Flurry Heart did not have any sisters, so she didn't exactly know what it was like to know another filly that well. But she guessed it was about like what she had with Cozy. They saw each other every day, they could talk to each other about everything, and even if they didn't always agree, there was never any lasting anger between them. That sounded like what sisterhood should be.
Flurry was going to ask her dad about that. He was Twilight's brother, so he should know.
She was going to ask him soon...
Because she was going home for the weekend! Just the thought made her giddy like a silly pony. She was going back home to her own room where she could show her friends all the nice stuff and toys she had! They could play with her stuffed animals! And build pillow forts and have a war against daddy! And with both Rumble and Cozy on her team, maybe she'd even win this time! Or maybe mommy would braid hers and Cozy's manes, like she did when Flurry was supposed to be especially well-dressed for school.
This was going to be the best weekend ever!
Not even the vast emptiness of the Crystal Tundra could dampen her spirits now. Every little piece of emptiness they passed brought her and her friends closer to the Empire!
"There it is! Look, Cozy!"
Rumble's exclamation tore her from her thoughts. Cozy and Flurry both leaned forward too to see better.
It was true. In the distance one could see the sharp blue dome that covered the Crystal Empire. That meant they were still half an hour or so away.
"It doesn't look like I expected. That's not even a crystal, is it?" Cozy asked with a small frown.
"It's our forcefield," Flurry said. "The Crystal Heart keeps our Empire safe from the blizzards and snow."
"The city is under the bubble!" Rumble explained. "And everything is made from crystals; even the houses and the ponies themselves! I didn't believe my eyes when I saw it first, but it's really true!"
"Have you been to the Crystal Empire?" Flurry asked. She had never asked; she had just assumed he hadn't.
"Yeah, my bro was in the Ponyville Equestria Games team, so I could come with and watch it all! We even won the medal count!" Rumble fluttered his wings in excitement. "He was on the air-sprinter team. Five ponies on five flying distances. He had the second longest, and it was thanks to him that we won, since he gave us the lead we needed for the last distance."
"Oh, so I'm the only pony here who hasn't been in the Empire," Cozy huffed. Like always Cozy didn't like being uninformed.
"Then you can experience it for the first time now!" Flurry chirruped and put a hoof around Cozy's neck. "It's great. Maybe we can even get us some nectar to drink! Or we can go look at the ewes!"
"What's an ewe?" Cozy and Rumble asked in chorus.
"It's like a sheep, but smaller… and they don't talk. But they're really fluffy. My blanket is made from ewe wool."
"Fit for a Princess then," Cozy said. "Guess that doesn't sound too bad."
"I hope I can get to try some of the local food," Rumble mused. "With how it's so cold around here, I bet your stuff is really different from normal Equestrian food."
"We have corn," Flurry said. "But mostly it's the same… I wonder why. We don't have any apple orchards or anything…"
"You probably import it then," Cozy said.
"Oh, well… you can do a lot of stuff with corn too," Rumble said, even if he sounded a bit discouraged.
"Sure, you make everything good," Cozy said casually, making Rumble blush and smile.
The three of them silenced, but it was a comfortable sort of silence. They really were good friends. In fact, Flurry had never had such good friends before. With Cozy and Rumble it was easy to feel like they liked her even if she hadn't been a princess. She had never felt like that around any other foal before, and not a whole lot of adults either.
Flurry looked out of the window again. Her home didn't seem very much closer. "Maybe we should play a game of cards until we get there. I promise this train ride only gets longer every time I have to go!"
Rumble took out a deck of cards and dealt out seven cards for everypony. Soon Flurry found herself not minding that the train ride was so long.
"Oh, looks like you've got a welcoming committee," Cozy said and nodded to the window as the train expelled a last puff of steam before stopping. She and Rumble gathered up the cards.
Cadance and Shining Armour stood on the train platform, following the train with their eyes as it rolled in. Flurry tapped the window with her hoof to grab their attention and waved energetically. She felt immediately soothed when she saw them. She was still a filly after all, and she did miss her parents even if she liked living in Canterlot.
Just moments after the train had opened its doors she bolted out and launched at her dad for a hug, since he was the closest. His strong arm held her close for a nuzzling. " missed you," they both said at the same time, causing them both to smile.
"It's good to have you back home, sweetheart," Cadance said and nudged Flurry with her muzzle. "The castle just hasn't been the same since my little- sorry, since my big filly went on to live in Canterlot."
"But I learn a lot! Twilight is nice and really good at magic," Flurry chirped and slipped out of her parents' grasp so she could talk to them like a proper pony.
"I look forward to seeing what you have learned this weekend," Shining Armour said. "Sure, Twily's good with normal magic, but a princess must be able to protect her friends and subjects too."
"This again?" Cadance rolled her eyes. "She is still too young to learn about combat magic, Shining, no matter how much you want to teach her."
"Good golly, I think you're already too late to teach her." Both her parents stiffened and looked at Cozy and Rumble, who had only now disembarked. "You should have seen what she did in our snowball fight."
… Oh. Flurry blushed. Maybe her parents wouldn't be too happy that she buried another pony under a small mountain of snow, now that she thought about it. Her suspicions were immediately confirmed when both Cadance and Shining Armour looked from Cozy and down on her.
"I… see you brought your friends," Shining Armour said, his clear-blue eyes dwelling on Cozy. "And you've been snowball fighting, have you?"
"W-we… I want to show my friends my room!" She blurted. "I still have all my toys, right?"
"No, I want to hear about a certain snowball fight," Cadance said. The change in her voice was minuscule, but it still made Flurry fidget.
"She protected me like a warrior-princes when I was in trouble!" Cozy supplied. "So I think it's probably you who should take lessons from her, Prince Shining Armour." She even bowed a little.
"Huh, but I-" she started before snapping her mouth shut. Maybe, maybe, maybe Cozy's wily ways could actually be helpful for once, if only Flurry didn't ruin it for herself. "Uh, yeah! I did, like a good pony and friend. That's what happened." She added the last part to be sure there were no questions about her truthfulness.
Shining Armour looked curiously at Cozy's sweet expression, then a huge smile appeared on his face. "See, that means she is absolutely ready to learn the basics of combat magic!" he said happily.
Cadance scoffed and sent both Flurry and Cozy a prying look each. "We'll see. Because I have a feeling there are two ponies here are not telling me something." She glanced at Rumble. "But perhaps you will be a good colt and tell me?"
"OR, he knows what's the long-term appropriate thing to say, that would also keep him in good health!" Cozy snapped, her voice sharp as a whiplash. In fact, the way Rumble jumped, it had about the same effect as an actual whiplash.
Rumble swallowed, looking at Cadance's and Cozy's expecting stares… just with Cadance looking curious and Cozy having subtle, murderous sparks in her eyes. "I don't know anything! I don't want to know anything and I was not even with them when they had their snowball fight! I was working, honest! Check with Ramson, I have an alibi, he's a good friend, me and him, we're tight!"
The walk up to the castle was not long, but it still took half an hour as Cozy stopped to stare at just about everything. The crystal houses, the crystal trees and flowers and, of course, the crystal ponies. Very clearly she had thought that the idea of everypony being made from crystal all the time in a whole city built from crystal had been exaggerated, just like Rumble did before he got here. Now she saw just how wrong she was, and how beautiful everything looked.
And, to be honest, Rumble too found himself staring at everything. He had only been here once, after all. "What do you think?" he asked his excited fillyfriend. "Pretty, huh?"
Cozy nodded, still looking around in awe. "I suppose it's one thing to read about it, but seeing it isn't the same." A pair of crystal ponies went past them in the other direction with a foal between them. "I wonder how this happened though. Crystal doesn't just come to life."
"Must be really powerful magic," Rumble said, even if that answer really didn't explain anything.
"I guess," Cozy shrugged. "But still…"
They came by a fenced off area next to a small booth selling scarves and capes all made in brightly colored, fuzzy fabric. Inside the fence there were a quartet of small sheep grazing quietly while being watched by a crystal pony who was also teazeling the wool. Rumble made a note of it. If he ever needed a birthday present, a cloak like that would be perfect for Cozy.
They followed Flurry and her parents through the streets until they came into the castle. Rumble had never been inside it before, even if he had seen the exterior when he was here last. It was much brighter than he thought, even if they had no lights. The sun shone straight through the walls, just enough to illuminate them. He tried to look outside through the crystal walls, but he couldn't see much more than a formless blur of colours.
"Pretty special, isn't it?" Flurry said proudly. "It's really pretty when the sun starts to go down and you can see the sunset through the walls and everything becomes orange. My room has one wall towards the sunset every night, so it's the best place in the castle."
"Can you sleep through that, though?" Cozy asked.
"Sure, I have a curtain for when it's bedtime," Flurry said. "But you'll see that tonight. Since you'll be sleeping in the castle too. We have loads of guest rooms for when important ponies come to visit, and you two are both important ponies."
"The princess has spoken," Cozy smirked. "Just make sure you tell your mom too."
Rumble swallowed. He was going to sleep in a castle suite? Him? How was he supposed to be able to sleep in a room like that? What if he broke something? Or tore the blanket? Or shedded on the carpet? The stuff here was probably expensive enough to put him into debt for life if he destroyed something.
"Hm? Why are you so worried?" Flurry asked with a quizzical look. "The rooms are nice, really!"
"Y-yeah, I'm sure," he said lamely. Flurry continued to look strangely at him before she shrugged and caught up to her parents, who had stopped in front of a large door outside a corridor.
"Well, I still have a meeting to attend," Cadance sighed. "But I promise I'll be done in an hour at the most, and then we can spend the day together, sweetheart."
"It's fine, mom. My friends and I have something we need to do anyway," Flurry said.
"Going to show them your room, are you?" Shining Armour said with a goofy smile.
"Hmm… sure," Flurry said with a strange sort of look. In fact, that smirk and rictus grin looked more at home at Cozy than on the innocent and naïve little alicorn. "Come on. To my room. But you have to stay here, dad. Because we are going to do combat training soon." Flurry hopped away down a corridor and into a nearby room. "Hurry!"
Rumble caught Cozy's glance. At least she looked excited… and mischievous. His heart sank further. He did not know what was going on, but he had a feeling it was not something good.
Flurry's room was large and pink with blue walls. Stuffed animals sat along the walls, as did building-kits, piles of books and what must be things she had made in her arts-and-crafts class in school, all neatly in a row on a bookcase. From the roof hung several crystal ornaments. Rumble found himself wondering if the tidiness of the room was due to Flurry not having lived here for quite some time, or if she tidied it herself.
Flurry closed the door behind them. "Okay, grab a pillow. We're going to get him right now, before he expects it!"
"We are?" Rumble asked. "But his magic is much stronger than yours, right?"
"Not anymore! I have been training with Twilight, remember? I'm sure I can take him, and I'll have you two too!" Flurry tossed a large stuffed elephant at Rumble. He looked into the bead-eyes, hoping for some sort of guidance.
"I believe in you, Flurry!" Cozy, with a spark in her eyes. She had a long stuffed snake in her mouth. Rumble pushed his worries aside and took up his position with the two fillies by the door. At least this elephant was soft, so if or when he got slammed by it, it wouldn't hurt. Hopefully.
Flurry grabbed a large dolphin with her magic and swung it around a few times in the tail fin. Satisfied, she threw open the door and rushed out. "DADDY!"
She scampered forward, giggling and cackling at the same time while swinging the poor dolphin in wide, violent arcs around her, close enough that both him and Cozy actively had to slow down lest she'd hit them. Her wings fluttered erratically for extra speed. Truly, it was a charge that would strike fear in the bravest of ponies.
But not Shining Armour, apparently. Rumble and Cozy followed for a whole two seconds before Flurry was pushed down flat on the ground by a dark-purple magic. Her magic flicked and sparkled, but nothing more happened.
"Flurry!" Shining Armour beamed. "Did you want something?"
"Lemme go! This wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to win this time!" Flurry flailed on the floor, her magic sputtering angrily. "Lemme go!"
"Heh, you may be growing stronger, but I'm still a Royal Guard Officer," Shining Armour smiled. He went up and sat down next to his daughter, nuzzling her mane. "And since you wanted to learn about combat, here is a first lesson: Underestimating your enemy will always lead to defeat." He booped her nose.
"Huh…" Cozy went up to sit down next to Flurry too, now with the stuffed snake over her shoulder. Shining Armour kept his eyes on her. Clearly he suspected some trick. "You know, Flurry, even if you were stronger than him, you shouldn't shout that you're coming. And I'm Cozy Glow, sir Shining Armour. I don't think I said that before.”
"It sounded good at the time," Flurry pouted. She flailed one hoof a little to bat the stuffed dolphin against her father's hoof.
"I have heard of you," Shining Armour said to Cozy. "Both Cadance, Flurry and Twilight speak highly of your progress."
Rumble swallowed. "And I'm… Rumble, Sir," Rumble swallowed. He had just had a stupid idea. "I'm Cozy's special somepony."
"Yeah… Cadance said you're Flurry's friend too," Shining Armour replied, looking now at the nervous colt. "And you were there when Flurry got her cutie mark."
"Uh-huh," Rumble nodded. "She's my friend. But about her cutie mark, actually, I have a secret I wanted to tell you and Cadance…"
"Oh?" Shining Armour looked surprised. "What's that?"
"Well, you see…" Shining Armour had leaned just a little bit closer. "I've really got to help her!" He blurted and leaped forward and swiped at his horn, hopefully not too hard.
"Why, you little-" Shining Armour jumped backwards, but Cozy reacted just as fast and swung her long snake towards his horn again, just enough to disrupt what remaining control he had of his magic.
"AAAAAAAAAA!" Flurry shrieked with giggles and flapped her large wings to get off the ground. She lifted her stuffed dolphin before she brought it down in a violent, overhead smash, hard enough to send Shining Armour sprawling on the ground. All three foals and Shining Armor were laughing, as the plush assault echoed against the walls of a crystal corridor.
The three of them retreated after having given Shining Armour a sound pillow-thrashing. They ran into Flurry's room and built a fortress out of pillows, stuffed animals and the mattress of the bed. Shining Armour returned after about ten minutes and then they fought again until he retreated out of the door and the three of them fell back into the fort. He couldn't come after them there, since that wouldn't be fair.
It was fun. Cozy could never have imagined that Shining Armour, the Prince and Royal Guard Captain would actually have a prolonged pillow fight with them. But she was happy he did. Cozy had never had a pillow fight with a grown-up pony before. And he was good at it too. He had gotten ahold of the backrests of some sofa and used two of them both as weapons and as shields. And he frequently used his magic to trip or stun them. Even if it was just playing, Cozy could understand his underlying skill in combat to do such things so quickly and precisely as he did. Even if he was always driven back.
"Here he comes again!" Rumble snickered. He ran from the door where he had been standing to listen for approaching hoofsteps and dove back into the fortress where Flurry and Cozy both grabbed their weapons and huddled down to ready a pounce.
The door opened, and they jumped at their unsuspecting victim, weapons heightened for an almighty smackdown.
Cadance yelped and tried to shield herself with a hoof, but their combined attack was still enough to send her stumbling backwards.
"Oh, stop! It's not daddy!" Flurry shouted and dropped her stuffed dolphin. "Sorry, mom, we were just playing!"
Cadance looked sternly at Flurry, and then back to the mess she had made of her room. Then she looked back with a scrunch . "And what have we said about making a mess, Flurry?"
"But I wanted to play with my friends!" Flurry protested. "Besides, what should I do with all my animals if I don't play with them?"
"I can tell you: you are going to clean your room back up," Cadance said. "And then we can go to the Crystal Spa."
Cozy didn't know what that meant, but by the way Flurry gasped and her ears sprang up, this was good news. "Okay. We'll clean up. And then we go."
Cadance's frown disappeared and she nodded. "Only after you have cleaned up until it's spotless, understood?"
Flurry nodded energetically. "Not a spot shall be left! Come on you two! We've got to get the mattress back into the bed, and then all the stuffed animals go back into the chest." She pointed at a large, wooden chest with an intricate flower motif painted on the lid.
"What's a spa anyway?" Cozy asked, after Cadance has left. She had heard the word before when she lived in Ponyville, when Rarity and Fluttershy mentioned it sometimes, but never thought more about what it meant.
"It's a place where you can have a mud bath!" Flurry chirped.
"Mud… bath?" Cozy asked, trying to deduce if Flurry was joking or not? Why would you ever have a "mud bath"? You bathed to get clean- in fact, you bathed to get rid of mud.
"It's great." Flurry assured, spreading her wings in excitement. "Like a warm lake, only the mud is really soft, like a warm blanket! And when you're done and you have showered, it leaves these tiny crystals in your coat so you sparkle a little for days after!"
"Hmm…" Cozy looked over at herself. She would look even more loveable if her coat sparkled, wouldn't she? Did Rumble like sparkling? Probably. Most ponies liked things like that. "Okay. I guess that does sound pretty good."
"I don't know…" Rumble said. "I've never really liked the spa back home…"
"Then you can tag along with me instead."
Cozy whirled around, but Shining Armour didn't seem to want to continue the war any longer. "I'm going to do a training round with the new recruits. Exercise, some fencing, and a crystal Empire tradition: jousting. If you feel like having a real workout, you'll come with me instead."
"Hey, he's my special somepony!" Cozy snapped. For being married to the Princess of Love, Shining Armour clearly didn't get the subject of love at all. "I want to spend time with him!"
"But I don't even want a sparkling coat!" Rumble protested. "It'll look stupid on me! And I've kinda always wanted to try jousting. I've seen it in a book once."
"Hmph. So you like some old sport more than your special somepony, huh?" Cozy narrowed her eyes, but to her surprise, Rumble did not falter this time.
"No! I… need to exercise so I can protect you… from something. When you're a princess.” Rumble replied, pushing his chest forward.
"Oh!" Cozy hadn't thought about that. "I guess that's pretty romantic…" Cozy pondered, catching in the corner of her eye Shining's curious glance.
"But first we need to clean up!" Flurry shouted, stomping a hoof to get their attention. "Else nopony will get to do what they want! Hurry! Before mommy gets mad!"
Rumble was not as sly as his Special Somepony, but he was not stupid either. Of course he realized that Shining Armour had some ulterior motive to inviting him to partake in the exercise, most likely pertaining to Cozy. Shining Armour was a soldier, and Twilight's big brother. Maybe he was more wary of having Cozy so close to his sister and his daughter than he showed? Or maybe not; it wasn't like Rumble had any clue about how he thought or felt about anything.
But he would probably see soon.
The two of them went slowly outside to the stadium where the Equestria games had been hosted. The large grass field made for a good exercise yard.
"Soo…" Shining Armour began in a light, flippant tone as they went out on the field. "You're cooking for Twi, are you?"
"Yes, sir!" Rumble replied with pride.
"You're not in the military, so there is no need to 'sir' me," Shining Armour said with an easygoing sort of smile. "But I was wondering… since you probably see my little sis often… how is she doing?"
Rumble cocked his head to the side. "Good, I think? Or what do you mean?"
Shining Armour shrugged. "Well she was always such a nervous pony… so prone to anxiety and stress. I just can't be sure if being a Princess is really what she wants. And she'd never dare tell me anything else, not after Celestia gave her the task. So I figured I'd ask somepony who might know…"
On the one hoof, he was absolutely not supposed to gossip about the omnipotent Twilight Sparkle, or he might find himself sent to the moon. But on the other hoof, Shining Armour wasn't a pony like any. He was Twilight's brother. And for that matter, it wasn't like Rumble had anything damning to say. "No, I haven't noticed her being more stressed now than she was when living in Ponyville… uh, not that I saw her very often back then, but I don't think she's changed so much… but she doesn't run Equestria alone, you know! She has her Royal Council to help her."
Shining Armour nodded. "Sure. But I know that Twilight has a good heart… a bit too good, some might say. Ponies can take advantage of her, and the more reliant she is on them, the easier it is. With respect, your special somepony did exactly that."
Rumble flicked his ears back momentarily at that. "You're talking with the wrong pony, I don't have a clue about how her relationship with the council is. But her student should know, unless you worry she will take advantage of you asking her, that is." He couldn't quite help the acridity in his voice for the last few words.
An uncomfortable silence fell between them for a moment. "I don't blame you for being angry," Shining Armour said slowly, warily. "I would have been too in your horseshoes if someone insulted Cadance. But you should understand that I'm not afraid to call a spade a spade. And I can't say I trust Cozy Glow. Not after what she did to my sister and would have done to Equestria."
"But Cadance and Flurry trusts her too," Rumble pointed out. "And your sister."
"I know," Shining Armour said. "But Flurry is just a filly, and Twilight is… Twilight. She is smart, but that doesn't mean she is infallible, and in my experience a bit of caution is rarely a bad idea around ponies like Cozy."
"If you want to call a spade a spade, then you can tell me what you want to say already!" Rumble said sharply. The more they talked the less he liked the direction the conversation was heading in. "'Cause if you're going to warn me or something-"
"I'm not," Shining Armour said with a placating gesture. "If Cadance says you two like each other, then you do, and if she thinks you two are better off for it, then I believe her. My interest is not Cozy, it's Twilight."
"Well, my interest is my special somepony, not Twilight," Rumble said back.
A ghost of a smile flashed over Shining Armour's face. "Touché. Perhaps I will ask your special somepony. Later. For now, I hope you're ready for a hearty workout. That's why we're here, after all."
"Bring it on!" Rumble growled. "And when I'm still standing after your training regimen, then you're going to apologize for speaking about Cozy like that!"
"Hah! Deal." Shining Armour said with a competitive smirk. "You know, I can respect a pony who'd stand up for his special somepony. Now give me ten laps around the stadium as a warmup, and then we'll start the jousting practice once the rest of the crystal recruits get here. Should be some fifteen minutes, so I hope you're fast."
Fifteen minutes… ten laps. That meant he had one and a half minute for each lap.
Somehow, the stadium seemed a lot bigger when he was down in it rather than up on the bleachers like he had been when he watched the Equestria games. But he wasn't going to let Shining Armour think he was a pushover! He took off as fast as his hooves would carry him.
Sure, Flurry was already in the pool of strange, green mucky stuff and she seemed to float perfectly well, and be really comfortable paddling through the stuff, but still. Cozy remained at the pool basin, trying to convince herself that jumping into a bath of mud was somehow a sensible thing to do for a filly her age. Maybe when she was a yearling she would have jumped into puddles of mud, but she was a big pony now (figuratively). Also… nopony had told her a mud bath was this deep. Having been born in Cloudsdale and lived most of her life there, Cozy had only actually swam a few times, and she did not at all feel safe in deep water.
"Come on in already! It's nice!" Flurry shouted, flailing her forelegs and forcing Cozy to jump backwards in order to avoid getting splashed. "Mommy! Tell her the mud is good for you!"
"Mmmm, it is," Cadance mumbled. She sat leaning back at the end of the pool, looking half asleep and with a very content smile on her lips. She didn't even glance at Cozy when she spoke.
"Mommy!" Flurry shouted and flicked a green piece of mud at her. Cadance caught it on her wing with an ease that told Cozy this was not the first time it had happened, and then threw it back at Flurry, again without stirring from her relaxed position. Cozy giggled at that.
"Oh, you…!" Flurry whirled around and flew towards Cozy, up from the pool with a cascade of greenish, glittering mud around her. Cozy yelped, but Flurry was too fast. She caught her and proceeded to bodily try to drag Cozy into the mud bath.
"Flurry, that's not nice," Cadance said and easily plucked the small alicorn up and sat her down next to herself. Flurry looked about as if trying to catch up to what had just happened to her. "Let Cozy go at her own pace. Remember, when you came here the first time, you didn't want to bathe either."
"But that was silly! This is great! How will Cozy learn that if she won't even try!" Flurry argued.
"That's for her to decide, not you," Cadance said simply. She looked over to Cozy. "But you should know that it's very relaxing, good for your coat and helps soothe the body and mind. Word of advice from a Princess: this and coffee is what keeps one going."
Well… Cozy was going to be a Princess one day. She bit her lip.
Maybe she ought to try… If Cadance said it was so good. And Flurry clearly wanted her to. And she did want a sparkly coat. She could believe that part now; the green mud sparkled shyly all over, and while Flurry's wings were now mostly green, there were some twinkling, microscopic gemstones too.
She poked at the surface.
It was strangely cohesive, not nearly as fluid as water. Instead it dented a little under her hoof until she broke through the surface and her hoof was caught in the warm, green mud. It was very soft… almost like some sort of strange blanket. And somehow, while the surface itself was tough, once you were down in the stuff, it didn't feel very different from water.
Even better, the pool had been fitted with a stone step under the surface, so she could stand on that without having to reveal that she did, in fact, not know how to swim.
She swallowed down the last of her worries and hopped down onto the stone step. It felt weird how the mud stretched underneath her for a moment before she fell through.
"See, it's nice, isn't it?" Flurry chirped and swam over to her, paddling with her large wings.
Cozy looked around herself, then shyly nodded. Since she couldn't swim she only rarely bathed, but she could agree that this was better than showering, even if the weight of the mud on her wings felt a little strange. She opened her right wing once and closed it again.
"So… now what do you do?" Cozy asked, feeling weird.
"Sit down and relax," Cadance suggested with a small smile.
"I like to swim," Flurry chirped and paddled away to the middle of the pool again where she flopped over so she floated on her back. Cozy was surprised she would dirty her mane like that, but apparently Flurry didn't care. "Do you like to swim?"
"Uhh..." Cozy mumbled. She didn't want to admit that she couldn't, in front of her friend, not to mention a friend who was younger than her. But with Flurry's keen sense for emotions, hiding it wouldn't be possible now that she had asked. And then Cozy preferred to come clean on her own terms. "I… can't really swim. I haven't lived much near water."
"Oh? Does Twilight know that?" Cadance asked. "It's a good thing to learn. And it will be easier for you to learn than it was for Flurry, if you want to."
"Why do you think that, mom?" Flurry said defensively. "I learnt pretty fast!"
"Cozy is a pegasus," Cadance explained. "Her bones are lighter than yours. That's why you have such big wings, Flurry. An alicorn has the same bones as an earth pony and need more lift to fly. Cozy is light and floats better than you."
"Oh…" Flurry extended her large wings and looked them over. "I didn't know that."
Cozy didn't either, but this was the first time when being a pegasus might be better than being an alicorn. She decided to count that as a win. "So… can I learn how to swim now?"
"I suggest you wait until it's summer. This mud isn't good for learning too," Cadance said patiently. "But if you want, I can teach you in Ponyville or Canterlot. I taught Twilight when she was a filly, you know."
"As her foalsitter, right," Cozy said.
"Mhmmm…" Cadance nodded and sat up a bit straighter. "How have things been lately? Between you and her, I mean? Her letters seem positive, but… just to hear from the pony's mouth, so to speak."
"We're good!" Cozy assured loyally. "She listens to me and… and she gives me space too, to do my own things."
Cadance nodded. "And I could ask about your special somepony, but I don't need to. I could feel your feelings for one another when you came of the train."
"Were they… good?" Cozy asked.
Cadance furrowed her brow. "Do you have to ask?"
Cozy shrugged. "Well… better safe than sorry, right? If you know something I don't… if you think there might be issues-"
"-it doesn't matter," Cadance said decisively. "What I think does not matter for you and Rumble, Cozy. Love is different for every couple, and trying to force one way of loving onto them will only lead to heartache. Trust your own feelings and his, and you won't have to worry about not knowing what you feel for one another."
Cadance leaned back and closed her eyes again. "By the way, do you want an advice I often tried to give to a certain other overthinking little filly?"
"What?" Cozy asked with a feeling Cadance might now make fun of her.
"Sit down, relax, and don't think so much. Just… calm down once in a while and take tomorrow as it comes."
"Mom, that's boring," Flurry said and climbed out of the mud bath, only to jump back in, legs and wings flailing everywhere. "This is fun!"
Cozy perked up. That did look fun, as long as she took care to remain in the shallow part of the bath.
She wasn't sure how long they continued. But jumping into the pool was nice. And Cadance did have a point; it was actually pretty nice to just lay in the bath to rest after a while. The warmth and the softness made for great relaxation, especially since she got ahold of a pillow to rest her head on while the rest of her body floated on the surface.
Maybe there was something to this talk about pegasi being lighter than most other ponies. It made sense, but she would have to wait until summer when she bathed in real water rather than this elastic mud to confirm it.
"Sweetheart?"
Cozy shifted to see Shining Armour come in through a door. And he was carrying a dazed, seemingly nearly dead Rumble on his back.
"Shining! How did your training go?" Cadance smiled.
"Good, although some ponies should learn when to take a break," he nodded to Rumble on his back. "I figured he could use some relaxation, and I'd like to ask a quick question to Cozy too."
"I'm here," Cozy chirped, looking curiously at the panting colt on Shining's back. "Is he okay?"
"Just tired. And possibly sore tomorrow," Shining Armour said and magicked the slack colt off of his back and down into the mud bath, next to Cozy.
"What did you do?" she asked. "You aren't going to be able to defend me like that, you know." Cozy poked the miserable pile of her coltfriend, who was slowly sinking in the green mud.
"I… did it," he mumbled with a silly smile on his dazed face. "Fifteen laps…! woo-hoo!... I win!" He even reached a shaking hoof up in a shuddering, weak imitation of a victory gesture.
Cozy shook her head. Not only was he completely exhausted, but delirious too. She turned to Shining Armour. "And what do you want?" She did not bother to hide her suspicion. This was a military pony and family to Twilight. She couldn't believe he would be too friendly with her just because of his wife. Cadance was often an exception with how she treated Cozy.
"It looks like you're about done in the bath," Shining Armour nodded to Cadance. "Will you join me in the washroom? I could use a soak after the training."
Cadance furrowed her brow minimally, her eyes darting over to Cozy for a split-second. "Sure… Flurry, think you could keep an eye on Rumble for a little while? Or are you done too?"
"NO!" Flurry shouted immediately and paddled out to the middle of the mud bath. "I'm not done!"
"I figured," Cadance said. "This won't take long; just a quick soak and I'll be back, alright, sweetheart?"
Flurry nodded but didn't swim closer, like she was expecting Cadance to try and pull her out if she got anywhere close to the pool edge.
Cadance and Cozy both rose from the pool. This was decidedly uncomfortable. The mud was heavier than she thought and it clung to her feathers in a cloying, slimy way. In fact, washing it off was going to feel glorious, she was already certain.
The washroom was through another wooden door and deserted. There were buckets, showers and a pool of normal, clear water that somehow managed to look cold even if Cozy had nothing to back that feeling up with.
Still, cold or on, Shining Armour went straight into it, sighing as he did so.
"Since you haven't done this before, I can help you get clean, if you want," Cadance offered and sat down by the bath edge with a pair of buckets. Cozy sat down next to her. It felt good to have somepony she knew with her. She took the opportunity to dip her hoof in the pool, only to quickly pull it back, surprised it wasn't encased in ice. If there had been any doubt that Shining Armour was a tough stallion, they were now gone for good.
"So… Cozy Glow," Shining Armour started with a light tone. When he was in the pool, they were almost at eye level. "Twilight talks a lot about you, you know. You must have made an impression on her."
"I make impressions on everypony," Cozy said nonchalantly. Shining Armour didn't strike her as a pony who liked excessive humility. And for that matter, neither did Cozy.
"You do… one way or another," Shining armour said factually.
"Shining, don't be like that," Cadance interrupted. "We have been over it already. You worry about Twilight, and that's natural, but she is smart and has gotten through to plenty of former enemies before. Cozy is just another example. And Cozy, you might want to close your eyes for a minute.”
Cozy looked at Cadance and saw her hold a bucket of water in her magic. Cozy caught on and spread her wings as Cadance poured the water over her, washing away most of the mud easily.
"I'm not here to bicker,” Shining Armour continued. "I wanted to know more about how Twilight is adapting in her role as Princess. I was a bit surprised when she declared 'Twilight Day'. It doesn't feel like something she'd do."
"I was wondering that as well," Cadance said.
"So I figured I'd ask the closest pony she has," Shining Armour said. "Does she seem... happy, being a Princess?"
Cozy nodded. "So far she leaves most princessy stuff to her Royal Council, so she gets to spend most of her time with Flurry and me, teaching friendship and stuff. And since she spends so much time with me, she's obviously happy. Because I'm cute and lovable." Cadance poured another bucket of water over Cozy's back. It felt nice and refreshing.
"Right," Shining Armour said dismissively. "And what about the council? Who's on it?"
"Hmm..." Cozy had to think about that. Twilight had said that many ponies were on it for different tasks, but only a few positions were permanent. "Fancypants is the leader… and then there is a secretary. Filthy Rich is on it too, and Jet Set."
"All powerful ponies," Cadance said thoughtfully. "And all of them better politicians than Twilight."
"And all of them ambitious,” Shining Armour said bitingly. "Fancy especially."
"Have you met him?" Cozy asked. With her own meeting with him still fresh in her mind, any and all information on him was potentially useful.
Shining Armour nodded. "He is the highest official in Canterlot aside from the Princesses… or Princess, now. Everything in the city goes by him, including my day-to-day work with the royal guard. A career politician if there ever was one. I don't know why, but I was never able to fully trust him. Respect him, sure, but not trust him."
"Because it felt like he might be playing you somehow?" Cozy suggested.
"You have met him, I hear," Shining Armour said flatly.
"Briefly," Cozy said. She did not feel like going into exactly what they had been talking about, especially since Fancypants was not a pony she wanted to cross for the sake of Shining Armour. If Twilight herself had been in trouble somehow, then it would be a different thing, but Shining Armour wasn't Cozy's problem. She decided to change the subject. "But what about you two? Don't you have the same problem here? You're Princess and Prince too."
"No, it's not the same here," Cadance said. "Sombra's reign didn't leave much room for ambition, or even free thought. Canterlot is the ancient seat of the most powerful ponies in Equestria."
"And I wouldn't be surprised if a few of them would like to increase their own status and wealth at the cost of the crown, now that Celestia is gone," Shining Armour mumbled. He turned to Cozy again. "Have you noticed anything… extraordinary between the counselors?"
There was a question Cozy didn't want to answer. To some degree, answering this meant picking one pony to be loyal to. Even if Fancypants wasn't here, all it took for him to connect the dots was Shining Armour doing anything. Fancypants was smart enough to see the connection from Shining Armour to Flurry to Cozy.
Besides… if Fancypants did have some plan to take advantage of Twilight, how was Shining going to help? It was one thing to want to look out for your sister, another to actually help out in a way that didn't make things more difficult. Actually, the more Cozy thought about it, the less certain she was that telling the whole truth to Shining Armour was going to help her, or Twilight.
"Not… really," Cozy said. "I haven't seen them much at all though. But I hope to see them more soon! I like politics!"
Cadance gave an amused sound. "You know, love, you might have just encouraged the one who will bring Twilight down."
"Yeah, he wasn't so tough before. We even won the pillow fight," Cozy pointed out, happy to steer the conversation away. Especially since she still wasn't sure if her answer was the right one.
"Maybe I just let you win," Shining Armour said with a smirk.
"Or maybe you didn't," Cozy said back, sticking out her tongue.
"One final thing then," Shining Armour said, but the amusement didn't quite fade from his tone. Maybe hearing that Twilight wasn't in danger had helped alleviate some fears? "When she proposed Twilight Day, how did the council react?"
While Cozy would not tell the whole truth yet, there was one truth she definitely could give. "Oh, that was my idea! And everypony loved it! They even said they had planned to suggest something like that too!"
"Oh, that… makes sense, actually," Cadance said, looking at Cozy with a new type of look; one of professional respect. "That it was your idea, I mean. You… like people noticing you, don't you?"
Cozy nodded. "One day, everypony is going to know my name, and every filly will wish she was me."
"If… that's what makes you happy, Cozy," Cadance said. Cozy refused to acknowledge the small glint of sadness in her eyes. “Are you saying the council agreed to your suggestion, just like that? They didn't try to change Twilight's mind?"
"They probably wanted to gain her favor by arranging an event for her, and Cozy's suggestion let them bring it up to her." Shining Armour suggested. "If so, all the better. If there is one thing Twilight doesn't fall for, it's sycophants. Trying that will only make her more wary of them."
"Or maybe they recognizes that she is the Princess now and supports her," Cadance said with some tiredness. "Really, Shining, this paranoia for your sister is not doing you or her any good. Until you know there is danger, can you try not to make a mess for her?"
Shining Armour was just about to answer before the door opened and Flurry Heart plodded in, covered head to hoof in mud. Rumble followed on somewhat steady hooves while also trying to shake the mud off of him.
"Okay, I guess I'm done now..."
Cadance nodded. "Come here, sweetheart. I'll help you wash." Flurry scampered up to her mother and sat down next to her. Cozy stepped away. She had something else she could do anyway.
"And I can help you, Rumble,” Cozy suggested, feeling heat rise in her cheeks. "I've definitely learnt it now. From Cadance."
"If... you say so," Rumble said. He cocked his head to the side. "Your coat really does sparkle. It's cute."
Cozy smiled and looked herself over. "I'm always cute."