Cozy Chronicles

by 5u0myn0n4

Epilogue Part 4: Frenemies in Need

In the previous chapter, Twilight and friends had a close encounter with Lord Tirek and Queen Chrysalis. They had returned, and were here to steal Cozy's twin sister, Amber (technically she's a biological clone). Twilight and friends rushed to confront them, as they weren't about to let this happen.

---

"Finally. We've been searching all of Equestria for you. And now we finally have you." Chrysalis said.

"Hey! Stop!"

Twilight and gang ran to meet with the two baddies. Tirek was holding Amber tight in his arms against her chest, while she struggled.

"It's no use, Twilight Sparkle." Tirek said.
"This little filly's coming with us!" Chrysalis exclaimed.
"You don't understand! That's not actually Cozy Glow! That's-" Twilight said, but was interrupted.
"Her sister." Chrysalis replied.
"You guys know?" Fluttershy asked.
"You think you know Cozy better than us?" Tirek asked.
"So wait, they're in on this?" Applejack asked.
"I don't care what they do or don't know, but we have to save Amber!" Twilight exclaimed.

The mane 6 and the two baddies braced in fighting poses. Everyone started to charge forward, when they were interrupted by an awkward sound.

"Tee hee hee." Amber giggled.

The sudden outburst from Amber stopped every creature in their tracks.

"What the?" Chrysalis asked. "What is this sound that curses my tympanal organs?"

Everyone let their guard down, when they saw Amber giggling in Tirek's grip.

"Gee, Mister. Your chest, and your arms are so firm!" Amber exclaimed.
"Please stop..." Tirek said, blushing.
"Tirek! Please control the child while we take care of business!" Chrysalis said.

The mane 6 were confused, more than anything by this interaction.

"She knows she's in danger, right?" Rarity asked.
"Maybe she knows more than we do..." Twilight wondered.

"Just who are you guys anyway? And why do you want me so badly?" Amber asked.
"C-Cozy didn't tell you of us?" Chrysalis asked.

Amber stopped and thought for a moment. She looked up, and took a closer look at the two baddies.

"Were you two friends with my sister or something?" Amber asked.
"Uh..." neither one of them knew what to say. "See the thing is..." they weren't sure how to answer Amber's question.
"We were... we collaborated in team efforts that involved your sister." Tirek said.
"We joined forces with your sister, we climbed Mt. Everhoof together. We were..." Chrysalis said.
"It's thanks to her brilliance that we were able to find and unleash the Rainbow of Da..." Tirek halted himself when he realized the RoD was a... touchy subject.

After a touch more thinking, Amber remembered what Cozy had told her.

"Wait a sec. Lord Tire?. Queen Crystal? Yeah. Cozy did tell me about you guys." Amber said. "She told me how much she loved-"

...

The one word lingered for what felt like eternity.

"-loved coming up with evil schemes with you guys." Amber concluded.
"Oh." "Phew..." Tirek and Chrysalis were relieved. She almost had them in the first half.
"She didn't want me to tell you this, but I'm awful at keeping secrets, so what the heck." Amber said. "She said you two were her favorite creatures in the wide world of Equestria. She told me that after she and I defeated Twilight Sparkle, that the four of us would live together as one big happy family."
"Us...?" Chrysalis questioned.
"F-f-fa...?" Tirek tripped on his words.
"Uh, maybe she didn't use the f word, I might've added that, but regardless, she wanted us to be together. Forever! But not in stone this time." Amber clarified.
"T-together..." Chrysalis said.

They were now questioning the future Cozy promised for Amber, and that she had in mind for the lot of them. Would they have continued their life of mischief, or gone back to do something simpler than that.

"You know, you two seem pretty neat. You should stick around here longer." Amber said.

"WHAT?!" everyone exclaimed.

"No way!" Chrysalis exclaimed. "That is not part of the plan!"
"You're coming with us!" Tirek added. "And we shall not reside here in Ponyville or Canterlot."
"Well, where are we going then?" Amber asked, calmly.
"There's a few options. We can return to our super secret village, and resume some of our side projects. Or, if you wanna live undercover, there's-" Chrysalis explained, but Amber didn't seem interested in any of these ideas.
"But I don't wanna leave Equestria." Amber said, interrupting.
"Oh... really?" Tirek said, surprised.

Amber nodded, reinforcing her answer. The two baddies took her response, reasonably well, but still disappointed. They didn't rage at all, to the surprise of Twilight and friends. Rather, they were more concerned.

"...I see." Chrysalis said.
"B-but, surely this isn't what Cozy had in mind." Tirek said.
"When she gave us her final request, this can't be what she wanted." Chrysalis said.
"From the little time I spent with my sister, she told me we were going to be happy in the end, and well, having Twilight Sparkle support me has made me pretty happy so far." Amber said.

Tirek and Chrysalis were dumbfounded, and while vulnerable to attack, Twilight and co watched the events unfold. To defeat them in this moment, seemed like a waste, as they were seeing a side of the two they'd never seen before.

"But, you can't. To make amends with Twilight Sparkle? Her worst enemy?" Chrysalis asked.
"Twilight made Cozy anything but happy! She tormented her!" Tirek said. "She doesn't deserve you."

Twilight and co were watching the entire events unfold. They heard every word exchanged between the group. Instead of pouncing on the villains, Twilight, having learned from Cozy, was wondering if this was her opportunity to break through to them.

"Chrysalis, what were Cozy's last words exactly?" Twilight asked.
Chrysalis hung her head and paraphrased her last words. "Cozy said she wanted her sister to live the life she never got to."
"Live the life she never got to..." Twilight repeated.

It was clear to everypony that Amber didn't want to leave, but she didn't mind the company of Tirek and Chrysalis, and moreover, the mane 6 was surprised to see them not really being that forceful in changing her mind.

"Well, if your mind is made up then, then... then-" Chrysalis said.
"Here! Take her!" Tirek exclaimed.

Tirek released Amber from his grasp, and placed her gently on the ground. The filly walked to Twilight, unsure. Twilight put her hoof to Amber's shoulder and held her.

"I suppose the best thing we can do for Cozy Glow's successor is give her free will." Tirek said.

Everpony scratched their heads.

"...Cozy's wut?" Applejack asked.
"What did you just call her?" Twilight asked.

"That's not all we're returning to you, Sparkle." Chrysalis said, ignoring her question.

Her horn lit up, and with a touch of magic-

*poof*

A cocoon appeared in front of them. Chrysalis gently put it to the ground, and sliced it open with her horn. The cocoon opened up, freeing the real Magnolia.

*EEEUGH* "I'll never get used to being covered in slime..." Maggie said.

Tirek opened his mouth and returned the magic to Maggie. She was surprised that they freed her themselves.

"Thank you for returning my magic to me?" she asked, confused.
"We appreciate your cooperation in this endeavor, but unfortunately today wasn't out day..." Tirek said.
"Does it necessarily count as cooperation if you guys forced me to give up my magic?" Maggie asked.

"You're doing the generous thing by releasing her?" Twilight asked.
"I see it more as lightening the load." Chrysalis replied.

Chrysalis and Tirek turned their backs to the scene.

"Where are you guys going?" Amber asked.
"Away! Twilight Sparkle has won, and retains custody of you, just like you said you wanted." Tirek replied.
"I didn't say anything about guys leaving though. You guys should stick around." Amber said.
"M... What?" Tirek asked.
"Stay here, and reason with the enemy?" Chrysalis asked.

The two baddies were most confused. If anypony was going to get through to them, it definitely would be Cozy's lookalike.

"Well, what'll it be?" Twilight asked. "Are you two finally ready to change your ways?"

So what happens next? Is this the fabled reformation of Tirek and Chrysalis? Well, it wouldn't be that simple. The two villains were stuck, thinking about what they'd just done, and what they were going to do next.

"I-It can't be. Such a cruel twist of fate." Tirek said. "The second coming of Cozy has been indoctrinated by Twilight Sparkle!"

"So, now what'do we do about them?" Applejack asked.
"Do we just take them out? Do we let them go? Or...?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The villains' mood quickly swung from confusion, to what seemed like hostility. Tirek and Chrysalis held limbs and their horns glowed, about to do some kind of spell. They were planning to teleport away, but Twilight and co didn't know that, and braced for another potential smackdown. Despite that, the two stood, charging their spell. However, Chrysalis opened a single eye, and wasn't ready to call it quits yet. She kept her rage bottled up... or at least her words were bottled up. From the outside, she looked... unwell. Layers of skin were peeling off her exoskeleton. The added stress of seeing Amber Glow, a filly who looked so much like her precious Cozy Glow, in good terms with Twilight Sparkle, made her furious.

No! This isn't what Cozy wanted! Chrysalis' voice echoed in her cranium. You took everything from me already, Twilight! I won't let you have this, even if it kills me!

In a scene that felt like it was in slow motion, Chrysalis charged forward. Her front limbs extended, her mouth open, and her horn glowing. Except, something was about to go horribly wrong. The magic in her horn was jammed, and built up energy that halted the queen, until it was too much for her to handle.

"AAH!" *poof* *BOOM*

A great flash of light expelled from Chrysalis as she burst.

*gasp*

"Chrysalis!" everyone exclaimed.

.

.

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---

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"Mom?" an outside voice called.

Chrysalis opened her eyes, and overhead, she saw Queen Ocellus.

"Ocellus? What are you doing here?" Chrysalis asked.
"I came here to help. We all did." she replied.

Surrounding Chrysalis were a group of changelings. The queen was too weak to speak,

"Don't stress yourself out. We've got you. Your hive is here for you." Thorax said.

"What happened to her?" Fluttershy asked.
"I know what is happening..." Chrysalis said, with a heavy breath. *exhale* "This is why I wanted to jump into that vortex with Cozy. But no, I chose to fulfill the filly's wish by making her think we could live alive and well. But alas, it is the natural order. Since Ocellus is the queen now, there is no reason for me to exist any more..."

"WHAT?" everyone exclaimed.

The former queen lost consciousness and wasn't able to speak any more. Pharynx came forward with some supplementary information.

"So basically, after Ocellus drank the royal jelly, and grew to be the new queen, Chrysalis started to lose energy, and began to weaken, and wither away slowly. And now the side-effects are really catching up to her." Pharynx explained.
"We gotta get her urgent care at once." Thorax said.

Thorax and Pharynx, and an entire swarm of changelings gathered around Chrysalis. They picked up her body, and carried her away to the hive.

"Thanks for luring her out, Twilight. We've been looking for her since she ran off." Ocellus thanked.
"No... problem?" Twilight replied, unsure.
"What are you doing to do with her?" Maggie asked.
"Something we should have done a long time ago." Ocellus replied.
"Is she going to be okay?" Amber asked.
"Only Celestia knows..." Ocellus said.

And with that, the changelings carried their former queen off to the changeling hive.

The former changeling queen was defeated. Not by Twilight, but by nature and the consequences of her own choices. Tirek on the other hoof was more fortunate in this scenario, as the teleportation spell worked for him, and he seemed to have vanished while everyone turned their attention to Chrysalis.

"So, any ideas what happened to Tirek?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"He was there one second, then he disappeared the moment we took attention off of him." Pinkie said.
"I guess Tirek's magic is still workin'. His spell either worked, or he just plain ran off." Applejack said.

Amber sat on Twilight's back, bewildered. Actually, everypony was confused by the unusual encounter that just took place.

All the changelings already flew off, leaving Twilight and co to themselves.

"Well, uh, that was um... something." Twilight said.
"How long was Chrysalis disguised as you, Maggie?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Not too long. Only since after the funeral service." she replied.

Everypony stood in place, awkwardly.

"Well, uh, that was um... something." Twilight said.
"So... now what?" Rarity asked.
"How is anypony going to sleep easy knowing that that centaur is on the loose?" Pinkie asked.
"I have a feeling you don't have to worry about him any more." Magnolia said.
"Says you, they stuffed you in a cocoon!" Rainbow Dash said.
"I know, but they released me on their own." she replied. "They've both definitely changed since I first encountered them..."

That settles it. Chrysalis was in custody of the changelings, and Lord Tirek was on the run. The ponies all stared into the sky, wondering about where Tirek was, and wondering what he really thought about Cozy. The thought did not sit easy with everpony. And in particular, little Amber.

"You okay, Amber?" Magnolia asked.
"I'm fine, just a little disappointed." she replied.

"Hey, Twilight. Remember what Chrysalis said earlier?" Fluttershy asked.
"About fillies in need?" Twilight replied with a question.

Even though it was Chrysalis disguised as Magnolia in the last chapter, she affirmed the idea of Twilight and friends being the ones to supervise and bring up little Amber.

"Well, her point still stands. This little filly needs us." Maggie said.
"Amber, I may not have treated your sister Cozy with the kindness I should have. The best I can do going forward is to make sure we provide you with all the friendship you need. I hope that you'll accept my hospitality." Twilight said. "I'll do my best to make sure you're much better off. I will do everything I can with my busy schedule in mind..."
"Thank you, princess." Amber said, softly.
"Say, Twilight? What's the name of your top student? If you're so busy, I wonder if she'd be interested in helping Amber integrate into Equestria." Maggie said.

---

Meanwhile:

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*poof*

Tirek reappeared on a deserted island. Thanks to waypoints he and Chrysalis set in between now, and after the darkness disappeared, he was able to appear in this secret location. Actually though, this is a location the trio has visited previously, it just looked different now.

What a nail biting escape we pulled off. Tirek thought.

But when Tirek looked around, it was just him. One of them didn't make it out.

Looks like the time caught up to her. So be it. Tirek thought. Guess that settles that debate. I am the strongest of our group after all. I still have all of my abilities, and I shall return, and get what is rightfully mine. But in the meantime...

The sun was shining brightly on the landscape. The foliage was dry, and looked like it hadn't seen sunlight in many years. Rather than immediately thinking about revenge, Tirek took it upon himself to build a shelter. He had learned craftsmanship along his journey, and taking initiative to build was second nature by this point.

He gathered twigs and branches, and crafted various things on the beach.

"There we go. Three chairs, fit for all... one of us.."

Without even thinking, he built a chair sized for him, a longer and skinnier chair, and a little chair, sized filly.

*Hmph*

He sat, trying to ignore the distress, but the sun was too bright for his taste.

*Ugh* Tirek stood up and went to assemble some shade. He thought he was content now, but the waves were getting too close. He stood up and moved his chair and shade back away from the ocean.

He sat, and tried to relax. But no matter how hard he tried, voices kept echoing in his head.

---

"You wouldn't let them do this to me, brother?" Tirek's voice echoed.

Scorpan removed his necklace, reached into the cage, and wrapped it around Tirek.

"Here. Something to remember me by." his voice echoed.

Cerberus dragged Tirek's cage into Tartarus.

*slam*

The doors to Tartarus closed, sealing Tirek inside.

---

Back in the outside world, Tirek was not pleased with his past.

*Hmph* "What a miserable millennium. But at least now you get to catch a break." he said out loud.

"I suppose this is your ultimate punishment. Cursed to live on this planet alone. Not that that bothers me at all..."

A large wave came crashing to the shore, and destroyed the two other lawn chairs.

In that moment, he heard more voices echoing in his head.

---

"Do you swear to help Cozy Glow?" Chrysalis' voice echoed.
"I promise that I'll take little Cozy Glow to Canterlot, where-We'll find a way to cure her of her ailment, and nurse her back to full health. Once she's cured, I'll bring her right back here. You have my word." Discord's voice echoed.

Obviously, things didn't exactly play out the way Discord said they would.

---

*Hmph* "So much for Discord's word. Never trusting Discord again. Where is that lying draconequus anyway? He better not show his face to me again." Tirek groaned.Cozy... I never should have let you go. Even if we couldn't save you, I would have rather held you in my arms as your last breath gave out, rather than watch you vanish into oblivion...

"She said she wanted us to be one big happy family." Amber's voice echoed, though it sounded just like Cozy's voice.

"Some family we turned out to be..." Tirek graoned.

But then, Tirek thought about the memories he had of Cozy Glow. Although the two of them continuously attempted to upstage each other, and wine, and bicker, they really had something special. The two of them, and Chrysalis stuck together until they met their end.

"Hmm. Some family we were..." Tirek said, feeling down.

Tirek's grievances weren't limited to tragic memories. New voices echoed in his head as well.

"It doesn't have to be this way. That filly could be what fills the void in your heart." a voice echoed.
"The only way I will get her is by attacking those ponies once again." Tirek said to himself.
"Are you sure that's the only way? Perhaps there's a better way, not to be bad, but to be-" it said.

The voice dissipated, leaving Tirek alone. He leaned back, and let out a hearty sigh.

The loneliness was worse than any punishment. The centaur sat lonesome on the island. He may have been safe from punishment, but he was not safe from the emotional discourse caused by the loss of Cozy Glow, and now Queen Chrysalis too. But on the other side of the coin, Cozy's clone Amber was about to be shown real friendship by Twilight's protege.

Comments

[Mixmaster226]

[EveningNight]

Omg!
This is so sad
I waited for Chrysalis, Tirek and Amber to escape and become family.
But I still loved the chapter

[GamePlayer64]

After reading this chapter, I am heartbroken.
Cozy Glow is dead, Chrysalis pass all her magic to the next Changeling Queen for her species to live & Tirek is alone. This is a lesson Twilight will be force to learn; ‘Harmony cannot save everyone and not everything has a happy ending.’ Also will Twilight rethink what she learn and teach about Friendship and punish Amber’s father for abandoning Cozy and made a living clone of his daughter?

[Phage]

At least one more epilogue though I am curious on what will happen to chrysalis they will either give her a burial or something or attempt to ‘reform her’