Chronicles of the Reformed

by The_Darker_Fonts

Chapter 10: Q&A

The food was delicious, but Cozy Glow chewed on it slowly and silently nonetheless, not staring at any particular spot nor thinking of any particular thing. Her hunger was abating quickly thanks to the meal Scout had prepared for them. The colt was, of course, smiling at her while he chowed down on his mac n’ cheese even while she kept her expression unreadable. It wasn’t that she was really trying to be emotionally callous or deceitful at the moment. The conversation they had just had, however, left her… disarmed.

She had been so soundly and swiftly rebuked, corrected, and outsmarted she was left with intellectual whiplash. Scout’s blunt, yet characteristically positive responses hadn’t felt like judgment or disdain but soft corrections, like advice passed between friends. Now he just sat across from her, eating his food as if he hadn’t just disjointed her entire personality in a matter of minutes. She would have been humored by the irony of it if her emotions were completely void at the moment, unable to solidly identify whether she was upset, impressed, or disappointed by the defeat. For the moment, however, she remained stunned and barely focused on what was going on in the real world.

Cozy Glow had always been the smartest pony in the room, no matter the circumstances. With Tirek and Chrysalis, they had both relied on their sheer strength, physical and magical, to achieve anything. In reality, they were both bumbling idiots who had chanced upon perfect opportunities and fumbled in exploiting them. Cozy had almost led them to victory, but then they had decided that their naive pride went before a sound victory, even if it meant they were led by a filly. When it came to the School of Friendship, she had always known exactly what each teacher was going to say next and how to weasel ponies into her plans without them even realizing it. Even the alicorns hadn’t known what they were getting into when they trapped her, nor did they know what she did about the very world they all lived in!

Being the dumbest in the room felt… scary, almost. Of course, she wasn’t afraid of anything Scout could do himself as it was obvious every minute she spent with him that he wouldn’t even consider hurting a fly. It was more of what he would be able to do with that insurmountable intellect of his whenever they talked. She probably wouldn’t be able to lie to or manipulate him very effectively even with her best effort and acting. He had proven so much with his previous conduct. The maturity with which he carried himself around even through how cheerful and innocent he was also hinted that he knew something she didn’t, something possibly vital to know. Cozy hated not knowing what it was, not even having a hint at what it could be, but maybe with time she would be able to put the clues together with him before he put the clues together with her.

The quiet didn’t seem discomforting to Scout, whose smile never wavered throughout the meal. As soon as Cozy set down her fork, plate empty, the colt swept it off the table while softly humming, stepping into another room where she assumed the sink would be. Even with his momentary absence, she didn’t feel any less stressed and defeated than before. She had wanted to leave today, but now there was almost certainly no point to it. Scout had offered her everything she needed from a technical standpoint, and thus there was no benefit to running. He wouldn’t even call the alarm on her.

With a sigh, she sat back in the chair, slouching down, contenting herself to be stuck. He had trapped her perfectly with his negotiating skills and promises, placing her in a situation where even if she couldn’t get what she wanted, she had what she needed. Cozy didn’t have the strength- emotionally, mentally, or physically- to try to push through and escape this forest, maybe getting a town or two over before inevitably being caught. It just wasn’t worth it anymore. Her pride couldn’t take another hit and she wouldn’t be able to handle somepony questioning her intelligence again.

Growling angrily, she composed herself in time for Star Scout to return empty hooved. She eyed him slightly as he moved to sit down across from her, weary of just what kind of conversation he might initiate next. He was smart enough to know that the ball was completely in his court and the game in the bag for him, she just wasn’t sure what he’d do with that information. Pry something out of her she didn’t want to reveal like that she was running from Starlight Glimmer herself or worse? Make her admit everything she’d done was bad and kindly berate her for it until she felt guilty enough to turn herself in? She didn’t doubt that he could, she was just unsure of if she would.

“So, what next,” Cozy asked directly. If he was trying to play a game with her, the best way to escape would be to be blunt.

“Oh, well, I was gonna ask you what you wanted to do,” Scout replied with a smile. “Though I was thinking we should probably get to know each other better considering you’ll be staying with my family for the time being.”

“And how do you plan to do that,” the filly questioned with a raised brow.

“Just some real easy questions,” he replied with a smile. “Like meet and greet on the first day of school!”

“Doesn’t sound that bad,” she relented, slightly suspicious. Looking the colt up and down, noting how his hoof was anxiously tapping while he sat.

“Maybe while on a walk through the woods,” he added hopefully when she saw his restlessness.

In spite of how pensive she was feeling, she smiled at the distinctly childish nature of his request. “Fine, but you better not pull anything off.”

“Of course not,” he replied with another beaming smile, reaching out a hoof. She eyed it for a second, before finally extending her own and shaking it. Scout glanced down for a second, expression unreadable, before bursting out into laughter.

“What,” Cozy questioned, confused by his sudden giggle fight.

“I mean, I was just offering to help you up, but if you wanna shake…” Scout managed to explain, before cracking up again.

Realizing her mistake, she rolled her eyes and swatted the colt’s hoof away, standing up on her own and beginning to walk past him. As she did, she flicked her tail at him, snapping him on the muzzle to get him to finally stop laughing. He yelped in surprise before a few more soft chuckles escaped him, but he did eventually shut up. Cozy paused for a moment to let him take the lead since she didn’t quite know where they were going or even what exactly a walk through the woods entailed. Scout did so, still smiling as he led her to the back end of the hotel, where a small, windowless wood door was.

Pushing open the door, he let a warm burst of air in, the afternoon pleasant and still retaining something of the summery warmth before turning quickly to winter. Stepping outside while Scout held the door, Cozy glanced around at the forest surrounding the back of the hotel. There was a small area cleared with a few wooden tables put out for visitors for picnicking and relaxing in nature. However, only a small distance from the door, the forest took control again, tall, thick trees with high branches. The ground went from flat to more bumpy with mossy rocks and a slow turn to downhill hinted to the stream that gurgled in the distance.

“Wow, it’s a really nice day for a hike,” Scout muttered, almost to himself, staring up at the sunlight filtered through the trees. Turning to look at Cozy, he explained with an eager smile, “The wind’s light, there aren’t many clouds, and it’s the perfect temperature for a little walking through the woods. I mean, even the creek is singing!”

“That was pretty poetic,” she complimented tightly, giving him a side-eye.

“Eh, I’m in love with nature,” he replied, ever cheerful. Waving a hoof for her to follow him, he insisted, “Come on, the creek looks spectacular in the fall.”

“If you say so,” the filly replied, hesitant but curious nonetheless. She had been crammed inside ever since her release save for her mad dash from Starlight’s prison mansion, but even with hours of stumbling through the woods, it was just that. Hours upon hours of careening through bushes, tripping over roots and fallen branches, and splashing through sudden puddles of mud. She didn’t have any time to really notice the forest as anything more than a very large obstacle in her escape. Let alone the fact she didn’t know how dangerous it would be, her mind had been elsewhere the entire time.

Following Scout down the silent hillside, the creek quickly came into sight, and just as the colt had told her, it did look spectacular. The filtered sunlight flickered on the roiling creek, about as wide as she was long from tail to head. Rounded stones lay in the bottom of the perfectly clear water, little fish flitting about in a lively manner. The sight made her smile, though she didn’t quite understand why.

“Amazing, isn’t it,” Scout asked in a hushed voice, crouching down to approach the water more carefully. His face was almost against it, yet his careful movements hadn’t startled the fish away. Moving slowly yet fluidly, he slid his hoof into the water without so much as a ripple. In a matter of seconds, the little fish, no longer than the fur of her coat, were curiously swarming it, nibbling on the edges of his brown hoof. “All these little creatures have lives of their own, but they don’t know a lot. All they know is this little creek, only a dozen miles long from source to end. I think we ponies are like them in that manner. We just have a bigger creek.”

“We have no idea,” Cozy found herself saying. Scout looked up from the fish at her, clearly surprised she had spoken, let alone something not rude. Blushing at his thankful smile, she hastily asked, “So, what’s your first question?”

“Well, I should probably set some ground rules first,” he replied, slipping his hoof out of the water and standing up. “Just so it doesn’t go anywhere you don’t want it to go, right?”

“Right,” Cozy hesitantly confirmed. She didn’t know why, but the fact that he was trying to protect her from his own questioning felt… off. Not wrong, but like an unexpected blanket that while not unwelcome, still startled her.

“Alright, I’ll ask you a question, then you can ask me a question, and we’ll keep on going until we don’t want to,” he began while sitting down on a nearby mossy stone. “I’ll try not to ask you any… uncomfortable questions, but if I do and you don’t want to answer, just stay quiet. I’ll understand. Just… please don’t lie, okay?”

“Okay,” she agreed, sitting down across from him.

“Alright, first question,” Scout began cheerfully, an eager smile on his face. “When’s your birthday?”

Cozy felt her heart go cold at the simple question, her breath becoming shallow as she knew that whatever answer she gave him would be a lie, even with the best intentions. Her mouth felt dry, her eyes flitting to the side as she truthfully answered, “I don’t know.”

The filly cringed as she ruined perhaps her first chance of actually getting to know and understand the strange colt in front of her. Of all the questions he could have asked, he asked one of the simplest ones for anypony but her! Why did he have to be so naive, so innocent? Couldn’t he have just asked what being in stone was like instead? After a long moment of silence, the colt finally spoke, Cozy tensing up at the sound of his voice.

“I’m so sorry, Cozy Glow,” he whispered, his voice just as sad and concerned as she felt. Her head jerked back to him so fast she saw stars for a second, but when they cleared, she saw the mournful look in his eyes as he stared at her. “I understand.”

“You… do?”

“I don’t know my birthday either,” he admitted freely, and this time it was his eyes looking away, towards the stream. “I know the week I was born in… but not the exact day. We usually just celebrate it on the fifth of August. It’s the first day of the week I was born in…”

“But your parents know your real birthday, right,” Cozy pressed, confused.

“Well, in truth, those ponies aren’t my parents, at least, not biologically,” Scout admitted, causing Cozy to gasp. He looked up to her with a sad smile. “My biological parents either died or left me right after my birth, but nopony knows. They’re still missing to this day. The only missing ponies in all of Equestria. Nopony knows that because my real parents didn’t want that to get out and ruin any chance at a ‘normal’ life I might have.”

Cozy stared at the colt as he talked openly about perhaps the greatest struggle in his life to her, Cozy Glow. She couldn’t understand what drove him to do so, but for once, she wasn’t skeptical of his story. Staring into his emerald eyes, she saw, reflected in them, her own pain, loneliness, and uncertainty, not having any roots and being caught in the tempest. She had never expected to hear a similar story to hers, not in all of Equestria. Such things weren’t supposed to happen, and yet… here they were.

“I’m… sorry, Scout,” Cozy stammered, a tear sliding down her cheek. She hadn’t felt it coming, but once the first one had fallen, more demanded to be released.

“It’s not your fault Cozy,” Scout replied with a calm smile, even though there were tears in his eyes as well. “In a world where anything can happen, sometimes bad things do occur. Honestly, I’m glad it happened to me, because I had my uncle and aunt to take me in and become my mom and dad. And they're great.”

“No, Scout, I’m sorry for being… mean,” Cozy apologized, feeling worse than ever before. She had treated this colt like some empty-headed ditz just because he was showing unconditional kindness to her. Of all the ponies she’d met so far, he was the one who was the best example of what an Equestrian should be, but she’d been too angry and selfish to see that she was actively being proven wrong. That stung just as badly as bringing somepony who had suffered like her down.

Suddenly, she felt Scout wrap her in a tight hug, her breath hitching at the unfamiliar, but incredibly wanted embrace. It had been years since she had been hugged like this, years since she had been hugged at all. It made her throat tighten and more tears roll down her cheek. After everything she had done, the crimes she had committed and didn’t care to apologize for, she thought there would never be a time in the rest of her life she would be embraced. She felt a heaving sob escape her, causing Scout’s grip to tighten that much more.

“Thanks for that,” he whispered, patting her on the back. “I knew you weren’t a bad filly.”

“What,” she asked, pulling away in confusion, looking him in his kind eyes.

“I said I knew you weren’t bad,” he repeated, smiling. “You just have some problems nopony’s been able to solve yet. We’ll work on that later though. For now, what’s your favorite fruit?”

“Wait, what, just like that you’re moving on,” Cozy questioned, baffled yet again by the colt’s actions. “You just told me what might be your biggest secret and then you’re moving on?”

“Well, it wasn’t meant to be a secret,” Scout shrugged. “But… ponies aren’t always as understanding as you are. Honestly, and don’t take this the wrong way, please, but I really don’t think you’re Cozy Glow. Or rather, I don’t think Cozy Glow was you when everything went down.”

“I think you’re right,” Cozy agreed, surprised by herself. Without thinking about it, she had found herself agreeing to him, and taking a second to think about it, to think about those long lost days from before it all, she saw something. She hadn’t always been this way, scoffing in the face of everypony, whether they were attempting to help or harm her. Through all of the bitterness, she was finally beginning to see, all thanks to a colt who was stoutly showing her kindness. Blinking at him, she muttered, “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Scout replied cheerfully. “Now, favorite fruit?”

“Strawberries by a long shot,” Cozy answered. “Yours?”

“Raspberries,” Scout said shortly, before standing up with an excited gleam to his eye. Reaching out a hoof, he exclaimed, “C’mon, I know where some wild strawberries are growing around here. Maybe there’s still some good ones left!”

“You bet,” Cozy replied, taking his hoof.

Author's Note:

Reformation incoming. Hopefully it's not as bombastic as the last one. As always, questions, comments, and concerns welcome and wanted!

Comments

[Ryebuck Coppercap]

Aww

I love the direction of the story so far

[Saiyan Cartoon Champion]

Glad to see more of this. Though I find Scout's biological parents being "The only missing ponies in all of Equestria." to be a bit of a stretch. Still, it's nice to see Cozy and him bonding.

[Author333]

Ding Ding Ding!

[The_Darker_Fonts]

11668459
Strange when you consider what's happening as well in other HoE stories...