An oddly designed book sat by Cozy Glow. She closed it, and Gallus blinked at her with an animated expression, but after what they had just seen outside of Ponyville, he had no choice but to believe her. He nodded, and said, "You're... gonna do it then?" He looked into those determined looking eyes that belonged to his newest friend, and asked Cozy, "You're gonna have Twilight release Tirek just so that you can show him this? Cozy, tell me that you don't actually, really believe that this is going to change that centaur's mind about friendship! Because it won't! For all we know, he might already know about all of this. Did you think about that?"
The other inhabitants of the Treehouse of Harmony somewhat took notice, but they also were preoccupied with their own activities. Gallus and Cozy Glow lowered their voices, and Cozy countered Gallus by saying, "For all we know, Gallus, this might be the exact thing that he needs to see in order for Tirek to come to his senses."
She took the book, and Gallus said, "H-hey! I need that for school, y'know."
Cozy ignored him at first, and put the book in her saddle. After that, she told him, "This is a bit more important. How long can I have this, Gallus?"
The griffon scratched the back of his feathery neck while saying, "Uh, jeez... Like, Iunno, about... maybe a week?" He then pleaded to the filly, "I need to return it to the library before then or else my classes become a whole lot harder!"
Cozy nodded, and said, "I should have this back by then... assuming Tirek doesn't level Equestria once he's freed." She waved to Gallus with an all too familiar, welcoming, and heart-warming smile, and he waved back at her while trying hard to hide how nervous he suddenly felt about all of this.
Before she leaped down, and headed out the door, she'd also wave goodbye to Sandbar, and all of the others that were there that day. This was also the evening when Spike managed to break through to Twilight and Discord, and Twilight would be on her way to Ponyville at any moment.
It was surprisingly quiet within the Carousel Boutique that evening, and entering into this irregular atmosphere felt beyond odd for Cozy Glow. She stood at the doorway all alone while holding onto her book, feeling strange, and walked forward a little as she also began remembering Rarity saying that she would be out running errands around this time. Words from her morning conversation with Sweetie Belle entered Cozy's mind.
"Are you coming with me to the clubhouse today?"
"No," was Cozy's reply. "I'm going to go hang out with Gallus and the others."
Walking by Rarity's dimly lit racks of clothing, and feeling a few of them with one of her wings, Cozy recalled Sweetie asking, "Well, will you stop by the clubhouse later on?"
"Probably not..."
Opening the book as she came up to the stairs, Cozy said aloud, "I'm really sorry, Sweetie... Apple bloom, and... Scootaloo, but this is more important."
She began going up the stairs, and as she went, she was already lively searching for the pages that she would need to study thoroughly. It would take up the rest of her energy, and by the time Sweetie would get back accompanied by her friends, Cozy Glow would already be fast asleep inside her own bedroom.
That night, she dreamed about the colt she had befriended previously, and about mostly all of the recent friends she had come to accept, and trust. She also dreamed about Tirek, and even Chrysalis. She had only ever heard of their vile deeds, but in some unexplainable way, she still felt attached to them.
Upon waking up, Cozy would move her messy mane out of the way of her vision, and get out of bed. "Let's see," she said as she focused at her chess board and pieces. "I, uh, doubt very highly that Rarity would be open to moving back to Canterlot. I don't even think she'd want to visit seeing as how well her business is doing."
She loosely picked up a shiny, white chess piece with a hoof, and then placed it down on one of the far end black cubes belonging to a perfectly clear game board. "Twilight's apparently preoccupied with being the Princess of Equestria for the very first time. Not much surprise there." She picked up another piece, and using some paint, she coated it purple. It was set on the opposite side from where Rarity's piece sat. "Either that, or she's hopelessly wrapped up in trying to find out what's really happened to me and my memory."
Cozy picked up another piece, and this time, she painted it pink. Placing this one in the middle of the other two, she said, "It's... up to Pinkie Pie's letter... I wonder just how long it's going to take Twilight to come around... I'd be able to get to Canterlot if I could just reach her."
For just a mere few seconds, Cozy found herself blankly staring at the three chess pieces, trying desperately to figure out what she could possibly do to speed up this whole situation. That's when her door opened. At first, she thought it might've been Sweetie Belle, so she didn't look up right away, but once the tall figure came into her line of sight, and as she saw those brilliant, purple feathers, she gasped, and just backed away from the game board.
"Twilight?" Cozy asked suddenly with a fair bit of shock in her voice.
"C-Cozy... Glow?" Twilight asked as she blankly stared dauntingly at the chess pieces. "What... is all of this?"
Her hoof rose, almost as if she were pointing, and then the door slowly closed behind her. As for the filly within the room, she could hardly come up with a proper explanation at first. "I, uh... Well, you see, I just... umm..."
Twilight first picked up the pink piece with her magic, and then the purple one, and asked, "I-is this... supposed to be me?"
Cozy nodded timidly, and pointed out, "T-that one's Rarity's."
Twilight then brought her attention to the pink piece, and said, "Which means this one represents... Pinkie Pie?"
Cozy felt all too nervous, and simply mumbled, "More like... her letter... t-to you, Twilight. I was... just trying to..."
Twilight's eyes drifted away from Cozy as she said, "Oh... I see." Upon looking back, she offered, "You were just brainstorming, right?"
Cozy looked down, and nodded, but she also still felt nervous about this. "I... swear, I wasn't gonna do anything evil. I promise!"
Twilight's eyebrows raised, and she asked Cozy Glow wisely, "Why would you think I'd suspect you of anything evil, Cozy Glow?"
She glanced away, and found herself confessing, "B-because... I know about what I did. I know... everything that I did, Twilight." Cozy's heart raced as she allowed the words to leave her lips. Looking Twilight in the eyes, she said guiltily, "I managed to find lots and lots of old news papers, and... I just had to know." She looked away, but said, "I just had to, Twilight."
The Princess wasn't sure what to make of this. So, she said with a smile, "I think... we should talk, Cozy..."
The filly looked up at the Princess, and asked timidly, "What do you mean, your Highness?"
Twilight led the way out of Cozy Glow's room, and came down the stairs. It was still fairly early in the morning, so Rarity and her sister hadn't woken up yet. Sitting Cozy Glow down at a table, she offered the filly, "Good news, or bad news?"
Cozy Glow just looked back at Twilight with a confused expression, and the alicorn made them both something to eat. "E-excuse me?"
Twilight replied, "I have good news for you, and I have bad news." Pouring Cozy's juice, she resumed, "Which would you like to hear first?"
Cozy's answer came in the form of her trying to redirect the conversation. "I'd rather... you tell me why you're not bothered by what I just told you."
"It's because," Twilight said, "I think... that you knowing what you know is a good thing." She looked off, and out the window to say, "So far... according to Pinkie Pie, you've been behaving just like a normal filly should. You've made new friends... you're getting along with everypony, too, so... What's there to worry about?" Twilight shrugged before asking Cozy Glow while returning her attention to their meal, "Good news, or bad news?"
Cozy Glow gulped, and said, "I suppose, give me the bad news first."
Twilight sighed, and said simply while looking back over, and seeing a few playful fillies running by, "I, uh... couldn't figure out what caused you to..."
Twilight glanced at Cozy, and saw this unfathomably emotionless face in front of her. Cozy Glow knew what was coming, and didn't care, but up until that point, she was still somewhat pretending for Twilight's sake. Twilight blinked, but couldn't manage to finish her sentence. She just watched as time slowed down for her, and Cozy Glow looked away to say, "Yeah, I know you don't know what happened to my memory."
Twilight felt as though Cozy Glow had just seen right through her, and the Princess just blinked her eyes a few times before nodding, and turning in order to finish making breakfast. "We, uh, tried... to find out from history books, and spells, and Discord even helped... It's... not because of Discord, by the way. What happened to you, Cozy, just... happened somehow."
Cozy nodded, too, but with less gumption. "I know, Twilight... It's alright." She glanced up, and gave Twilight a shy smile. "I'll be alright. What about the good news?"
Twilight replied as she finished, and magically brought the food to the table, "The good news... is that I'll be visiting you more often." Twilight's voice was hopeful, and she saw Cozy Glow smirk as she started to hear Twilight say, "I'll be honest... I became a bit fixated on trying to figure out this mystery of yours that I forgot to check in on you, and see how you were doing. I won't make that same mistake again."
Cozy Glow replied fairly happily in between bites, "Well, I sure am glad to at least hear that! I was actually gonna ask you about that." Cozy looked down for a second, and asked, "Umm, Twilight? I'm a little worried."
Twilight said, "Don't be, Cozy Glow, because I promise... I'll come and visit."
"It's not that..." Cozy glanced back up, but she just couldn't make eye contact, so she glanced away, and quickly said, "I... have bad news, too..."
Twilight stopped smiling. She also stopped eating, and asked, "Wh-what? Cozy Glow, what're you talking about?" She didn't respond right away. "Cozy Glow?"
"I... Want to..." Cozy Glow breathed sharply, and closed her eyes. Twilight by then could tell that the filly was being all too serious with her. "Release... Tirek... so that I can try to reform him."
Twilight quivered, but didn't say anything at first. Her mind just circled with questions. Slowly, she breathed in deeply. As her breath left her shaken body, she coughed a little, and tried as hard as she could to process what she had just heard. After a good few seconds went by, she openly asked, "Wh-why, Cozy? What makes you... want to do something crazy like this?"
Using practically the exact, same words as before, Cozy Glow told Twilight, "I'm not gonna do anything evil. I promise!"
Hearing this harsh truth, Twilight knew that she had no other choice but to believe Cozy Glow. That still wasn't enough to convince Twilight to simply allow Cozy to have her way, but she still asked her, "Why?"
Grabbing her Highness by the hoof, Cozy led the way this time, and back up to her room they went while leaving what remained of their meals. Cozy only needed to secure just one item from her room, and then, the two left Rarity's Carousel Boutique. Twilight didn't have anything to say. She simply followed the filly without any objections. She and Cozy Glow would remain quiet while trotting with one another until they reached Cozy Glow's pond. It was the same one that was distanced from Ponyville, where she and Gallus had first met.
All alone, and during the middle of the day, Twilight asked Cozy Glow, "What's this all about?"
Cozy stood still for a moment longer, waiting. It soon came time for Twilight to raise the sun, and as she did, she huffed. The light shined on their backs, but still, she waited for Cozy's explanation. In time, Cozy opened her book, and allowed Twilight to read the appropriate page. Twilight read along the scripted passages within the very back pages of the book, and then looked far off at the bottom of the body of water in front of them to see just why Cozy Glow wanted to speak to Tirek.
At first, she thought it was a mirage, but eventually, she could just faintly make out what seemed to be a bird-like creature. She gasped deeply, and pointed with a hoof while saying, "It... That can't be... Scorpan?" She just stared, mesmerized by the soft waves, and what she could see beyond the many shimmers of light. "I thought he went back home, though."
Cozy voiced, "This book suggested otherwise, Twilight. I know it's all about obscured rumors, and I even thought what I was seeing whenever I ate my lunch way out here was just the sun's reflection, but I could still see it even when the sun went down at night. I asked Gallus about this, and together, we eventually found this book inside of your school for friendship."
Twilight read from the book aloud, "It's most widely believed that Scorpan left Equestria, to wander back to the lands from which he came from, but rumors lead to the less believable possibilities of him staying, as his ghost can still be seen floating at the bottom of a pond near Pony Village... Which was probably eventually renamed Ponyville."
She looked down at Cozy who nodded back knowingly, and questioned, "What else does it say, Twilight?"
Her Highness read the last sentences, "It was... a-also rumored at the time that such distant wanderers like Lord Tirek, and Scorpan might not have needed to invade Equestria in the first place. They merely needed to befriend us. Scorpan apparently claimed to his new pony friends that following Tirek's fate, as the years passed, the new bonds that they shared eventually began to grant Scorpan unimaginable, magical strength."
"See?" Cozy Glow asked boastfully.
Twilight continued to read, "It was because of this that Scorpan never left Ponyville. Even though he knew of what friendship could bring, he couldn't risk allowing his kind let alone the centaurs to have any reason of retaliation. After all, with Tirek locked in Tartarus, it would have been truly impossible to convince them to believe his story. Tirek would never come to know of the magic of friendship either, unless he befriended somepony, or if he managed to find Scorpan's hidden message at the bottom of the pond found just outside Pony Village."
Twilight glanced back out at the softly splashing waters, and then at Cozy Glow, and asked, "This is... why you...?"
Cozy nodded, and heard Twilight sigh. "I want to... ask of you... to bring me to Canterlot somehow, Twilight, so that I can do this. Will you help me, your Highness?"
The Princess felt cold. She gulped, and breathed in deeply before saying anything for a long, long time.
"Cozy Glow... I need... a lot more time to think about all of this. I'll, uh... I'll talk to Rarity, but..." She huffed, "Just, listen. What you're actually asking of me... is honestly ridiculous." The wind brushed Twilight's mane as she paused only for a second or two before finishing, "I just hope you know what you're doing."
As Twilight began walking back towards town, Cozy Glow followed closely behind with surprising confidence, and looking up at Twilight while they traveled together, Cozy remarked with a smirk, "I think I already have a plan!"