Golly Interrupted

Chapters

Naughty Filly
Two Fillies, One Evening
Familiar Faces
Fillies' Day Out
Just Breathe
Apples to Apples
Previously...
Roll Call
A State of Being
Epilogue

Naughty Filly

It was another casual weekend in Ponyville. The sun was out, the air nicely warmed by the sun in the clear blue sky. Cozy was out for the day with her friend, Tenderhoof while Astral opted to stay home and get some spring cleaning taken care of. She hummed to herself as she moved the broom around the floor with her magic, "sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep," she started to speak. "What's this?"

She had reached Cozy's side of the room and noticed an ant trail coming from the bed. "Oh, no." She lifted up the blanket to see a stash of cookies being carried away crumb by crumb. "...Oh Cozy."

with a sigh and a roll of her eyes, she magically picked up all of the ants and cookies, opened the door and sent them all outside from where she stood in the middle of the room.

"Ahh! Ants!" screamed a young filly's voice. Astral looked up to see Cozy at the doorstep about to come in, arriving home from her day out. Cozy instead started shaking and brushing herself off as well as spitting profusely. "What's wrong with you, Astral?!"

"Oh, welcome home, Cozy. I didn't see you there."

Cozy rid herself of the last of the ants and crumbs before stepping inside.

"Mind telling me how a stash of cookies ended up in your bed?"

"Oh, I was eating them there. I didn't feel like sharing, though," said Cozy as she set her saddlebags down in their usual spot by the front door.

"...Cozy, don't eat cookies in the bed. Don't eat anything in the bed, that's how you get ants. Where did you get them anyway? I didn't buy any."

"From the Cake Twins. They gave them to me."

Astral tapped her hoof on the floor, "...Like Allen gave you his tail?"

"No!" replied Cozy in a deeply offended voice. "It was the professor's birthday. They gave everypony in class cookies. They were super good. That's why I didn't want to share them."

"Cozy, I don't care that you didn't share them, I just don't want you eating cookies in bed and leaving crumbs everywhere."

"Ok!"

Astral somehow thought that that wouldn't be the end of it.

* * *

Not more than a few days later, Astral noticed a new trail of ants. She rolled her eyes and lifted Cozy's covers almost afraid of what she'd find next.

Cupcakes. A trail of sprinkles was making its way down the mattress, into a hole in the floorboard, one by one.

"Cozy Glow!" shouted Astral.

"Yes?" answered Cozy, cheerfully from her desk in the corner. She looked up from her homework at Astral.

"Cupcakes? Really? How did these get here?"

"I put them there!"

"Oh Cozy, how many times do I have to tell you: No food in the bed!" She used her magic again to pick up the cupcakes and ants and send them out the window, looking first to make sure no pony was out there.

"Hey, I was saving those!" pouted Cozy.

"Cozy, they had ants all over them!"

"They gotta sleep sometime..."

"No, Cozy. It doesn't work that way."

"Well, it should." She continued to pout.

"No food in the bed! No saving food in the bed. Please, Cozy... Don't eat in the bed! We have a table right over there for eating, you can even eat at your desk. Just not in the bed, ok? We're down to the last of the clean sheets, and it's still the rest of the week until laundry day."

"...Yes, Astral," said Cozy in a low tone.

* * *

The next day, Astral checked the floor and the mattress before Cozy got home. To her surprise, there were no ants, nothing was sticky, there was no trace of food of any kind. She smiled and nodded to herself. "The bed could use some straightening up, though."

The sheets were ruffled and bunched on the end. "Cozy really needs to start making her bed in the morning," Astral said to herself. She used her magic to pick out the front two corners and whip them up into the air. She fluffed and straightened the blanket as it parachuted down onto the bed. She aimed to pull it nice and tight as it fell into place.

As the blanket rippled through the air, a glass of purple grape juice revealed itself, flying from within the bundle and through the air. Dumbfounded and stunned in disbelief, Astral watched as the glass flew across the room, seemingly in slow motion, landing and spilling its contents onto her own bed.

* * *

Cozy and Tenderhoof walked down the road toward her house. They were only a block or so away.

"I'm going to the doctor next week, for a checkup, on my hooves. He wants to see how living on the ground is working out for me," said Tenderhoof.

"I hope everything goes good," said Cozy.

They heard a loud angry scream from down the road, followed by an uttering of Cozy's name. A chill ran down Cozy's back as her wings instinctively flexed and spread out while her ears flattened down. She paused and stood still in place.

"Um, Cozy? Are you ok?"

"Fly!" she said. taking off for the nearest cloud. Tenderhoof followed shortly behind.

The cloud was barely big enough to fit both of them, but it was thick enough to let them lay on it and remain hidden. Cozy peeked over the edge at her house in the distance. "I think I'm in trouble," she said, nervously.

"That's not good," said Tenderhoof.

"No, it isn't." Cozy's vision went a little hazy. "Oh, no," worried Cozy.

"What is it?"

"I think she's trying to find where I am." She closed her eyes tight until she could see stars.

"Who?"

"Astral! She's trying to see what I see!"

Astral's voice invaded Cozy's thoughts, "You fly your filly flank down here this instant!"

Cozy gulped. "I have to go now," she said in a sad voice.

"...Good luck," said Tenderhoof.

Cozy opened her eyes, looking down at the ground. She dove off, heading straight down, pulling up at the last minute, flapping her wings for a soft landing. Once she started heading towards the house, her vision went clear. She tried not to think about what she could be in trouble for this time. 'was it the other stash of cookies? maybe it was the bits I borrowed from the ponybank on top of the fridge'

"I already know about those!" said Astral's mental voice.

"Crap! She's still listening!"

* * *

Cozy stepped up to the front door, hesitant to open it. She reached for the handle but then put her hoof down. She reached again and paused. Hearing her name called out like that must mean it was super bad.

The door opened itself under Astral's magical control. Astral's stern voice could be heard on the other side, "In. Now!"

Cozy gulped and slowly made her way in. Almost completely in, the door closed abruptly, smacking her flank on the way. She hurried on into the room in surprise. In front of Cozy stood a very cross Astral.

"Uh... Hi?"

"Cozy..." Astral was putting a considerable amount of effort into controlling herself and keeping calm.

"Yes, Astral?" asked Cozy, timidly.

"What is this?" asked Astral, motioning to the fresh purple stain on her bed.

"D-Did you spill your drink?"

"No, Cozy! It was your drink that I spilled! Why were you drinking grape juice in your bed?!?"

"I was thirsty..."

Astral rubbed her face, speaking in a weak and strained voice, "Cozy, I don't want to sleep on a stain. I don't even like purple grape juice, I buy it for you..."

"...I'm sorry," said Cozy.

Astral took a deep breath and tried to relax. "It's... ok. Well, not really, but we'll just flip the mattress," she said, as she levitated the mattress into the air, turning it over.

"Wait, before you do that--"

Astral finished turning the mattress over, setting it into its frame.

"I should tell... You... never mind," finished Cozy.

On the flip side of the mattress was an even bigger purple stain. Astral fell to her haunches looking at her bed and began to weep. "Why is my bed so purple?" she cried.

"I'm sorry. I thought you'd never find out."

Astral just sat and cried.

Cozy went up to Astral, patting her on the back. "Um... There, there. You can use my mattress. It smells like cookies and cupcakes too!"

Astral wiped tears from her eyes, taking calming breaths. "I don't even know where to begin," she finally said.

"Begin what?" asked Cozy.

"Your... punishment. You need to learn to be responsible for your actions, Cozy. I, we can't keep doing this. I'm not your mother, Cozy, but I am the boss of you. We'll start with you washing all the laundry, by yourself. If it's not perfect, you'll do it again until it is. Is that clear?"

"That's all? I can do that."

"No, Cozy. That's just the beginning."

"Oh."

"You need to take this seriously, Cozy. Your actions have consequences. Remember Tartarus?"

Cozy gasped, "You wouldn't! Not there!!" She began shaking in her hooves.

Astral sighed, "No Cozy, I'm not going to send you there, I meant, remember what got you sent there in the first place? You need to think about the things you do, and decide if it's a good idea to do them or not."

"Ok, Astral. I'll, try and take responsibility. I'm sorry I made you cry. ...I'll start with the laundry, I guess."

"Good. When you're done, we'll see if I have anything more for you. You're not off the hook for this until I say you are. Understand?"

"Yes, Astral." Cozy looked down. "I'm sorry."

Cozy and Astral sat and looked at the huge purple stain on the mattress.

"It kinda looks like Princess Twilight," said Cozy.

"Yeah. It kinda does," said Astral, tilting her head.

* * *

"Stupid ants," grumbled Cozy as she stamped on the laundry in the big washtub back behind the house. "...Always foiling my plans. I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for them."

Astral had gone to Canterlot for the day to deal with some paperwork and wouldn't be back until nightfall. She entrusted Cozy to get all of the laundry washed and put out to dry before doing anything else. Including all of the bedsheets, it added up to quite a bit of work.

The suds worked their way up from the water as Cozy worked around in the tub, careful not to splash too much water out. "At least this counts as a bath, right?"

Cozy hopped out and opened the faucet on the bottom of the tub, draining the soapy water into the yard. She jumped up onto the pile of wet laundry in the tub and began to stamp all the water out as much as she could, working out all of her aggression. "Stupid, stupid laundry! Ants! Purple stuff!!"

Once satisfied, she closed the faucet and began to pump fresh water into the tub from the pump that tapped a source deep underground. It was tiring work, but Cozy didn't mind it too much, she was on one of the last steps, and hopefully done for the day. Once filled, Cozy swished the laundry around in the cold water. A flying shadow crossed over her and the laundry tub. She looked up.

"Hi Crazy!" greeted Tenderhoof.

"Oh. Hi, Boots." replied Cozy.

Tender came around for a landing on the other side of the tub from Cozy, "Laundry day?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Cozy. "It's my punishment." She motioned over to the clotheslines previously loaded with already washed laundry, hung out to dry. "This sheet is the last of it, finally. But I don't know how I'm gonna get it dry when all the lines are already used up."

"Oh." Tender sat and watched as Cozy finished rinsing the last of the suds out of the sheet.

Cozy drained the tub, stamping out as much water as she could again. "Now what?"

Tender perked up, "I got an idea!"

* * *

"This is the best idea ever!" called out Cozy through gritted teeth as she flew alongside Tender through the sky, their hooves stretched out. They each held a corner of the sheet in their teeth as it flapped in the wind under them like a flag.

"I know, right! ...And, turn!"

They banked in unison like a well-choreographed air show. Ponies on the ground watched in awe, wondering what the occasion might be.

"It's getting lighter," noted Cozy. "It must be almost dry by now! This way!" Cozy tugged gently to the right, trying to guide Tender into the next turn.

"No wait, this way!" said Tender as he tugged back to the left.

"It's MY laundry!" said Cozy, tugging harder in her direction.

"I know! Just wait, this way!" tugged Tender.

The sheet was stretching fairly taut and no longer flapping. A gust of wind caught the sheet pulling them both back in surprise.

"Hold tight!" said Cozy.

"I'm losing it!!" called out Tender, the sheet beginning to slip out of the grip of his teeth.

"Fly lower!" ordered Cozy. "We need to try to get under it!"

Tender nodded and followed down to the rooftop level.

"It's working!" said Tender, turning his head to look at Cozy.

Cozy turned her head to look at Tender.

A pony on the ground shouted up at them, "Look out!"

Cozy and Tender looked forward in time to see the pointy tip of a flagpole quickly approach and tear right through the sheet down the middle, separating the two. They came in for a landing together in the middle of the dirt road.

"Oh. Ponyfeathers."

* * *

"This is the worst idea ever," said Cozy.

"Do you think she'll notice?" asked Tender.

They were back at the house, Astral's bed was all made up with the torn sheet on top, the two pieces slightly overlapped and glued together.

"Well..." said Cozy, "She won't be back until nighttime. Maybe she won't see it until the morning when she wakes up."

"Why is her bed so purple?" asked Tender.

"Oh, that's because shut up," replied Cozy.

They stood and stared at the bed for a while.

"What now?" asked Tender.

"Well, let's bring in the rest of the laundry, at least. You can help me fold it."

"Oh. Ok." said Tender as he followed Cozy out into the backyard.

"Where is all the laundry?!?" asked Cozy.

"It was right here, I remember I saw it," replied Tender.

They looked around.

"Is that one?" asked Tender. There was a piece wrapped around a fence post. It was black and lacy with a tiny cute red ribbon bow attached to the top at the front.

Cozy went to inspect it, "Yeah. that's Astral's sexy underwear," she said while holding it up.

Tender abruptly looked down at his hooves as he began to blush.

"There! More!" said Cozy, flying further down the field to collect it.

It wasn't until sundown that they finally found every last dirtied-up piece and brought it home.

"I'm gonna have to do this all over again!" pouted Cozy.

"I'm sorry, Crazy. I'd stay and help, but it's getting dark. I need to go home now. But I'll see you tomorrow?"

"That's ok. I'll work on this tomorrow then. Maybe you could help and we can get it done faster.

They piled the laundry up in the bin. Tender was flying off when Cozy heard Astral walking in the front door.

"Cozy Glow!" yelled out Astral from inside.

Cozy shuddered and moped her way in through the back door.

Astral spoke in an unnervingly calm voice, "Cozy. Why are my sheets glued to my bed?"

"Oh," Cozy laughed nervously, "Well you see... I was trying to get the sheets dry when a flagpole tore them in half. And then when I came home all the laundry was gone. And then Boots saw your sexy underwear, and--"

"Why were you showing Tenderhoof my underwear? What do you mean it was all gone?"

"I, it-- The wind must have taken it. But we found all of it, I think. We flew all over Ponyville looking for it."

"Cozy... I just. I just don't know anymore."

"At least it was clean sexy underwear," offered Cozy.

"That's not the point, Cozy, and stop calling it 'sexy underwear'!"

"I don't get why we have so much laundry anyway. It's not like we wear it all the time."

"Cozy, it's getting late. I'm tired, I'm hungry, I've been out all day. Let's just make some dinner, and you can start over tomorrow."

Astral walked over to the kitchen, opening the fridge. She sighed dejectedly.

"Oh, right. We're kinda out of food, now." Cozy joined Astral in the kitchen to peer into the empty fridge. Only condiments remained.

"Why Cozy? How could we be out already? You were here, alone for only one day."

"I worked up an appetite," shrugged Cozy.

"That much food?!"

"Well, I messed up making it, the first time."

Astral frowned.

"...And the second time."

She let the fridge door close slowly on its own.

"I almost had it the third time. I really thought it would have been the charm."

Astral sighed.

"But just like you wanted the laundry, I got it perfect on the fourth try."

"I'm hungry, Cozy."

"...It was delicious. I didn't eat any in the bed either. Are you proud of me?" She smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm..." Astral just stood, ears drooping as she gazed past Cozy.

Cozy looked down and slowly squeezed by Astral, back into the main part of the single-room dwelling. She went over to her bed, sat down and brushed Sandra's mane and tail quietly.

* * *

Morning.

"Bye, Cozy. I'll be back tonight. Try not to set the house on fire while I'm gone," said Astral. She turned and walked out the door and paused for a moment before worriedly shaking her head and continuing on.

"Bye!" said Cozy, closing the door. "Why would I set the house on fire?" she asked herself.

She went into the back and once again got started on the laundry. It wasn't long before Tender showed up and helped. By midday, they were nearly done. All that was left to do was to let it dry, then bring it in.

"This sure is a lot easier when you have somepony to help you," commented Cozy.

"It sure is. I hope the extra clothespins I brought help too."

There wasn't a space on the lines without a pin; that laundry wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm hungry," said Tender, "What are we going to do for lunch?"

"Astral gave me some bits to go for hayburgers since I used up all the food yesterday. I should do that more often!"

"That sounds good! Then we can finish the laundry when we get back."

* * *

"...A hayburger, some carrot fries, and an oat shake, with extra shake, make the fries large-- I want them really big, not just more of them, large. and make the shake large, and the burger large, basically everything large," ordered Cozy. She slid her bits over the counter.

The pony behind the register took them with disinterest and counted them out, giving back two. "And how about your friend here?" he asked.

"Yes, he is my friend," smiled Cozy, hugging Tender close with her wing.

The pony rolled his eyes and looked at Tender, "What will you be having today?"

"Oh," replied Tender, sheepishly. "I um, didn't bring any bits with me."

"Here, you can have my leftover bits," said Cozy, placing her two bits in his hoof.

"Oh, thanks," said Tender. He looked the menu over and ordered. "I'll have the small carrot fries then, I guess." He placed the bits on the counter and the Pony deposited them in the register.

They picked up their orders and found a booth by the window.

* * *

Tender went through his fries fairly quickly and just sat and watched Cozy while she ate.

"The food here is so good!" She slurped on her shake, chewing down some of the oat pieces that came up the straw.

"I like it," said Tender. "I wish I could have gotten more of it, though. I'm still kind of hungry."

"Really? I'm starting to get full. This is a LOT of food."

"Yeah."

Cozy leaned back. "I'm stuffed! Well, are you ready to head back?"

"Well, um... I was wondering if you're done, if I could maybe have some of your food since you're not going to eat any more of it."

Cozy looked down at her tray. Half a burger, surrounded by oversized carrot fries; more like carrot sticks. She pushed it away from herself, "I can't even think of eating another bite right now."

Tender reached over and picked up the half-burger. "Thanks," he said. "You know, it was really nice of Astral to give you lunch money to eat here. Aren't you supposed to be grounded?"

"Yeah. I probably shouldn't have gotten the shake. ...But it was so good!"

"She seems like a really nice pony, Crazy."

"She is." Cozy remained leaned back, resting her forehooves on her belly.

"Especially with all the trouble you've been in, and the sheets, and her bed," continued Tender. "My mom would kill me if I did half the stuff you did."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah! You don't know how good you got it. Nopony's parents are usually that nice."

"Oh," said Cozy. She looked down at her tray in thought.

"You should find something really nice to do for her, to show her you're thankful."

"You really think so?" asked Cozy.

"You're thankful, right?"

"I am, for everything. If it wasn't for her, I'd still be a statue."

"Then show her! Get her something nice, or something," suggested Tender.

Cozy thought some more as Tender finished up the meal. The flight home was silent, as was the majority of finishing the laundry once they got back.

"There, perfect," said Cozy, putting the last bit of folded clothes away.

It was time for Tender to go home and so he left. Astral would be home soon. Cozy got the idea to make the house a little cozier, so she lit a scented candle, placing it on Astral's nightstand.

She sat and played with Sandra for a while, then she decided to read by candlelight for a while. "Just like the ponies of old use to do it!" she said to herself. Cozy pulled on Astral's sheets a little. They really were glued to the bed.

Cozy put the book down and studied the sheets more carefully. It would really suck to not be able to pull the sheet over yourself all the way because down the middle it was now part of the mattress. She pulled on it a little and noticed at the very top, it came off ever so slightly.

"Maybe if I can separate it, Astral will be able to sleep better! That would be nice." Cozy nodded to herself.

She got up on top of the bed and gripped the loose end of the sheet with her teeth and pulled. With a small tearing sound, she was managing to make just a little bit of progress. With a considerable amount of more effort, she was sure she could free the whole thing.

Cozy pulled and pulled, putting her back into it; then also putting her wings into it. She got down to the very bottom end of the mattress and was hovering in the air with all her might trying to pull the very last of it off. The bottom end of the mattress was lifting into the air as she pulled.

With a final rip, the sheet was free. The mattress fell and settled back into its frame, bumping the nightstand along the way.

The candle bounced and fell over onto its side on the nightstand.

"Oh, no no no no no no no!" said Cozy as she began to panic. The candle began to roll towards the edge of the nightstand. Cozy gasped and flew in to try to catch it before it fell onto the bed, but it was too late.

She quickly picked up the candle and was relieved that the bed had not yet ignited. She began to fly over to the kitchen to set it down when a drop of melted wax ran down the side and landed on her hoof.

Cozy reflexively dropped the candle, shaking her hoof in the air, "Ouch!" She sucked on it until she realized there was a more pressing issue to attend to at the moment.

The candle had landed into the wadded-up sheet. While the mattress had been factory-pretreated with flame-retardant material, the bedsheet had not. Up in flames, it went.

"Oh no!" yelled out Cozy. Panicking once again, she thought she could blow the flames out with her wings. The flames only got bigger. She picked up Astral's pillow and began to beat at the burning bedsheet, but it was no use, and now the pillow was on fire.

Cozy threw the pillow down onto the sheet and quickly tried to stomp the flames out before the actual house caught on fire, the one thing she was told not to do that day. Her tail was getting singed as were some of her longer wing feathers, but she finally got the fire out.

She moved the burned sheets and pillow to the washtub out back and filled it with water as a safety measure.

Dinner was awkward and silent. There was no breeze to help air out the smokey house. Astral just glared at her plate while she ate. Cozy tried not to look.

"So, I did the laundry like you wanted. It was perfect too."

Astral remained silent, looking at her plate while she continued to eat, her expression too hard for Cozy to read.

"...I got the glued sheets off your bed--"

"Shh! Just... shh. Please," said Astral, putting a hoof up. She tried to keep her voice calm and quiet.

Cozy's ears drooped as she also looked down at her plate. She spoke softly, "...The house didn't light on fire."

Astral finally spoke. "I'm not mad... I'm just, ...not, mad." She didn't know how to finish her sentence. "Tomorrow will be a new day," she finally said.

* * *

Cozy lay in her bed that smelled of cookies and cupcakes, comfortable all snuggled up with her pillow under her freshly laundered sheets, snoring lightly.

Astral lay awake on a bare mattress without a pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

The crickets chirped, the frogs croaked and the owls hooted. It was a very long night for Astral.

'This is how it is!' Astral thought to herself. 'Why have foals when you can have Cozy Glow?' She rolled to her side. 'No, Astral. Cozy is trying really hard, she's not doing it on purpose.'

The hours slowly went by. At some point, Astral finally did fall asleep, because when she opened her eyes, it was already morning. She got up and started her morning routine.

Cozy was out back, trying to scrub the burned-ness off of the sheets and pillow.

Astral came out to see what Cozy was doing.

"The black won't come off. And It's full of holes now. I don't know how to fix this," cried Cozy.

Astral sighed softly. "Don't worry about it, Cozy. I know you didn't mean to. I'll get a new pillow and sheets... somehow."

"I'm sorry, Astral. I know I've been saying that a lot lately, but I really mean it."

"I know you do, Cozy. It's ok. Just try to be more careful. I need to go to Canterlot one more time today. Maybe you should... not be stuck at home all day. That might be best, for all of us."

Cozy nodded.

"I've left some bits by your bed for lunch. Please don't try to make food without me to watch you. Before anything else happens, you can be off the hook now, ok?"

"Ok. Thanks, Astral," said Cozy, giving her a hug.

Astral hugged her back for a moment. "Ok, I should be back about the same time tonight. Don't end up in jail or anything." Astral turned to leave and paused for a moment before worriedly shaking her head and continuing on.

Astral made it home earlier than expected. She stopped at the front door, smelling the air. "Nothing burning, good," she said. She put an ear up to the door. "Quiet inside. Not sure if good."

She opened the door and cautiously went in. "Cozy? I'm home!"

The house was clean, quiet; nopony was there.

Astral checked the fridge. "Still some food, good." She looked out of the back door window, "Nothing unusual out there. Hmm..."

There was an authoritative knock at the door. Astral went to answer it. "Um, hello?"

"Are you the unicorn Astral Bell, in care of one pegasus filly Cozy Glow?" asked the pony on the other side of the door. It was a royal guard accompanied by two others who were armed, standing at attention.

"Oh, Celestia, what has she gotten herself into now?"

"Ma'am?" asked the guard.

"Oh, yes. I am Astral. What is this about, may I ask?" Astral stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

"We come on behalf of Her Royal Highness Flurry Heart, bearing a message for Cozy. Is she here?" asked the guard.

Astral shook her head, "No, I just got home and she seems to be out at the moment."

"Understood. As her legal guardian, you have the right to receive this message on her behalf, but since it is addressed to her, only she alone may open and view its contents. Do you accept this responsibility?"

"Oh, uh. Yes. Ok. I do," said Astral.

"Very well." The guard reached into his pouch pulling out a scroll sealed with a royal wax imprinting and hoofing it over to Astral who took it in her magic. "The princess eagerly awaits Cozy's reply."

"Yeah... sure," said Astral, still trying to process what was going on.

"Have a nice day," bowed the guard before turning and taking off to the sky, the other two drafting behind him in the classic "V" shaped flight pattern.

Astral took the scroll inside, placing it on Cozy's nightstand next to Sandra. She noticed Sandra's new tail was missing. "Oh. I wonder what she did with it. ...It was always kinda creepy."

Astral turned and looked at her bare, purple, glue and wax-stained bed. She stood still for a while just looking in silence. With a heavy sigh, she turned and walked into the kitchen to get a head-start on dinner.

There was a commotion at the front door. It opened and Cozy stepped inside.

"Oh, hi Cozy. I got home early and--" started Astral.

"Astral?! You ruined the surprise!" huffed Cozy.

"Wh- What?" asked Astral.

"You weren't supposed to be home until later!" frowned Cozy.

"A surprise? What is it? I wasn't expecting anything, so it's still a surprise."

"Yeah, I guess so. But I really wanted to have it all ready before you got home."

"Oh? What is it?"

Cozy turned to call out the front door, "Ok, ponies, bring it in!"

A unicorn in overalls stepped inside being directed by Cozy, he nodded to Astral, then used his magic to levitate Astral's mattress out of its frame, through the air and out the front door, following it out.

A second unicorn also wearing overalls stepped inside, nodding to Astral, "Ma'am." He used his magic to levitate a brand-new mattress into the room. He carefully guided it into place, then levitated in a new set of pillows and sheets, dressing up the bed to showroom perfection.

Cozy tossed a couple of bits to the ponies, and they bowed their way out of the door. Cozy closed it and turned to face Astral. "Surprise!" she said, beaming a bright smile. "Do you like it?"

Astral dropped her dinner preparations and walked around the corner. "Cozy... This is amazing! How could you afford this?"

"I used the lunch money you left for me," said Cozy.

"That couldn't have paid for all of this."

"Oh, I also sold Allen-- Sandra's tail, to the instrument pony. He said he had never seen such perfect strands—real top-quality bow material," explained Cozy.

"Oh, Cozy. You didn't have to do that," said Astral going up to Cozy.

"I know. But I wanted to say thank you. For everything."

Tears welled up in Astral's eyes. She scooped Cozy up in a tight hug. "You're welcome, Cozy."

Cozy pushed back a little for some breathing and talking room, "Yeah. And... Thank you for not being mad at me for everything, too."

Astral held Cozy out as far as she could reach, "Oh, Cozy. I could never be mad at you. You bring so much... Uh, excitement to everypony around you."

"Uh-huh! Come on, Astral. Let's break this new mattress in!"

"You got it!" said Astral. She jumped up, throwing Cozy down onto the mattress, ruffling up the sheets.

Cozy squealed and bounced with joy.

"Incoming!" yelled Astral as she jumped up and landed on the bed, causing Cozy to bounce up into the air again.

Cozy came down hard, giving Astral just a little bit of bounce.

They laughed and rolled around and took turns hitting each other with the new pillows until they were both exhausted, laying back on the bed and panting.

"This the most fun I've ever had in a bed," said Cozy.

"Yeah, me too," said Astral. She swung and landed a pillow on top of Cozy.

Cozy was too exhausted to react. She stayed under the pillow for a moment before lightly pushing it off of her to her side in between her and Astral.

"Oh. You got a scroll today, delivered by Princess Flurry Heart's royal guards. It's on your nightstand."

"For me? Golly." Cozy flittered her wings, hovering over to her nightstand to read the scroll.

"What is it?" asked Astral.

"It's an invitation, to a sleepover! Can I go, Astral?" asked Cozy, excitedly.

"Yeah. You can't cause trouble here when you're over there," replied Astral, magically sending a pillow to Cozy's face.

Cozy threw the pillow back and the war started once again, lasting into the night until dinner time.

Two Fillies, One Evening

"It's your move, Cozy!" groaned Flurry Heart.

"I know that! Don't you think I know that? Of course, it's my move!" shot Cozy.

"Then move already!"

Flurry Heart lay on her belly in front of the chessboard by the crystal castle fireplace. The warm flames cast dancing shadows of the game pieces across the floor. Cozy sat on her bottom, leaning forward as she studied the board, hovering her hoof over her pieces one at a time carefully deciding which piece to move where.

"Pass," said Cozy, flatly.

"What? You can't pass!" shouted Flurry.

"Can too, just did!" proclaimed Cozy.

"Not-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Well, I pass too."

"You can't do that!" exclaimed Cozy.

"Can too!"

"No!"

"Mom!" shouted Flurry.

"Play nice, girls," echoed the voice of Princess Cadance from a nearby room.

"Fine!" huffed Cozy. "I put my alicorn next to your CozyMark."

Flurry sighed, "It's not named after you, you know."

"Well I don't see your cutie mark anywhere on the board," retorted Cozy.

"I'm the alicorns! This whole set was hoof-crafted just for me!"

"Whatever! It's your turn now."

"I know it's my turn! Can I think about it?" asked Flurry.

"A real chess player doesn't have to think," said Cozy, smugly.

"Oh, is that why you take so long to move that I have to remind you?" winked Flurry.

"Oh, ha-ha. You know, alicorns can fly, but I don't need magic to make all these other pieces fly too."

"Yeah, Yeah," said Flurry. She picked up her rook and moved it away from Cozy's alicorn.

Cozy rolled her eyes "Wrong way, dummy. I was wide open for a check and one move away from mate."

"I know what you're doing here."

"And just what might that be?" asked Cozy as she leaned forward again, studying the board.

"You're trying to lose."

"I could say the same thing about you too!" Said Cozy, placing her alicorn one move away from check, again.

Flurry playfully gasped, "How dare you!" She studied the board for a moment before placing her own alicorn one move away from check. "Well, two can play at this game!"

"Duh! It's a two-player game!" said Cozy. She moved her dragon bringing Flurry a number of moves further from check.

The pieces were well mixed at this point, yet all of them were still present and accounted for. The game had been going on for well over an hour, and no pieces were claimed by the opposing side.

"You're not giving away your dragon that easy!" said Cozy as she moved her own dragon into the perfect kill box. Flurry would surely have to take it this time.

"Oh. No?" asked Flurry, moving her dragon into a spot that protected Cozy's alicorn from any angle of attack.

"Pass."

"Stop it!" yelled out Cozy.

"Then move!"

"Fine!" Cozy hopped her alicorn away from Flurry's dragon into the only spot available for it. "Your, move."

Flurry furrowed her brow. "That's not legal, is it?" She looked the board over, replaying the move in her head.

"Sure is. You only have one move available, and then we both lose."

"But... how did this happen?" Flurry started going over all of her pieces on the board. none of them could move, except for one, and there was only one spot for it. She slowly picked up her Griffin.

"Yes..." said Cozy, slowly.

Flurry slowly moved her piece into position.

"...That's it."

"How did you..." Flurry set her piece down.

"Locked."

Flurry blinked and stared at the board, astonished.

"And since you had the last move, I guess I lose even more."

"This has never happened, like ever," said Flurry. "How... Why?"

Cozy crossed her forelegs proudly, "'cause beating you would have been too easy! I'm just that good."

"Not-uh! Beating you would have been too easy. That's why I tried to lose on purpose."

"I knew you were trying to lose too, so I tried even harder to lose. Don't be a sore loser!"

"You don't be a sore loser!" said Flurry as she lept up, tackling Cozy to the ground, using her magic to pin her wings back, exposing their undersides for an aggressive tickle.

"Hey!" laughed Cozy. She tried to push Flurry off but Flurry had a decent size and weight advantage on her.

The two fillies tumbled around the room, spilling the chess pieces everywhere as they fluttered their wings, each trying to carry the other into the air. Flurry won with little effort. It was more like a predator carrying its prey off to the nest. Cozy struggled to no avail. She turned her head and put her mouth on Flurry's leg, resting her teeth just above the hoof, threatening to bite down.

"Ack!" yelped Flurry, releasing her hold on Cozy.

Cozy kept a firm grip in her teeth, hanging on to Flurry's leg.

"Oh no, she's got me!" Called out Flurry. She took flight out of the room and down the hall with the filly dangling from her leg, hanging on firmly with her teeth.

Guards on patrol halted and saluted the odd display as Flurry flew by, Cozy in tow.

The young alicorn flew around another corner, and up a flight of very wide stairs to another large room on the next level.

"No horsing around inside, girls!" said Cadance as they flew past.

"Yes, mom," replied Flurry as she used her magic to open another door before flying through. Cozy flailed her hooves and wings wildly causing all sorts of turbulence for Flurry's flight plan. On the other side of the door was a balcony. Flurry and Cozy were now outside.

"Ok, is that the way you wanna play?" asked Flurry with a twinkling in her eye. "Let's play!"

Cozy's eyes grew large as Flurry took to the sky straight up, at speed. The castle below suddenly grew smaller and smaller. She knew what Flurry was up to; this had happened before. "Ok! Ok, you got me!" She said, finally letting go. She had hoped they weren't already too high up for her, but Flurry was deceptively fast at climbing through the air with her larger alicorn wings. Cozy flapped and fluttered as hard as she could, but the air was already too thin for her tiny wings to hold, and began her descent struggling to stabilize herself.

This was going to be tricky. There were no clouds to land on in the Crystal Empire, not within the protective dome anyway. Any clouds that were to be seen were custom-ordered and imported from Cloudsdale. When placed, they were rarely positioned near the castle as a security measure anyway. Cozy could try and angle her approach and right herself, but there was a rather large castle in the way that was rapidly approaching. She tried her best to catch the air, but along with no clouds from the protective dome, it also meant no updrafts or wind currents. Flying within the empire proved much more difficult than one might have thought; high flying, at least. She was genuinely starting to get worried, but she fought to not let it show on her face, not in front of Flurry.

As the castle spires rapidly approached, threatening to impale the young pegasus, a magical field enveloped Cozy, guiding and carrying her to the balcony. It was Cadance "Ok, time to come on in. It's getting late," called out the princess as she brought Cozy down gently onto the balcony.

Flurry swooped in for a landing. "Aw, mom!"

"You girls need to clean up your mess, wash up and get ready for bed. Don't you have a big day planned for tomorrow?"

"...Yes, mother," said Flurry as she lowered her head to sulk past Cadance.

"Move along, now!" said Cadance, smacking Flurry in the flank with her wing.

Flurry and Cozy sped up and trotted off giggling and laughing.

Cadance shook her head. "Those girls. Still, it's nice to have My Little Pony® Friendship is Magic home for once, and happy."

* * *

"Tada!" announced Cozy as she hopped out from behind the dressing partition screen. Her bedclothes were loosely fit, sleeves (or were they legs?) just a bit too long and bunched up. The cuffs were buttoned nicely at the fetlock, while a row of buttons went from the neck all the way down the belly. A flap in the back allowed for her tail to come out freely while hemmed slits along the back let her wings breath free. The one-piece outfit was crystal blue in color and covered in little yellow stars with rounded points all over. some of them were smiling while the odd one here and there wore a somewhat neutral expression.

Flurry laughed, "I told you they would be too big for you! Here try these ones on, they don't fit me anymore." She threw another one-piece outfit to Cozy. The pegasus caught it and once again ducked behind the screen.

A silhouette of Cozy could be seen kicking off Flurry's old clothes and moving on to the next piece. "These are really soft!" she said. Cozy hopped on out, modeling for Flurry Heart. "How do I look? Like a princess?"

This one had a similar print, except that this time, all of the stars were smiling. A similar row of buttons (albeit oversized) ran down Cozy's underside while all of her hooves were covered with soft padded "boots" at the end of each leg. Along with hemmed slits for her wings and tail, there was also a hood with a hole for a horn which a stray curl of her mane was starting to work its way out through.

"Hmm," Flurry rubbed her chin. "No."

"No?"

"Princesses look a lot smarter, but your clothes look like they belong on a princess."

Cozy stuck her tongue out at Flurry. She stomped a hoof, which to her surprise, let out a cute tiny squeak. "What?"

"Hey, I'm just saying! Plus, you need a horn to go with those wings to be a princess."

"I had a horn once. I don't see what makes yours so special." Cozy looked down at her hooves, giving each one a light stomp. Each stomp from each leg gave a little squeak of their own.

"Well, I was born with mine. We could see who's is better, but oh, that's right, you, -had- one," smiled Flurry.

"I could get one again. Just you wait!" smirked Cozy, looking back up at Flurry. She fought the image out of her mind of a younger Flurryheart squeaking her way around the castle every night before bedtime, in efforts to keep a straight face and not smile at the persistant picture that now occupy her mind.

"Why wait?" asked Flurry, growing a mischievous grin.

Cozy narrowed her eyes at Flurry.

Flurry narrowed her eyes back at Cozy.

The two stared each other off for a moment before bursting into laughter, rolling around on the floor of the young princess' bedroom.

Cozy got back to her hooves, letting out four squeaks in quick succession. "Seriously?"

"Aww, you're so cute!" said Flurry.

Cozy stepped lightly, trying to make her way to the guest bed. 'squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak...'

Flurry just watched and giggled. Cozy rolled her eyes and opted to use her wings the rest of the way.

* * *

"Hey Flurry?"

"Yes, Cozy?"

"Why did your mom tuck me in too?"

"I don't know. Maybe that's just what moms do."

Cozy laid in her bed quietly staring up at the glowing stars on Flurry's ceiling. She struggled to remember the last time Astral had tucked her in. A brief moment of nostalgia mixed with a tinge of sadness washed over her as she recalled the last time where she had made a comment that she was getting a little too old to be tucked in. She remembered the awkward moment with Astral blushing and apologizing. She remembered wanting to say that it was ok, but then stopping herself, thinking that she was right, and she needed to be a big filly. "...It was, nice," she finally said.

"...Yeah, I guess so." It didn't seem to be anything special to Flurry. She was tucked in every night; every night she was home, anyway.

"Hey Flurry?"

"Yes, Cozy?"

"I had fun today."

Their conversation was quiet.

"Me too."

"I would have beat you at chess if I really wanted to."

Cozy and Flurry lay quietly, staring up at the glowing stars on the ceiling.

"...No, you wouldn't have," replied Flurry.

A small bit of light shone in from the hallway through the crack under the door. Sounds of the two fillies breathing could be heard. Other than that, combined with the stars on the ceiling, the room was dark and quiet.

"Hey Flurry?"

"Yes, Cozy?"

"Phbbbt!"

Flurry spoke out loudly, "Oh Celestia... was that real or was that just..."

Cozy giggled, "I guess you'll find out soon!"

"well you know what I say to that?"

"What?"

"Phbbbt!" Flurry cleared her throat and then began to giggle.

"Impossible! Princesses don't..."

"Oh, you'd be surprised what all princesses actually do, sometimes."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"So... Princess Twilight... Phbbbt?" giggled Cozy.

"More like Phbbbbbbbbbt!" laughed Flurry.

Cozy broke into laughter as well.

The door to the room burst open, Cadance stood in the light of the hallway, "Girls! Settle down and-" she coughed, "Oh, my... Do I even want to know which one of you..." She cleared her throat again, cracking open a window with her magic, "Ok, whatever. But don't complain to me tomorrow when you're too tired to get up early! Good night!!" she said, closing the door behind her, taking a deep breath out in the hallway.

The girls laughed.

"That was you!"

"No, it was you!"

Once the giggles subsided, quiet once again reined.

A shadow would cross the room from the light seeping in from under the door; a guard perhaps, or maybe Cadance doing whatever Flurry would imagine her mom did at nights while father was out.

"Hey Flurry?" asked Cozy, softly.

SIlence's rule was a strong one.

"Hey Flurry?" Cozy waited but Flurry did not respond. Her soft breathing was all that ensured that Cozy was not alone.

Cozy quietly inspected the pads under her hooves. She could feel where the squeakers had been sewn. The image of a young Flurryheart was quickly replaced by an even younger Tenderhoof. "Maybe that's why he always flew..." She thought to herself, with a smile.

Cozy rolled to her side, to face away from the door with a sigh, "...Good night, Flurry."

Author's Note

Sorry for the wait! I think what I'll do is make it a bunch of smaller chapters instead of a few large ones. That should make the revision and posting process much less daunting, and should allow for faster release.

As always, thank you for reading, and please give me lots of comments, questions and suggestions! Even complaints, I'm open to it all I can only make it better with your input!

Familiar Faces

"I don't know where they are!" worried Tenderhoof.

"They're not where you put them?" asked Cozy.

The two foals were in a locker room of sorts. It was brightly lit and smelled of chlorine. The aqua-blue tile that covered the walls and floor was pristine and smooth. For the moment, nopony else was around, but for a reason that Cozy couldn't quite put a hoof on, there was a need for urgency.

"They were right here!" said Tenderhoof as he hovered over to a storage cubbie. "This one!"

Cozy went up to the cubbie and started inspecting the other spaces. "Maybe they got mixed up and put back in a different spot by mistake."

Tenderhoof went over to a nearby bench to whimper and cry while he adjusted the bandages wrapped around each hoof. "They keep coming off. I don't know what to do!"

Cozy glanced back at Tender for a moment before returning to the search. "We'll find your boots, I'm sure of it. If not, we'll figure it out, together."

Tender used some of the bandages to wipe his tears, "Somepony stole them. I just know it!"

"It's okay, we'll just figure out something for now, and we'll get you home. Okay?" Cozy trotted over to the bench to sit next to her friend. "Now stop crying, you sissy. Be a colt!"

Tender started to settle and softly sob.

"There you go. Here, try these," said Cozy as she pulled out a box from under the bench they were sitting on.

It was a simple horseshoe box, blank with no labeling. Upon opening, inside were found four hoof-sized pads nestled inside a pillowy velvet interior specially shaped for each one. The pads were soft and white with a gentle give. One side had a gripping texture while the other side proved quite sticky.

"What are those?" asked Tender.

"Here. Hold one in each hoof," instructed Cozy as she placed each one on the end of each of Tender's hooves. "They're sticky, so you won't accidentally let go."

She finished fixing each pad to her friend and helped him to stand on them. "Better?"

"Yeah. I... I think so."

"Try walking around."

Tender took a hesitant step forward. His hoof landed with a little squeak.

"There you go!" applauded Cozy. "Keep going!"

The pegasus colt sniffled and took several more steps, each producing a squeak that echoed through the room. "Yeah. I think it's working!"

"Hurray! Now we can tell the dragons how to find the gems that rolled away!"

"Okay!" Tender flew up to the ceiling and pulled a leaver. "Remember, hold your breath this time!!" he said, before taking a deep breath, puffing out his cheeks.

Cozy nodded before doing the same, flying up to Tender.

A mechanical whirring could be heard from within the walls before the ceiling began to split open, allowing a rush of water to fall down and begin to flood the room.

'I always hate this part,' thought Cozy.

The ceiling continued to open as the incoming flood of water increased in intensity. The level in the room was rapidly rising. All the two could do was prepare to get very wet.

The air in Cozy's lungs was beginning to get stale, so while she still had time, she quickly exhaled and took in a new breath of air. Tender saw and decided it was a good thing to do as well. Before they knew it, they were both completely underwater. They floated in the middle of the space, not having to use their wings. Instead, they moved their hooves around to orient themselves.

"Do you remember the way? asked Tender?"

"I think so," said Cozy. This way..." she said as she led Tender up and out of the room.

They waved their hooves around as they swam completely submerged. It was somehow easier than flying. They didn't have to fight gravity with their wings, just push in a direction and go. Breathing wasn't a problem either, but they had never noticed that they weren't holding their breaths anymore.

"Stay close," said Cozy.

It was getting darker and darker, the further away from the room they went. There were no lights out here; not until their eyes adjusted anyway. It wasn't long until they were completely surrounded by blackness. All they could see was each other.

They stopped to look around.

"Um... Are we lost now?" asked Cozy.

Tender looked all around. "It's okay. as long as we're together. It'll always be okay." He spent a few minutes scanning in all directions, orienting his body every which way before stopping, "There!" He pointed with a padded hoof. "I see it!"

Cozy reoriented herself to see what he was pointing at. "I see it too!"

It was a shimmering light, devoid of any defined shape. It was small but definitely there. The two quickly swam towards it, watching it get bigger the closer they got.

Cozy could feel the wind in her main, flowing down her back and over her feathers. She looked over at her friend who sped on, keeping his body straight, pointed in the direction they were headed. She looked back at the source of light they were heading towards. It had settled from a shimmer to a soft glow of a full moon. "We should be safe now," she said to Tender, angling herself closer to him, putting a hoof on his back to slow him down.

"Okay," he said, coming to a full stop.

They floated together for a little while as they looked around, their eyes finally adjusting, seeing the stars come out little by little.

Tender shook the pads and bandages off of his hooves one by one, "I like it out here. It's quiet. You can be yourself, and nopony cares."

Cozy watched as the coverings on her friend's hooves unraveled. Underneath were normal pony hooves, perhaps in need of a little care and maintenance (as most colts his age had).

"But the bandages... Your boots," said Cozy with concern. "The dripping..."

Tender looked at his front hooves. They were in fact, dripping again. It was very light, but if you listened and watched for it, was definitely there. "Don't worry about it. We're both here. It's okay."

*tap-tap*, *tap*.

Cozy watched the drops float away. She suddenly felt sad. "No. It's not. Make'em stop. Before it's too late."

"I'm sorry, Crazy... It's just how it is." He looked at his hooves now turning transparent as they faded away, carried off drop by drop.

"No." It was all Cozy could utter. She felt powerless to even move.

"Close your eyes, Cozy... Close them for me," said Tender with a melancholic smile.

Cozy shook her head, "No. I'll find a way."

"No. You know how it has to be. You know what will happen if you try to change it." He floated over to her to give her a hug with the remaining portions of his legs before the fading continued onto his body.

Cozy could feel him wrapped around her. He was hot and stuffy; not quite how she knew him to be, but she had to accept it.

"Now close your eyes, please."

Cozy nodded. She closed her eyes tightly, her tears floating off of her face and into infinity. She could feel him leaving her, filling her body with an incredible weight and mind with a strong sense of groggyness. "No," she forced herself to say, her voice low and weak.

* * *

It was quiet. Of course, it was quiet. It was the middle of the night. No. It was too quiet.

Cozy opened her eyes. It was dark. She could see the light from out in the hallway under the crack of the door. It had a faint tint of green to it. Her eyes adjusted and she was able to start making out shapes. Had she actually uttered a word out loud in her sleep?

She sat up unraveling the stuffy blanket from around her and looked around. Flurry's bed. The Window. The Closet. "Flurry Heart?" whispered Cozy.

No answer. No sound at all, save for a very faint sound of dripping she had to hold her breath to be able to hear; it was coming from somewhere else down the hall or several rooms away.

Cozy slowly got up, dragging her blanket to Flurry's bed, her outfit lightly squeaking with each step. "Flurry? I don't want to sleep alone..."

She pat Flurry's bed gently. It was cold. On further inspection, Cozy discovered it was also empty. "Flurry?" said Cozy, louder.

The light changed as a shadow passed in the hallway. Somepony was up. Maybe it was just a guard. Maybe it was Flurry...

Her throat was dry; she needed a drink.

Cozy remembered seeing a cup in the bathroom. It was meant for mouthwash, but it would do. She dropped off her blanket at the guest bed and squeaked her way to the door.

The door creaked softly as she opened it slowly, peeking out.

The hallway was empty.

"Hello?" called out Cozy in a soft voice. "Anypony?"

There was no water in the sink. The toilet didn't flush either. She was glad she didn't have to use it just then but worried about it for later when she did. Hopefully, somepony would be up by then and it would be fixed.

'Where is Flurry?' she thought to herself. 'Where is anypony?'

Cozy crept down the hall in a failed attempt at keeping the squeaky hoof pads quiet, carefully peeking into the various living spaces as she passed them. They were all empty. Was the place completely deserted?

"Hello?" she called out, louder. It was so quiet, not even her voice seemed to echo.

She continued lightly squeaking down the hall towards the source of the greenish tinting of the light. She knew this hall well. Before bedtime, Flurry and Cozy practiced running and sliding down the halls on the soft fabric of the hoof coverings of their bedwear. "Squeeeeak!" This wasn't the time for that, though. Something was wrong; she could just feel it.

The green of the light deepened as she moved down the hall. She began to hear the familiar sound of faint slow rhythmic tapping. 'what is that?'

She knew the path she was on. She was headed to the throne room.

*tap-tap*, *tap*. It got louder as Cozy continued down the hall.

"Hello?" she called out once again.

She was almost there. There had to be guards there at least. There were always guards in the throne room.

*tap-tap*, *tap*. 'What is that?' she thought to herself again.

The smell of sewage wafted through the air. 'Maybe there was a leak or something, and they turned the water off. Is that what's tapping?'

"Where is everypony?" asked Cozy out loud.

*tap-tap*, *tap*

Just around the corner, and she would be there. The light was mostly a sickly lime green now. The stench of sewage was strong.

Cozy had to start breathing through her mouth. She thought she could almost taste it, but knew it was all in her head; because if it wasn't, well she couldn't dare think that it was getting in her mouth.

*tap-tap*, *tap*

*Squish!* Cozy stepped in something wet. A puddle. It soaked into her PJs. "Eww..." she said to herself. A thought ran through her mind, 'Well, at least it stopped squeaking.'

She rounded the corner and stood in the large open doorway, the throne room.

It was the source of the puddle, the stench, the green light, all of it.

*TAP-TAP*, *TAP*

Dripping.

The throne was empty. There were no guards.

Her fur stood on end as the fear began to grip her as she hesitated to look up. She had to. She was afraid of what she was going to see. She already knew. She had to look anyway. She couldn't. She was frozen stiff. It didn't matter to her anymore that all four of her hoofs were now wet (but thankfully also silent).

*TAP-TAP*, *TAP*

'Run' was a thought. Where would she go? What was behind her? If there was a trap set for her, she knew she was already well within its clutches by this point. 'Don't look up.'

'Look up. No!'

The dripping. It surrounded her.

*TAP-TAP*, *TAP*!

'Close your eyes.'

'No, don't close your eyes.'

Cozy closed her eyes tightly.

'Don't you dare open them.'

"Go away," uttered Cozy. Her voice was dry, strained, and barely audible.

*TAP-TAP*, *TAP*!

She knew she wasn't alone. She could feel the presence of another, and it was close.

It was very close. She could budge in the wrong direction and might bump into it. 'Don't open your eyes. Don't move a muscle.'

Her. Not "it", Her. Cozy knew. She had seen the clues before. The smell, the coloring, the dripping.

*TAP-TAP*, *TAP*!

She knew where she was going to find Flurry Heart, Cadance, and the guards. All she had to do was look up. She couldn't. She didn't want to. She had to keep her eyes closed. Maybe it would go away. She knew it wouldn't, but she had to believe something.

Her breath was heavy, shakey.

Her wings were shakey. Her whole body shivered out of fear.

She could feel the presence of Her moving around her as she stood quivering.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in... Breathe out.

Her breath was hot. She could feel it on her face. She could feel it bouncing back onto her face, that is. Bouncing off of...

Cozy held her eyes closed even tighter. The stars were brighter than ever. That didn't matter, she was face to face with a piece of her past she'd rather forget about.

"Go, away," tried Cozy. Her voice barely squeaked out.

*TAP-TAP*, *TAP*!

She gritted her teeth, tears being squeezed out of her tightly shut eyelids. Her body was not cooperating. She couldn't will it to do anything but stand there and shake.

Run, jump, fly, do something!

'I can't.'

'Open your eyes.'

'No. She's waiting.'

'Do it.'

'It's the only thing keeping the attack away.'

'Do it.'

'No.'

*TAP-TAP*, *TAP*!

"Go Away!"

Cozy lost the inner battle she was having with herself and opened her eyes.

She stepped back. "No, you're..." She glanced around frantically, backing up.

"Free?" replied Chrysalis with anger and determination in her voice. "No, thanks to you, Cozy."

Cozy looked up, and it was just as she feared: Flurry, Cadance, the royal guards, all were trapped; cocooned and drained of life-giving love. They dripped with the essence of Changeling.

*tap-tap*, *tap*

"Oh, do you like what I've done with the place?" asked Chrysalis. "There was so much love here, getting my energy back was a breeze. If only this place had returned sooner, my brood would have been neigh unstoppable! Soon..."

"No!" uttered Cozy as she turned to gallop out of the room.

Chrysalis was quick to catch her, "And where do you think you're going?" she asked, beginning to turn Cozy over in her hole-ridden rotted hooves, wrapping her in green slimy ribbons of changeling silk. "Home?"

She flew Cozy up to the ceiling, attaching her upside down with the others. "Now that sounds like a good idea."

Cozy watched and protested as Chrysalis transformed into a mirror image of herself. "I will destroy you!" threatened Cozy.

"Oh, golly!" said changeling Cozy, pressing her hoof to her cheek. "That doesn't sound very nice at all! I better go tell Astral and Starlight back in Ponyville about this!" She fluttered back down to the ground, looking up at Cozy and the others. "You know, that really is a nice little town. Just a little pocket of love tucked nice and cozy just south of Canterlot. Tee-hee, Cozy! You know, I think I could use a little snack there before taking on the royal capital!" Her eyes flashed a changeling color as she grinned malevolently at Cozy.

Cozy struggled to get free but to no avail. She was helpless and could only watch as Chrysalis gleefully trotted out of the room in her stolen form. Before leaving completely, Chrysalis turned and spit up at Cozy, sealing up her pod completely.

She had to stop her, but she couldn't budge. She felt paralyzed, only able to breathe and move her eyes. Try as she might, she was unable to will her body to move; panic trying to set in. What was happening? She closed her eyes, wishing it away as her groggyness began to take her over.

Cozy let out a pitiful whimper as she cried on the inside. With all of her efforts, it was the most she could do to make a sound. She began to feel a familiar cold overtake her. 'This is bad, isn't it?'

She opened her eyes but nothing changed. Endless darkness surrounded her. Sound itself seemed to disappear. She was losing her senses, once again trapped in her mind. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

'Astral. Boots.' All she could do was think of them. 'Chrysalis.' How could she warn them?

* * *

'How long has it been? Is it already too late? What's that?'

A presence began to surround Cozy from behind. She struggled to fight it, but the more she resisted, the tighter it gripped her. This was different, however. It was warm, soothing. Cozy reluctantly relaxed. She could feel the warmth. It had a heartbeat; it was also warm and soothing. It had a breath that flowed through and over her mane; also warm and soothing. She felt as if she could melt right into its protective cover; she wanted to. If she never saw the light of day again, it wouldn't be so bad as long as she could remain within the grip of whatever held her.

Slowly, her senses returned. She could hear its breath; light, gentle. She more clearly felt its grip around her; soft, warm. A dim light barely filled the room. It was the color of peaceful night; cool, bluish. She held still, glancing around the room with her eyes, barely able to make out the shapes.

Flurry's room.

She was in her bed, never having left it, covers kicked off. But then what had her? Cozy carefully rolled in its grip as it slept.

It had a horn. She felt it had wings. It cooed lightly, voice giving it away.

Flurry Heart.

Cozy sighed quietly in relief. She suddenly felt so much better. The only thing that was real throughout her whole ordeal was the safety and comfort she now felt. She reached back feeling around and found her covers, pulling them over both her and Flurry in the chill of the night air. She draped her foreleg over companion, returning the embrace as she closed her eyes, a light smile growing across her muzzle as she felt herself drifting off once again.

* * *

"Flurry?" Cozy opened her eyes.

She and Flurry Heart were still sharing a warm embrace. The morning light snuck in from behind the drapes covering the windows and doors leading out to the balcony.

"Flurry," she said again. "Flurry stop!"

Flurry Heart did not wake but instead continued munching with her eyes closed, a happy look on her face as she pulled Cozy in closer.

"Flurry!" yelled out Cozy, trying to push away from Flurry Heart. She beat lightly on Flurry's foreleg.

Flurry Heart finally opened her eyes and stopped.

"You're chewing on my ear! It's all slobbery now," said Cozy in a huff, pulling her ear out of Flurry's mouth.

Flurry Heart smiled sheepishly. "I had a dream. I was eating taffy. It was cotton candy flavored. It was so chewy."

Cozy sat up on the edge of the bed, cleaning her ear off, "Well it wasn't!"

Flurry chuckled, saying with a light-hearted sarcastic tone "Well good morning to you too! Are you hungry? Breakfast should be waiting for us by now."

"Yeah, I think you're the hungry one!" replied Cozy.

Flurry Heart rolled over and laughed.

"It's not funny!" yelled out Cozy, causing her to laugh even harder. Cozy turned and shoved her off of the bed. Flurry Heart hit the floor with a thud and muffled laughter. She had pulled the blankets off of the bed on top of her in a failed effort to keep from falling. Cozy followed it up with a barrage of pillows and squeaky half-hearted punches.

Fillies' Day Out

The breakfast table was long and narrow. Princess Cadance sat at one end while the two fillies sat across from each other in the middle. The seat at the far end, reserved for the patriarch of the family, was vacant. A vast assortment of fresh fruits and pastries were arranged on the table, presented on fancy dishes. Cozy sat and just stared at it all, eyes wide and mouth open, drooling.

"This is nothing, Cozy," said Flurry Heart. "You should see the royal breakfast Auntie and Spike get!"

"I've seen their lunch. I can't imagine what they do with all the food that doesn't get eaten," said Cozy.

"What's that dear?" called out Cadance from her end of the table.

"Oh, nothing, mom!" called back Flurry Heart, their voices echoing in the vastness of the oversized room.

There were smiles all around as the three ate.

"So what are you two fillies going to do today?" asked Cadance.

"What, mom?" called back Flurry.

"Your plans! What are they?" asked Cadance, louder.

"Oh! I thought we'd do some exploring maybe," replied Flurry. "On our way back to Ponyville."

"That sounds nice, dear! Maybe you could find someplace neat to explore on your way back to Ponyville."

"That's what I said!"

"What's dead?"

"Nothing, Mom!"

Cozy watched the distant exchange between the two carry on as she ate. "Flurry, why don't we just sit closer?"

* * *

"Now you fillies stay out of trouble!" encouraged Cadance.

They were standing on Flurry's balcony, getting ready to take off for the day. Flurry had donned her dark hooded cloak and unmarked traveler's saddlebags. Cozy had saddlebags of her own, each was packed with various supplies they might want or need throughout the day.

"I'll try mom," said Flurry with an innocent smile.

"Your dad is probably on his way back by now and will be home soon, so you better get going if you want to leave now."

Cozy looked from Flurry to Cadance and back.

"Yes, mom." replied Flurry.

"And remember, Flurry, you're still a princess. You represent the Crystal Empire, and us as a family and as leaders. It's important you behave yourself out there!"

"Yes, mom..."

"I love you!"

"I love you too, mom."

"And Flurry?"

"Yes, mom?"

"Have fun!"

"Yes, mom."

"You too, Cozy. It was very nice having you over. Please feel welcome anytime you are invited."

Cozy smiled and replied, kneeling lightly, "Thank you."

"Can we go now, mom?" asked Flurry, impatiently.

"Just one more thing!"

"What is it, mom?"

Cadance scooped Flurry up in an all-encompassing hug, wrapping her up with her wings. "I love you!"

"Mom!" yelped Flurry. "I love you too..." she said quickly in a low voice.

Flurry teleported out of her mother's grasp and appeared beside Cozy. She had one last nuzzling with her mother before turning to Cozy, "Ok, let's fly. Hurry!"

They took to the air and off for the day they went flying side by side over the terrain.

"Your mom seems really nice," commented Cozy.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Really. My mom-- I mean, Astral. She's not my mom. I know that. I mean..." Cozy continued flying in silence. "She doesn't... I mean, I don't..."

"I know, what you mean," said Flurry as they flew together, side by side.

Cozy nodded, continuing to remain silent in thought.

* * *

They flew a large spiral pattern circling outwards from the castle at the center of the empire to the edge through the protective dome into the bite of the frozen northern air. Their path then continued south, straight a little ways before the two touched down in the snow just outside the protective layer surrounding a familiar settlement.

Flurry folded her wings back, the two cloth flaps sewn onto the back of her cloak draping over and hiding them well.

"Here again?" asked Cozy.

They stepped through the force field, out of the cold and into the outpost settlement proper.

"Yep!" said Flurry, enthusiastically. "I never take a trip without stopping here first!"

Cozy looked around. It looked very different during the daytime. Without any passing storm, it was also quite warm on the 'inside' as well.

Travelers roamed around while others had set up tables to display their wares. It was a mix of all types: Ponies, griffins, dragons, hippogryphs and others, each coexisting in peace and commerce.

"First things first," said Flurry.

"Pay our dues?" asked Cozy. "I didn't bring any bits with me."

"It's ok. This trip is on me!"

They walked to the fountain in the center of town. Some of the regulars recognized Flurry, offering a polite nod and a smile, others vocalized their welcomes with delight.

Cozy watched as she and Flurry walked down the main path. "They know who you are?"

"Oh, yeah. Just about everypony here knows."

"And they don't bow?"

Flurry waved the notion off with a hoof. "Nah. We're all equal here."

They reached the fountain. Cozy looked over the edge into it at the scattered bits lying on the bottom as they cast shimmering golden and silver reflections through the water up onto her face.

Flurry tilted her horn forward, giving the fountain a charge as the protective shield it emitted began to glow brighter and brighter.

A settlement pony called out to them, "Easy there, Ms. Flurry! You don't want to make it so strong nopony can get in or out, now!"

Flurry abruptly cut her feed to the fountain with a sheepish giggle. "Sorry!" she called back.

Cozy looked up at Flurry, "I think some of us are more equal than others."

* * *

Cozy and Flurry walked together through the marketplace portion of the settlement. Every now and then, Flurry would stop at a vendor and sort through the pile of items on the table, or bins.

"So, why do you like to come here all the time? What is it we're here for?" asked Cozy.

"The food!" replied Flurry, with excitement.

"In dusty old boxes?" asked Cozy, scrunching up her nose as she turned a few trinkets over, a small cloud of dust puffing out of the box as the items inside mixed.

Flurry laughed, "Oh! No. Here I'm just looking for little interesting things and stuff. I meant like that jerky stuff the Griffins sell or the bowls of stuff like we had last time. Doesn't it just hit the spot?" asked Flurry, poking at Cozy's side close to her belly.

Cozy batted Flurry's hoof away. "It does," she replied.

"Ahh!" said Flurry, pulling out a small amber gem with her hoof. It was wrapped around the ends with wire as if to contain whatever it may hold. She cupped it as best as she could in her hooves, peaking at it with an eye up close.

"Does it glow?" asked Cozy.

"I can't tell. I want it, though." She put the gem aside and continued to shuffle through the box, exciting more dust in the process.

Cozy sneezed. "What will you do with it?"

"I don't know."

Flurry pulled out a small wooden box. It was very dark in color and intricately carved with highlights decorated in gold leafing. There was a simple latch on the front with a wide hinge on the back. Inside was thick red felt padding. It could be a treasure chest, or even a coffin of sorts, were it quite a bit larger. She held both the box and the gem up to the vendor who sat in the back of the tent, keeping a watchful eye over her tables.

She looked the items over before announcing to Flurry, "Thirty bits."

Flurry frowned, countering "Twenty bits!"

The vendor scoffed at Flurry's offer. "Forty bits!"

"Ok, thirty bits then," agreed Flurry, dejectedly.

"Thirty? I said Forty," corrected the Vendor.

Flurry felt a tugging on her cloak. She looked down to see Cozy shaking her head at her. "It's ok, Cozy. I got this."

Cozy shook her head at Flurry harder. "Just walk away," she whispered to her.

Flurry hesitated before putting the items down.

They exited the tent, out of view and outside of earshot.

"What's wrong, Cozy? I really wanted that box and that fancy rock. They weren't that expensive."

"Gimmy your bits," said Cozy.

"Why?"

"I can get you a better deal," she replied.

"You really don't have to. Forty bits really isn't much to a pony like me."

"I know that. But she knows that too. It's not about the bits, it's about the principle, now," Cozy held her hoof up to Flurry.

Flurry grabbed a hoof full of bits from her stash.

"No, no... This should be enough," said Cozy, taking a smaller hoof full of bits from Flurry.

"That's all? What are you going to do?"

"My thing, of course!" smiled Cozy, getting into character.

"You're not going to threaten or steal from her, are you? You don't want enemies in a place like this."

"Golly, no! Just wait here. I'll be right back." Cozy took the bits and trotted her way back into the tent.

A short while later, Cozy returned with a wire-wrapped gem in her teeth and a small intricately carved box balancing on her head.

"What? How'd did- What?" blinked Flurry in disbelief.

Cozy smiled as Flurry took the items. She placed the gem inside the box with her hoof while holding the box in her magic.

"I have a way with words, and with ponies too," smiled Cozy. "Here, I also got you this," she said as she reached into her own saddlebag, pulling out a pouch of empty corked vials.

"What are these for?" asked Flurry.

"I don't know," replied Cozy. "It seemed like something you would want from here, though."

"Yeah. How did I miss them?"

"You didn't. I made her sweeten the deal, so she pulled those from the back where she keeps her new stuff she hasn't gone through yet."

"I didn't give you all that many bits, though?"

"What can I say? I'm good." Cozy was beaming with pride.

"Yes, you are," agreed Flurry as she pat Cozy on her head. "You know what? I think it's food time!"

"Ok!"

"Come on, there's a Hedgehog out here that sells something called 'mocetta' or something. I don't know what it is, but you gotta try it!"

"You don't know what you're eating here?"

"Yeah. Never ask what the food here is. If it's good, it's good."

* * *

"Golly!"

"I know! Right?"

Cozy and Flurry sat on a log near the edge of the outpost settlement, eating a bowl of ...something. They weren't quite sure of what exactly it was, they just knew it was the best bowl of chunks of stuff in a thick soupy carrier they ever had.

"So Flurry, what are we doing today?"

"I don't know. Maybe explore a cave I heard of. It's somewhere deep in a forest near Ponyville.

Cozy slurped the last of the contents from her bowl. "The Everfree?" asked Cozy, wiping her mouth with the back of her hoof.

"Oh, no. Just a regular forest. One where the brambles are thickest." Flurry looked up in thought trying to remember the stories she had heard.

"Yeah?" asked Cozy, setting her bowl down as she curiously looked at Flurry.

"Yeah. I think I might have found a use for these vials you got me."

The sudden blaring of a loud horn sounded through the settlement briefly, gaining the attention of everypony present.

Flurry quickly turned her head towards the center of town. "Oh no," she whispered.

"What? What is it?" asked Cozy.

Flurry hopped up, leaving her bowl on the ground by the log. She motioned for Cozy to be quiet, and to follow her as she quietly approached a narrow gap between two vendor tarps that had formed a wall. She carefully put her eye up to the gap and peeked through.

"Flurry. What was that sound?" asked Cozy quietly. She was beginning to worry.

"Trouble," whispered back Flurry, not looking away from the small gap.

"Trouble?!?" asked Cozy in a louder whisper.

"Yeah, now shush!" hissed Flurry. Cozy shut her mouth, crouching as low as she could, squeezing her way under Flurry while also trying to get a peek through the gap at what was going on. "Visitors, and not very welcome ones too."

"Who?" asked Cozy, quietly.

"I don't know yet. I can't see them."

The settlement was eerily quiet. Several of the vendors had hastily wrapped up their entire displays into tight bundles, stashing them away onto their carts or locked into their caravans, leaving the tents empty and deserted.

Flurry spotted at the edge of her view a crystal pony, armored in gold trim. There were two of them she could tell as they slowly walked their way through the aisles. They were flanked by a white unicorn with a blue mane, and lighter blue streaks; a starred shield for a cutie mark.

Cozy felt Flurry's body tensing up over her. "What is it? What do you see?" she whispered.

"It's... It's..."

The group of three unwelcome guests stopped in full view of Flurry from her hiding spot while the unicorn stepped up, loudly announcing to everycreature, "I have come for my beloved daughter, Princess Flurry Heart. I've turned a blind eye to the existence of this place and her frequent visits on her many... outings for a long time now, much longer than this place has ever deserved."

"...Father," uttered Flurry, so quiet that Cozy almost didn't hear it.

Shining Armor continued, "It would be very unfortunate if I were to hear that one of you might be hiding her from me."

"You don't rule here!" called out a pony, hiding himself behind cover.

Shining snapped his gaze towards the direction of the defiant voice. "That may be true, but neither does any of the governing bodies that rule the different lands that you all come from. This place isn't even on any map. Nopony knows it's here. I did not come to cause trouble, but I hear that in a place like this, once ignited... trouble, tends to spread like wildfire."

Flurry looked down at Cozy. She could feel her shaking as her wings rubbed on Flurry's belly. "We gotta get outta here," she quietly whispered. "I've put them all in danger."

The various vendors kept their heads down, not daring to make eye contact with Shining, while some travelers looked on and others quietly went on about their business.

Shining stopped right in front of Flurry's gap, looking around. Flurry held her breath; she could nearly smell him, he was so close. He put his eye up to the opening, only a foot higher than the top of Flurry's horn. He only saw into the campgrounds, where a couple of crystal guards were poking through tents and sleeping bags.

Shining poked his hoof through the gap to widen it, barely missing the tip of Flurry's horn.

"Sir!" shouted a guard.

"Yes, what is it?" replied Shining, pulling his hoof back and turning away from the hole.

A guard was holding a small artifact over the fountain. It glowed brightly, changing color as he held it closer to the structure.

Shining approached, "What do you have for me?"

The guard turned to Shining, "She's definitely been here. Very recently."

Shining smirked before turning to face the vendors, and speaking up. "Flurry Heart, dear. It's time to come home. Your mother worries and I miss you. This is no place for a young princess."

There was a flash of Pink light from behind the marketplace area accompanied by a poofing sound.

"Very well. We will talk later," said Shining in a low voice. He cleared his throat in preparation to make one final announcement. Raising his voice, he once again addressed the small settlement, "You all will be wise to be more careful who you choose to welcome here so freely. You never know when it could mean trouble."

Shining turned and bucked hard at the fountain, crushing some of its more intricately detailed features, and knocking it over. The protective shield it was providing to the outpost abruptly ceased and dissipated into the atmosphere.

A chill immediately set into the air as light snow began to fall.

Shining nodded to his guards and began to stroll out of the settlement towards the Crystal Empire. A guard blew a whistle, calling the others in from throughout the area, signaling that it was time to go.

The townsponies fumed as they watched in silent anger as Shining and his guards went off into the distance. A few of them rushed up to the fountain to inspect the damage caused to it. They quickly worked to fix the fountain's centerpiece upright. In doing so the settlement 's protective shield returned, but it was much weaker than before.

"Hopefully it's just lost energy and can be refilled." said a pony.

A few unicorns were already rushing up to give it a charge.

"Poor mare. I wish her well," said another settlement dweller.

"We all do," said yet another.

Just Breathe

The silence was interrupted by a bright flash of light that briefly illuminated the area with a miniature crackle of sound as the air split, a space being carved out of the atmosphere for Cozy and Flurry to pop into. In an instant faster than the blink of an eye, an infinitely small orb expanded in size before rupturing to reveal the two fillies contained within.

Cozy found herself in the interior of a large cave. It was dark and cold. Flurry, after gaining her bearings, began to transfer her magic to an assortment of glow stones positioned around the room. A soft aqua light started to glow from them and spread to cover the space revealing the cave's contents.

The space was large with no discernable way in or out. It was filled with all sorts of items Flurry had collected over the years.

Shaking off the tingling feeling from her instantaneous travel, Cozy looked around in wonder. "Here?"

"Yeah. I just needed to... I mean, I just..." said Flury as she fell back on her haunches. She was visibly shaken. Flurry stopped to perform breathing exercises to calm her nerves.

Cozy reached over, putting a hoof on Flurry's shoulder, "Flurry, are you ok? What was that all about back there?"

"It's just... Father." She used her magic to levitate a large boulder into the spot where they appeared, dropping it with a little more force than usual. The large rock landed in a thud, sending a pulse through the ground that both Cozy and Flurry could feel. It was covered in a mystical cave moss that illuminated softly with its own shade of aqua similar to the glow stones that lit the room.

"Are you in trouble?" Asked Cozy.

"He doesn't really like you. He doesn't want me hanging out with you. But Mom, she sees things, sees you differently."

"Oh," frowned Cozy. "What are we going to do?"

"It'll be ok. He won't come after us. I've never seen him that way before, though; that strongly... It was almost like he was a different pony altogether." Flurry shook her head as if to clear a thought, "He was just on another one of his power trips back there at the outpost." She looked up at Cozy, "Still... I think we shouldn't go back there for a while. I don't want anything to happen to them. Who knows what father might do? He never really liked that place either, so close to the empire and all. He thinks it only attracts pirates and outlaws," she said, looking back down at the ground in between them. "That's why the train doesn't stop there. It just blows on by on the other side of the hill where you can't even see it."

Flurry picked up a pebble from the ground in her magic before forcefully propelling it off to the side. The pebble disappeared from sight, as it landed in the pool of water in the center of the space, the otherwise peacefully still water rippling out in concentric circles away and back again, the disturbance causing the enchanted pool to glow lightly. Flurry watched as the motion of the water slowly began to settle once again.

Cozy sat in front of Flurry. They both looked over at the same spot in the center of the pool not speaking, watching the light as it faded away.

"Hey!" said Flurry, looking up and breaking the silence. She reached her wing over to nudge Cozy. "Cheer up! Today is supposed to be a fun day! Let me worry about home. Let's do something you want!"

"Golly. I don't know what we should do for fun today."

"Really? Can't think of anything at all?"

Cozy sat and thought for a moment, "Well. I had this dream last night. It wasn't really a dream, more of a nightmare. I need to, I mean I really want to..." She had trouble finding the words.

"Yeah?" asked Flurry, reaching over with a hoof to gently lift Cozy's chin.

Cozy gently pushed Flurry's hoof down with her own, "There's something I have to check on. More of a mission, really; not something fun."

Flurry uncliped the buckle on her saddlebags, letting it slide off of her body to the side. She pulled it around in front of her to open and examine its contents. "Missions require planning, gearing up... You know, missions can be fun too," said Flurry, smiling.

Cozy shook her head, replying with a serious, low tone as she looked over at the stone bolder, "Not this one."

* * *

Twilight led Cozy and Flurry through the statue garden. "Castle gardeners keep the grounds looking nice all year."

"When was the last time they made their rounds?" asked Flurry. They continued to talk as they walked along the path.

"Oh, they're always working every day. They take it in sections. The one we're going to I think was worked just last week."

"Just last week. Hmm," said Flurry. She looked up from the path to Twilight, "They work every day?"

"No," said Twilight, looking back at Flurry, "There are several teams. They spread their days apart so that they can get a proper break."

"That's good," smiled Flurry.

Cozy walked alongside Flurry silently, keeping her head low as she thought and worried to herself.

Twilight looked back at the littler filly, "Tell me, Cozy. What is it that makes this trip an urgent one? Things have been rather quiet around here for quite some time now," asked Twilight.

Cozy continued to look down as she trotted along quietly, a worried look on her face.

"Cozy?" asked Twilight.

Flurry nudged Cozy with her wing.

"Huh?" startled Cozy, looking up at her two companions.

"What could possibly be the matter?" asked Twilight, patiently.

"Oh. I just... have a bad feeling about something. I'm just, worried."

"I promise you, Cozy, you will never be made stone again. You've been enchanted, remember? You're free."

Cozy shook her head, "No, it's something else."

"We're almost there, right?" asked Flurry.

"Yeah. Just around the corner right here, in the very bac-" Twilight stopped short, giving Flurry a face full of royal flank.

Flurry rubbed her nose.

Cozy looked up and also stopped. "...No."

"Flurry, bug?" said Twilight, an uneasiness in her voice. "I want you to go home right now. Please. Do not fly, do not stop anywhere. Teleport straight home to your parents, and tell them what you see here."

Flurry stepped back, "Are you crazy?!? I can't pop that far!"

"You can! I'll help," assured Twilight. "Concentrate your magic."

Flurry nodded, and hesitantly closed her eyes, igniting her horn in a warm pink glow. "Okay."

"There you go. Think about them, picture it. Imagine yourself there. Do you have it?"

Flurry nodded again, tightening her closed eyelids.

"Good," said Twilight. "Concentrate as hard as you can, Flurry. Put your heart into it."

Flurry nodded again, keeping her eyes tightly closed. Her horn began to glow brighter and brighter. Cozy squinted at the display of strongly focused magic.

Twilight smiled warmly, "You've got this." Twilight ignited her horn as she touched it to Flurry's, sending a charge in a blinding flash of purple aura. "Now go!"

A shockingly loud poof and a cloud of pink essence erupted from Flurry as she folded space before disappearing from sight, the concussive wave nearly knocking the wind out of Cozy.

Satisfied and pleased with Flurry's ability, Twilight smiled and then turned to the other filly. "Cozy, I'm taking you home now."

Cozy blinked the flash out of her eyes as she looked up at Twilight from the spot where Flurry was standing and nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

Twilight scooped Cozy up in her wing and again ignited her horn. In a poof of purple cloud, they were also gone.

* * *

*Poof!*

"Cozy? You're home early," said Astral, surprised. She was standing in the kitchen. Astral looked up from Cozy to Twilight as she left the kitchen and rounded the corner, approaching them both, "Princess Twilight! Um... Welcome to our home. Please, make yourself comfortable," she said as she knelt down lightly at Twilight.

"Thank you," said Twilight, motioning for Astral to rise. "Please forgive the sudden intrusion and for not first knocking. Unfortunately, I come on matters more serious than casual."

Cozy ran from Twilight over to Astral, jumping up and hanging off of her neck in a tight hug.

Astral rose up, a small pinkish-salmon-colored Filly still hanging off of her. "Oh. Cozy's not in trouble, is she?" She looked down at Cozy hanging off of her. "Why is your coat damp? Did you go swimming today?"

Cozy just hung on tightly, not answering.

"Oh no," smiled Twilight. "Well, I guess you could say all of Equestria might be in trouble," she then said worriedly.

Cozy shifted, fluttering her wings to climb from Astral's neck to her back, still hanging on tightly. Astral could feel the tension and fear in her. She decided to ignore her wetness and focus on what was seemingly more important.

The worriedness was in Cozy's body language, the way she held on, the ever so subtle shivers, but also in the essence of her thoughts.

Every pony bled their emotions. The less one with themselves they were, the more that leaked. It was Astral's magic that could pick up on it so easily; the first thing she could do when her special talent first manifested. It wasn't always so clear, however. Astral first had to master her own emotions, learning what was what; things like putting a name to anxiety. She then had to master decerning her own emotions from others as it all felt the same to her in the beginning. For a while at first, she thought she was going crazy; she and everypony around her.

Of course, with practice, the emotion you bleed could be faked, or at least altered to mask how you truly feel. The best of them might even be able to hide it. It involved dedicating your mind to a lie that you would tell yourself, which is easier said than done for most ponies. Cozy was an exception. There was a lot that Astral had learned about Cozy and a lot that Cozy had learned about herself in the time that they spent together, but Cozy's mind, like most other ponies, was still an iceberg with so much submerged, it could never be fully explored.

Astral knew without a doubt what she felt from Cozy was genuine, however. "It's ok, Cozy. I'm here," she assured, nuzzling her face.

"I had a dream, Astral. It wasn't good," said Cozy. "I knew something was wrong, I just knew it. I went to the garden. You know, the one where we first met? I had to check on something. I had to see for myself..." Cozy's voice began to quiver.

"Hey, it's okay," comforted Astral, "Whatever it is, we can work at it together. We always have. I'm here for you, Cozy. You're my favorite little troublemaker, do you know that? I can't let anything happen to you, I won't. I promise." Astral continued, "I've told you, you don't have to try and be the big mare all the time. You have friends now, and being here for each other is what friends are for. We're all the power you need, remember?"

"She's right," confirmed Twilight.

"See? You have nothing to worry about," said Astral. She looked back up at Twilight, "What sort of trouble is it, exactly? How can I help?"

"By protecting Cozy and keeping her safe, you are already helping a great deal. I can keep and protect her in the castle back in Canterlot, surrounded by guards, but I know she will feel the safest and most comfortable with you."

"Thank you," said Cozy in a soft voice, not looking at anypony in particular. She buried her face in Astral's mane.

Twilight smiled at Cozy. Trying to put her at ease, "You may use my old castle here in Ponyville if you like. Both of you. There's plenty of room and it's fortified." She turned to the door, opening it to leave, and paused, "And if worse comes to worst, in the event of an emergency," she paused again, hesitant to say what she would say next, "upstairs is a machine I built that you both can escape through. Just follow Starlight. But I must warn you, it's for the absolute emergency last resort. I am going to see Starlight now and have her shut down the school and send everycreature home, I'll let her know you might be visiting her in the castle, and to be prepared."

"Prepared? For what? What's coming?" asked Astral as she approached, the door to see Twilight out.

Twilight turned to face Astral with a serious expression.

"Chrysalis," whispered Cozy as her grip on Astral tightened.

Apples to Apples

The throne room of Ponyville's crystal castle was abuzz with chatter. Five of the six mane seats around the cutie map table were taken by their designated ponies while Twilight opted to stand instead. Sunburst stood on the room side of the door tinkering with a new installation as he finished up, "There! That should do it, I think."

"Is it on?" asked Starlight. She stood on the other side of the door helping Sunburst.

"It should be," he answered. "As long as the crystal remains part of the structure as the keystone, it should always be on."

"Ok, Ocellus. Give it a try!" called Twilight from inside the room.

"Will it hurt?" worried Ocellus. She paced nervously back and forth in the hallway in front of the door.

"No?" doubted Sunburst. "I don't think so." He exchanged an unsure shrug and glance with Starlight. "It shouldn't."

"That doesn't seem very reassuring," said Ocellus.

"I'll be honest, Ocellus," started Starlight, "It might pinch a little. Or a lot. Maybe if you hurry on through, it'll be over that much faster."

"Ok... Here I go, then."

Twilight Sparkle approached the door, nervously examining the frame and threshold. "Here goes nothing!" she said as she stepped through, instantly reverting back into her natural changeling form. Ocellus shook off a sudden chill, now on the throne room side of the door. "Oh! It tingles. Kinda in a... good way," her cheeks began to blush. She smacked her lips together a few times, "Why do I taste apples?"

"Apples?" asked Applejack.

"I don't know," shrugged Sunburst.

"Well, at least we know it works," said Fluttershy.

'so many apples...' thought Ocellus.

"Well Girls, and Sunburst too," said Twilight, "I think as a safety measure, we should all step through and back. You can't be too careful. I know who I am, so I'll go first." The real Twilight Sparkle stepped through the door, leaving the room. A faint squeak and moan quietly escaped her muzzle as a bright red coloring filled out her face. She quickly cleared her throat, regaining her composure before turning to face the others through the door. "Oh! Apples!!"

"I told you!" exclaimed Ocellus.

"What kind of apples?" asked Applejack.

Within moments, everypony had left and re-entered the room.

"Oh my..."

"It's simply Divine."

"That was... kind of awesome!"

"Tee-hee! I'm all tingly in my tingly parts!"

"Ah don't know, y'all. There's somethin' wrong with them apples."

"Yowzers!"

'I need to try this door again tonight when nopony is around.'

* * *

Shining Armor stood in front of the crystal heart, watching it as it spun silently and smoothly within its monument display. Its perfect balance was mesmerizing. All the love, light and adoration of an entire empire purified and concentrated within. Mesmerizing indeed, it drew Shining in closer. He wanted to touch it; any pony caught by its alluring spin would, but he knew he couldn't, not without upsetting its delicate balance. He did not want to have to explain a newly frozen empire to his wife, or to his sister. He was not sure which he should be more afraid of.

"Father?" asked Flurry. She had silently entered the room to find him gazing closer to the centerpiece of the empire than usual.

Shining jumped at being startled so abruptly, "Oh, hello daughter." He had not heard her come in. The stallion then realized just how close to the monument he was and took a step back, turning to face his daughter.

Flurry kept her distance. "Where is mom?"

"She wasn't feeling well, so I left her to hang out in our room for a while. Is there something wrong, honey?"

”I just got back from visiting Auntie with Cozy Glow."

Shining raised an eyebrow with interest, "Cozy Glow, you say? And how is she doing?"

Flurry stepped up to the spinning heart, looking it over as she spoke, "Dad, something's happened. We went to see the statue of Chrysalis and Tirek. Chrysalis... She's-"

"Oh, I know, Sweetheart," interrupted Shining, "I wanted to come get you at the outpost after coming back from my overnight stay with your Aunt. I was worried. That place is no good for you, sweetie. I'm glad you've returned home to me."

Flurry looked from the heart to Shining. She regarded her father for a moment before speaking, "Wh-What are we going to do?"

"We must be very careful who we talk to and who we trust." Shining gestured to the spinning heart, "And we must protect this at all costs. The empire depends on it. I'm glad to see it's full and fully functioning."

Flurry looked back at the heart, "It should be. We just had another fair just a couple of days ago, remember?"

"Oh, Right. Of course."

Flurry and Shining both looked on at the monument in silence for a moment before Shining spoke up again, "Flurry, dear..."

"Yes, Father?"

Shining looked down from the monument at Flurry. "Where is Cozy Glow now?"

"Auntie took her home, to Ponyville. ...Why?"

"It seems like Ponyville might be in danger soon. But don't you worry about it. Just... go to your room for now. I will call you down when it's time for a meal."

"Well... Ok." Flurry turned to go upstairs.

"Flurry Heart?"

Flurry stopped and looked back, "Yes, father?"

"You know I love you, right?"

Flurry paused for a brief moment, "Yeah... I... love you too."

* * *

"Golly!" Cozy's mane, fur and feathers stood up on end. She was visibly disturbed and confused. "Apples?"

"Yes, Cozy. We all know," said Applejack.

Astral smoothed Cozy's mane and feathers down. "Cozy told me about her dream and going to see the statue. I figured this concerns her, and me, as much as it does all of you," she announced to the council. "This is the best place to be right now."

"I think so too," said Twilight. "We are trying to figure out what Chrysalis' plan might be, if she might be targeting anypony in particular, or what."

"Obviously anypony with love to share could be a target," said Applejack. "Do you know anything that might be helpful, Cozy?"

"Me? No, I sure don't. We might have run together back when Grogar, I mean Discord had us all together, but she always had her own plans. We all did. It was all I could do to get us to work together even just a little bit. I even ended up having to do a pony song about it." Cozy shuddered as she remembered the silly memory. It wasn't usually her to break out into song like that. She usually had the willpower not to join in any time one was happening in her vicinity in the past, usually (Pinkie Pie could be very persuasive).

"Let me guess," said Rainbow. "Take over the world type plans?"

"Well, not exactly. Her big thing was getting her revenge on Starlight." Cozy shrugged.

Starlight chuckled nervously.

"She just wants her family back. Could you blame her?" asked Cozy.

"Astral," said Twilight. "You've gone in and tried to work with her, right? Like you helped Cozy when she was a part of the statue. Is there anything you could tell us about her, about those 'sessions'?"

Astral thought for a minute. "Not much more than I've already reported to you back when I tried. It's just hard to describe. Her mind wasn't like Cozy's. She'd made a whole new reality for herself. I couldn't even tell if she knew she was imprisoned, or if she just forgot over time. Visiting her was like going to another world, one that was always crumbling and decaying, getting worse and worse every time I visited. She didn't believe anything was wrong. When I would try talking to her about what she did and find out why, she always presented it as if she were right, and everypony else was wrong. She had no desire to change. I couldn't find a way to show her that there was a better way." She pulled Cozy in close. "I hate to say it, but you all really screwed up with these two."

"Well, I wouldn't say really screwed up..." started Fluttershy, trying to diffuse a situation before it started.

Twilight interrupted, "No, Astral is right. We may not have fired the blast that sealed them up that day, but we did nothing to stop it, and all this time, did nothing to correct it." She looked down at Cozy. "Nor did we do right by them in the time leading up to that day."

"It's ok," said Cozy, softly. "I know I was a bad filly too."

"How long do y'all suppose she's been free?" asked Applejack.

"It couldn't have been more than a week," said Twilight. "Regardless, I need to put the guards on alert. I'll send Spike so we can send messages back and forth faster. I'll also get word to my brother of the situation as well." She took one last look at her friends before turning to Astral and Cozy. "Cozy, please, stay safe. And if you think of something that might help, anything, please, let us know. You're both welcome to stay here as long as you want to. I'll tell Spike to prepare the guest rooms for you both when he gets here."

"Thank you," said Astral, followed by Cozy.

Twilight glanced over to the door before igniting her horn and popping out of sight.

"You think she wanted to use the door one last time?" asked Starlight to nopony in particular.

* * *

"I'll do my best!" saluted Spike. "Oh, by the way. Is Rarity still in Ponyville?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, "Yes, Spike. If you hurry, you might be able to catch her at the castle, in the throne room at the cutie map table. But there's something I gotta tell you about the--"

Spike turned and immediately ran off on his mission.

"...door." Twilight sighed and made her way to the castle library, guards straightening up their posture and saluting her as she passed by them. "What to do, what to do... Surely there's something somewhere around here that will help." The guards paid no attention to Twilight's mumblings. She often had the habit of talking to herself when trying to solve a problem.

Twilight entered Canterlot Castle's library and began going from shelf to shelf, collecting books to pour through. "I really need to reorganize this place, again. All these books on changelings should really be in one place."

Stacks of books floated around her in a magical field as she walked up to a table getting ready for an enthralling study session when a small sound from a dark corner of the room made her freeze.

"Hello? Is anypony there?" She perked up, ears twitching and swiveling to try and catch the faintest of sounds. It definitely came from the shadows. 'Note to self, for a library, there sure are a lot of dark places in here. Add more lighting,' she thought to herself as she quietly placed the books on the table, not turning her eye from the direction she heard the sound emanate. She slowly approached it, putting up a magical shield bubble around her for protection. "Show yourself!" she ordered.

A weak and disheveled stallion unicorn with eyes of gray stumbled out into view before slumping onto the floor. "...Twily," uttered the pony with all his strength. "Protect... the Heart, ...both of them," spending the last of his energy, he closed his eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Flurry Heart, deer. Come on down now. It's feeding time!" called up Shining.

Movement could be heard upstairs. The opening of a door, a rush down a hall and the opening and closing of another door.

"Flurry?" Shining headed upstairs, "Foals, really," he said to himself. "No matter. She'll learn her lesson soon enough."

"Flurry's door was wide open. Shining peeked inside, but nopony was to be found. A voice and movement could be heard from the room at the end of the hall, the room he shared with Cadance. "Insolent foal," he spat as he marched down the hall, thrusting the door wide open as hard as he could with his magic.

Flurry Heart stood in the center of the room over a downed changeling pod. She had torn it open, revealing and rousing a dazed and confused alicorn. Flurry looked up and scowled at Shining standing in the doorway.

Shining furrowed his brow at the sight of it all. A flash of light materialized at his hooves, traveling up his body and revealing the form of the changeling queen. "So, you've figured it out. No matter. Soon, I'll have regained all my strength and then quite a bit more! With the love of the Crystal Empire and the Heart combined, I will be able to finally rebuild my hive tenfold! I will crush all who oppose me. First the castle. Then I will-"

Flurry used teleport. It was super effective.

* * *

"Crysalis doesn't know Cozy's reformed, does she?"

The mane six looked up from their various forms of fidgeting around the map table at Starlight.

Sunburst spoke up, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we could maybe set a trap for her. Have Cozy lead her straight into it."

"Me?" asked Cozy.

"I don't like this," objected Astral.

"I don't either," agreed Cozy.

"I think it's a great idea!" said Rainbow. "She's dangerous! The longer she's out there, the more damage she could do."

"Rainbow's right," said Applejack. "Who knows how many ponies she's hurt already."

"Even though she might be bad, we don't want to hurt her," said Fluttershy, softly.

"I do!" countered Rainbow.

The other ponies flashed Dash a dirty look.

"Well, just a little." They continued to glare at her. "More of an annoyance really, I guess."

Starlight looked up in thought, "Ok, maybe not a trap. But out of anypony here, Cozy might be the one she'll listen to the most what with their history together."

"But what would I say to her?" asked Cozy.

Starlight shrugged.

"You know," started Astral, "When she wasn't being encouraged to be bad under Grogar's influence, I saw that Cozy herself wasn't necessarily bad." She pat Cozy on her head.

Cozy looked down in shame.

Astral continued, "I really have no reason to believe Chrysalis herself is bad too. The way I see it, she was only looking out for her kind, to keep them 'fed', as it were. She just didn't have a way to go about that without hurting anypony else."

"But she did hurt other ponies, a lot of them. You remember how long it took for Canterlot to recover completely after the wedding incident," said Rarity.

"I don't... I was kinda busy putting a town together at the time," said Starlight, sheepishly.

"I don't either," said Astral. "I hadn't even been born yet."

"Oh, right," said Rarity.

The room went awkwardly quiet for a moment.

Astral broke the silence, "Fluttershy, a spider's gotta eat, right?" she asked.

"Well, of course, it does."

"But we don't blame the spider for hurting the fly, do we?"

The mane six each found a spot on the map table to stare at while contemplating Astral's question.

"The spider doesn't have any other option for food to live off of," replied Ocellus, quietly. "We, the changelings, do."

"...So what do we do with her?" asked Applejack.

"First we gotta find her," said Starlight.

"That part's easy!" exclaimed Pinkie. "We just gotta wait for the ponies to start dropping, and then follow the trail."

"Pinkie, no," scolded Starlight, bopping her on the head, sternly.

"Oh, you know I was just kidding. ...Or was I?"

The others looked to Astral. "Oh, no. I'm not going in there to find that one out," she said. "Besides. It'd be rude." Astral turned up her nose to the side, closing her eyes with her brow raised.

Pinkie smiled at Astral, "You're welcome any time!" she said with enthusiasm.

Astral opened her eye to look over at Pinkie. "Um, no, thanks. I pass."

"Ok, so we find her, and then what?" asked Applejack.

"It's just her motherly instinct," chimed Ocellus. "Maybe we can draw it out of her, make her give her love away like Thorax did when he changed. If she gives enough of it at a time, it'll trigger the change that we all went through. She doesn't even have to completely change, just enough to see that she doesn't have to be hungry all the time."

"I like it," said Starlight.

"Me too," said Astral.

The others shared their agreeance.

"...But how?" asked Cozy.

"I have an idea," said Ocellus. "But first things first, we have to find Chrysalis before it's too late!"

"Ponies!" It was Spike, running down the castle hall to the throne room.

Everypony turned to see Spike running in, through the door with a scroll held tightly in his grip.

"Chrysalis! She's taken Shining Armor back in Canter- What the bucking apples was that!?!"

"Yeah," explained Sunburst, casually. "The changes we made to the door will take some getting used to. It makes a changeling that might be disguised revert back when passing through by disrupting its magical field."

"But... Apples!!" exclaimed Spike.

"We know!" said the mane six simultaneously.

Spike shook off a chill throughout his body. "The Crystal Empire! She's there, we've gotta stop her!"

"Flurry!" called out Cozy, worriedly.

Author's Note

I can't for the life of me remember what it was I wanted to change and add to this one about Astral and her "therapy sessions" with the remaining parts of the statue of villains. If I ever do, I'll go back and revise this chapter again. For the most part, I really do like how it turned out for now, though.

I'd love to hear your comments and complaints so far. Currently, we're at 3:2 ratio, I'd really like to hear from those who thumbs down'd it, just to know what they didn't like or where I can improve. As always, thanks for reading!

Previously...

"Cozy?" asked Flurry. She looked back to see her trailing behind as they cautiously moved forward. "Are you ok?"

The two fillies were working their way through a long and winding tunnel. It had been a trivial effort for Flurry to remove the stone sealing the entrance. Finding the correct spot had been the most difficult part of the current mission they had set out on. On entering, Flurry used her magic to place the stone seal back behind them in hopes that they wouldn't be discovered where they didn't belong or interrupted. There was no natural light in the tunnel, so Flurry had to illuminate the area with the magic from her horn. The air was clammy, cold and musty without a hint of a breeze to carry it away.

Cozy snapped out of her daze, vigorously shaking her head. "Yeah! I just- I was just thinking about something."

Their hoofsteps and voices echoed off of the walls and down the tunnel into the darkness, blurring together into a continuous eerie low drone that would eventually fade away if they ever stopped moving or speaking long enough.

"Oh, yeah?"

"What we're doing after this. You know the statue I came from? I think something might have happened. That's our next mission after this, I guess. I want-- I need to go see it. Hopefully, I'm wrong."

"Oh! Well, try to keep up. I can only make so much light, you know." Flurry turned to face forward, lighting up the tunnel ahead. The light from her horn would only go so far down the tunnel before it was cut off by the wall as it constantly curved around in all directions.

Cozy trotted up to walk beside Flurry. "How did it go again?"

Flurry slowly recited from memory as they walked along, "Where the brambles are thickest, there you will find, um,"

"Um!" teased Cozy.

"Shut up!" nudged Flurry.

"Where the brambles are thickest, there you will find, um shut up!"

"No! A pond for the most twisted of minds?"

"Gifted at times?"

"Dumbest of rhymes?" Flurry wasn't sure how it ended. She just knew that ponies had been warned to stay away, so naturally, she had to go explore it.

The curving of the tunnel walls steadily grew less and less drastic as they continued forward, leading to longer and longer straight-aways as the overall size of the space widened. Most of the echoing reverb left to be heard was now behind them as the sound ahead seemed to sound more and more dampened. The air was getting lighter and more pleasant to breathe. A soft light could be seen ahead as they neared the end of the corridor.

"Hey look! It's opening up!" exclaimed Flurry.

The tunnel ended in a vast space. It was softly lit by bioluminescent plantlife resembling miniature palm trees. The ground was soft, covered in a blanket of short smooth cave grass with patches of spotted mushrooms here and there. Moss clung to the walls, giving the entire space a musty damp scent of a forest in the rain. A small stream snaked its way from a tunnel on the far end of the space to the center where the water collected into a still pond in the center. Two tiny identical lizards disrupted the surface in a shimmer of ripples as they exited the pond to scurry off behind a large boulder off to the side. There was an aura of magic surrounding everything, even the mushrooms seemed to softly glow with it.

"This is it?" asked Cozy. "It kinda looks like your filly cave," she commented.

"No glow stones," observed Flurry. "This one is supposed to be special. The water here. It's different, I hear."

Flurry went around to examine the walls, floor and plant life more closely while Cozy made her way up to the pond in the center of the space. She peered over the edge into the seemingly bottomless water. The ripples finally settled, allowing her reflection to come into focus. She looked into it, and it looked right back at her. She had seen her reflection before but this one seemed different to her somehow. This one carried a feeling of melancholy. 'Is this really how I look to the world?' she thought to herself. Was it really how she felt? The reflection's eyes called to her as both sides of the mirror stared into each other.

"Stop!" shouted Flurry, alarmingly loud. "Don't touch it!"

Cozy found herself reaching for her reflection, her reflection reaching for her. She quickly retracted her hoof, stepping back and shaking the confusion out of her head. "I- I don't know what happened."

"What did you see?" asked Flurry as she approached the pond to take a look for herself. Flurry's reflection wore a confident, proud smile, if not the slightest defiant and mischievous. She gave her reflection a proud wink before straightening her face and looking back up at Cozy on the far end of the pond.

"It's... Me. I think," said Cozy, unsurely.

"Well, of course, it's you!" Said Flurry. She opened her saddlebag, levitating out a few vials with her magic. She uncorked them and carefully dipped them into the pond until the air bubbles stopped before recorking them and putting them safely away. "Thanks again for these. They came in really useful!"

"Yeah. ...Sure." Cozy cautiously peeked back into the water, her reflection cautiously peeking back. "Have you ever wondered... If on the other side of a mirror, if it was really just another world, doing the same things we were?"

"No," dismissed Flurry as she turned and walked away from the pond. She began peeking around and under small and medium-sized rocks, looking for the pair of lizards she had spotted earlier.

"Oh. Ok," said Cozy, disappointedly, not taking her eyes from her reflection. She wasn't sure if it would look away when she would. She waved at it, the reflection mimicking her perfectly. She forced a smile at it, it smiled back in its melancholy. Cozy could feel tears in her eyes. Why were they there? She hoped at least her other self would know. She didn't like the thought of there being two lost Cozys in the world.

Flurry sighed, gently setting down another large rock with her magic. "Where could they be?" She looked around the walls and ceiling, away from the pond. "Cozy? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just blow off your question like that." The young alicorn lit her horn to try and get a better look at the ceiling where it met the wall. "I don't really know what's on the other side of the mirror. They could be windows into other worlds, other possibilities." She shrugged. "...Or maybe they're just really shiny. My big question is what color they really are. Sure it's easy to think they might be silver, but do you ever really see silver when you look at one? You don't! It's always the color of what's in front of it. ...But how does it know what colors to be where and when, you know?"

It was quiet, Cozy did not reply.

"You know?" Flurry followed a thin crack as it ran down the wall from the ceiling all the way down to the floor. "Cozy?" Flurry first looked back at the pond, then all around the open area but she wasn't in sight.

* * *

The world came rushing back to Cozy as her lungs burned. She was Dangling in the air from her tail, suspended in Flurry's magic. Enchanted pond water gathered in her mouth and dripped from her nostrils as it drained from her lungs, the filly coughing violently in an effort to expel it from her airways.

"Breathe, Cozy!" cried Flurry.

Cozy coughed and coughed, only stopping to blow her nose into the air as she cleared her sinuses. "What happened?!" she asked, finally able to catch her breath.

"You went in, you crazy filly!" shouted Flurry with relief. She shook the water off of Cozy in the air.

Cozy flailed to and fro, "Hey! Woah!! Stop that! I'm gonna be sick!"

"Oh. Sorry," said Flurry, gently setting Cozy on the ground. "You scared me! You weren't floating, you just kept sinking. I had to find you with my magic and pull you out with it. You were deep!"

Cozy shook her body one part at a time, ridding herself of excess water droplets before sitting to wring out her tail. "I... I was trying to get closer. And then the ground broke. That's all I remember." She looked over to the pond, to the spot where she previously stood.

"What-- what does it taste like?" asked Flurry.

"It tasted like... Like water," replied Cozy. "Refreshing, in a magical sort of way."

A third voice made its presence known, flat and monotone. "You girls shouldn't be in here," warned Maud.

Cozy and Flurry jumped, looking behind them. Maud stood quietly, expression seeming to be as neutral as ever.

"This is an enchanted place. If you're not careful, there could be trouble, you know. Lots and lots of trouble. Just ask my sister." Maud's voice was too smooth and monotone for Flurry and Cozy to determine whether or not they were being scolded.

Maud turned to Cozy, "You didn't pull yourself out, did you?"

"I pulled her out, with my magic," answered Flurry.

"Hmm," said Maud, looking them over.

"Hmm?" asked Flurry.

"Hmm," replied Maud.

"We should probably go now," suggested Cozy.

"Yes. You two can follow me back to my place, there are stairs to the surface. As for anypony else," She said, glancing around the cave. "Hmm..." Maud started down the far end of the space towards her own cave.

Cozy and Flurry took one last glance around before catching up to Maud, following her out.

* * *

"A mirror pool? You mean like in the legend?" asked Flurry.

"Not like. Is," replied Maud.

Cozy, Flurry, and Maud sat around the central living space in Maud's home, in front of a small fire Maud had set up for the three of them. She had offered Cozy a towel to dry off with before they headed on their way.

"So it's real..." said Cozy with astonishment.

"Yes," said Maud, flatly.

"So how come there aren't two Cozy Glows now?"

"She didn't do it right," said Maud, looking from Flurry over at Cozy. "According to Nana, the saying goes: 'Into her own reflection she stared, yearning for one whose reflection she shared, and solemnly sweared not to be scared, at the prospect of being doubly dared.'" She finished with a light not.

"Oh," said Flurry.

"Were you yearning?" Maud asked Cozy.

Cozy looked up in thought, "Um, no, not really."

"Were you scared?" Flurry asked Cozy.

"I don't know. It all happened so fast."

"My sister reached in and pulled herself out. You went all the way in, and then Flurry pulled you out. So that's different."

"Oh," said Cozy. "So what happens now?"

"I don't know," said Maud, flatly. She turned to Flurry, "Did you touch the water?"

"No. Not with my hooves," answered Flurry. "I just used my magic to find Cozy and pull her out."

"Hmm..." hmmed Maud.

"Hmm?" asked Cozy.

"Pinkie said her doubles always seemed undercooked. I think it's because she pulled them out before they were ready. I've been doing experiments with Boulder."

"Boulder?" asked Flurry.

"It's ok. He volunteered. He has lots of friends now." Maud motioned to the corner, filled with a pile of rocks. "The longer they stay in the pool, the more developed they become. Tell me, Cozy, what happened yesterday?"

Cozy detailed her visiting Flurry the previous day, the chess game they both lost and even the train ride she took to the Crystal Empire.

"I'm pretty sure you are you," said Maud.

"Pretty sure?" asked Flurry.

"Mostly pretty sure. You two should get going, now. I need to see something and then talk to my sister. Tell Twilight I said 'hi'," instructed Maud as she got up. She walked the two visitors to her cave entrance, showing them the way out.

Roll Call

The peaceful silence of the cave was disrupted by a light-pink flash of light. Near the center, by the water appeared Flurry Heart, standing alongside her mother, who was lying on the ground.

Flurry quickly charged the glow stones around the cave with a burst of magic that dispersed around the room.

"Flurry, sweetie..."

"Shh, it's ok, mom. You're safe here," comforted Flurry.

"Queen Chrysalis. She's..." said her mother, weakly.

"I know. I had to get you out of there. Are you ok?" Flurry nuzzled lightly with her mom.

"I think I will be. I'm just, tired, weak."

"It's ok. You can rest for now." Flurry stood up straight before levitating over a clean bowl with which she gathered some water from the pond to offer to her mother, "Here, drink. This water, it will help. It has an energy to it, healing energy. It's good."

Cadance slowly drank from the bowl. Already she could feel the energy seeping back into her body. She then cast her eyes about the cave, "Where are we?"

"It's my place. It's ok. It's a safe place. We have everything we could need, here."

Flurry went over to the side where she kept her supplies and with her magic, yanked the top off of a storage barrel, knocking it over to its side, and spilling its contents. Gracefully using her horn as a conductor might direct a symphony, Flurry sifted through the pile until she found a sealed package of rations. She brought it over to her mother, tearing it open before offering it to her, "Here, this will speed up your healing."

Cadance cautiously nibbled on the compressed dried foodstuff. She grimaced at the bitter, dry taste, "Where- Where did you get these?"

"They come from outside the borders of Equestria. Travelers will trade them for Equestrian goods and stuff. These ones are the rarest, most expensive ones I've seen. I've been saving them for emergencies."

"Does your father know about... about all of this?" asked Cadance, her energy quickly returning.

Flurry shook her head. "Please don't tell him. How are you feeling, Mom?"

"I'm feeling better. Thank you. Your secret's safe with me." She smiled before abruptly pausing, eyes going wide. "The Heart! We must get word to Twilight!"

Flurry reached a hoof over to her mother's back, "Auntie knows already. She took Cozy to Ponyville. I think she's going to work on a plan with the rest of her friends."

Cadance, having finished her rations, slowly got to her hooves. "Then it's up to us, for now. We must go back, and protect the heart!"

"But... What if we fail?" asked Flurry as she helped her mother to stand.

"Since when has failure been something my daughter has been afraid of?" asked Cadance, nuzzling with Flurry, following it up with a gentle boop.

Reaffirmed, Flurry stood up straight with confidence, wings out in a commanding regal pose. "You're right. If you're ready, I'm ready. Let's show that bug we won't go down without a fight!"

"That's my girl! Now..." Cadance looked around, "How do we get out of here?"

"Oh! I got this," said Flurry as she wrapped a wing around her mother, lighting her horn. A flash of light once again brilliantly lit the cave as they popped out of sight.

* * *

The crystal heart quietly spun undisturbed, radiating the protective love and admiration of the empire. Cadance and Flurry appeared just to the left of it, quickly going up to examine it.

"It looks ok, mom."

"Good. If Chrysalis were to get her hooves on this, it would spell doom for the empire, not to mention the power it could give her."

"Why hasn't she taken it yet?" Asked Flurry.

A voice sounded from around the corner, "Because the sudden surge could kill her," said Twilight as she came running in. "Flurry, Cadence... I'm glad you are both ok."

Cadance straightened up, flaring her wings out in a regal pose before abruptly shouting, "Guards!"

Within moments, a collection of guards rushed in from every entrance. They stood at attention, circling Flurry, Cadance, and Twilight around the crystal heart.

Cadance walked the lines as she addressed them, "Queen Chrysalis has escaped, and has even breached the security of the castle here. She could be anypony," she said as she got uncomfortably close to her guards, making each one sweat just a little, one at a time. "She could even be..." Cadance spun around to meet face to face, bumping noses with Twilight. "You."

"Me?" asked Twilight, nervously as she stepped back.

Cadance stepped forward, keeping her nose pressed to Twilight's. "Especially you!"

Twilight stammered, "I- I just came from my castle to warn you, to check up on you." Twilight continued to walk backward, but Cadance kept pace, "When we found out, I sent Flurry here and I took Cozy home, to Ponyville, you gotta believe me!"

The guards looked nervously at each other, unsure of how to respond to the two princesses confronting each other.

Cadance continued to push forward, she spoke slowly in the most serious of tones, "Sunshine, sunshine."

"W- What?" asked Twilight.

"Sunshine, sunshine," repeated Cadance as she pressed forward, eyes locked onto Twilight's.

"Uh... L- Ladybugs awake?" answered Twilight as she began to sweat. Her flank hit a wall, there was nowhere else for her to go.

"Clap your hooves," said Cadance.

"And..." Twilight rubbed her flank on the wall and gulped, "Do a little ...shake."

Cadance held still, her nose firmly pressed on Twilght's as she narrowed her eyes, staring into Twilight's wide panicking eyes.

"Mom?" asked Flurry with concern in her voice, having watched the whole thing unfold.

Cadance backed off before turning to Flurry, "It's ok, sweetie. It's safe."

Twilight took a big sigh of relief, rubbing her nose. "Phew. For a minute there, I thought you were going to attack me."

Cadance turned back to Twilight, "Oh, I was. You can't be too careful, you know?"

"I do know. It's scary when you don't know who your friends are," said Twilight.

"Indeed," agreed Cadance.

"So what's the plan?" asked Flurry.

"We protect the heart!" said Cadance and Twilight simultaneously. They nodded at each other.

"I will put my guards on patrol, three to a group," said Cadance.

"Good," said Twilight. "Us three can guard the heart directly, in shifts. When Shining recovers, he can help. I'll go first, she offered.

"No. Flurry, you will be first to guard the heart," demanded Cadance. "Twilight will guard it second, and then I will get the third shift."

Twilight was taken by surprise. "Um, ok, then. Your kingdom, your rule." She shrugged.

* * *

"Starlight, can you pop us all to the Crystal Empire or how will that work?" asked Cozy, pressing her hooves to her cheeks.

"Wait, all of us? Um. No. Not by a long shot," denied Starlight, flatly.

"I bet Flurry could do it..." grumbled Cozy.

"Flurry is an Alicorn, Cozy. I never got to be a princess," defended Starlight, before looking off to the side.

"Well we can't keep wasting time sitin' 'round here, we need to go, now!" said Applejack.

"But how will we get there in time? The next train won't be for a few hours and it'll take too long to ride it all the way there," worried Fluttershy.

"She's right," said Ocellus.

"Well," started Starlight. "There is something I've been working on, in my free time. What do you think, Sunburst? No better time to test it out than now."

"I don't know about this," said Sunburst, nervously. "We still don't know where that big bushel of apples went."

"The ones you borrowed? You lost them?" asked Applejack. "Just what in the hay are y'all going on about?"

"Yes, Darling, do tell," said Rarity.

"Well, ever since the Tree of Harmony was destroyed, the Map table's never worked again, right?" asked Starlight. "At least, for what it originally did for us."

"Go on," urged Rainbow.

"Sunburst and I have been doing some tests and experiments on it since Twilight left the castle for me to take care of. ...And this table is part of the castle and all."

"Ooh, sounds fun! What kind of experiments?" asked Pinkie.

Sunburst spoke up, "We discovered that there was still a bit of magic stored in the table, laying dormant. Locational magic. It's what the table used to point out places that the tree sensed there to be a need."

"Sunburst and I got the idea that maybe if we reversed the flow of magic through it, and tweaked some existing spells just right... The table can become a portal to anywhere on the map!"

"Oh, like when you went back in time and kept dragging me and Twilight with you, right?" asked Spike.

Starlight laughed nervously, "Um, not so much." She lightly ran her hoof across the table's surface as she walked around its perimeter.

Sunburst watched Starlight from behind, "This would only take you there, similar to Neighsay's talisman, but instead of just the pony using it, we all, in theory, should be able to go through. It's a one-way trip, though, and no time travel, maybe," he disclaimed.

"...Does Twilight know about this?" asked Spike.

"Not really. No," said Starlight, nervously.

"But I think we finally worked all the bugs out," offered Sunburst. He turned to Ocellus, "Uh... No offense."

Ocellus rolled her eyes, "I know what you meant."

"Well what are we waiting for?!" shouted Rainbow.

* * *

Flurry paced back and forth diligently in front of the crystal heart monument, pausing at attention when she heard a noise, "Who goes there?" she asked. She froze in place, wings spread out to block the view of the spinning heart.

"It's me, dear, your mother," answered Cadance. "Have you heard from Twilight?"

"She's late," said Flurry. Her stomach growled loudly, "Auntie's late and I'm hungry."

Twilight popped in with a flash of purple aura, "I got here as fast as I could." She glanced around the room and at Flurry and Cadance, "Good. The heart is still safe."

"No pony else has been here since I started guarding it. It's your turn to protect the heart, auntie."

"Yes. That's what your father said." She gestured to the monument, "Protect that, and to also protect you as well. I wanted to let you know that he'll be just fine. He's just resting but will be back as soon as possible."

Flurry nodded at Twilight.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Twilight, looking at Flurry, then to Cadance.

"What do you mean 'what's the plan'?" asked Cadance.

"My shift is over and I'm going to go eat something. You're late for your turn to guard the heart," said Flurry, stepping down.

"I'm terribly sorry for the wait. I too was finishing up a quick meal before--" said Twilight as she rounded the corner entering the room. She paused as she looked up and saw Flurry Heart, Cadance, and Twilight Sparkle looking back at her.

A sizable vortex opened up next to Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Sparkle. Out stepped Twilight Sparkle, followed by her six closest friends, Spike, Sunburst, Astral, and Cozy Glow.

Just before the portal closed, Cozy Glow jumped through as well. "Flurry! We're all here!" she exclaimed.

Ocellus transformed, "What do you think? Did I get it right?"

"You look just like her, " said Spike.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Applejack.

"Are we sure any of this is a good idea?" asked Fluttershy.

"No time. We need to move now!" urged Rainbow.

"Before you go..." said Maud, stepping through the doorway, seemingly unphased. "There's something I think you should see."

"Golly..."

Spike palmed his face in his claw, "This day can't get any stranger. Let's just go already."

Sunburst and Starlight looked at each other, then simultaneously aimed their horns down, giving the table a magical charge. "Here goes nothing..."

* * *

The map table went quiet. Everypony had gone through, leaving Maud alone.

She turned to the doorway and winked, "Well hello there, apples."

* * *

The crystal heart room was getting crowded.

"Twilight?"

"Cozy?"

"Twilight?"

"Cadance?"

"Starlight?"

"Sunburst?"

"Twilight?!?"

"Flurry?"

"Spike?"

"Cozy?"

"Girls!"

"Oh my..."

"Discord?" they all asked unanimously.

"Oh, don't mind me, I just heard there was some fresh chaos-a-brewing and I just had to come see for myself. Do continue!"

"Guys, I'm here too, you know," voiced Astral from somewhere behind everypony.

Twilight Growled at Twilight and Twilight before leaping at and tackling Twilight to the ground.

"Hey, knock it off!" yelled Twilight as she jumped in and joined the struggle, trying to separate Twilight from Twilight.

"Golly!" said the Cozies as they watched, holding each other.

"Wow, everypony is here. What's going-" said Shining as he entered the room, pausing to see his sisters rumbling and wrestling around in a cloud of dust. "Twily? Woah... That's kinda hot."

"Shining... That's your sister!" scolded Starlight.

"Only one of them is..." he said, glassy-eyed.

Cadance ran up to her husband, giving him a slap to the face before shouting, "Shining! Your protection spell!!"

Shining snapped out of his trance, shaking his head. "Oh, right!" He fired off his spell at the Twilights, pinning two of them against the wall, forcing them to revert back to their normal forms.

Chrysalis hissed and struggled against Shining's forcefield.

Ocellus strained but didn't fight it. She turned to face her former queen, "Chrysalis, this isn't the way!"

"It's Queen," snapped Chrysalis. "Traitor! All of you!!" she said to Ocellus as she struggled to break free.

Castle guards swarmed around the two changelings, aiming their spears. Shining dropped his spell allowing Chrysalis and Ocellus to slide down the wall to the floor.

Twilight went up and retrieved Ocellus, "It's ok everypony, she's with us."

"Thank you," said Ocellus.

Flurry stepped through the line of guards, "You have a lot of nerve, showing your bug-eyed face here!" She turned to Ocellus, "Um, no offense."

Ocellus scowled at Flurry,"No, that's exactly offense!", her feelings hurt.

Fluttershy rubbed Ocellus' back.

"Chrysalis saw the hurt on Ocellus and gritted her teeth at Flurry, "You're going to pay for that!"

"Flurry, dear. Stand down. Let the grownups handle this," said Shining as he approached.

Flurry grumbled to herself, stepping back to the pony side of the guard line.

Discord floated down and quietly whispered into Cozy's ear.

Cozy perked up at Discord's words, looking at him with stress in her eyes. "Golly. Must I?"

"It's your choice. It's always been. Will it be you to make the good one? I've just simply allowed you to make it an informed one," Discord said aloud, stepping back. "Toodaloo!" and with that, he winked at Fluttershy and backflipped into a swirling spiral, disappearing from sight in a bright flash.

"What did he say to you?" asked Cozy.

Cozy didn't respond, furrowing her brow in deep contemplation. She began to pace a small circle.

Ocellus shouted to Chrysalis, "You care! I know you do. There is good in you. It doesn't have to be this way!"

"Doesn't it?" asked Chrysalis, lurching at her.

The guards raised their weapons at Chrysalis, forcing her back.

She stared the guards down. "I've lost everything. What more could you take from me?" scoffed Chrysalis, knocking a spear tip away from her face.

The guard quickly put the spear back into position.

"Oh, I'm sure we could think of a few more things," said Shining as he approached the line of guards.

"No!" shouted Ocellus to Shining. She turned her attention to Chrysalis, "Thorax, our family, your family, we thrive! We're never hungry anymore. Isn't that what you want for us?"

"Impossible!" shouted Chrysalis.

"It's true! You must believe her," said Starlight.

"Rest assured, I will not be following any of your orders, Starlight Glimmer," hissed Chrysalis as she charged her horn.

Cozy saw the impending attack and gasped before beginning to push through the forest of hooves and legs. 'I'll never make it in time!' she thought to herself.

A blastwave emanated from Chrysalis sending everypony back. "I will have my empire back. I will have my revenge!"

Guards scrambled to their hooves as Chrysalis blasted a hole high on the wall to the outside.

Chrysalis took to the air towards the new hole before pausing and turning around to face everypony, "Starting with you!" she shouted firing a green bolt of magic at Flurry.

"Flurry Heart!" shouted Shining as he charged towards her, intending to intercept the bolt of magical energy. He was never going to make it, but he had to try.

Flurry countered with her own bolt of magic right at Chrysalis. In that instant, she had deemed it more important to aim at her attacker than to block the oncoming attack itself.

Chrysalis' attack hit first, causing Flurry to fly back into the wall behind her, doubled over, and not moving. Her wings had spread out and now lay motionless, keeping her body wrapped and covered.

Flurry's half-charged attack barely hit, throwing Chrysalis' flight off. She struggled to right herself.

A barrage of spears and magical bolts went into the air at the changeling as she made her escape out through the hole in the wall that she created.

Twilight took flight through the hole after, followed by Rainbow and Ocellus.

The room went quiet as the attention was quickly turned to Flurry.

"Baby!" cried Cadance as she galloped up to her. Shining was quick to follow. "Please be ok!"

Shining held Cadance tightly.

Cadence cried as she gently nudged Flurry.

Flurry did not respond.

Everypony, gathered around, watching the events unfold.

"Don't just stand there, you fools!" Shining shouted to his guards. "Get the castle Doctor, NOW!" he ordered.

The guards quickly scrambled off to their urgent mission.

"Hang in there, daughter, my little Flurry," said Shining softly.

Cozy slowly broke the line around them and approached quietly. "Flurry. Please. Be ok," she whispered.

Shining began to silently fume internally. He did not care for Cozy, the 'reformed' villain in the slightest. He wanted to push her away from his daughter. He wanted to do a lot of things. He could take it out on her. But he knew he shouldn't, not in front of everypony.

Cozy gently nuzzled her face on Flurry's, "Please wake up."

"Cozy..." said Shining, using every ounce of his strength to remain civil towards her. "Cozy, please..." His voice was firm.

Cozy could sense Shining's disdain for her. She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face and slowly backed off.

Astral came up and held her tightly.

Cozy and Flurry continued to sit in front of each other in the privacy of her filly cave.

"What do you want to check on?" asked Flurry.

"It's in the garden. The statue garden," answered Cozy.

Flurry rummaged through her saddlebag, digging out the small carved box from the outpost they just came from. She examined it closely.

"The castle garden. Yeah. Mind if we stop somewhere on the way? It's a cave that's been sealed off, broken into, and then re-sealed, so that means we have to go see it."

"Yeah. That's fine, I guess. As long as it doesn't take too long," shrugged Cozy.

Flurry nodded while turning the box over in her magic. She carefully opened it with her magic, levitating the wire-wrapped gem out of it.

The gem rang out with an almost musical characteristic to it as it pulsed with amber light. Surprised, Flurry dropped both the box and the gem onto the cave floor.

Cozy and Flurry gasped at the new development.

The gem glowed softly as it lay still on the floor.

"That's new," observed Flurry.

"What do you think happened?" asked Cozy. She poked at the gem with a hoof.

"I don't know," answered Flurry, also poking at the now unresponsive gem with her hoof.

The light inside the gem gradually faded away.

Cozy pulled her hoof back from the gem, "Try lifting it again."

Flurry gently applied her magic to the gem and it once again began to glow and softly hum.

They both watched in awe.

"What do you think this is?" asked Cozy.

"I'm not sure. But there are two ponies I know that might," answered Flurry. She gently put the gem back in the box and moved the box to the side. "But maybe another day. Your mission sounds important."

Cozy nodded.

Flurry sighed softly, glancing back at her new little box containing the mystery gem.

"Flurry?"

"Yes, Cozy?"

Cozy hesitated to ask, "Does... Does your dad hate me?"

Flurry hesitated to answer.

Cozy looked down at the ground.

"Well," said Flurry, pausing to think. "I wouldn't say 'hate'..."

"He wishes I never came back from stone."

"No. Well, I don't know. You shouldn't be worrying about stuff like that. I'm the one that has to live with him, not you."

"I know. I just, my past, isn't it?" asked Cozy, looking up at Flurry.

Flurry sighed, "Yeah. Because you were... well, I mean..." Flurry tried to sugarcoat the truth.

"Bad," said Cozy, softly. "Evil."

Flurry cringed lightly bit at the harsh word, "...Yeah."

Cozy nodded softly.

"It's not you specifically. Just what you did. I don't know. You, and when you were together with Tirek who humiliated him, and Chrysalis who stole mom from him. When all the magic disappeared that one day, the crystal heart even stopped working. Ponies died, Cozy."

Cozy nodded softly as her face began to contort, her eyes welling up.

"I'm not trying to be mean, Cozy," said Flurry as softly as she could. "I'm your friend. I know all of this, and I choose to be right here with you, to welcome you into my... sanctuary." Flurry stretched out a wing to rest on Cozy's back. "Especially that last part. We all know that was Tirek's idea, not yours. It was his guidance that led to that."

Cozy took a few calming breaths, soothing her emotions, blinking some tears out, wetting the ground. "I... I was still the pony that carried it out, though."

"Would you have done it if he hadn't reached out to you first?"

Cozy didn't respond. She remained still, looking at the ground where her tears had fallen.

"You've never been blamed for it after Astral's help with your redemption."

Cozy just shrugged lightly, keeping her focus downward.

Flurry softly lit her horn. "Mom is teaching me," she said as she closed her eyes to focus. "My magic. Part of it is hers, part dad's... part crystal, who knows what else." The magic aura around her horn began to take shape off of it in the air in front of her. "There's magic that comes from the mind and body, magic like Auntie and Starlight use. Astral too, maybe." She opened up her eyes to look at the swirling ball of magic in the air as it softly glowed. "...And then there's magic that comes from the heart. Like mom's." She lightly strained, squinting at the magic, forming it into a heart shape before floating it to Cozy. Flurry smiled before booping the filly in the nose with it.

The heart splashed onto Cozy, dissipating as it absorbed into her body. She let out a shuddered breath as the raw feeling of love washed over her, something she was so unaccustomed to. She didn't know how to cope with it. Cozy shook and whimpered.

All Flurry had to do was spread her forelegs and wings in a welcoming gesture.

Without a word, Cozy leaped into Flurry's warm embrace, bawling syllables and fragments into the floof of her chest.

"I know... I know..." said Flurry. "Let it all go. You carry too much with you."

All manner of un-composed muffled vowel sounds came from Cozy. Flurry's coat and feathers were getting messed up, but she didn't mind it.

"Cozy, you did those things. But that's in the past. That's not who you are anymore."

Cozy turned her wet face to the side to try and get some shakey words out in between deep sobs, "Ev- Every... Everypony keeps... Keeps telling me that."

"And we'll keep telling you that, you silly filly, until you believe it, because it's true!"

Cozy still didn't want to believe it as she shook her head, burying her face into Flurry for another round of bawling and sobbing.

"It's true, Cozy. Everypony new who's lives you touch, you've helped in some way. You might not see it right now, but we all do. Nopony but you is calling you bad, Cozy," comforted Flurry. "Well, maybe my dad, but he just hasn't seen the good that you can do, the good that's in your heart."

Cozy pushed away from Flurry, shaking her head, "There's no good in my heart."

"There is, Cozy. Want to know how I know? How I am so sure of it?"

Cozy looked to the side, wiping her face on her foreleg, sniffling.

"Because my heart magic worked on yours," answered Flurry, proudly. "Mom's magic only works on good hearts; even lost ones that need saving. So don't give me that! You are a good pony. Say it."

Cozy mumbled something barely audible, still looking away.

Flurry leaned in closer, "What was that?"

Cozy turned to face the other way and mumbled again, slightly louder this time.

"Say it!" shouted Flurry. Flurry moved to intercept Cozy's gaze once again.

Cozy looked down at the ground. "I'm a... good pony," she said, flatly.

"Louder!" ordered Flurry, using a hoof to raise Cozy's chin.

"I'm a good pony," repeated Cozy, at almost a speaking volume.

Flurry threw her hooves up in the air, "Louder!"

Cozy began to get annoyed. "I'm a good pony," she said, firmly.

"Louder!" shouted Flurry, repeating her gesture with emphasis.

Cozy furrowed her brow at Flurry. "I'm a good pony!" she began to raise her voice at her.

She brought a hoof down, putting it up to her ear, turning it towards Cozy, "What?"

"I'm a good pony!" said Cozy, louder still.

What?"

"I'm a good pony!" shouted Cozy.

"Again!"

"I'm a good pony!" a fire could be heard igniting in Cozy's voice.

Again!"

"I'm a good pony!" Cozy's voice echoed all around the cave.

"Again!"

"I'm... A... Good... PONY!!" Cozy's voice cracked as she huffed and puffed.

Flurry smiled brightly at Cozy, before reaching up and pulling her down from the air. She scooped her in for a tight hug. "You better believe it soon enough."

Cozy let out sounds that floated in between laughter and cries. "I'm a good pony," she softly whispered.

"You better believe it," said Flurry. "Come on. Let's get cleaned up and go check out that cave."

Cozy wormed her way out of Astral's grasp, running back up to the downed Flurry Heart. Astral called her back, but she ignored her.

Shining lifted a hoof as Cozy squeezed by. "Cozy!" he shouted, as he began to anger.

"No! She's ok! I just know it!" Cozy cried out, shaking Flurry by the withers. "Wake up! Wake up, Please!"

"Cozy..." said Cadence with a kind softness. "Cozy, please."

Cozy continued to shake Flurry.

Starlight stepped up, putting a hoof on Cozy's back. "Cozy, stop..."

Cozy turned around and glared at Starlight before pushing her back.

Starlight tried reasoning with Cozy, "We're all feeling the same thing. But... But I think you just have to face it. She's-"

"Don't Say it, Starlight!" shouted Cozy. "Don't you dare say it!!" She pounded on Starlight's legs and hoves.

"Cozy..." said Astral, trying to grab hold of Cozy, but the furious filly would not be restrained.

The others looked on over the commotion in sadness.

Flurry Heart groaned softly as she began to stir.

Everypony froze in place, looking at the wrapped-up alicron on the ground.

"...So much noise. Just five more minutes," moaned Flurry, keeping her eyes closed.

Cozy ran back to the young princess. "Flurry, you're alright!" she said as she gave her a shake.

Flurry lifted her head, opening her eyes. "Yeah. I'm sore, but I'm ok. You worry too much," she said, straight at Cozy. "Chrysalis can sure pack a punch."

"Flurry, baby! Oh, I was so worried about you!" cried Cadence.

"But, how? I saw her magic, she intended to kill!"

Flurry folded her wing back revealing a devastatingly injured Cozy Glow.

Flurry frowned, "Oh. I guess it's you that packs the punch, Cozy."

The injured Cozy groaned and coughed. Things did not look good for her at all. She looked up at Cozy. "I did it. I did the most good. But... I think it's time for me to go, now."

"Golly, no!" said Cozy.

"It's ok. I'm just glad I got to see that..." She stopped to cough magical sparkles.

"Got to see what?" asked Cozy.

"Got to see that your world, it's the good one."

Cozy scooted over to Cozy to hold her hoof, "The good one?"

"Things aren't so bright on my side of the pool." Her energy was fading quickly. She strained to talk. "You wondered... wondered if my eyes looked like yours. Back at the pool. I know. Because... HNGH! Because I wondered it too. But..."

Cozy was tired of crying, but she just couldn't help herself.

"Now that I've seen just a little bit of your world, I'm... I'm glad you're the one that gets to enjoy it. I think it's time."

"Time?" asked Cozy. It was a question she didn't want the answer to.

"Time to go back," said Cozy, coughing magical sparkles.

"No, don't go!" Shouted Cozy.

The guards rushed in, escorting the castle medic with them.

Cozy looked up from Cozy and saw. "Doc! Over here, hurry!"

Cozy shook her head, waving the doc off with her free hoof. "I... I must go. My ponies need me." She pulled Cozy in close to whisper in her ear.

"I... I know." said Cozy, tears freely running from her face.

Cozy slowly nodded at Cozy before peacefully closing her eyes as the primary building blocks of her being began to lose cohesiveness, dissolving into a display of salmon-pink sparkles as they floated up, leaving Cozy holding nothing.

The mass of magical essence swirled and trailed through the air around everypony before making its way through the hole that Chrysalis made and out of sight.

"Where- Where did she go?" asked Fluttershy, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Back to the pool, to her world, where she belongs," answered Pinkamina, her mane was deflated as it hung straight down. "The copies. When they- they die here, they don't really die, they just go home."

Several of the others in the room nodded in acknowledgment.

"Cozy, what did she say to you?" asked Shining as he stepped up to gaze down at her.

Cozy looked up at Shining, hesitating to speak for a moment. "She told me, that I'm a good pony."

Shining stared down at the filly stoically for what seemed like an eternity. He then nodded firmly, "...She's right."

Flurry grabbed Cozy in for a hug, whispering quietly to her, "Told ya!"

Cozy just cried and cried. The other ponies gathered around her to offer their hugs and support.

* * *

It was a long, ride home. Cozy eventually cried herself to sleep, on the train and slept the rest of the way.

Astral levitated Cozy off of her back and into her bed, tucking the sleeping filly in snugly with a gentle kiss to her forehead. She stood there over her for a while, quietly watching her sleep, finally at peace, at least on the outside. "Luna, watch over her," she said softly, finally as she moved on to her own bed before turning out the lights.

Author's Note

Thank you for your patience! It's been a crazy holiday season, and now Harmonycon 2024 is just around the corner... I'm gonna be there, are you? With all that I finally found some time to get the next chapter revised and published.

I feel like there was more I wanted to do with this one, but with each pass and re-reading, I couldn't come up with anything significant; just little fixes here and there. I did edit and add some dialog here and there, though. If I do find more to add, I'll try my best not to make any dramatic changes that would further affect the following chapters, but if I do, I'll mention it in the notes here and/or elsewhere.

We're coming up on the final chapter, but there is still much more story to tell! I have an all new epilogue in mind where there was none before, and of course plans for at least 2-3 more stories before wrapping it all up!

It may be a while before the next/final chapter, so I ask for some more of your patience; it'll be worth it! Thanks for reading, and as always, please leave your comments, questions, complaints, suggestions, theories, etc... I do read all of them and where applicable, take them into consideration for revisions and future writings. I love engaging with my readers and hearing what they have to say!

A State of Being

A soft evening shone in through the windows of the single-room dwelling, gently filtered by the window shades providing just enough light for a quiet comfort. The sky outdoors had been overcast all day, leaving Ponyville in a lightly de-saturated mood for most of the ponies who where out to experience it. Cozy sat on the edge of her bed, quietly brushing Sandra's mane in the dim light faintly highlighted by the haze of still cabin air.

The silence was broken as the front door opened. In stepped Astral, "Oh, hi Cozy, finally out of bed, I see." Peeking out of her saddlebags worn over her back were an array of various produce items bought fresh from the market.

"...Yeah," said Cozy, softly, not taking her attention from Sandra.

"How are you doing?" asked Astral as she shut the door behind her.

Cozy just silently shrugged.

Astral moved on from the entry way, past the beds and on to the kitchen to put her groceries away. "I stopped by the school, today. They miss you. Boots wants to see you."

"Tenderhoof," replied Cozy, quietly.

Astral looked back at Cozy from the fridge in the kitchen, "What was that?"

"His name is Tenderhoof," said Cozy, speaking up as she continued brushing.

"Oh. I thought you called him Boots, because of his boots."

"I call him boots. Nopony else."

"Oh. I see. Well, he misses you too."

Cozy nodded lightly.

"I miss you."

Cozy stopped for a moment, setting the brush down beside her, gazing past Sandra, in the direction of the window. The shade had been pulled mostly down, but there still existed a gap large enough to see to the outside from just the right angle; one that Cozy currently had the perfect vantage point of. Nothing of any particular interest was visible to her, though.

Astral came around from the kitchen back to the bed to stand in front of Cozy with Sandra in between them. She pulled one last item out of her saddlebag. "Check out what Twilight gave me." She held up a jar in her magic. Inside was a blue cloud of sparkling dust that seemed to swirl all on its own.

At first, Cozy didn't take her eyes from the window. It wasn't until Astral floated the jar obnoxiously closer that she finally looked up to see what she was showing. "...A jar of dust?"

"It's a Pony. Or will be. Or something," shrugged Astral. "Twilight wanted me to keep it company while they work on another part of it at the lab at the school of magic. I don't know. Strange, isn't it?"

Cozy shrugged, turning her gaze back to the window.

Astral put the jar up to her cheek. "But feel it. It's warm! All on its own."

Astral floated the jar back over to Cozy. Without looking, she lightly reached up a hoof and felt the side of it, "Yeah. Warm..." with about as much interest in the jar as she had in doing anything else. Cozy slumped over onto her side, rolling to face away from both Astral and the window.

Astral went to her nightstand to set the jar down. "I think it glows on its own too. But I don't know why it needs company. The lab is new. It wasn't there when I used to attend the school back when we met."

"Mmm-hmm," mumbled Cozy.

Astral sighed, moving to sit on the edge of Cozy's bed. She stroked Cozy's back with her hoof. "Cozy..."

Cozy didn't answer.

"She didn't die, you know?" continued Astral. "She just went home. To whatever friends and family she had that probably missed her."

Cozy just laid there, breathing but otherwise motionless.

"Cozy, that's a good thing."

"...I know." she finally said, softly.

"She saved a pony-- You saved a pony."

"Yeah."

"Not just any pony, an alicorn, a princess!"

"...Yeah."

"Your friend. You just made friends with an entire empire when you did that."

Cozy nodded, pulling a pillow in for a body hug. "Yeah, I know..." she said as she wrapped all her legs around the pillow.

"...Shining Armor likes you now after he saw your sacrifice."

"It wasn't for him," Cozy's voice now muffled.

"Yeah, I know. It's still a good thing, though."

The two just existed quietly for a while; Astral stroking Cozy's back, Cozy hugging a pillow, her eyes closed.

Astral finally broke the silence, "They're doing some kind of presentation this weekend. Twilight will be there too, she's part of it. Flurry wants you to be there for it too. Even if I have to just pick up the bed-sheets and wrap you up while you're laying here."

Cozy mumbled quietly into her body pillow, "Ok."

"I'll do it. You know I will. I've done it before."

Cozy lifted her face up, away from the pillow and spoke up louder with annoyance, "I said ok!". She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before burying her face back into the pillow, "I will sleep now," she mumbled.

"...Ok. There's food when you're hungry. I always make it for you." Astral felt sad and powerless. She leaned down and gave the filly a kiss on her mane before getting up, and going to her own bed to sit and stare at the new jar on her nightstand.

* * *

Dawn. The sky was still overcast, but no rain had been scheduled. It wasn't nearly as cloudy as it had been the day before as color had seemed to fully return to the town. Still, the shadows were mostly soft, save for the intermittent spots of sunlight that would sneak through from time to time.

Having been awake for some time, watching the spots of light come and go as they were cast onto the window shade, Cozy finally sat up in her bed. She had been tucked in nice and snugly in her sleep again. It was nice, but her back was beginning to ache, her stomach rumbled almost continuously and her bladder was full. She wasn't quite sure what she needed to do first.

She looked over to Astral's bed. It was empty. No matter, Cozy had more pressing matters at hoof:
Toilet. Definitely toilet first.

Cozy threw off her covers, spread her wings and quickly darted through the air into the restroom through its open door, not bothering to close it (nopony did in that house), not even stopping to turn on the light as she threw the toilet lid open and slammed her flank down onto the cold plastic seat.

She slinked down and slouched as the waves of relief washed over her through the sounds of endless tinkling. A satisfied moan escaped her, followed by a chill that quickly ran up her spine.

"Glad to see you decided to get up today," said Astral, with a light splash to Cozy's side.

Cozy flinched and yelped, forcing just about the rest of the piss out of her body in surprise, quickly turning her head to see Astral in the tub.

Mountains of foamy suds covered every inch of water and all that was submerged. Astral's head was an island lost at sea in a dense fog of bubbles.

With the lights off, the only light available shone in through the open door, but as Cozy's eyes adjusted, she could also see a faint blue glow throughout the overfilled bath.

"Astral!?!" shouted Cozy.

"Good morning, Cozy."

Cozy squinted and looked closer at the blue-lit tub, "Are you- Are you taking a bath with that jar?"

"It keeps the water warm!"

Cozy blinked and just stared for a moment. She didn't know what to say, and instead opted to just slowly reached up and pull the shower curtain across until all she could see was a blue-tinted blur on that side of the bathroom. She quickly finished up, washed up, and went back into the main room, closing the door behind her.

"Cozy?" sounded Astral's voice from within the bathroom.

Cozy just continued on to the kitchen table keeping a look of disturbed confusion on her face as she tried to process what she had just witnessed. Her attention then shifted to the next priority of the morning:
A bowl of fruit that was left out at the spot where she normally sat for her meals.

It was an invitingly fresh assortment of brightly colored berries and slices of different melons in a small white bowl. She sat down and sorted through the bowl, picking a fruit and munching on it. Still cold and juicy, it was bright and fresh with a gentle sweetness that pleased the pallet. She continued to munch through several fruits until her belly was full.

Satisfied, the filly got up from her seat, giving her body a shake, listening to her meal sloshing around happily inside her. This brought a small smile to her face. It wasn't much, but her mood did lighten some. She actually felt like she could even do something somewhat productive that day. ...Maybe. She didn't know what, but she knew she was tired of being in bed.

On her way back to the main area of the living space, she heard from the bathroom, some splashing and the water draining from the tub.

Cozy had just made it back to the edge of her bed to sit and figure out what to do next when she heard a bit of distress from behind the closed bathroom door.

"Oh, no no no no no no!"

"Astral? Is everything okay in there?" asked Cozy.

"No! Nothing's okay in here!" panicked Astral.

Cozy quickly jumped up and made her way to the bathroom, opening the door and turning on the light.

Inside, she saw a dripping wet Astral kneeling by the tub, with her head over the edge inside. She was using her horn to illuminate the space while also trying to peer down the drain. Her fur was stained with a glowing blue tint.

Sitting next to her on the edge of the tub was an empty glass jar, missing its lid.

"Astral, what did you do!?!"

"I lost it!" she cried. "Twilight's gonna kill me!" Astral slumped over the edge of the tub with a heavy moan.

"There's still some on you," noted Cozy. "Maybe we can get what's left back in the jar. Maybe it'll be enough." She shrugged.

Astral sighed, pulling herself back up on all fours. She used her magic to open the cabinet and pull out her scraper. "...might as well," she said defeatedly.

An hour of thorough pony scraping later, with Cozy's help, the jar was about a quarter full of cloudy blue water, with purple hairs suspended throughout.

Astral's coat however, was smooth and shiny, with a noticeably healthier glow than normal to it.

"Thanks, Cozy. You were a big help. I... I hope it wasn't too important, this jar." She lifted the jar in her magic, tilting it one way, and then the next as she looked at its contents, it seemingly now inert. "I can't take this back to Twilight."

"Aren't we going to see her today?"

Astral gasped. "That's right! The presentation! What time is it?" She galloped out of the room, levitating the murky jar out after her.

The rest of the morning was near chaos as Astral scrambled to get ready.

They were soon out the door and on their way, with the jar left on the counter.

* * *

Cozy sat by the window on the train, leaning on the side as she gazed out watching the landscape pass in a subtle blur of colors. Fields of farms, grass and flowers slowly thinned and emptied as the air grew colder the further north they traveled down the tracks.

'The Crystal Empire?' she thought to herself. The large protective dome wasn't visible, but she knew the path they were on, having traveled it several times in recent days. "Well, at least I get to see Flurry." Her words were softly spoken to herself.

"What was that, Cozy?" asked Astral, looking up from the newspaper she was reading.

"Nothing," replied Cozy, flatly.

Astral quietly folded up the paper, putting it on a passing cart of complementary items for passengers before softly turning to face Cozy. She stroked her back and wings lightly, straightening the odd barbs and strands of hair here and there. "Cozy. I know how you feel. Not many ponies can say that and really mean it. It's not just me trying to be nice. It's both sympathy and empathy."

Cozy kept her gaze fixed to the exterior of the window. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" she asked, not particularly caring what the answer would be.

"I wanted to, but only if you invite me. But no. You have a voice, I want to hear you use it. But I know you just don't have the words right now."

Cozy grunted a soft acknowledgment.

"It's on the outside of you. All over. Leaking out the top. ...Like that jar in the bath," Astral’s silly attempt to lighten Cozy's mood had failed to produce any results. She cleared her throat, "I'm like a magnet for feelings and emotions and rogue thoughts. Maybe more of a detector. Whatever. What I'm saying is, I can always sense it on ponies. You especially, I guess since we're so close."

Cozy lowered her eyes, looking down at the windowsill. A ladybug was slowly making its way down the length of it. She watched its journey as she listened to Astral.

Astral continued, "Were so close... I'm not going to force you to talk to me. I won't go into that filly little head of yours and look around at what's bothering you. I just want you to know that you don't have to be alone. I know you think that's what you want at times like this. Maybe it helps a little bit, That's fine. Everypony needs their own cave or grotto to retreat to sometimes, even if it's not really real. Just remember I'm here, waiting for you to come back. Even if you just need to come out for some fresh air, and go right back in, It'll be nice to see the Cozy that I know, again. I miss that little troublemaker." She nudged Cozy lightly. "I've been having to make trouble all by myself lately, I don't know how you do it."

Cozy mumbled a response.

"Huh?"

Speaking up just a little bit, "You try too hard," said Cozy, softly.

The ladybug was at the end of the sill and investigating the wall it had reached.

Cozy related to the small red shell with black spots, legs and a head with searching antennas. Seemingly having reached a dead end after a long and sometimes dangerous journey. No, that wasn't right. She couldn't even understand what it was she had gone through, and why it made her feel the way she did about everything. Were her feelings and the recent events even related?

The ladybug opened up its shell, exposing its wings and flying away.

'Yeah, if I could just fly away from my problems, too,' thought Cozy. 'What problems?' she asked herself. When self-appraised, she thought she had everything she needed. Her feelings should be invalid. She had no reason to feel so crummy, yet here Astral was reassuring her that whatever she would call it once she found the words, was just fine; even normal, perhaps. She thoroughly appreciated the ability to just put the thoughts aside, as heavy as they were. They would still be there, but she was at least able to sort them out on her own time. With that, Cozy let out a heavy sigh.

Astral pulled Cozy into her side, wrapping a hoof around her. She didn't resist but instead lightly nestled into her embrace, once again staring out the window to watch the world pass her by.

There were no more words. Astral knew what she had said had been enough, and was now slowly seeping its way into Cozy's mind, through the tough, guarded exterior.

* * *

A magical wall passed through the car from the front and traveled through to the back, warming the chilly air. The train came to an abrupt stop followed by the doors opening. Passengers were getting up and making their way through the exit.

Cozy sat up and looked around, confused, "This... This isn't the empire."

"Nope!" chimed Astral, also sitting up and giving a little stretch in her seat.

"Where are we?" she asked as they too were getting up, joining the line of travelers.

"You know this place."

"I do?"

"You'll see!" said Astral, excitedly.

"Have you been here before?" asked Cozy.

"No. But you have. Careful now, the platform hasn't been finished yet."

They stepped off the train, down some temporary steps that had been placed by outside rail workers. Cozy looked around and saw that the platform was indeed in its early stages of construction. Ponies further up walked through a wooden archway built in front of a sort of tunnel that had been recently cut into a tall hill blocking whatever it was on the other side of the tracks. A nicely carved wooden sign above it read "Welcome To:"

"To where?" asked Cozy looking up as she and Astral passed under it.

"It hasn't been named yet," answered Astral, with a smile.

The tunnel was short and well lit. A light breeze flowed through it, carrying a waft of inviting scents of cooked foods mixed with the not so inviting odor of trader musk.

Cozy stood on the outside of the tunnel, frozen in place as she looked around with shock and wonder of the familiar sight before her.

The area was abuzz with activity as travelers browsed through a vast open market of tented booths, tables and the backs of wagons and caravans. She knew where she was, and was very familiar with what she was looking at, though she never before saw it nearly as busy as it was today.

A familiar voice called down to Cozy as it quickly approached. "Hey, you made it!" yelled Flurry. She swooped in from above, landing in front of Cozy and Astral with a bit less grace than that expected of a princess.

Tenderhoof came trotting up shortly after.

"Flurry? Boots?" greeted Cozy. "What's going on here?"

"Hi, Cozy, Astral," greeted Tenderhoof.

"The outpost! It's real now!" cheered Flurry.

"What do you mean?" asked Cozy, as if it were a ghost town in the literal sense or something.

"It's official! On the map and everything!"

"Official?"

"Well, will be, after today! Didn't you notice the train stop?"

Cozy looked behind her back towards the tunnel. "Ye- Yeah. What's going on?"

"Oh, just come on, to the fountain. They're about to start soon." Flurry flew away off towards the center of the settlement, out of sight.

"...Hi, Boots," said Cozy. "So you came out here too, huh?"

"Everypony is here! The whole class. It's history in the making. We'll get extra credit."

"History?"

"Come on, we don't want to miss it," tugged Astral. "You're very much a part of it too."

They worked their way through the market space to the fountain. It was much more crowded than usual, ponies of all walks of life were busy purchasing and haggling over wares while others ate the various foods that were being cooked and served in abundance.

There was a large stage that was built to the side of the fountain. A podium was placed in the center of it, decorated with emblems and colors of the Crystal Empire.

"Astral, Cozy! Welcome!" called out Twilight as she approached. "I'm glad you could make it! Especially you, Cozy. You're a guest of honor here."

Astral didn't notice, but Cozy, as a pegasus, could tell that Twilight was hiding something in the way she carried herself; an injury perhaps. It was subtle, hidden with practiced precision, but the hints were there. It was definitely something new. Interesting as it was, Cozy decided to ignore it for now. Instead, she opted to ask about herself, "...I am?"

"Have you thought of a name for this place?" inquired Twilight.

"A name? It's just an outpost, isn't it?"

"Not anymore," chimed Tenderhoof.

Ponies began to gather around the stage as a small crystal marching band began to play a frozen northern version of the parasprite polka.

"Oh! It's almost time. Come with me!" said Twilight, urging Cozy to follow.

They went through a security check, back behind the stage where they met up with Flurry, Cadance and Shining Armor. A table had been setup with refreshments and snacks, as well as another table stacked with what looked like legal documents and scrolls.

"Welcome, Cozy. I'm so glad you could be here," greeted Cadance, warmly.

Shining nodded down to Cozy with what could possibly be a friendly smile. "Welcome, Cozy Glow. I hope your trip here was a good one."

Cozy nodded back to Shining. "Th- Thank you."

Flurry was all smiles. The medley of music had come to a conclusion as the crowd slowly quieted down. "Oh, they're starting! I mean we're starting! I mean we're on!! I mean--"

"Flurry, dear, settle, please," urged Cadance as she followed Shining up some steps and through some heavy velvet curtains.

"Come on!" said Flurry as she followed her mother, beckoning Cozy to join her.

Twilight was next, pausing to look back at Cozy. "It's ok! All you have to do is stand and wave." She winked before motioning Cozy to follow her.

The journey up the steps, though short, seemed like a long one. Cozy knew the stage was on the other side of the curtains. What she didn't know was why she needed to appear on it. She looked back at Astral and Tenderhoof who smiled back encouragingly as she reached the top of the steps. They turned and headed back around to the front of the stage as Cozy turned and nuzzled through the soft velvet curtains, into the spotlight. It brushed her body as she passed through, looking around to see where exactly her place should be.

Cheers and applause and a roar of stomping rang out as the royal family began to appear on stage.

The stage looked smaller than it did from the ground. Hanging above it was a sign similar to the one on display above the tunnel, with the words "Welcome to:", with a nicely carved, blank board hanging below it.

Shining Armor stood at the podium with Cadance to his side, standing regally with her wings up. Flurry was beside her, also in a similar royal pose.

Twilight guided Cozy to a spot next to Flurry before taking her own position next to Shining Armor.

Cozy forced an awkward smile and waved lightly to the crowd as she looked around desperately searching for a familiar face. She was beginning to panic as she searched without finding anypony she knew.

Just then, a calming voice entered her head, "I'm here. It's ok. You got this!" It was Astral. She was close.

Cozy began to relax. She put her waving hoof down and continued to scan the crowd. 'Where are you?' she thought back.

"In front, by the guard on the side close to you."

Cozy focused her search to that general direction and spotted Astral and Tenderhoof waving back. Her awkward smile transformed into a slight genuine one as she waved back to them.

Cozy looked over to Flurry, standing next to her. "Uh... Hi."

Flury side-eyed Cozy before clearing her throat and re-fluffing her wings, maintaining her royal pose as she gazed back out into the crowd.

"Oh!" said Cozy, straightening her posture, looking forward.

Flurry cracked a smile and giggled as she took on a more casual posture, bumping her wing against Cozy's side, "I'm just kidding! Relax."

Cadance smiled, folding her wings back as she turned to Cozy, "It was Flurry's idea, I'm sorry."

Cozy nervously chuckled, "Um, ok." She still found it difficult to relax, however.

The sounds of the attending ponies quieted down into random murmurs here and there as Shining cleared his throat into the microphone at the podium, commanding their attention. "Greetings, and thank you all for attending. As you all may or may not know, this little piece of Equestria is really much more than Equestria. It is not of any one property as it were, but instead, a combination of all the lands surrounding this nation. Yet for too long has it existed outside of any one border. Many would fail to acknowledge this place, even when it's right in front of them; associating it with outlaws, criminals and a shady underworld of danger to be despised. There was a time when I thought the very same thing," Shining briefly paused to glance down at Cozy with a smile. "But no more!"

Cozy listened carefully as she was learning just what was going on along with the rest of the ponies in the crowd.

Shining continued, "While the land on which we stand, and surrounding developments have always fallen under Equestrian and Canterlot jurisdiction at the topmost levels while at the same time also ignored by it, we: Princess Cadance, Princess Twilight and I, have decided that it is has earned a legitimate place both on the map and in the Equestrian economy. This village, so to speak, too small to be its own city, let alone state or country, will now fall under the protection of the Crystal Empire, BUT, be allowed to operate on its own outside of the Empire's borders. Neither I nor Princess Cadance will gain control of the laws of this town." Shining lowered his voice slightly, "Celestia knows we have enough to deal with as it is," he chuckled, looking over to and winking at Flurry and Cozy. A few small supporting laughs came from the crowd.

Shining continued, "Princess Twilight, Princess Cadence and I have worked closely with the elders of this very place, the details of proper leadership, and have decided that such special responsibility shall fall on the withers of its most welcome visitor. Not only has this visitor for some time now ensured the strength of its protective force field against the elements, but also has done well to support the local economy allowing it to grow into what it has become today. Stallions, Mares, Fillies and Colts: My daughter Flurry Heart." Shining stepped down from the podium.

Flurry stepped up to the podium, taking her father's place and adjusting the microphone to her height, "H- Hello? Hi." A small amount of feedback rang out. "There we go."

Shining walked over and took Flurry's spot on the stage. He glanced down at Cozy and smiled, whispering to her, "This is your place, too."

"Mine?" asked Cozy.

Shining nodded.

"Thanks, dad," started Flurry. "So, um. Yeah! This is my town. I mean... It's you're town too. I just get to rule it. Isn't that cool?" Flurry looked around at the smiling faces. "As my first decree, Dues will no longer be required. If you want to support this awesome community, buy something! Tell your friends! Like and subscribe?" The settlement bell rang at the turn of the hour as Flurry gestured towards the fountain to the side of the stage, "The fountain will remain to remind us all of where we came from, and with some upgrades, continue to provide protection to the area. You can still throw your bits in, I guess. Make a wish or something." Flurry shrugged. This was her first public royal speech.

Twilight stepped up next to Flurry to help out, "Princess Flurry Heart, what will the name be that we will all look for on the map when we speak of this place?" she asked briefly before stepping back down, giving Flurry room to speak.

"Oh!" said Flurry. She stepped down momentarily to pull Cozy up with her. Speaking into the mic while looking at her friend, "Cozy Glow, I want to share this place with you since you make my visits here so much more enjoyable. What should we call this place?" She hugged Cozy in closer and pushed the mic over for her to speak into.

Cozy froze with nervousness having unexpectedly been put on the spot. She looked around wide-eyed at the seemingly millions of faces staring right back at her. In reality, it was only in the hundreds, but she was still getting light-headed.

"Well?" encouraged Cadence with a smile as she looked over at her two favorite fillies at the podium.

Cozy leaned in, her voice booming over the sound system as it echoed through the settlement grounds, "Um... G- Golly."

Flurry repositioned the mic to herself while shouting excitedly into it, "Welcome to, Gollytown!"

Shining immediately turned around and blasted the blank board hanging behind them with magic, carving the town's new name into it.

The crowd looked at each other for a moment before roaring out in cheers and stomps.

"Gollytown?" Asked Cozy, her voice drowned out by thunderous applause and cheers. She had the sensation of floating as the sound of the crowd muted and muffled into an ambient noise. She pinned her wings to the side to make sure she wasn't actually flying as she took in the sensory overload.

The royal family was smiling and waving and bowing. Without thinking, Cozy took it as her cue to do the same before following them back through the curtains and down the steps off of the stage.

Astral and Tenderhoof had come back around to meet them all. Hugs and congratulations were passed around.

Cozy was now fully informed, but still lost and confused.

Flurry went up to Cozy. "Yay! Now we can visit any time, and it doesn't even have to be a secret! Just work. For me, anyway."

"Work?" asked Cozy.

"Yeah, I have responsibilities now. But the outpost elders, I mean... The elders of Gollytown will handle most of it," said Flurry while nudging Cozy with a wing. "I'll just be needed for the bigger things and decisions and stuff."

"Flurry Heart, dear. Please come over here for a moment." Cadance was waving Flurry over as she stood at a table with some official documents laid out next to a quill and ink well setup.

Cozy watched as Flurry bounded over and began excitedly signing paper after paper. For most of them, either Shining or Cadance would also sign after Flurry. Cozy would later find out that formally, the outpost did in fact now belong to the Crystal Empire, at least until it was time that Flurry was fully capable and eligible to take on proper sovereignty herself.

"Gollytown..." said Cozy to her self. "...Golly." She turned and bumped noses with her booted friend.

"I like it!" said Tenderhoof.

Cozy jumped with a start as she hadn't noticed her friend standing right beside her. Whatever he wanted, she wasn't quite ready to have a conversation with him at the moment. Instead, she scanned the area for Astral as she rubbed her nose, spotting her talking to Twilight off to the side, Twilight was looking slightly disappointed. "Yeah..." she said softly, walking off towards them, not even looking over at him.

Tender stood and watch as Cozy walked away, "It's a nice name!" he called out. He looked around, now standing all by himself, back stage. "...Okay. I'm gonna get some more free food then," he said out loud to Cozy's direction. "I'll be over here, at the food."

Twilight stopped to greet Cozy after spotting her walking up, "Hi, Cozy. You did great up there!"

"Hey, Cozy," said Astral. "I was just telling Twilight about the jar, and how it suddenly went bad on its own."

Cozy blinked at Astral before turning to Twilight, "...Yeah."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin, "That's so strange that it did that!" she said, puzzled. "I wonder if the soul preservation spell I cast wore off."

"Soul, preservation?" asked Astral.

"Oh, yeah. It's something Starswirl was working on a long time ago, but magic wasn't so well developed back then. He gave me his notes on it, and I picked it back up, in my free time."

"That jar was alive?" asked Cozy.

"Yes!" said Twilight, excitedly. "Well, not the jar so much, but the cloud inside. I can't tell you much more about it, not until we successfully complete the experiment, at least."

"...That must be while it was so warm," realized Astral. "Who is 'We'?" It was the only thing she could think to ask.

"Starlight and I are working together on it," answered Twilight. "Did you manage to communicate with it?"

"It didn't talk," said Astral, still in mild shock.

"With your magic..." nudged Cozy.

It took a moment for Astral to catch on. "...Oh! Oh. Oh, no. No, I didn't think to. Oh, that cloud must have been so terrified," she worried.

"Don't worry about it!" comforted Twilight. "He knew exactly what he was signing up for. All of his affairs had been taken care of before we even started. He even picked where the study's bits should go if it turns out he wouldn't be needing them afterwards; which reminds me: I need to go and make that deposit later, after this. Anywho, It might be a while, but we'll get you another one when we try again."

"Yeah. Ok. I'll be more careful next time." It was Astral's turn to feel lost and detached from reality. 'He was all over me, in every nook and cranny too,' she thought to herself.

* * *

The sun made its way across the sky as it usually did. Flurry introduced all sorts of textures and tastes to her family, Astral and Tender. Cozy was along for the ride, engaging when interacted with directly, but otherwise still sorta lost in her own world.

As the sun approached the horizon, the new visitors for the day thinned out little by little taking the train back to Ponyville and elsewhere, Tenderhoof included. Cozy and Astral were invited to a private after-party back at the Crystal Empire's
Castle, and that's where they ended up.

It was a much more formal affair, quieter with gentle conversations taking place mainly around the crystal heart. The movable walls have been put up once again, enclosing the normally open area, converting it into a sort of ballroom with a fancy spinning centerpiece. A curtain had been hung up high on the wall covering the hole that Chrysalis had make just days before. Fancy treats were passed around on trays balanced on server pony's heads and backs or floated in levitating fields of magic. A pony tickled the keys of a shiny black grand piano off to the side.

Shining approached Cozy. "Are you having a good time tonight?"

"Y- Yes, sir," said Cozy, nervously.

"That's quite alright, Cozy. Look, I know I wrongly mistreated you. I just wanted to properly apologize. I was blinded by your past and who you used to be. I refused to see you any other way. But what you did: Putting your life up for my Daughter's. That one selfless act proved to me who you really are."

Cozy listened as shining spoke to her, not knowing what to say, or if she should say anything at all. "It's nothing... Really."

Shining lowered his body to Cozy's level, making more direct eye contact with her as he continued, "Cozy, guards have to be trained to do something like that. Some won't and don't make the cut. I, Flurry, her mother... we are escorted by them, trusting our very lives to them, but we don't know if we can be sure that's what they'll do if Celestia forbids, it should ever come to that. But I know you will. I have already seen it."

Cozy nodded lightly. "She's... my friend."

"I will never forget what you did for us in this very spot, and I want to make sure that nopony else does either."

Cozy followed his glance upward to the velvet curtain stretched high up across the back wall.

"You two are more than friends, Cozy. You are family." Shining used his magic to pull the curtain aside, removing it completely. He lowered the curtain to the ground where castle staff quickly gathered it up, carrying it out of the room. "I just never saw it until now."

Behind the curtain, shined an elaborately crafted stained glass window depicting a winged black figure with long legs spotted with holes at the hooves, long hair also spotted with holes, and a horn firing offensive magic down at the royal family. Shielding them from the assault, the central and largest detail of the piece shined a salmon pink pegasus, flying strong and determined.

Ponies attending the after-party gathered around under the new window looking up at it in awe and quiet appreciation, murmuring to each other about its beauty.

"I'll never be able to say it enough, Cozy, thank you." He bowed to her as he gently backed off several steps before finally turning and walking off to tell the tale of Cozy the Savior.

The party seemed to be getting stuffy and Cozy needed some air. She quietly stepped out into the cool night. Sounds of the party were muffled, though the piano could clearly be heard through its walls. It played what to Cozy sounded like a somber tune.

She stood alone in the courtyard, closing her eyes to shut out the world around her.

Cozy was surrounded by darkness, standing in her own spotlight, accompanied by the sad tune of a distant piano. She softly spoke out loud to no pony in particular:

"I am just a Cozy Glow. I've made mistakes, you see. For no one knows, how hard it is... to be a filly just like me."

The piano continued on as if tailored to her thoughts.

"They say I'm good, but I don't know. I ask, how can this be?" Her voice steadily grew stronger and stronger as she went on.

"I've been to Tartarus, I've been made of stone. But now I stand here freeeeeeee?" she sang out.

A voice stepped in from behind her. She turned in surprise to see Flurry slowly approaching, joining her secluded spot in the darkness, gaining her own spotlight, "You are Cozy Glow. You're a good pony, and this is what I see: You've made some friends, you've done some good. You risked your life to save me." She sang out.

Flurry continued, "Now in the end, you're my best friend, the best a pony could ever be. The seed's been planted now stretch and grow, like the tree of harmonyyyyyyy!"

The piano began to play stronger.

Cozy countered, "Those thing's I've done..."

"They're in the past," dismissed Flurry.

"But still, they haunt me so."

"Just let it go,"

"How can I, though?"

"Your friends will help you grow!"

Facing each other, Flurry held out her hoof. Cozy took hold, her empty surroundings beginning to fill out with the light of the courtyard.

Cozy nodded to Flurry, "I'll try and try."

"That's all I ask," encouraged Flurry.

"But I worry I still might fail."

"I'm here for you just spread your wing, fly through the air, let's sail!"

Flurry took flight into the sky. With a face of determination, Cozy took off and followed closely behind her.

They sped through the air leaving the party behind, zooming over houses and streets, over parks, trees and lakes. Cozy felt the crisp air flowing through her mane as she drafted behind Flurry. They moved together as one almost as if rehearsed. The Wonderbolts would be impressed.

Flurry looked back and smiled. She slowed down enough to allow Cozy to pull up and fly right beside her. Cozy couldn't help but to smile back. Flight to a pegasus was therapeutic. It could have been the worst day ever, and yet a good solid flying session would still do well to clear the mind.

Without any particular destination, they just flew and flew, circling around, never stopping until finally, they came to rest on their backs, on the roof of the crystal heart room, panting and catching their breath.

"...Thanks," said Cozy.

"For what?" asked Flurry.

"For..." Cozy thought for a while. "For being my friend."

"Thanks for being you," offered Flurry. She rolled to the side and pulled out a familiar wooden box, opening it up, "Here. I want you to have this." Reaching inside, she gently pulled out the small wire-wrapped gem it contained and hoofed it over to Cozy.

"Oh! Really? Thank you!" Cozy took the gem in her hoof and looked it over. She knew just what she was going to do with it.

"To friendship!"

"To friendship," smiled Cozy. She stashed the gem away for the time being and rolled to her belly, pulling herself to the edge of the roof-line. She could see ponies in fancy dress going in and out. The piano inside could be heard playing a jaunty tune.

They spent a good portion of the night on the rooftop just hanging out together, with the occasional chatter and laughter between the two.

The door opened below and a voice called out into the courtyard, "Cozy? Are you out here? It's time to go home." It was Astral.

"I gotta go, I guess," said Cozy, with a yawn.

"Yeah. I figured. It was fun."

Cozy nodded as she got up on all fours, spreading her wings out in a stretch.

"Hey, we'll do this again, some time. Adventure is good for you." Flurry pat Cozy on her back.

Astral stepped out, calling up to the roof, "Cozy? I heard you were up there. Come on, we don't want to miss the last train."

"I'm coming!" called down Cozy. She turned to Flurry, lunging into a warm hug.

Flurry smiled, returning the hug, "Go. Take care now."

Cozy broke off, "I'll see you..." she said as she jumped and glided down to Astral, waving goodbye.

Astral waved to Flurry before they headed off in the direction of the train station.

* * *

Once settled in on the train, Cozy nestled comfortably in her seat against Astral. Her eyes were closed, and a soft smile rested on her face.

Astral smiled as she felt and absorbed the genuine happiness that for the first time in a long time radiated off of the sweet little filly once again.

Author's Note

Finally, it's done! But wait!! There's more!!!

Yes, originally, the story ended here, though the "saga" is far from complete. There's still at least one unresolved scene that will get its closure in the epilogue, so please, wait around for that.

After this, we are all in new territory as I eventually start the next story in the lineup. I only have a collection of ideas and scenes, but that's just how I work. So please, let me know what you think of the story so far, both the good and bad, and what you might like to see in the next installment.

I'm writing this for you guys! So give me your ideas and suggestions and I will gladly read and take them into deep consideration. So until next time, thanks again for reading, and I'll see you all at the end of the epilogue one final time for this story!

Epilogue

“Faster! If we lose her, we might never be able to find her again before it’s too late!” shouted Rainbow as she glanced back at the others. She pumped her wings harder as her body cut through the brisk evening air. It was a struggle to keep her rainbow shine from trailing behind her as she increased her speed. It was a delicate balance of focused energy she rarely practiced, but the chase as a stealth mission demanded it.

Ocellus struggled to keep up at the tail end of the pack, “Celestia, she’s fast! How could she be such a strong flyer? She never even touched the heart!”

Twilight looked back at Ocellus from the middle as she flew behind Rainbow, “She didn’t have to! She had been absorbing the light and love of the empire the whole time just by being there!”

The sun continued to lower as the chase went on, transitioning the sky into night. The air began to warm the further south they traveled. From their vantage point, Chrysalis was an ever shrinking shape in the sky, only spotable by her long trailing streak of lime green.

Rainbow shouted back to the others in frustration, “I can be so much faster than this!”

“I know, Rainbow, but we can’t let her know that we’re on to her, and we can’t lose sight of you in case she tries to copy you and confuse us!” argued Twilight.

Ocellus strained to keep up, “I– I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up, Twilight.”

“I know Ocellus, just keep trying. You can do this!”

They were now flying over Ponyville. The land below was dotted with specks of lantern lights. They could see the Friendship Express pulling into the station as they cruised by overhead. In a few moments, they were already beginning to cross the town’s border, into the Everfree.

Rainbow shouted back, “She’s changing directions!”

The three of them looked on ahead to see the streak of light they were following was indeed curving slightly to the left.

“Where is she going?” asked Rainbow.

Ocellus squinted as she looked, “...I have an idea.”

“Looks like this path is heading straight to the badlands,” said Twilight.

“She’s– I think she’s heading home.”

Twilight contemplated the situation as they flew on. “Yeah, it looks that way. Can you be sure, Ocellus?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Exhaustion was quickly setting in and it had become apparent on Ocellus’ voice.

Twilight looked back, “Very good, Ocellus. Appleloosa is just that way. Why don’t you go there and rest for a bit. Rainbow and I will continue.”

“Just the two of you? Are you sure?”
“It’s okay. Go, and in the morning, go and report this information to my brother.”

“I’m sorry, Twilight. Good luck!” said Ocellus as she broke off from the group, lowering both her speed and altitude.

“Uh, Twilight?” shouted back Rainbow.

Twilight looked forward again, “Yes Rainbow?”

“We lost her. She’s gone!” shouted Rainbow as she pointed forward.

Chrysalis’ ribbon of light had ceased to stretch through the sky in the distance, no longer highlighting her position. It quickly faded away leaving no trace of the bug queen in sight.

“That’s not good,” said Twilight as she scanned the horizon looking for a tiny black target against a now inky black sky.

“What now?” asked Rainbow.

“Maintain our head. Keep a lookout,” ordered Twilight, “and keep our trails hidden.”

“Do you think she knows we’re following her still?”

“She might. I don’t know, but if she stopped or slowed down, that will let us catch up to her, at least.”

“If we can find her, that is.”

“If we can’t catch her, plan B is to warn Thorax and the others.”

“But she’ll get there before us, won’t she?”

Twilight shook her head, “I’m in teleportation range, have been for a while now.”

Rainbow looked back in frustration, “What? Then why didn’t–”

“She’ll be able to see it and would know for sure that we’re on to her! If that happens, she might–”

Chrysalis shot up from below at blinding speed, fully driving her mass into Twilight’s belly, “Change my mind?”

The wind knocked out of her, Twilight spun and tumbled through the air from the force of the impact, before plummeting unconsciously towards the ground.

Rainbow froze mid flight and angled to charge Chrysalis.

Chrysalis just waved a hoof at Rainbow while charging her horn, “Not-ah-ahh.” Her horn glowed brightly before emitting a bright flash to briefly blind the pony, “Not tonight! Let’s see how well you know your friend, shall we?”

Rainbow pulled back, covering and rubbing her eyes. When she could see again, she looked down to see two Twilight Sparkles quickly approaching the ground. “Oh shit! Which one?!”

She could only watch as she debated her next move. What if she saved the wrong one? What if she attacked the wrong one? She shouted down to them, “Twilight! Wake up!!”

Twilight was unresponsive as she fell like a rag-doll, the same as Twilight, who was falling along right beside her.

Rainbow frantically searched memories for any clue as to what to do next. “Buck it!” she announced, and dove down at top speed, her hooves stretched out in front. She forcefully connected with one Twilight, and then the next, driving them both into the ground, as a sonic rainboom spread out from her along the sparse grass, trimming the weeds and stripping the bark from nearby trees.

As the dust settled, Rainbow could see that while they both were Twilight Sparkle, they were at least both unconscious. “Great… Perfect.” She didn’t know if she was being sarcastic or not. “Actually…”

* * *

“Halt, trespasser! This is as far as you go!” Shouted the changeling warrior.

“Give it a rest, Pharynx. I’m here to see your brother.” Behind her were two large pony-sized canvas bags she had been dragging through the badlands by rope.

The sun was steadily peaking over the horizon. It had been a long night for Rainbow and the other two, having trekked the terrain by hoof.

“I order you to stop!” shouted Pharynx, “Before I feast on my breakfast for the day.”

Rainbow just kept on pulling, as she passed Pharynx, “No you won’t. Now are you going to help me with this or just stand there?”

Pharynx gasped at the display of disrespect, “I will do no such thing! What’s in the bags?”

Rainbow stopped and glared at the dark-colored bug.

“Well?” asked Pharynx.

Rainbow dropped the ropes she had been pulling and went to open the first bag, revealing a still unconscious but tied-up Twilight Sparkle.

“What the–” started Pharynx.

Rainbow then went to reveal the contents of the second bag, also an unconscious bound Twilight Sparkle.

The two of them just stared at Rainbow’s catch for a moment, looking back between the two for any differences, the only notable difference being that one was in somewhat worse shape than the other.

“Now you can help me and go get your brother, or buzz the buck right off!” ordered Dash.

* * *

Thorax stood with Rainbow and Twilight at the gates to the changeling kingdom. “Thank you again, for bringing her to us in one piece. We will make sure she answers for all she has done. We are hoping that seeing how we are living now, peaceful and happy, will change her mind about a few things.”

Twilight winced as she bowed lightly to the pack’s leader, her bandages restricting her movement, “Thank you for accepting her into your custody. I feel it will all be for the best that her reformation starts with her being at home. We’ve all made mistakes, and keeping her forever imprisoned as she was, was only adding to those mistakes. Please do report on the progress you have with her.”

“One last question, Twilight, if you can answer for me,” started Thorax.

“Of course!” replied Twilight, her ears ready to listen.

“How did she escape the stone?”

Twilight looked down at the ground, “Unfortunately, I can’t answer that. We’ve only just discovered it and are looking into it very carefully.”

“What about Tirek?”

She looked back up at Thorax, “He is still frozen, but we’ve removed the statue to a more secure location where it can be closely monitored. It seems that times are changing, and we need to be very careful in the days to come.”

“Well, we’ll do our part. Any way we can help out.”

Twilight nodded to Thorax, and gave a final careful bow, “Until next time, then.”

Thorax majestically bowed back, “Until next time.”

Rainbow offered a bow of her own before she and Twilight turned and began a long walk back through the badlands towards pony civilization.

“Phew!” said Rainbow. “I’m glad that’s over with.”

Twilight winced as she limped along, “Yeah, me too. But Rainbow…”

“Yeah?”

“Did you really have to hit that hard? Healing magic has certainly come a long way, but… I’m going to be feeling this for the next moon and a half!”

“Oh. Yeah, sorry about that!”

“I just can’t wait to get back and get started with it. I’m due for one heck of a spa day, right about now.”

“Yeah. Me too. Me too…” replied Rainbow as they continued through the desert.

Twilight looked quizzically over at Rainbow. “Really?”

Rainbow just looked back over at Twilight with a sly grin before laughing. As much as it hurt, Twilight couldn’t help but to join in.

Author's Note

And that's it for now! Thanks for reading, guys. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did coming up with it. Again, I ask for your feedback; the good and the bad.

Is there anything you felt was missing or needed more (or less) of? let me know! We're not done yet!! I'll be starting the next one soon. We'll be entering new territory as we are now all caught up on all that I have written so far. I have some ideas and direction that I want to go with, but for now, the future is mostly a blank slate!

Get your suggestions and ideas in and you just might see them taken and ran with in the next installment.

Thanks again!