//------------------------------// // Cozy Glow, Control Freak // Story: Cozy Glow, Daughter Extraordinaire // by FunnyFany //------------------------------// Chrysalis was far too prideful to admit it even to herself, but... she thought Cozy Glow to be a curious little thing. “Where did you study?” “Hayfield University, Las Pegasus.” As in, she was this absurdly ingenious strategist using her intellect and smugness to mask a whirlwind of emotions complex enough to leave a weaker changeling dizzy if they hung around her too long; it was hard to reconcile that aura with the sight of the tiny, feathery form that couldn't be older than 10, who was currently alternating between stifling the occasional yawn and quizzing her in random facts about the persona they’d developed overnight specifically for the research mission. “Tell me an anecdote about your life there.” “Ugh, do I have to?” Another yawn. “Yes.” But while Chrysalis felt the need to appease her for the sake of getting things done, she couldn’t shake the mix of annoyance and awkwardness eating at her mind as she allowed herself to be tutored by this very smart, sleep-deprived toddler while in the shape of the plainest-looking pegasus she could conceive. Between the humiliation of that and Grogar being generally a creep, she was starting to think a few days away from this mud hole wouldn’t be so bad, even if it meant hanging out with Princess Twilight Sparkle and her Merry Band of Idiots. “Fine. There was this one time where my roommate and I decided to skip class and spend the afternoon cooking meals for the week…” Of course, being able to stretch her improv skills was one of the better parts of this whole ordeal. Adapting was Chrysalis’ entire thing, but there was very little freedom in identity theft, and that one time she pretended to be a photographer was a waste of both time and potential. Creating a character from the ground up and rolling with it was above the average drone’s abilities (for starters, it involved tons of research) and thus it was much more fitting for the Queen of Deception. Also, she would be lying if she said it wasn’t at least a little fun. “… and she said ‘surely it was just cooking oil’, and I snorted so hard, the mares next door must have thought we had a pig in the dorm!” Cozy Glow dissolved in giggles (probably because she was half-asleep. The story wasn’t even that funny), lying on her back on one of the lounge’s stone seats. “Okay, that was hilarious. Wait, did it really happen?” “Of course not, I’ve never cooked a meal in my life.” She dispersed her disguise. “What do you take me for, a peasant?” “So you’re saying you just made that up?” Cozy squeaked out between yawning and rubbing her eyes. “That’s impressive.” Chrysalis knew what exhaustion looked like, but a set of heavy hoofsteps echoed into the room before she could say anything. The changeling shivered, still finding it difficult to adjust to the instant change in the mood whenever Grogar showed up. “I take it by the giggle fits that you are ready to go on your mission for the location of my bell.” “She sure is, mister Grogar! I made sure of that.” Cozy answered, suddenly sounding far more sober. Grogar merely squinted at her. “Before I send you off, Chrysalis, describe to me your planned course of action.” That felt like a dare, but she had no idea why and, frankly, she wasn’t about to ask. There was a lot Chrysalis felt the need to overlook if she wanted to get out of this messed up hostage situation, revenge against the ponies notwithstanding. She breathed in, out, and started to talk. “I’ll be disguised as a pony historian in order to not raise suspicions when I go around asking about your bell.” She then took up the form of the same plain-looking pegasus mare from minutes ago. “I will present myself to Princess Twilight as someone with the intent to uncover, research and study the ancient tale of Gusty the Great, a legend I’ve encountered in old archived papers but never found more than the occasional reference to; I’ll ask her if she knows anything about it, which, given her highness’s curious nature, is likely to encourage her to personally help me find more about it, or at the very least point me to where I can find the information we need - namely, the places where your bell may be hidden.” She raised her chin in a display of smug confidence. “Given her gullibility and fondness for learning, I am confident I can earn her trust and have her allow me access to whatever source of knowledge I want.” “A bold assumption for someone who has failed three times.” That hit a nerve. “Why, I--” “Which is why--” Cozy interrupted her-- “she’s going with my plan. It was though out in a way to give her freedom for more creative choices; it might take longer, but it has a fraction of the risk of her typical process.” It took a stern glare from the filly for Chrysalis to realise what had just happened: Grogar was baiting her into losing her composure - her own self-admitted Achilles Heel. She is quickly angered, and the entire mission was going to be a big endurance test; she could not afford losing trust from the Princess of Friendship by lashing out. Maybe she was being just a little overconfident. “Very well,” Grogar said after carefully considering the filly. “I will observe your progress from my Beholding Eye; if it seems like you’re straying too far from the plan, it will be up to me to decide what to do next, and consequences will be had.” The strangest part about his poorly-disguised paranoia, Chrysalis thought as she was whisked away by his magic, is how it seemed to be mostly directed at Cozy Glow. What does an ancient evil entity have to fear about a slightly smarter than average pony? Well, she had to put a pin in that thought for the time being. She was at the very edge of Ponyville, about to spend at least a couple of days exchanging pleasantries with the enemy. She allowed herself a moment to mourn what little peace of mind she might have still had, before heading Northwest to the castle. “Ugh, finally.” Cozy had been working on that plan with Chrysalis for over twelve hours, three of which were spent getting Her Majesty to take her seriously. She was tired, hungry and begging for some alone time. “The world will be a much better place once I take over. Then creatures will have no choice but to listen to me.” “Ah. So that is your end goal, is it not?” Cozy jumped, startled. “Oh, you’re still here. I hadn’t realized.” She really needed a nap if she didn’t see the big blue goat two meters away, staring at the distance. “I’ve been pondering nearly constantly about you.” See, that was not a sentence Cozy needed to hear after pulling an all-nighter. Or at all, really. “Uh…” “While I have seen both the range of your intellectual prowess and your nearly successful attempt at erasing Magic from our world, I lacked the context to understand your reasoning; at the end, the ingenuity of what you did had blinded me to the fact that it was, at its core, just a child’s attempt at being noticed.” “Wait, what?!” She would have been angry at his assumption if she wasn’t too busy being creeped out. Grogar slowly turned to her, head slightly tilted and an unreadable expression that reminded her this was a being older than The Sun Herself, which in turn made her very aware of her own mortality. “You wish to be heard. I will grant you that. Let it be known, however--” he stepped closer, and she stepped away-- “that I know what you’re capable of as well as what you aren’t. And I want you to know that I know.” “I-I don’t-- what are you talking about? What the heck is your problem?!” She shrunk into the very edge of the stone bench, finding herself cornered by the armrest, and resented how small she was. “You’re cunning and quick-witted, dare I say more so than the others, and for that you think of yourself as superior. But you’re still merely a child.” He placed a cold, gritty hoof on her cheek and she suddenly really wished she’d stayed in Tartarus. “Your manipulation tactics don’t work on me, and the ones they do work on aren’t as strong as I am. Therefore, Cozy Glow, know that I know what you’re capable of, and know that it won’t be enough to save you if I find out that you’re so much as thinking of raising a hoof against me.” He stepped back and turned to leave. “Otherwise, you’re welcome to take a place beside me as an advisor and strategist. Have a good day.” It took a healthier mind than hers to have a panic attack or cry oneself unconscious after something like that happened. No, tears did nothing to relieve Cozy Glow’s already messed up psyche: instead, she was absolutely furious. At Chrysalis for being too dumb to make a feasible plan herself and instead making her do all the hard work; at Tirek for waltzing off to do whatever it was he’d been doing since the night before and leaving her alone; at Grogar for being so absolutely deranged he invited a bunch of terrorists on the off chance they’d agree to work together, only to immediately doubt their loyalty to the point of resorting to threats of physical violence; at Princess Twilight for her stupid friendship magic that defeated her; at herself for messing up so badly she got caught up in this joke of a horror movie. Tears did nothing for Cozy Glow, but they came anyway, and that was the worst part.