//------------------------------//
// 15) The Legend finally asked for help 
// Story: The Ghost of Cozy Glow the Third Story 
// by SapphireRose87 
//------------------------------//

{Dae}

It was another family dinner at the Castle in Canterlot, and Betty was missing again. I knew it meant Betty was once again overdoing it practicing the Mirror Technique because she so desperately wants to stop Mr. Giggles from eating all of the citizens in Equestria. I don't understand why she's so frantic about learning the Mirror Technique now that she's asked me, Norman, and Cozy Glow for help, but that's Betty for you.

"Uncle Dae," said Norman Jr, "where's Aunt Betty? This is the third family dinner she's been missing from!"

I sighed, "She's probably frustrated because she can't get the second step to the Mirror Technique down. I don't know why she keeps overdoing it, but that's the way Betty is. And if my brother would stop pestering her when she's trying to practice, that would be great. It's a distraction and it makes her take more arrows to the chest when she's practicing on the air obstacle course."

"Arrows to the chest?" Jasper asked. "Isn't that just as bad as what Mr. Giggles did to her?"

I shook my head. "Nope, that was magic. Arrows are physical wounds. Demons can heal from physical wounds themselves. There are no hospitals in Hell."

"What?" Everyone else gasped.

Ruby and I rolled our eyes at their reaction.

"Think about it," said Ruby, "we're demons, the place we live in is called Hell. Do you really think demons need hospitals?"

"Yeah," said Norman, "Betty's ears have dropped right now because she's so frustrated, and that's never good."

"I've noticed that before, too," Ruby said. "When Mom's frustrated, that's not good."

I nodded. "Yup, and I wouldn't bug her too much right now. Unfortunately, my brother, Max, doesn't know how to take a hint."

"Let's see," said Norman, "how many daggers has Betty thrown at the guy now?"

"Twenty that I know of," I said. "They've hit the mark every single time."

Norman flinched when he heard that. Of course, Robert being Robert, he just had to ask the question. "Where do the daggers hit?"

"Let's just say, unless you want to talk ten octaves higher for a week or two, maybe more," said Norman, "don't piss off the Queen of Hell."

When Jasper and Robert realized what Norman was talking about they flinched. Jasper deadpanned, "I'd rather have Sunset slap me instead."

"At least she's doing it to you two now," said Norman, "I'm going to make a friendly suggestion, and say don't go near Sunset unless you have a death wish."

"That's why Betty and I have given Max the nickname Bug because he won't go away," I said. "Unfortunately, when Max wants something, he'll pressure people into doing it. I'm surprised Betty hasn't thrown a dagger at his throat, so he can't talk for weeks."

Robert whistled, "That bad huh?"

I nodded. "Yup, exactly."

"Just like Betty's working on mastering the Mirror Technique," said Norman, "me, Cozy Glow, and Dae are working on our arsenal of attacks, just to make sure we can help her take Mr. Giggles down."

"Why only you three?" Jasper asked.

"Because we're the ones that Aunt Betty asked to help her take down Mr. Giggles," Cozy Glow said.

I smiled. "Yeah, it came as a surprise to me too. Betty's not the type to do that. But she actually asked for help." 

Everyone else gasped when they heard that.

Cozy Glow chuckled. "Yup! The Legend actually asked for help."


*	*	*


{Betty}


A couple of weeks after the last family dinner I had missed, I was trying to take my mind off of practicing the Mirror Technique. I went to my favorite place where I go to think about things, the Castle of the Two Sisters. I wasn't using my tracking abilities at the time when I heard Norman's voice, "Looks like someone's upset."

I tilted my head. "How'd you figure that out?"

"Your ears are dropped," said Norman. "You don't feel them at the sides of your head?"

"Huh?" I said. I didn't even notice that until Norman said something. "Oh."

"What's bugging you?" Norman asked.

I shrugged. "I guess I'm just frustrated about learning the Mirror Technique. Not to mention, Dae's brother, Max, just won't leave me alone. If Mr. Giggles does what he did to me again, I'm not sure if my magic is strong enough to cancel it out."

"Well, according to Dae, that attack can only be used once. Once it's been used, it can't be used again on the same person," Norman said. "So, you should be fine in that regard. As far as Mr. Giggles showing up at the castle again, Discord has helped us put up a barrier, so beings with Mr. Giggles type of magic won't be able to pop up without setting off some sort of alarm."

Upon hearing this, I curled my legs up and put my chin on them. 

Norman frowned. "Wow, you're really shaken up by this, aren't you?"

"I guess you could say that," I said.

Norman reached over, pulling me into his lap, and I put my head on his chest. I had to admit, I did feel comforted just by listening to his heartbeat.

"I just don't want to see Mr. Giggles again until I'm ready to kill him," I said. 

"I understand how you feel," said Norman, "but what happened to you wasn't your fault, okay? Even the strongest of fighters need help sometimes."

"You're right, I guess. But that still doesn't make me feel better about it."

"Yeah, everyone has their bad days, even if they're rulers. Trust me, I've had my fair share of bad days. Of course, when my bad days happen now, it's all over the news."

I snorted. "It's the same thing for me, ruling over Hell. I wonder how many times the Bug is willing to be embarrassed until he takes a hint?"

Norman chuckled. "According to Dae, all eternity."

"It's guys like that who get on my last nerve!" I growled.

"Too bad you can't just ban him from the castle," Norman said. 

I looked at Norman and smiled. "I've heard you've been doing that a lot lately. What's that about?"

"The mares won't stop harassing me for a date," Norman replied. "They won't stop harassing Jasper either. Jasper's really annoyed because he's not into women."

As Norman held me, he started playing with my tail. I just let Norman hold me because that's all I felt like doing at the moment.


*	*	*


{Jasper} 

I must admit that watching Norman, Betty, Cozy Glow, and Dae train so they can improve their skills to take down Mr. Giggles was very amazing. 

"Wow!" I cheered. "Look at them go!" 

Robert smiled. "I know, I've never seen Cozy Glow and Dae fight before, and they're right up there in strength with Norman. Of course, Betty's the strongest in the bunch. It always amazes me what Betty can do."

I rolled my eyes when I heard Wild Ace and Elise trying to convenience the guards to let them into the observation balcony. 

"I'm sorry you two," said one of the guards, "Prince Norman and Queen Betty have specifically asked us to not let anyone in that isn't part of the main branch. So this area is off-limits to you."

"What," said Elise, "that's the third time this week! Even Prince Norman's bedroom has been off-limits, and that's not fair!"

"Princess Elise," the same guard said, "you have to understand that when the ruler of Equestria says something's off-limits, then it's off-limits! Prince Norman's personal life is none of your business. Just because you're part of the family doesn't mean you have access to everything!"

I sighed, knowing that if I didn't deal with this, Wild Ace and Elise wouldn't go away. So I went outside to handle it.

"Prince Jasper," said Wild Ace, "let us in there right now!"

"No, that's not going to happen!" I snapped. "You two are part of the second branch of the family and that means you don’t have rights to the things the main branch has! That includes getting into Norman's bed! So if I were you, I'd leave now. Or do you want to spend time in a dungeon again?"

"Fine," Elise scoffed. "But this isn't over Prince Jasper."

"Yes, it is," I said, "and you can't do anything about it. Whatever the ruler of Equestria does behind closed doors is his business, and isn't against the law. So, yes, it's over with. Why do you think Robert hasn't been with you in a while? Now you two should go, you're giving me a headache." 

Wild Ace and Elise looked at me and I knew for a fact that they knew there was no more arguing with me because I always stand my ground. So they left, sulking as they did.

When I went back into the observation balcony I sat down on the couch. "I don't know why Norman hasn't divorced those two yet."

"Your guess is as good as mine," Sunset said. "Knowing Norman, he probably doesn't have the heart to."

"I think Elise deserves the pet name ‘Headache Number One,’" said Robert, "and Wild Ace can be ‘Headache Number Two.’"

I nodded. "You got that right. They're the most annoying family members ever! I'm just wondering why I added Wild Ace to the family."

"I feel the same way about Elise at the moment," Robert said. 

"We all know why Norman's bedroom has been off-limits lately," laughed Sunset. "I know because I saw her in there with him."

Robert and I chuckled at that thought. Robert started giving me a creepy look and he said, "That's fine by me. It gives me more chances to sweep Jasper off his feet."

I felt my face turn red, and Sunset couldn't contain her laughter at my expense. After Sunset finally stopped laughing, we looked over to see that the fight had ended. I wasn't sure who made the winning move, but it did surprise me that Dae, Betty, Norman, and Cozy Glow were on their backs panting. I was totally surprised by the fact that Betty was on her back trying to catch her breath. 

"Wow," said Robert, "even the Legend is trying to catch her breath! That's new!"

Dae laughed at that. "Yeah, at least Betty will have to take a break finally. That is, unless she like passing out again."

"I would've stopped," said Betty, "but since you guys weren’t disabled, I kept going."

Norman snorted, and by the look on his face, it looked like he was going to start laughing at any moment. 

"I think Betty's lost her mind like my trainers did when I was a General," Norman said.

Betty panted, "Well if you can't take me on then there's no chance you can help me take down Mr. Giggles. Most of the time when I'm fighting, I don't stop until the opponent is down. That's how I did it when I was alive, and I'm still doing it now that I'm dead."

Cozy Glow finally caught her breath and sat up. "Now, that was a workout! Are we done training for the day?"

"Considering the Legend is down," said Dae, "I'm going to say yes. Betty, there's no way that you're practicing the Mirror Technique today. Cause me and Norman aren't going to let you!"

"I'm not saying a word," Betty responded. 

I burst into laughter at that comment. I stopped laughing when Betty got to her feet and fell over. Dae caught her before she hit the ground.

"Yeah, you overdid it again, Betty," Dae said. "You just don't know when to take a break, do you?"

"Nope," said Betty, "and it's not going to happen."

"I know," said Dae. "You're worried, I don't blame you. You do realize you have help now, and we'll do everything we can to see it through, got it?"

Betty nodded, and from the looks of it, she was worn out. She passed out before she could say anything else.


*	*	*


{Betty}

I woke up and looked around to see I was in my room back at home. 

"Good thing the Dark Energy Crystals will work even when you're unconscious," Dae said as he held me in arms, lying in bed next to me.

"Is that why I feel like I've already been to the Church of Satan?" I asked.

Dae nodded. "Uh-huh.'"

"I don't get it," I said, "even when I'm taking care of my royal duties, I still worry about that stupid clown!"

"I feel the same way, too," Dae said. "I just hope Norman and his family are keeping safe. I'm still crossing my fingers even though Discord's helped put up a barrier around the castle."

At this point, and I have no idea why, I wished I was still knocked out and could pretend this whole ordeal with Mr. Giggles isn't happening.

Dae chuckled. "Although knocking you out would seem to be the most effective way of getting you to take a break, that's not going to keep you from worrying about Mr. Giggles. I think you should come to the next family dinner. You need to be around people right now, especially the ones you care about."

I thought about that for a while and realized Dae was right. "Sure, I'll go. I just want you and Norman to stop giving me creepy looks at the dinner table."

Dae snorted. "We'll try, but I don't know about Norman. I'm not making any promises. Good luck getting Norman to do that."

I rolled my eyes and, for some reason, Dae found this funny because he laughed at it. 


*	*	*


When the next family dinner came around, I decided to take Dae's advice and I was present for it this time. I could tell everyone was happy to see me. Norman Jr seemed the most happy to see me.

Norman Jr smiled. "I'm so happy you're here, Aunt Betty! I was worried about you."

"Wow," said Robert, "Junior happy to see someone besides Ruby? Now I've seen everything!"

Robert and Jasper started laughing and Norman Jr frowned at them. "That's not funny, Dad Robert and Dad Jasper. Can't a nephew be concerned about his Aunt?"

"I'm sorry, Junior," said Jasper, "we're laughing because normally you're only concerned about Ruby. I would stop making googly eyes at her if were you because she's engaged now. I don't think EJ likes it when you do that."

"Yup," said Ruby, "I agree with Uncle Jasper. I'm going to be married in a couple of weeks, and my future husband won't put up with it." 

I looked over to see that Norman was giving me a creepy look and Dae was doing the same thing.

I thought I said no creepy looks, you two, I thought.

You did? Norman thought. Sorry, I didn't get the memo. 

You didn't tell him on purpose, didn't you Dae? I thought.

Nope. I could tell by Dae's mischievous smile that he was totally lying. 

What are you up to, Dae?

Me? Dae thought. Why does it have to be me?

Because I know how you act when you're up to something, I narrowed my eyes at him.

Actually, it's me that's up to something, Norman thought. I don't know how, but somehow Dae's managed to keep a secret from you.

 I'm afraid to ask what it is, but too late, I asked, I thought.

It's been three months since we got together, so I figured why not celebrate it? Norman thought.

So, what do you have in mind? I thought. 

Do you recall the passageway that leads to the library area in the Castle of the Two Sisters? 

Yes. 

There's a spot in the library that's nothing but candlelit, and it's very private. I was thinking we could go there, and no one would disturb us, Norman thought. There won't be any guards there, but I say I'll go in the front and you go in the back. We'll meet up at the library. 

Norman Jr looked at Norman, Dae, and me and smiled, "You three are having a conversation in your heads again, aren't you?"

Dae looked over at Norman Jr. "Yes, Junior, and it doesn't concern you or Ruby, so keep your noses out of it, okay?"

"I wish Ruby would do that with me," Norman Jr pouted.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "That's not going to happen, ever, Junior!"

Cozy Glow frowned. "Now, that wasn't very nice, Ruby."

Ruby growled. "Hey, I was just telling him why that's not happening. Being nice doesn't seem to work to get him to take a hike." 

Jasper snorted. "I agree with Ruby. Now if Headache One and Headache Two would get the point, that would be great, before they turn into a migraine. They really seem to think they're entitled to the same things that the main branch is. Even we know not to go somewhere that's off-limits."

Norman rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, Wild Ace and Elise are at it again, aren't they?"

Jasper nodded. "Yup!"

"I'm giving those two one last chance to obey orders because I'm nice," said Norman with a scowl on his face. "If they keep doing it, I'll consider divorcing those two."

Although I knew Norman's reasons for taking this action, it seemed a little bit too extreme to me. 

After dinner ended Norman and I went to celebrate our three-month anniversary.