//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Empress Cozy Fixes Everything // Story: Empress Cozy Glow part 2: The Reckoning // by Betty_Starlight //------------------------------// The white unicorn frowns at me from her side of the purple table, “Wait! So what?” I sigh, “We tell Flash Sentry that he’s the ultimate stallion and literally made Twilight gay!” She frowns, “That doesn’t make any sense?” I widen my eyes, “That’s the beauty part! It doesn’t have to! It’ll both placate his ego and put Twilight off limits for him! It’s golly perfect!” She nods to make her horn bob, “Okay, so what do you do?” “Well, telling those things to Flash should be a breeze and that’s why you’re doing that Sweetie! I’ll go find Rainbow Dash and deliver Twilight’s note!” Her green pupils grow, “But Twilight didn’t write a note?” “Of course not! I did! Rainbow will show up at The Castle of Friendship really wanting to be with Twilight because of what I wrote!” She stares at me intently, “Well, you are pretty manipulative!” I nod, “Right! But since Dash will think the letter was written by Twilight, she’ll trust it completely!” “You’re using your powers for good now!” I look at her, “Well, assuming a loving relationship between my mom and Rainbow Dash is a good thing, then yeah, I guess I am! We already determined I was reformed, you know?” She smiles, “I know! But it’s just so good to see you turning over a new leaf!” I’ll admit the thought of removing the skin from her face did occur to me when I replied, “Oh, golly! It’s not that big of a deal!” Her mane bobs again, and I guess she does that when she’s excited? “Oh, but it is a big deal, Cozy! You’re actually doing good things now! With your talents no less!” “I saved Scootaloo earlier, remember?” “Cozy, I was there and saw it with own two eyes! Now why in Equestria would I remember a big event like that?” I widen my eyes to see the smirk on her muzzle, “Knock it off, Sweetie! My point is, yes! I’m good! But we really don’t need to keep making such a big deal out of it, okay?” I say as I suddenly imagine her neck snapping at the end of a rope… She sighs and lowers the smile on her muzzle to a dim smirk again, “Yeah, but I like nice Cozy Glow, even if she has WAY more power than most ponies I’ve known!” “Um, right Sweetie Belle! So you know what to say, right? Any questions?” She frowns, “Okay, I tell him his masculinity is so great as a stallion that Twilight simply can’t be with him and now she must be gay, right?” I smile and nod, “Yup! Tell him that! I’ll go get Dash at her cloud house now since she’s off today and tell her Twilight likes her and that her beauty and charm is simply too great to ignore!” “How do you know Dash is off today?” “I can find out! Being royalty has its perks! So, you tell Flash Sentry what I told you to say, alright?” She stares at me blankly while keeping the frown on her muzzle, “Um, okay! I can do that!” <*****> I finally see the cloud house on the North end of Ponyville and make my way there with my wings… It’s hard to teleport somewhere if you don’t know where it is! I see it at the edge on the right side of the road and make my way there to land on the balcony in front of her front door… Well, I guess it’s a balcony? I’m not sure what else you would call it? I use my right hoof to knock on the door… BAM BAM BAM! I hear a raspy feminine voice come from inside, “Hang on! I’ll be right there!” The door soon opens and I see a blue pegasus pony behind it with magenta eyes and many colors in her mane and tail, “Uh, Cozy Glow! What are you doing here?” I get in character and smile while widening my eyes, “Yes, Rainbow Dash! I had a letter for you from my mother!” She frowns, “What?” I raise my smile to maximum, tilt my head, and giggle, “He he! Yeah, she likes you and wanted to see you! You’re very special!” before handing her the letter from my floof with my right hoof… Her eyes widen, “I am?” before she takes the letter from me… I straighten my head and widen my eyes for maximum effect, “Of course, Dash! You never noticed how friendly and nice she’s always been to you? Surely you noticed that she really liked you?” The truth is, I never noticed anything special, but if I say something like that, I know her mind will start looking and it should find something… “Um, not really?” I sigh and look down when I realize she’s tougher than that! I look back up cutely, “Well, she really likes you and you need to be at the Castle of Friendship today at five-thirty!” “Five-thirty PM?” I frown, “Well, obviously Dash! It’s ten in the morning now!” At that point, I saw something I never thought I’d see in a thousand years… I saw Rainbow choke! “B-but what do I bring? What do I say?” She exclaims with enormous eyes that dart this way and that and a nervous frown on her muzzle! I narrow my eyes when I realize that I’m going to have to coach this other pegasus… I smile again, “Just bring yourself Dash! Trust me! She’s loves you now! You’ll do fine!” and then I think to myself that I should talk to my mom before their meeting… And then I wonder why I’m doing this again? I begin to think she might also be fond of Twilight when she says, “Um, o-okay! Uh, yeah! I kinda wanted to say a few things to her anyway! Thanks for the letter Cozy, and I’ll see you at five-thirty!” before she shuts the door and I’m left alone standing on the balcony… “Oh, golly!” <*****> I stare at the clock on the other side of my throne room and smile as I think that everything should go just swell now! Sweetie will soon get rid of Flash, Rainbow Dash knows what to do, and everypony is where they need to be! When suddenly, the door to the room opens and I see a small white unicorn with a wide cerulean eyes who says, “Cozy! It didn’t work! Flash is coming up here right now!” I widen my eyes, “Oh, golly!” and teleport to the front of Twilight’s throne room! I look around the stone hallway at the door 50 feet to my front, which soon opens up and I see a white unicorn stallion with a flared out neon blue mane hurriedly galloping towards me! I make my horn glow again and we both vanish in a bright white light! <*****> I stare down at the white stallion from the top of the well to see him frantically looking around before finally turning his gaze upward, to stare at me, looking down at him… I’m thinking about lotion for some reason when he says, “Oh, thank Celestia! Empress Cozy Glow! I somehow got trapped in this well in the forest! Could you get me out please?” “I’m afraid I can’t do that Flash! His eyes widen, “What?” I sigh, “Look! I can’t explain, but you need to stay put for five hours and you can’t see Twilight until tomorrow, okay? I know it’s boring and I’ll bring you puzzles and food later! Just sit tight Flash!” and suddenly wonder when I developed empathy? He yells back, “What are you talking about? And how do you know about this well?” Why must prisoners be so demanding? “I’ll tell you everything later! I just need you to trust me! I outrank you, remember?” He looks down and sighs, “W-well, I guess that’s true?” before adjusting his gaze back up to me. I nod, “Golly right! Now stay put! That’s an order!” before teleporting out… <*****> I stare at the larger purple alicorn on the other side of the purple table, “Okay, Flash will not be bothering you again, and Dash is coming over at five-thirty for a date!” Her violet eyes widen, “Wow Cozy! How did you take care of all that?” I smile, “Me and Sweetie have our ways! The important thing now is that you need to understand that Dash also has a thing for you!” “What? How can you be so sure?” “Oh, please mom! The way she was acting extra nervous and all the things she wasn’t telling me! Either she has a crush on you or there’s some elaborate conspiracy here!” Her eyes narrow again, “Well, we can’t rule out conspiracy!” I stare at her carefully, “You’re nervous, huh?” Her eyes widen once more, “What? Me? Nervous? No! Never!” before she throws her forehoof in the air as if to brush me off… “You know, you and Dash do have one thing in common… You’re both terrible liars!” She frowns and sulks, “Okay, fine! I’m nervous!” “You’re a lot more nervous now because it’s somepony you actually want to be with, right?” She sighs, “Well, yeah!” and she looks down… I don’t know where the advice comes from when I say to her, “Mom, look! You’re an amazing pony! And anypony worth being with is going to see that and appreciate it! And you know, I think Rainbow Dash is a fine choice to do just that!” She looks up at me, “You think so?” I nod and lie, “I know so!” and smile at her… “Well, you’ll be there too, right?” I widen my eyes when I imagine the ultra-boring dinner between Rainbow Dash and my mother and think I’d rather be drug across the Everfree by my snout! “Of course mom! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” I say before widening my eyes as I smile at her… “You don’t want to be there, do you?” I eye her carefully… “You want the truth or a lie?” She looks down and says, “Fine! You can go have a pizza party with your Crusader friends for dinner instead and I’ll just meet you back at the castle later…“ I frowned when I looked at this other alicorn and saw the look on her face… And then, I once again, say the unthinkable, “Mom! If you truly want me and Sweetie there to support you, I guess we can be there too?” She stares at me, “Well, you don’t have to? And why does Sweetie have to be with you?” I suddenly have the same question in my mind, “Well, Sweetie Belle is supporting us in this whole operation and I think it’s uh, appropriate that she also be there!” She frowns, “Well, okay Cozy! If you really think it’s necessary… “ I smile, “Golly right! Five-thirty! We’ll be there!” (To be continued… )