I don't own either 'Godzilla' nor 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'. 'Godzilla' is a trademark of Toho Co. Ltd. and 'My Little Pony' in all its incarnations is owned by Hasbro.
"Have You Seen This Baby? Part 3-Epilogue"
The Crystal Empire was left in chaos on what was suppose to be one of the best days of Muse's life. She was suppose to get a simple magic lesson from a very reliable teacher. Instead, she found herself feeling guilty as could be over the loss of a sweet, innocent baby girl. But it might be worse than anyone could imagine. That baby just might've ended up in the clutches of two of the most dangerous villains to step out from the shadows of the past.
Takes place during Season 7, Episode 12, "Discordant Harmony"
Concluded from "Family Ties Together" & "A Lesson Gone Wrong"
"What the heck am I going to do?" Dark Lightning let out worriedly.
He was pacing around like an inmate on death row, still clutching Azurite close to him all the while. He looked out to the far stretches of ice before him knowing full well his sister was still out there somewhere. What he didn't know was whether she was safe or on her way to becoming a snow monster snack and it was tearing him up inside.
"I can't just leave Khaos out there to deal with that thing on her own," Dark Lightning exclaimed. He then stopped and held out Azurite to get a good look at her. "But I can't take you where I know there's danger either. Blasted Khaos Fury probably planned it this way, too. She knew I would be conflicted and want to keep you safe.
"You're probably the only thing keeping me from going back out there to help her. Not that it's your fault or anything, Azurite..." Dark Lightning then let out a cry of anger. "Darn it, Lilly Berry! Why do you always have to be so... so... so you?"
Dark Lightning felt Azurite's hooves reaching out as she tried to hug him in hopes of comforting the troubled stallion. It seemed to work somewhat, for Dark Lightning was able to take a deep breath before smiling at Azurite and then pulling her closer to him. But then, all of a sudden, a flash of light made both ponies look to see a most welcomed sight.
"Hi, honey, I'm home," Khaos Fry just barely managed to say.
"Lilly Berry!" Dark Lightning exclaimed in joyous relief.
At the same time, Azurite spread out her wings and took to the air as she flew to meet Khaos Fury. Dark Lightning instantly followed after the foal to greet his sister, smiling excitedly and with relief. The exhausted Khaos sat hunched over as she watched Dark Lightning and Azurite rush towards her.
"Oh, boy," Khaos Fury whispered.
She was nearly sent toppling over by the force of her brother crashing into and embracing her. Azurite soon followed, doing her best to hug both ponies despite how much smaller she was than them. Khaos Fury was actually taken by surprise when her brother pulled her in closer to kiss her on the forehead. Then Dark Lightning pulled back some to look his sister in the face.
"Don't ever do anything like that again, you crazy... crazy you!" Dark Lightning exclaimed. "You nearly scared me half to death, Lilly Berry! Please don't ever put me through this again, okay?"
Khaos Fury looked to her brother in confusion.
"Why are you calling me by my slave name, Dark?" Khaos Fury questioned.
"Uh..." Dark Lightning let out. "It's just... I..." Dark Lightning sighed with relief as he pulled his sister in for another tight hug. "I'm just happy you're safe, sis."
"Um... I'm happy to see you, too," Khaos Fury let out. "But could you please go easy on the squeezing, bro? I can't breathe."
"Oh, sorry!" Dark Lightning let out as he released his sister.
"It's all good," Khaos Fury said. She then turned to Azurite and scooped her up out of the air as she smiled at the beaming child. "Well, hello there, Little Ms. Sweetheart. Did you miss me as much as I missed you?"
The two ponies shared a warm embrace that made Dark Lightning's heart nearly jump with delight just to see how close his sister had gotten to the baby. It was even better when both Khaos and Azurite waved for him to join them, which he gladly did. This time the stallion was able to control himself, making sure the hug was a pleasant experience rather than feeling like being wrapped up by a boa constrictor. It was they best Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning had felt in a while, probably the best moment of their lives ever really. While both ponies wished it could last forever, Khaos Fury's eyes shot wide open as she realized that it couldn't.
"I hate to break up the moment, but we can't stay here," Khaos Fury said with a sense of urgency.
"Huh?" Dark Lightning let out as Khaos Fury released her hug. "What are you talking about?"
"We have to get moving," Khaos Fury said as she put Azurite on her back with her magic. "Away from the water's edge, right now."
"But, Khaos, don't you want to rest first?" Dark Lightning asked. "You seem like you're nearly out of it. Why-?"
"Trust me," the somewhat snippy-sounding mare said. "If you knew what was out there under the ice like I did, you'd be moving as fast as I am. Aren't you even wondering what happened to the yeti?"
"Ohh," Dark Lightning responded, having just got where his sister was trying to say. "Okay, let's go then... But once we get far enough away, you need to stop for a rest."
"Sure, whatever," Khaos Fury said before she started walking away. "Now, let's go!"
"Right," Dark Lightning said.
He then followed after his sister as the two ponies moved to distance themselves from the ice as fast as they could.
15 MINUTES LATER:
"Khaos, isn't this far enough?" Dark Lightning asked. "I mean, we left the ice a good several hundred feet behind us by now at least. You really, really need to rest now."
"I'll rest when I'm dead," Khaos Fury said.
"Please, don't talk like that," Dark Lightning said. "Not after what happened back there."
"We're this close to getting Azurite out of the snow, Dark Lightning!" Khaos Fury exclaimed in irritation as she looked back to her brother. The stallion also stopped as his sister continued to berate him. "The dome of the Crystal Empire's getting bigger with every step we take! I have absolutely no intentions of slowing down now that we're that close! If you want to spend the rest of the trip arguing with me to slow down, then fine, but I ain't stopping!"
"Khaos..." a stunned Dark Lightning let out.
"I'm sorry, but I care more about this kid than I do almost anypony else right now... including myself," Khaos Fury said. The gray furred mare looked across at the snowy terrain all around them. "This ain't no place for a baby like Azurite. She needs to be properly cared for in a much more comfy environment. I'm going to see she gets all that, which is why we're pushing on to the Crystal Empire.
"You got that, Dark Lightning?!"
"O... Okay," Dark Lightning said. "I understand."
The two ponies then started walking again. As they trekked across the snow, Azurite let out a few babbles before yawning tiredly.
"Aww," Khaos Fury said as she looked to the baby on her back. "Sounds like our little girl's tired. Don't worry, sweetie. Soon we'll be back in civilization where you can take as long a nap as you want."
Khaos then used her magic to put Azurite in her hoof.
"I'm sorry for nagging you, Khaos," Dark Lightning said.
"It's all right," Khaos Fury said in reply before rubbing her nose against Azurite's.
She then turned her attention back to the snowy path in front of her.
"I just worry about you is all," Dark Lightning said.
"I understand," Khaos Fury said. "I worry about you all the time, too."
"You do?" Dark Lightning asked.
"Every second of everyday, brother," Khaos Fury replied sincerely as she smiled to her brother.
Dark Lightning was quiet for a moment as if he needed time to take in the emotional weight of what his sister said. Despite Khaos only saying a few words, it felt like she had shared a whole book's worth with Dark Lightning.
"I do understand how you feel, though, Khaos," Dark Lightning said as he looked to the alicorn foal on his sister's back. "As of right now, nothing would please me more than to get Azurite out of the snow and back with her family where she belongs. Hopefully they'll be better with her and much more careful this time around. That's assuming her family is still in the Crystal Empire and hasn't left for whatever reason. Whether it's them being from out of town, having left to look for her, or whatever.
"So long as she can end up safe, preferably with her own family, I think we'll safely be able to say we done good... What a strange thought. We'll actually be glad to say we did good... Well, depending on the definition, but let's not get into that. Let's just worry about getting Azurite home safe and back to her family."
A conflicted, even somewhat saddened look crossed Khaos Fury's face.
"Yeah, Azurite's family," Khaos Fury said in a soft voice. She then looked to her brother, who was now right beside her and beaming at the child she carried. "Look, Dark Lightning, about that."
"Huh?" Dark Lightning said as he looked to his sister. "What was that?"
"Well..." Khaos Fury began, "I was thinking... maybe it would be better if we went at this a different angle."
"You're not gonna suggest ransoming her again, are you?" Dark Lightning asked.
"Oh, no, no!" Khaos Fury reassured her brother. "No, don't worry anything about that. Rest assured, there's no way I would ever want to go down that road with Azurite again."
"Good, good," Dark Lightning said approvingly. "Well, if it's not that, Khaos Fury, then what is it?"
Khaos Fury hesitated a moment longer before saying what was on her mind.
"I was just thinking that..." Khaos Fury began, "maybe rather than taking Azurite back to her family... maybe we should keep her instead."
Dark Lightning stopped dead in his tracks, making Khaos Fury stop as well. The gray coated mare looked to her brother with a knowing face while her brother looked at her like she'd gone insane.
"No," Dark Lightning said flat out. "No, no, no, a million times no! Absolutely not, Khaos Fury! No!"
"Oh, come on, Dark Lightning, think about it!" Khaos Fury went on. "We've all come to get along so well. She's saved us more than once, we've saved her more than once. It's clear there's a connection here with all of us. So why not build on it and keep her to make sure she's safe?"
"We are not talking about this," Dark Lightning said.
"You remember her just randomly showing up in that cave," Khaos Fury said. "That's not good parenting! There's no guarantee that'll change either. At least with us we can be sure she's safe."
"You know that's not true even in the slightest, Khaos," Dark Lightning said. "Have you forgotten who the two of us are? We're two ponies who have committed crimes against the whole world. We'll be hunted the rest of our lives should enough ponies find out we're still alive. We can't put that kind of life on Azurite."
"It wouldn't have to be like that," Khaos Fury said. She cuddled Azurite close to her before going on. "We can take her away, far away. We could all be safe together as one big happy family just like you wanted."
"And take Azurite away from her own family?" Dark Lightning asked. A somewhat pouty expression crossed Khaos Fury's face as she clutched Azurite closer. "Look, I know why you're saying what you're saying, sis. You care for her same as me."
"You're darn right I do," Khaos Fury said. "Yeah, I know I was a creep about her before, a major pain. But she's touched my heart in a way I didn't think was possible... And I don't want to lose that."
Dark Lightning could barely believe what he was seeing, but it almost appeared like his sister was starting to weep. He actually saw tears forming and then falling from Khaos' eyes as she sniffle and sobbed ever-so-lightly.
"Look, sis, I really do understand," Dark Lighting said. "I truly do deeply care for Azurite just like you do. But that's exactly why we have to make sure she gets the best life she possibly can. If we truly care, then we have to care enough to be able to let her go when the time comes to do so.
"Do you really want her to go through the same sort of stuff we did, Khaos? Being on the run and facing all those hardships with the whole world as our enemy? Possibly falling in with bad crowds... like those minotaurs... like Isarem? Anything and anyone like that who could do Azurite harm?"
Khaos Fury's eyes widened into a near psychotic stare.
"If anyone dared to try and harm a hair on Azurite's head," Khaos Fury insisted, "I'd put them six feet under!"
"That's not the point, Khaos!" Dark yelled in frustration. "You and I are pretty much fugitives with a whole bunch of bad history behind us. If we take her along with us... could you really live with yourself if she ended up... like how we did?"
Khaos Fury looked to Dark Lightning with a stunned expression. Despite that look on her face, though, the mare was actually starting to slowly understand the point that Dark was trying to make. Khaos Fury looked to the baby she held so proudly, who tried to look happy and babbled to cheer her up. But still a look of frustration and regret crossed the gray coated unicorn mare's face.
"You're right," Khaos Fury finally conceded "Darn it all, you're right."
Khaos Fury's eyes shut tight as more tears ran down her face. Dark Lightning moved in closer and hugged his sister to him in an attempt to console her.
"Taking Azurite back to her real parents," Dark Lightning said, "is probably the best thing we can do for her. At least that way she'll live a happy life."
Khaos Fury looked to her brother before turning back to Azurite, who smiled and cooed. Dark Lightning gently rubbed his hoof across the baby's belly while she reached up and wiped away a tear on Khaos Fury's face. She then grabbed the infant's hoof in her own and then looked to Azurite for a moment before a smile crossed her face.
"Well, if that's what we gotta do to make her life happy, then that's exactly what we'll do," Khaos Fury said.
"That's the spirit, sis," Dark Lightning said.
Before they could say or do anything else, though, they heard several sounds coming from over the small rise above them. Some of them sounded like hooves or feet crunching through the snow while there were also several voices talking at once as well.
"Oh, now what?!" Khaos Fury groaned.
Dark Lightning put a hoof to his mouth as he shushed his sister.
"I don't know," Dark Lightning whispered. "I'll peek over and check it out."
"Not without me, pal," Khaos Fury insisted.
Dark Lightning was going to argue about Azurite's safety, but decided to just leave it alone. The two ponies then made their way up to the edge of the rise, which was cut off from them by a wall of snow covered stone. Khaos and Dark then looked to each other before very slowly peeking their heads over the wall of snow and stone that separated them from a fairly big drop. On the other side they saw many a pony walking near single file across the wide open snow covered terrain. The vast majority of these ponies were wearing the armor of royal guards while only a few at the front wore normal winter attire.
"Whoa!" Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning let out at the same time.
They then ducked back down and tried to ease their now rapid breathing and heart rates.
"Okay," Khaos Fury said. "I get what you meant about us basically being fugitives earlier. Seeing all that... put the fear of being on the run in me."
"Let's just think for a moment," Dark Lightning said. "That's a whole bunch of ponies right there... Most of them are obviously with the royal military... Probably from the Crystal Empire's own ranks as well... Now just what would they be doing all the way out here away from the city?"
The two unicorns froze in place before slowly looking to each other and then Azurite.
"You don't think..." Khaos Fury said.
"Well... she is an alicorn," Dark Lightning said. "Those are usually seen as pretty big deals."
Khaos Fury held the baby out in front of her and looked the child over.
"Could it really be though?" Khaos Fury asked. "Are all those ponies down there really looking for you?"
It was then that some of the voices became clearer to hear. The unicorn twins could just start to make out the words they were saying.
"Flurry!"
"Flurry Heart!"
"Are you out here, sweetie?!"
"Make yourself known! Make some sort of noise! Any!"
"Where are you, Flurry Heart?!"
Hearing all this and more made the two curious ponies look over the rise again, albeit much more cautiously. It was a good thing, too since the crowd of ponies had gotten even closer than they were before. Seeing so many ponies marching together, most of them being military ponies, was actually a pretty intimidating sight. While Khaos Fury wouldn't let such fears get the best of her, she would at least acknowledge them.
"Well, they're certainly looking for somepony," Khaos Fury said. Suddenly her brother let out a gasp of disbelief, catching the mare's attention. "What is it, Dark?... Dark Lightning, what's wrong?"
The stallion slowly turned, his eyes looking like they had stared into the greatest abyss. Khaos Fury realized her brother wasn't looking at her, but rather they had fixated on Azurite.
"I knew who she is," Dark Lightning said.
"Huh?" Khaos Fury let out.
They ducked down again.
"I know who Azurite really is," Dark Lightning said. "Her name, her lineage, her home, everything."
"Wh- What..." Khaos Fury stuttered. "How do- W- Well, what is it all then? Who is Azurite and where is she from?"
Dark Lightning looked back out to the ponies marching across the snow, some of them having broken off from the main group.
"Her name is Princess Flurry Heart," Dark Lightning said as he ducked down again. "And she's the daughter of Prince Shinning Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the two rulers of the Crystal Empire."
Khaos Fury gasped like she had just heard the world was ending, her face conveying the same amount of shock.
"Wha... But... I..." Khaos Fury babbled
Khaos Fury tried to comprehend what she had just heard, not being able to believe it had even been said. She looked to the foal she was holding and stared at her intently while what her brother said start sunk in. All the while, the baby filly she knew as Azurite continued to babble and smile happily as she reached out for Khaos Fury.
"That's impossible," Khaos Fury said as she turned to Dark Lightning. "I mean... how?... How do you know that?"
Dark Lightning looked back over the divide, his sister joining him. He pointed a hoof towards the front of the pack.
"That pony there wearing the golden armor," Dark Lightning said. "The one at the front?"
Khaos Fury turned to see the stallion her brother had pointed out ahead of the pack. Indeed, the white furred, blue maned stallion leading the group was wearing golden armor.
"Yeah, what about him?" Khaos Fury said.
"That's Prince Shinning Armor himself," Dark Lightning said, making Khaos gasp again. "I don't remember how, but I heard he and that alicorn princess, Cadance for short, had a baby. It was an alicorn filly, the first born in the Crystal Empire, some say in modern Equestria even. They named her Flurry Heart and she was christened to be the heir to the throne of the Crystal Empire. It had totally slipped my mind that they even had a child or were even a thing until I saw him standing there at the front of those ponies."
"You- You can't be serious," Khaos Fury said.
"Oh, I'm dead serious, Khaos Fury," Dark Lightning said. "More than likely he brought all those ponies out here to look for Azu... for Flurry Heart."
Khaos Fury still couldn't fully believe what she was hearing, nor was she sure she even wanted to believe it. Could it be that her mind was forcing her into such denial because of how close she'd gotten to the baby alicorn she knew as Azurite? The mare was contemplating this when she saw a sight that nearly stopped her heart.
"Hey, look!" Khaos Fury said as she pointed.
"What?" Dark Lightning asked as he looked.
"I know those two ponies," Khaos Fury said. "Isn't that the Earth pony stallion from Pony Tale Island? Wasn't he the chief's son or something? There with him, too. That alicorn...
"Didn't she used to be a unicorn that lived on the island as well? Like, she's the stallion's stepsister or something?"
Dark Lightning gasped as he spotted the two ponies his sister pointed out. Although they were far away, it almost felt like Dark Lightning were standing right in front if them both.
"Holy moly, you're right!" Dark Lightning exclaimed. Khaos shushed her brother, who spoke much more quietly going forward. "That's them as plain as day!... But... how?"
"They look to be pretty friendly with that shining prince guy, too," Khaos Fury said.
"Prince Shinning Armor," Dark Lighting corrected.
"Whoever," Khaos Fury replied in annoyance.
Dark Lightning looked and saw that, indeed, both ponies, who he knew as Thunder Jack and Muse, did seem to be standing pretty close to Shinning Armor. They were with him at the front standing like they were somehow his seconds-in-command or something.
"I don't get it," Dark Lightning said. "How did they get so cozy with a pony with such a high position with so much authority in Equestria?"
A thought came to Khaos Fury, reaching from the back of her mind and forced its way up to the front.
"Wait," Khaos Fury said, her voice sounding almost menacing. "You say that's Shining Armor and he's married to an alicorn named Cadance?"
"Yeah," Dark Lightning said, sounding worried due to his sister's prejudice against alicorns.
"Aren't they of relation to... Twilight Sparkle?" Khaos Fury inquired, practically growling out the last few words she spoke. "The Shinning guy is her brother... and the... alicorn princess is her sister-in-law?"
"Yeah, yeah," Dark Lightning said. His eyes widened as he gasped. "That would mean that Azurite... that Flurry Heart here would be-"
"Her niece," Khaos Fury said as she looked to the alicorn foal she was holding. "That must be how those two troglodytes got in so close with the rulership of the Crystal Empire. It was through their relationship with that... Twilight Sparkle... That creep!"
Dark Lightning looked on very worriedly at his sister. He had absolutely no idea how she would react to these new developments. They now pertained to ponies she had so much history with, so much bad blood from the past. The implications of what these developments threw the whole situation in a whirlwind of possibilities, most of which actually scared Dark a little. Where everything that had just been revealed answered several questions, it now raised a really big one.
What would Khaos Fury do now that she knew Azurite's bloodline included Twilight Sparkle? He knew full well that Khaos Fury still held a large grudge against Twilight Sparkle more so than any other pony; more specifically, any other alicorn. That even included Khaos Fury hating Twilight Sparkle more than Princess Celestia. But where did that leave Khaos Fury with Azurite/Flurry Heart now that she knew they were so closely related? Would this mean everything she'd developed with the baby foal had been wiped away because of these revelations?
Would all her past reservations, hostilities, unbridled rage, and evil thoughts return? Would they drive her to again think of using the baby in her plans of revenge against Twilight? Dark Lightning feared all of this was a strong possibility. He stood there and stared at his sister while she in turn gazed upon the baby she still held. The black coated stallion was tense as could be, his worry and fearful anticipation being so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife.
"Well," Khaos Fury said as she looked back out at the ponies across the snow, "guess we'd better get you down there with all them, huh, kid?"
Dark Lightning stood and stared in confusion, his head cocked to the side.
"You said what?" Dark Lightning said.
"Of course, we'll have to do it without any of them seeing me or you, Dark Lightning," Khaos Fury went on. "That's easy enough to do. We can just teleport her down there into somepony's clutches or something like that. It should be fairly easy to do."
"Hold on a minute!" Dark Lightning said. "Time out... You did just realize that Azurite is Twilight Sparkle's niece, right?"
"Yeah," Khaos Fury said.
This made the unicorn stallion flinch back in surprise.
"And you still want to give her back?" Dark Lightning let out. "No new heated plan of vengeance? No deciding to try and use Azurite- uh, Flurry Heart as a tool against Twilight Sparkle? No nothing or anything like that at all?"
"No," Khaos Fury said, an annoyed expression crossing her face. "Like I said before, Dark Lightning, I have every intention of settling the score with Twilight Sparkle... But none of those plans are gonna include Azurite here... Not if I can help it. Now, are we still gonna give her back to her family or not?"
"Oh, yeah, sure, absolutely," Dark Lightning said after getting himself out of his stunned state. "I'm with ya all the way on that, sis."
"Good," Khaos Fury said.
Then she turned to Flurry Heart and looked her in the face, that sweet, innocent, little baby face Khaos had come to adore so much. Dark Lightning got in closer to look as well, feeling the deep emotion of the moment as he and his sister gazed lovingly into the eyes of the baby. Despite having only known her for such a short time, they'd already been through so much with her and memories of those times came flooding back like a river. From finding her in the cave on the mountain, fighting dire wolves on the side of said mountain, the avalanche, watching the polar ursas, the chase across the ice with the yeti. All that and just the calm or quiet moments in between all played out in the unicorn twins' heads.
Despite all the hardships, both unicorns felt in their heart of hearts it was all worth it just for the fact that it brought them so close with such a beautiful soul. In that moment it all seemed to go by so fast now that it was that close to being over. Khaos Fury, nor Dark Lightning felt like they could really handle it, for both felt highly emotional. They trembled from the emotion they felt, their hearts seeming so fragile they could break with but one motion. Still, neither one would allow a sob, a frown, nor even a single tear as they kept their smiles big and bright for the baby.
"I guess this is it, sweetie," Khaos Fury said.
"Uncle Lightning and Auntie Fury have to give you back to your real family now," Dark Lightning said. "It's where you belong..."
Dark Lightning leaned in and hugged Flurry Heart close while she responded in kind. Something about the hug almost made Dark think that Flurry knew somehow this was where they would part ways. It was this thought that made a single tear escape his eye. However, he still kept smiling as he pulled back to look the beaming foal in the face.
"Take care now... Flurry Heart," Dark Lightning said.
He then backed away as Khaos Fury brought Flurry in for an embrace of her own, even rocking back and forth slightly as she hugged the child. She then pulled the alicorn foal back to look into her eyes with her own trembling orbs.
"Goodbye... Azurite," Khaos Fury said in a voice that shook with emotion.
"So... how do you want to do this?" Dark Lightning asked as he looked out to the ponies across the way.
"Don't worry, bro," Khaos Fury said. "I got this."
Muse flew further away from the group, still sticking close to the ground as they all also started to go their own ways in the search as well. The only one that stuck with Muse was the young alicorn's older Earth pony brother.
"You know you don't have to go with me, right, TJ?" Muse said. "I'm more than capable of searching on my own. It's not like any magic related accidents are gonna happen here. I already learned my lesson about environmental awareness."
"Calm down, Muse, it's not like that," TJ said as he held up a hoof defensively. "While I do think it's a good idea to split up and cover more ground, I also think we should all still stay in smaller groups of at least two or three. I mean, we have enough ponies with us to where that still makes sense, don't we?
Muse looked out at the many other ponies making their way across the snowy plains.
"I guess that makes sense," Muse conceded.
"Besides," TJ said, "why wouldn't I want to be by your side when we're in the middle of something so important? You're my sister, Muse, remember? Plus I think you're a great pony even without the whole brother-sister thing."
Muse landed on the ground, giving her brother to an opening to trot up and hug his sister in a brotherly embrace.
"Thanks, TJ," Muse said as she hugged her brother back.
"I love you, Musey," TJ responded.
"I love you, too," Muse said. "I'm sorry I was being so uptight before. It's just... I worry all the time now about what ponies might be thinking of me... and whether or not they're right if they think I'm worthless."
"For the last time, Muse," TJ said, "it was an accident that could've happened to anyone. We all know it and we've made sure everypony who matters in this situation knows it."
"So that's why ponies keep saying it to me," Muse said.
"That and it's the truth," TJ said. "Nopony blames you, Muse... not anymore at least. All they want now is to find Flurry Heart and bring her home... Also, we're all really happy you decided to join in the search for her, too."
"Of course," Muse said. "Flurry Heart's only a baby and shouldn't be dealing with this. What happened with her may have been a mistake, but it was still my mistake. I gotta try to do right by it, otherwise what kind of a pony would I be?"
"I hear ya, Muse," TJ said. "I hear ya and I'm very proud of you fore taking responsibility the way you have. With an attitude and drive like that, I know we'll find Flurry Heart soon enough."
"I certainly hope so," Muse said. "Because I won't rest or even go home until I know Flurry Heart is okay."
All of a sudden a strange light flashed right before the two chatting siblings, blinding them.
"Hey!" Muse screamed as she lifted a hoof to shield her eyes and she looked away.
"The heck's going on?!" TJ shouted as he did the same as his sister.
The light persisted, appearing to get brighter while also seemingly generating a pulsating sound that was strange to the ponies' ears.
"TJ!" Muse shouted in alarm. "I think something just touched me!"
The alicorn felt like something was put in her hooves. Something that felt kind of warm and a little heavy.
"Muse, where are you?!" TJ shouted out over the continued pulsating noises emanating from the light.
But then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light vanished without a trace, taking the pulsating sound along with it. Instantly both TJ and Muse looked up with dumbfounded expressions on their faces as they tried to figure out or even comprehend what just happened. However, their attention was quickly taken by the sounds of a baby laughing and babbling.
"Huh?" TJ and Muse let out as they looked down.
They both gasped and then grinned in astonishment to find Flurry Heart laying in Muse's hooves.
"I... I..." Muse sputtered out.
"It's a miracle!" TJ exclaimed.
"Flurry Heart, you're back!" Muse shouted in overwhelming joy.
TJ and Muse both started talking excitedly at the same time and showered Flurry Heart with love. They could clearly see the pink furred alicorn was just as happy to be with them as she continued to make lots of baby noises. Muse lightly swung Flurry Heart around, which made her beam all the more with joy.
"Hey, what's going on over there?!" a stallion's voice called out.
"What happened?!" a mare asked. "What was that light?!"
"Everyone come running!" TJ shouted at the top of his lungs. He then ran out a few feet towards all the other ponies now approaching him and his sister. "We found her! We found Flurry Heart! She's back!"
A lot voices started speaking at the same time in stunned and questioning tones, all of them wondering if they were sure they'd heard right.
"Yes!" Muse exclaimed happily as she hugged Flurry Heart tight. She then turned and shot a beam of light out of her horn and high up into the sky. "We did it! We've got Flurry Heart!"
Everypony that hadn't heard the news yet saw the light in the sky and they all quickly hurried over. At the head of the pack, running at top speed was none other than Flurry Heart's father, Prince Shinning Armor. He looked like a pony on a mission, his heart racing and his hopes high as he ran with tears in his eyes. It wasn't long before he saw his baby daughter being cradled in the hooves of an ever-so-happy Muse who was now surrounded by many another joyful pony.
"Flurry Heart!" Shinning Armor exclaimed ecstatically with the biggest smile to match. Despite only being a baby, the alicorn foal flew out of Muse's hooves and made her way to her father who continued to run to her."I finally found you!"
Shinning Armor shouted and whooped with joy as he happily wrapped his hooves around Flurry Heart. He swung her around joyfully before falling onto his back in the snow. The white coated unicorn stallion held Flurry Heart up high as he gazed deep into her beautiful eyes.
"I don't believe it," Shining Armor said in a voice trembling with emotion. "I... don't know how... but I don't care how either. I'm just glad I finally found you! I'm never going to let you go ever again! I love you so much, Flurry Heart!"
The pink coated filly let out many a happy baby noise as Shinning Armor sat up and ponies started gathering around him. The first two to reach Shinning Armor and Flurry Heart were TJ and Muse, who moved in and joined the celebration. They spoke at high volumes with rapid pace about how wonderful it was to have Flurry Heart back and how it warmed their hearts. All this and more was expressed in a high display of emotion. It was a big celebration, almost like an impromptu party right there in the snow with ponies dancing and singing they were so happy to have found Flurry Heart.
Everypony was so busy celebrating that none of them noticed the two ponies peeking out from the small slope above them. The only one who seem to catch a glimpse of the ponies was Flurry Heart, who actually took the time to wave to them. The ponies hiding from everyone else responded in kind before they disappeared without a trace.
25 MINUTES LATER:
Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury walked as if they were both carrying a thousand pounds on their backs. They were slow and their legs trembled both from physical exhaustion and being emotionally drained. They had been through a great ordeal and now it was all catching up to them. Dark Lightning and Khaos knew that overall everything they had done was for the best. But they couldn't help but still feel deep lingering emotions spawned from the connection they'd made to Azurite and then separating from her.
Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning both felt like their hearts were breaking to pieces and it was plain to see on their faces, though neither one saying anything. They both saw what each other was going through, but silently agreed it was best not to try and talk through it. For the time being, they would keep mum about it and just focus on getting themselves back to the Crystal Empire. From there they would collect their stuff,get on the train, and ride it home; or as close to a home as they could. It would still be hard on them both, the memories of those days in the Frozen North, for days to come.
But they would still try to fight through it all because that's just the kind of ponies they were. They were strong willed, near iron bodied ponies who had been fighting the whole world since they were children. For as long as they felt they had to, the unicorn twins would keep on fighting, no matter what form the fight came in or how hard it was.
"Say," Khaos Fury said, having spoke her first word in a while. She perked her head up and looked around for a bit. "I recognize some of this. I think you really did get us back on the path we originally took to the Northern Mountains, Dark Lightning."
"I told ya I could do it," Dark Lightning replied. "Yeah, I knew things were starting to look familiar once we left that slope behind. Just took me a moment is all."
"Well, I'm impressed," Khaos Fury said. She then put a hoof on her brother's shoulder as they both smiled to each other. "You did good, brother... Just look, the Crystal Empire is all that much closer now."
Dark Lightning looked to the dome of light and magical energy his sister pointed to. They could clearly make out the majority of the city's more standout buildings and structures such as the crystal palace among others.
"Yep," Dark Lightning said in a shaky voice. "It's that much closer... Just wish we were already there."
"I hear ya, Dark Lightning," Khaos Fury said. "I am so bushed, I could sleep for a week and a half. That's just what I'm gonna do, too... Shame we can't make the trip back to the empire go any faster."
"Hey there!" a voice suddenly called out from behind the unicorn twins. Dark and Khaos instantly spun around, their horns lit up in preparation for whatever might be awaiting them. "Climb on, kiddos! All aboard for the promised land!"
Both of them gasped at what they saw. It seemed almost too good to be true.
"Khaos Fury... do you...?" Dark Lightning said.
"I do," Khaos Fury answered, sounding just as stunned. "You?"
"Yeah, I see it, too," Dark Lightning assured his sister. "But I still can't believe I'm seeing it."
Before them was a massive sled being pulled by a large team of dogs. It looked big enough to fit six ponies on, three up front and three in the back. Or at least it would if the back wasn't filled with so many bags and supplies. The sled looked like it might've been a beautiful sight at one point, but lost any sort of charm from years of no upkeep of any kind. The dogs of varying breeds were all scruffy-looking, seeming like they belonged at the pound more so than pulling a sled.
It was clear both the dog team and the sled had been put through a lot without getting much back in return. But as messed up and misused as everything looked, Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning were just stunned it was there. The fact that transport of any type came when they were craving it the most just flabbergasted them.
"Get it in gear, kiddos!" the pony on the large sled called out. "Ain't got 'til Judgement Day!"
Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning quickly snapped out of their daze and hurried to climb onto the sled. Dark Lightning ended up sitting in the back, despite there just barely being enough room for him. Khaos Fury sat in the front with what seemed like a lot of garbage separating her from the sled's driver.
"Thank you," Khaos Fury said, sounding nearly out of breath.
"Yes, thanks a lot, sir," Dark Lightning said.
They then looked to their driver, getting their first good view of him... and it took them completely by surprise. The pony looked to be in his mid-to-late fifties and had a really messy coat of brown fur, which looked darker in some spots more than others. His mane, or what was left of it, was uncombed and frizzled and stuck out all over and he had a rather pronounced nose. His thin black coat and white collar looked like they were barely staying together at the seams and he had a rather bizarre look in his eyes. It was almost as if even though his body was there in the Frozen North, his conscious was far, far away somewhere else.
"Anything for fellow pilgrims," the scrawny, elderly Earth pony stallion said. "Mush!" The Earth pony whipped his reins forth, which caused the dogs to resume their trek across the snow."We're all on a quest. Sometimes we need help getting where we wanna be."
The disheveled looking pony quickly sneezed into his sleeve before offering a hoof to Khaos and Dark. "Shepherd Rowdy P. Sayer of Neigh-Ware County. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Although hesitant at first, eventually Dark gave Khaos a nod, which led to them both accepting the offered hoof shake by their somewhat strange host.
"How far you going, Mr. Sayer?" Dark Lightning asked.
"The good country, the promised land," the shepherd responded. "Where you headed, mister and misses...?"
Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning looked to each other for a moment as if asking the other what to do.
"Lilly Berry," Khaos Fury replied.
"Sky Bolt," Dark Lightning followed up. "We're heading for the Crystal Empire, sir."
"Had trouble getting through the snow?" Rowdy Sayer asked.
Dark Lightning and Khaos Fury both looked to each other with amusement.
"Yeah, something like that," Khaos Fury replied.
The Earth pony slowly turned to look at his new passengers with renewed interest, which made them slightly uncomfortable.
"You're huntin' it, ain't ya?" Rowdy Sayer asked. Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning looked to their host, not knowing what to make of his question. "Yeah, you're huntin' it all right, just like me."
"What are you hunting, Mr. Sayer?" Khaos Fury asked.
"Apocalypse, end of the world, Armageddon," Rowdy replied. His tone of voice made him sound a lot like a war veteran not quite done with the war yet. "It's always got a face and a name." The shepherd then took that moment to sip a drink from his tiny bottle he kept near him. "I've been huntin' the thing for thirty years, give or take.
"Come close a time or two... Too dang close... You can't kill damnation, friends. It don't die like a pony dies."
Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning looked as though they were experiencing all the hardships of their lives all over again. It was like the shepherd's words were forcing the memories of their past to swell to the forefront of their thoughts so they could experience it all in one single moment.
"Oh, we know that Mr. Sayer," Khaos Fury said.
"Trust us, we know," Dark Lightning added on.
Rowdy then looked to the two unicorn twins with an even brighter glimmer in his eyes.
"Oh, you're pilgrims all right," the Earth pony stallion said. "I saw it on your faces back there in the snow. I saw it clear as cider and blue suede shoes. Would either of you two like a drink?"
The shepherd then extended his bottle, clutching it in his hooves like it was a lifeline of some sort. The two unicorns looked to each other for a moment and then nodded their heads, each graciously accepting a swig from the bottle. They both used their unicorn magic so as to hold it as steadily as possible.
"Yes, we'll gather at the river," Shepherd Rowdy Sayer suddenly started to sing. "The beautiful, beautiful river. Gather with the saints at the river."
Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning found themselves smiling in amusement at their eccentric new friend as he sang on. All the while the sled got ever closer to the Crystal Empire just like the two unicorns wanted.
THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE
Twilight Sparkle and Sunburst did their best to carry Princess Cadance over to her throne with Spike following close behind. Each had a foreleg draped over their shoulders, giving them leverage to help escort the tired and worn out alicorn to where they felt she needed to be. Actually, they thought she needed to be in bed, but the princess of the Crystal Empire fought them every step of the way when they tried to take her. So they compromised to taking her to her throne, which seemed to make the mare resist a lot less despite still not wanting to go there either. In actuality, Princess Cadance would've rather continued on out in the bowels of the Crystal Empire joining everyone else in helping to look for her daughter.
Ever since the day before when Flurry Heart disappeared, all that's been on Cadance's mind and all she's been doing was looking for her. She wanted nothing more in the world to find her child completely safe and sound and for her to be brought home. But the whole Crystal Empire had been searched over a few dozen times and there was still no trace of Flurry Heart found. The continuous lack of results made Cadance all the more depressed, but she never once stopped looking for her baby. As planned the search expanded far beyond the Crystal Empire's city limits.
Several search parties going out into the snowy plains of the Frozen North to look for Flurry Heart. Cadance was being brought back from one of those search parties, having collapsed more than once while out there. It was decided Twilight, Spike, and Sunburst would escort the princess back to the palace while Starlight Glimmer took over leading that particular search party. Again, Cadance had fought against being forced back to her home, but she was far too weak and tired to resist that much. She hadn't slept an ounce since Flurry disappeared, nor did she have any intentions to despite her body telling her sleep was desperately needed.
She continued to moan and groan in protest, grunting and physically struggling not to be escorted to her throne. They were at the final stretch, just a room's length away from finally putting Cadance down to sleep or at least rest for a little bit. Hearing the soft, sad sobs from the tuckered out Cadance made Twilight and Sunburst exchange frowns as they had many times before. They themselves were both drained and emotionally distraught in their own rights and completely understood Cadance's position and feelings. Twilight Sparkle actually resisted taking Cadance back to the palace for as long as she could, wanting her sister-in-law and herself to stay in the search.
Eventually though she conceded Cadance needed to go back and volunteered to go herself, wanting to make sure her former foal sitter was cared for properly. She trusted herself more than anyone to see Cadance back, hence why she escorted her despite still wanting to look for Flurry Heart herself. It was still her niece that was missing, a member of her family, her blood, and, as far she was concerned, a part of her heart. After Shinning Armor and Cadance, Twilight Sparkle was probably the most upset at having lost Flurry Heart, most likely followed behind by Muse for obvious reasons. The whole situation from when Muse accidentally made Flurry Heart disappear to every search she was a part of up to that moment ran through her head.
The same set of memories ran over and over again, a new image being added with each passing moment. Twilight Sparkle was still seeing it all even when she and Sunburst finally got Cadance across the throne room and into her seat. It wasn't the easiest exchange, especially given it was between three emotionally and physically drained ponies, all of whom were stubborn as could be. Yet Twilight and Sunburst still forced Cadance as carefully as possible into her seat, which seem to make the last of her energy fade away.
"Flurry Heart," Cadance moaned out as she fought to keep her, black sag covered eyes from closing.
Again Sunburst and Twilight exchanged glances, both of them looking troubled. The violet alicorn looked over to her young dragon assistant and saw that he was in the exact same boat as everyone else. He too was tired and he also seemed to be emotionally spent over Flurry Heart's disappearance. While Twilight Sparkle certainly sympathized, she also knew she still had a responsibility to Spike.
"Hey," Twilight Sparkle said as she approached the young dragon, "maybe you should go get some rest too, Spike. Just for a little while, I want you to take it easy and maybe try getting some sleep."
"Huh?" Spike let out in surprise.
"You've been at this as long as everyone else," Twilight Sparkle said. "But you're still just a child dragon and this is far too much to put on you without resting here and there. So I want you to go and get into bed for the time being."
"No way!" Spike protested. "You expect me to lay down while everyone else is out there looking? Well, I'll be a sad sack in Tartarus before that happens! Everyone else is still putting their all into it, so I'm gonna do it, too!"
"Spike-"
"No, Twilight!" the purple dragon shouted, cutting off Twilight. "Flurry needs me!"
Instantly both Twilight and Spike were shushed by Sunburst.
"Please, you guys," the golden furred stallion begged his companions. He then looked to the tired and distraught alicorn sitting on her throne just barely awake. "I know tensions and emotions are high, but please try and contain yourselves a little. Cadance needs her rest... We all need our rest... and for the Crystal Empire's future to be found as soon as possible.
"That's why... we can't rest. Not until we find Flurry Heart... Most of us anyways."
"But you don't have to, Spike," Twilight Sparkle said. "I know this has been tough on you. It's been excruciating on me, too... But it's nothing compared to what Cadance and Shinning Armor have been going through... They still care about you and your well being though, Spike, just like I do.
"If either of them could, they'd probably be telling you to go rest up just like I am now. I really, really don't like seeing you like this, just barely being able to walk. So please... do it for me, Spike?"
The dragon was quiet for a moment, but he seemed to be thinking it over. Twilight was fearful that he might try arguing the matter further.
"You know I could probably make the same argument to you, right?" Spike said, the smallest hint of a smile on his face. "Shinning Armor and Cadance would probably want you to rest, too."
Twilight Sparkle sighed and shook her hanging head despite having a tiny smile on her face as well.
"Just go get into bed, will you?" Twilight Sparkle demanded.
"All right, Pushy Sparkle," Spike joked.
Afterwards, he walked up and hugged Twilight Sparkle, who responded in kind. Then Spike seemed to hesitate for a moment, clearly not wanting to sleep. He still looked troubled as well, but was still very much tired, too. Spike finally relented and started walking away, flashing Twilight Sparkle a smile before he headed for the doors. Twilight Sparkle watched Spike go and once the dragon had exited the room, she finally let the forced smile on her face fall, giving way to her sobbing.
Sunburst worriedly watched as gravity seemed to force the princess of friendship into a sit on the floor while she continued to cry. He had no idea what to do, being too tired and emotionally unbalanced to think straight due to the last two days' events. He wanted to help so much, but feared that the kind of help needed might be beyond his capability. Still, he knew he couldn't just stand there without trying anything at all.
"You know, Spike probably had a point," Sunburst said as he walked up beside the weeping Twilight. He then put a supportive hoof on her back. "I think Shinning Armor and Cadance really would be trying to get you to rest as well if the roles were reversed right now."
"I know they would," Twilight Sparkle said before wiping her tears away. She then forced herself back up to her hooves, despite how much her legs and body were trembling "But no... I can't bring myself to even try and sleep or let somepony else talk me into it. I don't plan on resting until Flurry Heart is finally safe and at home."
Out of nowhere, there was a loud commotion that sounded like it came from outside the palace's interior. Twilight Sparkle and Sunburst looked to each other in surprise, neither pony expecting the sudden chorus of voices all ringing out at once. But it was the tone of the voices that really caught the two ponies' attention.
"Sunburst," Twilight Sparkle said.
"Yes, Twilight?" Sunburst responded.
"Does... Does that... sound like...?" Twilight Sparkle said in a very shaky voice.
"Cheering!" Sunburst confirmed. The two stunned ponies looked to each other in amazement. "It's cheering! There are ponies out in the Crystal Empire cheering!... I can't tell how many, but it sounds like a lot.
"It's almost like they're celebra-"
Twilight Sparkle was already flying away, having felt a renewed energy spreading fast inside her. Sunburst watched her go, staring blankly as Twilight headed out the door. Spike soon appeared out from behind the double doors of the throne room, apparently having been hiding there, and followed after her. A second or two passed before the unicorn stallion shook his head to snap himself out of his daze and then ran after Twilight and Spike.
"Wait for me!" Sunburst called out.
But then he suddenly found himself outside the castle, having been teleported along with Spike by Twilight Sparkle. There they saw many a pony had gathered around the crystal palace and did, indeed, look to be in jubilation for some reason. A brief scan revealed to the violet alicorn that they all seemed to be focusing all their attention ahead of her. She found out why as the crowd parted, revealing a sight that made Twilight buckle at her knees with emotion. Walking up to the palace, flanked on all sides by many a pony, was her brother, Shinning Armor accompanied by TJ, Muse, and Starlight Glimmer.
From their clothes, they all looked like they had been out in the snow, Twilight knowing why since she was out there with a lot of them before. But the thing that made Twilight Sparkle so emotional was who they brought with them, that being the pony all the past days' activities had been about. Shinning Armor was cradling in his front hoof none other than his own, alicorn daughter, the pink pony foal, Flurry Heart. Instantly Spike and Sunburst's faces lit up as they gasped in joy.
"They've got her!" Spike cried in a voice somewhat horsed from exhaustion. "They've found Flurry Heart! They got her back!"
"It's a miracle!" Sunburst hollered in celebration. "A real-life miracle!"
Twilight Sparkle said and did nothing, just standing there and looking on like she was watching a cosmic event unfold before her eyes. Although she was too stunned to move or speak, deep inside Twilight Sparkle was a hundred times more ecstatic than most of the other ponies there. All that pint up emotion was growing too, getting to the point where it forced the biggest, most joyous grin to ever grace Twilight's face.
"Flurry Heart!" Twilight Sparkle cried as she ran to meet Shinning and the others the rest of the way.
Spike and Sunburst ran after her, but she had already reached her older brother, wrapping her hooves around him. After a kiss on the cheek to her sibling, Twilight turned all the rest of her attention to Flurry Heart, who Shinning gently turned her over to the joyful princess. Twilight spoke excitedly, telling Flurry how happy she was to have her back and that she'd never let her go among other things. Flurry Heart laughed out loud at just how happy everypony else around her seemed to be. Starlight Glimmer walked up, exchanging hugs and words with Twilight, Spike, and Sunburst before TJ came up and got a similar treatment in addition to a kiss from Twilight.
Then came a near overwhelmed Muse who was instantly pulled into the fray as everypony exchanged kind, celebratory words amongst themselves and to Flurry Heart as well.
Twilight, who was still holding Flurry Heart; Spike, TJ, Shinning Armor, Starlight, Sunburst, and Muse all appeared in the middle of the throne room. The princess of friendship then turned Flurry Heart back over to Shinning Armor, who responded with a grateful bow. Then he walked up to the throne where Princess Cadance sat, drifting in and out of sleep. He looked upset to see the love of his life in the shape she was, but perked right back up with Flurry Heart's delightful baby noises she let out. Knowing just how happy Cadance was going to be at having their baby back, Shinning Armor ever so gently tapped and shook his wife's shoulder.
The pink alicorn moaned as her eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Sh- Shinning?" Cadance let out sleepily.
"Someone wants to say hi to Mommy," Shinning Armor said.
He then used his magic to levitate Flurry Heart before Cadance's eyes. Instantly they shot open upon seeing her daughter floating right in front of her.
"Fl- Fl- Flurry Heart," Cadance said in a voice choked up with emotion.
Her eyes trembled as tears of rapture fell from them. Cadance shot up out of her throne and wrapped Flurry Heart up in the biggest of motherly embraces. Cadance flew up in the air before spinning around and swinging Flurry Heart while she continued to cry tears of joy. Then Cadance came back down to the floor, gently dropping to her knees as she clutched her daughter close to her and rubbed a hoof over her back.
"Oh, my... sweat pea," Cadance let out in between cries. "My wonderful, sweet, baby girl... I have you back at last."
The others looked on with the majority of them being teary eyed while also beaming with delight at a sight most beautiful to them. TJ had his hoof around Twilight Sparkle, but made it a point to tap a hoof on Muse's shoulder, giving her a wink in the process. Spike then looked to TJ, making him exchange a hoof-to-fist bump with the young dragon. At the same time, Starlight Glimmer made it a point to hug Sunburst, who gladly responded in kind.
"This is so cool," Spike said.
"The coolest, kid," TJ said before wiping away some of his tears.
"Some would say frozen," Muse said. A lot of the others then looked to her for a moment. "You know, because the... Frozen... North?"
Amused smiles crossed the face of those looking to Muse as they shook their heads.
"I've never felt so happy before in my whole life," Cadance let out as she stood up.
She then exchanged a kiss with her husband as he walked up and snuggled her and their daughter both.
"You mean besides Flurry Heart actually being born, right?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she and the others gathered around.
"Well, yes," Cadance responded. "I thought that was already implied." Most of the others laughed along with the princess before an emotional look came over her face as she looked to Flurry Heart once more. "Ohh, I finally got my baby back." Then Cadance looked over to Shinning Armor and kissed him passionately.
"We got our baby back. Shinning Armor, you did it! You found Flurry Heart and brought her home."
"I can't take all the credit," Shinning Armor said before pointing to TJ and Muse. "It was really those two who found Flurry Heart out there in the snow."
"Well," TJ said, "it actually was Muse whose hooves Flurry Heart ended up in. I just screamed my head off like a goof."
"You were excited, though," Starlight Glimmer said. "We all were once my search party met up with you guys and saw you found Flurry heart."
Everyone went quiet as Cadance walked up to Muse, looking at her with the biggest and most thankful eyes.
"You found my baby, Muse?" Cadance asked.
"Well..."
Muse was cut off by Cadance wrapping a hoof around her and pulling her in for a side hug.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!" Cadance said. "From now on, anytime you want a lesson of any kind or just want to hangout, you name it. I will literally spend every moment I can thanking you for finding Flurry Heart and bringing her back to us."
Muse eagerly hugged Cadance back before the rest of the group joined in a happy embrace.
"Cadance," Muse said, "I need you to know something, though."
"You aren't gonna milk this, Muse?" TJ whispered under his voice.
"They need to know the facts, TJ," Muse replied. She then looked back to Cadance and Shinning Armor. "It's true, Flurry did end up in my hooves. But I have no idea for the life of me how she did... Th- There was a big flash of light that blinded me."
"It got me, too," TJ said. "I was right there beside her when that light just came out nowhere."
"Then it felt like... someone or something put Flurry in my hooves," Muse said. "While we were being blinded by the light, it felt like someone had put Flurry Heart in my hooves before splitting."
The others looked on with befuddled faces before some of them started to whisper amongst themselves.
"So," Cadance said, "you're saying there may have been another pony out there with my daughter? One who seemed to have her best interest in mind?"
"Must be," TJ said. "There's just no other explanation. I mean, look at her clothes."
The others looked to Flurry Heart and gasped.
"You're right, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "Flurry Heart wasn't dressed for the cold when we saw her last."
"It kind of looks like these were made from one of her blankets, too," Shinning Armor said as he examined the clothes Flurry Heart wore.
"But why wouldn't the pony or po-nies reveal themselves?" Starlight Glimmer asked. "If they wanted to help Flurry Heart or help us find her, why try to hide themselves?"
"I guess they just didn't want anyone to know it was them," Spike suggested. "Didn't want any fame or glory."
"But why?" Shinning Armor asked.
"You think it may have been someone on our search party?" Muse asked.
"We may never actually know," Sunburst said.
"Maybe not," Cadance chimed in. "But oh how I wish I did. I'd love nothing more than to show my complete and absolute gratitude to everypony who helped bring my reason for living back to me."
Again Shinning Armor and Cadance snuggled up like they were the happiest couple on the planet.
"Until then, we'll have to thank the ponies we know for sure helped us get our girl back," Shinning Armor said.
"Yes," Cadance said as she and her family all turned their eyes to the others. "Thank you all so much for the parts you played in looking for our Flurry Heart. The fact that you all clearly gave a hundred and ten percent speaks volumes to your characters. I can't begin to tell you how glad I am that Equestria has such wonderful ponies as you all living within her borders."
The others all exchanged words of gratitude to the princess at once.
"Thank you, Cadance," Muse said once the group commotion ended.
"We're really glad, too," Spike said.
"Yeah," Starlight agreed, "glad such wonderful ponies like you are running this great country."
"All of you ponies running the country," TJ said as he pulled Twilight in close to him.
She then giggled and blushed before sharing a kiss with her boyfriend.
"This is what true friendship is," Twilight Sparkle said. "It's moments like these that will keep the magic of friendship strong and powerful throughout the land of Equestria forever."
EPILOGUE:
PONYVILLE AT TWILIGHT
Khaos Fury and Dark Lightning trotted tiredly through the busy streets of the small town called Ponyville to get back to Zecora's hut. The streets weren't as busy as they usually were during the day since the sun was going down and most everypony else was heading home. Despite that, the unicorn twins still wore their brown, fully-body cloaks to conceal their identities. They knew full well they were in the heart of enemy territory, having had aggressive encounters with some of Ponyville's most famous citizens in the past. For that reason they had to stay on their hooves and remain ever cautious and vigilante despite being so tired.
They had gotten only a couple minutes sleep on the train back, but that was all they allowed. No matter where they were, their paranoia followed them, minus their time in the north with Flurry Heart, who they still thought of as their little Azurite. The life of villains on the run was not an easy one by any stretch as Khaos and Dark were all too aware of. However, that time in the north, despite all hardships the experience brought about, was still the happiest the two unicorns had ever been in their lives. It felt like the only time they didn't have to worry about being themselves going through life as criminals and actually did something that mattered.
But now that it was over, they both felt twice as miserable as they ever were before. It was the only thing they did that truly felt worthwhile and now it was over. The only thing that made them feel like they weren't bordering on the brink of depression was the memories. Every great moment they had with the baby alicorn they knew for at least a little while made them feel like it was worth going on. Well, that and their hopes and aspirations for the future, some of which were directly inspired by Azurite/Flurry Heart herself.
As they walked on, Dark Lightning noticed the orange color of the sky as the sun continued to set. He also noticed the dark shadow starting to cast over everything else as night prepared to take over.
"Hey," Dark Lightning let out, forcing a small smile as he pointed to everything around.
Khaos Fury followed her brother's hoof until it fell to the orange sun itself.
"Well, la-de-bucking-da," Khaos Fury let out in a bitter tone. Right afterwards, however, Khaos rubbed her brother's back apologetically. "You know, twilight used to be my favorite time of the day."
"Really?" Dark Lightning asked.
"Yeah," Khaos Fury said. "Now it just makes me want to hurt other ponies."
Dark Lightning couldn't help but laugh a little, being amused at his sister's continuing grudge against Twilight Sparkle. The two unicorns then turned to look when they heard the laughter of children nearby. More specifically they heard two babies laughing along with their mother and father, who were pushing them along in strollers. Khaos Fury and Dark both recognized the family, having seen them a few times during the very few trips they made into Ponyville. From what they remembered, these ponies were collectively known as the Cakes and the parents ran the local establishment called Sugarcube Corner.
They looked on, watching how happy the family all seemed to be with each other, how peaceful their lives seemed to be since they had one another. It was actually a beautiful thought and definitely a beautiful sight or at least the majority of ponies would probably think so. Khaos Fury's eyes trembled with emotion at the sight. However, upon turning to her brother, she realized he was even more torn up by what they saw.
"Ooh, look at the time," they heard Mr. Cake let out as he looked to his watch.
"Goodness, so late already," Mrs. Cake proclaimed.
"We'd better get you dumplings home," Mr. Cake said as he looked down to his kids.
The Earth pony stallion put a gentle hoof on the head of his unicorn daughter, Pumpkin Cake and lightly stroked her hair.
"You poor dears look so tired already," Mrs. Cake said as she gently rubbed the head of her pegasus son, Pound Cake.
The two Earth ponies watched as their twins let out big yawns and stretched before smacking their lips and shutting their eyes.
"Ohh," the Cake parents let out before nuzzling each other.
Then they continued on their way back home as Khaos and Dark continued to watch.
"Well... that was an attack to my system," Khaos Fury said.
"Join the club," Dark Lightning grunted before turning and walking away.
Khaos Fury quickly went after her brother, putting a hoof on his shoulder.
"Trust me, Dark Lightning," Khaos Fury said. "You will have the family you want. I promise." The two unicorns stopped and then looked to Twilight Sparkle's castle looming over Ponyville on the edge of town. "All in due time, though."
The mare's anger started to boil inside her, making her tremble. "But I'm still going settle the score with Twilight Sparkle."
"I know, sis, I know," Dark Lightning said tiredly.
"But first... let's go and sleep for three months," Khaos Fury said.
"Not the worst idea in the world," Dark Lightning replied.
With that, the unicorn twins smiled to each other as they resumed their trek back to Zecora's hut.
AT THE SAME TIME IN THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE
Twilight Sparkle looked attentively at Flurry Heart as she sat in her playpen scribbling her crayons across white sheets of paper. Both alicorns were beaming near ear-to-ear, Flurry enjoying her playtime while Twilight enjoyed watching her do it. She was still overjoyed at Flurry Heart having finally been brought back home safely, having looked to be perfectly healthy with not a scratch on her. Twilight Sparkle silently thanked Celestia and the powers above that her baby niece being brought back. She also thanked them for Flurry appearing to be in such great shape both physically, mentally, and emotionally.
As she watched her niece play, Twilight Sparkle had to wonder if anything could've been done differently in regards to Flurry Heart disappearing. Could they have taken more precautions to prevent it? Wasn't there a way they could've had Flurry Heart there for the magic lesson where she would still be safe, especially with her mother and father close by? Did it all have to go down the way it did with two days of searching while worry for Flurry's well-being ran rampant across the Crystal Empire? Twilight Sparkle thought about all these questions and more as possible different scenarios ran through her head.
However, watching Flurry Heart play so happily and knowing that her niece was where she belonged now deeply soothed Twilight's heart. Her spirits were high, her mood was joyful, and a smile was on her face that she didn't think could be removed. She heard the door to the baby nursery open and looked to see who was coming. Twilight wanted to smile even more when she saw her boyfriend trotting in and looking equally as happy to see her.
"Hi, TJ!" Twilight Sparkle said excitedly.
"Hey, Sparkles," TJ said. "I thought I might find you in here. Not just because Spike told me this was where you were when I knocked on your guys' door either."
Twilight let out a little giggle as she greeted TJ with a kiss, holding a hoof up to his cheek while doing so. The delighted stallion reached up and put his own hoof in the mare's.
"I can't tell you how happy I am you're here right now," Twilight Sparkle. "I was missing you."
"I was missing you, too," TJ said. "I especially missed getting kisses from the prettiest mare in Equestria."
"Oh, stop it you," Twilight Sparkle said.
"Make me," TJ said. "Or would you like me to just go off somewhere and disappear for a while?"
"Please, don't," Twilight Sparkle said. "I don't know how I would be able to handle another pony I care for suddenly disappearing."
"Oh, sorry," TJ said. "I didn't even think about that. My bad, Twilight."
"No, no, TJ, it's fine," Twilight Sparkle said. "I know you were just kidding." TJ pulled Twilight into an embrace, which she gladly accepted as she nuzzled against his chest. "I just... I just..."
"Hey," TJ said as he looked deep into Twilight's eyes. "I get it, Twi. Believe me, I get it. When my dad was taken from me..."
"Oh, yeah, you really do get it," Twilight Sparkle said.
TJ nodded before kissing Twilight Sparkle, soliciting a smile from her. The two then turned when Flurry Heart let out a particularly loud baby babble. They watched as she happily lifted up a piece of paper in her hoof and then slapped it down on the others. Then she started coloring on it, holding the crayon with her levitation magic.
"So I'm guessing you volunteered for foal sitting duty?" TJ asked.
"Everyone else is sleeping," Twilight Sparkle explained. "But I still would've volunteered either way. In fact, I think I would've begged for it."
"You shouldn't beg for things," TJ said after a laugh. "It's not becoming for a princess."
"You mean you wouldn't beg for that?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she pointed to Flurry Heart.
"Point taken," TJ said.
"Good," Twilight Sparkle said. "Yeah, after we all had ourselves a party about getting Flurry back-
"I still can't believe Pinkie Pie came all the way down here," TJ said."So fast, too."
"That's Pinkie for ya," Twilight said. "If you need a party, there she is."
"I guess her party senses were a tingling," TJ said. "Or is it Pinkie senses? Or is that how it...? Never mind."
"Anyways," Twilight said, "everyone needed their sleep, especially Shinning Armor and Cadance. They had Flurry Heart with them in their bed, but she woke up, so I took her here to give them more time to rest."
"Right on," TJ said. "That's pretty cool of you giving them more time to sleep... Wait a second, how did you know Flurry was awake?"
A sheepish smile crossed Twilight's face.
"I... may have cast a peeking spell to check in and make sure everything was all right," Twilight admitted.
The alicorn's cheeks started to blush, her face feeling red hot.
"Twilight," TJ said. "You shouldn't peek in at other ponies while they're sleeping. It's kind of creepy."
"Oh, come on, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said. "I just wanted to make sure she would be okay is all. Well, I wanted all of them to be okay, but... I can't help but worry the most about Flurry Heart right now."
"Yeah," TJ said as he nodded his head. "I can understand that. Really, Twilight, I do. In fact, that's why I'm a gonna stick right here by your side and help you watch her."
"Aww, you're so sweet," Twilight Sparkle said. "Thank you, honey. I'd really appreciate the company, especially from such a tall, handsome colt like you."
"Colt?" TJ let out. "I am a stallion, thank you!"
"But you'll always be my little colt, won't you?" Twilight said teasingly as she rubbed a hoof on TJ's chest.
This time the tan Earth pony blushed as he looked into Twilight's sultry eyes.
"Um... yes, ma'am," TJ conceded.
"Victory!" Twilight Sparkle let out as she pumped her hoof. The two ponies shared a laugh before turning to watch Flurry Heart color. "Wait, what about you, TJ? Don't you need your rest, too?"
"Ah, I slept enough," TJ responded. "I'll have plenty of time to sleep later. Besides, isn't there a whole song about somepony not wanting to sleep because even in the nicest dreams they'd still miss their mare?"
"Don't sing it," Twilight Sparkle said. "Everyone's still sleeping."
"I wasn't going to!" TJ said defensively.
"Oh, come on, TJ," Twilight responded. "You can't blame me. It wouldn't be the first time you've sang at inappropriate moments."
"Hey!" TJ said. "No, wait..." The Earth pony thought about it before going on. "No, that's fair."
"You can sing it to me later, though," Twilight Sparkle said. "I love when you sing for me."
"Aw, shucks," TJ let out. "It's only because you're the best audience a pony could ask for. Listens, cares, and pretty to look at. Yep, best audience, thy name is Twilight Sparkle."
"Oh, TJ," Twilight said lovingly.
The hugging couple started gently swaying in silence, doing so for several moments while continuing to watch Flurry Heart color.
"Her sleep schedule is gonna be so messed up now," TJ said. "I mean, the sun's setting and she's up right now not looking the least bit tired."
"To be fair, everyone's gonna have trouble getting back on a proper schedule," Twilight Sparkle said. "Not me of course, because I'm so used to going without sleep, but... yeah, I see your point."
TJ then looked to the window
"Nice sunset, though," the tan stallion said.
"Celestia does good work," Twilight Sparkle said. "She told me she actually makes the sunsets slower on purpose so couples like us can enjoy them."
"Hmm," TJ said as he nodded his head approvingly. Then he looked back to Flurry Heart yet again. "You know, it's amazing to me."
"What do you mean, TJ?" Twilight Sparkle asked.
"How she can go back to her normal life like this," TJ said. "I mean, who knows what she went through out there in the ice and who she was with. Despite all that, being teleported away, going through all she did for two days, here she is coloring. She's just carrying on like any other baby foal would as if she only had another regular, nothing special at all last two days. It's like she's invincible or something, like she has a psyche like a brick wall."
"I guess kids are more resilient than most give them credit for," Twilight Sparkle said. "I know what you mean, though. I was honestly thinking on that myself. We may never know the actual details of all Flurry Heart went through, even though I really want to. We should still count our blessings.
"She's here where she's supposed to be and all is right with the world, end of the story."
"Yeah, I guess you're right, Twilight," TJ said. "Not the rarest occurrence, you being right."
"Oh, I'll bet you tell that to all the girls," Twilight Sparkle said as she lightly tapped her hoof against her boyfriend's foreleg.
The baby noises of Flurry Heart got both ponies' attention. They saw her staring at them while also holding some papers up to them with her telekinesis.
"Oh, sure, sweetie," TJ said.
"We'll look at some of your pictures," Twilight Sparkle said. "We'd love to."
Twilight Sparkle took some in her own magic, handing the rest to TJ.
"Ooh," the stallion said after looking through some of Flurry's drawings.
"Wow, you're so talented and creative, Flurry Heart," Twilight Sparkle said as she looked to her smiling niece. "These are so good."
"Actually, they really are," TJ said. "I mean, okay, they won't get hung up in a gallery or anything. But for a pony her age to do this good is actually very exceptional. I mean, there are... shapes and... you can tell what some things are suppose to be... kind of. Me at that age, all I ever did was scribble blobs of color...
"Yet, my dad still kept some. Want to see one sometime?"
"Sure," Twilight Sparkle said. "I'd love to see some of your masterpieces."
"I was just joking, Twilight," TJ responded.
"But I wasn't, TJ," his girlfriend said.
"Oh, horse apples," TJ said. "Another embarrassing thing of mine my girlfriend knows about. Even worse, now she's gonna see it."
Twilight Sparkle giggled while still looking through Flurry Heart's many scribbles. But then she stopped on one that actually gave her pause as she tilted her head to the side.
"Say, TJ," Twilight Sparkle said.
"Yeah, babe?" TJ said questioningly.
"Look at this one for a moment, would you?" Twilight Sparkle requested.
"Sure," TJ said.
Twilight Sparkle handed the picture over to TJ who examined it closely. He turned it to different sides and even tilted his head. He then turned to Twilight Sparkle.
"What about this picture did you want me to see, Twilight?" TJ asked.
"Look," Twilight Sparkle said as she came up to her boyfriend's side and pointed a hoof. "Doesn't that kind of look like Flurry Heart to you?"
"Uhh... yeah, I guess so," TJ said as he looked. "What about it?"
"Notice some of the other details in the picture?" Twilight asked.
"Or what passes as detailing in a baby's drawing?" TJ asked.
"Focus, boy!" Twilight said. "Eyes forward, soldier!... Do you think all these patches left white might be acting as snow?"
"Oh, I see what you're getting at," TJ said.
"Look what Flurry drew around herself," Twilight Sparkle said.
TJ stared intently, making sure he saw every possible detail in the picture he could. It was hard to make out exactly what Flurry Heart was trying to draw. Yet some of the things seemed a little familiar to the Earth pony the more he looked on. TJ finally let out a gasp as he thought he might've realized what Twilight wanted him to see.
"You're saying those black and gray things might be other ponies?!" TJ asked.
"Maybe the ponies that were with Flurry Heart in the snow?" Twilight Sparkle asked.
"One's bigger than the other," TJ said. "Maybe a mare and a stallion?"
"Could be," Twilight Sparkle said. "I don't know for sure."
"Looks like she drew horns on them," TJ said. "Maybe unicorns then?... What's that thing in the picture with them? A snow creature of some kind? That one's way too hard for me to tell."
"Me, too," Twilight Sparkle said. "Still... this picture seems to hold some of the answers we wanted about what happened the last two days. Or at least that's what I'm thinking."
"That's what I hope," TJ said.
"Me, too," Twilight Sparkle said as she continued to examine the picture. "Hmm... a black stallion... a gray mare... and they're both unicorns. Hmm..." Suddenly a horror stricken expression crossed Twilight Sparkle's face as she gasped, a thought having come to her head. "No, it couldn't be... could it?"
THE END
So... yeah... this took a bit longer than I expected. You know, a better writer probably could've fit this into only two short stories at the very least. But... I couldn't help myself. I truly did love writing this and didn't want to leave anything out. I still did leave some things out, mind you, but probably not as many things as I should've to make this storyline shorter. I still hope you all liked it, though. Let me know. For now... I think I'll be taking a break for a while. Just to reevaluate my strategy for writing this series going forward. I'm the Writer of the Storm, signing off.
Also, one side note: A little late to say this, but still, don't expect Godzilla himself to show up in all these stories. Some are also based entirely around establishing my OCs into the rest of the "Friendship is Magic" world. Thank you for understanding.
