Princess Twilight is sitting with all four of her hooves on her chair as she levitates a cup of walnut coffee to her lips to help her wake up this morning. The chair she is sitting on, as well as the table beside her, is on a balcony overlooking the city of Canterlot and, beyond that, the wider Equestria valley as seen from this high vantage point.
Even with her purple mane with lighter purple streak flowing forward with tiny magical sparkles in it, it still did not obstruct her view enough to hinder her enjoyment of the scenery. It is her way to relax and unwind in preparation for her day.
As she sips on her cup, Spike proceeds to the next item on his checklist of royal decisions he could not make whenever Twilight is absent or indisposed for whatever reason.
“The next item on the agenda is . . .” Spike rolls up the scroll a bit until he can read the next item, then winces at the scroll before looking at his friend with a squint. “Uh . . . you're not going to like it,” Spike warns.
“Just get to the next item on the checklist, please,” Twilight requests calmly. “I'll reserve my judgment until I've heard it through.”
Spike sighs as he looks back at the scroll. Taking a moment to gather his courage, he then went on. “Several delegates from Maneapolis came by yesterday and requested more funding to build six more schools in the Horseshoe district.”
Princess Twilight gives a confused squint, then looks back at her Number One Assistant with the same expression. “More funding to open up six more schools? Spike, you know how I feel about education. Why would you think this would bother me?”
“Because,” he lowers the scroll to look back at her with an uncomfortable wince, “the reason why they want to open up the new schools is in order to dedicate them to the some of the non-pony races that have been moving into Maneapolis over the years.”
“Oh.” Twilight looks down sadly. “I see. This again.”
“Yeeeeeah, I'm afraid so,” Spike says apologetically. “Some of the citizens of the city are still concerned by all the new races moving in and want to enforce more racial segregation. This,” he shook the scroll at her, “isn't the first of their proposed policies about this issue, and I doubt it will be the last.”
“I suppose it has been getting more populated there ever since the flood of immigrants,” Twilight realizes as she looks forward again and gazes off the balcony across the wide valley. “I don't blame them for wanting more facilities to hoofle all the extra families coming in, but to enforce even more racial segregation . . . it just feels wrong, Spike. Instead, the pony citizens of the city should be celebrating their newly found diversity.”
Spike shrugs lightly as he says, “Ponies like Chancellor Neighsay aren't the only ones who are xenophobic. You have to remember, Twilight, that, for the longest time, it was mostly just ponies in places like Maneapolis. Now the citizens are being forced to adapt to all these new changes that they didn't ask for. If you ask me, I think they will adapt eventually, but for now, it's too much and too soon.” He glances at his checklist again, then looks back at Twilight. “I do have one idea.”
“Yeah?” Twilight brings up as her eyes shift over to look back at Spike again.
“It is true that they need more schools to facilitate the extra families coming into that city. I say we give them the funding they need to build the schools and even endorse their wish to dedicate these new schools to each of the new races.”
Twilight looks aghast.
“Whoa! Hear me out!” Spike encourages. “It's just for now. With some of the pressure taken off of the ponies there, they'll have more time to get used to the idea of their non-pony neighbors. When they eventually adjust, the new school buildings will still be there. After that, they can open their doors to all races, including ponies.” He points the feather end of his quill behind him. “The ponies who grew up there under the old system may need the most time to adjust, but the new foals growing up now will be surrounded by all these new races. When they become an adult, they'll be so accustomed to diversity that they won't even care which race attends what school.” Spike whirls his quill in a circle. “I think this problem will solve itself over time. We've just got to be patient.”
Twilight still looks uncomfortable, so she compromises. “Well . . . okay, but on one condition: We'll give them the funds they need to build the schools, but make it clear that absolutely any race can attend those new schools if they want to. Some of the citizens of the city might be xenophobic, but I can't believe that they all are. Some ponies might want to attend those new schools even if, or perhaps even because of the fact that it is mostly populated by some other race. I say we don't restrict their options. That way the choice is available for them either way at any time.”
“Huh.” Spike taps his lips with his black feather quill, then nods after a moment. “That might actually work.
“Okay, I'll go ahead and write a note here specifying that we do approve of this proposal on the condition that there be no strict racial restrictions. With that out of the way, I can put a checkmark in the box beside this item.”
Twilight floats her coffee near her lips again but asks just before she takes another sip, “After this, how many items do we have left on our checklist?”
“Um . . . let's see. Let me just finish writing this new note here.”
“Okay. Take your time, Spike.”
Twilight's eyes focus on the latch of her sliding glass door when it ignites with a teal-colored aura and issues a tiny jingling sound indicative of unicorn magic. A moment later, the sliding glass door opens. After that, Sunset Shimmer steps out onto the balcony. Sunset looks quite tired this early morning. There are even some bags under her eyes due to her exhaustion.
“Morning, Twilight,” Sunset greets tiredly, followed by a yawn. When that is done, she asks, “Mind if I join you?”
“Please,” Twilight says invitingly as she floats back another chair from the table beside her, “pull up a chair.”
“Thanks, Twilight.”
Sunset accepts the offer from her friend and sits in the chair in a way ponies seldom do, with her hind legs bent over the edge of the seat and her back sitting up straight on the backrest of the chair. Twilight realizes this pose is common for humans considering their posture, but it is rare for ponies to adopt.
“I take it you are still not having much luck with Cozy's new guest?” Twilight figures.
Sunset sighs tiredly while she pours herself a cup of coffee then floats it between both of her hooves. From there, she squashes the cup between her hooves to secure a grip on it.
“It's as I feared,” Sunset confirms. “My magic crystal is having trouble bringing up memories that Sombra himself has forgotten. I'm getting a random jumble of memories every time I attempt to scan him, but most of them are just indistinct feelings. Most of them aren't good. I don't think the majority of his life was necessarily bad, but the bad moments of his seem to have evoked overwhelming negative feelings, and that runs the whole gamut. Insecurity, jealousy, hatred, bigotry, loathing, regret . . . but, above all, fear. That seems to be a pervasive theme in his life.”
“So the pony who is infamous for controlling others through fear has often been afraid himself?” Twilight wonders. “That . . . actually makes a lot of sense.” Twilight focuses her gaze on her tired friend. “What is your impression of him now?”
Sunset sips her coffee before she answers. “Well, if you ask me, he's very polite and civil to me, most of the time, whenever I talk to him directly, but this is just the surface of his personality. Underneath, he is gravely tortured and struggling not to lash out at anypony, especially girls. I am strongly convinced he is not doing any of this on purpose. Instead, in weariness and a sense of guilt, he wants to rest and return Cozy Glow to her regular life.”
“But you've made no progress on that front?” Twilight asks with worry.
Spike clears his throat to gather attention. Once he has it, he says, “To answer your earlier question, there are six more items on the agenda to discuss, but do you wish to delay them until after this new meeting?”
“Yes, Spike,” Twilight confirms.
“Alright.” Spike secures the scroll somewhere behind his back. “We'll go over the rest later, then.”
“Why don't you go get some breakfast while you wait?” Twilight suggests.
“Now that is a good idea! I'm starving!” He turns around, pulls open the sliding glass door, then waves behind him at Sunset as he says, “Nice to see you again, Sunset. I hope you have more luck with Cozy and Sombra soon.”
“Yeah. Me too, Spike,” Sunset agrees wearily while looking at her steaming cup of coffee between her hooves.
Both mares are quiet for about a minute after Spike leaves, then Sunset rants, “I'm telling you, Twilight, I've tried everything at this point. I tried using my crystal. I tried hypno-therapy. I even contacted Princess Luna to help pull me into a shared dream between me, Cozy Glow, and Sombra. All of these strategies only partially work, and there is no consistency. Any images I get once, I can't gain again.
“I have, however, narrowed down the scope of the problem to sometime during the earlier part of his life. Sometime between his foalhood and his rise as Chancellor to the Crystal Empire. We can't seem to pin it exactly, but the missing memories are around that time period. It makes no sense why only King Sombra has extra memories of this time and not Crystal Sage, for King Sombra was created later after he started to get corrupted by crystals which, themselves, were corrupted by dark magic.”
“How did that happen?” Twilight wonders.
Sunset looks off to her side. “He wasn't too forthcoming about those answers, but he said that there is a malevolent force out there that is the original source of all dark magic. That force attempts to infect Equestria in order to empower itself.” She looks back at Twilight. “He claims it is drawn to extinguish any force that opposes its own, such as the light and love of the Crystal Heart.”
“Were you able to glean more information from him around that time period?” Twilight checks.
Sunset nods. “A few times, but there seems to be little point in pursuing it. Those memories are coming in too clearly, thus we have no doubt that the source of his problem comes somewhen before that.”
Sunset sips her coffee, then asks, “About those letters you sent to the surviving Pillars, did any of them respond back?”
“Flash Magnus was the first to respond since he lives right here in Canterlot,” Twilight replies. “Mage Meadowbrook and Somnambula came later. So far, they are all saying the same thing. They each have no recollection of ever working with Sombra.”
“Huh.” Sunset looks at her coffee. “Maybe we're just chasing our tails here. Maybe those extra memories within him from King Sombra are fake. Maybe they are just corruption and distortion caused by how human Cozy retrieved Sombra's mind. After all, we know it was incomplete in the first place and the gaps were replaced with some of Cozy's memories. For all we know, the same thing happened with Crystal Sage.” Sunset looks up at Twilight. “What about Star Swirl and Rockhoof?”
“I've heard nothing at all from Star Swirl yet,” Twilight says with a frown. “Last I heard about him from some of his nurses and assistants, his mind and health are deteriorating. He spends most of his time in bed these days while staring off into space.
“I haven’t gotten a response from Rockhoof yet. As for Stygian, he said he’s coming here to discuss this issue personally.”
“Really?” Sunset says with interest. “Huh. I wonder what has him so interested.” Sunset tilts her head. “Sombra's memories make it fairly clear that he worked with each of the Pillars and there is a reason for it, but what that reason is . . . he can't recall. All he knows it was something important, but now three out of six of them claim they never heard of him or worked with him in the past, yet Stygian is coming here to discuss the matter further?”
“Well, the good news is, you probably won't have to wait long. He is due to arrive today,” Twilight informs her friend.
Sunset set the coffee on the table and kept her hooves on it. She smiles faintly but genuinely at Twilight for a moment as she says, “That's great, Twilight. Hopefully he can provide some answers.”
“Are you okay, Sunset?” Twilight asks in concern.
The faint smile fades from Sunset's lips as she looks back at her dark reflection in the coffee. Eventually she says, “No I'm not, Twilight. Instead, I'm tired and worried. Sombra is too. We're both growing afraid that we won't be able to crack this one, no matter how much we are determined. If we don't solve this, Cozy's mind is never going to return to her, or at least we don't think so. Not only would that be a personal loss for me, but everyone else waiting for me back home that is counting on me.”
Both mares pause for a moment in silence, broken first by Sunset.
“With everything that's been happening, it's also got me thinking very deeply about how we are the sum of our memories and experiences. Everything that makes us who we are and guides our decisions is based on the experiences of our past. There are plenty of other factors too, like our genetics, the culture we're raised in, and our cutie marks . . . but the biggest factor is our memories.” Sunset's eyes look up at Twilight while her face remains directed downward at the table. “What are we without them, Twilight? Sombra doesn't know who he is because of all this conflicting information. While he struggles through this challenge, I can't help but wonder how bravely I would have endured this in his place.
“You know, several years back, I did go through something like this. Do you remember when I wrote to you about the memory stone and how it forced all of my friends to forget every good memory about me? Back then it made me wonder if . . .”
When Sunset trails off, both mares suddenly regard each other with a startling realization.
“The memory stone!” Sunset pounds both of her hooves on the table which ends up knocking over her cup and the remains of her coffee. “That's got to be it! That's why nopony remembers their association with Sombra!”
“You may be on to something!” Twilight agrees in realization. “The last written record I've ever discovered about the memory stone was in the restricted section of a hidden library here in Canterlot. Clover the Clever was the last pony known to try to chase down the previous user of the stone. The record on what he did with it later has been lost, but obviously it ended up in your new world for some reason.”
While Twilight rubs the bottom of her chin with a hoof, her horn also glows purple as she uses her magic to straighten Sunset's cup and dry up the remains of the spilled coffee.
“But if the memory stone was used to erase some of the memories of Sombra, why would his dark half partially remember this?” Twilight wonders aloud. “That doesn't make any sense. The memory stone can erase very selective memories from a wide radius of ponies, but exactly how wide that radius is is anypony's guess.”
“It affected everyone at Canterlot High about me some years back,” Sunset reminds, “and that happened overnight. That means the students and faculty were not consolidated in one place while it happened. It affected everyone while they were in their homes. To accomplish that, that stone must be able to affect a very wide radius. For all we know, its reach could potentially be global.”
“We don't know that for sure,” Twilight cautions. “But, if it's true, that explains why there are virtually no exceptions. Everypony involved with him could have been affected, including Sombra himself. Even the user of the stone could have been affected.”
Sunset settles in her seat as she mentions, “One limitation I do know about the memory stone, however, is that it does not affect objects. Pictures, videos, and written records are immune to the memory stone's grasp.”
“Exactly,” Twilight agrees. “That is how Clover the Clever managed to track down the last user of the memory stone. He left himself little clues to help remind him of his mission.”
Twilight widens her eyes further as she realizes something else. “Wait a second. What if King Sombra's mind was imbued in an object, like maybe a crystal, during the moment everypony else's memories of associating with Sombra was erased?”
“But King Sombra was formed way after this event took place,” Sunset points out. “The timing doesn't add up.”
“Unless the memories of when King Sombra was first formed got erased,” Twilight counters. “If the true origin of King Sombra was erased from everypony's mind, then of course Crystal Sage would have thought that King Sombra was formed later. What if that wasn't true? What if he existed earlier in some form? We already know that Crystal Sage's mind was preserved for many centuries in the Red Crystal. What if something similar happened to Sombra earlier?”
“Do you realize how wide that time gap is?” Sunset asks back. “Back when he was alive, Sombra was way older than any normal pony could have been because he had ways to extend his lifespan. We know he was far older than any normal pony before King Sombra took over his body. He lived peacefully within the Crystal Empire for more than a century before that. If the Dark King was actually created earlier, then why did the Crystal Empire have peace for so much time before its fall?”
“Maybe that was the reason the memory stone was used,” Twilight theorizes. “If everypony forgot his earlier history, it would include the fact that a dark splinter of his mind was created. Forgetting that might have helped avoid certain dark temptations? In that case, it could explain why the peace was preserved for so long, but then something went wrong.” Twilight looks down at her table. “We may be on to something, but I think we're still missing too many vital clues here. All we really have is a theory why and how things came to be as they are now.”
“If we assume, for a moment, that the memory stone was used to erase everyone's mind of their association with the Dark King,” Sunset figures, “then it is possible that many might have associated with him before and simply forgot about it. The fact that he once associated with the Pillars might be very important, for they marked a very significant role in Equestria's history.”
“Not just Equestria,” Twilight adds. “The history of the Pillars extends further back than that. Some of the important things that they've done extend back before The Great Pony Migration to Equestria. If we're right, the repercussions of what is lost to history has far greater reach than just Equestria's history.”`
An orange hide pegasus guard in royal guard regalia flew up above the balcony line nearby and bowed to his princess.
“Your Majesty, a pony named Stygian the Scholar is here to see you. He claims that he has come with your invitation and presented a letter accordingly. Shall I let him in?”
“Um,” Twilight gives the guard a carefully discerning look, then asks, “you're Cloud Obliterator, correct?”
The guard rose from his bow and gave his princess an affectionate smile as he confirmed, “Yes, Your Majesty. I am flattered that you took the time to learn my name.”
“Of course!” Twilight says brightly. “All of you are not just my servants, but also my friends! As friends, learning all of your names is the least I can do.” Her expression turns more serious. “Yes. Stygian is here at my invitation. Please escort him to the study room.”
Cloud Obliterator bows to his princess again as he says, “At once, Your Majesty. It shall be done as you ordered.”
The royal guard is about to leave, but hesitates a moment longer when his majesty adds some additional instructions.
“While you do that, find another guard and tell that pony to escort my daughter, Cozy Glow, to the study as well.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. All shall be done as you wish.”
Cloud Obliterator flies off to do as instructed.
“Whatever Stygian has to say,” Twilight explains as she looks across at her friend, “I have a feeling it will involve my daughter . . . and the entity that shares her company in the crystal.”
“That's not how you focus. Try again!” Sombra instructs. “Your mind wavers too much. Wait, no!” He pauses for a moment, then amends, “Actually, it's your emotions that waver too much.”
Cozy releases a long breath then glares at the apparent image of Sombra standing beside her bed. An image that nopony else can see.
“What's the difference?” Cozy asks with irritation in her voice. “Thought and emotion are the same thing, aren't they?”
“No,” Sombra answers with a shake of his head. “You can have thought without emotion, and you can have emotion without thought. Thought gives spells direction and structure, and emotion is fuel for the fire of magic. If either of these are out of balance, magic will not function, but for different reasons in each case.” He pointed a hoof at her. “If you cannot learn to control your emotions, then you won't be in control of the source of your powers.”
“What?” Cozy looks skeptical at Sombra. “I've seen plenty of examples of unicorns cast magic while raging with emotions.”
“Because they had more practice,” Sombra counters. “Most unicorns grow up practicing all their lives with the most basic of spells. You have not.” He looks at her squarely. “You once briefly had an existence as an alicorn, and you cast your spells with your emotions back then. Tell me . . . did you control the power, or did the power control you?”
“Uh . . . I'm not sure what you mean,” Cozy admits lamely.
Sombra gives an exasperated sigh, then says, “Perhaps, for the moment, you should take a break and clear your head.”
“But I want to master this!” Cozy expresses as she looks at her red crystal between her hooves. “Until I do, it feels like some part of me is missing.”
Sombra grins at her slightly as he says, “I appreciate the sentiment, but it is clear to me you will make no progress if you proceed forward in your current state of mind. Relax,” Sombra insists, “and unwind.” He looks around at her room. “Just what do you do for fun around here, anyway?” He looks back at her. “As the adopted daughter of the Princess of Equestria, I imagine your potential resources should be quite extensive.”
Cozy gains a dour expression as she shrugs and says, “Yes and no. My mother is the one with access to all of those resources, but my influence is quite limited since I am somepony she does not yet fully trust. I did try to conquer Equestria before . . . twice, so you can imagine how cautious somepony like my mother would react to somepony like me.”
“I see,” Sombra says flatly. “Still, my question stands. What do you do for fun?” He looks around the room again. “I see you have lots of books here.” He gives a slightly hopeful expression to Cozy. “I practically lived my life in a library. What books do you like to read?”
“Oh, these?” Cozy gestures to the bookshelves in her room. “Most of those are my mother's recommendations. She is the one who wants me to read them, but me . . . I tend to avoid them out of pure spite and defiance.”
Sombra squints his eyes at Cozy as he asks, “So . . . to spite your mother . . . you wish to limit your access to power? That is what knowledge is, you know.”
“Don't you start lecturing me, too!” Cozy spat at Sombra. “Especially if you do it to agree with my mother.”
Sombra closes his eyes and bows to Cozy while saying, “Very well. So be it. Do as thou wilt.”
Right after saying that, he fades away from her sight, most likely retreating back into the crystal.
“Oh, no! I didn't mean to dismiss you!” Cozy complains aloud. “Come back!”
“I have nothing further to say to you for the moment,” Sombra mentally tells Cozy from within the crystal. “Until you obey and complete my new instructions, we are done for the day.”
Cozy growls, then exclaims, “Fine! Be that way!”
No reply.
Cozy flops back into her cloud bed with wings spread widely. Because of that, the tip of her right wing collides with a nightstand she has on the right side of her bed. This causes her to look in that direction and notice a magazine on top of her nightstand. Cozy's eyes widen with delight as she realizes she hasn't read this one yet.
“Oh, golly!” Cozy cries out excitedly. “I completely forgot about that one with everything that's been going on.”
After she said that, it occurs to her to ask herself, why talk aloud? Who is she talking to?
For a moment, she mentally checks within the crystal. Instead of sensing Sombra, she senses something more akin to a barrier. It seems the mental equivalent of shutting the door on her.
Upon noticing that, Cozy growls in irritation again.
Insolent whelp! She mentally complains to herself but about him. If I were Empress of these lands, so help me, I'd . . .
Bah! Fine! Whatever. You're not worth being upset over.
As soon as she thinks that, an empty feeling clouds her heart. An empty feeling that came from an anxious wish being unfulfilled. For years, Cozy has existed free from her stone prison but inwardly felt very insecure. Mastering magic made her feel like she could equalize the playing field. It might not make her all-powerful, but it would give her a leg up to catch up to others who have this advantage.
Her hope is, if she masters this new power, new confidence might arise along with it. It does not necessarily come with a renewed ambition to take over the world, but she wants to at least feel like she is mastering her own destiny instead of feeling like a prisoner all the time.
“You brooded in a crystal and dark crystal cave for more than a thousand years,” she thought at Sombra. “You should know how I feel, and why. Due to that sympathy, you should be helping me!”
Again, no response.
Cozy frowns, then swipes her magazine off the nightstand with her right wing then uses that to deliver her prize to her hooves. While still lying on her back on her cloud bed, she holds her magazine above her and admires her prize, especially when she notices which pony is on the front cover again.
Grasping the magazine with one hoof, she uses her other hoof to trace the front cover image of Equestria's currently most eligible and desirable bachelor, a gray pegasus with two shades of gray mane swept back smoothly to reveal gray eyes. A pegasus who is a talented prodigy at literally everything! A bachelor who has a legendarily rare jackknife cutie mark, which basically means a jack of all trades.
“Oh, Rumble!” Cozy coos softly to herself. “You will be mine someday! Oh yes! You will be mine! I don't care how many other mares are clamoring for you! Your destiny is with Cozy!”
Cozy closes her eyes and hugs the magazine to her chest. As she does so, she imagines that the magazine itself is Rumble. Maybe he is struggling to free himself a bit from her grasp. After all, she's probably squeezing him so tight that he can't breathe, but in time . . . he'll surrender to his fate. He has to, for he'll have no choice. It is his destiny! Cozy wills it so!
While she hugs her magazine to her chest tightly, her rear legs squirm a bit in sheer giddy delight.
Cozy continues this activity until she hears a pop and magical jingling sound indicative of a unicorn teleportation spell.
Or, in this case, an alicorn, as it were.
“Flurry!” Cozy whines as she frantically tries to hide her magazine by stuffing it under one of her pillows. “How many times do I have to say this!? Knock on my door before barging in with your teleportation spell.”
The very light purple mare, with dark purple streaks of light blue mane which is curled at the tips into several almost ball-shape ends, grins somewhat shyly as she peers at Cozy with light teal eyes.
“Well, I only have a few minutes to talk between my lessons, and other things,” Flurry explains in a tone of apology, “and I've got to make the most of it.”
Suddenly, Flurry Heart's expression shifts to intrigue and curiosity as she asks, “Oh, what's this?”
Annoyingly, Cozy's magazine teleports away from under her pillows then hovers in front of Flurry within a swirl of pink and yellow magic aura. Once Cozy sees who is on the front cover, she floats the magazine off to the side as she gives a snide and sly smile to Cozy while saying, “Ohhhhh! Now I see!”
Cozy sits up in a huff as she complains, “You are, by far, the rudest and most insensitive princess I have ever seen!”
“Don't forget best friend!” Flurry teases as she rolls up the magazine with her magic and bops Cozy lightly on the snout with it. Since it is within reach, Cozy uses that opportunity to quickly snatch back her magazine.
“Plus,” Flurry goes on as she closes her eyes and gestures to herself with her long light purple wings which shift to darker purple near the tips, “you know me. I'm always a flutter of emotions.”
When she said that, Flurry sounded like she was bragging.
Cozy sighs as she looks down, then looks back at Flurry with her eyes only while her face remains directed downward. “What do you want with me?” Cozy asks with a slight bit of misery in her tone.
“I'm in a whimsical mood to see you right now!” Flurry Heart cries out cheerfully. “Also,” she focuses on Cozy more seriously, “I heard you are in possession of an interesting magical crystal. One which might allow you to cast spells someday? Furthermore, is it true that your alternate self from the human world is here at this castle, but having some kind of problem?”
Her last question is tinged with concern.
“To answer both questions, right here.” Cozy lifts up her new magic crystal. “The ponified body of my alternate self is shrunken and in magical stasis within this crystal.” Cozy tilts her head at her friend. “Also, how did you hear about all of this?”
“Oh,” Flurry folds her wings to her side as she brags, “I have my ways.”
“Namely, Twilight?” Cozy guesses as she squints one eye. “She is family, after all.”
“I repeat, I have my ways!” Flurry reiterates with a mysterious inflection to her tone, then goes on in a more normal tone, “Besides, you are family too, Cozy.”
Cozy rolls her eyes as she says listlessly, “Lucky me.”
“Uh oh! Somepony is in a grumpy mood today!” Flurry expresses brightly.
“What do you expect? You popped into my room again without permission,” Cozy complains.
Flurry narrows her eyes at Cozy as she wears another sly expression. “Well, in that case, you know what that means!”
Cozy widens her eyes at Flurry as she cries out, “Oh no! You wouldn't dare!”
Flurry nods as she says, “Yep! I'm afraid so! Grumpy mares get another visit from the Snuggle Monster!”
In an instant, Flurry pops behind Cozy and glomps her from behind with a tight hug.
“Pony feathers, Flurry!” Cozy complains. “You really need to be taught the value of personal space.”
“Ah, what fun is there in that?” Flurry teases then nips Cozy's left ear which provokes it to wiggle and flutter.
“Also,” Flurry floats Cozy's magazine in front of Cozy's face again, “he is something to look at, isn't he? I bet you that you were hugging this magazine a moment ago while inwardly promising that he'll be all yours!”
“How did you . . .” Cozy began in shock before she caught herself, then expressed in pure denial, “No!”
“Come on! Don't lie to me!” Flurry coaxes. “Or, if you really mean what you say, maybe I should start chasing after him.”
“Don't you dare!” Cozy barks insistently.
“Aw! I knew it!” Flurry declares triumphantly, then chants in a teasing way, “Cozy has a crush! Cozy has a crush! Cozy has a crush!”
“Well,” Cozy swallows hard as she can feel her face flush beet red.
Curses! Why does she always have to push my buttons like this?
“Is that Flurry Heart?” Sombra mentally asks within with such sudden and startling interest that it momentarily takes Cozy aback.
“Um . . . yes,” Cozy inwardly replies. “I thought you weren't speaking to me. Now who can't control his emotions? Huh, Mister Tough Guy?”
In an instant, Sombra appears on the right side of the bed then looks back fondly at Flurry Heart.
This draws Cozy's attention. As she mentally asks a moment later in curiosity, “Why is Flurry Heart such an interest to you? It's not like you met the mare before.”
“Um, well . . . I have, sort of,” Sombra expresses with a mixture of a fond and pained look at Flurry. “But . . . we don't need to go into that. The truth is, I don't really know her . . . but she reminds me a lot of somepony I once knew.” He looks down sadly. “And deeply cared for.”
Intrigue, as well as a haunting feeling, sinks deep into Cozy's eyes as she looks at Sombra.
“Why the sudden shift in mood?” Flurry asks considerably more calmly. In fact, she now sounds a little spooked. “Cozy?” Flurry pokes Cozy's spine between her wings. “Hello! Equestria to Cozy! Come in, Cozy! Are you there?”
“Um, sorry?” Cozy replies in bewilderment after she briefly shakes her head then looks back at Flurry.
“You spaced out there for a second,” Flurry replies with concern. “Are you okay?”
“She's empathic, isn't she?” Sombra guesses as his eyes shift to his left at Flurry. “Yet another mark of similarity. I think she is the same pony . . . reborn by the stored love and magic of the Crystal Heart.”
“Huh?” Flurry wonders as she looks off to the right side of the bed. She sees nothing there, but she suddenly realizes she feels a presence there. “Is somepony there?”
“You can sense him?!” Cozy asks Flurry with awe and wonder.
“Sense who?” Flurry asks Cozy innocently with a twinge of fear deep in her eyes.
“She does sense me.” Sombra realizes as he closes his eyes. “I knew it.”
“Cozy, what's going on?” Flurry asks with worry. “Talk to me, and be honest. I'll know if you're lying.”
“You might as well tell her,” Sombra invites with a depressed tone. “You can't keep a secret like this from a mare like that for long.”
“You sure?” Cozy mentally double checks with the disembodied spirit of Sombra.
In response, Sombra just nods with sad acceptance.
Which draws Flurry's attention back in that direction. Her eyes do not focus on anypony, but her instincts insist that somepony is there.
Cozy sighs, then explains to Flurry, “There is a disembodied spirit that dwells within this crystal. One who has the memories of my alternate self but the personality and consciousness of an ancient spirit . . . and a powerful unicorn.”
“You're serious, aren't you?” Flurry asks in a spooked tone to Cozy, but the question almost sounds like a statement. Before Cozy can reply, Flurry closes her eyes and says, “This entity . . . feels familiar, but I don't know from where or when. Possibly from a dream I had a long time ago?”
“I did briefly visit her and foalnap her in the Crystal Empire when she was still a yearling,” Sombra notes aloud. “At least, King Sombra did. She might be referring to that.”
Flurry suddenly opens her eyes and whips her head to look off the right side of the bed, then looks back at Cozy as she asks, “What did he just say?”
“Ah . . . you can hear him? Or . . .” Cozy leaves that thought hanging.
Flurry shakes her head as she says, “No, I can't see or hear him . . . but I sense him, and he just said something. Probably about me.”
Cozy nods while feeling a little amazed. “Uh . . . yes, he did. He said a part of him foalnapped you while you were still a baby.” Cozy turns about on her bed then waves at Flurry reassuringly. “But he's good now! Sort of. He's . . .” Cozy sighs, then says, “it's a long story, and kind of complicated, but rest assured that he means you no harm anymore. He was just . . . sort of incomplete before.”
Flurry Heart widens her eyes in realization, then looks off to the side where she senses the ghostly stallion still standing, and she asks, “You're King Sombra . . . aren't you?”
Cozy widens her eyes in astonishment as she exclaims, “Wait! How did you know?!”
“I'm not surprised,” Sombra assures mysteriously in a bittersweet tone, “At least . . . not anymore. Not after I realized whom we're dealing with here.”
“Um . . . Cozy, may I see that crystal?” Flurry requests while gesturing to the magic crystal with a hoof.
Cozy's astonishment vanishes, replaced by a listless expression and drooped eyes as she notes, “You pop into my room, steal my magazine, then glomp me without permission . . . and now you're suddenly asking permission? Why the sudden change of heart?”
In reply, Flurry grins at Cozy as she says, “Oh, you know me, my heart always flutters in many directions.” Her expression instantly returns to serious and anxious as she requests, “Please, Cozy?”
“Well, just be careful,” Cozy says as she offers the crystal with a hoof. “My other self is encased in there as well.”
Flurry's magic glows around the crystal for just a moment, but before she levitates it up, there is a knock on Cozy's door.
“Shoot!” Flurry complains. “I got to go,” she suddenly declares. “I'm not supposed to be here, but we'll talk more about this later!” Flurry promises before popping out of the room with a small explosion of yellow and pink twinkling sparks.
Geez! How many more surprises are determined to catch me off guard today? Cozy wonders to herself.
“Are you going to answer it?” Sombra inquires of Cozy.
“Um, well . . . you're a ghost, right? Can you give me a little recon by floating through that door and reporting to me whom it is?” Cozy asks hopefully.
“I could, but I have better things to do with my eternal time,” Sombra says with a dismissive wave of his left forehoof at Cozy but without looking her in the eyes. “You're in no danger here, so check it yourself.”
With that, Sombra fades away.
Cozy pouts at the spot he once stood on, then blows a raspberry at that spot before calling aloud, “Yes? Who is it?”
“Um . . . it's Rock Steady, Your Highness,” the male stallion beyond the door reports. “Your mother bids me to summon you to the study room. Some guests are reportedly here to see you.”
Annoyance shifts to intrigue as Cozy asks through the still shut door while sitting on her cloud bed, “Do you know who they are?”
Information is power, after all. Sombra said that himself not long ago. If she could gather some intel right now, so much, the better.
“Alas, I am not equipped with those details,” Rock Steady reports. “Even if I was, I have not been ordered to tell you.
“So . . . are you coming, Your Highness?”
“Sure,” Cozy expresses with a sigh. “Just . . . give me a moment to get dressed.”
“As you wish,” the stallion returns with acceptance.