Back at the stable, I wake up to Diamond Tiara and Lorien standing halfway on my bed by my side. The only thing I can do here is stare.
“Are you okay, Cozy? Lorien woke me up because he noticed something was wrong.”
Lorien jumps up fully and starts purring as he lies on his stomach right in front of me.
“I… I don’t know…” A tingling roll of mane causes me to examine it with my hoof, finding evidence of salty water just below my ivory bow. Examining the pillow tells me a similar story with its casing. Was I crying in my sleep? I realize now, I was dreaming about the previous loop. “Huh… last time loop, I was having second thoughts about going through with our plan, but I did it anyway because I knew I couldn’t let the friendship problem go unsolved, but I also felt bad about going through with it.”
Diamond Tiara flashes a warm smile. “I understand. Sometimes there are some really tough decisions you have to make, and the result isn’t always what you’d like it to be, and it can even be disastrous. Hopefully my role will go smoothly like yours did though. You look like you could use some time alone with Lorien anyway.”
“Thanks. And I hope that goes well too… your time with Atomic and Timeless that is.”
So, Diamond leaves me in the stable with Lorien, heading towards the convention building. Unfortunately the same feedback announcement on the siren from before scares him as he jumps down and hides under the bed.
Kind of feels lonely going through the corridor without Cozy Glow and Lorien. But she’s been through quite a bit. I should seriously let the loneliness just slide for now. I only need to talk to Atomic and Timeless.
In front of the Q&A panel hall, the adjacent entrance to the outside opens, revealing Atomic and Timeless to the right with restless expressions, the former more distraught. The latter is the first to enter.
“Diamond Tiara…” Timeless pauses. “W-we need to talk.”
Backstage, Atomic lays his head between his hooves at the desk in the corner while Timeless and I are met where the two curtains to backstage meet.
“Okay,” she starts. “Would you care to explain to me why Atomic here is so delusional?”
“Sure thing. Cozy Glow essentially bonded with you enough to receive Atomic’s hat in order to reset the time loop herself and take Atomic with us so that we could solve a friendship problem the map sent me and Cozy on.”
Timeless stops silent momentarily to process what I just said. “What?”
“What did Atomic say happened?” I ask.
“Well, he said he was hanging out with you and Lorien - whoever that is - in the vendor hall when Cozy used his hat. He thought he was in a nightmare!”
“He really wasn’t alone on that one. I thought the same thing at first when I woke up when Cozy and I looped the first time… but it was real.”
Timeless is left even more confused. “Looped the… first time? What is this? Beaver Day?”
“Since Cozy and I were here, Atomic took us back to the beginning of the day twice, both times because Lorien, Cozy’s fox, stole his hat. We thought we could provide some unique perspective for Atomic, but maybe Cozy’s conscience was right.”
As I explain further, I push the curtain closer to me out with my hoof, but releases it when Timeless pulls me back with her magic with a serious but compassionate expression on her face.
“Hey now… nopony should be thinking like that. You and Cozy did what you had to do, Diamond Tiara. And don’t let the here and now distract you from that fact. Now that I know the truth, why don’t I go talk to Atomic and you can lead us to your stable.”
Timeless walks away from me, over to her and Atomic’s desk.
“Okay, I got the full explanation,” Timeless says to Atomic, making him look at her. Her expression progressively sours as she goes on. “However, Diamond Tiara says you used that artifact on her… and Cozy. Were you going to do that again even though Cozy tried to stop you and got racked with guilt as a result? Because if we’re to believe Diamond, and I do believe her, we have a little filly in the nearby stable to apologize to in addition to her!”
Atomic looks Timeless in the eyes. “But I didn’t do anything to them.”
“No, but the you from previous loops did,” she retorts, holding up the hat in a way that faces the artifact away from them. “But why? Why would you send little fillies through a time loop like that?”
“Why would I immediately answer questions you wouldn’t feel comfortable answering?” Atomic’s response puzzles Timeless. “Honestly, who would ship children?”
“So… that was for both of us?” He nods at her question. “Atomic, it’s not that I’m not comfortable with the seedier parts of Q&A - my discomfort is not a factor in your actions; if the question’s for you, go ahead and answer, but when our audience needs reining in, I can handle that.”
Timeless detaches the artifact from the hat and crushes it with her magic before throwing it away. As she walks back to me, Atomic sighs and joins her. “Okay. Thanks for letting me know, Timeless. Now let’s head on over to the stable to talk to Cozy Glow. Lead the way, Diamond.”
While I wait for Diamond Tiara, Lorien and I run around the stable and play, me laughing as he, at one point, chases a toy I hold that Aita put in my saddlebag from before I left. Compared to when Lorien wanted me to focus on the friendship mission, his play bites are actually perfectly harmless. Multiple times he catches my hoof and I don’t even flinch.
After approximately an hour, we hear a knock on the door during one of Lorien’s play bites, so he promptly lets go for me to answer. I fly up to open it, allowing him to sniff our visitors, who turn out to be Diamond, Atomic and Timeless.
“Oh! Diamond! You’re back with Atomic and Timeless!” I exclaim in surprise.
Timeless nods. “Yep, and I believe somepony has something to say to you.”
“Um Cozy?” Atomic starts as he approaches me as I face him. “I just wanted to apologize for you and Diamond Tiara’s experience here. I know I don’t remember the previous versions of today, but Timeless told me the loop before was the result of my actions, so regardless of my memory, I’m sorry.”
Diamond Tiara walks up to me with a confident smirk. “See? It all worked out in the end… and you thought we would hit a snag.”
I hug Diamond and look Atomic and Timeless’ way. “Thank you all. I guess my conscience was really impacted by the thought of my actions from my nightmare, and that plan hit too close to home for me. At least all my friends are safe.” When I let go, I hover over to my saddlebag and put it on. “Now how about we all get some breakfast: on me.”
When I land though, Lorien stops me before we can leave. “What is it?” As I look at him, I notice my glowing cutie mark. Looking to Diamond Tiara reveals hers is glowing too. “Yay!!! We completed the friendship mission!!!” I cheer with my hoof in the air, much in the same way I faked in my nightmare, specifically when Twilight and her friends returned from Tartarus.
I fly right past Diamond, Timeless and Atomic, racing to the vendor hall in the convention center, and they all chase after me, including Lorien.
“Cozy! Wait up!” Diamond Tiara calls out.
In the vendor hall, I buy us a griffonscone each, except for Lorien, who I buy fruit for instead. When the vendor gives us the wrapped griffonscones, Timeless floats hers and Atomic’s to them while I give one to Diamond Tiara. Me and Diamond’s cutie marks are still glowing.
Timeless is the first to talk as we head back to her and Atomic’s panel hall. “So, do you two plan on staying the entire convention?”
I shake my head. “While I could stay, Diamond Tiara still has school to attend. At least that’s what I remember.” Diamond confirms with a nod. “Here’s hoping your panel goes well this time though.”
Lorien comes up to my saddlebag and sniffs for the fruit, so I take out a slice of apple and give it to him.
“Glad to hear that,” says Atomic. “Thanks for your help, girls. There’s no telling what I would’ve done if the map never sent you.”
“Oh, you’ll find out eventually,” I reassure him. “I know I did with me.”
Timeless looks to me with a mild beam. “So, would you like to stay for today at least? We could improvise you onto the stage if you’d like. And I do have something to send you to reward your solution to our problem.”
Back home that night, Lorien watches as I greet Aita and Chrysalis with a hug at the foot of one of the foyer stairways.
“So how was Space Con?” Aita asks me.
“It was great! I got to partake in the Q&A panel with Atomic and Timeless!”
Just as Chrysalis and Aita drop their jaws in response, Muffins drops by through a nearby window, stumbling forward slightly, but otherwise sticks her landing.
“Greetings, Muffins!” Chrysalis greets while Muffins takes out a package out of her saddlebag with her mouth, Lorien meanwhile coming up and laughing after sniffing her. “What do you have for us today?”
Aita tries to take the package in her magic, but Muffins doesn’t let go, shaking her head and walking up to me.
“For me?” Muffins nods to me. I take the package and perfectly pull a strip of it off to reveal a book, allowing her to fly off. “Shadow Spade and the Collar Caper?”
Aita comes by my side and turns over the front cover; there’s a note on its back.
Dear Cozy Glow,
This novel’s been in development since you became organizer. We don’t normally give out early copies save for reviewing purposes, but because you and Diamond Tiara helped us understand each other more, we’ve sent a freshly completed copy for each of you. It was also neat to see Lorien tagging along; he really is a good royal fox, isn’t he?
Tell your friends and family we said hi. Someday, we will visit Ponyville and see them in the flesh. For now though, just remember us by this note on your copy of Shadow Spade and the Collar Caper. We hope you love the story.
Yours truly, from the authors of this novel,
Timeless Tale & Atomic Archive.
After I silently read the note with Timeless’ voice in my head, I close the book with my muzzle and hold it in my chest while my eyes begin to water with joy. “Thank you, Timeless, Atomic.” Lorien sits beside me and leans on my side.
“I guess you were spot-on when you said conventions here were nothing like where I come from,” Aita remarks. “I might actually open up if that keeps hap-”
Chrysalis shushes her. “Let Cozy have this moment.” She comes up and we hug. “I look forward to meeting those authors. They sound like wonderful ponies we could easily befriend.”
Lorien wags his tail while facing Chrysalis, giving me the impression his sentiment was the same was mine: she has no idea.
“So Cozy, wanna give the novel a read?” asks Aita.
“Of course! And there’s no better way to experience my first read of this series than with my best friends! Come on! Let’s go to the library!”
So with that, Chrysalis, Aita, Lorien and I make our way upstairs toward the library.