"What a derby! You can bet this result is one that will be discussed and analyzed for weeks to come!" Focal Point delivered his closing speech. "One thing is for certain: Fleetfoot sure showed that she's a serious contender for the lead spot, whenever it opens up! As for the derby record, Wind Rider can rest easy tonight, but with these ponies on his tail, I'd be surprised if his legacy endures for too much longer! Now finally… On behalf of the city of Cloudsdale, and the long tradition of the Circus Altus, I would like to give a warm thank-you to Princess Twilight Sparkle for taking the time to grace us with her presence! All Hail the Princess!"
"All Hail!" the crowd replied. Twilight squirmed and waved uncertainly, but for once Cozy did not really care. She had smiled. For a moment, her problems and fears had felt further away… left her in peace to just be herself. And it had felt good. Cozy hated that it felt good, hated that Twilight had gotten her to smile. Cozy was not Twilight's friend; she should not be happy for anything Twilight did. In fact, Twilight's meddling was the reason Cozy even was in this situation. If Twilight had just rolled over like she was supposed to, then Cozy would be sitting in Canterlot now, a princess in her own right and with more friends than she could count.
Twilight had taken all of that from her. Anything Twilight did for Cozy did not and would never make up for all she had taken. Cozy had to remember that. She had to remember her hate.
Cozy shook her head, lucidity returning to her. She was out of the castle. Her enchanted equipment prevented her escape, but perhaps she could find out something that could be of use later somehow?
"Cozy?" Twilight asked. Apparently the cheering for her had died down. "I'm just going to congratulate Rainbow on her first race. It'll just be a couple of minutes. Just stay here, and I'll be back soon."
"I need to use the little fillies room," Cozy said quickly. She could see Twilight hesitating.
But then she nodded. "Alright. It's just outside." Evidently she was certain her tracking spell would let her keep tabs on Cozy anywhere she went. "Like I said, it'll just be a few minutes."
Cozy nodded and made her way up the wide stairs while Twilight flew from the princess loge down to the racetrack where the Wonderbolts had gathered, no doubt discussing the derby among themselves.
When Cozy had come down the stairs on the other side, she looked around for where the bathrooms were. Twilight would probably be cross if she wandered away too far. Spotting them, she made her way over as the rest of the audience began to file out from the circus around her, chatting happily with one another. Cozy slowed her steps a little. It was nearly a second nature for her to eavesdrop.
"Well, that was a good run. Can't believe Fleetfoot actually won in the end, though."
"Yeah! I never thought she could take on Spitfire. Bet she's happy now; strong start for becoming captain. And Rainbow Dash too. She held on much longer than I thought. I remember Misty's first race, and she finished way further behind than Rainbow. She'll be a force to be reckoned with. Bet she'll make captain some day."
"That's to be expected… I mean, she's defended Equestria from all manner of threats in the last years. Great PR value for the Wonderbolts and great flying."
"We're lucky she was there after what that cursed filly did."
"Cozy Glow? More like Crazy, if you ask me. Can't believe a pegasus would turn on Equestria like that. One would think she had learnt a little abut loyalty from Rainbow."
"Well, she was insane, I guess…"
"And how! Thanks to that… little maniac, we'll need decades of good weather all over Equestria for the other tribes trust us again. Can't blame them either. I'd not be too keen on earth ponies if one of them had nearly removed the structural magic of Las Pegasus. I read that half of the city was hours from falling through the clouds! It's a small wonder nopony died."
"Like I said, we're lucky there were two pegasi there to stop her. At least then maybe the other tribes will not hate us as much."
"Sure hope so… I suppose there is nothing to be done for that now. How about something to drink? I think I cheered myself hoarse."
"Good idea. Come on, the Raincloud bar has the best hot chocolate around," the two ponies trotted off towards the interior of Cloudsdale, leaving a dazed and nauseated filly behind.
"But… I didn't want to kill anypony," Cozy said lamely. "I just wanted… friends…"
It had all made sense. With no magic, Twilight locked in Tartarus and Starlight sealed under the school, Cozy would have been the natural leader of the school. Everycreature would have been her friend. With that many friends Cozy could become an alicorn for sure; Twilight had managed with only six friends, so having more than ten times that number would make it easy for Cozy if she just worked hard enough.
She just wanted power; to be a princess rather than a pawn. Cozy never wanted to kill anypony; she had even played with the idea of letting Twilight out of Tartarus once she had solidified her own position a little more. But then Twilight escaped and put her away in Tartarus instead. After that, Cozy never had a choice. She may not want to hurt the innocent the way Tirek or Chrysalis did, but she was not above stepping one some hooves on her way to power. And she wanted to get back at Twilight for all she had done. That was just fair. So she remained in the swamp hideout, plotting her revenge on the mare who had ruined her life.
For that matter, it was not like she could just hand in a letter of resignation to Grogar, and even if she could, she had no place else to go. Twilight would just lock her up again before she could blink. She had done it before and had no reason to not do it again.
Yes, she hated Twilight, but she never wanted to cause a city to plummet from the sky!
Cozy trotted a bit faster towards the bathrooms, feeling like she might vomit. Was it really true? Had ponies almost died in the schemes? Was she just as hated as Chrysalis and Tirek now?
Cozy swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to think rationally. Perhaps it was only those two. Maybe this wasn't a sentiment other ponies shared.
Rationality did not help.
"I still don't get it! Why didn't he see that trap!" Rumble buzzed his wings irritably. "He should know Spitfire would not give up her lead spot without there being something off! If he'd only waited a little bit he could have been part of the final showdown. Bet he'd have won too; Soarin's got way better stamina than both Spitfire and Fleetfoot."
"Yeah bro, sucks for him," Thunderlane said with his typical easygoing attitude. "But he'll bounce back before the next race, don't you worry."
"I bet he will!" Rumble said with certainty. "If you ever see him at the academy, you tell him I cheer for him, right?"
"I had hoped you'd cheer for me, but okay…" Thunderlane said with a pretend sad voice.
Rumble shoved him lightly. ”Don't be silly. You know I'll always cheer for you, big bro."
"Yeah, I know. Now, what do you say we eat an oatburger over by Oat'Learys before flying home. I know they won't stack up to what you're cooking nowadays, but you know… for old times sake?"
"Wouldn't be a Wonderbolt derby without oatburgers," Rumble said. "I'll just be a second," he nodded towards the bathrooms.
On the way he saw something. Somepony who, for a moment, looked eerily familiar. She was moving fast, and she had a wig, but that salmon shade of pink coat… and that wig was not entirely unlike the normal color of her mane… could it really be her? Had she gotten out after all? But why would she be so stupid as to come to Cloudsdale? He weighted his options. He had a feeling it would be much, much easier for him to just not get involved with this issue. Forgot he saw anything and just go have a burger.
But Twilight had asked him to be her friend. What could it hurt to look? Just to be certain it was really her?
Rumble ambled over to the mares' door and stood outside it, trying to look like he was waiting for somepony (which was kind of true), rather than being a creep.
Why was it so hard to not look guilty just by standing there?
Thankfully she did not take long. She sounded a little winded and continued to wipe her mouth. He followed her a little while away, so they had a pretense of privacy, at least. "Uh… hey, Cozy?" he tried quietly. He did not want everypony else to hear her name, if it was her.
The filly jumped. So it was her after all. She turned to him.
It was the first time he really stopped and looked at Cozy Glow. That time in the tower he had just seen her for a few seconds and then left, and then it was also dark.
It was clear she did not fly as much as most pegasi. Her coat seemed a little thinner than most of his tribe, a sign that she did not have to bear the cold winds very often. She had a trio of pale spots on her both her cheeks. It was a strange coloration that Rumble had never seen on any other pony, but not at all a point against her appearance. Her eyes were rust-red, large and expressive. She looked uncomfortable somehow, but she hid it quickly upon recognizing him. "What do you want?" she asked bitingly.
"I…" What did he actually want? "I didn't knew you were going to the derby too," he said. That was entirely true, even if most ponies might say it was not the most pressing question.
"Twilight took me," Cozy answered. "She's here too, so I've not escaped. Yet." She spat the final word defiantly.
"Oh… that makes sense," Rumble said. "That Twilight took you, I mean."
They stood silent for a few seconds, neither of them knowing what to say. "I wasn't lying, you know?" Cozy said silently, with an undertone of anger. Rumble was not even sure if it was directed at him, or she said it to herself.
"Sorry?"
"When we talked the first time," Cozy said, her voice sharp. "When I said I thought Twilight would hurt me. I thought you should know I wasn't lying then."
Rumble glared slightly. "I don't believe in your lies anymore. She's a princess and you are… you. Why should I believe in you over her?"
"Because I'm telling the truth, you numbskull!" Cozy shouted loudly, her voice suddenly raw and harsh. A vein appeared on her forehead and her face contorted in a violent sneer. A couple of ponies stopped to look. "Why would you think Twilight would be kind to me!? She put me in Tart-!!"
Normally, Rumble would never get physical with a filly, but he saw ponies stopping to listen. If Cozy continued they would figure out who she was, and he couldn't let that happen. So he shoved a hoof into her mouth. Cozy looked completely dumbfounded, but she stopped growling at least.
"Hey… did that filly say something about Tartarus?"
"Isn't that coat…? That pink color?"
"Could she be…?"
"Hey, what's the big idea!?" Rumble heard his brother's voice from the small crowd of ponies standing around them. He made his way to Rumble and Cozy. "What are you looking at? Let the young work out their problems in peace! Go on. Skedaddle!" He turned to glare at a pair of whispering mares.
They promptly blushed and said something about "Didn't mean to intrude," before hastily backing off. Other ponies followed suit, even if a few did cast suspicious glances towards Cozy. Rumble could see she had understood what almost happened. There were something fearful in her look when he felt safe to remove the hoof.
"Who's your friend, Rumble?" Thunderlane asked uncertainly. No doubt he had also been attracted by Cozy's tantrum.
Rumble froze up. How was he supposed to explain this situation? He had thought to ask Thunderlane for advice what Twilight had said, but he had not brought it up yet.
"Oh, golly good sir! Thank you for helping so much," Cozy said with a sweet voice. "But do you think you could give us a little bit of privacy? I really need to talk to Rumble… It's between the two of us, see?"
"Oh, my," Thunderlane said with a wry grin. "I didn't know you had met somepony like that, li'l bro. You take your time." Before Rumble even could answer, Thunderlane gave him a loose thump on the back and left him and Cozy alone.
"Why did you do that!" he snapped at Cozy, who looked all too pleased with herself. "How am I gonna explain this to my bro?"
"That's your problem,” Cozy said aloofly. "And don't change the subject. The first thing Twilight did when she foiled my plan was throwing me in Tartarus! Do you really think it's strange I'm afraid of what she might do if she gets angry with me?"
That actually did make some sense. "How can I believe anything you say? You have already lied once so you could use me. Why not again?"
"Like I would dare to now! Do you know what Tartarus is? It's a landfill of everything ponykind have feared so much we dared not leave it free. Everything too strong or too dangerous to kill; all of that is holed up in there, only a few metal bars away from me! But that was not enough. She put me in the statue too! I thought she would kill me! Effectively she did, because I never thought she would set me free!" The vein in her forehead was back. "AND YOU THINK IT'S WIERD I'M AFRAID OF HER!?”
"Shhh! Please be quiet! Ponies will hear you," Rumble said. "And then I'll be lynched too somehow, I guarantee it" he thought glumly. "Do you really think Twilight will hurt you? She's kind to everypony else, so why not you too?"
"She's never been kind to me. Why would she start now?" Cozy snapped back.
"She bought you here," Rumble said. "And not even you can make me think that's not kind; every pegasus wants to see the Wonderbolts."
"Tsk…" Cozy grumbled. "I don't know why she brought me. Everypony hates me here. Well, I'll just hate them all back."
"Hate breeds only more hate, you know," Rumble said, quoting Twilight. "And don't say everypony. Twilight told me she doesn't.”
Cozy looked at Rumble as if he was the dumbest pony she had ever seen. "Of course she'd say that. Didn't stop her from locking me up," Cozy said. "Even if she wanted to strangle me she'd never say anything else."
Rumble sighed. She'd never believe anything Twilight said at this point. He suddenly understood better why Twilight wanted him to be Cozy's friend. It was because Cozy would never let Twilight come anywhere near her. "And what about me? If I told you I don't hate you, then would you believe that?"
Cozy looked suspiciously at him. "Hmmm… why wouldn't you hate me? You said it yourself, I used you and then you flew away from me when you figured out who I was. Of course you hate me."
"Well... friends can forgive each other. And don't you get really angry sometimes too? So you do things that are not… really smart? Before you've thought things through?”
Cozy actually grinned a little. "Like when I start shouting outside the largest circus in Equestria? I suppose I've done some silly things too, when I've been angry."
"See? I could forgive you for trying to use me and try again. I made a mistake when I left you, but I don't really hate you. Actually… I liked talking to you. And sending notes and stuff... that was pretty exciting."
"I like talking to you too. I feel better when I have another pony to talk to…I think I'd like having you as my friend again."
"But you'll have to promise you won't try to use me again," Rumble said.
"Sure!" Cozy chirped, much too fast to be believable. "Buuut, if you happened to find a way for me to escape, I sure wouldn't be sad if you told me. It's what a friend would do!"
Rumble glared. Cozy retained her innocent smile. "I'll hold you to that promise," Rumble said. "And before we can talk, you will have to ask Twilight to let me into the private castle wing."
Now it was Cozy's turn to glare. "I will not beg her for anything! You can ask her yourself!"
"No, I won't! I'm not going to be friends with somepony who does not care to work for my friendship. You need to show me that you actually want to be a friend! I won't be used again."
Cozy continued to glare. Rumble was almost certain his coat was singed from her fiery gaze. "Fine," she whispered angrily. "But you had better make this worthwhile for me."
"Uh… sure," Rumble said while wondering what that meant, exactly. "Then… I'll see you back in the castle. My bro is probably getting impatient."
Cozy's anger disappeared completely. "I'll be looking forward to it!" she chirped with a large smile.
As Rumble left to find his brother, he found himself wondering if Cozy had a really good control, or a really bad control over her emotions. It was hard to say with her.