The Next Chapter

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Prologue

Chapter 1

Darkness greeted her - the true, ineffable darkness of blindness. Even after so many years, her body reacted on instinct. Opening her eyes, gazing out upon the world, she was greeted with a foreign sight. Gone were the all too familiar buildings and streets which had seared themselves into her mind’s eye, replaced with a lush, dimly lit field in twilight.

Turning to the side, she froze - not due to her strange surroundings, but because of the fact that she could move at all. Peering downward, she adjusted the angle of her head to inspect herself. The soft, carnation fur of her coat greeted her, covering her chest and folded legs. Stars above, she’d nearly forgotten its exact hue.

The situation she found herself in, as peculiar as it was, elicited a terrifying combination of emotions. The fear and confusion of what had led her to that moment was marginally overshadowed with her newfound sovereignty of self. Slowly, almost experimentally, she pushed herself upward.

Her legs, much like her eyes, had indeed been granted mobility, allowing her to stand. The mere sensation of movement filled her with a glee she hadn’t known in ages, evoking an unbridled urge to relish the reclaimed ability. Tentatively stretching her limbs, one by one, she extended her limbs and flapped her wings. Languidly, her other senses began to accost her.

A gentle breeze danced across her diminutive frame, reminding her to breathe. The smell, while subtle, stimulated her in a way she didn’t think possible; the sweet scent of grass and wildflowers washed over her, taunting her with the aroma of spring. Her heart swelled, as she realized she was truly free.

Raising one hoof and moving it forward, she took a step; a second followed the first, then a third, as joy welled within her. Before she knew it, she was skipping and hopping with cheer. The faintest snicker crept past her lips, though it was but a prelude to the heartfelt laughter which followed. Despite not knowing how she’d escaped, nor where she was, nothing could impede her unbridled delight - that was, until she noticed an anomaly.

Standing at the treeline, some two dozen paces away, stood a figure. Impossibly tall, nearly double the height of any pony, the creature silently watched her; two long legs supported it, with an additional pair of limbs hanging at its sides. Vaguely reminiscent of a dragon or diamond dog, it was obvious that the interloper was neither. Drawing to a halt, she turned to face the transgressor.

“H...hello?” she timidly asked, hesitant fear tinging her voice. Her muscles tensed, as it quietly strolled towards her.

Finding herself face to face with an unknown and imposing beast, thoughts swirled madly within her. Having woken up in an unfamiliar location, while mysteriously regaining the ability to move, had been perplexing enough, so the addition of an odd biped only compounded the madness of it all. It was one of the rare moments in her life that caught her woefully unprepared, leaving her locked in place.

“Hello,” the being stated, stopping and kneeling a short distance from her.

It could talk, which meant a number of things; not only was it capable of speech, but she could understand it. The fact that it was sapient and held a means of communication assuaged her fear, if only slightly. Judging by the timbre of its words, she assumed it was male. Lastly, he’d stopped and lowered himself several feet away, which likely implied he respected her space while attempting to mitigate his imposing size.

“My name’s Anonymous, but you can call me Anon” he continued, reaching an open hand towards her.

His congenial tone and, if she had to guess, offer of a hoof shake cemented her theory that he wasn’t a malign force - at least, not an openly malign force. Positioned as he was, she’d have to move closer to accept his greeting; a shrewd tactic to buy her trust, she had to admit, yet one she would rather not slip through her hooves. Creeping forward, she made a concerted effort to exaggerate her meekness.

“I won’t bite, I promise,” Anon whispered, holding his free hand to his chest.

Yet another reinforcement that he wasn’t there to harm her, this time verbally. Either he was a skilled liar or his act was genuine, though she was inclined to believe the latter. His features, relatively flat compared to a pony’s, were smooth and relaxed. A pair of eyes sat above a small, pointed nose, which was oriented over a smiling mouth.

Resting her hoof in his hand, he gently shook it once and released it. Taking a step back, she sank to her haunches. Her eyes played over him, drinking in every detail she could. Friendly or not, knowledge was power, so she needed to glean as much information about him as possible as quickly as possible - still, she had no idea of what he was.

“Golly! I don’t think I’ve ever met anycreature like you before,” she murmured, her childlike voice ringing in her ears.

“I suppose you haven’t,” he chuckled, shaking his head wistfully. “I’m...not really from around here…”

“Not from Ponyville?” she asserted, in an effort to determine her proximity to the village.

“Not Ponyville or even Equestria, no,” he mumbled, looking past her.

A faint sadness tinged his reply, and his gaze was unfocused. To all but the most astute observer, his statement simply meant he was from some distant land, yet there was something deeper to it. Seizing hold of the opening, she shuffled forward and chose her words wisely.

“So you’re from far away then? Oh, is it near Mount Aris? Our teacher told us all about the hippogriffs in school!” she chirped, beaming up at him.

Stoically, Anon shook his head. “No, further away than you can imagine,” he sighed, turning his attention towards her.

His remark and languid movements dripped of melancholy. While she was unsure of their exact source, she noted an opportunity to lay the foundations of a potential ally. Reassuringly patting his thigh, her smile reached her eyes. If there was one thing she knew well, it was how to leverage at a weakness.

“Well I’d love to hear about it sometime,” she began, before holding a hoof to her cheek. “Gee, where are my manners, I almost didn’t introduce myself! My name’s -”

“Cozy,” Anon breathed, cutting her off.

At the admission, her grin faltered. The fact that he knew her name was remarkably startling and put her on the back-hoof. If he was aware of who she was, chances were high that he was also informed on what she’d done. Bolstering herself, her eyes didn’t waver from his.

“Yup, that’s me! I’m a student at the school of friendship,” she giggled, edging nearer.

There was still a faint chance that she could bluff him, even if he was versed in the events of the past. Were he ignorant of her history, she’d be exceedingly lucky, though she’d prefer not to place her bits in that uncertain basket. With little to work with, having mentioned the academy, she settled upon a deflective tactic.

“Have you heard about the school of friendship? Gosh, there are so many different creatures who go there! I bet they’d love to meet you!” she exclaimed, hoping he’d take the bait.

“Yeah, I know about the school. I spent a good bit of time there, shortly after I arrived, that’s where I first heard about you,” he sullenly replied, peering into the distance.

“W...well what did you hear? Nothing bad, I hope!” Cozy stammered, his assertion practically solidifying her fears.

With her mind going into overdrive, playing over multiple possible scenarios of how the situation would unfold, she didn’t notice his hand shift. She started, as he tenderly patted her head. Caught off guard, she went rigid, yet held her ground.

“Cozy, I know what you did. I learned of you and the school, how you were sent to Tartarus, and about when you, Queen Chrysalis, and Tirek nearly conquered Equestria,” he sighed, looking down at her.

Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks, madly scanning his face. Swallowing hard, willing her eyes to water, she resorted to her trump card. Leaning in, embracing his leg, she sobbed openly and pressed her cheek against him. It was her last hope, her ace in the hole, and her final chance at swaying him in her favor.

“D...did that mean old Twilight tell you those lies?” she sniffed, screwing her eyes shut.

Caressing her head, Anon’s fingers glid through her curly locks. While she couldn’t see it, she heard him take a heavy breath. If her ruse worked, and she prayed it would, she may well undo anything he’d heard about her. Listening to a mature pony’s lecture was one thing, but hearing contrary from a tear streaked filly was another.

“No, Princess Flurry was the one who told me…” he muttered, causing her to peek up at him.

“Who?” she blurted, taken aback by his words.

“Princess Flurry Heart,” he repeated, wiping her cheek with his thumb, “she’s the daughter of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor. She’s one of the reasons I’m here.”

Cozy paused, giving herself a moment to think. A veritable tsunami of mysteries needed addressing, so it was all she could do to triage them by importance. Whos, hows, and whys marked themselves as leading contenders to open with, even if none were more important than the others. Closing her eyes, abandoning her pitiable charade, she slowly inhaled.

“So you’re under Flurry’s orders then?” she pried, keeping her tone level.

“Not exactly, no, although she did vouch for your release. Ultimately, it was Twilight’s decision,” Anon clarified.

“So Twilight is still in charge, perfect,” Cozy groaned, rolling her eyes. Before she could continue with a follow up question, the man affixed her with a cool, joyless smile.

“It’s…complicated,” he uneasily stated, shifting in place.

“Then why don’t you explain it,” she grunted, her patience waning. Furrowing her brow, she glared up at him expectantly.

“Cozy, do you know how long you’ve been imprisoned?” Anon asked, his eyes meeting her own.

Studying him, Cozy got to her hooves and took a step backward. His query, while apparently simple, was anything but. Truth be told, she couldn’t tell how long she’d been locked in stone. Unable to move, trapped and forced to watch the world pass by for so long, the concept of time had gradually lost meaning.

The first few years were relatively clear, with distinct memories of ponies, yaks, griffons, changelings, and the other various races of Equestria taking pilgrimage to visit the wicked trio. How she’d reviled them all, silently screaming at each and every one of them. As the days turned to months, then years, her punishment’s true torment took hold.

No matter what she did, regardless of how much she begged or cried, not a soul could hear her. Eventually, things steadily lost focus. Days and nights almost seemed to blend together, while the rest of the universe continued onward. Whether it was a psychological coping mechanism, the inevitable throes of madness, or perhaps both, her consciousness had become a morass of vitriol and grief, robbing her of the ability to measure the flow of time.

“Alright, how long has it been?” Cozy relented, unable to answer him.

“Long enough for things to have changed, but I can’t give you an exact number,” he said, rubbing his neck. “Like I said, it’s complicated.”

“So, let me get this straight,” she groaned, pinching the bridge of her snout with a hoof, “possibly hundreds of years have passed, Flurry is grown now, and I got freed because…” Trailing off, she left the man to fill in the blank. With the ‘when’ roughly addressed, she steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Because I didn’t think it was fair,” Anon whispered, lowering his gaze.

“I...what?” Cozy sputtered, his confession hanging in the air. “You freed me?”

“No, but I fought for it…” he admitted. Holding a hand aloft, he wiggled his fingers at her. “No magic, so I needed help.”

Filing the tidbit of data about his lack of sorcery away, Cozy squinted up at him. “Ok, but why?” she pressed, determined to get to the bottom of it.

Very few things were making sense, though a couple of pieces were beginning to fall into place. A minimum of two Princesses were still around, she’d been freed, and a strange creature named Anon had, for whatever reason, allegedly contended for her release. If he was telling the truth about the matter, he still required some sort of motivation for doing so - so, taking that into account, she awaited his response.

“I didn’t think it was right, that’s all,” he grumbled. “Isn’t that good enough?”

Mulling over the question, her gaze never wavered from his face. “If you know what I did, and if you believe it, no, it’s not,” she observed. “Besides, what’s stopping me from leaving? I do have wings, you know,” she added, spreading the feathered appendages on her back.

“Absolutely nothing is stopping you, but you’re smarter than that,” Anon replied. Giving her a shrug, he averted his gaze. “If you did fly off, you’d eventually get caught. Everyone in Equestria has read about you, so you wouldn’t get too far. You don’t have anywhere to go or anyone to turn to…”

“I…” Cozy’s rebuke died in her throat.

There was truth in his words, as much as she hated to admit it. Were she to flee, without a plan, she’d likely be apprehended and thrown into a cell, or worse, returned to her stone imprisonment. With no allies to turn to, robbed of her ability to deceive ponies with her anonymity, and without the power from Grogar’s bell, she was virtually helpless.

“That still doesn’t explain why you wanted to help,” she shrewdly countered, latching on to his enigmatic motives.

“Maybe it’s since we have something in common…” he breathed, so faintly that she’d nearly missed him saying it.

Surprised by the utterance, Cozy’s curiosity piqued. She couldn’t see how his statement could be remotely accurate, unless he was some sort of villain himself. Reclining back, she gave him time to continue, yet he remained silent. “How?”

“Because I’m the only one of my kind here. I’m an outsider, you’re a pariah, neither one of us really belong here. Before you ask, it’s a long story,” Anon laughed weakly, gazing up at the stars.

Finding herself giving him her rapt attention, she cocked her head to the side. Given his delivery, she had to assume he was referring to all of Equestria. She felt confident he would elaborate, though his mention of belonging reminded her of something - here were two others who’d suffered the same fate as her.

Her mind strayed to Chrysalis and Tirek, her prior partners in crime. With the combined might of the changeling queen and the centaur, she’d nearly been able to topple an entire continent. While they’d had their differences, their teamwork had been remarkably effective, leaving her to wonder about their fate.

“Where are Chrysalis and Tirek?” she inquired, glancing around the meadow a second time.

“Still frozen as statues,” he noted.

His admission wasn’t shocking, yet it struck a chord. Knowing her former comrades were still stuck as statues, suffering an eternity of silent torment, she felt a pang of guilt. While she wouldn’t consider them friends, per se, they were certainly closer than anycreature ever had been. As she reflected on the pair, Anon rested his hand on her shoulder.

While she was pleased that she’d been extricated from her punishment, the bitterness and indignation of her sentence was still there. Impotent, especially without her companions, there was little she could do. Though she’d gained her freedom, she couldn’t truly say how much it was actually worth. Brushing off his hand, she scowled at her so-called liberator.

“Just what’s so special about me anyways? Why not Chrysalis or Tirek?” she growled, her temper flaring.

“Because you’re the best chance they have to get free,” Anon conceded. “And because I thought I could relate to you, help you, since we’re not that different…”

“How the heck could you relate? We couldn’t be more different!” Cozy groused, rolling her eyes. “Honestly, you come waltzing up here, after somehow convincing an alicorn or two to pardon me, and expect me to be friends with you? That has got to be the biggest…” her diatribe faded and died, when she noticed the look on his face.

Peering off into the nothingness of the heavens, a broken grin sat juxtaposed beneath his eyes. His breathing was heavy, the muscles in arms tensed, and his fingers sunk to the soft earth. If it was all some sort of trick, it was masterfully executed. For the second time, she was left to determine if he was putting on an act or being genuine, though she was inclined to believe the latter.

“First of all, I wasn’t expecting us to be friends - that’s earned, not given. Secondly, I wanted to talk to you because, like yourself, I don’t really have anyone else,” he spat, turning to glower at her.

Cozy shied away from the outburst, backing away from him. As startling as it was, she noticed a small, easily overlooked detail. Standing in contrast to his intimidating stance and angry tone, his eyes held a softness. Unlike the rest of him, practically bleeding resentment, his look was a pained one.

Attempting to lighten the mood, Cozy waved a hoof at him. “By all means, please help me understand…” she urged. If he talked, she may get a better understanding of her strange rescuer, as well as possibly helping build some rapport.

“I didn’t ask to come here - to Equestria. I was just living my life then Poof,” he exclaimed, theatrically waving his hands, “I’m stuck in magic horse land…”

“So, wait…” she began, in disbelief, “you just appeared here from another world or something?”

“As dumb as it sounds, yeah, basically,” Anon grunted.

“But you said you knew Flurry and Twilight, so you can’t be doing that badly for yourself,” Cozy attested, leveling a hoof at him.

“I’ve made friends with a few creatures, but that doesn’t mean I feel like I belong,” he admitted, his volume lowering considerably.

Cozy kept her mouth shut, giving him time to continue. A part of his claim resonated with her, although she was loath to admit it. While she was a pony, being able to blend in with the vast populace of the land, she’d never truly felt at home; akin in body, but not in spirit. Anon, on the other hand, seemed to have the opposite problem.

With few other options, she drew a breath, held it, and exhaled. Like he’d said, if she wanted to leave, she could, but she probably wouldn’t be able to get too far. Once she was recognized, she’d be ostracized - or worse. A pained laugh escaped her, as she came to grips with the situation.

Like it or not, at that moment, Anon was all she had. In a sense, he’d been her salvation; he had released her from her confinement, yet brought her into a world in which she was eternally branded as a traitor and ne'er-do-well. The reality was a painful one, conjuring a maelstrom of feelings. On one hoof, she held the happiness of freedom - on the other, the crippling weight that she would be an outcast was a heavy burden.

Joining him, looking up at the evening sky, she struggled with her inner turmoil. Cutting through the smoke of her warring emotions, two choices shone; either she placed her trust in this stranger’s hands, hoping his intentions were pure, or she attempted to strike out alone. Neither option was enormously appealing, but one clearly surpassed the other.

The crushing realization was soul-rending. Throughout her existence, she’d been able to connive or talk her way out of nearly every situation, barring her experiences with Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Her confinement in Tartarus and her time trapped as a statue were different; being robbed of the ability to choose one’s fate, while frightful, wasn’t as utterly terrifying as not knowing what to do.

Cozy’s entire life had revolved around choices, and she prided herself in her cunning. Unlike many, she always thought several steps ahead, calculating multiple possibilities and setting up countermeasures for potential problems, but this was unlike anything she’d faced before. The board had been reset and stacked against her.

She was without allies, carefully laid schemes, or a single resource to fall back on. It was ironic; her cutie mark, a rook, the most versatile and tactical piece in all of chess, in that moment, felt unfitting. There were no more moves to make, not a single piece to utilize, she’d lost every option she had - it was a checkmate.

The comprehension that she’d traded one cage for another caused something to shift and fracture inside of her. She wasn’t sure if she could ever regain what she’d lost. Adrift, unsure, alone, and scared, her eyes began to water. Try as she might, she couldn’t stem the inescapable tide of doubt and sorrow. For the very first time, she was lost.

Closing her eyes, fighting back the tears, something wrapped around her back. A warm embrace, a hushed reassurance, and affectionate stroking of her shoulder demolished what little resolve she had. Leaning into Anon, sobbing against him, she wept. In spite of not truly knowing who he was, he lent her relief.

She couldn’t say how long she’d stayed pressed against him, or what consolement he’d offered, yet she quietly whimpered in his arms. Bleeding out the pain was cathartic beyond words. Slowly, as time passed, her thoughts cleared to a degree. Left in a haze, an incomprehensible calm settled upon her.

“It’ll get easier,” Anon murmured, leaning back slightly. Fishing into his pocket, he retrieved a handkerchief and handed it to her. “Trust me…it will…”

“How?” Cozy snuffled, wiping her snout.

“Time, patience, showing everyone that you can change,” he sighed, wiping a tear from her cheek.

“I...I don’t know if I can…” she confessed, honestly uncertain that she could.

“If you want to get them free, you’ll have to try…” Anon softly noted.

“Set who -” Cozy’s question fell flat, when she realized who he was speaking of. “Chrysalis and Tirek?” she curiously sniffed. Anon nodded once, affirming her suspicion. Her confusion honed to a razored point, as she grappled with the notion. “You want to set them loose?”

“Yes,” he bluntly replied, turning to stare at her. “They’ve suffered for long enough, you of all ponies know that, don’t you think?”

Cozy sat mute, processing his statement. He wasn’t wrong about her knowing how hellish the ordeal of being a statue was, although that didn’t explain why he sought to release the changeling and centaur - or did it. Either he was horribly naive or hopelessly optimistic - potentially both; regardless, he had a point.

She was, without a doubt, the most surreptitious and strategically minded creature she knew of. Arrogant though the assertion may seem, she’d accomplished amazing and terrible things before and she could likely do so again, with enough time and effort. Still, there was one thing nagging at her - something she needed an answer for.

“What’s in it for you?” she asked, meeting his gaze.

“Honestly, not much, but I think you have a lot to offer the world,” Anon stated. “Like I said, things have changed since you’ve been gone. It’s not like you’ll be able to run amuck or anything, what with Flurry and I keeping an eye on you, so there’s not too much to worry about,” he chuckled, patting her shoulder. “But, if you wanted, I think you could make a difference.”

“Oh, sure, Cozy Glow the Great and Magnanimous,” she retorted cynically.

“I know it’s a pretty big stretch, yet if there was any villain who could really turn things around for everyone, I think it would be you,” he continued, his laughter dying off.

“Yeah, well, I guess we’ll see,” Cozy grunted, pushing herself up. Emotionally exhausted, hungry, and needing time to digest everything from the last hour, she handed his handkerchief back. “I don’t suppose you brought anything to eat with you?”

“No, but I’ve got food at my place,” Anon admitted, getting to his feet. “It’s not too far of a walk,” he added, pointing towards the treeline.

“Lead the way,” she urged, trying to sound optimistic.

Trotting alongside and slightly behind Anon, Cozy followed the strange creature. There was so much more she needed to know, so many unaccounted variables, that she was left feeling overwhelmed. Maybe a new life awaited her, redemption, a new chance to conquer the world, or inevitable imprisonment - truthfully, she couldn’t say.

Regardless of what happened, as she walked towards her unknown destination, she’d been given a second chance; what she chose to do with it was hers and hers alone. Peering up at the crescent moon above, she couldn’t help but wonder what the future held for her…

Chapter 2

Trotting beside and slightly behind the human, Cozy remained silent for the duration of their relatively short trek to the man’s home. Tired and hungry, she digested the information as she walked along. Caught up with her thoughts, she didn’t realize they’d reached their destination until her traveling companion slowed.

“Well...here we are,” Anon announced, drawing to a halt.

Looking up, Cozy found herself looking at a small cottage. Utterly pedestrian by any standards, the diminutive two-story building sat on a hillside overlooking a town. Peering at the city, situated a mile or so away, it took her a minute to recognize several landmarks.

“Is that Ponyville?” she asked, squinting at the settlement in consternation.

Though it had grown substantially, the hamlet was by no means a bustling metropolis. The town hall, School of Friendship, and Twilight’s castle were dead giveaways, as was the unmistakable circular framework of the Carousel Boutique. She wasn’t surprised, given that the academy likely drew in entrepreneurs from far and wide - still, it was a bit jarring.

“Yup, it is,” he responded, strolling over and unlocking his front door. “Come on in; she’s not the biggest place, but I’m happy to call her home.”

Knitting her brow, wondering just how much Ponyville had changed since her imprisonment, Cozy moved towards the little house. Creeping to the doorway, peeking inside, she found the interior to be wholly unremarkable. In truth, she hadn’t known what to expect, given her rescuer’s alien appearance, though the sight was a comforting one.

A couch sat before a fireplace, with an accompanying recliner and coffee table nearby. From her vantage, she could make out what appeared to be a kitchen in the back of the building, as well as a staircase which led to, she presumed, an upstairs with a bedroom or two. All told, it was surprisingly quaint and inviting, yet it had an odd aroma.

“Make yourself comfortable, I’ll get you something to eat,” the man remarked, striding past her. “Just shut the door when you come in.”

Nodding slowly, without taking her eyes off his retreating form, Cozy swung the door closed with a rear hoof. Despite the fact that Anon hadn’t given her any reasons not to trust him, she was still wary of his intentions - doubly so, now that she was in his abode. Inspecting the surrounding furniture, realizing it was slightly larger than typical pony fare, her insatiable lust for knowledge spurred her to speak.

“Are these custom made?” she inquired, steadily trotting to the oversized sofa.

“Not really,” Anon called out from the other room. “A place in Manehattan makes stuff for larger creatures - mostly yaks, hippogriffs, and dragons - so I had to order them. You want a bowl of oatmeal?”

Cozy’s stomach grumbled, at the prospect of a warm meal. “Yeah,” she evenly replied, raising her voice and attempting to mask her enthusiasm.

Scanning the living room's interior, noting several framed pictures, she stretched her wings and took to the air. Flitting closer to the nearest image, something caught her eye. There, resting on a table next to the recliner, sat a book. Drifting closer, wondering what sort of literature held the man’s attention, she found something all the more valuable.

Without a dust cover, nor title emblazoned on the spine, the little tome was bereft of any markings whatsoever; however, something telling rested beside it - a well worn and somewhat blunted pencil. Checking the doorway to the kitchen, ensuring she wasn’t being spied upon, she glided over and surreptitiously flipped the manuscript open. She was right, it wasn’t a book - no, it was a diary.

Glancing to the archway through which Anon had disappeared, she hastily turned the pages to find the most recent entry. Checking the date, she scrunched her snout in frustration; though the man had jotted down the day of his entry, it appeared to be in some odd format. Backtracking, moving towards the front of the notebook, she quickly got some clarification.

The journal appeared to document his time in Equestria, with each day - all two hundred and four of them - receiving some sort of entry. Reaching the first page, spying a signature on the back of the front board, she spotted a small note and signature. Squinting, trying to decipher the elegant writing, she grinned.

It may not be much, but I hope it helps.
Princess Flurry

Closing the book, making sure to leave it and the pencil exactly as they’d been laid, she hovered back towards the pictures hung on the wall. Pleased with her somewhat underhanded spying, she hummed triumphantly to herself. Though the diary’s lack of any sort of empirical dating was lamentable, it didn’t mean she hadn’t gleaned a bit of intelligence on the human.

Firstly, she was reassured that Flurry was the Flurry Heart, daughter of Princess Cadance, and that Anon had some connection with her - to say the least. Secondly, the fact that everything had been handwritten strongly suggested that everything wasn’t some sort of convoluted ruse. Thirdly and most prudently, it lent weight to the human’s testimony that he was indeed some fashion of alien.

“Cinnamon with brown sugar ok?” Anon loudly wondered, still out of view.

“And raisins too,” Cozy shot back, raising an eyebrow as she hovered in front of the closest image. “Say, what’re these supposed to be anyways?”

“What?” he blurted.

“These drawings on your wall. Did you make them?” she pressed, trying to make heads and tails of what she was looking at.

“They’re just doodles of stuff from home - well, my old home; cars, rockets, planes, just things that I can’t find here. They remind me of where I’m from, even if they aren’t very good,” Anon explained, his voice preceded the sound of his approaching footfalls.

Turning in place, watching the man approach, Cozy spotted the pair of bowls he was carrying. After setting one of the vessels on the couch, he eased himself into the recliner. Flitting over, drawn by the steaming contents, her mouth began to water.

“I don’t have any raisins, but I can pick some up tomorrow,” he commented, stirring his piping hot oatmeal.

While the lack of dried fruit was regrettable, Cozy wasn’t about to complain. With as long as it’d been since she’d had a hot meal - or any meal, for that matter - she could live without the accoutrement. Landing besides her bowl, she gripped the ceramic container and hauled it to the far end of the sofa and sat.

“So,” she began, eagerly shoveling a spoonful of the hot cereal into her maw and staring up at one of his drawings, “mphts a pophet?”

“A rocket?” Anon parroted, confusedly peaking one brow and following her gaze. “Oh, they’re huge machines that can bring us - er - people into outer space.”

Squinting, unsure if he was pulling her leg, Cozy swallowed her mouthful. “So to the moon and stuff?”

“Yup! Further than that even! We sent stuff to other planets and even out of our solar system! Not people or anything, but robots and…” he trailed off, noticing the look of disbelief on the runtish mare’s face. “What? We did! Humans don’t have magic, but we have technology and smarts,” he asserted, tapping a finger to his temple.

“You expect me to believe that your people can construct equipment that can do that? Give me a break,” she groused, grumpily continuing to eat her meal.

Ponies were capable of impressive technological feats, having gone so far as to construct titanic seafaring vessels, powerful locomotives, and even colossal airships, though the claim of technological marvels which could perform such things as traveling to other planets seemed doubtful at best. The closest thing she could think of to rival such a feat was Luna’s banishment to the moon - which had required the combined might of an alicorn’s fury channeled through the elements of harmony.

Leaving the subject be, possibly to be scrutinized later, another question presented itself - or rather, a deduction. If he chose to be surrounded by the world he’d supposedly lost, it meant he likely wished to return to it. She felt reasonably assured with the conclusion, since he’d mentioned being stuck in Equestria in the glade, yet she was inclined to ask…

“Why can’t you go back? If something transported you here, it should be able to send you back. It might be implausible, especially if you’re not sure what it was, but that means it’s not impossible,” she tutted.

“Maybe…” Anon muttered, a strange pang of melancholy in his voice.

Seizing onto the subtle shift in his tone, Cozy took a moment to study him. Some curious combination of regret and possibly spite tinged his words, yet she was hesitant to press the issue. Considering his hospitality, offering her shelter and a meal - not to mention liberating her from petrification - she was content to let it lie - for now. Glaring into her bowl, scraping free the final dregs of her oats, she set the dish aside.

Simple though the meal was, it was the first thing she’d eaten in untold ages and bordered on the divine. Licking her spoon clean, flicking it into the small emptied vessel, she looked to the man. If nothing else, he was certainly peculiarly amiable - especially since he was willingly played host to a ne'er-do-well like herself. Noticing her attention, he hitched a thumb over his shoulder.

“There’s more in there, if you want seconds,” Anon commented.

“I’m alright for now,” Cozy sighed, feeling the warmth within her belly. “Thanks…”

While she’d forced herself to give voice to her gratitude, it wasn’t wholly disingenuous. Though she could have carried the conversation, a tactical retreat was in order. She felt certain that between the jarring turn of events, the walk to Anon’s house, and the meal, fatigue would soon be settling on her - after all, adrenaline and curiosity can only fuel one for so long. Stretching her forelegs over her head and extending her wings, she feigned a yawn.

“If you’re tired, there’s a spare bedroom upstairs. It’s the first door on the left, just across from the bathroom,” the man stated, getting to his feet and plucking her bowl from the sofa. “Feel free to make yourself at home. I’ll be down here cleaning up for a bit, if you need me.”

Askance with just how congenially her host was treating, Cozy blinked. Alien or not, nobody should be that flippant about leaving a relatively unknown guest unsupervised. “You’re just going to trust me not to go rummaging around or anything?” she asked.

Anon faltered, stopping in place. With an almost somber look, he forced a smile. “Trust is earned, I know that, but what kind of world would it be if nobody was brave enough to extend an olive branch?”

The sagacity of his insightful remark was stunning. The wisdom of his words left little room for a rebuke or chiding comment, so she chose to let the matter be. Hopping to the floor, issuing a rebellious grunt, she proceeded towards the stairwell. “I’m going to wash up then find that bed, so don’t go barging in on me,” she petulantly huffed.

“I won’t. There are a few towels in a cabinet beside the sink,” Anon told her, heading back into the kitchen.

Nodding, Cozy reached the stairs, took to the air, and flew to the upper story. Something told her that, if she had chosen to do some snooping, she could do so without fear of the man spying on her - still, she wasn’t quite up for it. She had enough on her plate to dwell upon, and she didn’t wish to risk immediately souring her image with Anon, so she kept to her stated plan.

A short hallway greeted her at the top of the stairs, with two doors on her left and two doors on her right. Seeing herself into the guest room, she gave the area a brief inspection. Sparsely adorned, with a bed, dresser, rocking chair, and a single window, there wasn’t much too take in. Turning in place, she fluttered up and drifted into the bathroom.

The well used area was surprisingly spacious, housing a full sized tub, sink, mirror, and a small cupboard exactly where her host had described. Setting the shower to warm, she fetched a towel for herself and shut the door. Thankfully, the man had a bottle of shampoo, despite having so little hair, so she wouldn’t have to clean her locks with a bar of soap.

Jumping into the basin, the hot water streamed over her diminutive frame. Closing her eyes and processing the day’s events, her muscle memory took over and she began washing herself. There was just so much to think about, so many factors she’d yet to learn that it felt as though she’d be crushed by it all. Truthfully speaking, she couldn’t say how long she lingered in the shower, although a tapping on the door snapped her to the present.

“I’ll be in my room, if you need anything. There are extra blankets in the hallway closet, if you get cold. Good night,” Anon called through the door.

“G’night!” Cozy spontaneously replied, her saccharine voice rising over the sound of pattering water.

Slipping into her sweet and innocent alter ego was almost second nature, though she hadn’t intended to put on the all too brief act. Hearing his footfalls from outside, followed moments later by a door closing, she exhaled and climbed out of the basin. As she’d expected, the influx of unexpected developments had taken a toll - leaving her weary. Drying herself off and tossing the towel into a laundry hamper beside the toilet, she plodded out.

Crossing the hallway and entering her room, she closed the door behind herself. Though she doubted her host would intrude on her temporary sanctum, she still wasn’t completely comfortable in her strange environs. Without any way to lock her room, she dragged the rocking chair over and barred the door; if anyone attempted to gain entry, at least she’d be alerted by the noise.

Pleased with her makeshift barricade, she clambered onto the bed, flipped the blanket up, and settled in for the night. As she rested her head on the soft pillow, it felt as if her life immediately drained from her. Her eyelids grew heavy, she pulled the cover over her shoulder, and swiftly drifted off to a heavy sleep.

...

Though she slept like the dead, her night wasn’t all that restful. For the first time in hundreds of years, she dreamed. Visions of the past, of all the things she’d seen throughout her centuries of being confined in a stone prison, tormented her. Though most of it was a hazy mess, one illusion was particularly haunting.

Chrysalis and Tirek had been pleading - no, begging her to be freed. Tears streaked down their statued faces, dripping to the dais upon which they stood. Though they did not move, eternally petrified, the desperation in their voices was the stuff of nightmares. Regardless of how hard she beat upon the hellish rock of their confines, ignoring or heedless of her assurances that she would rescue them, their wails never ceased.

Whether or not Luna was enacting some form of penance upon her, she couldn’t say; all she knew was that a pounding abruptly roused her from her slumber. Bolting upright, her mind struggled to remember where she was. The rocking chair still sat against the door, neatly wedged in place, offering her some modicum of security.

“Cozy?” Anon’s voice rang out, followed by another series of knocks. “I’m going into town to pick up a few things. There are a few apples and oranges on the kitchen table, if you’re feeling hungry. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

With little desire to lie back down, lest she find herself facing more infernal dreams, she groggily rolled over and jumped down from the bed. Trotting to the exit and hauling the chair away, she flitted up, opened the door, and landed by the crack. She realized she probably looked awful, especially because her mane hadn’t been dealt with, but there was something she needed to address.

“Can you pick me up a brush?” she brazenly inquired, opening the door ever so slightly.

“I - uh,” the man fumbled, either caught off guard by the request, her rather shabby appearance, or both.

“Anon, I can’t try to reintegrate with society if I’m looking like a ragamuffin. Just a regular brush, that’s all I’m asking,” she dully explained, reaching up to wipe the crust from one eye.

Anon nodded down at her. “Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem. I’d ask if you’d like to join me, but -”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen,” Cozy groaned, scrunching her snout.

“Right. Well, just as a head’s up, don’t be surprised if there’s a knock at the door before I get back. Patches tends to make the rounds pretty early,” he chuckled, turning towards the stairs.

“Patches?” she repeated questioningly.

“Yeah, he’s the mailpony. Don’t worry; even if you don’t get the door, he’ll just leave any mail on the stoop. I’ll be back in a bit,” he intoned, tromping away.

Watching him descend the stairs, Cozy made a mental note to ask him about his attire. Much like the day before, concealing him from the neck down, virtually all of him was covered in fabric. Though it was a passing curiosity, likely having no real impact on how he functioned, it piqued her interest.

With the higher functioning portions of her brain still coming online, she strolled over to the window, fluttered up, and perched herself on the sill. Getting a daytime view of the area wasn’t a bad idea, but she also wanted to see which direction Anon was headed in. Fortunately, her vantage perfectly overlooked the front of the house.

Sure enough, after a minute or so, the man appeared and walked down a worn path. For the second time in less than twelve hours, he’d left her to her own devices. Stretching her wings, she leapt to the floor and sauntered out of her room. Considering she had some time to kill, she saw no harm in passively looking in and around the little home.

As fate would have it, Anon’s abode held little of interest. While she hadn’t seen it the night before, because of how dark it had been at the time, a small garden lay behind the building - not only that, but there were a fair number of herbs, fruit trees, and berry bushes on the property. Either the man had a green hoof or he liked having fresh produce on hoof.

She didn’t find much of anything particularly captivating inside, though she refrained from sneaking into his room. Besides his journal, there were a few books on a living room shelf - many of which centered around Equestrian history and politics. Helping herself to an apple from the kitchen and snatching up one of the texts on past events, she decided to brush up on circumstances she’d missed.

Making herself comfortable on the couch, lazily munching on the succulent and crisp fruit, she poured over the tome. Apparently, if the account was accurate, not too much had changed. The changeling, dragon, and yak Kingdoms were all aligned with Equestria, peace was maintained, and everything seemed largely the same; although there were a few things, almost footnotes which caught her eye.

First and foremost, instead of occupying the Canterlot palace, Twilight had chosen to reside in her castle near Ponyville. Supposedly, after spending a few years in the capital, she’d moved back to the home of her friends. It was an understandable decision, and Cozy wasn’t surprised by the information, yet more peculiarities slowly began to heap up.

Some century after Twilight was crowned as the Princess of Equestria, her fellow Elements of harmony passed away - not all at the same time in some cataclysmic accident, but slowly succumbing to old age over the span of a decade or two. That was expected, given how each was a normal pony of some fashion or other, although the Princess’ reaction to it drew her eye.

If the text was to be believed, Twilight had taken a year long sabbatical with Spike. There was no mention of where she went or what she did, only noting that she was in grieving, yet that wasn’t the interesting part. After the Princess returned, she returned alone. Hence forth, throughout the volume, she was touched on perilously little.

As intently as she’d studied her former nemesis, Cozy knew something was amiss. Before the disappearance, the Princess had been noted as attending festivities, holding balls, and brokering peace amongst their fellow sapient creatures; after her leave of absence, any such records were nonexistent.

When the subject had come up the night prior, just after her release, Anon had mentioned that things were, as he put it, complicated. Compound that with the fact that the other elements of harmony had moved on, Spike’s utter disappearance, and no note of Celestia and Luna’s well-being, she knew something was amiss. Scanning the book for anything else of import, she returned the book and picked up a second.

Unfortunately, the next tome was much like the first. Outside of a small incident with a hive of unreformed changelings, and how the diamond dogs had formed a tenuous alliance with ponies, there was a glaring lack of information about the Princesses. Though there was talk of the Crystal Empire’s grandeur, the only other alicorn mentioned was Flurry.

Aging at a remarkably slow rate, due to being a naturally born alicorn, Flurry Heart had received an education at the School of Friendship then taken an apprenticeship under Twilight Sparkle. The specifics of her tutelage were vague, at best, although she’d eventually assumed a position as the monarch’s second in command. Funnily enough, she was spoken of more frequently than her illustrious senior Princess.

In a way, it was almost as if Flurry had replaced Twilight; she was the one who signed accords, she was the one who was noted as attending formal affairs and stately events, while the Element of Magic remained in her castle on the outskirts of Ponyville. The scarcity of details pertaining to Twilight just seemed off, even if Cozy couldn’t put her hoof on exactly why.

Setting the book down, Cozy drifted back into the kitchen in search of a kettle and some tea. There was no reasonable explanation for why Twilight would stop stepping into the public eye. The loss of her friends was regrettable and would more than justify a temporary refrain from socializing, yet that wasn’t the case. Flurry acted in the elder Princess’ stead, while the senior alicorn stayed cooped up in her castle doing Celestia-knows-what without her longtime companion and assistant Spike.

Rifling through the cabinets, Cozy stumbled upon a tin of loose orange pekoe. After depositing the small container on the countertop, she quested for a tea ball. As luck would have it, she found one setting in the sink. With a warm, half filled kettle sitting on the stove, likely from Anon having helped himself to a cup earlier, she set the range and waited for the water to boil.

Lounging by the oven, eagerly waiting for her cup of tea, a knock at the door caused her to start. Her host had mentioned that a mailpony would probably come by, at some point that morning, but she was unsure of how to proceed. Given the early hour and her predisposition not to deal with what would likely be an overly friendly stranger, she chose to keep her voice down - that was, until a high pitched whistle started to blare.

The kettle must have been hotter than she thought, because it only took a minute to start singing. Mere moments later, the pounding at the door began again; only this time it was a fair bit louder. She cursed her luck, realizing that whoever was outside had doubtlessly heard the shrill sound.

“Anon? Anon, are you home?” a mare shouted from outside, followed by another series of energetic knocks.

Rolling her eyes, Cozy steeled herself, turned off the burner, and trotted into the living room. If the pony knew Anon, and she had to presume he did, there was a distinct chance that she’d let herself in - especially if she thought the stove had been left on in a vacant house. Stomping to the entrance and flying to the knob, she pulled the door open. Her pupils shrank to pin pricks and a lump formed in her throat, as she saw an alicorn standing just beyond the threshold.

Chapter 3

Though the combination of horn and wings on the pony were unmistakable, it took Cozy a split second to figure out whom she was looking at. Covered in pale magenta fur and plumage, darkening towards the tips of her wings, the mare’s glimmering turquoise eyes peered down at her from beneath a prismatic, curled mane of cerulean, violet, and cerise hues. Her cutie mark wasn’t visible, positioned as she was, but it wasn’t difficult to put the pieces together.

Leaping back, Cozy slammed the door shut and threw herself upon the wooden surface; it was, at best, a laughable defence, although she needed a moment to think. Faced with an alicorn’s titanic magical capabilities, there was next to nothing she could do to deter the mare from forcibly confronting her. Fleeing wasn’t really a viable option, considering the Princess was likely a stronger flyer than her. Cursing her host’s absence, she pressed her back to the door.

“Go away!” she bleated, attempting to buy herself some time. “Anon isn’t in right now! Come back later!”

“Cozy?” a lilting voice questioningly called. “Cozy Glow! I...I’m not here for Anon - well, I am, but I mostly came for you...Oh...Wait, no, that probably sounded bad. I’m not here for you, you’re not in trouble or anything, I just wanted to talk!”

Cozy’s ear perked, as she heard the visitor’s obvious worry. Given that she would have to face the alicorn eventually, she drew a metered breath. “It’s not really fair that you clearly know who I am, so how about you introduce yourself,” she groused, anointing her words with the slightest trace of petulance.

“It’s me, Princess Flurry Heart!” the mare cheerfully responded from behind the wooden planks.

With her suspicion confirmed, she stepped away from the door. While she’d never gotten the opportunity to meet the Princess before, she’d seen pictures of the alicorn as a wee bab. Retreating to the recliner, should she require some sort of cover, she stared at the doorway. She didn’t think she was in any immediate danger, considering her visitor’s shaky and wavering tone, but she’d rather be safe than sorry.

“Alright, come in, but no funny business!” she grumbled.

Slowly, almost cautiously, the door was pushed open. Wearing a timid smile, Flurry lingered just outside the entryway. “I...I can always stay out here, i...if that makes you more comfortable…”

As if the sudden appearance of an alicorn wasn’t jarring enough, the downright sheepish nature of her visitor left Cozy floored. Attempting to downplay her surprise, she shook her head. “No, you can come in, I guess,” she muttered. The Princess acquiesced, stepping inside but lingering on the welcome mat.

Positively beaming, Flurry peered over at her. It was a bit disquieting, being smiled upon by something so wildly powerful; scrunching her snout and knitting her brow, her unease got the better of her. “What?!”

“Sorry, sorry, you’re just so…” Flurry chuckled, trying and woefully failing to contain her mirth, “cute…”

Though the comment was a bit unexpected, Cozy’s muscle memory and a lifetime of Pavlovian responses kicked her into action. “Awwww,” she reflexively hummed, blushing and turning a cheek. The guise of a sickeningly cute and innocent filly was second nature for her, oftentimes presenting itself automatically - still, the compliment did little to justify why the Princess had paid her a visit. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t come here just to fawn over me,” she sighed, clandestinely studying her guest.

“Well, I wanted to see if Anon followed through with the plan. I know, I know, he expressly said not to come for a few weeks, but I couldn’t help myself,” the alicorn explained, taking a shy step forward.

Despite having only heard a scant few sentences, Cozy was beginning to paint a picture of the mare’s character. Impulsive and mousy, not unlike an overly excited youth, the Princess was not what she’d been expecting. Either the mare was remarkably humble and naive or she was extraordinarily deceptive; given her lineage, Cozy was inclined to believe the former.

“That’s ok, I’m always ready to meet a new friend,” she chirped, forcing herself to trot forward and hug the lanky Princess’ foreleg. While she was shorter than Celestia, her visitor was still larger than the average pony.

“I bet, after being cooped up in that dingy statue for so long,” Flurry laughed, ruffling the little mare’s unkempt hair.

The undue affection, while grating, was easy to ignore, as Cozy fought to suppress the rekindled bitterness and resentment of her imprisonment. “I...I wish you would have let me out s...sooner. It was so cold and lonely being trapped like that,” she lamented, peering up at her visitor with the most pitiful puppy dog eyes she could muster. The tactic worked flawlessly, as the alicorn quickly stepped back and sank to her haunches.

“Oh sweetie! I would have, honest!” Flurry cooed, pulling the pint-sized pegasus into a tender hug.

Keeping her mouth shut, for the time being, Cozy returned the kind gesture. As badly as she would have liked to pepper her guest with questions, playing things by ear and allowing the conversation to naturally flow seemed to be the logical course of action. Gently pulling free from the alicorn’s grasp, she sighed heavily.

“B...but why didn’t you?” she sniffed, wiping at her nose.

Straightening slightly, bearing a pained expression, Flurry looked away. “I couldn’t, not without permission,” she sullenly murmured, before a faltering smile reappeared on her face. “But you’re free now, so that’s all that matters.”

It really wasn’t all that mattered, but Cozy bit back her vitriol. She was reasonably certain that she’d get the answers she so desperately craved - if that meant biding her time was the safest and most surefire bet, so be it. Trotting over to the sofa and hopping to its padded surface, she patted the empty cushion beside herself. Buying a Princess’ trust would be an immense boon, one she wasn’t going to pass up, therefore cultivating an air of fondness and gratitude was paramount.

“I’m super duper grateful to be let out and can’t wait to make a better name for myself,” she giggled, watching the alicorn drawn nearer.

“You are?” Flurry blurted, stopping dead in her tracks.

“Mmmhmm,” Cozy smugly hummed, issuing an approving nod. “I had a whole bunch of time to think all about just how bad I was and how I could have done things differently. It’s only fair that I try to turn over a new leaf now!” she merrily added.

Her statement wasn’t a full lie, more of a subtle misdirection. Her imprisonment had given her time to reflect on her actions and she had dwelled on how she would have done things differently, although all her ruminations had predominantly been on how she could have ultimately won. In the end, it was a moot point, given the circumstances, however her visitor seemed pleased with her response.

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that!” Flurry nervously laughed, easing herself up and onto the couch. “If Discord got a second chance and became a hero, I figured that you, Chrysalis, and Tirek could too! I mean, everyone deserves a chance to right their wrongs, right?”

“So they’re going to be freed too?!” Cozy gasped, seizing the initiative. Though their cooperation had been tenuous at times, the changeling queen and centaur had been exceptionally useful allies.

“I’m hoping so, yes. You’re kind of our trial run, having been released first. No offense, but it would be much easier reigning in a filly instead of an irate shapeshifter or power hungry centaur,” the Princess chuckled.

There was truth to the alicorn’s words, Cozy had to give her that. She was, objectively and literally speaking, the smallest threat amongst the trio of ne'er do wells. Chrysalis could assume the form of nearly anyone or anything, Tirek was able to absorb the inherent energy from living creatures, and she was relegated to her disarming charm and guile.

“Well I’m sure things will go just grrrreat!” she whooped, shuffling over to the substantially larger pony.

Leaning against the small mare, Flurry contentedly peered out the window. “I knew the stories about you couldn’t be as bad as they sounded. Even though you nearly did overthrow Celestia and Luna, you weren’t totally to blame. Discord, in some deluded scheme to help Twilight,” she moaned, including a pair of air quotes with her wingtips, “was the one who baited you and your friends into action.”

“Yeah, that was pretty rotten of him,” Cozy murmured, trying not to launch into a tirade about the mad draconequus.

“And I’m sure you had some reason behind it and your incident at the school,” Flurry continued, turning her attention down to her diminutive host, “didn’t you…?”

“I…” Cozy began, thrown off by the abrupt shift of focus. The Princess’ assertion, while innocuous, had derailed her train of thought and left her somewhat morose. “I did, but I’d rather not talk about it…”

It was, in fact, the first time anyone had taken the time to ask about her motivations and it struck a nerve. She had sought power because, simply put, she knew she’d be a better ruler than Celestia, Luna, or Twilight Sparkle. A peculiar amalgam of respect and sorrow welled within her, though she dare not show either. Slouching, she dispondantly looked to the floor.

“Oh! No, that’s quite alright!” Flurry hastily interjected, stiffening slightly. “I d...didn’t mean to pry, it’s just that nopony has talked to you in ages - well, besides Anon. I just…” she groaned, her shoulders sagging, “I just get a little bit excited sometimes, that’s all.”

Twisting her head, noting her company’s wilted demeanor, Cozy found her assessment of Flurry’s personality gaining more weight. In contrast to her impressive stature, the alicorn was still very much a juvenile and pitiably gullible; it was sad, really, even if a great many ponies in Equestria bore the same very exploitable weakness - still, it did raise a red flag.

“It’s ok, I’m just happy you didn’t throw me in shackles and drag me off somewhere,” she dejectedly whispered. She’d really rather not dwell on the far-flung past, so a change of subject would be ideal.

“Of course I wouldn’t, unless you gave me a darned good reason to! Shoot, that would be awful! Letting you out just to lock you up again - what sort of pony would do something like that?” Flurry huffed, apparently taken aback by the notion.

Cozy found Flurry’s response relieving, if not exceedingly naive, given the fact that other alicorns had few reservations about depriving others of their freedom. Sensing an opening, she quested a bit deeper on her guest’s nature and history. “Golly! I bet you’ve helped all sorts of creatures, since you’re a Princess and all!” she uttered in impeccably executed mock awe.

“Can you believe this is the first time I’ve ever met a villain in person? Well, I mean, the first time I can remember meeting a villain - Sombra doesn’t count, since I was a baby,” the alicorn chuckled.

Squinting over at the mare, Cozy could scarcely believe what she’d heard. “You’re joking right?”

“Nope!” Flurry chirped, shaking her head.

“Hmmm...Oh! What about Discord, you mentioned him earlier!” Cozy pressed. Though she despised the patchwork creature, he was undeniably powerful and his chaotic nature could potentially impact whatever plans she decided to lay.

“I guess he counts but nopony has seen him in ages - not since…” the Princess trailed off, her cheerful demeanor wavering. “No, I haven’t seen him in a long, long time, so I guess you’re technically the third villain I’ve ever met.”

In spite of having said so little, the statement gave Cozy a wealth of information. Discord was, at least to an extent, out of the picture. Though there was no guarantee her conjecture was one-hundred percent accurate, her guest’s markedly sudden and downtrodden behavior was a pretty strong tell that something unfortunate had transpired.

“Even if I’m the second used-to-be bad guy you’ve met, I’ll definitely be the first one you’ve helped to find her way!” Cozy noted, chipperly kicking her hind legs over the edge of the couch. “Oh shucks, where are my manners?! I was just in the middle of making some tea, would you like some?” she asked.

Seeing no sense in having her company in a dour mood, she sought to improve the situation. The prospect of a hot caffeinated beverage, besides being a welcome addition to the morning, may brighten the Princess’ spirits. Sliding off the sofa’s edge, she nonchalantly flitted towards the kitchen.

“Yes please, that would be lovely,” Flurry replied, sounding a bit more upbeat.

“You just sit right there, I’ll be back in a jiffy!” Cozy called over her shoulder, flying around the corner and towards the stove.

After fetching another mug from a cabinet and rummaging around for a second tea ball, she prepared two steaming cups for herself and her visitor. She couldn’t say how long the alicorn was planning on staying, but that was fine with the company. Whether through investigation or building rapport, she was going to get as much as she could out of their time together.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how do you think I should start on my road to salvation?” she inquired, drifting back into the parlor.

“We have it all planned out,” the alicorn animatedly began, sorcerously plucking one of the two mugs from the pegasus’ grip. “We were - Darn it!” she hissed, having sipped the overly hot and under-steeped tea. “We thought it would be perfect to start things small - maybe delivering flowers or helping in Sugarcube Corner. Once you’ve shown that you’re not a threat, and the public warms up to you a bit, our plan was to have you teach at the School of Friendship!”

Our...We...There was someone else at play and Cozy felt reasonably certain that Flurry wasn’t referring to Anon. Reclaiming her seat beside the Princess, she set down her tea and thoughtfully rubbed her chin. “We?” she ingenuously parroted.

“Twilight and I. It was mostly her idea but, between you and me, I think I won her over on getting you off the hook,” Flurry explained, leaning over and giving the tiny mare a conspiratorial wink.

“I sure do appreciate that! Say, how has Twilight been doing? It’s been forever since I heard anything about her - you know, since I was a statue for the last umpteen hundred years,” Cozy tittered, scooching closer to the mare.

“Oh, she’s the same old Twilight: mostly keeps to herself, always studying, practically lives in the library of her palace,” Flurry casually commented, blowing on her steaming drink.

“Huh - yeah, that does sound like her,” Cozy lied.

That didn’t sound anything like the Twilight she’d spent years researching. The element of magic, after having moved to Ponyville, had become a paragon of friendship, unified nations, and vanquished numerous foes of Equestria! If she really was sequestering herself from the public, something was definitely off.

“And Spike? I hope he’s been doing well!” she added, hoping to bait a bit more information from the Princess. Dragons were remarkably long lived and there was a chance that Twilight’s faithful assistant hadn’t expired.

“I guess he’s doing alright. Besides Twilight, I don’t think anyone has kept up with him, since he left for the Dragon Lands. From what I’ve heard, he’s doing well!” Flurry answered.

Now she knew something was wrong; there was no way Spike would leave Twilight’s side - at least, she couldn’t imagine such a thing happening. The two were inseparable and the alicorn was like a mother to him. Beyond that, she was aware that he had close ties with both the changeling and crystal empires. Something was amiss and she felt as though an explanation was dangling just out of reach.

“So when do I get to see her? I really, really want to thank her for the opportunity to make amends!” Cozy exclaimed.

Flurry seemed to think for a minute then shrugged. “Whenever she calls for you, I suppose. I’m sure she’ll summon you before too long,” the Princess hummed, carefully sipping her tea.

Content to let the matter lie, Cozy gave herself a moment of silence. Being a bit curious was fine, but grilling Flurry on fine details may come across as suspicious. Unwilling to risk her first impression, she’d take the slow and steady route. As she leaned forward and reached for her tea, the Princess turned the inquisitorial tables.

“I hope your meeting with Anon went well,” Flurry remarked.

“It went pretty well. I have to say though, he is a little...weird,” Cozy muttered.

“He is a little,” Flurry snickered, batting a hoof. “Don’t let him scare you - sure, he might be big and a bit different, but he’s a big softy. Can you believe it was his idea to be the one there when you were released?!”

“Nuh-uh,” Cozy slowly shook her head from side to side. “I wonder why he’d want to do that…”

In truth, there were a myriad of possible reasons as to why the human would have volunteered for the task, although the exact details were still murky. While it was true that his explanation from the night prior was feasible, she still wasn’t completely sold on the idea. There was something missing, a piece of the puzzle she’d yet to acquire, and it left her wondering what, if anything, it was.

“I’m not sure either, but he was very appreciative that -” whatever the Princess was about to say was cut short, as a knock at the door interrupted their conversation.

“It’s probably the mailpony,” Cozy said, as she hopped to the floor.

Trotting over and opening the front door, she found just that. Standing on the stoop, just outside, was a pegasus stallion with a patchwork satchel slung around his neck. Rifling through the bag, producing a set of two letters, he looked up through the entrance. He tilted his head in confusion for a moment, presumably because he’d been expecting Anon, before his gaze wandered lower. As his eyes settled on the minuscule mare, he smiled.

“Well hey there! I didn’t know Anon was having company over today!” the stallion softly sighed, lowering himself slightly and extending a hoof. “The name’s Patches.”

“I’m Cozy. Pleased to meet you!” she greeted, shaking his hoof. No sooner had the final syllable left her lips than she realized she’d erred. Having let her guard down, she’d inadvertently given herself away.

“Huh...Has anyone ever told you that you favor the Cozy Glow?” Patches snickered, releasing her foreleg and passing her the pair of envelopes.

“Yeah, I’ve gotten that once or twice,” Cozy giggled, bashfully rubbing her neck.

“Just make sure you give those to Anon. You have a good day now - ya hear!” he blithely stated, giving her a wave and taking to the skies.

“I will! It was nice to meet you!” Cozy shouted, watching the stallion depart. Though she showed no external sign of it, her heart was racing.

The first pony who hadn’t been expecting to see her had nearly recognized her right off the bat. Even if she hadn’t unwittingly given her name, her diminutive stature and cutie marks were a dead giveaway. Thankfully, Patches hadn’t noticed, probably because he was in the middle of making deliveries, but she realized she wouldn’t stay that lucky forever - sooner or later, ponies would know she had been set free.

“Everything alright?” Flurry asked, watching the small pegasus sulk back into the room.

“I...I’m just worried about introducing myself. I’d hate for anypony to get the wrong impression and think that I’m up to no good,” Cozy admitted, setting Anon’s mail on the table. While she doubted the alicorn would offer any insight on the matter, she saw no harm in broaching the subject.

“I wouldn’t be too worried about it. I’d planned on making a visit to Ponyville to let the mayor know about you. Letting everypony know you’re around, and that you’ll be on your best behavior, will put a few minds at ease or, at the very least, will help avoid any panic,” the Princess proudly mused.

“Oh perfect,” Cozy waveringly responded, unable to keep a hint of sarcasm from her voice.

She was sure that word would eventually spread of her release, yet she hadn’t anticipated a royal formally announcing her return. She’d hoped to have few days of furtive reconnaissance through town, while accompanying Anon, although that plan was now out the window. As unfortunate as the development was, she couldn’t be that upset.

Giving folks a heads up was probably for the best, considering they’d find out about her inevitably. Regardless of the validity of Flurry’s plan, she was less than pleased - not because the approach wasn’t prudent, but because of her lack of control with it. Fluttering back onto the sofa, she recalcitrantly took a drink of her slowly cooling tea.

“Since you’re going to break the news about me, do you think I should join you? It might help make everypony a bit more comfortable if they see me with a Princess,” Cozy shrewdly suggested. Besides attempting to assert some modicum of control over her reveal to the general public, being spotted parading around with an alicorn could earn her a couple of points with the residents of Ponyville.

“You know what, that is a great idea! I hadn’t really thought about it much, but having you come with me would be just perfect! As a matter of fact, unless you had any plans for the rest of the day, you can join me this morning!” Flurry proclaimed, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically.

“Sure! Just let me go leave a note for Anon! I’d hate for him to worry, if he got home and I was missing,” Cozy beamed, jumping to her hooves.

“Alright! I’m going to use the little mare’s room real quick. Oh - this is going to be so exciting!” the Princess practically squealed, clapping her hooves together. Easing herself to the floor, she briskly trotted up the stairs and out of view.

Proceeding back to the kitchen, hoping to find some paper and a pen, Cozy considered her impending royal escort through Ponyville a small victory. Though she felt reasonably sure that Anon would have done a fine job of showing her through town, she derived some small comfort from traveling with another pony. It wasn’t like there was anything wrong with the human, but she hadn’t quite adjusted to his alien appearance yet.

Questing through the kitchen, she soon found what she was looking for. Amongst the bits and bobs of a junk drawer, she stumbled across the nub of a pencil and a few unused paper napkins. Ferrying the items to the table, she hastily scrawled a terse message.

Anon,

Don’t worry, I didn’t run away or anything. Flurry Heart stopped by and she’s going to give me a tour of Ponyville. Your mail is on the coffee table.

Cozy

She paused, thoughtfully tapping the pencil against the thin piece of paper.

P.S.
If you want to give me a second tour later, I wouldn’t mind.

Nodding in approval, she returned the nub to the drawer and sailed back into the living room to await the Princess. While it was regrettable that she wouldn’t look her very best for her debut back into society, it was a cursory concern. With any luck, Anon would have a brush for her by that evening. Extending a wing to her face, while she lounged by the door, she licked her pinions and attempted to straighten her disheveled, curly locks.

Looking towards the stairs, expecting to see the alicorn reappear any moment, the doorknob clicked behind her. Stepping away and turning towards the entrance, she grinned. With the man’s return, she would be able to make herself presentable - at least, if he’d obliged her request. She only saw the briefest flash of burnished silver and a crested helm, before she was tackled to the floor.

The assault was so jarring, so extraordinarily abrupt, that she had no time to react. Stunned and pressed to the floor, she gasped for breath. She wasn’t able to see much, with a fur covered, muscular foreleg pressing her face to the hardwood, although whatever had her pinned was definitely armored and of a decent size.

“Cozy Glow,” a deep voice intoned from overhead, “by order of Princess Twilight Sparkle, you’re under arrest for acts of sedition against the Equestrian Empire, conspiracy to commit regicide, and of escape from custody.”

Chapter 4

“Get - Rrrgh - offa me!” Cozy growled, trying in vain to wriggle from beneath the stallion. His size and weight, augmented by his armor, left her attempts to escape fruitless. Though she couldn’t see much, she heard a second quartet of heavy hooffalls coming from the door.

“You got her already?” a gruff, incredulous voice asked.

“Yeah. You got the cuffs?” the stallion atop her questioned, shifting slightly.

“Right here,” the second pony replied, accompanied by the sound of metal jingling.

With a pair of hoofs pressed to her sides, Cozy found herself rolled over and thrust into the air. As sudden as the movement was, she was finally able to get a decent look at her assailants. Sheathed in the armor of royal guards, with golden filigreed heavy plate, there were at least two of them - the earth pony who’d tackled her and a similarly adorned unicorn moving in her direction.

She wouldn’t be surprised if there were more, since soldiery typically didn’t travel in pairs. If she had to hazard a guess, there was likely at least one pegasus waiting somewhere unseen. It wouldn’t make sense to send a team to capture her without somepony capable of giving aerial pursuit. Her chances of making a getaway were slim, given the circumstances, but not impossible.

Held aloft, watching the unicorn trot nearer, she ceased her struggle. Appraising the two heavily clad stallions, she took stock of the situation. The horned equine was of slender build, with a mauve coat and alabaster mane and tail, while the earth pony below her was significantly muscled and covered in sandy hued fur. Between their immaterial and physical strength, her wits were left to prevail.

It was a long shot, and she’d only have a split second to pull it off, but she had a hastily concocted plan. Timing would be everything, so she resigned herself to wait for just the right moment. Sorcerously unclasping and moving the irons towards her, the second stallion’s horn blazed with magical power; just as the cuffs came within reach, she struck.

Bending at her waist, she sank her teeth into one of the two hooves holding her; the split second the stallion’s grip upon her slackened, she flapped her wings and executed a front flip. Snatching the levitating irons from out of the air, she deftly clasped them around the earth pony’s forehooves and flitted towards the stairs.

Disabling one of the stallions would buy her a few minutes, at best, although it was better than nothing. Glancing over her shoulder, watching the two guards bicker and fight to unlock the cuffs, she rocketed to the second floor and slammed against something warm and soft. The unexpected impact sent her reeling off course and into a wall, before falling to the stairs below. Quickly pushing herself up, wondering what she’d hit, she found Flurry peering down at her.

“W...what is going on?” the alicorn asked, looking between the diminutive mare and the duo of guards.

Shaking off the rough landing, Cozy flew behind the Princess for cover. If Flurry was half as confused as she seemed, there was a pretty good chance that her guest had been unaware of the ambush. Peeking over the alicorn’s back, she thrust a hoof towards the soldiers standing by the entryway.

“They tried to beat me up and put me in chains!” she whimpered, slightly exaggerating the truth.

“First of all,” the unicorn began, finally freeing his compatriot, “we did not try to beat her up. Secondly, you’re now facing charges of resisting arrest and assault on a royal guard.”

“She bit me!” the earth pony grumbled, blowing on his hoof.

“Emblem, Sigil, explain yourselves,” Flurry softly demanded, staring down at the two armored stallions.

While she continued to use the alicorn as refuge, Cozy couldn’t help but be marginally impressed. There’d been a subtle shift in the Princess’ tone, the slightest undercurrent of steel, when she spoke. Her eyes danced between the pair of stallions, the door, and the windows she could see. Despite having gotten herself away from immediate harm, there was no guarantee that another trap would be sprung.

“Your majesty, we’re simply following orders. We had no intention of harming the filly, you have my word,” the horned stallion explained, his eyes locked on the small pegasus behind the Princess.

“Is this true, Emblem?” Flurry pressed, shifting her focus to the earth pony.

Removing his crested helm, he nodded. “It is, Ma’am. Now if you’d both come with us, we’ll escort you to the castle…”

The Princess paused for a moment, peeked over her shoulder at Cozy, then looked down at the two ponies below. “I hardly think any of this is necessary. If I’m -”

“Ma’am,” Emblem interjected, “you will accompany us to the castle…”

It was fast, so subtle that Cozy barely noticed it, but the ranking earth pony glanced at his fellow soldier and gave an almost imperceptible nod. They were up to something, however she couldn’t quite say what. The Princess tensed, the muscles on her shoulders and back tightening, as she took a deep breath.

“I order you to leave,” Flurry commanded, almost resignedly. “You’ve broken into someone’s house, assaulted a child, and -”

“Whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t…” Cozy barked, squinting down at the unicorn. Though it was faint, his horn had briefly flickered with power.

The quartet of ponies stared at one another in an overbearing, nearly stifling silence. Slowly, the earth stallion stepped to the base of the stairs and gazed up at Flurry and the tiny mare she was sheltering. His cold, unyielding eyes stayed locked upon them, as he donned his helmet.

“There are two pegasi on the roof and a unicorn out back. Neither of you are leaving here unless you are in our custody. I don’t want to resort to force, Princess, but I will if you leave me no other option…” Emblem whispered.

Drifting to the step upon which Flurry’s forehooves rested, Cozy’s mind raced. They were outnumbered and, if she had to take a blind jab about the Princess’ combat prowess, outgunned as well. Shuffling over, resting a bit of her weight against the alicorn’s foreleg, one ear swiveled up and back.

“Emblem…” Flurry murmured, taking a step down the stairwell towards the officer. “You have to realize how absurd this is. If you’d just take a moment and explain -”

“Duck!” Cozy squawked, heaving all of her weight into the Princess’ forelimb and sending her toppling forward.

A periwinkle mortar of energy blazed just over their heads, right where the alicorn had been standing, before arching downward and slamming against the stallion at the foot of the stairs. Driven back by the blast, groaning incoherently, the stricken soldier took a faltering step and collapsed to the floor. Everything went deathly still, for the briefest of moments, before the room exploded into action.

With at least one unicorn to her back, and a second magic wielding pony in the living room, Cozy took flight. Whizzing over the banister and into the kitchen, she abandoned the alicorn. Regardless of if Emblem hadn’t been fully truthful or not, getting away still wasn’t going to be easy. Sailing by the oven, flicking every knob as she passed, she grabbed a salt shaker from the counter.

Reversing course, unscrewing the top of the shaker as she went, she soared back towards the kitchen’s entrance. Coming to the doorway, hearing hooves storming in her direction, she lobbed the container of salt at the archway and right into Sigil’s face. The stallion cried out, blindly unleashing spellwork into the kitchen as the pint-sized pegasus zipped over his thrashing head.

The Princess was gone, disappeared from the stairs, although the sound of clashing sorcery from above gave some clue to the alicorn’s whereabouts. Gliding up to the second floor, she followed the sounds of arcane combat. Squared off against one another, in the short hallway that divided the upstairs, the alicorn and second unicorn clashed.

A beam of their perspective magics connected them, each pushing against the other, lighting the corridor. The soldier stepped back, as the Princess trudged forward. Even if Flurry wasn’t a skilled combatant, there were few who could contest with the raw, mystical power of an alicorn.

“M...my Princess, please!” the stallion blubbered, his magic on the cusp of being overwhelmed.

“Then just stop! You’re the one who started this!” Flurry growled. Gritting her teeth, she stamped her hoof and increased her arcane output. In a flicker of light, the unicorn was left in a glimmering bubble of energy.

The guard scowled and discharged his horn, sending a bolt of energy to wildly ricochet around his confines and into his flank. Yelping in surprise and pain, he fell back and sent the spherical cell to roll into one of the bedrooms. The prison wouldn’t last forever, but at least it temporarily dealt with one of the goons.

“He is so fired,” the Princess snorted, turning away from her defeated foe. As she spotted Cozy, she rushed over to the small mare. “A...Are you alright?! I don’t know why they’d -”

“We have to get out of here now!” Cozy interrupted, shaking her head. “If there aren’t already more on the way, there will be soon.”

“I...What…” Flurry stopped dead, sniffing the air. “Is something burning?”

“There’s no time!” Cozy hissed, fluttering up to the Princess’ face. “We need to make a break for it!” The alicorn uncertainly nodded and ignited her horn, before she intervened. “No, we can’t teleport - at least not yet. You’ll go somewhere familiar and they’ll know it. Running is our best bet.”

“H...how did you?” the Princess stammered, taken aback.

“Just trust me and get ready to do exactly what I say,” she grunted, bringing her muzzle beside the alicorn’s head. With a bubbled guard possibly within earshot, and others likely lurking nearby, she couldn’t risk anyone hearing her. Swiftly whispering her scheme to the Princess, she drifted away. “Got it?”

“I...I think so?” Flurry mumbled uneasily, clearly unsettled by the tumultuous turn of events.

“Good. Now run!” Cozy yelled, wheeling around and dashing for the front door.

Her plan to ignite the kitchen, after at least one of the soldiers had been incapacitated, had worked far better than she could have hoped; one pony was injured, another blinded, and a third was trapped within Flurry’s shield. With several guards within the soon to be blazing structure, any remaining centurions would have to prioritize a rescue over a pursuit.

Charging through the front door, with the Princess galloping behind her, Clozy raced outside. Scanning the heavens, she scowled; a trio of pegasi were descending towards them at full speed. Luck definitely hadn’t been with her, though she’d accounted for the possibility. Screeching to a halt, she leapt back to Flurry’s side.

“Now!” she screamed, praying the alicorn wouldn’t fold under the pressure.

The world went white, drowned out by a brilliant golden flash. Cozy froze, plastering herself to the Princess’ leg. Her heart thundered in her chest, though she dared not breathe or move a muscle. Blinking rapidly, fuzzy shapes and movement gradually came into view.

She and Flurry were right where they’d been before, standing not but two dozen paces from Anon’s home. Angling her head ever so slightly, she peered up at the large mare beside her. The alicorn’s eyes were wide and unfocused, and her breathing was fast and shallow, but she stood unflinching. Shifting her focus, she watched the three pegasi pause, shouting to one another, before bolting into the house.

“Slow,” Cozy softly instructed, tenderly stroking Flurry’s leg. “Just stay slow…”

Forcing herself to trot at a snail’s pace, she moved before the Princess. While there was no guarantee that Flurry would follow her, she was partially relying on the adrenaline coursing through the alicorn. Her unexpected accomplice’s better judgement was likely shaken, but she’d followed her orders to the letter. Hearing the soft hooffalls behind her, she led the way.

First and foremost, they needed to get some space between themselves and any soldiery in the area. The mock teleportation, a combination of a star blaze and invisibility spell, had served its purpose. With the guards more than likely having assumed they’d winked themselves to another place entirely, all that was left was to clandestinely escape on hoof.

Periodically glancing back to her guest, Cozy silently trotted down a path leading away from the home. While the entire chaotic event had only lasted a hoofful of minutes, it had felt much longer. She had many, many questions for the shaken alicorn, although they would have to wait. Taking metered breaths, she fought to calm herself and reflected.

Playing and replaying the events of the attack, in her mind, she searched for any glimmering nuggets of information. Flurry had not only recognized two of the guards who’d accosted them, but one had even referred to her as my Princess. The stallion’s mention of orders was probably the most unsettling part, leading her to a conclusion - either grievous miscommunication and ineptitude was rampant amongst the royal guard or there was some scheme afoot.

Caught up with her thoughts, she froze mid-step. “Wait,” she hissed, holding a hoof out and motioning for Flurry to stop.

She listened, her ears swiveling towards the noise. It was coming from the opposite direction of Anon’s house and it almost sounded like something running. Soft and rhythmic, the pounding growing closer and closer. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be any sort of quadruped - no, the gait was all wrong for that.

Cozy’s eyes swept over the hillside leading towards town, looking for any sort of movement, when she finally saw it. Cutting through the underbrush, moving at a fairly impressive clip, a figure ran up the gentle slope. Watching it move, it only took her a second to realize who it was. He was too far away to notice his expression, being several dozen paces off, but he was definitely moving with a purpose

“Anon!” Flurry cried, her spell dissolving and leaving the pair of mares out in the open.

Anon’s pace faltered, as he looked over in their direction. “Flurry?” he shouted, changing course and slowing marginally.

“Great...Just great,” Cozy sighed, as the alicorn cantered past her.

“Anon! We were...A...and then they just burst in. I tried to…” the Princess babbled incoherently, rushing over to the man.

“Woah woah woah! Just calm down a second,” he huffed, panting slightly. Dropping to one knee, he brought himself to the alicorn’s eye level. “Are you ok?” he inquired, looking Flurry in the face. As the Princess nodded, he turned his head towards Cozy. “And you?”

“I’m fine, but we really shouldn’t stick around here,” Cozy exasperatedly muttered, continually searching for any sign of pursuit. “We were attacked by guards and -”

“Wait, what? Attacked? Where?” Anon blurted, glancing between them.

“Guards,” Cozy repeated, “at your house. We managed to get away, but they’ll be looking for us. Do you know of anywhere away from prying eyes? Maybe with a friend outside of town or in the woods?”

“Hold on, guards attacked you?” he asked in disbelief. “I saw some smoke on my way back and I came running! Are you sure they were guards?”

“It’s true, they did,” Flurry affirmed, solemnly shaking her head. “We were having tea when it happened. T...there was a fight a...and…” she sniffed, her eyes beginning to water.

“Ssssssssssssh,” Anon breathed, leaning in and wrapping one arm round the Princess’ neck. “It’s alright now. We’ll get this - Mmmph!”

A bolt of opalescent energy struck his shoulder, a heartbeat before a second and third slammed into his back. Sheltering the alicorn with his body, he reached out and shoved Cozy away. It wasn’t an outright punch, but he used more than enough strength to send her reeling. Tumbling back, the pegasus landed under in shrub.

Struggling to right herself, Cozy squirmed about in the bush and fell to the ground. Shaking off her disorientation, while she pushed herself to her hooves, she looked over and went rigid. As Anon rose, taking care to shield the Princess behind himself, he turned to face his assailant - no, assailants.

“Stand down,” a unicorn ordered, flanked by two more of his horned kin - a second stallion and a mare respectively.

“Not before you explain yourself,” Anon barked.

Cozy hadn’t realized it until then, but the back of the man’s shirt had been blasted clean off. Tattered and singed, the fabric hung from around his neck and shoulders, though that wasn’t what held her eye. His flesh, while a bit reddened, was still wholly intact. Despite being unsure of the exact spell the magic wielding pony had used, it didn’t make any sense.

As far as she knew, combat sorcery was comprised of two classes - those that could cripple or gravely wound an opponent and those which were significantly less dangerous. Given the state of his garb, she was left to presume whatever Anon had been hit with had been the former. She was so caught up trying to figure out exactly what had happened that she failed to notice the one of the backup soldiers readying a second attack.

“Cease fire!” the commanding officer said, waving to the pair beside and behind him. “Anon, that filly is being charged with treason, as well as a number of other offenses,” he blared, leveling a hoof in Cozy’s direction. “I’d really rather do this peacefully but, if you leave me no other option, we will use force.”

Anon visibly tensed, though Cozy couldn’t see his face. “You say that after you throw the first punch?” he growled.

“Final warning…” the officer snarled, his horn going alight. The two soldiers behind him did the same, as a brilliant aura surrounded them.

“Don’t…” the man coldly intoned. Putting his strong foot forward, he clenched his fists.

“As if - Buck! Fire! FIRE!!!” the lead unicorn bellowed, as Anon sprinted forward.

Cozy watched in abject awe, as a cold chill ran up her spine. Somehow, defying all logic, Anon stormed at three trained soldiers with little more than his bare hands. Shrugging off magical bolts and rays of power, he charged headlong into the onslaught. There was no shield, no arcane barrier, the man simply weathered the barrage as if it was little more than a stiff breeze.

The trio of unicorns, either paralyzed in fear or disastrously overestimating their abilities, stood their ground. Closing the gap with startling speed, Anon stooped low and rammed a shoulder into the lead stallion. Throwing his full weight into the blow, knocking the pony to the ground, the man changed course and barrelled into the mare.

With his momentum barely dulled, he outright tackled the smallest of the three unicorns. Grunting, as she was bowled over, the mare swung a forehoof and nailed Anon in the jaw; regardless of whether the blow had been guided by skill or plain dumb luck, it staggered the man. The engagement turned into an all out brawl, as the two rolled around exchanging kicks and punches.

With one sentry wounded and a second scuffling with Anon, only one of the unicorns remained standing. The lone soldier’s eyes were glued on the fight, either too reluctant or too shocked to join the fray, while he ignored the Princess and pegasus nearby. He was open, oblivious to his surroundings, and he was about to learn a hard lesson.

Creeping towards the alicorn, Cozy did what she could to avoid any sudden movements. There was the potential to surprise and overtake the remaining guard and she was not about to let it slip through her hooves. She inched closer, watching the Princess’ face, until they made eye contact.

“Shoot him,” she mouthed, pointing a wing at the stallion. Flurry cocked her head and knit her brow. “Shoot,” she silently repeated, gesturing to the center of her forehead, “him.” Extending both a wing and a foreleg towards the armored pony, she finally got her point across.

Flurry lowered her head and leveled her horn at the guard. A ball of radiant golden light sailed from her, crossing the distance in the blink of an eye, and splashed against the unicorn’s cuirass. He stumbled, his attention immediately shifting to the alicorn and her pint-sized companion.

Snatching up a small rock, Cozy took to the air and flew away. She wasn’t too keen on being caught in any potential crossfire between the Princess and the warrior, though that wasn’t the only reason for her departure. Keeping low to the ground, swinging wide, she flanked the stallion, took aim, and hurled the pebble.

“I’m over here!” she taunted, as the stone clanged off his armor.

His head whipped around and he angrily scowled at her. As his lip curled and the glow about his horn intensified, a beam of energy sent him sailing into a bramble. His armor was scorched, he coughed a gout of smoke, and went limp. As jarring as seeing the hitherto timid Alicorn’s fury was, the victory was short lived. Flying over the downed officer, something snagged Cozy’s leg.

“Got you, you little -” Clang!!! The unicorn’s helmet rang loudly, as the tiny mare bucked with all her might. His teeth seemed to chatter wildly, his eyes rolled back, and his grip slackened as he collapsed.

“Stay...down…” Anon wheezed, unsteadily getting to his feet. The mare he’d been tousling with, while a little roughed up, was still conscious. He loomed over her, dusting himself off and glaring down at her. His shirt had been reduced to shreds and his pants had a sizable hole in one leg, yet he seemed relatively unharmed.

“Cuff her, quick! Flurry, get the other stallion and do the same, before he wakes up!” Cozy shouted, drifting to the ground and pulling the irons from the officer’s hip.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled his forelegs together and clasped the metal around them. With the cuffs securing the guard’s limbs together, she grabbed his key and flung it into a bush. The Princess flew past, headed towards the stallion who’d been blasted, while she heard the mare Anon was dealing with cursing and grumbling; in less than a minute, all three unicorns were shackled.

“Anon, Flurry, bring those other two soldiers over here and set them together,” Cozy stated, looking between the man and alicorn.

“Why? They can’t hurt anyone now,” Anon commented, raising an eyebrow.

“Because they’ll let the others know we went to Yakyakis - Grrrrrrrr!” Cozy furiously growled, facehoofing. “Just hurry up!”

Anon and Flurry didn’t budge, each staring at the little mare with disconcerted shock. It was only when she smiled and winked, after making sure the only conscious guard couldn’t see her face, did they move. Hauling the trio of unicorns into a close circle, the man, alicorn, and pegasus stepped back.

“I heard the Crystal Empire is great to visit this time of year,” Cozy chuckled, grinning up at the Princess.

“A...And don’t come looking for us!” Flurry ineffectually growled, evoking her power and sending the trio off to the far-flung north-land capital.

With the sentries dealt with, having earned themselves a moment’s respite, the three looked to one another. Flurry, while seeming shaken, appeared alright; Anon, on the other hand, was a different story. Though he was breathing heavily, the only obvious injuries he bore were a hooffull of cuts, scrapes, and swelling on his cheek where the unicorn had landed a blow.

Throughout all of Cozy’s travels and studies, she’d never heard of any creature which was outright immune to sorcery; even Tirek, having the ability to absorb magical energy, hadn’t been completely resistant to mystical attacks or manipulation. There were what looked to be very minor burns where he’d suffered direct hits, as she studied him closely, although they didn’t appear any worse than a sunburn.

Meeting his eyes, she nodded. “Thanks…”

Her gratitude seemed to bleed away a bit of Anon’s bitter resolve, leaving his shoulders to wilt slightly. “Don’t worry about it. Is my house -”

“Even if it’s not razed, you can’t go back. If there are any soldiers left there, which I presume there will be, you’ll be detained and questioned. It would only be a matter of time until the three we sent to the Crystal Empire send word about your involvement,” Cozy sighed. “Until we can figure out what’s going on, it’s probably in your best interests to stick with us.”

“Wait, us?” Flurry blurted, stepping closer. “I...I didn’t do anything. Maybe we can go and talk with them to work out this misunderstanding.”

“There is no misunderstanding. They said I was under arrest for sedition and conspiracy to commit regicide, not to mention that they were under orders when they refused your command - no, there’s something foul afoot,” Cozy murmured, furrowing her brow.

“How can you be sure?” Anon asked, crossing his arms over his nearly bare chest and staring down at her.

“Because it’s me,” Cozy weakly chuckled, shaking her head, “and I’d know a scheme when I smell one…”

Chapter 5

“I still can’t believe they actually attacked me,” Flurry bleated.

“Us. They attacked us,” Cozy corrected, squinting over at the flustered alicorn. “And keep your voice down, we don’t need anyone to hear us…”

“I don’t think we’ll have much to worry about there. Nobody really comes here - at least, I’ve never heard of anyone hanging around this place,” Anon murmured, looking between the two ponies.

Sheltered in the overgrown and severely dilapidated remains of what used to be Fluttershy’s Animal Sanctuary, the trio had finally found solitude. According to Anon and Flurry, the place had fallen into disrepair ages ago. Once Twilight had opened a significantly larger animal refuge and veterinary school outside of Canterlot, the land had been abandoned.

The windows were all shuttered and the front door hung lazily on one hinge, yet the place almost looked like a time capsule - albeit an extremely time worn one. Furniture still dotted the rooms, as did several books and creature comforts, giving the house a surreal air. As disquieting as it was, its undisturbed nature was a testament that few, if any, ever frequented the locale.

Whether it was due to veneration for the Element of Kindness, reluctance to repurpose the estate, or just sheer coincidence, nobody had laid a hoof on the property. The only one who’d made use of it had been Mother Nature herself. Most of the structures were gone, either collapsed or buried in weeds, and the land had slowly been reclaimed by the wildlife the former owner so deeply cherished.

It was strangely peaceful, in a beautiful and poetic sense. Though Cozy never really had many dealings with the demure, soft-spoken pegasus, she had to assume Fluttershy would have approved. Birds, rabbits, and all manner of small game had stayed and thrived, even without their erstwhile protector. It was lush, overgrown, and would serve the three as a temporary safe harbor while they planned their next move.

Their flight from Anon’s house had been a bit arduous, but Cozy had insisted on the complexity of their escape. Navigating through the woods, avoiding trails, doubling back at points, and even traversing upstream for a leg of the journey, she’d done everything she could to ensure they couldn’t be tracked. Were it not for the human’s inability to fly, it would have taken them a fraction of the time - however, that was not the case.

The extra precautions may not have been completely necessary, yet Cozy didn’t need to risk being discovered. After arriving at the sanctuary, they’d holed up in the ruins of Fluttershy’s old home. The structure was nearly invisible, hidden beneath a thick growth of kudzu and blackberry brambles, even if it did prove challenging to enter. They had bought themselves some time, even if it was finite.

“Do we have any allies? Anyone without ties to Twilight or the royal guard?” Cozy asked.

“Besides a few ponies I see in town, no, not really. Even if we could go walking around freely, I’m not sure they’d take my word on any of this - I mean, I’m pretty sure most of them don’t believe half of my stories anyways,” Anon grumbled.

“To be sure, you know somepony who could help?” Cozy sighed, shifting her attention to the Princess.

“I...I...I don’t really get out much. Well, I do get out, but it’s almost all formal events or gatherings,” Flurry whispered.

“So you’re telling me that a Princess doesn’t have any friends. Great, this is just peachy,” Cozy hissed, kicking a pebble across the floor. “What about your Mom? Cadance would…” she cut herself off, as the alicorn dropped her gaze.

While she couldn’t be sure of exactly what caused it, she’d seen the look before. It was obvious that the mare was having a hard time coping with the recent maelstrom of events and she was not about to risk making it worse by touching on some emotional subject. Shaking her head, she peered over at the human. She could always readdress the subject of Flurry’s mother later - for now, there were other matters that needed tending to.

“We’re going to need food, if only for the night,” she muttered. The man beside her said something under his breath, although she didn’t quite catch it. “We can find you a cape or something later. Just consider yourself lucky that those blasts didn’t do more damage than they did,” she commented, looking over to him.

Though his shirt had been destroyed, left as little more than rags, his body was intact. His skin was reddened in places, and it looked like he had a few bruises starting to appear, yet there was no way anycreature should have been able to walk away from what he endured with so little damage. Peering past his swollen cheek, he gazed down at her.

“It doesn’t work on me, if that’s what you’re wondering,” he noted. Touching his torso, on the left side of his rib cage, he inhaled sharply. “Well, it almost doesn’t work on me anymore.”

“Anymore?” Cozy repeated, focusing on the area below his chest.

“When I first got here, I was immune to magic. Teleportation, shielding, levitation, you name it - just kind of Poof,” he chuckled slightly, before wincing.

“I’m guessing they didn’t just put you on a range and have unicorns take pot-shots at you?” Cozy inquired. Though a brief, mental image of the man scrambling to avoid a hale-fire of arcane bolts and detonations was amusing, she kept a straight face.

“Not at first, no, but we did try increasingly potent stuff. Like I said, nothing ever worked. It was only after I’d been here for a year or so did anything have even the slightest effect,” he explained.

“Twilight thinks that it has something to do with where he came from,” Flurry interjected, trotting over to sit by the man. “There’s no magic where he came from, so that’s probably part of it and -”

“The longer he’s here, the more it permeates through him - like he’s steeping in it,” Cozy postulated, unintentionally cutting the Princess off.

“That seems to be the popular theory, yeah. Maybe when I’m an old man I’ll finally be able to visit Cloudsdale,” Anon grunted. “Anyways, do we have a plan? Not that chatting with you guys isn’t fun but I’m pretty sure that, for whatever reason, I’m a wanted man now...The wanted man,” he chuckled, somehow finding levity in the statement.

“After we get some sleep and, if we’re lucky, find some food, we can recon Ponyville tomorrow. It would be next to impossible, even if we had disguises, although Flurry could cast an invisibility spell on herself to do it. We could sneak around, listen for any gossip, maybe steal some provisions for ourselves,” Cozy thoughtfully hummed.

“I can’t steal from anypony!” Flurry scoffed, taken aback by the notion.

“It’d be temporary!” Cozy groaned, face hoofing. “When we get this sorted out, if we get this sorted out, you can pay them back. The bottom line is that we don’t have enough information yet and we need to be cautious. The guards who’d come for me clearly weren’t afraid to use force or stand up to either of you, which means only one thing - if Twilight really did send them, something is wrong.”

“It doesn’t add up. Why would she give her blessing to free you if she turned around and had you arrested again?” Anon asked.

“Speaking of which, how did you free me?” she countered, raising an eyebrow.

“She did it herself,” he exhaled, his shoulders sagging slightly.

“Wait...Twilight came and released me herself?” Cozy balked.

“Yeah. After you were un-petrified, you collapsed unconscious. She nodded to me and then disappeared,” Anon explained.

“And you didn’t mention this sooner because…?” she let the question hang.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal. I figured it would come up in conversation at some point; it’s not like I knew things would end up going sideways,” he muttered, lowering his tone, “or that my house would get set ablaze.”

“I’ll make sure any damages get repaired and that any of your belongings are replaced,” Flurry softly stated. Reaching over, she comfortingly patted his thigh.

“Thanks,” Anon sighed, smiling weakly over at her. “Anyways, we should probably look for something to eat and maybe get some water. I think I saw some potato and carrot plants as we were making our way onto the property.”

Peering out the window, Cozy nodded. They only had an hour or two of daylight left and, like it or not, they’d have to hunker down for the night. Though it was a small silver lining, the season was in their favor. It wasn’t cold enough to require a fire for warmth and they should be able to rummage up something edible - after all, at one point, Fluttershy did have a small garden near her home.

“Alright, just be on the lookout for anything fishy and try to stay within line of sight of each other,” Cozy noted, trotting to the vine-draped entrance of the building. With Anon and the Princess following her, she snuck outside into the afternoon sun.

Thankfully, their excursion outdoors went without incident. After rinsing themselves off in a stream cutting through the reserve, the trio combed the grounds for anything of use. Not only were they able to locate an intact pot to tote some water from the nearby brook, but they procured a good bit of wild edibles as well. Secreting themselves back into their hideaway, they did what they could to prepare a meal.

Mixed berries, unseasoned baked potatoes, and roasted carrots may not sound like much, but on an empty stomach after a long day of unanticipated excitement, the meager meal was a banquet. Without Flurry and her magic, they would have ended up chewing on the uncooked tubers; thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Eating in silence, as the sun disappeared over the horizon, the three made themselves comfortable for the night.

Lying on a threadbare throw rug, Cozy looked over at her unexpected companions. It was odd - if somepony had told her that she’d be traveling with a bipedal, interdimensional alien and an alicorn, she would have laughed in their face. Shaking her head, she pulled the makeshift blanket over herself. All things considered, despite how bizarre the last day had been, she considered herself fortunate.

Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, as the sound of the soft breeze outside soothingly drifted to her ears. She’d gotten rest under worse conditions, including her time in Tartarus, and this was no different. Regardless of what obstacles awaited her, worrying herself into a stupor would serve no beneficial purpose. Before she realized it, concealed within the former Element of Kindness’ home, she fell into a deep slumber.

…

“Cozy,” someone whispered distantly. Her body rocked gently, jarring her awake. “Cozy,” the voice repeated, a touch more urgently.

Cracking one eye open, she wearily peeked upward. Anon was squatted down over her, his hand on her shoulder, while looking towards the doorway. It only took her a second to figure out something was wrong. Scanning the room, she noticed that the alicorn was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Flurry?” she asked, getting to her hooves.

“I don’t know. I woke up and she was missing. There’s a chance she went out to use the bathroom but I haven’t seen her in the fifteen minutes or so that I’ve been up,” he quietly responded.

Tracking his gaze, she looked to the exit. It was still dark out, with the sun only just starting to rise, but that wasn’t what held her attention. As her mind fought to fully wake itself, she considered the options. There was a chance that Flurry had seen herself out, to use the little filly’s room, yet there was a nagging sense that something was amiss. It was only when she listened intently did she notice it, the deathly silence.

“Anon, get ready to defend -” she was cut off, when the world exploded around her.

A large earth pony guard charged through the door, plowing through the brambles and vines as if they hadn’t existed. A deafening crack from overhead caused her to instinctively fly backwards, just as a pair of armored bipeds crashed to the floor. Although she only got a split second to see them, though the dimly lit room, she recognized their shape.

Diamond dogs were unmistakable creatures. Walking on two legs, often well muscled and shockingly strong, the canids were known for their exceptional sense of smell and boorishness. Ponies would on rare occasion hire them to sniff out precious gems or for tracking, yet she’d never heard of the royal guard employing their skills.

“Come here, little pony,” one of the brutish creatures darkly chuckled, stomping towards her.

“Anon, the banister!” she shouted, darting between his outstretched paws.

Unlike the pony soldiers they’d encountered, the diamond dogs’ armor was crudely hewn and heavy. Whizzing above her pursuer, she kicked the left horn of his helm. His headgear spun around, blinding him and throwing him off balance. Hovering near the ceiling, she watched Anon shove the other canine away and run to the stairway. The man grabbed the hoofrail and wrenched a length of wood free, but was tackled into the wall by the large pony.

“Run!” Anon yelled, flailing under the stallion’s weight. Rearing his arm back to swing his makeshift cudgel, one of the diamond dogs seized the weapon.

Glancing to the exit and seeing at least one figure lurking outside, Cozy’s mind began to race. Leaving the man and Flurry would mean giving up on two of the only creatures in Equestria she had any modicum of trust in. Gritting her teeth, flying in the face of better judgement, she rocketed towards the stallion struggling with Anon.

Gaining as much speed as she could, given the close quarters, she dove. She waited until the last second before extending her legs beneath her and smashing her hooves against the pony’s temple. Given her weight, or lack thereof, the blow only staggered the stallion, but that was enough. The guard flinched, leaving Anon to seize the moment.

Kicking the pony’s hind legs out from under him, the man rolled atop the stallion and gained the upper hand - at least, for an instant. Realizing what had happened, the two diamond dogs threw themselves onto the man and dragged him off of the embattled guard. With his arms pinned behind his back, they wrestled him to the floor. The pony quickly followed suit, throwing his significant weight onto Anon’s legs.

“Run!” Anon repeated.

The conviction in his voice and the look of pleading on his face caused her to hesitate - and she paid a heavy toll for it. A sudden weight wrenched her to the floor, as a soft aura of mingled turquoise and periwinkle light surrounded her. Flapping her wings, fighting against the magical force hauling her downward, Cozy’s efforts were found lacking.

“Not this time…” a familiar voice called out, causing her to look towards the door.

Striding into the room came Emblem, flanked by Sigil and one of the unnamed unicorns from the siege at Anon’s home. The horned ponies’ sorcery held her firmly to the ground, as the officer strutted over to her. Conserving her energy, she scowled up at him.

“You thought you were so clever,” Emblem chuckled, lowering his face towards her. “I’ll just add destruction of property to your ever-growing list of offenses.”

“She didn’t - Gah - do anything!” Anon growled, as a pair of heavy shackles were secured around his wrists.

“Brainwashing a Princess and escaping imprisonment - with your help, might I add. No, I think she’d done plenty already,” the officer snarled, glowering at the man. “If you were half as smart as you pretend to be, you’d keep your mouth shut.”

“I didn’t brainwash anyone! Twilight let me out, I stayed at Anon’s house that night, then Flurry came by and met me yesterday! Just ask her yourself!” Cozy squawked. Watching one of the diamond dogs produce a second, much smaller pair of cuffs.

“Oh really now? Then tell me why Twilight told us Princess Flurry had been missing for days. Help me understand how your trickery wasn’t to blame for the young alicorn vehemently defending one of the most nefarious villains in history…” he mockingly chided, stooping down and plucking her from the floor.

The magic around her slowly dissipated, as the cold iron bands closed around her wings and forelegs. She’d been framed, captured, and left to some unknowably abysmal fate, but that didn’t mean she was totally helpless. Anger welled within her, while she was brought steadily closer to the smug guard’s face. Out of sheer spite, she leaned in and bit his nose.

“You little -” his words were lost, as she found herself hurled across the room.

Everything spun madly, while she tumbled through the air, before she hit the wall. She gasped and fell to the floor, with the wind driven out of her. Rolling to her side, trying desperately to fill her lungs with air, a dull ache radiated from her back.

Lying there, struggling to breathe, bits of fabric drifted down around her. Her eyes drifted up to the wall where she’d impacted. Ragged and worn, the remnants of a painting she had apparently struck floated to the floor. She could almost make out what the image was - what it used to be.

Muted though they were, the pastel hues of what was a portrait of rainbow and butterflies lie scattered around her. It was ironic - there she was, defeated and injured, in the former home of the embodiment of kindness, with little hope of getting away. Even if she wasn’t hurt, she was vastly outnumbered and her chances of making an escape were laughably small.

“You know, I don’t know what Twilight is going to do to you,” Emblem laughed, nonchalantly trotting over to her limp form, “but I will personally see to it that you don’t get loose again. I don’t care if you are thrown in Tartarus or petrified again, you’ll never -”

“She’s just a kid, leave her alone, you bully!” Anon barked.

“Quiet!” the officer demanded. Stamping his hoof, he nodded towards the pair of unicorns behind him. One of the two produced a gag and stifled the man, leaving him to thrash about in his bonds. Turning back to the small pegasus, a cruel smile played across his face. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you never see any of your friends again.”

His words hung in the air, sending a chill up Cozy’s spine. She was powerless, Anon was in chains, and she had no idea what they’d done with Flurry. As sad as it was, the only two creatures who cared anything for her were going to be ripped away, even though she’d only just started to get to know them. Helpless and in pain, all she could feel was cold dread welling up within her.

Curling into a ball, she squeezed her eyes closed - that was, until a thought occurred. Forcing herself to peer up at the guard looming over her, she stared him straight in the eye. Even if there was no hope for her, that didn’t mean she couldn’t save the human and alicorn from some terrible fate. “I confess, alright. Anon and Flurry didn’t have anything to do with it. Just let them go and do whatever you want with me.”

The stallion’s eyes narrowed and he leaned in, yet the twisted smirk he bore did not leave his face. “No…” Emblem whispered.

Her pupils shrank to pinpricks and, though she tried to squirm away, a hoof bore down against her back. Looking up at him, she noticed something strange. He looked frozen, completely and utterly still, with that smug grin of his. Something was wrong, but it took her a second to wrap her head around it.

Scanning the room, she found that the officer wasn’t the only one paralyzed. Everycreature was petrified, seemingly locked in place, as though time itself had stopped flowing. Glancing to the window, seeing the leaves outside shift in the gentle breeze, her confusion mounted. Whatever had happened, it only seemed to have a selective effect.

The house was deathly silent, so quiet that she could hear a pin drop - at least it was until something stirred on the second floor. Soft footfalls from above drew her attention upwards. It, whatever it was, was moving at a leisurely pace towards the stairs. Tracking the noise, seeing a single foot appear at the top of the stairwell, she swallowed hard.

With each unhurried stride, more of it came into view. Click - a cloven hoof stepped closer. Thump - a draconic foot bore weight on a groaning stair. An impossibly long and serpent-like body came into view, leaving little room for doubt of whom had intervened. As the glowing, crimson pupils of his brilliant golden eyes settled upon her, she felt her heart skip a beat.

The draconequus walked over to her, heedless to or ignoring the tumultuous scene around him, and came to rest just beside her. Without saying a word, he reached down, toppled Emblem to his side, and lifted a finger. Cozy levitated upward, the chains about her hooves and wings transmuting to a string of harmless bubbles, before finding herself before his face.

Discord was, without a doubt, one of the most powerful beings in the known world. A literal avatar of chaos, the raw might of his abilities were as unfathomable as they were incomprehensible. So far as she knew, he’d only ever been humbled on a scant few occasions and, even then, his defeat had only been assured by trickery or mystical artifice.

As wholly terrifying as such a being was, her prior history with him left her exceptionally uneasy. Lazily spinning in a circle, as he studied her like a small curiosity, she did her best to read his face. Though he appeared unchanged, from the centuries which had passed since their last encounter, there was something off about him. Normally animated to a fault, he seemed almost impassive about all the goings on.

The feeling of impotence from minutes ago was absolutely eclipsed by facing the demigod. Regardless of why he’d intervened, he’d at least stalled being dragged away by the soldiers and their diamond dog rabble. As she completed her second mid-air revolution, she met his eyes.

“Thanks…” she exhaled, realizing she’d been holding her breath.

“Hmmm?” he hummed disinterestedly, raising the paw of his right arm slightly. Pressing two digits together, he snapped; the room instantaneously reverted back to its untouched and decrepit state, albeit with one exception - the soldiers and diamond dogs were simply gone, yet Anon stayed immobilized on the floor below.

“Thanks,” she repeated, smiling timidly. “You know, it’s that thing you say when friends help you.”

The corners of Discord’s snaggletoothed mouth turned down, his brow creased, and he squinted at her. “Don’t thank me. I’m certainly not your friend and any help is a mere coincidence.”

Sharp and to the point, his response wasn’t all that surprising. She, Tirek, and Chrysalis had stolen power, back when they’d almost toppled the Equestrian empire, and the centaur had even duped him and drained him of his strength once before that. They weren’t, nor had they ever been, on good terms and both of them knew it.

“If you’re not helping, what are you doing?” she asked, her languid rotation drawing to a halt.

“Tidying up, that’s all,” he glibly replied, before eyeing the human’s frozen form, “even if that is making it difficult.”

“Still, thanks anyway,” Cozy whispered, holding on to hope that she’d be freed.

“Stop that,” Discord hissed. His lip curled over one comically oversized fang, his muscles tensed, and an ominous light shone from within his eyes. “I am not your friend…”

“Look,” Cozy sighed, coming to terms with the situation, “I can’t stop you, Anon can’t stop you, and Flurry couldn’t stop you - even if she was somewhere around. I’ll tell you the same thing I told the guards, just leave Anon and Flurry out of this.”

“That’s cute,” he snickered, though there was no trace of mirth on his countenance. “You think you can play me like a little fiddle, like you did with Twilight and -”

“I’m not lying,” she snapped, her temper flaring. “I don’t have anything to lose, but they do. Now what are you going to do with me?”

The draconequus paused and his eyes widened slightly, at the outburst. A moment of tense silence hung in the air, like some horrible weight threatening to crush the small pegasus. There were few, if any, who were bold or foolish enough to hold their ground against a cosmic force of Discord’s caliber, yet she’d been truthful - she had precious little to lose.

Locking eyes with her, leaning in so close that she could feel his breath against her snout, he breathed. “I haven’t decided yet…”

Chapter 6

“Well,” Cozy began, taking a metered breath, “what are your options?”

“Good question…” Discord hummed, resting on his tail as though it were a chair. “Considering your little ruckus so rudely caught my attention, I’m sorely tempted to turn you over to Twilight.”

She gave him a moment to finish, before quietly speaking up. “But…?”

“But,” he tiredly continued, gradually lowering her to the floor, “I’m a bit torn. Frankly, it’s been a while since I’ve had any interest in visiting, but the commotion of an alicorn, a human, and a centuries old evil pegasus wasn’t something I could easily ignore - especially after what you did to the place…” His gaze swept across the aged yet restored room, before he glowered down at her.

“We weren’t going to stay and we definitely weren’t intending to have a fight here, it’s just…” she fell silent, as the sound of galloping drew her attention towards the door.

Flurry burst into the room, her horn wreathed in golden light. Scowling, she quickly scanned the chamber, spotted the draconequus and pegasus, and knit her brow. Were it not for the tenuous situation, her gobsmacked expression would have been priceless. Her mouth flapped noiselessly, looking between the two, before she found her voice.

“Discord?!” she blurted.

“Flurry,” Cozy sighed, relieved to see the Princess unharmed.

“Cozy?!” Flurry coughed, as if finally realizing that the guards and their lap dogs were suspiciously vacant.

Discord smiled and waved at the alicorn, as cheerful and carefree as Cozy could ever remember seeing the chimeric demigod. “Goodnight!” he guffawed, waggling his fingers at the Princess. Flurry fell to the floor, in the blink of an eye, but not before a pillow appeared beneath her and a sleeping cap materialized on her head. Snoring loudly, Flurry landed with a soft Thud.

“You were saying?” Discord noted, nonchalantly peering down at the pegasus, as if the intrusion hadn’t even happened.

“We didn’t have anywhere else to go. I don’t know why all this is happening, but I know we don’t have many options. They’re after me, they’re after Anon, and apparently they think I brainwashed a Princess. I just needed some time to plan our next move,” Cozy confessed, in a rare admission of uncertainty.

“This is just too rich,” he joylessly laughed, snapping his fingers. Winking himself and the miniscule pony into a pair of chairs, with a hovering chessboard between them, he condescendingly grinned over at her. “The strategist doesn’t have a plan, how poetic.”

“It’s not a lack of a plan, it’s an absence of pieces,” she flatly stated, extending a wing. “King - yourself. Major pieces - information. Minor pieces - your allies. Pawns -”

“The cannon fodder,” Discord commented, coolly inspecting one of the small figures.

His statement, while seemingly harmless, held a sharp edge. He knew she had used and discarded others throughout her schemes, viewing them as disposable, so she’d have to proceed with caution. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and steeled herself.

“Only if they have to be. Everything and everyone has a use, even if it might not appear like it,” she clarified, reaching out and moving a piece atop the board. “Knight to C six.”

“And what if their use is to be sacrificed?” he asked, sliding a pawn forward.

“Only an idiot would hope to sacrifice a pawn. You adapt to the game, think ahead, and weave a web - after all, a pawn is the only one that can become a Queen,” she smugly rebuked. “Pawn to E five.”

“I didn’t say hope, I said use,” he coldly muttered, moving a bishop through the opening he’d created.

“If it’s unavoidable, yes, it can happen,” she sighed, giving him what he wanted. “Pawn to B six.”

“I’m sure the pawns would be thrilled,” Discord murmured, his eyes glued to the board. After hoping one of his knights over to H four, in an illegal and possibly ignorant move, he retracted his hand.

“Speaking from personal experience, it’s not great...” Cozy dispassionately declared, sending her Queen down the board to claim his knight.

Seizing his piece in her wing, she glared over at him. There were a great many things she wanted to say to him, but it was neither the time nor the place to do so. She was at his mercy, in all but one sense - her intellect. Given his nigh omnipotence, her mind was the only weapon in her arsenal which held even the slightest chance of defeating him.

“Considering you outsmarted me and robbed me of my power, I’d say we were even,” he hissed. Snapping his fingers, changing one of his pawns into a rook, he moved the transmuted piece and reaped revenge against Cozy’s Queen.

“Huh,” she chirped, biting back her vitriol, “so imprisoning Chrysalis, Tirek, and myself was part of some plan? Maybe you figured the Elements would release us eventually so we could make amends or even use our abilities for good?” Ignoring him, fixating on the board, she moved her knight to C five.

“If it had been meant to happen, it would have happened. It’s not like my eventual release was part of some grand design,” Discord laughed, capturing her knight.

“Well, I guess you’re lucky Twilight and her friends took pity upon you - twice…” she chided. Moving her pawn, she claimed his fraudulent Queen.

Scrunching his snout, Discord rolled his eyes. “I can do this all day, you know,” he sighed, metamorphosing all of his pieces into Queens. “You can’t win.”

“But that doesn’t mean I’ll give up. You didn’t give up against us, after we’d captured everyone. Against insurmountable odds you distracted us, freed your friends, and even found the time to tell them to keep Fluttershy -”

“Don’t…” he growled, cutting her off.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to touch a nerve. It’s just that, well, you were really lucky. If it weren’t for their sympathy, you’d probably still be in the Canterlot garden acting as a nesting spot for birds,” she continued, forcing herself not to look at him. “I just wish I had friends who were kind enough to forgive me…”

“Don’t you dare bring her into this!” he roared, flipping the table and sending pieces scattering across the room. “You didn’t deserve any forgiveness!”

“And you did? You were a scourge on Equestria! Again and again, you’d cause messes, intentionally or not, and leave everyone else to clean up after you! Do you have any idea what being imprisoned in a statue is like for a mortal?” she barked, loosening the reins of her seething anger.

It was a gamble, possibly the biggest one she’d ever made, but there was no backing down. If he was so blissfully unaware of his actions and their repercussions, she’d force him to understand. Her survival instinct pleaded for her to flee, to fly away as fast as her wings could carry her, but it would be futile - he could catch her with a thought.

“Your little scheme took everything from me - everything!” she screeched, tossing his Queen at him. “Now you’re threatening to have me subjected to it again!”

“Give me one reason I shouldn’t,” Discord snarled.

“Because,” she gulped, her mouth suddenly dry, “I was hoping she would have left you with some compassion.”

Though he went rigid, there was some subtle shift within him. The change was almost imperceptible, the slightest twitch on his face, but she spotted it nonetheless. She couldn’t relent, couldn’t back down, so she pressed her attack before he could reply.

“You tricked us into working for you, all in some harebrained plot to give Twilight confidence! Sombra is gone, Tirek and Chrysalis are still imprisoned somewhere, and I’m being hunted down for crimes I didn’t commit! I don’t know if this is all some sick joke to you but I know Fluttershy would be very disappointed,” she added, taking a wounded, disapproving tone.

“You woke me up! You charged in here, destroyed her house, and then have the audacity to speak about her like you knew her!” he shouted.

“I’m sorry for disturbing your beauty rest, alright! I didn’t ask for any of this to happen - heck, I don’t even understand what’s going on! Now, if we’re done here, either let me and my friends go or bring me to Twilight and be done with it!” she demanded.

Discord sat mute, his shoulders went slack, and his gaze fell to the floor. The chairs, game board, and chess pieces disappeared, as he turned away from her. She glided to the floor, giving him space. There was no need to continue, having dealt him such a blow.

“I do know what it’s like, you know,” he muttered.

“What what’s like?” she asked, holding her ground.

“Watching something slip through your grasp. Losing something you…” he sniffed, keeping his back turned. “It’s why I slept…”

Cozy kept quiet, allowing the scene to unfold. As unthinkable as it was, Discord looked smaller than he ever had. Even with all of his titanic might, in that moment, he’d been brought low. She was many things, but a sadist was not one of them. The contempt she felt for him waned, replaced by something she’d never expect to feel for the creature.

“I would have given anything - anything to stay with her,” he whimpered, his frame shuddering, “but she didn’t want me to…”

“Why not?” she softly pressed.

“She said that the world needed me - me, the one who time and again almost ruined everything,” he callously laughed, peering over his shoulder at her.

“I’m sure you could still help everyone. You rescued the Elements from Chrysalis,” Cozy asserted, taking a step forward.

“And that was it - even then, I was doing it for her. After Twilight took the throne, everything just became so much more tranquil; everyone got along, crises were averted before they began, and I was actually happy…” he exhaled. “Once she was gone, I tried - stars above I tried to find that happiness again, but I couldn’t. You talk about losing everything, like you’re the only one who knows how it feels. Well, you’re not,” he spat, turning to face her.

It was worse than she could have ever anticipated. Discord wasn’t weakened - he was broken. Fluttershy had given him something he likely never had and, with her passing, taken it away. The age old axiom ‘tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’ had been his undoing.

“The only place I still have her is my dreams,” he whispered. “It’s why I abandoned everything and everyone; they didn’t need me anyways.”

“But I need you - we need you,” she argued, waving to Anon and Flurry. “Something is wrong. Twilight would never set me free just to recapture and imprison me again; you have to see that.”

“It’s not my concern,” he mumbled.

Discord’s woe ebbed into vacant disinterest, as he looked over to the incapacitated human and alicorn. Though she may have managed to disarm him, she could tell he had next to no interest in helping her, Anon, or Flurry in any capacity. With few other alternatives left, she tempted fate a second time.

“Fluttershy wouldn’t have said that,” she scoffed.

He clenched his fists, sudden fury bleeding from his every extradimensional pore, as he set his jaw. Reality itself seemed to warp around him, distorting in a dizzying array of ripples. The shift in his temperament was jarring, to say the least. To see him sorrow transition into outright rage was easily amongst the most terrifying things she’d ever seen. She could feel it, the raw, unfettered intensity of his barely checked wrath, yet she didn’t shy away.

“What do you want,” he rumbled.

“A chance - just time to piece this all together and try to make things right,” she boldly requested, staring at what was a face of inconceivable malice.

Without looking away from her, he raised his hand, pressed two digits together and snapped. In a brilliant flash, Flurry and Anon disappeared from the room. Before Cozy could ask what happened to them, she found herself floating a hair’s breadth in front of his snout.

“I’ll do you one better - since you need help so badly, I’ll give you just that,” he jeered, a wicked grin splitting his features. “But,” he added, raising a finger, “you had better pray you never see me again - if you do, there won’t be any talk…”

His low, sinister laugh cut through the air, as Cozy’s world winked out of existence. There was a pop of displaced air, a blinding light, then nothingness. It was like flipping a switch; one second, she was floating before an incensed cosmic being - the next, she fell unconscious.

She had no way to tell how long she’d been out, or where on Equestria she’d been whisked away to, but she eventually awoke. Something bright crossed over her face, causing her to stir. As soon as her higher functions returned, she leapt to her hooves and looked around in a panic.

Worn wooden walls surrounded her, packed earth rested beneath her, and the sun shone through the smudged glass of a window. There was a doorway, yet only the open air separated her from leaving the small structure. Though she couldn’t say exactly where she was, it appeared as though she’d found herself in a shed of some sort.

Cautiously, silently, she peeked her head outside and surveyed the area. The structure she’d awoken in rested on a small hillock, surrounded by grassy marshland. There was only one other building visible, a small dwelling some distance away, yet it seemed to be as run down as the shack she’d woken up in. So far as she could tell, there wasn’t another soul around - save for the frogs croaking somewhere off in the distance.

As for Flurry or Anon, there was no trace. She’d gotten what she wanted, escape, but it had cost her dearly. Wherever she was, it was extraordinarily remote and she hoped she’d have some time to recuperate and rest before anyone showed up looking for her. As the excitement and dismay of her confrontation with Discord bled away, the aches and pains of the earlier scuffle grew stronger and stronger.

There was some discomfort whenever she took a deep breath, she was disoriented from the abrupt teleportation, and the fact that she’d stared down a very angry demigod left her beyond exhausted. Regardless of what she chose to do, a respite from the maddening pace of the last day was needed. Trotting out, she made her way towards what she assumed to be an abandoned house.

Crossing to the larger building, her ears swiveled towards the slightest sounds. Even if she thought she may be alone, she wouldn’t put it past the chaotic deity to fling her into some sort of trap. Avoiding the door, she proceeded to one of the structure’s windows, laboriously flew to the sill, and peered inside. There, lying on a shabby rug, was Flurry.

Cozy didn’t move, too wary to immediately see herself inside. If it was some sort of trap, she’d much prefer the open sky be above her. Hopping to the ground, she snatched up a small rock. Alerting anyone who may be present wasn’t ideal under any circumstance, but at least she’d have more freedom of movement outside. Drifting back to the window, she kept her eyes on the doors leading out of the room.

“Flurry,” she called, keeping her voice low. Nothing - the alicorn didn’t stir. Taking aim, she flung the pebble at the mare. The small stone impacted the Princess’ flank, eliciting a light groan from the limp pony. “Flurry,” she repeated, a bit louder this time.

The second quiet cry, paired with the rock, did the trick. Flurry’s eyes fluttered open and she lifted her head. Dazed and confused, her eyes adjusted to the low light of the room, scanning its contents, before coming to rest on the window. “Cozy?” she dully asked, rubbing her face.

“Ssssssssh,” Cozy hissed, flitting through the window and to the Princess’ side. “Keep quiet, I don’t know where we are or if we’re alone.”

“Where are Anon and Discord?” Flurry asked.

“I’m not sure,” Cozy responded, “but I don’t think we’ll be seeing Discord again - at least, I hope we won’t.”

She suppressed a shiver, reminiscing on his haunting final words. She’d really rather not have another run-in with him, considering she’d managed to royally tick him off, to the point where speaking his name gave her chills. It was an all too real possibility that he was listening in on them, perhaps as some twisted form of entertainment, so she wasn’t going to risk summoning the eldritch creature.

“If you are here, Anon might not be far away; we should have a look around for him and anything of use,” she explained, stepping back to let the Princess stand.

“Where are we, anyways?” Flurry inquired, scanning the room.

“I’m not sure, but it looks remote. Maybe after we check the house and go outside, you’ll have some idea,” Cozy stated, leading to one of the doorways leading out of the chamber.

Creeping through the building and taking care to check any cupboards or drawers they came across, it became evident that the building was derelict. With only one floor, the two made short work of the reconnaissance. There was a kitchen, restroom, the living room where Flurry had been found, and a small bedroom. The only two places left to explore were a pair of closed doors.

Cozy had to admit, having the alicorn along with her was an immense relief. Slinking through an abandoned home wasn’t what she’d consider a fun adventure, so having someone beside her was a definite comfort. Moving to one of the two mysterious doorways, with the Princess at her side, she flitted to the knob.

“Ready?” she asked, looking over to her companion. Flurry nodded, standing to one side of the archway.

Turning the knob, Cozy gave the door a shove and retreated. If something was in there, being intruded upon should get some sort of reaction. The ponies waited, listening intently for a moment, before craning their necks to glance inside. To her surprise, she found Anon sprawled out on the floor.

“Anon!” Flurry bleated, heedlessly rushing in to the man. Grabbing his shoulder, she shook and jostled the man. “Anon, are you ok?!”

Cozy bit back a reprimand, as she glided to the alicorn’s side. Even with the element of stealth abandoned, due to Flurry’s somewhat excited reaction, she couldn’t help but smile. She’d managed to find both of her compatriots, albeit under less than optimal conditions.

“W...wha…” Anon moaned, gazing up at the two. “What happened?”

“The short version is I may have upset an insanely powerful being, but at least we’re out of harm’s way,” Cozy sighed. She could fill them in on the details later, if they insisted - for now, she hoped her explanation would suffice. “Before you ask, no, I don’t know where we are. Nothing has changed, we recover our strength, find a way to gather information, then we’ll plan our next step.”

Anon pushed himself up, barely getting to his feet before stumbling down to one knee. “Why is everything spinning?”

“Probably because we got teleported. It has that effect sometimes,” Flurry cooed, stroking the man’s back.

“I...I didn’t think I could be teleported,” he croaked, squeezing his eyes shut.

“If anyone could do it, it would probably be Discord,” Cozy sighed, keenly aware that she’d mentioned him for a second time. “He’s more powerful than an alicorn - heck, alicorns.”

“Remind me not to do that again anytime soon or ever,” Anon groused, unsteadily rising.

“Are you going to be ok? There’s just one more area of the house we have to check, then we can rest for a bit. Flurry and I can get it, if you’re not feeling well,” Cozy asserted.

“No...No, I’ll be alright,” he grumbled, stumbling to the doorway.

Cozy nodded, appreciative of his resolve. She could remember the first time she’d been teleported, ages ago, and it had been a strikingly unpleasant experience. Trotting out of the room and giving him plenty of time to slowly follow, she led the way towards the remaining unexplored area of the home.

The final door rested at the back of the kitchen and, if she had to guess, it was probably just a closet or a pantry - still, she’d rather be safe than sorry. With her companions just behind her, the diminutive pegasus stepped to the threshold, turned the knob, and swung the door outward. A set of rickety stairs led downward, into the cold gloom of a basement.

“I got this,” Flurry proclaimed, igniting her horn and forging ahead into the darkness.

Trotting behind her, with Anon taking the rear, Cozy kept close to the Princess. The trio made their way down, only pausing once they reached the bottom of the stairs. It appeared as though the cellar was almost entirely composed of one cavernous room. Besides a set of shelves, resting along one cobblestone wall, there was only one other archway in the back.

“Are those…” Flurry muttered, moving towards a row of cylinders on one rack. “Guys, they are! Pickles!”

Peaking a brow, Cozy sailed over to the suspect goods. Grabbing one jar and moving it towards the alicorn’s glowing horn, she closely inspected the glass container. To her amazement, it seemed fine. While there was the slightest bit of rust on the ringed rim, the top was still vacuum sealed. Quickly examining the other canisters, she found they were all in decent condition - furthermore, there was quite a selection.

Pickled beets, carrots, and cucumbers occupied two of the shelves - while a hooffull of jams and jellies rested below. There weren’t nearly as many of the sweets available, but that was irrelevant. If they rationed it carefully, there was enough food there to last them two or maybe three days, and that wasn’t taking into account anything they could forage from outside.

Honestly, the provisions were quite the unexpected blessing. Though the upstairs was nearly empty, they had discovered a few linens and a somewhat questionable pillow in a closet. It may not have seemed like much, but it would let them get by in relative comfort for a time.

“Guys,” Anon called, drawing her attention.

She and Flurry looked over at the man, as he stood just outside the lone doorway leading to the unknown. He stepped back, his eyes locked on something out of sight, and motioned for them to join him. Leaving the preserved goods, the two ponies made their way to his side.

“I think there’s something in there…” he whispered, pointing to the shadows.

Pouring more magic into her horn, Flurry moved forward. As the light of her magic fought back the darkness, the small room came into view. Hardly bigger than a broom closet, the area was walled by the same cobblestone as the rest of the basement. The table in the middle of the floor wasn’t what held their attention - no, it was what lay curled on the piece of furniture that held their eyes.

Motionless, save for its slow, steady breathing, a figure rested on the surface. Colored jet black, with hints of a deep cerulean here or there, its details were next to impossible to make out. Inching closer, Cozy squinted up at the thing. There was something familiar about it, almost…

It shifted, its limbs seemingly pulling in to hug itself. A single bony protrusion appeared, from amidst a swath of flattened hair. Long and jagged, pockmarked with holes and divots, the wicked looking appendage left little room for doubt. There was only one creature that Cozy had ever seen with something of the sort.

Staring at the slumbering beast, Cozy felt a curious mixture of emotions; relief and joy struggled with the fact that they had yet another complicating factor on their hooves. It seemed as though Discord’s favor included more than just their freedom and a reprieve from being hunted down - still, given whom they’d happened upon, it was a mixed blessing.

“I...is that…” Flurry trailed off, taking several steps back.

“If it’s not,” Cozy breathed, “it’s either the bravest or stupidest changeling I’ve ever seen…”

Chapter 7

“Anon, before I woke up and met you, how long was I out?” Cozy asked, turning and looking up at the man.

“Not long, I don’t think - maybe a few minutes,” he responded, keeping his eyes glued on the sleeping changeling.

“You two head back upstairs and bring as much of that food as you can with you. Scour the house for anything of use and take an inventory,” Cozy directed, pointing towards the stairwell. “I’ll take care of this.”

“A...are you sure? We could stay down here and back you up,” Flurry stammered, uncomfortably shifting in place.

“No. She’s never been that trustful and, besides, she doesn’t know either of you - well, not really. Just...keep an ear out for me,” Cozy explained.

“Alright. Just start shouting if things go off the rails,” Anon grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Reluctantly, he and the Princess gathered up the canned goods and proceeded upstairs, leaving Cozy in the darkened cellar with the slumbering shapeshifter. What little light there was filtered in through a hoofful of narrow windows sitting at ground-level, giving the entire area an ominous, cave-like feeling. Taking a deep breath and holding it for a second, the small pegasus slowly exhaled.

She had no way of knowing how Chrysalis would react to being awoken in such a place, under such odd circumstances, but there was no sense in delaying the inevitable. The changeling Queen was, without a doubt, a force to be reckoned with - yet it came with a price; she was temperamental, narcissistic, and vindictive, even if she had shown the capacity to work with a team. Whether or not having the Matriarch around would be a boon or a bane may well hinge on the impending exchange.

Fluttering up to the table, Cozy gently pressed a hoof to the changeling’s shoulder. “Chrysalis,” she uttered, pushing softly against the Matriarch’s hide. “Chrysalis, wake up…”

A single harlequin eye opened, its cat-like pupil dilating in the dark, as the beast stirred. Cozy flew back and hovered several feet away. She knew first hand that waking up from the stony imprisonment could be a bit disorienting and she’d needed the encounter to be as non-confrontational as possible. The Queen’s head rose, before she shifted and fell from the table.

“Easy,” Cozy cooed, flitting closer.

“Cozy Glow?” Chrysalis blurted, seemingly noticing the pegasus for the first time. “Where am I? Where’s Tirek? Who released me?” she demanded, leaping to her hooves. “If this is some trick from Starlight Glimmer or that infernal Twilight Sparkle, so help me!” she bellowed, her horn glowing weakly in the darkened room.

“Just slow down and I’ll explain everything,” Cozy explained, floating to the floor. “For starters, you’re safe - secondly, we don’t-”

“We?!” the changeling spat, baring her fangs. “You’re in league with them, aren’t you?! Those accursed ponies have wooed you with their friendship and hoped you’d win me over - haven’t they?! They’ll have to try better than that! Just you wait, I’ll crush those pitiful-”

“Would you just give me five seconds to talk?!” Cozy shouted, angrily stomping her hoof. She’d hoped that the extended imprisonment would have at least temporarily quelled the Queen’s vitriol; but, alas, that wasn’t the case. “The elements are gone and, if I had to guess, so is Starlight Glimmer.”

Chrysalis’ eyes narrowed, as she peered down at the small mare. “What do you mean gone? Surely, their sorcery is the only reason I’m free.”

Cozy paused, studying the changeling for a moment. Something seemed off, so she went with her gut. “How long were you in the statue?” she asked, lowering her tone.

“What sort of question is that? A few months, if I had to guess, but it’s not like I had a calendar to keep track. Why?” Chrysalis hissed.

The knowledge that the Queen’s imprisonment wasn’t as psychologically taxing was curious, to say the least. It may have had something to do with her biology or mental status, potential explanations she’d be rather keen on exploring later, although it made little difference at the time. The news of their exceedingly protracted absence had to be broken and she was the best mare for the job.

“Chrysalis,” Cozy began, maintaining eye contact, “it’s been well over a hundred years.”

“Lies,” the Matriarch seethed, unflinching.

“If you don’t believe me, fine, leave - if you do want to humor me, do you want the short or long explanation?” Cozy sighed.

“The short version,” Chrysalis growled.

“I was freed, attacked by the royal guards, and we’re on the lam. We don’t know what’s going on, or who’s to blame, but we’re pretty sure that Twilight has something to do with it. Honestly, we weren’t expecting to find you, but I’m glad you’re here; we need all the help that we can get,” Cozy stated.

“We...You keep mentioning we. Who is this we?” the changeling pressed.

“Flurry Heart, the Princess, and Anonymous, a human,” Cozy responded.

“Flurry Heart, the offspring of Cadance and Shining Armor? You stole a baby?” Chrysalis laughed.

Fighting the urge to facehoof, Cozy remained impassive. “Again, it’s been over a century. If you don’t believe me, I’ll introduce you to them and you can see for yourself.”

The changeling squinted down at her, possibly weighing her options. “And if I refuse?”

“You can leave, if you want, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. If they’re looking for me, they’ll probably be looking for you. It’s probably smarter that we stick together - at least, for the time being. We relied on each other once, we can do it again,” Cozy murmured, extending a hoof.

“Hmmmph! Don’t get your hopes up,” Chrysalis huffed, sauntering past the pegasus and into the expansive chamber beyond.

Rolling her eyes, Cozy took flight after the Matriarch. To her knowledge, Chrysalis had always been particularly belligerent and quarrelsome - still, she wasn’t without her merits. Before she’d lost her hive, when the vast majority of the changelings had metamorphosed into their colorful and overly friendly reformed state, she’d been quite cunning. Sadly, after her defeat at the hooves of Starlight Glimmer, her faculties had diminished to a degree.

The changeling Queen had always been a fearsome threat, being able to feast upon the energies of her foes, although her mental stability had become increasingly suspect. When she had allied herself with Cozy and Tirek, she’d been caught on multiple occasions berating or discussing her machinations with a log of wood. She was still cunning, that much was for certain, yet she wasn’t as dangerous as she had been while commanding droves of her ilk.

Buzzing by Chrysalis, Cozy moved towards the stairs. “Come on, it’s this way,” she called, slowing by the bottom step. “Just don’t freak out when you see Anon. He’s kind of...different looking.” Noticing that the regal shapeshifter had come to a halt, she paused. “Something wrong?”

“How do I know you are who you say you are? For all I know, you could be one of those simpering love-bugs who blindly followed Thorax,” Chrysalis muttered.

Thankfully, Cozy had foreseen the potential suspicion and devised a countermeasure. “We sang,” she noted, causing the changeling pique an eyebrow. “Back in Grogar - I mean, Discord’s lair, you, Tirek, and myself sang a song together. It’s time to find a better way to be bad - does that ring any bells?”

The shapeshifter faltered and her expression softened, if only in the slightest degree. As far as she knew, since they were the only ones present at the time, only the trio were aware of their melodious malcontent. Without supporting testimony from Tirek, or some sort of physical test, it was the best and only option she had to procure the Queen’s trust.

“That still doesn’t prove you’re not working for the enemy,” Chrysalis grumbled. Apparently pleased with the response, she trotted over to the pegasus.

Flying up the stairs and into the kitchen, Cozy landed and lingered by the door. The changeling emerged slowly, poking her head out to peek around the corner. She couldn’t blame the Queen for being cautious in anticipating a possible ambush, so she hung back and gave her comrade plenty of room. It was only when the lanky insectile equine fully appeared did she move to the archway leading to the living room.

In hindsight, she should have given Anon and Flurry a bit of a primer on how to handle introductions, yet there hadn’t been time. Given that the Matriarch could have easily awakened at any moment, possibly resulting in an exceedingly chaotic situation, she’d done what she could. Briskly trotting to the doorway, spying the man and Princess resting on the floor, she cleared her throat.

“Ahem - I’d like to introduce you to Queen Chrysalis,” she began, stepping aside for the changeling to show herself. “Chrysalis, this is Anon and-”

“What is that?” Chrysalis balked, rearing back and leveling a hoof at the man.

“He is Anonymous the human,” Cozy stated, swinging her hoof towards the only other pony present, “and she is Princess-”

“What in the world is a hyu-man? Are you some strange offspring of a minotaur?” Chrysalis continued, looking to the man with disdain.

“Human,” Anon clarified, steadily getting to his feet. Taking two steps forward, leaving plenty of space between himself and the changeling, he extended an open hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

The Queen glanced from his hand, to his face, then back to his hand, before flicking her head dismissively to the side. “I don’t shake,” she haughtily scoffed, only then deciding to pay the alicorn any mind.

Flurry, who had apparently thought it was a good time to get into their rations, seamlessly fished a pickle spear from a mason jar and levitated it forward. “Pickle?” she offered, smiling congenially.

“I beg your pardon?” Chrysalis chirped, eyeing the floating sliver of preserved cucumber.

“They’re sweet pickles but I think one of these jars has dill. It’s not like they’re labeled or anything, so we’re having to guess,” Flurry said, sliding a second container over.

“This,” Cozy began, struggling to fight back her growing frustration, “is Princess Flurry Heart.”

“And you’re the daughter of Shining Armor and Cadance? Tell me, is there any way you can prove you’re the progeny of those two?” Chrysalis inquired, staring down the alicorn.

“I know mom used to talk about how you almost ruined their wedding. Oh! And that time you captured the Princesses and brought them to your hive. I wasn’t even around for most of your adventures,” Flurry noted, taking a bite of her snack.

“Conquests,” Chrysalis corrected, scowling over at the Princess. “They weren’t adventures.”

“Still, they sounded exciting!” the alicorn exclaimed, resealing the jar and grinning excitedly.

Without saying a word, bearing a somewhat pained expression, Chrysalis turned and peered over at the small pegasus beside her. It was a priceless moment, one which caused Cozy to shake her head. Flurry’s cheerful demeanor, while refreshing, was hardly something she could have expected herself - still, the Princess had earned a modicum of her trust.

Anon, realizing he wasn’t going to get a handshake, plodded back over and eased himself down beside the Princess. Standing beside the changeling, at the opposite side of the room from the man and alicorn, Cozy peeked up at her former accomplice. The fact that Chrysalis hadn’t bolted was definitely a good sign, but there was still a lot of ground to cover.

“Why didn’t you think that abandoning a pint-sized pegasus, her pet hyu-man, and Princess was a good idea?” Chrysalis matter-of-factly asked.

“It’s a long story and I - excuse me - we still don’t have all the details,” Cozy groused, trotting over to a jar of pickled carrots. Pushing the container with one hoof, back to where the Queen stood, she smirked at the tall shapeshifter. “But if you want to have a snack before you go, I’ll do my best to tell you everything that we do know.”

“Very well,” Chrysalis grunted, seating herself with her back to the wall. “But if this involves anything involving the power of friendship, I’m taking my carrots and leaving,” she added, pulling the jar of cured root vegetables over to herself.

Seating herself a few feet away, making herself comfortable, Cozy did her best to recount the events since her awakening. Anon and Flurry interjected here or there, filling in a few gaps which she’d been unaware of herself - such as the Princess’ brief capture outside of Fluttershy’s derelict homestead. Chrysalis stayed quiet, for the most part, mutely eating the meager meal and listening to the tale.

As Cozy finished catching the Queen up on the recent events, the room fell silent. For the second day in a row, she’d found herself in a stranger’s house - except this time their band had grown and they still weren’t exactly sure where they were. With the sun well on its way to setting, the changeling stood, pushed the then empty jar away, and stretched her legs.

“I wish I could say it was fun, but it wasn’t. Best of luck with the little mess you’ve found yourselves in,” Chrysalis yawned, strutting towards the front door.

“You’re leaving already?” Flurry asked, a note of concern in her voice.

Without breaking pace, not even bothering to give the group a second glance, Chrysalis extended her wings. “Why would I? This is your problem with your Princess.”

“Are you so sure about that, given everything that’s happened? Unless you have some sort of official pardon hidden under that carapace, there’s a really good chance Twilight and the royal guards will be looking for you. Even you realize there’s strength in numbers,” Cozy quipped. “And,” she smugly added, “Anon did mention rogue changelings running around. I can’t be sure, but I’d bet my bottom bit that they don’t have a Queen looking over them; even if they did, she’s definitely not a Queen of your caliber.”

“Hyu-man,” Chrysalis demanded, turning to thrust a hoof in the man’s direction, “is this true?”

“Well, yeah, there are bands of them running around - at least, that’s what I’ve heard. I don’t think that they’re very organized or anything, since they supposedly only prey upon small groups, but I could be wrong,” Anon explained, giving her a shrug.

“Interesting…” the Queen hummed, shrewdly rubbing her chin. “If there are changelings who had shrugged off the bonds of friendship, to be sure, they’d revere me and my bravery…”

“I bet they even tell stories about you,” Flurry chimed in, shooting Cozy a wink.

Either the Princess had made a darn good educated guess or she’d read about the Matriarch’s vainglorious nature - regardless, the comment seemed to hit the nail on the head. Chrysalis turned, leaving her back to the exit, and stepped back into the room. Cozy breathed a sigh of relief, realizing they’d at least temporarily gained a potent ally or, at the very least, traveling companion.

“I presume you haven't scouted the area,” Chrysalis postulated, looking to each of the three in turn.

“Not yet, no. But, to be fair, it’s not like any of us could sneak around all that easily,” Cozy moped, sullenly shaking her head. “Do you think you could? I mean, you are the best one here for the job.”

“Hmmhmmhmm - Clearly,” the shapeshifter chuckled. “I suppose I could, but don’t any of you dare touch those apricot preserves. Yes, Flurry, the ones you were eyeing.”

“Oh…” Flurry sighed, begrudgingly sliding the small jar away from her flank.

“Good,” Chrysalis snickered, licking her chops and eyeing the marmalade. With her sweet prize claimed, she wheeled back around towards the front door. “I’ll be back shortly before dark.”

In a flash of brilliant green light, the changeling transformed into an innocuous flamingo hued pegasus mare and saw herself out, leaving the trio to their devices for the time being. The trio looked at each other, in silence, as they processed the arrival of their new party member - that was, until Cozy stood. The little pony smiled and trotted over towards Anon and Flurry; she could already tell, judging from the looks they were giving her, she was about to be hit with a number of questions.

“Is she always that full of herself?” Anon asked.

“Mom told me she was greedy and all, but I didn’t think she would be this bad. Do I have to give up the apricots? I’ll share them with her, honest, but I at least want a taste!” Flurry lamented.

“Believe it or not, she’s not that bad - a bit egotistical and outspoken, true, but not terrible,” Cozy countered, recalling the time she’d spent with the changeling and centaur.

She, Tirek, and Chrysalis had shared quite a bit of time together, working in concert to overthrow the imitation of Grogar. There’d been a fair bit of bickering between them, each lashing out at the other for petty grievances here or there, although they’d successfully found a way to make it work. In the end, it was their differences that brought them closer together, with each learning to rely on the others’ strengths.

Cozy’s time with them had given her something few others had - insight. Neither Tirek or Chrysalis were pure evil, driven by wickedness for wickedness’ sake - no, they were simply broken. Tragedies of the past and loss had helped shape them into what they inevitably had grown to be; it wasn’t an exoneration of their actions by any means, although getting to know them meant understanding how they functioned and why they had done the things they did.

“How not?” the Princess chirped.

The question snapped Cozy from her ruminations.“How not?” she parroted.

“You said she’s not that bad. How is she not that bad?” Flurry pressed.

Cozy pursed her lips, trying to tell if the alicorn was pulling her leg or not. It was a rare, rare thing for a Princess to genuinely ask what made a villain bad - at least, in her experience it was - and she was reluctant not to answer. She closed her eyes, thought for a moment, and drew a breath.

“Imagine having a pet cat that you raised ever since they were a little tiny kitten. You spend your whole life looking after it, doing anything you had to do to make sure it survived. You even went so far as to steal food from a grocery store to make sure the little thing was fed,” she calmly explained, keeping her voice down. “Now, after years of doing everything you could for them, the grocery owner comes into your house and tells you he’s taking your cat away to give it a new life.”

“T...that’s awful!” Flurry bleated, askance. “He wouldn’t take my kitten away! I wouldn’t let him!”

“But what about the cat?” Anon interjected. “Will the cat be alright?”

“The cat would be fine - no, better than fine. The issue is that you would have something that you’d poured your heart and soul into looking after taken away,” Cozy whispered. “That’s what happened to Chrysalis. Kindness and friendship saved her hive from starvation, yet she lost them all in the process.”

“Mom and Twilight said that Thorax and friendship saved the changelings!” Flurry attested.

“They did, yes, but that doesn’t mean everyone was happy about it. Chrysalis devoted herself to the hive, devising schemes to keep them alive and fed. Her brood was all she had - after they were gone…” Cozy trailed off.

“I am going to give her the biggest hug when she gets back!” the Princess proclaimed.

Stepping between the two, Cozy shook her head. It wasn’t her place to speak about others behind their back, though she’d had few other options. They didn’t have time for Flurry and Anon to naturally learn about Chrysalis, so she’d taken the expedited route. “Just keep quiet about this. Be patient with her and give her space, please, both of you.”

“Well, I’m still giving her the apricots,” Flurry huffed.

“I won’t say anything, don’t worry,” Anon affirmed, nodding.

“Good. Now, before it gets too dark, let’s tidy up for the night. Anon, if you could go and get us a little bit of wood from the treeline, that would be great,” Cozy instructed, swinging her attention from the man to the Princess. “Flurry, if you don’t mind, go get us some water in that pot from the kitchen. I’ll get those bedrooms cleaned out a bit and clear the chimney.”

“I think I saw some cattails by the water. Is it alright if Flurry and I go together?” Anon inquired.

“That’s fine, just try to be vigilant and don’t take too long. Until Chrysalis gets back, we don’t know what’s out there,” Cozy noted.

The three parted shortly thereafter, with Flurry accompanying Anon to fetch water and firewood. Even if they didn’t use the lumber to warm themselves, having some handy couldn’t hurt anything. With her companions gone, Cozy set herself to work making the place more livable.

They had two dingy sheets, a set of curtains that could double as a blanket, one pillow, and a tiny throw rug she rolled into a makeshift cushion; it wasn’t a lot, but it was better than sleeping on bare wood. After dividing the linens, as they were, between the two bedrooms and the living room, she checked the chimney. Thankfully, due to a metal cover over its crown, the shaft was free of debris or buildup.

It didn’t take her long to get the house as serviceable as possible, even going so far as to sweep the property a second time for anything of use. In less than an hour, Anon and Flurry made their way back with not only water and a few decent chunks of dried timber but some cattail roots as well; apparently, according to the man, the things were edible once cooked.

As afternoon dragged on, with the coming night, the three decided to start a small fire; it wasn’t a decision they came lightly to, although the water they’d retrieved had been from a marsh and, just to be safe, needed to be boiled. Chatting on into the evening, with Anon regaling them of the technological marvels of his homeland, Cozy grew increasingly concerned about Chrysalis.

She wouldn’t put it past the changeling to bolt, yet she held onto hope that that wasn’t the case. Hours passed and, though she couldn’t tell exactly what time it was, she knew it was growing late. Before she knew it, Anon and Flurry decided to turn in for the night. She’d asked that the man make himself comfortable in the living room, staying warm by the fire, while the Princess could sleep in one of the two bedrooms.

Telling her comrades that she’d join them before long, she strolled onto the back porch to wait. Sitting on the wooden planks of the small porch, she peered up at the darkened sky. She could only imagine what obstacles awaited them, but she dearly hoped they wouldn’t be in for any more abrupt surprises. She chuckled, wondering if they’d inadvertently stumble across the actual Grogar or some other mythical creature.

“Your friends are...interesting,” a voice softly noted, though she’d half expected to hear it.

“Find anything?” Cozy asked, looking to her side.

“No, unfortunately, although I believe we’re near Hayseed Junction. There’s a set of train tracks, about a mile from here, that don’t appear to have been used in some time,” Chrysalis stated, pointing over her shoulder.

“If you’re right, we shouldn’t be too far from Dodge Junction,” Cozy thought aloud, as the changeling walked up and sat next to her. Resting in the cool night air, listening to the sound of frogs in the distance, the pair looked up at the heavens.

“Is she really gone?” Chrysalis quietly inquired.

Turning her head, the pegasus blinked. “Who?”

“Starlight, Thorax, all the rest,” the Matriarch clarified, fixating on a twinkling star above.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they are…” Cozy admitted.

It was still pretty hard to comprehend, although Chrysalis would probably have a harder time coming to grips with everything. While she’d been unlucky enough to recount a large amount of her imprisonment, the changeling seemed to have inexplicably hibernated through most of her stony confinement. In a sense, she envied her chitinous companion’s lack of torment.

“Do you trust them?” Chrysalis asked, gazing down at the small pony beside her.

Cozy paused, if only for a moment, before answering. “Yeah. They’ve given me no reason not to and they’ve both fought to protect me. I’m pretty sure if you give them a chance, they’ll do the same for you.”

The changeling opened her mouth to speak, stopped, then quietly stood and moved to the door. “I’m going to bed. Tell them not to disturb me.”

“First bedroom on the right,” Cozy quietly shouted, indicating the vacant room.

Fate was a funny and fickle thing. Resting under the pale moonlight, watching fireflies dancing about in the tall grass, she pushed herself up. She really did trust Anon and Flurry, as much as she could possibly trust two creatures she’d only recently met, and she’d forged an alliance with Chrysalis ages ago. The trio with whom she’d found herself, while odd, were the only ones she could place her faith in - so she did just that. Getting to her hooves, she trotted back inside to settle in for the night.

Chapter 8

Much to Cozy’s pleasant surprise, the quartet were able to get a full, restful night’s sleep without incident. She’d bedded down in the same room as Flurry, granting Chrysalis some space and leaving Anon to rest by the fire in the living room. It was only as the sun crept through the window did she finally awake.

Drowsily, knowing they had a full day ahead, she rubbed her eyes and got up. The Princess slumbered beside her, curled in a ball with her wings folded to her back. Stepping over, she softly nudged the mare’s shoulder. If Chrysalis was correct about their location, they had a lot of walking ahead of them.

“Mmmm...Morning,” Flurry groaned, raising her head. “Did Chrysalis come back?”

Cozy nodded. “She did, but let her rest for a bit. Without any love to feed off of, she’ll need all the energy she can get.”

Getting to her hooves, Flurry frowned. “She’ll be alright though - won’t she?”

“I think so, but don’t be surprised if she’s a little sluggish. Without a proper meal of love, she won’t be at full power,” Cozy explained, moving towards the door. “I’ll get her up before we head out.”

Proceeding into the living room, she found that Anon was missing. Two of the emptied mason jars were filled with water, resting by the fire, and the rest of their provisions were stacked in a neat pile. If she had to guess, the man had probably gotten up and was out stretching his legs or simply having a look around.

A soft rapping caused her to turn towards the occupied bedroom. To her horror, for some reason, Flurry was knocking at the changeling’s door. She rushed over, hoping to put a halt to the Princess’ foolish actions, but it was too late. A barely audible groan from within the chamber drifted to her ears.

“Chrysalis?” Flurry softly asked, tapping on the frame.

“What are you doing,” Cozy whispered, scowling up at the alicorn. The Princess looked down at her with a troubled expression, preceded by sound of hoofalls from within the closed room.

“What?!” Chrysalis shouted, throwing the door open to leer down at them. Glowering at the alicorn, for the briefest of moments, she turned her baleful gaze to the pint-sized pegasus. “I told you not to have them disturb me!”

Flurry’s shock was short-lived, if present at all, as a look of what Cozy could describe as determination settled upon the Princess’ face. Stepping forward, the alicorn squared herself against the incensed Matriarch, looked Chrysalis dead in the eyes, and hugged her - hugged her! She could scarcely believe what she was seeing, leaving her jaw to hang open.

“I’m sorry,” Flurry whispered.

Chrysalis was caught woefully unprepared for the act, judging from the dumbfounded expression she bore. The friendly ambush was aided by the changeling’s weariness from having been abruptly awoken, leaving her open for the attack. A second passed, followed by a few more, before she pushed herself away. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded, knitting her brow.

“Cozy told me not to bother you, but I just wanted to maybe give you a proper breakfast,” Flurry explained, smiling sheepishly. “You guys feed on affection, right?”

“I…” Chrysalis faltered. There was a flash of something on her face, a juxtaposed mixture of remorse and anger, but it passed in a heartbeat. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“Well, if you ever want to explain it to me, I’d be interested in hearing it,” the Princess cheerfully said, turning away and trotting back into the living room.

Cozy stood mute, watching the changeling track the Flurry's departure. She’d heard tales of creatures being brave or stupid enough to extend the olive branch to Chrysalis, but this took the cake by a mile. While it was true that they had worked together in a nefarious plot to topple the Equestrian empire and steal the power of the alicorns, there had been plenty of moments when their tenuous alliance had been strained.

“She’s...different, isn’t she?” Chrysalis quietly asked, her expression unreadable.

“She’s Flurry and, from what I’ve gathered, she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body,” Cozy explained.

“She should fear me,” the changeling groused, almost petulantly.

“Why? She has no reason to,” the small pegasus countered.

“Because of what I did to her parents and what we nearly did to Equestria,” Chrysalis hissed, keeping her voice low.

“She wasn’t around for that. You weren’t anything more than a scary story to her, before last night. I’m not saying to go galloping through a field of flowers with her or anything, but try to be nice - that is, unless you want to make an enemy out of her,” Cozy sighed.

Trotting past the diminutive mare, the Matriarch scoffed. “Duly noted…”

It wasn’t a mystery that Chrysalis wasn’t the warmest creature around, yet Cozy was privy to information that few, if any, had. She’d suffered through trials and tribulations with the Queen - even then, it had taken time and effort to gain the changeling’s favor. With a clean slate between the Matriarch, Flurry, and Anon, she felt reasonably certain that a fellowship could be forged between them all.

The four of them would need to work together, given the circumstances, or they’d all likely be captured before long. Each of them were vulnerable and not without weaknesses, especially herself, but as a cohesive team they could share their strengths and cover for each other’s shortcomings. Shaking her head, hoping that their motley crew could hold it together, she reentered the living room.

“Knock knock,” Anon announced, drawing everyone’s attention as he walked through the front door. A long, sturdy stick rested on his shoulder, as he saw himself in. “Can one of you grab the blankets? I’m gonna make a bindle to carry everything.”

“I presume you have a plan?” Chrysalis asked, unmoving, while the Princess went to gather up the linens.

“We’ll follow the tracks north to Dodge Junction. From there, we’ll collect some intel and figure out our next move,” Cozy muttered.

“Ok, I’ve been meaning to ask, what sort of moves could we make? If we’re all wanted by the guard, there’s only so much we can do - isn’t there?” Anon exasperatedly inquired.

Cozy had secretly hoped nobody would ask about the potential outcomes of their exodus, but it had only been a matter of time until the topic came up. “Best case scenario, if word hasn’t spread too far, we plead our case; since we have a Princess with us, that might just work. Worst case scenario, we flee and go into hiding.”

“Yeah, I’m all for having some space, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” the man grumbled.

“Where would we even go? All of Equestria follows Twilight - she’s been leading everypony for generations!” Flurry moaned, reappearing and handing the blankets off to Anon.

“Even taking that into account, we have options. The south-lands beyond Klugetown would probably be our best bet, if they’re still not part of the empire. There’s also the possibility that we leave the continent, although we’d require a boat or an airship,” Cozy responded.

“We can’t just leave the continent!” the Princess protested.

“I was doing just fine on my own, back before Discord tricked us into attempting to overthrow the Princesses,” Chrysalis huffed, seeming none too pleased with the prospect.

“I’ll stick out like a sore thumb wherever I am, but I’d rather not spend the rest of my life hiding somewhere,” Anon lamented. Having secured their goods within one of the two sheets, he fashioned a crude toga from the second covering.

Screwing her eyes shut, Cozy took a breath to calm herself. She couldn’t afford to lash out and yell at them, though it was sorely tempting. “Let’s all just calm down and get a move on. There’s no sense in worrying about things that may not even happen, so why don’t we try to be optimistic until we’re forced to do otherwise.”

Anon and Flurry nodded reluctantly, though Chrysalis flipped her mane to the side. She figured the changeling would be recalcitrant, but she wasn’t bothered since she already had a plan. Trotting over, she grinned up at the slender shapeshifter.

“What?” Chrysalis barked.

“I was thinking, maybe it would be a good idea if you traveled as a pony. If anyone sees or stops us, you could tell them that you’re bringing us in for questioning,” Cozy proposed.

“Ugh - fine…” the changeling grunted. In a flash of emerald flame, she assumed the form of a pale sage mare. It was the same disguise she’d used time and again, although it had probably been long enough so that nobody would remember it.

“Alright,” Anon began, hefting the bindle onto his shoulder, “anyone need to use the little mare’s room before we leave?”

The pegasus, disguised shapeshifter, and Princess shook their heads, yet it was up to Cozy to make the first move. Trotting out with her compatriots in tow, she strode out of the home and into the overgrown front yard. Glancing back at Chrysalis to see which direction they should be headed, she led the way.

It took the quartet less than an hour to find the train tracks and, as Chrysalis had mentioned, they appeared to be in a severe state of disuse. The rails were rusty, the ties splintered, and grasses sprouted from the ballast. It was clear that, for whatever reason, a train hadn’t been through in quite some time.

Following the railway north, the group trudged along on foot and hoof. Flanked to either side by towering, verdant woodland, the seemingly endless path of iron and wood led into the distance before them. With the sound of songbirds greeting them, it was a peaceful start to their journey, although there was a lingering unease about what awaited them.

“Anon the hyu-man,” Chrysalis began, drawing the man’s attention.

“Hmm? You can just call me Anon, by the way,” he replied, stepping along the wooden planks.

“From where do you hail?” the camouflaged shapeshifter inquired. Trotting up beside him, she looked him over from head to shoed toe.

“Earth, a different planet - at least, I’m pretty sure it is. Maybe Equestria is an alternate dimension or timeline; honestly, I can’t say for sure,” Anon admitted, giving her an innocent shrug.

“And how did you get here? I presume you used the Crystal Mirror?” Chrysalis pressed.

“No, I don’t think I did. I was just walking to the shop and blacked out; next thing I know, I was waking up in a field outside of Sire’s Hollow,” he recounted.

“Hmmmmm,” Chrysalis thoughtfully hummed, rubbing her chin. “By chance, were there any ruins near where you awoke?”

Anon shook his head. “Not that I remember. It was just a regular old field, as far as I could tell, why?”

“There are legends that spoke of some mystical power called the Rainbow Bridge, a force which could forge a trail between any conceivable realm. I can’t be certain if that’s what brought you here, but it may offer one possible explanation,” the changeling remarked. The comment stopped everyone dead in their tracks, leaving her three traveling companions to stare blankly at her.

“I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Flurry commented.

“Me neither...” Cozy murmured. Throughout all her travels and research, she’d never once encountered anything remotely similar to the Crystal Mirror - then again, the world was full of lost legends and myths. “Do you know anything more about it?”

“Supposedly, fathomless eons ago, it was used back in the time of Grogar. I honestly can’t say much about it, other than that I heard Star Swirl mention it in passing,” Chrysalis noted, continuing to trot down the tracks. “If it is real, perhaps Twilight may know of it.”

“Well that’s one more reason to go and sort this out with her,” Flurry chirped, briskly cantering up the railway.

“Or something to ask her if her goons catch us,” Cozy grunted, flittering to keep up.

With little else to do, and no change of scenery in sight, her mind returned to the various conundrums which haunted her. The notion of some strange force pulling Anon to Equestria was odd, but something about the timing of his arrival just felt off. Gliding over to the man, she looked to his face.

“You said you’ve met Twilight several times, right?” she asked.

“At least a half a dozen, why?” he countered.

“This might sound silly, but humor me. Could you describe her for me? What she looks like, how she acts, her personality - you know, the usual sort of stuff,” she continued, drifting along next to him.

“She’s always been pretty friendly, even if she is sort of stoic. She’s a regular looking alicorn, as far as I can tell, but she’s just a smidge shorter than Flurry,” Anon described, extending a hand to show Princess’ height.

“Stoic?” Cozy repeated.

“Almost like a flat affect sort of thing, yeah,” he affirmed, looking over at her.

Looking to Flurry, seeing that their conversation held the alicorn’s attention, Cozy leveled a hoof at the mare. “Is that true?”

“I wouldn’t say she’s stoic,” Flurry laughed, “she’s just tranquil.”

A knot began to grow in Cozy’s stomach, as her suspicions deepened. The last time she remembered seeing Twilight, from within her stony prison, the Princess grown to be nearly the same size as Flurry. “And you said you didn’t have many friends?”

“To be honest, not many, no. A few of the palace guards, Twilight herself, and you all too, but that’s about it,” the Princess sighed.

Cozy was entering uncertain waters and she had to be careful. She couldn’t afford to upset Flurry, at such a crucial juncture in their odyssey, yet she required answers. Staying quiet, stewing on how to continue the conversation in a civil, amiable manner, she neglected to account for someone’s lack of tact.

“Does she look like this?” Chrysalis groaned, effortlessly assuming the appearance of Twilight Sparkle at the time of their defeat.

“Yeah, just like that!” Flurry exclaimed.

“Frankly, I’m surprised Twilight hasn’t had you running around making friends with half of Equestria,” the shapeshifter flippantly stated, reverting to her natural form.

“Oh! She said I don’t need to do that. ‘Friendship can be wonderful, but it comes with a price,’ that’s what she’s always taught me,” the Princess recited, without skipping a beat.

Cozy froze, as did Chrysalis, while they both stared at the alicorn in disbelief. Flurry’s statement meant one of two things - either Twilight had suffered some cataclysmic shift in character, or she was an imposter. There was simply no other explanation for it.

“That’s not…” Chrysalis drew silent, as she noticed Cozy subtly shaking her head.

“Not what?” Flurry inquired, peering over her shoulder.

“Not what I was expecting to hear - that’s all,” the changeling concluded, acknowledging the pegasus before looking away.

Cozy realized what the look meant, knowing she’d have to have a conversation with Chrysalis, but it would have to wait until they had some privacy. There was no doubt in her mind that something was wrong with Twilight, or whatever was masquerading as the Princess, which only served to deepen her concerns with their predicament. A threat she knew and understood wasn’t nearly as problematic as a mysterious one. Pushing what questions she had to the back of her mind, she decided to let the subject lie and bide her time.

They continued their travel on foot and hoof for some time, only occasionally halting when party members needed to relieve themselves or if someone wanted a drink of water. The going was slow but steady and, before they knew it, the sun was almost directly overhead. With the forest beginning to thin ever so slightly, and the appearance of a small clearing in the treeline, the group decided to give themselves a small break.

“Hey, Chrysalis, do you mind if I ask you something?” Anon began, easing himself down on the soft grass.

“It’s Queen Chrysalis, hyu-man. Speak,” the changeling huffed.

“I’ve read a lot about you, as well as Cozy and Tirek, but there was one thing I’ve always been curious about. There’s a lot of speculation out there about where your kind came from, although I’ve never seen anything concrete about it. Why is that?” he asked.

“That’s because nopony knows where we came from - myself included. My earliest memories were of a cavern, warring with my kin for what little food we had. I was bigger, stronger, and more cunning than they, so I asserted my dominance and took command of the hive,” she explained. “In regards to exactly how we came about, I can’t truly say.”

The man shot her a questioning look. “So, what, you just crowned yourself as their Queen and that was that?”

“I was the most capable, so it fell into my hooves to lead them and assure our survival,” Chrysalis remarked.

“Did you ever consider asking anypony for help?” Flurry quipped.

“Child, we’re predators, that would be like a tiger asking a field mouse for help,” the changeling chuckled, flashing a wolfish grin at the alicorn.

“Yeah, but the hippogriffs and griffons aren’t vegetarians,” the Princess countered. “I mean, creatures do what they have to to survive; nopony can blame you for that.”

Chrysalis studied Flurry for a moment, squinted, then looked away. “We were desperate and did what we needed to do.”

“Well if I was there, I would have extended the olive branch. If some sort of a peace treaty could have been reached, the ponies and changelings could have both benefited!” Flurry exclaimed, beaming over at the Matriarch.

“Well you weren’t there and it’s too late to discuss such trivial matters. I’ve lost my hive and, like Cozy, I’m sure to be reviled by everycreature,” Chrysalis spat, turning and thrusting a hoof at the Princess.

“We could change that though!” Flurry insisted. “Grumpy or not, you’ve shown yourself to be a capable leader and I think you would have a lot to offer the world.”

“She’s right, you know,” Anon chimed in, “you’re one of the oldest living creatures in all of Equestria. Your knowledge of history alone would be invaluable.”

“Has everyone gotten a bit more dense since my imprisonment?!” the changeling coughed, incredulously looking between the man and alicorn. “Are you to have me believe that my transgressions would be forgiven so easily?”

“Not right away, no - then again, you didn’t gain your notoriety overnight either,” the Princess sighed, her smile faltering. “All I’m saying is that I feel bad you weren’t given a chance.”

Cozy sat mute, watching the scene play out. After Chrysalis’ defeat, at the hooves of Starlight, her motivations had shifted almost entirely. Once her brood had evolved, adapting to sustain themselves from the mutual friendship with others, she’d been driven solely by her vengeance towards the ponies who had robbed her of everything. With no living soul to level her hatred against, she could seize the opportunity and begin anew - if she chose to take the opportunity.

“You are either incredibly naive or astoundingly brazen, little Princess,” Chrysalis whispered.

“Maybe, but what happened to you was wrong and I want to make it right,” Flurry softly replied, shuffling closer to the shapeshifter and extending a hoof.

Chrysalis froze, staring incredulously at the alicorn, before leaping to her hooves and trotting away. “Bah.”

“Wait, where are you going?” the Princess as asked, a touch of concern in her voice.

“To brood!” the changeling sourly yelled, stomping towards the nearby treeline. Moving some odd dozen paces away, into the shade, she muttered darkly to herself.

“You really mean that, don’t you?” Cozy quietly inquired, causing the alicorn to look in her direction.

“D...did I do something wrong? I just wanted to help,” Flurry lamented, her eyes falling to the ground.

Cozy shook her head and the smallest grin met her lips. “Don’t let her bother you too much, she’s always been moody. She’ll be alright.”

Shifting in place, Anon turned towards them. “How did you win her over?”

“Time, respect, and a shared goal. I know, I know, trying to conquer the world isn’t exactly a wholesome pastime, but it helped bring us together. Regardless of what your objective is, working as a team can forge strong bonds,” Cozy said, making light of her past actions.

“I don’t want her to be lonely, that’s all,” Flurry admitted. Seating herself beside Anon, she dejectedly kicked at a loose pebble.

“She’s got us, for now. What she does after everything is settled is up to her,” the man murmured, patting her shoulder.

Keeping her eyes on Chrysalis’ silhouette, watching the changeling levitate and fling a broken branch, Cozy kept her voice low. “Who knows - if everything does work out, maybe she’ll turn over a new leaf. I’ve seen crazier things happen.”

“Oh?” Anon hummed.

“Without even counting the last few days, yeah,” Cozy chuckled.

“Fair enough. I knew people who changed their lives around, back where I’m from, so I guess it’s a universal possibility,” he exhaled.

Cozy nodded, leaning back and stretching her wings. “Yeah, they can. Sometimes change is for the better, sometimes it’s for the worst - either way, it usually requires a catalyst to bring it about.”

“I just hope our next change won’t involve a prison,” Anon grunted.

“Don’t worry, they’ve got all different sizes of cells in Tartarus. If we end up down there, I’ll show you the ropes,” Cozy joked, snickering to herself.

“I’m...gonna go see if we’re anywhere near the edge of the forest,” Flurry grumbled, seemingly discontent with the direction the conversation had taken. Extending her wings, she shot into the sky and sailed upwards.

Anon watched the Princess soar upwards, shielding his eyes from the sun, before peeking over at the diminutive pegasus nearby. “I’m glad she’s with us, but I hate that she got dragged into all this.”

“Yeah, she seems legitimately nice, I just wish…” Cozy went silent, noticing the alicorn abruptly turn and come rocketing back towards them. The swift action didn’t sit well with her, causing her to get to her hooves.

“I’ve got some good news and not so good news,” Flurry blurted, flying just above the ground.

“What’s the bad news?” Anon asked, pushing himself up.

“The bad news is that there’s a group of three ponies moving in our direction, along the tracks. They don’t look like guards or anything, since they’re not wearing armor, but they’re not too far away,” the Princess anxiously stated, pointing in their direction.

“And the good news?” Cozy inquired.

“We’re not far from open ground - maybe an hour’s trot, give or take,” the Princess continued. “Should we hide or something?”

Cozy paid little attention to the fretful alicorn, as her eyes were glued on a colorful dot just above the treeline. Squinting, she could barely make out the outlines of what could only be a pegasus. Whoever they were, they waved at something or someone out of sight, before dashing back out of view.

“No sense hiding, since they’ve probably already seen us,” she groaned. Looking over her shoulder, noticing Chrysalis moving in their direction, she waited for the changeling to join them. “Alright, let’s play this by ear. They may just be passing by - if not, or if they’re looking for us, we’re her prisoners,” she intoned, pointing to the shapeshifter. “Got it?”

Everyone nodded around her, signalling they knew what to do. Though she was thankful that they weren’t going to be encountering a larger group of ponies, she’d hoped to make it to a settlement without having been discovered. Waving for them to disperse, lest they be happened upon while conspiring, she sat and kept her eyes on the tracks.

Sure enough, after a hoofful of minutes, a trio of ponies emerged. She wasn’t terribly surprised when they slowed, having spotted her group, and began moving directly in their direction. They appeared ordinary enough, only trotting at a relaxed pace, but that did little to salve her nerves. As they drew nearer, she got a better look at their features.

There was the crimson pegasus stallion who first noticed them, a slate grey earth pony stallion, and a teal unicorn mare. Each of them looked relatively plain, and none of them bore any sort of equipment or armor, leaving her cautiously optimistic that they were random passersby. Smiling broadly, she hopped up and waved hello. Until she was forced to do otherwise, it was time to put on the tried and true Cozy charm.

Chapter 9

Scampering up to the trio of interlopers, Cozy beamed from ear to ear. As she made her approach, leaving her associates behind, she noticed that one of the encroaching ponies - the unicorn - was levitating what appeared to be an oversized picnic basket. The sight was marginally relieving, lending weight to her assumption about the three.

“Golly! I wasn’t expecting to see anypony out in these parts! I hope none of you are lost!” she greeted, coming to a halt a stone’s throw from the group.

“Not at all!” the pegasus stallion merrily responded, offering a curt nod. “My friends and I were simply coming out to enjoy such a wonderful day with some peace and quiet. The name is Rush and these are Whir and Storm,” he continued, extending his wings and motioning towards the unicorn and earth pony respectively.

The introduction, while expected, would be the first of many hurdles. Having the alicorn and human meant she’d have little more to rely on than luck, since neither were exactly inconspicuous. Turning, looking back and waving her diverse cadre forward, she nodded to them each in turn.

“There’s Anon, Princess Flurry, Shutter Bug, and I’m Cozy!” she cheerfully responded, grinning broadly up at the stallion. The concocted name for Chrysalis’ disguise seemed fitting enough, given the ladybug cutie mark she bore.

Her companions each waved and grinned, acknowledging the new group in a relatively neutral manner - well, almost. Chrysalis only ever so slightly dipped her head, retaining a stoic and vaguely annoyed expression. As for the newcomers themselves, save for the pegasus, they seemed rather impassive.

Rush’s smile never faltered, as he surveyed the band before him. “Such a colorful group you have! Would you care to join us for lunch? We have more than enough to share!”

“We would simply love to share our meal with you. Surely, you’d like some iced cider!” Whir added, stepping forward and magically fetching a large thermos from the basket hovering beside herself.

“Oh no, we’d hate to impose!” Cozy countered. The last thing they needed was to be mired into a conversation. Talking begat questions and curiosity - both of which could lead to the situation being complicated. While she and Chrysalis were rather versed with deception and cunning, she had no way of knowing how capable Anon or -

“I wouldn’t mind some cider,” Flurry spoke out, raising her hoof.

The only sign of Cozy’s immediate frustration was a momentary tensing of her legs and a subtle twitch in one eye. Fortunately, Rush didn’t seem to notice her fleeting annoyance, too focused on the Princess to do otherwise. Taking a deep breath, holding it for a second, then slowly exhaling through her pursed lips, she composed herself.

“That sure is nice of you! We can stay for a little bit, but not too long. My mom’s gonna be expecting me home soon!” she explained, hoping to mitigate their time.

“Wonderful!” Rush and Whir responded, in unison, while Storm nodded.

No sooner had they replied than they converged on the levitating basket. Working in perfect harmony and without saying so much as a word to one another, they quickly set up a picturesque area to relax and socialize. The unicorn draped a thick sheet over the ground, while the earth pony and pegasus retrieved and arranged a number of refreshments.

As unsettling as watching three creatures conducting a silent symphony of movement was, something else immediately struck Cozy as odd. Unless the band were planning on gorging themselves, they’d brought far more food and drink than was necessary. Fruit, sandwiches, cookies, a cake, the aforementioned cider, as well as enough paper plates and cups to host a moderately large get together had all been stashed within the wicker container they’d toted.

“One of you must eat like a horse - no pun intended,” Anon chuckled.

“Oh, yes, Storm always has quite the appetite,” Rush replied, arranging the dishes upon the cloth lined ground.

Whir trotted over to Flurry, sorcerously moving a freshly poured glass of the chilled drink. “Here, Princess, I hope you find it cold and refreshing!”

Unable to do anything more than watch, lest she come off as suspicious, Cozy observed the alicorn step forward, take the beverage in her magical grip, and move the cup to her lips. Sternly reminding herself to lecture Flurry on the potential danger of strangers, her jaw clenched. She gulped, seeing the Princess swallow down whatever she’d just been handed.

Flurry went rigid, upon taking a second sip of the cider. Peering into the cup, eyes wide with surprise, she peered at the unicorn standing before her. “This is really good! What’s in here? Is it honey?”

“The secret is to use brown sugar instead of white, fresh cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg,” Whir smugly whispered.

Cozy breathed a sigh of relief, having half expected the alicorn to be stricken by some poison. Anon soon joined the Princess, helping himself to an apple from the proffered goods, although Chrysalis held back. Looking to their unexpected company, she examined them each for any traces of trickery. Her stomach growled in protest at the delay.

“Please,” Rush intoned, extending a forehoof to the small feast, “help yourself.”

“That sure is super kind of you!” Cozy cheerily responded, trotting forward and picking up a peach.

She turned it over in her hoof, giving it a cursory inspection for any signs of tampering. Even if the outsiders had done something to the food, the chances that they could do something to the produce without leaving any trace of meddling was slim. After she’d given it a sniff, she took the smallest nibble and carefully chewed.

It tasted fantastic. Compared to the preserved goods they’d found at the abandoned house, or the flora they’d scavenged from around Fluttershy’s home, the fresh fruit was downright heavenly. The fact that they’d been trotting for the entire morning, on nearly empty stomachs, made the experience all the more enjoyable.

She grinned and swallowed, forcing herself to stop for a moment. Holding the peach in one hoof, she hugged the pegasus stallion’s leg and beamed up at him. “Thank you so, so much for this, Mister Rush!” she bleated, squeezing his limb.

Although it was, for the most part, an act, a part of her was genuinely grateful for the food. If they played their cards right, they might be able to talk their mysterious hosts out of a few snacks, before they continued on their journey. Humming contentedly, rocking back and forth on the stallion’s leg, a low growl caught her ear.

“This is just adorable - really, it is, but you can all drop this pitiful charade…” Chrysalis hissed, grimacing at the trio of amiable ponies and drawing everyone’s attention.

“I...I’m sorry. Would you like some cake?” Whir quickly asked, plating a slice and extending it in her direction.

The Queen stared down at the offering with disdain, before squinting over at the unicorn. “Funny how a group of ponies wouldn’t partake of their own banquet…”

Cozy quickly turned, glancing to each of the newcomers for a fleeting second. Chrysalis had been right, not a single one of the strangers had so much as touched any of the fare they’d been carrying with them. Dropping the peach, she leapt away from the pegasus. “Don’t eat it!” she yelled, but it was too late.

Anon, Flurry, and herself had already partaken from the provisions, tainting them with whatever may lurk within the various offerings. To her horror, the man and Princess appeared nonplussed at her order, causing her temper to get the best of her. Scowling, soaring to the pegasus’ face, she grasped his snout between her hooves.

“What did you dose us with?!” she demanded angrily, staring him dead in the eyes.

“N...nothing, I swear! U...unless the bakery put something in there we didn’t know about!” Rush stammered.

“Lies,” Chrysalis growled. “You thought that I wouldn’t notice how hungry you were - how you surreptitiously feasted on the appreciation and glee from the hyu-man and alicorn?” she snarled, stomping a hoof. With a phlegmy cough, she launched two gobbets of viscous resin at Whir and Storm, trapping their hooves and immobilizing them. “You really are pathetic excuses of my kin…”

“We weren’t going to hurt you, honest!” Whir pleaded, struggling against her rapidly cementing bonds. “W...we were just-”

“Silence!” Chrysalis barked. Throwing her head back, an emerald inferno engulfed her frame.

The brilliant light of the conflagration outshone the sun, casting deep shadows on the glen. Everyone silently stared in alarm at the spectacle, too shocked or fearful to do otherwise - that was, until a soft, ominous laughter cut through the air. What began as a chuckle grew into a twisted cackle, as a lone onyx foreleg stepped through the flame.

“Look upon your Queen, you insignificant, wretched grubs, and despair,” the Matriarch smugly stated, stepping from the conflagration.

Cozy had to admit, theatrical reveal aside, the changeling had managed to entrap two of the three outsiders, while leaving each of them stunned by her grand introduction. Acting quickly, she squeezed the pegasus’ cheeks and drew his attention. For the time being, they had the element of surprise and she was not about to squander it.

“Who sent you? Why are you really here?” she pressed.

“And drop the act, you simpletons,” Chrysalis added, trotting forward in her unveiled glory.

In an azure flash, the trio of ponies instantaneously metamorphosed. Gone was the facade of bright fur, replaced by darkened shades of pastel carapace. While they were obviously reformed to some extent, their coloration was markedly darker than the overly friendly changelings Cozy had seen in ages past.

Rush was a deep mahogany, while Whir and Storm were a dusky aegean and spruce respectively. Regardless of their intent, they clearly weren’t above subterfuge to accomplish their goals. Cozy glared at each of them for a moment, before leering at their leader.

“Did you seriously put something in the food?” Flurry glumly asked, eyeing the cake.

“No, of course not! We just stole them from the bakery in town!” Rush replied, peering over at the Princess.

“Explain yourselves this instant,” Chrysalis murmured, gently pushing Cozy aside to address the stallion.

“W...we were just doing what we normally do! Great Chrysalis impression, by the way,” Rush sputtered, looking up at the Queen.

“Fool! I am the Queen Chrysalis!” the Matriarch furiously corrected, sneering upon the lesser changeling. “Perhaps a demonstration is in order…”

Licking her lips and opening her fanged maw, a sickening green glow emanated from her horn. A similar aura surrounded Rush, before he was magically lifted into the air. Wisps of fuchsia power wafted from the smaller shapeshifter’s frame and into the Queen’s slavering jaws.

“Don’t-” Flurry was cut off, as Cozy extended a hoof and shook her head.

She was acutely aware of what Chrysalis was capable of and she felt certain that the draining was simply a show of force - albeit a jarring and disquieting one. Changelings were a strange lot and, admittedly, she had no way of knowing if the gamble would work. Strangely enough, the flow of energy from the stallion appeared to redouble, as a faltering smile crept across his face.

“Now let’s try this again,” Chrysalis relented, easing him to the ground. “Why are you here?”

“We’re like you,” he wheezed, nearly collapsing.

“Can I go next!” Whiz enthusiastically squawked.

Glancing over at the pair of partially encased shapeshifters, seeing the fanatical expression they bore, Cozy knit her brow. “Like her how?”

“We’re bad guys,” Rush answered, staring with open admiration at the Queen.

“...Explain…” Chrysalis whispered.

“Oh! We do all sorts of naughty stuff! We slip into towns and make mischief to sustain ourselves: folding laundry, helping deliver packages, sneaking treats into the school - it’s great!” Whiz gleefully explained, practically vibrating with excitement.

“How in Equestria does that make you bad guys?! Stealing baked goods hardly qualifies you as villains!” Chrysalis coughed.

“Because we didn’t order the pastries; we just took them, paid, and left. We just do charitable things and reap the kind benefits,” Rush clarified.

Chrysalis’ jaw flapped uselessly, unable to form a response, leaving Cozy to intervene. Stepping over to the stricken stallion, she carefully studied him. While she did still have her reservations, it would have been extraordinarily difficult for the changelings to fake their eager reactions to the deposed Matriarch.

“Wait,” Flurry blurted, trotting closer. “You three are the Dastardly Do-Gooders?”

“Who?” Cozy and Chrysalis asked in unison, turning towards the alicorn.

“There’ve been reports about three ponies mysteriously going around doing dubiously helpful things,” the Princess said, magically working to free the mare. Without awaiting a reply, Anon quickly joined her - pulling at the hardening substance around the changeling’s hooves.

“I’m glad that word of our misdeeds have reached the ear of a Princess,” Rush croaked, shakily moving over to release Storm. “Like I said, we’re bad guys like you.”

“Bad guys,” Chrysalis scoffed, finally finding her voice. “You would have me believe that gallivanting about Equestria, helping ponies to suckle at the dregs of their appreciation and fondness could be considered any sort of dastardly? Preposterous!”

“Isn’t it though?” Cozy contended, peering up at the Matriarch. “They’re just trying to get by, doing their best not to conform - that is, if it’s true.”

Turning, she looked to the three changelings. If Flurry was correct, they may have unwittingly stumbled upon some potential aid, although there were several pivotal questions which needed to be addressed. Trotting to Storm, she kicked at the resin encasing his legs.

Leaving the trio trapped would, at worst, lead to potential enemies who could hunt them down or alert the authorities on their whereabouts. Given the state of the situation, with the shapeshifters’ leader partially drained of his essence, they posed little immediate threat. Between herself, Anon, Flurry, and Chrysalis, they could overpower the newcomers with relative ease, though a diplomatic solution to their conundrum would be ideal.

“What have you guys heard about us?” Cozy inquired, glancing back at the stricken stallion.

“Everyone knows about Flurry, she’s one of the two Princesses of Equestria. Most ponies have heard about Anon the human, but I don’t know much about him. Queen Chrysalis - gosh - she’s the primeval leader of the ancient changelings! She did - er - does whatever she wants and kept her hive safe for centuries!” Rush gushed, smittenly peering over at the Queen.

“And me?” Cozy asked, turning to face him.

Rush shrugged, too enwrapt by no doubt glorious visage of his primeval Matriarch. “Just some filly, I suppose.”

As dumbfounding as it was, that the changeling hadn’t put the pieces together, Cozy took some solace that word of her and Chrysalis’ freedom hadn’t spread. If news had yet to reach the far corners of Equestria, any action they chose to take would be vastly easier.

“Cretin,” Chrysalis snapped, curling her lip. “that is Cozy Glow, self-declared leader of the villainous trio!”

“Oh yeah! That evil filly who helped you almost rule Equestria!” Whir added. Shaking the gooey, sap-like substance from her hooves, she cantered over to the Queen. “Can you drain me next? I’ve got plenty of love for you!”

“No, I’ll not lower myself to feeding off sycophants,” Chrysalis huffed, literally turning her nose up at the offer.

“You don’t have to be rude,” Anon groused. Pulling one of Storm’s hind legs free, he crossed his arms over his chest. “So what if someone wants to give you some love? Is it really that bad?”

“Because they’re a parody of their past splendor!” the Queen balked, looking to the trio with contempt. The changelings shied away, wounded by her words.

“They were born like this! They didn’t have a choice, just like how you didn’t have a choice to feed on others to survive!” Flurry shouted. “I’m...I’m not gonna stand here and let you be so mean to somepony who wants to help you!” she continued, stepping between the Matriarch the shapeshifters.

“And what makes you think that I’d listen to some whelp of a Princess?” Chrysalis murmured. Though her words lacked much fight, she stuck a nerve.

Flurry stood mute, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. “You know, I’d hoped the stories about you were wrong - that you weren’t as bad as Twilight and my parents made you out to be…”

“Why would you care?! You’re a Princess! You know nothing about struggle and loss!” the Queen protested defiantly.

“Because I lost my parents and I wanted to give you a chance!” the Princess blared. Standing firm and unflinching, despite the resentment and grief on her face, she stared the villain down.

Before Cozy could intervene, Anon stepped forward with his hands extended. “Let’s all just take a breath, calm down, and be civil. Can we all agree that things have been a little extra crazy for the last day or two?” he asserted, forcing a smile and looking between the arguing pair.

The Princess and Queen continued glaring at one another, as a tense silence fell between them. It was clear that most of the fight had left each of them, yet neither budged an inch. Their success hinged upon cooperation between them, moreso in Chrysalis’ case. Trotting to them, Cozy cleared her throat and prepared to take a bullet.

“Since I’m the leader, let’s have a group exercise. Flurry, Whiz, and Storm, go think of what our next step should be over there,” she instructed, pointing to one corner of the clearing. “Chrysalis, Anon, and Rush, you do the same thing over there,” she continued, leveling a wing at the opposite end of the glade.

Chrysalis squinted at her for a moment, before shifting her focus to the stallion drone. “Minion, grab the cake. If we must convene with the obstinate hyu-man, we will have pastry.”

“What if I wanted some cake?” Flurry quipped.

Levitating a rather generous slice of the confection towards the Princess, Chrysalis scowled. “There,” she coldly remarked, sauntering off to the area with Rush following behind her.

“W...well I’m taking the cookies then!” Flurry quickly rebuked. After lobbing one of the sugary disks into the retreating cake, she turned and stomped to her side of the clearing.

Seeing the two parties disengage, Cozy breathed a sigh of relief. If nothing else, her little ploy had bought them some time to let the flared tempers cool. She couldn’t blame either of them, given how bizarre the last few days had been, but she hoped a schism wouldn’t develop between the two. If Chrysalis could rein herself in and try to make a friend in Flurry, she’d doubtlessly make the most powerful and influential ally she’d ever known.

“That was pretty slick,” Anon commented, causing her to start.

The man hadn’t fled with either party, lingering just behind her. Squatting down, he reached out and gently patted her on the head. The fond gesture and compliment brought the barest grin to her face. Strange look and mysterious origins aside, Anon seemed to have a grounded grasp of things and she found herself fortunate to have him as company.

“I’m gonna go see what my team is cooking up,” he grunted. Giving her hair a brief tussle, he stood and started walking. “I hope you stay on our side.”

Intentional or not, the comment reminded her of something; for the first time in a very, very long time, she wasn’t working on the machinations of some grand scheme. For most of her life, she’d carefully crafted and implemented plans to get what she wanted - now she was relegated to playing by ear. Without her companions, she wouldn’t have made it as far as she had.

Easing herself down, she reached for the peach she’d discarded and casually looked between the two groups. Besides allowing Chrysalis and Flurry to calm themselves, separating the teams as she had served several purposes. Removing Rush from his band would put Storm and Whir on the back hoof and hopefully allow Flurry to gather some information on the pair. Chrysalis seemed to tolerate Anon relatively well, so cultivating trust between them would ideally strengthen that tenuous bond. Lastly and most prudently, there was a high likelihood that their growing party would have to separate in order to perform some action or other in the future.

Her move to temporarily split the party was shrewd and only slightly manipulative, but in a mutualistic way. Nobody had anything to lose from the exercise and there was much to be gained. She saw no reason to interact with either crew, realizing that she’d be tempted to steer conversations or ideas in a direction she saw fit; it was a weakness she had, but one she was cognizant of.

Content to help herself to a snack, while avoiding consciously eavesdropping, she meditated in silence. The appearance of the vagabond changelings, while a bit bizarre, could prove as an invaluable asset - if they could be coerced into assisting with one’s endeavor. Having a shapeshifter at their disposal was helpful, although having a team of them would be an immense windfall.

That being said, there was one question which eluded her. Even if Rush, Whir, and Storm roamed the land helping ponies and lending a hoof to those in need, why were they in such a remote location? Hayseed Junction was derelict and the tracks running through the small settlement were in a severe state of disuse. The likelihood of anyone having simply wandered in their direction was inordinately slim and she doubted it was a mere coincidence.

“How long must we dally?” Chrysalis loudly groaned, catching her ear. “We’ve had a plan for several minutes and the cake is gone.”

“We have a plan too!” Flurry shouted, as if it were some competition.

“Alright, come on over and let’s hear them,” Cozy urged, waving the two groups towards herself. The pair of teams reconvened around her, with the Matriarch to her right and the Princess to her left. They each appeared mollified to an extent, with Chrysalis having reassumed her regular discontented demeanor and Flurry looking nearly as exuberant as usual.

“You first,” the alicorn intoned, gesturing to the Queen.

“Our plan is simple. We forge north, through the wilderness to Horseshoe Bay, then we board a ship and sail east. It’s less than ideal, but it would get us away from the clutches of our pursuers,” Chrysalis uttered.

Cozy nodded, mulling the notion over. “And your idea?” she inquired, peering to the Princess.

“We storm the Castle of Friendship and demand answers,” Flurry flatly stated.

“That would be suicide. If Twilight is indeed after us, we may as well turn ourselves in with the local guards at Dodge Junction!” Chrysalis rebuked.

“That’s just it - no matter what we do, regardless of how long it takes, creatures everywhere will eventually be looking for us. The Equestrian empire has alliances with the dragons, griffons, hippogriffs, yaks, changelings, everycreature! We would only be delaying the inevitable. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to constantly have eyes in the back of my head,” the Princess countered.

“She has a point,” Anon admitted. “If we do run, there’s a good chance we’ll get found eventually and that’s even if we could hijack a ship to cross the sea.”

“I will not be imprisoned again!” Chrysalis railed.

“I don’t want that either, but Flurry is right. Considering how long we’ve been gone and that the various creatures of the world are working in harmony, we don’t have anywhere safe we could hide. We might be able to find temporary refuge, sure, although a permanent safe harbor probably doesn’t exist for us,” Cozy sighed.

“Madness! Have you all lost your minds?!” the Matriarch jeered, glaring at each of them. “You expect me - us to wage a full frontal assault against one of the most powerful creatures in the realm?!”

“I might not be as strong as Twilight, but I’ll be gosh darned if I’m going to let her do anything to hurt you - either of you!” Flurry attested, confidently stepping forward and smiling at Cozy and Chrysalis.

“Given that I lost my house and all my stuff, I’m game. If we’re going to go in and demand answers from an alicorn, I’ve got your back,” Anon chuckled, closing the circle. “I just hope they have decent food in Tartarus - if we end up getting arrested, that is.”

“I...I still don’t know what’s going on, but you four clearly need a bit of help,” Rush hesitantly added, nodding to his companions.

Chrysalis shook her head in defeat. “So I don’t have a choice in the matter.”

“You can leave, if you really want to, but wouldn’t it make sense to stay with us?” Flurry asked matter-of-factly.

“No! Because what you’re talking about doing is insane! Every single creature who’s ever dared to attack Twilight has been reformed, imprisoned, or worse!” the Queen rebutted.

“Yes, but we’re not going to attack Twilight - we’re going to talk to her. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re protected,” the Princess sternly noted, extending her hoof.

“Me too,” Anon added, patting Chrysalis’ shoulder and causing her to start. “Just stick behind me. I’ll tank whatever magic she hurls at you.”

“You know,” Cozy snickered, trotting up and smiling at the Matriarch, “it would be ironic if the Princess of Friendship finds herself facing a team of friends. If you, Tirek, and I nearly took her, Celestia, and Luna down, don’t you think the four of us could talk our way to a pardon?”

“Seven,” Whiz asserted.

“Right - seven,” Cozy quickly corrected, nodding to the trio of changelings.

“If we get petrified again, I swear, I’ll be throttling you as a statue,” Chrysalis groaned, rolling her eyes.

“Um…” Rush anxiously hummed, causing everyone to turn. “What are we doing and why are we doing it again?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll explain on the way; there’s still plenty of walking to do,” Cozy mused.

Chapter 10

As the group followed the tracks, which Rush informed them did lead to Dodge Junction, the septet drifted into two teams: the first squad consisted of Flurry and the three drones, while the second included Cozy, Anon, and Chrysalis. It took them nearly the entire rest of the day to reach the edge of the forest, although they made the best of their time. Not only did they learn more about the trio of changelings, and visa versa, but a plan was carefully concocted.

Rush, Whir, and Storm were, by their own admission, the Dastardly Do-Gooders - the not so infamous shapeshifters who wandered aimlessly throughout Equestria being helpful and overly secretive. In their minds, they were insidious rebels who sustained themselves from the kindness and gratitude of those they helped. As silly as it sounded, it was as close to evil as reformed changelings could get.

In regards to how they’d stumbled across Cozy and her associates, they claimed to be headed south on the abandoned tracks to ‘look for creatures in need’. There were supposedly a small number of ponies or recluses who lived near or in the swamplands, even though they hadn’t seen any through their trek. She couldn’t say whether or not it was serendipity, sheer dumb luck, or if something was pulling at unseen strings, yet she was tentatively thankful for their aid.

Needless to say, Chrysalis was slightly less than pleased with the revelation. Generation after generation of her kind had passed, leaving her as possibly the last unreformed changeling in existence. Although it was possible that some solitary and predatory one of her kind existed somewhere in hiding, the chances were exceptionally low if not impossible. Her species had adapted and, for all intents and purposes, she was a living relic of a bygone era.

While the prehistoric and formidable Queen shrugged it off, vying to produce a hive of superior changelings, Cozy wasn’t sure if it was possible. Chrysalis, like herself, would be left to adapt to a land that, despite its similarities, was vastly different than the one they knew. At the time of their imprisonment, the world had entered a transitory phase, with the various sapient species truly coming together in unification. After hundreds of years in stasis, things had changed.

As for their plan of action, it was deceptively simple. Upon entering Dodge Junction, Rush, his band, and Chrysalis would disguise themselves as royal guards who were escorting Cozy, Anon, and Flurry to Twilight’s palace. Considering the Princess of Friendship hadn’t had a hoof in freeing the changeling Queen, there was a considerable chance that nobody would be expecting them to be traveling together.

Upon entering town and securing transit on a train, which would hopefully be relatively vacant given the late hour, they would ride to Ponyville and confront Twilight. There was only a single squadron of guards on duty at the Castle of Friendship at any given time, according to Flurry, so there should only be minimal intervention from the soldiery. Ideally, they’d be able to confront the Princess without any need for conflict.

As the woodlands started to thin, giving way to the arid landscape of the northern badlands, their pace slowed to a crawl. Finding a small clearing away from the tracks and within view of the small settlement of Dodge Junction, they rested until the sun had fully set. Enacting their scheme during daylight hours could have worked, yet the cover of night would mean avoiding the public and possibly drawing a crowd. Frittering away the final hour or so before dusk, the group sated themselves with their provisions.

“Shouldn’t we send in a scout?” Chrysalis inquired, munching on one of the remaining cookies.

“Having one lone pony show up in town at such an off hour might raise questions,” Cozy replied.

Neither she nor Chrysalis were all that familiar with the dusty town and that wasn’t the only factor at play; while Rush, Whir, and Storm played an integral part of her scheme, she wasn’t exactly comfortable with letting them disappear into the settlement. Friendly though they may be, she’d only known them for a scant few hours and wasn’t willing to place her full trust in them.

“I just hope nobody questions why four guards would be showing up, from out of the woods, asking for a train to Ponyville,” Anon grunted, eyeing the lone locomotive resting on the tracks.

“I highly doubt anyone would stop us. With a group of soldiers escorting a Princess and two criminals - no offense - to Princess Twilight, we should get through without an issue,” Flurry noted.

“Just do most of the talking and try to keep the conversations to a minimum. You hold more authority than any of us. Once we’re onboard and underway, stick close. If things go awry, we need to stay together,” Cozy intoned.

“We aren’t going to have to fight, are we?” Rush asked, knitting his brow.

“If we do, just follow my lead,” Chrysalis huffed, leering at the trio. “Do they not teach martial and sorcerous combat in the hive anymore?”

“Hives,” Whir corrected. “And, no, they teach us that fighting is wrong.”

“It is, but being framed for crimes which you didn’t commit is worse,” Flurry grumbled. “If Twilight is really behind all this, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind…”

“We’ll figure it out, don’t worry,” Anon reassuringly stated, squeezing the alicorn’s shoulder.

“If it’s not Twilight, I’m going to give whatever is impersonating her more than a piece of my mind,” Chrysalis growled.

“Alright, alright, let’s save it and get ready to move out. Anon, stay somber and crestfallen. Rush, Whir, Storm, I want you to be as stoic and professional as possible. Chrysalis, you know what to do. Straight to the train, get onboard, order them to depart. The longer we hang around, the more attention we’ll draw to ourselves - even if word hasn’t reached the city about the goings on,” Cozy instructed, sternly looking to each of them.

The quartet of changelings nodded, before metamorphosing in a flash of light. While Rush, Whir, and Storm each transformed into armor clad versions of their pony disguises from earlier, Chrysalis chose a much more dramatic approach. She transfigured herself into an absolutely titanic earth mare, easily larger and more heavily built than the average stallion, replete with a crested helm and medals of rank.

“Move it, you grubs! You will pay for your crimes at the hooves of Twilight, grand Princess of Friendship!” the unrecognizable Queen barked.

Rolling her eyes, Cozy motioned for Anon to join her. Their guards surrounded them, with Flurry taking the lead. Just as they began to trot towards the town, Whir rushed back, grabbed the basket with their remaining goods, and scampered back into formation.

“We can leave the goodies at the station for somepony!” the drone cheerfully remarked.

“Fine, but no more distractions please,” Cozy murmured.

As Dodge Junction grew closer, only a few figures could be seen trotting about on the dimly lit streets. The settlement had never been large and, from what she could tell, it hadn’t grown much over her centuries’ long absence. The environment wasn’t suitable for agriculture, outside of an orchard situated to the north near a river.

The only major routes leading to the town, according to Flurry, were the train station and two hoofpaths leading to the north and south. While some of the residents made a living off the farmland in one direction, there were intrepid souls who braved the badlands to mine for rare opals and gold ore deposits - in either case, life wasn’t easy and the meager population reflected it.

Moving into the city along the packed earth of the road, they only passed a hoofful of ponies - all of whom were loitering outside the entrance of a tiny saloon. All it took was the baleful gaze from Chrysalis to send the locals scattering inside. The Queen-turned-praetorian snickered to herself, as she watched them flee.

To her utter amazement, they made it to the train station without a single delay or mishap. The locomotive sat imposingly behind the building, hissing dully as its colossal engine idled. They were so close to clearing the hurdle, to boarding the train, that Cozy wasn’t surprised when something went amiss.

“Well that was faster than I thought,” a stallion called out, causing the group to turn.

Wearing a leather vest, with a tiny silver star pinned on the collar, the pony peered questioningly at the odd assembly. It made sense that a constable was sent to investigate their appearance and, if they were lucky, the matter could be dealt with swiftly enough. Clearing her throat, the Princess turned to address the curious officer.

The group froze, staring over at the deputy. Something was wrong; they shouldn’t have been expected at all and the implications of the marshal’s words were anything but comforting. If he knew the situation, even in a limited regard, they would need to expedite their plans to flee.

“Sheriff, my guards and I are returning to Ponyville with these prisoners. I hate to be a bother, but we need your train,” Flurry intoned, playing off his statement.

“Shucks, it’s a pleasure to meet ya, Princess Flurry!” he exclaimed. Giving her a hasty bow, he trotted towards them. “I sure am glad they were able to find and rescue you, but where are the rest of the troops?”

“The other units split into teams and fanned out through the marshland. Given the nature of our captives, it is imperative that we return them to Twilight at once,” Chrysalis smoothly claimed, waving at the small pegasus and human. “My colleagues will doubtless follow us post-haste and will take the next train.”

The sheriff peered up at her, seemingly studying her for a second, before rubbing the back of his neck. “I can have one of my deputies send a signal for the rest of those guards. It shouldn’t take long.”

After a protracted pause, Chrysalis nodded. “Very well. We’ll secure the train and prepare it to be underway,” she grumbled. Thrusting a hoof at Rush and Whir, she glowered. “Remove any civilians and ensure them that they’ll be compensated for the inconvenience. The last thing we need are fine ponies being exposed to this filth,” she instructed.

“Yes Ma’am!” the two replied in unison, dashing into the open door of the nearest passenger car.

“You’ve done us a great service, officer,” the disguised Queen congenially noted, trotting over and clapping a hoof to the marshal's shoulder. Without awaiting a response, she turned and shoved Anon hard in the back. “Get moving,” she snarled.

“Right, y...y’all be careful with those two,” the sheriff stammered, turning tail and galloping away.

As Whir and Rush ushered the scant few ponies and creatures off the train, the remaining quintet saw themselves onboard. Moving through the coaches, towards the front of the massive vehicle, they kept quiet until they reached the more lavish cars. They chose a vacant room as temporary refuge to regroup.

Stepping into one of the private compartments, Flurry fretfully looked to her companions. “They’re out looking for us? How could they know we were here?”

“If I had to guess, Twilight used that map of hers - that or she sensed the immense discharge of magic it must have taken to teleport Anon,” Cozy answered. “Chrysalis, you tell the conductor to have us underway. Storm, go help your friends and finish clearing the train. Having passengers aboard would only complicate matters. Have everyone meet back here when you’re finished.”

“I’m on it,” the Matriarch grunted, dashing off to accomplish her goal.

Storm nodded mutely and rushed off in the opposite direction. Cozy closed the door behind him, leaving Flurry, Anon, and herself in relative seclusion. If there were other soldiers searching the Hayseed marshlands for them, they’d need to move quickly. Even if the other guards were some distance away, communicating via scroll or magical signal would mean their appearance wouldn’t give them much time to work with.

“At full speed, the train shouldn’t take more than five or six hours to reach Ponyville. Considering there are troops looking for us, Twilight will know we’re coming. Once we reach our destination, we’ll have to book it to the castle,” Cozy thought aloud. Making a mad dash to the palace was less than ideal but, barring some sort of miracle, it was the only avenue left to them.

“At least the tracks run along the western side of town and aren’t that far from the castle,” Flurry added.

Anon set his brow and glanced at the Princess and pegasus. “You know, you could just abandon me. If they’re looking for us here, I could be a diversion.”

The selfless notion struck Cozy by surprise. She couldn’t remember a time when someone had been willing to sacrifice themselves for her well-being and she didn’t take the offer lightly. While she had considered utilizing teleportation, she wasn’t willing to take that route; not only would it mean abandoning the man to fend for himself, an option she was growing increasingly less inclined to do, but it meant losing his unique skills.

“No, you’re too valuable. Even with Flurry and Chrysalis on our side, Twilight would probably overpower us - especially if she’s expecting us. You’re our ace in the hole for any sort of magical onslaught,” she murmured. “I dragged you into this, both of you, so we’re in it together.”

As uncomfortable as it was to admit it, a certain fondness for Anon and Flurry had been budding within her. Each of them had been instrumental in her release and, of their own volition, they had chosen to help her on every step of the way. If they’d decided to turn themselves in and plead their case to Twilight, they would have probably been spared of any punishment or ill will - probably, yet they’d stuck with her.

The most infuriating part of the situation was that it still didn’t make much sense. They’d been ruthlessly persecuted and hunted down for crimes they didn’t commit. Anon couldn’t have freed her on his own and, so far as she could tell, he’d just been trying to live his life. Flurry was a Princess and, naive or not, she certainly hadn’t been duped into doing anything remotely nefarious.

Twilight was no fool and was easily one of the most intellectually astute ponies she’d ever crossed paths with - that being said, the alicorn wasn’t without flaws. Before she’d been imprisoned, she’d heard tales of the Princess’ obsessive, nearly fanatical eye for detail. If she was behind all the goings on, it wasn’t without some reason or rationale. With centuries having come and gone, having suffered through the loss of her friends, she may have latched on to some strange idea or plot.

“If we’re going to run for it, stick behind me. I’m not sure if changelings can make barriers, but I know Flurry can. She should be able to shield you and the others from anything that gets by me,” Anon muttered, jarring Cozy from her thoughts. “But I don’t think my toga will survive…”

“Anon, I swear, I’ll buy you a whole trunk of new togas and a house to put them in, once we’re done with this craziness,” Flurry affectionately hummed, grinning weakly up at him.

Before the conversation could continue, the floor lurched beneath them. Flittering up to the window, Cozy saw that they were moving - albeit slowly. Pulling the blinds, reducing the chances they’d be spotted by anyone outside, she turned to face the door. Sure enough, after a few seconds, Rush and his gang appeared.

“Everycreature is off-board, just like you asked,” he declared, with his friends nodding behind him.

“And we’ll be at full speed shortly,” Chrysalis added, poking her head through the doorway.

“Good. How many cars are between here and the engine?” Cozy asked.

“Just one,” the Queen responded.

Looking to each of her companions in turn, Cozy gestured a wing towards the back of the locomotive. “I need everyone to go and shut and blind all the windows on the entire train. Secure each car as best you can then reconvene at the forward most coach. If they’re looking for us, we’re not going to make it easy for them.”

The motley crew nodded, slipping out of the small cabin to accomplish her task. Teleporting to a moving object wasn’t easy, although it wasn’t impossible either. It may have been an overly precautious measure to secure each car and draw the blinds on every window, yet they had time before they arrived and she was going to make use of it.

Left alone with Flurry, Cozy and the Princess moved from room to room of the carriage. With everyone working in concert, everyone finished up and assembled at the front of the train. In the relatively short span of time it had taken them all to finish their chore, the locomotive was moving along at an impressive speed. All that was left to do was wait and hope that their voyage would go uninterrupted.

“We can rest in shifts,” Cozy remarked, pointing to the two forward most rooms of the passenger car they occupied. “I know it probably won’t be easy to get any sleep, but we’ve been moving since morning and everyone will need to be ready and able once we reach Ponyville.”

“Wait, I had an idea,” Flurry chirped. “Rush, Whir, Storm,” she continued, turning to address the trio, “can you disguise yourselves Cozy, Anon, and I?”

“Could we disguise ourselves as you? Pffft - please,” Whir giggled, instantly metamorphosing into a facsimile of the Princess. In the blink of an eye, her companions did likewise, with Rush assuming the form of Anon and Storm transforming into a mirror image of Cozy.

“If there is going to be some sort of conflict, I don’t want you all involved. Once we get to Ponyville, I want you three to book it into town and hide. You won’t have to keep up the charade for long. All I want you to do is cause a ruckus and get away, that’s it,” the Princess explained. “This is our problem, not yours.”

Cozy was floored. She knew Flurry wasn’t daft, but she would have never expected the alicorn to devise something so brilliant. The chaos which would ensue from having two groups of fugitives flee from the train would, at the very least, cause confusion and force the soldiery to split their forces. Considering none of them were exceptionally fit for combat, should it come to that, the plan was a stroke of genius.

“I...if you’re alright with it, of course,” Flurry concluded, smiling bashfully.

“We’ve been sneaking from town to town for nearly three years and haven’t been caught yet,” Rush smugly said, transitioning to his original form and looking to his cohorts. “Getting away shouldn’t be too hard, so we’re game.”

“Hyu-man Anon, give me your arm,” Chrysalis asked, causing Cozy to turn.

“It doesn’t come off,” Anon joked, extending one upper limb.

Rolling her eyes, the Queen shifted back to her natural state and ignited her horn. The cloth draping over his arm drifted upward, exposing his flesh from the shoulder down. With a throaty cough, she hocked two small gobbets of thick phlegm onto him - with one covering his forearm and the other his bicep.

“Don’t touch it and let it harden,” she instructed, reaching out and smoothing the material. “It won’t be as strong as steel, given that it will only have a few hours to harden, but it should suffice to protect you from impacts.”

“Can you make a shield too?” Anon inquired, experimentally bending and flexing his arm.

“I don’t have a limitless supply, but yes. Underlings, fashion the hyu-man a curirass and armor his legs,” Chrysalis ordered, glowering at the trio of drones.

“We can’t. After the great reformation, we lost the ability,” Whiz sullenly explained.

“Great reformation,” Chrysalis scoffed, flicking her mane away from her face. Hacking up a sizable ball of the resin, she levitated the wad and fashioned it into a buckler. “If we’d had a few days, it would be as durable as stone; sadly, we don’t have that luxury.”

It was a stunning sight to behold. Everyone, despite having only known each other for an all too brief period of time, was helping one another. Flurry had devised a remarkable diversion, which would also remove the Dastardly Do-Gooders from any potential harm, and Chrysalis was fashioning armor for Anon. It was profound to see such a band of misfits come together and work as a team and it sparked a glimmer of hope in all of them.

Although they were going to face a Princess and whatever protectors she had, they actually had a chance. Between Anon’s resilience to magic, Flurry and Chrysalis’ sorcerous power, and Rush’s band running interference, they should be able to make it to the castle. Making use of their respective abilities was all they could do, since resources and time were not in their favor, yet their task was far from impossible.

“I’m going to take a nap. Wake me only if we’re about to meet an untimely demise,” Chrysalis grunted, gently resting the small shield outside of one of the rooms. Before she disappeared from view, she stopped, stepped back, and looked over to the Princess. “I’m going to hold you to your word, you know.”

“Pardon?” Flurry quipped, cocking her head.

“Ideally, yes,” the Queen stated. “Once this is over and done with, if we’re not imprisoned in some form or fashion, I would like a pardon. It’s the least I deserve for helping a Princess.”

“Chrysalis,” Flurry began, trotting to the Matriarch’s side, “you have my solemn vow, on one condition.”

“That being…?” Chrysalis groaned, shifting in place to face the marginally shorter alicorn.

“That I get to visit and learn from you. Oh! And document everything, of course,” the Princess added, grinning broadly.

Incredulously, Chrysalis studied Flurry for a moment. “And what purpose would that serve?”

“Well, for starters, we’re both royalty and it seems only fitting,” Flurry noted.

The Queen nodded. “This is true.”

“More importantly, so help me, I meant what I said before. I want to learn about you and everything you’ve gone through. Call me crazy, but I don’t think it’s fair that the history books only get a one sided view of everything,” the Princess continued.

“If you insist, although I’ll be expecting confections. So help you if you bring - bleh - cheesecake to these proposed social engagements,” Chrysalis virtually shivered.

“No cheesecake, got it,” Flurry snickered, leaping forward and ambushing the stunned changeling with a fleeting hug.

As dumbfounding as it was, Chrysalis didn’t fight the brief embrace. She simply stood wide eyed and scrunched her snout, before the Princess retreated. Without saying a word, she fled into her room and shut the door behind herself. It was, in all respects, the closest thing to reciprocated affection Cozy had seen from the Matriarch and she couldn’t help but fight back a smirk.

“I’ll take the first watch. Rush, I’ll get you up in an hour or so,” Anon noted, clapping the drone’s shoulder as he strode to the back of the car.

“I’ll keep you company. There’s no sense in keeping a silent vigil and being lonely,” Flurry admonished, her positive energy standing in stark contrast to the severity of their situation.

“If there’s any sign of trouble, just come and get us. Keep an eye on the skies or overpasses, since that’s where we’d probably get attacked from. If it were me, I’d spring a trap over the Ghastly Gorge,” Cozy mused, rubbing her chin.

Flurry stopped and gazed over at the diminutive pegasus for a moment. “I can see how you nearly won.”

“Close doesn’t count,” Cozy asserted. “Nearly winning in chess simply means you delayed a loss, that’s why you always think several moves ahead.”

With that, she proceeded into one of the tiny cabins to make herself comfortable. She doubted she’d get much rest, but it couldn’t hurt to try. Hopping onto one of the twin sofas, easing herself onto the cushioned seat, the train trundled along around her. Her biggest fear at that moment was that her adversary, whether it be Twilight or some imposter, hadn’t predicted their next move…

Chapter 11

Cozy couldn’t tell when she’d nodded off, or for how long she’d fitfully slept, yet she awoke to the sound of shattering glass. Bolting awake, she inadvertently rolled from her seat and onto the floor. Looking upwards, in a panic, she saw an armor clad stallion crashing onto the spot where she’d been resting. Intentional or not, her fall had spared her from being crushed.

Bolting towards the exit of the small room, she desperately sought escape. As she’d feared, they must have been ambushed and, somehow or another, at least one soldier had boarded the moving train. Reaching for the door, frantically attempting to slide it open, her luck ran out; just as the hatch began to move, her hind legs were seized.

“Help!” she bleated, angrily kicking back to buck her would-be captor.

Her cry didn’t fall on deaf ears, as the door was thrown open before her. A dazzling beam of harlequin energy blasted the pony behind her, sending him slamming into the exterior wall. Peering up at her rescuer, towards the source of the sorcerous attack, a chitinous hoof extended towards her.

“We have to leave now,” Chrysalis huffed, hauling the small mare to her hooves.

“How many?” Cozy asked, standing and shaking the glass from her mane.

“At least a dozen,” the Matriarch tersely responded, glancing down both ends of the corridor. “Pegasi are air dropping earth ponies and unicorns onto the cars.”

Cozy nodded and scrunched her snout. “We need to get everyone together right here, right now. Consolidate everyone and have the conductor…” she fell silent, as the towering changeling shifted uncomfortably. “What?”

“We don’t have a conductor…” Chrysalis muttered.

“I...what?” Cozy blurted.

“Once we were underway, I had him depart,” the shapeshifter explained.

Before Cozy could ask how or why they were without an operator for the locomotive, the distant noises of dispelled magic drew her attention away. Scampering past the Queen, she peered down the corridor. Even if they couldn’t slow the titanic vehicle, leaving was their most prudent option. Regardless of their proximity to Ponyville, rolling through the town in a train beset by guards would only exacerbate matters.

The doorway at the tail end of the car flew open, as Anon and Flurry backed into view. The man was acting as a walking bulwark, shielding the Princess from mystical bombardments, while the alicorn returned fire from behind him. As for the trio of changelings, there was no sign.

“Chrysalis, once they’re inside, seal the door,” Cozy instructed, racing towards the embattled duo. “Where are Rush and the others?” she cried out, causing the Princess to look back.

“I...I didn’t know what else to do, I told them to make it to the caboose and book it,” Flurry responded, wincing as a dazzling eruption drove Anon back.

As regrettable as being separated from the three helpful shapeshifters was, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Eventually separating into two groups had been part of the plan and would split the attention of their pursuers, although she’d hoped they wouldn’t have to go through with it so quickly. Peeking between Anon’s legs, Cozy’s fears were confirmed.

Over half a dozen guards were steadily advancing on their position and, if she had to guess, there were likely more preparing to board their car. A quartet of unicorns strode towards them, with the foremost two shielding those in the rear; behind them marched three sturdy looking earth ponies. As she looked away, turning her beleaguered companions, something caught her eye.

Surging forward, though the crossfire of magical rays, she seized the locking mechanism between the carriages and heaved. With a heavy clunk, the clasp opened. Without waiting to see the results of her action, knowing it would take a moment for the forward cars to pull away, she darted back.

“Seal it!” she shouted, seeking shelter behind Anon’s calf.

The man reached forward and slammed the door closed, a split second before Chrysalis coughed a globule of resin onto the door. It wouldn’t hold forever, but it would buy them a bit of time. Turning, without waiting for a reply from her allies, she scampered towards the front of the train. The guards knew where they were, so holding their position would serve no purpose.

The sound of hooves and feet quickly followed her, as she made her way towards the engine. Any additional space they could put between themselves and their assailants would do nothing but help them and, if they were lucky, cause a bit more confusion among the guards who’d so doggedly hunted them down. Their biggest issue, besides being apprehended, would be figuring out how to safely abandon the locomotive.

With everyone on high alert, running past the covered windows, the quartet passed through the passenger coach towards the lead car. Save for the sound of a distant set of impacts on the roof, they successfully made their way to the foremost compartment. Kicking the release and decoupling the engine from the rest of the train, Anon jogged up behind them. As he threw the door closed, they found themselves in the cramped engine room.

A pair of windows sat to either side of the area, while a dizzying array of levers and switches rested beside the engine itself. The glowing furnace, fueled by a mound of nearby coal, dominated the small space, leaving the four with little room to work with. It was a wonder they’d made it as far as they had, without anyone keeping the fires fed, although that mattered little in the grand scheme of things.

“Where the heck is the conductor?” Anon asked, fruitlessly looking around for the operator.

“I threw him overboard just outside of Dodge Junction,” Chrysalis mirthlessly responded, glancing over at him.

“What?! Why?!?” he groaned, facepalming.

Glowering up at the human, the changeling huffed. “He was a liability.”

“And you didn’t think that we might need somepony to operate this thing?” Flurry groused, trotting towards the controls.

“Trains go in one of two directions along a set path, how hard can it be?” Chrysalis countered, joining the Princess.

“It doesn’t matter now. Just give me a second to -” Cozy was interrupted, as a series of shocks hammered the roof of the car. Before she could react, a large, furred hand came smashing through the window on her left.

Chrysalis flung open the opposite portal, and waved her colleagues over. “This way, let them have the blasted train!”

While Flurry discharged a sorcerous missile through the shattered window, the doorway angrily rattled behind them. They’d been boxed in, with nowhere left to run. Fleeing the vehicle wouldn’t be an issue, were it not for the human. Lacking the ability to fly, and considering how fast they were moving, extracting the man would be difficult, to say the least.

“Alright, Flurry, Chrysalis, you’ll have to carry Anon to the ground. Even if you can only slow him down enough to roll, it’s better than nothing,” Cozy intoned, looking between the three.

“Oh boy, broken ribs, my favorite,” the man darkly muttered, holding the door closed.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you,” Flurry reassured, eliciting a nod from Chrysalis.

“Go! We can’t waste anymore time!” Cozy shouted, pointing towards the open window.

Chrysalis leapt through the opening, with the Princess following shortly behind. Though she couldn’t see much, the sounds of arcane lightning and spellwork almost immediately followed their departure. Taking to the air, she tapped the man’s shoulder and shot through the window. She had assumed the wind would make flight difficult, but she was wholly unready for the gale which struck her.

Flapping as hard as she could, doing her best to stabilize herself, she tumbled through the open air. The train rumbled past, as she fought not to crash to the ground below. Drifting away from the locomotive, only just avoiding crashing to the earth, she oriented herself. The sight which found her caused her blood to freeze.

Anon’s upper half was out of the window, while Flurry desperately attempted to pull him clear. Chrysalis, hovering just above the Princess, was doing her best to stave off two pegasi and a Diamond dog atop the engine car. Struggling to keep pace with the train, she realized things were far worse than she’d assumed.

The brawny limb of a second canine reached through the opening and seized the man’s shoulder. He wasn’t just trying to get out of the train, he was stuck in a tug-of-war between the alicorn and another soldier. Outnumbered, attempting to fend off three opponents, Chrysalis was quickly overwhelmed.

One of the pegasi circled her as she was pawed at by the lumbering canine. The strike to her back caught her completely by surprise, sending her spinning into the brute’s grasp. Her superior agility and sorcerous might were outshone by the diamond dog’s raw strength. Kicking wildly, biting and discharging bolts of magic, Crysalis frenziedly fought to free herself.

Cozy could do nothing more than watch the calamitous scene unfold. She’d never been the strongest flier, so she’d be unable to catch up and lend a hoof - even if she could, there would have been little she could do. Trying to think of something - anything she could to to help, she drew a blank. They’d been outnumbered, cornered, and overpowered, it was as simple as that.

“Help her!” Anon cried out, his voice carried by the deafening wind.

Shaking free from the Princess’ hooves, he thrust himself back into the cabin. Flurry hung by the window for a moment, presumably watching him confront his attacker, before doing as asked. Face contorted in rage, she unleashed a volley of magical projectiles at the flying ponies. The assault caused them to retreat, if only temporarily, allowing her to deal with the changeling’s opponent.

Lending her strength, Flurry was able to repel the muscular canid from the changeling. Stumbling back, taking one savage swing at the alicorn and shapeshifter, the diamond dog sent the pair plummeting away from the train. While the Princess was able to recover, Chrysalis wasn’t so lucky. Careening away from the locomotive, the changeling bounced and rolled through the hedges beside the track. Catching up to the stricken Queen, Cozy was quickly joined by her fellow pony.

Chrysalis was conscious, if only just, and in rough condition. Dazed, shakily trying to get her hooves under herself, she faltered and fell. Though she appeared intact, one of her wings was bent and pinned beneath her carapace. Sadly, under such dreadful circumstances, time was a luxury they couldn’t afford.

Things couldn’t be much worse; the guards likely had reinforcements on the way, the troops they’d marooned on the detached cars would be rushing to catch up, and the duo of pegasi would probably be on them soon. They needed to move and there was only one option. Helping the changeling stand, Cozy peered over at Flurry.

“Get us out of here!” she blared, bearing some of the Queen’s weight on her shoulder.

Although she seemed torn by the order, power flowed through Flurry’s horn. A golden glow encircled the three, before they winked from existence. Reappearing in darkness, with Chrysalis breathing heavily beside her, Cozy fretfully looked around. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the utter lack of light, but she quickly realized where they were.

Beneath a lush canopy of trees, they’d reappeared a short distance from what remained of Anon’s house. Whether or not the unexpected loss of their human compatriot sparked the decision, or if it had just been a random and hurriedly selected choice of the Princess, Cozy couldn’t say - regardless, they’d been able to make a getaway. A stifled sniffle to her left drew her attention from the razed structure.

Flurry rocked back to her haunches, burying her face in her hooves. Sobbing quietly, shivering, she shook her head. Wincing slightly, Chrysalis eased herself to the ground. None of them were in the best shape, be it physically, mentally, or both. Trotting over to the Princess, Cozy patted the mare’s side.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Flurry wept, wiping one eye.

Cozy opened her mouth, but remained silent. Realistically, there wasn’t much they could do. Chrysalis was injured, Flurry was suffering through an emotional breakdown, and she was virtually powerless against the forces which opposed them. Rush and his friends were gone and Anon had been captured, leaving their already pitiably small number of allies further reduced.

“I tell you what we - Mmmph - aren’t going to do,” Chrysalis grunted, attempting to right her wing. “We most certainly aren’t going to fight. Flurry, if you know of somewhere we can seek refuge, now would be the time to tell us.”

“I...I don’t know,” the Princess whimpered. “Everywhere I can think of has ponies who would recognize me. Maybe we should just turn ourselves in, I can’t handle this anymore.”

“I will not hand myself into this supposed Twilight’s clutches!” Chrysalis barked, albeit weakly. “If that is your intent, I’ll have no part of it. If Tirek were here maybe - maybe we’d stand a chance against a lone alicorn, but-”

“Where is Tirek?” Cozy interrupted, holding up a hoof.

If there was even a chance of freeing the centaur, their odds in an outright confrontation would improve dramatically. While she certainly hadn’t forgotten about him, any chances of releasing him before that point had been impossibly low. For as much of a help as Anon was, his inability to be teleported would have complicated the probability of liberating the centaur dramatically.

“After - Sniff - we decided to free you, he and Chrysalis were moved to the courtyard of the Castle of Friendship,” Flurry whispered.

“Dang it,” Cozy cursed, kicking a pebble in frustration.

Deliberate or not, the board had been nearly cleared. They were without anyone to go to or places to safely run, and there were only so many moves they could make. The obvious answer would be to flee, yet the chances of them making it far were slim. With Chrysalis wounded and the Princess being easily recognizable, finding a refuge would be like blindly finding a needle in a haystack.

Knowing all too well that the net was tightening around them, Cozy sighed. “We should turn ourselves in.”

“Are you mad?!” Chrysalis croaked, glaring angrily over at the small pegasus. “You know full well that Twilight will have us thrown in Tartarus or worse!”

“Hear me out. If it really is Twilight, there’s a chance we could reason with her - a slim chance, but a chance nonetheless. If it’s not Twilight, we might be able to reveal the truth to anypony and everypony present - granted, we may still be imprisoned, but word would spread that we were dealt an injustice by an imposter. The way I see it, all things considered, it’s only a matter of time until we face her,” Cozy explained. “If we do it on our terms, at least we’d have some strength left in us.”

Looking between the alicorn and pegasus in disbelief, Chrysalis’ brash defiance wavered. “Is there no other way…?”

“If there was, do you think I wouldn’t say it?” Cozy breathed.

“Ponyville isn’t far, only a mile or two into the valley, it shouldn’t take us long to reach the city by hoof,” Flurry noted, having regained a bit of her composure. “I just hope Anon is alright.”

“If they hurt the hyu-man, I will make them pay,” Chrysalis darkly uttered, leering into the distance.

“They probably wouldn’t rough him up too badly,” Cozy remarked. “After we catch our breath, we should probably get going.”

“Fine,” the Queen dully stated, unsteadily getting to her hooves, “but since I can’t fly, one of you will carry me.” In a gleaming conflagration, she transmuted herself into a minuscule paraspite, albeit one with a still-disabled wing.

Limping over and carefully plucking the insect from the ground, Flurry stashed the metamorphosed Chrysalis in her mane. “It goes without saying, but you know I’ll do everything I can to sway Twilight on the matter.”

“Thanks,” Cozy soberly intoned, trotting beside the Princess.

With the alicorn leading the way, the trio began the long hike towards the city. Though the sun wasn’t visible, the first traces of daybreak could be seen on the horizon. Traveling in silence, down a winding and well-worn path. Ponyville soon sprang into view, with one or two distant figures moving between the buildings, a quiet resignation settled over Cozy.

The worst case scenario would be getting thrust into a stony prison once again, although that wasn’t the only possible outcome. Tartarus or banishment may await her, after their encounter with Twilight, and those were two of the more ideal conclusions. A chance of legitimate reformation was virtually nonexistent, seeing as how she’d had a number of false charges levied against her.

Whatever consequences awaited her and her companions, they’d find out soon enough. As they crested a hill on the outskirts of town, they encountered a patrol of guards. Four ponies, including a duo of unicorns, a pegasus, and a stout earth pony spotted them and came rushing over. Drawing to a halt, Cozy moved behind the Princess.

“We surrender,” Flurry announced, causing the quartet to slow.

“Princess, please step away from the fugitive,” one of the soldiers ordered, stepping before his troupe.

“No, I won’t leave my friends. We will go with you peacefully, but we’re going together,” the Princess sternly declared.

The guards looked to one another in confusion, before realization hit Cozy. The sentries had no way of knowing Chrysalis was with them. Concealed within the alicorn’s unkempt and exceedingly disheveled mane, the shapeshifter was hidden from view and unable to talk. She could only assume that Flurry wasn’t aware of the fact, since she’d referred to her friends. Keeping her mouth shut, content to keep the small secret, she nodded and weakly smiled at the guards.

After a tense moment, one of the soldiers moved forward with a pair of manacles - that was, until the Princess affixed him with a cold stare. “Escort us if you wish, but you will treat us with some modicum of respect!” she defiantly protested, stomping a hoof. Without another word, she smoothly continued trotting towards Ponyville.

Sticking close to the alicorn’s side, Cozy glanced around at the guards. Not a single one of them moved to intervene, either too stunned or too considerate to do otherwise - given their treatment thus far, she was inclined to believe the former. Flanking them, with two soldiers to either side, they were accompanied by the armored troops.

Proceeding into town, along with their unwanted chaperones, the three leisurely made their way towards the castle at the opposite end of the settlement. Their pace was slow, with the Princess trotting along on a scuffed up leg, but they were in no rush. Whatever future awaited them was with Twilight in the palace, irrespective of how long it took.

As they languidly moved through Ponyville, they slowly began drawing attention. Seeing a Princess was a spectacle enough, let alone one attended by sentries. Cozy was unsure of how widely news of her supposed transgressions had spread, yet she did hear several ponies whisper her name. She had no way of knowing if they simply recognized her from her past exploits or if they’d been fed misinformation - either way, several definitely recognized her.

Suddenly, out of the blue, divine inspiration struck her. Turning, looking over at one of the guards, she put on a pained expression. “Can I use the little filly’s room?”

“You can use it in the Castle,” the unicorn grunted, frowning down at her.

Flurry came to an abrupt halt and scowled over at the sentry. “You would deny a filly the chance to relieve herself?!” she blared, attracting yet more curious stares from the townsponies. Leaning over, shifting her focus to the diminutive pegasus by her side, she lowered her tone. “Do you really have to go?”

Thinking fast, praising her own genius, Cozy shook her head. “I think I can. I...I’m sorry, I’d hate to make a scene and make our captors look bad,” she dejectedly noted, praying the alicorn would catch her hint.

“To think that Princess Twilight Sparkle would have her troops mistreat foes in such a shameless and unseemly fashion. If this poor filly is such a menace, let these fair ponies bare witness to her censure!” Flurry declared, raising her voice. “Come now, if these ruffians are so gosh darn pressed to see us to the palace, let’s not give them the pleasure of more harassment!”

Strutting away, leaving the guards to linger for a second, the Princess continued on her trek. Cozy fought back a grin and scurried up beside her. It was a masterfully executed act, and not out of turn. Flurry had played the part exquisitely, causing a scene and bringing more ponies out of their homes. Having a throng of onlookers with them would demand forthrightness, as well as convincing evidence from Twilight to their alleged misdeeds.

If the soldiers moved to block the citizens, they’d be working to undo whatever nefarious plot the Princess of Friendship had enacted. The more spectators they had, the harder it would be for Twilight to paint them in an ill light. Somehow, despite all odds, they’d found an advantageous move and seized it with both hooves.

Continuing towards the palace, with a growing number of townsponies and creatures following in their wake, it was obvious that the guards were not prepared for such a disturbance. Although the sentries tried to address questions or concerns, they simply didn’t have all the answers; they were there to fulfill a simple duty, obediently following their orders, and little else. As the castle crept into view, with dozens of followers lingering behind them, they made the final approach.

To Flurry’s credit, she spoke with several rather worried looking ponies along the way - assuring them that everything would be alright and that there’d been some terrible misunderstanding. The troops, though initially attempting to shoo the public away from the Princess, were quickly cowed by the resentful and well placed unease of those they interacted with. It was a deliciously chaotic, albeit relatively placid scene.

As Cozy watched the exchanges develop, reveling in how well the hastily laid plan was playing out, a tap on her shoulder caused her to turn. Beside her, having timidly poked her and shied away, was a young colt. No larger than herself, with a shortly cropped mane and tail, he sheepishly kept his pace with her.

“Are you really the Cozy Glow?” he inquired, sheepishly rubbing his neck.

Despite herself, she genuinely smiled. “Yeah, I am.”

“Huh…” he numbly responded, curiously looking her over. “Ms. Jubilee taught us that you were a monster, but you don’t look that bad - no scary teeth or nothing.”

The thought that she’d been portrayed as some monstrous caricature caused Cozy to chuckle. “Nah, I’m not that bad - at least, not anymore.”

“So,” he began, cocking his head to the side, “you’re a good guy now?”

“I…” she paused, considering her answer.

Was she a good guy? She most certainly hadn’t transgressed since regaining her freedom, unless one considered self-defense from unjust accusations as such. Though she had unwittingly gotten a wholly innocent Princess and Anon involved, as well as inadvertently causing Queen Chrysalis to be released, she had done no overt wrongdoing. She didn’t consider her recent actions immoral, yet convincing others otherwise would doubtlessly be a monumental affair.

With a heavy sigh, Cozy shook her head. “I hope I am…”

“Sweetie, come back to Mommy,” an older mare urged, waving the colt towards herself.

Waving goodbye and offering a fleeting smile, Cozy watched the lad depart back to his mother. The brief encounter left her feeling odd and strangely contemplative. She couldn’t rightly call herself a villain anymore, although she definitely wasn’t a hero. Stuck on some hazy ground between the two, distanced from her past deeds and capable of redemption, she honestly couldn’t say what she was.

For the time being, it mattered little. She may be sentenced to spend time immemorial as a statue, or perhaps live out the rest of her days within a cold cell; if, by some absurd reversal of fortune, she was allowed to be a free mare, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do with herself. In the grand scheme of things, with her future hinging precariously upon her meeting with Twilight, she may not have much of a say in the matter, though she did hope that Anon, Flurry, Chrysalis, and the benevolent changelings she’d encountered would spared any harsh punishment.

Though Anon wasn’t with them, he would likely be brought to join them within several hours. Given the speed of the train, the locomotive would arrive well before noon. His absence, while regrettable, could be used as an additional delaying tactic, since his testimony would surely be requested. Things were still far from ideal, yet all hope hadn’t been lost.

Chapter 12

The Castle of Friendship’s size was only surpassed by its grandeur. Created by the Tree of Harmony, the crystalline edifice struck a balance between arboreal and architectural features. Since it sprouted, after Twilight’s original home had been destroyed, it had served as a home base for the Elements of Harmony - allowing them to detect and intervene in friendship matters throughout the land.

Dominating the skyline as easily the largest structure in the region, it served as a constant reminder to the vigilance and power of the saviors of Equestria - at least it had, hundreds of years prior. Now, as Cozy made her approach, it reminded her of the overwhelming odds levied against her. Some dozen armored centurions awaited them, just outside the golden double-doors.

Spying the inbound prisoners, the guards moved to intervene with the flock of bystanders. Encircling Cozy, Flurry, and the concealed Chrysalis, they congenially repulsed the would-be spectators and allowed the trio and their escort to continue to the palace’s entryway. Though the soldiery weren’t overtly impolite, they staunchly denied all but the prisoners to move forward.

With few options but to press onward, Cozy and Flurry strode side by side. Even if they didn’t have a massed audience to view their inevitable confrontation with Twilight, they’d managed to call quite a bit of attention to themselves and the situation at large. As the youthful Princess waved to the throng, assuring them that she’d be back shortly, they passed through the gleaming archway and into the central hallway.

Cozy faltered, greeted by a sight she had not been expecting. Towering over the vestibule sat the petrified figure of none other than Tirek. Cowering, hoping to shield himself from the attack which would ultimately imprison him within an eternity of stone, his pained expression stood in stark contrast to the colorful and inviting interior of the palace. It was an alarming sight and one which diametrically opposed the otherwise welcoming atmosphere.

One of the accompanying guards apparently took note of the pegasus’ hindered pace, before waving her onward. A cold shudder shot through Cozy, as she reluctantly trotted towards the heart of the building. Seeing her former companion locked within his rocky confines, it was all she could do to hope he’d been spared from the maddening torment she’d once suffered through. Taking a breath and steeling herself, she strode towards the map room.

“First order of business, once we get all this sorted out, we will be releasing him,” Flurry mused, halfheartedly grinning over at her tiny colleague. “Though, when we set him free, I’m going to put you in charge of keeping an eye on him.”

The Princess’ words, while offering some level of comfort, did little to quell Cozy’s unease, though she appreciated the effort. Trotting down a corridor, towards a doorway flanked by a pair of armored ponies, she knit her brow. The room beyond held the arcane map which the Elements of Harmony had used to help unify a nation and, if she had to guess, the mare behind her recent persecution.

As soon as she glimpsed what awaited past the entrance, Cozy halted. The map table rested in the center of the chamber, where it always had, but the seven thrones which had surrounded it were absent. In her time, there had been a chair to represent each Element, as well as one for Spike, but they were gone. As her gaze swept over the area, her eyes settled upon a lone figure standing by a window.

Similar in stature to any other pony, the creature was anything but. Covered in mulberry fur and plumage, with a strawberry and violet streaked indigo mane and tail, the alicorn’s back faced them. Though she was turned away and bore no mark of her position, there was no mistaking who she was. As the doors were closed behind them, leaving the trio alone with the Princess, Twilight spun to face them.

The slightest smile graced the alicorn’s lips, as she peered over at the young Princess and the diminutive pegasus. “My faithful student, thank you so much for returning with our most infamous guest.”

Flurry didn’t budge an inch, though she slowly shook her head. “Twilight, for the love of Celestia, please explain what’s…” she drew silent, as the elder Princess calmly held up a hoof.

“All in due time - for now, if you’d be so kind, please accompany the guards to the train station. Anonymous should be arriving shortly and I’d be most appreciative if you escorted him back to the castle. Before you ask, yes, he’s unharmed and the locomotive was safely re-coupled and taken under control,” Twilight coolly explained.

“B...but,” Flurry sputtered, taking the smallest step backwards.

“You have no need to worry, you’re in no trouble whatsoever. This entire ordeal has been a misunderstanding and, I assure you, no harm will come to you or your friends - including the one you have tucked away in your mane,” the ranking Princess sedately continued, taking a step towards the trio.

The news that Twilight knew about Chrysalis, while disconcerting, wasn’t an unforeseen outcome. The Princess of Friendship was and always had been a magical disciple without peer and Cozy wasn’t surprised that she’d surmised the changeling was with them. Either through sorcerous means, deductive reasoning, or some combination of the two, the alicorn was aware of the Matriarch’s presence.

“What about Cozy?” Flurry inquired, locking eyes with her mentor.

“I wish to discuss matters with Cozy Glow in private. You have my solemn vow, she will be treated well in your absence,” Twilight added, pointing towards the exit.

The young alicorn turned, peering over at the pegasus beside her. Remaining silent, Cozy gave the Princess a subtle nod. With a cadre of soldiers outside and faced with an extraordinarily powerful alicorn, it was the only reasonable decision. The townsponies outside were another factor to consider, and any open act of hostility or dissent would likely sway them against the three.

Flurry paused, before offering a nod and turning away. The doors swung open before her as she reluctantly trotted from the room. Glancing over her shoulder with a troubled expression, she looked uneasily at the former villain. Cozy simply smiled and batted a wing, hoping to dispel the alicorn’s worry. She trotted from view, surrounded by a phalanx of the royal sentries, while the doors lazily sealed behind her.

Turning away and facing the Princess, Cozy’s demeanor shifted to one of frigid incredulity. Emboldened by how powerless she was, knowing she was at the alicorn’s mercy, she steadily approached Twilight. With nobody to hinder her or intervene, left to her guile and wit, she piqued a brow.

Their encounter, having only spanned a few brief minutes, immediately presented her volumes of information about the creature before her. Twilight’s lack of expression was only the tip of the iceberg, paired with the mare’s remarkably even and impassive tone. The aesthetic was perfect, an immaculate simulacrum of the Princess of Friendship, were it not for the fact that she looked too perfect. There were no signs of age or growth, both traits which every alicorn before had exhibited in some form or fashion.

Besides the overtly glaring flaws, there was also the case of its mannerisms. The formalities had been ceaseless, having used Cozy and Anon’s full names in succession. Even when heated or in under duress, she couldn’t recall a time when the Princess had been that proper with anyone. It was subtle, but another condemning piece of evidence that it wasn’t who it claimed to be.

Stopping a half dozen paces from the alicorn, Cozy started at her foe. “Where’s Twilight Sparkle…”

Twilight cocked her head and studied the tiny pegasus before her. “Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Dragon are both gone.”

The sheer matter-of-factness of the response left Cozy with more questions than answers. If she was facing a changeling or something which had assumed Twilight’s form, the likelihood that they’d give such an even, direct reply was virtually nonexistent. Calculating variables, considering and discarding various possibilities, she studied the Princess. Though there were dozens of things she wanted to ask, one stood out amongst the rest.

“What are you?” she asked.

“I am, to everyone but yourself, Twilight Sparkle - Princess of Friendship,” the alicorn responded, giving the slightest bow of her head. “Although you may know me from my other name, the Tree of Harmony.”

Squinting up at the figure, Cozy drew a breath. “Explain.”

“After your imprisonment, Equestria saw a period of unparalleled growth and prosperity. All races of the land came together, growing and learning from one another for decades. Sadly, as is the universal axiom, things change. Though Twilight was and, to my knowledge, is a near-immortal, her friends were not. As the Elements fell to time, Princess Twilight grew listless and distanced. After her final colleague slipped from their mortal coil, she sought solitude through the Crystal Mirror with Spike,” the imitation dispassionately explained, standing motionless.

Analyzing the assertion, Cozy found it an all too plausible scenario - still, things didn’t quite add up. “And what of the other Princesses? Celestia, Luna, and Cadance?” she pressed.

“Princess Cadance, having underestimated the physical growth and maturation of a naturally born alicorn, abandoned her longevity to live out her life with her husband. Their daughter, Flurry Heart, was adopted by Luna and Celestia. The sisters themselves were eventually convinced to pursue Twilight Sparkle and attempt to have her see reason,” it stated, staring down at the pegasus.

“Convinced themselves or convinced by another?” Cozy inquired.

“The latter,” the imitation replied.

With pieces of the puzzle finally starting to fall into place, Cozy continued her inquisition. “And I presume they didn’t succeed in their goal?”

“The results of their journey were and still are unclear,” it stated.

“They would have come back, even if they couldn’t persuade Twilight back with them,” Cozy noted.

The imposter nodded, though her expression didn’t change. “This assertion is correct and precisely why I destroyed the mirror.”

Cozy’s eyes went wide, and she involuntarily took a step back. Things had been making sense, thus far, yet the statement caught her completely off guard. Shying away, a maelstrom of thoughts assailed her. If Twilight, the sisters, and Cadance were truly gone, several of Equestria’s most powerful champions had been lost. The most disturbing thing about it was the sheer remorseless manner in which the thing had spoken.

As badly as she wanted to scream, to berate the creature before her, she abstained. Closing her eyes, she took a breath, held it, and slowly exhaled. She couldn’t risk upending her investigation and, even if she had, there was perilously little she could do to change anything. Giving herself a moment to regain her composure, she glared up at the deceiver.

“What purpose did banishing them serve?” she inquired, forcing herself to maintain an even tone.

“Celestia and Luna had reigned for eons and, having finally relinquished their thrones, were finally enjoying life amongst the commoners. After careful observation, I determined that life in Equestria was no longer pleasing to Twilight Sparkle. Their departure gave them what they wanted and, under my supervision, peace has been maintained throughout the Empire,” the doppelganger cooly declared.

“No,” Cozy muttered, “you’re lying. You may have maintained peace, but something has clearly gone awry. If what you said is true, there’d be no reason to release me and start this witch hunt.”

“Very astute,” it chirped, moving towards the table. Flickering to life, a holographic map of Equestria appeared on the polished surface. “Come,” she urged, waving the pegasus over, “tell me what you see.”

Trotting over and flitting into the air, Cozy gazed down at the projection. Various cities and settlements marked the topography, spanning throughout the continent. As impressive as it was, having never seen the artifact in use before, there didn’t appear to be anything noteworthy on its features. Several new towns were present, and the urban areas had expanded to a degree, but Equestria itself was still very much the same.

“There are no problems,” it remarked. “Tranquility has led to stagnation and an underappreciation of friendship as a whole.”

“Wait,” Cozy coughted, flying to the opposite end of the three-dimensional display. “Are you trying to say that you set me free to intentionally cause a cataclysm?”

Looking over at her, the imposter nodded once. “That is a correct assumption. In all of Equestria’s documented history, there is one founding fact; ages of strife and peril, once overcome, invariably lead to the improved well-being of the populace. Though your liberation involved several relatively minute possibilities, almost every factor has been accounted for.”

“Almost every factor?” Cozy parroted. If there was one factor that was nearly impossible to predict, it would have been…

“Discord’s appearance. While not expressly considered, his reemergence hasn’t significantly impacted my designs,” it responded.

Cozy glowered over at the pretender. As much as it pained her to admit it, the plan was a masterpiece and one which could easily rival anything she could have schemed up herself. Brilliantly executed and timed, the strategy had and most likely would result in a beneficial outcome for all parties involved - all parties, that was, except hers. Even still, taking everything into account, it felt wrong.

Not a tinge of malice tainted the tree’s words or actions, only a cold, systematic logic that was hard to counter. There was no denying that bonds were tempered through hardship, or that trying times brought creatures together, yet engineering tribulation was an indisputably underhanded tactic. She couldn’t say much, considering she’d utilized deception throughout her time as an evildoer, but this was different - this had been done as an act of magnanimity.

“I brainwashed Flurry Heart and Anonymous, released Chrysalis, and was planning to liberate Tirek in a bid to overthrow you and overtake the Empire,” she mused, grinning despite herself. “I have to say, you really thought this through.”

“Your praise is appreciated - doubly so, since your actions served as an inspiration. The combined creatures of the realm, under a lone ruler, have seen an age of peace not witnessed since Celestia’s unaccompanied tenure over Equestria. You are an asset which will continue to serve everycreature, for generations yet to come,” the imitation remarked, her smile broadening a hair.

Gritting her teeth, realizing that she’d inadvertently played a fundamental role in her own downfall, Cozy restrained her frustration. “And then you can package Chrysalis and I up again as statues, hailing us as a monument to dissent,” she growled.

“Not dissent, no,” it corrected, smoothly trotting around the projection. “You three are testaments to the failure of friendship.”

“I…” Cozy’s words died in her throat, as the statement sank in.

To an extent, the Tree was correct. Each of them had tried and failed to accomplish their own selfish goals, at one point or another. While Chrysalis had worked in the interest of her hive initially, she’d rejected compassion and forgiveness. Tirek had betrayed Discord and forsaken his own brother. Cozy, through having deceived and manipulated any and every creature of use, had only valued those around her as implements for her desires.

“Before I forget,” the false Twilight said, winking a miniature chest into existence, “I have something for you.” Setting the box on the table and sliding it through the transparent map, she blankly stared into the pegasus’ eyes.

Landing on the surface, stepping through the hologram, Cozy numbly rested a hoof on the tiny trunk. Apathetically, she flipped open the lid and glanced inside. Unsurprisingly, the Alicorn Amulet rested within the padded confines of the chest. Slapping it from the table, leaving the talisman to skitter across the polished floor, her face contorted in rage.

“I will not give you that sort of validation,” she barked.

“Unfortunate, though not unexpected. Your chances of besting me in combat, while slim, are still mathematically possible. Are you sure you won’t reconsider?” it politely inquired, peering over at the discarded trinket.

“No, I won’t reconsider,” Cozy spat, boldly stepping towards the warped facsimile of a Princess. “If you’re going to use me as a puppet, framing me for the betterment of Equestria, you’re not going to get the gratification of a spectacle!”

Blankly shifting her focus from the amulet to the pegasus, the simulation’s eerie smile persisted. “As lamentable as that stance is, it changes nothing. You will be the instrument in revitalizing the Kingdom for the foreseeable future and beyond.”

Cozy’s lip curled and her hackles raised, yet she didn’t back down. “Beyond what? Until several generations pass so you can do it again?!”

“Yes,” it stated, as nonchalantly as if it had just answered the most commonsensical question it had ever heard.

The blithe and flippant response gave Cozy a moment for pause and cemented her greatest fear. She wasn’t dealing with any sort of living creature - no, this thing was more akin to a machine. Mechanical and unfeeling, utterly bereft of emotional understanding, it was an intelligent, nigh omnipotent automaton.

“I do hope you understand the conclusion I’ve come to. Should a better option present itself, or if I find a more suitable use for you, your value will be readdressed in the future - for now, take solace in the fact that you are being used in the best interests of the planet as a whole,” the doppelganger observed.

“No…” a voice boomed, echoing throughout the chamber.

The not-Twilight’s head pivoted, vacantly scanning the room, while Cozy’s ears swiveled to pinpoint the source. It was impossible to pin down where the word had come from, seemingly having originated from nowhere and everywhere at once, but that wasn’t as important as whom had spoken it. While only a single syllable had been uttered, there was no mistaking who had said it. In a melodramatic flash of light, Discord appeared beside the table.

“I’m not about to let you use her as the patsy for your machinations, you thing,” he darkly murmured.

“Discord, I’m surprised. There was a remarkably low probability that you would intervene in-” the counterfeit was cut off, as the chaos lord’s eyes burned an unholy carmine.

“Silence,” he hissed. “She’s done her time. If you are done with her, I will banish her, Chrysalis, and Tirek to another realm, but you will not continually use her like a mere object.”

“Like you did?” it rebutted. “Or like the many times that you made use of ponies for your own amusement? Unlike yourself, my machinations are benevolent in nature. Your plot to unite the trio helped lay the blueprint for this design - is it not to your liking?”

“No, it’s not to my liking!” Discord chided.

“Why not?” the facsimile countered, tilting its head in the opposite direction while addressing him.

“Because you’re proposing a cruel and endless cycle!” he bellowed.

“Interesting,” it hummed, staring off into space. “I had postulated that, since she is no friend of yours, you would be indifferent on the matter. You played a part in imprisoning her in the first place, you never once attempted to have her freed, and you would routinely toy with creatures for no other reason than your own entertainment.”

The draconequus gnashed his teeth, clenching and unclenching his fists. As callous as it sounded, the Tree had spoken the truth. Since Discord had appeared on Equestria, he’d viewed creatures far and wide as little more than playthings. Only after the Elements of Harmony had defeated him twice did his meddling slacken - even then, it was only to a marginal degree. Time and time again, his fumblings had resulted in near cataclysms which could have upended the world.

After an all too brief silence, the imitation turned away, faced an exterior wall, and effortlessly obliterated the crystalline facade. Taken aback by the sudden and ruinous power which had been so unexpectedly unleashed, Discord and Cozy did what they could to shield themselves from the blasted fragments of rubble. While neither were struck by anything larger than pebbles, the display left them mute.

“Your appearance, while unanticipated, is a fortuitous one,” it began, casually wheeling around to face them. “Now I will deal with all of the abominations at once.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Discord fumed.

Bearing witness to two entities of vast, unimaginable power discharging even a fraction of their prodigious potential, the lone mortal couldn’t move. Existence itself twisted around the Lord of Chaos, seemingly melting into a maddening void of nothingness. The light around the personification of friendship became a haze of glimmering lights and ephemeral flashes, as if the powers of creation were at her beck and call. As they let slip their might, Cozy fell from the table.

Seeking solace under the artifact, the world shook around her. Discord’s attack was the embodiment of insanity - there was no other way to explain it. Colors and shapes which simply didn’t exist surged from him, bathing the construct in a sanity-shattering assault. Throughout the onslaught, the thing stood unmoving. Wreathed in light, it weathered the offensive and pushed back with its own dreadful fury.

A feeling of terror settled over Cozy, as she glanced to the draconequus’ face. As inconceivable as it was, Discord was struggling. His jaw was set, perspiration dotted his brow, and his face was set in a grimace. Peering over at the construct, the situation was made all the more horrifying by the fact that it seemed completely undisturbed by the apocalyptic conflict; it just stood there, enduring the barrage while evidently drawing from some limitless wellspring of energy.

“We have to get Anon and the others!!!” Cozy screamed.

There was no time to think, no time to strategize - in the face of such a devastating force, she could only act. It may have been a long shot, but the combined strength of her allies may tip the scale. With things having taken such a dire turn, without any other option, her companions held the only hope she and Discord had.

The chimera, having heard her call, thrust a meaty paw in her direction. Flexing his limb, he sent the petite mare sailing through the air towards himself. As she landed in palm, without taking his eyes off his foe, he grunted. “Where?”

“Train station,” she yelled, her voice ringing over the din of arcane battle.

Cradling Cozy to his chest, in the crook of his arm, he snapped his fingers. The room instantly disappeared, with the stone beneath them replaced by the packed earth of a roadway. Breathing heavily, the draconequus knelt and gingerly set the pony to the ground. As she disembarked, taking to the sky to look for her colleagues, she noticed the Lord of Chaos waver.

To her abject dismay, Discord had suffered a heavy toll from the clash. Slick with sweat, heaving air into his chest, he unsteadily straightened and shielded his eyes from the blazing sun. There had been times when he’d feigned weakness, but something told her this was not one of them. The expense of such a monstrous exertion of strength, paired with the fact that he’d unquestioningly followed her order, left her to assume he really had been on the cusp of defeat.

Flying above him to scan the city, she looked for Flurry, her escort, and hopefully Anonymous. The train had arrived, resting behind them on the tracks, although the exact whereabouts of the Princess and the human was a mystery. Squinting, urgently searching for any sign of them, her wish was granted. In the distance gleamed an armored figure rounding a corner.

“There!” she squawked, pointing in the direction.

With another snap of his digits, Discord teleported them to intercept the squadron of guards. Caught unawares, suddenly finding themselves facing a draconequus and a small pegasus, the soldiers froze. Without waiting for any sort of signal, the Lord of Chaos snapped again. Disappearing, flung off to Celestia knew where, the centurions instantly vanished without a trace.

The look of shock on Flurry and Anon’s faces would have been funny, had it not been under such bleak circumstances. The Princess rushed to Discord, as the chimera stumbled to the side. Lending him aid, propping him up with her magic, the alicorn’s dumbfounded expression was replaced by one of concern.

“What...what happened to you?” Flurry breathed, her tone tinged with fret.

“That,” Discord rasped, pointing down the road.

Past the various townsponies who’d congregated to see the young Princess and human, a solitary figure made their approach. Surrounded by a brilliant aura, bearing an uncannily impassive smile, the parody of Twilight trotted forward. Without a moment’s respite, they’d been hunted down and forced to meet their fate - whatever it may be…

Chapter 13

“Get behind me!” Anon shouted, fearlessly shielding the four from the glowing figure.

“Anonymous, if you do not move, I will move you,” the effigy tutted. “If you assume your resilience to magic is enough to stop me, you are mistaken.”

Blazing with all the intensity of an ignited star, its horn blazed. An opalescent light surrounded the man, causing him to tremble. Whatever it was doing was clearly having some effect. Straining against some unseen force, he lifted his arms and defiantly cast them wide.

“You are not going to hurt them!” he seethed, clenching his teeth.

“A pleasing assertion, if not a typical one. The humans who once visited Equestria stood bravely by their friends, for the most part, yet I’d hoped you’d see the reason for serving the greater good,” it intoned, applying more pressure.

Sinking to one knee, railing against the energies besieging him, Anon succumbed. Every muscle about his frame tensed, desperately fighting to keep him standing, yet it was to no avail. As incomprehensible as it was, the raw, unfettered potency of the thing’s sorcery was too much for him to bear - still, he continued to struggle.

“You call this the greater good?!” Flurry screamed, stepping away from the stricken draconequus.

“Flurry Heart, you have been indoctrinated by Cozy Glow’s subterfuge. If you would -” it was cut off, as a beam of harlequin energy splashed against its face.

“Deceiver!!!” Chrysalis raged, soaring towards the being. Blinded by anger or through sheer force of will, she ignored her injured wing. “You dare call yourself some paragon of virtue?!”

A fusillade of blasts from the changeling’s gnarled horn pelted the being, although they seemed to be having little or no effect. Standing stoic, tracking the Queen with her eyes, the construct impassively blinked. Though the assault was valiant, it served little purpose other than a momentary distraction.

“While I am a bit surprised that you would attempt to fight, it makes little difference,” it austerely stated.

Without the slightest bit of warning, a tendril of energy whipped from its being. The spear of energy flew at the shapeshifter, like a bolt of arcane lightning, before vanishing in a wisp of smoke. Nonplussed, the being momentarily shifted its focus to the source of the interruption.

Cozy glanced over her shoulder, comprehending what had happened. Though weakened, Discord recalcitrantly grinned. As small as the opening was, his intervention did not go unused. A thunderous roar pierced the air, while the earth shook. Looking back, towards the Matriarch, Cozy’s eyes went wide. Gone was the rebellious shapeshifter, replaced by a hulking monstrosity.

The ground quaked, as an Ursa Major hammered one titanic paw against the parody of a Princess. Cozy had known that Chrysalis was capable of transforming into a broad array of creatures, but she had never fathomed that the changeling could metamorphose into something so immense. The tremendous beast snarled downwards, lifting its limb to deliver a second blow, although it wasn’t enough. No sooner had the crater been revealed than a pillar of light blasted to the heavens.

Nonchalantly trotting out of the impact site, wholly unconcerned, it let loose its fury. Shielding her eyes from the blinding light, and hearing a shriek of pain, Cozy’s fears were confirmed. Blinking rapidly, she cleared her vision and looked for the shapeshifter - only to see the smoking, limp form of Chrysalis tumbling from the air. With a dull thud, crashing against the thatched roof of a nearby building, the Matriarch fell still.

Unable to move, peering at her colleague’s stricken form, Cozy was left helpless. Twin volleys of arcane energies whizzed by, as Flurry and Discord doused the thing with a storm of attacks. Even though the chimera’s magic lacked its former potency, it rivaled the young Princess’. Throughout the assault, like some eldritch deity, the placid figure of Twilight turned to them.

A prismatic ray of power leapt from its form, blazing through the air to collide with the Lord of Chaos. Screaming, throwing up a clawed hand, Discord’s attempt to shield himself was for naught. His figure contorted, twisting in torment, as he was converted to stone. For the third time in his nearly infinite life, he was left impotent.

Glancing to the side, Flurry did a double take. While Cozy couldn’t speak of the nature of the Princess’ relationship to the draconequus, the pain in the mare’s eyes was unmistakable. She herself harbored no love for the chimera, yet she was all too familiar with the agony of such a sentence. Looking to the alicorn’s face, she found only pain.

Sorrow and indignation, contempt and treachery, they pushed Flurry over the edge. Arcs of power bled for her, scorching the earth. Intentionally or not, their foe had evoked the full wrath of a true-born alicorn. Without saying a word, the young Princess’ outrage took form. In a display which could easily rival anything Celestia or Luna had been capable of, shards of nacreous force rocked the pretender.

It was only when the two clashed, hearing a distant cry, did Cozy take stock of the situation. Looking around, she was reminded of where they were. Though there were no other ponies directly involved with the conflict, they were far from alone. She was left to presume that anyone with the slightest bit of common sense would have run for the hills, though that didn’t mean everyone had fled.

Several ponies stood openly in the streets or sheltered behind walls, watching the conflict in open awe. She had little doubt that some were enthralled by the action, while others were too shocked to run - either way, they were innocent bystanders in a potentially calamitous battle. With her attention momentarily averted from the conflict, a howl caught her ear.

Turning back to the engagement, Cozy found that things had taken a turn. Somehow, evidently having been freed from his assault, Anon entered the fray. Presumably in a bid to tackle their opponent, he charged shoulder first at the likeness of Twilight. In the blink of an eye, just before making contact, the thing winked from existence.

Skidding to a halt, the man looked around in dismay. While Flurry’s assault zipped through the vacant area, shattering parts of the cobblestone roadway to pieces, Cozy craned her neck upwards. Backlit by the sun, at a barely visible purple speck in the sky, she found what she was looking for. Raising a hoof towards her allies, her warning came all too late. A glimmering orb of mystical fire, like some disastrous comet, rocketed downwards towards the Princess.

“Flurry!” Cozy screamed.

Though the alicorn noticed the incoming attack at the very last possible moment, her defenses were found wanting. The aegis she raised for herself shattered instantaneously, sending twinkling remnants of the mystical shield flying to the wind. Despite having lessened the blow, the explosion wrought havoc to the area.

Knocked to the ground, as if it weighed nothing, Discord’s statue was upended by the detonation. While the draconequus appeared intact, the Princess had been laid low. Staring in disbelief, Cozy noticed the man sprinting over to the depression where the mare’s body rested. Awkwardly sliding down the shallow embankment, hoping to reach his friend, a flash of light appeared beside him.

Flawlessly teleporting itself by his side, facing away from him, the imposter delivered a brutal kick to the man’s side. Though the thing was a fraction of his size, the blow sent him sailing through the air; flying several dozen feet, he demolished the wall of a nearby structure. Regardless of how resistant to magic he was, there was no way he was physically durable enough to withstand the hit unscathed.

A blur of obsidian zoomed by, crashing into the doppelganger and causing Cozy to blink. Rushing over to the dent in the roadway and fearing for the worst, she witnessed Chrysalis’ battered and scorched figure sail overhead. Landing on the street behind her, with a dull thud, the changeling sat motionless. Peering over at the Matriarch’s body, the sound of footfalls caused her to turn. There, tranquilly trotting out of the rubble-strewn basin, stood the construct.

Appearing wholly intact and just as serene as ever, the effigy of Twilight smiled down upon her. The thing’s peaceful expression belied the doom she wrought, yet Cozy didn’t cower. If she was going to face her end, after all the trials and tribulations she’d suffered through, she would do as her allies had - with bravery.

“Is this what you wanted?” she spat, waving at the downed figures around her.

“Flurry Heart, a pony ignorant of friendship. Queen Chrysalis, a changeling who spurned friendship. Anon, a creature who lost friendship. Each and all are bereft of the most powerful element in existence,” it stated, systematically nodding to each of the fallen.

“They were my friends!” Cozy mourned, heedless of the tears welling up in her eyes. “They did this for me. All we had were each other, throughout all of this, and you took that from me - from us!!! You’re an atrocity, some twisted parody that could never understand what friendship is!”

Stepping forward, overcome with the loss of her friends and a righteous fury towards their tormentor, she glared up at her adversary. It was her end, squared off against the nigh invincible embodiment of a fundamental force of the cosmos, yet she didn’t care. For the first time in her life, she unflinchingly faced her demise.

Scrutinizing the bold little pegasus, the construct tilted her head. The oppressive light around her dimmed, fading to nothingness and leaving her appearing like the Princess who had once been. Nodding, seemingly speaking to itself, it uttered five words. “I have what I need.”

Cozy’s eyes darted over the figure, fruitlessly looking for an explanation. “What do you…” she trailed off, as some carefully concealed facet of the puzzle revealed itself. Shrinking back, dubious of the notion she’d happened upon, she shook her head.

“Friendship may be freely given, but only the truest friendships are earned. Forged in the fire of hardship and strengthened by trust, they elevate to a bond which is unbreakable. You and your friends, in spite your differences, have laid the foundation for something impossibly wondrous,” it remarked.

Stunned, Cozy was at a loss for words. Without awaiting a response from the little mare, it continued. “Courage,” it began, pointing to the building it had slung Anon through. “Hope...Innocence,” it continued, waving to Chrysalis and Flurry. Finally, after leveling a hoof at the pegasus, its eyes went alight. “Prudence.”

“What does that mean?” Cozy sniffed, as the crushing force of some unknowable truth settled upon her.

“The Elements of Friendship were shattered, in the conflict with King Sombra, although friendship itself is everlasting. With the Elements themselves gone, new embodiments of their ilk had to be crafted,” the Tree explained. “While they are yet to be completed, their formation will give you time to find the others.”

“Why? Why would you do this?” Cozy demanded, stamping a hoof. “Do the means justify the end.”

Cooley looking around, scanning the surrounding destruction, it nodded. “No civilian casualties. Anon, Flurry, and Chrysalis, while injured, are in stable condition and will recover. The petrification on Discord is a lesser version of the original spellwork - Flurry, once recuperated, will undoubtedly be able to liberate him. As for why…” it drew silent, peering up into the cloudless sky. “Friendship can only be valued and held by living creatures.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you, after everything you’ve said and done?” Cozy protested.

Impassively gazing over at the pegasus, unblinking, the figure stood resolute. “What other choice do you have?”

The deceptively simple declaration hung in the air, yet it was all the proof Cozy needed. As baffling as the past few days had been, they’d all been part of an artfully laid plan that was decades or possibly centuries in the making. The awareness of that fact was eclipsed by one other epiphany, one which she’d only just given voice to - her friends.

In the face of unrelenting adversity, against astronomical odds, she found herself concerned for her friends. Anon, Flurry, and Chrysalis. They’d worked as a team and, though their time together had been rather brief, they’d enjoyed one another’s company - at least, she knew she had. What had begun as a tenuous connection born of necessity had blossomed into something all the more genuine.

The prospect that she had been chosen as some harbinger for Equestria was beyond mystifying, yet the Tree’s veracity had been undeniable - devious, yes, but truthful nonetheless. Looking up to the construct, with uncertainty in her eyes, she cleared her throat.

“How?” she asked, hesitant to bear the burden she’d been shouldered with.

Reaching out and caressing her cheek, it closed its eyes. “You will find a way. Only the worthy are ever chosen, of this I am certain…”

Stepping away, a faint shimmer shrouded the Tree’s avatar. Twinkling in the sun, as though formed from a mist of diamonds, it faded into nothingness - gone, as if it had never existed in the first place. Staring at the spot upon which it had stood, blinking incredulously, Cozy’s ear swiveled towards a dull groan.

Shifting in place, seeing Chrysalis roll to her side, she did the first and only thing that came to mind. “Help!” she bleated, hopelessly calling someone - anyone to come to their aid. Scampering over to the changeling, glancing around in anguish, she did what she could to comfort her friend. “Please! Somepony! Help us!”

And help, as fate would have it, came. From houses and businesses, townsfolk emerged. While a small hooffull unquestioningly rushed to the injured, the majority cautiously made their approach. One pony in particular, a stallion bearing a caduceus cutie mark, ran to her side and knelt by the Matriarch.

Seemingly unconcerned with the diminutive pegasus - if he even knew who she really was - he gingerly depressed his hoof to her neck. Glaring at a trio of onlookers, a griffon and two kirin, he scowled. “Get me three stretchers or wagons and volunteers to haul them!” he barked.

Stepping back, Cozy gave him room to work. The scene became a whirlwind of activity, as creatures of various sizes and shapes lend a helping hoof, claw, or paw. It was a maddening blur, nearly impossible to keep tabs of, but she did her best to determine that her friends were, in fact, not injured too severely. Watching them gently load Anon onto a vacated apple cart, she failed to notice someone trotting up behind her.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned and found herself facing a grizzled old figure. Shrouded in a timeworn sapphire cape, with only a fraction of his bearded muzzle visible, his arctic blue eyes bored into her. Opening her mouth, intent to ask him if she could help, he nodded in to his left.

“Clinic is that way. Do the right thing,” he somberly uttered.

Glancing off in the direction he’d indicated, Cozy went to thank him but found him missing. Setting to the skies, without a second thought, she hurried off to make sure her friends were alright. She was determined not to abandon them, regardless of how long it took or whatever ill will anypony bore towards her, just as they’d steadfastly refused to abandon her…

Epilogue

“Must we have these meetings?” Chrysalis groused, cautiously easing herself into one of the septet of thrones. With bandaged gauze over portions of her flank and shoulder, covering the worst of her injuries, she wasn’t the only wounded creature at the table.

“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Anon hummed. Reaching out and offering her a glass of orange juice, he winced. No better off than the obsidian Queen, his torso was heavily wrapped and one arm rested in a sling. “Besides, it’s not like you don’t like your morning cupcake.”

“I told you to stop fetching me these infernal treats,” the changeling grumbled, eyeing the lone frosted pastry amongst the tray of muffins. “If you keep pushing yourself and making trips to the bakery, you won’t be able to properly escort me around the castle.”

Flurry groaned and slumped forward, resting her forehead on the table. “Do we have to complain every morning,” she murmured. Pushing herself up, she wearily peered at the two with her one unharmed eye.

Smiling smugly to herself, Chrysalis made no attempt to hide her amusement. “Have you summoned a milliner yet?”

“I am not going to get a pirate hat!” the Princess huffed, leaning back to cross her forelegs over her chest. Much like her companions, the Tree’s trial left her in a rather shabby state. Battered, bruised, and wearing an eye-patch, she was far from unscathed - still, like her friends, she would recover.

“You know, Princess of Pirates does have a pretty cool ring to it,” Anon chuckled. Holding up his good hand, he began counting off on his fingers. “I mean, it’s not like you didn’t disobey orders, confront your mentor, hijack a train -”

“If you don’t stop, I’m gonna dub you Sir Anon the Dullard,” Flurry rebuked, leering over at the man. “After all, it was your idea to try and punch the embodiment of a force of nature!”

Content to let the scene play out, Cozy silently munched upon a blueberry muffin. The week following the incident had been, at best, rather tense. Though Anon and Chrysalis had regained consciousness hours after the battle, Flurry had slept for the better part of three days. She was left to believe that the strain of expending such a profound amount of magic, paired with the beating she’d received, was to blame for the Princess’ protracted slumber.

All in all, she counted her blessings. Her friends, despite having been thoroughly thrashed, would be alright. What damage there was to the town was being repaired and, for the most part, Ponyville’s residents were handling the situation well. Having had a few onlookers see her speaking with the Tree’s avatar, news of the event had spread rapidly throughout the city. Those dubious souls who found the story unbelievable had stood corrected, after Flurry awakened and sent out royal couriers.

Even before the Princess’ revival, Anon and Chrysalis had been hailed as heroes of the realm. Having bravely leapt to Flurry’s defense, thoughtlessly fighting to protect the alicorn, the pair were viewed with reverence almost overnight. Even the changeling, as recalcitrant as she was, had somehow managed to handle her celebrity status - that, or some part of her secretly appreciated the praise.

Of course, Cozy had busied herself throughout. Being the only member of her party who hadn’t been harmed, she’d taken to exaggerating certain facts and downplaying others. There’d been no overt deception of the public, just subtle manipulations to embellish her friends’ valor. Outside of explaining their actions some umpteen dozen times, to the city’s inhabitants and visiting dignitaries alike, she’d done what she could to help with logistics.

Her first order of business had been to write correspondence to the various nations of the Empire, relaying the news of what had transpired and of Flurry’s ascendance to the Princess of Equestria - of course, she’d waited for the alicorn to come to prior to making any official declarations. The remainder of her time had been spent giving suggestions to the construction crews, ensuring the infrastructure in town was maintained, and tending to her friends.

Tirek and Discord were still petrified, but Flurry assured her that it was only temporary; once the alicorn had fully regained her strength, she vowed to free the two of them. Cozy was unsure how the centaur and draconequus would react, especially with everything which had transpired, but she was sure they’d manage. The Lord of Chaos played by his own rules, with or without supervision, while she felt certain that her former ally would see reason.

“Should you bequeath Anon with such an unfitting title, don’t be surprised if you wake up to find yourself with a resin-covered peg leg,” Chrysalis snickered, eyeing the Princess.

Twisting her head, leering over at the shapeshifter, Flurry reached under the table and produced a fly swatter. Be darned if Cozy knew where the Princess had gotten the mockery of a weapon, yet she’d obtained one all the same. The sight evoked a guffaw from Anon, immediately followed by a less energetic, slightly pained titter. The Queen simply stared at the alicorn, squinting menacingly.

“You wouldn’t dare,” the changeling hissed, setting her cupcake down.

“Alright, that’s enough of that,” Cozy interjected, flitting to the map’s polished surface and interrupting the impending quarrel. Clearing her throat, she held her head high. “Since the Tree left me in charge, I -”

Her three companions immediately erupted into a chaotic mixture of dismissive laughter and halfhearted protests. Smiling as innocently as she could, looking to each of them in turn, a curious feeling filled her chest. It was a singular sensation, something she hadn’t experienced since she’d allied herself with Tirek and Chrysalis - she felt like she belonged…

Prologue

Many ages ago, in a time forgotten by many, the land of Equestria stood on the brink of collapse. Three of the world’s most formidable villains, having forged an alliance under the misguided musings of an ancient deity, brought the realm to its knees. Sowing mistrust amongst the people, they attained unfathomable power for themselves.

Queen Chrysalis, former matriarch of the changelings, Lord Tirek, a formidable and arcane centaur, and Cozy Glow, a startlingly shrewd and nefarious pegasus, became a force unlike anything the empire had never known. Under their baleful gaze, cities fell, heroes were defeated, and the skies themselves darkened with their terrible wrath. When all hope seemed lost, a band of champions bravely strode forth to confront them.

Having rallied all the various creatures of the realm, under the banner of friendship, the saviors of Equestria defeated the trio and ushered in a new, bright future for the world. Imprisoned in stone, the villains were sentenced to spend eternity as a stark reminder of the catastrophic event. Though the nefarious trio had nearly conquered the world, their actions had unwittingly brought about a time of unfounded peace and prosperity for all.

Fading into a distant memory, the three tyrants became little more than a legend - a frightful story to scare little fillies and colts who misbehaved. Save for a sparse handful of souls, nobody truly knew them or what horrors they were capable of. With their threat all but forgotten, the remnants of a dreaded period in history, a series of events began to unfold which would see the release of a force that had come a hair’s breadth from dominating the land...