Twilight and her friends visit Cozy Glow in Tartarus to give her a chance to redeem herself
Princess Celestia and Luna announced their retirement and Twilight Sparkle to be their successor, and ascend the throne of Equestria. Twilight is stressed about it, but her mind is focused on her former assistant at Ponyville's School of Friendship named Cozy Glow. She finds her punishment too harsh, therefore she wants to at least try to convince her to be a good pony and release her from Tartarus.
Twilight Sparkle was in her bedroom, pacing around because princesses announced their retirement, and she was the one to be their successor. But that wasn't her only worry. Her thoughts were also on the magic disappearing incident that happened a month ago and discovering who was behind it.
How could Cozy Glow do this to me? Or to her friends? We all trusted her, she was even my assistant, and that's how she pays back?!
Soon, she was trying to figure out why could make her do such a horrible thing
No! There must be something more about her - I know that
Twilight all of the sudden shouted "Spike!"
"What is it Twi?"
Twilight ordered - "Write a letter to the Elements, Celestia, Luna, and Starlight to come to the Cutie Map room. It's urgent"
Spike didn't have to be told twice - he sat at the desk and started writing letters to mentioned ponies with his quill.
20 minutes later
Her friends were gathering in the Cutie Map room, only Starlight hadn't arrived yet.
"Twilight, if there is something more you need to know about ruling Equestria, then just tell us" - Celestia said, worried about her.
"It's not about that"
"Then what?" - Luna asked
"I will tell you everything, but Starlight also has to be here"
After 5 minutes, Starlight appeared in the room
"Phew! Sorry for being late, but things in school are hectic because of final exams"
"Alright! Since everyone I asked is here, we can proceed" - Twilight spoke - "It's about Cozy Glow"
Princesses winced slightly at the mention of this pegasus' name.
"Ugh! What 'bout her, Twi?" - Applejack asked angrily.
"I know you may not like it but putting her in Tartarus was too severe in my opinion, even after what she has done..."
"Twilight, with all the respect, but she tri-" - Luna tried to convince her to stop thinking about it, but Twilight cut her off
"Wait, let me explain" - she took a deep breath - "Cozy Glow is too young to be locked up in Tartarus despite her crimes against Equestria - Tartarus is not an appropriate place for ponies, especially that young, trust me - I've been there myself. Besides, her mind is also young and she still learns new things about the world and herself - what if we show her a better way? I believe that she can be reformed, just like Discord or Starlight, all she needs is some guidance in friendship"
"She doesn't seem to be reformable darling" - Rarity said
"How do you know that? How do we know if she's not just some misguided filly? I knew something was wrong with her after failing her test on purpose, but I ignored it. I partially feel responsible for what happened that day with magic vanishing"
"Twilight" - Celestia spoke softly - "It is not your fault - you couldn't predict Cozy's betrayal"
"Yet again - I could have done something, like talk to her when she was feeling down, or maybe even control her more when she became my assistant, so she wouldn't try to steal all the magic from Equestria"
"But...what are you going to do" - Fluttershy asked
"We all will go visit her in Tartarus and talk to her. Something tells me she's not a lost cause"
Everyone was shocked by Twilight's idea. Princess Luna knew this purple alicorn was up to something, but she certainly didn't expect this. She was unsure and afraid her idea might get out of hoof, but she knew Twilight and her friends were facing bigger threats during their adventures,
"Art th...I mean - are you sure this is a good idea?" - Luna asked
"I am" - her expression turns into more stern - "By the way, Luna. From what I've heard you put Cozy Glow in a cage near Tirek. Do you think this is a good idea to put her close to someone who taught her step-by-step how to steal magic?"
Luna thinks about it for a while
"It was not the best idea when you put it like that" - she facehoofs herself - "Fine, I admit it - I messed up..."
"So what do you say?" - Starlight asks Luna
"I guess it is worth trying" - she said - "but let me ask you one more thing, Twilight"
"What is it?"
"Why do you even want to reform Cozy Glow?" - Luna asked - "Um...it's not like I don't like your idea, but I want to know your motive"
"Since Celestia sent me to Ponyville, I've been learning friendship with my 5 best friends" - she smiles warmly at mentioned ponies and resumed speaking - "but often we were teaching others about friendship and show villains that there's a better way than serving the Darkness. Sure - some creatures were rotten to the core and so - irreformable like King Sombra, Tirek, or Chrysalis, but Cozy's different. If we can reform powerful creatures like a time-traveling dictator" - she points at Starlight, making her look away in embarrassment - "or even Discord - the god of chaos, then I'm pretty sure we can handle little pegasus filly"
Twilight glances at Celestia and looks at all of them again.
"Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville to learn friendship. We solved many problems and made Equestria way better place than it used to be before Nightmare Moon returned from her banishment and we got Princess Luna back when Nightmare Moon was gone. So, if I'm the one to take their place, I want to show that I've got what it takes to spread the true message of friendship"
Everypony in the room felt very touched by her words, especially Princess Celestia. They all remained silent until Starlight spoke.
"So...when do you want to go?"
"We can go now if nopony has anything to do. This shouldn't take long. Do you want to go there now?" - she glanced at princesses, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie - they all nodded. Twilight turned her head to Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Starlight - they also nodded.
"Alright. I will teleport us to Tartarus."
With that being said, Twilight lit her horn up and enveloped all her friends with the magenta glow. Soon, they all disappeared from Cutie Map room and were standing in front of Tartarus' gate.
Princess Celestia used her magic to open the gate and everyone stepped inside.
When they were trotting towards the island where Tirek and Cozy were imprisoned, Cerberus blocked their way and stared at these 9 ponies, but he quickly stepped aside.
Tirek was first to spot his enemies walking towards them.
"Cozy look! We have visitors" - he informed, making her look at them - "What do you think they want?"
"Who knows? Maybe we'll have a new inmate..." - she replied
Two villains remained silent. When Twilight and her group approached Cozy's cage, princess Luna greeted her with a cheerful tone.
"Hi, Cozy Glow! How art thou doing today?"
Little pegasus gave the night ruler the death stare, then turned around and looked at the ground.
"What do you want?! Gonna bully me again?!" - she asked bitterly
"Bully...?" - Twilight repeated and looked at princess Luna with a confused frown
"Again...?" - now it was Celestia, who looked at her younger sister with a raised eyebrow - "Luna, what is she talking about?"
Princess Luna didn't answer her sister's question - "Cozy, I know you hate me and us all, but please listen"
Cozy Glow turned to her visitors with a less angry expression on her face - "Whatever"
Twilight approached her cage and started talking
"Cozy, what you have done was terrible and you put Equestria in great danger-"
"Oh this again..." - Cozy said annoyed, Twilight ignored what she's just said and resumed
"-but I'm sure there's some good in you and deep inside you're at least a bit sorry for your deeds" - her expression turned to more serious - "Cozy Glow, you are to be reformed"
Cozy didn't say anything trying to process what her former headmare said
"However, it depends on you - if you don't want to change, then you will simply stay here - I won't punish you for refusing my help"
"Reformed? Is this a joke? If so, then it's not funny at all!" - she snarled and glanced hatefully at princess Luna before looking down at the floor
"I assure you this is not a joke, little one" - Celestia said with a kind gaze and a smile
"Why do you insist on reforming me now? I'm not a powerful magic wielder like Discord, Starlight, or Luna - I'm a mere pegasus, so I have no use for you to reform me"
"It's not about having magic or not - you're jumping to conclusions. We really want to reform you"
"How come?"
"Because we all were wrong. Tartarus is not a place for ponies - I've been here on my own, yet I let princess Luna lock you up here"
She looked at other visitors, all of them smiling warmly at her. This was a completely new experience for evil Cozy Glow. These expressions, which used to be nothing more than fake smiles of contempt, were now filled with love. This made Cozy more at ease.
"If you want to reform me then I want you to do so"
"Great!" - Twilight exclaimed. Then she used her magic to open her cage and walked inside.
"You'll see - being good pony is not that bad - it's way better than trying to dominate the world and manipulating others" - she said and put her hoof on Cozy's back
"What's the catch?" - Cozy asked suspiciously
"Only one - you will have to cooperate with us" - Twilight informed
"Fair enough" - Cozy said smiling. This was the first time she seemed to be happy after Twilight's group visited her.
Starlight also stepped inside Cozy's cage - "Alright Cozy, let's go. There's a lot of work ahead of us"
"Oh how sweet" - Tirek taunted
Shortly after that, Cozy was freed from her cage and walked with them towards the exit. But Tirek told them.
"So ponies get a second chance, but a centaur doesn't - that's unfair"
Princess Celestia turned around to give him an extremely harsh glare.
"Don't you remember that it was you who taught Cozy how to steal magic? Or when you stole my, Luna's, and Cadence's magic and then put us in here? Or when you destroyed Twilight's old house? Forget it - you're staying here for all eternity."
"But...the magic of friendship!" - he mocked
"Are you deaf? No means no!" - Rainbow Dash scolded, clearly fed up with Tirek's behavior and even his presence, making him quiet.
When they all made their way outside, Cozy took a deep breath, inhaling fresh air into her nostrils and sighing.
"It feels nice to be outside. I don't wanna go back to Tartarus."
"Then be nice and you will remain on freedom" - Twilight said softly
It's been two days since Cozy Glow was freed from Tartarus and given a chance to become a better pony. As soon as it was done, princesses and Twilight announced it to everyone in Equestria. This news had mixed reactions - while some ponies were happy with it and glad that they showed her mercy and some ponies, who highly disapproved of their idea and were sure Cozy is beyond saving and should rot in Tartarus, the majority of Equestria's citizens didn't care about it and were completely indifferent to this news.
As for Cozy Glow, she was temporarily given a room in Twilight's Castle. Leaving the castle without any supervision was strictly forbidden for her - both for Cozy's and Equestria's safety. At Princess Luna's request, Twilight and Starlight also cast a special spell on Cutie Map, which shows the current location of Cozy's Cutie Mark - if she escaped, it would be easy for them to track her down. Twilight was skeptical of this idea, but since Princess Luna had more authority than her, she had no other choice but to obey the night ruler and inform Cozy that she will be tracked by the map.
The same day - evening
Twilight and her friends' work at School of Friendship was over and everypony went their own way.
Meanwhile Twilight was getting ready for one important task for this day - talk with Cozy Glow, find out her motive, and try to talk sense to her. Therefore she was getting ready for this conversation, thoroughly thinking about necessary questions, and preparing for Cozy to be manipulative once again.
When Twilight was ready, she flew to Cozy's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in" - Cozy's voice echoed and Twilight went in.
"Hi Cozy! How are you doing today?" - she asked
"Fine. But the weather is even better, may I go outside for a while, please?" - Cozy said with a pleading tone of voice and with the cutest smile she could make
"Listen, I know that you want to go and fly without caring about anything, but for now you mustn't until I know you won't cause any trouble. For now, however, I want you to come with me"
The filly asked "Where?"
"To my office in this castle. We need to talk."
Cozy shivered at Twilight's statement. She thought the alicorn is going to scold her or do something even worse than that.
After 5 minutes, they both entered Twilight's office. Purple alicorn sat on her chair, while Cozy was given a seat right in front of her.
"Cozy, the very first thing to do in reforming a villain is knowing their motives. We only know that you think of friendship as power and about that whole "Empress-of-Friendship" thing. Could you explain that?"
"I just wanted power - that's it" - Cozy reluctantly answered
"Are you sure? Cozy, I know it's not just about the power. You can tell me"
She didn't want to do it, but she also knew that lying would only make it worse, so she decided to tell Twilight the truth.
"As I said - I wanted power. I saw what magic wielders are capable of, like Starlight with removing Cutie Marks or by traveling in time - I wanted that, I desired that. Using magic makes unicorns' lives easier because they don't have to grab things with their hooves. But I'm just a pegasus - all that my useless form can do is flying. That made me jealous and I thought to myself - if I can't have magic, then no one will! That's why I contacted Tirek" - Cozy's eyes got watery after finishing her outburst.
Twilight was completely shocked by what Cozy has just said.
"No Cozy, you don't understand. Everyone has their tasks in their life, no matter if that's a unicorn, earth pony, pegasus, or non-pony creature. But what also matters, mostly for you, is that you also have your very own magic"
"I don't! I can't cast spells, except that for stealing magic, but actually, it doesn't count, because it was a scroll enchanted by Tirek."
"Magic isn't only about casting spells. Controlling weather - the main pegasi task - also requires magic. Even tending land is earth ponies' magic. It's impossible to grow crops using spells - it makes food inedible." - Twilight explained
"Wait! You're saying that flapping my wings, moving clouds, and making rain and snow is thanks to magic?"
"Yes. You see - your pegasus magic lets you fly up in the air, but also lets your wings swing correctly and balance your flight. When it comes to controlling the weather...well - some unicorns also can do it, but results, compared to pegasi work, are far from good"
Cozy was speechless for a while, but then she asked
"So, if my scheme was successful and all the magic disappeared from Equestria, would there be no magic at all?"
"Exactly. Not only rendering unicorns useless, but also pegasi wouldn't be able to control the weather, and earth ponies won't be able to grow crops. Magic was predicted to vanish after the sunset. So, if you managed to destroy all the magic, Equestria would be covered in eternal night, with extreme weather anomalies like a thunderstorm with golfball-sized hail rain and everything combined with widespread famine - it wouldn't be the best place to live in or rule, would it?
Cozy Glow was once again speechless. She didn't know about the other consequences of her action. Tirek only wrote that unicorns and alicorns won't have their magic, but what she didn't realize was removing other ponies' magic. The feeling of nearly crushing guilt appeared in her mind.
"Oh! I mean - wow. I didn't want to. I thought the only magic that I tried to get rid of would be this for casting spells. Tirek swore it will only do that, not wipe out all the magic." - She looked at her former headmare with a really sad expression - "Twilight, I'm so sorry!"
At this point, Cozy Glow couldn't hold it anymore - she jumped onto the floor and laid on her belly while covering her face with her forelegs and wept. Now she realized just how wrong she was. Vision with her almost destroying all the Equestria - her home, her motherland, dooming her friends, teachers, and herself for some wicked desires were going round and round in Cozy's head. Twilight was surprised by her sudden change of demeanor, but she was glad that Cozy realized her mistakes. Or it seemed like that.
She walked to still-bawling filly to check whether she's not acting - just in case - but she wasn't. These were real sobs of pure sadness and regret. As for Cozy, except for crying her heart out, she was also tearfully mumbling for forgiveness.
Cozy didn't have time to react before Twilight reached for her, picked her up, and wrapped her forelegs around this filly in a loving embrace. Cozy was still babbling unintelligible sentences. After a while, she calmed down enough to speak.
"Shhh...I've got you, Cozy." - Twilight soothed stroking her mane
Eventually, Cozy stopped wailing but was still held close by Twilight
"I know you hate me for what I've done, but I'm really sorry"
"Cozy, I don't hate you. If I did, would I hug you like that? I have never hated you - when I found out your scheme, I was disappointed and felt betrayed, but hate is a very strong word, don't you think?" - Twilight said and released Cozy from the embrace
"Maybe you're right. Once again - I'm sorry. I really didn't know it would doom Equestria"
"I see you are. But apologizing isn't enough to make up for your deeds. You also have to work for forgiveness. Luckily, we won't do that today. I just want you to explain one more thing before we finish"
"I'm listening"
"Just how it was possible for you to contact Tirek. I mean Equestrian Postal Service doesn't send letters to Tartarus, mainly because there's magic that blocks access for delivery ponies - so how did you do that?"
Cozy was more than eager to tell her - mostly because she was mad at Tirek for fooling her and nearly making her destroy Equestria.
"I got a letter from him, just after Hearth's Warming. He explained that there's some lack of security in Tartarus which allows to send letters from there. He didn't explain how did he get paper or quills to write them though. I still have every letter he sent to me - you can read them if you want."
"I can't do that - these are your private messages, if I did, I would basically violate the secrecy of your correspondence" - Twilight said
"You have my permission to check them. It might help prevent magic from disappearing and maybe even improve security in Tartarus, so he won't try to contact anyone again." - Cozy reassured
"If you want that, then I will check them. Where do you have these letters?"
"In my dormitory at the school. Can we go there now?"
"Sure. Just let me take the keys."
With that being said, Twilight and Cozy Glow headed towards the School of Friendship. When they arrived, Twilight used the key to open Cozy's dormitory - it was mostly clean, with several books lying on the floor and thin layer of dust on the floor, bed and desk. It wasn't any surprise for Twilight and Cozy, because this room was locked for over a month.
"Here are these letters" - Cozy said while giving small box to Twilight - "I promise they aren't forged"
Twilight grabbed the box with her magic and opened it, revealing some parchments.
"Look - that's very least I can do for you. I know I won't be going back to your school" - Cozy said
"I never said that" - Twilight replied, confusing Cozy - "actually, you're still a student"
"B-but how? Wasn't I expelled?"
"You were only thrown into Tartarus. Why do you think I was visiting you every 3 days and giving you exercises and taking your already finished tasks?"
"To prevent me from being bored?" - she tried to guess
"Well yes, but actually to prevent you from having backlogs in your studies. And honestly you were doing great!"
"Really?" - Cozy asked. Twilight didn't respond, only nodded and glanced at the watch.
"Okay Cozy. I think it's time to go back to the castle. It's getting quite late and you need some sleep"
"What am I going to do tomorrow?" - Cozy asked
"You will see..." - Twilight relied with soft smile, but quickly reassured her - "don't worry - nothing bad is going to happen to you."
After a while, they both returned to Twilight's castle and were getting ready to sleep.
When Cozy Glow laid on the bed, she was thinking about the recent events.
"Golly, Twilight is very nice to me after everything I've done - she gave me a room in her castle, comforted me when I bursted into tears at her office" - she smiled - "she really believes I can change and I will show her she's right about that!"
It was the middle of the night and Cozy Glow was plagued with nightmares for the first time since she was freed from Tartarus. They all had one thing in common - they began very well, like a dream, but then they quickly morphed into true horror. Her current nightmare wasn't an exception from this.
Cozy found herself standing on the pavement in, what seemed to be, some large park. She noticed many creatures playing with each other, enjoying beautiful weather, and happy spending time with their friends. When she wanted to move forward, some pony stood in front of her, covered by a black cloak. A dark-gray snout, completely white, glowing eyes, and a strand of white mane were the only protruding from the cover, gently smiling at her. Cozy quickly figured out it was a mare.
Cozy stared at the mysterious pony when suddenly the figure tilted her head, then pointed at Cozy with a hoof, and her smile changed into a sly smirk.
"You don't belong here" - she spoke
Quickly after that, the park surrounding them both disappeared and was replaced with barren wasteland. Also, time was replaced with night and everything was dimly lit by moonlight.
"Where are we" - Cozy asked the mare, but she quickly vanished, leaving Cozy alone.
Soon, some pony-shaped shadows appeared and were approaching Cozy. They were getting closer to get with every second. They started shouting.
"You monster!"
"Demon!" - yelled another one
"Fiend!"
"Terrorist!"
"GER HER!" - ordered another unknown shadow
Now it was clear for Cozy Glow - whoever those shadows were, they had no good intentions. She ran away from the crowd, but she met another crowd of hostile shapes wherever she tried to escape.
"Nowhere to run, criminal!" - exclaimed a shadow standing in front of her. It reached its hooves to tackle her, but Cozy was quick enough to dodge them.
Cozy Glow realized that she can fly away from them. However, when she flew up, pegasi shadows blocked her way. Instantly, one of them pushed her back down. She fell onto the ground with a thud, which made her disoriented. The filly shook her head to recover her bearings and when she was no longer stunned, the crowd was very close to her.
Cozy knew that there was where she meets her end. She covered her eyes with forelegs and awaited the worst, whimpering and trembling. Suddenly, surroundings were again switched, but this time she was floating in a dark-blue void.
"Cozy Glow" - a familiar voice called her. She uncovered her face and looked forward.
"P-princess Luna? Where am I?" - Cozy asked
"It is only a nightmare, Cozy Glow. Be at ease" - she reassured, landing on some invisible ground - "This might be only a dream realm, but your feelings are very real."
"I guess you're right. I still feel bad for everything I've done..." - Cozy replied, landing right in front of Luna
"I know that and that is why I am here. I only saw the crowd of pony-shaped shadows, but I did not see what was earlier. Can you tell me what happened?"
"I was in some park and I saw many creatures being happy with each other - it was like a paradise. But somepony told me I don't belong there and I was surrounded by shadows, who called me a monster, terrorist and other mean stuff. What's the meaning of this?" - Cozy explained
"Hmmm..." - she hummed, thinking about the best answer- "I think you are still afraid society hates you and will reject you no matter what you will do to be accepted once again. Those shadows were reflections of your fear and insecurities"
Cozy was speechless, just like when Twilight told her about the consequences of draining magic
"So...how do I get them off my head?"
"This will take some time before this happens. You committed a heinous crime and you cannot just pretend it never happened. However, if you are willing to change, you may count on me, Twilight, and her friends."
"I really want to change - I just don't know how"
"You must face your past and learn from it. We gave you a chance and accepted your coming back. Now it is your turn to trust us and the rest of society, but what you must do first is trusting yourself that you can change."
"I don't think I can do this. I still can't stop thinking about what I tried to do. Twilight told me everything that could happen. I think I should still be in Tartarus"
"If you don't try, then it will make you feel worse and worse. You must believe in yourself and try your best to be accepted by society. Otherwise, you will never overcome your insecurities. Here..." - she reached her hoof and put it on Cozy's forehead - "...is your real prison. No one will release you from there, except you"
"So you say that my mind is also my prison?" - the filly asked
"It is, but figuratively. This kind of 'prison' is so bad, because technically you are free, but deep inside, you still feel imprisoned and cast out. It destroys pony's psyche day by day and makes them only worse, and eventually, they commit another crime because they can't stand it anymore. Though I believe we can guide you to the right path"
"Thank you, Luna. Thank you for believing in me" - Cozy said smiling.
"Just one more thing. When Twilight sent me a letter where she described your reaction to the potential consequences of draining magic, I was surprised, and I think I owe you an apology for how poorly I treated you. I let my anger cloud what is right and that is why I came that day to gloat and harass you in Tartarus, calling you very awful stuff like "disgrace to society". I hope that one day you will forgive me" - Princess Luna raises her head to look sadly at the sky - "...maybe one day"
Night ruler suddenly felt a gentle pressure on her chest. She moved her eyes and there she saw Cozy hugging her.
"You know what, princess? I think we both realized our mistakes today. And considering my crime against Equestria, I think I somewhat deserved to be treated like that in Tartarus. But for now, we all should move on and be better versions of ourselves. Hating each other won't heal the wounds from the past."
This took Luna off-guard. Did Cozy Glow forgive her right on the spot? Soon she hugged Cozy back.
"Well, Cozy. I am glad that things went like this. Twilight was right that you can be reformed."
"I'm also happy that I'm not in Tartarus. It's an awful place" - Cozy said removing herself from Luna and taking a step back
"I must be off now. Just promise me one thing"
"I'm listening"
"Whenever you feel down or uncertain and need guidance or just talk, let us know about it. We are all here for you after all" - Luna said, then put her hoof under Cozy's chin and lifted it, making filly's scarlet eyes meet Luna's turquoise eyes - "can you do it for me?"
"Yes - I can" - Cozy replied
Princess Luna let Cozy go and created an exit from her dream
"Good night, Cozy" - this was the last thing Luna said, before stepping into the portal and leaving her alone.
Meanwhile, Cozy Glow was processing everything Princess Luna said. She knows that she is right because Luna used to be a villain once as a Nightmare Moon and could relate to the filly, especially when she was also rejected by society after her 1000-year banishment to the Moon and finally accepted during some Nightmare Night when she met young colt named Pipsqueak.
Okay Cozy - calm down. They want you to be good, so you simply show them you can change. They won't harm you. - Cozy thought, before darkness surrounded her and she spent the rest of a night in a dreamless state
*knock* *knock* - this was the sound on Cozy's room doors. Immediately after them, Twilight Sparkle opened them with her magic.
"Rise and shi..." - she greeted and stepped inside but stopped when she saw Cozy Glow reading a book. She was sitting on a beanbag and covered with an orange, sun-patterned blanket with yellow edges - "Oh - I see you woke up early"
Cozy turned her head to Twilight - "Yeah, I didn't want to wake up anyone, so I started reading this book"
"Anyway, today is a very busy day for you, Cozy." - Twilight informed - "that's why I told you to get some more sleep"
"Um...what am I going to do?" - she asked
"First, you will have a private talk with Starlight in the afternoon, once the classes are over. We have been thoroughly thinking about a plan for your further reformation and I think it will be fitting"
"Sounds good for me" - Cozy said boldly
"That's the spirit! It's scheduled for 4 PM, but for now, you're free. Just don't leave the castle without asking anyone"
Time skip - School of Friendship
Twilight, Spike, and their 5 closest friends were in Canterlot, testing a defense system in the Castle. Twilight asked Starlight to look after Cozy, but she had work in the school, so they both asked Trixie to look after her in Ponyville's Castle until the scheduled time - she agreed since she didn't have anything to do that day.
Eventually, Cozy Glow and Starlight Glimmer were in the Guidance Counselor's office. Starlight wanted to go straight to reformation but she also needed to ask the filly some questions before she proceeds.
"Cozy, sit down. I should talk with you for a while before we get to the next part of your reformation"
"Ask me anything. I have to cooperate with you after all" - Cozy reassured - "And by the way - sorry for pushing you to this orb of magic. I hope you didn't suffer while being there"
"Well, I didn't. And I accept your apology - in fact, I've already forgiven you, but I want to know more about you." - Starlight takes a sip of coffee - "After your plan to destroy all the magic was foiled, you said that friendship is power. Why did you say so?"
"Umm...I saw what I can get ponies to do for me. So I thought that friendship was perfect for it - they do whatever I want them to do, so I started using it like that. I guess it was not good, right?"
"Yes, Cozy. That's called tyranny. Friendship can be considered as a power, I'll give you that, but it needs to be used responsibly. It's 'give and take' - friends aren't your slaves. Also, friendship isn't a tool or weapon you wield to get whatever you want - it's a special and wonderful, but also really strong bond between creatures"
"Now I know that. And I promise I will change"
"To be honest - I can relate to you. I created a village where everypony had the same Cutie Mark because I was upset that my best friend - Sunburst, left me when he got his own. And when Twilight and her friends took that away from me, I wanted revenge, so that's why I nearly destroyed the world...multiple times."
"And what was your punishment? Of course, if you don't mind me asking?" - Cozy asked
"Well...none" - she answered, making Cozy widen her eyes in disbelief - "I was getting dirty looks for some time, also I had to work for forgiveness in my old village and sometimes my friends remind me of my past actions, but except that - none. Do you know why?"
"Umm...I...I don't. It's so confusing - they didn't punish you, but they threw me to Tartarus"
"Because I stopped what I was doing, accepted Twilight's friendship offer, and apologized - that's the difference."
"But...I also did surrender after my plan failed, didn't I?" - Cozy asks
"Yeah - when Royal Guards surrounded you and you had no way to escape. That's a bit too late, don't you think?" - Starlight asked with a soft smile, but then resumed - "And even after that, you refused to cooperate with Twilight and the guards, even more - you kept on calling them and Twilight really mean stuff while you were in the detention room. If you did cooperate, your punishment would be much more lenient." - she grunts - "anyway, the present is what matters now - we have to reform you"
"And I'm willing to be good - now I know that it's a better way"
"Good. Before we move on..." - Starlight puts some box on the desk - "It's your stuff. Chancellor Neighsay told us about one thing."
"Which one?"
"This" - Starlight uses her magic to grab a skull - "Cozy, why do you keep this in your stuff?" - she asks scared
"This isn't real skull, you know? It's made from clay"
"It...really? But...it looks so realistic. Why do you have it anyway?"
"Do you really want to know?" - Cozy asked
"I guess I do" - Starlight replied uncertainly.
Cozy explains - "I made this to perform. I had to say that famous poem, you know - "To be, or not to be - that is the question", and art teacher in my previous school advised me to make a skull, so I did"
"Nice" - Starlight whispered - *ahem*, "I think we are getting off the topic of this meeting. As I said before, I have an idea for your further reformation"
"What idea?"
"The six students - Yona, Sandbar, Smolder, Gallus, Ocellus, and Silverstream are ready to meet you after your release from Tartarus. I know this might be difficult for you, but they aren't going to yell at you - they just want to talk with you. They've been asking for it since your release, and now it's the time"
Cozy became fearful because she was going to meet her friends (or now rather former friends) she hurt a month ago - "I-I'm ready"
"Alright. I will go to them to come here" - she walks to the door - "and I hope you won't try to escape"
"I'm not that stupid - Cutie Map tracks me" - Cozy replied while Starlight was walking away
Okay, calm down. Starlight will be here with me... - the filly thought
3 minutes later
The seven creatures entered the office. As soon as they did and Starlight closed the door, Cozy turned around.
"H-Hi everyone. Been missing you" - she greeted. This six had mixed expressions.
"Yona missed Cozy too" - a certain young yak greeted back
"Sup Cozy!" - now it was Gallus
"Hi!" - Silverstream said. Ocellus, Smolder, and Sandbar remained silent, all of them having suspicious frowns, but they weren't glaring at her.
"Before we start, I need to tell you all something" - Cozy said
"Sure - what is it?" - Starlight asked
Cozy Glow takes a deep breath and begins - "So I wanted to say sorry. I also want to say that the main reason for what I did was wanting more power. I wanted it, because I was jealous, that unicorns and alicorns have magic, which makes their lives way easier. That's why I tried to wipe out all the magic in Equestria, if not the world and betrayed you in a very awful way. If I could go back in time, and stop myself from doing this, I promise I would - but I can't. I know there is no way you can ever forgive me, but I needed to tell you anyway"
The room was filled with silence after Cozy's speech. That completely wasn't what the six students expected. It was silent until Yona spoke up
"If princesses trust little pegasus to release her from Tartarus, maybe she worth another chance"
"I get Yona's point" - Sandbar said - "You tried to take our magic, but now you regret it - so I think it's fair to let you show us you can change"
"You know what Cozy?" - now Gallus spoke - "if you prove that you can change, or at least won't try to destroy the world again, then I'm fine with giving you another chance"
"What about you guys?" - he said to Smolder, Silverstream, and Ocellus
"My opinion is simple - if ya want forgiveness and a second chance, ya gotta work for it, kid" - orange dragon bluntly stated
"I guess you can become a better version of yourself" - Silverstream said - "but if you could do a little favor for me, I'd be awesome"
"What do you mean?" - Cozy Glow asked
"I saw you playing chess multiple times, and you were almost always winning, I just wonder if you could show me how to play it"
"Sure, no problem" - Cozy said, making Silverstream smile. Then the filly turns to Ocellus and asks - "What about you?"
"I'm not sure. I don't know what to think about it" - Ocellus muttered
"Speaking of you, Ocellus" - Starlight said - "You had trouble in Twilight's class and got a "B" mark, instead of an "A". You also mentioned that you need that "A" to have all "A's" on your final report card. We've been thinking with Twilight about the solution, and here's a chance for you"
"Anything" - the changeling stated
"What if you wrote an essay about the importance of friendship and the consequences of using it as a tool?"
"That's...an interesting concept. Any details?"
"You may not like it - it was mostly Twilight's idea for it - double-space, 2500 words" - said Starlight - "And Twilight mentioned that it would be great if your essay was based on Cozy's case"
"I understand. I have an idea - I can interview her and use her story for my essay."
"Great idea!" - Starlight exclaimed - "Just let me write a letter to Twilight if she agrees"
"Speaking of Twilight" - Cozy asks - "where is she?"
"She's in the Canterlot, testing newest defense system in the Castle" - Starlight explains
Then she uses her magic to write a letter and send it to Twilight. After a while, the letter with Twilight's reply appeared. Starlight reads it and after a while, she said.
"She writes that it's an awesome idea and she can't wait to read it"
"How much time do I have?" - Ocellus asked
"It's due tomorrow, 8 AM" - she answered
"B-but...How am I supposed to write that much that quickly?" - Ocellus was panicking
"I know that it's going to be difficult, but keep in mind that we also have to make other students' report cards, and we don't have that much time. I'll ask Twilight to let you write a shorter essay, like 2000 words or something, but I doubt she'd budge"
"I think I can do this!"
There was a brief moment of silence until Cozy Glow spoke
"If that's everything, I think we should start doing what we have to"
"Right!" - Starlight confirmed - "what would you like to begin with?"
Cozy thought about it for a while
"I think I should start with Ocellus since she doesn't have that much time." - she turns to Silverstream - "Are you okay with that? After I'm done with her, I can teach you how to play chess"
"Sure!" - hippogriff stated
Ocellus and Cozy Glow opened the door of an empty classroom with keys they got from Starlight and stepped inside.
"Alright - all I want is to ask you a few questions, so I can use your answers in my essay."
"We can proceed" - the pegasus stated
"So the first question is...why did you think of friendship as a power?"
"Well, it's a long story, but I'll try to make it short - I saw that some ponies will do what I told them just because they liked me. I found out that with my manipulative talent I could use them as my servants, without even thinking about the potential consequences or how their might feel - it felt really good to have ponies do anything I ordered them without having to care about them"
Ocellus was writing down everything Cozy said in so aggressively fast tempo that she barely could hold a quill with her magic - she wanted to write down everything the little pegasus was saying, and the fact Cozy was also speaking quickly didn't help much either.
"Mhm..." - Ocellus hummed - "Next question is: why did you try to wipe out entire magic in the world?"
"It seemed to be the reason of my jealousy, so that's why I began writing with Tirek"
"And how was it possible for you to activate the device"
"Tirek instructed me how to do it with a scroll he enchanted. He wrote that it will only destroy unicorn and alicorn magic, not from other non-spell-casting creatures. I would inform Twilight if I knew what this spell was really for"
"And now you regret trying to destroy our magic - can you tell me why?" - Ocellus continued asking
"Headmare Twilight had a private talk with me yesterday and there she told me in detail what could happen if my scheme was successful - no more day/night switching, no more weather control, and so extreme weather anomalies, or even no more food because earth ponies can't do it without their magic."
"Oh, that will be a good question - was that worth it? Was taking a chance on world domination worth losing trust in creatures that trusted you?" - she asked somewhat sadly
"Absolutely no" - Cozy replied mournfully - "I tried to do a really bad thing, and it cost me everything, but I regret that. I will regret that till my very last day"
Interesting - Ocellus thought
15 minutes later
Ocellus asked Cozy way more questions than they both expected. After finishing, they simply stayed there and were talking about things unrelated to Ocellus's essay, asking how each other were doing and stuff like that. Eventually,
Phew, that was tiring. Who would know that describing your past motives can be this exhausting Cozy thought Now Silverstream
Suddenly, she bumped into this pink hippogriff at school's main hall
"Here you are!" - she exclaimed - "Come to my room. I have chess set there"
5 minutes later they both were in Silverstream's dormitory. Cozy noticed a chessboard and pieces lying on the floor.
"So...this is my set - it's pretty basic, but it should be good, right?"
Cozy quickly examines the completely disorganized set, but answers - "It's enough to play with it, but it needs to be organized"
She places the board in the correct direction and separates white pieces from black ones.
"Which color do you choose?" - Cozy asked
"I want black ones" - she replies. Cozy gives her a pile with black pieces
"Before we set our pieces on a board, you need to know basic rules, and what does each piece do" - Cozy picks up a pawn from her pile of these pieces and starts - "this piece is called a pawn. It moves only one square either forward or to the side square, but attacks diagonally; like this" - she shows the move on this board. Silverstream just stared at it - "It can move two squares forward, but only at its first move. Also, it can't move or capture backward"
Cozy takes another piece and explains it - "And this one's my favorite - it's called a rook. It moves horizontally or vertically through every unoccupied square. However, it can't jump over other pieces. With a king, it makes a special move called castling, but we'll get to it later"
It took a while for Cozy Glow to explain the basics of chess. Once she was done with it, she
"I think we can start a game Silverstream" - she stated - "I didn't tell you where to put the pieces on purpose because it'd be better if I showed you how to do it, and right after that start the game. Simply follow my lead"
Silverstream nods
"First, we place our pawns in the second row from us" - Cozy places her pawns in the correct place and Silverstream does the same.
"Then put your rooks in the corners..." - rooks were placed - "after that, knights go next to them, then our bishops..."
Cozy kept on speaking - "And finally Queen and King - Queen goes on the square with its matching color, and that leaves us with only one free square for King"
"These positions are easy to remember" - pink hippogriff said
"They are" - Cozy replied - "Alright, let us start the game, you first"
Around 10 minutes later, they both finished the game. Cozy won by a checkmate.
"That was interesting" - Silverstream said - "What do you think?"
"It was nice, though you need a bit more practice."
"Was it that bad?" - Silverstream asked somewhat sad
"No - it wasn't." - Cozy reassured - " All you need is practicing. You tried to move your knight like a rook a few times, but besides that - it wasn't that bad for your first time playing chess"
"Thanks..." - she looks around for a moment before resuming - "wanna play another game?"
"Sure" - Cozy stated. They both
30 minutes later
It occurred that Cozy and Silverstream were having so much fun playing chess that they both lost track of time. When they were about to begin another match, a knocking on the door was heard
"Ohhh Cozy" - Twilight cheerfully called - "We have to go back to the castle, Cozy. It's getting late, and so - your curfew is soon"
"Sorry Silverstream - gotta go"
"It's alright - we can play more tomorrow if you can" - Silverstream stated
"I need to ask headmare" - Cozy said
"You can - but Silverstream after her classes, and you after things from my reformation to-do list for tomorrow"
"Alrighty - let's go!" - Cozy said as she was flying away from the room, following Twilight
Another 30 minutes later - Twilight's Castle
Cozy was flying towards her room and going to hit the hay, completely exhausted from that day's activities. She stopped when Twilight called her
"Cozy, wait!"
"Yeah?" - she turned her head to where Twilight voice came from
"I just want to say that I'm pleased by how your reformation is going" - Twilight said smiling
"Really?"
"Of course. And I have an idea for tomorrow" - Twilight states while holding some paper with her magic
"I'm listening"
"I want you to face the certain group of ponies you also hurt. I'm talking about Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo"
Cozy Glow's heart began thundering after processing Twilight's idea. It was already difficult to face Young Six, and now she was supposed to face ponies who were her very first friends, who helped her with understanding the friendship yet she once let down by failing her test on purpose.
"A-are you sure it's a good idea" - Cozy asked, looking at her with wide eyes as if trying to plead her not to.
"Cozy, I know this is tough for you - and you have every right to feel like that, taking your past actions into account, but that's what comes with reformation. You can't change the past-" - she stops for a brief moment - "-well, unless you have modified spell of Starswirl the Bearded, but-" - Twilight realized that she was getting off the topic - "nevermind - all I'm saying is that you can't change the past, but you can change the future - it all depends on you. And I believe you can change"
"Um...thanks..." - she murmurs
"I guess I should let you go to sleep - it was surely a busy day for you"
"It was" - Cozy confirmed
Twilight unfolds her wings preparing to fly away - "I'll leave you alone for now. Good night Cozy"
"Good night for you too!" - she said walking into her room.
Cozy quickly jumped onto the bed and covered herself with a quilt. She was asleep in no time.
