//------------------------------// // Disturbing The Peace // Story: Double Solitary // by Casketbase77 //------------------------------// Cozy Glow’s prison cell was perfectly square. Twelve paces from one corner to the opposite. Six paces from one corner to the center. The center was where she’d been reclining for several hours now. The center was where she always reclined. The cell used to be twenty paces across. Not because it was once bigger, but because Cozy herself had been smaller. Back when she’d first arrived. Not that the difference concerned her. Her previous prison had been zero paces across. And it was impossible to put her back there. You’d need magic to do that, and Equestria hadn’t had magic since… well, since Cozy’s last prison fizzled out and she was moved to this one. Long ago. Long enough for twenty paces to become twelve. Still relaxed in her special central spot, Cozy flared her aching wings. They were useless for flying and neglectfully unpreened, like every other wing in Equestria these days. But they moved when Cozy willed them, and that alone was gratifying. She itched her nose and whispered a deliciously naughty swear word. Simply because she could. No one ever told Cozy why magic had disappeared and netted her a new cell, but she reveled in the freedoms it allowed. They never got old, never stopped motivating her. Confinement here had made Cozy certain of two things: First, that this cell was twelve paces across. Second, that nothing her captors devised could contain her forever. Not that she had any reason to escape. Magic was gone. Her lifelong goal was complete and she didn't even have to work to make it happen. As far as Cozy was concerned, this cell was her retirement home. It even provided entertainment. Other prisoners who weren’t as old or patient as her, ones who lost their cool when caged. For example, the newcomer presently being tossed in. Cozy lingered where lay, eyes on her fresh cellmate. The new pony bounced slightly off the cushioned floor, but didn’t seem to appreciate the comfort. In fact, her terror was palpable. “Huh?! No, this isn’t right!” A blur of pink and yellow, the newcomer threw herself at the door. It slammed in her face, same cushioning as the floor sparing her from any nose injuries. It also muffled her beating on the tiny window. “There’s been a mistake! I don’t belong in a padded cell, you hear? I’m not dangerous! I’m not dangerous!” “Golly new friend, you really shouldn’t be advertising that on your first day in prison.” The newcomer whipped around, noticing Cozy Glow for the first time. “Y-you stay put, madmare! I’m not -- Guard! Guard!! Hello?! Don’t walk away! Please!” Before speaking, Cozy had tucked legs beneath her and put on a sufficiently pouty frown. She’d discovered with age that her disarming, cutie patootie shtick was still effective. Everypony pities an emotionally stunted idiot marechild. “How come I gotta stay put, Miss? We just met. Yelling at me isn’t fair.” “Don’t get near me, psycho! Guaaaaaard!!” Cozy’s blood was up, but not out of anger. Her last cellmate had been an apathetic bore. This one came with prepackaged panic. It was too good to be true, like a new toy got dropped into her idle lap. “Say Miss, what if I said I’m not dangerous either?” “You’re in a padded cell!” “So are you. Like little ol’ me, you’re in a padded soundproofed cell.” The pony slumped down, shoulders tense, but the rest of her body limp. Every bit of gusto had simply evaporated at the word ‘soundproofed.’ She looked ready to cry, but also adamant about holding onto dignity. And if dignity was the only thing she had left, Cozy was giddy at the prospect of taking that away too. She waited for the question that everypony inevitably asked her. “How... how come you’ve got patches of rock on your coat?” Cozy’s last cellmate, the aforementioned bore, didn’t comment on Cozy’s stone dapples until at least the third hour. Screwball had been a mousy little thing, a former chaos user utterly lost and frightened now that Equestria was cut off from magic. Cozy’d denied having any still petrified flesh, instead insisting that Screwball’s tired, spiral-patterned eyes weren’t seeing straight. To Cozy’s frustration, Screwball accepted the lie immediately, apologizing and clamming up until she was moved to a low security mental hospital several days later. Gaslighting was no fun if the victim didn’t argue back. Cozy hoped this panicky newcomer had more spine. “Rock on my skin? Gee, I plumb don’t understand what you’re-” “Oh… my… Faust!” The newcomer bounced excitedly, as if an internal switch was thrown from Defeated Basket Case to Giddy Fangirl. “Those are petrification scars! That must mean you’re Cozetta Glasgow, right? Right??” Cozy nearly flinched. She wasn't often addressed by her full name. Really only when the Warden came by to belittle her. The oblivious newcomer kept blathering. “Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, I take it all back. I’m in the right cell after all. You’re the pony who once got super close to erasing magic from all of Equestria, right?” Cozy cleared her throat. “I… have other claims to fame than that one, but yes, I-” “Well I’m the pony who did erase all magic! A little over ten years ago. My name’s Luster Dawn! And I’m your biggest fan!”