“Flurry! Flurry!” Twilight was searching the crowd for her niece’s cute purple curls, but the crowd of eager parents was dense. She wanted it to be a surprise at first — Surprise, Flurry! Auntie Twilight is here to pick an adorable little filly up from school and spend the entire afternoon with her! — but she had resolved to simply find her instead. Finally, she caught a glimpse of her mane among the sea of colours. “Flurry, over here!” she said waving. “It’s auntie Twily!” Flurry Heart didn’t look like she had seen or even heard her. Probably because of the hoof she was keeping besides her head. If Twilight didn’t know best, she could swear her niece was trying to hide, which was silly. She was simply engaged in a deep conversation with her friends. Nothing else. Twilight managed to slip into the crowd, still calling her oblivious niece. It was only when she got a lot closer that Flurry turned her head. “Oh, hi Twilight.” She raised an eyebrow. “Hi Twilight? That’s a bit short for an unexpected visitor, young filly. Come here.” She grabbed her niece with her magic, then with her hooves in a hug, while covering her brow with a big kiss. “Twilight,” whined Flurry. “Put me down.” She complied, but not before kissing her one last time. She then turned to the other fillies and colts who were trying their best to hide their giggles. “Hi, you must be Flurry’s friends.” The ponies nodded. “Flurry told me so much about you. So I guess it’s Scarlet, Arctic Breeze and Cobalt. Nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you, Princess,” said Cobalt. “Please, call me Twilight. Besides, it’s not an official visit. I’m here as the best aunt ever of this adorable little one. Which is not really less stressful when I think about it. I mean, you should have seen Flurry when she was just a baby. The cutest filly you could find but one that would always find a way to cause troubles.” “Twilight, stop,” whined Flurry again. “Did she tell you about the time she disappeared in Ponyville for a whole afternoon?” “No,” said Scarlet. “Well, she did just that. We search the town for hours, worried sick about what could have happened to her, before finally finding them.” “Them?” asked Arctic Breeze. “Yes, she and the twins were simply watching the trains passing at the station. We found them laughing, Flurry trying to imitate the sound of a locomotive. Choo choo!” They all laughed, except for Flurry who was pushing on her aunt’s leg. “Can we go now?” “Yes, yes, sweetie, we’re leaving” said Twilight with a smile. “I know a filly who gets fussy if she doesn’t have her supreme double chocolate snack.” That elicited a few more giggles from the young ponies. “Well, goodbye children.” “Goodbye Pr-Twilight,” “See you tomorrow, Flurry.” The two alicorns walked away from the school, the youngest a bit behind and pouting. “Auntie Twily, why did you do that?” she asked. “Did what?” “What you did. That was… embarrassing,” she added, avoiding her aunt’s eyes. Twilight gasped. “Embarrassing? So I have become old-fashioned? I knew a day would come where my niece would not want to be seen with me, but I thought I still had time, especially with a teacher like Rainbow Dash.” “I...I didn’t say that.” Twilight nudged her niece. “Don’t worry, Flurry, I was just teasing you.” She sighed “I’m sorry, I sometimes forget that you’re not a baby anymore, and that a time will come when I won’t be Auntie Twilight.” “No, you’ll always be Auntie Twilight to me! It’s just... “ “What? Not in public?” “No…” “Just noot in front of your friends?” “... yes.” “So I suppose that my plan to bring a little filly to the ice-cream vendor, then to the toy shop, then to the library before heading back home is still up?” Light burst into the filly’s eyes who vigorously nodded. “Good, let’s not waste anymore time.” They trotted a few minutes before Flurry Heart spoke. “Auntie Twily?” “Yes, honey?” “I think I have a small crack in my hoof, and I don’t want to make it worse so, could you… could you carry me on your back?” Twilight smiled, grabbed her in her magic, and set her at the usual place. And with that, the two ponies walked towards the ice-cream vendor, eager to enjoy a treat and the afternoon.