As class was finished, Cozy Glow stepped outside and eyed everybody as they all exited the university. Scrutinizing each student, Cozy grabbed her pencil and paper and wrote all her thoughts about each of them.
“These so-called top students weren’t all that impressive,” she scoffed. “And I thought my old classmates were pathetic! But there is one creature who did pretty well…”
As on cue, Luz exited the school and waved at her. “See ya later, Cozy! Keep studying!”
“You too, study buddy!” Cozy waved back, smiling. As soon as Luz was out of sight, Cozy instantly grinned.
“I like her. Judging by her personality, she seems really enthusiastic and eager to learn basically anything. Heh, heh, heh, she has no idea what’s in store for her,” Cozy evilly chuckled.
Suddenly, her eyes widened. “Oh wait! I almost forgot about Tirek and Chrysalis! I hope they’re doing alright; they might be itching closer to finding the pony who could take us back home.”
At that moment, she noticed strange hoof prints on the dirt and saw that they came from the nearby forest.
Then her wicked smile grew wide. “Looks like he won’t be that hard to find. My fellow evildoers will be so proud once they see me capture him!”
Thus, she trotted to the woods—closely following the hoof prints to its unsuspecting source.
As Cozy closed in, she heard some hoof steps not far from her. Curious, she picked up the pace and ran toward the noise. There, she noticed a hooded figure covered with leaves.
The creature looked around and trotted to the other side of the forest. This made Cozy sprint forward and jump on the interloper. “Ah-ha! Gotcha!”
The two struggled for a bit until they fell down the hill and stumbled upon an eyeball field. The creature threw the filly off and stood upon his hooves.
“I know you’re the pony we’re looking for! Show us the way back to Equestria!” Cozy demanded, grabbing his leaf-covered garment.
She forcibly removed the garment, revealing the identity of the stranger. Cozy dropped her jaw in shock—not happy to find out who it was.
“YOU AGAIN?!?”
The elderly stallion shook his head and squinted his eyes. “Hey…aren’t you the filly who tried to sneak into Mount Everhoof? What are you doing here in the middle of a dangerous forest?”
“Me?! What are you doing here, Rusty Bucket?!” Cozy angrily shouted.
“Well, I got a little tired from guarding the mountain for so long, so I decided to take a little break,” Rusty explained. “I just so happened to stumble upon some form of quicksand that somehow brought me here. How and why? I have no clue.”
Cozy arched her eyebrow in confusion. “Huh? That doesn’t make any sense. But regardless, I hoped it would be somepony who would be easy to trick, NOT YOU!”
Then Rusty Bucket frowned at her. “Are you still mad I wouldn’t let you past me at Mount Everhoof? Did you seriously want to get hurt by the snow? I still don’t understand why you wanted to be up there so badly.”
“Did you know there was an ancient relic that contained all-powerful magic being kept up there?” Cozy asked.
“No? I was only guarding the mountain to keep ponies away from dangerous winds and snow. Wasn’t it obvious?” Rusty replied.
Cozy growled in frustration. “I and my buddies wanted to get up there to grab it and use it to conquer Equestria! WE’RE VILLAINS! That is why I’ve been trying to trick you to help me up the mountain!!”
“Ohhhhhh…alright. I get it.”
Cozy was baffled at his casual response. “Excuse me? Aren’t you supposed to be terrified?!”
“Look, kid, I’ve seen your villainous types before. Do you really think you’re the first one I’ve met who tried to manipulate me for some sinister purpose?”
Cozy widened her eyes. “You’ve…met other villains?”
“Well, no, but I have met one creature who…well…he wasn’t exactly from Equestria,” said Rusty. “He also tried to deceive me, but I saw his act right away. But the scary part was that he wasn’t mad. He…strangely thanked me for being wise. And then he left. That shook me a little bit.”
“Really? What did he look like?”
“He looked bipedal, and he had that weird burning red spot on his chest. And those eyes—those burning red eyes…they just screamed evil,” Rusty replied, shivering.
Suddenly, a giant lizard with four eyes and eagle wings leaped into the air and landed before them. Rusty and Cozy looked up to see the monster lick its lips and roar at them.
“AHHH! GIANT LIZARD!!” Cozy screamed, hiding behind Rusty’s legs.
However, the old pony walked up to the beast and pressed his right hoof on its snout. He then closed his eyes and hummed harmoniously. This made the lizard calm down and bow its head submissively.
Cozy witnessed this with utmost amazement.
“That’s a good girl. You don’t wanna hurt us, don’t you?” Rusty spoke, smiling.
The lizard affectionately growled and licked Rusty. The latter then climbed on the monster and pointed her to a direction he wanted to take.
“Welp, see ya around, kid! Got some adventuring to do!”
“Wait! I…uh…” Cozy stammered, thinking of a plan. “I’m…a little lost, and my friends may be…looking for me. Maybe you can help me find them?”
Rusty narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “This isn’t one of your little tricks, is it?”
“No, no, no! I promise you it isn’t! Besides, this forest is no place for a poor little filly like me, don’t you think?” Cozy argued, making puppy dog eyes.
“Hmm, I suppose. Alright, come along, kid,” Rusty invited. Cozy jumped on board next to him.
“Hey, don’t you fly?”
“Well…it’s a long story. I’ll explain on the way,” said Cozy.
“Very well. Let’s go, girl!” Rusty commanded.
The lizard flapped her wings and flew off to the sky.
“Hey, wait a minute. I don’t think I ever got your name!”
“Oh yeah! I’m Cozy Glow.”
“Cozy Glow? Huh, that’s a nice name. So why did you choose a life of villainy? Did something happen in your life?”
Cozy’s smile disappeared and looked down. “I—I…don’t wanna talk about it.”
“Ohhh…it’s that bad, huh?”
“No! It’s a—well—it’s complicated! Don’t ask!”
“I get it. It makes sense why you consider your compatriots to be…parental figures. Your real parents never showed you much love, did they?”
Cozy’s eye twitched in anger. “Shut up…”
Rusty dryly chuckled. “It all makes sense now. It’s no wonder why you feel so entitled to dominate everyone you meet. Nopony ever told you ‘no’, and nopony ever had the guts to say ‘no’ to you.”
“I said shut up!”
“Your folks must’ve left you behind and thought you were useless to them. You were just an accident to them.”
“I’M NOT LISTENING!!” Cozy shouted, closing her ears.
“Well, I’m gonna tell you right now, Cozy, that you aren’t the only one who had a terrible foalhood…because I’ve been there…” Rusty confessed, looking at her sadly.
Cozy opened her eyes flabbergasted. “What?”
“It’s true. My folks never loved me either; my mother was obsessed with making bits for our family while my father was—well, he had a short temper. They looked at me as if I were an afterthought—a disposable item…like this,” he explained, pointing at his bucket.
“Is that why…?”
“Yes…except I had a worse name: Stupid Bucket. They would often put me in a bucket and toss me around without caring about my wellbeing. Eventually, they got bored of me and kicked me out.”
Cozy looked dumbfounded.
“I knew I couldn’t go back, so I had to venture out in the wilderness and fend for myself. That’s how I came across Mount Everhoof; it wasn’t just a mountain…it was also my home. There, I taught myself everything I needed to learn: hard work, dedication, sacrifice, happiness, and most importantly…friendship.”
Cozy listened sadly, reflecting on his words.
“I was no longer Stupid Bucket from that day onward; I threw away that bucket and replaced it with a rusty one I found at a barn. Hence the name Rusty Bucket!”
Cozy then scoffed at him. “Seriously? You need a bucket to define your identity? You’re crazy…”
“Call me what you like. I wear it as a symbol of my true strength. I may be rusty with age, but this bucket still got the touch and the power!” Rusty proudly declared.
“Whatever you say, grandpa,” Cozy grumbled.
“Throughout the years I’ve lived in Equestria, I learned of the dangers that surround Mount Everhoof and swore myself that I’ll do everything in my power to keep ponies away from it. It became my life’s purpose ever since.”
“Unfortunately…” Cozy sneered.
“Although I don’t approve of your villainous ways, I can understand why you chose that shapeshifter and the centaur as your new family,” Rusty continued, lifting Cozy’s chin. “Maybe one day, you’ll learn to appreciate the magic of friendship. Heck, you three might already be learning how to be friends!”
Cozy then glared at him and slapped his hoof away. “I already have! Friendship is power, and no magic in the universe can ever stop me from taking it!!”
She then blushed in embarrassment and cleared her throat. “Anyway, I’m sorry you had an awful foalhood. Everything you said about me is correct. I…didn’t exactly had a cheerful upbringing either.”
“Welcome to the club, kiddo,” Rusty nodded.
“Soooo…will you help us get back to Equestria?”
“Sure, I can. As long as you don’t hurt anypony, I’ll make sure to get you and your folks back home safe and sound.”
Cozy then mischievously smirked. “Oh…I promise.”
Rusty then randomly looked down. “Hey, it’s that human creature down there!”
Cozy also looked down and saw Luz talking with her friends at the Owl House. “That’s Luz!”
“You know her?”
“Yeah, we just met earlier today at the University of Wild Magic! She’s everything I ever need in a friend!” Cozy happily replied.
“You know, I’ve always wondered if other members of her species are like her; we’ve never met, but she seems to be very optimistic about everything—so smart and thoughtful. It’s a shame she’s the only human around here,” said Rusty.
“Well…you’ll be surprised. She’s not the only one here…”
“Oh?”
“There’s a creepy dude who is also a human—he captured me and my friends and stole our magic. He’s the reason why we’re stranded here in the first place. We need to find that jar so we can get our magic back, kick his butt, and get back to Equastria…with your help,” Cozy explained.
“Wow! So that’s why you can’t fly. Whatever he is planning, it can’t be good. We’ll have to work together so we can get this resolved,” said Rusty.
“Oh…great,” Cozy groaned, rolling her eyes.
“Plus, it’ll be nice to get to know your friends. I certainly remember the time you all brought an avalanche down on my head.”
“Hehe, that was funny!” Cozy giggled.
“I know we got off on the wrong hoof, but maybe we can be real friends this time. Okay, Cozy? Something to think about…”
“I highly doubt it,” she mumbled, crossing her arms.