A Cozy Childhood

by LetsThinkPositive

Bugs

Cozy Glow enjoyed playing with bugs.

Lifting her hoof, she enjoyed watching the little things scurry around as the shadow enveloped them before slamming it down with a satisfying CRUNCH. Or a slight POP if they were little. Those even smaller, such as ants, made no noise at all. Their little black bodies always stuck to the bottom of her hooves, but that wasn’t as bad as the splattered remains of the beetles.

However, honestly, it was getting a little bit old.

It was the same result every time. They die, snuffed out because she willed it. That wasn’t very exciting. If she had power here, why not flaunt it?

Her eyes focused on the dirt patch, and found a singular ant journeying to who-knows-where.

“Hello, Mr. Ant!” she said as she blocked its path with her hoof. “You wanna play a game?”

The ant tried to go around the hoof, so she just moved it over.

“It’s a swimming game. If you swim hard enough, you’ll win! Got it?”

With no further prompting, she spat on the ant. To her disappointment, not much happened. The ant struggled in the glob of spit, but gave up and stopped moving soon enough.

“Aw darn… Guess you lose.”

“Cozy Glow!” a voice called out. “Dinner!”

It was her mommy, of course. She always made her dinner.

“Coming!” she replied.

She forgot about the ant and trotted towards her home, her stomach growling. She really was hungry.

“There’s my girl!” her daddy, fresh from work, said as soon as she entered the kitchen, hoisting her up in a bear hug. “Ready for school tomorrow?”

She just wanted food. “Yes, daddy! I’ll try super hard.”

“Oh, I know you will,” he said as he put her down. He sniffed the air. “Are those hayburgers I smell? Oh, honey, you shouldn’t have!”

“Well,” her mommy said as she placed the tray of hayburgers on the table, “I figured since it’s Cozy’s first day of grade school tomorrow, we should celebrate a little!”

“I certainly agree with that notion! Work was killer today.”

She didn’t really know what it was her daddy did for work. Apparently, it had something to do with cement or whatever.

“Can't relate,” her mommy said with a grin.

Mommy’s job was easier to understand. She was a teacher at the school Cozy was about to attend. She wouldn’t be in her class though.

As her parents continued to banter, Cozy ignored them and sat at the table. Licking her lips, she took two hayburgers from the tray and began to chow down. Her mommy always knew how to cook.

“Wow, you really devoured those! Long day in the yard?” her daddy asked.

She nodded. “I found this really big beetle, and then I pulled its legs off! Now it’s just a little lump,” she said with a giggle.

Her parents shared a glance, though she couldn’t tell why.

“Cozy… We’ve been over this. Remember what Warm Heart said?” her mommy asked.

Oh. She had already forgotten about that.

“Uhh… Don’t take what isn’t yours?”

“Good lesson, but not what I was looking for.”

“Be considerate of others?”

“Getting warmer.”

“…Stop pulling the legs off bugs?”

Her mommy sighed and face-hoofed. “Close enough. It’s needlessly cruel, and it worries me how casual you are about it. So, please, stop it? For your mother?”

She threw the last bite of the hayburger in her mouth and chewed. “But they’re bugs. What’s the big deal? I don’t get it.”

Her daddy chuckled as he bit into his own meal. “You never played with bugs as a kid, honey?”

“No!” her mommy replied. “I’ll have you know I don’t have a cruel bone in my body.”

“That wasn’t what I thought during our honeymoon when you-“

“Don’t finish that thought!”

Cozy Glow grumbled, even if her stomach didn’t anymore. She just wanted food, but now her mommy was lecturing her again. Why did it matter what she did to the bugs? It was easy to do. Surely, what was easy was natural. Maybe-

Despite herself, she yawned.

“Looks like somepony is tired,” her daddy said with snicker.

She fought the urge to glare at him. “Am not!”

“You’ve got a big day tomorrow,” her mommy said. “You should be going to bed early anyway. Here, I'll tuck you in.”

"But it's early!"

"It's almost 8. Come on."

She felt the desire to slap her mommy in the face. However, she knew there was no point in arguing or doing such things. That would just worsen the situation. With a groan, she left the kitchen and followed her mommy to her bedroom.

“Hey, sweetie," her mommy said as she jumped into bed. "How about I read you a bedtime story? It's been a while.” She picked up a book from the shelf next to Cozy's bed and held it between her hooves. Ponicchio, the cover said. “Remember when I read this to you as a baby?”

Cozy shook her head.

“Oh, you loved it. Plus, it’s got some nice morals to it that I think you’ll appreciate more than another lecture from me.”

She was correct. Cozy stared at the cover in interest, having seen it many times before but not with more than a passing glance. A wooden pony wearing a hat stood in a village, a slight, almost mischievous, smile on his face.

“Keep what I read to you in mind when you go to school tomorrow, OK? It’s all important.”

What did she even mean by that? “Sure, mommy.”

She nodded in satisfaction. Opening the book, she cleared her throat. “Centuries ago there lived-“

And thus, the story began. Old Cornmeal Mush created a foal out of talking wood named Ponicchio, the marionette immediately getting into all sorts of mischief. Cozy found herself entranced at what Ponicchio was doing. Mere chapters in, and he already landed his father in jail! Here was a foal who had a freedom that she could only dream of. He did what he wanted, when he wanted.

His encounter with the Talking Cricket is when her attention was truly piqued. The bug had insulted Ponicchio and told him to obey his dad. What did the puppet do in response?

“At these last words, Ponicchio jumped up in a fury, took a hammer from the bench, and threw it with all his strength at the Talking Cricket. Perhaps he did not think he would strike it. But, sad to say, my dear foals, he did hit the Cricket, straight on its head.”

Cozy blinked. “Did he kill it?”

“He did,” her mommy said. “Ponicchio disrespects and disobeys his father Cornmeal Mush, and shows us he has many lessons to learn. The Cricket tries to teach him, but Ponicchio doesn’t want to hear it. In a fit of pointless rage and cruelty, he kills it.”

“So, he’s the bad guy, right?” Cozy said with a sigh.

“Oh, not at all! More like… a flawed hero. Even if somepony has lessons to learn, it doesn’t mean they’re bad.”

Cozy Glow considered those words.

Her mommy smiled. “Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”

No. “Yeah...”

“I know how much our lectures can bring you down, make you feel bad about yourself. Just learn from your mistakes, like, I assure you, Ponicchio does eventually. Even if you have your problems, it doesn't mean you're bad in any way. As long as you understand what you did was hurtful, you can improve.”

The story only partway complete, she closed the book with a slight thud.

“But what happens next?” Cozy asked.

“Oh, you know what happens in the end. Besides, it’s late enough. I’ll read more to you tomorrow. Goodnight, Cozy. Love you!” She kissed her on the forehead and then left the room, turning off the lights as she did.

Cozy sighed and closed her eyes. The events of the story swam in her mind. Her mommy was acting like Ponicchio was in the wrong, but she had a hard time seeing it that way. What 'mistakes' were there to learn from? Everything he did was in the service of his own happiness, and she couldn’t fault him for that. That Talking Cricket situation… she realized she probably would’ve done the same thing.

No matter. School tomorrow.

She closed her eyes, and dreamt she was in control.

…

Her mommy walked with her to school. Grade school would be different than preschool, she warned once again. You couldn’t do what you wanted. You couldn’t cry or complain all the time. You couldn’t hoard toys because there were no toys. It sounded interesting, like a challenge of some sort. The next level.

With a hug and a kiss, her mommy left her in front of her classroom. Cozy went into it, ignoring the passing glances of the chattering foals. It was a small classroom, multiple rows of cramped desks facing a chalkboard in the front. The far side across from the door featured a row of windows, which showcased a couple of green trees and little more. Her teacher, a fat, middle-aged mare, was already there standing at the front, name scribbled on the chalkboard next to her. Cozy had a hard time making it out, but it looked like it said, ‘Miss Butt Ball’. That couldn’t be right, could it?

“Hello there!” Miss Butt Ball said to her, holding up a folder in her magic. “Aren’t you a cute one! What’s your name?”

“Cozy Glow.”

She flipped through the folder, and stopped on a certain page. “Ah, it’s nice to meet you, Cozy Glow! I’m Miss Butterball, your teacher. Your assigned seat is… over there.”

Miss Butt Ball pointed to a seat next to the window in the second row. In front of it was a unicorn colt, behind it a pegasus filly, and next to it another pegasus fully. Cozy was also a pegasus filly. There were quite a lot of them in this class.

“Hi,” the one next to her said as she took her seat. Light blue mane, darker blue coat. Rather bland. “My name’s Raindrop! What’s yours?”

She forced a crooked smile. “Cozy Glow!”

The one behind her scooted forward in her seat, eyes eager to meet the newcomer. White mane, grey coat. Also bland. “I’m Downpour. What was your name again?”

The smile twitched. “…Cozy Glow.”

The Rain Sisters was what she decided to call them. Even though they clearly weren’t sisters.

The colt in front of her glanced back, but diverted his eyes when she caught them. “What’s your name?” she asked.

His eyes widened. Golden mane, brown fur. A little more interesting. “Uh… M-My name is Golden Fields…” he mumbled, staring at the floor with a blush. What a boring name.

She studied the ponies that surrounded her further. The Rain Sisters and Golden Fields. She didn’t know what to think just yet, but she decided she wanted to play with them. “Hey, guys! You wanna play a game at recess?”

The Rain Sisters nodded in unison. “Of course!” Raindrop (or was it Downpour?) said.

“E-Even me?” Golden Fields asked.

“Sure!” Cozy replied.

“Everypony settle down!” Miss Butt Ball suddenly called out, cutting off whatever the colt had to say in response. The chattering lowered into a hum. “Hello, and welcome to your first day of grade school! My name is Miss Butterball-”

Cozy tuned out the introduction. Miss Butt Ball was fat and breathed heavily as she talked. It was exhausting to listen to her. She instead thought of the game she had set up for recess, planning what was going to happen in her head.

She was brought back to reality when Golden Fields passed back a stack of papers to her. Shaking her head, she took one and passed back the others

“What did Miss Butt Ball tell us to do?” she asked as she looked the sheet over. It asked a bunch of different questions such as ‘What is your favorite food?’ and ‘What is your favorite color?’.

Downpour (or was it Raindrop?) chuckled. “'Butt Ball'! That’s so funny!”

Butt Ball cleared her throat. “Raindrop, I thought I told you to stay silent as you fill these out?” the teacher said with a slight glare. That shut her up.

With a shrug, Cozy decided she knew what to do.

Favorite food? Hayburgers. Maybe pretzels.

Favorite color? Blue, like her mane.

Favorite book? Ponicchio, she supposed.

Favorite hobby? Playing with bugs.

…

It was now recess.

Her mommy was right. Grade school certainly was different than preschool was. Recess was the only playtime of the day, the rest spent listening to Miss Butt Ball drone on about vowels and consonants and additions and subtractions.

Now, however, it was time to play. She would show her new friends what she was made of.

Recess was held in a grassy yard, dotted with a few trees. The other students were scattered around in various groups. Cozy and her three new friends sat under one of the trees.

“What are we playing, Cozy? What are we playing?” Downpour asked excitedly.

“It’s a chasing game. If you run away hard enough, you win! Got it?”

“So, tag?” Raindrop asked.

“Yeah, like tag! Except whoever is 'it' must catch everypony, not just one. Plus, we’ll need a base where you are safe… Like this tree right here!” She pointed to the tree they stood under. “You can’t start there, though.”

“I’m not very fast… but I’ll try,” Golden Fields said. He kept staring at her, and she couldn’t tell if it bothered her or not.

“I’ll be 'it'!” Cozy volunteered. “I’ll count from 10 and then we’ll begin! Ready?”

The other three nodded.

Covering her eyes, she began to count.

“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!”

Opening her eyes, she immediately saw Golden Fields. The foal was watching her from across the yard, behind another, smaller tree. Cozy smiled, and began to run for him. He visibly gasped and ran away, but she was clearly faster. She touched him in no time. Easy.

Turning back towards the base tree, Downpour was making a run for it. With a burst of adrenaline, she galloped in front of her. Downpour tried to back up and go around, but Cozy simply moved over. Blocked from the base, Downpour went to retreat. However, it wasn’t long until Cozy had her in her grasp. Too easy.

Two down, one to go.

“Hey, Cozy!”

Cozy turned to the excitable voice. The source was Raindrop, who was grinning wide.

“You can’t catch me!” she said in a sing-song voice before making a run for the base.

And then she herself was on the run. Raindrop was rather fast, but she knew that she was faster. That she was better. All she had to do was remember the little crushed ants on her hoof. That was all this was.

Raindrop was so close to the base, giggling to herself as if she wasn’t in trouble. How wrong she was.

With a deep sucked in breath, Cozy leapt forward. It wasn’t enough to touch Raindrop, but it was enough to reach the fur of her tail. With a hard chomp, Cozy bit into the fur. She held on for dear life as Raindrop squealed in pain and collapsed into a heap on the ground. Cozy spat out the chunk of fur she ripped out, and slammed a hoof on Raindrop’s back. Easy as pie.

For some reason, her friend was crying.

No matter. Smiling in triumph, Cozy leaned down next to her ear.

“I win!”

Author's Note:

All italicized sections are quotes from the original Pinocchio with only small, pony-related alterations. And, yes, in the original book Pinocchio has Gepetto thrown in jail and kills the equivalent to Jiminy Cricket within the first few chapters lol

Comments

[Mica]

I am looking forward to seeing more of this. This story seems to lean more to the theory that Cozy was born as a sociopath, which I agree with. To be honest, it's pretty damn hard to explain why Cozy Glow is so evil. It must have stumped the show writers too, which is why they never gave her a backstory.

Nice work!

[LetsThinkPositive]

9909809
Thank you! I really enjoyed your own story on Cozy and her sister so I'm glad to hear you say that. I think the huge blank spots the writers left in her character make her more intriguing to write for in my eyes. She can be interpreted in a multitude of ways, and its hard to say its a wrong interpretation because, well, there's not much canon to confirm or decomfirm it either way.

[TigerCat111]

I'm enjoying this so far. Your potrayal of Cozy and her relatively normal childhood so far (other than her own behavior) is very enjoyable. And it's nice to see her POV, like with Ponicchio. Added to my tracking!!

[Stardust456]

9909809
Jim Miller said that he thought it would be interesting to dive into her origins, but they didn't because they didn't have enough time.

[vinyldash23]

Good story so far.

[AMENDOkat]

This story is so good, It's so interesting when people write cozy glow as having a normal childhood with loving parents/friends, and the real issue being that she herself is a sociopath. Please continue!!!