//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 
// Story: Flurry Heart's Story: Dream of Alicornication 
// by AleximusPrime 
//------------------------------//

Everything proceeded normal the next day in Ponyville. The villagers were thankful to finally be rid of Cozy’s mischief, but they also knew the truth about her parents as word had already gotten out.  There was already debate on what should be done with Cozy once she is found.  While Spike was out watching Flurry and her friends, Twilight had a meeting with Starswirl, Zecora, the teachers, Discord, and the princesses.
“I think it’s safe to say that the Elements knew exactly what was going on that entire time with Cozy,” said Twilight.
The teachers all nodded their heads in agreement.
“That’s why they didn’t work,” Gallus added. “After all, the Elements weren’t what turned those three to stone years ago; the Elements only took their magic.  It’s like they were trying to tell us something.  To think all these years they were kept in stone.  We should have known this.”
“I wish I had known,” Discord said. “I would have at least spared Cozy and immediately begun searching for her real parents.”
“We have to keep en eye out for them,” Celestia added. “I just hope they’re good parents.”
“I don’t know, Princess.  Leaving a child on the steps of an orphanage doesn’t sound like good parenting if you’d ask me,” said Sandbar.
“I know what it’s like to have loving parents, but I also know what it’s like to have a horrible grandmother,” said Ocellus.  “It’s no excuse for what she’s done, but I understand what she’s going through.  I just hope she’s alright out there.” 
“She’ll come back to us someday.  She has to,” said Silverstream with a smile. 
“That right.  She can’t stay in Everfree Forest forever,” added Yona.
“I’m going to have my guards start patrolling the forest and see if they can find her anywhere,” Twilight told them. “She’ll be brought to me personally and I have a feeling I’ll be met with a repentant filly this time.”
“A good idea, Princess.  Here’s hoping she is not in distress,” said Zecora. “I too shall keep my eyes peeled, and hopefully soon her heart will be healed.”
“Can we also admit that what she did yesterday was mostly just the amulet controlling her and not her doing it on her own free will?” Smolder suggested.
“Well, I do think she still wanted revenge on Discord, my sister and I, but it seems what she wanted most was to have loving parents.” Luna stated.  “  The three of us saw her almost forgive us until the amulet shone.  If she is repentant, I will forgive her myself even after all the trouble she caused me.  What’s been done has been done.” 
“And when the time is right, I will move to have her pardoned,” Twilight said, standing up from her chair. “Starswirl, did you take care of the amulet and bracelet?”
“I did, your highness,” Starswirl answered. “They’re kept separate in two different places nopony will find, guarded by powerful spells. I don’t know a spell yet that can destroy the amulet for good, but I will work to find one.”
“So be it.  Then you’re all dismissed.  I pray our next encounter with Cozy Glow will be a good one.”



Elsewhere in Ponyville, Spike and the kids were playing and trying to forget yesterday’s events.  Stormy had a hoola-hoop in his hooves and was hovering between Chip and Annie who were bouncing a ball back and forth through it.
“Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three…aw bummer!” Spike said.
“That’s okay guys, you did better than last time!” Stormy added.
“Here Annie, let’s get a little closer this time when we start,” Chip said, positioning himself on the ground as his sister did likewise.
“Think we can beat Stormy and Pound’s record?” Annie asked.
“I think we can!  You ready, Stormy?”
“Ready when you are, slackers!” Stormy teased.
The Apple Twins continued bouncing the ball as Pound and Pumpkin cheered them on.
“Come on guys, you can do it!” Pound shouted.
“Not bad for starters!  Keep it up!” Pumpkin added as they kept bouncing the ball.
She turned to her brother who was looking behind.  She looked in the same direction to see Flurry sitting on the ground by the pond.  Pound couldn’t ignore her and finally walked over to cheer her up.
“Hey, Flurry,” He said, sitting next to her. “You okay?”
“I guess,” Flurry sighed. “I’m still upset about Cozy.  I just feel so bad for her.”
“Yeah, I feel bad for her too.”
Chip let the ball stop bouncing and signaled to Annie to get her to see what was happening down by the pond.  Everyone went silent and walked over to Pound and Flurry.
“Still got Cozy on your mind, Flurry?” Spike asked.
“I just wish she could let us talk to her,” Flurry continued. “I wish we knew where her parents were.”
“What if they’re really bad parents?” Stormy asked.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.  It’s pretty bad that she was left to the orphanage like that.  If she finds her parents, they might not be as good and she won’t take that very well.”
“Don’t worry, Flurry,” Pound said, putting his hoof on her shoulder. “If Cozy ever comes back and says sorry, we can all be friends with her.”



“Yeah, maybe that’s all she needs is some friends,” Pumpkin said, cheerfully.
“We’d all be happy to make friends with her someday.  Right, Stormy?” Chip asked.
“Alright, I’ll be her friend,” Stormy said, sarcastically. “Just as long as she doesn’t try to turn me into a newt.  What is a newt anyway?”
Everyone started laughing and then went for a group hug around Flurry.
“Thanks guys,” Flurry told them. “I feel better now. So, you guys wanna see if Chip and Annie can break that record?”
“Yeah!  Come on guys!” Stormy said, picking up the hoola-hoop.
“Alright, ready and GO!” Spike said before he started counting again.




	Epilogue




Later that night, in the Everfree Forest, Cozy sat alone next to a still pool of water.  Her hair was still uncombed and messy with no way to have it taken care of.  She was still very miserable about everything and could not bring herself to smile.  The past few days were nothing but a fiasco for her, and now she regretted it all.  She wished she had never thought to steal and use the Alicorn Amulet.  She even wished she never came up with the make-believe characters of King and Queen Kriegspiel just to make her feel better.  She missed them, for they were the only ponies that treated her right despite her villainous ways, but Cozy now thought she didn’t deserve such sympathy from anyone.  She had gone as far as she could and had nowhere else to turn now.
She looked down at her reflection in the water for a few moments until she began to grimace.  She finally slapped the reflection and let water splatter everywhere as she wept bitterly. The last thing she wanted to see was her own face after everything she had done.
“Why…” she asked. “Why am I like this?  I just wanted to be loved.  Why can’t I just have loving parents like everyone else?  This wouldn’t have happened if I had parents.”
She closed her eyes and continued crying, wiping her tears away and blowing her nose into a leaf from a nearby plant.  Her crying died down a little until all was quiet enough for her to hear what sounded like a voice.
“Oh poor Cozy Glow…”
“Wha…what?”
“Poor child.  What a sorrowful sight to see.”
“Who…is somepony there?!
“Somepony?  Oh little one, you’ve known all along.”
“Where are you?”
“Down here.”
Cozy followed her mysterious visitor’s instructions and noticed her reflection now had a sinister grin on her face and no tear-stains on her cheeks.



“WHAT?!”
“There there.”
“Who are you?!”
“I’m you, Cozy.  I’m inside you, guiding you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Don’t worry, dear sweet child.  I’m here to help you.”
“You are?”
“Of course.  Who would turn a blind eye to such a poor little filly?  It pains me to see you like this: not having anyone to love you.  Not having parents.”
“Do…do you know my parents?  My real parents?”
“Sadly no, but I will make up for them.”
“I just want to be happy.  I want this pain to end.”
“I’ll be here for you.  You won’t have to worry about that pain anymore.”
“So what do I do then?”
“Just follow my advice, and I will make everything better.  I have a proposal for you that will help you with all your problems.  You and I can work together as a team.”
“A team?”
“That’s right.  You won’t be alone anymore.  I can find you some parents.”
Cozy was confused about what she was hearing and she was suspicious about this mysterious spirit talking inside her, but she wanted so much to be free of the pain that she felt she had no one else to turn to.  The words from this creature were somehow convincing and helpful.  Her face turned serious and grim.  She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then opened them to reveal slit pupils.
“I’m listening,” she said.




The End