#curious plots

{ @meamongthemighty } || Snow, Flurry & Tempest in Flutter Valley || Curious Plots

"This is...moronic," the dhampir muttered under his breath to no one in particular. 

He finished preening and stood, staring at the monolithic wall that separated Flutter Valley from the rest of Equestria. They were only waiting for Flurry to land with them before the gates opened for them. 

*evil laughter*

Everyone: No

*lightning strike*

Everyone: No!

*Posie's feral*

::ALMAS::

Evil laugh.

Several years had passed since averting a disaster caused by Flurry Heart and the foals that had managed to this had grown into young mares and stallions while the adults around them had to adapt swiftly to their increasing powers and special needs. 

Spring was in bloom when the Coalition met on Flurry’s birthday. The first family to arrive was Twilight’s, naturally as the leader. She went into the building and told the bodyguards to wait outside. She walked in between her husband and now grown son. She was followed by the Element Bearers who were followed by Flutters and her family. By now the Cristo twins were teens. Snow had grown to be about his father’s height and build though thinner and clearly built for a predator nature. He had Flutters’ grace. But even now he seemed elsewhere in his thoughts as his mother led them into the hall. Luna landed next with Junior who had managed to spring up in the past years. People passing the building actually had to do a double-take at the towering alicorn male, who greatly resembled his late father but lighter fur and more of his mother’s features. He turned around when they reached the door.

“Fernand,” Luna grabbed his coat to catch the giant stallion’s attention. “It’s this way.”

He knew it was the other way but he had caught sight of something in the sky that caught his attention more than the meeting and, like always, his attention span was not all there. He ducked his head in a pout and followed his mother into the building.

Cadance landed next, alone. It would seem she was to be coming without Flurry again this year. By her expression it seemed so. She stepped inside. But only minutes after something sparkled in the sky and figure grew on the distance, swooping in on gigantic wings. Flurry sped up to land on the ground in what the ponies around thought would be a crash but she managed someone to make a soundless gallop down the street before turning and trotting towards the building. Her perpetually worried expression had returned, this time in guilt for leaving her mother to go to another meeting without her. She would not let her down this year.

The ponies on the street moved out the way. She was even taller than Junior but built gracefully, almost delicately, with wings that looked powerful enough to kick up storms. She folded them by the time she reached the door and looked around at all the ponies staring at her.

She gulped and took a deep breath. 

Flurry hurried inside but as soon as eyes landed on her, her already soft voice buckled. “I’m...I’m sorry I’m late....”

Caddy beamed. “Hi, Flurry. Have a seat, honey.”

Flurry nodded and went to sit in between Stardust and Snow. 

@theplottingtrio

In Flurry’s cabin all the foals slept peacefully with Cadance looking over them for that hour. She was reading quietly by lantern light, Flurry and Snow curled up together not too far off in the distance. The two had grown close throughout this whole thing and she sensed some puppylove between them and she did not try to stop it. It seemed to be melting Flurry’s shell a little so anything helped. Everyone else seemed to be asleep too so it was a nice hour to catch up on some intellectual pursuits for the Love Princess.

The cool desert air blew into the cabin as Luna’s often ominous figure filled the doorway and shut it without making much noise. She stepped forward and before Caddy could even get up to hug her aunt she read a dark expression on her face.

“Oh no...”

“I have news from the Crystal Empire. You may want to wake the other adults.”

Luna threw her hood back and stepped into the adjoining room where the adults could all congregate together to speak. Caddy went around and woke everyone with small, tickling wisps of pink magic. Only the adults though. She left the foals gently slumbering. 

“News from the Empire...” she whispered softly to each before joining Luna in the other room.

Luna stood quietly and simply handed Cadance a letter. The letter read:

“We are sorry to inform you of the passing of Zodiac of the Crystal Empire this morning at 3:00AM while on life support. Our hopes and prayers are with your family.”

It was signed with the hospital staff.

Cadance felt her throat lock closed as she handed the letter back to Luna and looked around at the others as they joined the room. 

The Crystal Heart.

She kept reminding herself she was connected to it. She had to hold herself together so it wouldn’t stop working. Or the Empire would be buried in snow. She took a deep breath. 

Luna gave the letter up to Batsy to read who looked up at Caddy sympathetically. The letter was then passed around without words. Caddy covered her face.

The Crystal Heart.

Zo. Zodiac. Her first born. Her son. The way he used to grab at her mane when he was a yearling. How he took extra long to learn to walk. How he took after Shining. He had adored Twilight. His favorite foods were banana splits. He was a unicorn, not like Flurry. He was all they had expected of a union. He would have led a nice, normal life. 

Would have.

Cadance pulled her face out of her hooves and began laughing hysterically. 

“Hahahahhaaha! I can’t even tell her yet.”

Luna frowned to see Cadance utterly crack like this.

The deep purple Zephyr led her pink younger sister Aurora down the long carpet to the throne of Theosis. Both alicorns were a tad nervous to meet this pariah of an alicorn. Though both showed it in different ways. Aurora was visibly biting her lip and fidgeting and snapping at anyone who asked if she was alright. Of course she was alright! She had slain gigantic monsters with her bare hooves and magic! She was Aurora! She could handle talking to Theosis. Besides, she had Zephyr with her. Zephyr was fearless. 

Zephyr’s anxiety manifested positively. The ambitious second eldest daughter of Cosmos and Galaxia used her pumping adrenaline to remain alert and focused, recording all of what she saw around her and preparing herself for Theosis’ larger-than-life persona. She had learned from others that she would do a great deal of talking and that disagreement was unwise if one did not know how to go about it. So she came prepared to temper her usual ego. Usually she was the biggest ego in the room and she knew it. But Theosis was worlds ahead of her in that department. 

Zephyr had a kingdom not too different from Theosis’ own reign. What she could learn from the master she knew was a worth humbling herself over this once. It surprised Aurora. She had never seen her sister eager to learn from another. But Theosis was special, they all knew this.

They stood before the giant alicorn and bowed.

“Yes. One tried to follow on the way but he was disposed of,” Zephyr explained. “We found the insignia of one of Corona’s outer planetary watches on him. Her guardians are expanding but it is nothing that can’t be discouraged by a total wipe-out of one wave of her soldiers. She hates ‘wasting’ life. Kill one wave of her armies and she will be discouraged to send another. It batters her heart.”

Luna sat before Celestia’s cell in the late hours of the asylum, their hushed voices barely carrying to one another. The sisters had a long pause between them as the de-powered alicorn seemed to be thinking on the question Luna posed to her. Without her madness and the burdensome overpower eating at her brain she could make more moral judgments these days. But that was not why Luna had come to her tonight and she knew it.

“You must show them the vision then. Sooner rather than later. Regardless of what they saw...” Celestia told Luna. 

“My fear is that...”

“It will break them? Yes,” Celestia stated “It might. I won’t lie say that Posie and Junior are going to be alright after what they saw and then having this vision given to them directly after. But you are on a clock. From what you have told me, they must know. Your son and Stardust must not end up like us...or worse.”

Luna looked at her sister, who had always been the methodical one. But she had also juggled Equestria in times of peril before her slip up. Her longterm judgments, when not clouded by madness, were usually sound.

“Then...it will be done...” Luna sighed and sniffled, fighting back tears.

Junior had a restless night. He had not been sleeping well since the play and what he had seen. But eventually he passed into slumber. In the dream he was on the beach and there was no one around. He turned and trotted, for some reason looking for Stardust. He saw a sandcastle he remembered building with him when they were younger. 

A mist seemed to hover over the beach as Luna opened Junior’s dream up to Posie’s. She placed them both in a peaceful scene at first. She too was not exactly sure what would happen in this vision, though she had a feeling it would differ from what she showed Snow and Stardust. Junior sat by the sandcastle. The dream was nice and quiet, a contrast to the noisy, creepy things he usually dreamed about. He started building another castle for lack of anything to do and worked so quickly his dwarfed the one that he and Stardust had made as younger colts.