The great Crystal Watch
Crystal Guard headquarters, meeting room:
Tension was floating in the air as the elite soldiers of the Royal Guard were waiting. It all started about a month and a half ago, Shining Armor started to evaluate their performance, endurance, reaction time, and alertness. He selected the ones considered the best of the best and told him he would be assigning them a very special mission. The mission of their lives.
Everypony was really excited, but worried at the same time. Their captain was usually friendly and chatty, but lately he looked tense and extremely serious.
And finally, Shining Armor walked into the room.
“Gentlecolts!” greeted Shining Armor. “I am glad to see you here, all motivated and ready for action. It fills me with pride!”
“Sir, yes sir! Thank you, sir!” said the Crystal Soldiers in unison.
Shining Armor extended legal-sized picture of his daughter, princess Flurry Heart. “This is our target! She is strong, she is fast, and her magic is no laughing matter. However, despite her alicorn physiology, her greatest strength is her cleverness and creativity. Last year, despite all our measures, she managed to escape my and Cadence’s watch and ditched very important diplomats from the Storm Republic, and went to this silly event, the ComiCon instead. Not only that but she managed to avoid a fit punishment by putting all her collectibles out of reach so we couldn’t take them from her. Not this year. This time, we will make sure she stays at this meeting. Together!”
Silence. Everypony just stared at Shining Armor with a blank expression.
Shining Armor just coughed uncomfortably and continued to explain the mission. “So, as I was saying, last time the Crystal Empire suffered a stain on its international reputation by breaking protocol by not having the entire Royal Family to receive the VIPs. Flurry Heart must be the main host of this meeting as an apology for the diplomats. She cannot escape like the last time. This is why I reunited this elite squad to make sure she attends to her responsibilities as Princess of the Empire.”
He only got confused mumbles as an answer. Shining didn’t care, he had to focus on the mission. “The diplomats are coming in one week from tomorrow, the same day as the ComiCon begins. Our mission is to make sure she won’t escape during the week and attend all her protocol and etiquette lessons!”
Silence.
“Do you have any questions?” asked Shining Armor.
A young recruit started laughing maniacally. “Hahahaha! Good one, captain; you are the best! Hahahahahaha!” He suddenly stopped when he noticed Shining Armor`s expression. “Wait, are you for real?”
Shining ignored him and turned to his soldiers. “Enough for the questions. The operation begins tomorrow. In the meantime, I will be in my office organizing our forces into three squads.”
Shining closed the door behind him as the guards started to talk.
“Did he hit his head on training or something?” asked a pegasus.
“I was about to ask you the same thing!” said another one of the guards.
Next day:
Flurry Heart woke up the next day in a very good mood. Today was going to be a very good day, however, things took a weird turn when she opened the door only to see a squad of ten guards. Five at the left of her door, and five at the right.
“What now?” asked Flurry, with an amused smirk.
“I am sorry, Princess, but by the instructions of your father, our captain, we will be your personal guard until the diplomatic meeting ends. We will be with you every day, every moment, and wherever you go. You can consider us your trusted bodyguards.” said the squad leader.
“I thought that the army had more important things to do than act like babysitters.” said Flurry with a deadpan voice.
The guard didn’t respond, and Flurry just walked downstairs to join her parents for breakfast. On her way there, she looked through the window, only to see that a squad of pegasi were watching her from outside the castle. Flurry chuckled at this. This was going to be so fun.
“Good morning, Flurry!” said Cadence, greeting her in the dining room.
“Morning.” said Flurry cheerfully. “What’s the deal with half of the army following me around?”
Cadence nodded. “After the little stunt you pulled last time, extreme measures are needed.”
Shining Armor nodded. “I have the best of the best. There is no escape, Flurry; you will be hosting this meeting.”
Flurry shrugged. “Sure. I wasn’t planning on escaping this time, but if it makes you feel better, that’s okay for me.”
“We weren’t born yesterday, Flurry,” said Shining Armor.
“Sure, whatever you say!” chuckled Flurry as she began eating.
Cadence glared at her. “By the way, our Republican protocol lesson it’s at 3:00pm. Be on time, Flurry.”
“Sure thing!” said Flurry with a shrug.
Both parents frowned at her willing attitude, suspicious of her true intentions. But Flurry didn’t say much and just went back to her room.
“She is up to something!” said Cadence.
Shining nodded. “No worries. I have more than enough eyes watching her every move.”
Cadence nodded and went to perform her main duties as Shining did the same. As for Flurry, she stretched out. This was going to be so fun!
Later that day:
Flurry finished doing the questionnaires her aunt sent her to help her study magic theory and looked at the time. It was 10:30, time for snacks.
She was about to exit her room, when she noticed the large box from her last delivery: a life-sized hug pillow of Jason Trott, the Orange Hood. The poor dear deserved a hug after Batmare let him down by not killing the Clown.
Anyway, Flurry opened the door of her room, and before the royal guard could react, they were blinded by a white flash of light. The guards covered their eyes, but get ready.
“She is trying to run away! everypony, let’s get ready!”
But before they panicked, somepony noticed the cardboard box right in front of the princess’ room.
“What now?”
Another guard tilted his head. “This is just a feeling, but everypony turn around!”
The ponies did as he said, and the box started to move. They turned back to the box, and it suddenly stopped.
“For real?” asked another guard.
They turned their backs one more time, and the box started to move again.
“Are we actually doing this?
“I guess we have no choice!”
They headed to the kitchen by looking away from the cardboard box, allowing it to move a few meters before turning their heads toward it, making it stop. They were about to get to the kitchen when suddenly, Shining Armor ripped the box with his magic.
“Flurry! Where do you think you’re sneaking to?”
The teenage alicorn smiled. “Who is sneaking away? Me and the guys are just playing Aluminum Gear Solid in real life!”
The guards groaned in annoyance. One of them even cheered. “Told ya!”
“What?” asked Shining Armor.
“Aluminum Gear Solid, you know, the famous enchanted board game!” explained one of the guards.
Shining sighed. “Flurry, just go to your room and study!”
“In a minute, it’s 10:30, snack time!” said Flurry, going to the kitchen and making herself a PBJ. “Oh well, I wish we could play all the way back to our room, but I guess we’ll have to wait for my next big purchase. Maybe that ‘My Neighbor Dodoro’ beanbag, or the Justice League of Equestria’s watchtower Pego set!”
“Your little highness, I think it would be cheaper to buy the box directly. There is a factory in the industrial district, you can order one,” suggested one of the guards.
Flurry’s eyes widened. “You’re right! You’re a genius, soldier. What is your name?”
“Acid Javelin, your Little Highness!”
Flurry patted Acid Javelin’s back. “Acid, my dear, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!”
Shining Armor rolled his eyes. “You have your sandwich, now go back to your room and study!
Flurry nodded. “On it, daddy! Seriously, relax! You’ll live longer! Grandpa told me your side of the family has a history of high blood pressure, so you better keep an eye on it!”
“Just go!” said Shining.
Flurry did as she was told as a good girl.
3:00pm:
Flurry entered her mother’s office to start with the protocol lessons, but she was nowhere to be found. She turned to the guards who were following her
“Do you think she’ll arrive soon?”
“Yes, your Little Highness. I suggest you take a seat and wait for her.” said the squad leader.
Flurry nodded and just sat on a chair, waiting for 15 minutes.
“I am getting really bored. Do you think she has the Saddle-Arabian protocol book here, so I can study as I wait for her?”
“I guess you can look around, but don’t open any drawers or something that looks private.”
Flurry nodded. “Fair enough!”
She started to look around, but she was not able to find anything. She sighed and went back to her chair. “Hey, guys, can one of you go get one of my comics from my room?”
“Princess, we are your bodyguards, not your servants!”
“I am asking it as a favor, I have to stay here until mommy comes back so I can start my lessons!”
The guards groaned in annoyance, and they played a quick game of rock, paper, scissors, and the loser went to Flurry’s room to get her comic. Flurry had time to read the whole V for Vengeance graphic novel, when Cadence finally came back to her office, slamming the door.
“Ugh! Where did she hide this time?!”
“Mom?” asked Flurry curiously.
“Flurry? Were you hiding in my office this whole time?!” asked Cadence, furious.
“Hiding?” asked Flurry Heart, tilting her head. “No, I was waiting for you. Right guys?”
The guards assigned to watch her every move nodded. “Her little highness is telling the truth, your highness. She was here the whole time and even tried to find the book of protocol to study as she waited for you.”
“And why is she reading a comic?” asked Cadence. “Because she got tired of waiting and asked one of us to get her something to read, your highness!” explained the soldier.
"And it is not a comic, is a graphic movie.” clarified Flurry.
Cadence glared at her but nodded. “Fine, I’ll believe you. But we wasted two whole hours!”
“We wasted?” questioned Flurry.
Cadence glared at her but didn’t say anything and just gave Flurry the protocol book. “I have work to do, so study this on your own and let’s practice tomorrow.”
Flurry nodded. “Same time, or shall I take the two hours you spent looking for you into consideration?!”
Cadence’s eye twitched. “Go study!”
Flurry nodded. “Sure. Relax, mom, you’ll live more! And remember…”
“Remember what?”
“Remember, remember, the Fifth of November…”
“GO TO YOUR ROOM!” said Cadence, irritated.
Later that night, Shining Armor and Cadence were discussing what was going on.
Shining was checking at the reports. “She is playing us. Remember what happened last time?”
“The second we let our guard down, she escaped. I know, she is only being so pleasant because she knows she is trapped, but she is thinking of a backup plan.”
“Whatever it is, we’ll make sure she attends this meeting!” assured Shining. “I can call a few favors to the Solar Guard so they can provide us more ponies to join our mission.”
“Not yet, Shiny, but we will keep it as an option,” said Cadence.
Next day:
Flurry woke up early, and as she said she would, she spent almost all morning studying. But at some point, in the morning, she decided to take a break and walked downstairs, where she was stopped by her mother.
“Going somewhere, Flurry Heart?” asked Cadence, suspicious.
“Yeah, I remembered that I needed to send a letter and decided to take a little break. And speaking of, can I borrow an envelope from your office? It seems I ran out of them.”
Cadence blinked a little bit and nodded. “Huh? Oh, sure. They’re on my desk, third drawer.”
“Thanks mom! Oh, can I it’s okay if I take a stamp too?”
“Be my guess… they’re all in the same drawer.”
"Thanks, mom!” said Flurry, running to Cadence’s office.
Cadence stood there as Flurry went into her office, then to the mailbox in front of the castle, and then back to her room.
“What kind of game are you playing, Flurry Heart?” mumbled Cadence.
The other days were pretty uneventful, except for Flurry Heart’s normal antics. Like the day she took a piece of toast from the breakfast table and spread some strawberry jam on it. Then she put it in her mouth and started running in the hallways. And right before Shining Armor and Cadence could ask what in Tartarus she was doing, they heard her magic narration.
“My name is Flurry Heart. I am only sixteen years old. A normal student no matter how you look at me. And sometimes I wonder if I would ever find true love…”
Everypony facehoofed as she crashed with a poor guard who was patrolling.
“Okay, enough of this!” said Shining as he rushed to separate Flurry from the poor recruit, who got unconscious.
“Awwww… daddy, are you jealous? Not to worry, I will always be your special little girl!” said Flurry, kissing his cheek.
Shining stood there, stunned, as Cadence’s chuckles brought him back to reality.
“Okay, you must admit, your reaction made that one really funny!”
Shining Armor groaned in response as he made his soldiers double their efforts on watching Flurry Heart. But all she was doing was studying and practicing protocol with Cadence, studying magic theory from the exercises sent by Aunt Twilight, and orchestrating these comic book, manga, and even enchanted boardgame scenarios. There was no escape plan, just her geeky self.
And finally, the date of the meeting came.
Cadence, Shining, and Flurry went to receive the diplomats from the Storm Republic at the train station. They were all wearing their best clothes, but after waiting for hours, it was evident that the diplomats weren’t coming.
“Are they for real?” asked Shining Armor.
“I can’t believe they won’t tell us in advance.” said Cadence, frowning.
Flurry shrugged. “I have no idea. But, shall we go back to the castle now? We can write them to verify if everything’s okay.”
“Good idea!” said Shining Armor. “Let’s go!”
They returned to the castle very upset, ready to write a strong-worded letter to the diplomats. This behavior was not acceptable.
The next day, the family met for breakfast. They have cleared their agendas only for this diplomatic meeting, but now that the diplomats have ditched them, they have a lot of free time ahead of them. Flurry Heart finished her breakfast and looked at her parents.
“So, mom, dad… Since they ended up ditching us and there are four days remaining of the ComiCon, can I go?”
“What?” asked Shining.
Flurry nodded. “Yeah, can I?”
Cadence was considered for half a second: “You know what? You can go. You didn’t try to escape and put some serious effort into preparing for this meeting. Go for it, dear!”
“Really?” asked Flurry, excitedly.
Shining sighed. “Okay, fine. I guess you earned it!”
"Thanks, mommy, daddy!” she said as she hugged them both.
“Are you sure you are going to be okay? This trip may be extra expensive if you plan on going at the last minute.”
“No worries, I have it all figured it out already!”
Then Flurry went upstairs to get her luggage, and then she flew to the train station to get the next train to San Neighgo.
“ComiCon, here I come!” cheered Flurry.
Cadence and Shining decided to stay at the castle and relax a little, when suddenly, Shining realized something.
“Say, Cady, don’t you think this is odd?”
“What, exactly?” asked Cadence.
“Flurry had everything ready to go to ComiCon. She may have prepared her luggage yesterday, when she realized the diplomats wouldn’t come, but what about hotel reservations, and tickets to ComiCon? Is it like she knew in advance …”
Cadence froze in shock. “You have to be kidding me…”
They were about to run to investigate what was going on, when a servant came and bowed before them. “Your highnesses, a representative from the Storm Republic came here to deliver a message.”
“We’re coming!” said Shining.
The two of them ran to meet the representative. A strange bipedal creature with black and white fur, and a wolf head.
“Your highnesses, I came here to offer support and best wishes from the Republic, and I wish that the heiress gets better soon…”
“Get better?” asked Shining. “What do you mean?”
The creature bowed before them and presented them with a letter. The letter was in a beautiful golden envelope, beautifully ornamented with a pattern that resembled the Crystal Heart. Cadence gasped, this was a special envelope she used to communicate with Equestrian allies and other important figures.
“Yes, we just received this letter stating that our meeting will have to wait as the main host, Princess Flurry Heart, got a disease that only affected alicorns, and she was in no condition to attend this meeting, and that the two of you were too busy taking care of her…”
Cadence took the letter from the Storm creature’s hands and examined the envelope. “How on earth did Flurry got one of those? I keep them in… in…”
Shining turned to his wife. “In your office?”
Cadence nodded as she remembered. “No way she did this right in front of me!”
Much to the messenger’s confusion, they both ran to Cadence’s office, and opened the third drawer of her desk, only to find a little note:
Dear Mom and Dad,
If you’re reading this, it means you figured it out. Seriously, you were so focused in preventing me from escape that you overlooked me sabotaging your plans in other ways. Well, better luck next time!
Love, Flurry Heart.
PD: We should make this an annual tradition! This is so much fun!
Shining and Cadence took a deep breath, and shouted:
“FLURRY HEAAAAAAAAAART!!!!”
