Glimmer & Glow

by Yosh-E-O

Chapter 13 - Putting It All Out There

Starlight and Cozy slept under the stars as Trixie slept in her wagon as they journeyed to Our Town. It was the first stop on their ‘Road To friendship’ mission and most definitely a strong start on their emotional quest.

“How are you feeling, Cozy?” asked Starlight as the small village came into view.

“My tummy hurts,” the Pegasus replied.

Starlight gestured for Cozy to hold her hoof.
“I’ve got butterflies, too,” she said.

“You’re nervous?” baffled Cozy. . “I thought you already made things all peachy here with every pony?”

“Even when others forgive you,” added Starlight with a sigh as she looked down upon the village she once controlled through stealing Cutie Marks and brainwashing. “It can be difficult to forgive yourself.”

Trixie looked away.
“Even the great and powerful Trixie has such feelings,” she noted somberly. “Twilight and many other ponies trust me but I always feel like that trust could be lost at the drop of a wizard’s hat.”

Cozy felt her stomach ache get worse as the discomfort moved into her chest.
“Starlight…,” she nervously asked while pressing closer into the periwinkle Unicorn’s side. “I… I…”

Some tears formed in Cozy’s eyes as she let out a short sniffle.

PFEW

Starlight used her magic to levitate Cozy into her front hooves before sitting down upon her haunches.
“Cozy,” she said while stroking a hoof through the young Pegasus’ curly hair. “I felt the exact same way when I was invited back for Our Town’s Sunset Festival.”

“That was when you and Trixie saved every pony from Queen Chrysalis and helped Thorax become the new leader of the Changelings?” inquired Cozy.

“That’s right!” replied Starlight cheerfully. “You really pay close attention to detail, Cozy!”

“It’s how I always got my way,” the pink Pegasus replied. “I’d listen so I knew how to exploit every creature so I could be the most beloved friend while ensuring no creature could ever take those friendships away by having any sort of special talent.”

Starlight felt as if she had been bucked in the gut after hearing young Cozy’s statement. It was very much in-line with how she used to be and feel.

“That wasn’t good to say, huh?” asked Cozy upon noticing Starlight’s silence. “Will I ever not have these thoughts and desires?”

Trixie came alongside Starlight as the periwinkle Unicorn continued to comfort the filly.
“I wish I could say you’d lose these thoughts and feelings,” sighed Starlight. “However some feelings never go away and all we can do is find better ways to work with them.”

“For example?” wondered Cozy as she allowed herself to get more comfortable against Starlight’s chest.

“Allow me,” started Trixie. “After the whole thing with the Alicorn Amulet, Trixie wondered if she could ever show her face anywhere ever again. However I soon found that I could put my desire to get even towards getting better as an illusionist. I reminded myself that I could beat twilight by showing how I truly had become the 'great and apologetic' Trixie by going on a new magic show focussed entirely on just being me.”

“And it’s because Trixie did this that she ended up in Ponyville at just the right time when I needed a friend who could relate with me and my past,” added Starlight. “And now you have both of us to relate with and get past all that you regret, too.”

“Golly, Starlight,” said Cozy Glow. “You two sure are showing me a side to friendship I never even heard of during the lessons at Twilight’s school of friendship.”

“That’s why Twilight made me her guidance counselor,” added Starlight in a way that even showed she was surprised at the revelation she had just discovered. “Because I am able to relate with very unique friendship situations.”

“Gee,” thought Cozy. “Friendship is definitely a lot tougher than it seemed when I did all those bad things to just get my way. I was a mean pony and want to not be a mean pony anymore.”

“That’s the spirit!” cheered Starlight as she continued to coddle the filly. “I’ll definitely be with you every step of the way.”

“I know,” the Pegasus replied with a hint of annoyance. “Because you still have that ring on your horn.”

Starlight flinched.

“You don’t trust me to be good,” Cozy further growled. “No pony does.”

THWUMP
FLAP-AP-AP

Starlight held tight to Cozy Glow as she tried to take off.
“That’s not it at all!” she feverishly replied. “I had no choice but to wear the ring and it was the only way I could give us this chance

“You were just going to…,” strained Cozy until all of what Starlight had to say had processed in her mind. “Wait! What?”

Cozy slowed her flapping as Starlight loosened her hold.

The periwinkle Unicorn sighed while looking up towards the hovering Pegasus filly.
“Princess Celestia has linked us through this ring, Cozy,” she stated without breaking eye contact. “If you fail, I fail, too.”

“Oh!” the Pegasus snapped. “So this is about you? Saving your own flank?”

“Hey!” cried Trixie. “If you’d stop thinking of yourself and holding on to the idea that friends are only around to take advantage of each other than you don’t know Starlight at all!”

SWOOP!

Cozy zoomed to face down Trixie.
“What’s that?” she asked while glaring at Trixie. “You’re probably gaining something out of this whole deal, too!”

“Cozy!” stomped Starlight. “That’s enough!”

The Pegasus gave a smirk as she faced down Starlight.
“Why don’t you use your baby ring?” she inquired smugly. “Make me a foal and just end this giant lie.”

“Because!” Starlight burst with emotion. “Because I genuinely care about you, cozy! I care about you so very much and want you to finally learn the magic of forgiving yourself along with knowing how you can be forgiven for your past!”

Cozy saw Starlight beginning to cry and it made her do the same.
“I almost took all magic from Equestria!” she sobbed. “How can any pony ever be forgiven for being so terrible!”

“Because,” whimpered Starlight as she advanced on Cozy for a hug. “I, too, nearly ruined the lives of many and yet I’m still here to make better on all my terrible mistakes.”

“Don’t forget Trixie!” the magician added. “We’re on this ‘Road To Friendship’ together and we each have a traumatic back story that we are all working to feel better about while showing we aren’t the terrible ponies every pony may have thought we were.”

Cozy and Starlight shared a few more tears before parting.
“I’m sorry, Starlight,” apologized the curly-haired Pegasus. “Guess I really have lots to learn and you gosh golly mean it when you say you’re going to help me because it’s what you want to do while gaining nothing in return.”

“But I am gaining something in return,” grinned Starlight.

Cozy appeared nervous.

“I’m gaining you you back a childhood,” the periwinkle Unicorn added. “A chance to start over and be a better pony just like Trixie and I.”

“And you can’t just remove that ring?” she asked. “Prove your trust in me?”

Starlight shook her head.
“Celestia’s rules,” she replied. “If I, or any pony, would remove the ring from my horn it will alert her while also casting its spell on me and whomever removes it.”

Cozy just flapped in place with a pouty expression.
“I see,” she said. “Then we’ll just have to show her and head mare twilight that we’re gosh golly better than they think we are!”

“My thoughts exactly,” grinned Trixie as, deep down, she liked any chance she had to one-up Twilight.

Starlight gestured towards the village below.
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go meet your adoptive parents and show Our Town we’re more than our past mistakes!”

“Yay!” cheered Cozy Glow as they started down into the village.

Comments

[wayward_pony]

It's interesting to see at first that Cozy off and on appears to be a sort of blank slate on this journey but still has the potential to back-pedal very fast, for believable reasons. Both Starlight and Trixie are put in a position of teaching not only that there's love in the world to be learned from all those around us and everypony deserves a chance to grow, but... also that there's less hate and reason to exploit than Cozy's been designed to believe is necessary for her to feel safe. Given what's already been established this story, it's like peering into the past and being able to make a difference with it using the vision time and maturity requires. Far out dude

The sudden shift in Cozy could be considered jarring, but given what's been established here I feel that it isn't... it's been established in the story what's made Cozy Glow, and the shift works because of that. It also keeps her from becoming what's often referred to as a "Mary Sue" -- in many ways she has a lot of different qualities, some like a blank slate that wants to learn, but she certainly isn't what she appears to be by any stretch. Taking the character in a direction like this is potentially risky, and not just because everybody's got a different opinion of her, but because of the choice of redemption and dialogue appearing to be saccharine. Though that is the way the character was written, it appears you're changing the context of the saccharine -- it's not to throw others off and create an artificially welcoming appearance, but it's a part of her here. However, it's the questions you're having her ask, the way she's asking them, and the way her two guardians have to look inside themselves to answer, sometimes being a bit too unguarded in their answers... letting the frustration and exasperation they feel towards others seep out. If they were guarded, however, their answers might not come off as genuine, and you've demonstrated Cozy's still very capable of figuring that out.

Speaking of the questions I often wonder a few of the same questions Cozy asks Starlight and Trixie. It's a hard thing to show to someone who's only been able to function a certain way, that is destructive, that there's a better way to exist. This story really does capture the idea that Friendship is Magic.

Really enjoying this work