Cracked Open

by Ghuntz

Chapter Seven: Revelation

Cozy Glow soared over the white city. The massive capital below her was puny and ant-like.

No time to waste.

Instantly upon picturing the statue of her fallen friends, a flash of light engulfed the little alicorn and its shadow was cast over her.

They’re still in there.

Alive.

As if she had known it all her life, she cast the strenuous spell toward the broken visages of the duo, stuck in a loop of sensory deprivation.

CRACK.

A fissure formed across the bodies of the prisoners. It was cacophonous, an explosion of noise like no other.

Then a low rumble, as pieces of rock trickled down over the wrinkly, carapaced flesh of a heartless creature. A green eye grimaced at the light, but soon, they shot open. It zapped straight at the filly, sharp as the tip of an arrow. Cozy gulped.

Then, another sound. Black cloven hooves clicked shakily as they touched ground for the first time since a quarter century. A pained grunt came out as the spindly body and hairy torso of a hybrid beast shook in spasms, rocking the stone off the face of the goat. A breathless scream rumbled the earth beneath them.

Suddenly, the stone stopped cracking. As the two monsters writhed to their new surroundings, four heavy hooves slammed down behind Cozy. The air around her turned cold, and upon looking back, a baffling sight befell her.

“Cozy Glow!” A thunderous voice struck like a hammer out of the towering alicorn.

“T-Twilight Sparkle?!” Cozy yelped, even though she herself wasn’t sure it was the same pony. It was as if Celestia had turned purple, and her mane had taken the form of a nebula.

“Stop what you’re doing!” the obvious sentiment escaped from her stern mouth.

In too deep, Flurry kept the spell going, but instantly fell the eldritch force of a being much more powerful than her fighting against her magic.

Oh, no.
FWOOOOOSH.

A massive, rainbow-like blast surged out of the plaza, towering over the nearby buildings.

Screams and scampering hooves clipped ever closer, as the shimmering dust settled. The two beasts began to look around, panicked and shivering. The bug caught a glimpse of Cozy again.

“Co… Cozy Glow?!” She stared, bewildered. “I’m free… I’m free!”

“What?” Tirek meeped “Finally, oh sweet fires of Tartarus!”

But upon moving, their legs, still stone, betrayed them.

“Cozy!” Both screamed at the same time.

Cozy turned back, Twilight now shadowed by a crowd of onlookers. Shots of fear and anger pierced her.

“Everypony, stay back! Leave this to me.” Twilight said as a pink dome solidified over her, the filly, and the two villains. The sounds of heckles and yelling blinked out, and all Cozy could hear was her own heartbeat, pounding against the back of her head.

“*sigh*...” Twilight stepped forward, prompting a step back from Cozy. “When you were all the way back in Ponyville, Applejack sent me a letter that Flurry had released you, but I couldn’t believe it! At least, at first. I saw you with Flurry, near the library. Well, one of my ‘eyes in the night’ did. Pretty cool spell, it lets me see all over Equestria! So handy—”

Cozy looked confused.

“Oh, sorry. Rambling as usual. *ahem*. When I did, I was about to do something about it… How can I not do something about one of the worst villains we’ve ever had?”

Twilight took another step, and so did Cozy. The villains were petrified.

“But, I knew Flurry… of course, as you probably found out, her methods aren’t exactly orthodox.”

Cozy rolled her eyes.

“Still, she’s compassionate and empathetic like nopony I’ve ever met. To a fault, actually.”

“What’s the point of all this, Sparkle?” Cozy interrupted. “Aren’t you going to turn me to stone again?! Just do it!” Cozy placed herself between Twilight and her two companions.

“Alright, listen, Cozy. I’ll not waste your time. I’ve heard of the things you’ve done here while you’ve been back. Clearly your punishment has worked, has it not? I bet you’ve realized that the two behind you are not your friends—”

“Yes they are! They’re more friends to me and you ever were!” Cozy shrinked, grimacing.

“Cozy Glow… please!” a corrupted, sickly voice chimed at her from behind. It was the queen. “Free me, it’s torture in there! You know what it’s like, don’t you? Quickly, so you and I can overpower her together! Come on!” Her daggers bared out of her crazed mouth.

“Don’t listen to her!” the goat screeched.

Wait, what?

“She’s trying to escape, she was never one of us! Wasn’t I the one who gave you knowledge of subterfuge and gave you a chance at ruling this land? Saved you from an eternity in that underworld? This carapace leeched on way after the fact! Get me out and we’ll use the bell again!”

The bell, that’s right!

Cozy closed her eyes and pictured the place where Flurry was defeated. Laying on the ground, in her memory, was the Bewitching Bell.

POOF.

The bell now lay under Cozy’s hoof.

Twilight stepped back, her pupils dilating. “Cozy, what are you doing?!”

“Yes, save me, filly! Get me out!” the goat yelled.

“You dirty backstabber! You caused all of this!” the queen screamed at Tirek.

Claws and hooves and teeth and horns clashed with each other awkwardly within their tangled prison, seemingly forgetting about the foal trying to save them.

Cozy turned to Twilight, but something else, behind her, took priority.

Past the pink dome, two little earth ponies she knew very well had snuck their way to its edge, eyes glued to her own. Great horror was plastered on their faces, snarls of disgust on their snouts. They didn’t know her anymore. A lump formed at her throat, threatening to choke her. Her hooves ceased to function, dropping the filly to her haunches. The bickering pair behind her drowned out, and the sound of silence took over, as Cozy’s vision darkened.

Oh, golly…

The filly levitated the bell and rushed to her past cabal.

“Cozy, no!” Twilight’s distant yell tried to break her determination.

She fired a beam at the amalgam of beast and rock. Smiles poured out of the two, but quickly ceded.

“Wait, what are you doing, you—?!”

Chrysalis and Tirek were consumed by stone, before they could even finish realizing it. She felt no presence anymore.

Cozy pointed the bell at herself and fired at it. As the bell received the magic, it began to splinter. Her horn was gone, and her strength was as well. The final drops of energy were sucked into the bell, which crumbled to dust before her eyes.

Cozy yawned as her eyelids turned heavy. The last thing she saw was the pink dome breaking, and three figures rushing toward her as she was engulfed in magic.

Her name bounced around her ears one last time before the lights were finally shut.

Comments

[Phill]

Interesting turn at the end. I might have liked to see cozy lay the flames of revolution, but it's nice to see the story take the road of redemption.

[Chicago Ted]

“Don’t listen to her!” the goat screeched.

Actually, Tirek's a centaur, not a goat.