AlwaysDressesInStyle's Ponyville CiderFest '23 Interactive App Stories

by AlwaysDressesInStyle

Never Fade Away

Hook: Cozy Glow’s disembodied spirit must make a real friend or she’ll be petrified for eternity. She’s been wandering Equestria looking for a pony gullible enough to trick into being a friend.

Story #305
Title: Never Fade Away
Keyword: Ghost
Characters: Minty, Cozy Glow
Chaos/Villain

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It’s Friday night, and some ponies are out on dates, and others are hanging out with their friends, but Minty is alone like usual. The clumsy mare has few friends and even fewer interests – but she’s Ponyville’s premiere collector of socks. If she was a rich mare, most ponies would call her ‘eccentric’. Since she lives paycheck to paycheck, everypony just thinks that she’s ‘weird’ instead. Questionable life choices aside, Minty is happy, but lonely.

After she was done eating dinner, it was time for her normal evening routine. Minty opened her closet and her sock collection spilled out onto the floor. She started putting all of them on, one set at a time, modelling them to nopony but her mirror. Some are cute, others plain, and a few even emphasize her flank in a way she hopes will catch a stallion’s eye someday. Preferably soon, before she’s an old gray nag.

As she was done with each of the socks, she piled them on her bed. When she was completely finished, Minty started rolling around on top of them.

“Minty…”

Minty stops, then rolls onto her stomach, examining the socks underneath her. This is unusual behavior from her socks – some sparkle, while others glow by night, but none of them have ever spoken to her before.

She prods them all individually. “Hello? Little sock? Which one of you is calling me?”

“I’m not a sock!”

Minty giggles nervously. “Yeah, that would be kind of silly.” Minty drops the sock and turns her attention to her stockings instead.

“I’m not a stocking, either!”

Minty drops the stockings. “So what are you and where are you?”

“I’m right here. I’m a pony, or at least I used to be. I’m not sure what I am now.”

“I don’t see anypony. Am I talking to myself again? I must be getting really good at it if I can even change my voice from one response to another!”

“Minty, Minty, Minty. You’re not imagining this.”

“If you’re a disembodied voice, how do you know my name?”

“I know a lot of things about you, Minty. I’ve been here for a long time, watching you.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” Minty’s eyes fly open in dread. “Wait. How long, exactly, have you been here?”

“Long enough. Yes, I know about that. And that. And that. And let’s not forget the crackly little pieces.”

Minty winces.

“Look, I’m not here to judge you. I’m probably the last pony who should be judging anyone.” She materializes in front of Minty, a transparent pink filly with curly blue hair. “You may have heard of me. My name is Cozy Glow.”

Minty screams and jumps behind the couch. “Ghost villain!”

“Yeah, I probably deserve that.” Cozy floats through the couch, sticking her head out the other side. “Boo.”

Minty screams again and leaps over the couch… or at least tries to. One of the clumsy mare’s hooves catch on the couch and she trips over it, knocking it over in the process.

“Okay, seriously, before you injure yourself. I’m not here to haunt you. My spirit separated from my body when they petrified me, and part of my punishment is that I need to befriend somepony for real. If I can do that, I’ll be freed from my prison. I’ve been wandering around Equestria ever since, searching for somepony gullible.”

“Then look no further! Everypony calls me the most gullible pony in all of Equestria! You know, I really should look up what that word means one of these days…”

Cozy Glow quickly changes the subject before Minty can learn the meaning of the word. “How long has it been since then?”

“The Battle of the Bell was more than four years ago.”

The transparent filly stares at the floor. “Golly, that’s a long time to think about what I did. I was wrong, so very wrong. I want to start over. Do you think everypony can find it in their hearts to forgive me?”

Minty shrugs. “I’ve done a lot of really stupid things over the years and ponies always forgive me.”

“I think I’ve gone a little further than breaking the Hearth’s Warming candy cane. Which was an accident, if I remember correctly. My acts were rather intentional.”

“Are you sorry?”

“I… I don’t really know. I’m sorry I failed. I’m sorry I’m a statue. I know what I did was wrong, but at the same time I’m not sure I’m sorry for doing it in the first place.”

“I guess I’d be willing to be your friend, Cozy. But only if you promise me you’ve changed.”

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[CHOICE]Does Cozy Glow give friendship a try?

>Why not? She doesn’t have anything left to lose. (chaos)

>She was going to, but Minty’s given her an even better idea… (villain)