The Social Rejects Squad: Loose Ends

by Betty_Starlight

Chapter 3-4: Cozy Glow in Space!

And so, Cozy Glow trotted into the darkened room, wings at her sides, with her long, rolled tail swaying left and right and the curls in her mane bouncing as she walked. Flanked on the left by Starshine and right by Little Snack. She sees an old bed to her right with dirty white sheets, but that’s not nearly as interesting as what lays before her, a clear blue sphere holding a particular old centaur lord.

He looks down at Cozy and her friends trotting in with his black eyes and says in a slow raspy voice, “Cozy Glow! I didn’t expect to see you again! Here to taunt me, I suppose?”

Cozy looks up to the centaur, trapped there about 5 feet in the air inside a clear blue bubble and timidly says, “Not really? I’m actually not sure what I’m supposed to do here?”

Tirek looks to her sharply and snaps back, “That doesn’t make any sense! If you have no reason to be here, why even come?”

“Heh, well golly gee! Discord wanted me to speak with you!” Cozy scratches the back of her neck with her right forehoof, “But he never really told me why?”

Suddenly, all three fillies and the centaur hear a familiar voice say, “Oh, for goodness sake!” before a bright flash of blue light forms all around Cozy and she disappears in a bright flash!

Little Snack looks to where Cozy was standing and says, “Cozy Glow was just standing there, right?” She looks to Starshine on the left, “I’m not freaking out again, right?”

<*****>

Cozy screams as she wiggles her legs, and desperately trying to touch the metal floor of wherever she is, “AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!” She then hears a familiar draconequus giggling in the same room as her. She calms herself and breaths heavily, in and out from her mouth, still disturbed by the fact that her legs no longer touch the ground. She sees a 7-foot-wide bubble type window in the steel wall to her right and she sees a massive blue and green orb in a sea of blackness outside. She also sees the bizarre form of Discord in the metal room with her, opposite the window and says, “Where are we? Why doesn’t gravity work here?”

“For a creature capable of flight, you don’t handle being weightless very well…” Discord snidely says with a grin on his snaggle-toothed face.

“You didn’t answer my questions!” Cozy yells indignantly as she floats in the air while waving all four of her legs around, “Where are we?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious?” Discord says while motioning towards the window on his left with his lion paw, “We’re currently on a space station, high in orbit above your home world of Equus!”

“What are we doing here?” Cozy says loudly while floating in the air and waving her legs around more violently.

Discord smiles his snaggle tooth grin, “Why, because I needed to speak with you, of course!”

Cozy glares harshly with her brown eyes as she snaps at the draconequus, “No, what I mean is, why are we in a space station, currently orbiting my planet!”

Discord rolls his eyes, “Because I needed to take you out of your environment, and this seemed like the best way to do it!”

Cozy narrows her mouth and squints her eyes at Discord, “Well, golly gee, space? Isn’t that a little, over-the-top?”

“Well!” Discord said as he raises her eagle claw in front of him and clenches it and says, “You should know by now that if I do something, I do it BIG!” before opening the talon in front of him.

<*****>

“Uh, should we go get Crystal? I mean, now that Cozy isn’t here?” Little Snack timidly says from the right of Starshine, in front of the imprisoned centaur.

Starshine turns her head to Little, “Yeah! She said she’d stay outside, in case the bugbear came back, but now, I’m starting to think we need her?”

“For what though?” Little Snack enquires before swishing her green tail in the air behind her.

At this point, both fillies can’t help but notice the violet flash of light behind them before the door to their rear opens to the right to reveal a colorful changeling. Crystal trots in behind the fillies as she says, “I can hear you; you know?”

Starshine and Little turn back to the changeling, and Little speaks up with her ears perked and eyes straight at Crystal, “Cozy Glow is gone!”

Crystal looks to Little and narrows her eyes, “What do you mean? How is she gone?”

Starshine chimes in as her body shakes and hair jitters, “She disappeared in a bright blue flash of magic! Pretty sure that’s teleportation?”

Crystal looks at the unicorn, “You are correct! But how? Who teleported little Cozy?”

Little speaks up again as her pigtails move, “Well, about that! We heard Discord’s voice right before she vanished!”

Crystal looks at Little seriously with her green eyes, “Discord! Is he still here?”

“Uh?” Starshine inquires as she moves her head to look above her, before glancing around the room left to right, “We’re not sure?”

Crystal corrects her head and lightly chuckles, “Fabulous!”

Tirek speaks up from his containment field, “Uh, since Cozy and Discord aren’t here as far as we can tell, would you three mind leaving me alone now? I’d like to sulk some more until my eventual release in three days!”

Crystal smiles up at the centaur as she takes a few paces towards him, past the fillies and says, “No Tirek! We’re not going to do that!”

<*****>

Cozy finally stops wiggling her legs as she very slowly drifts towards her bottom right, closer to the window. She looks up at the draconoquus and says, “Okay, fine!” A large bitter smile forms on her face while her eyes stare deeply onward, “What did you want to talk about Discord?”

“Oh wow!” Discord says before putting a newspaper away and flicking his eagle talon at her, “Took you long enough!”

Cozy narrows her eyes, “Did you bring me all this way just to taunt me?”

Discord chuckles slightly, “Uh, not exactly Cozy! You see, there are things we need to talk about!”

Cozy scrunches her mouth and widens her eyes, “How about, how you need to leave me the fuck alone and stay out of my life?”

Discord smiles, “And I’ll be happy to do just that, after you help me correct myself! I’m doing better now Cozy! And you’re doing it with me!”

Cozy narrows her eyes and lowers her head slightly, “What do you mean? You imprisoned me and the other two villains I was with in what many ponies would consider appropriate. How do you need to do anything else?”

Discord smiles again, “Yes, but you don’t understand Cozy! I’m me!” He clenches his eagle talon in front of him as small lightning bolts flicker behind him, “I am Discord, the lord of chaos and master of mayhem! I am legend! If I’m to be good, then I must do the job very well!" He points at Cozy with his talon, "And that includes reforming all of you!

<*****>

“And just who are you, anyway!” Tirek says loudly in his hoarse voice to Crystal as she stands there, 5 feet from where he remains imprisoned within a blue bubble.

Crystal smiles up at him, “Who I am is not important Tirek! We’re here to talk about you! Just who are you?”

“I!” Tirek begins to boldly proclaim as he brings his right fist closer to his face and crouches in triumph, “am Lord Tirek!”

“Lord of who though?” Crystal calmly says while continuing to smile.

Tirek releases his claw and brings it back down to his side, “I would’ve been ruler of Equestria, had these ponies not stopped me!”

Crystals frowns, “That’s not what I meant.”

“Why should I answer any of your questions? And just who are you, anyway?”

“You don’t recognize me?” Crystal says before leaning forward and widening her eyes.

“Wait… That voice…." Tirek starts while staring at the changeling wide-eyed, "Chrysalis?”

Crystal smiles and chuckles, “Oh wow! Took you long enough!”

<*****>

“Well, I was already reformed, no thanks to you!” Cozy says at a slightly higher volume as she floats there, surrounded by the steel of the space station.

“Yes, I know! And now, I’ve helped you get Chrysalis! We’re one for one!”

Cozy scrunches her mouth and narrows her eyes again, “Is this about being better than my mom?”

Discord’s eyes widen as his arms stretch out to his sides, “What? No! Of course not! I only intend to do good! This is not a competition!”

Cozy smiles and giggles slightly, “And you just HAVE to be better than Trixie, isn’t that right?”

Discord starts before smiling at Cozy, “Oh, I see what you’re trying to do!”

“You do?” Cozy says while leaning forward and widening her eyes, “Then maybe you should tell me? I mean, golly gee! I’m just a little filly!”

“Cut the act Cozy! You know, I know better!” Discord says with a slight snarl on his face.

Cozy chuckles, “Yeah, I mean, Celestia forbid we get anything accomplished up here!”

“Oh!” Discord says annoyed as he throws his head to the ceiling. He looks back at Cozy and points with his lion paw, “Now look! We need to send Tirek on his merry way and ensure he is no longer a threat to Equestria! It’s simple, Cozy!”

“I” Cozy begins to yell indignantly, before saying at a louder volume, “don’t need to do anything Discord! Twilight Sparkle already declared me reformed and I was living happily until you interfered!”

<*****>

“So Tirek!” Crystal says as a tight smile forms on her face, “Just who are you lord of again? I forget?”

“I was stopped!” Tirek loudly objects.

“Of course, you were Tirek! And now, we can all see!” Crystal says as she stares up at the bubble. While waving her right forehoof from left to right around the room, she says, “All hail Lord Tirek, master of nobody!”

Tirek narrows his black eyes to the changeling, “Is this about getting back at me over what I said all that time ago?”

Crystal smiles again and giggles slightly, “I’ll admit, that is a nice bonus!” She straightens her face, “But no Tirek! This is about getting you to understand your situation…”

Tirek rolls his eyes, “Oh, yes! Of course! Trapped inside a forcefield and being yelled at by a weak changeling and two annoying fillies! How could I ever forget?”

“Um, Mr. Tirek?” Little Snack says timidly as she trots forward from the right side and looks up intently at the blue bubble with her bright green eyes.

“What filly?” Tirek snaps back.

Little flinches before correcting herself. She stares back up to the centaur, “Um, I just wanted to know why you wanted power?”

Tirek leans forward defiantly with his hands up to his sides, “Why, power is the most useful thing there is! With power, I can do anything!” he says before lowering them.

“But um…” Little says before looking at the ground and pawing, left and then right. She looks back up with renewed vigor, “You don’t have any power?”

Tirek sighs and rolls his eyes, “Is this another speech about how my actions got me trapped in stone? Because I’ve heard that one already!”

<*****>

Discord narrows his yellow eyes at the floating pegasus filly, “You don’t realize what I’ve done, do you?”

Cozy then shouts indignantly at the draconequus with wide eyes, “I realize that you’ve been interfering in my life and being a humongous pain in the flanks!”

Discord smiles as he brings his eagle claw and lion paw together to clasp them, “I got you to realize that you are good by putting you in a situation where you had the power and the capability to do bad things! You could’ve joined Sombra, but I knew you wouldn’t…”

“How do you know anything about me, Discord?” Cozy snaps while looking at the draconequus defiantly with her brown eyes.

“I know a lot about you Cozy Glow…” Discord says while frowning.

“Oh?” Cozy says before tilting her head to the right and raising her left eyebrow.

Discord narrows his eyes, “I know that you always wished your parents hadn’t died. That you could just live a normal life…”

Cozy straightens her head and narrows her eyes to this obstinate draconequus.

Discord lowers his arms to his sides and leans forward, “Cozy Glow, do you know what normal is for me?”

Cozy starts and widens her eyes while leaning slightly towards the serpent, “Um, no Discord! No, I don’t!”

Discord frowns, “I assure you little Cozy, you’d find it quite horrifying! My advice to you is to start living for yourself on your own terms and not worry so much about what is ordinary, or the way things are supposed to be. You’ll do much better just living for yourself!”

<*****>

“Um, no not really?” Little Snack says before straightening her eyes back at the centaur. “I just wanna know, why you wanted power?”

Starshine begins to trot up from the left as her white hair sways with her movements as she looks over at Little, “I think what Little Snack means is, power is useful, yes?” She looks at Tirek, “You said so yourself! But useful for what exactly? You wanted the power to do what?”

“Why, to rule, of course!” Tirek says while clenching his right claw into a fist before him.

“But rule who, exactly?” Starshine continues with her left eyebrow raised. “The way you would have it, all the ponies would’ve been dead within a generation, and you’d just be stuck with a barren wasteland!”

“No bother!” Tirek says before flicking his right claw in front of him and lower it to his side. “I would just go conquer another land with all of that” he begins to lick his lips, “delicious power I would’ve had!”

“So um, whoever you conquered would just die too?” Little inquires from the right.

“Well, fairly soon, I suppose?” Tirek says while looking at Little with his arms at the sides. He brings them back down and widens his eyes while lowering his gaze, “And then, I’d conquer another land for even more power!”

“So, it’s just a never-ending cycle then?” Starshine continues from the left.

<*****>

“Ugh!” Cozy rolls her eyes as she floats there near the window while drifting that way, “Anything else Discord?”

“Yes Cozy! As a matter of fact, there is!” Discord says before swaying his lion paw towards the window and Cozy suddenly moves floats towards it.

“EEP!” Cozy yelps as she glides towards the bubble opening. She looks down and beholds a brilliant blue and green sphere, surrounded by the blackness of empty space.

Discord motions to the planet with his eagle claw, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Um, yeah… It’s very pretty…” Cozy can’t help but admit as she stares out the window beyond her curly haired brown eyed reflection in the glass.

Discord points with her lion paw, “That world needs you Cozy!”

Cozy looks at Discord at her left, “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying, you can be better! And you should!”

Cozy squints her eyes at the draconequus, “You know, I was off to a pretty good start without you!”

Discord smiles at the filly at his right and says, “But you can be even better than that! Goodbye and good luck!” before snapping his eagle talon.

Suddenly, the bubble glass breaks, and Cozy goes flying into space while surrounded by a blue glow! She flies at the planet while screaming, “AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!” as Discord stands at the now broken window and waves his eagle talon goodbye to her.

<*****>

Tirek narrows his eyes to the unicorn, “And just what are you trying to say?”

Starshine speaks up, “I’m saying that your way is unsustainable Tirek! You realize eventually, you’d run out of new places to conquer! Then, you’d be in a barren wasteland with no food or anybody else to talk to. After awhile, it would be a very lonely existence for you!”

“Ugh!” Tirek says before rolling his eyes, “And I suppose you three have a better way for me?”

At that point, something snaps inside of Crystal. She looks at the centaur and smiles proudly, “As a matter of fact, we do!”

Suddenly, the centaur, two fillies, and changeling all hear a loud THUD come from just outside the house.

Crystals eyes widen, “What was that?”

The fillies both turn to face her, and Little says while jittering slightly and looking up at her with open eyes, “It sounded like it came from outside?”

Crystal narrows her eyes to the fillies, “You two stay here with Tirek! I’ll go investigate outside!”

<*****>

Crystal magically opens the door with a violet glow and begins to trot outside into the forest clearing. She is surrounded by trees with the ramshackle house at her back, but she couldn’t help but notice a new mound of dirt roughly two feet wide with smoke pouring out the top, roughly 20 feet before her. She trots towards it another 10 feet to see that there’s a small hole in the middle.

Suddenly, a familiar pink head emerges from the hole and looks down at Crystal with fierce brown eyes underneath a now disheveled bluish white half-curled mane as the mouth shouts in a recognizable squeaky voice, “I BUCKING HATE DISCORD!”

Crystal’s eyes widen as she rapidly takes a few paces forward, “Cozy Glow! Are you alright?”

Cozy shakes her head and looks at the changeling, “Oh golly Crystal! Uh, I think so?” She begins to flex her forehooves to her sides before galloping out of the hole back to all fours and says, “Uh yeah, nothing is broken, as far as I can tell!” as she flexes each of her four legs to see if they work right.

“Good! How did your meeting with Discord go? Where did you go? What did he say?”

Cozy starts as she looks up at the changeling, “Oh golly! Uh, about that Crystal! We need to talk about Tirek!”

(To be continued…)

Comments

[Ciphers]

Discord smiles again, “Yes, but you don’t understand Cozy! I’m me!” He clenches his eagle talon in front of him as small lightning bolts flicker behind him, “I am Discord, the lord of chaos and master of mayhem! If I’m to be “good”, then I must do the job very well! And that includes reforming all of you!

you can see it in Discord worlds,he doesn't care about Cozy Glow or other vilians,he just want to Used them(Again) to make himself feel better,to make himself "good",he "reform" them without asking anyone
and you should add DIscord tag,I see him in most chapters

[Betty_Starlight]

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You know, that's actually a good point! Hang on!