//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: All That We Are // by Marezinger Z //------------------------------// As the others got to know Aestus, Faye and Brayok; Tirek and Chrysalis brought their family before Aurelian. "Aurelian." Tirek gestured to his brother. "This is my younger brother, Scorpan." "It is certainly an experience to meet you." Scorpan tipped his head. "And this bundle of energy is my son, Thorax." Chrysalis introduced. "Hello." He smiled brightly. Aurelian looked them over quietly. "It seems you have found company on your new paths." He noted. "Yes." Tirek nodded. "We would not have searched them out if it wasn't for you, though." He continued. "I don't know what drove you to speak to us or what your whims are based on; but you have my thanks." "Mine as well." Chrysalis added. "Life is different now, far from perfect at times but... better, without question." "I can say much the same." Aurelian watched his friends interact with Celestia and her own. "So, what will you do now?" Scorpan asked. "I am not certain." Aurelian admitted. "For now, it is simply enough to have them back." A small laugh of consideration left him. "What an odd power such bonds hold, to free even me from the chains of my bleak philosophy." "Well, as we were taught." Thorax raised his hoof with a learned smile. "Friendship is..." "Don't even." Chrysalis shut him down. "Well... it is." He pouted. Their scene was disrupted by the deep wail of Aestus, his legs went from under him and everyone scattered as his great head crashed to the ground. "Well, that was easy." The mutated Cozy Glow appeared over the dragon's body. "Cozy Glow!" Celestia flew into the air. "What have you done?" "Finally given myself the edge...I... needed!" She landed on the island and her body began to grow at an exponential rate. "Oh no." Tirek muttered as he watched her transformation. "We need to fall back!" Thorax rallied, Celestia nodding and teleporting the others to safety with the help of Twilight. As they retreat, Aurelian stood calmly as he looked up at the towering monstrosity; Faye was quick to his side and Brayok drug himself to their back. "Well, there's something you don't see every day." Faye noted. "And we've been around a lot of days." "What has happened to Aestus?" Brayok asked. "I do not know." Aurelian shook his head. "But, he is still breathing." "Aurelian." Celestia landed beside him along with Luna. "You must be careful, she has an artifact that allows her to steal the physical power of others. She has already used it on Tirek and Chrysalis; now she has absorbed Aestus' size and strength." "I see." Aurelian flew into the air and up to Cozy Glow's face. "We meet again, child. I see you have chosen your path." "That's right." Cozy Glow pointed at him. "You stole my friends from me and I'm going to put you in your place so they can see what I've known all along, that you're a washed up has-been with a broken ideology." "Is that so?" He stared into her eyes. "You think I stole them from you? I did not make any of you do anything; I merely offered perspective, it was they who made the decision of what to do with that newfound outlook. Just as it was you who chose to ignore my warning and continue your efforts to seek power." He laughed at her. "Your friends abandoned their lust for power and have found family and friends awaiting them. You? You chose power instead and now that you possess it, you complain because you now stand alone, just as I said you would." He shook his head in disappointment. "I did not steal them away, you turned your back on them and have rendered yourself as alone as I had become." "No!" Cozy Glow roared. "I lost them because they wanted to listen to you instead of me! Only one of us is going to be right and when I kill you, that's going to be me!" "Cozy!" Tirek galloped over with Chrysalis behind him. "Stop this!" "Wh... why are you here?" Cozy Glow looked down on them. "We came to stop you from getting yourself killed!" Chrysalis called up. "Aurelian is right, we didn't have to listen to him but we chose to, and we're better off for it!" "If you don't want to believe him, then believe us!" Tirek added. "This can all end now if you just stand down!" "That's Aurelian talking, not you!" She raised her right foreleg and brought it down in a fit, cracking the ground beneath her. Aurelian teleported the three of them back to the others before either of them could be hurt. "She will not listen." Aurelian concluded. "Her emotional state is consuming her and no matter how powerful she becomes, she is still a child and will continue to act like one." "We have to do something." Twilight looked around the group. "Even if I absorbed all the Princess magic here, I wouldn't be able to compete with her now." Tirek sighed. "Aurelian." Celestia went to his side. "Can you stop her?" Aurelian stood silent as Brayok began to laugh. "He can, but I doubt you'll care for his methods." Celestia looked to Faye who innocently shrugged. "Don't look at me, love. I only get rough in bed." "Brayok, restrain her." Aurelian ordered. "Be weary of her armlet, do not allow her to obtain your strength as well; or she may very well become unstoppable." Brayok growled in irritation. "Whatever you're planning make it quick, I'm only at half strength on land." Brayok sent his tentacles out and engaged Cozy Glow, making sure to bind her wrist to guard himself from the artifact." As the titans battled, Aurelian turned back to Tirek and Chrysalis. "Do you truly wish to save her?" Tirek looked over at Chrysalis who nodded her agreement. "We do." He answered. "Very well." Aurelian looked to Tirek. "Absorb my magic." "What?" He eyed him in shock. "You two are closest to her and will be the only ones who can breach her anger." Aurelian informed. "I can kill her, but if you want her back then you must be the ones to battle her." "I fear he's right, brother." Scorpan took his shoulder. "She wants Aurelian dead and he will have no choice but to go at her full force, but she will be hesitant to fight you which may give you the opening you need to calm her down." "Tirek." Celestia called him. "If everything that you and Chrysalis said to me is true, then this is your chance to carve it in stone for the world to see." "Alright." Tirek nodded. "Halfling." Aurelian looked to Chrysalis. "Drink of Faye's love, I assure you she has more than enough to spare." "Hmph, not quite sure how I'm supposed to take that." Faye fluttered over and landed before her. "Go on, love; give us a right good sucking." "Ugh... don't make this weird." Chrysalis opened her mouth and began to inhale her love essence. Tirek and Chrysalis started to absorb the power of the two mighty creatures. Tirek began to grow, forcing everyone to fall back even farther as he rapidly reached Cozy Glow's height. Chrysalis gorged herself like never before, her body beginning to overflow with magic from the seemingly endless font of the Phoenix's passion. Her eyes flared red and trails of flame sprouted from her body. She ate until she could feed no more and staggered as the power coursed through her. "Oh, look at you, love." Faye applauded. "Even got yourself a pair of fancy fire wings." "I... do?" Chrysalis looked to her sides and saw wings of flame protruding from her back. "Incredible... I've never felt so strong before." She rose into the air and up to Tirek's head. "Ready?" He asked, cracking his neck. "She isn't going to go down easy." "I feel like I could take on the world." Chrysalis smiled. The pair entered the battlefield, Tirek's hoof steps leaving craters in his wake. Faye hopped over to Aurelian and gave him a look of mild concern. "You sure this was a good idea, love?" "I have no doubt they can handle this task." He answered. "Besides, I have little desire to take the life of a child." Back across the way, Cozy Glow took to the air; pulling the tentacles that held her taught and lifting Brayok from the ground. "Let go of me you butt-ugly snail!" She commanded as her body thrashed. "Ha, you think you're the first aerial creature I've dealt with?" Brayok sent more of his tentacles into the ground and anchored himself. "I... said...let...go!" She grabbed her binds and pulled with all her newfound might. Brayok came loose from the soil and she swung him over her head and back down onto the ground. The entire island shook as Brayok's shell made contact and he retracted his tendrils to begin righting himself. "Cozy Glow!" Tirek bellowed, catching her attention. Cozy Glow saw his lumbering approach with an enflamed Chrysalis at his side and landed before them. "Whoa... did you take their magic?" "Yes, to stop you." He challenged. "What!?" She glared at them angrily. "Now you're fighting me too!?" "We don't have to fight at all." Chrysalis landed on his shoulder. "You're the one dragging this out." "I'm doing this for us!" She protested. "No, you're doing this for yourself." Tirek retorted. "You refuse to accept the fact that Chrysalis and I have laid down arms against the Princesses and you've fixated yourself on Aurelian out of that refusal." "You're completely brainwashed!" She stomped the ground in anger. "If I have to go through you to get to him then I will! Whatever it takes to make you see how wrong you are!" She threw a punch at Tirek but he caught her fist and held it fast. "Fine, if we have to beat sense into you then we will." He drove his other fist into her armored gut and sent her back. She gripped her stomach and stared at him. "You... really hit me..." "We're not holding back." He readied himself. "This is for your own good." Cozy Glow's eyes showed sincere hurt as she screamed and ran at him, they locked hands and struggled as Chrysalis flew behind her. "Time to see how far I can go." She changed her shape into an Ursa Major and landed hard at her back. Cozy Glow bucked her back legs and kicked at her as she charged; Chrysalis crossed her arms and absorbed the blow but was sent reeling backwards. As she was distracted, Tirek reared his neck back and drove his forehead into hers; the impact sent her cross-eyed but she held her footing. "I can do that...to!" She headbutted him in return, her shelled skull causing a deal more damage to him. Tirek's hands released hers and she delivered a pair of blows to his ribs that dropped him to the knees of his forelegs. Chrysalis recovered and barreled back in, she went to Cozy's side and wrapped her paws around her waist; in a move that again shook the island, she suplexed Cozy into the ground and rolled to safety towards Tirek. Retaking her normal form, she hoverd over him as he stood. "Well, you were right about her not going down easy." She huffed. "That freakish body of hers doesn't show many weaknesses." "Centaur!" Brayok called to him as he wrapped his tentacles around a pair of points on his shell and snapped them off. "Try these!" He threw them at Tirek who snatched them from the air and held them like daggers. "Right!" Tirek nodded and looked to Chrysalis. "I'm going to crack that shell of hers, once I do, use your magic to strike the exposed parts." "Alright." Chrysalis flew higher into the sky. Cozy Glow began galloping in at top speed, Tirek braced himself and held his guard up; she threw a wild haymaker which he blocked with his left elbow, he stabbed at her exposed side and the ancient piece of shell pieced her carapace. The scream of pain she made tore at his heart but let him know that he was on the right track. He stepped in, punching her left hand and sending her arm backwards to expose her opposite side; he stabbed her again and opened a hole on her chest. He stepped in again, holding his arms up to deflect her untrained punches as he waited for another opening. Chrysalis dropped from the sky, taking the form of a colossal squid and latching onto Cozy's head; as she reached up to pry her off, Tirek moved in again and brought both points down onto her shoulders. Chrysalis changed back and swooped low, firing her empowered magic into the damaged part of her side. Cozy instantly recoiled in pain and began falling back as she protected the spot with her arm. Tirek ran past her side and backhanded one of the points near the base of her neck, the thick armor shattered and she quickly spun and landed a solid punch across his chin. Tirek stumbled and dropped his weapons as she bore down on him. "Stop hurting me!" She mounted him and began pounding away at his chest and head. "You're supposed to be my friend! Why are you doing this?!" Tears began to flow from her eyes as her physical pain began to match the emotional. She screamed again as Chrysalis fired into the back of her neck. Her attacks stopped and Tirek grabbed her wrists, rolling backwards and kicking her over him; she crashed onto her side and finally began to show signs of slowing down. Tirek pushed himself up and pursued her as she tried to stand; he grabbed her mane and drove his knee into her nose, as her head went flying back he delivered a rush of punches to her midsection that sent her staggering back. Chrysalis changed into a massive constrictor and wound herself around Cozy's forelegs, pulling them together in a tight bind. She fell forward and Tirek laced his fingers together to lay an axe handle blow to the back of her head. Her skull rebounded off the ground and she finally laid still. Chrysalis changed back and returned to his shoulder as an exhausted Tirek stood over their opponent. Cozy Glow clawed at the dirt as she began to sob. Tirek sighed and knelt beside her, laying his hand to her head. "Enough Cozy, we don't want to hurt you anymore." He let out a tired breath. "Chrysalis and I were lost and we needed answers, answers that could only be found apart from one another. But we shouldn't have just left you the way we did; I'm sorry we made you feel abandoned again." Her rubbed the back of her neck. "I know you don't have family to return to like we do, but you have us; let's stay a team and face a new life of peace together." Cozy pushed herself to her knees and wiped her eyes with her forearm, slowly nodding. "Okay." She whimpered. "This isn't fun anymore… I don't want to be a monster..." "Take the bracelet off." Chrysalis pointed to her wrist. "I can't." She looked at it with a sniffle. "Spikes came out when I put it on...I can feel it in my bone." "Come on." Tirek stood and helped her up, the three of them returning to Aurelian and Faye. "Aurelian, can you remove this bracelet from her?" Aurelian flew up and observed the artifact. "She says it has latched itself into her flesh." Aurelian sighed and looked up into Cozy Glow's eyes. "This will not be painless, child." He eyed Tirek. "Hold her arm still." "Right." Tirek wrapped his hands around Cozy's arm and held it steady. "Faye." Aurelian called down to her. "What can I do?" She flew up to his side. "I need you to superheat the band on her wrist." He instructed. "Okay." She hovered over the bracelet and gave Cozy Glow a reassuring smile. "Just hold on, love. We'll have this nasty thing off ya right quick." She ignited her body and parted her beak, sending a concentrated jet of flame down onto the bracelet. Cozy Glow began to whine and flinch as the heated metal started to burn. "Stay strong." Tirek said as he continued to hold her tightly. As the metal began to glow red, Aurelian used a focused beam of magic to start carving the band into sections and pulling them upward, prying the metal spikes from her arm and dropping them into the trees below. Once the bracelet had completely fallen from her body, she began to shrink and her acquired features started to wither away until she was a tiny Pegasus once again. The others made their way back over and observed the reverted villain with a sigh of relief. "Let me take care of that." Fluttershy went to Cozy Glow and dug in her travel pack for bandages to begin tending her damaged foreleg. Scorpan and Thorax looked up at their kin with proud smiles. "Well done, brother." Scorpan praised. "Yeah, way to go, mom!" Thorax called up to her. Celestia flew up to Aurelian and gratefully lowered her head to him. "Thank you for helping to stop her." "I did nothing of note." He looked up at Tirek and Chrysalis. "They are your champions." "That is true." She looked up to them as well. "Thank you both." "You should return that borrowed power now, brother." Scorpan noted. "I know." Tirek nodded. "As wonderful as this feels, this size is too much even for me." He channeled the magic back into Aurelian and returned to his normal size. "I can't return what I've consumed." Chrysalis informed as she, Aurelian, Celestia and Faye landed beside him. "That's alright, love." Faye waved her wing at her. "I feel fine. Besides, that's a nice look on you." "How long are you going to be like this?" Thorax asked. "I don't know." She looked herself over. "I've never eaten so much love before, it will probably last a few days before the bulk of it fades away." Faye left them and flew up to Aestus who was still limp on the ground. "How you doing, love?" "All my... stamina is... gone." He groaned. "Don't worry." She smiled. "Happens to creatures your age all the time; perfectly normal." "Faye." Aurelian toned up at her. "What?" She looked down at him innocently. "Just trying to make him feel better." "Is there anything we can do to help him?" Twilight flew up to join her. "Ah, he'll be alright." Faye assured. "Just needs some rest and a good meal." She looked out over the others. "Anyone got a four hundred gallon bowl of soup!?" "Actually." Luna turned to Discord. "Ugh... first I'm a clown, then I'm a taxi and now I'm a caterer." He rolled his eyes as he went to conjure the request. "Thank you, Discord." Luna called out with a sly smile. Tirek made his way over to Cozy Glow. Fluttershy was wrapping up her bandaging and smiled up at him. "She's good to go, she'll need this changed daily for about a week before it's healed enough to go without a bandage." "Thank you." Tirek nodded and knelt beside her again. "Are you okay?" "Yeah..." Cozy Glow said shallowly as she looked at her foreleg with tired eyes. "My body feels weird though." "It will pass." Tirek took her up on his shoulder and reconvened with Chrysalis. "I'm sorry." Cozy Glow apologized with watery eyes. "I just..." "It's fine." Chrysalis insisted. "We fought it out and it's over now. At least you're safe and free of that dangerous trinket you got your hooves on." "She's right." Tirek agreed. "This could have gone much worse." "So, what am I supposed to do now?" Cozy Glow asked. "I will request that you be allowed to come with me." Tirek offered. "You can stay with my brother and I; the city is loud but welcoming and it's a good place to start over." "Okay." She smiled at the idea and looked to Chrysalis. "Are you going to visit too?" "I will." Chrysalis promised. "As soon as Princess High Horse let's me leave without my shadow." Cozy Glow let out a long yawn and curled up on Tirek's back, her little body finally tiring out from the battle. "That sounds... like fun." She slowly drifted off. "Figures." Chrysalis smiled. "Causes all the trouble and then is the first one to nap." "She's been through enough today." Tirek glanced at her. "We're going to have to be there for her, we're all she has." Chrysalis nodded. "I already have a thousand children." She shrugged. "What's one more."