Cracked Open

Chapters

Chapter One: Revival
Chapter Two: Betrayal
Chapter Three: Collision
Chapter Four: Doubts
Chapter Six: Infiltration
Chapter Seven: Revelation
Chapter Eight: Resolutions
Chapter Five: Cooperation

Chapter One: Revival

Cozy Glow

For the last second she was conscious, all Cozy Glow felt was stone crawling down her body, the loss of vision, and a sharp terror creeping up her back. And then, pure blackness.

Huh? The lack of input from the outside was shocking. Silence rang across her ears.

What… what is this?, Cozy thought, unable to sense yet still able to parse time. Let’s just say that being stoned inside a prison that keeps you in a state of altered consciousness was a strange and horrifying experience. Cozy had gone through other similar scenarios, but nothing like this. The dry cage in the depths of Tartarus was now a paltry inconvenience compared to this. It wasn’t as if she was in a black void bereft of matter; it was more like sleep paralysis than anything else. Muscles fail to receive orders, her eyes stuck, her ears attacked with the sound of silence. The only thing left was her mind.

And once this fact became apparent, Cozy realized what she was in for. It can’t be… all eternity like this? Stuck in this chamber forever?! It couldn’t be possible. It made no sense. She always counted on ponies to seek redemption for wrongdoers. But this time, it was different.

The last thing she remembered seeing was a towering sea of ponies and all manner of races, all looking down on herself and her two lackeys. It had seemed like their plans were thwarted. Drat, Cozy thought, everything I worked for, everything we accomplished… all gone in a puff of smoke. Was friendship truly that powerful?

But of course, she’d seen it herself. She tried to exploit it, for Celestia’s sake. And it seemed as though that was the straw that broke the alicorn’s back. Twilight Sparkle’s back, specifically.

These thoughts raced, as they were the only thing Cozy could control. And they raced and raced for an uncountable amount of time. With no sense of day and night, with no sensation, time ceased to exist. The only constant was making sure she didn’t lose herself. I’m still alive. I’ll make sure the moment I’m free, those ponies get what they deserve.

But that moment wasn’t coming. Cozy was certain that at one point or another, she would be freed by some bizarre occurrence or another long-lost creature willing to bring Equestria to its knees. Something had to pull her out, for the thought of eternity was too much to fathom.

Then time ceased to exist.

...

How long had it been? All she felt was anger. These disgusting peasants! Have they no empathy?! Her conviction was her driving force. The moment these fools brought her back (which she knew would happen eventually), she would enact a revenge so dastardly and perverse that ponies would fear speaking the name Cozy Glow ever again. All she had to do was wait for that moment.

Millions of moments later did she realize it wasn’t going to happen. Her punishment was this, forever. A pit formed in the bottom of her stomach, or at least, what her mind thought was her stomach. A terrible itching started to form. And it didn’t stop.

...

Who was Cozy Glow? That name wasn’t her anymore. Whatever she was was like a candle in the wind, one puff necessary to snuff her out once and for all. She just couldn’t take it anymore. She let darkness consume her.

Just let it end...

Please…

Suddenly, a loud crack was heard. Like a bone snapping in two, Cozy felt something around her crumble. A terribly blinding orange light engulfed her, and for a brief moment, Cozy thought her moment of passing had come.

Sweet release…

That is, until gravity took hold and she landed on what she remembered was fresh grass.

“Ahh!”, Cozy squeaked, “Ahhh!” She had surprised herself with her own voice. She brushed her legs across the blades, tickling her skin. The feeling was pure bliss. For a while she writhed, rusty to the feeling of having limbs to move in the first place. Her vision swirled as shapes of white and gold meshed into a kaleidoscope. She struggled to sit up, but her wings helped her. Her wings! She’d forgotten she even had those.

Finally, the last piece of the curse was lifted. She slowly opened her eyes again, to the radiant orange sunlight that bathed her coat in a splendor of warmth. Her eyesight adjusted, and the first thing she saw was a singular pony standing over her, drenched in glare.

“Whah, huh?” Cozy gasped.

The pony stepped forward and revealed herself. Her coat was a soft, delicately pastel pink, with a splendorous and pudgy rich purple mane kept together by a bright blue highlight, even in her tail. A perfect horn speared through her mane, sizzling with a golden glow. Her eyes were a cool teal, but they were anything but cool right now. She firmly watched over the weakened Cozy, maintaining a steadfast pose. Cozy could swear she’d seen this pony before.

“Cozy Glow.” the pony said with an air of caution.

“Y-yes?” Cozy whimpered.

Her voice was warm and full of life, eloquent and articulate. Cozy raised her shaky gaze to meet hers. “My name is Flurry Heart,'' she said as she spread her wings out, encapsulating Cozy’s vision, “and I have an offer for you.”

Flurry Heart

A few hours earlier…

“Flurry Heart, pay attention!” Princess Mi Amore Cadenza screeched, before rubbing her temples.

“Huh? Y-yes?” Flurry bolted up, remembering she was being scolded by her mom for… Ugh, what was it again?

“You don’t even care, do you? You’re a grown pony now, how can you act this way?”

“Sorry, ma… but, what was it I was supposed to be sorry for again?” Flurry fired up a pleading grin.

The pink princess’ face scrunched up. “Oh, for Celestia’s sake!” She turned to Shining Armor, who was just looking at Flurry, hesitantly. “Shining, dear, please. I can’t deal with her right now, not with so much to take care of until Twilight comes back. Just make sure she sees reason.”

“Yes, Cadence, of course.” Shining affirmed with a smile.

“Meet you later, my love.” She gave Shining a smooch, held a hoof to her chest, breathed deeply, and exhaled. She then turned to Flurry. “Bye, honey. Love you. Know that I say this for your own good. We’ll catch up later.”

“Bye, mom, love you too…” Flurry said dejected. Cadence trotted out.

Shining came up to Flurry and lied down next to her.

“I hope you understand that your mother is in one of her anxious bends whenever something like this happens. She’s the only other Princess, and when Twilight happens to take her protege on a quest, she tends to leave the chaos of things to Cadence. She’s just a little frazzled, that’s all.”

Flurry slumped down. “I really don’t remember what I did wrong, though.”

“You went into the Archives again? The secret wing? Remember now?”

“Oh, right! I was looking for information on Tirek, Chrysalis, and—”

“Ahem.” Shining interrupted.

“Oh. Right.”

“Why are you even interested in those two anyway?”

“I’m not.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

“*sigh*...You know how when I was a little filly, you guys told me the story of the ‘Final Battle for Equestria’?”

“Calling it the ‘Final Battle’ was kind of naive, wasn’t it?” Shining said, chuckling.

“No, not that. The pony I am curious about… well… she’s actually a foal.”

“Oh, I think I do recall somepony being with them. Kind of hard to tell with how, you know… scary those other two were. Who was she again?”

“Tiny little filly that conspired with Tirek to steal all of Equestria’s magic, but then failed and was sent to Tartarus, but then escaped and partnered up with Queen Chrysalis and—”

“Okay, yeah, yeah, I remember her now. What about her?”

“Well that’s just it, dad! It doesn’t make any sense. Why would Cozy partner up with those two? Why would she want to take over Equestria in the first place?”

“Maybe something happened to her when she was younger. It might’ve influenced her to betray her fellow ponies.”

“Like me?” Flurry blurted out.

Shining backed off from Flurry. “What do you mean?”

“Dad, ever since I was a baby, I’ve been surrounded by danger, malicious creatures, and ponies bent on using power for evil. I still see Sombra sometimes in my dreams! At any moment I could’ve been turned or fillynapped or controlled somehow... and maybe I could’ve even been convinced to hurt—” Flurry’s voice choked up.

Suddenly, Flurry was engulfed by Shining’s caress. A few tears came out, but ceded quickly.

“Of course, Flurry. I understand.”

They laid in each others comfort for a bit.

“But those three are long gone by now. No need to dwell on the past.” Shining kissed Flurry on the forehead. “And do try to stay away from the secret wing in Canterlot, if you can. Equestria still has many enemies, and those archives are locked for a reason. What if someone followed you, or found out where they were? Perhaps try the Crystal library here in the Empire, they might have some more history in that sea of books.”

“I already tried the Crystal library. It just has the story most commonly told. I need more details!”

Shining tapped his chin as thoughts swirled. A smug aura settled around him.

“Hehe… you haven’t been to Canterlot since then, right?”

“Nope… mom kept me from going.” Flurry pouted and crossed her forehooves.

“Well, maybe now that mom is a little busy, we can take a trip. I’m sure you haven’t seen everything in Canterlot.”

“What do you mean?”

Cozy Glow

Back in the present...

“Wait wait wait, an offer? Stop right there.” Cozy stood up, still wobbly. Finally figuring out how to stand, she noticed the flawless marble spires and colorful golden banners indicative of the capital of Equestria. She was in Canterlot.

“Oh, of course, sorry,” Flurry chuckled, her facade of authority slipping slightly, “makes sense that you’d be surprised by all of this at first. As I said, I’m—”

“Flurry Heart, Princess Cadence's daughter. Yes, I remember you from…” Cozy trailed off as she perused the wondrous architecture and whimsy emanating from the city. She had never really taken the time to just take it in, and the last thing she remembered of Canterlot was blasting a magic spell through it. “...oh, golly. How long has it been?”

“Long enough, trust me. Ever since I learned of that whole League of Evil incident I’ve been very against what happened to you. I mean, turning a filly into stone and leaving her beside those two monsters for all eternity? That’s just too—”

“Monsters?” Cozy interjected, pulled in by that peeving statement. “They’re not monsters, they were my…” she struggled to form the proper words.

“Not your friends, were they? That wouldn’t make any sense”, Flurry said.

“And why’s that, exactly, you foal?”

“Excuse yourself, little filly, I’m the bigger pony here”, Flurry spread her wings once more and smirked.

Cozy backed away and scorned. “Technically, I’m older than you.” Cozy turned her grin into poison.

“Oh, come on, I’m just teasing you. Come here.” Flurry folded her wings and serenely walked up to Cozy, patting her on the head. Her smile softened.

“Look, I’ll be frank with you. I brought you back because I always felt like nothing about you made sense.”

Cozy gave Flurry a look.

“Don’t take it personally, heh. But really, think about it. You’ve got this ancient creature that can steal magic from ponies, the Queen and mother of the entire Changeling race, and then…” Flurry signals to Cozy “... you! How did you end up with them?”

Cozy recoils, then swipes away Flurry’s hoof.

“You’re gonna have to tell me at some point. If you want me to help you, I’ll need to know what failed in the past.”

A serene look and silence from Cozy.

“Alright, we’ll get to that later, no worries. You must be tired. Thankfully I’ve arranged a place for us to stay at.”

Cozy was still somewhat baffled. “Wait, what do you mean? Doesn’t everypony hate me here?”

Flurry postulated this for a second. “Some do for sure… but it’s been long enough for ponies to move on. Or just plain forget who you were.”

“Oh, how wonderful.”

“Plus, there’s always new friends to make!” She grinned.

Maybe, just maybe I can use this one. She probably knows where Princess Twilight is. If I’m to restore Tirek and Chrysalis, she can take me to those that can accomplish that.

“Yes, indeed, I’m tired. Where will we be staying?”

“Oh, you’re gonna love it!”

Flurry raised her head as her horn lit up, and a golden flash engulfed the two mares.

Flurry Heart

Back in the past...

“Dad, what are these statues you’re talking about?”

Shining led Flurry through the lush alleyways and flamboyant urban landscaping of Canterlot. She had spent most of her time in or around the Crystal Empire, so even though she had visited the capital a few times, its aura still left quite an impression. As opposed to the Crystal Empire’s jagged and geometrical approach to architecture and design, Canterlot was often free-flowing and uneven, many streets and buildings almost seeming like brushstrokes from a godly painter. Even its colors were matte, like dried acrylic, as opposed to the Crystal Empire’s prevalent shine and fractaling.

“You were too young, but I remember when Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy were all turned to stone, they were moved to Canterlot. A sort of, how do I put it, a reminder of the power of friendship.”

“Not the strongest reminder when friendship literally failed Cozy.”

Shining was taken aback. “Hold on a second, Flurry. Friendship didn’t fail Cozy. If anything, she failed friendship. She was taught about it in Twilight’s School.”

“Maybe that was the problem. I hated school.”

Shining got a chuckle out of that one. “Believe me, I know you did. You often did exactly the opposite of what those poor teachers told you.”

“Exactly! Auntie Twi has always stressed to me the importance of learning friendship naturally. I don’t even know why she set up a school in the first place.”

“Well, you know Twily… she always had an obsession with learning and teaching. Maybe she was just looking to make it a little more streamlined?”

“By what, removing what makes friendships actually happen? Good thing Starlight Glimmer managed to turn that one around—”

“Oh, we’re here.”

Flurry turned to where Shining was staring at, and was struck by a bizarre view. In the center of a small plaza, an amalgam of creatures stood frozen in time. A cowering, pathetic centaur hiding behind his scrawny arms; an eldritch and rage-filled she-demon mid-charge; and barely noticeable, hidden between the two, but ever-so unnerving, a little filly, clutching at her cheeks as pure terror engulfed her face.

Flurry stopped in her tracks, her sight tunnel-visioned on Cozy Glow. She barely knew about this foal, and had only heard about her in stories told by her elders. She didn’t even remember Cozy when she was little. But one look at her and a deep shiver rocked her bones. She rushed to the statue and pressed her hoof toward Cozy’s chest. There was definitely a presence within the stone. She was still alive in there. Flurry clutched at her head, picturing herself stuck senseless for twenty-five years.

“Flurry.”

A weeping Flurry Heart turned to Shining Armor, sniffling softly.

“It just doesn’t make sense, dad... *sniff* How could they do this to a fellow pony? Discord was brought back! Starlight was given a chance! Why did she have to suffer?”

Shining placed a hoof around Flurry and gave her his shoulder. “We tried our best with what we had, and this is just how it ended. We just wanted them to stop coming after us, to end the destruction of Canterlot and save our lives. If we hadn't done that, Flurry, we wouldn't be here."

Shining looked around him, at his beautiful city. "All this wouldn't be here... It's the only thing we could do. It’s no use getting all sobby for it now.” Shining put his hoof under Flurry’s chin. “Now how about going back home. I’ll make you some delicious Crystal Cruit.”

Flurry smiled slightly and nodded. But even as they were leaving, she turned back one more time. For a split second, she thought she saw a horn atop the filly’s head.

You're wrong, Dad. I’m getting you out of there, sister.

Back in the present...

Cozy rubbed her eyes. After her vision cleared, a sight she thought she would never again see presented itself to her. Despite the amount of time, the quaint little town of Ponyville still stood, just as perfectly charming as it always was. And Cozy didn’t like it at all. This town held many memories for her, and most of them were not exactly pleasant.

“Why are we here? What’s so special about Ponyville, anyway? I used to live here, it’s the least exceptional town in all of Equestria.”

Flurry gasped. “Least exceptional? Cozy, it’s often the simplest of places that breed the truest of heroes!” Flurry said with dramatic flair. Cozy raised a brow.

“Oh, come on. You know exactly what I mean. This was Twilight’s home away from home, where she found the Elements of Harmony, where her friends—”

“Of course I know all that, dummy!” Cozy replied, “I just don’t like it, that's all.” She began to walk toward the town.

Flurry followed, but her mind was somewhere else. There’s no doubt this is a strange situation… Cozy’s been encased in stone for, what twenty-five years? Yet she’s acting totally normal. Perhaps there’s more to this filly than I thought.

*Bump*

Flurry looked down from her cloud of thoughts and noticed she bumped right into Cozy.

“Oof, sorry Cozy, I wasn’t looking.” Cozy looked ahead, dead on her tracks, visibly jittery. “What’s the matter?”

Flurry looked ahead. It was one of her auntie Twilight’s friends, Applejack.

Wow, I haven’t seen her in a while, Flurry thought. Age had definitely gotten to her, as her slightly frazzled mane and visible eye bags carried with her an aura of ambivalence. Still, she retained her down-to-earth demeanor well enough, and appeared to still be at work, carrying a beautifully laced basket filled with steaming apple fritters to somewhere in the town.

Alas, she appeared to notice some movement and turned to face Cozy and Flurry. For a second, she raised a hoof to greet her alicorn friend, but then she saw Cozy Glow. Her pupils dilated and her mouth shot open, dropping the fritters to their dirty death.

Oh, right. This might be a bad idea.

Flurry zipped over to Applejack and placed a reassuring hoof over her shoulder. “Hiya, AJ, long time no see, huh? How’s the farm treating you, you still living with Dash for some rea-”

“Flurry, hold on a sec’, for goodness’ sake,” Applejack said. She rubbed her temple, sighing. “What did ya do this time?”

“THIS time? What do you mean by that?” Flurry asked, appalled.

“Puh, well, did ya forget when you were curious if Timberwolves had their own culture so ya brought one into town so we could ‘become friends’?”

“Well, that was just a friendship theory gone wrong, and nopony got hurt—”

“And that one time ya made all the newborn foals in town able to talk so they conspired to kidnap a cow for infinite milk?”

“I just wanted to make it easier for parents to talk to their kids, nothing wrong with tha—”

“And just last week you were talkin’ about that old mirror pool Pinkie used decades ago to copy yourself-”

Flurry stuck a hoof into Applejack’s mouth

“Okay, okay, I might be a little off the cuff when it comes to my ideas, I understand.”

Cozy suddenly interjected, “You don’t really seem to have your head screwed on straight.”

Applejack recoiled. “Yah!” She shook her head to snap out of it. “Flurry, what in tarnation is Cozy Glow doing here?! She’s evil!”

Cozy held a nasty scowl. Flurry snuggled over to her and patted her curly mane.

“Applejack, I’m shocked! You of all ponies would know the value of forgiveness, and her punishment was straight up unfair. What would Granny Smith think of-”

“Don’t you mention Granny in front of this… this—”

“This what? Monster? Schemer? Supervillain? This tiny old cutesy thing?” Cozy unwillingly smiled as Flurry held her cheeks up.

“Uh, yeah? I don’t expect you to remember much since you were a little baby and all, but think about it. She tried to take over Equestria with an ancient creature and the queen of all the Changelings.”

“And that’s what doesn’t make any sense!”

“What doesn’t make any sense is you—”

“APPLEJACK, YOU’RE NOT LISTENING” a thunderous, imposing yell shut down any dissent. Flurry’s horn flickered, and she sighed softly. “I know I’m not exactly the most responsible of ponies, but this is different. I really care about Cozy, I do. I feel like I could’ve been her myself, one step away from using my power to hurt others. I want to get to the bottom of this, and find a way to get her to understand the value of friendship.”

“Ah don’t know, Flurry. If the School of Friendship couldn’t do it, I doubt anything will.”

“The School of Friendship? Puah, what a joke.” Cozy said.

Applejack gave Flurry a sneering look.

“AJ, it’s going to be a tough endeavor, but it’s something I’m willing to put its due effort into.” Flurry looked down on a brooding Cozy. “I don’t want Equestria to fail another pony ever again.”

Applejack could tell that this was weighing on Flurry quite a bit. She’d never been this resistant to advice.

“Well, AJ, thanks for the talk, but we gotta go. This one here—”

“Just call me Cozy, please.” Cozy said.

“Oh, hahaa, right. Cozy here is tired and hungry since she hasn’t really eaten in the better part of three decades. Talk to you later, AJ!” Flurry pranced away pulling Cozy by the foreleg and disappeared behind a building.

AJ sighed. She needed to talk to the others as soon as possible. She picked up the basket and found it rather light. One more look revealed the fritter massacre that Flurry had accidentally caused. “*sigh*... this better not be a hint of things to come.”

As Cozy was led by Flurry through town, she looked over the place she once called home. It was strange, even though it felt the same, Cozy knew that a long time had passed since she was last here. The lofty architecture, the round hills, and the abundant natural flora of the town was more vibrant than ever, but as she observed the ponies going about their business, she noticed one thing: she didn’t know any of them.

Well, not ‘any’ of them, exactly. Cozy could recognize some of the old faces from back in the day. Cherilee drinking some tea while reading the newspaper, Roseluck and Fluttershy talking about some flowers, it seemed, Rarity talking to a huge Yak— wait a second.

“Is that Yona?!” Cozy asked, mouth agape.

Flurry ignored this question as she was busy pondering the darkening daylight around them. It was almost night.

“Ok, so. The plan will be to rest for the evening and tomorrow morning we’ll go with introductions. How does a breakfast at Sugarcube Corner sound, Cozy?” Flurry asked with a smile.

Cozy gestured a thought. “Doesn’t sound *YAWN* that bad, actually. But sleep sounds better right now.”

“Of course. We’re almost there.”

“Almost where?”

As the duo turned a corner, Cozy was blasted by a comfortably warm yellow hue emanating from the center of a small plaza. As she focused, she saw a beautiful sight she’d never seen before.

It was a tree, shaped like one and as tall as one, with a trunk and branches and everything. But within it, was a house. Windows led to a comfy interior filled with books, potted plants hung from open balconies, and an ornate door welcomed them inside. It was covered in flowers, and the branches extended the further up they went, creating a lush architectural wonder. This home was nothing like the rest of Ponyville. It carried with it a mystical feeling.

“Golly, that’s—”

“Pretty cool, right? Twilight had it rebuilt after Luster Dawn moved down here. She’s out of town right now with Twilight, though, something about a quest near Griffonstone, so she said we’re totally cool to stay.”

“So you did tell Twilight about setting me free?”

Flurry winced. “Not exactly… look, I haven’t been entirely honest with you. I’ve been planning on releasing you for a while, but it’s honestly better if I just did it and then apologized for it later. I know from experience. Plus, I think we’ll be fine. You better not have a super-evil ploy, right?” Flurry giggled and winked at Cozy.

Cozy smiled. “Of course. It’d be silly to try anything now. After all, I want to have the chance to meet Twilight again.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! Alright, let’s get you something quick to eat and then you go to bed. How does a daffodil sandwich sound? Mine are off the cuff! Do you like…”

As Flurry and Cozy walked into the library, a dark figure between the shadows observed closely. Then as soon as it appeared, it whisked away into the dead of night.

As Cozy sat patiently waiting for her food, she took in the mood of the tree-brary. The rich and shiny brown shades of the tree were refurbished, like polished marble. The soft pink and green hues of the flora mottled the place just right, and the organic structure of both the main framework as well as the dressing and decorations made this place feel extra magical, like a separate dimension. The smell of oak permeated, and gave Cozy a nice little shiver whenever she took a particularly deep breath. But none of this could compare to the sensation of feeling that smooth wooden finish on her coat. She just wanted to lay there on the supple chair all night if it meant—

“Here you go!” Flurry chirped.

Cozy gasped and wobbled her way down to the ground with a deep THUD. Apparently being back in the real world also meant feeling both the pain and the pleasure that came with it.

“One daffodil sandwich. I hope you like it.” Flurry said as she sat opposite to Cozy and sipped on a cup of tea.

Cozy sat back up with a frown, but one look at that sandwich and it dissipated. She just realized she hadn’t eaten food in all this time. She hadn’t even felt hungry, a side-effect of being encased in stone, it seemed. Immediately upon realizing this, the sharpest pang struck Cozy in the stomach, and she flinched.

*GURGLE*

“Hmm? You alright, Cozy?”

“Yes, I… I guess I’m just really hungry.”

“Go ahead and eat up then, silly.” Flurry chuckled.

Cozy eyed the sandwich. The aroma of freshly plucked daffodils and baked bread wafted to her nose, and she felt like melting. She finally picked up the darn thing and bit into it.

“Mmm…” Oh, the soft yet crunchy give of the bread, the tangy crunch of the petals, the feeling of sustenance, it was… it was…

“Hey, you sure you’re okay? You’re crying.”

Oh? Cozy opened her eyes and found her lids heavy, her vision blurred. She looked down at the silly thing which had caused her this humiliation. Celestia curse it all. Cozy got up and took the plate with her.

“Uh, Cozy? Where are you going?”

“I’m finishing this in my room. Thank you and good night, Flurry.”

“Wait, Cozy—”

The door to the upstairs was slammed shut. As Cozy’s steps grew more distant, Flurry pondered. Quickly she stomped her hooves on the table.

“I won’t fail her. I can’t fail her.”

Crickets chirped the night away. Cozy yawned. Even after that excellent meal, her body was still feeling shaky. The interior of the room glowed a warm mustard, easing her into a state of lull. She climbed atop the bed and felt the soft, spongey cover brush against her. What bliss.

I’m bringing them back. I have to get rid of this one, first. If Twilight is out of town, then my plan might need some shifting...

“Cozy?” a muffled inquiry appeared behind the door.

Cozy sat up from the bed somewhat startled, but remained silent. She frowned.

“Cozy, I know this is sudden, and you must be feeling a bit shocked by what happened, but I want you to know that you can trust me. Your punishment was unfair, and I want to help you understand why friendship is a force of good. We failed you before, but I promise— no, I Pinkie Promise, that I’ll do my best to make it up to you. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

A heavy silence befell the speech.

“Okay, we’ll talk tomorrow, then. Good night, Cozy Glow. Sleep well.”

And with that, the crickets overtook the night once again. The now opened window allowed their trills to enter the empty room.

Ponyville at night wasn’t the easiest place to sneak around. Natural lamps dotted the town to make a comfy atmosphere, which meant visibility was against her. No ponies in sight as of yet, and the path to the train station was straight ahead. She needed to hurry. She was flying as well, in order to lessen the chances of somepony hearing her.

Her plan was simple: before the sun had risen up, she needed to be on a train to Canterlot. By midday she expected to arrive, and then she’d sneak her way through the city towards the Castle. There, she would somehow find a way to take Grogar’s Bell, steal Princess Twilight’s magic, free Tirek and Chrysalis, and take Equestria back the right way. These flimsy ponies were going to pay for the fate they placed on her. All she had to do was fly there. Simple.

Suddenly, Cozy’s eyelids slammed shut for a split second, heavier than she’s ever felt them. Her body heaved, feeling the weight of a lack of use. Her wings felt as though she was underwater. She careened and teetered, fighting desperately to maintain her balance. Alas, she lost it and tumbled, rolling through the almost pitch black Ponyville dirt road.

*snap*

“Aah!” Cozy screeched. Something in her wing had popped, and a stinging pain trickled through her appendage. Gravity took mercy on her at last and she stopped dead in her tracks. Belly-down, she could barely move. The pain in her wing was pulsating, and in the distance, two small, shadowy figures approached cautiously.

Oh, darn! Cozy attempted to stand up, but her strength was faltering. She yawned violently and her eyelids finally got the better of her. Whispers and pit-pats came forth, and before she could brace for impact, the much delayed sleep snuffed her lights out.

The sparkle of the morning sun washed over Flurry’s face, tickling her closed eyes. Suddenly an acute pain shot up her spine.

“Yeow!” Flurry yelped and opened her eyes, staring directly into Celestia’s namesake. “Agh—wah!” She seesawed in the chair she had fallen asleep in and fell rump-first into the hardwood floor. “Oww…”

What in the name of—. She looked over at the drool-drenched table that held her face for the night and noticed the book she had found herself lost in. So much so that she’d fallen asleep in a mighty uncompromising position. She hovered it to her.

“Oh, right!” Flurry said as she rubbed her eyes. “‘The Final Battle for Equestria: An Analysis’ by Moondancer… I don’t even remember where I left off, what’s this?” She opened back to the slightly soggy chapter she’d left behind as she ambled toward the kitchen downstairs from the study.

“Let’s see… ‘Theories on Cozy Glow’: Not much is known about this mysterious youngster, other than she attended Twilight Sparkle’s School of Friendship for a period of time. Her place of birth and parentage/caretaker were not known as the School of Friendship never required personal identification to enroll,” Flurry facehooved, “This flaw in the system was overturned after Starlight Glimmer was instated as the Headmare.’ Ha! I always said Starlight saved that school. This’ll make Cozy laugh.”

Flurry arrived at the kitchen and floated over a bowl, filled it with water, and began pouring cornflour, still reading the book. I’m gonna make a nice, cozy breakfast for… Cozy. “Heh!”

Stepping back out and leaving a spoon to mix the mush in the bowl with her magic, Flurry closed the book smugly. Prancing her way up the stairs to Cozy’s room, she tapped on the door.

“Cozyyy, good morning! Oh, I have the funniest thing to show you.” She opened the door. “You know how I told you that Starlight was a blessing for the School? Well, turns out—”

Flurry looked up. The only thing that greeted her was the gentle breeze of the morning brushing against the curtains, a gate to the depths of Ponyville.

Flurry’s smile froze. Her coat hairs erected, an ice-cold spasm making her legs twitch. The book ceased to float as the glow of Flurry’s magic extinguished. A clatter was heard in the kitchen.

I’m finished.

Chapter Two: Betrayal

Somewhere unknown to her, a lost little filly woke up in a flash.

“Ah! What? Where? Huh?” Cozy howled as she held her face in her hooves, ready for anything. Was she in a reinforced prison once more? Tartarus? Back in stone?

“Wait, I can still move!” She pinched and prodded herself all over, making absolutely sure it wasn’t a dream. Unbeknownst to her, she poked at where her wing was, sparking a sharp ting of pain. Drat, that wing is broken… All that time trapped in stone must’ve made her bones more brittle. Upon checking, somepony had carefully done a first-aid wrap around her body, keeping her wings tightly encased. At least whoever decided to take her away didn’t exactly want to hurt her. Only then she began to absorb her surroundings.

Her holding space appeared to be a single-room shack, with two windows and a door that was slightly ajar. Inside this room was a table and a podium, and along the walls were cute little banners with a logo on them: A blue crest with a golden filly wearing a cape, rearing up. Have I seen this before?

Cozy slowly got up and began to creep toward the door. Pulling it open, it whined loudly, making her panic. She quickly exited the building and shut the door behind her, sighing.

“Oh, you’re up!” a bouncy voice greeted her from behind.

Cozy turned on a dime and gasped. “Huh? Who are you?”

Her captor was… not what she expected to see. Before her appeared to be a colt, probably no more than her age (before being trapped, obviously), sporting a rich purple coat, beige fetlocks, a scraggly muted orange mane, and disparate freckles over his snout. She noticed he also had a cutie mark, which was a simple cupcake with an apple slice resting carefully on top of it. This little guy was staring at her with the biggest most blatantly genuine smile on his dopey face.

“Uh… hey there?” Cozy asked.

Without even acknowledging her question, the purple colt turned his head.

“Hey Cheesy, the filly we found last night woke up!”

“...Cheesy? Wait, who’s—”

Before she could even finish, the colt sped away like a cloud on a windy day, off toward somewhere behind some trees below them. Wait, below?

Indeed, the shack she was held in was raised up above, on a tree, no less. Suddenly a fierce deja vu kicked Cozy in the back of the head. “No way, this isn’t—”

Zipping right back up to where she was, the purple colt was dragging another one with him. A bright-eyed and bushy-tailed… filly? That was Cozy’s first guess based on her appearance. Her coat was a light mustard, with a gorgeously bubbly and poofy pink mane and tail, with a slice of (most likely) cheesecake as her cutie mark.

“*gasp*” the yellow foal muttered, mouth wide open. She rushed over and gave Cozy a big, squishy hug. Cozy stood there, taking it, befuddled.

“I’m so glad you’re alright!” she said, her voice a slightly raspy but otherwise lively tone. “We found you collapsed on the road in the middle of the night, and your wing was all crooked. Thank Celestia we managed to take care of that in time. Are you feeling well?” she said as she placed a hoof on Cozy’s forehead.

Cozy backed off, giggly nervously. “I’m fine, alright.” Her eyes darted all over the two kids.

The purple colt rolled his eyes. “Cheesy, you can’t just go up and hug a strange pony like that. Now you got her all nervous.” He said, puffing up his chest and donning a straight face.

Cheesy got into a pensive pose, before a lightbulb lit up in her head. “Of course, we should introduce ourselves!”

“I’m right here, you know.” Cozy answered, deadpan.

“Heh, right. Hello, stranger, my name is Lil’ Cheese, but you can call me Cheesy, just like Muffin here does.” Cheesy said as she gave the purple colt a nudgie.

Muffin lost all sense of seriousness as his face popped a red hue. “Cheesy! I’ve told you hundreds of times not to call me Muffin. My name is Mac, just like my super-cool dad.”

“Sure thing, Lil’ Muffin.” Cheesy said as she jabbed him in the ribs and supported herself on his back. Their banter quickly silenced as they turned to Cozy.

“So, mysterious pegasus, what’s your name and just how did you end up passed out in the middle of the night in the first place?”

Cozy’s mind raced. This could be her chance. A million plans were thought up and discarded in a matter of microseconds. Something as crazy as this might just work out with these two…

“Well… my name is Comfy Shine, and actually, I’m not supposed to really say much more… it could be risky to reveal this information. Only important ponies can know the things I know. In fact, what I’m privy to is only supposed to be heard by Princess Twilight herself!”

Cheese and Muffin looked at each other, gasping, then darted over to Cozy.

“We’re important ponies!” they said with a smile, almost simultaneously.

Excellent. “Well, I can’t tell you any real secrets, but I do need your help. If you can get me all the way to Canterlot and Princess Twilight, I’m sure she’s give all of you one heck of a reward.” Cozy said.

“We promi—”

Cheesy’s yellow hoof blocked Muffin’s speech. “Muffin, this is too great of a task to use a simple promise for.”

Cheesy pouted like a proper big pony and approached Cozy. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she said as she pantomimed. “Mom takes things like this very seriously, and we will help you get to Princess Twilight. We’ve been to Canterlot plenty of times, haven’t we, Muffin?”

“Well, you have, first of all, not me. But shouldn’t we tell an adult about this? I know auntie Applejack knows Twilight, and so does your mom.”

“No! We can’t!” Cozy interjected, perplexing the two foals. “Uh, there are bad ponies! Secret agents of a pony enclave that seeks to destroy Princess Twilight! They’re hiding out there in plain sight, and know of me. If they find out, well, golly, I’d be toast! We have to be discreet about this. Nopony should know; they might’ve already infiltrated your family members’ circles.”

“Oh, that sounds just like those Changelings we learned about, Cheesy.”

“But changelings are good now, remember? Why would there be bad ones?”

Perfect chance…

“Cheesy, do you remember learning about Queen Chrysalis?”

“Oh, right! That evil changeling queen that ruled them for years and years. But if I remember correctly, she was turned to stone before we were even born.”

“Chrysalis was never reformed, right?” Cozy interrupted. “Just the same with regular old changelings. If Chrysalis was able to resist it, it only makes sense that others did too. And they’re the ones after me.”

“Well, that’s fair. But why would they be after you? You’re just a little filly with a broken wing.”

Cheesy jabbed Muffin. “Hey, don’t be such a meanie.”

“I used to be an assistant to Starlight Glimmer.”

“Who?” Cheesy searched her memory.

“She’s the... headmare, yes, of the School of Friendship.” said Cozy.

“Oooh, the School of Friendship? We don’t even go there, Muffin.” Cheesy said, impressed.

“Good thing, too. That place is too fru-fru-ey for a pony like me.” said Muffin.

“Bet all those ponies are smarter than you, though.” Cheesy grinned from ear to ear.

“Why, I oughta—”

“Guys!” Cozy suspended. “What happened was…” Cozy turned her head on a swivel to ‘make sure’ that there was nopony else eavesdropping. “... Starlight was replaced by a changeling!”

Cheesy and Muffin gasped dramatically, holding each other in terror.

“A-and I was there when it happened, too! And it spotted me, but I got away before it could catch me. If that changeling found out, it probably told the rest… *sniff* I just want Starlight and Princess Twilight to be safe.” Cozy pulled out all the stops, and began bawling.

She then felt two warm bodies cuddle up to her.

“It’s okay, Comfy, we’re here. And Muffin and I will make sure that you get to Canterlot safe and sound! Isn’t that right, buddy? How about an adventure?”

“You bet your patootie I’m in!”

Cheesy and Muffin placed their hooves together, and turned to Cozy.

For a second, Cozy Glow felt the same warmth as with that hug.

Step one, complete. “Let’s go.” She met their hooves with hers.

Flurry snapped out of her mental meltdown, panting and pacing.

“Okay, it’s not the end of the world. Probably. Oh, why did she run away, I thought I was doing so well! There’s no way that—”

That one dreadful thought nagged her.

“No, she couldn’t, s-she wouldn’t! Why would she want to bring those two back? Is it because of her punishment? Maybe they brainwashed her? Argh, this is horrible!”

Flurry teleported into the study and began scouring through ‘The Final Battle for Equestria’. “There has to be something in this book… something about what she’s looking for. If she’s trying to bring those two villains back, she’s definitely not going to be able to do it alone. She’s just a filly, after all…”

Flurry shook her head. “No, this is exactly how she fooled me! She’s going to have to come up with something to help her release them. Is there anypony who she could pair with…?”

Flurry eyed through the table of contents, but there was no mention of any other creature responsible. Apparently it really had been just these three souls coming together in a quest for power, despite how little sense it made.

“...huh? What’s this?” Flurry landed on a particularly ominous chapter title: ‘Grogar’s Bell’. She turned to the page.

“‘Grogar’s Bell: the magical object instrumental to the villain cabal in accumulating the necessary power to overthrow the Princesses.” An attached drawing depicted a jagged green bell, highlighted with vein-like neon passages and runes. “‘Now safely kept inside the Archives, this bell, originally called the Bewitching Bell, has the power to absorb and drain the magical essence of a living being (be it inherent properties like strength and endurance in earth ponies, to the sophisticated control of horn magic natural to unicorns, and everything in between) and to transfer said power into another creature. It is even capable of absorbing non-pony energy’! This is what she’s looking for!”

Flurry lept from the table and flew straight to the door. But, as soon as she was a hair away from kicking the front door open, a harsh knock was heard. Puzzled, Flurry meekly opened the door to find the striking eyes of two Royal Guardponies looking down upon her.

“Eep—”

“Miss Flurry Heart, we have an announcement to make. It is for the safety of all Equestria that this information gets to you, as it has been delivered to us through an anonymous witness. The pony known as Cozy Glow was spotted last night flying through the middle of town. Further research reveals that her statue in Canterlot is now missing.” said one of the Guardponies, holding up a wanted poster with Cozy’s mug slapped on it. “An Equestria-wide search is now underway for her, and Princess Cadence issued an urgent retrieval for any important pony to regroup in her castle immediately, seeing as Princess Twilight is occupied with an important matter. You must come with us.”

This wall of information hit Flurry like a train. “Wait, go with you? No, I can’t, I… I-I have things to do, important things too, you can’t just—”

“Your mother issued for your immediate return specifically, Miss Flurry Heart. And she is not a pony we would like to anger right now.” The two guardponies looked at each other sheepishly.

“Oh, dear.” Flurry gulped.

“Wait, hold up!” Cozy yelled at Cheesy and Muffin as they scampered toward the farm. Being earth ponies, they could definitely outrun her piddly hollow bones any day, especially with that crooked and wrapped-up wing.

Sweet Apple Acres was now visible and quickly approaching as the hillside drifted down toward the valley. The two Ponyvilleans had yelled out something or other about using a “Sugar Belle”’s cart and just ran off. Darn sense of adventure in these ponies!

But as the farm became more and more concrete, something stood out. Somepony who didn’t belong was approaching.

Sigh… “HEY, YOU TWO!”

“Huh?” Cheesy turned her head and screeched to a halt. “Cozy, what did you—OOF!”

From behind, a tunnel-visioned Muffin smashed into Cheesy’s behind, making them both tumble and roll into a mess of hooves and heads.

“Ugh… Comfy called us, you oaf!” Cheesy nudged Muffin.

“We were about to get to the farm, though… ouch.”

Cozy fumbled to come to a stop, gasping for air. “That's, *gasp*, the point *gasp*... look over there!” She pointed toward the Apple household. Cheesy and Muffin snuggled together with her to get a closer look.

Walking up to the house was a tall unicorn stallion in glistening golden armor. He was hovering what looked like a wanted poster as he knocked on the front door.

Oh, golly.

Muffin walked forward. “Who’s that? Why’s he going up to my house?” A grimace formed in his face.

“That’s a royal guardpony from Canterlot. Which, by the way, I’ve been to, remember?” Cheesy teased Muffin. “So it just makes sense for me to be your guide for this little adventure.”

Cozy creeped from behind. “Are you sure it’s actually a royal guardpony? I’m willing to bet otherwise.”

After another set of knocks, a purple mare stepped out, at a loss.

“Hey, that’s mom.” Muffin pointed out.

After a silent conversation, she gasped softly, nodded, and went back inside. A few more seconds later, a log of a stallion in red charged from the back door, aiming directly for where the three foals were.

“And that’s dad.”

“We know.” Cheesy rolled her eyes.

The purple mare stepped out through the front door and appeared to thank the guardpony. He then began to walk back to a distant chariot where a pegasus guardpony waited.

That red pony was getting closed.

“Quick, we gotta hide!” Cozy muttered.

“Why? It’s just dad. Maybe he can help.”

“Don’t you get— *sigh*, I can’t take any chances, Muffin. He might already be a changeling.”

“Dad being replaced… *sniff* We’ll get them for this!” Muffin pushed back a tear. “Behind those trees!” Muffin swiped Cozy’s hoof and pulled her around the closest thick timber. Cheesy soon followed. The red stallion shot through the orchard, seemingly going straight to the foals’ treehouse. The three let out a breath.

Cheesy mulled over a thought. “Comfy, we’re gonna have to make some changes if we plan on sneaking around at all.”

“And what changes are those?” Cozy raised an eyebrow.

Cheesy snatched Cozy’s bow loose, the pegasus’ light blue cloud-like mane settling softly around her neck.
“Hey, give that back!” Cozy protested.

Cheesy then ruffled Cozy’s hair spirals and poofed them up, sort of like her own cotton-candy mane.

“Much better.” Cheesy continued to eye Cozy up and down. “Hmm… and that’s also not good either. Let’s see… aha!” She wrapped the dainty yellow bow around Cozy’s flank, covering her cutie mark. “If anyone asks, we’ll just say you’re into weird fashion.” She gave Cozy a wink.

Wow… that’s actually quite clever.

“Golly, thanks, Cheesy. Anyway, we have to move fast. There’s no telling how far the changelings have infiltrated. Let’s get to that train.”

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, the threat of a free Cozy Glow was beginning to become more apparent, and more worrisome to its residents.

Flurry Heart flew past the vast whites of the capital of Equestria, noticing a flowing river of guards putting up posters, speaking to citizens, and forming search parties. No expenses were spared in making sure that this threat was known, and the speed of this revelation reached every corner of the city. Considering what Cozy Glow was capable of, this level of preparation and protection was to be expected in Equestria after decades of perpetual conflict with powerful forces. Forces that had come too close, some would say, to destroying the entire kingdom.

As Flurry approached Canterlot Castle, a subtle ache in her spine began to form. This is all my fault…

Pouring into the main hall, Flurry saw Princess Mi Amore Cadenza standing there, speaking to a very disheveled Shining Armor. Spike was there as well, taking down notes of some kind.

“I’m here, what’s going on?” Flurry blurted out.

Cadence turned and walked towards Flurry. “I imagine you’ve seen the chaos around the city. It’s not good. Princess Twilight sent me a letter through Spike that she is still pressed with… whatever she is doing with Luster. Honestly, doesn’t she see that this is more important?”

Shining kept a somewhat cautious glare toward Flurry. Drops of sweat were summoned on her at his unconscious command.

Cadence continued, “Flurry, for now, you’re to remain here as the guardponies do their job in finding Cozy Glow.”

“But—”

“No buts, little missy. Cozy is nothing if not malicious, and if she was freed, she’ll do anything to get to those other two. I intend to do Twilight right and make sure nothing happens to her people while she’s gone.” Cadence rubbed her temples. “Ugh, I still don’t get how she was freed. It must’ve been some sort of creature allied to them, or inspired by them. We’ve got a group of ponies already researching possible connections. I’m telling you all this so that you’re caught up. I hope you understand the heaviness of the situation, Flurry. We just want you to be safe, that’s all.”

“Yeah, of course…” Flurry murmured, shrinking.

Shining came forth, a strange, unusual look on him. “Flurry, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?”

“What do you mean, dear?” Cadence asked.

Shining kept his eyes on Flurry. “Honey, why don’t you explain to Cadence what you’ve been interested in recently?”

An ever diminishing Flurry Heart looked at her hooves.

“Flurry, what’s he talking about? Flurry?” Cadence inquired, ever more perplexed.

“Well… I-I was reading up on what happened back during the time I was a baby, and I came across the story of Tirek, Chrysalis, and… and Cozy Glow. And you know, I always thought it was weird that a filly would want to… you know, join such creatures and want to do the things she did. She kinda felt like me, in a way. All the stories you’ve told me, all the dangerous things that happened around me, I always empathized with Cozy… That maybe I could’ve been used by evil things to hurt the ponies around me…”

Flurry felt Cadence's hooves around her. “Oh, Flurry… I can see why you’d feel that way. I don’t know what this has to do with what’s been happening, though. Did you find something, read something? What happened?”

Flurry looked up to Shining Armor. He was tentative.

“I, uh… I might’ve… I might’ve freed Cozy Glow…”

Spike’s ambient scribbling ceased after an abrupt crack. A foul reticence percolated in the main hall.

“Wait, did I hear that right?” Spike whispered.

“You… you did what, Flurry?” Cadence’s voice was sharp.

“I used an old spell a-and I unstoned Cozy!” Flurry finally admitted. Tears streamed. “I thought if I was able to-*sniff*, to bring her back and maybe have her, I don’t know, learn friendship the right way—”

“The right way?” Cadence struck down. “You took such a chance, to put at risk the entire kingdom, because you thought she could be saved?”

“Can’t she?” Flurry finally looked up to the grim expression on Cadence’s face. “I don’t want to see her be failed by us! She’s a filly, for Celestia’s sake!”

“She’s a filly who lied her way to the top of Twilight’s School, almost erased all magic from Equestria, conspired with Tirek in Tartarus, and got Chrysalis to join her in almost taking over the entire world! And not only that, but she lied to you and used your good will to escape, and now nopony knows where she is.”

“Let me find out.” Flurry pleaded. “I know what she’s after. If we can just—”

“Absolutely not, young lady.” Cadence stood up, looking down on a shaking Flurry. “You’ve done more than enough, Flurry Heart. I hate to be the villain right now, but you are to stay here in the castle until Cozy is captured.” She dropped the imperative demeanor and picked up Flurry’s chin. “I’m sorry, honey. But I can’t have you going out and looking for her when she’s probably being helped by things unknown at this point. I’d hate for anything to happen to you. Spike here will keep watch, won’t you, Spike?”

“Oh, uh, sure! Let me just finish writing and… okay, done! Sending this to Twilight so everyone’s caught up. And don’t worry Flurry, I’m a big dragon now, no bad guy’s gonna get in the way of me!” Spike flexed his arms as he kicked the air’s butt.

“I’ll keep a watch on the guards, we’ll find her if she tries hiding around here.” Shining interjected.

“But—”

“You’ll have plenty of time to think things over in the confines of the castle. Let’s go, darling.” Cadence signaled to Shining. With a glow, the great doors to Canterlot opened, and shut.

Flurry was left there, still somewhat shell-shocked. “Spike, could you give me a moment alone? Please?”

“Eh, sorry Flurry, but Cadence asked me to keep an eye on you. And knowing you especially, you’re probably thinking of pulling something sneaky. More reason for me to keep watch extra, extra well.”

“So you’re not even gonna let me go to the bathroom? You have to be there for that too?”

Spike’s scales started steaming. “Okay, fine!” He facepalmed, defeated. But I’ll be standing right outside, and if you take too long to come out, I’m coming in whether you like or not.” Spike huffed.

“Yes, of course,” Flurry said, “so… may I go right now?”

Spike slumped.

Within the confines of the little filly’s room, Flurry sat in the toilet. I really did need to go, anyway.

She heard Spike’s penitent tapping alongside the border of the door. He wasn’t kidding.

Flurry’s relationship with Spike had not been particularly good, mostly because they barely spent time together due to the sheer distance between Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. Flurry had her own duties and Spike had his, only really remembering one another when they were casually mentioned by others.

And now looking back, Flurry winced at the impression he must’ve had of her if he only knew her from hearsay and incident accounts. No wonder it seems he thinks she’ll burn down the castle just by sneezing on it.

But this time, it would be different.

If I just take it sitting down, I’m no different than the ponies who could’ve saved her, but decided to do nothing and keep her there because it was easier. It was so obvious.

She needed to get to Cozy before she was taken again. It was now or never. She’d never get away with bringing her back then, for the statue would be protected at all costs.

The book mentioned Grogar’s Bell, in the archives. So if that’s where she’s going, I—

Alas, Cozy was all the way in Ponyville, and chances are, if she hasn’t been caught yet, she’s most likely in or around the area. She can’t be moving that fast through Equestria’s populated roads and dense cities and towns, otherwise she’d be ripe for the capturing. She was definitely moving as safely as possible. Flying from Ponyville to Canterlot doesn’t seem like a good choice, either.

She’d have to use the train to get anywhere...

Not only that, whenever Sweetie comes to the Crystal Empire, she tells Flurry all the time about how she used to get on the train with Applebloom and Scootaloo and go all over the kingdom. Three fillies, unchaperoned, being able to buy tickets out of the country? Gotta love Equestria.

Then I’ll just wait there for her to arrive.

The Ponyville Train Station was the spot. But if the news had already gotten to her during her stay, who knows how bad it could be now.

I have to hurry!

Flurry quietly cast a silence spell before poofing out of existence. I’m sorry, Spike…

“Ponyville has never seemed this scary before…” Muffin meekly said as the trio snuck through a crowded Saturday morning in Equestria’s most pleasant little town. Ponies of all sorts partook in many activities; the marketplace glowed with ripe fruits, vegetables, and shimmering coins being chucked around; the chit-chat was loud, and a rhythm seeped into the atmosphere. A little too much, some would say.

“You can just feel the presence of those evil changelings… they could be anywhere.” Cozy said.

Within the crowd were a handful of standout Guardponies, nailing wanted posters to walls and yapping to anypony that came within five feet. On the far north end, was the elusive train station.

“It’s gotta be the ones handing out posters. Makes sense they’d resort to asking ponies to find you.” Cheesy followed up.

“Good point. We’ll have to sneak around the buildings or merge with the crowds—”

“Hey guardponies, I know where that filly is!” Muffin called out from the center of the town square, waving his hands like flags.

“No! What in Tartarus is he doing?!” Cozy whispered, ready to gallop into the nearest bush. Could he really have just foiled her entire plan?

The guardponies all seemed to hear the hail, and regrouped around the sprightly young colt.

“You said something about seeing this filly?” the guard propped up a Wanted Poster with Cozy’s stoned visage in display.

“Yeah, I saw her this way!” Muffin said before turning around.

“Oh no, this is the end of me!” Cozy shuffled through a million ideas, a million ways out. Muffin had snitched.

But as she thought she saw Muffin pull the guards toward their location, he inexplicably fled into a different alleyway, pulling the entire party with him. Cozy’s mouth dropped.

“Hah! Nothing like a good old distraction to fool the entire crowd. That’s my Muffin!” Cheesy reared up, kicking her hooves in the air. “Let’s go, the coast is clear for the train station.”

Cheesy took Cozy’s hoof and waltzed through the sea of ponies. Like a stone skipping over a river, Cheesy bounced across the plaza, dragging a disoriented Cozy. Almost unnoticed, the duo slithered all the way through the flying coins, the conversations and the many new faces Cozy didn’t even recognize. The ponies she did, though, were now sporting a significant baggage on them, either under their eyes or in their mannerisms. Ponyville was never this vivid, this active. It had grown into quite a little hamlet, a world away from the humble little village she once lived in, overshadowed by the blistering purple and blue crystal castle and the pristine, marble-laden school. This was a whole new town, thankfully too preoccupied to care about a couple of fillies running around.

“There, the train station!” the duo stepped foot into the considerably less packed building, where a board showed various departure times. Fillydelphia at twelve fifteen, Appleoosa at thirty, Canterlot at noon—

“There!” Cozy looked at the clock: eleven fifty-six. “But where are we gonna get some bits from?”

Cheesy’s face lit up. “You see that hole in the wood in the corner?” Cozy confirmed that, yes, a hole around the size of the hoof was just there, in one of the many wooden planks that made up this old station. Cheesy stuck a hoof through it, rummaged around for a bit, and managed to pull out five of them. “Mom always told me to keep these around Ponyville for a bit emergency.”

These kids are something else.

“Okay, with this we should be good for about... two round trips and a single one way. Is that alright, Comfy?”

Cozy pondered. I don’t really intend on coming back… “Yes, that’s alright. I’ll find my way home from Canterlot after my business with Princess Twilight.”

“Awesome, now let’s go!” Cheesy said as the little arrow hit fifty-seven.

“Aaaaaaall aboard!” chanted the conductor pony.

As the duo ran for it, Cozy thought she had forgotten something.

“Wait, where’s Muffin?”

“He’ll catch up with us, there’s no time!” Cheesy pleaded.

Oh, no, I’m not going anywhere without one of my patsies.

“Cheesy, try to hold up the train. I’ll look for Muffin, he can’t be that far.”

“Are you sure? It’s almost—”

“Yes, go! We’ve got no time to waste!”

Cozy flipped around and sprinted back to the throng. Behind her, she could hear Cheesy in the station. “Hey, mister ticket salespony, I gotta question…”

She recalled the way Muffin went and prayed to goodness that the guardponies were as dumb as they looked.

Around a corner, the five sentries observed in confusion as Muffin mimed… something. Flailing his hooves, and rolling on his back, shaking his rump, etc. Let’s just say the guards were beginning to question his sincerity.

Peeking from behind, Cozy beckoned to Muffin. Instead, a pony a few feet away and just out of peripheral gave her a wave. This one was slightly older mare with a yellow coat and orange mane.

“Hi, there little one, what got you so chipper?” the mare asked.

Cozy gulped. “Hey, just greeting my friend over there!”

“Who, Muffin? Whoa, that’s a lot of guards—”

“Yep, good ol’ Muffin.” A pause. “Say, could you tell him to meet me around the corner over here? We’re going to Canterlot on the train and, oh golly, we’d really hate to be late for that.” Cozy grinned as genuinely as she could.

“Why, of course, uh, what’s your name? I feel like you’re familiar but I can’t place my hoof on—”

“I’m Cushy… Cushy Glare! But please, call Muffin up. We really should get going.”

“Okay, sure, but I wonder why all those—”

“Miss? Please?”

“Oh, right, sorry!” the carrot-topped pony loped toward the guards, took Muffin’s hand as she saluted them, said a few words and waved back as she took Muffin back to Cozy.

“Hey, why’d you say you were my mom, lady?” Muffin inquired from the cantaloupe mare. Instead of answering, she turned to Cozy and winked, before heading right back to the center of town.

“Anyway, are we good to go, Comf—”

“Muffinthere’snotime!”

Cozy yanked Muffin from his spot and they zipped back to the station in a moment’s notice. Right on the entrance, Cheesy bounced around.

“I got the tickets! He was so nice, he gave me an extra—”

Cozy ran seemingly right past Cheesy, before she dragged the yellow foal in a wicked dash. Dodging the ponies pouring into the train, she kept a fierce iron grip around their hooves, and charged head first into the opening. The conductor ahead braced for impact, but only found three tickets softly landing on his nose.

Tripping over themselves, the trio tumbled into the train as the closing doors tickled Cozy’s tail. They felt the movement of the train as soon as they opened their eyes and saw the other two. Cozy lept to the window and Ponyville sank into the hilly horizon away.

“Phew!” Cozy fell back onto her haunches, pure relief. The snuggly hug from Muffin and Cheesy snapped her out of it.

“I can’t believe we did it!”

“We’re going to Canterlot!”

They high-fived before Cozy left them hanging. She begrudgingly returned the gesture.

“Ah, well, the point is we’re safe and sound, now all we have to do is—”

A resounding THUMP was heard as something landed on the roof of the train. The metal beast screeched to a halt as the Canterlot mountains watched statically. At the very front of the train, a door opening was heard. Cozy pulled one of the windows open and peeked outside.

“M-Mi-Miss Flurry H-Heart! Wha-What’s the big de-de-deal?” the driver staccatoed.

The purple alicorn looked different. Her head was angled, her wings stayed open, and the wind gave her an ethereal aspect. Not to mention that wicked stare.

“I need to search this train for possible enemies of Equestria.”

“E-E-E-Enemies?! In my tra-train?”

“Yes, and again, I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but this is Royal business.” And with that and a smile, Flurry stepped into the train.

Oh, golly.

Chapter Three: Collision

Flurry stepped into the forthmost cart and was met with murmurs and gasps as she marched down the walkway. Oh, come on, I’m not that scary.

“Ahem, hello, my little ponies, I must apologize for this little checkpoint, but I am under reason to believe that there is an enemy of Equestria somewhere in this train.”

Ponies stood up in exasperation, some already bolting for the door.

“Oh, it’s safe, I promise! I’m just looking for this filly right here.” Flurry held up a wanted poster she’d managed to snag from the train station.

The dozen or so ponies present scratched their heads and shrugged.

“Really? Did none of you see this filly get on this train?”

“I-I did, Miss Flu-Flurry.” the conductor pony threw his voice from behind.

“Great! Where are they?”

“Th-The last w-wagon. There’s a d-door in the ba—” Flurry blinked into the caboose.

POOF.

“Ahh!” some ponies reacted as an alicorn appeared out of nowhere.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’m just looking for this filly.” Upon seeing the poster, all eyes drew toward the seats furthest in the back, where two foals sat in place. It was a purple colt with orange mane and a yellow… filly with a pink mane. No sign of Cozy, though...

Flurry approached them. “Hi there! My name is Flurry Heart, what’s yours?” The two foals kicked their hooves and badly pretended not to hear her. The yellow one answered deadpan. “Brie’s my name.”

“Alright, Brie. Have you two seen this filly anywhere? Anywhere on this train?”

“Nope!” Brie answered quickly.

Hmm… “Are you sure? Absolutely sure?”

Nothing. The smile turned off. Darn kids…

She investigated the surroundings of this most mysterious circumstance. The foals carried nothing with them, and it appeared as though these two were going to Canterlot totally on their own.

“Brie, tell me, where are your parents? No way both of you are going up to Canterlot alone, right?”

“They’re in Canterlot. And there’s no problem with us riding alone, is there? It’s not illegal or anything.” The yellow foal crushed Flurry’s question.

“No, I suppose there’s not…” Flurry said. The purple one was visibly shaking. “And what’re you so nervous about, little guy?”

Quickly, the yellow filly answered. “Uh, maybe he’s just feeling cold or something, aren’t you, uh… Eclair?”

“Y-yeah…” the colt answered.

“Cold? But the windows aren’t op—” Wait a second. They were open, actually. The side window was pulled up all the way, the cool breeze of the mountains flooding the wagon. Flurry smirked.

“Well, if you two really are just normal passengers, I’ll just peek outside for a sec. There’s no problem with that, is there?”

Silence from the two, who just stared at her, wide-eyed.

Flurry snapped into being on the roof of the train. “Ah-ha!”

But the only thing that greeted her were the air currents that caressed her mane. The ocean of grass before her revealed no Cozy Glow. Hrumph.

Flurry flew down and popped her head into the window. “Alright, no problem, everypony! I’ll let this train go now. Sorry, again!” She turned and prepared to—

“Hey, lady!” Muffin called to Flurry. “I think there was another train to Canterlot in like fifteen minutes. Whoever you’re looking for could be there, still.”

“Thanks, little buddy!” and with that, Flurry turned back and flew back toward Ponyville in a flash. The train started back up momentarily.

Cheesy and Muffin dropped their tension and collapsed on the seats.

“Hooh, that was close!” Muffin exclaimed. “You good, Comfy?”

Cozy stuck her head out from underneath the seat, wiping sweat from her brow. “Yes, uh, thank you both, again.”

“Don’t even sweat it! Literally, too, heh…” Cheesy pulled Cozy up and sat her down.

“That changeling wasn’t even fooling us, right, Muffin?”

“Changeling?” Cozy asked.

“Yeah, dummy, the pink alicorn! Furry Tart or whatever she said she was called. She was acting too strangely to be a normal pony, I could smell the stink!” Cheesy plugged her nose.

“Oh, right…” She’s not totally wrong on that front…

And so, the train chugged along, plunging into the caves of the Canterlot mountains. Unbeknownst to the trio, though, this track wouldn’t even reach the white city.

Flurry arrived to Ponyville and heard somepony calling.

“Flurry! Flurry, please, come down! We need help!”

Help? Oh, no, what’s happened now?!

As she landed in the town square, none other than Applejack galloped toward her. Behind her was Big Mac and Applebloom, both carrying painful expressions. Panting, the now older mare slid to a halt.

“Mah nephew is missing!” yelled AJ.

“What?!” Flurry tried to remember Big Mac’s kid, but she’d never seen them before, only heard of them from random occurrences. “Um, who’s your nephew again?” Flurry bared her teeth in a pleading smile.

“His name’s Muffin Mac. ‘Bout this tall, purple coat and orange mane? You haven’t seen him anywhere?” Mac bit his fetlocks as he swiveled his head, looking for his son.

“Wait a second… I have actually seen a colt like that!” No way, the train?
“Really?!” The apples exclaimed simultaneously, blowing Flurry back.

“Yes, he’s—”

“Apples!” A distant, piercing yell flew over the hilly roads of Ponyville and quickly brought the mare in question forward: Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie, what’s going on, can’t you see we’re tryin’a find mah neph—”

“My own is gone too! He promised to be back by noon and it’s been fifteen minutes! That little weasel, when I get to him—”

“Him? He kinda looked like a filly to me...”

“This tall, bouncy pink mane and mustard coat?” Applebloom asked.

Flurry nodded.

“You’ve seen him?!” Pinkie jumped at Flurry, sending her back once again.

“Yes, yes, I saw both of them! They were on a train heading for Canterlot, I just saw them.”

“And whah didn’t you bring’em back?” Applejack stared Flurry down.

“I… well, I was… I was kinda looking for someone else…”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, don’t tell me… Flurry, where’s Cozy Glow?”

“Cozy Glow?!” Pinkie and Applebloom exploded.

“She’s back? How did that happen?!” Pinkie questions the universe. Flurry’s downward stare answered that for her. “Oh, no…”

Flurry flopped to her haunches. “Yeah, about that… I accidentally underestimated Cozy’s desire to do evil and let her sleep alone for the night which, uh, means that she’s… well…”

“She escaped?!” Applejack’s face darkened. “Ugh, I’m gonna catch that snake…”

“Wait, so you say you saw Lil’ Cheese and Muffin Mac together on a train to Canterlot for no reason?” Pinkie asked.

“Yes…?”

“And you’re sure you didn’t see a third filly with them at the time?” Big Mac added.

“I didn’t, they were alone. The window was open, but when I checked, Cozy wasn’t anywhere around the train either.”

A bulb lit up over Applebloom’s head. “That’s right!” the crusader came up to Flurry.

“Did you check under the seats?”

Silence took over the alicorn.

Everyone else groaned. “That’s what Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and I did that one time we snuck into the Crystal Empire. Of course they’d try the same, heh. Scrappy little geniuses.”

“And when was this?” Applejack glared from behind.

“Oh, drat.” Applebloom gulped. “Well, it’s not important right now.”

“I don’t know why those two decided to join Cozy, but we know where they are now. I’ll head over to Canterlot and wait for them there. They’re most likely deep in the mountains by now, it would take too long to find them. You guys stay here in case they come back at all… and, I’m sorry. I really, really messed things up this time.” Flurry scrunched as she sucked a tear back inside.

And with that, Flurry dashed away, leaving the others in the dust.

“Let’s hope she doesn’t mess things up more…” Applejack muttered.

As the steep crags and rounded edges of the Canterlot mountains surfed by the now darkening horizon, Cozy Glow stared out from the rattling train, not really looking anywhere in particular. So far, it had been a tumultuous journey, but soon enough she knew she’d be back to where it all started. I’ll bring you back, my friends…

A purple face stuck itself to the window, almost ignoring Cozy’s existence.

“Wow... “ Muffin’s smile was all-encompassing.

“I told you coming to Canterlot was gonna be fun! How’s that view, bumpkin?” Cheesy held back a chuckle.

Muffin returned a sour face before turning back to the great outdoors. “...huh?” He narrowed his eyes. “What’s that up ahead?”

Cozy and Cheesy pressed their snouts to the window. Precisely, running alongside the outer wall of the perilous cliffs, was a makeshift post with an elevated platform, a roof, a swinging lamp, and about four unicorns in armor standing steadfast. As one of them lifted a hoof, the train squealed to a lowly pace.

“Oh, no.” The trio let out. Not again!

As the train rolled to a stop, two guardponies walked up to the conductor and held up a wanted poster again. The conversation was indeed longer this time, but the two guards looked at each other and still barged in.

“Okay, same plan.” The three foals nodded in unison. Cozy slipped underneath the seat as Cheesy and Muffin sat on their haunches with their hindlegs dangling over her.

The rumbling steps of the guardponies grew closer and closer, and suddenly, the last door flung open as the glistening gold of their armor made everypony hold their breath.

Alright, no surprises and we should be good to go.

Almost instantly upon entering, the guardponies lowered their heads to check under the seats.

Cozy’s sweat froze. Her fellow’s legs began to quiver. They knew it, too.

What do I do? The frame was closing. The guards were three seats away from her now.

What if I jump out of the window?

Too risky, the other two guards would spot her instantly from where they were.

What if I dash under another seat while he’s checking a different one?
The one near the door could probably see the whole room, so she’d be caught.

What about… what about just trying to run past them?

Unicorns could do a little something called “Telekinesis”.

Is this really the end?

The guardpony arrived at the last seat. Muffin and Cheesy looked up and smiled.

“Excuse me, but I need to check under that seat.”

“What seat?” Muffin blurted out, before receiving a light kick in the shin from Cheesy.

“Oh, sorry, sir, but we’re awfully tired and would really like to— Augh!”

“Sorry, kid, it’s protocol.” The guardpony picked up the yellow foal and stuck his head right under the seat. A nose boop revealed the little pink filly hidden underneath.

Cozy tried to squirrel away, but she felt herself lifted by an appendage-less force.

“What’s this...? *gasp* Ah-ha! We got her, Steel Shield. Let’s take her back to Canter—”

BOOM.

Silence. Everypony was still as a statue.

BOOM. Closer now. The snow trickled outside, a thousand drops in the pitch black abyss just beside the train.

BOOM. Cozy turned her head as she floated. A huge, clawed, furry grey hand reached out of the pit and dug into the edge. Then two ears, and a big-toothed, small-eyed face peeked at the tasty, tasty ponies inside.

A pin dropped. Then panic did. Ponies scurried toward the wagon's exit as they trampled over each other.

The guardponies remained still, mouth ajar. Summarily, Cozy stopped floating and fell on her butt.

“It’s a- it’s a Winterzilla!” some poor stallion yelled as he threw himself off the train.

Cozy looked around. Cheesy and Muffin were as white as the fur on that… Winterzilla, she guessed.
The guards around had completely lost interest in whoever Cozy was at the time.
No time to think!
She rushed toward her sidekicks and pulled them by their forelegs.
“Run, you foals!” Cozy exclaimed as he bonked each of them on the head.
“Are you kidding?! If we go out that thing is gonna eat us!” Cheesy said.
Out of nowhere, the cart was violently shoved with enough force to knock everypony inside to the floor. Or was it the wall now? Cozy appeared to have landed on a window, now below her. The Winterzilla’s eyes pierced through the window now pointed at the sky.
“Eugh… maybe we should get out now…” Muffin rightfully admitted.
The trio shot through the walkway at the exit, dodging through the two guardponies’ legs.

“Hey, you three, stop right there!” the one likely called Steel Shield yelled out, his voice vibrating to the resounding movements in the background.

“Why don’t you come and catch us, buster!” Cheesy raspberried as they jumped down into the deep snow outside. The cold struck like a dozen needles, and light faded quickly into the unknown ahead. The wind played tug-of-war with the three little ponies. The only clear path forward was the tracks and the now abandoned carts.
“We have to keep moving!” Cozy yelled over the deafening ambient.

Muffin buckled his hindlegs.

“...Muffin, you okay?” Cheesy came up to him.

Muffin’s eyes twinkled.

“Whoa!” Cozy and Cheesy cried as Muffin hoisted them up on his back, icy sweat bearing down his face. As the massive shade of the ‘Zilla towered over them, Muffin began to run, sinking into the knee-high snow as he carried the two foals away.

BOOM. The bleached monster had crashed down on his fours, his two beady oculars glowing a sickly amber. BOOM. A slow but heavy claw put forth made him look much closer.

Cozy clinged to Muffin’s neck as Cheesy dangled from his plot, the orange tail swishing against her face. They were approaching the front of the train. Jumping out of the locomotive, a royal guardpony, armor falling off, hair frazzled, and eyes darting in every direction, stumbled into the snow. As he straightened himself out, his eyes landed on the trio. The guardpony slapped on a coat of confidence as he approached them.

“Hey, y-you! Stop right th-there, you little—” BOOM. A claw slammed against the side of the second cart, feet away from the trio.

“Oh, are you kidding me?!” Cozy couldn’t deal with these types of idiots anymore. “Do you see that giant hairy thing?! Stop chasing us, for Celestia’s sake!”

The guard arched back in shock, pondered his chances for a moment, and ran off without a peep. As his hoofsteps fizzled out, the heavy breathing of the Winterzilla resonated throughout the desolate and fog-ridden checkpoint. They were alone. The cold chewed at their coats.

“Muffin, get inside the engine! The coal there will keep us warm!” Cozy yelled.

“Are you kidding, that thing is gonna tip it over, we have to keep moving!” Cheesy argued.

“Muffin will never outrun that thing, can’t you see—ah!”

Cozy and Cheesy found themselves hurtling toward the locomotive, landing squarely in the still-lit coal room. They couldn’t even come to their senses as they noticed Muffin running right past them.

“Muffin?” Cheesy whimpered. She stuck her head out of the engine. “Muffi—”

SWOOSH. The beast charged past the engine, blowing Cheesy back onto Cozy. “Oof!”

As it passed, the two foals stepped forth. In the distance, Muffin ran in glimpses between the limbs of the Winterzilla. Their figures dimmed into the fog. A stream of sunlight punctured the grey sky signaling the end of the night.

Cozy watched in silence. He… he just… he just did that. Why would he do that? Cheesy’s sudden wail snapped Cozy out of it. The yellow foal tried stepping out, but Cozy held her. “Are you crazy? You’d get lost!” Cheesy sank her face into Cozy’s neck, muffling her cries.

The adrenaline of the moment dissipated, and the two foals fell into a cuddle. Cozy had never felt so tired before. Or so warm. She closed her eyes as Cheesy’s quiet sobbing lulled her to sleep.

Chapter Four: Doubts

Twilight’s sun was in the center of the sky by the time Flurry Heart realized something had happened. Around her were a plethora of guards, to make sure Cozy could be captured nice and safely. But as the morning came and settled itself at noon, the train did not arrive on time. I didn’t arrive at all, actually.

“How much longer are we going to wait here for?” A fatigued guard whispered to another.

“As long as it takes! Cozy Glow, Lil’ Cheese and Muffin Macintosh are missing, they’re top priority.” Flurry used her commanding voice. “It just doesn’t make sense that the train would be so late. Something bad had to have happened in the mountains.”

Scampering steps caused everypony in the station to turn. An older stallion dressed as a conductor rushed toward Flurry, horror in his eyes. He collapsed onto her forelegs.

“*wheeze* Princess… *wheeze* the t-train… *wheeze* w-was attacked!”

A collective gasp was heard.

“Attacked? By whom?” Has Cozy already gotten allies?

“N-not who… what! *pant* It w-was a Winterzilla!”

The world faded for Flurry. “A… a Winterzilla?!” She opened her massive wings and blasted onto the sky. I need to find them myself… no more messing around!

Cozy was awake before her eyes opened. The delicate wind of midday ruffled against her coat. She felt Cheesy breathe against her. At least she’s alright. Opening her eyes, Cozy saw a yellow claw inch toward her mouth.

“*gasp*—” the fingers wrapped around her face… gently? Looking up, wide teal eyes and a beak greeted her.

“Shhh… Don’t wanna wake up the filly, don’t you?” the grey griffon said with a chuckle. Cozy fought the restraints, but was too weak to break the bird’s grip. “I don’t wanna hurt you, silly! I’ll let you go but just promise me you won’t scream. I’ve got someone out there also taking an extended nap, hehe.” Cozy nodded, and was let go.

“*sigh*, thanks—”

“The name’s Gabby, little one! What’s your name? I could swear I know you from somewhere, but I’ve been doing deliveries to-and-from Ponyville for ages and I’ve never seen you around town. Even then, it’s not like I’m in Ponyville much anymore, haha!”

This griffon talks quite a bit… “My name is Comfy Shine. You said you had somepony with you?”

Gabby shushed and pointed outside. Cozy carefully removed Cheesy from herself and tiphoofed outside to take a peek. The first thing she noticed was that most of the snow was gone. The dreary fog from the night before had disappeared, and the godrays touched everything. Right outside was also a wheeled cart of some sort, and inside were some boxes, some rolls of cloth, some pottery, and none other than Muffin Mac.

“Muffin!” Cozy yelped, jumping down and rushing to him. He was asleep, but he was breathing. Various scratches mottled his coat and his left ear sported a large bandage. Beside him also rested a tiny creature; a rodent of some kind with white fur and—

“...black claws?” This is just like the creature from yesterday!

“That little cutie patootie is called a Winterchilla, Spike told me about them one time… apparently they get really big at night, though! We’re pretty lucky this guy came up to us in the morning.”

“Yeah… real lucky.”

“Anyway, I was just taking some very delicate materials over to the Canterlot Carousel when I spotted your friend running away from nothing. He was just going crazy thinking something was chasing him!” Gabby began mimicking her actions. “As soon as he was close, he collapsed, so I took him in my arms, and he said, ‘Help! Cheesy! Comfy! Train!’ and he pointed over here before passing out!”

He did all that for us?

“You said you were going to Canterlot?” Cozy asked.

“I did!”

“We were on our way there when we were attacked. Do you think we could take a ride up with you?”

“*gasp*” The grey griff let her wide smile do the talking.

“...of course. Thank you, Gabb—”

“New friends!” Gabby went up and squeezed Cozy into submission.

“Egh…” a sordid grunt appeared. Cozy and Gabby drew their eyes to the source.

“Uhhh…” Muffin shuffled and turned before dragging his eyes open. “Cozy?” he looked at Gabby. “Griffon… griffon?!” Muffin shot up for a second in fear before fatigue took him over once more. He lied on his back. GRUMBLE. His stomach gave its opinion.

Cozy gave Gabby each other a look.

Cozy woke up softly for the first time in forever. The cool breeze of the mountains adjacent to Canterlot brushed her carefully, and the warm sound of wooden wheels on smooth dirt soothed her thoughts. For a second she thought she was back on—

“Whoops!” Cozy heard Gabby yelped as a bump careened the cart to the side. Cozy and her two sleeping party members rolled to the side and crashed against the edge wall.

“Wah-huh?” “Cheesy!” both of them muttered as they took in the strange environment. After a moment of recovery, Cozy noticed the two foals falling into a panic.

“Guys, guys!” Cozy called out. They both shrunk, looking worriedly at her. “It’s okay, we’re alright. We’re getting to Canterlot.”

“Well, we’re still a bit away from the main gate, Comfy. Especially considering the cargo! Ha!” Corrected Gabby.

“Anyway, don’t worry. That nightmare from last night is over.”

“Ah… my whole body hurts.” Muffin complained, drooping back.

Cheesy must’ve just realized that Muffin was there, safe and sound. For a moment she stared, but soon enough she clutched him. She wept softly.

This must’ve been scary for these too… they’ve most likely never been through something like this in their lives.

“What in Tartarus happened last night?!” Cheesy said through her tears.

Cozy let down her guard. “Um… apparently Winterchillas turn into Zillas at night time. We were lucky it happened near the morning. Muffin saved us when he ran into Gabby, and… now we’re here.”

“Who’s this Gabby?” Muffin inquired.

“The griffin you woke up to a few hours ago.”

“Ooh… sorry about that, Gabby.”

“No worries, little one! Always a pleasure to host some wayward pony out in the mountains!” the bird pauses for a moment. “Though I do have a bit of a question…” Cozy tensed up. “Why were you three in that train anyway? Where are your parents?”

Cozy tried to talk but was harshly cut off by Cheesy, now much more casual than before. “Our parents are back in Ponyville… well, at least we think they’re our parents. Comfy here told us about a changeling invasion taking place! … you’re not a changeling, are you, Gabby?” Cheesy sharpened her eyes.

“Oh, hahaha! That’s a good one! Except, it’d be funnier if I was one, huh?”

Cheesy shrugged at Cozy. She’s too weird to be a changeling for sure…

“Oh, and I bet none of you are changelings, right?” Gabby threw the taunt in the air as she chuckled softly.

“Who are you kidding, missy?” Muffin rose and stood on his hindlegs with a mean streak. “We’re the goodest, most loyal and proud adventure ponies around! We’ll outrun, outfight and out… figure-out any changeling around! We’ve done so before.” His chest fluffed up.

“Oh, boy, what a brave little guy we have! Brave, just like he was against that Winterzilla yesterday!” Gabby laughed.

“Hey, that Winterzilla was real!”

“Sure it was,” the bird replied, “just like that changeling invasion you three keep talking about. Who’s the big bad meanie this time, is it still… Chrys… Cricket?”

“Chrysalis.” Cheesy said. “Apparently, her changelings have come back and they’ve taken over all our families.”

“Ohh, yeah! I remember Chrysalis.” A pause. “Didn’t she have a team, or a… league?”

“Who, that weirdo Tirek?” Cheesy said.

“Him too, but I remember somepony else…”

Cozy lay silent.

“Are you sure? Those two seem like they had enough evilness to knock down Equestria on their own.” Cheesy kept the discussion going.

“From what I heard, they were a little too evil to be partners… they needed somepony to reign them in.”

“Some… pony?” Muffin finally chimed in.

“Why would a pony help out such meanies? To take over Equestria no less? Seems to me like whoever that was wasn’t such a good pony to begin with.” said Cheesy.

“Why do you say that?” Cozy asked sharply, to the slight dismay of everyone else. She shifted. “Well, I just ask because you’ve never met this pony… and will never meet her, either! Uh… how are you so sure she was just evil and that’s it?”

“Duh! She must’ve been if she chose an ugly goat and a shapeshifter instead of her own friends.” Muffin said.

“Well, maybe she didn’t have any friends…” Gabby bluntly theorized.

“...Exactly! Maybe she just had her own idea of what Equestria should’ve been. Not enough reason to call her evil, don’t you think?” Cozy added.

“So she teamed up with two monsters to steal Equestria from the princesses? I wouldn’t trust a pony like that if she begged me to!” Muffin crossed his forelegs and huffed. Cozy felt a little itch on the back of her neck.

“Doesn’t sound like her ‘idea of Equestria’ was very good at all if she used those other two to help her realize it.” Gabby said.

“She should’ve counted on others in the first place. That’s how we were taught to solve problems. Heck, that’s how we’ve been solving them during this whole journey!” Cheesy passionately preached. Muffin nodded in approval.

Cozy stewed in her own thoughts. Tirek and Chrysalis weren’t exactly the most trustworthy ones around…

“Oh goody, we’re here!” Gabby chirped as the spires of Canterlot came into view in the distance. Even from all this far outside the city, the crew could see white and gold dots marching toward them. “And it looks like we’re in for a little interruption.”

Final stretch through the thorns… hopefully.

Chapter Six: Infiltration

Canterlot looked massive from the air. Going into detail would sour the sprawling majesty of it. Gabby carried the three foals on her back, and while she wasn’t encumbered, she was definitely careening back and forth a little bit with their combined weights.

Cozy tugged harder at Gabby’s neck. This far up with a broken wing made her feel queasy.

“Ugh, Comfy, could you hold on a little… lighter?” Gabby struggled to say.

“Oops!” Cozy softened her grip. “...sorry.”

“No need to be worried, I read once that Griffons are usually sturdier than ponies while flying.” Cheesy proudly spouted.

“That doesn’t make much sense.” Cozy replied.

“Or was it the opposite…?”

Gabby dipped suddenly, making the foals gasp.

“Sorry! I’m not exactly a sprightly young chick anymore.”

“Aw, that’s alright, Gabby. Thanks for taking us up, anyway!” Muffin sincerely said.

“Of course, anything for my friends!”

Cozy gulped as they descended upon the outer walls of the city from above. “Don’t get too close, look!” she blurted out.

An endless line of guards littered the wall’s battlements, as far as the eye could see. None of them noticed the grey griffon and Co., though, as they kept scanning the plains ahead. Flying around the same height were a squad of pegasi, patrolling the nearby air in formation. Gabby flapped to a wobbly halt.

“What should we do now?” the bird asked.

Cozy took a moment to scour the breadth of the cityscape. Despite it being so long since her last ‘visit’, Canterlot’s old structure remained pretty much the same underneath many of the new buildings and such that had been built over the course of the previous twenty-five years. Wait, didn’t I already do this once already?

“*gasp*!” A nasty deja vu pulsed through Cozy’s mind as the feeling of flying through and landing in the city ages past resurged in her mind. “Okay, I know how to get inside… but I’m going to have to do it alone.”

“What?!” the two earth foals yelped.

“Comfy, what are you talking about? We’ve gone so far with you, there’s no way we’re gonna let you off the hook this late in the game!” Muffin said.

Cozy sighed. “I get that you want to help, but Canterlot right now is dangerous. Look at all the guards, it’s flooding with them! It’s better if you two just go back home.” She was steadfast with her comments.

A pause. “Is that really what you think?” a meep escaped Cheesy’s lips. Her eyes started watering. Muffin’s face was more serious, as he placed a leg around her.

Cozy grimaced and felt goosebumps on her hooves. “...Alright, look! You guys have really helped me… more than that, actually. You’ve saved my hide more than once, and I’m really thankful… but I still think you guys should go back home. I truly, honestly don’t want to see you two hurt because of me again. What happens from now on is up to me. If I screw up, I don’t want to be the one who caused you pain.”

A moment of silence seeped over the crew. Cheesy was the first to break it.

“That’s noble of you, Comfy… I just don’t know if I’ll ever see you again...” she said, sniffling. Then a light shone through her eyes. “Wait a second!” she rummaged through her mane and pulled out a train ticket. “I forgot I still had this! Didn’t I tell you the conductor pony was super nice and gave me an extra ticket to get back? You can still visit us again!” Cheesy wrapped her hooves around Cozy, and soon enough so did Muffin.

“You… you want me to come back and visit you?”

“Are you kidding, missy? You’re a Crusader now, just like us! Maybe not for cutie marks, but an adventure’s an adventure nonetheless. You’ll always be welcome in our treehouse.” said Muffin.

Cheesy plopped the ticket on Cozy’s hoof.

It was heavy. She was silent.

“I’ll put you two back down near the entrance so you can get home safe. Is that okay?” Gabby interrupted.

“Uh huh.” said Cheesy, amidt light sobs. She still clung to Cozy.

A decent ways away from the city, which was teeming with guardsponies, Gabby flapped to a halt as the trio of foals landed. Cozy let out a sigh for now, knowing she’d be on the air again soon enough. She looked down at the train ticket and then at her two sidekicks, who had literally given away everything to get her to Canterlot on a whim.

And under a lie, at that.

“Well… I just have to say, I’m really, really thankful for what you did, really. It’s been awful for you—”

“Comfy, please! You already thanked us, silly” Muffin chortled. Cheesy wiped a tear as she also laughed.

“We leave you at the capable claws of Gabby the Griffon.” Cheesy said as she signaled to the bird.

“Oh, what honor!”

“We’ll see you back someday, Comfy! Be sure of it.” Cheesy gleefully hoped.

Cozy just stared at them with a solemn smile. “Of course.”

One last time, the duo rushed her and tackled her with a big hug. Cozy didn’t exactly retaliate. These poor kids…

Cheesy could sense something was off.

As the duo waved goodbye in the distance, Cozy mounted Gabby again and tightly wrapped around her neck. “It should be much more stable this time, right?”

“With two less little fatties on my back? You betcha!”

Crazy to think how that little oversight on her part in Ponyville ended up ruining her entire plan.

Well… not ruining it, per say.

Gabby took to the skies in a much nimbler fashion.
“Hey, Gabby.” Cozy fired off.

“Mhmm?” the griffon rose further upwards. The guards turned to specks, and the cliffs adjacent to the city were a vertical brown sea swimming past them. Canterlot Castle was now in full view, the tallest and most voluptuous building around.

“What do you think of those two?”

“Who, those little rascals? They seem like normal little ponies to me.”

“Normal? They’re far from normal.”

“The one that’s far from normal is you, Comfy. No offense, but you always seem so distant. Do you have any friends?”

Silence.

“Well, other than them, at least.”

Cozy tensed up. “They’re not really my friends. They just helped me get to Canterlot, that’s all.”

“Uh, yeah, why do think they did? They left behind their home and their families to help you! If that’s not friendship, I’ve been lied to all my life!”

Cozy stayed silent once more. Sincere friendship wasn’t something she really believed in until that fateful day. Getting blasted to stone by its physical manifestation certainly changed her perspective on it, but she’d gotten by all her life lying her way through. Why have mutual trust when everypony else is so inherently trusting on their own? It was grounds to get swindled by somepony with ulterior motives.

“Okay, we’re getting close to the Castle. Where do you want me to set you down?”

Cozy was snapped out of her thoughts. The castle lay bare in front of her, way down in the distance. Sentries patrolled the perimeter, but mostly around the air. Flying formations and circling tactics by the guardponies were clearly prioritizing something coming in from the sky.

Of course! I’m a pegasus, makes sense they’d predict me trying to fly inside…

They were half right. But now they would be dead wrong.

“Gabby, take me back a little. I want to touch ground far enough away to where they won’t see you.”

A patch of grass along one of the many paths leading to the castle seemed a good enough, empty landing space. Despite the amount of guardponies in service, there clearly weren’t enough of them to cover every security hole.

Gabby glided down and landed softly on the grass.

“You sure this is good enough? It’s still a ways up, maybe you’d like to be a little closer?

“No, this is perfect. Thanks, Gabby.”

“Oh, I guess we’re parting ways now.”

“Yeah… look, I really—”

“Don’t say a word, missy.” the bird lay a claw on Cozy’s lips. “You’re not the best at being heartfelt, hehe! I’ll see you when this is all resolved. I know we’re pressed for time, so good luck out there!”

And with that an a mane ruffle, Gabby sprang up and darted out, vanishing into the milky clouds.

And suddenly, Cozy was alone for the first time since she’d been set free. The gentle wind gave her goosebumps, and the distant hustle and bustle of Canterlot stung her hearing. The shadow of the castle crept imperceptibly toward her, as Celestia’s sun peeked through the spire of the head of the entire kingdom.

This is it… Inside those walls is what will get Tirek and Chrysalis out…

For a second, she stayed in place, shivering. Then she sprang to the nearest bush. The entrance to the castle was a whole garden away, the flora creating a path toward the two guards patrolling the huge double-door.

Wait a second… I have no clue where the archives are!

This fact hit Cozy like a Winterzilla’s swiping claw. She couldn’t just ask whatever pony crossed her. She needed to get there as quick as possi—

All thoughts halted as a pink alicorn landed in a flash in front of the access. The two guards were paralized in shock for a moment before assuming positions and saluting.

“Calm, dear guards. I’m just here to enter the archives, it’s royal business.”

“Of course, your highness.” The guards instantly parted ways and let Flurry Heart inside.

Bingo!

Alas, she still needed to find a way to get inside the darn building.

Darting her vision around, the wingless pegasus noticed the windows peeking into the decorated halls of the castle. The up above behind her, the guards on the battlements looked outward, the dots in the sky were like faraway birds, and the two near the door were steadfast in their dedication to stare directly forward.

At least they seem to follow orders well enough…

Green bushes lay scattered, forming an ornate pattern toward the front of the palace. Nimbly bouncing from one to the other, Cozy rolled to the window and nudged it open just enough to squeeze through in a flash.

Alright, where am I?

Studying her new surroundings, bidets, faucets, and stalls were spotted. It was a bathroom.

Just my luck...

SQUEEEEEEAK.

Oh, drat!

Cozy jumped into the nearest toilet box and shut the door, sitting on the marble throne and lifting up her hooves to her chest.

Heavy hoofsteps tapped closer, and a soft tune whistled into existence. Four of them stopped right outside Cozy’s door, and as one lifted up, it rattled the thing loudly.

“Oh, someone’s in there? Sorry about that!” said the stallion.

Stallion?!
The whistling gentlepony walked away, entered the cubicle adjacent, and casually locked the door.

Now’s my chance!

Cozy flushed for enhanced realism, softly stepped outside, and quietly sped out the door.

Or at least, that’s what she wanted to do, before sense snapped her out of her panic.

Who knows what could be out there?

A school trip, a platoon of guardponies, Celestia walking around? She was so close to her goal, but now was not the time for impatience. She carefully reached her eyes around the doorway and found…!

Nothing. A huge, empty hallway. Well, not exactly empty. Trotting away was Flurry Heart’s rump, tail swishing as she vanished into a corner, deeper into the castle’s expanse.

Perfect… the prey leads the predator to their nest...

I have to be quick… I might still be early enough to catch Cozy in the act!

Flurry Heart trotted through the halls of the castle, her destination pinpointed in her mind. The one place she was banned from entering, the one that started all of this.

Turning corners as the castle’s lights grew dimmer, a lone gate at the end of a corridor made its presence: ‘Archives’, a sign read above.

This is it…

As she clicked open the lock with her magic, the steel bars swung with a squeal, and the dimly lit cobblestone passageway winded downward into darkness. Flurry had been inside the Archives many a time before, but today, the wind pouring out from the chamber stung her coat. Quickly panning back, she was certainly alone.

It’s time.

The archives themselves were a mess of old scrolls, assorted artifacts, and lots of junk, really. Books forming erratic piles in every corner, furniture and pottery littering the floor so as to make it tedious to walk, and the rare, cracked jewel or rusty armor piece that was worn centuries ago by some important unicorn nopony remembers. Boxes, boxes, and more boxes. Ancient items mostly relevant to the royalty due to their previous significance, but now simply eating dust in a room with the hope that somepony might have a need for them in the future.

Flurry was against the clock, as Cozy was nowhere to be seen.

I have to find this thing now!
But this whole place is in disarray! It would take hours, if not days, to find one item in a sea of crumbling curios.

Let’s think about this…

Flurry was familiar with Equestrian history to the point where she recognized a few of the many objects scattered about. A ragged Pegasopolis flag, scrolls in Old Ponish about Luna’s banishment, and paintings that were clearly from the Pre-Twilight era.

These are just mundane mementos and antiquities, though. Barely anything remotely top secret. It’s the same as the first time I was here!

But as she flew around the expansive cavern, this fact didn’t change. More dusty books, more decrepit souvenirs. Mountains of these, but little else.

Where are all the important items?

BONK.

“Oww…”

Lost in thought, Flurry had smacked right into a pair of huge blue doors that were hidden from the cavern’s entrance. She rubbed her horn in pain.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see these in my previous visit… Well, can’t be more conspicuous than this.”

As magic pried the doors open, the source of that stinging wind now became apparent. This section of the secret wing was just the mouth to a massively deep cavern.

Wow!

The true state of the archives revealed itself through these doors. Statues, massive, elaborate paintings, potions, jewels, weapons, everything! Further in, the Alicorn Amulet encased in a thick glass case. Artifacts of the Pillars of old Equestria displayed in luscious frames. The first Equestrian banner from the Hearthswarming!

“That bell has got to be around here somewhere.”

As Flurry said this, the temperature dipped, and goosebumps sprang up across her neck and back. As if by instinct, her gaze shot to a corner in the cave, a dark spot highlighted by a bright green pulse.

No way…

As she flew closer, whispers and hums crept at her hearing. Casting a light spell, she approached the ghastly thing.

Sitting on a slightly warped table, seemingly unimportant, was the Bewitching Bell. The murmurs emanating from it grew thicker, and the air around it was heavy, leaving a taste of sulfur in Flurry’s tongue.

Thank the sisters it’s still here…

“Golly, Flurry Heart, what a surprise!” a distinct voice bounced around the cavern’s walls.

“Huh?” It can’t be.

Flurry turned on a dime and scanned her surroundings. “Cozy Glow?!”

Did she tail me?

“Thanks so much for leading me here, Flurry. This place is a total wreck! It would’ve taken ages to find the bell without you...”

Where is she?! Flurry could not focus on the origin of the voice. It was as if the grotto itself was taunting her.

“Why did you escape? I was trying to help you!”

“You certainly did help me… by setting me free. Now I can pay back what your kind did to my—”

“—Friends?” A silence settled for a moment. Flurry sighed. “Chrysalis and Tirek were never your friends, Cozy.”

“And how can you be so sure of that?! You know nothing about me!”

“And that’s just it, you’re so confusing!”

“Oh, I bet.” The voice seemed to shift. Flurry stepped forward.

“I don’t mean it like that, it’s just… it always baffled me that you’d join them. How could you betray your own kind for creatures like that? It doesn’t make any sense!”

“Make sense? You want it to make sense? Alright, I’ll tell you!”

A pitpat of hooves were heard behind Flurry, and as she turned, a beam of yellow and black energy struck her in the chest. Suddenly her legs gave, as if they had become a dozen tons heavier. Her breath rushed out, dizzying her. Her eyes rolled up, and she nearly passed out, but held together just enough to straighten them out and look ahead.

Cozy Glow stood upright, bell in hooves, eyes wide and teeth bared. A blistering TWANG struck, and the bell jittered as its whispers grew into grumbles. The filly then turned the bell onto herself, and its lights engulfed her.

Oh, no…

Two massive wings outstretched, and a sharp horn materialized as the filly floated down, lightning crackling around her. Cozy Glow opened her eyes and laughed.

“Oh, I forgot how good this felt! I say, you alicorns really have a scary amount of power.”

Flurry struggled to move her tongue. “Wh… why…?”

“Why? Okay, Flurry, I’ll keep my promise. I’ll tell you about me.” Cozy flew over to the downed princess. The foal’s aura was oppressive.

“I used to study at Twilight’s school of friendship, once, a long time ago. Thing is, I was terrible at it! I was failing, I didn’t have any friends, and it was just awful! Until one day, three little fillies tried to help me, just because they heard me crying. It was as if that simple act convinced them to pour their time and effort into getting me to succeed. They didn’t even know me! It was baffling, to say the least…”

Cozy paused for a second and sat down next to Flurry.

“But they taught me a lesson. Ponies can be very… how to put it… ‘vulnerable’ creatures. Not vulnerable physically, but mentally. Naive, if you will, quick to trust and sacrifice for others. I’d see it everywhere in that school. It was the whole point of it! Their help and trust was ripe for the picking, as long as I just pleased everyone. If I wanted something, I could do something nice for them, and they’d reciprocate. So I thought, ‘Hey, what’s the limit?’ If I was nice enough, I could potentially become the ruler of them all! Oh, and I had so many things I wanted to do…” A smirk formed. “Nothing bad, per se, just restoring Equestria to its former glory. Back when we were pioneers of magic and technology, exploration and culture! Things have slowed, and they’ve led to stagnation. I’m sure you would agree.”

“But… we haven’t had this much peace in… centuries!”

“Well, my dear, strong ponies make good times; good times make weak ponies; weak ponies make bad times; and bad times make strong ponies. Celestia’s thousand years of peace tarnished our spirit and made ponies fragile and soft. We were nearly taken out as a kingdom if not for luck, many times! I just wanted to take the reigns myself and turn Equestria back to the superpower it used to be!

Cozy stood up again and paced back and forth in front of Flurry, a frown developing on her forehead.

“But I guess I underestimated a certain group of creatures. Their sensibilities might’ve been different than ponies, and they saw right through my silver tongue. Short story, I was thrown into Tartarus for ‘treason’, something or other, that doesn’t really matter now. Doubt you’d remember much of it yourself.”

“I… I remember when you took me hostage…”

“That’s jumping ahead a little, be patient. In Tartarus, I spent time with a certain centaur that helped me escape that dreadfully boring cage, the same one who had given me pointers from the shadows before. And soon enough, the bug who’d been defeated alone had decided to join.”

“Join… what? What did you want?”

“Being in the underworld with that cunning goat for as long as we were, he confirmed a lot of my suspicions about ponykind. He could’ve gotten away with it as well, when he tried it alone, if it weren’t for Twilight and her friends depending on that formless power they weave. Friendship was power, and I’d simply tried getting it the wrong way. But, when you make ‘friends’ with people already in power, the chances were much greater!”

Cozy levitated the ragdolled Flurry Heart up to her face. “By partnering up with Chrysalis and Tirek, we made a masterful team! If we were in power, ponykind would become strong once again, under our iron fist!”

“But… you could’ve accomplished so much… just like those ponies trusted you… you could’ve trusted them!”

“And fall prey to another like myself? I’d never allow it.”

“What about… Lil’ Cheese…? Muffin…?”

Flurry Heart was dropped instantly, landing with a thud. “Ugh!”

Cozy turned away, head low.

“Cozy… think about them… You three threw me for a loop, reached your goal… And you did it together… doesn’t that tell you anything?”

Once again, Cozy was silent.

“They left their home for you… Put themselves in danger for you… That doesn’t mean anything to you?”

Nothing.

“I set you free because... I wanted to believe deep down you were a pony just like me… I could’ve been that little foal, led astray… made a mistake and given another, terrible chance… I could’ve hurt so many, more than you, even… You like those two, don’t you?”

Cozy turned to her with a scowl. “No, I don’t! I used them to get to the bell! Are you so stupid that you can’t see it?!”

“You’re lying… I can tell… You three went through so much… You could’ve left them behind at any moment… but you helped them just as much as they did you, I just know it!”

Cozy struggled to speak.

“Please… think about them… you’ll destroy them if you keep going…”

Cozy turned away. “No. It’s too late for that, Flurry. Ponykind needs a renaissance. It’ll hurt, but it has to be done.”

“You don’t have to be hated to be a strong ruler… you can be loved, respected… just like Cheesy and Muffin loved and respected you…!”

“Enough!” Cozy’s visage was unknown to Flurry, her face hidden in shadow. “Goodbye, Flurry Heart. May we have mercy on you.”

And with that, Cozy jolted upwards and shattered the cavern’s ceiling with a powerful blast, disappearing into the vibrant sunset sky. A thick red poured into the cavern.

Flurry Heart fainted.

Chapter Seven: Revelation

Cozy Glow soared over the white city. The massive capital below her was puny and ant-like.

No time to waste.

Instantly upon picturing the statue of her fallen friends, a flash of light engulfed the little alicorn and its shadow was cast over her.

They’re still in there.

Alive.

As if she had known it all her life, she cast the strenuous spell toward the broken visages of the duo, stuck in a loop of sensory deprivation.

CRACK.

A fissure formed across the bodies of the prisoners. It was cacophonous, an explosion of noise like no other.

Then a low rumble, as pieces of rock trickled down over the wrinkly, carapaced flesh of a heartless creature. A green eye grimaced at the light, but soon, they shot open. It zapped straight at the filly, sharp as the tip of an arrow. Cozy gulped.

Then, another sound. Black cloven hooves clicked shakily as they touched ground for the first time since a quarter century. A pained grunt came out as the spindly body and hairy torso of a hybrid beast shook in spasms, rocking the stone off the face of the goat. A breathless scream rumbled the earth beneath them.

Suddenly, the stone stopped cracking. As the two monsters writhed to their new surroundings, four heavy hooves slammed down behind Cozy. The air around her turned cold, and upon looking back, a baffling sight befell her.

“Cozy Glow!” A thunderous voice struck like a hammer out of the towering alicorn.

“T-Twilight Sparkle?!” Cozy yelped, even though she herself wasn’t sure it was the same pony. It was as if Celestia had turned purple, and her mane had taken the form of a nebula.

“Stop what you’re doing!” the obvious sentiment escaped from her stern mouth.

In too deep, Flurry kept the spell going, but instantly fell the eldritch force of a being much more powerful than her fighting against her magic.

Oh, no.
FWOOOOOSH.

A massive, rainbow-like blast surged out of the plaza, towering over the nearby buildings.

Screams and scampering hooves clipped ever closer, as the shimmering dust settled. The two beasts began to look around, panicked and shivering. The bug caught a glimpse of Cozy again.

“Co… Cozy Glow?!” She stared, bewildered. “I’m free… I’m free!”

“What?” Tirek meeped “Finally, oh sweet fires of Tartarus!”

But upon moving, their legs, still stone, betrayed them.

“Cozy!” Both screamed at the same time.

Cozy turned back, Twilight now shadowed by a crowd of onlookers. Shots of fear and anger pierced her.

“Everypony, stay back! Leave this to me.” Twilight said as a pink dome solidified over her, the filly, and the two villains. The sounds of heckles and yelling blinked out, and all Cozy could hear was her own heartbeat, pounding against the back of her head.

“*sigh*...” Twilight stepped forward, prompting a step back from Cozy. “When you were all the way back in Ponyville, Applejack sent me a letter that Flurry had released you, but I couldn’t believe it! At least, at first. I saw you with Flurry, near the library. Well, one of my ‘eyes in the night’ did. Pretty cool spell, it lets me see all over Equestria! So handy—”

Cozy looked confused.

“Oh, sorry. Rambling as usual. *ahem*. When I did, I was about to do something about it… How can I not do something about one of the worst villains we’ve ever had?”

Twilight took another step, and so did Cozy. The villains were petrified.

“But, I knew Flurry… of course, as you probably found out, her methods aren’t exactly orthodox.”

Cozy rolled her eyes.

“Still, she’s compassionate and empathetic like nopony I’ve ever met. To a fault, actually.”

“What’s the point of all this, Sparkle?” Cozy interrupted. “Aren’t you going to turn me to stone again?! Just do it!” Cozy placed herself between Twilight and her two companions.

“Alright, listen, Cozy. I’ll not waste your time. I’ve heard of the things you’ve done here while you’ve been back. Clearly your punishment has worked, has it not? I bet you’ve realized that the two behind you are not your friends—”

“Yes they are! They’re more friends to me and you ever were!” Cozy shrinked, grimacing.

“Cozy Glow… please!” a corrupted, sickly voice chimed at her from behind. It was the queen. “Free me, it’s torture in there! You know what it’s like, don’t you? Quickly, so you and I can overpower her together! Come on!” Her daggers bared out of her crazed mouth.

“Don’t listen to her!” the goat screeched.

Wait, what?

“She’s trying to escape, she was never one of us! Wasn’t I the one who gave you knowledge of subterfuge and gave you a chance at ruling this land? Saved you from an eternity in that underworld? This carapace leeched on way after the fact! Get me out and we’ll use the bell again!”

The bell, that’s right!

Cozy closed her eyes and pictured the place where Flurry was defeated. Laying on the ground, in her memory, was the Bewitching Bell.

POOF.

The bell now lay under Cozy’s hoof.

Twilight stepped back, her pupils dilating. “Cozy, what are you doing?!”

“Yes, save me, filly! Get me out!” the goat yelled.

“You dirty backstabber! You caused all of this!” the queen screamed at Tirek.

Claws and hooves and teeth and horns clashed with each other awkwardly within their tangled prison, seemingly forgetting about the foal trying to save them.

Cozy turned to Twilight, but something else, behind her, took priority.

Past the pink dome, two little earth ponies she knew very well had snuck their way to its edge, eyes glued to her own. Great horror was plastered on their faces, snarls of disgust on their snouts. They didn’t know her anymore. A lump formed at her throat, threatening to choke her. Her hooves ceased to function, dropping the filly to her haunches. The bickering pair behind her drowned out, and the sound of silence took over, as Cozy’s vision darkened.

Oh, golly…

The filly levitated the bell and rushed to her past cabal.

“Cozy, no!” Twilight’s distant yell tried to break her determination.

She fired a beam at the amalgam of beast and rock. Smiles poured out of the two, but quickly ceded.

“Wait, what are you doing, you—?!”

Chrysalis and Tirek were consumed by stone, before they could even finish realizing it. She felt no presence anymore.

Cozy pointed the bell at herself and fired at it. As the bell received the magic, it began to splinter. Her horn was gone, and her strength was as well. The final drops of energy were sucked into the bell, which crumbled to dust before her eyes.

Cozy yawned as her eyelids turned heavy. The last thing she saw was the pink dome breaking, and three figures rushing toward her as she was engulfed in magic.

Her name bounced around her ears one last time before the lights were finally shut.

Chapter Eight: Resolutions

“Cozy!”

“Whah-huh!” the pegasus mare flopped out from over her bed and slammed cheeks-first onto the wooden floor. “Ow…”

“Cozy?” the pink alicorn peeked her head through the now-opened door, looking around.

“Down here…” Cozy shook herself and stood up woozily.

Fully tried to hide her chuckle, but failed horribly.

“Wow, you look awful. Did you have a nightmare?”

Cozy ruffled her mane with her wings and stood up, cracking her bones in a rattling orchestra. “Urgh… it’s nothing. Just remembering that day…”

“Darn, Cozy, I didn’t know it hit you that hard.”

Cozy walked up to Flurry and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s fine. I’m gonna go see Cheese and Muffin today, anyway. It’s been a while.”

Fully tapped her chin with her hoof and pondered. “Golly, it has been a while!”

Cozy laughed. “Yes, it has…”

Cozy walked through the library door and was struck by Ponyville’s radiant sunlight. For some reason, the sun always shone brightest here. Even the white capital had an aura of shadow and darkness, albeit comforting. Still, it seems like Twilight was always extra kind to this little town. Even if it wasn’t so little anymore.

Despite her last visit way back in the day showing the hustle and bustle, the town was now a haven for country folk and travelers on their way to and from Canterlot. The quaint nature of the town was still there, and while its residents were still just a few, the notoriety of the place (with a little help from time) made it a popular destination. It was no Manehattan (Celestia forbid that hoof traffic), but new faces would show up one day and leave the next. The town had developed a distinct ambient sound, the conversations and chores forming an organic tune unlike any other place.

“Well, if you’re done looking around,” Flurry said as she scooched around Cozy and out into the dirt road, “I actually have something productive to do.”

Cozy gave Flurry a look.

“Say hi to the kids for me, eh? Pfft, well… They’re definitely not kids anymore. And neither are you.” The alicorn gave a wink and popped out of existence.

Later, nerd…

Cozy smiled.

Good ol’ Sugarcube Corner. All the years in the world, and it looked, smelled, and probably tasted the same. Peeking inside, Cozy scanned the seemingly empty and silent pastry shop. Too silent, to be honest. Nothing but rows of donuts, pink foley, and a huge quadruple decker cake—.

“Hmm…” Cozy bounced silently into the sweet abode and snuck up to the counter where the cake was.

This thing is huge! Huge enough to…

“Hey!”

Ready to pounce on whoever was very clearly behind the cake, Cozy turned her head to see a visibly confused Lil’ Cheese carrying a paper bag into the room, followed behind by a towering Muffin Mac. A moment of silence calcified, as Cozy whipped back to a (badly executed) calm pose.

“Oh, hey there Cheesy! Nice big cake, thought you were…”

“Thought I, what?” Cheesy said nonchalantly as she placed the bag down on the same counter.

“Nothing…”

Putting the paper bag on a nearby counter, Cheesy approached Cozy.

“It’s been so long, how’ve you been?” The mare tightly gripped the pegasus.

“Busy as ever, honestly… There’s just so much to do these days! Twilight’s been asking more of me now that we’re exploring more and more of Equestria and beyond. I’ve had to meet with so many weirdos! And the train rides take ages, too! Golly, I wish I had a horn like Flurry does, it’s too convenient. I just got back last night from a sea serpent colony, jeez, they’re so fussy! I’m exhausted, frankly, and—”

Cheesy and Muffin held back a giggle, the stallion then putting a hoof on Cozy. “It’s just funny seeing you all open, is all.”

Cozy felt the hairs on her coat shoot up, and her cheeks burnt up. “Oh, I’m sorry… I’ve just been so overwhelmed with this whole “Friendship Ambassador” thing. *sigh*, I don’t get why the princess would choose me of all ponies to go around the land and contact all these strange races. There are dozens of others who actually like doing that sort of stuff.”

“If you think about it, that’s exactly why she chose you.” Muffin interjected.

“Weren’t you the one to get Tirek and Chrysalis to join you?” Cheesy said.

“And the one who lied to us so well we believed our own parents were changeling?”

“And managed to convince us to the point of traveling all the way to Canterlot with you on a secret we didn’t even know?”

“Almost getting mauled by a Winterzilla in the process?”

Silence befell Cozy.

“Yeah… I guess I am the one for the job, huh?”

“Only you could put up with so much hogwash from every direction, you gotta admit that.” Muffin said.

“I’m sorry for what I did to you guys…”

“We forgave you long ago for that, Cozy,” Cheesy hugged the downtrodden filly-no-more, “we’re glad you did, anyway.”

Muffin joined in, and the three sank into a fuzzy exchange.

Cozy always wanted Equestria to be stronger, tougher, and more resilient. She had broken the status quo to achieve that, but by doing so, she inspired others to unite against her, turning Equestria strong again. It’s funny when you think about it, honestly. She failed at her goal, but by doing so, accomplished it.

Golly… what a mess!

THE END.

Chapter Five: Cooperation

Chapter Five: Deception

The green waves of the Canterlot mountains curved infinitely inward into the valley path that led to the white city, drawing the fugitives’ attention to the mottle of guards approaching them. As Gabby whistled a tune of old, the three foals conspired in the cart.

“We can’t pull off the same thing we did on the train, these ponies actually know what they’re doing. As opposed to that weirdo alicorn.” Cheesy chuckled.

“This isn’t a train, though… no seats to hide under. And there’s not a single tree in sight for miles, it’s all flat!” This clearly bothered poor old Muffin, only familiar with orchards as far as the eye could see.

“Not exactly flat, though, is it? It’s hilly!” Cheesy poked. Muffin gave her a stare, but then sank.

“Good point, I guess…”

“Hmm… Gabby, do you have any ideas?” Cozy interrupted the griffon’s tune.

“Oh? I do, yes, but I want to see what you three come up with! Mine’s boring, anyway.” She went back to whistling.

“What?! This is urgent! If they even see us, it’s over!”

“Us? Weren’t they only looking for you?” Muffin inquired.

“I would say that, but after the train fiasco, a lot of those guards saw you two with me, protecting me… it’s safe to say that you are both on the run just as much as I am, at this point.”

Muffin and Cheesy watched Cozy in amazement. “Aw, yeah!” they exclaimed, striking hooves and cheering.

What in the…

“What are you two so happy about? You’re criminals now, don’t you get it?”

Cheesy swooped in with a reassuring hoof. “Oh, Comfy… it seems like you’re not the best at picking up cues, aren’t ya?” Cozy pouted. “It was our choice to join you, silly! Even if it means we’re outlaws, we’re outlaws with you.”
Muffin winked at Cozy. A pit at the bottom of the pegasus’ stomach formed.

“Plus, as soon as this whole changeling thing blows over, I’m sure we’re all be pardoned and rewarded for being heroes of Equestria. Ooh, Muffin, maybe we’ll get a super cool ceremony like my mom and your uncle did when they defeated Discord!”

As the two kids glowed over their imaginary future, Cozy couldn’t help but feel strange. She’d used ponies in this way before, but never had they actually gone out of their way to save her… at least, never as much as these two knuckleheads. Why do they even like me this much… what did I ever do to them? And of course, any thought of them now could only be conflated with one after the fact: Cozy would bring Tirek and Chrysalis back. Perhaps I’ll grant myself control over Ponyville when all is said and done… at least prevent it from being messed with too much… Using them like this almost seemed ironic considering the tall tale Cozy had weaved thus far.

Using them like this… Cozy audibly gasped. “Ah-ha!”

Everyone present turned their heads.

“I have an idea of how we can get past these guards… but I’m going to need all of your help.”

“Are you kidding? All you had to do was say it!” Cheesy hugged Cozy.

“And Gabby…”

The bird’s eyes lit up. “...yes?”

“Do you mind if we use some of these fabrics?”

“Well… pfft, Rarity won’t mind, they’re only super rare Saddle Arabian silk that cost her both hindlegs…”

The trio looked worried.

“Puh, she’ll understand when Equestria is saved, won’t she? A drama queen can only be so dramatic.” Gabby giggled to herself.

The plan was ahoof.

Cozy grinned. “Let’s play dress-up, then.”

Muffin and Cheesy glanced at each other, sheepish.

Flurry swooped around the gargantuan Canterlot peaks, extending down further than she could even see. Not important, though, since she was looking for something slightly more specific.

Where are those darn tracks… “Aha!”

In the vast distance, a pinprick of pony-made structure glistened with the help of Celestia’s sun, and curved through the hills and into tunnels. The tracks highlighted the landscape.

Somewhere around here I should be able to find clues about—

“*gasp*!” Flurry drew her hooves to her mouth instinctively. Just around the corner of a peak, a massacre of steel lay bare for the world to see. Wagons lay twisted and crushed, on their side, and far from the rails. The swoosh of the wind turned into dreadful noise as a very real possibility dawned on Flurry.

She blinked toward the disaster. The broken parts lay still like a painting. Flurry floated over the warped tracks and noticed the fresh claw prints that led down toward the cliff neighboring the train. Whatever had come out of there, it must’ve been huge. She’d never seen a Winterzilla before, and imagined some of these poor ponies hadn't, either. The array of chaotic hoofmarks trailing away into the distance confirmed this theory.

There has to be some proof of Cozy, Lil’ Cheese and Muffin around here...

“Right, the caboose!” Flurry turned and found the wagon flipped on its side, and another strike against her heart resonated. Popping inside, the gnarled frame led way to sunlight, which trickled over the dangling seats and broken glass.

“...ugh…” a grunt seeped from somewhere.

Flurry gasped in silence. “Hello? Anypony there?” she searched the wreck, tip-hoofing toward the origin point of this pained sound. She finally spotted what looked like a tail, shivering softly underneath a collapsed wall.

Lifting the metal with her magic, Flurry stood over the coughing and drowsy royal guardpony.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Argh… no, Princess. Just my pride…” he tried sitting up but his forehoof shook and buckled under the pressure. He landed on his chin and grimaced. “Well, maybe that, too.”

Flurry’s horn glowed, and a soothing heat wrapped around the guardpony’s leg.

“Hmm… this might hurt for a moment.”

“How so— Y’OW!” a snap was heard as the hoof fit back into position. The heat dissipated and he stood up, no problem.

“Gee, thanks, Princess—”

“We’ve got no time for pleasantries, Mr…”

“My name is Lofty Lance, Princess. And you’re right. What is your purpose here?”

“You were on this train earlier this morning, were you not?”

“Before the Winterzilla attack? Not quite. We were running a checkpoint under Cadence’s orders to find Cozy Glow. It was myself and three others…” He pondered for a moment, then whooped. “Steel Shield was also with me! Oh, no, is he—”

“He’s safe and sound in Canterlot.”

Lance sighed heavily.

Flurry continued. “Now, you stopped the train and got on, good. Did you find her inside the train before the attack? Were there others with her?”

“We didn’t find her at first, there were two foals hiding her below the train seats.”

Flurry kicked the ground and huffed. Applebloom was right… these kids made a total fool out of me!
“Uh… everything alright, Princess?”

“*sigh*...Nothing, please proceed.” Flurry faked a smile.

“Well, we were about to take her with us when that giant rodent came in and kicked the caboose around. That’s about the point I remember, really. Must’ve been knocked out then.”

Drat, there’s not much to go on from this.

“Any clue as to where they could’ve gone?”

“Hmm… the trade route to Canterlot is not much further past where we are. If they would’ve escaped, it would make sense for them to go that way.”

“Okay, seems like a good place to start. Thank you for your service, Mr. Lance. Will you be able to head back to Canterlot like this?”

“With your help I will be. Not sure how far I would’ve gotten with that hoof. Thank you again, Princess.” Lance bowed slightly and lay a hoof across his chest.

Flurry smiled, for real this time.

Flying out of the wagon, Flurry dashed past the engine.

Wait!

Screeching to a halt on the dirt path, the scene she came across was haunting.

A mass of hoofsteps in the almost-gone snow led past the engine, but others diverted into it as well. Around these were the massive holes left by the Zilla’s claws.

Peeking into the locomotive, Flurry caught a glimpse of something glistening against the rusty black metal: a light blue hair stuck between some machinery.

They slept here…

Due to some celestial odd, these three little ponies had managed to make it out safely. Not only that, but had escaped the clutches of persecution and kept pushing themselves further and further toward their goal. Why are they always one step ahead?

Stepping back outside, Flurry saw the trade path up towards Canterlot surfing the valley. I’m done being slow. I’m taking those two foals back to their homes… and Cozy…
She took off with a bang and into the sky.

Three guardponies marched in lockstep down the mountain. They had spotted some kind of cart in the distance, and were expressly warned, if they came across anyone seeking to enter Canterlot, to stop and search them no matter what. Apparently an old enemy of Equestria had plans to take the capital, but her description was bizarre at best. A tiny little pink filly with a yellow bow? Holding two other foals hostage?

“Hey, do any of you think this whole thing is a little weird?” one asked his two companions.

“Weird how?”

“Think about it. Out of nowhere there’s a state of emergency in the city and we’re told to patrol the travel road leading away from it. We’re told to seek a foal, of all things, because, apparently, she’s the most evil, cunning pony to ever touch these lands and her return marks the end times. We’ve never even heard of her before!”

“Puah! Talk about yourself, Helm. Hilt and I are actually erudite in Equestrian history, thank you very much. And yes, Cozy Glow is very much a real threat.”

“Oh yeah? Well, how does a tiny little kid manage to outsmart all of Equestria, then, Mace? Putting up a cutesy face and pouting?”

“Pretty much…” Cross Hilt didn’t look exactly proud of his kingdom at this moment.

Helm was physically taken aback. “You mean to tell me that the Elements of Harmony and all their friends couldn’t see past this child being fake-nice?” He facepalmed. “I thought it was just a prank from Shining Armor, honestly. Making us come out here, chasing some little filly, laughing behind our back.”

“Maybe she’s in that cart being pulled up ahead, who knows? Might be our lucky day.” Mace replied.

As the trio approached the pony ahead, something wasn’t right.

“Wait… that’s definitely a filly pulling that cart.” Helm hesitantly kept walking.

“What, are you scared of her? Just like Princess Twilight back in the day?” Mace and Cross Hilt chuckled to each other. “*sigh*... Alright, enough with this, let’s get back to business and see what’s going on here”.

The filly was covered in a fine crimson fabric, cloaked over her entire body. Only the tips of her hooves and her muzzle were visible… and they were pink.

Helm felt a drop drizzle out of his temple. He leaned toward Mace’s ear. “I’m not going crazy, am I?” he whispered.

The filly was undeterred even as the three guards were at talking length.

Mace whispered behind him. “Why don’t you go and greet her? You look like you need to remember that you’re a guard. It’s your duty!” he smacked Helm in the rear and let him trot ahead.

Helm swallowed up his fear and raised a hoof. “You there! Cease your walking, citizen.”

The filly stopped, the breeze hitting an eerie tone as the wheels of the cart squeaked to a halt.

“We have been informed of a threat coming into Canterlot, and are required to confirm identity and reason for visitation into the city. State your business.”

Silence. The filly seemed to be a statue.

“Did you hear me? I said—”

SWOOSH. A dashing sound up above distracted Mace, making him turn. “What was that?!”

Helm saw Mace stripped bare of his tough exterior, shivering like a lost sheep. “Cross Hilt, are you goo—”

Where Cross Hilt was supposed to be, another foal cloaked in red stood instead.

“Ah—!” the two guards jumped back. “Wha-wha-what did you do to Cross Hilt, you—”

He faced the cart again, but there was nopony in sight. SWOOSH. His brain flew into a panic. As he swiveled back around, Helm was also replaced by a third cloaked foal.

Mace was frozen. SWOOSH. Behind him stood a towering, draped figure, claws and talons piercing the crimson cloth and glistening in the sunlight, eyes angled like daggers.

“Go back home, colt. And don’t dare tell anypony what you saw. ” The raspy voice of the figure muttered as the hooks at the end of its fingers danced.

Without a moment of hesitation, the whimpering guardpony scampered and tripped up the path to the white city.

When the guardpony was just out of viewing distance, the cloaks flew up into the air and revealed the group. Cheering and hollering followed suit, as Cozy popped up from the mess of fabrics on the cart.

“I can’t believe it!” Cheesy jumped on her hindlegs. “Those guards totally bought it!”

“And you’re sure they’re safe, Gabby? For all that one knows, his two friends might be in danger.” Muffin wondered.

“Oh, they’re just knocked out, that's all. Gave them a little bonk on the head, nothing to be worried about. They’re right there in the grass, though, I can see why that last one didn’t notice, since he was, you know… fearing for his life and all.” The griffon chuckled sincerely. And sure enough, the two guards were cuddled up, breathing softly within some tall grass.

Cozy tapped her chin in thought. “That’s some mighty flying, Gabby. Faster than I thought you could pull off.”

The bird gasped and drew a claw to her chest. “Excuse me?! I once outflew Rainbow Dash, you know, sometime in my youth!”

“Really, huh? Hmm... I think I have an idea of how to get into the city.”

“What do you mean?” said Cheesy.

“Well, the city is most likely flooded with guards on the ground. They’re sure to have every entrance and opening covered up. Except for one…”

Cozy looked up into the cerulean sea.

Oh, Canterlot… you’re not ready for me.