//------------------------------// // Chapter 2-3: Let's Go Bowling! // Story: The Social Rejects Squad: Loose Ends // by Betty_Starlight //------------------------------// Cozy saw the statue of Queen Chrysalis in the middle of the courtyard. She also saw a burly grey unicorn just to the right of it, whose brown mane swept out the back of his ballcap. He looked up and frowned before using his magic to lift the heavy black sledgehammer in its orange glow. The hammer swings back in mid-air and then forward again to smash Chrysalis’s right foreleg. Cozy then sees her own right foreleg begin to disappear, the same as the smashed stone of the statue before waking up with a cold sweat on her brow. She clutches her beloved giant teddy bear while laying on her right side. “Oh golly! What in Equestria could that mean?” she whispers, half to herself, and half to Mr. Bearington. <*****> Cozy Glow watched from the other side of the metal railing 10 feet away as a blue earth stallion held it in his right forehoof and danced forward on his hind legs to throw the heavy bowling ball ahead into the lane and knock over 8 pins for the dreaded seven-ten split. She looks over at Starlight to her right and says, “So you wanted an activity that creatures of all ages could enjoy… And you picked bowling?” Starlight smiles while looking over at the pink filly, “Yup!” Cozy eyes Starlight sternly from the bench, “Um, don’t you think the ponies in this alley are gonna freak out when they see a big black changeling queen marching through here escorted by Royal Guards?” Starlight looks beyond Cozy and says, “I dunno Chrysalis? You see any ponies freaking out over your presence here?” Cozy turns to her left and finally notices the pink earth mare with a flowing blond mane and a tale of the same color. Her mane is in a 'bun' wrapped in a red bow while her tail is mid-length and slightly stringy. She smiles silently at Cozy while sitting on the bench next to her. Her blue eyes glimmer slightly as she says, “I’m doing just fine!” in a monotone vocoder voice. “Oh golly! That sure is a swell disguise Chrysalis!” Chrysalis sneers broader, “I manage!” Little Snack speaks up from the other side of Starlight, where she’s standing to the right of Starshine and across from Cozy, “So um, are we gonna get to it or what?” Starlight smiles at the group, “Very well! Each go collect your balls and meet me at lane four!” “Ugh! Remind me again why I’m actually going through with this nonsense?” Chrysalis says before she gets to her hooves from the bench and trots behind Little Snack and Starshine to get her ball. Cozy quickly notices and trots to get behind Chrysalis The 3 ponies and disguised changeling make it to the ball pit and Cozy trots down and gets on her haunches to grab a black ball from the metal rail with her forehooves. She strains to pick it up before setting it back down and then looks to the left of it and tries the blue one there by picking it up instead. She Manages to raise it much easier than the first and so she rolls it down her legs and grabs it with her mouth in the holes before going back to all fours and turning to face the pink earth mare staring at the balls. Little Snack sees this and shrugs before leaning on the banister to collect the black ball with her mouth while Starshine smiles magically snags a red ball on the other side in her pale blue glow. Starlight holds a bright blue bowling ball to her right, levitated in her violet glow as she stares at Chrysalis, “Aren’t you going to get a ball?” “Why?” the changeling snaps at her while her face quickly moves to the slight right. “Well, we were going to go bowling as part of your reformation, remember?” “But I don’t wish to be reformed…” Chrysalis says before turning her head and smiling at the unicorn. Cozy puts the ball down with her mouth, sighs, and looks at the pink mare, “Chrysalis, remember when we worked together to get the Bewitching Bell all that time ago?” Chrysalis looks at Cozy to her left, “Yes foal! What of it?” Cozy frowns while looking up at her with bright auburn eyes, “Well, during that time, you and Tirek trusted me to get you across the bridge. Remember when I flew it back to you?” Chrysalis frowns and says, “So?” “So," Cozy leans forward, "what I mean is, do you trust me now?” “What are you asking?” Chrysalis inquires while frowning with a grim look in her eyes. Cozy smiles, “Do you trust me now to help you over this chasm, just like I did back then?” Chrysalis leans forward and says sharply, “This isn’t a chasm you twit! They’re talking about reforming me and making me… Ugh! Nice!” “You know, it’s really not so bad Chrysalis?” Cozy says before looking off to the side and lightly fluffing her wings. “Maybe for a weakling like you!” Cozy looks at Chrysalis with narrow eyes and a frown, “Are we really gonna do this again? Here?” “No, we will not! I will return to the school right now, you will turn me back to stone, and then you will leave me alone, forever!” “Uh, hey Chrysalis?” Starshine says as she stares at the changeling from her right. Chrysalis turns to her and snaps, “What do you want filly?” Starshine flinches as her long mane sways back and she shuts her eyes. She then stares back at Chrysalis with her blue eyes as her white mane moves forward again and she nervously asks, “Have you ever been bowling?” Chrysalis raises her head and demands at a higher volume, “What does that have to do with anything?” Starshine gulps before looking back up at Chrysalis, “Have you ever been bowling before Chrysalis? Yes or no?” Chrysalis squints down at the deep purple filly, “Well, no… If you must know, I’ve never been bowling before…” “Well, who knows Chrysalis? You might have fun?” Starshine says in her squeaky feminine voice while tilting her head to the right. She straightens herself and smiles, “Besides, it’s not like you have anything better to do!” “Oh, but I have revenge and taking over Equestria!” Cozy yelps, “Well maybe? But first, you gotta throw a heavy ball at some pins!” before smiling. “Come on bug horse! Let’s go!” She says, picking up her ball with her mouth and turning to face lane 4. Chrysalis watches this incredulous little brat cross the aisle to the other side, where she sets her ball down with her mouth, stares back at Chrysalis and smiles before saying, “Come on! Let’s bowl!” as her body lightly vibrates with each word. Chrysalis squints her eyes before turning back to the banister and leaning onto it with her forehooves and then uses her mouth to lift a yellow bowling ball from the metal rack. Then, she trots slowly towards lane 4 as Starshine cautiously backs up to give her space. Cozy smiles and stares out to lane 4. She gets to her haunches and reaches down with her right forehoof to secure the ball with the holes. She drops it to her side before using her hind hooves to dance across the wood, veering to the left sloppily and throwing her ball shoddily to lane 4 on her right where it promptly goes into the gutter and slowly slides to the end of the lane and drops out of sight beyond that. Chrysalis sets the ball down with her teeth on the left side of Cozy with the other two fillies, starts while widening her eyes, and asks, “What was that?” Starshine frowns from Chrysalis's back right, “Uh, I think it was an attempt at bowling?” Little Snack yelps from the other side, “That was terrible!” as her body shakes. Cozy turns to face the trio, “Golly! That bad huh?” “Well!” Little Snack says as she takes two paces forward, “Your legwork is your main problem Cozy. If you can get control of your hind hooves, you should have an easier time throwing the ball straight. Now here comes your ball! Let’s see what you can do for the spare!” “And hold your right forehoof straight as you release the ball to keep it’s direction true!” Chrysalis adds with her head high at Cozy while the pink filly stares back at the pink earth mare visage. Cozy turns and picks up her blue ball with her teeth as it slides in through the metal railing and then goes across the aisle to get in front of lane 4 once more. She gets on her haunches and grabs her ball with her forehooves from her mouth to put her right forehoof in the holes before lowering it to her right side once more. She takes a deep breath, in and then out with her mouth before beginning to lurch forward on her hind hooves, right, left, right, and then left again quickly before releasing her ball and doing her level best to keep her body straight as she does. The ball flies out of her right forehoof and lands on the lane before smashing over the 3 pins on the right side. Starshine uses her magic at the desk by the bench to jot down notes on a scorecard. Chrysalis says, “Well, if I must bowl with you foals, I shall take my turn now!” before getting her yellow ball with her mouth using the holes and trotting to the front of lane 4 while Cozy moves to her right to get out of the way. She puts it down in front of lane 4 before getting to her haunches and carefully grasping the holes with her right forehoof. She uses her left forehoof to raise the ball to her face, takes a deep breath, and begins to move forward on her hind hooves as she brings the ball back with her right foreleg and throws it forward. The ball slams into the wood of the lane and careens towards the right side of the pin and then near the end of the run, it curves to left to strike down 8 pins. Chrysalis only missed the 9 and 10 pins on the far-right side! Cozy widens her eyes and says, “Golly! See if you can pick up the spare Chrysalis!” as her little body jitters. “Ugh!” Chrysalis says before she gets back to her hooves, turns, and trots over to the ball reclamation table behind the lane. Her yellow ball soon appears in the hole and slides up the metal railing so Chrysalis can pick it up with her teeth and trot back to lane 4. She sets it down in front of her and gets to her haunches before using the holes to grasp the ball and looks ahead with it held firmly at her chin with her right forehoof once more. She thinks for a second before taking a step forward and then dances towards the pins on her hind legs before bringing her right forehoof with the ball back and swinging it forward to release the ball. The ball slams into the polished wood and soon into the far right 2 pins. Little Snack exclaims, “Okay! Eight pins on the first, plus the last two more on the spare! That’s ten points!” Chrysalis turns around and stares at Little Snack with the blue eyes she gave her character and says, “Is that good?” while scrunching her mouth. Little Snack says, “Yeah Chrissy er, Chrysalis! That’s a very good! Especially for your first turn ever in the history of anything!” Starshine says from the desk at Little Snack’s right, “Uh, yeah Chrysalis! You might have a talent here that you never knew about?” before looking back to her right and causing the pen to glow blue once more as it writes some more numbers on the scorecard. Chrysalis squints at Starshine as she trots back to the bench next to Cozy, and Starshine looks to her right at the ball pit and magically lifts her red bowling ball with a blue glow to float it to her in front of the lane. Chrysalis shakes her head and trots back to the bench next to Cozy. Little Snack is standing behind Starshine as the filly looks forward and she gets up to her haunches. She grabs the holes of the ball with her left forehoof and uses her right to control it as it lifts to her chin. She dances forward on her hind hooves and swings the ball back behind her before throwing it forward with her left forehoof to throw the ball just to the left of the center pin and she knocks over 7 pins, leaving the 7 pin on the left and the 9 and 10 pins to the right. She smiles and says, “Okay! Now about that spare!” before looking at the ball pit to her right and waiting on her ball to come up on the metal track. Her ball soon appears up the conveyor and her horn and it both shine blue before the ball levitates back to the floor in front of Starshine where it soon stops glowing. She looks back up at the lane before she gets to her haunches and plants her left forehoof into the holes once more and brings the ball to her chin using her right, same as before. She takes a deep breath and begins to move forward on her hind hooves, left and then right, before swinging it back behind her and then, flails her left forehoof forward to throw the ball. It appears to be heading straight at the 2 pins on the right before veering off to the right completely into the gutter and missing everything. “Rats!” Starshine curses under her breath. “My turn!” Little Snack says before she goes to the ball pit to collect her black bowling ball with her mouth. She briskly trots back to lane 4 on the other side of the alley and puts her ball in front of her as she stares forward. She briefly stares up with her green eyes before grunting cutely as she gets to her haunches. She then places her right forehoof into the holes of the ball and stares down the lane at the pins. She says, “Okay! Time to knock over some pins!” before taking a right and then a left step as she brings the ball back and repeats those steps again before throwing her ball to the wood. It flies down the aisle much faster than the other three towards the right side of the pins and then curves to the left quickly to strike the center pin causing all the other pins to collapse as the ball flies to the back towards the left and down out of sight! Little Snack watches from all four hooves with her green eyes and screams, “Yay! I got a strike!” as her little orange body bounces up and down. She trots to the ball reclamation lane to her right and arrives just as her black ball appears out of the hole. She gets to her haunches to collect it with her teeth and trots back up to lane 4. She sets the ball down with her mouth as she looks down the lane before standing up to her haunches and grabs the ball in the holes with her right forehoof and uses her left to help bring it to her chin from underneath. She takes a deep breath before trotting forward on her hind hooves once more, right, left, and then right before swinging her right forehoof back and to throw her ball forward towards the pins while taking a final left step forward with her left hind hoof. The ball crashes into the wood and glides towards the right and ends up knocking down all but the 3 far left pins. “Okay! That’s seventeen!” Little Snack exclaims as she jitters on her four hooves. She trots back to the bench and takes a seat next to Cozy. Chrysalis is on the other side of Cozy and Starshine is on the other side of Chrysalis. <*****> Cozy glances to the disguised changeling on her right and asks, “Whatcha thinkin about?” before smiling. Chrysalis starts as she shakes her head slightly, “Oh uh, nothing…” Cozy frowns, “You know, your eyes are disguised, but I still know that look." She leans forward slightly and says lower, "You’re thinking of doing something naughty, huh?” Chrysalis flinches to Cozy on her left and says in a much lower tone, “Well, if you must know, I was thinking I could just attack Starlight as she’s taking her turn…” as the magenta unicorn begins to hind hoof trot towards lane 4 with the ball in her forehoof. Cozy smiles bigger, “But you’re not going to, are you? Otherwise, you never would’ve told me this!” Chrysalis anxiously whispers, “Well, she’s not alone!” “Oh, please Chrysalis! None of us could stop you! You can just take her down right now and trot out! Head south to the badlands or maybe north to the Everfree forest?" Cozy leans forward while beaming broadly, "But you’re not going to, are you?” Chrysalis stares out at the empty bowling alley. “I guess this place isn’t that busy during a Tuesday afternoon?” “You won’t escape or take revenge or anything of the sort will you Chrysalis? This can only mean that you’ve been thinking about things and stuff… Wanna talk about it?” “I have nothing to discuss with you brat!” Chrysalis snaps as she shakes her head to the pegasus. Cozy frowns, “Chrysalis, I haven’t known you for very long… But you know, I can’t help but wonder if maybe you just got some bad advice?” Chrysalis widens her eyes, “And just what are you insinuating?” Cozy smiles again, “Well, like I already said, the changeling kingdom to the west does okay, without needing to take in extra love… Why not you Chrysalis?” “What?” “Why can’t you also do better?” “Now you look!” Chrysalis says before getting to her hooves in front of the bench and staring down at Cozy angrily, “Because of that unicorn up there, my hive betrayed me! I lost everything I had ever known! And now… now…” Chrysalis looks down. “What Chrysalis?” Cozy asks while frowning as her brown eyes grow wide with concern. Chrysalis looks back up with tears in her eyes, “I have nothing… And there’s nothing left… Why can’t any of you ponies see that? I don’t want to be reformed. I just want to be destroyed!” “Well golly gee, Chrysalis! You know, you got me?” “What?” Chrysalis asks before looking up and scanning the two fillies and the unicorn in front of the lane to verify that nopony heard them. “I’m saying I’m your friend Chrysalis… “Cozy says before smiling. Chrysalis stares back to the pegasus and says, “Why would you want to be my friend?” before wiping her face off with her right forehoof and looking down as her blue eyes shimmer a distinctive pale green color. “Because friendship is power!” Cozy says with a wide evil grin on her face. Chrysalis starts, “Wait what?” “Just kidding!” Cozy says before softly giggling to herself and saying, “But seriously Chrysalis, teaming up with you and working together all that time ago was kinda fun, huh?” while looking up at Chrysalis with her brown eyes. Chrysalis normalizes her mouth, “Well yeah…” “See? We already have a history together!” Cozy says before lightly fluffing her wings. “And just what exactly do you propose we do together as friends Cozy Glow?” “Hmm?” Cozy ponders as her mouth scrunches, “Well, how about bowling? We’re already here, right? And you’re not awful at it?” Starlight trots through the gate from the other side of the railing, “Whew! I rolled a nine!” “Golly, that’s just swell Starlight! Um, I guess it’s my turn again now, huh?” Cozy says while looking at the unicorn. “Sure thing Cozy! I’ll stay here with Chrysalis and your friends are already up there waiting on you!” Starlight says while smiling at the pegasus filly. Cozy gets to her hooves and says, “Golly, that sounds like fun!” before trotting past the desk towards lane 4. Starlight smiles at the pegasus filly as she trots back to her left and sits next to the pink earth mare disguised changeling. She stares at Chrysalis from the left and smiles, “So, it sure has been a long time!” Chrysalis softly giggles to herself, “I was actually hoping you’d be dead by the time they unfroze me!” “Guess that idea also went down the crapper?” Starlight says while scrunching her mouth. She adjusts it and breaths out, “I think we need to make amends!” Chrysalis frowns at the unicorn, “I presume you heard what I said to the brat earlier?” Starlight frowns, “I heard enough… Look! I already told you, a big part of your reformation is going to be getting over your past. And that includes making amends with me… If I’m to reform you, there can’t be any bad blood between us!” “While that does indeed make sense Starlight, you’re still missing the point… I don’t wish to be reformed!” Chrysalis says at Starlight while snapping and leaning forward defiantly. Starlight frowns and eyes the changeling grimly, “You keep saying that, but I gotta admit, your actions are telling a different story.” Chrysalis frowns, “What do you mean pony?” Starlight smiles again, “Well, you came here fairly willingly. And you even tried to help Cozy with her awful bowling.” “So?” “So, I think it’s time you get ready to admit something to yourself… That maybe you are willing to give it a shot?” Chrysalis stares at Starlight fiercely as her blue eyes turn a translucent green color on and off, “I will do no such thing! You got my hive to betray me! You destroyed my life! And now, I must destroy you!” as her equine body shakes intensely. Starlight smiles trots over to the front of the bench and the disguised changeling. She turns her body and faces her with a smile on her face and a look in her blue eyes. “What are you doing?” “Chrysalis, I don’t hate you!" She leans forward. "In fact, I want to help you!” “I don’t want your help!” “Then what do you want Chrysalis?” Starlight asks quizzically while leaning forward slightly. “I keep telling you to destroy me!” Starlight frowns and sighs, “You and I both know I can’t do that Chrysalis…” “Then it appears we are at an impasse…” Chrysalis somberly says. Cozy excitedly hops while standing near the bench and looking to the changeling on her right, “Did you see? Did you see? I got five pins that time!” and smiles and beams. * Starlight looks to Cozy and says, “That’s great Cozy!” while smiling. “Ugh!” Chrysalis exclaims before rolling her eyes. “I suppose it’s my turn once more?” She then trots over to the ball pit in front of the waiting area on the right and collects her yellow ball from the metal rack with her teeth while standing on her haunches to reach. Then she clacks back to her hooves and turns her body right to trot to lane 4. She arrives and stares down the lane before setting her ball down and getting to her haunches. She collects the ball with her right forehoof and brings it to her chin with her left. “Okay… Time to bowl!” she whispers to herself before looking forward as her blond mane swings back lightly with a small gust of air. She takes a breath before trotting forward on her hind hooves a few paces and swings the ball back behind her to throw it forward. It slams into the polished wood of the lane and flies forward with some velocity to strike the 3 pin, just to the right of the center pin and the pins begin to collapse as the ball flies to the unseen part of the lane and everypony sees the only remaining pin is the 7 pin on the far left side. “Excellent!” Chrysalis says to herself. Then she looks down and turns to trot to the ball reclamation area to the railing there. “Having fun Chrysalis?” Cozy asks from the left side as her body shakes. “Ugh! What do you want?” Chrysalis says as she trots forward and gets to her haunches at the ball reclamation rack. “Just making friendly conversation!” Cozy says while smiling. “Well, if you must know, while I still find this whole outing preposterous, knocking over pins is at least somewhat amusing…” “Do you know what I thought about most when I was in stone Chrysalis?” Chrysalis starts and asks, “What?” with curious eyes and a scrunched mouth. “I thought about living again… I thought about all the things I used to do and how I used to have a life… I thought about the people I used to see and the things we’d do together…” ** “Oh?” Cozy looks up at her seriously, “I also thought about you Chrysalis… I thought about how you, I, and Tirek all worked as a team and I couldn’t help but wonder what we’d be doing together, if we weren’t trying to take over Equestria?” Chrysalis gets back to her hooves and looks back at the pegasus sternly, “I don’t think we would be friends honestly? Taking over Equestria was the only reason we all got together…” “Are you sure about that, Chrysalis?” Cozy asks while scrunching her mouth. “What do you mean Cozy?” “What I mean is, how do you know that? I’ve never met you!” “You stupid foal! I’ve met you plenty of times!” “Ugh!” Cozy sighs before looking down and shaking her head side to side. She looks back up and widens her eyes, “What I mean is, we’ve never been together in any situation that didn’t involve trying to take over Equestria. Remember how it was Chrysalis? We all pretty much stuck to ourselves at the hideout and the only the only time we really got together or talked about things when we had planning to do…" Cozy eyes up the fake pony, "You don’t know me Chrysalis!” “Nor would I want to brat!” Cozy smiles, “Oh, come on! It’ll be fun!” “No!” Little Snack looks up from Chrysalis's right and says, “I’ll be your friend Chrysalis?” Starshine suddenly appears from behind Chrysalis, closer to the lane, “I rolled 7 pins that time! And uh, what are we talking about?” Cozy looks to Starshine, beyond Chrysalis, smiles, and says, “Oh, Chrysalis here says she doesn’t want us as friends!” Starshine frowns, “Oh golly! That’s just silly! I like Chrysalis!” Little Snack speaks up from the other side, “Yeah! I wanted to have fun with her some more!” “W-what?” Chrysalis starts, “You three fillies were actually having fun with me?” “Yup!” Says Cozy as she beams brightly. “Uh, were you having fun Chrysalis?” she asks with an inquisitive look in her eyes while scrunching her mouth in nervous apprehension. “Well, at first, I didn’t really expect to enjoy myself…” Chrysalis sighs as she looks down. Then she stares back at Cozy, “But, yes foal. If you must know, I do enjoy bowling with you…” “Hey man!” Says a mellow masculine voice from the back that nopony recognizes. Chrysalis, Cozy, and Little all turn left to face the voice while Starshine perks her ears and glares right by turning her head to the voice. They all see the tan earth stallion standing there with a long brown mane, parted in the center and a matching goatee, and wearing a slightly darker tan jacket over a white shirt. He says, “Yeah I don’t know if anypony noticed me, but I was just at the bar slamming down a white Stalliongrad while waiting on my two friends. I heard you talking about taking revenge and taking over Equestria man, but have you ever thought about just living in the moment instead?” Chrysalis frowns at this upstart, “What do you mean?” “Well think about it man! Are you currently getting revenge or taking over Equestria right now?” “No! I’m tied up here and bowling with these fillies!” “Exactly man! Live in the moment! There will be time for other stuff later. Just try to have a good time and don’t worry about the other stuff right now, man!” Cozy stares at this strange stallion and frowns with a confused look in her eyes, “Man?” Chrysalis raises her voice, “You’re saying that since I’m here anyway, I might as well try to have a good time?” “Right!" He nods his head, "The here and now is all we get man! So just learn to have a good time, no matter what you’re doing, and life goes by easier…” Chrysalis scrunches her mouth at this absurd suggestion and the stallion soon trots back down the alley towards lane 10 on the other side.*** Cozy stares back at Chrysalis, “So uh, how about it Chrysalis? Wanna live in the moment with us and use some heavy balls to knock over some pins?” Chrysalis giggles and rolls her eyes before smiling at Cozy, “Uh, sure! Let’s bowl!” Chrysalis ponders this thought in her mind. Well, Cozy already clearly stated that even if I did intend to get revenge, I certainly can’t do it right now? And while she’s probably right, I must confess that knocking over pins is fun? Chrysalis nods and makes her decision before collecting her ball for the spare with her teeth and trotting up to the front of lane 4. She deposits the ball on the wood in front of her and raises her head to get on her haunches. She looks down and collects the ball with her right forehoof and uses her left to bring it to her chin. She takes a deep breath and begins to hind-hoof trot forward, right, left, right, left, before bringing the ball back with her forehoof at her side and throws it forward. It slams into the wood right towards the 7 pin and knocks it down on it’s way to the unseen region of the lane. Chrysalis smiles. And after she picked up the spare, the changeling, unicorn, and all three fillies bowled for the rest of the time and gave each other occasional banter. The final score was Little Snack 112, Chrysalis 91, Starshine 89, Starlight 82, and Cozy Glow 54. <*****> Later, in front of the bowling alley, Cozy is standing next to Starshine on the right while Chrysalis and two Royal Guards, both white unicorns in golden helms and greaves stood behind her stand on the other side. The glass entryway did not look especially busy or crowded and Cozy’s other two friends are behind her, Little Snack closer to the alley while Starshine is standing on the outside. “Golly, that sure was a lot of fun! How you doin Chrysalis?” Chrysalis frowns at the pegasus, “I thought it was a stupid idea to go bowling, but I gotta admit, I did have a good time bowling with you…” Cozy smiles, “So how bout it? You don’t bug us too much and bowling with you seems like a fun thing to do? We can do other stuff later too, if you like, friend?” “F-friend? You consider me a friend now, even though I literally have nothing to offer you?” “Um, golly Chrysalis? You have your company and companionship? And it’s fun playing with you!” “Yeah! I want more bug horse!” chimes in Little Snack from the side as her body shakes. “W-what? Idiots!” Chrysalis starts at the three fillies. Cozy scrunches her mouth, “Yeah, maybe? Wanna go bowling again next week Chrysalis?” “I-I’ll…” Chrysalis scrunches her currently equine mouth as she ponders once more. Well, it’s not like I have anything better to do. And it would get me out of that damnable castle. Baa! This is nonsense! Still… Chrysalis looks down at the smiling pegasus with her bluish white curls and friendly brown eyes. “I’ll…think about it!” “Sure thing Chrysalis! Let me know!” Cozy says while smiling. <*****> Cozy lays her head down on her pillow. Her bear is to her right and her dolphin to her left as she stares up at the ceiling in the darkened room while deep in thought. She thinks, Oddly enough, I think the bowling helped make her see that it’s not all bad? If Starlight truly wishes to reform her though, there will need to be more than that… She then hears a familiar voice coming from the wall in front of her bed, “Hello again, Cozy Glow!” Cozy raises her head to see the motley form of a familiar draconequus in the darkness, “Oh golly dammit! Not you again!” (To be continued…)