Cozy Glow and Princess Celestia have a history together. One that no pony could ever imagine.
Cozy Glow and Princess Celestia have a history together. One that no pony could ever imagine.
This is a backstory I decided to make for Cozy Glow, since we never got to know anything about her past. I'm planning on using this backstory in another fan fiction I'm going to write called "The Ending of The End Part 3" because I want to make a version where the villains reform.
Reminder: For those of you who have already read the story, this wasn't created to write Celestia dirty, and it wasn't to give her bad writing. It was mainly focused on giving Cozy a motivation for her evil actions. So if you don't like it because of the writing for Celestia, please don't berate me about it in any way.
It was a week before the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, and everypony in Equestria was very excited about it. Including a certain four year old alicorn.
Cozy Glow stood on the balcony that wrapped around the tower of her bedroom in Canterlot Castle. She watched as the sun raised, starting the day. She was too excited about the upcoming sun holiday to sleep last night. The Summer Sun Celebration was one of her favorite holidays of the year.
Cozy turned around at the sound of a knock on her bedroom door. A tall, cream colored alicorn came in. She has a long, sparkling, wavy mane, and a sun as her cutie mark. She has the warmest smile in Equestria, and it was easy to see why she's so beloved by her subjects.
"Mommy!" Cozy exclaimed, and ran towards Princess Celestia to give her a hug.
"Good morning, sweetheart." Celestia said. " I still have an hour before I check with the unicorns for the firework show. Would you like to spend some time with me in the royal garden before you go to your magic tutor?"
Cozy Glow was too young to go to her mother's school, and she was more powerful than most unicorns, so her mother hired a magic tutor to help her study magic early.
Cozy Glow nodded at the invitation and her horn emitted with a pink aura. A moment later, she teleported herself and her mother in the castle gardens.
"And the younger sister reunited with her older sister, welcomed back by her kingdom that the two now rule together, and they all lived happily ever after."
It was sunset, and Celestia was reading a bedtime story to Cozy. Despite how many times she's heard it, she could never get enough about the ponies' tale when her mother fought her aunt who turned into an evil pony, and using the Elements of Harmony to banish her to the moon for a thousand years.
"Well, it's time to sleep Cozy. After I raise the moon I'm going to bed as well."
"Can I do it, mommy? Pleeeease?" Cozy pleaded with big, pleading eyes.
"Alright, alright." Celestia laughed. "You can do it this time."
Cozy flew outside to her balcony and her horn ignited with a pink aura. The sun slowly descended and the moon raised into the sky. Cozy giddily jumped up and down, proud of her work.
"Great job, sweetheart!" Her mother praised. "You're getting better and better at this. You'll surely be ready for your royal duties when you're older."
"I'm already older. I'm already four years old and I'm grown up now!"
Celestia laughed. "Well, how about let's say, when you're older than older?" Celestia then sat down on her daughter's bed as Cozy flew in and joined her. "But really, Cozy Glow. I'm really the proudest mother in Equestria. You're the brightest and smartest filly I've ever seen, and your magic is extraordinarily amazing. "
"Does that mean I can finally go to your school?" Cozy asked hopefully.
“Cozy, I really want you to go to my school. I really do. But you're still too young, you would need to be at least a year older. And even so, my school is a school for gifted unicorns. You're magic already surpassed every level I could teach there. I for one, have never seen anypony do an age spell by accident when they're only one years old, and I never thought you would travel into the dream realm by accident when they're only two. Thank goodness I saw the whole thing and I was able to get you out before the portal closed, otherwise you could have been stuck in that world until you made another portal."
Cozy Glow was tucked into a hug under her mother's wing. Celestia looked lovingly into Cozy's sparkling violet eyes. The warm, light violet eyes, that can comfort anypony. Her eyes, just like her mother's violet eyes, from which she inherited from her. Celestia then stroked her daughter's mane. Even though it wasn't magically flowing or sparkling, her mane had the same resemblance as her mother's as well. It was the same shade of blue as the blue part of Celestia's mane, and it was in wavy curls that went over the right side of her body. If Cozy's coat was white, she would look identical to her mother.
'About the dreams, what about my auntie coming back as a bad guy?' Cozy asked, fearfully hiding herself under her wings.
'Don't worry about that, honey. Remember Twilight Sparkle? The girl who your step-cousin Cadence foalsits? The purple pony who came into the throne room yesterday?'
Cozy saw her mother's best student all the time, and she looks up to her as if she was her idol. The only reason she didn't talk to her was because she didn't look like she wanted friends, and Cozy didn't want to be rude to interrupt her when she's busy studying.
'She's going to take care of that. She'll turn Nightmare Moon back into your Aunt Luna. She will be very pleased to meet you, and I'm sure she'll be very proud to have such a powerful, smart and kind niece. I'm sure she'll agree with you're title as The Princess of Light." Celestia explained.
"Princess of Light?" Cozy asked. "You never told me about that."
"I was planning on telling you tonight I'm planning on crowning you as an official princess once your at least old enough to know how a coronation works. You would be the youngest alicorn to ever join the official princesses, and I'm giving you the title as the princess of light. First, you won't have any royal duties until your twelve. In the meantime, just like you do right now, you can help with royal ceremonies and celebrations. But after that, as you grow, as the Princess of Light, it will be your job to spread light across Equestria. Later on, once me and Aunt Luna retire, it will be your duty to raise the sun and moon, even during the Summer Sun Celebration, and you will visit the dream realm and protect ponies from their nightmares.'
Cozy was confused. "But real princesses have to do princess worthy deeds to be princesses. I didn't do anything. And not even grownup fillies like me are old enough to be princesses."
"Cozy, a princess isn't crowned depending on her age. She's crowned for what's within her heart. And a grownup filly like you have proven yourself worthy. Especially when you did a princess worthy deed. Remember when you casted that amazing spell a couple years ago? You were the first pony to discover the true power of the sun and moon. When you raised the sun and moon to form the first solar eclipse in a millennia, you united the sun and moon's power together. For thousands of years, ponies were trying to find out the secret to revealing their true powers, and you combined their power. Because of this, you now have a special connection with the sun and moon, and as long as you remain, Equestria is protected by the sun and moon's magic. If that doesn't count as a princess worthy deed, I don't know what would."
'And you really feel like I will be ready for that?' Cozy asked, not sure whether to be nervous or excited.
'Of course, Cozy. You're so kind, smart, and you care about every pony so much. I couldn't think of anyone better for the title. Your step-cousin Cadence is going to rule the Crystal Empire once it returns and it's saved from darkness. You might even rule a kingdom of your own someday.'
'I don't want to rule a kingdom right now, though! I don't feel like I'm ready." Cozy said.
'Of course not now, you silly filly. But I want to let you know, I will always be there for you if you need me. I love you, Cozy. I could never ask for a better daughter. There is nothing in Equestria that could change that."
Cozy was filled with a feeling the same as her name described, and felt a warm, fuzzy sensation. "I love you too, mommy." Then she opened her mouth to yawn.
"You must be tired. We've been talking for thirty minutes." Celestia said as she got up and tucked Cozy in. She went to the door and looked at Cozy. "Goodnight, Cozy. Sweet dreams. Even if you have the power to create dreams."
"Goodnight, mommy." Cozy's horn was surrounded by a pink aura, and the spell magically turned off the light, closed the curtains, and the flames on the chandelier went out.
Her mother closed the door, and in a few minutes, Cozy fell asleep.
Celestia was pushing her daughter on a swing in the castle gardens. The day after tomorrow was the Summer Sun Celebration, so it wasn't at all a surprise to Celestia to see Cozy Glow much more enthusiastic and excited than usual.
A royal guard approached Celestia with a professor-like pony behind him.
"You're Majesty," the guard said as he bowed. "This stallion requests the presence of your daughter."
Cozy dragged her back legs on the ground to stop herself from swinging, then hopped off, grabbed her bag, and went off with her teacher for her magic tutor. "Bye mommy!"
"Cozy, wait! You forgot your quill!" Celestia said. Cozy turned around and saw her quill being levitated in her mother's golden aura. Cozy teleported the quill into her bag. " Thanks Mommy!" Then skipped beside her teacher as they headed for the castle's library to start Cozy's lesson.
Celestia watched with pride as she watched her daughter walk off. She teleported a clock in front of her. 7:00 AM. She still had half an hour before she had to check with the unicorns for the firework show. But that was the least important thing on her mind at the moment. Right now she couldn't think of anything other than her daughter. Cozy was sweet, intelligent, and beloved by everypony in Equestria. She had many friends, and she always helped anypony whenever she could. "Why is my daughter so perfect?" Celestia thought aloud. "Is my daughter gifted with some sort of magic that makes her nice? After all, the birth of an alicorn is something Equestria has never seen, yet she was somehow born one. Maybe I can try to find out!"
Celestia's horn lit up, and she casted a spell, wishing with all her heart, to know what made Cozy Glow the way she is. She pictured of the times Cozy stood by her side during Grand Galloping Galas, the times where Cozy made macaroni picture frames for her mother's Hearth's Warming Eve present, and the time where they made Cozy's stain glass window in the castle together. Then she focused on all those perfect moments, and envisioned them in her spell, deeply wanting to know what made Cozy so sweet.
Celestia finished casting the spell, but instead of having answers, there was a bright shining star that glowed so brightly that it made everything else look like it was night time. The star floated in the air and towards Celestia. A prophecy. The spell Celestia casted ended up giving her a prophecy.
Celestia took the star with her hoof, and peered cautiously inside the star to see what it reads. And the moment she read it , she wished she didn't.
Inside the prophecy read:
If Cozy Glow continues on her current path, the light in Equestria and beyond will stay as bright as ever. But if her heart is pained by magic, her happiness will turn to rage, and all of Equestria will crumble.
Then the prophecy disappeared.
The pit of Celestia's stomach churned, and her heart beated so fast that it was all she could hear. "No. No No NO NO NO!" She couldn't imagine the thought of her own daughter being a threat to Equestria. Even though the prophecy said there was only a chance it might happen, she didn't want that chance to be true. If Cozy turned evil, the damage she could cause with her magic would be catastrophic. Yet the prophecy stated that this what would happen I'f Cozy's heart is pained by magic.
Celestia caught her breath when she finally realized she forgot to breathe. "If the prophecy comes true, that means I'll have to choose between my kingdom....and my daughter."
"Well done, Cozy Glow! I must say, I have never met or heard of a pony with abilities like yours." Cozy's teacher said.
"Thank you, professor." Cozy said.
Cozy just completed the last spell in her magic lesson, and it was to grow any plant with magical effects straight out of a pot of soil. The spell worked better than Cozy's professor thought it would, and Cozy managed to grow the Voloverlangen flower. Rarely anypony knew about it's magic properties, but thanks to the information from a book in the Canterlot Archives that Cozy carried around with her, she found out that the Voloverlangen Flower was a flower that can grant wishes for good and not evil, and every time one wish is granted, one petal would fall off and disappear.
"Why don't you keep that flower? We already finished studying it. You can keep the flower and make some wishes. Besides, I'm sure your mother, Princess Celestia, would be very proud of you if she found out you could do this." Cozy's teacher said.
"Thanks! I can't wait to show her!" Cozy Glow chirped.
"You don't need to wait." Cozy's teacher pointed at a clock on the wall. "Your lesson is over. Unless she's busy, you can tell her right now. You're dismissed."
"Goodbye professor!" Cozy grabbed her bag and flew out of the castle's classroom. Her horn lit up, and the Voloverlangen flower was encased and floating inside a crystal jar to keep it safe. She flew up and down, left and right, until she came to the doors of the throne room, and to her surprise, her mother was waiting for her with a troubled look on her face.
"Hi mommy! You won't believe what I did in class! I was able to grow this flower straight out of a pot of soil." Cozy gestured to the flower encased in a crystal jar. "The flower of Volo...villy.. verla...um, this flower can grant wishes as long as they're good. We can share the petals! Can I go first?"
"Oh! Um, yeah. Cozy, that's very nice but, well...," Celestia took a deep breath before continuing. "Can I talk to you in the throne room?"
"Okay, mommy. But aren't you busy with other ponies in there?"
"Not at all. This morning after you left for your tutor I responded to my student, Twilight Sparkle, with some duties to check on the preparations for the holiday in Ponyville. I don't have to deal with a lot of ponies until the Celebration. But enough about that. I must speak with you alone." She turned to the two guards guarding the throne room door. "You're dismissed from your shift." The two guards nodded and went off.
Celestia opened the doors and looked both ways in the foyer to make sure nopony was there, then closed the doors. She stood at the bottom of the staircase that led to her throne and Cozy was in front of her, at the back of the room as she put her stuff to the side neatly on the ground. It was like Celestia looked at a subject at the back of the room.
"What is it, mommy?"
Celestia took a deep breath, bracing herself for what came next. "This morning, before I wrote back to Twilight, I casted a spell. It ended up getting twisted and resulted in giving me a prophecy." Celestia created a projection of the prophecy's words in thin air. Cozy read it, and her eyes widened in shock.
"Why would I turn evil? Even though it's only a chance that it will happen. And it says it will only happen if my heart is pained by magic. But why would any prophecy think I'll turn evil?" Cozy asked in disbelief.
"I don't know, Cozy. But you know how powerful your magic is. You hold the power of uniting the sun and moon together. You hold powers over life and death. Even if it's unlikely you'll get pained by it, I'm not taking any chances if it comes to danger against Equestria."
"What do you mean?" Cozy was starting to feel that things were about to be very ugly.
Celestia's horn was covered in a golden aura. Six crystals teleported in front of her, five of them shaped like normal gems, one shaped like a six-pointed star.
"The elements of harmony. Wait- What are you doing?!" Cozy fearfully stepped back.
"I'm sorry, Cozy. But I can't just risk having one pony to have a happy life if they become a threat against Equestria. Especially if they have abilities like yours. The magic you could cause if you turned evil would destroy Equestria, which is why I have to do this. I have to use the Elements of Harmony to turn you into a Pegasus."
"Wait, What?!"
Cozy didn't even get a chance to say any more because the The Element of Harmony started circling around Celestia's horn. The Elements temporarily enhanced her magic, making the light blinding Cozy Glow. Celestia blasted at Cozy Glow, and she levitated into the air with a bright, golden aura.
Cozy screamed. The spell was extremely painful. Her alicorn wings shrunk into Pegasus wings, and her horn was covered in cracks of light before it shattered. Celestia looked at Cozy's pink magic which was still where Cozy's horn used to be. She knew that even if she turned her daughter into a Pegasus, her magic couldn't just disappear, and that it would have to go somewhere. Celestia used her magic to create a red rook chess piece, and Cozy's magic drained into the rook. Instead of a normal chess piece, it was now glowing in the same pink magic as Cozy's. Celestia opened a portal that lead to an empty void, and she threw the rook in.
Then all the light faded. All the light faded, The Elements of Harmony disappeared, The portal with the rook vanished into thin air, and Cozy Glow landed on the floor with a thud.
"Mommy, why would you do this?" Tears were pouring out of Cozy's eyes like a fountain.
"I'm sorry." Celestia fought back tears of her own. "But I can't take any chances, even if they're very little. I can't have you pained by your magic, so I have to take it away. I need to protect Equestria. The prophecy said so."
"P...P....Please, mommy. Please...don't do this." Cozy's voice was shaky as she gulped in breaths and the tears continued to stream down her eyes. We can find another way to fix this. All of it. Please, just don't do this."
Celestia was getting tired. All the planning she had to to ensure her sister's return went well left her exhausted. She wasn't used to hearing Cozy Glow complain.
"So your saying, that even though I banished your aunt to the moon to protect Equestria, you're saying that if it happens to you, you're pleading for it not to be this way? You thought that banishing your aunt to protect Equestria was a right thing for me to do." Celestia's voice was starting to get more suspicious.
"Well...I..." Cozy wasn't sure how to answer her mother's question.
"You don't really care about Equestria do you?" Celestia's heartbreak was starting to fall to rage and disbelief. "You didn't have any objections when I told you I banished my sister to the moon. And to think, your aunt spent a thousand years alone and isolated, and I felt like I lost her forever, but it was the right thing to do. If you really care about Equestria, then why are you having objections right now to when I'm doing the right thing?"
"Well, it-it just felt more like you had a better reason to do so!" Cozy didn't mean to sound selfish, she didn't mean for the truth to slip out of her lips. She truly did feel like Celestia had a better reason at that time to banish her sister, but she couldn't put her hoof on why. "I love Equestria, mommy! I really care about you kingdom! But why would you do this?"
"I told you I need to protect Equestria!" Celestia's voice started sounding agitated, taking her daughter's honesty as offence instead. "I explained many times already. Wouldn't a real daughter understand?" She all of a sudden felt guilty for the words that slipped out of her lips, but she had to protect Equestria at all costs.
"But-"
"And I'm afraid there's more than that. That spell also wiped out everypony's memory that you ever existed. History books, certificates of identification, gifts that you gave to your friends, everypony! You and I are the only one's who know of your existence. The only proof that's left that you ever existed is your room, which I will keep locked and label as a 'Princess Only' room, and I'll be able to convince Luna to not go into it. The other only proof that is around is your stain glass window, which I will cover with a banister, and a few pictures of you in my room, which I will keep hidden. Luna won't find out, and nopony else ever would either. This prophecy said that it is just a chance, but it's not a chance I'm willing to take."
"If you only wanted to take my magic to protect Equestria, I can get that. But you never said I would no longer be your daughter!"
"I would believe in a prophecy more than you if it means to protect Equestria." Celestia said with a stern gaze.
"But you've faced so many villains before! Even if I turn evil, can't you face me? You cant deny that a lot of the villains you faced are more powerful than me. And even then, I can learn from my mistake of being evil and reform!"
"You're right Cozy. Many of the villains I faced are a lot more powerful than you. But I don't have time to fight against a crazy powerful filly. I've fought enough villains during my time. Nightmare moon is returning the day after tomorrow, and I'm not letting any new threat to Equestria emerge to ruin a era of peace that I can have with my sister."
Cozy's heart shattered. She was already feeling very weak without her alicorn immortality, and seeing her own mother betray her knocked the wind out of her.
"Im afraid you are now dethroned from your title as the Princess of Light. You no longer live with me in Canterlot, and starting from when the sun sets today, I banish you from Canterlot forever. I can't have you using any secret books or passages in Canterlot to prove that you're my daughter."
"But mommy! Where will I go? Can I ever at least see you again?"
"I'm afraid not. I'm sorry Cozy. I really am. But a real Princess would never take even the smallest chance when it comes to one pony and her kingdom. Not even for her own daughter."
Cozy's lip quivered as she whispered softly . "But a mother would."
Cozy quickly put the crystal jar with her flower inside her saddlebag, pulled them over her back, and ran out of the throne room crying harder than ever before.
Cozy Glow flew all the way out of Canterlot Castle and off the mountain it's built on, heading towards Ponyville. It was very difficult for her, because one, her Pegasus wings are much smaller than her alicorn wings, and two, losing her immortality made her very weak, and it didn't help matters that she was flying for a very long distance with two heavy saddlebags on her back.
Cozy finally landed on the ground. She was exhausted and out of breath, and beads of sweat glistened around her face. She knew that she would have to rest a while and regain energy before she went any farther. She sat herself on a bench and pulled an apple out of her bag. While she was eating, she noticed her idol Twilight Sparkle reading a book by a windowsill in a tree that was used as a library. She also noticed that there were many banners with suns hung up, along with other decorations, and she figured they must've been for the Summer Sun Celebration.
"Well, at least since the holiday is in Ponyville, I'd still be able to see it happen, and I'll know what my aunt looks like. I just won't actually get to meet her." Cozy said to herself, trying to make her feel better, but she couldn't stop feeling how much it hurt.
Cozy knew exactly where she was heading after; The Castle of The Two Sisters. She figured it would be best for her to live there and to learn to take care of herself without magic. After all, no one lives in it anymore, she always liked to visit the castle, and it was full of stuff that belonged to her mother. After the dethroned princess was finished eating and regained her energy, she flew towards the edge of Ponyville and into the Everfree Forest. She was well aware of the dangers that lurked within. Whenever her mother is still busy with other ponies after Cozy's lesson was over, she'd sometimes play with her friends from Canterlot or Ponyville, help around with other ponies if she could, visit her step-cousin Cadence, or visit the Castle of The Two Sisters. She went through the Everfree Forest multiple times, and a few times where there was a dangerous creature attacking she was able to get away or defeat it easily. But right now she felt apprehensive about it, because she always had her magic to defend herself if something dangerous attacked her. Now she had to rely entirely on her wits and Pegasus flight to get by safely.
It was sunset by the time Cozy reached the edge of the Everfree Forest. Aside from running into a plant called Poison Joke (where she was able to get rid of one ridiculously enlarged wing using a bath bomb potion from her saddlebag), she didn't run into any trouble to get here. She crossed the bridge that led her to the Castle of The Two Sisters.
It looked just like it did the last time she was here. The same steps that lead to the main entrance, the same way the roof was missing, and the same way some of the walls were cracked and caved in. But it didn't feel like it before. Ever time she came here, she felt like she was home. But now that she's a Pegasus and no longer royal, she feels like she's staring at the house of a stranger. Coming here before felt like she was visiting her mother, but now she's not allowed to consider Celestia as her mother. Instead of looking at the castle like a home, this time she looked at it with guilt. Her mother had banished her aunt right here a millennia ago. And it was the right thing for her to do. How was this any different?
"What if mommy was right?" Cozy thought to herself. "What if it was right for her to do this. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's not the right the thing to do. Besides, she's dealt with a lot in a thousand years. She should be smart enough to know what's right. And she's still my mother. I should still obey and listen to her."
All of a sudden, this feeling made Cozy Glow feel extremely guilty. She complained to her own mother about the right decision, and she made herself seem naughty. Feeling like she doesn't deserve to live in a castle where The Princesses once lived, Cozy decided to find somewhere else to live. She looked in the distance, and very near here on the right side of the view, there was a small network of frosted mountains, so Cozy passed by the Castle and headed toward the nearest mountain.
The mountain was very near, and it only took about half an hour to fly there and hike midway up the mountain. Cozy stopped and sat down to rest, and saw how there was so much flat ground here, about as much as a buckball field. She flew over the edge of the cliff, and she saw that there was a perfect view of everything. The Castle of The Two Sisters can easily be seen, and she from here she can also see the Everfree forest, Ponyville behind it, and Canterlot Mountain with it's city hanging onto it. Even the view of the dawn was beautiful, the way how the sun peaked out over the edge of the valley made the view breathtaking. This was it. This was where Cozy was going to hide. Where she was going to live.
Cozy slipped the saddlebags off her back and crouched down. She nearly forgot that she didn't have magic anymore, and sighed as she carefully pulled the crystal jar containing the Voloverlangen flower inside of it. She glanced at the glowing, self-levitating flower and it's soft, pink, silky petals. She took a deep breath.
"I wish for a home that will keep me safe." She said.
A petal glowed and flew out of the crystal case. It fell on the ground and shattered. Where the petal fell, a bright light was replaced, it expanded and it stretched widely around the area. It formed pink crystal walls and roofs, and when all the light faded, the Cozy's wish was granted, and a few yards right in front of her was a castle made entirely out crystal the same colour as her horn aura. Unlike Canterlot Castle or The Castle of The Two Sisters, it was thin but tall, like the castle from the Crystal Empire that Cozy saw from pictures her mother drew. It was mostly one main structure, and it didn't have a lot of towers sticking out of it. On top of the castle was a long, thin spire with a star on the very top. A balcony was right below it, where inside was a room in the tallest part of the main structure. At the bottom of the small palace below that, was a set of stairs that led to a set of double doors as the main entrance, where one door was designed like the sun and the other was designed like a moon.
Cozy looked at the rather small castle and pushed the double doors. She gazed around her new home. The walls and ceilings were made of different shades of pink crystal, And in the shadows were a bunch of doors that were blue or gold. A grand set of stairs led to a platform. Cozy walked up the stairs and out of the foyer, and when she got to the platform, she saw a long hallway on the middle level with doors that had a bathroom, library, storage, spare bedrooms, kitchen, and everything else she would need to survive. There were spiral staircases that Cozy assumed lead to other towers, and she went up the one in the middle of the hallway. It lead to the highest level, where there was the giant balcony above the main entrance outside. It gave her a perfect view of everything, including the Everfree Forest, The Castle of The Two Sisters, Ponyville, and Canterlot Mountain. There were only two other sets of double doors on the highest level. One of them led to a small study, and the other led to a giant bedroom, where the room was like a dark but starry night, and the curtains around the bed and lights on the nightstands glowed so bright, that they acted as the light source themselves.
Cozy pushed aside the ceiling-to-bed curtain and lied down on her new bed. She rolled over on her side and she saw the moon and starry night from porcelain framed windows and her bedroom balcony. She saw that the Mare in The Moon was glowing very brightly, as she knew that tomorrow Nightmare Moon would return, and she would never be able to see her aunt....
"No, no, no, Cozy." she said to herself, snapping out of it. "You're starting to sound like you think mommy was wrong again. This was the right thing for her to do."
"At least I can see Aunt Luna in Ponyville during the holiday. I just won't be able to get to know her." Cozy thought.
She turned off her lamps and the bed curtains magically went off. But she couldn't sleep, which she thought was strange since she was awake all the way from yesterday afternoon till dawn. Even if this house could help her survive, and it magically taught her to be raised as a normal filly, it still didn't feel right. The small, pink crystal castle was beautiful, she can't deny that, while some of the rooms are normal colored or enchanted-looking, and it's furniture was exquisite, and everything seemed perfect, but yet, even with these gifts and benefits, she still felt lonely. This was how she was going to live the rest of her life. Alone.....Forever.
Cozy Glow woke up the next morning. Wait a minute-no! She woke up when it was supposed to be morning. But strangely, the moon was still up and it was still night time.
"Oh right!" Cozy remembered. "Nightmare Moon has returned!"
But didn't her mother say Twilight Sparkle would handle her? Then again, Nightmare Moon has only returned for a few hours. Then after that, Nightmare Moon would turn back into her Aunt Luna, then she'll never get to meet her.....
"No, no, no, Cozy Glow!" She snapped out of it. She was doing it again! She was thinking of it like her mother was wrong. Of course her mother was right! She always was!
She pulled over the covers to go back to sleep, but all of a sudden she heard an explosive sound. She flew out of her bedroom and towards the grand balcony that gave her the best view of the Everfree Forest. What she saw caused her eyes to widen in amazement. At the Castle of The Two Sisters, rainbow light was shining from every direction from one of the towers. There were orange, pink, white, yellow, blue, and purple beams.
Cozy immediately flew directly off the balcony and towards the castle, curious to see what was causing the light. It only took her a few minutes to arrive there, then she flew in a window. Once she got inside, she ran down the hallway and peeked from behind the wall, then her jaw dropped at the sight.
Twilight Sparkle had a crown with her cutie mark on her head. Five other ponies surrounded her, with glowing necklaces around their necks, which Cozy Glow assumed were the Elements of Harmony that Celestia told her about. All of them were working in some sort of magical conjunction to form a powerful rainbow laser, which crashed down on who Cozy assumed from the silhouette was Nightmare Moon.
Cozy covered her eyes as there was a final flash of light, and a second later, she realized that the spell was finally over, and that her idol and the other five ponies were still wearing the Elements of Harmony, and that each crystal charm looked like their cutie marks.
"Gee, Twilight." The orange mare with a farm hat said. Her cutie mark and element was an apple. "I thought you were just spoutin' a lot of hooey, but I reckon we really do represent the Elements of friendship."
"Indeed you do."
Cozy Glow hid behind the wall a little more as soon as she heard the voice. The sun slowly raised into the sky, and Princess Celestia appeared in a flash of light. Five of the ponies bowed, while Twilight gasped in delight. "Princess Celestia!"
"Twilight Sparkle. My faithful student. I knew you could do it." She said as she bent down and hugged Twilight just like she did with Cozy Glow.
"But...You told me it was all an old pony tale."
"I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart."
Twilight and her new friends smiled at their success.
"Now if only another will as well. Princess Luna!"
Cozy Glow looked on the other end of the tower where there was another alicorn where Nightmare Moon previously stood. Her aunt looked just like her mother described. A shorter, blue, night-themed version of Celestia. "Aunt Luna...." Cozy breathed. She finally knew what her aunt looked like.
"It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this." Celestia sat down on the floor beside her sister. "Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister."
"Sister?" Twilight and her friends said.
"Will you accept my friendship?" Celestia asked, standing up. Twilight and her friends also looked at Princess Luna with faces waiting for an answer.
The princess looked down and considered, then suddenly got up and hugged Celestia. "I'm so sorry" She apologized. "I missed you so much, big sister!" Tears of joy flowed out of her eyes.
"I've missed you, too." Celestia said, with tears in her own eyes as well.
Cozy watched the whole thing happen. It was rather bittersweet for her. She finally got to see her aunt, and she was reunited with her sister, and Cozy felt happy for her. But it was also sad that her Aunt managed a Happily Ever After and she didn't.
She watched the reunion without anypony noticing she was there. She saw it all happen. But she started to feel suspicious. She had the same feeling she did when she questioned if what her mother did to her was the right thing to do. But this time, it felt much stronger. Was what her mother did really the right thing? The two circumstances between Luna's banishment and Cozy's banishment were the same, her mother said so herself. Celestia banishing Luna was the right thing to do, and so was Cozy's. But Cozy questioned it a lot more now. Luna was now reunited, but Cozy would still be isolated for the rest of her life. If both banishments were the right thing to do, then why was Luna given the opportunity to return to a happy life?
Cozy shook her head. This was all starting to get really confusing. Was it right for her to be turned into a Pegasus, or was it wrong? She ultimately decided her mother was still right. But this time, as she flew out of the castle to return to her own, deep down, even when she denied it and assumed her mother was right, the question still lingered within her.
Ten moons has passed, and Cozy was now five years old. Every single day was the same. She'd study in the library to have a normal education, and flying books magically taught her like teachers. She also practiced flight training with a scoreboard in another room to get used to being a Pegasus, and even when she was a Pegasus, she still decided to study spells and magic, even if she won't be able to cast them. The closest magic she could do would be to study magical artifacts, or to make potions.
The Castle gave her everything she needed to learn and survive like a normal pony, but there was one thing it was never able to provide: parental love. She had everything she needed, and she learned to be like a normal pegasus, and still received her education, but the castle was still never able to support her with the love of a parent. If she needed help, it wasn't like she could express how she feels to anyone. She taught herself to be wise, and she eventually learned that she couldn't always count on others, and she has to be independent and deal with things herself. She also learned to be ambitious and smart with her decisions, and that achievement had to be earned instead of freely given.
Nopony has ever found out about her castle, and it was impossible for anypony to find out unless she told them. And her mother would deny it and never tell either. And who were they going to believe, a five year old girl, or the ruler of Equestria?
She sometimes went outside and spent some time hiking in the small network of mountains, and now she knows every inch of this place, she remembers every rock and every crack in the ground, and every snow cap and the way it's shaped. Other times she would spend some time in Ponyville, because she could already feel that she's starting to lose her sanity without interacting with other ponies. But she knew she couldn't ever make any friends, cause then they will ask about her parents, and no one would believe the truth. She didn't have any parental love, she didn't have any support from friends, and she was still isolated in the mountains.
"I'm afraid not. I'm sorry Cozy. I really am. But a real Princess would never take even the smallest chance when it comes to one pony and her kingdom. Not even for her own daughter."
Cozy's lip quivered as she whispered softly . "But a mother would."
Cozy woke up with a sudden jolt and sat straight up in her bed. She had only gone to sleep for five minutes and she already had a nightmare. She hated whenever she had this dream, and she hated that she had to watch the bad memory all over again.
Usually after dreaming of the memory, Cozy would decide to go back to sleep. But this time, Cozy felt a little different, and she decided to stay awake a little longer. She got the covers off of her and moved the glowing curtains around the bed. She went to a corner of the room and pushed on a secret panel in the wall. It revealed a secret door for storage and was full of Cozy's stuff that she doesn't really use. She decided going through the stuff that she used in the past ten moons would make her feel better.
As she rummaged through a stack of pony tales' books, she noticed something was glowing in the far corner of the cabinet. She brushed off the friendship bracelets her step cousin Cadence made for her, and saw that underneath was the crystal jar containing the Voloverlangen flower. It was still missing one of it's petals that Cozy used to create her new home, otherwise it looked exactly as it did when it was in the throne room when her mother turned her into a Pegasus.
Cozy started questioning herself again. Was it really the right thing to do. Was it right for her mother to do that to her. Nightmare Moon was also dethroned, but Luna was able to return to her happy life and reunite with her sister. But it was made clear that Celestia intended Cozy to have her current fate forever. Did Luna deserve better than her? Were the circumstances different when Celestia turned against Luna compared to Cozy? This question bubbled within her stronger than ever before. She glanced at the flower and thought back in her nightmare. It was there the whole time when it happened in the throne room. If it could grant wishes, than perhaps she could find more clues in the overall meaning.
Cozy lifted the jar out of the cabinet and placed it on the floor. She gently took off the crystal jar and stared at the flower's soft, silky petals. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before speaking:
"I wish to see the words of the prophecy again."
When she opened her eyes, she saw that another one of the petals fell off the flower, and it turned into a golden scroll. Cozy took the scroll and removed the silk, velvet, ribbon. She unraveled the scroll and in ink that seemed to be made of pure light the same colour as the Voloverlangen flower's magic, it read:
If Cozy Glow continues on her current path, the light in Equestria and beyond will stay as bright as ever. But if her heart is pained by magic, her happiness will turn to rage, and all of Equestria will crumble.
Cozy read the scroll over and over again, and the more times she read it, the less it made sense.
"The prophecy said that it was only a chance I would become evil. But I already knew that. That was a chance mom didn't want to take." She said to herself. "But there was also a chance that if I wasn't turned into a Pegasus, I would've brought more light than Equestria's ever seen. But I guess mom really didn't want to take chances."
"It said I would only become evil if my heart is pained by magic. And that my happiness would turn to rage." She recalled the last few years of her short life. She knew for sure that she never felt enough rage to replace her happiness when she was still an alicorn. Her life was very happy, and there was definitely never pure anger as stated in the prophecy. She read the part before again.
"If my heart is pained by magic." She repeated. "Like I said before, my heart was never angry, and my heart never felt pain before. Except when...."
The only time her heart was close to feeling pain was her abandonment. But that didn't explain being pained by magic. She wasn't casting a spell when her magic was drained. She honestly didn't know what to think anymore. She needs to talk to somepony about this.
Her face suddenly lit up since she had an idea. "I know! I can go talk to Twilight about this. After all, she is respected for her intellect and kindness in Ponyville. Every pony counts on her. Maybe she could give me some advice."
Cozy flew out of her bedroom, down the spiral staircase that led her to the middle floor hallway, and in front of it was the platform and the stairs that led her to the lower level, and a few yards in front was the main entrance. Cozy pushed past the double doors and flew all the way to Ponyville. Even though it took less than an hour to get there, it was nighttime when Cozy woke up from her nightmare, and she didn't want to be rude to disturb her idol at night, but her desire for advice overtook her politeness.
When she landed a few yards away from the Golden Oak Library, she saw all of Twilight's friends, but Twilight wasn't there. All of a sudden, a huge bright light appeared in the sky. The light was shaped like Twilight's cutie mark, and it descended towards the ground in front of Twilight's friends. Eventually the light subsided, and it revealed that Twilight was crouching on the ground.
"Twilight? Is that you?" Applejack asked.
Twilight got on to her feet, and spread out two, large, beautiful alicorn wings. Cozy and Twilight's friends all gasped in shock. Her idol was now an alicorn. When her shock disappeared, she couldn't help but notice that Twilight was now really similar to her. They both had a gift for powerful magic, and they both sometimes worry about things being perfect, they're both very smart, they both want to please Celestia, they were both alicorns at one point in their life, and even Twilight's horn aura was the exact same colour as Cozy's.
"You look just like a princess." Fluttershy said.
"That's because she is a princess."
This made Cozy choke on the air she was breathing. She was absolutely shocked. A princess? She has always viewed her idol like one, but she never thought she'd see her as an official alicorn princess. She didn't realize until now that her mother was a few yards in front of her, and she quickly dove behind some bushes by the Golden Oak Library.
"A..a princess?" Twilight asked.
Celestia nodded. "Since you've come to Ponyville, you've displayed the charity, compassion, devotion, integrity, optimism, and of course, the leadership of a true princess."
Those were the exact same words Celestia said about Cozy! She said that Cozy had all of those traits, and that she will soon be real princess once she's old enough. Cozy didn't know what to think of this, but then noticed that there was a royal chariot with two guards pulling it behind Celestia for when she arrived here. Cozy saw a brown box-ish thing in the corner of the chariot, and she wanted to know what it was. She quietly snuck around the Golden Oak Library and behind the chariot, and luckily, the guards didn't notice her. She crept on to the chariot and grabbed the brown box shaped object. It was a journal.
Cozy knew she shouldn't be looking into her mother's stuff, but her curiosity got the best of her, and she flipped to a random page in the journal. It showed a bunch of times of when they used to spend time with each other, and a journal entry beneath the pictures talked about how Celestia felt when it happened. After flipping through a few more pages, Cozy stopped at a page that talked about the day after her mother abandoned her. And she nearly dropped the journal after reading it.
It read: "Today is the first day I have to spend without my daughter. I immediately regret my decision of betraying her. Now I realized that when her heart would be pained by magic, it wasn't talking about Cozy's magic, it was talking about the element of magic. How did I not think of it before? I used the Elements of Harmony against my own daughter! That was the only time her heart was ever pained! I'm the one who would probably fulfill the prophecy! But now it's too late. Cozy is gone. The difference between Luna's banishment and Cozy's banishment is that I fully knew that Luna was evil, and there weren't any chances. I already knew for sure that she turned evil. Cozy, on the other hoof, I was so paranoid into thinking this prophecy was going to come true, I didn't think about self-fulfilling and I ended up being the one to pain her heart using magic. What have I done? But, now I don't think I have the strength to find Cozy. I'm scared of how she would react. I shouldn't bother to find her. I don't want to see how she'd react at my betrayal. I know that missing my daughter will be hard, but it's best if I don't bother to show up. Maybe she'll just get less angry over time. But in the meantime, I have my sister, and I have a student who's exactly like my daughter, so it wouldn't feel like I'm missing anypony in my life at all."
Cozy's heart felt completely torn. For ten moons she was so naive. She was so young, and used to obeying her mother. Yet all along it was the wrong thing for her mother to do. And during all those moons, Celestia didn't bother to find her, and she doesn't even mind pretending she doesn't exist. It almost sounded like Celestia wanted to betray her. And Celestia replaced her with Twilight to fill the void in her heart. Twilight becoming very successful, becoming a princess, protecting Equestria, that was what would've happened to Cozy if the prophecy didn't exist! Celestia gave Cozy's destiny to Twilight, and chose her student over her own daughter.
Cozy looked up from the journal and saw Celestia, Twilight and her friends all in a group hug. She closed the journal and took it with her, while barely able to stifle herself from bawling. Once she was out of sight from the group, she couldn't keep her tears from flowing anymore. Her heart was truly pained. She was completely heartbroken. She zipped through the Everfree Forest and flew all the way home at a rapid speed.
Cozy never stopped flying. Her wings kept flapping. She was supposed to be asleep in her bed, and she was very tired from waking up, but her tiredness disappeared as her energy was now fuelled from the pain of finding out the truth. Her hooves clamped on her mother's diary ever so tightly. The pain blinded her so much that she didn't even realize that a cockatrice was in front of her, and quickly remembered to shut her eyes.
She didn't even bother to use the main entrance when she returned to her castle. She flew all the way up to the grand balcony and went inside from there. She flew so fast into her room that she would have broken the doors down if she didn't leave it open when she left.
She didn't close the secret cabinet when she left either. She immediately flew towards it rummaged through her old things. Finally, she found what she was looking for.
It was a framed photo. The framework was made from pink and gold crystal. It was covered in glitter, and there were jewels shaped like suns in each corner. She remembered that she and her mother made this. It was the first thing they ever made together. The photo inside it was a picture of when she stood beside her mother in her last Summer Sun Celebration. She was almost four at that time, and it was the first time she stood beside her mother on the platform when Celestia raised the sun. They were waving at the cheering crowd after the sun was raised, and Cozy was flying beside her mother while being tucked in a hug by Celestia's wing. Her face was flushed with happiness, and it couldn't have been any different from the miserable look on the current Cozy.
Cozy looked at the photo as she went out of her room and sat on the grand balcony. She noticed that in the distance, she could see fireworks in Ponyville, and one of them exploded into the shape of Twilight's cutie mark with a crown over it.
Everything that was supposed to happen to Cozy, happened to Twilight. Her own mother chose Twilight over her daughter. All that time when Cozy was alone, Celestia filled the hole in her heart with another pony instead of admitting her mistakes. Cozy was always so obedient of listening to others, she didn't even think of listening to herself. She was so naive and such a goody-two-shoes to think her mother was right. She has finally learned the painful truth. All along, she was replaced.
Cozy looked down again at the photograph. And seeing how it was back then and seeing the situation she was in right now filled her with so much emotion. It filled her with sadness, it filled her with pain, and most of all, it filled her with pure rage!
Cozy took the photo out of the frame and her hoof crushed down on it. The crystal frame shattered into hundreds of pieces, and the glass would have hurted Cozy's hoof if the rage she was feeling wasn't so intense that it didn't make her feel immune to it. She took the photo and ripped it in half. She has finally learned. And now she knew what she had to do next.
And as her rage consumed her, the four year old alicorn disappeared from her completely, and her rage turned her eyes, her mother's violet eyes, into deep, scarlet, hatred, red.
Cozy was now 10, and after 6 years of rotting in the shadows, she has had enough. She has came up with plans to take over Equestria and overthrow her mother.
Cozy has changed her appearance rather much. She dropped everything that resembles of her mother, and the only thing that she has that was from Celestia was her diary, which she uses for gathering information. Instead of her mother's signature hair that flows freely to one side of the body, she put her long tail and hair up in curls and it was completely held together by a white bow, so that her hair would fall back to normal if she took the bow out. Her red eyes weren't intentionally changed, but having her happiness turn to rage made her look somewhat different than before. She learned to put on a cute act, and she made her smile and eyes a lot larger and wider than before. Finally, she now has a cutie mark on her flank, which was a red rook. It looked exactly like the one that her mother drained magic into, except it wasn't glowing with Cozy's pink aura.
She was in her study, forming a plan for revenge , with scrolls and books all over the desk. She looked down at the flank, and remembered how she got her cutie mark when she was 7.
Seven year old Cozy was in the library, studying magical artifacts and potions. She figured that if she couldn't have physical magic to defend her, the most magic she could have would be with those.
But she knew she had to have more than enchanted toys and liquids. She needed something that can get her even farther into her plan. Ever since she found out the truth, she's been watching and spying on Twilight a lot to learn her strengths and weaknesses. But that won't help if she doesn't have strengths of her own equally powerful.
"How am I supposed to have control over something powerful that isn't magic?" Cozy asked herself, drumming her hoof on her book.
"Hmm, let's see. What has powerful beings such as Twilight, mother, or even villains been able to do that's very powerful that isn't magic? Twilight is smart, but she usually uses the Elements of Harmony. Nightmare Moon relied entirely on her magic to bring eternal night, so I can't look up to that. Discord relies on magic even more, but he formed a plan to trick Twilight and her friends so that they can be corrupted. That's pretty smart, but I can't corrupt ponies after. Chrysalis relied on magic and her army, and Shining Armour's love, and her wits and plan wasn't very stable since Twilight got suspicious. King Sombra, well, I don't know much about what happened. Lord Tirek relied on draining magic from ponies, but then again, he wasn't able to drain magic from powerful beings until he got a certain amount."
Cozy continued to think. "And he didn't use magic entirely. He was able to overthrow Discord when he was in his weakest state! Now that is powerful. And if he was able to overthrow such a powerful being without magic, then that means I can as well. And the powerful thing Tirek used was.....manipulation."
Cozy hesitated before saying that last word. She could've sworn she saw another powerful example of that before. In fact, she remembered it being used against her. When was it again? It was on the tip of her tongue. She glanced at all the books on her table until her eyes fell on a small brown book beneath a Potions textbook. She pulled it out, and she realized that it was her mother's diary.
Trying to remember when manipulation was used against her, she hoped that flipping through her mother's diary would help ring a bell. All of a sudden she stopped at a page where she saw the word 'manipulate', and she read the page.
"I must say, I'm glad that I considered to erase everypony's memories when I casted that spell with the Elements of Harmony. Alright, it sounds selfish, I know. But if I try to find Cozy right now, I'm afraid of how she would react. I just hope that she'll forget about it. But since I considered erasing memories, nopony would be against me for what I did. And even if Cozy told them, they would believe a princess more than a four year old girl. I know it sounds terrible, but if anypony found out what I did, they would hate me and turn against me. They would think that a kind, wise, and caring ruler would be nothing but a monster who manipulates other ponies to think that I'm nice, but on the inside that I'm actually willing to betray my daughter. I could say that they would be half right if that's the case, the only difference that I actually want to be wise and caring, and I never wanted to betray my daughter in the first place. What I'm doing is terrible, but it's for Equestria's own good, and I will do anything to protect it. Even if it means I'll have to manipulate a little bit."
"How did I miss this page?" Cozy asked to herself. She's read most of the diary thoroughly to find any information about her mother's weaknesses (which gave her a chuckle when she found out Celestia's afraid of chickens).
"So that was the time I saw manipulation. I can't believe my own mother is lying to the ponies of Equestria because she thinks it's for their own good!" She angrily kicked the lamp on her table so hard that it broke before it hit the ground. She took a few deep breaths before resuming to thinking and reminding herself that tantrums got her nowhere.
"If manipulation can be as powerful as to deceive the lord of chaos, and fool everypony in Equestria, and since it doesn't require magic, I can learn to use it as well." Cozy realized what her next step was. "So, what are some key traits that can make you good at manipulating others?"
She read aloud from her mother's diary. "Ponies would often listen to a grown pony with wisdom and kindness, with evidence that they have achieved so much. They would typically follow somepony with authority and respect, along with poised appearances, such as wearing fancy clothes. But that's not necessarily always the case. If fillies were to try to manipulate, they would typically make themselves look cute and kind, both in appearance and personality. I should know, Cozy and her friends always use this trick when they make their eyes and smiles wide when they convince their parents to stay past their bedtime. But I found that okay, since it wasn't used for harm. Unlike what I did."
"Cute and kind, huh?" Cozy flew to the other side of the library and stopped by a large mirror on the wall. Cozy looked at her appearance, and she made her eyes and smile wide. After a few minutes, she was satisfied with how her 'cute face' was going to look. She looked at her mane and adjusted it. After a few hours, she managed to put it up in adorable curls held by a white ribbon, which made her hair fall back to normal when she took it out. She used makeup to put small, white freckles on her cheeks, and she was finally satisfied with her appearance. She looked exactly like what she intended to look like; an extremely adorable little girl.
She wasn't finished yet. She still needs to learn to put on an act. "Golly, how does mother do this so easily?" She asked to herself.
That was when realized something. When she said 'golly', it filled her with this warm, fuzzy feeling. It was the first time she ever said it, but she can't help but think the word sounded adorable. "Golly, golly, golly, golly." She said it over and over again. "Maybe I should say that more often as well."
She practiced other attributes of being adorable as well. She practiced fake crying, which turned out pretty well, and she started talking in a cute, high voice.
"Now, time to see if it works."
She flew out of her castle and all the way from there to Ponyville. It was a busy day, and she noticed that Twilight and her friends weren't here. The sight of Twilight's new castle still infuriated her. It was made from the same crystal, only that it was a different color, and it was the exact same size. Twilight truly was the new replica replacement.
"Lets start with something small." Cozy decided. She noticed that a pony was closing a book store, and decided to go from there.
"Wait!" Cozy yelled before the pony locked it. "There is a new book I really wanted, and I've heard it's now in stores today! Can I please go in and buy it?"
"I'm sorry young filly." The pony apologized. "The store is closed for lunch. But you can come back in half an hour."
"Pleeeeeeeease?" Cozy put on the 'Cute face'. She knew it was working. The salespony was starting to give in. "I'll make it really quick. Besides, I can pay double."
The salespony finally gave in. "Alright then." He opened the door and let Cozy in. It was a rather small store. There were only about half a dozen shelves on each wall. There was only three sofas and a rug in the middle of the store.
Cozy picked some random book she found. "The Journal of the Two Sisters" she read. She knew about this journal, as it was in the Castle of The Two Sisters and her mother told her about it a hundred times. She never knew it was published.
"Are you interested in that book? It's very rare, and the Princesses only had 100 copies of it sold across Equestria. Would you like to buy it?" The salespony asked.
"Yes, please!" Cozy exaggerated her positive and happy tone as much as possible. "I've always admired the princesses so much. From everything to battling evil and magic and anything that threatens Equestria! I want to know so much more!" Cozy hugged the book to her chest.
The salespony smiled at Cozy's positivity. "Well, if you like it so much, then you can have it free of charge."
"What? But I can't-"
"Please, young filly. I must insist. With a pony that has such a thirst for knowledge like you, you deserve it." He guided Cozy towards the door, insisting her to take it.
"Well then, thank you so much!" Cozy backflipped in the air with joy. "Have a good lunch, sir!"
The salespony smiled. "Thank you, young filly. Have a nice day!" And he went off for his lunch break, oblivious to the smirk on Cozy's face.
"Wow! That worked better than I expected. Mother's right! Appearances and personality does play a major role in manipulation. Manipulating is actually quite powerful!"
Cozy started glowing and floating into the air. She levitated a few feet off the ground and shined with a red aura. When the light faded, she was lowered back down, then noticed a chess piece on her flank. A rook. A symbol of manipulation and strategy.
Cozy was still looking down at her flank, remembering everything that happened on that day. She had managed to manipulate other ponies as well, and her first attempt was a great success. But after staring at her flank for a while, she started to think of something else.
The rook on her flank. It looks exactly like the rook Celestia transferred her magic into when she used the Elements of Harmony to turn her into a Pegasus. Since magic couldn't just disappear, it had to go somewhere. And Celestia threw that rook in a portal that lead to somewhere where nopony will ever see it again.
Cozy decided to take a walk outside in Ponyville before she loses her train of thought again. But she carried the diary with her.
She sat down on a bench by Sugarcube Corner and read the diary a little more. She still hasn't read all of it yet, and she flipped through the unread pages until she stopped at one that had a drawing of the rook. She decided to read it.
"After I casted the spell using the Elements of Harmony, I did a little more research with that ancient spell I casted, and I realized I made a grave mistake. Apparently, when Cozy casted the spell to link the sun and moon's power, she became the embodiment of light. The pillars grew a seed, that grew into the Elements of Harmony, which is also a source of light. But since I used a source of light against a source of light, when I transferred Cozy's magic into the rook, the light and happiness within her was also transferred to the rook, but it turned into darkness and rage since it was turned on by a source of light. Two identical things against each other turned happiness and light to it's counterparts, rage and darkness. This means, if Cozy finds the rook, her magic will have no limits, and it will be fueled by depending on how much hatred she has. And after years of isolation after my mistake, I'd say that she would have so much rage within her, that the rook would be impossible for anyone else to use. She wouldn't have to learn any spells, and she would be able to do anything she wants without learning anything as long as she has her rage. In fact, she would have so much rage within her, that she would be able to use her magic anywhere at any time. If I turned her into stone? She would still be able to use it, much less free herself. If I imprisoned her in Tartarus? She'd still be able to use it. If Lord Tirek tried to drain it? He'd only be able to steal her flight. If the ancient changeling stone gets in the way? She'd be immune to it. If there were artifacts draining magic from Equestria? Her magic would be the only one that wouldn't be drained. If somepony tried to take the rook from her, they wouldn't be able to, since at that point it would be made entirely of anger. Even if she lost it, the first time she finds it, it will always appear beside her again if she wants to. And her magic itself would be powerful enough to be immune to any magic that tries to stop her from feeling anger. Here's another thing though. If she gets the rook, it doesn't turn her back into an alicorn. It is simply gives her back her alicorn powers. But this time, they will be fueled from rage. The point is, one she has it, she would almost be omnipotent. I just pray she'll never find it. That portal hid it somewhere where nopony would know where it is. Not even me"
Cozy was driven with ambition. The gears in her head started turning. If she can drain all the magic from Equestria, then she would be able to find the rook easily, as it is the only Equestrian magic that wouldn't be drained. But she isn't really worried about finding the rook. She thought of an easier way to get power. Just as much as she had before.
She remembers how Twilight Sparkle turned into an alicorn. She remembers how powerful she looked. She has defeated so many villains and shot extremely powerful magic blasts. She became more successful and powerful over the years, and becoming an alicorn is no exception. But what was the source of all this power? Friendship. Twilight used friendship to become an alicorn, so if Cozy can harness that same power, than she could turn back into an alicorn as well!
"Yes, I just have to make more friends than anypony else, then I should be able to turn back into an alicorn like Twilight did!" Cozy thought. "And even better, I can get them to turn against Celestia. I can manipulate them to do what I want! And I will drain magic from Equestria for my revenge! I will drain magic from the one thing that Celestia loves and protects. It's so ironic! She drains magic from me and pretends to be nice, and I drain magic from Equestria while I pretend to be nice. It's perfect!"
She started walking home to draw out more details of her plan, but she stepped on a pamphlet and picked it up to read it. It read; "School of Friendship, Open Next Week!". She read thoroughly read through the pamphlet thrice, and a devious smirk appeared on her face.
"An opening for a school that teaches the most powerful thing in Equestria, huh?" Her red eyes gleamed mischievously. "Perfect."
Cozy was at near the end of the first semester of school, and it was quite easy so far. She had gained the trust of three other fillies, and she was now Twilight's friendship assistant. The lessons weren't very hard, as she had heard them multiple times when she watched Twilight and her friends for years. Rather pathetic if you asked her.
During winter and spring break, she stayed in her castle, and she sometimes visited there on weekends as well. But most of all, she goes there whenever she needs to send Tirek letters, and tonight was no exception.
It was nighttime, and Cozy was signing off her name at the bottom of the letter. She has been sending Tirek letters ever since the start of school semester, and when he first got her letter, he was puzzled at why a young filly would write to him. But she offered him something he couldn't refuse; in exchange for aiding her with instructions to drain magic and become his protege, Cozy offered to trap Twilight and her friends in Tartarus as part of her plan for Tirek to have his revenge against them. Tirek admires the young filly' skill and intellect, and he gladly accepted the offer. Ever since that, they became pen pals.
Cozy Glow set the quill down, folded up her letter, placed it in an envelope, and pressed it with a seal. She got up from her desk and looked up at the clock on the wall in her dorm room at the School of Friendship. Every pony should be asleep by now.
She pushed open the window and snuck out of the school, just like she's always done. She walked quietly until she reached the edge of the Everfree Forest, where she was completely out of sight and was able to fly without getting caught.
She eventually reached the castle, but she didn't enter. Instead, she flew all the way to the very top of the castle, where the long spire was. Just like she always did, she reached into her saddlebags and pulled out the letter. She held it a few inches above the tip of the spire. Instantly, the spire began to glow, then shot a beam of light into the sky, with the letter in the beam of light. A moment later, instead of the beam reaching the sky, it began to curve into a long trail that traveled through the sky, bringing the letter along with it. The beam would pass through the doors of Tartarus, and the letter would appear in front of Tirek's cage.
Before the trail traveled back into the spire after giving the letter to Tirek, it brought a different letter along with it. Cozy took the letter through the beam as the light subsided, and she automatically knew it was from him. Tirek could only send her letters if he was able to get his into the beam that reached Tartarus before it traveled back to the castle.
Cozy put the the letter in her saddlebag and was able to sneak back into her dorm room. She shut the window, and sat down at her desk. She pulled the letter out of her saddlebag and opened it up. Tirek wrote a few paragraphs of instructions, as usual, but what was different this time was a diagram he drew below the writing. It was a diagram of a magic circle that's supposed to be drawn in the ground, along with the six magical artifacts at Twilight's schools placed at the ends. Apparently, that was going to work as a mystical magnet that will attract all Equestrian magic within three days, then it will suck into a vortex and disappear forever.
A malicious smile grew on Cozy's face, and her scarlet eyes gleamed with determination. "Time for some sweet revenge." She said.
"Not betrayal. Teamwork." Cozy confirmed with a smile on her face.
"If Tirek absorbs your energy, he might be strong enough to break through." Cozy explained while holding up one of Tirek's arms.
"And then?" Chrysalis asked demandingly.
"Then he gives it back."
"I do?" Tirek's grin faded when he realized that becoming more strong was only temporary.
"Mm-hmm" Cozy nodded.
Chrysalis was still skeptical. "How do I know you won't take my magic and leave me?"
"Would we do that to you?" Cozy asked while making her eyes and smile large and putting on an adorable face.
Chrysalis wasn't falling for it. All she responded was giving Cozy an obvious look.
"Okay, fine. Normally, we would."
"I'll give you your magic back." Tirek confirmed with reluctance.
Chrysalis hesitated. "Do it."
She started giving him her magic as he opened his mouth to drain it. Her eyes became glassy and she started to feel weak. Meanwhile, Tirek was growing bigger and stronger. Eventually, when all her magic was drained, she collapsed on the snow.
Unlike Chrysalis, Tirek was delighted. He raised his arms up and yelled "So much POWER!" He kissed one of his arms. "Welcome back, baby!" He hit the force field on the entrance to the cave with his magic.
The gap he managed to make was very small, and Tirek couldn't open it any wider. "It's not big enough for me!" Tirek grunted.
"Maybe not you!" Cozy declared and flew inside the cave through the gap. "Keep it open, or I'll be trapped forever!" And she flew inside the cave.
She flew around a corner when the cave turned left, and it led to a huge, main space. There were jagged spikes on the domed ceilings and walls, and there were small boulders everywhere. On a stone table was probably the dullest looking bell Cozy has ever seen. She flew over and brushed the dust off it, then realized from the carvings and symbols on the bell that it was truly worth a lot of power.
"Can't... hold it much longer!" She heard Tirek yell from outside.
She quickly scooped up the bell and dashed back towards outside, but as she flew, something caught her eye. Beneath a small pile of rocks and spikes on the ground, was a glowing pink light. Strange, she thought. It was the exact same colour as Twilight's magic aura, the same colour as Cozy's magic aura.
Cozy walked over to the light. The closer she moved towards it, the brighter it glowed. She put the bell on the ground and she pulled whatever was the light source out of underneath the rocks and spikes.
It was the rook! The same chess piece that Celestia transferred Cozy's magic into and sent it where nopony will ever see it again. And yet here it was, all along! Cozy was shocked. The rook glowed even more brightly when it touched Cozy's hoof, and it was absorbed into her.
Cozy got up. She remembered the diary explaining that it wouldn't turn her back into an alicorn, but it would give her back her alicorn powers, except this time, they will be fuelled by her rage.
Cozy noticed she can summon the rook by will, and it will appear and disappear whenever she wants, but she would still have it within her. She willed the bell to levitate, and a pink projection of her horn appeared on her head. It wasn't a real horn, but the light was shaped like one, and it was covered in the aura's of what other unicorns would have when they casted different spells. The pink horn projection of light disappeared when she stopped using magic and reappeared when did.
As she willed the bell to fly, the light horn glowed brightly, and the bell rose into the air, covered in Cozy's shimmering pink aura. The only difference with the colour of magic was that it had traces of red since it was now fuelled from her rage.
"HURRY!" She heard Tirek yell. She quickly snapped out of her shock trance and willed the rook to disappear. She picked up the bell with her hooves and managed to fly back out of the opening just as it closed. She landed in the snow with a thud.
"Ta-da!" Cozy beamed.
"YOU FAILED TO RETRIEVE THE BELL?!"
"We're sorry, almighty Grogar." Cozy trembled.
"We worked together as you asked." Tirek assured.
"We're just not as powerful as you." Chrysalis said.
Grogar yelled as his horns charged full of magic. He blasted at a wall in his lair.
"Obviously!" He said, oblivious to the three's temporal fright when he blasted at the wall. "At least you finally learned to work together." He headed into another part of the lair and left the three villains, who smirked at each other.
"Of course." Cozy said.
"Whatever you command." Tirek said.
"Forget about that old bell. You were right! We're so much more powerful, when we work as a team." Chrysalis said, as the three villains looked down at the bell hiding behind a rock.
They waited until he was completely out of sight and earshot, then Cozy picked up the bell. "I'm so glad he didn't see it. We would've ended up like Sombra did if he found out."
"Where should we hide the bell?" Chrysalis asked.
"I found a secret compartment behind a torch in one of the walls in the lounge. We could hide it in there." Tirek suggested.
"Very well, then." Chrysalis said and Cozy Glow nodded.
Once the bell was hidden, Tirek and Chrysalis sat down in the chairs.
"So, we need to come up with a plan to use the bell against Grogar." Chrysalis said.
"Cozy, are you going to discuss about this with us?" Tirek asked.
"I'll be there in a minute." Cozy said. She opened one of the three doors and inside was her room. She didn't turn on the lights, but the moonlight from the window was still bright enough for her to visibly see her bed in the corner, and a small table and chair beside it with a stack of books and scrolls that she put there.
She sat down on her bed and summoned her rook. It grew brightly and illuminated the whole room. She could even see the intensity of light through her closed eyes. She now saw so much potential now that she has taken back what's been stolen from her.
She remembers the feeling when she was betrayed. She remembers the feeling when she was replaced. She remembers when she was sent to Tartarus by her own mother for ten months before Grogar released her. While she had caused havoc on Twilight's school and attempted to drain magic when she was ten, she had grown a little for those ten months, as she is now eleven. She was betrayed when she was four. Seven years, she was neglected, and Celestia didn't care. And this feeling ignited her rage. Seven years of revenge was to come, and every bit of rage coursed through her body. The rook could sense it to, and it glowed even brighter.
"You have destroyed my heart, mother." The ground beneath her began to shake. She opened her eyes, and the rook's magic filled her eyes with sockets of red, hatred, lava-like light. "And now, you will pay."
