With Great Power Comes..... [Crystal Empire] Attn Steel and Blue

[Skycoaster]

Flurry Heart's eye shot open even before her alarm went off. "Today is the day!" she'd exclaim as she shot out of bed. It was like Hearthswarming, except better. Today was the day she'd start to learn advanced magic! A odd quiet hung over the Crystal Castle as she could hear every tick of her clock. What time was it anyway, she would wonder. Walking over to her balcony, she'd open the curtains and open the door with her gold aura. When she saw sunlight barely begin to crack the horizon she'd sigh deeply. "Ugh. Everypony is still asleep," as she rolled her eyes. "I wonder who's supposed to teach me today anyway? Mom? Dad? Maybe Aunt Twilight? That'd be fun." she'd say to herself. It had been a while since she had seen her aunt.

 

With time to kill, Flurry had an idea....well her stomach had an idea. Flurry would find herself in an empty kitchen as her stomach rumbled. Being up before the staff had even arrived created a bit of a problem, though as a princess, it was her job to fix problems, right? Before long, the smell of burnt toast was lofting from the kitchen. "Hmm, next batch will be better," as she put butter on it and placed it on a tray. With a tray now loaded with butter heavy toast, she'd eat a few pieces herself before making her way to her parents bedchamber. The door would open with a creak and let just enough light in to show her silhouette as the smell of the burnt toast would entrance the room. "Guess what day it is!" Flurry would say excitedly, waiting for her parents to awaken.

[SteelEagle]

Princess Cadance had woken up early that morning herself, though for entirely different reasons than her very reasonably excited daughter. There was always the business of governance to be done and as the winter marched inescapably towards spring, she needed to prepare the Crystal Empire for the changing seasons. She often enjoyed the crisp, cool air that snapped just before it became uncomfortable, letting her feathers free to feel the bite of the cold. It was nice. She enjoyed the winter. She was fond of all seasons as their charms had found themselves entrenched in her, one way or another. But winter? Winter she liked the best, and as it drew shorter and the days longer it was harder and harder to find that right bite.

 

And so she had awoken early and went to a secluded part of the castle, to a balcony rarely used.  Some time to sit back and feel the cold, watch over her beloved empire and the subjects for whom she cared so deeply, and prepare herself for the day to come. Every day was an important day, but today was special. It was a day that meant a lot to her because it meant a lot to her family, and the meaning imparted therefore was absolute. She needed this time less, therefore, to prepare herself for duty or to steel herself for a job, but rather...to calm her haunches, because she didn’t want to be more excited than her own daughter was!

 

In time she made her way back inside and once deeper in the castle she smelled something burning. The only staff at the castle at this hour would be those working in the Royal Administrative Quarter- a dreary place if such could exist in an empire of crystals- and the Guards. Certainly no cooks- well, she could tell that much just by the fact it was toast that was being burnt to a crisp. She followed the smell until she was in the kitchen. Where she found to absolutely no one’s surprise, her daughter excitedly preparing for her day.
“Well, I’d say excited to...I don’t know, should I guess?” She said as she came from behind her daughter and gave her a half hug while looking around, her smile warmer than the flaming toast. “Are you hungry, Flurry?”
 

[Skycoaster]

Flurry was surprised by a familiar wing embrace as she heard her mother's voice. "I....um.... yes please. I though you and Dad where still asleep. I though since I was up early I could try my hoof at breakfast. The second batch of toast turned out better at least. I was hopping to give the burnt pieces to Dad.... At least I didn't mess up the cereal." Flurry would look away from her mess in the kitchen. Giving her mother the sad eyes, she'd ask. "Do you know how to make cheese omelets? From the book I was reading, it says magic takes a lot of energy and we'll need a lot today."

 

"Speaking of today, what spells am I going to learn? I hope the 'pew pew' spell is on of the first ones. Gotta learn to defend the Crystal Empire. Then maybe I can show Aunt Twilight all the stuff I've leaned on her next visit." Flurry would tap her chin for a moment. "So, when dose Dad normally wake up?"

[SteelEagle]

Cadance didn’t need Alicorn senses to smell the results from her daughter’s attempts at toast. It was very cute that she wanted to help- cooking was an excellent skill that all ponies should learn, at least the basics, and she wondered briefly if she would enjoy the day if that was the topic of Flurry’s education. Of course, the filly would be very disappointed to have gotten so ‘jazzed up’ only to learn how to cook some simple breakfast items. “An omelet does sound good. A nice cheese and dandelion omelet would hit the stomach just right. Flurry, can you get the plates?” She offered, letting the filly out of her wings as she took everything needed for the omelet and went to work.

 

It was an easy breakfast. Most pegasi learned to cook primarily with their wings and hooves working in unison, but she had been raised and learned to cook by earth ponies and so she was very much a mare working with her hooves. Her wings and horn came in once in a while, but there was something instinctual about using her hooves. She always believed that the magic of the earth ponies was more subdued but worked through the effort and care they put into what they did. Maybe it was just her, but Earth pony made food just tasted better, preserved better.  “You'll need lots of energy today, that much is true. As for beams, perhaps, but maybe not. There is a lot to learn about higher level magic, after all...pew pew and otherwise,” she chuckled. “There is a lot more to defending our subjects than magical laser beams...though that doesn’t hurt. Well, it does, but you know what I mean.”

 

As she continued cooking, she did a quick inventory of time even as the inventory of the kitchen was splayed out in front of her. Shining woke up most mornings before her. Habit of being a Guard Captain, she supposed. “He should be up soon,” she said before giving it some more thought. She turned to Flurry and smiled, “actually, while I make breakfast- let's not tell the staff- could you go fetch your father?”

[Blueblood]

It was indeed a rare day that Shining Armor was the last to wake up of his family; oftentimes habit alone had him up at reville, sometimes he even did a personal troop inspection at turnout if he was up early enough to dress for it.  But, last night had been a bit tiring with paperwork and other matters, and just by coincidence that happened to be the day that Flurry was so excited to wake up.  The stallion stirred amidst the sheets, at first groggily concerned about the empty bed, though smells of varying degrees of appetizingness from the kitchen was enough to clue him in of what was likely going on.  The burnt toast left by the bedside, too.

 

*So my little Fluffalump is starting her lessons today with cooking?*  Rather incautiously, he took a bite of the charcoaled bread; in Shiny's defense, he hadn't had his coffee yet.  *Ech... probably best used as grill fuel for later.*  He was a good enough dad, though, to refrain from commenting once he heard the returning footsteps of his daughter.  Sitting up, he smiled at Flurry Heart as he slipped out of bed, running a hoof through his mane to smooth it down.  "Ah, good morning Flurry!  Excited for today?"

[Skycoaster]

Flurry would nod before she quickly levitated a stack of plates over to her mother. Her stomach would rumble as the smell of frying eggs graced the room. She would hover over her mother for a few moments, nodding to the answer she gave. "I guess your right. Magic beams probably fall more under target practice anyway."

 

As Cadance suggested Flurry retrieve her father, she'd nod before zooming up the stairs to his bedchambers. Upon hearing Shining greet her, Flurry would launch herself at him like a hug seeking missile, wrapping her hooves round his neck. "Excited is an understatement!" she'd say, still latched onto him. "Mom's even making us omelets this morning for for energy!"

[SteelEagle]

When Flurry Heart was out of view, Cadance allowed herself a moment to think deeper about the day’s plans.
Fact was, she was not Twilight. There were many reasons why that statement was true, but for today the primary one was that she had grown up a pegasus raised in large by earth ponies. By the time she had magic and Celestia found her, she had her cutie mark. From there she had learned quickly, thanks to some very hooves on training from Celestia. But there was no denying that she lacked a certain degree of finesse, knowledge, and power.

 

Despite being an Alicorn, in all magic not directly related to love Cadance was only above-average. There were plenty of unicorns who were stronger than her, more refined, more efficient, more creative than she was. She had immense power, true, but she never had the proper training as a young filly to mold her magical self to use it well. She didn’t find that it ever really mattered, of course, and with Twilight’s help she had learned a lot of tricks on how to manipulate her own magic to get the best results.

 

More importantly, she had her husband. He had lived his whole life in a family that valued knowledge and learning, and this had translated into a proper magical education and training for the young colt. As he became a stallion- and what a stallion at that!- his diligence and commitment to becoming the best Shining Armor he could be for himself, for Cadance, and for the Princesses had given him a lifetime of training and study that she found invaluable to lean on.

 

Now it was their daughter who would hopefully benefit from this. There were many things only Cadance could help with as an Alicorn, but what she needed more than anything else was somepony who was astute and had the experience of growing up with magic. Shining Armor would as invaluable in her education as he was in so many other ways.

Cadance allowed these thoughts to dance at the edge as she started finishing breakfast for her family, the night still fighting to remain relevant ever longer...

[Blueblood]

Chuckling, Shining emerged from the bedroom carrying his daughter in an impromptu ponyback ride.  "Mmm, that's good!  Magic does burn a lot of calories at high level, so its good to have high-protein breakfasts."  Training began even before you hit the practice field; that was one of the first things that Shining Armor had learned in the guard.  You needed to develop the attitude beforehoof, and fuel yourself right at the table.  Given Flurry's spirit of eagerness and curiosity, combined with Cadence's culinary support, he'd say she was set up for success!

 

The two of them clattered into the kitchen, interruping Cadence's reverie with the noise.  Shining made up for this by giving his wife a kiss on the cheek as he deposited their daughter at the table, helping to plate the eggs through the use of his magic.  "Sleep well, dear?  I hope we all didn't get you up too early."  He felt a little bad, to be honest, that Cadence was getting kind of left out of this training.  True, it was to be expected, given her pegasus heritage, but Shining had only met her after her alicornification, and hadn't seen her without a horn.

[Skycoaster]

As her father placed her at the table, Flurry would watch the omelets make their way to their plates. Flurry would lick her lips as she looked to both her parents as if asking permission to dig in. She'd eye each one with intent, almost as if she was looking for the perfect one. With a giggle, she'd levitate the largest one to herself and grin at her mother. "This one looks perfect." Within a blink of an eye it would vanish. "Um...May I have another please. It was the best omelet I've ever eaten." Flurry's eyes would count the remaining ones on the serving plate, nodding as she counted each remaining one. Within a few moments, another would find it's way to her plate. Looking to Shining's plate and then her own and then back to his, she'd giggle. "I guess I have a big appetite today... I think I'm eating more than Dad."

 

As the second helping vanished from her plate, she'd levitate a banana over before she began pealing it. "I think I eat some fruit so you can have time to enjoy your own cooking mom," she'd say with a wink. At this point, it was hard for her to tell if the feeling in her stomach was still hunger or her nerves. Ether way the felt pretty similar to a young alicorn.

[SteelEagle]

She made sure his kiss on the cheek was stockpiled for a future return. The Princess of Love paid all debts and when it came to her husband, she always made sure she repaid with considerable interest. How she adored his willingness to be affectionate, so distant from that awkward little colt she once knew. He was a perfect stallion for her or any other mare, and she wasn’t just thinking that because he started helping with plating the breakfast. No, that wasn’t the absolute sexiest thing a husband could do but it was really close. “It is not too early, love,” she said with a warm giggle as the feeding of Flurry Heart began.

 

It was a tale as old as time: Growing fillies could have big appetites. A tale almost as old but thrice as legendary was that Alicorns had terrifying appetites. Cadance had the calmest diet of the five and even she routinely ate considerably more than her husband, who himself ate well. Twilight? Last Cadance dared to count, it a number too high for the ruler of all Equestria to share. This was all a setup to say that Cadance did not stop cooking even once her daughter began to eat. She mad many omelets ready to go, putting the finishing touches and helping her daughter load just as readily as she did her husband. 

 

She was happy to do so. She so desperately wanted her beautiful daughter and handsome husband to be ready for what was sure to be a trying day. She would be involved herself, but she already knew that when it came to the finer points of magic she was more likely to be a learner than a teacher.  In time she also got a large plate of omelet(s) and sat down, ensuring her husband was well fed too. “Don’t change up on my account, Flurry. I made sure you would have everything you need, my treasure,” she said as she started eating herself. Not as quickly as her daughter, but still quick. “So, some ground rules. Don’t turn our castle staff into house plants. Seems like a good start?”

[Blueblood]

Seeing the huge pile of food in front of Flurry Heart disappear so fast made Shining Armor whistle.  He could have put that much away back when he was a growing colt, or just going through basic, but as a full-grown stallion who kept an eye on his fitness... well, there were only so many calories he could take in a day!  Still, today would take enough out of him to warrant a second omelet, by no means a common thing these days.  

 

Still, he made sure to pace himself, as his daughter would need the lion's share of eggs this morning.  "You sure are, Fluffalump."  He smiled, unable to resist taking the opportunity to use the cute nickname he'd coined for his daughter when the opportunity presented itself.  After all, she was growing up, and far from slowly these days.  Soon, the days when he'd carry her to the table on his back would come to an end...

 

No, best stop that line of thinking there.  The eggs were salty enough without paternal tears at the passage of time.  He nodded in assent to Cadence's house rules, "Number two, no freak blizzards.  I know those come easy to you, but save it for the next invasion, OK?"  It was only half in jest; Flurry Heart got her name for a reason, after all.  Special talents could give access to legendary-level spells, after all.  He himself had access to a near-inpenetrable shield, but he would prefer not to use it today!

[Skycoaster]

Flurry smiled as more of her mother's cooking was put on her plate. It too soon vanished as well. Looking to Cadance, she'd brush the crumbs from her chin and nod. "Got it, no house plants. What about enchanted furniture?" Flurry would giggle a few moments. "Don't worry, I'm only joking." When freak snowstorms where brought up by her father, she'd attempt to give him a glare but would start laughing. "Dad, you know ice and snow mages are the thing of the future. You know. What with Ice Storm and that Blizzard guy who works with Aunt Twilight's guard."

 

As her parents finished their meals, the young alicorn would fidget in her chair waiting to teleport to wherever training would take place.

[SteelEagle]

Cadance gave it a lot of thought, or at least appeared to do so. “Hmm, enchanted furniture? Well, I could use a new couch. Dear,” she said, leaning over to Shining Armor, “who is that new maid that keeps on finding her way into the bathroom when you’re showering again?” She let it hang playfully. She leaned in and whispered so only he could hear. “I could use a new throw pillow,” she gave him a peck on the horn. She then laughed and spoke normally. “No, no turning the staff into anything they don’t want to be. For now. Punishments for criminals come later, I’m sure,” she said as she continued to eat.

 

As she did so, Cadance was given leave to think about the nature of weather magic. Ice mages such as Blizzard worked fundamentally different to a pegasus. A pegasus manipulated long-standing weather patterns and currents to stabilize weather and get the desired results not just at the time, but over the long haul. Elemental mages produced much more dramatic results but did not change the basic weather pattern. If an area of the world was supposed to be sunny and beautiful, an elemental wizard could change that- but once the spell was over, the pattern would return to normal. 

 

But Flurry Heart was an Alicorn. She had pegasus magic in her. It was known already that Alicorns could control the weather better than most pegasi could, and it was an open secret (and source of minor tension with Cloudsdale) that Cadance was capable of doing the work of several dozen pegasi. How powerful would Flurry Heart be? With the help of a former pegasus and current unicorn, they had the knowledge to help her unlock her greatest potential.

Cadance finished eating, then gave a look to her husband. “Ready, dear?” She said, nodding to his expertise and leadership in this field.

[Blueblood]

Shining Armor suspended a raised eyebrow on his wife's painfully hung phrase.  "Oh?  That wasn't you in a maid costume?"  It probably wasn't; Cadence wasn't the sort to let her personal games stop there if she was in person, but it was probably best to stop there before Flurry got any more ideas in her head.  She was already thinking towards the future, and a very troublesome future that might be!  Best to make sure she was prepared for it.

 

"Well then!  It's about time we get started; outside!"  Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Shining Armor strode off into the courtyard off the back.  Ever the embodiment of the Colt Scout, he had prepared it the night before as a magic arena, cleared of anything that wasn't going to be used for training.  It would cut back on any unintentional transformations and enchantments, and the crystal rods at the perimeters would dissipate any spell that touched the edges.  Anything that happened within, however, both ponies would have to whether.

 

"Alright Flurry, just like with muscles, so with mana.  Best thing to do is start with warm up drills to get the energy going smoothly."  He nodded over to the set of weights, next to a measuring chart marking height.  "Levitate whichever weight is just at the upper edge of your comfort level, from the two foot mark to the five-foot mark."  He took the heaviest set for himself, to work out alongside her.

[Skycoaster]

Flurry would tilt her head in confusion at her parents comments about one of the maids. It would not be long however before her father got up and headed outside. The excited filly would fallow him closely, skipping in her excitement. Today was going to be a fun day after all. After all the years of book learning, Flurry was now getting a chance to put her knowledge to the test.

 

Seeing the arena her father had set up, her jaw would drop before turning into a grin. Excitedly she'd fly over to the weights. "Like this dad?" she'd ask as she quickly made her way through just about every weight before ending with ones almost as heavy as her. She'd handle them with ease in her aura before having an idea. "Can I try it this way too?" as she sat them down and began pushing some of the heavy weights the old 'earth pony' way. "Wow, that's a workout. Dad, using muscles alone, who do you think is stronger, you or Aunt Twilight's friend Applejack?"

[Blueblood]

Seeing Flurry take not only to the magical, but physical way as well pleased Shining more that he thought it would.  She was taking after him in more ways than he thought she would; princesses not usually being a gym fixture.  "That's it, Flurry!  And yes, keeping your body in shape and strong is just as important for your magic as your mind, though some wizards might disagree with that.  Oh, and on that note, do remind Sunburst not to miss leg day."  He chuckled, letting his daughter pump the irons along side him for a bit.  "Mmm, it's hard to say; it's been years since we last hoof-wrestled, and I don't know what she lifts these days.  I'll challenge her to a match next time we see each other, how about that?"

 

After a few more reps, he gently pushed the weights away.  "Alright, that was your power warm up, now for focus and precision."  With his magic, he lifted out two feathers, long pinfeathers of a local bird, one for each of them.  "Now, you've got to move this to the upper green line, and lower green line, lining up exactly, without stopping short or going beyond.  Ten reps in a row, just like before."  It was one of those things that sounded a lot easier than it was, especially after a unicorn or alicorn really got their mana mojo going.  It was all too easy to let the feather fly out of control, and given Flurry's past, Shining expected to need to ask his daughter to try again  several times before she got ten in a row....

[SteelEagle]

Cadance followed the pair, allowing her husband to dictate the training while she stayed at a distance. Shining Armor was born a unicorn and had a better understanding of what it took to teach a young one, at least natively, than Cadance did. Not that she wouldn’t watch, of course. She was excited to see her daughter’s progress, and what mother didn’t enjoy snooping into daddy-daughter time? And so Cadance made her way to a balcony that oversaw the courtyard. The courtyard itself often hosted some form of event or even show, and the Royal Balcony was the location she was tethered to. So she took her position and watched.

Not that she wasn’t busy. She had her own part to play, but until then she did some light paperwork while mostly focused on her family. Shining was an excellent teacher and father, driven to ensure that Flurry had a rounded training routine. She was already strong. No doubt by the time she was an older filly she would be able to toss her parents around like one of those ‘pro wrestling’ ponies that Applejack spoke about. Speaking of, who was stronger? Cadance had given that some thought before. Frankly, she believed Applejack had the overall edge in the past. Shining had better front-leg strength and they were likely close to equal in most other ways, but Applejack’s back legs had become something of a lightning rod of fascination in certain quarters. Nowadays however? Well, nopony had asked the mare to do a lot of testing after her accident, but Cadance would bet a small town in the Empire on her husband being considerably stronger.

She watched with pride when her daughter went to work- and then concern as the feather repwork began. Okay, she needed to pay attention here. Otherwise she could lose an eye-
“Your Majesty, what should I tell the High King?" A guard asked, ducking in through the balcony curtain.
“Tell him that the delay will be over soon and I look forward to meeting him. I’m watching my daughter, so if you wouldn’t mind…?” She allowed the pause to end it better than she could before turning to face what was most assuredly a wonderful sight.

 

[Skycoaster]

Flurry beamed at her father when she completed her weights. “Ok, what’s next….” She’d watch Shining take out the two feathers and had to stifle a giggle. “Oh. That’s easy to lift. Wait, you’re not going to tickle me while I’m trying to do spells, are you?” She’d jump back a step. She’d breath a sigh of relief after she was given the instructions. 
 

The young alicorn’s first attempts were wildly different. From fast and missing the mark to slow and janky, Flurry would be at this awhile.  After a few more failed attempts, she’d let out a frustrated sigh and stomp her front hoof. She’d make it to nine once before the feather burst into flames….
 

 

[Blueblood]

Truth be told,  Shining did entertain the idea of using tickling as a test to Flurry's focus through distractions, but that would have to wait until he was reasonably certain that she would pass such a test.  Right at the moment, her preliminary focus was... a bit lacking, to tell the truth.  "Whoa there!"  He quickly summoned a bubble around the flaming feather to snuff the flame before anything else caught fire.  "Take a breather break, stress isn't going to help you focus."  He hoofed over a cold drink with plenty of electrolytes in it, Flurry was probably going to feel surprisingly drained after the exercise.  "It's not as easy as it sounds, is it?"  He asked, commisserating with her.  "Took me a while to get it too, but you'll be glad to have mastered this, by the time there are things... and ponies in your life you want to handle gently."

 

Even if the little princess got nothing else out of today, that one lesson would serve her well for years... decades... maybe centuries to come.  Shining liked to think he bore the weight of his legacy well enough, but there were some moments that he felt it crushing his shoulders.  Cadence knew him well enough to know when those moments were coming, and they took longer and longer these days to pass.

[SteelEagle]

Cadance was not entirely shocked that the training had some rough patches for her daughter. She could easily imagine that magical training was rough for all unicorns, who had to worry about their power, their horn, and how it all flowed together to form part of their core identity. The same was true of pegasi, after all- flight training, wing power, the size of your wings, all came packaged with cultural and personal sensibilities and sensitivities. 

 

An Alicorn had to contend with both, and Flurry had to do so at an age that nobody else ever had. She was unique and special, and would have special and unique challenges as a result. Now wonder that Cadance thanked fate nightly for the luck she had in finding such a husband. Even then, rarely did she find him so qualified for his position in the world, in the Empire, in the family, in her heart, then when he took his time to teach his daughter patience.

 

"You are doing well, Flurry. I'm very proud of your progress," Cadance said from above with a smile, eying the burning feather. "Quick shield, love."

 

 

[Skycoaster]

Flurry took a step back from the feather, looking away from her father, her face red with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to dad," she'd say. "It's...it's just so frustrating. All the princess etiquette I've had to learn says every creature expects us to be perfect. I'm sure you or mom never had this pressure. I thought learning magic was going to be the fun part on my princess training." The little alicorn would let out a sigh. "I've been levitating thing since I can remember. I know I cant just pew pew things all the time, but why is this so hard?"

 

Looking up to her mother, Flurry would force a fake smile and look back to the ground. "I wish magic could be as easy as you and Aunt Twilight make it look....I'm sure she never caught her training aids on fire..."

[Blueblood]

Shining Armor took a seat beside his daughter, letting Flurry take a break to vent out her frustrations.  Patting a spot between her wings he knew helped pegasi relax, he commisserated in a low voice.  "I know, expectation is a heavy burden.  But remember, what everypony expects you to do, and the right thing for you to do, are not always the same thing.  Sometimes they can be very different indeed."

He chuckled as his little sister was brought up.  "Well, not on fire, no.  Her flare-ups usually resulted in unintentional transformations of training aids.  And sometimes the trainers themselves.  Your mother wasn't joking when she asked you not to turn me into a cactus!"  Laughing, he got to his feet.  It was just as well Flurry learned today that alicorns were allowed to be imperfect; the stress of trying to be so, trying to live up to falsely projected images, would break a pony.  "Alright, let's get back to this; I know you can hold a feather well enough to write with a pen, so why don't you show me how you hold it then?  We might be able to figure out what's causing you trouble."

[SteelEagle]

“Oh dear, it wasn’t easy for me at first,” Cadance said as she looked up at the tip of her horn. She smiled. “I wasn’t born with this, and my first few months trying to understand how to do anything with it were confusing and strange. Having a cutie mark but not knowing how to levitate a spoon without it flying across the room and smacking into Celestia, or sometimes not even lifting it out of the bowl out of fear- it was very difficult,” she laughed heartily before she stood up and then flew down to meet with her daughter, landing next to her and bending down to nuzzle her.

 

“One time I was trying to focus on something quite similar to this. Of course it was easier- moving a chair is something you learn to do just by habit, so lifting and holding one in position shouldn’t have been hard. Much easier than two light feathers, so reactive to your magic,” she lifted her head up, lost in memory. “But I sneezed and I sent that chair flying out of the window, out of sight. I tried to catch it, lost control of my magic and closed the window in front of me,” she bent down and flared out her wings. 

“Thwack, right into the window! I suctioned to it and slid down. I had quite the headache afterwards. I pulled myself up and looked out of the window and saw that the chair had indeed found a target- a handsome young unicorn stallion,” she looked over to Shining with a grin. “With a bruise bigger than his horn. I think I hid inside of my room for the next week, I was so mortified,” she laughed before turning back to her daughter, bringing her close with her wing.

 

“You are doing wonderfully, Flurry. Give yourself permission to be imperfect, because no matter what our subjects think, we are imperfect. All you need to do is try your best and be the best Flurry Heart you can be. Listen to your father and relax.”