The Shadow Queen

This time I am not the only one caught by surprise of the luxuries of this home, such as the private home theater system it has.

Diamond claims that her father, Filthy Rich, has used it several times for business meeting presentations. I can believe it. He seems to be the real breadwinner of the family.

In this room, Diamond Tiara sits on the most comfortable looking armchair that I'm tempted to call a throne. It can lean back, lift up a footstool, apparently has warming and massage features, remotely operates the home theater system, and it can communicate with other staff members of the mansion.

The latter she uses to contact the chefs in the kitchen. She placed two orders of popcorn, one order of strawberry milkshake, and one chocolate milkshake. These orders are for Silver Spoon and herself.

After that, Diamond looks about at the rest of us as she asks if we would like to order anything from the kitchen as well. Sweetie Belle immediately agreed with Diamond's order of popcorn and strawberry milkshake, although she admitted that chocolate sounded tempting too. Diamond asks if Sweetie Belle wants both, to which Sweetie shook her head and said she didn't want to get fat. Popcorn and strawberry milkshake ended up her final order.

Diamond turns to me and repeats her question. I pass on the popcorn because I hate it when the tiny corn kernels get stuck in my teeth, but I do approve of the strawberry milkshake. I also press my two pointing fingers together with embarrassment but an equal degree of hope as I ask her if the kitchen staff could also prepare for me a strawberry cheesecake.

I realize, when I ask for it, that it is a long shot, but strawberry cheesecake is my absolute favorite food in the whole world! Pinkie Pie was the first one to introduce it to me. I was seeing stars after my first bite. Like my pony counterpart, I felt like I was flying at that moment while my eyes shone with anime-style sparkles.

To my incredible surprise and delight, Diamond said sure. I double-checked by asking, “Really? You guys have that?” to which Diamond replies with a shrug, “Yeah. It's no big deal.”

No big deal? Are you freaking kidding me?! It's strawberry cheesecake! If I didn't secretly loathe your guts, Diamond Tiara, I could kiss you right now!

Diamond repeats my order to the kitchen staff. As she does so, I am shaking with giddy excitement. Ooo, I can't wait till that delicious heaven graces my mouth!

The kitchen staff approves of the order, but warns Diamond that preparing the cheesecake will take longer to prepare than the popcorn. They ask if she's sure about the order. Diamond glances at me and almost repeats their warning but sees me nodding vigorously before she even has a chance to speak.

I can't help it! It's strawberry cheesecake! For that, I am definitely willing to wait, although I will be brimming with anticipation until I take that first heavenly bite.

Looking forward again, Diamond confirms her order to the kitchen staff, then looks over at Scootaloo last, the final guest who has yet to order anything. However, in this case, Scootaloo rejects any offer because she is pouting over the fact that Diamond insists on playing soap operas using this theater system. Nobody else in the room seems to mind, including me, but Scootaloo seems insulted by that mushy and sappy stuff, which Diamond replied, “Too bad! My house, my rules! If you don't like it, you can just leave and go do something else instead.”

Scootaloo doesn't get that far. She stays because she promised to look after Sweetie Belle, but she seems to regret that decision at this moment. As a result, she seems to reject all of Diamond's offers for snacks just on principle.

It did not take long for Scootaloo to regret that decision as well, however, especially after the snacks arrive. In particular, the popcorn and the milkshakes arrive first. Once we start munching and sipping on those treats (for those who have it), I notice Scootaloo keeps looking at the popcorn and frowns with longing. I think I once hear her stomach growling as well, but she also looks very reluctant to inform the others that she’s changed her mind.

I don't have any popcorn, so I can't help to alleviate her situation, much to my chagrin. That makes me regret not placing an order for one after all.

However, when Sweetie Belle finally notices her friend's uncomfortable reaction and figures out why it's there, she offers to share her popcorn with her friend. In response, Scootaloo rolls her eyes and continues to try to act tough, but she ultimately accepts and claims it is for Sweetie Belle's sake.

I secretly smile fondly at Sweetie Belle. Over and over again she verifies my theory that she's an absolute sweetheart. That really is nice to see. After all, not everyone should be clever predators like me. Innocent dupes help the world go around too. I need those kinds of people for all the “lesser” tasks that are beneath me.

We pass a couple of hours in that room as we watch various soap operas. Everyone, except Scootaloo, soaks this up enthusiastically. In contrast, Scootaloo actually passes out due to sheer boredom.

During those two hours, my beloved strawberry cheesecake does indeed arrive! The moment I take my first bite, I am swimming in pure bliss!

I think some of the girls ask if they just discovered my favorite food, but I am unable to answer them. My mind is overloaded with pure pleasure!

That said, the quality isn't quite up to Pinkie Pie's standards. Somehow her desserts are equipped with just a little extra spice of magic in them. Regardless, a tiny step down from the best food in the world hardly matters to me.

It takes me a while to calm down. When I finally do, I look at the others and notice most of them giggle at me in amusement. Obviously they found my intensive reaction adorable.

I barely care. There is no way I am good enough of a liar to conceal how blissful I am whenever I eat a bite of strawberry cheesecake. I’m simply not that much of a perfectionist yet.

After two hours, we (with the sole exception of Scootaloo) spend about twenty minutes discussing and debating the show we just watched, especially about our theories where the relationships of the show may be going.

Despite my enthusiasm, I try not to participate too much because my predictions tend to be a little too accurate which could be viewed as a spoiler.

However, the other girls press me for details. Apparently they are too curious what a super genius like me might see in the show. I warn them one final time that the potential accuracy I may have about the show could act as major spoilers, but that only made them more curious.

Since they seem resolved, I tell them everything I thought about the show, including where I think it will go. To that end, I even predict the arrival of new characters to both resolve and cause other plot developments.

Once I finish, the other girls (again, excluding Scootaloo) debate with me a little bit but my arguments seem too solid for them to dispute with me much further. After that, they basically just shrug and admit I probably had a point.

I notice a bit of an empty look to their faces when they realize they now have a bit too much insight where their favorite show is likely to head.

Welcome to my world. I tried to warn you gals, but you didn't listen to me.

Well, not back then, anyway.

“You're really amazing, Cozy Glow!” Sweetie Belle commends me brightly. “I'm smart, but not that smart! I wish I could see the world the way you do.”

I crack a small smile in her direction. I do feel flattered, but a small part of me thinks she would be surprised how much she would regret that wish if it became true. I am seventy-five percent positive that her outlook on life would be considerably less innocent if she knew how the world really works.

“However, that said, I got to ask you something,” Sweetie Belle goes on which further secures my focused attention. “Do you ever get tired of your intellect helping you solve every mystery and surprise?”

“Well, first of all, I don't solve every mystery and surprise. Sometimes life doesn't give me enough evidence beforehand to anticipate something,” I inform her. “Instead, vast intellect merely reduces the number of surprises.

“I will say that has made my outlook in life a little jaded, and I often feel kind of bored about most things being predictable but, to tell you the truth, I still prefer it that way because I hate surprises.”

“You do?” Sweetie double-checks.

I nod. “I can't stand the thought of the chance that a surprise might end up bad.”

In an instant, the image of my pony counterpart frozen in stone flashes through my mind, causing me to shudder. That image will very likely haunt me for the rest of my life. Even if the residents of Horse-Land do end up freeing her, as they claimed, the fact that they were so okay with her condition like that in the first place makes my skin crawl.

It is so unnerving to witness a world that innocent-looking suddenly reveal such a sinister side to it.

Ironically, it reminds me of myself.

“Well, I guess that show is ruined for me now,” Diamond Tiara admits as she sighs and sinks her left cheek into her fist. Her elbow of that fist rests on the arm of her chair. “Thank you very much, Cozy Glow, for your amazing insight.”

“Hey, I warned you all!” I remind them in my defense.

This time Diamond sighs in resignation. “Yes, you did. I guess I should be more careful about what I wish for.”

“Well, let's watch something else,” Sweetie Belle proposes. “Ooo! I know! Instead of soap operas, how about we watch real opera!”

“As in stage singing and all that?” Silver Spoon checks.

“Yeah!” Sweetie confirms highly enthusiastically. “I really love to sing! La-la-LA-LAAAAAAA!” She sings to demonstrate her love for it. She rises an octave with each “la” she sings.

“Hmm.” Diamond Tiara looks at her giant television screen across the room with a thoughtful look on her face. “I don't believe we recorded any operas yet on our DVR system. However, I'm virtually certain we got something like that on demand.” She shrugs. “At the very least, I'm pretty sure I can find some kind of classical, musical movie.”

“Ooo! Then put on a classic fairy tale movie from Disney!” Sweetie Belle excitedly encourages.

“Well, one of us is still asleep, so I guess her vote is out,” Silver Spoon remarks as she observes Scootaloo still asleep and quietly snoring, although just barely audible.

“What do you think, Silver Spoon?” Diamond asks to offer the choice of what to view next.

Silver Spoon shrugs. “I don't really care too much. I'm just glad to finally be hanging out with you.”

“Yeah. Me too,” Diamond Tiara verbally agrees but, to me, she actually seems bittersweet about that idea. The truth is, she seems conflicted on that point.

“You were trying to protect me, weren't you?” Silver Spoon guesses as if she also picked up on her friend’s discomfort as well as surmising a reason for it. “You wanted me to hate you so I wouldn't grieve as much if you did manage to kill yourself.”

Diamond shrugs only slightly while looking down very sadly. “I mostly just thought about it.”

“You were doing a lot more than that when I checked on you two months ago!” Sweetie Belle reminds Diamond sharply. “I'll never get that image out of my head!”

Diamond's face scrunches bitterly. “Well . . . that's what you get for barging on me in the bathroom without my permission!”

“Still, I'm glad I did!” Sweetie insists. “It taught me that you needed help, and I'm going to be there to help you with that. I don't care how much you mistreated me in the past. Nobody deserves a fate like you were trying to do to yourself!”

“Huh? What?” Scootaloo suddenly woke up because of the intensity and volume of Sweetie Belle when she said the word, “nobody”. Based on Scootaloo's clearly incoherent and tired face, I can tell she's far from fully awake yet.

Sweetie Belle looks at Scootaloo for a brief moment and says, “Sorry for waking you.”

“What?” Scootaloo rubs her sleepy face. “What's going on? Is the show over already?”

“Let's change the subject,” Sweetie Belle suddenly decides, still looking a bit depressed but also determined to reverse that.

It takes her only four seconds to come up with an idea that suddenly brightens her up.

“OOO-OOO! I know what to do!” Sweetie Belle springs from her seat then whirls around to address the rest of us. “It's more like something to do later rather than just tonight, but how would you girls like to go out sometime and sing in karaoke?”

Sweetie Belle seems honestly astonished, and even a little horrified, that none of us jump out of our seats in equal enthusiasm.

“Come on, girls! It will be fun!” Sweetie Belle encourages. “Music is good for the soul! It is a surefire way to lift all of us out of our depression!”

“Depends what we sing,” Silver Spoon argues.

“Well, true. I'll give you that,” Sweetie agrees. “But come on!” She cheers back up again. “It will still be fun, and it's something we can all do together, or we can take turns.

“Diamond Tiara, you especially need this,” Sweetie tells her somewhat insistently. “Besides, you're good at it! I haven't heard you sing too often. In fact, it's been many years, come to think of it. But, of the few times I have heard you sing, you can really bellow it out! I think you have a lot of bottled-up emotions built inside of you. If you sing, it will be a chance for you to let it all out! It's therapeutic!”

“I do kind of miss our duets,” Silver Spoon mentions offhandedly to her old friend with a bit of a hopeful look in her eyes. “It has been a while, and Sweetie Belle is right about you. You do have a lovely singing voice.”

“I doubt if I do anymore,” Diamond mopes.

“Come on! You'll never know until you try!” Sweetie Belle strongly encourages. “What do you have to lose? You were going to kill yourself anyway! At worst, you'll continue to feel bad, but at best, you'll find a renewed reason to live!” Sweetie Belle claps her hands and lifts them in front of her. “Pleeeeeease consider it! I'm begging you!”

“We don't have to do it tonight, in any case,” Silver brought up. “No harm in at least thinking about it.”

Diamond looks up to Sweetie's eyes and asks, “Is it really that important to you?”

Sweetie nods enthusiastically as she says, “Uh-huh!”

Diamond gives a long-winded sigh in slight irritation, but a small, grateful smile touches her lips and her eyes as she continues to regard Sweetie Belle.

“Well, I guess I do owe you a lot of favors for trying to help take care of me,” Diamond acknowledges. “I suppose I am eager to even the score.”

With every word Diamond spoke, Sweetie's body quaked with excitement more and more. By the time Diamond said the word “score”, I could practically hear and see steam spewing from Sweetie Belle's ears due to the exciting pressure in her skull.

Diamond appears charmed by Sweetie's adorable reaction. That excited look from the other girl apparently solidified Diamond's decision.

“Okay, Sweetie Belle. I'll do this for you,” Diamond concedes.

“YAY!!” Sweetie cries out and leaps into the air with her arms stretched up. After that, she looks at Scootaloo and asks her, “What about you, Scoot? You in?”

Scootaloo shrugs casually. “Sure. I'm down for that. You know I like singing with you, especially with the songs you write.” She puts a finger to her lips in thought. “You know, Apple Bloom would probably appreciate being invited too. The only reason she'd hesitate is if she hears that these two are coming along as well.” Scootaloo looks back and forth between Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. “No offense, but we kind of remember you more as being bullies rather than friends.”

Silver Spoon shrugs indifferently to that comment, but Diamond actually looks mortified. Seeing that really surprises Scootaloo and me. In response, Scootaloo rubs the back of her neck nervously. I'm starting to notice she does that fairly frequently whenever she is uncomfortable.

“Um, well . . . Cozy Glow!” Scootaloo looks at me anxiously, hoping the change of subject will save her. “How about you? Will you join us for karaoke too?”

After Scootaloo asks me that, suddenly all of the girls look at me.

A reflexive shy instinct tries to rush and claim me for a second, but I squash it with my public speaking training.

“Well . . . I suppose I could,” I say. “However, I don't have too much experience with singing. Instead, I have more practice with the violin.”

“You play the violin?” Diamond asks me with a rather sudden rising interest. “Oh, that's so cool. Are you any good at it?”

“Good?” I echo. “I've been offered a scholarship to Julliard because of some of my past recitals. Does that answer your question?”

All of the girls, except for Scootaloo, regard me in stunned awe. Even Silver Spoon stops what she is doing with her cellphone to look up at me in shock.

Scootaloo, however, is looking at everyone else, wondering why that news should be so surprising.

“Are you serious?!” Silver Spoon asks me in stunned surprise.

“That's so cool!” Sweetie Belle tells in amazement as she presses both of her hands into her cheeks. “Aw man! I'm so jealous! I wish I could go.”

“What is Julliard?” Scootaloo asks in confusion. “I'm assuming it's some kind of egghead college?”

“Are you kidding me?!” Sweetie Belle asks her friend in stunned disbelief.

“Julliard is one of the most prestigious schools in the world for art and music,” Diamond informs Scootaloo then asks towards me, “You are going to go, right? They don't just hand out scholarships to schools like that everyday.”

“I'm not sure,” I answer with a shrug. I feel inward wicked giddiness as I see an opportunity to rub something in Little Miss Prissy's face. “Several other Ivy League colleges have also offered a scholarship when I graduate from Canterlot. Considering all that, I thought it best to take my time and weigh all the choices before deciding on anything.”

“Huh.” Diamond looks down, once again depressed. “And you called me wealthy.”

“Some people are born with wealth, and others with talent, I guess,” I surmise.

“And some are born with neither,” Scootaloo says with a frown.

In response, I frown back at her. I wanted to stab Diamond in the heart, and I apparently succeeded, but it seems Scootaloo is also wounded in the crossfire.

Damn. I haven't thought of that. Of everyone in this room, Scootaloo has the least wealth or intellect. Maybe I should be more grateful for the gifts I do have, and more tactful with the words I say.

“You have to attend Julliard!” Sweetie Belle strongly encourages me. “Oh, can you perform for us too? If you are really that good, I'd love to see you play!”

“I do have another recital set up in a couple of months,” I inform Sweetie Belle in an attempt to cheer her up.

“Aw! Two months? But that's so far away!” Sweetie complains instead.

I frown. “Well, I didn't think to pack my violin with me this time. Maybe next time I will.” Then I brighten as an idea occurs to me. “However . . . I can show you old footage my mother recorded of me back when I was little. I have it on my cellphone.”

“Ooo-ooo! Yes! Put that on!” Sweetie Belle excitedly encourages me.

I look behind her at the giant screen ahead of most of us with a thoughtful look, then I pull my cellphone from my purse and start operating it. While I do so, I say, “I got a better idea. If I can access the network here at this home, I can download it and display it on the giant screen in front of us.”

“That's a great idea!” Scootaloo cheers enthusiastically.

I pause for a moment as I look at her questioningly. “Really? You want to see this too?”

Scootaloo looks surprised and a little offended at my reaction, but she says pleasantly, “Well, sure! I love it when I see others display their talents. It helps me to appreciate them as unique individuals.” Scootaloo gets a dreamy look. “Sometimes I think that, when I grow up, I want to be someone who encourages everyone to show off their natural talent. Maybe a stage director or judge or . . . I don’t know. Something along those lines.”

“Huh.” I look back and resume typing on my phone. “I learn something everyday.”

I encounter a roadblock, so I look to Diamond and ask her, “What is your network password?”

“Just hand it to me,” Diamond requests as she reaches for my phone. “I'll type it in for you.”

I quickly clean my screen with a bit of alcohol pads then hand her my phone while hiding a wicked grin and glint in my eyes because I know that the screen she is about to type her password in isn't the screen for the network. I know it looks like the network screen, but that's because I took a screenshot of the real network window. Using that image as a template, I disguise the window she's about to type her password in. When she types her password into it, she is actually typing it into my phone instead. My phone, in turn, will send the password to the real network router and log onto it, but with a twist. Once the phone is in, it will download a virus into her system which will inform me if the password ever gets changed. That, in turn, will allow me to access the electronic systems in her house, such as her security cameras!

Diamond doesn't know it, but she's handing the devil the keys to her private network system. Once I have my foot in the door, she'll never be able to get me out!

But let it not be said that this devil's bargain was made over nothing. I will indeed reward her stupidity with the very thing she sought in the first place. It's a small price to pay to get one step closer to dominating her life.

Besides, I feel like bragging anyway.

“There you go. You're in,” Diamond informs me as she hands me back my phone.

“Thank you so much!” I tell her with a bright smile while I'm laughing maniacally on the inside.

When I get my cellphone back, I secretly peel off the screen protector on the phone and stash it carefully in my purse because it now has Diamond Tiara's thumbprints on it. That might come in handy later. Because I cleaned the screen before handing the phone to her, those prints couldn't have come from anyone else anymore.

I access their network then drop the file they want (and much more) into their on-demand folder. When I'm done with that, I help Tiara find the file using her remote. Once she does and presses play, the video file plays on the big screen.

In it, the file displays my twelve-year-old self shortly after my mother bought me my violin.

“Aw! Cozy, you're so precious!” Sweetie squeals affectionately. “You look like a little doll at that age and outfit.”

Of course. That's the point. The cuter I am, the more disarming I am, and the easier it becomes to manipulate others. As I grew older, my manipulation tactics started to shift, but I'm not ready to totally abandon my cutesy-wootsy ways just yet. Rest assured, however, that when I am the president of this country, I will be wearing professional business attire by then.

“How old were you in this video?” Silver asks me curiously.

“Twelve,” I answer quickly. “Mother just bought me the violin two weeks before this recording.”

“So you only had two weeks of practice before this?” Silver asks me in amazement.

I nod.

I can see why she is stunned. I play that violin like I have mastered it for decades.

With most things in my life, I typically excel because I am an analytical genius but, with the violin, I don't know. It feels different somehow, as if I'm channeling a different part of my soul.

More than anything else in the world, my music conveys my true emotions.

“Wow! Even I can tell this is incredible work!” Scootaloo says in amazement. “You really are very gifted, Cozy Glow. I can see why your mom is so proud of you.” She then looks at me in a mystified way as she says, “But I'm wondering something.”

“Yeah?” I look at Scootaloo.

“Why is your music . . . so sad in the video?”

“Yeah, I was wondering that too,” Sweetie Belle seconded as she also looked at me.

“I, ah . . . don't know.” I look back at the video solemnly. “I think it's because, back at that age, I still missed my birth parents.”

I catch something interesting out of the corner of my eye that draws my attention back to Scootaloo. For some reason, something I said really strikes a nerve with her.

And Diamond, apparently. In fact, she seems affected far more profoundly. As I watch her, I see her crying quietly in her seat.

In both cases, I wonder why.