//------------------------------// // Chapter 10- The Dreaded Flu // Story: The Cozy Anthology // by Silvermyr //------------------------------// "Oh no… oh nononono…" Twilight whimpered, holding the sixth letter she had received from a neighbouring country that had decided to question her stunt with "Twilight Day". Why did she not think about this backlash? She was supposed to be a responsible Princess, but now in the eyes of every one of her allies she looked like an impudent filly with an overblown ego! How did she miss this? How did Cozy miss this? And Fancypants and… everypony? Another pitiful sound made it over her lips before she, barely, managed to fight down the most immediate panic so that she could start to think rationally about what to do about this issue. A public apology of course… and she would have to brief the Royal Council (and look like a complete fool)… she should probably convey the Equestrian army as well, just in case. And the fortifications along the border would have to be renovated and rearmed. A nationwide curfew… rationing of food and supplies… Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns would have to reinstitute combat magic as a mandatory class... And now that she thought about it… that time-walking spell Starlight had used had originally been invented by Starswirl. That meant he could probably reinvent it! Yes, perfect; she could just go back in time and prevent all this from happening and- She could almost feel her friends' confused stares upon her, even if they were not there.  Right… this is why they had made up that word. "Twilighting…" Twilight sighed and resigned herself to conveying the council. She had known she was going to make some diplomatic blunder eventually, but that didn't make this feel any better. Equestria was her responsibility. One word, one mistake, from her could even spark a war. She could not afford to make mistakes like this.  Everypony made mistakes sometimes, Twilight knew, but she couldn't allow it to happen to her. That's why she had brought it up with the council; they were supposed to help her with this sort of thing.  But no security system is perfect.  She pushed open the door, chewing on her lips. How could she prevent this from happening again…? She was glad Rumble had delivered breakfast up to the common room in her castle wing. Some food might help her think.  She ate in silence, still kicking herself over her own stupidity.  When she was done she frowned. Not only about the diplomatic fiasco, but also because there was somepony amiss. Cozy was usually out of bed by now, and they often talked during breakfast. Speaking of students, she was going to have to postpone Flurry's friendship lesson today. This was not a matter that could wait.  Still… Twilight weighted the options. Cozy's advice had not been the best last time… but one could not fault her for that. After all, her idea had accomplished what Twilight had asked- covered up the eclipse with nopony the wiser. This fallout was nothing Twilight could blame on her. Cozy was not a diplomat; it was not fair of Twilight to expect her to navigate international diplomacy. And Twilight would like to talk this issue through with somepony before she summoned her council. At least so she could present some idea of her own to them. She was already going to look like a fool- she should at least have something of her own to bring to the table.  She rose from the chair and went over to Cozy's room. She knocked. "Cozy? Are you awake?" Somepony groaned behind the door, but it didn't sound like Cozy… and whoever it was also sounded like they were in pain. Twilight opened. The room was empty, aside from a blue, curly mane that just barely poked out from underneath the blanket of the bed. Twilight felt her eyebrows rise in confusion. Now only had she not eaten yet, but she wasn't even out of bed.  "Cozy? Is there something wrong?" She stepped towards the bed.  Cozy was shivering. Up close it was clear that she was freezing under the blanket. She had curled up around herself and even draped her tail over back. She coughed and slowly rolled over to look at her.  Her eyes were red and watery.  "Golly… I don't feel so good today," she mumbled. Her voice was nasal and the statement was followed by a hacking cough. Twilight felt her heart plummet. This now too? Of all the days for her student to be sick it had to be today? She quashed that thought, it felt unworthy. Instead she put a hoof on Cozy's forehead. She wasn't surprised when she felt how hot and clammy it was. "No, you aren't well… I'll get your breakfast, and then I'll call for a doctor, alright? I'd really like to stay and help, but I have… some things to do." "Mmm… not hungry," Cozy mumbled, mostly to herself.  "You should try to eat a little though," Twilight said encouragingly. "I'll tell Rumble and Flurry, but until the doctor has been here, I don't think Rumble should see you, just in case. Flurry is probably fine, being an alicorn." Cozy groaned again and closed her eyes.  "Just hold on. I'll make sure a doctor comes and takes a look at you," Twilight said and patted Cozy on the head. Then she went to collect her breakfast tray, and she'd quickly teleport down to the Canterlot Hospital.  Said and done. It didn't take more than fifteen minutes for her to meet with "Doctor Suture", a maroon earth pony with a cutie mark befitting his name. He didn't even finish his coffee before coming with her up to the castle. Cozy's breakfast was still untouched when they came back up. He listened to Cozy's breathing with a stethoscope, looked at her temperature and examined her eyes. Twilight was glad he didn't remove the blankets. Cozy looked so cold even with them on.  "I think I know what this is. I'll need to take a look at your wing," he said, sounding apologetic. "Perhaps you have felt them itching?" "A bit," Cozy admitted.  "I figured," Suture said and lifted the blanket away. With gentle, practiced motions he extended one of Cozy's wings and carefully brushed over a few feathers.  They fell. Twilight balked. She couldn't remember ever seeing a pegasus shed her feathers like that. Suture didn't look surprised though. He folded the wing back and put the blanket over his patient.  "Feather-flu. Say, little miss, are you allergic to anything that you might be exposed to in this next week or so?" Cozy shook her head.  "Any other medical conditions?" Cozy shook her head again.  "Did your parents ever get badly sick from the flu?" After a moment of hesitation, Cozy shook her head again.  Suture nodded. "Feather-flu can be dangerous to old pegasi and those who are especially sensitive to it, but it sounds like you should be fine. Medicine is unnecessary at this stage and unless you get worse, you don't have to stay at the hospital. However, I would advise supervision, just in case, and plenty of rest and warm food and liquid."  "I thought Feather flu was supposed to happen in fall," Cozy whined, sniffling. "Why did I have to get it now?" Suture smiled sympathetically. "Actually, it remains all year round. It's an interesting disease, since everypony gets it, but only pegasi gets sick. Everypony else just gets a runny nose for a few days. The disease usually hits Cloudsdale in late summer or early fall, then spreads to earth ponies and unicorns, and after about a year it has changed so much that a new strain hits Cloudsdale." "You were… not here when the worst of it happened this year, Cozy," Twilight said, the memory making her feel a stab of guilt in her chest. Cozy had still been a statue back then. "That's probably why you got it now." "Well, that's about all I can do here," Suture said and put his stereoscope back in his doctor's satchel. "If she gets any worse, bring her to the hospital. It is usually at its worst for the first few days, then it gets better. If nothing unforeseen happens, you should be back on your hooves in a week or so." "Thank you doctor," Twilight said, giving the earth pony a grateful nod.  "Thank-" Cozy began. Another sneeze interrupted her. She sighed sullenly. "I can also recommend plenty of tissues," Doctor Suture said dryly. "Now… forgive me for making assumptions, your majesty, but if it should happen that you cannot take care of your student yourself with your… schedule, I could have a nurse sent over." "That's very generous, but I already have somepony in mind," Twilight said. "I'll be back if she is unable." "Absolutely," Suture said. "Well, good luck then, Princess. Cozy Glow." He nodded to the both of them and started back to the hospital.  "Who are you going to send for?" Cozy asked with a weak voice, when the doctor left. "And do you know if Rumble has already had the flu this year?" "Don't worry, Cozy. It's somepony you know. And I'll ask Rumble if I see him. I have… something else I need to deal with today though." Twilight replied, trying to sound casual, not wanting to let Cozy know how rough this day is going to be for her mentor. Cozy nodded and pulled the blanket back over her head. Twilight had been thinking about it for a while, actually. Eventually she would have to introduce Cozy to the rest of her friends. Rarity knew her well and she had briefly met Pinkie during Flurry's cute-ceañera. But Applejack, Rainbow and Fluttershy had never met the new Cozy at all. This could be an opportunity to let Fluttershy see Cozy and show her some of that trademarked Fluttershy-Kindness. And while she wasn't a doctor per se, Fluttershy was more than capable of taking care of a sick pony. Twilight knew that. And being a pegasus, she probably knew what to watch out for with the feather-flu. "Aaaacho!" Cozy sniffled and carefully dabbed her runny nose with a tissue. She was very careful about it, though. This was not the first time she had to endure this horrible disease, and she knew that if she wasn't careful when drying her nose, it'd soon become sore just from how frequently she had to wipe it.  The cloud was damp from sweat, and she laid curled up tight on her side. She had tried to stick a leg out into the rest of the bed, but the cold soon made her withdraw into her little ball of warmth. She had also decided that since there wasn't much to see in her room, she might as well put the blanket over her head as well, for extra warmth. Her eyes stung. Her head ached dully. And it was only because she deliberately hadn't checked that she didn't know how bad her wings were.  The namesake of this disease was also the worst part of it. Upon being touched, her wings would itch and sting like she had rubbed them with poison ivy, and any attempt to scratch or nibble them would cause her to shed until she looked like a plucked chicken. As such she remained as still as she possibly could. She had to make sure not to upset her wings more than her sneezes and coughing would.  She wanted her friends with her though. Just to have somepony to talk to. She couldn't even read like this, not with her eyes and the headache. But her friends were not here, and she couldn't even get up to find them. "Aaaaacho!" she sniffled again, feeling thoroughly miserable. She couldn't even devote her time to call down curses upon whoever had put her in this situation. She had no idea who might have gotten her infected. She sighed and carefully adjusted her position so she laid on her belly, legs tucked in under her. Then she buried her face into the pillow. That way she wouldn't have to wipe her nose every minute.  She heard the door creak when it opened. "Ehm… hi?" The voice was soft and small. Cozy recognized it from a long time ago. She poked her head out of the blanket and looked towards the door. A pale-yellow pony with long, pink mane carefully peeked through the door. Her large, teal eyes looked wary as always. "Um...How are you, Cozy? Twilight said you have the feather flu." Cozy was also wary, but not because she was shy. Fluttershy had been standing next to Twilight when Cozy was defeated. Even she, The Element of Kindness, did not blink when the filly was turned into a statue. Cozy noticed how the pegasus looked away, definitely uncomfortable from the long silence and Cozy's staring, so she simply nodded.  "Oh dear…" Fluttershy carefully went inside, closing the door with a wing and went up to Cozy with a concerned look. She gently put a hoof on Cozy's exposed forehead. "You must be very tired with a fever like that. Have you been drinking properly?" "N-no… I haven't even had breakfast." She knew she should be eating, but she simply had no appetite. It didn't help that the feather-flu, on top of everything else, nearly completely wiped out the sense of taste and smell. She had taken one bite of Rumble's otherwise so nice sandwiches, and all she could feel was just the barest hint of salt. After that she had given up the idea of food.  But seeing Fluttershy's displeased stare made her want to try one more time, at least. She had never expected the timid pony to be able to look like that. "You have to eat and drink plenty." Just those words, softly spoken but with an unquestionable weight behind them somehow, made Cozy nod.  Fluttershy gave her a small smile. "Good. Then I'm going down to the kitchen for just a teeny bit. I'm going to make you something nice and warm to eat. Then I'll come back, and I can read to you, if you want." "But I can't even taste anything," Cozy murmured. Fluttershy fixed her with a "stern" look. Cozy sighed and resigned herself to a tasteless meal. At least the warmth would be nice. "Rumble can help," Cozy mumbled by way of apologising. "He's my very special somepony, and he helps with the cooking in the castle." "Oh… my…" Fluttershy blushed violently and hid behind her long mane. Apparently even something as innocent as special someponies was still a risqué concept to her. She started back to the door, and nearly collided with another pony on the way out.  "Sorry… uh… Fluttershy!" Flurry said haphazardly as she tried to weave underneath Fluttershy's legs to get inside the room faster. Fluttershy squeaked in surprise from her sudden appearance and jumped up in the air. "Cozy! Twilight said you're sick! Are you okay?" Cozy sneezed again. "No, I'm sick," she huffed, tiredly wiping her muzzle again.  Flurry looked at her with curiosity. "You look tired. And your eyes are red." "Golly, you sure know how to make me feel better," Cozy said bitterly. She did not need to be reminded that she looked just as shaggy as she felt.  "Well...I have never seen a sick pony before," Flurry explained. "Mommy said it's because Alicorns almost never get sick, and dad hasn't been sick either that I can remember." "Then maybe you could ask Twilight to make me an alicorn. So I don't have to be sick anymore," Cozy said, a small smile returning to her face.  "Being a Princess is a pain sometimes though," Flurry said. "I think it's better to be sick once in a while." "How would you know? You just said you have never been sick," Cozy grumbled  Flurry looked thoughtful. "Hmm… I guess. But maybe for non-alicorn ponies it's better to be sick sometimes?" Flurry scrunched her muzzle thinking about this quandary. "Anyway, what's 'sick' feel like? Is it really that bad?" "...Miserable," Cozy said with a sigh.  Flurry hopped up in her bed and looked closely at her. Cozy didn't have the energy to shoo her away. At least not until she poked her with the muzzle. "Stop that!" Flurry backed away a little, but she didn't jump down. Instead she sat down on her haunches and wrapped her tail around her legs. "So, what does a sick pony do?" "Aaaaacho!" Cozy felt her wing twitch involuntarily. It was enough to set off an itchy, pinchy and stinging chain-reaction all over her wing. And she felt the runny snot make its way down her muzzle, tickling uncomfortably along the way. She wiped it away with a forceful, annoyed brush.  "She wallows in misery," Cozy huffed. She wrestled with the impulse to scratch her poor wings. Only the idea of letting her special somepony see her completely featherless kept her from losing.  "Maybe you want to play chess?" Flurry suggested hopefully.  Chess wouldn't be bad… she couldn't really concentrate, and her dull headache wouldn't make things any better, but at the same time she didn't want to lay here and brood either. She was not made to be bedridden. She wanted to do things! Playing, scheming, drawing… just anything, as long as she got to do something. Maybe a game could distract her, just a little bit. "Okay… but I'll be white, and you've got to move the pieces for me. I'm not coming out of my blanket." They played on in silence, barring Cozy's sneezes, for a while. Fluttershy was gone for longer than Cozy had anticipated, but it didn't matter too much. She was relatively comfortable.  When she did return though she had a pile of blankets on her back, and Cozy was happy to see Rumble was with her, carrying a steaming bowl of soup. He sat it down on her bedside table and nuzzled her. While she appreciated it, it also made her feel self-conscious about her appearance. She must look like a wreck. "Hey, Cozy. How are you feeling?" Rumble asked with a tender, concerned voice. "Don't worry, okay? I've already had it this year." "Lucky you," Cozy sighed. "You know I can't really taste much, do you?" "Actually, I tried to spice it up as much as I dared," Rumble said with an uncertain smile. "Hopefully I made it better and not worse." "And he helped me too," Fluttershy said and shook off the blankets on the floor, picked one up in her mouth and went over to Cozy.  It was warm. The blanket felt like it had been laying outside on a sunbaked rock for hours. Cozy quickly snatched it and pulled it underneath the rest of the blankets she already had, like a greedy dragon seeing a chest filled with gems. This was the first time today when she didn't freeze at all. "Thank you," she said. "How did you get them like this?" "Fluttershy put them in the oven on low heat," Rumble said.  "My mommy always did that when I had the flu," Fluttershy said bashfully. "Do you want to try and eat a little now?" "But what about our game?" Flurry chirped. "I was just about to win!" "No you weren't," Cozy murmured.  "Was too! I have the perfect trap!" Flurry said, pointing her hoof at the chessboard. "Girls," Fluttershy peeped. They both quieted immediately. "Cozy is sick, Flurry. She needs to rest and to eat. You shouldn't stress her." "I can take over," Rumble offered. "We'll just move off the bed." "Actually-" Cozy sneezed again. "Actually, I'd like to talk a little with Fluttershy… alone…" Rumble looked quizzically at her, but then shrugged. "Alright. Just make sure you eat too, while it's warm." He picked up the game and left. Flurry followed. Given her acuity for feelings, she probably understood how cloven Cozy felt about this. Fluttershy closed the door after the foals and then sat down on the carpet. She looked at Cozy with an earnest, open expression. Cozy looked back.  Fluttershy was a hard pony to figure out. Cozy had always known that. Of all Twilight's friends, Fluttershy was by far the least impressive of them. Somehow, she seemed to lack any and all dignity and strength. Cozy could not even see the trait of willpower in her either. Really, no matter how much one thought about Fluttershy, she couldn't see what she contributed to Twilight and her friends. But Cozy was not stupid. Twilight's friends had done things most ponies could not dream of, and Fluttershy had been there too. She had some sort of value or use, and Cozy had to figure out what.   She scooted closer to the bedside table and picked up the spoon and the rubber band to tie it to her hoof. Fluttershy came up to her too and carefully shifted the bedside table closer. It was almost like sitting by a normal table now. "Rarity says nice things about you," Fluttershy began softly. "She says you have changed and become a good friend to Sweetie Belle." Cozy nodded, swallowing her first spoonful of soup. It was not completely tasteless, which was better than she had hoped for. After a longer moment of silence, she replied quietly. "Sweetie Belle was the pony who saved me. From where your friends put me." That last comment was not nice, Cozy knew, but she was not going to let Fluttershy think they were friends now, just because of Rarity and Twilight.  Fluttershy shrank back. "I'm… sorry," she mumbled, looking away. "I… I really didn't want that to happen." "But it didn't bother you enough to help me either," Cozy said quietly, looking down at the spoon. The biting tone was dulled by her tiredness and the premonition of another sneeze building.  "I thought… Discord knew best…" Fluttershy said with a tiny voice.  Cozy's eyes narrowed momentally. She swallowed the first thing she thought about saying. She could not afford to be careless now. Of every creature in Equestria, living or dead or not yet born, there was no one Cozy hated more than Discord. He had chained her in stone not because he had to, but joined in anyway because it was fun. It was amusing for him to petrify cute and loveable fillies. And he had played her like a fiddle with the Grogar disguise. He had sought to make her a useful idiot to bolster Twilight's confidence, only to then discard her when she had done what he wanted her to do.  Well, he was going to learn, one day, that nopony plays Cozy Glow for a fool and gets away with it. One day, he was going to pay dearly for what he had put her through.  And maybe, his downfall could begin here and now, if Cozy chose her words right. But she had to be careful… if Fluttershy knew Discord, then she should assume that the overgrown worm was listening in on this conversation. "Discord smiled when he put me to stone. Did you know that?" Cozy said, her tone light, like she was asking Fluttershy about the weather outside. Fluttershy visibly fidgeted. Then she shook her head, not daring to look at Cozy.  "Well-" She sneezed again. "Well, now you do. That's the… creature, you thought knew best." Cozy finished coldly. "Draconequus," Fluttershy shyly corrected, after a long, uncomfortable moment. "I can… talk to him... if you want. Ask him to come and apologise." This time, Fluttershy looked at Cozy with big, pleading eyes.  Cozy huffed dismissively. "I don't want an apology from him. Besides, if you have to ask him to apologize, then it's not really genuine, is it?" Fluttershy mumbled something, looking down on the carpet. "He tries to be a good friend. He just… sees things in a very different way than us ponies do." Cozy actively had to curb her desire to smash the bowl of soup over Fluttershy's head. She was not going to accept anypony defending Discord's actions to her. She did not dignify Fluttershy with a response to that. She just continued eating.  Fluttershy sighed. "I will talk to him about what you said. Everypony agrees his plan was a bad idea." She shook her head, as if trying to shoo away an annoying fly. "But I'd like to make friends with you now." She looked hopeful. "Uhm… if you'd let me." Cozy definitely didn't want that. She did not want anything to do with this pony any more than Discord himself. But at the same time... she was one of Twilight's closest friends. And Cozy didn't want to make Twilight have to choose between Cozy and her old friends again, like she had with Celestia.  So… Cozy decided she could accept Fluttershy. She would not be a friend, and Cozy would never dream of trusting her, but she could accept her presence, if nothing else to gain some intel about Discord. "Hmph, I guess…" Cozy said noncommittally.  "Oh bravoooo! I think I finally understand how this whole friendship thing's supposed to work!" Cozy nearly jumped out of her skin, and blankets, at the unexpected voice. She looked around in a panic. Where was he? If he tried something, anything at all with her, she was going to… to…! She spotted him hanging from his tail in her lamp, swinging back and forth while reading a newspaper. He blinked out of existence and reappeared standing on the ground, smiling at her. She cowered back. She suddenly felt a lot sicker than before, like she was about to throw up. "See this?" He held out the newspaper. The entire front page was a picture of Cozy and Fluttershy with the headline Best Friends Forever. "So glad I could be the first to congratulate you two! It's heartwarming to see something like this!" He placed both his hands over his heart, and suddenly he burst into flames.  "Discord, this is not the right time…" Fluttershy said with a pale face, seeing Cozy's reaction. "Oh nonsense, now that the two of you are friends, obviously I'm going to become Cozy's friend too," Discord said with a dismissive gesture. "I do so enjoy a fellow schemer in the gang!" He winked out of existence again.  A cold talon reached over her shoulder, and Cozy felt like her heart was going to stop. His antics described with any and all certainty that, even if she wasn't sick, she couldn't do anything to stop whatever he wanted to do. If he wanted to talk to her, he would. If he wanted to touch her, he could.  If he wanted to put her to stone… he would. Discord leered like a wolf next to her. "You just have to tell me everything about your plans for Equestria, had those pesky 'heroes' not gotten in your way!" He gave her a noogie with his paw.  "Discord!" Fluttershy's voice rose minimally. "Do I have to use the Stare?" Discord disappeared again and when he returned he sat in front of Fluttershy, hands clasped together and with a halo over his head. "Oh, please, merciful Fluttershy, surely you do not mean that? You know that I can't move when you use your Stare. Why, I'd be like a statue! I'm innocent… this time… relatively." as he spoke, the halo continued to fall further and further askew, until it fell down entirely with his last word. Fluttershy's expression relaxed, seeing her friend's antics. "Oh, well… perhaps you could look after the sanctuary for me?" She said patiently. "While I'm here. If you think you are up to it." "If I'm up to it? Pfff, of course I'm up to it," he huffed and started walking towards a door that had appeared in Cozy's wall, muttering to himself. "Why wouldn't I be up to it? I've never been more up to something. Nopony is more up to it than me. I'll show them up to it…" Only when he had slammed the door shut after him did Cozy dare to breathe again.  That alone proved too much for her. Ignoring Fluttershy's surprised and concerned face, she coughed and dashed into the bathroom to throw up. "Surely, a token of good faith may be prudent," Filthy Rich said. "Perhaps we could arrange for apology gifts to be sent to the heads of state behind the letters, filled with exclusive wares from Equestria…" he stroked his chin. "It'd be great exposure for our finest products, directly to the most important of our future clients!" "I… suppose that's good," Twilight said uncertainly. The meeting had gone on for hours now, and Twilight had a sinking feeling that at least a few ponies had anticipated something like this. But if they had known, why had they not told her from the start? Why did they let her go through with the idea if they knew it was going to be a diplomatic blunder? "Ehm... Twilight? Cozy needs your help." The entire meeting silenced. As one, the room turned to look at a shaky, anxious Fluttershy. "She… Discord came, and she's… she's not herself..." This… was not her day, Twilight decided, stifling a sigh. "I'll… be right there." "Princess, surely you realise that the wellbeing of the kingdom is more important than that of one pony?" Fancypants said casually. There was no judgement in his voice, no discussion. He simply stated an objective fact. Twilight swallowed.  "I'd say we could all use a break anyway," Twilight said. "Let's reconvene after lunch." "But naturally, Princess. As you wish," Fancypants said. "The Royal Council adjourns. Mr. Rich, perhaps you'd do me the honor of accompanying me? I'd very much like to discuss an urgent matter…" Twilight didn't stop to listen anymore. She and Fluttershy trotted quickly through the castle, back towards her own wing. "Why did Discord have to come for?" Twilight asked. She tried to not sound accusing, but she really did not need anything more to go wrong this day. Still, she knew that Discord was impossible to predict or control… in fact, telling him to not do something was all but a guarantee that he would do exactly that, just to spite you.  "We talked a bit about him… and he just appeared," Fluttershy said. "I feel awful, Twilight! I just wanted Cozy to feel better, and now she's even worse! Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?" "We'll see, Fluttershy," Twilight said. "But let me just talk to Cozy alone, and we'll see." She didn't stop to knock. She just went inside and found Cozy laying on the bed, looking just as out of it as before. She went up next to the bed.  "Cozy? Are you alright?" The filly in question grimaced and turned to look at Twilight. She looked… not good. Her eyes looked tired from the sickness and worried too, as could be expected. But she also had that manic glint of determination, and her ever-so-easily aroused anger. "I'll get him back," she mumbled. "I don't know how, but I'll get him back." "Cozy, Discord isn't…" Twilight hesitated. As always with an unstable Cozy, speaking to her was like stepping out on a minefield. "I know it doesn't look like it, but Discord listens to me and my friends. He really does. He isn't dangerous to you anymore. Please don't… give him a reason to be angry." She met Cozy's hard glare head on, and continued, holding her stare without flinching. "You are a good friendship student, Cozy. You know that sometimes, you have to turn the other cheek. It isn't-" Cozy's eyes bulged with boiling rage. "Turn the other cheek?! YOU weren't sentenced to eternal imprisonment, were you?! That beast pulled me out of my first prison as a joke and then doomed me to the second one! And you still think he listens to you?! You still think he's your friend?! Hah, he's playing you too! You m-must be blin-"  Cozy's croaked yells drowned in a series of violent coughs, but the stinging words echoed in Twilight's head. First the Eclipse fiasco, then the whole exhausting day of talks with the nobles, Cozy getting sick, Discord adding a shovel of coal to it, and now Cozy, screaming in anger… Twilight just wanted this day to end, her headache to be gone and all of the arguments and accusations to die down! She took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts through the pulsing pain in her temples. "Cozy… this is… I understand this is still an open wound, something one day we need to talk about and find a peaceful way to fix it. But turning your cheek is important. It's not easy. It isn't fun. Sometimes it isn't even fair! But you know it's the right thing to do. You are my friendship student; you know what a friend should do. An eye for an eye just makes the whole world go blind." Cozy closed her eyes and rubbed them with her hoof. Twilight could see some wetness on her freckled cheeks. "Then maybe I will blind the whole world." Fluttershy gasped softly behind her. Twilight kept her stare in place, looking at Cozy's runny, red eyes and matted mane. She could not falter now, not if Cozy would say something like that. This was the old Cozy. The pony twisted by loneliness and spite. This was a pony Twilight was determined to change. "Is... that still true, Cozy?" she asked. "When you got sick and escaped to Rarity, when you agreed to let me help you make up with Sweetie Belle, do you remember what you said?" "What does that have to do with anything?" Cozy snapped. "You said something that stuck with me," Twilight explained. "You said that you hated me more than you loved any other pony. Do you remember that?" Cozy averted her eyes with a slight blush. Twilight nodded. "I figured. Do you still? If you had to give up Flurry Heart, Sweetie Belle, Rumble and everypony else to hurt me, would you?" "That's not the same thing!" Cozy shouted shrilly. "You aren't... you didn't do what he did!" "Cozy, back then, you hated me just as much as you hate Discord now," Twilight said with certainty. "I know you, Cozy. I have seen both the best and the worst parts of you. I know that even if you don't think so yourself, you want to be loved more than you want to be feared. You want friends more than you want enemies. And you want to love more than you want to hate." "Tsk, you don't know that at all," Cozy huffed. She didn't scream though. "And besides, you... had to work a lot before I accepted you. Discord won't." "Not today he won't," Twilight said. "But he will. Because somepony is going to have a talk with him, won't she?" Twilight glanced over her shoulder. Fluttershy nodded. "I'll try to make things right between you and Discord, Cozy. It's... the least I can do, after what he put you through. And what I let happen." Twilight nodded. "I don't expect it to come easily or anytime soon from either of you. But if I know my student, it will come, some day." She nuzzled Cozy a little bit. She still felt warm and clammy. Fluttershy nodded sagely. "And if I know Discord, he will come around too." Twilight retreated. Cozy still glared sourly, but her face looked more tired than furious and afraid. "Cozy, do you still want Fluttershy to look after you? Or should I send for a nurse?" "I can warm up more blankets for you, if you want," Fluttershy offered. Cozy hesitated. Clearly that offer was one she didn't want to turn down. "I want to see my friends. And then... then we'll see. But I guess you don't have to leave yet." Twilight nodded. "I have to take care of one thing still, but I'll be back as soon as I can, alright? If you don't want to have a friendship discussion, perhaps we could read a little? I'm sure Flurry would like that too." Cozy closed her eyes and nodded a little. Twilight assumed that meant she didn't want to talk anymore. Considering her illness and the many emotions she had gone through, it was understandable if she was tired. She and Fluttershy carefully left her room.  "You really know how to handle her," Fluttershy said quietly. The respect in her tone was almost palpable. "I couldn't… I didn't know what to say. But you just… you got through to her! Even when she was so angry." "I have had to learn," Twilight said. Now that Fluttershy brought it up, this had gone relatively smooth as far as dealing with Cozy was concerned. "She isn't easy, but… I'm happy to help her. It's very rewarding to see your student succeed. Become better." "You know, you almost sounded like her mother when you talked to her like that." Fluttershy smiled wistfully. "I-what?" was all Twilight could say. She? A mother? To Cozy Glow of all ponies? Sure, Cadance had said something similar once, but Twilight hadn't thought much of it. It hadn't made sense. It still didn't make sense. But she had been able to talk Cozy away from a dangerous path with a clear, explanatory reasoning. Thinking back on it… it didn't sound too different from something Twilight Velvet might have said. Twilight didn't know what to think about that. What did this mean?  Fluttershy put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I was happy to see that. It was… nice. But you don't have to think more about it than that. It doesn't have to mean anything other than that you trust each other." Twilight nodded lamely, happy to let Fluttershy explain her own feelings to her. If concentrating on the meeting had been hard before, this was not going to make it any easier.