//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: So Now Cozy's Being Reformed! // Story: Crystal Heart: After the Swarm // by Betty_Starlight //------------------------------// The happy pink filly on the other side of the table smiled at me cheerfully with her enormous brown eyes and squeaks, “Oh, golly gee mommy! That oatmeal you made sure was swell!” I smile down at my foal sitting across the table from me from behind my aquamarine snout, which I’m just now getting used to, “That’s good Cozy! Now go get washed up and we’ll take a break before your lesson plan today!” She frowns, “It sure is strange that Twilight Sparkle put you in charge of teaching me!” My eyes widen, “Why is that strange?” “Well, weren’t you also uh, bad or whatever? I mean,” she blinks and leans forward to whisper. “how does she know we’re behaving ourselves?” “Well, she’s got the alarm set to go off if you attempt to leave?” Cozy nods, “Well, right! But remember what happened when they gave Tirek mail privileges in Tartarus?” I frown, “Well, yeah! But who would you talk to?” “I can talk to you?” “But I won’t do anything evil?” Her eyes widen, “So you say!” she blinks and shakes her head. “But anyway, I just can’t shake the feeling that Twilight is watching us some other way. Someway we don’t know about…” “And what if she is, Cozy? What difference would it make? We’re not going to do anything nefarious.” She sighs and nods, “Well, right!” she smiles an enormous toothy grin. “I’m a good filly!” I grin and giggle at this, “Of course you are! Now your hooves! Go wash them!” She salutes me with her right forehoof as she sits at the table, “Yes ma’am!” before squatting on the chair and taking off to fly and buzz towards the kitchen where the sink is… I can’t help but think to myself that this is much easier than I thought it would be? My mind suddenly began to imagine various scenarios. In one scenario: Cozy Glow and Apple Bloom have to sell cookies together and while Cozy is very good at it, Apple Bloom is not and this will cause jealousy and friction between the two of them! I end up having to referee here between the two as they talk about their differences… In another scenario: Cozy Glow and Scootaloo need to compete in a skating contest for some reason and Cozy’s agility and grace make her a natural and Scootaloo is angry because she works so hard, and yet Cozy will find those things easy… I will need to console poor Scootaloo and let her know that her efforts are not in vain… In another scenario: Cozy Glow and Sweetie Belle enter a singing competition and Cozy’s amazing and wonderful voice easily outshines the white unicorn and this upsets Sweetie, and so she does something bad in a fit of jealousy which causes problems between Cozy and the other Crusaders… The other Crusaders will attempt to reason with Sweetie, but I’ll need to make sure things go smoothly… I wondered about my new filly and the adventures that awaited her and I smiled when I realized that I was giving Cozy Glow the thing her life had been missing… An actual childhood! I then thought about my foal and how she might grow up? Perhaps she could be a motivational speaker or counselor? Possibly an ambassador to Griffindor or the Centaur-Lands? Or maybe even an astronaut? Cozy Glow could be the first pony to make contact with alien lifeforms! “Uh, mom? Still with us?” Cozy asks from where she’s now standing, 5 feet away from me on my right while staring up at me with humongous auburn pupils… I turn to face her and smile, “Oh, yes! Cozy Glow! I was just thinking…” when suddenly, there’s a knock on the door behind me! I continue my statement, “that I needed to answer the door right quick before we begin our lesson plan for the day!” I grin at her like a madpony, “Hang on!” before getting off my chair to turn about face to begin trotting across the living room to answer the door… I open the dark blue portal to my right with my mouth and adjust my neck to gaze at the wide orange eyes of this yellow earth filly with a big pink bow on the back of her head! “Hiya Crystal Heart! Is Cozy around? I was wantin’ ta give her some friendship lessons today!” “You’re not selling cookies are you?” She frowns, “What? No! Why would I?” “Okay, good!” I cut her off! “Hang on! I’ll go get her for you!” before turning around and raising my head to yell across the house. “Cozy Glow! Apple Bloom is here for friendship lessons, so your regular school will have to wait!” I see my foal look up from her place on the other side of the table from me, “Oh, golly! Doesn’t she have to tutor at the School of Friendship?” I turn around and stare at the earth filly, “Hey, don’t you have to tutor?” She stares up at me and squeaks, “Well, I got days off y’know? Sides! What do you think I do on the weekends?” I turn around and raise my neck to speak at Cozy, “She’s off today and wants to teach you instead!” “Oh, golly!” Cozy exclaims before sighing and reluctantly getting up on the chair to squat with her hooves and take off with her little wings and fly into the foyer with me, where she lands in the center and trots three paces towards the apple filly on the other side of the door, “So, you’re tutoring me today, huh?” Apple Bloom smiles at her and says, “Well, yeah! Twilight thought it would be a good idea for us three Crusaders ta be givin’ you friendship lessons and teachin’ you the right way! Y’know? Since you didn’t really do so great the last time.” She rolls her eyes, “Oh, golly!” While I turn to face her and smile, “Excellent! Apple Bloom! You will have her back just before lunch! I will then consume nourishment with my foal while asking her about what she learned and how you’re teaching her.” I raise my gaze to Cozy. “You will tell me everything and leave nothing out, yes?” Cozy stares at me with shock in her brown eyes, “Um, y-yes! Of course mom!” I smile, “Excellent! Now come to me and receive your hug, my precious foal!” Cozy timidly trots up to me and I embrace her in a tight warm hug! “EEP!” She squeaks! I release her and gaze down to her as she stares up at me with uncertainty in her auburn gaze, “Good! Now go and have a wonderful time with Apple Bloom!” She quickly turns around to begin trotting away from me towards the apple filly in the doorway… “Goodbye Cozy!” “Oh, gee! Goodbye mom!” She squeaks back! Then, the door shuts and I’m once again, alone with my thoughts… I ponder long and hard on the exciting adventures my foal will soon be having… When moments later, there’s a knock on the door! I raise my gaze to look at it, “Come on in! It’s open!” The door opens to reveal a tall purple alicorn standing there with a frown on her face, “It’s alright if Cozy has Crusader lessons! But you really need to clear these things with me first!” <*****> The purple alicorn sips the white coffee mug in her violet glow before setting it down on the table and saying, “Well, the biggest problem is that everypony knows who Cozy Glow is and they wouldn’t want to associate with her because of that…” she blinks. “I truly want Cozy to have a second chance, but she can’t get that as long as ponies remember…” I frown and stare back at her from my position on the other side of the table, “Well, right! But as long as she’s with the Crusaders, she’ll have a chance.” Twilight nods, “Right! And that’s why I’m letting her out under strict Crusader supervision.” “Crusader supervision?” I repeat her. Her purple eyes widen, “Well, yes! She’s being reformed and I couldn’t think of any fillies more qualified to do it!” “Who said they have to be fillies?” “Well, don’t you think she would do better if she had somepony around her that she could emulate? That she could be like, so she’ll know the right way to behave?” I sigh, “Well, maybe any other filly, but we’re talking about Cozy Glow here! We’re talking about the filly who almost took over Equestria!” “Well, right!” I nod and smile, “Exactly!” I furrow my brow and frown. “She is Cozy Glow and I believe that she needs to be approached differently…” Twilight stares at me as her gaze softens, “Okay uh, what exactly did you have in mind, Crystal Heart?” <*****> I stared down my aquamarine snout at the pink filly across the table from me, “Welcome to your reformation, Cozy Glow!” She stares at me with huge auburn eyes, “I thought I was already being reformed?” I nod, “Well, right! But Twilight Sparkle just made it official! You’re now officially being reformed, Cozy Glow!” She rolls her eyes, “Oh, golly!” I stare back at her, “Right! So, here’s what we’re going to do! Honestly, I think we can both help each other get ahead here...” before smiling intently at my wonderful new foal… She stares back at me, “This involves Tirek, doesn’t it?” My eyes widen in shock! “What, no!” my gaze turns left slightly, “Kinda…” and then back to her. “Okay, it does…” She nods, “Well, golly right! So uh, what did you have in mind?” (To be continued...)