Winter Lotus and Sugar Stix are sisters. You know who else is her sister, the one their mom said went insane, Cozy Glow.
Winter Lotus and Sugar Stix are sisters. You know who else is her sister, the one their mom said went insane, Cozy Glow. The only thing they hope for now is that the princesses don’t find out.
“Breaking News:” Lotus and Sugar Stix read in the newspaper, “Cozy Glow frozen in Stone with Tirek and Chrysalis after Final Battle”.
“That’s not good,” sighs Lotus, “what if the news ever gets out that we’re related to that magic stealing filly.” Lotus lets out a huff. “That power crazed Pegasus sister mom always warned us about before she was murdered by that very same foal of hers.”
“Yeah,” agrees Sugar Stix, “mom did call her insane. She was right.”
Meanwhile, outside, the sister’s hear the cheering calls of ponies as the mane six are paraded outside their doors. Elsewhere, however, they hear murmurs and rumors going on about them. Over the following weeks, they don’t go to classes either. Winter Lotus doesn’t go to classes at Pony U and Sugar Stix skips class at the Ponyville Elementary School to the point she has Ms. Cheerilee worried.
After school ends that day, Cheerilee comes by the sisters’ house and knocks on their door. Their adoptive mom, Melody Rain gladly lets Cheerilee in. “What’s wrong?” Asks Melody concerned.
“Why is Sugar Stix skipping my class?” Asks Cheerilee. “She hasn’t been in class for four weeks now. I’m worried about her.”
“Well, it’s a long story, that I barely know all the answers to myself,” responds Melody Rain. “All I know is their mom was murdered when they were younger, I adopted them not long after that. I have heard that Lotus flunked out of college this week too, I’m worried about both of them. They won’t tell me anything. They’ve been acting funny ever since these Cozy Glow headlines started dropping in the newspaper three weeks ago though. That makes me think they are hiding something about their family and past from me sometimes. It may be superstition or it may be truth, I don’t know.”
“Well, can I come in?” Asks Cheerilee.
“Oh that,” responds Melody Rain, “sure.” Cheerilee follows her inside and the two sit down to tea. There, they talk over Sugar Stix and even Lotus.
“If she’d prefer, we can do classes after school hours for Sugar’s schooling.”
“That would be grand,” responds Melody. “I just want her to succeed. I’ll let her know about this later.”
Cheerilee nods, thanks Melody for the tea, then leaves for a doctor’s appointment before heading off to Friday night quilting at Sweet Apple Acres. Meanwhile at the house, Melody tells the plan she made with Cheerilee to Sugar Stix and Sugar Stix agrees. The two then go downstairs to dinner with Winter Lotus who is back from Pony U. Needless to say, Melody isn’t pleased with her dropout adoptive daughter.
Over the following weeks, Sugar’s after school hour schooling goes rather well and she finally decides to tell her teacher, Ms. Cheerilee everything. “Well,” starts Sugar Stix, “first promise you won’t tell any pony else.”
“Promise,” responds Cheerilee. “I Pinkie Promise.” Sugar Stix then proceeds to tell her everything.
“Well, Cozy Glow is our sister,” sighs Sugar Stix, “and when we were little she murdered our real mom. After that, she was deemed crazy and taken to a mental hospital that she later escaped using her wit, cunning, and manipulation. She never came home after that. Mom always warned us that our sister had a few screws lose and was crazy. We didn’t originally believe her. Now we do believe her, obviously. That’s why we’ve been hiding. Ponies have been whispering about us being related to that magic stealer and they’re right-she’s our crazy sister. That’s why we’re scared, terrified. What if they decide to come after us next?”
“That makes sense, you also skipped when she was thrown in TarTarUs. Well, I’m glad to know the truth. I won’t tell any pony else, although I do advise you and your sister take this before the princesses.”
“Fine, it’s almost Christmas holiday, we’ll go then,” responds Cheerilee. Later that afternoon, Sugar Stix tells her sister Winter Lotus and she reluctantly agrees that they should bring it up to the princesses after being told that Ms. Cheerilee thinks they’ll surely understand.
A few weeks later, the sisters along with Cheerilee take the train to Canterlot alongside the Princess Twilight Sparkle. “You’ll be fine, the Sisters will understand,” Twilight assures them.
“Are you sure?” They gulp nervously.
“Most certainly,” responds Twilight. A few hours later they arrive in Canterlot where they’re greeted by Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. They’re then led into a secret underground corridor and follow it to a gigantic meeting room where they all sit down around the long rectangular table engraved on each corner with the cutie marks of Celestia, Luna, Cadence (with Flurry Heart’s underneath her own), and Twilight’s on the final corner.
“So, we’ve been told there’s something important you have to tell us,” says Celestia.
“Yes,” sigh the sisters in unison, “Cozy Glow is our sister. Now let us explain, the mare we call mom now is only our adoptive mom. Our real mom was murdered by Cozy Glow. Something snapped in her as a foal causing her to kill our mom. We had no choice but to have her locked away and to go into hiding ourselves. Somehow she escaped though and ended up in Ponyville where she manipulated her way into Twilight’s school. We’re deeply sorry for all the pain our sister has caused. We’re not like that at all, the poor thing just needs help.”
“Well,” responds Celestia, “we understand that. You’ve both proven yourself to be safe and functioning members of Equestrian society.” She then gets close and whispers in the sisters ears out of earshot of Luna, “besides, I know how evil sisters work, remember, Luna used to be Nightmare Moon after all.”
“You know I can still hear you, sister,” says Luna.
After several more hours, the meeting comes to an end and Sugar and Winter are shown to the guest rooms upstairs where they’ll stay the night. They’re just relieved the meeting went as well as it did. Super duper relieved. Honestly relieved. From the window of their room, the two look out into the garden at the statue of Chrysalis, Tirek, and their little sister.
“Shame it had to end that way,” says Winter Lotus as she lets out a sigh as her eyes well up with tears.
“Yeah, but she was putting other ponies in danger, us in danger,” sighs Sugar Stix. “It’s for the best.” She sniffles as she starts to cry a bit as well. She wipes them away. The two turn away from the window and head down into the castle gardens to get some fresh air and to see the statue in person. They walk towards it and touch it, rubbing their hooves across Cozy Glow’s face. They begin to full blown cry. Why they miss their murderer, manipulative bitch of a sister, not even they truly understand. They just feel guilty for her actions more than anything else, but why they feel sorry for her still confuses them much to their dismay.
A few moments later, the sisters are spotted by a royal guard and taken back to the guest quarters. “What were you doing in the statue garden this late at night?” Inquires the guard. “What were you doing at the Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow statue?”
“First assure us that we can trust you, maybe your name perhaps,” responds Winter Lotus. “Also don’t bother telling the princesses, they already know.”
“Sure, I understand,” responds the stallion. “My name is Shield n Sheath.”
“Well, rank too, so we can address you properly,” responds Winter Lotus.
“I’m a general,” responds Shield n Sheath.
“Well,” sighs the mare, “General Shield n Sheath, Cozy Glow is our sister. She murdered our mother when we were foals.”
“Oh, my condolences then,” responds General Shield n Sheath. He nods and takes off his helmet. “Let me know if you need anything. The captain and I will be posted outside your door tonight. Just a safety measure and precaution.”
“Thanks for that,” responds Winter Lotus. “It’s much appreciated. Really.” A few moments later, Captain Swordstriker joins Shield n Sheath in the hall outside the sisters’ door. The two stallions then begin to talk.
“It really is such a shame what they’ve gone through, poor mares,” sighs Shield n Sheath to Swordstriker.
“Yeah, their own sibling murdering their birth mom, that’s horrible,” responds Captain Swordstriker. “At least, they’re safe now.”
“Yeah, but we will never know if the villains will break free from their statue or if it’s the stronger everlasting stone spell variant,” responds Shield n Sheath.
“Well, let’s just hope and pray it is,” responds Swordstriker. “He lets out a sigh. For real, though.”
A few hours later, an exhausted Sugar Stix passes out cold and Winter Lotus tucks her in for the night before falling asleep at her sister’s side for the night as she’s exhausted herself. They, this time, end up sleeping through the night into the early hours of the morning and wake up with the sun once they hear a startling knock at the door.
“Girls, it’s Twilight,” says the mare outside the door.
“What do you need, princess?” Inquires Winter Lotus.
“Celestia made pancakes, y’all want to join us for breakfast in the royal hall?”
“Sure,” say the sisters in unison as they open up and stumble out the door. They follow Twilight to the royal hall where they’re sat down next to Twilight and served pancakes by Celestia herself before she too sits down next to Luna.
As they eat, Winter Lotus eventually asks a question unprompted. “Cozy Glow will never break free from that statue, right?”
“No, she never will, you’re safe, rest assured,” responds Celestia with a smile. She comforts the sisters and puts them at ease with her next statement. “My sister, Discord, and I used the everlasting stone spell. She’s never getting free unless we purposefully undo the spell which is nigh impossible as the spell is partially fueled by chaos and Tar-Tar-Us magic.”
“Okay, good,” says Winter Lotus as she lets out a sigh of relief before going back to enjoying her pancakes. They go on to talk for a few more hours before being escorted back to their room by a guard named Wheel Stoke. There, they’re placed back under the protection, watch, and care of Shield n Sheath as he’s the guard they trust the most. A few hours later, he’s once again joined by Swordstriker after his duties for the day as captain have pretty much wrapped up for the morning at least. As for the sisters, they just sit in the room playing cards until they’re brought a lunch of daisy sandwiches. It’s going to be a long, long, winter break for the two, that’s for sure-especially if the princesses plan to keep them in Canterlot the entire time.
