.
Dear Stygian, Renowned Scholar of Equestria!
Your letter left a great impression on me! I'm sorry I that I'm answering it so late, the days are busy even down here in Tartarus, if you would know, haha! Maybe you want to study it one day, it's a really strange phenomenon that a filly can do so much down here! I hope catching up on answering your letter now won't be too late.
I am so sorry that you had to make this experience. Being controlled by an ancient demon must be horrible and so traumatizing! I don't want to imagine my mind and my body being controlled and suppressed by a monster like that... Will this happen to me, too? If I keep seeking power? Tirek can't do this, he can't possess a pony, but you showed me there are monsters who can... I don't want to have that happen to me. And I don't want to destroy Equestria because I sought power.
You are right, Stygian. Power really is dangerous business. I shouldn't seek it out. I shouldn't try to control other ponies. I shouldn't manipulate them. I should only live in peace among them. And friendship! Real friendship.
I think you have opened my eyes, Stygian. You are so wise, you definitely aren't a scholar for nothing. Your studies made you very wise and I'm glad you're passing on some of your wisdom to me. With your wisdom, I can become a better filly, I know it. Thank you so much!
I hope you will write me again, I can tell there is more wisdom you can teach me and probably even more adventures you can tell me about! Again, thank you so much for helping me, Stygian!
Yours,
Cozy Glow
You know. Parts of this letter have that "technically true" feel to it. For example, Cozy says she doesn't want to get possessed or destroy Equestria in pursuit of power, but she doesn't say she doesn't want to get power anymore. It makes sense. You can't rule as Empress of Friendship, if there is no land to rule over or you are not in control of your body/mind. :D
10749956
It's ok. I forgive you.
Hmm, I wonder what this means for Cozy. It's very sweet (much sweeter than that little prank which I can't believe I fell for) but what she puts down on paper may not be the same as what she really thinks.
10750986
I had to go over the letter again to check that, I was extremely tired when I wrote it and didn't fully grasp the meaning behind Cozy's words here, and you are right. Her rhetoric is very skilled in this letter. Even the later part of the letter still works in symbiosis with that, she said she shouldn't try to seize power, but still didn't say she doesn't want to, so this can be read as "I shouldn't try to seize power, because then a demon might possess me and use me as their vessel or I might go too far and destroy all of Equestria. But if there's a way to seize power without these things happening... then that's totally fine!". While for Stygian, it would read as "I've learned my lesson, I don't want to have power anymore and I won't go and seek it out anymore."
Cozy is very skilled with rhetoric. An important tool for manipulation. And what's ironic here is, she could technically use Stygian to get even better at rhetoric, as a scholar who has read and studied countless books and has a myriad of literary knowledge, she could learn from him by pure observation. Maybe that's why she mentioned that Stygian can tell her about more adventures? Time will tell.
10751005
Believe Cozy! Then she will give you a whole world of true friendship!*
*That's where a Cozy Glow emote would be now, if FIMFiction.net had one.
10751544
Note to self: Ask Knighty to add Cozy Glow emoticon.
10751545
A lot of people have done similar things in the past. Sadly, knighty doesn't really listen to user requests or suggestions. He mostly goes through with his own vision for FIMFiction.net. But trying is never a wrong thing to do.
10751527
If you did that unintentionally and while tired, then it shows your subconscious mind know Cozy so well. ;)
10751653
That rings true, I found myself very attached to Cozy since I first saw her and I had deep thoughts about her personality and the reason why she decided to become a villain. During Season 8, I probably was the only one in the fandom who said that Cozy isn't evil.
But it also happens with other stories. A lot of my writing happens on instinct. Which is useful, it means that I can still write a good chapter of a story even when I'm tired, for example. Sometimes, when I proofread a chapter that I wrote while being completely in the zone to the extent that I just kept writing what came to me until the chapter was finished, I am surprised myself once I see what I wrote. If I feel very inspired, I write like I'm in trance. It's a great feeling that words can't explain.
10751745
The one thing I regret about coming into MLP so late (I mean I was somewhat aware of its existence before, but didn't try to get into it) is that I was unable to experience the show without previously knowing about major plot-points. I mean, only now I'm getting to the end of season 8. I finished many fanfics - written or audio/video - without finishing watching the actual show. Anyway, with that being the case, I've been getting through season 8 knowing what Cozy has done later on. Thus I don't know if I would be able to guess early on that she was up-to no good or not.
I take it that is a feeling of being surprised by what your characters do, because you "let them" make their own choices? I heard many writers describing such a experience. :)
10751790
I understand that predicament. I have something similar to regret, even though I follow My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic since 2012 and watched it live since the start of Season 4. It's difficult to talk about and I don't really want to, because it's hard and comes with a whole truck of guilt and I already beat myself up enough in my head for this neglect, but it's more about connecting with G4's universe on a deeper level than I did in those years and about the fanwork created for it. Today, I am guessing the amount of content just overwhelmed me and was too much for me to follow in a proper and consistent way. But I still should have tried harder.
But hope lies in the future. Generation 5 has been revealed as a sequel to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, not a reboot, and to be set in the same universe and world we know from Generation 4. MLP: FiM will become a saga with Generation 5, just like the "Star Trek" shows did it. Which is something I always envisioned for it and now that vision really becomes true!
We both get a new chance with the Generation 5 sequel. And I am going to use it to the fullest.
.
Yes. As well as surprised how well everything comes together and how seamlessly the content of one chapter fits to the rest of the chapters, especially to future chapters. Somehow, my mind is very good at connecting plot elements of a long, on-going story.