//------------------------------//
// Just Breathe 
// Story: Golly Interrupted 
// by Golly4Ever 
//------------------------------//

The silence was interrupted by a bright flash of light that briefly illuminated the area with a miniature crackle of sound as the air split, a space being carved out of the atmosphere for Cozy and Flurry to pop into. In an instant faster than the blink of an eye, an infinitely small orb expanded in size before rupturing to reveal the two fillies contained within.

Cozy found herself in the interior of a large cave. It was dark and cold. Flurry, after gaining her bearings, began to transfer her magic to an assortment of glow stones positioned around the room. A soft aqua light started to glow from them and spread to cover the space revealing the cave's contents.

The space was large with no discernable way in or out. It was filled with all sorts of items Flurry had collected over the years. 

Shaking off the tingling feeling from her instantaneous travel, Cozy looked around in wonder. "Here?"

"Yeah. I just needed to... I mean, I just..." said Flury as she fell back on her haunches. She was visibly shaken. Flurry stopped to perform breathing exercises to calm her nerves.

Cozy reached over, putting a hoof on Flurry's shoulder, "Flurry, are you ok? What was that all about back there?"

"It's just... Father." She used her magic to levitate a large boulder into the spot where they appeared, dropping it with a little more force than usual. The large rock landed in a thud, sending a pulse through the ground that both Cozy and Flurry could feel. It was covered in a mystical cave moss that illuminated softly with its own shade of aqua similar to the glow stones that lit the room.

"Are you in trouble?" Asked Cozy.

"He doesn't really like you. He doesn't want me hanging out with you. But Mom, she sees things, sees you differently."

"Oh," frowned Cozy. "What are we going to do?"

"It'll be ok. He won't come after us. I've never seen him that way before, though; that strongly... It was almost like he was a different pony altogether." Flurry shook her head as if to clear a thought, "He was just on another one of his power trips back there at the outpost." She looked up at Cozy, "Still... I think we shouldn't go back there for a while. I don't want anything to happen to them. Who knows what father might do? He never really liked that place either, so close to the empire and all. He thinks it only attracts pirates and outlaws," she said, looking back down at the ground in between them. "That's why the train doesn't stop there. It just blows on by on the other side of the hill where you can't even see it."

Flurry picked up a pebble from the ground in her magic before forcefully propelling it off to the side. The pebble disappeared from sight, as it landed in the pool of water in the center of the space, the otherwise peacefully still water rippling out in concentric circles away and back again, the disturbance causing the enchanted pool to glow lightly. Flurry watched as the motion of the water slowly began to settle once again.

Cozy sat in front of Flurry. They both looked over at the same spot in the center of the pool not speaking, watching the light as it faded away.

"Hey!" said Flurry, looking up and breaking the silence. She reached her wing over to nudge Cozy. "Cheer up! Today is supposed to be a fun day! Let me worry about home. Let's do something you want!"

"Golly. I don't know what we should do for fun today."

"Really? Can't think of anything at all?"

Cozy sat and thought for a moment, "Well. I had this dream last night. It wasn't really a dream, more of a nightmare. I need to, I mean I really want to..." She had trouble finding the words.

"Yeah?" asked Flurry, reaching over with a hoof to gently lift Cozy's chin.

Cozy gently pushed Flurry's hoof down with her own, "There's something I have to check on. More of a mission, really; not something fun."

Flurry uncliped the buckle on her saddlebags, letting it slide off of her body to the side. She pulled it around in front of her to open and examine its contents. "Missions require planning, gearing up... You know, missions can be fun too," said Flurry, smiling.

Cozy shook her head, replying with a serious, low tone as she looked over at the stone bolder, "Not this one."


* * *


Twilight led Cozy and Flurry through the statue garden. "Castle gardeners keep the grounds looking nice all year."

"When was the last time they made their rounds?" asked Flurry. They continued to talk as they walked along the path.

"Oh, they're always working every day. They take it in sections. The one we're going to I think was worked just last week."

"Just last week. Hmm," said Flurry. She looked up from the path to Twilight, "They work every day?"

"No," said Twilight, looking back at Flurry, "There are several teams. They spread their days apart so that they can get a proper break."

"That's good," smiled Flurry.

Cozy walked alongside Flurry silently, keeping her head low as she thought and worried to herself.

Twilight looked back at the littler filly, "Tell me, Cozy. What is it that makes this trip an urgent one? Things have been rather quiet around here for quite some time now," asked Twilight.

Cozy continued to look down as she trotted along quietly, a worried look on her face.

"Cozy?" asked Twilight.

Flurry nudged Cozy with her wing.

"Huh?" startled Cozy, looking up at her two companions.

"What could possibly be the matter?" asked Twilight, patiently.

"Oh. I just... have a bad feeling about something. I'm just, worried."

"I promise you, Cozy, you will never be made stone again. You've been enchanted, remember? You're free."

Cozy shook her head, "No, it's something else."

"We're almost there, right?" asked Flurry.

"Yeah. Just around the corner right here, in the very bac-" Twilight stopped short, giving Flurry a face full of royal flank.

Flurry rubbed her nose.

Cozy looked up and also stopped. "...No."

"Flurry, bug?" said Twilight, an uneasiness in her voice. "I want you to go home right now. Please. Do not fly, do not stop anywhere. Teleport straight home to your parents, and tell them what you see here."

Flurry stepped back, "Are you crazy?!? I can't pop that far!"

"You can! I'll help," assured Twilight. "Concentrate your magic."

Flurry nodded, and hesitantly closed her eyes, igniting her horn in a warm pink glow. "Okay."

"There you go. Think about them, picture it. Imagine yourself there. Do you have it?"

Flurry nodded again, tightening her closed eyelids.

"Good," said Twilight. "Concentrate as hard as you can, Flurry. Put your heart into it."

Flurry nodded again, keeping her eyes tightly closed. Her horn began to glow brighter and brighter. Cozy squinted at the display of strongly focused magic.

Twilight smiled warmly, "You've got this." Twilight ignited her horn as she touched it to Flurry's, sending a charge in a blinding flash of purple aura. "Now go!"

A shockingly loud poof and a cloud of pink essence erupted from Flurry as she folded space before disappearing from sight, the concussive wave nearly knocking the wind out of Cozy.

Satisfied and pleased with Flurry's ability, Twilight smiled and then turned to the other filly. "Cozy, I'm taking you home now."

Cozy blinked the flash out of her eyes as she looked up at Twilight from the spot where Flurry was standing and nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

Twilight scooped Cozy up in her wing and again ignited her horn. In a poof of purple cloud, they were also gone.


* * *


*Poof!*

"Cozy? You're home early," said Astral, surprised. She was standing in the kitchen. Astral looked up from Cozy to Twilight as she left the kitchen and rounded the corner, approaching them both, "Princess Twilight! Um... Welcome to our home. Please, make yourself comfortable," she said as she knelt down lightly at Twilight.

"Thank you," said Twilight, motioning for Astral to rise. "Please forgive the sudden intrusion and for not first knocking. Unfortunately, I come on matters more serious than casual."

Cozy ran from Twilight over to Astral, jumping up and hanging off of her neck in a tight hug.

Astral rose up, a small pinkish-salmon-colored Filly still hanging off of her. "Oh. Cozy's not in trouble, is she?" She looked down at Cozy hanging off of her. "Why is your coat damp? Did you go swimming today?"

Cozy just hung on tightly, not answering.

"Oh no," smiled Twilight. "Well, I guess you could say all of Equestria might be in trouble," she then said worriedly.

Cozy shifted, fluttering her wings to climb from Astral's neck to her back, still hanging on tightly. Astral could feel the tension and fear in her. She decided to ignore her wetness and focus on what was seemingly more important.

The worriedness was in Cozy's body language, the way she held on, the ever so subtle shivers, but also in the essence of her thoughts.

Every pony bled their emotions. The less one with themselves they were, the more that leaked. It was Astral's magic that could pick up on it so easily; the first thing she could do when her special talent first manifested. It wasn't always so clear, however. Astral first had to master her own emotions, learning what was what; things like putting a name to anxiety. She then had to master decerning her own emotions from others as it all felt the same to her in the beginning. For a while at first, she thought she was going crazy; she and everypony around her.

Of course, with practice, the emotion you bleed could be faked, or at least altered to mask how you truly feel. The best of them might even be able to hide it. It involved dedicating your mind to a lie that you would tell yourself, which is easier said than done for most ponies. Cozy was an exception. There was a lot that Astral had learned about Cozy and a lot that Cozy had learned about herself in the time that they spent together, but Cozy's mind, like most other ponies, was still an iceberg with so much submerged, it could never be fully explored.

Astral knew without a doubt what she felt from Cozy was genuine, however. "It's ok, Cozy. I'm here," she assured, nuzzling her face.

"I had a dream, Astral. It wasn't good," said Cozy. "I knew something was wrong, I just knew it. I went to the garden. You know, the one where we first met? I had to check on something. I had to see for myself..." Cozy's voice began to quiver.

"Hey, it's okay," comforted Astral, "Whatever it is, we can work at it together. We always have. I'm here for you, Cozy. You're my favorite little troublemaker, do you know that? I can't let anything happen to you, I won't. I promise." Astral continued, "I've told you, you don't have to try and be the big mare all the time. You have friends now, and being here for each other is what friends are for. We're all the power you need, remember?"

"She's right," confirmed Twilight.

"See? You have nothing to worry about," said Astral. She looked back up at Twilight, "What sort of trouble is it, exactly? How can I help?"

"By protecting Cozy and keeping her safe, you are already helping a great deal. I can keep and protect her in the castle back in Canterlot, surrounded by guards, but I know she will feel the safest and most comfortable with you."

"Thank you," said Cozy in a soft voice, not looking at anypony in particular. She buried her face in Astral's mane.

Twilight smiled at Cozy. Trying to put her at ease, "You may use my old castle here in Ponyville if you like. Both of you. There's plenty of room and it's fortified." She turned to the door, opening it to leave, and paused, "And if worse comes to worst, in the event of an emergency," she paused again, hesitant to say what she would say next, "upstairs is a machine I built that you both can escape through. Just follow Starlight. But I must warn you, it's for the absolute emergency last resort. I am going to see Starlight now and have her shut down the school and send everycreature home, I'll let her know you might be visiting her in the castle, and to be prepared."

"Prepared? For what? What's coming?" asked Astral as she approached, the door to see Twilight out.

Twilight turned to face Astral with a serious expression.

"Chrysalis," whispered Cozy as her grip on Astral tightened.