Somewhere, in Twilight Sparkle’s heart, there was a nagging doubt. Buried under what could only be described as years of study, devotion to the Princesses, and her friends, there was a tiny seed of it. It nipped at the bottom of her soul occasionally, but never badly enough where she regretted a decision.
Twilight Sparkle is attempting to ease her own mind, but she just can't seem to escape the memories of a certain pink, pegasus filly.
Written for the 2021 Cozy Glow short story contest! The prompt was: Twilight Sparkle gathers Cozy’s belongings for disposal. One object surprises her. Editing help, and English help from the lovely Ishi!! Thank you so much Ishi!!
Chapters (1)
Super sad and tragic story. I would argue for a tragedy tag being added to it. It hits the nail on the coffin for why Cozy's treatment was absolutely wrong and disgusting.
Damn hypocrites. Especially Fluttershy who is friends with Discord. I hate them so much here.
Yep, this is pretty much what happened in the show.
She just needs to try harder to convince them. She can still bring up the previously reformed villains or how the whole thing is still effecting her, Heck, she can still do it herself with magical artifacts and as the sole ruling princess simply outrank everyone that tries to bar her. She doesn't have to give up on her. That filly needs and deserves help.
Twilight really needs to tell sunbutt off sometime.
This was a great read. I also found myself really disappointed with the end given to the the Bad Three and Cozy Glow in particular. In a series where redemption was given out so readily, the stoning of Cozy Glow really didn’t sit right. Excellent work and I hope you do well in the contest!
that's what I always thought when you are stuck alone in a place, can't see anything, can't move anything, that is enough to make you lose your mind. Discord got in easy because he has live for a long time and is not a mortal. But when you lock a child like that,only way Twilight can't help her is to give her euthanasia,end her suffering
Very nicely written. Freedom for Cozy Glow!
thug at my heartstrings why don't you.
10932187
Thank you for your comment!!! I super agree, it would be insanely hard on Cozy Glow even if she was brought back or healed only a week or two after. If solitary confinement and sensory deprivation stuff is cruel or unusual, Equestria's forms of punishment really need looking over
Not like putting Luna on the moon after she got possessed by a force she couldn't control is much better though... hmm...
10932175
I'm really glad you liked our story enough to comment!! Thank you!! All your commentary on each part shows me how much you really read through and analyzed it! I appreciate that sort of thing so much, you have no idea.
While she probably could convince them with some effort, I, unfortunately, love stories with bitter endings that leave you lying awake in bed at night
At the end of the day, maybe she did convince them! My story only stops here for dramatic effect :>
10932185
Thank you so much for commenting!! The ending left a bad taste in everyone's mouth, I hope. You're right that it completely didn't match the themes of the show. It's strange, to take a show based on teaching social skills and friendship to little girls, and make it all about redemption, only to not redeem the only little girl villain in the entire show. I have no idea what sort of message is implied there? Maybe something about "If you do bad things when you're young, it means you'll be bad forever and don't deserve to be allowed to change and grow"
Either way, I'm glad you agree with me on how funky it was! I'm glad everyone else seems to be enjoying this take too!
10932538
Well, in the case of Luna I always got the impression that Celestia wasn't actually in control of what happened to Luna. Celestia was crying when she used the Elements on her sister, she clearly didn't want to fight against her, so if she could win without harming Luna I think she would have. In contrast, the Mane Six didn't even know who Luna was or know she was Celestia's sister, so I'm not sure they were intending to reform her either, that's just what happened. It seemed like a lot of the time the Elements just kind of did their own thing with the bearers merely acting as a power source, they only seem to be actively controlling what the Elements do a few times.
That kind of harsh punishment feels more understandable when it's not entirely in the heroes control. Also, most of the earlier punishments were carried out on villains who were still at the peak of their power and an active threat, as opposed to Cozy both times and the other two as well in the finale, who were already beaten and rendered non-threats and powerless to defend themselves, so that makes a difference too. It's one thing to stone a rampant Discord because he's being unreasonable and you have no other clear way to make him stop, it's another to stone a little filly who's already beaten and powerless.
10932547
I thought the story was a good one - especially the descriptions of the various items Twilight found.
A bit of a plot hole in the story though. It makes sense for Celestia/Luna/Discord to wish for Chrysalis/Tirek/Cozy Glow to be entrapped in stone forever - they wanted revenge and to make them suffer as seen by the grins and Discord's open gloating. In your story however, Twilight has pity for Cozy Glow and this opens up the plot hole - Twilight can simply cast a "reforming spell" as mentioned in S3E10 "Keep Calm and Flutter On" and no more evil filly.
With 9 seasons it is easy to miss stuff like this - especially in the early ones. Someone pointed out to me that Ocellus had a family, that I was not aware of, and that was in Season 8!
This story really highlights everything I didn't like about Cozy Glow's story line. Good shit, man.
10932601
On one hand, she could. But then Twi would be doing something that Starlight Glimmer got, and still get, heat on. That "reform" spell will basically be her using mind control to "reform" Cozy by forcing her to think a certain way against her will, so she would be "reformed" all right. However, being effectively brainwashed might still be preferable to being a stone, expecially if Cozy was awake and not in some kind of suspended animation.
Even then, something like that happening might put a sour taste in other fans' mouths. There was one fan that said that they would be against that more than what did happen, and I highly doubt they were alone, More so given the number of fans that were okay with even Cozy being stoned, or had mixed feelings about it, like I do..
10932624
There is a very good Youtube video on the morality issues on the Ending of the End that I highly recommend watching:
Why the MLP: FiM Series Finale is Disappointing (The Ending of the End Review) - YouTube
I don't want to drag this into an argument - let's just say from a purely pragmatic viewpoint torturing someone forever is INFINITELY a greater sin for a "good" character than brainwashing/imprisoning someone for say 80 years or just killing them.
You mention that they may be "sleeping" but this is not possible - Discord/Luna/Celestia wanted to make them suffer so they must be aware to accomplish that.
I cannot think of another cartoon that showed anything close to the number of immoralities displayed by the "good" characters in two episodes. You almost have to think the less evil side actually lost in S9E25 if you include Discord on the "good" side! Here is a good video on how these episodes pretty much ruined Discord.
MLP:FiM Finale - The Grogar Twist And How It Ruined Discord - YouTube
The guy is a bit animated though.
10932573
Interesting take! I feel like you're right. If Celestia had no control over what she did to Luna, i'd feel more understanding and compassionate.
And then, if they really could control what they did to Cozy, that makes it all the more tragic.
Especially when you account for what you said. I hadn't even thought about the fact that they'd already been beaten!
10932710
which is totally fine, not everyone has watched every single episodes multiple times like a maniac.
I wouldn't actually argue that they are sleeping, since Discord commented in season 3 episode 10 that he could hear everything since being imprisoned. "Being turned to stone doesn't keep me from hearing every word Celestia says" is the exact quote. Anyone who would say they were sleeping wouldn't be taking that into account
Thank you for the video recommendation though! I'll check it out!
10932601
) to use mind control on a child instead of something like therapy. A better punishment or containment, yeah! But I don't know if, like ThePinkedWonder suggested, everyone would consider it morally better than the stone thing. Oh well! It comes down to Pony philosophies in the end.
Yeaaah.. I don't think it's a good idea for our moral anchor of the show (for the most part, damn, why are you so mean to Trixie, Twi?
10932760
One interesting take in that video was the youtuber thinks the Elements of Harmony decide the appropriate punishment for each villain. He uses as examples Luna being spared compared to Sombra being killed. Had not thought of things that way.
Great story for a first one!
I can really feel the anguish and guilt here, and it's so well done. You've written a masterpiece, and I applaud you for it.
I feel like Cozy was meant to be an eldritch abomination disguising itself as an innocent filly, and somewhere along the way her true identity got lost/cut.
And that's how MLP ended up sending a child to pony hell and then turning her into a (possibly aware) statue for ETERNITY.
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/845/004/3ad
Nice! I always found it weird to turn a child into a stone statue with that fearful expression, let alone Princesses accepting Discord's idea (who brought these villains together). It literally makes no sense that he got to decide about their punishment.
There's even more - watch the petrification moment and take a closer look at the sparks while this spell was in the progress
These sparks are white, just like Discord's when a combined shot of magic was flying to them. I have a theory that Princesses' blasts only destroyed that cupcake when Discord's magic was turning them into stone statues
lh4.googleusercontent.com/id3_8SdKga0C7bFyYRRs9FNkePQ7th6jQlGy2vpuBC2TIVeSABRoQq-t0_aYwbByMhP3_7ZNT9BG5e2Oru9mvBm42q4rphDp3YwPOxsjechy8J7xR7PfHE7ppPHAQq4BdP9YFKrv
Oh my..........
You have captured the fact beautifully that no matter what the reason was, Cozy was and is still a FOAL.
On a side note, have you considered auditioning as the writers of MLP?
10933032
tecnicly they were the only real threats left to him with chrisalis having the knolage of how to make the throne (i assume), tirek having his abilitys and cozy having the info on how to steal magic herself. while you can say that the main 6 and princessess might be able to stop him we dont know for certin that the rainbow powers will work on him plus he knows alot more of their strengths and weaknesses now.
this proberbly isnt the case but it would be an interesting consept if he did plan this and took over
10932858
Thank you so much for your kind words!! I'm really glad you consider this a masterpiece :>
While this is my first post on fimfiction it's definitely not my first story, and certainly won't be the last!
10933219
not unless they were trying to do something like. Live action MLP. Y'know how they fucked up the PPG? Haha!
Do you mean on the writing staff? Because i've wished I could have done that for YEARS!! It's a real shame I was too young during the run of the show to have a job, doing something like that would be a dream! I doubt they'd like my angst filled nonsense at hasbro though
Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to comment :>
10933032
Discord's hand in all of this is sort of.. really funky. Why should he not be turned back to stone for being at best an accomplice and at worse orchestrating the entire thing? He shouldn't get a say in what happens to them at all!
You bring up an interesting point
I think it boils down to, in our world, the writers needing some sort of "satisfying ending" and thinking them being turned to stone, with Discord being reformed would provide some sort of irony. But it isn't ironic! It's just weird. And.. sort of rushed. I'm sure someone would have been reformed sooner or later if the series went on, just for views.
In the MLP universe though? Oh yeah. Discord is an asshole.
10932912
10933201
10932882
Ohhh, you think the writers forgot about something? That could totally be it!
Personally, I think that'd be weird. I thought her "performance" or behavior in the first introduction to her was quite genuine, if not misguided. She really did want help? At least a little bit. I understand that she knew it was power, but she wanted to make some friends too, right? She is like. What. 10? Maybe 12 if you like to age the crusaders up because of the Eqg franchise?? It's not weird for her to want to make friends at the friendship school. Maybe on rewatch i'd be able to catch something I missed that'd hint at that sort of storyline. Good take!
10933364
I definitely do!
All the best for the contest!
Thanks for writing this. I always thought the endings of S8 and S9 were surreal after how the endings of S5 and S7 in particular went. I never actually thought about how Twilight's friendless childhood under Celestia's mentorship had similarities to Cozy's situation though, makes it feel even more messed up.
10933365
Discord is indeed an asshole. He probably just wanted by revenge by making them feel what he did for a thousand years - no one is beyond being petty. His mindset was perhaps "They stole my magic, I'll make them pay because I know Sparkle and friends will win in the end"
Seriously? Cozy Glow tried to kill several others including Twilight herself and her friends. She has zero regrets and lies constantly to get what she wants.
I really don't get the pity party that people throw for her. All three villains do show a hint of being redeemable in 'frienemies' but they would first have to want to change. As of the finale, they still hate friendship because they see it as a weakness rather than a strength.
10933414
Beyond that! He literally brought King Sombra back from the dead just to have him killed again. That is Dracula level evil (check the 2nd link in my prior post just to see how evil the ending made Discord).
On a side note, has anyone ever given thought to who was delivering the pen-pal messages between Tirek and Cozy Glow?
Now who remains that has that kind of power to get into Tartarus? If you follow the old Conan Doyle quote "If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth" you have only one possibility left. Discord. That would make Discord the cause of both S8 and S9 takeover's of Equestria.
10933697
I'd like to point out that Discord did not want to change initially. When Celestia first ordered him released to be reformed, he mocked the entire concept of it, laughed in the ponies faces, tried to manipulate Fluttershy and did his best to get away with as much as he possibly could, only "Behaving" at all because they had the Elements ready to go and be used on him when necessary. It took nearly a whole episode before he even started to show any positive traits or reciprocate anything.
My point being that yeah, Cozy Glow is unrepentant, as are the other two. But this idea that they have to want to change first before our heroes can try and reform them is wrong. Yes, ultimately for a villain to truly change they have to want it, but that doesn't mean they can't be convinced to want it if our heroes try to show them the way. Starlight Glimmer is another example, she didn't require a whole episode, but Twilight had to first show her the unintended consequences of her actions, ask about and listen to her past and then keep trying to reason with and empathize with her to get through.
So, yes they need to want to change, but they need to be given a reason to want that, don't they? They aren't just going to magically change their minds for no reason if the rainbow lasers aren't doing it for them. Most reformations in this series that weren't done by rainbow laser only happened because the heroes reached out in some way first, giving the villains a reason to think there might be another way. Tempest only reformed because Twilight saved her life despite Tempest having done nothing to deserve such a thing, Twilight and Starlight flew into the darkness itself to hear things from Stygian's point of view, etc.
Chrysalis is really the only one of the trio who got that from the heroes, from Starlight back in Season 6. Tirek last got it over 1000 years ago with Scorpan and Cozy got literally nothing. Twilight asked her why she was doing it, yeah, but the second Cozy spouted her "Friendship is Power" schtick Twilight just gave up immediately, didn't try to dig deeper and see if there was a reason for that mindset or even try to convince her otherwise. Especially considering what Frenemies showed us, it's entirely possible she could have been reached if there had been more effort in reaching out, but we'll never know because they just never tried.
10933697
The point of this story isn't that she didn't do terrible things. What i'm trying to convey is that, even if she doesn't want the help, she's still a child. Abused children kick and scream and bite and fight their caretakers, teachers, and a lot of people that attempt to come close. But it doesn't make them bad people. They aren't bad people yet, because they have the chance to change as they grow and get older. Our job as adults in their lives is to care for and guide them, even if they don't appreciate it yet. Have you ever seen a toddler act out violently against someone before? You don't hurt them back. You explain why it's wrong gently and calmly, and put them in a time out. You don't damage them for life over something that they might grow out of in a few years.
THAT'S what was wrong with Cozy Glow's punishment. If she was an adult, it would be completely deserved! Chrysalis and Tirek get the same treatment pre-reform Discord got probably because they aren't as magically powerful/beneficial to have on Equestria's side. The issue is that Cozy Glow is the same age as the Crusaders, or very close to it, and shouldn't be tried as an adult who has had chances to stop.
10933393
I'm so glad you enjoyed the read!! Using Twilight as a comparison was fun to do, especially when she sees herself in someone Celestia would consider a villain
10933735
VERY interesting.. I never thought about how those letters were getting sent there. Why WOULD Discord allow that sort of thing to happen? And, for that matter, more of this punishment should be placed on the adults of this situation (Tirek and Discord) to stop this? Instead of blaming it on Cozy Glow?
Children and young teenagers, even young adults will actively seek out relationships with older mentors or friends, or even romantic prospects that would harm them. It's never the victim's fault that someone has groomed them, even if the victim came to the adult first. The adult's job is to shut it down and say no. Personally, I wonder how much of Cozy's philosophy came after she had already been imprisoned in Tartarus the first time, and how much was taught to her by the beings there. If Celestia or Twilight had just taken her in then..
Hm
10934089
I think that a toddler throwing a tantrum is different than premeditated murder. Anyway, it's a fictional character so you can interpret it however you want, I'm just surprised how many people see Cozy as different from other villains just because of her supposed age.
I do think Twilight would try to reform her and the other villains once it's safe, but they've demonstrated pretty clearly that they can do a lot of damage if left unchecked. It would have been interesting if in the last episode where we saw "the future" if the villain trio were reformed or at least "on parole" in some capacity.
10933991
Well I do think all the trio has shown some redeemability. I don't think they'd ever truly be able to become "friends" with the mane 6 but they could probably be convinced to leave Equestria alone and pursue other goals besides power.
I think Twilight would try to reform them at some point, but it would take a while for her to be ready for that. The trio has done alot of horrible stuff to her. Chrysalis kidnapped her, her family and friends several times, not to mention waged war on Equestria. Tirek destroyed her home and nearly killed her pet owl. Cozy took advantage of her friendship, tried to imprison her forever, and murder her and her friends (ironically if Chrysalis hadn't intervened Cozy would have just destroyed the mane 6 on the spot and the trio would have won).
Compared to that stuff, I don't think the crimes of any of the reformed villains really compare and I see Cozy as the worst offender.
10934668
Meanwhile, Starlight Glimmer stole her and her friends cutie marks, locked them in a brainwashing room, stalked her, used a spell to change time and almost ended up causing the apocalypse with it, blasted one of her best friends Rainbow Dash out of the sky when she was just a child, and trapped her and Spike in a crystal falling to their death. Discord twisted her friends minds until they became the opposite of themselves, taking pleasure in it the whole time and trying to permanently break up their friendship, then after reforming he betrayed them all and helped Tirek steal all their magic and conquer their kingdom. Tempest Shadow led an army into Canterlot and invaded it, and turned three of the Princesses, all of who Twilight is very close to into statues to let them have their magic drained. Sunset stole Twilight's crown, kidnapped Spike, planned to use Equestrian magic to turn a bunch of people into her slaves to invade Equestria, and actually did attempt to kill Twilight and the Humane 5 too.
I don't really think the trio's crimes are all that meaningfully worse than all the others really. Many of them also tried to conquer the kingdom, kidnapped and imprisoned Twilight or others she cared about, betrayed her or even tried to kill her or somepony else. Most of them only showed any remorse for any of this once being reached out to. She forgave Discord for his betrayal in Season 4 and counted him as a friend still for instance, despite him doing nothing to apologize or show he's sincerely sorry to her until after she did that. If the trio's crimes are any worse, it's only because they haven't been reformed and thus they keep coming back to do the same things, which is what basically any of the other villains would do too if they weren't reformed. Discord would almost certainly have just gone back to causing chaos and wreaking havoc if he broke out on his own again, Starlight almost certainly would have continued to seek revenge on Twilight if she was defeated without reformation, etc. Now, maybe the trio can't be reformed, but that can't be known until a solid attempt is made.
With Cozy, Twilight back in Season 8 made it clear she felt as if she had failed Cozy and that she was sorry for that, which is another reason her fate feels so bad. If she feels she failed and is sorry, then why not try to teach her again now that she's shown her true self? If she's willing to forgive Discord's betrayal why not hers? The Season 7 finale was all about trying to reach out and understand a villain and not just giving up on them because they seem to be nothing but a monster on the surface, but that's what they did to Cozy when she didn't immediately fall down and beg for forgiveness.
10934100
You could take this a step farther .. how does Cozy Glow become the empress of Equestria? Celestia/Luna were heading to Ponyville with the army so even if all magic goes away she will simply be captured and imprisoned. She would have to be an idiot not to see this coming.
Isn't it convenient that Discord was away so that he would not lose his magic? With Discord's backing Cozy Glow's plan to get rid of magic makes sense ... Discord eliminates all those who can challenge him and thus could easily put Cozy Glow in charge (assuming he does not change his mind).
There are a couple of things in Cozy's favor. She is the only one of the trio who deliberately went out of her way not to kill. If you recall in the throne room the guards charged her and she opened up a portal dropping them into the moat. She could just as easily have sent them over the cliff. Also, think about it, Cozy would have to show a great deal of care in subduing the royal guard and not accidently killing one.
If your into mysteries .. riddle me this ... if Cozy Glow wanted to kill Twilight than why is Twilight not dead?! As soon as she drops the guards in the throne room she zaps Twilight who is taken completely by surprise (no shield, no counter spell, no armor, no anything). The only possible answer is Cozy Glow deliberately avoided killing her. Why?
Arguably the most evil of all villains, Dr. Caballeron, who actually tried to murder multiple people multiple times gets turned into a writer at the end. Go figure.
10934761
I love how you worded this because, I totally wanted to say what you did, I just didn't know how to go about it. You listed the other things that came to mind perfectly!
10940140
The Storm King's death was a total accident, not an execution. He attempted to attack Twilight with one of those stone gas bombs, but when Tempest leaped in front to protect her the gas spread to him, turning him to stone and he fell and broke. That's an accident that was brought about entirely due to his own actions, literally nobody attempted to kill him.
Sombra also wasn't an execution either time, since both times he died he was an active threat at full power. Killing a dangerous foe in combat isn't execution. Also, I'm uncertain whether anypony actually truly meant to kill him either time, and if that wasn't just what the magic of the Heart and Friendship did entirely on their own. Still, you are right that nobody tried to reach out and help him, so similar situation to Tirek.
The trio being stoned is really the only thing in the series that resembles an actual execution, since the trio were left powerless and at the mercy of the heroes before their stoning, while any other similar punishments in the series were usually done to villains who were active threats and were done as a means of stopping them.
It's always sad to see comments in stories like these defending what amounts to either child murder, or child torture. With the implication that it's OK to do so if the child is evil enough.
10943598
I'm really glad you liked the story enough to comment though!! I appreciate you!
Agreed :< And I didn't really wanna start fighting about it either so, I sort of gave up. I personally can't compare the likes of Tirek, Sombra and the Storm king to a literal middle schooler. Glad some people in my comments section agree, haha!
Great story.