It was impossible for Cozy Glow to keep track of how many different discomforting faces she saw that day. Walking through the afternoon bustle of Canterlot was hardly an enjoyable experience for her due to how many ponies stopped, and then simply stared at her.
Some of them even commented about it, saying things like, "It can't be."
Twilight even heard a rather charming looking mare ask her friend, "What's Princess Twilight doing with Cozy Glow?"
Twilight looked behind her, and at Cozy Glow. The filly asked, "Err... is everypony alright?" She looked around again, and asked, "Why is everypony acting this way?"
Twilight gulped, and just kept trotting faster and faster. "Cozy Glow," she said while rounding a corner. "I'll tell you what I can when we get to the ice cream shop." Eventually, they arrived at their destination. As they did, Twilight looked down at Cozy Glow, and said, "Just head on inside and sit down at the far corner. Can you do that for me?"
Cozy nodded at Twilight before leaving her side, and after she sat down, she watched as Twilight and her friends all got their own flavor of ice cream. Discord tried to order his scoop with spiderwebs inside of it which made Cozy Glow giggle, but they were fresh out. So, he turned whatever he got into spiderwebs instead.
Twilight came back holding two scoops, but Discord and Starlight sat at the other end of the shop. Sitting a bowl down in front of Cozy, she said, "I went ahead and got you tutti frutti. I saw you eating some of it when you used to attend my school."
Cozy didn't have anything to say. She simply started eating. Without smiling, she just slowly placed one small spoonful after another into her mouth and chewed.
Twilight continued, "I don't know much about you except... who you were before, and I hope this doesn't come off as too insulting, but the Cozy Glow that we knew... she wasn't exactly a nice pony." Twilight hadn't even placed a hoof on her spoon to try her ice cream. Instead, she put her hoof on her chest, and said, "Since all that has been erased, and you're free to start over, I just... I don't want to see you end up the way you were."
Cozy stopped eating her ice cream, and asked, "Huh?"
Twilight blinked, and asked, "Were you even listening?"
Cozy looked away promptly, and then returned her gaze to Twilight. "Sort of, but the taste of this... ice cream... is weird. Are you sure that you saw me eating this?"
Twilight nodded, and said, "I can't be sure if you even liked it, though, to be honest."
Cozy shrugged but kept eating it. After a few more bites, she said, "It's growing on me."
Twilight laughed lightly and watched as the filly continued to eat. Then, after a minute or so, she asked Cozy, "Are you sure you heard what I said?"
Cozy nodded, and asked, "What's a school?"
Twilight's smile went away, but nevertheless, she persevered, and explained what that was. After a few more lessons that followed, she'd be able to get to the actual story. Cozy listened rather politely, and once Twilight had finished, the Princess asked, "And you know what stone is, right?"
Cozy nodded. "Yes, Twilight..." She looked down, and some more of her mane uncurled. While it flopped downwards, and dangled in front of Cozy's face, she asked Twilight, "All that for... what again?"
Twilight grimaced, and said, "Revenge."
Cozy's face turned bleak. "Revenge?"
Twilight nodded, and said, "I just told you about it, but yes, that's what all three of you tried to achieve. You... misinterpreted friendship, allied with some of the worst, and most sinister villains in all of Equestria, all for extremely selfish gain. By then, your fate was out of my hooves, Cozy Glow."
The filly had stopped eating and placed the bowl down gently. She didn't necessarily look upset to Twilight. She seemed more as if she was still piecing together the puzzles. Either that, or she was trying to remember. "I, uh," she said with a raspy voice. She cleared her throat, and said again, "I'm so sorry... I don't really know what else to say." She looked away, blinking, and then asked, "Why can't I remember stuff?"
Twilight glanced towards Discord from across the room, and said, "Chances are... Discord's to blame."
Discord was busy laughing with Starlight at the time, which was something of a rare sight. Nevertheless, it was a welcomed sight to see by Twilight. Cozy Glow asked the Princess, "Why's that?"
Twilight looked back at the filly, and explained, "He likes to brag about how great his magic is, but we've seen what happens when he leaves his magic unchecked. Since he's also tampered with the spell, we can't necessarily dismiss the possibility that he's to blame after all."
Cozy nodded, and said, "Okay, but I really can't remember any of this."
Twilight nodded back, and said, "I know, Cozy. I'm planning on making an official explanation to everypony soon, but please, don't be alarmed if ponies react to you... differently." She sighed, and said, "Which brings us... to the next thing on our list."
Cozy asked, "What's that?"
Twilight looked out the window, and towards the east side of town. "Rarity's going to be your caretaker." Cozy stared at Twilight curiously. "She can be a bit... eccentric at times."
Cozy Glow sighed, and commented, "I don't see why she has to be my caretaker, then. Why can't it be you, Twilight? You're so... kind, and thoughtful."
Twilight smiled at those remarks, and said, "Thank you, but you'll come to learn that Rarity's every bit as kind as me, and more. She's my most generous friend." Twilight finally reached for her spoon to take a bite from her melted ice cream but stopped just in time. She then used her magic to restore its frosty texture and temperature. "Mmh," she hummed as she continued eating.
Cozy breathed in deeply before saying, "There has to be more."
Twilight nodded, and said in between her bites, "She has a sister, and she's visiting for about a week."
Cozy's eyebrows raised, and she voiced, "Oh... What's her name?"
Twilight then said, "Sweetie Belle, and she's about your age. You may want to start with apologizing to her for locking her in that closet."
Cozy Glow's face became animated, and she said, "You haven't told me about that, Twilight."
"Oh, sorry," Twilight said after gulping down more of her treat. "I forgot a few smaller details like that..."
Twilight wrapped things up with Cozy Glow in time, but by then, more ponies had come into the establishment, so Discord and Starlight came up to Twilight to see if she and Cozy Glow were ready. They made their way to the exit, but not before Cozy Glow got even more attention than earlier, so the group had to make it to Rarity's Canterlot Boutique in a hurry.
Twilight's group had finally arrived. Before knocking on the door, though, Twilight hesitated, and asked aloud, "Perhaps somepony at Ponyville will do instead."
Discord glanced at her while she continued.
"But, then again, on such short notice-"
"I'm sorry," Discord interrupted. "What are you doing?"
Twilight gave him an unamused look, and stated, "I'm trying to figure things out!"
He replied, "But why are you talking to yourself? Is that really necessary?" He looked at Starlight, and asked, "Who else does that? Am I right, Starlight?"
The unicorn chuckled sheepishly, and bluffed, "Oh, not me! Err, Twilight does it constantly."
He smiled at her, and then looked back at Twilight who said, "Oh, fine! Rarity will do." She knocked on the door and waited for an answer. "Besides, she'll understand that I've got too much work already to also be taking care of Cozy Glow."
Soon, the door opened, and Rarity invited them from inside, "Come in, Twilight! I'm in the back, and I haven't finished that dress for you yet if that's what you're here for."
Twilight smiled while walking in, and said to Rarity, "That's okay. That's actually not why we're here."
Rarity came around from the other room and stopped dead in her tracks the second she saw Cozy Glow. With a sharp gasp, and a look to Twilight, Rarity asked, "What is she doing here? Twilight, have you gone mad?"
Twilight shook her head, and said, "No, and try to calm down."
Before Twilight could get another word in, Rarity asked sharply, "Calm down?! Twilight, have you forgotten what she tried to do? What they might have done to poor Spikey Wikey's wings? She seemed perfectly alright with Chrysalis ripping them clean off his backside!"
Cozy Glow backed away nearly into the wall, and Twilight huffed at that remark, and had to nod. However, she replied, "That doesn't matter now, though. Listen, Rarity..." She stopped and stared at Twilight and the others. Just then, Sweetie Belle came around the corner, and heard Twilight tell Rarity, "Cozy Glow has lost her memory."
"What?" Rarity asked.
"She doesn't remember anything," Twilight resumed. "And I just got done explaining everything to her in an ice cream parlor. Look... I know how you're going to feel about this, but still... I need you to take care of Cozy Glow for me."
Rarity nearly gasped yet again, but instead, she kept herself just about as composed as she could've, and simply inhaled. "Oh," she voiced with closed eyes. "I... know why you're choosing me, Twilight, but..." She opened her eyes while rolling them, and said, "Why does it have to be me?"
Twilight giggled, and said, "I kind of need you for this." She looked towards Cozy, and said, "Besides, I've been testing her all this time, and my magic says that she's telling me the truth." She looked back at Rarity, and asked, "Do you think you can do this for me? It's not like I'd be very far away."
Rarity smiled, and looked at Cozy, and then at Discord. "Well... of course I'll do this for you Twilight. Although, I have to ask... Why is Discord here?"
Twilight looked from Rarity to Discord, and said, "Oh, uh..."
Discord jokingly said, "I think Twilight just likes having me along."
Twilight replied, "I do not! Starlight's the one who's been enjoying your company."
Starlight had wandered off and was looking at dresses. She poked her head out from the rows and rows of fabric to ask, "What's that, Twilight? You called me?"
Twilight snickered, and replied, "No, Starlight. Go back to what you were doing." She then averted her attention back to Rarity, and said, "Besides, Discord was just tagging along in case something... strange happened."
Rarity nodded with a smile while saying, "I know, darling. I was only teasing. Anyways..." She looked at Cozy Glow with a puzzled expression. "I suppose I'll show you to your room. That is, if there's nothing else..."
Cozy looked from Rarity to Twilight, and asked, "This is where I'll be staying?"
That's when Sweetie Belle ran down the halls all of the sudden. Rarity voiced to the others, "Uh-oh... She was probably eavesdropping. I'll go talk to her about this. Cozy Glow?"
The filly looked at Rarity, and nervously started to approach her. "Yes, Rarity?"
"I'll be with you momentarily." As she spoke, Starlight and Discord began showing themselves out. "Your room is upstairs, and to your left. It's the first door you see once you reach the second floor."
Cozy nodded contently, and then turned to Twilight while Rarity walked off. "Uhm... Will you come to visit me?"
Twilight gulped while thinking about the various duties she had. Modestly, she said, "I'll try, but I've got a lot of work to do. Don't worry, though. I'll visit you again as soon as I can."
Cozy nodded, and following that conversation, Twilight headed for the door. Before leaving Rarity's Canterlot Boutique, she looked back at Cozy Glow, and waved. The filly waved back with a slight smile, and then Twilight closed the door. Cozy's smile went away, and for the first time since being freed from stone, she was all alone. She looked around, and towards the stairs that would take her to her room, but for a second, she didn't move. She just sat there.
Slowly, she breathed, wondering to herself, "How am I going to fix all of this? Is that even something that I can do? Twilight's going to tell Equestria about my innocence, but... I managed to hide my feelings back in the ice cream shop, but... that was a lot of bad things that I've done!"
She stood up and started towards her room. While trotting up the stairs, she continued thinking, "I have a feeling that not everypony is just going to up and forgive me."
She closed the door behind herself and laid down on the bed to wait for Rarity to finish with Sweetie Belle. Rarity wouldn't get the chance to talk to Cozy Glow again that day, however, because upon entering Cozy's room, Rarity would catch the filly fast asleep, and snuggled up with at least six or seven pillows. Considering the kind of day Cozy Glow had just experienced, Rarity wasn't about to wake her up, and after extinguishing the lights, she left the filly to her peaceful slumber.
So she's aware of her deeds...interesting.
9911660
Twilight told her what she did
9911722
Of course. But still, how she takes it makes it interesting
"Belle" should be capitalised, since it's part of her name.
Hm. Okay then.
Since the writers never had a back story for Cozy, I've been open to fan authors' interpretations of her past and/or future. Let's see how a potential redemption story plays out. Tracking.
9911820
Fixed, thanks.
I don't generally read incomplete stuff, but just by the prompt, I am super excited to see this get finished!
I'm pretty sure it was Chrysalis who tried to pluck out Spike's wings.
9912039
You are correct.
9912039 9912094
Fixed, thanks.
Yeah I really never understand why they put a foal in Tartarus and then turn her into stone.
SHES JUST A FOAL!!!
9916048
The argument of 'he/she's just a kid' doesn't work if said kid is fully aware of the consequences of what they're doing. The only reason it could work at all is that kids are usually incapable of looking at the big picture in the way adults can. Cozy Glow knew what she was doing, knew the consequences, knew why the consequences were so bad, and did it anyway because she didn't care.
So no, Cozy Glow isn't 'just a foal', she's a foal with enough sense to be tried as an adult, and is a felon guilty of conspiracy to destabilize the known world, conspiracy to usurp a government facility, attempted murder, unauthorized use of high level magical artifacts, performing an illegal ritual, destruction of government property, attacking several high level government figures, kidnapping, and probably a couple of other criminal/very likely criminal acts that I can't think of.
9911836
Except that it's confirmed to be an effect of their magic, given that it's stopped on two separate occasions. First, when they gave Twilight their magic in Twilight's Kingdom, and second when Cozy used Grogar's Bell to drain them. In both cases, their magic was returned to them on screen, and the wavy effect returned alongside the magic.
9916162
You're not wrong.
By Season 9, it is hard not to accept that Cozy Glow is relentlessly evil. This is not arguable. What is arguable is her punishment because of perspective, opinions, history, and a whole lot of other circumstantial things that go into the mix. Most people aren't going to agree with you that she got just what she deserved because of the core fact that she is a foal. Yes, that's why we're talking about this right now. And, yes, that tends to give her a free pass. Why? Because nobody was killed. Some laws were broken, sure, but why did she break them? Don't say it was because she didn't care by the way. She wanted revenge on Twilight, meaning that she did care to a degree. We just never found out what that core care was, really, or what made her tick this way, and what truly drove her to lash out.
If she didn't care, she wouldn't have done anything at all. This is basic logic and can be thoroughly backed by historical accounts of successful counseling.
In regards to the magical glow of an alicorn's mane being caused by good deeds, it's magic, so that simply explains why it went away on those two other occasions.
9916702
I didn't mean she had no care for anything at all, I just meant that it didn't matter to her what happened as a result of her actions. Plus, I was more talking about her crimes in School Raze when I said that, which is where she committed most of the crimes I listed.
There would be two counts of conspiracy to destabilize the known world, and one of them was committed during School Raze. That would have been the end result of her plan to erase magic. Beyond that, her attempt to become headmare of the School of Friendship through duplicitous means and for malicious ends would constitute conspiracy to usurp a government facility, or whatever the actual charge would be. She stole the most important artifacts from the lands represented by the school's student body from Twilight, who had been gifted them in confidence for teaching purposes, constituting unauthorized use of high level magical artifacts. She then used those artifacts to create the magic circle that was siphoning all of Equestria's magic into a separate space, which covers performing an illegal ritual Finally, what she did to Starlight is clear cut kidnapping.
All of these are things she did in School Raze, before there was any foundation for thoughts of revenge. But, the most important thing that happened, that clearly sets her apart from former criminals like Starlight and even Discord. When she was thwarted and confronted afterward, she showed no remorse or sign of apology. Instead, just like with Chrysalis (and Starlight with her initial scheme), she expressed anger that her victims/opponents dared to win in the end.
Another thing. She may not be an adult biologically, but she has a cutie mark. Considering the canon-wide implications that anyone with a cutie mark can work, it seems to be a logical conclusion to make that by having a cutie mark she's a legal adult. Especially when you consider her efficiency when posing as Twilight's assistant, there can be little doubt that she knew exactly what she was doing. She was also aware enough of the society she was a part of to use her youth and the inherent 'cuteness factor' as a tool. Those points, on top of the fact that she enrolled in school without any representative of self that might have marked her as a dependent, seem to clearly indicate that she checks all the boxes for mental maturity our legal system takes the liberty to assume all minors do not.
Attempting to shoehorn our society's legal principles into an alien society, no matter how similar it appears to be at a glance, is a terrible mistake. There are assumptions that need to be made based on notable differences, and how they might alter the course of the developing nuance of their own society. There's a lot we don't know, but there's also a lot that can be discerned at least in part, using societal context. Honestly, I feel it'd be more accurate to call Cozy Glow a filly than a foal. Again, speaking according to context, and based on the context of such terms in the show, it seems to me that foals are children of all ages, fillies and colts are young adults, and mares and stallions are either older adults or married ponies, whichever happens first.
9916832
Again, you're not wrong.
This doesn't make Cozy an eighteen year old, however. That would be what is considered an adult. By her physique, we can see that she is like the CMC, and that she probably has just gotten her cutie mark but clearly doesn't know how to use it. That could make her anywhere in-between... Oh, I'd say nine and fourteen. This is still a questionable age to be dolling out life sentences to tartarus let alone her being turned to stone, but that's just my opinion.
I will say that perhaps I (And some of the other commenters) used the incorrect term. No, she is not a foal. She has basically come of age, but then that only makes her a teenager if she were in our world. Probably not even that.
All I'll say further is that I don't see how it matters further. The show trapped her in stone. That's what happened. That's canon. People won't like that, and there will of course be people who find it a perfect punishment for a perfectly corrupted filly. I doubt that either team is going to conform to the other, so that's that. I found the lack of her actual backstory left much more to be desired, and that's why this story is being written.
9916918
I can see why lacking a backstory would make the end result unsatisfying for some, and I can certainly appreciate that as a reason for writing a story.
Unfortunately, trying to examine Cozy from the show through the same lens a lot of other characters is pretty difficult since the two part stories drop the 'daily aesop' style of story for a high stakes conflict. On top of that, what if she wasn't given a backstory because we weren't supposed to feel sorry for her? I feel like they were deliberately going for the vibe of...what was it? Was it Darla Dimple? If that's the case, then trying to treat her like other child characters in the show wouldn't work. I know it's a comparison that's been made before, but no matter what, you can't help someone who doesn't want help.
Cozy Glow didn't want help, and at her lowest point when she was sapped of the power she took from Grogar's Bell, she'd already burned the bridge Twilight had built for her before, and at that point she was the only one willing to attempt to look past everything if she could get through to Cozy. So, at that point, even if Cozy was repentant, how could anypony trust her to be genuine? I think Cozy knew it too. I think that's why she had the look she did from the moment she lost her horn. She had nowhere to go, and Chrysalis was the only one with any fight left at that point.
If there were a moral to be taken away from Cozy's fate, I think it would be the consequence of hanging with the wrong crowd. That or that even children aren't entirely immune to the harshest of punishments. After all, if a minor commits first degree murder, they will be tried as an adult because first degree murder is planned murder. There are some acts that can't be washed away by a person being a minor.
If a child committed first degree murder against their abusive parents, does that change the fact that they committed first degree murder? A normal child wouldn't have the mental state to plan a murder. If a child were to kill an abusive parent, my first thought would be that the child was protecting themselves, but such a claim wouldn't stand as solidly if the death was a planned murder.
Now, normally a child who committed first degree murder would likely be monitored for remorse, and if they had remorse they would likely be tried as a child and sent for therapy. However, what do you do when the child feels nothing for the life cut short? How can you tell yourself such a person won't become a serial killer? I know I'm focusing on this murder thing a lot, but that's because it's the one crime I know of where a child can be tried as an adult depending on circumstances. And the severity of Cozy's actions and what almost happened because of them can't be understated.
9917263
And they are not intentionally being understated. Merely that they are very circumstantial, and the fact that the show popularized this filly icon only to have her to be truthfully diabolic, and that might not've been everyone's favorite prediction only for it to come true. What a lot of people are upset with (I think) is the concept of friendship being able to overcome anything.
Anything.
That might not've been a direct message at any given time, but that was the vibe that the fans got when Twilight managed to befriend Starlight. When the trio in season 9 proved too evil, well... This is a kids show. Not Dragon Ball Z. Nobody should really blame anyone for liking Cozy Glow, though. She had a wonderful introduction in the show, she's cute as a button, and then she goes and gets herself turned to stone. At the same time, no one should blame anyone else for thinking that her punishment was just.
It's just a show after all.
9917354
Friendship can solve anything?
Ah, but as shown in the Season 8 finale and later the Season 9 finale, how does friendship solve not accepting friendship? As I already stated, the trouble caused by the villains in the Season 9 finale were on par with the trouble that Twilight would have been stuck with if she hadn't be able to talk Starlight down. The difference is, when Starlight was defeated she accepted her defeat and chose to try things the way Twilight had been trying to show her. When Cozy Glow was defeated the first time she tried to run, just like Chrysalis. Again, differences, this time in that Cozy Glow tried and failed to escape.
On a different note, I honestly wonder what would have happened at the end of the Season 9 finale if hot head Chryssy hadn't elected to shoot her mouth off and effectively speak for all three of them after they were drained. Cozy and even Tirek looked like they might have been about to submit, and in Frenemies it was Chrysalis who prevented Cozy and Tirek from accepting the Magic of Friendship. Seriously, they were about to when Chryssy ruined things with her shouting.
9917642
Well, actually, Starlight was defeated once before, and then came back, and then reformed. The actual difference would be that Cozy Glow doesn't ever get the opportunity to see things the way Starlight did when she befriended Twilight. She doesn't get to see that wasteland for herself, and she doesn't get the chance to put the true power of friendship into consideration. I know that's clingy, but it's also very much in the show, and I can't say for sure that this would help in calming Cozy Glow down, but it wouldn't have hurt for them to try. Again, that's just my opinion.
The story of Chrysalis and Tirek felt unfinished to me as well.
And how did Twilight not go ballistic at that?
9917772
I agree with you about the villains needed more time to be expanded upon and not just dropped like a hot potato. The second half of season 9 was rushed horribly and ruined a couple of the characters for me. The princesses retiring was completely out of character and just out of nowhere.
... so no personality reset... this will be interesting
Sunset Shimmer might have been a better choice
10292721
It was foreshadowed during the vine incident where Celestia enjoyed the fight and wished she could do it more. Luna during the cutie swap episode realized she couldn't really take over for her sister, and the fact that Equestria went on without her just fine while she was banished ment her position wasn't really required.
Them just dropping everything on Twilight was rushed however.
Also this MLP: FIM seems to be set in medieval times with a more modern legal system. So I'd put Cozy at around 13 for being able to start work but still being classified as a child. Also we don't know exactly what her cutie mark represents, so it could represent looking several moves ahead/ manipulation.
What? How does that make any sense? I would put her in Cadence’s care since the Empire wasn’t really effected.