Cozy Glow is sitting upright on the bottom bunk of her new dinky little room. She gazes around this twelve by twelve by sixteen square feet, in her head she can't help but compare it to her room in Canterlot which is filled with furniture, pictures of stars and moons along the walls and, most importantly, it has a lot of space. Not just outwardly, but vertically as well. Compared to that, Cozy feels claustrophobic in here. What makes it worse here is she has to share this room with Cheese Pie.
To make matters worse, the room is additionally cluttered with various suitcases from the two mares. It is Cozy's understanding that these were delivered to her room for her, probably by the diamond dogs. As a result, it might be worth checking to see if any of her stuff is damaged, although the clothes are probably okay. She squints at the thought of her luggage suffering some scratches or covered in dog slobber. She makes a mental note that her luggage might have to be cleaned soon.
Fortunately, at least for the moment, the stacked suitcases are secured to the walls via several ropes. That is the only thing holding them in place for the moment.
Cozy then glances at the porthole window in their room for a few seconds. Outside, she notices that it is now nighttime. Because of how dark it is, the only reason either of them can see something in this room is because of the lantern on their wall filled with glowing bugs. It makes Cozy wonder if it is her responsibility to feed the little bugs now or if some member of the crew will take care of that.
With a frown, Cozy looks at and tests the softness of her mattress. It is a six-inch thick spring mattress set on top of a wooden platform which is secured to the wall on a swivel link and two chains on the corners of the bed. This is a far cry below the quality of her cloud mattress in her room.
Cozy lays down on the mattress while applying her left hoof on her forehead. She is gazing up at the wooden part of the mattress above her. She is lying on her back right now. That is not a position comfortable for a pegasus because it cut off blood circulation in her wings which eventually makes her wings grow numb. Prolonged exposure would also atrophy the muscles in her wings. This is especially true at the joint where her wings meet her spine. That area would ache if she slept in this position all night unless the mattress is super soft, but doing this for a few minutes on any surface is okay.
What am I doing here? Cozy thinks to herself in misery. I can't believe this is my life now. Pony feathers! I am a royal princess! I shouldn't be subjected to this kind of treatment.
But this is for my counterpart. She needs me. Sombra too. This is equally bad for him because he wants his rest.
And to think . . . I actually want immortality like he has, but if I get to be his age . . . would I find it a curse too?
“Hello, Cozy!” Cheese greets as she hangs upside down over the edge of her mattress above. Noticing her friend's spaced-out look, she calls again, “Hello Cozy! Equestria to Cozy. Come in, Cozy. Over.”
“Hi, Cheese,” Cozy says despondently.
“What's wrong?” Cheese asks in a chipper way. “Why the frown? Isn't this exciting? We're off on a grand new adventure!”
“One that is way outside my comfort zone,” Cozy complains. “If it weren't for the stakes involved, I probably wouldn't even be here.”
“Oh . . . don't be like that. Roughing it can actually be a lot of fun!” Cheese encourages cheerfully. “You probably need this, too. Far more than you know.
“Think about it. How many times have our older peers like my mother and the other Elements of Harmony saved the world? They had a deeply bonding experience each and every single time. I always envied them for that. I wanted to go on a grand adventure just like they did, and I wanted to do it in the compony of my own friends, and here you are!”
“Doesn't that hurt to hang upside down for that long?” Cozy wonders aloud. “All that blood rushing to your head. One would think it's enough to make you sick after a while.”
“You might have noticed that my family likes to do things a little differently,” Cheese points out. “I come from a family that eats rocks and breaks the fourth wall all the time. What did you expect?”
“And a family that thinks like rocks, for they have rocks for brains,” Cozy says with a slightly disgusted smirk.
“What's wrong with that?” Cheese asks innocently as she crosses her forelegs across her chest, but she doesn't really look offended. “Maybe some of my family really do have slow wits, but we all tend to specialize in something. Maud Pie graduated from college, and I look up to her for that. She's the first Pie to do so in several generations. I'm looking forward to being another.
“But even if I did have slow wits, that's okay. I can still enjoy life.”
For some reason, Cheese starts idly swinging from side to side.
“Sometimes it's easier for the intellectually challenged to enjoy life because they don't overthink or overcomplicate things. They just accept things as they are without trying to understand them. They're happy to leave all the big thinking to ponies like you.”
Cheese looks above her which is actually down at Cozy.
“Does being a genius really make you happy?” Cheese challenges. “I noticed you struggling with that a lot. Sometimes I wonder why. It's as if ponies like you see something in life that is kind of depressing. Deeper layers of meaning, maybe.
“I've noticed your mother freak out a bunch of times as well. My mother told me that Twilight used to be much worse; that she used to be neurotic.” Cheese giggles. “They even had an affectionate name for that. They called it, 'Twilighting', although I'm still fond of her brother's term of 'Twilight Nanners.'”
Cozy's look grows a little spacey again when she contemplates what her friend said. It honestly isn't the first time an idea like this occurred to her. She has noticed that many ponies who are celebrated to have high intellects frequently suffer from some kind of neurosis. Everypony has quirks, but gifted minds have been known to have especially epic meltdowns.
“Maybe I should ask Sunset Shimmer about this sometime,” Cozy ponders aloud. “If there is some common sociological and psychological reason that brilliant minds also tend to be . . . ah . . .”
“Quirky?” Cheese offers as a softer term. “Or how about simply calling them unique?” She furrows her brow. “Although does that really make them special if we're all unique?”
“You're the anthropologist,” Cozy reminds. “You should be more aware than I am about cultural idiosyncrasies.”
“I'm really more of a student of anthropology,” Cheese corrects. “Having an interest in something doesn't make one an expert yet. Time and experience are what eventually makes that distinction. Sunset and I actually have that in common. We're both working on new fields of expertise, but ventures like this are exactly what we need to grow. We call it ‘field experience’ in the education biz.”
“You're not dumb, Cheese,” Cozy remarks with a slight frown. “In fact, you're the most brilliant member of the Pie family I ever met, including Maud. More than that, there is an inner wisdom in you that sometimes makes you seem a lot older than you actually are.”
“Ah! Gee! Thanks, Cozy!” Cheese says with a giddy and affectionate blush. “I guess I can return the sentiment. You're the most brilliant member of your family that I ever met as well, including Twilight. That's a hard call to make, too, because she sets the standard awfully high, but who else can nearly conquer Equestria on her wits alone twice?”
“I had some help,” Cozy reminds. “Especially the second time.”
“My point is,” Cheese goes on, “you've done great things in the past using your wits and charm alone. Terrible things, but great nonetheless. I, for one, am excited to see how much good you will accomplish instead that now that you have accepted friendship into your heart. You're going to continue to do great things, Cozy Glow. I just know it.”
There is a knock on their door. Both mares look to the exit. In Cheese's case, she simply looks to her left. Cozy sits up and looks at the door off the hoof of her bed.
“May I come in?” Rumble asks beyond the door. “Actually, more to the point, Cozy . . . will you come out and join me? There is something I want to show you. A secret spot on this ship.”
“Ooo!” Cheese looks giddy as she looks up at her friend. “That sounds exciting.”
“Might be a little chilly for you, though,” Rumble warns beyond the door. “You might want to consider dressing warm if you have the gear.”
“Ponies have fur. I'm sure we'll be fine,” Cozy says as she swings her hind legs off the edge of her bed and dangles them there. “Pegasi in particular are accustomed to high altitude and chilly weather.”
“Well, alright, then. Come to the top deck of the ship. I'll meet you there,” Rumble instructs before trotting on. His hoof clomps sounded loudly at close range considering the wooden floor.
“How about that, Cozy!” Cheese remarks cheerfully. “Your crush is asking you out. Go get 'em, tiger!”
Cozy blushes deeply for that remark.
“Can't sleep?” Flapjack asks Cozy along her way to the upper deck. Once she hears him, however, she pauses and assesses him. He is whittling something on one of the benches in the mess hall, but he sets it down as soon as she looks at him. After that, he nudges his hat up a scoosh and peers back at her under the rim of his hat. “Not used to the rigors of a ship, ah recon, but ah trust ya to get used to it eventually.”
“I'm the adopted daughter of the Princess of Equestria,” Cozy informs. “Of course I'm used to higher standards.
“Although, I have to say, your cooking is pretty interesting.”
“Coming from ya, ah'll take that as a compliment,” he says with a grin. “Thank'ee, ya Highness.”
Cozy scrunches her face slightly as she wonders why she feels slightly insulted. Is it because his remark came off as sarcastic? He didn't seem that way.
Cozy decides to let this one slide for now.
She turns to look back in the direction of the exit. She almost takes a step, but then something occurs to her. She looks back at the chef as she asks him, “What are you making?”
Flapjack blows tiny bits of wood off of his carved object before answering, “Don't rightly know yet. Ah'll find out when ah'im finished. Until then, ah'll discover what it chooses to be.”
Cozy squints one eye at the chef as she asks, “Is that supposed to be a metaphor for something? Are you trying to teach me a lesson?”
Flapjack shrugs as he says, “Ah reckon ya can take it that way. Ah s'pose life is always some lesson or another. We learn every day, don't we?”
“I guess that's true,” Cozy figures.
“Don't ya worry,” Flapjack assures. “Ya'll fit right in, little missy. Just you wait.”
“I guess I'll have to take your word for it,” Cozy says with a little worry. “But, for now, did you see Rumble recently?”
In response, he jabs his whittling knife down the hallway she was proceeding and says, “Down the hallway an' on to the upper deck. Ya'll find 'im there unless he took off into the skies. But, even then, the moon is shining full tonight.”
Luna, Cozy thinks to herself. I wonder if I'll get another dream of my counterpart tonight.
“Thanks,” Cozy says as she makes her way to the upper deck.
“Not a problem, little missy. Ya take care of ya-self now. Ya hear?”
After reaching the upper deck, Cozy slows down from a canter to a slow trot as she witnesses Rumble. She is enchanted by the radiant way his gray coat glows while bathed in lunar light.
“There you are!” Rumble exclaims as he passes her an amused look. “Took you long enough, slowpoke.”
“I was just . . . um . . .” Cozy trails off. Her heart is aflutter and she feels herself blushing bashfully. She hopes that is not well revealed in the moonlight.
“Well come on! Hurry up. Times a wasting,” Rumble encourages.
Cozy shakes her head then trots up to him as she asks, “What are we doing exactly?”
“Well . . . you asked for flying lessons, didn't you?” Rumble reminds. “Time for your first flight with me.”
“Really? Tonight?” Cozy asks as she glows bashfully again.
“Yeah. Why? Is something the matter with tonight?” Rumble asks innocently.
“Oh no! No-no!” Cozy hurriedly assures as she flushes beet red. “It's just . . . I didn't expect it so soon, nor did I expect it to take place after dark.”
“That's why we're going to take it easy tonight,” Rumble assures. “I'm not even going to give you much instruction except for one thing, and that is to follow me. I want to observe you and your natural flight pattern. You in?”
“Of course!” Cozy chirps happily.
“Then come on! Tally-ho!” Rumble cries out as he starts to gallop to the starboard side of the ship.
“Hey! Wait for me!” Cozy cries back as she races after him as swiftly as she can.
Once Rumble reaches the edge of the ship, he leaps off and spreads his wings widely. He catches the air in a glide more than a flight.
Cozy follows suit.
Cozy spares a moment to glance back as she witnesses the airship shrink in the distance. The details of it vanish fast due to the dim illumination of the night, but some parts of the ship emanate a glow of their own. This is mostly the various porthole windows along the middle of the ship as well as the bridge in the front of the ship and a few glows through the curtains of Prince Salizar's extravagant tent at the back of the ship.
When Cozy turns her head forward, she closes her eyes for a second as she spends a moment just to savor the wind passing through her or the weightlessness of gliding through the air. Such things always felt “right” to her.
When she opens her eyes again, she scans below. Most of the terrain below doesn't stand out too much since it is caked in shadow. The explanation for that is a lot of cloud cover above it, but some of those clouds are actually below their elevation.
Cozy also spots a flight of geese in V formation down below. She can vaguely hear them honking at each other. Right now she does not have her bearings enough yet to tell which compass direction the geese are flying towards. No doubt Golden Compass would've instantly been able to tell in her place.
“You cozy back there?” Rumble asks his flight companion over his right shoulder.
“Oh ha-ha,” Cozy says sarcastically as she rolls her eyes up. “Good one. I never heard that one before. You're a warrior-poet.”
In response, he grins mischievously. That pun was definitely intentional, yet he says, “I'm just asking to make sure you're comfortable and not having any problems.”
“Nope,” Cozy assures more seriously. “No problems back here.”
Cozy feels turned on a little when she witnesses Rumble carefully analyze her from the lead with a practiced, professional eye. She saw the way his eyes scanned every inch of her, especially her wings. He also pays close attention to her legs beneath her.
“Air galloping?” Rumble observes.
“Huh?” Cozy looks down and notices she is galloping in the air as if she's still on solid ground, then she blushes towards Rumble as she says, “Ah . . . sorry. Force of habit.”
Rumble shrugs slightly as he says, “Don't sweat it. Lots of pegasi do that. It's an unconscious habit because they get so used to requiring that motion in order to facilitate forward momentum.”
“Does this mark me as an amateur flier?” Cozy checks.
Rumble squints and tilts his head as he says, “Well . . . more like a common pegasus flier. As I said, it's a force of habit to a lot of pegasi. That said, it is definitely a sign of not being a professional flier. Most professional pegasi, like the Wonderbolts, know to tuck their forward legs in close to their chest and hold their hind legs straight because it makes them more aerodynamic.”
“Oh. Like this?” Cozy tries to tuck her forward legs close to her chest and hang her hind legs back, but there is a part of her mind that rebels and even panics slightly as if afraid she's going to trip or stop because she's not galloping anymore. If she did this while on land and not using her wings, she'd certainly crash to the ground. “Ul! This feels weird.”
“That's not quite right,” Rumble notes from the lead. “But . . . getting there.
“As I said, we can focus more on detailed flight instructions later. Right now I'm just getting a feel for your center of gravity, the strength of your wing strokes, the shape of your body as the wind passes through you . . . the whole nine yards.”
“Yay!” Cozy cheers. “Finally I'm being assessed by a professional flier! I can't wait for your instructions to improve my flight technique.” She smiles coyly. “Who knows? Maybe someday I'll be skilled enough to be a Wonderbolt too!”
Rumble waves her off as he says, “I encourage you to think that. You'll need that motivation to improve. I have to ask, though . . . won't you be too busy focusing on princess duties?”
“I'm talented and smart,” Cozy brags. “Maybe not as much as you, but I think I can juggle multiple tasks. Besides, why do I need to be good at only one thing? You, of all ponies, should understand this.”
“I certainly do,” Rumble agrees. “You're right. The sky is the limit, my young friend. Soar as far and as high as you feel you need to. Mind you, I said you need to. When your heart guides your path, magic will follow.
“Now come.”
After Rumble says that, he slowly banks into a right curve. As Cozy follows suit, he carefully analyzes her again. Feeling such scrutiny makes her feel like he'd be undressing her if she had clothes on, for there is a certain level of exposure one feels when scanned by such a professional eye like that. It does feel a little embarrassing since it makes her feel exposed and vulnerable, but in a good and exciting way, in this case. She also doesn't feel too afraid of him because a professional would exercise professional restraint. He's the last kind of pony she would expect to suddenly turn into a psycho maniac and attack her.
So, while his scan does make her feel a little exposed, the reason she doesn’t feel too vulnerable is because she trusts him.
She grows curious when he nods to himself as if he figured something out. But, after a moment when he does not say anything about it, she decides to call him out on that.
“What?” Cozy prompts.
“Nothing important yet,” he reports. “Just a little observation. I'm making some mental notes and going through a checklist in my mind.”
“And?” Cozy prompts further. “Do I have strong potential, or less so?”
“I'd say average,” Rumble answers. “Your intentions are what will set you apart later. A lot of pegasi start off like you. It's nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Um.” Cozy feels a little uncomfortable with that assessment. She hoped for a little more reassurance. “Is there anything about me that sets me apart as becoming a potentially great flier?”
“Your will,” Rumble answers quickly. “Also how great of a teacher you have.”
Cozy smiles brightly as she says, “Now that . . . I can live with.”
“I'm sure you will.
“And . . . here we are,” Rumble says as he lands on top of the balloon of the zeppelin. From there, he spins about quickly to catch Cozy in case she stumbles on her landing.
Sure enough, the surface of the balloon isn't made of a surface she's used to stepping on. It's very smooth and slightly squishy as the balloon bends inward with the weight of each of her steps. Because of that, she misjudges how much she needs to lift her hooves in order to step over each artificial dip. Because of that, the edges of her hooves catch the tip of the bump which throws off her equilibrium. As she slips and trips forward, Rumble catches and steadies her.
“Oh! Um . . . thank you!” Cozy chirps while flushing with a bit of embarrassment.
“Entirely my fault,” Rumble apologizes. “I should have warned you about the surface of this balloon. I guess it just slipped my mind since I'm accustomed to far greater challenges.”
Cozy frowns as she says, “In other words, this was an amateur stumble on my part.”
“There is nothing wrong with being an amateur,” Rumble insists. “All paths start at the beginning. In fact, I'd say being an amateur at something is an honor because it means you've embarked upon a course to a new destination. A lot of growth and development will occur whenever one tries something new. Such things expands our horizons and makes us better and wiser ponies.”
“I suppose you would know,” Cozy says as her cheeks blush. “You try new things all the time.”
“If there is anything to admire about me, then that is why. It is my willingness to try new things, like I'm doing right now . . . talking to you and getting to know a new pony.”
“And?” Cozy prompts in the hopes he'd say something about her that he finds admirable and impressive.
“Fishing for compliments, I see,” Rumble notes with a grin. “Well . . . at least you're not like Trixie who doesn't believe she needs to seek out evidence that she is impressive. Instead, she draws it all from within.”
Rumble gazes up at the moon as he adds, “But that is one of the traits I actually do find impressive about her. Her confidence in herself wells from within. Because of it, she doesn't need to seek it from others.” He looks back at her. “And yet she does seek it from others. When she does, her own pride deludes herself into always finding that approval, even if it isn't there.
“She used to be much worse when she first moved to Ponyville, but her enhanced experience with socializing with others has caused her to be wiser. Practice makes perfect in any field of expertise.”
Cozy feels a little disappointed when he sets her fully down onto the balloon. When he lets her go, she notices, for the first time, how chilly it is up here. His body must have been shielding her until he set her down and let go. At that point she wonders why she didn't feel it as much while in flight. Maybe because she isn't moving as much? Slower movement means slower blood circulation. That, in turn, makes her more vulnerable to the cold.
When Rumble notices her shiver, he rolls his eyes and says, “I told you to bring something warmer.
“Um,” he looks around for a moment, then bids her to follow him with a “Come here” motion using the tip of his wings. From there, he moves to one of the giant buckles that secures the balloon to the rest of the ship. Once he arrives, he lays down flat towards the aft end of the belt. Cozy lays down beside him. Once there, he wraps a wing beneath her, curls it around her, then pulls her close. Cozy happily nestles beside him then quickly grows intoxicated by his manly scent.
Once they lie there, she eventually notices how the wind mostly passes over their muzzles. The giant buckle above their heads must be partially acting as a windshield.
“Check that out, Cozy!” Rumble says with an enchanted voice. “Completely unobstructed view of the stars! Without the giant balloon above us, this view is sprawled out in front of us instead.”
Cozy looks, then widens her eyes as she gazes at this sight in wonder. The ocean of stars reflects off her wide, enchanted eyes.
What makes this view even better is the fact they are many miles away from any civilization. Light pollution is far from their current location. Besides, they are resting on the top of an airship which is, itself, quite high in the sky. Higher than any mountain on the horizon.
Deep, introspective thoughts sink into Cozy as she gazes up at these stars because, all a sudden, she is overcome by the duality of her nature. After all, such a sight like this reminds her of a time when her counterpart was younger. She rested on a picnic blanket with her adopted mother as Twilight quizzed Cozy about the names of the various consolations above them. Many of them Cozy got right back then, but if she did not know the answer or she got it wrong, her mother affectionately informed or corrected her.
But, at this moment, Cozy additionally feels in awe of how small she is in the universe. Even if those stars look close from here, she recalls how she was told an extremely great distance exists between most of those stars above. Enough to fit several dozens solar systems, and beyond, between them.
As she continues to gaze upon those wondrous stars, she contemplates her fate again, but this time it isn't so specific. Not like a set path or plan of action. Instead, it is more of a feeling of a path.
Oddly enough, at that moment, she felt connected to the stars above somehow. A thought occurred to her that her soul might identify with one of those twinkling lights above. If that is true, then perhaps that is also true with each of her friends. They, too, could be one of those twinkling lights above. Each distinct with their own unique light, and yet together they join in harmony like each individual instruments joining in a symphony of enchanting music.
Together, but separate, Cozy ponders. Connected and one.
I feel this truth, yet not certain what it means on a conscious level. Usually it is my habit to analyze things, but right now I feel these things instead. I'm one with the moment. It becomes me.
An intense glow rises in her chest when she thinks about the fact that she is sharing this moment beside Rumble. For both warmth and emotional comfort, she snuggles her muzzle into his burly chest. Beside him, she feels so complete.
Please don't let this be temporary, Cozy begs in her mind. I need him.
She wonders if Trinity Star once said that about Sombra. Odds are the answer is yes. In a way, he probably thought the same way.
But now I'm Cozy Glow. I'm a mare, and a mare needs a stallion. I just hope that he'll feel the same way about me, too.
“Rumble . . . please don't ever leave me!” Cozy begs softly under her breath.
She does not know if he heard her, but he seems to respond by hugging her more tightly. Other than that, he does not say a word.
Cozy looks back up at the stars as they share this wonderful moment together.