Waking Up

by Betty_Starlight

Chapter 10: Turnabout

And then, after I woke up and used the bathroom, I went to do the unthinkable… I went to go check on Fluttershy!

I think it might be better if this castle had room numbers, like in a hotel? I think to myself as I’m floating down the hall…

She’s further in the back, away from the stairwell….

I float up to her door and wrap on it with my hoof… BAM! BAM! BAM!

I hear a feminine, squeaky voice say from inside, “Uh, who is it?”

“It’s me! I’m down the hall, remember?”

“Oh uh um, come on in Cozy!”

I sigh and again, wonder why I’m doing this, before silently gollying to myself and opening the door with my hoof to float in…

I see the room is practically untouched since she started living in here yesterday. The bed isn’t even messed up as I see the yellow pegasus mare staring at me with big blue eyes as she says, “Hiya Cozy! Did you rest well?” with a concerned frown on her muzzle.

I’m floating in the air and stationary, and I sigh, “Oh, golly gee, I sure did Fluttershy! You know, all that flying between cities really takes it out of me! How did you sleep?” I say, before widening my eyes and silently wondering if I truly care? I don’t know what these feelings are inside me…

“U-um, mostly! I uh, kinda wish I had a stuffed friend or something to snuggle, though?”

I blink, “You know, I got like, twenty stuffed animals in my room now… Would you like a couple of mine?” and widen my eyes expectantly at her… Huh?

“You’d do that for me, Cozy? Really?”

Wait, what? Why do I care? “Well, sure Fluttershy! I mean, you were just released from stone and uh, I kinda know what that’s like!” I nod, “Lemme guess! You feel alone and isolated, right?”

She frowns, “Well, actually, yeah, I kinda do!”

I move my head closer to her, “Would you like a hug, Fluttershy?” before thinking, AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! Why am I talking like this?

“Well um, if you don’t mind?”

And then, without missing a beat, I float down towards the small pegasus and lovingly embrace her in my hooves… I suddenly start to wonder if I mind?

I hear her purring… “Mmmmm… This is nice…” She squeaks…

I finally release her to float and stare at her from a couple of feet away, “Alright Fluttershy, now I’ll be in my room down the hall, if you need anything, okay? The butler will probably be around to take my breakfast order soon?”

“Where’s Twilight?” The confused looking pegasus asks…

I decide not to tell her that Twilight is probably chugging a little vodka to take the edge off. I don’t think she got quite hammered enough last night to justify another throw up ritual though? I say, “Uh, I’m not sure? But if you just hang out here, I can go get her for you!”

Her eyes widen and sparkle, “Oh, please do Cozy Glow! I really want to see my friend again!”

Oh, golly! I smile, “I’ll be right back!”

<*****>

And so, I fly to the throne room, while muttering to myself and thinking…

Okay, the spell is forcing me to behave correctly! That’s the only explanation…

Still don’t know what it is I exactly feel about Fluttershy when I stare at her though? Could it be, empathy?

I know what it’s like to just wake out of stone and the first couple of days are so disorienting!

Oh, here I am!

I stare at the door while floating there, “Twilight! Put the booze away! It’s time to go see Fluttershy!”

“Uh, what?” I hear a female voice scream from the room in front of me.

“I said use mouthwash! It’s time to go see Fluttershy!”

“Alright! Just one more shot!”

… Oh, golly…

<*****>

Twilight burps! And then stares at the small yellow pegasus sitting across from her at the small purple dinette set, “So uh, what have you been up to, Fluttershy?”

The yellow pegasus on my right widens her blue eyes, “Oh, uh, you mean, after I came out of stone?”

Twilight frowns, “Well, I’m sure your life was pretty boring before that point?”

Fluttershy starts, “Oh, um, well, I had these five friends and uh, you were one of them actually… “ and kinda trails off in her sentence…

“Well, I know that!”

I have a song in my head about clowns and jokers when I finally open my muzzle, “Me and Fluttershy are friends now!” thinking that’ll at least get Twilight’s drunk mind on something specific and take the heat off Fluttershy… *

“Twilight widens her violet eyes and lazily turns them my direction… She’s had a couple… “Oh, that’s wonderful Cozy Glow! So you have your first real friend after your release from stone!”

I stare at the alicorn, “I thought we were friends?”

Twilight starts this time, before saying, “Well, yes! But I meant somepony you weren’t forced to be with!”

“Discord practically squished me and Fluttershy together with his selfish and reckless actions!” I matter-of-factly state! “And you know, Hyacinth also exists!”

Twilight frowns, sighs, and says authoritatively, “Cozy! You are friends with Fluttershy now, and that’s a good thing! Understand?”

I blink and stare at her blankly, “Oh, golly! Right! Of course!” before nodding.

“So um, that is to say, I er, what did you want to do now Twilight?” Fluttershy timidly interjects.

She turns her neck to the other pegasus and widens her eyes, “Well, how about a drink to celebrate?”

Fluttershy frowns at the alicorn, “It’s nine o’clock in the morning!”

“Nine seventeen, technically!” I say while staring at the clock across the table from me…

Fluttershy widens her eyes and leans forward, “Are you okay, Twilight?”

Twilight widens her eyes to Fluttershy, “What? Me? Never better! Why do you ask?” and smiles nervously…

Fluttershy sighs, “Oh, uh, I don’t know? It’s probably nothing!”

“What is it, Fluttershy?”

“I uh, I don’t know Twilight? I mean, I know you’re Twilight Sparkle and I know you’re my friend…” Fluttershy nods, “And I like you as a friend and everything, but um, well… You don’t seem like the same mare I used to know? I can’t put my hoof on it, but you just seem different somehow?”

I finally speak up, “Well, it’s been years! Uh, maybe you two should, I don’t know? Hang out and do stuff together? Uh, how about a nice quiet game of miniature golf! Yes!” and smile, “Doesn’t that sound like fun, Fluttershy?” before turning right towards the yellow pegasus, grinning at her, and wondering where that idea came from?

Twilight smiles at Fluttershy, “That sounds like a lovely idea! What do you think, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy widens her eyes at the alicorn, “Oh, um, I guess that sounds okay?”

<*****>

So, I start to read a fantasy novel to kill time, while Fluttershy and Twilight have a day of fun together!

I must’ve read the same sentence starting the first paragraph 4 or 5 times as I blinked and just kept thinking about Twilight…

What if she gets drunk while they’re out?

What if she goes through some kinda crazy withdrawal sickness since she can’t get to booze?

What if Fluttershy catches Twilight sneaking off with some gin?

These thoughts and many others kept encircling my mind and after painstakingly reading the first chapter about an earth pony stallion knight and a powerful unicorn enchantress meeting, I decided to play solitaire instead!

Strange! I keep getting the ace of diamonds in the first draw!

Playing the black 3 on a red 4 and then putting the ace in the bunker was a simple matter…

What if Twilight screams at Fluttershy because she’s going through withdrawal?

Ugh! I can’t get these thoughts out of my mind!

I blink and finally just admit to myself… Gee, I sure am worried about Twilight and Fluttershy…

I uh, I guess on some level, I actually do care about them?

Why though? What do they really do for me? This doesn’t make sense!

Why should I care about anypony?

And then, without warning, the unthinkable happened…

Fluttershy didn’t knock! My door swung open to reveal an annoyed looking, albeit small yellow pegasus mare behind it with a disgruntled frown on her muzzle and a somewhat disheveled looking pink mane on her head who then says at a slightly elevated volume, “I am so PEEVED right now!” before widening her azure eyes and covering her mouth with her right forehoof…

I stare at her, “Oh, golly! What happened?”

“Oh, we just got into an argument about Rainbow Dash! I told her she shouldn’t talk about dead ponies like that!”

I frown, “Well, what did she say?” … I guess I do care? Maybe? Sorta?

“She said that Rainbow Dash was always late towards the end of her life!”

“Even if that’s true, what difference does it make now?”

“Well, she’s dead and Twilight shouldn’t talk about her like that!”

I’m silent for a moment as my mind processes this and determines what’s really going on here… This isn’t about Twilight at all! “Well um, do you need to talk about Dash or any other friends you had earlier? Uh, your dead friends uh, your friends who have passed on I mean?” before blinking at her as I suddenly go into therapy mode.

Fluttershy pouts slightly, “Dash was always just, just so brash and sure of herself! And I-I wasn’t… I still miss her though… “Fluttershy blinks and that’s when it started…

I take a step back as the waterworks start!

“They were all so awful, but I loved them anyway!”

I frown, “Rarity and Twilight are still around you know?”

She stops crying and sniffs, “Um, y-yes! That’s true!”

“Well, Rarity probably won’t be around for much longer, but you’ll still have me and Twilight!”

Fluttershy frowns, “I don’t think I’ve spoken to Rarity since I was unfrozen?”

“Uh, technically no, but we’ll have to arrange that later, won’t we? I don’t think she even knows you’re back!”

Fluttershy appears to be deep in thought…

I finally ask the obvious question, “What are you thinking about Fluttershy?”

She frowns, “Well, we probably shouldn’t ask Discord to make her young again, should we?”

My eyes widen, “Oh, golly no! Ponies need to die at their appointed times!” I blink and lean forward, “R-right?”

Her eyes widen as her mouth narrows, “W-well, that’s right! It’s true that everypony has a time that they really NEED to die!”

Suddenly, we both hear a whimsical masculine voice say at a high volume, “Your wish is my command!”

… Oh, Golly!

Me and the yellow mare stare at each other with enormous eyes…

Well, on the bright side, Fluttershy still doesn’t know Twilight’s a raging alcoholic! R-right?

(To be continued… )

Author's Note:

*I’m a classic rock fan, therefore, Cozy Glow is a classic rock fan… The only real difference between us is, one of us knows it.

Comments

[Kichi]

And so, Cozy should learn to maintain her mouth shut to avoid giving the draconequs ideas