Insomnia Advisoryby Joshua CrapoChaptersTeaser/Cold OpenAct 1Act 2Act 3Teaser/Cold OpenIf three years ago, I was told I would one day become the next Princess of Friendship with an organizer and advisor for company, I would’ve denied that in a heartbeat and called the person or pony telling me that crazy. Honestly it feels surreal taking on what was once Twilight’s duties, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. One night, about a month into my new role, I’ve moved the side table across my room next to entrance. Currently, I’m reading a stash of Starlight’s spells I found in the library to try and understand how spellwriting works. I turn my head to the right when I hear knocking on my door; Chrysalis and Cozy Glow are here. Only thing different about Chrysalis though is that her mane is now in a bun. I gasp in surprise. “Cozy! Chrysalis! What are you doing up so late?” “We could ask the same for you, Aita,” answers Chrysalis, pointing to me. “Me? I’m just going through some of Starlight’s spells that were in the library.” Cozy Glow flies up to my side. “Whoa! Starlight Glimmer made these? What are you gonna do with them when you’re done reading?” Walking across the room to my bed, I take the DS out from underneath. “I’m not too sure in the long-term, but having learned so much magic from Twilight, Carve and you, Chrysalis, I figured I would try to teach myself some of these spells, even maybe make my own, that way I can restore the DS… I-it gave out on me last weekend.” Chrysalis comes up beside me and drapes her wing over my back. “Solving that problem sounds absolutely marvelous, Aita, but it is getting late. Just remember to get some sleep when you’re done, okay?” I nod at her, prompting her to turn around to leave my room. “Good. Cozy and I will be in our rooms for the night then if you need us.” “Okay. ’night, Chrysalis. ’night, Cozy.” As Cozy leaves my view, Chrysalis takes one last glance at me. “Goodnight, little one.” I take a few seconds to listen to Cozy and Chrysalis’ hoofsteps before they fade out. Once I don’t hear anything coming from the hall anymore, I return to my side table and continue looking. That is until I find the spell Starlight used to make two of the games I have. “Hmm… Fragmen Gregarius? Wow… she went all the way with that spell, didn’t she? Ampliatur Vestigium… Refulgo Publicus… Somnus Revivia…” I then come across one spell name that I haven’t heard in over three years. “Catadupa Levitata? I remember most of these… And… all of them rhyme.” Suddenly, I am hit with a wave of sleepiness that makes me yawn and droop my head onto the side table. The last thing I hear as I doze off is the start of a rainshower outside. Well, I guess I’m stuck to my word whether I wanted to keep it or not. At the very least, there’s always tomorrow for me to continue. Act 1Early the next morning, I wake up to find myself in bed, instead of at the side table I dozed off on late last night. Either I sleepwalked or Cozy Glow swung by my room while I was asleep. Moving my ears some, I can still hear rain going on. That’s okay for now, because I won’t have to go out for a little while, at least until Cozy and Chrysalis are awake. As I walk the halls to the throne room, I take a look around. I almost feel bad Twilight, Spike and Starlight had to move away, but they’re on to bigger and better things, Starlight with Sunburst, Twilight and Spike ruling Equestria. But I also notice something during my autopilot walk: Cozy and Chrysalis’ scent trails are brand new, not even from an hour ago. “That’s odd. They’re not usually up until later.” Upon entering the throne room, I can see Chrysalis and Cozy jump up from their seats from the sound of the door opening: Fluttershy and Spike’s thrones respectively. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you two.” “That’s alright, Aita.” Chrysalis yawns. “Good morning.” “Whoa…” I take a good look at them as they sprawl with their backs over the arms of their seats, and they appear to be really sleepy, bags and all. “Did you not sleep well?” They shake their heads. “Chrysalis and I were kept up by the shower going on outside.” I take a moment to think, tapping my cheek until something comes up in my head. “Why don’t I go get some cocoa then. That should help perk you up.” I start to leave the throne room with the door open so that I don’t end up startling them again when I come back. However, Chrysalis gets my attention. “Wait. Make it tea instead.” I nod and head out of the throne room. When Aita leaves the throne room, there is no more sound coming from our proximity, except… the rainfall has been quite persistent, and loud. Looking at Cozy on Spike’s old throne, I faintly feel bad for her. She really shouldn’t be cooped up in the castle like this. At least with Aita she has the excuse of ongoing duties as the new princess of friendship. Cozy sighs. “I’ve lived on the east coast, and I’ve never seen rain pouring so hard.” “I know… talk about climate shock,” I reply. “But how come Aita managed to get her sleep when we didn’t?” “Simple, Cozy. She’s from the real world. Storms can get quite violent since weather occurs naturally over there.” Cozy Glow yawns right before Aita returns with the tea for me and Cozy. “You know,” Aita interjects as she passes Cozy’s tea to her. “if you wanted, I could talk to Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust about it.” As my cup slides over before Fluttershy’s throne, I shift to a normal sitting position. “Thanks, Aita… we’d appreciate it,” I say, lightly tapping my cheek with my hoof. Aita takes a moment to summon a scroll and quill. Dear Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash, Late last night, a stationary rainshower appears to’ve kept up Cozy Glow and Chrysalis. Do you two think you could come over so we could look into this? I’ll explain more once you’re here. Yours truly, Aita. Once Aita finishes reading aloud the letter she writes, her horn brightens up with a green magical trail behind it as she moves it to touch the scroll. In a blinding flash, Aita has produced a second copy of the fresh letter before she sends one each to their recipients. “Alright. I’ll be in the lobby if you need me,” states Aita, as she heads out of the throne room, once more leaving the door open and leaving me and Cozy to enjoy our tea. At the main entrance, Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust burst inside as I approach. Lightning Dust is the first to speak. “We got your letter, Aita!” “We got here as soon as we could!” Rainbow adds, both of them pausing to shake off the water from the rainshower. I shield my face from the water droplets with my leg. “Thanks for coming, girls. Cozy and Chrysalis are in the throne room.” I lead the two to the throne room, where they see our subjects. Rainbow and Lightning’s eyes widen at the sight. “Whoa. You don’t look so good,” Rainbow notes. “Did those clouds keep you up at night? Don’t worry. Lightning and I have this under control.” Chrysalis lets out a relieved sigh. “Thank you in advance, Rainbow Dash. At least it won’t be hard to fall asleep tonight.” Rainbow beams and nods, leading Lightning Dust outside. With me, Chrysalis and Cozy now alone, I walk over to Chrysalis and hug her. She responds by wrapping her hoof around me meanwhile. We all listen to the outside as the rain is now accompanied by Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash’s grunting as they engage in their classic cloudbusting. I can imagine this must feel like old times to them. I remember they were teamed up at the academy. As time passes, the rain begins to taper off, and the room becomes its usual bright self. Before I know it, I can hear Chrysalis purring before the sound of it startles her awake. In turn it also startles Cozy as well. “I-I guess I’ll be right back,” I remark. Now that it stopped raining at the castle, I can finally do my daily errands. Outside, I have with me two short to-do lists: mine and Cozy’s, not to mention saddlebags for me to stuff them in for safe keeping. I go over the lists in question. “Okay… for me, I’ll need to go to the hardware store in Canterlot, and later on a tour of some sanctuary I apparently missed all this time. For Cozy, there appears to be a party she was supposed to help out with as well as meet up with the Happy Foals school board.” When I arrive at Sugar Cube Corner, I hide the saddlebag on the side so I can safely transform into Cozy Glow. As her, I take back the saddlebag and look inside. Only one customer here: Bon Bon, who is walking out with a sweets box that was already closed by the time it came into view. Running the register is good old Pinkie Pie, who quickly spots me. “Oh hi, Aita. I thought Cozy was gonna help out here.” I freeze right where I am and drop my jaw. How did she know? I didn’t have a chance to properly imitate Cozy. “Aw, don’t be so slackjawed about it. It’s okay if she’s didn’t get much sleep last night.” The ever amplifying shock in me gets me to impulsively revert to my natural form. “How did you KNOW all that?!?” Pinkie laughs. “Oh silly, nopony expects to be identified with the help of a trap from three years ago.” I tilt my head left and right. She does have a point there. But Chrysalis replacing Pinkie, her friends and the royal family seems to come up short. Let’s see if I can figure it out. “Hm. Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash knew because they saw it. Did they swing by and tell you about Cozy and Chrysalis?” Pinkie Pie gasps. “Wow! How do I keep missing that?!? As if defending Discord and becoming Sibling Supreme wasn’t enough! Do you think you could help me with preparing Chrysalis’ anniversary?” I nod and follow Pinkie as she leads me upstairs to her room. After helping Pinkie Pie prepare for tomorrow’s party, I teleport to the front yard of Happy Foals Schoolhouse, but not before changing into Chrysalis. This far out, nopony knows about her bun, but I include it anyway as well as her lack of crown because I’m so used to it now. Heading inside, I’m almost immediately spotted by Heavenly Luck, as well as a pegasus and unicorn behind her. “Q-Queen Chrysalis?” “Former queen,” I correct in my best Chrysalis impression. “I care for Princess Aita at the Castle of Friendship now. Heavenly Luck, I presume? I’ve heard about you when Interpolation explained your situation with Cozy Glow, and what the EEA had to say about it.” Heavenly Luck nods, prompting the two other ponies to look past her. The pegasus mare has a orange coat, and a mane and tail closely resembling Cozy’s, with a radiator as a cutie mark. The unicorn stallion has a salmon coat with a red mane and tail with a cut similar to Twilight’s when she first time traveled. The stallion is the first to approach me. “So it is Chrysalis! Thank you so much for helping our daughter out!” So these are Cozy’s parents? Huh… “Don’t necessarily thank me. Thank the tree of harmony. I was on a map mission after all. So, we all know what this meeting is about, right?” Heavenly Luck nods. “We are to assure Amber Glow and Tight Knit here of the comfortable life Happy Foals’ old top student now leads under your care.” This news actually surprises Amber Glow. “Wait! She’s staying with you? And Aita?” “Of course,” I reply. “No offense, Heavenly Luck, but it was clear to us that had it not been for news of Canterlot High School reaching Fillydelphia, this school would’ve bred a dark path for Cozy.” “None taken, Chrysalis.” As Heavenly Luck steps to the side I sit down right next to Amber and Tight Knit. “But now that Cozy has two good influences around her, she can use everything she learned here for the better of Equestria. And just because she lives away now doesn’t mean she won’t have the option to return home. If you wanted, you could even visit her in Ponyville.” Honestly, this is something I know Chrysalis would be okay with, but being the princess of friendship, it’s really more up to me now. Amber and Tight Knit’s response? They flash excited, squealing smiles, the former of the two racing to embrace me. “Thank you so much, Chrysalis!” “So, will that be all?” I kindly ask, to which Heavenly Luck nods yes. She, Amber Glow and Tight Knit wave goodbye as I take my leave. Once I’m out and in hiding I peel away my Chrysalis disguise. When I arrive home from all the errands I’d covered for all three of us - me, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, I carry with me multiple different screwdrivers I got from Handy Wrench in Canterlot before the tour of Sweet Feather Sanctuary. By this point, it’s getting dark out, so I can’t be up for too long. As soon as I go into my room, I set the screwdrivers onto the pile of spells I have yet to finish studying. However, taking my DS out, my ears twitch as rather close, but almost inaudible clicks on the crystal floor are picked up. These steps grow in volume until I feel a pair of paws beneath my right wing. I turn my head toward the source in a half second. A red fox pup roughly half my hind leg standing height is by my side at the moment. Off and on, I’d seen videos back home of pet foxes, but I never thought I’d actually see one in the flesh. As soon as it realizes I can see it, it backs away a few inches. “Y-you’re okay, there,” I assure the pup. It inches back to me. “What’s up?” The pup sniffs me and dramatically lifts its head, looking like it wants to change like I can. “Wait. Did you see me transform at the sanctuary?” It scampers off to the side table I have across the room and tries to climb. Of course, climbing fails because the wood is relatively slick, but I think I know what the pup meant. “Oh! You saw me holding those screwdrivers, huh? With magic?” The pup begins panting excitedly at me. “It’s already dark out. If you wanted, you probably could stay here, at least for tonight. Follow me.” So, I lead the pup out of my room, and into Starlight’s old room. It’s a good thing I used to watch fox videos. If that pup and I stayed in mine, my mattress would be done for, so nest it is. Act 2In only just four hours, I am woken up, though not by sunlight. It’s still night out. I actually wake up to hoofsteps and wingbeats. Beside me is the fox pup that followed me from Sweet Feather Sanctuary, sleeping peacefully, but across Starlight’s old room… “Cozy Glow? Chrysalis?” My two castlemates stop in front of me as I rub my eyes to see them better. “What’s going on?” A worried Chrysalis lays in front of me on her stomach. “Aita… it’s about the other night… I don’t think it was the clouds that caused our insomnia.” Okay, this is confusing. “What?” “We dreamt a cockatrice was staring at us!” Cozy Glow urgently explained before pressing her cheeks. “It was so scary!” “A cockatrice? I think I know what those are. Fluttershy scolded one nearly a decade ago in the Everfree Forest.” As I ponder about the cockatrice Fluttershy faced, fur ticklingly shifts on my back and a soft whine comes from behind me, whose voice alone gives away the pup’s gender. Looks like the tod’s woken up too. He gets up and puts his paws on my side as I turn my head to him. He’s expectant of Cozy to do something; I just don’t know what. She lands on the ground with stiff wings, prompting the tod to climb over me, lay on his side again, and embrace Cozy in the foreleg. “But if you’re having nightmares about being turned to stone, what’s causing them?” “I don’t know, Aita,” answers Chrysalis. “But I do have an idea. We should talk to Twilight about it, and see if she knows.” Hours later, with Chrysalis, Cozy Glow and the tod beside me, I teleport everyone to the Canterlot Castle throne room. In front of us is Princess Twilight. “Twilight!” I exclaim, making Twilight giggle. “It’s great to see you again, Aita. Tell me what’s happening.” It takes some time to explain, but by the time I finish telling Twilight, we are nearing the Canterlot Archives. “This is bad, Aita. It’s way beyond anything I’ve ever heard of. We’ll need Luna to help us figure it out.” Without missing a beat, the tod climbs up and rests his paw behind my horn, Twilight noticing as we enter. “Okay, little guy, what about Aita’s magic?” The tod’s body language connects with Chrysalis as he returns to her and Cozy. “That’s right! Cozy and I, the other night, saw Aita studying Starlight Glimmer’s leftover spells from when she lived with you!” I let out a nervous chuckle. “I didn’t have any time to clean up afterward, so he saw the scrolls too.” “So what the fox is saying is… Aita should try to dream walk?” guesses Cozy, to which Twilight nods. “My friends and I were once infected by the Tantabus years ago, so Luna went into our dreams to hunt it down. Cozy and Chrysalis might have something similar. Aita, if you could learn Luna’s spell, do you think you could help your friends the same way?” Twilight asks me, taking out one of the scrolls on the shelf directly across from the entrance. I fly up face to face with her. “I’d do anything if it means they can sleep well again!” The scroll starts floating to me, so I put my hooves in front of me to catch it as it lands. “That’s what I thought you’d say,” remarks Twilight. “I’ll get a room for you all.” So, we depart from the Archives with the scroll in my hooves. Twilight’s next destination for all four of us is the same suite Rarity stayed in for Twilight’s birthday eight and a half years ago. The two major changes to the room are the replacement of the typical queen bed with a shallow twin bed and two towel nests, and the addition of a litter box in the corner for the tod. Once we enter, Chrysalis and Cozy are ready to fall asleep after spending breakfast and lunch waiting for our room to be ready, Chrysalis laying on one of the nests while Cozy takes the bed. As I set down the scroll on the desk across from the litter box, and everyone else is ready, Twilight starts her way out. “Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, you two get some rest. Just let Aita take care of everything.” The door closes behind Twilight, leaving me to wait to pick up on any snoring or purring. Once I do, I look to the tod, who approaches the remaining nest to take a nap himself. I guess I’m the only one in the room awake, but I have to be. I hover to see the spell and read it in my head. Once I have it down, I light up my horn and begin casting, closing my eyes in the process. In my vision of the dream realm, I immediately notice two dreams that start out quite different, only having a school of some sort as a commonality initially. I enter one of them, most of it taking place somewhere in Ponyville. The other I’ll have to get back to later, since it almost exclusively takes place in the Everfree Forest. Nearby I spot… “The CMC clubhouse? Whose dream is this? Did I get into the…” My thoughts aloud are interrupted when my ears pick up sniffling in the background. Assurance I’m in one of the right dreams, I guess. I turn around and see Cozy Glow broken down in tears like when she explained her upbringing in Fillydelphia… except, it appears to be off, especially initially, though her elevating it made it progressively more convincing. Eh. I could buy it; Cozy managed to help me keep the scavenger hunt a secret because she was always a good liar when she needed to be. She even flawlessly blamed her insomnia on the bad weather yesterday. I approach Cozy, only to see the CMC’s coming out to check on her. I decide to let the dream continue, up until I find myself in some library, where the CMC are led by a young stallion. “COZY GLOW! I… I could’ve sworn I saw her come down this way when she left her office!” Starlight told me about him once. Wasn’t his name Sandbar? Anyway, I follow the four of them down this tunnel below. The sight we see through one of the windows is a group of six artifacts acting as a mystical magnet with Starlight trapped in the magic orb above them. Enjoying yourself in there, Starlight? I’m sorry I had to push you in, but what else could I do? You were going to ruin all. my. plans. As Sandbar and the CMC gasp, I get thinking. This isn’t the Cozy I know. She would never push herself this far where I come from, let alone go full blown villain mode. I knew her future would’ve been dark without me and Chrysalis, but not this dark. Somehow I can still teleport to her area… actually, I know exactly why. This is a dream, so the magic drain here doesn’t affect me. “Cozy! You can't do this!” I shout to her. Cozy turns her head multiple times to the sound of my voice before spotting me. “An unreformed changeling?!? How did you know me?!?” “It’s me! Aita! Don’t you remember?!?” “I don’t know any changeling named Aita,” snarks Cozy. Well, moment of truth. I take a deep breath. “Not for long…” I light my horn up and press it onto Cozy’s forehead. What results is a vision of the rest of the dream playing out like my intervention never happened, including finally meeting Chrysalis and Tirek through some goat, scaling a mountain for a bell, disturbing the last Summer Sun Celebration, and duking it out with Twilight and her friends in similar scenes to what I've witnessed first hoof. The last thing I see before letting go is Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy being turned to stone at Discord’s request. This last part of the dream breaks Cozy out of whatever timeline spell she was under and prompts her to shriek. “Aita? Where are we?” she asks me as she wonders around the room at a safe distance from the artifacts. “Your dream. This whole thing would’ve happened if word didn’t get out to Fillydelphia about CHS Spitfire’s initial defeat.” As I explain, Cozy becomes mortified at her alternate actions. “Oh golly! What would I’ve done?!?” She bear hugs me, sobbing genuine tears unlike what she did when I first entered her dream. “But… I don’t act like that now, do I?!?” “Far from it, Cozy.” I light my horn and take us to the very space Luna used to occupy when she used this power. “There was a reason the tree of harmony sent me and Chrysalis to befriend you: to help you. And chances are… Chrysalis may be dreaming of something similar.” Cozy and I come to one dream, one that takes place at the same school I witnessed in Cozy’s dream. A unicorn that looks quite a bit like Chrysalis takes photos of Twilight and her friends… and then Starlight when Pinkie reminds her. Now I’ll get out of your manes. I know how busy you are. As the mare leaves, Cozy and I look at each other. “Chrysalis?” “Chrysalis,” she repeats after me before we run out of the headmare’s office. We continue to gallop until we see the mare from earlier at the entrance of some forest a ways away. She sorts through all the crudely taken photos (minus Starlight’s). Now I have everything I need. “Chrysalis!” we call out, making the mare turn around and see us. And just like we knew, she turns into Chrysalis. “A- a friendship school student? I don’t even recognize the uncorrupted changeling.” “That would be Aita,” Cozy points out. “Don’t you remember?” “Of course not! None of this even concerns you two anyway!” I snicker at this Chrysalis’ sentiment. “Oh, let’s see about that…” I light my horn again and flash through the rest of Chrysalis’ dream. It isn’t terribly long before I see the same thing basically. From meeting Cozy onward, the only differences I see are a proper first attempt at scaling Mt. Everhoof, and a battle with Starlight in the Frozen North and a truncated Canterlot Castle battle. The next thing I know, Chrysalis is laying on the ground with a hoof atop her forehead where I put my horn. “Aita? Cozy?” “Chrysalis!” Overjoyed, Cozy Glow and I jump in the air and hug Chrysalis, having witnessing the spell work a second time. Chrysalis lets out a light chuckle and wraps her hoof around us. “It’s great to feel myself again… it was strange, though. When your spell put my dream on fast-forward, the entire sequence smelled… chaotic. Cozy, was it just a cockatrice the third time? I know I saw it.” Cozy nods. “Yep, definitely a cockatrice.” “I don’t think that was it, you two,” I correct as Cozy and I land back on the ground. “Using that link, I could’ve sworn Discord was at the end of those sequences.” Chrysalis facehoofs. “Ugh, of course! Why didn’t we think of that before? The clouds, the nightmares…” “What if Tirek had the same nightmare we did?” wonders Cozy. “He risked his life to help us and our friends defeat those baddies, and he used to be a major threat.” “But he doesn’t live with us, Cozy,” Chrysalis counters. “Not even Aita had any nightmares.” Well, only one way to find out. I light my horn, turning the whole scene white. Before I know it, the white fades into black and I’m near the ceiling of our room in Canterlot. Cozy and Chrysalis spring awake, not in fear or distress, but wonder. Seeing that is quite relieving. “Good,” I sigh, landing back on the floor, greeted immediately by our new tod putting his paws on my shoulder. “You’re alright. Now, about Discord…” Cozy and Chrysalis blink twice each, knowing exactly what’s going on now. Act 3When everyone is back home at the Castle of Friendship, me heading inside with a bag of fox litter in my magic, Chrysalis, Cozy, the tod and I enter the dining room for supper, only to find Discord laying on the table. “Ah, there you all are. I suppose Aita managed to treat your nightmares?” In response, the tod leaps in front of us and spats and gekkers at Discord. “My!” he exclaims in laughter. “I see someone is flustered over his findings.” I put the tod on my back as we all approach. “Discord… do you have any idea how much turmoil you put my friends through?” I warn. “Aita, please. I saw you wanted to one day master Starlight’s spells. And given there are no more villains to catch, I figured I’d orchestrate the opportunity myself.” Cozy Glow zips up to Discord in anger. “By infecting me and Chrysalis with the same nightmare?!? For Pete’s sake, she just wanted to restore her DS! That was it!” “Discord! You know better!” Chrysalis says. Discord puts his paw and claw together under his left ear, making Chrysalis growl. “Oh come now, Chryssie…” “Not this time… you left Rainbow Dash, Lightning Dust and young Aita to clean up your mess at our expense! It appears you haven’t learned your lesson after rounding up our enemies, even after that talk with Celestia!” Wow! Chrysalis knows where to hit hard. Discord’s attitude is immediately hampered when she mentions Celestia. She and Cozy look at each other, prompting the latter to fly up to him and look him in the eye. “Well, Discord, if I could atone, even without meeting Aita or Chrysalis, YOU can too… What do you say?” Cozy smugly asks. Chrysalis and I keep ourselves from laughing from how brilliantly Cozy handled Discord directly, who closes his eyes in remorse. “I’m sorry, everyone. I suppose that wasn’t the help you were looking for, Aita, if any.” One thing’s for sure. That certainly has went a long way for Cozy Glow, Chrysalis and Starlight. He’s better off offered the same compassion, so I show Discord an assuring grin. “Accepted, Discord. On the bright side, this escapade sure brought me, Cozy and Chrysalis closer together. AND the fox probably wouldn’t have followed me home without it.” Chrysalis steps in front of me and lifts my chin with her hoof, then points to the tod still on my back. “Aita, dear, aren’t we going to name him? Or are we just going to spend his life just calling him ‘the fox’?” He gets off and expectantly looks at me. I scratch my chin in thought. “How about Lorien? You know, to remember the event.” In agreement, Lorien rests his forehead on my upper leg and briefly wags his tail. “Like we’d forget,” shudders Cozy. Chrysalis lays on her stomach and taps her hoof on floor to get Lorien’s attention. “It’s a wonderful name,” Chrysalis says as she pets him. Discord sighs. “At least now I can see that friendship is nothing like personal enjoyment, that friendship is something that takes a level of knowledge to approach.” Chrysalis turns to me, still petting Lorien. “Hopefully, Aita, you can care for Lorien. Foxes are a daunting responsibility compared to a cat or dog.” Cozy Glow lands to my right and wraps us in her hooves. “Obviously we all have our own work, so if we combine our time, that should be enough synergy to cover for him.” Lorien starts wagging his tail again and laughing with excitement. Later that night, I finally start work on my DS. Only thing now is that Lorien is in my room, so at least I have some company. But before I can take the DS out, I start out by installing a mirror on the wall where I can see him on my bed without having to stop my work. In between confronting Discord and Lorien joining me, I managed to clean up the side table so that I can start my work. With all the setup now done, I take the DS from under my bed and set it next to the screwdrivers I got from last night. As soon as I get to work on undoing the bottom screws, Chrysalis knocks on my door. “Hi, Aita. You look a little busy.” I look in her direction. “Oh, not quite. I haven’t started just yet. What’s up?” Chrysalis takes a moment to hug me. “I just wanted to thank you for helping us out in Canterlot. So, how’s our newest resident?” Lorien responds to Chrysalis by getting off my bed and sniffing her forelegs. She tries to pet him, but he swiftly dodges and bites her on the left foreleg. It must be a light bite, considering Chrysalis never once flinches. In fact she just giggles. When Lorien lets go, he starts racing back and forth, on and off the bed. “I guess he’s doing fine… Lorien,” I call before clicking my tongue to get his attention. Once more, he jumps off the bed and comes to me, and allows me to pet him. “So, about Cozy Glow…” At the mere mention, Chrysalis’ expression turns somber, knowing exactly what I’m talking about. “I heard, Aita. The tree of harmony told me she would’ve tread a dark path without CHS Spitfire’s arrest, but no one would’ve expected the extent Cozy told me of…” “Draining magic from Equestria?” I guess. Chrysalis nods. “Mm-hm. With me, I am well aware of my past. We’re just lucky she started reforming early. We wouldn’t want another situation like with Smoky.” “So, are you about to turn in?” My question lightens the mood a little for Chrysalis. “It’s the entire reason I visit your room, Aita. Honestly, I’m a little surprised you’re still up.” I shrug. “Well, I don’t have a lot to do. I just have to write a cleaning spell, expose the motherboard, cast the spell, and that should be it… oh, and reassemble.” Chrysalis puts a hoof on my shoulder. “What about the battery? Do you think that’s the reason it’s not working?” I undo the battery cover to see if Chrysalis is right. At a first glance, it doesn’t appear so. Even removing the battery itself with my magic, I don’t see anything leaked out onto the surface it sat on. “Hm… it looks okay. I’ll have to go home and talk to Sophie about it sometime, but for now, I’ll stick to cleaning the motherboard. Thanks for the advice anyway, Chrysalis.” “Happy to help. Come, Lorien.” With Chrysalis’ command, Lorien follows her out of my room so I can work in peace. “Goodnight!” I call to her. I open one the drawer immediately underneath the top of the side table and take out a scroll and quill, and start writing my spell, meanwhile undoing the bottom screws to access the motherboard. The next morning, wake up at my usual time and head to the throne room, finding it empty now, unlike the other day. It’s also a bright, silent morning without a single droplet of rain to hit the walls and windows, just the muffled sound of birds chirping atop the roof. I sniff the air and sigh relief. “As it should be.” The door opens loud enough for me to turn around and see Pinkie Pie entering the room with Cozy Glow beside her carrying a sweets box. “Who’s ready for SPRINKLE SHAKERS?!?” Pinkie excitedly shouts. That actually makes me think back to Cozy’s dream when Sweetie Belle was helping her with homework. Cozy apparently doesn’t mind, given it was one of the only times in that dream she was at her most genuine without being in villain mode. “Pinkie Pie! Cozy Glow! What’s going on?” I ask as I run to them. “I know we’re a day late, but Pinkie and I are going through with the anniversary for Chrysalis getting her hive back!” “And you’re invited!” Pinkie adds. “Wouldn’t be fair if the changeling who assisted me the other day was left out!” When Lorien arrives behind them, Pinkie’s the first to notice. “Hey, did you adopt a fox?” It isn’t until she mentions him do I realize it. My wings twitch to mimic a snapping sound. “Aw, man! I completely forgot about Lorien! You don’t mind if I take him with me, do you?” “Of course not,” replies Pinkie. “The more guests, the merrier! Meet you there, AIta!” So, Cozy and Pinkie take their leave over to Sugar Cube Corner, me now left with Lorien. I pace around a bit while he watches before I turn to him. “Hm, we’ll need a leash for if we’re all going out from this point forward. Maybe Applejack has a spare… Wanna take a quick swing by Sweet Apple Acres, Lorien?” He wags his tail, runs over and jumps onto my back. And in a flash, we snap to Sweet Apple Acres, leaving the castle behind until after the belated celebration of Chrysalis’ return to the hive.
Teaser/Cold OpenIf three years ago, I was told I would one day become the next Princess of Friendship with an organizer and advisor for company, I would’ve denied that in a heartbeat and called the person or pony telling me that crazy. Honestly it feels surreal taking on what was once Twilight’s duties, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. One night, about a month into my new role, I’ve moved the side table across my room next to entrance. Currently, I’m reading a stash of Starlight’s spells I found in the library to try and understand how spellwriting works. I turn my head to the right when I hear knocking on my door; Chrysalis and Cozy Glow are here. Only thing different about Chrysalis though is that her mane is now in a bun. I gasp in surprise. “Cozy! Chrysalis! What are you doing up so late?” “We could ask the same for you, Aita,” answers Chrysalis, pointing to me. “Me? I’m just going through some of Starlight’s spells that were in the library.” Cozy Glow flies up to my side. “Whoa! Starlight Glimmer made these? What are you gonna do with them when you’re done reading?” Walking across the room to my bed, I take the DS out from underneath. “I’m not too sure in the long-term, but having learned so much magic from Twilight, Carve and you, Chrysalis, I figured I would try to teach myself some of these spells, even maybe make my own, that way I can restore the DS… I-it gave out on me last weekend.” Chrysalis comes up beside me and drapes her wing over my back. “Solving that problem sounds absolutely marvelous, Aita, but it is getting late. Just remember to get some sleep when you’re done, okay?” I nod at her, prompting her to turn around to leave my room. “Good. Cozy and I will be in our rooms for the night then if you need us.” “Okay. ’night, Chrysalis. ’night, Cozy.” As Cozy leaves my view, Chrysalis takes one last glance at me. “Goodnight, little one.” I take a few seconds to listen to Cozy and Chrysalis’ hoofsteps before they fade out. Once I don’t hear anything coming from the hall anymore, I return to my side table and continue looking. That is until I find the spell Starlight used to make two of the games I have. “Hmm… Fragmen Gregarius? Wow… she went all the way with that spell, didn’t she? Ampliatur Vestigium… Refulgo Publicus… Somnus Revivia…” I then come across one spell name that I haven’t heard in over three years. “Catadupa Levitata? I remember most of these… And… all of them rhyme.” Suddenly, I am hit with a wave of sleepiness that makes me yawn and droop my head onto the side table. The last thing I hear as I doze off is the start of a rainshower outside. Well, I guess I’m stuck to my word whether I wanted to keep it or not. At the very least, there’s always tomorrow for me to continue.
Act 1Early the next morning, I wake up to find myself in bed, instead of at the side table I dozed off on late last night. Either I sleepwalked or Cozy Glow swung by my room while I was asleep. Moving my ears some, I can still hear rain going on. That’s okay for now, because I won’t have to go out for a little while, at least until Cozy and Chrysalis are awake. As I walk the halls to the throne room, I take a look around. I almost feel bad Twilight, Spike and Starlight had to move away, but they’re on to bigger and better things, Starlight with Sunburst, Twilight and Spike ruling Equestria. But I also notice something during my autopilot walk: Cozy and Chrysalis’ scent trails are brand new, not even from an hour ago. “That’s odd. They’re not usually up until later.” Upon entering the throne room, I can see Chrysalis and Cozy jump up from their seats from the sound of the door opening: Fluttershy and Spike’s thrones respectively. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you two.” “That’s alright, Aita.” Chrysalis yawns. “Good morning.” “Whoa…” I take a good look at them as they sprawl with their backs over the arms of their seats, and they appear to be really sleepy, bags and all. “Did you not sleep well?” They shake their heads. “Chrysalis and I were kept up by the shower going on outside.” I take a moment to think, tapping my cheek until something comes up in my head. “Why don’t I go get some cocoa then. That should help perk you up.” I start to leave the throne room with the door open so that I don’t end up startling them again when I come back. However, Chrysalis gets my attention. “Wait. Make it tea instead.” I nod and head out of the throne room. When Aita leaves the throne room, there is no more sound coming from our proximity, except… the rainfall has been quite persistent, and loud. Looking at Cozy on Spike’s old throne, I faintly feel bad for her. She really shouldn’t be cooped up in the castle like this. At least with Aita she has the excuse of ongoing duties as the new princess of friendship. Cozy sighs. “I’ve lived on the east coast, and I’ve never seen rain pouring so hard.” “I know… talk about climate shock,” I reply. “But how come Aita managed to get her sleep when we didn’t?” “Simple, Cozy. She’s from the real world. Storms can get quite violent since weather occurs naturally over there.” Cozy Glow yawns right before Aita returns with the tea for me and Cozy. “You know,” Aita interjects as she passes Cozy’s tea to her. “if you wanted, I could talk to Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust about it.” As my cup slides over before Fluttershy’s throne, I shift to a normal sitting position. “Thanks, Aita… we’d appreciate it,” I say, lightly tapping my cheek with my hoof. Aita takes a moment to summon a scroll and quill. Dear Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash, Late last night, a stationary rainshower appears to’ve kept up Cozy Glow and Chrysalis. Do you two think you could come over so we could look into this? I’ll explain more once you’re here. Yours truly, Aita. Once Aita finishes reading aloud the letter she writes, her horn brightens up with a green magical trail behind it as she moves it to touch the scroll. In a blinding flash, Aita has produced a second copy of the fresh letter before she sends one each to their recipients. “Alright. I’ll be in the lobby if you need me,” states Aita, as she heads out of the throne room, once more leaving the door open and leaving me and Cozy to enjoy our tea. At the main entrance, Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust burst inside as I approach. Lightning Dust is the first to speak. “We got your letter, Aita!” “We got here as soon as we could!” Rainbow adds, both of them pausing to shake off the water from the rainshower. I shield my face from the water droplets with my leg. “Thanks for coming, girls. Cozy and Chrysalis are in the throne room.” I lead the two to the throne room, where they see our subjects. Rainbow and Lightning’s eyes widen at the sight. “Whoa. You don’t look so good,” Rainbow notes. “Did those clouds keep you up at night? Don’t worry. Lightning and I have this under control.” Chrysalis lets out a relieved sigh. “Thank you in advance, Rainbow Dash. At least it won’t be hard to fall asleep tonight.” Rainbow beams and nods, leading Lightning Dust outside. With me, Chrysalis and Cozy now alone, I walk over to Chrysalis and hug her. She responds by wrapping her hoof around me meanwhile. We all listen to the outside as the rain is now accompanied by Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash’s grunting as they engage in their classic cloudbusting. I can imagine this must feel like old times to them. I remember they were teamed up at the academy. As time passes, the rain begins to taper off, and the room becomes its usual bright self. Before I know it, I can hear Chrysalis purring before the sound of it startles her awake. In turn it also startles Cozy as well. “I-I guess I’ll be right back,” I remark. Now that it stopped raining at the castle, I can finally do my daily errands. Outside, I have with me two short to-do lists: mine and Cozy’s, not to mention saddlebags for me to stuff them in for safe keeping. I go over the lists in question. “Okay… for me, I’ll need to go to the hardware store in Canterlot, and later on a tour of some sanctuary I apparently missed all this time. For Cozy, there appears to be a party she was supposed to help out with as well as meet up with the Happy Foals school board.” When I arrive at Sugar Cube Corner, I hide the saddlebag on the side so I can safely transform into Cozy Glow. As her, I take back the saddlebag and look inside. Only one customer here: Bon Bon, who is walking out with a sweets box that was already closed by the time it came into view. Running the register is good old Pinkie Pie, who quickly spots me. “Oh hi, Aita. I thought Cozy was gonna help out here.” I freeze right where I am and drop my jaw. How did she know? I didn’t have a chance to properly imitate Cozy. “Aw, don’t be so slackjawed about it. It’s okay if she’s didn’t get much sleep last night.” The ever amplifying shock in me gets me to impulsively revert to my natural form. “How did you KNOW all that?!?” Pinkie laughs. “Oh silly, nopony expects to be identified with the help of a trap from three years ago.” I tilt my head left and right. She does have a point there. But Chrysalis replacing Pinkie, her friends and the royal family seems to come up short. Let’s see if I can figure it out. “Hm. Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash knew because they saw it. Did they swing by and tell you about Cozy and Chrysalis?” Pinkie Pie gasps. “Wow! How do I keep missing that?!? As if defending Discord and becoming Sibling Supreme wasn’t enough! Do you think you could help me with preparing Chrysalis’ anniversary?” I nod and follow Pinkie as she leads me upstairs to her room. After helping Pinkie Pie prepare for tomorrow’s party, I teleport to the front yard of Happy Foals Schoolhouse, but not before changing into Chrysalis. This far out, nopony knows about her bun, but I include it anyway as well as her lack of crown because I’m so used to it now. Heading inside, I’m almost immediately spotted by Heavenly Luck, as well as a pegasus and unicorn behind her. “Q-Queen Chrysalis?” “Former queen,” I correct in my best Chrysalis impression. “I care for Princess Aita at the Castle of Friendship now. Heavenly Luck, I presume? I’ve heard about you when Interpolation explained your situation with Cozy Glow, and what the EEA had to say about it.” Heavenly Luck nods, prompting the two other ponies to look past her. The pegasus mare has a orange coat, and a mane and tail closely resembling Cozy’s, with a radiator as a cutie mark. The unicorn stallion has a salmon coat with a red mane and tail with a cut similar to Twilight’s when she first time traveled. The stallion is the first to approach me. “So it is Chrysalis! Thank you so much for helping our daughter out!” So these are Cozy’s parents? Huh… “Don’t necessarily thank me. Thank the tree of harmony. I was on a map mission after all. So, we all know what this meeting is about, right?” Heavenly Luck nods. “We are to assure Amber Glow and Tight Knit here of the comfortable life Happy Foals’ old top student now leads under your care.” This news actually surprises Amber Glow. “Wait! She’s staying with you? And Aita?” “Of course,” I reply. “No offense, Heavenly Luck, but it was clear to us that had it not been for news of Canterlot High School reaching Fillydelphia, this school would’ve bred a dark path for Cozy.” “None taken, Chrysalis.” As Heavenly Luck steps to the side I sit down right next to Amber and Tight Knit. “But now that Cozy has two good influences around her, she can use everything she learned here for the better of Equestria. And just because she lives away now doesn’t mean she won’t have the option to return home. If you wanted, you could even visit her in Ponyville.” Honestly, this is something I know Chrysalis would be okay with, but being the princess of friendship, it’s really more up to me now. Amber and Tight Knit’s response? They flash excited, squealing smiles, the former of the two racing to embrace me. “Thank you so much, Chrysalis!” “So, will that be all?” I kindly ask, to which Heavenly Luck nods yes. She, Amber Glow and Tight Knit wave goodbye as I take my leave. Once I’m out and in hiding I peel away my Chrysalis disguise. When I arrive home from all the errands I’d covered for all three of us - me, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, I carry with me multiple different screwdrivers I got from Handy Wrench in Canterlot before the tour of Sweet Feather Sanctuary. By this point, it’s getting dark out, so I can’t be up for too long. As soon as I go into my room, I set the screwdrivers onto the pile of spells I have yet to finish studying. However, taking my DS out, my ears twitch as rather close, but almost inaudible clicks on the crystal floor are picked up. These steps grow in volume until I feel a pair of paws beneath my right wing. I turn my head toward the source in a half second. A red fox pup roughly half my hind leg standing height is by my side at the moment. Off and on, I’d seen videos back home of pet foxes, but I never thought I’d actually see one in the flesh. As soon as it realizes I can see it, it backs away a few inches. “Y-you’re okay, there,” I assure the pup. It inches back to me. “What’s up?” The pup sniffs me and dramatically lifts its head, looking like it wants to change like I can. “Wait. Did you see me transform at the sanctuary?” It scampers off to the side table I have across the room and tries to climb. Of course, climbing fails because the wood is relatively slick, but I think I know what the pup meant. “Oh! You saw me holding those screwdrivers, huh? With magic?” The pup begins panting excitedly at me. “It’s already dark out. If you wanted, you probably could stay here, at least for tonight. Follow me.” So, I lead the pup out of my room, and into Starlight’s old room. It’s a good thing I used to watch fox videos. If that pup and I stayed in mine, my mattress would be done for, so nest it is.
Act 2In only just four hours, I am woken up, though not by sunlight. It’s still night out. I actually wake up to hoofsteps and wingbeats. Beside me is the fox pup that followed me from Sweet Feather Sanctuary, sleeping peacefully, but across Starlight’s old room… “Cozy Glow? Chrysalis?” My two castlemates stop in front of me as I rub my eyes to see them better. “What’s going on?” A worried Chrysalis lays in front of me on her stomach. “Aita… it’s about the other night… I don’t think it was the clouds that caused our insomnia.” Okay, this is confusing. “What?” “We dreamt a cockatrice was staring at us!” Cozy Glow urgently explained before pressing her cheeks. “It was so scary!” “A cockatrice? I think I know what those are. Fluttershy scolded one nearly a decade ago in the Everfree Forest.” As I ponder about the cockatrice Fluttershy faced, fur ticklingly shifts on my back and a soft whine comes from behind me, whose voice alone gives away the pup’s gender. Looks like the tod’s woken up too. He gets up and puts his paws on my side as I turn my head to him. He’s expectant of Cozy to do something; I just don’t know what. She lands on the ground with stiff wings, prompting the tod to climb over me, lay on his side again, and embrace Cozy in the foreleg. “But if you’re having nightmares about being turned to stone, what’s causing them?” “I don’t know, Aita,” answers Chrysalis. “But I do have an idea. We should talk to Twilight about it, and see if she knows.” Hours later, with Chrysalis, Cozy Glow and the tod beside me, I teleport everyone to the Canterlot Castle throne room. In front of us is Princess Twilight. “Twilight!” I exclaim, making Twilight giggle. “It’s great to see you again, Aita. Tell me what’s happening.” It takes some time to explain, but by the time I finish telling Twilight, we are nearing the Canterlot Archives. “This is bad, Aita. It’s way beyond anything I’ve ever heard of. We’ll need Luna to help us figure it out.” Without missing a beat, the tod climbs up and rests his paw behind my horn, Twilight noticing as we enter. “Okay, little guy, what about Aita’s magic?” The tod’s body language connects with Chrysalis as he returns to her and Cozy. “That’s right! Cozy and I, the other night, saw Aita studying Starlight Glimmer’s leftover spells from when she lived with you!” I let out a nervous chuckle. “I didn’t have any time to clean up afterward, so he saw the scrolls too.” “So what the fox is saying is… Aita should try to dream walk?” guesses Cozy, to which Twilight nods. “My friends and I were once infected by the Tantabus years ago, so Luna went into our dreams to hunt it down. Cozy and Chrysalis might have something similar. Aita, if you could learn Luna’s spell, do you think you could help your friends the same way?” Twilight asks me, taking out one of the scrolls on the shelf directly across from the entrance. I fly up face to face with her. “I’d do anything if it means they can sleep well again!” The scroll starts floating to me, so I put my hooves in front of me to catch it as it lands. “That’s what I thought you’d say,” remarks Twilight. “I’ll get a room for you all.” So, we depart from the Archives with the scroll in my hooves. Twilight’s next destination for all four of us is the same suite Rarity stayed in for Twilight’s birthday eight and a half years ago. The two major changes to the room are the replacement of the typical queen bed with a shallow twin bed and two towel nests, and the addition of a litter box in the corner for the tod. Once we enter, Chrysalis and Cozy are ready to fall asleep after spending breakfast and lunch waiting for our room to be ready, Chrysalis laying on one of the nests while Cozy takes the bed. As I set down the scroll on the desk across from the litter box, and everyone else is ready, Twilight starts her way out. “Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, you two get some rest. Just let Aita take care of everything.” The door closes behind Twilight, leaving me to wait to pick up on any snoring or purring. Once I do, I look to the tod, who approaches the remaining nest to take a nap himself. I guess I’m the only one in the room awake, but I have to be. I hover to see the spell and read it in my head. Once I have it down, I light up my horn and begin casting, closing my eyes in the process. In my vision of the dream realm, I immediately notice two dreams that start out quite different, only having a school of some sort as a commonality initially. I enter one of them, most of it taking place somewhere in Ponyville. The other I’ll have to get back to later, since it almost exclusively takes place in the Everfree Forest. Nearby I spot… “The CMC clubhouse? Whose dream is this? Did I get into the…” My thoughts aloud are interrupted when my ears pick up sniffling in the background. Assurance I’m in one of the right dreams, I guess. I turn around and see Cozy Glow broken down in tears like when she explained her upbringing in Fillydelphia… except, it appears to be off, especially initially, though her elevating it made it progressively more convincing. Eh. I could buy it; Cozy managed to help me keep the scavenger hunt a secret because she was always a good liar when she needed to be. She even flawlessly blamed her insomnia on the bad weather yesterday. I approach Cozy, only to see the CMC’s coming out to check on her. I decide to let the dream continue, up until I find myself in some library, where the CMC are led by a young stallion. “COZY GLOW! I… I could’ve sworn I saw her come down this way when she left her office!” Starlight told me about him once. Wasn’t his name Sandbar? Anyway, I follow the four of them down this tunnel below. The sight we see through one of the windows is a group of six artifacts acting as a mystical magnet with Starlight trapped in the magic orb above them. Enjoying yourself in there, Starlight? I’m sorry I had to push you in, but what else could I do? You were going to ruin all. my. plans. As Sandbar and the CMC gasp, I get thinking. This isn’t the Cozy I know. She would never push herself this far where I come from, let alone go full blown villain mode. I knew her future would’ve been dark without me and Chrysalis, but not this dark. Somehow I can still teleport to her area… actually, I know exactly why. This is a dream, so the magic drain here doesn’t affect me. “Cozy! You can't do this!” I shout to her. Cozy turns her head multiple times to the sound of my voice before spotting me. “An unreformed changeling?!? How did you know me?!?” “It’s me! Aita! Don’t you remember?!?” “I don’t know any changeling named Aita,” snarks Cozy. Well, moment of truth. I take a deep breath. “Not for long…” I light my horn up and press it onto Cozy’s forehead. What results is a vision of the rest of the dream playing out like my intervention never happened, including finally meeting Chrysalis and Tirek through some goat, scaling a mountain for a bell, disturbing the last Summer Sun Celebration, and duking it out with Twilight and her friends in similar scenes to what I've witnessed first hoof. The last thing I see before letting go is Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy being turned to stone at Discord’s request. This last part of the dream breaks Cozy out of whatever timeline spell she was under and prompts her to shriek. “Aita? Where are we?” she asks me as she wonders around the room at a safe distance from the artifacts. “Your dream. This whole thing would’ve happened if word didn’t get out to Fillydelphia about CHS Spitfire’s initial defeat.” As I explain, Cozy becomes mortified at her alternate actions. “Oh golly! What would I’ve done?!?” She bear hugs me, sobbing genuine tears unlike what she did when I first entered her dream. “But… I don’t act like that now, do I?!?” “Far from it, Cozy.” I light my horn and take us to the very space Luna used to occupy when she used this power. “There was a reason the tree of harmony sent me and Chrysalis to befriend you: to help you. And chances are… Chrysalis may be dreaming of something similar.” Cozy and I come to one dream, one that takes place at the same school I witnessed in Cozy’s dream. A unicorn that looks quite a bit like Chrysalis takes photos of Twilight and her friends… and then Starlight when Pinkie reminds her. Now I’ll get out of your manes. I know how busy you are. As the mare leaves, Cozy and I look at each other. “Chrysalis?” “Chrysalis,” she repeats after me before we run out of the headmare’s office. We continue to gallop until we see the mare from earlier at the entrance of some forest a ways away. She sorts through all the crudely taken photos (minus Starlight’s). Now I have everything I need. “Chrysalis!” we call out, making the mare turn around and see us. And just like we knew, she turns into Chrysalis. “A- a friendship school student? I don’t even recognize the uncorrupted changeling.” “That would be Aita,” Cozy points out. “Don’t you remember?” “Of course not! None of this even concerns you two anyway!” I snicker at this Chrysalis’ sentiment. “Oh, let’s see about that…” I light my horn again and flash through the rest of Chrysalis’ dream. It isn’t terribly long before I see the same thing basically. From meeting Cozy onward, the only differences I see are a proper first attempt at scaling Mt. Everhoof, and a battle with Starlight in the Frozen North and a truncated Canterlot Castle battle. The next thing I know, Chrysalis is laying on the ground with a hoof atop her forehead where I put my horn. “Aita? Cozy?” “Chrysalis!” Overjoyed, Cozy Glow and I jump in the air and hug Chrysalis, having witnessing the spell work a second time. Chrysalis lets out a light chuckle and wraps her hoof around us. “It’s great to feel myself again… it was strange, though. When your spell put my dream on fast-forward, the entire sequence smelled… chaotic. Cozy, was it just a cockatrice the third time? I know I saw it.” Cozy nods. “Yep, definitely a cockatrice.” “I don’t think that was it, you two,” I correct as Cozy and I land back on the ground. “Using that link, I could’ve sworn Discord was at the end of those sequences.” Chrysalis facehoofs. “Ugh, of course! Why didn’t we think of that before? The clouds, the nightmares…” “What if Tirek had the same nightmare we did?” wonders Cozy. “He risked his life to help us and our friends defeat those baddies, and he used to be a major threat.” “But he doesn’t live with us, Cozy,” Chrysalis counters. “Not even Aita had any nightmares.” Well, only one way to find out. I light my horn, turning the whole scene white. Before I know it, the white fades into black and I’m near the ceiling of our room in Canterlot. Cozy and Chrysalis spring awake, not in fear or distress, but wonder. Seeing that is quite relieving. “Good,” I sigh, landing back on the floor, greeted immediately by our new tod putting his paws on my shoulder. “You’re alright. Now, about Discord…” Cozy and Chrysalis blink twice each, knowing exactly what’s going on now.
Act 3When everyone is back home at the Castle of Friendship, me heading inside with a bag of fox litter in my magic, Chrysalis, Cozy, the tod and I enter the dining room for supper, only to find Discord laying on the table. “Ah, there you all are. I suppose Aita managed to treat your nightmares?” In response, the tod leaps in front of us and spats and gekkers at Discord. “My!” he exclaims in laughter. “I see someone is flustered over his findings.” I put the tod on my back as we all approach. “Discord… do you have any idea how much turmoil you put my friends through?” I warn. “Aita, please. I saw you wanted to one day master Starlight’s spells. And given there are no more villains to catch, I figured I’d orchestrate the opportunity myself.” Cozy Glow zips up to Discord in anger. “By infecting me and Chrysalis with the same nightmare?!? For Pete’s sake, she just wanted to restore her DS! That was it!” “Discord! You know better!” Chrysalis says. Discord puts his paw and claw together under his left ear, making Chrysalis growl. “Oh come now, Chryssie…” “Not this time… you left Rainbow Dash, Lightning Dust and young Aita to clean up your mess at our expense! It appears you haven’t learned your lesson after rounding up our enemies, even after that talk with Celestia!” Wow! Chrysalis knows where to hit hard. Discord’s attitude is immediately hampered when she mentions Celestia. She and Cozy look at each other, prompting the latter to fly up to him and look him in the eye. “Well, Discord, if I could atone, even without meeting Aita or Chrysalis, YOU can too… What do you say?” Cozy smugly asks. Chrysalis and I keep ourselves from laughing from how brilliantly Cozy handled Discord directly, who closes his eyes in remorse. “I’m sorry, everyone. I suppose that wasn’t the help you were looking for, Aita, if any.” One thing’s for sure. That certainly has went a long way for Cozy Glow, Chrysalis and Starlight. He’s better off offered the same compassion, so I show Discord an assuring grin. “Accepted, Discord. On the bright side, this escapade sure brought me, Cozy and Chrysalis closer together. AND the fox probably wouldn’t have followed me home without it.” Chrysalis steps in front of me and lifts my chin with her hoof, then points to the tod still on my back. “Aita, dear, aren’t we going to name him? Or are we just going to spend his life just calling him ‘the fox’?” He gets off and expectantly looks at me. I scratch my chin in thought. “How about Lorien? You know, to remember the event.” In agreement, Lorien rests his forehead on my upper leg and briefly wags his tail. “Like we’d forget,” shudders Cozy. Chrysalis lays on her stomach and taps her hoof on floor to get Lorien’s attention. “It’s a wonderful name,” Chrysalis says as she pets him. Discord sighs. “At least now I can see that friendship is nothing like personal enjoyment, that friendship is something that takes a level of knowledge to approach.” Chrysalis turns to me, still petting Lorien. “Hopefully, Aita, you can care for Lorien. Foxes are a daunting responsibility compared to a cat or dog.” Cozy Glow lands to my right and wraps us in her hooves. “Obviously we all have our own work, so if we combine our time, that should be enough synergy to cover for him.” Lorien starts wagging his tail again and laughing with excitement. Later that night, I finally start work on my DS. Only thing now is that Lorien is in my room, so at least I have some company. But before I can take the DS out, I start out by installing a mirror on the wall where I can see him on my bed without having to stop my work. In between confronting Discord and Lorien joining me, I managed to clean up the side table so that I can start my work. With all the setup now done, I take the DS from under my bed and set it next to the screwdrivers I got from last night. As soon as I get to work on undoing the bottom screws, Chrysalis knocks on my door. “Hi, Aita. You look a little busy.” I look in her direction. “Oh, not quite. I haven’t started just yet. What’s up?” Chrysalis takes a moment to hug me. “I just wanted to thank you for helping us out in Canterlot. So, how’s our newest resident?” Lorien responds to Chrysalis by getting off my bed and sniffing her forelegs. She tries to pet him, but he swiftly dodges and bites her on the left foreleg. It must be a light bite, considering Chrysalis never once flinches. In fact she just giggles. When Lorien lets go, he starts racing back and forth, on and off the bed. “I guess he’s doing fine… Lorien,” I call before clicking my tongue to get his attention. Once more, he jumps off the bed and comes to me, and allows me to pet him. “So, about Cozy Glow…” At the mere mention, Chrysalis’ expression turns somber, knowing exactly what I’m talking about. “I heard, Aita. The tree of harmony told me she would’ve tread a dark path without CHS Spitfire’s arrest, but no one would’ve expected the extent Cozy told me of…” “Draining magic from Equestria?” I guess. Chrysalis nods. “Mm-hm. With me, I am well aware of my past. We’re just lucky she started reforming early. We wouldn’t want another situation like with Smoky.” “So, are you about to turn in?” My question lightens the mood a little for Chrysalis. “It’s the entire reason I visit your room, Aita. Honestly, I’m a little surprised you’re still up.” I shrug. “Well, I don’t have a lot to do. I just have to write a cleaning spell, expose the motherboard, cast the spell, and that should be it… oh, and reassemble.” Chrysalis puts a hoof on my shoulder. “What about the battery? Do you think that’s the reason it’s not working?” I undo the battery cover to see if Chrysalis is right. At a first glance, it doesn’t appear so. Even removing the battery itself with my magic, I don’t see anything leaked out onto the surface it sat on. “Hm… it looks okay. I’ll have to go home and talk to Sophie about it sometime, but for now, I’ll stick to cleaning the motherboard. Thanks for the advice anyway, Chrysalis.” “Happy to help. Come, Lorien.” With Chrysalis’ command, Lorien follows her out of my room so I can work in peace. “Goodnight!” I call to her. I open one the drawer immediately underneath the top of the side table and take out a scroll and quill, and start writing my spell, meanwhile undoing the bottom screws to access the motherboard. The next morning, wake up at my usual time and head to the throne room, finding it empty now, unlike the other day. It’s also a bright, silent morning without a single droplet of rain to hit the walls and windows, just the muffled sound of birds chirping atop the roof. I sniff the air and sigh relief. “As it should be.” The door opens loud enough for me to turn around and see Pinkie Pie entering the room with Cozy Glow beside her carrying a sweets box. “Who’s ready for SPRINKLE SHAKERS?!?” Pinkie excitedly shouts. That actually makes me think back to Cozy’s dream when Sweetie Belle was helping her with homework. Cozy apparently doesn’t mind, given it was one of the only times in that dream she was at her most genuine without being in villain mode. “Pinkie Pie! Cozy Glow! What’s going on?” I ask as I run to them. “I know we’re a day late, but Pinkie and I are going through with the anniversary for Chrysalis getting her hive back!” “And you’re invited!” Pinkie adds. “Wouldn’t be fair if the changeling who assisted me the other day was left out!” When Lorien arrives behind them, Pinkie’s the first to notice. “Hey, did you adopt a fox?” It isn’t until she mentions him do I realize it. My wings twitch to mimic a snapping sound. “Aw, man! I completely forgot about Lorien! You don’t mind if I take him with me, do you?” “Of course not,” replies Pinkie. “The more guests, the merrier! Meet you there, AIta!” So, Cozy and Pinkie take their leave over to Sugar Cube Corner, me now left with Lorien. I pace around a bit while he watches before I turn to him. “Hm, we’ll need a leash for if we’re all going out from this point forward. Maybe Applejack has a spare… Wanna take a quick swing by Sweet Apple Acres, Lorien?” He wags his tail, runs over and jumps onto my back. And in a flash, we snap to Sweet Apple Acres, leaving the castle behind until after the belated celebration of Chrysalis’ return to the hive.
