Everyone stood silent as they watched Cozy’s unmoving, smoking form on the castle floor.
Even those who were proud of their strong hearts, like Applejack, Luna, and Celestia, couldn’t stop their eyes from getting wet.
Discord covered his mouth with a claw while holding a bawling Fluttershy to his side.
The former classmates of Cozy Glow all had different reactions, from rage to outright distraught.
For the first time in such a long while, Tirek felt the odd sensation of tears in his eyes. Chrysalis, who wasn’t faring any better, had a look of absolute rage on her face.
The foals and other children around were crying as well, with their equally upset parents trying to hide them from the horrific scene.
Twilight Sparkle couldn’t even stand, her legs becoming weak. She blamed herself for this. If she had tried to help Cozy Glow when she first showed her true colors, something this horrid wouldn’t have happened to her. She watched as her first assistant and best friend shouted in dread.
“COZY GLOW!”
Spike rushed to her, kneeling next to her body and rolling her over. She was limp. Her body got colder by the second, and her horn was cracked off. Her chest plate was shattered and gone, and the bow she wore around her mane was undone, making her head a mess. Her once bright pink fur was now a darker shade.
“Wake up, Cozy! Please wake up!” Spike begged as he shook her, his tears falling on her dark pink fur.
“Come on! Say something!”
Using two fingers, he checked her pulse.
There was none.
She wasn’t breathing either.
He sobbed, his entire body shaking.
Cozy Glow was dead.
“Oh, fuck! I killed her!” Sky said in horror as he floated in the air, looking at the sad scene before him. Then, his face turned happy. “Oh well.”
Sky couldn’t see Spike’s expression when he started to apply chest compressions. Spike probably couldn’t see him either, with his tears flooding his eyes and all.
Just then, an idea sprang to Sky’s head. “Wait! I can use the same necromancy spell and bring her back!” He gasped. “I just realized! If we kill any creature, we can just bring them back to play with again! Well, that’s a relief!”
Spike ignored the mad colt and continued the chest compressions. Every second, he sobbed. Even through his rapid heartbeats, he couldn’t believe she was gone yet. She was going to be fine.
He didn’t notice the beam of light coming from his right.
Spike got blasted across the throne room, landing on his two feet and skidding to a halt.
Sky teleported between him and Cozy. “Alright! Back to playing!”
Spike growled, tears running down his cheeks. “MOVE!”
Sky scoffed. “Get over it already! She’s dead. So what? I can just bring her back!” he said with a smile. “Or if you want, Spikey, before we play, I can quickly bring her back!”
“You are NOT using that spell on her! She already suffered enough because of it!”
“I just need to find the same book she learned it off of. It must be in this castle somewhere.” Sky said as if Spike hadn’t just shouted at him.
How could he laugh and be all joyful after murdering his friend?! This wasn’t a pony. He was a complete monster. Worse than any evil he ever saw. No, this wasn’t evil. There was always an objective with evil, even for self-satisfaction. Sky Shard, or whatever this is, is far worse than evil. Was this the monster that Cozy suffered and endured for years?
He choked when he thought of her torment. It tore his heart to shreds. She had to face it alone, no matter who or what she was surrounded by. He couldn’t imagine going through something like that, surrounded by friends and family all his life.
This thing in front of him.
It killed her.
It took Cozy away from him.
It needed to die.
Spike screamed, his eyes glowing in his fiery green, hiding his pupils. Putting his palms together, he blasted Sky out of the castle. Then, he took off into the air, going high above Sky, who landed in the halved city.
Glaring down at him, he charged his magic in both palms. With a yell full of rage, he fired a large, bright green beam at Sky.
Digging himself out of some debris, Sky looked up at the bright light. “Oooh! Shin-”
Sky got forced into the ground, his body trying its hardest to push back against the intense magic.
Spike kept shouting, putting more magic into his beam and making it larger. He felt Sky at the end of it, attempting any sort of rebel.
The large magic attack pushed all the other destroyed buildings, plant life, and rocks away. Dust was being blown everywhere, covering the area. The ground shook, and the constant hum overtook all sounds.
Antlerius and Nylar gazed up in amazement, recognizing Spike’s green magic.
Spike strained before giving out another yell. Once again, his magic gained more size.
Now, he was using every last bit of power he could bring out.
Sky got pushed deeper into the ground, growling. His stupid hooves weren’t working. He couldn’t shove it back!
“That’s it, Spike!” Antlerius shouted.
Nylar looked on with wide eyes. He didn’t do anything close to spectacular when he was fighting her. Had he been holding back the entire time? Was that on purpose or unintentional?
Sky felt his body getting slowly crushed against the ground. He kept his smile, although it hurt like crazy.
He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to shove the magic away. But then a thought came to his head, and he laughed.
“Oh, wait. Haha! Forgot I had this!”
Sky lit his horn, and a rectangular magic mirror appeared in front of him. Instantly, Spike’s magic was sent back to him.
Spike noticed his attack coming back to him. He stopped putting energy into the beam, and with a deep breath, he blew his dragon fire at his deflected magic.
At first, his fire only slowed his magic down. But soon enough, he blew it back down towards Sky Shard.
Sky grinned with excitement, using the magic mirror spell again.
However, he didn’t consider the fact that Spike’s magic was getting surrounded by his fire. The spell only worked against magic.
His mirror shattered.
The magic fireball exploded on impact.
Spike watched as the rest of the regal city fell down the mountain along with its castle.
Staring at the castle crumbling, he thought of Cozy Glow’s body in there. He gripped his fist tighter before putting on an enraged expression. With a mighty beat of his wings, he flew down and chose to chase after the monster.
Sky shook debris off of him like a dog. After taking on the big attack, his wings were gone, and half his body was scorched black. His breathing was rough, and he staggered. Still, he managed to light his horn and start healing himself.
A second later, Spike landed on a fist and two feet in front of him, cracking the ground.
Seething, Spike stepped towards the insane blue colt. His eyes kept their glow and flames so bright that Sky couldn’t see his pupils.
Sky wore an ecstatic expression, firing three bolts of magic at his new opponent.
In quick succession, Spike unfurled his wings and sidestepped all three in quick succession. He encased his fist with magic and punched him square in the jaw, knocking him into the side of the mountain that once held the grand city. Sky created a crater upon impact.
Yelling out with all his breath, Spike dashed towards him. With another magic fist, he punched Sky deeper into the mountain.
Sky bursted out the other side of it, rocks crumbling all around. Falling to the base of the mountain, he crashed into the land.
Digging himself out, Sky chuckled.
Spike teleported in front of him and punched him back into the ground. He made a noise that was half groaning and the other half giggling.
The laughter made Spike furious. He grabbed Sky by the horn, bringing him up before slamming his head into the ground again.
Spike used his tail to grab him by the neck, forcing Sky to be at eye level.
Now, the pony was the one to glare. He whined, “Let me have a turn-”
Spike struck him in the face. “Shut up.”
Sky then made a burst of blue magic with his horn, his goal nothing more than to blow Spike away.
But Spike stood firm, staring daggers into Sky’s soul and tightening his tail around his neck.
Choking, Sky lit up his horn.
Spike grabbed it with a claw, pulling it and Sky’s head up.
Then, for the first time, while he was his baby self, albeit angered, Spike the Dragon gave a mighty draconic roar worthy of forcing other dragons to kneel. His roar shook the area, and his breath pushed against Sky.
Sky squinted his eyes and shut his mouth. With a disgruntled noise, he kicked Spike in the stomach.
It was the tiniest of moments, but Spike loosened his grip on Sky long enough for him to wiggle out of it.
Immediately, Sky tried to hit Spike with a hammer.
Spike stopped the hammer with his magic and grabbed Sky’s hoof. He pulled, gritting his teeth and throwing him away after a spin.
Sky caught himself in the air with his wings, flying up and rubbing his sore throat.
At first, Spike thought Sky would start getting angry back, or perhaps he would smile and be cocky. But instead, Sky acted as the last thing he expected.
A fanfilly.
“That was so fucking cool!” he shouted with a smile. “I beat those two, who beat the princesses, but then you’re here beating me! It’s like a power pyramid, and you’re on the highest block! You should be proud of yourself, bud!”
Spike’s confusion turned to anger, and he growled, rushing to Sky Shard.
Sky laughed and fired a magic beam at him, but Spike teleported past it before delivering a punch.
Or so Spike tried, as Sky teleported just before his fist landed against his cheek.
Sky appeared behind Spike and blasted him down to the ground.
Grunting, Spike tumbled on the ground for a bit before getting to his feet, dragging against the dirt. He glared at the hovering Sky Shard, rubbing the slight aching on his side from Sky’s attack.
Sky giggled as he did a few loops in the air. “I’m gonna win!” he sang.
“If you really want to win this game, you’d kill yourself—” Spike said, barring his fangs. “—and steal my chance of doing it myself!”
He dashed towards him once again.
“Woah, dragons are resilient! Even Cozy couldn’t take a hit like that for shit.”
“Stop talking like she meant nothing to you!” Spike yelled, his eyes glowing brighter. He breathed in while simultaneously charging magic in his palms. He released both magic and fire at once in one big attack.
Sky chuckled before flying to the side to evade it.
Spike didn’t finish; he tracked him with his palms and mouth, trailing the beam toward him.
Sky flew fast enough to keep away from the magic and fire combo. However, Spike realized Sky wasn’t nearly a skilled flier.
Stopping the surging magic in one of his palms, he shot a blast in front of Sky’s path.
Sky stopped right before the blast caught him, but doing so let the beam catch up. He got pushed against a pile of wreckage, the fire and magic doing great damage.
With enraged and sharp eyes, Spike added his second palm back into the mix, keeping the pressure going.
However, he suddenly felt his head get dizzy. He wobbled a bit before stopping his attack, breathing heavier now.
Sky groaned, digging himself out of the rubble. He lit his horn, and a mere second went by before his wounded body returned to its full glory.
Spike widened his eyes. He had no time to even try to stop it.
“You know, you’re stronger than me,” he admitted, smiling. “But I’m pretty sure I know a healing spell, and you don’t! So slowly, you’re going to wear down, and I’ll win in the end!”
Sky Shard laughed with insanity while Spike clenched his teeth.
“One plus one equals two, and you shoulda carried to two!” The mad colt rushed straight towards him.
The worst part of all of this was that he wasn’t wrong. Spike could constantly keep up the pressure, trying to stop that monster from healing himself. But the spell was too fast.
Sky projected his horn to be bigger and swiped down at Spike.
Spike encased his forearm in magic and blocked it.
He had to quicken the pace or end it all with one blow. The latter was near) impossible with that mirror spell; he was running out of breath, and trying to blow more fire would spend his last sources of stamina. If he wasted all of his energy, he lost.
His options dwindled as the long night caught up to him. He was reaching his limits, and he could feel it in his sore muscles and lack of endurance. From fighting Nylar and Antlerius to charging the draining spell, only for it to be interrupted. Cozy’s healing helped some, but it didn’t affect his stamina in the slightest.
Cozy Glow… the thought of her made his heart ache once more.
Sky hit him on the shoulder, the shock and pain traveling through his scales. With a growl, he avoided the next horn swipe and punched Sky away.
He collapsed to one knee, his fatigue catching up. His breaths were rapid as he tried to push himself up.
And to add to his frustrations, Sky was as hyperactive as ever, literally jumping to his hooves with a grand smile. The monster’s insanity probably fueled him tenfold, his body ignoring its limits.
Sky leaped into the air with his wings spread. He fired a blue magic orb aimed at Spike. The orb had a smiling expression.
Sky grinned. “Why the long face?”
Using all his strength, Spike rolled to the side to evade the attack. It hit the ground and made a small crater.
Sky’s grin widened. “A smile a day keeps Tartarus away!” Aiming at Spike, he rapidly fired the same spell, each orb having a slightly different smile full of craze.
Spike tried to move out of the way, but his body didn’t listen. He widened his eyes before Sky’s magic hit him in quick succession. The knockback wasn’t strong, but he still yelled out in pain.
He dropped to his hands and knees, sending his upset expression to the dirt ground.
Was this their fate? To die only to be revived and corrupted?
Sky rushed him, creating a large magic hammer. Spike didn’t move an inch as Sky struck him with it, sending him flying far into some rubble.
He had to stop it. But he was at the point where it took a lot just to lift a claw.
Sky used his magic to lift the debris, finding Spike under it and smiling like he found lost treasure.
Spike glared at him, but the insane glint in Sky’s eye didn’t waver.
His throat started to burn, and a lump appeared when he thought about Cozy again, along with everyone else still sealed away. In his mind, he yelled out to them, apologizing for failing to stop Sky Shard. They all depended on him, and the situation only worsened. If any were disappointed, they would forgive him. That’s how they were.
Charging his horn, Sky said, “Now, now, Spike. The fun hasn’t even started yet. Once I kill and revive you, it’ll be the start of a never-ending playdate!” He fired a blue beam at Spike.
Spike brought up his aching arms, making a magic shield. His magic braced against Sky’s briefly before too much time passed, and his claws got forced down. The beam shattered his shield and sent Spike through multiple sets of Canterlot ruins.
When he finally stopped in a deep pile of rubble, he was too exhausted to dig himself out. He heard the maniacal laughter echoing outside, and he tried his hardest to stay awake. Hopelessly, he found himself blacking out a few times in a matter of seconds. Tears went to his eyes before they closed one last time, Spike finally falling into unconsciousness.
They would forgive him, but he could never forgive himself.
Cozy opened her eyes.
Laying on her side, she rose and looked around.
She was in some sort of void with pretty bright lights floating everywhere and magical-looking white mist. There was a quiet ambient noise that filled the endless space.
When she looked at her back, her wings were back to their normal size. She also noticed the lack of feeling in her forehead, not needing to look up or have a mirror.
She sighed, sitting on her haunches with a defeated look.
“I’m dead,” she concluded.
“You’re not.”
The voice was familiar. It made her sick. Snapping her head, she saw a figure fading into existence. It was a blue colt she knew all too well.
Cozy Glow stood up and took a step back.
Sky Shard didn’t react, staring at her with a blank gaze. A calm gaze.
Cozy kept eye contact, quickly noticing Sky was different. He didn’t have a horn. He’s just a normal pegasus like her.
“Sky Shard, is that… really you?” she had to ask.
The figure shook its head. “I took the form most suited for you to witness. Though in hindsight, perhaps Twilight Sparkle would have been a better decision.”
Cozy relaxed a little, dawning a calmer stance.
“Who are you?”
“Who do you think I am?”
Cozy Glow frowned and rolled her eyes. “A stupid entity that talks in riddles, I’m guessing?” she answered.
She ogled towards the unknown being for a moment. Eventually, she found her words. “Are you here to punish me?”
“Do you think you need to be condemned?”
Cozy frowned again, pondering a witty answer. But right before she gave it, she instead decided to play along.
Looking down at her hooves, she said, “I mean… I don’t know. The world seems to think so.”
They stayed silent, even when Cozy Glow glanced up at them for a moment like they were going to respond to that.
Sighing, she continued. “I don’t think so. You don’t punish those who make mistakes. You punish whoever does wrong on purpose.”
Looking up, she saw them smiling at her. She seemed to be correct.
Taking a few steps forward, Cozy asked, “Why are you here then?”
Their smile faltered, but only slightly. “To help you.”
Cozy raised a brow.
“The world needs you, Cozy Glow.”
She raised her second one as well after that statement. She scoffed, speaking as if she didn’t want to hear her own words. “Why would this world ever need me? It hates me. So does everyone living in it.”
“Are you certain about that?”
When her ears picked up yet another question, an angered expression crossed Cozy’s face. “Stop asking me stupid questions! Of course they do!”
They didn’t reply. Instead, the dotted lights floating around them began to shift into foggy shapes resembling various creatures. Just by their shape, Cozy recognized a few of them, especially the tall centaur and alicorns.
The figures looked around in confusion, and that was when Cozy Glow realized this must be everyone who was trapped. They all looked in her direction. There were thousands in the crowd stretching far, maybe even more so.
Her brows raised when something processed in her mind.
Looking at the being, she asked, “Did you say I’m not dead?”
“You don’t deserve to die.”
Cozy Glow put on a deadpan face. “That doesn’t answer the question.”
It gestured to everyone else. “Your important role in this world is far from over. There are many who don’t wish for you to die.”
“That never really matters when someone dies, does it?”
“Your life was filled with tragedy. It does not mean it should end with it as well.”
A weird feeling appeared in Cozy’s stomach. “So that’s what this is? Pity? Why do I get the special treatment?”
“Not pity…” they paused, leaning forward a bit and looking Cozy directly in the eye. “Hope.”
Cozy wondered what that was before she shook her head.
“Look at what I did to Sky Shard,” she said. “I don’t think it can get worse than that!” She looked over at the crowd. “I-I doomed their home. Probably the entire world!”
Cozy Glow turned back the entity. “How can they not want me gone after that?”
“Do you truly believe such a thing? You don’t have faith in them?”
“Well, yeah…” She took another look at the surrounding multitude of anonymous creatures. “All I ever do is mess up. I corrupted the soul of my best friend, and now he wants to endlessly kill and revive everyone so we can have ‘fun’ until the sun explodes.”
“You have made mistakes. And you cannot fault someone if they believe they’re in the right. If it’s for the ones you love, is it still immoral?”
Cozy stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking to herself.
“You are much aware of the creatures that would forgive your mistakes.”
At that, Cozy Glow frowned, floating up in the air slightly. “What? Like Twilight Sparkle? The other princesses? The same ponies who locked me away and forgot about me?” She looked to the crowd, spotting the outline of Twilight.
“Ponies make mistakes, some more than others. Few are irreversible. Even this one. You still have the opportunity to fix it.”
Cozy turned back to them. “And you’re going to help me do that?”
They nodded.
Cozy Glow looked to the floor, her mind swarming with thoughts.
“Do you wish to be absent from all others?”
The question struck deep. She had instantly opened her mouth, so confident that she had an answer. But no words came out.
She searched her brain for an answer, but eventually, she shrugged. “Maybe it’s for the best.”
“Even though your friend still needs you?”
What friend? She didn’t have any friends. No one ever gave her the time of day except-
The image of a happy purple and green dragon flashed in her mind.
Throughout her life, Cozy Glow was asked many times if she had any friends. Her honest reply had always been the same: She had no one other than herself to depend on. But that wasn’t true anymore.
She looked back on when Spike stopped her from drinking herself to black that one night. It was the first time she felt so… warm. It was the first time in a long time she wasn’t alone.
Was she stupid? Of course Spike was her friend! He was still out there while Sky was doing whatever he pleased. Spike could be in danger!
“He needs me right now!” she said, looking up at them. “But what happened to me if I’m not dead? I lost to Sky Shard.”
“You are currently on the verge of death. It takes some minutes before one dies without a heartbeat. Even a powerful alicorn like yourself wouldn’t be able to live long. But it is not beyond my power to restart your heart and repair your horn.”
Cozy Glow put on a look of resolve, staring at the being with intense eyes. “Then do it. I’m wasting time here when I could be saving Spike.”
They smiled, stepping aside.
Like a card trick, Spike was standing behind them. He was looking up as if he was looking at an adult pony.
Spike lowered his eyes and widened them. In the blink of an eye, he ran up and pulled her into a hug.
He started to sob, holding her close. “The Tree of Harmony said you were alive!”
Cozy Glow widened her eyes and looked at the entity she spoke to. Now, instead of Sky Shard, it posed as Twilight Sparkle. “Is that what you are?” she asked over Spike’s shoulder.
Her realization turned into annoyance before changing straight into anger.
“The Tree of Harmony?” she started. “You spoke to Twilight’s students some time ago.”
They nodded. “I did interact with them, yes.”
While Spike held her close, she glared at the Tree of Harmony. “So where was my help? Where was my nudge in the right direction?”
Spike gasped and lifted his head. He wiped his tears before holding her shoulders. “Cozy, it’s okay.”
“No! It’s not!” she yelled, her eyes starting to water. “What if I did turn out full-blown evil?! What if I went against Equestria and either went mad and lost or got imprisoned or killed?!”
She was choking on her words, and her heart started to race as she continued. “I didn’t think about it until now, but you had to have seen through my ruse when I tried to drain all of the magic!”
Spike gave her a sympathetic look. He couldn’t even begin to understand how she felt at this moment.
“YOU DIDN’T EVEN TRY TO HELP ME!”
Her whimpers quickly turned into full-blown wails.
Not knowing what else to do, Spike pulled her in for another hug. He hoped his close presence would help her at least.
This time, Cozy Glow returned the hug and sobbed into his shoulder. She said angrily, “Even the Tree of fucking Harmony didn’t lend a hoof…”
Spike gave her a tight squeeze. She found that it helped a bit.
“Cozy…” He sighed. “I don’t know what to say to make you feel better. I really wish I did. But I promise from here on out, I won’t leave your side. I’ll be there for you even if no one else will!”
She nodded into his shoulder, squeezing back.
The Tree of Harmony, whatever they identified as, was something beyond their comprehension. They were something much more than the mortality Equestria and its creatures represented.
Yet, despite that, they took a step forward and lowered its head.
She froze, stunned in disbelief. This was the last thing she expected.
Spike noticed her demeanor switch and turned to the Tree of Harmony. He felt the same as Cozy Glow, not knowing how to react.
“You’re right,” they said. “I had the opportunity to help you, yet I did not. For that I am sorry.”
Cozy stared at them for a moment. She began to process its words. They were apologizing to her? Why would it do such a thing? She was almost certain it wasn’t capable of admitting a mistake. That was how these higher beings operated.
Then, she widened her eyes, understanding something just then. The Tree of Harmony, like her, was flawed. They made a mistake just like her. Was this a twisted message they were trying to send her, or was this reality?
She wanted to continue screaming or tell them to regret everything, but there was no point in doing that. What’s done is done. Only time travel could change such a thing, but then it would be a lie, just like most of her life. She’d be a hypocrite if she stayed angry at them.
Cozy Glow gave off a sigh. “It’s fine. I forgive you, just… stop bowing. It feels wrong.”
As she requested, the Tree of Harmony stood again, giving a slow nod toward Cozy Glow.
“Before you go, you need to realize one last thing,” they said.
Then they heard it. The entire time, the ambient noise of the void was pushed to the back of their minds. But suddenly, they could hear it getting louder. It sounded like it was coming from a very far distance away. Still, they could make out the culminating shouts of encouragement.
It was everyone surrounding them. Their voices swarming, creating a warm feeling in their chests.
The two put on surprised looks when they began to glow in a bright light, slowly rising into the air.
“Cozy Glow,” the Tree of Harmony continued, “despite everything that happened, you kept moving forward. Throughout your entire life, you held onto the belief that one day, everything would be better.”
They turned their gaze to Spike.
“Spike, you share the same quality. Even after facing so many hardships and losing those you love, you still persevered. You believed in the future of the world.”
The projection of Twilight Sparkle lit up as well before beginning to change. Their limbs turned into tree branches, and their body the trunk of a tree. Soon, they were in their true bright form, towering in front of them.
The Tree of Harmony continued to speak, their voice echoing. “It is a strength most dream of having. To be able to take on anything and continue onward. You two are the future of Equestria. The both of you always held onto one important necessity, even in the darkest of times.”
Their bodies shined brighter, and they felt their magic surge. Cozy Glow felt her horn return and her wings grow once again.
“That necessity is what keeps you moving forward.”
The tree vanished in twinkling magic, though the Tree of Harmony still rang through their ears.
“Go forth, Spike the Dragon and Cozy Glow. The Symbols of Hope!”
In the brightness, Cozy looked over to Spike. Her mane and tail flowed, and she could feel herself getting pulled back into consciousness.
“Spike, it’s time I finally let him go…”
Spike turned to her.
“Can you help me?”
He smiled, leaning in to wrap his arms around Cozy Glow and kiss her on the lips, something he yearned for when he thought she died.
“I’ll be with you all the way,” he said with a smile.
Cozy smiled back, trails of tears appearing.
Two large golden rays of light came out of Canterlot’s debris, blasting through the clouds up above.
Sky blinked at them, a smile creeping up on his face.
Inside the golden beams, silhouettes of tiny creatures rose. One a dragon, the other a pony.
Spike could feel his strength and energy returning to him. It wasn’t long until he was back in perfect shape.
Cozy’s wounds all disappeared, and she felt her horn become whole. Her mind also felt more clear, as if there wasn’t anyone tampering with it. That was when she realized something she was ever so thankful for.
Their magic surged within them, and the golden light towers faded.
Landing on the debris, the two looked at themselves before turning to each other with a smile.
Sky’s erupting laughter interrupted them. He took a couple of steps forward, an excited grin on his face.
“Cozy, you’re alive!” he yelled out. “And Spike is back in shape too! This is amazing! We can play even more now with the three of us!”
Cozy frowned before turning her face into a determined one.
“I know how we can save him,” she told Spike.
Spike didn’t keep his eyes off Sky for a second, knowing how the insane pony was. “How?” he asked.
“The Tree of Harmony. It’s the only source of power I can think of that can fix him. If we can get him close to it…”
Spike nodded. “It’s no longer a tree. It was destroyed by King Sombra.”
Cozy snapped her head towards him. “What?!”
“Don’t worry. It was reformed into a treehouse because of Gallus, Ocellus, and the others.”
Hearing that, she sighed with relief. “Don’t scare me like that.”
Spike continued. “It still has its powers, But what if that doesn’t work?”
“Then I’ll end it myself without hesitation. I’ll have to live with that.”
Spike opened his mouth for a second, about to retort that notion, but he stopped himself. This was Cozy’s decision. If she had to live with ending her best friend, he’d be at her side wherever and whenever she needed a shoulder.
Spike ended up nodding.
She looked around and recognized the designs of the buildings. They were from Canterlot. Tilting her head upwards, she saw they were at the base of the mountain the city used to sit. She put two and two together; Canterlot had fallen.
But this much damage in the little amount of time she was out? It was mere minutes.
Cozy Glow turned to Ponyville, not far from where they were in Canterlot’s ruins.
“Can you keep him at bay for a minute? I need to grab something from my saddlebag at the school.”
“Yeah, I can.”
“You sure?” Cozy said with uncertainty.
“I can do better; lead him to the tree.”
Twisting her head, Cozy raised a brow at him with worry over her face.
Spike returned the look, grinning and saying, “Trust me.”
Cozy Glow’s nervous expression turned more calm. “Thanks.”
She teleported away in a spark of magic.
At the sight of her leaving, Sky blinked. “Wasn’t expecting that. Where’d she go?”
Spike jumped down to Sky’s level and walked towards him. There wasn’t any point in replying.
Cozy appeared back in the dorm room where they stayed the night before.
She flew over to their bags as the town quaked, knowing Spike’s fight had just started. Fishing inside her bag for a few seconds, she found what she was looking for without trouble. Holding it in the moonlight, she gazed at the magic suppression ring, happy it was still intact.
Satisfied, she lit her horn and teleported above the school.
Flying high above Ponyville and looking off to the distance, she spotted magic flying back and forth. The fight seemed to drag a little bit away from Fallen Canterlot, as she dubbed it, and it was getting closer to Everfree Forest.
Lighting her horn once again, she teleported to the fight.
She froze when she reappeared seconds later. The sight before her chilled her to the bone.
With a clenched jaw and eyes of fury, Spike kept charging at Sky Shard.
Sky was laughing, but any sane opponent would have been terrified at seeing an enraged magical dragon.
She noticed Spike was much more… aggressive than anything else. At least more aggressive than she thought he could ever be. She knew how exactly to describe him.
He was utterly pissed off.
At one moment, Spike blasted Sky into the dark forest with a burst of magic. He was seconds away from pursuing him, but Cozy flew up to him, stopping him in his tracks.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Huh?” he muttered, taken aback. He tilted his head at her. “Yeah, why?”
Cozy Glow shook her head. “No, I mean… you look really angry.”
Spike widened his eyes, scratching the back of his neck. “Oh, that! Um… ever since I thought he killed you, I, well…” Spike trailed off, too ashamed to continue.
Cozy gave him a small smile. “Spike, I’m flattered, but it’s not a good look on you.”
He blinked at her, blushing a small bit. Looking away to the forest, he said, “I’m actually stronger than he is. But he keeps using that healing spell.”
“Sky and I are the same level.” She plastered a sly grin, leaning into Spike with her hooves behind her back. “Are you saying you’re stronger than me?”
Spike opened his mouth, clearly taken off guard and flustered as he twined his thumbs.
She giggled.
Spike had this strength the entire time, she realized. Her friend was just too much of a softie to bring it out. That wasn’t a bad thing, of course. She loved his soft side more than what she just witnessed. Although she wouldn’t deny his tougher side had such a charm.
“It’s good to know my drakefriend can protect me,” she said with a smile before switching her attention to the forest.
Spike gave a mild blush at that. He couldn’t help but smile. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
Cozy Glow held up the ring, and that was all Spike needed to see before understanding her plan.
“That’ll make things easier.”
Cozy nodded. “And now Sky and I are no longer connected.”
He gave her a questioning look.
“I’ll explain later,” she said. “Let’s get the ring on him and take him to the Tree.”
The two of them flew into the forest.
Turning to Spike, she yelled, “Which way to the treehouse!?”
Spike pointed a claw south. “That way! It’s in the Castle of the Two Sisters!”
It wasn’t long until they encountered Sky, who was livid as he glared at the two and stomped a hoof.
“Two on one? This isn’t fair!” He pointed at Cozy. “And Cozy, why don’t I know your thoughts anymo-”
He got cut off after getting blasted away by Cozy Glow.
Pursuing him, she narrowed her eyes, knowing it was better not to reason with the mad colt. Having her mind cleared was better than she thought.
Sky shook the dirt off, healing himself. With a large grin, he enlarged his horn and sprang forth.
Cozy Glow put power into her own and countered blows, the force of their combined power blowing away the trees that encircled them.
Before either of the two followed up, Spike teleported in and punched Sky away with a magical fist, sending him flying through a trio of trees.
Flipping on his hooves, Sky charged magic through his horn and fired a barrage of magic.
Spike raised his claws. He shielded them from the onslaught with a magic barrier. It didn’t stop the magic from destroying the landscape around them.
Cozy jumped up to the sky and fired a large pulsing scarlet beam.
Laughing, Sky used the magic mirror spell, redirecting the beam back to Cozy Glow.
She was about to use the same spell to send it back again, but Spike flew up in front of her. With a deep breath, he blew a stream of fire breath, pushing the beam away and towards the mad alicorn.
Sky took to the skies to dodge it. Lighting his horn, he projected a giant blue pony at least three times the height of the forest. It blocked the view of the moon in the sky.
The figure lowered its hoof onto the two, with streams of wind appearing at the edges.
Extending her wings, Cozy took off. Flying swiftly, she circled the large hoof multiple times while ascending. She used the image to leap towards the head when she got close enough. Her horn lit, and she created a large spiked hammer the size of the projection head. With one smooth motion, she struck, taking the head off.
Sky leaped out of the beheaded projection. Floating high, he lit his horn, casting a spell.
Appearing from his horn came a blue tornado. The tornado grew in size until it was massive and touched the forest’s ground. It even had a simplistic face, its expression sullen.
Spike lowered himself to the ground as the tornado tried to pull him in. Meanwhile, Cozy was a sitting duck in the air, her wings not strong enough to fly away. Right when she was about to teleport further away, a trunk came barreling into her from behind.
Spotting this, Spike took to the skies, using the pulling force of the tornado to get to Cozy as quickly as possible. The nearby trees got yanked out of the ground, swirling around the tornado. Soon, he reached the log, where Cozy stood on top of it, holding tight and taking notice of him.
The two of them held onto the trunk as it entered the storm. They first saw Sky hovering in the middle of it while laughing hysterically. His horn kept lit as he kept the spell going.
Cozy’s magic enveloped the large trunk, and she and Spike hopped off it. With a flick of her head, she threw the large bark at an angle, where it curved and smashed into Sky.
The tornado vanished. Without delay, Cozy fired a line of magic, which turned into chains. It wrapped around Sky and pulled him towards them.
With a gleeful smile, he lit his horn and sparked out of his bindings. Appearing back on the ground, he slammed his front hooves on the ground while his horn shone brightly.
The forest shook, and the trees surrounding the spellcaster grew larger, their roots springing from the ground. All of the growing branches darted at Spike and Cozy.
Together, they flew past many of them, dodging to the best of their abilities. Spike was nearly caught by a branch, but Cozy grabbed him with her hooves and spun them around, evading it.
They avoided a dozen more before Spike had enough of it, grabbing Cozy Glow’s hoof and taking her to the air.
Spike pulled her behind him before taking a deep breath and blowing a massive wave of fire at the forest. The trees all cowered under him, burning and shrinking to a more tolerable size. Throughout the burning forest, there wasn’t an animal to threaten, for they were all whisked away by Nylar and Antlerius.
Giggling, Sky looked over and saw a nearby lake. With his magic, he created a ring above it.
Another ring appeared above the two, and a second later, water fell on them, putting out the fires.
Too busy laughing, the insane colt didn’t look up to see Spike’s magical shield protecting them, water falling off the sides harmlessly.
Cozy frowned down at him for a moment before a misplaced color of pink was in the corner of her vision.
Widening her eyes and looking over, she saw the Castle of the Two Sisters and the crystal treehouse.
Furrowing her brows, she teleported her and Spike without a second thought. They appeared right before the merry Sky before she instantly teleported again, this time all three.
With a spark of magic, they appeared inside the Treehouse of Harmony.
The bright crystal, crystal-colorful walls were so distinctly different from the dark Everfree, so much so that Sky was looking around in awe with a distracted gaze.
Cozy tackled him from behind, pinning him to the ground.
Sky tilted his head at her and smirked, creating a blue orb that shrouded them.
Cozy’s eyes widened as they started to whiten. Multiple flashbacks of their past replayed in her head over and over.
Shutting her eyes tight, she gave a battle cry and fought against the spell.
On the outside, both of them were unmoving.
Spike swooped in without hesitation. He punched the orb with a fist flowing with magic, shattering it like weak glass. Levitating Cozy Glow off Sky, he shot a beam out of his palm and sent him flying into another room.
Cozy shook her head and gave Spike a look that said she was fine.
Spike nodded, and the two of them flew after Sky.
Upon entering the room, Sky fired a bunch of bolts at Cozy, which she dodged.
While Sky’s focus was on Cozy, Spike came in on his right, striking him in the jaw with a fist.
Sky landed against a wall, and Spike pulled him off before slamming him into the ground, cracking the floor.
Spike gritted his teeth, mentally apologizing to the Treehouse of Harmony and the students who created it.
He only managed to pin Sky for a second before he blew him away with a burst of magic. Then, Sky teleported close to the ceiling, lighting his horn.
Sky cast the same spell four times. As projections, Celestia and Luna charged straight at Spike, while Tirek and Chrysalis charged at Cozy Glow.
Aiming palms and a horn, the other two fired beams at the projections, shattering them. The magic continued on after the fact, hitting Sky Shard and making him crash into the ceiling.
While still stuck up there, Sky took this time to heal himself.
However, Cozy wasn’t going to give him any more luxury. She lit her horn and tapped a hoof on the ground.
From her hoof tap, a flourish of magic changed the room’s colors from bright crystal blue to scarlet red, intersecting at the ceiling.
Sky yelped as he fell to the ground like a heavy brick.
“What in the Tartarus?!” he strained as he couldn’t get up, feeling the weight of a fat yak on top of him.
Spike was also affected, on his hands and knees, struggling to push himself up against the enhanced gravity.
Cozy Glow glanced at him. “Sorry!”
He nodded back at her with a hardened look. “I’m fine! Go!”
At once, Cozy teleported on top of Sky. She attempted to bring out the ring.
With an enraged growl, Sky teleported them out of the treehouse and blasted her away with a burst of magic, dropping to the ground a millisecond later while panting.
Cozy Glow grunted, landing on the dirt ground and tumbling.
At that moment, Spike flew in and caught her, holding Cozy Glow in his arms.
She quickly healed herself, giving a smile as a thanks.
Together, they spiraled to the sky, circling each other like a pair of shining comets.
Spike took a deep breath during the final spiral, and Cozy Glow charged her horn. Together, they fired down.
Sky’s eyes sparkled with awe as he witnessed multiple falling stars with flaming trails heading straight for him.
In the last second, he made a magic mirror, but with Spike’s fire in the mix, it promptly broke.
The entire area blew apart bit by bit from their combined attack. Trees that surrounded them got blown back and bent.
With some dirt covering him, Sky stood up and groaned while holding his dizzy head.
Before he could do anything, Cozy teleported before him, tackling him to the ground.
Pinning him to the floor on his back, she brought out the ring with her magic.
Sky’s eyes widened at the sight of it. He yelled, “NO! I don’t want to go on time-out!”
He lit his horn.
Spike teleported behind him and grabbed his horn with a claw, canceling his spell.
The blue pony squirmed, screaming out. He tried reaching up with his hooves to push his claw away, but Spike and Cozy Glow took each of his forehooves and braced them against the ground.
Then, Spike released the claw on Sky’s horn just as Cozy placed the ring.
Cozy Glow levitated Sky without a second wasted and put him against the center trunk of the treehouse.
He was moments away from removing the ring with his hooves, but Cozy fired two magic spells at him. Hardened magic cuffed his forehooves to the crystal wall. He screamed out in rage as he tried to escape, kicking his hind legs.
“DON’T DO THIS, COZY! I’M ALL YOU HAVE!”
Cozy ignored him. She grabbed Spike’s claw and flew up.
Together, they flew above the treehouse, stopping once they were high above it.
“IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?” Sky yelled at them, his voice as loud as ever. “FINE! DO IT! BE ALONE FOREVER!”
Holding claw and hoof, the two turned to each other. Small smiles appeared on both of them before they nodded.
Sky put on the largest smirk he could muster, widening his eyes. “ You’ll die regretting every choice you made. Having the opportunity of a lifetime! Infinite amounts of fun we deserved! And you’re throwing it away because you’re so fucking stupid!”
The treehouse started to shine, and the area quaked. Soon after, it shot a magic beam high into the sky before arcing down and hitting the two of them.
“If that’s how this ends tonight then that’s fine with me! i can’t wait to watch you lament from above!”
Their bodies absorbed the warm magic. It cracked and circled them briefly before they shot a rainbow beam at the treehouse, filling it with light.
“One day, you’re going to miss this, and then you’ll revive me again! And we’ll play like we did today! HAHA-”
Sky’s laughs went silent as only his shadow was visible through the blinding light that struck him. His mane and tail flowed as his body was motionless. The horn on top of his head vanished, and his wings shrunk.
It didn’t end there. A wave of magic spread through the ground. As it passed by the Everfree Forest, the bright energy restored the wildlife to its former glory.
The wave of magic continued onward, traveling across Ponyville and hitting the ruins of Canterlot far behind it.
Like flipping a page in a book, the wave took all the rubble and rebuilt the city. It even fixed the mountain, and all the damage from the battles was nowhere in sight.
Moments later, the light dimmed before fading away.