“Must we have these meetings?” Chrysalis groused, cautiously easing herself into one of the septet of thrones. With bandaged gauze over portions of her flank and shoulder, covering the worst of her injuries, she wasn’t the only wounded creature at the table.
“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Anon hummed. Reaching out and offering her a glass of orange juice, he winced. No better off than the obsidian Queen, his torso was heavily wrapped and one arm rested in a sling. “Besides, it’s not like you don’t like your morning cupcake.”
“I told you to stop fetching me these infernal treats,” the changeling grumbled, eyeing the lone frosted pastry amongst the tray of muffins. “If you keep pushing yourself and making trips to the bakery, you won’t be able to properly escort me around the castle.”
Flurry groaned and slumped forward, resting her forehead on the table. “Do we have to complain every morning,” she murmured. Pushing herself up, she wearily peered at the two with her one unharmed eye.
Smiling smugly to herself, Chrysalis made no attempt to hide her amusement. “Have you summoned a milliner yet?”
“I am not going to get a pirate hat!” the Princess huffed, leaning back to cross her forelegs over her chest. Much like her companions, the Tree’s trial left her in a rather shabby state. Battered, bruised, and wearing an eye-patch, she was far from unscathed - still, like her friends, she would recover.
“You know, Princess of Pirates does have a pretty cool ring to it,” Anon chuckled. Holding up his good hand, he began counting off on his fingers. “I mean, it’s not like you didn’t disobey orders, confront your mentor, hijack a train -”
“If you don’t stop, I’m gonna dub you Sir Anon the Dullard,” Flurry rebuked, leering over at the man. “After all, it was your idea to try and punch the embodiment of a force of nature!”
Content to let the scene play out, Cozy silently munched upon a blueberry muffin. The week following the incident had been, at best, rather tense. Though Anon and Chrysalis had regained consciousness hours after the battle, Flurry had slept for the better part of three days. She was left to believe that the strain of expending such a profound amount of magic, paired with the beating she’d received, was to blame for the Princess’ protracted slumber.
All in all, she counted her blessings. Her friends, despite having been thoroughly thrashed, would be alright. What damage there was to the town was being repaired and, for the most part, Ponyville’s residents were handling the situation well. Having had a few onlookers see her speaking with the Tree’s avatar, news of the event had spread rapidly throughout the city. Those dubious souls who found the story unbelievable had stood corrected, after Flurry awakened and sent out royal couriers.
Even before the Princess’ revival, Anon and Chrysalis had been hailed as heroes of the realm. Having bravely leapt to Flurry’s defense, thoughtlessly fighting to protect the alicorn, the pair were viewed with reverence almost overnight. Even the changeling, as recalcitrant as she was, had somehow managed to handle her celebrity status - that, or some part of her secretly appreciated the praise.
Of course, Cozy had busied herself throughout. Being the only member of her party who hadn’t been harmed, she’d taken to exaggerating certain facts and downplaying others. There’d been no overt deception of the public, just subtle manipulations to embellish her friends’ valor. Outside of explaining their actions some umpteen dozen times, to the city’s inhabitants and visiting dignitaries alike, she’d done what she could to help with logistics.
Her first order of business had been to write correspondence to the various nations of the Empire, relaying the news of what had transpired and of Flurry’s ascendance to the Princess of Equestria - of course, she’d waited for the alicorn to come to prior to making any official declarations. The remainder of her time had been spent giving suggestions to the construction crews, ensuring the infrastructure in town was maintained, and tending to her friends.
Tirek and Discord were still petrified, but Flurry assured her that it was only temporary; once the alicorn had fully regained her strength, she vowed to free the two of them. Cozy was unsure how the centaur and draconequus would react, especially with everything which had transpired, but she was sure they’d manage. The Lord of Chaos played by his own rules, with or without supervision, while she felt certain that her former ally would see reason.
“Should you bequeath Anon with such an unfitting title, don’t be surprised if you wake up to find yourself with a resin-covered peg leg,” Chrysalis snickered, eyeing the Princess.
Twisting her head, leering over at the shapeshifter, Flurry reached under the table and produced a fly swatter. Be darned if Cozy knew where the Princess had gotten the mockery of a weapon, yet she’d obtained one all the same. The sight evoked a guffaw from Anon, immediately followed by a less energetic, slightly pained titter. The Queen simply stared at the alicorn, squinting menacingly.
“You wouldn’t dare,” the changeling hissed, setting her cupcake down.
“Alright, that’s enough of that,” Cozy interjected, flitting to the map’s polished surface and interrupting the impending quarrel. Clearing her throat, she held her head high. “Since the Tree left me in charge, I -”
Her three companions immediately erupted into a chaotic mixture of dismissive laughter and halfhearted protests. Smiling as innocently as she could, looking to each of them in turn, a curious feeling filled her chest. It was a singular sensation, something she hadn’t experienced since she’d allied herself with Tirek and Chrysalis - she felt like she belonged…