"In a world such as ours, dictated so strongly by destiny, where our little ponies run about looking for their cutie marks, for their purpose in life . . . What would it mean to discover that your destiny is, in fact, to be the villain of your own story?" - Celestia Sol Invicta, Princess of Equestria
A few years ago, October 20th, Fillydelphia.
"So, what are you going as?" Kind Heart asked, glancing over at her friend. She called her Honeybee. She acted like one, always so busy and shy. Scarlet eyes looked up, meeting her own fuchsia ones. A slight frown furrowed Honeybee's brow, and she blinked.
"What?" She asked.
"Nightmare Night! Duh!" The filly snorted, seeing the look of confusion on her friend's face. "I mean . . . You have gone out for Nightmare Night, before, right?"
Honeybee shook her head, looking around, and she felt her heart flutter. The pair were sitting at the cafeteria table at North Fillydelphia Primary School, eating lunch and chatting. Or, well, she was chatting. Her friend had her muzzle buried in a book, as usual.
She had glanced at the title when she sat down, but couldn't make heads or tails of it. Honeybee was always reading big books that a lot of the teachers said were too mature for her, but the principal supported her reading anyway. A lot of students picked on her for being a teacher's pet, for always getting high grades and stuff like that, but Kind Heart liked her. She was fun to talk to, and always knew all kinds of cool stuff.
Except, she had apparently not gone Nightmare Nighting before, and the thought of getting to walk her friend through her first had the filly all kinds of excited.
"Oh, it's so great! You get to dress up as a spooky monster or . . . just anything you want really, and go door to door and ponies give you candy! Then, at the end of the night, you go and give up some of your candy to the statue of Nightmare Moon in the old park, so she won't come and gobble you up!" Kind Heart said, and watched her friend blinking.
"Nightmare Moon isn't real, though. She's just a myth." She said, and the filly scoffed.
"Feh! It doesn't matter, that's not the point!" She said, and Honeybee shook her head.
"Then . . . what is?" She said.
"Having fun! Getting scared! It's a holiday to put on a mask and pretend to be something you aren't!" She said, giggling. She was going as a Princess. As a unicorn, she only needed a set of fake wings, and she'd had her mother order her some very fine ones, along with a gown made by a top designer from Canterlot. It was going to be so much fun!
Honeybee titlted her head, blinking at her. "An . . . Anything?" She asked, biting her lip, and Kind Heart nodded enthusiastically.
"Yep!" She said, grinning from ear to ear as she watched a small smile grow on her friend's face, scarlet eyes lighting up at the idea, before they fell again.
"I dunno if my Mom'll let me, though. She never told me about it. . . ." She said, hesitating, and Kind Heart waved a hoof.
"Oh, don't worry! Just go tell her you wanna come with me, Nightmare Nighting! I'm sure she'll let you go!"
Her mother stared down at her, eyeing her severely. The young filly, only eight, shifted her wings on her back, biting her lip. She hated the feeling of her feathers against her fur. Her parents' horns looked so much more elegant, really. And powerful. She couldn't forget that.
She wasn't sure how it worked, a pegasus filly being born to a family of unicorns, but that's what her mother told her happened. She hadn't seemed pleased about it, when she did. Mother often seemed displeased, though, so that wasn't out of the ordinary. However, right now, her mother seemed . . . she couldn't tell. She had a hard time telling what other ponies were thinking, a lot of the time, anyway. All she knew was that her mother was looking at her in a way she had never looked at her before, and it was making her nervous.
Her nerves were already high strung, after she had to force herself to come ask her mother about Nightmare Night. She had expected to be told 'No', outright. So, this long silence was stressing her out even more.
Finally, in a cold tone, her Mother spoke up. "Why?" She asked, simply.
The filly frowned. "Um. . . Well, b-because Kind Heart said it would be fun. . . . " She answered, not quite meeting her Mother's gaze.
She heard the older mare take a breath, before letting it out, hoof tapping on the floor for a moment, before she glanced away and sighed. "Fine." She said, turning to walk away.
The filly blinked, shaking her head, before starting and trotting after her mother. "R-Really?!" She asked, beginning to feel excited.
"Yes." Her Mother said, walking into the kitchen of their home, the spacious room all full of marble and stainless steel. "Now go to your room, and think about what costume you want." She said, turning an eye on the filly, brow softening slightly. "I won't spend too much on you . . . but I will get you what you want." She said, and the filly, practically dancing in place, nodded rapidly.
"Yes, Mother!" She said, turning to leave, before suddenly turning and running back, hugging her Mother's forelegs. "Thank you!"
Her Mother stood, sitffly, before patting her back slightly. "Yes, well. I suppose there's no reason to keep you from going out that night. Now, go. Get to your room!" She said, voice hard, and the filly stepped back quickly, nodding quickly once more, before rushing out of the room.
She had to call Kind Heart.
The following Saturday evening
Kind Heart stepped out of the bathroom in Honeybee's house, walking down the hall towards the other filly's bedroom, her hooves padding softly on the luxurious carpeted floors. This was nothing new or special to her, as both their families were quite rich and well respected. She had heard some murmurs about such an upstanding Unicorn family having a pegasus foal, but nopony was rude enough to mention it out loud.
Well, except for kids at school, like that bully, Shimmer Plate. But then, that colt was rude to everypony.
She and her friend had set this sleepover up after the other filly had called her via arcanophone, to tell her excitedly that her mother had said she could go out for Nightmare Night, and that she needed to come up with a costume. She had no idea what to get, so they had set up the sleepover so that Kind Heart could help her out.
She stepped into her friend's room, looking around at the posters on the walls. They were eclectic, to say the least; colt bands, comic books, even the Table of Magical Elements, and a list of Runes for casting sigils and enchantments. Her friend had always been a bit fascinated with magic, and some of the books she read were about it. Even as a unicorn, Kind Heart had little interest in studying magic beyond the basics, so she always found it funny how her little pegasus friend studied it so hard, even though she would never be able to use it.
Kind Heart trotted over to the bed, where Honeybee was laying on her stomach, flipping through a book. A glance showed that it was a library book, some old thing showing a bunch of old outfits and stuff on the page. "What're you reading?" She asked, frowning, and the other filly glanced up at her, wings ruffling against her back.
"I'm trying to think of what to wear . . . " She said, frowning, an expression which only grew deeper as Kind Heart giggled. "What?"
"Oh, Honeybee, you silly goose! That's not how this works!" She said, reaching out to take the book in her hooves. "You don't look for outfits, especially not old ones like this! Just use your imagination!" She said, giggling.
The filly frowned. "Yes . . . I got that, but I need some inspiration." She said, and Kind Heart tilted her head.
"Oh, uh . . . Well, what about your comic books?!" SHe asked, hopping over and pointing at a poster on the wall. "You could go as Batmare! Or one of the Power Ponies! I like Mistress Marevelous, personally!"
"She's an earth pony." Honeybee said, sniffing slightly, before shaking her head, pushing a lock of blue mane out of her eyes. "I dunno, Kind Heart, I've thought about all of that! I've looked at my comics, and my magazines, and some of my books I thought would help, but nothing's right! I went and got that book from the library yesterday to look over, but . . . It wasn't really helping either. I see clothes I like, but I can't think of how to put them into some kind of . . . costume!" She said, laying her chin down on her forehooves and sighing heavily.
Kind Heart frowned, walking over and putting a hoof on her friend's shoulder, kindly. She sat down on her rump, reaching up to tap her chin with a hoof and think. Of course, she should've known her friend would actually be ahead of her already with this. Honeybee had such a good imagination, and was always reading and thinking things up. The other filly had told her a story once, that Kind Heart had been convinced was true all the way to the end, when Honeybee flubbed something that clued her in. Still, just the fact that she had been able to tell it so well . . . She could be a famous writer, Kind Heart swore! Maybe she'd get her cutie mark for that!
Hearing sound coming from the small television in the corner of the room, the unicorn filly turned her gaze to the screen, frowning. Honeybee was always watching old movies and stuff, so Kind Heart hadn't really thought anything of it. However, she tilted her head at what was on the screen. It was so old, there was no color, everything in black and white instead. On screen, a young unicorn filly with, what looked at least, to be a thick, black mane and tail, both done up in adorable looking curls, was dancing skillfully about with an older zebra stallion, who was grinning down at the filly, clearly impressed.
"What's this?" She asked, pointing at the screen and Honeybee barely glanced over.
"Oh, just Sable Curls." She said, turning back to her funk.
"Who?" Kind Heart asked, which warranted her friend lifting her chin up from her forehooves and staring at her.
"You don't know who Sable Curls is?!" She asked, wide eyed.
"Uh, no! This is the tenth century, Honeybee! Nopony watches old stuff like this, anymore! . . . well, except you. No offense." She said, tacking the last on quickly, when she saw her friend frowning in annoyance.
"Pfft! Sable Curls was Applewood's sweetheart! She was a legend! A skilled dancer and actress by the time she was ten! And she could sing, as well! She's my Mom's favorite!" Honeybee said, turning a smile to the screen, tilting her head slightly, eyes becoming a bit wistful.
Kind Heart looked at her friend, then to the filly on the screen. They didn't look much alike, but, still. . . . "Why not her?"
With a blink, Honeybee looked over at her. "Huh?"
"Yeah! Why not go as Sable Curls? It'd take some mane dye, and a decent skirt, but . . . I think we could make that work!" Kind Heart said, grinning widely, as her friend looked at her in shock, before snatching up a pillow with one wing and throwing it at her.
"Eep! Ow! Hey, that hurt!" Kind Heart said, as the pillow landed in the floor, rubbing her head where it had hit her.
"You dolt! Why didn't you tell me I could go as a real person?!" Honeybee asked, seeming to ignore her friend's admonishment. Kind Heart shrugged it off, though, seeing the excitement in the other filly as she dug through her bookshelf. "Here!" She said, pulling out a thick old coffee table book and carting it over, dropping it on the floor by her bed.
Sable Curls herself graced the cover, and, when the young pegasus opened the book up, there were numerous pictures of her, along with all kinds of facts and trivia. "This is an abridged account of her career. I've got her full biography, as well, but this has more pictures!" Honeybee said, looking up at Kind Heart, grinning from ear to ear.
Smiling back at her friend, the unicorn filly moved forward and the two put their heads together over the book, beginning to do their research. . . .
Her Mother glared down at her, eyebrows knit of her turquoise eyes. "You want what?"
The filly gulped, licking her lips, breathing heavily. "I . . . I need to go to the salon. For my costume. I need my mane and tail done . . . special." She said, and her mother looked down at the list of clothing she'd given her. It had taken her and Kind Heart another day to get everything worked out, spent mostly looking through every fashion catalog that Kind Heart could get her hooves on, but they were ready.
Now, it was just a matter of getting her Mother to agree to this.
"This . . . These are not cheap clothes, filly." Her mother said, looking up at her with a hard look in her eyes. Still, if she was only calling her 'Filly' rather than using her full name, she couldn't be too upset. Now if only she could manage this just right. . . .
"I know, Mother. I know it might be more expensive than you had wanted, but . . . It's special. It's the perfect costume, and I think, if you let me put it together, you'd agree!" She said, looking pleadingly up at the mare, who narrowed her eyes.
"I see no reason to agree to this! You do not need a special costume to go Nightmare Nighting. The same thing all the other fillies are wearing should suffice." She said, sniffing and turning away, moving towards the trash can.
"No, wait, Mother!" The filly gasped, wings beating as she fluttered across the ground to land in front of her, hoof outstretched. "Please! . . . . If you get me this, I'll . . . Um . . . I won't ask for anything for Hearth's Warming! You won't need to get me anything!" She said, eyes large and shining.
The mare stopped, tilting her head. She looked at her daughter for a moment, before tightening her lips. "I've been talking with some of your teachers, young filly." She said, slowly, and the filly felt her gut tie up in a knot. "It seems you've won over the principal, but Square Root has always been soft. Some of your other teachers, however, have been telling me tales . . . Of your behaviour towards other students, and towards them. They say you barely pay attention in class, and ignore their attempts to discipline you. They even say you've skipped detention on more than one occasion."
The filly had drawn back, not meeting her Mother's eyes as the older mare spoke, her own scarlet orbs dancing about, trying to think of something to say or do.
The mare snapped her name, and the filly jumped, bringing her gaze to her Mother's, seeing the cold steel in those eyes, and she felt her heart skip a beat. "Listen to me when I am speaking, young filly!" She snapped, and the filly nodded her head rapidly.
"Y-Yes, Mother . . . But, if you'd just let me-"
"NO! I will have none of your excuses or lies! You will promise me, here and now! You will straighten up and pay attention in class! You will treat your teachers with the respect they deserve and your classmates with less disdain! AND . . . You will also not ask for anything, for Hearth's Warming."
The filly froze for a moment, looking wide eyed at her mother, breathing heavily once more, staring fixedly on her as the mare looked back at her. Finally, her Mother took a breath a nodded. "Do that, and if I believe you . . . I will get you what you're asking for. Understood?"
The filly stared for a moment, before a grin split across her face and she bounced up and down on her hooves. "Yes! Yes, Mother, I understand! I promise! I promise all of it!"
The mare held up a hoof. "Swear it! Tell me what you will do!"
The filly sat back, biting her lip, before holding up her hoof to match the mare. "I swear! I swear to do better in school! To pay attention and give the teachers and my classmates more respect! And I won't ask for anything for Hearth's Warming! I promise!" She said, nodding her head rapidly, looking up at her Mother, wide eyed and grinning.
The mare looked down at her for a long moment, gritting her teeth slightly and narrowing her eyes. It was enough that the filly began to wilt, thinking perhaps her Mother had not, in fact, believed her. That she would have to try something else to convince her of her sincerity, when, finally, the mare sighed and nodded.
"Fine." She said, and the filly leaped up, squeeling with glee and ran in a circle, before hugging the mare's forelegs again.
"YAY! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mommy!" She said, hugging her legs.
The Mare frowned, looking away, and shook her head. "Alright, alright. Get back. We've only got a few days, so I suppose we shall have to go out to the shops, won't we?"
"Yes!" The filly exclaimed, smiling up at her. "Oh! I need to call Kind Heart! She'll wanna come, to see the costume!"
The mare frowned again, but nodded, waving her daughter off. Without a second thought or hesitation she ran off to call her friend up again, to let her know the good news.
Later that day
Kind Heart skipped through the shopping mall alongside her older brother, Charming Wit, and, ahead of them, was Honeybee with her Mother, Mrs. Hearth Gleam. The unicorn mare was quite sophisticated and, just like every time Kind Heart met her, she couldn't help but feel both awed and a bit intimidated. She stood taller than average, slender of frame and delicate of features, but with a hard cast to her turqouise eyes, which were just beginning to show a few wrinkles around the corners. Her pale, alabaster fur stood in contrast with the dark russet color of her mane and tail, which were both worn long and well styled.
Kind Heart hoped she could be just like her when she grew up!
Honeybee trotted along behind her, smiling from ear to ear, even as she struggled slightly under the weight of a pair of bags from the clothing shop. Kind Heart also carried several bags as well, as did Charming Wit, though in his case they were mostly for his own costume. He was going to be their chaperone, on Nightmare Night, but he had his own plans for after they were done.
Kind Heart skipped forward, coming up alongside of her Honeybee, who grinned over at her as they saw the salon up ahead. She knew her friend was super excited to show her costume off to her mother. She had told her she was keeping it a secret, who she was going as, so she could surprise her with it. It seemed a little silly, to Kind Heart, like the other filly was doing this costume just for her Mom. Still, if it made little Honeybee happy, that's all that mattered.
As the grou came up on the salon, the other filly stepped up ahead and turned, a nervous look on her face. "Okay, Mom, you promised you'd wait-"
"Yes, yes, I know. I suppose it will give me a chance to look through their catalogue, see what is in this season, as far as mane and tail styles go." The older mare said, mouth thin and looking slightly annoyed. Honeybee didn't seem to mind or even really notice, though, a small smile on her face as she turned, grinning to Kind Heart and, giggling, the two fillies ran out ahead. The appointment had been booked ahead of time by Mrs. Gleam, so they didn't even need to worry about waiting in line.
Kind Heart bit her lip as she stepped outside, excitement practically leaking from every pore the filly had as she skipped over to the side, glancing at where Mrs. Gleam was waiting, turning with an unconcerned look on her face towards the door. Such poise and class! Kind Heart was sure the older mare must be excited, how could she not be? And yet, she showed none of that aside from a slightly raised eyebrow.
And, from the door, stepped her Honeybee.
The costume had taken some time to put together, but now she was there. Her mane and tail had been styled so that they hung in bobbing, bouncing curls, held fast by white ribbons. They had been dyed a glossy midnight black, to match Sable Curls' namesake. The mane had also been styled so that it fit over the headband the filly wore, hiding it from sight, so that only the ivory colored unicorn horn stood out amongst the curls.
Even her fur had been dyed white, to match the former star, covering up her own, much better to Kind Heart's eyes, rosey pink color.
The dress she wore was a perfect match for those worn by the old timey child star, all frilly lace and soft velvet and silk, that just so happened to be the right fit to hide her wings under. It was in an off set white, with soft rose colored embroidery on the hemline and neck, while the lace was a deeper reddish-black color.
Kind Heart had tried to get her friend to go the extra step of getting contacts, but she had freaked at the attempt to put a pair in, so they had left that out. As such, amongst all the monochrome color pallete, her eyes stood out like twin beacons of scarlet flame, the little bits of red accent here and there making them pop.
Kind Heart danced in place, her excitement boiling over as she gave a giddy little giggle. Her Honeybee, though, did not take her eyes off her mother, throat working slightly in a silent swallow as she looked up at the grand mare. Kind Heart turned, grinning, and addressed Mrs. Gleam. "Isn't it just grand?" She said, trying to sound sophisticated.
The mare slowly turned and looked down at her, and the filly felt her excitment sink away as she blinked in surprise. The older mare's eyes were cold, distant, giving little away, but Kind Heart still felt as though something was wrong. She swallowed harshly, feeling an inordinate amount of relief when Mrs. Gleam's eyes turned away from her, back to her daughter.
The filly stood there, barrel heaving, eyes wide as the older mare stepped forward, cold eyes scrutinizing. She slowly paced around her daughter, pausing here and there as her horn lit, magic taking a hold of some part of the costume and giving it a flick or a tug. She finally stepped around, stopping once more in front of the filly, who was looking up at her, shaking like a leaf.
"Hm. Not bad." She said, a small smile crooking up one corner of her mouth, and Honeybee's eyes lit, a smile curving up her lips, as she stood up straighter. The look of pride and joy on her was such that it infected Kind Heart as well, making the filly forget her moment of worry before, and dance in place again.
Mrs. Gleam's horn lit again, her turqouise aura reaching out and sliding over the costume horn piece, as her smile faded. "Shame." She said, slowly drawing the headband out from beneath the delicate curls of the filly's mane, lowering it to float in front of the filly's frozen, staring eyes. "It will never be perfect." Mrs. Gleam said, before releasing the headband to drop to the floor with a clatter of hard plastic, as the horn broke into two pieces.
"Oh!" Kind Heart said, confusion and shock warring in her mind as her little Honeybee shook violently, face falling as she looked up at the older mare as she turned away.
"Mommy!" She said, and the mare stopped, turning and looking at her, and the filly stepped back, blinking as her eyes teared up, before looking down at the ground.
"Enjoy your Nightmare Night." The mare said, cooly, before turning and walking away. Charming Wit stood, looking around awkwardly with a frown on his face, as Kind Heart rushed over to her friend, bending down beside her.
"Honeybee! Are you alright!?" She asked, worry and concern in her voice.
The filly was staring down at the broken horn as she breathed heavily, withers moving up and down harshly as she fought against the dress she wore, trying to spread her wings to get away. As Kind Heart spoke, she snapped her head around and locked eyes with her. Her own burned as brightly as her tear stained cheeks, pupils narrowed to little pinpricks that left her irises looking like deep pools of crimson.
"Shut. Up! That is not my name, and you know it! What do you care, anyway!? This is all your fault!" She snarled, taking a step towards her friend, head held low, teeth bared, almost, as Kind Heart staggered backwards, eyes wide.
"W-What? Honeybee, I-"
"I SAID DON'T CALL ME THAT!" The other filly shouted, stamping her hoof. "'Kind Heart'? HA! How would you like it if I called you something silly? How about 'Dream Destroyer'? "Life Ruiner'? How about that?!"
"Hey!" Charming Wit exclaimed, stepping between them. "Relax!" He said, before the little filly turned her gaze on him. Kind Heart saw her big brother, nearly fourteen and so strong and brave looking, who planned on joining the guard one day, almost take a step back, before he set his jaw and stamped his own hoof.
"Cozy Glow!" He snapped, and the filly lifted her head sharply, narrowing her eyes. "Calm. Down." He ordered and, after a second, she stepped back, looking around as though just noticing the crowd that had gathered, staring at the scene before them and muttering amongst themselves.
"What's going on?"
"She just lost it."
"What a little freak."
The filly's eyes darted about, landing on Kind Heart, who was cowering behind her brother, tears running from her eyes, and she frowned, confused as she noticed the disapproving scowls of the adults around her, and Charming Wit's angry glare. "What is wrong with you?" The stallion asked, upper lip curling.
"I was only trying to help, Cozy G-Glow!" Kind Heart exclaimed, choking back a sob, and her friend's frown deepened and she grit her teeth, looking around, ears flicking and chest heaving.
With a guttural scream that left several of the nearby ponies clutching their ears, the pegasus in disguise turned and ran off into the crowd, rather than deal with what was happening.
Kind Heart sniffed slightly as her mother finished straightening her wings. Merry Draft smiled sadly down at her little filly, and put a hoof under her chin, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "There. Perfect balanced, as any princess should be."
Kind Heart smiled up at the sapphire maned mare, but there was still a sadness in her eyes and bearing, and Merry's heart broke a bit. Kind Heart and Charming Wit had told her what had happened at the mall, with Cozy Glow. Merry had always been a bit worried about her daughter hanging around that one, not because she was a pegasus, though it did raise some eyebrows, but because of what some of her friends told her, about what their foals had told them about the filly.
Still, Kind Heart always seemed genuinely happy to have the other filly around, and the two seemed close. So, to hear about the filly snapping as harshly as she did at her little Kind Heart had, needless to say, made the older mare rather upset with her, and she had called the other filly's mother. That conversation had not gone as well as Merry Draft would have liked, but then Hearth Gleam had always struck Merry as being a bit of a bitch, simply put. Her nose stuck so far up in the air, she could've used her horn as a back scratcher, as Merry's mum would've said.
Still, the mare had said she would speak to her daughter about it, and then hung up, and that was the last she'd heard about it. However, her sweet little Kind Heart had been upset ever since, both worried about her friend, but also angry and sad at what Cozy Glow had said about her. Merry Draft had tried to get the filly to move on, to focus on the holiday and her plans with her other friends, but Kind Heart had simply dwelled for the last three days on the events at the mall.
"Mommy?" She asked, looking up at Merry, who blinked and tilted her head.
"Yes, sweetheart?" She asked.
". . . .Do you really think I'm perfect?" She asked, biting her lip, and Merry blinked again, standing up straighter, before smiling slightly and giving a little snort.
"Well . . . Of course, dear! To me, you are perfection itself!" She said, smiling once more, though she was frowning at the same time. "Why would you ask such a thing?"
Kind Heart took a breath and let it out slowly, not meeting her mother's gaze. "I . . . I was thinking about that day in the mall. About what . . . What Mrs. Gleam said, to Cozy." She said, gritting her teeth. "She was talking about the costume but . . . Was she saying that Cozy wasn't perfect, to her?" She asked, looking up to Merry again, her heart in her eyes, which were brimming with tears.
Merry Draft let her breath out slowly and stepped over, sitting down beside her daughter and putting a foreleg around her shoulders. "Kind Heart, listen . . . Cozy Glow has always been a bit of an . . . oddity." She said, hesitating, and her daughter spoke up.
"You mean because she's a pegasus? But her family's all unicorns?" She asked, and Merry sighed again, nodding.
"Yes, sweetie . . .Um. You'll understand better when you're older, why that is important. For now, just know that . . . it makes ponies think some negative things about her mother. And, well . . . I'll be honest with you, sweetheart. If I was to choose somepony to win an award for being Mother of the Year . . . It probably wouldn't be Hearth Gleam." She said, petting her daughter's back. "A good mother loves their children, no matter what! But, I'm not sure Mrs. Gleam understands that." She said, seeing the tears in her daughter's eyes. "Do you feel sorry for her? Cozy Glow, I mean?"
The filly nodded sadly, reaching up to wipe her eyes. "I know she was mean to me, Mommy, but . . . Her Mom was even worse to her!"
Merry smiled softly, leaning down to kiss her daughter's forehead, just under her horn. "That's my filly. Always living up to your name. Just remember, though . . . Just because you understand why somepony does something, doesn't mean you have to agree with or accept it. No pony should be talking to you like Cozy Glow did. Whether she had a good reason or not, she should apologize, at least, for that." She said, kissing her little filly again before standing up. "Understand?"
Nodding and wiping her eyes, sniffling, the filly stood up, smiling again, this time with a bit more light to it. "Yes, Mommy! Thank you!" She said, and Merry Draft chuckled.
"Come on, then, little filly, let's get out there and get you some candy, yeah?" She said, turning to head for the door where Charming Wit, dressed up as a classic vampire, was standing and waiting for his little sister and mother. Charming was too old for Nightmare Nighting, but he still liked dressing up for the occasion, and there was nothing wrong with that.
Merry Draft herself was dressed as Robin Hoof, a bit of a misnomer as Robin was an earth pony, in the old stories. Of course, he was also a stallion, so what did it matter? She loved the character, and that's all there was to it! She trotted over to the door, smiling at her son, her daughter at her tail, and, smiling back, Charming opened up the door.
"Hi, Kind Heart!" A chipper, cute sounding voice, familiar to all of them, said from the other side, and they turned to see the form of a ivory furred, black maned filly in an old fashioned black and white dress in front of them, wings sticking out through crudely altered holes in the dress, ruining the fabric. She was smiling widely, staring at them with her big, scarlet eyes.
"Cozy Glow?" Kind Heart asked, blinking in surprise. "Wh-What are you doing here?" She asked, frowning and shaking slightly, ears folded down against her head. Merry stepped up closer to her, putting a hoof on her little filly's wither.
It was Cozy Glow's turn to blink in surprise, and frown. "What? What do you mean, Kind Heart? We've been planning this for a week, I wasn't gonna miss it!"
"But. . . BUt your mom! I thought . . . She wasn't letting you go." Kind Heart said.
"Especially after what you did at the mall!" Merry said, frowning, and Cozy turned to look at her, eyes looking redder for a moment. "I called her and told her about how you treated Kind Heart."
"Mom!" Kind Heart said, looking up at her with wide eyes, and Merry looked down at her.
"I wasn't letting that pass!" She said, before hearing a soft giggle and looking up at Cozy Glow, who was smiling again, as though nothing at all was wrong.
"She told me about that! And . . . She said I should come apologize." The filly said, face and tone growing more serious as she looked down, then back up biting her lip. "So . . . I'm sorry." She said, smiling slightly again.
Kind Heart frowned at her for a moment, before stepping forwards, away from Merry. The mare kept a close eye on her little one, but let her go. She needed to get this off her chest.
"COzy Glow . . . Is that it?" She asked, frowning, and Cozy blinked, looking around.
"What do you mean?" She said, seeming confused.
"Cozy! You were super mean to me! All I tried to do was help you and have some fun, and you made me feel like . . . like, just awful! You called me those awful things! I . . . I guess you were upset, but that doesn't excuse it! You can't treat me like that!" By the time she was done, tears were running down her face and Cozy was leaning back slightly, ears perked and eyes wide. She glanced around, at Merry and Charming, and then over her shoulder, before looking back at Kind Heart, teeth gritted.
"Kind Heart, I . . .Wh- . . . I . . . " She stammered, before Kind Heart turned, as though to walk back to her mother. "WAIT!" Cozy snapped, reaching out but missing the filly. Flapping her wings, she leaped forward, landing in front of Kind Heart, shaking all over. "Kind Heart! Please! Stop!" She said, biting her lip, tears starting to run down her cheeks.
"What do you want, Cozy Glow?!" Kind Heart said, choking on a sob, and the other filly stepped forward, slowly bowing her head, tail tucked and ears folding down.
"Kind Heart . . . I . . . I was a jerk. I'm sorry. Like you said, I was upset! I wasn't thinkin'! But . . . B-but . . . Kindy, you're my only friend!" She said, lip trembling as she sat on her rump in front of the other filly, bowing her head, wings hanging limp by her side. "I don't have anything without you! I'm sorry!" She begged, tears flowing now as she choked on a sob.
Kind Heart stood, biting her lip, her own tears still running, before taking a step forward. "You . . . You promise that you won't call me things like that, again?" She asked, frowning slightly.
Cozy Glow nodded without looking up. "Yes! Anything! I p-p-promise!" She stammered, shaking like a leaf. Kind Heart held back a moment longer, before breaking and jumping forward, pulling her friend into a hug.
"Oh, Cozy! You're my best friend! I can't stay mad with you! Please, don't cry! I promise, I won't go anywhere!" She said, holding the other filly close. SLowly, Cozy's forelegs and wings lifted up, wrapping Kind Heart in a tight embrace as well.
"Y-You promise?" She asked, softly.
"Promise!" Kind Heart said, sweet as could be, and Merry Draft smiled. Her little filly, such a good pony. She'd make such a fine mare one day.
Cozy finally stood up, hugging Kind Heart back tightly and grinning through the tears staining her cheeks. "Ohhh! Golly! What would I do without you?!" She said, stepping back and smiling at her friend.
"Lose your head, probably!" Kind Heart said, giggling, before looking at the costume. "What did you do to it?!"
Cozy glanced back, lifting her wings up and shrugged. "Eh. It wasn't comfy! And, without the horn, there wasn't much point in trying to be Sable Curls, anyway." She said, eyes turning away while her ears snaked back a bit.
Kind Heart bit her lip, reaching out gently to touch her friend's wither. "I'm sorry, Cozy Glow." She said, and Cozy turned, looking at her hoof for a second, before meeting her eyes.
"It's okay, Kind Heart." She said, before leaning in close to her friend, hugging her again. "One day," she said, softly. "One day, I'll be in charge! And we won't have to worry about dumb adults telling us what to do, ever again!" She said, stepping back and smiling at Kind Heart.
The unicorn filly giggled at her pegasus friend's words, shaking her head. "Oh, Cozy Glow! You're so silly!" SHe said, before skipping forward. "C'mon! Let's go Nightmare Nighting! You're gonna love it, I promise!"
Cozy Glow turned, skipping along beside her friend, giggling along with her as Kind Heart told her about the best houses to visit, and what to say when they answered the door. Merry Draft walked along behind them, smiling to see the friendship rejoined, and her daughter so happy and smiling again.
Charming Wit walked more slowly, watching the pegasus filly closely. He would never forget, for as long as he lived, those eyes boring into him at the mall. They hadn't looked normal, anymore. They'd looked crazed, distorted, like pools of blood. They had looked angry, hateful.
Soulless.
“Not all the monsters have fangs.”
― J.A. London, Darkness Before Dawn