I remember the time I went into the kitchen. Most of my friends and family gathered around my birthday cake. They sang and clapped all around me. I felt surrounded by love and affection.

As I gazed around at each of their faces, I could not help but wonder how I missed this so many times before. My life was blessed with abundance and I didn't even realize it because I was too busy scheming against others.

But when I gazed upon my birthday cake, I thought of my pony self and how Sunset recently told me, before then, that my pony self briefly became an alicorn by stealing the magic of something called Grogar's Bell. That power boost gave her an artificial ascension.

But, since then, we've both been through a lot. We both learned a lot and experienced a lot. Between us, experience favors me because I was more active all of these years while she was frozen in stone.

What Starlight recently said to me before I went into the kitchen gave me hope that I might have gotten through to the little filly, at least enough to open her eyes to new possibilities. However, after her eyes are more open, what she sees depends on what others show her. I gave them a chance to truly and deeply affect her. The rest is up to them.

If my counterpart's friends and family are anything like my own, however, I don't have much to worry about. She'll be in good “hooves”.

Then, the next time she ascends back to alicorn status, she'll have truly earned it.

That's comforting to think about, but also mind-boggling. If my counterpart becomes an alicorn again, only this time under far more positive circumstances, then she'll effectively become immortal. If that happens, the lessons I gave her will endure potentially forever.

In other words, my life experiences will endure ever onward through her. That, in turn, could be used to improve the lives of endless generations of citizens of Equestria.

So that is the power of just one short lifetime of less than eighteen years. The feelings and experiences gained from it could help countless strangers ever onwards.

As for me, my memories and experiences of King Sombra, faded though they may be, taught me enough about immortality to know that it has become a “been there, done that” sort of deal for me. I'm tired of feeling old. Now I just want one short but sweet lifetime as a human girl who is blessed with an abundance of friends and friendship. I want to live a lifetime chock-full of all the deeper meanings most of my previous life almost entirely lacked.

I'm more than content. I'm downright happy, but I could not have done this alone.

My friends . . . the feelings they evoke inside me fills me with magic and fulfillment. By hugging them close to me, I've never felt so alive.

So I take those feelings and channel it into my music. I play my violin with a sweet-sounding melody that swims through the air. As I do so, I channel all the feelings my friends evoke inside me, as well as the feelings they are actively sending at me right now as they watch me and cheer me on among the audience.

I hear a gasp as the magic visibly swirls around me, but I don't let it distract me. I maintain my focus on that feeling, allowing it to carry me to soar to greater and greater emotional heights.

I twirl on the stage as the music and magic transforms me. My ears grow longer and larger, much like a pony's. My outfit transforms into a brilliant red dress seemingly made of rose petals, and wings sprout from my back.

I continue to twirl as I play my music. While I do so, I lift steadily further into the air. I am flying, but that feels like a mere side effect to the intense emotions within me that carries me aloft. It's as if my soul feels so light that it's lifting my body off the ground.

The gasps of the audience rise to sheer, astonished awe, but I keep on playing. I even incorporate their feelings into my music in order to lift my emotions even further, and therefore also my magic, to greater heights.

So much time I've wasted on the wrong track. So many years spent in lies and deceit. I fooled myself just as much, if not more so, than I did to anyone else.

But no longer! I am a girl reborn. I am a woman who is on a path to redemption. I'm probably not there yet, and I don't know for sure if I ever will make up for all of my mistakes, but I do know for sure that I'll devote a lifetime in pursuit of that goal if I have to.

I cannot help it. My gratitude towards all my friends, coupled with the shame of how I once treated them, compels me to become a light. I am determined to become a greater blessing than I ever was a curse to this world, and I will use all my talents and lessons to fortify myself for that journey.

I will let the rainbow shine through me and reflect in every person I meet. That is not just a duty for me now, it's a privilege. I want to do this. From now on, a great deal of my happiness will be derived by causing happiness to others. As we all collect together in friendship, we enhance the quality of life on this great big blue ball we live on.

My final note of my song lingers for a long while as it carries through the room.

Then silence.

I lower my violin and open my eyes again. I gaze upon the audience below me while floating about fifteen feet off the stage. While I do so, a radiant red light shines around me. Because of it, for once, I can actually see the faces of my stunned audience.

These are the same faces that once stared at me with contempt not long ago. That focused and combined hostility almost shattered my confidence, which I admit has been rather thin lately because I'm still mentally recovering from my recent ordeals.

Still, despite the great challenge involved, I knew I had to do this. I had to put myself out there and expose everything that I was, am, and will become. I'm done with lies. I want everyone to see the absolute genuine me. I didn't do this just because I felt they deserved to know the truth, but also because I want to be truly known for who I am. The more I do that, the more I discover the truth about myself as well.

I am a former villain striving to become a better person.

I am someone who was a misguided human being and learning to adapt to the truth.

I am a woman who is having a human experience on earth.

I am the daughter of the most wonderful mother in the entire world.

I am the sister of someone who used to be my greatest nemesis until I learned how much we had in common.

I am someone who used to have a seemingly endless experience as an empty shadow in another world, but now must adapt to a lifetime of real emotions and meaning.

I am the main character to a fanfic called “The Shadow Queen,” apparently.

I am ready to undertake a greater journey of becoming a brilliant rainbow light to illuminate the souls of all who behold me.

I am someone who is filled with love, magic, and abundance.

I am someone who will tirelessly work all of my life to earn the great blessings I have received.

I am Cozy Glow.

I am!

. . .

. . .

All at once, the audience rises from their seats with a thunderous applause. Not only have they enjoyed my performance, but perhaps more importantly, they seem to have forgiven me for my past transgressions. I think it's because they recognize what type of magic which radiates out from me. It is a very strong and sincere sign of someone making a genuine effort to become a better person, and perhaps I already have succeeded far more than I think.

Despite the evidence in front of me, part of me finds this difficult to accept. They hated me so much before, and now they look upon me with awe and admiration?

Maybe I haven't completely lost my old touch, after all. I used to be very good at influencing a crowd. Perhaps that talent is continuing in another form.

I don't really care anymore if I'm a leader or a follower. I just want a better life for me and all of my friends. If it is my destiny to become a leader again, however, like a certain pony princess, then I will do everything in my power to lead my followers to a life of happiness, abundance, and friendship. I want everyone to experience how blessed I am by having a wonderful life themselves.

Scanning the audience more carefully, I notice all of my friends and family in there too. There is Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Sunset Shimmer, my mother, my sister, Silver Spoon, Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Big Mac, Hondo Flanks, Cookie Crumbles, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Cadence, Shining Armor, Flurry Heart, Twilight Velvet, Night Light, Filthy Rich, Randolph, and yeah . . . even Button Mash.

It's still very difficult to accept how well my life turned out considering that I've been on the wrong track for so very long and so badly. I don't know how or why I've ended up with so many wonderful friends and family, but I do know that I will work to earn it.

Many more might become my friend too someday. I welcome that.

My face flushes crimson due to the overwhelming affection I feel overflowing from my heart.

I close my eyes, bow my head, and curtsy to my audience as I continue to float magically in the air.

If anyone is still reading my story, as Discord once suggested, then please allow this final curtain call of my story to fill your heart with love, abundance, and meaning. Learn from my experience, and let the rainbow of friendship ever shine in your hearts as well.

The End

Author's Note

Well, that is it. The most successful story I've ever written is finally done with this chapter. I'd like to know your thoughts about it, even if this story has been posted for years without an update.

I'm not planning on another project for the moment. I think I'll take a break from until something inspires me. It's been known to be several year break until something this strong inspires me, but when it happens I've been known to complete a 500+ page novel in less than a month. I haven't felt this way since completing "My Little Detour", and "Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn" before that. I also have a bunch of unpublished novels before that. I don't know where to put them since they are not MLP related, and some of them I'm a little nervous to post since it has some controversial and/or sexual topics in it. In the meantime, if anyone is interested to see them, I can PM you a link to a gdoc of those stories. I can also provide a story synopsis for them too.

I might post this story for a review too. If anyone reading this is interested to provide that feedback, I'm all ears. Regardless of how you felt about it, I appreciate you taking the time to read the story this far. It has always been my hope for my stories to help inspire and teach, as well as express my appreciation for the fandom, for I would not have been a fan of this show myself if it weren't for all the amazing work I've seen/read that helped to inspire me.

Thank you all. May the light of rainbows ever shine in your hearts as well. (offers Bro-hoof). /)