Flurry Heart studies the letter before her, then looks back up at the mailmare. "He priority mailed this, express overnight, all the way from the Crystal Empire?" She asks, one eyebrow rising nearly to her hairline.

The pegasus before her is hunched over, hands resting on her knees, panting like a dog. "Yes...ma'am...he did...Your Highness..." She gasps out between breaths, "I got it...here as...as fast as I....could, ma'am..." Her wings hang limply off of her back, shaking slightly from over exertion. Flurry Heart sighs.

"Please, go rest. There's plenty of water and snacks available in the waiting room. You've more than earned it."

The mare hobbles away, collapsing onto a feinting couch the moment she thinks she's out of sight of the princess. Flurry Heart looks down at the strange letter - scratch that, its barely even a note, it's just two sentences and a sign-off.

Please return home to the Car Crystal Empire at once.
We have wonderful news to share with you.
Love, Daddy / Captain Shining Armor

Sending her a letter this short is just absurd. Its certainly her father's hornwriting - he always makes his capitals about twice as thick as they need to be - but he somehow managed to misspell the name of his own city.

"Hell of a way to announce a baby sibling..." Flurry mutters under her breath, glaring at the note. She's only five weeks into her six month stay at Canterlot Castle, and she still has plenty more to learn about governing, politics, and the correct way to hold silverware before she's due back home. And she is quite enjoying being somewhere she won't freeze her horn off wearing a tee shirt! They could've given her more notice for this. Or, any information at all, really.

"Sunburst! Daddy says we gotta go back home!" Flurry yells into her en-suite bathroom, where her adviser is climbing out of a particularly steamy shower. He's been her mentor, advisor, and confidant for as long as she can remember, and he's been at her side through everything. Including difficult puberty years, though no one knows about that part, and Sunburst does his best to act like it never happened. Flurry smirks as she watches him wrap a towel around his waist. He wasn't trying too hard to forget last night while she pounded her fist in his ass.

"Is something wrong? It's awfully strange for them to call us back so soon." Sunburst says, sliding his glasses on as he steps out of the bathroom. Orange magic briefly caresses Flurry's hands as he takes the letter from her, looking it over with a faint scowl.

"I know, right? It's Daddy's hornwriting for sure, but it makes no sense." Flurry says, falling back onto her bed in a decidedly unladylike pose. Sunburst's magic pulls her skirt down so that her underwear aren't visible, a habit he's built from years of her antics. "I think that Mommy's pregnant, cause what else would make them write me like that? But I don't see why that's such an emergency." Flurry grumbles, hovering some strawberries from the bedside table into her mouth.

"Don't eat while laying down, Flurry Heart." Sunburst says, setting the letter down and beginning to get dressed. "The spelling error is strange, for certain."

"I know, right?" Flurry shouts, sitting up to continue her snacking.

"And this 'wonderful news' he mentions..."

"Its wonderful, but also urgent enough that he mailed it OVERNIGHT all the way from the Crystal Empire. Nothing good can be THAT important!" She waves her hands as she half-yells due to her incredulity. Sunburst pauses, one leg halfway into his pants, and looks at Flurry.

"I'm sorry, he. He sent it overnight? That's insane."

"Yeah! I don't know what he was thinking, what - "

Sunburst interrupts her. "No, Flurry Heart, that doesn't make any sense. There's no way that Princess Cadance or Shining Armour would do that unless something was very wrong. We should have our guard up."

Flurry quickly stops gesticulating and sits up straight, a serious expression settling over her soft features. "I...yeah, you might be right, Sunburst. Can you pack us up? I'd like to go let Aunty Twilight know we're catching the first train back.

The train station is bustling, and the city streets are as busy as ever with crystal ponies going about their normal lives. Flurry Heart and Sunburst make their way cautiously towards the castle, both narrowing in on one fact -

"Uhh, Sunburst....? Where are all the guards...?"

"I was about to ask the same thing..."

Throughout the city, guard posts stand empty. There where no guards to greet them at the train station, and now no guards at the castle gates.

"This is weird. Daddy would never leave the city this low on guards. But the civilians are all acting normal..." Flurry glances around nervously, stepping over the threshold onto the castle grounds.

The duo checks every corner, walks light on their hooves, and checks every archway and door for enchantments - but everything seems completely normal. Soon, they stand in the entry hall, whispering together.

"So...Should I call out for them...? or should we keep sneaking?"

"I, well...I really don't know, Flurry. Everything looks normal enough, but I have such a bad feeling about this..."

"Let's try heading for the throne room. If there's some villain here, that's...probably where they'd be."

Sunburst nods, gesturing for her to lead. He may be her protector, but he is much better at backline defense, and both of them know it. Plus, he muses, she's a truly smart girl - she's settled into herself, become a natural leader, and her magic lessons are just practice at this point. She's better than him at even the most complicated of spells. He's proud of her, and is more than happy watch her back for the rest of his life.

Flurry Heart grasps the handles of the massive double doors and throws them open, revealing the Throne Room with a gust of freezing air. Inside, a scene she never imagined.

"Welcome home, Flurry dear!"

Author's Note

Apologies for the delay between chapters, i had a surgery haha. The last week has been spent in bed doing nothing and eating nothing :(

So i decided to post the first half of this chapter by itself, and i'll be working on the fun half now that i can sit comfortably at my table.