//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Accepting Friends // Story: Empress Cozy Glow part 2: The Reckoning // by Betty_Starlight //------------------------------// I sat there and looked at the coffee on the table as it cooled… At the same little purple dinette set in the back… I thought about playing with the Crusaders the other day… I smiled when I thought about that goofus Sweetie Belle and how she could never deal with the ball if she didn’t have magick… I giggled when I thought about Apple Bloom and how she always had to go get the ball, just because of how close she was to Sweetie Belle… And I thought about Scootaloo and how lean she is, as she would duck and dive to get the balls that I threw at her… I’m very coordinated and it’s her fault for not being in the right spot… “Are you happy with your new friends, Cozy?” The purple alicorn asks me, suddenly breaking my train of thought… I glance up to see her curious face staring directly at me… I stare back and say, “I think so?” She frowns, “What’s wrong, Cozy?” I stare at this other pony very carefully… I begin to wonder what I should tell her? “What do you mean?” She blinks and leans slightly closer, “I mean, you just said I think so… That would imply that there’s still reservations… “ I glare at her and begin to wonder just what she’s getting at? “Well, I’ve always been alone… I’ve never had anypony there… I mean, to interact with and listen to me when I speak… You know how I talk to myself sometimes?” She nods, “Well, I wasn’t going to bring it up, but you do do that sometimes… “ “Do you know why?” I ask inquisitively as the other alicorn continues to frown at me… “Um, no?” “I’m always alone, Twilight… Being around other ponies is a new experience for me… “ She smiles dimly, “Well, maybe it’s time you’re not so lonely?” I scowl at this audacity! “Who said I’m lonely?” She blinks and nods, “Well, when I first came in, you were sad and bitter and now you’re better!” “What does that have to do with anything?” Her grin widens, “Well, now you have me AND the Crusaders and you’re better!” “Completely coincidental!” She nods, “Right! So, I guess that means I should tell the Crusaders not to come over anymore and that you’re better off alone then?” I narrow my eyes at her, “Oh, golly! That’s not what I want and you know it!” “So you like hanging out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, then?” My eyes widen, “NO!” She smiles and giggles slightly under her breath, “But you DO want them to continue to come by here, yes?” I eyeball this other alicorn carefully… “Are you trying to bring The Magic of Friendship into my life?” “What do you think Cozy?” My eyes enlarge again, “I think you are!” “And you have friends now!” “NO!” She giggles, “Which means I have been successful and you want to see more of the Cutie Mark Crusaders…” I glare at the smiling purple pony and open my mouth to speak… I know I opened it, but it suddenly occurs to me that I have nothing to say… “And you’re a better pony now!” “What do you mean?” “I mean, I saw you playing with the Crusaders earlier… You were a courteous and kind little filly…” “Even if I was, what does that have to do with anything?” I lean forward, “And how would you know about that?” “Well, you know how I no longer wear a restraining ring around my horn?” I blink, “Well, yeah?” She mimics me, “Well, I can turn invisible, you know?” I stare at the grinning alicorn carefully…. Before screaming, “STOP SPYING ON ME!” Her eyes widen, “Oh, wow! There’s that neck vein thing again! Look Cozy! You have to understand that I take my job as your mother very seriously and well, let’s face it! You’re not a normal filly!” “You know, that still doesn’t justify spying on me!” I say before crossing my forehooves in irritation. She nods, “Okay, honestly, I don’t know! But I do know that I care about you Cozy and I just want what’s best for you!” I keep my eyes narrow… “Okay, but since I know this now, I am curious… “I lean forward slightly after lowering my hooves to my sides, “Tell me Twilight, what did you see?” She stares back at me, “I saw a happy healthy young pegasus filly enjoying the company of her three friends. I saw childhood bonding and wonderful friendships that will probably last a lifetime… “she smiles… “I saw the filly I wanted to raise earlier… Honestly, Cozy Glow, I saw the same thing I always see when I look at you, but with the Crusaders, it’s much brighter… “ “What do you mean, brighter?” “I mean I didn’t see a manipulative villain at all! I saw an adorable lovable little filly having fun with her friends!” For some reason, this comment makes me sick to my stomach! “Okay, now I know you’re lying about spying on me! NO WAY did you see all that!” She stares at me, “Tell you what, Cozy! I’ll make a deal with you! Call it, a little wager…” I glare back at her, “I’m listening?” She blinks and her muzzle quivers before forming a smile, “I like you being a Cutie Mark Crusader and you don’t like me spying on you… Since you’re a better pony with the Crusaders, I won’t spy on you anymore, so long as you’re their friend… “ I frown, “And let me guess! By friend, you mean a playmate and somepony who hangs out with them and spends time with them, right?” “Well, what else would I mean?” I smile, “How about a sneaky manipulative filly who plays other ponies and gets them to do her under-hooved bidding?” Her eyes widen, “COZY!” I giggle and flit my hoof in the air, “Just kidding!” “That’s not funny!” I glare back at her, “Oh, it is a little!” “Cozy, I mean it! You’re going to behave!” “Behave like what?” “COZY!” By this point, I can tell she’s getting irritated, and so my work is done! I smile, “Okay, FINE! Uh, what time are the Crusaders coming by, anyway?” Her face straightens, “That’s the thing! They should be here by now!” I frown, “Well, what could be keeping them?” “I have no idea!” Suddenly, the door to my throne room bursts open to reveal a yellow earth filly with a big pink bow on the back of her head! She looks at me and says, “Scootaloo! Danger! Help!” “What?” I ask… While Twilight stares and says, “Huh?” with a confused expression on her muzzle. <*****> “Cozy Glow! Help! I’m trapped in a well!” The brown pegasus screams up at me from the darkened hole… I stare down at her wide-eyed from the side of the well, “Oh, golly! And I was so sure you were just playing hide n seek! You know, Apple Bloom found you earlier!” “Cozy! Can you teleport me out?” “I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to?” And then, there was silence… She finally says, “Well, would you please teleport me out of here, Cozy?” My eyes widen again as I’m once more startled out of a trance, “Oh, golly! I probably should do that, huh?” before lowering my head and forcing my horn to glow white… Soon, Scootaloo materializes behind me, between her two friends! She stops glowing before turning to face her two friends, “Girls, I’m free!” Sweetie Belle on the right says, “And it’s because of Cozy Glow!” At that point, time once again ceased as I began to process the events… I rescued Scootaloo because I care about her… Apple Bloom got me because she knows that I care about Scootaloo and would help her… And it’s easy for me too, since I’m an alicorn… “Cozy! Still with us?” I hear a voice with a country drawl yell at me and I stare forward to see the Crusaders there with Scootaloo in the center after my train of thought is broken… You know, that’s happening a lot today! I see they’re all frowning at me expectantly… “Are you hurt? Do I need to call you a medic?” I ask the other pegasus as she stares at me between her two friends… She blinks her purple eyes before saying, “I just have a bruise on my left hind leg and a scrape on my right! I’ll be fine!” “You’re sure?” She blinks, “Uh, yeah Cozy! Pretty sure! Geez, you really care about me, don’t you?” “Y-yeah! Okay! I guess I do?” I say while scratching the back of my neck with my forehoof. The white filly on the right says in a musical tone, “That’s probably new for her?” Apple Bloom stares at me, “Yeah, Cozy! You actually care about other ponies now!” This annoys me as I scream back, “You know, I think we established that earlier when I was a nice ruler, didn’t we? There’s literally nothing different here!” Sweetie nods and smiles, “Oh, but there is Cozy! Earlier, you were telling other ponies to be nice and do things! But this time, it was you who actually saved Scootaloo!” “My hero!” The smiling burnt orange filly in the center says. I center my view with an expression on my muzzle, “You know, the saying is right! No good deed goes unpunished! Every time I do something nice, somepony has to point it out and analyze it!” Sweetie says, “Well, it’s important Cozy, because that’s not typical behavior for you!” Scootaloo says, “Yeah! You were mean and nasty before and now you’re… “ I stare at the other pegasus, “Different! Yes, I know!” I cut her off! Apple Bloom says, “You know Cozy, this ain’t necessarily a bad thing?” I stare at the yellow filly on the left side of the room very carefully before finally asking her, “Do you think I’m bad?” She widens her orange eyes, “What Cozy? No! You just helped Scootaloo, remember?” Sweetie adds from the other side of the room, “You’re a hero Cozy! Why would you think you’re bad?” “Well, I did take over Equestria, imprison the princesses and many other ponies in Tartarus, and ruled with an iron hoof for awhile back there?” Sweetie nods, “Okay, granted! But are you doing any of that right now, Cozy?” “What?” I say while staring at her. Scootaloo croaks out, “Cozy, you’re not being evil anymore!” Apple Bloom says, “You’ve changed! You’re better now… “ I stare at the three fillies carefully… “Do I deserve friends?” <*****> I can only gasp out, “Oh, golly! Yeah, that’s why I’m currently underneath a filly blanket of love and affection! Because I’m not sure if I deserve love!” I say while laying on my belly and covered in small ponies… “Cozy, who are you talking to?” Scootaloo asks while directly on top of me… I sputter, “Myself! Just making sure I grasp the gravity of the situation here!” Apple Bloom drawls out from directly above Scootaloo, “I think gravity is the problem here, Cozy? Sweetie! Get offa me so we can let Cozy breath!” “Sorry!” I hear a musical voice say before a little bit of weight gets released from my poor back and I see a white unicorn filly with a two-toned mane step to my right… “Hang on, Cozy!” Apple Bloom says before getting off and I feel less pressure before seeing a yellow earth filly with a red mane and a big bow on her head stare at me from the center… “Yeah, we just think it’s awful that you think you’re suppose to be alone!” Scootaloo says before getting off of me to release the last of the pressure and I see a pegasus filly with a purple mane and tiny wings trot over to stand at the left… “Really? Why?” I ask while continuing to lay on my stomach there on the floor while the three fillies stared at me from the front and I begin to breathe again… In and out… The musical unicorn says, “Cozy, everypony deserves friends and companionship! Even reformed supervillains!” “Who was successful!” I add! Scootaloo says, “Yeah, but you’re not evil anymore!” “This is also true!” I say. “So what’s the problem?” The apple filly asks… I lay there for a moment in front of the three expectant fillies when suddenly it finally clicks in my head… You know, I’ve been really stubborn this whole time! I have friends now! Real friends and they depend on me and care about me! I widen my eyes, “Oh, golly! Problem? I don’t know of any problems? Whatever are you talking about?” and give a big toothy grin… (To be continued…)