Flurry could do nothing but stand still and stare at Melody. Twilight and the teachers did not appear surprised and had clearly already been told this news. Several questions flooded Flurry’s mind. Where was the father? Was Cozy left at the orphanage for a good reason? And why did Melody wait all these years to speak up? Surely there must have been something going on in Melody’s life for her to leave her own daughter. Flurry just stood and nodded her head back and forth. It was difficult for her to say anything without stuttering.
“Melody, I…I don’t understand. Why did you wait all this time? Why did you leave her at that orphanage?”
Melody closed her eyes and waited a few seconds before explaining everything to the young princess.
“This isn’t easy to tell you. You see, Flurry, I was very young and naïve when I had my daughter. Her father could not deal with taking care of a family and left me. I tried the best I could to take care of my daughter, but I was not financially there. I struggled to pay anyone to watch after her while I worked a full-time job to keep us afloat. It got to a point where I couldn’t even afford to feed her. I was afraid she would be malnourished and sick, so I did the only thing I could think of at the time: I left her at the orphanage when she was past her nursing stage. It was stupid, but it felt like the only option for my daughter to survive. Not a day goes by that I regret doing it. I never wanted to let her go, and I can say with utmost certainty that I never would have if I knew all this could happen.”
Melody started blubbering as she finished speaking and needed to stop for a moment. After taking time to release her emotions, she sniffled and looked back up to continue.
“I eventually managed to land a better job and moved away from that area, and when I came back years later to check on her, the orphanage was shut down so I assumed she was with a good family. Now as for why I didn’t say anything all these years: let’s just say things lined up rather inconveniently. When I heard about this young girl named Cozy Glow that tried to take all the magic from Equestria, I had no idea it was my daughter. Her photo in the paper didn’t help one bit. It was black and white, and she didn’t have her cutie mark or the name Cozy Glow when she was with me.”
“So this Half Note that you mention in your album…that’s her?”
“Yes. Her real name is Half Note. She doesn’t even remember her name. I saw a colored photo of her later on as a statue, which still didn’t give away the answer since she was all grey. It wasn’t until I saw a picture of her in color that it hit me that this could be my daughter. I knew right away it was her when her claim about the orphanage went public recently. I had already finished my album with her lullaby, so I figured I needed to come clean with all of this. I was going to announce to everyone that I was her mother this morning at my first concert in Canterlot, but the Sorceress’s attack changed everything. I came right to Princess Twilight after I found out she is the Sorceress. I still can’t believe that’s her. My own baby daughter is wallowing in abandonment and bitterness over what I’ve done.”
Melody started crying again as Twilight put her wing around her. Flurry then noticed her cutie mark was blinking.
“The map called her, didn’t it?” she asked the teachers.
“She has to be the one to confront the Sorceress,” Gallus told Cozy.
“We were going to try taking on the Sorceress with the Elements, but the Spirit of Harmony told us we’ve got to find her mother in Canterlot,” Ocellus explained.
Flurry then turned back to Melody and waited till she had finished blowing her nose into a tissue one of the guards provided.
“Melody, I know you feel this is all your fault, but I can tell your heart was in the right place. I forgive you,” Flurry said with a smile on her face.
Melody wiped her tears and smiled back.
“Thank you,” she said as she gave Flurry a hug.
“We have to get you to her,” Twilight told Melody. “There’s got to be some way to get the Sorceress over here.”
“Has the Sorceress taken every parent in Canterlot?” Flurry asked.
“Thankfully she hasn’t,” said Twilight. “They’re hiding in the crystal caves right now, but I’m not using them as bait. We can’t afford to let more children become orphans. There has to be a better way to attract the Sorceress.”
“Leave that to me, Twilight,” said a familiar voice.
Everyone turned to see Discord walking in with Tirek behind him. Melody looked surprised since she wasn’t used to seeing the centaur prince on their side, but she knew right away why he was here.
“Sorry I disappeared earlier,” Discord continued. “I gave it some thought and I decided I couldn’t sit this one out any longer. I thought Tirek might want to tag along.”
“I never said it before, but I think Cozy really considered me and Chrysalis to be her parents for a while,” Tirek explained. “After everything Scorpan did for me, I felt I should be here for Cozy.”
“Thank you for joining in, Tirek,” Twilight told him. “We’re going to need all the help we can get. If one of you could maybe follow her around out there and engage her, see if you can teleport her to Canterlot.”
“If we do bring her here, she will most likely try to get the parents that are in hiding. We have to be careful,” Tirek warned.
“It’s all right. We’ll be ready for her,” Discord added.
“All of us will be,” said Silverstream as her friends all surrounded her with determined faces and the Elements still around their necks.
“Also, once she does get here, I have an idea,” Flurry said, turning back to the forlorn pegasus mother. “Melody, would you mind if we sang Always Love You? I think it will work once Cozy hears the real song. She already seems to remember the tune a little.”
“That sounds like a great idea, Flurry,” Melody said. “I can get some sheet music printed and sent to everyone in Canterlot. If she remembers some of the tune to the song, hearing the rest of it might be just what she needs.”
Elsewhere in the countryside, national guardponies were walking around telling ponies to stay indoors. The Sorceress had been spotted in another town miles away and the entire region was on high alert. Inside a nearby cottage, a mother unicorn looked out behind the curtains of her bedroom window. She had her children in the same room as her but figured it would be best for them to be separated so the Sorceress could not tell there were parents nearby.
“Kids, listen, your father and I will be fine if we keep apart. Go down to the cellar and stay there until I say to come back up,” she told her three daughters.
“But Mom, it’s you and Dad she wants,” said the oldest daughter.
The tension in the room rose when they all heard a scream from the house next door.
“GO! GO NOW!” the mother shouted as all three of them rushed downstairs.
She then walked over to her bed and looked underneath to check on her husband who had decided to hide in order to fool the Sorceress should she arrive.
“Are you alright down there, Honey?” she asked him.
“I’m fine. Just make sure the blanket is down.”
She used her magic to pull the blanket down till it touched the floor. She sighed and waited until black smoke appeared in the room. She turned around to see the Sorceress materialize right before her. Her heart began pounding fast as she locked eyes with the demonic alicorn.
“Well hello there,” the Sorceress cooed.
“Wha…what do you want? I don’t have any children,” the mother said, trembling.
“Is that so?”
The Sorceress brought over a family photo of the five of them and looked at it before turning back to the horrified mother unicorn.
“Well aren’t you all one big happy family. Not anymore!”
The mother was engulfed by black smoke and began screaming. She disappeared and the kids all ran up to see her just as she was taken.
“MOMMY, NOOOOO!” shouted the youngest one.
“Oh, don’t fret little ones,” said the Sorceress as the father crept up behind her with a baseball bat. “This is just the new norm. Now would you mind telling me where your fath-”
She stopped mid-sentence as the bat smashed against her head and splinters flew everywhere. She didn’t budge or flinch from the impact. With an unimpressed look on her face, she turned her head to the father. He took one look at the broken bat and dropped it.
“Really?” said the Sorceress as her horn glowed.
In an instant, the smoke took the father. The daughters screamed and began throwing random objects at the Sorceress.
“LET THEM GO RIGHT NOW!” said one of them.
The Sorceress laughed maniacally until she noticed a lion’s arm emerge from the side of a nearby wardrobe. It opened up one of the doors and Discord came out. He had his arms crossed and a very stern look on his face.
“I’m not done with you yet, Cozy,” he said.
“DISCORD!” shouted one of the daughters.
“Mr. Discord, please get Mommy and Daddy back!” cried the youngest.
“Fear not children. I’ve got this. Go downstairs and tune in to any news station. The emotional conclusion to Cozy Glow’s redemption arc is going to be broadcast everywhere in just a moment.”
The kids all went downstairs to do as he said. Discord cracked his knuckles and lifted his head off of his neck and spun it around once before placing it back on. The Sorceress rolled her eyes.
“Oh, please. You again? Do you ever give up?”
“Look, Sorceress, I know the real Cozy Glow is in there and I’m not giving up on her. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“And just what does that mean?”
“Surrender or else we’re going to exorcise you out of Cozy’s being.”
“Oh Golly, an exorcism! What ever shall I do? Nice try, clown! Those teachers tried it earlier with the Elements and I took care of them!”
“Oh, they’re still alive. They’re going to help, but it’s not going to be the Elements that stop you.”
“No one is going to stop me!”
“We have ways.”
“SILENCE!”
The Sorceress lunged for Discord. Upon contact, he used his magic to teleport both of them to Canterlot just as planned. They landed on the huge balcony where festivals were often held in front of the royal palace. It was just around the entrance to the castle town where many could watch the ensuing battle. Discord was knocked onto the ground while the Sorceress was standing over him. She looked around confused.
“Eh? Canterlot? That’s fine. I can zip all around Equestria all I want today. Besides, I’m sure I might have missed a few parents here.”
“Cozy Glow!” shouted Tirek behind her.
The Sorceress turned her head to see the familiar centaur before her. He appeared to be in his fourth form, but he was about as tall as his second form. He was wearing the necklace that Cozy remembered learning about when she was first educated on Tirek’s invasion. She had no idea this was the Pendant of Restoration or what Tirek had been through, but based on his restored body and how firm he looked at her, she could already tell he had reformed. Discord slowly got up and walked away as they began speaking to each other.
“Tirek? Let me guess, they’ve already gotten to you?”
“I went on one final power-induced rampage and nearly won, but all it took was a little chat with my brother Scorpan. I have come to see the error of my ways. It hasn’t been easy, but I finally feel happiness in my life once again.”
“HA! That’s to be expected of a wimp like you! And to think the little brat once wanted you to be her surrogate father, that is until you left her in the forest right after that crazy Chrysalis scampered off!”
“Cozy, look, all I ask is that you calm down and try to come to your senses. We are not looking for a fight. I am past that. I’ve changed. You can to.”
“Oh, Cozy Glow has already changed; I can assure you of that. She’s crying her heart out right now and is sorry for all of this, but that doesn’t matter because you’ll never see her again. She’s gone. It’s just the Sorceress now!”
“You’re wrong. If you are able to feel her sorrow, then that means she is still alive. Cozy Glow is in there and we’re going to set her free today!”
The Sorceress gritted her teeth and her horn glowed. She shot Tirek with a magic blast, which he just barely blocked with his own magic. He would have teleported, but he noticed there was a statue behind him that would be destroyed in the process. Thinking quickly, he let the blast push him back until he cancelled his shield spell and flew into the statue. The statue toppled over and broke into several pieces, but Tirek used the pendant to fix it since it broke as a result of his contact. He looked over to see Discord using a giant umbrella to shield himself from one of the Sorceress’s blasts. The Sorceress stopped shooting and used her magic to grab Discord and throw him into Tirek before he could react. The Sorceress cracked her neck and then started walking into the castle town until Celestia and Luna landed right in front of her.
“Well Golly. This is one heartwarming reunion,” she said, sarcastically.
“Are you ready, sister?” Luna asked Celestia.
“I’m ready,” Celestia replied.
The royal sisters then shot beams from their horns that met at an angle and combined to form a more powerful beam. It pushed hard against the Sorceress’s own magic shield and caused her to move towards the edge of the balcony. She finally cast an explosive magic spell that knocked Celestia and Luna back towards the entrance.
“Does anyone else care to tussle with the Sorceress?” she asked angrily.
Discord and Tirek both stood up and tried to fire at her again, but she reacted quickly and knocked them both into a wall with a return blast. The Sorceress giggled and began walking towards the entrance until she bumped into something. She shook her head and noticed there was an barely-visible shield of magic in front of her. She tried blasting it, but it was somehow impervious to her own magic. Out from the entrance appeared all six of the teachers wearing their Element necklaces. They had used the power of Harmony to create this shield. The Sorceress looked out to the other end of the balcony and tried firing another blast, but the same thing happened. She was trapped.
“No! Let me go, fools!” she snapped.
“Alright, everybody! Now’s the time!” shouted Gallus.
The Sorceress then heard voices from all around Canterlot join in singing a rather familiar song.
I love you, sweet child
My baby, my darling
As long as you’re with me
We’ll both see it through
I love you, sweet child
Please never forget me
No matter what happens
I’ll always love you
The Sorceress stood still and twitched at hearing this song. She already recognized its tune as the one she was humming earlier, but it sounded far happier. This was clearly the lullaby Cozy remembered hearing her mother sing, but she had forgotten the lyrics and wasn’t sure if this was the right one. Even then, it caused the Sorceress to go insane.
“What? That song…no…no! STOP IT! STOP IT ALL OF YOU!”
The ponies everywhere continued to sing. A choir of singers famous in Canterlot stood on the balcony of a nearby tower as the famed cellist Octavia played from the same balcony with them. DJ PON-3, the local pony DJ had set up several microphones and loudspeakers all over Canterlot so the singing would carry through right to the Sorceress. The speakers and everyone singing were beyond the shield, so the Sorceress had no way of harming them or getting them to stop. Despite her protesting, they continued to sing:
Don’t cry, it gets better
The storm will soon pass us
And all will be happy
You’ll see that it’s true
Whenever you’re with me
You brighten my day, love
If ever you’re lonely
I’ll be there for you
-----------------------------
Through all circumstances
I’ll never forget you
And if we should part ways
I’ll still think of you
You’ll be in my heart, love
Till I say goodbye
Until then, my child
I’ll be there for you
The Sorceress felt weak in her knees and fell to the ground. Her armor lost it’s power and faded away into smoke. She got back up and snarled.
“NO! I WILL…I will not…I…how…how do you all know that song?”
She then felt a presence behind her. She turned her head to see Twilight and Flurry Heart landing on the edge of the balcony. Between them was Melody. She began to walk slowly towards the Sorceress as she sang a repeat of the first stanza of the song.
I love you, sweet child
My baby, my darling
As long as you’re with me
We’ll both see it through
I love you, sweet child
Please never forget me
No matter what happens
I’ll always love you
As this familiar pegasus walked forward while singing, the Sorceress tried her best to shake it off and ignore this pony, but it slowly started to set in who this was. Somehow she remembered this voice and the look of this mare. It was a very faint memory from her earliest time in childhood, but it was strong enough to make her think. She remembered a faint image of a yellow mare with blue hair and the voice of an angel. This was that same mare. Could this be her mother?
pls more!
YESSSSSSSSSS
I mean if you can't recognize your own kid that's a mix feeling situation here it'll be like people will blame you how's your child do something very bad
I mean harmony can called anybody
Forgiveness is always such a nice thing but when it comes to Redemption it's not always easy a lot of people will not be forgiven they had to work for it
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I might release the next chapter sooner than next weekend.
11544709
Read it again. She said the newspaper was black and white and when he saw a color photo, she was a statue so she still couldn't see the colors. It was only after she saw Cozy's colors that she got suspicious, but still didn't know since she didn't have her cutie mark or the name "Cozy Glow" when Melody had her. During the events of "Dream of Alicornication" when Cozy admitted she didn't know her parents and was left at an orphanage as a baby, that's when Melody figured it out.
Nice idea, getting as many ponies as they can to chime in and sing. It makes sense that others would join in on trying to stop the parent kidnapping sorceress. I bet this will also make Melody's song sell many albums and make her lots of money. Let's just hope her meeting with Cozy goes smoothly.
I think the biggest mistake here was not leaving a letter or something to explain the reasoning.
I wonder when she found out. Was it before Cozy was released or shortly before the sorceress thing? I'm guessing the latter.
Tirek and Melody marriage when? Cozy could use a full set of parents.
So that's how it happened: Melody's husband left her, and she wasn't able to take care of a child on her own, so she was forced to leave her darling Half Note at an orphanage. Since then, she had no idea that the little pegasus filly who soon became one of Equestria's biggest threats was her own child...I know she blames herself for what happened, regretting abandoning her child, but she really did all she could have done, given the circumstances. She wanted her child to have a better life than with a mother who couldn't support her at the time...
Really nice to see Tirek back again, and fitting, considering how Cozy was his protégé, and she did look up to him as a sort of father figure. Even if it was a futile effort, it was also awesome seeing that one father trying to fight back against the Sorceress.
But man, the plan our heroes set into motion: not simply singing Melody's lullaby, but having it sung by an entire choir made up of our pony and creature friends and Canterlot's citizens, while the Sorceress can do nothing but listen to it as it drives her mad...The power of music, and the power of a mother's love for her child...
Once again I know it's not the same song but the way how it sounds like it almost sounds like I Will Always Love You
and I know what you're thinking yes it is a love song
Monster 😡
Yes it is very true unless you really make them completely disappear she still exists even if you say she's gone
again I know it's not the same song but I couldn't hear the music so I had to use this but I do like the lyrics that you wrote it's pretty nice
Damn it was hard to read though the latter part of this chapter cause of the tears spilling out of my eyes, that was beautiful!
You really tugged at our heartstrings here Alex, well done!
11544747
And the more sales that album makes, the more money she will have to take care of Cozy now. Perfect plan!
Didn't think of that actually. Even if she did leave one, the ponies running the orphanage were kind of careless so they probably just threw it out or didn't care to let Cozy know.
She probably would have seen a full color pic of Cozy a few years before all this and would have found out about how Cozy was dropped off at an orphanage not long after the events of Dream of Alicornication. That's why she's just recently decided to reveal to the whole world that she is Cozy's mother at her concert, but like she said, the Sorceress's attack changed things, so it didn't happen as she planned.
Lol, I do like to think Tirek will be paying them some visits quite frequently. He and Cozy will have their moments to bond over being former villains in future stories.
Oh wow this is going to be heavy later on okay so Melody explained that she is cozy glows mother but it turns out her real name was half note apparently she's been having trouble in her earlier years and she cannot support her child anymore so she decided to put her in orphanage house until she gets her life together but before she could she couldn't find her because the home was she left her was gone and thinking she was adopted but it turns out throughout her years she's been committing a lot of heinous crimes and melody was very devastated that cozy will do something like that and she felt like she failed her but at the time it was the best she could do even though it felt like some ponies and creatures are going to blame her because of cozy but maybe if they understood why maybe they will understand but until then they need to stop her first luckily Discord finally showed up but With a Little Help from Tirek since he was close to Cozy and maybe this would help her to understand which unfortunately it didn't she was still on her Rampage but Discord teleported her to the castle and trapping the Sorceress there and everybody's starting to sing the lullaby then Melody showed up I wonder how this reunion will go guess we'll find out next time
11544788
Yup. Things were originally very different with my concept idea for Cozy's redemption arc. I was going to introduce her coming back as the Sorceress first and both her parents would come in and admit to Twilight what they've done. They were both going to be very careless parents who were borderline abusive so she ran away, but now they regret it. In retrospect, that idea could have worked, but I felt like it would make more sense if it was one single mother and there had to be a reason why she didn't say anything all these years: because she actually didn't know Cozy was her own daughter. The plot I ended up choosing was more complex in a satisfying way and certainly more emotional.
I plan to use Tirek in similar ways more in the future. He'll have some supporting roles to play later on and he and Cozy will certainly bond over their former villain status.
I liked the idea of them using singing to fight back. Epic battles are cool and all, but that's not going to be enough to exorcise a demon.
11544805
I forgot to link the Drive file for the Always Love You song, but I'm guessing you've already seen me link it on DA and have heard it. I think I noticed at some point how the titles were similar, so that's why I shortened it to "Always Love You", but also because it is inspired by "Love You Forever". That's a book my mom used to read to me and in that book, the mother sings a song to her son. There is no official tune for said song to my knowledge, so my mom just made up the tune herself and I used it for "Always Love You".
11544818
THen you are definitely not ready for the next chapter, let me tell you!
11544829
Well Melody actually wasn't planning on taking Cozy back from the orphanage, she just wanted to see how she was doing there, but it was shut down. I'd like to think she would have taken her in if she had the money later on, or at least tell the orphanage she is her mother and that Cozy can stay in contact.
11544846
Oh yeah that's right she still having money issues still
11544841
Awww that's so sweet I really like that
11544855
well she's not having them now, she's got her life back together, but things will certainly be better for her now.
As much as I want Cozy to be happy, her inner darkness, The Sorceress might refuse to accept her. Reason; The Sorceress will say Cozy's pain, sorrows and loneliness when her mother left her at the orphanage and will say she'll never forgive her for all the years before and during when she was turned to stone. I mean Sorceress even admit that she once sees Tirek as a father figure.
11544915
Melody's singing is putting her in enough of a trance that it's weakening the Sorceress and awakening Cozy Glow. The latter will overcome the former.
Oh boy, this is it. Melody finally has her reunion with her daughter, and Cozy meets the mother she always wanted but never knew. Will this be enough?
Interesting that Melody showed up because the map called her. I think that's the first time it has called a civilian with no connection toTwilight or any of her friends. It really can call anyone. Her explanation for why she gave up her baby was a pretty sad one. Sometimes people can't afford to keep their babies and just want them to have a better life. Too bad it didn't work out.
I will admit, it was surprising to see Tirek appear to help stop the Sorceresses.
11544909
Definitely hopefully the other ponies and creatures from around the world who were affected by cozy glow Rampage as sorcerer would not take it too badly against Melody and especially cozy glow
11545058
I like to think the map can call anyone from anywhere in the world as well. We've seen how it called one person before with "Triple Threat", so that's why I've done it with Flurry a few times and now with Melody. Melody's story is indeed a sad one and there's still more I can do with it. Perhaps we might even see Cozy's dad somewhere down the road?
Yeah, several people have mentioned Tirek. He'll have some supporting roles to play later on.
11545096
There will be some who still won't accept Cozy, but this will definitely generate some sympathy for her too.
11545133
Yeah but I can't wait to see how this will go and how the reunion will go something tells me this is going to be very emotional
11545136
It definitely will. Get your tissues ready.
I hope this works...
11545465
You’ll see today at noon.
Well... it that what happened to Cozy that lead to her ending up where she did, and why Melody both left her in a place that she thought would be better, were both a rather severe case of bad luck. And the same can be said regarding why Melody didn't step forth either when Cozy ended up in Tartarus or when she ended up petrified. I'll admit one can question as to whether it would have made a difference then... but as genuinely evil as Cozy may or may not have been, there a lot of holes to poke in both the decision to leave her in Tartarus and the one to petrify her.
I confess I couldn't help but be a bit surprised that the father ended up removing himself from the picture, as I thought he was dead, but sadly, fathers who leave are too true to life. Though for the record, I'm not speaking from experience, as I think I can safely say I had a good father, and overall, I think I can say the same about my mother, although I wasn't as close to her and she had a more explosive personality.
But moving on... that was a very good idea that Flurry had about both placing the Sorceress in a convenient location and expose her to something that was likely to reach the real Cozy Glow enough to pull her out. And good on Discord for pushing himself enough to do his part, as well as on Tirek for actually coming to help. It certainly seems like a good thing they were all there, as while they were defeated quickly, Celestia and Luna by themselves might not have been able to hold off the Sorceress until the Student Six got ready.
And while they only got cameos, good on Octavia and Vinyl for doing their part too. It was nice to see them both. :) Just as it's also nice to see that Flurry's plan worked.
All in all, another great chapter! I loved it! :)
Kudos to you!
11584243
Just you wait till the final chapter!
As I have always understood, putting a child up for adoption is almost always meant to be an act of love. In these situations, it's often that the parent can't take care of their child for one reason or another. In Melody's situation, she couldn't afford to take care of Half Note. It's more of a common story when it comes to adoption.
The idea you used to take on the Sorceress is not only unique, but also smart. It's the ultimate act of love and it is weakening the Sorceress. Now, it is time for the mother Cozy has never known and deliver the final blow.
11840188
I went through several iterations of how Cozy meets her parents and I decided to not go with two abusive or neglectful parents and just go with one that was put in a situation where she had no choice. If she really still loved her, it would be another way to stop the Sorceress without needing to use the Elements. Get ready for the next chapter cuz it won’t be easy reading it without crying a little.