Later that evening, both of them sat in the sofa watching the somehow-not-magic box, sharing a bowl of salty potato shards.
Cozy chuckled every time one of the humans on the screen insisted on wearing a high hat and sunglasses every place he went, no matter how ridiculous or out of place it looked.
She was about to reach for another handful of chips when she realised something.
She was actually enjoying herself!
Something was wrong here…
“What is going on…?” She asked out loud.
Sunset pointed to one of the characters on TV. “Well, that guy is secretly a robot who--”
“No, I meant this! Why do you keep acting like this? Why are you being so nice to me?”
Sunset didn’t say anything as her expression changed to dead serious. She muted the sound on the television and moved to sit down on the table, in front of her.
“I’m being nice to you because you deserve it, Cozy Glow.”
…
For once in her life, Cozy was completely speechless.
She had always had a response to everything anyone had ever said to her and yet now she didn’t know what to say.
“Wha… What…?”
She desperately racked her brain for anything that could possibly explain Sunset’s motivation, but no answer came to her.
“Because you deserve it,” Sunset repeated, as if it was the surest thing in the world.
Cozy couldn’t believe what she was hearing!
Why was she telling her this? What angle could she possibly have?
“You… You don’t know what you’re saying! Do you have any idea what I've done…? I’m evil!”
Sunset nodded in response. “Yes, you have done some horrible things, but you’re not evil, Cozy. You’re just misguided.”
“What!?” Cozy Glow rose from the couch in fury. “No I’m not!” she screamed. “I read up on how to steal all of Equestria’s magic! I convinced Tirek to help me! I tricked everpony at the School of Friendship, including Twilight Sparkle! I got Tirek and Chrysalis working together, and I even got sent to Tartarus! I did that! Me!”
Sunset still sat there with serene smile on her face. Completely calm, despite Cozy’s outburst. “And why did you do all that?” She asked.
“To establish myself as undisputed Empress of all Equestria, of course!”
“And then what? All of Equestria bows to you. Now what do you do?”
“Whatever I wanted!”
“What about the sun and the moon? Who would have moved them once you’ve drained Celestia and Luna of their magic?”
Cozy though about it for a moment, but quickly came to the only real answer. “I would have!”
“Keep in mind that you’re a Pegasus who’s never studied or practiced magic before. Even with all that magic at your disposal, do you really think you could move two celestial bodies four times a day, every day?”
“I… I could learn…!”
“What if Tirek and Chrysalis decided they didn’t need you anymore? Do you think you could have stopped them, with or without magic? And what if nobody at the school would have listened to you? What if Discord never let you out from Tartarus?”
No answer came as Cozy lowered her gaze. She really hadn’t considered any of those things.
“This is what I mean. For all your planning and scheming, none of that ever occurred to you. You always assumed everything would go exactly how you imagined it.“
“Are you saying I’m stupid?” Cozy growled.
Sunset shook her head. “It’s not about being stupid," she replied. "You’re a very smart child, Cozy. No other filly could have done what you did. But you’re still a child.”
Child…
That word kept spinning inside Cozy's head.
“That… That doesn’t matter!” She screamed. “If anything, that proves I’m evil! The Princess of Friendship said so herself!”
Sunset’s gaze turned cold for a second. “This isn’t about Twilight, Cozy. This is about you! And I’m telling you, you’re not evil!”
Cozy just couldn’t understand what was happening.
Was this her true punishment all along? To be patronised by this unicorn the rest of her life?
She looked up when she felt a hand on her knee. Sunset looked at her with the same warm expression she’d given her ever since they met.
“You’re an orphan, aren’t you?” She asked.
Cozy frowned, but didn’t answer.
“Yeah, I figured. So am I.”
“So what?” Cozy spat back. “You think we’re alike, is that it?”
“That’s right," Sunset replied. "I used to be a lot like you. I used to lie and manipulate everyone I met. I even used physical harm to get power over people. And the only reason I did all that was because I thought that power would bring me what I desperately needed. The love nobody ever showed me…”
She deflated a little from the memory. “It took me several years… Many hours of therapy to realise this. That I was just acting out to get attention... If anyone would have realised that – stopped trying to punish me for what I did wrong and actually tried to help me – it would have saved me a lot of pain.” Sunset placed her hands on Cozy’s shoulders. “I will not let the same thing happen to you!”
Tears began to flow from Cozy’s eyes. She didn’t know why, but she hated it. She hated how Sunset made her feel.
Like a helpless, little child…
“Shut up! You don’t know anything about me!” A large sob interrupted her. “Just shut up…”
“I know you’re scared, Cozy. You’re scared that everyone you meet will betray you, so you try and get even with them before that happens. But you also revel in the attention they give you when you manipulate them. It’s the only meaningful interaction with others you've had for a long time.”
Slowly, Sunset moved to the couch and hugged the girl. “I know you think you have to be evil because that is what people expect of you, but I’m telling you, it doesn’t have to be that way…”
She ended the hug and looked straight into Cozy’s eyes. “I know you don’t trust me yet and that I really need to prove myself before you do, but I promise you that no matter what happens or what you’ve done up to this point, I’ll always be there for you.”
With one final embrace, Cozy Glow broke down.
Every single negative feeling that had been bottled up inside of her came pouring out of her. She desperately clung to Sunset and cried until she ran out of tears...