//------------------------------//
// Chapter 192: The Truth about Cozy Glow 
// Story: My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Stallion Edition 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

For a moment or two all Shining could do was stare at the door that was locked shut and refused to open. Trying to light up his horn was a futile effort, he had no magic left (and even if he'd had some he doubted it would've been enough to get out him). Frustration boiling over inside of him, he rammed his horn into the door and tried not to wince at the ensuing headache when it made contact. "How could I have been such a brainless idiot?! This set up was so obvious, and like a fool I charged right into it!"

From far away the familiar, echoy tone of Chrysalis taunted the stallion. "Oh come now, Shining Armor. Look on the bright side. At least now we'll finally be together, forever. Just as I've always wanted."

"Only in your sick and twisted mind, Chrysalis!" Shining growled in reply. "The thought of being with you makes me sick!"

Chrysalis' voice only purred back. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Shining sighed, sinking to his hooves. "Why do I even bother with you? No wonder you're a lost cause."

"You have no one but yourself to blame," Chrysalis snarled. "But then, you always did enjoy playing the hero. That seems to be a thing with you ponies. I only wish I had thought of what Tirek planned myself. Alas, I must reluctantly give credit where credit is due. His plan worked to perfection."

The prince rose slowly, his ears having perked up. "Plan? What plan?!"

Chrysalis vaguely answered. "Why not ask Tirek himself? He's the one with the answers you seek. He never tells me anything anyways."

"Somehow I doubt you know as little as you let on, but I'm in no mood to deal with your games," Shining hissed as he stood up and trotted back towards Tirek's location. "I'm done talking to you, Chrysalis!" Once he reached Tirek's cell, he noticed that the crafty centaur had now turned his back and appeared to be talking to himself. Growling under his breath, the alicorn rapped a hoof against the bars to get Tirek's attention.

Tirek spun around very slowly, once again face to face with the prince. "Oh, it's you again. My apologies, oh prince. I was simply tending to urgent matters in Ponyville."

Shining's suspicions were immediately aroused. "I thought you said you weren't behind all of this?"

Tirek cackled with fiendish glee and rubbed his paws together. "Well, let's just say that what I told you was true, from a certain point of view anyways."

"So you lied to me?! Why am I not surprised?" Shining rolled his eyes. "I knew you couldn't be trusted."

Tirek just stuck up a paw and shook it at his foe. "Patience, Shining Armor, you didn't let me finish. I did tell you the truth, it just wasn't the whole truth if you know what I mean."

Shining stomped a hoof down and snorted! "Enough of your games, Tirek! I told you I'm in no mood for them! Either tell me what I want to hear, or stop wasting my time and leave me alone!"

The crafty centaur just smiled as his eyes seemed to glow. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in it. You're stuck in this wretched place, so there's no way you could tell anyone even if you wanted to," He cleared his throat. "It's funny, really. You ponies are so gullible. Who would've guessed that all it would take to bring your precious kingdom to its knees, was to use one of your own against you?"

"You mean Cozy Glow?!" Shining realized and gasped in horror when Tirek confirmed it with a nod! "What did you do to her?! She never did anything to you, Tirek!"

"Oh but she has, she's the most ungrateful little filly I've ever had the displeasure of knowing," Tirek coldly replied. "And to think I was nice enough to bring her into this world."

At that Shining stepped back a bit. "You created her?"

Tirek nodded once more. "It was pretty easy, actually. Even though I remained stuck in Tartarus I had enough magic left to create small projections. That alone wouldn't have been enough to bring Cozy Glow to life as she is now, but once the mighty Queen Chrysalis over there got thrown into a cell next to me, the gears in my head started to turn. She told me about the Tree of Harmony and the elements that powered it. But she also told me how heavily guarded it was. So the only way I could ever hope to take over Equestria, was if I found a way to render even the tree itself powerless. And after I 'borrowed' some magic from all the other creatures in here, my plan was set into motion."

"I don't believe it! Cozy Glow of all ponies," The prince shook his head in disbelief. "How did I not see the writing on the wall? I suspected something was off about her, I should've realized it was because she wasn't a random pony. She was just your puppet."

But Tirek's mood turned from one of glee to one of anger and frustration. "That was the plan all along, but it seems I made one fatal mistake. I foolishly decided to give Cozy Glow a mind of her own, free will so to speak. The plan was simple: She would infiltrate your sister's school, learn the source of your power, and when the time was right and she had everypony fooled she would conduct the magic draining ritual. The power was supposed to go to me, allowing me to break out and take over. Alas, little Cozy decided to betray her master! She wants all the magic for herself, and she's even been scheming with Chancellor Neighsay, a pony I understand you and your sister have a personal history with."

"But he doesn't realize the truth about Cozy Glow, does he?" Shining realized. "Even he's in the dark about this. You and I are the only ones who know."

The centaur just cackled anew. "Well, not exactly. There is one pony who found out. None other than the goody two horseshoes himself: Flash Sentry. And I'm afraid that because of that, I had to take charge of the situation again," He paused briefly as he smiled. "Though I can only take control of Cozy Glow for short periods of time from here, I needed only a minute or two to ensure that nosy pegasus wouldn't be a threat to my plans. And you can be sure the same fate awaits anyone else who's foolish enough to get in my way! I'm thinking I'll start by making sure that annoying Chancellor Neighsay learns just who he's messing with."





When Tirek's speech had finished, the prince remained silent for a while as realization slowly sank in. "Why tell me all this? You're not doing it just to rub in your apparent victory."

The centaur simply answered. "You assume I want something?"

"I know you do! This is sounding a lot like when you tricked Discord into siding with you against Equestria!" Shining stomped a hoof down. "So out with it, what is that you want of me?! Name your price."

Tirek smirked as his eyes narrowed and he rubbed his paws together. "Well if you really must know... there is a little something I'm hoping to get. Though your compliance is not expected if I'm being completely honest."

"What do you mea..." Shining began, before it hit him hard! A gasp escaped his lips! "No way! Never in a million years, Tirek! I'd sooner be trapped in Tartarus for all eternity!"

"Oh but prince, that's where you are already." Tirek cackled with delight.

The prince shook his head. "I don't care! You're never getting out again!"

But Tirek simply replied with a fiendish smirk. "Think about, prince. I already escaped once before. What makes you so sure I won't do it again? You have no idea how I did the last time and I'm certainly not going to tell you."

"So what? I help you break out and you help me stop Cozy Glow?" The alicorn slowly realized.

"Something like that," Tirek replied again. "By all means, take your time and think it over. But I'd come to a decision quickly if I were you, you don't have much time you know. In another day or two all of the magic in Equestria will be gone forever," Then he added. "But why don't you spend a few minutes thinking about your choices? Right now, I think it's time that a certain chancellor learned not to stick his nose into places where it doesn't belong!"