//------------------------------//
// Real Talk 
// Story: Lessons We Learn 
// by SundropStriker 
//------------------------------//

Cozy sat on her bed, arms crossed, glaring at her closed door as if somehow the glare would pass through the wood and find Sunset and make her see just how she felt right now. To say she was unhappy at this entire situation was a massive understatement. She was actually rather infuriated at how her life had ended up. 

"You can't blame a filly for trying to get somewhere in life." She muttered under her breath, lapsing back into the speech patterns of the world she had been so unapologetically cast out of. "I could have ruled Equestria and done it better than anypony, but oh no, the Princesses just had to ruin everything!"

She flopped back onto the bed with a growl. Her latest scheme should have worked. Using threats and torments and bribery to gain an impressive following that would do whatever she wanted was honestly a stroke of genius. Granted, her schemes hadn't ended so well in the other world, but only because stupid Princess Twilight and her friends had to completely ruin that for her. And here she had stupid Principal Celestia, who was just as bad as her pony counterpart, and stupid Sunset. 

Cozy pulled a pillow over her face and released a single scream of mixed emotions into it. As the tension left her body, she pushed the pillow off and sighed heavily. Since being banished to this human world she had been trying to fit in and survive and to do that yes, she had resorted to some...less than acceptable antics and behaviors. But something had been off since she had been sent here, and she couldn't figure out what it was. Oh well. So what if her evil plans failed? There was always a new one.

There was a knock on her door, and before she could say anything Sunset strode in with a stern, "Cozy, we need to talk."

"Don't you know how to wait for permission to come in?" Cozy sat up on the bed, scowling.

Sunset arched an eyebrow. "My apartment."

"My room."

"In my apartment."

"That shouldn't matter! You said this was my space!"

"Cozy-"

"You. Said. It."

Sunset sighed. "Alright, ok, you're right. I did say it. I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to say I could come into your space."

Cozy blinked, unacustomed to apologies. For a moment she said nothing, then she folded her arms. 

"Whatever. What do you want?"

"Like I said, we need to talk." Sunset took a seat on a chair by the bed.

"If you're gonna yell at me again, forget it." 

Cozy spoke sourly and boldly, but she tensed as she said it...something that did not go unnoticed by Sunset, who frowned slightly.

"I'm not going to yell, Cozy. I just want to talk."

Cozy looked away and shrugged silently. Sighing, Sunset leaned back in the chair.

"Why don't you tell me what it is that makes you think it was a good idea to bully and humiliate all those kids?"

Cozy shrugged again. "Its not like they'll remember it forever. Besides, it toughens them up. And anyway, now I have friends."

"No, you don't. Now you have fellow students who will do whatever you say because they're terrified that you will hurt them or expose thier secrets if they don't. And you might think that makes you happy and satisfied and powerful, Cozy, but it doesn't. Deep down you know it doesn't. It doesn't give you the kind of power you want, trust me."

"What do you know about power?" Cozy glared at her defiantly.

"I know that people want power for different reasons. But it generally boils down to one thing: they want to be accepted, cared for, even loved. They want to have friends. Or they want to feel powerful because at some point someone in thier life broke them and made them feel powerless, and they want to prove they aren't. But they go about it all wrong."

Cozy squirmed, trying to maintain an air of indifference and defiance even as her heart sped up and her breathing quickened at Sunset's words. Emotions were starting to swirl around that she had refused to acknowledge for a long time, and she didn't like it.

"Well you're wrong!" She snapped. "Power is more than that."

"What is it to you then? Why do you want to destroy others so much?"

"Why do you care? Princess Twilight just made you take charge of me when they banished me to this world. You don't really care. You're just like all the rest. You put up with me because you want to show off for Princess Twilight and for everypon-everyone here!"

"You're wrong." Sunset said quietly. "I do care. Twilight didn't make me take charge of you here. She thought you were worth more than the fate they had for you there. She asked if I would help give you a chance at reforming. As someone who was once extremely misguided and lost and alone and unhappy just like you, I took it because I believed I could help make a difference. I do care, Cozy."

Cozy was trying to come up with a rebuttal...some form of rebellious argument that she was not the things Sunset said. That she knew good and well who she was and what she wanted and that she was perfectly happy with it. But the words died on her lips because her voice wouldn't cooperate. Her throat felt tight and her eyes were burning, and then suddenly a veil of liquid clouded her vision as a hitched gasp of air ripped itself from her chest. A pitiful sound reached her ears...a ragged and soft wail of rage and pain, and she was horrified to realize it came from herself.

Sunset blinked as Cozy suddenly broke down and started crying tears of anger, frustration and pain. She wasn't sure exactly what to do so she stayed in her chair. It wasn't a good choice. Cozy flung herself off the bed and onto Sunset, fists flailing. Luckily, Sunset had fast reflexes and managed to grab her wrists and stop the blows.

"Its not true!" Cozy yelled amid strangled cries. "You don't care! No one does! They never cared!"

"I'm sure your parents-"

Cozy laughed...a dry, choked laugh, forced out past her tears of rage. 

"My parents never cared. I was only ever a pawn in thier little games. Bring me out and show me off and use me for my brilliance, but behind closed doors I was never anything more than trash. I was only good enough to bring them money because I had smarts better than anypony in all of Equestria. I wanted to just be a filly and play with my friends, but no. I had to use my brain and help my parents with their gambling because I was genius enough to count cards. No one ever cared. They just wanted me because i was good for showing off and getting them almost anything they wanted."

Sunset wasn't expecting Cozy to open up so much, but since she had she tried to keep it going. Something from the younger girl's body language earlier...the way she had tensed at the mention of Sunset yelling at her, made Sunset ask a question now with an answer already in mind that she hoped she was wrong about.

"Cozy, were they...mean to you?"

Cozy let out another harsh and dry laugh, pained and angry red eyes meeting Sunset's concerned teal ones. "Were they mean? What's it to you? You probably just want to know because then you can use it against me and do the same thing they did to control me."

Well that answered that, and Sunset hated how right she was. "No, Cozy. No. I would never use that against you or try to control you. I'm trying to help you. I care about you, and I want to see you succeed, but not at the cost of hurting everyone around you. That's not truly succeeding. That's just being a bully, and you are so much better than that."

"Shut up!" Cozy tried to free herself so she could punch at Sunset again, but the older girl's grasp on her wrists was solid and firm. She wasn't getting loose anytime soon. "You don't care! All you want to do is use me, just like my parents, just like everyone else in our Equestria did! You're showing off for Princess Twilight...'see, look what I can do! I've made Cozy good!' All for the pats on the back and the praise and whatever else it gets you. But I'm not stupid enough to fall for it now! I'm bigger and I'm better and I'm smarter! I'm not going to be a pawn anymore."

"You're not a pawn, Cozy." Sunset was being as patient and kind as possible, trying to put the irate youngster more at ease. It wasn't really working. "No one is trying to use you anymore. You're safe and wanted and cared for and...you're loved." 

Cozy's body stilled its fighting against her grasp and went completely rigid, her eyes staring unblinking at Sunset. It was clear from the mix of emotions playing across her face she was shocked and completely unsure how to handle this information, given that it was delivered sincerely and with no obvious malice or dishonesty. Having her charge's full attention, Sunset pressed on determinedly, her tone as gentle and caring as she could make it.

"You don't have to fight against anyone anymore, Cozy. I know now your behavior in our world, and your behavior here, was your way of lashing out, fighting back. Hurting others before they can hurt you. But no one is out to hurt you anymore, I promise. We want to help you. I want to help you." She stared intensely into the still unblinking and disbelieving eyes. "I. Care. About. You." Then, after a second of silence, "I love you, kiddo."

It wasn't a lie. In the almost three months Cozy had been in this world, Sunset had actually come to care and love her like a little sister. Sure, her behavior and attitude had been horrible, but Sunset had overlooked it and seen deeper. Her heart had eventually told her Cozy wasn't a monster bent on destroying everything in her path just for evil's sake, but rather she was a kid lashing out for whatever the reasons might be. And now that she knew and understood the backstory of Cozy's life, she was glad she hadn't been willing to just give up...Twilight's reverse psychology had only been part of the reason she had said no to Cozy returning to their world. The other part actually cared and still believed she could do some good.

Cozy for her part was completely knocked off gaurd by Sunset's kind words and gentle tone. That and the fact that, in spite of trying, she had heard absolutely zero dishonesty in the words and seen nothing but complete sincerity in her eyes. She finally blinked rapidly, eyes burning and stinging with a new rush of tears that she fought desperately to hold back. She wasn't going to cry again, it was a sign of weakness. 

Sensing the internal struggle, Sunset released her hold on Cozy's wrists, but before the girl could pull back or move she wrapped her arms around her still rigid body and drew her close for a loving embrace that she knew was very much long overdue. Cozy tried to fight it, squirming and attempting to pull free, but Sunset wouldn't relent. 

"Its ok, Cozy. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

Overwhelmed with a storm of emotions she had kept locked down for so long, the last of Cozy's resistance broke, Sunset's soft words finally cracking through all the walls she'd built up inside. With one final strangled cry, she went limp, melting into the warmth of the hug and sobbing for all she was worth while Sunset simply held her close.