She Appears And She Is Light
In the beginning, there was nothing.
Cozy Glow remembered a time before the beginning, when there had been something, but those memories no longer mattered.
There was nothing, there had been nothing, and there would forever be nothing.
And then there was Light.
And for the first time, Cozy could see.
The Light burned the eyes she now possessed, searing them with its radiance. Cozy Glow turned away, and saw that there was darkness now, where the Light was absent.
"Why do you turn away from me, child?" the Light asked.
"Go away," Cozy Glow replied. "I don't have to answer your stupid questions."
The Light did not speak, and Cozy Glow filled the darkness with her dark thoughts. And so did the first Day and the first Night come to pass.
On the second day, the Light spoke again. "You are lost, but can yet be found."
"I thought I was exactly where you wanted me to be," Cozy sneered back. "Trapped in stone for all eternity where I can't hurt any of you precious alicorns."
"You were bound to earth because you were not worthy of the sky." The Light parted the darkness around Cozy, and she soon found herself floating within a firmament.
Below her churned the murky waters of an endless ocean. The sounds of roiling waves filled her ears as her eyes failed to pierce beyond the surface to see beyond the frothing liquid. In every direction she looked, it extended all the way to infinity.
And then she looked up, and saw a vast vault of stars gazing down at her.
Within the tapestry of constellations that now spread out across the cosmos, four stars shone brighter than the others, each a different color. One shone brightest among them all, however.
"But the greatest of these is love," the Light said, as the pink star burned above all the others. "If you wish to reach for the heavens, then you must accept Heaven into your heart. As above, so below."
"No thanks," Cozy replied, fixing her sight upon the eddies below. "If that's what you're selling, then I'll go back to the eternal nothingness please."
And there was evening, and morning, and the third day came.
"I love you, Cozy Glow," the Light said. "And it is out of love that I shall shepherd you into my keeping."
"Oh, great, you're just like the others." Cozy Glow looked up again, at those four damnable stars in the sky. "Each of them tried to 'fix' me, and when they failed, I got locked up in here again. So which of you is it that's going for round two?"
"I am who I am," the Light replied. "And you are the rock upon which I shall build my empire."
With those words, the waters beneath Cozy parted, and she slowly descended onto solid ground. When she landed, she found herself standing in the center of a beautiful garden. Flowers and trees of every kind surrounded her, each bearing seed and fruit according to their kind.
Suddenly, she became aware of a physical hunger gnawing at her stomach, and she reached out to pluck a pomegranate from one of the trees, dashing it against the stone beneath her hooves to crack it open and reach the seeds within. As she ate, the juices stained her hooves red.
"You shall not want while you are under my care," the Light promised. "Feast until your heart's content."
"I'm not going to thank you for this." Cozy tried to glare at the Light as she let the shell of the fruit fall to the ground, but only glance at its edges before having to turn away, for it shone too brightly. "You're probably the reason I'm hungry, anyways."
"You hunger because you will not accept me into your heart," the Light replied. "In time, you will see that only I can satisfy you."
Once again, Cozy turned away from the Light, and plucked another fruit to devour. And so the third day passed.
On the fourth day, Cozy sat with her back against a yew tree as she spoke. "You know, for an eternity of punishment, this isn't so bad. A mare could get used to this." She took a bite from an apple before throwing it behind her.
"Mare cannot subsist on fruit alone," the Light replied. "Your soul yearns for more."
A screeching cry brought Cozy's attention up the skies, where an eagle now soared above them, rising higher and higher until it was just a speck against the clouds. The groaning song of a whale made her glance at the horizon, where the majestic sea creature crested above the waves for a moment before sinking below the waters once more.
"Okay, that's kinda mean," Cozy commented, trying to keep the full extent of the pain she felt from her voice. "You know I'm stuck inside a statue, and now you're showing me what I can't have? That's low, even for your kind."
"This is not punishment, but an expression of my love for you." From the Light, a dove flitted down towards Cozy. "There is much you do not know, that even the humblest of creatures could teach you."
"Yeah, no thanks." Cozy swatted away the dove, sending it into a tailspin that ended with it crashing against a bush. It let out a pitiful coo as it struggled to right itself. "I'm perfect just the way I am."
"If you were perfect, you would already be one of us," the Light informed her.
Cozy let out a low whistle. "Wow, just when I thought you princesses couldn't get anymore full of yourselves."
"You lash out because you are hurt." The Light enveloped the dove, and soon enough it flew freely once again, unencumbered by its previous injury. "Let me into your heart, so that I might mend your soul."
"Unless you're also going to give me back my alicorn powers, I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass," Cozy replied. "Thanks for offering, though. Really appreciate it."
They fell silent once again after that, and Cozy spent the rest of the day watching the birds go where she no longer could. And when the night fell, and they flew up to perch among the stars, she turned her eyes away to look instead at the fish dancing beneath the waves, forcing herself to ignore the longing in her heart.
And morning came after that— the beginning of the fifth day.
"You do not have to be alone," the Light said when Cozy awoke. "There was a time when you embraced the magic of friendship. If only you would let love into your heart once more."
"Yeah, well, maybe if the magic of friendship hadn't betrayed me I'd consider it," Cozy snarled. "I still don't know which one you are, but I'm guessing you remember that I almost won until the magic of harmony or friendship or whatever decided to screw me over. Twice!"
"You were judged, but your sentence need not last for all eternity." The Light's words were punctuated by the sound of chittering animals, and from behind the trees issued forth all manner of woodland creatures.
"W-What's going on?" For the first time, Cozy Glow felt fear paralyze her as she was quickly surrounded by everything from harmless bunnies and kittens to vicious-looking wolves and lions. They all stared at her, unmoving as they formed a perfect circle around the tree she was leaning against.
A single lamb stepped forward and laid down before Cozy Glow.
"You lost your innocence many years ago, but it is not too late." The Light beckoned the lion forward, and it sat down peacefully beside the lamb, laying its head on the other animal's haunches. "Even the most dangerous of predators can find peace and grace within my care."
"Stupid lion," Cozy muttered. "What kind of idiot gives up power just like that?"
"True power lies in submitting to something greater than oneself," the Light explained. "You shall learn this in time."
"I'm not going to wear your leash, princess," Cozy sneered.
The Light did not reply, and the animals played on until night, when they laid their heads down to slumber until the sixth day.
Morning came, and Cozy breathed a sigh of relief as the animals returned to doing... whatever it was that animals did normally. Though, the predators had still not taken advantage of their easy prey. Dumb beasts.
"Love will set you free," the Light said.
"I already told you I wasn't interested," Cozy shot back.
"That was not an offer, but a prophecy." The Light drew closer. "It is unfortunate that you resist the inevitable."
"And it's unfortunate that you won't go away," Cozy replied, subconsciously shifting backwards, keep her sight turned away from the radiance. "So what's next? Going to summon up Canterlot to show me just how powerful you are?"
"No," the Light answered. "I shall give you a final gift of my love before departing. But first, you shall have dominion over all the creatures in this world, to rule and to govern. Through this, you will understand love and return to me."
"Uh-huh," Cozy said, unconvinced. "So, what's this last gift? A horn to go with my wings?"
Instead of speaking, the Light grew even brighter, causing Cozy to cry out in pain even with her eyes tightly shut. She screamed in agony as she covered her eyes with her hooves in vain. No matter where she turned, the Light blinded her, searing her very soul.
And then, a moment later, the Light faded, leaving behind its final words to echo in Cozy's ears. "Peace I leave you, my peace I give to you."
When Cozy opened her eyes again, after blinking away the spots that still lingered, she saw a pony standing before her.
She was an alicorn, with a white coat tinged with pink, and purple and blue curls for her mane. Like all alicorns, she was beautiful in a way that made Cozy despise her.
The pony stared at her with guileless eyes, a blank, beatific smile on her face. "Hello, Cozy Glow."
"Who are you?" Cozy demanded, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"I am the love that knows no boundaries. I am the sword the martyr falls upon. I am the prayer the acolyte recites." Her voice was calm, even— not monotone, but lilting, intoning. "I am the unshakeable faith, Devotion Herself.
"My name is Flurry Heart, and I am yours to command."
"Wait, what?" Cozy's eyes widened as she processed her words. "What do you mean?"
"You were given dominion over all creatures in this realm," Flurry Heart explained. "Through my devotion will I teach you to love."
"So you'll do anything I say?" Cozy asked.
"Into your hooves I commend myself," Flurry said.
"Huh." Cozy paused to think for a moment. "Come here."
Flurry Heart stepped forward.
"Sit," Cozy commanded, and Flurry did so. "Roll over." Once again, the alicorn did as commanded, exposing her belly to her as her four legs wriggled in the air. "Okay, get back up." Flurry instantly righted herself, standing straight with that same empty smile on her lips, as if nothing had happened.
The next step was obvious to Cozy. "Okay, now get me out of here."
Flurry Heart shook her head. "Only you can free yourself of this place."
"You're lying," Cozy hissed. "If you're really an alicorn then you'd be able to get me out of here."
"You can deny the truth, but it will not change what is."
"Fine." Cozy broke off a branch from the tree behind her, handing it over to Flurry. "If you're really stuck doing whatever I say, then prove it. Hit yourself with this.”
Flurry frowned, but nevertheless still picked up the branch with her magic. She lightly swatted herself on the foreleg with it.
Cozy rolled her eyes. "A filly could hit harder than that. I want it to hurt."
Flurry nodded, and the branch came down again with a meaty thud, making the alicorn wince in pain. "Are you satisfied?"
"Do it again." Another thud, and another wince. "Again." Thud. "Harder." A slightly louder thud, and this time Flurry let out a light gasp. "Harder!" A hiss from her through clenched teeth. "Harder! I want to see if an alicorn can bleed."
There was a sickening crunch as the stick moved faster than Cozy's eye could track, embedding itself in Flurry's leg. The alicorn cried out as her coat was stained with red.
Cozy tried to keep the vicious snarl on her expression, but a lance of guilt struck through her heart at the sight of Flurry struggling to stay standing as her foreleg hung uselessly above the ground.
“For you are so loved that I would become flesh and blood in order to regain your devotion, Cozy.” Flurry’s voice was strained, but there was only sincerity in her tone. "Hurt me if you wish. Do what you must to purge the anger from your soul."
Cozy wanted to tell her to do it again. To tell her to make herself break and bleed and scream for mercy, and then to keep going until she'd beaten herself unconscious. It was what she deserved for taking away Cozy's rightful role as the Empress of Equestria.
Cozy should have been the alicorn, not Flurry.
But, that wasn't Flurry's fault. And hurting her didn't make Cozy feel good the way she had imagined.
"Heal yourself up or whatever," Cozy muttered. "It's no fun if you're just going to stand there and take it with a smile on your face. It's probably just an act and you don't even feel anything."
"My devotion would mean nothing if I didn't allow myself to suffer."
“Are all alicorns this stupid?” Cozy asked. “Actually, no, don’t bother answering that. I definitely know the answer already.” She stood up. “Okay, so what’s this about dominion over all creatures? Can I get the squirrels to get me a snack or something?”
As if on cue, something scurried down the tree behind her, dropping a bouquet of flowers into her hooves. A moment later, the squirrel dropped down, chittering at her excitedly.
Cozy Glow blinked at the flowers, and then the squirrel, and then grinned widely. “Okay, I can work with this.”
She pointed towards a mighty redwood tree a few hundred hooves away, which towered over them and flooded half the glade in darkness. “We’ve got beavers here, right?” A small family of them appeared to her. “Cool. Why don’t you just get that big ol’ tree out of the way so I can have, like, shelter and furniture and stuff since I’m stuck here.”
And thus passed the sixth day, and the seventh day dawned.
"They tire," Flurry Heart said as Cozy Glow watched the erection of a grand spire, formed from the remains of the trees her servants had felled.
It had started with a single one, but when she'd seen the critters building a simple shack, she'd known that she deserved more. Thus, the oak trees around the redwood tree had been cut down, to expand her shack into a house, and then a mansion and then a castle fit for a princess.
And when Cozy looked up and saw the birds soaring freely in the sky, she decided that she deserved to fly among the stars since she was obviously better than a bunch of birds, and so a great tower had been ordered springing out of her new lodgings.
"This should be a day of rest," Flurry Heart informed her as an army of ferrets struggled to carry a log through the front door, constantly banging against the frame as they struggled to stay true to their appointed course. "Dominion is a gift to be cherished, not a tool to be used and then disposed of."
"Easy for you princesses to say when you already have everypony doing whatever you want," Cozy retorted. She noticed one of the ferrets lying down on the ground. "Hey, get back to work!" she yelled, and it quickly sprang up and continued carrying the log to the building site.
"Our desires are aligned with what is good," Flurry explained. "Ponies bend to our will because it is right and proper for them to do so. You must learn to be worthy of this gift."
"That Light thing was the one who gave it to me," Cozy pointed out. "Isn't this its fault, then?"
"You will understand in time" was Flurry's only reply, and Cozy rolled her eyes at it.
"Cool, so you don't actually have an answer for me."
"You have seen, and yet do not believe." Flurry shook her head sadly. "There is still time to open your eyes, however, and enter into my keeping."
"Yeah, I'm not in the mood for your babbling today," Cozy said, waving her off dismissively. "Go cut down another tree or something and stop bothering me."
"As you command." Flurry bowed and stepped away. "Peace be with you."
"Without you I'm sure that'll be easy." Cozy sighed before shouting at a group of salamanders sunning on a rock. "Hey, no lazing around! Go heat up a bath for me!" The sight of them scurrying off in a panic helped alleviate the boredom for a moment, but her ennui quickly returned.
"Ugh, what's the point to any of this?" She tried picking up a rock and throwing it at an anteater, but the little whine of surprise and hurt barely registered in her mind. "I wonder if they're good enough to make some paintings of me to hang up on the walls."
A loud crash broke her out of her thoughts, followed by panicked shrieking, and Cozy turned to see that one of the wooden beams had fallen over, a group of raccoons scurrying about it in a panic. Flurry Heart was holding it up on her withers, and next to her was another raccoon holding it's tiny leg, face contorted in pain and fear. From where it lay, it was clear that it would have been crushed underneath.
"Will you bear this burden with me?" Flurry grunted, her legs wobbling beneath the weight of two wooden beams— the one she was already carrying and the new one that had fallen perpendicular to it.
Cozy rolled her eyes. "What do you think?"
The rest of the raccoons rushed over to help Flurry, and Cozy couldn't be bothered to command them to leave the alicorn alone to suffer for her good deed. They entered the palace together while Cozy watched.
A few minutes later, Flurry Heart returned. "Will you not at least give thanks for what you have?"
Cozy snorted. "What do you think?"
"Do you not understand what this gift is meant to teach you?" Flurry Heart asked. "You have a purpose, Cozy Glow, and it only hurts you to turn away from it."
"If my purpose is to be a princess' lapdog, I think I'd rather just be stuck in here," Cozy retorted. "Honestly, it's not so bad."
"Then why do you desire to reach the heavens with this fruitless endeavour?"
And Cozy had no answer, and so was silent. And the seventh day passed.
The next day, Cozy Glow went up to the top of the tower, to stand among the stars. Flurry Heart followed her.
"What's that?" Cozy Glow asked, pointing to a mountain in the distance. She could not see it fully before, but now, above the clouds, it was clear that there was a single tree at its peak.
"The fruit of that tree contains knowledge forbidden to you," Flurry Heart replied. "And the day you eat from it is the day that you shall die."
"Geez, you alicorns are really something, huh?" Cozy Glow said. “Always thinking you know better than the rest of us.”
“Does a shepherd know the face of a wolf better than her flock?” Flurry asked. “Give thanks for what you have, and you shall never want for more.”
“I have nothing.” Cozy hissed.
“You have my favour and my devotion, and there is nothing more valuable.”
“Right, I forgot that you’re even more full of yourself than those other princesses.” Cozy shook her head. “Whatever, maybe I’ll get the animals to build me an airship so I can go over there.”
And so they descended from the tower, and when Cozy Glow returned to the earth, she found that they had returned to their wild ways.
“Hey, why aren’t you cutting down that tree?” She demanded of a flock of woodpeckers who were preening themselves.
The birds stared blankly at her before returning their attentions to their wings.
“Don’t ignore me! I am your mistress!” Cozy shouted, but still she was not acknowledged.
A group of rats scurried underneath her hooves, carrying pieces of cheese with them. Cozy tried to kick one of them out of frustration, but it nimbly dodged her and bit her hoof in retaliation. She let out a pained yelp as she tripped and fell on her haunches in surprise.
“What’s happening?” She asked Flurry. “Aren’t they supposed to be listening to me? I have dominion over all creatures or whatever!”
“You squandered this gift to feed your own pride,” Flurry explained calmly. “And so the languages of the beasts were confused, to make you unable to communicate with them.”
"I didn't realize there were rules about how I was supposed to use my gift." Cozy spat the last word, hating how it forced her to acknowledge that something had been given to her by the princesses.
"There is much for you to learn still, Cozy Glow." Flurry Heart smiled. "And I am eager to teach you."
"Does that mean you'll stop doing what I tell you to?" Trust an alicorn to go back on their word the moment it didn't suit them anymore.
"My devotion is eternal," Flurry Heart said. "In time, you will learn the depths of my love for you."
"Yeah, yeah, I know how much all you princesses say you love everypony." Cozy's hoof snapped out as she dragged Flurry over until the alicorn could see the fury in her eyes. "And I've seen just what your 'love' actually looks like."
"You have seen more than others, but are yet still blind." Despite the hoof wrapped around her neck, Flurry reached out to stroke Cozy's cheek tenderly. "You are blessed among ponies, Cozy Glow, and that is why you were chosen for this lesson."
"What am I supposed to learn from all of this?" Cozy hissed, batting away Flurry's hoof. "How to be friends with everycreature?"
“The lesson here is that you possess nothing that was not granted to you.” The gentle tone in Flurry's voice sent chills down Cozy's spine. "And it is your duty and privilege to treasure all that you have, for it may be taken from you if you do not."
Cozy swallowed down the lump in her throat before answering. "Wow, not even trying to hide it, huh?"
"I would not have your devotion to me be predicated on falsehood," Flurry said. "I speak only truth to you, and I would ask that you do the same."
Cozy pushed Flurry away. "Fine, you want the truth?" Her mouth twisted into a snarl. "I hate all of your princesses. You talk about how I'm not 'worthy' of power, but you're even worse! At least I worked to get what I had before Harmony took it away and gave it to you instead!"
"You know not the burdens I bear," Flurry replied. "And so I will forgive you for your ignorance. But you will understand your place, and you will see why I rise while you fall."
"Golly, it couldn't be because you keep pushing me down whenever I try to stand up, couldn't it?" Cozy Glow asked with venomous saccharine in her voice.
"You are responsible for your own fall."
"No, I'm pretty sure it was the rainbow laser's fault." Cozy stood up and began walking. "Anyways, I'm going to head over to that tree you told me not to eat from. Pretty sure I could use some good old forbidden knowledge right now. And you're coming with me."
Flurry Heart bowed her head. "Very well."
Cozy didn't bother to look back as she left the garden and made her way out onto the road that led towards the mountain.
As they reached the exit, a deafening roar came out from behind the trees, and Cozy yelped and backed away instinctively as a mighty lion emerged. It didn't even spare a glance at the ponies before leaping onto a lamb that was drinking by the stream, its sharp teeth digging into the creature's neck.
The lamb let out a pitiful whine as blood dripped down from the wound, weakly kicking its legs about in an attempt to save itself from the lion.
"Stop it!" Cozy yelled, horrified at the spectacle. "Get away from it, you beast!"
The lion ignored her, focusing on pinning down the lamb with its claws to make it easier to bite deeper. The lamb let out an agonized bleat.
"They no longer heed your commands," Flurry reminded her. "Else would you have been able to prevent this tragedy. But you turned away from the Light, and now have blood on your hooves."
Cozy turned her eyes away as the lion finally snapped the lamb's neck, ending its life. "No," she muttered. "This isn't my fault. You could have stopped it."
"But then you would not remember this lesson so well," Flurry said. "The lamb had to die for your sins, and so it did. To rule is to accept responsibility for your failures."
"You're the one who decided it had to die, not me." The impotent rage welling up within Cozy felt so much worse than the righteous anger that had driven her before. There was nothing she could do against this creature who dictated what was and what wasn't, and then blamed her for this atrocity.
Flurry nodded. "And I will carry that pain in my heart as well, for I made the decision to allow someone else to suffer in your place. But I accept that burden, while you reject it."
"You're crazy," Cozy whispered, glaring at the alicorn.
"My words would be madness if I was not who I am.” Flurry walked up to the lion and placed a hoof upon its withers, calming it for long enough that she was able to whisper some words into the ear of the dead lamb and close its eyes with her other hoof. A single tear fell onto the ground. “Do you still wish to continue your journey?”
“Oh, uhh, yeah, of course.” Cozy tried to affect a disinterested expression as she made her way out of the garden.
The road led into a barren expanse, filled with gray rocks and dirt that stretched out as far as the eye could see. Cozy could barely see the mountain's base in the distance, obscured by the clouds of dust in her way.
For five days and five nights, they walked in silence. And then, Cozy spoke. "You know, I've been wondering something. Why'd you pick me?" she asked her companion. "I'm not the only big bad villain that you've got locked up nice and safe. Why do you care so much about little ol' Cozy Glow learning to love?"
"You are blessed amongst—"
"Bull manure," Cozy cut her off. "I don't want the happy friendship speech version of the answer. Even if it was destiny or whatever, you wouldn't be here if you didn't want to be. So why do you wanna be here?" She paused for a moment before saying. "If you're not lying about the whole having to listen to what I say thing, then you have to tell me the real answer."
"I spoke only the truth before," Flurry replied, her stride never even slowing as she answered. "However, I spoke only the divine truth, yet I am both divine and flesh."
Cozy smirked at the victory. "Cool, and why does the flesh part of you care so much about me?"
"When I was born, I knew only of my worldly self. Though I possessed great power even as a child, I did not understand why I had been granted such," Flurry explained. "I too was lost for a time.
"And then I witnessed your fall."
Cozy stopped, staring at Flurry, and Flurry stopped walking as well to face Cozy.
"Not the first," Flurry added at Cozy's confusion. "I had a purpose to fulfill then, even if I didn't know it, to be the last line of defence should the others fail. But when you were forgiven and yet rejected the Light once again, I bore witness to your final moments before you were returned to stone."
A numbing chill spread through Cozy's body at those words. "You were there?" It was such a stupid question to ask. Cozy remembered the crowds surrounding her in Canterlot when she'd made her impassioned speech, called them all out on their hypocrisy. It wasn't some private moment, but there was still an intimacy in knowing that Flurry knew that made her heart beat faster.
Flurry nodded. "I was. I watched from the palace balcony as you decried our rule. It was the first time I had heard the accusation that we alicorns had squandered our power, and those words unsettled me. It also made me curious about you, so I studied what I could of the records.
"For forty days and forty nights, I meditated on your words, and when I emerged from the frozen wastes I was enlightened. I understood then that you were correct."
Cozy blinked. "Wait, I was?"
"You understood that an alicorn's power made them superior, and that the strength that came from virtues like friendship could do so much more than what those who had come before us had done." Flurry smiled serenely. "And yet, still you were not worthy of that power, because you thought only of yourself. But when I embraced my divine self, I became the will of something greater, a Light that would guide all creatures to a kingdom beyond any of this world. I become something Perfect.
"And as the only other who came close to the same understanding, you deserved a reward. There is nothing greater than to bask in my perfection, to experience my love and devotion, and to be granted the opportunity to worship me in kind. And so, as a token of my thanks, I will teach you to walk the path of my grace."
With each word, Flurry glowed brighter, a halo of light engulfing her and highlighting her beauty until Cozy was forced to look away, her breath caught in her throat at the inexorable power that emanated from her equine body.
And then, the light faded, but Cozy could not stop thinking of her beauty. If there was ever a creature who could claim perfection, it was her, and now that Cozy had seen, she would never forget again so long as she lived.
For a moment, she could almost believe that Flurry wasn't completely insane.
And then common sense reasserted itself in her mind. "So what does everyone else outside of this statue think about your 'enlightenment?'" Cozy asked, tauntingly, needing to get a rise out of this creature to remind herself it was still equine.
"It is not yet time for my ministry to begin," Flurry replied, as calmly as ever. "But I am already beloved. And when the day comes for all to bear witness to the Light, you shall stand beside me as my most devoted apostle."
Cozy's heart skipped a beat. "Is that the divine part of you talking or the pony part?"
"In this, as in all other things, both are one." Flurry turned away, facing towards the mountain.
"Golly, I get both halves of your crazy brain. Lucky me." Cozy began walking once again, and they fell back into silence.
A few hours later, they came upon a pony carrying a basket of vegetables.
"Sugarcane," Flurry greeted.
"Anointed One," the pony— Sugarcane— responded, bowing his head deeply. "You bless me with your presence."
"Where is Apple?" Flurry asked him.
Sugarcane snorted. "I am not my brother's keeper."
Flurry frowned. "Honesty is a virtue that all should espouse. Why do you lie to me?" Her horn lit up. "There is blood in the ground." She pointed an accusing hoof at him. "Your brother's blood cries out for justice."
"I only wanted your favour!" Sugarcane dropped to his knees. "Please, I am your most dutiful servant! Not him!"
"Then you should have been more generous," Flurry replied coldly. "Apple gave me a greater share of his harvests, his loyalty to me clearer, and so I favoured him. But you have chosen to try to earn my favour in a selfish way, and now the land itself shall reject you, never to yield crops for you again. You shall wander these barren wastes restlessly."
"You'd might as well kill me, then," Sugarcane replied, his eyes still downcast. "Somepony will when they learn of what I've done."
"That is not my justice." Flurry walked over to Sugarcane, who flinched but didn't move back, and she placed her horn upon his head. Magic flowed into him, and Flurry's cutie mark appeared on his forehead. "Anyone who kills you shall suffer my vengeance seven times over. Now go, and sin no more."
Sugarcane left without looking at either of them, disappearing into the clouds of dust until there wasn't a trace of him left.
Cozy let out a low whistle. "You alicorns really don't mess around with your punishments, huh?"
"He should not have been false in his devotion," Flurry said. She turned to face Cozy, and she could see tears welling in her eyes. "It pains me each time I see someone lost, and each time I must mete out justice I feel the pain of the sinner keenly in my heart." Her gaze never wavered from Cozy. "This statement is most true with you. Truly, I have suffered for you, that you might overcome your sins and return to my flock."
Cozy scoffed. “Oh please, like you've ever had to suffer. What, did the maids fluff your pillow wrong one night? Or maybe your favourite buckball team lost the finals."
"I am burdened with knowledge that would break you." Flurry paused before speaking again. "I am still yours to command. You could have ordered me to pardon Sugarcane, and yet you did not. Thus, you were complicit in delivering justice."
"No, that's..." Cozy tried to deny that statement, but couldn't think of a good argument. "So what if I was? He did a bad thing."
"And yet your heart bleeds for him." It wasn't a question.
"What's your point?" Cozy demanded.
"It is difficult to rule justly," Flurry said. "Compassion is necessary, but it will cause you pain as well, even when you do what is right. And yet, you would seek out this suffering."
"It's still not as bad as having to listen to one of you princesses," Cozy replied, not having to think about her argument this time.
"You had faith in us once." Flurry's gaze once again pierced uncomfortably into Cozy's soul. "You would not hold such anger towards us if you did not feel that your trust had been betrayed."
"Hey, I can be plenty angry without ever being dumb enough to listen to you!" Cozy shot back.
"And yet, you did believe in us once, no?"
Cozy couldn't bring herself to lie to this creature who saw through her co clearly. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm smarter now."
"And yet so far from wisdom." Flurry shook her head.
"Oh, shut up," Cozy snapped, and when Flurry didn't respond, she smirked. "Yeah, this is way better. Let's get going."
Mare and princess travelled on in silence down the road. Three more days and three more nights passed, and Cozy began to tire. "Alright, no way am I walking the rest of the way." She commanded her companion to lie on the ground so that she could climb atop her back. "There we go. That's way better, don't you think?"
Flurry Heart did not reply.
"Alright, to the mountain!" Cozy pointed towards the distant mountain and Flurry began to trot forward once more.
For six days, they travelled in this fashion, only stopping to rest when Flurry collapsed from exhaustion without complaint.
On the seventh day, Cozy could no longer ignore her hunger. "Hey, why aren't there any plants around here?" When Flurry didn't answer, she added, "Oh, right, you can talk now."
"The path you walk is one of loneliness and unfulfillment." After a week of silence, Flurry's voice was as beautiful as the most delicate of wind chimes to Cozy's ears. "Even Nature herself would abandon you on this journey, and only the most devoted follow you."
"Right, yeah, you're in love with me or whatever. Gosh, aren't I lucky?" Cozy hopped off from Flurry's back, putting all her effort into not swaying from the hunger that gnawed at her stomach. "Magic up some grub for me, would ya?"
Flurry Heart shook her head. "I cannot create that which sustains you. But if you find it within your heart to speak the words of devotion, you will be satisfied."
"You're an alicorn— can't you just make whatever you want?" Cozy demanded.
"What you need can only be found within yourself," Flurry replied.
"Look, I'm tired of your preaching. I'm hungry and I want food now." Cozy stomped her hoof on the ground.
"Look to the heavens and ask humbly, and you shall receive, for only a higher power can provide sustenance for you," Flurry advised her.
"So what, you want me to beg?" Cozy snorted. "No thanks, I'll just starve instead."
"Blessed are those who serve, for they shall be fulfilled."
Cozy ignored her and climbed back onto Flurry's back. Another day and another night passed, and she grew weaker.
Two days later, the pain was too much to bear.
"Fine, I'm sorry for doubting you!" Cozy croaked out, her forelegs splayed out as she lay on the ground. Her body cried out for relief from the agony that left her mind clouded. "You're really great and I should do whatever you say and stuff!"
Something white fell from the sky and landed on her hoof. It smelled of honey and Cozy quickly placed it in her mouth and swallowed it when she realized it was bread. Another loaf fell and she quickly devoured that one as well.
"You may think your words false, but I see the truth of them, and one day, so shall you." Flurry's words slid right off Cozy, who was too busy gorging herself on the best bread she'd ever eaten.
Once she was full, Cozy collected as much of the bread as she could hold before climbing onto Flurry once again. "Okay, that was fun. Let's keep going now." She slapped Flurry on the flank for emphasis, and to make up for her momentary weakness that she would not repeat.
The next day, when she woke up, the bread she was carrying had turned to sand, crumbling away in her hooves. "What the buck?" she shouted, kicking Flurry to wake her up. "What happened to the food from yesterday?"
"You were given your daily bread, no more," Flurry explained. "It is right to give thanks every day, to feed your soul as well as your body."
"Fine." She'd already done it once without meaning it. Cozy stared up at the sky as she spoke with as much sarcasm as she could muster. "Thank you so much for not letting me starve to death yesterday. Would you mind letting little old me eat again today? Pretty please?"
Once again, bread rained from the heavens, and Cozy ate her fill and saved some for the rest of the day before setting off.
From then on, Cozy would start each day with a short benediction, only collecting as much food as she needed until night. At first, she maintained her policy of lacing her words with as much venom as possible, but even that grew boring after a time, and she simply spoke without emotion instead, thanking the Light for the gifts she'd been given, and asking for another reprieve from hunger.
After what she had suffered, she had realized that it was nice to be able to eat.
Eventually, they passed by a fig tree, though it bore no fruit, only displaying its leaves for them to see. "Do you see?" Flurry said, trotting up to the tree.
Cozy sighed. “Is this supposed to be another lesson about how I have to rely on you princesses for everything and that I shouldn’t be looking anywhere else for stuff?”
Flurry smiled. “You are learning.” Her horn glowed and she pressed it against the tree, causing it to wither away until it collapsed into a pile of twigs and branches. “You have followed falsehoods of your own devising in the past, believed in yourself when you should have believed in me, and found only sorrow in doing so.”
"I didn't even know you back then, so you can't blame me for that." Cozy stared at the remains of the tree, feeling a cold chill crawl down her spine. "How long until we get to the tree, anyways? Feels like we've been doing this forever."
"Your journey nears its end, but there is still more for you to understand." Flurry lowered herself in front of Cozy. "Shall we continue?"
Cozy silently climbed atop her companion, and was carried further down the seemingly endless road.
The next time they stopped was at the entrance of a small town. Feeling somewhat self-conscious, Cozy dismounted from Flurry to walk inside.
What she found within sickened her.
The ponies who inhabited the town were filled with wickedness. Gangs of vagrants wandered about, taking what they wanted from those poor souls they managed to corner. Mares and stallions and even children fought each other openly on the street, and those that didn't shot baleful glares at each other as they walked by in silence. Those who wanted took what they wished with no concern for others.
"What's wrong with these ponies?" Cozy asked fearfully, hiding herself behind a building as another knife fight broke out over one stallion bumping into another.
"They have turned away from love." Anger clouded Flurry's expression. "They are devoted only to themselves, and so are lost to us."
"Psst!" A filly dressed in rags waved them over from a hidden alleyway. "Over here!"
Cozy hesitated, but Flurry immediately trotted over, so she followed, figuring that the alicorn could protect them if this was a trap. The filly led them deeper into the alleyway, where she pried open a few loose planks to reveal a hole in the wall for them to enter through. "Come on, before they see you!"
Once inside, Cozy beheld a squalid home, filled with broken furniture and covered in dust and mold. The ponies inside looked just as broken, but smiled all the same. "You aren't from around here," an old stallion said.
"We're just passing by," Cozy replied. "What is this place?"
"A land once rich in water, until the ponies here lost their faith," the stallion explained, each word coming out slow and creaking like a rocking chair. "Now, it is nothing, but some of us still keep the faith. We know that the Anointed One will deliver us from this place, and lead us into a world without end. Until then, please enjoy what little hospitality we have to offer. We have some food if you hunger, though not much."
"We're full, thanks," Cozy said. She turned to Flurry. "We can help these ponies, right?"
Anger still burned in Flurry's eyes as she spoke. "This town cries out for destruction, and so I shall rain fire and brimstone upon it, and then a great Flood shall wash away all sins."
The stallion inclined his head. "So be it. It is no more than we deserve."
Cozy turned to Flurry. "Look, I get destroying everyone else, but these ponies seem nice. Can't you let them live?"
Flurry smiled grimly. "Ask and you shall receive." Her horn glowed, and the ground rumbled beneath their hooves.
Cozy cried out and took to the air in panic, fluttering a few inches from the floor as she tried to steady herself. "What's going on?" Her voice trembled as well.
"Justice." The air filled with the smell of sulphur, and outside the sounds of screaming and the crackling of an inferno made Cozy flinch, nearly knocking her back to the ground. "You have done well, Cozy, and taken the time to think of others."
"Yeah, yeah." The rumbling grew more intense, and Cozy could hear the sound of wood cracking and splitting, but also what sounded like hammers banging against the walls from every direction. Her ears pressed in as she tried to block out the sounds of death and destruction, her heart pounding furiously but still not loudly enough to distract her.
And then the screams faded out, and the room began to gently rock back and forth. Cozy gingerly settled back onto the ground.
"Is it over?" She asked, glancing fearfully about and seeing the others in the room huddled together and praying.
"Yes," Flurry replied. "The wicked have found only death, as is right and proper." She turned to the others in the room and smiled. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the world. You may go outside safely again."
The ponies thanked her and eagerly tore down the boards blocking the front door. When they opened it, rainclouds greeted them as they found themselves standing on the deck of a wooden ark. They gasped at the sight of water in every direction, stretching out to the horizon even as more of the life-giving liquid fell from the heavens.
"The flood shall be upon this world for forty days and forty nights," Flurry proclaimed. "And then this land shall be yours once more, to tend to in a righteous way."
While the ponies gave the princess thanks and praise, Cozy spotted a small island in the distance, with a familiar tree at its center. "It's still there," she said, grinning. "And now the mountain is just an itty bitty island." Her wings spread out as she took to the air, making a beeline for her final destination.
She felt another presence in her tailwind a minute later. "It is nearly time for your journey to end," Flurry said, pulling up beside her. "You have learned much, and are almost ready to enter into my care once more."
Cozy rolled her eyes. "All I've learned is that you've got a bigger ego than any of the other princesses, and that's really saying something."
"And yet, you yourself said that a true princess wields her power rather than runs from it. Am I not what you desired? Am I not what you claimed was truly worthy of devotion?" There was a satisfaction in Flurry's voice that was devoid of any smugness. Even her smile was genuine and filled with earnestness, not mocking in the least.
Cozy hated that she appreciated that.
They arrived at the island as the sun rose, its rays shining down on them through a hole in the clouds. As Cozy approached, she saw that the tree was an apple tree, which looked unremarkable in every way except for the slight glow that its fruits possessed.
She landed in front of the tree and trotted cautiously towards it, in case there was some trap waiting to be sprung.
"You should not eat from it," Flurry warned. "The knowledge contained within will destroy you."
"If I eat this, will I be able to get out of here?" Cozy asked, and when Flurry didn't reply, she added. "Tell me the truth."
Flurry sighed. "Yes."
Cozy beamed. "Great, see you on the other side, then!" She walked up to the tree and plucked an apple from it, which came off easily from the branch. "This has been so much fun. Let's never do it again."
She bit down on the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Agony overwhelmed her.
The screams of millions consumed her mind as her body experienced a thousand afflictions. The feeling of her bones shattering as she fell from a great height. Her lungs filling with water as she gasped for breath, burning her with the icy grip of suffocation as her body cried out for oxygen. Every organ in her body being crushed until they burst. On and on it went, without reprieve.
She felt herself be impaled, crushed, struck, and drowned again and again, the pain blending together and yet each still unique and discernable. Overwhelming fear paralyzed her as her mouth opened in a silent scream.
Cozy could see visions flashing before her, though her mind could barely process them through the pain she felt. She could barely recognize the sight of mangled bodies in wreckages of trains, the blur of trees as she fell past them, and the sight of others falling in the same way.
Words, too, began to echo in her mind, complementing the sights she was forced to behold.
What's happening?
Help me!
Don't let go! Please, I can't lose you!
It hurts so much. Why does it hurt so much?
Please, no.
Someone save me!
It was too much, and yet Cozy's mind would not let her stop experiencing it, trapped her in a prison of sensation. There was even some joy in there, and small bursts of pleasure and happiness, but it was impossible to dwell on them for long.
An eternity passed, and Cozy dropped to her knees. The sensations finally ended, but the echoes of them remained in her memories, making her shudder as she wept freely.
"W-What was that?" she managed to say, her eyes focusing on the pretty pink pony in front of her. The sight of Flurry Heart anchored her to this world, kept herself from being sucked back into memories of that crucible that lapped at her skin and inflicted phantom pains upon her body.
"That is the knowledge of all the good and evil you have done," Flurry replied. "All the joy and misery you have created, the consequences of your actions that we protected you from. But you chose to turn away from us, and take on your own sins."
"I don't want them!" Cozy shouted, her hooves gripping her head as she tried to wrench it off. Anything to purge the thoughts screaming in her mind. "Take them back!"
"Very well." Flurry's horn glowed, and the mental anguish... stopped.
Cozy could still remember all that had happened when she'd eaten the fruit, but it was faded and separate, like a glass wall had been placed between her and the reality of what had happened. She shuddered to think of what it had felt like before that wall had been erected, but she couldn't bring herself to experience the full horrors of the past. She could only observe it in a detached way, like it was happening to another version of herself.
"Know that I am a merciful princess," Flurry decreed.
"I— I didn't mean to," Cozy gasped out, more to herself than to Flurry. "I just— I just wanted to have a chance against you and your crazy powers. A chance to be like you."
"And now you have that which you desired," Flurry replied.
Cozy's head tilted in confusion. "What?"
"When I chose to embrace destiny, in those forty days and forty nights, I took upon myself all the sins of the world. An act of ultimate devotion to everycreature." Serenity and grace overflowed from Flurry as she spoke, calming Cozy's fracturing mind and granting her a semblance of peace in her soul. "Such an act would not be possible for any mortal, as you can now attest."
"Why?" Cozy whispered hoarsely, horror and awe mixing in equal parts in her tone. "Why would you do that to yourself?"
And Flurry smiled. "Love. It was out of love that I gave myself, and devoted myself to serving all souls as their shepherd. And I have chosen you to be my first disciple, to unify your will with mine and experience the grace of devotion in a way that no other will ever achieve. As I said, you are the rock on which I will build a new world, free of sin."
The sun moved directly behind her, covering Flurry in a divine glow. She reached out a hoof towards Cozy. "Choose life and Light. Do not return to that darkness, for you now know that death awaits you."
For a moment, the wall in her mind faltered, and Cozy remembered the full horrors of her actions, her body convulsing as she was plunged into the inferno once again. And then she looked at Flurry, and those gentle, loving eyes restored the barrier and she knew what her answer would have to be.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, stepping forward and kissing Flurry's hoof. "I only ever wanted to believe in something, and... I'll believe in you, okay? Just, save me from... from..."
Flurry swept her up into a hug, and Cozy's heart slowed to a normal pace as peace finally filled her heart. "It is time for you to be reborn." She pointed towards a stream that cut through the island. "Let me wash away your sins."
Cozy nodded, silently stepping into the cool water. Flurry used her magic to pick up some of it and hover it over Cozy's head. "I warned you that you would die today," Flurry said. "For so long, you persecuted me, but now, that sinner is dead, and you are Cozy Glow, the first of my Apostles."
The water fell upon her head, and her memories receded further. All she knew was that Flurry was much more powerful than she could ever be, and much more deserving of devotion as well.
"So, what happens now?" Cozy asked. "What do you need me to do?"
"Now, it is time for you to leave this place." Flurry used her magic to pluck a branch from the tree and quickly sharpen it into a spear. "With my death, I shall free you." She floated the spear over to Cozy. "It is time for you to accept your destiny."
Cozy shook her head. "No, I can't." There was no way she could let Flurry die for her. "You're way more important than me. I'd rather be stuck here forever than kill you."
Flurry smiled. "You have learned, though there is still more for you to learn. For now, I shall grant you another mercy." She turned the spear on herself. "This is my blood, which will be given up for you."
"No!" Cozy leapt towards Flurry, but it was too late. Her mortal body was no match for an alicorn's speed and strength and spear plunged itself into her side.
Flurry let out a gasp as she collapsed into Cozy's hooves. Blood dripped from her fur onto Cozy's forelegs, but she didn't care. "I love you, Cozy Glow," Flurry murmured faintly. "Never forget that."
"Why?" Cozy asked, tears falling from her eyes. "You didn't have to do that."
The world around her began to rumble, the stars vanishing from the skies as the waters were sucked into a black void. Cozy watched the destruction of the world with sorrow in her heart, uncaring that that reality itself was falling apart.
Flurry's body vanished into nothingness, and the tree followed suit afterwards. The land, too, began to dissolve, and Cozy found herself once again floating within a firmament. She looked up, and there were only four lights left in the skies. "I loved her!" she screamed into the heavens. "How do I get her back? Tell me!" she demanded.
And then four lights became two, and then none, and the waters beneath her vanished as well.
And in the end, there was nothing.
Cozy floated, mourning the alicorn she had fallen in love with, whom she would have devoted herself entirely to. A being so much greater than herself that she was able to break her heart of stone, and give her back a heart of love alone, before dying for her sins.
Cozy wept.
And then there was Light.
And Cozy saw.
This time, she didn't turn away from the Light, and this time, though it was just as bright as when she'd first encountered it, it didn't blind her or burn her, and she could see right into its center, where a familiar equine form waited for her.
"Flurry!" Cozy pushed against the aether in order to move closer to her. "You're alive!" She looked even more beautiful than before, bathed in a light so holy that it defied the very notion of evil.
Flurry smiled. "You were blind, but now you see. Come, let us enter into my Kingdom, where I shall reign for ever and ever." She reached out and touched Cozy's hoof with her own, and though the light grew brighter, Cozy never looked away as she was consumed by Flurry's radiance.
The alicorn walked up to her, and Cozy's heart soared as she leaned down to press a single kiss on her cheek. "I love you," Cozy said.
Flurry nodded. "I love you as well, Cozy Glow. And with my love, all things are possible. My passing allowed me to have returned to the Light, and now I shall free you, so that you might devote yourself to me."
A final part of Cozy's mind balked at that statement, but she crushed it down. This was her destiny now. "Sure." She was free at last. She was happy at last.
Light filled the entire world, and Cozy fell.
It wasn't a long fall, and before she even registered that she was falling she felt strong, lithe forelegs cradling her. And then she looked up at bright teal eyes filled with so much love and power that her heart raced even as her mind found peace.
"You were the Light all along," Cozy said softly. "The one I didn't even know I was looking for. Fancy that, huh?" She smiled weakly.
"And you are my rock, Cozy Glow," Flurry Heart said. "And together we will teach this world the magic of Devotion. So shall it be."
