//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: The Next Chapter 
// by Some Leech 
//------------------------------//

Darkness greeted her - the true, ineffable darkness of blindness. Even after so many years, her body reacted on instinct. Opening her eyes, gazing out upon the world, she was greeted with a foreign sight. Gone were the all too familiar buildings and streets which had seared themselves into her mind’s eye, replaced with a lush, dimly lit field in twilight.

Turning to the side, she froze - not due to her strange surroundings, but because of the fact that she could move at all. Peering downward, she adjusted the angle of her head to inspect herself. The soft, carnation fur of her coat greeted her, covering her chest and folded legs. Stars above, she’d nearly forgotten its exact hue.

The situation she found herself in, as peculiar as it was, elicited a terrifying combination of emotions. The fear and confusion of what had led her to that moment was marginally overshadowed with her newfound sovereignty of self. Slowly, almost experimentally, she pushed herself upward.

Her legs, much like her eyes, had indeed been granted mobility, allowing her to stand. The mere sensation of movement filled her with a glee she hadn’t known in ages, evoking an unbridled urge to relish the reclaimed ability. Tentatively stretching her limbs, one by one, she extended her limbs and flapped her wings. Languidly, her other senses began to accost her.

A gentle breeze danced across her diminutive frame, reminding her to breathe. The smell, while subtle, stimulated her in a way she didn’t think possible; the sweet scent of grass and wildflowers washed over her, taunting her with the aroma of spring. Her heart swelled, as she realized she was truly free.

Raising one hoof and moving it forward, she took a step; a second followed the first, then a third, as joy welled within her. Before she knew it, she was skipping and hopping with cheer. The faintest snicker crept past her lips, though it was but a prelude to the heartfelt laughter which followed. Despite not knowing how she’d escaped, nor where she was, nothing could impede her unbridled delight - that was, until she noticed an anomaly.

Standing at the treeline, some two dozen paces away, stood a figure. Impossibly tall, nearly double the height of any pony, the creature silently watched her; two long legs supported it, with an additional pair of limbs hanging at its sides. Vaguely reminiscent of a dragon or diamond dog, it was obvious that the interloper was neither. Drawing to a halt, she turned to face the transgressor.

“H...hello?” she timidly asked, hesitant fear tinging her voice. Her muscles tensed, as it quietly strolled towards her.

Finding herself face to face with an unknown and imposing beast, thoughts swirled madly within her. Having woken up in an unfamiliar location, while mysteriously regaining the ability to move, had been perplexing enough, so the addition of an odd biped only compounded the madness of it all. It was one of the rare moments in her life that caught her woefully unprepared, leaving her locked in place.

“Hello,” the being stated, stopping and kneeling a short distance from her.

It could talk, which meant a number of things; not only was it capable of speech, but she could understand it. The fact that it was sapient and held a means of communication assuaged her fear, if only slightly. Judging by the timbre of its words, she assumed it was male. Lastly, he’d stopped and lowered himself several feet away, which likely implied he respected her space while attempting to mitigate his imposing size.

“My name’s Anonymous, but you can call me Anon” he continued, reaching an open hand towards her.

His congenial tone and, if she had to guess, offer of a hoof shake cemented her theory that he wasn’t a malign force - at least, not an openly malign force. Positioned as he was, she’d have to move closer to accept his greeting; a shrewd tactic to buy her trust, she had to admit, yet one she would rather not slip through her hooves. Creeping forward, she made a concerted effort to exaggerate her meekness.

“I won’t bite, I promise,” Anon whispered, holding his free hand to his chest.

Yet another reinforcement that he wasn’t there to harm her, this time verbally. Either he was a skilled liar or his act was genuine, though she was inclined to believe the latter. His features, relatively flat compared to a pony’s, were smooth and relaxed. A pair of eyes sat above a small, pointed nose, which was oriented over a smiling mouth.

Resting her hoof in his hand, he gently shook it once and released it. Taking a step back, she sank to her haunches. Her eyes played over him, drinking in every detail she could. Friendly or not, knowledge was power, so she needed to glean as much information about him as possible as quickly as possible - still, she had no idea of what he was.

“Golly! I don’t think I’ve ever met anycreature like you before,” she murmured, her childlike voice ringing in her ears.

“I suppose you haven’t,” he chuckled, shaking his head wistfully. “I’m...not really from around here…”

“Not from Ponyville?” she asserted, in an effort to determine her proximity to the village.

“Not Ponyville or even Equestria, no,” he mumbled, looking past her. 

A faint sadness tinged his reply, and his gaze was unfocused. To all but the most astute observer, his statement simply meant he was from some distant land, yet there was something deeper to it. Seizing hold of the opening, she shuffled forward and chose her words wisely.

“So you’re from far away then? Oh, is it near Mount Aris? Our teacher told us all about the hippogriffs in school!” she chirped, beaming up at him.

Stoically, Anon shook his head. “No, further away than you can imagine,” he sighed, turning his attention towards her.

His remark and languid movements dripped of melancholy. While she was unsure of their exact source, she noted an opportunity to lay the foundations of a potential ally. Reassuringly patting his thigh, her smile reached her eyes. If there was one thing she knew well, it was how to leverage at a weakness. 

“Well I’d love to hear about it sometime,” she began, before holding a hoof to her cheek. “Gee, where are my manners, I almost didn’t introduce myself! My name’s -”

“Cozy,” Anon breathed, cutting her off.

At the admission, her grin faltered. The fact that he knew her name was remarkably startling and put her on the back-hoof. If he was aware of who she was, chances were high that he was also informed on what she’d done. Bolstering herself, her eyes didn’t waver from his.

“Yup, that’s me! I’m a student at the school of friendship,” she giggled, edging nearer. 

There was still a faint chance that she could bluff him, even if he was versed in the events of the past. Were he ignorant of her history, she’d be exceedingly lucky, though she’d prefer not to place her bits in that uncertain basket. With little to work with, having mentioned the academy, she settled upon a deflective tactic.

“Have you heard about the school of friendship? Gosh, there are so many different creatures who go there! I bet they’d love to meet you!” she exclaimed, hoping he’d take the bait.

“Yeah, I know about the school. I spent a good bit of time there, shortly after I arrived, that’s where I first heard about you,” he sullenly replied, peering into the distance.

“W...well what did you hear? Nothing bad, I hope!” Cozy stammered, his assertion practically solidifying her fears. 

With her mind going into overdrive, playing over multiple possible scenarios of how the situation would unfold, she didn’t notice his hand shift. She started, as he tenderly patted her head. Caught off guard, she went rigid, yet held her ground.

“Cozy, I know what you did. I learned of you and the school, how you were sent to Tartarus, and about when you, Queen Chrysalis, and Tirek nearly conquered Equestria,” he sighed, looking down at her.

Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks, madly scanning his face. Swallowing hard, willing her eyes to water, she resorted to her trump card. Leaning in, embracing his leg, she sobbed openly and pressed her cheek against him. It was her last hope, her ace in the hole, and her final chance at swaying him in her favor.

“D...did that mean old Twilight tell you those lies?” she sniffed, screwing her eyes shut.

Caressing her head, Anon’s fingers glid through her curly locks. While she couldn’t see it, she heard him take a heavy breath. If her ruse worked, and she prayed it would, she may well undo anything he’d heard about her. Listening to a mature pony’s lecture was one thing, but hearing contrary from a tear streaked filly was another.

“No, Princess Flurry was the one who told me…” he muttered, causing her to peek up at him.

“Who?” she blurted, taken aback by his words.

“Princess Flurry Heart,” he repeated, wiping her cheek with his thumb, “she’s the daughter of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor. She’s one of the reasons I’m here.”

Cozy paused, giving herself a moment to think. A veritable tsunami of mysteries needed addressing, so it was all she could do to triage them by importance. Whos, hows, and whys marked themselves as leading contenders to open with, even if none were more important than the others. Closing her eyes, abandoning her pitiable charade, she slowly inhaled.

“So you’re under Flurry’s orders then?” she pried, keeping her tone level.

“Not exactly, no, although she did vouch for your release. Ultimately, it was Twilight’s decision,” Anon clarified.

“So Twilight is still in charge, perfect,” Cozy groaned, rolling her eyes. Before she could continue with a follow up question, the man affixed her with a cool, joyless smile.

“It’s…complicated,” he uneasily stated, shifting in place.

“Then why don’t you explain it,” she grunted, her patience waning. Furrowing her brow, she glared up at him expectantly.

“Cozy, do you know how long you’ve been imprisoned?” Anon asked, his eyes meeting her own.

Studying him, Cozy got to her hooves and took a step backward. His query, while apparently simple, was anything but. Truth be told, she couldn’t tell how long she’d been locked in stone. Unable to move, trapped and forced to watch the world pass by for so long, the concept of time had gradually lost meaning.

The first few years were relatively clear, with distinct memories of ponies, yaks, griffons, changelings, and the other various races of Equestria taking pilgrimage to visit the wicked trio. How she’d reviled them all, silently screaming at each and every one of them. As the days turned to months, then years, her punishment’s true torment took hold.

No matter what she did, regardless of how much she begged or cried, not a soul could hear her. Eventually, things steadily lost focus. Days and nights almost seemed to blend together, while the rest of the universe continued onward. Whether it was a psychological coping mechanism, the inevitable throes of madness, or perhaps both, her consciousness had become a morass of vitriol and grief, robbing her of the ability to measure the flow of time.

“Alright, how long has it been?” Cozy relented, unable to answer him.

“Long enough for things to have changed, but I can’t give you an exact number,” he said, rubbing his neck. “Like I said, it’s complicated.”

“So, let me get this straight,” she groaned, pinching the bridge of her snout with a hoof, “possibly hundreds of years have passed, Flurry is grown now, and I got freed because…” Trailing off, she left the man to fill in the blank. With the ‘when’ roughly addressed, she steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Because I didn’t think it was fair,” Anon whispered, lowering his gaze.

“I...what?” Cozy sputtered, his confession hanging in the air. “You freed me?”

“No, but I fought for it…” he admitted. Holding a hand aloft, he wiggled his fingers at her. “No magic, so I needed help.”

Filing the tidbit of data about his lack of sorcery away, Cozy squinted up at him. “Ok, but why?” she pressed, determined to get to the bottom of it.

Very few things were making sense, though a couple of pieces were beginning to fall into place. A minimum of two Princesses were still around, she’d been freed, and a strange creature named Anon had, for whatever reason, allegedly contended for her release. If he was telling the truth about the matter, he still required some sort of motivation for doing so - so, taking that into account, she awaited his response. 


“I didn’t think it was right, that’s all,” he grumbled. “Isn’t that good enough?”

Mulling over the question, her gaze never wavered from his face. “If you know what I did, and if you believe it, no, it’s not,” she observed. “Besides, what’s stopping me from leaving? I do have wings, you know,” she added, spreading the feathered appendages on her back.

“Absolutely nothing is stopping you, but you’re smarter than that,” Anon replied. Giving her a shrug, he averted his gaze. “If you did fly off, you’d eventually get caught. Everyone in Equestria has read about you, so you wouldn’t get too far. You don’t have anywhere to go or anyone to turn to…”

“I…” Cozy’s rebuke died in her throat. 

There was truth in his words, as much as she hated to admit it. Were she to flee, without a plan, she’d likely be apprehended and thrown into a cell, or worse, returned to her stone imprisonment. With no allies to turn to, robbed of her ability to deceive ponies with her anonymity, and without the power from Grogar’s bell, she was virtually helpless.

“That still doesn’t explain why you wanted to help,” she shrewdly countered, latching on to his enigmatic motives.

“Maybe it’s since we have something in common…” he breathed, so faintly that she’d nearly missed him saying it.

Surprised by the utterance, Cozy’s curiosity piqued. She couldn’t see how his statement could be remotely accurate, unless he was some sort of villain himself. Reclining back, she gave him time to continue, yet he remained silent. “How?”

“Because I’m the only one of my kind here. I’m an outsider, you’re a pariah, neither one of us really belong here. Before you ask, it’s a long story,” Anon laughed weakly, gazing up at the stars.

Finding herself giving him her rapt attention, she cocked her head to the side. Given his delivery, she had to assume he was referring to all of Equestria. She felt confident he would elaborate, though his mention of belonging reminded her of something - here were two others who’d suffered the same fate as her.

Her mind strayed to Chrysalis and Tirek, her prior partners in crime. With the combined might of the changeling queen and the centaur, she’d nearly been able to topple an entire continent. While they’d had their differences, their teamwork had been remarkably effective, leaving her to wonder about their fate.

“Where are Chrysalis and Tirek?” she inquired, glancing around the meadow a second time.

“Still frozen as statues,” he noted.

His admission wasn’t shocking, yet it struck a chord. Knowing her former comrades were still stuck as statues, suffering an eternity of silent torment, she felt a pang of guilt. While she wouldn’t consider them friends, per se, they were certainly closer than anycreature ever had been. As she reflected on the pair, Anon rested his hand on her shoulder.

While she was pleased that she’d been extricated from her punishment, the bitterness and indignation of her sentence was still there. Impotent, especially without her companions, there was little she could do. Though she’d gained her freedom, she couldn’t truly say how much it was actually worth. Brushing off his hand, she scowled at her so-called liberator.

“Just what’s so special about me anyways? Why not Chrysalis or Tirek?” she growled, her temper flaring.

“Because you’re the best chance they have to get free,” Anon conceded. “And because I thought I could relate to you, help you, since we’re not that different…”

“How the heck could you relate? We couldn’t be more different!” Cozy groused, rolling her eyes. “Honestly, you come waltzing up here, after somehow convincing an alicorn or two to pardon me, and expect me to be friends with you? That has got to be the biggest…” her diatribe faded and died, when she noticed the look on his face.

Peering off into the nothingness of the heavens, a broken grin sat juxtaposed beneath his eyes. His breathing was heavy, the muscles in arms tensed, and his fingers sunk to the soft earth. If it was all some sort of trick, it was masterfully executed. For the second time, she was left to determine if he was putting on an act or being genuine, though she was inclined to believe the latter.

“First of all, I wasn’t expecting us to be friends - that’s earned, not given. Secondly, I wanted to talk to you because, like yourself, I don’t really have anyone else,” he spat, turning to glower at her.

Cozy shied away from the outburst, backing away from him. As startling as it was, she noticed a small, easily overlooked detail. Standing in contrast to his intimidating stance and angry tone, his eyes held a softness. Unlike the rest of him, practically bleeding resentment, his look was a pained one.

Attempting to lighten the mood, Cozy waved a hoof at him. “By all means, please help me understand…” she urged. If he talked, she may get a better understanding of her strange rescuer, as well as possibly helping build some rapport.

“I didn’t ask to come here - to Equestria. I was just living my life then Poof,” he exclaimed, theatrically waving his hands, “I’m stuck in magic horse land…”

“So, wait…” she began, in disbelief, “you just appeared here from another world or something?”

“As dumb as it sounds, yeah, basically,” Anon grunted.

“But you said you knew Flurry and Twilight, so you can’t be doing that badly for yourself,” Cozy attested, leveling a hoof at him.

“I’ve made friends with a few creatures, but that doesn’t mean I feel like I belong,” he admitted, his volume lowering considerably.

Cozy kept her mouth shut, giving him time to continue. A part of his claim resonated with her, although she was loath to admit it. While she was a pony, being able to blend in with the vast populace of the land, she’d never truly felt at home; akin in body, but not in spirit. Anon, on the other hand, seemed to have the opposite problem.

With few other options, she drew a breath, held it, and exhaled. Like he’d said, if she wanted to leave, she could, but she probably wouldn’t be able to get too far. Once she was recognized, she’d be ostracized - or worse. A pained laugh escaped her, as she came to grips with the situation.

Like it or not, at that moment, Anon was all she had. In a sense, he’d been her salvation; he had released her from her confinement, yet brought her into a world in which she was eternally branded as a traitor and ne'er-do-well. The reality was a painful one, conjuring a maelstrom of feelings. On one hoof, she held the happiness of freedom - on the other, the crippling weight that she would be an outcast was a heavy burden.

Joining him, looking up at the evening sky, she struggled with her inner turmoil. Cutting through the smoke of her warring emotions, two choices shone; either she placed her trust in this stranger’s hands, hoping his intentions were pure, or she attempted to strike out alone. Neither option was enormously appealing, but one clearly surpassed the other.

The crushing realization was soul-rending. Throughout her existence, she’d been able to connive or talk her way out of nearly every situation, barring her experiences with Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Her confinement in Tartarus and her time trapped as a statue were different; being robbed of the ability to choose one’s fate, while frightful, wasn’t as utterly terrifying as not knowing what to do.

Cozy’s entire life had revolved around choices, and she prided herself in her cunning. Unlike many, she always thought several steps ahead, calculating multiple possibilities and setting up countermeasures for potential problems, but this was unlike anything she’d faced before. The board had been reset and stacked against her.

She was without allies, carefully laid schemes, or a single resource to fall back on. It was ironic; her cutie mark, a rook, the most versatile and tactical piece in all of chess, in that moment, felt unfitting. There were no more moves to make, not a single piece to utilize, she’d lost every option she had - it was a checkmate.

The comprehension that she’d traded one cage for another caused something to shift and fracture inside of her. She wasn’t sure if she could ever regain what she’d lost. Adrift, unsure, alone, and scared, her eyes began to water. Try as she might, she couldn’t stem the inescapable tide of doubt and sorrow. For the very first time, she was lost.

Closing her eyes, fighting back the tears, something wrapped around her back. A warm embrace, a hushed reassurance, and affectionate stroking of her shoulder demolished what little resolve she had. Leaning into Anon, sobbing against him, she wept. In spite of not truly knowing who he was, he lent her relief.

She couldn’t say how long she’d stayed pressed against him, or what consolement he’d offered, yet she quietly whimpered in his arms. Bleeding out the pain was cathartic beyond words. Slowly, as time passed, her thoughts cleared to a degree. Left in a haze, an incomprehensible calm settled upon her.

“It’ll get easier,” Anon murmured, leaning back slightly. Fishing into his pocket, he retrieved a handkerchief and handed it to her. “Trust me…it will…”

“How?” Cozy snuffled, wiping her snout.

“Time, patience, showing everyone that you can change,” he sighed, wiping a tear from her cheek.

“I...I don’t know if I can…” she confessed, honestly uncertain that she could.

“If you want to get them free, you’ll have to try…” Anon softly noted.

“Set who -” Cozy’s question fell flat, when she realized who he was speaking of. “Chrysalis and Tirek?” she curiously sniffed. Anon nodded once, affirming her suspicion. Her confusion honed to a razored point, as she grappled with the notion. “You want to set them loose?”

“Yes,” he bluntly replied, turning to stare at her. “They’ve suffered for long enough, you of all ponies know that, don’t you think?”

Cozy sat mute, processing his statement. He wasn’t wrong about her knowing how hellish the ordeal of being a statue was, although that didn’t explain why he sought to release the changeling and centaur - or did it. Either he was horribly naive or hopelessly optimistic - potentially both; regardless, he had a point.

She was, without a doubt, the most surreptitious and strategically minded creature she knew of. Arrogant though the assertion may seem, she’d accomplished amazing and terrible things before and she could likely do so again, with enough time and effort. Still, there was one thing nagging at her - something she needed an answer for.

“What’s in it for you?” she asked, meeting his gaze.

“Honestly, not much, but I think you have a lot to offer the world,” Anon stated. “Like I said, things have changed since you’ve been gone. It’s not like you’ll be able to run amuck or anything, what with Flurry and I keeping an eye on you, so there’s not too much to worry about,” he chuckled, patting her shoulder. “But, if you wanted, I think you could make a difference.”

“Oh, sure, Cozy Glow the Great and Magnanimous,” she retorted cynically.

“I know it’s a pretty big stretch, yet if there was any villain who could really turn things around for everyone, I think it would be you,” he continued, his laughter dying off.

“Yeah, well, I guess we’ll see,” Cozy grunted, pushing herself up. Emotionally exhausted, hungry, and needing time to digest everything from the last hour, she handed his handkerchief back. “I don’t suppose you brought anything to eat with you?”

“No, but I’ve got food at my place,” Anon admitted, getting to his feet. “It’s not too far of a walk,” he added, pointing towards the treeline.

“Lead the way,” she urged, trying to sound optimistic.

Trotting alongside and slightly behind Anon, Cozy followed the strange creature. There was so much more she needed to know, so many unaccounted variables, that she was left feeling overwhelmed. Maybe a new life awaited her, redemption, a new chance to conquer the world, or inevitable imprisonment - truthfully, she couldn’t say. 

Regardless of what happened, as she walked towards her unknown destination, she’d been given a second chance; what she chose to do with it was hers and hers alone. Peering up at the crescent moon above, she couldn’t help but wonder what the future held for her…