“According to Celestia, all six of them disappeared, but there’s no sign of disintegration in the crater,” Captain Tempest Shadow explained to Princess Twilight. “The teachers are nowhere to be found. She believes it’s possible the Elements transported them to safety, but we don’t know where yet.”
Twilight closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She rubbed her forehead with her hoof and waited a few seconds before responding.
“Is the evacuation still working out as planned?” she asked.
“The news is being broadcasted to all of Equestria as we speak. Only problem is, the Sorceress appears to be jumping all over the entire countryside in a rather erratic fashion. Almost a thousand citizens have been confirmed kidnapped since these incidents started, while some are just missing in action. We’re looking at possibly two thousand citizens already gone and thousands more to come throughout the rest of the day. The good thing is, she doesn’t appear to have the ability to sense where parents are, so we’ve told parents to hide out in undisclosed locations. The rest of the parents we were able to locate in Canterlot have been moved into the crystal caves. Other cities have moved their parents to bunkers.”
“And Discord?”
“Still nowhere to be found since the Crystal Empire. Luna said he’s too overwrought after learning the Sorceress is Cozy Glow.”
Twilight walked slowly over to one of the stained glass windows in her throne room. She stared out the window.
“Your highness, is there anything else you need to know?” asked Tempest.
“Just continue with the evacuation plan,” she said, turning around. “Let me know when there are any other developments. If Discord doesn’t show up in the next half hour, I will call in Scorpan and Tirek with the Staff of Sacanas and the Absorption Stone. I’ve already got Starswirl and the rest of the Pillars on standby. That will be all for now, Captain.”
Tempest and the guards behind her all bowed and exited the throne room. Twilight turned back and looked out the window. She put her hoof against the glass and watched as several guards walked through the streets shouting orders for ponies to stay inside and direct any remaining parents to the crystal caves. The sky had darkened with thick black clouds. There was thunder but no rain. Those clouds had most likely come form the Sorceress herself.
She closed her eyes and concentrated her magic. Through the power of the Elements, she was able to sense Applejack and Rainbow Dash. She reached out harder and was able to see them inside the Sorceress’s prison realm. It was a dark and dreary environment with terrain that resembled a volcanic region or a black mountain. There were storm clouds in the sky and black smoke everywhere. Lightning and thunder was present and the sound of the Sorceress’s laugh could be heard at times. Applejack and Tex were in a cage together with Rainbow Dash and Thunderhead next to them. Not far away were Shining Armor and Cadance and tons of other husbands with their wives. Most of them were weeping and holding each other while others were trying to break free of the cage bars. In the center was a smaller cage with Cozy Glow inside. She appeared just like she did the night of her defeat with the Alicorn Amulet, only dirtier. She sat still with tears constantly streaming.
“Applejack, we’ll find a way out of here. I promise,” said Tex to Applejack.
“I just hope Chip and Annie are okay in the meantime,” she replied. “I’m more worried about them right now.
“Cozy, can you fight it?” asked Cadance. “Please try, dear. It can’t be that powerful.”
“I have tried,” Cozy replied, weakly. “I can’t do it. She’s too powerful and it’s all my fault.”
“Cozy…look, we forgive you. I mean that,” Rainbow Dash said, walking over to the edge of her cage. “Is there anything we can do to help you see that?”
“You might forgive me, but what will your kids say? I’ve taken their parents from them. Who could forgive me for the things I’ve done.”
“Cozy, it’s not you. It’s the Sorceress,” Shining Armor reminded the little filly.
“And don’t worry about our kids. They’ll forgive you too,” Thunderhead added. “We’ve all taught our kids the importance of forgiveness.”
“The first time I met your son, I left a terrible impression on him,” Cozy told Thunder as she turned around. “I’m sorry, everypony, but it doesn’t matter what you think. I allowed the Sorceress to fester in me, and now it’s too late. I just wanted two loving parents, or at least one of them. If I can never have any, then I guess the Sorceress will keep doing this.”
“Cozy…” Twilight said.
The others ears perked up and they looked in Twilight’s direction. In their vision, they saw a blurry image of their friend. Twilight concentrated her magic harder and was nearly in the realm.
“Twilight?” said Applejack.
“Twily!” shouted Shining Armor.
All the parents turned their heads to see their fair princess starting to materialize before them. They began to smile. Cozy was the only one who didn’t turn around.
“Cozy, it’s me: Twilight!” Twilight called to her.
“Don’t bother, Princess,” Cozy told her. “I’ve given you enough trouble.”
“No, Cozy, I forgive you as well. I will find a way to free you, and when the Sorceress is gone, you-”
Suddenly, a cloud of black smoke appeared before Twilight and the Sorceress appeared, knocking her back.
“Who dares enter my realm?!” The Sorceress bellowed.
“It’s me,” Twilight said, struggling to stand up.
“Princess Twilight? How did you get in here?!”
“You underestimate the magical connection I have with my friends, Sorceress,”
“You cannot take anyone out of this realm! Even Discord is not powerful enough! BE GONE WITH YOU!!”
The Sorceress blasted Twilight with a magic spell meant to transport items, and in a moment, she was back in her throne room, lying on the ground. She yelped and then panted. She wondered if it was a dream she just saw, but she still felt the painful twinge on her body from the Sorceress’s spell. She couldn’t take it any longer and broke down.
“Cozy Glow…I’m sorry,” she wept. “I should have handled this better. If you can hear me now…I can’t find them. I can’t find your parents. Please, let go of the hatred. I’ll find you someone that can love you. If I have to, I’ll take care of you.”
She then heard the sound of hoofsteps getting closer to the throne room. The doors swung open and the same guards reentered.
“PRINCESS!” shouted Tempest. “Princess, we have urgent news!”
“Tempest, what is it?”
“There’s a pony that has important news about the Sorceress!”
“Who is she?”
“Her name is Melody Heartsong. Believe me, you need to meet with her now.”
“All right. Bring her in.”
Gallus remained motionless on the ground. His eyelids began to slowly open as he heard his friends groaning around him. They were lying down in front of the Treehouse of Harmony in the Everfree Palace ruins.
“Awaken, my children,” said a familiar voice.
“Ugh…Twilight?” Gallus said as his vision became clear.
He noticed Twilight before him. She was not wearing her regalia and sparkled like diamonds. It then dawned on him who this really was: not Twilight Sparkle, but the Spirit of Harmony taking on this form as She often would when speaking to them.
“The Spirit of Harmony?” said Sandbar as he stood up and rubbed his eyes with one hoof.
“Spirit, what happen? Elements didn’t work on Sorceress!” Yona said.
“Are we really the new Elements of Harmony, or is there something wrong with these things?” asked Smolder, angrily. “We can’t do this if we don’t-”
The Spirit put Her hoof in the air and Smolder stopped talking.
“You did not heed my instructions,” She said. “I used the map to direct you to Canterlot.”
“But the Sorceress wasn’t in Canterlot,” Silverstream replied.
“You are not to go head-to-head with the Sorceress. The Elements do have the power to exorcise her as they did Nightmare Moon, but it is not that simple.”
“But she’s taken so many parents already, Spirit,” Ocellus told Her. “How can the Elements not be the answer in such a dire time?”
“I did not give you the power to wield the Elements for every disaster that comes your way. Sometimes there are better ways to win a battle. Look at how Scorpan managed to humble his brother after the Elements refused to work on him. Much like Tirek, Cozy Glow must also be humbled. She is sad and alone because of her abandonment, but she can find happiness again. She must.”
“How?” asked Gallus.
“Go to Canterlot. Her mother is waiting there for her.”
“Her mother? What about her father?” Silverstream asked.
“Go now. Flurry Heart will be joining you there shortly.”
“Flurry?” called Gallus.
“Farewell, my children.”
“Wait…SPIRIT!”
They were all engulfed in a blinding light. The light faded slowly and they all found themselves standing on the Cutie Map back in the Crystal Palace. Everyone that was there earlier was staring at them.
“Guys? What happened?” Spike asked.
“Did you stop the Sorceress?” Buttercream joined in.
“Also, where is Princess Luna?” asked Sunburst.
The teachers all stood in shock until Sandbar finally spoke up.
“Luna and Celestia didn’t just get blasted like we did so they’re not here. I thought we were goners at first, but we…we just had a visit from the Spirit of Harmony.”
“We have to get to Canterlot. The Spirit said Cozy’s mother is there!” Ocellus added.
“Her mother? So we do know where one of her parents are!” said Pound.
“Well we don’t know who she is yet, but we’re about to,” Silverstream answered.
“So…you didn’t stop the Sorceress?” Trixie asked.
“The Spirit said the Elements aren’t supposed to be used on Cozy. Whoever her mother is…well, I’m guessing that’s her cutie mark,” Gallus said, pointing to the map.
All the teachers hopped down from the map table and looked to see the orb over Canterlot had turned into a cutie mark of several musical notes.
“That’s her mother’s cutie mark? Anyone recognize?” asked Yona.
“Uh…well it’s not somepony we know,” said Ocellus.
“Whoever it is, we’re going to have to fly on quickly over to Canterlot,” said Gallus.
“Wait a second…” said Pumpkin, studying the cutie mark carefully. “I’ve seen that cutie mark before! It…it can’t be…”
Back in the Crystal Empire, Flurry sat at a large table with several royal advisors present. Starswirl the Bearded and Mistmane were among them, being trusted confidants of Shining Armor and Cadance. Aventurine addressed them all, reporting on the events of that day.
“As of right now, Gallus, Silverstream, Smolder, Sandbar, Yona and Ocellus are all missing in action. Princess Twilight is considering using the Staff of Sacanas with King Scorpan’s permission to drain the Sorceress’s power.”
“And I’ve just received correspondence from the remaining Pillars of Equestria that they are willing to meet up with us to see if our Element powers can help,” explained Starswirl.
“And Twilight still has some of her friends left over who can combine their Elements. Aside from Discord, it could be the only way to stop the Sorceress,” Mistmane added.
At the other end, Flurry lay her head down on the table.
“This has not been a good day,” she sighed. “First Discord and now the Elements. There’s got to be a way to stop her.”
“Everyone, we have an update!” said one of the servants as he pointed to a large rectangular crystal in the room that acted as a television monitor, reporting on the news.
“We are coming to you live from San Horsé right now! That does appear to be the Sorceress walking by. She entered this building earlier and…hold on, let me hide real quick…”
The reporter mare ran off screen and the feed showed a dark figure walking out of a building with a cloud of smoke fading out around her. She was humming a rather foreboding tune. Flurry thought this tune sounded like a song she had heard before, but it was not coming to her at the moment. The crewmembers scattered as the Sorceress stood in front of the camera and moved it to center on her face.
“Hello, Equestria,” she said. “This is the song my mother would sing me when I was a baby. I don’t even remember the lyrics, but I can barely remember the tune. If you’re missing your parents, this will be the only form of comfort you will get from the Sorceress. I’m sure you all know, but my parents abandoned me when I was too young to know them. Maybe all you poor children should be thankful you knew yours. I’ll never properly remember the warm touch of a mother or father. I never got to celebrate my own birthday since I didn’t know it. Cozy Glow may not even be my given name. That little brat made it up herself as a coping mechanism!”
As she spoke, the blue marks on her cheeks began to flow again like tears and float around her face. She got angrier as she continued.
“I’ve read the newspapers! I’ve seen what you politicians and celebrities have said about that child in stone: how she deserves to stay like that and is no different from the centaur or the changeling next to her! Well now poor little Cozy Glow’s actions have caught up to her! You’ll never accept me for anything other than a villain, so that’s what I’ll be for all eternity! Every child in Equestria will now grow up an orphan and will become criminals just like Cozy Glow did!”
“Turn it off!” shouted Aventurine as he noticed the look on Flurry’s face.
“NO PARENT IS SAFE, EQUESTRIA! YOU CREATED THIS MONSTER, NOW REVEL IN IT!”
The screaming coming from the Sorceress horrified Flurry. She jumped out of her chair and ran away as the Sorceress shot the camera with a magic blast and the live feed was cut. The screen showed black and white static dots and then colorful bars with a beeping tone. The servant then shut the crystal monitor off, seeing what effect it was having on Flurry.
“PRINCESS!” shouted Aventurine as he rushed to her before being stopped by Starswirl.
“No, Aventurine. Let her go. Flurry has dealt with enough stress for today.”
“Starswirl, what will we do? Without a king or queen, the burden of leadership falls squarely on her. I don’t want to force her into this position, but we have no choice.”
“We should probably elect a temporary regent until this is all sorted out,” one of the other advisors recommended.
“We would need the princesses’ permission to do that,” said Mistmane.
“Then we will get it.”
“We will not need a regent!” Starswirl said, raising his voice a bit. “Look, this has been a rough day for all of us, especially Flurry. She was supposed to stay in Ponyville for the whole summer with her friends, and now she’s suddenly found herself having to lead an entire empire without her parents to guide her. We will find a way to deal with this. Mistmane and I will go with the other Pillars and see if we can use the Elements that reside within us. Even without Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Twilight still has several of her other friends available.”
“Starswirl, with all due respect, Celestia’s letter said the Element pendants were refusing to work on the Sorceress earlier.”
Starswirl paused to think. He closed his eyes and continued.
“I understand, but every adversary that has stood up to us has been defeated somehow; whether by the power of the Elements or not. This too shall pass.”
The doors to the royal bedroom swung open and Flurry rushed in. She landed on her parents’ bed and buried her face in the blanket, sobbing. She could not be in her father’s office with the advisors any more. Today’s events had taken a toll on her, and the video of the Sorceress made it worse. She felt like a failure for not being there for Cozy and allowing this to happen.
“I shouldn’t have let her run off into the forest,” she said. “Why did I let this happen? Cozy, I’m sorry.”
Flurry wept for a few more minutes until she finally calmed herself down. She lifted her head and saw a CD case on the end table next to Cadance’s side of the bed. It was the same Melody Heartsong CD that she and Pumpkin got from Rara. She used her magic to bring it over to her. She remembered how Melody’s music calmed her down and helped her to reflect. Perhaps such music was what she needed at the moment. Flurry opened the case, put the CD in a nearby entertainment system on Cadance’s desk and played the album starting with the song Always Love You.
I love you, sweet child
My baby, my darling
As long as you’re with me
We’ll both see it through
I love you, sweet child
Please never forget me
No matter what happens
I’ll always love you
As the song played, Flurry’s ears perked up and her eyes widened. She pressed the pause button. It had just dawned on her that the song the Sorceress was humming earlier had a tune that was very identical to the one in Always Love You. Flurry looked down at the case and took the lyrical booklet out. She opened the first page and saw a message beneath the lyrics that she did not notice the first time she looked at her own copy.
This song was written years ago when I was raising my baby daughter Half Note. I would sing it to her every night when putting her to sleep. She is no longer with me due to my own foolish actions, but I have decided to put this song in my first album with hopes I can reunite with her one day. Half Note, wherever you are, I’ll always love you no matter what.
Your Mother,
Melody Heartsong
Flurry dropped the case on the bed. She was in complete shock. She then picked the album back up and took a closer look at Melody on the front cover. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door that made her jump and catch the case in her hoof.
“Flurry?” asked a muffled voice.
“Er…um…come in!”
The door creaked open and Starswirl slowly stuck his head in.
“Flurry, are you alright?”
Flurry still had the case in her hoof. Everything she just realized was still going through her head, rendering her speechless. She looked back to Starswirl and jumped down from the bed.
“Starswirl, I know this sounds crazy, but… both you and I know my teleportation spells aren’t as effective as yours so you…you’ve got to teleport me to Canterlot right away!”
“To Canterlot?”
“I need to find Twilight! I have to tell her something very important! I know who Cozy’s-”
Starswirl used his magic to take the case out of her hoof. He took one look at the front of the album and then read the message on the first page. His eyes widened and he and Flurry shared glances. He had also figured it out.
“Starswirl, I have to let Twilight know. We need to find Melody.”
Starswirl smiled and put his hoof under Flurry’s chin.
“Princess, in all the years I’ve known you, I have never known a filly as gifted. You have such a bright mind. You would make a fine leader, but even I know you are not ready for that right now. I will send you to Canterlot and inform the others. I have no doubt we are already on our way to stopping the Sorceress.”
“Thank you, Starswirl.”
“Hold still.”
Starswirl’s horn glowed and he closed his eyes. He cast the spell and Flurry vanished. He stood for a few seconds, thinking heavily about everything he had just learned. He looked back down at the CD case and turned it around. He noticed one of the songs was titled Come Home, My Child.
“So we’ve finally found her. I just wonder what happened to the father,” he said.
Flurry lurched and felt a faint zap go through her body that she was not used to feeling when teleporting. There was a quick moment of brightness around her, until she found herself in the courtyard before the Canterlot Palace. She looked up and saw the spires before her, indicating that she had been sent to the right location. She looked around and saw some guards nearby. One of them noticed her.
“Princess Flurry Heart?” the guard asked.
“Guards! Where’s my aunt?” Flurry called.
“Princess, what are you doing here?” asked another guard as they all rushed to meet her.
“Please, I need to see Twilight right away! I have urgent news!”
“Flurry?” asked Twilight behind the guards.
Flurry saw Twilight and rushed in to hug her.
“TWILIGHT!”
“Flurry Heart! How did you get here so quickly?”
“I had Starswirl teleport me. Twilight, I need to talk to you! I…this is going to sound really weird, but we need to find a mare named Melody Heartsong.”
“We’ve got her, Flurry,” said Gallus, walking in with the rest of the teachers behind him.
“Gallus, you guys have found her? Where is she?”
They all parted and a pegasus mare stood before Flurry. It was Melody Heartsong just as she appeared on the album.
“Princess Flurry Heart?” asked Melody.
Flurry walked forward and bowed politely. She was nervous not only to meet a pony she admired, but also because of how frantic she was to ask her the burning question on her mind for the past few minutes.
“Melody! Miss Heartsong, I’m so sorry we had to meet like this. I’m a big fan of your music, but I really need to talk to you about something. I saw the Sorceress on the news earlier, and she was humming what sounded like your Always Love You song. I…I think…I mean I don’t want to assume anything, but…Melody-”
“Yes, Princess. It’s true.” Melody said as she nodded her head up and down.
Flurry stopped talking and could already tell Melody had everything figured out too. What came next would change everything.
“I am Cozy Glow’s mother.”