I timidly float over towards the red beanbag chair, just to the side of Cozy, and across the table from the zebra… I slow my flapping, as I go over that chair, and gently land, to feel the cloth covering on my hind legs and hooves, before I use my forehooves to position them, so I sit cross-legged, like Zecora!

Cozy continues to have her butt and hind legs parked on the blue beanbag chair, just to the right of it, and I face the smiling old shaman, as she stares at us both with loving yellow eyes and her earrings glint a golden glow from the sunlight, coming out of the window… *

“Now that you are no longer one, I can tell you apart, under the sun!”

I turn to her and say, “You’re Cozy Glow!”

She turns to me and says, “And you’re Ophelia!”

I still don’t know how to approach this? “I have no idea how to talk to you!” And I also can’t believe I actually admitted that!

She frowns, “Yeah, it’s like, you’re me, but not me, you know?” before her mouth straightens. “I still can’t believe you smoke dope, now!”

I roll my eyes, “Oh, please! Like you never had any bad habits!”

She widens her eyes, “Okay, granted! But you’re smoking devil weed!”

“And sometimes poison joke!”

She nods, “Yeah! That shit! I can’t believe you!”

“You did try to kill ponies and take over Equestria, remember?”

She blinks with a start… And finally says, “Okay, point taken! Blaze away!”

Then, Zecora finally decides to speak, “Had I not known you were both from the same filly, I’d just think you twins, acting silly! You’re sharing of past sins, as entertaining as it is!”

Yay! I get to smoke dope! Wait a minute? “Uh, so what now, Zecora?”

She nods, “Now, I shall give you a choice! A decision for you two to make! Do you wish to be as one, once more, or stay as two for your sake?”

I frown, “You think it would be healthier if we stayed separate, huh?”

Cozy says, “Golly!” while gazing at the zebra.

She closes her eyes and nods, “Mhm! For you two to have distinction, a little separation is preferable to extinction!”

At that point, time stopped for me, while the other filly grew flustered, “Golly dammit! Why is it that EVERYPONY suddenly knows about my suicide attempt, when there was nopony around, when I actually did it?”

Zecora turns to Cozy, and as her Mohawk turns, says, “You attempted to end your life? Not surprising, as you cannot get along, without strife!”

I point at Cozy with my left hoof, “I was getting along just fine with Cozy, last night!”

Cozy still stares at Zecora, and pouts, “Yeah! We were talking and junk!”

Zecora remains calm and nods, as if she had expected this sort of response from the us. "Indeed, it is true that you have found moments of peace, between the hours of midnight and noon. But can you maintain this unity, in the face of your past mistakes, so soon?"

Cozy lowers her head and looks down at the floor, clearly uncomfortable with the mention of her past actions.

I note this in my periphery, while keeping my gaze at Zecora, “You know, I’m still not even sure how long I was actually frozen in stone for?”

She turns to me, and matter-of-factly states, “Twenty-seven years… “**

I widen my eyes, “Golly!”

Cozy stares at Zecora, “So, wait! Everypony I knew is all old, now!”

The shaman’s eyes widen, “Well, twenty-seven years will change a pony quite a bit, this is true! But there doesn’t appear to be much age, on you!”

Cozy blinks, and scowls, “Well, duh! Of course, I didn’t age! I was trapped in stone! Ugh!” and closes her eyes, while cringing in frustration.

But I see the wisdom in Zecora’s words and turn to say, “No, Cozy! Don’t you see? We’re still pretty young! We got our whole lives ahead of us! That’s the one good thing of being trapped in stone!”

She stares at me, “And there’s two of us, now!”

She turns to me, “Well, I guess that’s true?”

I gaze at her carefully, and consider just who she is… “Cozy, does this mean, you’re gonna try to manipulate me?”

She frowns at me, “Doubt it would work, really? I mean, you were the good parts, after all!”

I frown, “What do you mean?”

She sighs, “Well, I thought you were the good parts of the pink filly we were both in, so I kinda tried to kill you earlier!”

My eyes widen, “But that didn’t work, did it?”

She stares up at me, “No, not really! So then, I tried to kill myself!” ***

“But that also failed!”

She narrows her eyes at me, as her mouth grows small, “Well, duh!”

“Wait! That doesn’t make any sense! You went down the waterfall, before I did!”

Cozy nods, “Well, yeah! But do you honestly believe that was the first time I tried to kill myself?”

I frown, “So, you’ve been trying to off yourself, all this time?”

She smiles, “Well, a couple of times!”

Zecora finally interjects, “But that was when you were one, but now that you are two, you can have more fun!”

I turn to her, “Yeah, now we’re separate fillies!”

Zecora smiles and nods, “Yes, you are now two! But you can go back to a single filly, if it does not suite you!”

Cozy asks her, “Does this mean we can join as one, or split, whenever we want?”

I add, “That would be cool!”

Zecora turns to face her, and smiles, “Not quite, little one! If you go back, it’s permanent, and not just for fun!”

I turn to Cozy, “So we’re separate, unless we decide to become one again, but if we do, that’s permanent!”

Her brown eyes widen, “Golly!”

I frown, “Since you’re no longer in this body, I’m gonna go smoke a joint, now!”

Her eyes widen, “Wait! Which one of us has the voice?”

My own gaze enlarges, “You mean, Rowan?”

“Yeah, I mean, does he just talk to both of us now, or is there separate Rowans?”

Suddenly, I hear a familiar unisex voice in my head, I can hear you, you know! And actually, ever since Sombra created me, I can go to certain heads and talk to them! Since Cozy Glow is from you, I can talk to her, as well!

I frown, “Wait! Sombra created you?”

Cozy widens her eyes, “What? Sombra? Who are you talking to?”

Yes, I was free, after Sombra was banished, and I saw how persuasive Cozy Glow was at the orphanage, and decided to speak with her, and get her to take over Equestria!

“What made you think Cozy Glow could do it, though?”

Cozy furrows her brow, and says sharply, “I’m right here, you know!”

I lift my right hoof, “No, it’s Rowan! Sombra created them to try to take over Equestria! They found us at the orphanage, and thought they could use us!”

And I would’ve have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those meddling ponies!

Cozy’s eyes widen, “Golly!”

Zecora interjects, “Forgive me for being so bold, but I believe you’re talking about something I was never told?”

I stare at the old shaman, and time stops…

Do I tell her about Rowan?

Will she think I’m insane?

I say, “When me and Cozy were one, a voice tried to get us to take over Equestria, using the power of manipulation!”

Cozy stares at her and adds, “Yeah, and this filly over here named the voice Rowan!”

The zebra frowns, “But now you are no longer under their control, and can do as you please, but they are yet free?”

I blink, and nod, “Um, y-yeah! We can both hear Rowan! I uh, I think?”

Cozy blinks, “How would I know?”

Zecora nods and smiles, “Know this, young fillies! Through no force of arms, could a voice ever make you do as they say! As such, just follow your own moral compass, to light the way!”

I smile at the wise old shaman, “Of course! It doesn’t matter what they say! Only what we do!”

Cozy stares at me, “That’s another good point! Rowan never made me do those things! I uh, golly, I’m really sorry about that!” before widening her eyes… She frowns, “Wait… I uh, I did those things, huh? I tried to kill Fluttershy!”

I smile at the nervous pink filly, “Cozy Glow, it’s okay now… You’re here with me, and you’re safe… “ and then, I lean towards her to do the unthinkable… I hug her! I whisper in her ear, “It’s okay, Cozy… I’m here for you! You’re not alone!”

Cozy half-smiles as she begins to giggle, before gently raising her hooves about halfway up my body to return the hug… “My magical twin sister!”

Zecora speaks up, “I shall begin preparing Cozy’s room, quickly, and she shall have a desk, table, and chair, with bed, so she won’t be cold and sickly!”

I release the other filly and turn to widen my eyes at the zebra, “You know, this shack is a lot bigger than it looks!”

<*****>

I finally get to taste precious weed on my tongue, as I inhale from the joint, held in the cleft of my right hoof…

Suddenly, I feel it wash over me, and my shoulders fall, as my body begins to relax…

I narrow my eyes in satisfaction, before bringing the joint to the glass ashtray on my right, and flicking to release the excess…

Golly, shit! I have a sister now! I think to myself, before bringing the joint to my lips, once more, for another drag…

She better not stress me out! I think to myself, while tasting weed go down my throat…

Suddenly, there’s a knock on my door!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

I take out the stoge, exhale smoke, and look at the door to say, “Yes, Zecora?”

I hear a feminine squeaky voice on the other side say, “I-it’s me, Ophelia! Can I come in, please?”

I widen my eyes! What the? “Uh, come on in, Cozy!” I say, before taking another hit…

Stupid filly, interrupting my smoke time!

The door opens, and I see a somber young pink filly trot in, with sunken eyes, a deep frown on her face, and a shake in her voice, as she humbly asks me, “Um, Ophelia? C-could you please sleep in my room tonight, with me? I’m scared… “

You know, I really did not see that coming! I smile, “Why don’t you stay in here, with me, Cozy? You might feel safer?”

She frowns, “In the room that smells like devil weed?”

I smile like a maniac, and nod, “Yup!” before staring at her, while taking another drag…

“Ugh!” She cringes, and rolls her eyes, before bringing them to me, “FINE! We’ll stay in the dope room!”

Yay! I won!

Uh, what did I just say?

(To be continued… )

Author's Note

*If Cozy were to cross her left hind hoof, over her left, and stick her tongue out her mouth, she would be sitting in the Lion’s Breath pose, that I do for my throat chakra sometimes, in yoga… Aka Simhasana.

**There’s a reason I chose twenty-seven years… I call it the “10,000 day curse” in my head…

***These are actual confessions by me, in a way.