"А?" Cozy turned her head questioningly, getting up on her hooves "Golly, you really have an -UAH!" The second she tried to take a step, Cozy fell to the floor. Her legs buckled and her lungs began to burn from the air. Countless forgotten sensations filled every cell of her body, as if a bomb had exploded in her head. After all, she had been a rock for half a century, and her body was obviously affected.
Twilight Sparkle looked at the helpless pegasus with disbelief. She knew what Cozy Glow was capable of, and she knew she could not trust a word or action of hers. It was entirely possible that she was faking it to elicit pity.
"Heh... how... dear princess. have I earned this honor?" Cozy said, trying to catch her breath.
"I'll explain along the way."
Walking again was unaccustomed, but once Cozy got used to the new sensations she was able to adjust relatively quickly. However, she still continued to limp, causing the Friendship Princess to stop every few seconds. At times it seemed to Twilight that Cozy was purposely starting to walk even slower to get on her nerves.
"Equestria has been at war for over five years. The enemy has managed to reclaim a third of our lands, build defenses, and impose a protracted guerrilla war. Our generals have proven unable to stand up to the enemy, and so I have found someone in whose organizational abilities I am confident. You." Twilight spoke without stopping to walk down the long hallowed corridor.
"Trying to suck up to me, are you?" Flashed through Cozy's mind. "Hmm, so who is this adversary?"
"The Crystal Empire," the princess said, averting her eyes, seeming almost ashamed.
"Golly, that old king seems to have turned out to be a real pain, doesn't he?" Cozy said, raising her right eyebrow.
"During the last victory over King Sombra, our magic destroyed his innermost essence. He can no longer be revived. Not even by Discord. Our adversary is..." Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. "The first empress of the crystal empire, Flurry Heart."
Cozy froze. Flurry Heart? The first born alicorn? How could she declare war on Equestria? Didn't her mother rule the empire? Given that she's also an alicorn, it's unlikely she died of old age. Perhaps her daughter overthrew her? Or was it some global event that led to her death that also prompted Flurry Heart's actions? The gears in Cozy's head spun, trying to create a rough picture of what had happened. She had a myriad of questions about the causes of the war, about how it was going, about the weaponry and economy of both sides, but among these questions, Cozy chose the easiest one. "What about Discord? I'm sure he can just snap his fingers and turn her brains into carrot soup or something."
Twilight looked away. "Discord... is no more."
"Oh... oh..." Cozy stumbled back. Discord is gone? Discord? The almighty god of chaos? "What about pr-"
"Princess Celestia is missing. Princess Luna is missing. Cadance and Shining Armor are being held captive by their daughter, Starlight and Trixie are in a besieged city right now and we can't get to them. The Pillars ceased to exist after the death of Starswirl the Bearded in the battle of Cloudsdale, the dragons have been driven west and cannot help us, the Thorax's hive has broken up, one part has gone under our banners, the other has volunteered to become part of the crystal empire, the friendship school is closed due to lack of funds. Did you say King Sombra? Do you know who else is on the Empire's side? The umbrum race, from which this thrice-damned king sprang. Any creature with powerful magic is either destroyed, out of touch, or on the side of the enemy. Any more questions, Cozy Glow?!" The princess almost growled the last sentence. It was obvious how hard she was taking the events that were going on. And it was obvious that this could be used as a way of pressure on her. Cozy smiled mentally. Twilight sucked in air loudly. "I'm sorry, I don't get to talk about this very often."
"Golly, that's okay. I understand how hard it is to experience someone else's death. However, still, what about the other six?"
Twilight closed her eyes. "There are only four of us left."
They walked the rest of the way in silence.
After walking down the seemingly endless white corridor without windows, the alicorn and the pegasus came to a large black door. Twilight's horn glowed, and the door's intricate mechanism began to slowly open. "Here is your new home. This door is the same as the one in Tartarus. That is, you need magic to open it. The room has no regular ventilation system, no windows, it's completely soundproof. And even if you somehow get out, there will be four royal guardsmen at the door hourly who are allowed to attack to kill."
"Gee, Twilight, aren't you overdoing it? What if I need something?"
Twilight's horn glowed again, and out of nowhere a bell appeared around Cozy's neck. "If you need anything, ring it."
"Wow, you've really thought this through, Twilight. You've grown a lot." The princess pretended not to hear this obvious manipulation.
The two entered the room. Its walls were black, upholstered with some kind of material. Cozy thought it was probably the one that insulated the sound. The room's decorations were modest: a bed, a chair, a closet, and a large desk. Yet despite its poverty, the room was large, with high ceilings. About forty feet by forty, Cozy thought.
"Settle in. Make a list of the things you need. And don't try to do anything to escape."
"Would I think to go against the princess of friendship, who freed me from a horrible stone prison, and now asks me to protect my beloved homeland?" Cozy opened her eyes wide, giving Twilight the kindest smile she could. The princess sighed and disappeared in a flash of light. Left alone in the closed room, Cozy began to shake her hair. Small objects began to fall out of her lush curls. Tweezers, wire, needle, scissors... Cozy always carried a few tools with her, for you never knew when you might need them. She was leaning over the items when suddenly a voice came from behind her.
"I was expecting something like that from you, Cozy Glow." Twilight was back in the room. She picked things up with her telekinesis and teleported them away. Cozy backed away, trying to think of a convincing excuse. Suddenly she herself rose into the air, surrounded by a purple aura. Twilight pulled her face to her own. "Is there anything else you have that I should know about?"
"No, no, it's all-" Cozy didn't have time to finish her sentence before Twilight pulled a small folding knife from her tail. "Hehe, oops." Pegasus smiled guiltily. Then Twilight carried the rest of her belongings, and finally disappeared.
Once back on the floor, Cozy grumbled. "Good Twilight, good. You've thought things through a few steps ahead." Pegasus opened her mouth, extended her tongue, and pulled out a small, sharp black stone from beneath it. It shimmered in the light of the two ceiling lamps. An evil spark flashed in Cozy's eyes. "But I'm still one step ahead."