//------------------------------// // Schoolgirl // Story: Romancing The Stone // by AlwaysDressesInStyle //------------------------------// We left the next morning, with Dad accompanying us. Mom couldn’t get away from her royal duties, so it was just the three of us… and the now familiar battalion of Royal Guards. “I’m uncomfortable with this.” I turned from the window I’d been gazing out of to look at Cozy Glow. “What’s wrong?” “The last time I was at the School of Friendship, I was kind of an awful pony.” “Kind of?” Cozy winced at Dad’s words. I glared at him for her, while she stared at her hooves as if they were the most interesting thing in all of Equestria. “I’m trying to give friendship a chance. Not gonna lie, there’s still a well above average chance I’ll backstab all of you and make a power play, but I really am making an effort. Being reminded of past failures isn’t very friendly.” Dad grunted something unintelligible that may or may not have been an apology, and the rest of the train ride to Ponyville passed in silence. The train rolled into Ponyville’s station and we disembarked. I’d forgotten how much rustic charm Ponyville had – it’d been years since the last time I’d been here. We were trying to keep a low profile, since Ponyville had been ground zero for Cozy Glow’s first attempt at world domination, but go figure, a prince, a princess, a reforming villain, and an entire battalion of Royal Guards stood out like a sore pastern. Ponies lined the streets of town as we marched through. At first there were cheers from Ponyville’s population, but they turned to jeers the instant the crowd got a look at Cozy Glow. Unlike her upbeat, cheery demeanor in the Crystal Empire, mugging for the paparazzi, here she kept her eyes firmly on the ground in front of her, tail firmly tucked between her legs in a posture suggesting shame and humiliation. As always with her, it was impossible to tell if this was legitimate guilt, or if she was trying to earn sympathy points with the ponies she’d hurt the most. Dad had insisted she walk in front of me, despite my outranking her. I suppose that even in front of all these ponies, he didn’t trust Cozy Glow not to stab me in the back. Half of our guards were between us, but I could still see her fairly well. I could also see when ponies started hurling bottles and rocks at her. I put up a shield around her and ran past the guards. This isn’t happening. She’s my responsibility, and that means standing up for her when nopony else is willing to. Once I was alongside her I threw a wing around her, and pulled her close to me. I looked around the crowd, silently daring any of them to assault a princess. There were no takers. The rest of the walk to the School of Friendship was uneventful. Starlight and Sunburst were waiting for us, and ushered us into the school. “We’ve made arrangements as best we can.” Starlight paced around the headmare’s office. “Flurry Heart, you’ll be staying in your aunt’s old room in the castle. All of the surrounding guest rooms are reserved for your guard detail. Which leaves one last detail to discuss.” “She can sleep in my room.” “Flurry.” “No, Dad, let me talk. You saw how everypony in town reacted to seeing Cozy Glow. The only way she’s going to be safe is if she’s near me. I want a guard detail in our room at all times, even if neither of us is there. And I’ll say this for the benefit of the guards, Cozy Glow is under my protection, which means she’s not to come to any harm unless she, herself, is the threat. So if somepony attacks her, I expect you to react exactly like you would if somepony attacked me.” Auntie Twilight’s old room turned out to be fit for a princess, which was logical. There was more than enough room for a second bed. Starlight and Sunburst helped us prepare the room, while Dad returned home to the Crystal Empire. I thought he had other duties to attend to, but that evening two additional platoons showed up – one to be Cozy’s personal guard detail, and the other to rotate in and out with my detail and hers. It was overkill. The next day was our first day of classes – for Cozy, it was a bit of a homecoming. The building was the same, but to her relief, there were very few ponies at the school who’d been there when she was. Starlight had become the Headmare in Twilight’s absence, but the students and most of the faculty had turned over in the decade she’d been away. There were, however, some exceptions. Auntie Twilight and her friends had moved on, leaving empty positions amongst the staff. They’d been replaced by faces very familiar to Cozy Glow: Silverstream, Smolder, Ocellus, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and of course Starlight Glimmer. Starlight had approved our request to allow Cozy Glow to return to the school, and neither had mentioned their past the previous day. They’d have to sit down and talk about it eventually, but it appeared for the moment they were both content to let sleeping dogs lie. Our first class was with Ocellus, and we sat in the back of the classroom to avoid drawing attention to ourselves. That didn’t work at all. For some reason the teacher hadn’t shown up, so the class focused their attention on us. Well, primarily me. They ignored Cozy Glow for the most part. “There’s a princess in our classroom!” “It’s Flurry Heart!” “Oh my gosh! Are you a student here?” I nodded and the group cheered in pleasure. Cozy, meanwhile, pulled out a textbook and stood it on end, using it for cover. No one had yet noticed her, and she liked it better that way. I swiveled an ear as the filly sitting on the other side of Cozy started a conversation with her. “Hi! Are you new here?” “Sort of. I used to be a student here but… you could say I dropped out for a while.” “Is that really Princess Flurry Heart?” Cozy nodded. “Cool! I just wanted to check. See, our professor’s a changeling, and sometimes she sneaks in and poses as a celebrity to catch us all off guard.” “Ocellus, right?” The filly nodded. “I remember her from when I was here the first time. She was a little shy back then.” “She’s still somewhat shy.” “Where is she, anyway?” “I heard Headmare Starlight called all the teachers into a special meeting this morning. I bet it has something to do with Princess Flurry Heart being here.” “You don’t seem to be as enthralled with her as everycreature else.” “I am, but I don’t want to bother her. She’s a princess. You said you used to go here? Tell me about that.” “I’d really prefer not to.” “Please?” “I was expelled. But they’re giving me a second chance.” “Expelled? For what?” “You know, the normal. Trying to take over Equestria, draining the world of magic, the usual.” Her tone was less boastful than normal. Not quite remorseful, but more flippant, as if her actions hadn’t been a big deal. The filly laughed. “Oh, that’s a good one. You had me going there for a minute.” That struck me as odd. She recognizes me, but not Cozy Glow? Everypony knows Cozy Glow. Granted, she’s about my age, so maybe she doesn’t remember it personally, but she should’ve learned about it in school at some point. I reminded myself I was at the School of Friendship – perhaps history and Equestrian politics weren’t as crucial to the curriculum as they were in my private studies. Once I was sure there wasn’t going to be any drama between the two of them, I turned my attention back to the herd of ponies and creatures asking me questions. “No, I’m not going to sign autographs. I’m here to learn, same as you. I’ll be here for a while, so I’m sure there’ll be plenty of time to get photos.” Forty minutes later the bell rang and Cozy and I stood up. “Oh, um, Princess?” The filly who’d been talking to Cozy finally addressed me. “Yes?” “Could you hang out here for a minute, please?” She’d treated Cozy Glow like any other student and gave her a sense of normalcy. The least I could do was return the favor. “Sure.” Once the rest of the class exited the room the filly changed into a light blue changeling. “Ocellus?!?” Cozy Glow’s jaw dropped. “But… huh? Why?” “Welcome back, Cozy, and welcome Princess.” She bowed to me. “Forgive the deception, but I wanted to talk to you without any past biases bleeding through. Thank you for indulging me. I believe there’s hope for you, Cozy Glow. That said, I have another class coming in and you have another class to get to. We’ll talk soon.” Cozy and I walked to our next class in silence. Ocellus had even started the conversation by saying the professor liked to catch everyone off guard by posing as a student and we still didn’t catch on. Cozy wasn’t taking it well at all. I could tell her mind was replaying their conversation, looking for clues she’d completely overlooked. She’d taught me all about setting traps in chess, so for her to fall for one that seemed so obvious in hindsight was annoying her. I could tell she was beating herself up over it and I slipped a wing over her haunches. “Not used to someone pulling the wool over your eyes?” She grumbled. “I’ve probably spent more time around Chrysalis than anypony alive. How could I miss the signs?” I shrugged. “I missed them too.” She rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t notice if you dad turned into a dragon.” Mental note: Cozy lashes out at others when she’s angry at herself. “Look on the bright side: at least she’s not mad at you or harboring a grudge.” “You could look on the bright side of a train wreck.” I let her wallow in her self-loathing while we walked to our next class. We were the last ponies to arrive, which made Silverstream tackling Cozy and hugging her even more awkward due to the number of witnesses. “Long time, no see! What was it like being a statue? Are you still evil?” “Yes, it has been. Boring. That’s for me to know and you to find out.” She winked at the hippogriff. Silverstream winked back. “Why are we winking? I love winking!” Cozy Glow had been knocked onto her back by the glomp, and Silverstream was sitting on her barrel, with her beak pressed against Cozy’s muzzle. “Aren’t we supposed to be having class?” Silverstream nodded but made no move to get up. Instead she faced the students who were sitting at their desks. “Cozy and I go way back! We were students here together eleven years ago. Well, it was eleven years ago for me, but only a few months for her. I might have sorta helped defeat her nefarious schemes on a few occasions, and she might’ve shot some alicorn laser beams at me. All zap! And blam! Then the princesses sealed her up in stone and we haven’t seen each other since. We left on bad terms eleven years ago.” She frowned. “What should we do to make up with one another?” The class shouted in unison. “Hug it out!” Cozy groaned. “Please tell me they said ‘slug’ and not ‘hug’.” Silverstream quizzically cocked her head. “’Slug’? How do you slug something out?” “By bucking or kicking. You’re familiar with the concept of fighting, right?” “Nope!” She leapt off Cozy and picked her up and held her tight. “Yay! Hugs!” “I need an adult.” Cozy grimaced as Silverstream continued clinging to her. I noticed there was only one open desk and I quickly claimed it. Looking around the classroom, I couldn’t help notice that it was decorated with adorable posters with slogans like ‘Hug Life’, ‘Group Hug’, and ‘Huggogriff’. “Usually, it’s considered polite to ask for permission before beginning hug therapy. But sometimes you have to take the initiative and launch a sneak attack. Especially on former villains. They’re all macho and claim they don’t like affection. But does Cozy Glow look annoyed?” Yes. I probably know her moods better than anyone else in the school, and that is definitely her annoyed face. “Probably! But that’s just an act! Deep down inside she loves knowing she’s valued and cared about.” “It’s not an act.” “You’re not getting out of this embrace!” Silverstream singsonged. “Oh, oh, oh! Who thinks Cozy Glow’s stubbornness is going to win?” Silence answered her. Someone dropped a pin for emphasis. “And who thinks hugging will win the day?” There was stomping and cheering, and I happily added to the cacophony. “When I get out of this hug and take over Equestria, I’m going to hold all of you responsible for this.” “Somepony’s still grouchy! You know what this calls for?” “Group hug!” “That’s right! Come on down, everycreature!” Soon the whole class was embracing the tiny filly, or rather, we were all clustered together in the front of the room, hugging creatures that were hugging other creatures, and a few of them were actually hugging Cozy Glow and/or Silverstream. “I hate all of you so very much.” “Yay! It’s working! Sarcasm is how this particular reforming villain shows affection.” Silverstream patted Cozy’s curls. “Isn’t she just adorable when she pouts?” “If you think this is going to work with every villain, you’re crazy. This would be a meal to Chrysalis. She would eat your affection and get more powerful. Tirek would just steal your magic.” “Maybe, maybe not. But it’ll work on you. So soft and cuddly!” “It will not!” “Will too!” the rest of the class chorused. We spent the rest of class wrapped in a giant group hug. The next class we had was Sweetie Belle’s, but Cozy directed me to Smolder’s classroom instead. “Yo, Smolder! You in here?” “Yeah. What do you want?” “Eat me.” “Come again?” “I just came from hug therapy. I don’t ever want to go through that again, so eat me. I’m probably on the sweet side, so use whipped cream as a topping.” Smolder laughed. “You? Sweet? If anything, you’re so bitter I’ll have to drown you in barbeque sauce just to make you palatable.” Cozy giggled. “We cool?” “If by that you mean, ‘do I still hate your guts?’ then the answer is yes.” “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” They grinned at one another, and she bumped a hoof into the dragon’s claws. I followed Cozy back into the hall. “What was that all about?” “Smolder never liked me, not even before my first power play. After all the hugging, I just needed to hear her say that.” “You’re a very strange pony.” We trotted into Sweetie Belle’s class and took our seats. “We have some new students in class today, so let’s give them both a warm welcome to Feelings 101!” There was cheering from the rest of the class. “Today’s first completely hypothetical situation is being intentionally locked in a closet by someone you once considered a friend.” Cozy visibly paled at Sweetie Belle’s words. Sweetie Belle looked around the class, lingering on Cozy for a moment. While still looking at Cozy, she called on me. “Princess Flurry Heart. How would that make you feel?” “Not very good. Betrayed even.” Sweetie Belle nodded. “That seems like a reasonable response. Later, when you eventually got out of the closet, how would you feel?” “Probably angry, maybe confused as to why someone would lock me inside to begin with.” “Would you offer your forgiveness if the creature in question asked for it?” I nodded. “Of course.” Sweetie Belle smiled. “As would I. Is there anyone in class who wouldn’t?” Sweetie’s eyes once more lingered on Cozy Glow. “If someone wanted to apologize for such a thing, how should they do it?” Most of the class raised a hoof, claw, or another appendage. Cozy put her own hoof up and Sweetie Belle immediately called on her. “Yes, Cozy Glow? It’s so nice to see both of our new students interacting with us so quickly! It’s a great feeling! How would you apologize?” “Miss Belle, I’m very sorry I locked you in a closet. You got in my way. With the benefit of hindsight, my way needed to be blocked.” “That’s good. See, Cozy has built on the apology by adding a reason for her actions. Now some may consider such a thing an excuse, but having the motivation for an action makes it easier to see where the offending party’s mind was at the time of the incident. It also helps in making a decision. In this case, do you think Miss Belle should accept the apology?” The class nodded. “Very good. A sincere apology should always be accepted. There will likely be a loss of trust between the parties, at least temporarily, but that gives you something to work with to rebuild the foundation of friendship. If both sides are willing.” She smiled. “An apology and an acceptance usually indicates that both sides wish to patch things up.” Cozy put a hoof up again. “Yes, Cozy Glow?” “What if, hypothetically, an apology comes from a master manipulator and habitual liar. How do you know it’s genuine?” Sweetie Belle shook her head, sadly. “You don’t. You have to hope for the best, or burn the bridge entirely. Sometimes you have to give up on someone.” “What if… What if that master manipulator isn’t even sure if it’s genuine or just words?” “Then it sounds like this completely hypothetical compulsive liar is making progress.” She smiled. “Huh.” Cozy paused. “Huh.” I could see the gears in her head turning, processing that information. Sweetie didn’t call on either of us again for the rest of class. I had no idea how many of our classmates were fooled by the ‘completely hypothetical’ disclaimers they’d both used, but I certainly wasn’t one of them. I’d known there was history between them, and I’d known that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been locked in a closet during Cozy’s first rampage. They’d gotten off far better than Starlight. But even Starlight had seen it in her heart to forgive Cozy enough to welcome her back to the School of Friendship. Sweetie Belle had forgiven Cozy – she wouldn’t be a very good friendship teacher if she couldn’t. As for Cozy, she’d actually thought about something and questioned her own motives to the point where she wasn’t sure if she was only lying to everypony else, or to herself too. Maybe, just maybe, she could learn friendship. If not, at least it would be hilarious watching her get hugged by Silverstream every day. The next class was gym, and we changed into workout attire. An orange pegasus greeted me with a smile, and Cozy with a glare. I could feel her eyes lingering on us as we sat on the gymnasium floor. “Fall in mares… and you too Cozy Glow. We have an intense workout ahead of us. Today, we’re playing dodgeball! I’ll award extra credit to anycreature that hits Cozy Glow.” “Hey!” Scootaloo shrugged. “You’re the smallest target. It’s going to take precision to nail you.” A hoof went up. “Yes, Pumpkin Cake?” “What if we’re on the same team as Cozy Glow?” Scootaloo tapped a hoof to her chin. “An excellent question. I’ll still give you extra credit if you hit her. Gotta watch out for those sneak attacks from the rear, because you never know when somepony you trust might backstab you.” “I feel singled out.” “I see your observational skills haven’t diminished at all since we last met. If the others get extra credit for hitting you, then you get extra credit if you manage to avoid getting hit for the entirety of class.” She blew her whistle. “Line up! Today’s team captains will be our newest students. Flurry Heart, stand on my left. Cozy Glow, on my right. You get to pick your teams.” She looked at me. “Since Cozy’s wearing a giant bullseye, why don’t we let her have first choice.” Scootaloo nodded. “Now that’s true sportsmareship right there. Cozy, pick your poison.” “I’m partial to hemlock.” An earth pony in the class stood up and trotted over to her. I bet Cozy didn’t see that coming. I certainly didn’t! She looked at the mare incredulously. “You’re named Hemlock?” “Yes.” “Very good. Yes, you shall be my first ally. Serve me well and there will always be room for you in my future empire.” “Uh, it’s just a game, Cozy.” Hemlock looked nervous. I pointed to a minotaur. Cozy Glow picked a pegasus. When we were done, Cozy had a team comprised entirely of ponies, including almost every pegasus in the class. I had a team comprised of creatures of all shapes and sizes, and only a few ponies. Cozy had even picked Pumpkin Cake, much to the latter’s surprise and dismay. Wings were bound and horns were inhibited, then play began. Cozy barked out orders, and Scootaloo blew her whistle to start the game. Cozy wasn’t one to lead from behind; she raced out to get a ball, and succeeded in doing so. Ponies were faster than many other creatures, and her team acquired most of the balls that had been placed on the dividing line between our respective sides of the gym. Cozy had even managed to grab a ball of her own, and as balls were thrown back and forth between our teams, she whirled around and nailed Pumpkin Cake with it. My team hadn’t forgotten the bounty on Cozy, and the little pegasus deftly dodged the balls lobbed her way. With all the attention focused on Cozy, and the little megalomaniac’s example of what would happen to traitors from her own team, her team decimated my ranks in the first minute of play. “Leave Flurry Heart for me.” None of her teammates had attempted to take me out, and now Cozy had justified that decision for them. I couldn’t issue the same command without denying my teammates’ chance for extra credit. Even without the use of her wings, Cozy was skilled at avoiding incoming projectiles. The first game was over in less than three minutes, with Cozy delivering the final blow, taking great delight as she ‘toppled my regime.’ The next game started with Hemlock taking out Pumpkin Cake. Cozy had instilled loyalty into her team through fear, and their victory in the first game had also dissuaded dissention in her ranks. As the games continued, I got a look into the pegasus’ brilliant mind. Much like when we played chess, her battle tactics were ingenious. She wasn’t afraid to start big, nor did she hide from the field of scrimmage. She actively drew the fire from my team, leaving room for her own teammates to mop the floor with my team game after game after game. Nothing I said to my team convinced them to forget the bounty and focus on winning. After seven decisive victories, Cozy started toying with me in the eighth game. As previously, her team had picked mine off creature by creature, and I was the last pony standing on my side. But this time Cozy didn’t send a barrage of dodgeballs my way. She kept feinting, making me dodge left or right to dodge the ball that never came my way. Eventually I picked up a ball and lodged it at her with all the might my leg could muster. She responded immediately, rearing, and bringing the ball in her own hooves up to deflect the one I’d thrown at her. It ricocheted and nailed me in the face. “Golly, you should stop hitting yourself.” Scootaloo blew her whistle. “That’s game.” She looked at the clock. “I don’t think we have time for another round. Congratulations, Cozy Glow, on eight straight wins.” “Thank you for the battle simulation.” She turned to her team. “Good game, ponies! Thanks to my genius leadership, we’re undefeated. Come to think of it, I didn’t get hit even once. Golly, I think that means I get extra credit.” “Unfortunately, I’m afraid not.” Cozy wheeled around just in time to get struck in the muzzle by the ball Scootaloo had lobbed at her while her back was turned. “Better luck next time, Cozy Glow.” “But the game’s over! I won fair and square!” “I said if you got through class without getting hit. It’s a shame you let your guard down while gloating. Now class is dismissed. Hit the showers.” Cozy was livid as we cleaned up. I scrubbed her back while she vented. “Of all the treacherous, underhooved tactics…” The irony of her words was lost on her. I did my best to change the subject. She liked having her ego stroked, so there was an easy way to swing her mood back to the positive. “Regardless, you did amazing out there. Goading everycreature into putting all their attention on you, while your teammates took care of decimating my ranks.” Cozy shrugged. “Wouldn’t have been my first strategy, but Coach Scootaloo forced me to change my tactics accordingly. Not bad for an improvised battle plan.” “You came up with that on the fly?” “Of course. No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. Victory goes to the side who can best adapt to continuously changing conditions.” “Hey.” Pumpkin Cake approached us. “Princess.” She bowed. “Cozy, look, I’m sorry. I wasn’t planning on going after you, I was just curious because I thought it was unfair that only Flurry’s team was going to get extra credit for hitting you. I’m sorry, please don’t hate me.” Cozy grinned. “My opening move was to take out one of my own teammates. Anypony who was even considering turning traitor to collect the bounty thought better of it after that. It worked out for me, so no hard feelings. But don’t ever cross me for real. I’m not the forgiving type.” Pumpkin gulped and bowed to Cozy as well. Cozy grinned as the unnerved filly didn’t bother toweling off and instead galloped to her next class soaking wet. Once we were dry, it was time for the last class of the day. We returned to Smolder’s room, this time to actually learn something. Once more we took seats in the back, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. By this point, almost everyone in the school had seen both of us, but there were bound to be a few in the class we had yet to interact with. Smolder stepped into the room and looked at Cozy Glow. “This isn’t your class, Miss Glow.” “Flurry and I have the same schedule.” “Except for this one. Headmare Starlight and I agreed there’s another class here that you need more than mine.” “Like what?” The door to the classroom slammed open and Silverstream flew in. “There you are, Cozy Glow! I thought you might be hiding in here. You’re late for your one-on-one hug tutoring.” “Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!” “Yeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssss!” Cozy Glow zipped around the room trying to escape, but Silverstream blocked the door and none of the windows were openable. It wasn’t long before the hippogriff scooped up the nefarious pegasus and carried her off. Instead of teaching us, Smolder regaled us with tales of Cozy’s misdeeds. She’d been instrumental in stopping both of her failed schemes. It was much-needed insight into Cozy’s mind, from someone who’d known her longer than most. “So now that you know Cozy Glow, be cautious not to be led astray by her manipulations. But to effectively give her a second chance, you can’t treat her any differently than you would if you didn’t know all this about your new classmate. Just be wary and if something doesn’t seem right, report it to one of your teachers or Headmare Starlight.” The bell sounded, and classes were over for the day. Unlike the mad dash I’d heard happened in most schools, no one seemed overly anxious to leave the School of Friendship. I trotted back to Silverstream’s classroom, where I found the hug professor still embracing Cozy Glow. “School’s out for the day.” “She’s getting extra credit. We’ll meet you in the cafeteria for dinner at five.” Cozy just whimpered in reply. I closed the door to the room. I hadn’t gone far before Starlight pulled me into her office. “Princess! I trust your first day in class has gone well?” “It was amazing! I met so many ponies today! I know I’ll become friends with all of them.” Starlight smiled. “And Cozy?” “I don’t think her day was quite as good as mine.” “Silverstream?” I nodded. “It’s unconventional, but without the Elements of Harmony to forcibly purify her as they did so many other villains, we really have no idea how to help her reform. Showing affection to her, and making her feel cared about – that was all Silverstream’s idea and I’ve yet to hear a better alternative.” “If nothing else, it’s amusing for the rest of us.” I chuckled. Starlight laughed and pulled out a scrying crystal. We were looking at Silverstream’s classroom and the pegasus filly clutched in the professor’s forelegs. “She doesn’t look completely miserable,” I noted. “Just mostly.” We giggled at that. Then I asked a serious question. “Do you think she can do it? You’ve been there yourself, so you’d probably know better than most.” “She can do it. She wouldn’t be at the school if I didn’t think she could do it, and she wouldn’t be out of the statue in the first place if Twilight didn’t think she could do it.” Then she looked at me, mirth gone from her face. “I know everypony is counting on you to do reform her. But you can’t. There’s nothing in the world you can do to make her be good. You can show her the right path, you can show her all the perks that come with a life well-lived, but at the end of the day you can’t make the decision for her, just as Twilight Sparkle couldn’t make it for me.” “I can punish her when she’s bad.” “Won’t work. You can’t punish that filly because there’s no punishment that deters her from what she wants to do. The more you tell her she can’t do something, the more determined she is to prove you wrong.” “Like take over Equestria.” “Exactly.” “Want to join us for dinner?” “Sure. It wouldn’t hurt for me to check in with two new students after their first day of classes.” Starlight and I trotted into the cafeteria. Looking for Cozy Glow wasn’t necessary, there was no way to miss the little pegasus sitting on a hippogriff’s lap. She was complaining, and Silverstream was ignoring her. “Awww! Who’s a cute little megalomaniac?” Starlight booped Cozy Glow’s snout and patted her curls. “I. Will. End. You.” “I was just stopping by to check on how your day went. Looks like you’re still busy learning, Cozy, so I’ll just mark today down as a ‘success’ and get back to my office.” “Wait! Don’t go!” Starlight turned around. “Oh?” “Make the hugging stop. Now.” Starlight shrugged. “I don’t interfere with my staff’s lesson plans. Sorry I can’t be of assistance.” “Does that mean you’re also going to condone Scootaloo singling me out and hitting me in the face with a dodgeball?” I recapped the events of gym class to Starlight and she pondered the information. “Intentionally hitting a student in the face with a ball is an issue. I’ll have to get her side of the story, of course. If I consider it a problem, it’ll be addressed.” That seemed to placate Cozy Glow. Starlight left the table and the filly turned to me. “She won’t actually do anything about it. At most, it’ll be ‘don’t hit Cozy in the face again.’” “That sounds like an improvement to me,” said Silverstream. “Isn’t it?” “Only time will tell. But if it continues, I won’t be held responsible for what I do to Coach Scootaloo. I’m trying to be better. Admittedly, I’m not trying very hard, but I really am making a token effort. Making me angry isn’t helping.” Silverstream hadn’t released the naughty filly from her clutches, and try as she might, Cozy couldn’t quite reach the food on the table in front of her. She flatly refused to let the hippogriff feed her like an infant, so she stared her food wistfully. I levitated her plate and utensils so they were within her reach. She thanked me under her breath, while I was thankful the meal was occupying her mouth so she couldn’t complain. It had been a long day, but a good one, for me at least. Cozy had had her ups and downs. We’d been invited out to the movies by some of our classmates, not just me, but they asked Cozy to come too. Most ponies were making an effort to treat Cozy with kindness, though that might’ve been self-preservation kicking in. I yawned as I pulled on my pajamas. “Goodnight, Cozy.” She mumbled something from across the room. “Goodnight, Silverstream.” “Goodnight, Princess! G’night, Cozy!” She squealed in delight. “You’re just so huggable!” “Kill me now.” “Nope! I’m just gonna keep hugging you forever!” I snickered at that thought – Cozy Glow would never be able to take over Equestria if Silverstream was holding her tight the whole time. “Don’t you have some family of your own to get back to?” Cozy asked. “Nope! There’s just me, myself, and I. Oh, oh, oh! I know! I could adopt you! Then my house wouldn’t be so lonely!” “No! Absolutely not! No, no, no, double no, triple no, infinity times no.” “I’m pretty sure I can make that happen, Silverstream.” “Yay!” “Don’t you dare!” I closed my eyes and grinned. Obviously, I had neither the power, nor desire, to arrange for Cozy Glow’s adoption, but if nothing else, I had something new I could threaten Cozy Glow with. Perhaps if she were truly redeemed, I could send her home with Silverstream, but until then she was my responsibility, and mine alone.