Songs of Innocence

Chapter 67: A Little Filly Lost

Fluttershy's cottage, many moons later

"Death Drive... A mare with no identity, and only a maddening love to cling to. Her words were like barbed wire, responding to an unspoken bitterness towards her that truly only existed in her mind. She needed to feel loved. But she was loved. But she was consumed by the creeping fear that it could be pity rather than affection. And she would do anything to feel loved."

Sun's house, one morning many moons ago

Death Drive had just received a scroll from a royal messenger. She opened it up, making no attempt to hide a sinister smirk that crept across her face.

"Gosh, you sure look... happy." Cozy said curiously.

"I couldn't be more happy." Death Drive replied simply.

Cozy noticed that the scroll had an emblem of Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark on it, and her interest was piqued. "A letter from Twilight? Who's it for?"

Death Drive chuckled with a hint of sinisterness. "Cozy, I'm going to need you to keep another secret. This letter is for me. You see, since I've been such a good girl lately, Twilight let me ask her for a little favor."

"Ooh. What did you ask for?"

"Just a little bit of Princess Cadence's power." the pale unicorn smirked, showing Cozy a small amulet that was rather unprofessionally taped to the scroll. A gasp from Cozy prompted Death Drive to elaborate, "It's nothing to be concerned about. All I'm doing is using the amulet to make Sun love me for a day, and that's it." She looked at Cozy's slightly horrified face with a completely unfazed grin on her own.

Cozy wanted to tell Death Drive that what she wanted to do was pretty morally questionable, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. All she could do was mentally prepare herself for a rollercoaster ride that would probably end with the carts flying off the tracks to Celestia knows where.

"I know, it's perfect!" Death Drive grinned with delusional delight. She put her plan into action almost immediately, equipping the heart-shaped locket and making her way upstairs where a sleeping Sun laid in her bed. She laid there, looking as unkempt as she always was when she wasn't in public. Death Drive looked at her, and for a brief half-second, she wondered why she would want this pony, of all ponies to unrelentingly love her. She batted away the thought, however, as she harnessed the power of the amulet and shot a beam of it towards the sleeping mare. Cozy subconsciously held her breath as Sun's eyes opened, waking from a peaceful slumber. 

"Good morning." Sun said, without a hint of grogginess. 

Cozy gasped. "She never remembers to say good morning!"

"I did today, because I... uh... made sure to remember for... um... Can we just start over?"

"Why don't we, over some breakfast?" Death Drive replied. "We could go out."

"I'd love to!"

Cozy gasped again. "She specifically dislikes going out for breakfast!"

"Cozy, I can hear you, you know. Whatever. I do usually hate going out just to eat breakfast, but y'know, it's perfectly fine, because it's the perfect opportunity to spend time with my beautiful girlfriend." She then leapt out of bed and hugged Death Drive.

Cozy gasped a third time, but what came out of her mouth was "That's kinda sweet. Kind of."

Death Drive looked at Cozy with a serious expression. "Don't tell anyone what's going on. Remember: it's a secret, Cozy." With Sun close by her side, the two walked out of the house, and into Ponyville. The secluded spot in which the house stood sat right outside the forest on the edge of Ponyville, with a single, straight, linear path that led into the town. It was like a tunnel with walls made of trees, and the summer sun's warm rays peeked through the leaves. The two walked through the path, feeling a warmth that was nothing but wholesome.