Shadows of the North

"Honey," Princess Cadence said as she peeked her head into Flurry Heart's room, who was lying on her stomach while rotating three wooden blocks in her magic, completely bored out of her mind. "Your Aunts are almost here."

Flurry Heart rolled her eyes. "I still don't understand why I couldn't just go to Ponyville today. The Cake Twins need me."

Okay, so maybe they didn't need need her. Their parents were out of town for the day and since Pinkie Pie was going to be in the Crystal Empire, it was going to be the first time they'd ever run the shop for the whole day. They had asked her to be there if they needed help because they were nervous about messing up, and Flurry Heart told them that she'd have to get out of seeing her aunts today. Though, from the expression on her mother's face, it was unlikely.

"Flurry, I think they'll live. Besides, you've known about this for the past month."

"I know, but Mom. I see my aunts all the time. Do I really need to see them now?" Flurry groaned.

Honey, Twilight specifically requested you be here today. She said she has a surprise for you. Isn't that nice?"

Flurry Heart rolled her eyes. "It's probably a new book." Flurry Heart grumbled under her breath, crossing her hooves.

Cadence sighed. "I hate to agree with you, but you're probably right. C'mon, Flurry. The Council of Friendship will be here soon."

Flurry sat up, noticing her mother's specific wording. The Council of Friendship was meeting here. They always met at Canterlot. They never met here. Ever. Well, except for once, a couple of days after…

Flurry shook her head. She refused to think of that day. She wouldn't think of that day.

She focused back on her mother. "They're having a Council of Friendship meeting? Here? Didn't they already have one two months ago?"

Cadence's eyes widened slightly before her mask went back on. "Yeah. Just an emergency meeting. They didn't want to have it in Canterlot because they didn't want to raise suspicion. It's probably nothing. Anyway, they'll be here soon. I want to see you in the Grand Hall in five minutes, is that understood?"

Flurry nodded and with that, Cadence walked away, leaving Flurry Heart alone with her thoughts. Why would they have a Council of Friendship meeting so close to the last one? And if it were nothing, why were they having an emergency meeting about it? And why was it here? Something wasn't adding up, and Flurry Heart intended to find out.

Flurry Heart tapped her hoof as she anxiously waited for her aunts to arrive. She had cleared her whole afternoon. She had asked her mother if she could join the Council of Friendship meeting, she did on occasion if she happened to be visiting Canterlot at the time, but her mother just said, "Not this time, sweetie."

Fine. That was alright. Flurry had a backup plan. She wasn't an idiot. She knew the face her mother made when she asked to join the meeting. She knew something was up, and by the way her mother's face paled when she asked what it was about, it was bad.

Flurry clenched her jaw as another minute went by and they still didn't come. She looked around, her thoughts racing. Why weren't they here yet? Shouldn't they be here by now?

Suddenly, the entrance doors opened, and in walked a row of guards with Canterlot armor, all bearing the six-pointed star crest of her Aunt. Rainbow Dash flew in lightning-fast, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. Applejack ran in, skidding to a stop once she passed the doorway, panting.

"I beat you!" Rainbow taunted as she flew circles above Applejack.

"Ugh, darn it, R.D, we're gettin' too old for these shenanigans," Applejack called back, glaring up at Rainbow.

"Oh please, AJ. Do you know what those sound like? Excuses. Excuses for the fact that you're too scared to admit one thing." Rainbow Dash perched on the edge of a guard station that was on the wall for Crystal pegasi guards. "You're slowing down." She said with a devious smile. She then sat up and stuck out her chest, pointing a hoof at herself. "While I'm still on my A-game!"

"Yeah, 'cause ya cheated," Applejack muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Nopony likes a sore loser, AJ," Pinkie Pie sang as she bounced in with hair that she wore up that held all manners of party items.

"Ha! You said it Pinkie." Rainbow agreed.

Applejack rolled her eyes and bucked the wall behind her, the same wall with the guard station Rainbow was sitting on. The kick sent vibrations through the wall, ones Rainbow wasn't expecting, that shook the guard station, causing the guard within to stumble and grab onto the railing for support.

However, Rainbow Dash was sitting on the railing, her eyes closed as she bragged about her many accomplishments, and hadn't noticed that Applejack bucked the wall in the first place. So, when the guard station shook, she lost her balance, and fell off, landing on her back when she couldn't catch herself in time.

Applejack smirked, looking down at Rainbow triumphantly. "Still got it. And I see you ain't any more bright."

Rainbow Dash glared at Applejack while still on her back, causing Flurry Heart to giggle. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were her favorite aunts, mostly because they were so competitive, they'd typically end up screwing themselves over while they tried to prove that they were better than the other, which would always make Flurry Heart laugh.

"Ha ha, Applejack. Good job. You got a laugh from the kid. Kootos to you." Rainbow answered sarcastically.

Applejack's smug smile remained. "Not only that, but I made a fool of ya too. This day's startin' out pretty good if ya ask me."

"Whatever. I still beat you here," Rainbow said as she flew up and hovered in the air.

"Don't tell me you two are roughhousing again. This is a castle. Show some manners." Rarity scolded as she trotted in. She trotted right up to Cadence and kissed both of her cheeks, Cadence doing the same. "Hello dear. I'm so sorry about those two. They have absolutely no manners."

Cadence smiled. "It's okay, Rarity. No harm, no foul."

Rarity walked up to Flurry Heart, doing the same thing, Flurry copying her. "How are you, darling? It's been forever since I've seen you. I keep telling your mother that two of you absolutely must have lunch with Sweetie Belle and me, but the both of you are always so busy with your royal duties that it's nearly impossible to book a time."

"Good to see you too, Aunt Rarity. I'm doing alright." Flurry didn't even comment on the lunch part. She loved her Aunt Rarity, but sometimes she was a little too sophisticated for Flurry Heart to fully relax.

"Oh! Flurry! Pound and Pumpkin wanted me to tell you that it is a-okay that you couldn't make it today. They have everything under control." Pinkie said as she bounced up, putting a hoof around Flurry's neck.

Flurry Heart rolled her eyes. She was glad everything worked out okay, especially if she wanted to spy on the Council of Friendship meeting later, but if she was trying to use that as an excuse, it was the wrong thing to say in front of her mother, who happened to flash her a smug look.

"Of course they do," Flurry muttered.

"Good day, Princess Cadence," A soft, quiet voice said, startling Flurry.

Flurry Heart turned to see Fluttershy bowing to Princess Cadence. Flurry smiled. While Applejack and Rainbow Dash always made Flurry laugh in their misadventures, Fluttershy always seemed to calm Flurry whenever she was stressed, frustrated, self-conscious, or any other negative emotions. She always seemed to know the right things to say and was always so easy to talk to.

Cadence smiled. "Fluttershy, how many times do I have to tell you? We've been friends for years. We can do without the formalities."

"Old habits die hard, I suppose. Oh, and Discord has a…umm…flying paper bookworm infestation at his house that he needs to deal with. He'll be here shortly but he told me to tell you that he may be a tad bit late but not to worry, he's got it all under control."

Cadence chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, the circumstances that creature finds himself in."

"Did you just say a flying paper bookworm infestation? Now I've heard it all." Starlight commented, rolling her eyes as she and Sunburst came trotting in together.

"Aunt Starlight? What are you doing here? I thought this was just a Council of Friendship meeting." Flurry asked in shock.

She knew that Starlight nor Discord were on the Council of Friendship. Discord being invited was weird enough, but he often dropped in on Council Meetings whenever he liked, invitation or not. But Starlight was too busy with the School of Friendship to just drop by. Not to mention Sunburst was here too. Who in the hay is running the School of Friendship?

"Yeah, well, I got an invitation from Twilight, so it seems I'm needed," Starlight said as she walked up to Flurry to hug her. "How are you doing, Flurry?"

"I'm fine. Aunt Starlight, if you and Uncle Sunburst are here, who's running the School of Friendship?" She didn't know Sunburst all that well to call him 'Uncle' but he was married to her Aunt Starlight, so she called him 'Uncle' by default.

Starlight's whole body tensed as Flurry could see her jaw tense, and Flurry instantly regretted asking. "Trixie." Starlight groaned, dropping her head.

Trixie? Well, that was a…surprise. Personally, Flurry loved hanging out with Trixie. Sure, she acted a bit young for her age, but she was like your typical young hip aunt, despite being the same age as her other aunts. Though, Flurry couldn't picture Trixie running a school. She just didn't have the right personality for it.

Sunburst walked up to Starlight, pulling her close. "It's okay, Star. It'll all turn out okay. Trixie's matured a lot since she last watched the School of Friendship."

"You mean six months ago when she gave a magic show for one of the student assemblies and three of her volunteers fell off the stage, two of them breaking a leg and the other an arm, while a dragon ended up in the infirmary because she wanted to show off the newest spell she learned by magically baking an apple pie in five seconds. Do you remember all the paperwork and letters we had to write to their parents?! Especially since two letters had to go to Dragon Lord Ember since the one who broke an arm was a dragon. That was two dragons, honey! Two! Not to mention one of them who broke a leg was a yak, and the other one was a pony. That one was easy, but do you remember how hard it was to explain to Prince Rutherford what in the hay happened without him smashing my office to pieces!" Starlight began to hyperventilate. "You'd think after all these years she'd learn to use common sense, but nope! She's just as irresponsible as she was twenty years ago. I love the mare and I know she means well, but she is not fit to run a whole school! I…Sunburst, this was a mistake. We have to go back. She's going to set the school on fire again!"

Applejack walked up to Starlight, putting a hoof on her back, a kind smile on her face. "Hun. Yer Twilightin'."

Starlight turned to Applejack. "I am?"

Applejack nodded. "Yep."

"Total Twilighting," Rainbow said as she flew past Starlight and Applejack as though she was just lounging on her back, earning a glare from Applejack.

"There ain't nothin' wrong with it." She said to Starlight. "Just take a couple deep breaths in and out. It'll only be fer two days. Plus, ya got the CMC's keepin' an eye on her, remember?"

Starlight nodded. "Yeah. You're right. It'll be fine. Thanks, AJ."

"No problem, sugarcube."

Flurry Heart didn't miss Applejack's use of words. Two days? These Council Meetings typically only lasted one afternoon. Late evening tops. One has never lasted longer than that. Except for…

Flurry looked around, trying to distract herself. It was then she noticed the saddlebags on everypony's back. Flurry narrowed her eyes. What in the hay was going on? What were they not telling her?

That was when Princess Twilight walked in, displaying her typical kind smile and warm aura, but Flurry could tell by the way Twilight's eyes flicked back and forth periodically as though scanning for danger, and the way her whole body seemed stiff that there was something that was stressing her out.

Next to her walked a dark purple mare with a dark pink mane and a scar across her right eye, though the eye itself looked untouched. She was a unicorn, but her horn was broken, leaving behind a chipped husk. Flurry Heart instantly recognized her.

"Miss Tempest?" She asked hesitantly, her heart racing in fear. Not of Tempest but what Tempest being here could mean.

Flurry Heart hardly knew Tempest Shadow. She hadn't seen the mare since she was a filly, but she was kind of hard to forget, and not just because of the broken horn. The last time Flurry saw Tempest, she intimidated her with her stand‐offish attitude, but she knew Tempest was a great warrior. Her being here couldn't mean anything good.

Flurry only remembered a few things about Tempest. She used to work for a villain called the Storm King but helped defeat him when she befriended Aunt Twilight. And that she was a nomad, originally spreading word of the Storm King's defeat, but then she realized that she struggled to stay still for too long so she's been wandering Equestria since, never staying in one place for too long.

Tempest turned and noticed Flurry Heart. She walked over, stopping quite a distance away still. She bowed her head. "Princess. It's been a while. It's good to see you again." Tempest was silent for a bit before she looked at Flurry's cutie mark, and Flurry tensed. "Congratulations on the new cutie mark. I heard how you got it five years ago. I heard it was quite the feat. Quite the accomplishment. I was quite surprised when I heard about what happened and what you did. Surprising me is quite rare nowadays. You've gained my highest respect, Princess."

"Thanks, Miss Tempest. That means a lot, coming from you." Flurry said, bowing her own head in respect.

Flurry wasn't lying. It did mean a lot coming from her. Tempest was almost as legendary as her Aunt Twilight, and she was the ruler of Equestria. Stories of a mysterious unicorn who had a broken horn and yet still defeated monsters twice her size with zero magic would circulate themselves around the Crystal Empire and Canterlot. Many ponies looked up to her, despite her past. But she was one of the hardest mares to please. Many have tried asking to be her apprentice, and it was rare for her to give them an audition, and it was unheard of to actually get her to choose one. So having her highest respect was a big deal.

Tempest nodded once before walking away, immediately being bombarded by Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, asking her questions about, well, everything, and Tempest clearly looked uncomfortable but tried to answer their questions to the best of her ability, if nervously. She was one of the greatest known warriors, known to face anything without an ounce of fear, and yet casual conversation with friends made her uncomfortable and nervous. Who knew?

"Flurry."

Flurry turned to see Princess Twilight behind her. She smiled nervously in response. She could never get anything past Twilight, but she hoped this time, she'd be able so she could see what in the hay was going on.

"Hi, Aunt Twilight. How're you doing?"

"I'm doing just fine. I have somepony I would like you to meet. Luster? You can come out now," She called behind her.

Flurry looked behind Twilight to see a pink unicorn with a two-toned orange mane and orange eyes coming out nervously and hesitantly, staring at the ground, not even looking up at Flurry. Flurry looked from the mare to Twilight, a little confused. Was this Twilight's surprise? Where was the book? She always got somepony a book for a present.

"Flurry Heart, this is my top pupil, Luster Dawn. Luster, this is my niece, Flurry Heart."

Upon hearing Flurry's name, Luster looked up, her eyes widening. She gasped as a shocked smile appeared on her face. Flurry internally groaned. She knew that face. It was the face of an enthusiast admirer. Flurry hated those kinds of ponies. Flurry Heart wasn't thrilled about being a princess. In all honesty, she'd rather follow in her father's hoofsteps and become part of the royal guard. She just wanted to be a normal pony.

Instead, she was the Princess of Light, meant to rule alongside her mother, the Princess of Love. And being a princess comes with annoying fans and admirers who want nothing more than to praise her for every small thing. Flurry Heart hated all that attention, especially when that attention reflected a day she only wanted to forget.

You're Princess Flurry Heart? As in the Princess Flurry Heart?" Luster Dawn asked with wide sparkling eyes that were always evident in an admirer.

"Uh…yes…is there a problem?" Flurry stupidly asked. All Flurry could think about was how much she hoped this fan didn't bring up that day. That horrible, regretful day.

"No! Not at all! It's just that…I'm a big fan of yours! Ever since I heard about what you did five years ago! Creating a whole new Crystal Heart! That's like…unheard of. I mean, depending on how the first one was made, you could be the first pony to ever make a Crystal Heart! And two sonic rainbooms that brought light back to the world! Not even Rainbow Dash could do two sonic rainbooms and she's the greatest known flyer to come out of Cloudsdale. That was incredible! How did you charge that much magic in your horn without releasing it? That is incredibly hard to do. Especially since when a unicorn tries, one who's not incredibly skilled in magic, the magic ends up releasing itself by bursting out of the horn in a magical beam from all the build-up. Trust me, I've tried. Not doing it again until I'm absolutely confident I can do it. They had to rebuild one of the castle wings after that."

Flurry Heart had no idea how to respond. She didn't want to be rude, but at the same time, she couldn't stand ponies who seemed to worship her. Especially for that. She didn't deserve to be worshipped. Not after what she did in the first place. All she did was fix her mistake. It was nothing special. If the rest of Equestria and the Crystal ponies knew what really happened, they wouldn't be revereing her.

"Luster, was it?" Flurry asked flatly, earning an excited nod from Luster. "Right…" Flurry turned to Twilight. "Why is she here?"

Twilight smiled, as though she was hoping Flurry would ask that. "Well, Luster Dawn has just moved to Ponyville to learn about Friendship. She's doing quite well in her studies, but I thought she could learn a little something from you."

Flurry turned to Luster, who, as she was talking with Twilight, had taken a couple of steps closer to Flurry. Flurry took a couple of steps back. "Here's a lesson. Boundaries. Learn them."

Luster's eyes widened a bit and she took a couple of steps back, flushing in embarrassment, chuckling nervously. "Sorry, Princess. You're just kind of sorta my idol. I mean, the feats you've accomplished…even Starswirl the Bearded couldn't make a Crystal Heart, and he was, like, the greatest sorcerer to exist in Equestria. Though he and the other Pillars did grow the Tree of Harmony, which was ultimately destroyed, like the Crystal Heart, and wasn't regrown."

Great. Now she was comparing her to Uncle Beirdo. Flurry smiled a bit. Per Rainbow Dash's request as a prank, Flurry when she was a filly, had called Starswirl that. He pretended to hate it, but when he thought she wasn't looking, Flurry did see the smallest smile appear on his face. She called him that ever since. Well, until he sadly passed away when she was thirteen.

"Wow…you really know your history…don't you…" Flurry said awkwardly.

"Well, duh. I am kinda Twilight's top pupil." She said with a smile, but then her eyes widened in panic. "No offense, Princess."

"None taken." Flurry Heart said flatly.

Twilight intervened. "I was thinking you two could spend the day together. Luster needs to work on her Crystal Empire history and since you know quite a lot about that subject, more than I, I must admit, and since the two of you are around the same age, I was thinking you could teach her."

"No can do, Twi," A detached voice said. A familiar detached voice.

As the ponies looked around for the source, a flat wooden board appeared above them, causing the three ponies to scramble back to avoid being hit by it as it fell to the ground. At the top of it were two misshapen antlers. As it lay flat, two yellow eyes with red pupils and a mouth with a single fang and a snake tongue, appeared, making a face on the…face of the board.

"Uncle Discord!" Flurry exclaimed, a smile on her face.

Flurry Heart was a prankster at heart. And no creature can pull better pranks than Uncle Discord. Some of her best memories were when she and Discord would be laughing it up over a prank they pulled, like turning the whole Crystal Castle into a giant gumdrop, or surprise furniture that if used, would start walking. It got even better when Aunt Pinkie got involved. Like that one time the six of them, which included the Cake Twins, Peach, and Orion, put up surprise party cannons that would turn you into the color of confetti.

"Good to see you, Flurry. Got any good pranks in lately?"

"Discord, how lovely to see you," Cadence said as she looked around a little nervously. Where there was Discord, there was a prank hiding around the corner.

"I take it your 'flying paper bookworm infestation' has been taken care of?" Starlight asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, I'll have you know that flying paper bookworms are a real nuisance. Especially when they get into the chocolate rain." Discord turned to Twilight. "Now, as I was saying," Discord stood up, still in the shape of a board. "Luster Dawn is no good for Flurry. She's already straight as a board. While Flurry Heart is a mare after my own heart," Discord turned into a big red heart, before popping to Fluttershy. "After Fluttershy, of course."

"Well, who knows? They may be good for each other." Twilight responded with a knowing smile.

Discord rolled his eyes, turning back into his normal self and crossing his mismatched arms. "As in Flurry Heart will be good for Luster Dawn. Because if that's what you meant, then I completely agree."

Cadence smiled softly. "Now that we're all here, why don't we all head to the Council Chamber? Shining Armor will meet us there. We have much to discuss." She turned to Flurry Heart. "And Flurry, be nice. And behave. No going to Ponyville. Is that understood?"

Flurry sighed heavily. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. Whatever." She added an eye roll just to be safe.

Cadence, looking satisfied, turned and walked away with the rest of the group, leaving Luster Dawn and Flurry Heart by themselves. As they walked away, eyes appeared on the back of Discord's head, who was at the back of the group, and they winked at Flurry Heart, who winked back.

Luster, who seemed confused, hesitantly approached Flurry Heart. "What was that about?" She asked.

Flurry rolled her eyes, giving Discord a look and tilting her head in Luster's direction. Discord raised an eyebrow just before they all turned a corner, making Flurry Heart sigh.

"Are you two planning something?" Luster asked, looking where Discord had stood to Flurry Heart and back again.

Flurry rolled her eyes. "Whatever. C'mon board." Flurry grabbed Luster's hoof and raced for the grand staircase.

"Can you levitate yourself with your magic?" Flurry whispered as she opened the big sunroof window with her magic.

They had to fly down to one of the walled guard stations, which was empty, in the Council Chamber since they were too high to hear anything the Council of Friendship and Company were saying. Nopony else was in there, which was odd since there were always guards everywhere. Which means they wanted to keep this secret.

"Oh, yeah. Headmare Starlight teaches an advanced magic class at the School of Friendship and that was one of the first lessons she taught us–"

"Good. Try to keep up." And with that, she spread her wings and glided down the Council Chamber, landing on the guard station.

"W-wait!" Luster called in a whisper before putting a hoof over her mouth. Both she and Flurry Heart froze and looked at the ponies below, who didn't seem to notice them.

Flurry breathed a quiet sigh of relief before glaring up at Luster, who gave an apologetic look. Taking a deep breath, Luster engulfed herself in a yellowish-orangish aura and levitated herself down to where Flurry Heart was standing.

"What are we doing here?" Luster asked in a whisper once she landed next to Flurry Heart.

"Isn't it obvious? We're listening in." Flurry Heart answered in a whisper as low as Luster's as she crouched down so she could hear better.

"We're spying on the Council of Friendship?! Are you crazy?! We can't spy on the Council of Friendship! We're going to get in so much trouble if we get caught!"

Flurry rolled her eyes. "Then we don't get caught."

"But–" Luster started, only to be cut off by Flurry.

"Look, I take it you know a little something about the Council of Friendship?" Flurry asked, to which Luster nodded. "Good. Then you know they only meet once every moon. They already met two months ago."

"I know. I was there at that one. That's when they sent me to Ponyville."

Flurry Heart rolled her eyes. "Of course it was." She muttered before continuing. "Anyway, this is an emergency meeting. Plus, they never meet here. It's always at the Canterlot Castle. Not to mention, they never invite outsiders, and they invited four of them. Doesn't that seem just a little odd? Aren't you the least bit curious?"

Luster didn't want to admit it, but Flurry Heart was right. It did pique her interest. She bit her lip but finally relented, curiosity winning over, and leaned down next to Flurry Heart, listening in as well.

"Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's just some psycho trying to scare us by abducting ponies," Rainbow Dash said, waving a dismissive hoof. "We've dealt with waaaay worse, and always came out on top."

"I've been hearing of reports about singing from shadows in the night in my travels," Tempest said, looking down at the Equestrian map on the table. "Ones that lure ponies into the woods. They come back in the morning, but they're zombified."

Pinkie gasped. "You mean like super duper gross, brain-eating zombies that walk around with their mouths open and eyes wide like they are brainless and have rotting pieces of flesh." Pinkie walked around, acting like the very thing she was describing.

"I don't think that's what Tempest means, Pinkie." Applejack turned to Tempest. "It ain't, right?"

"No, Applejack. It isn't. They were more like mindless robots." Tempest said, narrowing her eyes in thought.

"Perhaps a hypnosis spell?" Starlight suggested, putting a hoof to her chin.

"That is very possible," Sunburst agreed, adjusting his glasses. "There are very many hypnosis spells that are meant to keep those under the spell look natural."

"Maybe it was Opaline? We haven't seen her in a while?" Shining Armor suggested, making Flurry's heart stop and her breathing catch.

Luster felt Flurry's body tense and glanced at her. She's never heard of this Opaline. But clearly she wasn't good if the look of fear on Flurry's face was anything to go by.

"She did put multiple ponies under a manipulation spell while she was here," Shining continued.

"Who is Opaline?" Tempest asked, looking as lost as Luster.

Cadence looked around, as though making sure nopony was listening. Tempest and Luster were the only ponies who weren't there at the Crystal Heart at the time Opaline shattered it. Discord also wasn't there, but he knew everything that happened. Mostly because a couple of days later, everypony who was in the room besides Tempest had asked if Discord had known the spell Opaline was using, to which he said it didn't ring a bell. When he came to congratulate Flurry on her new cutie mark and he had asked her how she had gotten it, she had snapped at him. Feeling guilty, she told him everything that happened that day, leaving out no details. The full ugly truth.

Flurry didn't know why she didn't feel embarrassed telling him. Maybe because he wasn't like any creature else. His mind wasn't contained by the same four walls as every other mind was contained by. He didn't reserve the same judgments as every other creature did. Maybe because it was his past. Because he had screwed up so royally, so many times, she felt as though he could relate. Whatever it was, he seemed to completely understand, having fallen under similar manipulations himself by Tirek. Sure, Tirek didn't use a manipulation spell, but he still manipulated Discord by his words.

When Cadence was finally satisfied that nopony else was listening, she opened her mouth to begin explaining the whole ugly truth to Tempest. Before she could get a word out, Discord glanced up at Flurry Heart, a question in his gaze. Flurry Heart barely moved her head in a nod and Discord snapped the newly created fingers on his tail, creating a bubble around the Council of Friendship and Company, excluding Luster and Flurry from the conversation.

And just like Flurry Heart, Discord understood how worse having another creature's pity made the whole situation.

"Oh no! We've been caught!" Luster whispered, her voice full of panic.

Flurry rolled her eyes. "No. We haven't."

"Then how do you explain the silence bubble Discord just put around the whole thing? We can't hear anything they're saying! And Discord looked right at us!" Luster yelled in a strained whisper, almost making herself choke.

"Yeah, and they can't hear us, dumb dumb," Flurry said in a regular volume voice. "As long as we can't hear them, they can't hear us. And if you haven't realized by now, Uncle Discord's on our side."

"There are sides?" Luster asked.

"In other words, he's not going to snitch on us." Discord glanced at her. "He's removing the bubble now. Be quiet." Flurry whispered, to which Luster obeyed.

Discord then snapped the fingers on his tail, and the conversation resumed.

"Flurry Heart. I had no idea. That explains a lot." Tempest was in the middle of saying. "Though if you didn't catch this Opaline, it might be her. That does sound like her M.O., considering."

"I'm lost right now. Who is this Opaline?" Luster asked.

"If I tell you, you need to promise you won't freak." Luster nodded, though Flurry didn't quite believe her, having a spell ready. "All you need to know is that Opaline was the one who shattered the Crystal Heart."

Flurry put a soundproof bubble around Luster Dawn half a second before she screamed "WHAT!" Luster put a hoof over her mouth, took some calming deep breaths, and nodded to Flurry Heart, who released Luster from the spell. Luster took a deep breath.

Luster had combed through every book written on the subject and asked countless questions to her professors, including Headmare Starlight, and Princess Twilight. She even asked guidance counselor Trixie, since she was supposedly there. They all gave similar answers. That the Heart had simply given out. Never once did they mention Opaline. Now Luster was set on finding out what really happened and why they would lie to everypony in Equestria about it.

"Tempest is right. I will say it once and that's it. Doesn't mean you're right once, doesn't mean you're always right. Mention that I said these words and I will inherently deny them."

Everypony looked at Discord. Everypony but Fluttershy, to which Twilight noticed.

"What happened?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy sighed. "We were going to say something, honest, but umm…Discord had to uhh…come to terms with it first…it really scared him."

Discord crossed his arms, glaring at the wall. "It did not." Which that, coupled with his body language was pretty much an admission that it did.

This silenced everypony. Not a lot scared him, and if it did, it was bad. The last thing that truly frightened him was when he teamed up Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Chrysalis together to give Twilight confidence and they backstabbed him, taking away his chaos power. If he was defenseless against it, it terrified him. And if his chaotic powers didn't work on them, which was only limited to his imagination which had no limit, they must be insanely powerful.

It was Shining Armor who found the courage to speak. "Tell us everything that happened. In detail."

Discord smirked. "I'll do you one better."

He glanced at Flurry Heart, giving her a wink. She sat against the wall of the guard station, out of sight from the others and pulling Luster with her. At Luster's confused look, she quickly said, "Brace yourself. And lean against the wall." Luster was about to ask why, but Flurry Heart hissed, "Just do it."

Luster obeyed, just in time too, because that was when Discord snapped his fingers…

Flurry Heart was walking down the street. It was dark and when she looked around, she found out she was in Ponyville. What was she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be…

That thought trailed off. She didn't know where she was supposed to be before. It was all so…fuzzy. She turned in circles, trying to figure out what in the hay was going on. The fog began to build around her, making it hard to see. That was when she heard a scream and it all came rushing back to her.

That's what she was doing here. She was patrolling the night streets. Fluttershy had begged her to do it, claiming that she could be a hero. That it was the right thing to do. With his chaotic powers, he could apprehend whoever was behind all these abductions by catching them in the act and keeping Ponyville safe as well as finding the ponies who were abducted.

She had agreed, thinking this was just some psycho pony she could have taken care of in thirty seconds and have them confessing to their crimes and telling the police where the abducted victims were in less than five. It really was supposed to be a quick night.

It was anything but that.

Flurry Heart teleported to the location where she heard the scream, but there was nothing there. She kept her ears open, listening to any other sounds. Nothing. She heard another scream behind her, and she whirled around. He groaned. It was a yowling cat. Of course.

"Discord?" She heard somepony say her name behind her.

She turned around to see some odd creature behind her. A bipedal pink bird with pale green eyes, a light yellow beak, and orange arms and legs. She had feathers atop her head and tail that resembled a peacock and purple bat wings on her back. She held a staff that held some sort of orb.

She instantly recognized her. "E–Eris?!" She asked in shock. No. This was wrong. She had been defeated by this world's Luna, Trixie, Stigean, and Capper, and that world's Daybreaker.

"The one and only, cousin," She said with a sly smile.

Flurry wasn't even going to try and hear her out. She immediately lit her horn so that nacho cheese fell on top of her, and while nacho cheese fell all around her, not a drop actually landed on Eris.

Now she was confused. "W-what? How…" She then growled. "What are you doing here, Eris? Why are you abducting ponies? I thought you were defeated!"

Eris smirked. "You were wrong. But, cousin, I didn't come here to fight, I came to talk."

Flurry growled, lighting her horn again, dropping a pile of bricks atop her, though, much like the nacho cheese, the bricks fell around Eris, but not a single one touched her. Flurry's eyes widened before she glared at her cousin and flared her wings.

"Just hear me out, cuz. This place…it's our home. Sure you waste your power on idiotic pranks when it should be used for destruction, but you are restricted. We've been here for millenniums! Longer than any pony! You should be able to do whatever you like with your power, have whatever you want!"

While her offer sounded surprisingly appealing, she wasn't falling for it. She's learned her lesson. Nothing could beat harmony and the Magic of Friendship. She had it good. She had a good life. There was no reason for her to screw it all up for some offer that wouldn't work. She wouldn't lose Fluttershy again.

"Nice try. But I refuse to fall for some villain's half-baked plan again. Even if I did, it's not like it'll work. I mean, come on! You were bested by a slightly better-than-average magician!"

Eris smirked, and suddenly began to…sing? It confused the hell out of Flurry, but her voice was oddly…alluring. As she sang, her mind slowly began to blank and her heart began to numb.

🎵I have waited for the day,
For chaos to rule and reign.
Now I have magic as my salvation,
Gather here in my protection.🎵

Flurry Heart shook her head. No. This wasn't right. Something was wrong here. But…there was something so appealing about Eris's voice. No, Eris was evil. She trapped ponies in their worst nightmares. And yet, a world where chaos ruled sounded more appealing than it had in a long time. What's…what was going on?

Eris began to walk closer, a devious smile on her face. Flurry went into a defensive mode, trying to block out her voice.

🎵We. Will. Stand for chaos!

We hold the beauty of havoc,
In all its glory.
No need to fear their harmony.
Right here you have me to protect you,
Within this chaotic world.
Forever free!
Forever more!🎵

She squeezed her eyes shut as Eris began to approach her. Flurry lit her horn and created a hole under her, one that reached both ends of the alleyway in width. When Flurry opened her eyes, she saw Eris just standing on top of it, below her an empty black void of the nether. Her…her chaos magic didn't affect Eris at all?! How…how was this possible?!

Eris finally approached, walking around her, doing her best to lure her. But Flurry resisted. Barely. Havoc could be beautiful, but it wasn't worth it. It just wasn't.

🎵They have come into our domain.
We were here before they came.
And we will be for generations!
They are just a complication!

We. Will. Stand for chaos!🎵

No no no no no. Flurry tried to think of Fluttershy. Tried to think of Big Mac. Spike. Guys Night. She tried to think of everything good in her life. Her friends. Starlight. Trixie. They were Save Equestria buddies, right? Flurry squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the beautiful voice of her cousin. But still. It seemed to worm its way into her mind, entering her very soul. She lit her horn and earplugs appeared. She smiled smugly before that smile fell as she realized the earplugs weren't working. Flurry could still hear Eris' voice.

🎵Trust in me, this is for your own good.
Don't be afraid,
Chaos is our friend.🎵

Suddenly, Flurry Heart felt as though she was trapped in stone again. Trapped. She could feel herself frozen in time. Her mind running with chaotic ideas and pranks with no way to release them. She felt the constrictiveness of the snot, how it seemed to squeeze tighter and tighter every year. How she watched the world go by without even sparing her a glance as she was forgotten by time.

She'd watch as years went by, completely ignored, with only her thoughts crowding her head. No way to release them. No way to let them out. Generations would go by without even sparing a glance. She'd begun to think she didn't exist. Like, she was a figment of her own imagination.

Flurry fell to the ground, holding her head in her hooves. She had to resist. She just had to. She thought of Fluttershy. All those happy moments with her. Her tea parties. How much she loved her house. How much she accepted Flurry so completely. So thoroughly. How she was the closest a creature had ever been to her. She couldn't betray her again. She couldn't. It'd break Fluttershy's heart. She wouldn't do that again. She'd die first.

And yet…

🎵All of this havoc that surrounds us,
Every lovely bloom,
Designed to defend!🎵

Flurry squeezed her eyes shut, as images filled her head of a world of chaos and she gasped. There was Fluttershy. She was happy. For the first time in her mortal life, she was happy. Fluttershy was so happy. She was laughing. Lounging about on the mismatched ground. She was playing with Angel Bunny. A young angel bunny. She looked so young. So immortal. She could have Fluttershy forever.

But then the rest of the Elements of Harmony showed up and dragged her away, just for enjoying his chaos. No. They wouldn't…they couldn't do that. She wouldn't let them.

🎵Let them come, just let them try!
You're not about to say goodbye!
We'll be here throughout the ages,
Written into their history pages!🎵

Flurry smiled and she began to sing the last words with Eris. No. She wasn't about to say goodbye to Fluttershy, or who she was. So what if she and Fluttershy enjoyed chaos? They weren't going to take Fluttershy away for that.

🎵We. Will. Stand for–🎵

"Discord!" A voice called out. "Discord! Discord, where are you? Are you alright?!"

Flurry blinked. No. This was…wrong. This…

Flurry looked at Eris, but it was no longer Eris standing there. It was a black shadowy monster that seemed to change shape. It'd go from trying to change into Eris, but the best it could do was change into her general form, only to go back to being a glob.

"Discord! Where are you?! Oh, I hope he's okay…" Fluttershy called before mumbling to herself.

Flurry wanted to call out to Fluttershy, but she didn't want to put her in danger. But that was when that choice was taken away.

"Zephyr Breeze? Is that you?!" Fluttershy called. Flurry was confused. She didn't hear anything. That monstrous creature was still behind her. Even though it was nothing but a…

Flurry widened her eyes. She gave the creature a smug smile, lighting up her horn with a light spell. The creature screamed a guttural high-pitched sound that made it sound as though it was bruning alive. One that made Flurry's stomach twist.

"Discord?" A voice asked behind Flurry.

Flurry turned around and saw Fluttershy at the entrance of the alleyway. She looked behind her to see the creature thing gone. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Discord, are you okay? I had asked one of my bird friends to keep an eye on you, and they told me you were crouched down with this black fog thing trapping you. Are you okay? Where did this nacho cheese and these bricks come from? Are you hurt?" Fluttershy paused when she saw Flurry's expression, her eyes filled with tears. "Discord? Are you alright?"

Flurry ran to Fluttershy, enveloping her in a hug so tight, it threatened to crush her. Fluttershy was surprised, but she quickly hugged her back without hesitation. She could tell Flurry needed it.

"I'm alright. Thanks to you, Fluttershy, I'm alright. You saved me. Not just now, you saved me from myself so many times. Thank you. Thank you so much…

Flurry's eyes slowly opened, her head aching. It was dull but noticeable. Flurry groaned as she realized she was on the floor in a fetal position, curled as tightly into a ball as possible.

Across from her, she saw a pink unicorn with a two-toned orange mane. Flurry blinked as she studied the mare. Did she know her? Memories started coming back to Flurry Heart, but it was like looking through a foggy glass. Flurry narrowed her eyes at the strange unicorn mare, trying to sift through her brain, which felt like sifting through mud. Lucy something…? Lisa…?

Flurry gasped as everything came rushing back in full force. Flurry squeezed her eyes shut against the onslaught of memories as her head began to pound. Finally, everything returned to her and she felt somewhat normal. Flurry looked at Luster Dawn as she slowly sat up. Luster was still curled up herself, whimpering, rocking back and forth. Flurry crawled to her, putting up a soundproof bubble around them as she heard groaning and half-asked questions from below.

She began shaking Luster. "Luster. Luster. It's okay. It's over."

"NO! I have everything I need! I have friends! I have Fluttershy!"

"Luster! Snap out of it!" Flurry yelled, picking Luster up with her magic and forcing the pink unicorn to look at her. "It was just a memory. Discord's memory."

Luster blinked, her dilated pupils returning to normal. "F-Flurry?"

"Yep. Coming back to you now?"

Luster nodded, so Flurry gently set Luster down. "Why…why would he do that…?"

"So that we could get an accurate read on the creature. What it can do. What it looks like. What its weaknesses are. Stuff like that."

Luster looked shocked. "Wow. That actually sounds useful."

Flurry rolled her eyes, but inside, her stomach twisted. What Discord was put through by that creature…that was torture. Who were these creatures? And why were they trying to draw Discord in? How did they know so much private information about him? All his weaknesses? All his strengths? Why didn't his chaotic powers work on him? And why were they shadows? And they were scared of…the…light…

Flurry's heart stopped. No. That wasn't…how…Flurry's eyes widened.

"Flurry? Are you okay?" Luster asked upon seeing Flurry's shocked and panicked look, her own panic rising.

"That wasn't her end goal…"

"What? What wasn't whose end goal?"

Flurry looked at Luster, her eyes full of fear. "Opaline." Flurry stood up and began to pace. "She…she needed to destroy the Crystal Heart to take away light from the world so that she could have enough darkness to create those creatures. She's…she's behind it all. The creatures. The abductions. Whatever it is, she's planning something, and it's bad." Flurry stopped and looked at Flurry Heart with fear-filled eyes. "We haven't seen the last of Opaline Arcana."