[Spoliers for What Lies Beneath]
Cozy Glow DID have a plan in the works. It was simple and it was easy. All she had to do was get it in every creature's minds that their friendship wasn't natural. A fight would occur, she would lead them all to the Tree, and then they could fix all her problems without her having to raise a hoof! With an excuse at the end~!

That was the plan, but Cozy Glow had decided that instead of them finding the place themselves, she would take them to the grate in person. In the end, she accidentally got herself wrapped up into the dark roots below that waited to see what her fears were... and if she could face them.

For more of the story:
Cozy's Dilemma

It was a major shake-up for most ponies: the loss of magic from Equestria. But for Cozy Glow, it just meant swapping her enchanted stone prison for a normal ball-and-chain one. Besides, that was ten years ago. What does she care of the humbled world outside? Or that it just delivered her an uppity new cellmate?

Luster Dawn cares. A lot. It's why she's here.

(Takes place between The Last Problem and Gen 5. AU Tag because these events are probably gonna get invalidated by canon someday.)

Second place winner of the 3rd Annual Cozy Glow Short Story Contest, double-dipping prompts with "Cozy's got a secret!" and "Cozy makes an unusual friend."

Luster Dawn is a unicorn filly enrolled at Princess Twilight's School for Gifted Unicorns. After only a year, in which she displayed her exemplary use of magic and expertise at fostering friendships, it would come only as a surprise to her that Princess Twilight Sparkle would offer her the role of being her personal student. Whilst such a thing should have been an honour for the young filly, she can't help but let the stress of carrying such a title weigh heavy on her haunches.

Fortunately, her mother, who isn't the best when it comes to all things emotional, is there to lend her a hoof.

Cover Art Source
THIS WAS A COMMISSION
A big thank you to Ice Star for both commissioning and proof-reading this fic. Additional thanks to Pre-reader 63.546 for pointing out several glaring issues, all of which are now (hopefully) fixed.
Featured 11/03/2020 (03/10/2020 for Americans.) Thank you so much everybody.
Massive thanks to StraightToThePointStudios for the audio reading, which you can find [HERE]

This story is a sequel to Like Clockwork

It has been approximately three years since Cozy Glow passed into the tender loving care of Paul the human and she has, in spite of these dire circumstances, done quite well for herself. Indeed, it may be fair to say she has thrived, becoming if not a wholly normal teenager then at least a more well-rounded and settled one. She is happy.

By contrast Paul has, if anything, regressed. The man who felt his life had not amounted to much and what little remained would amount to even less has instead thrown himself - in his own way - wholeheartedly into trying to set up Cozy for her own life, with very little thought given to what is left of his own. While she moves forward, he has slipped backwards, and the gulf widens or so Cozy fears.

The situation is untenable, both sides have the best of intentions, and mistakes are made.

Pretty hilariously stupid mistakes.

(Also the only story of mine ever to have been pre-read (in places) beforehand by someone else. How exotic!)

The last thing Cozy Glow knew, she was about to be stoned; suddenly, she's in a mountain cabin, with Twilight Velvet asking her to color. What's the meaning of this?! Is Cozy Glow going to be ... redeemed? Or punished?!

Twilight Velvet knows one thing that her daughter Princess Twilight Sparkle has forgotten; that Cozy Glow might be a wannabe despot, a power-hungry pegasus who allied herself with Chrysalis and Tirek, but in the end ... she was only a filly. Twilight Velvet is determined to see just what kind of filly Cozy Glow really is, at her core. But can she be saved? Or is Cozy Glow truly irredeemable?

Written for the 2021 Cozy Glow Short Story Contest, for the prompt of "Cozy makes an unusual friend."

Contest: The 2021 Cozy Glow Short Story Contest

Second Place winner!

Being the smart one in a group of pony-hating creatures was a tough task for a little filly such as herself, but Cozy Glow was certain she had it handled. She just needed to sweet-talk them into seeing how much they needed her wits, and then make them like her enough to want to protect her from harm. That would be super easy.

The hard part was doing that while avoiding being singled out as a potential threat by Grogar, their clearly unhinged leader.

For many long years, Twilight Sparkle worked to try to reform Cozy Glow. She'd be released from her stone prison periodically for a new reformation attempt, and she'd inevitably end up trying to conquer Equestria again. Being turned into a statue became a regular habit for her over the years. There were always more chances to conquer Equestria, always another attempt to reform her, and she wasn't aware of the passage of time each period she was committed to her prison.

Until one day, she was released again—only to find no one was there.

Cover Art by Shaslan

Maud Pie is adopting Cozy Glow.

She isn't particularly interested in unpetrifying Cozy first.

Featured 8/11/2020-8/13/2020!

Reviewed by PresentPerfect with a rating of Recommended!

And in Ghost Mike's Monday Musings with a rating of Decent!

Now with Russian translation by RadioGlitch!

Once again imprisoned within Tartarus; Tirek Chrysalis and Cozy Glow manage to free themselves from their cages. Seeking an alternative exit, they explore the deeper parts of Tartarus and cross paths with an ancient creature who has sat silent within the prison for countless years. Sensing the villains' intent to escape, the long lived prisoner seeks to offer his words to them in hope of seeing them free from more than just their physical confines.

Written for the No Author Left Unnoticed story contest.
Contest Folder

Equestria has been saved once again from an evil villain trying to drain all of its magic. The vile villain has been sentenced to Tartarus, so that she may never again harm other ponies with her evil.

However, Celestia didn't quite expect the villain to be a nine year old filly.

Or that she'd have to actually tell the filly's parents.