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// Day 2 
// Story: Cozy's Hearthswarming Flurry 
// by SteelTheWarrior 
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Day 2:
During breakfast, Flurry's parents could tell that something was clearly wrong, as she didn't enjoy her chocolate chip pancakes with the normal exuberance she did. Nervous of what her parents would think about her "Extra-curricular Activities", she simply told them that she had a really bad dream. That wasn't a lie, right...?

At school, she was even more distracted than the day prior, but she couldn't care any less. She just kept replaying last night's encounter in her mind, over and over and over and over again.  She was caught spacing out in math, and only when the teacher sharply called out her name for the third time, did Flurry Heart snap back to reality with a wince, and she reached up to stroke her cheek where she had been struck the night before.

Trying to be a good student, she did her best to pay attention to her lessons, but the trauma of the night prior just kept creeping back up.  Through math and social studies and even gym, she was caught, time and time again, unfocused and tripping up in school work, and even tripping over in gym!

Only after the thousandth time the nightmare replayed in her mind, did inspiration finally strike!  Cozy Glow has been so mean and angry for so long....  Maybe what she needs is to be reminded of what it was like to be full of joy and wonder?  If she won't let Flurry Heart give her NEW reasons to be joyous, then Flurry will just have to help remind her of older times when Cozy must have had some joy, before her heart turned to darkness!

Night 2:
Upon drifting back to sleep and drifting amongst the dreamland cosmos yet again, she felt herself being drawn to that same, sparkling star.  Calling out to the starry-filled space, Flurry prayed, "Please, Luna, help me find a dream of her past.  Back when things were still warm and happy for her!" A smiling pony face constellation appeared once again, giving a warm smile and a wink before Flurry floated into the star's core, yet again.  Not particularly skilled with her magic yet, she still did her best to channel some of her mother's love magic into the star and world around her as it began to come into focus.  Every little bit helps!

This time, things were oh so different!  Things were as they should have been, for a night treading so close to Hearthswarming Eve!  A tree stood proud in a humble home, decorated with glittery bulbs and shining paper folded into the forms of various critters.  Lines of popcorn and garland were lovingly wrapped around the tree in a quaint spiral, and the traditional hoof, horn and wing triad sat atop the tree.  Beneath the tree were several wrapped gifts of varying sizes, each adorned with ribbons and colorful drawings.  Singing echoed from the kitchen as lovely scents billowed forth from it, promising a delicious meal yet to come. The laughter of a child broke out from upstairs before a giggle-filled clip-clopping down the stairs ensued whilst mother and child clamored down the stairs together.

Not wanting to stand in the way of such a joyous moment, Flurry Heart took a few steps back. Only then, did she notice that she wasn't the only onlooker of these heart-felt moments!  Off in the corner, a familiar face watched over the scene that played out before her.  With eyes glazed over as if lost deep in thought, Cozy Glow stood, detached from the festivities.  Flurry stood back for a few moments, a bit unsure as of what to do next.  It was a little surreal to her, seeing such a young and joyful little filly bouncing around and laughing with such innocent contentment, only to look over just a few hoofsteps away to see the cold, calculated and menacing pony she had become just years later.

Only after waiting for the playful commotion to die down and the family to takes seats around the table as the father served up the enchanting meal he had so proudly prepared for them, did Flurry decide it was time to make her move.  She carefully scooted aside the preoccupied pony in the corner and cleared her throat in attempts to gently rouse her attention.  With a bit of a jump, Cozy snapped her attention to the younger pony beside her and tilted her head in confusion at the stranger, "Wh...  Who are you?  Wh-what are you doing in my house?"

She took a deep breath and stood up to the pony that seemed to have been in better spirits than the night before, "My name's Flurry Heart!  I've come to share with you some warm and happy memories so that you can remember what Hearthswarming is meant to be like!  Isn't this just wonderful?  Look at how happy you were back then!"

Cozy's confusion began to fade as she was bombarded by the young filly's explanation, "...  W-wh...  You're not supposed to be here!  This isn't right!  I haven't dreamed of this in so long...  You have something to do with this, don't you...?!"

"Yes!  I wanted you to be reminded of how happy things can be!  Look at all of this!  Isn't this just wonderful?  Let's enjoy these moments together, like friends!"

Suddenly, Cozy's expression snapped back to a snarl as she turned to face the little pony before her, all of the haze of dreaming washed away from her, "YOU!!! You're that pony that invaded my dream last night!! You still wanna be my friend, huh?!"

Immediately recoiling as Cozy's expression changed for the worst, Flurry took a step back before reaching up to touch the spot on her cheek where she was struck the night before, "B-but...  I just wanted to help you feel happy! I forgive you for last night!  We can still be friends!"

"No!" Cozy growled aloud, the emotions swirling within her, paired with her growing lucidity began to cause the dream to destabilize all around them, "What don't you understand?!  Leave me alone!  Stop invading my privacy and trying to mess with me, you little goody four-shoes!"

She continued to rage at the naive little Flurry Heart whose eyes continued to widen in fear, "I don't NEED friendship!  I don't need Hearthswarming..." she bucked out and kicked the tree, only for it to shatter into a hundred fragments, floating there like a broken mirror, "I don't need what's left of my family...", she ran towards the ponies enjoying the dinner together, only to look at her with horror as she kicked them into fragments as well.  "I don't need happiness....", she yelled as she tore down the hanging wreaths and other decorations from the walls as they, too, turned to broken shards of dreamspace, "And most of all, I don't... Need...  YOU!" Cozy screamed this at the top of her lungs at little Flurry Heart that even little Flurry broke into shards with a look of horror upon her face before those shards dissipated into a puff of smoke.

Snorting and seething as she panted from exertion, Cozy Glow now stood alone in a shattered home, full of shattered memories and shattered happiness.  Only once her breath caught up with her, did she look around as the world began to slowly fade away.  The last thing she saw was the fragments of her family looking back at her with terror in their eyes.  The ponies that she cared for so very much had just seen the monster that Cozy had become, and it...  Utterly broke her.