//------------------------------// // 7. Friendship (Whether You Want It Or Not) // Story: Whether You Want It Or Not // by Roserado //------------------------------// The angry filly glaring at Sunset bears her teeth, a hostile energy present in her stance. Sunset is frozen in place, her surprise preventing her from forming words. Her thoughts are a jumbled mess. Dread that she's been found out and shock at the rapid shift in Cozy's demeanor throws her decision making abilities into disarray. Her mouth moves, but no words come out.  "Well? What are you waiting for? Do it already!" shouts Cozy Glow, taking Sunset's attention back.  She says the first words that come to mind. "Do what?"  Cozy scoffs at her. "I don't know what you're playing at and I don't know why you were hiding your wings, but I don't care anymore! Just throw me back in Tartarus so we can get this over with!"  What in Equestria is making her act like this?  Sunset takes a couple steps forward, her hoof snapping a twig as she does. With as much sincerity as she can muster, she says, "Look, Cozy Glow, I don't want to do that. Seriously. I promise, I'm not going to hurt you."  "Oh, sure," Cozy hisses, "you won't hurt me, but eternal imprisonment is just fine for you princesses. As long as it's not painful, you think anything goes! Well, all of you can stuff it!" Wait, did she just say 'eternal'? They were planning on keeping her in there forever?  A chill runs down her spine, and her wings shake from it. The forest around her shrinks away from view, and suddenly, the small, furious filly is the only thing she can see. At once, the pieces fall into place, and she begins to feel the same anger she's sure Cozy Glow is feeling.  She hates me because she thinks I'm a princess, and she hates the princesses because they punished her beyond what she deserved. Even if they didn't know what they were doing to her, I can't side with them right now. She needs to know I agree with her or she'll never trust me.  Sunset takes a deep breath and says, "I know being in that place hurt you, which is why I won't let them put you back there. No more statues, and no more Tartarus; I swear." Cozy takes a step back, and the anger on her face is replaced with shock. "How do you know-"  She cuts herself off. The anger returns, though it's diminished, muddied with curiosity. After looking over Sunset's appearance, she asks, "Why have I never heard of you before? If you're a princess, shouldn't you be more famous? Earlier, you didn't have any wings. Were you hiding them?"  She picked up on that pretty fast.  Hesitant to put all her cards on the table, Sunset thinks of all the context to her situation she would have to talk about if she gave away the wrong detail.  Choosing her words carefully, she says, "I didn't ascend that long ago, and I've kept it a secret. Even if I would be accepted as a princess, I don't want that kind of power or the responsibility that comes with it. Equestria is probably better off without me in it, anyways." I'm leaving out a lot there, but it's technically not a lie!  For some indiscernible reason, Cozy Glow appears to calm down a bit more from what Sunset says. The filly opens her mouth to speak but freezes before any words come out. Her face contorts in confusion, and she cranes her head back to look at her wings. She becomes agitated once more, though it doesn't seem to be directed at Sunset this time.  "What the… why, why can't I-" she stammers, "Why won't my wings do what I tell them to? Why aren't they-"  Not wanting her to become any more upset than she has to be, Sunset interrupts her. "Don't worry, they aren't broken or anything like that. While you were, well, out of it, Starlight cast a spell that stops you from flying. It was to prevent you from simply flying off and making us catch you again when you woke up. She said it would last-"  Whoops, almost let that one out.  "It'll last until she gets rid of the spell, so if you try and run away, there won't be any way to get your flight back. For now, you're stuck on the ground. I'm sure you're going to get a lot of walking done in the near future - whether you want to or not." Despite the revelation, Cozy doesn't seem very perturbed. If anything, she appears mostly relieved that her wings weren't broken somehow. She huffs, leaving the last of her irritation behind.  "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I always wondered why the princess would make someone like her a guidance counselor, but it makes sense now." "What does that have to do with her being a guidance counselor?" Sunset asks, staring at the filly quizzically.  Ignoring the question, Cozy exclaims, "Gosh, what am I saying? Who cares about any of that! What about you? Your wings are way more interesting than her magic. How'd you get them? When exactly did it happen?"  Sunset scrambles to adjust to the new line of questions.  Oh man, when DID it happen? I haven't even thought about that! I've been so preoccupied with making sure my wings were kept under wraps and taking on this mission that I've barely had any time to consider it. Obviously it happened before I returned to Equestria, but what could have made it happen? What could Harmony have decided was a great enough act that it, somehow, deemed me worthy?  She thinks back on all her best moments, all the times she did something worth remembering. All the times she had managed to harness the power of friendship to fix a problem. The possibilities are narrowed down to three moments, then to two, then to one. A single event that, in hindsight, was eerily close to what she might imagine an ascension being like. Realizing that she never considered what it meant for Harmony to temporarily give her wings and a horn, Sunset wonders how she never put the pieces together until now.  "Let's just say I saved Twilight Sparkle with the power of friendship and leave it at that." The pegasus raises an eyebrow. "You're friends with the princess of friendship?"  "Yeah, she has a tendency to make that happen." Cozy takes a few seconds to process this. She squints at Sunset and holds a hoof to her chin, like she's trying to closely examine her. "So, you're an alicorn that doesn't want to be a princess, so you're keeping it a secret. You're also a friend of Twilight Sparkle, but you don't tell her everything and are confident enough to disagree with her…"  Sunset slightly tilts her head to the side. "Yeah, that sums it up. Where are you going with this?"  All of the furious hostility that Cozy Glow had shown to Sunset was now entirely gone, all that energy now funneling into something else. There's a twinkle in her eyes, and Sunset isn't sure whether to be relieved or worried by it.  "And Starlight?" asks Cozy, eyes gleaming. "Does she know all of this too? How much, if anything?"  Some part of her wonders why Cozy Glow is asking so many questions, but her mouth moves before she can consider it further.  "She's the only pony who even knows I've got these things, aside from you. She's the one who cast the invisibility spell on them in the first place. If she hadn't caught me before somepony else did, I might never have been able to keep them hidden in the first place." she says, motioning to the wings on her back. They flitter in place as if to emphasize their presence.  Cozy nods, appearing to perfectly understand the situation. "So that's why she threw you off. She knew you could fly, so it was both a distraction and a way to set you up to get me." Sunset considers mentioning that Starlight knew perfectly well that she didn't know how to fly, but stops herself. No need to appear less competent than she actually was.  "I swear, I'll get her back for that…" Sunset mumbles, eyes cast to the sky.  The excitement that had been building in Cozy diminishes for a moment, but it quickly comes back. The pegasus stares at her, like she's trying to analyze more facts out of the alicorn's face. Sunset looks back at Cozy and in the blink of an eye, a smile appears on the filly's face, so quickly that Sunset wonders if she somehow forgot the past few seconds.  "Say, what's your name, Ms. Not-A-Princess?" Cozy asks, sweetness coating her words.  It only occurs to Sunset just now that she had never properly introduced herself. She mentally admonishes herself before posturing like the many proud nobles she had been forced to deal with in the past. Head held high, she answers with clarity and mock seriousness. "My name is Sunset Shimmer, failed student of Princess Celestia and princess of nothing." Bowing with the exaggeration of an ameteur actor, she says, "It's nice to meet you, Miss Glow. How may I disappoint you today?"  Cozy Glow lets out a single laugh. "You're much funnier than Twilight." "I try." Cozy Glow takes a step forward. She looks Sunset in the eye, her smile still present.  "Ms. Shimmer, do you think we can be friends?" Sunset's mouth hangs open in surprise. "You want to be friends with me? I thought you hated me just a few minutes ago!"  Cozy waves her words away. "Well golly, that's water under the bridge! This was all just a big misunderstanding. I can see you're not like the others, and I think we could really benefit each other!"  She begins slowly walking back and forth, smile still present. "If I go along with you and Starlight on your quest to recapture Chrysalis-"  She stops. "That is why you're out here, right?"  Wow. Starlight was right, she is pretty sharp.  Sunset nods, and Cozy continues her pacing. "If I choose to come with you and assist in your mission, it would help out a lot, you know? I could tell you all about what Chrysalis is like when she's alone, or her strategies for hunting, or anything else! You'll have a much better chance of catching her if I'm with you." She turns in place and begins to pace the other way. "And, of course, I'll promise not to cause any trouble while I'm with you. Also, I won't complain about the spell Starlight cast on my wings. If it makes her feel better, then that's something I can accept." Sunset's eyes widen in surprise. "Wait, seriously? You're fine with not being able to fly the entire time you're with us?” She shrugs, seemingly nonchalant about being unable to use her wings. "If that's what it takes, then that's what it takes!"  Cozy holds out her hoof. "What do you say? Friends?"  Sunset looks at the outstretched hoof and thinks back on all she knows about the pony in front of her. Not what she's been told by others - the story she had been told about Cozy Glow was different to what she had seen for herself. The righteous but ultimately incorrect choices of the princesses shouldn't affect the decision she's about to make. No, she had to trust herself and her own judgment here. Her powers haven't lied to her yet.  The wild onslaught of thoughts and memories that she experienced from Cozy Glow taught her little, but it did give her something. The outline of the pony's personality was all that was clear, but it was more than the sum of its parts. All its separate pieces - longing, anger, hope, pride, helplessness - betrayed the shape of an individual that was much deeper than anypony else had given her credit for. Underneath all the plotting, the deception, and the care for those she conspired with, was a young pony who had made mistakes.  Tirek had cast her aside once he no longer needed her. Chrysalis had, from what Sunset could tell, given up on ever reuniting. Now she was alone, without anyone to rely on, and desperate for someone, anyone to cling to. Cozy thought she hated Sunset just for her appearance as a princess, but managed to convince herself that an alicorn could become an ally in just a few minutes. The very first pony that wasn't openly hostile, and she tries to make her a friend.  Had there been no other opportunity? Was there not a single other creature that thought that she might be worth saving? If even the Princess of Friendship thought the filly was a lost cause, would anyone say otherwise?  Sunset knows the answer. If Twilight hadn't given her a second chance, she may have never had the opportunity to become who she is today. Someone had to show her the light, or her life would only have ever gotten darker. When everyone else was against her, Twilight was the one that opened the door to a better way. All she needed was another chance.  Maybe she could be the one to give Cozy Glow that chance.  Screw it. What have I got to lose?  She moves forward and extends her own hoof, pressing it up to Cozy's. "Friends." Cozy beams, and Sunset can feel genuine excitement coming from her. The connection drops as soon as their hooves depart and return to the ground. Despite this, Sunset can't help but feel invigorated herself.  An idea pops into her head. "Oh, by the way? Just Sunset is fine, there's no need for that missus stuff - that is, as long as I get to call you Cozy." The response is instant. "I think I like the sound of that!"  The filly's grin is infectious, and Sunset finds herself smiling despite all that's happened today.  Maybe this won't be so bad after all.  Starlight flies through the air, her magic propelling her upwards. Her ascent back up to Canterlot is much slower than her descent, as she's the one controlling her speed. Her saddlebags are still on her, and the weight is starting to tire her out. Either that, or the amount of magic she's been casting is finally catching up to her. She can't figure out which.  Her mind is preoccupied with other thoughts. Despite coming up with the plan to de-wing Cozy Glow and force her to come with them, Starlight can't shake the feeling that taking her would be a big mistake.  There's way too many variables to account for now. How am I going to juggle searching for Chrysalis, traveling for Celestia knows how long, keeping Sunset's wings hidden, AND making sure Cozy Glow won't mess anything up along the way? There's no way I can do all that by myself! I should have just taken the little evildoer back with me so I can drop her off at the castle. Why did I have to come up with that stupid plan? Wind buffets her from the side, distracting her from her thoughts and throwing her mane in her face. She groans aloud and waits for the gust to subside, not willing to use any magic to alleviate the minor annoyance. Just barely able to keep herself rising through the air, she has no choice but to endure it.  A single hair flies in her mouth. She spits it out, but that only allows more to take its place. She groans again, louder this time. Why do I have to deal with this? Why do I have to go on this quest? Why am I, somehow, the only pony around that could have helped her out? How do these things keep happening to me? She groggily moves her hoof up to her face and removes the stray hairs from her mouth.  Maybe a better question would be 'why can't I just take back what I said?' I can just tell Sunset that I changed my mind, right? Surely she would understand if I explained to her why I was wrong and that it's a really bad idea to bring Cozy Glow along, right? Right?  Right.  With that thought, some of the worries that had been building in Starlight's mind instantly fade away. No Cozy Glow means no glancing over her shoulder to make sure she's not causing trouble, no keeping one eye open at night to prevent Cozy from throwing all their supplies away while she slept, no slowing down to keep pace with a pegasus that can't fly, and no potential turncoat when they do finally catch Chrysalis. Starlight lambasts herself from fifteen minutes ago for coming up with the ridiculous idea to get information from the filly in the first place. It was clear to her that anything she might gain from bringing Cozy along would be a drop in the bucket for their efforts, while at the same time gaining an ocean of problems that didn't make it worth the effort.  The ledge from before comes into sight. Starlight gently touches down, careful of the loosened stone she's stepping on. A quick look around reveals Sunset's saddlebags on the ground, right where she left them. Or, more accurately, where Starlight made her leave them.  The unicorn levitates the bags onto her back, setting them on top of her own. The additional strain from the twice heavy load makes her groan again, momentarily wishing that she didn't have to come back for them. She quickly brushes those thoughts aside, knowing full well that without the magic stone that Sunset was connected to, there would be no way to track Chrysalis, rendering their mission a failure before it even started.  Sighing aloud, Starlight walks back to the edge and forces her horn into action once again. The all too familiar sensation of her stomach flipping isn't lessened any by knowing it's coming. With the additional burden, she takes herself off the ledge and starts to fly back to her destination. Her thoughts swirl around once more as she steadily sends herself down.  Hopes for what the journey could be pop up, taking her mind off of the weight. Perhaps it takes no more than a few days in the wilderness, with only the companionship of a new friend to keep things interesting. Perhaps they find their quarry in an hour, and this whole adventure is over before it truly begins, letting everything go back to normal. Perhaps her extremely basic survival skills and somewhat rational mind are enough to keep them out of trouble.  Perhaps she's being too optimistic.  The distance is crossed in no time despite the slower speed. The forest rushes to meet her, and she slows herself to slip into it.  I think they were somewhere around here… Her hooves touch the ground. Her flight spell ends, and the weight of the bags bears down on her. Not willing to yell out to find Sunset quickly, Starlight looks around for any traces of her previous landing attempt.  The shine from a tiny shard of crystal catches her eye. She walks to it, and finds another shard close by. Happy to have found a trail so soon, she follows the pieces until she hears a familiar voice. Starlight follows it, and confirms that it belongs to Sunset. All the optimistic thoughts of a short and sweet adventure with her new friend come to the surface, putting a smile on her face.  She trots into the clearing where she left the alicorn, and all the excitement that had been building falls away. Sunset is sitting, relaxed and composed, wings in full view. Right beside her is Cozy Glow, telling the punchline to a joke Starlight isn't privy too. Sunset laughs, and the pegasus beside her giggles in return.  "Sunset? What in Equestria is going on here?"  The two turn towards her. The surprise on their faces quickly fades away, though their smiles do not. Starlight slowly walks forward, almost in shock at what she's seeing.  "Starlight, you're back!" exclaims Sunset, watching the unicorn come closer. "Me and Cozy Glow managed to work something out, and she's agreed to come with us!"  "Has she now?" says Starlight, disbelief dripping from her voice.  As if to disorient her even more, Cozy Glow speaks up. "Yup! Sunset and I are already turning out to be the best of friends!"  Starlight stops. She stares at the two, considers her idea of ditching the pegasus, and concludes that it's now next to impossible. She stifles a scream of frustration, clenching her jaw at the ponies in front of her.  Sunset smiles like she's happy to have made a new friend.  Cozy Glow grins like she's just won the lottery.  Maybe this won't be so nice after all.  "Mind if Sunset and I have a little talk?"  Starlight's question was said less like a polite inquiry and more like a demand. Sunset looks to Cozy Glow for approval despite the agitated look on Starlight's face. Cozy nods, her smile still present. Taking that as affirmation, Starlight takes Sunset to the edge of the clearing, just out of earshot.  The unicorn places both sets of saddlebags down on the ground, relieving herself of their burden. She groans, her lethargy beginning to show itself. Sunset sees her look back and forth between herself, the ground, and Cozy Glow. A scowl forms on her face.  Sunset starts to consider the idea that Starlight might not actually be all too happy about her new friend.  "What are you doing?" Starlight asks accusingly.  Sunset raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean, what am I doing? I'm going along with what you said earlier. Didn't you want her to come along with us?"  She rolls her eyes. "Yes, I know what I said, but I didn't mean this! Making her come with us so we can use her for information and turn her in when we're done is incredibly different from accepting her as some new pal to hang out with!" She gets close and presses a hoof against Sunset's chest. "Let me make it crystal clear. Cozy Glow does not want to be friends with you. She wants to use you to get what she desires, and that's it. She doesn't care about you, or anyone, or anything that won't benefit her in some way. She's a liar and a manipulator, who you absolutely should not fall for!" Sunset gently pushes the hoof away and responds with uncertainty. "That doesn't… I don't know about that. She seemed pretty genuine to me. When I looked through her memories, I saw the kind of pony you and Twilight described to me, but I saw a lot of other stuff too. She's not as cleanly cut as you think." Starlight shakes her head in confusion. "Sorry, you looked through her memories? Is that why your eyes were creepily glowing when you were still in the crystal?"  Sunset nods. "It's an ability I have. I can experience the memories of others, and even feel what they're feeling. It usually only works when I'm actually making physical contact, though." Starlight's expression turns to one of judgment. "I don't know if I should feel touched or grossed out that you're so willing to admit that you practice black magic." "Huh? It's not-" Sunset stops, realizing why Starlight made that connection. "Okay, I can see how it sounds like that, but trust me, it's not." "You're rooting around in somepony else's head and messing with their memories. How is that not black magic?"  Sunset taps the ground with her hoof. "Well, first off, I'm not messing with anything. Nothing is actually being changed. It's strictly an act of observation." Starlight hums in such a way that makes it clear she doesn't believe anything Sunset is telling her.  She rubs her leg absentmindedly. "Do you really think I would know that kind of spell?"  Starlight looks away. "Well… yeah, kinda." Sunset almost feels offended by that, but she remembers all the things that Starlight knows about her and decides to leave it.  "Okay, fair point. I'm serious about it not being black magic though! Its just something I'm able to do on the other side of the mirror that transferred over to this side. Nothing dark or sinister about it!" Sunset says, pointing at her for emphasis.  Starlight just stares at her for a moment. "Y'know what, I'm just going to accept that this totally-not-black-magic is a thing you can do and move on, cause if I don't, we'll be here all day." "That's probably a good idea." Starlight lets out a long exhale and looks back to Cozy Glow. The pegasus hasn't moved, and seems to be lost in thought. A smile still rests on her face, slightly unnerving Starlight. She turns back to Sunset, not quite as certain as she was before.  "Look," Starlight sighs, "I don't blame you for believing her, or getting suckered in by what she says. Everyone else did, me included! I'm sure she pulled out all the stops trying to make you think she's harmless." Sunset laughs. "Hah! I wouldn't say that. If anything, I'm the one that had to convince her we weren't enemies. She was so mad when she woke up, it took her like five minutes to realize her wings didn't work!"  Starlight narrows her eyes, examining Sunset's expression. "That doesn't sound like her. It was probably just a ruse, or she calmed down enough to realize it would benefit her more to get you on her side or something. I mean, look at us, we're arguing about this right now because of her! This is exactly what she wants!" Sunset glances over to Cozy Glow, who is sitting idly in the same spot. She notices the attention this time and flashes a big toothy grin, waving a hoof. Sunset lifts her hoof to do the same before Starlight pushes it back down to the ground.  "You know," says Sunset, drawing her words out, "I don't really think we're arguing. I think you're playing this way out of proportion and things aren't as bad as you say they are. I think you're assuming the worst out of her because that's all you've really seen. Believe me when I say that she genuinely does want to be friends; I can feel it. Maybe you should give her a chance!" "Give her a chance?" she asks, her voice raising. "I distrust her as far as I can throw her, and I'm pretty sure I could launch her for miles!"  Sunset can't help but laugh at the mental image of Cozy being launched through the sky just like she was earlier. Starlight doesn't seem so amused.  "Sunset, this is serious! Getting buddy-buddy with her is going to be a big mistake. How can you not see that?"  Sunset sighs. "Look, I know she's done some bad stuff in the past. So have we! But we didn't keep doing bad stuff because we had friends to show us there was a better way. We got second chances, and opportunities to do things right. Why shouldn't she get the same?  "I-" she starts. The wheels in her mind turn, trying to come up with a reason not to. Any justification to deny Sunset's request at all, and she would take it.  She can't find a single thing to say. She looks at the ground, knowing her arguments have led her nowhere. A sigh escapes her.  "Alright."  Sunset perks up. "Alright? You'll give her a chance?"  Starlight points a hoof at nothing in particular. "Just a chance! I still think she's trying to play you, but fine. Maybe she does deserve an opportunity to prove herself. Maybe." Sunset grins, and her wings rustle in excitement. "That's great! I'm glad you'll give it a shot." Starlight puffs out her chest, exaggerating her confidence. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm expecting her to show her true colors sooner or later. But sure, I'll play along for now." Well, that's better than nothing.  The two lift their respective saddlebags onto their backs and turn to Cozy Glow. Sunset calls out to the filly, taking her out of the comfortable thought bubble she had been in. She stands to greet them, eager to begin the journey. They're ready to move on in no time at all. Departure takes only a minute.  Sunlight shines through the leaves in the canopy. It hits the three ponies off and on, the rays shifting this way and that. The rustle of the trees is calming, soothing in a way that only nature can be. There are no marks of civilization to be found, save for the bags the mares are lugging around. In fact, the three ponies seem to be the only creatures around. Birds are singing, but nowhere close to them.  They walk with purpose. Each has a different reason for coming along, but their goal is the same regardless.  Cozy Glow considers just how lucky she really is. First, breaking out of that horrible statue was a miracle. The thought that she would have to spend even a single second more in that place is enough to make her wish for Tartarus. The reason she and her former teammates were freed is unknown to her, but the how isn't important.  Despite her efforts, both her allies gave up on her. Ego crushed her ties with one, and apathy ruined her chances with the other. Neither was her fault, but this is obvious. That they were unable to see her true worth after everything they had been through meant they were simply fools blinded by their own feelings. All their power and all their potential for teamwork means nothing in the face of blind, fleeting emotions.  They had let her down. Friendship had beaten them together, just as it had beaten them apart. The three simply weren't enough to compete with the overwhelming magic of the princesses' friendship. Of course, this doesn't mean friendship itself was an enemy - far from it. After all, the reason for their loss wasn't due to any major flaw on their part. Sure, the three bickered and disagreed, but they all helped each other when they needed it. They put their trust and faith in the ones beside them, just as their enemies did.  Yes, they were friends. Even if Cozy was the only one who knew it.  Her methods were sound. Being friends with two of the most powerful beings she had ever met should have been enough, but it wasn't. No matter how strong they were together, they simply were no match for the overwhelming friendships the princess possessed. Twilight Sparkle's friendships were simply stronger and more numerous than hers, and that was enough to win. This should have been obvious, really. The personal connection to an alicorn princess can't be overstated, as the positives that both sides gain are so numerous that even Cozy Glow would have a hard time counting them all.  It only makes sense, really. Social hierarchies and political ladders could be climbed if you had a princess on your side, but the reverse is true as well. How can a princess rule without subjects, without those she can rely upon when challenges arise? True friendships such as those Twilight Sparkle has will surely benefit everyone involved, which is what makes them so desirable.  Why else would anyone be friends with her?  And now, after being cast aside by the two friends who decided she could give nothing worthwhile, Cozy Glow finds herself with a once in a lifetime opportunity. A golden chance had been placed in her lap, and she took it as soon as she could. Friends with a potential princess, one who agreed with her and could sway others to her side? She would have to be crazy not to take it.  Not only that, but she has the opportunity to convince not only her, but the other princesses that she could do good. If she assisted in the capture of her former ally, it would put her in a good light. It wouldn't be hard to spin things in a positive way for herself. She would have to play the long game, but with this, she could get back on her hooves. All she would need is time to get back to the heights she reached with Chrysalis and Tirek, and to keep everyone fooled all the while.  She walks behind Sunset and Starlight, who move side by side. One of them glances back every once in a while, just to see if she's still there. They'll get used to her soon enough. She already has Sunset wrapped around her hoof, and it's only a matter of time before Starlight gives in and accepts her once again. She knows she'll have a chance to be the one on top again.  All the pieces are in place. All she has to do now is pick the right moves.