//------------------------------//
// Chapter Sixteen: Star Gazers 
// Story: Bizarre Happenings 
// by Art Inspired 
//------------------------------//

She awoke one morning with the usual swirl of blue cotton covering her eyes, and getting out of bed, Cozy motioned her mane away so that she could see. She then used a hoof to move a piece sitting in front of her, and sighed.

"Checkmate... I win again."

Her white room had a few new toys, and Rarity had also switched the curtains out for a shade of purple. She smirked at her mirror, and glanced morbidly towards all of the new photos that had been taken. Most of them were of her and Sweetie Belle.

She grabbed her gear before leaving, and went down the hall. Knocking on the door belonging to the next room over, she asked the filly residing inside, "Do you mind if I come in?"

"No," Sweetie said, her voice sounding muffled. "The door's unlocked, Cozy. What do you need?"

Even after all this time, Cozy's room still couldn't compare to Sweetie's. It was a bright pink, but it also hadn't changed a whole lot over time. Sweetie was sitting peacefully at her dresser getting herself ready for the day, so Cozy approached her. "I'm going out for a short roll around town... Did you want to tag along?"

Sweetie shook her head, and said, "I'm still waking up, actually. Maybe I'll catch up with you later on."

Cozy sighed at that response, but as she left, she heard Sweetie say, "Do you... wanna take the time this morning, and I'll help you fix your mane?" Cozy blinked, and just stared back at Sweetie curiously. "You still have those tassels, right?"

The pegasus gulped, but nodded, asking, "I do, but, uh... Sweetie, are you sure? Doesn't it look fine the way it is?"

The unicorn then gently came closer towards Cozy Glow in order to counter, "You're alright with that wild mane of yours getting in your way all the time?"

Cozy gulped, but at the same time, she started to smile. "I suppose... it m-might be time for a change." She looked downwards, and to the right, and that's when Sweetie serenely wrapped her hoof around the back of her friend's neck. They stayed like that for a few more moments.



The tassels were back where they belonged once more. As much as Cozy Glow wished to abandon them all together, something was keeping her from doing so. She looked at her new style, and smirked with warmth building up inside of herself. They weren't like before, however, and there were still many, many loose strands escaping from all over, but with a lot of it curled and done correctly, she looked nearly perfect. She sniffled, and said to Sweetie, "Truth be told, I've tried to discard these tassels... so many times."

Sweetie asked, "Why don't you?"

With a chuckle, Cozy said, "I don't know... I really don't know, but I start to cry, and my head hurts. I sometimes... try to remember things from before I was turned to stone, but nothing ever comes. Lately, I've desperately started to give up the effort, but ever since narrowly saving Tirek..."

Sweetie commented, "Right, I remember you telling me about how you had to have Twilight take care of your mane that day."

Cozy sighed, "And now... I'm looking at myself in the mirror, and Sweetie? I'm still not quite so sure of who I am anymore, or where these tassels even came from."

Sweetie hoofed at Cozy's shoulder kindly, and offered, "I don't think it matters. The past is the past, and besides... just look at you now! I mean... really look at yourself in the mirror. I've made sure that you still look somewhat carefree, and yet dazzling, too. I really don't know what else to say when it comes to your past, so maybe just focus on the future from now on. I'm pretty sure that's the best thing for you to do at the moment. Alright?"

Cozy just huffed, and looked at Sweetie with an unsure expression. "Do you... promise to... always be like a sister to me? Because I love you and Rarity... so much."

Sweetie nodded gleefully. "Of course! Rarity as well. You'll always be welcome in the Belle family." They both hugged, and as Cozy went to leave, she heard Sweetie also say to her, "I think I'll get in the shower before Rarity hogs all of the hot water."



Cozy had gotten herself something to eat, and as she went back into the kitchen for another glass of juice, she saw Rarity enter. "Good morning," Cosy said with a smile. Rarity responded with a smile of her own, and then, she took a second look. "My word," Rarity said startlingly. "Who did your mane?" She smiled as she stated, and gestured with a hoof, "Because it's fabulous!"

"Eheh," Cozy chuckled sheepishly. "Sweetie Belle did it, actually."

Rarity nodded, and said, "Perhaps I'll let her do my mane as well..." She then also asked the filly a strange question. "By the way, Cozy, do you remember the mare that released you from stone?"

Cozy failed to respond right away. "St-Starlight, right?" There was a pause, and Rarity seemed to not know what else to say next. "Y-yeah, I recall... What's up?"

Again, Rarity waited to speak. It was almost as if she was stalling, but in time, she replied, "She... is coming soon to visit the store today. Dearie Cozy, I just hope that you... don't still have any harsh feelings towards why she originally did it. I know that you haven't really seen her since, too, so I honestly wasn't really all that sure if you even... wanted to see her at all."

Cozy was emotionless, but all the same, she nodded while staring at Rarity. Afterwards, she said, "I'm... not mad or anything, y'know... She just frightened me at first. When will... she be here?"

Rarity told Cozy that Starlight Glimmer would be arriving later that day, so even though Cozy Glow had originally planned on  visiting Ocellus in order to check up on Queen Chrysalis, she decided to put that off for another day. To Cozy, this was likely equally important. She wandered the halls for a bit, and hung out with Sweetie Belle whenever she got the chance, but still, Cozy Glow couldn't cease her anticipation for some odd reason. The excitement she felt reminded her of when she at long last got to see Twilight again. 

Sooner than she had anticipated, the door knocked, and Cozy stared at it from a distance. Rarity came around the corner in slow motion, and as she opened the door, Cozy heard her say, "Come on in! It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

The all too familiar voice entered her ears. At the same time, Cozy could still faintly recall how Starlight sounded that night. Yet, now she sounded so sweet, and kind, and welcoming.

"I know, I know. Hasn't it? I've missed this place so much!"

In that split second, she caught sight of Cozy Glow. All Starlight could do was offer her a simple and friendly smirk as a sign of her friendship. She also brought along yummy chocolates. Those always helped in situations like these.



Colorful stars lit up the night sky. Cozy was spending her time with Starlight atop a picnic blanket, and as she finished her apple, she looked up once again. "There's so many... Have you ever tried to count them?"

Starlight's answer wasn't exactly what Cozy Glow was expecting it to be. "My highest record is thirty-thousand, five-hundred and sixty-four..." Cozy just stared, frowning. "You're the one that asked."

Cozy merely looked away briefly, and with a huff, she said, "Actually, I was expecting it to be a lot higher."

Starlight and Cozy then just stared back at one another for a second or two, and then, they started to laugh together. Starlight then decided that it was time for her to ask Cozy Glow, "So... nopony's figured this out yet, huh?" Except for the rustling winds, there was silence. "Your memory loss...?" Cozy was quiet at first, and the dangling parts of her mane were swept periodically by the wind. 

She then said to the unicorn, "I think that... it doesn't even really matter at this point." She just shrugged as Sweetie's words from earlier played repeatedly within her mind. "I think that... if anything, everypony should really, probably just look at it as a gift. After all, I... was able to do a little bit of good for a change." After those words left her lips, she smiled momentarily. "I still have a few things that I need to correct, but at least for now... I don't think that I should be all that preoccupied with getting my memory back."

Starlight just blinked at the filly that sat before her. After a long pause, she then offered Cozy, "Would you like another chocolate, then?"

Cozy visually relaxed a little bit more, and smiled while a sense of sheer peacefulness washed over her. "I'd love some more, Starlight... and do you suppose that we could do this again sometime soon?"

Starlight Glimmer answered, "Of course we'll do this again. The next time I'm staying in town for a few days, I promise to stop by the Boutique before I leave."

"The stars just look so beautiful tonight. Don't they?" Cozy asked.

"They sure do," Starlight replied.