Cozy Glow stayed the night with Starlight and Trixie instead of with her adoptive parents. This made things a bit rough as, given no real other choice, Cozy had to sleep with Starlight.
“It was nice of Emerald and Minky to donate us some of their bedding,” whispered Starlight as she looked towards the sleeping filly. “Though I don’t know how much sleep I’m going to get tonight.”
The periwinkle-colored Unicorn turned so she wasn’t facing Cozy.
“Golly…,” mumbled the little Pegasus from within her slumber. “You’re my best pal.”
Starlight felt a knot in her stomach as warmth began to intensify from where Cozy was resting.
“Can I really go through with this?” she asked herself. “Can I really risk taking back the implanted memories from the time I spent in such self-loathing and negative perceptions?”
Starlight felt tears well up in her eyes as she watched Cozy glow as the filly continued to talk in her sleep. Most of what she said was variations on what she said as a doll.
“What if removing the feelings turns her back into a doll again?” she considered. “Is it really worth all this if Cozy just turns back into a lifeless toy?”
***
Every pony was eager to board The Friendship Express for Sire’s Hollow. Well, almost every pony.
“What about the great and powerful show we were supposed to do?” whined Trixie. “This was to be a tour of togetherness. A quest for redemption. An opportunity to show all Equestria how absolutely awesome I, I mean we, are!”
“Sorry, Trix,” moped Starlight. “This just can’t wait.”
The illusionist picked up on her friend’s sorrow.
“What’s up with you, Starlight,” she asked. “You act like you’re all, well, blah.”
The periwinkle Unicorn sighed.
“I’m worried,” she replied.
“About what?” pursued Trixie.
CA-THUNK
“Guidance counselor, Starlight!” beamed Cozy as she burst into the train car. “I got all tuckered out and Mama Pajamas said you were back here!”
Starlight gave Trixie a look that said the conversation was over for now.
Cozy rubbed her eyes.
“Never knew I could get so tired,” she remarked. “Maybe it’s all this keen adventuring with every pony?”
Starlight put on her ‘happy face’ as she had suspicions of why Cozy may not feel the same after their exchange in the caverns.
“Nothing wrong with needing a little sleep,” she said casually. “We have been doing a lot of adventuring and, to be honest, I’m a bit sleepy, too.”
Cozy looked towards the guidance counselor with a knowing frown.
“Something’s wrong, huh?” she asked.
Starlight’s eyes widened.
“What makes you think that?” she nervously replied.
“Because,” replied Cozy as she flew up and booped Starlight in the nose. “I know that face and I know that voice, silly.”
“You do have a lot of ‘tells’,” remarked Trixie. “Sorry to say that is why you make a better assistant than crowd wooing magician.”
Starlight grumbled.
“I know that face, too!” cheered Cozy. “But you do wear your feelings on your muzzel , guidance counselor, Starlight.”
The periwinkle Unicorn thought on how truly her magic was emotionally driven. She never really had a chance to talk with Twilight about the topic but she had often came up with her spells because she sort of willed them into being.
“Hmm,” she pondered aloud.
Cozy giggled.
“Another fun face!” she announced. “There is lots of keen stuff in that noodle of yours going on.”
Starlight was starting to become bothered at how she was being read by Cozy and teased by Trixie.
“Okay,” she sighed as she got out of her seat. “I need the little filly’s room. Be right back.”
Cozy and Trixie waited for the flustered Unicorn to move towards the restroom car before sharing a laugh over how they knew Starlight had gone off only because she was becoming more obvious in her feelings by the second.
***
Sire’s Hollow was still adapting to a blend of old and new as every pony got off the train.
“Ooh,” moaned Cozy. “I don’t feel so good.”
Minky couldn’t help but pick up the young Pegasus.
“Mama’s got you, lil’ glow worm,” she cooed. “Do you need the bathroom?”
“No,” groaned Cozy as she felt herself giving off heat. “I just don’t feel so swell.”
“Starlight,” said Emerald as he approached the periwinkle Unicorn. “I believe I know what’s going on.”
Starlight sighed as she, too, felt a knot in her stomach.
“And, uh…,” she tried to say. “What’s that.”
“Since becoming aware of my special talent,” he replied simply. “I’ve noticed how I can detect the feelings of others along with if strong feelings are associated with a particular location.”
“To be honest,” stated Starlight. “I kind of got that vibe from you when you came into my old home in Our Town and Cozy started to act, for lack of better words, not quite herself.”
Emerald looked back at his wife as she worked to soothe the little pink Pegasus.
“I’m still getting used to what my talent is all about,” he said. “However I do know that this is a very emotional place and what is to come will require a great deal of care.”
Starlight lowered her head.
“I know,” she replied. “But it must be done. I have to own those feelings I gave to Cozy.”
“So it is true,” Emerald pursued. “She is really a living doll?”
“Yes,” replied Starlight. “However I know she’s become far more and I intend to make sure that owning my emotions that I passed on to her does not take away from how she has become a living, breathing pony.”
“Please do,” the black-coated stallion said emotionally. “Minky and I are quite fond of her and it would break our hearts to see her reduced to nothing more than a stuffed animal.”
Starlight nodded.
“You have my word,” she replied.
***
“Sugar plum!” greeted Fire Light upon seeing his daughter at the front door of the family home. “And you brought friends!”
“Dad,” said Starlight. “Is it okay if we come in? We’ve got something very important to take care of.”
Fire Light beamed.
“It makes me so proud to see you coming home with friends,” he cooed. “Your mother would be so happy to see her silly filly finally having get togethers at the old homestead.”
Starlight could hear Trixie giggling behind her.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “So, is it okay we all come in?”
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friends, punky-wunk?” he asked with a grin.
“Dad!” she quickly snapped. “Not in public. Remember?”
“But this is home!” he announced. “And these are your friends, right?”
Emerald moved forward.
“I’m Emerald Ebon,” he greeted. “And this is my wife, Minky Pajamas.”
“So nice to meet you!” gleed Fire Light before spotting the Pegasus filly. “Is she your little lady?”
Cozy Glow’s eyes narrowed.
“You don’t recognize me?” she asked accusingly.
Fire Light looked stunned as Starlight began to panic.
“I’m not surprised,” continued Cozy as she fluttered up to face the fatherly stallion. “You were never around. You never cared. All you ever really cared about was being some sort of glorified social studies teacher. You cared more about Sire’s Hollow than me!”
PFEW
Starlight placed Cozy in a sound-proof bubble as the little filly continued her tyrade.
“What’s up with her?” worried Fire Light.
Starlight gave a nervous laugh.
“She’s, uh, rehearsing for a play,” she stammered. “Yeah… That’s it… She’s starring in, uh, ‘My Dad & I’.”
Fire Light shook his head.
“Doesn’t seem like a family-friendly play,” he stated. “Little fillies shouldn’t be talking like that about their fathers.”
Starlight rolled her eyes as Cozy was just saying what she thought during her solitary days at home as a child.
“You know kids,” she continued. “Always wanting to be bigger than what they are.”
Fire Light nodded.
“I remember,” he said. “When your mom left I thought I could be a good dad but, well, I just wasn’t.”
Trixie, Emerald, and Minky all listened closely to the discussion.
“Dad,” Starlight said as she moved towards her father. “Perhaps another time?”
“Oh!” he blushed as he got out of his thoughts and remembered the other ponies behind Starlight. “Come in! come in!”
Emerald Ebon’s horn went from just glowing to alight as every pony entered into the home where it all began.