Cozy's Hearthswarming Flurry

by SteelTheWarrior

Day 3

Day 3:

Snapping awake, she could barely tell it was daytime with the way she was defensively holding her forehooves in front of her face, as if to block another oncoming blow. Only once she opened her eyes from reflexively wincing from the torrential scream levied at her, did the whistling of the weather with wintry winds from outside her window fully wake her from the worrisome dream she had witnessed. Shaking her head to help rouse herself and let the fearsome last moments fade from her mind, she reflexively reached up to touch her cheek where she had been struck two nights before.

Feeling glum and defeated, Flurry had begun to lose hope. Clearly, Cozy Glow was such a bad pony, that it took the Elements of Harmony themselves just to eventually capture her... Why did she think that a little filly like herself could somehow change Cozy of her evil ways? How foolish she had been...

After being pestered by a few of her friends (like Snowy Bluff, a unicorn whom was particularly hyped about getting the next few days off of school!) she eventually relented and explained why she was so down in the dumps. Snowy was a good friend, and even though he was a bit skeptical at first, it soon became clear to him that she was telling the truth. The pure emotional turmoil this all had been putting her through was just so much, and it was evident that her sorrow was genuine. Flurry wasn't that good of a faker, especially when it comes to being sick when she tries to get out of going to school!

"I dunno, Flurry..." Snowy shook his head as they ate lunch together. He took a big bite out of his hay sandwich with tomatoes and thoughtfully chewed for several seconds before giving a deliberate swallow, "It just sounds like she's a giant bully! She's so mean to you, and no matter what you try, she just attacks you? I think that, as per usual, you've bitten off way more than you can chew." He mentions this as he looks to Flurry, whom had crammed one too many cookies into her mouth before attempting to crunch them all.

"Point taken.", she responds around the cluster of chocolate chip cookies, showering crumbs all over her friend as she does so.

"I just... You're really smart and caring, Flurry. I know that your mom is a pony of love, and your father is all about being a knight in shining armor, so... This totally screams 'Flurry heart lost cause', but I just don't want to see you get hurt... Again!" He gave a bit of a sigh and hung his head at the thought as Flurry immediately reached up and touched the spot on her cheek where she was struck just days ago.

"I guess you're right, Snowy... Thanks for being such a good friend. It really means a lot to me that you care so much. I guess that's that, then..."

The rest of the final school day was still full of distractions as Flurry couldn't help but feel sorry for herself and for being a failure. Alas, she made it home and handled her homework all the same. Even her favorite Hearthswarming stories that her parents read to her that evening didn't put the usual fire in her heart. After being asked time and time and time again what the matter was (as parents often do) Flurry told them that she was tired, and just needed to sleep. This was quite true, as all of this effort she had been putting into this dreaming really had done a number on her. Hopefully, a night of normal sleep will do her good, so she could do her best to enjoy the holidays with her family and friends in the upcoming days.

But things rarely ever go as planned, for little Flurry Heart.

Night 3:

Returning to the starry space of the Dreamrealm once again, Flurry hung her head as she was slowly drifting towards that same, sparkling start, yet again. "Wait! But Luna! You must have seen what happened last night! I... I can't do it! I... She's so mean, Luna! Please! Let me just have my own dream tonight!"

Several stars hopped from their places in the night sky and began to dance about until they came together into the familiar shape of the former princess of the night, "Mmmm, she is quite the meanie, isn't she, little one? I did warn you, little Flurry Heart."

The filly hung her head low in defeat, ashamed of her folly and hubris, "I'm sorry, Luna... I didn't know...."

The mare reached out to lift the filly's chin to look her in the eyes, "There is no need to apologize, little one!"

Flurry Heart turned her gaze up to the wise mare, with tears of shame welling up in her eyes, she saw not a face of disappointment, but... A smile? "Th-there isn't...? But I..."

"Although you were a bit naive, you should never feel sorry for wanting to show love and friendship to others! It took a great deal of courage to try helping someone the way you did, and even moreso to go back a second time! I understand that you're feeling disheartened at the moment, but your efforts were worthy of praise! I know that your auntie Twilight and her Element of Harmony friends would all be very proud of you for what you tried to do, little Flurry Heart!"

With a heavy sniffle and a quick wiping of her eyes, Flurry stood a little taller as her eyes began to sparkle as they looked up to the graceful and ever-majestic mare, "Really....?! You think so?!"

Leaning down to offer a nuzzle to the filly, she smiled again and nodded, "I know so! Now, a very important and passionate pony once reminded me that everypony deserves a gift for Hearthswarming. Tell me... Do these words still hold truth within you, little Flurry Heart?" Luna then gestures towards that familiar, sparkling star that stands as one within the millions in the night sky, yet still standing out all the same.

Wiping her eyes one more time and glancing over to the star that almost seems to call out her name, she looks back to the majestic mare whom smiled down to her. Her heart swelled as the wise mare bolstered her passion and determination. She drew one more deep breath and swam her way into the star, letting its light wash over her and carry her to a world unlike she's ever seen before!

Instead of appearing somewhere on the ground, in a room, or outside, Flurry found herself floating... Albeit, not the calm and tranquil sailing through the night sky like she's used to before entering a dream, this time it's fast and chaotic! Feeling the wind scream through her fur and feathers and her body spin and chaotically turn as if she had been unceremoniously chucked through the air by an Ursa Major, her eyes began to water yet again. Quickly fading into view was a deranged slide show of Cozy Glow's face, shifting between varied expressions. Feelings from fear and anger, to jealousy and hatred, almost every negative emotion flew by, like the flipping of pages in a picture book. With Cozy's disembodied face floating in the void, swirling with emotions, Flurry felt herself flying closer and closer. Her young, undeveloped wings were still growing, and proved useless in her attempts to control or even slow the speed at which she was soaring towards this ever-growing face as it growled, cried, gasped and even whimpered.

Right as it seemed Flurry was about to crash directly into the now-giant head of Cozy Glow that towered several stories above her, the mouth opened up to scream only for Flurry to be sent straight down the throat. Flurry attempted to grab onto Cozy's uvula to hold on for dear life, only for the unknown pressure that pushed her onwards proved far too much for her hooved grasp. Her grip slowly slipped further and further until eventually failing, resulting in her dropping down, down, down, tumbling, eartips over tail. She tumbled faster and faster and faster still, until it all became a blur that eventually opened up into a huge chasm of swirling darkness. This swirling, thunderous wind-swept little Flurry up within it and threw her around, swirling and twisting about, as if caught up in the vortex of a tornado!

Being whipped around by centrifugal forces, yet still being pulled down as well, like slowly being flushed down a drain, Flurry was bombarded by visions all around her! Apparitions of Cozy's past berated her, swirling around her, smashing into her, bouncing amongst eachother, each with negative emotions abound, assaulting her every sense as she was helplessly carried along with this torrential storm. Being bumped and scraped and bounced and spun around by collision after collision with this storm of emotion that she had been swept up in was pushing the poor, scared filly close to her breaking point. Only when she finally neared the bottom, did she see her destination: A Cozy Glow, curled up into a tiny ball, being assaulted by swarms of hundreds of these horrible, emotional moments from her past. These manifestations screamed, cried, whined, roared, growled, gasped and shrieked at her, a cacophony of torment, swirling around her and pelting her with misery and sensory overload. As this tsunami of emotions repeatedly crashed into Cozy Glow, it was clear that each one affected her, as she sobbed and fought against the onslaught of jealousy, greed, hopelessness, shame, sorrow, fear, hatred and so many more feelings slammed into her, time and time again.

Flurry Heart couldn't help but feel for the poor pony below her. Luna's words, "Everypony deserves a gift for Hearthswarming" echoed within her mind, and despite getting pushed and knocked around by these horrid emotions that would inevitably crash down upon the pony with a heart of darkness, Flurry's heart swelled with a newfound sense of duty. She grabbed one of the passing visions and kicked off of it, pushing her way down, further and further, faster and faster. Leaping, kicking, jumping, grabbing, all while being assaulted by horrid, hateful emotions, Flurry felt that burning in her chest only burn hotter and hotter, the closer she got the the one suffering below! As the spinning forces increased in ferocity, and the going grew more treacherous, fatigue began to set in to the little filly's body as she eventually collapsed. She couldn't help but be reminded by a few of her own memories as maybe this dream was beginning to tap into her past as well...? First was one of her mother praising her, "My special little filly! You can do anything you set your mind to!" followed immediately after by her father, "My little Flurry Heart! Destiny has great plans for you! Just follow that heart of yours, and nothing will be able to stop you!"

These words of encouragement turned that fire in her chest to a magnificent blaze, she fought to pull herself back up and give one, final leap towards to pony below. Getting bludgeoned by several more emotions on her way down, Flurry eventually crashed onto the "ground" of this dreamspace, panting for breath as she tiredly clambered over to the bawling Cozy Glow, hugging her tightly to her determination-filled chest. Cozy Glow instinctively clung to Flurry Heart, needily holding onto her and sobbed into the smaller pony's neckfur.

They both weathered the storm of emotion for what felt like days. The entire experience was a miserable blur that tormented them both for so very long. Just as Flurry started to feel like even her determination and burning heart was about to break under the torrent of horrid emotions, did Cozy Glow look up to her with tear-stained eyes and whisper, "Thank you... Whoever you are..." before they both felt the world around them begin to wash away...