Chapter 1

A small figure flew across the night sky.

“If yer lookin’ for someone that could help, that home on the top of that hill there has a pony in it. One with a horn if I recall correctly.”

The words Spike heard minutes ago rang in his head. He hoped the deer didn’t pull a fast one on him.

He stared at the two-story house in the distance. Sitting on top of a hill, it was an ordinary brick home with a chimney. Colorful potted flowers sat on the window sills outside. Beside the front door were two bushes. The lights were on, and the chimney allowed smoke to escape. It was definitely occupated.

Spike landed at the front of the building. He was moments away from knocking when he heard a particular sound. It was a pleasant noise, as the strings of a violin usually were. The one playing knew how to craft a piece. It was energetic yet controlled. It felt that something could burst out at any moment and cause chaos. Methodic as it was, he was almost entranced enough to forget to knock.

Clearing his throat, he knocked on the door.

The music stopped, and he heard tiny hoof steps approaching afterward.

A twist of the knob later, and he met the face of Cozy Glow.

Putting on a shocked look, he blurted out, “Cozy Glow? What are you doing here?”

She, like him, looked surprised to see him, staring him up and down. “So far outside of Equestria and you’re asking me that question?”

After another quick look at him, her surprised look turned into seriousness.

Spike took notice of her magic once she grabbed him with it, pulling him inside and shutting the door. He landed in the middle of the room on his back. Luckily, the cyan backpack he wore cushioned his fall.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him. It sounded more like a demand.

Spike looked up at her, his eyes softening. He sighed. “Looking for help.”

“Help for what?” she asked.

“Help for Equestria.”

She opened her mouth, ready for another quick reply, but shut it.

“It’s… a long story,” Spike said, getting off the ground.

Cozy stared at him for a few seconds. She didn’t sense any dishonesty from Spike.

Sighing, she gestured to the other room with her head.

Spike followed Cozy Glow into the next room. He immediately recognized it as the kitchen.

“Want a drink?” she asked.

“That would be nice.” Spike sat at the small table of four, waiting in front of the kitchen.

Seconds later, Cozy sat opposite him, placing two glasses of water on the table.

“This is a nice and quiet village you have here.”

Cozy nodded.

“And that song was beautiful.”

Her eyes widened for a moment. She had no idea people could hear from outside.

“T-thanks,” she said, taking a sip of her water using scarlet magic to hold the glass.

The last time he saw her, she was an ordinary pegasus. Seeing her use magic was so bewildering.

“So, you were saying? Equestria is in danger or something?”

“That’s putting it lightly.” Spike’s small smile vanished. “I fled Equestria. And I’m here searching for help.”

She nodded in understanding. “I thought Chrysalis and Tirek would have been the final threat you guys faced. At least for a while anyway. It should have scared the other villains away.”

“Yeah, we thought so too.” He gave out a sad sigh. “Unfortunately, we didn’t see it coming.”

He then looked at her, staring into her scarlet eyes, interested in her reaction to what he had to say. “Speaking of Chrysalis and Tirek, they were actually helping us this time.”

Cozy’s jaw dropped. “What?”

Spike nodded. “We were really desperate. Chrysalis reformed during the fight when she found out she still cared for her hive despite what they believed in.”

“And did Tirek reform?”

He nodded. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

She narrowed her eyes in confusion.

He took the signal and smiled. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

It only served to make her even more confused.

“Long story short, Tirek admired Scootaloo’s determination. Even though she couldn’t fly, she still picked herself up after a fall and still kept moving forward.”

Cozy looked deep in thought, racking her brain for all the possibilities. “Well, Tirek did admire strength. I guess seeing someone able to keep going despite their strength inspired him. It’s a different type of strength to keep pushing yourself.”

Spike smiled, remembering those recent memories, before it also disappeared when the next set of them came to fruition. “They… also got defeated.”

Coming out of her thoughts, she turned to him again, her expression unreadable.

“We didn’t even know until it was too late,” Spike said with a shake of his head.

Cozy raised a brow at him, leaning a bit closer. “How did Twilight lose?”

He sighed. “He targeted Twilight’s biggest weakness.”

Thinking for a moment, Cozy came to a conclusion. “Her friends.”

Spike nodded with a frown. “There are two of them. One called herself Nylar, the Rogue Spirit. The other was Antlerius, the Lost Judge. They’re both powerful creatures from beyond Equestria.”

“Hm.” Cozy furrowed her brows. “Never heard of them.”

“No one did. That’s why they threw everyone off guard. Fluttershy was the first. She thought they were innocent majestic creatures before the two of them sucked her and Discord into the Space Between Worlds.”

She dropped her glass on the table. “Wait, hold up. Space Between Worlds?” Cozy asked.

“Yeah. That’s what Starswirl told us anyway. They have the seal to that place, and while both of them are still tough as is, that’s how they were able to sneak around undetected. One by one, our friends and anyone else unlucky enough were sent there.”

Spike’s voice was getting shaky, and he took a second to take a big gulp of water.

Taking a deep breath, he continued. “It was too late when Twilight and I caught wind of what was happening. Rainbow Dash managed to get to the throne room and warm us, but at that exact moment she was captured too. We were running out of options, so Twilight asked Tirek and Chrysalis for help. Offering them their freedom.”

Spike sighed and rested his forehead on his hands. “Twilight managed to hold them off, but it only slowed the process down. They just defeated her in battle and captured her too. I don’t even know where to begin in trying to save everyone.”

He lifted his head, eyes pointed at Cozy Glow with a shimmer of hope. “Maybe you have something in mind?”

Cozy’s unreadable expression turned firm. “I’m sorry, Spike. I’m not a hero.”

“You don’t need to be a hero to do the right thing,” Spike said.

“I left all of that behind. Equestria means nothing to me now. I’ve given up on it.”

Spike raised his brows. “What do you mean?”

Cozy closed her mouth, choosing not to reply.

“In fact, why didn’t you attack Canterlot with Chrysalis and Tirek? They were really mad when you were nowhere to be found.”

She shrugged. “I had my reasons.”

Spike stared at her for a second and left it at that. He wanted to push forward, but didn't wish to make her angry.

The awkward sounds of kitchen ambiance filled the room as Spike kicked his legs back and forth in a lack of patience. On the other side of the table, the calculating filly seemed lost, deep in her thoughts. He didn’t know if that was dangerous or not.

“So how is this village?” he asked, eager to slice the silence.

Cozy perked up. “Hm? Oh, this village isn’t bad. No one wants to be your friend but no one is out to get you either.”

“That’s nice I suppose. A decent middle ground.”

“Yeah.”

“It sounds to me like you picked that on purpose.”

Cozy lifted her gaze. He was staring at her with accusation.

“Might of been,” was all she said.

Spike’s expression softened. He expected Cozy to be more… challenging to talk to. “You said you weren’t a hero, but will you really turn a blind eye like that? You have the power to save everyone. Including your old friends.”

Cozy rolled her eyes, saying bluntly, “They never considered me a friend.”

“And how do you know that?” Spike retorted. “Even if they didn’t think so before, they’ve turned a new leaf. They think about things differently now. Both of them probably miss you.”

She chuckled softly, shaking her head. “At most I was annoying to them.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, compared to them I was just a regular boring filly.”

“Yet they shared Grogar’s magic with you.”

Cozy blinked. Why did they do that? They could have used the bell on themselves and ignored her protests. There was nothing she could have done if they chose that path. It was the logical route as well. They would have gotten a little more power to top themselves off. The entire state of the world could have changed from that choice alone. But instead, they treated her as an equal.

“I guess…”

But when did that start happening? Was it when the three of them worked together to acquire the bell? Or was it when they infiltrated Canterlot Castle? Sure, she helped out, but that was when they needed her. Chrysalis didn’t need her to hide the bell. Tirek didn’t need her to start the spell to activate it. The moment they had their hooves on the Bewitching Bell, her role wasn’t needed. Surely they saw that, right? Sure, they weren’t geniuses, but they weren’t numbskulls either. That could only mean they trusted her.

“I guess they did.”

Looking up, she saw Spike giving a warm smile at her. Still, her frown held firm.

She got up from her seat and said, “I’ve got some errands to run. You can stay here if you’d like.” She then made her way out the room.

“I can help,” Spike said, hopping out of his chair and chasing her to the living room.

“No.” Cozy turned to him with a stern look. “I’m fine.”

Spike raised his claws in defeat, and she left without another word. Once she was out, he sighed and walked to the front window. Taking a seat on it, he stared outside as the sun moved to its peak at the pace of a snail. It was taunting him. He wished Twilight was still kicking so she could make it night already. His body felt pretty tired from all the flying. A nap may suffice.

Getting comfy, he drifted off to a slumber.

A couple hours later, Cozy Glow entered through the front door with a couple of baskets.

Spike opened his eyes and yawned.

Cozy Glow stared at him for a second before shutting the front door. Using her magic, she carried the baskets to the kitchen.

Curious, Spike followed her to the kitchen and watched as she took out what looked like groceries. At first, he thought she would make dinner, but then she pulled out smaller containers of steaming apple oats.

“Want some?” she asked when she noticed him staring. “I don’t have any gems though.”

Spike smiled. “Still better than eating last minute evacuation food.”

The two ate in complete silence, the only thing said was Cozy giving him permission to stay the night. Spike took the offer with a grateful smile, not having slept under a warm roof in quite a while.

After that meal, the sky was getting darker. Cozy headed upstairs for bed while Spike took the couch. He laid still for a good while, thinking about the future of Equestria. He wondered how Twilight and their friends were holding up, hoping they were alright. After pondering for some time, his mind came across Cozy Glow.

That filly fascinated him. She acted nothing like other foals their age. He could say she was more mature than a lot of adults. She was able to live on her own without supervision just fine. Even Twilight would struggle to do such a thing without him around. But their lives were different, he supposed.

Some time passed until he fell asleep again after what seemed like an hour. That nap he had made it challenging. Thankfully, he was still able to nod off.

It was all peaceful and quiet in the middle of the night. Spike’s slumber was going just fine, all until he got disturbed by some unknown noise.

He woke up with some groaning, sitting up and looking around with a perked eyebrow.

The sharp noise wasn’t coming from outside. No, he could detect it coming from upstairs. He wondered what Cozy was doing up there.

Stretching, he sat still for a while as the noises continued. It sounded like when Twilight would be practicing some new spell, except he didn't hear any magic. There was a lot of banging.

With no sign of it stopping any time soon, curiosity got the better of him in a minute. Before he knew it, he was making his way up the stairs to the second floor.

Of the three rooms on the second floor, only one was lit. He made his way to the slightly-opened bedroom door and peeked through the gap.

The first thing apparent was the complete mess in the room. All around, broken pieces of items lay about. Furniture, a night lamp, even a vase wasn’t spared.

In the middle of the disaster, Cozy Glow stood wobbling a tad. When she turned, he immediately saw the bags under her eyes. She looked exhausted.

“They don’t need me…” he heard her murmur.

She took a couple of steps forward, almost tripping and landing flat on her face before quickly catching herself.

Spike’s eyes widened in complete shock as she lit her horn and brought something up to her lips.

“...Better off without me,” she slurred.

Spike entered the room without hesitation. Cozy turned to him after a slow response time, not startled.

“Cozy!” he yelled in shock. “Were you- Are you drinking?!”

“Yeah!” she hiccuped. “He wouldn’t shuddup!”

As soon as she said that, she went for another drink from the glass bottle.

His shocked look turned into a glare. Reaching forward with a glowing claw, he yanked the bottle out of her grasp with green magic.

“You shouldn’t be drinking!”

She groaned for a moment. “Sooooo what? You’re not-” she stopped the half-finished sentence with a burp.

Looking up at her horn, Spike saw a ring around its base. It must be dampening her magic. He deduced it was a precaution.

Frowning, he walked up to her side and helped her across the room. “Time for bed.”

Gritting her teeth, she yelled, “Shut up, Sky!” A second later, she tried pulling herself away from Spike. “Hey, screw you, asshole! D’you juzz toush every filly you see?!”

Spike ignored her.

“Why d’you care? Nooo one cares!”

He eased her onto the princess-sized bed, laying her down as gently as he could.

“Go to sleep, Cozy,” he said.

She shifted in place before closing her eyes and saying at the bottom of her breath, “Mmmmm… Kay...”

Despite how wrong this was, he couldn’t help but think that was cute.

It was silent for about a minute. All Spike needed to do was make sure she was asleep before leaving for the couch. Out of all the things he could have expected to see today, seeing a filly drink alcohol was not one of them.

She opened her eyes, grabbing his attention. “Do youu hade me? Everyone hates me.”

Freezing up, Spike didn’t know how to respond to that. It was in a much softer tone as well.

“I’m sorry,” she continued. “I di’in mean t’ make you mad, I juzz wanted magic gone. Magic fuckin’ sucks.”

Cozy Glow began to close her eyes again, moments from falling asleep. Spike took this time to glance at the near empty bottle, and right at the front of it was a shocking ninety percent alcohol label.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she would be dead by now if it weren’t for the fact she was an alicorn. But as sad as it was, maybe that was the point.

They were around the same age, but the drink would barely affect him because he was a dragon with a high-temperature body. According to Twilight, it was the heat in his stomach acid or something like that.

His train of thought stopped once her peaceful snores filled his ears. It was almost manipulative. Leaning forward, he draped the accompanying blanket over her.

With slow steps, he walked out of the bedroom, holding the nasty beverage tight. Closing the door, he allowed Cozy Glow to sleep in peace.

The sun’s rays peered through the curtains of the bedroom. Like a magical scanner, the rays between the curtains changed angles as the glowing orb rose from the horizon. It took a while, but eventually, the light found its way right into Cozy’s resting face.

Scrunching her eyelids, Cozy Glow groaned and turned to face the other side of her room. Unfortunately, at this point she was already awake.

At least the throbbing in her head were only mere whispers now. She would describe it more like an ant was trying to grab her attention. She couldn’t even make out what they were saying.

Groaning again, she laid on her back and rubbed her eyes with both hooves. Just then, an odd but delightful scent entered her nostrils. It was Spike no doubt, she thought. Sighing, she kicked off her covers and sat up straight.

She couldn’t remember anything from last night after she downed the first couple of bottles. Looking to the corner of her room, the glass shards were still littered in a group.

Did Spike wake up last night? She couldn’t remember. She didn’t care to remember. If he saw her in such a terrible state, so what? It was none of his business.

Well, she had to admit she'd rather keep some things a secret. No one had ever been around to tell her if she was talkative while drunk. She hoped she wasn’t.

She grabbed the ring around her horn with both hooves and pulled it off with little struggle. Then she tossed it to the side of her bed.

Rubbing her head, she left the comfort of her bed and exited her room. The sweet smell in the air only got more discernible.

When she got to the kitchen, Spike was quick at work, hovering in the air using his wings.

He turned to her with a small smile. “Morning!”

Cozy stared at him for a flat second. “Morning.” Her tone was dull.

“You’re just in time! The pancakes are ready.”

She didn’t want to ask how long it took him to find all the ingredients. His voice was already making her head pound enough.

While Spike set the plates of double-stacked pancakes on the table, Cozy sat in one of the chairs.

The first thing to surprise her today was Spike taking the seat to her left, sitting closer to her than yesterday.

A few seconds went by as he placed a fork and knife in front of Cozy and himself. By the way he did it slowly, one utensil at a time, she knew he was stalling.

“So, um…” he began. “About last night.”

She was about to use a smart remark. Something along the lines of, “What about last night?” Instead, she paused before doing so, thinking maybe she was giving him a hard time while she was blackout drunk.

“Yeah… Sorry,” she said. “I don’t even remember what hap-”

“How long have you been drinking for?”

His tone was stern. When she looked at him, he stared back with a scolding look like a parent or sibling would give.

Frowning and furrowing her brows, she replied, deciding to use a smart remark this time. “Does it matter?”

This time, Spike blinked and turned quiet. When he thought about it, she was right. It didn’t matter how far back this problem began.

“Well, do you have an idea of why you started?”

Cozy rolled her eyes. “It’s none of your business.”

What surprised Spike more was her flat tone. Maybe the hangover was the reason.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he said, digging into his pancakes.

Cozy kept her quiet frown for a second. Then, she picked up the fork with her magic and followed suit. “You can’t win me over with food,” she said, remembering why he was here in the first place.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His tone was playful.

She ignored it, swallowing her first mouthful. “These pancakes are good.”

Spike smiled. “Thanks. Breakfast fit for a princess.”

Cozy Glow didn’t reply to that.

“Do you usually have good breakfast?” he asked.

“Yeah, I mean…” She took another bite and quickly swallowed. “When you have something good made for you it feels nice, ya know?”

Spike chuckled. “I hear ya. The Canterlot Castle chefs sure have the magic touch. But I’ve been Twilight’s assistant for the longest time so I know my way around the kitchen too. Do you make your own breakfast?”

“Every day. I can make my own stuff too. Yesterday I was feeling lazy.”

“Is that the reason you wanted to be Empress?”

Cozy went silent, staring at him for a moment. Her expression was unreadable.

Spike thought for a second that Cozy was about to pounce on him then and there. But a second later, she’s staring at her plate in deep thought. It seemed to be a bad thing to mention.

“S-sorry…”

Cozy nodded. “It’s fine.”

Awkwardness seemed to be the most popular between the two of them. It feels like that’s all it’s ever been since Spike arrived.

The two ate in silence, both enjoying the breakfast. After they finished, Cozy levitated their dishes to the kitchen sink.

When Spike went over and started cleaning them, she said, “You can stop trying to convince me to come.”

“It’s just common courtesy,” Spike replied with a smile. “As a guest I should at least help out. But right after this I’ll be heading out.”

Cozy stared at him for a moment. Clenching her teeth under her closed mouth, she hovered beside Spike and started assisting him. “I meant that I’ve already decided to come.”

Spike nearly dropped the plate he was scrubbing. “W-what? Really?”

“Yeah, well…” She took a fork and ran it under the water. “I might as well stretch my wings a little. I’ve been in this village longer than I would like to be. And despite what I said…” Her expression turned soft. “I do appreciate you taking care of me last night and making me breakfast.”

“It was nothing,” Spike said. “I just did what I thought was right I guess.” He stared at her as she washed a butter knife. “That still doesn’t seem like a good enough reason.”

She sighed, putting the knife in the draining board.

“I was… thinking. Last night before I started drinking, I mean. You were right about turning a blind eye. Even if I put all of that behind me, I couldn’t just abandon an entire country when I could help. It’s just… would they even want to be saved by me?”

Spike raised a brow. “What kind of question is that? Of course they would! They’d be grateful!”

“Or suspicious,” Cozy retorted. “They’d probably think I only saved them for the reward or to get on their good side.”

“Come on, Cozy! You know Twilight! She’d be the one to give you a chance even if no one else would.”

She turned to him with a frown. “Is that why she didn’t even bother to try after I was sent to Tartarus?”

Spike went silent. Unable to come up with something to say to that.

She sighed. “Forget it. But after we save them, I’m coming back here.”

She received a sad look from Spike as she walked off to head upstairs. However, before leaving the kitchen, she turned to him again. “Sorry if I sound unsympathetic, but according to what you said, no one's in danger so we can take our time heading back. What are those guys even doing there?”

“They said it was their birthright to rule Equestria. They were going to ‘transform’ it. Whatever that means. Anyway, I don’t want to dilly dally. Our friends need our help.”

“Your friends,” Cozy corrected. “And it’s not ‘dilly dallying.’ We wouldn’t be doing the world a favor if we tried to save Equestria while exhausted.”

Spike stiffened before nodding. “I-I guess so.”

Her features softened, knowing he was worried about everyone he loved. It was understandable, but she said nothing more about the matter. Hovering to the floor, she began walking to the kitchen exit. “I’ll go pack some things. It wasn’t the healthiest breakfast before a journey, but thank you.”

“No problem.” Spike watched her leave. He was happy that her thanks were genuine.

Finishing the last of the dishes, he went to the bag he left in the living room. Rummaging through it, he devised a mental list of things they would need during their journey back.

Just then, he felt a very familiar hot sensation in his stomach.

Seconds later, he burped out what seemed to be a makeshift scroll. It was a different material instead of a professional royal scroll like usual.

His heart jumped as he recognized this material, one Rarity often used with her clothes. But why would Celestia send him a message through this?

But then, a thought occurred to him. During the initial attack, Twilight sent a letter to the former Princesses asking for their help. But they never managed to get a reply.

Picking up the fabric scroll, he unrolled it.

Dear Spike,

This is Twilight Sparkle from the Space Between Worlds. Magic is scarce here, and by using the last of our combined magic, Celestia managed to send this letter to you. We don’t even know if it will work, but there’s nothing else we can try. If you get this message, it may be the last one we can send.

I’m writing to wish you good luck. I wish we could do more from here, but unfortunately, even Discord is powerless at this point. I want to let you know that even if you can’t find a way to free us and save Equestria, I don’t want you to be hard on yourself. You’ve made me so proud, Spike. But I believe in you. So try your best to stay well.

Love,

Twilight Sparkle

There were a few more signatures of the rest of his friends at the bottom, including Celestia, Luna, and even Discord.

This grip on the letter tightened a bit. He started to shake a little bit and almost collapsed.

With a deep breath, he composed himself. It wasn’t time to get emotional. He had to stay focused and determined if they were going to succeed.

Rolling it back up, he put the letter inside his backpack before zipping it closed.

Just then, Cozy Glow entered the fray.

Spike stared at her, who now had on a light-purple saddlebag with a pink heart in the middle. He recognized it as the same one from when she attended the School of Friendship. What Spike stared at more was the light-yellow chestplate that matched the bows on her mane and tail.

“Oh, this?” Cozy looked down at her chest plate before shrugging. “It came with the alicorn magic. Decided to put it on if I’m going to fight.”

Spike widened his eyes. “Fight? Cozy, forgot to tell you, but Twilight lost to them. Tirek and Chrysalis also lost to them. We can’t fight them!”

“Uh, how strong were they?” She asked with seriousness.

Spike blinked. “Oh, I don’t know, strong enough to take down all of the defenders of Equestria?” he said, looking at her as if she had said the stupidest thing.

“Hm.” Cozy rubbed her chin. “How would you compare Tirek and Chrysalis when they fought them to when they first attacked Canterlot together?”

Spike raised a finger, ready to answer but pausing before he did. Taking a second to think, he said, “I would say about the same strength. Maybe even stronger with how Chrysalis reformed and Tirek kept lifting.”

“So about the same then?” Cozy asked herself. “How close was the fight?”

Spike shrugged. “They held their own. They lost more so because Nylar and Antlerius had really good teamwork. Plus once they used the changelings as hostages against Chrysalis she was captured pretty quickly.”

Cozy hummed to herself for a second. “Alright, so I know how we’re going to do this.”

As she began walking towards the door, Spike smiled. “You do?!”

“Remember that spell I used to try and drain all the magic?”

He nodded.

“I can focus it on the seal. Which should free everyone from that world.”

Spike’s eyes widened. “That could work, but those two wouldn’t let us do that.”

“That’s why I’ll be holding them off,” Cozy explained. “Once the spell is started you only have to make sure nothing interrupts it. That’ll be your job.”

He frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Cozy. They are pretty tough.”

Cozy Glow replied with an uncaring shrug. “We’ll see, but let’s get going.”

Spike stood there, unsure of all of this. But Cozy seemed pretty confident. If there was one thing he knew about her, she was an intelligent calculator. She wouldn’t be stupid enough to rush in just to be defeated. That confidence had to have come from somewhere. Although, there was one thing that came to mind that he had to ask.

“Are you drunk?”

Taking in his words, Cozy put on a look of offence and rolled her eyes. “Do I sound drunk to you?”

“Well, seeing as you’re not slurring half your words… I guess not.”

A slight blush appeared on Cozy Glow’s pink cheeks. She looked shocked as well. It seemed she wasn’t aware of how she spoke while drunk.

Sighing, she turned to the exit of her home and said, “Let’s go.”

The former ruler of Equestria fell to her knees, panting and sweating.

“Celestia!” Twilight yelled, running to her side and helping her up.

“I’m fine,” the white, tall alicorn said. “That took a lot out of me.”

They stood in a contained space. It was a void filled with stardust everywhere, making it bright.

All around, various creatures lounged, either bored out of their minds or worried. It had been a week for some and longer for others. Thankfully, time seemed to stop for them. They didn't need rest or food. Everyone was fine as long as that was true.

Celestia turned to two others, a centaur and a changeling. “Thank you for helping us reach Spike.”

The buff Tirek nodded without a sound. A tall, reformed, light-blue changeling with beautiful wings did the same.

Together, they all raised their heads at the floating magical orb, which showed Spike as he closed his bag. A second later, Cozy Glow, who shocked them all yesterday, entered the fray.

Chapter 2

View Online

The breeze on her face. The view is below. The way everything zipped past her. That feeling of being free. Her head was clear. All of her worries were gone. In this beautiful moment, nothing mattered.

“It’s been a while since I’ve soared like this.”

The two flew a few feet apart, high in the air at moderate speeds. Above, they passed many trees of a forest below. While Spike had his fists forward, Cozy relaxed her legs at her sides.

Spike looked at her with an eyebrow raised. Even though her smile was small, it was a delight to see. “How come?”

Cozy shrugged. “Preoccupied, I guess.”

“What did you do to pass time in your village?” Spike asked.

Cozy Glow thought for a moment, humming to herself. “Nothing much, really.”

Spike looked taken aback. “Really? How did you not get bored?”

She looked back at him. “Work, cooking, and sleeping takes a lot out of the day.”

“Oh, what about that music you were playing?”

She looked stunned momentarily before looking back at the space before them. “Sure. That’s a hobby, I guess.”

The way she answered was weird, Spike thought. There was more to it, but he wasn’t one to pry.

Then, she perked up. “I also studied magic.”

“Oh, really? How much?”

“Well… technically, I’ve been studying it for most of my life, but I finally get to implement it because I have a horn now. I learned this Magic Mirror spell most recently. It can deflect magic itself.”

“Cool!” Spike said with a smile.

“I can also use a tougher, rock-solid version of magic. I can use it to make tools or weapons.” Lighting her horn, a long scarlet rod appeared in a matter of a second. She twirled it in the air.

Spike’s jaw opened. “That must be pretty useful.”

Cozy nodded with a smile before charging her horn and disappearing with a spark.

She reappeared on the other side of Spike.

“I can also teleport now, which is nice. But the best thing I’ve accomplished was learning a healing spell. But I’ve practiced with it enough that I’m positive it’s the most efficient healing spell ever developed in history.”

Spike widened his eyes.

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though.”

Spike raised his brows, a smile on his face. “Wow. You pretty good with magic for a filly who was only a pegasus once.”

With a light chuckle, Cozy took her gaze downward. “Magic is pretty neat,” she said. Her smile slowly dropped. “But it’s also dangerous.”

Spike frowned, looking at her. She was deep in thought.

“Is that why you tried to remove magic from Equestria?”

Cozy Glow replied with a slight nod and nothing more.

“Great,” Spike thought. “I made it awkward again.”

After that, the two didn’t talk much for the rest of their flight. While the getaway was peaceful, it was just as uninteresting. At least they had the scenery to look at. The different areas of land they passed were a pretty sight. Mountains here, grass plains there, there were a couple small villages a little ways away from their path, but they didn’t bother stopping.

Soon, the sun had gotten close enough to the horizon that the sky was orange.

“We should set up camp,” Spike said.

Cozy nodded, and the two descended into the forest below.

The forest had that fresh smell, flooding with nature. The sight was also evident. Even at night, the moonlight peaking through the gaps in the trees was a pretty sight.

They found a nice spot between some trees. It provided the cover from both the harmful creatures that could be lurking around and the moonlight.

Once their sleeping bags were set up, Spike made a quick fire with some wood and his fire breath.

Meanwhile, Cozy brought over a fallen tree log so the two could sit down.

She removed her chest plate, leaving it on the ground beside her saddlebag.

Spike stared at it. “It looks cool on you,” he said.

“Thanks,” she replied dryly.

They took some food from their bags and ate as the sun left them for the night.

The fire cracked and kept strong as the two relaxed. Spike had to admit after a full day of flying, taking a break didn’t sound insane. Cozy was right about them not exhausting themselves. All he had on his mind was freeing the others, but if he made such a simple mistake, he would have never forgiven himself.

Cozy was always right, it seemed. Or always spoke through logic. When he thought about it, it was pure luck that they stopped her from draining all the magic. Sure, the school stopped her, but as a filly with no powers, she came real close. Twilight and the others only managed to catch wind of her because of Tirek. Perhaps she trusted him too much back then.

Cozy Glow rarely made mistakes. She was by far one of the most intelligent creatures period, let alone compared to other kids their age.

He was around the same age as her, a year older at best. Even so young, Spike found himself mature for his age, but he had to give the gold medal to her. Other fillies and colts he knew acted nothing like them. They went to school, played at the playground, and did stupid or silly things. They acted like foals.

Spike had been Twilight’s assistant since he was smart enough to read and write. He knew most, if not all, of Equestrian law. He's written in more royal documents than he could count, and been a part of significant developments in Equestria. He would even be written in the history books for future students.

Being surrounded by intelligent and royal ponies does that to a dragon.

Heck, he was a Royal Advisor now. Basically, a Prince if you ask Twilight Sparkle.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Cozy had also done incredible things. Though not to everyone’s liking.

She managed to manipulate Twilight and her friends to the point they were trapped in Tartarus. She almost drained all the magic out of Equestria, and nearly took over as Empress. And through all that, she was only a filly without magic.

Yeah, the two of them were some oddballs.

It made him wonder what got her so sharp. What made her goals centered on domination? Why was she like this in the first place? A filly being sent to Tartarus was unheard of! Too bad she wouldn’t open up about anything.

Looking over to Cozy Glow in question, Spike’s thoughtful look snapped to confusion.

She was nowhere to be found. Was she sleeping?

Looking over to their sleeping bags told him no. How long was he spacing out for?

Getting off the tree trunk, he surveyed his options. There was a single obvious trail leading out of their camp; it was the only path he could think of. If she wasn’t there, he’d just wait back at camp.

As he went along the trail, Spike kept asking himself why he didn’t mind his own business like Cozy told him many times before. Perhaps he was too stubborn to give up on becoming friendlier with Cozy Glow.

She was just a hard shell that would be difficult to crack open. But once he did so, maybe he could get some answers.

The trail soon came to a split of two paths. Frustrated, Spike was about to give up and head back, but he barely noticed a lake peaking through some bushes to the right.

Taking the right path, he soon came across the small lake. It was still and calming as the crickets chirped. Beside the river, she spotted her. She was like a bright lamp on a dark street, an easy one to spot.

Stepping closer, he began to see something that utterly stunned him. There, on her head, was a bird sleeping, nestled in her head like a twig nest. A couple of squirrels snuggled in her lap, and a tiny chipmunk cradled in her hooves.

After catching himself staring longer than he should have, he blushed. Shaking his head, he smiled at her. “You like nature, huh?”

Cozy nodded, trying not to move and disturb the critters. “It’s nice. When it’s not trying to eat you, that is.”

“You and Fluttershy would get along then.”

Cozy Glow shook her head. She gently carried the critters to a nearby tree using magic and let them sleep there. “Nah. While talking with them is cool, I keep my hooves off nature.”

Spike tilted his head. “It’s not a bad thing.”

“I’m not saying it is. It’s just a preference. I’d rather it be untouched. Too bad magic is indifferent. Did Celestia or Twilight ever tell you that wild magic corrupted timber and made the Timberwolves a long time ago?”

“Wait, really? I thought they were always a thing.”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Celestia first thought it was some sort of blessing for them. Magic can create life, but then the thing they create can destroy. Timberwolves disrupt the ecosystem. They aren’t even able to be tamed. Thankfully, after years of being alive, they haven’t disturbed it to the point that we’d have to worry.”

“Wow… I had no idea.”

“It’s fine,” Cozy said with a shrug. “The common creature doesn’t care to learn about that stuff. I only learned about that when I was studying magic, and they popped into my head randomly.”

“Why did you start to study magic?” Spike asked with a curious look. “Or, ya know, why did you try and remove it?”

Cozy Glow stared at him for a moment. “Like I’ve said before, it’s none of your business.” She stood up. “It’s getting late. Let’s just head to bed.”

Spike noticed she sounded way less enthusiastic. Maybe he should just stop asking about her past.

It was now a few day’s worth of their journey back to Equestria. Every day was the same. A quiet flight straight, and barely any talk between the two besides basic chat. Spike was lucky to hear anything other than a “good morning” or “good night.” The “let’s set up camp” was his personal favorite. It was the closest thing they ever had to a conversation since their discussion about nature.

However, they agreed on a quick break about halfway through the fourth day. Something finally differed from the other days.

Cozy, a natural-born pegasus, decided to fly up into the clouds. Finding one decently sized, she laid it on top of it.

Spike hovered next to her. “Is it comfy?”

The young filly rested her chin on the cloud. “As always.”

She sighed, thinking back to her past. She would always rest on a cloud when she got the chance. She somewhat missed those days.

Her mind flashed back to a day when she and a bubblegum blue pegasus colt were sitting on a cloud.

She looked over the edge, visibly shaking as she took the significant drop.

“Don’t make me push you off the cloud.” the colt said with a laugh.

Cozy jumped up when he poked her from behind. Turning back to him with a frightened expression, she yelled, “Don’t do that!”

“I will if you don’t leap off. I told you I’d catch you. Besides, you know how to fly already!”

“Yeah, on the ground, maybe,” she said, stepping away from the edge. “You’re just lucky that he sends you out on chores all the time while I’m stuck inside!”

The colt rolled his eyes. “Just go, dummy.”

Her mind came back to the present when Spike chuckled.

“I wish I could try it. Too bad I’m not a pegasus.”

As Spike turned and began hovering to the surface, Cozy Glow stared at him briefly before saying, “Wait.”

Spike paused his descent, and Cozy flew down to him. Lighting up her horn, she shot a beam at Spike.

He got startled at first, the magic coming out of nowhere, but it was harmless. Cozy’s aura surrounded him briefly before disappearing like it was never there.

“Come on,” she said, flying back to the cloud.

By now, Spike had a good idea of what she did. Ascending to the cloud, his theory was true when he managed to stand on top of it like an actual pegasus.

“I remember Starlight testing the spell before taking my classmates on a field trip,” Cozy explained. She sat down flat on her stomach, her front hooves crossed. It resembled how a lion would rest. “It’s a pretty easy spell.”

Spike looked at her with a beaming smile. “Cozy, I don’t know if anyone has told you this, but you’re a damn prodigy!”

Cozy widened her eyes at the compliment. The blush was apparent on her cheeks.

“T-thanks…”

Spike sat cross-legged close to her, the two locking gazes. “No, really! I’ve watched many unicorns and even alicorns during my life. I’ve never seen any pony learn magic so quickly! Even Twilight took some time to learn spells.”

Breaking their eye contact, Cozy Glow looked off into the distance. “You’re over-exaggerating.”

“I’m not,” Spike said. He stopped staring at her, joining the small alicorn in looking at the vast ground. “You truly are amazing, Cozy Glow. I want you to know that.”

Cozy’s breath hitched at his words. Taking a deep, quiet breath through her nose, she calmed herself. Although, nothing could hide the heat beneath her eyes.

“Maybe it’s a bad thing. I’m dangerous.”

“It’s up to you if you are dangerous or not. Power is responsibility.”

She drew a heavy sigh. “Yeah, it sure is.”

“If it means anything, I don’t think you’re dangerous,” he said, looking at her.

To Spike’s joy, that managed to crack a small smile out of Cozy Glow.

She turned to him as well. “I’m happy to hear that, Spike,” she said. “I really am.”

The two smiled at each other. Together, they relaxed on the cloud until some time passed, and they felt rested enough.

Later during the night, the two set up camp yet again. This time, the forest they chose had a beautiful light show.

Everywhere in the clearing, fireflies flew about. Harmlessly dotting the air with their pretty lights.

As Spike started to make some food with their campfire, he stopped when he looked over to Cozy to see her by the river nearby.

Her head bent down, Cozy’s mane was dripping with water as she cleaned it with river water. Instead of cute curls, her blue strands were now long and straight. She almost looked like an entirely different pony with such a lengthy mane. If it weren’t for her freckled cheeks and alicorns, Spike would have probably mistaken her for someone else.

Spike didn’t notice he was staring like a mad dragon until Cozy returned eye contact. They stared at each other for a few seconds before they both blushed, and Spike looked away.

Seeing he was uncomfortable, Cozy said, “You can look if you want,” before continuing washing her mane.

With a bit of hesitation, Spike did just so. Watching her for a bit, he thought she looked cute like most fillies. But there was something else about her that he found joy in. He couldn’t point it out, though.

Cozy quickly finished up washing. Now, it was time for her to redo her curls. Lighting her horn, her mane enveloped with her magic glow, and slowly, it returned to its glory.

“It’s easier to do my curls with my magic,” She said, not wishing it to be awkward.

Spike smiled at that. “Magic isn’t all that bad then, huh?”

Cozy rolled her eyes with a small smile. “Ah, so we can have evil entities threaten the world every month, but it’s okay because unicorns can fix their names easier.”

“Ya know when you put it like that…” Spike chuckled.

She giggled back, causing him to grin wider.

As she continued to do her curls at a steady pace, Spike fiddled with his thumbs.

He shouldn’t ask this question, but he couldn’t help himself. “Why did you want magic gone in the first place?”

Cozy paused momentarily. Spike was sure she was about to glare at him and yell to back off. Instead, she proceeded with her curls and said, “Many reasons, I guess.”

Spike got up and sat a little closer to her. Besides her blush, Cozy Glow didn’t react.

“Luna got corrupted and turned into Nightmare Moon,” she said. “You could argue and say it wasn’t magic, but the fact that she had powerful magic made her a threat. If it wasn’t for that, it would have just been a normal quarrel between siblings. And how ironic that Luna was adamant about sending me to Tartarus. They didn’t even fucking visit or try to reform me.”

Listening to that last bit made Spike frown. She wasn’t wrong.

“Discord would have been another Pinkie Pie. Sombra is another victim of corruption. Honestly, the Changelings had me stumped for a long time, but Chrysalis told me herself it was a part of their digestive system linked to their bodies, not magic. Don’t even get me started on Tirek. His whole ‘being a major threat’ stemmed from family issues.” She paused for a moment, raising a brow at Spike. “And didn’t Starlight do something?”

“Oh.” Spike nodded and scratched the back of his neck. “She traveled back in time to stop Twilight and her friends from meeting in the first place.”

She stopped doing in curls, staring at him blankly. “What?”

“Yeah. We tried to stop her a bunch of times. Every future Twilight and I saw was worse than the last.”

Cozy Glow looked as if she was going to explode, her mane hanging limp in front of her face. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. WHAT?! I was talking about the thing back in her home village! What the fuck?! A normal unicorn learned time traveling?! Something that could change literally the entirety of everyone’s lives!?”

Spike opened his mouth to retort, but he didn’t know what to say.

“You know,” Cozy began, “It doesn’t matter how often friendship wins. All it takes is one defeat. And you know the best part? Magic leaving Equestria doesn’t really take away their friendship, does it?”

“I guess not.”

“And they thought I was insane.”

Spike frowned. She had perfect points. “You could try and talk to them. I don’t think anything will convince them to drain all of the magic, but at least they won’t think you’re crazy. And who knows? I don’t know enough about magic, but they could convince you it’s needed in Equestria.”

Cozy Glow scoffed, lighting her horn to continue her curls. “I broke out of Tartarus, which is a crime by itself. Whether it was with Discord or not doesn’t matter. I also have the knowledge and the power to remove magic from Equestria. They wouldn’t give me the light of the sun or moon. And anyway, I researched every inch about magic, and I found nothing in its favor. If every dragon, griffon, or whatever can survive without it, so can ponies.”

Spike thought that was fair. He assumed arguing with her research would be like arguing with Twilight’s. “Well, you didn’t do anything bad after you escaped Tartarus. That counts for something, right?” He scooted closer to her. “And I’ll vouch for you. If you explain everything, I’m sure they’ll understand. You might not agree with each other, but that’s a great first step at peace.”

She sighed but didn’t say anything. Instead, she finished the last few touches on her mane. A few seconds later, she was back to her usual curly self.

The two sat silently, watching the calm river and meadow behind it. The gorgeous fireflies still occupied the air, giving a light show they could relax.

“Do you still want to drain all of the magic?” Spike asked.

Cozy turned to him, but Spike kept his eyes on the fireflies like he was frightened to make eye contact.

Slowly turning back to the silent performance, she shrugged. “I wanted it gone for the sake of Equestria. But I couldn’t care less after the way it treated me.”

Spike was silent for a good while. He wondered what she meant. From his point of view, Equestria treated her fairly, just as everyone else. She was enrolled in the friendship school, met a lot of extraordinary creatures, and made some friends. She had a chance to live happily ever after. Then again, she entered Twilight’s school to enact her plan to drain her magic. So that meant something happened before they met her. She was hiding something.

He chose not to dig any further for fear of driving her away. And as she said multiple times before, it was none of his business. Even without the full context, he understood her reasonings better.

So on that note, he said, “I’m sorry.”

She widened her eyes and looked at him. “For what?”

“For not speaking up. I knew it was wrong, sending you to Tartarus so quick, but…”

“It’s fine,” Cozy said. “You’re a kid surrounded by powerful ponies. I wouldn’t expect you to speak up for someone like me.

“It didn’t stop me from speaking up for Thorax,” Spike retorted. “And I made a very good friend that day. I could have helped you, too.”

Cozy Glow stood up. “Thanks, but it’s all in the past now. Let’s get some rest.”

Spike picked himself up as well. “Sure.”

Another few days went by of uneventful flying. At least it wasn’t walking. It was still at the point in Spike’s life where he could say he lived more without wings.

Even though their journey had no action, the two young ones started talking more often. It made the days go a little faster, whether because they were too bored or they finally bonded enough.

One thing that made Spike especially cheery was that Cozy smiled more often. Her complex expressions had seemed impossible to break. Now, she let a bit of herself go, laughing at Spike’s jokes or being openly happy when she talked about something she was passionate about.

It made it a little easier to pass every day and night. Spike didn’t need to fall asleep thinking he said something wrong. However, he always held back when it came to asking questions. He would have to wait a while before trying to uncover her secrets. Of course, he only wanted to know them so he could help. Cozy’s part was simply to realize that. Spike could make that cute smile appear more often if she were more open. Maybe that was what made it difficult; Cozy Glow has trust issues.

“I’ll make dinner tonight,” Cozy told Spike while setting up his sleeping bag.

“Alright, sounds good.”

For the past few nights, Spike was the one to get food ready. Cozy probably felt obligated to take a turn.

Spike was about to start the fire when she said, “I’m going for a walk to find some water. Wanna come?”

Seconds away from breathing his fire on a bundle of sticks, Spike stopped and replied with a smile, “Oh, sure. Lead the way!”

“I think I saw some water that way before we landed.” Cozy pointed a hood in a direction.

With a nod, Spike followed Cozy Glow into the forest. He hoped they wouldn’t lose track of their camping spot, but he always had a good sense of direction.

Together, they went a little ways through the forest. While it was dark out, the moon was bright tonight. There was a slight wind, a tad chilly, but that didn’t bother them. In fact, because Spike was warmer than usual, Cozy unconsciously walked closer to him than normal. Neither of them noticed.

They hopped across rocks on top of a muddy pond, dropped a tree trunk over a deep gap to make a bridge, and climbed a rocky hill with their claws and hooves. All for the fun of it. The two had smiles painted on their faces as they looked at each other constantly.

Eventually, they reached an area that looked serene.

A waterfall surrounded by stone and boulders surrounded a clearing at the side of a hill. A long river flowed from the falls and trailed until it got lost deeper in the forest. Reflecting off the waterfall was the bright moon, which illuminated the area.

“Maybe we got too hasty picking a spot,” Spike said with a chuckle. “

Cozy giggled. “You’re right. Let’s head back to grab our stuff. And this time…” She fluttered in the air with a sly grin. “We’ll fly.”

Spike nodded with a chuckle, ascending to her level. He looked up to the moon. “Yeah, we kind of lost track of time. Looks like we were walking for about an hour now. Sounds like the smart thing to do.”

“But,” Cozy raised a hoof. “How about we race there?”

Spike raised a brow with a grin. “Sure! Sounds fun.”

“The first one back to camp wins. We’ll go through the forest since flying above the trees will be boring. The loser has to carry everything back.”

Spike nodded. “Deal.”

The both of them faced the direction of their camp with determined looks.

Cozy raised a boulder with her magic. “We start when this hits the ground. Ready?”

Spike nodded with furrowed brows.

“Alright then.”

The blue colt and her floated high above town. He held a decently-sized rock in his hooves.

“When this rock hits the ground, we’ll start, okay?”

Cozy nodded, eager to begin.

“Alright, here we go!”

The two foals dashed across town, flying above the roofs of the buildings. The finish line was their home, a busted old house near the end of town. Nopony paid them any mind as they zipped overhead, giggling and having the time of their lives.

Cozy ended up winning the race at the end.

“Wow! You’re so much better than I am!” he said.

She turned sheepish, smiling while kicking a hoof in the dirt.

The colt put on a prideful look. “Where’s my ‘thank you’ for pushing you off the clouds? If it weren’t for me, you’d never be pulling moves like that!”

She giggled. “I guess you’re right. Thanks.”

Cozy Glow dropped the large boulder.

The next few seconds were quiet and tense. Both dragon and pony stared forward, waiting eagerly for the sound of it crushing the ground. Spike squeezed his fist, and Cozy stretched her forehooves and neck.

A loud echo boomed throughout the lands.

Two figures dashed forward.

Neck and neck, the two descended into the forest, vanishing among the trees.

Spike and Cozy Glow swerved as they dodged multiple trees. As they sped through the forest, they noticed the many milestones they passed recently.

Cozy Glow knew that pegasi may be lighter than dragons, but scaly creatures were naturally faster than they were. Spike may have been a novice flier, but he wasn’t one to underestimate. Even now, he was slowly gaining a lead on her as they passed the trees. Smirking at him, she knew what was coming up.

Spike’s heart was beating fast, and he was sure Cozy’s was the same. Racing her like this was the most thrilling thing he had done since retreating from Equestria. Except this time, it was fun. With every tree he weaved, he was that much closer to beating her. Up ahead, there was a drop after a cliff. He had a good feeling Cozy knew it was also coming up quickly.

As expected, the cliff soon arrived, and with the shining moon above, the two of them dipped down to enter the forest below.

However, Spike didn’t expect to see Cozy slowly pass him with her wings closed and hooves tucked close to her sides. His mouth agape, he watched as she gained more than enough distance from him. To make matters worse, Cozy Glow flipped over and continued falling with her back facing the ground.

She stuck a tongue out at him, both nearing the ground. Then, when they were close enough, she flipped back around quickly and spread her wings, entering the lower forest. She kept her speed while falling, and she slowly gained more distance.

Spike looked on in awe. She just closed her wings for less air resistance. Something he saw rarely in comics but never thought about until now. In the heat of the moment, she thought about doing something like that? Or perhaps it was the intuition of a pegasus. Anyhow, it didn’t matter. She was ahead, and he had to find a way to catch up to her.

Streaks of purple and pink appeared in the forest as dodging trunks began once more. As a dragon, Spike was slowly catching up, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to do so fast enough.

Cozy Glow wasn’t even looking back at him. At first, Spike thought he could get a chance when she got cocky and slowed herself down, but that was something that Rainbow Dash would pull, not Cozy Glow. Thinking quickly, Spike gasped when he briefly remembered some steep hills they had to scale. He could catch up and win if he could do the same trick Cozy did.

Then he looked around. Cozy Glow was nowhere in front of him, lost in the dozens of trees. Worrying over her would just slow him down. Besides, she was an alicorn, so there wasn’t a need to worry.

Continuing forward, there was a small clearing of plain grass. He knew they first saw the clearing on their left when heading to the waterfall. That meant the steep slopes were on the left.

Following his plan, Spike took the left group of trees. After swerving through several trunks, he came across the steep slope. Grinning, he started to glide down. Tucking his wings, he held his arms close to his side, copying Cozy Glow’s pose.

The wind started to hit his face harder and harder. Soon, the slope ended momentarily, forcing him to spread his wings again. A few moments later, the hill began again; this time, it was much longer.

When he reached the bottom, he unfurled his wings again, hovering close to the ground.

To his right, he saw her as the trees passed between them every second. Cozy Glow looked back at him with a toothy smile. She seemed to be having the time of her life.

Replying with the best smile he could muster, he evaded a tree.

“Not bad!” Cozy yelled at him.

Spike laughed. “You’re amazing!”

They both dodged a few more of the forest, eager to stop them. Before they knew it, they were beside each other again, speeding through the woods like it was up in flames.

There it was up ahead, their campsite. This was the final stretch.

Like the forest was making it easy, no tree blocked their path to the campsite. Spike, being a hair length behind Cozy, inched closer every second.

In mere seconds, a winner will be decided.

At least, that is what they both thought.

It appears “tie” didn’t come to their minds.

Spike flapped his wings to slow down, landing and dragging across the ground. He clawed at the dirt to brake himself. When he finally stopped, he looked over at Cozy, who seemed to stop herself easier than he had.

Both of them breathed a little heavier than usual. But other than that few seconds of collecting themselves, they were fine.

Cozy Glow floated towards him, her forehooves behind her back. Laughing, she landed before him and said, “Golly, that was disappointing. I thought I could win.”

Spike beamed at her. “That was so fun! Great race, Cozy!” He held out a claw.

Cozy Glow lifted a hoof, and they shook, but Spike pulled her in for a hug before she retracted.

“Let’s do it again sometime,” he said, squeezing a little.

Cozy hid her blush behind Spike’s back. Despite that, she smiled. “Of course. I can’t wait.”

Interrupting their hug, both of their stomachs growled.

Spike stepped back and rubbed his belly, chuckling. “Well, let’s get a move on. I’m starving.”

Cozy stifled a giggle. “Good idea. We can fly back and get there quick.”

Spike nodded.

Together, the two flew across the top of the forest, returning to the majestic waterfall. It was quiet. But unlike the previous days and nights, it wasn’t awkward. The two would occasionally look at each other, and their smiles grew when it happened. Tonight was a great night indeed.

Chapter 3

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“I want to be a superhero when I grow up!”

Cozy beamed at the blue colt that hovered above her. Today, they were hanging out at the local busted-up playground with a brown hue of rust everywhere. Like it always was. “Become a royal guard then. There’s nothing closer to that.”

The colt gasped, smiling at her. “You can grow up to be a princess then! And I’ll be the one to protect you.”

She giggled. “I don’t think I’ll become a princess any time soon. Besides, that title doesn’t fit me.”

“Okay, then how about…” The colt raised a hoof to his chin, rubbing the beard that didn’t exist yet. “Queen.”

Cozy giggled again and shook her head.

“O-or Lord?”

She thought about it for a moment, humming to herself. “Nah, too fierce.”

The colt thought for a few more seconds before he perked up and said, “Oh, I know! Empress!”

“Empress, huh?” Cozy Glow laughed for a couple of seconds. “Is that the best one we can think of?”

She stared at the colt. He hovered above her with a smile for a moment, wondering if that meant a yes or no.

His body was battered and lifeless the next. His smile was gone, his blue eyes empty, the wings on his back scorched black. He stared at her expressionless.

Cozy’s heart started to quicken. No words seemed to want to come out of her mouth.

The happy colt was back, raising a curious brow, awaiting her answer.

Then, the injured version replaced him again, unmoving.

The happy foal, moments away from saying something, returned.

The dead pony switched with it one last time.

He stared into her soul, piercing into it.

Cozy snapped her eyes open, gasping for air. She would have noticed the slight jolt from the other creature sleeping nearby if her mind wasn’t so chaotic.

She looked around the dark forest, greedy for oxygen. Her heart was pounding, threatening to beat right out of her chest. She wiped her sweaty forehead and soon realized her sleeping bag was also a bit damp.

She calmed herself and concluded it was only the quiet, peaceful, safe forest. There wasn’t a colt around in a reachable distance.

Looking to her left, she stared at the unmoving dragon in his sleeping bag, a little bit away from her, and turned away. He was still asleep, unmoving at the very least.

Even so, she had to whisper, “Spike, are you awake?”

Spike didn’t reply, and she closed her eyes, sighing shakily. She didn’t wake him up, which relieved her somewhat. She didn’t have the mind to explain her nightmare through a lie.

“What’s wrong?”

Gritting her teeth, Cozy looked over to the saddlebag beside her. Reaching inside, she pulled out two things: a bottle filled with liquor and a magic dampening ring.

She took off towards the waterfall with one last glance at the sleeping drake. Maybe the sounds of rushing water would help alleviate her headache.

Sitting at the river’s edge below the waterfall, she hastily put on her ring with her hooves.

“Come on! I hate drinking time!”

She couldn’t ignore the unhinged, whining voice. Thus, she quickened her pace with a look of panic. The first step was the ring. She had a bunch of experience putting it on with her bare hooves, making it a quick, easy action.

Once the ring was on, she grabbed the bottle with her hooves. At least she tried to. In her panic, she fumbled with the bottle for a few seconds.

She picked the cork off with her teeth and brought the bottle to her lips.

Abruptly, it got ripped out of her hooves with green magic.

Standing up and glaring at the culprit, she yelled, “When did you have magic?”

“When did you turn into an alcoholic?” Spike glared back at her.

She clenched her teeth, taking a wide stance and spreading her wings. “Give that back!”

“I’m not letting you drink!”

His voice was composed, and his expression was stern.

“I’m not going to repeat myself!”

“If you wanted this back, you would take off that ring and take it from me!”

Cozy Glow growled, her face turning red.

Just when Spike thought she was going to pounce on him even with her magic weakened, she screamed out, “FUCK!”

She huffed and plopped down on her haunches, sending her hating glares to the river instead of Spike.

His face softened, and he walked over to Cozy Glow.

“Are you... depressed or something?” he asked, standing above her and holding the drink tight at his side.

His question was awkwardly worded but sincere, Cozy thought. She knew Spike could lie or at least fake sympathy, but she long had the ability to read creatures.

Spike sat next to her, dangling his legs over the edge of the drop.

“Want to talk about it? Your nightmare, I mean.”

Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “You were awake? Why didn’t you answer?”

“Because I knew something was up with you.”

“How?”

“Because you asked if I was awake.” He raised a brow at her.

She went silent, closing her jaw and looking back at the river.

Together, they sat and watched the running water. For a couple of minutes, neither moved nor made a sound.

Eventually, Cozy said softly, “Just for the record, I do care if I disturb your sleep.”

“I know,” Spike said with a small smile. “But you wouldn’t ask me if I were awake. You’d most likely wait and see if I was up before trying to sneak off.”

He was right, Cozy realized. She would do that. The shock from the nightmare, along with panic, made her act slightly different than she usually would. Perhaps spending all this time with her allowed him to learn how she acted.

“Why did you leave Equestria?”

The question cut deep into her soul. She swore that this creature of scales sitting beside her wanted to destroy her from within. Too bad the opposite was true; she knew him too well to believe that.

“Didn’t I already tell you? Magic is misused all the time. It’s dangerous.”

“I believe you,” Spike said with a short nod, “but that wasn’t the full story.”

He knew it as fact. Cozy cursed him in her mind for being so sharp. Typically, ponies were so dumb they were easy to manipulate. Tartarus, even the likes of Twilight, Tirek, and Chrysalis were doable. Not Spike the Dragon, it seemed.

“Come on, you can trust me,” he said in a soft tone before giving her a small smile. “Besides, I’m a great listener.”

Despite her current emotions, that caused Cozy to chuckle. “I could only imagine being near Twilight all the time.”

“Hey, her lectures aren’t all that bad. You get used to them after a while.”

Cozy Glow smiled at the fond memories from her time at the School of Friendship. Looking back now, she missed those days. Her headache remained, but the school made it so much better.

“I have a colt in my head.”

Spike stared at her for a few seconds, silent but wide-eyed. Putting on a confused look, he asked, “Was that figuratively, or-”

“No,” Cozy cut him off, “I have the literal soul of a colt inside me.”

“Oh.” Spike turned back to the river. “Wow… wasn’t expecting that.”

Cozy Glow sighed. “Even right now, he’s yelling at me while we talk.”

“Okay…” Spike said, “That’s a lot to take in. Do you think you could give me the longer version?”

She turned to him. The stupid dolt was giving her an encouraging smile. It was working.

He cared. He cared about her. It was evident as the moon in the sky. But she just wondered why. Sure, they had grown a small bond in the past week, but he acted as if they were close since birth or something. Was it just his goodwill? Or perhaps he was doing it because “it was the right thing to do.” Cozy would have held some contempt if it were the latter, but she had a real good feeling that wasn’t the case. At least, mainly.

She breathed out a huge sigh. Her mind wandered to her past before all of this. Before meeting historical figures, becoming an alicorn, and abandoning Equestria.

“When I was young—” She cleared her throat. “—younger. I had a close friend.”

Spike scooted a little closer.

“Way back before you met me, we were living in a rundown town on the outskirts of Equestria,” she started. “We never knew our parents. But we did have a caretaker. Er, rather, more like an owner.”

“Owner?” Spike gave her a concerned look, even though it was long ago.

Cozy Glow looked to the night starry sky. “Life was… rough, to say the least. My friend was the only other pony I knew at the time.” She smiled. “My best friend: Sky Shard.”

The memories flooded her head like a typhoon. It kept the smile on her face for a while. She remembered the hard work days, the easy, relaxing playdates, and the garbage food she cherished.

“Back then, he was the only thing that made me smile.”

“What happened to him?” Spike had to ask.

An explosion shook the entire town. Gasps rang out as Cozy hurried towards the factory where Sky worked. The roof of it was blown out, leaving it open with black smoke escaping.

She rushed inside, coughing as the smoke entered her lungs. Sky Shard was found on the floor in less than a minute. With haste, she grabbed his limp body and carried him out of the building.

“He died.”

Spike expected something along those lines. With a nod, he stayed silent to listen.

“It was an accident with magic. As a naive filly, I wasn’t sad or upset by his death. I just thought that because magic took him away, magic could repair him. Just like a toy. I was so fucking wrong.

“I researched everywhere for a spell that would bring him back. To me, it was just temporary loneliness. I ran away from the only place I ever called home and studied hard, using every moment I was awake to do so. Soon, I came across a spell that could bring him back. All I needed was some way to cast magic.

“Thankfully, there are a lot of artifacts that hold magic. I took an old one my caretaker used to own and used it to cast the spell. The spell worked. He came back just like the spell promised. Unfortunately…” her breaths turned shaky.

She looked up at the blue ghostly form that was Sky Shard’s soul. Her bright smile faded as she took in his crazed laughter. It sounded nothing like him.

“He wasn’t anything like he was when he was alive. His soul came back corrupted. Instead of the nice and gentle colt I knew, he was cruel, twisted, and sadistic. He was selfish… insane. More like a ravaged animal than a cute pony.”

Hushed whispers swarmed her head, but it was too quiet to bother her.

“His soul wouldn’t last without a body, so it latched onto the nearest vessel.”

Spike nodded in understanding.

“I tolerated it for a few months, but I was still too naive back then, thinking he would turn back to normal by chance. I thought I would have a buddy in my head until I got him a body. But before I knew it, I couldn’t take it anymore. It was driving me mad.

“I found the smartest unicorn in the next town over. He was crazy but was knowledgeable about magic. All I wanted was Sky Shard out.”

She still remembered being strapped to a table, screaming her lungs away as she was zapped with magic. Her eyes would be wide, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“For days, I endured some painful spells. It was the same schedule every day: wake up, eat, take on a spell, pass out, repeat. It took way too long for me to realize the piece of shit stallion just wanted to do some tests. He never saw someone with two souls in the same body in all his years of studying magic. He had no intention of getting him out. So I escaped the moment I got the chance when he wasn’t looking.

“After that, I stopped trusting others. I thought I could remove him myself by going to the heart of all magic—inner Equestria. It took some years to prepare a plan, but at some point, I stumbled across Tartarus. I knew Tirek was there according to my studies. I thought I found my solution, so I wrote to him. I was skeptical at first, but when he told me I could drain all the magic from Equestria, I thought that was the perfect idea. Magic took away my friend, and when I tried to bring him back, he was corrupted, turning me crazy by the second.

“Magic hurt me so much. It was dangerous. I didn’t want anything to happen to anyone else.

“I also thought if magic was removed, that might release his soul from my body.” She turned to look at Spike. “And you were there when I tried to drain all the magic. Things might have gone differently if Sky Shard hadn’t meddled with my thoughts.”

Spike nodded. “Is that why you didn’t go to Twilight? She would have been more than happy to help you.”

Cozy shrugged. “I couldn’t trust her,” she said before sighing and looking at the river. “In hindsight, I should have just taken the risk. I wouldn’t have gotten sentenced to Tartarus and lost faith in this world.”

Spike’s mouth went agape. He felt his stomach drop at her words. It made him feel awful, and the back of his throat started to feel funny. Cozy Glow’s eyes looked empty, nothing like they did during their race earlier in the night.

“Y-your faith?”

“I used to pray to Celestia and Luna daily to make his voices stop,” she continued. “I thought maybe Luna could hear my cries in my dreams or Celestia’s warm touch would ease my mind. But they didn’t. And before I could explain myself, they threw me away and left me to be forgotten.”

He put on a soft look. “I’m not saying what we did to you was right, but Cozy, you did seem… crazy.”

She furrowed her brows at him. “You try living with an insane colt in your head. Let’s see if you don’t turn out a little crazy yourself.”

Spike clamped his mouth shut. “Fair.”

She leaned backward a bit. “It wasn’t all bad. My theory about Sky Shard being linked to magic was sort of correct. And since magic constantly drains you there, my head was much quieter after such a long time. I could think to myself.

“As you already know, I was in Tartarus for a while. No one visited, and all I had to make do was Tirek, who didn’t want to be anywhere near me, let alone be my friend. When Discord posing as Grogar freed the two of us, I knew it was my only chance to be free from anyone, so I played along with their plans.”

“Did you try to see if Tirek absorbing your magic could have done anything?”

“I could, but then I’d be a weakened pony who’s a wanted criminal.”

Spike clicked his tongue. “Makes sense.”

“Eventually, we found the bewitching bell, and the three of us powered up. As an alicorn with magic surging through me, I was finally powerful enough to fight back against Sky Shard’s voice. After that, we double-crossed ‘Grogar,’ and the other two had plans to attack Equestria. I played along until they were out of sight, and that’s when I finally abandoned everything.”

“Why didn’t you attack Equestria with Tirek and Chrysalis?”

Cozy looked over to Spike, his question seeded with curiosity.

“Didn’t you hold some disdain towards everyone?”

She shrugged, saying, “We would have lost either way.” She stared into Spike’s emerald eyes as she spoke. “I’m not stupid. Twilight and her friends’ power is unbeatable. There was no way we could have won with even three of us.

“On top of that, I was already done with Equestria. It killed my friend. It threw him away like trash and nearly got me, too. I wanted to go and scream at the princesses for what happened, maybe give them more than that, but it wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t their fault, whether I wanted to believe it or not. I had many chances to do anything, and I chose the wrong option every single time.

“And that’s where we’re at right now. I found that small village and laid low for a while. I didn’t know if anyone was looking for me, but I wanted peace and quiet. Being so far away from Equestria brought some of that, so… I was content for a while. But before I knew it, Sky Shard started speaking up more often. Being an alicorn was still helping a bunch—he’s toned down ever since—but it was still there. I found out that alcohol would shut him up and let me sleep.”

After all that, the two children sat silently, staring up at the night sky. It was wordless for a good while.

Spike’s mind was all over the place. It was a lot to take in, but a wave of understanding blew through him. A pegasus filly trying to drain all the magic once made no sense to anyone. Now, it was clear as day.

He pitied her. She had been through way too much for her age. He couldn’t imagine stuff like that happening to an innocent filly. It was so awful that it shouldn’t have been possible. Above everything else, though, one thing stuck out in his mind. His guilt.

All she needed was a helping hoof or claw. He never felt so guilty before in his life. If he had spoken up back then, maybe someone, anyone could have helped her. Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, fuck, they even had contact with Starswirl the Bearded. They would have surely done something to help her.

“Do you know why Twilight gave up on me?” The question that cut his thoughts stabbed him in the heart. Cozy Glow never sounded so vulnerable.

“Did she say anything?” she asked, looking at him with empty eyes. “...About talking to me in Tartarus?”

Spike only had one way to answer that. Cozy Glow was too sharp for even a white lie. He hated that the only option was brutal.

“No.”

Cozy nodded at that, looking at the water stream.

“I know alcohol is awful, but… It’s an easy way to shut him out.”

Nodding, Spike tightened his grasp on the bottle.

“It’s my fault anyway. Sky Shard drives me crazy, but I should be strong enough to push him back.”

Spike widened his eyes. Before he knew what he was doing, he reached forward, grabbing Cozy Glow’s hooves.

She stared at him in stunned silence as he glared at her.

“It’s not your fault!” he yelled. “I’m sorry you had to do this all on your own, but you can’t blame yourself for trying to do what you thought was right!”

Cozy stared at her held hooves before gazing at Spike’s teary, compassionate green eyes. She could not say anything before he pulled her into his arms. As he tightly hugged her into his chest, she became still as a rock with widened eyes.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t do anything to help you, but I promise I’ll be here for you from now on.”

A lump came to her throat. She had no idea what the cause of it was. She tried swallowing it. When it didn’t go away the first time, she tried again. It didn’t work the second time, either.

“It’s okay to cry,” he said softly. “You don’t have to act tough in front of me of all creatures.”

Cozy Glow bit her bottom lip. Her throat became dry, and her heart was racing. Soon, her eyes felt the uncomfortable sensation of tears, and she started to shake. Sobbing, she hugged Spike back with her forehooves, digging her wet face deep into his chest.

Spike rubbed her back with gentle motions as Cozy Glow’s sobs turned into full-blown wails—years of secrets unleashed. He told her it was going to be okay and kept repeating apologies. Her tears soaked his chest, and her horn poked it. It didn't hurt, and he didn’t care. Spike kept still, comforting her.

Several minutes felt like hours for the both of them as they held onto each other as if their fates depended on it. Even after Cozy’s cries died down, she wanted the warm drake close to her for a little longer. Ultimately, she pulled back some, making Spike release her from the tight hug.

Rubbing her burning eyes dry, she muttered, “Thanks…”

Spike gave her a small smile. “Anytime.”

After that, the two of them sat there in peaceful silence for a little while. When Cozy was ready, they headed back to their campsite, Spike leaving the bottle of alcohol behind.

“So I was thinking,” Spike started as they neared their sleeping bags. “Maybe there’s another way to keep him quiet? At least for now until we save Twilight and the others.”

Cozy hummed to herself, taking off her magic-dampening ring.

Just then, Spike snapped his fingers with a smile. “Maybe your music? I remember you were playing when we first met at your house.”

Cozy Glow paused, her mouth open a bit. Thinking back, she realized that Sky Shard didn’t bother her during her play sessions.

“Ah, shit,” Spike said with a frown. “You didn’t pack your instrument.”

Cozy smiled at his choice of words. “Actually…” With a couple of steps, she made it to her saddlebag. Reaching inside with her magic, she pulled out a tiny violin.

“I shrunk this so I could fit it inside. I didn’t know why I did, but…” She trailed off.

Spike smiled, sitting on a log. “Well, my ears are waiting.”

She grinned back at him. Using magic, she enlarged the violin and its bow to its original size. Then, she brought it to her shoulder.

With anticipation, Spike kept his gaze on her with a bright smile.

His stare centered on her caused Cozy Glow to blush. Nevertheless, she closed her eyes and brought the bow to play the first note.

Spike kept his ears clear as Cozy began to play. In the beginning, the notes were soft and measured. Every other second, she played a higher pitch one step at a time as if slowly ascending some stairs. When she reached the peak, she played a short but fast tune before starting at the bottom again. Gradually, she climbed those stairs again with her notes. It was all culminating, building up to an explosion at the peak. This was no mountain; it was a volcano. Releasing everything, she played as if she had no time left.

Spike looked up at her with sparkling eyes of amazement. He once thought this filly couldn’t be any more incredible. Then, he recognized this part of the song. She played the same part when he first arrived at her doorstep. Except this time, it was much more rewarding. The build-up to the burst of strings was something he never knew he needed before. Although the only magic she used was to hold the bow, the music felt magical. He thought that at any moment, he would get lifted into the air without his consent, along with other creatures and life around them.

Her song slowed down.

Cozy opened her eyes to see Spike staring at her with those giant emerald orbs filled with admiration and delight. It brought a smile to her face as well as a blush, but it didn’t interrupt her performance one bit.

Scaling the volcano again, this time, it erupted twice as powerful. The strings entranced the both of them as they stared into each other’s gazes. Neither wished to shift their looks, but they were more than happy to sign this unwritten contract.

Soon enough, everything died down as Cozy’s melody came to an end, the last of her strings stopping at the base of the volcano.

Immediately, Spike’s clapping replaced the silence. He had a bright, toothy smile as he said, “That was amazing, Cozy!”

Flattered beyond belief, her blush intensified. “Thank you, but don’t act like you’re not amazing as well. I was Twilight’s assistant for a semester, yet I can’t imagine being one for years. Also, didn’t you work at Canterlot too?”

Spike nodded. “I practiced being Celestia’s assistant before Twilight. But even after that, I occasionally went to help them during hard times. I’ve been full-time since we moved to Canterlot and became Twilight’s Royal Adviser, though.”

Cozy Glow started walking up to him. “You’re underappreciated. Twilight became ruler, but you were there every step of the way.”

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as she stood before him. “As long as my closest friends appreciate me, that’s fine in my book.”

“Well…” Without warning, she pressed her puckered lips to his warm, draconic cheek. “I appreciate you.”

Spike stood frozen solid. Looking at her with a face beating red. She could have mistaken him for a radish if she was dumb enough. Her lips were warm and so so soft.

“Now, let’s get some sleep. I wasted enough of our night already.” Smiling, Cozy Glow turned tail, shrinking her violin and putting it away. She then proceeded to get into her sleeping bag.

A small smile appeared on Spike’s features, and his heart was pounding so hard he swore it was going to burst out. He wondered if Cozy was the same.

Getting into his sleeping bag, the two of them called it an incredible night that would stay warm in their memories for as long as they lived.

Chapter 4

View Online

They were getting close. The heart and soul of Equestria. Canterlot City.

“Those are the dragon lands,” Spike said with a pointed finger. “We’re almost there.”

Cozy nodded.

“Hey, think we could stop for a break? I wouldn’t mind a lava bath right now.”

“Sure,” Cozy Glow said with a smile. “I don’t mind.”

It had been a couple of days since that night by the waterfall. The two of them had gotten closer than ever. They sparked conversation much more frequently and enjoyed each other’s company overall.

Now, in the dragon lands, Spike sighed as he took a dip into the lava. It was different here; very weird. Usually, there were dragons almost everywhere you would look. They would fill the sky, be perched on some rock formation, or relax in hot lava like he was. As of right now, he and Cozy were the only two here. It was uncanny compared to the last time he visited.

“Can I ask you something?” Cozy said, interrupting his thoughts. She was sitting on her haunches, looking around the place.

Spike leaned back in the pit. “Yeah, shoot.”

“I just want to add a condition to our terms.”

He turned around, resting his arms and chin at the end of the pool. “Okay.”

“Can you come back with me after we’re done saving everyone?”

After a quick second of thinking, Spike smiled and nodded. “Sure.”

Cozy looked at him with a raised brow. “Really? Just like that?”

He shrugged. “Well, yeah. Why not? I know you’re still not comfortable with Twilight or the others. And, you know,” He scratched his neck, his voice turning soft. “I know it’s probably lonely being on your own.”

Cozy opened her mouth to reply but paused for a second. Grinning, she said, “I knew you were quick.”

Spike lifted a brow along with his grin. “You think so?”

She nodded. “Like I’ve said before, Twilight wouldn’t have managed half as far without you.”

“You should give Twilight some credit.”

“I do. It’s just that you don’t get enough credit.”

Spike rolled his eyes playfully. “And I’ll return home with you if-”

“You can’t add more terms to this deal. That’s not how it works.”

“Let me finish, if you let me help work on your drinking problems.”

Cozy blinked. “Ah.” Staring down at her hooves for a second, she said, “fuck it, sure.”

“Language,” Spike said with a sly grin.

This time, Cozy was the one to roll her eyes. “Like you care what I say.”

Spike shrugged with that playful smile still on his face. “Other foals could be listening,” he said in a sing-song tone.

Cozy Glow scoffed. “And? Big deal. It’s only words.”

“Bad words.”

“That don’t hurt anyone.”

“It could be hurtful or aggressive.”

“Yeah,” Cozy grinned. “But that’s why you use it as flavor.”

Spike hummed. “I guess you’re right.”

They relaxed at the Dragon Lands for a little while, liking the change of pace. Spike showed Cozy around a little, but without being too familiar with the area himself, he was traveling blind.

Around half an hour passed before they felt satisfied enough to continue. It was the final stretch.

It wouldn’t take long to reach Ponyville, the last stop before Canterlot. Now, a bunch of scenery was familiar to Spike, flying in the places he had come across before. As such, the flight was quick for him.

For Cozy Glow, she took in the vast Equestrian lands with interest. She forgot how wonderful it was. The bright green hills of grass and blue mountains were both intimidating and made you feel safe. Soft plush clouds hovered in the sky, perfect for sleeping on, and flowing rivers and lakes that could refresh the most drained creatures. Above all, the glowing sun shone its warm orange rays all over. It was truly an art of nature.

She almost missed this place, or maybe she did. Perhaps the only thing she wished to abandon was the ponies. It was a shame she wasn’t able to live here. While she didn’t feel like the trip was shorter in her mind by any means, that was fine. Surveying the landscape was calming.

“I forgot how beautiful Equestria is,” she said.

Spike nodded. “We take it for granted. It could be a lot worse for us.”

Cozy nodded back, knowing what he was implying.

They could see it very far ahead, the first hints of Ponyville and, above that, Canterlot.

By the time they neared Ponyville, it was some hours before night.

“We should probably get some rest before anything happens,” Cozy said. “Is the Friendship Castle safe?”

“It should be,” Spike replied, looking at her.

“It’s safer somewhere else, though,” Cozy said aloud as she thought. “The Friendship School might be better.”

“Sure. Friendship School it is, then.”

“Let’s go.”

Ponyville was different from the last time Cozy was here. Much different.

As the sun started to set, the emptiness of the place was apparent. No one was walking the streets. No lights were on. No pony was selling stock. Not even a couple of foals running around and playing. It was a dead town with only the sounds of nature to accompany it.

One of the buildings that caught her eye was a cottage. She recognized that cottage being Fluttershy’s. Just then, a thought came to her head.

“Hey, are the pets all okay?”

Spike turned to her and said, “Yeah. After Fluttershy was captured, all the animals at her cottage vanished. I just assumed they were also sealed away.”

“That’s good,” Cozy said with a nod.

“Yeah,” he said with a frown before looking at the town and sighing.

She knew the view of the empty, desolate home was depressing for him. She could only guess it was hard for him to look at Ponyville in the state it was.

“There’s a beauty in everything,” she said. When Spike looked at her confused, she continued. “I read that quote once from a history book.”

She stared at the barren town; Its streets were empty, houses abandoned and degrading.

“There’s even beauty in an empty Equestria. It’s eerie, sure. Sad? Most likely. But it’s also quiet and calm. Peaceful. The laws of the world will overtake it eventually. On top of all that, it’s nice to know it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. It’ll be here when we bring everyone back.” With that, she turned and gave an encouraging smile to Spike, who grinned back at her with a nod.

Like the rest of the town, the Friendship School was as empty as the rest. It was once a shining beacon in the town for all creatures, now dark and cold like everything else. To the two, it felt like they were sneaking in after school hours. For Cozy Glow, that was something she was familiar with. They felt lucky when it seemed to be empty.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here,” she said, looking around the dark lobby.

“Yeah, it’s been ages.” Spike barely processed what she said, frowning at the current state of the school. “You know, I do like a good apocalypse comic. It’s a cool concept, but…”

Cozy Glow walked over to him, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “It won’t be like this for longer, I promise. Now let’s get a quick rest in before Canterlot.”

Spike gave her the best smile he could muster. She could tell it was forced.

They found one of the dorm rooms and chose it to be their sleeping quarters. The room was small, with a dresser, single bed, and window that held a night sky view. Outside, the crescent moon was hinting at appearing from behind some clouds.

After a quick meal, they sat on the bed together and stared silently at the window. Their backs were against some pillows they placed down, and they laid back side by side. Cozy had her head resting on Spike’s shoulder. He did not mind it in the slightest.

Before they knew it, Spike fell asleep, warmer than usual, lying near Cozy.

She smiled at him before putting him to rest on his lonesome, being as gentle as possible not to wake him up.

Though she didn’t tell Spike, she wasn’t tired at all. So, she stood up and left the room, leaving Spike snoring peacefully.

Flying through the corridors brought back some memories for her. It was a pleasant feeling, even though her time here was filled with deceit and lies.

It didn’t take much effort to find the library. Even after all this time, the path to get there was still fresh in her brain.

She scoured around, picking up some of her favorite reads from the shelves. After some nostalgia trips, she came across a familiar place.

That particular golden grate. The path to the underground. It was a major step in her plans to drain all magic.

She stared at it, her eyes soft in thought.

She remembered it like it happened last week. She left her classmates for the briefest of times; they were all gone when she returned. It confused her greatly, but they soon reappeared through that hole. They told her all about it, the naive souls.

Using that knowledge over Twilight, she gained a huge lead on her. If things had turned a bit different, she could have won.

Closing her eyes, she turned from the entrance to her downfall. She did not need such a place anymore.

Her next destination of choice was their classroom. She didn’t know if nostalgia or curiosity drove her, but she couldn’t get her mind off of it.

As soon as she entered, Cozy Glow noticed how dusty it was. Coughing a little and fanning in front of her, she lit up her horn and opened the windows. She then used the tiniest amount of magic possible to blow a wave, pushing all the dust away.

She looked around, finding it very familiar. If anyone had made any changes to the room, she didn’t notice a thing.

Walking to the front desk, she eyed the things on top of it. It was the usual professor stuff. Papers, accessories, and a potted flower.

Humming, she floated around the room, looking from top to bottom with her hooves drawn to her back. It gave her a warm feeling to look at the little details like the drawings and old projects hung up on the wall or placed in the back of the class. Although they differed from the ones her class made, it was the same concept from when she attended.

The principal’s office was next on her agenda. While she never got into trouble as a student, she’d often come here to get on Twilight’s good side every so often.

Just like the classroom, she had no idea what she was looking for here. Twilight wasn’t even the headmare anymore. It would most likely be Starlight if not one of her successors.

She did the process of removing the dust from the room again. Sure enough, Starlight’s portrait photo was sitting at the desk, showing the purple unicorn in all her glory. Right next to it was her name in gold plating. It seemed the mare got promoted from a guidance counselor. Good for her.

And on the opposite side of the desk, another framed photo caught her eye.

Cozy picked it up with her magic, bringing it closer to her face and holding it in her hooves for a better look.

She knew the photo well. It was taken after their first month of classes. All the professors and their students stood side by side in two rows, looking happy as ever.

Cozy Glow looked over the shot, recognizing every face. She pondered what all her ex-professors and classmates thought of her. It was a dumb question, sure. They hated her guts without question. She manipulated and betrayed them all. It was unforgivable for whatever reason she had, and she couldn’t blame them in the slightest for despising her.

She continued to scan the picture. However, she couldn’t find a small pink figure anywhere.

Her eyes narrowed.

She didn’t find herself in the picture, but she was sure she was there when it was taken.

But then she noticed it: the very faint linger of magic. It was clear now. She was cropped out of the photo.

Her ears drooped.

It was probably Starlight’s doing. She wanted to see the original photo. Unfortunately for Cozy Glow, it was a spell she didn’t know how to reverse.

It wasn’t a spell she needed to learn, but a sad thought came to mind. She was the reason Starlight needed to learn it. That mare probably had a heartache every time she glanced at the picture, even without her in it. Maybe that was why it was turned the other way on her desk.

The students and their principal looked up and stared at Cozy Glow. She had a face filled with guilt, grief, and reflection all over.

They couldn’t stand watching her like this. They wanted to shout at her in any way they could. But they all knew it was useless. She wouldn’t be able to hear.

Twilight also looked a little downcast. Cozy Glow was once her student, even if she did turn out to be faking it. Some of their time together had to be real. She couldn’t believe otherwise. She swore she would do her best to make things right once they saw each other again.

Cozy gave out a sad smile. At least she enjoyed her stay here. That had to count for something. She used to swear up and down that her smiles were faked, but deep down, she knew there were times they were genuine.

She took the picture out of her hold with her magic, placing it back on the desk right where it was.

With a deep sigh, she left the room and returned to the dorm.

Peeking inside, Spike was still sound asleep. Good for both of them. She appreciated Spike’s support but didn’t want any misunderstandings tonight.

Fluttering over to the bed, she rested beside him without waking him up. She wrapped a leg over his scaly body. Now, she drifted off to sleep with his draconic warmth doing wonders.

Canterlot Mountain stood as strong as ever, holding the powerful city as ever since it was created.

Even during the night, the city was beautiful to look at. Although all the lights were off, the white buildings still reflected the moonlight.

It was a minute’s flight away, and the two would be in dangerous territory.

Hovering high in the air, they took a gander at the city.

“Alright, let’s go through everything,” Cozy began. “We’ll get the seal to the Space Between Worlds. I’ll start the spell to drain its magic, and all we have to do is speed it up.”

“How do we do that?” Spike asked.

“We keep channeling our magic into the spell. When I originally tried to drain all of the magic from Equestria, the spell took a very long time to get going. If we use our magic and put more power into the spell, it will speed up the process. And now that it’s only a seal we’re trying to break, it won’t take that long.”

Spike nodded in understanding. His expression, however, was still uncertain. “But Nylar and Antlerius won’t just stand by and let us do that.”

“That’s why I’ll keep them busy,” Cozy said.

Spike stared at her momentarily before what she said registered in his brain. His eyes almost popped out of his head.

She was serious, her tone filled to the brim with confidence. Even now, she stared at him like everything she said was normal.

He started calm. “Cozy, Twilight couldn’t beat them. Tirek and Chrysalis couldn’t beat them. Shit—” He snapped a finger, and a letter appeared in his green fire. His voice got more erratic by the second as he showed it to her. “—even Celestia and Luna couldn’t beat them! M-maybe if we worked together, we could hold out fine, but still!”

With a gentle hoof, Cozy pushed his claw down. “Spike, you have to trust me. It’ll be fine if we follow the plan. Besides, I don’t have to defeat them. I could just hold out until the seal is broken. Then Twilight and her friends can use the power of friendship to finish the job themselves.”

“I-I guess…”

Noticing his nervousness, Cozy teleported the letter away, grabbing his claws with her hooves. She gave him a reassuring smile and said, “Deep breaths. We’ll save Equestria.”

Hearing the resolution in her voice, Spike did as recommended and took a deep breath. Looking at her in the eye, he said, “Okay.”

Cozy Glow nodded. “Let’s do this.”

Just as she tried to pull away, she stopped when he pulled on her hooves. She looked at him with a raised brow.

“I just want to do something first. Just in case.”

He leaned forward, giving her a deep kiss on the lips. The kiss wasn’t a peck but didn’t overstay its welcome either. Quick, simple, and to the point.

Releasing the stunned pink alicorn, he turned to the city and puffed out his chest with determined eyes. “Alright. Let’s do this!” he yelled, flying forth.

She giggled at his newfound enthusiasm and followed suit.

They entered the castle through an open window. It was silent. Even the slightest hoofstep would interrupt the peace. They maneuvered through the hallways, trying to be as quiet as possible, checking every corner.

“Where would they be?” Spike whispered.

“The throne room,” Cozy replied bluntly. “It’s always the throne room.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

So they headed straight there. It didn’t take long, with Spike knowing the castle inside and out.

Before long, they arrived at the giant doors right before the throne room. On the other side, they could hear some constant humming noise.

Cozy looked at Spike questionably, but Spike shrugged. As luck would have it, the doors to the throne room were already slightly open, too lazy to be closed.

They peeked inside, both standing on either side of the door.

There they were in the flesh.

Cozy took in their features. The first was a tall male deer, about the same height as Celestia. His fur was a mixture of dark greens and gold, a sigil-like pattern from his head to his legs. His hard eyes conflicted with his fur, a dark green shade not as bright as Spike. Protruding from his head were his antlers, as golden as the sun and radiating with overwhelming magic. So that was Antlerius, the Lost Judge.

The second was a majestic-looking fox: Nylar, the Rogue Spirit. Spike said they were a she. She was a ghostly grey and white mixture from the tips of her triangle ears to her soft, sharp paws. Her tail flowed behind, as if its goal was to entrance its victims. Her eyes were a gentle orange, but her slit pupils looked keen and prepared. Cozy Glow noticed something odd about her. At the tips of her paws and tail, she turned more transparent. It was like she wasn’t all there, or it was her natural look. It likely was how she got her name.

Right now, the two were talking about stuff they couldn’t hear from where they stood. While Antlerius sat still at the throne’s steps, Nylar paced around the room. Antlerius had light green magic surging through his antlers as he meditated. At first glance, they looked harmless, but Spike had already told her what they had accomplished.

Looking past them, they both saw what they were after. Sitting on the throne room like some tossed toy was a black medallion with gold linings and a red orb in the middle.

“That it?” she asked in a whisper.

Spike nodded.

Cozy stared at the two for a little longer. She wouldn’t have time to cast the spell if they were on her tail. And she didn’t want to rush in with cockiness just in case they were all that special, as Spike warned.

As Cozy Glow began to think for a moment, Spike sighed.

Turning to her, he said, “I’ll be the distraction.”

She opened her eyes wide and looked at him. “What?”

Her eyes showed her worries. Spike smirked at that. “What happened to being so confident?”

In a hushed whisper, she said sharply, “I’m confident I can take them on. I never said anything about you!” She switched to a softer and more caring tone. “I don’t want something to happen to you.”

Spike stared into her eyes. As thoughts rushed to his head, he twiddled his fingers.

Soon enough, he sighed.

“Cozy, I… I’ve been hiding some things from you. From everyone, I guess.”

Curiosity peaking at this time of hour, she raised a brow.

“You already know I have magic, but… I’m a lot more powerful than you think.”

He turned away from her, deciding the dark hallway was more interesting. “Keeping it short, I always had inherent magic since Twilight hatched my egg. But I only recently found the time and urge to train with it.”

“And Twilight doesn’t know about this?” Cozy asked.

“I didn’t want Twilight’s help. Not because I didn’t want her help exactly, but I wanted to... I don’t know, prove myself?”

Cozy frowned. She thought Spike was a pretty capable guy. He was incredible even. What did he have to prove? She guessed even younger dragons had their pride. Even as a pony, she sure had her fair share of it.

“And also, I work hard as Twilight’s assistant almost daily. That shit is a glorified workout.” He turned back to her with pleading eyes. “Just trust me, okay? Like I’m trusting you when you take over to handle them?”

Cozy bunted him in the arm with a sly smirk, saying, “Language.” Then, she stared at him with uncertainty.

She looked him over. He did look noticeably leaner. Something she hadn’t taken into account until now. She felt dumber at this realization, having been close to him for a while now.

Despite her concerns, she sighed, giving in. “Fine. Can you distract them long enough so I can take that thing and start the draining spell? I’ll take it back to the Friendship Castle, which will take me about five minutes, and I’ll come right back.”

“I’m positive,” he said, tightening his fists. “Dragons are pretty resilient.”

Cozy Glow was still uneasy about this, but she leaned away from the door and gave a firm nod.

Giving her a hopeful smile and a thumbs up, Spike took the first step toward their future.

The two powerful figures in the throne room turned their heads to the large entrance. The doors boomed as they opened, and in the middle of the frame stood a tiny purple and green dragon.

Nylar gave him a bored look, while Antlerius was indifferent to his arrival.

Spike’s little pats echoed throughout the large room. He stopped when he was at a good hearing distance. Now, the only sounds were the humming of Antlerius’ magic.

“Before I do anything,” Spike began, “I just want to know—Why?”

Nylar narrowed her eyes on him. Antlerius closed his.

“To rectify Equestria,” her voice was soothing to the ear. Very misleading. “As we see fit.”

Spike frowned. “And what do you mean by that?”

“All will be altered. It would be as if the two of us ruled Equestria instead of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Everything from the memories, even to the landscape. You could think of it as an alternate reality becoming true.”

Spike clenched his fists. “That isn’t fair to everyone else!” he yelled, “The world doesn’t need to change! All of the creatures of Equestria have led their own lives! Who are you to decide against that?”

“It’s our birthright.” Antlerius’ voice echoed throughout the throne room, brimming with authority.

He continued. “Princess Radiant betrayed our parents before she handed the throne. The rulers of Equestria were always false, and we are here to fix it. We will build a perfect world with no conflict. Everyone would be equal. The Elements of Harmony wouldn’t need to exist. The princesses of the sun and moon could rest.”

Spike had no idea what to say to that.

“It would be a utopia.”

Nylar’s body turned into a shadow as she dashed from where she stood. She stopped between Spike and Antlerius.

“Don’t underestimate him, Nylar,” Antlerius said. “I can see great levels of power deep within him. He could very well be as powerful as the Princesses.”

Nylar barred her teeth in a grin, staring into Spike’s emerald eyes. “I’d suggest you surrender yourself peacefully. I’ll make it a painless journey to the Space Between Worlds, child of dragons.”

“You’re half right,” Spike said, raising a hand and aiming a palm at her. “I’m a child and a dragon. My egg was most likely laid by one.” He frowned.

“But I was raised by ponies.”

Nylar didn’t look amused. It seemed this little pest wasn’t going to go down without resistance.

“You won’t rewrite all of the precious memories Equestria made!” Spike gritted his teeth and aimed a palm at Nylar. An emerald green magic blast came flying out of his claw in a fraction of a second.

Nylar growled, using her tail to smack the attack away like it was harmless.

She pounced forward, her body turning into a shadow, eyes aimed directly at him.

Her shadowy tail split into two. She used them to slam down on him. To her annoyance, Spike dashed into the air to dodge.

Spike took a deep breath and blew his green dragon fire at Nylar.

She was shocked for moments before splitting her tail into five almost immediately. Using them, she made a wall to block the incoming dragon breath.

Once Spike was out of breath, he chose to get some distance and flew out of the throne room. A snarling Nylar chased after him in her shadowy form.

Despite his surroundings, Antlerius was content with focusing on his spell. A tragic move on his part, as the medallion sitting on the throne was now gone.

Spike flew down a corridor as Nylar made chase. She was as fast as his flight speed on foot.

She opened her maw and fired a couple of orange magic blasts at Spike.

Spike weaved to dodge them, but they hit the ceiling after passing him.

Widening his eyes, he stopped before the ceiling caved in on him.

Nylar took her chance, grabbing him with her tail and slamming him to the ground. Keeping him pinned on the floor, she aimed the tips of her other four tails at him, orange magic beginning to charge.

Spike opened his mouth to blow a fireball in her face, knocking her back.

With his magic, Spike used a spell he saw time and time again from his best friend in the entire world, the one he calls a sister.

Teleporting right in her face, he reeled back his tight fist glowing with his green magic.

Nylar didn’t have the reaction speed to avoid getting punched through a castle wall. Falling outside from the high floors, Nylar flipped herself straight and landed in the city.

Spike flew high above her. Using both claws, he fired a giant green beam.

Using all five of her tails and mouth, Nylar fired a beam back.

The two powerful beams of light made contact, pushing against each other.

Soon, Spike’s magic was winning the struggle. Nylar widened her eyes, and her tails split into nine total. She kept his magic at bay using every single one of them. Now, the two of them were pushing each other at equal strength.

Spike stopped his attack and flew around Nylar’s incoming beam. He dodged a couple of tails aimed at him as he approached her.

With his magic, he teleported rapidly, much like he’d seen Starlight do once before. It both served as a way to confuse Nylar and dodge her tails. Spike got some hits with his magic up close as minor opportunities arrived while barely avoiding her tails.

Gritting her teeth, Nylar used a bunch of her tails at once to swing wide, covering a good amount of area around her. To her annoyance, Spike was able to teleport away.

When he appeared out of his teleport, she instantly aimed all her tails at him and fired.

Spike flew randomly to evade all the magic bullets meant for him. Even as he dodged the attacks, she still managed to hit the buildings around them, destroying the city piece by piece. It was obvious she didn’t care. Buildings were replaceable.

It was too dangerous to get close to her with how many limbs she owned. He doubted the teleporting trick would work a second time. Anyhow, he didn’t need to win. Cozy could work on freeing everyone as long as he kept her distracted.

Putting five of her nine tails together, Nylar fired a strong beam at Spike.

Raising his claws, Spike pushed against the beam when it hit him. After a couple of seconds of straining, he teleported away.

This time, he chose to appear inside an abandoned building. It was close enough that he could peek at her through a second-floor window.

From the looks of it, Nylar was getting frustrated. Good. He needed her to focus on him.

Nylar curved her tails around her. Then, she spun around, her tails creating a powerful force.

The strength of her wind blew the crippled buildings that surrounded her. Like nothing, the homes, businesses, and shops fell apart like weak plastic toys. Even the building Spike was in crumbled, and he was forced to fly out of it.

With all the buildings flattened, Spike was easily decipherable in the sky. His cover was gone, but he wasn’t nearly finished yet. He still had one advantage over her.

Back in the royal castle, Antlerius was in deep thought as he concentrated. He didn’t remember Nylar taking the medallion to seal that dragon away. It was an understandable mistake. All of her focus was on making sure he couldn’t escape. However, the boy didn’t make it sound like that was his intention.

He opened his eyes to glance at the throne. He narrowed his gaze when the royal seat was empty. The seal was gone.

He wasn’t worried. They misplaced it. He was sure that the dragon didn’t take it himself. Otherwise, he would have fled without their knowledge.

Or he divided their attention so someone else could grab it, but it was unlikely that someone who could get past them undetected existed.

Unlikely, but not impossible.

He sighed.

It irked him, despite the seal being taken not mattering either. There were very few beings that would be able to break the powerful seal. It would take many creatures trained with magic to do such a thing.

Standing up, he kept the spell concentrating. He would search around for a bit. They must have misplaced it. If not, they would question the dragon.

Now that the fight was out in the open, it was in Spike’s favor.

With Spike high in the air, the angle made it hard for Nylar to hit him with magic. He didn’t let up either, firing down at her from his position, forcing her to use her shadow step ability.

She was a sitting duck down here. Grunting, Nylar jumped into the air, and when it looked like gravity was about to do its work, she jumped again, creating a ripple in the air like water.

Spike widened his eyes as Nylar closed the distance in mere seconds. He barely managed to teleport before a tail slapped him.

He appeared on the ground, blowing a sigh of relief.

Just as Nylar spotted where he appeared, he blew his fire at her. She leaped in the air to evade him.

However, in her descent, she was wide open without wings to change her direction.

Spike took this chance, flying to her, charging magic in his palms.

Nylar opened her maw to fire at him, but Spike teleported.

She heard the spark of magic from right above her, and before she had time to react, she was blasted on her back, sending her shooting to the ground.

Spike didn’t let her have the chance to recover. Using his magic, he aimed his palms at where she landed and fired a large green beam down at her.

She couldn’t evade the attack, and it pinned her to the floor. Straining, she used all her tails to push up against the beam.

Cozy Glow reached Twilight’s castle. Before she entered through one of the higher windows, she looked up to Canterlot in worry. She couldn’t help but think about Spike. Squinting, she could make out green magic constantly being sent to the grounds of Canterlot.

Putting on a look of resolve, she returned to the castle and headed straight to the throne room. Now that she had magic flowing through her, she could start the spell without needing artifacts.

Once she got to the room with seven thrones, she placed the medallion on the Equestrian Map. Closing her eyes and calming her muscles, she concentrated and channeled magic into her horn. She reeled her head back before firing a thin line of scarlet magic at the seal.

She gave herself one last reminder that Spike would be fine. She trusted his words.

Nylar gave one big push, then leaped to the side.

Realizing Nylar got free, Spike stopped shooting his magic. She glared at him and fired multiple magic missiles from her tails and maw.

Spike took this chance of weakness, teleporting away from the oncoming magic and appearing right in front of her. Using two magic-encased palms, he blasted her point-blank.

Nylar dug her claws into the ground, ensuring the attack wouldn’t push her back. Groaning, she reached forward with one of her tails and grabbed him.

Lifting him high, she slammed him into the ground over and over.

Spike winced the first couple of slams. By the fourth, he gritted his teeth and teleported out of her grasp right before the fifth came.

Nylar used her sharp eyes, looking around for the small creature. He was nowhere to be found. There was nowhere he could hide unless he teleported far away enough to find buildings that still stood tall.

Then, she heard humming coming from right below her.

With wide eyes, she looked down and saw the kid dragon beneath her legs.

Before she could move, she got blasted high before gravity took over, making her fall into some debris.

Spike blew out a large breath. If this continued, he had a good chance to come out on top. But even if he defeated her, he still had to wait for Cozy to release everyone. For now, it would be better for him to conserve his magic and stamina.

Just as Nylar lifted some debris off her, Antlerius stepped between her and Spike. His antlers were still glowing brightly. “I’m still channeling the spell, but my help should still be enough. We’ll fight him together. We don’t need anyone else standing in our way.”

Normally, villains were a bit too cocky for Spike’s taste. They would usually be so proud of their strength, choosing to work alone with overconfidence. They would laugh at the concept of assistance. When Nylar nodded and stood next to Antlerius, he gritted his teeth.

“Dragon,” Antlerius began. “We seemed to have misplaced our seal. I don’t suppose you have any idea as to what happened to it?”

Nylar widened her eyes at that, looking at Antlerius.

Spike narrowed his eyes, choosing not to say a word. Taking a low stance, he prepped for anything about to come.

With a grunt, Antlerius gave Nylar a nod.

She let go of her shock, giving him one in return.

After that, the two of them locked their gazes on Spike.

Like they had the same mind, both villains rushed towards Spike. Nylar took the ground while Antlerius skipped to the sky like she showed off earlier.

Spike gasped and teleported away from some tails. When he reappeared, he didn’t react fast enough to dodge Antlerius, who rammed him with his antlers.

He carried Spike fast across the flattened city, his form a green ray.

Spike tried to cast another teleport, but Antlerius slammed him against the wall of a destroyed shop, pinning him against it.

Spike took a deep breath.

Antlerius narrowed his eyes, stepping aside and letting his hostage free while avoiding the fire breath.

Before Spike could do anything further, one of Nylar’s tails grabbed one of his ankles. She whipped him across the street.

“You’re as ruthless as ever. Even though he’s a child,” Antlerius said.

“In the end, he won’t remember this fight. It’ll cause no harm.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Spike tumbled a bunch as he rolled down Canterlot. Eventually, he caught himself on his feet, dragging to a halt.

However, he didn’t have time to rest before both of his opponents dashed above him to stand on top of some buildings. Together, they fired giant magic beams at him.

Putting his palms together, he fired his beam to retaliate. However, even he knew he didn’t stand a chance.

His beam struggled for a bit before it started to lose. Noticing his beam getting pushed back, he teleported away before the other two sources of magic crashed down on him.

Now, behind some debris, Spike took this chance to catch his breath and think of something.

Antlerius grunted at losing sight of the dragon. “Transmit your magic to me so the spell doesn’t stop.”

Nylar nodded, wrapping a tail around his torso.

His antlers began to glow as he charged immense magic through them. He thrashed his head to the side, creating a powerful magic force.

His strong magical wave knocked down all the debris surrounding the two, revealing that sneaky dragon.

“Where’s the seal?” Antlerius asked.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Spike replied with a frown. “But if you do find it, let me know. I would love to free all of my friends.”

Inside the Castle of Friendship, the seal to the Space Between Worlds was encased in a sparkling blue magic orb.

Cozy looked over the spell, ensuring there would be no hiccups. It was active. All they had to do was wait or speed it up using their magic. And while she wouldn’t mind doing it herself, a certain dragon needed her help.

Suddenly, the entire area shook as a large explosion occurred in Canterlot. She rushed to the nearest window and widened her eyes.

She couldn’t stay put anymore. Spike needed her now!

Charging her horn, she teleported out of the Castle of Friendship.

Spike flew straight, teleporting away from multiple magic attacks.

When he appeared again, he blew a wide wave of fire to heed them off.

Antlerius jumped backward while Nylar pounced above the fire, landing on one of the few standing buildings.

Without wasting a second, she leaped toward Spike, readying her tails for some slams.

Spike dodged a couple of them before teleporting away.

Facing both of them simultaneously, he couldn’t do anything but run at this point. His breaths were labored, and he knew his energy was close to being completely drained.

Nylar shot a quick magic beam at him. Spike shot one back with both palms.

The two beams clashed and exploded in the middle.

Cozy re-emerged in Canterlot Castle. Specifically, the throne room. Looking around, she saw nothing of Spike, Nylar, or Antlerius.

Growing worried, she charged her horn.

As her heart beat against her chest, she prepared another teleportation spell.

Spike leaped out of a building with a roll. As soon as he exited it, the structure collapsed under Nylar’s magic blast.

Twisting around, Spike slapped a blast from Antlerius away with his forearm. He promptly fired one back at Antlerius.

Nylar jumped in and defended him with her tails.

Leaping high, Antlerius threw multiple magical orbs at Spike with a wave of his antlers.

Spike swung his arms, countering Antlerius’ magic with his own.

As the young brave dragon fought on, various creatures watched through the large crystal that floated above them. Nervous chatter rang through the air.

Twilight and her friends were beyond anxious. They didn’t wish to watch Spike fight a losing battle but didn’t want to look away.

Discord, Tirek, and Chrysalis gave their attention to the fight. The Lord of Chaos was biting his nails while the latter two gained more respect for Spike by the second.

The Crystal Ponies and their rulers, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, were all distressed. Watching their savior struggle as he tried to save them once more was something none of them yearned for, much less witness themselves.

Everyone watched on in gloom. Ponies, griffons, dragons, all the same.

Celestia and Luna furrowed their eyes and frowned, wanting nothing more but to go and help Spike.

Starlight’s throat tightened. “He needs to get out of there!” she managed to say.

They all watched in despair as Spike tried to push back their massive magic beam with his own. It was futile.

Their combined beam was a direct hit, and Spike’s small body went missing in the explosion.

“SPIKE!” Twilight yelled, tears coming to her eyes.

Soon, there was a visual again. Spike’s damaged form was blasted off the city’s edge, falling to the mountain’s base. His eyes were closed.

The creatures started to shout, hoping the small but brave dragon would be okay.

The Princess of Love’s legs refused to move while her husband clenched his teeth in anger.

Celestia and Luna both stopped breathing. The sounds of everyone’s anguish filled their ears.

But then everyone saw a small blur of pink jumping off Canterlot.

Cozy Glow tucked her wings and descended even faster with the help of gravity. She caught up to him in seconds.

Grabbing him with her hooves, she spread her wings.

Now gliding down, she flew him to the castle, dodging magic lasers from the city. She was fast from the momentum of jumping off of the city.

It took a few seconds after she was out of their sight, but she charged a large portion of her magic and teleported to Ponyville, right next to the Castle of Friendship. Quickly, she entered one of the windows and landed in the throne room.

With her magic, she placed Spike so he sat against the wall. His body was damaged severely, with bruises covering more than healthy scales. He strained and kept his eyes shut as he groaned.

She lit up her horn and touched his forehead with the tip of it.

Spike began to glow in her red aura, and his wounds began to heal.

Once his wounds vanished, he opened his eyes to see a worried foal.

Cozy lunged forward, grabbing the yelping dragon and pulling him close. She was too scared to let go.

“Cozy…” Spike hugged her back.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said, her voice as soft as clouds.

“I’m fine. Thanks to you.”

Cozy Glow nodded in his chest before putting on an angered look. She charged her horn.

Spike knew what she was up to. He hugged her tighter, stopping Cozy Glow from teleporting. He doubted he could stop her a second time.

“Promise me that if anything happens, you’ll teleport back here or get out of there any way you can.”

Cozy leaned back from their hug, smiling at him. “I promise.”

Even though he was much past basic worry, he smiled back at her. “Be careful.”

With a nod, Cozy lit her horn. “Take a nice rest. Your good pal Cozy will take care of everything.”

“And take off that glare. You look much cuter without it.”

Cozy Glow stared at him in stunned silence for a moment. Then, she gave him one last smile and teleported away.

“He had an ally,” Antlerius said.

The two creatures gazed down at where that pink filly disappeared.

“Whoever that was must have taken the seal.”

Nylar nodded. “But it’s no matter. Even with an alicorn, it’ll take too long to gather their allies and stop your spell from completing.”

Antlerius closed his eyes, grunting as he thought deeply.

Eventually, he said, “No.”

She stared at him in confusion.

“She matched the description perfectly. That ‘Cozy Glow’ pegasus we heard about.”

Nylar widened her eyes. “It was said she absorbed the last third of the Bewitching Bell. It would explain why she has a horn. I was certain that it was Princess Flurry Heart. I thought she seemed too big.”

Antlerius nodded, looking at her. “If it is this Cozy Glow, she knows a draining spell. It was why she was imprisoned, after all. If it can drain all of the magic in Equestria, the seal won’t trouble her.”

“Your History Rewriting Spell will still be cast before then, no?”

“With that dragon forcing me to aid you, we’ve lost considerable time. We cannot leave it up to chance. We’ll find them quickly and take back the seal.”

“We defeated Queen Chrysalis and Lord Tirek with ease. They even had Princess Twilight Sparkle with them. Cozy Glow will be no different.”

“Agreed,” Antlerius said. “They could not have gotten far.”

The two heard a spark from behind them.

Both turning instantly, they saw Cozy Glow. Her last name was somewhat true, as her bright pink fur stood out in the middle of the grey wasteland. The wasteland that was once known as Canterlot.

They both took a look at each other before putting their focus on their new enemy.

Chapter 5

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Cozy Glow stretched her back.

Antlerius spoke first. “You are Cozy Glow, correct?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s me, yeah,” Cozy said in a strained voice. She proceeded to stretch her forehooves.

He stared at her, blinking twice without a word.

Nylar narrowed her eyes. “What are you doing?”

“Just stretching.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Cozy would have laughed, but the question was more stupid than hilarious.

She changed to stretching her hind legs. “A good stretch goes a long way. It used to be the norm, but apparently, it’s hard to follow logic. No wonder both sides end up losing, and the good guys have to pull out their biggest weapon.”

Nylar stared at her for a few seconds before a small smile crept to her face. “She’s amusing.”

Antlerius took a step forward. “You harbor the third of Grogar’s power if the rumors are true.”

Cozy paused for a moment to say, “Oh. Yeah, I do.”

“It’s an honor to meet you. Unfortunately, we will protect Equestria from the likes of you.”

Cozy Glow raised a brow while she switched to stretching her wings. “Uh, read the room. Aren’t you two the bad guys?”

“And after it is transformed to our design, there will be much less of a chance for anyone to drain the magic.”

Cozy blinked. “Ah, I’m not trying to become Empress or drain the magic anymore.”

“Then what is your objective, foal?” Nylar asked.

Cozy Glow replied, “To save it.”

“Really? I’m surprised. You have the perfect chance to do whatever you want with everyone sealed away.”

“Well…” Cozy put a hoof to her chin, tapping it. “It’s the right thing to do, I guess. And golly,” she giggled, “I really needed to get out and do something interesting.”

“Is this a game to you, child?”

Cozy shrugged. “This isn’t going to be that difficult, so… maybe? Above all, though, you hurt my friend. That really pissed me off, if I’m being honest. So kicking your shit in will be very satisfying.”

“A cocky one indeed,” Antlerius said in a dull tone, looking at Nylar. “Deal with her while I continue the spell.”

The second Antlerius turned away, Nylar rushed towards Cozy Glow. There was the sound of a magic blast, and Nylar flew past him fast enough to shake his fur.

With his jaw slightly open, he turned back to Cozy, who was stretching her neck like nothing happened.

“I wasn’t done stretching, sorry.”

A silent few seconds passed as Cozy stretched her neck.

“Woo! Golly!” she said with a bright smile, “That’s much better.”

Antlerius grunted, looking over to Nylar. “You must stop underestimating our foes.”

“I didn’t,” she stated before pushing a filing cabinet off her form. “She’s quite strong.”

“Do you need my assistance?”

“We’ll find out.”

Nylar rushed forward again. Hopping into the air, she used every one of her tails to rain fire at Cozy Glow.

Cozy looked up at the light show heading straight for her and grew a small smile.

Meanwhile, Spike was staring at the seal in amazement. It didn’t even need to be touched. He could tell the magic was being drained by the second just by looking at it. The medallion shook wildly as if the object itself was in pain.

He knew what he had to do.

Using his palms, he powered Cozy’s ongoing spell with a stream of his magic. He was worried for the adorable filly, but he trusted her. He trusted her confidence since it had a solid base. Cozy Glow is one of the most intelligent creatures he’s come to know.

Even if she couldn’t handle Antlerius and Nylar, she would teleport back to him if things got rough. He didn’t have a reason to worry.

All he had to focus on was the draining spell. Once everyone else comes back, things will be in their favor again.

The orange Wonderbolt forgot to blink. She didn’t think she would witness such a sight in her lifetime.

“Have you…” Thunderlane started, looking upward with a bewildered expression. “...seen those moves before, Spitfire?”

A stupid question, she thought.

Sitting beside her friends, Rainbow Dash couldn’t lift her slack jaw.

Applejack would have smirked at her. She wanted Rainbow’s ego to be hit for years now. However, she was just as stunned.

Celestia and Luna couldn’t take their eyes off the crystal. Both had looks of amazement, like the majority of creatures gazing upon the sight.

“Have you seen anything fly like that, sister?”

Celestia didn’t answer, for she witnessed movements she didn’t know were possible with her own eyes. Never had she seen a creature move like what she was seeing.

All without magic.

As magic rained down on the fallen city, a pink blur zipped forward with her wings spread out. Dawning an unyielding look, she dodged left and right as magic dared to hit her. Every other moment, she would land on the ground and kick forward with her legs, increasing her speed.

Cozy did a barrel roll as she flew at super speeds, maneuvering away from some magic missiles. Straightening herself, she dashed forward off the ground twice.

Every piece of magic missed its target, landing where Cozy once was instead of where Nylar wished. She didn’t even need to teleport, going in such a sporadic path that it was impossible to predict her future location.

Cozy made one last dash forward, heading inside Canterlot Castle.

Gritting her fangs, Nylar made haste and followed Cozy Glow inside, her body becoming shadowed.

Once inside, Cozy traversed the castle with ease. Passing the Royal Kitchen, through the front foyer, and down the banquet hall. With the wind rushing past her face, she drifted left and right like it was some sort of race. She tried to cut corners as much as possible. It was a nice little game for her.

When she entered a large hallway, Cozy turned tail and floated still.

She waited a moment, and Nylar appeared around the corner about ten seconds later, skidding to a halt.

Both of them took this moment to pause and stare at each other.

Cozy Glow had a grin on her face. Not one of cockiness, but joy, like it was the best carnival game she’s ever played. “Wow. You managed to keep up. I’m impressed!”

Nylar growled. Is that what this was to that filly? A game?

Treating Nylar, the Rogue Spirit, as a joke? A mere plaything?

Nylar calmed her mind, floating to the air as her magic enveloped her body.

All nine of her tails stretched out, their tips outlining the shape of a circle.

One by one, shadow-white flames appeared at the tips.

Bringing her paws up, Nylar interlaced them.

“Evade this one, foal.”

Before a second passed, each of her tails glowed before Nylar shot a blinding, colossal orange beam at Cozy Glow.

Canterlot shook due to the explosion. The hallway’s walls were blown apart, and smoke was scattered everywhere.

After a slow exhale, Nylar kept floating in the air and inspected the smoke with a proud, neutral look.

The castle walls were blown apart and cracked. The ceiling looked as if it was going to fall at any moment.

But then she heard a voice.

“Well, it’d be stupid to assume I could dodge everything. Dur.”

Within the smoke, a scarlet bubble of magic surrounded Cozy Glow. She was perfectly fine. The shield wasn’t even cracked.

Baffled, Nylar stared at her, frozen still.

In the next split second, Cozy disappeared with a spark of red magic.

Nylar felt something light, warm, and alive on her back.

“You’re pretty comfy. Not as warm as Spike, though.”

Nylar clenched her teeth in rage, turning her head with magic charged in her maw.

A large red baseball bat slammed her entire body to the ground. Cozy Glow was too quick.

Nylar saw the castle floor approach. But before she hit the ground, a soft, familiar friend caught her on his back.

Pacing her breaths, Nylar breathed out a, “Thank you.”

Antlerius nodded. “She’s stronger than either of us thought. We’ll fight her together.”

Nylar nodded back before locking her eyes on Cozy Glow, who hovered in the air with her hooves behind her back.

Without another word, the two charged at her.

Cozy flapped her wings, flying out of the castle to escape them. Magic soon whipped past her head. She was glad there were two creatures firing magic bolts at her. It was going to be much more fun.

This time, Cozy put up a shield instead of dodging to keep her path straight.

Grunting at the shield, Antlerius jumped into the air to fire a giant laser using his powerful magic.

Cozy narrowed her eyes. Turning around, she stopped her retreat and took the beam head-on with her shield.

Nylar dashed behind her, firing multiple missiles at the shield to aid her partner.

Cozy Glow was stuck between the two forces. If she were to let up at any point, she would take a heavy blow.

They didn’t let up in the slightest. Antlerius kept his beam pushing against her shield while Nylar’s smaller magic shots added up damage quickly.

It wasn’t long until the barrier hinted at breaking with a small crack.

In the Castle of Friendship, Spike continued to charge the draining spell.

He was getting antsy, wondering why this stupid spell took so long. Perhaps the seal was too powerful for it to be a quick task. Or maybe he was being impatient.

His mind couldn’t leave Cozy Glow. Even from down in Ponyville, he could still hear the faint sounds of the battle. It sounded intense. Dangerous. It was the last place he wanted her to be.

It took everything he had not to go and help her. Against his better judgment, maybe focusing on freeing everyone else was the better option. Since the fight was still going on, that meant she was doing fine. She was still out there. Still alive. But with Antlerius and Nylar working together, he wasn’t sure if Cozy would be okay.

He just had to trust her. After all, trust was one of the things gained during their journey together.

Cozy Glow took a deep breath.

Concentrating, she analyzed every single one of Nylar’s incoming magic blasts as she held against Antlerius’ beam.

Time seemed to slow down as she waited a moment. One by one, they hit her magic barrier. As fast as the bolts were, there was still a small moment where there was a noticeable gap between them. All she needed to do was find a large enough opening.

She waited as a few more hit her shield, and then…

Now!

Cozy flew to the side, her shield evaporating.

Nylar and Antlerius’ attacks continued forward. His large beam overwhelmed her smaller bolts, forcing Nylar to dodge out of its way.

Cozy Glow landed on the ground a bit ways off.

Almost immediately, Antlerius charged at her head-first with his glowing antlers.

Charging her magic, she responded with her headbutt, the two clashing head-first.

Her retaliating seemed to catch Antlerius off. Her horn glowed bright red and projected itself, growing larger.

The moment they clashed, even Nylar was knocked back due to the force emitted. Nylar was forced to use her tails to shield herself from the oncoming winds.

Antlerius grunted as he tried to push forward. It was uncanny for someone to be even with him. Unfortunately, Cozy Glow wasn’t letting up so easily.

Giving one final grunt, he jumped back, ending their clash.

“You impress me, filly,” he said. “However, I wasn’t using my full strength. You should be honored for forcing me to cancel my spell.”

Closing his eyes, a trio of golden waves escaped his antlers. It passed through Nylar and Cozy Glow, being nothing more than a slight breeze. Then, his antlers stopped glowing, and the spell channeling for weeks ceased.

He opened his eyelids once again, staring at her. “You stand no chance as of now. Am I right to assume you’re not going to back down peacefully?”

But to his confusion, Cozy Glow gave him a puzzled look.

“No chan- Wait, did you think I was using all the strength I had?”

“Were you not?”

“Well, if I did, it wouldn’t be that fun.”

He looked at her from top to bottom. “Am I still underestimating you? Or are you simply overconfident? Either way, it’s foolish to hold yourself back against us.”

Cozy tilted her head. “It is?”

Antlerius breathed through his nose. “I need not say more.”

Nylar landed at the opposite end of Cozy. “Let’s finish this and find the dragon.”

With coordination, the two powerful beings simultaneously rushed towards her.

Antlerius went head-first with his antlers.

When Cozy flew above the ram, a few tails came in swinging. Her horn glowing bright, she deflected the tails. As soon as she did, Antlerius leaped to her, forcing her to teleport away.

As she continued to evade them, a pattern was showing. Whenever she dodged an antler, a tail was right behind it, and vice versa. When a chance came, and she tried to go for an attack on one of them, the other would intercept it. Or the first would dodge, and the other would retaliate. They watched each other’s blind spots and made up for each other’s openings.

Cozy Glow barely had enough time to catch her breath. She was beginning to see why Spike talked wonders about them. Their teamwork was impeccable. Was this the potential if she, Tirek, and Chrysalis worked together? No, they could never fight like this. This looked as if it took years of experience to come to fruition.

Despite all that, she was enjoying it.

She already knew what she had to do. It was possible to deal with them simultaneously, but it would be time-consuming.

With the next opening she had, she would separate the two.

Another tail came down, trying to catch her.

But to Nylar’s utter shock, Cozy grabbed it like nothing, holding it above her head. It was as if her tail was a mere tea cup.

With this little pause, Antlerius came from behind out of Cozy’s view.

However, Cozy Glow’s ears were quick to read his steps.

Turning around, she shot a blast of magic, pushing Antlerius away.

“Futile,” Antlerius thought as he braced with his strong antlers. Even as he was driven further away from Cozy Glow, he didn’t take any damage.

Nylar pounced towards Cozy Glow, her maw filled with magic.

Right before she blasted the spot Cozy was standing in, she teleported away.

The next thing Nylar knew, her tails were grabbed and bunched together like a bundle of sticks.

Cozy Glow giggled as she tightened her grip on the tails, thinking of a certain word. Pulling Nylar, she swung her around once before slamming her on the ground.

Nylar was dazed momentarily but didn’t have the chance to recover before Cozy lifted her overhead and slammed her once more.

Satisfied, Cozy dodged an incoming magic bolt by flying into the air, giggling happily. “This is fun!”

Nylar picked herself up off the ground and shook her head. She and Antlerius looked up at Cozy Glow, lowering their gaze to each other.

Nodding, the two fired at her, forcing Cozy to evade it with a teleport.

When she reappeared a little bit away, she floated an inch above the ground with her hooves behind her back.

Out of nowhere, the two villains tried to get the drop on her from above.

Chuckling, she dashed upward with a flap of her wings.

The two landed on the ground with a large quake, creating a large crater.

“Gonna have to try harder than that!” she yelled from above with her hooves on her hips.

“She’s treating us as fools,” Antlerius stated.

Nylar replied, “Let’s prove her wrong then.”

Charging their magic, they engaged Cozy Glow while firing rapidly.

Cozy did a loop in the air before taking flight, evading some magic.

Once again, she began flying like an expert. They arrived at a point where some buildings were still standing, albeit barely. Through some broken windows, she smiled as she tucked her wings to fit through.

Out the other end, Nylar came from her right and swung her tails.

Cozy projected her horn, using it to bat away the tails. Then, she teleported to Nylar’s side and blasted her away.

Anterlius charged through a concrete wall beside Cozy, trying to use the element of surprise.

Luckily for her, the wall worked both ways, and Antlerius was a little off with his aim. She performed an elegant twirl in the air, and her glowing horn created a trail as she rose upwards before she fired a large beam.

Antlerius took a low stance as the beam approached. Bracing head-first with his antlers, his hooves dug into the ground as the powerful force pushed him back. He endured it for the next few seconds before flicking the attack upward.

But without warning, Cozy teleported in front of him. She projected a large hammer with her scarlet magic and smashed him away into a building.

Cozy landed on her hooves, and her ears perked at the sound of something rolling. It sounded like glass.

Looking down, she saw a bottle of booze rolling away from her. Turning her gaze up, she saw a bar still standing from where the bottle had come from. Shrugging, she grabbed the bottle with her magic, removed the cork, and quickly sipped the beverage.

Wiping her mouth clean and tossing the bottle with little care, she rose to the air as Nylar tossed some debris off of her.

“Are we done playing around yet?” she asked with her hooves behind her back. “Or is that really the extent of your power?”

Nylar jumped high with a burst of her magic. Using every single one of her tails, she charged her magic.

Cozy looked on as this time was a little different from the last. Nylar took a few seconds longer to concentrate. Thus, her magic was much stronger than before. With clenched teeth, she fired a large beam at Cozy Glow.

When she flew to the side and dodged like usual, the beam hit the ground instead. However, unlike their normal magic blasts, this one left the ground lit with ghostly white flames.

Cozy evaded a few more, taunting Nylar with spins and laughs.

Nylar growled. “If all you can do is flee, then we have nothing to fear.”

“Fine. I won’t run away then.”

Cozy Glow paused as she hovered very close to the ground. She locked gazes with the piercing fox.

“After all, I realized your attacks won’t affect me at all, even without a magic barrier. They’re not all that powerful.”

Growling at Cozy Glow’s cockiness, Nylar charged her magic again. “Very well! If this is how you wish to be defeated!”

She fired.

Like she said, Cozy didn’t move an inch. The attack hit her straight on, but while the ground around her crumbled like normal, the small alicorn didn’t flinch or move.

Nylar and Antlerius gasped in shock as Cozy Glow gave them a sinister grin. Her pink fur treated the flames as if they were nothing.

“It did… nothing?” Antlerius asked himself. “That’s impossible!”

“I fought you enough, Ms. Fox,” Cozy said, “But now it’s his turn.”

Her body was enveloped in her scarlet magic, and with a burst of speed, she circled Nylar, the flames blowing off her fur.

With a war cry, Nylar fired another one of her flame attacks at Cozy Glow. She hit her target again, but it only slowed the glowing alicorn for a second.

Cozy flew around Nylar at super speeds, her trailing magic creating a scarlet ring around the now uneasy fox.

Abruptly, she stopped, so she was in front of Antlerius, and Nylar was behind her, dawning a kind-hearted smile directed at him.

Powerful quaking magic erupted within the ring, rising high into the air. Antlerius looked on in shock as he watched Nylar’s silhouette disappear within the bright energy.

Nylar was visible in the middle of the scorched circle when the magic dissipated. Scarlet static flickered all over her smoking body before she dropped to the ground.

Every creature looked on with astonishment. Nothing was said as utter silence took over the Space Between Worlds. All were the same, whether it was a common pony or someone as proud as Tirek.

Antlerius gritted his teeth as he stared at his friend. Nylar was unmoving. “How did you…” He trailed off.

“Don’t worry,” Cozy said with a wave of her hoof. “She’s just unconscious and paralyzed.”

With one deep breath, Antlerius composed himself. “No matter. You merely caught us off guard. The results won’t change.”

“Hm?” Cozy tilted her head. “You sure about that? Isn’t your strength your cooperation?”

Antlerius chose to reply with a stomp to the ground.

A small, thick tree grew behind Cozy Glow. It curved forward to knock Cozy Glow towards the charging deer.

Her small body took the charge head-on, and he slammed her against the tree. Grunting a little from the pain, Cozy used her magic to blast him away a good distance.

Skidding to a halt, Antlerius shot a magic beam at Cozy Glow.

But Cozy didn’t falter. She flew around the beam using her wings, heading straight for him. His shock couldn’t come to fruition before she slammed him with a magic mallet.

He was sent flying to Canterlot Castle.

He barreled through a crystal wall, rolling over twice before he picked himself up.

Cozy flew in from the hole he created. She landed on the ground, taking her time and slowly walking towards him.

Antlerius charged his antlers with magic before slamming both hooves on the crystal floor. Two roots sprung up under Cozy Glow and tried to grab her.

But she had already seen that neat trick once. So, as soon as he lifted his front hooves, she was already in the air.

Antlerius used his charged magic at that moment, firing a large beam at her.

Cozy flew towards him. She slapped the beam away with her glowing horn and blasted him through another wall.

He tumbled into a new room. Pacing his breaths, he kept himself strong. Even so, his breathing hitched once when he tried to get up.

While his legs were bent and head lowered, he paused in utter shock as pink hooves trotted past him.

Cozy Glow went up the stairs to the most famous throne room in the land. It was a legendary seat known by most ponies. Even other species knew of its existence.

She plopped down on it.

“Huh. It’s not as uncomfortable as I thought.”

Antlerius gritted his teeth, the first hints of anger appearing.

He couldn’t fathom how Cozy Glow was being so nonchalant with him—her enemy—in the same room. “How insulting.”

Snapping his head to her, he fired a powerful magic beam.

From where she sat, she conjured magic from her horn and teleported.

She was right in front of Antlerius’ face when she next appeared. She blasted him in the chest.

Static appeared where she hit him, and Antlerius couldn’t move a muscle if he wanted to.

As he stood there with a frozen, shocked expression, the small alicorn walked past him and looked around the throne room as if she were sightseeing.

Clenching his jaw tight, he gave off a battle cry and shook off his paralysis. He turned to her and rammed Cozy Glow through a wall.

Then another.

And again after.

They went through three walls before encountering fresh air once again.

Landing on Canterlot grounds, Antlerius tossed her away and leaped high.

Aiming down at the despicable filly, he charged magic with a face full of rage.

Cozy looked up at him with an innocent smile.

His body spasmed as magic coursed through him. Locking his eyes on his target, he fired another beam.

It was a thinner beam than the others, but Cozy wasn’t oblivious. She could see what it truly was: magic condensed to such an insane degree that it would pierce through the hardest materials.

Putting power into her horn, Cozy took on the attack. She only struggled for half a second before she flicked it above her, turning it into sparkles and deeming it harmless.

Although he was in absolute disbelief, Starswirl the Bearded laughed. “She’s as fierce as Chrysalis and aggressive as Tirek. Yet also elegant, much like a princess.”

Celestia wasn’t able to close her jaw for the last few minutes. “She’s… incredible.”

“To think I was worried about nothing…” Tirek said out loud, although to himself.

Chrysalis, who stood next to him, could do nothing but agree.

Antlerius nearly cracked a tooth as he scowled down at her.

Cozy’s smile slowly started to fall. It was weird to her, but this fight was losing its amusement. Now that Antlerius was losing his composure, it was like kicking an infant.

Antlerius landed on the floor with a large quake, unintentionally spawning small roots around him.

Waving his antlers in front, he blew a potent wave of magic. Every building from before him to the city’s edge was leveled. Nearly all of Canterlot was flat now.

He didn’t care much about that. What infuriated him to the bone was that Cozy Glow didn’t feel his ability, if at all. She continued to float in the air, untouched.

Suddenly, Cozy Glow dropped to the ground and slowly walked toward him.

Then, his anger began to shift to something else. Something unknown to him.

His breaths became uneven as he stared at the sole foal, closing the distance between them by the second. He felt himself start to shake. He wondered why.

When she came to reaching distance, he took a step back.

He took a step back?!

It dawned on him what this feeling was.

He was afraid.

He locked gazes with her scarlet eyes, which slightly glowed in its hue.

She didn’t look determined to save the world. Eager to conquer it. Or even happy to play around.

She was bored.

This game wasn’t fun anymore for the child.

For the first time, the calculating deer was shaking where he stood.

His breaths started to get heavier and heavier.

Then, with a coarse yell, he stomped his hooves on the ground.

A very large stump of a plant rose high in the sky.

Cozy jumped back and drew her stare upwards, still not taking off her dulled expression.

The plant grew taller than Canterlot Castle. Even more impressive, the plant exceeded the height of Canterlot Mountain.

When the growing stopped, the tip bloomed into a fragrant flower with golden petals.

The flower bent down to glare at Canterlot City, with Antlerius standing on top of it. His hooves were intertwined with roots that dug deep into the large plant.

The petals of the flower curved towards the city. In the middle of them, an orb of golden magic began surging. It grew in size and hummed to let all know it existed.

Nylar groaned from where she lay prone, weakly heaving out, “You’ll destroy this entire mountain…”

From down in Ponyville, Spike looked up with wide, shocked eyes. He could barely make out the colors of Antlerius on top of the giant flower, confirming that it wasn’t a spell Cozy concocted.

His heart racing for Cozy Glow, he began flying to the city.

With one final yell, Antlerius fired the impossibly large magic orb down at the tiny alicorn filly.

It was blinding, lighting up everything and making it seem like daytime. The sky was once again light blue for these few moments.

Nylar widened her eyes, lifting her tails and taking cover.

Even the city itself seemed to be frightened. The deep hum of Antlerius’ incoming attack was the only sound that occupied everything.

No one could look away if they wished so. Such a sight left them in a stunned state.

“Canterlot is going to fall…” Celestia muttered.

Cozy Glow stared up at the descending doom, a calm expression on her face.

She took a wide stance.

Aimed her horn.

And fired.

Spike watched in astonishment as Cozy’s scarlet magic pushed back Antlerius’. It seemed effortless.

Antlerius’ eyes widened. As his and Cozy’s magic mixture neared, he audibly gasped.

The top of his towering flower disintegrated, and he took on the power next, screaming out as his vision was filled with the bright light of surging magic.

With one last bright flash, the skies started to be honest again, becoming dark, and the stars in the sky were visible again.

Spike gulped, beginning to turn around. “Oookay… she’s got this.”

He headed back to the Castle of Friendship.

Antlerius’ smoking body fell from the skies, hitting the ground with a quake.

All over, his body was bruised. Groaning, he picked himself up steadily.

He was barely able to keep standing, let alone upright. When Cozy Glow began walking closer to him, he fired smaller magic bullets as a last-ditch effort.

This time, she reacted so much differently.

Her horn glowed, and a square of magic appeared before her. His magic bullets bounced off of it like light to a mirror.

The magic bounced right towards him.

But before they hit his weakened body, Cozy Glow’s scarlet aura encased and crushed them, sparing him any more pain.

His entire body stung as he looked at her in shock. As exhaustion took over him, he heaved and fell to his haunches.

Panting, he said, “You had that deflecting spell this entire time…”

Cozy knew it was more a realization than a statement to her.

Slowing down his breathing, Antlerius looked her over.

He stared at her for a good while, finally taking the time to read her. His eyes flashed golden, and he scanned her body.

Her magic was overwhelming. She was flowing from the tip of her horn to the bottom of her hooves with implausibly powerful magic. It spread throughout her tiny body, threatening to escape at any moment. It was surreal to him. How could this tiny filly hold this much power?

“I can’t believe it,” he said, spiking Cozy’s attention. “You hold so much magical energy. You simply can’t be a third of Grogar’s power. It’s impossible.”

Cozy took in his words, staring at him momentarily before sighing. “You’re right. For all the moons I’ve been away from Equestria, I’ve been honing my magic to the point where I’m more powerful than anyone I’ve seen. It used to be a practice amongst unicorns and other magic users in ancient history, but it was lost to time because everyone got too content. They all believed that their princesses and gods could always protect them. I’m not like them. I never had anyone like that in my life. I can’t fully blame them, though. Equestria has only gotten safer over time.

“It’s why Starswirl is so admired. He was just a regular unicorn, like all the rest. But he became powerful on his own accord. It wasn’t gifted to him. Every creature born with powerful magic is way too over-reliant on their powers. Because of that, there are very few creatures I actually respect. Twilight Sparkle was one of them. She trained with her magic and became a powerful unicorn, even before she turned into an alicorn. The Princess of Friendship shtick? It’s admirable, but I couldn’t care less. Improving yourself because you’re determined to? That’s something I can get behind.

“I used to respect her and the other princesses. But they got soft. It was no wonder powerful threats always came close to having their way with Equestria. Me included.

“But I’m not the same as the others. I wasn’t even born as a unicorn. I wasn’t born into a luxurious or even slightly normal life. I’ll never forget the times when I had to use my wit to get what I needed. To this day, my brain is my most precious ally, and there’s never going to be a day that passes when I’ll lose that part of myself.”

Antlerius gazed at her in silence. Even he was taken aback by her words. She spoke the truth. Her truth. Everything she said came from her soul, and he didn’t need magic to know that.

“Now that we’re here,” Cozy continued, “you can teach me that spell you were going to use. I could recreate Equestria into what will be a paradise.

He narrowed his eyes. “And why would I let you do such a thing? Do you think I would trust someone as dangerous as you?”

Cozy narrowed her eyes back. “Hm. Maybe I should just rewrite your history so you and Nylar never meet.”

He widened his eyes. He forgot about Nylar in his rage. Where was she? Was she alright? Questions and worries poured into his mind as he processed what Cozy Glow told him.

“Y-you can’t!” he pleaded. “That is…” he trailed off, realizing something just then.

“And there it is.” Cozy frowned. “Hypocrisy at its finest. You think you’re so wise and important that you think you can just rewrite history, and everyone has to accept that.” She scoffed. “In this world, everyone is equal. But some are never treated as such.”

Antlerius couldn’t speak. He was too stunned to find the right words. This was so unnatural to him. He was proud to say he always knew what to say. He always stood by the principle of being calm and collected. But now, it was as if everything was flipped.

“I gave up on trying to ‘fix’ this world a long time ago. You should too. Who knows, you might find contentment with Nylar.”

Antlerius closed his jaw, much gentler this time, looking to the ground in thought. He wondered what Nylar’s thoughts would be on this.

Cozy’s eyes turned soft. “Treasure your bonds. It might be the last thing you have left one day.”

A white magic ball came out of the blue, hitting Cozy promptly in the side. She didn’t flinch.

Cozy Glow turned to the offender with an unamused look. She was a second away from scoffing when she froze. She started to feel pressure in her head.

Panic began to consume her as the pressure turned into the start of a headache. The symptoms didn’t stop there. She started to feel light-headed and dizzy soon after. Even her eyesight was getting blurry.

Cozy Glow struggled with a groan and held her head. This wasn’t right. Nothing should be able to work on her. She couldn’t gain a concussion from a battered Nylar that used the last of her magic. Sure, it could have stung, but something else was happening here.

Nylar grinned. “Now watch as your mind loses its grip. With my spell, your mind is wide open. It’ll be easier than ever to turn you into our loyal minion!”

Cozy gasped as she only took one thing out of Nylar’s taunt. Her mind was wide open.

Turning to the smug fox with terror in her eyes, she screamed at the top of her lungs, “WHAT?!”

Nylar’s smug grin grew.

Inside her mind, Cozy Glow heard very familiar manic laughter grow louder and stronger.

Clearer.

She shut her eyes tight as she rose uncontrollably into the air.

Antlerius frowned.

Noticing this, Nylar faltered a bit, her eyes softening. “Is something wrong, Antlerius?”

He looked at Cozy Glow with disappointment. “I was beginning to think we could have talked things out with her.”

Nylar looked him over for any signs of brain damage. “You’re serious,” she concluded.

“She’s different from the others,” he explained.

Cozy held her head and screamed, her voice ear-piercing. She made pained sounds as she squirmed.

Nylar turned to look at Cozy Glow. She wondered what kind of conversation she had with her friend to make him think about talking things out. “She is powerful, having forced us to pause our ambitions. And she’ll forget about all of this once you recreate this world. It will be harmless.”

Antlerius grunted softly.

“Perhaps we’ve been too hasty. But it’s too late now.”

Yes, it’s too late indeed. They were too exhausted to even move, let alone stop this spell. Nylar barely managed to scrape from her resources.

They would have to wait and regain their strength. Then, they would have a proper conversation with her.

And they could…

Could…

What was happening?

That was what both of them thought when a light blue bubble surrounded Cozy Glow’s silhouette.

As Nylar continued to look on with confusion, Antlerius turned to her. “Did you modify your spell?”

A stupid question, looking at Nylar’s expression.

“Nothing like this should be happening…” she muttered.

Cozy’s screams persisted as a second magical sphere split from the original.

She was still inside the first, but the other empty one flickered black as a shadow of another foal blinked into existence.

However, it wasn’t any ordinary foal.

First, large wings akin to Cozy’s appeared on their back.

Then, a horn.

“What’s going on?” Antlerius asked Nylar.

Nylar didn’t even know how to respond.

Now, Cozy’s screams were of the past, her legs only holding her head.

However, in the second orb, both ancient beings noticed something that sent shivers down their spines.

A wicked smile.

One final burst of blue magic sent the two blasting off.

Cozy dropped to the ground with a thud. She groaned. Her vision returned to normal, and her headache was almost gone. In fact, other than that, she felt perfectly fine.

The blood drained from her face before she even looked up.

A familiar laughter was right above her.

Slowly and fearfully, she lifted her gaze. She couldn’t move a muscle as she stared at her friend, who’d been without a body for multiple years. He was hovering calmly in the flesh clear as day. She could only breathe out his name in disbelief.

“Sky Shard…”

Chapter 6

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“Oh, golly, yes!”

Like in her head, Sky Shard’s voice was a higher pitch than normal. It is so sharp and spine-chilling, eating at her ears to make them bleed.

“I finally have a body again!” he said with glee. “And I’m an alicorn!? This is the best day ever!”

He looked over himself, snapping his sparkling eyes to his large wings and horn as he twisted around.

Cozy sat there unmoving. She didn’t even realize she was holding her breath; she was too focused on the overjoyous colt.

Like when he was alive, he had that same slick candy-blue tail and mane that flicked upward. His eyes were a darker shade of blue, and he looked as innocent as ever.

But she knew too well what he truly was.

Suddenly, Sky Shard turned to her, making her flinch.

“Isn’t this great, Cozy?! Now we can have so much fun!”

She didn’t even have time to reply because he turned to the other two present right after saying that. Antlerius and Nylar gazed at him with wide, confused eyes.

Waving at them, he yelled, “Thanks, you two! Now we can play forever and ever!”

He put a hoof to his chin abruptly, humming out in thought. “Everypony else is still trapped.” He smiled wide. “But hey! At least I have you two to play with until they get here!”

Without warning, he dashed forward.

Before either had time to react, Sky shot Antlerius point-blank with a dark blue magic blast.

Nylar widened her eyes at seeing her friend’s body blasting away.

“Magic is way too fun!” Sky yelled out.

Gritting her teeth, she raised her tails before she got blasted, too.

With an insane look in his eye and a burst of laughter to pair with it, Sky chased after them.

Cozy watched in absolute fear as her friend made chase. Shutting her eyes tight, she inwardly cursed everything that existed.

Antlerius and Nylar both fired beams at Sky. The young pony didn’t seem inclined to cease and have a chat any time soon.

Laughing without a thought in the world, Sky charged magic through his horn and shot his blue beam. It pushed their combined magic without much issue.

The two dashed to the side to avoid the incoming attack, although Antlerius still got shoved at a bad angle due to the force. He groaned when he landed on one of his legs awkwardly, sparking more pain than normal.

Nylar charged at Sky Shard. Using her tails, she tried to grab him.

“Woah! Watch where you swing those things,” he said, looking shocked as he flew around to avoid them.

Using his magic, he gripped Nylar’s tails and pulled her over his head, slamming her to the earth.

Nylar groaned from the pain. She grew tired of having to pick herself off the ground.

A sharp pain appeared in her tails, forcing a scream out.

Sobbing a single time, Nylar looked back to see three of her tails broken, looking as if someone stepped on a twig in a forest.

Clenching her jaw, she merged all of her tails back into one. Her sole tail wasn’t fully repaired, but it was better than nothing.

Sky lit his horn, and a large hammer in his blue magic appeared above Nylar.

He laughed like he heard the funniest joke as Nylar looked up in shock. Then, he slammed the hammer down on her repeatedly, her cries and gasps ringing the area as she was squished between hardened magic and rocky grounds.

Antlerius picked himself up, staring in horror at the insanity before him. He was focused on Nylar’s torment, seeing all of the injuries piling up on her body, and it gave him pure rage.

Charging crackling magic in his antlers, he fired a beam at the small foal.

Sky cast the same mirror Cozy used against him earlier without turning to him, and his magic was sent back at him.

Unable to dodge due to his hurt leg, he took his beam head-on.

As Antlerius crashed further away from them, Sky continued to slam Nylar deeper into the ground over and over with a big grin on his face. He danced on his hooves as he did so, enjoying every second that passed.

After what seemed like forever, he spun her around with his magic and threw her using the momentum, sending her into some debris.

Despite his injured leg, Antlerius leaped out of a destroyed hotel and charged at Sky Shard with hatred spewing from his eyes. His antlers aglow, he went forth.

Sky answered with a glowing horn of his own.

They clashed, shaking the lands around them.

Using the mass advantage, the adult drew his head upward, bringing the very light-weighted Sky up before slamming him to the ground and pinning him.

Panting heavily, Antlerius said, “You’re much too dangerous to stay alive.”

Using every last bit of energy he could muster, he charged magic into his antlers and fired point-blank.

Sky’s pupils sparkled as he stared at the fancy glowing sticks.

The explosion caused a large smokescreen and crater. When the smoke faded, Antlerius gasped when Sky was completely unharmed, a protective magical layer surrounding his fur.

Gritting his teeth, Antlerius took one shaky step forward.

Sky’s blue magic grabbed his head and slammed it into a nearby wall.

He laughed with insanity and didn’t hold any mercy as he continuously smashed Antlerius’ skull against hard concrete. There wasn’t the slightest hint of slowing down.

Out of nowhere, Sky got blasted away by scarlet magic.

With one eye closed and the other barely open, Antlerius looked at Cozy Glow with confusion.

“Take your friend and get out of here!” she yelled, “Canterlot won’t be standing for very long!”

With a flap of her wings, she chased Sky Shard. Antlerius didn’t even have the chance to ask her a single question.

At where he crash landed, Sky blasted off some rubble that was on top of him.

Shaking the dust off his fur, he turned to Cozy, who just caught up to him. “Uh, hello?! Same team?! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Stopping you from killing him. I’m not going to let you become a murderer.”

Sky scoffed. “I wasn’t killing him. He was just fine!”

“Whatever. Come on, we’re leaving,” she ordered, pulling on his foreleg with her magic.

“Wha- to that boring old shack you call a home in the middle of nowhere?! Fuck no!” He pulled back sharply, dissipating the magic grasp with little to no effort.

Cozy glared at him. “I’m not going to say it again!”

“No way Cozy Wozy. Look at us! We’re all-powerful!”

Sky Shard took to the sky, extending his arms.

“We’re both super powerful alicorns now! We can play together as long as we want! In minutes, Spike will release everyone, and we’ll have all those ponies and creatures to play with! Equestria will be our sandbox of dreams!”

As Sky finished off with a crazed laugh, Cozy stared up at him, dawning a frustrated look.

“Are you really going to stop your best friend from having fun?”

“I’m not gonna let you be a monster!” Cozy said with an angered stomp, a small burst of magic cracking the ground.

“Who cares?!” he said with a wave of his hoof.

“A-are you serious? Come on, Sky! Stop acting like this!”

He laughed at her. “Oh, come on! Where’s that backbone you had? Was the path you took to get here done by some coward? You learned magic as a pegasus filly for ME! You tricked Princess Twilight for ME! You manipulated the lords and gods all for ME!”

He paused, staring at her with his intense dark blue orbs. “Ah, wait.” His smile turned sad. “You didn’t do it for me. You didn’t want to free me or save me. No. You wanted to shut me up.”

“N-no!” Cozy said with wide eyes. “It isn’t like that! I wanted to fix you!”

“Well, I feel perfect!” Sky said with a much happier smile. “Enough talking! Where did those two go?”

Sky began twisting and turning, looking around the area.

Cozy hardened her look.

“No! We are leaving!” she said.

Sky groaned, rolling his eyes dramatically. “Yeah, fuck that.”

He fired a blue blast at her.

With a shocked expression, Cozy barely managed to duck below it.

“If you’re not going to let me play with them, then we can just play instead. All you had to do was ask if you wanted your turn. Yeesh!” He dropped to the ground, beginning to stretch a foreleg. “Alright, give me a sec. You got your stretches in. I need a stretch, too!”

“I don’t want to fight you, Sky!” Cozy yelled with a look that was in between firm and pleading.

“And what are we going to do instead? Play a stupid board game? Oh, I know! We’ll play annoying instruments even though we fucking suck!”

He started laughing as Cozy frowned.

With resolute steps, she approached and grabbed his hoof.

“We’re leaving! NOW!”

She received a blank look before getting blasted away into a nearby pile of debris. With a groan, she stood up. It didn’t occur to her until now, but that was the first sort of physical pain she’d endured for a good while.

“I was watching you fight those other two guys. That looked fun! But hey, if you want to play first, that’s fine with me too!” With a large smile, Sky dashed towards Cozy. His horn projected itself larger, just like she had done before.

She gritted her teeth and used the same spell, clashing horns with Sky.

He could use the spells she learned. She guessed that happens when you live in someone’s consciousness. But it didn’t explain how he was an alicorn, to begin with.

She deflected his horn, saying, “We can do this somewhere else! I’ll play with you all you want, but let’s leave!”

Sky shook his head. “Cozy, I love ya, but I need more options in my life.” He charged at her head-first once again.

Cozy teleported away before he reached her. When she reappeared, she was high in the air.

“We’re not hurting anyone, Sky Shard!” she yelled.

He turned to her with a smile. “I thought you wanted to rule, silly!”

“I did!” Cozy replied, putting a hoof on her chest. “I thought if I made enough friends, I would have enough power to save you. But I was wrong. I didn’t know how friendship worked, and I ended up more alone than ever!”

Sky continued to give her his brightest smile. “But you’re not alone! You have me!” he said merrily. “Everypony watched as a filly was being thrown into madness. Nopony lifted a hoof, a talon—” His smile widened.

“—a claw!”

He took a step forward. “Even Twilight, the Princess of Friendship, did fuck all to help you. But I was always willing to be the one and only friend you would ever need! Face it, Cozy. The world hates our guts. So fuck it! We’ll do whatever we want!”

At that, Cozy sighed. He was right. If they teamed up right now to turn all of Equestria into their playhouse, nothing could stand up to them. They could make the world pay for how it treated them.

But it wasn’t her desire for revenge. She didn’t wish to be evil and greedy or insane like him.

She couldn’t blame the entire world, even after how her life turned out. A few souls, maybe, but she wanted Equestria and the rest of the world to thrive.

“The world hates me?” she smiled, chuckling at the thought. If the world hates her, it sure did a bad job at doing so. “So be it.”

Turning to her friend, she dawned a determined look.

“But I’m not going to let you turn it into ruin.”

Sky rolled his eyes, whining, “Shut up.” He fired a sole missile at her, making her dodge midair. “Stop being annoying and boring. Let’s play!”

Cozy hopped to the side to avoid another magic blast. Grunting, she sidestepped a couple more before flying away.

Laughing, Sky said, “Let’s try another one of those fun spells!” He flew and took pursuit. Lighting his horn, he shot a large beam.

The beam missed Cozy, but when it passed her, it exploded in a beautiful light show akin to fireworks.

Cozy gritted her teeth at the display. But if there was something she was glad about, it was his focus on her. She intended to keep it that way.

“Catch me if you can!” she yelled, flying faster.

Sky’s giant grin widened further, and he chased after her with a great flap of his wings.

Cozy Glow dodged all of his magic fireworks. The lights lit up the area every second before fading away.

It was easy to dodge his attacks. He always aimed for where she was, just like everyone seemed to do.

Cozy was shocked when she looked back and saw he was keeping up with her. Sky was never the fastest flyer. He never aspired to be swift. Was that another effect of being inside her mind? He could use the spells she learned with alicorn magic and now fly as well as her. It was starting to fill her with dread.

One magic beam traveled faster than the previous ones, catching Cozy Glow off guard. Thankfully, her reaction time was nothing to scoff at. She descended and landed on the ground to avoid it, skidding to a halt.

Sky stopped in front of her, charging magic through his horn.

“We could throw mountains if we wanted!” he said with excitement. “And I think if both of us aimed at the core, we could blow up the planet!”

He paused, looking down at the ground and tilting his head.

Grinning ear to ear, he snapped his gaze back to Cozy, asking, “Wanna try?”

Cozy Glow took a wide stance, pulling power through her horn, ready for anything. She had to anticipate everything from Sky in front of her.

Suddenly, something in the corner of Sky’s vision caught his attention. He went wide-eyed with a bright smile.

“Gasp! Our playmates!”

Cozy’s stomach dropped as Sky dashed to Antlerius, who was limping with a weakened Nylar on his back.

Clenching her jaw, she pursued him.

They looked on with despair as Sky flew high above them, loading massive magic into his horn.

With laughter, he fired a decently sized magic beam at the two.

Antlerius stood straight with pride. However, as he tried to conjure magic, he winced when a sharp rush of pain shot through him.

Before the beam made contact, Cozy teleported in front of them and used the magic mirror spell, deflecting the beam right back up at Sky.

Before Sky could say anything, his beam sent him flying. His loud laughter echoed in the air as he ascended far away.

Without a word, Cozy teleported the two adults away.

When they reappeared, they were somewhere unfamiliar.

Antlerius looked around, seeing the seal in the middle of a large map table. Surrounding the medallion was sparkling magic and a thread of green magic connected to it. He followed the thread to find out who it was coming from.

Spike blinked, his mouth slightly agape. Antlerius and Nylar teleported in with Cozy’s red magic and were injured beyond belief. Something was off about this, he thought. It didn’t stop him from glaring at them as he stopped pouring magic into Cozy Glow’s draining spell. Tightening his fist, he took a step forward.

“We can travel the world!” Cozy yelled as she went sideways to evade another blast. “See everything beyond Equestria!”

Sky mimicked the sound of a buzzer. “Bor-ing! All the fun is right here!”

“We don’t have to play here, Sky. The world is huge!”

“And it’ll be waiting for us after Equestria, like all toys, eventually breaks!” With a wide grin, he made a giant blue magic hammer.

Gritting her teeth, Cozy conjured her own, and when Sky tried to slam down, she swung upward to stop it.

“What in Tartarus do you want, Sky?!” she yelled, getting frustrated. “Snap out of it! The lives of everyone aren’t our plaything!”

Sky paused, widening his eyes for a split second. “What do I want?” He hummed, putting a hoof to his chin in thought.

He smiled. “Chocolate milk!”

Cozy blinked, completely baffled.

“Oh! And a hay burger. Haven’t had that in a while. Or maybe an ice cream sundae!”

He laughed out loud like it was the best joke he’s told. Looking at Cozy, he had the largest of grins. “But most importantly, to have the best time in the world with my bestest friend!”

Cozy felt her throat turn dry. She gulped it down. “Sky, there are other ways we can have fun! Trust me!”

Sky groaned, rolling his eyes. “It’s always what you want. I never have my way!” He pouted as he floated in the air, crossing his forelegs. “Sorry, Cozy. But today’s my day!”

“‘This world is beautiful.’”

Sky paused, quirking an eyebrow.

“‘Despite magic, life in Equestria continues on. Even though we’re treated horribly, there’s still beauty out there.’ You read that to me Sky Shard! And you used to live by that! Where’s that colt that loves the world?! Where’s the real you?! Where’s Sky Shard, my closest friend?!”

“Right here, silly!” he said with a grin. “Up in arms and ready to play!”

“We don’t need to play! Let’s just talk, Sky!”

“Talking’s boring! Ready or not, here I come!”

Sky dashed towards her with a sparkling horn. If she could keep him distracted long enough, Twilight could gather her friends and easily stop him. She would probably be imprisoned as well, but she’d rather that than let Sky Shard twist the world into something so horrific.

“How did you even become an alicorn?” she asked, aiming to stop him.

Sky widened his eyes, coming to a halt before he reached her. “Oh! Oh! I know that one! That’s easy!”

Sky slammed a magically produced buzzer.

“Grogar’s Bewitching Bell!” he said with certainty.

Cozy widened her eyes, a thought brewing in her head. Was it possible that the magic from the bell didn’t split three ways from the beginning? Could it be that the magic split into four instead? Herself, Tirek, Chrysalis…

Sky Shard inside of her.

It was only a hypothesis, but Sky Shard seemed too insane to lie about it. If he got magic since then, it made sense. It would explain why he was an alicorn with magic as powerful as hers. He wasn’t draining any magic from her when he used it. Nor did she feel like she lost half of her magic when he escaped her body, so it wasn’t from her reserves.

“Did I win?” Sky asked, clapping his hooves fast.

His voice cut off her thoughts, and she stared at him blankly.

Sky suddenly frowned. “I won, right?”

Cozy widened her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, you did!”

Sky perked up with a smile. “Good! The prize better not be a lame stuffed toy or something like that.”

“No, the prize is, uh…” Cozy’s eyes moved as she tried to think of something quickly. Then, an item sprung up in her mind. “Chocolate milk!”

“Chocolate milk?” Sky asked.

Cozy Glow nodded at him. “As much as you want.”

Sky glared at her. “I hate chocolate milk!” He fired another beam at Cozy.

She teleported away, but as soon as she reappeared, Sky teleported behind her, using his magic to conjure a bat.

Cozy gritted her teeth, casting a magic shield around herself. When the bat came swinging, her shield took the hit, but she was sent flying back anyway into some debris.

She gave a frustrated sigh, taking this moment to pause and think thoroughly. Sky wouldn’t be convinced, even about the dumbest of things. He didn’t even seem to understand what she was saying at all! She couldn’t ever convince him when he was stuck in her head. Why would it be any different now?

He was completely unhinged, lacking compassion, remorse, and, above all, logic. Sky Shard was nothing like when he was still alive. If only she knew this would have happened to him. She wouldn’t have learned the revival spell.

No, that was just another excuse for her mistakes. She was too hasty. She didn’t give herself enough time to cope with his death. Like always, she was just a complete, naive fool.

But there was a chance she could still save him. She could turn everything around now that he had a physical form. Her fantasies of them living together in peace could come true. They could play like they used to. This time, without a master that would beat them for the dumbest reasons.

That future was still possible. She just needed more time.

“This might be the jelly talking, but you’re still thinking about Spike, aren’t you?” Sky said out loud, cutting off her thought process. “Cozy, the only one you need is me! ”

Cozy Glow gasped slightly. In all this chaos, she had forgotten about Spike. He could fit into their future, too, of course. The three of them could be the best of friends.

There was a pause of silence. Then a sigh came from Sky. “I never said I wanted to share, so I guess I’ll have to kill him.”

Suddenly, all logic and thinking flew out the window. Cozy’s pupils shrunk in anger.

“Woah!” Sky fumbled as the ground shook for a moment.

With a burst of energy, all of the rubble went flying.

Cozy bursted out of the ground, flying into the air. She glared at Sky with clenched teeth and gave out a battle cry, charging her horn and firing a large beam down at him.

Sky fired one back, their beams clashing and stalling each other.

He grinned gleefully. “That’s more like it!”

Cozy growled, putting more magic into her attack. The source of her frustrations, troubles, and dwindling sanity was right there in front of her. As long as she lived, this version of Sky Shard would not get his hooves on that dragon.

Her beam overpowered him, and he jumped out of the way before it came crashing down on him.

“Alright, I get it! You’re mad I brought up Spike. And maybe threatened to hurt him. But it’s okay! Spike is adorable! He can be our pet!”

Cozy growled, a vein close to popping out.

Sky blinked at her before groaning, “Okay, fine! You can be the pet, and Spike and I will be lovers.”

Cozy opened her mouth to retort, but she had nothing to say. Like a snap, all of her anger was replaced with bewilderment.

Sky blinked at her lack of response. ”...Fine, I’ll be the pet! Fuck!”

Abruptly, Cozy teleported in front of him and blasted him high into the air, Sky laughing as he ascended high.

Flying up, she whipped her head back and forth to fire another large beam at Sky.

Her beam made an impact, pushing him across the skies and into the side of a tall mountain.

While Sky laid in a crater at the side of the mountain, Cozy did a single twirl in the air, creating a large amount of magical energy above her in the shape of a large orb.

The orb created a burst seconds later, sending multiple magic rays to Sky Shard like shooting stars.

He didn’t move a muscle, taking the attack head-on.

Cozy landed at the mountain’s base as Sky fell in front of her on his hooves. He was heavily injured, and one of his wings bent incorrectly.

“I win,” Cozy said in a much softer tone than before. “Let’s go now.”

Her anger was towards this broken version of him. She couldn’t get carried away. As long as magic existed, she could fix him.

Sky blinked once before giving a toothy smile. “Good game! I’m a little fucked up, but that’s fine! That’s why we have this spell!”

Cozy watched, her expression turning to horror as a wave of blue magic washed over him. His injuries got healed instantly. Even his wing was in perfect condition.

Gritting her teeth, Cozy fired a quick blast at him.

Without moving, Sky reflected it with a magic mirror.

She had no time to react before her magic hit her, sending her flying back and hitting the dirt ground on her side.

“And now you can heal up like I did and continue playing! With this spell, we’ll be able to play forever and ever! Well, until we have sleep, that is.” He began charging some magic with a smile. “Then again, it’s only an eight-hour break before the fun starts all over again!”

“She’s incredible.”

Spike stopped, his eyes not leaving the two villains.

“What happened?” he asked, noticing their bruised bodies. “Where’s Cozy Glow?”

Antlerius sighed, not having enough energy to stand up. “She’s currently facing a colt her age. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with that individual.”

Spike froze. “W-what do you mean?”

“I used a spell on her that targeted her mind,” Nylar said with a weak cough.

Spike wrinkled his brows in thought. “That… has to be Sky Shard, I think.”

The two ancients looked at him with confused expressions.

“She mentioned his name once, but I heard all about him from Cozy Glow. He died a long time ago, but when Cozy tried to revive him using a necromancy spell, his soul ended up corrupted.”

“I see,” Nylar nodded. “He must have used my spell to escape. It’s easy to see why he was sealed to begin with. To think that filly was keeping such a monster at bay.”

“No, you’re wrong,” Spike said, frowning. “It was an accident. The spell corrupted him, and he ended up without a physical body inside her mind. He used to be a nice and caring pony.”

“And how do you know that?” Nylar asked.

“Because Cozy told me herself.

“Cozy Glow’s name was spread so far throughout the lands that even the two of us heard about her. She’s a master manipulator, dragon. Do you truly believe a word she says?”

Spike clenched his jaw. “After traveling with her for many moons? Of course, I do.”

“He’s speaking the truth,” Antlerius said, cutting in before Nylar angered Spike further. “I trust that filly as well. She speaks with honesty. If that is what she told you, then I believe her as well. After all, she saved our lives…”

Antlerius slowly started picking himself up, struggling to stop his shaking legs.

Spike stood attentive, watching his every move with bated breath.

“We must free everyone at once,” Antlerius said.

“Do you expect me to believe you mean that?!” Spike yelled.

“Yes. You have to,” Antlerius said in a stronger voice. “If Cozy Glow doesn’t stop him, the world is doomed.”

Cozy did two barrel rolls left and right, dodging a few magic blasts.

She dashed forward, turned with a lit horn, and fired a barrage of magic.

Their magic collided, shaking the entire city.

With his horn enhanced, Sky rushed towards Cozy.

Cozy Glow responded accordingly, projecting her horn bigger and surging with magic.

The two clashed in the air as living swords, producing a powerful shock wave that shook everything around them.

Sky made a downward slice. Even though Cozy blocked it, the powerful push sent her downwards.

Landing on her hooves, she looked up just in time to see a flurry of magic bolts getting too close.

She dashed away, going from a sprint to a fast flight.

Sky’s smile widened as his horn glowed brighter. Multiple, maybe dozens, of magical orbs appeared around him. They looked unstable, ready to explode at any moment.

As Cozy looked back, more kept appearing. Soon, dozens turned into hundreds.

With a shrill laugh, Sky extended his legs, and the magic all began to fire rapidly, one after another.

She gritted her teeth as the large amount of magic descended on her. The first few tried to hit her, and one grazed her side, making her hold in a gasp. Flapping her wings, she maneuvered in the air, using her flying skills to dodge the rest of them.

As she continued to evade Sky’s insane magic rain, it wasn’t slowing down anytime soon. It was like trying to dodge actual raindrops.

Looking forward, she saw an opening in the ground. Narrowing her eyes, she flew and nose dove into the hole, tucking her wings and hooves to her sides and barely escaping incoming magic. Before she hit the bottom, she spread her wings, gliding down a caved-in basement. In these dark caves, she flew through numerous basements. There were many crevices only someone her size could fit through, something she was grateful for.

She exited through an opening up top.

Sky was floating not too far away from her, who seemed caught off guard.

Charging her horn, she shot a quick blast at Sky, sending him barreling into a large statue in the middle of an intersection.

Using her magic, she grabbed several pieces of debris, lifting them into the air. They swirled around her briefly before they came down on Sky, encasing him inside.

“That’s… fine!” Sky said as he struggled to move. “Because all I have to do is hold out. And once you’re tired from doing all that—“

Cozy strained a little, sweating appearing on her forehead.

Using all of his strength and magic, Sky blew away his bonds.

”—then it’s my turn!”

With a large grin, he made his horn glow and rushed towards Cozy Glow. Doing a flip and ending with an overhead slash, he aimed for her.

She responded with her horn, deflecting his attack. But Sky didn’t let up, trying to get a hit while she blocked or dodged all of them. Sparks of their magic flew off and hit the ground, burning it in small proportions.

When Sky stabbed forward for the first time, instead of trying to block, Cozy moved to the side and used this opening to slam him to the ground with a magic hammer.

Sky groaned with a droopy smile. “Man, you were always the better duelist when we used to play back in the day.”

He stood up straight before ascending to the air. His magic surrounded him, healing his minor wounds.

“But now we’re beyond such simple games. We can do so much more now! It’s unbelievable! And it’s all thanks to you, Cozy!”

Cozy heaved a bit, using her magic to heal herself as well.

“Isn’t this so fucking cool?! A climactic battle in a dying world about to be born anew!”

Just then, the first hints of daylight started to appear as the sunrise began.

Sky looked towards it with a glare. “Oh, fuuuck that! A final battle is way cooler in the night!”

Cozy didn’t take her eyes off him while he lowered the sun without hesitation.

After the night was true once more, he continued to speak.

“We were always a couple of noponies,” he said. “No one would have cared if we died, and that never changed. Even Spike is making you think things. He doesn’t give a shit. He just wants his friends back.”

Leaning a bit closer to Cozy, he gave her a sad smile. “We’re nothing. But at least we can be nothing together.”

Cozy took in his words, breathing softly through her nose. “You’re right. I am a nobody.”

Sky’s grin grew a little.

“But does that really matter when I can continue moving forward and live my life? I can become somepony who isn’t nothing. Conquering the world just to play with it isn’t going to do anything. It won’t let us grow. All it’ll do is stall the inevitable.”

Sky raised a brow. “Stall the inevitable what?”

She softened her eyes. “Being alone.”

He blinked at her once before he chuckled. The small chuckle turned into full-blown laughter seconds later, making Cozy Glow frown.

“Lonely?! You’ll have me, and I’ll have you! We’ll never be lonely as long as we’re together!”

Cozy chuckled herself, looking down at the wasteland that was once Canterlot. “That’s where you’re wrong.” She turned back to Sky in front of her, putting on a hardened look. “Because you’re not Sky Shard.”

After another confused look from Sky, Cozy knocked him away without warning using her hammer.

“Take a look at us,” Antlerius said. “We can barely stand.”

Spike loosened his fist a little.

“If it turns out we’re lying, you can easily defeat us and continue rescuing your friends. But if I’m telling the truth and you halt this any further, Equestria could be lost for good.”

Spike crossed his arms. “If Cozy doesn’t stop him.”

“As someone who has fought against her personally, I have more faith in her than you do. But we cannot take a single chance.”

“All we wanted was the best for Equestria,” Nylar said. “I know from your perspective it may not seem that way. But if that insane pony is left to roam free, there won’t be an Equestria left to protect!”

Spike held his arms tight as he contemplated their words. Cozy was the same as them in a way. She wanted to drain all of the magic for Equestria, whether others agreed with her or not. It made her the villain in their minds, but she was the hero of her story.

As much as he hated to think this way, he would be a hypocrite if he didn’t at least give them a chance. Their hurt conditions looked real, and they didn’t seem like the type to pull a sneaky one on him.

The entire area shook, interrupting his thoughts.

Spike looked around in confusion, while the other two looked fearful.

“We must hurry!” Antlerius said before going into a fit of coughs.

Spike stared at him for a moment before giving out a frustrated sigh. Turning around, he aimed his palms at the draining spell and started charging it with his magic again.

Back and forth, the two foals fought. One had a large grin on his face. The other didn’t want to be doing this.

They were near equals as they fired magic at each other, swung their lit horns, or defended themselves.

Whenever either of the two slipped up and got injured, they took a second to cast a healing spell. Nothing made them halt for more than a second, whether it was an injured blue leg, pink wing, colt’s nose, or filly’s eye.

As Cozy dove to Sky, her mind flashed back to the past.

They played tag in an open, bright green field with a few hills. With their wings, it was exhilarating as they chased each other with bright smiles and innocence, giggling at every moment.

“I wonder what it would have been like…” Cozy began to think aloud.

She tackled Sky to the floor with a hard glare, charging her horn with intense magic. Aiming down, she fired, creating a large explosion that quaked everything.

“If we swapped places…”

Her mind flashed to a kitchen. There she stood over a shattered plate as she desperately tried to put it back together. With sweat and tears appearing, she dreaded her owner finding out she had made such a mistake.

Sky Shard came in at just the right time. He looked at the situation for a brief moment before pushing Cozy Glow out of the room. Seconds later, thundering steps entered his ears.

“If I died instead…”

Sky dashed out of the ground while healing himself. He flew high above Canterlot, creating a large sphere of surging magic. It was about half the size of Canterlot’s surface area before he dropped it.

“Maybe things would have been different…”

Cozy peeked into their small, cramped bedroom, gasping at the sight of Sky. Running up to him, she inspected his battered body. She couldn’t stop her throat from burning before she broke down in tears, burying her face in Sky’s neck. He rubbed her back soothingly with the best smile he could muster.

“You would have moved on…”

Cozy used her magic mirror, making it large enough to cover Sky’s giant attack.

When she reflected it, Sky merely laughed, firing a bolt at the sphere and making it explode.

With a flap of her wings, Cozy flew to the waterfall at the side of the mountain, the insane colt following close behind. A cave was on the other side when she passed through. Using this moment of Sky’s blindness, she charged her horn.

“Or maybe you would have succeeded where I failed…”

With twigs in each of their mouths, they swung at each other. She would have to train Sky if he were to become a Royal Guard.

The sparring match lasted a good minute. It ended when Cozy used her branch to knock Sky’s out of his jaw.

Spitting it on the floor, she beamed at him. “I won!”

Sky grinned back. “Let’s go again!”

“You would have made fewer mistakes…”

As Sky barreled through the waterfall, he put on a gleeful smile and put power into his horn.

The two swung at each other, making the cave crumble with their combined power.

“You would have been less of a mistake...”

Cozy sighed. She stared at her destroyed instrument. How long has it been since she started hiding it? Now, it’s gone because it irritated her owner.

Sky, sitting beside her, gave her a small smile. He said softly, “Don’t worry. Once we leave this idiot, you can play as much as you want.”

The pink pegasus smiled back at him.

“Maybe…”

His crazed expression dug deep into her mind.

After pushing against each other for a moment, their power pushed them back.

Gritting her teeth, Cozy blasted Sky into the cave’s wall.

Half his body in the wall, Sky fired back.

Cozy yelled out as the magic missile was a direct hit. Clenching her jaw, she shrugged the pain off and flew out of the waterfall.

Diving down, she turned and started to skid down the slope of the mountain.

When Sky made himself known, she fired up at him. Sky did a single loop to dodge it before firing back at her.

“Instead of me…”

Cozy stared at the burning factory building with her mouth slightly open. Creatures rushed in and out of it, grabbing any valuables they could find.

Thrown off to the side like he was some waste, the unmoving body of a small foal lay there. His once recognizable blue fur was now colorless.

Some ways away, their owner was in the same condition. Cold, thrown away, left to be forgotten.

Except she would never forget about her friend.

She picked him up and left town, hoping to find another one. She prayed it would be more welcoming.

“You should have been the one that got to live.”

Her thoughts of the past shattered as she barreled into the city, crashing and creating a large crater. Wobbling to her hooves, she looked up just in time to see Sky coming down with a magic mallet.

She dashed backward, avoiding a slam. However, the shockwave was still powerful enough to send her flying further than expected.

The next thing she knew, she landed in a small body of water. It seemed to be a half-empty pool for someone’s backyard.

Pain struck her nerves, hitting the water at an odd angle. She held her breath and inwardly groaned. Looking around, she caught Sky diving in head-first with a wide open mouth.

Sky tried to swing at her from under the water. With her powerful hooves, she swam upwards and jumped out of the pool.

Looking down, she noticed Sky wasn’t moving in the water. Looking closer, she noticed Sky was struggling to swim out.

He didn’t learn how to swim when he was alive. She supposed being an alicorn didn’t change that.

With heavy breaths, Cozy Glow took this time to heal with her magic. If she was lucky, enough water would fill his lungs and make him pass out. As long as he was still alive, she could help him.

But he wasn’t letting up one bit. Could she even help him at this point? Every time she tried, she always failed. He seemed so far gone from his friendly, caring self. Besides his looks, he resembled nothing like her best friend from years ago. He wanted to do such horrible things. And if left unchecked, he was a danger to everything and everyone.

Thinking about this again made her feel like a broken record, but she couldn’t help it! There was nothing more she wanted.

Maybe she couldn’t fix him. How could someone with a life of mistakes ever succeed? Maybe she was wrong when she told Sky they could grow. She had plenty of time to grow, yet… she never did.

Just then, Sky shot out of the pool by firing a beam directly downward, treating himself as a rocket. He screamed like he was on a carnival ride.

He went from being a rocket to using his wings, flapping them, and rushing towards Cozy.

With a clenched jaw, she prepared herself.

Using magic, Sky projected a hoofball bat before he aimed for her face.

She dodged his swings but got hit by a few on the skull, which made her yell out.

“One, two, buckle my shoe! Three, four... uh…” He paused. “Fuck. What’s the nex-”

Cozy Glow struck him away with her mallet, panting briefly before using her magic to heal her wounded skull.

“Yes! YES!” Sky said with a giant grin as he floated away from her, healing himself as well. “Just like that! And we’ll be able to play forever and ever, Cozy!

“Me and you as alicorns. Playtime with no curfew. Unlimited toys that we can repair and reuse over and over again for all eternity!”

“And what will happen when there’s nothing left to play with?” Cozy asked with a glare. “Everything in this world is finite, even our energy.”

"Well…” Sky rubbed a hoof on his chin. “An energy nap wouldn’t hurt.”

Cozy perked up as an idea formed in her head.

“So let’s take one right now!” she said. “The earlier we get started, the better, right?”

He gasped obnoxiously loud as Pinkie Pie would often do. “You’re right!”

As Sky looked around rapidly, Cozy spotted a nearby mountain peak.

“There’s a perfect spot right there.” She pointed to it, looking at him.

“Hmm…” He turned to it and looked a tad closer, using his hooves as makeshift binoculars. Suddenly, he beamed. “That looks comfy!”

Without another word, he bolted to the peak.

Cozy watched as Sky landed on the tall natural structure. He trotted in circles twice like a dog before laying down, resting his chin on his hooves. It was deceivingly cute, she thought.

Blowing a deep sigh, she flapped her wings, heading higher in the sky.

Cozy kept going further, passing the peak of Canterlot Mountain. She didn’t stop until she was right under the high clouds.

It was cold up here. Harder to breathe and quiet like nothing existed. However, none of that bothered her at all.

She could see the distant, curved horizon. It looked extraordinary. However, she didn’t come up here to gawk at such beauty.

Her jaw clenched and head straining, she began to channel magic into her horn. Unlike before, she began using everything she had, pulling every last bit of her reserves.

A perfect pink, ringed sphere formed at the tip of her horn. The orb had three separate rings circling it in different directions. It made a very low humming noise, which would scare off the most brave creatures. The magic grew above her as she flexed, using her all to keep focus.

“You are the only creature in history to know about this spell—” Cozy said to herself, looking down.

Sky kept snoring below, blissfully unaware of what Cozy was doing.

Below him in Ponyville, the three charging the draining spell widened their eyes. They all sensed huge magic from above. Rather than go and sightsee, they kept their efforts on the draining spell.

The ringed sphere grew larger and larger before it was bigger than Canterlot Castle.

“—It’s the one and only spell I created myself.”

Cozy Glow’s horn stopped glowing, and the ringed orb started to fall.

She flew around it to not get hit and watched as it descended towards the mountain Sky was still napping on. It was so slow it was as if it fell in slow motion. She could only guess how terrifying it would look from below, looming over everything.

“Atomic Dismemberment,” she whispered.

Her spell touched the tall mountain.

In an instant, the entire upper half of the mountain disappeared without a trace. Not even a speck of dirt or stone was left behind.

Cozy Glow sighed and descended to the ground before the halved mountain. Once she landed, her conflicted eyes gazed up at it.

All of it was gone, including Sky Shard. Gone for good. The realization made her stomach feel funny.

Sitting down on her haunches, she sighed. Her breaths were more shaky.

The first sob came quickly. Soon after, she burst into tears, her eyes and cheeks becoming a mess.

She rubbed her eyes multiple times before holding her face in her hooves.

With a harsh scream, she stood up and shot a stray boulder in rage, disintegrating it entirely.

“FUCK! I’M SORRY, SKY!” she yelled, dipping her head.

Her cries didn’t cease as she shook her head and sobbed.

Cozy Glow couldn’t control her cries as she stood in the grass plains alone. The sounds of despair echoed across the hills.

She failed to save him. She wanted him to be quiet for years now, yet, she felt like absolute shit now that he finally was.

Even her best friend shouldn’t have had faith in her. She was worthless. The one pony in the world she should have saved, and she utterly failed.

Not only did she corrupt him in the first place, but she killed him off without saving him. She was pathetic. Nothing else described her better.

She tried as she might, but she couldn’t steady her breathing. Even so, she couldn’t stay here and worry Spike any longer.

Right… Spike was still out there. He cared about her. He was the only one who did now. She couldn’t dare make another friend sad. She should find him so she could, well… she had no idea.

Her motives have been to save Sky for so long. Before that, it was to wake up so she could resurrect him. And even before that, it was simply spending her day playing with him. Now that he’s gone, she doesn’t have anything to do. No plans. No goals. No purpose. Just… tiredness.

She just felt really tired. But… Spike would get upset and angry if she fell asleep.

Standing on wobbly legs, Cozy took another teary look at the mountain.

Sniffing once and gritting her teeth, she declared that she would make a grave for him to honor his name and apologize. She wished she could do so much more.

With a hoof, she reached up to wipe her wet cheeks.

“I thought you wanted us to be together forever, Cozy?”

She froze. Not even her pinprick eyes moved.

“I guess you lied to me.”

Cozy swirled around, looking in every single direction possible. She could hear him. She swore on her life!

But he wasn’t anywhere around. No… she recognized this feeling.

He was still inside her head.

A shot of pain surged in her temple. She screamed and grabbed her head.

“After all those years of lying to every good creature in Equestria for me, now you’ve started to lie to me as well.”

A trail of blue mist escaped her horn. The mist started to form into solid blue-furred flesh.

“We’re linked together forever, Cozy,” Sky said, floating above her with a wide grin. “You’ll never get rid of me as long as you live.”

Then, like a carriage crashing into the side of a building, Sky’s gleeful expression snapped to neutral.

“You really tried getting rid of me,” he said with a blank stare.

Cozy stared into his cold eyes, fear taking over.

“Also, don’t go stroking your own ego thinking you’re so smart by ‘tricking’ me.”

Cozy Glow took on a confused and scared look. “W-what?”

Sky’s icy look didn’t leave her as he tapped a hoof on his head. “I’ve been listening to your thoughts this whole time, you dummy.”

Her stomach dropped. “Y-you…”

“Honestly, I didn’t know you had an instant-kill button as a spell. Luckily, since I’m so attached to you, I lived. But yeah, every thought, desire, motive. I know every single one.”

He dropped to the ground, taking a step forward.

Cozy took one back.

“I know even the tiniest of steps you intend to take. Every single action, any sharp-minded plans you concoct.”

Cozy’s breathing was beginning to quicken. With every step Sky took towards her, she took one back.

“I tried so hard to convince you. But you’re just too much of a dumb FUCK!”

He chuckled.

“I guess this is the end of our friendship then.”

Before Cozy even had the chance to speak, Sky teleported out of sight. Her surroundings turned quiet.

She twisted her head around, looking for any signs of Sky Shard. A bunch of thoughts processed through her head. Was he trying to trick her? Did he leave? Was there an incoming surprise attack?

Then, with a spark of magic, he appeared back, wearing a familiar medallion around his neck.

There wasn’t a draining spell around it.

Cozy could only stare at it with wide eyes.

“You were right with one thing though,” Sky said with a smile. “Twily’s the only one who can beat us. Or rather, me. Because that stupid bitch is a fucking cheater! So I’ll bring everyone out myself and kill Twilight before she has a chance to do anything!”

“I WON’T LET YOU!” Cozy lit her horn.

Cozy fired a blast, but Sky teleported them away before it hit him.

Spike, Antlerius, and Nylar stood there trying to process what just happened.

A blue colt had just teleported in, grabbed the medallion with his magic, and teleported without a word.

Spike looked at the other two. “Was that…” he began.

Antlerius nodded before dropping on his stomach.

The two were too weak to stand, but they would live.

Spike furrowed his brows in worry. He wondered what happened to Cozy Glow.

He wasn’t skilled enough in teleportation for long distances. The longer the distance, the more inaccurate he was. At that point, it would just be a random location. He couldn’t risk accidentally teleporting further away from Canterlot.

“Shit…” There was no choice but to fly there.

Gritting his teeth, he ran to the closest window.

“You are a kind creature, dragon.”

Spike stopped before he jumped out.

It was Antlerius. “For you to hold yourself back against us… you fear you’ll go too far. But that thing out there will not take such kindness. I realized that the moment he appeared. Do not hold yourself back.”

Spike paused in shock, taking in his words. Snapping out of it, he nodded, saying, “Thanks. And the name’s Spike.” He turned to the window and lept out, heading straight for the city.

Cozy Glow landed on her hooves. Scanning the area, she realized they were in Canterlot Castle’s throne room.

She heard Sky’s laughter as the castle walls turned into voids of darkness. She knew this spell. It was one of King Sombra’s. It looked intimidating, but it was truly just a maze. She could easily revert the spell and skip Sky’s game with her magic.

Except when she tried, no magic was flowing out of her horn.

Her mouth went agape, and she kept trying over and over. A magic grasp, a hammer, teleportation, even just channeling wasn’t working.

“M-my magic…” she muttered. Did Sky alter the shadow spell he cast?

“Must be hard to concentrate with a parasite living in your head.”

Sky’s voice echoed throughout the dark corridor.

Cozy tried to reply. “You’re not a-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

Sky appeared above her in a spark, a livid glare on his face.

However, that look didn’t last long when he started laughing with insanity.

“Now, without magic, it’s game over for you, my friend! Golly, if only you had brains. Oh wait, you did! But since you fall flat in everything you do anyways, it’s really not useful, IS IT?!”

She growled, unfurling her wings to look threatening.

Sky laughed even harder, holding his stomach. “Wow! You’re going to fight even without magic! You really are a DUMMY!”

He vanished with a teleport.

Cozy started to hear crazed laughter from every direction. Except this time, there were multiple sources.

Blue projections appeared around her, fading into existence. As she looked around, her heart started to pound.

The projections were very familiar forms of creatures she knew. She recognized some ponies, the centaur, the changelings, and their ex-queen. Creatures of all kinds filled in the holes of the giant circle crowd. She recognized some of her classmates in the mix as well. Every single one of them resembled a single trait.

They all had huge smiles plastered on and laughed at her in complete madness.

She widened her eyes, took off with a sprint, and flew.

Their laughter entered her soul as she soared as fast as she could. The frightening noise bounced around her head like some twisted bouncy castle.

Her heart was threatening to burst out of her chest, and she couldn’t control her breathing. She had no magic and was essentially in an all-powerful, demented colt’s domain. She had to get out of here!

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed her and slammed her into a wall.

A blue, gleeful-looking Tirek grinned at Cozy as he kept her pinned.

She tried to escape, but a laughing Chrysalis flew overhead and kicked her down.

Landing on her side, Cozy Glow shook off the pain before flying off again.

Celestia and Luna both caught up to her with their wings while smiling wickedly. The two blasted her with magic, sending Cozy Glow flying through a dark wall.

Her body tumbled against the floor before stopping. She immediately stood up and checked her surroundings. No one was here.

Sky appeared from above with a wide grin.

“Come on, Cozy! Let’s PLAY!”

From his horn, he shot out a bunch of electric bubbles.

Widening her eyes, Cozy dodged a few before one caught her. She screamed as her body spasmed due to the lightning.

The bubble popped, and she wobbled on her hooves.

She didn’t stay standing for long, as the floor opened up and she fell through.

As Cozy Glow dropped in the endless void, a bunch of pegasi, dragons, and other flying creatures surrounded her.

“You are nothing. You’ll die being nothing. And you’ll die FOR NOTHING!”

She tried to flap her wings to get away, but they weren’t working at this level of speed.

One by one, the various creatures charged forward and slammed into her. A pegasus bucked her side, a dragon punched her stomach, a griffon slammed into her back. It was relentless as creature after creature flew into her.

Suddenly, she crashed into the floor, groaning.

Sky teleported above her.

“COME ON! SCREAM AT ME, COZY! I KNOW YOU WANT TO! AT LEAST YELL SO I CAN HEAR YOUR REGRETS!”

He lit his horn, and multiple giant pieces of colorful candy appeared.

Cozy jumped forward as a candy cane tried to drop on her.

She had to run again when a chocolate bar fell from the skies.

With heavy breaths, she sprinted forward. Looking back, she saw Sky rolling on a giant jawbreaker and approaching her.

She couldn’t run fast enough, and Sky ran her over with the ball, crushing her body beneath the heavy sweet.

The ball stopped when she was underneath it. Sky used his magic to lift the candy before dropping it on her again, forcing the air out of Cozy Glow.

“Do you like my new games? Say it! SAY YOU LIKE THEM!”

Cozy dropped through the floor again. This time, she landed sooner than later.

Standing up on weak, shaking legs, she looked around to see a bunch of earth ponies, yaks, and other ground-centric creatures.

All at once, they ran forward.

Cozy Glow tried to fly up, but a sharp rush of pain rushed through both of her broken wings. They were now useless appendages.

The creatures ran forward, trampling over Cozy Glow while laughing out loud.

The last creature to approach was a familiar deer with a toothy smile. He slammed his antlers into her and flicked her in the air.

Cozy landed on her back before tumbling. At the last second, she caught herself up straight and heaved. She couldn’t help the dotted tears at the corner of her eyes.

“Oh no! Did Cozy Wozy get a boo-boo?! JUST DRINK THE PAIN AWAY!”

He laughed and lit his horn.

Tilting her head, Cozy looked around with horror to see a bunch of dark tendrils peeking out of the darkness. They sprang towards her.

She managed to evade one before another snuck up from behind and grabbed her hindleg.

The tendril took Cozy and slammed her against the walls, ceiling, and floor over and over again.

She yelled out in torment before the appendage threw her across the hallway.

“THERE’S NO POINT ASKING HOW IT FEELS TO LOSE!” Sky yelled with delight. “YOU DO IT ALL THE TIME!”

Cozy didn’t even stand up. Through her weak eyes, she glanced at some unicorns, changelings, a draconequus, and a fox.

The projections surrounding her fired their magic, cackling like they heard the funniest joke of the season.

Cozy could only gasp out with dead eyes, the sounds she made only mere whispers.

The projections disappeared, and Sky teleported into the air again, laughing hysterically.

His cheers were echoing in her head, making it throb. It was the only thing she could hear. And he was the only thing she could see, just like most of her life.

He was the only thing in her mind until she thought about Spike.

She clenched her jaw, threatening to crack her teeth. Using her remaining strength, she stood up with unstable hooves.

Sky stopped laughing and stared at her with an excited expression.

“I… won’t… let you…!”

She concentrated on Spike, whom she grew to love. Ever since she met him, her life has become so much brighter. She could finally say with a smile that she started to live again.

His company was great; his smile was even greater. Waking up every morning with him close by made her feel warm. Spending her days with him made life worth living. She didn’t want to lose any of that. It made her feel ways she hadn’t since the day Sky Shard died.

Her horn started to glow. The radiating magic quickly spread down and covered her entire body. Her eyes glowed in their scarlet hue as she centered her hardened gaze on Sky Shard.

Spike entered Canterlot Castle. As he hurried through the hallways, his stomach dropped at the castle, completely black. He thanked his memories, knowing where every room was. His mind was a blueprint. He charged his magic to teleport.

“Sky Shard would never have wanted this!” Cozy yelled, “And I’m going to stop you! EVEN IF I HAVE TO USE MY LAST BREATH!”

With a battle cry using every last ounce of her voice, she echoed throughout the castle. The scarlet magic surrounding her body flowed into her horn, which she aimed at Sky.

She fired.

Spike teleported.

One second later, the throne room exploded.

Spike got pushed back from the force and covered his face with his arms. He strained as he held against the fierce winds, using all his strength to avoid being thrown further away.

Due to the quakes outside the castle, Canterlot City cracked in half. The outer half of the city lost its support and crumbled off, falling to the base of the mountain.

When the explosion died down, Spike lowered his arms, almost hesitant to see what happened. The darkness blew away, and the throne room’s colors returned to normal. He looked towards Cozy and froze as he saw her terrible condition.

The magic and smoke dissipated. Sky stood there, half his body damaged. His right foreleg was gone, and his wings were featherless. Even so, he stood tall. With a grin, he again used the healing spell, restoring his body to peak health in seconds.

“This is fate, you know,” he said. “After all, you’ve killed me twice now.”

Spike’s stomach dropped when Sky’s horn didn’t stop glowing, and he aimed at her.

“It’s only fair for me to get a chance at it. This is my gift to you, my best friend. Take it!” He gave a nasty smirk. “ULTIMATE FINAL MOVE! SUPER POWERFUL MAGIC CANNON!”

He fired a large beam, encompassing Cozy’s entire tiny body.

Spike watched as time seemed to slow down for him. In the light of Sky’s magic, he saw Cozy’s form in a silhouette. She took on the magic upright momentarily before being blown back across the room.

It was dead silent when Sky’s attack dispersed. A couple of sounds came to be when Cozy hit the floor, landing on her back before flipping on her front and sliding to a halt.

Spike’s stomach dropped as his eyes tracked Cozy’s horn bouncing against the floor. It rolled on the ground and stopped in front of her. The noise it made stuck out and stabbed his ears with cruelty.

On Cozy Glow’s forehead, a trail of smoke escaped her horn’s base, which was now a cracked stub.

Chapter 7

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Everyone stood silent as they watched Cozy’s unmoving, smoking form on the castle floor.

Even those who were proud of their strong hearts, like Applejack, Luna, and Celestia, couldn’t stop their eyes from getting wet.

Discord covered his mouth with a claw while holding a bawling Fluttershy to his side.

The former classmates of Cozy Glow all had different reactions, from rage to outright distraught.

For the first time in such a long while, Tirek felt the odd sensation of tears in his eyes. Chrysalis, who wasn’t faring any better, had a look of absolute rage on her face.

The foals and other children around were crying as well, with their equally upset parents trying to hide them from the horrific scene.

Twilight Sparkle couldn’t even stand, her legs becoming weak. She blamed herself for this. If she had tried to help Cozy Glow when she first showed her true colors, something this horrid wouldn’t have happened to her. She watched as her first assistant and best friend shouted in dread.

“COZY GLOW!”

Spike rushed to her, kneeling next to her body and rolling her over. She was limp. Her body got colder by the second, and her horn was cracked off. Her chest plate was shattered and gone, and the bow she wore around her mane was undone, making her head a mess. Her once bright pink fur was now a darker shade.

“Wake up, Cozy! Please wake up!” Spike begged as he shook her, his tears falling on her dark pink fur.

“Come on! Say something!”

Using two fingers, he checked her pulse.

There was none.

She wasn’t breathing either.

He sobbed, his entire body shaking.

Cozy Glow was dead.

“Oh, fuck! I killed her!” Sky said in horror as he floated in the air, looking at the sad scene before him. Then, his face turned happy. “Oh well.”

Sky couldn’t see Spike’s expression when he started to apply chest compressions. Spike probably couldn’t see him either, with his tears flooding his eyes and all.

Just then, an idea sprang to Sky’s head. “Wait! I can use the same necromancy spell and bring her back!” He gasped. “I just realized! If we kill any creature, we can just bring them back to play with again! Well, that’s a relief!”

Spike ignored the mad colt and continued the chest compressions. Every second, he sobbed. Even through his rapid heartbeats, he couldn’t believe she was gone yet. She was going to be fine.

He didn’t notice the beam of light coming from his right.

Spike got blasted across the throne room, landing on his two feet and skidding to a halt.

Sky teleported between him and Cozy. “Alright! Back to playing!”

Spike growled, tears running down his cheeks. “MOVE!”

Sky scoffed. “Get over it already! She’s dead. So what? I can just bring her back!” he said with a smile. “Or if you want, Spikey, before we play, I can quickly bring her back!”

“You are NOT using that spell on her! She already suffered enough because of it!”

“I just need to find the same book she learned it off of. It must be in this castle somewhere.” Sky said as if Spike hadn’t just shouted at him.

How could he laugh and be all joyful after murdering his friend?! This wasn’t a pony. He was a complete monster. Worse than any evil he ever saw. No, this wasn’t evil. There was always an objective with evil, even for self-satisfaction. Sky Shard, or whatever this is, is far worse than evil. Was this the monster that Cozy suffered and endured for years?

He choked when he thought of her torment. It tore his heart to shreds. She had to face it alone, no matter who or what she was surrounded by. He couldn’t imagine going through something like that, surrounded by friends and family all his life.

This thing in front of him.

It killed her.

It took Cozy away from him.

It needed to die.

Spike screamed, his eyes glowing in his fiery green, hiding his pupils. Putting his palms together, he blasted Sky out of the castle. Then, he took off into the air, going high above Sky, who landed in the halved city.

Glaring down at him, he charged his magic in both palms. With a yell full of rage, he fired a large, bright green beam at Sky.

Digging himself out of some debris, Sky looked up at the bright light. “Oooh! Shin-”

Sky got forced into the ground, his body trying its hardest to push back against the intense magic.

Spike kept shouting, putting more magic into his beam and making it larger. He felt Sky at the end of it, attempting any sort of rebel.

The large magic attack pushed all the other destroyed buildings, plant life, and rocks away. Dust was being blown everywhere, covering the area. The ground shook, and the constant hum overtook all sounds.

Antlerius and Nylar gazed up in amazement, recognizing Spike’s green magic.

Spike strained before giving out another yell. Once again, his magic gained more size.

Now, he was using every last bit of power he could bring out.

Sky got pushed deeper into the ground, growling. His stupid hooves weren’t working. He couldn’t shove it back!

“That’s it, Spike!” Antlerius shouted.

Nylar looked on with wide eyes. He didn’t do anything close to spectacular when he was fighting her. Had he been holding back the entire time? Was that on purpose or unintentional?

Sky felt his body getting slowly crushed against the ground. He kept his smile, although it hurt like crazy.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to shove the magic away. But then a thought came to his head, and he laughed.

“Oh, wait. Haha! Forgot I had this!”

Sky lit his horn, and a rectangular magic mirror appeared in front of him. Instantly, Spike’s magic was sent back to him.

Spike noticed his attack coming back to him. He stopped putting energy into the beam, and with a deep breath, he blew his dragon fire at his deflected magic.

At first, his fire only slowed his magic down. But soon enough, he blew it back down towards Sky Shard.

Sky grinned with excitement, using the magic mirror spell again.

However, he didn’t consider the fact that Spike’s magic was getting surrounded by his fire. The spell only worked against magic.

His mirror shattered.

The magic fireball exploded on impact.

Spike watched as the rest of the regal city fell down the mountain along with its castle.

Staring at the castle crumbling, he thought of Cozy Glow’s body in there. He gripped his fist tighter before putting on an enraged expression. With a mighty beat of his wings, he flew down and chose to chase after the monster.

Sky shook debris off of him like a dog. After taking on the big attack, his wings were gone, and half his body was scorched black. His breathing was rough, and he staggered. Still, he managed to light his horn and start healing himself.

A second later, Spike landed on a fist and two feet in front of him, cracking the ground.

Seething, Spike stepped towards the insane blue colt. His eyes kept their glow and flames so bright that Sky couldn’t see his pupils.

Sky wore an ecstatic expression, firing three bolts of magic at his new opponent.

In quick succession, Spike unfurled his wings and sidestepped all three in quick succession. He encased his fist with magic and punched him square in the jaw, knocking him into the side of the mountain that once held the grand city. Sky created a crater upon impact.

Yelling out with all his breath, Spike dashed towards him. With another magic fist, he punched Sky deeper into the mountain.

Sky bursted out the other side of it, rocks crumbling all around. Falling to the base of the mountain, he crashed into the land.

Digging himself out, Sky chuckled.

Spike teleported in front of him and punched him back into the ground. He made a noise that was half groaning and the other half giggling.

The laughter made Spike furious. He grabbed Sky by the horn, bringing him up before slamming his head into the ground again.

Spike used his tail to grab him by the neck, forcing Sky to be at eye level.

Now, the pony was the one to glare. He whined, “Let me have a turn-”

Spike struck him in the face. “Shut up.”

Sky then made a burst of blue magic with his horn, his goal nothing more than to blow Spike away.

But Spike stood firm, staring daggers into Sky’s soul and tightening his tail around his neck.

Choking, Sky lit up his horn.

Spike grabbed it with a claw, pulling it and Sky’s head up.

Then, for the first time, while he was his baby self, albeit angered, Spike the Dragon gave a mighty draconic roar worthy of forcing other dragons to kneel. His roar shook the area, and his breath pushed against Sky.

Sky squinted his eyes and shut his mouth. With a disgruntled noise, he kicked Spike in the stomach.

It was the tiniest of moments, but Spike loosened his grip on Sky long enough for him to wiggle out of it.

Immediately, Sky tried to hit Spike with a hammer.

Spike stopped the hammer with his magic and grabbed Sky’s hoof. He pulled, gritting his teeth and throwing him away after a spin.

Sky caught himself in the air with his wings, flying up and rubbing his sore throat.

At first, Spike thought Sky would start getting angry back, or perhaps he would smile and be cocky. But instead, Sky acted as the last thing he expected.

A fanfilly.

“That was so fucking cool!” he shouted with a smile. “I beat those two, who beat the princesses, but then you’re here beating me! It’s like a power pyramid, and you’re on the highest block! You should be proud of yourself, bud!”

Spike’s confusion turned to anger, and he growled, rushing to Sky Shard.

Sky laughed and fired a magic beam at him, but Spike teleported past it before delivering a punch.

Or so Spike tried, as Sky teleported just before his fist landed against his cheek.

Sky appeared behind Spike and blasted him down to the ground.

Grunting, Spike tumbled on the ground for a bit before getting to his feet, dragging against the dirt. He glared at the hovering Sky Shard, rubbing the slight aching on his side from Sky’s attack.

Sky giggled as he did a few loops in the air. “I’m gonna win!” he sang.

“If you really want to win this game, you’d kill yourself—” Spike said, barring his fangs. “—and steal my chance of doing it myself!”

He dashed towards him once again.

“Woah, dragons are resilient! Even Cozy couldn’t take a hit like that for shit.”

“Stop talking like she meant nothing to you!” Spike yelled, his eyes glowing brighter. He breathed in while simultaneously charging magic in his palms. He released both magic and fire at once in one big attack.

Sky chuckled before flying to the side to evade it.

Spike didn’t finish; he tracked him with his palms and mouth, trailing the beam toward him.

Sky flew fast enough to keep away from the magic and fire combo. However, Spike realized Sky wasn’t nearly a skilled flier.

Stopping the surging magic in one of his palms, he shot a blast in front of Sky’s path.

Sky stopped right before the blast caught him, but doing so let the beam catch up. He got pushed against a pile of wreckage, the fire and magic doing great damage.

With enraged and sharp eyes, Spike added his second palm back into the mix, keeping the pressure going.

However, he suddenly felt his head get dizzy. He wobbled a bit before stopping his attack, breathing heavier now.

Sky groaned, digging himself out of the rubble. He lit his horn, and a mere second went by before his wounded body returned to its full glory.

Spike widened his eyes. He had no time to even try to stop it.

“You know, you’re stronger than me,” he admitted, smiling. “But I’m pretty sure I know a healing spell, and you don’t! So slowly, you’re going to wear down, and I’ll win in the end!”

Sky Shard laughed with insanity while Spike clenched his teeth.

“One plus one equals two, and you shoulda carried to two!” The mad colt rushed straight towards him.

The worst part of all of this was that he wasn’t wrong. Spike could constantly keep up the pressure, trying to stop that monster from healing himself. But the spell was too fast.

Sky projected his horn to be bigger and swiped down at Spike.

Spike encased his forearm in magic and blocked it.

He had to quicken the pace or end it all with one blow. The latter was near) impossible with that mirror spell; he was running out of breath, and trying to blow more fire would spend his last sources of stamina. If he wasted all of his energy, he lost.

His options dwindled as the long night caught up to him. He was reaching his limits, and he could feel it in his sore muscles and lack of endurance. From fighting Nylar and Antlerius to charging the draining spell, only for it to be interrupted. Cozy’s healing helped some, but it didn’t affect his stamina in the slightest.

Cozy Glow… the thought of her made his heart ache once more.

Sky hit him on the shoulder, the shock and pain traveling through his scales. With a growl, he avoided the next horn swipe and punched Sky away.

He collapsed to one knee, his fatigue catching up. His breaths were rapid as he tried to push himself up.

And to add to his frustrations, Sky was as hyperactive as ever, literally jumping to his hooves with a grand smile. The monster’s insanity probably fueled him tenfold, his body ignoring its limits.

Sky leaped into the air with his wings spread. He fired a blue magic orb aimed at Spike. The orb had a smiling expression.

Sky grinned. “Why the long face?”

Using all his strength, Spike rolled to the side to evade the attack. It hit the ground and made a small crater.

Sky’s grin widened. “A smile a day keeps Tartarus away!” Aiming at Spike, he rapidly fired the same spell, each orb having a slightly different smile full of craze.

Spike tried to move out of the way, but his body didn’t listen. He widened his eyes before Sky’s magic hit him in quick succession. The knockback wasn’t strong, but he still yelled out in pain.

He dropped to his hands and knees, sending his upset expression to the dirt ground.

Was this their fate? To die only to be revived and corrupted?

Sky rushed him, creating a large magic hammer. Spike didn’t move an inch as Sky struck him with it, sending him flying far into some rubble.

He had to stop it. But he was at the point where it took a lot just to lift a claw.

Sky used his magic to lift the debris, finding Spike under it and smiling like he found lost treasure.

Spike glared at him, but the insane glint in Sky’s eye didn’t waver.

His throat started to burn, and a lump appeared when he thought about Cozy again, along with everyone else still sealed away. In his mind, he yelled out to them, apologizing for failing to stop Sky Shard. They all depended on him, and the situation only worsened. If any were disappointed, they would forgive him. That’s how they were.

Charging his horn, Sky said, “Now, now, Spike. The fun hasn’t even started yet. Once I kill and revive you, it’ll be the start of a never-ending playdate!” He fired a blue beam at Spike.

Spike brought up his aching arms, making a magic shield. His magic braced against Sky’s briefly before too much time passed, and his claws got forced down. The beam shattered his shield and sent Spike through multiple sets of Canterlot ruins.

When he finally stopped in a deep pile of rubble, he was too exhausted to dig himself out. He heard the maniacal laughter echoing outside, and he tried his hardest to stay awake. Hopelessly, he found himself blacking out a few times in a matter of seconds. Tears went to his eyes before they closed one last time, Spike finally falling into unconsciousness.

They would forgive him, but he could never forgive himself.

Cozy opened her eyes.

Laying on her side, she rose and looked around.

She was in some sort of void with pretty bright lights floating everywhere and magical-looking white mist. There was a quiet ambient noise that filled the endless space.

When she looked at her back, her wings were back to their normal size. She also noticed the lack of feeling in her forehead, not needing to look up or have a mirror.

She sighed, sitting on her haunches with a defeated look.

“I’m dead,” she concluded.

“You’re not.”

The voice was familiar. It made her sick. Snapping her head, she saw a figure fading into existence. It was a blue colt she knew all too well.

Cozy Glow stood up and took a step back.

Sky Shard didn’t react, staring at her with a blank gaze. A calm gaze.

Cozy kept eye contact, quickly noticing Sky was different. He didn’t have a horn. He’s just a normal pegasus like her.

“Sky Shard, is that… really you?” she had to ask.

The figure shook its head. “I took the form most suited for you to witness. Though in hindsight, perhaps Twilight Sparkle would have been a better decision.”

Cozy relaxed a little, dawning a calmer stance.

“Who are you?”

“Who do you think I am?”

Cozy Glow frowned and rolled her eyes. “A stupid entity that talks in riddles, I’m guessing?” she answered.

She ogled towards the unknown being for a moment. Eventually, she found her words. “Are you here to punish me?”

“Do you think you need to be condemned?”

Cozy frowned again, pondering a witty answer. But right before she gave it, she instead decided to play along.

Looking down at her hooves, she said, “I mean… I don’t know. The world seems to think so.”

They stayed silent, even when Cozy Glow glanced up at them for a moment like they were going to respond to that.

Sighing, she continued. “I don’t think so. You don’t punish those who make mistakes. You punish whoever does wrong on purpose.”

Looking up, she saw them smiling at her. She seemed to be correct.

Taking a few steps forward, Cozy asked, “Why are you here then?”

Their smile faltered, but only slightly. “To help you.”

Cozy raised a brow.

“The world needs you, Cozy Glow.”

She raised her second one as well after that statement. She scoffed, speaking as if she didn’t want to hear her own words. “Why would this world ever need me? It hates me. So does everyone living in it.”

“Are you certain about that?”

When her ears picked up yet another question, an angered expression crossed Cozy’s face. “Stop asking me stupid questions! Of course they do!”

They didn’t reply. Instead, the dotted lights floating around them began to shift into foggy shapes resembling various creatures. Just by their shape, Cozy recognized a few of them, especially the tall centaur and alicorns.

The figures looked around in confusion, and that was when Cozy Glow realized this must be everyone who was trapped. They all looked in her direction. There were thousands in the crowd stretching far, maybe even more so.

Her brows raised when something processed in her mind.

Looking at the being, she asked, “Did you say I’m not dead?”

“You don’t deserve to die.”

Cozy Glow put on a deadpan face. “That doesn’t answer the question.”

It gestured to everyone else. “Your important role in this world is far from over. There are many who don’t wish for you to die.”

“That never really matters when someone dies, does it?”

“Your life was filled with tragedy. It does not mean it should end with it as well.”

A weird feeling appeared in Cozy’s stomach. “So that’s what this is? Pity? Why do I get the special treatment?”

“Not pity…” they paused, leaning forward a bit and looking Cozy directly in the eye. “Hope.”

Cozy wondered what that was before she shook her head.

“Look at what I did to Sky Shard,” she said. “I don’t think it can get worse than that!” She looked over at the crowd. “I-I doomed their home. Probably the entire world!”

Cozy Glow turned back the entity. “How can they not want me gone after that?”

“Do you truly believe such a thing? You don’t have faith in them?”

“Well, yeah…” She took another look at the surrounding multitude of anonymous creatures. “All I ever do is mess up. I corrupted the soul of my best friend, and now he wants to endlessly kill and revive everyone so we can have ‘fun’ until the sun explodes.”

“You have made mistakes. And you cannot fault someone if they believe they’re in the right. If it’s for the ones you love, is it still immoral?”

Cozy stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking to herself.

“You are much aware of the creatures that would forgive your mistakes.”

At that, Cozy Glow frowned, floating up in the air slightly. “What? Like Twilight Sparkle? The other princesses? The same ponies who locked me away and forgot about me?” She looked to the crowd, spotting the outline of Twilight.

“Ponies make mistakes, some more than others. Few are irreversible. Even this one. You still have the opportunity to fix it.”

Cozy turned back to them. “And you’re going to help me do that?”

They nodded.

Cozy Glow looked to the floor, her mind swarming with thoughts.

“Do you wish to be absent from all others?”

The question struck deep. She had instantly opened her mouth, so confident that she had an answer. But no words came out.

She searched her brain for an answer, but eventually, she shrugged. “Maybe it’s for the best.”

“Even though your friend still needs you?”

What friend? She didn’t have any friends. No one ever gave her the time of day except-

The image of a happy purple and green dragon flashed in her mind.

Throughout her life, Cozy Glow was asked many times if she had any friends. Her honest reply had always been the same: She had no one other than herself to depend on. But that wasn’t true anymore.

She looked back on when Spike stopped her from drinking herself to black that one night. It was the first time she felt so… warm. It was the first time in a long time she wasn’t alone.

Was she stupid? Of course Spike was her friend! He was still out there while Sky was doing whatever he pleased. Spike could be in danger!

“He needs me right now!” she said, looking up at them. “But what happened to me if I’m not dead? I lost to Sky Shard.”

“You are currently on the verge of death. It takes some minutes before one dies without a heartbeat. Even a powerful alicorn like yourself wouldn’t be able to live long. But it is not beyond my power to restart your heart and repair your horn.”

Cozy Glow put on a look of resolve, staring at the being with intense eyes. “Then do it. I’m wasting time here when I could be saving Spike.”

They smiled, stepping aside.

Like a card trick, Spike was standing behind them. He was looking up as if he was looking at an adult pony.

Spike lowered his eyes and widened them. In the blink of an eye, he ran up and pulled her into a hug.

He started to sob, holding her close. “The Tree of Harmony said you were alive!”

Cozy Glow widened her eyes and looked at the entity she spoke to. Now, instead of Sky Shard, it posed as Twilight Sparkle. “Is that what you are?” she asked over Spike’s shoulder.

Her realization turned into annoyance before changing straight into anger.

“The Tree of Harmony?” she started. “You spoke to Twilight’s students some time ago.”

They nodded. “I did interact with them, yes.”

While Spike held her close, she glared at the Tree of Harmony. “So where was my help? Where was my nudge in the right direction?”

Spike gasped and lifted his head. He wiped his tears before holding her shoulders. “Cozy, it’s okay.”

“No! It’s not!” she yelled, her eyes starting to water. “What if I did turn out full-blown evil?! What if I went against Equestria and either went mad and lost or got imprisoned or killed?!”

She was choking on her words, and her heart started to race as she continued. “I didn’t think about it until now, but you had to have seen through my ruse when I tried to drain all of the magic!”

Spike gave her a sympathetic look. He couldn’t even begin to understand how she felt at this moment.

“YOU DIDN’T EVEN TRY TO HELP ME!”

Her whimpers quickly turned into full-blown wails.

Not knowing what else to do, Spike pulled her in for another hug. He hoped his close presence would help her at least.

This time, Cozy Glow returned the hug and sobbed into his shoulder. She said angrily, “Even the Tree of fucking Harmony didn’t lend a hoof…”

Spike gave her a tight squeeze. She found that it helped a bit.

“Cozy…” He sighed. “I don’t know what to say to make you feel better. I really wish I did. But I promise from here on out, I won’t leave your side. I’ll be there for you even if no one else will!”

She nodded into his shoulder, squeezing back.

The Tree of Harmony, whatever they identified as, was something beyond their comprehension. They were something much more than the mortality Equestria and its creatures represented.

Yet, despite that, they took a step forward and lowered its head.

She froze, stunned in disbelief. This was the last thing she expected.

Spike noticed her demeanor switch and turned to the Tree of Harmony. He felt the same as Cozy Glow, not knowing how to react.

“You’re right,” they said. “I had the opportunity to help you, yet I did not. For that I am sorry.”

Cozy stared at them for a moment. She began to process its words. They were apologizing to her? Why would it do such a thing? She was almost certain it wasn’t capable of admitting a mistake. That was how these higher beings operated.

Then, she widened her eyes, understanding something just then. The Tree of Harmony, like her, was flawed. They made a mistake just like her. Was this a twisted message they were trying to send her, or was this reality?

She wanted to continue screaming or tell them to regret everything, but there was no point in doing that. What’s done is done. Only time travel could change such a thing, but then it would be a lie, just like most of her life. She’d be a hypocrite if she stayed angry at them.

Cozy Glow gave off a sigh. “It’s fine. I forgive you, just… stop bowing. It feels wrong.”

As she requested, the Tree of Harmony stood again, giving a slow nod toward Cozy Glow.

“Before you go, you need to realize one last thing,” they said.

Then they heard it. The entire time, the ambient noise of the void was pushed to the back of their minds. But suddenly, they could hear it getting louder. It sounded like it was coming from a very far distance away. Still, they could make out the culminating shouts of encouragement.

It was everyone surrounding them. Their voices swarming, creating a warm feeling in their chests.

The two put on surprised looks when they began to glow in a bright light, slowly rising into the air.

“Cozy Glow,” the Tree of Harmony continued, “despite everything that happened, you kept moving forward. Throughout your entire life, you held onto the belief that one day, everything would be better.”

They turned their gaze to Spike.

“Spike, you share the same quality. Even after facing so many hardships and losing those you love, you still persevered. You believed in the future of the world.”

The projection of Twilight Sparkle lit up as well before beginning to change. Their limbs turned into tree branches, and their body the trunk of a tree. Soon, they were in their true bright form, towering in front of them.

The Tree of Harmony continued to speak, their voice echoing. “It is a strength most dream of having. To be able to take on anything and continue onward. You two are the future of Equestria. The both of you always held onto one important necessity, even in the darkest of times.”

Their bodies shined brighter, and they felt their magic surge. Cozy Glow felt her horn return and her wings grow once again.

“That necessity is what keeps you moving forward.”

The tree vanished in twinkling magic, though the Tree of Harmony still rang through their ears.

“Go forth, Spike the Dragon and Cozy Glow. The Symbols of Hope!”

In the brightness, Cozy looked over to Spike. Her mane and tail flowed, and she could feel herself getting pulled back into consciousness.

“Spike, it’s time I finally let him go…”

Spike turned to her.

“Can you help me?”

He smiled, leaning in to wrap his arms around Cozy Glow and kiss her on the lips, something he yearned for when he thought she died.

“I’ll be with you all the way,” he said with a smile.

Cozy smiled back, trails of tears appearing.

Two large golden rays of light came out of Canterlot’s debris, blasting through the clouds up above.

Sky blinked at them, a smile creeping up on his face.

Inside the golden beams, silhouettes of tiny creatures rose. One a dragon, the other a pony.

Spike could feel his strength and energy returning to him. It wasn’t long until he was back in perfect shape.

Cozy’s wounds all disappeared, and she felt her horn become whole. Her mind also felt more clear, as if there wasn’t anyone tampering with it. That was when she realized something she was ever so thankful for.

Their magic surged within them, and the golden light towers faded.

Landing on the debris, the two looked at themselves before turning to each other with a smile.

Sky’s erupting laughter interrupted them. He took a couple of steps forward, an excited grin on his face.

“Cozy, you’re alive!” he yelled out. “And Spike is back in shape too! This is amazing! We can play even more now with the three of us!”

Cozy frowned before turning her face into a determined one.

“I know how we can save him,” she told Spike.

Spike didn’t keep his eyes off Sky for a second, knowing how the insane pony was. “How?” he asked.

“The Tree of Harmony. It’s the only source of power I can think of that can fix him. If we can get him close to it…”

Spike nodded. “It’s no longer a tree. It was destroyed by King Sombra.”

Cozy snapped her head towards him. “What?!”

“Don’t worry. It was reformed into a treehouse because of Gallus, Ocellus, and the others.”

Hearing that, she sighed with relief. “Don’t scare me like that.”

Spike continued. “It still has its powers, But what if that doesn’t work?”

“Then I’ll end it myself without hesitation. I’ll have to live with that.”

Spike opened his mouth for a second, about to retort that notion, but he stopped himself. This was Cozy’s decision. If she had to live with ending her best friend, he’d be at her side wherever and whenever she needed a shoulder.

Spike ended up nodding.

She looked around and recognized the designs of the buildings. They were from Canterlot. Tilting her head upwards, she saw they were at the base of the mountain the city used to sit. She put two and two together; Canterlot had fallen.

But this much damage in the little amount of time she was out? It was mere minutes.

Cozy Glow turned to Ponyville, not far from where they were in Canterlot’s ruins.

“Can you keep him at bay for a minute? I need to grab something from my saddlebag at the school.”

“Yeah, I can.”

“You sure?” Cozy said with uncertainty.

“I can do better; lead him to the tree.”

Twisting her head, Cozy raised a brow at him with worry over her face.

Spike returned the look, grinning and saying, “Trust me.”

Cozy Glow’s nervous expression turned more calm. “Thanks.”

She teleported away in a spark of magic.

At the sight of her leaving, Sky blinked. “Wasn’t expecting that. Where’d she go?”

Spike jumped down to Sky’s level and walked towards him. There wasn’t any point in replying.

Cozy appeared back in the dorm room where they stayed the night before.

She flew over to their bags as the town quaked, knowing Spike’s fight had just started. Fishing inside her bag for a few seconds, she found what she was looking for without trouble. Holding it in the moonlight, she gazed at the magic suppression ring, happy it was still intact.

Satisfied, she lit her horn and teleported above the school.

Flying high above Ponyville and looking off to the distance, she spotted magic flying back and forth. The fight seemed to drag a little bit away from Fallen Canterlot, as she dubbed it, and it was getting closer to Everfree Forest.

Lighting her horn once again, she teleported to the fight.

She froze when she reappeared seconds later. The sight before her chilled her to the bone.

With a clenched jaw and eyes of fury, Spike kept charging at Sky Shard.

Sky was laughing, but any sane opponent would have been terrified at seeing an enraged magical dragon.

She noticed Spike was much more… aggressive than anything else. At least more aggressive than she thought he could ever be. She knew how exactly to describe him.

He was utterly pissed off.

At one moment, Spike blasted Sky into the dark forest with a burst of magic. He was seconds away from pursuing him, but Cozy flew up to him, stopping him in his tracks.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Huh?” he muttered, taken aback. He tilted his head at her. “Yeah, why?”

Cozy Glow shook her head. “No, I mean… you look really angry.”

Spike widened his eyes, scratching the back of his neck. “Oh, that! Um… ever since I thought he killed you, I, well…” Spike trailed off, too ashamed to continue.

Cozy gave him a small smile. “Spike, I’m flattered, but it’s not a good look on you.”

He blinked at her, blushing a small bit. Looking away to the forest, he said, “I’m actually stronger than he is. But he keeps using that healing spell.”

“Sky and I are the same level.” She plastered a sly grin, leaning into Spike with her hooves behind her back. “Are you saying you’re stronger than me?”

Spike opened his mouth, clearly taken off guard and flustered as he twined his thumbs.

She giggled.

Spike had this strength the entire time, she realized. Her friend was just too much of a softie to bring it out. That wasn’t a bad thing, of course. She loved his soft side more than what she just witnessed. Although she wouldn’t deny his tougher side had such a charm.

“It’s good to know my drakefriend can protect me,” she said with a smile before switching her attention to the forest.

Spike gave a mild blush at that. He couldn’t help but smile. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

Cozy Glow held up the ring, and that was all Spike needed to see before understanding her plan.

“That’ll make things easier.”

Cozy nodded. “And now Sky and I are no longer connected.”

He gave her a questioning look.

“I’ll explain later,” she said. “Let’s get the ring on him and take him to the Tree.”

The two of them flew into the forest.

Turning to Spike, she yelled, “Which way to the treehouse!?”

Spike pointed a claw south. “That way! It’s in the Castle of the Two Sisters!”

It wasn’t long until they encountered Sky, who was livid as he glared at the two and stomped a hoof.

“Two on one? This isn’t fair!” He pointed at Cozy. “And Cozy, why don’t I know your thoughts anymo-”

He got cut off after getting blasted away by Cozy Glow.

Pursuing him, she narrowed her eyes, knowing it was better not to reason with the mad colt. Having her mind cleared was better than she thought.

Sky shook the dirt off, healing himself. With a large grin, he enlarged his horn and sprang forth.

Cozy Glow put power into her own and countered blows, the force of their combined power blowing away the trees that encircled them.

Before either of the two followed up, Spike teleported in and punched Sky away with a magical fist, sending him flying through a trio of trees.

Flipping on his hooves, Sky charged magic through his horn and fired a barrage of magic.

Spike raised his claws. He shielded them from the onslaught with a magic barrier. It didn’t stop the magic from destroying the landscape around them.

Cozy jumped up to the sky and fired a large pulsing scarlet beam.

Laughing, Sky used the magic mirror spell, redirecting the beam back to Cozy Glow.

She was about to use the same spell to send it back again, but Spike flew up in front of her. With a deep breath, he blew a stream of fire breath, pushing the beam away and towards the mad alicorn.

Sky took to the skies to dodge it. Lighting his horn, he projected a giant blue pony at least three times the height of the forest. It blocked the view of the moon in the sky.

The figure lowered its hoof onto the two, with streams of wind appearing at the edges.

Extending her wings, Cozy took off. Flying swiftly, she circled the large hoof multiple times while ascending. She used the image to leap towards the head when she got close enough. Her horn lit, and she created a large spiked hammer the size of the projection head. With one smooth motion, she struck, taking the head off.

Sky leaped out of the beheaded projection. Floating high, he lit his horn, casting a spell.

Appearing from his horn came a blue tornado. The tornado grew in size until it was massive and touched the forest’s ground. It even had a simplistic face, its expression sullen.

Spike lowered himself to the ground as the tornado tried to pull him in. Meanwhile, Cozy was a sitting duck in the air, her wings not strong enough to fly away. Right when she was about to teleport further away, a trunk came barreling into her from behind.

Spotting this, Spike took to the skies, using the pulling force of the tornado to get to Cozy as quickly as possible. The nearby trees got yanked out of the ground, swirling around the tornado. Soon, he reached the log, where Cozy stood on top of it, holding tight and taking notice of him.

The two of them held onto the trunk as it entered the storm. They first saw Sky hovering in the middle of it while laughing hysterically. His horn kept lit as he kept the spell going.

Cozy’s magic enveloped the large trunk, and she and Spike hopped off it. With a flick of her head, she threw the large bark at an angle, where it curved and smashed into Sky.

The tornado vanished. Without delay, Cozy fired a line of magic, which turned into chains. It wrapped around Sky and pulled him towards them.

With a gleeful smile, he lit his horn and sparked out of his bindings. Appearing back on the ground, he slammed his front hooves on the ground while his horn shone brightly.

The forest shook, and the trees surrounding the spellcaster grew larger, their roots springing from the ground. All of the growing branches darted at Spike and Cozy.

Together, they flew past many of them, dodging to the best of their abilities. Spike was nearly caught by a branch, but Cozy grabbed him with her hooves and spun them around, evading it.

They avoided a dozen more before Spike had enough of it, grabbing Cozy Glow’s hoof and taking her to the air.

Spike pulled her behind him before taking a deep breath and blowing a massive wave of fire at the forest. The trees all cowered under him, burning and shrinking to a more tolerable size. Throughout the burning forest, there wasn’t an animal to threaten, for they were all whisked away by Nylar and Antlerius.

Giggling, Sky looked over and saw a nearby lake. With his magic, he created a ring above it.

Another ring appeared above the two, and a second later, water fell on them, putting out the fires.

Too busy laughing, the insane colt didn’t look up to see Spike’s magical shield protecting them, water falling off the sides harmlessly.

Cozy frowned down at him for a moment before a misplaced color of pink was in the corner of her vision.

Widening her eyes and looking over, she saw the Castle of the Two Sisters and the crystal treehouse.

Furrowing her brows, she teleported her and Spike without a second thought. They appeared right before the merry Sky before she instantly teleported again, this time all three.

With a spark of magic, they appeared inside the Treehouse of Harmony.

The bright crystal, crystal-colorful walls were so distinctly different from the dark Everfree, so much so that Sky was looking around in awe with a distracted gaze.

Cozy tackled him from behind, pinning him to the ground.

Sky tilted his head at her and smirked, creating a blue orb that shrouded them.

Cozy’s eyes widened as they started to whiten. Multiple flashbacks of their past replayed in her head over and over.

Shutting her eyes tight, she gave a battle cry and fought against the spell.

On the outside, both of them were unmoving.

Spike swooped in without hesitation. He punched the orb with a fist flowing with magic, shattering it like weak glass. Levitating Cozy Glow off Sky, he shot a beam out of his palm and sent him flying into another room.

Cozy shook her head and gave Spike a look that said she was fine.

Spike nodded, and the two of them flew after Sky.

Upon entering the room, Sky fired a bunch of bolts at Cozy, which she dodged.

While Sky’s focus was on Cozy, Spike came in on his right, striking him in the jaw with a fist.

Sky landed against a wall, and Spike pulled him off before slamming him into the ground, cracking the floor.

Spike gritted his teeth, mentally apologizing to the Treehouse of Harmony and the students who created it.

He only managed to pin Sky for a second before he blew him away with a burst of magic. Then, Sky teleported close to the ceiling, lighting his horn.

Sky cast the same spell four times. As projections, Celestia and Luna charged straight at Spike, while Tirek and Chrysalis charged at Cozy Glow.

Aiming palms and a horn, the other two fired beams at the projections, shattering them. The magic continued on after the fact, hitting Sky Shard and making him crash into the ceiling.

While still stuck up there, Sky took this time to heal himself.

However, Cozy wasn’t going to give him any more luxury. She lit her horn and tapped a hoof on the ground.

From her hoof tap, a flourish of magic changed the room’s colors from bright crystal blue to scarlet red, intersecting at the ceiling.

Sky yelped as he fell to the ground like a heavy brick.

“What in the Tartarus?!” he strained as he couldn’t get up, feeling the weight of a fat yak on top of him.

Spike was also affected, on his hands and knees, struggling to push himself up against the enhanced gravity.

Cozy Glow glanced at him. “Sorry!”

He nodded back at her with a hardened look. “I’m fine! Go!”

At once, Cozy teleported on top of Sky. She attempted to bring out the ring.

With an enraged growl, Sky teleported them out of the treehouse and blasted her away with a burst of magic, dropping to the ground a millisecond later while panting.

Cozy Glow grunted, landing on the dirt ground and tumbling.

At that moment, Spike flew in and caught her, holding Cozy Glow in his arms.

She quickly healed herself, giving a smile as a thanks.

Together, they spiraled to the sky, circling each other like a pair of shining comets.

Spike took a deep breath during the final spiral, and Cozy Glow charged her horn. Together, they fired down.

Sky’s eyes sparkled with awe as he witnessed multiple falling stars with flaming trails heading straight for him.

In the last second, he made a magic mirror, but with Spike’s fire in the mix, it promptly broke.

The entire area blew apart bit by bit from their combined attack. Trees that surrounded them got blown back and bent.

With some dirt covering him, Sky stood up and groaned while holding his dizzy head.

Before he could do anything, Cozy teleported before him, tackling him to the ground.

Pinning him to the floor on his back, she brought out the ring with her magic.

Sky’s eyes widened at the sight of it. He yelled, “NO! I don’t want to go on time-out!”

He lit his horn.

Spike teleported behind him and grabbed his horn with a claw, canceling his spell.

The blue pony squirmed, screaming out. He tried reaching up with his hooves to push his claw away, but Spike and Cozy Glow took each of his forehooves and braced them against the ground.

Then, Spike released the claw on Sky’s horn just as Cozy placed the ring.

Cozy Glow levitated Sky without a second wasted and put him against the center trunk of the treehouse.

He was moments away from removing the ring with his hooves, but Cozy fired two magic spells at him. Hardened magic cuffed his forehooves to the crystal wall. He screamed out in rage as he tried to escape, kicking his hind legs.

“DON’T DO THIS, COZY! I’M ALL YOU HAVE!”

Cozy ignored him. She grabbed Spike’s claw and flew up.

Together, they flew above the treehouse, stopping once they were high above it.

“IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?” Sky yelled at them, his voice as loud as ever. “FINE! DO IT! BE ALONE FOREVER!”

Holding claw and hoof, the two turned to each other. Small smiles appeared on both of them before they nodded.

Sky put on the largest smirk he could muster, widening his eyes. “ You’ll die regretting every choice you made. Having the opportunity of a lifetime! Infinite amounts of fun we deserved! And you’re throwing it away because you’re so fucking stupid!”

The treehouse started to shine, and the area quaked. Soon after, it shot a magic beam high into the sky before arcing down and hitting the two of them.

“If that’s how this ends tonight then that’s fine with me! i can’t wait to watch you lament from above!”

Their bodies absorbed the warm magic. It cracked and circled them briefly before they shot a rainbow beam at the treehouse, filling it with light.

“One day, you’re going to miss this, and then you’ll revive me again! And we’ll play like we did today! HAHA-”

Sky’s laughs went silent as only his shadow was visible through the blinding light that struck him. His mane and tail flowed as his body was motionless. The horn on top of his head vanished, and his wings shrunk.

It didn’t end there. A wave of magic spread through the ground. As it passed by the Everfree Forest, the bright energy restored the wildlife to its former glory.

The wave of magic continued onward, traveling across Ponyville and hitting the ruins of Canterlot far behind it.

Like flipping a page in a book, the wave took all the rubble and rebuilt the city. It even fixed the mountain, and all the damage from the battles was nowhere in sight.

Moments later, the light dimmed before fading away.

Chapter 8

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Cozy blinked. “Huh. That is cheating,” she surmised.

“Good cheating,” Spike said with a smile, staring at Canterlot City.

The two that floated above the treehouse stared at the revived city for a few quiet moments. They calmed themselves as they took in the peaceful silence, hearts returning to their normal pace. There was no screaming, insanity, or even the sound of magic. Just the flaps of their wings and nature returning to normal.

Looking down at the treehouse, Cozy saw it was perfectly fine. She also saw a shining light coming from within.

Nodding at each other, the two of them flew down to it, landing in the main room of the structure. Floating in the middle was a normal pegasus colt, Sky Shard, his body beaming bright with a calm white aura. It illuminated the middle of the room, but the corners were dark.

In a flash of purple light, the projection of Twilight Sparkle appeared before them. Flashing Cozy a warm smile, it turned its head towards Sky.

Cozy Glow glanced at Spike, who only nodded at her with a smile.

“I’ll be right here,” he said.

She turned back to Sky Shard, taking a step forward, and doubt spread across her face.

Sky was conscious, and he was looking directly at her.

But then he smiled.

It wasn’t a sadistic smile. It wasn’t joyful or aimless either.

Just a regular, calm, friendly, sorrowful smile. One Sky always used to wear.

His eyes weren’t tainted with insanity either. They were gentle and caring, just like they used to be.

“Sky Shard?” she whispered out to him.

Sky continued to smile at her. “Cozy Glow.”

His voice wasn’t ear-piercing. Like his eyes and smile, his voice was so soothing to hear like it used to be.

It was a welcome reminder of when she would see him back then. To hear his voice was a blessing. To witness his smile made her spirits soar. And those eyes always managed to calm her nerves.

Feeling her eyes becoming moist, she took much faster steps forward and hugged him around his chest.

Sky wrapped his hooves around her, being still as the small filly sobbed into him.

“I’m so sorry!” she cried.

He nodded, replying in a gentle tone. “I know.”

They were like that for a few seconds, with Cozy crying into his shoulder.

“I’m so proud of you, Cozy.”

She choked. “H-how can you say that? I messed up everything! I’m such a piece of shit! You deserved so much better than me!”

He shook his head, pulling her closer. “You’re the best friend a colt could ever ask for. I forgive you, Cozy. So please don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“But I-”

“You got hurt more than I did. If anything, this is my fault. I should say sorry for dying.”

She pushed him off, holding his shoulders and glaring at him. “Don’t say that!”

He managed a small smile. “Nopony saw this coming. You lost your only friend, and you wanted him back. Nopony can blame you for that. I sure don’t. We were only kids. Heck, we still are.

“And for what it’s worth. I got to talk to you one last time, at least.”

His body began to fade in and out.

Cozy widened her eyes and looked him over. It was as if his form was unstable.

Sky held up a hoof towards her, holding the seal to the Space Between Worlds.

With hesitance, she reached over and took it from him. At first, she stared at it, then at him.

“So…” she started, not wanting to complete the sentence. When she did, her voice cracked. “This is goodbye then?”

He gave her a small smile before biting his lip.

Cozy knew this habit of his. He was doing everything he could to act strong and not break down.

“I wish I could stay by your side,” he said. “I-I don’t want to leave you.” He blew out a shaky sigh. “But things can’t be that way. I can feel it in my bones. I’m just too… tired.”

Cozy felt her throat burn as tears came to Sky’s eyes.

“I won’t be able to be by your side, but I’ll still watch you. So please, become the best pony you can be, Cozy. You deserve to be happy, too.”

She sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes and giving him a look of determination.

“I will! I promise!”

Sky chuckled. “You were always stronger than I was, so I know you can do it.”

He peaked around Cozy, looking at Spike standing behind her.

“Spike, take care of her, please?” He knew he didn’t need to ask but felt it was right.

Spike smiled at him. “I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will.” Sky returned the smile. “And thank you for everything. I wish I could’ve become your friend, too.”

Right after he said that his form slowly rose, slipping out of Cozy’s hooves.

“I’ll see you again, right?!” she yelled, extending a hoof towards him.

Sky laughed. “Don’t rush your way up here. If you do, I might have to… push you off the clouds.”

Through her tears and glistening scarlet eyes, Cozy Glow smiled. “I won’t. I’ll take my time and make you proud!”

He grinned again before his body finally glittered, turning into sparkles of light, rising to the air, and fading away.

Cozy lowered her hoof, standing on all fours. “Goodbye… my friend.”

Projection Twilight walked up to Cozy, placing a hoof on her shoulder, and grabbed her attention. They gave her a gentle smile as well before they, too, disappeared.

Moments later, the room returned to its normal level of brightness.

Spike walked up to Cozy, giving her a tight hug.

She had already stopped her cries but needed this, thanking him for being such a great dragon.

They lost track of time, not knowing how long they stayed there like that. It felt like hours to the two, even though it was mere minutes in real-time.

Eventually, Cozy pulled back, giving a little smile. “We should go and free everyone.”

He nodded. “You gonna be okay?” As soon as he asked the question, he knew it was stupid.

She nodded. “I think I will. For you and him, I have to be.”

“Don’t forget yourself too.”

“I know.”

Together, they flew back to the Castle of Friendship in minutes. Cozy healed Antlerius and Nylar there, surprising them and saying it was over. She then restarted the draining spell and, with the four combined, broke the spell on the seal in less than an hour.

They all stood there and gazed as multiple wisps of light escaped the seal, flying out of the windows and landing all over Equestria, no doubt putting creatures back where they originally were.

Spike went closer to Cozy, saying, “Hey, uh, I’ll probably be a bit busy for the next few days getting everything sorted out, so…” trailing off the awkward sentence, he cupped her head and leaned in.

Their kiss was much longer than a peck this time as the sun began to rise, filling the throne room with sunlight.

The two kept the kiss going, pushing their lips into each other as if they could somehow get even closer.

From their perspective, the entire world was non-existent. It was simply a void, as they were the only things to exist at that moment.

Due to the lack of air, they pulled back, panting heavily.

“W-wow…” Cozy muttered.

Spike was in the same daze. “Y-yeah. That was…”

She giggled. “Messy? Wet?”

“I was going to say ‘fucking amazing,’ but yeah, that works too.” He chuckled back.

The town was brighter than ever. Many familiar ponies looked around, slowly realizing they were back. In the middle of town, a certain group of creatures, including a purple princess pony, came into existence.

Spike offered a claw to Cozy Glow, the filly taking it without a word. Holding each other, they went down to the castle’s exit, stepping out the front door.

Antlerius and Nylar followed behind. Once outside, the two of them stood off to the side.

Soon, a bunch of creatures arrived one by one.

The first one was Twilight, who had the luxury of teleportation.

“Spike!” she yelled, running over to him.

He let go of Cozy’s hoof and took off, flying into her chest and holding her close.

“You did an amazing job out there, Spike. Thank you.”

“Thanks, Twi,” Spike said, squeezing back. “I missed you so much! I couldn’t have done it without Cozy Glow.”

Twilight nodded, her response surprising him. “You’re both heroes.”

Cozy watched on with a smile. But soon after, a horde of creatures rushed up to her and pulled her into the middle of a group hug.

The group consisted of her past classmates and the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

They threw her constant thanks and compliments, as well as apologies.

“You were so cool out there!” Gallus said, with Sandbar agreeing.

“Thanks for coming back for us!” Silverstream held one of her forelegs tight.

“We’re so glad you’re okay!” Sweetie Belle and Ocellus yelled with some moisture in their eyes.

Cozy widened her eyes, her ears perking up as she focused on Gallus’s words.

Spike pushed Twilight back to look her in the face. “You saw everything?!”

She nodded, looking towards Cozy Glow. “Ever since we were sealed away. I don’t think Antlerius and Nylar knew either.”

Two tall alicorn sisters dropped to the ground, one white and the other blue.

Spike watched as they ignored him and Twilight, heading straight for Cozy Glow. Even though he trusted them, his heart still thumped with nervousness.

Cozy also noticed them, wondering how they felt about her as the group surrounding her stepped aside.

Celestia and Luna stared at her for a brief second before lowering their heads.

Cozy didn’t know what to say. She stared at them as they bowed with her mouth slightly agape.

“I’m sorry, Cozy Glow,” Celestia said. “For not noticing your cries for help.”

Luna spoke up next. “For throwing you into Tartarus without a second thought as well. It was too rash. And you didn’t merit such treatment.”

Though her head was lowered, Celestia tilted upward.

Cozy gawked as wet tears dropped down Celestia’s cheeks.

“You don’t have to forgive us,” she continued. “But you’ve earned our utmost gratitude, Princess of Hope.”

“I-I’m not-”

“The Treehouse of Harmony chose you and Spike,” Celestia continued, cutting her off. “They called you both the Symbols of Hope. While he didn’t change, you’ve ascended from that false alicorn form.”

Just then, something came to mind for Cozy Glow. Ever since she absorbed the magic inside the Bewitching Bell, a very minor feeling came with it. Different from Sky Shard, the magic always seemed to try to escape her body, as if it never wanted to be in there in the first place. She had long gotten used to it, but it was still there and noticeable.

However, ever since the Treehouse of Harmony first called her a Symbol of Hope and returned her horn, the magic felt… at home. It was hers.

It was earned.

Her attention snapped back to the two bowing alicorns. Everyone around stared at the scene in awe.

Cozy cleared her throat awkwardly, saying, “You don’t need to do all that. But, thank you.”

They rose and wiped the wetness on their cheeks.

“You have my prayers for your happiness,” Celestia said. “For as long as you live.”

“Thank you. I don’t think I need them, though,” she replied, looking at Spike.

They nodded with a smile at that, knowing what she meant, before turning to Spike.

“You should be very proud of yourself, Prince Spike,” Luna said, giving him a warm grin.

He blushed and chuckled at that, rubbing the back of his neck.

With a head turn, Celestia took in Antlerius and Nylar, who stood at the side with patience. Frowning, she took some steps towards them.

“I was unaware of what Mother did to your parents,” she said. “For that, I apologize for my ignorance.”

Antlerius replied, “We were in the wrong just as much as your mother. We should have spoken to Princess Twilight first. Though she would be understandably unknowing as well.”

“And her bias lies with you, I’m afraid,” Nylar said.

Twilight held Spike close as the four ancient creatures spoke to each other. She knew it would be a matter of time before she had to step in, being the current Ruler of Equestria and all.

“You alright, Spike?” she asked.

“Yeah, what do you mean, Twi?”

“You were pretty…” She paused for a moment, recalling the recent memories. “You know, angry when you thought Cozy died. Angry’s probably an understatement.”

Spike frowned. “Oh, yeah, I… I think I’m good. I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”

She smiled down at him. “I don’t blame you one bit, Spike. You took it better than I would’ve. If I were in your position, and I thought Cozy or one of you guys got murdered, I would have probably broke.”

Spike nodded, knowing Twilight better than anyone. “Don’t sell yourself short, Twilight. You can keep a cool head when you put your mind to it.

Then, he realized another thing Twilight would have seen. “Oh! And sorry for swearing.” He looked a little ashamed.

“It’s alright, Spike. It’s like Cozy said, they’re flavor words.”

“It’s not alright!” a voice cut in.

A pair of white hooves swooped in and scooped up Spike. The next thing he knew, he was being held tight by Rarity.

All the rest of Twilight’s friends gathered shortly after.

“Spike’s a gentledrake,” Rarity said. “And he knows swearing is uncouth. Isn’t that right, Spikey?”

Floating above them, Rainbow Dash shot a deadpan stare at her. “Shut the fuck up, Rarity.”

“Uh, Dash?” Applejack pointed a hoof behind her.

She turned tail, and there stood Scootaloo, standing behind her with an innocent twinkle in her eye, along with a slight smirk.

As Rainbow Dash cried to Scootaloo not to repeat that word, Tirek and Chrysalis joined the fray.

Tirek immediately went to Cozy Glow and grabbed her with his hands, bringing her to his chest, his beard brushing against her. He didn’t even speak, simply bawling his eyes out.

Taken aback, she hugged back. It was awkward. Never would she have imagined Tirek acting in such a sentimental way.

“Sorry about him,” Chrysalis said. She put a hoof on Cozy’s back to join in. “He’s a softie.”

“Chrysalis!” Cozy said, staring at her new lustrous form. “Spike told me you reformed.”

“Yes.” She smiled. It resembled that of Celestia’s. “It’s grumpy ol’ me. This old centaur seems to have a soft side to him. But to be fair, after what we saw, this is… warranted.” She rubbed her back slowly, whispering, “I’m glad you’re alive.”

Tirek sniffed. “Now I just feel,” he sobbed. “horrible for how I treated you as an ‘annoying brat.’ Maybe I could have found a way to help you the entire time.”

Cozy smiled a little against his chest. “I did enjoy our little moments if it makes you feel better. Besides, you wouldn’t have cared back then.”

“Maybe-” He sniffed. “Maybe you’re right.”

Abruptly, Discord appeared in a flash of light.

“Oh, hey, Discord.” Cozy gave one last grin to Tirek and pulled away from him. “Or are you still going by ‘Grogar’ nowadays?”

He sputtered for a second before coughing into his paw. “I’m, er… sorry about that. I should have seen your friend inside your head.”

She waved a hoof. “You didn’t know. Besides, whether you meant to or not, you gave me a way out. Thanks for that.”

Her vision blurred.

Right then, she suddenly felt drowsy as she floated in the air. Her head spun for a second, and her flying was uneven. Shaking her head, she caught herself in the air.

Spike, who stood next to Twilight, also had the same reaction. He nearly fell forward face first.

“You two deserve to rest,” Twilight said to both of them. “We’ll handle everything from here.”

Spike nodded with droopy eyes.

“Alright,” Cozy said, dropping to the ground. She looked over to Tirek and Chrysalis. “We’ll talk later.”

“Why, of course—” Tirek said with a slight bow. “—Princess of Hope.”

Chrysalis grinned and followed suit. “Princess.”

Her smile widened at that.

The two were teleported to Spike’s room in the Castle of Friendship with Twilight’s magic.

Just like that, it was quiet again.

They looked at each other and, knowing everything would be alright, gave each other a loving smile. They’ve been doing that so much more in the past few minutes. It was a good feeling they couldn’t complain about.

Spike led her to his bed, which was big enough for both of them.

Before they could get in, however, Twilight appeared with a spark of magic.

“Hey, you two!” she said. “I know, I know, you’re pretty tuckered out. But I just wanted to speak with Cozy Glow.”

“Oh,” Spike said, “I’ll leave you guys to it then.”

“No, stay,” Twilight said. “You’re important to Cozy. And I want you to hear what I want to say.”

With her magic, she lifted the two exhausted children to sit on the edge of the bed, taking a seat beside them.

“First off, I want to apologize,” Twilight began. “I failed you, Cozy Glow.”

Cozy opened her mouth but had no words to say to that. Still, she felt a little guilty for making Twilight feel responsible.

“As your headmare at the School of Friendship, I failed you. I should have been able to help you.”

Cozy shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Twilight. How could you have known.”

“But you were right. We did throw you into Tartarus without even trying to pry for anything from you. It was unheard of, a filly trying to rule Equestria. When I searched for your background history and saw nothing, I should have known something was off. But I didn’t try. For that—” she sighed heavily, looking at Cozy in her tired, scarlet eyes. “—I’m so sorry.”

“I’ll forgive you if you stop feeling so bad about it.”

Twilight gave a sad smile. “That’s not how things work, unfortunately.” She sighed again, finding the floor more interesting. “If there was any way to bring Sky Shard back, Cozy, I-”

Cozy placed a hoof on Twilight’s leg, stopping her there.

“It’s fine, Twilight,” she said with strong eyes. “I need to move on. It’s what Sky wants.”

Twilight nodded.

“Everyone had a part in this, I guess,” Cozy continued. “You, Celestia and Luna, Discord. Even Spike blames himself.”

Spike nodded.

“And while I believe I’m the most to blame, we just can’t stick to that forever. I have to face it. What’s done is done. I can never go back and change things. Even if we have magic spells that can do that. At that point, it’d all just be a lie.”

“Yeah,” Spike said. “And you have no idea how such a small change can alter the future.”

“You can say that again.” Twilight laughed at the memory.

Cozy chuckled, looking at Spike. “You both went time traveling? You better tell me this story.”

Spike grinned before yawning. “Maybe after some rest?”

Twilight stood up, turning to him. “Spike, I have an official Royal Order from myself.”

He sat up straight, suddenly interested in what she had to say. “Uh, sure! What is it?”

“You must stay by Cozy’s side to keep her safe.” She shrugged. “Something you would have done anyway, but now you shouldn’t feel bad for leaving my side as Royal Advisor.”

He widened his eyes in surprise, staring up at her.

“Besides, Cozy’s going to be declared a princess to the public soon, and you’re a prince, so you’ll be close by in the castle.” Twilight took a few steps, leaning down at Cozy’s level. She took her hooves into her own, holding them. “We’ll find the best therapy for you. And we’ll do everything we can to handle your alcohol issues.”

Spike smiled. His next lines grabbed Twilight’s attention. “We’re already doing great on that! Cozy hasn’t drank since we first met!”

Twilight turned from Spike to Cozy, expecting the filly to admit something.

Cozy lowered her head, refusing to look into either of their gazes.

He stared at the two momentarily before frowning towards the younger pony.

Cozy sighed. “It was only a sip when I fought Antlerius and Nylar.”

“And we’re going to take every little drop seriously,” Twilight said. “You may be an alicorn and now a Princess, but you’re still a foal. Drinking can have terrible effects on you long-term.”

Cozy sighed again before nodding.

Spike scooted a little closer. “We should also check if any of Sky Shard is left in you. Just in case.”

“I agree.” Twilight nodded. “Even though I doubt the Treehouse of Harmony would miss anything.”

“It would still be relieving to know,” Cozy said, rubbing her leg.

Twilight lifted her chin. “I’ll also be at your side to help with whatever you need. No matter what I’m busy with, I’ll do everything I can to come help you. I owe it to you, and so does Equestria.”

With that said, Twilight stood up straight and took some steps away. “Alright, I’ll let you guys get some rest. Oh, and one last thing I must mention—” She smiled at them.

“—You two are really adorable together.”

As blood rushed to the two’s cheeks, Twilight teleported away.

Too tired to care, they went over to the bed and snuggled in the sheets.

Getting warm, they were on their sides and stared at each other.

At the same time, they both leaned in and had a quick kiss.

Equestria sank back into peaceful times after that eventful night.

Negotiations with Antlerius and Nylar took place. The two ended up being welcomed to stay in Equestria but decided not to stay. Instead, they realized they should create their own memories rather than rewrite everyone else’s. Princess Twilight assured that they were always welcome to visit whenever they pleased.

Cozy Glow and Spike became an officially normal couple. Going on dates, holding hooves and claws in public, and much more kissing. They were also declared royalty, with their titles being Hope.

Cozy Glow undertook some much-needed therapy. Since she had already patched things up with Sky Shard, it wasn’t long before the healing process began. Spike was always by her side when needed, and the trips to Ponyville and the Changeling Hive helped a bunch.

She also gained duties as a Princess, helping others deal with loss. Being new to this, she was under the supervision of Twilight until she got the hang of things. However, since she was Cozy Glow, that didn’t take long.

Her alcohol problems were the least of her struggles, to the delight of Spike. Without Sky Shard yelling in her head, she had no reason to pick up a bottle. Even when she turned the legal age, she didn’t touch any drinks for a good while. But years after that, she finally drank again at a party—her and Spike’s wedding party. Amusingly, Spike waited with her, and that warmed her heart, though dragons never got affected by the alcohol, which was something he said was a blessing and a curse. No fun would be had for him.

All in all, Cozy was in a much happier place in her life. And she was so happy to have Spike by her side. She couldn’t ask for a better husband.

In the middle of a bleak forest sat a large mansion. Inside, an alicorn appeared in a wave of darkness.

The stallion’s fur was black, with a blazing red mane and tail.

Another stallion, a frail gray and skinny one at that, dropped a water glass in shock. He sprinted up to him and bowed.

“Welcome back, sire.”

The ‘sire’ whipped his head to get his mane out of his face. He stared down at his servant before him, expecting something else.

“Oh, I mean, Dark Heart.”

Dark Heart smiled. “Better.”

He began to trot down the main foyer of the mansion with a slow stride.

“Now that I have returned. It’s time to take my rightful place as ruler of…” He turned to his servant.

“Equestria.”

“Equestria!” he continued. “And to see my enemies cower before me! Mwahaha!”

His servant raised a hoof, grabbing his attention.

“Uh, sire, Dark Heart. I’d advise against trying to rule Equestria. At least for now.”

Dark Heart turned to him with a glare. “If you think I should be afraid the current powers of these lands, may I remind you of who I am? I am scared of none!”

His servant ducked his head. “B-but, sire, it’s been so long since you’ve resurfaced. There’s so much new you haven’t a clue about.”

“Then tell me.”

He nervously chuckled. “W-well-”

“No, wait. Let me guess, Diamond Quasar’s infant daughter? Or perhaps Diamond’s still in rule?”

“Er, no. It’s a ‘Princess Twilight Sparkle,’ an alicorn pony and Ruler of Equestria in this age.”

“Ah…” Dark Heart sighed. “Her name fits a princess.”

“Actually, it’s not her you should be wary of. It’s her brother and sister-in-law.”

“No matter. No stallion will be able to stop me from ripping off their wings.”

His servant coughed. “He doesn’t seem to be a stallion per se.”

“Will you stop leaving information OUT!?”

His servant ducked again. “Apologies! Apologies! Princess Twilight’s Sparkle’s younger brother, who is a dragon, also wields powerful magic. There’s also three other princesses, the sister-in-law who lives with Princess Twilight and the other two in their own empire.”

“Hmph!” He walked off, heading for the exit of the mansion. “Be it four members of royalty or one, I am above all of them! MUAHAHAHA!”

Dark Heart lay on the floor, groaning as quietly as an ant.

Two adults, a dragon, and a pink alicorn, stood at the same height, courtesy of a “pausing growth” spell for the dragon, who would surely be taller than the ceiling by now. They stared at him, blinking twice.

“So when Twilight returns from Ponyville, what do we tell her?” Cozy Glow asked.

Spike shrugged. “I don’t know. The fight was too quick to be, well… threatening.”

Cozy aimed her horn in the air, casting a portal spell. A rift appeared, with Tartarus on the other side.

Spike lifted Dark Heart with his magic, sending him into the prison.

“Keep him there for now,” Cozy said. “We’ll tell Twilight to try and reform him later.”

She turned to a few guards standing around. “Send someone on a food run for our latest guest.”

They nodded before walking off.

Just then, her eyes flashed bright for a moment.

“That’s me,” she said in a sadder tone with a small smile. “A twenty-year-old griffin just lost her twin sister.”

Spike nodded, giving the same sympathetic look. “I’ll see you at dinner with Flurry Heart and Cadence?”

“You sure will!”

They both leaned in and pecked each other on the lips. Then, Cozy teleported away as Spike walked off to do some paperwork.

Cozy sighed, lying on her haunches on the gentle grass. She stared at the stone in front of her, the name “Sky Shard” chiseled in.

She sat there for a while, letting the winds fill her ears. It wasn’t the sunniest of days, with more clouds than usual covering the sky. That wasn’t a bad thing, she thought.

A spark of magic was heard behind her. She didn’t turn her head.

Small steps drew close before Spike sat next to her. He had a pretty blue flower in his hand. Reaching forward, he placed it on the grave right before the tombstone. There wasn’t a casket with a body to bury, but the message was still sent.

Without a word, Cozy leaned onto Spike’s side.

They sat there for a while, letting nature’s music vibrate their souls. Eventually, she lit her horn, and a magic violin appeared with her magic.

Now, beyond needing the real instrument, she began playing a soft tune and pondered many things.

For the past few years, she had contemplated when it would be her time to go. She may be an immortal alicorn, but those around her weren’t. She couldn’t stay in this world forever, even if she wanted to. She didn’t.

Even Spike, a dragon, had a finite lifespan, much longer than any normal pony. He, too, would go one day, leaving her and Twilight behind. She wondered if Twilight thought about these things. Well, Twilight was a known thinker, so that was a dumb question.

It scared her to think about dying. And despite helping others come to terms with it, the thoughts kept her up at night. How ironic.

These thoughts started five hundred years ago when Celestia and Luna appeared at Twilight’s doorstep. They told her that they were finally going to “ascend.”

Twilight, obviously, was upset at the thought. But by the end of the day, she understood and came to terms with it. Luna even joked that she would wait one thousand years to make up for the time she lost them as Nightmare Moon.

That inevitable day would come for her at some point. Would it be when Spike passes on? Or when the world ends? But if the world ends, then what happens to the afterlife? Or would Twilight hand over the mantle of ruler to her? Nah, she wouldn’t have accepted the offer anyway.

Perhaps she should take her own advice. She shouldn’t worry about the end of her life but instead live it to the fullest. Still, it was difficult as a four-thousand-year-old alicorn to not think about those things.

Or maybe she was thinking about it all wrong. She should be excited to see Sky Shard and all her other friends when she finally heads off.

If the afterlife existed anyway.

And there it was. Always second guessing things. Being worried about the inevitable. It was complete stupidity, yet it made sense at the same time.

“You okay?” Spike asked, reaching up to hold her cheek. Cozy just stopped playing her music all of a sudden.

She smiled at him. “I’m fine.” Leaning on his side, her head on his shoulder, she made her violin disappear and cuddled beside him.

Being with Spike always helped. Whether it was one of their dates, joking around, sweaty bed sessions, or just relaxing like this. It took her mind off things. And until that stopped, this is just how things are supposed to be.

She will know whether she accepts it until her time comes. And that thought relieved her.

Grasping for Hope

by Haoryu Changer

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8