The Cozy Anthology

by Silvermyr

First published 31st of March, 2021

These are the ordinary days in the extraordinary lives of Cozy Glow, Rumble, Flurry Heart and their friends as they learn, play and grow under Twilight's tutelage.

As of late, things have changed for Cozy Glow. She is not a prisoner any longer, but Princess Twilight's personal student together with Flurry Heart. She is not alone anymore, but she has made friends with plenty of ponies and become a valued friend in turn. She even has a special somepony! 

Now she is ready to, for the first time in her life, be a normal filly. She will explore the world, learn and grow together with her friends and her mentor.

These are the ordinary days in the life of one of the most extraordinary ponies in Equestria.

---

This is an anthology series made up of one- and two-shots. Chronologically, this is set after "The Once and Future Princess", but before the Epilogue of that story. Reading the sequel should not be necessary to enjoy these stories by themselves, but it will provide the background for these stories.

Cover art by (who else) the magnanimous Vito, who is also on DeviantArt.

Chapter 1- Running of the Little Leaves

Rumble was a colt who often found himself in a lot of circumstances that most ponies would never get into. Part of the reason was because he worked as the apprentice chef in the Canterlot castle, which placed him near the Princess herself and her circle of advisors, even if a colt like him would not actually interact with said circle. More important was the fact that his very special somepony happened to be the student of the Princess. These two things might amount to him sometimes talking to the Princess, but not much more than that.

No, the biggest reason Rumble often found himself in one mess or another was because his special somepony and closest friend happened to be named Cozy Glow. She also happened to be friends with Flurry Heart, Cadance's daughter. By virtue of great fortune and/or great misfortune, and a tendency to not shut up and just go back to sleep when he should have, he all too often found himself roped into whatever went on between some of the most powerful ponies in the land.

Like now, for example, when he somehow sat together with Cozy and Flurry on a plush pillow in front of Twilight Sparkle herself.

"Now that you are all here, I wanted to make an announcement about your friendship lessons going forward," Twilight said. Rumble wondered why she had asked him here then, as he was not her student. "You see, when I first learned about friendship, Princess Celestia let me live in Ponyville with my friends for a long time. That way I could build on the friendships the six of us made in our first adventure together and grow as ponies and as friends. I would like to see the same happen with the three of you."

Flurry nodded energetically. Cozy remained impassive, ever suspicious. Rumble kept listening. "Of course, you will still have lessons with me, alone or together, but I want to complement that with practical lessons too, for all three of you. You will not become better friends by just talking to me. You need to be out there and experience your friendships, just like I was!"

"I'm ready to experience!" Flurry said, standing up and puffing her chest out, like a soldier at exercise.

Twilight smiled. "And you Cozy?"

Cozy nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. If you and your friends did that, then it must be good. You became an alicorn."

"And you, Rumble?" Twilight turned to him without acknowledging the last part of Cozy's statement.

"I mean… it sounds like fun, but I have to be in the kitchen most days," Rumble said. "I don't want to quit. Chef Ramson's taught me more in just these months than I'd have learnt in my whole life alone!"

"You won't have to quit," Twilight said. "You'll just have to be part of what you can, and decline when you have to." Rumble nodded. He really would have wanted to be part of it all, especially with Cozy. But his cooking was important to him too. Besides, now that he had a special somepony, one should be able to cook for her, right?

"For the first activity I have in mind is this weekend on Sunday."

"What happens on Sunday? There's no holiday or anything," Cozy said.

"Not in Canterlot," Twilight said. "But the three of you will be going to Ponyville to participate in the Running of the Leaves!"

Cozy and Flurry both tilted their heads in confusion. "It's an earth pony tradition," Rumble explained. He had reacted the same way when he heard about it for the first time when he moved from his parents in Cloudsdale to his brother in Ponyville. "For late fall a group of ponies have to run through the forest to make sure every leaf falls, so that the trees are ready to sprout new ones next year. Ponyville tends to White Tail Woods like that."

"Fillies and colts too?" Cozy asked reluctantly. She did not seem too thrilled about this.

"Yep, they have a shorter route through the outskirts of the forest," Twilight said. "There's also the fall market. It's traditionally the last time to buy and sell fall produce. After that it's mostly winter, and nothing much grows anymore."

"The market is usually really fun," Rumble said with a sidelong glance to Cozy. "They have mulled cider, roasted chestnuts and hoof crafted stuff. I'd love to take you, if you want."

"Golly…" Cozy blushed just a little. "I guess that sounds pretty nice."

"Then it's decided," Twilight said.

"Then I can introduce you to Sweetie Belle," Cozy said to Flurry. "She's really kind. I bet you'll like her."

"I look forward to meeting her too, then," Flurry said. Rumble just hoped Sweetie Belle wasn't still angry at him for the whole anti-cutie mark movement he had briefly started that one time. What had he even been thinking with that?

He didn't really think she'd still be angry though. While he didn't really know Sweetie Belle that well, he had still been in her class for years. She didn't strike him as a pony to hold grudges. Unlike somepony else he could name.

Flurry looked quizzically at him. "Are you thinking bad stuff about Cozy?"

He was just about to answer, but Cozy's glare cut him off. "N-no! Nothing but happy thoughts everywhere over here," he said quickly.

Cozy huffed and batted at him with her tail.

"Everypony," Twilight said with some authority. "Stop that right now. If you don't have anything more to add, you are free to go, Rumble. For you two fillies, I have prepared a few friendship questions for you to work with today…"

Rumble got up and made himself scarce before Twilight got him involved in the friendship lesson too. He'd prefer not to be late back to his actual work.

---

Come Sunday, Cozy, Flurry and Rumble sat in a train cart together on their way to Ponyville. Cozy approved of this. With them in the train car sat Rumble's mentor Ramson, head chef in the Canterlot Castle, and Twilight's parents, who had insisted on coming to see the fall market. Cozy was not very happy about this.

Ramson was okay. Mostly he kept writing on a notepad, except for when he sighed forlornly with a glance towards his apprentice. Twilight Velvet and Night Light though, blabbered on faster than a woodpecker pecks about every inane subject under the sun. And why did they look so happy about it? Something about their endless happiness somehow made them even more irritating. At least Cozy did not seem to be alone in this sentiment. Poor Flurry Heart was squeezed in between them, weighted down by her saddlebags and forced to not only listen to their endless twaddle, but also be part of it.

Really, this might just be the first time when she thought growing up in an orphanage for most of her life might have been a good thing.

"Flurry, what did the duck say when she bought lipstick?" Night Light asked.

"I don't know?" Flurry said morosely.

"Put it on my bill!"

It was all Cozy could do to not groan. They had been at this for the entire journey! How many bad jokes did they know? And why were they all stupid puns?

"Ponyville Station, everypony!"

Barring maybe the time when Rumble confessed to her, the conductor's shout might have been the sweetest sound she had ever heard. She and Rumble practically bolted for the door. Flurry Heart tried to follow, Cozy saw, but her saddlebags were so heavy she didn't get away before Twilight Velvet had magicked her up on her back to carry her.

"Granny! I'm not a little filly! I have my cutie mark! I can walk on my own!"

Cozy felt a bit bad for leaving Flurry behind, but she was not so reformed as to try and save her friend. No, in this situation it was everypony for themselves!

She and Rumble spilled out on the train platform first of all. The ponies waiting to board looked after them when they cleared it and dashed into the small station house. There was a timetable and some benches, along with a booth where one could purchase tickets. More importantly was the pony who was waiting inside.

"Hi Cozy! I got your letter!" Sweetie Belle said, jumping up and down and waving. Next to her were the other two members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. By their looks, Cozy guessed they were a little bit wary about her. She supposed she should have expected that - not everypony was going to be as forgiving (or maybe naïve) as Sweetie Belle.

"Hi," Cozy said to Sweetie Belle. "it's really nice to meet you again."

"Uh-huh," Sweetie Belle looked from Cozy to Rumble and back. "So… about that thing we discussed last time…"

"It's all taken care of. It was just like you said," Cozy admitted with a sidelong glance to her special somepony. It was Sweetie Belle's who had helped Cozy understand her feelings in the first place.

"I knew it!" Sweetie Belle said with glee.

"Hey, Sweetie Bell, what are you on about?" Scootaloo asked.

”Yeah, c'mon, spill it!" Apple Bloom added.

"Hmm…" Sweetie Belle glanced over to Rumble. "I don't want to say right now. Later though, okay? Promise."

"Ah guess… if you say so," Apple Bloom said. She turned to Cozy fully. "Name's Apple Bloom, if ya need a reminder."

"No, I remember. And you are Scootaloo."

"And I'm Rumble," Rumble said. "But... you already know that... Anyway, our last one's a bit tied up at the moment, but-"

"Lemmie down! Lemmie down!" Flurry Heart shouted before she was finally freed from the magic that held her and she jumped down from Twilight Velvet's back. She all but ran over to Cozy and the others and placed herself as far from her grandparents as she could.

"Ooooh…" All three Crusaders intoned in chorus. Cozy rolled her eyes at the gawking. She knew it was not Flurry's fault ponies did that, but it still annoyed her to see the adoration everypony poured over the young alicorn. From the way Flurry flicked her ears back, she did not like it either. "Are you really an alicorn?"

I guess I am..." Flurry answered. "But just call me Flurry, alright? Please?"

"Ah'm Apple Bloom,” Apple Bloom said. The reverence in her voice was still present. "An' this here's Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle." She indicated the other two crusaders. "We run the Cutie Mark Crusaders here in Ponyville, to help ponies get their cutie marks."

Flurry was about to answer something but was interrupted.

"Alright, Flurry," Twilight Velvet called. "You can play with your friends while Night Light and I visit the fall market Twilight talked so much about. Make sure to sign in for the Running of the Leaves before it starts in three hours. We will be at the market square if you need anything. Make sure you always wear your scarf and earmuffs so you don't catch a cold, and always look both ways before you cross the street."

"I know! Okay?! I'm fine!" Flurry shouted, her tail shifting this way and that in annoyance.

"And we have brought your Whammy if you want him!" Night Light said and levitated up a pretty old, patched stuffed snail. Everypony glanced at Flurry, who flushed red like a beetroot.

"I- I don't know what that is," Flurry squeaked. By instinct, Cozy knew that everypony knew she was lying. They also collectively and silently decided to not call her out on it. Flurry had suffered enough already. "Let's just go, before they put me on a leash or something."

"They'd do that? Really?" Scootaloo asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Flurry grumbled and quickly escaped the train station. Cozy followed with the rest of their group.

"So… what do you wanna do? We've got some time before the Running of the Leaves start." Apple Bloom said. Cozy guessed the question was directed to all of them, but she looked at Flurry.

"Well… I guess we should go and get signed into the race," Flurry said. "So we don't miss it."

The Crusaders nodded and led Cozy and the others through the town. They had all congregated close to Flurry, leaving her and Rumble a little bit by themselves. Cozy tried to not be jealous about once again being sidestepped by Flurry. At least with her nearby, nopony stared (or glared) at Cozy.

"I thought about taking you here from a weekend," Rumble said. "Even if you've been here when you were in Twilight's school, it's a pretty nice place in fall. Especially when the Apples sell the cider from the last harvest. They make some of it weaker, so foals can drink it too and it's really good."

"I've never had cider before," Cozy said. Only as of late, when she had started to be part of Equestria like a normal filly, did she begin to realize just how much she had missed out on before. She tried not to think too much about it though. She couldn't change anything about her past anyway.

"I'll try to get some for you then! Trust me, it's not a real fall without Apple family cider. I think that's why Ramson's here too. He's securing the winter's supply for the castle, and Twilight."

"Shouldn't you be with him then? If he's here, and you are too?" Cozy asked. Not that she wanted him to leave, but it did sound a bit strange.

"I actually asked him," Rumble said. "He said that if I even got near Granny Smith when negotiating the price, she'd chew me up and spit me out before I even got to open my mouth. I've never really met Apple Bloom's granny, but Ramson seemed to think she is pretty tough.”

"Huh… well, let's hope it works for him, so we can have cider at the castle," Cozy said, even if she didn't know what was so special about this cider. Was it really that good?

"You said it!" Rumble said.

"You two, come on! Let's register, and then Flurry said she wanted to go bowling! You okay with that?" Scootaloo waved them over to the small registration booth that Cozy hadn't even noticed until now.

"I'd like some bowling," Rumble said. "How about you, Cozy?"

"I haven't played much… golly, if only somepony could teach me," Cozy pretended to sigh. She knew exactly how this would go down…

"I can teach you! I've even taught the basics once before!" Rumble said happily.

Cozy knew that. In fact, she had spied on him when he did… actually, come to think about it, she should probably tell Rumble about that at some point. She was probably not supposed to keep the fact that she had spied on him a secret now that they were in a relationship, right? It didn't seem right. She made a mental note to get back to that later, when nopony else was around to judge her for it.

"Thanks! Then let's bowl," Cozy said.

"We could even have a tournament!" Apple Bloom suggested. "Canterlot versus Ponyville. But Ponyville's gonna win, of course. Scoot's great at bowling."

"Oh, yeah?" Rumble smirked. "Well I'm not too bad either. I'm gonna send all three of you to the floor faster than the pins!"

"Oh, it's on!" Scootaloo said, wings buzzing in excitement.

"Girls, do you want to register or not?" The pony in the booth asked impatiently. Only now did Cozy notice that there was, in fact, a small line behind them.

Once they were back on track, the registration was quick, even if the clerk pony did a double take at both Flurry's and Cozy's names. Flurry was registered as number eight, then the Crusaders, then Rumble and then last Cozy, as number thirteen.

---

Bowling really was fun, Flurry could now conclude definitely. She could even throw her balls mostly straight now. Only about half of the shots she took went out of bounds. She even managed to get one strike! She was proud of that and it didn't even matter that Scootaloo and Rumble got five strikes each and Apple Bloom got three. She was still proud of herself.

Poor Cozy and Sweetie Belle didn't get any, and "Team Canterlot" lost pretty badly, but it was still really fun. There was somepony on the lane next to them, and he landed almost only strikes!

Now however, it was time to move on to the main event. She and her friends had lined up by the starting point, together with maybe a dozen or so other foals. As usual many were looking at her, and Flurry wanted to hide behind her wings, but she didn't - that would only make them stare even more. She concentrated on her friends instead.

Rumble stood at the forefront, legs bent and tail swishing slightly, ready to take off. Cozy looked like she wanted to be someplace else, really, but nonetheless kept her eyes forward. The Crusaders were standing in a line and everyone was smiling.

A purple pony with three smiling flowers for a cutie mark came out in front of them.

"Alright everypony, I'll just give a rundown of how this is going to work. Your lap goes on the inside of the adult track all the time, and takes about one and a half hour to walk, or usually between forty-five minutes and an hour to run. Remember, the faster you run, the more leaves you can blow off the trees. Also, as this is an earth pony tradition, pegasi should not be flying. You will be following these markers." She held up a bright red ribbon. "Look for them on trees and bushes. If something happens, there will be pegasi flying above the trail, so if you wait, somepony will come. We have a small stop with water at the midway point, if you feel like you need it. Any questions?"

The small herd of ponies collectively shook their heads. It all seemed pretty clear, Flurry thought.

"Good. Then without further ado…" The officiator-pony stepped away from the track and took up position next to it. "On your marks… get set… GO!"

Flurry dashed forward as fast as her hooves could carry her. She liked to think she was pretty fast. She was one of the fastest fillies when they did sports back at school in the Empire. But now she soon found herself overtaken. Rumble, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom all passed her and scuffled with other ponies at the front of the pack. Cozy and Sweetie Belle found themselves further back.

It wasn't really fair, Flurry decided. The other ponies were older than her and had longer legs! In fact, Sweetie Belle was gaining on her too. Cozy, while being just as small as Flurry, was also gaining. She had a somewhat manic glint in her eyes. Clearly, Cozy did not want to be last. But Flurry didn't want to be last either. She wanted to blow down many leaves, like a strong filly!

The herd progressively thinned out to a line as they ran. Flurry could only rarely see the ponies at the front. Rumble held on pretty well, but he was not at the very front. Scootaloo was together with Apple Bloom and a few other fillies, mostly earth ponies. Then there were a line of others. Flurry had decided to not come in after another random pale purple foal. She hoped that goal could keep her motivated, because she was getting tired.

But she was not last anymore! She heard Cozy huff and pant behind her, even if she still soldiered on, clinging to Flurry like a leech. She suspected that maybe Cozy had decided to not let Flurry beat her. Sweetie Belle, meanwhile, was about in the same state as Cozy. Struggling, but determined not to be left behind. And even behind them, there was a trio of colts: One plump earth pony with a knife and fork cutie mark, and then a somewhat strange pair of colts, one short and gray and one lanky yellow. The lanky one had a snail for a cutie mark, and to be honest, Flurry could see why in this race. He was moseying more than running, sometimes stopping to pick the leaves right off the trees and bushes with his mouth.

At least their little group did manage to generate some wind. Flurry saw plenty of leaves falling in their wake, mostly from the undergrowth and bushes, but some of the lower branches too.

"I'm… not… out… yet!" Cozy wheezed and piled on some more. Her motions were clumsy and her mane was already in a mess, but the zealous fire in her eyes only seemed to become hotter and hotter.

"Me neither!" Flurry shouted back and poured even more into her legs. She knew she had the strength of an earth pony and she was not in bad shape, but she was still small. Besides… maybe she should let Cozy win? She clearly was working like a possessed for it.

"Wait for me!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. She bent her head and tried to keep up. It worked, but only for a few seconds she flagged and began to fall behind, though certainly not for lack of trying.

Cozy came up neck in neck with Flurry. Flurry realized that if Cozy had a goal to beat her, then Flurry's goal should be to beat Cozy. That was fair. She even unfurled her wings and flapped a little. Not enough to fly, but it could generate a small boost, and it relieved her tired hooves a little. It barely took a moment before Cozy copied her. But Flurry's wings were larger. Slowly, ever so slowly, she managed to pull ahead. First she couldn't see Cozy's ears… then her mouth disappeared from view… and finally she couldn't see Cozy next to her at all anymore, even if she heard her gasping breaths and heavy hooffalls.

A small shack came into view, slightly off the road. Some ponies ran in, while others continued. A table of water bottles stood outside.

"T-t-truce…" Cozy wheezed behind her.

"Ok…ay," Flurry replied. Her lead was not large enough that she wanted to forgo the water to try and hold it. If she thought Cozy might go for the water, then she might have continued, but Flurry knew there was no chance of Cozy letting Flurry off to get water. She was far too stubborn for that.

They both stumbled over to the table and Flurry magicked down two bottles of water. There were some other foals here, but many had opted to skip the drink. Flurry didn't know how they did it! Her legs felt like jelly already, and they were only halfway done!

She folded her legs under her and laid down on the dirt. It was worth some dirt to rest. Cozy followed her example.

None of them talked. They just drank their water. Even that had to be done carefully; drinking meant she had to stop breathing for a second or so, and even that made her pant harder when she was done. In fact… she didn't know if she had ever been this tired before. She definitely had never pushed herself like this before.

Was this what Twilight had wanted? That her friendship with Cozy would bring out the best in them?

If so, then Flurry hoped that the next time, "the best" would be a little less exhausting.

"You… done?" Cozy panted.

Flurry tipped the water bottle upside down to try and get the last tantalizing drops. Her throat still felt woefully dry. "I guess…" she said and sat the bottle down.

"Okaythenlet'sgo!" Cozy said and shot up and away before Flurry had even had a chance to react.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Flurry shouted and scrambled to her hooves to give chase. "We had a truce!"

"We had a truce!" Cozy shouted over her shoulder.

"Come back here you… you…" Flurry shouted before the ache in her legs and shortness of breath returned to stifle her complaints. But she fixed Cozy's back with a harsh stare. She was not going to lose now! She was not going to lose!

As the race dragged on, Flurry felt her pace slow, no matter what she did. Not quite as many leaves fell from the trees around her as before, and the ribbon markings did not pass by quite as fast either. But Cozy was struggling too, enough that Flurry did gain on her, bit by little bit until they were neck in neck again.

"Just… give up!" Cozy snapped between her breaths. Sweat poured down her brow. Her mane sagged and her curls had started to unravel. Her every step was heavy.

"Nev…er!"

Then suddenly they were on a straight path out of the forest! All the competitors who had already finished the race sat on the grass and watched them. Scootaloo was there, and Apple Bloom too. They started cheering when they saw them both approaching.

"Come on! It's not far now! Come on all the way!"

The cheering caused them both to tap into hidden reserves. They threw the very last they had into the race, barreling towards the finish line. But Flurry was stronger! She inched forward, just barely outrunning her rival! Cozy growled next to her, but to no avail! Flurry's face split up in a grin. She saw the finish line, and there was nopony in front of her!

She was going to win.

She was really going to win!

"Come on Cozy! Are you going to let a Princess beat you again?!" Rumble suddenly appeared at the front of the herd of ponies watching. "Come on! I know you can do it!"

A pained grunt came from behind Flurry… and the hoofsteps closed in! But the finish line was right there, just a few seconds away! But Cozy reappeared at the edge of her vision, nearly stumbling over her own hooves! It was a brutish, lumbering dash, but she was gaining!

With one last desperate effort, Flurry jumped forward and over the finish line, a fraction of a second before Cozy. She caught herself with her hooves but was too tired to keep her balance. She slipped and tumbled and rolled on soft grass, before she stopped on her back. The other foals immediately gathered around her.

She grinned. "I… won! I…I won!"

"Uh… actually, I won," Scootaloo said. She had a nice blue ribbon around her neck. "You guys actually came in tenth and eleventh."

"Well, I still won!" Flurry insisted with a grin. "I came in before Cozy."

"Yeah, you did," Scootaloo said. She offered a hoof. Flurry took it and heaved herself up. The group of curious ponies backed away to give her some space.

Cozy was a little further away from her. From the looks of it, she had all but collapsed after the race was over. Rumble sat next to her. Flurry limped over to them. Now that the adrenaline and motivation to win was gone, her legs felt oddly dull.

Cozy's eyes were glazed over and her entire body looked limp. She laid on her back and breathed heavily. Her chest rose and fell like a pair of bellows.

"Wow, Cozy! You actually managed to hang on to Flurry for the whole race! She's like an earth pony, you know. That's really impressive." Rumble said, his fur matted with sweat from the exhaustion.

"But… I… didn't…” Cozy wheezed. Cozy's looked like those words caused her more pain than the exhaustion.

"I never thought you would have gotten here half as quick as this!" Rumble replied soothingly and combed through her messy mane. "Most pegasi don't run on the ground very much, and I've hardly ever seen you do it! Besides, if the race had only been just a little longer, I'm sure you would have overtaken her! You did really well! I'm proud!”

"But I did well too, right?" Flurry asked. As much as she felt bad for Cozy's sadness, it was Flurry who had won, after all.

"Yeah, you did really well for your age," Rumble grinned. "oh, and don't take what I shouted the wrong way, okay? I just wanted to spur on Cozy, and I figured that would do it."

"It did," Flurry admitted with a tired giggle. It had been a near thing. Just where did Cozy get that sort of endurance from? From what Flurry could gather, Cozy had been running more on willpower than on stamina for almost the whole race.

Flurry looked down on Cozy's tired face. Only now did some sort of recognition seem to return to the small pegasus. "I… guess you win… this time," Cozy admitted quietly between her breaths. "But only this time!" She added with that same manic glint in her eyes and a mischievous smirk.

Flurry smiled. "You can try!" She reached a hoof forward.

Cozy managed a tired and sincere smile and bumped it with her own shaking hoof.

Author's Notes:

To explain: this story is an anthology following Cozy and her friends from the basis set up in the prequels. This way I can write some short, silly and cute stuff without having to deviate too much from the main plot of any of my bigger installments. That means we will not see what Curio wants with Cozy in this story.
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this story for what it is. At least for the nearest time, you can expect weekly updates, starting this Sunday, as per usual.

As always, big kudos to Vito for the amazing artwork and cover art! It's way better than I expected.

Chapter 2- Cozy's Birthday

Twilight opened her eyes and sat up with a yawn. She shook her head to get some errant part of her mane out of her eyes and looked at the clock.

Half past six in the morning. Then it was not time to raise the sun for a few hours yet. Normally, that meant Twilight would happily fall back among her pillows and snooze for at least half an hour before she got out from her warm blankets and into the slightly-too-cool room. But today she didn't have that option. She had an important duty today… something she had planned for more than a month together with both Rumble, Sweetie Belle and Flurry.

But Twilight was the one who set it all up with some help from Pinkie, and the success of her plan hinged on her getting up early to assemble her allies before Cozy Glow could wake up. They had to catch her while asleep.

Filled with purpose, it was easier to ignore the slight chill in her room. She lit a small fire to warm up the chamber and lifted the hatch of her window. Then she set out, tiptoeing past Cozy's door. Twilight heard gentle snores from inside. Good; the schedule still held.

Her first stop was Rumble's room in the castle annex. Luckily it was Sunday, so he didn't have to work. She knocked on his door - hard, like he had instructed.

"Mmmhh… Yeah, yeah, I'm here!" His voice sounded decidedly addled. She had probably woken him up. Not that it was surprising he was still asleep this early on a weekend, but it still made Twilight feel a bit rude.

He opened the door, rubbing his eyes. His mane was messy and drooped a bit. "Okay… how long do you need to do your part?"

"Were it anypony else I was visiting, I'd say ten minutes," Twilight said. "But since it's Rarity, I' going to say at least forty minutes, maybe up to an hour."

Rumble nodded, slowly waking up. "Okay, that's plenty of time. I made the layers yesterday, so I just have to do the garnishing. Maybe I'll make her some cocoa and a sandwich too then."

"She'll probably appreciate that," Twilight said. "And… did you find a gift?"

"Yeah," Rumble said. "I hope she likes it. Wait here." Rumble slunk back in again and crawled in under his bed. A moment later he returned with a thick book in his mouth.

"Silhoof's Complete Endgame Course: From Beginner to Master." Twilight read the title out loud. On the cover, every chess piece stood on a row. "I've heard that one's a classical book for chess players. I'm sure she'll love it."

Rumble blushed. "I just hope she hasn't read it yet."

"Well, you'll find out soon. We'll meet in my room when you have done the cake, I left my window open for you. There is wrapping paper in there."

"Okay, great," Rumble replied, sleepiness completely disappearing from his face. "Let's go then."

Twilight nodded and left the room, and the castle grounds. She was going to teleport to Ponyville to meet up with Rarity and Sweetie Belle soon, but first she had to pick up one more pony at her parents' house. She was not even at the door when she saw a small shadow moving behind a window on the second floor. Just before Twilight was about to knock, Flurry opened the door with a radiant smile.

"Finally it's time! I have been waiting for you to come all the time since I woke up! I have been waiting so much I couldn't sleep anymore. I've even had breakfast!"

"Then you are ready to celebrate today, I take it?" Twilight asked with a smile. In a way, seeing Flurry playing with her friends let Twilight experience much of the foalhood she herself had missed out on with her unceasing studying.

"Yes! I have a present too! I got it myself… or my mother did, but I picked the color!"

"I'm sure she will be happy about it," Twilight said. "I'd come with you to the castle, but I really need to be off to collect Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Rumble is preparing the cake, but we'll all meet up in my room before we go in to congratulate the birthday filly together."

Flurry nodded energetically. "I'll go now then. I told granny and grandpa yesterday, so they know I'll be gone."

Twilight nodded. Flurry dashed back inside the house, presumably to collect her present. Twilight backed away a little bit before igniting her horn and teleporting. She reappeared outside of Carousel Boutique and knocked. Hopefully Rarity was up... With a bit of luck, she might also have started her lengthy morning process already.

Sweetie Belle opened. Maybe Rarity had woken her up?

"Hi, Twilight," she mumbled sleepily. "Rarity is washing her mane, but she should be done soon. But you can come in, we have some scones and tea if you want."

Twilight nodded. "Yes please. I didn't have time to eat breakfast."

Sweetie Belle gave her a small smile and guided Twilight in. She hopped up on a chair by a plate with a half-eaten scone and a glass of orange juice.

"Oh, did I interrupt you? Sorry about that," Twilight said with a sheepish smile.

"It's fine," Sweetie Belle said. She scrunched up her face a little before she levitated her scone up. Twilight knew eating with magic was particularly difficult for unicorn foals to learn. Something about pulling something to your mouth and holding it still, while taking a bite and eating made for something much more complex than it seemed. But Sweetie took it slowly and made it work.

Twilight, in turn, magicked over some scones of her own and some honey. She sat down opposite to Sweetie Belle.

"You remember when you celebrated Flurry's cutie mark?" Sweetie Belle asked suddenly.

"Of course," Twilight said.

"I was really happy when she told everypony about us. The Crusaders I mean. We have already had a lot of ponies coming to Ponyville to ask about us! I forgot to say that when we were at the Running of the Leaves, but I'm going to thank Flurry for that."

"I think it was Cozy's idea," Twilight admitted. "You can thank her too later."

Sweetie looked back, surprised. "I never thought that there would be so many ponies looking to be Crusaders! All over Equestria too! Good thing I have a nice gift for Cozy!" Sweetie Belle chirped. "A really big bag of candy from Bon-Bon's shop! I spent nearly all this month's allowance on it!"

"Oh? Well, I'm sure Cozy will appreciate it," Twilight replied with a smile - she already imagined Cozy going through a huge bag of sweets and that picture made her giggle.

"I know, right!?" Sweetie Belle said with a big grin. There was one foal who did find it just as fun to give than to receive.

A sound of hooves on the floor made both ponies turn to the kitchen door. Rarity appeared, a fine mist still wafting off her coat from the warm shower. She looked even more dashing than normal. Her mane and coat looked more glossy than usual, sparkling in light of morning sun.

"Oh, terribly sorry to have kept you waiting, dear, but when attending a birthday party one ought to look her best, no?" Rarity greeted Twilight with a stunning smile.

"Sure, Rarity," Twilight said, having long since gotten used to Rarity's quirks. "Are you ready to go? We can't risk Cozy waking up before we can surprise her."

"Just a moment, dear," Rarity said and disappeared again. Twilight heard her go up the stairs.

"She has been working on Cozy's present ever since I told her about her birthday," Sweetie Belle whispered. "It's really nice."

"Can you tell me what it is?" Twilight asked. Given the Element Rarity represented it was hardly surprising she would go the extra mile to get something nice, and Twilight found herself curious.

"Socks!" Sweetie Belle said. "They look really warm and... cozy." the filly giggled, "Perfect for the winter!" Sweetie Belle suddenly looked thoughtful. "Hmmm… why do we celebrate Cozy's birthday today anyway? I didn't think you knew when her birthday was?"

Twilight nodded. "I don't, actually. But her caretaker at the orphanage told me she used to celebrate the day of her arrival there every year. That's today. I hope Cozy won't take offense… but I really don't know when else to celebrate."

"When she sees our gifts, I'm sure she will be super happy about it!" Sweetie Belle chirped.

"Ready, Twilight!" Rarity called with a sing-song voice. She appeared again with a neatly wrapped present on her back.

"Okay, come closer," Twilight said and concentrated on her room back in the castle. Such long teleportations were draining, even for her, but nothing she couldn't handle. Especially not when she had a student's birthday to celebrate.

---

"Cozy?"

"Mmmm…" Cozy replied without opening her eyes. In fact, she opted for rolling over, away from the noise. It worked for a whole of two seconds before something that felt very much like a pony's muzzle poking her.

"No… go away..." she groaned and tried her best to bat away the offending object. She didn't have to get up yet, not for at the very least five more minutes. Besides, she was pretty sure she was in the middle of some nice dream. She didn't remember exactly what it was about, but maybe if she returned to sleep right away she could finish it.

"Cozy!"

That was Sweetie Belle's voice. When did she get here? Wasn't she in Ponyville? Not that Cozy found herself able to care right now. The bed was too warm and cozy, and her blanket felt just so.

"Well then take… this!"

Her blanket flew away, plunging her in the ice-cold morning air.

She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, even if she still really just wanted to go back to sleep. "That's not how you wake up a friend," she mumbled. Sweetie Belle sat just a small distance away on the bed. She hadn't lifted off the entire blanket, just folded away the part Cozy was using.

What made Cozy raise her brows was the fact Sweetie had a wrapped gift next to her.

"No, it's how you wake up a birthday filly!" Sweetie Belle chirped with a radiant smile. "Surprise!"

"Surprise!"

Cozy jumped from the sudden noise. Everypony went into the room, smiling at her and carrying gifts! Rumble, Flurry Heart, Twilight… even Rarity!

"But… oh, golly…!" Her sleepy mind finally began to catch up. "Oh golly! It's my birthday! I didn't think anypony knew!"

"Twilight told us!" Flurry said and hopped up on the bed. She levitated her gift to Cozy's lap with enough enthusiasm to make Cozy topple backwards. "Open my gift! I'm very happy with it! I even wrapped it all by myself!"

Cozy noticed. The wrapping was not a whole paper, but mostly scraps taped together and with a simply tied ribbon around it. Even for a pragmatic pony like Cozy, it was apparent that it was made with love. "Thank you," she said with a large smile. This all was such a surprise, that her friends had unanimously shown up for her like this with gifts… and so many too! Twilight, Rarity and her three friends made for a whole of five gifts, all for Cozy! She had never had such a luxury before! Cheerful Sun, the caretaker of her orphanage had only been able to afford a few gifts and some cake for her.

She reached for Flurry's gift and tore at the wrapping. The mess of tape made it a bit awkward, but soon she had still bared a new pair of ribbons for her mane and tail. These were maroon red with typical Crystal Empire markings along them. Cozy brushed them with her hooves, relishing in the softness. They were almost the same color as her eyes.

"Woah... Thank you! They are so pretty!"

"They'll go perfectly with your eyes, darling," Rarity said, who had sat down on the edge of Cozy's bed. "Do you mind if I helped you put them in?"

Cozy was taken aback by this request - the last time somepony had helped her with her mane was so long ago. "No, not at all," Cozy replied, with a rosy blush on her face. Rarity clearly knew how to style a mane, so Cozy was sure she'd do it just as well as she did it herself, and it'd be one chore she didn't have to do today.

Rarity sat down next to her and started combing through her mane with gentle hooves. Cozy was surprised how delicate she was, gliding with the hoof tips through her curls, feeling the soft material slightly tightening, to form her usual manestyle. Without a word Rarity levitated a small mirror from Cozy's nightstand over to her.

"G-Golly..." Cozy stuttered, seeing her own flushed face decorated with a new set of ribbons. They really matched her rust-red eyes perfectly, being just a tiny bit darker. "Thank you, Flurry, they are-", Cozy was not able to finish, as a light pink wing wrapped around her back and pulled close to a giggling young alicorn.

"You are welcome, I'm so happy you like it!" Flurry chirped happily.

"Open my present next!" Sweetie Belle squeaked and hopped up on the bed too, though she did leave a reverent distance to Flurry.

Sweetie Belle's present was larger than Flurry's. A hard square box with a lid and a ribbon around it. It was easier to open.

Candy. A lot of it too. More than Cozy had ever seen at once, actually. "Oooh… thank you! Is there any blueberry flavored stuff?"

"Loads of it! I remembered how you said you like blueberries! And no oranges, because they are nasty," Sweetie Belle said proudly. "I've tried all sorts that Bon-Bon has, and I've included some of my favorites too! Just wait till you try her cherry gumdrops! They're the best candy in Equestria, hooves down!"

"I like cherries," Cozy said. She felt Rarity tug gently at her mane, as she was still fixing her blue curls.

"My turn," Rumble said. "I… hope you like it." He placed a thick, heavy block of a present next to her. By the shape and size it was clearly a book. But which one?

Since Rarity was still working with Cozy's mane, she tore off the wrapper with her hooves rather than her teeth. She was only a third of the way done when she recognized the cover. Her hooves froze and a small squeak of pure joy made it over her lips as she tore away the rest of the paper. She had seen this book so many times in the bookstores, first in Cloudsdale and then in Ponyville, but never had enough bits to buy it. Instead she used to sneak in and huddle behind the bookcases to read for some time before the sales pony got mad.

But now she wouldn't have to anymore! Now she had her very own copy!

Flurry swatted at Rumble with a wing. "She wants you to hug her," Cozy could hear her whisper. Even if Cozy knew of Flurry's keen mind for feelings, it was still a bit odd to hear her determine Cozy's own desires before Cozy herself did. But she was not wrong.

"You… sure?" Rumble asked.

"Uh-huh," Flurry said.

Rumble stepped closer and caught Cozy in his forelegs. She was all too happy to return the warm hug, nuzzling his cheek.

"Thank you! It's really something I wanted! Have wanted, for very long," Cozy said, taking in his closeness and warmth and scent.

Rumble gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad you liked it. I was worried you had already read it."

"No, I haven't. More than a few pages," she whispered, remembering how badly she wanted to read this book. After her heart felt satisfied with the hug, she gave Rumble the last nuzzle, and even sneaked a small peck on his cheek. She let go of him and noticed a growing blush growing on her coltfriend's face.

The joy she felt settled inside her heart like a little ball of warmth. She turned to Twilight. Her teacher looked at her with a warm smile. "Happy birthday, Cozy, I hope you will like this gift too." Twilight said, handing her a neatly wrapped gift, a bit smaller than Rumble's.

Months ago, Cozy would consider herself insane if she took any kind of a gift from Twilight. This sure had changed since then... She reached out and took the gift in her hooves, then unwrapped it. It was not surprising to find a book under the crumbled wrapping paper, but what surprised Cozy was the title of it."Principles of Leadership, Power and Organization." Mindlessly flipping though it revealed that it was not exactly something written for a foal, and also it seemed to be quite an interesting read with chapters covering various topics, such as economy, statistics and even psychology. Cozy looked back at Twilight, who was watching her silently flipping through the pages.

"Golly… you mean… is this too..." Cozy muttered. "For my studies to… to become an alicorn?" Just saying the word seemed to cause the mood in the room to change. Everypony looked at her, but her eyes were focused on Twilight.

"Like I said, Cozy, I have never made you a promise. It will all depend on you and your progress. But I've never said I will not help you get there," Twilight replied with a reassuring voice. "In my opinion, this book is one of the best guides to… well, learning about leadership and power in general." A small frown appeared on Twilight's face. "It doesn't prevent you from making mistakes, of course, as I'm the best example of, but maybe… we could sit on some chapters and go through them together, if you want."

Cozy lowered her eyes on the book, then nodded slowly, brushing the cover almost reverently. This was an unexpected, but also very important gift.

The last gift was from Rarity, who handed her a beautifully wrapped box, with a shining purple silk bow on the lid. "Thank you," Cozy said with a small bow. One could never be too formal with Rarity.

She almost felt bad for having to tear the ornate paper, but the gift inside made her quickly forget about it. "Oooooh…" Cozy muttered, holding a quartet of socks, sky-blue in color and with dark-blue stripes. Cozy, naturally, tried them on immediately. It felt a bit odd, but warm and snug for the cold season. Looking herself over she found them matching her mane and tail perfectly.

By the discreet glances and twitching wings, Rumble also approved. Cozy decided to remember that. If ever he needed some persuasion, these could definitely be useful...

"Now there's just one thing left for you to have a real birthday morning!" Rumble declared when all the presents were opened and examined. "Wait here!"

He fluttered out of the door, but Cozy heard him move around something just outside her room. When he returned, he had a whole cake balanced on his head.

Cozy was just about to ask how they were supposed to eat it when Twilight magicked a plate and teaspoon into her hooves. By the looks of it, somepony had hidden them in her room at some point.

Rumble carefully sat the cake down on the bed. It was beautifully decorated, with light blue and pink frosting and blueberries crowning the layers, like battlements of a castle's wall. There was just only one thing that looked off.

"Uhmm… Only one candle?" Cozy asked with a raised eyebrow. "You do know how old I am… right?"

Twilight nodded. "From what I hear you are thirteen. But I figured we could consider this…" she gestured broadly to indicate the room and everypony in it. "A new life for you. It felt fitting to let this represent your time with me, rather than just a birthday."

Cozy found herself liking that idea. Like she herself had said back when all of this began: this was a new game, with new rules and pieces.

They cut up the cake (Cozy got the biggest slice, of course, and the candle). Cozy grabbed the spoon and wanted to dig into her delicious slice, but a sudden squeak from Flurry stopped her. "Wait! You must blow the candle first! I always blow the candles on my birthdays, and mommy says if you wish hard enough for something, then it will come true! But only if you keep the wish a secret!" Flurry quickly explained, waving her hooves around.

"Oh… Right."

Not that it mattered if she kept her wish a secret or not. Everypony knew her ultimate desire.

She wanted to be an alicorn. So powerful and mighty, that nopony would ever think her weak again.

So loved that nopony would ever leave her again, the way her parents had...

Feeling the familiar coldness filling her heart, she quickly suppressed the last thought. This was her birthday! She was going to be happy all day today! This was not the time to think about her past. She blew the candle, making her friends cheer for her. Somehow, this felt… real, in a way no other birthday had. Her first real birthday, with friends who cared about her.

---

Sweetie Belle and Rarity stayed until the afternoon before they took the train back to Ponyville. At about the same time Flurry also went back home to Twilight's parents. By the nudge Flurry gave Rumble as she left, he guessed she picked up on Cozy's desire to have some time alone with her special somepony.

He wanted that too. There was something he had thought about doing with Cozy, and this was a great occasion: he wanted to visit Cloudsdale with her and just… fly through the beautiful streets and vistas of his tribe's capitol. It was almost tradition for two pegasi in love to spend at least a little time in their ancestral home. And of course, the view from their cafés was unmatched. He hoped Twilight could teleport them there... she had already teleported back and forth to Ponyville today, though. Was it tiring for her to teleport to different places around Equestria? Or maybe she truly had all the power of the sun to call upon if she wanted? It wasn't like Rumble knew the limits (or lack thereof) of the almighty alicorns.

"So… I was thinking," he began as they went back from Flurry's house towards the castle. "I know this nice place in Cloudsdale… a café. My brother always goes there when he's together with somepony…" he felt a blush rising. "And I was thinking we could go and try it out."

"Like… a date?" Cozy asked coyly, with a smirk that he had learned to both fear and love.

He felt a silly grin grow on his face. "Yeah! Like… a birthday date!"

"Hmm…. I suppose that does sound like fun… but I also really want to read your book."

"Do you like your book more than hanging out with me?" Rumble asked with fake shock in his voice.

Cozy tittered. "Well, as Twilight's student, I don't want to disappoint my teacher… hmm, what would she do?"

Rumble smirked himself. He too knew how to play this game. "Well, Twilight clearly would neglect her friendship in favor of a new book." He said.

"Golly… well then, I'm sorry Rumble, but-" Cozy was trying her best not to burst out laughing, but the corners of her mouth were rising, and her eyes were sparkling with mirth.

"-but you wouldn't do what Twilight wants! In fact, I can bet you'd take great pride in doing what she wouldn't!" Now Rumble could hold back his laughter too.

Cozy laughed. "Fine! I'll go to Cloudsdale with you. For a birthday date. But this is my first birthday date, so better make it good!"

Rumble put his wing over Cozy's back, as she continued walking. "Don't worry. With you near, it'll always be fun."

They found Twilight in her study, reading a letter and writing another at the same time, with her other hoof stroking Owlicious absently. The owl looked most content in its sleep. She put the letter down and faced the two foals when they came inside. "Hello. Did everything go well?"

Rumble nodded. "Rarity and Sweetie Belle made it back to the train, no problem. Flurry is with your parents."

Twilight nodded. "And…?" she said encouragingly.

"And… I was thinking that maybe I could take Cozy to a café I know of… in Cloudsdale… you know, if you'd be so kind…"

It was only now that he was here that he realized that he, an apprentice chef who didn't even have his cutie mark, had just casually walked into the Princess's own study to casually demand she'd take valuable time to send him on a date.

What was wrong with him? Since when did he start to treat the almighty alicorns like his equals? Also, was this a crime? Was he, in fact, going to have a date with Tartarus because of his insolence?

A small, traitorous part of his mind told him that he deserved it for how he was treating the living embodiment of ponykind.

"Sure! I'd be happy to!" Twilight said and rose from her chair, flapping her wings a little by way of stretching.

Rumble balked. She… didn't even think it was strange! Maybe in her infinite wisdom she just saw the world in such a different way than he did that such trivialities didn't matter to her anymore?

"Do you want to go right now?"

They both nodded and stepped closer. Twilight's horn shimmered strongly before the world disappeared into a lilac flash. When the light receded, they were already in the puffy, white splendor that was the pegasus tribe's capitol. They were just outside the great racetrack, the Circus Altus.

"I'll pick you up here in a few hours," Twilight said cheerfully.

"Thank you very much," Rumble said, trying to make up at least a little for his rudeness before. Twilight waved to them with a grin before she disappeared again.

"So, where is this café of yours?" Cozy asked, looking around.

"It's not far, just by the Great Cascade." Rumble replied, pointing with a wing towards a bigger cluster of clouds.

"Oh, it was really long since I saw that!" Cozy said excitedly. The two of them started flying upwards and along the cloud edge as to really enjoy the view of Equestria underneath them.

Cloudsdale was a strange city when it came to layout. With how pegasi could fly, the city was designed more like a cluster of small, enclosed sub-cities without much interconnection by roads; pegasi would simply fly between them. The city was also heavily layered, with stacks of clouds sitting above or next to others with no path between them. Luckily both Rumble and Flurry had lived here for a long time and did know the way around, although Rumble noticed that Cozy had to follow him for some parts. Maybe she wasn't as home in the finer parts of the city, being an orphan?

After a short while, they reached a small town square by the edge of the clouds. "Here we are, the Great Cascade," Rumble said and gestured with a hoof. About half of the square was covered by a massive cloud above them which, incidentally, housed the weather-plant annex that dealt with the productions of rainbows- the most closely guarded secret in the city and a popular theme for fillies and colts at sleepovers to scare each other with. With its secretive nature, tales of "The Rainbow Factory" were almost urban myths at this point.

Nonetheless, from the factory flowed a large chute of freshly made rainbow in a massive "waterfall", commonly called the Great Cascade. It flowed down to this square and was then led off the edge of the main cloud, creating one of the massive rainbows that made up Cloudsdale's cityscape.

And at the corner of the square, closed off by the rainbow river, a pegasus named Velvet Wings had her café. Lovestruck pegasi made pilgrimages here, since the view, the clouds, the rainbows, the sweet treats… it all was better than any romance novel, especially at sunset.

Rumble and Cozy flew a turn around the massive rainbow, just to get a close look. Rumble had to suppress a childish idea of flying through it, like he once did when he was little and got scolded. It was also then he learnt that rainbows tasted absolutely horrible. Come to think of it… did Cozy know that? If she didn't, then he might just have to trick her into trying. That'd remind her to not underestimate him.

The two of them tapped down outside the entrance to the café. Rumble opened the fluffy, cloud door and held it for Cozy, who bit her lip to suppress a giggle. After she entered the café with a springy trot, Rumble followed her.

Velvet Wings was a pale blue pegasus mare with a pink mane, a bit plumper than most pegasi. Rumble suspected she enjoyed her own sugary treats more than she enjoyed exercising. Still, she greeted them with a warm smile. "Good day! Can I get you both something?"

Rumble and Cozy looked through the glass counter. Velvet had clearly accepted her niche as a place of romance, as every single pastry was either pink or white and also functioned as an exposé over every possible way to vary the traditional heart shape. Hopefully Cozy didn't decide to call him out on it. He didn't think she'd like something as mushy as this.

"I'll take a…Vanilla Heart," Cozy said and pointed at a heart-shaped pastry. A small paper sign informed him that they were filled with a vanilla cream.

"Strawberry Hearts for me, please," Rumble said.

"They're the last strawberries of the season," Velvet informed him and placed the two desserts on a plate. She looked from Cozy to Rumble with a sly expression. "You know, I've got a couple's discount. Are you two here on a date?"

Cozy nodded proudly. "It's my birthday. And he invited me."

"That's so?" Velvet said merrily. "Well, then it's seven bits rather than ten. Lemonade and elderberry juice is for free. Hope you enjoy!"

"Thank you," Rumble said and paid. Velvet poured liquids in their glasses and Rumble noticed that even the drinks had somehow been colored pink. Maybe the rainbow factory produced food coloring too? They each grabbed a glass and went out on the town square again. Some tables had been set up by the very edge of the cloud, so they sat down there.

The Equestrian Heartlands drifted by underneath them. From up here, the patchwork of farms and fields were barely larger than their hooves, and the farmhouses looked like tiny toys. All the fields slowly changed their colors from green towards yellow or brown. Many had already had the last harvest for the season, but some hardier crops could still survive when tended by earth ponies. He even saw one of those new mechanized harvesters slowly making its way over a field.

"I wonder how they work," Cozy said, following his eyes. "I'm sure I could figure it out, if I got to look through one."

"I wonder if you can run them on magic?" Rumble said. "Some time ago, two unicorns came with a large machine to Ponyville. They used their magic to power it, and it made cider. Or that's what my bro says, anyway."

"Golly… I've never thought about that. To use magic as a way to power machinery," Cozy said. "I wonder how you get that to work though… must be hard, or it would be completely revolutionary! Just think… maybe one could even run trains on magic! Or carriages!"

"Ovens too," Rumble suggested. "To help with cooking."

"Heh! I'm going to try that," Cozy smiled. "That'll be my birthday present to you."

"You know, just you remembering my birthday will be enough," Rumble said, nuzzling Cozy's cheek. But, of course, he wouldn't mind seeing another one of her amazing artifacts. She had already made him a self-writing quill, and since then his mail correspondence had drastically increased. In fact, he had found himself actively looking for excuses to send somepony a mail, just to write it with his new quill.

"No, it won't! My special somepony is not going to say Cozy is not both cute and lovable!" Cozy chirped, batting her eyes.

"I'd never say anything else," Rumble replied, making Cozy wink at him.

"Not after all my great gifts, you won't," Cozy said and took a bite of her vanilla pastry.

"Alright, Cozy," Rumble said and started eating himself and rolling playfully his eyes.

They continued talking about everything and nothing while they ate. Flocks of birds flew by underneath the great cloud they were on. At some point, a black-clad pony from the factory above flew down and collected some of the rainbow, before flying back up again. Rumble and Cozy's eyes followed his flight.

"It's… really nice," Cozy said quietly. "All of this, I mean. Golly, not very long ago I'd never have thought… I'd ever have a special somepony."

"Sorry to disappoint," Rumble said and felled his ears in mock sadness.

Cozy reached over the table to jab at him. "Oh, shush! I don't like ponies who are too humble, you know. When you become the consort of a princess, you've got to have some authority!"

"I can have authority if I want, you know," Rumble said. "You're just… fun to mess around with sometimes."

"Hmm… were it any other I'd probably be mad you said that," Cozy mused. "But since it's funny to mess with you too, I guess I can be a benevolent future-princess and forgive you."

Speaking of messing with her… "Hey, Cozy… have you ever tasted a rainbow before?"

Cozy cocked her head to the side. "Rainbow's aren't for eating."

"But have you ever tried?" Rumble pushed innocently.

Cozy scoffed. "Why would I? Have you ever tried to eat gravel?" she deadpanned.

"Gravel - no. Rainbows, yeah, when I was small. It wasn't even that bad."

"You're lying," Cozy said, but she did cast a glance towards the rainbow river nearby.

"I promise I've tried," Rumble said, looking casually at his hoof. "But I bet you wont."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cozy said with a glare. "Do you think I'm a scaredy-filly or what?"

Rumble smiled. She was a smart pony, but if you knew what buttons to press she was still predictable. "Based on your stalling… yes, scaredy-filly. But don't worry, I won't tell."

Cozy huffed and grabbed the empty glass before going down next to the river and scooping up some of the colorful semi-liquid. She came back to the table with a scrunched muzzle. "I'll show you who's a scaredy-filly."

She stared at him intently, as she slowly, very slowly, lifted the glass. She pressed the edge to her lip and sniffed cautiously at it. That wouldn't help her. While the taste was immensely powerful, it had next to no scent. It looked like this was working! Rumble was surprised she was actually going to fall for it. He leaned forward as she slowly tilted the glass up.

It was just one moment too late when he noticed the mischievous glint in her eyes. She jumped over the table with the glass of rainbow in her hoof. She tried to get his forelegs up for protection but he was too late. She all but threw the vile liquid down his throat. He immediately sputtered as Cozy tried to press the glass against his lips. A full spectrum of rainbow spilled down on his chest. Just a few drops found its way down his throat, but it was enough to make it feel like he had just guzzled down a glass of molten magma.

The taste was… more spicy than Sunfire chilli and acrid like some unripe fruit at the same time. But worse was the heavily metallic aftertaste and the unnatural draught that invaded his entire mouth. It was like he had just swallowed a whole beach's worth of sand on top of the horrendous taste!

"IIIIIIIEEEH!!!" He shrieked as loud as he could, spitting and coughing the rainbow liquid around, alerting several other ponies on the square, and causing Velvet Wings to rush out the door as fast as she could.

"Is there something wro-" she galloped over to them and took one look at Rumble and Cozy. One did not need to be a detective to deduce what he had done. Her worried face turned to slight annoyance. "Rainbows are just for show. You shouldn't drink them." She turned to Cozy. "I'll come out with some water and napkins. Just watch your colt from now on, alright?"

Cozy nodded. By the way her mouth twitched, she was desperately trying to hold back her laughter. "I think he's learned his lesson…" she stuttered, as Velvet trotted away. Cozy looked back at him with a pleased expression. "… namely that he shouldn't try to trick me like that."

It was all Rumble could do to wheeze out something for an answer.

Cozy smiled, clapping her hooves together. "This has been such a fun birthday! And you know that now this is a tradition!"

Author's Notes:

Of course, I am absolutely open for chapter suggestions. I already have a good chunk of chapters written, but I'd love to see what ideas this wonderful fandom of ours can cook up for Cozy. Feel free to leave a comment.

Chapter 3- Unforgiven

Saturdays are good days to be a pegasus pony. When you are an adult, you got your salary on Saturdays, and when you are a foal, you got to buy sweets. And while Canterlot did have some of the finest confectioners in Equestria, Cozy's birthday present from Sweetie Belle had convinced her that Bon-Bon's sweets were the best, even if it meant you had to take the train to Ponyville to get them.

Actually… there was an idea.

"Hey, Rumble, can you make candy? It's pretty much the same as cooking, right? And your cocoa is great!"

Her special somepony tore his eyes away from the train window and turned to her. "I've never tried… Ramson doesn't like sweets at all."

"He doesn't?" Cozy asked. Of course, she knew Ramson was brutally harsh and abrasive, and she honestly couldn't see him eating sweets, but still. Who didn't like candy?! Was he even a pony, or some sort of primal magical force imitating a pony?

"No, he says that fruits are the only real sweets a proper pony needs," Rumble said, though it looked like he didn't entirely agree.

"Hmm…" Cozy said. "But you'll try for me, right? I'll even see if I can talk him into it! I'm persuasive like that, so I'm sure it will work!"

"Uh…" he swallowed audibly. "Maybe?"

"Tsk, scaredy-pony." Cozy nudged him.

Then again, even if it was a bit of a hassle to take the train to Ponyville and back just for some sweets, it was well worth it. Sometimes it was nice to get out of the capitol anyway, especially since ponies didn't stare at her as much in Ponyville as they did in Canterlot. The Ponyville ponies were forgiving… probably because of Twilight's influence on their little town.

The train came to a halt and the two of them hopped off. The day was comfortably warm for the season, so they didn't need any clothes other than their saddlebags. Most of the trees had shed their leaves on their own or with the help of ponies. Walking past the market revealed only a few stalls still open for business; most fresh food had been collected and were preserved for the cold season. Still, there were mushrooms, chestnuts and Apple family apples.

Cozy was about to ask more about the Apple family, when something caught her eye and made her tense up. Just turning away from a stand with fall wreaths were six creatures that made Cozy freeze in place: Sandbar, Smolder, Gallus, Ocellus, Silverstream and Yona.

She did not know what to think about them. Officially she had apologized for what she did through her letters, but actually seeing them here… Even if she knew that what she did was stupid, even if it ended horribly for her... They had ruined everything. If it weren't for those six, her very first plan would have functioned. While they hadn't locked her up or turned her to a statue, they had still, indirectly, been responsible for all of Cozy's woes since then.

"Hey, Cozy? Is there something wrong?" Rumble asked. She had slowed her steps to a standstill while considering how to approach the six students.

"No, I… don't think so," Cozy said and started past them. This would need some thinking. She'd just avoid them until she had figured herself out. That sounded like a good idea. No need to open this can of worms right now.

Rumble shrugged and followed her. After about two seconds one of the six creatures must have spotted her, for suddenly they all turned around to stare at them.

Cozy knew it was better to ignore them, like she did all the other stares, but something inside her made it impossible now. Her pride forbade her from cowering. They had to see that she was still strong, that she was not afraid of them nor ashamed of herself. She stopped, lifted her head and met their stares head on.

"Uh… Cozy?" Rumble asked uncertainly.

"Hi… Cozy?" Ocellus spoke first. She approached timidly, but with a small, hopeful smile nonetheless. "I… I got your letter."

Cozy's stare moved to the shy reformed changeling. "Hi, Ocellus… I got yours too," she said neutrally. She tried to keep the wariness out of her tone, but it was difficult.

"That's good. So… are we good?" the young changeling asked, hopefully. It made Cozy hesitate for a second, since Ocellus really looked apologetic.

"Golly… I guess...." Cozy replied, watching the bug give her a shy smile. As silly as it was, it made Cozy feel a little more comfortable too. Maybe things didn't have to be any more difficult than this.

"I dunno, Ocellus," Gallus said with a suspicious glance. "It's not like she doesn't know how to trick people."

As soon as she heard these words, Cozy had to bite back her sharp answer, mostly because she didn't want to cause a scene in front of her special somepony. For her own sake she was more than ready to give a skewering retort. Clearly, Ocellus's idea wasn't shared by all of them.

"But Princess Twilight trusts her," Sandbar pointed out. "She's got to know, right?"

"Yeah, because last time Twilight trusted Cozy it went super well," Smolder said, rolling her eyes. "I'm telling you, you ponies are way to kind."

"But you guys also got a letter, didn't you?" Ocellus said with a placating look to both her friends and to Cozy.

"Yeah, and I see no reason to trust anything she wrote," Gallus said gruffly. "She's tricked us before, and I'm not gonna let it happen again."

Rumble went past her, up to the six students with his ears flicked straight back and tails swishing angrily. "Do you guys have anything to say to my special somepony, at least have the guts to say it to her face, or better yet, to me," he snapped.

All of them looked taken aback by his declaration. The stinging, smoldering anger that always came so readily to her, quickly was replaced with warmth. A relieved and surprised smile even threatened to ruin her glare! Her special somepony stood up for her! She… she didn't have to face her problems all alone anymore!

Gallus recovered first. "Wait, you're her coltfriend?" he asked, looking like he was quite sure he had misheard. "Do you have any idea who Cozy is? Like… actually?"

"A better idea than you, clearly," Rumble growled, immediately extending his wings, like readying a pounce. It was a defensive reflex among pegasi.

"Don't bother explaining, Rumble," Cozy concentrated her glare on Gallus. "He was always a poor friendship student… I mean, not even I nearly caused all my friends to lose their Hearth's Warming break because I was jealous of everypony."

She knew she shouldn't be saying things like that. She shouldn't make new enemies. But at least enemies were something she knew how to deal with. She could handle enemies. Having somepony defending her like this was new. And while she appreciated it, she also couldn't let him think she couldn't stand up for herself. She was not a crybaby filly. She may not want enemies, but she wanted to keep her pride in front of her special somepony more.

Smolder looked almost amused by her comment. Almost, if you could see past the many layers of anger. "Oh, yeah, 'cause you're definitely one to talk. How many times have Twilight had to stop you from conquering the world last week, anyway?"

"Everycreature-" Ocellus began timidly.

"And at least I learned my lesson," Gallus hissed. "I bet you haven't! I bet you're still just using Twilight, and your coltfriend too."

Rumble flushed red, but Cozy hardly saw it. She found herself remembering how she and Rumble had met in the first place… how she had pretended to be Twilight's captive daughter to get his sympathy, how she had adopted the name "Sheltered Light". She had planned to use him. She had planned to dupe him into helping her escape. The accusation seemed to sting and stab inside her head. I bet you're still just using Twilight, and your coltfriend too.

Fury bubbled to the surface, so overpowering that she was left stunned, torn between the options of screaming out her anger at his stupid face, charging at him to bash his teeth through his skull or kick him in the groin, repeatedly.

But before she could make any step, any move, a silent, bone-chilling voice stopped her.

"I don't want your advice, hear me?" Rumble whispered. Cozy felt her own coat standing up on her neck; she had never heard him this angry before. His ears and tail were both flicked straight backwards and his wings were wide and tense, every feather flared. And his eyes… had narrowed to pinpricks, the purple warmth of his irises suddenly seemed cold like amethyst. "If you," he spat the word like it was a blasphemy "are the type of creatures Twilight takes into her school, then Equestria is better off alone."

He turned around and slapped his tail across Gallus's dumbfounded face.

Cozy still wanted to mutilate the gryphon … but she also didn't want Twilight to be cross, and Rumble's declaration could suffice. She sent another glare at each of the six creatures. Only Gallus and Smolder met her eyes. Ocellus and Silverstream both were on the verge of tears, and Sandbar and Yona looked from her to their friends and back, seemingly unsure of what to do.

Then she turned away and went with her special somepony away from them.

Even when they were out of sight the mood was still oppressive. Anger still simmered inside her, mixed with shame for what she had said. She shouldn't have said things like that... she was supposed to be better than that now. She sensed Rumble was also trying to process what had just happened, something she was secretly thankful for. She needed to calm herself down properly before she was ready to talk…

What could she do now? Twilight had wanted her to write letters to the six of them to make up and move on… and Ocellus had wanted to. But now what? She was not going to ask forgiveness, no, this was not on her. She hadn't picked a fight with them, and she was not going to meekly roll over. She was Cozy Glow. She was a proud, strong filly. Those six losers didn't scare her, and they never had.

But Twilight wasn't going to see things like that. She'd want Cozy to apologize, nice and proper. In fact… as Twilight's student, she'd probably expect Cozy to do it on her own. How would she take it when she found out about this?

"Well… here we are," Rumble said without much mirth. In fact, he sounded like he was ashamed. Cozy jolted, realizing they had reached the confectionary. "Can't say I feel like candy anymore though."

It felt like something heavy was sitting on her chest. She felt awful, not only because of what happened, but by how it ruined their day. And Gallus's accusation still pricked and stung inside her head. "I'm not trying to use you anymore. Or Twilight! Honest!" Cozy squeaked, just to get the thought out of her head. The candy could wait, she had to say that!

"I know, Cozy," Rumble sighed. "Don't listen to them, alright? I know you're a good pony. They don't know how much you've changed. But I still shouldn't have said that. It wasn't nice."

"Even if it wasn't nice, they deserved it," Cozy muttered. They'd only ever judge her for who she had been, she knew that. But it still hurt. I bet you're still just using Twilight, and your coltfriend too. Cozy sighed discreetly, there went her good mood. "But I'm still happy you stuck up for me like that," Cozy said honestly, a small smile forming on her face. Rumble blushed slightly and nuzzled Cozy's cheek. It felt… a little bit better, after.

"You know… Bon-Bon does sell ice cream too," Rumble suggested. "Like… if you want that instead." Cozy recognized the inane talk as a way to try and get her to think of something else. But she was still happy to do exactly that. She nodded.

"Maybe she has some blueberry ice-cream left," she said, adding some extra vigor to her voice.

They went inside. There were only a few other ponies, and none of them wanted ice cream. With the weather cooling a little every day, even more cold was probably the last thing most ponies wanted. They took their ice cream in a pair of cups and returned outside to sit by a table. Since neither of them could use magic, they didn't bring spoons, but instead licked and ate the cream directly from the cups instead. She saw how Rumble got some on his muzzle, even if he wiped it clean with a towel directly after.

It was really nice ice cream, Cozy noted. It tasted very much like blueberries, and not only the sour taste that she associated with frozen berries. No, it was sweet and… and blueberrylike. Bon-Bon sure did know her sweets.

"I guess you've ran into those guys before, haven't you?" Rumble asked tentatively.

Cozy nodded. "Yeah. They were my classmates in Twilight's school. And if it weren't for them, I'd have won back then."

"Oh… that explains why they were so angry. Not that they are right, but it does explain where they're coming from," Rumble added the last part quickly. Maybe he was afraid she'd be mad.

She nodded and took a lick of the ice cream. "Tsk. If it weren't 'cause Twilight will be mad at me for this, I'd tell her that her so-called friendship students seem to have missed a few lessons."

"I'll back you up if you want," Rumble said. "And I'm not afraid to tell her, even if she'll be angry at me for what I said too! But nopony is going to tell me that standing up for your special somepony is wrong!" To her surprise, she didn't see any sign of fear in his eyes when he said that. He really meant it. He really would stand up to an alicorn if she asked him to.

Even if he knew Twilight better than most, it was still not a mean feat to do that.

"Oh…" Rumble said and glared over Cozy's shoulder. She turned around, following his eyes.

Silverstream and Ocellus stood a small distance away, looking slightly lost. Cozy let her eyes narrow, just a little. She didn't really want to scare them off, since they had clearly come to her for some reason, but she did want them to know that she was still not happy about it.

"Uhm… hi, Cozy," Ocellus said shyly. "Do you mind?"

Cozy huffed. "Well, since your friends just insulted me, and my very special somepony, I'm going to say I do." She relaxed her glare, just a little bit. "But I suppose you did say we were good before, so I'm going to be the bigger pony." She beckoned them over with a flick of her wing.

Both Ocellus and Silverstream looked relieved and came over. Since there was only one other chair by the table, Silverstream sat down directly on the ground. She was so tall she still got up to eye level with the rest of them.

"We wanted to say we're sorry about what Gallus and Smolder said," Silverstream said with a resolute tone Cozy had never heard from the bubbly hippogriff before. "And I wanted to say that I got your letter and I really did want to reply… I just, um... sort of forgot about it," she blushed. "Uh… I had exams to read for, and when they were done it had slipped out of my mind."

"I want to apologize too," Ocellus peeped. "Twilight taught us that it's better to have friends than enemies. And if she hadn't given us a second chance, then we changelings wouldn't even be able to live in Equestria. So I'm going to do the same to you."

Huh. Cozy hadn't taught about that. Maybe that's why Ocellus had been the first to answer her letter and want to make up? As for Silverstream, Cozy did find it all too believable that she had forgotten. She had always been a bit of a ditz. "Well… I did mean what I say in my letters, so I guess I can give you another chance," she said. "But only one. And only you two. You can tell the rest of your friends that they'll be the ones to send me letters before I talk to them again. And Rumble too."

"I'm sorry for what I said!" Rumble said loudly, anxiously. "I know it wasn't nice… and didn't mean it. I just got… really mad. So I'm… sorry."

"Oh, yeah!" Silverstream chirped. "I didn't know you had a mate, Cozy! Are you on a date right now? I'd love to go on a date with someone too, someday! Eating together, walking together… sit on benches, look at stairs with someone who doesn't think I'm weird! Oh, and I can accept your apology!"

Rumble cocked his head to the side with a confused glance towards Cozy. "She… likes stairs," the filly explained, though she realized that odds were that explanation only confused him more.

"You'll find somegriff too," Ocellus said. "And I'm pretty sure you ponies don't say 'mate', do you?"

Both Rumble and Cozy shook their heads. "I'm her special somepony," Rumble said. "Name's Rumble by the way… I don't think I said that. Sorry." He smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, right!" Silverstream said and shook Rumble's hoof so vigorously she nearly pulled him from his chair. "I'm Silverstream, from Mount Aris! Nice to meet you!"

"Ocellus," Ocellus said. "I'm… a changeling."

"Oh… you don't look anything like Chrysalis," Rumble pointed out. "Or her statue, anyway."

Ocellus blushed. "No, I'm… not. We're not anything like her anymore."

"No, I didn't mean it like that!" Rumble hurried to say. "I just haven't met a changeling before." He swallowed. "I'm… really not making a good first impression, am I?"

Ocellus smiled shyly. "Well… how do you know you've never met a changeling before?"

Rumble opened her mouth, then closed it, and then he furrowed his brow. Cozy could practically hear his mind grind to a halt and catch fire. She giggled at his expression, and Ocellues looked pleased as well.

"But… seriously…?" Rumble asked, looking quite lost. He flashed Cozy a small glare and nudged her. "Hey, stop laughing!"

"Don't worry! We don't change much nowadays," Ocellus chirped. "King Thorax says everyling should try to find their own beauty by being themselves now, so that's what we're doing."

Rumble looked relieved. "Oh. Right. Makes sense. I… deserved that."

They all fell quiet. Cozy took the opportunity to eat up the rest of the ice cream.

The quiet was not hostile, but not exactly completely comfortable either. Cozy still felt like there was a slight chafe between her and her former classmates.

She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Even if they all wanted to be friends with one another, they were responsible for Cozy ending up in Tartarus. She could forgive them; if she could forgive Twilight, then she could forgive them. But she didn't forget, because she never forgot a grudge. And she was certain that if Ocellus and Silverstream would ever have to choose between her or Gallus and Smolder, then they wouldn't pick her.

She could accept it, and they could be friends… but not friends. She could not share her secrets with them, and she could not wholly trust them the way she could with Rumble or Sweetie Belle. Perhaps they felt it too?

"You're… nicer than you were, Cozy," Ocellus said. "Twilight's really been a good influence, right?"

"Rumble's been more important," Cozy said with just a little bit of sharpness to her tone. "But Twilight isn't… bad, I guess."

"I can tell Yona and Sandbar you really are better now, if you want," Ocellus offered. "I don't think they want to be mad with you. Or at least not Sandbar, and if he's okay with you having turned over a new leaf, Yona will probably be okay with you too."

"Tsk, if they're fine to let that dragon and griffin pick on my special somepony, then maybe I don't care to have them as my friends in the first place." Cozy huffed. Ocellus cowered back. For a moment it looked like she would protest, but in the end she didn't. "And why would Yona care so much for what Sandbar thinks?"

"She's absolutely smitten by him," Silverstream smiled. "You wouldn't believe how weird it is to see a yak all flustered!"

"Silverstream, don't go around telling everyone that!" Ocellus shouted anxiously. "She hasn't even confessed yet! And… well, Sandbar is pretty dense in this matter."

"Really?" Cozy slowly. "Yona and Sandbar? That's…"

"Kinda strange?" Rumble supplied. "Not that I care about who they like or not, but… it's still a bit strange."

Cozy could only agree, even if she didn't say anything. Just like Rumble said, it was none of her business, and she had no interest in who those two losers liked or not.

But still… if Sandbar accepted her confession, then he'd be the first pony ever to date a yak. That was pretty... cool?

"Uh… don't say anything to anypony about that, okay?" Ocellus asked with a slightly pleading look in her eyes. "She doesn't want anypony to know yet."

"Okay," Cozy said with a shrug. It was a testament to how far she had come that she meant it. Before she would figure out some way to use this information to gain some favors or improve her standing in somepony's eyes. But now the idea didn't more than cross her mind briefly before she brutally quashed it.

"Of course," Rumble said. "We'll keep quiet. I know how hard it can be to gather the courage to ask somepony out."

"Thanks," Silverstream said sincerely. "It was just a slip of the tongue… I shouldn't have said anything."

They quieted down again. This time Cozy stood up. "It's been… nice to talk to you two. But we've got to get going now. Got to catch the train back to Canterlot."

"You're welcome back if you want to though," Silverstream said cheerfully. "Or maybe we could meet up in Canterlot sometime?"

"Golly… I'm sure we could do that," Cozy said, even if she honestly couldn't see herself extending an invitation. But maybe sometime…

---

Loyalty as a concept went ways back in the pegasus tribe. Ages before Rainbow Dash took up the mantle of Element of Loyalty, the tribe had been more of an army than a state. Even then, loyalty to the Commander came before family, friends and self. Throughout all of their recorded history, loyalty had been priced and venerated.

But that didn't make Rumble's current predicament any more enjoyable. When they returned back to the castle, Twilight had looked peeved about something, and it wasn't too hard to figure out why. Of course she knew about Cozy's and his quarrel with the dragon and the griffon… as the Princess of Friendship she could probably tap into the very mass-mind of Friendship and sense every friendship mistake in Equestria… or maybe she had the pony black-ops watching them… Or maybe somepony had just told Starlight Glimmer, and then she told Twilight?

He didn't know, but she clearly did know regardless. As such, now he was forced to live up to his promise and owe up to what he had said himself too.

So he told her everything… word for damning word. At least he had Cozy there too.

Wasn't it supposed to be a romantic thing for the two loved ones to go down together? That's what all the books said. But Rumble didn't feel very romantic; he just felt like Twilight was going to banish him. Or lock him up… banish him and then lock him up in the place where she banished him to?

Cozy finished her explanation, and Twilight sighed. "I honestly thought you two were better than this," she said sternly. "As my friendship student, I expected you to be able to turn the other cheek, Cozy. I know you aren't trying to use me. I am absolutely certain of it, and you know it too. So why would you lash out rather than just ignore it and move on with your day?"

Cozy looked up at the annoyed alicorn and replied with no fear in her eyes. "Because… I'm too proud to let anypony talk down to me or my special somepony like that," Cozy said with a hard, unrelenting voice. "And besides… they were also talking about you too. They said that you made a mistake and you've been fooled."

The sincerity and no trace of sly tones in Cozy's voice did seem to mollify Twilight just a little bit."It's good that you are honest when you tell me, at least. However, I am certain I'm not fooled and I am not making a mistake. While I'm sad that they doubt my judgement, this is not a reason for you to behave like you did," Twilight replied, her voice losing some of the annoyance. She sounded… marginally more explaining rather than accusing.

"Well, they were the ones who started it," Rumble said. It may be the most foalish reply in the book, but it still felt good to say it. "They were the ones who decided to pick on Cozy, even when she had said she wanted to be friends! It's not like I'm just gonna let them do that!"

"So you decided to insult them back?" Twilight asked patiently. "While you have never been my student, Rumble, I still know you are better than that. I am not disappointed that you stood up for Cozy, but I am disappointed in how you did it. And as much as knowing who started the conflict may be important sometimes, I doubt it in this case."

Twilight sighed and shook her head sadly. "I know that just bringing you all together and making you apologize isn't going to do any good; neither of you will put your heart into it. So instead I want to ask you this: if you ever meet with them again, please ignore any provocations. You two are smart ponies and you are better than that," she finished, looking at two foals. The sour mood filled the silence that fell between all three of them. Twilight crouched down to be at the same level as their unhappy faces. "Listen, many conflicts, from personal to international could have been avoided if one side just stopped firing back. I am… proud that you two stand up for each other, and of how you reconciled with Ocellus and Silverstream after, but the squabble with Gallus and Smolder is unacceptable. I'm not going to force you or them to do anything, but at some point I want you all to apologize and make up, somehow." Twilight nodded, in part to herself.

She stood up again and lifted her wings a little. Rumble swallowed and beheld her in her full alicorn perfection. "Rifts between creatures, once created, can quickly widen and ruin your friendship, if you ignore them for too long. I know you all can be good friends and I count on you two to fix this damage eventually. No matter who started it, who said what - a good friend will want to make the first move. I believe in you two." Twilight finished, looking at Rumble and Cozy with a calm, patient face.

"I… We understand. And we will try to do it, okay?" Cozy said. Rumble decided to guess she too was moved by Twilight's conviction, rather than just looking to beat a hasty retreat. "And, well... are… we being punished?" By the way she said it, Cozy had to bodily drag the words out of her mouth to speak them.

"I don't believe in punishments," Twilight shook her head, looking at her student in front of her. "You can go, but I really hope you will remember and take this lesson to your heart. Because I will expect better from you both in the future, okay?" They both nodded. Twilight closed her eyes with a tired sight. "Good. Now if you excuse me, I have a pair of letters to draft to another two of my students who have disappointed me today."

Rumble watched her leave, feeling thoroughly wretched. He had let her down… He had let an alicorn down. By Cozy's look, even she could feel just a sliver of remorse for the disappointment she had caused her teacher.

Chapter 4- The Great CCC, Part 1

There were a lot of words in use to describe Chef Ramson, current head chef of the Canterlot castle kitchen. Genius, innovator, trendsetter, artist, genius… abrasive, sadist, fanatical, insane… In short, he was a pony of many faces. His skill in the kitchen was unmatched, but his temper and demands were just as well known and recognised. Indeed, of the dozen apprentices he had taken on, five had run home crying on the first day and most of the others had simply been fired. Rumble was the only one who had persevered long enough to no longer get an immediate sense of impending disaster when the chef entered the kitchen.

Still, the prying stares and ever-increasing demands for perfection did ensure that Rumble stayed sharp as a razor in the kitchen. It did show in his results, as he recognised he had gone from decent home-cook to a professional who could certainly hold his own even against ponies much older than him. Ramson was abrasive, harsh and unnerving on the best of days, but the pace at which Rumble had to learn and develop under his stewardship had made him skilled far beyond what his age would suggest.

"Tomtit."

Rumble stiffened and turned away from the soup he had been preparing. "Chef!" He had to curb the instinct to salute.

"You know of the CCC?" Ramson asked. "That is a rhetorical question, of course. If you don't, you can consider yourself on unemployment leave."

"The Canterlot Culinary Championship is an annual competition… It takes place in Canterlot every year and-"

"Congratulations, you know what the word 'annual' means," Ramson interrupted dryly.

Rumble blushed. "Uh… it's a competition for professional chefs first started by Chancellor Puddinghead and moved to Canterlot after the unification. One hundred and twenty-eight chefs are allowed to enter, with the sixty-four best from the last year taking half the spots and the rest being picked by an expert group of food critics."

Ramson nodded. "Single elimination tournament. You make one mistake and you are done. I will give you one guess as to who holds the title currently. If you guess wrong, you are on a plate for the next diplomatic dinner with the ambassador of Griffonstone."

Rumble swallowed, even if he did know the answer. "It's you, right?"

"It's me," Ramson nodded. "Did you also know that every chef is allowed to have one sous-chef with him for the competition?"

Rumble felt like the floor had fallen out under him. Was Ramson saying what Rumble thought he was saying? "N-no… I didn't know that."

"Because most of us don't want to bring one. We prefer to work on our own when things have to be perfect. I am no exception… however…" Ramson's cold eyes flashed with a strange spark. "I believe that you have developed to the bare minimum where you will help more than you will be in the way, if barely. So I have decided to allow you to work alongside me for the competition."

"I… Am I really ready?" Rumble asked, floored by the implications! He had achieved bare minimum! He had achieved! To hear Ramson say he hadn't been completely useless was enough to make Rumble smile. This was unprecedented praise!

"No, and I'm sure I will regret this by the time the tournament is over," Ramson sighed. "The CCC is the most prestigious competition a chef can be in. If you want to make an impression, you will have to train hard for the time we have left. But if you ever want to win, you have better start learning the ropes early. I was sixteen when I entered the first time, as an sous-chef to Refined Palate."

Win… him, wining the great CCC? If he did, then he would be to the Equestrian culinary world what the Wonderbolts were to the pegasi. He had never even entertained the idea of winning before. He had hardly even thought of the CCC other than as an event he would watch. "Thank you, chef!" Rumble said. "When do the preliminary rounds start?"

"Two weeks ago," Ramson grunted. "But as current title holder, I am already qualified for the quarter finals, which are due to start in Canterlot the next weekend. Then we will face off against one of seven opponent teams. I will help train you in some select moments until then. Staple procedures which often come up in the competitions."

Rumble nodded. "I will not let you down! I promise."

Ramson gave him something that could almost be called a smile. "See that you don't. Also, your soup was done thirty-two seconds ago and is now officially overcooked. Pour that abomination out and start over."

"Oh… right, chef," Rumble said, dumbfounded. This was not how he wanted to start repaying his mentor's trust. But he couldn't let that get him down. No point in crying over spilled milk. He just had to start over.

He promised himself that he was going to be an asset to Ramson in this competition. If they lost, it wouldn't be because Rumble couldn't keep up.

"Well then." Ramson said. "Be aware that this is more demanding than anything you've ever done. Not only the food has to be perfect, but the ideas behind your dishes as well, and the many unwritten rules that surround this particular competition." Rumble listened as carefully as he could. His master would not repeat this; he expected Rumble to learn and remember.

"First lesson in basic CCC etiquette: The first competition began after the Great Blizzard when food was still scarce. Therefore the competitors are, in practice, not allowed to taste our own food at any point during the competition."

Ramson clearly wasn't kidding when he said this was going to be difficult. He wouldn't even get to know if he had done good until they had already tested him… great, there was already something he'd dread for the entire competition.

---

Cozy Glow, like Ramson, was many things. Cute? Yes. Lovable? You bet. Smart? Always. Wily? For sure. Cute? Absolutely.

Patience, however, was not one of her strong suits. Rumble should have been done in his kitchen half an hour ago, and Cozy was antsy to get to her scheduled flight lesson with him! She would never be able to do trick flying if he ditched her like this!

Growling, she decided to march to the kitchen herself and if he was still there, then she was going to give him a piece of her mind! She did not like to be kept waiting outside in the cold all alone, and she was going to make sure he never forgot that again!

A particularly chilly gust of wind sliced through her jacket as if to prove her point. If she got a cold from this, or the feather-flu, princess forbid, then she was going to take him down with her!

She flew up from the courtyard where she had waited and through the window of her room, next toTwilight's study. Her eyes greeted familiar dark blue walls, decorated with moon-shaped ornaments - Cozy had taken over Luna's room after Twilight let her live in the castle. She hung off the clothes and flew down the stairs to the castle kitchen.

She wanted to kick in the door, just to make an impression, but also didn't want to anger chef Ramson if he was there alone. Contemplating, she decided to play it safe and opened the door carefully.

Ramson and Rumble both looked up at her from whatever they were doing. The very fact Rumble was busy with food and not her made Cozy scrunch up her face in annoyance.

"Why are you still here! We're supposed to be flying now, you dolt! I've been waiting outside in the cold and then I find you in here, all cozied up in the warmth!"

"Oh-!" Rumble squeaked. "I'm sorry, Cozy! I forgot the time completely!"

"And if he wants to not fail horribly, he's going to need all the time and practice he can get," Ramson added with a look of slight despair at Rumble's back.

"Well, if I'm ever going to fly like a real pegasus, then I need all the practice I can get!" Cozy countered, ruffling her wings for emphasis. "Besides, Rumble works here every day! He can train tomorrow!"

"Uh…" Rumble started meekly, but Cozy silenced him with a glare. Before she could continue with more arguments however, Ramson interrupted her.

"Look, filly, I know that you like him, but if he's going to be part of the CCC without making our prospects worse, then he needs to practice," Ramson said factually.

That took Cozy aback. CCC? She had never heard about that. Why hadn't she heard about that? She was supposed to know stuff that ponies liked, so she could talk to them about that!

"What is CCC? And why does Rumble have to practice for it? Do I have to practice for it too?"

"No," Ramson grumbled. "It's a chef's competition. And Tomtit here's going to be my sous chef… If he can stop fooling around and put that onion out of its misery! Get to it or I will sauté you!"

Involuntary, Rumble squeaked as if he had been struck by lightning. "Yes chef!"

Cozy went inside, closing the kitchen door behind her, then flew up on an unused counter, so she could talk with Ramson at eye-level. "So, are you telling me that Rumble can't fly with me at all until this competition?" Cozy asked with that sort of look that would have sent Rumble begging for mercy. To her surprise and annoyance, Ramson didn't even flinch. He even had the audacity to reply with the same type of look. It was all she could do to not fold her ears in submission.

"That's right," Ramson replied. "The competition begins with more than a hundred of the finest chefs in the land, and when we enter the competition there will be only seven other teams left. We will be up against the best of the best. Also, get your hooves off my counter, I see dirt on them," he turned away from dumbfounded Cozy, and glared at Rumble. "Tomtit, I'm going to take inventory of some spices. Try to explain to your fillyfriend while I'm gone. And do it quickly."

After both foals felt the cold presence finally leaving the kitchen room, Cozy huffed and fluttered down next to Rumble. She didn't see any dirt on her hooves... "So how long do I have to wait with my flying?"

"Until next weekend. Quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday, finals on Sunday," Rumble answered with a tired sigh. Only now did she realize that this training was going to be much harder on Rumble than her. She suddenly felt a little bit bad for having marched in her like that and demanded his attention.

"Hmm…" Cozy hummed to herself. "Do you know who your opponents will be?" she asked innocently. If he was going to compete, then she ought to support him, right? That's what a special somepony ought to do!

"No, for exactly the reason you are thinking about," Rumble grunted, with an unamused look on his face.

"What? It wasn't like I was thinking of sabotaging them or something like that." Cozy gave him a big smile and batted her eyes, just to be sure Rumble believed her.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, whatever. We don't know until minutes before the competition begins. And I'll try to squeeze in some flying too, I promise. But this is important to me, okay?"

To be honest, Cozy was not really used to friendship working both ways. It went against the manipulative demeanour that still came so readily to her. But... she could endure it for Rumble's sake. She loved their flying together, but if this competition was such a big deal, then she guessed she could wait a little while to make sure he got the space he needed. It just felt… right to do it for him.

"Golly… I guess if it's really that important, I'll just have to wait. But don't worry, I'm sure I can figure out some way to help you! You know I'm a smart filly!"

Food and cooking may not be her forte, but there were ways she could make herself useful even if she didn't know the first thing about the competition!

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that…" Rumble muttered uncertainly.

"Well that's silly. Don't worry about what I'm doing; worry about what you're doing instead!" she waved with a hoof around the kitchen.

"Just… stay out of trouble," Rumble said with a somewhat pleading voice.

"Sure!" Cozy answered with a huge grin. "Good luck with your practice!"

She gave him a brief nuzzle, which Rumble gladly returned. After that, she left the kitchen with a springy trot. Really, the hardest thing for Cozy would be to patiently wait for this competition to begin. Maybe she could ask if Flurry wanted to fly a bit with her? It wouldn't be like doing it with Rumble, but at least she'd have some company. And Cozy could appreciate having another filly to talk with sometimes.

---

Rumble worked next to his mentor and did his best to be still and concentrate, but it was hard. His tail continued to swish behind him, and his wings felt itchy. He didn't scratch himself though, since he didn't want to risk shedding any hairs in a competition like this. Slightest misfortune where just a single hair from his coat remained on his hoof and somehow found its way into their dish, and they'd be finished.

"You have five minutes left!" The announcer called with his magically empowered voice.

"Time to plate," Ramson said with a slow and calm voice, less abrasive than Rumble had ever heard it. It was like he was so into what he was doing that he forgot to be mad all the time. "You got the green-glazed plate, right?"

"Yes, chef," Rumble said and indicated a green ceramic plate with a floral pattern along the rim. It was going to look great with their dish.

Ramson nodded. "fill the vegetables; the mushrooms need just a little longer," Ramson ordered.

"Yes chef!" Rumble grabbed the long, thin stripes of parsnip he had cut and started rolling them up with a hole in the middle. It was exacting work, but something his smaller hooves had an easy time doing.

Parsnip roulade was done. He placed it on the plate and Ramson spritzed it full of pistachio nut cream and garnished with a dill sprig. Rumble proceeded with the celery roulade, and then finally the bell-pepper. Ramson added the correct filling, before retrieving the frying pan and placing three portobello mushrooms, fried in garlic and butter between the three roulades.

"Grate," he said. Rumble was already ahead of him, quickly grating up a thin layer of parmesan cheese over the mushrooms.

Then, a loud, magically enhanced voice announced.

"Time's up! Drop everything you are holding and take a step back!"

Only now did the anxiety return. All day before he had been jumping at every little noise and shadow, but once the competition began, Ramson's cool demeanor had helped him concentrate for the competition. Now, however, when the jury went around to taste the dishes, his anxiety came back with a vengeance.

"Will… we win?" Rumble whispered to Ramson. He looked over to their competitor in the quarter finals. Rosemary Ray, a pink unicorn with a dark purple mane. Rumble knew her. She had one of the finest restaurants in Equestria, located in Manehattan.

"Rosemary is one tough customer, for sure," Ramson muttered, eyeing the dish she prepared. "But I'm tougher nine times out of ten. And you…" Ramson turned his cold, green eyes on him. "You did adequate, too."

Rumble was not able to make a single sound- both from the stress of approaching the jury and the shock from Ramson's words. Hearing such an unaggressive approval coming from his chief was as unusual as seeing Cozy hug Princess Twilight. And soon, way too soon for his liking, the jury was by their table.

All of them were earth ponies and dressed in a very peculiar, colourful attire. Ramson had said it was what Chancellor Puddinghead herself had worn when she first instituted the competition- but without the characteristic hat. They tried only small bites. Rumble attempted to read their faces, but they remained impassive as stones. After less than a minute, they simply thanked for the food and silently moved to another room, to decide who moved on to the semi finals.

Once they were gone, the audience could come forward to look at the dishes, and the photographers of magazines came to take pictures. Their recipes would be all over next week's cooking magazines.

Among the ponies who came forward was Cozy.

"How do you feel? Do you think it went well? You will win, right? With all the training you have done you've got to win!" The small filly pegasus cheered, looking with sparkling eyes on their dish.

"Y-yeah! Of course we'll win," Rumble said with plenty more gusto than he really felt. "No sweat. We've got this in the bag."

Cozy tilted her head. "I see you sweating."

Rumble brushed over his forehead, his anxiety doubling. "No, I'm not!"

"But you did have to check," Cozy snickered. "But don't worry, I'm sure you won!"

Rumble looked nervously at the closed door, where the jury disappeared. "S-So, what have you been up to?" he asked. He decided that learning about Cozy's new antics was less stressful than thinking about the jury talking next room about all the mistakes they had found in his dish.

"Just watching, for now." Cozy lowered her voice conspiratorially. "But now that you have only three competitors left, perhaps I could sabotage somepony, if you want. Maybe switch the salt and sugar or-"

Rumble very much did not want anything like that. "No! J-Just sit tight and cheer for me, okay? I'm sure that if I know you are cheering for me, that will be enough to make me do better!" Or at least he'd not faint from stress from somehow getting roped into Cozy's antics on top of everything else.

Cozy shrugged with an innocent pout. "Okay, I guess. But then you had better win."

"The jury has come to a result!" The announcer called. The ponies in the audience retreated, leaving only the eight competing teams. Cozy gave the last wink to Rumble and walked away.

"For the first group, Refined Pairing versus Saffron Masala, the jury has declared Saffron the winner, and she is advancing to the semi-finals!"

An orange unicorn with fluffy, unruly mane let out a small cheer in joy and disbelief. Her opponent gave her a polite smile.

"For the second group, Jade Olives versus Zesty Gourmand, the jury has declared Zesty Gourmand as the winner!"

A small, thin unicorn with hollow cheeks and dull grey eyes nodded measuredly. She took no notice of her opponent's congratulations. Rumble noticed how Ramson's eyes narrowed, not unlike the way he often looked at Rumble when he failed something simple. But even so… the glare he directed at Zesty carried an undertone of real anger that Rumble had never had to endure.

But Rumble knew why. Zesty was an infamous case in the culinary trade, known for nearly single handedly having ruined some of the finest restaurants in Canterlot over the span of a few years. He had never expected to see her here, much less as a competitor. From what Rumble knew, she was a sommelier, but he didn't know she could actually cook for herself, much less at this level. And the apprentice she had with her didn't seem to be of much help either. He had even dropped a plate before!

Hopefully Saffron could dispatch Zesty in the semi finals. While Rumble may only be an apprentice, he still did not like the idea of having somepony like that competing in the topmost echelons of his trade.

"For the third group, Mulia Mild versus Gustave le Grand , the jury has declared Gustave le Grand as the winner!"

Gustave took off his chef's hat and made a sweeping bow. Rumble stared a little bit. He had never seen a fully grown griffon before and Gustave was certainly imposing. He was going to be their next opponent, if he and Ramson advanced.

"And finally, the fourth group with the reigning champion himself, The Master Chef Ramson, versus Rosemary Ray! The jury has decided… that Ramson advances!"

The booming voice reverberated in Rumble's head, making his knees go weak. They did it. He did it! He did not fail!

"Congratulations to all of you! You have three hours before the semi-finals begin! Your task: to make a meal themed around… 'The Perfect Date!' Use this time wisely to plan your dishes! You will have exactly seventy-five minutes to work with!"

Before Rumble could try to stop himself from cheering, the voice of Ramson did it first.

"Tomtit."

"Yes, chef!" Rumble said, almost saluting his master.

"I want you to take half an hour to think about this assignment. If I have understood your relationship with young Miss Glow correctly, you have some... more recent knowledge about the dating scene than me. Come back with a suggestion for your perfect date. And if you suggest oatburger I'll make sure you end this competition in the dumpster outside." He finished with his usual annoyed grunt that Rumble knew so well.

"Yes chef! I'll… have to consult my special somepony." Rumble replied, the feeling of anticipation filling his chest like a balloon. This was a real assignment! This could be crucial!

"Then don't just stand there!" Ramson grumbled, swishing his tail in annoyance.

Rumble nearly jumped at the abrupt ending of the conversation. Then he actually did jump up in the air to see if he could spot wherever Cozy had disappeared to. Thankfully, she was easy to spot, sitting in a window alcove. Even if he couldn't see her face from where he was, he somehow knew she was thoughtful.

He flew down and landed next to her in the alcove. There was just enough space for them both.

"You heard about the next assignment, right?" He asked.

Cozy nodded, but she didn't look at him. Instead she kept her eyes trained on Zesty's apprentice, a green unicorn, probably even younger than Rumble. He looked… thoroughly lost, ears flicked down and glancing about everyone so often. But why was Cozy so interested in him?

Whatever the reason, it could wait. He only had thirty minutes (or probably twenty eight at this point) so he had better make them count. "Hey, Cozy? Some help here?" He nudged her gently in the side with his muzzle.

She seemed to startle a little. "Oh-! Sorry, what did you say?"

Definitely weird… she was usually so attentive. "The task for the semi-finals is the perfect date, and Ramson wanted me to get some input."

She brightened. "So he said I got to choose!"

Rumble chuckled. "Something like that. So, what would be the perfect date for you?"

"Hmm…" Cozy hummed, touching her cheek with a forehoof, "Well, the jury will want something that speaks about love… but it can't be too obvious either. Like… it has to be elegant and discreet… you can't just make a pink dish and write 'I love you' on it, right?"

Rumble nodded. "That's the hard part. It has to be a dish that I want to eat on my perfect date, but also something that holds the class and elegance as to win the semi-final in the CCC!"

Cozy tilted her head. "Hmm… I dunno about the class part. So what would you like for your perfect date? Or rather, what makes a date perfect?"

Rumble looked out of the window, reminding a certain perfect date of his own. "I guess the mood… and the pony I'm dating," he nuzzled her again, and she nuzzled back with a giggle. "When I can talk with her… and she really gives me all the attention and-" he stopped himself. He did not have the time for reminiscing about the first date he ever took Cozy to.

"But how do you capture that part in your food though?" Cozy asked with a grin. "Because when you are with a pony you like the food doesn't have to be perfect, just the company."

Rumble agreed to that. This task sounded simple, but once you got into what it really meant, it became deceptively hard. How do you capture something that is not at all about food with your cooking?

He wanted to think he was overanalyzing this, but he had a feeling he was not… If this was just about cooking something fancy for a date, then Ramson probably knew hundreds of recipes by heart. He wouldn't have bothered asking Rumble for help in that case… besides, this competition was now between the four best chefs in Equestria. The jury wouldn't just ask them to make something fancy. They expected more… they expected an idea that the competitors put their heart and soul into.

"The food doesn't have to be perfect… just the company," Rumble repeated silently, watching the autumn sky shining above the golden and brown fields around Canterlot.

But then what if he just made something for his own date? Would that be enough? If he just pretended he was bringing Cozy out to a surprise candlelit dinner, then what would he want to make her? If he just told the jury that he had dedicated his dish to Cozy?

Maybe… Maybe that could work… but then Ramson had to trust Rumble enough to sell that story to the jury, and they had to make something that represented Cozy.

Fortunately, he had an idea for how he could do that…

"I think I have an idea…" he said slowly, turning his gaze back at the smiling filly. "Yeah, that could work! Got to go; We'll need to prepare! Cheer for me!" He gave her a quick peck on the cheek as a thank-you for the inspiration before he hopped away from the alcove and trotted back to his master. This hinged on being able to convey the idea, but if he did, then he felt sure it would fit the task perfectly.

"Will do!" Cozy called after him.

---

It still felt… warm, and almost a little ticklish where his lips had pecked her cheek. She reached up to brush against the spot, just to confirm it again. It was wonderful how every time he took the initiative to show how much he loved her, she still found herself a bit surprised. It was like some part of her mind had half expected his confession to have been a happy dream. But when he showed her his love, it soothed her.

Well then! Cozy shook her head and fixed her eyes on what had been bothering her. She was going to figure it out. For Rumble's sake!

Zesty's apprentice… he did not fit in.

Granted, he was the only apprentice besides Rumble, so the sample pool wasn't exactly big. Still… when he had dropped the plate before, he hadn't looked shocked. Sure, he had pretended to, but Cozy felt like he was faking… and the more she looked, the stranger it all became. He didn't actually work. At all. He just grabbed random things from the pantry, brought them to Zesty, then he brought them back without them even being used for anything. It was like he was just inventing tasks so it would look like he worked, and with everypony focusing on the chefs themselves, it wasn't likely anypony would notice.

But what was the point then? What did Zesty gain from having a dolt like that running about her legs, dropping plates?

Cozy didn't know, but she was sure there was something at play. Call it a schemer's intuition.

This warranted further investigation. But what could she do? She wasn't in the competition. In fact she didn't know the first thing about cooking. How could she investigate anything without getting kicked out from the room?

Actually… come to think about it, that might not be too hard after all. She did happen to have a powerful connection who could get her in anywhere, if Cozy just phrased it well.

Unfortunately, that meant she had to leave her targets unsupervised for a while.

But the chances of learning anything new by just looking didn't feel too great. She flapped her wings and took flight to find Twilight.

As expected, she was not hard to find. She was cooped up in her study, but for once she was not working. The alicorn was on her bed reading a tome so heavy it put a massive dent in her mattress. Whatever it was must be engrossing, by the way her tail swished back and forth behind her.

"Twilight!" Cozy called. Twilight jumped in surprise and looked around wildly before spotting Cozy.

"Oh, you surprised me," Twilight said. "Did you want something?" She asked with a smile.

"Uh-huh," Cozy nodded sweetly and put on her best "innocent-little-filly" face. "I was cheering for Rumble, down in the ballroom where the competition is being held. You know?"

Twilight just slightly tilted her head and nodded, still smiling. "Yes. I'll admit that I didn't know of 'CCC' until now, but it seems to be a pretty big deal."

Cozy approached Twilight's bed, with the most innocent and polite smile she could muster. "Well, I figured that it'd be a nice thing for everypony competing if the Princess herself graced them with her presence… and when the jury was done, I'm sure all the competitors would be honored if you tried some of their dishes!"

"Oh…" Twilight blushed. "Do you really think that's appropriate? They must know I don't know much about food."

"Golly, you're silly sometimes," Cozy giggled. "Everypony thinks you know everything about everything! You're an alicorn!"

"But that's not true, and I don't want ponies to think it is," Twilight said, with a little bit of authority in her voice.

"Well… then this is an opportunity to learn!" Cozy said and shifted tactics. If there was one thing Twilight liked, it was new knowledge. "Think of it! The best chefs of all are down there right now! That book will be there tomorrow, but this opportunity to see the best of the best work won't be!" Cozy emphasized with a wide wave of her forehoof.

"Hmm… that's true," Twilight pondered for a moment. "Fine, I'll come join." Cozy forced herself to not clap her hooves together from the easy victory.

"...On one condition."

Cozy tilted her head, her grin faltering a little.

"Could you tell me what you are playing at, Cozy?" Twilight asked, raising her eyebrows.

Knowing that lying to Twilight or using her sweet voice would do more harm than good, Cozy decided to tell a truth. Not the truth, perhaps, but a truth nonetheless. "Well… maybe I hoped that you'd introduce your faithful student and let her try some of the foods too. Especially since Rumble asked me for advice and he said I inspired him. I just… wanted to try his dish."

Twilight looked curiously in Cozy's eyes, but after a while she smiled widely and nodded. "I think I can do that, Cozy. I'll make sure you can try any food you will want... uh, just as soon as I'm done with this chapter, okay?" Twilight offered her a sheepish smile.

Cozy rolled her eyes. Some things never changed…

Chapter 5- The Great CCC, Part 2

The jury was three earth ponies and by all logic they all should look pretty plain. One was beige, one bronze and the final pony was honey coloured. So why did their mere glances make Rumble's throat constrict and his knees buckle? He had to be the one to explain the background for this dish! He couldn't be this nervous now! "Ravioli," The beige jury member stated neutrally when he looked at their plate. "Please, explain to me how this signifies the perfect date for you."

"Well, while you wouldn't believe it by just looking at me, it's been a while since I was on a date. Shocking, I know," Ramson said with a relaxed look. It might just be the first time Rumble heard him joke. Sadly he was still too stunned in fear to fully appreciate this rare occurrence. "So I asked my sous chef for advice."

"That's a daring strategy," another jury member pointed out. At his sidelong glance, Rumble felt like he was close to fainting. "After all, you are the competitor. Your sous chef is just meant to help you."

"And he did," Ramson said. "By finding something that perfectly signifies what the perfect date means."

"Y-yeah!" Rumble squeaked. He heard how his voice was several octaves above normal, but just the fact that he had managed to force a sound over his lips was enough to remove the most immediate shyness. He cleared his throat. "Uh… so, my first date was actually pretty recently. With a filly who I really hated when I first met her… I thought she was evil. I had heard much about her, and she sounded really nasty, and the first thing she did when we met was lying to me. But I still became her friend. And then her special somepony. And the more I saw of her, the more I realized that there was so much more to her than what I first saw! I thought she was nasty, but she can be really kind. You just have to give her the benefit of the doubt, and dare to see what's inside her."

"Just like with Ravioli," The bronze-colored judge said. "Plain on the outside, but with hidden tastes inside."

"Right… because to me, a date, isn't about the food. It's about the company. And the perfect date would be one with my perfect special somepony," Rumble said. "And if there is one dish that represents her, then it's this one."

"I see. Well, let's hope the two of you have done her justice."

The three ponies each took a bite of the dish. Once again, their faces were utterly and completely impassive.

"Thank you," the jury leader said measuredly. The three of them retreated to another room to decide which two teams would advance to the final.

"You convey your thoughts well," Ramson said tersely. "Well done." Rumble could hear he too was nervous this time around. This challenge must have been a surprise, even to a veteran like him.

Rumble just nodded. Now that they were done he had to be anxious about the result again. Only this time, if they failed, it'd be his idea that doomed them. He almost felt sick, just thinking about that.

Another door opened. The low murmur of the spectators immediately died. Rumble flew up a little to see what was happening. Hopefully it wasn't something he cared about; any more emotional duress right now and he was going to have a breakdown right in the middle of the competition.

It was just Twilight, who looked about as uncertain as Rumble himself felt. The filly next to her, on the other hand, looked happy.

"Uh… hi, everypony," Twilight said with a blush. Clearly she had hoped to enter discreetly rather than have to address the whole room. "I… I was just wondering if… you would permit me and my student to try some of your dishes…"

"Oui, très bien! It iz a great honneur to 'ave ze princesse herzelf pazz her verdict!" Gustave le Grande declared.

"It is not exactly the first time the Princess had some samples," Ramson agreed. "Though usually it's during the dessert competition, not the semi-finals."

"Of course, princess! I'd be honored," Saffron Masala said with a slight bow.

Zesty gave Twilight a glare, which Rumble wanted to point out was rude. Eventually she just scoffed and turned away.

"Good riddance," Rumble mumbled with his own glare at her back.

"Well said," Ramson said. "She does not belong here any more than pickles does in a cake. The best thing with her attendance is that I'd love to get a chance to send her packing herself. But it seems that lucky filly Saffron beat me to it."

"Hi Rumble! How did it go?"

He smoothened out his glare and turned to face Cozy. There was one pony who only made him happy.

"Well, you can say for yourself," he said. "Ravioli." Rumble passed both Twilight and Cozy a fork each. Twilight would probably just use her magic, but not offering her a fork was probably a crime.

Twilight and Cozy both took one piece each. Both of their expressions brightened. "It's really nice," Twilight said. "Sweet and peppery at the same time and… uh, sorry. I don't really know all the fancy words you'd use." She blushed. "But I really enjoyed it."

"You've got to explain how I helped you come up with this later," Cozy said. "But it's really nice! I've never had this before. I didn't know you could fill pasta like that."

"This is filled with a tomato cream and basil, but you could use a lot of different stuff," Rumble said. He loved it when he got to talk about something he actually felt like he understood with Cozy. "Like mushrooms or cheese, or vegetables."

Twilight nodded and started edging over towards Gustave. He was clearly eager to have the Princess over by his table. Cozy shot him a slightly apologetic look. "Well, I've got to try the rest of the stuff now, but I'll be back in just a minute!" She leaned closer. "But just between the two of us, I already know who I'd vote for if I was on the jury."

---

The best plans were those that gave you something nice even if they failed. This was one such plan. Gustave had offered something as exotic as Griffin cuisine, which was something Cozy had never ever expected to try. She had not even realized ponies could eat fish!

Truth be told, the at-once-soft-but-also-kind-of-firm texture had weirded her out, but the taste was actually amazing. Even if she couldn't see herself eating something alive very often, it had definitely been something worth trying. Saffron Masala's dish was strangely… bland. There were traces of good tastes and the texture was really nice, but somehow the tastes didn't fully get through. It was just an insipid gruel-like thingy that also had the gall to look really tasty. Weird… Cozy had visited her restaurant once and the food she had then was way better than this.

Unless her opponent was a complete nimrod in the kitchen, then Cozy had a feeling Saffron was going to be eliminated this round.

But all that being said, now it was time to see if she could gain some insight into what was up with Zesty's clumsy apprentice.

Zesty shot them both a glare when they came over to her table, but didn't object. She had a grand total of six leaves on her plate, and a tiny dab of… some orange cream that Cozy didn't know what it was.

Cozy looked this way and that for the rest of the dish. There was no chance this was it. She'd need… twenty meals like this to be full, and she was just a filly!

"It looks… nice," Twilight said, clearly trying to be polite. "Uh… very minimalistic."

"It is fennel with carrot foam," Zesty corrected pointedly. "And what you think is irrelevant, just as what your friend Rarity thinks is irrelevant."

Twilight looked more surprised than anything. "I… just wanted to try your cooking. I could leave if you wanted," she said. It was a good thing Zesty was talking to Twilight, who clearly had better control over herself than Cozy. If anypony talked like that to her when she was a princess, they'd be lucky to escape the moon!

But never mind. Before the old hag could complain anymore, Cozy snatched up one of the leaves and some of the orange stuff and tried it.

Zesty redirected her glare at Cozy, but she didn't care. Really, the most that could be said about this competition was that Gustave had been criminally unlucky. If he had been matched up against either of these two amateurs, he'd be in the finals easily.

After the orange paste melted in her mouth, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. Really… even Cozy felt like she could cook better than this. She may not even have known that there was a thing like "carrot foam", but she did know that food with a taste was better than food without it. Really, if Cozy wanted to, she could just have eaten a leaf of fennel and gotten more or less the same experience.

Also, who in their right mind cooked this on their perfect date? A fennel farmer? A fennel farmer who was dropped as a foal?

Her dislike must have shown, for Zesty frowned deeply at her. "I do not want your opinion, filly. There is nothing your thoughts on food could teach me."

"Golly, talking to me over the princess is in poor taste, you know." Cozy smirked, feeling a sinister grin cross her lips. "But then again, you seem to know all about poor taste."

Zesty's eyes narrowed. "Leave, insolent filly," she hissed angrily. She turned to Twilight. "If this is your student, I would have expected you to have taught her basic manners. But I suppose a maniac like her is a lost cause."

Cozy almost thought she misheard. It was not because of Zesty being rude, or even talking nasty things about Cozy - if there was any kind of pony she'd expect it from, it was ponies like Zesty. What she had never expected was hearing such a low blow being slapped straight in Twilight's face. Cozy didn't see Twilight's expression from where she stood, but she somehow could still feel the searing glare directed at Zesty. She had to give some credit in that Zesty did not even flinch. Or she would have, if she had not been furious herself at the comment. "Let's go, Cozy," Twilight said quietly.

Cozy was happy to. If it wasn't because she knew Zesty's comeuppance at her own coltfriend's hooves was imminent, she'd have a big problem keeping her anger in check. But this competition was important to her special somepony, and he would not want her to cause a scene. So she wrestled with her anger for just long enough that she was out of immediate striking distance. Finally, she got her anger under control, but only by promising herself to stay and watch to the very end just to be sure she saw Zesty's face when Rumble crushed her.

Just thinking about it made her grin.

She still did not know what the deal was with Zesty's apprentice, but she knew that even with all their (lacklustre) skills combined, their cooking was worse than anything she had ever had, including the rainbows from Cloudsdale.

At least rainbows had a taste.

She noticed that Twilight was very quiet since they left Zesty's table. She glanced up at her mentor and almost stopped. She knew that face. She had seen it once, on an evening she had long since left behind. Anger, and hurt, eyes narrow with rage, yet also with an undertone of sadness, like she would have cried if she had not been so furious.

She looked just like the time when she and her friends confronted Cozy when she had failed her scheme to remove the magic from the world.

Seeing Twilight in such a state made Cozy feel a strange, nagging feeling. A feeling that almost felt like concern. Almost. "Hey, are you okay?" Cozy asked, cocking her head to the side. Twilight first didn't look down at her student, but her eyelids dropped a bit, making her look tired.

"It's just… It was just the nastiest thing I've heard in a long time, Cozy. Not about me, but about… you," Twilight looked down at the filly with a worried frown. "I hope you didn't take what she's said to your heart, Cozy. Rarity has told me about Zesty, and she is just an old, bitter nag. Why if I weren't a Princess, I'd take her and-" Twilight caught herself. She coughed. "Uh… I mean..."

Cozy giggled. Hearing Twilight go on a tirade helped her mood significantly. "Golly, to think you'd be so flustered over 'an old bitter nag'."

Twilight raised her eyebrows and looked down at Cozy, a look of realization on her face. "Huh… Now that I think of it, it's not like you to take an insult like that without throwing a tantrum. What's going on?"

"Well, I guess I already have a noble knight who's going to take the old nag down a peg or two for me," Cozy said with a sing-song voice. "And besides, I've been called worse things by better ponies."

"You have? By whom?" Twilight asked.

"I'm pretty sure Tirek promised me a slow and painful death at least twice when I helped motivate him with his workouts." Cozy chirped.

That got Twilight to smile. "And he's a 'better pony'?"

"Well, at least he appreciated me as a great friend and partner in crime," Cozy said. "And I'm sure he could cook better than Zesty too."

Twilight giggled. “Thank you, Cozy.” She gave her a big, warm smile and gently ruffled her curly mane with a wing.

Cozy grinned and made her way back to Rumble and Ramson, just as the jury returned.

"We have come to a decision," the lead pony said. "Between Saffron and Zesty… the jury has decided that Zesty's dish was more impressive, though it was a narrow thing."

The applause was lukewarm at best. Cozy wondered if she could get away with booing, but decided against it.

"As for the second semi-final, Gustave le Grande versus Ramson and sous-chef Rumble, it was likewise a very narrow competition, and Gustave certainly impressed with something exotic and extravagant from his homeland, finely adopted into pony cuisine… However, considering also the reasoning behind Ramson's dish to transcend the cooking itself and let the dish represent all parts of the perfect date, rather than just the food, we have decided to award him the victory. Congratulations, both of you."

"Trés bien," Gustave said with a bow. He stepped over to Ramson and held out a talon. "Tiz dizzapointing for me. But it waz ztill an honnour to compete againzt you, and your zouz-chef. You 'ave clearly taught him well."

"It has not been easy… but it has clearly given result," Ramson said with a tightlipped smile.

Cozy saw Rumble's whole body tense up for a few moments, before he seemingly fainted from such unprecedented praise.

---

The finale was to begin tomorrow at midday, so after the two finalists were announced he and Ramson retreated back to the castle kitchen. Cozy invited herself to follow with them.

"We… we did it," Rumble said with a silly grin. Only now did it start to sink in.

He. Rumble.

He was a finalist of the CCC! There were countless ponies out there who dreamed about it! But he had done it, before he even had his cutie mark!

"We haven't done a thing yet," Ramson bit him off. "I don't know if the Princesses do have divine powers or not, but I'll still thank Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Cadance or whoever I need for this chance. Rumble."

He did not call him tomtit. That alone made him snap to attention.

Ramson looked evenly at him. When he spoke, his voice was serious. Not the resigned, tired voice he usually used with Rumble. "Zesty cannot be allowed to win. If ponies think she is one worth listening to again, you know what she can do. Do your best tomorrow, and help me take her down."

Rumble nodded, feeling like he had just sealed a solemn pact. "We'll… uh…" Ramson made profanities seem so easy. "Beat her so hard we could serve her up as whipped cream!"

Yeah… that one was pretty decent for being his first try.

Ramson barked out a laugh. "You're learning. Slowly."

"Golly, you don't have to worry about a thing!" said a giggling Cozy. She had fluttered up on a stool and looked at the both of them, grinning. "I tasted both hers and Saffron's food, and they were both trash. You've got this in the bag!"

Ramson's eyes narrowed. "Saffron's food was trash, you say… how exactly?" It did sound a little off, Rumble had to admit. He had taken Cozy to her restaurant for their first date, and the food had been great. Had the stress of the competition gotten to her?

"Eh…" Cozy shrugged. "It was like… almost tasteless."

"Tasteless?" Rumble tilted his head. He almost wanted to ask if Cozy was getting sick or something, because if there was one thing that Saffron's food was known for, it was for the fanciful and peppery flavours. There was no chance she'd make something tasteless.

"I smell a rat…" Ramson said.

"Huh?" Now it was Cozy's turn to tilt her head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we are dealing with a unicorn with a history of turning half the city into a tasteless, bland mess," Ramson said. "A unicorn who just snagged a place in the finale from a rival far more skilled than her. And I'm willing to bet good bits that Saffron has never cooked anything tasteless in her life."

"You think… Zesty cheated?" Rumble said. Just speaking those words made them seem credible. He knew Zesty wasn't a chef at heart- certainly not one who could compete at this level. And she clearly had no qualms about ruining good food.

"Yes I do," Ramson said in a tone that promised retribution.

"So we'll report her to the jury?" Rumble said.

"No proof," Cozy pointed out. "They've tasted Saffron's cooking too and didn't say anything. And it's not like we have anything solid against her either. Really, we're just guessing too."

Rumble grumbled. "So what do we do?"

"First we figure out just what she did and how," Ramson said. "Fortunately, I think I already know what she did, even if I don't know how."

"And what did she do?" Cozy asked.

"Well, it's a little known fact that there is some unicorn magic that can influence flavours," Ramson said. "They don't last long and they are difficult to use correctly with how precise they must be, but they exist. In fact, I used similar magic just earlier today."

"Oh… but you think she used them in the opposite way!" Rumble said when the implication dawned on him. "Like, instead of empowering the flavours she subdued them on Saffron's dish?"

Ramson nodded. "It wouldn't be very difficult… if she wants to mess up a dish then she doesn't have to be precise with the magic.”

"But wouldn't anypony notice if she used her magic on Saffron's food?" Rumble asked. "Their magic looks really different from one another."

"That's what I don't get," Ramson said slowly. "I can get Saffron missing it, if Zesty just did it when she was out in the pantry or collecting a plate… but the whole room missing it? Either she had some trick I don't see, or she has nerves of steel."

"Or she has an accomplice," Cozy suddenly said. Rumble looked at his special somepony, dumbfounded. She huffed in annoyance. "Golly, I'm really getting rusty with my scheming, to think I didn't get it before. The dropped plate in the quarter finals was a distraction! That's why she has her apprentice, to create the distraction she needs!"

"Yeah, something happened in the semi-finals too, near the end," Rumble remembered. "That dunderhead sent a dozen pots of fresh herbs to the floor. Allegedly he had been running for them and slipped." But this made sense. With the tense atmosphere of having just a few minutes left to prepare your dish in the CCC semi-finals, a noise like that would make anypony jump out of their skin, Rumble included. A perfect distraction.

"I think we've got her…" Ramson growled. "Now we just have to figure out two things: first, how to prove she is a cheating weasel who should not be let near a kitchen again, and second how to counteract her magic."

"Can't we just report her tomorrow?" Cozy suggested. "I mean… she'll have to try and do the same to you, and if you just don't look at the distraction but on her and… shouts?" She shrugged. "Wouldn't that be enough?"

"No," Ramson snapped. "Because I want to beat her at her own game. I'll prove to all of Equestria that even if she cheats- even if she sets my whole kitchen on fire, I will not let her win! I'll beat her like you do a veggie-schnitzel. Then we'll expose her, and then we'll redo the finale with Saffron as my opponent. And then at last, when we've shown her that she's still a filly playing in the kitchen compared to me, only then will I be satisfied."

Rumble swallowed. He had never seen Ramson this passionate about anything. "I'll help!" He piped up. "I don't want a cheater in the CCC either!"

"Golly, that's nice," Cozy said sarcastically. "But do either of you actually have any clue about how to beat her then? 'Cause even if you know her tricks, it won't help if you can't counteract it."

Ramson cracked an insidious type of smile. "But I do know how to counteract it. And my sous-chef is going to help me. Listen, here's what we'll do…"

Rumble listened with increasing anxiety and excitement. This… this was ways above and beyond what he had prepared for. But at the same time, it was likely a chance to make a mark in CCC history that had just fallen into his lap. Anxiety began to yield to resolve.

If he didn't do this… he was going to regret it his whole life!

"I'll… cheer for you," Cozy said. "And I know you can do it! You are great at this!" She shot him her own brand sinister smile. "And also… I think I just figured out how we'll take down Zesty too, while we're at it. But only after you have beaten her, of course."

---

Her tail was itchy. She flicked it this way and that over the floor, just like she had been doing for the better part of the hour. She'd have to shower and comb herself carefully before going to bed tonight, will all the dust she was probably sweeping up…

Cozy looked from one team to the other, trying to glean some insight in how things were going. She knew of the plan, but she couldn't notice it being in effect… which was both worrying and reassuring. Worrying because if Ramson or Rumble somehow mismanaged their time in preparing their trap, then this would fall apart. Reassuring because if she couldn't see any sign, then Zesty certainly couldn't either.

But she did not like being kept in the dark! And she certainly did not like entrusting a plan like this to other ponies while she was stuck on the sidelines. She should… do something! Anything. Fetch ingredients, chop up vegetables… just keep an eye on the cooking pots so they didn't boil over!

A pony she cared about was out there with a heavy burden on his back… and she was just here, sitting and watching and sweeping up dust with her tail. She wanted to help.

But she couldn't. She was stuck where she was. Her tail itched again and she flicked it over the floor where she sat, again.

To think… Cozy Glow, the coldhearted manipulator, was antsy for her special somepony.

"Fillies and gentlecolts! We are in the homestretch now! The final fifteen minutes of this year's CCC begins now! Use this time to set the last details and perfect your dishes! One of you will be crowned the Champion of Chefs!"

Cozy's throat was dry. Zesty had to make her move to cheat soon! If she didn't then they'd be in big trouble! At least it looked like Ramson was doing everything he could to goad Zesty into doing exactly that. His entire workbench was covered with ingredients. A massive tower of tomatoes was piled up so high it reached above the tip of his horn. No less than five bags of flour stood by his side along with as many bottles of olive oil. A small forest of basil plants grew on the side of his tomato-mountain, and finally, spilling on the floor he had some sort of pinecones. Rumble was fluttering about too, but most of the time Cozy could not even see him through the mess.

Reluctantly, Cozy looked away from the explosion of madness and/or genius and her valiant special somepony over to Zesty's kitchen. Cozy had to keep an eye on her to try and catch her in the act.

Her sous-chef stood next to her, looking lost and stupid like he always did. Zesty, meanwhile, was cutting up some vegetables. Cozy couldn't see what it was, but it was probably something tasteless anyway. Compared to her opponents, Cozy had to stifle a laugh at how bland it looked.

Zesty mumbled something. Her sous-chef startled and lit up his horn. A pumpkin shot from the pantry in an arch towards Zesty's table. It flew high… very high in fact.

Straight towards a chandelier.

Cozy snapped back at attention and stared at Zesty. She still held her knife in her magic, so her horn was already alight. Was this it? Or had she figured somepony was onto her?

The pumpkin hit the chandelier overhead with a thunderous racket. Cozy actively had to stop herself from looking away. Even Zesty looked away, and her apprentice looked as dumb as he always did. Honestly, Cozy was not sure if he even knew when and what distraction he'd cause, or if Zesty just waited for him to mess up on his own accord.

As Zesty turned back towards her work, Cozy saw, for just a split second, how her eyes darted over to Ramson's tower of ingredients. Her horn didn't change and it was only a glance, but somehow Cozy could sense it, just from her posture, that she had done it. She couldn't pinpoint it, she just… knew. Maybe because she knew how to spot a cheater and liar after having been one, and spent ample of time together with Chrysalis and Tirek?

Cozy's tail itched like mad. She brushed it over the floor again and shuffled nervously on her hooves.

"Five minutes! Set the final details now, finalists, they might be the thing that decides your victory!" The announcer said. A hush fell over the room. Everypony watched the two teams work.

Ramson was using his magic to carve tomatoes in the shape of tiny flowers, then he sat them down on his plate. It all looked more like a piece of art than food. Yellow, red, purple and green tomatoes, all of them cut in exact shapes and sizes to create an edible field of flowers. Cozy had no idea tomatoes could look like that! Behind him she could just barely make out Rumble, who was stirring his own little pot at the corner of the stove. Next to Ramson's flamboyant display of color and extravagance, her special somepony practically disappeared.

Zesty for her part had placed exactly two stalks of asparagus and a cube of pumpkin flesh on her plate.

Then, before Cozy's eyes, she brought up her knives and cut away half of each asparagus.

Just… how could anypony even consider her worthy of being here? Even Cozy could cook something more impressive than that. She knew that despite not having tasted the dish.

Five…

Four…

Three…

Two…

And then, Ramson turned his plate upside down and sent his dish all over the counter.

One!

"Time up! Both teams drop everything and take a step back!" Both competitors did so and turned to the three waiting judges. The bronze-colored pony held up a coin and looked at Ramson. "Do you call heads or tails, Master Chef?"

"I call tails," Ramson said without acknowledging the confused stares from everywhere else in the room.

The pony tossed the coin and caught it on his hoof. "Heads. That means we start with the challenger." The trio made their way over to Zesty's miserly plate. "Please present your dish."

"Raw pumpkin and two half-stalks of unseasoned asparagus," Cozy grumbled to herself.

"Tiges d'asperges croustillantes au vin blanc accompagnées d'un cube de citrouille frit," Zesty said.

The three jury members tried the dish, as well as they could anyway, with how little it was they all hardly even had the chance to try it at all. Maybe that was part of Zesty's plan, Cozy thought darkly. Since her food was so bad, the less they had to judge the better it was for her.

As always, the jury remained completely impassive, but Cozy decided it was probably because they had nothing to say about the dish.

"Thank you," The bronze pony said.

At last they went over to the good guys. "Please present your dish," The jury said. Cozy held her breath. She could practically feel the stunned silence of the shot through the room when Rumble piped up to speak.

"Uh…well, it's tomato soup, with some garlic bread, roasted pine nuts, basil oil and… and I think that's it…" he said and pushed forward his small bowl with a slice of bread. Cozy could see how he was shaking. For the first time, Cozy could see an emotion on the jury's faces, namely confusion. They looked over at Ramson.

"Don't mind me, gentlemen," Ramson said with a shrug. "It seems my magic slipped at the last moment and sent my dish off the plate, so it sadly can't be judged, according to the rules." He nodded towards his perfectly cut tomatoes. "But luckily for me, my sous-chef seems to have prepared something on his own… I suppose that will have to be my dish. So silly of me."

"This… is an outrage!" Zesty suddenly sputtered. "You cannot let the competitor delegate his entire work to his sous-chef! Ramson is the competitor, not that… that blank-flank!"

Cozy growled and flicked her ears straight backwards in anger. Only a warning glare from Ramson kept her from flying over and bash Zesty over the head with her own plate.

"No personal attacks," One of the jury-ponies said sharply. Then he turned back to Ramson. "The sous-chef is intended as a helper, nothing more. But there are no rules for how much he is allowed to help. And it wouldn't really be in the spirit of the CCC to disqualify a finalist who has produced a perfectly viable dish, even if his sous-chef cooked it. But for your sake, Master Chef, I hope he is good. Because it seems he is the only one who can save your title now."

"He is good," Ramson said. "Doesn't hurt that his opponent doesn't know the difference between rosemary and rose wine."

"No personal attacks," the jury pony said again. "I judge the dish to be valid."

The three ponies each took a spoon and tried the soup and the bread.

"Thank you very much," the jury leader said. "Now, while it is customary for the jury to retreat and discuss, I for one am clear on who I deem the winner." The juror made a pause and the whole room fell completely silent. The tension was so high, even Zesty was looking anxiously at the jury. "I say Ramson retains his title."

"Me too," the second juror said.

"The same," said the last one.

Ramson nodded measuredly, Cozy saw in the corner of her eyes. But she was fixated on the seething Zesty Gourmand who looked just about ready to throttle everypony in the jury, alongside Ramson and Rumble.

But she hadn't seen the best part yet… Cozy grinned and rubbed her hooves.

Curtains rise for the last act.

Cozy trotted up to the jury, humming a small tune. They all turned to face her, unexpected as she was.

"Oh, just one second mr. Jury-pony. You know how I tried some of the food yesterday, right?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"Yes. Do you want to try the finalists dishes as well?" The lead pony said with an amiable look.

"Maybe later!" Cozy said, feeling her grin stretching wider. "I just figured you should know that I think Zesty cheated in this competition."

The horrified stares of everypony around her… felt good, to some treasonous little part of her. She knew she should be reformed, but this… the way that everypony stared at her and hung on her next words, that she had missed. The intoxicating sensation of absolute control, of absolute power... She had missed the giddy feeling of being the one everypony listened to, the one everypony looked at in awe as well as in fear.

"That's a… serious accusation." The jury said with cold, stern glare aimed at the smiling filly.

"It is nothing short of slander! I will not have my reputation slandered by a stupid little filly who couldn't cook to save her life!" Zesty shouted, red rising on her bony cheeks.

Cozy turned to the fuming unicorn, grinning. "You see, I figured it was strange that Saffron's food was so bland yesterday, so I asked around and heard that one could actually destroy the taste of somepony's food with magic! And then I thought to myself 'Oh, golly, that wouldn't be very fair to other competitors, right?' So, just to be sure, I asked Princess Twilight, my mentor and teacher, to put an enchantment on Ramson's plate for this competition! It's an enchantment that saves any spell used near it, and the magical signature of the pony who used it. And since Twilight thinks I'm so cute and loveable and smart, she agreed!" Cozy finished with a playful wink to the surprised jury.

All three ponies of the jury looked over to Ramson's kitchen, where he held up his still-clean plate in his hooves. After a moment of silence, one of them spoke up. "So then there is a certain way to test if this is true?"

Zesty looked, for the first time, just a tiny bit afraid. "Preposterous. I can assure you that I would never cheat, nor would I need to. Or would you sooner believe the words of a complete outsider before mine? The words of somepony like Cozy Glow?"

Much to Cozy's annoyance, there was a murmur of agreement around the room. But she knew how to make them see her point of view. After all, Cozy had friends in high places. These ponies just needed a little reminder.

"Golly," Cozy said with an innocent smile. "Twilight Sparkle clearly did believe me when I asked her to put the spell on the plate. The Princess of Friendship, my personal teacher and mentor, and the Ruler of Equestria trusted me. In fact, I'm sure I can get her to come down herself, right now, to explain the spell, and to see if it picked up anything during the competition." Cozy smiled cutely at the jury.

One of the jury ponies whispered to the leader. "It wouldn't hurt to check. If the princess herself expects it…"

The head juror nodded. "Very well."

---

That evening, Twilight was invited by Cozy to join her with Rumble and Ramson down in the kitchen. It might just be the first time Twilight had ever seen Ramson actually happy for longer than three seconds. Surely, the golden trophy that stood on the shelf in the kitchen might have something to do with it.

To be honest, Twilight hadn't really been sure what to make of it when Cozy zoomed into her bedroom last evening with a plate in her hooves, but now she had finally received an explanation. She wasn't sure what to feel about it though… Clearly Cozy was sly as ever to come up with this plan to catch Zesty red-hoofed. But the way she had used Twilight's name as a leverage didn't sit entirely right with her. Twilight had never agreed to be roped into a cheating accusation, even if she agreed that it was fortunate they caught on to Zesty…

Clearly, Cozy Glow was still Cozy Glow, and this proved that just her proximity to Twilight was a powerful weapon in her hooves… or rather, on her lips. Alicorns were, and always had been revered in Equestria. And Cozy knew how to use that fact to her advantage like no other pony would.

But then again, watching her blush and half-heartedly bat away Rumble's affectionate nuzzles did put Twilight's worst fears to ease. When all was said and done, Cozy had used her abilities to outwit a cheater and ensure a fair competition. Cozy's methods may be a shade more villainous than what Twilight would have done or liked, but her heart had been in the right place.

And she was learning to keep her heart in the right place by example. The moment Twilight had confirmed Zesty's magic on the plate, Ramson had immediately relinquished his title and demanded Saffron was brought in to compete again. By Cozy's look at him in that moment, she had learned a little bit about fair play and doing the right thing too from this whole affair. Maybe that was all Twilight could ask for? Bit by bit, whatever small embers of evil still smoldered inside her heart could be stamped out with good friends and patience.

"Now then, I think it's time to celebrate in a fitting manner," Ramson said happily and went down into a small cellar room that Twilight couldn't remember what it was for.

When he came back, he had a small keg in his magic. "Three seasons aged Sweet Apple Acres Cider," he said. "I've been saving it for a special occasion, and that Zesty is now banned for life from any kitchen definitely qualifies."

He magicked down a quartet of glasses and poured a generous amount of amber liquid into them. "With my princesses permission, I'd like to propose a toast," Ramson said.

Twilight rolled her eyes, just a little at the endless formality. "Of course."

"Well then. A toast to my sous-chef, the youngest pony in the history of the CCC to cook the dish in the finals and win, who overcame his anxiety and duked it out with the best of them, and did it all on his own merits. And to his clever special-somepony for doing the whole culinary world a favor, of course."

Ramson lifted his glass to a heavily blushing Rumble and Cozy. She put a wing over his side with a proud smile on her freckled face.

As the four of them kinked their glasses together, a spark of light erupted on Rumble's flank and bathed the whole kitchen.

Chapter 6- A Sobering Visit With the Past

Rumble's jaw had almost started to hurt from all the smiling he had done in these last few days. After the CCC ended, he went to bed with a huge grin. The next day he had visited Thunderlane in Ponyville, and they had celebrated together. He even spent the night back in his old home- he was definitely going to take advantage of the first time Ramson had given him a few days off.

Now he sat on the train back to Canterlot, looking at his own flank and still grinning like a fool.

A crossed knife and fork, behind a spinning dice showing the numbers four, five and six. The knife and fork were simple enough, it was because his love for cooking and having other ponies enjoy what he had made. The dice was harder to explain, but after a meeting with the Crusaders he thought he knew what was the meaning of it. Not only did he need their help to figure the mark out, but it also felt like a good occasion to properly apologise for that time when he had started a blank-flank camp. What had he been thinking back then?

When he described how he got the mark and what had happened during the competition, the three of them had argued for a while before arriving at the conclusion that the dice was probably there because he always went through with what he felt was right, even if he wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. Like when he agreed to cook the finale dish himself, despite him just being a sous-chef, or when he chose to help Cozy with her escape, or when he trusted Flurry to help him and Cozy become special someponies.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained… yep, that did fit in on him. He had decided that's how he would choose to interpret his new cutie mark.

He had his cutie mark!

"Canterlot Station! Please pick up your baggage and check the shelves so you don't forget anything. Equestrian Railways wish you a pleasant day!" Somepony called from the magical speaker in his cart, as the train started to slow down.

Rumble grabbed his saddlebags and took off in the air , flying above the unicorns and earth ponies who clogged up the corridor. Might as well enjoy the fact that he was still a colt while it lasted.

He was one of the first ponies out of the train and immediately flew upwards, away from the crowded floor.

Not even a minute later, he heard a familiar voice calling him. "Hey, Rumble! I'm here!" Turning around, he saw Cozy Glow and Flurry both sitting cooped up on the top of a lamp where he was absolutely certain they were not allowed to sit, but evidently nopony could see them from the floor.

Still, he didn't feel like adding any extra weight to the massive lamp that was only held up with a gold link chain, so he settled for hovering. "Hi! I didn't think you'd come to meet me!"

"But that's what a special somepony should do," Cozy said with a sly smirk. "Don't you think so, Flurry?"

Flurry shot him an anxious smile before she proceeded to peek down on the floor. Clearly she knew just as well as Rumble that they were not supposed to be up there. "Uh-huh, I'm sure," she said absently.

"Good golly, stop worrying so much," Cozy huffed. "The more you look the bigger the risk somepony sees you. We're fine."

Flurry mumbled something before she scooted closer to Cozy, away from the lamp edge. "Can't we go home now?"

"Yeah, I want to get my saddlebags off of me before anything else," Rumble said.

"Alright," Cozy said and hopped from the lamp with enough force to make it swing. Flurry hopped away too in slight panic at the movement, causing it to swing even more. "Hmm… let's get out of here before anypony can pin it on us if it falls."

The three of them left the station and landed on the street outside before starting to make their way up to the castle. Both Cozy and Flurry kept looking at his new cutie mark as he explained its meaning to them, according to the Crusaders.

"So your cutie mark is for being daring then?" Cozy asked with a satisfied look. "Hmm… I think I like that in my special somepony."

"Yeah? And what would you have done if I got something lame?" Rumble asked teasingly.

"Well, you wouldn't blame me if I'd broken up with you, right?" Cozy said innocently. "As a future Princess, I can't have a lame pony as my future prince."

Rumble glared, then he decided to show exactly how daring he was. "Well, I suppose I'd have to ask Flurry out instead then. She's already a Princess."

Flurry immediately blushed. Now it was Cozy's turn to glare, but her hellish gaze made Rumble's glare look about as threatening as a nuzzle from a dog. "You are a brave pony, I'll give you that," she hissed. She didn't have to say anything more to drive her point home.

"I am, aren't I?" He said proudly. He poked Cozy's side with his muzzle. "Come on, don't be mad. You know I was kidding."

Cozy grumbled something, then looked sharply at Flurry . "Flurry, you aren't actually… like…?" she asked tentatively.

Flurry shook her head. "Mommy and dad like one another a lot, so I thought I should also find somepony like that, but mom says I'm not old enough for mushy stuff yet."

"What did you two do yesterday?" Rumble asked, keen on quickly leaving this subject behind. It had just been a joke! He didn't mean for this discussion to happen.

"Magic training with Twilight," Flurry said. "I can levitate almost ten things at the same time now, if I concentrate really hard! And then Cozy and I had a friendship discussion with her too. We talked about who was most generous: a poor pony who gave somepony else their last bit, or a rich pony who gave them a lot of bits but also had a lot left after."

"Right," Rumble said. He really didn't understand the point of those friendship lessons, but Twilight knew best, of course.

"And then I wrote a letter back home. I like it here, but I miss my mom and dad," Flurry said.

Rumble noticed how Cozy's ear flicked and how her tail swished sharply. Her face changed for a split second, like she's bitten something sour before she hid it.

"Is there something wrong?" Flurry asked. She clearly picked up on her new mood just as easily as Rumble did. "You don't feel… like you are happy anymore."

"No, never mind," Cozy said dryly. "It's just... something silly."

"Silly stuff can still be important though," Flurry continued . "Especially if it makes you sad, it must be important."

"No, it's not! It's nothing!" Cozy snapped, pupils contracting and a vein bulging on her forehead. Flurry jumped back at her sudden burst of anger, looking bewildered and afraid at the pink filly in front of her. Cozy's expression quickly changed to surprise and regret, seeing how her friend reacted. "I'm... I'm s-sorry, Flurry. I didn't mean to shout," Cozy mumbled, avoiding Flurry's eyes.

"It's... fine," Flurry replied, looking with concern at Cozy.

"I… I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" Cozy said quietly.

"Oh… okay," Flurry said, ears flicked back.

No, it was not oaky, and Rumble knew it. If there was something that disturbed Cozy, then he had to get to the bottom with what it was. Not only because he wanted to support her, but also because a secretive Cozy was a potentially dangerous Cozy, for everypony involved.

But if his hunch on her sudden change of mood was right, it was better to wait until they were alone.

"Well… I should probably head home to my grandparents," Flurry said. "They said they'd take me to the Canterlot Museum of Modern Art. I don't know what modern art is, but it's probably nice! You could probably come with, if you want."

"Not today, thank you," Rumble smiled. "I'd really like to get some rest in before Ramson gets back on me tomorrow… 'cause I have a feeling that when he said I could have a few days off, what he really meant was that I could do three days worth of work in one day instead."

"Not you either, Cozy?" Flurry asked, but Rumble suspected she could feel Cozy's reluctance.

"No, I don't… I really don't feel like going out anymore today, sorry." She really did look apologetic too. "But I'll go with you some other day, if you want. I promise."

Flurry smiled. "Okay. I'll see if it's any good."

Flurry broke off from their group and waved before she disappeared down a side street. After her hasty departure Rumble found himself wondering if he had sensed how he wanted to be alone with Cozy, or if it had all been a convenient coincidence.

She must have felt it. With a pony like her, there were probably no coincidences.

Now for the hard part: getting a reluctant Cozy to share her troubles.

"You know," he began carefully. "If there is something wrong, I'd really hope you told your special somepony. You know, so I could help you."

"You can't help me," Cozy huffed, a familiar, spiteful frown on her face. "Nopony can, and I'm not bothered by it! I don't even care! Not one bit, UNDERSTOOD!?"

He had been spared from her tantrums for so long he had forgotten just how sudden and violent they could be. He backed away by instinct, and several ponies turned to look at them. To his annoyance, most of them looked displeased to see who it was.

"You sound like you are bothered," Rumble continued, hoping he was far enough away to react if she decided to try and hit him. "Is it… about your family somehow? Are you... jealous of Flurry?"

Cozy glared, and he saw her jaw clench.

After a moment of tension, she sighed, and the anger ran right off of her. As usual, her tantrums were at least brief. "Well… I have been thinking lately. About something I think I have to do."

Rumble was quiet, but he kept his ears lifted and looked at her, to let her know he listened. Something told him he shouldn't rush her.

"You know I'm… I don't have any parents," Cozy said stiffly, as if trying to distance herself from the coldness of the statement with her voice. "Or at least there is nopony who'd say I was their daughter." An uncomfortable silence fell between the foals. Rumble could feel how the subject bothered the filly in front of him. "But sometimes…" She frowned.

"…You miss it?" Rumble asked carefully. They passed under the castle battlements and into the castle proper.

Cozy nodded slowly. "I've been thinking about visiting… my orphanage. And Cheerful Sun too. So I can... thank her for looking after me, even if I wasn't a very good filly. And I want to apologize, for all the bad stuff I did. Even after my parents didn't… want me… she took me in and helped me and I… never even thanked her." Rumble could feel it in her voice how hard it was for Cozy to even say these words. Deciding to ignore the possibility of getting smacked by her, she got closer and gently wrapped a wing over Cozy's back.

"Do… you want me to come with? We could ask Twilight to take us there, and I'd be right next to you, if you want." Rumble asked carefully.

She stopped to regard him. When he looked back, something hard in the depths of her eyes seemed to loosen. It must have been the first time when he could really see that, deep down, she was just a filly. "Golly…" she said. Her voice was quivering just a little with emotion. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course," Rumble said. "It's what special someponies do for each other."

Cozy opened her mouth and closed it, as if she wanted to say something. A frown, much smaller and more gentle appeared on her face. She looked around as if to make sure nopony was watching. Then, without a word, she caught him in a hug.

She was small and light against him. Pleasantly warm and soft too in the chill of winter. For a moment he was stunned by the unabashed affection. It was so unusual for Cozy to show him that side of herself. Only after his brain had triple-checked it for him did he bring up his own hoof to hug her back. "You don't know how much I needed to hear that." He heard a muffled whisper next to his ear.

"Why?" He asked, caressing her slowly, somewhat awkward. "Are you worried?"

Cozy took a deep breath and nodded. "What if she wishes she never took me in? After… everything I did. What if she wishes she just threw me out when I came? So she didn't have to raise a pony who… who did everything I did?" Her ears continued to droop as she spoke.

"Or maybe she is proud to see how far you have come," Rumble suggested, squeezing the filly a bit closer to his chest. "The princess's personal student and everything…"

"Heh… I suppose we can hope," Cozy said, as gently let go of Rumble with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. She was clearly nervous. Hopefully he'd be able to make her forget what worried her, so she could go to her old home with an open mind and get some sort of closure. At least, that's what he guessed she was after, but he didn't really know.

"I'm sure Twilight could help us get there right now, if you want," he said.

She balked slightly. Clearly she had not thought to do this today. Then she swallowed. "I guess there's no time like the present, right?" It sounded like she hoped he could convince her.

"That's the spirit!" he patted her on the back. "Come. Let's see if we can't find Twilight."

Cozy nodded, but she let him lead the way and looked like she had to marshal quite a bit of courage for every step she took. This clearly was difficult for her.

But she did go to face one of her fears, so it wasn't strange that she was apprehensive. But at least if he was with her, hopefully it could grant her a little bit of confidence.

---

"Do you want to go now?" Twilight asked.

"Yes… please," Cozy replied silently. She had to forcefully push the words over her lips. "Could you send us to… to my old orphanage? You've been there, right? I've got to see Cheerful Sun again. Thank her for everything and… and I need to know some things."

Twilight would want to know what, but Cozy didn't want to explain to her too. It had been hard enough with Rumble. Twilight would just have to wait. Maybe Rumble would explain to her, if she asked him to?

"Oh… of course," Twilight said, evidently surprised to hear the reason for Cozy's wish. "Do you… want me to come with you?" She asked with a gentle tone, crouching down to have her head on Cozy's level.

Cozy shook her head. "No, this is… just for me. And I've got Rumble."

Twilight nodded serenely. "Okay, Cozy. Good luck. I think Cheerful Sun will be very happy to see you. When I visited, she told me that you'd always have a home with her, if you wanted it."

Cozy remembered Twilight had said the same thing before. But Cozy still needed to hear it from Cheerful Sun herself. She knew her old caretaker was a nice pony, but she was also meek. If Cozy had to guess, she didn't think Cheerful would say anything that might make Princess Twilight angry.

But no matter; she'd soon have an answer.

She and Rumble both huddled up against Twilight when she cast the spell. Cozy felt how the hardwood floor suddenly was replaced by clouds. When she opened her eyes, she found herself on a very familiar street… familiar, even though she felt like it was a lifetime since she was here last. The buildings were somewhat low and square, far from the extravagant buildings with columns and rainbows Cloudsdale was known for. The colorful flowers by the door to the closest building were the same color as she remembered; yellow on the left and red on the right, with a hanging pot of small blue flowers above the door. Spring Shower Orphanage stood written over the door.

She felt strangely dull when she saw them. This place had been her home for years. Only weeks after she made her very first artefact and got her cutie mark, she had been sent here.

Here she had learned the value of friendship… here she had first decided that she wanted to become a princess, just like Twilight. In a way, this place ended one chapter in her life, and then several years later, it began a new one.

Ironically, neither of the chapters that had begun nor ended here were happy memories.

"I'll… be back here in a few hours," Twilight mumbled discreetly behind her. She pretended not to hear that Twilight whispered to Rumble. "Please look after her," before she disappeared with a crackle.

"Are you ready, Cozy?" Rumble asked carefully, coming up next to her.

No, she wasn't… What if Cheerful also hated her? Cheerful was almost like a mother to Cozy! Even if they didn't always get along, Cheerful Sun had still helped Cozy as much as she could. She was the only pony who cared about her for several years.

She didn't… want Cheerful to hate her. Nearly anypony else she could live with, but not her.

Rumble stepped forward, next to her, up to the door. She felt her throat constrict, but watching him helped her regain some control over herself. She took a shaky step forward. He brightened and then took her hoof in his.

His calm, steady look and hoof finally managed to chase away the worst fear. She nudged him as a way of expressing her gratitude, and then they proceeded inside, even if he still went first.

The foyer was neat with sofas along the edge and a table with a vase of flowers in it. There was nopony there, but there was a bell on the counter towards the back of the room.

They went up to the counter together. Cozy hopped up on the counter and grabbed the bell in her mouth, but she didn't ring it. She took a couple of deep breaths first. She felt Rumble looking at her.

"Golly, I can't believe I'm here again," she half though, half whispered. Then she bobbed her head to ring the bell a few times. No turning back now. She fluttered back down, next to Rumble.

Hoofsteps approached and she swallowed. Her eyes felt like they were glued to the door behind the counter. She couldn't look away. Somepony on the other side pressed the handle down.

A familiar pony stepped through. She looked just like last time they had seen each other. A pale-yellow coat and a soft blue mane that gravitated towards the left and parted around her ear. She even had the same patient, kind and a little bit tired look in her eyes! Cheerful Sun.

Her ocean-green eyes landed on Cozy.

"H-hi," Cozy stammered once she got control of her tongue. "You… remember me, right?"

"Cozy… Glow," Cheerful said slowly, blinking repeatedly. "Is it… really you?"

Cozy nodded. "I'm… it's me. I wanted to say I'm sorry. For all the bad stuff I did when I lived here." She swallowed. "It was… me who stole Misty Meadows's favorite pencil… and I ruined Morning Light's painting too and… and… I'm sorry," she finished, feeling small. Cheerful probably did not even remember those things.

She couldn't see what her old caretaker was thinking. Was she angry with her? Cozy fidgeted where she sat. Cheerful Sun went around the counter and up to her. She sat down across from her on the floor, still looking as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing.

"I didn't think you'd ever come back here," the mare said quietly.

Cozy braced herself. She felt her special somepony extend a wing over her back. The soft touch helped a little bit. Enough that she could, barely, with a threadbare little voice, ask the damning question. "Do… you hate me?" She didn't dare to look up at Cheerful's face. She squeezed her eyes shut and awaited her verdict.

Her heart hammered loudly in her chest. Even with Rumble's quiet, soothing presence she felt like she wanted to fly away in blind panic.

"I'd never hate any of my little ones, Cozy. Even if we… didn't get along, I still care about you." For some reason, Cheerful looked just as nervous as Cozy about something now that the initial surprise had passed. "Did… Twilight tell you she was here?"

Cozy nodded warily. She still hadn't gotten an answer to her question. "You kept my rook all this time."

"Her visit got me thinking too," Cheerful mumbled. "That maybe if I had been better… if I had tried to reach out to you more… or just… done something, then maybe all of this hadn't happened. I could have… saved you. But I didn't." Cheerful finished with a small, guilt-ridden sort of tone.

Cozy cocked her head to the side. She was so worried her old caretaker would be angry at her, yet she felt guilty. Guilty about what Cozy had done. "Don't blame yourself, it was just… me and my behavior. I felt so… angry and sad about what happened to me, I would never have listened."

"But I should have tried. I'm supposed to look out for all my little ones," Cheerful whispered with a frown.

"Well, you took me in, right? Even when… nopony else wanted me," Cozy said, feeling the familiar pang in her heart. "And I'm not angry with you. You were kind to me."

Cheerful smiled a little. "And I don't hate you, Cozy. Wherever you go, and whatever you become in this world, you will always have a home with me, if you need it."

Cozy didn't respond. Instead, she walked up to the mare and without a word, wrapped her small hooves around Cheerful's back. For a brief moment, Cheerful looked surprised, but quickly returned the hug. Cozy couldn't remember hugging her before, the way the other foals in her orphanage would - to show how much they cared about her efforts to make their life a little bit better.

---

Rumble stood a little bit away as the two of them hugged, feeling a little awkward.

It was a bit weird to see Cozy act like this. She almost never displayed affection so openly and unabashed as this. In fact, he had no idea who she could care so much about as to hug for minutes on end, just sitting in their embrace. Seeing this gave him a poignant message about just how little he really knew about his special somepony. He had only known her for some months. One year ago he had never heard her name.

But her life had begun far earlier than he came into it, and he knew nothing about it. This was the first insight he got into her past.

Finally they parted. There was not a trace of anxiety on Cozy's face. She looked… genuinely happy.

"Who is your friend, Cozy?" the headmistress asked, wiping her eyes with a hoof.

"This is… my very special somepony. Rumble, from Ponyville," Cozy said.

"Nice to meet you," Rumble greeted the mare.

"You too. I'm Cheerful Sun, the caretaker of this orphanage. I looked after Cozy too, when she lived here." Rumble nodded. He had understood that much.

"Golly…" Cozy said. "Is… anypony else still here? Dreamscape? Or Tumble Wind?"

Cheerful shook her head, but she didn't look sad. "Both of them have been adopted. Dreamscape moved into her new home only a few weeks ago."

"Oh…" Cozy looked cloven at that. "Well, that's good for them. I'm… happy."

"We all are, Cozy," Cheerful said. "Whenever somepony finds a new home. Speaking of…"

She hesitated a little bit. "Are you? Happy, I mean, with where you are?"

Cozy nodded. She didn't even hesitate!

Cheerful furrowed her brow. "Honest? Because the Cozy Glow I knew didn't… forgive or forget. Of course I'm happy that you have, but…"

Cozy sighed. "Well… I haven't forgotten. But I'm happy," Rumble saw her sneak a glance at him. "I really am."

Cheerful smiled softly. "You don't even know how happy it makes me, Cozy."

"Can… I have a look around? Just… for old times sake?" Cozy asked.

Cheerful cocked her head to the side. "I guess… but please don't disturb anypony. I don't want them to feel like they are being watched by random ponies."

"Of course," Cozy said, with a rare respectful voice.

Had Rumble just watched her give a promise because she wanted to and with no ulterior motives? Now he had seen everything…

Cheerful guided them back through the door. A corridor laid on the other side with a few doors. "The little ones are eating now, so you can look into the playroom and bedroom if you want," Cheerful said. "I have to get back to watching them." Her eyes dwelled on Cozy. "Good bye then, Cozy Glow. I'm happy you have found someplace to call home. I really am, more than you can understand."

"Bye, Cheerful. Thanks for… for everything. Even if I wasn't a good filly back then." Cozy said quietly.

Cheerful smiled softly. "Don't think about it. I forgave you a long time ago." With that, she disappeared down the hallway.

"Thanks…" Cozy said. After a few moments, she followed Cheerful out the door and into a corridor. She pushed open a nearby door. Rumble followed her in.

Toys in all colors laid haphazardly around the room. Plush-ponies, toy-swords and pillows. Various building kits, board games and balls. Cozy slowly stepped inside with a sense of awe.

"It's just like I remember," she said quietly. She poked a doll with her hoof. "This is Tilted Wing. She was my favorite."

"Huh…" Rumble looked down at the inconspicuous doll. It was clearly rather old, but he liked to think that the wear and tear was due to a lot of love. One of the button-eyes hung just a tiny bit askew, and one of the wings that were supposed to stand up on the doll's back now hung at the side. "Hello, Tilted Wing… I'm Rumble. I suppose I should thank you for looking after Cozy for me when she was here?"

"Stop being silly," Cozy huffed, a blush of embarrassment spreading on her cheeks.

"Heh…" Rumble smiled and took the doll in his hooves and looked into its button eyes. "Just… don't worry about her, okay? I'll take it from here. She's in good hooves… she's the Princess's own student now, if you can believe it."

"Tsk…" Cozy said, but there was a soft look in her eyes when she looked at the doll. "Come on, we're going."

Rumble nodded and respectfully sat Tilted Wing down. He went to the door and pretended not to notice how Cozy nuzzled the doll quickly. Well out in the corridor again, then skipped one door where they heard voices, and went into the last door.

This room was dark and gloomy and had several beds against the wall. One bigger bed in the middle, and then six or seven smaller clouds a bit above the ground. It was common to let pegasus foals sleep on separate clouds like that. They soon learned to feel safe on them, once they were too old to sleep with their parents.

Cozy hopped into the air and flew up to one cloud. "This used to be my bed," she said. Rumble followed her up. A small, hoof-made sign told him that this cloud now belonged to a certain "Rose Dust".

"Did you sleep well?" Rumble asked, more because he didn't know what else he could say about a bed than because of curiosity.

Cozy nodded. "After a while… when I didn't miss my real mother so much."

Rumble decided it was a good time to put a hoof on her shoulder. "I'll never be able to understand how that felt… but me and Flurry, and Twilight too, we're here for you now instead. You know that, right?"

Cozy closed her eyes and nodded. "I've begun to learn that." She took one last look at the bed. "We… can leave. I just needed to see it again."

"Then… do you feel better?" Rumble asked.

Cozy nodded. "It's… like one thing that I don't have to worry about. One little part of my past that I can put to rest now."

Author's Notes:

I still have a few chapters left to publish, but I have been a bit starved for ideas lately. I'd be happy to hear about any scenarios you would like to see Cozy and her friends take on. Drop a comment and perhaps it will be a chapter too sometime!

Chapter 7- The Great War

"Sweetie Belle!"

The filly in question stiffened where she stood in Rarity's kitchen and looked for a place to hide. One did not need to be Rarity's sister to know she was peeved about something when she shouted like that. But since Sweetie Belle was, in fact, Rarity's sister, she had developed a keen understanding of how unpleasant it could be to be the object of Rarity's displeasure.

Sadly, hiding was a lost course. Rarity marched right into the kitchen, froze Sweetie Belle in place with a glare that was just as petrifying as cockatrice's. Then she magicked up Sweetie Belle's puffy winter jacket before the little filly. Once, the garment had been a pale pink and lined with goose feathers. Now it was wet and brown from mud, covered in gashes and tears, and feathers peeked out in several places. Rarity tapped one hoof slowly against the floor as she waited for Sweetie Belle to explain. The filly shrunk back.

Sure, she may not have been as careful with her clothes as she had promised… but with a wash, or five, and some new lining and repairs it'd be just as new… almost.

The hood of the jacket finally gave up, and the few threads that still connected it to the rest of the garment snapped. It fell on the floor with a wet and muddy "splotch".

"Uh-"

"Sweetie Belle," Rarity hissed. "What. Did. You. Promise. This. Morning?"

"That I'd… be careful. And not get dirty," Sweetie Belle said in a tiny voice.

"Then what pray tell is this!" Rarity shrieked. The garment quivered slightly in her magical grasp. "Do you have any idea how hard I worked to make you this for winter?! And after the first time you use it, it looks like you slogged through a battlefield!"

"But I did slog through a battlefield!" Sweetie Belle protested. "Some ponies from class decided to have a snowball fight up by the schoolhouse! We have even built a snow-fort and everything!"

"Snow I can understand!" Rarity snapped. "What I can't understand are the tears! And the mud!"

"Well… Me and my team were attackers. So we had to take the fort. Diamond Tiara said we should send a scout to figure out a weak spot. And since my coat is white like the snow and the jacket is also kinda white, I figured I could do it," Sweetie Belle said, squirming under Rarity's piercing glare. "So I… I took the long way around to come up behind the enemy… uh, so I had to go up the hill to the schoolhouse from the north… uh… about where Apple Bloom have their pigs…"

Rarity's left eye started twitching.

"And… and our enemy… spotted me, right on the slope…"

Sweetie Belle didn't want to remember the rest. It had been nothing short of a massacre and a war-crime of the highest severity. A veritable avalanche of snowballs peppered her from the fort, and she was completely exposed in the open. She might as well have had a target painted on her forehead!

And then… the airstrike.

Sweetie Belle shuddered.

With all the terror of a rising dragon, Featherweight and Zipporwhill had struggled to the air with a great basket of snow in their hooves and dumped it right over Sweetie Belle's head. The force of the impact had broken what little will to fight she had left. She had been sent to the ground under the smackdown of snow then whirled around and ran, completely spooked by the immense show of force.

In blind panic, she darted from the overwhelming force on the hill, straight through the muddy pig sty and back to her base. Her comrades had looked shaken when the husk of their valiant scout had returned, and only through intense counselling and hot cocoa from Commander Diamond Tiara's personal supplies had Sweetie Belle been able to recount her ill-fated mission.

She was then granted half an hour's permission away from the front lines, mostly to get new clothes.

"Oh nononono," Rarity said when Sweetie Belle was done. "Oh no! You are having the rest of the day for permission! Because you are grounded!"

"But I was ambushed! It wasn't fair; nopony was supposed to see me! How can I map out their weak spot if they don't even let me look!" Sweetie Belle argued, quite sensibly she thought.

"I don't care about the ambush, I care about not respecting somepony else's hard work! Now march up to your room," Rarity said, her voice sharp as a whiplash. "Your time in this war is at an end!"

There was no use in arguing, Sweetie Belle knew. And she did feel bad for having ruined her sister's gift like that… it had been so pretty.

She hung her head and ears to show she was ashamed and plodded up to her room.

The snow looked really pretty from up here. If she squinted, she could just barely see the snow fort on the hill from here. A tiny orange speck looked up over the battlements only to disappear again after having scanned the area.

Oh, well… there'd still be a tomorrow. Sweetie Belle just had to appeal to a higher power (namely their mom) and she could rejoin the front line by then.

But it would be nice if she could do something to make up for this fiasco. Not only had she botched her scouting mission, but she would also now be a deserter since she wouldn't be able to return after permission.

And Commander Diamond Tiara probably didn't take kindly to deserters. No, she'd need something to convince Diamond to let her off the hook.

Something like… reinforcements from Canterlot!

Sweetie Belle smiled brightly. She'd invite her friends! If Cozy and Rumble came, then she'd have brought two pegasi to their team. That had to impress Diamond. And if Flurry came… Well, then everypony would stop the war just to have a chance to look at her! Either way, this was definitely how one should celebrate the first real snow of the season. Winter was here in earnest, and winter meant you should spend time with all your friends. After all, that's how ponies kept the Windigos away!

She hopped up on a stool and started writing a letter. Hopefully Rarity wouldn't be too cross to deliver it to the post office later.

---

The further they travelled, the better Flurry felt. She had been a bit apprehensive about this at first, going to Ponyville with just Cozy to meet with Cozy's friends? She only hoped that Sweetie Belle didn't invite Flurry just because she was a princess. That's what everypony did back home in the Crystal Empire, even if Flurry didn't want them to. Also, that might make Cozy pretty angry too.

But at the same time, Flurry could not stay cooped up in the castle all day either. She wanted to be outside and play with other ponies, especially since the first real snow had just come! Rumble and Cozy were great friends - her very best friends, actually, but still, she wanted to meet more ponies. She glanced briefly at Cozy sitting on a bench in front of her. It was a pity Rumble couldn't come, since he was working.

"Hey…" Cozy looked up from the playing cards they were passing the train ride with. "Have you done much snowball fighting before? The Crystal Empire's pretty cold right?"

Flurry nodded. "Yeah, there's snow all year. But I have never had a snowball fight."

"Your mother didn't want a princess fighting, or what?" Cozy asked with a tiny smirk.

"No, that's not it. We just don't have any snow in the Empire," Flurry replied. "The Crystal Heart protects us from the weather, so no snow gets inside. And they don't let us go outside the barrier. Too cold and too dangerous with the blizzard and beasts that sometimes come down from the northern mountains." Or that's what everypony said when Flurry asked anyway. She had never seen the beasts of the North herself.

"Oh." Cozy tilted her head. "Well, then at least we're both beginners at snowball fighting."

"Hope nopony gets angry with us," Flurry said, slightly worried for a whole new reason.

Cozy rolled her eyes. "Golly, that's a silly idea. If they do, you can just say that they're all wrong and you're right. You're a princess, so it's not like anypony can say anything about that."

"But that's not right! I can make mistakes! You know that!" Flurry protested with a frown. In fact she was very keen on avoiding being called infallible. Then everypony would be mad when she did, in fact, fail at something.

Cozy sighed and adopted an explanatory posture. "Sure. I know that. But nopony else does. So if you just let them think you are right, they will think you are. Because that's what they want to think." Cozy played a card from her hoof.

Flurry mulled over this as she dipped behind her playing cards again. Was that true? Did ponies want to think she was always right, even if she wasn't? That was... just stupid. And weird. "Hmm… I dunno," she said meekly. Whenever she asked Cozy about this sort of thing, her solutions were always so… Well, sometimes they made Flurry feel like she was doing something bad, even if everypony was happy at the end. It was strange.

"I do!" Cozy chirped with certainty. "Just leave everything to me, and I promise nopony will be mad, even if you hit our teammates more than the enemy. Besides, you have both flying and magic. That's got to help you anyway."

Flurry perked up at that and extended her majestic wings to look them over. She could fly well. Everypony said she had big wings for her age, and her magic was getting better too under Twilight's tutelage. Maybe being a princess might help her in the snowball fight! She saw and sensed Cozy's pang of jealousy at her majestic wings and quickly folded them back.

"Just a few minutes left," Flurry said, by way of moving on from unhappy memories. "Let's pick up our cards and get to the doors, so we can get off quickly." Else, odds were everypony would want to stop to pay their respects to her and they'd never get anywhere. She had experienced that problem one too many times already in her life. She scooped up their unfinished card game and put the cards away in a small box which, in turn, went into her saddlebag.

"You know where Sweetie Belle lives?" Flurry asked.

"Uh-huh. Or, at least where her sister lives, and Sweetie usually stays with her," Cozy said. "Golly… it'll be fun to see her again. She's really kind. And her big sister has really helped me a lot before."

"She brought you a gift for your birthday, so she must like you too," Flurry pointed out.

The moment the train pulled to a stop and the conductor opened the doors, both fillies bolted out of the train and away from the ponies at the station. They slowed to walking pace on the street outside, then Cozy took point to Rarity's boutique. The dirt roads were not nearly as neatly plowed as the streets of Canterlot, but the thatched roofs and snowponies that decorated several lawns surely made for a pretty sight. When Hearth's Warming came closer, there'd also be a lot of lights and ribbons and wreaths too. Flurry had celebrated many of her Hearth's Warmings with auntie Twilight here… in fact, this year would be the first time she wouldn't.

Sweetie Belle opened the door for them just moments after they had knocked. She was already dressed in a fluffy orange jacket that looked like it had been patched and altered in haste, and was still a bit too large. "Hi, Cozy! I'm so glad you could come. Now Diamond Tiara just has to forgive me for accidentally deserting my post yesterday."

"Daddy said deserting is really bad," Flurry pointed out with raised eyebrows. "Why did you do that?"

Flurry was about to ask why Cozy suddenly ducked and clutched her ears before a squeak from Sweetie Belle nearly gave her heart attack. "OHMYGOSH! You brought Flurry too?! She actually wanted to come?! This is so great!"

"Sweetie Belle, manners," Rarity called from further inside. "Let your guests inside like a proper hostess."

"Oh, right," Sweetie Belle said sheepishly and moved out of the way, allowing both Cozy and Flurry to come into the warmth. Sweetie Belle immediately started taking on a quartet of boots and lacing them, in part with her magic and in part with her mouth.

Flurry noticed Rarity working on some kind of a jacket on her sewing machine. It looked like it once had been white, but now there were splotches of mud that hadn't quite disappeared, and soft feathers poked from several rips in it. The unicorn looked up from her work and greeted both fillies with a warm smile.

"How lovely to see you both, Flurry Heart and Cozy Glow. I hope you had a pleasant trip here?" Rarity asked, as she pulled an already sawn piece of cloth out of the sewing machine.

"Uh-huh! Thanks for letting us come over! That's really kind of you," Cozy said. She even dipped her head in a small bow. Cozy must really like Rarity, Flurry noticed. She didn't bow like that even to Twilight back home.

Rarity waved her hoof in an elegant manner. "That's not a problem at all, girls." Then she stood up from the sewing machine where she sat. "However, if you would be so kind, perhaps you could keep an eye on Sweetie Belle for me? Yesterday she made some… questionable decisions that I'd very much like to avoid this time around." Rarity glanced at her little sister with a raised eyebrow. "She is absolutely banned from any mud, dirt, silt, sediment, slime, muck and/or grime. Would you do that for me?"

"Hey, I've said it was an accident!" Sweetie Belle said with an offended huff. "And I still don't think it was fair of them to spot me like that."

"Well, I hope that you will endeavour to avoid such 'accidents' this time," Rarity said. "Because only neat ponies are allowed back here, for hot cocoa and cupcakes."

"Thank you, Mrs. Rarity," Flurry said formally, mimicking Cozy's little bow. It seemed like what a proper mare should do. She noticed Cozy stifling a giggle, and that Rarity suddenly had a scrunched expression on her muzzle. "W-What?" Flurry asked in confusion. "Mommy says that to my teacher back in the empire, when she does kind stuff!"

"'Mrs' is only for married ponies," Cozy explained. "It's 'Miss Rarity'."

"Oh… Oh! I'm sorry!" Flurry stammered. "Miss Rarity." She dipped her head again. At least it was not a big mistake.

"It's… quite alright, dear,” Rarity said, though she suddenly looked herself over with a small frown, ears hanging down. Suddenly there was a feeling of… aching sadness about her, though Flurry did not understand why. "Well… I have some work to get back to… and a tub of ice cream to open. You enjoy yourselves now."

The three of them left Rarity's boutique in short order and made their way up on a hill a bit outside the town. On the top, outside a small snow fortress, a herd of maybe ten or so fillies and colts were already waiting. They were gathered around a pair of earth fillies, one pink and the other gray. By the appearance of their clothes, they were also from rather wealthy families. Of course, they were nothing compared to Flurry's jacket, which was lined with genuine phoenix down. Cozy had a pink jacket and a winter hat with a pompom.

"Oh, so there you are!" The pink pony growled and marched right up to Sweetie Belle with an angry scowl. "Come to beg forgiveness? Thanks to your disappearance yesterday we were left sitting in the cold for an hour! And then Silver Spoon and the defenders of Fort Snowpoint attacked and routed us!"

The gray pony with the pretty glasses and braid looked very proud about that, pushing her chest forward.

"Oh, uh…" Sweetie Belle began, ears folded down and tail tucked close to her belly in submission. "Sorry, Diamond Tiara. Rarity grounded me and I couldn't do anything about that! But I've gotten reinforcements! See, from Canterlot!" She gestured eagerly at Flurry and Cozy. "They are my friends, Cozy Glow and Princess Flurry Heart!"

Flurry could both feel and see how her words mentally floored everypony listening. Every pair of eyes immediately snapped over to her and Cozy. Though mostly to her. Silver Spoon's mouth actually fell open. "P-princess… the princess…" she stammered incoherently.

"Hi, everypony," Cozy said as Flurry took a small step back from the prying stares. She was glad to have Cozy with her for this. She somehow enjoyed ponies looking at her, even if the mood quite changed as the foals focused at her. When Flurry made them stare in awe, the looks Cozy received were mostly of wariness.

"Uh… we have to remake the teams," Diamond Tiara said lamely, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"And the Princess should be on the defending team," Silver Spoon said. "'Cause she should have a castle!”

A murmur of agreement spread among the other ponies. Flurry flicked her ears backwards in displeasure. Why did everypony always say things like that? Couldn't they at least ask first?

"Okay, and I'll be on her team too, since I'm her best friend here. Right, Flurry?" Cozy said. Flurry nodded energetically. That way she could be sure to have her friend on her team!

"Me too?" a small, pinto earth pony asked with a thick accent.

"Me too!" A purple filly with straw-blond mane squeaked and raised her hoof.

"Me three!"

"That's not going to work! We can't have everypony on the same team!" Diamond Tiara said, stomping her hoof in annoyance.

"But then how do we make the teams?" Silver Spoon asked.

"I suppose we'll just have to toss for it," Diamond said. "Everypony tosses a bit. Those who get heads are on the princess's team, and we'll see how it turns out. We have… thirteen ponies here. And since one team has to be one more, it should be the attackers. Since the defenders have a princess on their team."

Flurry and Cozy looked on as the rest of the fillies and colts gathered together to try and figure out the teams among themselves. "It'll be fine once we start," Cozy whispered to Flurry.

"Hope so. And I'm not a princess yet, just because I'm an alicorn," Flurry huffed.

"But now you will at least have a fortress of your own," Cozy said.

"I guess…" Flurry said, uncertain if that was a good thing or not.

It took a few minutes, but soon the teams were made. Their four team members guided them into their snow fort, all smiles -clearly they felt extra lucky to spend time with the princess. Flurry did know Scootaloo from before, but the other three team members were new to her. The tiny earth pony was apparently named Pipsqueak, and finally there were two earth pony sisters named Sunny Daze and Peachy Pie. Thankfully their cutie marks made it easy to tell them apart.

"Fort Snowpoint" was really not much more than a ring of large snowballs plastered together with snow around an open area. Somepony had raised a heavy branch in the middle of the ring with what looked like some sort of tablecloth at the top as to make an improvised flag. They had also made slopes, up to the crests of the snowballs, so the defenders could throw downwards at attacking ponies. It was really not a big difference, but in Flurry's mind, she was really standing on the battlements of the Canterlot Castle, ready to repel any invaders who threatened their kingdom. Then the fantasy dissipated when Scootaloo called her down for a strategy meeting.

"Okay, so the rules are simple," Scootaloo started, looking at her. "If they bring down our flag, we lose. We have to hold out until we go home. Right now they're not allowed to attack for another fifteen minutes, so we have some time to prepare."

"Prepare how?" Flurry asked, looking quizzically at the orange pegasus.

"Yesterday we brought as much snow as we could inside so we'd have plenty of snowballs," Scootaloo pointed at a small pile of snowballs left over from the last siege. "But if you have a better idea, we'll just do that instead!"

"No, I think it sounds smart," Flurry replied.

"Right, everypony! The princess said we should gather snow!" Pipsqueak said and dashed out of the fort as fast as he could. Sunny Daze and Peachy Pie followed.

Flurry sighed, looking at the foals eagerly collecting snow. "Why do everypony always do this with me? Sometimes I wish I could take off my wings and horn so nopony thought I was anypony special."

"If you find a way to, then maybe I can borrow them?" Cozy sat next to her with a playful smirk. "But until then, might as well use them for something good."

"What do you mean?" Flurry asked.

"I mean that everypony on our team would do anything you ask of them! That's really useful for dangerous stuff."

"Oh… but that's not nice, is it?" Flurry asked with concern, looking at Cozy's determined face.

"Winning is nice," Cozy said dismissively. "Anyway, since there's nothing happening right now, think you could help them with the snow? I've got… some other plans."

---

Sweetie Belle's team found themselves on the other side of the school building, huddled close as they tried to come up with a strategy. Storming Fort Snowpoint yesterday had been hard. Storming it today, with an alicorn defending it, would be impossible. This was going to need some serious thinking beforehand. To that end, Silver Spoon had drawn up a crude map in the snow, outlining the fort and the surrounding area. Most interesting, there was a small copse of trees nearby. They should offer some protection from any snowballs or divine punishments that might come their way once the siege began.

"But only one, max two ponies can hide behind the trees," Apple Bloom pointed out. "An' Ah sure don't wanna stay out in the open for very long."

"But we've got to figure out something!" Diamond huffed in annoyance. "We can't just rush them, or Flurry is going to bury us all in snow with just a wink of her horn!"

"Ah don't s'ppose you two can do anythin' about that, can you?" Apple Bloom asked Dinky and Sweetie Belle. They both shook their heads. While Sweetie Belle didn't actually know how powerful Flurry's magic was, she did not feel like gambling her own, still inchoate magic against that of an alicorn trained by Princess Twilight. Clearly Dinky thought exactly the same.

"Well then we're going to need some sort of way to get up close to the fort without being hit…" Diamond said.

"Zipporwhill and I can fly in," Featherweight supplied hopefully. "Uh… but then everypony will throw their snow at us before we can do anything."

"An' even if Scoots can't fly, both Cozy and Flurry can," Apple Bloom pointed out. "So it ain't like y'all will have too big of an advantage."

"But then, could you two distract them?" Silver Spoon asked and pointed at the pegasi. "If they were throwing snow at you, then maybe the rest of us could gain some ground?"

"Hmm…" Diamond Tiara put a hoof under her cheek. "If we can have two ponies sneak in behind the trees, and then you two," she pointed at Featherweight and Zipporwhill, "could start the distraction. If the rest of us stay here, maybe we could come at them both from the school, the trees and the air all at the same time?"

"And Sweetie Belle and I can throw a lot of snow at once if we prepare!" Dinky said. "For extra cover while you run!"

"Right, an' Ah bet that if you, me an' Silver Spoon all kick at the snow fort at the same time, we could smash through it! That'd help a lot; we'd just have to rush in and topple the flag!"

"We're still facing an alicorn, though…" Sweetie Belle said quietly.

"Well, unless we give up, that's not going to change," Diamond replied, though Sweetie Belle could hear she was not exactly happy about it either. "Might as well try to do the best we can!"

"But… if we win, what if she gets angry with us?" Silver Spoon pointed out. The rest of their team mumbled their agreements.

"Flurry is kind though," Sweetie Belle quickly added. "I've met her earlier. We did the running of the leaves together… before she ran ahead of me, but she is kind!"

"My mom says all princesses are always kind ponies," Dinky piped up. "So I don't think we have to worry."

Silver Spoon nodded, looking a little bit put to ease by this fact.

"So… are we ready to begin?" Zipporwhill asked.

"Ah guess so," Apple Bloom said with a shrug, looking around at others.

"Golly, that sure does sound like a good plan, doesn't it?" A sweet voice came up from above them. All foals looked up to see a giggling, freckled face of a small pegasus peeking down at them. "But you really should have been quieter. See you soon!" Cozy Glow waved at them, then kicked down an avalanche from the roof right over them. Sweetie Belle yelped and jumped away, narrowly avoiding being buried. When she looked back, Cozy was already gone.

For a moment, all foals just looked dumbfounded at the roof of a schoolhouse. "That's-" Diamond Tiara flushed red with anger. "Okay, that's it! No prisoners! And that pegasus filly is mine, you hear!"

Sweetie Belle swallowed. She had expected to be part of a war, but this was not going to be just a war. If Diamond had her way, this was going to be an extinction campaign.

---

Cozy got a good giggle at panicked shout that erupted behind her when she kicked the snow loose, but she didn't have the time to enjoy it for too long. She hopped from the roof and flew back to the snow fort. Thankfully, her teammates (a.k.a. minions) had done a good job of storing up plenty of ammunition (a.k.a. fresh snow) in a pile in the middle of the fort. Everypony looked up when they saw her approaching. Hopefully everypony was ready, because their time was up.

"Everypony, man the towers! Raise the drawbridge!" she squeaked with excitement, as she landed. "I was spying from the roof! They are going to split up their forces and try to come at us from all sides at the same time. But their earth ponies are the most important, since they'll try to break down our wall!"

"We can't let that happen," Flurry said decisively. "Daddy says that you have to defend your castle with all your might, else it will be really hard to get it back!"

"You heard the princess!" Sunny Daze called to everypony. "Nopony sets one hoof inside our fort… uh, except for us, since we are on the defender team."

"Okay," Cozy said, all pleased by taking command. "But we still have to stop their attack. Flurry, do you think you can use your magic to hold the wall steady? No way they can break it then!"

Flurry nodded. "But I have to concentrate on just a small part… and if I come up there to see where they are attacking, they'd just hit me with snow."

"You stay down there," Cozy decided. "I'll tell you where to hold with your magic. The rest of you keep them from aiming at me, okay?"

"We've got you!" Scootaloo said, jumping up and down with excitement. "We help you, you help Flurry and Flurry helps us! Great plan!"

"It's time to test it in practice!" Peachy Pie squeaked, pointing towards the schoolhouse. Cozy just realized she was the only pony who actually kept watch right now. Thank goodness she did. "Here they come!"

Cozy flapped her wings hard to get airborne. The enemy charge truly was a sight that could send even the bravest pony running. The seven fillies and colts on the opposing team seemed to have abandoned the original plan and opted for a frontal charge instead, rushing forward with a small cloud of upset snow behind them. Especially the pink pony in the lead was rushing with the mania of a yak seeing something that was not perfect. Cozy swallowed. She was not a stranger to confrontation, but she usually made sure somepony else did the fighting for her or she had some trick up her mane. Now she didn't. Now it was just the little filly Cozy Glow against a pack of angry foals. Their two pegasi flew up and ahead, snowballs in their hooves.

A pair of snowballs whizzed past her ears and flew towards the approaching enemies. Zipporwhill was fast enough to dodge, but Featherweight got hit right in the face and careened off course, flailing wildly to get the snow away from his face.

"Yeah! I got him!" Peachy Pie cheered from below.

Right… She was not all alone.

"Cozy, where are they?!" Flurry shouted from below.

Cozy dodged past a snowball from the pink pony. She dashed towards the closest wall, and her friends quickly followed.

"There! There, hurry!" Cozy shouted and pointed.

"Hey, DT! Catch!" Scootaloo jumped from the ground, high enough to clear the wall and send a snowball down at the running ponies, all in the span of seconds. They all jumped aside, but it did buy them the extra moment Flurry needed to wrap her topaz magic around the right segment of the wall.

The three earth ponies whirled around, planted their forelegs and launched a backwards kick into the snow.

The reinforced snow gave a mute sound, but didn't yield one bit. Instead, the odd stance toppled all three ponies who had tried to kick the wall down.

"What in tarnation!?" Apple Bloom shrieked in surprise. Another well-aimed snowball from Scootaloo quickly silenced her.

Cozy swooped down, gathered up some snow and sent her own snowball at Diamond Tiara. She was already angry and clearly the enemy team's leader. If Cozy got her a bit more riled up, she'd make stupid decisions.

She hit Diamond on the head, knocking the tiara clean off. Sunny Daze and Pipsqueak followed her lead, capitalizing on their prone enemies.

"YOU-!" Diamond roared and started slinging every bit of snow around her with reckless abandon. Both Peachy Pie and Scootaloo hit her again, but Diamond was past caring right now. She didn't even flinch; she just kept her eyes on Cozy and hauled more snow.

Thankfully aiming was not her top priority. Most of her snowballs went wild, but Cozy still had to fly about and around to try and avoid it all.

"Behind!" Pipsqueak suddenly shouted, pointing away towards the nearby trees. Cozy snapped around to look.

Sweetie Belle and the purple unicorn both peeked out of the bushes, horns aglow. Then they launched a veritable bombardment of snow over Cozy and the defenders up on the battlements.

"YES! You didn't see that one, coming, did you?" Diamond Tiara shouted triumphantly. "Silvy, Apple Bloom, let's bring down the wall!"

"No! Flurry, magic on me, now!" Cozy shouted and snapped her wings shut so she landed on top of the snow wall they were aiming to smash. She barely remained standing for a second before both Sweetie Belle and a still somewhat dazed Featherweight both nailed her with snowballs from above. She lifted her wings to try and keep the snow out of her eyes.

But the gamble had worked. The magic incased the snow underneath her, making it stone-hard again.

"Ready again!" Dinky shouted from the trees. In her magic, Cozy could see at least a dozen snowballs ready. Whoever that filly was, her magic must be very developed for her age. Cozy would have been impressed, were it not for the fact that her power was about to put Cozy in a white and cold grave.

Unless…

"Everypony, throw on the trees!" Cozy shouted and pointed before she had to duck back under her wings.

Nopony answered. Why didn't they answer?! They couldn't afford to wait!

Then Peachy Pie's voice cut through the battle. "Oh, I got it. Sis, do as she says!"

The two of them gathered up their snowballs and released just as Dinky set loose her barrage. Cozy covered as best she could behind her wings, but the onslaught was brutal enough to topple her down from the wall. She landed on her rump on the outside.

The last thing she saw was Sunny Daze and Peachy Pie's snowballs hitting the branches above the sneaky unicorns and sending a smackdown of snow from the branches down on their heads. Her smile lasted for a whole of one second, before she met the eyes of Diamond Tiara. Suddenly Cozy didn't feel like the idea to anger her had been all that good. She hopped backwards, but the snow fortress blocked her escape, and Diamond was too close for Cozy to take off.

"Well well well…" she snickered. She held out a hoof, and Silver Spoon passed her a large snowball. "Any last words?"

Cozy tried her best innocent little filly look, fighting hard to suppress a mounting panic. "Golly… you aren't angry, right? I was really just trying to polish your tiara! Honest!"

"Heh," Diamond smirked, though she still looked furious. "Well, then I'll just 'polish' you in return."

"LEAVE MY FRIEND ALONE!"

Suddenly, the wall behind Cozy disappeared. She toppled backwards… and as she laid on her back, she saw the entire wall of the fortress fly above her, caught in yellow magic.

Diamond Tiara looked absolutely gobsmacked, staring in awe at the alicorn filly holding a truly massive amount of snow in her magic. But it was not just that fact that made Diamond look up in terror, but Flurry's sparkling horn and fully erect wings. The visage of an alicorn, even a foal, in all her splendor was enough to stun anypony.

Before Diamond could even squeak, Flurry unceremoniously dropped the entire mountain of snow over her. Cozy herself nearly jumped in surprise. She hadn't thought Flurry would do something like that. She had practically executed a pony in cold blood! Or cold snow!

All because she felt Cozy was in trouble? Cozy looked at the alicorn and it hit her how determined she looked.

She looked like a Princess. Like somepony with her own ideals and convictions. Just because she was naïve and meek it didn't mean Flurry would sit idly by when something threatened somepony she liked. Even if she didn't use her powers and didn't want ponies to notice them, Cozy realized that Flurry must be very aware of what she could do. Cozy could practically feel her respect for Flurry grow.

The entire battle had stopped.

Everypony stared at the huge pile of snow in shock, unsure of what to do.

Then, with a cough, Diamond Tiara poked her head out, dazed and confused.

"Uh… well, we brought down the wall… Ah guess," Apple Bloom peeped silently, though she didn't look too keen to capitalise on the breach.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't think it was that heavy!" Flurry galloped out of the fort and nuzzled Diamond carefully, trying to pull the pink filly out of the snow.

"It's… alright,” Diamond said, heaving herself out and shaking away the snow. "Uh… in light of this development, I propose a truce. And we need to rebuild Fort Snowpoint before we go home, else we can't have any more battles," She added, looking at the hole in the wall.

"Yeah! And now that the Princess herself is here, she can decide how it should look!" Pipsqueak said, jumping up and down on a piece of the intact fort.

"No, wait!" Cozy shouted. Flurry had just saved her from Diamond's wrath. Cozy wanted to do something for her in return. Because that's what friends did!

Fortunately, she knew how she could make Flurry enjoy this day a little bit more. Flurry didn't want other ponies to treat her as a princess (for some reason) so if Cozy could make sure they didn't, that should help her relax. "Because Flurry Heart placed the command of Fort Snowpoint in my hooves! And as… High Commander of the Fortress, I command you to follow my design! That goes for Flurry Heart too!"

The silence that followed was even vaster than after Flurry's attack. But Cozy understood why.

Somepony had demanded an alicorn to serve them. They probably couldn't even conceive a pony doing that; it was impossible in their little world. Not that Cozy could blame them - she knew that everything she had seen and done had made her see the alicorns in a way almost no pony did.

Nopony looked at Cozy. They all looked at Flurry. And Flurry looked at her with a quizzical look.

Cozy gave her a wink and a small smile. Hopefully Flurry would catch on.

Her whole face brightened. "Yes! We do what Cozy says! And I'll work with you, like anypony! Because Cozy decides! So… nopony asks me anything!" Flurry clapped her hooves and pointed at grinning Cozy.

The other fillies and colts looked confused, but just like Cozy had expected, they would do whatever Flurry wanted. Including not doing what she wanted.

"Okay!" Cozy rubbed her hooves together. She already knew how she wanted the new fortress to look.

---

They ended up fighting one last siege after the fortress had been rebuilt. But they agreed to exchange Flurry Heart for Dinky, so the Princess could be on the attacking team as well. Cozy even got Flurry to promise she'd not use her magic to break the castle again.

The fighting had still been brutal though. They managed to get inside and rush the flag, with Flurry leading the charge, but then suddenly Cozy had jumped out from the ammunition pile around the flagpole and slammed right into Flurry, toppling her and shoving a snowball straight into her face.

Sweetie Belle had wanted to do something to save her monarch, but she had been too frozen by the sacrilege and just… watched how Cozy defaced the living deity, shoving snowball after snowball into Flurry's face.

Then the rest of Cozy's band had descended from hidden alcoves and corners and turned the siege into a swirling melee that didn't end until Diamond Tiara, with the last of her powers, managed to topple the flagpole. By then, the sun was already setting.

Everypony said their goodbyes after, bowing down to Flurry as was customary before going home. Ponies would speak of this snowball fight for years to come -the siege of Fort Snowpoint, where the Princess herself joined the battle!

Now the three fillies pushed through the freshly fallen snow up to Rarity's boutique. Sweetie Belle knocked, and after Rarity opened, she instantly blocked the doorway.

"Didn't you say a proper hostess should let her guests in?" Sweetie Belle teased with a smirk. In return, Rarity offered a sly look.

"A proper hostess must also keep her promises. And I recall promising hot cocoa only to neat and clean little fillies who keep their promises. Let's see if you are one." She unbuttoned Sweetie Belle's jacket and inspected it with scrutiny. Sweetie Belle was left trampling on the spot for some warmth. Cozy and Flurry was behind her. At least they both had warm, fluffy wings…

"Hmm… I suppose you pass." Rarity stepped aside. She only cast cursory glances at Cozy and Flurry though. Sweetie Belle was just about to let her big sister know what she thought about that when she picked up on the sweet smell of cocoa. She decided that maybe she could wait with her complaints until tomorrow. Or at least until she had drunk her fill.

"Now, everypony," Rarity said with certain authority when they were all inside. "Since our dear Rainbow Dash transferred to the Wonderbolts and reduced the time on the Ponyville Weather Team, I must admit that our town's weather management has been rather lacking. Case in point, we have just received twice the snow we should have. As such, the trains have stopped for the night."

"Oh… do you think Twilight will teleport to pick us up?" Flurry asked with concern. Sweetie Belle found herself grinning, because she had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"She has already been here," Rarity said. "But I convinced her to let you stay the night… if you all behave."

All three fillies grinned and nodded in unison. Rarity seemed pleased. She has led them to the kitchen "While I realize my cooking won't be as nice as what you get in the castle, I hope it will suffice," the unicorn said, as she offered them a small mountain of muffins and three steaming mugs of cocoa.

Before Cozy of Flurry could say 'thank you', Sweetie Belle darted forward and hugged her sister. "You're the best, sis. You really are."

Rarity smiled back at her.

Chapter 8- Eclipse, Part 1

"Eclipse?" Twilight looked quizzically at her mentor, one of her oldest friends, and ex-princess. They sat by a table on the porch of Celestia's manor in Silver Shoals. The wind carried a scent of sea salt and freshly cut grass. "I… think that's some celestial phenomenon, right? Something to do with both the sun and the moon? Sorry, I don't know the specifics..."

Celestia nodded measuredly. "It is not strange. Eclipses happen only once every other century. In fact, I had planned to wait with your coronation until after this one, but after the fall of Tirek, Chrysalis and…" she hesitated, then coughed. "Well, after their fall it was a natural, sensible time for my sister and I to pass the torch to you."

"Okay… but what is an eclipse, exactly?" Twilight asked, swishing her tail from side to side. She did not like not knowing what Celestia was talking about- it made her feel tardy.

"Just like you say, it is a celestial phenomenon," Luna explained. "Perhaps you have noticed when you move the sun and moon that they are… capricious, at times?"

Twilight nodded. "Sometimes it's easier or harder to get them to rise, yes. I've made a list, but I haven't seen much of a pattern."

"You see…" Celestia furrowed her brow. "Long ago, the sun and the moon moved on their own, without the help of us ponies. An eclipse is the event where the sun and moon are perfectly aligned, so all of Equestria falls in the shadow of the moon. In old texts, it is called a Dark Sun."

Twilight hardly heard the second part. Her worldview had been completely fractured by the first revelation: ponies did not always control the sun!

When she thought about it, it was obvious. Ponies had not been around since forever. In fact the earliest known unicornian settlements were less than ten thousand years old- the land of Equestria was far, far older than that, so naturally the sun and moon must have some sort of intrinsic movement.

But still… a world like that was so alien to her, so utterly and completely wrong… that she had never once considered it. The sun and the moon were under ponykind's control; that was the order of things. But it wasn't the natural order of things! It was something that her people, and her tribe, had ensured. She felt at once worried and proud of that.

"We have never experienced it… but we know the sun and moon well, and without our magic… every day would last for a week or longer. At dawn and dusk there would be massive thunderstorms owing to the temperature gradient between day and night. The sea would rise and fall massively with the tides, and agriculture would be destroyed."

Twilight nodded lamely. She was not a metrologist, but the basic reasoning seemed solid. "And… what does the eclipse have to do with this?"

"We don't fully understand why, but eclipses cannot be denied," Celestia said solemnly. She looked away for a moment, to where the sun shone brightly outside. "The sun and the moon… they want the eclipses. And they struggle against your magic to get them. On the day when their original rotations would have caused an eclipse, they will move on their own to make it happen."

Twilight's mouth felt dry. "Are… are they… alive?" she asked quietly. She hoped dearly that they were not. She could not handle the existential questions that she was sure to follow such a realization.

"No, they are not," Celestia said decisively. "Our theory is that they are simply following some type of magical pattern that makes this happen. It's the same sort of pattern that causes gemstones to grow, or summer turning to fall and then to winter, only on a much larger scale."

"Okay, so… I think I understand," Twilight said. "Only… what is the problem, exactly? The eclipse will happen… but, so what? Does it take a long time?"

"Just a few hours," Luna said. "But think about it. The sun and moon will be in the sky together and then suddenly it will be dark as night… ponies will panic if they are not prepared. And even if they are… there is some symbolism to it all, no? The sun being devoured by the moon?" Luna finished with a note of bitterness in her voice.

"Like… with Nightmare Moon?" Twilight asked.

Luna nodded solemnly. "An eclipse was how… I began my revolution. I moved the moon in front of the sun."

"The eclipse will happen two weeks from now, Twilight," Celestia said. "It cannot be stopped, but we wanted you to know before the sun and the moon would start to act up. What you choose to do with this information, if anything, we leave up to you. It is no longer our place to dictate your actions."

"Oh…" That was surprising. She had expected her mentor to tell her how to handle this event. How was she supposed to know the best course of action for something like this? A nationwide event that threatened to spark at the very least widespread fear and at worst mass panic?

She pushed her doubts away. She was the Princess now. Celestia's reasoning was right as always - this was her responsibility, not theirs. And she was going to shoulder this responsibility, just like any other. And she had every resource in Equestria to help her do it, and a competent staff of ponies to help coordinate her efforts. She smiled, feeling almost… excited for a real challenge. "Don't worry! I'll take care of this eclipse!"

Celestia smiled brightly and tapped her forehead gently with her long, beautiful horn. "I know you will, Princess Twilight. I know you will."

---

"Ninety-nine… one hundred! Ready or not, here I come!" Flurry shouted and immediately flopped to her belly to look underneath the large bed.

No Cozy there, but Flurry hadn't really expected it. Cozy was too smart to hide in such an obvious place… at least that's what she had thought two rounds ago, when she had turned the whole room upside down only to then lie down in defeat and seen Cozy huddled up in the most obvious hiding spot possible, which Flurry hadn't checked because it was too simple. She was not making the same mistake again.

She looked outside on the balcony, behind every curtain, under the tables and chairs, inside the cloud-mattress (that was Flurry's best hiding spot so far- it had even forced Cozy to surrender), on top of every bookcase, inside the chandelier, but still no Cozy.

She sat down on the carpet in the middle of the room, letting her eyes sweep carefully over the many hiding spots.

She heard a spark of magic and hoofsteps that followed outside the room. She hopped up and opened the door. Cozy could wait a little while longer. "Hi Twilight! Did you meet Celestia and Luna in Silver Shoals?"

Twilight looked up when she saw who it was. "Yes I did. They had some important news to share with me. What have you been doing? Have you practiced the compression magic like I asked you?"

Flurry blushed. "Uh… a little bit. It's raining, and Cozy was bored, so she said we should do a friendship lesson together and play hide-and-seek. I'm winning!"

Twilight rolled her eyes with a small chuckle. "Of course she did… well, as long as you practice a little bit too. School and playing are both important."

Flurry watched Twilight open the door to her own room… and Cozy sat on her desk, reading a book. She looked up when the door opened and at least had the dignity to look a little bit guilty. Like she should!

"Hey, that's cheating!" Flurry huffed indignantly and fluttered past Twilight to land next to Cozy. "We were supposed to hide in your room only, not in here!"

Cozy grinned. "Golly… when did we say that? I just said I wanted to play hide and seek, and that I started being it. I never said I'd only hide in my room, and neither did you."

Flurry thought back… then furrowed her brow. She couldn't actually remember they had ever decided on any rules… so then this was fair? It didn't feel fair.

"See, Flurry? Sometimes if you want to trick somepony, you don't have to lie! You just have to not say what they think they already know!" Cozy chirped with a sly look on her muzzle.

"That's… smart," Flurry said. Even if she didn't think she'd ever trick somepony like that, it was still a smart thing to come up with.

"Cozy, don't go corrupting Flurry's innocence like that," Twilight said with a certain annoyance in her voice. "It is not nice to trick your friend like that, and you know it."

Cozy sighed. "I guess…"

"So now what do you say?" Twilight said kindly, looking down at the little pegasus.

"Tsk… I'm sorry, Flurry," she said, with an uncomfortable expression, trampling anxiously on the spot. Flurry could feel the dislike for those words emanating from Cozy when she spoke them, even if they were sincere. She had heard from Rumble that Cozy didn't like apologising. So really, Cozy did get a friendship lesson after all.

Twilight nodded and went around her desk to sit down, but Flurry wasn't done yet. It had been… almost forever since she heard from Celestia! She didn't even bother to hop down from the desk. "Did Celestia say anything? Did you tell her about my magic studies?" Flurry felt her chest swell with pride. She had gotten a lot better as of late and she was sure she could even impress Celestia now! "Did they-"

Flurry silenced. Cozy's feelings suddenly felt colder than the blizzard outside the Crystal Empire. Looking over revealed that her mouth was pulled into a taut, angry line and her eyes were narrow and hard. "I'm sure you had a lot of nice things to talk about, huh?" Cozy hissed venomously. It looked like she wanted to say more, but she stopped herself

Twilight, meanwhile, was thinking hard. Flurry could sense that too. Her agile mind flitted from idea to idea, thinking, considering, weighing and measuring a myriad of approaches before she opened her mouth. Flurry shrunk back a little. With Cozy so tense and Twilight so careful, even a little filly like her realized she was not supposed to speak carelessly.

"There is a celestial phenomenon coming," Twilight said slowly. "It's called an eclipse, which means the moon will block out the sun for a few hours. She wanted to tell me before the sun became too hard for me to control, since I've been having problems with both of them," Twilight looked straight at Cozy, then continued. "That's it. We didn't talk about anything else, at all."

Cozy narrowed her eyes, but Flurry could feel how she gradually relaxed before she sighed. "Oh… okay. But… you control the sun right? And the moon. Can't you just… not have the eclipse?" Flurry said, trying to steer away the conversation from something that neither Cozy or Twilight wanted to talk about (for some reason).

"It's… not that easy… I can't just stop it because I want to." Twilight replied. "Celestia said that she thinks the eclipse will cause worry and panic among ponies and other creatures… and she basically told me I had to do something to calm them down during and after it."

"Huh…" Cozy stroked her chin with a furrowed brow. "Sounds like a test to me."

Over the course of two seconds, Twilight went from careful and thoughtful to barely controlled panic. Pupils contracting, wings twitching and sweat forming on her forehead. "A t-test? What do you mean?"

Cozy shrugged. "Well… an event that needs you to lead in uncertain times but with no great harm if you mess it up… Golly, sure seems awfully convenient that something like that would happen just half a year after your coronation, doesn't it? And I've got to give it to her… Celestia is one nasty schemer when she wants to be." She all but spat the last words like they were profanities.

"She- she is not!" Twilight said loudly, looking almost offended for a moment. Before she could protest more, Cozy continued, her voice rising to a furious, strident growl.

"Oh, so she didn't hide all her magic from Tirek with you, just to give you a fighting chance against him?!" Cozy shouted. "Didn't she allow Discord to be freed just to have another all-mighty servant to call on?! Didn't she railroad you down the path to be a Princess ever since you were A FILLY, HUH?!"

At the last words Twilight visibly winced. Her wings lifted just slightly and she kept her frowning stare down at the table. There was a painful uncertainty in her eyes for a moment, before she hid it again. She didn't manage to dispel it, Flurry could feel. It was still there, gnawing inside her.

She swallowed, took a calming breath and faced Cozy's furious glare with a level expression. "So… do you think this is a test?" Twilight asked with an empty tone.

"If I had just abdicated after a thousand years, I'd like to know my successor knew what she was doing," Cozy snapped. She didn't manage to keep her tone as calm as Twilight's, but she certainly tried. "Especially if I doubted her and... Celestia doesn't like what you're doing with me."

"It doesn't sound like Celestia," Flurry piped up. Twilight probably needed to hear that right now. And Celestia had always been kind to Flurry… She had even gifted the phoenix-down stuffed jacket that Flurry loved so much!

"That's what they want you to think," Cozy mumbled, not looking at Twilight or Flurry. An uncomfortable silence fell between three ponies.

"I… will think about what you have said, Cozy," Twilight said with a tired look. "And I know that I'm doing right by you. I don't want to quarrel."

"And I don't want anypony to put me in stone again," Cozy replied grimly. "I'll… be in my room. Good luck with the eclipse."

Cozy turned around and hopped down from the desk. She closed the door with her tail.

Flurry looked after her friend and back to Twilight, feeling lost. Why was Cozy so angry? What did she mean with those things she had said Celestia had done? She guessed that must be from before she herself was born, but what did it mean? She didn't know. So she did what every filly did in the face of questions: asked an adult. "Why… is Cozy so mad with Celestia?"

Twilight fidgeted uncomfortably, trying to not meet Flurry's eyes. "She… blames Celestia for a lot of what's happened to her," Twilight said quietly. After a longer pause, she continued with almost a whisper. "She isn't… wrong, but... she isn't right either."

Flurry cocked her head to the side. "Are you sad, auntie? You look sad."

"No… I just wasn't ready for some of the things Cozy said," Twilight said mildly. Flurry could feel how she tried to sound like normal, but it didn't quite work. Her eyes still seemed… distant, almost like Twilight was afraid of something.

Well, then Flurry wasn't going to let it stand. Cozy was her friend, but she was not allowed to say things that made Twilight sad. And Flurry Heart was going to rectify that, because that's what a good filly ought to do!

Before Flurry could make a step, Twilight stopped her. "Flurry, I don't want you to take this up with Cozy on your own," Twilight said with authority. "It's… hard to explain, but Celestia is a difficult topic for both Cozy and I. I need to talk to her on my own, but not right now."

"But I want to help! She's my friend, if I just talk to her I'm sure she'll come back and apologize!" Flurry insisted. She wanted to help! That way she could even put to practice what they talked about in the friendship lessons.

"No, Flurry. This is between me and her." Twilight said. She continued, mostly to herself. "We need to talk about this if I want to make more progress with her… even if she doesn't like Celestia, she must accept that I talk to her sometimes. She's my old mentor… my friend. Just because I talk to Celestia doesn't mean I'll let them put Cozy back in stone."

Why would Celestia want to put Cozy inside the statue? That was just silly; only bad ponies were statued, mommy had said, and Cozy wasn't a bad pony, even if some seemed to think she was because she had been once… or at least that's what ponies seemed to think around Cozy... Huh, when one sat down to consider the issue, this actually was a difficult thing to grasp.

"Don't worry, Flurry," Twilight said. "I want to talk to Cozy on my own, okay? I'll just need some time to think first. Don't worry. I'm not sad or mad; I just… well, like I said, I wasn't ready for this."

"Oh… if you're sure…" Flurry said uncertainly.

Twilight nodded.

Flurry nodded too, like a big pony, and then she hopped down from the desk. She didn't really feel like playing hide-and-seek anymore though… maybe it was time to practice her magic a little bit.

---

Cozy barely got out of the room before she felt shame hitting her like a slap in the face. She knew Twilight wouldn't let Celestia get to her again; she had already taken Cozy's party against the ex-princess once before. She knew that, so why did she decide to bicker? Say things she knew would be hurtful? She was supposed to be better than that now!

She walked slowly into her room and sat down on the carpet. Twilight's face still haunted her. The shock, the worry… the hurt. It was Celestia and Luna that almost took away her life. And even if Twilight wasn't innocent, Cozy had decided to forgive her. Eventually, Twilight had helped Cozy get her life back! She had offered to help Cozy strive towards her goal, despite everything Cozy had done. She even understood and appreciated Cozy's special talent!

Not many ponies would have done something like that for somepony like Cozy. So how could she be so… so impudent as to attack her mentor like that?!

The more Cozy thought about it, the angrier she got at herself. She had to apologize to Twilight. No hesitation, no holding back, no struggling or avoiding it. She owed Twilight that much… right?

"I've really changed, haven't I?” She said to herself with a tiny twitch of her lips, flicking her tail absently behind her. She felt the carpet tug a little at it when she brushed it over the fabric.

But before she could apologize, she was going to wait until Twilight and Flurry were done.

She didn't have to wait for very long. She heard the hoofsteps approaching, so she turned around to face the door. She could feel her mouth going dry as she saw the magenta cloud of magic turning the handle. When Twilight entered, she looked… displeased. Not exactly angry, but clearly not happy either.

Twilight closed the door and silently looked down at her. Cozy swallowed, took a deep breath to compose herself and then looked straight in Twilight's eyes. "I'm sorry for what I said, Princess. It wasn't… nice. And I shouldn't have said it." The last words were spoken to the fluffy carpet, as she couldn't bear looking in her mentor's eyes anymore. She heard hoofsteps approaching and then she saw Twilight lavender hooves, not far away from her smaller, pink ones. She briefly looked up and saw Twilight sitting down next to her on a carpet.

She heard Twilight also taking a deep breath. Is she going to yell at her? Call her names? Maybe… she's going to stop tutoring her? That thought made her heart stop for a moment. Only now did she realize how serious her outburst could be. With how high up on a pedestal Twilight placed Celestia, nothing was certain.

When Twilight spoke, her voice sounded tired, but it was also gentle and calm. "I accept your apology, Cozy, but… I think we should talk about this subject that I believe we've never talked about before." Cozy felt a brief warm gust of relief, even by just hearing Twilight accept her apology, but still, she had a lecture from her to endure.

Twilight's face softened, the frown was still present, but it seemed like it came from thinking very deeply about something.

"I just… want to tell you, that even if you think I've been manipulated by Celestia and Luna to help Equestria, it's simply not true," Twilight said quietly. "You know that my friends and I were the Elements of Harmony, and when a great danger loomed over Equestria, we rushed to contain it. It was… what we had to do. But Celestia never told me to seek out the elements. She never once mentioned them to me. But more important, Cozy, Celestia didn't manipulate me into becoming a Princess, and she most certainly does not plan on putting you to stone."

Cozy had to close her eyes briefly to calm herself down, least she'd say yet something more to regret. Once again Twilight showed that the two of them were worlds apart when it came to Celestia. Because Cozy was absolutely certain Celestia had manoeuvred Twilight here, whether Twilight realized it or not. And if the choice ever again was up to Celestia, Cozy was just as certain she'd be back to the statue before she could say "golly".

Twilight wasn't angry for Cozy having shouted or insulted her; she was angry for Celestia's sake. And that was one reason Cozy could not accept. Seeing Twilight debase herself like this for such a dreadful pony as Celestia...

But Cozy didn't want to bicker anymore. This subject was still too sore for them both to get anywhere with. Once again, Cozy resolved to keep this subject locked in her heart and mind until there was some way to approach it. So she said the only thing she could. "Alright… Again, I'm sorry, Twilight."

The young alicorn looked down at Cozy in silence for a few seconds, then her frown disappeared completely.

"Cozy, I know this subject is still not resolved, it's far from being resolved and I see why you are angry. But you must understand, Cozy, that Celestia is my old friend," Twilight continued, although the sternness of her voice was gone. She sounded kind and patient, like a teacher explaining something to her student. "She was to me like the third parent. I got my cutie mark the day I met her. She let me develop my special talent, just… just like I want to do for you. I visit her sometimes just to see her. She doesn't give me any advice on what I should do with governing Equestria unless I ask her, and she doesn't talk about you either. It's… nothing more than that, alright? Just two old friends meeting and talking. You don't have to worry about her, or me." Twilight continued with the same gentleness.

"I guess," Cozy said reluctantly. She didn't want to argue or bicker anymore, but there was one thing she had to ask. One last thing she had to make sure of. "But... you see why I'm afraid of her, right?" She only hoped that Twilight would not brush it off.

Twilight tilted her head and replied with concern. "But you don't have to be afraid of her, or Luna! Cozy, what happened was a horrible decision, an awful... mistake! It will never, ever happen again, I promise! There is nothing to fear from Celestia and Luna. They also know it was a horrible mistake!" The cynical part of Cozy's mind wondered how long she would keep that promise if tested. If a threat like Tirek showed up, would Twilight be able to refrain from the simple, efficient solution of trapping them in stone? She didn't know. But just the fact that she gave the promise at all… that was something Cozy could and would take solace in.

"And that mistake would have killed me if it weren't for Sweetie Belle!" Cozy snapped. She did not want to bicker but… she was not going to let Twilight believe anything other than the truth. "When they… when Tirek, Chryssie and I failed, just before they set us to stone... my whole life just… raced through my mind. I had just enough time to think 'Now I'm...'" Cozy choked, and took a deep breath to stabilize herself. "Discord… smiled, when he did it."

Cozy briefly looked up at Twilight's face. The lavender mare was not surprised anymore, but her slightly opened mouth, eyes filled with concern. All of her face seemed to speak: "pity". Cozy hated pity, it always made her feel weak. But for the first time it was almost relieving too - speaking about how much it hurt her and seeing Twilight caring.

"Cozy, I… I can't even imagine..." Twilight mumbled. She sounded lost somehow. "I wish… I wish we could undo it, wipe out the memories or something... but I know it's not possible." Twilight's voice was barely a whisper, filled with sadness and compassion. "But I can promise to not let anything else happen to you, okay?" Their eyes met. "Is that… good enough?" There was something pleading in how she said it.

Was it?

It wouldn't be enough for Cozy to accept or forgive what Celestia and Luna had done. But perhaps… she could accept that Celestia still represented an important part of Twilight's life. Silly as it may be, Cozy found herself believing Twilight when she said she didn't want anything to happen with Cozy. And if so, then it didn't matter if she met with Celestia or not.

She nodded, just a little. "I guess… if you really have to speak with Celestia sometime..."

That was all she was going to say on that subject.

They were quiet for a little while.

"So… about the eclipse?" Cozy said, deciding to change the subject. "What… do you think?"

Twilight shrugged. "Honestly… I will admit... you might be onto something. I don't think Celestia deliberately planned to test me with this, but I also think that she would like to see how I deal with this. Just like you said, it does make for a good training ground for leading through a crisis."

"Do you… think you'll handle it?" Cozy asked.

"Oh, I'm sure," Twilight said with a sly look. "After all, I have my governing council to help me." She put a hoof on Cozy's shoulder.

"Huh?" Cozy looked up at Twilight's earnest eyes.

"That being said… I sure could use some help from somepony with a good understanding of ponies and politics."

"You want my help? But I'm just a filly!" Cozy looked at Twilight, bewildered. Of course, Cozy had never let her age stop her before, but it was weird to hear an adult pony acknowledge her like that.

Then again… Twilight had said plenty of times she saw potential in Cozy. Maybe this was just her showing she meant it? Or… maybe this was a test?

Maybe Twilight was testing her to see how she tackled a problem like this… to determine if she should be given more problems to solve. Maybe this could even be the first stepping stone to prove she was worthy of ascension! Cozy felt her heart beat a little faster.

This was her moment, her chance to make an impression on her new teacher!

She could not afford to mess this up.

She was going to work with Twilight to make sure this eclipse thing was barely even noticed!

"Good golly. Well sure I'm going to help! I'm a good helper! So… what do you know about this eclipse?" she asked, eagerly clapping her hooves together.

Twilight smiled, her eyes filled with mirth. "Like I said, it's a celestial phenomenon where the moon is in front of the sun, so it gets dark in the middle of the day. I guess I could write an article and send it to news agencies around Equestria, so everypony could read about it in newspapers or something… but I don't really know the basics of why it happens."

"Hmm…" Cozy put her hoof to her chin. "No, you shouldn't talk about it like that," she said, shaking her head. "You're an alicorn. Ponies expect you to have full control of the sun and moon, so don't let them think you don't."

"But they will figure it out themselves when they see the eclipse," Twilight pointed out.

Cozy shook her head again. "Then you should lie somehow. Look-!" Cozy silenced Twilight before she could object. "Ponies already believe you do control the sun and moon! Do you think they will be happier knowing that you can't? You just have to let them continue to believe in you!"

She stood up. "It's just like with Flurry before! You don't have to really lie, you just have to not correct them when they make the wrong assumptions!"

"I don't know… Applejack wouldn't like this," Twilight said with a frown.

"Duh, she isn't the one here trying to keep Equestria together either," Cozy said. "Besides, if ponies start doubting you about this, what's to stop them from doubting you about something else too? Or worse, thinking you simply aren't as strong as Celestia and Luna was?"

"Well…" Twilight hesitated. "But everypony is still going to find out that I can't stop it. I go out with a warning, somepony asks 'well why don't you stop it' if you control the sun and moon? And then what do I answer?"

Cozy grinned. "You just say that… hmm, that... it's a special celebration! That you want to show ponies something exciting and magnificent! And then you just have to organize a celebration, like the Summer Sun Celebration!" Cozy nearly started flying. She just had a great idea! "And you can even call it the Twilight Day! Your own celebration! 'Cause when everything becomes dark, it'll be like a twilight in the middle of the day! It's perfect!"

Twilight's face suddenly flushed in deep pink color. "My… celebration? I don't need a celebration, Cozy. I don't want ponies to worship me, or for them to think that I can do whatever I want."

"Heh!" Cozy smiled a bit at Twilight's naiveté. "Oh Twilight Sparkle… humility is not good for an alicorn! Ponies want you to be larger than life! Celestia was! The Summer Sun Celebration was practically a celebration of her, personally, and her power! You have to do the same." She smirked. "Oh… and it's especially important for you, you know."

"How so?" Twilight said. She looked quite amused by Cozy's happiness.

Cozy took a breath to explain her master plan… but then caught herself.

This was not the time. She needed to work with this plan a bit more… and especially she had to make sure to anchor it with the right ponies. It was going to benefit them all: Twilight, Equestria, Cozy herself… but it wasn't Twilight's type of reasoning. She had to make sure to tread carefully.

Yes… Cozy had never been afraid to work behind the scenes to make sure she got what she wanted.

"No… wait, that won't work," Cozy sighed and looked down, in part to hide her expression, just in case Twilight knew her well enough to see through her little lie. "I just got carried away."

This… this was going to be her greatest achievement since she got out of the statue!

Chapter 9- Eclipse, Part 2

Twilight opened the oak doors and went into a sunlit, circular room high up in her castle. All around her she had stained-glass windows depicting important moments in Equestria's history. The vaulted windows stretched high and were only interrupted by slim support beams of stone. This was the Royal Council room. The walls showed The Petrification of Discord, the Unification of the Tribes… and one recently installed piece that Twilight had quietly removed and replaced with a normal window. It had been a gift from Equestria's allies, depicting the defeat of Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy. She appreciated the sentiment, but… she didn't want to see that window anymore.

Straight ahead from the door, at the most prestigious place, an especially large and elaborate window showed Twilight herself, rising up into the air with her majestic wings stretched wide, crowds of ponies bowing in awe. She didn't like the idea that her ascension was given such a honoured place in the room, but she couldn't do much about it now.

In the middle of the room there was a large, round table fashioned from white marble and with a massive image of her own cutie mark inlaid in the middle. It was made from a massive block of amethyst. This was the meeting room of her Royal Council, who ran the day-to-day affairs of her kingdom. Barring her friends, there were ponies she had come to trust more than any others. Fancypants led the council, but there were plenty of ponies who answered to it and were brought in as necessary. Currently, she had Fancypants, Jet Set, Filthy Rich and Raven Inkwell present.

"Ohh… pretty!" Flurry said next to her, looking around with wide eyes at the many colourful panes.

"Good golly, flaunting yourself much?" Cozy said with a cheeky grin upon seeing the massive ascension window. Twilight blushed.

Fancypants stood up from the marble table, adjusting his monocle as he did so. "Princess, I see you have seen fit to invite a pair of guests?"

"Yes. My students should see how decisions in the kingdom are taken," Twilight said and went up to a throne-like chair by the table. She sat down and wrapped her tail around her hooves. Both Flurry and Cozy followed and sat down on stools next to her.

"Very well, Princess," Fancypants said. "Then let us begin this meeting."

"I will make a note of your students' attendance, you highness," Raven Inkwell said. She had been Celestia's secretary and bookkeeper, and Twilight had never seen a pony who could write as quickly as she could, despite being an earth pony. She jotted something down on a paper.

"Now then… why have you called us here, princess?" Fancypants asked.

"I recently visited Princ-" She caught herself. "I mean… I visited Celestia." Twilight swallowed. It didn't really sit right with her to say this… but she had made up her mind. Cozy's solution to call it all a celebration was definitely going to prevent anypony from worrying. It would even make it an enjoyable event!

Surely Princess Celestia would approve of that?

But even if she didn't… this was about more than that. This was also a time to show Cozy that Twilight trusted her judgement, completely. If Cozy heard her go through with her idea, it was going to reinforce their relationship.

She pushed away the last few doubts. This was a rational, clever solution to a difficult problem, and she was going to go through with it. She had nothing better, and could not see any issues with this idea. "And… she gave me the advice that I should institutionalise a new holiday… to celebrate… well…"

"To celebrate her," Cozy piped up next to her. "Like the Summer Sun Celebration, but for the new princess."

"Oh?" The other ponies around the table all leaned forward. They looked at her with clear approval.

"A positively delightful initiative," Fancypants said. "I have been waiting for you to suggest something like that. Naturally you shall have a grand celebration; tis only sensible."

That was… easier than she had expected. "You have… waited for this? Why?" Twilight would have preferred not to have to ask, but she had resigned herself to the fact that she was not yet a politician. She needed to learn, and asking was the best way to do that.

"Ponies are waiting," Jet Set said patiently. He and his wife represented the unicorn tribe in her council. "With the resignation of Celestia, some ponies are hoping for reforms. Not that they were unhappy with Celestia… but this is a new deal. Her system was old and cumbersome, adapted to when there was only Equestria and her ponies. That's not how things are anymore. Times change, and Equestria must change with them."

Filthy Rich nodded eagerly. "With the resurgence of Griffonstone and our alliance with the changelings, there are more international markets available than ever before. Ponies hunger for new, exotic wares and our friends and allies hunger for what Equestria can offer…. I can think of a royal currency exchange, shipping companies, wholesale businesses… all of them will help Equestria reap the monetary benefits of our new friendships. None of that was needed in Celestia's Equestria, but you have every opportunity to forge ever stronger ties with your allies… and make Equestria and its ponies rich in the process!"

"Oh… well, I shall think about it," Twilight said sheepishly. She, honestly, hadn't thought about any of that. She had just wanted to make friends. "Draft some plans and send them to me. Think you can have the sparknotes ready in… a week or two?"

"Absolutely!" Filthy Rich positively beamed.

Twilight cleared her throat. "That's well and good… but I called you here to present my thoughts for my celebration."

"It shall have to be something grand; something that will be spoken about for years if not decades!" Jet Set pointed out. "You need to make an impression. When ponies hear the word 'Princess', you must be the first thing they think of. Not Celestia."

Twilight swallowed. Here goes nothing. "I was thinking of making Twilight Day a literal thing. By turning day into twilight. I can move the moon in front of the sun, for instance. That'll be… grand." She tried her best to sound certain, like this was something she had just made up on the fly, rather than the whole reason for this silly event.

Raven Inkwell dropped her pencil. Even Fancypants expression turned grim for a moment, before he hid it.

"Why, that sounds… just perfect," he said measuredly. His eyes momentarily wandered over to where Cozy and Flurry were both watching the meeting. "Are you certain you can do it? I cannot remember ever seeing something like that."

"It will not be a problem, I promise," Twilight said dryly.

"And it's just a good thing that Celestia never did this," Cozy piped up again. "Then this will prove to everypony who their real Princess is!"

"Cozy…" Twilight began quietly, but she was cut off.

"Very true," Fancypants said. "Well, you have my full support for this plan. Do you have a date in mind?"

"I was thinking… thirteen days from now," Twilight said. "It's a personally important date." It wasn't, but she couldn't move the eclipse. It had to be that day, and this should be the best way to make sure nopony thought to move the event.

"Then we shall have to be hasty," Fancypants said. "But then again, nothing promotes haste like the desires of an alicorn." Twilight blushed even harder.

”I will prepare an official statement, and forward a decree to the ten biggest Equestrian newspapers. We should have the information out in a week at the latest." Raven Inkwell said.

"Can I say something!" Flurry asked shyly. She even raised a hoof. Twilight smiled at the precious little pony.

"Yes, Flurry?"

"When you put the moon in front of the sun you said things will become dark, right?"

"Yes, it will. But it's just for a little while," Twilight explained patiently.

"Then I think everypony should light a candle!" Flurry said. "It'll be like Hearth's Warming, but earlier… and it would look really pretty if everypony lit a candle at the same time!"

"Delightful," Fancypants beamed. "A celebration of this magnitude demands a ritual. Just like Celestia raised the sun, at Twilight day everypony lights a candle…"

"… to signify that even in the darkest times, ponies will look out for each other," Jet set suggested. "Like your students showed us during the final battle against…" he silenced with a glance at Cozy. "Well, you know."

"Do… you really think that's fitting?" Twilight asked, fidgeting on her throne.

"Yay!" Flurry chirruped, clapping her hooves together, and shutting down any and all complaints from Twilight far more efficiently than Fancypants ever could.

"Then it's decided, I dare say," Fancypants said with a pleased expression. "In light of this development and the urgency of the matter, I think it's prudent to discuss the details for the celebration immediately."

---

"Can't we start soon?" Flurry asked for probably the hundredth time. Ever since she woke up in the morning she had seen the sun and the moon slowly inching closer together in the sky, and she didn't want to wait any longer! Even if she couldn't make fire with her magic, she was going to light up the tip of her horn instead to make her own light! Now she wanted to see if everypony else was going to that too. If they did, then she was going to cheer, because then they had liked her idea!

Twilight looked flustered. Wings twitching on her back and she continued to look over her gala dress all the time. Flurry knew it was a special dress, commissioned from Rarity. "I suppose… it's almost time now." Twilight's horn lit up momentarily, and Flurry thought she could see the same sheen appear around the moon for a second or two, almost like Twilight was testing it.

"Alright, let's… get this over with," Twilight muttered . She didn't sound as excited as Flurry thought was warranted. "Have you seen Cozy?"

"No, she said she had to do something, but she was going to join as soon as she could."

"And now I can't track her down…" Twilight mumbled, clearly stressed about something. "Well, then I guess it's just you and me, Flurry. But... you aren't going to abandon your teacher, are you?"

"No, Sir!" Flurry puffed out her chest. Twilight chuckled and patted her on the head.

"Well then… here goes." The two alicorns pushed aside the curtains blocking the podium that had been built outside the castle drawbridge and ascended onto the stage overlooking the streets surrounding the castle. The weather was fair over Canterlot, thanks to the diligence of the weather team. In fact, the weather was fair all over Equestria. Twilight had been talking all week with some place in Cloudsdale and requested cloud-free skies all over Equestria, so that everypony could witness the eclipse.

They clearly were. Normally a public appearance like this would be met with deafening cheers, but now plenty of ponies were distracted by the moon and the sun together in the sky. Some ponies had even rigged up cameras to snap pictures of it. Flurry decided that eclipses were good things. If they made ponies not bend over backwards to please her, they were definitely good things.

"Everypony!" Twilight called, immediately causing every eye in the audience to snap towards the two of them. Flurry found herself taking an involuntary step backwards. "It is time to start celebrating the first ever Twilight day! And I see no reason to make you wait any longer than this! Behold!"

Twilight opened her wings and ignited her horn, the very archetype of power on display. A murmur of excitement welled through the crowd.

"Look at the moon! She is moving the moon!" Somepony called in the crowd. Almost as one, they all looked to the sky. Flurry did too.

The lilac sheen was faint, but with some good will it could definitely be seen. Slowly the moon began to move towards the sun. One could feel the excitement building in the crowd… in all of Equestria. Every pony, in every tribe in every city were watching this, and they were all wondering if such a thing was really possible.

Was Twilight really going to do it?

Flurry glanced at her and found the answer. She had a smile on her lips and didn't look any more tired than when she levitated the saltshaker at breakfast. She was definitely going to do this.

And just as she thought that… a shadow rushed over the world. It was faster and bigger… and darker than any cloud could be. Flurry looked up, just as the moon slotted into place. It looked black. Blacker than anything she had seen! She had figured it was just going to be like a normal night, with the sun gone and nice moonlight instead, but this was dark! She barely saw the hoof in front of her.

"Do not be afraid!" Twilight said mildly. It was that same spell that let her project her voice to everypony without having to raise it. "Remember, even in the darkest times, your friends will still be there."

That was Flurry's cue! She had the great honor of beginning this tradition. Smiling with pride, she willed a little bit of magic into her horn, lighting up a tiny mote of light in this endless darkness.

Twilight followed suit next to her.

The frontmost ponies in the crowd did the same, using their horns or candles they had brought.

A wave of light spread from their podium… further and further out into the city.

And behind them, off the cliff face of Mt. Canterhorn, Flurry could see the distant Ponyville light up their own candles and horns in response to their princess.

"Pretty," Flurry mumbled to herself. "Everypony is pretty."

---

The Royal meeting room was not as beautiful in the darkness as it was in the light of day. All the stained glass windows now looked drab and dark, and the white table in the middle of the room appeared ghostly pale.

"Hello?" Cozy called out when she went in.

"Oh, jolly good. I wasn't sure you'd come." Just as he had that morning two weeks ago, Fancypants stood up from his seat by the table. In the darkness of the eclipse his navy-blue mane appeared almost black, and his jovial smile from back then was replaced by a razor-sharp, measuring stare. "Young Cozy Glow…"

"Sir Fancypants," Cozy said and went up to the table. She glanced at Twilight's throne. She'd like to sit there right about now. It was easier to talk with somepony if she didn't have to stretch her neck just to reach over the table edge.

"Do not even think about it, my fine filly," Fancypants said with a voice so cold it could liquify helium. "You may be her student, but you are not a princess and you will not pretend you are."

Cozy bit back her answer. Most ponies may not know what he did, but Cozy recognized that most of what happened and didn't in Equestria were because of this pony's work. He was one pony she could not afford to have as an enemy. In fact… it was not impossible that when Twilight did raise the question of Cozy's ascension, Fancypants may have a voice in that decision. So she sat down directly on the table and looked expectantly at him.

"This… was your idea, was it not?" Fancypants said at length. It was not a question as much as it was a statement. Cozy swallowed. How did he know that? Was he cross with her somehow? "Please, tell me what you think," Fancypants asked with an even, yet cold voice.

"Think?" Cozy asked. "About what?"

"Your little celebration, of course." Fancypants said. "Why did you want this to happen? And what does Twilight and Equestria gain from it?"

After a moment of dead silence, Cozy mustered a sweet smile and chirped. "Golly… I just wanted to help my teacher, like a good student should, and-"

"Oh, please, do not waste my time or yours," Fancypants said dismissively, but Cozy felt her fur standing on her neck. "I have been dealing with ponies, politics and lies since the cradle. So let's dispense with the platitudes, shall we?"

Cozy swallowed. He had barely raised his voice, yet he had effortlessly and brutally shut down her misdirect. Now what did she say?

"Please, young Miss Glow, tell me why you wanted Twilight to hold this celebration," he said again, just a little bit louder and harsher. Still, the difference in his tone felt like night and day.

Cozy opted to go on the offensive instead. She didn't know what Fancypants knew or what he hoped to gain from having this conversation, but she did know one thing: he had asked her here. That meant he wanted to learn something about her. Until she could figure out what, it was better to say too little than too much.

"Please, Sir Fancypants, tell me why you think a cute and loveable filly would want Twilight to do something like this?" Cozy smiled endearingly.

Fancypants was quiet for a few moments. "I suppose that's fair. Simply put, the Twilight I know does not like the idea of placing herself on a pedestal for ponies to worship and adore. She would not come up with something like this herself. But you… you clearly have a lust for power, don't you? This spectacle fits you better than Twilight. And yet… your behaviour is inconsistent."

He smirked. Somehow, Cozy felt like he enjoyed this type of guesswork. "This will strengthen Twilight's position. I don't think even you fully understand just how much this will mean to her future, but you must know it strengthens her. Tis a rum thing… for an adversary, or former adversary, perhaps, to strengthen her enemy. I want to know what you are playing at."

For a moment, Cozy bristled at the suggestion that Twilight was still her enemy. She had been, of course, but not anymore. It seemed like Cozy was not the only pony who refused to forgive and forget like most.

She weighed her options. She was not going to tell him she hoped to ascend one day… but there was something else she could say. She met his stare with her own. "Oh, it's really simple! The more popular Twilight becomes, the less power Celestia has. And in case you haven't noticed, she put me in a statue."

Fancypants remained completely still for a few long seconds, then he nodded slowly. "Ah, so it's from fear. I suppose that makes some sense."

Cozy nodded. If he considered he a silly, afraid little filly, then he underestimated her, and that was never a bad thing. "Uh-huh. And now everypony understands what Twilight can do when she wants! Even if she lets you guys do most things for her, everypony still knows she's a powerful princess."

Fancypants furrowed his brow and levitated up a small case from his pocket. He removed his monocle and took out a new one. "You say 'everypony' a lot…" he remarked while inspecting the new monocle. "I'd say that's an immense oversight on your part. Fortunately for you and the good Princess, it will work to your advantage this time, but you had better be more thorough in your planning in the future, young Miss Glow... Miscalculations like that can cost you dearly if you are not careful."

"What do you mean?" Cozy asked, with a searing tone.

Fancypants finally put the new monocle in place and looked at her. "Are us ponies the only people who see the sun?"

...Oh.

"N-no…" Cozy gulped. Just like he said, she hadn't thought about that.

"No… and how do you think Equestria's friends and neighbors will react to this? That our great Princess decided to block out the sun because she wanted a celebration of her own greatness? Her own ego?"

Cozy suddenly felt slightly sick. That didn't sound very good. But Fancypants had said that this would work to Twilight's advantage…. so then the answer to his rhetorical question was not what he insinuated?

Actually… thinking a bit more about it, she could almost see a bit of a silver lining.

She decided to take a chance, at the risk of sounding completely daft. "Well… they'll be mad. But they will also be a little bit afraid."

Fancypants smirked minimally. "Quite so. I'd imagine that by the end of the week, our dear Twilight will find herself 'twilighting' pretty badly from the upset letters she has received. And she will go out and publicly apologize. Everycreature will see her sincerity, and forgive her, for they are her friends."

Cozy nodded and continued. "And then they will go back home and think… that even if she apologized and said she'd never do it again, she still could! Even if it was a mistake this time, everycreature will know she can do things no other creature can! And they will respect her, and Equestria, a lot more after!"

Fancypants chuckled, but his laugh didn't hold an ounce of warmth. "Very good, young Miss Glow. You figured it out on your own…albeit after some pushing. Twilight is at a risk of becoming too anonymous, too much a figurehead. As Princess, I fear she needs to be seen and adored a bit more than she is. Not only for her own sake, but for Equestria's as well. She is Equestria personified, and she needs to accept that role. The sooner she does, the better for us all. And thanks to you, she is a little bit closer to doing it.

"But what about you?" Cozy asked. "You knew all this. Why didn't you just tell Twilight she had to do… something?"

Fancypants sighed almost melancholically. "Sadly, she still has a hard time listening to us. While she trusts us to run Equestria, she does not trust us to run her life. But eventually, she will realize her life and her country… are one and the same." He glanced at Cozy again. "I must say I'm glad there is a filly who can exert some good influence on her, if necessary. I will be watching your progress with great interest."

Cozy shifted nervously on her hooves. On the one hoof she did miss this feeling. The feeling of control, the feeling of secretive power… not feeling weak, not feeling lost and vulnerable. Clearly Fancypants did not see her as a silly filly, but as another important player in the great game of Equestrian politics. She liked that, the respect.

But she didn't want to manipulate Twilight. She wasn't like that anymore! She was reformed; Twilight was her… friend, now. And neither she nor the old Cozy would submit to be a tool for anypony.

Cozy glanced back at the white unicorn. The way he looked at her betrayed a certain interest, yes, but also a cold distance. Somehow, Cozy came to think of a chess player looking over his board. Like he was deciding which pieces to preserve and which ones to sacrifice.

At the same time, Fancypants didn't seem like his motive was to harm Twilight's political position. He didn't strike her as an enemy… in a way, he was not unlike Cozy herself. He saw something he wanted done, and he was not afraid to work in a morally gray area to make sure it happened. But what limits did he have? How far would he go to get what he wanted? And the things he wanted done, were they for his sake, or Equestria's?

Cozy had no idea.

Her thoughts were interrupted with a tap of Fancypant's hoof against the marble floor. "It's been positively delightful to have this chat with you, young Miss Glow," he said with a tightlipped smile. "Though I'm sure you agree that it's for the best if this little discussion stayed between the two of us, no?"

His cobalt-blue eyes looked nearly black in the darkness as he passed her, and his face told her with all due clarity that he did not expect an answer to his question. He left the room quietly, just as sunlight washed over the world again. The eclipse began to recede.

Cozy shook her head as if she had just woken up. It almost felt like this talk had been some sort of dream! The room once again bathed in colorful spots of light, and when she looked down on the castle courtyard, she saw how the unicorns extinguished their horns and the mass of ponies started to disperse. Twilight and a little whiteish spot next to her retreated from the podium. There would be a feast in the castle now.

Before today, she would have laughed if anypony asked her who really ruled Equestria. Twilight was the clear answer; it was so obvious that the question itself was silly. Now though... the laughter felt like it was stuck in her throat. Clearly, there were more forces at work in the high echelons of Equestrian politics than she had anticipated.

And the more she thought of it, the more uncertain she became that Twilight really was the most powerful political force in Equestria. Twilight may be a friend of many ponies and others, but Cozy knew she preferred her books and her students to leading her own kingdom. Fancypants however, did not. Clearly, he was a politician, through and through.

This was going to take a lot of thought to approach correctly. But Cozy did promise herself to keep an eye and ear open. For Twilight's sake, and her own, of course. Fancypants could be a useful ally one day.

Chapter 10- The Dreaded Flu

"Oh no… oh nononono…" Twilight whimpered, holding the sixth letter she had received from a neighbouring country that had decided to question her stunt with "Twilight Day". Why did she not think about this backlash? She was supposed to be a responsible Princess, but now in the eyes of every one of her allies she looked like an impudent filly with an overblown ego! How did she miss this? How did Cozy miss this? And Fancypants and… everypony?

Another pitiful sound made it over her lips before she, barely, managed to fight down the most immediate panic so that she could start to think rationally about what to do about this issue. A public apology of course… and she would have to brief the Royal Council (and look like a complete fool)… she should probably convey the Equestrian army as well, just in case. And the fortifications along the border would have to be renovated and rearmed. A nationwide curfew… rationing of food and supplies… Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns would have to reinstitute combat magic as a mandatory class...

And now that she thought about it… that time-walking spell Starlight had used had originally been invented by Starswirl. That meant he could probably reinvent it! Yes, perfect; she could just go back in time and prevent all this from happening and-

She could almost feel her friends' confused stares upon her, even if they were not there.

Right… this is why they had made up that word. "Twilighting…"

Twilight sighed and resigned herself to conveying the council. She had known she was going to make some diplomatic blunder eventually, but that didn't make this feel any better. Equestria was her responsibility. One word, one mistake, from her could even spark a war. She could not afford to make mistakes like this.

Everypony made mistakes sometimes, Twilight knew, but she couldn't allow it to happen to her. That's why she had brought it up with the council; they were supposed to help her with this sort of thing.

But no security system is perfect.

She pushed open the door, chewing on her lips. How could she prevent this from happening again…?

She was glad Rumble had delivered breakfast up to the common room in her castle wing. Some food might help her think.

She ate in silence, still kicking herself over her own stupidity.

When she was done she frowned. Not only about the diplomatic fiasco, but also because there was somepony amiss. Cozy was usually out of bed by now, and they often talked during breakfast. Speaking of students, she was going to have to postpone Flurry's friendship lesson today. This was not a matter that could wait.

Still… Twilight weighted the options. Cozy's advice had not been the best last time… but one could not fault her for that. After all, her idea had accomplished what Twilight had asked- covered up the eclipse with nopony the wiser. This fallout was nothing Twilight could blame on her. Cozy was not a diplomat; it was not fair of Twilight to expect her to navigate international diplomacy.

And Twilight would like to talk this issue through with somepony before she summoned her council. At least so she could present some idea of her own to them. She was already going to look like a fool- she should at least have something of her own to bring to the table.

She rose from the chair and went over to Cozy's room. She knocked. "Cozy? Are you awake?"

Somepony groaned behind the door, but it didn't sound like Cozy… and whoever it was also sounded like they were in pain. Twilight opened.

The room was empty, aside from a blue, curly mane that just barely poked out from underneath the blanket of the bed. Twilight felt her eyebrows rise in confusion. Now only had she not eaten yet, but she wasn't even out of bed.

"Cozy? Is there something wrong?" She stepped towards the bed.

Cozy was shivering. Up close it was clear that she was freezing under the blanket. She had curled up around herself and even draped her tail over back. She coughed and slowly rolled over to look at her.

Her eyes were red and watery.

"Golly… I don't feel so good today," she mumbled. Her voice was nasal and the statement was followed by a hacking cough.

Twilight felt her heart plummet. This now too? Of all the days for her student to be sick it had to be today? She quashed that thought, it felt unworthy. Instead she put a hoof on Cozy's forehead. She wasn't surprised when she felt how hot and clammy it was. "No, you aren't well… I'll get your breakfast, and then I'll call for a doctor, alright? I'd really like to stay and help, but I have… some things to do."

"Mmm… not hungry," Cozy mumbled, mostly to herself.

"You should try to eat a little though," Twilight said encouragingly. "I'll tell Rumble and Flurry, but until the doctor has been here, I don't think Rumble should see you, just in case. Flurry is probably fine, being an alicorn."

Cozy groaned again and closed her eyes.

"Just hold on. I'll make sure a doctor comes and takes a look at you," Twilight said and patted Cozy on the head. Then she went to collect her breakfast tray, and she'd quickly teleport down to the Canterlot Hospital.

Said and done. It didn't take more than fifteen minutes for her to meet with "Doctor Suture", a maroon earth pony with a cutie mark befitting his name. He didn't even finish his coffee before coming with her up to the castle. Cozy's breakfast was still untouched when they came back up.

He listened to Cozy's breathing with a stethoscope, looked at her temperature and examined her eyes. Twilight was glad he didn't remove the blankets. Cozy looked so cold even with them on.

"I think I know what this is. I'll need to take a look at your wing," he said, sounding apologetic. "Perhaps you have felt them itching?"

"A bit," Cozy admitted.

"I figured," Suture said and lifted the blanket away. With gentle, practiced motions he extended one of Cozy's wings and carefully brushed over a few feathers.

They fell. Twilight balked. She couldn't remember ever seeing a pegasus shed her feathers like that. Suture didn't look surprised though. He folded the wing back and put the blanket over his patient.

"Feather-flu. Say, little miss, are you allergic to anything that you might be exposed to in this next week or so?"

Cozy shook her head.

"Any other medical conditions?"

Cozy shook her head again.

"Did your parents ever get badly sick from the flu?"

After a moment of hesitation, Cozy shook her head again.

Suture nodded. "Feather-flu can be dangerous to old pegasi and those who are especially sensitive to it, but it sounds like you should be fine. Medicine is unnecessary at this stage and unless you get worse, you don't have to stay at the hospital. However, I would advise supervision, just in case, and plenty of rest and warm food and liquid."

"I thought Feather flu was supposed to happen in fall," Cozy whined, sniffling. "Why did I have to get it now?"

Suture smiled sympathetically. "Actually, it remains all year round. It's an interesting disease, since everypony gets it, but only pegasi gets sick. Everypony else just gets a runny nose for a few days. The disease usually hits Cloudsdale in late summer or early fall, then spreads to earth ponies and unicorns, and after about a year it has changed so much that a new strain hits Cloudsdale."

"You were… not here when the worst of it happened this year, Cozy," Twilight said, the memory making her feel a stab of guilt in her chest. Cozy had still been a statue back then. "That's probably why you got it now."

"Well, that's about all I can do here," Suture said and put his stereoscope back in his doctor's satchel. "If she gets any worse, bring her to the hospital. It is usually at its worst for the first few days, then it gets better. If nothing unforeseen happens, you should be back on your hooves in a week or so."

"Thank you doctor," Twilight said, giving the earth pony a grateful nod.

"Thank-" Cozy began. Another sneeze interrupted her. She sighed sullenly.

"I can also recommend plenty of tissues," Doctor Suture said dryly. "Now… forgive me for making assumptions, your majesty, but if it should happen that you cannot take care of your student yourself with your… schedule, I could have a nurse sent over."

"That's very generous, but I already have somepony in mind," Twilight said. "I'll be back if she is unable."

"Absolutely," Suture said. "Well, good luck then, Princess. Cozy Glow." He nodded to the both of them and started back to the hospital.

"Who are you going to send for?" Cozy asked with a weak voice, when the doctor left. "And do you know if Rumble has already had the flu this year?"

"Don't worry, Cozy. It's somepony you know. And I'll ask Rumble if I see him. I have… something else I need to deal with today though." Twilight replied, trying to sound casual, not wanting to let Cozy know how rough this day is going to be for her mentor.

Cozy nodded and pulled the blanket back over her head.

Twilight had been thinking about it for a while, actually. Eventually she would have to introduce Cozy to the rest of her friends. Rarity knew her well and she had briefly met Pinkie during Flurry's cute-ceañera. But Applejack, Rainbow and Fluttershy had never met the new Cozy at all. This could be an opportunity to let Fluttershy see Cozy and show her some of that trademarked Fluttershy-Kindness. And while she wasn't a doctor per se, Fluttershy was more than capable of taking care of a sick pony. Twilight knew that. And being a pegasus, she probably knew what to watch out for with the feather-flu.

---

"Aaaacho!"

Cozy sniffled and carefully dabbed her runny nose with a tissue. She was very careful about it, though. This was not the first time she had to endure this horrible disease, and she knew that if she wasn't careful when drying her nose, it'd soon become sore just from how frequently she had to wipe it.

The cloud was damp from sweat, and she laid curled up tight on her side. She had tried to stick a leg out into the rest of the bed, but the cold soon made her withdraw into her little ball of warmth. She had also decided that since there wasn't much to see in her room, she might as well put the blanket over her head as well, for extra warmth.

Her eyes stung. Her head ached dully. And it was only because she deliberately hadn't checked that she didn't know how bad her wings were.

The namesake of this disease was also the worst part of it. Upon being touched, her wings would itch and sting like she had rubbed them with poison ivy, and any attempt to scratch or nibble them would cause her to shed until she looked like a plucked chicken. As such she remained as still as she possibly could. She had to make sure not to upset her wings more than her sneezes and coughing would.

She wanted her friends with her though. Just to have somepony to talk to. She couldn't even read like this, not with her eyes and the headache. But her friends were not here, and she couldn't even get up to find them. "Aaaaacho!" she sniffled again, feeling thoroughly miserable. She couldn't even devote her time to call down curses upon whoever had put her in this situation. She had no idea who might have gotten her infected.

She sighed and carefully adjusted her position so she laid on her belly, legs tucked in under her. Then she buried her face into the pillow. That way she wouldn't have to wipe her nose every minute.

She heard the door creak when it opened. "Ehm… hi?"

The voice was soft and small. Cozy recognized it from a long time ago. She poked her head out of the blanket and looked towards the door.

A pale-yellow pony with long, pink mane carefully peeked through the door. Her large, teal eyes looked wary as always. "Um...How are you, Cozy? Twilight said you have the feather flu."

Cozy was also wary, but not because she was shy. Fluttershy had been standing next to Twilight when Cozy was defeated. Even she, The Element of Kindness, did not blink when the filly was turned into a statue. Cozy noticed how the pegasus looked away, definitely uncomfortable from the long silence and Cozy's staring, so she simply nodded.

"Oh dear…" Fluttershy carefully went inside, closing the door with a wing and went up to Cozy with a concerned look. She gently put a hoof on Cozy's exposed forehead. "You must be very tired with a fever like that. Have you been drinking properly?"

"N-no… I haven't even had breakfast." She knew she should be eating, but she simply had no appetite. It didn't help that the feather-flu, on top of everything else, nearly completely wiped out the sense of taste and smell. She had taken one bite of Rumble's otherwise so nice sandwiches, and all she could feel was just the barest hint of salt. After that she had given up the idea of food.

But seeing Fluttershy's displeased stare made her want to try one more time, at least. She had never expected the timid pony to be able to look like that. "You have to eat and drink plenty." Just those words, softly spoken but with an unquestionable weight behind them somehow, made Cozy nod.

Fluttershy gave her a small smile. "Good. Then I'm going down to the kitchen for just a teeny bit. I'm going to make you something nice and warm to eat. Then I'll come back, and I can read to you, if you want."

"But I can't even taste anything," Cozy murmured. Fluttershy fixed her with a "stern" look. Cozy sighed and resigned herself to a tasteless meal. At least the warmth would be nice. "Rumble can help," Cozy mumbled by way of apologising. "He's my very special somepony, and he helps with the cooking in the castle."

"Oh… my…" Fluttershy blushed violently and hid behind her long mane. Apparently even something as innocent as special someponies was still a risqué concept to her. She started back to the door, and nearly collided with another pony on the way out.

"Sorry… uh… Fluttershy!" Flurry said haphazardly as she tried to weave underneath Fluttershy's legs to get inside the room faster. Fluttershy squeaked in surprise from her sudden appearance and jumped up in the air. "Cozy! Twilight said you're sick! Are you okay?"

Cozy sneezed again. "No, I'm sick," she huffed, tiredly wiping her muzzle again.

Flurry looked at her with curiosity. "You look tired. And your eyes are red."

"Golly, you sure know how to make me feel better," Cozy said bitterly. She did not need to be reminded that she looked just as shaggy as she felt.

"Well...I have never seen a sick pony before," Flurry explained. "Mommy said it's because Alicorns almost never get sick, and dad hasn't been sick either that I can remember."

"Then maybe you could ask Twilight to make me an alicorn. So I don't have to be sick anymore," Cozy said, a small smile returning to her face.

"Being a Princess is a pain sometimes though," Flurry said. "I think it's better to be sick once in a while."

"How would you know? You just said you have never been sick," Cozy grumbled

Flurry looked thoughtful. "Hmm… I guess. But maybe for non-alicorn ponies it's better to be sick sometimes?" Flurry scrunched her muzzle thinking about this quandary. "Anyway, what's 'sick' feel like? Is it really that bad?"

"...Miserable," Cozy said with a sigh.

Flurry hopped up in her bed and looked closely at her. Cozy didn't have the energy to shoo her away. At least not until she poked her with the muzzle. "Stop that!"

Flurry backed away a little, but she didn't jump down. Instead she sat down on her haunches and wrapped her tail around her legs. "So, what does a sick pony do?"

"Aaaaacho!" Cozy felt her wing twitch involuntarily. It was enough to set off an itchy, pinchy and stinging chain-reaction all over her wing. And she felt the runny snot make its way down her muzzle, tickling uncomfortably along the way. She wiped it away with a forceful, annoyed brush.

"She wallows in misery," Cozy huffed. She wrestled with the impulse to scratch her poor wings. Only the idea of letting her special somepony see her completely featherless kept her from losing.

"Maybe you want to play chess?" Flurry suggested hopefully.

Chess wouldn't be bad… she couldn't really concentrate, and her dull headache wouldn't make things any better, but at the same time she didn't want to lay here and brood either. She was not made to be bedridden. She wanted to do things! Playing, scheming, drawing… just anything, as long as she got to do something. Maybe a game could distract her, just a little bit. "Okay… but I'll be white, and you've got to move the pieces for me. I'm not coming out of my blanket."

They played on in silence, barring Cozy's sneezes, for a while. Fluttershy was gone for longer than Cozy had anticipated, but it didn't matter too much. She was relatively comfortable.

When she did return though she had a pile of blankets on her back, and Cozy was happy to see Rumble was with her, carrying a steaming bowl of soup. He sat it down on her bedside table and nuzzled her. While she appreciated it, it also made her feel self-conscious about her appearance. She must look like a wreck.

"Hey, Cozy. How are you feeling?" Rumble asked with a tender, concerned voice. "Don't worry, okay? I've already had it this year."

"Lucky you," Cozy sighed. "You know I can't really taste much, do you?"

"Actually, I tried to spice it up as much as I dared," Rumble said with an uncertain smile. "Hopefully I made it better and not worse."

"And he helped me too," Fluttershy said and shook off the blankets on the floor, picked one up in her mouth and went over to Cozy.

It was warm. The blanket felt like it had been laying outside on a sunbaked rock for hours. Cozy quickly snatched it and pulled it underneath the rest of the blankets she already had, like a greedy dragon seeing a chest filled with gems.

This was the first time today when she didn't freeze at all. "Thank you," she said. "How did you get them like this?"

"Fluttershy put them in the oven on low heat," Rumble said.

"My mommy always did that when I had the flu," Fluttershy said bashfully. "Do you want to try and eat a little now?"

"But what about our game?" Flurry chirped. "I was just about to win!"

"No you weren't," Cozy murmured.

"Was too! I have the perfect trap!" Flurry said, pointing her hoof at the chessboard.

"Girls," Fluttershy peeped. They both quieted immediately. "Cozy is sick, Flurry. She needs to rest and to eat. You shouldn't stress her."

"I can take over," Rumble offered. "We'll just move off the bed."

"Actually-" Cozy sneezed again. "Actually, I'd like to talk a little with Fluttershy… alone…"

Rumble looked quizzically at her, but then shrugged. "Alright. Just make sure you eat too, while it's warm."

He picked up the game and left. Flurry followed. Given her acuity for feelings, she probably understood how cloven Cozy felt about this. Fluttershy closed the door after the foals and then sat down on the carpet. She looked at Cozy with an earnest, open expression. Cozy looked back.

Fluttershy was a hard pony to figure out. Cozy had always known that. Of all Twilight's friends, Fluttershy was by far the least impressive of them. Somehow, she seemed to lack any and all dignity and strength. Cozy could not even see the trait of willpower in her either. Really, no matter how much one thought about Fluttershy, she couldn't see what she contributed to Twilight and her friends.

But Cozy was not stupid. Twilight's friends had done things most ponies could not dream of, and Fluttershy had been there too. She had some sort of value or use, and Cozy had to figure out what.

She scooted closer to the bedside table and picked up the spoon and the rubber band to tie it to her hoof. Fluttershy came up to her too and carefully shifted the bedside table closer. It was almost like sitting by a normal table now.

"Rarity says nice things about you," Fluttershy began softly. "She says you have changed and become a good friend to Sweetie Belle."

Cozy nodded, swallowing her first spoonful of soup. It was not completely tasteless, which was better than she had hoped for. After a longer moment of silence, she replied quietly. "Sweetie Belle was the pony who saved me. From where your friends put me." That last comment was not nice, Cozy knew, but she was not going to let Fluttershy think they were friends now, just because of Rarity and Twilight.

Fluttershy shrank back. "I'm… sorry," she mumbled, looking away. "I… I really didn't want that to happen."

"But it didn't bother you enough to help me either," Cozy said quietly, looking down at the spoon. The biting tone was dulled by her tiredness and the premonition of another sneeze building.

"I thought… Discord knew best…" Fluttershy said with a tiny voice.

Cozy's eyes narrowed momentally. She swallowed the first thing she thought about saying. She could not afford to be careless now. Of every creature in Equestria, living or dead or not yet born, there was no one Cozy hated more than Discord. He had chained her in stone not because he had to, but joined in anyway because it was fun. It was amusing for him to petrify cute and loveable fillies.

And he had played her like a fiddle with the Grogar disguise. He had sought to make her a useful idiot to bolster Twilight's confidence, only to then discard her when she had done what he wanted her to do.

Well, he was going to learn, one day, that nopony plays Cozy Glow for a fool and gets away with it. One day, he was going to pay dearly for what he had put her through.

And maybe, his downfall could begin here and now, if Cozy chose her words right. But she had to be careful… if Fluttershy knew Discord, then she should assume that the overgrown worm was listening in on this conversation. "Discord smiled when he put me to stone. Did you know that?" Cozy said, her tone light, like she was asking Fluttershy about the weather outside.

Fluttershy visibly fidgeted. Then she shook her head, not daring to look at Cozy.

"Well-" She sneezed again. "Well, now you do. That's the… creature, you thought knew best." Cozy finished coldly.

"Draconequus," Fluttershy shyly corrected, after a long, uncomfortable moment. "I can… talk to him... if you want. Ask him to come and apologise." This time, Fluttershy looked at Cozy with big, pleading eyes.

Cozy huffed dismissively. "I don't want an apology from him. Besides, if you have to ask him to apologize, then it's not really genuine, is it?"

Fluttershy mumbled something, looking down on the carpet. "He tries to be a good friend. He just… sees things in a very different way than us ponies do."

Cozy actively had to curb her desire to smash the bowl of soup over Fluttershy's head. She was not going to accept anypony defending Discord's actions to her. She did not dignify Fluttershy with a response to that. She just continued eating.

Fluttershy sighed. "I will talk to him about what you said. Everypony agrees his plan was a bad idea." She shook her head, as if trying to shoo away an annoying fly. "But I'd like to make friends with you now." She looked hopeful. "Uhm… if you'd let me."

Cozy definitely didn't want that. She did not want anything to do with this pony any more than Discord himself. But at the same time... she was one of Twilight's closest friends. And Cozy didn't want to make Twilight have to choose between Cozy and her old friends again, like she had with Celestia.

So… Cozy decided she could accept Fluttershy. She would not be a friend, and Cozy would never dream of trusting her, but she could accept her presence, if nothing else to gain some intel about Discord. "Hmph, I guess…" Cozy said noncommittally.

"Oh bravoooo! I think I finally understand how this whole friendship thing's supposed to work!"

Cozy nearly jumped out of her skin, and blankets, at the unexpected voice. She looked around in a panic. Where was he? If he tried something, anything at all with her, she was going to… to…!

She spotted him hanging from his tail in her lamp, swinging back and forth while reading a newspaper. He blinked out of existence and reappeared standing on the ground, smiling at her. She cowered back. She suddenly felt a lot sicker than before, like she was about to throw up. "See this?" He held out the newspaper. The entire front page was a picture of Cozy and Fluttershy with the headline Best Friends Forever. "So glad I could be the first to congratulate you two! It's heartwarming to see something like this!" He placed both his hands over his heart, and suddenly he burst into flames.

"Discord, this is not the right time…" Fluttershy said with a pale face, seeing Cozy's reaction.

"Oh nonsense, now that the two of you are friends, obviously I'm going to become Cozy's friend too," Discord said with a dismissive gesture. "I do so enjoy a fellow schemer in the gang!" He winked out of existence again.

A cold talon reached over her shoulder, and Cozy felt like her heart was going to stop. His antics described with any and all certainty that, even if she wasn't sick, she couldn't do anything to stop whatever he wanted to do. If he wanted to talk to her, he would. If he wanted to touch her, he could.

If he wanted to put her to stone… he would.

Discord leered like a wolf next to her. "You just have to tell me everything about your plans for Equestria, had those pesky 'heroes' not gotten in your way!" He gave her a noogie with his paw.

"Discord!" Fluttershy's voice rose minimally. "Do I have to use the Stare?"

Discord disappeared again and when he returned he sat in front of Fluttershy, hands clasped together and with a halo over his head. "Oh, please, merciful Fluttershy, surely you do not mean that? You know that I can't move when you use your Stare. Why, I'd be like a statue! I'm innocent… this time… relatively." as he spoke, the halo continued to fall further and further askew, until it fell down entirely with his last word.

Fluttershy's expression relaxed, seeing her friend's antics. "Oh, well… perhaps you could look after the sanctuary for me?" She said patiently. "While I'm here. If you think you are up to it."

"If I'm up to it? Pfff, of course I'm up to it," he huffed and started walking towards a door that had appeared in Cozy's wall, muttering to himself. "Why wouldn't I be up to it? I've never been more up to something. Nopony is more up to it than me. I'll show them up to it…"

Only when he had slammed the door shut after him did Cozy dare to breathe again.

That alone proved too much for her. Ignoring Fluttershy's surprised and concerned face, she coughed and dashed into the bathroom to throw up.

---

"Surely, a token of good faith may be prudent," Filthy Rich said. "Perhaps we could arrange for apology gifts to be sent to the heads of state behind the letters, filled with exclusive wares from Equestria…" he stroked his chin. "It'd be great exposure for our finest products, directly to the most important of our future clients!"

"I… suppose that's good," Twilight said uncertainly. The meeting had gone on for hours now, and Twilight had a sinking feeling that at least a few ponies had anticipated something like this. But if they had known, why had they not told her from the start? Why did they let her go through with the idea if they knew it was going to be a diplomatic blunder?

"Ehm... Twilight? Cozy needs your help."

The entire meeting silenced. As one, the room turned to look at a shaky, anxious Fluttershy. "She… Discord came, and she's… she's not herself..."

This… was not her day, Twilight decided, stifling a sigh. "I'll… be right there."

"Princess, surely you realise that the wellbeing of the kingdom is more important than that of one pony?" Fancypants said casually. There was no judgement in his voice, no discussion. He simply stated an objective fact. Twilight swallowed.

"I'd say we could all use a break anyway," Twilight said. "Let's reconvene after lunch."

"But naturally, Princess. As you wish," Fancypants said. "The Royal Council adjourns. Mr. Rich, perhaps you'd do me the honor of accompanying me? I'd very much like to discuss an urgent matter…"

Twilight didn't stop to listen anymore. She and Fluttershy trotted quickly through the castle, back towards her own wing. "Why did Discord have to come for?" Twilight asked. She tried to not sound accusing, but she really did not need anything more to go wrong this day. Still, she knew that Discord was impossible to predict or control… in fact, telling him to not do something was all but a guarantee that he would do exactly that, just to spite you.

"We talked a bit about him… and he just appeared," Fluttershy said. "I feel awful, Twilight! I just wanted Cozy to feel better, and now she's even worse! Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?"

"We'll see, Fluttershy," Twilight said. "But let me just talk to Cozy alone, and we'll see."

She didn't stop to knock. She just went inside and found Cozy laying on the bed, looking just as out of it as before. She went up next to the bed.

"Cozy? Are you alright?"

The filly in question grimaced and turned to look at Twilight. She looked… not good. Her eyes looked tired from the sickness and worried too, as could be expected. But she also had that manic glint of determination, and her ever-so-easily aroused anger. "I'll get him back," she mumbled. "I don't know how, but I'll get him back."

"Cozy, Discord isn't…" Twilight hesitated. As always with an unstable Cozy, speaking to her was like stepping out on a minefield. "I know it doesn't look like it, but Discord listens to me and my friends. He really does. He isn't dangerous to you anymore. Please don't… give him a reason to be angry." She met Cozy's hard glare head on, and continued, holding her stare without flinching. "You are a good friendship student, Cozy. You know that sometimes, you have to turn the other cheek. It isn't-"

Cozy's eyes bulged with boiling rage.

"Turn the other cheek?! YOU weren't sentenced to eternal imprisonment, were you?! That beast pulled me out of my first prison as a joke and then doomed me to the second one! And you still think he listens to you?! You still think he's your friend?! Hah, he's playing you too! You m-must be blin-"

Cozy's croaked yells drowned in a series of violent coughs, but the stinging words echoed in Twilight's head. First the Eclipse fiasco, then the whole exhausting day of talks with the nobles, Cozy getting sick, Discord adding a shovel of coal to it, and now Cozy, screaming in anger… Twilight just wanted this day to end, her headache to be gone and all of the arguments and accusations to die down! She took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts through the pulsing pain in her temples.

"Cozy… this is… I understand this is still an open wound, something one day we need to talk about and find a peaceful way to fix it. But turning your cheek is important. It's not easy. It isn't fun. Sometimes it isn't even fair! But you know it's the right thing to do. You are my friendship student; you know what a friend should do. An eye for an eye just makes the whole world go blind."

Cozy closed her eyes and rubbed them with her hoof. Twilight could see some wetness on her freckled cheeks. "Then maybe I will blind the whole world."

Fluttershy gasped softly behind her. Twilight kept her stare in place, looking at Cozy's runny, red eyes and matted mane. She could not falter now, not if Cozy would say something like that. This was the old Cozy. The pony twisted by loneliness and spite. This was a pony Twilight was determined to change. "Is... that still true, Cozy?" she asked. "When you got sick and escaped to Rarity, when you agreed to let me help you make up with Sweetie Belle, do you remember what you said?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Cozy snapped.

"You said something that stuck with me," Twilight explained. "You said that you hated me more than you loved any other pony. Do you remember that?"

Cozy averted her eyes with a slight blush. Twilight nodded. "I figured. Do you still? If you had to give up Flurry Heart, Sweetie Belle, Rumble and everypony else to hurt me, would you?"

"That's not the same thing!" Cozy shouted shrilly. "You aren't... you didn't do what he did!"

"Cozy, back then, you hated me just as much as you hate Discord now," Twilight said with certainty. "I know you, Cozy. I have seen both the best and the worst parts of you. I know that even if you don't think so yourself, you want to be loved more than you want to be feared. You want friends more than you want enemies. And you want to love more than you want to hate."

"Tsk, you don't know that at all," Cozy huffed. She didn't scream though. "And besides, you... had to work a lot before I accepted you. Discord won't."

"Not today he won't," Twilight said. "But he will. Because somepony is going to have a talk with him, won't she?" Twilight glanced over her shoulder.

Fluttershy nodded. "I'll try to make things right between you and Discord, Cozy. It's... the least I can do, after what he put you through. And what I let happen."

Twilight nodded. "I don't expect it to come easily or anytime soon from either of you. But if I know my student, it will come, some day." She nuzzled Cozy a little bit. She still felt warm and clammy.

Fluttershy nodded sagely. "And if I know Discord, he will come around too."

Twilight retreated. Cozy still glared sourly, but her face looked more tired than furious and afraid. "Cozy, do you still want Fluttershy to look after you? Or should I send for a nurse?"

"I can warm up more blankets for you, if you want," Fluttershy offered.

Cozy hesitated. Clearly that offer was one she didn't want to turn down. "I want to see my friends. And then... then we'll see. But I guess you don't have to leave yet."

Twilight nodded. "I have to take care of one thing still, but I'll be back as soon as I can, alright? If you don't want to have a friendship discussion, perhaps we could read a little? I'm sure Flurry would like that too."

Cozy closed her eyes and nodded a little. Twilight assumed that meant she didn't want to talk anymore. Considering her illness and the many emotions she had gone through, it was understandable if she was tired. She and Fluttershy carefully left her room.

"You really know how to handle her," Fluttershy said quietly. The respect in her tone was almost palpable. "I couldn't… I didn't know what to say. But you just… you got through to her! Even when she was so angry."

"I have had to learn," Twilight said. Now that Fluttershy brought it up, this had gone relatively smooth as far as dealing with Cozy was concerned. "She isn't easy, but… I'm happy to help her. It's very rewarding to see your student succeed. Become better."

"You know, you almost sounded like her mother when you talked to her like that." Fluttershy smiled wistfully.

"I-what?" was all Twilight could say. She? A mother? To Cozy Glow of all ponies? Sure, Cadance had said something similar once, but Twilight hadn't thought much of it. It hadn't made sense. It still didn't make sense. But she had been able to talk Cozy away from a dangerous path with a clear, explanatory reasoning. Thinking back on it… it didn't sound too different from something Twilight Velvet might have said. Twilight didn't know what to think about that. What did this mean?

Fluttershy put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I was happy to see that. It was… nice. But you don't have to think more about it than that. It doesn't have to mean anything other than that you trust each other."

Twilight nodded lamely, happy to let Fluttershy explain her own feelings to her.

If concentrating on the meeting had been hard before, this was not going to make it any easier.

Chapter 11- Homecoming

Flurry Heart did not have any sisters, so she didn't exactly know what it was like to know another filly that well. But she guessed it was about like what she had with Cozy. They saw each other every day, they could talk to each other about everything, and even if they didn't always agree, there was never any lasting anger between them. That sounded like what sisterhood should be.

Flurry was going to ask her dad about that. He was Twilight's brother, so he should know.

She was going to ask him soon...

Because she was going home for the weekend! Just the thought made her giddy like a silly pony. She was going back home to her own room where she could show her friends all the nice stuff and toys she had! They could play with her stuffed animals! And build pillow forts and have a war against daddy! And with both Rumble and Cozy on her team, maybe she'd even win this time! Or maybe mommy would braid hers and Cozy's manes, like she did when Flurry was supposed to be especially well-dressed for school.

This was going to be the best weekend ever!

Not even the vast emptiness of the Crystal Tundra could dampen her spirits now. Every little piece of emptiness they passed brought her and her friends closer to the Empire!

"There it is! Look, Cozy!"

Rumble's exclamation tore her from her thoughts. Cozy and Flurry both leaned forward too to see better.

It was true. In the distance one could see the sharp blue dome that covered the Crystal Empire. That meant they were still half an hour or so away.

"It doesn't look like I expected. That's not even a crystal, is it?" Cozy asked with a small frown.

"It's our forcefield," Flurry said. "The Crystal Heart keeps our Empire safe from the blizzards and snow."

"The city is under the bubble!" Rumble explained. "And everything is made from crystals; even the houses and the ponies themselves! I didn't believe my eyes when I saw it first, but it's really true!"

"Have you been to the Crystal Empire?" Flurry asked. She had never asked; she had just assumed he hadn't.

"Yeah, my bro was in the Ponyville Equestria Games team, so I could come with and watch it all! We even won the medal count!" Rumble fluttered his wings in excitement. "He was on the air-sprinter team. Five ponies on five flying distances. He had the second longest, and it was thanks to him that we won, since he gave us the lead we needed for the last distance."

"Oh, so I'm the only pony here who hasn't been in the Empire," Cozy huffed. Like always Cozy didn't like being uninformed.

"Then you can experience it for the first time now!" Flurry chirruped and put a hoof around Cozy's neck. "It's great. Maybe we can even get us some nectar to drink! Or we can go look at the ewes!"

"What's an ewe?" Cozy and Rumble asked in chorus.

"It's like a sheep, but smaller… and they don't talk. But they're really fluffy. My blanket is made from ewe wool."

"Fit for a Princess then," Cozy said. "Guess that doesn't sound too bad."

"I hope I can get to try some of the local food," Rumble mused. "With how it's so cold around here, I bet your stuff is really different from normal Equestrian food."

"We have corn," Flurry said. "But mostly it's the same… I wonder why. We don't have any apple orchards or anything…"

"You probably import it then," Cozy said.

"Oh, well… you can do a lot of stuff with corn too," Rumble said, even if he sounded a bit discouraged.

"Sure, you make everything good," Cozy said casually, making Rumble blush and smile.

The three of them silenced, but it was a comfortable sort of silence. They really were good friends. In fact, Flurry had never had such good friends before. With Cozy and Rumble it was easy to feel like they liked her even if she hadn't been a princess. She had never felt like that around any other foal before, and not a whole lot of adults either.

Flurry looked out of the window again. Her home didn't seem very much closer. "Maybe we should play a game of cards until we get there. I promise this train ride only gets longer every time I have to go!"

Rumble took out a deck of cards and dealt out seven cards for everypony. Soon Flurry found herself not minding that the train ride was so long.

"Oh, looks like you've got a welcoming committee," Cozy said and nodded to the window as the train expelled a last puff of steam before stopping. She and Rumble gathered up the cards.

Cadance and Shining Armour stood on the train platform, following the train with their eyes as it rolled in. Flurry tapped the window with her hoof to grab their attention and waved energetically. She felt immediately soothed when she saw them. She was still a filly after all, and she did miss her parents even if she liked living in Canterlot.

Just moments after the train had opened its doors she bolted out and launched at her dad for a hug, since he was the closest. His strong arm held her close for a nuzzling. " missed you," they both said at the same time, causing them both to smile.

"It's good to have you back home, sweetheart," Cadance said and nudged Flurry with her muzzle. "The castle just hasn't been the same since my little- sorry, since my big filly went on to live in Canterlot."

"But I learn a lot! Twilight is nice and really good at magic," Flurry chirped and slipped out of her parents' grasp so she could talk to them like a proper pony.

"I look forward to seeing what you have learned this weekend," Shining Armour said. "Sure, Twily's good with normal magic, but a princess must be able to protect her friends and subjects too."

"This again?" Cadance rolled her eyes. "She is still too young to learn about combat magic, Shining, no matter how much you want to teach her."

"Good golly, I think you're already too late to teach her." Both her parents stiffened and looked at Cozy and Rumble, who had only now disembarked. "You should have seen what she did in our snowball fight."

… Oh. Flurry blushed. Maybe her parents wouldn't be too happy that she buried another pony under a small mountain of snow, now that she thought about it. Her suspicions were immediately confirmed when both Cadance and Shining Armour looked from Cozy and down on her.

"I… see you brought your friends," Shining Armour said, his clear-blue eyes dwelling on Cozy. "And you've been snowball fighting, have you?"

"W-we… I want to show my friends my room!" She blurted. "I still have all my toys, right?"

"No, I want to hear about a certain snowball fight," Cadance said. The change in her voice was minuscule, but it still made Flurry fidget.

"She protected me like a warrior-princes when I was in trouble!" Cozy supplied. "So I think it's probably you who should take lessons from her, Prince Shining Armour." She even bowed a little.

"Huh, but I-" she started before snapping her mouth shut. Maybe, maybe, maybe Cozy's wily ways could actually be helpful for once, if only Flurry didn't ruin it for herself. "Uh, yeah! I did, like a good pony and friend. That's what happened." She added the last part to be sure there were no questions about her truthfulness.

Shining Armour looked curiously at Cozy's sweet expression, then a huge smile appeared on his face. "See, that means she is absolutely ready to learn the basics of combat magic!" he said happily.

Cadance scoffed and sent both Flurry and Cozy a prying look each. "We'll see. Because I have a feeling there are two ponies here are not telling me something." She glanced at Rumble. "But perhaps you will be a good colt and tell me?"

"OR, he knows what's the long-term appropriate thing to say, that would also keep him in good health!" Cozy snapped, her voice sharp as a whiplash. In fact, the way Rumble jumped, it had about the same effect as an actual whiplash.

Rumble swallowed, looking at Cadance's and Cozy's expecting stares… just with Cadance looking curious and Cozy having subtle, murderous sparks in her eyes. "I don't know anything! I don't want to know anything and I was not even with them when they had their snowball fight! I was working, honest! Check with Ramson, I have an alibi, he's a good friend, me and him, we're tight!"

---

The walk up to the castle was not long, but it still took half an hour as Cozy stopped to stare at just about everything. The crystal houses, the crystal trees and flowers and, of course, the crystal ponies. Very clearly she had thought that the idea of everypony being made from crystal all the time in a whole city built from crystal had been exaggerated, just like Rumble did before he got here. Now she saw just how wrong she was, and how beautiful everything looked.

And, to be honest, Rumble too found himself staring at everything. He had only been here once, after all. "What do you think?" he asked his excited fillyfriend. "Pretty, huh?"

Cozy nodded, still looking around in awe. "I suppose it's one thing to read about it, but seeing it isn't the same." A pair of crystal ponies went past them in the other direction with a foal between them. "I wonder how this happened though. Crystal doesn't just come to life."

"Must be really powerful magic," Rumble said, even if that answer really didn't explain anything.

"I guess," Cozy shrugged. "But still…"

They came by a fenced off area next to a small booth selling scarves and capes all made in brightly colored, fuzzy fabric. Inside the fence there were a quartet of small sheep grazing quietly while being watched by a crystal pony who was also teazeling the wool. Rumble made a note of it. If he ever needed a birthday present, a cloak like that would be perfect for Cozy.

They followed Flurry and her parents through the streets until they came into the castle. Rumble had never been inside it before, even if he had seen the exterior when he was here last. It was much brighter than he thought, even if they had no lights. The sun shone straight through the walls, just enough to illuminate them. He tried to look outside through the crystal walls, but he couldn't see much more than a formless blur of colours.

"Pretty special, isn't it?" Flurry said proudly. "It's really pretty when the sun starts to go down and you can see the sunset through the walls and everything becomes orange. My room has one wall towards the sunset every night, so it's the best place in the castle."

"Can you sleep through that, though?" Cozy asked.

"Sure, I have a curtain for when it's bedtime," Flurry said. "But you'll see that tonight. Since you'll be sleeping in the castle too. We have loads of guest rooms for when important ponies come to visit, and you two are both important ponies."

"The princess has spoken," Cozy smirked. "Just make sure you tell your mom too."

Rumble swallowed. He was going to sleep in a castle suite? Him? How was he supposed to be able to sleep in a room like that? What if he broke something? Or tore the blanket? Or shedded on the carpet? The stuff here was probably expensive enough to put him into debt for life if he destroyed something.

"Hm? Why are you so worried?" Flurry asked with a quizzical look. "The rooms are nice, really!"

"Y-yeah, I'm sure," he said lamely. Flurry continued to look strangely at him before she shrugged and caught up to her parents, who had stopped in front of a large door outside a corridor.

"Well, I still have a meeting to attend," Cadance sighed. "But I promise I'll be done in an hour at the most, and then we can spend the day together, sweetheart."

"It's fine, mom. My friends and I have something we need to do anyway," Flurry said.

"Going to show them your room, are you?" Shining Armour said with a goofy smile.

"Hmm… sure," Flurry said with a strange sort of look. In fact, that smirk and rictus grin looked more at home at Cozy than on the innocent and naïve little alicorn. "Come on. To my room. But you have to stay here, dad. Because we are going to do combat training soon." Flurry hopped away down a corridor and into a nearby room. "Hurry!"

Rumble caught Cozy's glance. At least she looked excited… and mischievous. His heart sank further. He did not know what was going on, but he had a feeling it was not something good.

Flurry's room was large and pink with blue walls. Stuffed animals sat along the walls, as did building-kits, piles of books and what must be things she had made in her arts-and-crafts class in school, all neatly in a row on a bookcase. From the roof hung several crystal ornaments. Rumble found himself wondering if the tidiness of the room was due to Flurry not having lived here for quite some time, or if she tidied it herself.

Flurry closed the door behind them. "Okay, grab a pillow. We're going to get him right now, before he expects it!"

"We are?" Rumble asked. "But his magic is much stronger than yours, right?"

"Not anymore! I have been training with Twilight, remember? I'm sure I can take him, and I'll have you two too!" Flurry tossed a large stuffed elephant at Rumble. He looked into the bead-eyes, hoping for some sort of guidance.

"I believe in you, Flurry!" Cozy, with a spark in her eyes. She had a long stuffed snake in her mouth. Rumble pushed his worries aside and took up his position with the two fillies by the door. At least this elephant was soft, so if or when he got slammed by it, it wouldn't hurt. Hopefully.

Flurry grabbed a large dolphin with her magic and swung it around a few times in the tail fin. Satisfied, she threw open the door and rushed out. "DADDY!"

She scampered forward, giggling and cackling at the same time while swinging the poor dolphin in wide, violent arcs around her, close enough that both him and Cozy actively had to slow down lest she'd hit them. Her wings fluttered erratically for extra speed. Truly, it was a charge that would strike fear in the bravest of ponies.

But not Shining Armour, apparently. Rumble and Cozy followed for a whole two seconds before Flurry was pushed down flat on the ground by a dark-purple magic. Her magic flicked and sparkled, but nothing more happened.

"Flurry!" Shining Armour beamed. "Did you want something?"

"Lemme go! This wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to win this time!" Flurry flailed on the floor, her magic sputtering angrily. "Lemme go!"

"Heh, you may be growing stronger, but I'm still a Royal Guard Officer," Shining Armour smiled. He went up and sat down next to his daughter, nuzzling her mane. "And since you wanted to learn about combat, here is a first lesson: Underestimating your enemy will always lead to defeat." He booped her nose.

"Huh…" Cozy went up to sit down next to Flurry too, now with the stuffed snake over her shoulder. Shining Armour kept his eyes on her. Clearly he suspected some trick. "You know, Flurry, even if you were stronger than him, you shouldn't shout that you're coming. And I'm Cozy Glow, sir Shining Armour. I don't think I said that before.”

"It sounded good at the time," Flurry pouted. She flailed one hoof a little to bat the stuffed dolphin against her father's hoof.

"I have heard of you," Shining Armour said to Cozy. "Both Cadance, Flurry and Twilight speak highly of your progress."

Rumble swallowed. "And I'm… Rumble, Sir," Rumble swallowed. He had just had a stupid idea. "I'm Cozy's special somepony."

"Yeah… Cadance said you're Flurry's friend too," Shining Armour replied, looking now at the nervous colt. "And you were there when Flurry got her cutie mark."

"Uh-huh," Rumble nodded. "She's my friend. But about her cutie mark, actually, I have a secret I wanted to tell you and Cadance…"

"Oh?" Shining Armour looked surprised. "What's that?"

"Well, you see…" Shining Armour had leaned just a little bit closer. "I've really got to help her!" He blurted and leaped forward and swiped at his horn, hopefully not too hard.

"Why, you little-" Shining Armour jumped backwards, but Cozy reacted just as fast and swung her long snake towards his horn again, just enough to disrupt what remaining control he had of his magic.

"AAAAAAAAAA!" Flurry shrieked with giggles and flapped her large wings to get off the ground. She lifted her stuffed dolphin before she brought it down in a violent, overhead smash, hard enough to send Shining Armour sprawling on the ground. All three foals and Shining Armor were laughing, as the plush assault echoed against the walls of a crystal corridor.

---

The three of them retreated after having given Shining Armour a sound pillow-thrashing. They ran into Flurry's room and built a fortress out of pillows, stuffed animals and the mattress of the bed. Shining Armour returned after about ten minutes and then they fought again until he retreated out of the door and the three of them fell back into the fort. He couldn't come after them there, since that wouldn't be fair.

It was fun. Cozy could never have imagined that Shining Armour, the Prince and Royal Guard Captain would actually have a prolonged pillow fight with them. But she was happy he did. Cozy had never had a pillow fight with a grown-up pony before. And he was good at it too. He had gotten ahold of the backrests of some sofa and used two of them both as weapons and as shields. And he frequently used his magic to trip or stun them. Even if it was just playing, Cozy could understand his underlying skill in combat to do such things so quickly and precisely as he did. Even if he was always driven back.

"Here he comes again!" Rumble snickered. He ran from the door where he had been standing to listen for approaching hoofsteps and dove back into the fortress where Flurry and Cozy both grabbed their weapons and huddled down to ready a pounce.

The door opened, and they jumped at their unsuspecting victim, weapons heightened for an almighty smackdown.

Cadance yelped and tried to shield herself with a hoof, but their combined attack was still enough to send her stumbling backwards.

"Oh, stop! It's not daddy!" Flurry shouted and dropped her stuffed dolphin. "Sorry, mom, we were just playing!"

Cadance looked sternly at Flurry, and then back to the mess she had made of her room. Then she looked back with a scrunch . "And what have we said about making a mess, Flurry?"

"But I wanted to play with my friends!" Flurry protested. "Besides, what should I do with all my animals if I don't play with them?"

"I can tell you: you are going to clean your room back up," Cadance said. "And then we can go to the Crystal Spa."

Cozy didn't know what that meant, but by the way Flurry gasped and her ears sprang up, this was good news. "Okay. We'll clean up. And then we go."

Cadance's frown disappeared and she nodded. "Only after you have cleaned up until it's spotless, understood?"

Flurry nodded energetically. "Not a spot shall be left! Come on you two! We've got to get the mattress back into the bed, and then all the stuffed animals go back into the chest." She pointed at a large, wooden chest with an intricate flower motif painted on the lid.

"What's a spa anyway?" Cozy asked, after Cadance has left. She had heard the word before when she lived in Ponyville, when Rarity and Fluttershy mentioned it sometimes, but never thought more about what it meant.

"It's a place where you can have a mud bath!" Flurry chirped.

"Mud… bath?" Cozy asked, trying to deduce if Flurry was joking or not? Why would you ever have a "mud bath"? You bathed to get clean- in fact, you bathed to get rid of mud.

"It's great." Flurry assured, spreading her wings in excitement. "Like a warm lake, only the mud is really soft, like a warm blanket! And when you're done and you have showered, it leaves these tiny crystals in your coat so you sparkle a little for days after!"

"Hmm…" Cozy looked over at herself. She would look even more loveable if her coat sparkled, wouldn't she? Did Rumble like sparkling? Probably. Most ponies liked things like that. "Okay. I guess that does sound pretty good."

"I don't know…" Rumble said. "I've never really liked the spa back home…"

"Then you can tag along with me instead."

Cozy whirled around, but Shining Armour didn't seem to want to continue the war any longer. "I'm going to do a training round with the new recruits. Exercise, some fencing, and a crystal Empire tradition: jousting. If you feel like having a real workout, you'll come with me instead."

"Hey, he's my special somepony!" Cozy snapped. For being married to the Princess of Love, Shining Armour clearly didn't get the subject of love at all. "I want to spend time with him!"

"But I don't even want a sparkling coat!" Rumble protested. "It'll look stupid on me! And I've kinda always wanted to try jousting. I've seen it in a book once."

"Hmph. So you like some old sport more than your special somepony, huh?" Cozy narrowed her eyes, but to her surprise, Rumble did not falter this time.

"No! I… need to exercise so I can protect you… from something. When you're a princess.” Rumble replied, pushing his chest forward.

"Oh!" Cozy hadn't thought about that. "I guess that's pretty romantic…" Cozy pondered, catching in the corner of her eye Shining's curious glance.

"But first we need to clean up!" Flurry shouted, stomping a hoof to get their attention. "Else nopony will get to do what they want! Hurry! Before mommy gets mad!"

---

Rumble was not as sly as his Special Somepony, but he was not stupid either. Of course he realized that Shining Armour had some ulterior motive to inviting him to partake in the exercise, most likely pertaining to Cozy. Shining Armour was a soldier, and Twilight's big brother. Maybe he was more wary of having Cozy so close to his sister and his daughter than he showed? Or maybe not; it wasn't like Rumble had any clue about how he thought or felt about anything.

But he would probably see soon.

The two of them went slowly outside to the stadium where the Equestria games had been hosted. The large grass field made for a good exercise yard.

"Soo…" Shining Armour began in a light, flippant tone as they went out on the field. "You're cooking for Twi, are you?"

"Yes, sir!" Rumble replied with pride.

"You're not in the military, so there is no need to 'sir' me," Shining Armour said with an easygoing sort of smile. "But I was wondering… since you probably see my little sis often… how is she doing?"

Rumble cocked his head to the side. "Good, I think? Or what do you mean?"

Shining Armour shrugged. "Well she was always such a nervous pony… so prone to anxiety and stress. I just can't be sure if being a Princess is really what she wants. And she'd never dare tell me anything else, not after Celestia gave her the task. So I figured I'd ask somepony who might know…"

On the one hoof, he was absolutely not supposed to gossip about the omnipotent Twilight Sparkle, or he might find himself sent to the moon. But on the other hoof, Shining Armour wasn't a pony like any. He was Twilight's brother. And for that matter, it wasn't like Rumble had anything damning to say. "No, I haven't noticed her being more stressed now than she was when living in Ponyville… uh, not that I saw her very often back then, but I don't think she's changed so much… but she doesn't run Equestria alone, you know! She has her Royal Council to help her."

Shining Armour nodded. "Sure. But I know that Twilight has a good heart… a bit too good, some might say. Ponies can take advantage of her, and the more reliant she is on them, the easier it is. With respect, your special somepony did exactly that."

Rumble flicked his ears back momentarily at that. "You're talking with the wrong pony, I don't have a clue about how her relationship with the council is. But her student should know, unless you worry she will take advantage of you asking her, that is." He couldn't quite help the acridity in his voice for the last few words.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them for a moment. "I don't blame you for being angry," Shining Armour said slowly, warily. "I would have been too in your horseshoes if someone insulted Cadance. But you should understand that I'm not afraid to call a spade a spade. And I can't say I trust Cozy Glow. Not after what she did to my sister and would have done to Equestria."

"But Cadance and Flurry trusts her too," Rumble pointed out. "And your sister."

"I know," Shining Armour said. "But Flurry is just a filly, and Twilight is… Twilight. She is smart, but that doesn't mean she is infallible, and in my experience a bit of caution is rarely a bad idea around ponies like Cozy."

"If you want to call a spade a spade, then you can tell me what you want to say already!" Rumble said sharply. The more they talked the less he liked the direction the conversation was heading in. "'Cause if you're going to warn me or something-"

"I'm not," Shining Armour said with a placating gesture. "If Cadance says you two like each other, then you do, and if she thinks you two are better off for it, then I believe her. My interest is not Cozy, it's Twilight."

"Well, my interest is my special somepony, not Twilight," Rumble said back.

A ghost of a smile flashed over Shining Armour's face. "Touché. Perhaps I will ask your special somepony. Later. For now, I hope you're ready for a hearty workout. That's why we're here, after all."

"Bring it on!" Rumble growled. "And when I'm still standing after your training regimen, then you're going to apologize for speaking about Cozy like that!"

"Hah! Deal." Shining Armour said with a competitive smirk. "You know, I can respect a pony who'd stand up for his special somepony. Now give me ten laps around the stadium as a warmup, and then we'll start the jousting practice once the rest of the crystal recruits get here. Should be some fifteen minutes, so I hope you're fast."

Fifteen minutes… ten laps. That meant he had one and a half minute for each lap.

Somehow, the stadium seemed a lot bigger when he was down in it rather than up on the bleachers like he had been when he watched the Equestria games. But he wasn't going to let Shining Armour think he was a pushover! He took off as fast as his hooves would carry him.

---

Sure, Flurry was already in the pool of strange, green mucky stuff and she seemed to float perfectly well, and be really comfortable paddling through the stuff, but still. Cozy remained at the pool basin, trying to convince herself that jumping into a bath of mud was somehow a sensible thing to do for a filly her age. Maybe when she was a yearling she would have jumped into puddles of mud, but she was a big pony now (figuratively). Also… nopony had told her a mud bath was this deep. Having been born in Cloudsdale and lived most of her life there, Cozy had only actually swam a few times, and she did not at all feel safe in deep water.

"Come on in already! It's nice!" Flurry shouted, flailing her forelegs and forcing Cozy to jump backwards in order to avoid getting splashed. "Mommy! Tell her the mud is good for you!"

"Mmmm, it is," Cadance mumbled. She sat leaning back at the end of the pool, looking half asleep and with a very content smile on her lips. She didn't even glance at Cozy when she spoke.

"Mommy!" Flurry shouted and flicked a green piece of mud at her. Cadance caught it on her wing with an ease that told Cozy this was not the first time it had happened, and then threw it back at Flurry, again without stirring from her relaxed position. Cozy giggled at that.

"Oh, you…!" Flurry whirled around and flew towards Cozy, up from the pool with a cascade of greenish, glittering mud around her. Cozy yelped, but Flurry was too fast. She caught her and proceeded to bodily try to drag Cozy into the mud bath.

"Flurry, that's not nice," Cadance said and easily plucked the small alicorn up and sat her down next to herself. Flurry looked about as if trying to catch up to what had just happened to her. "Let Cozy go at her own pace. Remember, when you came here the first time, you didn't want to bathe either."

"But that was silly! This is great! How will Cozy learn that if she won't even try!" Flurry argued.

"That's for her to decide, not you," Cadance said simply. She looked over to Cozy. "But you should know that it's very relaxing, good for your coat and helps soothe the body and mind. Word of advice from a Princess: this and coffee is what keeps one going."

Well… Cozy was going to be a Princess one day. She bit her lip.

Maybe she ought to try… If Cadance said it was so good. And Flurry clearly wanted her to. And she did want a sparkly coat. She could believe that part now; the green mud sparkled shyly all over, and while Flurry's wings were now mostly green, there were some twinkling, microscopic gemstones too.

She poked at the surface.

It was strangely cohesive, not nearly as fluid as water. Instead it dented a little under her hoof until she broke through the surface and her hoof was caught in the warm, green mud. It was very soft… almost like some sort of strange blanket. And somehow, while the surface itself was tough, once you were down in the stuff, it didn't feel very different from water.

Even better, the pool had been fitted with a stone step under the surface, so she could stand on that without having to reveal that she did, in fact, not know how to swim.

She swallowed down the last of her worries and hopped down onto the stone step. It felt weird how the mud stretched underneath her for a moment before she fell through.

"See, it's nice, isn't it?" Flurry chirped and swam over to her, paddling with her large wings.

Cozy looked around herself, then shyly nodded. Since she couldn't swim she only rarely bathed, but she could agree that this was better than showering, even if the weight of the mud on her wings felt a little strange. She opened her right wing once and closed it again.

"So… now what do you do?" Cozy asked, feeling weird.

"Sit down and relax," Cadance suggested with a small smile.

"I like to swim," Flurry chirped and paddled away to the middle of the pool again where she flopped over so she floated on her back. Cozy was surprised she would dirty her mane like that, but apparently Flurry didn't care. "Do you like to swim?"

"Uhh..." Cozy mumbled. She didn't want to admit that she couldn't, in front of her friend, not to mention a friend who was younger than her. But with Flurry's keen sense for emotions, hiding it wouldn't be possible now that she had asked. And then Cozy preferred to come clean on her own terms. "I… can't really swim. I haven't lived much near water."

"Oh? Does Twilight know that?" Cadance asked. "It's a good thing to learn. And it will be easier for you to learn than it was for Flurry, if you want to."

"Why do you think that, mom?" Flurry said defensively. "I learnt pretty fast!"

"Cozy is a pegasus," Cadance explained. "Her bones are lighter than yours. That's why you have such big wings, Flurry. An alicorn has the same bones as an earth pony and need more lift to fly. Cozy is light and floats better than you."

"Oh…" Flurry extended her large wings and looked them over. "I didn't know that."

Cozy didn't either, but this was the first time when being a pegasus might be better than being an alicorn. She decided to count that as a win. "So… can I learn how to swim now?"

"I suggest you wait until it's summer. This mud isn't good for learning too," Cadance said patiently. "But if you want, I can teach you in Ponyville or Canterlot. I taught Twilight when she was a filly, you know."

"As her foalsitter, right," Cozy said.

"Mhmmm…" Cadance nodded and sat up a bit straighter. "How have things been lately? Between you and her, I mean? Her letters seem positive, but… just to hear from the pony's mouth, so to speak."

"We're good!" Cozy assured loyally. "She listens to me and… and she gives me space too, to do my own things."

Cadance nodded. "And I could ask about your special somepony, but I don't need to. I could feel your feelings for one another when you came of the train."

"Were they… good?" Cozy asked.

Cadance furrowed her brow. "Do you have to ask?"

Cozy shrugged. "Well… better safe than sorry, right? If you know something I don't… if you think there might be issues-"

"-it doesn't matter," Cadance said decisively. "What I think does not matter for you and Rumble, Cozy. Love is different for every couple, and trying to force one way of loving onto them will only lead to heartache. Trust your own feelings and his, and you won't have to worry about not knowing what you feel for one another."

Cadance leaned back and closed her eyes again. "By the way, do you want an advice I often tried to give to a certain other overthinking little filly?"

"What?" Cozy asked with a feeling Cadance might now make fun of her.

"Sit down, relax, and don't think so much. Just… calm down once in a while and take tomorrow as it comes."

"Mom, that's boring," Flurry said and climbed out of the mud bath, only to jump back in, legs and wings flailing everywhere. "This is fun!"

Cozy perked up. That did look fun, as long as she took care to remain in the shallow part of the bath.

She wasn't sure how long they continued. But jumping into the pool was nice. And Cadance did have a point; it was actually pretty nice to just lay in the bath to rest after a while. The warmth and the softness made for great relaxation, especially since she got ahold of a pillow to rest her head on while the rest of her body floated on the surface.

Maybe there was something to this talk about pegasi being lighter than most other ponies. It made sense, but she would have to wait until summer when she bathed in real water rather than this elastic mud to confirm it.

"Sweetheart?"

Cozy shifted to see Shining Armour come in through a door. And he was carrying a dazed, seemingly nearly dead Rumble on his back.

"Shining! How did your training go?" Cadance smiled.

"Good, although some ponies should learn when to take a break," he nodded to Rumble on his back. "I figured he could use some relaxation, and I'd like to ask a quick question to Cozy too."

"I'm here," Cozy chirped, looking curiously at the panting colt on Shining's back. "Is he okay?"

"Just tired. And possibly sore tomorrow," Shining Armour said and magicked the slack colt off of his back and down into the mud bath, next to Cozy.

"What did you do?" she asked. "You aren't going to be able to defend me like that, you know." Cozy poked the miserable pile of her coltfriend, who was slowly sinking in the green mud.

"I… did it," he mumbled with a silly smile on his dazed face. "Fifteen laps…! woo-hoo!... I win!" He even reached a shaking hoof up in a shuddering, weak imitation of a victory gesture.

Cozy shook her head. Not only was he completely exhausted, but delirious too. She turned to Shining Armour. "And what do you want?" She did not bother to hide her suspicion. This was a military pony and family to Twilight. She couldn't believe he would be too friendly with her just because of his wife. Cadance was often an exception with how she treated Cozy.

"It looks like you're about done in the bath," Shining Armour nodded to Cadance. "Will you join me in the washroom? I could use a soak after the training."

Cadance furrowed her brow minimally, her eyes darting over to Cozy for a split-second. "Sure… Flurry, think you could keep an eye on Rumble for a little while? Or are you done too?"

"NO!" Flurry shouted immediately and paddled out to the middle of the mud bath. "I'm not done!"

"I figured," Cadance said. "This won't take long; just a quick soak and I'll be back, alright, sweetheart?"

Flurry nodded but didn't swim closer, like she was expecting Cadance to try and pull her out if she got anywhere close to the pool edge.

Cadance and Cozy both rose from the pool. This was decidedly uncomfortable. The mud was heavier than she thought and it clung to her feathers in a cloying, slimy way. In fact, washing it off was going to feel glorious, she was already certain.

The washroom was through another wooden door and deserted. There were buckets, showers and a pool of normal, clear water that somehow managed to look cold even if Cozy had nothing to back that feeling up with.

Still, cold or on, Shining Armour went straight into it, sighing as he did so.

"Since you haven't done this before, I can help you get clean, if you want," Cadance offered and sat down by the bath edge with a pair of buckets. Cozy sat down next to her. It felt good to have somepony she knew with her. She took the opportunity to dip her hoof in the pool, only to quickly pull it back, surprised it wasn't encased in ice. If there had been any doubt that Shining Armour was a tough stallion, they were now gone for good.

"So… Cozy Glow," Shining Armour started with a light tone. When he was in the pool, they were almost at eye level. "Twilight talks a lot about you, you know. You must have made an impression on her."

"I make impressions on everypony," Cozy said nonchalantly. Shining Armour didn't strike her as a pony who liked excessive humility. And for that matter, neither did Cozy.

"You do… one way or another," Shining armour said factually.

"Shining, don't be like that," Cadance interrupted. "We have been over it already. You worry about Twilight, and that's natural, but she is smart and has gotten through to plenty of former enemies before. Cozy is just another example. And Cozy, you might want to close your eyes for a minute.”

Cozy looked at Cadance and saw her hold a bucket of water in her magic. Cozy caught on and spread her wings as Cadance poured the water over her, washing away most of the mud easily.

"I'm not here to bicker,” Shining Armour continued. "I wanted to know more about how Twilight is adapting in her role as Princess. I was a bit surprised when she declared 'Twilight Day'. It doesn't feel like something she'd do."

"I was wondering that as well," Cadance said.

"So I figured I'd ask the closest pony she has," Shining Armour said. "Does she seem... happy, being a Princess?"

Cozy nodded. "So far she leaves most princessy stuff to her Royal Council, so she gets to spend most of her time with Flurry and me, teaching friendship and stuff. And since she spends so much time with me, she's obviously happy. Because I'm cute and lovable." Cadance poured another bucket of water over Cozy's back. It felt nice and refreshing.

"Right," Shining Armour said dismissively. "And what about the council? Who's on it?"

"Hmm..." Cozy had to think about that. Twilight had said that many ponies were on it for different tasks, but only a few positions were permanent. "Fancypants is the leader… and then there is a secretary. Filthy Rich is on it too, and Jet Set."

"All powerful ponies," Cadance said thoughtfully. "And all of them better politicians than Twilight."

"And all of them ambitious,” Shining Armour said bitingly. "Fancy especially."

"Have you met him?" Cozy asked. With her own meeting with him still fresh in her mind, any and all information on him was potentially useful.

Shining Armour nodded. "He is the highest official in Canterlot aside from the Princesses… or Princess, now. Everything in the city goes by him, including my day-to-day work with the royal guard. A career politician if there ever was one. I don't know why, but I was never able to fully trust him. Respect him, sure, but not trust him."

"Because it felt like he might be playing you somehow?" Cozy suggested.

"You have met him, I hear," Shining Armour said flatly.

"Briefly," Cozy said. She did not feel like going into exactly what they had been talking about, especially since Fancypants was not a pony she wanted to cross for the sake of Shining Armour. If Twilight herself had been in trouble somehow, then it would be a different thing, but Shining Armour wasn't Cozy's problem. She decided to change the subject. "But what about you two? Don't you have the same problem here? You're Princess and Prince too."

"No, it's not the same here," Cadance said. "Sombra's reign didn't leave much room for ambition, or even free thought. Canterlot is the ancient seat of the most powerful ponies in Equestria."

"And I wouldn't be surprised if a few of them would like to increase their own status and wealth at the cost of the crown, now that Celestia is gone," Shining Armour mumbled. He turned to Cozy again. "Have you noticed anything… extraordinary between the counselors?"

There was a question Cozy didn't want to answer. To some degree, answering this meant picking one pony to be loyal to. Even if Fancypants wasn't here, all it took for him to connect the dots was Shining Armour doing anything. Fancypants was smart enough to see the connection from Shining Armour to Flurry to Cozy.

Besides… if Fancypants did have some plan to take advantage of Twilight, how was Shining going to help? It was one thing to want to look out for your sister, another to actually help out in a way that didn't make things more difficult. Actually, the more Cozy thought about it, the less certain she was that telling the whole truth to Shining Armour was going to help her, or Twilight.

"Not… really," Cozy said. "I haven't seen them much at all though. But I hope to see them more soon! I like politics!"

Cadance gave an amused sound. "You know, love, you might have just encouraged the one who will bring Twilight down."

"Yeah, he wasn't so tough before. We even won the pillow fight," Cozy pointed out, happy to steer the conversation away. Especially since she still wasn't sure if her answer was the right one.

"Maybe I just let you win," Shining Armour said with a smirk.

"Or maybe you didn't," Cozy said back, sticking out her tongue.

"One final thing then," Shining Armour said, but the amusement didn't quite fade from his tone. Maybe hearing that Twilight wasn't in danger had helped alleviate some fears? "When she proposed Twilight Day, how did the council react?"

While Cozy would not tell the whole truth yet, there was one truth she definitely could give. "Oh, that was my idea! And everypony loved it! They even said they had planned to suggest something like that too!"

"Oh, that… makes sense, actually," Cadance said, looking at Cozy with a new type of look; one of professional respect. "That it was your idea, I mean. You… like people noticing you, don't you?"

Cozy nodded. "One day, everypony is going to know my name, and every filly will wish she was me."

"If… that's what makes you happy, Cozy," Cadance said. Cozy refused to acknowledge the small glint of sadness in her eyes. “Are you saying the council agreed to your suggestion, just like that? They didn't try to change Twilight's mind?"

"They probably wanted to gain her favor by arranging an event for her, and Cozy's suggestion let them bring it up to her." Shining Armour suggested. "If so, all the better. If there is one thing Twilight doesn't fall for, it's sycophants. Trying that will only make her more wary of them."

"Or maybe they recognizes that she is the Princess now and supports her," Cadance said with some tiredness. "Really, Shining, this paranoia for your sister is not doing you or her any good. Until you know there is danger, can you try not to make a mess for her?"

Shining Armour was just about to answer before the door opened and Flurry Heart plodded in, covered head to hoof in mud. Rumble followed on somewhat steady hooves while also trying to shake the mud off of him.

"Okay, I guess I'm done now..."

Cadance nodded. "Come here, sweetheart. I'll help you wash." Flurry scampered up to her mother and sat down next to her. Cozy stepped away. She had something else she could do anyway.

"And I can help you, Rumble,” Cozy suggested, feeling heat rise in her cheeks. "I've definitely learnt it now. From Cadance."

"If... you say so," Rumble said. He cocked his head to the side. "Your coat really does sparkle. It's cute."

Cozy smiled and looked herself over. "I'm always cute."

Chapter 12- Tis the Season to be Golly

Cozy had exactly three friends. Sweetie Belle was her first real friend, Flurry was her study buddy and friendship-study-friend, and Rumble was her coltfriend, the closest pony she had in her life. They were not many, but they were precious.

Precious enough that every Hearth's Warming gift mattered! This was her chance to express just how much they all meant to her. Cozy knew she could be difficult at times. She could be abrasive, dominant and manipulative. Conveying how much somepony meant to her was not easy, and even when she haltingly and mumblingly did, a gnawing uncertainty would still linger. Had they really understood? Did they know just how important they were to Cozy, even if she wasn't always the best at showing it?

But at Hearth's Warming everypony gave gifts and explained these things! Then she'd be confident too, and she'd bring nice gifts to all of her friends so they knew she was genuine when she said it! And she'd have Twilight with her to help too if she needed.

It was the perfect plan (like all her plans were); all that was left was the execution.

This she had thought three days ago. Plenty of time to figure out her gifts, buy them, quietly bring them to her castle and wrap up neatly before handing them over to Twilight for safekeeping until the big day!

Again, the plan was perfect.

So how did she let herself come to this?!

Of course, Cozy hadn't actually ever bought a genuine gift before in her life, but she had figured it'd be an easy thing. Everypony did that for every Hearth's Warming, so how hard could it really be?

This was how hard it could be! She had only three hours until sundown and she still didn't have a single gift, despite having been out all day looking for anything that would catch her eye!

After a whole day of flying and walking to and fro in Canterlot, she had decided on a small break, so now she sat on her own by a small café with a mug of hot cocoa in front of her. It wasn't Rumble's hot cocoa, but it was sweet and warm in the nip of winter.

Flurry was a Princess. What does one give a princess? Anything Cozy could get with this short notice, Flurry's parents could already give her three gold-plated copies of. Same thing with Sweetie Belle, for that matter. With a big sister like Rarity, Sweetie Belle would also already have everything that was nice enough to have! Rarity knew style and beauty like the back of her hoof, and she was the living embodiment of the concept of generosity! How was Cozy supposed to match up to that?!

And then there was Rumble, simultaneously the easiest and the hardest to shop for. Easiest because he at least didn't already own anything Cozy may want to give him, hardest because that gift had to really touch his heart. She was supposed to be his special somepony. Her gift had to match that commitment, or she wouldn't be able to forgive herself for a long time.

Yes. Cozy Glow was worried for her conscience. She grumbled and took a sip of her cocoa. How did she, Cozy Glow, the filly who had struck fear in a world, come to this?

"Hi, Cozy! Are you out shopping too? I'm out shopping because Minuette told me she needed extra help preparing for the Hearth's Warming party for her friends, and as the premier pink party planner pony I stepped up to the task!"

Cozy looked up from her cup, straight into the ice-blue eyes of Pinkie Pie, who had invited herself to Cozy's table with a supreme-mega cocoa-marshmallow combo in front of her and a small truckload of colourful gifts on a cart next to her.

Weighing the options, Cozy decided to skip the first five questions she had herself and instead answer the one Pinkie had given her. "Uh-huh. But it's not going well."

"Oh…! I know all about that!" Pinkie chirped, sounding much too happy for Cozy's liking. Didn't she understand Cozy's predicament? "You should visit the gift-giver's of the grove! They give great advice on gifts. I would never have come up with the perfect gift for Twilight without them. Because who would ever think to give their friend two candy-canes, a pint of mulled cider, three-quarters pomander with cloves and a candied apple for Hearth's Warming?”

"Wha-?” Cozy stopped herself. The last thing she had the time with was exploring one of Pinkie's random tangents. "Well I don't know any gift-givers of any grove, so that doesn't really help me, now does it?"

"Hmm… I guess," Pinkie said with a hoof to her chin. "Well, maybe I can help! Who are you shopping for?"

"Sweetie Belle, Rumble and Flurry Heart," Cozy said.

"Well, Sweetie Belle is easy!" Pinkie said with a dismissive gesture. "No need to ask the gift-givers for that, I know exactly something she wants that neither Rarity or her friends will think of!"

"What's that?" Cozy asked curiously. In all honesty she hadn't been sure Pinkie's advice would be of any help. In fact she had expected one of two things. Either it would be some random thing that nobody except Pinkie could even spell let alone buy for a gift. Or it would have been some silly metaphorical thing like 'just give them your friendship' or something. Sure, Cozy knew the power of friendship, but that didn't mean she didn't want new things too for her Hearth's Warming!

"You know what Sweetie Belle's hobbies are?" Pinkie asked.

"She likes singing, crocheting, and her work as a cutie mark consultant pony," Cozy answered. "But I can't help her with singing in a way her parents or Rarity can't do better, and both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo will already give her any gifts related to her work. And Rarity knows crocheting too."

Pinkie giggled. "Rarity doesn't like crocheting. She thinks it's just like stitching, but worse! I'm sure if you get her some stuff for crocheting, she'll be happy!"

"Hmm… maybe," Cozy admitted. If Rarity wasn't going to cover that gift already, then it sounded sensible. "She does like crocheting, so it can't be all wrong."

"Great! And I know just where to go!" She gulped down her massive hot-cocoa drink in one gulp and all but bounced up from the table. "Come on, let's go!"

Cozy barely had the time to finish her cocoa and still grab ahold of Pinkie's cart before the pink pony took off. They didn't stop until twenty minutes later outside a rather obscure shop in the middle district of Canterlot. The finest shops in the capitol were the ones closest to the castle, so with a bit of luck, Cozy may be able to afford something nice here. She went inside, leaving her grinning pink companion outside.

This was some sort of sewing shop. There were large bundles of yarn in all colours behind the counter, and all other manner of sewing supplies about the smallish shop, from needles and thread to sewing machines and also crochet hooks.

"Welcome," a mare with a blue coat and pale-red mane said behind the counter. A pair of wings revealed that she was a pegasus, a rare thing in the capitol. "If you need help finding anything or need advice, let me know."

"Uh-huh," Cozy nodded. "My friend has taken up crocheting, and I wanted to get her some stuff for Hearths Warming."

The shopkeeper nodded. "How far has she come? Maybe she wants a pattern book or extra hooks? Or maybe some yarns? One can never have too many!" She made a sweeping motion to the wall behind her. There sure were a lot to choose from.

"Golly…" Cozy stammered, feeling a little bit overwhelmed. "I guess… How much does the yarn cost?" That should be a good gift, right? Cozy didn't know if Sweetie Belle already owned a pair of hooks, so yarn was probably safer.

"That depends on the colour and type," the shopkeep explained. "Ewe wool from the Crystal Empire is the most expensive and normal wool is cheaper. The price varies with colour too, however, and purple and blue colours are the most expensive."

"Hmm…" Cozy hummed, looking around.

Her eyes fell on a fresh green-looking spool. It looked a bit like Sweetie Belle's eye colour. "How much for that one?"

The shopkeep followed her pointing hoof. "Five bits for a step. Green isn't very expensive." She pulled out a piece of wood, a bit shorter than her own foreleg. "Lengths of yarn are measured in steps, allegedly based on Nimble Thimble's step. She was the pony who made the first Equestrian flag."

"I didn't know that," Cozy admitted. "I… suppose I can take a little bit of that yarn then."

*****

"Okay, that's one down," Cozy mumbled to herself and put the spool of yarn in her saddlebag.

"So now it's just two left!" Pinkie chirped. Her massive pile of presents were nowhere to be seen, but Cozy decided not to question it. Probably that friend Minuette who she talked about before had come and picked them up… yeah, that was definitely it. "And lucky for you, I have just the thing for both Flurry and Rumble! Just listen to good ol' Pinkie, and this will be easy as cake!"

Cozy cocked her head to the side. "Isn't it supposed to be easy as pie?"

"What can I say, I like cakes," Pinkie shrugged. "But then again, I like pies too. Especially Maud, Marble, Limestone, mommy and daddy Pie."

Cozy blinked, feeling slightly dazed from that unusual composition of words you don't hear every day. Briefly, she thought they might be Pinkie's family, but she decided not to continue this subject. "Okay… well, what do you have in mind?" Cozy asked. Slowly but surely, Cozy had begun to understand that giving Pinkie any more tangents to go off on was not in her best interest.

"Well Flurry is a princess, so I could see why she'd be hard to shop for," Pinkie admitted, scratching her chin with a hoof. "But I know precisely what we can get her, if you are okay with asking Twilight for some help!"

Cozy nodded. If it helped her with finding a perfect present for her friend, then she absolutely was going to ask Twilight for help. "Well, since she lives here now, I think she misses her mom and dad. And I know Twilight has had a pair of books where if you write in one of them, the same words appear in the other! If she can make a pair of books like that, then Flurry could write to her mommy everyday and not have to wait for the mail to get to the Crystal Empire!"

Cozy immediately felt her spirit swell. Not just was that a great idea for a gift, but also really complex magic. At times, she forgot that Twilight's love for books and learning could actually have a practical use, rather than just be reading for reading's sake.

"Yes, that's great! Definitely something she'll use!” Cozy nodded and fluttered her wings in excitement. Pinkie was scary good at coming up with gift ideas. "What about Rumble?"

"Pff, that's easy. If there is one thing every baker and chef likes, it's saffron. And I don't think he's ever used that before."

"Saffron?" Cozy cocked her head to the side. She recognized the word, but that was all. She didn't know what that was. "Is it an herb?"

"Spice," Pinkie corrected. "Reeeeeally expensive stuff. It's from the crocus flower, so it's harvested in spring and then sun-dried for many moons! There is nothing that tastes like it! It's like eating sunshine!"

"And what does sunshine taste like?" Cozy asked, trying not to scoff. She knew Pinkie was… odd, for the lack of a better term, but she didn't like it when that oddity made things more difficult than they had to be.

"Like saffron of course! I just said that, silly!" Pinkie chirped.

Cozy rolled her eyes and decided, again, to abandon that line of questioning. "How do you know what Rumble has used and not?"

Pinkie giggled, then moved her face closer to Cozy's. "Oh that's easy. I see everything!"

Somehow, despite Pinkie's carefree grin and happy eyes, that statement sent shivers down Cozy's spine because she somehow knew it to be true.

"Come on Cozy Rosey, let's go to the spice hall!"

"Cozy Rosey…?" Cozy asked quietly as Pinkie started half walking and half bouncing away. "Hey, wait!" She fluttered hard to catch up, but luckily Pinkie slowed down to a normal walking speed. Cozy tapped down next to her.

"So… how's Twilight treatin' ya?" Pinkie asked once Cozy had caught up.

"Golly… Good, I guess. She's… kind and… things like that," Cozy stammered, trying to find good words. "But I haven't forgiven her yet," she added, mostly out of habit.

"My Pinkie-sense says you aren't angry with her anymore though," Pinkie replied with a little smile. "Heh, silly me! I already know she's treating you well, since you like her now."

"Do not," Cozy scoffed, with a scrunch.

Pinkie giggled. "But you just said she's treating you well."

Cozy rolled her eyes, but then she suddenly remembered something. She suddenly realized where she had heard of saffron before. "I know a pony with that name! Saffron Masala! She has a restaurant here in Canterlot, The Tasty Treat."

"Ohhh! You've been there? It's nice, right?" Pinkie said, ears perking up.

Cozy nodded. "Do they have saffron in their food?"

Pinkie put a hoof to her forehead to think, somehow without slowing down in the slightest. "Hmm… dunno. Maybe?"

They continued to talk about the restaurant for a while, comparing dishes and prices. Cozy had actually been there a few times. It was almost her's and Rumble's favorite place. Just the fact that it was the place of their first date made it special. "Ah, here we are!" Pinkie said and rounded a corner. "The Canterlot Spice Hall, for all your spicy needs!"

Cozy looked around and quickly recognized the place. She had actually been here before when Ramson sent Rumble out to buy things for the castle pantry. Even if she still didn't know half the stuff he did, she enjoyed going with him. His enthusiasm for the strange pieces of plants was contagious.

Pinkie, however, took her to a shop she had never been to before. There was a heavyset pony in a green uniform outside, and there seemed to only be enough space for one adult pony inside the shop itself, aside from the shopkeep. She was a yellow unicorn pony with short-cropped red mane. Behind her she had several metal boxes with colourful insignias of varying intricacy and names stamped on them, all stacked on a lacquered red shelf. Sunhome Hill's Saffron, Sandy Loam Blooms, and Sandsong Farm were a few names. Cozy guessed they must be names of the producers. On a rack to her left, there was also a row of glass bottles filled with something that looked oddly dark orange, almost like honey.

"Hiiii! Crocus Bloom," Pinkie chirped and went inside the small shop. The pony at the entrance glanced at her, a warm smile quickly spreading on her face.

"Pinkie!" The shopkeep waved. "Need more for the Saffron Buns?"

"No, we have plenty! We're here to buy Hearth's Warming gifts! Me and Cozy Glow," Pinkie gestured to Cozy. The shopkeep noticeably stiffened.

"Oh… I… don't…?" The shopkeep stammered, eyes darting between Cozy, Pinkie and the uniformed pony. "I didn't know you were friends with Cozy, Pinkie," Crocus said carefully.

"Is there a problem with that?" Cozy spat angrily, feeling her coat bristling. It was not common, but it did happen that ponies didn't want to serve her when they realized who she was. As with most insults, it was not a thing Cozy took lightly to.

"The problem is that my sister nearly fell from Cloudsdale with the stunt you pulled," Crocus snapped, glaring down at the filly. "They could have died! And I don't serve criminals in my shop!"

Cozy's eyes narrowed. "I'll just take my business elsewhere then!" Cozy shouted. She flew up on the counter to match Crocus's increasingly angry stare with her own. "And you can bet that my coltfriend will hear about this too! And he's the castle's apprentice chef, so you had better-!"

"Is there a problem here, m'am?" The uniformed pony came inside the shop, effectively blocking the exit.

"Hey!" Pinkie shouted with a big frown, silencing all three ponies. "That's not what Hearth's Warming is about! Apologize, both of you!"

Cozy was just about to whirl around on Pinkie to continue her tirade on her instead, but Crocus Bloom was quicker. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry! I shouldn't… have said anything. It wasn't nice, or in holiday spirit." Cozy didn't think she looked very sincere though.

Cozy glared at Crocus's awkward expression. She didn't want to apologize. She hadn't done anything wrong, so why would she have to apologize for? Crocus had started it, and completely unprovoked too. Cozy huffed angrily. In fact, she'd rather leave and never come back anyway.

"Cozy?" Pinkie pushed her gently with her muzzle. "Show some Hearth's Warming spirit! Do you think the mean Windigos would have ever left if everypony acted like that? Crocus said she's sorry."

"She's just saying that because you're here and she doesn't want to lose a customer," Cozy said sourly.

"Nope," Pinkie said. "My Pinkie sense is telling me that's not it!"

"I was just… surprised to see you that's all," Crocus chipped in meekly.

Cozy glared at both Pinkie and Crocus. "Well, thanks for your help, Pinkie, but I think I'll do the rest of my shopping alone." She hopped into the air and flew off, anger and just a thimble of shame still smoldering inside her chest. Rumble was going to hear about this. No one in the castle was going to buy saffron anymore. Serves that nasty shopkeeper right.

Cozy would have loved to return to her room and spend a few days thinking of a variety of intricate and humiliating ways to exact vengeance, but sadly she did not have the time. She continued stewing in anger as she made her way to a nearby bookstore. It shouldn't be hard to find something for Flurry that could work for Twilight's magic.

But that left her to find something new for Rumble… and she was still out of ideas. Saffron would have been good; just like Pinkie said, she couldn't remember him using that spice for anything he had ever made for her, so it probably was as exclusive as Pinkie said it was.

But she couldn't go back there now! No way she'd humiliate herself like that!

Even if she wanted a nice present for her special somepony.

Cozy shook her head. She was going to make this work. And she didn't need Pinkie or Crocus or anypony else.

She slunk into a bookstore, stomped her hooves on the mat inside and started looking through the selection of notebooks. She wanted to find something pretty for Flurry. Maybe something with a cover motif from the Crystal Empire, if they had something like that.

Could she give the same gift to Rumble? Would he like a book to communicate with his brother? Cozy rejected that idea with a scoff. Cozy could not really see that. It didn't feel like something Rumble would do. Also, doing the same present for both of them would mean that neither of them were special anymore, and they had to be.

There were notebooks with Twilight on the cover. The other princesses were also popular, as was a large aerial picture of Canterlot. Cozy grabbed a notebook with Cadance on the cover. If she didn't find anything better, this could do.

What else… could she do anything to give Rumble an easier time with Ramson? In her own opinion, the head chef did still keep Rumble occupied a bit too much. But what could Cozy do about that that wouldn't land her or her coltfriend in trouble?

She sighed and reluctantly pushed the idea away. Deep down she knew that Rumble liked his work, even if Ramson was difficult. And it wouldn't be right of Cozy to mess up what he wanted to do for her own sake. That wasn't what friends did, and absolutely not special someponies.

Walking down the aisle of notebooks back towards the counter, she glanced to her side and spotted something that made her stop.

This notebook had a phoenix on the front cover, rising in a burst of violet and orange flames towards the sky. Flurry liked phoenixes; that was perfect! She picked up two copies in her hooves and flew back to put the other one in its right place.

Speaking of not messing up what Rumble wanted for her own sake… Couldn't one take the same argument in reverse? That it wasn't right of Cozy to do something that was easy for her but made things worse for Rumble? A friend ought to care more about their friends than themselves, right? If they can?

And then…

Cozy felt like a block of lead had suddenly appeared on her back. She didn't want… to go back. She didn't want to apologize to that nasty pony.

And if it was for her own sake, she wouldn't. But this wasn't for her own sake, this was for a pony she loved. She wanted to give him a Hearth's Warming gift that meant something for him.

So, would she be able to stomach going back and apologizing for Rumble's sake, if not her own?

…Yes.

Yes, she could. Because that's what a special somepony should do. He would have done the same for her, so how could she call herself his special somepony if she didn't do the same?

She sighed forlornly and paid for Flurry's notebook. Her wingbeats were slower on the way back to the spice hall.

Pinkie was still there, talking with Crocus and the guard or whatever the uniformed pony was. Cozy looked out from a nearby corner, took a deep breath and started towards the small shop, keeping her head up. If she was going to do this, then she was not going to cower. She held her head high and went inside, fighting down her frown.

"Oh, hi! I didn't think you'd come back so soon!" Pinkie smiled. "But it's good you did. I still need to get some more presents today. I mean, I have to give something to Cranky Doodle Donkey and Mathilda too, right! Cranky especially, since I'm his bestest best friend!"

Cozy did her best to tune out Pinkie's chattering. She fixed her stare at Crocus instead and took a deep breath. "I'm not going to… tell anypony anything. I'm sorry for saying that before."

Crocus looked back. "I'm sorry too. Princess Twilight wouldn't have made you her student unless you were sorry and… and nopony can change the past, right? So I shouldn't have said anything..." Her eyes flashed over to the still rambling Pinkie, as if asking permission. Pinkie didn't answer; she was busy explaining some gift-giving game to the uniformed pony.

"I want to buy… something for my special somepony," Cozy said tentatively. "He likes cooking."

"Some oil, maybe?" Crocus gestured towards the rack with the many red vials. "Easy to work with and keeps better than the fresh spice, even if the taste isn't quite as intense."

"Okay, that's good. And just a little bit of spice too," Cozy said. She wanted to have a little of the real thing too, for her gift. Just to really hammer it home.

"I recommend the Sunhome oil, and the same farm for the spice, to make sure the taste is similar." Crocus said and fished down a small flask with a red wax-stamp on the bottleneck. Her magic was dark yellow. "How much saffron do you want? Three folds maybe? Or four?"

"Folds?" Cozy asked. She didn't know what that meant. It sounded like some unit of measurement.

Crocus nodded and took out a thin piece of silk cloth and put it on a scale. From the myriad of gears and springs, Cozy guessed that scale must be made for very small weights only. Or maybe it was just very precise? Either way, she didn't quite understand why Crocus had it.

That is, until she picked out a small shovel and picked up a few saffron threads from a barrel with the same stamp on it. Just a few on the scale made the indicator swivel until it stopped inside a small green field on the display. With gentle hooves, Crocus folded the silk cloth over the saffron.

"That's one fold. Saffron is regulated by law to be sold in folds, each one containing precisely half a gram of spice," Crocus explained and neatly folded the silk cloth over the precious strands of spice.

"How much do they cost?" Cozy asked, internally bracing herself. Supposedly this was the most expensive spice of them all, and she knew some of the stuff in the castle kitchen were already plenty expensive.

And none of that stuff was required by law to be sold like this. The unit of trade was half a gram! That was practically nothing!

"Sunhome oil is fifty bits for the bottle, and one fold is seven bits," Crocus answered.

That meant Cozy didn't even have enough money with her for more than two folds after all the other gifts she had brought. But then that would have to be enough. At least Rumble definitely knew this stuff was expensive, so it wasn't like she'd have to feel bad. Or, that's what she told herself.

"I'll take two folds then," Cozy mumbled. Hopefully that was enough to actually do anything with. With just one gram of spice in total she was not sure.

"I can buy one for her too!" Pinkie said. "Since she was a good filly who came back and apologized and everything!"

Crocus quickly measured up two more folds and put it all in a small paper bag. Cozy paid in silence. Both she and Crocus were still clearly wary of each other, but they both tried to not make it awkward.

"Happy Hearth's Warming," Crocus offered.

"Yeah. You too," Cozy took the paper bag in her mouth and left the shop.

"Bye! See you soon!" Pinkie waved to Crocus and went after Cozy.

Only now did the pressing feeling in her stomach disappear. Cozy perked up. She had gone through with something she absolutely had not wanted for Rumble's sake, all on her own accord. No pushing from anypony needed! That must mean something, right?

Of course it did! It meant that this was going to be her best Hearth's Warming ever! How could it not; she had friends to celebrate it with this year. Flurry, Sweetie Belle, Twilight.

And her special somepony!

She grinned around the bag she was holding. Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough!

Author's Notes:

Hearth's Warming chapter tomorrow.

Chapter 13- A Cozy Hearth’s Warming Eve

"Actually, I don't really hate her. I just really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really dislike her."

"Well, I don't hate you guys either."

"Nor do I!"

"No matter what our differences, we are all ponies…"

With a flash of blue, a glittering sheet of "ice" encapsulated the three young ponies on Canterlot Castle's grand stage. Twilight had seen it before, and even been one of the three standing on top the stage once, but she was still a bit taken aback by how aggressive that particular bit of stage-magic looked. It really was as if the three of them were frozen solid.

Of course, right on cue, "Clover the Clever's" horn started to glow and the ice flew apart.

Several young voices in the crowd cheered. Twilight smiled wistfully. She too had just been a few years when she saw the Hearth's Warming pageant for the first time. Next to her, on a smaller stool (which was still fashioned from pure gold and silver), Flurry Heart was one of the young ponies cheering. Cadance, Shining Armour and Twilight all exchanged a meaningful glance at the young one's happiness.

It was nice to sit with them. She would have preferred to sit in the rest of the crowd rather than in the special Princess box, but then again, she had the perfect view from up here. And while she didn't condone it herself, she knew many ponies came here in part for the pageant and in part to catch a glimpse of a real alicorn.

She had asked Cozy to sit with them too, but she had refused and instead she sat next to Rumble on the benches alongside the ballroom. That's where the castle staff could sit so they never had to miss the pageant. She could see them over there, and it looked like they were holding hooves. Some day, maybe Twilight would ask if Cozy wanted to be part of the pageant, like Celestia had done with her?

As the final act of the pageant approached its end, Twilight and Cadance both stood up and extended their wings. Of all her representative tasks as the acting Princess of Equestria, this was perhaps the one she considered the most important. She could not afford to mess this up. "You've got this, sis," Shining Armour mumbled quietly. The little bit of anxiety has vanished. It was just a song that she had known since she was as young as Flurry Heart.

"And together, they named their new land…"

And as one, all the ponies on the stage, and all the ponies in the crowd answered. "Equestria."

The actors, all promising students from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, took a bow as the first notes of Equestria's national anthem started to sound. As was expected, Twilight and Cadance started the song together. As alicorns, tradition dictated that they were to lead the rest of the crowd through the song, metaphorically guiding their nation to friendship and to peace.

"As dawn shines on us every morn…"

They didn't have to sing alone for very long. All of the crowd joined in with them.

The fire of friendship is reborn
And all the friendships we have made
We cherish in every way

Loyalty binds us and makes us strong
Honesty shows that we belong
And kindness shared will unite us through each day

For the chorus, the singing from the crowd increased in volume. While many young ponies didn't know the verses, every foal and filly learnt the chorus.

The fire of friendship lives in our hearts
As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart
Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few
Laughter and singing will see us through!

We are a circle of pony friends
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end!

For the second verse the unsure ponies quieted a little again.

Though the winter brings all its cold and storm
The glow in our hearts keeps us warm
The friends we now call our family
Will always see us through

Loyalty binds us and makes us strong
Honesty shows that we belong
And kindness shared will unite us through each day

The fire of friendship lives in our hearts
As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart
Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few
Laughter and singing will see us through!

We are a circle of pony friends
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end!

As always, Twilight felt her heart swell a little as the crowd stomped their hooves in approval. As the Princess of Friendship, the anthem held a special place in her heart. The actors on stage bowed for the curtain call, and this year's pageant came to a close.

That meant it was time for her private Hearth's Warming Eve to start! For a few hours she didn't have to be Princess Twilight of Equestria, but just Twilight Sparkle, together with her friends and family.
It hadn't been easy to convince the nobility that she did not plan on attending the grand celebration tonight, but thankfully Fancypants relented when she pointed out that the Princess of Friendship ought to spend this occasion with her own friends.

Twilight, Shining Armour, Cadance and Flurry left through the backdoor of their private box, to avoid the crowds. It would take them to a part of the castle that was closed to the public.

"I liked Smart Cookie the most," Flurry declared. "She always tried to get everypony to listen. And I liked it when she said that no matter our differences, we are still all ponies. And… other creatures too, I guess?" Flurry looked pensive at that. "Mom, why were there no Crystal Ponies? Or Dragons or Changelings?"

"Well, the dragons were here, but they didn't care about us ponies at all," Twilight answered. "Changeling history is nearly unknown to me, but hopefully Thorax can help us fill in the gaps. All I know is that the Changelings have existed in the fringe of pony history for a very long time. I don't know about the Crystal Ponies though."

"I do," Cadance said. "They appeared soon after the unification, even if nopony knows how. We think it's related to a herd of earth ponies who wandered far north. They were never seen again, but soon after, the crystal ponies appeared."

Flurry nodded so her mane and ears flopped on her head. "Isn't it time for presents soon?"

"You always ask that," Shining Armour said mildly. "But you know we always eat first. Then it's presents."

"Then are we eating soon?" Flurry asked impatiently.

"Are you hungry?" Shining Armour asked with a smirk.

"Yes! Very!" Flurry said quickly. "We definitely should eat."

"But the food isn't ready yet," Twilight pointed out. "All the cooks were watching the pageant, so they'll need some time."

Flurry flicked her ears back in displeasure. "I hope they hurry though." It was all Twilight could do to not laugh at her eagerness for presents.

"You can go up to the common room," Twilight said when the four of them arrived at the stairway that led to her private wing. "I'll just wait for my friends and Cozy here. We'll be with you soon."

"Alright sis," Shining Armor hugged her. "Happy Hearth's Warming."

"Happy Hearth's Warming, BBBFF," Twilight hugged back. His coat smelled like it always did. Like family.

"Happy Hearth's Warming!" Flurry Heart said loudly.

*****

"I didn't know it was really that bad for the earth ponies though," Cozy said, looking a bit pensive. "The pageant in Cloudsdale didn't say very much about it."

Rumble nodded. "I remember thinking the same thing when I first saw the Canterlot version. I mean, it makes sense that the one in Cloudsdale focuses more on the pegasus tribe, but still, I see where you're coming from."

Cozy nodded. "I haven't seen any other pageant until now. I guess Twilight didn't want to focus so much on pony holidays in her school, else maybe her class should have put one together."

"Then who'd you want to play?" Rumble asked as they made their way back towards Twilight's wing of the castle.

"Commander Hurricane, obviously. I'm a born leader!" Cozy said. "A pity you didn't go to her class, or you could have played Private Pansy."

"Well then, I'd still be the one to save your flank from an eternity in ice, so there," Rumble retorted.

Cozy huffed, but then cast a quick glance over her shoulder. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet. "I suppose… I wouldn't mind that too much. If it was you. But if you tell anypony I said that, I'm going to have you sent to Tartarus once I'm a princess."

"Yes, Cozy. And a happy Hearth's Warming to you too," Rumble said sarcastically. He didn't need Flurry's acute sense for emotions to hear the warmth in her voice when she spoke. Clearly the spirit of Hearth's Warming affected Cozy just as much as it did every other pony.

"You'll join us for Twilight's party, right?" Cozy asked suddenly. "You don't have to stay in the kitchen all the time, right?"

"Just a little bit," Rumble said. "But once the food is served, I'm on holiday and I'll be right up with you!"

"I'll make sure we don't open the presents until you get there," Cozy said. "I think you'll like what I got you."

"Same," Rumble said with much more confidence than he really felt. One could never be entirely sure with her, but he did know he liked confidence, at least. And while he did think his gift was good, but that was no guarantee she would like it. Still, he did know Cozy well at this point; if anypony could get her a gift she'd enjoy, it was him. They rounded a corner and Rumble spotted Twilight Sparkle talking with Rainbow Dash and Applejack, all of them smiling bright enough to lighten up the whole room. Also, he spotted the door to the kitchen. "Well, I'll have to go to the kitchen now, but it won't be too long. Okay?"

"I still think you should have all of Hearth's Warming off," Cozy grumbled. "Nearly everypony has Hearth's Warming off."

"Well, at least I get to be part of making you your first real Hearth's Warming meal, right?" he said and nuzzled her. "Don't you want that?"

She nuzzled back by way of answering. He felt blood rush to his cheeks; he had not expected her to do something like that in the vicinity of Twilight and her friends. "I guess you're right. Well, I'll see you soon then. But don't be too long!"

He nuzzled her one last time and went inside the kitchen. He was not surprised to see Ramson already there. They had started working on most dishes earlier and let them slowly cook under the pageant's first half, and then rushed back during intermission to take care of a few crucial steps before leaving the dishes to cook even longer. Yet again Rumble was left amazed by Ramson's ability. Not only did he plan and execute a feast fit for a princess (literally), but he even managed to watch the Hearth's Warming pageant, and partake in the anthem chorus while doing it!

"Okay Tomtit, this is the most important moment." He said, nailing Rumble to the door frame with a stare that he, even after all the hours of having worked with Ramson still could not quite meet. "If everything has gone to plan, all that's left is the garnishing. If it has all gone to Tartarus, then we'll have to do plan B. Sadly plan B is basically trash so this had better work."

"Yes Chef!"

"Collect cabbage roulade and finish the kale and cranberry salad first and foremost. Then I'm going to give you an honorary task, if you do well enough."

"Yes Chef!" Rumble saluted and dashed over to the oven where the red cabbage roulades were being baked with chèvre cheese and walnuts. He glanced for a moment to check if they were done before he recovered the plate. He grabbed a pot of honey with a wing and poured a wavy pattern over the dark-red roulades. Then he covered the plate with a silver lid so it kept warm.

Next for the salad. Luckily he had already started that during intermission. He grabbed a vegetable knife and started.

Kale, rutabagas, a few brussels sprouts, hacked almonds and walnuts, some grated cheese, olive oil and a careful dab of balsamic vinegar. And then, the coup-de-grâce, he fluttered off to the spice cabinet to pick up the particular ingredient he had picked out before. He had never worked with anything half as extravagant before. In fact, this stuff was so expensive that he didn't dare to leave it outside in the kitchen for intermission, just in case.

Inside a glass jar, there was an ugly, dirt-white, lumpy, ugly… thing.

He opened the jar and was greeted by an intense aroma that spoke of luxury and extravagance. White truffle didn't look very pretty, but there was a reason it was so very expensive. In fact, a few years ago, he would never have expected to work with something like this. They had even included a special magical grating iron that couldn't harm anything but the mushroom. That way he could grate the whole thing down without having to worry about nicking the hoof he held the truffle in and still use the whole thing. He grated it over the salad with reverence.

It took almost an hour of intensive work and carrying dishes back and forth to the Princess and the nobility's banquet before Ramson nodded sharply the way he did when things were nearing the end. "I'll handle the rest, Tomtit. But since I know for a fact that you'll be going up to the Princess to join the festivities, you can take care of one final, special task to round out the evening."

"Yes chef, what's that?" Rumble asked.

"I have prepared this year's spice blend for the Princess's mulled cider." He nodded towards a tea-sieve filled with dark citrus peels, cinnamon and other spices he could not quite deduce at a distance. "The Princess's Apple friend will have brought the cider, but you've got to prepare it. I'm sure your little sweetheart wouldn't mind it either."

"No, she'd like that," Rumble nodded.

"Good. Then happy Hearth's Warming Tomtit." There was a moment of hesitation before he shrugged. "You're developing at a good pace. Continue like this, and the CCC will be yours one day, I can tell."

Once before, Ramson had said that Rumble had achieved something. Once. That moment was one he still remembered and still was proud of. To hear Ramson say something like this… this meant something. This was nothing he had ever expected him to say. Suddenly, he felt like he wanted to take another try at Shining Armour's training regimen- right now, he felt invincible.

"Well, after I have retired, of course," Ramson corrected himself with a shrug.

"Or maybe before," Rumble said. At this moment, he felt like there was nothing he couldn't do.

Ramson barked out a laugh. "Don't push it, Tomtit."

He left, feeling like he was jumping on clouds as he made his way up the stairs. He got about halfway before he realized he had forgotten the spice-sieve downstairs.

*****

This was a bit of an odd situation Cozy found herself in. On the one hoof, she had almost forgotten how happy Twilight Sparkle could be. Now, for one evening she was free of all her duties and together with those five ponies who had changed… well, everything. The way her eyes sparkled, the way her voice seemed to come alive when talking to them filled Cozy too with a sense of peace. They belonged together, even beyond their connection as Elements of Harmony or how the appearance of their cutie marks was linked.

Indeed, it was that same idea that had first made Cozy so sure of the power in their friendship. And now she saw it again, the way they gloried in each other's presence, and the warm comfort of their friendship. Rainbow was listening intently to something Applejack was saying about Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. She had also brought a keg, about the same size as a pony's barrel. Cozy didn't know what it was, but Rainbow Dash kept sneaking lustful glances at it. Rarity had a glass of mulled wine and sat together with Fluttershy. It sounded like they were discussing something about fashion trends for the next year, and Pinkie sat together with the foals and was partaking in an alphabet game.

And among them all, part of all discussions at the same time, Twilight herself. She hadn't sat still all the time she had been inside the room. She was listening to Rarity's fashion concerns, asking questions about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, played with Pinkie and kept up with her family too. Cozy guessed she was making up for lost time with all her friends this evening.

But Cozy didn't belong. She could feel that, no matter how much Twilight tried to invite her. Cozy was not one of them, and she never could be. That's why it felt so odd. To be in a room so soaked in friendship but to not be able to fully partake was… sad, in a way.

But it was no more than could be ignored. After all, Cadance and Shining Armor were in the same boat. In fact, Cozy was willing to bet there was not a pony in Equestria who could truly appreciate friendship the way Twilight and her friends could. And to some degree, Cozy was thankful for the distraction. She had been a bit worried about meeting Rainbow and Applejack again. Those two were definitely the most stiff-necked of her old professors, and she wasn't sure they liked her.

This way they barely even noticed Cozy was there too. Maybe that was for the best.

And she still had Flurry and Sweetie Belle to keep her company, and plenty of presents all underneath the large Hearth's Warming tree they had put inside the common room and decorated, all on their own. With ornaments, lights, garlands, a star on top and a pile of presents at the bottom. The three of them had taken their time to do a thorough investigation of said pile to see exactly what they had to look forward to. Cozy was surprised with how many presents were addressed to her; she had only expected one from Twilight, Flurry and Rumble, and maybe Sweetie Belle. That made for three, possibly four gifts.

She had counted more than double that! There were no less than three from Pinkie (if the stains of frosting on the wrapper was anything to go by), and from Rarity and even Cadance too. To think that Cadance remembered her enough to buy her a Hearth's Warming gift!

Her own gifts were under the tree too. She had deliberately spread them out to different parts of the large pile. It felt better like that.

"Okay, the next theme is… Animals!" Pinkie smiled, reading a note she had pulled from her mane. "I'll go first! Dog!"

"Okay, my turn," Shining Armour said. "Hmm… Goat."

"Tatzlwurm," Cadance said, glancing over at Twilight. Cozy didn't know what a "Tatzlwurm" was, but since nopony else asked she guessed it was a real thing. She would have to check that later.

"Ehm… Maulwurf," Sweetie Belle mumbled. "I think it's a half mole, half bear. I read about them once."

"Phoenix!" Flurry Heart said quickly, wings wide.

"You know that isn't spelled with an F, sweetheart," Cadance corrected. "Phoenix starts with a P."

Flurry's wings fell a little. "But that's stupid! Why are there different ways of spelling the same sound! We even have a letter for that sound!"

"But that's how it is," Cadance explined, ever patient. ”So try again. An animal beginning with the letter F."

"Fff… Ffflurry Heart?" Flurry tried.

"You're not an animal, you're a pony," Shining Armour laughed.

Flurry's retort was interrupted by a knock on the door. Twilight and her friends didn't stop their conversation, but Cozy did see Rumble discreetly make his way inside the room with a metal sieve in his mouth. At last, her Heart's Warming could begin for real! About time!

She quickly flew off to welcome him and make sure he sat down next to her. Flurry followed too, presumably to try and weasel her way out of her losing argument. Sweetie Belle followed as well.

"Good golly gee, why did he have to keep you for this long!" Cozy huffed. "Come now, we have saved some food for you, and soon we can give out presents!"

"Just one more thing to do," Rumble said and shook the metal sieve. "If I remember correctly, you once said that you haven't had cider before, right?"

Cozy shook her head. "No, never."

"Me either," Flurry said. "Mommy said I'm too little, but I'm a big filly this year! So I want some too."

"Only foal cider," Sweetie Belle said. "But that's plenty good too. Apple Bloom shared with me last Hearths Warming."

"Well this," he waved the metal sieve, "is the spice for this year's cider."

With a "whooosh" and a contrail of colours, another pony invaded their little circle. "There's gonna be cider?" Rainbow Dash asked, sniffing in the air like a canine on the prowl.

"Whoa-nelly, sit down there partner," Applejack called to her companion. "It's gotta boil first." She turned to Rumble, even if Cozy could have sworn the spring-green eyes dwelled on her for a split second. "So you've got the spices?"

"Right here!"

"Then what say we get underway," Applejack said. "Before somepony bursts from waitin'," she glanced back at Rainbow Dash with a smart look in her eye.

"I have a cauldron here," Twilight shouted. Cozy didn't know how long she had listened for, but out of nowhere, a black cauldron was magicked forth.

"You've got the cider, right?" Rumble looked at Applejack.

"Sure do,” Applejack answered and tapped the keg she had brought. "Fall's finest harvest. There's even some late Zap-Apples in there. An' no alcohol. Wouldn't want anypony to try an' prove herself again now, would we?"

"Hey, it was only once!" Rainbow fluffed up her wings in indignation. "Besides, it was just unlucky… I had a lot to eat before I tried that time…"

"Well, there ain't no chance of you getting yourself smashed this year," Applejack said. "'Sides, I reckon the little ones should have some too, no?"

"I'm not little!" Flurry snapped. "But I do want some. Mom and dad like cider."

"Yeah yeah, get to it already! I'm thirsty," Rainbow Dash mumbled.

"There ain't no talkin' with you," Applejack sighed with a tender sort of smile. "Twilight, mind helpin' me here?"

"Not at all!" Twilight ignited her horn and poured the golden-brown cider into the cauldron. It smelled strongly of apples. Rumble lowered the sieve. Almost immediately Cozy could see a dark mist wafting from the sieve and out into the liquid.

"This will need some thirty minutes or so for the best results," Rumble informed.

"PRESENTS! PRESENTS NOW!" Pinkie shouted.

"PRESENTS NOW!" Flurry echoed, drawing smiles and giggles from most adults in the room.

"Sure, sweetheart, you can open your presents now," Cadance said and nuzzled her daughter. Flurry flew up in a sofa and tapped the spaces next to her. Shining Armour and Cadance obeyed. After that, everypony found their own place. Rarity remained sitting in an armchair, but now with Sweetie Belle cooped up next to her. Applejack and Rainbow sat down directly on the floor, and Fluttershy laid down by them. Pinkie appeared behind them somehow, leaving one other armchair free for Cozy and her special somepony. They sat down close to one another.

Cozy felt her cheeks flush, but she wasn't going to do anything about it. It was Hearth's Warming, after all.

And he was so warm and soft… and he smelled nice too.

"I have thought out the optimal way of handing out the gifts," Twilight said with pride, standing before the tree and the presents. From a nearby table she magicked up a notebook and a quill. "Based on the number of gifts, length and number of rhymes to go with them, and partitioning between everypony present and their individual preferences, I have come up with the optimal order. Pinkie will start and pick a random gift. She will then give it to whoever it's addressed to, and then that pony picks a gift from the pile to present!"

"Oki-doki-loki," Pinkie said happily and darted forward. Cozy had a feeling that for Pinkie, giving the gifts was the most enjoyable part of Hearth's Warming. "Here is one from me to Rarity…"

This was nice. This felt more real than any Hearth's Warming Cozy had experienced before. In the orphanage, they always decorated the tree together, and then everypony got a small gift. It was nice, and Cozy knew that if it was up to Cheerful she would have done more, but she simply didn't have the bits. But this… all of the food, the decorations and the friendships… this really felt like something magical.

She got candy and cakes from Pinkie, a book on magical locations in Equestria from Sweetie Belle, a new set of winter boots from Cadance, and a large wool blanket from Rumble, which she had promptly wrapped around herself.

"Here is one from Cozy Glow to Sweetie Belle," Rarity read from a present.

Sweetie Belle looked up from her brand new scarf when her name was called again. She waved to her friend across the room. "Thank you so much, Cozy!"

"Thank you too," Cozy called back, wriggling one hoof free from her blanket. That would be the yarn. Hopefully it would be a good gift.

Rarity magicked Cozy's present over to her sister. Sweetie Belle tore it open carefully with the mouth. Cozy briefly wondered why she didn't use her magic, but didn't dwell on it. Maybe it was still more trouble than it was worth for Sweetie Belle?

The paper fell away, and a green bundle of yarn dropped in her lap. "Oh! For my crocheting, right?"

Cozy nodded.

"Thanks a lot. Now I can make a nice pair of green socks for the rest of the winter," Sweetie Belle patted the soft yarn quickly before she put it among the other gifts she had received. It was not surprising that her pile was substantially bigger than Cozy's, with all her friends and her sister and her parents. Cozy did her best to not feel an ugly pang of jealousy at Sweetie Belle and Flurry. She had known that's how it would be.

Sweetie Belle jumped down from her seat and started forward to the present pile, wading through the wrapping paper. Since she had received the last gift, that meant it was her turn to give the next one.

She picked out a present from the pile and read the attached card.

"For Rumble, from his cute and loveable special somepony."

Cozy felt her cheeks flush beet red and suddenly developed a massive interest in her new blanket. She hadn't thought about how it would feel to have that dedication spoken out loud in front of everypony. What would they think?

"Thank you, cute and loveable special somepony," Rumble said with a grin. Sweetie Belle magicked the present over to him. It was hard and box-shaped.

"Be careful… don't drop it," Cozy mumbled.

Why did she feel the need to say that? Cozy mentally kicked herself; of course Sweetie Belle wasn't going to drop it. Or for that matter, if she were, it wasn't like she'd now change her mind because Cozy asked her.

"Sure, I've got this," Sweetie Belle said and neatly sat the box down in front of Rumble. Cozy felt like Rumble had some sort of enchantment on him that compelled her to watch him open the gift. Sweetie Belle also stayed nearby.

Inside was a box filled with straw, and nestled within was a bottle filled with something red. It looked miserly compared to his blanket.

"Oh, this is…!" Rumble turned it over and looked at the wax stamp on the bottleneck. He seemed to recognize it.

"Saffron oil," Cozy blurted. She couldn't stay silent anymore. "And some saffron too. There are some folds under the straw. So you could have some real stuff. But it's just about a gram. But maybe that's enough, I don't know… and-"

"Thank you." He took out the bottle and looked at it with an amazed face. "Really, Cozy. I know how expensive this stuff is. I have never even worked with it before!"

"I know," Cozy managed as relief seemed to bloom in her chest. It had worked! It had all been worth it!

"How did you know that?" Both Rumble and Flurry asked at the same time.

"Uh… Pinkie said that when I asked," Cozy mumbled. "Does that make sense?"

Rumble smiled. "I suppose it does. Thank you, Cozy. Again."

Cozy didn't know what to say. She settled for covering her mouth with her blanket-wrapped hooves and smile. When was the last time she smiled like this? When was the last time her heart beat this fast?

"Of course it makes sense!" Pinkie chirped. "Now stop stalling! It's your turn to give the next gift, Rumble!"

Rumble hopped down from the armchair and Sweetie Belle returned to her sister's side. Rumble picked out a present. "For Twilight Sparkle from Pinkie!"

"Thank you so much Pinkie. You have really been hard at work this Hearth's Warming," Twilight said. Cozy was inclined to agree. At least half of the presents in the pile were from Pinkie.

"Well, since we did the Hearth's Warming Helper last year and I couldn't give everypony the gifts they deserved, I had to work extra extra hard this year!" Pinkie explained. "And I made sure everypony in Ponyville also got a Pinkie Pie-present. And Minuette. And mommy, daddy, Maud, Marble, Limestone, all the yaks in Yakyakistan and… pretty much everypony!"

"… I'm sure they appreciate that," Twilight said tactfully and nimbly opened her gift. To nopony's surprise, it was a book. Also to nopony's surprise, stars seemed to appear in Twilight's eyes when she saw it. She put it on-top of the small pile of books she had already received.

"Also, while I'm here, I think the cider is ready now, so-"

A burst of wind nearly toppled him when Rainbow all but shot from her place and up next to the fireplace where the cider boiled. Her slipstream kicked up all the wrapping paper from the floor and caused it to fall like colourful snow, much to Flurry's enjoyment.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity snapped. "Can you please act with some dignity!?"

"Cider first, dignity later," Rainbow scoffed.

"But the Princess should have the first flagon," Rumble tried to protest. "It's her cider, isn't it?"

"No, no," Twilight said quickly. "Rainbow can start… as long as she leaves a little for the rest of us."

"See, you heard the princess," Rainbow said smugly.

"Fine," Rumble said and scooped up a ladle of golden liquid. "I hope it turned out well."

Rainbow sniffed approvingly and then returned to her place, balancing the stein on her wing. After that, everypony went forward for the cider. It really smelled nice. If Hearth's Warming was a liquid, this is how it would smell, Cozy decided.

Rumble was the last one to take a stein and return to the armchair. Cozy threw her blanket over the both of them once he returned. For one evening, she didn't have to keep up her omnipresent guard. Just for tonight, she was fine with being a filly celebrating Hearth's Warming Eve with her friends and her loved one.

"Happy Hearth's Warming, everypony," Twilight said. "All of my friends… thank you for coming, I… It really means a lot to me."

"Sure thing, Sugarplum," Applejack nodded to Twilight.

"Yeah! I mean come on here," Rainbow said, wiping a thick foam from her lips. "Our combined friendship saved Equestria a bunch of times, right? Do you honestly think we'd stop seeing you just 'cause you had to move to Canterlot?"

"We'll always be friends," Fluttershy said softly.

"And you can make new friends too," Rumble said loudly. "You have two students now, and they are both your friends, aren't you?"

"Yay!" Flurry Heart shouted.

Every eye in the room turned to Cozy.

She hesitated, just for a split second.

"Golly, of course we're friends… most of the time anyway."