The next day, Cosmos had awoken to a sore leg. This time, she had a wonderful sleep, and nothing had happened during her rest. She didn't fly out of bed, nor did she destroy anything either. This was a great surprise to her. She felt even more empowered than before, and her body felt light and subtle, as if it were really her own from the very beginning. She carefully hopped out of the bed, making sure the cast on her leg would not prove to her that she was still wounded. Looking at it with a face of reprieval, certain that it would hurt if she tried to move it too roughly. There was a moment of silence, but, the alicorn took in a deep breath and started to move her foreleg faster and faster until she flicked it too hard and the cast broke off. A wide smile came to her face and she began to hop around with the joy of a small filly getting to go to an amusement park.
What she hadn't noticed was that Lyra and Bon-Bon were peeking at her through the crevice created by the slightly open door. Her behavior and the way she acted was estranging to even the most hardy of ponies.
"See, Lyra? She isn't evil, atleast, not anymore."
The turquoise pony was suddenly filled with guilt despite her constant fear. Even if she was by herself, she wouldn't be acting like this. An evil alicorn would still present herself as a hauty and well educated mare. Perhaps...she could give her a chance? Yes. She would try, but she would still be cautious.
"*sigh* Okay. I'll give her a chance. For real this time. I'll just..."Lyra gulped powerfully"Go to her. And tell her that Twilight is waiting."
The mare did as she told, and the door creaked open to reveal a turquoise coat and a nervous but smiling face. Lyra opened her mouth and was about to speak, but Cosmos grabbed her from underneath her forelegs and swung her around in the air.
"Look! My wounds are gone! I can walk around again! I didn't even need to wait a few months like the doctor said."
"What? I didn't even notice that. I forgot you had a wound. Can you please let me down? I'm getting sick." Lyra's face had turned green and she held back a portion of stomach acids.
"Oh! Eheh. Sorry."
"It's...it's alright. I just wanted to tell you that Twilight called for you. She has a few things to show you AND breakfast give you."
"So I won't be able to taste your good cooking?" Cosmos asked with a sad expression.
Lyra blushed and scratched the back of her head in embarassment."I guess not."
"Should I go now?"
"Yes. It would be a good idea. She has always been the impatient one. Just a minute off and she explodes in nervousness."
Bon-Bon secretly sighed in agony as she remembered the incident with that ugly doll. Cosmos took no time to rush out of the door and speed to Twilight's library, much to the distress of the passer-bys. Today was a particular sunny day, yet the true Cosmos felt something ominous floating about. It was as if millions of sparkling particles were jolting about everywhere and directing what they saw to some unknown source. It was a good thing that Layda now had a perfect synchronisation with her lunar magic, allowing a steady and well-enriched amount of energy for the lunar tree, and for the true Cosmos.
She was about to slam the door to the library open, but the dark alicorn suddenly remembered to regain her composure, which she promptly did, along with clearing her throat and knocking correctly on the door with her forehoof.
"Yeah?" said a familiar voice.
"It's me, Spike." Cosmos answered with a smile unviewable from her side.
There was a little wincing and groaning, but the door finally opened to show a nervous, cross-legged Spike who stared up nervously at the dark alicorn looming overhead. She had her armor back on.
"I decided to wear my armor again. How do I look? Better or worse?"
The poor little dragon still couldn't adapt to what had happened recently, but he needed to confirm his initial suspicions like all the others. Hesitantly, he invited her in and into the kitchen. There was a thick smell of blueberries in the air, along with some form of tea riding along the fruity current. Cosmos' eyes fluttered as she inhaled the sweet scent.
"What smells so good?" she asked, her mouth already watering.
"My...blueberry pancakes."
"Blueberry pancakes? I've never even tasted normal pancakes. Can I have some?"
"You've never...Sure. Twilight is waiting for you in the kitchen. It's over there." Spike pointed towards the left, showing a large gap between bookshelves.
"Thanks alot, Spike. I can't wait to taste them."
The fact that what was once Princess Luna had never tasted something so common as pancakes came along as weird to Spike. After all, the princess of the night had a softspot for the fluffy dough delicacies. Even if they were "separated", how is it that she didn't remember anything? Then, it suddenly hit Spike. She was cleansed of all her memories as Nightmare Moon. Yes! It was so obvious. Such a thing would be fantastic.
The purple dragon rushed over to the kitchen to see that the alicorn had made a mountain of pancakes, flooded them with maple syrup, and had begun to gobble everything like she hadn't eaten for weeks. Weren't Bon-Bon and Lyra feeding and housing her? The excited little dragon still tugged on Twilight's mane, the lavender pony staring agape at the hungry hungry alicorn.
"W-what is it Spike?"
"I've got something great to tell you."
"Really?"
"Yeah! C'mon into the library."
"Okay. Uh, Cosmos?"
"Ya?" she answered with a full mouth.
"I've got to check some books with Spike. You can keep eating here and, when I'm done, we'll get to trying to concentrate on your magics before performing spells."
"Okay!"
Twilight was urgently pulled from the chair and dragged into the library where Spike hopped up and down in place, eager to share his findings.
"So? What is it?"
"I think I know why Nightmare Moon is acting so weird. Why she doesn't remember anything."
"You do? So tll me then, what have you come up with?" Twilight was encouraging the dragon, but thre was a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Remember when you and the others hit Princess Luna with the elements?"
"Yeah?"
"I think that you didn't destroy Nightmare Moon, you just separated her and--"
"She was reborn." Twilight finished.
"Exactly!"
There was a long moment of silence between the two, but gleeming lights appeared within Twilight's eyes.
"If I could reform her, then Princess Celestia would certainly be very happy! Spike, you're a genius!" the mare shouted as she grabbed her assistant and lifted him up into the air.
"I know."
"Spike. Be modest." Twilight frowned.
"Sorry."
"That's alright. I've never even taken that idea into account. How did you come up with it?"
"From several of your books talking about myths."
"Really?"
"Yup."
"I didn't know you were so into books now."
"I've always been reading some of your books, although, I only read a few." Spike blushed.
"As long as you're reading. Say, how many pancakes did you make?"
"A few hundred."
Twilight stared surprised at her assistant who simply looked questioningly back.
"What? Every time I make blueberry pancakes, Pinkie Pie pops up."
"Oh Ye--" Twilight's face when from happiness to a 'sterile' face, to one of fear.
The two ran quickly into the kitchen to see that Cosmos was wiping her mouth of a red liquid while Pinkie was lying on the floor, mouth open and more of that liquid in her mouth and on her neck. The alicorn suddenly noticed the two and said:
"Hey! I met this mare here, and she said she wanted to challenge me to a pancake eating contest."
"Y-y-y-you did? D-did you lose?" Twilight's knees were clattering against eachother.
"No, silly. She actually beat me to a blueberry-pancake-covered-in-strawberry-syrup contest. Ugh." inkie moaned on the ground.
The two sighed in relief.
"Wait. You ATE Pinkie Pie under the table with SWEETS?!" Spike blurted out.
Pinkie tried to reply, but just grumbled in agony.
"That isn't possible."
"Well...it could be. After all, Cosmos is an alicorn, and alicorns have different bodies than regular ponies."
"Wait...so you're saying I cheated?" Cosmos looked down in horror and face-hoofed."Awww. That's a mood killer."
"You're *burp*. You're telling me. Why don't we do this again some time?" Pinkie asked with a smile as she suddenly stood on all fours as if nothing happened.
"Uhhh. Sure."
"I'll train real hard this time to beat you in the next blueberry pancake eating contest!"
"That won't happen, m'am. I'm the best at it!" Cosmos stood firmly.
The two began to have a friendly pancake rivalry between eachother, but the atmosphere suddenly broke off once Twilight asked her pink friend:
"What are you doing her anyways, Pinkie? The library doesn't open until two more hours."
"I was here to pick up Mr Cake's book on chocolate recipes."
Twilight's brain took its time, but the nerves finally connected and she jumped up after the memory returned.
"Oh yeah! Here. Let me go get it for you."
The lavender mare hurried into the main room while Pinkie just hopped along, her smile still creeping Spike out.
"I take it that she is always so...bizarre?" Cosmos cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah."
Twilight walked back inside with satisfaction. Pinkie didn't do anything too out of the ordinary today, and Cosmos didn't show any signs of hostility. Better yet, she showed signs of friendship, and rather quickly at that too. Before the two could return to Cosmos and begin to talk together, a knocking came on the door. It felt ominous. It was both soothing and stressing to Twilight, yet she didn't know why.
"I'll get it." the mare happily announced.
It just took a second, but her face full of happiness was immediately grabbed by the unhappy goblin and tossed through a glass window. It was Princess Celestia and her sister.
"Twilight Sparkle. It is good to see you."
"P-P-Princess?! Wh-what are you doing here?"
"I came to see how my pupil's studies were going. May I come in?"
Twilight stared at her teacher for a moment, prying said alicorn's worry. Celestia shook a hoof in front of her student's face, retrieving her mind from whatever pit it fell into.
"Oh! Sorry. I was just thinking about something. Come in."
"Thank you."
"Thank you." Luna responded."Uhhh. Have a seat here. I'll get a table and some tea ready." Twilight suggested before bolting quickly into the kitchen.
Luna and Celestia just looked at eachother and shrugged.
"I suppose we should have warned her." Celestia frowned.
"Tis' nothing. Besides, we are in a library. There are oh so many modern sources of literature I have yet to read. I will take a book while we wait."
In the kitchen, however, Twilight was having a panic attack as she paced back and forth. She had already whispered to Spike what was in the main room of the library, but Cosmos just stared at her as said alicorn put her dirty dishes into the sink.
"Well, why don't we go outside and start the training? I think I have my magic control managed." Cosmos trotted towards the door to leave the kitchen, but both Twilight and Spike blocked the way.
"Uhhh. You don't wanna go in there." Spike quickly threw in.
"Yeah. There's...uhhh...a sudden rat infestation."
"Rats? I love rats! They're all fluffy and have those funny whip-tails."
"You...LIKE rats? Ewwww." Twilight shuddered at such a thought of holding those disgusting beasts.
"Why?"
"Umm. They're actually giant rats." she smiled sheepishly.
Spike followed with a violent nodding.
"Uh-huuuuh. Just. Let me go!"
"No!"
"Will you just--"
"We can't!"
"C'mo- OH SHI-"
Trying to push her way through, the alicorn tripped over Spike who was trying to pull her back by the tail. The result was a tumble that unhinged the doorway and created a massive ball of pony and dragon. Spike was moaning as he rubbed his head in pain. He was lying on Cosmos' stomach, while Twilight was underneath the alicorn. Celestia had just looked at the scene with confusion and widened eyes while Luna, lying against a bookshelf, just lowered her piece of literature to see what the source of the commotion was.
"Ow. My head. O. Hi there." Cosmos said as she looked at a now sparking burning Celestia.