage-safety spell," Lunette explained, barely even looking at the window. She was more focused on the pegasus struggling to his hooves.

"Can I help you?" Lunette asked bitterly, doing a onceover of the pony. He was a mint green colt with a mint and cornflower blue mane atop his head.

"Sure. Just point me out of Loserville and I'll gladly be on my way," he retorted, matching the unicorn's energy.

"Hey! The town is called Ponyville," Flurry Heart said, a little annoyed.

"Oh, I know. I meant this room, because you're all a bunch of losers, your majesty."

"Highness," Lunette, Honey and Flurry all corrected at once.

The mint pony surveyed the room, looking at two angry fillies, faces enraged. He found his target easily, though, and closed in on him, as he heard a small whimper. He walked towards Honey Canvas, seeing his legs wobble in fear. "What was that, pipsqueak?" He was dangerously close to the earth pony, practically nose to nose until a wing pushed him backwards. She backed him up against a wall and cornered him, just as he'd done to Honey less than a minute ago. Flurry proceeded to get in the bully's face, ready to defend her friend. "Leave him alone, or else."

"Or else what?" He challenged.

Flurry's horn began to glow bright and hot, her emotions fueling her magical control. "Do you really want to find out?" She growled.

The colt raised a brow before kicking her in the foreleg and wiggling away from the wall.
"Nah, I'd rather get out of Shitville before your loser tendencies rub off on me. See you in class, miss heir to the throne of lameness." The pegasus trotted out and slammed the door, a satisfied grin on his face.

Flurry rubbed her foreleg, wishing she hadn't told Gallus not to interfere with anything that didn't pose a magical threat. He looked at her a little sad, eyes asking a silent question. She shook her head in response. He couldn't fight her battles. She had to do some things on her own, and that included dealing with bullies.

"Who the hell was that? And what's his problem?" Honey yelled out, breathing heavily. Apparently he'd held his breath the entire time, too scared to exhale.

Lunette was slightly startled by the outburst, but quickly got over it. "That was Mint Surge, the cockiest, most infuriating, incredibly annoying pony I have ever laid my eyes on. He already crashed into me earlier and put on a whole show about being polite in front of my parents, but flicked mud at me using his tail right after." Lunette was seething, beyond enraged by the nature of her classmate.

Honey was also quite angry, any fear he had previously carried was now disintegrated. "I mean, who does he think he is, calling us lame! He doesn't even know anyone except you, and you're a princess for fuck's sake! You could banish him with the flap of your wing or a simple spell, while he can't even fly in a straight line. What a MORON!"

The three other entities in the room stared at him, mouths gaping. Honey then inhaled and exhaled sharply, pressing out all the anger. When he realized he was being watched, he became confused. "What?"

"Dang, you've got a real mouth on you," Gallus chuckled.

"I didn't even know you could speak," Lunette said, still amazed. "Too bad he wasn't here to hear your set him straight."

Honey's ears drooped at that remark, realizing that he had been pretty cutthroat and it would've been so exhilarating to tell their tormentor off.

Flurry placed her hoof on his back, just below his neck and rubbed it sympathetically. "Hey, don't worry. One day you'll have the courage to hit him where it hurts! Something tells me we're gonna be seeing a lot more of him. But for now, we should keep looking around the school."

Lunette and Honey agreed, Honey walking across the hall and putting down his bags, and Lunette walking out of the room. Before Flurry left, she turned to Gallus. "Gallus, I know you wanted to intervene back there, but thank you for deciding not to. When I need your help, you'll know."

Gallus smiled and exited the room as well.

"Alright, let's take a look around!"

Gallus and the kids passed by dozens of classrooms, the halls surprisingly free. While the students were taking in the scenery, the oldest of the group was looking for a few creatures in particular.

As he flew, he felt a small shift in the air, meaning someone was flying behind him. Before he could turn and ask for directions, a pink hippogriff captured him in a fashion similar to Flurry's, forcing them both to the ground. "GALLUS! YOU'RE HERE!" She stood over him as he opened his eyes, adjusting to the pain in his back. "Hi, Silver."

He smiled as she pulled him into a hug, her embrace warm but even more constricting than that of Flurry.

"Not much of a hugger my flank," Flurry said, smirking as she watched Gallus lean into Silverstream's hug. He blushed slightly and backed away, now standing on his paws again.

"Aw, c'mon! You still owe me a hug from when we were in the crystal caves beneath the school," Silvestream whined.

"You remember that?"

She hummed in confirmation. "You said, 'Hug time later,' and I'm pretty sure right now is later."

"I'll take that into consideration and get back to you in five to ten business days."

They both laughed, reminiscing about what felt like just yesterday, but was in reality, almost eleven years ago.

The students looked between each other, not getting the reference.

"Ahem," Flurry Heart fake coughed, breaking the two out of their trance. "Oh, hi! Sorry about...wait...an ALICORN?!" Silverstream gasped as she looked at the new student, who proudly extended her wings.

"Silver, this is princess Flurry Heart, Cadance and Shining Armor's daughter."

Silverstream rolled her eyes and turned to Gallus. "I know that! Do you think I live under a rock?"

"Actually you live in the ocean, so am I really that far off?"

The hippogriff lightly punched him, and turned back to the princess. "Hi, Flurry Heart! I'm Silverstream, the Kindness, Laughter and Ethics teacher! I also teach biodiversity," she said cheerfully.

"And what're your names?"

"I'm Lunette Columns," Lunette said enthusiastically. Being around a creature with such high energy levels must replenish her happiness, Flurry thought.

Honey Canvas looked around nervously before quietly muttering his name.

"Nice to meet you, Lunette and Honey Canvas!"

Gallus stared at her in shock. "How could you have possibly heard him?"

Silverstream shrugged and began to fly forwards. "I don't know, I think it comes naturally since I'm part eagle. Don't you have the same ability?"

"I guess working in a field that involves a lot of...yelling...has put a strain on my ears. I pretty much tune out anything I'm not intentionally trying to hear if it's not a threat of some sort or of extreme importance."

"Oh, okay," Silvestream said, her blank face morphing into a wicked smile as Gallus faced forward, getting ready to continue their walk.

She got low and attempted to pounce on Gallus, only to be stopped and batted away by his wings.

"I thought you only listened for potential threats!" Silverstream whined as she rolled onto the ground.

"Correct. You my dear, are not a threat. I do pay attention to you regardless, though," Gallus said as he pulled the professor up.

The students once again looked between each other, now sharing a few smirks and snickers.

Flurry Heart trotted ahead of the group, Honey Canvas and Lunette trailing behind her. "Now if you lovebirds are done, I would really like to see the rest of the school sometime today," she teased, staring at them through her peripheral vision. She smiled deviously as she watched the two eagle hybrids protest, Gallus blushing profusely and Silverstream smiling despite her denial of any romantic attraction.

Their panicked and hasty corrections fell upon deaf ears as Flurry Heart had already mentally cataloged a plan to weed more about their relationship status out of Gallus later.

The griffs eventually realized they would get nowhere by repeatedly denying it, so they both shut up and continued to walk with the students.

"Let's go this way, Smolder's classroom is this way," Silverstream said, trying to get back to the impromptu tour. She seemed to be avoiding the hallway to their left, sharing a knowing look with Gallus.

Lunette turned to Flurry to ask, but all she could do was shrug her shoulders.

They approached the first classroom on the right, room 322, and Gallus knocked lightly.

An orange dragon with purple spikes and a yellow front opened the door, not realizing who it was at first. "Look, if you have questions about the syllabus, I didn't write it so I take zero responsibility for any words you don't know the meaning of."

Smolder stopped herself as she realized who was standing before her.

"Still haven't hit that growth spurt?"

"Still haven't gotten that dragon breath under control?"

The pair began to laugh as they teased each other.

The dragon then uncharacteristically pulled her childhood friend in for a hug, patting his back.

"Okay, seriously. Do you just accept hugs from everyone but me?" Flurry Heart asked, watching the exchange end.

"So, you finally escaped the castle, huh?" Smolder said, ignoring the alicorn's question.

"Yeah, but in exchange for my freedom I got this kid, so did I really win?" Gallus asked jokingly, gesturing towards the alicorn.

"Oh, cool. Princess for a student. That's not unusual or nerve-wracking at all," Smolder deadpanned, her sarcastic manner still in full swing, just like the guard's.

Gallus chuckled at her demeanor. She was just like he remembered.

"Don't worry, she's pretty chill for royalty," Gallus reassured her.

"Oh, I'm not worried for myself. I'm worried for–"

"Ocellus!"

Silverstream's outburst caused everyone's heads to turn as the Changeling in question entered the hall.

She stopped in her tracks, unaware that the hall had had anyone in it besides Smolder.

"Um...hi.." she was puzzled for a moment until laying her eyes on the only griffon in the hall. "Gallus!"
She ran and hugged him, forelegs wrapping around his neck as she pulled him close. "How've you been?"

"Pretty good up until when you tried to strangle me."

"When did I do that?"

"Right now. Ocellus, I can't breathe."

The sky blue changeling backed up and allowed him to breathe, laughing apologetically. As her light laughter faded, she quickly spotted the princess and grew excited, wings fluttering and carrying her off the ground unintentionally.

"Princess Flurry Heart?!"

"And her friends, Lunette and Honey Canvas," Gallus added, addressing the other ponies with his wing.

The three friends waved, happy to be acknowledged in the adults' conversation.

"It's an honor to have you here, all of you. We're excited to see new and old faces."

The students smiled at their Literature, Universal History, Mathematics and Intro to Magic teacher as she regarded them.

"Speaking of old faces, are Yona and…" Gallus' voice died in his throat.

Ocellus' face darkened briefly before recovering. "Um, yeah. They wanted to wish us good luck for tomorrow. I'm sure they'd both be happy to see you since it's been a while."

Once again the students were left in the dark as the adults discussed a matter unknown to them. Gallus waved his claw dismissively. "I wouldn't want to intrude…"

"Dude, you've already intruded. Just go say hi," Smolder stated in a way that conveyed that the griffon wasn't really being given a choice.

"I have to watch Flur—"

"She's a princess, not a foal. She can handle navigating the school. Right, Flurry Heart?" Smolder pressed on, turning to the princess for confirmation.

"Of course! There are maps everywhere, and if we get lost we'll just ask for directions!" Lunette nodded as Honey stared at his hooves, not wanting to be heard by so many creatures at once.

Smolder's stern gaze returned to the griffon as he sighed in defeat, trudging towards the opposing hall.

"See you later!" Flurry exclaimed, waving her hoof. She turned to her friends, excited to be out of the limelight for a limited amount of time. "Alright, what're we waiting for? Let's go!"

Author's Note

We're getting a little more into the actual story itself now. Flurry's arrival, a reunion, some mysterious tension and unresolved issues between Gallus and Sandbar, etcetera etcetera. Hope you enjoyed this more intense chapter!

Confrontation (ish)

Gallus refused to walk, allowing his friends to push him across the hallway floor.

"This would go a lot faster if you got off your tail and hauled some ass," Smolder grunted, pressing against his back.

The griffon didn't respond and allowed his weight to be shoved forward unwillingly.

"Not to be blunt, but I agree with Smolder. Get off the fucking floor," Ocellus breathed tiredly, not used to moving so much bulk. Gallus wasn't fat, but as a guard, muscle and mass was a requirement. "There are trucks lighter than this."

Silverstream propelled him forward as well, not panting as heavily as the changeling, but still struggling nonetheless.

"Gallus, please, please, please cooperate. Our arms are becoming noodles."

The captain of the royal guard nearly changed his mind upon hearing Silverstream's pleas, but the thought quickly vanished as his ears picked up on a distant sound.

Laughter.

And it wasn't just any laughter. It was deep, carefree, relaxed laughter. And then the smell of saltwater and gardenias and vanilla. And then a huskier, near indescribable scent that Gallus knew all too well.

He immediately stiffened, making the girls' task even harder.

"That's it!" Ocellus exclaimed, backing away from the griffon. For a second he'd thought he'd won, that he wouldn't have to confront what he'd been avoiding for years. He whipped around to make a smug comment, only to be met with a flash of colorful fire, and then a large Bugbear. Fuck.

Smolder and Silverstream backed up instinctively, allowing their friend to take the lead. She gathered Gallus up in her arms, and flew towards the laughter. When they'd reached the lounge, she happily dropped Gallus onto the cold floor and transformed back into her normal self.

"Look who wanted to say hi!" Ocellus' fib was declared triumphantly and bluntly, every creature knowing good and well Gallus hadn't ended up here on his own merits.

After a moment of grumbling and dusting himself off, the blue creature realized he was the center of attention. He stilled.

Yona took initiative. "Gallus," the yak greeted, rushing over. She clearly wanted to tackle him, but decided against it, shoving down the urge. "Long time."

Yona's ponish had improved greatly, but she often felt more confident saying less to ensure that nothing came out structured weirdly, unless she was with her friends. She knew they'd never make fun of her, but at the moment she felt self conscious. She hadn't spoken to Gallus in what felt like forever, even if it had only been a year or two.

"Yeah, it has been. Good to see you," he replied, hugging her out of instinct, and then backing up as he mentally acknowledged the elephant, or rather, pony in the room.

He cleared his throat. "Hey, Sandbar...how's it hanging…?" Though he was trying to use the double entendre to defuse the situation, maybe even get a laugh himself, the room was dead silent.

Sandbar's face shifted from surprise, to discomfort, to disbelief.

Gallus became anxious. Eighteen year old Sandbar would've picked up on his humor immediately. But his twenty-something year old counterpart didn't budge.

"Are you kidding me?"

Gallus felt as cold as ice, frozen under the weight of the question, the inquiry crushing his spine and forcing out all the air he had stored in his lungs. Four words. Four words had rendered him breathless.

Sandbar walked over slowly, leaving his place on the couch. He came so close to Gallus that he could analyze every detail, every little strand of fur or feather out of place.

His poker face broke as a huge grin spread across his face. The earth pony looked beyond ecstatic.

"I'm great! I cant believe you're here!"

The griffon's eyes widened, unprepared for such an anticlimactic welcome. This is what he'd been avoiding for five years?

"Uh, y-yeah. On official guard duty. I'm Princess Flurry Heart's personal protector," he stuttered nervously. How could Sandbar be so cheerful? Had he forgotten what happened? Because Gallus sure hadn't.

"That's amazing! Glad to see you moving on up in life," Sandbar congratulated, staring into the griffon's eyes.

"Th-thanks."

They stared at each other for a moment. Sandbar had definitely grown in five years, and his facial features had matured as well. But he still had this calmness to him, this energy that expressed just how happy he was to be awake and alive and breathing, but in a wordlessly serene way, as opposed to Yona and Silverstream's loud, obvious way of expressing how much they loved everyone and thing. Sandbar was practically glowing. Suddenly it was hard to breathe again.

"Great! Griffon and pony acquainted again. Can we move on?" Yona asked jokingly, happy to see that her ex boyfriend and friend were getting along for the time being.

Gallus stuttered in response, tearing his eyes away from Sandbar.

"We have so much catching up to do," Ocellus said, taking a seat on a chaise. Smolder flew over beside her, allowing for the changeling to lay her head on her lap.

Gallus eyed them quizzically as he plopped onto the couch next to Silverstream and Yona, while Sandbar gingerly sat on a floor cushion.

"Yeah, I have a feeling that I.." He stared as Smolder played with Ocellus' hooves.

"...missed some things."

"Well, I have the perfect game for catching up," Sandbar said, gaining the attention of the rest of the group.

"How do we feel about some good old fashioned truth or dare?"

Flurry Heart and her friends had covered the expanse of the school surprisingly quickly, Lunette deciding to write down architectural facts at a later date. Honey Canvas only really stopped to admire the art across the school, some made by students, some by professor Silverstream, others by famous artists.

The group came across creatures of all kinds, the number near equal to that of the equine that inhabited their learning environment.

They'd met the choir and theatre director, Sweetie Belle, who was just as opposed to honorifics as Gallus, and a few other teachers as well.

Now that they were done, the group had dispersed to further inspect the school in sections that interested them.

Though he was incredibly shy, the sight of art seemed to have the same effect on Honey Canvas that Flurry and Lunette did, opening him up and making him feel calmer and more comfortable. He trotted towards the art room in excitement.

Lunette had decided to take a trip down to the front office to see if Sunburst and Starlight had any idea what building techniques had been used to create the school.

Flurry Heart had wandered around some more, making her way into the courtyard.

It was beautiful.

There were a wide variety of flora and fauna that decorated the ground and trees, providing peace and beauty. Flurry hadn't a doubt in her mind that Fluttershy could take credit for this portion of the school.

She sat at a table and began to absentmindedly pull rocks, twigs and flowers out of the ground, weaving and chipping and snapping them in order to create a sculpture. Though it wasn't her special talent, sculpting came naturally to her and was something the princess enjoyed to do in her free time. Sure, she'd only started it to cope with her loneliness, but now that she had friends to talk to, it was more of an impressive skill than a disturbing pastime.

The alicorn worked diligently and patiently. When a rock took a little longer to crack than she'd wished for, she didn't yell. She continued at her steady space and blocked out the outside world.

As the night inched across the sky, a gradient of blues and yellows and oranges and pinks coloring Flurry's face, she decided it was time to go back inside.

Before getting up, she turned towards the horizon and watched the sun set fully, Luna's moon rising quietly.

Flurry had only been here for a little while, but she had a good feeling about this school.

She loved it here. Despite its flaws, bullies, classes and all. Flurry audibly affirmed her thoughts, whispering into the warm night. "I love it here."

"I hate it here," Gallus groaned.

It'd been three hours since he parted ways with the princess and he had been put through ridiculous dares. He'd reluctantly chose truth a few times, and been forced to open up about things he'd rather not talk about.

The real icing on the cake was when he was faced with the question,

"What's going on between you and Silverstream?"
The excitable hippogriff had been using the bathroom, and the question was left hanging in the air the second she left.

"What?"

"You guys flirt every ten seconds. Are you gonna ask her out?" Smolder said, clarifying her question.

"Believe it or not, I don't see Silverstream like that. She's like a sister to me. Kind of. I flirt with everyone, it's all in good fun."

"Gallus don't flirt with anyone else in this room," Yona said teasingly, backing up Smolder.

"Well let's analyze this. I would never hit on Smolder, I value my life too damn much. I used to flirt with Ocellus, but she's dating Smolder, so that's out of the question. Yona, you don't usually flirt back, so I just quit after a couple attempts. And Sandbar…" his voice grew quiet. He didn't dare look up from the claw he'd been counting creatures off of, allowing the silence to consume him. He used to flirt with Sandbar far more than anyone else in their friend group. But then The Incident had occurred, and then they didn't talk for five years…

He coughed uneasily, trying to recover. "Um, anyway, since I don't flirt with any of you, Silver picks up some of the slack. It's all in good fun, we both know I'm just venting my emotions via mindless innuendos and claw kisses. Besides, I'm pretty sure she's seeing someone. And when they become exclusive, I'll find someone else to flirt with. Plain and simple."

The creatures nodded but all began to look at Ocellus, looking for confirmation that their griffon friend wasn't harboring any romantic attraction towards Silverstream.

The blue changeling shrugged. "He's telling the truth." Though this was something Ocellus had known for years, unintentionally analyzing her friend's emotions since she'd met them, this seemed to be a genuine surprise to the rest of the group. "He did have a crush on her during the first two years of school, though."

The guard blushed but tried to hide his embarrassment. "That's true, unfortunately. I stressed myself to death over not looking like an idiot in front of her."

"In front of who?"

Gallus jumped, unaware that Silverstream had entered the room. Gallus racked his brain for someone he could mention as a scapegoat, knowing his lie would be detected immediately if he mentioned anyone in this room. "Uh, Apple Bloom. Had a huge crush on her back in the day. Moving on."

"Aww! You should've told me! I would've helped set you guys up."

"Pass. Trust me, I've seen your attempts at setting people up. Leave it to Ocellus, will you?"

"Hey! I am an impeccable matchmaker."

The entire room erupted into fits of laughter, including from the hippogriff herself.

"I could barely keep a straight face as I said that."

The group asked a few more questions, all far too tired to give or receive any dares. The night began to wind down, and it was time for the professors to get their sleep in preparation for dealing with hundreds of students.

As the creatures said their goodbyes and exited the room, Ocellus pulled Sandbar to the side.

"Are you okay?"

Sandbar blinked. "Yeah, I'm–"

"Okay, let me rephrase this. I know you're not okay. Don't lie, there's no point."

As Sandbar looked around the room, empty except for the changeling that stood before him, he let his facade fall.

"I've never lied so much in my life," he said quietly, allowing his emotions flow out. "How can he just show up like this? And he wasn't even going to say hi? I'm tired, Ocellus. I'm so, so tired." Sandbar sighed and ignored his watering eyes before fixing his expression.

Normally, Gallus would've caught the fake smile. Normally, he would call Sandbar out on it and they'd talk until he didn't feel like a miserable clump of mismatched cells. Normally, things were normal and they didn't ghost each other for extended amounts of time. But maybe half a decade corrodes your bond with someone, maybe it rusts like metal. Maybe he couldn't tell what was real and fake anymore, and he'd have to learn Sandbar all over again, analyze him all over again. If he even wanted to, that is.

Sandbar walked out of the room, right passed Ocellus. "Yona, wait up," he called, pouring what little happiness he'd had left into his words, his energy suddenly sapped. Ocellus now stood alone in the lounge. Thinking about the emotions she'd tasted today. Acrid, sickening emotion. Hurt. Fear. Confusion. The only things that prevented her from vomiting it up was Smolder stroking her coat softly, and two flavors that were far from foreign creeping their way onto her taste buds. Hope and yearning.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading! Sorry there wasn't much Flurry content, I'm trying to leave some of the drama for the future rather than shove it all into the first few chapters :twilightsheepish:

First Day, Worst Day?

Flurry Heart shot out of bed on instinct, her body acting as its own alarm clock. On weekdays, Flurry Heart was naturally wired to wake up at around seven in the morning, which was a relief, as classes didn't start until eight-thirty.

Stretching, the young pony's joints released a series of cracks and pops. This unintentionally stirred Lunette into the waking world, the gray unicorn lifting a hooving to her eyes in order to rub the sleep crust out of them.

"Good morning, Lune!"

"Morning, Flurry," she replied tiredly, remnants of a dream still fading away.

"Are you ready for the beginning of the most awesome adventure of our lives?"

"Have you ever attended a public school?"

"Yes! I practically begged my parents to stop my personal tutoring ses—" The princess looked across the room, only to be met with a smirk. Lunette rested her cheek against the sole of her hoof, waiting.

Flurry stopped her excited rambling and hoof gestures, face falling. "Oh. That was sarcasm, wasn't it?"

"Uh-huh," Lunette confirmed, giggling at the joke soaring over her roommate's head.

The pale pink pony rolled her eyes and began to get ready for the day, dragging Lunette with her despite her persistent pleas.

At eight on the nose, Flurry knocked on Honey Canvas' door excitedly, ready to get going.

The colt opened the door just as she went to knock again, narrowly avoiding a hoof to his eye. "Jeez, can we hold off on the violence? It's not even noon yet."

Honey stepped past her and into the hallway, where Lunette stood, a little less eager to go sit through an hour long class. "Hey Honey, how's it going?"

"Almost got my eyes gouged out just a moment ago, so really well!"

"Great," the unicorn replied, her response fueled with just as much sarcasm as his statement.

"This is gonna be so awesome." Flurry unfurled her wings and took to the air, creating imaginary loops and patterns in the open space. Yet again, she'd thrown caution to the wind and forgotten to survey her surroundings before doing so.

CRASH!

"Hey, watch where you're—"

"Sorry, that's my bad—"

Both sentences stopped short as soon as they registered who they'd just headbutted.

"Oh, hey, your majesty. How's the kingdom of stupidity doing?"

"You tell me! You're the entire population."

Mint Surge stood up, fluttering his wings to confirm there was no damage. "Nice comeback, loser. As much as I love bringing your inferiority to everyone's attention, I gotta bounce. You know punctuality and all that junk. See you around, dumbasses."

The mint pegasus waved and flew down the hall, much to Flurry's annoyance—she wasn't done chewing him out. She'd barely got a sentence in!

"That guy is seriously the worst," Lunette said, rolling her eyes.

Honey Canvas agreed silently by nodding as they continued down the hall. The trio diverged as they approached their classrooms, Honey Canvas and Flurry Heart having Equestrian History as their first class, and Lunette having Honesty.

The pair took their seats in the front row, right next to each other. After a few minutes, the school bell rang, signaling the school year's preamble. Ocellus greeted the class warmly, and began to launch into her detailed description of what the course would entail, as well as basic information contained in the syllabus.

Flurry would love to say that she had paid attention, but that wouldn't sit all that well with their honesty teacher. Honey Canvas, however, was engrossed in their first lecture, gifting Ocellus his undivided attention. He even took notes—which Flurry would definitely be looking at later—as he clung to Ocellus' every word.

Flurry began to stare, and unintentionally flipped the switch in her brain. Rather than listening, she was now caught in a flood of thoughts, failing to stay afloat.

I wonder what Lunette is learning about right now. Probably nothing. Are we even learning anything? I'd need to listen to know that, I guess.

The princess temporarily tuned into the lecture.

"—and that is relative. History, however—"

Yeah, no, definitely learning. Why do I have to learn about the past at eight in the morning? Whose idea was this?? No disrespect to Ocellus, she seems pretty dope, but...oh my Celestia is that a cat sitting diagonal to me?

Flurry used her peripheral vision to confirm her suspicion. A tan abyssinian cat stretched in his seat, crossing his back legs and placing his front two behind him, propping up his head. A large patch of beige fur sliced through the tan that colored the rest of his body, running down his body. That was a feline, alright.

It is! I've never met a cat before! I mean, I've met a cat before but never the kind that can talk and take tests and stuff! That's so cool...Aunt Twilight isn't messing around when it comes to forming bonds and uniting nations and stuff.

As she continued on her tangent, Flurry Heart began to realize that there really were several species here to learn about friendship, and not just the initial five that had been inducted a decade ago. Aside from griffons, yaks, dragons, changelings and hippogriffs, there were cats, parrots, zebras, kirin, minotaurs, etcetera. She was the only alicorn of course, but she was still a pony, and all these new species were foreign to her, as in the Crystal Empire, there were really only ponies, yaks, and the occasional griffon. You couldn't find a kirin back home, especially not within the castle. Experiencing new things is exactly what Flurry had hoped for, whether they be cultural education and enlightenment or watching a hippogriff explain the variation in underwater wildlife, and she was getting exactly that.

After an hour and fifteen minutes, the next bell rang, meaning class was over and each student had five minutes to get to their next one. Honey Canvas clapped his hooves together excitedly, pulling Flurry Heart from her zoned out state.

"Wasn't that lecture riveting?"

"Uh huh," Flurry replied sarcastically. "Yeah it was the best thing I've listened to—" she yawned, stretching her foreleg as she did so, "—in a while." The colt didn't seem to pick up on her tone. He continued to marvel at the 75 minute monologue they'd just sat through.

Meanwhile, across the hall, Lunette was having a slightly better time.

Honesty class itself was fine, today was a light day, with ice breakers and such. The unicorn had been paired with a fern green kirin. Her mane was a rust red, as were the tips of her hooves and tail. Her eyes shined brightly in a glittering gold color, and she went by the name Sage Blaze, apparently the offspring of the first kirin to ever form bonds with Equestrians, Autumn Blaze.

She wasn't quite as energetic and talkative as her mother, but she had a deep love for reading, writing, and cooking. But best of all—she had a low tolerance for bullshit.

Ergo, allowing her to share Lunette's hatred for Mint Surge.

The kirin rolled her eyes as the pegasus kicked her and her new friend's seat from behind, becoming more and more aggravated. After the seventeenth kick, Sage lost her composure. She whipped around, her eye twitching a little. "Can you please stop that?"

"I mean, yeah, I could…"

"Great, thanks."

"But I don't really want to."

Sage's eye twitched again. "Excuse me?"

"Watching you get all heated about this is extremely entertaining, sorry."

"Excuse me," she repeated, annoyance bordering on complete, unadulterated anger.

Mint kicked harder, causing the chair to rock a little. "Oh yeah, this is fucking hilarious."

"Stop it, Mint," a dragon next to the colt spoke. He had iris purple scales and lavender rounded spikes that ran from the top of his head to the end of his tail.

"You have to admit this is at least a little funny, Pierce."

"Not really…"

"I agree," Lunette said, disgust dripping from her words.

"You two have no sense of humor." He kicked harder.

Sage was at her limit. "Stop it. Now. Or else."

"Or else what?"

A flash of fire rose high in the room, then centered around the nirik, her coat going dark and mane becoming flame itself.

"OR ELSE THIS."

Mint shrunk back in his chair, much more intimidated than he had been moments ago.

The fire was going to spread, so Lunette did the only thing a panicked unicorn could do.

Using her magic, Lunette conjured a bucket full of water and dumped it directly onto Sage's head.

The soaked chimera descendant widened her eyes in shock, shivering from the cold liquid. "Did you just—"

"I did."

The four creatures looked between each other, and then snapped their attention to the front of the room, expecting a teacher to reprimand one of them—for what exactly, no one was sure. But as they looked to the several rows in front of them, they realized there was loud chatter and disarray, and the professor was far more concerned with that than the potential fire hazard.

Sage immediately turned in her seat. "Or else that. So stop kicking my chair."

Mint blinked, and turned back to Pierce.

Lunette giggled, still holding the bucket. "That was so cool."

"Thank you! And thanks for the water too...part of why I'm here is to learn to control my anger. Once I do, I'll be able to turn into a nirik voluntarily. Until then...you might wanna keep your bucket around."

"Will do, cap!" Lunette gave a fake salute.

The two continued to talk as she created a towel from thin air and draped it around Sage's shoulders.

Once the bell rang, everyone bid their farewells to their professor before exiting the room. While Mint Surge flew out of the room, his companion hung back. "Hey…I'm really sorry about him. He can be.."

"An asshole?"

"The most annoying pegasus to ever come out of Cloudsdale?"

"–A lot. But yeah, those things too."

"It's okay Pierce, I'm already starting to get used to it. Wanna walk with us?"

The dragon stared and Lunette in disbelief. "Really?"

Sage nodded. The three walked out of the classroom and in the opposite direction of Mint. "Thanks for sticking up for me, by the way," the kirin spoke, not looking at anyone in particular.

"Any time."

After formal introductions and another class period, the group was pretty well acquainted. Honey Canvas was quiet around the newcomers and avoided eye contact. Flurry got along well with both Sage and Pierce, despite the fact that she couldn't believe that the latter was his friend.

"He's not that bad."

Three ponies and a kirin threw him a look.

"Okay, he's not that bad all the time."

"So is he like...nice to you? Or is this a hostage situation? Blink twice if you need help. I promise we can free you," Flurry Heart said, only half joking.

"He's actually really dependable and forgiving. I've known him all summer, and he's pretty awesome. To be honest, I've only ever seen him act like that around you guys."

The alicorn stopped dead in her tracks. "What?"

"So, he's just a jerk to us? That's not fair," Honey Canvas spoke, earning a few stares.

"Why would he be a jerk to us in particular?"

Pierce shrugged. "I don't know. Honestly, I never really know what's going on in his head."

The bell for lunch rang, meaning they'd have to get to the dining hall soon.

"You guys go, I have to check in with my guard," Flurry Heart said, flapping her wings.

"You have a guard," Sage asked, staring at the princess in awe.

"As extra precaution. Not that I really need one. However, wearing down his defenses and getting him to unintentionally accept me as the little sister he never had is absolutely necessary. So I'm gonna go pester him and let him know I'm not dead. See you in like, fifteen minutes." The pale pink pony sped down the hall, a gust of wind flowing in her wake.

"Well she's fun!"

Flurry Heart flew towards the crystal treehouse and knocked on the door, knowing only one creature would be between its walls at this time.

"Gallus," she knocked on the door, not wanting to intrude at first. The griffon opened the door after a moment or two, the princess' voice having interrupted his daydreams.

"Hey, what's up?"

"You said to check in with you around noon, and then after class. So this is me doing that."

"Oh, right! Thanks for remembering."

"No problem!" Flurry took his lack of response as an invitation to walk into the treehouse and disturb the griffon.

Gallus was about to protest, but saw no point. "Welcome in, I guess."

The princess hovered in the air, looking at the furniture and magical structure. It was a lot more livable than it looked to be from the outside. The windows weren't really windows, more just holes in the walls. The sounds of the warm day streamed in peacefully. Flurry plopped down on the couch, now centering her vision on the Captain of the Royal Guard. "So, how's your day been? Said hi to Professor Silverstream yet?"

Gallus frowned. "It was better before you sat on my couch and interrogated me about my non-existent relationship," he said, moving to sit on the couch next to her. "I don't know what you think is going on, but I'm not into Silverstream. And even if I was—"

"You totally are."

"—It's none of your business. You're the princess and I'm your guard. No need to get personal."

Now the pony was frowning. "But you know everything about me and my family—Mom made sure of that—so why can't I know about yours?"

Gallus stilled for a second at the words 'family' and 'yours', but ignored it. She doesn't know. It wasn't on purpose. "Listen, princess, I don't really want to talk about my love life with a thirteen year old."

The frown warped into a pout. "Okay. Well, what will you talk about?"

"Anything related to your safety."

She blinked. "Yeah, no. That won't cut it." Her eyes scanned the room, and fell upon a snapback with words embroidered across the top. Ponyville Prancers.

"You're into buckball?"

Gallus side eyed her. "Isn't everyone?"

Flurry Heart clapped her hooves in excitement. "It sounds so awesome."

"Sounds? What, are you not into buckball?"

"Eh," she shrugged. "Not really, but I'd like to be. Back in the Crystal Empire, it's not really a thing. Crystal ponies are a lot more concerned with royalty, and politics, and...well, crystals. There's nothing wrong with being shiny, when we go all crystal-y it's totally cool, but nobody likes to get dirty or kick a ball around. Except for professional athletes. And they're more into track, ski, and swim. We don't even have our own team, and my dad can never find any time to take off work and get on a train to Canterlot or Ponyville or Appleloosa for a game. So I've never actually...you know...seen one. Except for when I was really little, and we saw Pinkie and Fluttershy go, but I wasn't paying attention since I was a foal. Even with my alicorn memory, all I see is carrot dogs and caramel corn. And screaming. So much screaming."

Gallus nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's unacceptable. I will not accept that. I'm taking you to a buckball game."

Flurry Heart's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah! And hey, if you end up liking it, you can join the school's buckball team."

"THE SCHOOL HAS ITS OWN TEAM?!"

Gallus nodded despite the throbbing pain in his ears due to the ungodly screech Flurry just let out.

After doing a little happy dance, Flurry attacked Gallus in a hug, crushing his bones a bit. "THANK YOU!"

"No problem, kid. Now let go. I've seen boa constrictors that have looser grips than this."

Despite her instincts, Flurry freed him of her grasp and headed out the door. "See you later!"

The griffon waved and closed the door.

She's a great kid. Annoying as all hell, of course. But still, a really good kid.

When Flurry got back to school, only fifteen minutes had passed, just as she'd promised. She found her friends seated at a table farthest from the entrance on the left. She sat down gracefully, giddy with excitement.

"So, did you annoy him?"

"Only a little. It went well though," she placed a sandwich full of sauteed vegetables and cheese with a side of hay fries on the table, getting ready to dig in.

"Quick question," Pierce cut in, as Flurry was seconds from stuffing her face.

"Mm?"

"Why do ponies eat hay fries? Potatoes are vegetables. You guys could be eating those instead."

Flurry dropped her sandwich. Every other pony froze as well, Sage sipping at her thermos full of soup behind curious eyes.

"Pierce, ponies can't eat potatoes."

Silence.

"Huh?"

"I mean, yeah, it's a veggie, but...we can't eat it."

She looked to Lunette for support. "Ah...yeah…"

She looked to Honey Canvas, as he could probably give the best explanation.

"Potatoes are toxic to us. Well, not Flurry Heart, since her chemical structure is different as an alicorn. She could eat potatoes if she really wanted to, though it might be rejected the first time since she's never eaten them before. However, earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi can't eat potatoes because they're unpalatable to us, and even if you can choke one down, you could potentially die from it."

"Wait, I can eat potatoes?"

"Probably, yeah."

"So no pony can eat potatoes but Flurry Heart?"

"And any other alicorn, yes."

"Huh."

"'Huh' indeed," Honey said, biting into a hayburger.

An odd silence of realization laid over the table until a blur of fur scurried towards them. "Hey, can I sit here?"

It was the same abyssinian cat from earlier, and his words were rushed and a little fearful. "Sure," Lunette said, scooting over so he had a place to sit.

"Thanks, I'm kind of hiding from someone right now."

"Really? Why?"

"Chemistry is not an easy class."

Before any creature could question it, Mint Surge burst into the cafeteria, annoyed, and upper body completely singed. "WHERE IS HE?"

The feline ducked beneath the table, while the entire cafeteria snickered.

Flurry leaned down slightly. "You did that to him?"

He nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Coda."

"Well Coda, we are going to get along."

Mint stomped towards them, steam practically puffing out of his ears.

"Where is he?"

"Where's who," Flurry asked in her most innocent voice. Despite how smart she was, if there was one thing the princess was good at, it was playing dumb.

"Coda. Cat, about an inch or two taller than you while on two legs."

"No clue who that is, but I definitely won't let you know if I see them."

Mint growled at her before stomping away as she waved her hoof. "Bye! Come back never!"

As soon as he left the room, Coda popped back up from beneath the table. "Thank you so much."

"No problem! I love what you did with his coat."

"And his mane is to die for," Lunette giggled.

"Seemed like he's the one who's all heated about something now," Sage added, elbowing Pierce. Lunette laughed with her, but Pierce stayed silent. She dropped her foreleg when he didn't laugh at her joke—he was still Mint's friend after all.

"I'll be back," he said, flying after Mint.

"No, Pierce wait—"

"Just let him go," Flurry said. "He wouldn't be a good friend to him if he didn't at least check on him, even if he's friends with us now."

Instead of thinking about Pierce, the princess turned her attention to Coda. "So, how'd you even manage to burn Mint?"

"Well, it all started when we became lab partners…"

Mint Surge flew straight to his dorm room and slammed it shut, pressing his back to his door. He took in deep breaths, to calm himself and also reminded him that this was unfortunately very real, and not at all his imagination torturing him (like it always did). After a few moments, there was a knock at the door.

"Go away, Coda! Too late to apologize!"

"It's Pierce," the dragon said, the door muffling his voice a bit. "You okay, buddy?"

"What do you think?"

Pierce stepped back at the severity of the bite in his tone. Ouch.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? Betraying me?"

"Be–Betraying you? What?"

"You're gonna hang out with the pony I hate the most and expect me to be fine?"

"Hey, you can't choose who I'm friends with. Why do you hate her so much anyway?"

"That's not your business."

"If it affects me, then yeah, it kind of is."

"Can you just go already?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. Let me in."

Mint huffed before standing and opening the door. "Are you kidding me? Why would I? You're just gonna get all chummy with the enemy again. So go. Go be her friend and make—or eat—crystal sculptures or something. I don't care."

"Mint," Pierce tried.

"I SAID GO! OR CAN YOUR DUMB FUCKING DRAGON BRAIN NOT COMPREHEND THAT?"

Pierce gasped, but recovered quickly. That didn't mean it hurt any less, though. He clenched his jaw and fists before speaking.

"You know what? Fine. If that's how it is, maybe I will." He began to walk off, before stopping promptly. "And for the record, she's a better friend than you'll ever be."

SLAM!

When Pierce returned to the table, Coda was in the middle of a story about his daring uncle, Capper Dapperpaws, and his adventures before reformation. Sage was the first to notice his return. "You okay?"

Pierce's face was neutral and cold. He leaned into the touch of the kirin's hoof on his shoulder. "Yeah. I will be."

Author's Note

do you smell a mint surge backstory coming on? cause i smell a mint surge backstory coming on. :pinkiesmile:

Do You Think Potato Fries Are Illegal?

SLAM!

Mint Surge turned his back to the door and sank against it, the door ruffling his coat.

His eyes stung, but he ignored it. No. He extended his hoof and grabbed his saddlebag, which contained the small and expensive communicator his guardians had bought for him in order to keep in touch easier. Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail were very important Wonderbolts after all, and didn't always have enough time to write a letter.

His hoof hovered over the call button. Sucking in a shaky breath, he pressed it, and listened to it as it dialed.

There was no answer. There usually wasn't, so why would it be any different today? Just cause Mint was going through something? Mint was always going through something, so once again, today would be no exception.

He left a half-hearted message. "Uh, hey, Mom and Dad...just wanted to um...update you on how school's going! We haven't talked in almost a month...totally okay though! Just keep doing your thing, I guess. It's not like I'm struggling and wish you were here for some support. Or that I want to go home. Heh. Anyway uh, call me back when you get this. Or don't. You probably won't. Bye."

Click.

Mint mentally cursed himself when he realized what he'd said. Mom and Dad.

Vapor and Sky were not Mint's parents. Vapor Trail was a distant relative and the only person who'd cared enough to take him in after his parents went missing, and Sky just so happened to be her boyfriend. They raised him, but as he got older, their work got more rigorous. He'd started to attend boarding schools rather than staying at home alone.

Consequently, he was pretty damn friendless. Many would describe him as a recluse rather than an introvert who knew he was headed somewhere new at the end of the semester and saw no sense in trying.

Vapor enrolled him in the friendship school, hoping that maybe he'd come out of his shell a bit and try to interact with others.

And for a while, it was working.

But then she came around. Her and her stupid, stupid friends.

Though he had a track record for blaming his actions on other people, Mint couldn’t seem to place blame on anyone but himself for this. He lashed out for no reason, like he always did. He wanted it to be the princess' fault. But it wasn't.

But gods, why apologize? He would just hurt Pierce again eventually. He should just leave it alone and fly solo, which was better for both of them, anyway.

Mint didn't return to his next class, and stayed curled up like that for a while. His roommate didn't care all that much, seeing as they were non-existent.

After reading ahead in his textbooks (because contrary to popular belief, Mr. Surge was a wonderful pawn in the Equestrian Education System's chessboard) and pretending not to cry, Mint fell asleep on top of his bed rather than in it, covers tucked beneat him instead of over. He drifted into a distant reality where his parents and cousin and cousin's boyfriend all got along and flew around for family outings on Saturday afternoons.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to thank Luna for making it so beautiful and fulfilling, or curse her for making it feel real enough to physically hurt when he woke up.

The rest of the day went smoothly, even though Coda had to go back and clean up the lab after lunch. Lunette had already begun to jot down her ideas about architectural improvements and what monument their graduating class could leave behind.

"We don't graduate until we've mastered friendship, Lune."

"Yes. What's your point, exactly?"

Flurry rolled her eyes playfully.

Sage was talking to Honey Canvas, doing her best not to make him uncomfortable, and Pierce hung back, not saying much.

His mind was focused on other things. Other creatures.

Flurry noticed, and made her way to the back of the group as Lunette lost herself in her work.

"You okay?"

"Mm," Pierce replied, not really wanting to talk about it.

"It didn't go well, did it?"

He shook his head.

"Do you want a distraction?"

A nod.

"Okay, let's go do something distracting, then."

Pierce raised a brow, but Flurry had already told the rest of their friends that they had other things to attend to. Man, she talks fast.

Flurry turned back around and guided her draconic friend towards the nearest exit, and into the courtyard.

"You said you keep crystals on you earlier, right?"

"Uh, yeah. For snacking."

"Well, I guess you could eat your sculpture after you carve it, but that's not my intention."

"Sculpture?"

"Oh, I make sculptures whenever I need a distraction. It's how I stayed sane in the Crystal Empire."

She walked towards a table and sat, and he followed hesitantly.

"I don't know how to make sculptures."

"That's why I'm going to show you," Flurry said, silently urging the dragon to reveal his crystal collection.

It was only a portion of the real thing, but the pouch of gems was enough for two sculptures.

"Okay, what is your favorite object in the world? It can be anything."

"Anything?"

"Mhm."

"My signet ring. My dad got it for me." The gold ring with initials engraved in it glinted in the warm afternoon sun.

The girl smiled fondly, remembering that Shining Armor had turned the petrified rose into a necklace for her, and they both owned jewelry courtesy of their fathers.

"Great. Then we'll make that."

Flurry directed him, tapping at certain crystals and how to curve them, but at some point Pierce gave up.

They both stared at his mangled stone. "This is not my signet ring."

"It is not."

She stifled a laugh, but eventually failed and openly chortled at the dragon's failure. He shot a look her way. "I'm no good at this. This is your thing, not mine."

"Want me to do it for you?"

Pierce nodded, shoving all their materials across the table. "We can just talk while I work."

"Okay. Tell me about the Crystal Empire. Your family, the food. Stuff like that."

"Well, first of all, it's freaking beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen anywhere so gorgeous. All the buildings, all the houses, all the stores are made of crystals. Even the roads and sidewalks. And when we get filled with pride for our homeland, we start to shimmer and go all crystal-y. And our manes usually get fixed up too."

"Like, magically? The magic does your hair for you?" Pierce folded his arms on the table and laid his head across them, watching Flurry Heart intently.

"Yeah! I can't really explain it, but then again I can't explain most Equestria magic. Like how hooved creatures can write and hold spoons and stuff. Anyway, we have a rich history to some extent. We fill the empire with love and laughter, which powers the crystal heart, which drives away the insane cold and evil forces."

"Is it an actual heart? Like does it actually...beat..and stuff?"

The alicorn stopped hacking away at the edge of two poorly mended gems, breaking them apart so that she could bend one. "No, it doesn't beat. It's like one of the cutesy hearts. Not the kind in our chests."

"Dang. Wouldn't it be cool if it did, though?"

"Yeah! Yeah, actually. Like imagine a tourist passing by and hearing that thump, thump, thump and losing their shit."

They both laughed at that. She picked up the ring in progress again, starting back up where she'd left off. "The castle is really big, sometimes annoyingly big. I won't complain about it though, I love to discover new things. I haven't seen every inch of the castle yet, and that excites me. When I get back, I'll have so much to check out still. And I can take my little sister with me. Oh, right, you asked about my family! Well obviously there's me, but my mom and dad are Princess Mi Amore Cadenza—she hates it when people call her that, so everyone just calls her Cadance—and Prince Shining Armor, former captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard and brother of Princess Twilight Sparkle. And I have a little sister named Skyla. She's just a baby, but I can tell she loves adventure just like the rest of our family." Pierce's initials were done, and the circle they were meant to sit in was being pounded in my Flurry's hooves.

"Your family is pretty cool. Your grandparents must be ecstatic."

"Oh, yeah, definitely! I mean, they birthed a princess, a prince, got a princess for a daughter in-law, and two princess grandchildren. Talk about luck, am I right?"

"Incredible luck. My family's not nearly as extravagant. Back in the Dragonlands, it's just me, my dad, and my older sister Jade. We swim in lava, have fire breathing contests, and we don't really have houses exactly. Just structures made out of jagged rocks. We live with our families after the molting season, if we survive. My dad didn't send me away when I molted, because he doesn't have a sense of smell. Jade is pretty cool, but she doesn't do all the touchy feely stuff. Typical dragon behavior. I'm kind of the odd one out. I like to feel things. I like to express my emotions. That's why I like Ponyville a lot more than the Dragonlands. Sometimes I feel guilty for it."

"Why would you feel guilty?"

"I don't know, I just... it's my homeland, you know? Where I come from. I shouldn't like anywhere more than I like it there."

"I like Ponyville more than the Crystal Empire, even if they're leagues apart. You're allowed to like somewhere more than where you were born, Pierce. Especially if they make you feel better emotionally. You're not turning your back on the Dragonlands, you're just appreciating the change of pace. I'm sure you can't dive bomb into lava pools here, and you'll definitely miss that. But you can't have conversations like these back there, either. There's a balance of pros and cons to both, and if you learn to appreciate them both, you'll love both of these places a lot more."

"For someone who didn't know she could eat potatoes, you're pretty damn wise."

Flurry Heart laughed. "You know that was a joke, right?"

"Mm?"

"About eating potatoes. Ponies can eat potatoes."

Pierce sat up. "What?"

"Yeah, Lunette, Honey and I were just messing around."

The purple being clutched his chest, a pained look on his face. "I feel so betrayed."

"Oh, how ever will I get to sleep tonight knowing that I betrayed a dear friend of mine?"

"This is a crime worthy of a thousand deaths."

"I deserve death a thousand times."

The both smiled at the shift in tones and energy. Tension, darkness and anything alike had dissipated.

"So, your highness, what's the real reason ponies don't eat potato fries?"

"No clue, honestly. Potatoes are used in plenty of common foods, but I have no idea why no joint around here sells anything but hay fries."

"One of these days, I'm gonna get Sage to make us some potato fries, you're gonna try em, and love them."

"I look forward to the opportunity, my good sir. Oh, and I finished your ring."

Locking the last piece into place, Flurry passed the sculpture to Pierce. It was a direct replica of the golden, fire forged family possession. "Go on."

"Huh?"

"Aren't you gonna eat it?"

The dragon looked over the gem, then slid it onto his middle claw(?).

"Nah. Think I wanna keep this one."

The week carried on seamlessly. Flurry and her friends were getting to know each other, and Pierce felt less and less guilty for walking away three days ago.

"No school tomorrow?" Sage's question was muffled due to a mouthful of noodles from a dish that she and Coda had been sharing. The cat greedily yanked the container back to keep the kirin from eating it all. She smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, they said they wanted us to have a nice, long weekend after this week," Lunette replied from the other side of the picnic blanket.

Their arrangement was due to an assignment, and they had to plan a picnic for them and their friends. Bonus points if they shared the food they brought. It had been rather easy as none of them were busy and rather enjoyed each other's company.

Flurry lazily lounged across Pierce's legs as he read a comic book, though he didn't seem to mind the princess' presence very much. It was a given with Flurry Heart—once she was comfortable with you, she was bound to invade your personal space. The duo were sharing potato fries, as promised. Flurry wasn't meant to eat too many, just a few to test how strong her stomach was against a foreign entity in her body. So far nothing had happened, Flurry was coming to find that she enjoyed these far more than hay fries.

Honey Canvas sketched the scenery before him in his sketchbook, Lunette peering over his shoulder and watching him work. He was in his element for sure.

"This works out great, I'm gonna go watch buckball for the first time tomorrow," Flurry said, lifting another fry to her mouth with closed eyes.

"Oh? By yourself," Honey Canvas asked, not looking up from his work.

"No, Gallus is taking me. He has an extra ticket though, if any of you want to go with me."

"Y'know, this reminds me an awful lot of that story Professor Ocellus told us about Princess Twilight and her tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, so I'll pass," Sage said, swirling her fork in the noodles. Coda was beginning to accept that she was going to be eating it with him, and placed the bowl in between them.

The rest of the group murmured in agreement. Flurry cracked an eye open, her mind laying down the foundation of a scheme.

But first, sustenance!

"Pierce, don't hog all the fries! Gimme gimme," She turned onto her back and flailed her arms in an attempt to grab the small cardboard container.

"You've already eaten like, half of them. No."

"I have not! Give!"

Being a little too comfortable to sit upright, and Pierce being far taller, Flurry Heart was at a disadvantage. He held the container out of reach, and laughed as he did so.

After a few minutes the alicorn grumbled. Pierce procured a fry and held it down to her, just above her face. He tapped her nose with it before eating it himself. "Mine."

Rubbing at the grease on her nose, the princess giggled, which caused Pierce to laugh alongside her. They began to laugh so hard that Flurry got the hiccups.

Pierce stopped laughing, suddenly hyper aware of the pony's soft laughs and gasps for air. Time seemed to slow down a little, and a small breeze ruffled Flurry's curls. Her smile was bright, despite the fact that every few moments a hiccup would erupt from her mouth. Cute.

But then again, every creature was pretty cute at this school—the dragon was beginning to think that it was a requirement to get in.

He didn't think much of it, or the blush that was just barely visible beneath his scales.

"Hey guys, come look at what Honey drew!"

Lunette's statement cut through Coda and Sage's light conversation, and the small fry fight to their left.

Flurry got to her hooves and took a few steps over to see what art her friend had created, and Pierce forced himself to ignore the sudden coldness across his legs and thighs so that he could join the group.

It wasn't finished, but the golden colt had created a beautiful landscape drawing, perfectly capturing the flower petals that drifted in the wind, the trees nearby, the looks on his friends faces—Sage's mild embarrassment and Coda's half-hearted annoyance, Lunette's smile, Flurry and Pierce's playful manner. It was beautiful, and they all made sure to tell Honey Canvas that. The artist got shy, and shrunk down at the attention. "Ah, this is nothing…"

"Nothing?! Are you crazy? This is amazing," Lunette reassured him, looking over her drawn counterpart once more. "Give yourself some credit!"

"Well..it did come out pretty good…"

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about," Coda added, patting the colt on the back. "Look at that shit! You did that!"

Honey Canvas grew warm at the support. Nobody back home supported him like that.

The grew sat down where they were and fell into a comfortable silence, all watching in awe as Honey Canvas began to create the final product. Pierce's mind wasn't quite settled on the drawing, though.

"Please?"

"Can't, sorry! Plus, won't Flurry Heart make fun of us?"

"She's the least of my worries, I can deal with taunting," Gallus replied.

He'd been begging Silverstream to take his extra ticket, but it was to no avail. She had to go back to Mt. Aris for the weekend to meet Terramar's girlfriend, as the three day weekend would give them plenty of time to get acquainted.

"Can't Ocellus or Smolder go with you? They were literally on the cheer squad for our team, you know."

"They're going on a date on Friday, which cancels both of them out."

"How about Yona?"

"Busy running Carousel Boutique."

Silverstream was hesitant with her next suggestion, but said it nonetheless. "Sandbar?"

Gallus tensed at the mention of Sandbar's name. "Haven't asked, won't be asking as long as I live."

"CMCS?"

"All busy, but with different things."

"Sandbar?"

"Again, no."

*Seems you don't really have a choice, my friend. Unless you wanna sell your ticket?"

"Would rather sell my soul to Satan."

"Like I thought. So take Sandbar. I know for a fact he's not busy doing anything other than smoking weed on Friday. I'll even ask him for you, okay?"

Gallus nodded reluctantly. The last thing he wanted to do was go to a Buckball game with Sandy. Sure, he'd been the first of the six to even know what the sport is, or how it worked, and he was an expert, and he ways knew what snacks to get and how to tell where the jumbotron was going next—

Gods. Sandbar was the perfect creature to take to a buckball game.

So why was he dreading it so much?

Flurry lay awake, staring at her ceiling, thoughts running amuck. She was tired from today, but excited for tomorrow. The clock would strike midnight in an hour.

"Hey, Lunette?"

"Hngnnh."

"Do you think potato fries are illegal?"

"What?"

Author's Note

when i say gallustream aren't romantically interested i'm not kidding. they're not in denial. this is not the place for that. i do however have a gallustream fic in the works though, so if that's more your speed, check that out when i publish it! this however? gallbar hell, all the way.

oh and also pierce is bad at recognizing emotions. so it mint. but like, in a self deprecating way.