Hope for the Holidays Part 2

Tirek, Cozy Glow and Amadeus made their way through the snow-covered land away from what was once Centauria. Once they were optimistic, the trio had been reduced to a sobbing mess.

“This…this isn’t fair,” Cozy Glow cried. “This is the second time that I lost parents in my lifetime. Why do I have to suffer?”

“Not just our folks,” Amadeus said. “Everyone in Centauria is gone. Our mother, father, every member of the Centaurian guard, every servant, every commoner, and all of our friends.”

“And unless we find a place to hide out, the same will happen to us,” Tirek said. “But it feels like this could go on forever.”

“How is it that we escaped from that disaster and everyone else was left behind?” Cozy Glow shouted as she kicked snow in frustration.

“Cozy, take it easy,” Amadeus said, grabbing Cozy Glow. “We still got each other.”

“Yeah, but for how long?” Cozy Glow said, struggling to break free from Amadeus’ grip.

“Scorpan has a point,” Tirek said, stomping the ground and getting Cozy Glow and Amadeus’ attention. “We may no longer have the people of Centauria, nor our city. But what we have is each other, and that’s what matters the most.”

Cozy Glow let out a sigh as Amadeus released his grip on the little filly.

“Okay okay,” Cozy Glow said. “But we still need to find a place to camp out.”

“That you have a point on,” Tirek said. “And unless we do so, we could end up buried in a snowstorm, or worse.”

“Which does remind me of,” Amadeus said before pointing to a mountain to his left. “What about that place?”

Tirek and Cozy Glow turned to their left to see the mountain stand tall over them and Amadeus. Looking up at the mountain, Tirek was quick to notice a small cave near the peak.

“Good eye, Scorpan,” Tirek said. “That will be the place to make camp for the time being. Come. Let’s go.”

With his wings spread out, Amadeus flew upwards towards the mountain with Cozy Glow flying from behind. Tirek wasted no time sprinting towards the mountains as fast as possible, keeping his eyes on the cliff at the bottom of the hills.

“We may have lost everyone we knew,” Tirek said to himself. “But there is no way we’re going to die like this.”

Up above, Cozy Glow and Amadeus flew by each other, heading upwards towards the mountain.

“I’ll race you, brother,” Cozy Glow said before she took off in a burst of speed.

“Oh it is on,” Amadeus shouted before he flew after Cozy Glow.

Amadeus chased after Cozy Glow as he flew up to the top of the mountain, flapping his wings as hard as possible. But down below, Tirek reached the foot of the mountain and looked up at his two siblings.

“So you two want to play, huh?” Tirek laughed. “Well three can play that game.”

WIth a mighty leap, Tirek made his way up the mountain, going up cliff after cliff, reaching higher and higher towards the top after Cozy Glow and Amadeus.

Near the top, Cozy Glow and Amadeus raced each other towards the cave on the summit, flying as fast as possible. Neither side looked like they were about to tire.

“Your large wings won’t be able to get past me,” Cozy Glow taunted. “I’m smaller and I’m lighter. Henceforth, I’m faster than you.”

“Oh yeah?” Amadeus said. “Well my wings will class your tiny fairy wings. Bring it on.”

Amadeus let loose a powerful flap of his wings, sending a gust that knocked Cozy Glow tumbling back for a bit. The filly pegasi shook her head before she glared at Amadeus.

“Oh it…is…ON!” Cozy Glow said as her tiny wings flapped as fast as possible.

Cozy Glow flapped her tiny wings as fast as she could before she flew after Amaedus, who ascended up the mountain towards the summit.

As Amadeus flew upwards as fast as possible, Cozy Glow zoomed past him, causing her adopted brother to tumble back before pausing in mid-air. He looked up at the little pegasi filly with steam pouring from his nose.

“Oh no you don't,” Amadeus said.

Amadeus flew after Cozy Glow in a hurry, hoping to catch up to the little pony filly. But up ahead, Cozy Glow flew up towards the summit as fast as she could.

“I'm gonna make it up there,” Cozy Glow thought to herself. “I'm actually gonna win.”

But as Cozy Glow was inches to the summit, a loud crash formed in front of her, catching her off guard. Cozy Glow lost control and crashed head first into the snow. Cozy Glow shook her legs for a moment before pulling herself out. She shook the snow off her head before her face turned red.

“OKAY!” Cozy Glow shouted. “WHO'S THE WISE GUY WHO ONE-UPED ME?”

“I AM! AND I WON!” The booming voice of a familiar centaur caught Cozy Glow’s attention. She looked up to see Tirek standing over her.

“No fair,” Cozy Glow shouted. “You don’t have wings. How did you get up there that fast?”

“Superior leg strength,” Tirek bragged.

As Cozy Glow pouted in anger, Amadeus flew up from behind and landed next to the pegasi filly. He looked up at Tirek and let out a slight sigh before kneeling down.

“You win,” a discouraged Amadeus said. “But next time, I’ll have to fly even faster.”

“Don’t worry about it, brother,” Tirek said. “As long as we have each other, we’ll get through this hard time.”

Cozy Glow and Amadeus picked themselves up and followed Tirek towards the cave that now lay in front of the trio.

As they stepped inside, they noticed numerous treasures that surrounded the cave. Not just gold and jewels, but also paintings, artifacts, and various knick knacks from around the world.

“What a beautiful place,” Amadeus said. “Who do you think owned this place?”

“The one whose name I made as your nickname,” Tirek said. “Scorpan the Wise.”

“Who was this Scorpan the Wise?” Cozy Glow asked.

“One of the many legends who aided a human girl named Megan Williams,” Tirek explained. “Some say he, along with Gusty the Great, were responsible for bringing down great evils like Grogar of Tambelon, the evil witch of Mount Gloom Hydia, and Lavan, King of the Underworld. He was also amongst the great heroes of Earth who helped the Autobots and Decepticons bring the traitor Sentinel Prime to justice, ending the Cybertronian War.

“And he made all of that fortune from his legacy,” Amadeus said. “This guy must have had a wonderful life.”

“He did,” Tirek said. “And he made his home on this mountain, observing the ponies of New Ponyville build their new home.”

“Whatever happened to this…Scorpan the Wise?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Gone,” Tirek said. “Scorpan passed away long before I was born into this world. His will stated that everything he possessed should go to the ponies of New Ponyville.”

“And yet they never took it at all,” Amadeus said. “What were they thinking, leaving all of this to sit atop the mountain?”

“Perhaps they didn’t know about it,” Cozy Glow said.

“That might be true,” Tirek said, turning his attention to the other side of the cavern. “Which does make me wonder if they still care about this treasure.”

“Are you really sure about that?” Amadeus asked.

“I am,” Tirek responded. “Now follow me. There’s an exit on the other side of this cave.”

Tirek made his way down through the cavern towards the light at the end. Cozy Glow and Amadeus looked at each other before following the centaur down the same path.

At the far end of the cave, the trio stepped outside on a fresh patch of snow. They looked around to see a beautiful horizon from afar, even in the dead middle of night. To their left was a field of snow that extended to another mountain range in the distance. To the right, a beautiful ocean that the moon reflected its light upon.

“This place looks more like home than a mere camp,” Amadeus said. “And the sight is gorgeous.”

“It is, isn’t it,” Tirek said. “It’s not like Centauria. But it’s the perfect place to stay.”

“I could stare at that moon all night and my problems all melt away,” Cozy Glow said.

“Well that’s just like you, sister,” Tirek said as he playfully rubbed Cozy Glow on her mane.

“Hey, knock it off,” Cozy Glow giggled before Tirek lifted his hand from her head.

As Cozy Glow rubbed her mane back to her style, her eyes quickly caught the sights of a town that bordered on the ocean.

“Hey,” Cozy Glow said, pointing to the town. “What is that?”

“From what father told us, that’s supposed to be New Ponyville,” Tirek explained. “We barely get any ponies traveling from there to Centauria, well except for you.”

“I’ve never been to New Ponyville,” Amadeus said. “It was mostly Centauria or the surrounding forests and mountain ranges.”

“That’s because they’re mostly afraid of us, be it centaur or human,” Tirek said. “And that’s even despite the fact that one of their leaders is a human.”

“Well that’s a shame,” Cozy Glow said as she began to yawn. “I’d like to see more ponies up close and personal.”

“Now isn’t the time,” Tirek said as he picked up Cozy Glow. “It’s been a long night, and you really need to get some sleep.”

“But I’m not sleepy,” Cozy Glow yawned before she fell asleep.

As Cozy Glow napped in Tirek’s arms, the centaur took her back into the cave with a yawning Amadeus following from behind.

“We’ll figure this out in the morning, brother,” Amadeus said. “I’m getting tired as well.”

“We’ll also have to plan to hunt for food from here on out,” Tirek said. “But for now, get some rest. You’ll need it for the morning ahead.”

WIth that, Tirek carried the sleeping Cozy Glow into the cave with Amadeus following behind, just as a snowstorm picked up from outside.

The next morning, the sky was clear and the sun shone down on the mountain cave. Inside, Tirek, Amadeus and Cozy Glow slept next to each other on a pile of hay. Despite Tirek’s snoring, all three looked peaceful and calm, until Cozy Glow slowly opened her eyes up. She stretched her limbs out and yawned at the same time before getting up and shaking her head.

“What a dream,” Cozy Glow said to herself. “It was like I was seeing my own mommy and daddy again.”

Cozy Glow leaped off the hay pile and landed her hooves on the hard dirt ground. As she made her way to the far east end of the cave, Tirek and Amadeus's eyes slowly began to open.

Outside, Cozy Glow trotted her way out from the dirt into the snow. Her eyes were fixated on the town of New Ponyville, now shining like a beacon in the daylight.

“What a beautiful place,” Cozy Glow said. “If mom and dad saw this town, they would be in awe at its beauty.”

But her eyes were quick to notice not just the castle, but also an airstrip with a number of mechanical airships parked on it.

“Sounds like they’re doing something special,” Cozy Glow said. “I wonder what that’s all about?”

“Still have your sights on that place, sister?” Cozy Glow turned around to the cavern entrance to see Tirek and Amadeus emerged.

“Yeah,” Cozy Glow said. “Maybe that would be a better place to live in compared to this cave.”

“Are you sure, Cozy?” Amadeus asked. “The moment those ponies lay eyes on us, they will scream in terror and run for their lives, calling us horrible names like monster or tyrant.”

“Scorpan's got a point,” Tirek said. “We look more like carnivores than herbivores.”

“Oh come on,” Cozy Glow said. “I'm a pony like them. They won't see me as a monster or tyrant.”

“I don’t know,” Amadeus said. “You may be the same species as them, but I doubt they’ll accept an outsider.”

“Actually, she may have a point,” Tirek explained, looking down at Cozy Glow. “Cozy Glow is the only pony who’s been a part of the centaurs since mother adopted her. Perhaps she should interact with the ponies of this New Ponyville.”

“Are you sure about that, brother?” Amadeus asked.

“I am,” Tirek said before kneeling down to Cozy Glow’s level. “I want to know more about these New Ponyville citizens to see if they are friend or foe. And I know they will treat you like you were one of them.”

“Really?” Cozy Glow said, her wings flapping as fast as possible. “Oh I can’t wait, big brother.”

“But before you go down there, I think you’ll need something for the journey,” Tirek said, pulling out what appears to be a small sack that jingled. “I pulled some of the gold from that cave. It should be enough in case you need to pick up supplies.”

“Oh thank you thank you,” Cozy Glow said as she accepted the bag of gold coins. “I promise to keep this bag safe.”

“Now go, you little silly,” Tirek laughed. “You don’t have all day.”

“Oh, right,” Cozy Glow said with her face flushed red with embarrassment. “I best be leaving.”

Cozy Glow held onto the bag of gold as tight as she could before she turned around and flew off down the mountain towards the village of New Ponyville, leaving Tirek and a worried Amadeus behind.

“Are you really sure about leaving Cozy Glow with that much gold?” Amadeus said. “I’m more worried that a stranger would try to rob out little sister of it.”

“She’ll be fine,” Tirek said. “If I know how ponies act, they do so with no ill will towards each other. Now we better grab some weapons and hunt for our food.”

“Right,” Amadeus said. “Lead the way, brother.”

Tirek made his way back into the cave with Amadeus following from behind. The two brothers walked down the path past their pile of hay, the gold, and various other artifacts. But Amadeus quickly paused before turning to his right, noticing a staff in the shape of a twig with a crystal lodged on top of it.

“What an interesting looking staff,” Amadeus said. “Yet, for some reason, I feel like I’ve seen this before. The…Staff of Sacanas?”

As Amadeus slowly reached his hand towards the staff, he heard Tirek yell out “Brother. Come here and select your weapon.”

“Coming, Tirek,” Amadeus yelled.

As Amadeus pulled his hand away, he walked down the hallway, with his eyes barely on the staff.

“How exactly do I know what this staff is?” Amadeus thought to himself. “This is a lot weirder than I thought. And yet, there’s a part of me that thinks ‘I’ve been here before.’ Something is definitely odd.”

To Be Continued

Author's Note

Originally, I was going to make this apart of Part 1, but I decided to put this in its own part to establish where Tirek, Amadeus and Cozy Glow's base is. Apologies for being a shorter party compared to Part 1.

The next part is where our other protagonist: Sunny Starscout, will show up.