Knight, Rook and Princess

by Communist_Egor

We meet again, princess

Twilight sat at the desk with reports. For two weeks, she had been the ruler of Equestria, and she was already tired. Princess Celestia had ruled Equestria for over a thousand years. The Princess of Friendship loved making lists, but dealing with reports and signing identical documents became interesting only at the beginning. Even negotiations with the greedy and arrogant Canterlot nobles were much better than dealing with paperwork.

"I feel like I've been doing paperwork for an eternity. It would be better to save Equestria a few more times than deal with this," Twilight thought. When Celestia first announced her retirement, the Princess of Friendship was afraid of the responsibility. But now she understood what part of Princess Celestia's job was the hardest.

"Almost everything. Only letters left," Twilight began to go through the mail. Messages from different cities requesting additional funding to repair the damage caused by the latest villains' attack were already annoying her. The material damage due to panic was small, but almost every mayor claimed that all industries in his city had declined. A commission was needed to truly assess the losses suffered by businesses or financial markets in various corners of Equestria.

Copying the same letter of response for each mayor several times, Twilight looked at the letters from abroad. The alicorn was delighted: a letter from the Crystal Empire had arrived from Princess Cadance herself. Quickly opening the envelope, Twilight began to read.

The Princess of Love was interested in how her niece was handling her duties. She also shared news from the Crystal Empire. And at the end of the letter, on behalf of Shining Armor, she asked if there was a place for a guard who requested a transfer to the Canterlot Palace guard.

The tired princess pondered. After the attack of the Doom Legion, a young guard had requested a transfer, and Twilight did not refuse him. So, there was indeed a place for a new guard in the palace.

After writing a response to her aunt, Twilight turned to Spike, and the letter was promptly sent back to the Crystal Empire. The Princess of Friendship and her faithful dragon guard went to sleep in the royal chambers.

The next day,

Twilight sat on her throne and received visitors. Advisers addressed the alicorn with various questions requiring the immediate attention of the Princess. But the last in line was not another bureaucrat; it was a guard, familiar to Twilight.

"Lieutenant Flash Sentry reporting for duty, Your Highness!" the orange unicorn with a blue mane announced.

The princess was shocked and embarrassed. She remembered how she fell head over heels for the human version of the guard in the world beyond the mirror. But with Flash the pegasus, she had only encountered a couple of times in the Crystal Empire a few years ago, and since then, she hadn't even thought about him.

"Why did he specifically request a transfer? And for what purpose?" Twilight pondered. Suddenly, she recalled that the guard was waiting for her response.

"Yes... I'm glad you arrived so quickly. Forgive my curiosity... But may I know the reason for your transfer?" the alicorn asked, stumbling and blushing.

Flash sighed. Even in secret, guards rarely challenged the princesses' decisions. And in all of Equestria's history, no guard had ever stood up for Equestria's enemies. Even if there had been traitors before the sisters' reign, history had forgotten about them. The orange pegasus realized the risk was too great. But if everything he'd heard about the Princess of Friendship was true, then he should try.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, do you truly believe that turning a foal to stone is a fair punishment?" suppressing his anger, Flash asked.

Twilight, surprised, opened her mouth. She hadn't even had time to think about Cozy Glow. The first time, she was angry with her student for betraying not only her but also her friends and the concept of friendship itself. And she allowed Celestia and Luna to send the filly to Tartarus. But when Cozy returned with Chrysalis and Tirek, attempting to kill them, Twilight didn't hesitate that the pegasus deserved severe punishment along with the other villains.

Then she felt a pang of conscience. Cozy, despite everything, was her student. Why didn't she even consider standing up for her? Why did she brush off the problem without even trying to solve it?

"Princess?" the pegasus guard awaited an answer.

"Understand... Cozy Glow is a genial but cruel filly, thinking only of power. For that, she was willing to kill, putting her on par with Chrysalis and Tirek. So, for the safety of all Equestria, the princesses had to turn her into stone with the others," Twilight replied.

"And do you approve of their decision? Do you believe that Cozy Glow is beyond redemption? Do you even know why she became like this?" the pegasus inquired.

The princess sadly lowered her head and said:

"I don't know... But Princess Celestia believes that Cozy is already saturated with evil. Can I doubt her decision? Even if I give Cozy a second chance, how can I know she won't betray me again? I can't risk it like that," Twilight feared trusting the pegasi again.

"I understand your concern, Princess. But as far as I know, Cozy Glow is an orphan. Yes, she posed a threat to all of Equestria. But I'm confident that Cozy has serious reasons to strive for power. Besides, without evil allies and artifacts, she's just an ordinary pegasus," the pegasus explained.

"Not ordinary, but a cunning manipulator," corrected the alicorn.

"But her cunning is useless now; all of Equestria knows who she is. Even if Cozy escapes, she won't be able to hide for long. Princess, please, give me a chance to convince her that her chances for revenge are zero. And also, find a peaceful application for her strategic talent."

After thinking, the princess asked:

"Flash, why do you care so much about Cozy Glow?"

The pegasus honestly replied:

"I'm an orphan too, Princess. But I was strong enough to stand up to bullies in the orphanage. Cozy, it seems, had to manipulate and seek power to avoid trouble."

"That's why Cozy decided to become the Empress of Friendship and make everyone her friend! And she allied with villains for protection! How did I not realize this before?" exclaimed Twilight.

"I don't blame you, Princess! You were scared, like all of Equestria! And even now, Cozy Glow's release will worry many. But we must not let our fear control us. If there's a chance, we must help the pegasus, not keep her in stone!" confidently replied Flash.

"Maybe I should consult with Celestia and Luna first? And with the girls?" Twilight hesitated. But then she looked into Flash's periwinkle-blue eyes, shining with determination, and the pegasus's confidence transferred to the princess.

"Thou art right! We must help her! Flash, dost thou have a plan?" Twilight trusted Flash.

"When did we switch to 'thou'?" the guard wondered, but he didn't voice his surprise to the princess.

"Yes, my princess! To distract Cozy from her world domination plans, we must show her how she can delight others with her strategic talents. Specifically – we'll get her interested in a career as a chess player."

Here the pegasus pulled out a chessboard from his saddlebag and began explaining the details.

Comments

[Bluecatcinema]

"Thou art right! We must help her! Flash, dost thou have a plan?" Twilight trusted Flash.

Yeah... Sorry, but Flash convinced Twilight a little too easily here. Twilight has seen Cozy's misdeeds up close, even been the victim of them. Flash has never actually met the filly, so his opinion really shouldn't have swayed Twilight just like that.

[Communist_Egor]

11796011
Read the chapter carefully: Twilight felt ashamed that she did not try to help Cozy understand friendship correctly, but instead allowed her mentor to first send the filly to Tartarus, and then imprison her in stone. She wants to correct her mistake.