Shining Armor couldn't help but drag his hooves as he approached Flurry Heart's homeroom. Considering the last few parent-teacher conferences, he hadn't wanted to go, but Cadence had won the coin toss this time. These meetings had been scheduled on an every-other-week basis, after Flurry's first few...incidents had drawn her teachers' attention. Plus, this was the first meeting with her homeroom teacher. Still, that didn't mean Shining had to like it.
Eventually, he reached the door. Lighting up his horn, he opened the door with one quick pulse. The sight that awaited him was familiar: a classroom filled with unoccupied desk chairs, various magical textbooks, a large chalkboard, and a bigger desk at the front. Just in front of the chalkboard sat Flurry's homeroom teacher, Mana Surge, a bright pink unicorn mare. Her expression was one of exhaustion, as if she couldn't quite believe she had to go through this. Flurry herself sat at one of the many desks facing the chalkboard. She, like her father, looked more annoyed than anything. Shining gave her a small smile, then took his place next to her.
"Good day, Mr. Armor," said Mana. She sighed, running a hoof through her mane. "I trust you've been made aware of Flurry Heart's recent...behaviors?"
"I have," Shining answered. "Maybe we should go over them again. Just to be certain we both know everything."
"Very well," replied Mana. "In terms of grades, none of us have any complaints regarding Flurry Heart. Her performance in both written and practical exams has been nothing short of stunning. Where we have our problems lies with Flurry's actions during recreational activities."
"Such as?" Shining prompted her.
Mana Surge lit up her horn, pulling out a stapled list of papers. "These are the ones from the past two weeks alone. In a game of tag, Flurry attempted to organize the other foals into teams, then pinned down whoever wasn't it with sticks. When Flurry is 'Simon' in Simon Says, she orders the other foals to march and perform various aggressive movements against each other, including having to defend against each other. During recess, Flurry used her magic to build her own 'castle,' then recruited other foals as her 'Royal Guards,' and attempted to coerce the supervising instructor into letting them stay out as long as they wanted by force. Said instructor is still in the hospital." Mana put down the papers and rubbed her eyes. "Mr. Armor, I'm sure you get the point by now."
"Indeed I do," replied Shining. He reached down with one hoof, patting Flurry on the back. "I'm glad you've been taking my lessons to heart, sweetie. If you weren't already a princess, you'd make an excellent Captain of the Royal Guard."
"Thanks, Dad!" replied the filly.
"Mr. Armor!" protested Mana Surge. "As my colleague told Princess Cadence last week, these are not laughing matters! Your daughter is treating playtime as a matter of life and death, and she's dragging other foals into her mindset! I've had complaints from other parents already regarding their children acting like Flurry Heart outside of school!"
"You are aware that Flurry is destined to become Princess of the Crystal Empire, right?" Shining retorted. "It's better that she learns to properly defend herself and command the Guard before she actually takes the throne. Having been a Royal Guard myself, I can assure you that a princess needs to learn to take care of themself in case the Guard fails. Because, let's face it, that happens a lot."
"Be that as it may, your Royal Guard Captain habits rubbing off on your daughter is not a good thing," insisted Mana. "She needs time to be a filly, to enjoy the simpler times in her life. Foals shouldn't have to worry about how to command—"
"No, they shouldn't," interrupted Flurry, "but that ain't the world we live in. Sure, Aunt Twilight and her friends usually take care of the super villains that try to take over Equestria, but they might not always be there. We need to be prepared! CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Her last shout made Mana Surge jump out of her chair, but Shining had seen it coming, and didn't react at all.
"Mr. Armor," Mana began, shaking as she climbed back into her chair, "I must object to your daughter displaying these behaviors. She may be a princess, but she deserves a normal foalhood."
"And how exactly do you define a normal foalhood?" Shining Armor snapped back. "She was the first born alicorn in Equestria, and she's set to rule a part of Equestria that was trapped in Limbo for one-thousand years, how do you expect she'd ever live anything resembling the life of the average pony?"
"I...okay, you got me there," admitted Mana. "Still, your condoning of these—"
She suddenly yelped in surprise, and ducked under her desk, narrowly avoiding the magic beam Flurry shot at her. The blast hit the chalkboard, but all it did was blow some of the dust off the board. Flurry, with a satisfied smirk on her face, blew on her horn to cool it off.
"See? Constant vigilance!" she repeated. "Otherwise, you would've been...okay, that was a low power beam. The worst it could've done is give you a bruise. But still, that's one less bruise you have to worry about!"
"Miss Heart!" Mana thundered, as she climbed back into her chair again. "I could have you expelled for that transgression! We do not attack our teachers to prove a point!"
"Okay, okay, calm down," Shining assured the mare. "I'm starting to understand your point of view. Princess Cadence and I will have a discussion with Flurry regarding her behaviors. I assure you, we will get this under control."
Mana was still gritting her teeth, but she settled back down into her chair. "For your daughter's sake, Mister Armor, I hope you're right."
Flurry Heart opened her mouth to protest, but Shining silenced her with a hoof on her back. Both climbed out of their chairs, and trotted out of the classroom. Mana Surge's glare followed them all the way.
Once they were out of earshot, Shining burst out laughing. "I can't believe you almost blasted her!" he gasped out in between chuckles. "If only I'd had my camera for that moment!"
Flurry rolled her eyes. "Are you gonna need another scrapbook every time somepony earns my wrath, Dad?" she asked. "Honestly, the foals in this school don't know that first thing about defending Equestria. I mean, sure, not all of them are gonna end up being Royal Guards, but come on! When Sombra came back, the crystal ponies just cowered and let him do whatever!"
"That's my girl," replied Shining, proudly patting Flurry on the back. "However, we may need you not to fire at your teachers in the future. I know, I don't like it either, but they will be your subjects in the future."
"Fair enough," admitted Flurry, though she still looked a little disappointed. "Can I still train the other foals in the ways of the Royal Guard?"
"Absolutely. Come on, let's get ice cream!"
