After a long and frustrating day of research, Cozy Glow decided to cool off in the nearby lake. The same lake from earlier in the story. There were a lot of new residents in town since their departure, but since everyone was already aware that Cozy Glow was in charge, and accepted it, she didn't have to hide her identity. Even so, she still covered herself to not reveal too much of her withering body. There was a lot on her mind, from the poison in her body, her rekindled memories, and the pressure of coming up with a surefire plan to use the Rainbow of Darkness and take over all of Equestria. So, she decided to cool off in the lake and clear her mind.
Well, I'm not going to let the impending doom get me down. Cozy thought.
Cozy removed her robe, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and dived into the lake. However...
*bonk*
She landed face first into the dirt. What was once a shoreline at the beginning of the story, was now dryness extending for many meters.
"Where is my lake!?" Cozy exclaimed.
Indeed, the lake was nearly gone. And now that Cozy took a closer look, she could see canals and pipes draining the water.
Cozy met with Flim and Flam to discuss the urgent matters.
"Explain to me why the lake is almost gone!" Cozy demanded.
"We're sorry, but Suri's cotton crops demand an enormous amount of water." Flim explained.
"We've been diverting water and using this lake as a source." Flam added.
Cozy examined the pipes, and was less than impressed with the brothers' work.
"If you're going to use the lake, would it kill you to do it right!? These pipes are leaking!" Cozy exclaimed.
"Well, we are always seeking to improve our designs, and will look into it." Flim said.
"As your leader, I command you to improve your design! Find a way to use resources without destroying the environment!" Cozy ordered.
"Balancing nature with industrial development is very difficult." Flam said.
"Well if you don't, it will be your downfall. Now fix the lake, that's an order!" Cozy exclaimed.
Cozy wandered off without another word, and went to check on other ponies in the village.
It had been a while, but Cozy met with the Washouts, and their new coach on their practice field.
"Cozy Glow!" they exclaimed.
"Long time no see, dude." Lightning Dust said.
"Yes, it has been a while..." Cozy said.
"I just wanna say, this gig has worked out tremendously." Lightning said.
"Having a home town to our name, our own obstacle course on the outskirts. We've never been better, and our popularity is at an all time high!" Short Fuse said.
"And it's all thanks to you, Cozy Glow." Rolling Thunder said.
"Golly, uh, thanks..." she replied.
"We even have a new trainer who's been helping us improve our flying." Lightning said. "Cozy, meet Wind Rider! Wind Rider, this is the masked flyer!"
"You should'a seen 'er earlier. She was amazin'!" Rolling Thunder said.
Wind Rider took a good look at Cozy.
"So, best little flyer in Equestria, huh." he said.
"Yeah, I'm pretty great. I can out fly anything." Cozy said. "(Except poison darts apparently...)" she muttered.
"You know, Cozy, I used to be a Wonderbolt like Rainbow Dash, and I used to hold a speed record, that was until it was broken by Dash. I tried to sabotage her before she could do it, but that sow Rarity found out my plan, and humiliated me."
"You tried to cheat to maintain your record? I'm all for manipulation, but lying to keep a speed record?" Cozy asked.
"Yeah, well, it meant a lot to me!" Wind Rider affirmed.
"You sound like a sore loser to me." Cozy smirked.
"I'm the best flyer in Equestria! Not Rainbow Dash! If I were still in my prime, I could easily reclaim the record. However, I'm past my prime, so the best I can do is pass on my knowledge. When I saw the Washouts performing, I was impressed, and I knew I had to help train you guys." Wind Rider said.
"And thanks to his expertise, our skill level has grown tremendously!" Lightning said.
"We're actually half decent at flying!" Rolling Thunder said.
"But enough about me, let's see what you got, Cozy." Wind Rider said.
*cough* "What?" Cozy asked.
The Washouts practiced their performance with Cozy. They practiced their flying, and their commentary. The three washouts stood in the center of the stage, while Wind Rider watched from the empty seats.
"And now, the long awaited return of the masked filly!" Lightning announced.
There was a pause.
*splat*
Cozy fell face first onto the ground in front of Lightning. They look at her, confused. Wind Rider watched, still waiting to be impressed.
"Well now what?" Rolling Thunder asked.
"Uh, let's practice the cannon firing act." Lightning suggested.
They placed Cozy in the cannon, and lit the fuse. The fuse sizzled, until-*BOOM*. Cozy Glow blasted out of the cannon, tumbled through the air, and into a safety net.
After their practice, they went to see if Cozy was okay. They gently carried her from the net and laid her down, and removed their helmets to examine her closer.
"I think we killed her..." Short Fuse said.
Lightning removed Cozy's helmet, revealing a very sick and queasy looking Cozy.
"You alright, kid?" Rolling Thunder asked.
"I'm fine. I've just been a little out of it lately..." Cozy replied.
"Well, you're in no condition to be performing extreme sports." Short Fuse said.
"Mind if I borrow this? Thanks."
Cozy reached over and took Rolling Thunder's helmet without asking. She then proceeded to puke into the helmet. She then gave it back when she was done.
"There you go." Cozy said, feeling relieved.
"Uh, never mind..." Rolling Thunder said.
Wind Rider was confused.
"Uh, we all have off days, right?" Lightning Dust excused.
"Cozy!" cried a distant voice.
It was Suri Polomare. She caught a glimpse of the practice session, and rushed to Cozy's aid.
"Are you alright, dear?" she asked.
"Never better..." Cozy said sickly.
Suri was disappointed in the Washouts.
"You guys are ridiculous. Firing a sick filly out of a cannon!" she said.
"She landed in the safety net..." Short Fuse said.
Suri scooped up Cozy, and put her on her back.
"Poor little thing needs her rest. She's obviously tired." Suri said. "You're in no shape to be participating in extreme sports."
"Okay, whatever..." Cozy replied, deadpan.
Suri carried Cozy to her boutique.
"So, what's Dash's speed record?" Lightning asked.
"You're not proposing to beat it, are ya?" Wind Rider asked.
At Suri's boutique, she was nice enough to put some time aside to service Cozy. Cozy was laying down on her chest, while Suri fixed her mane.
"How are you doing, dear?" Suri asked. "You seem very out of your element, m'kay."
"Horrible." Cozy replied. "I have everything I could have ever wanted, so why am I so miserable?"
"Obviously because something is troubling you." Suri replied.
"But how? We literally possess the Rainbow of Darkness. We have a weapon powerful enough to stop Twilight Sparkle dead in her tracks!"
"You're not really going to go through and unleash an ancient evil are you?" Suri asked.
"It's what Tirek and Chrysalis want. They want unlimited power to conquer Equestria for real this time." Cozy said.
"But what about what you what? What does Cozy Glow want?" Suri asked.
"I don't know. *sniff* Cozy Glow isn't even my real name. If I don't know my real name, then how do I know what I really want? If I'm not supreme ruler of Equestria, then what am I? Just a stupid annoying brat. Nopony will take me seriously unless I have extreme power on my side.*sniff* I have to defeat Twilight, it's only a matter of time before she finds me here, and does something terrible to me." Cozy lamented.
"You talk big, Cozy, but you are a small individual. Are you lying to your village by pretending to be nice? Or are you lying to Tirek and Chrysalis by pretending to be evil?" Suri asked. "What are your true colors?"
Suri's question made Cozy Glow cry. It made her think deeper than she ever had before.
"You're not pure evil. If you were, you would've used that magic dark rainbow thing already. I sense some hesitation in you." Suri said.
"I'm doing what they want because they're my... *cough* you know the word." Cozy said. "I just don't wanna say it aloud... Right now there is so much uncertainty. Twilight could still win, and heaven knows what punishment she'll give us next. And on top of all of that, I'm sick, and I'm afraid I may not be able to carry out any plan." she vented.
"And you don't want to lose your friends, again." Suri said.
"...No, I don't..." Cozy admitted.
Suri reached over and hugged Cozy Glow.
"What are you doing? Get off of me!" Cozy tried to break free. "No! Stop it! You're filling me with friendship! A poison worse than the liquid killing me right now!!"
Cozy cried uncontrollably.
"You love those two beasts in the castle, Cozy. But you're afraid to admit it, because you're worried they'll see you as weak if you do. You think they only respect you because they think you're evil." Suri said.
"Stop reading my mind!" Cozy cried.
"You don't wanna raid Canterlot, you wanna just live here, and enjoy life with your two evil doing frenemies." Suri said.
"That's not true! I do wanna raid Canterlot! As long as Twilight rules, I'm in danger!" Cozy clarified.
"The mighty Cozy Glow. You're just a sad pegasus with no friends, and an extremely abusive past. Pride is a sin, and your concern with maintaining your image is torturing you inside. You say friendship is a poison, but you have friends. Which is it?" Suri asked.
"When did you become some caring pony? You're a run down fashion designer." Cozy talked back.
"You see a lot of desperate ponies looking to reinvent themselves when you're been selling dresses for as long as I have. I've seen a thing or two. Plus, any pony whose life was ruined by Rarity is an ally of mine." Suri replied.
Suri let go, and Cozy sat up.
*sniff* "Do you still have my old bow?" Cozy asked.
"I never throw out fabric, dear. I always keep them in my discard basket."
Cozy got up, and peaked into the discarded fabric pile, and sure enough, she found her old bow.
"There's something I have to do with this." she said.
Later that evening, Cozy sat alone in the town office, thinking of more potential plans.
"Nope!"
"Terrible idea!"
"If we come in from the side, ugh, then she'll just be anticipating it!"
"What if we--nope! She could just reunite with her friends and blast us with their stupid rainbow power!"
"Ugh! Nothing I can think of is a surefire guaranteed victory!" she screamed in frustration.
Cozy picked up the book once again. This was about the seventieth time she'd done so this day alone. She read its texts in her head.
The Rainbow of Darkness is unique. It envelops its target with darkness, and turns them into an unspeakably horrible creature of dark. Cozy read the book.
"Gosh, that sounds brutal." she said.
Cozy fantasized about her, Tirek, and Chrysalis as ultimate dark beings trampling and defeating Twilight Sparkle. But in the back of her mind, she wondered if this was a bad idea. Unlike Grogar's bell which acted like a bank of magic that gave them a huge magical boost, the Rainbow of Darkness was a whole other beast. She worried that the RoD would envelop and turn her and her contemporaries into mindless shadow beasts. It seemed like a last resort, but at this point, she needed one.
Its only weakness is the Rainbow of Harmony, which is summoned whenever true friendship gathers against a great evil. she read.
"Great, so basically, we're screwed anyway! Destroying their friendship was only a temporary thing! So this time we'll just have to plain destroy them, before they can stop us!" she exclaimed.
Even Cozy wasn't evil enough to unleash something like this? Well, now that the poison was reopening her lost memories, reliving all the suffering Cozy really endured, she was even angrier, and using the darkness seemed like a tempting idea.
Late that night, Cozy returned to the castle after a long day of thinking.
"How's that plan coming along, Cozy?" Chrysalis asked.
"Oh, it's uh, going great." Cozy lied. "I can already hear Twilight crying for help as we crush her to pieces!"
"Great! So what is the plan?" Tirek asked.
"The plan is uh... I'm not ready to share it yet. It is too secret." Cozy said.
"We don't exactly have unlimited time. So-" Chrysalis started.
"It will be ready soon! I'm just not ready to share the details!" Cozy snapped.
The two villains onlooked in bewilderment.
"You seem frustrated, Cozy." Chrysalis said.
"Yes, and more than usual." Tirek added.
"I'm fine! I'm just overloaded with thoughts right now." Cozy said, with some anger.
Cozy walked very slowly, she seemed very unwell
*yawn* "This is a monumental undertaking, I need to sleep on it." she said.
"Cozy?" Chrysalis asked.
"What?!" Cozy snapped.
"Just know we're not rushing you. We're waiting patiently." Chrysalis said.
"Take all the time you need to craft a perfect plan." Tirek said.
*cough* "Thanks guys, but, I wish time was on my side..." Cozy lamented.
Cozy walked up the castle stairs to her room.
"At least they're finally being considerate, but it might be too late." Cozy said under her breath.
Upstairs, Magnolia was already waiting for her.
"There you are, what have you been doing all day?" Magnolia asked.
"Useless antics..." Cozy said, exhausted. "Typical stuff you'd expect from a filler arc."
"You've been way too busy given your condition." Mag said.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Cozy said. "What have you found out about the poison coursing through my veins?"
"I've been researching the poison with the doctor all day and..." Maggie's voice trailed off.
"Show don't tell, Maggie! Show me what you've found." Cozy said.
"Do you want me to tell you, or should I just-" she was interrupted.
"Give me the findings!" Cozy demanded.
Magnolia paused before replying.
"Let's just say, whatever you have planned, you better do it sooner than later..." she said reluctantly.
"Why?! Is the news bad?" Cozy asked.
Magnolia stood with her lips closed.
"Since you won't talk, let me guess, and please stop me if I state an incorrect fact. The poison is deadly, there's no cure, and I only have a few days left to live!" Cozy exclaimed.
Magnolia took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Cozy..." she said.
Cozy's heart sank, but she covered it up with more anger.
*SLAM*
Cozy slammed her door on Magnolia.
*sigh* "Now that she knows, I better tell the other two. If we can't cure her with science, maybe they, or someone else, can work some magic." Magnolia said aloud.
Late that night, Cozy was struggling to sleep.
"It's okay. Don't stress out. Think happy thoughts. What's something even remotely happy that's happened in your life? How about the time you met Tirek? That'll do."
Thinking happy thoughts made her drowsy, and she quickly fell asleep. She had a dream, but it was really a flashback to past events.
*Flashback to Cozy's time at Twilight's school*
Shortly after the events of Marks for Effort, she spent many hours in the library reading about the tree of friendship. But of course, she had big ambitions, so big in fact, that it would require some help.
"If I'm going to make this work, I gotta do something about Twilight Sparkle." she thought. "I'm never going to succeed with Twilight and her friends watching over me. I need some way to get them out of my hair. If I'm going to make this work, I'm going to need some help. Let's see."
Cozy thought about who to recruit for help. She read the journal, which listed all of the villains Twilight had previously defeated.
"Let's see..." she pondered.
"Nightmare Moon is Princess Luna's alter ego. Luna is too loyal to Twilight, that's not going to work."
"Queen Chrysalis was last seen fleeing from her hive after Starlight and Thorax took it over. She could be anywhere in disguise."
"And then there's King Sombra. He's dead. I think. Blasted by Princess Cadance and the Crystal Heart Nope."
"The Sirens of mythology. I'd love to meet them, but even if they were real, legend has it Starswirl banished them to another world. Kind of hard to contact."
"The Storm King, eh? What even is he king of? There's so much not known about him, but he's dead anyway, so scratch him off."
"Tempest Shadow is a powerful skilled fighter, but she's off spreading the message of friendship." *blegh*
"Ahuizotl may be the main antagonist of the Daring Do books, but allegedly he's a real creature who exists in our world. I'll put him in the 'hard maybe' category."
"Starlight Glimmer has magic that rivals the alicorn princesses, but now she's Twilight Sparkle's buddy. No way am I going to convince her."
"Discord is also buddy buddy with Twilight Sparkle, but he's still very mischievous still, so I doubt he'll take on full traitor again. He's been on their side ever since his last betrayal, when he teamed up with... *gasp* that's it!"
A light bulb went off in Cozy's mind. There was one obvious choice.
"There's one villain who's not dead, not indoctrinated by friendship, and whose whereabouts are known! He's sitting pretty in Tartarus, waiting for his next moment to shine. Hehehe! Time to send a calling card." Cozy grinned.
"I'm coming for you, Lord... T-t-t-Tire-
*Flashback to a much earlier memory*
"TIREK!"a group of fillies cried in fear. (Cozy's dream suddenly segued into a much earlier memory. A memory that precedes her time in the hospital).
"Yes, it is. I'm glad you all recognize the famed centaur of legend. I really wanted to convey his likeness in my painting." narrated the blue haired filly with the rook cutie mark.
"Well, although it is scary, it is very well done. You get full marks on your assignment." the teacher said.
The teacher trotted to the next painting to grade.
"And Brenda, commendable effort from you as well." the teacher gave her a B+.
Brenda was most furious that she got a lower grade than Cozy.
"You did pretty well, Brenda." Cozy complimented.
"Oh shut up, you! I don't wanna hear it! I don't wanna be your friend!" Brenda exclaimed.
The words shocked, but didn't surprise Cozy.
Later that day, it was almost time for class to be dismissed. This was the last day of school, after it was done, the students would move to the next grade. Cozy tried to cheer up Brenda.
"It's a shame this is the end, bickering aside, it's been an interesting year for both of-" Cozy started.
"Oh cut it out! I'm so sick of your fake attitude! You keep saying you wanna be friends, and that you've learned so much from reading about Twilight Sparkle. But you're just a sad pathetic pegasus looking to get the upper hoof on others!"
"...Well, takes on to know one." Cozy fired back.
Brenda fumed, but she took deep breaths to calm herself down.
"Forget it. You're not worth it. I won't even see you again after today." Brenda said to herself.
"You know, for everything you've done to me, I have one final parting gift." Cozy said.
*slap* Cozy slapped Brenda's flank.
"Oh, that does it!" she exclaimed.
*fight* Brenda leaped and tackled Cozy. They both threw punches in each other's faces.
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" the teacher broke up the fight with her magic. "I don't know who started it! You're both expelled!"
"But teacher!" the fillies said simultaneously.
"No buts! Office! Now!" she exclaimed.
Later that evening, Brenda and Cozy sat in detention, waiting for their parents. Cozy was furiously writing in her notebook.
"Easy. Any more force, and you'll pierce the table." Brenda teased.
"Shut up!" Cozy exclaimed.
"Alright, girls. Time's up. Brenda, your mom's outside, you can go." the teacher called.
"That's my cue. I bet no one's even coming for you." Brenda teased.
The unicorn filly got up, and left the room. Cozy put her hooves against her face and cried.
"What am I going to do? Pappy's going to kill me when I tell him I was expelled before graduating, and that I won't be moving up a grade."
But then, Cozy realized there was a silver lining to this situation.
"No matter! Who needs normal school? I was going to beg him to enroll me into Twilight's school anyway, and since it's not EEA approved, my previous progress doesn't matter! At Twilight's school anything is possible. I'll show Brenda real magic. I'll show all of them!"
*ahem* the teacher interrupted.
"What do you want?!" Cozy exclaimed.
"Are you parents coming, dear?" the teacher asked.
"No, they aren't. My dad never pick me up, and he isn't going to start now!" Cozy replied.
The pegasus got up and walked home by herself.
Cozy had arrived at her home. It was a small one story house. She opened the door and went inside.
"Pappy, I'm home!" she cried.
Cozy found herself in her house. She just lived with her dad. He was an exhausted horse, who had little time to listen to Cozy's woes.
"I uh, today was a rough day, but don't panic, I have some good news." she said. "Pappy?"
It seemed he wasn't home, but that rarely was the case. Most of the time he hid away in his room away from Cozy.
*ugh* Cozy threw her saddle bag at a table. It knocked over several papers. Cozy went to pick them up, but some of the contents caught her attention.
"Hmm?" Cozy picked it upa binder, and read the cover. "Hmm, Project A.L.1.C.0.R.N." she read.
Cozy opened it, and found an illustration of an alicorn filly, with her mom and dad. She read the caption below.
"Oh, my dear *illegible writing* our child is going to be amazing. And if luck is on our side, then the experiment is going to work, and you're gonna give birth to a beautiful alicorn."
*drip* a single tear fell onto the picture.
"What is this? That's not what happened..." Cozy cried. "I'm not a special alicorn. I'm just a pegasus, and mommy is- AH! Daddy?!"
Her dad appeared suddenly from behind.
"Oh, my dear. You weren't supposed to ever see that." he said, nervous.
"What is this? What's going on?" Cozy asked.
*sigh* "You mom and I were very close. We were both fascinated by alicorn lore and legend. We met while studying biological engineering in university. After graduating, and years of dating we both got the same idea. We wanted our child to be the most special pony in Equestria. So uh, a few... steps later, your mom was pregnant with you. I knew our plan was a long shot. The forces of nature seem to forbid a pony being born with both wings and a horn naturally, but we held out faith." he explained. "Since it's known that genes can be recessive. In fact, in Ponyville, an earth pony gave birth to a unicorn, and a pegasus. We thought that we could express both the unicorn, and pegasus gene in one pony."
Cozy of course, was just a pegasus.
"So I'm a... mistake?" she cried.
"Only in a technical sense! But, you're still my-"
"But I'm not an alicorn like you wanted. I'm not perfect, and mom's not here because of me." she said.
"No matter what, you're my daughter!" he affirmed.
Cozy paused, then lashed out.
"So you killed her! Not me!" Cozy exclaimed. "You told me she died giving birth! But it was your gene splicing experiment that killed her! And for what? All you got out of it was a pathetic little pegasus!"
"That's enough!" he yelled.
Her dad walked off, and locked himself in the other room.
"I'm not finished with you!" Cozy rushed to the door, and banged her head against it.
"Come out and look me in the face! Don't you wanna know how my last day of school went?! I got f****** expelled! They're holding me back a grade! But don't fret, Princess Twilight Sparkle has her own school! I think it's the perfect match for me!" Cozy exclaimed. "If Princess Celestia can make Twilight Sparkle from unicorn to alicorn, then she absolutely can do the same to me! And if she doesn't then we'll force them to! Against their will! We'll force them to relinquish all their magic to me! And I'll become the most powerful alicorn princess to ever--*SLAM* *SHATTER*
*SHATTER* Something traumatic happened in her flashback, and the timing coincided with Cozy in the present time, crashing her head against a mirror, and shattering it. The shards cut part of her face, and blood dripped below. She was hyperventilating after reconnecting with memories she thought she had forgotten.
The other creatures in the castle heard the noise, and rushed up to see what had happened.
"Cozy!"
"Are you okay?"
"What happened?"
"I remember everything now." she growled. "I knew that it was my destiny to take over Equestria, but now I know the events that led me down that path!"