Chapter 2
Starlight Glimmer was out and about in Ponyville taking care of important measures, when she ran into a familiar face.
"You there. You're the consoler of Twilight's school. Correct?" they said.
"Yeah?" Starlight replied. "Who wants to know?"
Starlight turned around and saw her standing there. She was a little pink filly with a diamond encrusted tiara.
"You're uh... the rich filly who goes to school with the Cutie Mark Crusaders... Sorry, I guess we haven't spoken to each other much. I'm Starlight Glimmer, in case you weren't aware."
"I'm Diamond Tiara. And I came to you wondering. Um..."
"Go on. You can ask me anything." Starlight said.
Diamond Tiara reached into her saddlebag, and pulled out an issue of the Foal Free Press.
"Please tell me this is fake." Diamond Tiara said.
Starlight simply nodded her head saying no.
"Cozy Glow wouldn't attack Equestria like this, would she?" Diamond Tiara asked.
Starlight hung her head and replied reluctantly. *sigh* "I'm afraid so..."
"So did they put her back in Tartarus?" Diamond Tiara asked, worried.
"No. In fact, we almost did her one better. Err, worse I should say. Much worse..." Starlight mumbled.
"Could you speak up? Where is she now?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"She's not in Tartarus. She's staying with Twilight and I at the castle." Starlight replied.
"Well, I guess it's a relief that the Princess of Friendship is watching over her. I can only imagine the turmoil she must've gone through that would have driven her to try to take over Equestria twice." Diamond Tiara said.
"Yes, well, she'll be under the tight care of Twilight Sparkle until she's ready to migrate back into society." Starlight explained. "She just needs a little time before she's ready to see anypony else."
"You know, I was really disappointed when I found out that Cozy was responsible for the magic almost disappearing, but more disappointed when I found out how the Princesses handled things. It all happened so fast, I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to her." Diamond Tiara wept. "Since when does Celestia put fillies in Tartarus? And no supervision? Isn't it like your guy's thing that you make friends with everypony? What's different about her?"
Starlight bit her lips and looked the other way. Diamond Tiara ask the tough questions.
"Well, sometimes, when you're the Princess of Friendship... see sometimes you..." Starlight was having difficulty explaining things to Diamond Tiara. "It isn't until you see the full implications of your actions that you realize what you're doing is a terrible idea. We're stuck in the present for the most part, but it's only when you take that rare glimpse into the future do things become clear. Otherwise, your biggest mistakes can turn into even bigger mistakes."
"Ooookay?" Diamond Tiara scratched her head.
"All of this is to say that, Twilight regrets how she treated Cozy in the past, and she promises not to harm her anymore. She sees the error in her ways now, and realizes now that everypony deserves another chance." Starlight explained.
"Well, that only sounds like a good thing. So, I guess all is well. Huh. I wonder if Twilight learned a thing or two from the Cutie Mark Crusaders, since it sounds like how they helped me. They gave me a chance when I needed it the most." Diamond Tiara said.
As pleasant as their conversation was, time was short, and Starlight had to get a move on.
"Well uh... I suppose that's it. Sorry to cut it off here, but I'm very busy." Starlight said.
"The coronation is tonight?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Is Cozy going to be there?"
"Yes, and yes. Why? Is that a problem?" Starlight asked.
"No. I mean, it's unlikely that I'll be going. There's a rare astronomical event tonight only that I wanted to witness. But tell Cozy Glow I wish her well." Diamond Tiara said.
"I will." Starlight said.
The two headed their separate ways, when Diamond Tiara felt a nerve impulse, and had a change of mind.
"Actually, wait! I changed my mind! DON'T tell Cozy I said anything about her!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed, nervous.
"Whatever you say, kid." Starlight said, confused.
Twilight Sparkle and Spike stood at the front of Cozy's room. They were unsure if they should knock, speak out, or what.
"Should we knock?" Spike asked.
"I'm just going to walk inside." Twilight said, stern.
The two peeked their heads into the unlit room.
"Cozy Glow, are you...?" Spike asked.
Spike flicked the light switch, revealing Cozy Glow playing chess by herself. They noticed that her pieces had been decorated by herself, in a very peculiar way.
Cozy moved her queen piece, which she had put little purple wings on.
"I win again! Hehe." she grinned.
"Is that supposed to be Twilight?" Spike asked.
Cozy had just noticed they were watching, and greeted them nicely.
"Oh, golly. Didn't see you come in. I see you noticed my little custom chess pieces." Cozy said, gleefully. "I've been working on this here little arts and crafts project since I've been staying here, and I'm quite pleased with it." she boasted.
Cozy had made Twilight was the queen piece. Twilight wondered what the significance of that was. Seeing the pieces representing her friends knocked over seemed symbolic somehow.
"You made me the queen." Twilight said, ears drooping.
"Of course. You'll be ruler of Equestria soon. Even though the goal of chess is to go after the opponent's King — well, Kings are seldom in Equestria — The Queen has ALL the power!"
*gulp* "I see..." Twilight said, anxious.
"You know, if you think of the Bishop and Rook as unicorns and pegasi respectively, then the Queen is sort of like the alicorn of the chess board!" Cozy said.
As for the other pieces, on both sides, the pawns were decorated to be Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Celestia, Luna, and Starlight Glimmer.
"Please don't read into this too deeply, Twilight." Spike said.
If only Twilight had adhered to his advice.
"But you made all my friends the pawns? Why?" Twilight asked.
"Because, Twilight Sparkle, I'm just going be blunt and say it, you've been a complete jerk to your friends lately." Cozy said.
Twilight stomped her hooves and was shocked.
"WHAT?" Twilight exclaimed, her horn sizzling with magic.
"Just think about it for a second. They're busting their flanks off to get your coronation ready, and all you've done for them is complain that you don't think they'll miss you enough. Like, of course they'll miss you! You guys are like best friends or whatever!" Cozy exclaimed.
"Cozy, I-" Twilight started, but was interrupted.
"Why the farewell anyway?! I get you're being promoted to supreme ruler, but it's not like you're being turned to stone. You're just moving to Canterlot! It's a short train ride from Ponyville! And even though you'll be super busy, plan some weekends with them!" Cozy exclaimed. "And if that's not good enough for you, then why not promote them? How's it fair that they lifted you up, and are partly the reason you've been half as successful as you've been, but yet it's only you and Spike who are being promoted to royalty?!"
Twilight and Spike's were completely stunned by Cozy's rant.
"Or um, at least that's what I think..." Cozy said, smiling, and pressing her hoof against her cheek.
Twilight started to fume on the outside. But inside, an even worse storm was brewing in her head.
"Um, hehe, just a moment." Spike said.
Spike pushed Twilight out of the room, and quickly closed the door.
*hehe* Cozy giggled. "Oh, Twilight. It's so easy to get under your skin." she said, with a snarky grin, and eyebrows bent inward.
In the hallway, Twilight was frustrated. Cozy pressed her ear against the door to listen to Twilight's outrage.
"Say something, Twilight! Snap out of it!" Spike said.
"She's... *huff* she's... *huff* " Twilight's horn glowed an odd dark purple.
"Before you say anything, please think it through." Spike suggested.
"She's... *sigh* she's not... wrong..." Twilight said, calming down, and magic dissipating.
"W-what?" Spike asked.
"Huh?" Cozy hadn't expected Twilight's mood to shift in this direction.
"It's so strange. Celestia asked me to move to Ponyville to make friends, and experience friendship. So... why does she want me to rule Equestria alone? I thought my castle sprouted six and a half thrones for a reason, but Canterlot will only have one throne."
"...Did you just call my throne a half throne?" that was Spike's main takeaway from the first part of Twilight's thoughts.
"So am I done learning about friendship? No. Preposterous. I still have so much to learn. After all, I did almost let Discord turn a filly to stone."
"You're taking crazy, Twilight! Of course you won't rule Equestria alone! You have me, Spike, your royal knight. Plus, who says your friends can't help you out?"
"Yeah.... why can't they?" Twilight said. "Celestia and Luna appointed me ruler, so what's stopping me from appointing my friends?"
"Yeah. I suppose you're right?" Spike said, unsure.
If Twilight had refused to swallow her pride in this moment, she may have just plain exploded. But oddly, by showing a hint of humility, and expressing her gripes with the current situation, it felt a lot better than expected, and allowed the princess to calm down. Cozy's plan to make Twilight her own worst enemy hit a standstill, because this Twilight was smarter than the Headmare who put the filly in Tartarus.
*exhale* "I feel much better. Anyway, what were we doing?" she asked.
*ahem* Spike tilted his head at Cozy's door.
"Oh. Right." Twilight said to him.
Cozy was spooked by Twilight turning the doorknob. She immediately rushed back to her chess board.
Twilight walked back into Cozy's room.
"Cozy Glow, I would like to-"
"Shh..." Cozy shushed her, as she was pretending to concentrate on her chess game.
"I just wanted to say that you've done an excellent job this past week refining your magical abilities." Twilight said.
"Uh huh. I'm awesome. I get it. What's new?" Cozy asked, trying to focus on her chess game.
Twilight realized that simply complementing Cozy on her progress wasn't enough, so she took a different approach.
"You know, Cozy. It's not everyday that Equestria has the honor to welcome in a new powerful alicorn." Twilight said.
Cozy wasn't interested in having an honest conversation, so instead she tried to change the subject.
"What even are alicorns really? I mean, you, me, and Cadance became alicorns, but my dear Flurry Heart was born an alicorn. Were Celestia and Luna born alicorns?" Cozy asked.
"Alicorns are very mysterious, and rare creatures. You're one of only around half a dozen examples known through Equestrian history. Being an alicorn means you have lots of power in you, but more important than that, I know you possess great talent inside." Twilight said. "Magic isn't just about sheer strength. It's about control. Starswirl the Bearded wasn't the most revered magician because he was the most powerful. Rather, because he used his knowledge to write spells that helped many ponies. And I know for absolute certain you have the potential to do that too, Cozy."
Somehow, something Twilight had said this time hit Cozy differently.
"...I have the potential to help ponies?" Cozy asked, surprised.
Twilight nodded affirmatively.
"That's why I've been taking time out of my super busy schedule to help you." Twilight said. "You're already very talented with magic, so I'd love to see you apply that and do great things with it. Which leads me to my next point — Tonight's my coronation, and as I said earlier, I was hoping you could use your magic to make tonight more of a spectacle, however..." Twilight said.
"However..." Cozy said, raising an eyebrow.
"However..........." Twilight bit her lip and started to sweat.
"You hanging in there, Twilight?" Spike asked.
Twilight Sparkle took a moment to think. Her gut told her that Cozy should absolutely not be allowed to use her magic tonight. She wasn't ready. Her raw magical prowess could destroy the whole castle. However, her gut also almost told her to let Discord turn her to stone, a gut decision she now regrets. With that in mind, and in an attempt to amend her bad habits, by doing things a bit differently. She already promised Cozy some more freedom, and to backpaddle now wouldn't help anyone.
Twilight took a big gulp, and conjured up something special for Cozy.
"Now, Cozy. This is a special key I'm holding here. This is the key that will undo your restraints, and allow you to use your magic and flight." Twilight said.
"So I earned my magic back?" Cozy asked.
"Sort of. I'm not giving it to you yet. Here's what I have in mind — I'm going to give it to you at the start of my coronation — At the end of my speech when I say and now to usher in a new beginning, unlock yourself, and show off your magic, and surprise every creature with a magical light show!" Twilight explained.
"Sounds... neat." Cozy said. "But, why does it have to be a surprise?"
"Let's just say, I'm not so sure Celestia and Luna would approve, and for now, what they say goes still." Twilight said.
"Oh, right. They're probably still peeved about the whole takeover thing I suppose..." Cozy said.
"Mmm hmm. But don't let that dissuade you from the idea. Every creature's going to love it." Twilight said.
"Are you sure everypony will be happy to see me? Aren't they still mad at me? And You expect me to win over their respect with a magic light show?" Cozy asked, skeptical.
"I mean, as long as you show every creature that you mean well, then I'm sure they'll learn to accept you." Twilight replied.
"But, what if I mess up, and hurt somepony. Equestria's leaders may lock me away again..." Cozy said.
"I won't say the word until power is handed over to me, by which point, what happens to you will be 100% up to me. Even so, I know you can do it." Twilight said.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Twilight." Cozy said, unsure.
"Mmm hmm. And I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't believe in you." Twilight said, assuring. "I trust you to do the right thing tonight."
Huh. It's been a while since I had Twilight's trust. Feels weirdly nostalgic. Cozy thought.
Cozy looked unsure. Twilight couldn't possibly trust her to not misuse her magic, right? And with all eyes on tonight's event, the opportunity to exploit Twilight's trust seemed extremely limited. But impossible?
Whatever the case may be, Twilight seemed confident in Cozy, which filled the filly's stomach with an odd fuzzy feeling.
The sun was getting low, and it was almost time to head to Canterlot for the ceremony. Twilight was already putting on her Princess dress, with Spike there for assistance.
"You sure you're not going to be overwhelmed once you take responsibility?" Spike asked, whilst helping her put on the dress.
"Believe it or not, the responsibility is the least of my worries." Twilight said. "There's a lot on my mind, but you know, I'm not too worried. After Cozy's performance, and once I ask my friends an important question, I see things going just fine... I hope."
Spike had noticed that Twilight had calmed down when she explained her plan, but less calm at the end when she trailed off, expressing doubt. This wasn't her usual blend of Twilighting. Twilighting is Twilight stressed out, but still her normal element. Lately during her moments of stress, she seemed really out of element.
Still, everything would turn out just fine, so long as the day goes exactly as Twilight has it planned. But as the Princess is about to learn, it pays to have a backup plan.
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Looks like Cozy's laying on the truth bombs. I just hope she's ready to perform.
you've?
I have to agree on that. I mean even if she did nearly made magic disappear forever, she still a child and since when do Equestria's justice system allow them to send children to prison or Tartarus.
Yeah I've been wondering about that. I mean Twilight works better with her friends than without them and yes Spike, your half because you only save one kingdom while the Mane 6 save the entire country many times. Also its a pony society, you're mostly the sidekick they tend to barely respect.
You want mysterious? Answer this question; how come there aren't any male Alicorns?
LOL!!! Its bearded. Honest mistake but it would be funny as hell if Starswirls' beard was fake.
Also if Tirek & Chrysalis get force to Twilight's coronation, met Cozy and past Discord. Would they move their hooves and finger across their throats at him for that future and using them to boost Twilight's confidence?
Would’ve preferred it if Twilight went with the not ruling Equestria option she brought up in the previous story but I’m not gonna complain.