"ALLYRA, WAKE UP! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE!"
"No…"
"Allyra Pyxis Cadenza, if you don't wake up right now I'm dragging your tired flank to school myself!"
Allyra groggily opened her eyes to see her mother's sister, Snowstorm Shield, glaring at her.
She groaned. "I don't wanna go to school…"
"Well, honey, you have to, so don't make me force you. Hurry up, now."
Huffing, the pinkish-purple Unicorn trotted around her room, gathering up the homework and stationery that were scattered around the floor. Ally moaned and let her head fall back to the pillow. Snow immediately lit up her horn and lifted the filly into the air despite her protests.
"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!"
Snow laughed. "Don't you want breakfast?"
"Not if it means school!" Ally protested, glaring at her aunt. Snow rolled her eyes and levitated the filly and her saddlebags to the dining room. There, the rest of the family was waiting for them.
Allyra's grandparents, Shining Armor and Cadence, her mother, Flurry Heart, and her father, Pound Cake. They were talking happily, and Pound had his wing around Flurry as always.
Pound had been a baker with his parents and sister growing up, but when they died when he was a teenager, he signed up for the royal guard, which was how he met Flurry. Even now, he'd never forgotten how to bake up a storm and would teach Allyra whenever he got the chance.
The four laughed when they saw a smug Snow and a loudly protesting Allyra entering the room.
Shining called out, "Good morning, snowflake!" She pouted at him, and he rolled his eyes playfully.
Snowstorm finally put Allyra down between Flurry and Cadence and she stuck her tongue out at her. Snow returned the gesture and Flurry shook her head.
"Snow, we're meant to be teaching her manners."
Snow shrugged. "She's six, Flur. I don't know what you're expecting me to do- also, you're her mother, so what are you teaching her?" She smirked as Flurry's feathers puffed up and she growled, making the ponies around her laugh.
Pound glanced at Allyra, who hadn't touched her food so far. She was staring at her hooves with a thoughtful look in her eyes. "Ally? Are you okay?"
Allyra jumped and looked at her dad. Then she frowned. "I had… I had a weird dream."
Cadence saw the look in her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "What kind of dream, sweetie?"
"I was-"
DONG! DONG!
The family jumped as the bell tower rang, and Snow yelped. "Oh, shoot! Ally, we gotta get you to school!"
Allyra's face fell. "What?! Already?" She exclaimed, then yelped as Snow lifted her in her magic, teleported her saddlebags onto her and levitated her away. Pound, Shining, and Flurry laughed, waving as Allyra shouted in protest yet again. However, Cadence was frowning.
Just what kind of dream did her granddaughter have?
Snowstorm sighed in relief, skidding to a stop in front of the schoolhouse.
"We made it, kiddo!" However, when she levitated Allyra down beside her, she saw the despaired look on her face. Snow nuzzled her cheek. "Aw, cheer up. School isn't that bad!"
Allyra glanced at the building and whimpered slightly. "But… I don't wanna…" Snow frowned. "The other kids are mean to me…"
She nuzzled Allyra again. "Don't worry, snowflake, you'll be fine. I'll talk with your teacher about it, and it'll all be figured out, okay?"
Sighing, Allyra finally nodded. "Okay, Auntie Snow."
Sure enough, the kindergarten class received a stern lecture about bullying and why it shouldn't be done. During this, the young princess spotted a few foals whispering and glancing her way; she stared down at her desk, trying to ignore it like her family all said to do.
After this, her teacher, an elderly earth mare named Miss Lavender, trotted up to her and asked if she was okay and if she wanted to switch seats. Allyra agreed, and she had her move to the front of the class by her desk.
"Do you feel better here, sweetheart?" Allyra nodded quietly and Miss Lavender patted her head. "All right, then. Just tell me if you need anything, okay?"
"Yes, Miss Lavender."
Despite being young, Allyra had picked up a lot from her family- especially her grandma- about how to tell a pony's real intentions. Though she couldn't say for sure, she had a feeling about what was going on in her teacher's mind. Yes, Miss Lavender cared about all her young charges and was a wonderful teacher; but she knew that Allyra was a princess and the heir to the throne. If Allyra were mistreated in school, she'd be responsible for it- and there were plenty of rumours that the filly's mother was not a good pony to make angry.
That was all there was to it. She was a princess, and her mother's temper was feared. None of the other kids would have been getting this much attention if it were happening to them; not only that, but everypony treated her like this. The shopkeepers, the castle staff, the teachers, and her classmates. Everypony but her family walked on eggshells around her.
Long story short, Allyra was a very, very lonely filly.
"All right, fillies and colts!" Snapping out of her reverie, Allyra looked at Miss Lavender. "A lot of you have been asking me about this, so for today's art lesson, we'll be talking about dreams!"
Allyra felt her ears perk up at this and she smiled, now giving her teacher her full attention. Could she find out why she saw herself in her dream?
"Now, hooves up if you've had a dream this week!" Everypony's hooves went into the air, including Allyra's. This was her chance! Miss Lavender laughed. "How wonderful! Now, we all know that some dreams can be very scary-"
"MISS LAVENDER, I HAD A DREAM WHERE I WAS AT HOME AND THERE WAS A GIANT SPIDER AT HOME AND-"
"Thank you, Berry!" The teacher said quickly, shushing the horrified gasps and cries at the mention of the most treacherous, feared enemy of foalkind. "Some dreams can be scary, but a lot of them can be happy and fun!" Shushing the class's excited chatter once more, she continued, "So, today, I want all of you to draw your dreams! You'll have until recess, and I can't wait to see what you draw!"
"Miss Lavender, I had a dream where my papa's sheep turned into flugelhorns!"
Miss Lavender rolled her eyes once more. "Thank you, Berry. Which reminds me, some dreams can also be a bit strange, like Chaos just took over!" Allyra leaned forward at this, drinking up every word. "I had a dream once where I was eating my breakfast in my house, and then I was suddenly eating crystals out in the plains!" The foals cracked up laughing, but Allyra frowned. It was weird but not weird like her dream. Maybe she ought to ask her directly. The teacher allowed the class a few more seconds of mirth before she clapped her hooves. "Now, come and get your paper and crayons, and remember to draw your happiest, funniest, or weirdest dreams!"
"Miss Lavender-"
"Yes, Berry, I'm coming."
Happiest; well, Allyra was flying in that dream, so that counted as happy. The funniest thing was probably that pony with the weird horns. Allyra giggled at the thought, before figuring out her next answer. The weirdest thing was seeing a taller version of herself, but maybe it wasn't her. Maybe it was just a mare who looked like her… though, somehow she didn’t think so.
Regardless, Allyra decided that last night's dream fit her teacher's requirements, so she set out to bring it to life as soon as possible.
Starting with the ponies, Allyra thought hard to remember them. It was a bit vague, but she was sure that the earth pony and the green pegasus were boys, and the other three were girls. So, she drew them all, adding in the eyes she couldn't see from the distance then: a pink unicorn with teal eyes, black hair and glowing teal, the three-horned brown pony with green eyes, white hair and glowing green, the blue earth pony with purple eyes, dark blue and red hair, and glowing purple, the green pegasus with blue eyes, brown and green hair, and glowing blue, then finally, herself, glowing white- though, this didn't show against the paper.
She put the most detail into the pony who looked like her; white coat, her mother's crystal blue eyes, a wavy purple mane with blue stripes, pale purple hooves, blue wing feathers and the royal family's birthmark- a blue heart-shaped marking in her chest fur.
This was followed by the dark storm clouds along the top of the paper, then the deep blue horizon in the middle. Then, where the ponies were running at the bottom, Allyra decided light blue would work well for the icy ground. But something was still missing… she glanced back at the table with the crayons and saw that all the white ones had been left behind since they were using white paper. Allyra grinned and ran up to grab one, not noticing the weird looks the other foals gave her. She blotted the now blue page with white spots, which were meant to be snowflakes, though made sure to not cover up the ponies. The snow hadn't covered the ponies in her dream, she thought.
Finally, Allyra spat out the crayon and held her picture up so she could see it properly. It was no masterpiece- she was six, after all, but to her eyes, there was no difference between it and her dream.
Nopony noticed that, as she stared at it, her eyes turned white for a brief second as the image she drew seemed to turn into real life. The ponies were running again. But this time, something was chasing them- something black, and shadowy.
She shook her head and her eyes turned back to normal.
That was weird.
Had that been in the dream? If it was, she probably didn't notice, being a little distracted by flying and seeing herself. Allyra frowned. She didn't know how, but she knew that it’d been there, even though she didn't see it. Rather, she sensed it.
Without thinking, Allyra stood up and trotted to the nearest table, picking up a black crayon and ignoring the colt's whine of protest. Sitting back down, she carefully started tracing the outline of the blob on the far-left side of the page, then coloured it in. It was out of the lines, and she'd missed multiple spots, but she didn't feel compelled to fix it like she usually would have. It felt right to leave it messy this way.
"What have you drawn, Allyra?"
Allyra jumped and whipped her head up to Miss Lavender, who was looking at her drawing with an odd expression that she couldn't make out. Regardless, the filly grinned.
"My dream!" She announced, holding it up to the mare could see it better. "I dreamed it last night! I was flying in a bizzard, and then I saw these ponies running, and one of them was me!" Miss Lavender raised an eyebrow, and then her ears dropped in confusion and slight fear at the filly's next words. "And they were running from the big blob! I didn't see it, but I know it was there, Miss Lavender!"
The teacher was in stunned silence for a full minute before she regained her senses and forced a bright smile. "Oh, how lovely, dear!" She cleared her throat and Allyra cocked her head, confused. "But, um, is it a happy dream? Or funny?" She gave a nervous laugh. "It is weird, though."
Allyra's frown deepened. Why didn't her teacher get it? And why was she acting weird?
"It's happy because I was flying." She said slowly and clearly. Maybe Miss Lavender just didn't understand. She smiled and pointed to the brown and green figure. "She has three horns, so it is funny! And it's weird because the pony at the top looked just like me!" She turned the picture back to herself, smiling thoughtfully. "She looked like me, but not a filly; she looks like a big pony, like Mummy and Aunty Snow." She gazed seriously at her teacher.
"What a… wonderful imagination you have, Allyra," Miss Lavender said, almost patronisingly. Allyra didn't pick it up but felt her stomach sink at the amusement in her eyes. "It's a lovely picture!"
Allyra felt her ears falling. Didn’t she believe her? "But… I did have that dream, Miss Lavender."
"Oh, I know you did, sweetie!" The mare said quickly, patting her shoulder. "And you did very well in drawing it. Maybe you should be an artist instead of a queen!" She let out a bark-like laugh.
“MISS LAVENDER-”
“Settle down, Berry, I’m coming,” she sighed, walking away.
But Allyra didn't even smile and just stared after her. She slowly looked back at her picture, beginning to snivel. It didn't look weird, it looked normal. It was a normal dream, so why didn't she understand it? And why didn't Miss Lavender tell Allyra what it meant?
Sighing, the little pegasus folded her drawing up and put it in her saddlebag, ignoring Miss Lavender's call to bring the drawings to her so she could pin them to the wall.
All she wanted at that moment was to go home.
"Flurry, can we talk?"
Flurry looked up from her paperwork to see Cadence watching her from her office's doorway, a concerned look in her eyes. Flurry frowned and put her papers aside, much to her secretary's confusion.
"Of course, Mother. Please-"
"B-b-but Your Majesty, we've barely begun the forms for this year's Crystal Faire!" the secretary exclaimed, looking anxiously over his list. "Not to mention the opening of the new Concert Hall, your appearance at the High School's art exhibit, the Construction Sector's request for a higher salary, the approval for genetic modification of the wheat harvest, and-"
"Thank you, Quill," Flurry said firmly, gesturing for her mother to sit down. "But matters with my family come first. I'll look over all that later today. You may leave."
Quill wasn't happy but resigned to his Queen's orders and left with his list. Cadence giggled at this.
"Even after twenty years on the job, Quill still hasn't changed." Flurry groaned and rubbed her temples.
"He's good but dear lord, he never shuts up!"
Cadence shook her head in amusement before Flurry brought her back to the point. "What's wrong, Mother? Are you okay?"
She was silent for a few seconds before she answered, almost reluctantly. "I'm fine… but… I'm a bit worried about Allyra."
"Allyra? Is she okay? In trouble at school?"
"No, no. Although, Snow did tell me that she had to talk to Ally's teacher about her classmates teasing her."
Flurry frowned. "Yes, Allyra has been a bit upset about that. But Miss Lavender isn't all bad. She'll make sure Allyra is happy." She took a breath and smiled slightly. "That filly is quite strong, Mother. I think she'll learn quickly to ignore it all."
However, unlike Flurry expected, Cadence's frown didn't go away. "Is there something else you're worried about?"
"Well, I…" Cadence paused, looking away. "Flurry, you know how us alicorns have… odd abilities?"
Raising an eyebrow, she answered, "Yes. You're the one who taught me about them, after all."
"It's just a hunch, but I feel like that dream Ally mentioned this morning was more than just a dream, though since she's so young she couldn't possibly understand it. When I was young, after I became an Alicorn, I had moments where I felt disconnected from reality. My dreams became stranger, and I noticed that what I saw in them was reflected shortly after in real life. Not only that, but I always felt this… this strange voice, calling to me."
"And… you think Allyra might be developing an Alicorn's abilities?"
Cadence nodded. "Yes, though probably to a lesser extent than what we have."
Nodding thoughtfully, Flurry replied, "That makes sense; even though she's got Alicorn blood in her, she's still a Pegasus." She looked back to her mother and raised an eyebrow. "And you think this dream she had is part of it?"
"I'd need to know what the dream was, but, possibly, yes."
"All right then, we'll speak with her when Father picks her up from school." Flurry smiled reassuringly at her mother. "I'm sure she's fine, Mother. I doubt Snow's talk didn't scare Miss Lavender into making the kids behave."
Suddenly, a guard burst through the door, making the Alicorns jump. With a fearful look, he said, "Queen Flurry Heart, y-your daughter was spotted heading towards the shield in the plains!"
A little earlier at lunch, Allyra sat in the shade of a rosy-pink crystal tree, vaguely listening to the sounds of her classmates and the older foals as they talked and played. She hadn't touched her food yet, still thinking hard about what Miss Lavender told her and what she'd seen in her dream.
Why didn't Miss Lavender understand? Why didn't she tell her about the dream? Who were those ponies? Why were they running from the black blob? Why couldn't she hear anything but herself in that dream? And why was she starting to get scared every time she thought about it?
Allyra sniffed and curled up on the grass, trying to wrap her wings around herself for comfort, almost like her Mum, Dad or Granny were there with her.
"What are you doing, weirdo?"
Sighing quietly, Allyra raised her head and glared at the colt standing before her, the son of the Crystal Guard's general, and her worst bully. Silver Glamour. He was a few years older than her, and a Unicorn with a greyish-blue coat, sleek white hair, and deep blue eyes. He had an eyebrow raised in suspicion, but she could see a gleam of excitement in his eyes.
Just ignore them, snowflake. They'll get bored and leave.
Snow's words from a while back when the teasing first started. Allyra grimaced, doubting it would do much, but decided to lay her head back down and look away from him.
Then, a sudden blow to the back of her head made her shriek and jump up, whimpering in pain. Silver was snarling at her.
"I asked you a question, so answer me!" He exclaimed, stepping forward and shoving her to the ground before she could do anything. "Well?!"
Allyra growled. "Go away, Silver! Stop being so mean!" This, unfortunately, rewarded her with another shove that sent her into the tree, scratching her knee and making it bleed. Allyra felt her head become dizzy as she stared at the blood, and she started hyperventilating.
Meanwhile, Silver, and many other foals, started laughing at her reaction, openly teasing her. "What? Can't handle a little blood? You know there's a lot of it in your body, right?"
Allyra's eyes filled with tears, and she started shaking. Their laughter turned round and round in her head like a broken record that she couldn't stop. Her vision grew misty with tears, and she finally snapped. With a frustrated scream, Allyra started running, pushing past the foals, just desperate to get away. She barely noticed as she left the school grounds and some adults started and yelled in shock as she ran under their legs, but she wouldn't- couldn't- stop.
Then, the crystal beneath her hooves turned to grass, then snow, and she finally looked up, skidding to a stop several meters away from the city and into the icy plains. The fear in her heart turned to confusion, then to panic. She'd gone beyond the city's limits.
"Oh no, oh no, Miss Lavender is gonna be so mad-" Allyra gasped, eyes wide with horror. "Mummy's gonna be so mad! I need to go back-"
"Ah-ah, ah-ooh…"
Her voice choked to a stop as she heard the beautiful song. Allyra looked around, but even though she must've run into dozens of ponies, she was the only one around. No citizens, no guards, no one. She knew plenty of the ponies around the city edges were stay-at-home parents or worked from or around their homes, so where was everypony?
A breeze picked up and she looked around, raising an eyebrow. There was a hedge nearby, but no leaves were moving. It was like she was the only one who felt the breeze.
"Come to us."
Jumping, Allyra whipped her head around so she could see the border. Her eyes widened.
"Come to us, Princess… come to us, Chosen One."
"Huh?" She whispered, taking a few tentative steps further into the plain. "Who are you?"
"Come to me, Chosen One… I have waited for many moons for you to come."
"You… want… me?"
"You are the Chosen One, Princess… come…"
Allyra found herself continuing forward. She frowned as she realised the breeze was pushing her, but at the same time curiosity got the better of her, and she let herself be led by the wind.
Before she knew it, Allyra was barely a few hooves from the shining blue shield. She gazed at it in awe, as the gorgeous voice grew louder the closer she got.
"Ah-ah, ah-ah… ah-ah, ah-ooooh…"
Suddenly shivering, Allyra's eyes widened as she felt something strange pull at her heart and something in her mind was calling to her. The cries were only growing louder, and she almost felt her heart crying with them.
With a tender hoof, Allyra reached forward and touched the barrier- almost immediately, a sparkling purple and white ripple erupted and flew across the entire shield, making her gasp in delight. She did it again and laughed, grinning as the sparkles landed at the tip of her muzzle.
Then, where her hoof grazed the shield, a few snowflakes the size of her eyes floated gently through, wafting around her with the odd breeze. She gasped again and leaned closer to one.
"Ou mata e matagi."
Allyra yelped and jumped back as the voice sang to her… it was a strange language, yet she found herself understanding it. Your eyes are so full of wonder.
"Ou loto mamaina toa…"
Your heart, an innocent warrior.
"Manatu atu… taku pelepele."
My dearest one… there's a task for you.
"A… task?" She whispered, stepping closer to the shield, her eyes only on the snowflakes.
"Pa mai to mafanafanaga. Saolotoga, tenei…"
Without realising, Allyra had stepped through the border as the shield glowed white and purple. It felt a bit like walking through misty rain. Her eyes widened. She was in the blizzard her mother warned her of; yet she felt nothing but a gentle breeze as the snow swirled around her.
Then she saw it. A great black shadow stood before her, high as a mountain, and was glowing white. It could have been a pony, a dragon from Granny’s stories, maybe something else entirely, but Allyra felt no fear.
"Manatunatu… ki tamafine."
This was what was singing; what was calling to her. It lowered its head to her level so it could look at her properly, and she gasped joyfully, trotting up to it.
"Who are you?" She breathed, unable to stop smiling. She could've sworn it smiled back.
"Maua ai te lumanai… ki tamafine."
Have you come, our young girl?
She leaned her forehead against it and felt it vibrating happily beneath her hair.
"I'm here, Lurante," she whispered.
Lurante… what did it mean?
"Ou mata e matagi."
Your eyes are so full of wonder.
Allyra looked up at the shadowy being called Lurante. It looked similar to the shadow in her dream, but at the same time, she knew it was something completely different. Lurante softly nudged her, and she giggled, nuzzling up against it.
Then something happened.
A horrific, high-pitched whinny cut through Allyra's wonder, and she screamed as the blizzard suddenly hit her full force, almost knocking her off her hooves. Allyra looked up as some of the wind died back; Lurante had curled itself around her and was gazing at the sky, snarling. She whimpered and leaned against it.
"Lurante, what's happening?" The filly whispered, fluffing up her chest and wing feathers on instinct to keep warm. Lurante didn't look away from the clouds above.
Allyra looked up at it and screamed, seeing what Lurante was protecting her from.
Great skeleton-thin horse-like figures were circling the sky; a deep, see-through aqua with deadly white eyes and its back legs morphing into clouds of mist at the hooves. They galloped full throttle, and she could see white steam rising from their mouths every time they breathed or gave that terrible cry.
One snapped its head toward her and huffed, its eyes glowing briefly white. Allyra fell back onto her rear with another scream as her eyes glowed with it; visions flashed before her eyes, so fast she barely had enough time to make them out. But one was the most prominent- she saw herself yet again. Older, wearing thick clothes with many rips and tears, wings fading from blue to pink, a sword strapped at her side and many scars, one over a determined crystal blue eye. She shook her head, back to reality, whimpering as it whinnied and Lurante roared.
"ALLYRA!"
Allyra barely had time to look around before she was suddenly scooped up into her father's hooves and flown away, back through the shield.
"What were you thinking?! You know you're not meant to leave the city! Why did you leave school? Are you okay? Did that monster hurt you? What did we tell you about the border and the plains?"
Her parents' anxious shouting danced wildly around her head like the snow in the wind. She could barely tell one sentence apart from another, and she had no idea where Lurante was. Tears filled her eyes, and she started crying, trying to explain, calling for the great shadow…
"Pound, Flurry, I know you've been worried but you're overwhelming her."
Cadence's calm voice cut through Allyra's panic, and she looked at her grandmother with teary eyes. Her parents sighed and Flurry bundled Allyra up in her wings, kissing her forehead.
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you know you're not meant to be out this far."
Allyra glared up at her mother, much to Flurry's surprise. "Yeah, I am! Lurante told me I have to come, and it told me I have to do a task-thing, and Lurante was protecting me from the snow horses! Where's Lurante, Mummy? I need to do Lurante's job!"
The three of them were frozen in shock- none more so than Cadence, who had turned pale. Flurry and Pound didn't see this, however. Pound cleared his throat. "Allyra, who's Larant?"
Allyra huffed irritably. "Daddy, it's not Larant, it's Lurante! Loo-rahn-tay!"
"Lurante, then. Who is it?"
"It's the big shadow thing out there! Lurante was protecting me from the snow horses!"
Flurry growled slightly. "Well, this Lurante wouldn't have needed to protect you if you'd never gone out there in the first place!" Allyra's angry look faded, and she shrunk before her mother's glare, ears falling against her head. "You disobeyed me! You left school without telling anyone, you went out to the plain, you went past the border- and now, you think this thing has given you a job to do!"
Allyra's eyes filled with tears again. "B-but it did-"
"No buts!" Flurry yelled. Then, she took a deep breath and stood up, putting Allyra on her hooves with her magic. "I'm taking you home, and you're grounded for a month."
"But-"
"Do you want to make it two months?"
Allyra's protests died away, and she lowered her head. Pound brushed his wing against her side. "Your mother is right, snowflake. Let's go home."
Nodding slightly, she kept her eyes on her hooves and started following her parents. Then something made her ears perk up and she stopped in her tracks, wings twitching as she frowned. Cadence stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Ally, what's wrong?"
She didn't answer right away, listening for a few seconds longer as a sharp pain stabbed her chest, making her flinch and stumble. Her eyes widened as she felt a horrid rumble moving through the ground. Cadence easily caught her, grimacing at the worried look in Allyra's eyes. "Granny, something's coming!"
Her parents heard this and all four whipped their heads around to the border, which rippled and glowed slightly before two ponies emerged. Shining Armor and Snowstorm were emerging from through the barrier, Snow leaning heavily against her father. On her chest, there was a small but deep-looking cut. Cadence and Allyra's parents gasped and ran towards them, unintentionally leaving the filly on her own. Allyra grimaced and ran back to them.
"Snow, are you okay? What happened?"
Snow blew her mane out of her eyes and gave her signature confident grin. "Just a little scratched, that's all, I'm fine!" She stood up straight and frowned. "Now, where's that reckless imp?"
All eyes turned on Allyra and she shrivelled beneath the disapproving and anxious looks.
"You're sure you're okay, Snowy?"
"I'm fine, Dad. Nothing I can't shake off in a few days."
"In any case, Princess, you should stay off work for at least a week until you're fully recovered. Understand?"
"Ugh, fine. If it'll make ponies stop fussing."
Allyra sat quietly outside the infirmary, staring at the ground, waiting for her parents to come back out and tell her what her punishment entailed. It'd been a few hours of checkups on all those who’d left, then waiting for the doctor's analysis of Snow's injury, so school was over now.
She frowned. What she'd done was wrong, and she had disobeyed them. But she couldn't bring herself to regret it. Not after what she'd seen. What were those snow horses? What was Lurante? Why was there a blizzard? What did Lurante want her to do?
"Allyra."
She snapped her head up to see her mother glaring. She levitated Allyra's saddlebags to her and pointed to her right. "Your grandfather picked these up for you. Say thank you, then go to your room and stay there until dinner."
Silently, Allyra nodded and walked off, immediately forgetting about Shining. She reached her room, shut her door behind her, sat down, and pulled her dream drawing out to look at. Somehow, seeing the ponies there brought her comfort.
A light tapping brought her back to reality for perhaps the hundredth time that day, and she looked up to see Cadence entering the room, a soft smile on her face.
Despite this, Allyra's face scrunched into a glare, and she looked away.
"Mummy and Daddy already got mad at me, I don't wanna have you get mad at me!" She exclaimed, subconsciously wrapping her wings around herself.
"I'm not mad at you, blizzard."
Allyra looked at her grandmother in surprise; not only was this a new nickname, but she was more surprised that Cadence wasn't angry. Cadence sat beside her and wrapped a wing around her. "I'm just worried. Why did you run away from school?"
It was the same question her parents had asked, yet Allyra drew comfort from the quiet, loving feeling in Cadence's words. "Silver Glamour was being mean to me again, and he hurt me, too, Granny."
Cadence nodded, then frowned. "Didn't Aunty Snow talk to Miss Lavender?"
Allyra growled. "Silver isn't in my class, Granny. Miss Lavender moved my chair and yelled at the other kids, but it didn't do anything. But Silver isn't in my class and none of the teachers was looking when he pushed me, and my knee got hurt and all the other fillies and the colts were laughing at me. Silver was laughing too."
Cadence gently took Allyra's hoof, lifting it. Only now did Allyra see the dried blood matted in the fur; her face turned green, and she started feeling dizzy again when her granny lit up her horn, healing the cut and cleaning the fur with her magic. Cadence nuzzled Allyra affectionately. "All better."
"But… they were laughing when I got sick when I saw my blood."
"It's okay, Ally, some ponies do get sick if they see blood." She winked. "Your daddy faints as soon as he sees it." Allyra giggled at this. Cadence looked at the picture by the foal's hooves and asked, "What's this, sweetie? Did you draw it at school?"
"Yuh-huh!" Allyra said, now grinning as she held it up for Cadence to see. "Miss Lavender said we have to draw our dreams, so I drew the dream I had last night!" Cadence's eyes widened slightly.
"And this is the dream you had?"
Nodding, the filly continued, "Yeah! I think that the pony at the front is me, but a big pony, not a little pony like me. I dunno who those other ponies are, but one of them has three horns!”
Cadence nodded slowly, taking in the picture. "You think that pony at the front is you?"
"Yep!" Then Allyra frowned. “I think me is missing something." She dug through her saddlebags where she kept some coloured pencils, and drew out a red one, tracing a small line over the Mini Allyra's eye. "Now it's done! When one of the snow horses in the blizzard looked at me, I saw me again, but a big pony and I had lines over my face and my hooves!"
She didn't see the sudden anxiety cross her grandmother's face as she said this, but Cadence continued cooly, "I see. Where do you think you are?"
"Out in the blizzard, probebably!"
"And what's this shadow? It looks a little messy."
Allyra nodded seriously and pointed to the shadow. "Yeah, it's meant to be like that!" She frowned. "I mean, I didn't see it in my dream, but it was there, I know it was. And when I was looking at my drawing after I drew it, I saw it like I was dreaming again, and they were running! That time I did see the blob, but I didn't see it when I dreamed it."
Cadence then frowned as she said the next detail. "I didn't see it from the big me, I saw it from the air, and I was flying." She shrugged. "I dunno why I saw me, and that's the weird part about it, which Miss Lavender said we had to draw." Allyra grimaced and Cadence felt her tense up under her wing. "Miss Lavender didn't like it. She said it was good, but she sounded weird, and she didn't believe me." Cadence's worried face softened as the filly sniffed. "Sh-she wouldn't tell me why I dreamed it or what my dream was about. She thought I was lying."
"No, that won't be the reason." Allyra looked up at her, instinctively relaxing at the loving smile. "Not many ponies can tell what dreams mean, and I don't know anyone in the castle who can."
"But… she still didn't believe me. She said I should be an art pony and not a queen."
"I think she was joking then, sweetie."
"She didn't sound like it. She doesn't like me, Granny. No one does."
Cadence sighed and pulled Allyra closer to her. "Not everypony will, Ally. Did you know, that when I was a Princess, there were lots of ponies who didn't like me?" The filly's jaw dropped, and Cadence giggled. "It's true. Even now, some ponies don't like me. And some ponies don't like Grandpa, Aunty Snow, and your Mummy and Daddy."
"Really?"
"Yes. Some ponies find it hard to trust royals, which is normal."
Allyra nodded, smiling, but then frowned as she looked back at her picture. Cadence stayed silent as Allyra thought. "Granny, I don't think I dreamed a normal dream. It felt weird, and Lurante was weirder, but I wanna see it again."
"Ally?" She looked at Cadence, who suddenly had a serious look in her eyes. "I want you to tell me everything that happened after you left school. Okay?"
Though she was confused, Allyra didn't question it and told her granny everything. She told her about the singing and the voice, then how the wind took her to the border, and she made the shield change colour. Then she told her about the snowflakes, and how she found what was singing when she found Lurante. She talked about how she didn't know Lurante's name, or what it was, but it seemed to love her, and it spoke to her through her mind in another language that she understood. After being prompted, Allyra told Cadence what was said, surprised that she could remember it word for word. Cadence didn't understand it, but Allyra was able to translate it. After this, she told her about the snow horses, how she saw a bunch of things, then herself again after it looked at her, and how Lurante protected her.
This took a few hours since to be fair, Allyra is only six so her ability to express a story such as this was a bit difficult. But, Cadence was endlessly patient, gently prompting her to continue and letting her talk without much interruption. By the time they were done, the bell for six o'clock had rung and it was time for dinner.
Flurry entered the room, surprised to see Cadence and to see Allyra so much happier. Though it made sense; Allyra and Cadence had a powerful bond and Cadence understood Flurry's daughter better than anypony. Though, she wouldn't be happy if she found out Cadence was encouraging Allyra's fantasies.
"Mother, Allyra, it's dinnertime." She sighed as Allyra simply looked away.
"Thank you, dear. We'll be there soon," Cadence said, smiling. Flurry nodded and left, leaving the door open. She looked to Allyra, unsurprised to see a sour look on her face. "Ally, you know she was just worried about you."
"But she and Daddy ruined it! Lurante could've beaten the snow horses, I know it!"
Cadence picked Allyra up and placed her on her back, nuzzling her as they walked. "Honey, I know you wanted to know more, but you're still very little. I don't think you're ready for that kind of adventure." This made her ears perk up.
"So, you think I can find Lurante again, Granny?"
"I have no doubt." Allyra's eyes lit up, and then she huffed as Cadence added sternly, "But not until you're much older. You're still my little grandbaby, after all!"
She couldn't help but giggle and hug Cadence's neck. Cadence then added, "Now, let's talk about this again after dinner. I don't think the others will want to talk about it."
"But- but it's cool, Granny!"
Cadence said patiently, "It is to us, but not to them. So, let's wait until later." She shot a grin at Allyra. "Besides, if you wait, I have a very cool story to tell you at bedtime!" She gasped in delight and nodded eagerly, making the aging alicorn laugh before they entered the dining hall.
It was safe to say dinner was rather a tense affair that evening. Allyra left as soon as she was done eating but stopped to listen when Cadence spoke to her parents.
"Flurry, Pound, I know that what happened today with Ally was frightening. But please remember that she's still a child and doesn't know any better."
Pound sighed. "I know, Mum. I'm just worried that she'll get in over her head."
"Of course, she will, son, she's six," Shining answered, smiling encouragingly. "Flurry and Snow were the same when they were her age."
"Dad!"
"It's true, honey."
Cadence looked directly at Flurry, who still hadn't spoken. "Flurry, what we talked about earlier … I think that might have to do with why she went out there."
Allyra tilted her head. She'd told Granny why she went out there, so what did that have to do with anything? And just what had they talked about? But her ears fell when her mother huffed.
"Mother, she's not an Alicorn, she's a Pegasus and a child. I believe you about that dream, but what Allyra did today was pure disobedience!"
Snow spoke up now. "Flur, you're being too hard on her. I'm fine, and Ally is fine too. She's learnt her lesson and she won't go out there again. Okay? Let's just put this behind us now and focus on raising the filly right."
Allyra looked curiously at her mother, who finally sighed. "Yes, you're right. I'll apologise to her when I tuck her in tonight, but she's still in trouble."
Pound laughed at this and nuzzled her cheek. "Still as stubborn as ever, love."
Flurry blushed and the others snickered, but Allyra felt she'd heard enough and left. She didn't hear Snow's next words.
"One more thing. No matter what Allyra said, whatever's out there is too dangerous to let the citizens near, especially the children."
"Are you proposing we ban going out to the fields?"
"Aside from the workers, yes. Plus… I don't like this. Allyra hearing voices telling her to leave the Empire is pretty suspicious. We should keep a closer eye on her."
While the others agreed, no one saw the look of discomfort Cadence wore.
"Do you understand, snowflake?"
"Yes, Mummy. Yes, Daddy."
Pound and Flurry nodded and nuzzled Allyra, making her laugh before they left. "Love you, sweetheart!"
"Night-night!"
Allyra's smile faded as they left the room and Cadence entered. She looked pleadingly at her. "Granny, what did you and Mummy talk about earlier?"
Cadence raised an eyebrow as she sat by Allyra's bed. "So, you were listening." Allyra smiled sheepishly and Cadence shook her head in amusement. "No surprise there. But, as for what we were talking about, I think that since your mother and I are Alicorns, you might have some of our special skills."
The filly's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Yep, though we'll have to wait and see what they are."
Allyra grinned but frowned quickly after. "Is my dream one of them?"
She stayed silent, trying to think of a good answer. "Well… maybe. I think so, but we can't be completely sure."
"Do you know why I had that dream?"
Cadence frowned, before smiling reassuringly. "You're a little bit young for that, sweetheart. I promise I'll explain when you're older. Okay?"
Allyra huffed, very annoyed, but accepted Cadence's nuzzle anyway. "Okay, Granny." She then eagerly looked up. "What's the story? You said you'd tell me a good story!"
"I did say that; didn't I?" Cadence giggled as Allyra bounced her head up and down, grinning. "Well, this story is continuing from the one last night. Do you remember?"
"Yuh-huh! There were the five kingdoms with the Alicorns, but then they died when they tried to stop the ponies and dragons and all of them from fighting, and somepony will be chosen to untie the world and bring harmony!"
"Unite, sweetie, not untie."
"Oh, right."
Cadence nodded anyway. "Well, you're right. But there is a part of it that hasn't been told yet."
"What is it, what is it?"
Cadence gave a far-off smile that Allyra didn't understand. "It's about those snow-horses you saw and the creature that fights them."
"Fights them?" She asked, tilting her head. "What are they called? What's the creature?"
"We don't know what the creature is, but the horses are known as Windigos."
As soon as she said the name, Allyra felt a horrid shiver running down her spine, and she whimpered. "That sounds scary, Granny."
Cadence nuzzled her. "Windigos are rather scary, dear. But that creature was born to fight them and stop the blizzard. The Windigos were the ones who created it."
"Woah! Really?"
“Yes.” Cadence lit up her horn, and Allyra’s eyes widened in wonder as little figures of magic appeared, acting out her story. “The creatures of the world were once best friends, and we helped each other to thrive. Then, they started fighting. The ponies started hating creatures that were different to them and drove them out of Equestria.” Allyra gasped in horror as the dragons and other creatures she didn’t recognise were pushed away. “Then, the Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies started fighting amongst themselves. That’s when the Windigos came.” The filly shivered again at the sight of the snow horses. “Windigos feed off the power that fighting brings, and there was so much of it that they were able to create the blizzard.”
“How long has the blizzard been there?”
Cadence shrugged apologetically. “I don’t know, sweetie. But the Empire has always been protected from it by the Crystal Heart, so we’ve never felt it.”
“What happened then? Who was the creature?”
“I don’t know who it was. However, it’s said that a creature made of Alicorn’s magic, and the magic of other creatures were created to destroy the Windigos.” The magic showed a shapeless creature fighting the Windigos, followed by the creature fading away. “However, all the fighting made the Windigos too strong for the creature to defeat, so the creature was forced to hide.”
“And the Windigos are still there?”
“Yes… as you saw today.”
Allyra grimaced and leaned against Cadence. “They were scary, Granny. I think they hate me.”
Cadence wrapped her wings around Allie and nuzzled her, frowning. “I know they are, honey. I know.” She then smiled. “But I think that you’ll find the creature. Lurante found you, after all.”
Eyes widening, Allyra grinned. “Really? Granny, you think I can find it?”
“Of course, I do. You heard that voice for a reason, Allyra, and I believe you’ll grow up to do great things.”
“But how will I know where to look? It could be anywhere!”
Stroking her hair to calm her, Cadence replied, “Well, Snowflake, there’s a special song that my mother used to sing to me. She told me that it told you how to find the creature- that she would be the key to stopping the Windigos.”
Allyra gasped in delight. “Sing it, Granny, sing it!”
Cadence nodded and bundled Allyra up in her hooves. “Of course.”
She started singing in her gorgeous voice, leaving Allyra stunned. “Where the north wind meets the sea… there's a river full of memory.” She nuzzled Allyra, smiling. “Sleep, my darling, safe, and sound.
For in this river, all is found.”
Standing up and still holding the filly, Cadence walked out of the room, singing quietly. “In her waters, deep and true, lie the answers and a path for you. Dive down deep into her sound, but not too far… or you'll be drowned.”
Allyra’s eyes widened. “Really? Granny, is that true?”
Cadence merely smiled, before opening a window and taking off into the air, making Allyra laugh delightedly, but still hanging on to her every word.
“Yes, she will sing to those who'll hear! And in her song, all magic flows… but can you brave what you most fear? Can you face what the river knows?”
Cadence hovered high in the air, showing Allyra the border. A strange breeze rustled around them, affecting only Allie, and making her eyes widen further. Cadence smiled. This child- her precious granddaughter- was the chosen one. “Where the north wind meets the sea, there's a mother full of memory! Come, my darling, homeward bound…”
A bright flash appeared on the filly’s flank as Cadence finished her song, making them both grin. “When all is lost… then all is found.”
Allyra quickly moved her wing out of the way so she and Cadence could see her brand-new cutie mark. It was a series of blue, purple, and pink lines- the wind- surrounded by pale purple sparkles, and behind it was a bright blue heart with a dark shadow.
She had decided her destiny- she would find this creature and help it stop the Windigos.