Excerpt 7:
Cozy pushed open the double doors, finding herself in the grand throne room. The bright lights from the numerous windows blinded her for a second, but when her eyes adjusted, she was able to get a good look at her surroundings. She found herself on the rightmost side of the room with nothing but more glass from a window to her right. To her left, at the far end of the room was another set of double doors, most likely leading to a different hallway that lead back in the same direction she had come. In the center, between both sets of doors, against a wall stood what appeared to be a tall metal wardrobe that stood on four metal legs that were each twice the size of the filly.
Cozy was still a bit tired from staying awake for so long the previous night, but upon meeting Troth again at the hospital, she had returned home with her to a very comfortable bed and woken up to fresh food, all set up for her like breakfast for a child getting ready for orientation.
Cozy’s eyes followed the continuous stream of glass from the sides of the room to a point where both connected into one long window going around the room like a 4-foot thick, hollow semi-circle. At the connection spot, there was a tall desk with a vase of white daisies and an oversized thrown behind it that lead half-way to the ceiling. Seated at the throne was the blue unicorn, staring intently through the window at the beautifully walled-off community he owned.
As the door finally closed behind Cozy, Contume turned around in his chair to face the filly, putting on an authoritative but friendly smile. “Greetings, young filly. And to whom do I pay the gratitude of this fine visit?”
Cozy shifted uneasily in the center of the throne room. “Um-.”
“No no, I’m just kidding,” Contume quickly added in a comedic manner. “Welcome to the community.” Contume looked around behind Cozy, as if just now noticing that she was alone. “Will your parents be arriving here?”
Cozy silently gasped at the reminder. “It’s - it’s just me.”
Contume raised his chin up in thought. “Well, all new members who join report to me first. That is if you are staying.”
Cozy’s eyes drooped. She didn’t think about it, but she really had nowhere else to go. Finally, she looked back up at Contume and nodded her head.
“Very good,” Contume beamed. “I make sure to meet with each of my citizens personally when they first arrive. Makes this place feel a little more like home.”
“Home,” Cozy repeated.
“Do you have a home, little one?”
Cozy looked away. “Not anymore.”
“Well, you’ll fit right in. This place welcomes in all creatures, most of which have come because they’ve lost their home.”
“And you welcome them just like that?” Cozy asked. “They can just walk right in?”
“Well, not quite. First, they must meet with the ponies that guard the walls, the adults that is. Young ponies may come right in, but either way, new citizens are watched for signs that might lead to danger.”
“What about non-ponies?”
“The same thing, except each must pay a fee to enter through these walls. It’s really quite generous of me to let them in, especially since they don’t deserve it.”
Cozy was stunned. “Golly, why not?”
“Haven’t you heard of Equestria’s latest attack?”
“I’ve been sheltered for most of my life while growing up in Trottingham. I don’t really get to hear much of anything besides vocabulary.”
“Equestria is facing its most difficult time yet with Lord Tirek on the verge of eradicating the rest of pony civilization.” Contume stopped himself and hesitated, staring at the young filly in his presence for a moment before correcting himself. “Oh, don’t worry. Lord Tirek has been defeated by Princess Twilight Sparkle, and she has been named the Princess of Friendship as a result. He is now in Tartarus and the only thing that he will ever see again is the Equestrian Postal Service. I just tell the non-ponies that he is still a threat to keep them in line.”
Cozy narrowed her eyes in an attempt to understand what he was saying before the unicorn continued.
“Those non-ponies don’t know how good they have it. I knew they were selfish from the start, but it wasn’t confirmed until I heard of their cowardice when Lord Tirek was still a threat. He was the closest our great land has ever gotten to being conquered. He nearly absorbed all the magic in Equestria.”
Cozy widened her eyes, impressed. “He nearly became ruler because he stole all of Equestria’s magic?”
“Well, not all. There were lucky ponies he didn’t get to; you for an example. But he wouldn’t have gotten nearly as close if pony-kind would have received help. Celestia sent out word to the other creature nations for aid, but she didn’t receive any word back. They abandoned us in our greatest time of need!”
Cozy shied away in fear, but Contume just closed his eyes for a moment to calm himself down before continuing.
“Alas, I don’t hold grudges. If there is anything I am, it would be a ‘fair ruler.’ These non-ponies need to make something of themselves if they are going to have anyway of making it up to us. It’s a good thing I am here to ensure that it happens. I’ve started by having them build up this community. The payments they give are barely helping any, and I’m worried that they will soon rebel, so I’ve given them the threat of Lord Tirek to make sure they can look to somepony powerful to lead them.”
“Only non-ponies have to pay?” Cozy asked for confirmation.
“Yes,” the unicorn agreed. “Only one item and that’s more than fair. Bits are preferable, but this item can be anything. Usually pictures, maybe a letter every one in a while. Only once has someone paid a live animal. She was a white dragon with these beautiful wings. She offered me a rabbit in order to join. Ah, it was delicious.”
Cozy’s look of interest immediately shifted to horror. “You - you . . . what?”
Contume huffed. “Yeah, you should’ve seen the little guy, trying to jump out of my grasp. It was cute I admit, but such emotions don’t last too long. Only one emotion for me can last.”
Cozy could not contain her disgust. “But - but ponies don’t eat rabbits!”
“Hmm.” Contume regarded Cozy in fascination. “Have ponies tried rabbits?”
Cozy made inaudible protests at the unicorn.
“Eh,” Contume patted Cozy’s head, “don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it. You still haven’t told me your name, little one.”
The filly could not meet the blue stallion’s eyes, but she managed to say her name. “Cozy Glow . . .”
“Cozy Glow. That’s a lovely name.” Contume tried for a bright smile, but the filly wasn’t looking at him.
Instead, Cozy stared at the floor to where a carpet was. Beautifully designed in the floor were the white outlines of three adult-sized ponies: an earth-pony, a unicorn, and a pegasus, all in some form of formation. Cozy found herself standing directly on the forehead of the pegasus.
Finally, Contume spoke up. “I’m sorry, Cozy Glow. Would a souvenir make you feel better?”
Cozy finally stared back up at the adult, confused at the sudden offer.
Contume put on a soft smile before walking around Cozy to where the metal wardrobe stood, elevated off the grown by its legs and slightly apart from the wall behind it.
“What is it?” Cozy asked as she looked at it up and down.
“This is a safe,” Contume answered. “It acts as my own personal storage for stuff I have used recently or stuff that I will use soon, and I am allowing you to leave here today with one thing out of this safe.” Contume opened up the safe with ease, the broken lock of it facing Cozy.
The salmon-colored filly walked under the door to the safe before flying up to land inside. The now elevated pony was eye level with the adult, and Contume caught glimpse of her cutiemark.
“Hmm,” Contume said in fascination.
Cozy turned back out of the dark storage unit to face Contume. “What?”
“Oh nothing,” Contume said before reaching his horn inside the safe.
The tip of the blue horn lit up, casting a spell that illuminated the miniature room. Cozy shivered at the sight of magic again but decided to continue forward to search for an item. Her eyes were quick to catch on the picture of a yellow griffon with two older griffons smiling from behind.
“Ah yes,” Contume nodded. “As I said earlier, a lot of times I am gifted with a picture. There isn’t much to do with those except to use it as a burning source. The frames also burn well. There are a couple in there, but I doubt you want any.”
The pegasus kept searching until her eyes caught on the object that was originally hers. Seated just under some debris was the rook again, the top coated in some red liquid but ultimately in perfect position for her to snatch it up. Her breath grew slightly shaky at the sight, and she moved her hoof towards it, lifting off a small picture frame that was holding the chess piece down.
Contume was confused when Cozy lifted up the frame until he spoke in a modest tone. “Good choice.”
Finally Cozy put the frame down to claim her castle, but once again, the yellow aura encircled it to pull it away.
“What are you doing?” Contume asked in a harsh tone.
Cozy snapped her neck back to face Contume. “You said I could pick any item.”
Contume stared down at Cozy. “No, I said you are allowed to leave with one item.”
“Well, this rook is my choice.”
“I’m sorry but I can’t grant such a dangerous item to a filly so young.”
Cozy lifted the anger off her face to replace it with big eyes. “It’s okay. I’ll be careful with it. You can trust me.”
“I’ve heard that one before. Maybe you should trust me when I tell you that you don’t want this. I just had to use this the other day on two trespassers.”
Cozy thought for a moment of what that might have meant before she shook the thought to get back into the problem at hoof.
“What you said earlier scared me,” Cozy said in a vulnerable manner. “With that rook, I would feel much safer.”
“But you wouldn’t be safer because now you’d become a liability.”
Cozy’s face tightened up in anger. Finally, she was direct. “I want that rook. I’m not leaving here without it.”
Contume smirked down at the filly. “Are you sure?”
Cozy glared at the unicorn before quickly reaching out her hooves to attempt to grab the rook out of the air. Her hoof barely touched the castle before the chess piece was forced away again.
“Yeah, I think we’re done here,” Contume decided before calling out the door. “Guards!”
Within seconds, two castle guards appeared in the doorway from which she came.
“No!” Cozy yelled in anguish. “It’s mine!”
Immediately, the two guards grabbed a hold of Cozy before forcefully dragging her away with her shrieks resonating down the hallway.