Flurry The Fearless (Mostly)

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.