Cozy Glow: The Hero of Equestria

by Betty_Starlight

Chapter 1: Recon

Breathe in! Breathe out!

I’m finally breathing now, but it’s dark and I can’t see anything… You know, it’s really strange to not breathe for centuries!

Um, I think it’s been that long? I don’t know?

Breathe in! Breathe out!

I finally open my eyes and look around…

I see a decrepit old stone centaur to my right and to my back left, I can’t help but notice an enormous stone changeling queen there!

Breathe in! Breathe out!

“Oh, golly!” I whisper to myself before looking around the darkened courtyard…

I see the pale moonlight coming down from the sky and I see how it shines on the grass here in this desolate park…

Breathe in! Breathe out!

I glance around and wonder just how much security this school has at night?

I blink and decide not to chance it! I look up at the sky and find the right star…

Once I see the one that will guide me north, I squat and take off with my wings to fly towards it! I know that direction will take me to the Everfree!

<*****>

I’m not really sure what time it is or how long I flew? I spotted a road earlier and simply followed that, because I know the road leads north out of Ponyville and into the forest…

I see a treeline and I keep flapping! Even after all that time, my muscles seem to be in good shape? I guess they don’t really atrophy in stone?

I’m breathing heavily by this point and taking in every precious gulp of air I can get with my snout!

I cross the treeline and begin flying into the forest…

It’s even darker here and underneath the tree cover, the moon doesn’t penetrate it much… I can only see spots and splotches of moonlight on the forest floor, but that doesn’t concern me right now.

I need to hide!

I look and I spot a darkened opening some distance to the side of the trail… I veer my course in that direction as I continue flapping through the air!

I see a gray stone cliff face approaching me through the trees as I continue going that direction and I eventually land right in front of it… I look forward to see a darkened opening, roughly 7 or 8 feet high and maybe 5 feet wide…

I blink and think that’s probably a good spot? So, I begin trotting inside…

Since it’s dark, I don’t think flying in here is a very good idea…

I trot in and see the stone floor and as my eyes slowly adjust to the darkness, I begin to notice that this cave just keeps going back…

I also don’t think going too far into this place is a very good idea?

I trot into what I’m guessing is an antechamber and then, I turn my body around to stare outside…

I hear crickets chirping and I think I heard an owl hoot at another point?

This is so disorienting!

I turn my body to stare outside into the darkened forest….

I wonder how much longer before the dawn?

<*****>

I don’t know how long I waited… I just sat there with nothing to do… It was a lot like Tartarus, except this time, I didn’t have Tirek to talk to… That’s both good and bad, actually…

Finally, I see the first slivers of sunlight coming into the forest…

I know the sun rises in the east and I know it’s coming up, right where I can see it outside the cave…

This cave must face to the east!

I turn my head right, now knowing that direction will take me towards Ponyville again…

I suddenly wonder if I should go back?

Well, it’s the morning, so surely they know my statue isn’t there, right?

I begin to look around thinking that a disguise might be the best idea here?

I blink when I can’t find anything but rocks in the cave and then stare back outside…

Well, if I’m going to learn anything, I’ll need to head up there! I think to myself before taking the first few tentative steps outside the cave with my hooves…

I hear birds chirping and I feel the warm morning sun beaming on my face… I smile when I suddenly think about how wonderful it is to be alive again!

I sigh and turn my body to the right… Okay, here I go! I think before launching myself into the air and flapping with my little wings again!

I see the ground underneath moving the opposite direction as I flap through the forest toward the other side of the treeline…

I cross it and suddenly see lush bright green grasslands below me in the early morning light…

I smile as I feel the wind on my face…

This is so great! After all this time, I’m finally free! I think as I continue heading towards town…

I need to scope out that courtyard! I want to know what they’re doing!

I see the town approaching on the horizon and I know the school is just a little distance inside.

I also know that they might be searching for me by now, so I’d do well to keep a low profile!

I look below me and see streets busy with different ponies heading this way and that. I also see many other pegasi in the air with me now, but none of them seem to be paying me any mind?

I stare further into the city when I see the gray structure that I know is the School of Friendship!

I begin flapping harder thinking that the sooner I get the information I want, the sooner I can get out of here!

I see the side of the school approaching and I slow my flapping so I begin to lose altitude and get closer… I eventually land on the side of the school and I trot on the top of it to make my way to the courtyard…

I look down and I see a tall purple alicorn and several smaller ponies all around the platform that holds Tirek and Chrysalis and once held me…

I see Twilight speaking to a tan earth pony with a brown mane…

I don’t know what she’s saying, but she seems to be yelling or barking orders?

Then, I saw something I never thought I’d ever see… I saw Twilight’s horn glow and the earth pony lift off the ground! I saw him get thrown through the air in her magical grasp! I also saw that brown stallion crash into the stone wall… I heard a sickening crunch…

I cringe when I think of the pain that pony must be in!

My eyes are wide when I see the purple alicorn turn towards me and take off to flap my direction!

I duck behind the stone railing so she doesn’t see me!

I blink and think to myself as I begin to process what I just saw…

Twilight just threw that poor pony into the wall! I wonder if he broke anything?

I soon see the purple alicorn flying overhead and away from the school as she continues flapping…

I see her disappear in a flash of purple light in the sky…

She didn’t even check to see how that pony was…

I get up and look again over the railing…

I see a red unicorn stallion there now, wearing a white coat…

I see his horn glowing white and the brown stallion’s body soon rises and then floats over to an awaiting stretcher on the grass…

Okay, so he’s seriously hurt! I think to myself before deciding that there’s not much else I can learn here…

So, I turn my body back towards the north and take off to begin flapping that way!

I need to make it back to the cave!

<*****>

I land just outside of the entrance, with my new findings inside my floof…

I found two apples that will help me as I know I need to eat, and I also saw a stream to the west…

This information is almost a side note in my mind at this point, though…

I thought about that earth stallion…

I wondered what he could’ve said or did to make Twilight do that?

I… I blink for a moment as my mind processes everything for the umpteenth time…

I let out a sigh as I turn towards my inner monologue…

I spent a very long time in stone… I don’t really know if the ponies were justified in what they did, but I do know one thing… You can’t be bad and not expect the rest of the world to fight back… I don’t know if anypony is fighting Twilight right now, but I do know that there soon will be… That’s not how a good ruler acts and I’m not going to accept that… I need to overthrow Twilight Sparkle!

(To be continued…)

Comments

[Blu_Spy34]

Glow needs a hero to fight not a Villain, Can’t become an empress without greatness

[Betty_Starlight]

11723773
Well, the point of the story is that both Cozy Glow and Twilight Sparkle have changed a lot over the years... Now that I've set a premise, I can begin to craft the rest of this tale...

[Saiyan Cartoon Champion]

Interesting premise, though I don't really buy Cozy Glow being bothered over Twilight hurting somepony or potentially becoming a tyrant. A surprised yes, but genuinely bothered, not really. I think more likely, she would see Tyrant Twilight's tyranny as on opportunity to rally ponies towards her cause of overthrowing her and hopefully installing herself as ruler instead. And maybe, finding a true heroic side in her along the way.

Still, interesting start and I look forward to seeing where this goes.

[Betty_Starlight]

11723903
That is a good point, actually. But what I was wanting was for Cozy to have realizations while in stone... Still, a potentially useful angle for later and we could even see a battle between good and evil going on inside Cozy here? Actually, that gives me an idea...

[Saiyan Cartoon Champion]

11724450
Well, you're welcome for the inspiration.

[Wild Stallion]

Interesting premise. I feel like we're missing some character development but I'm looking forward to what comes next regardless. Take care!