Flurry Heart's Story: The Ghost of Grogar

An hour had passed and things had settled down in the clubhouse. As the kids all did their own things without any interruptions, the Apparition lurked in the shadows, looking through some comic books that had been left open on the floor. None of the kids could see the ghostly, horned creature as it observed modern media aimed at pony youth. He grinned in amusement at what he saw.

“Such interesting culture these ponies have developed. They rely so much on myths and heroes to tell tales, all while living said tales at the same time. Even more interesting is how they have turned me into a legendary villain in this ‘video game’ technology. Such fools. They don’t even know Emperor Grogar is still very much alive and among them.”

He watched the kids play, grinning and slithering around to study how each of them interacted.

“These children have taken in much of this modern media. They are inspired and uplifted by these heroic tales, but not all of it is myth. Some of them have relatives that have stood up to numerous foes and beaten them in battles of wits. It would stand to reason that they look to their heroes for encouragement. One day they too shall be fighting the same battles no doubt. Flurry Heart has already had a taste of such accomplishments and would be an excellent test subject. She is so sure of herself and butts heads with the eldest child, Pound Cake. His habit of playing the adult will get the best of him. I will see to that.”

The Apparition crept underneath the couch and moved toward the Super Tendonin Entertainment System. He absorbed himself into the vents then exited the console, laughing quietly.

Pound walked over just after this happened and sat down to play a game on the system. He opened the top to put in a new cartridge and then closed it. After turning on the TV monitor, he pressed the power button on the console. He expected the Tendonin logo to show up and for the title screen to appear, but he could only see the blank screen on the TV monitor. He then noticed the power button wasn’t glowing and the console wasn’t making a sound. He checked multiple times to make sure all the cords were securely plugged in, only to grow more aggravated. After several long minutes of troubleshooting he put both his hooves on his face and groaned.

“UGH! What happened to the darn STES?! We just got this thing!”

He then looked behind him at everyone else in the room, wondering who could have broken the console. His face grew stern and he reached to unplug the system to prepare for interrogation.

“So, who broke the STES? I just wanna know.” Pound firmly asked his six friends, as they all gathered around a table with the console in the center.

The others looked around nervously. They all knew they didn’t break it, but each one thought one of their other friends was the culprit. Flurry was afraid drama would ensue and quickly thought of a way to avoid it.

“Pound, it was me,” she said. “It’s okay, I can pay for it. Just let me-”

“No, no, Flurry, I know it wasn’t you. You don’t play video games,” Pound interrupted.

“But…”

“Stormy?”

“Wasn’t me,” Stormy replied. “I’ll bet it was Chip.”

“What? What makes you think it was me?” Chip said, angrily.

“You just look kinda suspicious.”

“No, I don’t!”

“Hold on, guys,” Pumpkin interjected. “Look, no offense or anything, but I did see Annie with the STES last. She might have done it.”

“That’s a lie. I don’t play video games, they’re too violent,” Annie said, defensively.

“But you were watching the intro for Seapony Adventures after Chip was done with it.”

“Yeah, I like to watch the intro because the music is uplifting, Pumpkin!”

As tensions rose, Flurry tried one last attempt to keep this day from being ruined.

“Guys, please, let’s not fight!” she begged. “Look, I’m a princess. I have a lot of money. Let me pay for-”

Flurry was then interrupted by Pound’s hoof being shoved into her mouth.

“Flurry, stop lying!” he hollered. “Who broke it?!”

Everyone then looked over to the only one that hadn’t said anything yet. Cozy had been quiet the entire time. They were hard-pressed to blame her since she had been reformed recently and was doing a good job at not being a villain anymore. She was sure they wouldn’t blame her, but she still wanted to help keep everyone from fighting.

“Uh…guys, I don’t play video games either. I don’t even know where the power button is on that thing; they were pretty different back in my day. But I…I’m sure we can get a new one. Maybe we could all chip in some of our allowance?” she suggested, bashfully.

“I still say it was Chip!” Stormy shouted.

“Stormy, it wasn’t me!” yelled Chip. “Again, you’re full of Beryllium Broccoli!”

“Cesium Celery!”

“Guys!” shouted Pound in the midst of the uproar.

As the bedlam went on, the Apparition watched them behind the couch, laughing at having accomplished his goal to divide them. Pound could take it no longer and picked up the console and carried it away to the cabinet.

“Alright, you know what, if you guys aren’t going to fess up, no more video games!” he shouted angrily.

“Pound, look…” Flurry tried pleading.

“NOPE!”

Pound threw the console into the cabinet and slammed the door behind him.

“Pound, how do we know you weren’t the one to break it?” Chip asked.

“Chip’s got a point,” Annie added.

“Don’t shift the blame to me! I just turned it on and it did nothing! I wouldn’t lie about this!” Pound barked back.

“Did you check the power cords?” Flurry asked.

“Or blowing on the cartridge?” Chip asked.

“I tried everything! And blowing on cartridges doesn’t work, Chip!”

Pound started breathing heavily. Even Flurry was past trying to reason with him. Cozy looked very worried. She flew up to put her hoof on Pound’s shoulder.

“Pound, let’s just forget about the Tendonin,” she begged. “We can always find something else to do. There are plenty of books and board games and stuff.”

Pound took a deep breath and covered his face with one hoof.

“Look, can we all just behave?” he asked, doing his best to remain calm. “I tried asking you guys to settle down earlier and you almost wrecked the place. I don’t know who broke the STES, but it’s already ruined our first stay here. This is why I wanted us all to just sit down and do the same thing first and be more organized.”

Just as Pound had finished, the front door opened and Starlight Glimmer stepped inside. Everyone jumped at the sound of the door opening and immediately tried to play cool.

“Hey, kids!” Starlight said.

“STARLIGHT!” Flurry shouted as everyone put on smiles.

“Everything going alright in this awesome new clubhouse so far?”

“YEAH! I mean, yeah! We’re doing great! Right, Pound?”

“Riiiight!” Pound said, nervously.

Flurry and Pound put their hooves around their shoulders and grinned from ear to ear. Chip and Stormy gave each other a hoof bump, while Pumpkin gave Annie an uncomfortably tight hug. Everyone smiled nervously, hoping it would convince Starlight.

“Oh, good. That’s great to hear,” Starlight continued. “I was a little worried when Spike asked me to stop over and check on you. He made it sound like you were in danger or something.”

“UGH! Tell Spike he’s a worry wart!” Flurry said, still smiling nervously.

“Yeah, we got this!” Pound added.

“Totally!” Pumpkin followed up.

Starlight was a little put off by their nervous looks on their faces, but couldn’t see any signs that something bad had occurred. Cozy looked a little nervous at first but smiled and nodded to Starlight.

“Alright. I’ll tell him everything’s fine. He and all the other dragons are going to be spending the night in the castle. Hopefully they don’t wreck the place cuz Trixie’s on a tour while Sunburst is visiting his parents, so I’m gonna be on dragon-sitting duty. Wish me luck!”

“Yup. Good luck with that, Starlight. Thanks for stopping by,” Cozy said, as Starlight left and closed the door behind her.

Everyone dropped their smiles and separated themselves from each other. Cozy turned around quickly to address them before anyone said something they’d regret.

“See guys, we can still get along!” she said.

Everyone looked suspiciously at the pony they were next to. They didn’t seem very pleased with each other after that tirade, but Cozy was determined to keep it from getting worse.

“Hey, look, we’ll get over this. We can still have fun even without the video games. Don’t we have plenty of board games in there?”

“Yeah, we do,” Flurry said.

“Great! What was that one game we were picking up earlier, Pound? The one with the candlestick piece?”

“You mean Cue?” Pound replied.

“Yeah, that one. Maybe we could all play that.”

“Eh, Cue is kinda fun,” Stormy said.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind it,” Annie added.

“Alright, so how about we take Cue and set it down here and give it a try?”

Everyone slowly started to smile again and turned to the pony next to them. Flurry had an apologetic look on her face as she spoke to Pound.

“Cozy’s right,” she said, going to take the game out of the cabinet. “Let’s just get our minds off of the Tendonin and have some fun with a board game.”

“There!” Cozy said, happily. “See? I always knew friendship would come through with you guys!”

As they all set the game up, the Apparition watched with a disapproving scowl.

“That Cozy Glow is getting to be a thorn in my side. I should have left her as a stone statue in that garden. No matter. I am not through with them yet.”

As the kids began to set up the board game, the Apparition noticed Flurry Heart’s Journal of Friendship book on the table in the kitchen. He grinned and slowly crept into the kitchen to take a look.

Spike, Barb, Scorch and Singe sat comfortably on some couches in a living room in the crystal castle, while Buttercream was busy in the kitchen. Discord walked by, dressed as a waiter with a plate full of gems. He lowered the plate and let them grab some gems, as Spike told his siblings tales of his past.

“So yeah, that’s how I almost became the Dragon Lord,” he said before munching on a gem.

“Wow, Spike! You should’ve just taken it!” Singe said.

“Nah. I was too young and I never really wanted to be a leader.”

“Lo and behold, you were royalty all along,” Barb teased.

“Yeah, touché. Still, Ember deserved to lead the migratory dragons and she’s done a great job ever since.”

“Alright, everybody!” Buttercream said, walking in from the kitchen. “The cake’s baking as we speak. Oh, hey Discord!”

“Hello there, Buttercream,” Discord replied, as the chubby little dragoness gave him a hug, and he patted her head spikes. “Now is it true we have a few others joining us for O&O tonight?”

“Yup! Billow’s coming back and so are my long friends, Aster and Lily and their little pet wyrm, Pansy!”

“Oh? Eastern Drakes…my, I haven’t talked to a long in years! I avoided going over there after reforming for fear they might think I’ve, how shall I say it… appropriated their look.”

“Nah, Aster and Lily are totally chill and I don’t think anyone in Ester Dracos really minds that.”

“That’s good to hear. I mean I have admired the majesty of the longs, but…well, that’s not what inspired me with this look. In any case, do they all know how to play O&O?”

“Sure do! Aster usually OMs for us, but he’ll get to sit back this time and be a regular player!”

Just then, everyone heard the large set of doors open and Billow walked inside, carrying Beo Tuag in her wings. Everyone turned to greet her.

“Hey everyone. Hope I didn’t miss anything,” she said as Buttercream ran in for a hug.

“BILLIE!” she squealed. “You made it! Are the others here too?”

“See for yourself!”

Everyone looked down the hallway to see several serpentine dragons coming in. One of them was using an announcer voice as if to introduce them.

“Been a while since we’ve seen ‘em, but they’re back in action! Straight outa’ Ester Dracos! Folks, give it up for Lily, Pansy aaaaand Aster!”

Everyone watched as they entered the room. First came Lily, a long whitish-green dragon with green hair, a yellow underbelly and red eyes. Her body length and antlers had grown much longer since her youth. Her snout had grown out more and she now had the appearance of a young adult long. Pansy was a maroon wyrm with no legs or wings and could not speak, but could still hover around. She had also grown longer and her pink spikes were more prominent now. Behind them was Aster, who had grown so long, he was taller than Discord. He was a darker shade of green with a yellow underbelly, magenta hair, and purple eyes. He had magenta whiskers growing from his snout as most male longs tended to have. His antlers had grown another point since the time Buttercream first met them.

“Hey everyone!” Lily shouted happily.

“AUF AUF!!” Pansy barked as she flew next to her owner.

“LILY!!” Buttercream squealed as she flew up to hug her friend.

Everyone watched as the longs flew around in circles, meandering gracefully until they landed to get themselves acquainted. Lily coiled herself around Buttercream as they gave each other a tight hug.

“Butter, it’s been such a long time! OOOH! Is this the family?!”

They parted and Lily immediately drew her attention to Buttercream’s siblings. Full of energy, she began introducing herself and shook Barb’s hand with excitement.

“Hi! I’m Lily! Buttercream and Nightwatch met me years ago when I was just a little tiny long! We had the most epic adventures ever with them! And you must be Princess Barb?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s me,” Barb said, barely able to keep up with the effervescent dragoness.

“It’s such an honor to meet you, your highness! Hey there, Tall and Handsome! I know that’s not your real name! Hehe! You’re Singe I believe?” Lily said, shaking Scorch’s hand.

“Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Scorch actually. He’s Singe,” Scorch said, pointing to his brother.

“AWWW! Butter, you’ve got such adorable siblings!”

Lily gave Singe a hug so tight; his eyes bulged out a little and he lost his ability to breathe momentarily.

“UGH! Nice to meet you too, Miss!” he croaked.

“Oh, and is this little guy your twin brother?! AAAAGGGGHHH!!! HE’S JUST AS CUTE AS YOU ARE, BUTTER!!!”

Lily then noticed Spike, put her hands up to her cheeks and squealed with delight. Spike started to reach out to shake her hand, but she dove in and coiled herself around him and hugged him tenderly. Spike noticed how soft and fuzzy she felt. He then remembered that most Eastern Drakes were covered in fur with the exception of their underbellies and nose bridges. She nuzzled against the side of his face like a friendly kitten. Spike had never met someone so welcoming and willing to give a hug. Lily then recollected herself and tried her best to speak at a lower volume.

“Sorry. I’m kind of a bit of a hugger, plus where I come from, chubby dragons are a little rare and it’s considered good luck to hug one.”

Singe rubbed his arm while Spike blushed and put his hands behind his back.

“Heh…well it’s good to know we have that affect on you guys,” Spike said, bashfully. “So you guys are Easterns. This is my first time meeting one believe it or not.”

Pansy then slithered up next to Spike and licked him with her tongue. It was not as wet and slobbery as a dog’s, but it tickled his face.

“Hahaha! And who’s this?”

“That’s my pet wyrm, Pansy! She goes wherever I go!”

“AUF AUF AUF!”

Pansy barked happily and proceeded to show friendship the rest of Spike’s siblings. Aster then began introducing himself to them.

“Madam, it’s an honor to meet the heir of Nordo Dracos at long last,” he said, bowing respectfully and shaking her hand. “The name’s Aster. I’m Emperor Antirrhinum’s ambassador.”

“Ah, so that’s who the Emperor chose. It’s good to finally meet you too, Aster,” Barb said, shaking his hand. “These are my two younger brothers, Scorch and Singe, and you already know Butter, so this little guy here is Spike.”

“Hey there,” Spike said, stepping forward to shake Aster’s hand.

“So this is Butter’s twin brother, eh? She’s told us a lot about you. Can’t believe you two went this long without knowing each other all these years. Might wanna check those milk cartons a little more.”

Lily and Buttercream snickered at Aster as he rubbed Spike’s head. Lily then noticed Discord and slithered in right next to him.

“Ooooh! Bro, check this guy out! I’m guessing this is Discord, the Lord of Chaos!” Lily said.

“Yup, that’s Discord!” Buttercream said.

“Well now. You’re a tall drink of water,” Aster told Discord, observing his mixed body parts. “Loving the style of anatomy you’ve got going on here. Like a fine Picoltso portrait.”

“Oh thank you. It’s not offensive, I hope,” Discord said.

“Oh no, not at all!” Lily replied. “You look so cool!”

“The long dragon body is usually believed to be mystical and divine, so that’s a compliment really. Did you always look this way?” Aster asked.

“Eh, not always,”

“Yeah, but it’s okay, cuz he’s reformed now too,” Spike said, trying to keep Discord from having to talk about his past.

“Yeah, Discord used to be a villain, but he’s a totally chill guy now!” Buttercream said.

“Yeah, you should’ve seen him last week with the changeling queen!” Scorch added.

“Tell me about it. That battle was something else. Great to see you again, Scorch,” Billow said, walking in next to Scorch.

“You too, Billow,” Scorch said, shaking her claw again.

Barb looked happily at the two of them while Buttercream and Singe started giggling and whispering to each other.

“Singe, which do you think sounds better: Scillow or Borch?” Buttercream asked.

“Huh? Oh, you mean like their names? I dunno, I think Scorchillow rolls off the tongue better,” he replied.

“Alright, knock it off you two,” Barb said, giving Singe a noogie and lifting up Buttercream to tickle her. “Sorry. I’ll keep them under control.”

“Oh I’m already used to it,” Billow told Barb. “Hope you guys didn’t mind me bringing Beo along too.”

“Not at all! Can’t have Billow without Beo!” Buttercream said, cheerfully.

Billow opened her wings and let Beo hover into her hand to be held. She put her other hand on her hip and used Beo like a staff. The sentient axe glowed with light and leaned in to speak to her dragon wielder telepathically.

“You’re doing great so far, Billow. When he’s watching you, keep giving him a loving gaze and sway your hips a little as you walk. Don’t be afraid to flirt. Your mother was really good at that when she was trying to woo your father.”

“Yeah, Beo, let’s not overdo it, okay? We’re here for Spike and Butter don’t forget.”

Everyone looked at Billow, not able to figure out what she meant since they could not hear the voice she was responding to.

“Um…sorry. You might see me talking with her like that a lot tonight.”

Beo leaned in again to bonk Billow on her head teasingly. Billow looked annoyed and put her other hand on Beo to keep her still.

“Anyway, are we ready for the food and presents soon?”

“Oh yes!” Buttercream replied. “We’re gonna do me and Spike’s presents before the food is ready, and then later tonight is gonna be the best O&O campaign ever!”

“Alright guys, I say we do the presents now,” said Barb.

Everyone else cheered and nodded in agreement as they all sat down to open gifts. Spike and Buttercream looked excitedly as they joined each other on the ground in the center.

“I’m so looking forward to our party tonight, Spike,” she told him as they held hands. “This is going to be our first time celebrating after finding out we’re twins.”

“I know. I can’t wait to do this. I wish the kids could be here tho-”

Buttercream put her finger on Spike’s lips to keep him from finishing his sentence.

“Shush. The kids are alright. I spoke with Starlight earlier in the kitchen before she went off to finish some office work. She checked on them like you asked.”

“Oh, she did? Well that’s good to know. Guess I’ve got nothing to worry about.”