"Dad..." Flurry Heart started.
"Don't you 'Dad' me, Flurry. Restore Cozy to the statue right this second and then come with me. You and I are going to have a little talk, young lady!" Shining Armor blasted, his face red.
Flurry let out a huge sigh. It was all over, before it had even started! Oh, she was going to get into so much trouble for this...
But then, her eyes hardened as a thought occurred to her.
Why should she, a natural-born alicorn, let her unicorn father boss her around? She was Princess Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire. She was just as strong as her Auntie Twilight, and her other aunts, too. The whole reason for this mission was to prove to the other alicorns that she was worthy. She wouldn't stand down. She wasn't much of a rebel; that was true. But Flurry was no quitter, either.
"...No," she said to her father.
Shining was shocked. "Did you just say-"
"Dad! I'm tired of you and Mom treating me like a foal. I don't need bodyguards, and I don't need you following me everywhere! I'm twelve years old and I'm a princess. I can make my own decisions now. And I think Cozy can be reformed!"
"Flurry-"
"I'm sorry, Dad," Flurry said, "but I have to do this. I'll see you at the castle." Her horn lit up with magic, and it surrounded Shining Armor as he looked around himself in alarm. Two seconds later, the unicorn was gone with a flash of light. Flurry had teleported him back to the Crystal Castle.
A giggly voice made Flurry turn. Cozy Glow was saying, "You just teleported your dad all the way back to - where, the Crystal Castle?! That's amazing! Golly, I sure am glad to know you aren't too much of a Goody-Four-Hooves."
Flurry sighed. "I was never the innocent little pony my parents wanted me to be." Despite her uncharacteristic show of defiance, she was still a bit nervous about the punishment she would surely receive for this. And she sort of regretted doing this whole thing. Thinking about it was one thing. Taking action was another.
But there was no going back now. She had to act confident.
"Golly! Are you kidding me? That's great! That’s what you’re supposed to do: be yourself and be the opposite of what other ponies want you to be! Unless, of course, if you’re trying to manipulate them…" Cozy smirked evilly.
"Cozy Glow, NO!"
"What? I was just trying to help you, like a friend would do," Cozy said with those cute scarlet eyes. "But I guess it doesn't matter to you-"
"That's enough, Cozy Glow! I know your ways, and you can’t manipulate me," Flurry scolded. "As Princess Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire, I order you to stop."
Cozy looked slightly disappointed. Apparently, she had been expecting less of the princess. "Aw, whatever...Who did you say you were, again?"
"I'm Flurry Heart. Princess of the Crystal Empire."
"Oh. I guess you're a new alicorn. What's your, you know, thing?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know, like how Princess Celestia's the sun princess, Luna's the moon princess, that sort of thing. What princess are you?"
Flurry flattened her ears. She didn't want Cozy to think she was less important than the others, but Cozy would probably see through any lies she tried to make, anyway. With a sigh, she said, "I haven't 'earned' one of those titles yet. But I will, someday—soon!"
Cozy smirked. "Sure you will. Hey, I'm kind of hungry. Can you take me to eat? Maybe at a restaurant or something?"
"Sur- Wait, what? Restaurants aren't open this late," Flurry explained. "Obviously."
"Oh, I'm sure I can pick the lock. 'Cause I've done it before in the Canterlot Archives, in two seconds!" She smiled.
"Cozy Glow, you are crazy!" Flurry exclaimed. "Although...it might be fun," she added in a strange voice.
"C'mon! Don't you wanna be bad for a change?" Cozy pleaded. "It will be fun, I promise."
Flurry hesitated. Cozy could sense it; the princess was about to say yes. She almost smirked. She hadn't even thought about manipulating anypony, and much less an alicorn princess. And yet she had just managed to do that effortlessly as if it was second nature to her. She smiled, proud of herself.
"No," Flurry said.
Cozy's mouth almost dropped open. She had been so sure. Once again, she tried to use her powers of persuasion. "Why not? If you're already in trouble-"
"I'm a princess! I'm not supposed to do stuff like that. Mom and Dad would..." Flurry stopped mid-sentence as she suddenly remembered her parents. They would ground her for life for doing this!
"Who are your parents, anyway? Shining Armor and..."
"Princess Cadence."
"Oh. Well, that means your mom is just a gushy old princess of love. Your dad is only a unicorn. You're literally an alicorn! You have powers. Why not use them?" Cozy said. "Come on! I'm starving."
But Flurry was insulted. She had been trying to prove that she was just as capable as her parents, but she didn't appreciate Cozy bad-mouthing them. "Don't talk about my parents like that! My mom is really strong...It's just that she only uses half of her power sometimes!" That wasn't exactly the truth...but whatever. "And my father defeated King Sombra once!" That wasn't true either. Auntie Twilight and her friends had done that...but still, what did Cozy know about that?
"Yeah, right." Cozy snickered. "Didn't Twilight and her stupid pony friends defeat Sombra? It's not really surprising, though. Golly, that guy was a dumb-dumb lollipop! I can't believe he was gonna be a part of our group."
Suddenly, Cozy's stomach rumbled.
"Ugh. I haven't eaten in, like...a week! Can we just-"
"Actually," Flurry interrupted, "You haven't eaten in ten years...so of course you'd be-"
"WHAT?!" There was a panicked look in Cozy's eyes.
"It's the truth. I'm sorry I couldn't come for you earlier, but I had to make sure my magic was strong enough," Flurry explained.
"Y-you mean...I've been trapped for ten YEARS?!"
"Yes. I'm twelve now. Wait, how old are you?"
"I...I don't know," Cozy said quietly.
Flurry was astonished, to say the least. "Really?! How can you not-" Then she realized. "Oh! Of course you don't know, since ponies age slower in stone. It makes sense, too; You look more like my age than...Wait, how old were you before you got stoned?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe...six or seven?" Cozy sounded unsure of herself.
Flurry almost teleported in surprise. "You almost took over Equestria when you were seven years old?!" she gasped. This was so shocking that she didn't even think to wonder why Cozy hadn't been sure of her age before her stoning.
"Yep! Golly, I guess that proves I'm an evil mastermind!" Cozy cackled. Flurry just rolled her eyes.
"O...kay, so...I guess you can come over to my castle and eat, if you want. I'm sure my parents won't mind." I'm sure they will mind, Flurry thought, but she kept that to herself. They were going to have to meet Cozy sooner or later.
"Whoa!" Cozy bounced up and down. "I get to live in a castle now?! Hah, this is amazing! I knew you ponies were stupid!"
"I'm not stupid. I'm going to make sure you don't do anything bad, or even think about it."
"Oh yeah? And how are you gonna do that?" Cozy challenged.
"I'm going to take away your beloved wings if you even do something as bad as insulting somepony. And I will put a spell on you to restrain you from leaving the castle. Like you said, I'm an alicorn. I have powers," Flurry said calmly.
Cozy's smirk slid off her face. "Don't--you--dare touch my wings," she said, her voice wavering.
Flurry shrugged. "I guess you have to be a good filly, then. I'm the one who freed you. We're going to play by my rules."
"Fine!" Cozy grumped. "But I will take over Equestria someday. You just wait and see, you prissy princess!"
Flurry's horn glowed. "Who are you calling a prissy princess?"
"Um...nopony."
"Okay." The aura of magic disappeared. "Should we go to the castle now?"
"Fine."
"We'll be flying a long way. Can you fly?"
"Of course I - whoa!" Cozy's wings were, apparently, still too stiff to fly, and she crashed to the ground the second time that night. "Okay...maybe I can't fly that well..." Cozy frowned.
Flurry sighed. "Climb on my back."
"What?! No way!" Cozy seemed embarrassed. "I would never do such a low thing."
"I guess I'll leave you here, then." Flurry rose up into the air.
Cozy stared at her for a second. "Fiiine, I'll ride on your stupid back. Hey, why can't you just teleport to the castle, anyway?"
"Too long a distance. Now let's get going. We've wasted a lot of time."
Cozy climbed onto Flurry's back and gripped her mane with her hooves.
"Hang on tight because I'm going faaast!" Without waiting for the pegasus mare's reply, Flurry spread out her huge wings and took off into the night sky.
"Whoa! Alicorn wings really are better! I sure do miss when I was one," Cozy exclaimed. She seemed delighted as she watched the ground whiz by her.
"We’re not going to talk about your evil past, okay? You need to feel like a new pony if you’re going to reform," Flurry said.
"Who said I wanted to reform?" muttered Cozy. But she didn't say anything else. She had obviously become tamer since being released from stone, though Flurry could tell she was still manipulative and deceiving.
They flew on for a few more seconds. Then Cozy asked, "So what's it like being a princess? You must gloat every day in your room, thinking about how loved you are."
"No, I never gloat!" Flurry said, offended. "In fact, I hate being a princess."
Cozy was actually speechless for once. Finally, she managed to say, "...What? Why?"
"Being a princess is so annoying. I mean, sure, you get to be an alicorn and everypony loves you, but my parents are too overprotective of me. Bodyguards escort me everywhere, and I’m never let out of the castle without one. At least you get to be free as a normal pony. Y’know, I’d love to switch places with you. Without the being-evil-and-taking-over-Equestria part, that is..."
"But you're so lucky!" Cozy exclaimed. "Not everypony can be an alicorn and be loved. Like me. Everypony hates me, and I just wish I could be...be....never mind. Remind me again why I'm talking to somepony like you."
Flurry frowned in the darkness. It sounded to her that Cozy Glow...didn't like who she was! But how was that possible? If she didn't want to be evil, why didn't she want to reform?
They were silent for a good chunk of the trip. Flurry was deep in thought. So was her companion.
Cozy Glow was a mix of emotions. She was slightly happy that a princess - a princess! - had rescued her. But she was also sad. She hadn't had a consciousness while she was in stone, but maybe that had been better. She kept thinking about her parents now. Her father would've be annoyed. Her mum would be ashamed. Cozy's parents weren't exactly kind. They'd abused her as long as she had known them, and abandoned her when she was a filly! But she missed them. They were the only family she had...
She was angry, too. There was a whole lot of anger in her heart and there had always been. She was angry at this princess, angry at her parents, angry at herself, angry at the world.
But deep inside, there was a fourth feeling, so small and tiny and covered up by her other emotions that she did not realize it. But it was there all the same. That feeling was hope.
Maybe she was evil and was doomed to be this way forever...but maybe, just maybe, that wasn't true. Maybe she could be reformed! That little spark of hope was becoming bigger at the second, and soon Cozy realized it was there. She was embarrassed and ashamed for even thinking of being reformed, and tried to put that thought right out of her mind, but the hope was still there and it wasn't going. So Cozy ignored it and pretended it didn't exist. But it consumed her. She could not stop thinking about it.
Maybe being happy would be healthy for her. Obeying orders...it sounded like a nightmare, but she used to do that every day until years ago. And that prissy princess was pretty powerful, she had to admit. She didn't want to lose her wings!
She told herself repeatedly to snap out of it, but she didn't obey herself. Cozy let out a cry of frustration. She was not going to be reformed! Never! And that princess was a weakling compared to her!
Flurry looked at her with a strange expression. "Um, am I going too fast?" she asked.
"No. Everything's fine, except for the fact that I'm riding on the back of a stupid-"
"Oh, look! It's a cute bird," Flurry said, trying to prevent Cozy from insulting her.
"Yeah, right."
"Sorry. It flew away."
Cozy rolled her eyes in the darkness.
"Well," Flurry said, trying to start a conversation, "what was it like, you know...being in stone?"
"It was strange. It was kind of like sleeping, but it felt cold. I...I'm glad they didn't leave me in there forever. It would've been like...you know."
"Oh." What could Flurry say to that? "Um, I think we're almost there. I can see the crystals - they're sparkling."
Cozy snorted. "You can stop trying to change the subject, Princess. We shouldn't even be near the Crystal Empire. It's snowing."
"What?!" Flurry was definitely sure the Crystal Empire was near. Those sparkles in the distance were not stars! She knew the difference between a crystal's sparkle and a star's twinkle. But Cozy was right: it was snowing. Not too much, but she could still see snowflakes in the air. The air was rapidly growing cold, despite the ponies' fur coats. Flurry tried to make it warmer with magic, but her horn could only spark uselessly. She gasped in alarm and tried again and again, but no golden light appeared around her horn. Meanwhile, the snowfall only grew bigger. A bitterly cold wind nipped at Flurry's head fur.
Cozy huffed. "Put up a shield. I'm getting soaked and I'm chilled to the bone."
"I - I can't! My magic...It isn't working..."
"Seriously? Golly, you sure do hate me if you're going be cold and wet to make me cold and wet too. What kind of princess are you?" Cozy scoffed and then shivered.
"I'm not doing that! Seriously! My magic really isn't working!" Flurry said, alarmed and slightly indignant. "Cozy, are you making this happen?"
"Golly, no! I don't even have magic! I've been on your back this whole time!" Cozy insisted. Flurry had a feeling she was telling the truth.
"Then who is doing this?"
"I don't know! Really! And I'm cold!"
Flurry shivered. Even though alicorns felt less cold than other ponies when it was cold, she was freezing. She imagined how Cozy was feeling and felt sorry for the filly. Pegasi were less immune to the cold than alicorns.
"I'm sorry, Cozy, but you're going to have to deal with the snow just a little longer. I'm trying to find the crystals, but I can't see them..." The snow was blowing in her face, obscuring her vision. It seemed like a full-on blizzard.
"Just land already! I'm gonna d-d-die!" Cozy's teeth chattered.
"Okay, okay! I'm trying to navigate a safe..."
"SHUT UP AND LAND! I DON'T CARE IF WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN!" Cozy screamed.
"Alright!" Flurry was uneasy and didn't know if it was safe to land, but Cozy actually might freeze to death this high in the air when it was snowing. Her wingbeats slowed, but they didn't drift down to the ground like she'd planned. Instead, the wind blew them straight towards the ground and they plummeted down.
"AHHH!" Cozy shrieked.
"I'm out of control! HEEELP!" Flurry screamed.
"We're gonna diiiiiie! I'm too young to die!" Cozy moaned. She leaped off of Flurry's back before she could warn her, and the pegasus started falling even faster.
"Cozy!" Flurry dove after the falling pony in a desperate attempt to save her, but it was hopeless. She couldn't use magic, and she couldn't control her flying. She could only watch as the ground became closer and closer. Flurry closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact...
Three seconds...
Five seconds...
Ten seconds...
This is it. Omigosh, this is it. I'm sorry for running away, Mommy and Daddy. I love you... she thought.
She kept on waiting for the pain of hitting the ground, and the peacefulness of death.
But it never came. And...was that fur she felt?
Flurry opened her eyes and saw a worried face. She realized it was her mom's face, and she was being carried like a really big foal. She was confused for a few moments as her parents asked if she was okay, but then she realized what had happened. Her mommy and daddy had come to the rescue, even after what she'd done! She felt so grateful and relieved.
But where was Cozy? Had they left her outside? Flurry needed to check on her!
She mumbled a few words about the snowstorm and falling, jumped out of her mother's arms, and raced to the door. She flung it open.
Nopony was there.
She felt like a fool.
She went back to her parents, who were looking surprised and relieved and stern at the same time. "Where's Cozy?" she asked.
Princess Cadence gasped. "Flurry, what did you say?"
"Where's Cozy Glow?"
"Did she bump her head somewhere?" Shining Armor whispered to his wife.
"I don't know," Cadence whispered back. Flurry glared at her parents. Of course she could hear them, since royals (other than herself) happen to be the worst whisperers in Equestria.
"That pony was Cozy Glow?" Cadence asked Flurry.
"Yes. You guys didn't forget about her, right? Where is she?"
"So that's why the pony's gray coat was a little pink! And I saw a yellow ribbon on the ground next to her," Cadence whispered to Shining.
"We shouldn't have saved her! She's probably the reason Flurry was unconscious and falling. You can never trust a villain!" Shining Armor whisper-shouted to Cadence, ignoring Flurry's question.
"I was not unconscious! I was seeking out death on its-" Flurry was interrupted by her mother.
"Shining, dear, I know Cozy Glow was not the kindest of ponies. But you should never leave anypony to die if you can help it," Cadence said.
"Well, I can't help it! That monster could've killed our daughter!" Shining said. "Why are you defending her?"
"DAD! Cozy didn't do a thing to me! It's my fault we were almost killed. I can explain everything. But first, you need to answer my question. Where is Cozy?"
"She's...in your bed. I'm sorry, dear, but we had to put her somewhere. Somewhere not being the table with napkins as a blanket," Cadence said, giving Shining a look at the last part.
He shrugged. "She's a villain, sweetheart! She doesn't deserve Flurry's comfortable bed."
"She does too!" Flurry said. She didn't really think so, but for some reason she felt like defending Cozy. Maybe it was because she was mad at her parents for not trusting her to be able to take care of herself and wanted to be contrary. "Well, anyway, I'm going to see her. Good-bye." And she flounced up to her room.
"Young lady, you are not going to speak to us that way!" Shining was going to run after Flurry, but Cadence stopped her.
"Maybe she needs some time alone. It's been a very scary night for her."
"Fine," Shining grumped. "But after that somepony is going to get spanked the old-fashioned-no-magic way. Maybe even two ponies."
"Shining!"
"Cozy...? Are you okay?" Flurry asked the unconscious pink pegasus.
Cozy didn't look the best, but it wasn't too bad. Her mane and tail were tangled and filthy, and her fur was so dirty it was almost gray. She had a few cuts and scratches about her body and she was shivering a little, but otherwise the pony was fine.
But Flurry needed to rouse her. Like, right now. She was going to need her opinion on an idea of hers. So that's why she splashed a big cup of water on Cozy's head.
The strategy worked, but it made Cozy grumpy. "What do you want?" she huffed.
"I want you to come downstairs and meet my parents. Can you walk?"
"Of course I can." This time Cozy was right. But instead of walking, she stomped the whole way down. Flurry sighed internally.
Shining Armor met Cozy with a glare. "Well, look who's here. What kind of punishment will it be? Magic torture? Old-fashioned spanking? Or, the worst of all: listening to my little sister's friendship speeches!"
"No, please! Not the last one! Anything but the last one!" Cozy whined like a totally different pony.
"What's so bad about my aunt's friendship speeches?" Flurry wondered.
Cadence flinched. "Flurry, trust me, you do not want to know. One time she was teaching me how to give a friendship speech and it ended up to be the worst day of my LIFE."
Flurry was going to ask why, but then she remembered the reason she brought Cozy down. "Okay, maybe you could tell me the details later. I want to tell all of you guys an idea of mine."
Cozy snorted. "Is it lighting your mom's crown on fire?"
"What?! Why would I even do that?!" Flurry yelled.
"For fun!" Cozy cackled.
"...No, that's not my idea. Not even close."
"Then what is it?" Cadence asked. "Tell us, Flurry. I'm sure it's a great idea from a smart pony!"
Cozy rolled her eyes.
"Okay." Flurry decided to get right to the point. "My idea is to...have Cozy stay with us at the castle!"
"WHAT?!" the three cried in unison.
"Why would I do that?" Cozy said shrilly.
"Flurry, this is not a very reasonable idea. What if-" Cadence was cut off by her husband.
"WHAT IF SHE BURNS DOWN THE CASTLE?!" Shining bellowed. "Or threatens the ponies! Or poisons the guards! Or harms our daughter! Or harms us! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIIIIIE!"
It was probably the only thing that Cozy and Shining had in common: They both thought they were too young to die.
"Dad, calm down! Cozy is not going to do a thing to us or anypony else. I will take away her wings if....no, actually, I'll repeat one of my aunt's friendship speeches to her twenty times if she so much as insults us!" Flurry said, a bit proudly.
Shining immediately calmed down. "Phew! Good girl, Flurry! Better have that sound spell ready, Cadence!"
"Don't you dare do that, Princess!" Cozy growled.
"Then you better behave like a good pony."
Cozy grit her teeth but didn't say anything else.
"Honey, I know you're excited about this idea. But why would you want Cozy to live with us? There isn't any reason for her to stay," Cadence said, trying to persuade Flurry that her idea was unrealistic.
"Actually, there is a reason. Cozy is already out of stone, and I'm not letting that change. We can't just let her go, free to roam wherever she wants and do whatever evil deeds she likes. So the best thing to do is to reform her. And I don't think there's anypony other than me really willing to do such a hard thing. It would be unreasonable to send Cozy to a hotel to stay, or anypony else's home, but it would make more sense to have her live with us. I promise I won't let her do a thing to anypony. You know you can trust me, right?"
"Oh, Flurry," Cadence said gently, "of course I know you can be trusted. I'm just worried about you. Are you sure you'll be safe? Cozy Glow is still a villain, or at least a former one. And we've been having enough problems without..."
"What problems?" Flurry instantly became alert.
Cadence hesitated, as if deciding whether or not to tell her daughter. "It's...nothing to worry about, dear. Shining and I will take care of that. Anyway, I just want you to be careful about this idea. Always be on your guard, and remember that Cozy will try to manipulate you at any time. And lock your door when you're sleeping. I'll also put up a magical shield so Cozy can't get into your room, if that's okay with you-"
"Mom." Flurry's voice was firm. "It's okay. I have bodyguards to watch over me when I'm sleeping! There's no need for the shield. Besides, it's not like Cozy's very dangerous now - she can't even use magic! And she's very weak and cold. We shouldn't threaten her more than we have to."
"Excuse me, she is standing right here, listening to all the bad things you're saying about her!" Cozy said hotly.
"Sorry, Cozy." Flurry turned to Shining. "Dad? Please say you'll agree to this. Please! I promise to be very careful and I'll stay safe."
"...You do have that friendship speech ready, right?"
"Yes, Dad."
...
"Alright, fine. Let's do it. If you actually reform one of Equestria's worst villains, the news is going to spread all the way to Ponyville! And you'll be famous, Flurry! Famous!"
How can I be more famous than I already am? Flurry thought. But she kept the thought to herself.
Flurry turned to Cadence. "Mom, I know you're worried. But you have to trust me on this. I know what I'm doing."
Cadence gave her daughter a small smile. "You're right, Flurry. You are doing what a true princess would do, even though it's risky. You're doing the right thing. So...I accept." She gave Flurry a hug.
"I love you, Mom."
"Me too, Flurry."
Cozy rolled her eyes. So did Shining, at the exact same time. And while Flurry and her mother were busy hugging, they exchanged glances.
