Fervidity
“Gee Hope, this sure looks dangerous,” Cozy said, strumming the rope hoofrail of an old bridge made of infested wooden planks.
The aforementioned bridge connected a smaller peak of the Smokey Mountains to their destination. It looked as if it was built decades ago and hasn't been maintained since. You couldn’t see the bottom between the two hills; it was a sea of fog.
“Oh, whatever is a pegasus pony to do in a situation like this?” Cozy feigned a distressed damsel with the presages of fainting. A leg over her brow and a hoof over her heart, she fell back-first off of the ledge, down the gorge, and deformed a light trail of clouds as she popped out the other side.
Graceful landing: check, Cozy followed by a stroll that was dramatically casual. With no hoofsteps passing by, she assumed Hope caught her in a glare that spoke ‘unimpressed’, and peeked open an eye–then both.
“Hope! What are you doing?!”
Hope had successfully teleported the distance. Both watched as the bridge partially disappeared into the fog, lining itself against the side of the previous mountain.
It was clear Hope had cut the rope on purpose, and as Hope turned around, she saw Cozy’s empty smile, lips twitching at their edges.
“Somepony could’ve tried to cross it and got themselves killed,” Hope argued.
“Then that’s their decision! I don’t need the stress of another investigation and not one so near…” Cozy replied. “I’m a fugitive! Leave no trace!”
The sound the bridge made when it hit the cliff, coupled with the sudden sunrise, prompted Cozy to activate her bow disguise.
“Since when could your bow do that?” Hope asked, and, noticing the bloodshot eyes and urge to cough, cast a cure for Cozy’s ailments: a brief aura-hued smoke spawned and expanded as it struck Cozy face, but brought alleviation when she thoroughly inhaled and blinked.
“Thanks. Nifty parting gift from Chrysalis don’tcha think?” Cozy spun to showcase herself. “Butter Skies—normal mare!”
“I prefer Seraph.”
“Wouldja wanna guess why I can’t use it anymore?” There was that smile again.
“Uhh—look! We’re almost there!”
The trees ceased after a minute’s walk. Over a short peak and beyond the duo was a plain, ameliorated by vibrant splotches of flowers. There they could see the centerpiece of the designated animal sanctuary: a statue of those two brothers from long ago, whose ambitions inspired a home for the local critters–and more importantly: a newish garden where the purrifico flower can thrive!
Cozy continued onward, until she noticed that Hope hadn’t left the shadow of the forest.
“Golly! Were you bitten by a vampire pony?” Cozy squinted and smirked in playful suspicion.
“...I didn’t expect this place to be so crowded,” Hope replied.
About twenty or so creatures loitered outside the cafe between the statue and crop garden. Some flew, guided by the red landing light Cozy spotted earlier, but most were part of organized tours. There was a trail that stretched all the way to the edge of Vanhoover, and there were balloons that arrived, parked, and left on a tight schedule.
It was all to raise funds for continued preservation, and hopefully spark an appreciation for critters among the visitors—mostly the former.
Cameras lurked every corner, discrete, as was Fluttershy's request–to ‘not disturb the animals’. She had a large say in what was to be done and how, and her connections with the Princess and status as a hero gained her a lot of respect—to Cozy’s displeasure.
This was Canterlot-owned land. A lot of bureaucracy went into every decision–like nature intended, of course.
Best not to get caught, was all Cozy could force to care.
“Vampires don’t show up on cameras,” Cozy joked. “Also, I don’t see your wanted poster anywhere! I’m the one who should be lurking in the shadows! I have everything to lose!”
Hope relented with a nod, but stood in place wordless.
“Fine. I’ll retrieve the flower by myself,” Cozy hmphed. “Why don’t you go check up on Lustie? She should be awake by—”
Hope teleported off. Cozy was left alone.
She glided over the fields and exposed herself both to the cool breeze of the mountains, the glare of the sun, and to the other creatures. Not all were ponies; a few griffons and a yak were among the crowds.
Her muscles tensed once she was near enough to recognize a few of their faces—tighter once she recognized a few of their voices. What else was there to do when petrified but to remember with contempt: creatures and their nonchalant conversations, as if they weren’t passing by what was essentially her grave–’together forever’ and all that.
I still can’t believe Celestia had the gall to mark my grave as a park! Unredeemable fillies should at least be treated as some sort of tragedy…
Chatter and gossip filled the air, along with a squeak.
What creature makes a noise like that? Cozy wondered. What creature was exactly what Cozy brushed off—a critter—that mouse she had rescued from before. It hitched a ride on her tail and climbed onto her hoof.
“D’aww! You really followed me all the way out here?” Cozy foaltalked, nuzzling the critter with the side of her other foreleg. “You really shouldn’t have…”
She stood on the roof of the cafe; the mouse on look-out atop her mane. Though it took them a few hours to get there from home, as Hope demonstrated, if they were in a rush, it would’ve been a second’s long journey. There was no need to take in the view. She’ll save those reactions for when she forces Luster to walk here tomorrow.
Cozy spotted it. The flower she needed, in a patch inside the gated garden. A sign read: ‘No Unauthorized Personnel,’ right next to ‘Beware of snakes!’
If Cozy's memory was correct, cameras fitted around the area tracked motion.
Did it require a second thought?
With the guise of the wind, she flew, and abruptly stopped, and flicked the mouse off her shoulder to the ground, where it landed on a bush and ran away frantically.
A flick of her feather, cut, and she was out of there–in a leisurely pace upwards.
She threw in a few fake calls, “Mousey? Where are you?” before she shrugged–in the suit of the character Butter Skies to sate her moral conscience.
Let’s just hope those aren’t the carnivorous type of plants! Wouldn’t that be just awful!
Luster called for the two mares. No response.
Telling herself she was being irrational, Luster tiphoofed down the stairs. Because what were the chances that she’d have to fight thrice in three days?
Or maybe I’m just the unluckiest filly in Equestria…
Two pops. The sounds startled the filly, and caused her to stumble, catching herself on the rails.
“Hope?” she called once more, like a lost foal at a fair.
Nothing. All Luster wanted was a response, reassurance that she was victim to her own delusions, or even to be jumped by Cozy from a corner, and she’d endured or hugs or tickles or whatever had to ensue—whatever happened to concoct itself in Cozy’s neuro-chemical cauldron of cruel and unusual ideas.
Or maybe she was alone, but it wasn’t another intruder—no—maybe it was just the wind! She didn’t notice any open doors or windows, but maybe the wind did that too! Maybe it hit the lock at just the right angle and pressure to undo its intricate mechanisms, or maybe there was a hole in the wall, and it made air vibrate at a frequency that matched the sounds of a loud thud and pops! Two distinct noises…
It could happen… right?
Maybe I’m just tired? Yeah, that must be it! I’m just—too tired to notice it! But… we don’t have a bed yet… bed’s in the living room…
Luster touched the ground. She slowly crept through the foyer. Behind the corner, she noticed again that slime lined the pet flap on the door opposite. No average pony could fit through it. Maybe a foal or a contortionist, but not an average pony. Luster wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse.
She faced the wall directly; conscious of her horn, she peeked through the hallway.
Almost immediately, she noticed it, and pulled her head back.
Why did it matter what it was? Luster didn’t know, yet she risked another look.
It looks like—a bug? A big one…
It was larger than she was, but smaller than Cozy and (definitely) Hope.
Past its paper-thin, semi-transparent and teal wings was a shell of pitch black—a backdrop for solid eyes. A wide
curved horn poked below and between ears that doubled as feelers, and of identical sharpness to the creature’s fangs—too large to fit in its maw. And holes. Lots of holes.
Descriptions of a changeling flooded Luster’s mind. But—no—changelings were supposed to be a peaceful and friendly species and perhaps a bit wimpish but not intruders to other’s houses!
Well, not the new changelings. Luster heard the term ‘new changelings’, ‘metamorphosized changelings’, ‘reformed changelings’, when she eavesdropped on the wardens back at Kludgetown—harshly scolded afterwards and yelled back to work—but she never knew what the distinction meant.
Black was far from the ‘garish’ descriptions they talked about.
Wait, I think I remember something… Georgia told me…
‘They’re a swarm of potent killers that brought death to nearly every gone Equestrian civilization—and each snuffing never took more than a single night! They could sniff out a lost filly through a forest blindfolded by just the foal’s longing for her mother!’
Luster gulped.
The changeling closed its eyes and sniffed the air. On its hind legs it went to smell above, and muzzle to the floor to smell below, till it was brought to the couch, and Luster had never been more regretful to have a peaceful dream for once.
It climbed onto the couch, out of Luster's view, and once a trace was latched onto it silently entered the kitchen through the counter.
It peaked its head through the top of the kitchen’s door frame—upside down—and Luster chose flight.
She ran towards the front door and reached for the knob. A shot of green sticky and gooey slime was hurled towards her. Only by a pinch above her horn was she able to duck under the attack, but her mane was a casualty.
Frantic, Luster set her own hair alight. The goop formed a bubble, and popped, and she was free, but stumbled past the stairs, and closer to her aggressor.
It spread its wings and fluttered in place, producing a sound Luster would forever associate with dread—granted she survived.
Luster countered the changeling’s pounce with a spell: a ball of liquid fire that soaked the bug and caused it to miss its target. But it did not maim. The changeling didn’t even flunk its landing. Its furrowed smirk only grew.
The flames slid off the changeling’s shell, and set ablaze to the carpet below. Waterproof and fire proof; a natural set of armor that matured and hardened alongside its bearer. Even the irritation the heat brought against its eyesight was substituted by the scent of Luster’s love, who in her mind was still calling out ‘Cozy’, simultaneously cursing her for leaving her alone.
Fire was sprayed all around the hallways, on the walls and on the sides, and the room was brightened orange as if it were dawn.
The panic it induced only made the changeling feel smug.
Without a hint of urgency, the hungry intruder walked through the walls of fire, and sensed the filly had hidden between the side of the couch and the wall facing the backyard. It flew atop, and played into the tension, slowly creeping up towards Luster; its shadow was drawn on the wall from the bright behind, and embers that splashed from Luster’s careless spell were extinguished under its hole-ridden hooves. It let out a loudening hiss that echoed through the room.
Its forelegs were straight on the couch, and it bent down to greet the frightened filly.
A satchel smacked the side of the changeling’s face! The satchel itself. It felt empty.
The changeling’s expression shifted to genuine confusion.
Luster gave a nervous smile and made another dash. Something else, she thought, and with no time to process value, she searched for any item she could throw. An expensive flatscreen TV and newly sentimental photos of her own little family were among the objects tossed. None could penetrate past the changeling’s reflexes, let alone the shell.
Luster hid under their dining table made of wood. For the changeling it was almost pitiful, but both could hear its stomach growl; Luster let out a yelp.
Though it seemed the filly then resigned itself to nature’s wishes, for she did not move. The changeling couldn’t taste whether she was petrified, had given up, or if the stress caused an aneurysm, but what did it matter? It opened its mouth and—
A fireball distracted the changeling, and—slam! The sharp edge of the table both fell and was pulled towards its neck—covered in a cerise glow—towards the soft conjunction between the plates of its exoskeleton.
The spirit of her mother must’ve possessed her, because her eyes windowed an unapologetic sense of survival and a complete lack of mercy. A changeling had the capacity to lift many times its own weight, but this one’s hind legs slipped, and it couldn’t get up. The posture hurt.
The filly was brutal; changeling, frightened. It would’ve been beheaded—had it not been a shapeshifter.
Green flames contrasted Luster’s. It turned into a simple octopus. Its bones were dissolved. It let go of the table and slid past the hard edge—unharmed—though quickly turned back. The fire only worsened behind it.
Back to the hunt, the changeling readied, and pounced. It was halted halfway and trapped. Two chairs opposite each other collided; their legs formed a makeshift cage. A hoof sneaked through the gaps, but struck a bubble of aura.
Luster struggled to keep hold whilst she tried to run—walk—stagger away.
Another flash. A minotaur ripped the chairs into splinters.
Luster was out of sight.
Cozy went back to the forest with a pile of ‘refreshments’ between her hooves whilst in search of the two, and for a mare on the edge about the prospect she’d be spotted, golly was she easy to spot!
Before Hope spotted her, Cozy was already flaunting her own wanted poster she had stolen from a noticeboard–identical to the ones she found in Kludgetown.
Once Hope’s eyes were properly rolled along with a “Fine, I get it,” Cozy dropped what she bought on a nearby stump.
“I know we sort of already had breakfast, but golly! I couldn’t resist the idea of a picnic out here!” Cozy said, directed towards Luster. “You’ve never had one of those before, have you Lustie?”
The filly looked nervous. “Umm…”
“Gee Luster, are you okay?” Your voice sounds a bit… off,” Cozy tilted her head. “Is your throat sore? I’m sure Hope wouldn’t mind giving it a little peek.”
“Umm…” Luster faked a few coughs. “I’m fine…”
Unconvinced, but not to press on, Cozy brought Luster towards a second breakfast: “Muffins, a few donuts, these big soft chocolatey cookies I used to steal when I was filly,” she showcased. “After I broke free from—Hope, you’re not having that!”
“I wasn’t going to! I was just looking at it…” Hope replied, rotating the plastic-concealed cookie in her magical grip.
“I bought three and you’ve already had one. It’s fun to watch Lustie try new things!” She performed an emotional one-eighty. “You are not robbing me of this!” Cozy groaned between her teeth, in a grin that translated to ‘mildly pissed off’.
Luster looked confused, not just at Hope, but by this yellow and blue mare with a bow and red eyes that looked familiar–whose love tasted familiar.
Bitter.
“Lustie, quickly—eat this!” Cozy shoved the cookies into Luster’s mouth. “Hope is a greedy, greedy mare and I don’t want her eating the cookie I bought specifically for you!” She continued: “And as her best friend in the whole wide world who isn’t shadow dust, I give you full permission to defend your property with the most lethal force Luster can muster!”
Hope scoffed, and took a sip from one of the cups—or to at least.
“That’s not yours!” Cozy said, back turned. “Yours has your name on it.”
Hope checked, and sure enough, ‘R. Hope,’ written in cursive marker.
“You gave them my name?!” Hope shouted.
“Y'know, wearing a cloak like that, on a sunny day like this, in a nature reserve of all places, really makes you stand out.”
Hope grunted, and tasted a sip of the most bitter and hot coffee she had ever tasted in over a millennium.
“This is bitter!” Hope complained with her tongue hanging out.
Cozy pointed at the log. “You’re supposed to add the sugar packets yourself.”
“I thought you’d do it—I mean, you know every creature’s preference!” Hope said. “Can’t I at least have this one? It doesn’t have a name.”
“That’s mine,” Cozy said, directing Hope’s retort towards the wanted poster under the order, “Hot cocoa!”
“Oh, come on!” She stomped her hoof. “You bought like, eleven drinks!”
“Those are for Lustie.” Cozy placed a wing on the filly’s back. “I don’t know what she likes besides orange juice, so now’s the time to experiment! Isn’t it?”
“But you only bought three cookies?!”
Cozy nodded.
Hope further checked the labels on the cups. “These are the largest sizes!”
“Golly! If you want to whine about it, then I’ll let you finish Luster's leftovers. Is that ‘too cold!’ or ‘too little’?”
“...too unhygienic…”
Cozy flew to a nearby cloud, carrying Luster with her–and her cocoa. One hind hoof touched her thigh as she allowed Luster a place to sit or lie.
The view was spectacular. Over the mass of fog, both could see where the forest ended, and the plains began. Where Ponyville and even Manehattan on the other end of the continent was! Cozy guided Luster's head and their cheeks touched—to aid Luster see exactly where she was pointing to, of course!
“That’s Canterlot. It’s where Twilight sits on her butt all day eating hay-burgers!”
“...”
“And–golly! That’s the School of Friendship, where they had to put me in classes above my level because I was too smart for them!”
“...”
“And you can’t see it, but around there is the Crystal Empire, where Mommy ruled alongside Sombra for an entire month! Of course, he and Hope always vetoed all my big plans like–” Cozy stared at her unicorn daughter’s horn, and cleared her throat. “Nevermind… But it was fun! I built a tram and a metro, and I dragon-mailed Starlight a lifetime pass that I know she still secretly uses! I had friends that followed me around, wrote whatever I said, and agreed with me on everything! And it’s all thanks to Flurry Heart! I might’ve never been motivated to do any of it if it weren’t for her! I accomplished nearly everything she wanted to do–better–and I made sure she knew it!” Cozy tightened her hug. “It took nearly a year of hard work, but I don’t have a single regret!”
Luster looked as if she was about to vomit.
“Oh, and there’s—”
Hope teleported with a half-eaten donut in her aura, onto the cloud.
Cozy sighed. “What is it?”
Hope swallowed. “Isn’t that your house?”
Cozy turned to where she pointed, and saw fire and smoke where she lived. “We have kirin neighbors and my bag’s fireproof,” Cozy reassured, with zero urgency.
The moment was more important than a potential investigation.
A few seconds pass.
It dawned on her. She stared at Luster. “Hope, where did you go before this meetup?”
Hope shook away the memory of herself frolicking through a field of butterflies when she was supposed to meet with Cozy two days ago. “Uhh, well, like a week ago? At the Hiv—”
Cozy didn’t need another letter. She kicked the cloud they were on, knocked Hope off, and dragged Luster with her.
Teleporting to safety, Hope was now alone—with the drinks Cozy was stingy about.
There was no instruction given…
The drinks would’ve been cold by the time they’d return...
Some of the ingredients in those snacks were certainly too dangerous to let critters nibble on... She should know.
An ant touched the base of one of the cups. It seemed to Hope it was now a moral obligation to make sure none of those poor animals accidentally ingest dangerous pony food…
Luster was in a place, cramped and dark. She tried her very best to keep silent, to calm her breathing. Her heart thumped so violently she worried her head might explode.
All she had to do was wait until somepony was home. Surely the Princesses Cozy had almost beaten made a single changeling a bug in comparison.
Luster was shaken off the floor as the ‘minotaur’ tossed the couch across the living room; rows of her teeth clacked against each other. Each step it took was like a mini earthquake.
It got louder, and closer.
Her vertical sliver of light was obstructed. The cabinet doors opened.
Luster turned her head violently; a wrench struck the ankle of the minotaur! It had forgotten the ‘armor’ aspect of an exoskeleton. The aching pain forced the changeling back to its original form.
Weapon in mouth, Luster ran up the stairs, but there was that terrifying buzz. The changeling jumped in front of her and hissed.
She tripped and tumbled down the steps, bumping her head a few times against the hard floor–but protected her horn.
No time—another dodge! It was hard for both to keep their eyes open, or to breathe; Luster’s flames hadn’t died. Luster had hope, but even she knew her fleshy body would fail at an endurance test between the bug.
The rooms available were back to the kitchen, or back to the living area.
In that moment she embraced the delusion that something would’ve changed from before! Like she’d notice the locks for the doors were loose, or the slime that jammed the doors had melted, or her mother was outside the glass to scare off her attacker; or a fire system had installed itself, activated, and somehow changelings hated water; or maybe the Alicorn Amulet would be on the ground.
Nothing.
Another toss of rubble, another throw; it was all so tiring.
She spun around in a circle and tossed the wretch towards the window. The embers of her flames made her miss.
There was that pitch again—the changeling’s flutter.
One final effort. When the changeling was in as convenient of a position as it’d get, Luster held it with her magic. For the first time, she simultaneously grabbed another telekinetic target. She struggled, but succeeded, and crushed the changeling with a bookcase.
She piled furniture on top—the dining table was all she had the energy for—and burnt it. She’d die if she didn’t, so her own safety didn’t matter. Her horn shone like a star as intense flames reduced wood to ash.
A horn poked from the rubble. It thudded the pile of flames whilst it whimpered.
Luster tried to fight it physically. She couldn’t. She had no energy or stamina, both physically and magically. The heat of her own flames was too much to bear.
Luster felt the hooves of the changeling shove her against a wall. She could hardly raise a hoof in protest.
What was that other thing I heard?
‘They don’t usually kill their meals in a single go. They love to toy with their prey, imprison them in cocoons, and feed off the emotions of the creature trapped in dreams until the prey physically starves!'
Oh.
The changeling opened its maw, a humid, dark cavern where love quite literally goes to die.
She heard the sound it made; saw her love being drained.
I wonder what mom would think if she found me here… Isn’t she friends with their Queen? Maybe this was her plan…
Love and passion, fear and hate; it all blended into one dreary resignation. The fire in her heart, the one that motivated her to escape Kludgetown despite all risks, was being grinded on, slowly and steadily, by a hole-filled hoof.
But she didn’t feel angry. She didn’t feel scared nor resentful. She simply felt nothing. Caring was silly. Fighting was silly. She wouldn’t mind just staying here, not that she had any energy to do otherwise.
Luster yawned.
I never got to try cereal… whatever…
Just a nap…
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i hope what actually happened clears up next chapter
More Cozy past revealed!
I have a feeling that Flurry Heart wants to destroy the metro that Cozy built but can't do it because the crystal Ponies like it LMAO
Mailing Starlight the pass is unexpected but I get it, sometimes you need to make friends with the enemy so they will go easy on you
Sorry but Equestria likes putting their trophies in public for everyone to see it
What a cliffhanger! Cozy and Luster have some incredibly bad luck to suddenly have to deal with changelings. I wonder if Chrysalis sent those as they are unreformed. If so, what does she want with Cozy? Maybe they are messengers? Very keen to see where this goes.
Is Hope disguised as a changeling as well? Because earlier, she was sent to check on Luster and later she was with Cozy and fake Luster. Or did she find Luster on the way to the house and just pick her up? Because she would have noticed the changeling problem otherwise if she actually teleported back to check on Luster.
It seems that there is a full on villain team going on. I wonder if they have a unified plan or if their just purely doing their own thing while staying in touch.
I wonder if Cozy's right or if Flurry just holds a normal grudge. If it was a crush, I'm sure Cadence would notice it.
Cozy really needs to teach Luster some magic safety.
Is Hope also wanted in some way or is she just anxious around crowds?
So Sombra just let Cozy rule with him? That must have been an interesting reign. I do wonder what crazy plans she had that Sombra always vetoed. I also wonder how much that tram and metro ultimately modernized the Empire. If Cozy's telling the full truth here, she could actually be a good leader. Did Cozy capture Spike and use him to dragonmail that lifetime pass to Starlight? Does Starlight still actually use it?
Weird, was Hope in cahoots with the changelings? The only explanation for why she had a fake Luster with her. Not that fake Luster was fed since Cozy only had bitter feelings inside. With any luck real Luster held off the changeling long enough for Cozy to show. Still, a cliffhanger like this where Luster's life is in danger. Now I will be biting my nails until the next chapter.
Cozy didn't had any anti intruder system in place?
11625321
Luster is her anti-intruder system and personal bodyguard she just needs practice
Is this sociopathy on Cozy's part? Or is it something else entirely and I've been misreading the signs