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In the middle of her cage, Cozy Glow was lying on her left side, boredom written on her face. She flashed a look at Tirek, scrunched her mouth and looked down on the cage floor again. Cozy tapped with a forehoof on the solid metal, continuously, and drowned her lethargic mind in that activity like it was an exciting game that offered joy by distraction.
The pegasus filly remained like this until the ground began to shake and heavy steps approached her cage, which brought new life and spirit into her. Cozy shot up from her position and rushed to the bars of her cage, from where she could see Cerberus stomping towards her. The letter he held between his lips could be seen from afar, standing out from his dark fur.
“Give me this!” Cozy shouted into his direction. She reached outside between the bars with her forehooves like that could seriously shorten the distance between her and the beast who carried the letter she anticipated.
As Cerberus finally stood in front of the cage and leaned down towards her, Cozy got ahold of the letter and snatched it away from him. She sat down on the floor and began to rip the letter open, no care or diligence in her movement, just rush. She was not even looking at the return address.
“You better be a letter from Commander Tempest! That's all I need!”
To her dismay, though, the first lines of the letter indicated that it wasn't from the pony she had hoped to read from. Cozy Glow dropped her ears as she began to read.
Dear Cozy Glow,
wow, I have to say, your response letter really took me by surprise! The way you talked there was happier than I expected and friendlier too. Really reminded me on that filly who came into my office one day~
Cozy Glow frowned. “Free me and I come into your office as often as you want.....” She perked up, slightly. “I'll even bring the artifacts we need, then we can conquer and rule Equestria together!” A malevolent grin built on her face.
I could tell from your letter that what I told you really helped to make you feel better. Who wouldn't feel better, really, if it's kites you're talking about?
“Did it make me feel better?” Cozy's frown returned. “All you do is distracting me.”
Unfortunately, I can't bring you out of Tartarus just like that. Twilight says no and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna do, too. And, I actually have to agree with them... You aren't evil, but you were trying to conquer Equestria and become its new ruler and if we allowed you to be free right now, you would try it again somehow.
“That's correct!” Cozy Glow beamed and grinned.
But the last thing I'd want is that you are sitting in there forever... We can't risk that you team up with any more enemies of Equestria or find another magical property to try and bring doom over the kingdom, which is why we have to keep you there for the time being. But know that the letters we send you and the conversations we have only serve the purpose of turning you from an enemy to a friend of Equestria.
Cozy Glow snickered and rolled her eyes, now a smug smile playing around her lips. “Oh, Starlight, Starlight..... But I am a friend of Equestria. I have done so many things to become a good ruler of Equestria, a ruler so much better than these pesky princesses who do nothing but farting into their thrones all day. A ruler of true friendship, what can a princess do that an empress can do even so much better? Equestria would have been in such good hooves with me, it's not nice to call me an enemy.” Cozy poked out her lip. “Did any of my efforts even matter, Starlight?”
And I know you can do this, Cozy. I know you can change and become a true friend of us all.
“But I already am.” Cozy's voice and eyes turned pleading.
I will always believe in the good in you, Cozy, and so does Twilight. And Starswirl thinks the same.
“Just another old farter.” Cozy Glow's features did not indicate any impression.
My work in the school is a little tight this week, suddenly, there are so many students who need my help! It's nothing I'm complaining about, but it means I have to make this week's letter shorter than I want to.
“Nothing of value lost.” Cozy Glow shrugged.
But I am sending something else to you besides this letter, which will probably take more time to arrive, but will help you pass the time down there in Tartarus.
Don't give up, Cozy. I know things have been rough for you lately, but whatever it is that ails you, we will help you make it become better if you trust us and listen to us. I believe in you, Cozy.
Lots of love!
Starlight
Cozy Glow put the letter down. A frown built on her face again, then the boredom creeped back onto it. She crumpled the letter, whistled and threw it out of her cage. Then she lay down and started with the tapping again.
“Almost sounds like music if you do it for a while,” she drawled, with only a slight trace of cheer in her voice.
NIce work, as always! I just wish the marking system would work better with such short chapters
Good but frustrating chapter.
So why was Discord let free then? Why wasn't Starlight sent to Tartarus? And by what measurement do they know that she's ready to be let out? Why not just lock her up someplace that doesn't involve a small empty metal cage in a giant cave?
Thats why they put her right next to Tirek.
Poor filly.
Feels a little rushed but I'm just glad for an update. Seems like Cozy's had a little relapse so it'll be interesting to see how she reacts to the next letter. By the sound of things she's really expecting a letter from Tempest.
I really love this story. I hope you bring in more chapters. It's amazing and very funny, in a good way.
10083781 10083817 10083974 10084250 10084442 10086633 10096642 10107154 10344012 10435119 10461787 10530947
After delays and distractions that prevented me from answering the comments here for almost an entire year (my mortal mind is not able to comprehend nor explain how it could seriously take that long to get to this task), my corona-affected schedule finally comes into an organized shape again, so I am finally answering all of these comments now in the wake of the return of "Letters to Cozy Glow".
I will formally announce the return of the story in a blog entry very soon, but everyone who left an unanswered comment here has the privilege of getting a hint as the first ones.
It's been a very long time and I don't know which of you will still care about an answer at this point, but having a conversation about my stories with my readers is very important to me, so not answering these comments that have piled up always felt like a harsh neglect to me, so I see it as a duty to rectify that.
For some of you, a few of the responses will sound very familiar, as I discovered that I have already answered some comments previously, but I decided to answer again, as I realized that the first answers I have given weren't written in a satisfying way. The new responses do a better job at saying what I wanted to say and should give some new perspectives.
Golly, let's go!*
10083781
This is true, in a way, Cozy is rather fast. I wouldn't say she is as fast as Rainbow Dash, but she was able to chase and catch Pipsqueak's kite that had been blown away by a quite strong and fast wind, so she has a good fitness which gives her a respectable flight tempo. I can imagine she would win in a flight race against a couple of pegasi foals who live in Ponyville and act as a good rival for Rumble.
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Actually, many people in the fandom have been saying that pegasi fly with magic instead of muscle strength since the very early days of the show. This belief originated at the very beginning from people who took the animation style of the show in regards to pegasi wings literal and said that pegasi "realistically" can never be able to fly because their wings are too small to carry their bodies.
I always rejected this strongly, ever since I heard someone say that for the first time after I joined the fandom in 2013, even feel offended by the idea that some people truly believe that. Because, for one, since Equestria exists on a different planet and most likely even in a completely different universe, it can very well also have completely different laws of physics or environmental conditions than Earth has, which allow pegasi to fly even with wings that are disproportionally smaller than their bodies.
A few years later, though I don't remember when anymore, I also came up with the simpler theory that the wings of pegasi are just displayed much smaller than they actually are in the show and that the animation style does not reflect their actual size, when I thought back on "Sleepless in Ponyville" and how Rainbow Dash's wings suddenly appeared very huge when she literally took Scootaloo "under her wing". The animators might have deliberately decided to display the actual size of Rainbow Dash's wings in this moment, because it was especially important to get the point that Rainbow Dash is bigger than Scootaloo across in a visual way.
I go by the second theory today. It has become very evident that the wings of pegasi are animated smaller in the show than they actually are in Equestria, especially if we incorporate the fact that Scootaloo's wings as an adult are still as small as the wings of a filly and that the lack of growth of her wings is the reason for why she can't fly.
This is a visual clue that hinted at this in "Growing Up is Hard to Do" when Applebloom Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle became the size of adults after wishing for that in front of a flower that fulfills wishes (although, I realized that since I saw Season 2 already) and was confirmed a few episodes later in the flashforward in "The Last Problem" when Scootaloo was seen as an actual adult while her wings were still as small as we know them.
But if the environment of Equus would make it possible that pegasi can fly with disproportionally smaller wings, than Scootaloo should be able to fly, too, despite that her wings have stopped growing, so it is rather clear that the animation style for wings gives a different impression of their size and that pegasi wings are usually much bigger.
I'm still convinced that the environment in Equestria and on Equus has a couple unique aspects that Earth doesn't have, although not something that affects the flight ability of pegasi, because it is extremely unlikely that two universes are exactly the same and follow the exact same rules, and I offered both explanations for pegasi flight in discussions (as well as pointed out how pegasi were seen training their wing muscles in certain episodes, such as "Hurricane Fluttershy" in Season 2). Only to have both of my explanations rejected with arguments that failed to disprove them, but were insisted upon regardless.
The brony fandom always had a habit of substituting facts that are clearly presented in the show with a "headcanon" and they, therefore, believe what they want to believe rather than what is actually there. An unfortunate habit, that I hope can still be broken eventually.
The sun and the moon did indeed still move at the end of the third day and what you said seems to be a theory in the fandom since the early days, that Celestia fakes a lot of her powers in order to support her rulership of Equestria, as there is one story that seems to be about Celestia fooling and betraying everypony, even her own sister, that is very popular (which I failed to read so far despite how many years have passed since I heard about this story, because of my own, stupid incompetence). But this is not necessarily the case.
There is indeed an artifact like the one you mentioned. When Celestia and Luna went on vacation, they gave Twilight an artifact that contained their magic and made her able to move the sun and the moon during their absence. An artifact that was spoken about.
When I saw the Season 8 Finale, I had the theory that Celestia and Luna will lose their magic later, after the three days that Starswirl talked about, because they have much stronger magical abilities than even Twilight as fellow alicorn has, which makes the rules different for them.
Since Season 9, though, it is far more likely that they used the same artifact that they gave Twilight. As wise rulers, they probably always have an artifact like this stored away in case of an emergency that makes them unable to use their magic. And as magical artifacts lost their power last, like Chancellor's Neighsay's artifact still had some magic left, the artifact of Celestia and Luna still worked, as well.
For an attentive audience, it is not difficult to connect the dots between the events in the Season 8 Finale and the events in "Between Dark and Dawn".
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Actually, what I meant was the hint in "What Lies Beneath". I expressed myself in a mistakable way there. I was speaking about "hints" for Cozy's plan and her true intentions, while I should have used the phrase "in action" to refer to her plans. The hint in "What Lies Beneath" is indeed the only one we have gotten after Cozy's first appearance in the show.
However, there is another visual hint in "Marks for Effort", which is Cozy staring at a drawing of the Elements of Harmony that Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle made to teach her, with an evil glee in her eyes. Upon seeing that, the feeling came over me that she is after the Elements of Harmony (the artifacts, not the ponies) and uses Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to learn more about them. But I also refuted it as a clear sign, while everyone already thought of Cozy as evil, I believed in her and pointed out how the expression could also indicate a maniacal obsession for learning.
Since the reveal that Cozy had a plan, I can see what her expression in that moment really means, but I was not interpreting it as such in Season 8. And, as this story makes obvious, I still don't believe that Cozy is truly evil.
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I always was and always will be the first to point out how off-screen events exist and how there is more than what is portrayed on the screen when we watch an episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or on the page when we read one of the books or official comics and that people should use their imagination more when watching/reading it.
I definitely understand the point of those who say that what is presented in an episode should be coherent and contain enough details to draw conclusions about the motives of the characters, even if the motive isn't outright explained, so that one can at least come up with theories to answer certain questions.
TV shows that answer every question and leave no opportunity for the audience to come up with theories, to examine and explore until they find the answer themselves, are boring, however. And MLP: FiM does always contain little details that hint at something greater beyond what can be observed in an episode or on a page. It is a paradox for me, but I greatly enjoy it that MLP: FiM often only gives little hints for something and expects from the audience to use brain and deep engagement to find something out and that this gives me lots to analyze and examine to learn more about Equestria.
Cozy Glow's appearances in the show contain such hints, as well. Hints for the motivation behind her plan and her decision to become a villain, which I cannot go into detail about here because of the risk of spoilering my story and also ruining the experience for its readers, as I could not mention these details without also mentioning the conclusion they're builiding up to.
But if one actually takes the time to watch the episodes of the show thoroughly and in-depth, instead of just in a casual way, and to analyze Cozy's behavior and do deep thinking about her, it is rather easy to figure out what cruel fate is buried in her past that forced her down this path.
I gave hints for Cozy's cruel fate a few times during the course of "Letters to Cozy Glow", but I won't go into more detail about them. Where and what these hints are, is for the readers to find out.
10083817
That is not at all the case. You have to look deeper.
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Twilight herself does. However, the method that Twilight prefers for teaching does not imply anything about the general teaching methods at her school.
Twilight prefers a classical style of teaching, because she was taught in such a way in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. She always learned that way, with her nose buried in books and long sessions of analyzing a certain subject and studying it. Twilight learned like this for her whole life, so it is natural that she expects the same from her students in her own lessons.
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However, she did not forget about this. She simply chooses a different way of teaching, the one she is used to and found delight in during her entire educational career and in which she still finds delight. This is a deliberate choice Twilight makes, not an indication of her having forgotten what she learned thanks to Rainbow Dash.
And despite being free from the EEA's guidelines and restrictions since she decided to turn her school into a privately funded school, Twilight can afford to still teach in such a classical way herself, because this is only the way she teaches. The unique and free-flowing teaching techniques that you propose are all there and actively used by her friends when they teach their students in their own lessons.
Such as when we see Fluttershy bringing actual critters into school, instead of just using depictions of them during biology lessons, when Rarity somehow incorporates sewing into her lessons, when Applejack uses psychological tests to teach her students how important trust is in a friendship or when Rainbow Dash uses tactical teamplay during matches of buckball and other games during gym lessons to teach how friends should work together and be able to rely on each other.
And we have also seen only a small number of students in some of Fluttershy's and Pinkie Pie's lessons, which makes it much easier to focus on each individual student and is very close to one-on-one teaching.
Twilight can afford teaching in the classical, ordinary way herself, despite being free from the shackles of the EEA, because she lets her friends teach in the unique ways they want and it's, therefore, her friends who take up the creative and unique lessons at her school.
The point of the events seen in "School Daze" was that Twilight didn't let her friends teach in their own, personal and unique ways, because those ways violated EEA guidelines, but now she lets them ever since her friendship school has become a private school and isn't held back by forced education standards anymore.
All of them, including Twilight, teach in their own, unique and personal ways now, which include the methods of teaching you propose.
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I would like to give an equally constructive response to this, but I can only say that you now desperately reach for an argument. It is very deep reaching to say that neither the Student Six, nor any other students at Twilight's school with the exception of Cozy enjoyed her lessons.
Students sighing over a test is very common, as it requires a lot of work to remember a lot of things. This alone does not indicate a general disinterest in a lesson, because it is much harder and more stressful to participate in a test that immediately decides about your success at school, than to sit in the classroom during a lesson, to listen and to take notes.
A test comes with a lot of nervousness and stress, as it could very well mean that you have to repeat a year or even that you get kicked from a school (although, I doubt Twilight would do that to a student, considering her own approach to learning and the purpose of her school, the latter is just a general point about schools I am making), while sitting through a lesson is much more relaxed.
The evidence for it that Cozy isn't the only one who enjoys Twilight's lessons in particular can very easily be found by stopping an episode while a lot of ponies in the classroom are seen and to look at their expressions. You will find quite a few smiling faces, even during the one particular lesson you are referring to.
It is important to have an eye for detail when watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
10083974
Noted and fixed! Even right after you pointed it out, but now you know I did. Thanks!
10084250
There is a lot that can be done with encouraging conversation, even in letters. The point of this letter of theirs, however, is that they don't really want to help Cozy and that they only wrote her a letter because they were asked to. Like they only agreed to write letters to Cozy to begin with because Twilight asked them to. They are doing this for Twilight, as a favor, not so much for Cozy.
10084383
This is an interesting theory and it makes sense and is also seamless in many ways. However, it doesn't fully line up with Cozy's abilities. Having the desire to make true friends in the school and then Discord comes and tells Cozy she just has to write Tirek and learn how to manpulate ponies to make them become her friends, this is something Cozy is too intelligent for. She would not simply listen to the whispers of someone, instead of evaluating the idea she has been given and drawing her own conclusions from it.
If it would have been in Cozy's interest to make real and honest friends, instead of mere puppets who help her with reaching the goal she was trying to accomplish, then she would have never listened to such words by Discord and rejected his whispers.
And with the plan she actually had, she didn't need Discord. Cozy's cunning and flawless execution of her plans, combined with the fact that getting a response letter from Tirek definitely took a while, make clear that Cozy came up with everything, including improvisation of her plan when something unexpected happened, by herself and that she only wrote Tirek for advice in regards to magical artifacts she could use for her plan. Which was a pure lack of knowledge, not a lack of skill or self-reliance.
Cozy Glow, she is not somepony who can be stereotyped into a "dumb child". She knows exactly what she is doing and is much too intelligent to blindly follow instructions by someone. Especially if it is a trickster like Discord. Cozy, simply, wouldn't fall for it.
The background of her actions is something much more complex.
10084442
We don't know much about Tartarus, that's correct. But we do know a lot about the ponies who govern it. This allows us for a lot of conclusions about Tartarus' treatment of prisoners.
10086633
Cozy is masterful in chess. What she can do in reality, she can do in a simple strategy board game. Maybe she is not the best player at chess, there might be somepony who outsmarts her when it is about controlling pawns. But Cozy definitely has a talent for this game.
10094254
I can definitely feel some scepticism when I imagine this moment. It would have been interesting to witness their individual reactions on this enigmatic letter.
10095475
This is correct. Something has indeed been triggered in Cozy. Something very painful.
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And that is correct, as well. We will dive deeply into all of this. The truth, once everything becomes revealed, might just make you feel like you need a psychiatrist, for a moment.
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This story peaks my interest. I would like to read it and I hope I can find the time to do it.
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At one point in her past, Cozy might have felt a glimpse of how being hated feels.
10107154
This is something we both hope. I care greatly for Cozy.
10107548
Indeed, it was Moondancer's letter that triggered her. This is very significant.
10117704
I'm glad you did, thank you!
10096642
Only in the Top 5? If you actually know any chapters shorter than this one for real, please show them to me, cause then I really want to see them. If not, I'll give myself the achievement of Shortest Chapter on FIMFiction.net.
10118225
You are on a good path with this observation.
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This is a very good question and it has just given me another thought. What if Cozy Glow was the one who ruined the Fire of Friendship on the Hearth's Warming tree, and not Gallus? There are quite a few points that speak for this, among them that Cozy is able to fly, as well. And it would still leave the same motivation for Gallus to take the blame upon himself.
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I'm happy you think so and I hope I can deliver this feeling again for you, after a long time without updates. Though, there is still a chance that the official comics will show us Cozy's past and explain her motivations before I can finish the journey through Cozy's mind here.
This would bring trouble for this story, but I still cannot say that I don't hope for this to happen.
10344012
And I am back again! Well, almost. "Letters to Cozy Glow" will return to updating next Thursday and because you expressed such great interest in the story, you are among those who hear it here first.
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This is exactly what I was going for, this atmosphere of Cozy's therapists discussing how to go forward, while each of them has their own thoughts about Cozy and her development thus far, and the reason why I am so proud of this chapter. This atmosphere of slight tension and of a debate that could easily become very heated, I managed to precisely capture this.
Maybe my experience with debates and discussions is what paid off here.
Thank you for your praise! The praise for this chapter feels the most deserved from all of them thus far, including the chapters that came afterwards.
10396367
Maybe. Or, maybe, it gives Cozy incentive to try her hardest to get out as fast as possible. I cannot see what the outcome of this will be, though. Even I have to wait and see how this develops for Cozy.
10399161
I am glad the chapter has that effect and I can tell that Cozy's behavior can very well be interpreted as diabolical. She seems like a filly with two sides. Whether she is diabolical or not and what it all means, it might be a while before we find out. But not because of a lack of updates. There will be a steady stream of new letters very soon!
Very good questions. She is sure trying to press for something, but, for what is she pressing exactly? Cozy is hard to read at this moment.
10435119
Thank you! Another confidence boost has happened a few weeks ago, a significant one. And more organization takes place again, too, so "Letters to Cozy Glow" will finally continue with regular updates next Thursday!
10461787
Thanks!
10462092
Both your comment and the many likes it has gotten show me that my story is starting to invoke some real emotions and gets people to feel for Cozy, instead of condemning her as villain and as evil, which is exactly what I want to achieve with this story. I hope that it continues that way and that "Letters to Cozy Glow" can open the eyes of those who still hate Cozy, if there are any left after we witnessed her stone prison fate.
Your comment is the best that the story has gotten up to this point!
10478598
You are new to this story, so I have to tell you that nearly all updates are very short in length. This chapter is even among the longer ones. Certain letters in the future might be longer, maybe, but this is not the kind of story with chapters of several thousand words length. Most letters will be very short and likely be in chapters that are far less than a 1,000 words.
I hope you will keep enjoying this story regardless of what you might be used to from ponyfics
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The next thing that arrives might be a little more than a letter.....
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A letter from Tempest..... I have a feeling this might not take very long, until Tempest writes her a letter again. They say storms that have to wait before they reach land become much stronger.....
10530947
Thank you! And "Letters to Cozy Glow" will finally continue next week!
And I am finally at the other end of the pile of comments! *We really need a Cozy Glow emote here.
10620449
Oh. Thanks. And by the sound of this:
Cozy Glow might be getting a present! Lets hope she doesn't react to it in the same way as that friendship bracelet.
10620432
It's fine, looking forward to it
10620447
You're welcome!
10620693
Yes, let's hope not. Cozy's mind is still in a fragile state and I won't dare to take any guesses how often it can be pierced back together before it stays shattered.