Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Flurry Heart raced through the Canterlot gardens. Her family had come to the castle for a very important party or something. It was time for her bath before getting ready. This little filly was not having it though. She flapped her wings to help catch speed as she ran, giggling, down the path. At the sound of her auntie Twilight's voice, she turned to the left, running through the bushes. She was 10 now, a big girl, and nobody was gonna make her take a bath if she didn't want to!

She made it out of the brambles and flapped her wings hard, lifting off the ground slightly and bursting forward. Just as she thought she was clear, the little princess smacked right into something very solid. She rubbed her hurt snout with a hoof as she looked up, curious as to what stopped her. The screaming forms of three creatures loomed above her. As she was about to dash away, the up most face caught her attention. A filly like her with curly locks. She had small pegasus wings on her back. While the other two statues screamed in rage, her face showed only terror.

Flurry couldn't bring herself to look away, stepping closer to the stone filly. She didn't even register the voices of her family approaching from behind. Mesmerized, she reached out a hoof, to the statues extended one. At contact, a bright light filled the garden corner. Somewhere nearby her aunt and mom screamed her name.

The stone crumbled away from the filly's form, leaving only dust and pebbles. The no longer a statue pony's eyes widened, unseeing. She coughed as though the air was taken from her. Flurry felt a hoof wrap around her from behind, pulling her away. Twilight moved in front of her, horn at the ready. Flurry didn't get it. Why were they attacking the filly?

The pegasus seemed to see for the first time, eyes locked on Twilight. She managed a sort of hiss between coughs, her wings flaring out as she backed into a corner. Seeing her distress, Flurry raced forward. Her magic burst forth on its own, blowing everyone else back as she crashed into the filly.

When the smoke from her spell cleared, Flurry saw a pink magic blast, Twilight's, barreling at them. Just as the blast was about to make contact, a red magic shield blocked it. Flurry's eyes darted to the filly, her wings longer and now tipped with red, and a horn on her forehead. The pegasus… alicorn? Whatever she was, stood protectively in front of her.

As the shield fell, Flurry saw Twilight make a face she had never seen, a face that made her want to hide behind her wings and never come out, and spoke to the filly in an angry growl, “Cozy Glow…”

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Twilight lit her horn, preparing for another attack. Suddenly Flurry Heart pushed past Cozy Glow, the villain's shaky legs giving out under her. Flurry spread her wings wide and yelled. “Stop! That's my friend?” Friend? No, Cozy Glow didn't make friends… but could she?

Cadence ran up behind her, eyes darting between the two sides of the altercation. She shot Twilight a glance. Were they really going to go along with this? It was all so sudden!

Then again, Twilight had never been happy about having to turn Cozy to stone. Sure she did awful things, but she was still a filly. And they had reformed so many other villains. Why not one more?

She let the magic around her horn fade away. “Fine.” She was less than thrilled to have her niece involved. “Cozy Glow, you can stay out of the statue.” Cozy's face dropped in shock from her spot on the ground, before turning skeptical.

“What's the catch?” Twilight walked forward, patting Flurry on the head. “You just have to show you can behave and learn proper friendship.” Cozy looked even more confused.

“Why would I do that?” The villain's head flopped to the side, her curly hair bouncing with the movement.

“Because if you don't we can just turn you to stone for another nine years.” This filly was stubborn. “Now Cadence, would you be willin-”

“NINE YEARS!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'VE BEEN STONE FOR NINE YEARS!? AND WHY AM I AN ALICORN?”

Oh right, that. Cozy's chest moved in quick motions as she began to hyperventilate. Another rough cough racked her throat and she flopped to the floor, unconscious.

“Oh no! Is she dead?” Flurry whispered.

“Just fine muffin. She just needs some sleep.” Cadence comforted. Twilight began to levitate Cozy with her magic as she picked up Flurry. “Now let's find your dad. Seems like we might have a new guest on our hands.”

-_-_-_-

It was her fault. She wasn't strong enough. They were gone because of her. If she had just been born a unicorn. If she had more power. It was her fault. But it was just a dream. And she was a lucid dreamer.

Cozy wouldn't admit it to any pony, but she was plagued by nightmares. No, just one nightmare. As far back as she could remember, this same dream haunted her slumber. Watching as two ponies she couldn't remember withered away before her eyes. Faceless adults would whisper words like ‘sick’ and ‘helpless’.

The mare who ran the orphanage said it was leftover memories. Though the filly couldn't remember her parents, she knew they had died. The adults talked about it behind her back for years. Her parents had both been unicorns, yet she was born a pegasus. Some sickness had drained her parents of their magic when she was a baby. The only thing that would help was a magic transfusion from the direct family. But only a unicorn could do it, just like only a unicorn could get sick.

Every pony in the dream screamed, calling her worthless, but she didn't care. Cozy didn't know these ponies. How could she care for the parents she never met? They didn't even love her when they were alive. She never heard their heartbeats as they held her close. She never got lullabies. All she got was blame. Called a bad omen for the way she was born. No. Their deaths weren't her fault.