//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Flurry Heart's Story: Oh, Mother, Where Art Thou? // by AleximusPrime //------------------------------// Flurry could do nothing but stand still and stare at Melody. Twilight and the teachers did not appear surprised and had clearly already been told this news. Several questions flooded Flurry’s mind. Where was the father? Was Cozy left at the orphanage for a good reason? And why did Melody wait all these years to speak up? Surely there must have been something going on in Melody’s life for her to leave her own daughter. Flurry just stood and nodded her head back and forth. It was difficult for her to say anything without stuttering. “Melody, I…I don’t understand. Why did you wait all this time? Why did you leave her at that orphanage?” Melody closed her eyes and waited a few seconds before explaining everything to the young princess. “This isn’t easy to tell you. You see, Flurry, I was very young and naïve when I had my daughter. Her father could not deal with taking care of a family and left me. I tried the best I could to take care of my daughter, but I was not financially there. I struggled to pay anyone to watch after her while I worked a full-time job to keep us afloat. It got to a point where I couldn’t even afford to feed her. I was afraid she would be malnourished and sick, so I did the only thing I could think of at the time: I left her at the orphanage when she was past her nursing stage. It was stupid, but it felt like the only option for my daughter to survive. Not a day goes by that I regret doing it. I never wanted to let her go, and I can say with utmost certainty that I never would have if I knew all this could happen.” Melody started blubbering as she finished speaking and needed to stop for a moment. After taking time to release her emotions, she sniffled and looked back up to continue. “I eventually managed to land a better job and moved away from that area, and when I came back years later to check on her, the orphanage was shut down so I assumed she was with a good family. Now as for why I didn’t say anything all these years: let’s just say things lined up rather inconveniently. When I heard about this young girl named Cozy Glow that tried to take all the magic from Equestria, I had no idea it was my daughter. Her photo in the paper didn’t help one bit. It was black and white, and she didn’t have her cutie mark or the name Cozy Glow when she was with me.” “So this Half Note that you mention in your album…that’s her?” “Yes. Her real name is Half Note. She doesn’t even remember her name. I saw a colored photo of her later on as a statue, which still didn’t give away the answer since she was all grey. It wasn’t until I saw a picture of her in color that it hit me that this could be my daughter. I knew right away it was her when her claim about the orphanage went public recently. I had already finished my album with her lullaby, so I figured I needed to come clean with all of this. I was going to announce to everyone that I was her mother this morning at my first concert in Canterlot, but the Sorceress’s attack changed everything. I came right to Princess Twilight after I found out she is the Sorceress. I still can’t believe that’s her. My own baby daughter is wallowing in abandonment and bitterness over what I’ve done.” Melody started crying again as Twilight put her wing around her. Flurry then noticed her cutie mark was blinking. “The map called her, didn’t it?” she asked the teachers. “She has to be the one to confront the Sorceress,” Gallus told Cozy. “We were going to try taking on the Sorceress with the Elements, but the Spirit of Harmony told us we’ve got to find her mother in Canterlot,” Ocellus explained. Flurry then turned back to Melody and waited till she had finished blowing her nose into a tissue one of the guards provided. “Melody, I know you feel this is all your fault, but I can tell your heart was in the right place. I forgive you,” Flurry said with a smile on her face. Melody wiped her tears and smiled back. “Thank you,” she said as she gave Flurry a hug. “We have to get you to her,” Twilight told Melody. “There’s got to be some way to get the Sorceress over here.” “Has the Sorceress taken every parent in Canterlot?” Flurry asked. “Thankfully she hasn’t,” said Twilight. “They’re hiding in the crystal caves right now, but I’m not using them as bait. We can’t afford to let more children become orphans. There has to be a better way to attract the Sorceress.” “Leave that to me, Twilight,” said a familiar voice. Everyone turned to see Discord walking in with Tirek behind him. Melody looked surprised since she wasn’t used to seeing the centaur prince on their side, but she knew right away why he was here. “Sorry I disappeared earlier,” Discord continued. “I gave it some thought and I decided I couldn’t sit this one out any longer. I thought Tirek might want to tag along.” “I never said it before, but I think Cozy really considered me and Chrysalis to be her parents for a while,” Tirek explained. “After everything Scorpan did for me, I felt I should be here for Cozy.” “Thank you for joining in, Tirek,” Twilight told him. “We’re going to need all the help we can get. If one of you could maybe follow her around out there and engage her, see if you can teleport her to Canterlot.” “If we do bring her here, she will most likely try to get the parents that are in hiding. We have to be careful,” Tirek warned. “It’s all right. We’ll be ready for her,” Discord added. “All of us will be,” said Silverstream as her friends all surrounded her with determined faces and the Elements still around their necks. “Also, once she does get here, I have an idea,” Flurry said, turning back to the forlorn pegasus mother. “Melody, would you mind if we sang Always Love You? I think it will work once Cozy hears the real song. She already seems to remember the tune a little.” “That sounds like a great idea, Flurry,” Melody said. “I can get some sheet music printed and sent to everyone in Canterlot. If she remembers some of the tune to the song, hearing the rest of it might be just what she needs.” Elsewhere in the countryside, national guardponies were walking around telling ponies to stay indoors. The Sorceress had been spotted in another town miles away and the entire region was on high alert. Inside a nearby cottage, a mother unicorn looked out behind the curtains of her bedroom window. She had her children in the same room as her but figured it would be best for them to be separated so the Sorceress could not tell there were parents nearby. “Kids, listen, your father and I will be fine if we keep apart. Go down to the cellar and stay there until I say to come back up,” she told her three daughters. “But Mom, it’s you and Dad she wants,” said the oldest daughter. The tension in the room rose when they all heard a scream from the house next door. “GO! GO NOW!” the mother shouted as all three of them rushed downstairs. She then walked over to her bed and looked underneath to check on her husband who had decided to hide in order to fool the Sorceress should she arrive. “Are you alright down there, Honey?” she asked him. “I’m fine. Just make sure the blanket is down.” She used her magic to pull the blanket down till it touched the floor. She sighed and waited until black smoke appeared in the room. She turned around to see the Sorceress materialize right before her. Her heart began pounding fast as she locked eyes with the demonic alicorn. “Well hello there,” the Sorceress cooed. “Wha…what do you want? I don’t have any children,” the mother said, trembling. “Is that so?” The Sorceress brought over a family photo of the five of them and looked at it before turning back to the horrified mother unicorn. “Well aren’t you all one big happy family. Not anymore!” The mother was engulfed by black smoke and began screaming. She disappeared and the kids all ran up to see her just as she was taken. “MOMMY, NOOOOO!” shouted the youngest one. “Oh, don’t fret little ones,” said the Sorceress as the father crept up behind her with a baseball bat. “This is just the new norm. Now would you mind telling me where your fath-” She stopped mid-sentence as the bat smashed against her head and splinters flew everywhere. She didn’t budge or flinch from the impact. With an unimpressed look on her face, she turned her head to the father. He took one look at the broken bat and dropped it. “Really?” said the Sorceress as her horn glowed. In an instant, the smoke took the father. The daughters screamed and began throwing random objects at the Sorceress. “LET THEM GO RIGHT NOW!” said one of them. The Sorceress laughed maniacally until she noticed a lion’s arm emerge from the side of a nearby wardrobe. It opened up one of the doors and Discord came out. He had his arms crossed and a very stern look on his face. “I’m not done with you yet, Cozy,” he said. “DISCORD!” shouted one of the daughters. “Mr. Discord, please get Mommy and Daddy back!” cried the youngest. “Fear not children. I’ve got this. Go downstairs and tune in to any news station. The emotional conclusion to Cozy Glow’s redemption arc is going to be broadcast everywhere in just a moment.” The kids all went downstairs to do as he said. Discord cracked his knuckles and lifted his head off of his neck and spun it around once before placing it back on. The Sorceress rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. You again? Do you ever give up?” “Look, Sorceress, I know the real Cozy Glow is in there and I’m not giving up on her. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” “And just what does that mean?” “Surrender or else we’re going to exorcise you out of Cozy’s being.” “Oh Golly, an exorcism! What ever shall I do? Nice try, clown! Those teachers tried it earlier with the Elements and I took care of them!” “Oh, they’re still alive. They’re going to help, but it’s not going to be the Elements that stop you.” “No one is going to stop me!” “We have ways.” “SILENCE!” The Sorceress lunged for Discord. Upon contact, he used his magic to teleport both of them to Canterlot just as planned. They landed on the huge balcony where festivals were often held in front of the royal palace. It was just around the entrance to the castle town where many could watch the ensuing battle. Discord was knocked onto the ground while the Sorceress was standing over him. She looked around confused. “Eh? Canterlot? That’s fine. I can zip all around Equestria all I want today. Besides, I’m sure I might have missed a few parents here.” “Cozy Glow!” shouted Tirek behind her. The Sorceress turned her head to see the familiar centaur before her. He appeared to be in his fourth form, but he was about as tall as his second form. He was wearing the necklace that Cozy remembered learning about when she was first educated on Tirek’s invasion. She had no idea this was the Pendant of Restoration or what Tirek had been through, but based on his restored body and how firm he looked at her, she could already tell he had reformed. Discord slowly got up and walked away as they began speaking to each other. “Tirek? Let me guess, they’ve already gotten to you?” “I went on one final power-induced rampage and nearly won, but all it took was a little chat with my brother Scorpan. I have come to see the error of my ways. It hasn’t been easy, but I finally feel happiness in my life once again.” “HA! That’s to be expected of a wimp like you! And to think the little brat once wanted you to be her surrogate father, that is until you left her in the forest right after that crazy Chrysalis scampered off!” “Cozy, look, all I ask is that you calm down and try to come to your senses. We are not looking for a fight. I am past that. I’ve changed. You can to.” “Oh, Cozy Glow has already changed; I can assure you of that. She’s crying her heart out right now and is sorry for all of this, but that doesn’t matter because you’ll never see her again. She’s gone. It’s just the Sorceress now!” “You’re wrong. If you are able to feel her sorrow, then that means she is still alive. Cozy Glow is in there and we’re going to set her free today!” The Sorceress gritted her teeth and her horn glowed. She shot Tirek with a magic blast, which he just barely blocked with his own magic. He would have teleported, but he noticed there was a statue behind him that would be destroyed in the process. Thinking quickly, he let the blast push him back until he cancelled his shield spell and flew into the statue. The statue toppled over and broke into several pieces, but Tirek used the pendant to fix it since it broke as a result of his contact. He looked over to see Discord using a giant umbrella to shield himself from one of the Sorceress’s blasts. The Sorceress stopped shooting and used her magic to grab Discord and throw him into Tirek before he could react. The Sorceress cracked her neck and then started walking into the castle town until Celestia and Luna landed right in front of her. “Well Golly. This is one heartwarming reunion,” she said, sarcastically. “Are you ready, sister?” Luna asked Celestia. “I’m ready,” Celestia replied. The royal sisters then shot beams from their horns that met at an angle and combined to form a more powerful beam. It pushed hard against the Sorceress’s own magic shield and caused her to move towards the edge of the balcony. She finally cast an explosive magic spell that knocked Celestia and Luna back towards the entrance. “Does anyone else care to tussle with the Sorceress?” she asked angrily. Discord and Tirek both stood up and tried to fire at her again, but she reacted quickly and knocked them both into a wall with a return blast. The Sorceress giggled and began walking towards the entrance until she bumped into something. She shook her head and noticed there was an barely-visible shield of magic in front of her. She tried blasting it, but it was somehow impervious to her own magic. Out from the entrance appeared all six of the teachers wearing their Element necklaces. They had used the power of Harmony to create this shield. The Sorceress looked out to the other end of the balcony and tried firing another blast, but the same thing happened. She was trapped. “No! Let me go, fools!” she snapped. “Alright, everybody! Now’s the time!” shouted Gallus. The Sorceress then heard voices from all around Canterlot join in singing a rather familiar song. 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 The Sorceress stood still and twitched at hearing this song. She already recognized its tune as the one she was humming earlier, but it sounded far happier. This was clearly the lullaby Cozy remembered hearing her mother sing, but she had forgotten the lyrics and wasn’t sure if this was the right one. Even then, it caused the Sorceress to go insane. “What? That song…no…no! STOP IT! STOP IT ALL OF YOU!” The ponies everywhere continued to sing. A choir of singers famous in Canterlot stood on the balcony of a nearby tower as the famed cellist Octavia played from the same balcony with them. DJ PON-3, the local pony DJ had set up several microphones and loudspeakers all over Canterlot so the singing would carry through right to the Sorceress. The speakers and everyone singing were beyond the shield, so the Sorceress had no way of harming them or getting them to stop. Despite her protesting, they continued to sing: Don’t cry, it gets better The storm will soon pass us And all will be happy You’ll see that it’s true Whenever you’re with me You brighten my day, love If ever you’re lonely I’ll be there for you ----------------------------- Through all circumstances I’ll never forget you And if we should part ways I’ll still think of you You’ll be in my heart, love Till I say goodbye Until then, my child I’ll be there for you The Sorceress felt weak in her knees and fell to the ground. Her armor lost it’s power and faded away into smoke. She got back up and snarled. “NO! I WILL…I will not…I…how…how do you all know that song?” She then felt a presence behind her. She turned her head to see Twilight and Flurry Heart landing on the edge of the balcony. Between them was Melody. She began to walk slowly towards the Sorceress as she sang a repeat of the first stanza of the song. 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 this familiar pegasus walked forward while singing, the Sorceress tried her best to shake it off and ignore this pony, but it slowly started to set in who this was. Somehow she remembered this voice and the look of this mare. It was a very faint memory from her earliest time in childhood, but it was strong enough to make her think. She remembered a faint image of a yellow mare with blue hair and the voice of an angel. This was that same mare. Could this be her mother?