As I closed my eyes while being held in the hooves of my love, I thought about the peculiar game night I had just had with this dejected little pink pegasus filly. I whisper back to my darling, “She was very good at gin!”
Starlight whispers back, “Yeah, she was…”
I open my eyes to sigh, “That means she can be very deceptive…”
“Well, that doesn’t mean she’s being deceptive all the time, now does it?”
I smile when I realize I should give the filly the benefit of a doubt, “Yeah, you’re right Starlight… Good night! I love you!”
She kisses the nape of my neck and whispers back, “I love you too Crystal! Goodnight!”
Suddenly, we both hear a knock knocking on our bedroom door, across from the bed! I widen my eyes when I think that I could’ve sworn I secured Cozy and Starlight whispers to me, “Uh, didn’t you lock her up?”
I can only be honest when I whisper back, “I thought so?” before getting out of the bed and turning my body parallel to it, towards the opposite end of the room to begin trotting that direction in the dark…
Suddenly, I trip on a cloth something on the floor and lose my balance as I say, “Oh, crap!” under my breath and I jerk forward, before I catch myself in the dark with my front hooves…
I stare at the door in the dark, maybe 5 feet away from me as I say lowly, “Hang on!” and begin trotting that direction again…
I open the door inward to the left with my snout and I see a wide-eyed small pink pegasus filly there, standing on her hooves and staring up at me with enormous brown eyes! “U-um, Miss Crystal Heart! I-I was having trouble sleeping…”
I frown at this obstinate foal, “So? What has that got to do with me?”
Starlight says from the bed, “I think she wants to sleep near us so she has a sense of security?”
Cozy stares up at me with her wide auburn eyes and smiles weakly…
I widen my eyes as my mouth scrunches and I realize suddenly what has to be done. “You never needed comfort at the lair?”
She starts before nodding her head, “Well, at the lair, I had a stuffed bear to snuggle! And uh, besides! I don’t think Tirek or Chrysalis would’ve been very nice?”
“Stuffed bear? You never told us you had a bear!”
Starlight pipes up from the bed, “Come on baby! Let her sleep near the edge and give her a blanket and pillow so we can all go back down again!”
I raise my head to speak while continuing to stare at the filly, “Starlight! This filly needs a stuffed bear!”
Cozy stares up at me with wide-eyed curiosity and a frown, not sure what to think…
I smile, “And we’re gonna make sure she has one!”
Her mouth goes agape, “Golly! R-really Crystal Heart? You mean it?”
I look down at her, “Absolutely! You are now my foal and you will have any and all amenities you may require, up to and including comfort! Come now child! Lets sleep with your new mommies!”
<*****>
Later the next morning…
I held my smartphone in my right hoof and used it to communicate with the filly I left home:
Queen_Awesome: I’m at the store now Cozy! What sort of bear do you require?”
BRAT: Oh, golly gee! I like BIG bears that just SWALLOW me up when I snuggle them! They’re just so SNUGGLY!
Queen_Awesome: Then you shall have the largest bear I can find! You shall also have a special treat upon my return!
BRAT: I can’t wait! YAY!
<*****>
And so, the friendly tan unicorn shopkeeper used his magick to move the enormous brown stuffed bear into the room… And there it sat, on the wooden coffee table as the adorable curly-maned filly slept in the red EZ-chair with it reclined with a simple white cloth blanket around her… I smile at him and fetch a bit for his tip and he grins back and courteously places the bit underneath his navy blue flat cap with his muzzle. He quietly leaves and I shut the door behind him….
I silently trot over and set down the giant fudge pop on the table with my mouth before standing there, proud and smiling at her, with her new bear and delicious treat already laid out for her! I clear my throat, “AHEM!”
She opens her eyes and soon closes her snout as she widens them while gazing at the humongous bear on the coffee table! “Uh, oh golly! That bear is HUGE!”
I grin at her triumphantly and nod my head, “Indeed Cozy! You said you liked big bears and I will deliver! I also brought you a delicious chocolatey treat!”
She looks down at the fudge pop before gazing briefly at the clock on the wall beyond the table and then finally at me at her slight right, “It’s ten thirty-two in the morning!”
I lower my gaze to the foal, “I won’t say anything if you won’t!”
She eyes me carefully for a moment before finally asking me, “Tell me again why you’re adopting me?”
I soften my gaze at this filly, “Because Cozy, I believe you deserve a second chance and you’re not going to get that anywhere else… After what you did, nopony would ever adopt you…”
Her eyes widen, “So it’s you, or nopony, huh?”
I smile weakly, “I’m afraid so…”
She frowns before saying, “Um, nopony isn’t an option anymore, is it?”
I giggle, “Not really!”
“Oh, gee!”
I widen my eyes, “What? I got you a big bear!”
She nods, “Yes, and while I appreciate that, I just…”
I lean slightly towards the filly, “Just what, Cozy?”
She stares at me, “I just don’t think it’s really meant for me, you know?”
I frown, “What do you mean?”
“Oh, golly! It’s just that, well, you’re just so nice and...and I’m not…”
I smile at the filly, “Oh, give yourself some credit, Cozy! I mean, how long has it been since you last tried to take over Equestria?”
“Uh, just over four years now!”
“See? You haven’t been evil in over four years!”
She leans forward while squealing incredulously, “I was in stone most of that time!”
“Technicalities!” I start with my head tilted back and waving my right hoof in the air. It goes back to the ground. “The important thing now is that you’re not evil, okay Cozy?”
She gazes at the chocolate pop on the table, “You know, I should eat that before it melts!”
I nod, “And so you shall, my sweet Cozy Glow, with my blessing! And take your new friend to your room when you are done! I love you!”
“Oh, golly!”
<*****>
I’m playing chess with the filly across the table from me and while she prefers to play black, I’ll admit that she often defeats me quite easily! Of course, this is to be expected from a foal with a red rook cutie mark… I had just suffered my fourth defeat and was using my hoofs to set up the board for round five when the door behind the filly in front of me opens and Starlight trots into the foyer from 10 feet behind Cozy… “Cozy, I like having you around and look forward to uh, raising you or whatever, but you’re a lot of paperwork, you know that?”
Cozy turns her body around on the chair to her left and looks over that shoulder at the magenta unicorn, “Oh, golly! Uh, sorry about that! I guess I’ll have to escape from stone differently the next time I’m encased in a statue?”
I stare at the back of the filly’s head, “Well, if at all possible, you should try to make it appear as if you never escaped!”
She turns her head back to me, “Well, that’s kinda hard, don’t you think?”
I smile, “Indeed! Getting out free and alive is quite literally the best to be hoped for!”
Starlight trots towards Cozy’s chair and stares at her at the filly’s left, “Well, right! And long ago, you trapped me in a forcefield and tried to take over Equestria! And now, you’re my filly!”
Cozy turns her neck left to the unicorn, “Uh, yeah! About that! Uh,” she stares up at Starlight and smiles weakly. “sorry about that, Starlight! I promise that it was just the rush of wanting power and nothing personal, okay? Heh heh! I can’t have you interfering, after all!” her eyes widen. “Whoa! That didn’t come out right! Uh, I guess what I’m really trying to say here is…”
Starlight smiles and says, “You’re forgiven, Cozy Glow!”
Cozy stares up at her, “Oh, golly gee! Thanks Starlight! That sure is swell! Uh, I uh…”
She takes a step towards the filly and embraces her in her forehooves for a tight warm hug!
“EEP!” Cozy squeals!
Starlight releases the filly and stares back down at her from the side of the chair, “Feel better now, Cozy?”
Cozy raises her gaze to the unicorn and widens her eyes, “Oh, golly yes, Miss Starlight! I sure feel better now! Uh, you know, this imprisoning thing is kinda different with the horseshoe on the other hoof!”
Starlight frowns, “What do you mean?”
Cozy blinks, “Well, the last time, I had you captured! Now, it’s the other way around!”
“Cozy! You’re not a prisoner here!”
“I’m not? Then why am I locked in my room all the time?”
“Because we need to protect you!”
Cozy widens her eyes, “Protect me? Protect me from what, exactly, Starlight? I mean, why can’t you just be honest? I’m basically being sentenced to be your foal for what I did earlier!”
“You’re not being sentenced to anything Cozy!”
Cozy raises her voice and neck, “Then why am I locked up?”
Starlight sighs and stares at the filly carefully, “Cozy! You’re fragile right now! We need to protect you!”
Cozy sighs, “Again, protect me from what?”
Starlight eyes the filly carefully… “Protect you from yourself…”
The filly is silent for a moment… “What?”
Starlight nods, “You tried to take over Equestria Cozy! It’s obvious that you need guidance and we’re here to provide that…”
Cozy cringes, “You have a lot of nerve, you know that? I’ll have you know that I single-hoofedly overthrew the Equestrian monarchy and took over the School of Friendship!”
“But was that the correct thing to do, Cozy?”
Cozy’s face normalizes, “I uh, I guess not, huh? Golly, I never actually thought about it, you know?”
Starlight frowns, “Wait! So you didn’t think taking over Equestria was evil, then?”
Cozy giggles, “Oh, I knew it was evil! Golly, Starlight! Give me more credit than that! No, what I mean is, I never thought that those things were incorrect, you know? I kinda uh, thought it was okay to be bad?”
“Well, right!” Starlight nods. “But now, you don’t wanna be bad anymore, right? You wish to be good?”
She smiles and turns her head back left towards me, “Well, it sure doesn’t seem all that bad, now that you mention it!”
Starlight continues, “Right! Well, Princess Twilight says you’re still on house arrest until further notice!”
A frown overtakes her face as her brown eyes widen, “Oh, golly!”
“Also, after learning about you, she cast a spell to keep you here. Also, she’s coming to dinner tonight!”
I widen my gaze at my magenta love, “Are you sure that’s wise, Starlight? I mean, Cozy just got here!”
Cozy finally grows visibly flustered at this stage as she shakes her head and stares back at me, “I don’t need to be protected! I uh,” she turns her head back left towards Starlight, “I faced you Starlight! I’m pretty sure I can face Princess Twilight tonight!” she nods. “Um, what time did she say she’d be over?”
(To be continued…)