• Published 15th May 2022
  • 2,185 Views, 36 Comments

Breaking Free From The Stone - TrackdNTraild



Cozy Glow has had plenty of time to think, being encased in stone and all. Too much time to think, in fact. She has thought too much.

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Revenge

Dirty rats, I'd think. One of many thoughts that I've had for days on end; years on end to be exact. I've been trapped in stone for 20 years. I remember the day as though it were yesterday. To feel the infinite sources of power being ripped from my body, and the agony that it brought as my horn shrank back into my skull. My wings grew small, and my body felt weak. There was nothing I could do.

Then, all at once, I was met with pure silence, followed by the raging roar as magic crackled through the air, encapsulating my allies and I in this stone prison. We would be held to the test of time, forever trapped in a never-ending spiral of loneliness and anger. It never hurt when we were transformed to stone, not physically at least. But one thing is for sure; with all the time I've had to think, my head hurts like hell.

Every day I try tirelessly to move my body. I try to shut my eyes, to twitch my nose or an ear, to flap my teeny tiny wings and take the warmth of my hooves off my face. Nothing. Not even the slightest budge. The anger boils within my chest and my stomach, making me feel sick, but my organs are all stone too. That doesn't mean that I can't feel what's going on in there, but there's no build up. The acids in my stomach can't melt my body can they? I'd never know if they were stoned too.

Everything I think about is stone, stone, stone! UGH! It's so frustrating and so horribly irritating! I'd never heard of those rats on the throne imprisoning ponies before, I was for sure that maybe Miss Priss and King Steroids would stay imprisoned in stone, but I'm a pony for crying out loud! They didn't even bother trying to redeem me. Was I so irredeemable? Maybe they really do look for more than species when it comes to punishment.

Whatever. There's no point dwelling on that thought. Venting out my frustrations isn't possible when there's nopony else to talk to. If only I could break out of this permanent prison cell...

I try again to move my hooves and my face. Nothing. I try to move my wings and blink. Nothing. For some reason, I can feel the sensation of my heart beating. I know it's just in my head. What remains of my soul is trying to make me feel something again. I feel sick to my stomach thinking of the fact that my heart could be the only thing unfrozen. I want to get sick, but I can't move. It's so annoying.

It makes me wonder how Discord felt, being trapped in stone for thousands of years. Some day I'd like to ask him, if he doesn't vaporize me on sight. He'd probably think he's just imagining things. You know, I wonder if there's some sort of spell a little pegasus like me could master that I could use to disguise myself. Ah, it would be just like that photographer pony disguise Chrysalis had... The thought fills me with energy.

I can feel my heart beating again. Even that is becoming annoying now. My body is just trying to mess with me. I'm not going to let it. Or, at least, that's what I thought until I heard something. It was something different, something that made me try to move my body again. When I did move my body that time, I could truly feel the cold of the stone. I tried to blink, and for a split moment I could feel my eye trying to twitch. Let me out, I thought demandingly. I knew I could do this. I knew it could happen! Discord must've done the same, I know it!

My body aches, but I push forth. The sickness in my stomach has grown again, nausea piling up into my chest as well as the pit below. I won't let it stop me. I won't let ANYTHING stop me. This is my chance, my one true opportunity! I can finish what I started with these fools, and becoming the true ruler of Equestria is the great prize for my victory. I don't even stop to think about those idiots, think about freeing them. Why would I? They would've backstabbed me too if they got the opportunity that I had.

I can feel the stone chipping around my face. It hurts, but I would much rather have the agony of breaking free instead of the anguish of being trapped. Soon, I will be free. Just keep fighting, Cozy, I think. Think harder, think of your revenge! And I do just that, I think of revenge. I think of the suffering I'm going to inflict upon those ponies, and all of Equestria for helping them. I'm going to make them regret ever putting me in stone. I know the perfect way to do it, and many more that I could use.

I could imprison them individually and force their stoned selves to watch as I inflict pain upon the rest. I could throw Luna's statue into the lake, so she could drown for eternity even if she breaks free. Celestia, I could throw her into the lava pits in the Dragon Lands to burn away like the sun itself. And of Twilight and her friends? I'll shatter them piece by piece with hammers, and throw them off cliffs to shatter at the bottom, or throw them into spikes to shatter from the torso up. Yes, yes, it's all perfect... those pests are going to pay!

And while those thoughts make my heart beat faster and faster, I can feel the cold air slipping through the cracks in the stone, and directly touching my skin as it chips away. Eventually, I can screw my eyes shut. As the stone breaks away and falls to the ground around me, I can hear myself scream out loud for the first time in years.

I suck in the air, my lungs filling up all the way before I exhale. I can feel my chest and stomach moving as I begin to breathe again. My wings are weak from the forced stillness they've had to endure, but they still beat rapidly to keep me levitating in the air above my former allies. I open my eyes, and I flinch from the bright sunlight beating down on the world around me. I feel the heat against my coat, dipping straight into my skin and making my hair warm. My breathing calms down as I blink, my eyes finally seeing the world through more than just a blur. Finally, I know where I am.

I turn my head, my neck cracking from the lack of use over the years. I look around. I'm in the Canterlot Garden. I see many other statues around me. Knights, and kings, and princesses alike. Ancient ponies and forgotten warriors, only memorialized with the plaque and stone that encases them. I do wonder if those ponies are also eternally alone inside the statues. But I don't care to think about that now.

I finally allow my wings to rest and lower me to the ground in front of the statue. I turn and see the plaque also written on our statue as well. It reads, 'Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Queen Chrysalis, defeated in the Equestrian War of 2019. No fighting near the statue.' So, as it turns out, they do know that strong feelings can make the creatures inside break free. Oh, if only they knew we had feelings too... My face scrunches up as a wide grin breaks out on my features. I feel my pupils widen and my eyes are so wide it makes my head hurt. Freedom, at last...

"You two still haven't figured it out, have you?" While I can, I decide to taunt them. "I'm free now, and you're still trapped eternally, cowering and screaming like fillies! And I'm out here, wandering about, ready to do my business. You're going to stay encased in stone even after I'm the ruler of Equestria. I'll give you guys a hint; if you can feel hard enough, maybe I can come back and this statue will be empty. But until then, you're going to sit there and watch the world change while I get my revenge!"

I cackle into the sky as I flap my wings and raise myself above the heads of my trapped allies. If they figure it out, good for them. But, either way, I don't care. When I rule Equestria, I won't give them even part of my land. I'll conquer the lands beyond our borders and create an empire! That'll show them that I was the true ruler all along!

I look down at the world around me as I fly up into the sky. The wind feels so nice against my coat after all these years. The world around looks so... different. 20 years really does warrant a lot of change, doesn't it? But I still laugh as though things have been the same this whole time.

"Listen to this, Twilight Sparkle!" I scream into the sky in the direction of PonyVille. I don't care if she hears me or not. "Cozy Glow is back! And she's not done with you yet! Mark my words, Equestria will be mine! You hear that?! You better watch your back, you son of a bitch! I'm on my way and you can't stop me!"

I dive towards the town with hooves outstretched. I don't care to think of the consequences of diving straight into PonyVille's heart without a disguise. I can find a disguise later on in my life. At the moment, feeling the wind and sun beating down on my body is all that I need to feel like I can do... anything.

Author's Note:

I had the sudden idea one night that I really wanted to include Cozy Glow in my Next Gen. Why? I'm not sure, it just sounded fun.

I was thinking about how Discord broke out of stone the first time when the CMC were arguing near the statue, so I figured... that same thing could very well happen with the Cozy, Tirek, and Chrysalis statue right? Only after the Discord incident, no creature would dare fight around a statue knowing that something is living in there... so Cozy did it herself!

Hope you guys enjoyed! My favourite thing to write was the pacing ramping up with the colours in the text. I thought it was a really nice touch.

Comments ( 36 )

This is what happens when you lock up an already troubled filly instead of trying to help her. Really, Twilight and her friends will partially be at fault for what Cozy is about to do,

They didn't even bother trying to redeem me. Was I so irredeemable?

No, they were just hypocrites.

11242579
True tbhhh they've tried to redeem every other villain including Starlight (who literally almost destroyed the timeline as we know it), but they didn't try to redeem Cozy Glow who... didn't destroy part of the universe. Mane 6 really got some backwards logic.

Are you going to do a squeal?

11242634
If the readers want it, I just might make one! But it'd have to take place after Marching Towards Harmony, so I'd need to finish that before working on a sequel to this.

Shiver me timbers, shit is about to go down :trollestia:

Yes! This needs a sequel so we can see Cozy's revenge on all of them. Including Discord.

11242581
Rocky writing choices aside I'm glad she wasn't redeemed. She's a unique villain, and weaponizes not just friendship but cuteness itself, things the show otherwise saves for protagonists. She was the type of villain mold break we needed after so many Big Bads.

Anyway, this was interesting! I'm curious about your greater fanon, now. Might take a look around. :twilightsmile:

Ohh! I love Cozy Glow stories!:pinkiehappy:

Maybe they really do look for more than species when it comes to punishment.

Yeah. They look for magic, like the kind pricks like Discord have. You didn't qualify. Sorry! :twilightblush:

I don't care to think of the consequences of diving straight into PonyVille's heart without a disguise.

And that's why you'll lose.:ajbemused:

Because your one and only tried and tested trick is your ability to avoid villain cliches.

And when you disregard it, you fail, pure and simple.:facehoof:

11242579
Poor Cozy!:fluttershbad:
static.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/a/a5/Cozy_Glow_about_to_cry_S8E12.png/revision/latest?cb=20180604030644

11242754
Well first off, basically every villain transition to hero was extremely spur of the moment, and Discord in particular is a far better actor than Cozy Glow is.:trixieshiftright:

Second off, they needed to do more to sell us on her whole dangerous and remorseless thing.:unsuresweetie:

Making her more more emotionless and calculating would have been a better way to go, then giving her the exact same tantrums that everyone in the show seemed to have.:rainbowderp:

Don't even get me started on how bad Frenemies was for setting up her character's competency and menace for the rest of the series.:coolphoto:

Between her weakness to cold, emotional outbursts, and dismissal by her teammates, it was all I could do to try and take her seriously in Season 9.:rainbowdetermined2:

She had some good villian moments, but not nearly as much as there should or could have been.:ajsleepy:

11242754
She definitely was a pretty interesting villain! I really wish they expanded on her more. If I do make a sequel to this, then I'm going to bring out her maliciousness a lot more. I definitely do not wanna underplay her like the show has, but I understand it was probably only done because by all means, it was still considered a kid's show. Thank god for fanfiction! :twilightsheepish:

I'm glad to see you're interested! Trust me, I'll happily write up more fanon things when I've got the motivation to. :pinkiehappy:

11242804
You gotta just love how Cozy's mind works. To be fair, she is basically still a child at heart, so of course her methods are a little unorthodox or outdated. And stupid. :ajbemused: One way or the other, she's gonna be defeated and she's just gonna have to deal with it!

11242817
Eh.

You write her how you want, and as long as she isn't too dumb or obnoxious, I'll probably read it.👍

I can always use some more good Cozy Glow stories.:heart:

Awesome story. If there was a follow-up in the future with her actually pursuing her plan for revenge, I’d definitely read it. Awesome job ^^

11242955
Thank you!! I'm glad to know there's so much support :raritystarry:

11242817
I hope this time Cozy will be wiser because she is alone this time, no one to trick and no one by her side
Interesting, you say she has been stoned for 20 years, but you said

If the readers want it, I just might make one! But it'd have to take place after Marching Towards Harmony, so I'd need to finish that before working on a sequel to this.

which the "Prequel" said which took place 30 years ago

11242579

I finally allow my wings to rest and lower me to the ground in front of the statue. I turn and see the plaque also written on our statue as well. It reads, 'Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Queen Chrysalis, defeated in the Equestrian War of 2019. No fighting near the statue.' So, as it turns out, they do know that strong feelings can make the creatures inside break free. Oh, if only they knew we had feelings too... My face scrunches up as a wide grin breaks out on my features. I feel my pupils widen and my eyes are so wide it makes my head hurt. Freedom, at last...

look like Twilight intends to trap her there for many years long.
DIscord got it easy because He is powerful, and Celestia thinks she can "use" him as an ally
i.imgur.com/3YGTNFK.png
but an average Pegasus? not so much

11242581

True tbhhh they've tried to redeem every other villain

That is incorrect: they didn't try to redeem Tirek, King Sombra, the Storm King, the Tantabus, the Mane-iac, the Mean Six or the Flim Flam brothers, and even with Discord wasn't he redeemed until a season and a half after he was first turned to stone.

11243167
And there are reasons for that, the reformation always came *after* the initial asskicking.
As for why the following didn't get a chance at reformation:
King Sombra - ded
Storm King - ded
Tantabus - more of a magical construct than a villain
Mane-iac - not even a real pony
The Mean Six - magical constructs again, also they weren't even aware of their existence

cozy glow is my favorite character but i like my version of this character

11243177

And there are reasons for that, the reformation always came *after* the initial asskicking.

...which is exactly what I said about Discord.

11243160
The timelines go hand in hand! My current timeline is up to 2059, but it starts in 2019. Cozy Glow breaks out in 2039, and the important event that kickstarts my Next Gen happens in 2029. So, in other words, Cozy Glow's era of plotting revenge begins 10 years after that event. That means that Marching Towards Harmony takes place 20 years after Cozy Glow's escape.

11242579
Its been a while since i watched the show but how were they hypocrites exactly?

11243477
Up until this point, they always went for redemption with their villains when possible. Starlight Glimmer for example, got the Sixth Ranger treatment (sort of) despite forming what was essentially a communist cult, stealing the Cutie Marks of hundreds of ponies including the Mane 6, tried to alter history, and even damn near destroyed time and space. She gets the woobie treatment, because her friend got his Cutie Mark and he had to move away. (For the record, I like Starlight Glimmer. She's one of my favorite characters, but still...)

Meanwhile we get Cozy Glow, a young Pegasus filly, who formed an alliance with Tirek, damn near stole all the magic, kidnapped Starlight Glimmer, and took over the School of Friendship briefly. Surly they'll sit down with this literal child, and figure out what her deal is, right? Maybe find her parents, or learn she doesn't have parents, sit her down, and truly teach her the Magic of Friendshi-

NOPE! She gets thrown right in Tartarus, locked up beside Tirek and everything! Didn't even try to redeem her!

Oh, and when she comes back, now working with Tirek and Chrysalis (another villain who got the shaft imo), do the Mane 6, the Student 6, or even Princess Celestia and Luna try to appeal to her at least, because she's a pony like them and again, A CHILD, and get her away from the scary bad creatures who are actual monsters?

Cue Cozy Glow being encased in stone along with Tirek and Chrysalis.

11242816
I, for one, see her as mere Mary Sue (she had all information and skills she needs without any research or practice, not to mention luck and charisma cheat) Sociopath. And she had been offered chance to redeem herself after she almost killed all pegasi in Cloudsdale and other cloud settlements (without magic they would just fall from fatal height) without even considering that it is bad thing.

11244023
Now that I remember, you're right

11244035

without magic they would just fall from fatal height

Even Gen 5, which is otherwise better about the consequences of the Ebb of Magic on non-Unicorns than the Season 8 finale was, still had pegasi cloudwalking.

11243165
Indeed, because Friendship and rehabilitation are clearly about who could be the most useful ally. Really puts Cozy's views on it in the right.

11243167
Because those villains got defeated before there was an opportunity to reform them or try to talk to them. Cozy, meanwhile, was just a powerless child. Turning her to stone or sending her to Tartarus was not a matter of self defense as she was already beaten and rendered powerless at that point.

11244023
And lets not forget that the encasement came after Discord's shenanigan's, which he just got away with scot free.

11244035

Mary Sue

I'd hardly call her a mary sue. She got her information and research directly from Tirek, not on her own, and the teachers themselves made the magical artifacts that she used for her plan known to the whole world so its not like she automatically just knew about them. As for practice, she was most likely corresponding with Tirek as he directly called her his protégé.

Sociopath

No she isn't. If she was, she would not have felt remorse for getting the CMC almost banned from the school and she would have killed a few guards when assaulting Canterlot Castle.

she had been offered chance to redeem

She literally wasn't. No chance or any sort of help was offered to her. Everyone just immediately gave up on her. Even Chrysalis was at least given an extended hoof.

almost killed all pegasi in Cloudsdale

Considering that all pegesai were still capable of flying at that time, that is doubtful and frankly, I find Starlight's universe tempering, Discord's mass chaos and Tempest directly helping secure the regime of a crazy evil overlord to be just as, if not more dangerous. Funny how none of their characters cared about what they did until they started getting actual help to reform.

11244606
You're cherry picking and dismiss all other evidence.
"She got her information and research" - that's how it works for Mary Sue, including magic formulaes and skills, aim, etc. Does she have at least hobby that isn't plot devise to teach her needed skill for deed? No.
"No she isn't. If she was..." - sociopaths are very good at creating apperance of emotions when they deem it needed. Whatever their current goal is. No, she not even once had genuine complex emotions, except boredom, glee, fear and rage.
"she would have killed a few guards" - she would, had their armor been really heavy or some of them didn't know how to swim. Neither of which she knew or cared for.
"She literally wasn't." - she had, by Twilight, before Cozy outright rejected offer to explain herself and proclaimed that she don't have any slim of remorse. Then tried to escape.
"Considering that..." - that I said "almost". She didn't know nor cared. Also she almost certainly knew that her classmates were at excursion at cloudsdale.
"Starlight's universe tempering" - Starlight created several alternative universes. If you eliminate paradox, of course.
"Funny how none of their characters cared about what they did until they started getting actual help to reform" - it seems, you have forgotten that Starlight started caring when she was showed concequencess of her actions, Discord was never evil, and Bearers was given task for taming his merriment and redirecting it into something good, and Tempest considered Equestria as foreign country that turned its back at her.

11244606
Oh yeah. Never mind that he kinda sorta almost screwed over Equestria, giving Cozy Glow, Chrysalis, and TIREK ultimate power!

11244023
Cozy made her "deal" quite clear during her rant. She'd decided that friendship is power, and she wanted all that power for herself.

11244232
It didn't. There was no cloudwalking from the magicless Pegasi in the movie.

11244606

No she isn't. If she was, she would not have felt remorse for getting the CMC almost banned from the school and she would have killed a few guards when assaulting Canterlot Castle.

She only regretted losing some valuable sources of friendship knowledge. As for the guards, they weren't the reason she was there. They were small fry to her, unworthy of her full attention, so she toyed with them for a while, then just removed them from the battlefield.

Cozy, meanwhile, was just a powerless child.

And that "powerless child" had almost brought Equestria to ruin once before.

And lets not forget that the encasement came after Discord's shenanigan's, which he just got away with scot free.

He didn't. He had to earn his friends' forgiveness by freeing Starlight, risking his powerless life to do so.

Considering that all pegesai were still capable of flying at that time, that is doubtful

Not really. By the end of the third day, that ability would have been lost. So even if they didn't fall through the clouds, they would very well have dropped out of the sky mid-flight. And even if they somehow avoided all that, they would have never been able to return to their home ever again, all because of Cozy. Considering she's a Pegasus herself, that just makes this eventuality even worse. She knew full well what removing magic from Equestria would do to her fellow Pegasi, and she just didn't care.

11244656

"No she isn't. If she was..." - sociopaths are very good at creating apperance of emotions when they deem it needed.

Except in the instance he's referring to, there was literally not a single soul around. So who's she trying to decive?

"She literally wasn't." - she had, by Twilight, before Cozy outright rejected offer to explain herself and proclaimed that she don't have any slim of remorse. Then tried to escape.

Except Cozy laid out all of her reasoning. Then Twilight was unable or unwilling to make a logical rebuttal, like she did with Starlight Glimmer.

Because with Starlight Glimmer, Twilight actually bothered to ask why she did what she did, and tried to explain to her what she was doing wrong when she got a answer.

(Arguably because she was getting her ass kicked, but that's neither here nor there).

Cozy Glow is a screwed up kid with issues, attending a school that on a good day is a summer camp teaching about pony Harmony.

On a bad one, it's a horribly miss manged death trap.

Discord was never evil,

I must have missed the part where manufacturing and enforcing mental and emotional illness onto others for your own amusement wasn't evil.

11245063

She only regretted losing some valuable sources of friendship knowledge.

So why did she risk her reputation to defend them in subsequent scenes?

He had to earn his friends' forgiveness by freeing Starlight, risking his powerless life to do so.

When he was in the same boat as the rest of them and his life was on the line anyway. Hardly selfless.

11246951

So why did she risk her reputation to defend them in subsequent scenes?

To regain those valuable sources of information, obviously.

When he was in the same boat as the rest of them and his life was on the line anyway. Hardly selfless.

It was, actually. He was genuinely regretful of his actions, and determined to make up for them, which he did by enacting a life-threatening gambit. Then he stayed behind to help keep the villains busy while Spike and the Mane Five went to find Twilight, all while still powerless. What part of that wasn't selfless?

11247416

To regain those valuable sources of information, obviously.

Seems like a unnecessary gamble to risk her reputation, on the possibility of Twilight punishing her less severely than the CMC.

Plus her teachers are the initial instructors of friendship.

To say nothing of the other inhabitants of Ponyvile, including Spike who has access to the curriculum, and is more than a bit suggestible.

The CMC are not irreplaceable if all she wanted was knowledge.

What part of that wasn't selfless?

The part where he only did it after being captured, and hid behind Fluttershy and her friends, rather than face Cozy Glow when she first attacked.


Of course as much as I enjoy sparing with you (and I do)* prior experience has told me we are unlikely to see eye to eye on this.

So in the interest of not cluttering up the comments, can we call a ceasefire?

I'm game if you are.


*Seriously, you've not treated me terribly as far as I can recall, and I usually have a long memory for that sort of thing.

It is deeply appreciated.

11247446

Seems like a unnecessary gamble to risk her reputation, on the possibility of Twilight punishing her less severely than the CMC.

Plus her teachers are the initial instructors of friendship.

To say nothing of the other inhabitants of Ponyvile, including Spike who has access to the curriculum, and is more than a bit suggestible.

The CMC are not irreplaceable if all she wanted was knowledge.

Her teachers (and Spike) wouldn't just give her all the answers. That's not how school works. Nor did she have the time to conduct a thorough sweep of Ponyville for replacement friendship tutors. Ensuring the CMC could stick around was the most efficient solution. Not to mention she ended up not being punished at all for that.

The part where he only did it after being captured, and hid behind Fluttershy and her friends, rather than face Cozy Glow when she first attacked.

First, he had no powers, and thus no way to fight effectively, so that's hardly something he can be called out on. Secondly, even in the final moments of the battle, he still urged Twilight to save herself, then helped everyone else in holding back the trio's attack. He could have run away himself, but he didn't. He stayed to help give Twilight time to get away.

I agree that this doesn't have to go any further than it should. Just wanted to put my final two cents in.

11243177
Adding on to you - good points!
Flim-Flam were just scammers
Plus they ran away so...yah

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