//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 - Memories and Memoir 
// Story: Evening Glow 
// by Lunaria 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 3
Memories and Memoir


"You didn't need to come," Cozy said while trotting down the corridor.

"I know," Fleeting's voice replied behind her.

"I can do this on my own, you know."

"I know," her voice much quieter than usual.

"So then, why did you come?"

"I... wanted to be here for you," the unease was clear in her words.

"Tsk."

Fleeting was many things, but honest with her emotions wasn't one of them. It was rare that she'd go out of her way to just be there for someone... and yet, here she was, trotting along.

The two of them reached the inner lobby, she'd like to think it looked just like it did last time; but frankly she barely remembered it. Cozy walked up to the desk and waved briefly to get the attention of the receptionist.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"I'm here to see someone," Cozy replied, while fidgeting one of her front hooves against the other.

"Did you schedule in advance? Depending on the patient that is something we require."

"I... did not."

"That's alright then," the mare said, bringing out a paper form. "What's your name?"

Cozy briefly delayed, taking a deep breath to gather her nerves. "Cozy Glow."

"Mmmhmm, and the patient's name is?" The receptionist asked while starting to fill in the form, pen in hoof.

The words felt heavy on her tongue. "Evening Glow." 

Cozy could feel Fleeting placing a comforting wing on her back; it made her shiver. The receptionist just nodded and went to a cabinet, presumedly to find Evening's file.

"Ah yes, now let's see... According to the file on hand there should be no problem getting something arranged today, though Evening Glow has asked to generally turn away visitors that she does not know."

Cozy swallowed, knowing the upcoming question. She could feel Fleeting leaning against her for support.

"That being the case, how do you relate to the patient?"

"I'm her... listed support contact," Cozy licked her lips. "Unless she changed it, that is."

The receptionist leaned forward and studied the file closer, eventually doing a series of blinks before looking between the file and Cozy.

"Yes... that does seem to be correct but," there was a delay. "You couldn't have been more than-"

"I know," Cozy interrupted.

The receptionist frowned. "Well, in this case that should be everything. I'll go get someone to arrange the visit, please take a seat and wait until you're called."

Cozy nodded and turned away, heading for a bench. Fleeting followed her and sat down by her side.

She leaned against the changeling and sighed.







"She was very excited when she heard you were visiting, you know?"

The nurse that was guiding them was too chatty, Cozy decided. "I can imagine."

"I sometimes keep her company, she's asked about you a lot over the years, did you know that?"

Cozy shook her head. "No, but I can imagine."

"Well I'm sure she'll love to-"

The nurse was interrupted as Fleeting not so subtly nudged them with her flank, shaking her head towards them. Cozy let out a sigh, she shouldn't be nervous about this, it was just a visit to a pony from the life she had left behind, nothing more, nothing less; perhaps if she told herself that enough times she'd believe it.

The three walked in quiet for the rest of the way, the nurse thankfully getting the hint. It wasn't until they neared what would be the end of the journey that they spoke up once again.

"Now, today is a bit busy so we couldn't arrange one of the visiting rooms on such a short notice. But the lunch room for the patients is empty at this hour so we set it up there. If the two of you want something more private then we can later arrange for you to visit Evening Glow in her room, assuming she'd be willing."

Cozy nodded to them in reply as they reached the threshold of the room; the doors already wide open. Cozy briefly froze in her steps as she spotted the mare in question. She was seated at a round table some ways from one of the room's corners.

As they approached and were noticed, Evening locked eyes with Cozy. She could see a huge smile spread on the mare's lips; yet all it did was freeze her stomach. She couldn't turn back now though, she had promised to go through with this.

She could see Evening swallow as she and Fleeting took a seat on the opposite sides of the table; what did you say to someone you hadn't seen in a decade?

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you Cozy," Evening eventually said.

Cozy nodded. "It's been a while..."

She could see Evening's smile fading away. "You're not happy?"

Cozy cursed internally, she hadn't put on a smile; she should have, it would have been the proper thing to do. 

"I..." And yet, she felt like she shouldn't do so here; she shouldn't need to anymore. Cozy could feel the irritation mounting and took a deep breath to stabilise herself.

"It's complicated," she eventually said.

Evening frowned. "I have been hoping you'd come visit me for a few years now, I have been getting better."

Cozy could feel Fleeting's wing rub her side and she quickly held back her immediate answer, settling for something kinder instead. "I can tell, you're much more lucid than the last time I was here." It wasn't even a lie, even if it implied something that was not.

"And... you have grown up so much since I last saw you!" Evening glanced between Cozy and Fleeting. "Is she your marefriend?"

Cozy froze and she could feel Fleeting do the same; her wing wasn't moving.

"...not exactly."

"And look at your mane! It's such an adult style."

Cozy started growling, how could she just sit there and... and-

"I have had it for years," she managed to get out through clenched teeth.

"Well it's really nice-" 

"Stop," Cozy whispered.

"And I'm so happy at what you have managed to do for yourself!"

"Just stop!" Cozy yelled, glaring at the mare across from her. "You just don't get it at all, do you?" Cozy all but snarled.

Evening deflate back in her seat in shock.

Cozy gesture to the mare beside her. "This is Fleeting Heart," she took a deep breath. "My mother."

Evening's eyes widened as she looked between the two.

"And for the record, I have had this mane style since before you ended up here," Cozy dug up the offending photo that had started it all and slammed it on the table.

Silence filled the cafeteria as slowly but surely Evening reached over and picked up the photo with trembling hooves.

"Cozy-" Fleeting began.

"Stuff it, I don't want to hear it," Cozy said, getting up and quickly trotting out the room.

She could hear a deep sigh escaped from Fleeting.







If she was honest with herself, she was a bit surprised the orderly hadn't stepped in. A visitor all but yelling at a patient seemed a bit extreme, and the sobbing mare left behind certainly could use some cheering up.

Chrysalis closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead; why did she always get stuck with clean up duty? A light smirk reached her lips, Cozy and Tirek wouldn't manage a week without her.

It had been five or so minutes since Cozy had all but stomped out of the room, Evening's tears and whimpering had shown no signs of stopping. Getting up, Chrysalis slowly walk around the table and wrapped her hooves around the crying mare.

"It'll be alright," she whispered.

The mare went rigid from the contact, having clearly not expected it. The sniffling continued for a few minutes as Chrysalis kept whispering soothing words to her.

"B-but she hates me..."

"I don't think that's true, and I know her quite well."

Evening scoffed through her snivelling. "Of course you do... you're my replacement."

Chrysalis sighed, why were ponies always so difficult? At least she had a lot of experience with crying foals now. "Maybe so, but you have to understand: Cozy had to live without you. Is it that strange that she moved on?"

Evening sniffed. "I... I suppose not," she finished with a quiet whimper.

Chrysalis gave the mare one final nuzzle before settling down in the chair next to her. "You two need to talk this out, properly talk that is. You'll need to listen to what Cozy has to say, even if it's hard. Likewise, Cozy needs to start accepting you for who you are, not who you were or what tore the two of you apart."

Evening huffed and looked away. "She already left..."

"She'll be back," Chrysalis replied firmly. "It's how she is, and should she be too cowardly to face you I'll simply drag her back here myself."

Evening's lips curved up slightly. "You two must be really close."

Chrysalis pondered it for a moment, they were close. The entire mother daughter thing had always been a front, it still sort of was. Chrysalis wasn't an idiot though, she knew how Cozy saw her, kind of hard not to when you could read emotions. She'd be lying if she said she didn't see Cozy as more than just a friend or ally either.

"I... I suppose we are. We have been through a lot together."

Evening sighed and leaned her head on Chrysalis. "It's a hard pillow to swallow... being replaced I mean."

Chrysalis sighed. "I guess that's just what I do... replace ponies."

She hadn't considered it before, not really. Her disguise was original, both in name and shape. As far as any pony in Equestria was concerned, Fleeting Heart was her own pony. And yet... the role she took had still replaced somepony. It hadn't been intentional, in fact, it likely would have happened with or without disguise.

In some ways, it was disgusting to her. Chrysalis didn't regret most things she had done in the past, not if she was being honest. She had many reasons to do what she did, and most of the time it really did seem like the best call. But having come to have her own life, she regretted the individuals she had hurt; the lives she had touched and ruined.

Most of all was every other changeling at the hive, she couldn't ever see herself making things right with Thorax and his ilk again. Not to mention all the ones that died after her failed invasion... But ponies like Cadance? She could never see herself facing her again. Princess Twilight insisted that she had her blessing in regards to them getting another chance but... Chrysalis still hadn't moved past it, even if the pink princess had; and it's not like she was the first pony she had replaced.

"I don't," Evening swallowed. "I don't blame you... Fleeting was it?"

Chrysalis nodded, some days she wondered if she was still Chrysalis, or if she simply had become the unassuming pegasus she posed as.

"I don't blame you for being... a mother to Cozy," she all but chocked out the words. "I just... does she still have a place in her life for me?" Evening was staring at Chrysalis with large bloodshot eyes, her face still wet from tears.

Chrysalis wrapped her wing around the mare. "I don't know, that is something she will have to decide."

Evening sniffed.

"But, no matter what, know that I have no problem with whatever arrangement the two of you make. Even if it means for me to give up what I have."

It was the least she owed the mare for stealing her place, Chrysalis reasoned. The pegasus just buried her face in Chrysalis' chest and cried.







"How long are you going to sit there and brood?"

Cozy snapped up, she hadn't even heard Fleeting approach.

"How did you even find me?"

Fleeting chuckled. "It's not too hard with the emotions you're giving off. Not that I needed those to find you, I know you well enough."

Cozy sighed and frowned, some times it was really obnoxious living with someone who could read her so well. But then, maybe that was for the best? It kept her honest.

"So, are you ready to go back yet?" Fleeting continued.

"No."

"You do know she cried herself dry more than once after you left, right?"

Cozy snarled. "Oh she's sad, what about me, Huh?"

Fleeting had an unamused expression on her face. The changeling walked over and sat down on the bench next to Cozy. Aside from the two of them, the corridor was empty.

"You're not a filly anymore Cozy, and you're certainly not a foal. So stop acting like one."

"I have every right to be upset at that... that pony!"

Fleeting narrowed her eyes. "I'm not saying you don't, but this isn't how you deal with that. I thought the entire reason we came here was to stop running away from the problem."

Cozy looked away, she was tempted to say something she'd regret later. But Fleeting was right, and she hated when other ponies were right.

"Come on," Fleeting said, lightly tapping Cozy's barrel with her wing.

Cozy let out a deep sigh and eventually climbed back onto her hooves again. The two slowly walking back towards the cafeteria.

"I'm proud of you, you know?" Fleeting said.

Cozy glanced at the changeling with a narrow eye. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"Coming here... doing this," Fleeting continued, before sighing. "I don't think I would have been able to do it."

Cozy rolled her eyes, she needed to pester Tirek about trying to invite Thorax again. Maybe it had been long enough for the changeling king to get over his jitters.

Cozy stopped on the threshold of the room, she could see Evening where she had left her earlier. She was staring with empty eyes at the photo on the table.

"It's from my cute-ceañera," Cozy said as she approached. "I figured every filly would have a photo of theirs, even if it was just the two of us."

Evening blinked in surprised as she looked up, her eyes meeting Cozy's. Both of them turned to look away.

"I..." Evening began before stopping and looking down at the photo again.

Fleeting nudged Cozy and gestured to the chairs, getting the hint the two of them once again got seated.

"I don't remember it," Evening spoke, her voice quiet.

Cozy sighed. "That doesn't surprise me, it was well after you got... sick."

"But..." Evening looked up, staring at Cozy. "That doesn't make any sense. I self admitted myself here..."

Cozy closed her eyes. "Do you remember doing that?"

"That's- what?"

Cozy took a deep breath before meeting Evening's eyes again. "I was only seven, when you started to get sick. At first it was the little things, you'd freeze up in the middle of something for a few seconds. There were a lot of accidents back then."

Evening nodded. "I remember that..."

"But then," Cozy continued. "Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours. Do you remember my eight birthday?"

"I... I think so? Only in parts but, you got that big chocolate cake, right?"

"You're right," Cozy nodded. "That was one of the last few times you were lucid for long. After that, things got tough. I had to... start doing things around home. You couldn't cook, you could barely eat, so I had to do those things."

Evening's eyes shrunk in horrid realisation. "But, you were-"

"Yes, I was just a filly," Cozy nodded. "But it's not like we had anyone else to help us after that horrible stallion that sired me left us. I was, what? Five, six? You should remember that."

Evening just stared, if it wasn't for the trembling Cozy might have worried she had an episode.

"Whatever," Cozy rolled her eyes before sighing. "Our neighbours helped us, for a while. But eventually I had to start taking care of the grocery shopping. But ponies started asking questions, they always do. At first it was the little things, so it was simple; I simply said you were sick," Cozy leaned back in her chair and gestured with her hoof. "It's not like it was a lie."

At some point Fleeting had moved closer, she could feel the her coat against hers.

"But an eight year old filly doing all the work a parent was supposed to do? Ponies started asking hard questions. So... I simply had to make sure they stopped. It's why I took the time to learn to style my mane like this, it's complex and stylish, certainly not something a filly could do all on her lonesome."

Cozy slouched. "Of course, there was a limit to things. Eventually you got fired from the stitchery, not being able to show up and work kind of does that."

Cozy chuckled lightly and looked away. "That's when it truly started, I guess?"

"Started?" Evening managed to get out.

Cozy nodded. "We got home forms for you to sign, to get your severance pay as well as any unpaid vacation days," Cozy licked her lips. "At first I tried to get you to sign it, but the forms were really long and you were barely lucid enough to read them. We... we really needed the money though since I couldn't access the bank, so...."

Fleeting huffed. "I guess I should have known," she mumbled under her breath.

"So?" Evening asked.

"So I started learning to forge your signature, it took a lot of practice, but eventually I got it down. How do you think I got you admitted here?"

Evening just gaped at her.

"It's not the only uncouth thing I had to do either, things kind of just spiralled from there," Cozy continued. "One day when I looked myself in the mirror I realised I had gotten my cutie mark. I collapsed and cried on the spot, who would want a cutie mark in manipulating and lying to ponies?"

"That's... Cozy..."

"It's fine," Cozy said, her eyes turning to the ceiling. "I have long since gotten over it. What actually took a long time to do was figuring out how I could use my talent for something good," she chuckled. "But back then, I guess I needed it."

When her eyes lowered again, she could see that Evening was crying again.

"I arranged the cute-ceañera just for show, for the photo. Everything you see in that frame is all that it was. The two of us in slightly fancy getup, some cupcakes and a boardgame on a table that was packed away as soon as the photo was taken. The fact that we had a camera with a timer was a blessing."

Evening glanced meaningfully towards Fleeting. Figures the two of them had talked about something.

"Eventually news got out that Princess Twilight was opening up a school, a prestigious one that was open for any and all, regardless of backgrounds. I sent in an application signed under your name, and I guess either I got lucky or the sob story I wrote resonated with somepony. Because it wasn't long after that we got mail back that not only had I gotten in, I had done so with free tuition and boarding."

Cozy sighed and leaned forwards, resting her hooves and head on the table.

"At that point I started looking into getting you set up here. I was already struggling as it was to take care of you; I couldn't do that and attend school on the same time. I had kind of stopped going to the one back in Cloudsdale at that point."

Cozy slumped further.

"You know who Princess Twilight is, correct?" Fleeting asked.

Evening nodded. "I, yes. She shows up in the news often enough, she succeeded Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, right?"

Fleeting nodded. "Yes, though back then," she glanced towards Cozy. "She wasn't Equestrias sole ruler, instead she was working under Celestia."

Cozy huffed. "And she really needs to start minding her own business."

Evening blinked. "You know the princess?"

"I went to her school, didn't I?"

"I suppose-" Evening started.

"Cozy," Fleeting interrupted.

"What?"

"Don't do that."

Cozy grumbled while Evening glanced between the two of them.

"I... yes, I know Princess Twilight. We aren't close or anything and..." Cozy just sighed. "I honestly thought you knew about this stuff already?"

"Er, no?"

"Me and... some friends," Cozy glanced at Fleeting. "Had a run in with the princess a quite a few years ago. It made national headlines, several times."

"Is that why the nurses give me weird looks whenever I bring you up?"

Cozy could only chuckled. "Probably, I was kind of infamous for a while."

"I..." Evening swallowed.

"Maybe another time," Fleeting interjected, likely considering the subject matter heavy enough as it was.

The two pegasi at the table nodded as silence settled.

"I still can't believe you went through all of that... everything."

Cozy sighed. "It's why it was so hard, coming back here and meeting you again I mean;" Cozy looked away. "I should have come sooner, but it was easier to not think about things."

"I, yes," Evening nodded. "I'd like to say I understand, but it's kind of hard to grasp it all. I did miss you though, every day since I could properly start thinking again."

Cozy just stared at Evening, she wasn't sure what to say. It was nice to finally get it all out, to lay it all bare. And Cozy knew, she knew all to well that it wasn't really Evening's fault things went the way they did; and yet...

She yelped when Fleeting nudged her hard. She was about to ask what the big deal was when she noticed that Fleeting was gesturing at her saddlebags with her hoof. That's right, now was probably as good of a time as any. She dug around in her bag till she found the soft object it in question, she carefully lifted it and placed it on the table; giving it a light push towards Evening.

"I made you this, I figured..." Cozy looked away. "I don't know what I was thinking, actually, but it seemed like something I should do."

"This is..." Evening picked up the stitched plush. "Me?"

"Yeah... I never stopped practising stitching, even when you stopped teaching me. I have had a lot more time to get better at it in recent years. I figured... I figured I'd make you one."

Evening carefully put down the plush of herself on the table. She quickly got up and walk around the table, wrapping her hooves around Cozy and hugging her.

"Thank you, you have no idea what this means... I- I thought you hated me," she was tearing up again.

Cozy awkwardly wrapped her hooves around Evening, her wings twitching. "I don't, I don't think I hate you. But seeing you brings back all the bad memories."

"Can we... can we see each other again?"

Cozy thought about it for a moment, she didn't really feel close to Evening, and she brought back everything bad from her foalhood. But... you had to make new memories to replace the old ones, isn't that what Princess Twilight said?

"Yeah," she put on a smirk. "But next time you'll have to be the one to come visit me."

Evening let go of the hug and took a step back, a smile rested on her lips. "It's a promise."