No pony but her was worth the chase.
Featherweight galloped into the School of Friendship without a moment’s delay. He darted through the chatty students that had emerged from long lectures for a well-deserved lunch.
Featherweight could fathom their relief. Reviewing the stories of his rambunctious crew of journalists was always an overwhelming chore. Sure, their pieces brimmed with daring premises, but without an artistic style to their writing, the content never held its spark to the end. It made him wonder if any of his journalists had ever taken a course in creative writing.
No matter, none of that concerned him at that moment. His duties no longer bounded him, and Featherweight was bent on collecting the fruit of his labor.
Only a few halls away and he would return to the promised lands. But after a sharp turn to the next hall, a mare suddenly appeared before him. He took the initiative to hop out of the mare’s course. However, in doing so in a rather clumsy effort, he derailed, teetered, and then inevitably fell to the ground with a loud thud.
“Are you alright?” the mare asked, concerned. He quickly pulled himself back onto his hooves. No way would he allow himself, the editor-in-chief of the Ponyville Weekly, to become the news of some silly tomfoolery. How would she bear to look at him if he became the laughingstock of her school? A void effort considering his fall had already attracted the laughter of passing students.
After Featherweight regained some semblance of his composure, he looked at the mare. And then gaped upon realizing who it was. “Headmare Starlight!” Featherweight voiced.
“You should know better than to run through the halls,” Starlight lectured the stallion. “I don’t have to sit you in one of our monthly safety seminars, do I?”
“Of course not,” Featherweight bleated, his wings twitched nervously. The Headmare’s teasing served as salt to the wound on the poor stallion’s pride… It was a tease, right?”
Starlight chuckled at her fine work. “I’ll take your word for it, Featherweight. For now, at least.”
“It won’t happen again,” Featherweight promised. Those words of hers were best to never be tested. “I just didn’t want to keep her waiting.”
“…Right.” A tired sigh escaped the Headmare. It was a bizarre response that he would also receive from the other staff when reminding them of the purpose of his visits here. “Carry on, then.”
Featherweight watched the Headmare continue on down the hall. He could have tried to confront her about her odd behavior, but like with the other staff, getting a straight answer would be like extracting the truth out of a compulsive liar.
It honestly made Featherweight feel anxious they perhaps were disapproving of his relationship with her. He’s certain that all creatures were abundantly aware of her past actions, but that isn’t something for them to concern about. She’s changed.
His mind snapped when he noticed a clock upon the wall. Not wanting to waste another moment, he proceeded through the hall, but in a calmer pace, and found a lone lounge room on the second floor of the school.
Every floor had a room set aside for students and staff to use in their leisure. All with their own kitchen appliances and tables; however, none of them compared when only here he could have her to himself. Though, he would have to wait a few more minutes given his early arrival…again.
Featherweight took a seat at one of the tables and pulled out his lunch box from the saddlebag strapped to his side. Hopefully, his recent accident did not scramble its contents.
He had spent most of his previous night reading through a collection of monthly that he subscribed to as a necessity of the Princess’s Royal Book Club. Princess Twilight welcomed only the most avid of readers in her circle, and Featherweight was determined to stand among them as her best. For there can be only one.
To ensure the protection of his crown, Featherweight devoted himself as the most proactive of the members. When the journals arrived at his doorsteps in the morning, all would be deciphered by midnight. And at his expedited delivery, the Princess would always receive his reviews first in her hooves.
However, this noble ambition of his earned him a short morning where he could only spare precious little time to prepare hay sandwiches and sliced apples. A meal perfect for a foal, but rather unbecoming of a stallion.
If only he found himself a partner like his friends already had. He probably would have been talked into some sense not to sacrifice his limited rest. Heck, even if he persisted, his partner might have been thoughtful enough to prepare his meal for him in the morning.
If only he had a special somepony.
“Golly!” Featherweight’s ears perked to the sound of an angelic voice. An enchanting sound to his ears that sent his heart aflutter. “I can’t believe I left you waiting again.”
There she was. The cotton candy beauty that was the mare of his dreams. Somepony like her should never give a simple stallion like him the time of day, but here she was! She was so joyful, so inspiring, so insightful. So beautiful. She could spend her time with any creature in the world, and yet here she sat alone with him.
Even before the two planned their daily arrangement at this lounge, Featherweight had garnered himself as an ardent admirer of her inescapable allure.
She most definitely had the curves to make a stallion look twice, but beyond her astounding figure was a mare who could win the hearts of any creature. To have such an infectious smile that ailed others to follow her was a remarkable wonder that he hated to break out of. And the way she carried herself, sweet and jolly, gave him a sense of relief and security that no other creature inspired in him.
It was fate that brought them together when Featherweight had his cake accident at the Sugar Cube Corner. On that fateful day, Featherweight had indulged upon the sight of her. She was a heavenly being to behold in her jubilant banters with her friends. Much so that he failed to be mindful of his surroundings.
If only he’d stayed put instead of feeling his way to the counter, Featherweight would have noticed Pumpkin Cake. She held a chocolate cake to serve to a customer that afternoon. But instead, she unintentionally served it to him, painted and splattered all across his face and coat.
The event was far from his ideal first impression that he wanted to sport in her mind. However, his one act of humility earned him the full and caring attention of his beloved. He should have remembered how eager she is to help others. A burning passion of hers to preserve the smile of others. One would think she was the daughter of Pinkie Pie because of it.
“I didn’t keep you waiting too long, did I?” the mare asked. She placed her lunch upon the table. A delectable cuisine of stuffed green peppers and salad toss. Its savory aroma pervaded Featherweight’s snout, compelling a drool to escape his mouth.
“It’s alright,” Featherweight assured. “I haven’t been here that long.”
“Hmm,” the cotton candy mare tapped her chin. Her inquisitive gaze sparked the stallion to be self-conscious, flustering heat on his that nearly drew a drop of sweat out of him.
“What?” Featherweight stammered. “Is there something on my face?”
“No,” the mare answered. “That wasn’t it at first. I’m just now noticing that you hadn’t sliced your sandwiches.”
“Oh,” Featherweight said. “Well, about that…I kind of stayed up a bit longer than I should have last night. You know how that plays out in the morning. Wait, what’s the second thing you saw?”
“Oh, Featherweight,” the mare shook her head with a smile. “You should be more mindful of your time. You are our coveted editor-in-chief of Ponyville. How are ponies to get the news if you’re not at your best?”
“I know,” Featherweight sighed. Though, he couldn’t properly frown at the mare’s teasing smile. “I was caught in a night of passion and couldn’t stop myself once I’ve started.”
“That’s a spicy way of putting it,” the mare grinned. “You wouldn’t have happened to have a guest last night, did you?”
“What!? No!” Featherweight’s face went chili pepper red as he exclaimed in a treble voice. “I meant books! I was reading books last night!”
“Hee hee,” a devilish grin sported on the mare’s face. “You’re so gullible. It’s cute.”
Featherweight remembered how surprised he was when he first witnessed this side to her. An unseen trait he never imagined his angel to have. An impure desire to prick the feelings of others. And yet, there was an amorous attraction he held for it that he oddly wanted to overwhelm him. Something that only he could experience that no creature else could ever have.
A side that may unnerve the minds of others…
“Hey,” Featherweight began. “Have you noticed how odd all your co-workers act when they see us together? I’d just seen Starlight, and she had that usual off-putting response when I mentioned seeing you.”
“It’s probably just the stress,” the mare surmised. “Being a teacher of hundreds of students of diverse races can be quite a hectic responsibility. She was probably just in a rush.”
“You think so?” he wondered.
“What, you’re thirsty for more attention?” the mare grinned. “If that’s it, all you have to do is enroll as a student. I don’t mind having you as my personal student. But you’ll have to refer me with a ‘Ms.’ from now own.”
“There’s no way I’m going back to school,” Featherweight protested with apple-red cheeks.
“So,” the mare said after getting out her giggles. “How has your day been? Have you found that big story you’ve been wanting to publish?”
“No,” Featherweight answered. “Not yet. Trust me, I’ve been looking. Maybe being the Editor-in-Chief for so long has taken me out of my elements.”
“Now don’t say that,” the mare said. “You just have to give it time. You’re at the best place to find all sorts of crazy things to write about.”
“True,” Featherweight agreed. “But I want to find something that goes the normal crazy. I want it to be something bigger than anything I’ve ever written before. Something controversial that’ll get the eyes of all creatures through the stretches of Equestria.”
“Golly,” the mare said. “That’s quite a hefty goal to set for a pony who’s getting back into the game.” Her words rang true to the stallion. He had to admit that he’s placing a bit too much expectation for himself after deciding to come out of his hiatus. However, the be mare before him was an avid reader of his publication, and he couldn’t ignore the desire to flex his talents before her.
“But knowing you,” the mare continued. “You’ll do more than any creature possible could.”
Her confidence in him invoked a pride in himself. With a precious mare boasting about him, he has no choice but to prove her true. To fail her would be the greatest disgrace he would ever commit as a stallion.
“By the way,” the mare continued, snapping Featherweight out his internal hype. “Have you heard about our upcoming Amity Ball? Lots of creatures in town will be joining us.”
“How could I not,” Featherweight answered. “It’s been a raging tradition in Ponyville ever since Princess Twilight started it many years ago.” A tradition he has never once participated in himself. Many of his friends tried to invite him before, but he would always use his duties as a journalist to excuse himself rather than joining their dances and camaraderie. He’s not one to function well within a crowd.
But if going there meant he could see her in a dress…
“That’s right,” Cozy gave a foalsih bump to her head. “How could Ponyville’s coveted editor not know about something as obvious as that? Look at me being silly.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Featherweight argued. He would instead say it was one of the cutest things about her.
“Well, this year is going to be extra special this time around. You see, my parents want to come and see the new friend I had made these past months.”
“Your parents?” Featherweight raised a brow. “Why would they come all the way here just to see a friend?”
“They get like this all the time whenever befriend a stallion,” the mare explained. “Usually they would urge me to break things off, but for some reason this time around, they’re eager to him.”
“…Is it me?” Featherweight pointed at himself. “They want to see me?”
“Well duh,” the mare said. “What other stallion do you ever see me with? My co-workers don’t count by the way.”
“They wouldn’t happen to be the super strict kind of parents, would they?” Featherweight anxiously asked.
“Don’t worry,” the mare assured. “They’ll definitely like you. I mean, I think you’re a swell pony. You just have to put our best dress for the ball, okay?”
“Wait, are you inviting me to the ball!?” Featherweight slammed his hooves on the table with an incredulous face. His half-eaten sandwich teetered upon the edge.
“Only if you don’t mind,” the mare said with a meek voice. “The Princess is also visiting too, so maybe that might interest. I’ve heard that you’re usually bust at that time of day, but I was hoping—”
“Princess Twilight is coming to the ball too!” Featherweight voiced. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!” His decision earned a smile form the mare. It was at that moment he noticed a strange pink gleam within the iris of her eyes. An odd occurrence that he’s noticed for the last few weeks. Perhaps they were just special contact lenses that she ordered for herself.
“Gosh, I’m so glad to hear that,” the mare clapped her hooves. “We’re going to have so much fun. I just know it.”
That smile of hers must be protected. None shall ruin it, and none shall claim it but himself. That is why he would go to any lengths for her. Anything to make Cozy Glow smile.
On a beautiful starry night, Featherweight would hold Cozy in his grasp.
Sure, he may have to frolic himself in front of others, but none of that would matter if it meant he would do it with her. Still, he never was on one to garner a fancy tux, but he couldn’t risk any of his shortcomings to ruin the prospects of his future with her.
He needed to be bold tonight.
The entrance to the ballroom harbored well-dressed creatures that made their merry way inside. Beside the entrance stood Apple Bloom, adorned in a green dress with red embroideries shaped like apples.
“Never thought I’d ever see you looking fancy again,” Apple Bloom remarked when she noticed Featherweight. “It’s still a good look on ya.”
“Thanks,” Featherweight stammered. He could still remember years ago near the end of their school years when Featherweight was invited to dance from Apple Bloom. He felt things were finally falling into place for them to be together. However, when she thanked him for being a friend to humor her, it whisked all the anticipating flames out of his. He should have gone for it when had the chance, but like with all mares, he lacked determination. “I just hope Cozy thinks the same.”
“Cozy, huh.” There was that dejected sigh. First from Starlight, and now from Apple Bloom. “Heard you two have gotten really chummy over the last few months.”
“You don’t sound so ecstatic about it,” Featherweight pointed out. “You wouldn’t happen to have any issue with it, do you?”
“Nope,” Apple Bloom plainly assured. “It’s nice that there’s a creature that fancies her. Every creature deserves a chance to be loved…it’s just that…have fun, okay?”
“Uh, sure,” Featherweight managed to say before prompting himself inside the building. Numerous thoughts banged across his head as he tried to surmise the unnerving reaction of Apple Bloom. It’s no secret that Featherweight lacks experiences with mares, so the rumors spouted by curious students of him finally giving his love life a try should be astounding. It couldn’t be that she’s jealous, right?
His thoughts however came to a halt when the summer smell of honeydew struck his snout. The rhythmic sound of violins and throngs of voices resounded through the scented air.
A mass of carefree creatures swayed underneath a group of chandeliers. He could already see some of them dancing on the floor and others communing among the ends of the room. All of them must have visited Yona and Sandbar’s Boutique before coming here because all their dresses exuded an exotic aura that made him feel plain in comparison.
How could Featherweight possibly capture Cozy’s full attention with clothing so mundane?
“Featherweight,” he heard a calling voice. There she was. She trotted to him in a sweet Lolita dress, a garment fitting for only an angel such as herself. Her entire form left him entranced, hypnotized by the flow of her white and blue dress. “Well don’t you look swell.”
“Yeah…” Featherweight said and then shook his head. “I mean, thanks. But I don’t think I really compare to every creature else here.
“Don’t think of silly nonsense like that,” Cozy said. “You shouldn’t try to compare yourself to others. Besides, I think you look nice and that’s all that should matter.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Featherweight gave a dumb smile. Holding down the stir of emotions from Cozy’s compliment was a one-sided battle that he failed flawlessly to overcome.
“Is this him?” Featherweight heard a voice approach them. A pair of elder ponies approached them.
“He looks flimsy,” the stallion of the pair commented.
“You’re no different,” the mare of the pair said. “Honestly, you shouldn’t be so judgmental.”
“Hello?” Featherweight meekly greeted the two ponies. “Can I help you with something?”
“Mom, dad,” Cozy said. “This is my special friend I’ve been telling about. The famous editor of Ponyville.”
These are her parents! Dear Twilight, they look so gaudy in their tacky dress. It’s like they dressed up for a century-old renaissance.
“So you are Featherweight,” the tacky father spoke. Despite his attempt to intimidate Featherweight with his gaze, his body and wardrobe selection made him cringe to watch. “You haven’t done anything inappropriate with her, have you?”
“What?” Featherweight stammered. “I would never do something like that to her!”
“Is she not cute enough for you?” the tacky mother asked.
“No,” Featherweight refuted. “It’s not that. I…This is not how I imagined our first topic to be.”
“Cozy,” the mother spoke. “Come here.” Her daughter came immediately at her voice. And when she drew near, the mother picked upon the red ribbons tied to Cozy’s mane. “How on Equestria do they keep getting loose? You won’t find a good husband if you don’t look perfect.”
“Find a good husband?” Featherweight wondered in his thoughts. Doesn’t she know that mares usually don’t like to be scolded about their love life from their parents? Well, this should be an interesting development. He’s never seen an angry Cozy before.
“Yes ma’am,” Cozy smiled.
She smiled…She smiled? Well, that was kind of disappointing and also odd. Guess Cozy just have a really close relationship with her parents.
“Remember to smile and enjoy yourself, okay?” the mother said.
“Got it,” Cozy confirmed with a smile.
“I see you’ve met her family,” a voice resounding beside Featherweight. He went breathless when he noted his tall and majestic Princess standing by his side. The years have certainly made a stark change from how Featherweight remembered her back when he was a young colt.
“Princess Twilight,” Featherweight gasped. “I—when—Please forgive me for not noticing you earlier.”
“It’s quite alright,” Twilight assured with a chuckle. “I’m not hoping to the stardom of attention.”
“Hey,” Featherweight couldn’t stop his stammering. “You wouldn’t happen to gotten my reviews, have you?”
“You mean the box of essays you’ve written in a single night?” Twilight said. “Yes, I have thoroughly gone through all of its contents. And as usual, they are quite insightful. If you weren’t an important editor to your press, I would have taken you as my personal assistant at my castle.”
“You would?” Featherweight gaped at his Princess. “I’m honored that think of me that way.”
“Greetings Princess,” the mother welcomed the Princess. “My daughter told me you would come here, but don’t you have other matters to concern yourself here?”
“I do in fact,” Princess Twilight said. “But as expected, Starlight is nowhere to be found.”
“Headmare Starlight isn’t here?” Featherweight wondered.
“She still holds a grudge after all these years,” the father spoke. “It would do her some good to just move on already.”
“I don’t blame her,” Twilight said. “It was never something she was open to.”
“How she feels means nothing to me,” the mother spoke. “As long as she doesn’t get in my daughter’s way, I’ll permit her to see my child.”
“Am I intruding on something personal here?” Featherweight nervously voiced.
“It’s nothing important,” the mother said. “I assure you.” The mother then raised the chin of her daughter. “I want you back home by midnight. Don’t exchange yourself on the first day.”
“Yes ma’am,” Cozy nodded with a smile and then sauntered back Featherweight.
Was Cozy always this lenient to other’s commands? Well, they are her parents, so Featherweight guessed that it’s expected, right?
“Hey Featherweight,” Cozy blurted before Featherweight, snapping out his thoughts. “How about we put our dresses to good use.” Cozy grabbed onto Featherweight’s hoof and pulled the stallion towards the center of the room. Directly where pairs of creatures swung together in rhythmic sways.
“Wait, already,” Featherweight voiced. Well, he did say he was open to dancing if it meant sharing it with Cozy. Although, he figured they would build up to that. Things were already moving so fast. “I…I don’t know. I’m not that familiar with ballroom dances.”
“It’s fine,” Cozy assured him. “Just follow my lead.” Featherweight followed Cozy and raised onto his hind hooves and flinched when he felt Cozy’s hoof upon his back. “Relax, okay.”
Featherweight took a deep breath. At the moment he exhaled, Cozy swayed and Featherweight followed along with the flow of her movement.
The surrounding atmosphere became blissful, with the world spinning about under the sound of violins. The diverse creatures swaying their colorful dress along the revolving world made him feel that he has stepped into a wondrous place. But nothing could compare to the mare within his grasp.
Cozy directed her white-dimpled smile only at him. Her alluring scarlet eyes only bore him within its reflection. This was what he wanted, her full attention; no creatures’ but his to claim.
“For some pony not familiar with ballroom dancing, you sure learn fast,” Cozy quipped. “Are you sure you’ve never done this before?”
“What can I say?” Featherweight stammered, trying but failing horribly to put up a coy smile. “You’re a great motivator.”
“Then I guess I’m playing my role right,” Cozy said, earning a befuddled glance from the stallion. What was that supposed to mean? “So, tell me,” Cozy continued. “Has becoming the editor-in-chief of the Ponyville Weekly been all as you had dreamed?”
Why was she asking about his career choice? The setting here should have sparked something more intimate so he could finally make his move. Well, if it’s her, he would answer all of her questions till the sunrise.
“Well,” Featherweight started. “It wasn’t exactly the profession I expected to achieve at first. I have experience as one from school when I ran the Foal Free Press, but that was a long time ago.”
“It was a promotion you got from the predecessor when he retired, right?”
“Yeah,” Featherweight confirmed. “It hasn’t even been a year yet since I’ve taken over. I honestly had no qualms with being a simple journalist, scavenging for stories to write to the creatures of Ponyville. But my boss had other plans for me.”
“I noticed how special you were,” Cozy said. “You have an eye for things that creatures normally wouldn’t notice. I’m sure he wanted you to spread that to all the other journalists.”
“Even so, the responsibility of running an official press besides a school run one is far more hectic with my time than I imagined.”
“And yet you decide to donate some of that precious time to me?” Cozy Glow teased with a chuckle. “I must be a big distraction in your priorities, aren’t I?”
“I would never think that,” Featherweight defensively said. At that moment, he noticed that deep pink gleam in her impish eyes again. “You are by no means a waste of my time.”
Cozy’s face became gentle. The weak smile on her face made Featherweight wonder if he said something wrong. “You know,” Cozy started. “It’s kind of strange. When I’m with you, I get these feelings I can't really understand.”
“You do?” Featherweight’s heart elated. A condition he could not ease when Cozy leaned her head upon his chest. But he could care less. Her warm face brushed against his body. For him and him alone.
“It’s faint, but I can remember a memory. There isn’t an image to go by, but I recall a feeling I had. Many that I was feeling all at once.”
“Does it feel nice?” Featherweight asked.
“No,” Cozy bluntly stated, which earned another befuddlement from the stallion. “It’s a whole heap of darkness. I feel rage, desperate, scared...It’s an awful feeling, but I don’t want to lose hold of it.”
“Why would you want to hold on to something like that?” Featherweight argued. “Wouldn’t you feel better if you just let it go?”
“I don’t want to,” Cozy said. “Because it feels real. It feels like me.”
How can some pony as sweet as her bear something horrible as this? Featherweight wondered if she had undergone something traumatic. Perhaps that is how she lost sight of herself when she was a young filly. Well, there’s no way he let his Cozy be haunted by this any second longer.
“Golly,” Cozy’s voice snapped Featherweight from his thoughts of heroism. “This kind of talk doesn’t fit the mood here, does it? How about we talk more about your hectic work life as the chief editor?”
“I think we’ve talked enough about myself,” Featherweight said. “I want to know more about you. How has being a teacher at the School of Friendship been going for you?”
“It’s the role that I was given, and I will follow it till the end,” Cozy Glow answered. It was an answer that unnerved Featherweight. That monotonous voice that shouldn’t belong to his beloved mare.
“That’s not all to it, right?” Featherweight asked. “I mean, I’ve seen how the students look up to you. You’re like an inspiration to them.”
“Then I’m serving my purpose well,” Cozy answered in her usual dainty smile. Though now it was more daunting to the stallion. “My purpose is to ensure the growth of all my students. To help discover their true talents and gather a circle of friends to trust in is all I am needed to prepare them for the big world out there.”
“That’s...a unique way to put it,” Featherweight managed to say. “But at least that makes you happy, right?”
“Should it not?” Cozy wondered. The pink gleam in her eyes beamed brighter to the point it enveloped her entire iris. What was the meaning of that light?
“No,” Featherweight feigned a smile. “Of course, it should.”
His wondrous night with Cozy Glow left an impression on him. Her talk about serving her purpose was a statement that continued to baffle him through his lone walk back home.
In the passing days, Featherweight took long leaves from his work for time to observe Cozy at her job. From afar, he could watch Cozy’s interactions with her students. A diverse array of creatures that all bore an affinity for Cozy filled her class. Nothing out of the ordinary, knowing how charming of a mare she is.
However, there was an apparent oddity when it came to Cozy’s interactions with the other staff. Whenever she spoke to them, it never seemed they gave their full attention. In fact, they were rather dismissive with Trixie recording notes of Cozy’s assessment of her students and others like Scootaloo that allowed only a brief conversation with her before excusing themselves.
And what was the strangest amongst all of it was how accepting Cozy was of their treatment.
Their passive disregard for Cozy pricked upon Featherweight’s feelings, and he showed no qualms in voicing it before them in private. They would all act that he was the one being abnormal. Even when he pushed them about dismissive behavior, they would assure that everything was fine. Each of them professed that this was how it was to be, for this was the future that Cozy brought to herself.
How did she cause this odd arrangement for herself? Why was there no creature willing to answer his questions? What are they hiding from him?
He could not stand the constant evasion from the staff, so he decided to take his curiosity to the highest order of the school. To the pony who first aroused this mystery.
“Come in,” Featherweight heard the voice of mare after he knocked upon a door. Once he stepped inside, he found the headmare of the School of Friendship sorting through documents that were stacked upon her desk.
Her magic flowed the papers about as she skimmed and sorted them into multiple binders on her desk.
“You’re here rather early,” Starlight said as she continued sorting through her document. “Lunch is not until another three hours.”
“Headmare Starlight,” Featherweight started. He proceeded before the headmare’s desk to focus his gaze that the headmare was clearly not paying attention to. “I don’t know if this is an inconvenient time for you, but I have an important matter that I need to discuss with you.”
It was at the point Starlight had stopped her sorting of documents and let out a sigh. “I see,” Starlight said. “Then please state your concerns.”
“It’s about Cozy Glow,” Featherweight said.
“Yes,” Starlight said. “She’s been an ongoing topic that you have constantly addressed to my staff. As I am sure they have already told you, there is no need for any concerns. Managing a heavy number of students is a laborious task for my staff and sometimes lacks the time to slow down and relax. This is a big school we’re running after all.”
“But the way they act around her is so odd,” Featherweight argued. “It’s as though they were speaking with a robot. And then there were those strange things she said to me at the Amity Ball.”
“She did?” Starlight perked at the stallion. “What did she say?”
“I’ll tell you,” Featherweight said. “But only if you comply with answering my questions. No more deflections. Just the truth.”
The agitation on Starlight’s face was evident. A heated sigh escaped her and then she spoke, “I will only answer what I can.”
“No, Headmare Starlight,” Featherweight refuted. “I need to know the whole truth. I want to know what’s going on with Cozy Glow so I can help her. She’s a very special pony to me.”
“I can’t do that, Featherweight,” Starlight said. “There are limits to the amount of personal information that can be disclosed.”
“...Is that really it?” Featherweight asked. “Throughout the months I’ve been with Cozy, I never heard any of you once talk about us. One would think that there was something going on when two ponies meet together on a regular basis.”
“We were respectful of your privacy.”
“Or is it that you don’t want to talk about it.”
“That is an odd accusation to make,” Starlight said. “Are you sure that you’re not overthinking things?”
“Fine then,” Featherweight said. “Then I’ll just put everything out on the table then. As you already, Cozy used to be troubled filly in the past. She had involved herself with the most despicable creatures to walk the lands of Equestria, nearly led to the liberation of our homeland. But now, she has reformed herself and became an inspiring teacher that educates young minds of the correct ideas of friendship.”
“I’m well aware of this,” Starlight said. “I am the one who hired her after all.”
“However, there are things she has said that have given me uncomfortable vibes. At the ball, she mentioned that she was playing her role. A role that was given to her.”
“She said that…”
“There was also a moment when she told me about a memory she couldn’t remember vividly. Only feelings that one wouldn’t be fond of. Yet despite how horrible it must be, she wants to hold on to it because according to her, it makes her feel real.”
The headmare sat appalled about by this information. Her teeth bit upon the tip of her hoof as she appeared to be juggling through her mind. But that’s not where Featherweight wanted it to be.
“Headmare Starlight,” Featherweight voiced. “I shared with you my concerns. I need you to give me answers.”
Featherweight wanted answers, but instead, Starlight sighed and leaned back upon her chair. “Just as I thought. I can’t do it.”
“You can’t!?” Featherweight raised his voice. A growing ire fumed out of him. “Why is it so hard to just say it!? It’s obvious that you know what’s going on! Why won’t you tell me!?”
“Because I’m not the one who should bear this burden!” Starlight snapped, stunning the stallion. “I…” Starlight stopped herself to breathe and collect composure. “I understand that you have many questions. However, I don’t believe I’m the right pony to answer them. Rather, it belongs to the pony that set it all in motion.”
“Who do you mean?”
“The pony who tried endlessly to reform her, Princess Twilight.”
Before Featherweight could manage a response, Starlight had already harnessed the light in her horn and whisked themselves before the front of the Canterlot castle. The moment was so instant that Featherweight flinched and fell to the cobblestone floor.
“Get up,” Starlight said. “You want to get your answers, don’t you?”
Featherweight picked himself and swept away mild dust that collected upon his coat. “You could have at least warned me before deciding to teleport a pony.”
“I don’t have a lot of time,” Starlight argued. “And this is the last place I would want to be right now. So, I just want to get this over with as quickly as possible.”
“We can’t just waltz in there and expect the princess to talk with us,” Featherweight said. “There’s a matter of request and scheduling that would have to take place.”
“She’ll make time,” Starlight stated. “I know she’s been wanting to talk with me for a long time now.”
“Were you avoiding her at the ball?” Featherweight asked. “She sounded like she was looking for you.”
“That has nothing to do with you,” Starlight snapped. “Just focus on why we’re here.”
At the brink of daylight, she and Featherweight approached the entrance of the castle. He was anxious about being turned away given their lack of reservation.
However, the royal guards were quite lax about their entry. In fact, they seemed joyous to see Starlight enter the halls of the castle. It was a rather cautious joy going by their nervous smiles.
Their walk to the throne room was unnervingly quiet. Starlight hastened her walk towards the end of the hall. Featherweight hardly had time to observe the grand furnishings that he could only afford with a full year of his salary.
A large door blocked their path. Within it was the throne where their Princess lied.
Guarding the door was a stallion and griffon clamored in pearl toned armor. The blue griffon that initially bore an indifferent face gaped astonished when he noted Featherweight and Starlight.
“Headmare Starlight,” the griffon voiced. “What’re you doing here?”
“Hello Gallus,” Starlight greeted him. “I’m here on a short errand. I’m hoping that this doesn’t take long.”
“Oh...well, it was great to see you again. I don’t really get that many opportunities to leave Canterlot. Being the Princess’s personal guard takes up a lot of my availability.”
“I know,” Starlight said. “And I’m sorry.”
“Yeah…”
The atmosphere somehow felt melancholic. Featherweight could sense an undertone of drama. There was a deeper conversation going on that felt completely out of the loop. How many times will they do this before he’s finally let in!?
“Well, I guess I should let you finish your errand,” Gallus said. “I’m sure Twilight will be grateful for it, I hope.” At Gallus’s nod, he, and the stallion with him stepped aside from the large door.
Without another word, Starlight entered the chamber, and so Featherweight followed. A long scarlet rug extended through the center of the chamber and led to the throne of the Princess.
There she was. Her regal majesty stood aloof amongst the two on her throne chair. The Princess unfurled her wings. She appeared to want to say something, but her mouth splayed open long before she finally spoke, “Starlight, you’ve come.”
“Hello Princess,” Starlight greeted her with a monotonous voice. From Featherweight's short experience with this, he could detect a hint of poison form in her words. “I have a pony that is in need of your audience.”
“Featherweight,” Twilight observed him. He was rather surprised that the Princess of Equestria could recall the name of somepony as irrelevant as him.
“He has many questions pertaining to Cozy Glow,” Starlight voiced. “I figured that you were the best suited to answer them.”
“Cozy,” Twilight voiced, though not in the tone one would define of fascination. Her eyes arched upon Featherweight, fitting gaze for royal authority.
It shook fear into Featherweight’s heart as it felt the incessant need to step away from the situation. “I see.” The Princess closed her eyes. At least that gave him a moment of calm.
“Good,” Starlight said, sharing no sign of anxiety as Featherweight had. “Then I’ll leave you to the matter. I have my own duties to attend to.”
“Starlight, wait,” the Princess’s eyes gaped open and raised a hoof toward the two of them. “There’s no need to leave so soon. Why not stick around? It’s been so long since the last time we’ve talked.”
“And the reason for that should be obvious,” Starlight pointed out. Her concealed poison was naked within her voice now.
“Please, Starlight,” the Princess urged. “If only for a spare moment, that is all I will ask.”
“How can you stand there and ask that of me?” Starlight glared at the Princess. An act out of line toward royalty that made Featherweight fearful of standing by the headmare’s side. “Every day I’m always confronted with it. And now you have me be compliant to fiddle with this pony’s emotions.”
“That’s not what we’re doing,” the Princess retorted. “What he feels is genuine and I believe it’s the same for her.”
“Sure,” Starlight said. “Just keep telling yourself that.”
“Starlight, all I ask is for your time. We both need this.”
“...Take responsibility, and maybe I’ll consider it.”
“Thank you, Starlight,” the Princess smiled. She then descended upon her throne and strode past the two. Featherweight looked back to see the Princess. Their gaze met, and she spoke, “Come with me, I’m sure you have much you would like to discuss.”
Featherweight followed Princess Twilight into the luscious gardens of the castle. Despite how breathtaking the air and elegance of exotic plants he has never known to exist, his priorities were dead set upon the Princess.
He wanted to say something, but all he could manage was to follow behind his Princess. Her flowing mane stretched above him, casting a shadow that hid his face from the beaming sun.
His vigor was ample with a pressure that pushed him down. He had grown tiresome of the silence the two shared but couldn’t push through his anxiety to break it.
He needed her to speak.
Instead, Princess Twilight stopped. Her gaze met upon a statue, laid in the center of her gardens.
It was them. The infamous duo that had once spread disharmony through the stretches of Equestria. To see them up close was an appalling surprise that he never yearned for.
The rage that coursed through the former changeling queen made him uneasy to approach her. From what he had learned, this creature was plagued with too much pride and ego that should smite upon those that dare threaten it. He could never come close to fathom the rage that she must have stored over the decades.
And the feeble minotaur that desperately tried to himself was a pitiful sight. This creature infected his Cozy with his greed and nearly ruined her from becoming the mare he loved today. Though Featherweight held spite for this minotaur, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the fate the minotaur led himself to.
Both were misguided souls that lost their chance for happiness.
“These were the creatures that Cozy paired herself with long ago,” Princess Twilight began. “They have wreaked havoc upon our land on numerous occasions. And upon each time, we would have to rise and put a stop to their evil. But I’m certain you’re well aware of that already.”
“Yes Princess,” Featherweight nodded. “I’m certain every creature is aware of her association with them. Though, it’s still so hard to imagine how she ever grouped herself with them. Not after knowing the pony she is now.”
“I was saddened to learn of her true colors,” Twilight confessed. “Never had I seen a pony lust for friendship for the sake of power. It was disturbing. And what’s worse is that never took notice of it. I wonder if this was what Celestia felt long ago.”
“But you succeeded in mending her from her evil ways,” Featherweight argued. “She’s now a happy mare that educates young creatures on the true aspects of friendships. At least, that’s what I want to believe.”
“And what is it that makes you believe otherwise?” Twilight asked.
“It’s from how she describes herself,” Featherweight answered. “She talks about serving a role and purpose as if she is a tool. It’s even stranger when all of her co-workers are so dismissive of it and she shows no issue with it at all.”
“I see. And what of her students?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. She’s like the perfect teacher as I always imagined her to be and her students know that for themselves.”
“She has a talent for being an inspiration to others,” Twilight said. “It’s one of her qualities that I found to be the most valuable about her.”
“...Princess Twilight,” Featherweight started. He was going to do it now. No more deflections, no more walkarounds. Just the truth. “I’ve been wondering about something for quite some time. How exactly did you manage to redeem Cozy Glow?”
The Princess didn’t meet his gaze when he finally asked that question. Her eyes were heavily set upon the statues. They were dull and lifeless.
And then they sprouted back to life when she met Featherweight’s again. “Cozy Glow,” Twilight began. “Was a very unique matter that bore all sorts of conundrums to resolve. Her outlook upon friendship was the antithesis to my own. Trying to change her was the same as trying to invert a creature from your opposite political spectrum. And then there were her parents that added on to the task.”
“Her parents?” Featherweight wondered. “I don’t think Cozy has ever told me about them.”
“They were a demanding duo,” Twilight said. “Their endless attempt to intervene in my efforts was a tiresome inconvenience that would make any normal pony lose their sanity.”
“Even so, you prevailed,” Featherweight said. “So, how did you do it?”
“I tried the natural way and hoped to reason with her about her misconception of friendship,” Twilight answered.
“The natural way,” Featherweight raised a brow.
“The juvenile center I created long ago was originally housed for Cozy Glow,” Twilight continued. “A place meant for all young creatures that showed difficulty in fitting into society but held hope that they could learn.”
“So, you spent years talking to her?”
“I wish I could say that,” Twilight frowned. “However, nothing I could say would budge Cozy from her stance. To her, the idea she had of friendship was like an epiphany that answered her life questions.”
“Wait,” Featherweight held up a hoof. “But that’s clearly not what she thinks now. How did you manage to do that?”
“How does one change a pony’s vision of friendship as a quest for power?” Twilight said. “For Cozy, it seemed like a basic desire with no noble meanings or excuse. She desired it for the sake of desire itself. It’s something that continues to boggle my mind even to this day.”
“What did you do?”
“I tried to tell her parents to be patient with me. I gave them permission to visit her, but what they wanted was for her to come back to their home immediately. I couldn’t risk letting a pony with such a dangerous mindset run freely.”
“Just tell me already!” Featherweight shouted with all the frustration that has been surging within him. “Please, you have to tell me what you did.”
Princess Twilight paused upon Featherweight’s sudden uproar. And then she let out a sigh. “Her parents pushed the law upon me to return her. For months I had resisted them, but soon I would cave to the stress that I brought her family. I had a long discussion with my council and the parents. It was a stressful conference that extended to days. It’s not a memory I like to remember. It left scars in my friendship with some ponies that I don’t know will ever heal. However, we came to a majority agreement, and decided to make use of a spell.”
“You forced her to change?” Featherweight said. He was appalled to hear this from his princess. The mare that has trusted friendship to solve countless problems over the decades of her ruling. To use such dark tactics would shake the hearts of many.
“Why would you use that on her?” Featherweight asked. His voice was poisoned with a growing ire. “If you just force a pony to change their mindset, then is it really the same pony. What about her free-will?”
“Featherweight,” Twilight said. “I want you to understand that I spent many months trying to reason with her before resigning to that spell. I had the help of my friends from Ponyville and even the Pillars. However, nothing was able to sway her. She was committed in her ways, and I could only hold onto her for so long before I had to return Cozy to her parents.”
“So, you changed her into an entirely different pony!?” Featherweight voiced. “Is that how you solve your problems now? Then why not do the same for these two?”
“Because I would need the consent of their family,” Twilight said. “I spoke with them about it after seeing the results of Cozy’s transformation, but they were not content with the idea. I didn’t bother to talk them into it.”
“...What spell did you use to change her?” Featherweight asked. He felt a troubling shake in his voice. “Are you manipulating her mind? Did you scramble her memories?”
“It was a spell that I have used once before to save my friends,” Twilight answered. “When their hearts were de-harmonized and cast away from their true selves, I relied upon a spell to remind them of the wonderful times we had to reform them back to the good friends I know them to be. But for Cozy, I had to rely on another spell that I once planned to use on Discord. A reforming spell.”
“You have a spell that just reforms creatures? Just like that.”
“The spell invokes a creature to become the ideal the caster always envisioned them to be,” Twilight answered. “I had found Cozy’s potential to inspire creatures to unite as a promising prospect to her future. If not for her treachery, I might have made her a headmare after Starlight.”
“So now she’s the ideal version you hoped her to be,” Featherweight summarized. “Not something learned and struggled to become, but out of a simple whisk from your magic. And her parents just let that happen?”
“They just wanted their daughter back, Featherweight,” Twilight said. “I had even given them a chance with her, and even they didn’t make any progress. If she was going to continue her days in Equestria, something drastic had to be done.”
“So, that’s your excuse?”
“It’s not the solution that I would have liked,” Twilight admitted. “But it’s what her parents, my friends, and I chose. And in some regards, things have turned out well for her. She’s happy, she has friends and students that look up to her as the wonderful teacher I always knew she would become.”
“But it’s a lie,” Featherweight argued. “You’ve essentially given her a whole new identity. It wasn’t her that decided to become a teacher. It was your influence from that spell that decided it for her.”
“Then let me ask this,” Twilight said. “If you were in the same position as I, what would you have done instead?”
“I don’t know,” Featherweight blurted. “But nothing like this. What you did was so draconian.”
“Are you certain that’s the reason you’re against this?” Twilight asked. “I’ve heard of your interactions with Cozy Glow. You love her, don’t you?”
So, she’s been watching him. It matters little now. Not when he’s finally confronted with this truth. “But it’s not right,” Featherweight grimaced. “She’s just a doll that you made to your own perfection. How am I supposed to look at her the same now?”
“The same way you’ve always had. This is the Cozy you fell in love with. There shouldn't be more to think of than that.”
“I can’t!” Featherweight refuted. “Despite all the bad things she’s done, she deserves to at least decide what her future is. You have to undo the spell.”
“I cannot,” Twilight shook her head. “This was a decision that many had to come to grips with. I can’t simply take that away from them.”
“So, you’re just going to let her keep living this way!?” Featherweight voiced.
“She’s been this way for a long time now. We’ve all come to accept her. At least most of us have.”
“And what about every creature else?” Featherweight remarked. “What do you think would happen if they learned that their Princess forcefully changed the mind of a filly? Do you think they'll be as accepting as you and your friends?”
“If you feel the need to share this with others, then I won’t stop you.”
“You won’t stop me,” Featherweight was stunned. “Are you that confident that creatures will take your side? Just because she was a troubled filly when she was young?”
“I’m not making any insinuations,” Twilight assured. “I’m well aware of your profession, Featherweight. I knew of the risk of telling you this. However, since you share an important bond with Cozy, I will choose not to intervene with your decision for her.”
“This isn’t about me!”
“That would be far from the truth,” Twilight refuted. “What you choose to do with this information may shape everything about her future. And whatever that decision may be, I can only hope it comes from the love you have for her.”
“Stop spouting about love as if it’s normal anymore,” Featherweight voiced as he flapped his wings to carry him to the air. “You’ve already ruined it a long time before it began. And to think I tried so hard to be the #1 reader in your stupid club.”
Without waiting for another response from his princess, Featherweight soared to the sky. For months, he truly thought he attained the mare of his dreams. Instead, it was a puppet made by the machination of his Princess’s expectations. This was what Starlight hid from her. This was what all the other teachers and staff refused to tell him.
Despite the rage he felt fuming through his body, he decided to look back at his Princess from afar. He had to know if she felt any stroke of pain for what she’s done.
She was still there in the garden. Her gaze directed toward the lone statues of her petrified foes.
Click, Click, Click
Klang
Featherweight picked a paper from a typewriter at the finishing dial. He placed it atop his office desk and basked upon the draft that would expose the irredeemable crime of the Princess abetted by her friends and the parents of Cozy Glow. Never has his hooves rushed with such a burning passion, specifying the sacrilegious confessions of the Princess’s misdeeds.
With a relieved sigh, Featherweight leaned back on his chair. A story as groundbreaking as this was sure to attract the attention of all creatures across the lands. The Ponyville Weekly may have to expand its horizons after the overwhelming subscribers he expects to gain.
His predecessor will be proud to see his company rise above the media. The future of the company would be bright...but what of Cozy’s…
Would she be given her justice from the Princess’s hypocrisy? Would creatures call the Princess’s leadership into question and potentially remove her from the throne? At first, it felt good to think the Princess would receive her just punishment, but as his fantasies began to quell, he had to consider the fate of Equestria should another danger arise. Without the Princess to guide them, could they really prevail? No, her role should not excuse her of the travesty she committed.
But perhaps nothing would come of it.
He then wondered about Cozy’s students. When his story is printed to the press, how would they feel when they learn the truth about the teacher they adore? To learn that the pony that they’ve all looked up was a lie made in the Princess’s machination.
Would this destroy Cozy’s relationship with them? Would all the bonds she has made be broken? They wouldn’t discard her away, would they?
He then heard a pair of knocks on his door. Featherweight immediately hid his draft into his drawer before he responded, “Come in.” He gaped upon a mare that entered his office. “Cozy Glow? Shouldn’t you be at school right now?”
“I should,” Cozy admitted. “But our daily lunchtime had passed, and you didn’t show up.”
“Lunchtime?” Featherweight said. “Oh, right!? I’ve completely forgotten. I’m so sorry, I got caught up in some personal business and couldn’t just leave it alone.”
“Is that true?” Cozy asked. She stepped before his desk and leaned in towards him. “It’s not because you’ve lost interest in me, right?”
“What? Why would you think that?”
“It’s just that we’ve been together for so long now,” Cozy confessed. “Our talks in the lounge have been so uplifting to me. I feel this sense of freedom that I never get from any pony. But after our time at the Amity Ball. I don’t know. I just feel that you’ve become distant from me like I’m scaring you away. I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?” A crack poured out her voice followed by a stream of tears. The very first pair that Featherweight has even seen her let out.
“Woah, Woah, Woah,” Featherweight repeated and then raised from his seat to console the mare in his grasp. Her bubble gum scent enticed his snout. “You’re overthinking things. I’ve just been distracted, that’s all.”
“I’m sorry,” Cozy apologized. “I just felt so overwhelmed with fear when you didn’t come. We may have only known for some months, but our time at the lounge feels like years to me. I don’t think I’ve felt this way for any other creature...Is this what love is?”
Featherweight perked in utter shock of Cozy’s suggestion. His heart sped, ravaging with anticipation if Cozy had finally realized what he'd come to know. That the two were meant for each other. Together, they would live a life of bliss. At a house, with at least two foals, waking to the beguile of each other every morning. That was the future the two deserved, to become a happy family.
“I think this is what Twilight expected when I spoke with her months ago,” Cozy said.
“...What?” Featherweight gently pushed Cozy away from him. Her eyes gleamed in a deep pink light that shimmered his shaded office.
“I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this,” Cozy started. “But every month I would always report to the Princess to update her about my goings in life. She was so happy when I told her about our lunch meetings. She even wished me good luck for us to become close. At first, I thought she meant about our friendship. But now, I think I know what she was talking about.”
“You met with the Princess…” Featherweight began to realize the reality of the predicament. Of the coming of his relationship with Cozy that has sparked into this blissful conclusion. The Princess, she did it again. For him.
“Featherweight,” Cozy called to him. “I’ve been having thoughts. About the future. I saw us together at a house we bought together. There, I saw a colt and filly that look so much like us. The two are lively pair that would always drive us crazy with their dastard antics and incessant need to impress us. But we would love them both regardless. I want to see them…I want to see them with you.”
…Is this real or a lie? Is this Cozy talking or the machination of Twilight’s magic? He wanted to believe the former. Celestia knows he wanted that to be the truth. He wanted it to be. He needed it to be. It should be.
Cozy had lived a life of darkness in her past. She was confused and mislead by others. Twilight and Cozy’s parents only sought to flourish the future they desired for her. But none of them truly knew her. Not like Featherweight knew her.
No creature could spark life into her like he can. Cozy knew that and here she stands, finally professing her love to him. The very thing he’s wanted for so long. The thing he had deserved after living most of his life alone. She would fill the missing piece in him as he would for her. So, why should he think any more than that?
“I would like that…”
