One Thousand Years Ago

by Scroll

Chapter 20: History Repeats

“COZY! CHEESE!” Flurry Heart cries out excitedly and almost races ahead to meet up with them in a hurry when they land near the base of the castle, but the hoof of her father which applies to her back stills her for a moment and draws her attention back to him.

He says with a grin to her, “I know you're excited to see your friends, Flurry, but remember . . . we're out in public now. We have to keep up a royal impression. You know.” He whirls his eyes around and nods away from them as he says, “For the locals.”

A droll look sinks into Flurry's face as she thinks, Protocol . . . right. Right-right-right.

She gazes forward again as she breaths in deep to regather her composure.

It's hard, but it works. If there is one thing she's learned over the years, it's how to detach herself from her raging emotions when she has to. That trick has come in hoofy far more than once. Or, at the very least, give off the impression of detachment.

Flurry knows that her father has a point. Much more so than she would care to admit. The citizens of the Crystal Empire really do take their traditions seriously. Some call it a throwback to a previous, bygone age that perhaps no longer has any modern relevance except for here. It is unwise to ignore the results, however, for the Crystal Empire surely is the bastion of peace and joy the likes the rest of the world has never seen. Whether that is because of the influences of the Crystal Heart, or something else, no pony knows for sure.

Whatever the case may be, it simply works for them.

As such, the Royalty of the Crystal Empire finds it necessary to put on an act for the sake of the peace of mind of it's citizens. By showing composure and ruling with at least apparent confidence, the citizens under the glorious magical rainbow as similarly relaxed. As such, ruling with a mask has simply become a matter of necessity.

That often carries over into other diplomatic affairs, too. Many other nobles and royals in the world tend to expect a similar attitude while in public, else the cost of disrespect can quickly accumulate. If diplomatic impressions go south, the prosperity of all under their rule can also suffer. Flurry cares very much for her people, so putting the situation in that context forces her into a reluctant bind.

On a visit with the former Princess of the Sun, Celestia once confessed to Flurry that diplomatic masks are often necessary in their line of work, at least if the ruler cares for their citizens. Celestia admitted that great weight is carried with a royal crown. The weight of the object itself is usually insignificant next to the meaning of the symbol, for that symbol carries with it all the hopes and wishes of those who have sworn to serve it.

Flurry Heart strongly hates being disingenuous. All she wants to do at every moment is freely express her true emotions, but that carries with it a dangerous application in some situations. Many ponies and foreign dignitaries look up to family like Flurry for leadership. If that leadership appears weak for any reason, confidence is cracked. Those who are lead by such a leader fear that they will make a mistake, and foreign dignitaries might see the weakness as an opportunity for exploitation.

Sad, but true.

Expressing her true self can be done in front of trusted friends like these too, but under the stipulation that it isn't done too broadly while out in public.

She may be loath to admit it, but maintaining a public image that is separate from her true emotions does indeed appear to be necessary evil.

In the case of Cozy Glow, Flurry also sees a chance for understanding and validation, for Cozy is marked with a very similar royal destiny. Even if that authority didn't get a chance to be used directly yet, the symbolic meaning of her potential authority is still very significant. That also means that Cozy is undoubtedly put under similar social pressure. She seems to hoofle it well, probably because of her ambition, but nevertheless . . . the challenge holds.

“Cozy Glow and Cheese Pie, what a pleasant but also unexpected surprise,” Flurry Heart greets diplomatically upon her approach to the group with a calm poise. “I bid you all welcome to the Crystal Empire.” She bows to them. “To what do I owe the honor of this unexpected visit?”

“Uh . . . yeah. That may be how you all greet each other around here,” Cheese says with a roll of her eyes then bounces out of the chariot. “But where I come from, we greet dear friends this way.” Cheese races to embrace Flurry in a tight hug.

Flurry is very briefly caught off guard, but not only could she predict her friends behavior due to past experience, but she also sensed the intention.

Likewise, Cheese must have sensed what Flurry really wanted to do.

“Thank you,” Flurry whispers to Cheese's ear very softly.

“Bah . . . don't mention it! I do this all the time where I come from,” Cheese Pie downright brags.

The physical action is very appreciated for Flurry. However, the powerfully positive emotional projection from Cheese is doubly so. Flurry can feel the fact that the act is done from a place of genuine warm and affection. If she wasn't in public, this act could have driven her to happy tears.

When Cheese finally releases, she bounces up to greet Flurry's father who is being accompanied by a small squadron of royal guards. Cheese greets him very openly and casually. Shining responds in a like manner since he is diplomatically adjusting to Cheese's social tactics. A wise diplomat learns to read the room and adapt to whatever social conditions the local environment presents.

Flurry figures that her father can hoofle Cheese for the moment. By accepting that, she turns to the one she suspects is the real crux of their visit; Cozy Glow.

When Flurry Heart focuses on her pink pegasi friend, she soon realizes she is detecting a storm of complex emotions from Cozy. For the most part, she seems to be in a deeply thoughtful mood. Maybe also philosophical. It almost feels downright spiritual, but that would be a first for Cozy. At least, in Flurry's past experience with her.

Focusing further, Flurry realizes that Cozy feels very uncertain about something. Whatever it is, it heavily has Cozy's attention as it downright dominates her feelings for the moment. For some reason Cozy is also interested in the Crystal Empire itself. The odd thing about that is Cozy's been here before, and she never demonstrated interest quite like this. Instead of that, Flurry recalls Cozy being charmed by the fact that all of the architecture is made of crystal and pulses with living magic. At the time, there was a chill that ran up Flurry's spine when she noticed Cozy's interest in the Empire's magic in particular.

Especially the Crystal Heart.

“So . . . what brings you all here?” Flurry asks Cozy curiously.

“This was my call,” Cozy admits. She locks eyes on Flurry for only a moment, but then shies away as she looks down. “Sort of,” she adds lamely.

“What do you mean?” Flurry presses.

Cozy closes her eyes and grimaces hard. That's not just an act, too. Flurry can sense building frustration within Cozy for some reason. It has something to do with her company or local situation.

“Cozy . . . what can I do to help put you at ease?” Flurry offers compassionately.

“I . . . I want to get away from here!” Cozy declares while flashing Flurry an apparently angry stare.

The emotion is genuine, but not directed at Flurry specifically.

“But you just got here!” Flurry reminds in alarm. “Now you want to leave already?”

“I know!” Cozy snaps. “I don't mean from the Crystal Empire. Just . . . away from here.” She hops out of the chariot with a single flap of her wings to assist her jump. She lands in front of Flurry and has a bit of a desperate look to her eyes. “Join me!” she pleads. “Let's go for a fly . . . just you and me.”

“Eh . . . Cozy . . . I'm on duty,” Gallus reminds as he unhooks himself from the harness which connected him to the chariot. Notably, he has his “duty” helm on. “And I've been instructed to keep an eye on you.”

Cozy regrets hearing that, then resumes looking at Flurry pleadingly.

Well . . . Cozy is her friend, and technically she is also a host at this place. Part of the courtesy she should extend as a host is to make sure her guests are as comfortable as possible.

“At ease,” Flurry bids to Gallus. “I will accompany Cozy and keep an eye on her. I take full responsibility for her actions.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh.” Gallus squints with a look of discomfort and uncertainty.

“I appreciate your concern, solider,” Flurry tells him. “but this is my kingdom. I will see to the comfort of my guests however I see fit. Do I make myself clear?”

Gallus is taken a little aback by Flurry's assertiveness, but he quickly remembers he is, technically, addressing royalty, and he is on duty. She may also be his friend, but he has his orders.

And those orders tell him that royal commands receive top priority.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Gallus says as he salutes her. “I will leave her to your care, then. As you command.”

“Thank you,” Flurry returns to Gallus then looks back at Cozy while waving a hoof outwardly. “After you, Your Majesty,”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Cozy says back with a bit of a taunting sneer. She then bends down before leaping up and flaps away. With that, she soars off into the sky.

Flurry follows suit.

“You know . . . I love it when you put your hoof down,” Cozy calls down to Flurry Heart as they both continue to ascend. “You are royalty. You should embrace that tittle and impose your will as you see fit.”

“I believe I just did,” Flurry returns evenly, then smiles softly up at her friend. “It really is great to see you, but I wasn't kidding about the fact that your visit is unexpected. I thought you'd be busier at Sire's Hollow. After that, I thought you'd return to Canterlot and await your take off to Celestia knows where.”

“Actually, this time, I'm pretty sure Celestia wouldn't know where,” Cozy returns with a brief snicker.

Flurry adopts a droll face as she says, “It's just an expression.”

“I know. I'm just messing with you,” Cozy says as she banks into a tight left curve around the spire of the Crystal Castle.

“You know I love to see you, but what is this about?” Flurry presses curiously. “I sense your inner turmoil, and I'd love to help.”

Cozy growls, the complains, “I really wish you'd stop poking and prodding into my head and heart. My thoughts and feelings are my business.”

“I can't help it! I told you that already,” Flurry reminds. “It's part of who I am.”

“Yeah? Well Cheese seems to manage to keep her discoveries to herself,” Cozy points out.

“It's different for her and you know it!” Flurry counters. “Cheese is a physical empath. I am a psychic one. I don't experience others emotions as a physical symptom. Instead, their feelings are projected straight into my head with no filter. Please understand and forgive me!”

Cozy growls again, then says, “Well, fine . . . but that doesn't mean you can just pop into my room whenever you feel like it. You do have control over issues like that, so I will hold you accountable for them.”

Flurry sighs a bit dejectedly, then says, “Be that as it may, I'm virtually certain that all that you said is not why you have come, so get to the point.”

Cozy sighs as she looks around the kingdom, then says, “I came here at the behest of the one in this Crystal . . . King Sombra. He said that there are certain advantageous secrets which we may exploit here.”

“Oh?” Flurry asks, suddenly feeling sharply intrigued.

She also a bit disturbed. She does not understand her friends connection with that previous tyrant, but Flurry does not like it. Cozy seems to be going through too much already. Adding this extra complication on top of that seems all too likely to lead in a hostile direction.

But Flurry also understands her friends plight. Working to help heal her counterpart seems oddly self-serving, but at its core . . . this is a noble act, and one deeply encouraging for Flurry to see.

“However . . . certain thoughts came to my head as Cheese and I were flying over here,” Cozy goes on. “I learned certain information from Sunset about the fate of her mother. Information that alludes to the potential fate of us all. The fate . . . of the after life.”

“Oh.” Now Flurry feels spooked, but still deeply intrigued. In fact, even more so.

“But that isn't the only thing that's been going through my mind,” Cozy continues. “The entity that dwells within this crystal . . . this is at least the shadow of Sombra. He has his memories, but it is incomplete. In fact, that is the crux of the problem.”

Cozy is silent for a while as she continues to fly about and absently scans around the Crystal Empire from above, but Flurry can tell that most of Cozy's attention is actual withdrawn inward. Focusing on that, Flurry notices that she continues to detect deep layers of complexity to Cozy's emotions. So much so that it's hard to identify a single emotion from that storm. Instead, it's more like an amalgamation. A complex tangle where one string cannot be pulled apart from the others.

After a while, Flurry suspects she needs to prod her friend again, so she says, “Go on.”

At first, Cozy continues not to speak. Her only reaction is to gaze back under her left wing at Flurry. After that, she banks another sharp left turn, except this time Cozy dive bombs at the Crystal Castle. She aims for a balcony near the top in particular. The one that is at the other end of the throne room. Once she arrives, she gives a counter flap to shake off most of her built momentum. She lands on the balcony into a slowing trot to throw off the rest of her momentum.

Flurry, for her a part, simply teleports onto the balcony. Doing instantly negates all of her momentum at once.

“Huh. Lousy show-off,” Cozy sneers in disgust as she makes her way to the edge of the balcony. “Unicorns and alicorns get all the fun abilities.”

“I am what I am,” Flurry counters. “I make no apologies for that. I can't help how I was born. I hope you don't blame me for that.”

“You know a part of me does,” Cozy growls as she folds her forelegs over the edge of the balcony. “But I know that's not your fault.”

Flurry shakes her head, then approaches as she says, “You're still deflecting. What's going on, Cozy? Talk to me. I'm your friend.”

Cozy sighs as she slowly scans across the view ahead of her, then says, “Not long ago, when I lost consciousness, Sombra drew me into the mindscape inside this crystal. Within it, he showed me a vision of the past. In particular, he showed me a vision which ended up right here . . . on this very balcony . . . but over a thousand years ago. Beyond this balcony, according to the vision, I saw ponies trudging below in absolute misery. They were all locked together in a very long chain in a zig-zag pattern. Beyond the city, I saw Princes Celestia and Princess Luna's forces trying to combat Sombra's. It was an epic . . . awe inspiring battle.

“The thing is . . . I looked up to him for that. In fact, I felt downright attracted to him for that. Now there is a powerful stallion who makes no compromises. He just takes what he wants. He felt unstoppable, and I loved him for it.”

She looks down over the edge of the balcony.

“But later on . . . it occurred to me to dwell on something he said about how our two lives have a suspicious amount of parallels between us. As I went over the details that I was aware of, I was startled to realize how right he was. We do have much in common. Indeed, too much.”

Cozy looks to her right side directly at her friend.

“Then I thought of something else Sunset told me,” Cozy continues. “She said she briefly met her mother in the afterlife. She said she used her magical crystal to contact her, and that Eventide reached back during that moment. Sunset said that her mother was fully a disembodied spirit at that point, and as an energy being purely composed of only thought and energy, she was therefore immune to the limitations we have as mortals. Among those abilities was the ability to see and travel across time and space, and that . . . my friend, was a key bit of information to me.”

“Why do you say that?” Flurry prompts.

“Think about it,” Cozy encourages as she looks back off the balcony. “I think spirits might have the capacity to be born wherever, whomever, and even whenever they wish. To come back to the world and be reborn.”

Cozy pauses for a moment as she absently taps her forward hooves on the balcony rail.

“If they can do that . . .” Cozy continues after a long pause, pauses again, then resumes, “what's to stop them for potentially being reborn in the past? Remember, time is not linear to these entities, and they can ignore many limitations that hinder us.”

“What's your point?” Flurry asks with a slight tilt of her head.

Cozy pauses for another moment of silence. During that time, Flurry senses that her friend is working up the courage to admit something until she finally says it.

“The entity that dwells within this crystal is strongly convinced that you used to be the first queen of this empire in a past life,” Cozy confesses. She looks over at Flurry with a very earnest face as she tells her, “If that's true, he loved you, Flurry. He loved you very dearly.” She waves a hoof. “It seems that relationship got really complicated at the end. I don't want to go into details. Something tells me your sensitive heart can't take it, but suffice it to say that they once had a very deep . . . but also complex . . . relationship.

“Then I thought about our relationship together, and I grew startled to realize there is a striking similarity. When you first met me, you grew determined to be my friend. To this day, can you explain why?”

“Not fully,” Flurry admits. “But I did sense many troubling things within you. You seemed desperate, so I thought you could use a friend.”

“But I tried to reject you at first, remember?” Cozy reminds and checks. “I resisted your advances, partly because I kind of hated you and what you represented, but still you persisted. You just would not quit. I could chalk that up as your usual compassion to a point, but you eventually struck me as usually determined. You focused on my, Flurry. You just wouldn't leave me alone.”

“You needed me,” Flurry insists. “And you're family. That's important to me.”

“Stop pretending, Flurry Heart!” Cozy screeches. “You're not good at it,” she goes on a little more calmly. “Not like I am.”

“So what is your theory?” Flurry reflects. “You seem to know all the answers.”

“I . . .” Cozy begins but pauses again as another flare of panic rises within her. That silences her for a moment, but then she goes on to say, “I think I am Sombra.”

Flurry looks taken aback.

“Or rather . . . I was,” Cozy clarifies as she looks off the balcony again. “That concepts excites me but also frightens me, for it alludes to many other implications. I think he was me in my past life.”

Cozy looks up into the sky.

“At first, that thought didn't make sense to me. After all, I'm wearing his spirit right now. He's in this crystal on my neck even as I speak.” She points to it, then lowers her hoof back on the rail. “But then it occurred to me . . . according to what Sunset told me . . . time is not linear to those who crossed over. If such a fate ever happens to him . . . ever . . . then it does not matter how far in the future it occurs. At any point, he can travel back in time and be reborn as me. I can even see his motive.”

“Wow, Cozy!” Flurry gasps. “This is . . . a lot to swallow.”

“I know.” Cozy lowers her head to rest on to of the rail. “That is what has been bothering me lately. I've turned it over and over again in my head, and each time seems to affirm that conclusion.”

Another heavy moment of silence passes between them, eventually broken by Cozy.

“I keep thinking about that vision he showed me while I was unconscious,” says Cozy. “About that long line of chained ponies. Those slaves to his tyranny. He savored it, or at least he appeared to.

“But then, what happens in his next life, if I was indeed him? Lo and behold . . . I was immediately born into slavery.”

Cozy covers the top of her head with her hooves as she shivers with pain at the memory.

“It was horrible, Flurry!” Cozy cries out in misery. “The torture, the impinged freedom, the crushing humiliation, the constant threats and vulnerabilities, the struggle I endured just for a few worthless scraps of food. Over and over again, I suffered . . . but through it all . . . I never once lost my ambition.”

Anger and focused rage sinks deep into Cozy's eyes.

“I constantly plotted for a way to improve my life, and ultimately seeking a way to overthrow my former masters. I never once stopped looking at the sky with a sense of hope and yearning for freedom, even as I shivered in my cage due to the night cold. My rage and ambition was the only things that kept me warm during these awful times. All that I ever became since was ingrained into me during that time, but even I might have underestimated how far back those instincts really go . . . and more importantly, exactly why they were there.

“My humiliation might have felt especially keen if I used to be a powerful stallion. I absolutely loathed magic and unicorns during this time, but only because it was continually used against me. Deep down, I'm virtually certain I was also jealous. If the power of magic used to be mine and that in spades, no wonder if felt so wrong to be without it.

“I hated my life. I hated being born a pegasus. I hated being a small and insignificant little mare. I must have contemplated thousands upon thousands of strategies I could have employed if only I was armed with gift of magic.

“But even without it, my will to dominate all the rest life always consumed me. Despite any evidence to the contrary, it always felt like that was my destiny. I was meant to rule . . . to be the Queen of ALL life! All shall cow as they bow before my overwhelming might!

“Then . . . and only then . . . might my fears finally subside. After all, there is no reason to feel vulnerable if I control everything and everyone. To bend them to my will . . . to impose absolute order . . . that was the secret that never left my heart. I clung to it with a desperate passion.

“And then . . . after what felt like a lifetime later . . . I finally won my freedom. It wasn't easy, but I managed it. After that, what did I do?” She shrugs. “Why . . . I attempted to conquer Equestria of course while still a blasted filly! I nearly succeeded too . . . twice! That's how good I was at the job. That's how innate that talent always was to me. I just always had this instinct for it and innate strategy. One maneuver after another . . . always pressing me closer and closer to my goal. The closer it came, the more I hungered for it.

“I'll tell you this much as well, for I don't think it will do me any harm to admit this anymore. I had absolutely no plans to stop with Equestria, either. I vowed to myself that if I succeeded to conquer these lands, I would return where I once came from and conquer that as well. Nation by nation, race by race . . . all shall bow or perish before me! I swore that nothing would stop my merciless conquest. All my previous successes only gave me further encouragement.

“Do you have any idea how many others have attempted my goal, but came nowhere near as close as I did? Likely more than even I'm aware of, I'm sure, but still . . . especially given my age, my successes was pretty darn impressive.”

Cozy sighs sadly.

“But the rest you know. History repeats. I try to conquer Equestria twice, and twice I fail.

“Just like Sombra before me. I even saw one of his attempts before my very eyes. 'Grogar' showed it to me with his magic orb. I studied his methods. I must have seen a thousand miscalculations on his part as I watched him, but he was fueled by his arrogance. More impressively, it didn't seem to matter to him for the most part, and he actually did manage to take down the Tree of Harmony which was the crux of my downfall during my first attempt. That blasted Tree ripped victory from my grasp when totally earned it, but Sombra whacked it away like it was an annoying instinct.

“After that, I realized that was the key difference between us. I had to rely on my charms and brains to succeed, but he didn't have to. Overwhelming power was all he needed. I felt so jealous for that, but if he really was me, then the irony of the situation no longer eludes me.

“I kept thinking, as I watched him, that if I had his powers, I would have used it so much better . . . but now I'm no longer as certain. Eventually I had to conclude that if I had the same advantages, I likely would have had the same weaknesses as well. There is a good reason power like that fuels the ego beyond the point of control. Under that same pressure, I might have fared no better.

“Then, one day, I finally did have the kind of power he had and then some. By absorbing part of the magic in Grogar's Bell, I at last had the power that I always sought. I thought to myself, 'Finally this is my chance to prove to everyone how good I would have been if I always had these gifts. Now that I do have this magic which is further augmented by my wits . . . I'll be unstoppable!'

“But, like my predecessor, it didn't take long for my arrogance to consume me. I charged head on at Twilight, her friends, her little pet dragon, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. I actually laughed at all of them! I felt so eager to prove my worth. Finally this was my chance!

“But they actually had me on the ropes for a while there. I did manage to take care of Princess Celestia and Luna's magic. I should have continued with that strategy, but I felt determined to destroy the others on my own.

“But it didn't take me long to realize what a mistake I've made. Acting against so many others solo meant they could perform far more actions per second than I ever could. There is a good reason that even basic strategist realize it is generally a very bad idea to be surrounded by one's enemies.”

Cozy pauses for a moment as she absently taps the rail while slowly scanning across the crystal city.

“While trapped in stone . . . two things occurred to me that reminded me of that situation. One of them I was born into, and the other was while I was locked up in Tartarus. I was going insane with phobia of being trapped. Ever all, I am a pegasus. It is in our nature and very need to be wild and free.

“But recently it occurred to me there is another reason. If I am related to the spirit of King Sombra, perhaps I also gained this instinct due to his many years of being trapped in this crystal, which is yet another kind of stone.

“My sentence was much worse, however, because of the sensory deprivation and utter uncertainty if I would ever be free. More than anything else in my existence that I'm aware of . . . that is what broke me. I've never been the same again.”

Cozy looks at Flurry as she says to her, “If you really are the mare that he once knew in his life, and he dearly loved her, I kept asking myself if there is something in me that has those same feelings towards you. For some reason, I kept getting disappointed over the fact that the answer appears to be no for the most part. I do care for you as a friend, but the feelings he once had for you go far beyond that. He cherished you. You were everything to him. He would do anything to protect you, and likely proved that far more than once.

“I also noticed he has this intense chivalry when it comes to mares in general. The monster in him craves to destroy regardless of the target, but the noble hero he once was causes him to be at war within himself. Above all, he can't allow himself to harm mares. What irony is it that he eventually became one as me?

“Then I started to wonder . . . is that why that particular outlook changed? I really don't think I look at other mares like he does. It feels to common to me for me to get the same sense of excitement over them.

“In fact, you in particular I personally found rather annoying in this life. All of your intrusions and-”

“Hey!” Flurry complains.

“Well, you are!” Cozy insists.

In response, Flurry counters by tauntingly sticking her tongue out at Cozy. Cozy returns that expression by jutting out her bottom jaw forward and wrapping her lips around her teeth while drooping her eyes.

Both girls go back and forth presenting taunting silly expressions for a while, but when they suspend that and lock eyes on each other, they start to crack into snicker which eventually erupts in to a burst of laughter and giggles so severe that neither of them could stand anymore. They roll on the floor as they continue laughing for several minutes. During that time, it became very hard to breathe on multiple occasions.

When the finally settle down, they are forced to take a deep breath to help recover. After that, they glance at each other and simultaneously wipe a happy tear from their eyes in a mirrored sort of way.

“Feeling better?” Flurry eventually asks, the first between them to speak.

“Somewhat,” Cozy confesses. “It . . . it just feels so good to get this off my chest.”

“Cozy,” Flurry says as she reaches an affectionate hoof across to touch Cozy's left shoulder while the both of them still lay down with their backs to the ground. “now and forever . . . I will always be your friend. It might take different forms as we each take different forms from life to life . . . but that core fact will never change.

“I'll admit, I do have some feelings for you that can't easily be explained otherwise. Maybe you are correct about the relationship we shared before, but Cozy . . . none of that matters anymore. You're here . . . and this is a chance for you to make a fresh start, regardless what happened before. Never ever forget that in this life . . . I am Flurry Heart, and you are Cozy Glow . . . my beloved friend.”

Cozy slowly looks up with a deeply thoughtful expression returning to her face.

“If you're right,” Flurry goes on, “there must be a good reason we usually don't remember these things. I think it's because you're meant to have a fresh start. Don't go getting lost seeking out old attachments and very old baggage. That's not a part of you anymore unless you let it.”

“The Crystal came back to me,” Cozy points out. “Obviously this means there are unresolved issues about my past . . . and this time I'm not the only one involved. My counterpart in the other world too, and she has friends and family waiting for her return as well. I know. I have her memories of them.”

Flurry makes a single laugh, then says, “I guess forgetting and recalling memories seems to be a galloping theme here, isn't it? I mean, you even managed to recruit a mind sorceress like Sunset to your cause. It's as if fate realizes you'd need her to help you sort this all out.

“Okay, so maybe this is your destiny . . . but try not to get too attached to whatever you discover about him. Find out what you need to then let . . . it . . . go. You don't need that stuff anymore. You are Cozy Glow now, my precious little friend. I dearly hope you eventually grow to cherish that fact as much as I do, if not more so.”

Cozy is silent again as she thinks.

“You know, I think I can decipher one important parallel between you and him,” Flurry realizes.

“Oh?” Cozy looks at Flurry. “And what's that?”

“Seems to me that he started off as a hero that eventually lost his way,” Flurry explains. “As if to make up for this fact, I think your destiny is the perfect reverse. You started off as a villain that is destined to redeem herself.”

Flurry pats her friends shoulder once as she adds, “And another thing that seems obvious to me is the fact that you truly are a very powerful spirit. As such, destiny wraps around you like a blanket, or more likely a vortex. Wherever you trot, you are likely to affect the world around you in very profound ways. In fact, that's already happened. I just hope that you got this, 'conquering the world' thing out of your system. Let it pass from your life as a 'been there, done that' kind of deal. Now, I think, it's time to move on to new lessons along with new hopes and dreams.

“Like it or not, no matter what face you might happen to wear from life to life, you are very likely to affect the world around you in exceedingly powerful ways. Many of the rest of us can't compete with that, so please think about your decisions very carefully from now on. After all, it's not just your fate that's riding on your shoulders. Maybe that's always been true.

“If you care for anyone besides just yourself, even a little, then please consider my words very carefully.

“Will you do that . . . for me?” Flurry pleads.

Once again, Cozy Glow looks up as she sinks into deep thought again.

Comments

[GamePlayer64]

The part where history repeats where any villain always lose in an instant is complete bullshit! Pardon my language but I imagine when a villain takes over; the group of heroes take time to take fight and defeat the villain in a matter of weeks or a month but not on the same day or the next time. I say fate is corrupted for siding with Harmony.