//------------------------------//
// Friendship School Reunion 
// Story: A True Princess 
// by bahatumay 
//------------------------------//

Cozy Glow hummed to herself as she dusted off the nightstand. She lifted the book to brush underneath, and set it back down in the corner.

There came a knock at the door. Cozy adjusted her bow to make sure she was at her cutest, and then opened the door to see dragon, a griffon, a hippogriff, a changeling, an earth pony, and behind them all but nearly as wide as them all, a yak.

There was a brief, pregnant pause as both parties sized each other up.

Cozy smiled. “Well, I hope you’re here to apologize,” she simpered.

Flurry looked up in shock at the sound of a filly’s scream. She rushed into the room to see Cozy pinned under a very angry yak, and let out a startled scream of her own. “Let her go!” she ordered.

“Yona does not want to,” Yona protested.

But Yona found she had no say in it; she was unceremoniously lifted up and dumped on the ground by magic (much to Sandbar’s consternation). 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Flurry demanded. 

“We heard Cozy got freed and we came to put her back where she belongs,” Gallus said.

“Judge, jury, and executioner,” Cozy murmured as she pushed herself up, loudly enough that everycreature could hear. “The Tree of Harmony has made a lot of changes since I’ve been gone.”

“You’re up to something,” Gallus accused angrily. “Whatever it is, we’re not going to let you do it.”

“Do what?” Flurry asked. 

“She’s Cozy Glow!” Sandbar said. 

“You’re very observant,” Flurry snarked. “But you can’t just rush up here and just attack her when she hasn't done anything.”

“Anything that you know about,” Gallus said darkly. He looked around, as if some evidence of her wrongdoing would stand out. His eyes landed on a book on the bedside table and he scooped it up.

“A history book?” Silverstream asked. She opened her beak, clearly about to ask if it had the history of the lovely staircase she had just climbed, but Smolder jabbed her elbow in her ribs.

“Devious.” Gallus turned it upside down to see where the pages naturally fell open—this would show what she’d been reading most. He held the place with a claw and flipped it over. “Ah ha,” he said triumphantly. “The Crystal Heart.”

Flurry snorted. “Oh, yes. Only the most important artifact in the Crystal Empire and the only reason it exists at all. Why would she be reading about that?” she asked sarcastically.

Ocellus scratched the back of her neck. That sounded interesting to her. She couldn’t fault Cozy for that.

Cozy sighed softly, drawing attention back to herself. “No, I understand. I almost hurt a lot of ponies, and other creatures, too. But I promise, I’m changing,” she said with a hopeful smile. She brightened as something occurred to her. “Say, you all must be tired from the long journey. Would you like to stay for dinner?”

There was a brief pause. Gallus and Smolder shared a look, and Ocellus took a tiny step back.

Cozy sighed. “I’m not cooking,” she explained wearily.

Gallus exhaled. “Ok, well…”

“I could go for something,” Smolder said.

“We could stay for a bit, I guess,” Sandbar conceded.

“Great!” Cozy said, all smiles again. “I’m sure Princess Cadence will be so happy to see you all.”







Cozy was right. Princess Cadence was a most gracious host, thrilled to see them, and dinner was a lively affair, with all of them sharing the various lessons on friendship they had learned (and, in the case of Yona and Sandbar, a little more than just friendship). 

But amidst the great stories and the multiple glasses of crystal berry juice, Flurry kept stealing glances over at Cozy, wondering if she was feeling targeted at all by this. She could tell that she wasn’t the only one watching Cozy; Smolder in particular kept shooting her glares when she thought nocreature else was looking.

After dinner, she meandered over by her dad. Honestly, she didn’t really feel like either parent was on her side right now, but at least he’d supported her idea. “They don’t trust her,” she said.

Shining shrugged.

Flurry shot him a glare. 

Shining held up his hooves disarmingly. “Last time they met, there were a lot of rainbow lasers. I can’t really blame them for being suspicious.”

Flurry thought she could, especially after the stories she’d heard about when they had first met, but she didn’t say anything else.







The next morning, Flurry headed down for breakfast bright and early. She met Cozy on the way, and gave her a good-morning sidehug, one that was eagerly reciprocated.

But she felt her good mood sour as she opened the door to the dining room and saw that the table was much more full than usual. “Hey, everycreature,” she said slowly.

The six waved with varying degrees of enthusiasm. 

“So, I have some fun news,” Cadence said lightly. “All six of the Friendship Students have decided to stay here a bit longer.” 

Flurry couldn’t tell if she was merely making an observation or if she was being smug about this, and that irritated her further. She looked at them. “Didn’t want to leave, eh?”

“There’s so much to learn here,” Ocellus said.

“And so many stairs!” Silverstream added excitedly.

“I hate traveling in the cold,” Gallus commented, ruffling his feathers. 

“It's a romantic getaway,” Sandbar suggested. 

“Is snowy, like home! But not as good as yak home,” Yona quickly clarified. 

“I’m just here for the food,” Smolder said. 

Flurry glowered. That all sounded about as fake as the costume jewelry she wore as Princess Celestia in the pageant, and part of her wanted to let them know just how ridiculous they were being.

But as if reading her mind, Cozy gently set her hoof in front of Flurry’s. “It’s always good to make more friends,” she said lightly, “and the Crystal Empire is a wonderful place. I’m sure you’ll love it here.” She gestured to Flurry. “Come on, let’s eat.”

Flurry felt this was a point in favor of her reformation, and shooting as long a smirk as she dared at her mother, she slid into her seat.







Flurry thought she was a patient mare. 

She realized she would need to reassess that after realizing that she had seen five of the six students at some point today, casually watching them (or in Yona’s case, not casually at all; and while a yak won’t notice when a crystal pony bumps into them, the pony will). 

She was mentally waiting to check off the inevitable appearance of Ocellus, but then it occurred to her that Ocellus was a changeling, so it was more likely that they hadn’t ever actually been alone at all. She scowled. “I can’t believe they’re following us.”

“I can,” Cozy said lightly. “Ready for lunch?”

“Sure,” Flurry said, glad for the distraction.

Cozy reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a bag for Flurry, a bag for her, and then kept pulling out more, setting them down on the table. 

Flurry raised an eyebrow, which raised further as she realized that Cozy had drawn little faces on each bag, with one representing each of the six.

“I figured if they were going to stay with us all day, I should pack lunches for them, too,” she said lightly as she placed lunchbag number six on the table. She looked around. “Under strict supervision in the kitchens,” she added loudly, for the benefit of anycreature who just so happened to be in hearing distance.

“I don’t think they’re going to bite,” Flurry said.

Cozy flashed her a knowing little smirk. She reached for the one with Smolder’s face, picked it up, and let it fall to the table. It hit with the tell-tale tinkling sound of multiple gems hitting crystal.

There was the rustle of a bush, and Smolder was halfway there before she froze in place, eyes widening, realizing with embarrassment that she had been the first to crack and reveal herself.

But as a dragon, nothing made her feel better than Having Stuff That Was Only For Her, and gems in a lunch sack definitely fit that definition; so with as much dignity as she could muster, she marched to the table and opened it, roughly enough to show she was tough, but gentle enough to not lose any of the precious gems inside, and she shoved a clawful into her mouth. “This means nothing,” Smolder insisted.

“Of course not,” Cozy said. 

With the first barrier broken, the others emerged and joined them at the table.

Yona picked hers up and lifted up her sandwich suspiciously. “If this not good, yak smash,” she warned Cozy. With narrowed eyes, she took a bite. An inscrutable look crossed over her face as she chewed. “No smash,” she finally said grudgingly, and she kept eating. 

Flurry felt herself relax. Cozy was going to win, by killing them with kindness.







But Cozy was not out of surprises just yet. As soon as they made it back, she had sought out Cadence and asked her to go for a walk with her. After a slight hesitation, Cadence agreed, and they walked out into the gardens. 

Flurry bit her lower lip, feeling terribly conflicted. She knew her mother still wasn’t completely on board with this, and she wasn’t sure she wanted Cozy to be with her mom without her there as a buffer; but at the same time, Cozy had asked to go alone, and joining would only make her look desperate. Besides, she trusted Cozy, and the efforts she was making for reformation.

Maybe.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait for long. As she and the students came in for dinner, Cozy and Cadence were already there, standing by the side. Her mother was sharing knowing smiles with Cozy, who was hovering in the air next to her, looking undeniably smug.

Hoping this was a good thing, Flurry sat down. 

“So, before we get started,” Cadence said, “Cozy Glow has something to share.”

Cozy giggled. “So, I’ve seen how close Yona and Sandbar are,” she started. “And I think it’s an admirable thing. So I made... these!”

Flurry thought that was an odd choice of words, but she was quickly distracted by the sparkling gems on silver chains that Cozy retrieved from behind her wings.

“Party favors?” Smolder asked, intrigued.

“Heartstones,” Cozy said. She booped Smolder on the nose. “Not for eating!” She looped them around Yona and Sandbar’s necks so they could take a closer look.

“Shiny!” Yona cheered, examining it. Upon closer look, it was a gem that had been carved into the shape of a heart.

Sandbar held it up to the light. “Whoa,” he said, impressed, turning it to catch the light. 

Ocellus leaned in. “It looks like the Crystal Heart,” she said, intrigued. 

“It’s supposed to! It’s an ancient Crystal Empire tradition,” Cozy explained. “Cadence helped me find the gems. Couples wear them as a display of their love.” She grinned. “Read it in a book.” 

Gallus shot her a glare.

Flurry giggled. This was going well.







Early the next morning, Shining Armor was getting ready for his morning run when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see a crystal guard, holding a newspaper.

“Your majesties,” he said worriedly. “You’re going to want to see this.”